Wind Energy in Scotland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wind Energy in Scotland - Essay Example Wilson further considers the site near Peebles in the Scottish Borders one of the most powerful in the country with 24 wind turbines, each standing 75 metres high. If all planned wind farms go ahead, Wilson notes, the Borders will be the renewable energy capital of Britain, with more jobs for more people and the ability to help the Government meet its own targets of 10% of electricity being produced from sustainable energy by 2010. The optimism expressed by the energy minister, however, is one-sided and does not take into consideration any of the controversy surrounding use of wind power. Nick Goodall (2002) of the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) expresses his belief that the major issues involved in utilising wind resources are not technical but institutional. 'Planning' and 'Connection' are two areas of principal concern. One potential threat to further development of wind energy is the existence of small but vocal anti-wind farm activist groups. BWEA suggests that configuration of smaller-scale wind farms should be considered along with larger on- and offshore projects. Inclusive working groups should be established to consider the interests of all affected parties. Planning, connection and marketing issues require continued attention. Electricity generation accounts for only 20% of Scotland's energy needs according to the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) (Paterson, 2006), and the apparently simple resolution of using wind sources could take away from research into other renewable resources. However, if hydrogen technology increases sufficiently, IEE suggests that an increased electricity component might be necessary. Global considerations should be addressed when developing wind energy policies. Interactions between different policy instruments should be carefully assessed to avoid potential conflicts and inefficiencies. The decline of oil and gas fields of the UK continental shelf will increase Scotland's dependence on non-indigenous sources; in the longer term, global competition for primary energy will grow as global competitors increase along with gradual depletion of global resources. In use of wind, wave and tidal technologies, wind power represents the most feasible option; however the variability of wind power could create considerable technical challenges for the management of the grid and could necessitate substantial thermal back-up capacity (Paterson, Section 4, pp. 2-3). In Scotland, wind is taken for granted, but it definitely is not available at the same degree of power from day to day. A mix of generation technologies that can be connected at every level of the electricity supply chain needs to be developed. Some of the new technologies, particularly wind, introduce new challenges due to the inherent variability of power supply. In Scotland's government report on strategies for developing a renewable energy program (Choosing, 2005), rhetoric throughout the report overwhelms the

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3

Report - Essay Example After World War II Nestlà © saw a boom period and since then it grew at a faster pace leaving behind all the competitors of the market. Nestlà © is also listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange. It is also ranked at the number 1 position in the Fortune 500 companies in 2011. Nestlà © is serving over 150 countries at this time with almost 461 factories or operations in 83 countries. With the help of these facts and figures we can imagine the huge network of Nestlà ©. The basic key factor behind the foundation of Nestlà © Company was the research to find out the alternative for the infants whom mothers cannot feed. This was an intense social thinking and thus we can say that from its origin Nestlà © Company is aimed to work for the people and not for gaining profits. Nestlà © have taken many steps in the social concerns. They always try to satisfy their customer base not only with their products but also with the communication skills. Through this way they give value to the potential customers. Customer and supplier relationship management is an important tool to create a good company name. Nestlà © has always differentiated itself as the company focusing on the people who are very much health and nutrition conscious (Raza 2013). As per recent information, Nestlà © has announced to expand its research and development centre in Singapore. The primary focus of this R & D centre will be health and nutrition. The Nestlà © team also says that th e core aim of their company’s presence is to enhance the quality of people’s lives every day. This is also shown If we consider the world wide operations then there are almost 8000 brands which have been offered by Nestlà ©. As a result they have captured a huge market share and thus achieve success as compare to many other competitive firms. According to a news report Nestlà © is such a biggest company in the food industry that its financial results can predict the

Owens Dulce et Decorum Est Essay Example for Free

