Information Technology On Nursing Practices Health And Social Care Essay

Information Technology On Nursing Practices Health And Social Care Essay Methodology -Survey based instrument was used to gather the responses from the nurses working in leading hospitals having more 300 beds in Tiruchirappalli district. 70 respondents participated in this survey. Findings Chi-square test revealed that demographic characteristics of nurses and usage of information technology are independent The results of factor analysis demonstrated that softwares, data bases, file tranfer and input devices are significant in explaining confidence level among nurses and factors like computer access, perception about information technology, connectivity, and shortage of computers are significant in creating barriers in usage of information technolgy. The extent to which nurses access and use information technology and the purposes for which nurses use information technolgy are also highlighted. Limitations- This study is limited to only hospitals and the results. The results may not be applicable to other business organizations. Keywords Information Technology, Nursing, Hospital INTRODUCTION The impact of information technology on nursing has been a subject of discourse and dissertation for the latter half of the 20 (th) centuries and the early part of the 21(st). That this burgeoning technology has impacted the way nurses nurse can be without doubt. Whether this technology has and will have a negative or positive outcome on nursing practice is where the debate centres. This study was undertaken with an objective of analysing the debate that surrounds the issues of the impact of Information Technology (IT) on nursing practice. The study is also intended mainly to findout the extent and use of information technology on nursing practices. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Toofany, Swaleh (2006) examined the attitude of nurses to the use of information technology (IT) in health care in Great Britain. A system is being developed by the Department of Health that will allow nurses to retrieve the health records of patients from core computer storage. A nurse does not consider themselves as having central roles in IT management. Many commentators believe that technophobia among nurses continues despite the increasing need for them to employ IT in health care Porter-OGrady, Tim (1999) had undertaken a study on Technology Demands Quick-change Nursing Roles. The study mainly focused on how nursing managers must face the emerging technological changes in health care and what is the impact of technology on nursing care and role of the manager in relation to the changes. Simpson, Roy L (2006) in their study, focused on the significance of information technology (IT) to nursing. It is said that a new way of practicing evidence-based nursing will rely on IT. The mindset about the importance of IT is said to be the most challenging hindrance to IT ubiquity. The elements that are necessary to IT ubiquity in nursing are products, learning, access and need. Rollins, Gina (2007) reported on the growing number of nurses in the U.S. who are leaving hospitals to enter the clinical informatics field as electronic health records proliferate. A recent survey by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society found the top three job responsibilities for nurse informatics include systems implementation, systems development and liaison or communicator. Simpson, Roy L.(2002) in their study on The virtual reality revolution: technology changes nursing education discussed the benefits of virtual technology for the improvement of nursing education. The author also focussed on background on limited opportunities for nursing students to practice their skills; Advantages of using virtual reality technologies in improving the clinical skills of nursing students are also highlighted. Information on several nursing simulation tools were also presented in this study. Simpson, Roy L (2007) presents an analysis of how increasing the number of informatics-trained nurses can help in the continual growth of demand for nurses in the U.S. A paradigm of the supply-side economics was provided to compare the positive effect of stimulating supply than demand. The healthcare industry has reached the world of information technology (IT) so that nurses should then learn the language that it speaks, which is informatics. The author contends that the amount of effort, time and money can be saved if informatics-trained nurses are indeed pursued as a focus of development in the industry. Wallis, Alison (2007) in his study on Clinical data standards and nursing describes the benefits of information and communications technology programmes, often referred to as electronic health (e-health), to nurses in Great Britain. Among its contributions to patient care include its ability to offer ways of sharing patient information and the access it provides clinical data for benchmarking and audit. The benefits of data standards accrue to nurses at all levels, whether they work in direct patient care, in unit management or at health board level. Brommeyer, Mark (2005) explains the concept of e-health healthcare technology. The authoer also highlighted the advantages of adopting e-health; Information and communication technologies being used in most hospitals are also studied and Implications of using the technology are clearly furnished in his study. Hudson, Kathleen (2007), in his study Innovations in cardiac nursing and technology deals with several areas in which emerging technologies in cardiac nursing are most promising. The three options that exist for heart failure patients include destination therapy, bridge to transplant and bridge to recovery. A cost-effective risk predictor is the Electrocardiogram T-wave analysis using microvolt T-wave alternans. Cardiac performance can be reliably assessed by non-invasive ambulatory impedance cardiography. