Nelson Mandela - A Biography

Nelson Mandela - A Biography Nelson Mandela was elected the first black president of South Africa in 1994, following the first multiracial election in South Africas history. Mandela was imprisoned from 1962 to 1990 for his role in fighting apartheid policies established by the ruling white minority. Revered by his people as a national symbol of the struggle for equality, Mandela is considered one of the 20th centurys most influential political figures. He and South African Prime Minister F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their role in dismantling the apartheid system. Dates: July 18, 1918- December 5, 2013 Also Known As: Rolihlahla Mandela, Madiba, Tata Famous quote:   I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. Childhood Nelson Rilihlahla Mandela was born in the village of Mveso, Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918 to Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa and Noqaphi Nosekeni, the third of Gadlas four wives. In Mandelas native language, Xhosa, Rolihlahla meant troublemaker. The surname Mandela came from one of his grandfathers. Mandelas father was a chief of the Thembu tribe in the Mvezo region, but served under the authority of the ruling British government. As a descendant of royalty, Mandela was expected to serve in his fathers role when he came of age. But when Mandela was only an infant, his father rebelled against the British government by refusing a mandatory appearance before the British magistrate. For this, he was stripped of his chieftaincy and his wealth, and forced to leave his home. Mandela and his three sisters moved with their mother back to her home village of Qunu. There, the family lived in more modest circumstances. The family lived in mud huts and survived on the crops they grew and the cattle and sheep they raised. Mandela, along with the other village boys, worked herding sheep and cattle. He later recalled this as one of the happiest periods in his life. Many evenings, villagers sat around the fire, telling the children stories passed down through generations, of what life had been like before the white man had arrived. From the mid-17th century, Europeans (first the Dutch and later the British) had arrived on South African soil and gradually taken control from the native South African tribes. The discovery of diamonds and gold in South Africa in the 19th century had only tightened the grip that Europeans had on the nation. By 1900, most of South Africa was under the control of Europeans. In 1910, the British colonies merged with the Boer (Dutch) republics to form the Union of South Africa, a part of the British Empire. Stripped of their homelands, many Africans were forced to work for white employers at low-paying jobs. Young Nelson Mandela, living in his small village, did not yet feel the impact of centuries of domination by the white minority. Mandelas Education Although themselves uneducated, Mandelas parents wanted their son to go to school. At the age of seven, Mandela was enrolled in the local mission school. On the first day of class, each child was given an English first name; Rolihlahla was given the name Nelson. When he was nine years old, Mandelas father died. According to his fathers last wishes, Mandela was sent to live in the Thembu capital, Mqhekezeweni, where he could continue his education under the guidance of another tribal chief, Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Upon first seeing the chiefs estate, Mandela marveled at his large home and beautiful gardens. In Mqhekezeweni, Mandela attended another mission school and became a devout Methodist during his years with the Dalindyebo family. Mandela also attended tribal meetings with the chief, who taught him how a leader should conduct himself. When Mandela was 16, he was sent to a boarding school in a town several hundred miles away. Upon his graduation in 1937 at the age of 19, Mandela enrolled in Healdtown, a Methodist college. An accomplished student, Mandela also became active in boxing, soccer, and long-distance running. In 1939, after earning his certificate, Mandela began his studies for a Bachelor of Arts at the prestigious Fort Hare College, with a plan to ultimately attend law school. But Mandela did not complete his studies at Fort Hare; instead, he was expelled after participating in a student protest. He returned to the home of Chief Dalindyebo, where he was met with anger and disappointment. Just weeks after his return home, Mandela received stunning news from the chief. Dalindyebo had arranged for both his son, Justice, and Nelson Mandela to marry women of his choosing. Neither young man would consent to an arranged marriage, so the two decided to flee to Johannesburg, the South African capital. Desperate for money to finance their trip, Mandela and Justice stole two of the chiefs oxen and sold them for train fare. Move to Johannesburg Arriving in Johannesburg in 1940, Mandela found the bustling city an exciting place. Soon, however, he was awakened to the injustice of the black mans life in South Africa. Prior to moving to the capital, Mandela had lived mainly among other blacks. But in Johannesburg, he saw the disparity between the races. Black residents lived in slum-like townships that had no electricity or running water; while whites lived grandly off the wealth of the gold mines. Mandela moved in with a cousin and quickly found a job as a security guard. He was soon fired when his employers learned about his theft of the oxen and his escape from his benefactor. Mandelas luck changed when he was introduced to Lazar Sidelsky, a liberal-minded white lawyer. After learning of Mandelas desire to become an attorney, Sidelsky, who ran a large law firm serving both blacks and whites, offered to let Mandela work for him as a law clerk. Mandela gratefully accepted and took on the job at the age of 23, even as he worked to finish his BA via correspondence course. Mandela rented a room in one of the local black townships. He studied by candlelight each night and often walked the six miles to work and back because he lacked bus fare. Sidelsky supplied him with an old suit, which Mandela patched up and wore nearly every day for five years. Committed to the Cause In 1942, Mandela finally completed his BA and enrolled at the University of Witwatersrand as a part-time law student. At Wits, he met several people who would work with him in the years to come for the cause of liberation. In 1943, Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC),  an organization that worked to improve conditions for blacks in South Africa. That same year, Mandela marched in a successful bus boycott staged by thousands of residents of Johannesburg in protest of high bus fares. As he grew more infuriated by racial inequalities, Mandela deepened his commitment to the struggle for liberation. He helped to form the Youth League, which sought to recruit younger members and transform the ANC into a more militant organization, one that would fight for equal rights. Under laws of the time, Africans were forbidden from owning land or houses in the towns, their wages were five times lower than those of whites, and none could vote. In 1944, Mandela, 26, married nurse Evelyn Mase, 22, and they moved into a small rental home. The couple had a son, Madiba (Thembi), in February 1945, and a daughter, Makaziwe, in 1947. Their daughter died of meningitis as an infant. They welcomed another son, Makgatho, in 1950, and a second daughter, named Makaziwe after her late sister, in 1954. Following the general elections of 1948 in which the white National Party claimed victory, the partys first official act was to establish apartheid. With this act, the long-held, haphazard system of segregation in South Africa became a formal, institutionalized policy, supported by laws and regulations. The new policy would even determine, by race, which parts of town each group could live in. Blacks and whites were to be separated from each other in all aspects of life, including public transportation, in theaters and restaurants, and even on beaches. The Defiance Campaign Mandela completed his law studies in 1952 and, with partner Oliver Tambo, opened the first black law practice in Johannesburg. The practice was busy from the start. Clients included Africans who suffered the injustices of racism, such as seizure of property by whites and beatings by the police. Despite facing hostility from white judges and lawyers, Mandela was a successful attorney. He had a dramatic, impassioned style in the courtroom. During the 1950s, Mandela became more actively involved with the protest movement. He was elected president of the ANC Youth League in 1950. In June 1952, the ANC, along with Indians and colored (biracial) people- two other groups also targeted by discriminatory laws- began a period of nonviolent protest known as the Defiance Campaign. Mandela spearheaded the campaign by recruiting, training, and organizing volunteers. The campaign lasted six months, with cities and towns throughout South Africa participating. Volunteers defied the laws by entering areas meant for whites only. Several thousand were arrested in that six-month time, including Mandela and other ANC leaders. He and the other members of the group were found guilty of statutory communism and sentenced to nine months of hard labor, but the sentence was suspended. The publicity garnered during the Defiance Campaign helped membership in the ANC soar to 100,000. Arrested for Treason The government twice banned Mandela, meaning that he could not attend public meetings, or even family gatherings, because of his involvement in the ANC. His 1953 banning lasted two years. Mandela, along with others on the executive committee of the ANC, drew up the Freedom Charter in June 1955 and presented it during a special meeting called the Congress of the People. The charter called for equal rights for all, regardless of race, and the ability of all citizens to vote, own land, and hold decent-paying jobs. In essence, the charter called for a non-racial South Africa. Months after the charter was presented, police raided the homes of hundreds of members of the ANC and arrested them. Mandela and 155 others were charged with high treason. They were released to await a trial date. Mandelas marriage to Evelyn suffered from the strain of his long absences; they divorced in 1957 after 13 years of marriage. Through work, Mandela met Winnie Madikizela, a social worker who had sought his legal advice. They married in June 1958, just months before Mandelas trial began in August. Mandela was 39 years old, Winnie only 21. The trial would last three years; during that time, Winnie gave birth to two daughters, Zenani and Zindziswa. Sharpeville Massacre The trial, whose venue was changed to Pretoria, moved at a snails pace. The preliminary arraignment alone took a year; the actual trial didnt start until August 1959. Charges were dropped