Owens Dulce et Decorum Est Essay Writing in a similar style to Owens Dulce et Decorum Est, Siegfried Sassoon also decided to attack figures of authority and those with no direct experience of trench warfare via Base Details. Base Details is entirely speculative. The word base in the title has two distinct meanings. It could be used as a noun, to mean place, as in a centre of operation; or you could interpret the word as an adjective meaning morally low or unacceptable. Sassoon has used play on words in the title so that the reader may more adequately perceive the irony and sarcasm expressed in this poem. The adjectives used in the first two lines of Base Details reflect the authors perception of his superiors: If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath, Id live with Scarlet Majors at the Base, The first line indicates that Sassoon is contemptuous of these officers. He has classed the Majors as unpleasant stereotypes, to be criticised and jeered at. In the following line, the word scarlet has a double meaning. On face value, it could be taken to mean that the officers have bright red cheeks. However, Sassoon has used the word as a metaphor, meaning that the Majors have been metaphorically splattered with the blood of the young men they had sent to the front line to die. The stanza continues: And speed glum heroes up the line to death. Here, speed indicates haste. The Majors are unnecessarily rushing soldiers to their deaths. The soldiers are referred to as glum heroes because that is exactly what they are. Their country is expecting them to be noble, intrepid and courageous. Instead they are despondent because they know that as soon as they are out of the trenches their grisly demise could come about at any second. All the hope, joy and energy that is a part of youth has vanished from these men. Sassoon then regales us with further speculation thus: Youd see me with my puffy petulant face Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel, The first thing we notice about these two lines is that Sassoon has used alliteration in order to make more of an impact on the reader, and to vary his writing style. Also worth noting is the fact that Sassoon uses rhyme throughout Base Details to good and memorable effect. Saying that the Majors are puffy and petulant indicates incredulity on Sassoons part, similar to that conveyed in the first lines of the poem. The phrase guzzling and gulping indicates greed, and animal-like actions. The Majors are inhuman. Then, we are told that the Majors stay in the best hotel. This brings home the stark contrast between the lives of the soldiers in the vermin-infested trenches, and the sedentary lives of their superiors. Sassoon continues: Reading the Roll of Honour. Poor young chap, Id say. I used to know his father well: Yes, weve lost heavily in this last scrap. The Roll of Honour referred to here was an official list of those who died in the war. The Majors words regarding one of the deceased are not at all heartfelt. They are meaningless, detached and emotionally void. He is unconcerned and he has placed himself above feelings of pity for those lost and their families. Each new death is just another name on the register and another letter to be dispatched. In the last line of the stanza, the Major refers to trench warfare as a scrap or game, which is identical to Jessie Popes view of war. This is a direct reflection of how little the Major knows about the fighting going on outside his quarters; and similarly, how unequipped he is for his job of directing troops. Base Details closes with the following: And when the war is done and youth stone dead, Id toddle safely home and die in bed. By using the words stone dead to describe the deceased soldiers, Sassoon makes a brutal and graphic impression on the reader. It is a cold and unfeeling phrase, and seems to render those who died as useless and unimportant. The Major wishes to die peacefully, and in bed unlike those he sends out to the front. The Major considers himself superior in all aspects, even in death. Base Details attempted to show the ignorant public back in Britain the hypocritical attitudes of many of these Majors; and how soldiers in the trenches were being treated in comparison to those who had obtained top jobs merely on the basis of their public schooling. Whilst Base Details depicts the life of a typical Major serving during World War One, another of Sassoons poems, The Hero, depicts the sequence of events on the home front following the death of a soldier. The poem Base Details by Siegfried Sassoon is a sarcastic attack against the army generals who view the war as a game similar to checkers. It is therefore evidence of why Siegfried Sassoon is known as the voice of protest. The first noticeable thing about the text is the title. The word base is a pun for the fact that base means headquarters as well as dishonourable or cowardly, which implies that he will talk about the dishonourable activities at the Army headquarters. Secondly, Sassoon appeared to have blamed the officers for the purposeless deaths of his fellow men, while they were behind the front line and had no idea what it was like. Sassoon uses many adjectives to describe his generalisation of those at the top