Performance Appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance Appraisal - Essay Example During the process of appraisal, each employee performance is reviewed against the objectives and standards for the financial year as agreed at the previous appraisal meeting. It is very important for career and succession planning purposes for the employees, jobs that are crucial and for the entire organisation. Despite the fact that performance appraisal is mainly used for motivation of employees, it has a number of purposes which include: development of positive attitude towards work, behavior development, communication and alignment of employees and organization objectives and boosting the positive relationships between the employer and the employees (Grote 107). Each organization has its own performance appraisal system. This work would focus on the development of a performance appraisal system for the Verizon Wireless. As it would turn out later, the appraisal system depends on the kind and nature of the job being appraisal. Technical and complex jobs require more appraisals. In such cases, appraisal is mainly used to retain the employees. This paper would develop an appraisal system for a customer service post (Grote 111). Retail customer support representative is expected to handle the customers issues related to the company. Based on the performance, the retail customer support representative would be appraised in a number of ways. Following an excellent job, the company, through the human resource department would appreciate the work done by retail support representative by offering one or combination of the following items or rewards. The person would be offered an award-winning training and competitive salary if he or she displayed high level of quality in key areas such as time consciousness, communication and presentation skills. The nature of appraisal would depend on the area(s) perfectly done (Grote 113). The employee who would display perfection in key areas such as time management or

The different stories Essay Example for Free

The different stories Essay The protagonists from the different stories all seem to have their changes or their epiphanies occur quite quickly. These changes are not brought about by lengthy self-reflection or deep pondering, instead, they occur, seemingly, in a flash, as a series of events seem to suddenly open their eyes. For example, Robert, from â€Å"Cathedral†, goes through a long narration of explaining the hows and the whys of the main event in the story (the visit of his wife’s blind friend) before, finally, expressing his realization in just nine words at the very end of the story. To be more specific with regard to Robert’s case, we see how, in much of the story, he talks not so much about himself as a person – a husband, a friend, etc – but as merely someone who is annoyed by an unwanted visitor. Robert talks much of his wife (with not a lot of affection, take note) and her friend, but he does not talk about himself, only reiterating again and again his annoyance and discomfort. This method of writing distances the readers from Robert and makes him an unsympathetic character who readers may not appreciate. This technique actually strengthens his epiphany, and, in a way, makes it an epiphany of the readers as well. When Robert said â€Å"I didn’t feel like I was inside anything† (Carver), the reader, along with Robert, also realize that though Robert is the one telling the story, he seems not to be in the story as an important character himself. Robert was in his house, yes, but he was not â€Å"in† a relationship with his wife as seen by their strangely cold exchanges (for example the dialogue about Beulah); he was not â€Å"in† any friendly relationships [â€Å"You don’t have any friends,† she said. â€Å"Period. † ( (Carver)]; and he had no connection with the blind man either. In â€Å"Good Country People†, the change in Hulga is abrupt as well. The cold, rude, disconnected and â€Å"intellectual† big blonde moves from self-confidence and self-possession into fear, anger, and panic as soon as she loses that which â€Å"she was as sensitive about (†¦) as a peacock about his tail† (OConnor, Good Country People). Earlier in the story, Hulga is portrayed as a woman who is cold and out-of-touch with the world she lives in because she thinks that her education has separated and made her better than those in her vicinity. She paints herself as someone who cannot be touched by any emotions because, in Hulga’s own words: â€Å"I don’t have illusions. I’m one of those people who see through to nothing† (OConnor, Good Country People). And yet when she loses her artificial leg, suddenly, Hulga is no longer confident or fierce or composed; she is dependent and weak and afraid (â€Å"Her voice when she spoke had an almost pleading sound† (OConnor, Good Country People)). We see with Hulga how all her confidence and brusqueness was stored in that artificial leg and, therefore, with its sudden loss came her sudden change. Lastly, in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†, the grandmother is the one whom we see changed. Indeed her change from being a rather selfish old lady (as in sneaking the Pitty Sing into the car and deciding not to own up to her realization of her mistake), is given a 360-degree turn in the face of her own mortality. Even her interaction with The Misfit shows her change. In their first encounter she tries to flatter him , in order to save her life; she says to him â€Å"I know youre a good man. You dont look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! (OConnor, A Good Man is Hard to Find). However, at the mention of talk and prayer, the grandmother suddenly becomes aware of something beyond her picture of him as just a killer and she tells him â€Å"Why youre one of my babies. Youre one of my own children! (OConnor, A Good Man is Hard to Find). This part allows us to see how the grandmother has gone beyond her own self and has acknowledged the humanity of The Misfit, even though he is the eventual death of her. Works Cited Carver, Raymond. Cathedral. 30 July 2009 http://www. ndsu. nodak. edu/instruct/cinichol/GovSchool/Cathedral2. htm. OConnor, Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find. 30 July 2009 http://www. turksheadreview. com/library/texts/oconnor-goodmanhard. html. OConnor, Flannery. Good Country People. 30 July 2009

