Mary Jones Case study Essay Example for Free

Mary Jones Case study Essay Coping styles can simply be defined as a person’s characteristics or strategies that are used in responding to various life problems and trauma. This can involve some thought, emotional or behaviors used by the affected individual to cope with such problems or circumstances. There are two broad types of copings styles, these are internalizing and externalizing coping style. Patients who â€Å"tend to locate the cause of their problems, even more than the resolution of the problems, within themselves† (Beutler Marnat, 2005 ) are consider to exercise internalizing coping styles. Patient that exhibit externalizing coping style tend to get angry more easily and blame all other people for their predicaments. They tend to enjoy social gatherings, active parties, and other activities that allow them to externalize their behaviors. Patient that exhibit Internalizing coping styles with disease condition tend to experience a very high level of distress and tend to make some self depressing comments about themselves. Such people may also show great capacity for insight. Internalizers also tend to withdraw from most social gatherings, prefer solitary environment and activities such as staying indoors, reading and listening to music. They want to do everything to reduce stimulation, reduce participating with other people in various social events and they also want to enjoy some relaxing event such as watching television. The aim of this paper is to objectively identify the causes of Mary Jones coping styles and help design adjustment plan which will integrate a strategy that will improve on herself image and worth , improve upon her present interpersonal relationship with people around her and her partner and also help her cope with the prognosis of the disease condition. It will also evaluate level of responses to her anxiety. Mary Jones In the case of Mary Jones, a 36 years old woman in a De Facto relationship and lawyer by profession with a medical history of ovarian cancer, unilateral ovariectomy, chemotherapy and ongoing task of coping with several situation and conditions such as adapting to loss of personal image and function, increase dependency, hospitalization, her partner’s need of children, fear, anxiety and anger. She tried to coping with those situations by externalizing her behavior and coping styles in the sense that she tend to blame others for her condition, punish and manipulate others, demand them to solve her problems, sole dependency with no sense of personal responsibility and resentment towards her partner. The major reasons for all these coping styles can be attributed to the psychological and emotional trauma that are associated with ovarian cancer, the changes in symptoms commonly seen in the condition and the increased anxiety level in regards to the prognosis of the disease state. Since we all experience and react to psychological and emotional trauma differently, Mary’s past experiences, relationship status, beliefs and the knowledge of signs and symptoms related to her condition all contribute to her present coping styles. She might have been so much concerned about the prognosis or the recurrence of the disease and the associated side effects of the medications. Since an ovary is needed to produce egg which will be fertilized by her partner’s sperm, now the ovary has been removed and there is higher tendency for the other ovary to have been affected and other parts of the body such as the lungs, the gastrointestinal tracts and kidney (Koushik Siemiatycki, 2009). Since the disease condition is associated with a very poor prognosis and actual removal of the ovary, which might result into infertility and inability to actually give birth to a child. This will affect her De Facto relationship because her partner wants children. Since there are several physical changes that are associated with chemotherapy and hospitalization, she might find it difficult to actually cope with all those changes both physically and her perception self. These changes will also affect her self esteem making her to act to actually prevent her from relating normally with her partner and her health care givers. Chemotherapy normally affects her sex life and also results in early menopause. Hence all these possibilities can lead to an increase in anxiety level which will subsequently affect her relationship with her partner. She might feel very tired hence depending on those people around her for help. Mary also needs to adjust to Pain, Fear and Anxiety associated with her condition, hence a need to change her present personality and behavior to the people around her and her partner. Her maladaptive coping styles actually cause more harm than good simply because she try externalizing her behavior by blaming and solely depending on her partner and health care provider whenever she needs help instead of helping herself out in those areas she still have the capacity to do so. Since there are no psychological or emotional intervention for helping her cope with her present condition, her negative behavioral modifications had hinder the development of good interpersonal relationship between her partner, care givers and her. Behavioral manifestations and their effects on Mary’s interpersonal relationship †¢ Blaming and punishing others for her problems- this coping strategy by Mary can be attributed to the psychological and emotional trauma associated with management of ovarian cancer. She’s actually trying to trying to transfer her feelings to the people around her by blaming them, making them feel they are somehow responsible for her predicament and also make them feel that they need to do something to help her. She might also try blaming others so as not to take the responsibility of her predicament or by trying to avoid the reality. This coping style will hinder the development of effective interpersonal relationship between Mary and the people around simply because the affected individual will get to a stage whereby they will not be able to cope with her actions hence they try withdrawing from helping her. †¢ Covertly punishing and manipulating others- this coping style or strategy is still within the context of her trying shifting her blame to others in the sense that she want to manipulate people around her to get what she want. This attitude will hinder the trust between her and people around. Trust is vital to development of an effective relationship, hence when she manipulate people she directly or indirectly affects her interpersonal relationship and also the treatment meant to be given to her. †¢ Demanding others solve her problems for her- demanding others to help solve her problem can something be good coping styles because patients in her situation will need the help of people around her so as be able to reduce the level of stress and anxiety associated with the condition. Excessive demand of people to solve her problems will have a negative effect on herself responsibility †¢ Resentment towards her partner believing he â€Å"does not understand†- Mary’s feeling of resentment can be attributed to her belief that her partner does not really understand what she’s going through presently simply because he still articulate his need for children. This feeling will affect her thoughts and perception of her De Facto relationship and subsequently increase her anxiety level. There is high possibility that the fear of her losing her partner will be the major factor leading her to such feeling towards her partner. Helping Mary cope with her present medical condition Helping Mary out of her present maladaptive coping style, require a multidisciplinary approach that will have