Sears lack of employee involvement and empowerment

Sears lack of employee involvement and empowerment Sears is a leading retailer providing merchandise and various services, which offers a wide variety of products with more than 2,300 stores in the U.S. and Canada (Sears home page). The company has a strong cultural base with effective operation systems, of which internal and external environment scans can be identified with a SWOT analysis. Internal Strengths Since established in 1886, Sears has developed a strong retail network with extensive customer database of more than 60 million Sears credit card holders (Prentice-Hall, 2003). The company has gained good reputation as a reliable retailer and great trust from consumers thanks to its flexibility in identifying need and adapting strategies to provide best service (Rucci et al., 1998). Even during the crisis period, consumers faith was basically unchanged. It has many nation-wide known brand names with focused range of products and attracts large attention from both male and female customers. Internal surveys also revealed that employees had high expectation from the company and great desire to contribute to the companys success. Internal Weaknesses During the 1980s, the company expanded its business into other fields, for instance insurance, investment and banking, real estate, which resulted in loosing strength and prestige position in its core business as a retailer (Rucci et al., 1998). It was no longer the leading company in retailing but ranked number three after Wal Mart Stores, Inc. and Kmart Corporation. Lack of focus made the company fail to follow new trends in selling and respond quickly to changes in the marketplace. Another problem was the inappropriate attitude towards consumers. The senior managers in the head office were said not to listen to customers need, which resulted in high proportion of dissatisfaction. Other factors, for instance, low inventory turnover, bad service and poor sales companion also contributed to the companys downturn. Opportunities: The company started to realise the importance of female customers and changed the image of a mans store to attract more women by offering new ranges of apparel and cosmetics (Rucci et al., 1998). On the other hand, the application of the employee customer profit chain had positive effect on operation as employee satisfaction on the Sears TPI was high and employees were highly aware of the need for performance improvement. The development of learning maps, town hall meetings, and later maps, including Voices of our customers, The Sears money flow and Ownership, seemed to significantly promote learning environment in the organisation and enhance realistic action. External Threats: The intense competition in retailing was a comparatively significant threat to the company. The industry with a variety of old names like Wal Mart and Kmart as well as new arrivals caused great pressure for Sears to compete and required the company to apply the most suitable strategies without fault to survive and develop. Main issues In a previous study, Sears used an employee-customer-profit chain to collect data from up to 800 stores and found that a five percent increase in employee satisfaction drives a 1.3 percent in customer satisfaction, which results in 0.5 percent increase in revenue growth (Rucci et al. 1998). Thus, the company itself realised the necessity to employees attitude improvement. Although the company was on the fast track of recovery, there were still many issues to be identified and tackled in order to achieve sustainable growth as described in Rucci et al. (1998). First, lack of communication and cooperation between different departments and functions in the company resulted in poor operation efficiency. Customers satisfaction had decreased significantly and it was frontline employees who seemed to know this situation the best. However, they had little opportunity to deliver their messages to the management. The next problem was lack of employee involvement and empowerment. The companys strategies and expectations were poorly transferred through to them, and thus, they were lost in ambiguity about the tasks they were assigned. Moreover, employees are not given enough creative power to have influence on the shaping of companys future. Moreover, employees had to opportunity and support to realise their personal goals. The company aimed to create a compelling and motivated working environment. In reality, however, they still had a long way to go. To some extent, the old control and command culture had prevented the company from advanced development and employees were not highly valued enough as an ultimate resource in the organisation. Misunderstanding was another major issue which the company had to pay much attention to. According to a survey conducted by Sears itself, employees believed that Sears made profit of 45 cents on each dollar while the real figure was 2 cents. This was seen as a barrier to trust. While the company had to implement some changes in operation such as cost cuttings and reduced rewards to cope with crisis, employees might oppose them because they thought the company was doing well. Consequently, there was a lack of sense of urgency and commitment to change through the company. Another point is that the company should have invested more on develop their reward practices although the company was in a crisis and struggling to survive. It becomes even more important to have reward strategies supporting business objectives during hard times as they will strengthen existing resources and help the company overcome difficulties (CIPD, 2009). Approach to reward management With the emergence of the global knowledge and service oriented economy, more attention has been paid to the value of human resource to improve