Education In Check :: essays research papers

Education In-Check   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In John Holts essay, “Freedom for Children'; he discusses how children should have their own right to decide how much, when, and what to learn. Holt states that by taking children’s right to learn, we are taking a fundamental right away from them. He also states that, to adults, the right to decide what does and does not interest us is taken for granted and that we are unknowingly taking this right away from children. Holt also states that by sending children to school six hours a day, 180 days a year, for about 10 years we are limiting them. Holt concludes that children are no longer learning, but rather are taught what adults think they should know. I personally disagree with Holts on this matter. If children had the right to control their education, what would stop them from even going or learning things that could be damaging to society? I feel the have plenty of rights as it is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children today have many rights already in the field of education. In elementary school, no one forces them to stop learning. They can always choose to further their education, by reading perhaps. In high school, there are a variety of classes a student can choose from. All these classes can be selected to fit an individual student. Classes ranging from art and drama all the way up to advanced placement physics are at the disposal of those who want to learn. No one forces children to take these classes. Students take these classes of their own free will. Once in college, a student has the right to choose whatever major they feel fit to be in. If they don’t like that major, they can always change it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What would happen if students were allowed to come and go as they please? All too often, students would never go to class. They would abuse their right and spend their days having fun. I have personally seen friends leave school because they don’t want to be there. If they didn’t have to be there they would not have come in the first place. There are certain things that students should know. Basic math and English skills are required jus to get by in today’s society. If these basic skills are never learned, we risk having an underdeveloped society full of uneducated people. Our world would literally crumble because we run the chance of people not knowing anything. Education In Check :: essays research papers Education In-Check   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In John Holts essay, “Freedom for Children'; he discusses how children should have their own right to decide how much, when, and what to learn. Holt states that by taking children’s right to learn, we are taking a fundamental right away from them. He also states that, to adults, the right to decide what does and does not interest us is taken for granted and that we are unknowingly taking this right away from children. Holt also states that by sending children to school six hours a day, 180 days a year, for about 10 years we are limiting them. Holt concludes that children are no longer learning, but rather are taught what adults think they should know. I personally disagree with Holts on this matter. If children had the right to control their education, what would stop them from even going or learning things that could be damaging to society? I feel the have plenty of rights as it is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children today have many rights already in the field of education. In elementary school, no one forces them to stop learning. They can always choose to further their education, by reading perhaps. In high school, there are a variety of classes a student can choose from. All these classes can be selected to fit an individual student. Classes ranging from art and drama all the way up to advanced placement physics are at the disposal of those who want to learn. No one forces children to take these classes. Students take these classes of their own free will. Once in college, a student has the right to choose whatever major they feel fit to be in. If they don’t like that major, they can always change it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What would happen if students were allowed to come and go as they please? All too often, students would never go to class. They would abuse their right and spend their days having fun. I have personally seen friends leave school because they don’t want to be there. If they didn’t have to be there they would not have come in the first place. There are certain things that students should know. Basic math and English skills are required jus to get by in today’s society. If these basic skills are never learned, we risk having an underdeveloped society full of uneducated people. Our world would literally crumble because we run the chance of people not knowing anything.

