Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Employee Motivation Essay Example for Free

Employee Motivation Essay Simple acts such as eating are motivated by hunger. Educatio n is motivated by desire for knowledge. Motivators can be anything from reward to coercion. From the scientific viewpoint, by most accounts, motivation is defined as an inner state of need or desire. That state of desire creates a movement or activity towards satisfying that desire. In my never-ending quest to spread the word about turning ideas into action, I view inspiration as the state of mind that primes us to come up with great ideas, and motivation as the state of mind that spurs us to action. Concept of Motivation In order to understand the concept of motivation, we have to examine three terms : motive, motivating and motivation and their relationship Motive ?A motive is an inner state that energizes, activates, or moves and directs behavior towards goals.? Motivating ?Motivating is a term which implies that one person includes another, to engage in action by ensuring that a channel to satisfy the motive becomes available and accessible to the individ ual.? 2 Motivation Dubin has defined motivation as; ?Motivation is the complex force starting and keeping a person at work in an organization. Motivation is something that moves the person to action, and continues him in the course of action already initiated? According to McFarland; ?Motivation refers to the way in which urges, drives, aspirations, strivings, or needs direct, control, or explain the behavior of human being. .. Based on Motives: Motivation is based on individual‘s motives which are internal to the individual. These motives are in the form of feelings that the individual lacks something. In order to overcome this feeling, he tries to behave in a manner which helps in overcoming this feeling. 2. Affected by Motivating: Motivation is affected by way the individual is motivated. It can also activate the latent needs in the individual, that is, the needs that are the less strong and somewhat dormant, and harness them in a manner that would be functional for the organization. 3. Goal–directed Behavior: Motivation leads to goal-directed behavior. A goal-directed behavior is one which satisfies the cau se for which behavior takes place. 4. Related to Satisfaction: satisfaction refers to the contentment experiences of an individual which he derives out of need fulfillment. Thus satisfaction is a consequence of rewards and punishments associated with past experiences. 5. Complex Process: Motivation is a complex process; complexity emerges because of the nature of needs and the type of behavior that is attempted to satisfy those needs. 6. Person Motivated in Totality: A person is motivated in totality and not in part. Each individual in the organization is a self-contained unit and his needs are interrelated. These affect his behavior in different ways. 3 Motivation Motivation is a force that drives people to do things. Employees are normally motivated to achieve their needs, whatever they may include. Motivation is inside another persons head and heart. It may be intrinsic or extrinsic. This is what we call motivation. Employees of a company will be motivated if they associate certain incentives with an activity of work. Motivation is an important function which every manager performs by assigning the people to work for accomplishment of objectives of the organization . Issuance of well conceived instructions and orders does not mean that they will be followed . A manager has to make appropriate use of motivation to enthuse the employees to follow them. Effective motivation succeeds not only in having an order accepted but also in gaining a determination to see that it is executed efficiently and effectively. In order to motivate workers to work for the organizational goals, the managers must Determine the motives or needs of the workers and provide an environment in which Appropriate incentives are available for their satisfaction . If the management is successful in doing so; it will also be successful in increasing the willingness of the workers to work. This will increase efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. There will be better utilization of resources and workers abilities and capacities. Concept of motivation The word motivation has been derived from motive which means any idea, need or emotion that prompts a man in to action. Whatever may be the behavior of man, there is some stimulus behind it . Stimulus is dependent upon the motive of the person concerned. Motive can be known by studying his needs and desires. There is no universal theory that can explain the factors influencing motives which control mans behaviour at any particular point of ime. In general, the different motives operate at different times among different people and influence their behaviours. The process of motivation studies the motives of individuals which cause different type of behavior. 4 Need of motivation Management‘s basic job is the effective utilization of human resources for achie vements of organizational objectives. The personn el management is concerned with organizing human resources in such a way to get maximum output to the enterprise and to develop the talent of people at work to the fullest satisfaction. Motivation implies that one person, in organization context a manager, includes another, say an employee, to engage in action by ensuring that a channel to satisfy those needs and aspirations becomes available to the person. In addition to this, the strong needs in a direction that is satisfying to the latent needs in employees and Harness them in a manner that would be functional for the organization. Employee motivation is one of the major issues faced by every organization. It is the major task of every manager to motivate his subordinates or to create the ? ill to work‘ among the subordinates. It should also be remembered that a worker may be immensely capable of doing some work; nothing can be achieved if he is not willing to work. A manager has to make appropriate use of motivation to enthuse the employees to follow them. Significance of Motivation Motivation involves getting the members of the group to pull weight effectively, to give their loyalty to the group, to carry out properly the purpose of the organization. The following results may be expected if the employees are properly motivated. 