operation capability and create sustainable competitive advantages (Thompson, 2002). However, it is increasingly challenging to attract, motivate and retain employees with the most appropriate reward strategy which can maximise the benefits and perceived value of the rewards at an affordable cost to the company. Although managers at Sears recognised the significance of reward management and executive incentives were based on both financial and non financial performance, they still lack of a systematic approach to the issue. Consequently, a total reward system consisting of financial and non-financial, direct as well as indirect, intrinsic and extrinsic rewards is what Sears needs to improve reward and compensation strategies and reinforce its core values. Total reward, as defined by CIPD (2011), is a concept that encompasses all aspects of work that are valued by employees, including elements such as learning and development opportunities and/or an attractive working environment, in addition to the wider pay and benefits package. Under this concept, employees are empowered and engaged in operation, and can have positive attitudes towards the company. In return, employers get to know more about staffs work life and receive commitment and high performance from employees (Zhou, Qian, Qi Lei, 2009). A useful total reward model was developed by WorldatWork (2006) with five elements as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Elements of Total rewards (adapted from worldatwork.org) Total reward approach helps to allocate resources properly and guarantees that all aspects of reward offering are monitored and utilised (CIPD, 2009). When all elements are delivered, employees are increasingly motivated and satisfied with the package, and thus, more engaged in fulfilling responsibilities, improve customer service and enhance performance. The company may choose different strategies from each element to give employees offers aiming at attracting, motivating and retaining them. Compensation It is widely recognised that pay plays the most important role in staff recruitment, motivation and retention process (CIPD Mercer, 2010). Pay at least needs to be set at a reasonable rate to render employees effort and contribution. Apart from fixed pay, employees can earn bonuses for better than expected performances or results achieved. It is especially suitable for Sears where bonuses can encourage employees to perform better and improve customers experience. It also keeps the companys reward package stay competitive against that of other retailers. Benefits The company needs to design a flexible benefit programme, which is available to all levels of employees, to supplement cash compensation and promote the companys image. The offerings may contain: social insurance (e.g. social security, unemployment benefits, shopping discounts, workers compensation,), group insurance (e.g. life insurance, savings, health vouchers) and paid leave (e.g. sickness, holidays, vacation). Good benefits may assist employees in avoiding financial risks and obtaining a stable life, while at the same time, mirror the companys positive values and deliver promising messages to its stakeholders (WorldatWork, 2006). Moreover, well-designed benefits schemes can even lower the expenses and make some savings (Silverman Reilly, 2003). The company can attract employees attention to the most cost effective benefits, for instance, discounted gym membership, child care facilities or cheap loans. Benefits can also be designed as a percentage of salary, then the company may avoid the fluctuation of benefit cost and transfer part of this risk to employees. For instance, employees may choose to withdraw a cash allowance of four percent of salary each year, or invest it in a health and well-being programme offered by the company. Work-Life It contains the experienced working reality in the company, which includes the physical and emotional environment (Higgs, 2006). Policies are designed with an aim to support employees to get the balance and success both at home and in the workplace. In order to achieve this element, the company needs to have an open management style in which everyone is highly involved as a strong community and empowered. There should be flexibility at workplace and great concern from management about employees health and well being, with occasional financial support, if necessarily. Performance and Recognition Performance: This is a significant component in determining the companys success, in which performance of all employees is assessed to evaluate the efficiency. The management as well as employees must invest properly on planning process to link expectations with individual, team and organisational goals. Then, feedbacks are provided to all levels of staff to examine whether performance is up to expectations and goals or not. Appropriate feedback is important as it can motivate employees and improve their working efficiency. Recognition: After performance has been assessed, recognition is psychologically necessary to appreciate ones efforts and acknowledge his/ her contributions. Public recognition is important as it not only affects ones behaviour but also has impact on the others as well (Wiscombe, 2002). Awards can be cash or non-cash (e.g. certificates, restaurant or movie tickets, verbal or written notes of thanks). It is crucial that recognition be proper and fair as the company can gain greater employees loyalty and commitment with such programmes (Boxall Purcell, 2008). Development and Career Opportunities The company is supposed to provide employees with continuous development to enhance their skills and competence as it is an important part in the psychological contract between both sides (CIPD, 2009). On the other hand, a plan for career advancement not only makes