Sociology and Understanding Human Behavior †Socl215

September 8, 2011 Phase 4 Individual Project Sociology and Understanding Human Behavior – SOCL215 The sports sociology exists because of the strong relationship between sports and society. As a culture, we as Americans value sports for the entertainment, physical activity and many other benefits it provides to us. I believe that is the reason so much research has gone into discovering how and why it affects us as a society. Sports are enjoyed all over the world, particularly soccer and baseball in many parts of the globe. I am a really big fan of and enjoy football. It is my favorite sport. During the fall and winter months much of my life rotates around being able to watch professional football games and to cheer for my favorite team, the Carolina Panthers. It’s my favorite sport because I enjoy the energy, the socialization, competition and action. Because it is so widely revered in America, it is not very difficult to find another football fan or sports bar. Football is widely represented in the media which also helps to be a fan. ESPN (Entertainment Sports Programing Network) covers games if you may have missed a game or play as well as offer news about teams and players. During the local news broadcast a sports segment is always included. And in local as well as nationally published newspapers a sports section is included. I however am not a typical viewer/fan in the football demographic. Most fans are middle aged white men that make $55,000. However the number of women watching football is on the incline. According to the New York Times the number of women watching â€Å"Sunday Night Football† has increased 23 percent over the last two years. (Baker, 2011) The fan base for football is expanding for minorities as well. I think this is because more minorities are playing the sport. To get a better understanding of how sports and society affect one another I went to a local high school football game. I have always gone to football games as a fan, never as an observer and I knew this experience would be different. I decided to attend this event because I enjoy football and I knew a few of the students from work that go the high school. It was also an opportunity to learn more about high school, I usually only watch NFL (National Football League) football games. The following are my observations from the fieldwork done during the football game. The setting for this game was a high school football game was Carolina Forest High School. The elements that would affect behavior included banners, posters and cheerleaders. This affected the home team in a positive way as they feel more support and motivation. It could negatively affect the away team as they feel intimidated and home team as they could feel more pressure to win. The attendees/fans were students, parents, cheerleaders, ROTC members, teachers and other dance team members. Most of the fans were white high school students between the ages of 14 to 17. I would say it was divided pretty evenly between males and females. They seemed upper middle class with a few that seemed to be upper class. The players were similar to the fans as they were high school students, 14 to 17 years old and middle class but there were a few more black players than white. The dress of the fans was typical of teenagers. Students mostly wore jeans, T-Shirts and flip flops. Many were shirts that had the schools logo and mascot on it. There was a group of young men with hair dyed black and wore similar skateboard type attire. The students seemed to stay in groups together as did the parents. There definitely seemed to be groups that stayed to themselves and did not socialize with anyone outside of their group. This behavior applied to parents and students. The students in these groups were of the same social class and did dress similarly. The atmosphere was very positive and happy at the football games. The home team won which helped with the atmosphere. There were a couple moments of tension when the home team had a penalty or was losing. I saw symbolism in the flags used by the high school’s NJROTC drill field team. Other symbolism I saw was used by the referees. They used hand gestures to convey the penalties being issued to either team. The other observation I noticed was the language used during the football game. Students used chants that were exclusive to their school to show their support. There was also verbiage used to describe which down and field position the game was being played at. There was also commentary from the announcers tell the audience which players were preforming which plays and their positions. From my field work I learned that energy of the game is in direct correlation of fans. Because many high school students don’t know the rules of football and go to games as a form of socialization only the energy isn’t as high. However there seemed to be less tension and conflict among the fans as a result of this. When emotions run high, there is a greater risk of conflict. This seems to happen a lot in football because of the loyalty fans feel for â€Å"their† team. I previously stated in week one’s assignment that functionalist perspective was most useful when looking at the sociology of football because it played a part in society has a purpose to fulfill as a whole. And I still believe holds true. It helps to bring people together, gives a sense of competition and a role model for children. It also helps fund the education of promising athletes and promotes good physical wellbeing. American football culture has a positive impact on society. College students that show promise are able to get a higher education on a full paid scholarship. This allows more potentially more successful people in society. People throughout the world love sports. Mankind loves to get together for a common interest and celebrate. Even in the face of war and other devastating losses, we as a society will feel hope and inspiration from the victory of our sports team. This is the reason why sociologists are so interested in researching sports. It is a strange and intriguing phenomenon. I think the reason the so many participate is the social status it gives you. Children look up to athletes as role models. There is also the factor of money as well. Fans will dedicate a lot of money and loyalty to their favorite players. I also think they enjoy the feeling of having people rely on their abilities and come from very far away to watch them play. Many just have a passion for the sport they play. Fans play large roles in society. One way they do this is by providing economy to metropolitan areas that have professional or college sports teams. They are also the reason why sports media has grown to be what it is now. If it weren’t for fans there would be need to have things, like instant replay that has helped the integrity of many sports. We wouldn’t have tailgate parties so more members of society can come together for a common interest. â€Å"The importance of sport varies with the individual. It plays little or no role in the lives of some people. For others, it is a light diversion from the cares of everyday life. But for many, it is a central feature of their existence. † (Delaney, 2003) Sports will continue to play a part in society, people will gather from all across the world to watch sports like we do with the Olympics. There will also be controversy and conflict but I believe the benefits of enjoying sports still make being a sport’s fan worth the effort. References Baker, K. (2011, January 28). Gridiron Girls. Retrieved September 8, 2011, from nytimes. com: http://www. nytimes. com/2011/01/30/magazine/30FOB-wwln-t. html? _r=1 Delaney, T. (2003). Sports and Deviant Behavior. Retrieved September 8, 2011, from philosophynow. org: http://www. philosophynow. org/issue41/Sports_and_Deviant_Behavior Response to Peer Discussion Board Suggestions and Questions: I think the number of women watching football is unsurprising because many women have men in their lives that love football and expose women to the sport. I grew up watching the New York Giants because my father and our family favored that team. I stopped watching football so often until I met my husband and now we watch every game that is played by his favorite team. If I didn’t have these influences didn’t exist in my life, I wouldn’t watch sports at all. I’ve always enjoyed independent research. I like to work with groups and on my own which is a wonderful benefit to going to Colorado Technical University. I like being able to physically research and see for myself the ideas and concepts that are in our textbook. It makes the subject of Sociology feel more â€Å"real. † An interesting point is that fan behavior is not only affected by the game it is also affected by the team or sponsor they play for. I think it’s very true that some fans are definitely â€Å"fair weather. † Meaning a fan likes a team or supports a team because they win or are winners. I believe in supporting a team even if they lose or are not a very popular team. Another point I didn’t mention was how fans affect the player moral in a game. I think that if fans are cheering for a team and have good energy that this can affect a team in good and bad ways; good because the team will try to perform better and bad because they may not perform as well because they feel they don’t need to try as hard. There can also be the opposite effect of a team that is not doing well and is not being supports. They can either succumb to the negativity or work harder to overcome it.