to focus on the psychological, emotional, social, health and the interpersonal relationship aspect of her behavior. She will be referred to behavioral therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, social workers and physician. the behavioral therapist will help identify the causes of the maladaptive behavior, measure the coping styles by the use of scales like Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory which is a software that can help measure and analyzed the coping styles (Frankel, 2009) or the use of direct questions in regards to her actions, thoughts, feelings, how she view her problems being caused by other people or external situations. The therapist intervention can then be focused on the result of the analysis which can either be towards the control of symptoms or insight (symptoms in the case of Mary). Psychologist will try and identify previous psychosocial and environmental factors leading to her present behavior and find ways of eliminating such predisposing factors. The psychologist will also try and adopt new viewpoint or set of behavior which will influences are interpersonal relationship and help her adjust to good coping styles. Some of the adaptive coping styles can be in form of knowing what to expect, maintaining a strong support system, let people help her, be proactive, taking time for herself, and setting reasonable goals. Social workers will try and invite the partner and educate both of them on the present condition so as to help her solve the issue of resentment towards the partner and also build trust between both of them. The physician will educate her on the prognosis of her condition, the fact that she might still bear children with other ovary and reassurance of good life after therapy. The physician will also educate her on the associated side effect of the chemotherapy and the facts that the side effect are only for some time and when properly manage, she can still live a good life with her partner. Strategies helping her partner and health care givers †¢ Patience- the partner and the health care givers should try and be patient with her so as not to take her present coping style against her. They should also try and understand her feelings in regards to her situation †¢ Encouragement- people in Mary’s situation need words of encouragement and support from the family members and health care giver. Her partner must ensure to always encourage her so as to create a sense of support which will ultimately affect the interpersonal relationship between both of them Responses to anxiety level Everybody has various degrees of responses to anxiety. These degree or level of response are mild, moderate, severe and the panic level. Mild and moderate level of responses to anxiety is still normal but in the case of severe and panic level, the individual is said to have anxiety disorders. In the case of Mary Jones her responses to anxiety level are as follows; cognitive or perpetual response at mild level by showing disorganized thought which tend to be uncontrollable. At the moderate response level, she tend to show uncomfortable experience by her interpersonal relationship while at the severe level of response she tend to show a response that can be attributed to a narrowed perpetual field and difficulty in problem solving, hence she tend to depend on her partner and health givers to solve all her problems. The last level of response was the panic level where she tends to show emotional or behavioral changes or responses by showing loss of control and feel angry and terrified and tend to be angry with her partner and care givers. Conclusion Considering Mary’s present health status and maladaptive coping strategies or styles, there is strong tendency for her status and coping style to change for better simply because of the various outlined interventions which would help her cope with life after ovariectomy and chemotherapy. Also some strategies that can help her partner and health givers cope with her present and the proposed coping styles have also been outlined. Besides, removing one ovary is not the end of her life, even women who have undergone bilateral ovariectomy can still have children with the help of advancement in technology. References Beutler, L. , Marnat. , (2005). â€Å"Integrative Assessment of Adult Personality†. Second Edition. Retrieved August 5, 2009 from http://books. google. com. gh/books? id=4puU3KqlEjcCpg=PA115lpg=PA115dq=externalizing+coping+stylessource=blots=K1V89eXR6asig=xRaYZ6xi4e_SB1zhpjSGF9j96Ishl=enei=lVV5SpXzKoSIMY7alaMOsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1#v=onepageq=externalizing%20coping%20stylesf=false

Modern Approaches to Food Production

Modern Approaches to Food Production The world id currently facing huge issues such as hunger and many people are starving and are dying because of the lack of food. There is not enough food to cater for everyone. Faster food production methods need to be considered but alternative methods may be dangerous to our health. The requirements of the project were to question 15 people. These people should be from different groups who are likely to have different opinions. Sources of info Questionnaire Web search Books Personal discussions Who I surveyed Family members Friends Fathers employees 8. How do farming methods differ? 7. Why they think organic food is expensive? 6. What are the pros and cons of the two food production methods? 5. Is there a difference in taste between the two foods? 4. Do they buy organic foods? 3. Do they agree with the statement? 2. Do they understand what modern food production is? 1. Are people aware of the food shortage in the world? Modern food production method vs. organic foods What are organic foods? Pros and cons of organic production. Organic foods are naturally grown crops that are grown at a small scale. They require good nutritional soils and special care. They cannot be grown everywhere as you need to consider important factors such as weather and the enrichment of the soils. The organic foods are pesticide free making them prone to bugs and animals. For food to be considered organic it needs to come from a farm and processing plants need to be organic. For processing plants to be qualified as organic they need to be examined by government officials to ensure that they are up to USDA standards. Packaging that has the name labeled organic must have at least 95% of organic ingredients. Organic foods have plenty of benefits such as: Health benefits- create issues especially with growing children. Environmental benefits- farming methods that use chemicals are killing wildlife such as birds and insects. Organic crops balance the ecosystem. Human and animal benefits- workers and animals are not surrounded by toxins. The animals have good living conditions. Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the  health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological  processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions,  rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic  agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit  the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved -International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements Pros Healthier Less harmful to your body No chemicals Nutritional Less damage to the environment Better quality Better taste Cons Slowly grown More effort to grow More expensive Only grown during particular seasons Shelf life not too long No guarantee of safety as they are disease free Very dependant on weather and environment Some foods not available Less production What is genetic modification? Is it the baddie that its reputation suggests? The worlds population is increasing rapidly everyday resulting in food scarcity. There is not enough food available for everyone. Traditional farming methods are too slow. This method produces food slowly and requires special care. This speed of production only feeds the wealthier half of the population as it is costly. Alternative routes have had to be established in order to feed poor countries that are suffering from hunger. A new farming method which was introduced in the1990s is faster and cheaper. Genetically modified foods are crops grown at a large scale usually in unnatural environments. These crops are not grown naturally. The method can be cost effective but is produced in bigger quantities making it more affordable. The foods have been nutritionally balanced and are not prone to diseases. Plant geneticists work with the genes found in the plants. For example a plant that has a gene that can withstand a drought is then inserted into a plant that cannot tolerate droughts. Genetically modified foods involve crossing species which could not cross in nature. Genetically modified foods have been highly criticized but they are helpful and will decrease hunger. Advantages: pest resistant herbicide resistant cold tolerance drought tolerance nutritional pharmaceuticals put in foods large amounts of production faster food can be cloned cheaper more resilient mass production more availability no diseases longer shelf life Disadvantages contain harmful chemicals chemicals used are not good for health long term affects are bad pesticides affect environment not healthy no genetic variation lower nutritional value full of preservatives The world would not last on traditional grown foods as the production is slow and countries in poverty cannot afford organic foods unless they grow the foods themselves organically. In the cow industry there is such a demand for meat that farmers are not able to produce their cattle fast enough. Beef farmers in countries like Canada have been injecting their cattle with so many growth hormones that the average cow only survives for a maximum of three years. Farmers are not only trying to supply enough food but have also become greedy because of the amount of money they receive from the meat which is often exported. Chickens that we buy in stores and are amazed at the size of the packaged meat have spent their whole live in a chicken shed. In this shed the chicken are packed and can hardly move. They are fad buckets of food everyday and at night time the lights inside the shed are not turned off so the animals think that it is still day time and therefore carry on eating. This situation is commonly known amongst chicken farms that supply meat to fast food industries like KFC. There is such a huge demand for chicken by consumers that those birds are unfairly treated. They are so full of hormones that some do not have legs or wings. Yet without this method of production KFC could never cater for all their consumers. Issues concerning human health: allergen city gene transfer out crossing effects on environment Genetically modifying food is a faster and more effective production technique. The main focus of genetically modified farming is to create the biggest capital possible. What chemicals are used to aid the production and supply of foods and what functions do they perform? Chemicals put in food have become a huge concern worldwide and is affecting international trade. Contamination involves the existence of various chemicals in foods such as pesticides, animal drugs and other agricultural chemicals. Foods manufactured that contain all these additives are seriously dangerous for your health and can cause future problems we are not yet aware of. What is radurisation, what foods are irradiated, pros and cons? Another factor that concerns consumers is radurization. This is the application of chemicals to enhance the shelf life of food. This happens by minimizing the number of microorganisms that appear when food is mishandled. Foods that are irradiated are foods that are perishable such as fruit and frozen foods. Food suppliers rate radurisation highly and state that the foods are safe to eat. Examples of Foods that are irradiated spices fruits meats Pros food is safer to eat longer life of food in stores kills insects delays ripening of fruits preserves nutrients Analyses of questionnaire answers: Are you aware of the food shortage the world is currently facing? This result was surprising as there has been such a huge issue on the shortage of food. World hunger is spoken of world wide. Do you understand what modern food production is? Only two people are unaware of what modern food production is. This could be that they are uneducated about the situation or take no interest in the situation. Do you agree with the statement Without modern food production methods, the world food shortage would be in even more of a crisis today.? 3 people out of 15 believed that people could make more of an effort to grow organic foods on their own and not depend to modern food production methods to end world hunger. They said that people are getting lazy and by this they are destroying the planet because if them. Do you buy organic foods? Nearly half of the people interviewed do not buy organic foods because of the price and limited availability of it. Is there a difference in taste between organic foods and genetically modified foods? 8 out of the 15 interviewed said that there was no taste. People do not usually pay so much attention to slight taste differences in foods. What are the pros and cons of these two food production methods? This was an open ended question and everyones answers differentiated. Why do you think organic foods are more expensive than genetically modified foods? Majority of the people interviewed had similar answers such as: Longer to grow Less quantity More care Less availability How do you think the farming methods of organically produced foods and genetically modified foods differ? This was an opinioned answer and people had similar views such as: organic farming does not use chemicals and genetically modified does. Did I get the results that I expected or not? I expected to get the results from the questionnaires as many of the school pupils who answered this questionnaire have learnt about genetically modified foods. My father owns an agricultural business so other members of my survey who work for my father know about the food shortage and other things like chemicals and organic foods as they study them on courses. Another member of the 15 people questioned has a passion for the environment so I knew the answers would be accurate. All answers were accurate and similar to literature research. Majority of the people had an idea of what the questions were about. The survey results were reliable as I compared the answers to web search. I feel different however. How I could improve the project? I should have interviewed more people and a variety of people. I should have asked better questions so it could have helped with me project answers. I should have started the project soon so that I had more time. Conclusion Looking at my information and the opinion of others I believe that the world is extremely dependant of modern food production methods. Although huge critism has been placed on genetically modified foods, the world could not go on without it. Organic food production is to slow and uses up to much effort to try and feed billions of people but there is, however, enough space and resources to grow our own food although it will take time and there will no availability in the stores or at home. Countries that have food issues are normal badly run and have big issues such as political issues. Some countries are not resourceful