employees be more responsible to their work but also deliver greater value to the company (Higgs, 2006). For development strategies, the company may offer different learning opportunities, for instance, short term training courses, on the job learning, coaching and mentoring, leadership development. As Sears already has a corporate university, more employees should be given the chance to attend it rather than managers only. For advanced opportunities, the company may offer some internships, apprenticeships with experts, attendance on meetings and lunches with senior managers for best performers. Each employee will be consulted with individual career ladder plans so that he/ she can know clearly what to do to be promoted. The company should also consider about succession planning to prevent job gaps and operation disruption. Elements to consider Although Total Reward has been proved to be effective in many companies already, it is necessary for implementers to apply its elements in correspondence with each companys specific situation. Contractual arrangements The company must regulate clearly what benefits are offered to employees in the contract to avoid any ambiguity or misunderstanding in reward strategies. Besides, as employees may change their choices or obtain new benefits regularly, the contract needs amending accordingly. Communication to employees It is important that the company deliver the right messages to its workforce explicitly or implicitly to obtain sustainable high-performance (CIPD, 2011). The company must provide employees with enough information about benefits schemes and update regularly about new policies or offers in different forms, for instance, through intranet, posters, emails and in verbal. As many people tend not to see the true value of benefits realistically, good communication may help them to get an idea of basic mechanics of the plans and their operation (Silverman Reilly, 2003). Managers can discuss with their staffs about salary progression, potential for higher salaries, promotion possibility to give them clear vision and expectations of what they can have and how to get these benefits (Armstrong Murlis, 2004). Valuation of benefits Evaluation of the benefits schemes before and after deployment is crucial to achieve the best efficiency. Reward practitioners need to design a plan which is both cost-effective for the company and advantageous to employees. After execution, the outcomes need to be reviewed and lessons are to be learned for improvements. Cultural dynamics Reward management must be considered in the context of the organisations culture (Armstrong Brown, 2006). Companies have different styles of work culture, which significantly affect the way employees work and behave. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the companys culture thoroughly before deciding the type of reward strategy and ways to deliver them to employees. Conclusion This paper attempts to analyse Sears case study with some key drivers for change and main issues, then propose an applicable model for implementing reward management at the company. Given the urgent need to design and deploy applicable strategies for the company to follow, it is hoped that the proposal bring about expected outcomes for the companys sustainable growth in the future. Word count:

Understanding Alcohol :: Drugs and Alcohol, Addiction, Intoxication

Alcohol is not only the reason why prohibition took place in the 1920s, but it is also the reason why many persons wake up not remembering their previous night’s endeavors. It has always been evident that alcohol has an effect on brain function, which in-turn impairs the behavior of a person. Alcohol can be separated into two separate groups: what is expected to happen, and what actually happens. Alcohol is expected to play social lubricant and aphrodisiac. When it comes to being social alcohol does seem to have a loosening effect on people, however, it is almost the opposite sexually. Alcohol actually acts as more of a suppressant when sex is brought into the picture. It has only be known to be a sort of aphrodisiac because that is the way it is perceived and that is the way in which people choose to perceive it. Given the choice between two women, one holding an alcoholic drink and the other not, a man will more often pick the women with the alcoholic drink due to the fact t hat alcohol is a precursor to the possibility of having intercourse. Introduction Alcohol can be traced back to ancient times when Egyptians used beer and wine for ritual and celebratory purposes (Hanson 1995). Osiris, the god of wine, was praised throughout the entire land of Egypt. The Egyptians believed that this important god also invented beer, a beverage that was considered a necessity of life and was brewed in the home. Both beer and wine were created for and sacrificed to the gods. Fast-forward 12,000 years and the variety of alcohol has become so numerous, people no longer need a reason to drink. However, most of the population is unaware of the chemical reaction that is occurring within their body every time they take a sip. It has always been evident that alcohol has an effect on brain function, which in-turn impairs the behavior of a person. Not only has alcohol been linked to multiple physical issues but also mental and emotional. When alcohol is consumed it can create acetaldehyde in the brain to allow a chemical reaction to take place with other ele ments already in the brain waiting to be activated. When acetaldehyde reacts with chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine then there is a strong chance that psychoactive alkaloids such as salsolinol will be produced (Sullivan et. al 2010). Acetaldehyde is present everywhere in the atmosphere and may be produced in the body due to the breakdown of ethanol.