against all but 30 of the accused. Then, on March 21, 1960, the trial was interrupted by a national crisis. In early March, another anti-apartheid group, the Pan African Congress (PAC) had held large demonstrations protesting strict pass laws, which required Africans to carry identification papers with them at all times in order to be able to travel throughout the country. During one such protest in Sharpeville, police had opened fire on unarmed protestors, killing 69, and wounding more than 400. The shocking incident, which was universally condemned, was called the Sharpeville Massacre. Mandela and other ANC leaders called for a national day of mourning, along with a stay at home strike. Hundreds of thousands participated in a mostly peaceful demonstration, but some rioting erupted. The South African government declared a national state of emergency and martial law was enacted. Mandela and his co-defendants were moved into prison cells, and both the ANC and PAC were officially banned. The treason trial resumed on April 25, 1960 and lasted until March 29, 1961. To the surprise of many, the court dropped charges against all of the defendants, citing a lack of evidence proving that the defendants had planned to violently overthrow the government. For many, it was cause for celebration, but Nelson Mandela had no time to celebrate. He was about to enter into a new- and dangerous- chapter in his life. The Black Pimpernel Prior to the verdict, the banned ANC had held an illegal meeting and decided that if Mandela was acquitted, he would go underground after the trial. He would operate clandestinely to give speeches and gather support for the liberation movement. A new organization, the National Action Council (NAC), was formed and Mandela named as its leader. In accordance with the ANC plan, Mandela became a fugitive directly after the trial. He went into hiding at the first of several safe houses, most of them located in the Johannesburg area. Mandela stayed on the move, knowing that the police were looking everywhere for him. Venturing out only at night, when he felt safest, Mandela dressed in disguises, such as a chauffeur or a chef. He made unannounced appearances, giving speeches at places that were presumed safe, and also made radio broadcasts. The press took to calling him the Black Pimpernel, after the title character in the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel. In October 1961, Mandela moved to a farm in Rivonia, outside of Johannesburg. He was safe for a time there and could even enjoy visits from Winnie and their daughters. Spear of the Nation In response to the governments increasingly violent treatment of protestors, Mandela developed a new arm of the ANC- a military unit that he named Spear of the Nation, known also as MK. The MK would operate using a strategy of sabotage, targeting military installations, power facilities, and transportation links. Its goal was to damage property of the state, but not to harm individuals. The MKs first attack came in December 1961, when they bombed an electric power station and empty government offices in Johannesburg. Weeks later, another set of bombings were carried out. White South Africans were startled into the realization that they could no longer take their safety for granted. In January 1962, Mandela, who had never in his life been out of South Africa, was smuggled out of the country to attend a Pan-African conference. He hoped to get financial and military support from other African nations, but was not successful. In Ethiopia, Mandela received training in how to fire a gun and how to build small explosives. Captured After 16 months on the run, Mandela was captured on August 5, 1962, when the car he was driving was overtaken by police. He was arrested on charges of leaving the country illegally and inciting a strike. The trial began on October 15, 1962. Refusing counsel, Mandela spoke on his own behalf. He used his time in court to denounce the governments immoral, discriminatory policies. Despite his impassioned speech, he was sentenced to five years in prison. Mandela was 44 years old when he entered Pretoria Local Prison. Imprisoned in Pretoria for six months, Mandela was then taken to Robben Island, a bleak, isolated prison off the coast of Cape Town, in May 1963. After only a few weeks there, Mandela learned he was about to head back to court- this time on charges of sabotage. He would be charged along with several other members of MK, who had been arrested on the farm in Rivonia. During the trial, Mandela admitted his role in the formation of MK. He emphasized his belief that the protestors were only working toward what they deserved- equal political rights. Mandela concluded his statement by saying that he was prepared to die for his cause. Mandela and his seven co-defendants received guilty verdicts on June 11, 1964. They could have been sentenced to death for so serious a charge, but each was given life imprisonment. All of the men (except one white prisoner) were sent to Robben Island. Life at Robben Island At Robben Island, each prisoner had a small cell with a single light that stayed on 24 hours a day. Prisoners slept on the floor upon a thin mat. Meals consisted of cold porridge and an occasional vegetable or piece of meat (although Indian and Asian prisoners received more generous rations than their black counterparts.) As a reminder of their lower status, black prisoners wore short pants all year-round, whereas others were allowed to wear trousers. Inmates spent nearly ten hours a day at hard labor, digging out rocks from a limestone quarry. The hardships of prison life made it difficult to maintain ones dignity, but Mandela resolved not to be defeated by his imprisonment. He became the spokesperson and leader of the group, and was known by his clan name, Madiba. Over the years, Mandela led the prisoners in numerous protests- hunger strikes, food boycotts, and work slowdowns. He also demanded reading and study privileges. In most cases, the protests eventually yielded results. Mandela suffered personal losses during his imprisonment. His mother died in January 1968 and his 25-year-old son Thembi died in a car accident the following year. A heartbroken Mandela was not allowed to attend either funeral. In 1969, Mandela received word that his wife Winnie had been arrested on charges of communist activities. She spent 18 months in solitary confinement and was subjected to torture. The knowledge that Winnie had been imprisoned caused Mandela great distress. Free Mandela Campaign Throughout his imprisonment, Mandela remained the symbol of the anti-apartheid movement, still inspiring his countrymen. Following a Free Mandela campaign in 1980 that attracted global attention, the government capitulated somewhat. In April 1982, Mandela and four other Rivonia prisoners were transferred to Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland. Mandela was 62 years old and had been at Robben Island for 19 years. Conditions were much improved from those at Robben Island. Inmates were allowed to read newspapers, watch TV, and receive visitors. Mandela was given a lot of publicity, as the government wanted to prove to the world that he was being treated well. In an effort to stem the violence and repair the failing economy, Prime Minister P.W. Botha announced on January 31, 1985 that he would release Nelson Mandela if Mandela agreed to renounce violent demonstrations. But Mandela refused any offer that was not unconditional. In December 1988, Mandela was transferred to a private residence at the Victor Verster prison outside Cape Town and later brought in for secret negotiations with the government. Little was accomplished, however, until Botha resigned from his position in August 1989, forced out by his cabinet. His successor, F.W. de Klerk, was ready to negotiate for peace. He was willing to meet with Mandela. Freedom at Last At Mandelas urging, de Klerk released Mandelas fellow political prisoners without condition in October 1989. Mandela and de Klerk had long discussions about the illegal status of the ANC and other opposition groups, but came to no specific agreement. Then, on February 2, 1990, de Klerk made an announcement that stunned Mandela and all of South Africa. De Klerk enacted a number of sweeping reforms, lifting the bans on the ANC, the PAC, and the Communist Party, among others. He lifted the restrictions still in place from the 1986 state of emergency and ordered the release of all nonviolent political prisoners. On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was given an unconditional release from prison. After 27 years in custody, he was a free man at the age of 71. Mandela was welcomed home by thousands of people cheering in the streets. Soon after his return home, Mandela learned that his wife Winnie had fallen in love with another man in his absence. The Mandelas separated in April 1992 and later divorced. Mandela knew that despite the impressive changes that had been made, there was still much work to be done. He returned immediately to working for the ANC, traveling across South Africa to speak with various groups and to serve as a negotiator for further reforms. In 1993, Mandela and de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their joint effort to bring about peace in South Africa. President Mandela On April 27, 1994, South Africa held its first election in which blacks were allowed to vote. The ANC won 63 percent of the votes, a majority in Parliament. Nelson Mandela- only four years after his release from prison- was elected the first black president of South Africa. Nearly three centuries of white domination had ended. Mandela visited many Western nations in an attempt to convince leaders to work with the new government in South Africa. He also made efforts to help bring about peace in several African nations, including Botswana, Uganda, and Libya. Mandela soon earned the admiration and respect of many outside of South Africa. During Mandelas term, he addressed the need for housing, running water, and electricity for all South Africans. The government also returned land to those it had been taken from, and made it legal again for blacks to own land. In 1998, Mandela married Graca Machel on his eightieth birthday. Machel, 52 years old, was the widow of a former president of Mozambique. Nelson Mandela did not seek re-election in 1999. He was replaced by his Deputy President, Thabo Mbeki. Mandela retired to his mothers village of Qunu, Transkei. Mandela became involved in raising funds for HIV/AIDS, an epidemic in Africa. He organized the AIDS benefit 46664 Concert in 2003, so named after his prison ID number. In 2005, Mandelas own son, Makgatho, died of AIDS at the age of 44. In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly designated July 18, Mandelas birthday, as Nelson Mandela International Day. Nelson Mandela died at his Johannesburg home on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95.