enough to grow their own food. The world is growing rapidly every day so an alternative route of food production needs to be taken. As peoples incomes increase so do the demand for better quality and more foods increase. In countries like China more people arte earning better salaries and are turning from vegetarian meals to meat. This is costly and food cannot be cat ered for the whole of china let alone the whole world. Only the richer population eats regular meal s as food is unavailable for countries like Africa. Bibliography for pictures http://www.google.co.za/imgres?imgurl=http://fileserver.tinker.com/tinker/events/7/7293_main_image_1248795170.jpgimgrefurl=http://tinker.com/events/%3Fperiod%3Dtoday%26category%3Dcause_topics%26featured%3Dtrue%26mode%3Dtop%26sort%3Ductusg=__LFeGwYQo56OQdl9KjGqHaJRHkSs=h=400w=400sz=23hl=enstart=0tbnid=R6SCE9t7ynbVuM:tbnh=135tbnw=135prev=/images%3Fq%3Dorganic%2Bfoods%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1020%26bih%3D583%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1itbs=1iact=rcdur=125ei=YJVhTKSZOsiS4gbM9sHgCQoei=YJVhTKSZOsiS4gbM9sHgCQesq=1page=1ndsp=15ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0tx=72ty=63 http://www.google.co.za/imgres?imgurl=http://www.daybydaynutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/green-basics-organic-produce-stand.jpgimgrefurl=http://www.daybydaynutrition.com/author/admin/page/6/usg=__V970oXt-v63mUfwaFhMAvqzQrEk=h=347w=468sz=44hl=enstart=0tbnid=-N96QxsNgmQa9M:tbnh=135tbnw=212prev=/images%3Fq%3Dorganic%2Bfoods%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1020%26bih%3D583%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1itbs=1iact=hcvpx=432vpy=110dur=1735hovh=193hovw=261tx=129ty=107ei=YJVhTKSZOsiS4gbM9sHgCQoei=YJVhTKSZOsiS4gbM9sHgCQesq=1page=1ndsp=15ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0 http://www.foodmatters.tv/images/assets/organic-gardening.jpg http://admin.moguling.com/Upload/180people.com/modded.jpg http://img.search.com/thumb/8/80/Waste_not_want_not_WWI_poster.jpg/200px-Waste_not_want_not_WWI_poster.jpg http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rma/lowres/rman1855l.jpg http://www.google.co.za/imgres?imgurl=http://www.formenteraweb.com/portal/img/noticies/4444/agricultura-2.jpgimgrefurl=http://www.formenteraweb.com/news/2005/09/increase-organic-farming/usg=__Zfl_rH0fe-SwsnY3N6D3SfPOufQ=h=320w=300sz=73hl=enstart=16tbnid=iqOc-IMtjX4ZCM:tbnh=130tbnw=122prev=/images%3Fq%3Dorganic%2Bfarming%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26biw%3D1004%26bih%3D583%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C612itbs=1iact=hcvpx=119vpy=85dur=16hovh=232hovw=217tx=122ty=111ei=FpdhTN6KMISUONuapL8Koei=zJZhTM3VDM754AbwlIj3CQesq=2page=2ndsp=15ved=1t:429,r:5,s:16biw=1004bih=583

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Asian Carp The Great Lakes system affects our lives in various ways. Not only does this water system affect people, it has an impact on the natural environment as well. The weather, climate, wildlife and habitat are all affected by this arrangement of five lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, and Erie. The lakes are huge and powerful, however they are very fragile when it comes to being mistreated. The ecosystem has been placed under stress in the past, and we now realize the importance of protecting and preserving our lakes. Years ago, a species of carp were brought into the United States to help our lakes, and now they run the risk of destroying them. Asian carp are a species of fish native to Siberia and China, but they were imported by fish farms in the southern United States to control algae and snail population. In the early 1990’s, aquaculture facilities in the southern United States were flooded and the carp escaped into the Mississippi River and spread into northern rivers. The carp moved north becoming the most abundant fish in some areas of the Mississippi river, triumphing over native fish and bringing hardship to the people who fished the river. The carps’ domination over the Mississippi is reason for concern in the Great Lakes region growing concern in the Great Lakes; the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. Last month, a survey was taken that found Asian carp only 55 miles south of our very own Lake Michigan. Unless the Asian carp are deterred, they will infiltrate our great lakes, potentially bringing disastrous effects to the entire region.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Asian carp are a serious threat to the Great Lakes for a number of reasons; the primary concern being that they would become the dominant species after they enter the system. Asian carp can grow to the enormous size of four feet and weigh as much as 100 pounds. Their massive size results in a large appetite as well. In addition to this, Asian carp are a fast breeding species; upon entering the great lakes, it is likely that the carp will become the overwhelming majority of the fish population. Female carp carry up to one million eggs, allowing for this species to easily replace the local fish. These fast-growing Asian carp are not easy to get rid of. While smaller fish are scored and sold easily, this species of large fish are harder to process and score because their bones are big and difficult to remove.

Shiloh :: essays research papers

Shiloh   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several elements of literature that can be analyzed when discussing a good short or long story. The elements are plot, characterization, theme, setting, point of view, irony and symbolism. I read the short story Shiloh and have chosen to discuss the plot of this story. This is a great story expressing the way miscommunication in a marriage can tear the marriage apart. This is story is told in the first person by Leroy Moffitt. He is the main character who deals with conflicts within himself, his wife, and the environment around him. Shiloh first begins discussing how Norma Jean Moffitt (one of the main characters) is working at transforming her body by excessively working out. Leroy Mallard, her husband, had been a truck driver 15 years of their marriage. Now he is no longer driving truck, has suffered a highway injury to his leg and is in a wheel chair at home. The first conflict in this story is between Leroy and his distance from his wife for such a long time. Mrs. Moffitt has been trying to cope with her husbands’ absence by doing other activities such as: working out, going back to school, and visiting with her mother. Another conflict resides within Leroy himself. He has not been there for his wife and he is trying to make it up to her in any way he can. This couple has been through the loss of an infant child in addition to Leroy’s absence. This is another issue that is causing them to experience the conflicts they do. Mr. and Mrs. Moffitt do not speak of this lost child, which causes more conflict between their marriage  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   together. Leroy, once being settled at home with nothing to do, began to work with his hands to construct or design objects. He wanted to build his wife a log cabin as he was making replicas out of toothpicks. I think him wanting to build this house is to prove to himself and his wife that he can still be productive and good for something. The relationship Leroy has with Norma Jean’s mother is quite different. Any time she comes around, he makes jokes instead of having real conversation with her. I think he makes the jokes to ease the tension and to not address real issues that are present. Leroy has also stated that all those years driving in the same neighborhood he did not take the time to notice how much it had changed.