Improving Patient Safety in Stroke Rehabilitation Wards Essay -- Strok

Patient safety is a major issue in health care, especially in the public sector. Studies show that as many as 10 patients get harmed daily as they receive care in stroke rehabilitation wards in hospitals in the United States alone. Patient safety refers to mechanisms for preventing patients from getting harmed as they receive health care services in hospitals. The issue of patient safety is usually associated with factors such as medication errors, wrong-site surgery, health care-acquired infections, falls, diagnostic errors, and readmissions. Patient safety can be improved through strategies such as improving communication within hospitals, increasing patient involvement, reporting adverse events, developing protocols and guidelines, proper management of human resources, educating health-care providers on the need for patient protection, and commitment of the leadership to the task. This paper talks about patient safety and how it can be improved in stroke rehabilitation war ds of both public and private hospitals. Organizational Goal/Objectives for Patient Safety Every hospital is committed to ensuring that their patients in stroke rehabilitation wards and other facilities are safe from any form of harm that may occur as a result of the health care providers’ negligence. Firstly, every hospital integrates quality and safety approaches into its everyday’s operations to promote and enhance the safety and quality of its environment and services respectively (Garban, 2011). This is usually complemented by other strategies meant for enhancing organizational knowledge to improve efficiency and overall productivity. Some hospitals provide further training to their health care personnel to ensure that they efficiently incorpor... ...nurses: How to prevent harmful events and promote patient safety. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Co. Snell, S., & Bohlander, G. W. (2013). Managing human resources. Andover: Cengage Learning. Spurgeon, P., Burke, R. J., & Cooper, C. L. (2012). The innovation imperative in health care organizations: Critical role of human resource management in the cost, quality, and productivity equation. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Watcher, R. (2012). Understanding patient safety. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Professional. Williams, M. (2007). Comprehensive hospital medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders. Wu, A. W. (2011). The value of close calls in improving patient safety: Learning how to avoid and mitigate patient harm. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: Joint Commission Resources. Youngberg, B. J. (2013). Patient safety handbook. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Police Shooting/Diallo Case :: essays research papers

In our society today, it is very sad that the African-American community has lost a great trust and respect for the Mayor, the police commissioner and the N.Y.P.D. Amadou Diallo's shooting was very upsetting for the African-American community. The shooting shock many people because an unarmed innocent black male was shot 41 times in front of his home by four officers that assume him to be a rapist. Amadou Diallo was a black man in a primarily black neighborhood who saw four guys in the middle of the night and perhaps he thought these four undercover police were somehow looking for trouble. He probably said," I don't want to be a part of this", and tried to leave the scene. If I were in the same particular situation as Amadou Diallo, I would be just as afraid and try to get out of the scene. No one actually knows what Diallo was thinking about, you can only imagine. People often say that if Amadou Diallo had listen to the cops he wouldn't have been killed. I also hear people say the he cause his own death because of his lack of submission. Personally, I know Amadou Diallo stood innocent before those cops. Diallo was in a situation that he had no clue about. There was an outrage when the verdict "Not Guilty" broke out. Many people were furious, astonished and stunned. When I heard that the case was not guilty I was so shocked because I felt that the evidence was perfectly clear that the four New York police officers was GUILTY. It was not fair to my community or me to see such a case misjudge like that. African-American communities has changed their hearts toward Police Dautruche Officers. Police Officers are the ones who we are suppose to trust and entrust with our lives. Obviously, in our world today, that is not the case. I have never had a dispute with an officer, though I have seen my friends go through events with police officers. For instance, I was in an elevator with my friend and when we got to the last floor, a police officer was right in front of the elevator. So when my (guy) friend and me came out, the P.O. Pointed his gun toward my friend's chest and ask him some questions. The P. O did not approach me or even acknowledge me.