Whats the Best You Can Do †Three Myths Non-writing People Believe About Writing

Whats the Best You Can Do – Three Myths Non-writing People Believe About Writing Im a freelance writer who charges professional rates, and clients always ask me to lower my rates. The other day, in fact, I sent a message to a potential client. I gave them my usual rate and got the dreaded question in response: Whats the best you can do? Its always depressing to hear it, and its even more depressing to think about its implications. Its no surprise that writing has become massively undervalued in recent years, but its somewhat surprising to realize how undervalued its actually become. A few decades ago, $1 per word would have been a respectable professional rate. Today, writers are lucky if they get paid 30 cents per word. And this question – Whats the best you can do? – reveals what people actually think about writing. Here are three myths that this question creates and what your response should be to each myth: Myth #1: Less is more. The first and most unsurprising implication of this question is the clients vision of quality. They believe that the less they pay, the better. Theyre either unwilling or unable to pay for premium writing, but either way, they believe that they shouldnt have to pay a lot. The best price is the cheapest. The truth: When it comes to writing, more is more. Full-time freelance writers may not have other sources of income. The more theyre paid, the more passionate theyll be, and theyll produce better content. Thats not to say writers slack for low-paying jobs, but the truth is that high-paying jobs provide a better impetus for writers. They also set quality standards much higher. Let your clients know that writing is your job. Its not a side hustle; its your lifeblood. Refuse to go lower. Either theyll respect you and pay what you deserve or youll lose a client you didnt need in the first place. Myth #2: Writing is no big deal. With the advent of outsourcing, many people have come to believe that writing can be – and should be – something they can cheaply and quickly acquire. They think anyone can do it. They think writers easily churn out compelling copy in a few minutes and send it off. The truth: Clients need to know that creating a piece of writing is a painstaking endeavor that requires drafting, editing, and meditating. More work goes into one paragraph than most clients will ever realize. Make your client aware that writing is not as easy as they think. Explain what you do to create the best content possible, and theyll respect you for it. Myth #3: Low rates are fair rates. This sounds similar to Myth #1, but this myth propagates the idea that writers can survive on next to nothing. This is due to the rise of people from third world countries entering the freelance economy. In other countries, $2 an hour is a decent wage, but for thousands of others, its chump change. A similar idea is that writing for low rates is perfect for students or someone trying to make money on theside. But those people see writing as no more than a side hustle, so they likely wont put that much effort into it. You, on the other hand, work day and night to create the best content your client has ever read. The truth: Tell your client that great writing is not going to be cheap. If writing is your main (or only) source of income, make that clear. And dont forget to mention how much attention you give to your writing. Tell the client youre worth more because you do more.