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The present study is undertaken to find out the following. To identify the extent to which nurse have access to and use information technology and information management systems. To identify the purposes for which nurses use information techonolgy and information mangement systems. To find the association between the demographic profile and the work related activities with using computer To identify the variables and their grouping into factors that influence level of confidence in the use of the following systems like input devices, software packages, data storages, and file transfer. To understand the barriers that prevents nurses from benefitng from information technology and information management system. 3.1 The Sampling Design A private hospital was chosen for conducting this study. The study has taken into account the various aspects of information technology and its impact on nursing practices. A sample of 70 nurses has been chosen from the populaton of 147 nurses working in same hospital using simple random sampling method. The tabulated description of demographic details of sample is presented in Table 1. Table 1. Frequency Distribution of sample demographics S.no Variables Number Frequency (%) 1 Gender Female 70 100 2 Age Below 30 55 79 30-40 15 21 3 Designation Staff Nurse 42 60 ANM 25 36 Surgical technician 2 3 Anesthesia technician 1 1 4 Shift timing Continuous shift worker 54 77 Day shift worker 7 10 Evening shift worker 4 6 Night shift worker 1 1 Morning and Evening shift worker 3 4 Evening and night shift worker 1 1 5 Qualifications Diploma 46 66 UG 12 17 PG 2 3 Other 10 14 6 Department General ward 43 61 Annexe ward 7 10 Operation Theatre 7 10 Dialysis Unit 4 6 ICU 9 13 3.2 Data Collection The data was collected from the nurses of the selected hospital through a questionaire which has 11 parts, namely; Demographic characteristics and background of IT Access and Use of computers Use of Information Technology Access to Internet and Intranet Knowledge of current Health I.T initiatives Job requirement for I.T Training and Education about Information technology Barriers to use of computers Technical support Management attitudes and support Security 3.3 Measurement Scale The questionaire consisted of a series of statements, where the nurses were requested to provide answers in the form of agreement or disagreement and good or poor and rarely or frequently and confident or not confident to express their perceptions towards information technology. A Likert scale was used. DATA ANALYSIS 4.1 Chi Square Analysis 4.1.1 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Age and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between age and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between age and Work related activities at Home computer. 4.1.2 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Designation and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between designation and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between designation and Work related activities at Home computer. 4.1.3 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Shift timings and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between shift timings and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between shift timings and Work related activities at Home computer. 4.1.4 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Qualifications and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between qualifications and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between qualifications and Work related activities at Home computer. 4.1.5 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Department and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between department and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between department and Work related activities at Home computer. The values of chi-square statistics obtained from chi-squre distribution table for all 5 combinations are 14.07, 32.67, 49.80, 32.67 and 41.337 in that order and the calculated chi-square statistics values are 12.853, 25.408, 36.97, 26.34 and 34.14 in that order which lies in the acceptance region. Thus, the null hypothesis can not be rejected .So, it can be concluded that demomograhpic characteristcs of nurses are independent with regard to work related activities at home computer on the basis of statistical evidence at 5 % level of significance. Results of chi-square are presented in Table 3. Table 3: Results of Chi-squre Analysis S.no Variables Chi-square statistic 1 Age and Work related activities at Home computer. 12.853 2 Designation and Work related activities at Home computer. 25.408 3 Shift timings and Work related activities at Home computer. 36.97 4 Qualifications and Work related activities at Home computer. 26.34 5 Department and Work related activities at Home computer. 34.14 4.2 Factor Analysis 4.2.1 Key dimension: Level of confidence in using computers Data validity for factor analysis was calculated using KMO Measure of sampling adequacy. The minimum acceptable level is 0.5. Since calculated Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (0.859 ) is greater than 0.5, so it is appropriate to do factor analysis. Hence Bartletts test of sphericity value is 1144.756, it is also a kind of chi-square and it is significant. The results of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartletts test of sphericity are shown in table 5. Table 5: KMO and Bartletts Test Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy. .859 BartlettsTestof Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 1144.756 Df 153.000 Sig. .000 Table 6: Total Variance Explained Component Initial Eigen values Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % 1 9.288 51.599 51.599 9.288 51.599 51.599 2 1.926 10.698 62.298 1.926 10.698 62.298 3 1.468 8.154 70.452 1.468 8.154 70.452 4 1.254 6.965 77.416 1.254 6.965 77.416 5 .869 4.830 82.246 6 .728 4.044 86.290 7 .476 2.642 88.933 8 .353 1.960 90.893 9 .334 1.853 92.746 10 .264 1.465 94.211 11 .237 1.319 