Tristan Gonzales

Gonzales#l Integrity is â€Å"the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness† (Google Definitions). The first person that comes to mind when I hear the word integrity is Nick Carraway from the movie and the novel â€Å"the Great Gatsby'. Nick Carraway is Gatsbys Lovers brother and Gatsbys best friend, he is also the narrator. Nick shows honesty, moral principles, and moral uprightness throughout the ntire book.Nick Carraway as a narrator is honest and reliable because he explains all the Judgments from characters in general and is unbiased in doing so, he presents original plots or conversations does not scrutinize them and leaves them to the readers to decide, and these good qualities of Nick can be described by comparing others corruption in the book, such as Tom Buchanan, Gatsbys lover's wife. Nick accepted the good parenting in his younger age, which helps him to be a decent person afterwards.It can be proved in the book where Nick's fat her told him: â€Å"Whenever you feel like criticizing someone, Just remember that all the people in this world haven't had all of the advantages you've had. â€Å"( Fitzgerald,l) this advice, which he has been turning over in his head ever since tells us that he is honest for the fact thathe does not Judge people without getting to know them first. Gonzales #2 Nick has high morality and decency while others do not. For example, â€Å"l was one of few guests who had actually been invited.People were not invited-they went there. † (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 43) Majority went there without an invitation. It shows those people have low morality and are dishonest. In the book Gatsby asks nick to go and tell daisy to meet him for lunch after he tells the story of him and daisy and what occurred with their relationship. He agrees to this gesture because he feels that tom Buchanan is an unfaithful husband and he has witnessed first hand of his affairs. He knows what he is doing is for the best and is looking out for daisy in more ways than ne.These reasons for Nicks integrity that I have stated are only the ones that truly stuck out to me on the contrary though if I re read the book I'm confident that I could conjure up 100 more reasons why he has integrity. In every chapter of the book he is in a circumstance where he must make the right choice, and he never fails to make that choice. In the third chapter atter meeting a lot ot the main characters Nick states â€Å"l am one of the few honest people that I have ever known†( Fitzgerald,54). And I agree with this quote completely.

Japanese Employment Practices

|International EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS | |TO WHAT EXTENT THE JAPANESE EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES HAS CHANGED AFTER THE ECONOMIC CRISIS? | | |[pic] | | | |SINTHIA NOVA | |Student ID – 2724881 | |14th May 2009 | Table of Contents INTRODUCTION3 TRADITIONAL JAPANESE MODEL OF EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM4 THE CHANGING NATURE OF JAPANESE EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM5 1. Sources of change5 2. Lifetime employment6 3. Seniority-based Pay and Promotion System7 4. Enterprise Unions9 CONCLUSION9 REFERENCES10 INTRODUCTION In the post-war period, Japanese manufacturing companies significantly increased their share of the global market of automobiles (Automotive News-Market Data Book, quoted in Womack, Jones, and Roos 1991, 69) as well as achieving more than 50 percent of the world markets in cameras, video recorders, watches, calculators, microwave ovens, motorcycles, and colour televisions (Oliver and Wilkinson 1992, 5). Much of this success was attributed to the forms of human-resource Management found in Japanese companies (Abegglen and Stalk 1987; Clark 1987; Dore 1990; Tachibanaki and Noda 2000). However, during the period of Asian Financial crisis and economic recession for most of the 1990s, the typical Japanese features that supported comparatively high performance until the late 1980s came in for severe criticism. Considering the high performance of the US economy in the 1990s, Neoliberals, based on the universal relevance of liberal markets, argue that the Japanese model is dead, and that Japan must (and will) adopt the US liberal market model (Lindsey and Lukas, 1998; Lin, 2001; Dornbusch, 1998; Krugman, 1996). By contrast, many theorists of institutionalism, based on contextualized efficiency and path-dependent national patterns, claim that Japan continues its path-dependent national model due to its unique culture – taken for granted within the culture – the interconnectedness of institutions and agents’ efforts to utilize the comparative advantages of their institutions (Dore, 2000; Green, 2001; Isogai et. al. , 2000; Chesbrough, 1998; DiMaggio and Powell, 1983; Hall and Soskice, 2001). However, neither the neoliberals’ argument for simple convergence towards a liberal market economy nor the institutionalists’ claim for the continuation of the original Japanese model can explain the dynamic changes happening within the Japanese model at the turn of the century. In this report, the recent trends of Japanese employment relations will be examined. Two questions have been addressed here. First, why the traditional Japanese employment system has been changed. Second, to what extent has ER system has been changed? To answer these questions we will first examine the traditional Japanese model and then after considering some issues relating to the reasons of this change, we will analysis the current trends to find out the extent of modification in a number of typical ER practices. A discussion of the implications of these changes is then be presented, followed by the conclusion. TRADITIONAL JAPANESE MODEL OF EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM Japan is a complex, dynamic society that has undergone enormous change in the past 125 years, converting itself from a feudal state into a modern industrialized nation and an economic superpower. In doing so, the Japanese have been able to copy Western technology, science, education and politics, while still keeping their unique cultural identity. One distinct feature of Japan that separated it from other Asian countries was it collective culture which has been carried over to the companies (Kashima and Callan, 1994). As an employee, an individual identity’s with a larger entity through which one gains pride and feeling of being part of something significant, tying an individual's prestige directly to the prestige of his or her employer. Typically, the company is seen as a provider of security and welfare. To a large extent, loyalty to the company surpasses the family bond. The core principles of Japanese employment model is the so-called ‘‘THREE SACRED TREASURES’’ (sanshu no jingi) of Japanese management. 1)The lifetime/long term employment system (shushin koyo) The terms â€Å"long-term† or â€Å"permanent† employment are used synonymously to describe lifetime employment, which was established at many companies during the period of high economic growth during the 1960s. The concept of lifetime employment emerged as a result of the peculiar aspects of Japanese employer-employees relations that were supported by narrow labour markets during the post-w ar period when Japan experienced a labour shortage for the first time in her industrial history. This system developed and was established at many large and mid-sized companies during this period of high economic growth. With rapid technology innovation and expansion of businesses, large-sized companies hired inexperienced manpower directly from the labour market and through in-house training and development programs these workers developed various skills and techniques. (2)The system of seniority-based wage and promotion (nenko joretsu) Here status and seniority are tied to length of service, rather than to job duties or merit. According to this system, the decisive factors determining pay are the length of service, age and educational background, not the work performed. The system goes hand-in-hand with the lifetime employment. Traditionally, the seniority-based reward system had two different aims. The first was to advance an employee’s career and provide financial compensation based on a broad social considerations and personal qualifications, such as the age and education level of employees. The second was to make extensive use of non-cash fringe benefits for employees and their families. 