Applying Your Understanding of Fallacies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applying Your Understanding of Fallacies - Essay Example What may seem as a simple marketing campaign became an issue for moral panic. For one, critics viewed the ad as racist since it promotes white skin as the foremost criteria in being beautiful. Sadly, Singapore is also a melting pot of various Asian races such as Filipinos, Thais, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Japanese. This ad imposed on the mind of Asian women that fair skin makes one beautiful and brown Asian skin is unacceptable. This is where Focault’s regime of truth sets in. As Hall ( 1997 , p.49) argues â€Å" not of the truth of knowledge in the absolute sense, a Truth which remained so, whatever the period, setting , context- but of a discursive formation sustaining a regime of truth†. The media disseminates a certain truth that public unknowingly digests and accepts as valid. Most ironic of all, the product does not really promise fair skin but better skin texture. stereotype that affects the behavior of the general population. Aside from this, the adv ertisement is misleading since the product delivers something different from what is promised. The second fallacy is about sports nutrition. Gatorade has been very aggressive in promoting its new line of products because it faces tough competition from Powerade.

Individual and Collective Responsibility in the Society Assignment

Individual and Collective Responsibility in the Society - Assignment Example In developing his society, Alexie uses the ordinary people in any other society such as fathers, sons, husbands, laborers, and artists among many others. He develops a perilous poise between external responsibility and self-preservation through family, art and the entire world through by extrapolation. â€Å"Yes the kid was a decent athlete, yet the kid was a descent yes the kid was a decent person. But he had broken into my house† Alexie 14. The adults interact with the children effectively and in a bid to create a peaceful and cohesive society, they must maintain a sense of order by addressing such social vices and deterrence to peace as theft, which the author portrays here. He develops a good child who epitomizes the desirable qualities, but due to lack in the society and poor upbringing, the child breaks into other people’s houses and steal. The society must develop ways of punishing and rectifying such. Relations and interactions exist at different levels in society. In their relations, the characters maintain the decorum that is mandatory in the development of a cohesive society. In portraying the relationship among the character, Alexie develops the balance between self-portrayal and external responsibility by defining the specific individual and communal role. At family levels, the characters maintain a level of intimacy required of couples by sharing fundamental information that sustains such relationships, â€Å"My wife paused before answering, and in the pause, I heard all the doubt and fear. So I got out of bed, dressed and left the house† (Alexie 15). Alexis develops communal responsibility as that which everyone must maintain in order to achieve a desirable and society in which people observed laws and maintained the social order â€Å"But this time when those black people walked in slow motion in front of mei did not smile or laugh.  

Effectiveness Of The Post Sentence Supervision Provisions Criminology Essay

Effectiveness Of The Post Sentence Supervision Provisions Criminology Essay This essay will examine whether the effectiveness of the post sentence supervision provisions for dangerous offenders are adequate. The changing attitude towards the treatment of dangerous offenders will be explored showing that in the twenty first century, the term dangerous offender includes sexual and violent offenders. Most public attention is focused on those who commit sexual and predatory acts against children; hence paedophiles are often associated with such dangerous people. It is a subject which has interested me particularly as the stakes are so high if things do not go to plan. My interest arose due to the adverse publicity surrounding high profile cases where dangerous offenders reoffend and it spurred me into examining whether the post sentence supervision orders worked. The term dangerous offender can also be extended to include potential terrorists, the socially excluded as well as other violent and sexual offenders who carry out offences with a varying degree of seriousness. More controversially dangerousness is also applied to the mentally ill who commit grave offences. At one time the punishment had to fit the crime and although this is still true it has to be looked at in tandem with the risk to society of permitting an offender back into the community. The Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) arrangements were introduced to deal with those dangerous offenders who exist in the community, managing them so that they do not pose a threat to society. MAPPA is a multi agency approach consisting of the police, local authorities, schools, probation service and similar entities. What is the main aim of MAPPA; is to reform the conduct of previous offenders so that through their treatment and rehabilitation they no longer wish to re-offend; or is their aim to merely be preventative and reactionary stopping any re-offending by close supervision? The issue of releasing dangerous offenders into the community is highly controversial because the repercussions of re-offending can be horrendous. It only takes one case where another heinous crime is committed for a public outcry to ensue with the press claiming that the MAPPA system is not working. In addition the effects on the victims is acute with claims that the re-offender should not have been released early or at all, as clearly they still pose a great risk to society. Carefully balanced against the publics desire to be protected is the human rights aspect of the offender. In recent years there has been a tendency for home secretaries to get involved in what are perceived as lenient sentences given to dangerous offenders. In a couple of instances the respective home secretary has intervened to increase the recommended minimum sentence before an offender can be considered eligible for parole. The House of Lords, following an earlier decision, has recently ruled that such intervention by the home secretary is incompatible with the offenders human rights. I will use both qualitative sources with a lesser amount of quantitative material, some extracted at primary sources. Proposed chapters at this juncture are: Chapter 1 The concept of dangerousness will be explored to highlight the type of offenders under discussion. We will look at the controversial area of mentally incapable dangerous offenders and their treatment. An analysis of the legislation including relevant guidance and the views of some academic commentators will be undertaken. Chapter 2 The functioning of the multi-agency public protection arrangements will be examined in detail including a look at one particular police force. Their methodology and data will be examined to ascertain if they are successful or adequate and what is meant by adequate. Government and academic commentaries will be considered Chapter 3 Some high profile publicised cases causing concern will be examined which will lead the press and others to condemn the post supervision orders of dangerous offenders. The issue of dangerous foreign offenders committing serious offences in the UK will be examined. Chapter 4 Analysis of MAPPA data will be examined which will highlight the successes and failures of post sentencing initiatives and suggest possible reforms. Dangerous offenders have human rights and the cases of Anderson and more recently, Whiting, will be explored looking at the aspect of political intervention in minimum recommended sentences. Conclusion will tie all material together with my thoughts on the adequacy of post supervision of dangerous offenders. Literature Review A wide range of literature has been examined including secondary sources comprising eminent academic commentators and also primary sources including court judgments and published reports of the managing agencies have been examined. Other original sources under scrutiny include newspaper articles and commentaries of various public sector personnel. There is an inherent bias built into the views of the MAPPA agencies and government ministers who seek to justify the effectiveness of their respective areas of work. Chapter 1 The modern day criminal justice system in Britain is geared at the rehabilitation of offenders so the prison system is not only a means of incarceration to remove the offender from posing any danger to the public, but also a vehicle for preparing the offender for release and re-integration into society. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (which has been amended by the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008) sets out the criteria for dealing with dangerous offenders and is important to the court for sentencing purposes. Dangerous offenders are identified by reference to the commission of specified violent and sexual offences set out in Schedule 15 of the Criminal Justice Act. That Act says that a court must determine whether there is a significant risk to members of the public of serious harm by the commission by him of further offences (Criminal Justice Act, S 229). In a recent case the Court of Appeal held that in determining dangerousness the court was not confined to considering only admissible evidence and could consider, as it did in the case, an alleged history of violence although the offender did not have convictions (R v Considine and Davis, 2007). Public protection was enhanced under the Criminal Justice Act by the introduction of a sentence of imprisonment for public protec tion which ensures that certain offenders are not released until the Parole Board determines that it is safe to do so. Problems arise because although the term dangerous offender is used in a general way it is in fact extremely difficult to predict who is dangerous as individuals vary in their behaviour. Not only do individuals vary as between each other so that there are differing degrees and shades of dangerousness but also, on an individual basis, the scope for carrying out dangerous and violent acts may vary on a daily basis. The notion of dangerousness is therefore extremely complex in itself and is capable of shifting on an individual basis whereby assessing and predicting future behaviour can be compared to attempting to mould soft sand into a permanent form. Human nature can be fundamentally and inherently unpredictable even among stable law abiding individuals, so