95.530 12 .225 1.250 96.780 13 .148 .820 97.600 14 .140 .778 98.379 15 .107 .596 98.975 16 .087 .481 99.455 17 .055 .308 99.763 18 .043 .237 100.000 The Principal Component Analysis was used for extraction method. The Table 6 reveals that 4 factors have been extracted out of 18 variables that exceed the Eigen value of one. The variables less than the Eigen value of one are not considered during extraction method. Table 7: Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % 6.626 36.812 36.812 2.707 15.038 51.850 2.660 14.777 66.627 1.942 10.790 77.416 The Table 7 shows that Factor 1, factor 2, factor 3 and factor 4 explain a variation of 36.812%, 15.038%, 14.777%, 10.790% respectively and together show the variance of 77.416%. Table 8: Rotated Component Matrix Component 1 2 3 4 Apple Mac OS .888 .125 .204 .106 SPSS .853 .212 .245 -.014 Reference tools .836 .199 .291 -.072 Spreadsheet .811 .219 .152 .065 Evidence based practice resources .810 .116 .399 -.020 Data projector .773 .226 .271 -.056 USB .766 .113 .446 .030 Presentation .684 .376 -.042 .272 Touchscreeen .645 .282 .131 .212 Wi ndows OS .590 .232 .150 .355 Email .294 .868 .223 -.018 Intranet .149 .842 .267 .030 Internet .497 .741 .052 -.112 Data base .195 .260 .882 .085 Cd/DVD ROM .399 .338 .754 .079 Word processing .352 .039 .700 .157 Keyboard .048 .045 .067 .920 Mouse .066 -.108 .118 .880 Table 9: Naming of Factors Factor 1 Software Packages Factor 2 File Transfer Factor 3 Data Storage Factor 4 Input devices Apple Mac OS Email Data base Keyboard SPSS Intranet CD/DVD ROM Mouse Reference tools Internet Word processing Spreadsheet Evidence based practice resources Data projector USB Presentation Touchscreeen Windows OS It is infered that factor 1 consists of ten variables of which Apple Mac OS , SPSS and Reference tools are found to be significant with a variation of 36.812%. Factor 2 consists of three variables of which email and intrant are significant with a variation of 15.038%. Factor 3 consists of three a variable of which database is significant with a variation of 14.777%. Factor 4 consists of two variables of which key board is significant with a variation of 10.790 %. Based on the results of factor loading (table 8), the factors are named which is given in table 9. 4.2.2 Key Dimension: Barriers to access of computers Data validity for factor analysis was calculated using KMO Measure of sampling adequacy. The minimum acceptable level is 0.5. Since calculated Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (0.685) is greater than 0.5, so it is appropriate to do factor analysis. Hence Bartletts test of sphericity value is 592.529, it is also a kind of chi-square and it is significant. The results of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartletts test of sphericity are shown in table 10. Table 10: KMO and Bartletts Test Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy. .685 Bartletts Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 592.529 Df 153.000 Sig. .000 Table 11: Total Variance Explained Component Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % 1 6.105 33.916 33.916 6.105 33.916 33.916 2 1.759 9.774 43.689 1.759 9.774 43.689 3 1.581 8.785 52.475 1.581 8.785 52.475 4 1.517 8.430 60.905 1.517 8.430 60.905 5 1.150 6.390 67.294 1.150 6.390 67.294 6 .982 5.455 72.750 7 .828 4.599 77.348 8 .736 4.092 81.440 9 .642 3.568 85.008 10 .528 2.931 87.939 11 .458 2.544 90.482 12 .403 2.241 92.723 13 .327 1.815 94.538 14 .284 1.579 96.117 15 .246 1.365 97.482 16 .208 1.157 98.640 17 .158 .876 99.516 18 .087 .484 100.000 Table 11 reveals that 5 factors have been extracted out of 18 variables that exceed the Eigen value of one.The variables less than the Eigen value of one are not considered during extraction method. Table 12: Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % 3.715 20.641 20.641 3.282 18.235 38.876 2.084 11.578 50.454 1.822 10.121 60.575 1.210 6.720 67.294 The table 12 shows that factor 1, factor 2, factor 3 and factor 4 explain a variation of 20.641%, 18.235%, 11.578%, 10.121% and 6.720% respectively and together show the variance of 67.274%. Table 13: Rotated Component Matrix Component 1 2 3 4 5 Too many work demands .727 .023 .177 .150 .310 Confidence in use .726 .305 -.077 .074 -.285 IT knowledge .712 .086 -.087 .053 .063 Response time of computer .678 .191 .359 -.014 .141 Working in computer does not fit my work demand .675 .091 .491 .082 .137 Lack of IT support .622 .471 .019 .086 -.053 Attitudes of IT Department .368 .802 .051 .118 -.106 Discouragement by others .059 .758 .065 .102 .054 Patient and others are resentful of me at the computer -.074 .692 -.131 .030 .361 Concerns about health and safety .274 .678 .232 .016 -.088 Lack of encouragement by mgmt .380 .537 .267 .080 .267 Age -.057 -.049 .852 .040 .088 Senior staff take priority .322 .511 .600 .068 -.054 Not having Interest in using computer .466 .248 .530 .029 -.020 Location of computer I use .242 -.096 -.195 .813 .235 Unreliable connections -.136 .268 .316 .787 .091 Log on is too long .230 .212 .082 .670 -.465 Not enough computers .182 .139 .097 .092 .687 Factor 1 Computer Access Factor 2 Perception Factor 3 Usage of Computer Factor 4 Connectivity Factor 5 Not having enough computers Too many work demands Attitudes of IT Department Age Location of computer I use Not enough computers Confidence in use Discouragement by others Senior staff take priority Unreliable connections IT knowledge Patient and others are resentful of me at the computer Not having Interest in using computer Log on is too long Response time of computer Concerns about health and safety Working in computer does not fit my work demand Lack of encouragement by mgmt Lack of IT support Table 14: Naming of Factors It is also infered that Factor 1 consists of six variables of which variables like too much demand of work and confidence in used are found to be significant with a variation of 20.641%. Factor 2 consists of five variables of which variable namely Attitudes of IT deparment is significant with a variation of 