The Strength of Gertrude in Hamlet

Murder, treason, and deceit are common themes in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. Throughout the play the women are often viewed as weak in character as the men easily dominate them and steal the spotlight through their manic actions. The time period in which Shakespeare would have written Hamlet, women would have been treated with little respect. One woman that shows her feminine power is Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark and mother to Hamlet. Through the play it seems that Gertrude has committed more bad deeds than good, but with further examination, her actions can be seen as altruistic and loving. Queen Gertrude in Hamlet reveals her true strength through her selfless actions for both Hamlet and Denmark. With the fresh death of King Hamlet, Gertrude loses her money, power and her only chance for her son to be a successor to the throne. Instinctively, Gertrude marries the man who is King in order to gain status in Denmark. During the 16th century, a woman was only as powerful as the man to whom she was married and Gertrude knows she must protect her son. By being loyal to Claudius, the next most powerful person to her late husband, she is able to secure a position for Hamlet to be next in line for King. This act of love towards Claudius might or might not be false in the beginning, which is a selfless act on its own, but then Gertrude is able to care for Claudius as well, which proves she has loving characteristics. Throughout the play Hamlet mourns the loss of his father some two months after his death, but Claudius does not support his behavior, infuriating Hamlet. Gertrude being a woman in the 16th century, is unable to comfort Hamlet without stepping on her newly wed husband’s toes: â€Å"Good Hamlet, cast thy knighted colour off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark† (1. . 68-69). Gertrude appears to be giving Hamlet the message that, in order for their success he must now adapt to his new surroundings instead of disrespecting Claudius. Even though Hamlet despises Gertrude for her blunt words he obeys when Gertrude asks: â€Å"I pray thee, stay with us; go not to Wittenberg† (1. 2. 118). It is evident that Gertrude desires the best for Hamlet, sh e has married in order to keep him in line for the thrown and even though she hurts him with words, she is lovingly sacrificing her emotions for his long-term well being. The Queen Gertrude has loving and caring qualities that are only subtly seen in Hamlet, and this is why most audiences see her slightly villainess. She loves Hamlet and underneath her shallow exterior, shows great emotion when he confronts her. Gertrude truly does not know what she has done to make Hamlet so enraged, and it is only when he tells her that she understands her actions to be wrong: â€Å"O Hamlet, speak no more: Thou turn'st my very eyes into my soul, And there I see such black and grained spots As will not leave their tinct† (III. iv. 88-91). There is no reason to believe that Gertrude is lying to appease Hamlet as she confesses that her soul is blackened. Gertrude is portrayed as loving and loyal throughout the play; she stayed loyal to Hamlet after he lashed out on her in the closet by appeasing Claudius. These loving qualities that are subtly shown in Gertrude prove that she is selfless in her actions for Hamlet and Denmark. Gertrude often lies throughout the play, and while lying is a bad characteristic that would build a certain hate from the audience, her lies are in order to protect those around her. Gertrude’s lies are not cruel and evil falsehoods; hers are white lies that she feels she must tell in order to keep those around her safe physically and emotionally. She must tell the King that Hamlet has killed Polonius, but she does what she can to help Hamlet, telling Claudius that Hamlet â€Å"weeps for what is done† (4. 1. 27) when clearly he does not. Gertrude lies in order to protect Hamlet whom has just lashed out, telling her of all her hurtful actions. She follows her instincts and as a good politician puts a buffer on the truth in order to protect people emotionally around her. All of Queen Gertrude’s actions in lying seem shallow but are necessary for those around her and are selfless on her part in order to protect Hamlet. The ghost of King Hamlet is easily misinterpreted when he reveals to Hamlet, information about his murder and details of Claudius and Gertrude. The message the Ghost tells Hamlet makes Gertrude a far more despised character: â€Å"Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast, With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts† (1. 5. 