when mentally unstable people are added to the melting pot, the decision as to assessing their dangerousness becomes more complex. In the UK, policies addressing those with dangerous and severe personality disorders (DSPD) has expanded considerably in recent years against a background that people with personality disorders should not be precluded from accessing services available to the rest of society. The DSPD programme deals with patients who have the most severe personality disorders. The DSPD programme offers an intensive multi disciplinary treatment programme based on individual need and comprising a cognitive-behavioural group-based intervention approach with opportunities for social interaction, in ward-based community meetings for example. Specific treatment includes offence-specific groups, such as sex offender group and violence reduction programmes. There has been a shift of policy from placing people with DSPD in prisons into secure hospitals with the National Health Service taking a more active role in providing treatment. A smaller number of medium secure and community places have been programmed, but so far the implementation has fallen behind target and the rehabilitation of DSPD patients back into the community remains extremely challenging. Evaluation of the DSPD programme is a work in progress and the impact of this policy on reoffending rates remains to be deduced. Persons assessed as having DSPD must be detained for treatment and discharge from detention is dependent upon a test of public safety as against favourable responsiveness to treatment. The link between dangerous behaviour and mental illness remains embedded in public opinion despite the attempts of mental health practitioners to highlight the absence of such a connection. A study of public opinion towards schizophrenia found that 70% of respondents view this group as dange rous (Crisp et al, 2001). Regarding treatment in the community following release from prison or hospital, Leung cites the European judgment of W v Sweden 1988, in which compulsory medication on discharge from hospital was not a deprivation of liberty and would not impinge Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (Leung, 2002). Prison population has increased dramatically over the last fifteen years from circa 43,000 at the start of the 1990s (Home Office, 2005a) to in excess of 80,000 today. Although there are numerous reasons given to explain this startling increase, the focus of the public on dangerousness is one such explanation. In 2006 a review was conducted which claimed that prison was the best place for dangerous offenders as it stopped them from re-offending (Home Office, 2006a, p. 32). In 2007 with the creation of the Ministry of Justice the preceding approach to detaining dangerous offenders for a long time did not change. On the contrary, the newly formed Ministry reiterated that prison places are available to protect the public from dangerous offenders (Ministry of Justice, 2007, p 4). The 1990s preoccupation with public protection shaped the policies of protecting the public from the risk of serious harm arising from violent offenders and the aim of responding more effectively to the risk of paedophiles and the increase in child sex abuse (Grubin, 1998) Within the UK the population is generally extremely fearful of the level of violent and sexual crime (Ditton Farrell, 2002; Kemshall, 2003). The focus on this type of crime has been exacerbated by the media and even when crime rates are shown to be falling, the public perception is that they are living in a more violent society. Dangerousness has therefore been widely used to describe an increasing amount of offences and has been accompanied with an expectation of more punitive sentences to deal with the increase. Barbara Hudson asserts that there has been a significant shift from doing justice to controlling risks as the goal of law and order and penal strategies (Hudson, 2002; p 101). The modern society is characterised by the increasing scope and influence of the mass media. The far reaching scrutiny of the global mass media means that the negatives of modern society are reported and in terms of criminal justice, its failings can be exposed. Such exposure is accompanied by cynici sm towards expert opinions and the positive effects of legislation (Garland, 2000). Garland (2001, p178) has described the space between the community and prisons as having become more strictly enforced stating that Those offenders who are released into the community are subject to much tighter control than previously and conditions that continue to restrict their freedomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.the community into which they are released is actually a closely monitored terrain, a supervised space, lacking much of the liberty that one associates with normal life. Commenting on a Panorama programme broadcast in 2006, HM Chief Inspector of Probation said he thought the programme made a fair point when he said that general talk of close supervision and monitoring of offenders can give a misleading impression to the public of the extent of measures taken to prevent them (Bridges, 2007). It is clear in the early stages of this essay that there are different views on the nature and extent of monitoring to which dangerous offenders are subjected on their release from prison. Academics like Garland above consider the measures stringent, tantamount to imprisonment within the community, whereas the enforcers of those measures, probation workers, maintain that it is unhelpful to make it sound as if community service is prison in the community which it plainly is not (Bridges, 2007 p 4). Chapter 2 Violent sex offenders Once prisoners reach the end of their sentence but are still considered dangerous, measures are put in place to manage them in the community. The Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) is managed by the National Policing Improvement Agency of the Home Office. It comprises records stored on a database of those obligated to register with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003; those jailed for more than 12 months for violent offences and people not convicted of any crimes but who are deemed to be at risk of offending. It was rolled out to every probation area and prison establishment in England and Wales in 2008 with police, probation and prison services using the same IT system for the first time. This co-ordination should ensure that the quality and synchronisation of risk assessments are improved leading to effective interventions to prevent re-offending. In 2009 Greater Manchester Police responded to a freedom of information request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In complying with the request the police reported that of 16 people within their jurisdiction who were on the ViSOR since 2007, 4 had not been convicted. So 25% of those on the ViSOR had not yet been convicted of a crime in a court of law yet they were subjected to the reporting and other requirements placed on individuals who are so registered. Sexual Offences Act The notification periods for offenders are also contained within the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Where offenders are subject to imprisonment for life or for more than 30 months; imprisoned for public protection; admitted to hospital under a restriction order or subject to an order for lifelong restriction the notification period is indefinitely. The question of the legitimacy of lifelong registration has been subjected to challenge in recent years. It was successfully challenged in the High Court and the appeal against the decision was dismissed in the Supreme Court which stated that lifelong registration was incompatible with human rights (European Convention on Human Rights, Article 8). Recent Challenge and human rights The ViSOR database holds name and address records, photographs, risk assessment, offenders modus operandi, and an audit trail. The Police National Computer is linked to ViSOR. According to the National Policing Improvement Agency 77,000 records of named individuals are maintained on the database. [7] Sex offenders subject to the register must inform the Police within 3 days [8] of becoming subject to the notification requirements, or within 3 days of various changes occurring [9], including moving home, changing their name, changes of passport details. Offenders must confirm their registration annually [10]. Failure to comply is an offence, subject to a penalty of up to five years imprisonment. The importance of the ViSOR is that providing registered offenders comply with its provisions, then they can be monitored by the appropriate agencies. Although failure to comply has a penalty of up to 5 years imprisonment, this is of little comfort or assistance to people who are subjected to attacks by offenders who have failed to comply with the notification requirements. In this respect the adequacy of the registration provisions are an end in themselves and do not prevent further offending. Generally speaking the public will derive some comfort from the fact that registered offenders are on the radar of the police and are or should be at certain addresses. Problems ensue when the registered offender is not where he should be so that the supervision and monitoring duty on the agencies breaks down. Of course it may be that the offender has forgotten to register a change of address or he cannot be bothered or he has a genuine reason for not complying and that he has no intention of re-offending. The problem is that with the genuine fear of violent crime within the community, the public are alarmed if they should become aware of such failures. Even worse, if a registered offender does re-offend, the public will see this as evidence of the inadequacy of the supervisory arrangements of the ViSOR. If the non compliant registered offender does not reoffend it may be that the public is kept in oblivious ignorance and it does not come to their attention. Multi Agency Partnership Protection Agencies The MAPPA measures were put in place nine years ago in an attempt to improve the effectiveness of the management of offenders who are in the community. MAPPA has statutory force as the arrangements were first set out in the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 and re-enacted and further strengthened in part 13 section 325 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 imposing a legal duty on agencies. The measures mainly comprise information sharing and the views of professionals who come together pooling their expertise in order to ensure the public is protected from future offending of dangerous offenders. There are 3 levels of cases under MAPPA. Level 1 can be managed by one agency (usually probation service); level 2 requires more than 1 agency