18.235 %. Factor 3 consists of three variables of which variable namely age is significant with a variation of 11.578%. Factor 4 consists of three variables of which location of computers is significant with a variation of 10.121%. Factor 5 consists of one variable of which not enough computers is significant with a variation of 6.720 %. Based on the results of factor loading (Table 13), the factors are named which is given in table 14. CONCLUSIONS The conclusions derived in empirical analysis are summaried below. Most of the nurses are aware of Information Technology Practices prevailing in their workplace. There is a common consensus that Information Technology reduces the errors in handling the Patient/client data. Nurses use information technology for the purposes like professonal development, clinical care, patient care, administration, research and communication. Regarding the extent of access, majority of nurses disagree that they avoid using computers at their work. They have also realized the importance of using computers in their work. It is also found that use of information technology enables nurses in reducing errors in patient data and also helps in reducing duplication. There is also common agreemnt on the fact that Information technolgy made their job easier. Since the nurses are able to realize the importance of Information technolgy for their employer, they prefer that training on Information technology has to be provided to them by face-to-face. Many nurses didnt have their personal email id at their workplace and they are not financialy rewarded for the usage of Information technology. There is a lack of confidence in using of systems like Patient/client monitoring ,Diagnostic result access ,Financial management,Staff Management,Delivery and On-line professional journals etc., The demographic characteristics of nurses have a significant impact on the work related activities at their home. Factors like software packages, file transfer, data storage and input devices are significant in explaining the confidence level of nurses regarding the usage of computers. Factors like computer access, perception about Information technology, usage of computers, connectively, shortages of computers are significant in explaining the barriers to access of computers. Based on the findings, few suggestions have been made by researcher which is summarized below: This study should be made every year to evaluate the new practices that can bring in changes in the hospital. The hospital administrators should provide rewarding system for Using of IT in work. The hospitals should also try to remove the barriers for improving the computer access among nurses. The nurses may also be permitted to access the Internet and Intranet in their work place. The management should provide them the training on the basis of the knowledge of current health initiatives It is concluded that the latest development in the IT greatly influences the day today activities of the nurses. So the Hospital Management should take necessary steps to take initiatives for the nurses to access the technology. LIMITATIONS AND FUTHER RESEARCH The results obtained in this study could be subject to some limitations as mentioned below: The study is limited to a particlar hospital in a district. Since it is a service sector it was found to be difficult in meeting the respondents. The findings are based on the responses of 70 moderate sample sizes of nurses. Some avenues for further research are as follows: A further study may be undertaken on factors that influences Information technolgy adoption among nurses and The impact of information technolgy on patient safety A study regarding how information management addressess the nursing issues may also be focussed.

Animal Farm, by George Orwell :: Animal Farm Essays

Animal Farm was written by George Orwell and published in 1946. This story is about the Manor Farm in England, around the time of the Russian revolution. The animals on this farm started their own revolution because they were so irritated with the way they were being treated. At the beginning of the story, the Old Major calls a meeting in the barn and speaks about Rebellion and Animalism. Shortly after that the Old Major died’s and then the rebellion starts to take place. Mr. Jones is like a bad guy to the Animals. Napoleon to is also another major villain. But after Jones is gone, all of his tools are burned, and now its time for the animals to take a look around the farmhouse. The name Manor Farm is changed to Animal Farm and the Seven Commandments are established. They then start to begin the hay harvest. During the hay harvest Boxer says, â€Å"I will work harder† as his personal motto. The harvest turned out to be a success. At this point the pigs are now beginning to abuse their power. Pretty soon the pigeons are sent to spread the word of the rebellion to other animals. And Mr. Jones tries to recapture the farm in the Battle of the Cowshed. Mr. Jones was unable to defeat the animals, therefore the animals got a boost of confidence. Now at this point Mollie runs away and Snowball begins his plans for a windmill. When Snowball’s plans are finished, Napoleon’s dog’s start to chase him off the farm. The farm just lost the best leader they could have had. They loose their chance to give input on what direction the farm should go, and Napoleon begings blaming Snowball for all the things that he did not do. Now Napoleon sets the animals to work on Sundays again and acquires Mr. Whymper as the farm’s broker. Napoleon starts to sell some of the farm’s produce. And the pigs start sleeping one hour later, and in beds. Then the windmill gets blown over and Snowball gets the blame. At this point the pigs still continue to abuse the power and stealing from the other animals. Napoleon stops making appearances to the other animals and makes a deal with Mr. Whymper to sell 400 eggs a week. Napoleon also gets some animals to confess of wrong doings and then â€Å"makes examples of them,† by killing them.