42-43). The line of â€Å"adulterous beast† insinuates that Gertrude was committing adultery and thus lying to King Hamlet making her a cheater and therefore despised by the audience. The term adulterate does not have the same meaning as adultery, by definition it means to render poorer in quality by adding another substance. In all, the Ghost is correct because Gertrude is of a â€Å"poorer quality† due to her new ties with Claudius, but that does not mean that they committed adultery before the King’s death. If Gertrude were an adulteress, she would ave been almost certainly been involved in Claudius' plot of murder, Claudius would believe her to be an accomplice and confide in her, but he does not. In addition, if it were true, it would most likely be first on Hamlet's mind, but when Hamlet confronts Gertrude in her closet and announces all her crimes; he does not once even imply that she has committed adultery. This misinterpretation could cause much hate for The Que en by the audience and much confusion as to her real motives, but with this insight it is most obvious that the Queen was respectable towards her family and Hamlet. Through all of the challenges in Gertrude’s life she has never been recognized for all her selfless actions for her son and Denmark. Gertrude is truly a hero of the play because she continuously sacrifices herself for the love of others and Denmark. She selflessly told Hamlet of the poison so he then knew for sure Claudius was corrupt: â€Å"The drink, the drink! I am poison’d! † (5. 2. 304). With this information Hamlet was able to justifiably kill Claudius for the murder of his mother Gertrude. Just before her death Gertrude is able to save the land of Denmark from the deceitful and murderous King Claudius. This action on the Queen’s part is beneficial to all the people of Denmark allowing them to have a fair chance with their newly chosen ruler young Fortinbras. Hamlet is a tragedy in which there needs to be a heroic, selfless character, and in the end this is the Queen Gertrude. Overall, through the examination of Queen of Denmark may appear as a villainess character but when examined closely her motives show a loving and strong character. Living in a time in which she had little respect, Gertrude was able to secure a spot for her son in the throne by marrying a man of power. Through all controversies she sets her emotions aside in order to deal with situations that concern her family and Denmark. Though at most times Gertrude has to keep her emotions at bay it is evident that she has subtle loving qualities for her family. After all controversy and being hated by Hamlet she still protects her son with small white lies to Claudius. Gertrude is never recognized for her strength as she saves Denmark from the tyrant that Claudius is. A heroic, strong, feminine character shows her altruistic characteristics throughout William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet.

Psychological disorders Essay

1. Bipolar disorder This is a disorder associated with extreme mood swings. A person’s moods alternate between two opposite ends, that is to say, from extreme sadness to euphoric happiness.   Most people start developing this behavior in their late teens but are well diagnosed in the age between 25 and 40 years. The cause is not clearly known but it is thought to result from chemical (neurotransmitters) imbalance. Imbalance of norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine levels are believed to be the cause. Bipolar disorder has a genetic and environmental tie.   It can pass down through family members. However, it has to be triggered by some stress. Symptoms include behaviors revolving around mania and depression.   A sick person should be helped to find medical care especially when it threatens basic health.   Blood tests or X-rays are used to confirm the disorder. There is no cure for bipolar disorder. However, proper therapy can manage it and a sick person can go on functioning normally. Treatment is geared towards medication that stabilizes mood swings accompanied with counseling.   Medication is not very effective. Counseling is most successful especially with support from family members. Medication available for prescriptions in the market includes: lithium, valproic acid (depolcote) and Olanzine (zyprexa) among others.   They work by balancing neurotransmitters in the brain.   Some of their side effects include †¢ Lithium – increased urination, dizziness, nausea and diarrhea. †¢ Valproic acid – Drowsiness, weakness, nausea and diarrhea. †¢ Olanzapine – decreased alertness. 