1. The workforce will be better satisfied if the management provides them with Opportunities to fulfil their physiological and psychological needs. The workers will Cooperate voluntarily with the management and will contribute their maximum towards the goals of the enterprise. 2. Workers will tend to be as efficient as possible by improving upon their skills and Knowledge so that they are able to contribute to the progress of the organization. This will also result in increased productivity. 3. The rates of labor‘s turnover and absenteeism among the workers will be low. 4. There will be good human relations in the organization as friction among the workers themselves and between the workers and the management will decrease. 5. The number of complaints and grievances will come down. Accident will also be low. 5 6. There will be increase in the quantity and quality of products. Wastage and scrap will be less. Better quality of products will also increase the public image of the business. Motivation is the activation or energization of goal-oriented behavior; Intrinsic Extrinsic From a practical standpoint, we can dig into our motives in order to get better results, and move ourselves from point A to point B. For example, if you know what motivates you, you can use those motives to get yourself to do things that you wouldnt do otherwise. These same principles can be applied to motivating others as well. Motivational techniques, therefore, are useful to teachers, leaders, parents, employers, and really, almost anyone. The key is in understanding that you are not motivating someone else. Instead, you are simply providing a circumstance that triggers that person to be motivation. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation comes from rewards inherent to a task or activity itself the enjoyment of a puzzle or the love of playing. This form of motivation has been studied by social and educational psychologists since the early 1970s. Research has found that it is usually associated with high educational achievement and enjoyment by students. Intrinsic motivation has been explained by Fritz Heider attributional theory, Banduras work on self effeciency,and Ryan and Decis cognitive evaluation theory. Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they: Attribute their educational results to internal factors that they can control (e. . the amount of effort they put in), Believe they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i. e. the results are not determined by luck), 6 Are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote- learning to achieve good grades. Extrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the performer. Money is the most obvious example , but coercion and threat of punishment are also common extrinsic motivations. While competing, the crowd may cheer on the performer, which may motivate him or her to do well. Trophies are also extrinsic incentives. Competition is in general extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards can lead to over justification and a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation. In one study demonstrating this effect, children who expected to be (and were) rewarded with a ribbon and a gold star for drawing pictures spent less time playing with the drawing materials in subsequent observations than children who were assigned to an unexpected reward condition and to children who received no extrinsic reward. Motivation starts with you! As you aspire to be more successful in life, your attitude towards yourself and others will play a huge role. Positive people learn how to handle lifes challenges differently and use these opportunities to grow. So can you! Self Motivation The self-control of motivation is increasingly understood as a subset of emotional intelligence; a person may be highly intelligent according to a more conservative definition (as measured by many intelligence test), yet unmotivated to dedicate this intelligence to certain tasks. Yale School of Management Professor Victor Vrooms expectancy theory provides an account of when people will decide whether to exert self control to pursue a particular goal. Drives and desires can be described as a deficiency or need that activates behavior that is aimed at a goal or an incentive. These are thought to originate within the individual and may not require external stimuli to encourage the behavior. Basic drives could be sparked by deficiencies such as hunger, which motivates a person to seek food; whereas more subtle drives might be the 7 esire for praise and approval, which motivates a person to behave in a manner pleasing to others. Motivation Process 1. Identification of need 2. Tension 3. Course of action 4. Result –Positive/Negative 5. Feed back TYPES OF NEEDS There are many needs which an individual may have and there are various ways in which these may be classified. The basic objective behind classification of needs into different categories is to find ou t similarity and dissimilarity in various needs so that incentives are grouped to satisfy the needs falling under one category or the other. Thus needs may be grouped into three categories. 1. Primary Needs: Primary needs are also known as psychological , biological , basic or unlearned needs . These needs are common to all human beings , though their intensity may differ . Some of the needs are food , sleep , air to breathe etc. These needs arise out of the basic physiology of life and are important for survival and preservation of species These needs are conditioned by social practice . 