Ethical Teachings in Christianity and Islam Essay example -- Ethics,

There are several ethical teachings in Christianity and Islam that instruct Christians and Muslims on how they should act in everyday life. These ethical teachings often require the members of each religion to give generously to the welfare of those in need. This essay will prove that both Islam and Christianity have ethical teachings that instruct people to give to the needy. This will be proved by first defining what an ethical guideline or teaching is, by looking at the Islamic ethical guidelines that instruct Muslims to help those in need and finally through analysing the Christian ethical guidelines that teach Christians to contribute to the welfare of those in need. Ethics is the explicit, philosophical reflection on moral beliefs and practices to clarify what is right and wrong and what human beings should freely do or refrain from doing. Therefore ethical guidelines are the guidelines set out to tell human beings what they should freely do and what they should refrain from based on whether it is right or wrong. Ethical guidelines in Christianity teach Christians how they should act so that their daily living reflects spiritual principles and supports the purpose and value of this world. For example the Ten Commandments were made by God to teach human beings to refrain from things such as stealing, murder and not loving your neighbour. Islamic ethical guidelines can be found in Islamic law. There are laws on how Muslims should treat one another and how they should behave towards Allah. For example the third Pillar of Islam; Zakat, teaches Muslims to give their left over wealth to the poor and needy. This guideline was passed down from Allah to teach Muslims that they should treat the poor and needy with respect and help ... ...welfare to the needy as it teaches that those who give to the needy will be accepted into heaven. Both Islam and Christianity have obvious ethical teachings that require Muslims and Christians to contribute welfare to those in need. The teachings of Zakat, Mohammed’s sermons, the Qur’an passages and the teaching of jihad all instruct Muslims to give their extra wealth to those in need. The Bible passages about the poor teach Christians to give money to the needy as well. These teachings are invaluable to Islamic and Christian society as due to these teachings Muslims and Christians give more money to the poor and thus as a result of these teachings poor people in Islamic and Christian society are better supported. Works Cited Holy Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale, 2005. Print. The Qur’an: Translation. Trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Elmhurst: Tahrike, 2000. Print.

Sir Gawain And The Green Knight: The Role Of Women :: essays research papers

In the fourteenth century, chivalry was in decline due to drastic social and economic changes. Although feudalism-along with chivalry-would eventually fall for other reasons, including a decrease in cheap human resources due to a drop in population caused by plague epidemics and the emergence of a mercantile middle class, the Gawain author perceived a loss of religious values as the cause of its decline. Gawain and the Green Knight presents both a support of the old feudal hierarchies and an implicit criticism of changes by recalling chivalry in its idealized state in the court of King Arthur. The women in the story are the poet's primary instruments in this critique and reinforcement of feudalism. The poet uses the contrast between the Virgin Mary with Lady Bertilak's wife to point out the conflict between courtly and spiritual love that he felt had weakened the religious values behind chivalry. The poem warns that a loss of the religious values behind chivalry would lead to its ul timate destruction. Although superficially Sir Gawain and the Green Knight appears to be a romantic celebration of chivalry, it contains wide-ranging serious criticism of the system. The poet is showing Gawain's reliance on chivalry's outside form and substance at the expense of the original values of the Christian religion from which it sprang. The first knights were monastic ones, vowing chastity, poverty and service to God, and undertaking crusades for the good of their faith. The divergence between this early model and the fourteenth century knight came with the rise of courtly love in which the knights were led to their great deeds by devotion to a mistress rather than God. The discrepancy between this and the church's mistrust of women and desires of the flesh is obvious, and the poet uses women in the story to deliver this message. In contrast to reality at the time, women in the story are given great power: Mary, when properly worshiped, gives Gawain his power, Lady Bertilak operates alone in th e bedroom and singlehandedly taints the chevalier, and Morgan the Fay instigates the entire plot, wielding enough power. The author is using them as a metaphor for other anti-social forces and dangers outside the control of feudalism and chivalry, drawing upon biblical and classical examples in his audience's minds of where femininity is linked with subversiveness. Lady Bertilak is clearly seen in the Biblical role of the temptress, the Eve who led Adam astray--in Gawain, she represents the traditional female archetypes of courtly love, disobedience, lust and death. Sir Gawain And The Green Knight: The Role Of Women :: essays research papers In the fourteenth century, chivalry was in decline due to drastic social and economic changes. Although feudalism-along with chivalry-would eventually fall for other reasons, including a decrease in cheap human resources due to a drop in population caused by plague epidemics and the emergence of a mercantile middle class, the Gawain author perceived a loss of religious values as the cause of its decline. Gawain and the Green Knight presents both a support of the old feudal hierarchies and an implicit criticism of changes by recalling chivalry in its idealized state in the court of King Arthur. The women in the story are the poet's primary instruments in this critique and reinforcement