Free Essays on Self Reliance

After reading Emerson’s â€Å"Self Reliance† I have discovered that self-reliance is the most significant aspect in my life. Emerson talks about inspiring ideas, which involves trusting and only answering to thyself. He believes in saying exactly what you think, not to be what your not and to live only by what you believe to be the best. â€Å"There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide.† To translate this Emerson quote one can say that if a man is jealous of other people, he will ignore his own qualities and if a man tries to be like other people, he will lose himself; like suicide. When I was younger it was hard for me to have faith in myself. I would always try to fit in to the so-called â€Å"cool crowd† and when I didn’t get accepted I began to resent them. What I tried to finally do was copy them, their clothes, their taste in music, and the actions that they took. It was then that I realized that I didn’t like their clothes, their taste in music and the things they did. I realized that by me imitating them I lost myself. I began to take the road less traveled, to see things in a different way than anyone did. I wanted to be unique and I wanted to be accepted for being my own person. After discovering that I liked being me was when I made my greatest of friends. They like that I always say what’s on my mind and that I don’t let anyone’s actions influence mine. â€Å"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius.† I believe now that imitation is the result of jealously and in order for me to succeed in life I had to believe that I could do it. For one to accomplish their goals and meet their destiny, they must choose self-reliance as the answer. Self-reliance lets one know that it is essential to realize that all choices in life come down to ... Free Essays on Self Reliance Free Essays on Self Reliance After reading Emerson’s â€Å"Self Reliance† I have discovered that self-reliance is the most significant aspect in my life. Emerson talks about inspiring ideas, which involves trusting and only answering to thyself. He believes in saying exactly what you think, not to be what your not and to live only by what you believe to be the best. â€Å"There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide.† To translate this Emerson quote one can say that if a man is jealous of other people, he will ignore his own qualities and if a man tries to be like other people, he will lose himself; like suicide. When I was younger it was hard for me to have faith in myself. I would always try to fit in to the so-called â€Å"cool crowd† and when I didn’t get accepted I began to resent them. What I tried to finally do was copy them, their clothes, their taste in music, and the actions that they took. It was then that I realized that I didn’t like their clothes, their taste in music and the things they did. I realized that by me imitating them I lost myself. I began to take the road less traveled, to see things in a different way than anyone did. I wanted to be unique and I wanted to be accepted for being my own person. After discovering that I liked being me was when I made my greatest of friends. They like that I always say what’s on my mind and that I don’t let anyone’s actions influence mine. â€Å"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius.† I believe now that imitation is the result of jealously and in order for me to succeed in life I had to believe that I could do it. For one to accomplish their goals and meet their destiny, they must choose self-reliance as the answer. Self-reliance lets one know that it is essential to realize that all choices in life come down to ...