2. Depressive disorder This is a disorder characterized with a feeling of sadness. It can affect people of all ages but in the United States, it is five times more common in the elderly than young people (Depression facts: www.enmechizmhealth.com) The causes include a combination of genetic, biological and environmental factors.   It is triggered by abnormalities in the levels of neurotransmitters (serotin, norepinephrine and dopamine) in the brain.   Certain types of depressive disorders are hereditary.   Research has not cleared diagnosed the involved genes. Personality traits such as pessimism, difficult situations such as lose of loved ones, medical conditions e.g. stroke and substance abuse are some of the biological and environmental factors. Symptoms include sadness, crying spells, loss of interest in usual activities, weight loss, inability to sleep, fatigue, thoughts of suicide, headache, boredom and diminished ability to think or concentrate. Treatment includes psychotherapy and medication. However psychotherapy is the most effective. Medical treatment includes antidepressants and supportive care-such as psychotherapy given by psychiatrists. Ant depressants medications in the market include: Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI), Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), Monoamine Oxidase inhibitors (MAOs). SSRIs affect levels of serotonin in the brain.Common SSRIs include fluoxetine, paroxetine and citalopram. TCAs are prescribed in severe cases of depression especially when SSRIs have failed to work. Examples of TCAs include Doxepin and mipramine. MAOs are not commonly used and examples include phenelzine and tranylcypromine. Some of the side effects associated with those medications include: dizziness, nausea, weakness and drowsness. 3. Generalized Anxiety disorder This is a disorder characterized with mild feelings of nervousness to a strong feeling of dread or fear. Symptoms include muscle tension, muscle aches and shaky feelings. It does not affect the brain. The disorder makes the ordinary doing of things difficult.   People with the disorder cannot be able to relax.   They often get fatigued. It is common in children and adolescents. It is not genetic however research is being conducted to determine that. It is mainly induced by environmental factors. Psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy are treatments with the former being the most effective. Medication used include: Ativan, Lipoxide and lurux. Some of the side effects of those drugs are similar to those of bipolar disorder. Obsessive compulsive disorder This disorder is characterized with obsessions or compulsions or both.   Obsessions or compulsion cause distress therefore one cannot concentrate on work or whatever is being done.   Obsessions symptoms include: recurring thoughts, impulses or images that intrude into awareness.   Compulsion symptoms include the need for repetitive physical and mental behaviors.   Example of obsessive behavior is silently repeating words while that of compulsive include behavior like checking the door to confirm whether it is really closed.   It is triggered by substance use, medication and drug abuse. The exact cause is not clear though it is linked with shortage of serotonin in the brain.It has no cure.   Treatment includes counseling, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.   Current medication and include luvox, anafruvial and prozac. Prozac has a side effect of weakness and drowsiness. 4. Substance Abuse disorder The disorder is a result of over indulgence and dependence on addictive substance such as alcohol or narcotics. It is not genetic at all. In the United States it is very common especially with the youth. People abuse substances to get a feeling of being ‘high’. Some do that to run away from frustrations. Substance abuses affect normal functioning of the brain. It is thought that they also cause imbalance of neurotransmitters. Treatments include counseling and proper use of prescribed medicine. 5. Schizophrenia This is a chronic and disabling mental disorder.   Its symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thoughts and behaviors and disorganized speech. The cause is not clear however it is a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. Neurotransmitters imbalance trigger the condition. The neurotransmitters involved include dopamine, serotin and glutamate. it is also thought to be a disorder of the development of the brain. It has no cure but symptoms treatable. Antipsychotic medications are effective.   Examples of antipsychotic medication include: risperidone, olanzapine, aripiprazole and quetiapine. Olanzapine has a side effect of causing decreased alertness.  Psychotherapy is recommended and is the most effective.