2. Secondary Needs: As contrast to the primary needs, secondary needs are not natural but are learned by the individual through his experience and interaction . Therefore, these are also called learned or derived needs. Emergence of these needs depends on learning . There may be different types of secondary needs like need of power, achievement, status, affiliation, etc. 8 3. General Needs: There are a number of needs which lie in the grey area between the primary and secondary classifications. In fact, there are certain such needs for competence, curiosity, manipulation, affection etc. Motivation and Behavior Motivation causes goal-directed behavior. Feeling of a need by an individual generates a feeling that he lacks something. This lack of something creates tension in the mind of individual. To overcome this state he engages himself in a behaviour to satisfy his needs. This is goaldirected behaviour.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Women in Ancient Times: from Matriarchy to Patriarchy Essay examples --

Women in Ancient Times: from Matriarchy to Patriarchy In addition to age, gender is one of the universal dimensions on which status differences are based. Unlike sex, which is a biological concept, gender is a social construct specifying the socially and culturally prescribed roles that men and women are to follow. Women have always had lower status than men, but the extent of the gap between the sexes varies across cultures and time. Images of women, mostly figurines of the same type as the "Venus" of Willendorf*, Lespugue** and Laussel*** (old statuettes representing obese women, women whose wombs and hips are extremely exaggerated) all dating to the Paleolithic period, far outnumber images of men. This has lead to speculation about the place of women in Stone Age society. Some have argued that these female figures denote the existence during this period of a prominent female deity identified usually as the Earth Mother or the Mother Goddess. On the basis of this assumption, it has been suggested that, unlike today, women played a considerably more important, if not dominant, role in Paleolithic society; that possibly a matriarchy existed and women ruled. That means men haven’t always been the leaders; it’s not an inborn quality (as a lot of them suggest)! Johann Bachofen was a 19th Century Swiss archaeologist and classicist who was among the first to recognize the presence of an early matriarchal stage in proto-European cultural evolution. Bachofen used Greek myth to support his arguments. He felt that there were three cultural stages that the early European culture went through. In his view the first stage was a barbaric or hetairistic stage (from the Greek word hetero meaning both) where both or actually neither sex was really in control for there was no control. The strong took advantage of the weak, and there was wide-spread "wanton" sexual activity, uncontrolled by values or morals. Bachofen thought that Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, was the chief deity of this time. The second stage was the matriarchal stage, where women banded together for their own defense. Strong Greek hunter/warrior goddesses such as Artemis and Athena were thought by Bachofen to have come from ancient fragments of memory stemming from this time, as well as the mythic Amazons and Furies. This middle stage saw the development of agriculture, and the rise of... ...e largely unobserved: it was a new kind of union composed of husband and wife, distinctly different form the former clan union of sisters and brothers. The two were in fundamental antagonism to each other. Thus, although marriage was introduced by the mothers within the framework of the maternal clan structure, in the end marriage would undermine the matriarchy.† Therefore womankind gave up its most powerful weapon in maintaining its dominance in a world of â€Å"fatherless† children and brought about itself the torments of patriarchy, by instutionalizing marriage. Unfortunately, unlike the matriarchy, patriarchy has lasted to our present day. Of course there has been major progress since the days of the Roman Empire, now it is illegal to consider women lower then men in any sense (at least in some countries), yet most of us still see the world through the patriarchal curtain that covers our eyes. Bibliography: â€Å"Women out of history: a herstory anthology† by Ann Forfreedom â€Å"The Underside of history† by Elise Boulding â€Å"Woman’s evolution from matriarchal clan to patriarchal family† by Evelyn Reed â€Å"When God Was a Woman† by Merlin Stone http://www.yahoo.com http://www.google.com

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Extended Definition

Jason Lorenzo Lumabas ENGLCOM (WC) The Digestive System One of the miracles of the human body is how it possesses the characteristics of machines; specifically that of a juicer. It breaks down and extracts vitamins and minerals from everything that it ingests. To be specific, the digestive system is the system of organs responsible for getting food into and out of the body and turning the food we eat into energy (Seibert, 2011). It is one of the wonders of our body that keeps us alive.In fact, keeping a healthy digestive system can actually boost one’s lifespan. According to Watson (2011), a lot of people suffer from chronic diseases but only a few realize that these are the result of impaired digestion. Overall health begins in the gut that is why having poor digestion will encourage the development of different illnesses. Thus, by having a good digestive health a person increases the chances of prolonging his life by having a healthy diet but people nowadays tend to eat what ever they please. Majority does not really care about how nutritious their food is as long as they satisfy their hunger.Little do these people know that what they eat can affect their body system. Sztainer (2008) provides recommendations to maintain a healthy body and good eating habits. First, unhealthy eating must be counteracted with long-term eating behaviors which will also help in the promotion of positive body image. Second, eating together as a family and talking about how to maintain a healthy living will help as well. As a matter of fact, eating alone can lead to depression (Kimura et al. , 2012) that will greatly affect the eating habits of an individual thus making the person unhealthy.Therefore, following these recommendations will impede poor nutritional health. Another factor that greatly decreases the health of the digestive system are disorders like bulimia and anorexia. Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa are two of the most dreaded eating disorders afflicting men and women. According to Sonenklar (2011), Anorexia nervosa, or just anorexia, is a combination of emotional, psychological, and biological disorders that affects the body. People with anorexia fear weight gain and are obsessed with their bodies. They restrict themselves from eating too much because they are afraid to appear big.On the other hand, she states that bulimics are those who eat excessively and later purge it, because of their act of binge eating. They become depressed and tend to engage themselves in dangerous methods that will help them lose the weight they gained from eating too much. These disorders also affect the disease-fighting mechanism of the human body since the gastrointestinal tract consists of two-thirds of the immune system. There are many ways to prevent diseases that involve not only the digestive system but also the other systems of the body. One of these ways is having probiotics in one’s system.Probiotics can help in keeping the digestive system working well. In fact, probiotics can reverse illnesses related to the gut. Louis (2012) asserts that it is important to have a good amount of probiotics in one’s system especially if the intake of processed foods and low fiber diets is high because it will abate the colon function. Another way to prevent these illnesses is enzyme supplementation in a person’s diet. A good amount of enzyme can improve a person’s overall digestion. It also reduces the effects of aging and inflammation of muscles and joint pain. Enzymes boost the immune system and cleanse the body from allergic reactions.The author also mentions that pasteurized foods and beverages should be avoided because they destroy enzymes. In conclusion, a lot of factors should be considered in maintaining a healthy digestive system. Engaging one’s self in doing these will result to a well and prolonged life. Having a healthy digestive system also means having a healthy central nervous system. These two systems are closely related to each which is why a new field of study possible called Neurogastroenterology sprung. These two vital systems serve as some kind of elixir to the human body that is why they should be kept well at all times.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

What Is Free Trade Definition, Pros, and Cons

In the simplest of terms, free trade is the total absence of government policies restricting the import and export of goods and services. While economists have long argued that trade among nations is the key to maintaining a healthy global economy, few efforts to actually implement pure free-trade policies have ever succeeded. What exactly is free trade, and why do economists and the general public view it so differently?  Ã‚  Ã‚   Key Takeaways: Free Trade Free trade is the unrestricted importing and exporting of goods and services between countries. The opposite of free trade is protectionism—a highly-restrictive trade policy intended to eliminate competition from other countries. Today, most industrialized nations take part in hybrid free trade agreements (FTAs), negotiated multinational pacts which allow for, but regulate tariffs, quotas, and other trade restrictions.  Ã‚   Free Trade Definition Free trade is a largely theoretical policy under which governments impose absolutely no tariffs, taxes, or duties on imports, or quotas on exports. In this sense, free trade is the opposite of protectionism, a defensive trade policy intended to eliminate the possibility of foreign competition.  Ã‚   In reality, however, governments with generally free-trade policies still impose some measures to control imports and exports. Like the United States, most industrialized nations negotiate â€Å"free trade agreements,† or FTAs with other nations which determine the tariffs, duties, and subsidies the countries can impose on their imports and exports. For example, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), between the United States, Canada, and Mexico is one of the best-known FTAs. Now common in international trade, FTA’s rarely result in pure, unrestricted free trade. In 1948, the United States along with more than 100 other countries agreed to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), a pact that reduced tariffs and other barriers to trade between the signatory countries. In 1995, GATT was replaced by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Today, 164 countries, accounting for 98% of all world trade belong to the WTO. Despite their participation in FTAs and global trade organizations like the WTO, most governments still impose some protectionist-like trade restrictions such as tariffs and subsidies to protect local employment. For example, the so-called â€Å"Chicken Tax,† a 25% tariff on certain imported cars, light trucks, and vans imposed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1963 to protect U.S. automakers remains in effect today.   