Child Labour Essay

INTRODUCTION GOD has given human beings the boon of wisdom and discreation to think upon the signs of the universe and to draw conclusions. That is the reasons why they disclose the hidden facts of it and its structure.Children are the flowers of heaven they are the most beautiful and purest creation.They are the beauty of this world.They are innocent.but there are such kind of students who cannot go to schooldue to financial problems.They only watch others go to school and can merely wish to seek knowledge.it is due to many difficulties,desperate conditions that they face in life DEFINATION Child labour can also be defined as the full time employment of children who are under a minimum legal age. Where does most child labour occur? OF an estimated 215 child labourers around the globe: approximately 115 million(53%) are in Asia and the pacific;14 million(7%) line in latin America; and 65 million (30%) live in Africa. Works on it. Many organizations like UNICEIF, ILO, whoes main object is to prevent child labour .These are the international organization which prevent child labour globaly. INTERVIEW I visited The Eatspot, a roadside restaurant , this weekend. No, this story is not a restaurant review about the dry biryani or hot lassi. It is not about the silly waiters dressed like nervous fresh MBA grads from a college, with white shirts and uncomfortable ties. It is about Nizamuddin. The little boy who poured water into my glass and cleared out my table. He was too small, skinny. His hairs were dry and rough and certainly would not have been oiled for months now.He was hardly four and a half feet tall, not a trace of facial hair. He couldn’t have been a day older than 12 .His shirt on his body was there for namesake and his trouser did not fit him. One of his hands used to hold it on his waist and he had the innovative technique of fastening it with a rope of brittle plastic threads. He was standing expressionless just like an old stuffed toy.He walked around nervously with a heavy jug of water. His eyes darted across the room like a scared rabbit, scanning the place for empty tumblers that needed a refill. . He caught me staring at him and looked back, wondering whether to smile, or look away. And then, with those wide innocent eyes filled with confusion, he gave me a slow, hesitant smile then he came to me started pouring water into jug. There was this c hild here pouring water and removing used plates from tables when he should have been kicking around a football on that hot Saturday afternoon. He was trying to satisfy strangers in that dark restaurant when should have been out with his friends, laughing and teasing his school teachers. The Eatspot was one of those dirty roadside eateries that gave a damn about the laws of the land, The dormant social activist in me got all fired up, and I summoned the boy and asked him What’s your age? (Twelve) he said. Then i said that you can’t work here.Because its against law listening to what I said that he cannot work any longer, tears started flowing from the young chap’s eyes. The little chap was looking at me still. (you do understand urdu, are not you?) I asked him do you have any problem. I don’t have any but the Government has Sir, it’s difficult at home. Dad committed  suicide, mom washes clothes for others, two sisters at home, I am studying by doing work at here, I get some money that is too critical for us†¦) I had no answers. Now, it was my turn to stand there blankly I understand your problem brother No!†¦) he interrupted  you wont understand my problem. I want to study, for that I am ready to work. But you force me to become a beggar. You are forcing me to beg. If your kids sing or dance in TV, they get money, fame and are appreciated in papers.. But if I wanted to work.nobody helps me How can you explain me this?) I never expected a kid t o talk like this but I realized that his experiences in life made him speak so. the restaurent owner called him so he walked away holding his trousers with both hands. All I could do is to stare at him silently, helplessly. I said to myself, â€Å"i should find out the definition for child labor. Reasons Lack of earning during learning. Unemployment. Excess population. Lack of laws against child oppression. Orphans. Drop outs of schools. Illiteracy and uneducated people. Large family size and unemployment people. Urbanization. Poverty. SUGGESTIONS Primary education. Get rid poverty. Our overseas aid. Ban the worst forms. Give the jobs of child workers to their adult relations could be build homes for those children that are living in the streets. Government should make laws to prevent child labour and find solutions. OUR POINT OF VIEW The present goverment has made elementry education compulsory along with this ,the goverment has distributed free books in primary schools so that parents,who cannot afford thier children ‘s school expenses,send their children to schools.The major point is that this decion must be acted upon at all levels.There is strict need to stop child labour in this country.Awareness must be raised and the attentionof parents ought to be diverted to the education of their children.Child labour laws should be put into practice strictly.The orphans and other deserving children must be helped financially on a prolonged basis. IF we suceed to act upon these principals,our country can easily get rid of this problem and that is child labour.