SAT Writing Prep The Best Methods and Strategies

SAT Writing Prep The Best Methods and Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips I’ve spent the past decade teaching SAT prep classes and helping hundreds of students prepare for the SAT Writing section. After taking my class, many of my former students were able to improve their SAT Writing scores by more than 200 points. My experience has taught me that having a disciplined, focused approach to your SAT prep will allow you to maximize your score. In this article, I have given you the best advice I have for preparing for SAT Writing. Using these methods will enable you to use your study time wisely and master the skills you need to be an SAT Writing superstar. I tried to arrange these tips by how important they are to acing SAT Writing. However, these are all crucial tips for SAT Writing success, and you need to follow them all if you want to fully prepare yourself. #1: Learn the Grammar Rules that the SAT Tests SAT Writing is primarily a grammar test. Knowing the grammar rules that appear on the SAT isthe most important way to prepare for SAT Writing. On the PrepScholar blog, we have written articles covering all of the grammar rules and errors that repeatedly appear on the SAT Writing section. Here they are: Subject-Verb Agreement Verb Tense and Forms Pronoun Agreement Pronoun Case Wordiness and Redundancy Idioms Run-On Sentences/Sentence Fragments Parallelism Faulty Modifiers Adjective and Adverb Errors Illogical Comparisons Relative Pronouns Word Choice/Diction You should focus your studying on the rules that are more commonly tested. We have written a post on the distribution of appearance of the grammar rules on SAT Writing (coming soon). For those of you striving for a highscore, you need to have a firm grasp on all of these grammar rules. And learn them. And understand them. #2: Do Tons of Practice Problems and Understand Your Mistakes If you want to do the best you can on SAT Writing, you have to put in the time. Doing tons and tons of practice problems will make you more confident with the material. You'll be able to recognize grammar errors more quickly and avoid falling into common SAT Writing traps. Frankly, there's a lot of SAT prep material out there that isn't good and will be of minimal help to you. The practice questions you're doing should be representative of the questions you'll find on your SAT. We've identified the quality material so you won't waste your time. To spend your time wisely, you want to do practice problems that are likely to resemble those you will encounter on the SAT. Practice with official SAT tests and make sure you're using the best books to prep for SAT Writing. Check out these articles on where to find the best SAT Writing practice tests and the best SAT prep websites you should be using. Additionally, PrepScholar has over 1500 practice problems customized to each skill. However, simply doing practice problems is not enough. Why You Need to Understand Your Mistakes While doing a bunch of practice problems will help you prepare for SAT Writing, if you keep repeating the same mistakes, your score is not going to improve. You need to understand why you're getting certain questions wrong so that you can reduce your weaknesses and raise your score. One of the most common mistakes students make in their SAT preparation is that they don't take the necessary time to comprehend their mistakes and figure out how to correct them in the future. Understanding your mistakes can be more difficult than just doing practice problems, but it's essential if you want to keep improving your SAT Writing score. How to Understand Your Mistakes Fully understanding your mistakes takes diligence and organization. Here is the process that I recommend to grasp why you made each mistake and how to improve for the future; this process is somewhat rigorous, but it's also the best way to prepare for SAT Writing: On every practice test or question set that you take, mark every question that you're even 20% unsure about. When you grade your test or quiz, review every question you marked or answered incorrectly. This way you'll be reviewing all your missed questions and the questions on which you were able to guess correctly. On your computer or in a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Create different sections for each grammar skill and put the question in the appropriate section. Try to determine why you got questions wrong on your own. However, if you're having trouble figuring out your mistakes, the College Board website has an official test with explanations. Also, Khan Academy has helpful explanation videos for some of the questions on this test. Take notes on what you specifically missed and how to improve in the future. Be as specific and as thorough as possible. For example, don't just write that you missed a subject-verb agreement question and need to do more subject-verb agreement questions. Write down how the subject-verb agreement error was presented. Was the subject placed after the verb? Did you get confused by an interrupting phrase? What resources will you use to fully learn this rule and address your weakness? Don't just take notes on your content issues. Also, write down any information about your careless mistakes and what steps you'll take to prevent making them again. Do you need to read the question more carefully? Do you need to look at the answer choices more closely? You want to really dig into why you're missing questions and focus on specific ways to improve. #3: Identify Your Weaknesses and Drill Them If you do a thorough job of categorizing your missed questions and taking notes, you should be able to identify your weaknesses. When you notice patterns to the questions you miss, find extra time to practice the areas where you're struggling. Maybe there's a specific grammar rule like illogical comparisons or parallelism that is causing you problems. Do extra content review and practice problems related to those rules. The best SAT prep books and websites will have real or realistic SAT practice problems for each specific skill that is tested on SAT Writing. (We obviously believePrepScholar qualifies, and it'sdesigned to customize your SAT prep to focus on your weaknesses.) Furthermore, you should keep going over all of the questions you missed and marked. By focusing your studying on the areas where you're having the most difficulties, you'll be using your time most efficiently. Spending the majority of your time practicing stuff you already know is not an effective use of your time. Strengthen your weaknesses! The following tip relates to the approach you should use to answer SAT Writing questions. #4: Practice Relying on Grammar Rules to Answer Questions Don't rely on what sounds right to answer SAT Writing questions, except on idiom questions. Many of the SAT Writing sentences are lengthy or use uncommon phrases. The sentences might sound odd to your ear, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong. Similarly, some of the sentences contain grammar errors that are so common that these sentences are likely to sound fine to you. As such, it's vital that you practice approaching the test from a logical standpoint. Every time you answer a question, you should be able to justify your choice with a specific grammar rule. Here's an example of how you would rely on grammar rules to answer SAT Writing questions. The explanation I give to the question is similar to the thought process you should use when answering SAT Writing questions. Now, take a look at this question from a real SAT: Frequently on tour, a band called the Chieftainsrevered internationally as spirited performers oftraditional Irish music. (A) revered internationally as spirited performers (B) revered internationally and they are spirited performers (C) is revered internationally for its spirited performances (D) is revered internationally as giving spirited performances (E) are revered internationally as being spirited performers Explanation: When I first read the sentence, I immediately noticed that it does not express a complete thought. It’s a sentence fragment. The word â€Å"revered† is used as a participle and not a verb. I assumed that the correct answer would add a verb to fix the sentence fragment. Immediately, I eliminated answer choices A and B because they don’t fix the sentence fragment. Then, I had to determine whether to use the singular verb â€Å"is† or the plural verb â€Å"are†. Because the subject is â€Å"band†, which is singular, the verb should be in the singular form. I eliminated E because that would be a subject-verb agreement error. Answer choice D is incorrect because â€Å"as† is the wrong word. This is an idiom error, the only type of error in which you may have to rely on your ear for what sounds right. The correct answer is C. The sentence fragment has been corrected, the subject and verb agree, and â€Å"for† is the correct preposition to use in this sentence. When you're doing practice questions, be able to explain and justify your answer choices with your knowledge of SAT grammar. #5: Determine If You Have Time Management Issues. If So, Address Them How To Determine if You Have Time Management Issues Find an official SAT practice test, and take only the Writing sections. For each section, use a timer and treat it like a real test. If time runs out for that section and you're 100% ready to move on, then move on. If you're not ready to move on, keep on working for as long as you need. For every new answer or answer that you change, mark it with a special note as "Extra Time." When you're ready, move on to the next section, and repeat the above until you finish all Writing sections. Grade your test using the answer key and score chart, but we want two scores: 1) The Realistic score you got under normal timing conditions and 2) The Extra Time score. If the difference is more than 4 raw points, then you need to address your time management issues. How To Improve Time Management Issues Generally, time management improves as you become more familiar and confident with the content. If time management is a lingering issue for you, monitor your time spent per question. You should have a target time of 45 seconds foreach improving sentences question and 30 seconds for each identify the error question. No question should take longer than 1 minute. When you're doing your practice questions, keep track of how long you're spending on each individual question. Focus on finishing each question in the target time. For my final tip, I want to remind you about the shortest subsection on SAT Writing. #6: Don't Forget Paragraph Improvement Because there are only 6 paragraph improvement questions on each SAT, you should spend the majority of your time preparing for the sentence improvement and identify the error subsections. However, make sure you practice paragraph iprovement questions as well. Some paragraph improvement questions are similar to improving sentences questions, but others are unique to this subsection. Here are the major types of questions you will find on paragraph improvement: Macro Logic: how paragraphs relate to each other and to the main idea Transitional Logic: how sentences and ideas connect to each other Redundant Sentences: whether sentences or ideas are extraneous and can be deleted Conciseness and Style: how to choose words to express ideas succinctly and clearly When you practice paragraph improvement questions, you should use the same approach as for the other two subsections. Categorize your mistakes, take notes on why you made mistakes and how to improve, identify your weaknesses, and then spend extra time improving those weaknesses. Review this article on how to approach paragraph improvement. If you make a commitment to following the six tips I just gave you, I guarantee you'll be giving yourself the best chance to succeed on SAT Writing. Whenever your motivation starts to wane, think about your goals and why you want to do well on the SAT Writing section. What's Next? Review the article on how to get an 800 on SAT Writing. It offers more depthsome of the methods I presented in this post. Also, you'll want to check out the articles on my top study strategies and test-day tips for SAT Writing success (coming soon). Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Christianity verses Feminism with a focus on gender violence against Essay