of feudalism. The poet uses the contrast between the Virgin Mary with Lady Bertilak's wife to point out the conflict between courtly and spiritual love that he felt had weakened the religious values behind chivalry. The poem warns that a loss of the religious values behind chivalry would lead to its ul timate destruction. Although superficially Sir Gawain and the Green Knight appears to be a romantic celebration of chivalry, it contains wide-ranging serious criticism of the system. The poet is showing Gawain's reliance on chivalry's outside form and substance at the expense of the original values of the Christian religion from which it sprang. The first knights were monastic ones, vowing chastity, poverty and service to God, and undertaking crusades for the good of their faith. The divergence between this early model and the fourteenth century knight came with the rise of courtly love in which the knights were led to their great deeds by devotion to a mistress rather than God. The discrepancy between this and the church's mistrust of women and desires of the flesh is obvious, and the poet uses women in the story to deliver this message. In contrast to reality at the time, women in the story are given great power: Mary, when properly worshiped, gives Gawain his power, Lady Bertilak operates alone in th e bedroom and singlehandedly taints the chevalier, and Morgan the Fay instigates the entire plot, wielding enough power. The author is using them as a metaphor for other anti-social forces and dangers outside the control of feudalism and chivalry, drawing upon biblical and classical examples in his audience's minds of where femininity is linked with subversiveness. Lady Bertilak is clearly seen in the Biblical role of the temptress, the Eve who led Adam astray--in Gawain, she represents the traditional female archetypes of courtly love, disobedience, lust and death.

Realism in “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens Essay

Realism was developed by the middle of the 19th century as a response to the idealistic world of romanticism which had dominated for the past half century. It was an aesthetic movement which attempted to hold up a mirror to its society to show a true reflection of reality. Although claiming to offer a slice of life by emphasizing chiefly in the importance of the ordinary amongst the middle and lower classes, realism is a relative concept, a representation of reality which adheres to a loose collection of conventions. Many of these are offered in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, which follows the life and struggles of the protagonist and narrator, Pip. Dickens uses techniques such as a chronological linear narrative, an omniscient narrator, the celebration of the ordinary, and the resolution of the enigma to drive the moral undercurrents of Pip’s everyday existence. This constructed realism is essentially a representation of reality based on Dickens ideology, offerin g social commentary and reflecting the values and attitudes of nineteenth century England. see more:old age home article The basic structure of Great Expectations follows a chronological development of Pip’s life; from his childhood innocence, to his disillusioned expectations, finally his rejection of the high life and a circular succession ending back at the beginning. This chronological structure of which Dickens narrates exemplifies Pip’s learning process through his moral and emotional turmoil and complies with the opportunity to generate a realistic setting. For example, Pip’s description of London, â€Å"a most dismal place; the skylight eccentrically patched like a broken head, and the distorted adjoining houses looking as if they had twisted themselves to peep down at me through it,† creates an archaeologically realistic description of London, and hints a sense of foreboding, foreshadowing the futility of Pip’s expectations. This ideology developed through Pips learning process is created through a carefully crafted linear plot in order to present fiction as reality. Reflected by the matured Pip in the perspective of the omniscient narrator, Great Expectations’ first person narration employs the wisdom of hindsight to define the events and characters of the story. Dickens imbues the voice of the matured Pip to make judgments on his past actions, at the Christmas  dinner for instance, Pip experiences a deep desire to tweak Mr. Wopsle’s large nose–to â€Å"pull it until he howled.† The older Pip narrates this encounter comically and sympathetically, conveying his youthful innocence through the perspective of a child. This convention of retrospect produces a sense of psychological depth and compassion, given access to Pip’s feelings, thoughts and motivations. As the newly democratic age finds importance in the individual, essentially Great Expectations is both an external novel in Pip’s commentary of the society around him and an internal novel in the development of his perspective. By evoking consciousnes s of Pip’s character, Dickens coaxes the audience to enter the illusion of reality. Furthermore, in parallel to the importance of the individual, realism tends to concern its interests in the commonplace and ordinary everyday lives among the lower classes. Through the characters of Great Expectations, Dickens celebrates the commonplace, employing Pip, the most ordinary of subjects, as a central vehicle instilled to investigate his social reality and to express ideological views on society. Biddy, for instance â€Å"was not beautiful – she was common, and could not be like Estella – but she was pleasant and wholesome and sweet-tempered.† Despite her humble position in society Biddy emerges with admirable values, which contrasts to the cold beauty, cruelty and deception of Estella. In accordance to realist conventions concerned with rejecting the ideal, Dickens portrays the upper class with great malice, greed and corruption as Miss Havisham encourages Estella to torment Pip, whispering â€Å"Break their hearts!