and level 3 requires co-ordination among various agencies. The legal duties placed on the police, prison and probation services acting jointly as the responsible authority to establish arrangements for assessing and managing the risks posed by relevant sexual and violent offenders or other offenders who may cause serious harm to the public; to review and monitor those arrangements; and as part of the reviewing and monitoring arrangements, to prepare and publish an annual report on their operation. Other agencies also under a legal duty to co-operate with the responsible authority include local authority social services, primary care trusts, jobcentre plus, youth offending teams. Local housing providers, local education authorities and electronic monitoring providers. Thus MAPPA involves a wide range of bodies which in itself is good but the effectiveness of its measures lie in the ability to co-ordinate responses across all spectrums of the agencies by the responsible authority. In most cases the offender will be managed by the agency with supervisory responsibility but several offenders require multi-agency management and their risk management plans will be compiled and monitored at MAPPA meetings in which various agencies are present. MAPPA is primarily concerned with managing risk. David Hanson, Minister for Justice said Putting in place thorough systems to ensure high level vigilance of serious sexual and violent offenders on their release from prison is vital in our work protecting communities from crime and he also acknowledges that the introduction of the MAPPA have been successful in reducing risk (Ministry of Justice, 2008). Offenders released into the community following a period of imprisonment of 12 months or more will be subject to a licence with conditions (under the supervision of the probation service. If the offender does not comply with the set conditions, breach action will be taken whereby the offender may be sent back to prison. Sexual offences prevention orders can be made with a full order lasting for a minimum of 5 years and a requirement that the offender registers as a sexual offender. Conditions can be imposed restricting the offender from frequenting school playgrounds for example. Again if the offender breaches the order he can be taken back to court and may be imprisoned for up to 5 years. Foreign travel orders prevents offenders with convictions for sexual offences against children from travelling abroad so as to prevent children from the risk of sexual harm. In 2008, the Home Office began pilots which increased the amount of information about certain child sex offenders which was available to the public. People were able to ask for information about a person who has contact with their children. The pilots took place throughout 4 police areas and were completed in September 2009. Although the pilots were to be evaluated with a view to being implemented nationwide, regardless of the outcome of that evaluation, there is already an obligation to consider during a case review, whether there is a need to disclose information about the offender as part of the risk management plan. This would appear to be duplication and there does seem to be a necessity for MAPPAS to be seen to be continuously evolving as the offender is always one step ahead. Polygraph tests In October 2009 the Ministry of Justice announced that it was piloting mandatory polygraph tests for sex offenders in the community. The polygraph test is being scrutinised to ascertain whether it might be another useful tool for the effective management of sex offenders. The governing legislation is the Offender Management Act 2007 which authorised the mandatory use of polygraphs on sex offenders who are subject to licence upon their entry into the community following their imprisonment. The polygraph test would be used together with, and not instead of, other management offender tools. Castration Chapter 3 As can be seen there are a wide variety of management tools available under the MAPPA arrangements but their effectiveness and adequacy will now be examined. In October 2009 the Daily Telegraph reported that dangerous foreign criminals are remaining in Britain despite strenuous efforts by the Government to remove them. The paper reports that immigration judges have overturned attempts by the Home Office to remove at least 50 foreign criminals from the country in the past year with their defence lawyers arguing that deporting them would breach their human rights. Examples of such cases are Mark Cadle from Berlize, jailed for having sex with a 14 year old girl who judges said would have his human right to family life infringed if deported because his family lived in Britain. A Somali who had been convicted for manslaughter and robbery was allowed to remain in the country after the court said he would be at serious risk of persecution if deported as he was from a minority clan. Of the 50 cases involved 15 include criminals with convictions for serious violent crimes, 4 sex offenders and 13 with drug convictions. In most of the cases lawyers argued that deporting them would breach their human rights to a family life because many had families in Britain. In some instances like the Somali case, the issues were that the person would be subjected to torture if returned to his homeland in breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. On the 2 November 2009 the bleak headlines of the Guardian newspaper read probation service failing to learn lessons over murder of French students, inquiry finds (Travis, 2009). In 2008 two French students were tortured and murdered in London by Dano Sonnex. He was found guilty of their murder and was a violent drug addict who was meant to be under supervision and should have been in jail as he had earlier breached his conditions for release. The case raised fresh anxiety and concerns over the manner in which dangerous offenders are monitored in the community. The parents of the two students were so infuriate that they were preparing to issue proceedings against the probation service and the police. The massive public outcry prompted the chief inspector of probation, Andrew Bridges to look at 276 cases across 10 London boroughs. The findings did not make palpable reading for the relevant MAPPA responsible bodies. Bridges said that the results were disappointing particularly when com pared to 2008 and he deduced that only 54% of the public protection work examined was of sufficiently high level of quality we were looking for. ( ). In 2008 the figure was 63% for the whole London sample so this heralded a poignant deterioration. Another high profile case was the murder of Naomi Bryant in Winchester by Anthony Rice. Rice had served 16 years in prison and had committed several sexual attacks including rape and attempted rape. At the time of the murder he was on life licence and was under the supervision of Hampshire Probation Area alongside numerous other agencies via MAPPA. Following the murder of Bryant an independent report was undertaken which concluded that there were serious shortcomings in the way Rice had been managed prior and since his release from prison. The report revealed that the failure to properly manage Rices risk of being a danger to the community was not the fault of one particular person or agency but was a collective failure of measures both within the prison and the community. Upon his release there was no clear indication of who took the lead responsibility for Rice and there followed transfers of key responsibilities which made for inconsistencies and lack of co-ordination. The conditions on the Licence were vague; for example one condition stated that Rice should not misuse substances and the hostel staff where he was staying interpreted this as meaning that he could consume alcohol. The report criticised the MAPPA panel for allowing them to be distracted by human rights consideration at the expense of public protection. The report highlighted lack of communication and errors of judgment and reinforced the importance of the three responsible agencies having clarity and consistency in their practices and procedures. The next notorious case concerns the murder of John Monckton and the attempted murder of his wife by 2 young men both under the supervision of London probation. When Hanson was 17 years old he received a sentence of 12 years for attempted murder and conspiracy to commit robbery, and it was during his licence period for this offence that he committed the murder of Monckton. Hanson ought to have been referred to MAPPA but he was not, despite being assessed as a high risk of causing harm. So despite being branded as a high risk he was not treated as such. The parole board failed to appreciate the relevance of Hansons predeliction for using instrumental violence and his recorded included utilising violence for financial advantage. Hanson was placed on a CALM programme which does not address this type of violence. After his release he was to report to an office which was within the exclusion zone from which he was banned; clearly a mistake. His residency was also an issue resulting in him living in a hostel which had not been approved by the parole board because the approved hostel in Essex had refused his application. The interpretation of licence conditions caused problems and the risk of harm posed was not assessed or managed adequately and there was a lack of co-ordination with the partnership arrangements. The inspectorate report concluded there was a collective failure to describe the failure in practices of all those managing Hanson and White and acknowledged the considerable organisational constraints in their management (HM Inspectorate of Probation, 2006) Positive Aspects There are however some positive aspects to the work of MAPPA (HM Inspectorate of Probation, 2006). The report decided that in the vast majority of cases MAPPA had been very effective and produced good work although there was still room for improvement. The report concluded that the risk of harm assessments had been accurate in a high proportion of cases. The probation and prison services worked closely in order to identify appropriate offender programmes and appropriate tools were activated to manage the risk of harm posed by particular offenders. The public protection arrangements which existed in 2001 and found wanting (Maguire et al 2001) had greatly improved by 2005. In 2001 apart from the probation and police few of the other agencies bothered to attend meetings. The introduction of the Criminal Justice Court Services Act 2000 had made real and major improvements to the management of high risk cases. In 2005 most agencies were attending meetings and recording decisions and the evidence used to reach their conclusions with all areas having regular case reviews and information