Free Trade Theories Since the days of the Ancient Greeks, economists have studied and debated the theories and effects of international trade policy. Do trade restrictions help or hurt the countries that impose them? And which trade policy, from strict protectionism to totally free trade is best for a given country? Through the years of debates over the benefits versus the costs of free trade policies to domestic industries, two predominant theories of free trade have emerged: mercantilism and comparative advantage. Mercantilism Mercantilism is the theory of maximizing revenue through exporting goods and services. The goal of mercantilism is a favorable balance of trade, in which the value of the goods a country exports exceeds the value of goods it imports. High tariffs on imported manufactured goods are a common characteristic of mercantilist policy. Advocates argue that mercantilist policy helps governments avoid trade deficits, in which expenditures for imports exceeds revenue from exports. For example, the United States, due to its elimination of mercantilist policies over time, has suffered a trade deficit since 1975.   Dominant in Europe from the 16th to the 18th centuries, mercantilism often led to colonial expansion and wars. As a result, it quickly declined in popularity. Today, as multinational organizations such as the WTO work to reduce tariffs globally, free trade agreements and non-tariff trade restrictions are supplanting mercantilist theory. Comparative Advantage Comparative advantage holds that all countries will always benefit from cooperation and participation in free trade. Popularly attributed to English economist David Ricardo and his 1817 book â€Å"Principles of Political Economy and Taxation,† the law of comparative advantage refers to a country’s ability to produce goods and provide services at a lower cost than other countries. Comparative advantage shares many of the characteristics of globalization, the theory that worldwide openness in trade will improve the standard of living in all countries. Comparative advantage is the opposite of absolute advantage—a country’s ability to produce more goods at a lower unit cost than other countries. Countries that can charge less for its goods than other countries and still make a profit are said to have an absolute advantage. Pros and Cons of Free Trade Would pure global free trade help or hurt the world? Here are a few issues to consider. 5 Advantages of Free Trade It stimulates economic growth: Even when limited restrictions like tariffs are applied, all countries involved tend to realize greater economic growth. For example, the Office of the US Trade Representative estimates that being a signatory of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) increased the United States’ economic growth by 5% annually.It helps consumers: Trade restrictions like tariffs and quotas are implemented to protect local businesses and industries. When trade restrictions are removed, consumers tend to see lower prices because more products imported from countries with lower labor costs become available at the local level.It increases foreign investment: When not faced with trade restrictions, foreign investors tend to pour money into local businesses helping them expand and compete. In addition, many developing and isolated countries benefit from an influx of money from U.S. investors.It reduces government spending: Governments often subsidize local indus tries, like agriculture, for their loss of income due to export quotas. Once the quotas are lifted, the government’s tax revenues can be used for other purposes.It encourages technology transfer: In addition to human expertise, domestic businesses gain access to the latest technologies developed by their multinational partners. 5 Disadvantages of Free Trade It causes job loss through outsourcing: Tariffs tend to prevent job outsourcing by keeping product pricing at competitive levels. Free of tariffs, products imported from foreign countries with lower wages cost less. While this may be seemingly good for consumers, it makes it hard for local companies to compete, forcing them to reduce their workforce. Indeed, one of the main objections to NAFTA was that it outsourced American jobs to Mexico.It encourages theft of intellectual property: Many foreign governments, especially those in developing countries, often fail to take intellectual property rights seriously. Without the protection of patent laws, companies often have their innovations and new technologies stolen, forcing them to compete with lower-priced domestically-made fake products.It allows for poor working conditions:  Similarly, governments in developing countries rarely have laws to regulate and ensure safe and fair working conditions. Because free trade is partially depen dent on a lack of government restrictions, women and children are often forced to work in factories doing heavy labor under slave-like working conditions.It can harm the environment: Emerging countries have few, if any environmental protection laws. Since many free trade opportunities involve the exporting of natural resources like lumber or iron ore, clear-cutting of forests and un-reclaimed strip mining often decimate local environments.It reduces revenues: Due to the high level of competition spurred by unrestricted free trade, the businesses involved ultimately suffer reduced revenues. Smaller businesses in smaller countries are the most vulnerable to this effect. In the final analysis, the goal of business is to realize a higher profit, while the goal of government is to protect its people. Neither unrestricted free trade nor total protectionism will accomplish both. A mixture of the two, as implemented by multinational free trade agreements, has evolved as the best solution. Sources and Further Reference Baldwin, Robert E. The Political Economy of U.S. Import Policy, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1985Hugbauer, Gary C., and Kimberly A. Elliott. Measuring the Costs of Protection in the United States. Institute for International Economics, 1994Irwin, Douglas A. Free Trade Under Fire. Princeton University Press, 2005Mankiw, N. Gregory. Economists Actually Agree on This: The Wisdom of Free Trade. New York Times (April 24, 2015)Ricardo, David. Principles of Political Economy and Taxation. The Library of Economics and Liberty