† Ideologically driven, realism is deliberate in rejoicing in the ordinary, and condemning the supreme. Moreover, realism is largely concentrated on ideologically driven values as the central issues of life tend to be ethical. Dickens paints the lower class to embody a high moral ground and rejects the false values of the upper class. Drummle, for instance, is an upper-class lout, while Magwitch, a persecuted convict, has a deep inner worth. This concept is developed with greater depth in the character of Joe, of which despite his position in society, his unrefined and uneducated qualities, is identified as the epitome of goodness. As a true ‘gentleman’, â€Å"It was not because I was  faithful, but because Joe was faithful,† Joe contrasts to the aspirations Pip seeks to become, of which Dickens shows as corrupt and materialistic. It was Joe’s â€Å"quiet goodness† stemming from honestly, empathy and kindness, which compelled Pip, as he reflects in retrospect, to reject the values of this society in favor of an inner morality. Additionally, a sense of ending is invested in Great Expectations which resolves the plot. The learning process Pip embarks on educates him on the futility of his expectations, and his hopes to return as a gentleman is a complete failure: Estella reminds him coldly that she has â€Å"no heart.† In Pip’s case, closure is restored through his moral development and growth, epitomized in his reconciliation with Joe and Biddy. His maturation toward adulthood is symbolized by his desire to rectify his behaviour toward his lower class loved ones. Pip has at last learned that love, loyalty and morality hold more value than social class and wealth. On a different vein, at times Great Expectations does not remain faithful to the conventions of realism. Dickens tends to slip in and out of reality, deviating from realism to social satire, using hyperbole to satirize the pretentiousness of Pumblechook’s social improvement â€Å"a large hard-breathing middle-aged slow man, with a mouth like a fish, dull staring eyes†¦looked as if he had just be all but choked.† The gothic genre is also apparent in Pip’s first description of Miss Havisham, â€Å"†¦ought to be white, had lost its luster, and was faded and yellow. I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress†¦Now, waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me.† The audience’s first impression of Miss Havisham is thus one of darkness, mystery and terror. With these constructed implications, realism is considered a loose convention as Dickens deviates between reality and the conventi ons of other genres. It can be seen that Great Expectations exhibits aspects of realism as it assumes that reality inheres in the here and now, in the everyday. Dickens employs themes including accurate descriptions of specific setting, the chronological structure of the story, the omniscient narrator, the importance of the ordinary, the pedestrian, and the middle class with  tendency to reject the ideal and the resolution of the enigma. Dickens also tends to deviate between different genres in contrast to the realistic portrayal of certain aspects in society. When these constructs are applied in literature, a set of conventions emerges, however in order to mimic reality they only offer an abstraction of reality reflecting the values and ideology of the composer’s context. With that said, literary realism is essentially a representation of the world based on the attitudes of the composer, carefully constructed to a set of conventions.

Defining Human Resource Management: Function and Roles Essay

homo preference direction conducts several operations, and plays a vital fictitious character in organic laws. galore(postnominal) employees look to pieceity pick apportionment for assistance and representation. A orders ability to manage people soundly can get a more successful take away-up, and in like manner helps importanttain a more spirited work force, which in turn aids companies in keeping a competitive adjoin in many of todays industries. The following information defines mankindkind race imaging precaution, touches on personal experience, and examines the functions and roles homo imaginativeness counseling plays in an scheme. gentleman preference focusHuman imaginativeness guidance helps organizations to obtain and develop employees. People exist any organizations most valuable asset, and sufficiently motivating and maintaining a well-trained custody aloneows organizations to finish at optimal levels. Human imaging management acts a subs et of management, and coincides with the prep, organizing, leading, and controlling functions hence (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007).From a personal viewpoint, tender-hearted vision management posits several activities. At prior larger employers, hiring, educate, payroll, and conflict resolution were many of these duties, while others included ac attach to society planning, employee benefit disbursement, and annual progress reports. Today, human pick management at a current employer has significantly less duties, as the small property maintenance lodge employs a much smaller workforce of fewer than 15 employees. However, at all places of personal employment the human mental imagery departments had multiple responsibilities related with not whole managing people, but also providing various jump push through functions to the organization.Primary Functions of Human Resource ManagementAccording to DeCenzo and Robbins (2007), two primary responsibilities include, assisting the o rganization in it strategic direction and representing and advocating for the organizations employees (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 34). As previously discussed, human imagery management can involve several organizational activities, but the main focus constitutes supporting both the company and company associates. The four primary human resource management activities that provide organizational support include staffing, employee ontogenesis, motivation, and maintenance (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007).Staffing an organization often requires screening several candidates to seek out the best fit for a particular position. Once hired, human resource departments must provide adequate training and