fat and bald and short of breath which shows the hatred that he has. In this poem, Sassoon writes poor young chapI used to know his father well. This statement alone is typical of an army general. To show the fact that army generals can not comprehend what war is like he uses the phrase we lost heavily in this last scrap. The army generals are calling this a scrap like its a fight between boys at school. Sassoon calls the army generals Finally, Sassoon rounds the poem of with a phrase by reinforcing that they are unfit and fat. He also shows that those at the front line could die any moment by saying When the war is done and youth stone dead, Id toddle safely home and die, in bed which is a good ending because it says that the generals will die in a nice warm peaceful place, while the soldiers will die among the rats. Sassoons feelings towards the officers are best described in the poem Base Details. In this poem, Sassoon shows his resentment towards the officers by describing them drinking in the best hotels, and reading the names of those who died, saying poor young chap I used to know his father well and saying yes, weve lost heavily in this last scrap. The poem is finished with the lines and when the war is done and youth stone dead, Id toddle safely home and die in bed This poem truly shows the bitterness and resentment Sassoon felt towards the officers. He felt that they didnt really care about those who died, because they were safe themselves and had no idea of what was going on at the front line calling the battle that was fought a scrap, like it was nothing more than a small fight. In the last two lines of the poem, Sassoons feelings are clearer than ever, the way he says that theyll toddle home and then die in bed shows that he thought that the officers were safe and living comfortably while the soldiers, who were actually fighting the war, were living in shocking conditions, where they would die at any moment. Sassoon uses many different ways to convey his feelings, and particularly his bitterness and resentment towards the war and the officers, but in all his poems, his true meanings are clear and he writes in such a way that shows us clearly what he thinks and feels about the war. BASE DETAILS ESSAY In the poem, Base Details, SiegFried Sassoon expresses his great disgust towards the majors in the military. He is horrified and appalled at the way the majors act while men are dying out in the battle field. Mr. Sassoon is so furious towards the majors that it takes more than just one word to describe how indignified Sassoon is. These great feelings of anger are derived from the fact that the majors are living a life of luxury while sending young men up the line out into the battle field. This is all suggested in the title of the poem with the word base suggesting a military base, and/or a base person. And the word details suggesting a command, an assignment, and something or someone lowly. Base Details is a poem which expresses the feelings of the author towards military majors using differentiable types of imagery. The poem begins by Sassoon describing the majors as demanding, mean, and belligerent men. Bald, out-of-shape and full of gluttony. Sassoon categorizes the majors under the word scarlet signifying childless, bright redness from excessive drinking and yelling of anger. Sassoon presents to us the fact of the majors sending up the young men as soon as they are drafted up the line to death. This attitude taken from the majors is what angers Sassoon to the point of hatred. To convince the reader of such horrific truth, Sassoon describes how disrespectful the majors are with their puffy petulant faces from eating and drinking excessively. Sassoon states how the majors are stuffing their faces and Reading the Roll of Honor in safe luxurious hotels while men are dying out on the field

The Purpose Of The Case Study Social Work Essay

The Purpose Of The Case Study Social Work Essay The purpose of the case study is to provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to analyse and evaluate the use of a method of social work intervention with an individual, family, or group of service users, and where appropriate, the carers. Task In consultation with the practice teacher, tutor and where applicable the on-site facilitator, the student will select a situation where substantial social work intervention will be required. The student should carry out an assessment, choose an appropriate method of intervention and analyse and evaluate the subsequent use of the chosen method. In undertaking this task students must: Provide a summarised social history of the case, highlighting significant past and present events in the service users life. Demonstrate the ability to select an appropriate method of intervention and offer supporting rationale for this choice. Provide an analysis of their assessment, reflecting on the model used the knowledge base in relation to the service users situation, relevant government and agency policy and legislation. Drawing on relevant theory, analyse and evaluate the processes and outcomes of the intervention for both the service user and for themselves as a student social worker. This must include: An