sharing protocols in place. Procedures were in place to manage offenders at all the levels including appropriate risk classification tools and gate keeping through the system. However resources were a problem as were the IT case management systems. But in the 4 years since 2001 a more structured and clear approach to managing high risk offenders was in place throughout England and Wales (Madoc-Jones, 2006) The lifelong restrictions on sex offenders living and travel arrangements were recently judged to be a breach of human rights (R (JF(by his litigation friend OF) ) Anor v SSHD). Section 82 Sexual Offences Act requires all persons sentenced to thirty months imprisonment or more for a sexual offence to tell the police where they reside and if they travel abroad for the rest of their lives. Importantly there is no right to review the operation of the requirement. Both respondents were sex offenders and they challenged the lifelong notification requirement on the basis that it was a disproportionate requirement and breached their human rights under Article 8 CONCLUSION The important precis from which to start is that unless all dangerous offenders are imprisoned with maximum security so that escape is virtually impossible, it is impossible to guarantee that there is no risk to the public of harm from these offenders. As such measures are impractical, too costly and in breach of human rights legislation, then the present system is the one which exists and in which improvements can be made. In fact the present MAPPA system is a way of protecting the public with measures which do not affront human rights legislation. Unfortunately government policy has in the past been influenced by public outcry with the press wielding influence with its sometimes sensational headlines. The fact remains that the MAPPA and other arrangements involve many people who are capable of making errors of judgments which can have tragic consequences for victims should offenders reoffend. Every time one person is subjected to a sexual or violent attack, there is a public outcry and a condemnation of the release into the community of dangerous offenders and that the measures are inadequate. However MAPPA in itself does comply with the requirements of the human rights legislation Bib Garland, D. (2001) The Culture of Control:Crime and Social Order in Contemporary Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press HMPS (2005 b) Public Protection Arrangement: Working Together to Defend Communities, 17 October 2005, available at: http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/resourcecentre/pressreleases/index.asp?id=4193,230,608,242,0,0, (accessed on 21 June 2010) HM Inspectorate of Probation 2006. An Independent Review of a Serious Further Offence Case: Damien Hanson and Elliot White. Retrieved on 2010 from http://inspectorates.homeoffi

Reward Management

Since the Industrial Revolution the approach of HR changed from a pure financial approach to a core function within the business1. Human Resource could be considered nowadays as the most precious resource a company holds as it constitutes the link between the people and the company’s strategy and goals. HR fulfills this role through 4 main activities: staffing, reward management, employee development and employee maintenance.This paper will focus on reward management and the challenges the company faces in finding the best way to implement a reward management strategy that suits it. Different theories and practices exist; however the company has to consider the needs and desires of its own people and environmental context in order to find the system that best suits the company. Theories and approaches One way to illustrate the link between different HRM activities is the Fombrun, Tichy and Devanna model. According to this model, HRM has 4 key activities: Selection, Performance , development and Rewards.Even though this model is said to leaves out the notion of management’s strategic choice, it shows the coherence of internal HRM policies and the importance of matching internal HRM policies and practices to the organization’s external business strategy2. Source: John Bratton, Jeffrey Gold (2000), Human resource management: theory and practice, second edition 1 See appendix I – source : Jean Moisset, Pierre Toussaint, Jean Plante(2003), La gestion des ressources humaines pour la rà ©ussite scolaire, presse de l’università © du Quà ©bec 2 John Bratton, Jeffrey Gold (2000), Human resource management: theory and practice, Second edition Thereby, it can be said that reward management is very closely linked to employee retention, training and development and strategic HRM.And without a clever practice of these activities, a reward management cannot be successful. Reward management was born because managers had to motivate their emp loyees in order to reach company’s objectives. â€Å"A great deal of the ideology of work is directed at getting men to take work seriously when they know that it is a joke†3 . Motivating the staff became a concern as soon as a positive relation between motivation and high performance was demonstrated.Motivation is not only used to achieve a certain amount of output needed to align with company’s goals, but also put in the work of the employees an humane and selfsatisfying aspect. Throughout the last centuries, many studies have been made. Some studies focused on what people value as a decent reward, thereby â€Å"how to reward† (content theories) and others focused on the effect of a certain reward system, â€Å"why† implementing this system (process theories). Among content theorist Taylor can be mentioned. For him, people were rational and only driven by financial rewards.Then, the Hawthorne studies showed social needs were as important as econo mic needs. Abraham Maslow developed a pyramid expressing a hierarchy of needs: physiological>safety>belongingness>esteem>self-actualization. Each person stands at a certain level and will need specific motivators. Some other content theories are motivation factors of Herzberg or Mc Gregors’ theory. From the simple idea of economic motivator, theories have moved towards the idea of needs. Secondly, process theories of motivation explain why a reward system has to be implemented.A first theory, the organizational justice, gives that employees need to perceive the organization as fair. Either through the fairness of the rewards which are distributed (distributive justice) or through the procedures used to allocate rewards (procedural). The equity theory relies on the idea that individual assess fairness through the comparison with others who are in similar situations. Some also say that employees’ behavior depends on what they expect to occur. This is the expectancy theor y. Employees ask themselves three questions in order to decide how to behave: What’s in for me?How hard I have to work to get it? What are the real chances of getting the reward if I do what my boss wants? And finally, the goal- 3 Thompson, A. & Ryan, A. J. (2010) â€Å"Employee reward† in: Beardwell, J. & T. Claydon, Human resource management: A Contemporary Approach, Harlow: Prentice Hall, 6th edition, pp. 490-530. 3 setting theory stipulates employees want to work towards challenging, yet not impossible, goals. Process theories underline that behavior is affected by individual differences, experiences and features of the organization.Employees evaluate the rewards obtainable for behaving in a certain manner and act consequently. However, people do not always behave consciously and when they behave in a certain way, they may not be aware of the behavioral options. Practically, there are two steps in the development of a reward management strategy. First, there is eva luation of capacities, position and potentiality of the individual. Then, focus is set on the remuneration. This can be monetary or not. Employee’s surveys are used to develop HR policies and practices.Through those surveys, it has been found that â€Å"pay is only one of a number of factors that motivates staff, and may not always be the most important one†. 4 The monetary reward system is simply defined as the salary increase which can be calculated by different available systems (payment by result, performance related pay, financial participation) whereas the non-monetary type refers to the motivation and gratification of the employee. This is done through a psychological contract based on the concept of mutual understanding of obligations and promises made between worker and employer.There are two different types of psychological contracts: transactional, based on the monetary aspect and relational, rather based on people. This shows the importance of the environme nt in which people work. A good reward management system is able â€Å"to attract, maintain and motivate people to work for the company†5. 4 Armstrong M. , Thompson P. , Brown D. and Cotton C. (2006), Reward Management, Symposium Report, ereward and Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, February 5 Henry L. Tosi and Massimo Pilati (2008),†People management† in Compertamento organizzativo, Egea†¢ basepay †¢ contingency pay (for performnace, competences or contribution) †¢ variable pay (cashbonus) †¢ share ownership †¢ benefits non finanlcial rewards financial reward †¢ arising form the wprk itself and environment †¢ recognition and responsability †¢ meaningfull work †¢ autonomy †¢ opportunity to use and develop skills †¢ carreer opportinities †¢ quality of working life †¢ work life balance †¢ COMPONENTS OF TOTAL REWARD Source: Michael Amstrong, Helen Murlis, Reward management: a handbo ok of remuneration strategy and practice, Hay Group, 5th editionThe main problem of reward management is that both the evaluation and remuneration process are dependent from market forces (comparisons, competition, unions, types of regime) and from internal management forces. The variation of the pay system can therefore cause a state of compression or dispersion of the employees which is translated in homogeneous or diversified payments within the company. These systems have both benefits and costs. As we have seen, reward management systems can be characterized by different approaches and theories.However, there is a trend towards transparency and homogenization and some key factors are repeated: balance between pay and benefits, work life balance, individual growth and development, and positive workplace. These can now be observed in some important companies such as Yorshire Water, Severen Trent Water and Das Legal Expases. Nevertheless, the theories and approaches are not always used in practice. This was due to a gap between evidence and practice, known as the â€Å"knowing-doing gap†. It has been shown that although theoretical reward strategies exist, business do not have enough time to implement them6 .Reward case In