3)Enterprise unionism (kigyobetsu rodo kumiai) Another important characteristic of Japanese employment relations are enterprise-based unions. In Japan, unions are organized at the enterprise level, collectively bargain with a single employer, and conclude collective agreements on the enterprise level. According to Inohara: â€Å"Enterprise-wide unionism specifically expresses the workplace in terms of union mem bership. In principle, it organizes all regular employees of a company indiscriminately into one union, i. e. it is an employee organization on the basis of where they work (company) and not what they do (occupation or skill). Such a labor union is not dominated by the company; it represents the workforce, and as such, enjoys appropriate prestige and benefits provided by the company. Relations between management and the union are between insiders, namely, all the members of the union are company employees. Intervention by outsiders such as industrial and national labor organizations, outside business agents, or attorneys is not tolerated. † THE CHANGING NATURE OF JAPANESE EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM Sources of change Prior to summer of 1997, the Japanese system guaranteed easy access to low-cost capital and raw materials was supplied by a loyal and devoted labour force (at the time of labour shortage) which facilitated market expansion. However, the market became saturated and the economy slowed down, these competitive advantages were turned into liabilities. Keiretsu banks found themselves saddled with bad debts from group companies, inter-group purchasing became barriers to cost reduction, and excess size of an albeit loyal labour force was viewed as a burden to struggling companies. Japanese companies were also reacting to the information revolution and were left behind by their American counterparts. Although, most Japanese companies have found change at a quick pace too much to ask they had to adopt foreign practices and policies in order to survive. Deregulation is another force for change. It has made Japanese markets more accessible to competitors, foreign as well as domestic. In heretofore-protected industries like financial services, distribution and agriculture few firms are prepared for the onslaught of competition and uncertainty (Lincoln and Nakata, 1997). The aging population also has clear implications for corporate employment relation practice. With an aging workforce, the permanent employment and seniority system burdens firms with rising numbers of higher-paid and less productive workers. Previously, these systems were more suitable to employers, since the steep seniority escalator resulted in less payment for the relatively young workforce and the permanent employment norm reduced the uncertainties and costs of high staff turnover. Furthermore, the transition to a service economy combined with socio-cultural and socio-economic changes has had a profound effect on Japan's employment institutions. Even though leading-edge manufacturers are still competitive, their contribution to Japanese domestic employment and income is shrinking, in favor of the emerging service sector as the next great engine of jobs and wealth. Employment practices of sales and service firms are different from those of manufacturing. Their younger workforce is more mobile, less committed to work and the firm. Furthermore, since the organization of work in service firms is less team based, individual performance is more easily evaluated. Also, occupational skills are valued over firm-specific skills, so that broad job experience becomes the main driver of wages and performance rather than loyalty to one employer (Debroux, 1997; Lincoln and Nakata, 1997; Ornatowski, 1998). Lifetime employment One of the distinct features of the Japanese employment relations system is lifetime employment. Japanese workers joins companies at a young age, and spend a larger portion of their life in the company compared to other countries. The figure below can show that Japanese workers in terms of length of service, average number of years and median years compared to workers in other countries was much higher . Table1: Comparative Length of Service [pic] Source: Adopted from Current Labour Economy in Japan. Notes: 1, 2 and 3: Average length of service based on OECD Report, 1995. Other figures from the respective country. From the middle of the economic crisis till 1990, there have been ongoing debates to reform the lifetime employment system. Company attitudes were gradually changing due to increasing labor costs, employees’ age, a growing rise in the number who unable to cope with the rapidly developing new technology and changing globalized markets. Employers now need staff with readily usable skills and workers who have specialized abilities in order to respond to stiffer competition and handle more complex specialized operations. The older workers employed with lifetime contacts are not able to adjust rapidly to new developing technologies typified by information technology. Many companies have begun to adopt more diverse hiring practices over past few years, taking on experienced employees in mid-career in addition to new graduates. Employers prefer to hire mid-career and non-regular workers both in large, mid- and small-sized organizations. The rate of hiring of midcareer workers in non-clerical positions is higher in small businesses. Hiring mid-career workers, on the one hand, minimizes training costs and, on the other hand, companies get workers with ready-made skills who can work with developing technology. In fact, employers are now seeking staff with readily available skills and workers with specialized abilities who can handle more complex and specialized operations so they can respond to stiffer competition. Many employers are arguing for some partial adjustment to the prevailing practice of lifetime employment. The table below shows how companies are changing their attitude toward lifetime employment practices: Table 2: Companies changing their attitude toward lifetime employment practices: Attitude Response |Percentage | |Partial adjustment is inevitable |40. 0 | |Will basically maintain the practice |36. 1 | |Fundamental review is necessary |15. 3 | |Do not have lifetime mployment practice |5. 2 | |No response |3. 3 | Source: Labour Situation in Japan and Analysis 2004-2005, p. 26. According to the Ministry of Labour Special Survey, about 30 percent of all employees in Japan are non-regular as of 2000 (Japan Labor Bulletin, 2000: 1–2). According to the table below, the r ecent trend Table 3 : Changes in Regular and Non-Regular Employees during Recession (10,000) |1985–6 |1991–4 |1997–2001 | | |Regular Non-Regular |Regular Non-Regular |Regular Non-Regular | |Female |24 |15 |47 |64 |-82 |151 | |Male |16 |2 |119 |10 |-89 |55 | |Total |40 |17 |166 |74 |-171 |206 | Source: Wakisaka (2002). towards using non-regular workers is in contrast to the traditional pattern in which non-regular workers decreased during recession while regular workers maintained their jobs due to their skills accumulated through in-house training. In 1997–2001, the number of regular employees in Japan sharply declined by 1. 