account of the use of interpersonal skills and how these informed and impacted on the effectiveness of practice An examination of the influence of social work values throughout the work, including AOP Present the assignment to an acceptable standard which conforms to academic conventions regarding grammar, spelling and the Harvard system for referencing cited works. Other guidelines for the case study The word limit should be no more than 4, 000 words (+/- 10%). Students muststate the exact word count on the front cover. The hand in date for the case study is before 10am on 14th May 2009. Late submissions require a formally agreed extension. The On-Line Discussion Forum Structure Students are divided into specialist tutor groups Specialist tutor groups are made up of students who are in the same/similar programme of care Each specialist tutor group is headed by a specialist tutor Details of which group students have been assigned to can be found in Appendix One Resources It is expected that students will participate in the on-line discussion forum once weekly. Please book the on-line slot into your diary (in the same way that you would your lecture attendance or a home visit). This way you are less likely to forget! Your weekly submissions will be based around a series of practical tasks to help you link your learning both from semester one and your placement with the requirements of the case study. The programme for your weekly input can be found in Appendix Two Expectations It is expected that: Students will contribute once weekly to the on-line discussion forum There is no word limit regarding student contributions on-line but it is expected that they will be concise contributions addressing the pre-set tasks and that these should act as an aide memoir to your case study Each submission should not take longer than 15 minutes to complete Students can visit the discussion forum whenever they wish and can make more than one weekly contribution if they wish  · In order to preserve confidentiality the on-line discussions MUST avoid references to peoples names, locations, and other specific details by which an individual might be identified (e.g. chronological histories detailing specific locations and events, specific and unusual medical conditions)  · On-line discussions are monitored by the module coordinator as well as tutors. In the event that there are concerns regarding potential breaches of confidentiality you will be asked to edit your contributions accordingly On-line Tasks See Appendix Two The Recall Days 12thFebruary 2009 10am-1pm Specialist tutor groups Specialist tutors to discuss, re-cap and provide relevant references on the following: Social issues and research, policy and legislation relevant to the identified social issues Assessment frameworks and their benefits, limitations, effectiveness Methods of intervention Materials for tutors and students will be provided nearer the time. 2pm-3pm Lecture by K Winter 8th April 2009 10am-1pm Specialist tutor groups Specialist tutors to discuss, re-cap and provide relevant references on the following: Processes regarding methods of intervention referring to any relevant research, practice guidelines Outcomes relating to methods of intervention referring to any relevant research, practice Materials for tutors and students will be provided nearer the time. 2pm-4pm Lecture by K Winter Module Review The module is the subject of an annual review. The main issues arising have concerned: Structure and content of on-line discussion forum Structure and content of recall days Date for submission of the case study More teaching on group work as a method of intervention The module has been re-structured this year to address most of the above points. Reading Materials It is recommended that you purchase Wilson et al. (2008) Social Work: An Introduction to Contemporary Practice, Harlow: Pearson Longman as it offers a broad guide that will help you consider the key elements of your case study including: social issues/social histories; assessment frameworks; and methods of intervention. The book also includes up to date references to policy and research. Other more specialist references will be added to QoL. Appendix One Specialist Tutor Group Allocation Older people and physical health and disability (13students) A HARPUR NAME PLACEMENT Christine Bowden Sensory Impairment Team Newry Alana Carr Ivybrook Newry Michael Cunningham Shankill Centre, Belfast Corey Doyle Dungannon Emma Goligher Lagan Valley Hospital Fiona Kelly Sensory Impairment Bradbury Centre Emma McClure Mount Oriel Samantha McGreevy Lagan Valley Hospital Clare Murney Newry Sheena Quinn Bangor Eliza Shields Day centre Banbridge Heather Stewart Holywood Arches Centre Karen Watson Scarva St Banbridge Adults with learning disabilities (10 students) TUTOR TO BE DECIDED NAME PLACEMENT Deborah Bonner Glenwood Unit Poleglass Amanda Caldwell Struell Lodge Downpatrick Judith Cleland Adult supported living Nards James Draper Skyways Project Ormeau Road Clare Joyce Ards TRC (day centre) Hannah Laird Balloo TRC Bangor Christopher Millar Edgcombe Day Centre Shauna Murphy Supported living project Bangor Claire Murray Mountview Downpatrick Lynsey Wilson