our specific case we can observe how Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent Water, Yahoo Europe, DAS Legal Expenses, Carlson Wagonlit and Isotron, who were not using the 6 Jean Moisset, Pierre Toussaint, Jean Plante(2003), La gestion des ressources humaines pour la rà ©ussite scolaire, presse de l’università © du Quà ©bec 5 appropriate reward system, changed their systems. They tried to adapt to their employees and give them the right motivational factor to work for the company. In each company there are some elements that were not taken into consideration.So, for an effective strategy the enterprises should analyze their environment and take into consideration all the players that can influence or that can be an obstacle to implem ent the right payment. Some of these can be unions, external factors, employee conditions, health and security, motivation, competences and retiring. Only after a broad vision of needs and conditions, companies can set up the right payment system. Ideally, it should also be flexible so that it can be modified according to the business development and environmental changes7.Wal-Mart Wal-Mart is listed as one of the worse companies to work for. As we can see from different sources8, it has a very poor view of its employees and they have several problems when it comes to rewarding them. Their reward system doesn’t take into consideration the motives and needs of its people. There is no link between performance and compensation. The company doesn’t apply the â€Å"attract, maintain and motivate people to work for the company†9 policy. We also note discrimination, favoritism, no respect for the individuals and their private life in Wal-Mart’s work conditions.T he key factors of reward management â€Å"balance between pay and benefits, work life balance, individual growth and development, and positive workplace† are absent in Wal-Mart. All of these observations have a direct impact on the company. Previous employees organized a protest against the expansion of the company in New York, and attest of the bad work conditions in shops. Due also to a high turnover; people don’t want to work under these conditions and the lack of communication leads to short term relationship between the shop managers and employees.Wal-Mart employees’ are not integrated in the company, they don’t feel like they belong to it and it hinders goal achievement. From a theoretical perspective, Wal-Mart’s reward system doesn’t match neither Taylor theory (the pay is not high enough), nor Hawthorne’s, (it doesn’t take into consideration the 7 Gilman, M. W. (2009) â€Å"Reward management†, in: Redman, T. ; Wi lkinson, A. , Contemporary Human Resource Management. London: Prentice Hall, 3rd edition, pp. 170-172 8 See Appendix II: Glassdoor , Wal-Mart salaries, , (30 November 2011) and Aling, channel of NYJWJ, Walmart workers speak out about busive th working conditions, , (19 February 2011) 9 Henry L. Tosi and Massimo Pilati (2008),†People management† in Compertamento organizzativo, Egea 6 social needs of the employees), nor Maslow’s pyramid, (basic needs, safety, belongingness, esteem and self-actualization are missing), nor Herzberg’s, (there is no the motivational aspect). To redesign this reward system, we propose one that is based on payment by result, where employees are rewarded according to worked hours.Workers will thereby perceive the company as fair, and Wal-Mart will keep its policy of â€Å"as low wages as possible†, both sides will be satisfied. As monetary reward is not really the most important kind, non-monetary compensations should also be used. There should be an emphasis workforce’s needs by implementing a decent health care plan. Paying attention to their physiological needs, social esteem, self-fulfillment, possibility of growth, will answer their expectation and make them do their best and work at their highest potential (the expectancy theory).Thus, the strategic goals of the company would be more easily reached. Instating a corporate culture would be another recommendation; it will create a togetherness spirit and will ensure that the employees work in line with the company’s vision. The firm is also encouraged to ask for feedback from its staff, so it will identify the most important problems and try solving them. Moreover, applying the goal-setting theory could increase employees’ motivation. Wal-Mart can determine some challenging goals with reward given on achievement, employee of the month or special prizes for instance.As far as the equal treatment of the employees in terms of reward is concerned, there has to be a difference of pay between different types of employees according to differences in terms of work and responsibilities. Those with more responsibilities could be given extra perks for example. By doing so, Wal-Mart will have a better workplace environment, reduce the negative impacts that we stated above, and enhance the commitment of its employees to the firm. Conclusion In the fast-moving and changing globalized context nowadays, companies face fierce competition and pressures.Reaching strategic goals becomes increasingly challenging. In order to do so, a company needs its people, from top managers to employees to be â€Å"engaged 7 and productive†10. Reward management motivates staff with financial compensations and benefits but in certain contexts, these reveal to be insufficient to retain talent. Workforce also takes into account the learning and development opportunities and the work environment. Although a good reward management enhances business performance, the Wal-Mart case illustrates that, some companies present a complete lack of reward management and have to cope with negative consequences. Reward Management Management and OrganizationAbstract As an organization it is very important for the human resources to control employees, motivate them and ensure productivity. Business owners are searching ways to reduce the costs and maximize quality so it is very important to get the most out of every employee. One way to do this is reward systems. In this paper we are going to analyze the reward system parameters and discuss about evaluation criteria.Introduction According to Burack an incentive or reward may be used to motivate an individual or group. A reward can be anything that attracts the employee and make them work in joy. Ä °ncentive programs are mostly monetary but it may also include non-monetary rewards such as recognition, training, development and increased job responsibility. The French says that paying can be two ways:1. Fixed Salary2. Reward linked to performance. Payment is happening one period to another depending on quantity or quality of work. The worker are paid according t o work completed or items produced. The most important thing about rewarding system is to seperate the †salary† from †reward†. So rewarding system is needed to †pay off† employees their performance, and also they will enchance employee motivation in order to make the firm reach its goals. Also rewards improve consistency of services and reduces absences of the employee. Rewards make the firm a great and attractive place to work, making employees happier and well-trained. Having such employees will also attract customers, can you think of a better advertisement?The Key Features Reward plans include monetary and non monetary elements. This will be better  to match the needs of the organization and employees. The goals that the reward system is serving to has to be identified. Planning the incentive to be accurate and on time will be the basis of very succesful rewarding in order to make better workplace and organization. As a manager the plans hav e to setted by communicating the employees and deciding what is the most appropiate reward. Providing monitoring systems such as feedback will lead to succesful and accurate incentive. Rather than the quantity, the quality of the work should be more important for the manager.Designing Reward and Recognition A very good example for recognition may be †the employee of the month† frame at businesses. It is a psychological reward that seperates the employee from its peers by the work he/she has done. Also as we have said before rewards can be tangible. It is very important for the firm to do effective rewarding system so that none of the employees will feel bad or useless for the organization. There are some essential factors for the rewarding system: The rewards must be observable for all of the employees. So that everyone will be sure that the rewarding system is made fairly.The reward system needs to have realistic standarts that make the employees satisfied. The rewardin g plan has to be clear and standartized to make sure that all the members can calculate the reward they will get for a certain effort. The standards of the reward plan has to be set high but realistic, specific, satisfying and effective. Standard is a plan that should not be changed is no necessary situations because it is a contract between firm and the employee. The rewards should be given oftenly to encourage high performance.Types of Rewards:1. Monetary Rewards: Monetary reward is the large raise or bonus payment that company is willing to give to the employee in order to motivate the job performance and meeting certain objectives. These bonus payments may be quick-motivators for the company. Good payments, incentives will make employees challange themselves but setting too much requirements will make the reward ignored. Also profit sharing will lead the employees to contribute more to achieve the profit goals of the company. Stock options  become popular in these recent years , this gives employees the right to buy limited number for a fixed price. This option is a long-term motivator for the organization. Some benefit package may be given to employee such as insurance, good retirement, company gifts, meals, entertainment, flexible working hours, housing etc.2. Non-Monetary Rewards: Reputation and recognition is very important for a person to feel important and valued. The company should make it clear for the employees that good performance will be recognized. Some examples may be: writing employee thank note, bigger desk, gift cards, personalized coffee mugs, games room, gym, child care, impressive job title, own visiting cards, own secretary etc. Also some informal incentives may be leaving early or coming late etc. Individuals are interested in getting others attention and increasing reputation.Conclusion As Herzberg and Maslow states: The physiological and psychological needs and desires of employees must be met and maintained to keep them motivated. So it is important to satisfy the employees in order to keep getting tasks done and achieving goals. Both internal and external motivators need to be used to keep the employee happy and good performing.