Bullying – Lifespan Psych Class

PSY-210 All over the world, bullying and victimization are common at various levels of schooling from elementary to secondary and beyond. The objective of bullying can range from humiliating to instilling fear in an effort to establish a character of dominance on the part of the bully. It can be in the form of physical violence, verbal abuse, or social isolation and can have lasting consequences on the victim ranging from low self esteem to the most severe: suicide. The question we all have to ask ourselves is where does this behavior stem from?Children are not born innate with an evil gene (excluding mental disease), therefore, we have to begin by looking at the family structure, the familial influence, and what role they play in the bullying behavior. In the research study â€Å"PROCEDURAL JUSTICE IN RESOLVING FAMILY DISPUTES: IMPLICATIONS FOR CHILDHOOD BULLYING† (Brubacher, Fondacaro, Brank, Brown, Miller, 2009), the authors looked at the interaction between a child and the ir family with regard to conflict resolution and how that may effect the ability of a child to deal with their peers.Since a dominant role is most apparent in the parent-child relationship, it can suggest that children will be considerably affected by how their parents treat a situation where conflict needs to be resolved. Parents play a pivotal part in the ability for their child to understand right from wrong, empathy, respect, and a sense of fairness. Throughout their course of cognitive development, the attitudes and behaviors put forward by the parent will be internalized by a child and become part of that child’s working model of social conduct.The purpose of this study was to develop the correlation between the family dynamics, and how it may contribute to the behavior of children and their core moral and ethical values when interacting or dealing with their peers. The groundwork is laid at home and if not met with properly, can result in the same cycle repeating in ge nerations to come.The study used participants of middle school age (average age was just over 12-1/2), and a randomized selection of classes from nine participating school districts within various states which was a good representation in that it looked at students in more a metropolitan setting where you usually have a more dense student body, a larger mix of ethnicities, which can sometimes lend to more conflict amongst peers as they are interacting and trying to integrate with one another.The age of students is particularly important because it’s at this tender age where they are beginning to form their independence and having to make autonomous decisions about their behavior and still learning the consequences associated with those decisions. I’m certain that aggressive behavior in parenting styles has huge implications on a child’s attitude. Parents who use physical and/or emotional harm are doing nothing to instill healthy, acceptable social behaviors. All children need to feel a sense of value, empowerment over their ability to be autonomous, and in the absence of that, will act out that which they’ve learned.Often times, it can be the subliminal behavior of the parents/adults that can foster unacceptable values in children. The catalyst can be the ethical and moral opinions like racism, cultural beliefs, and even religious affiliations that the parents have personal qualms about†¦ that can weave into the fabric of a child. Many parents are oblivious to what they’re unconsciously teaching their children simply by how they talk about other societies, traditions, or backgrounds. That kind of blind hatred passes down from generation to generation and no doubt rears its ugly head in our schools†¦ the melting pot of the world.In our textbook â€Å"HUMAN DEVELOPMENT† (J. W. Vander Zanden, T. Crandell, C. H. Crandell), Diana Baumrind, a developmental psychologist found a number of parental practices and attit udes that seem to facilitate the development of socially responsible and independent behavior in children. She found that parents who are socially responsible and assertive, and who serve as daily models of these behaviors, foster these same characteristics in their children. Parents should emphasize and encourage individuality, self-expression, and socially appropriate aggressiveness.Susan Crockenber and Cindy Litman (1990) show that the way parents handle autonomy issues have a profound consequence for their youngsters’ behavior. When parents assert their power in the form of negative control (threats, criticism, physical intervention, and anger), children are more likely to respond with defiance and thus behave the same way. I agree that there is a correlation between parenting styles and how that influences a child’s ability to resolve conflicts. The family environment has a direct relationship to problematic behavior in children resulting in social cruelty, especi ally bullying.No one can prepare you for the most difficult task in life. Parenting. Countless books, advice from others, even your own childhood experiences never seem to quite arm you with enough strength to handle it with grace and fluidity. Yet we all take that leap of faith, to fulfill our moral obligation to procreate life, convinced that we know the secret to raising a well-adjusted individual. Yet many of us fail to carry out the process correctly†¦ either repeating past behavior, or expecting too much from our little ones, too soon. In the article published on Psychology Today â€Å"HOW TO RAISE YOUR CHILDREN NATURALLY†, Gerard Young, Ph.D. , discusses parenting styles with regard to discipline, self esteem, happiness, and stress both on the part of parents and their children. He focuses on the importance of not only timing and applying proper techniques†¦ reminding us that children’s cognitive and social skills grow with age, but the importance of t he environment in which