Supported living project Lisburn Family and child care (8 students) G KELLY NAME PLACEMENT Ann Boyle Shankill Centre Sarah Brown Flaxfield CH Lisburn Lois Curran Bryson House Dunmurry Simon Darby Bryson House Bedford St Nicola Doran Gateway Team Banbridge Joanne Elder Naomi Project Womens Aid Christina Graffin Carnmoney Road FCC team Catherine Hennighan Child care team Larne Family and child care (9 students) K WINTER NAME PLACEMENT Debbie Henry Antrim Family Intervention Team Lisa Kearney Womens Aid Derry Carina Ledwith Lynsey House residential unit Elaine McLaughlin Bryson House family support Bedford St Dawn McCallion Family Placement Team Ballymena Sarah Morrow Fortwilliam CH Louise Pettigrew Warren Centre Lisburn Lee Wilson Residential Unit Portrush Tim Wilson Family support project Nards Mental health (10students) G DAVIDSON NAME PLACEMENT Susan Beggs Ormeau Centre Verner St Katrina Copeland Hostel 12 Larne Amanda Ferris Extern Bryan Leonard Addiction Treatment Unit Omagh Heather Long Addiction Team Nards Gemma Mallon Ballymacross Hostel Lisburn Lucy Molloy Crisis Team Holywood Arches Judith McCloy Supported housing project Bangor Kirsty Quigg Derriaghy day centre Anna Tohill Supported living project Antrim Appendix Two On-line Discussion Forum Weekly Tasks WEEK TASK TO BE COMPLETED BY Week One (12.01.09-16.01.09) Introduce yourself Describe your placement (programme of care, where, what types of service user) What are your initial observations regarding the working environment (physical environment and formal/informal working practices)? 18.01.09 Week Two (19.01.09-23.01.09) Find out what type of assessment frameworks are used within your workplace. List and describe them 25.01.09 Week Three (26.01.09-30.01.09) Choose an assessment framework Find out about any research, policy and guidance regarding its use and describe 01.02.09 Week Four (02.02.09-06.02.09) Look again at the selected assessment framework. Answer the following: What are the benefits and limitations of the framework? What can be done to improve it? 08.02.09 Week Five 09.02.09-13.02.09) From your discussions with team members what social issues frequently emerge from peoples social histories in your particular placement (this could include poverty, abuse, substance dependency, sectarianism for example). List the social issues and identify any policies, legislation and research which inform practice in these areas. 15.02.09 N.B Thursday 12th Feb is a recall day. You will have a 3 hour tutorial (10-1pm) followed by a one hour lecture (2-3pm) Week Six (16.02.09-20.02.09) In conjunction with your tutor identify a case which you might use as your case study. Having sought the consent of the service user draw out: the main themes that emerge from their social history; the assessment framework you are using; the skills required in applying that assessment framework; the benefits and limitations encountered; the possible outcomes of that assessment process. 22.02.09 Week Seven (23.02.09-27.02.09) In light of the issues that come to your attention through the assessment answer the following: Which method of intervention might you consider? Which issue(s) are you attempting to address? Why have you chosen those issues and that method to address them? What might a successful intervention look like? (list you goals, aims) These issues should form the basis to your presentation to be delivered at the mid way tripartite 01.03.09 Week Eight (02.03.09-06.03.09) Write up your presentation for your midway tripartite based on the work you have completed for this module so far. 08.03.09 Weeks Nine and Ten (09.03.09-20.03.09) Think about the processes relating to your chosen method of intervention and answer the following: What knowledge, skills and values are you relying on? What is helping/hindering the process? What are the benefits/limitations to the method of intervention you have selected? 22.03.09 Weeks Eleven and Twelve (23.03.09-03.04.09) Begin to think about the outcomes of your method of intervention and answer the following: Is it working? Yes/No In what ways is it working/not working? Why is this so? What might be the contributory factors? What could be done differently? How do you measure success? Is there any research regarding its effectiveness? What do your colleagues think about the approach you have chosen? Do your colleagues have favoured methods? If yes/no why? 05.04.09 Week Thirteen onwards (06.04.09 onwards) Begin to write up your evidence based case study Use the on-line discussion forum to seek guidance and help in relation to aspects of the case study Aim to have it completed in first draft before end April 2009 NB 8th April is a recall day. You will have a 3 hour tutorial (10-1pm) followed by a 2 hour lecture (2-4pm)

Comparing Burgess and Drapers Theory of Family Violence and the Film,