71 million, while the number of non-regular workers increased by 2. 06 million. The fact that non-regular workers are replacing regular workers indicates that Japanese companies have changed their traditional values of high skills based on in-house training and employees’ loyalty supported by lifetime employment, instead considering labour costs and the flexibility of the labour market. As a Joint Labour Management 1998 survey documents, workplace morale has declined as the number of non-regular workers has increased (Morishima, 2001). Seniority-based Pay and Promotion System Another important characteristic of Japanese employment relations system is the seniority-based pay and promotion system. To understand the main concept behind the seniority-based wage system it is important to know the wage theory presented by Koike. year) where wage refer to: a) salaries that increase in accordance with age and length of service; b) the rewards that are not paid on the basis of the job performed; and c) that are unique to Japan. The main salary determination factor s are seniority and the number of years the employee has been working at the company. Salary increase based on seniority is a general labour practice, and not a â€Å"system. † Japanese companies rarely evaluate academic degrees such as doctorate. Yamanouchi and Okazaki-ward had tried to explain the history and practices of the evaluation system in Japan. They argue that Japanese companies had gone through different turning points in the evaluation system for the sake of pay and promotion. The American system of job analysis and job classification was introduced as a modern, rational management system to rebuild Japanese management in the 1950s which marked the first turning point in the Japanese system. The second turning point came between the 1960s and 1970s when companies introduced a competency-ranking system which almost 64 percent of the organizations followed until 1974. The third restructuring occurred in the 1980s when the competency-ranking system did not work effectively due to the effect of an increase in the value of yen; globalize business activities, deregulation, the maturation of the economy, and an aging workforce. Keeping senior employees became more costly than employing younger employees, particularly those over 40 years old in 1990 due to the recession. This was driven by the need to cut cost. In recent years, growing numbers of companies are clearly evaluating ability and performance over tenure and age in salary decision. Since the early 1990s, some companies have introduced a system of job ability-based wages focusing individual worker performance over one year compared with goals set at the beginning. This new system is quite close to a true performance-based pay system. It has been termed â€Å"Annual Salary System† and has been introduced by about 10 percent of large companies. This system is primarily used for managers and general managers, not for lower level employees. The monetary benefits to employees, if any at all, are typically small (Debroux,1997; Lincoln and Nakata, 1997; Ornatowski, 1998). The attempt to shift to performance pay shows the dilemma between companies who worry that the resulting inequities will destroy morale and unity. Besides, most companies may be do not like to see younger people supervise older ones. Also, there are fears that individual merit pay will ruin the Japanese system of team-based production, where stronger team members assist weaker ones for the good of the performance of the team as a whole (Lincoln and Nakata, 1997). The continuities in the Japanese employment systems are as striking as the changes, especially when one looks at the depth and length of the economic recession. Based on data from 1,618 firms, Morishima (1995) highlights three different types of attitudes and actions of firms toward employment system reform. One group of companies tries to change their wage system from seniority based to performance based and these firms try at the same time to use the external labor market to recruit workers. Although they represent the highly publicized trend away from traditional Japanese employment practices, these companies only make up 10. 8% of the sample. Most firms (56. %) have retained the traditional employment system representing the majority force of continuity. A third group (32. 4 %) shows a mixed picture consisting of firms that are reforming the wage system, while maintaining long-term employment practices. These findings highlight the striking resilience of traditional practices as well as some important changes. Enterprise Unions Japanese unions are organized on an enterprise basis, with only permanent, fulltime employees of the company eligible to join the union. This structure has led Japanese unions to defend job security and the working conditions of their members through company-based mechanisms. The union’s chances of success through such mechanisms is, at this time, somewhat diminished. This has led unions to focus on job security rather than pay increases, which has lessened their appeal to young people, and has alienated unorganized nonregular workers in large companies and the vast majority of employees in small companies (Debroux 2003a). With the decline of lifetime employment and the increase in the number of non-regular workers, not only enterprise unions but the entire union movements are now declining. For example, the unionization rate (union members divided by number of employees) declined from 34. 7 percent in 1975, to 28. 9 percent in 1985, 23. 8 percent in 1995 and 22. percent in 1998 (Shirai, 2000: 20). In addition, the role of conflict resolution traditionally played by Japanese enterprise unions, also declined despite the formal existence of enterprise unions. Recently, individual labour–management conflicts have increased. For example, the num ber of cases concerning workplace disputes over daily employment and working conditions, dealt with by the Labour Standards Inspection Offices, increased to 20,000 in 1994. Similarly, the number of cases of consultation that the Labour Administration Offices and the Women’s and Young Workers Offices deal with have also exceeded 75,000 and 10,000, respectively (Shirai, 2000: 119). It is important to note that since the economic contribution of temporary workers is increasing, it’s necessary to recognize their representation in the labor market by protecting their rights. With increased cost-cut measures adopted by employers due to rising competition, there has been a substantial increase in the employment of non-regular workers in the last few years. The unionization rate of these workers is only three percent. At the same time, employers have become increasingly interested in performance-based systems on the enterprise level. These developments should influence the future role of unions in the regular wage negotiation process. CONCLUSION This report has explored the changes taking place in ER in Japanese firms. A period of sustained economic decline, increased global competition, a rigid employment and business system, a banking system on the verge of collapse, and the occurrence of the Asian financial crisis meant that the 1990s was a catalyst for change and regeneration. While these factors were influential in providing the impetus for change, other factors, such as the aging population, declining birth rates, and the short-term horizons of