those practices would be effective†¦ needing a warm and balanced platform. Discipline should not solely be about punishment for the wrong behavior, but should also encompass limits and the boundaries for self-control.He discusses that Learning theory has provided excellent discipline techniques, which can help shape a child by using rewards, reinforcements, points, time outs, and even punishment†¦ without resorting to the use of corporal/physical methods. Parents need to have patience and understanding if they are to instill appropriate social and developmental behaviors in their children. We need to appreciate that they have a different schedule and rhythm than we do, and if we’re to be effective parents, we need to manage that in order to gain a measure of control while teaching them the proper skill sets they need for self-control.Most important, we need to be more liberal with our praise, giving them enjoyment to strive for more. If we ar e to raise a healthy child, we need to value what is special within our child and support and build on that. Understanding what makes your child â€Å"tick†, and â€Å"giving them the tools to tick better†. We should provide them with an environment which not only sets limits & expectations, but freedom to express & explore, so they can grow with a sense of initiative and independence which will translate into adulthood for positive life goals and values.All this requires dedication and commitment from parents to be on their best behavior. Children watch, observe, imitate, and learn from us. It would be prudent for us to remember the initial goal we had in mind when we decided to have children. To tenderly love him/her, to make a contribution to society by raising a healthy, well adjusted individual who will in turn perpetuate that for generations to come. That cannot happen if we are to take a back seat approach and not follow through with our moral responsibility. Ch ildren did not have a choice to be born.So why then should we rob them of a chance they rightfully deserve at a peaceful upbringing. Learning, by definition in our textbook â€Å"HUMAN DEVELOPMENT† (J. W. Vander Zanden, T. Crandell, C. H. Crandell), involves a relatively permanent change in a capability or behavior that results from experience. Behavioral theories emphasize that people can be conditioned by positive or negative reinforcers†¦ that cognitive theories focus on how to fashion the cognitive structures by which individuals think about their environment†¦ and that social learning theories stress the need to provide models for people to imitate.This definition encompasses intellectually all the fine points Dr. Young wrote about in his article. We can all reason that positive behaviors will produce positive outcomes. We just need to actually follow through with them. The most important role model in a child’s life is their significant caregiver, in mo st cases, parents. To learn a behavior, you need to be taught that behavior. Why then with all this information, do we still choose to parent incorrectly is beyond me. It is so much easier to teach a child than it is to fix an adult.References Brubacher, Michael R. , Fondacar, Mark R. , Brank, Eve M. , Brown, Veda E. , Miller, Scott A. , (2009). Procedural Justice in Resolving Family Disputes: Implications For Childhood Bullying. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, Vol 15(3), Aug, 2009. Pp. 149-167. Doi:10. 1037/a0016839 Vander Zanden, James W. , Crandell, Thomas L. , Crandell, Corinne Haines (2007). Human Development. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Co. , Inc. Young, Gerald Ph. D (Oct. 4, 2011). How To Raise Your Children Naturally. Psychology Today.

Cultural Awareness Essay

The popular book Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice is a novel that is responsible for the revitalization of the vampire genre in popular fiction. The book itself tells an interesting story about three vampires: Lestat, Louis, and Claudia. The tale is told from the perspective of Louis, a Creole American plantation owner in pre-Civil War America who catches the eye of Lestat, a vampire who is roaming the world alone, in need of a companion. Louis is depressed because of losing his family and therefore is suceptible to Lestat’s eagerness to make him into a vampire, which he does. The plot of the book revolves around these two characters as they live together. Louis hates what he has become and loathes taking life but makes Claudia, a little five year old girl, into a vampire as well. The relationship between Lestat and Louis, and their shared love of Claudia, is depicted throughout the novel as Louis struggles with his immortality, Lestat faces the betrayal of Louis and Claudia, and Claudia matures mentally without every growing physically. Their struggles with each other and against each other becomes the driving force behind the novel. The setting of Interview with the Vampire is primarily Paris and New Orleans before and after the Civil War. The vampires live together in a flat, where much of the action takes place between all of the characters. The reader is led through the torment of the plague in Paris, the customs of the slaves in New Orleans, and the underbelly of these two cities where Lestat, Louis, and Claudia find the people that they feed off of each night for their sustenance and strength. The characters found within this book are Lestat, Louis, Claudia, and Armand. These main characters show themselves throughout the novel to be interesting and complex. The character of Claudia emerges as a young girl whose mother has died of the plague and who Louis feels extremely sickened about when he feeds off of her. Lestat then helps him create a vampire out of her. Armand is the leader of the coven in Paris and becomes a close companion of Louis after Lestat and he go their separate ways. Each character brings a new dimension to the story.