Comparing Burgess and Draper's Theory of Family Violence and the Film, The Burning Bed    I.   Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Burgess and Draper argue coercive patterns of family interaction represent the principal causal pathway that connects ecological instability to violence within families.   They maintain this raises the possibility that some of the common correlates of such violence are themselves reactions to sudden or chronic ecological instability.   For example, alcoholism, depression, and anxiety may be responses to ecological stresses in the family, such as loss of employment, excessive financial debt, or divorce.   Burgess and Draper suggest that violence towards one's mate or children may consequently be a direct result of ecological instability.   They argue that certain individual traits (e.g. problem drinking), which have previously been assumed to precipitate violent behavior, may actually be the result of the same factors that lead to family violence itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The movie, The Burning Bed, is a made for TV movie centered on the issue of family violence.   The main characters were Francine and Mickey Hughes, a battered wife and abusive husband.   In the story, Francine struggled with Mickey's violence and intimidation for the better part of twenty years and finally ended up killing him in his sleep.   It is a vivid and realistic movie about domestic violence and the way society viewed such violence in the not so distant past.   By comparing the movie to Burgess and Draper's hypothesis, some agreements and some disagreements become apparent.   Do Burgess and Draper adequately explain and predict the Hughes's pattern of domestic violence?    II.   Ecological Instability   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ecological instability describes when a... ... beaten and afterwards when she was scarred and bruised, I feel that Mickey Hughes deserved what he got only he should have suffered more.   The compassion I feel towards any woman who is victimized by a man probably makes me biased in that way.   After reading Burgess and Draper's article, I feel even more justified in my position.   They make the reader look for the cause of the abuse somewhere other than with the woman or the man's drinking.   The way Burgess and Draper's article mirrors the abusive relationship in the Hughes family helps to put the violence in the right perspective where an adult can still be held responsible for his own actions.    Works Cited: Burning Bed, The (1984) (TV).  Ã‚   Directed by Robert Greenwald.   Writing credits: Rose Lieman Goldemberg. Ohlin, Lloyd and Michael Tonry, eds.   Family Violence.   University of Chicago Press, 1989.

Stress Essay -- essays research papers

Stress   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any demands made upon it; it may be characterized as muscle tension and acute anxiety or may be a positive force of action. Stressors are what cause stress. Stressors are specific or nonspecific agents or situations that cause a stress response in the body. There are five Categories of Stressors: Acute time limited stressors are anxiety-provoking situations such as having to talk in public or work out a math problem; Brief naturalistic stressors are more serious challenges such as SAT’s or meeting a deadline for a big project; Stressful event sequences like difficult consequences such as a natural disaster, or another traumatic occurrence such as a death of a spouse; Individuals know the difficulties will end at some point; Chronic stressors are ongoing demands caused by life changing circumstances, such as a permanent disability following an accident or care giving for a parent with dementia; Individuals do not have a clear en d point. Distant stressors like a traumatic experience that occurred long ago, such as child abuse, yet continue to have an emotional psychological impact. If you are used to thinking that stress is something that makes you worry, you have the wrong idea of stress. Stress is many different kinds of things: happy things, sad things, allergic things, physical things. Many people carry enormous stress loads and they do not even realize it. There are many different kinds of stress: emotional stress, illness, pushing your body too hard, environmental factors, the special case of tobacco use, hormonal factors, and allergic stress. Emotional stress may happen when arguments, disagreements, and conflicts cause changes in your personal life -- that is stress. Illness can be something small like catching a cold, breaking an arm, a skin infection, a sore back, are all changes in your body condition. Pushing your body too hard is a major source of stress you are overdriving yourself. If you are working or partying (binge drinking) 16 hours a day, you will have reduced your available time for rest. Sooner or later, the energy drain on your system will cause the body to fall behind in its repair work. There will not be enough time or energy for the body to fix broken cells, or replace used up brain neurotransmitters. Changes will occur in your body's internal ... ...ith changes that temporarily lower resistance. Levels of certain hormones may rise blood pressure may increase. The body quickly makes internal adjustments to cope with a stressor and return to normal activity. Resistance: If the stressor continues the body mobilizes its internal resources to try to sustain Homeostasis (the body’s natural state of balance or stability). An example of it is when a loved one is seriously hurt in an accident, we initially respond intensely and feel great anxiety. During the subsequent stressful period of recuperation, we struggle to carry on as normal as possible, but it requires a considerable amount of effort. Exhaustion: If the stress continues long enough we can not continue normal functioning. Even a small amount of additional stress may cause a breakdown. Work Cited: Stress. Retrieved September 8, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.reutershealth.com/wellconnected/doc31.html What Causes Stress? Retrieved September 8, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.beatstress.ndirect.co.uk/page4.html Theories Explaining Stress and Anxiety. Retrieved September 8, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/chap5/chap5k.htm