younger workers, were also important. Overall I have found evidence of the flexibility in distinctive features of Japanese employment relations system, which are lifetime employment, seniority based system and enterprise-based unions. The number of employees under lifetime contract is now in decline as Japanese companies have started to adopt more diverse hiring practices, such as: taking on experienced employees in mid-career in addition to new graduates, recruiting contingent workers e. g. part-time and other types of non-regular employees has overtaken employment of lifetime employees in recent years. In 1982, 84% of full-time workers were â€Å"regular† workers— with long-term careers and good fringe benefits at one company. But 20 years later, the regular workers’ share had shrunk to 68%. Companies attitudes towards seniority based system have been changing as well. Many companies have changed their wage systems to reflect individual performance. They are now adopting â€Å"PAY SYSTEM BASED ON PERFORMANCE,† which represented by the annual salary system and â€Å"JOB-BASED SALARY,† which mainly focusing on people occupying managerial positions or higher. An increasing number of companies are putting a stop to their practice of periodic salary raises based on seniority and introducing systems in which bonuses are influenced by evaluations. Another important characteristic of Japanese employment relations are enterprise-based unions, which is now under threat because of the decline of lifetime employment and the increase in the number of non-regular workers. Moreover, given today’s strict economic climate in which wage increases are difficult, the SHUNTO is shifting from its former policy of seeking wage increases as the highest priority to â€Å"job security and maintenance. † No matter whether it regards performance pay, the elimination of management titles, or reductions of the workforce, the change of employment practices in Japanese companies seems to be slow and incremental, carefully avoiding unexpected or shocking breaks with the past. Furthermore, they are not changing the typical Japanese model completely, trying to make it more effective by modifying them according to the new trend of highly competitive globalized market. REFERENCES Bamber. G. J, Lansbury R D, & Walies. N . (2006) International and Comparative Employment Relations: Globalization and the developed market economies. 4th ed. SAGE Publications Ltd, London. BENSON, J and DEBROUX , P (2004) The Changing Nature of Japanese Human Resource Management: The Impact of the Recession and the Asian Financial Crisis. vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 32–51. Int. Studies of Mgt. & Org. [online] Available from: Xpert HR. http://xperthr. co. uk [Accessed 28 April 2009] Benson, J. and Debroux, P. – The Changing Nature of Japanese HRM: The Impact of the Recession and the Asian Financial Crisis. International Studies of Management and Organization, 34 (1) 2004: pp. 32-51 Selmer, J. (2001) Human resource management in Japan :Adjustment or transformation? Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Page: 235 – 243, MCB UP Ltd [online] Available from: Emerald. http://www. emerald-library. com/ft [Accessed 10 May 2009] Hattori, R and Maeda, E. (2000) The Japanese Employment System (Summary). Issue-January 2000, Bank of Japan Monthly Bulletin, [online] Available from: www. boj. or. p/en/type/ronbun/ron/research/data/ron0001a. pdf [Accessed 10 May 2009] Hyeong-ki Kwon (2004) Japanese Employment Relations in Transitio,. Economic and Industrial Democracy 2004; 25; 325, [online] Available from: SAGE . http://eid. sagepub. com/cgi/content/abstract/25/3/325 [Accessed 10 May 2009] Adhikari, R (2005) National Factors and Employment Relations in Japan. Japan Institute of Labour Policy and Training, Tokyo, [on line] Available from: http://www. jil. go. jp/profile/documents/Adhikari. pdf [Accessed 10 May 2009] Kambayashi, R & Kato, T (2008) The Japanese Employment System after the Bubble Burst: New Evidence, [online] Available from: http://faculty. hicagobooth. edu/brian. barry/igm/TheJapaneseEmploymentSystem. pdf [Accessed 10 May 2009] Economist (2005) The sun also rises, [online] Available from: http://www. economist. com/displaystory. cfm? story_id=4454244 [Accessed 10 May 2009] Economist (1998) Fallen Idols, [online] Available from: http://www. economist. com/displaystory. cfm? story_id=4454244 [Accessed 10 May 2009] Ornatowski, G. K (1998) The End of Japanese-Style Human Resource Management? Sloan Management Review, [online] Available from: http://sloanreview. mit. edu/the-magazine/articles/1998/spring/3937/the-end-of-japanesestyle-human-resource-management/ [Accessed 10 May 2009]

Graduate Attributes Essay

Subject Specialists Investigative Independent and Critical Thinkers Resourceful and Responsible Effective Communicators Confident Adaptable Experienced Collaborators Ethically and Socially Aware Reflective Learners T Academic Dimension Understand and respect the values, principles, methods and limitations of their discipline(s). Are intellectually curious and engage in the pursuit of new knowledge and understanding. Identify, define and assess complex issues and ideas in a researchable form. Are experienced in self-directed learning and authentic research-led enquiry. Articulate complex ideas with respect to the needs and abilities of diverse audiences. Defend their ideas in dialogue with peers and challenge disciplinary assumptions. Experience multi-disciplinary and/or inter-disciplinary learning in an internationally renowned institution. Engage with the scholarly community and respect others’ views and perspectives. Consider and act upon the ethical, social and global responsibilities of their actions. Use feedback productively to reflect on their work, achievements and self-identity. Personal Dimension Possess a breadth and depth of knowledge within their disciplinary area(s). Are able to locate, analyse and synthesise information from a variety of sources and media. Exercise critical judgement in evaluating sources of information and constructing meaning. Are motivated, conscientious and self-sufficient individuals capable of substantial independent work. Present their ideas clearly and concisely in high quality written and spoken English. Possess excellent interpersonal and social skills fostered within an internationalised community. Respond flexibly and adapt their skills and knowledge to excel in unfamiliar situations. Are experienced in working in groups and teams of varying sizes and in a variety of roles. Welcome exposure to the richness of multi-cultural and international experiences, opportunities and ways of thinking. Set aspirational goals for continuing personal, professional and career development. Transferable Dimension Possess discipline-relevant professional skills, knowledge and competencies. Are able to investigate problems and provide effective solutions. Apply creative, imaginative and innovative thinking and ideas to problem solving. Manage their personal performance to meet expectations and demonstrate drive, determination, and accountability. Communicate clearly and confidently, and listen and negotiate effectively with others. Demonstrate enthusiasm, leadership and the ability to positively influence others. Demonstrate resilience, perseverance and positivity in multi-tasking, dealing with change and meeting new challenges. Conduct themselves professionally and contribute positively when working in a team. Have a practical and contemporary knowledge of relevant professional, ethical and legal frameworks. Identify and articulate their skills, knowledge and understanding confidently and in a variety of contexts.