Christianity verses Feminism with a focus on gender violence against women - Essay Example I was determined to know the roles played by religion and the feminists as discussed in the essay. In this discussion, I will relate Christianity and feminism focusing on gender violence especially on women. In the discussion, I will introduce many concepts integrated in the gender violence; explore the traditional Christian and the feminist’s ways of their violence against women. I will also examine the three books discussed in the class throughout the term and integrate them in my work. Domestic abuse can simply be defined as the war waged in the family against immediate family members especially the spouses2. Domestic abuse employs wide range of tactics such as physical or psychological warfare to their victims. In the Christianity, this is combined to shifting of blame, prejudice and fallen theology making it an entangle issue which is difficult to resolve3. However, â€Å"with all the goodwill and readiness to counter the domestic violence problem among the Christian families, it is close to impossible until the female subordination doctrine which is centrally placed on the issue of gender violence and is also what perpetuates the issue is dealt with.†4 This discrimination, which is institutionalized, thrives on unreasonable fear and hatred for women. Furthermore, it perpetuates the abuse and prevents the Christians from responding to the victims compassionately using bible principles5. Ingersoll further observes that gender based violence forms one of the major violence afflicted to women in the society of today6. In the religion of Christianity, women abuse has become one of the major marital problems being attended by the priests and the counselors. The spousal abuse perpetrators mostly use biblical injunctions and religion to justify their actions. The essay has debunked the myth that it is only through religion that women can be safe from the many kinds of gender violence7. The