Business Management Motivation

Motivation is the willingness to exert high levels of effort toward organizational goals, conditioned by the effort's ability to satisfy some individual needs (Robbins, 168). For some business analysts, employee motivation is a good way to increase productivity in an organization. When people get motivated, they will have a reason to put more efforts on what they are doing. Motivation is a crucial management tool in lifting the organization's work force's ability. There are many different ways to motivate employees. Employers can motivate their workers as individuals, groups, teams, or the organization as a whole. Motivation takes forms like offering rewards, improving working conditions, or employee recognition. However, which approach should employers try? Team-based reward systems have been raised as an issue in work management areas. Many people prefer team-based reward systems to an individual approach. San Diego Business Journal, issued on Oct. 6, 1997, published an article titled â€Å"Team-Based Productivity Incentive System.† This article summarized the ideas that supported the team-based approach. The author, Bob Harrington, opposed the individual reward system. As he stated, individual reward systems create unnecessary competition and reduce cooperation between employees. It also reduces creativity because employees will only do what is necessary to get rewarded. Moreover, Harrington said team-based incentives influence individuals to work well together and cooperate with one another. No longer are employees and management measured purely against financial information. Instead, outstanding performance is based on a combination of items that measure the strategic objectives of the corporation. This paper will see if the team-based incentive systems are the best approach for business environments as Harrington discussed. Medical insurance and educational opportunities, among others are all common benefits in compensation programs for many manufacturers. Many people argued that these benefits attract and retain employees, but have little to do with work performance. Some also believe that if these benefits are spread out among workers in general, these kinds of work incentives will not guarantee good performance. Well Pay vs. Sick Pay is an example of how an incentive program reinforces wrong behavior and reduces productivity. Manufacturers with incentive systems that reward employees for achievements and growth can increase their competitiveness and profitability in today's global market. Yes, it is true that organizations need to have incentive systems to satisfy their work force. Team-based incentive systems such as gain sharing, profit sharing, etc., become increasingly popular in work environments. People now are required to work as a team, and altogether help each other to achieve an objective. Your work is my work, and your responsibility is mine. People will become more cohesive as working in a group or a team. Team-based incentives offer several advantages. However, I do not totally agree with Harrington that individual incentive systems do not have any good influence over workers' performance. Some people are extremely successful when they work on their own. People, who are raised in an individualistic culture, might not benefit from working in a group. So, individual incentive systems do play an important role in increasing a work force's productivity as long as the employers know how to use this reinforcement system properly. If organizations set a standard to measure individual achievement and reward that individual on what he (she) perform, then, the individual incentive system might work as well as the team-based one. Moreover, managers need to realize that team-based incentive systems might cause Social Loafing effect in the work force – the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually (Robbins, 260). Motivations are necessary in a working environment to increase the productivity of the work force. Reward systems must create a win-win situation for employees and employers. Team-based incentive systems might work very well and are a preferred process for many organizations in today's work market; however, managers should adopt individual incentive systems in many cases, when employees are more skillful, efficient, and effective as working individually. The major purpose of the incentive system is to motivate and organize employees.