What Is So Fascinating About Yoga Essay Topics?

What Is So Fascinating About Yoga Essay Topics? Yoga is quite safe, easy and healthful means to find fit whole life with no difficulties. It can be many things to many people. It is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Therefore, it is beneficial for the realization of my goals. If you're not in any respect flexible that doesn't mean that you can't conduct yoga. Yoga is a lifelong practice that will help keep you healthy for a long time to come. Always keep in mind that the toughest portion of doing it SHOWING UP. Practicing yoga can help you be more aware how your entire body feels. Yoga isn't a sport that you want to have trained for since childhood. It can also boost your mood. It includes pranayama and kapal bharti which are one of the best and effective breathing exercises. It provides many other mental and physical benefits. Lies You've Been Told About Yoga Essay Topics Mind-body medical interventions are usually utilised to deal with depression, and yoga is among the most frequently used mind-body interventions. Yoga is presently being included in many cardiac rehabilitation programs due to the cardiovascular and stress-relieving advantages. Although it has been made into a separate school, its influence and many of its practices have been felt in other schools. Yoga a mind-body practice is thought to be one of many varieties of complementary and integrative health approaches. At any degree of yoga, you're likely going to begin to notice benefits soon. Our choice of yoga products can assist you in all elements of your practice whether you are searching for some yoga accessories for your house or wholesale yoga supplies. Although there are lots of different forms of yoga, the identical group of poses ties almost all them together. While it is very healthy and holds an array of benefits, it can be a strenuous practice, one that, when not practiced with care, can lead to injury. It's essential not to make too many categories all groups have to be equally important and equally related to your topic. In each essay, there are lots of short paragraphs for the ease of students. Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you current on a broad assortment of health topics. Learning from an experienced yoga teacher and deciding on a class right for your level will guarantee you stay injury-free. Yoga is an excellent activity for you whether you have diabetes, hi gher blood pressure, higher cholesterol, or cardiovascular disease. It may help reduce stress, lower blood pressure and lower your heart rate. It is known for its ability to soothe tension and anxiety in the mind and body. It has been shown to reduce inflammation and may help improve symptoms of urge urinary incontinence. While the rest of the exercises deal with your physical conditions, yoga can help you to control your body and mind. Yoga gives relief from various ailments. Since it involves exercise and is thought to help in stress reduction, it may be an effective strategy in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Although it will give you a full-body workout, it won't put any impact on your joints. The Supreme Approach to Yoga Essay Topics Many people have a tendency to skip the relaxation portion of yoga. Practicing yoga for even a couple of minutes a day will be able to help you to learn more awareness of your physique. Once someone starts doing Yoga on a normal basis, they'd begin feeling the effect very soon. As somebody fits a normal yoga routine in their schedule, physical changes start to occur inside and out. In a worldwide yoga day essay for children, it is necessary to mention that the declaration of global day of yoga is a significant moment for India. Today, it's often interpreted to mean union. Everybody is just doing their best on any particular day.

French Numerical Adjectives - Adjectifs numéraux

In the   French language, numerical adjectives arent as complicated as they might sound - numerical adjective is simply the grammatical term for numbers. There are three types of numerical adjectives, each used for a different purpose - see table at the bottom of the page. Placement of Numerical Adjectives Cardinal numerical adjectives precede the noun they modify, as well as any other adjectives (numerical or not) that precede the noun.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Jai deux livres.  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have two books.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il a achetà © une nouvelle voiture.  Ã‚  Ã‚  He bought a new car.  Ã‚  Ã‚  les trois premiers jours  Ã‚  Ã‚  the first three daysOrdinal numerical adjectives, multiplicatives, and the fraction demi usually precede the noun they modify:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest le deuxià ¨me jour.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Its the second day.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il veut un double whisky.  Ã‚  Ã‚  He wants a double whiskey.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jy vais dans une heure et demie.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Im going in an hour and a half.Fractions, other than demi, require the following format in front of nouns: article/number fraction de:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jai regardà © un tiers du film.  Ã‚  Ã‚  I watched a third of the movie.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il a bu deux cinquià ¨mes de la bouteille.  Ã‚  Ã‚  He drank two fifths of the bottle.   Agreement of Numerical Adjectives   Only a few numerical adjectives agree with the nouns they modify.1. Cardinal numbers - all invariable, except for one:  Ã‚  Ã‚  un homme (one man) / une femme (one woman)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  vs  Ã‚  Ã‚  deux hommes (two men) / deux femmes (two women)2. Ordinal numbers - First is variable. The rest are invariable, but note that if preceded by a definite article, it must match the gender of the noun:  Ã‚  Ã‚  le premier livre (the first book) / la premià ¨re peinture (the first painting)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  vs  Ã‚  Ã‚  le deuxià ¨me livre (the second book) / la troisià ¨me bouteille (the third bottle)3. Multiplicative numbers are all invariable.4. Fractions - demi can be masculine or feminine, while the others can be singular or plural:  Ã‚  Ã‚  un demi kilo (half a kilo) / une demie bouteille (half a bottle)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  vs  Ã‚  Ã‚  un quart (one fourth) / trois quarts (three fourths) Types of Numerical Adjectives Name Used for Examples Cardinal numbers Counting un, deux, trois Ordinal numbers Ranking premier, deuxime, troisime Multiplicative numbers Multiplying simple, double, triple Fractions Dividing un demi, un tiers, un quart *Fractions, with the exception of demi, are nouns rather than adjectives, but it makes sense to include them with the other types of numbers.Technically, numerical adjectives are not adjectives at all - they are a mathematical feature which, grammatically, act more or less like adjectives.