No topic needed. It's only essay assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

No topic needed. It's only essay - Assignment Example As a result, the world was divided into two major blocks; communist and capitalist countries. In brief, cold war was all about these two conflicting ideologies. The war started as the two economic giants started using all means possible to lure other countries to follow their economic system, an aspect that had started as a mild problem only to become serious problem later that ultimately split the world into two blocks that were following different ideologies. Korean war (1950-1953) is one of the key factors that fueled cold war in the 1950s whereby USA was leading the UN forces to support South Korea with China, which was a communist power supporting North Korea. In the 1960s, the most remarkable element that perpetuated the war was the Cuban Missile Crisis that took place in 1962. In the 1970s, the main factor that was prolonging the war was the Vietnam War that had started in the late 1960s whereby the American forces were bombing the Northern region that was led by Viet Minh, and later started bombing Cambodia (Davidson, DeLay and Heyrman 168). Other factors included the issue of Nuclear Arms Race that was very popular in the 1970s and in the 1980s. The war later ended in 1985 as a result of a number of factors with the change Soviet leadership being a major factor. Gorbachev who was a modern leader compared to the past generations took over power and introduced various reforms in order to save the country’s economy that was rampantly dwindling. He reduced the military support Soviet was giving her military in other countries thus leading to the weakening of the communism philosophy that led to breakdown of the Berlin Wall in 1989. After Gorbachev, Yeltsin was elected as the Soviet Empire came to an end and completely ended the war. Â   The Vietnam War originated from the attempt by Viet Minh to gain independence from their colonial masters, France. This attempt led to guerrilla war

Critically discuss the proposal that effective HRM policies can Essay

Critically discuss the proposal that effective HRM policies can support the delivery of business strategies and affect their performance. The arguments for and against this proposal-show the evidence - Essay Example Morfeld (2003) however, notes that despite the popularity of the aforementioned initiative, the activities of human resource managers, specifically workplace staffing, can be described as tactical at its best. The author notes that these strategies are in fact, reactive as managers usually scramble to fill in a vacant position upon the resignation of an employee, as an example. Although the abovementioned is at times, unavoidable, Human Resource generalists believe that there are effective ways to use human resource policies to enable a company to deliver strategy and high performance. This strategy usually entails the full support of the corporate leaders. In the same manner, effective HR policies also imply changes within the processes and procedures of the company in order to become successful. Finally, it is also of vital importance to demand commitment and cooperation in all levels of management in order to ensure that a company drafts and implements effectual HR policies. HR seems to have taken a more strategic role in the enterprise – an apparent paradigm shift. The focus on the synthesis of HRM practices and policies with strategy has been depicted as a paradigm shift from an administrative to a strategic thrust or goal (Thomason 1991). Unlike traditional personnel management that is characterized as reactive, parochial, and concentrates on rank and file employees, HRM is proactive in finding and setting up practices and policies which are consistent across all organizational policy areas (Miller 1989; Schuler 1991). The HRM orientation makes it imperative for personnel practices and policies to respond to enterprise needs (Schuler 1991). In addition, HRM considers employees as valued strategic resources instead of merely being overhead cost. A core goal of HRM is the effectual management of people within the enterprise – when done, this is expected to garner competitive advantage (Kamoche 1991; Miller 1989). In comparison with