orientation to help not sole(prenominal) new employees, but also grapple along develop and enhance existing company staff. Building a tone of voice workforce for an organization takes time and effort from human resource management teams, largely because as stated by DeCenzo and Robbins (2007), People, not buildings, make a company successful, (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 32).Additionally, the human resource department finds efficient ways to make a motion workers such as benefit packages, motion bonuses, and other influential compensation. This function is extremely important, as it helps build and maintain morale. do people can prove to be a difficult task, and as explained by DeCenzo and Robbins (2007), Human behavior is complex, and trying to construe out what motivates various employees has long been a concern of behavioral scientists (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 40). Finally, the human resource team must maintain effective communications, employee loyalty, and assist in providing a constantly safe and healthy work environs (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007).The Strategic Planning Role of Human Resource ManagementStrategic planning for organizations begins with setting achievable objectives, and the role of human resource management requires finding economically feasib le strategies to meet preset organizational goals. According to DeCenzo and Robbins (2007), This means working with draw in management in analyzing organizational designs, the culture, and surgery systems, and recommending and implementing changes where necessary (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 34). Additionally, this often involves figuring out ways to reduce costs in personnel, while finding more inexpensive ways to offer motivational benefits to employees.Human resource management displays added value to an organization by effectively validating the companys human resource management investments (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007). Despite the size of an organization, a quality emphasis on human resource management builds potential for successful performance efforts. Organizations cannot function without people, and the proper selection and development of employees often benefits from a quality human resource management team. DeCenzo and Robbins (2007) stated, Human resource management is a function of every managers job, not reasonable those who work in human resources (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007, p. 34). Many people tend to think of hiring or payroll when the term HR comes up, when in fact, several important organizational duties and responsibilities come with these positions.ReferencesDeCenzo, D., & Robbins, S. (2007). Fundamentals of human resource management (9th Ed.), Hoboken, NJ John Wiley & Sons, retrieved from the University of Phoenix electronic Library.

First Perceptions of Blanche Dubois Essay

What are your primaeval perceptions of Blanche? In what ways has Tennessee Williams created this response? The delineation of Blanche Dubois as seen in the first chapter of Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named swear is one of astonishment and acceptance. She has obviously had to travel whatever distance to reach her destination and I hypothecate that this has taken its toll on Blanche and affects her patience subsequent on in the scene, and which may also explicate her growing hysteria.The first time the Blanche is depicted by the stage directions, the reader (or view of the play) obviously nonices that she does non fit in with the poor, run down field of study of New Orleans that she had entered Her expression is one of floor dis persuasion looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district Her delicate beauty must(prenominal) avoid a strong light. there is several(prenominal)thing close her uncertain manner, as well as her fair clothes, that suggests a mothFrom this description, we can infer that, like a moth that is attracted to the light or flame, which will undoubtedly burn mark it, she too could be attracted to something that could hurt her in some way. The white that she is wearing also suggests purity and innocence, maybe beaming her arrival to the alien world. Throughout the first scene, Blanche is eer interacting with the varied characters of the play, including Eunice, Stella and Stanley.She also all negotiation to these characters singularly, which allows for melodramatic irony to develop and also concentrates the interaction between her and another character, which allows her to express her different views to the three characters in the opening scene. I intend this allows Blanche to communicate different aspects of her character, and her kindly class, which seems to alter the way she communicates with the different characters she encounters.Blanche talks to Eunice as if she has not spoke n to someone of Eunices class genuinely often. She responds to Eunice with short and simple answers and does not seem to want to get into a discourse with her. Towards the end of their conversation, Blanche seems to get impatient, as she wants to be left wing(p) alone and has a small outburst What I meant was Id like to be left alone. I speak up this reflects Blanche belief of her social class, and that she is above others (especially the black, lower class).After her encounter with Eunice, Blanche is given a short amount of time to reflect on her forward-looking surroundings, which she is obviously not cosy with or use to by her statement to herself Ive got to keep hold of myself. This shows the tension and hysteria expression up within her, which will later on be released. Blanche is much more open and blabbermouthed with her sis, and is thrilled to see her, although disappointed to see that Stella is subsisting in such an area of New Orleans.There seems to be tension between the two sisters, created by their uneasiness of how they talk of their past and the anxious, tension building stares that they give each other, and the way that Blanche seems to control the conversation trying to keep herself talking until she has to stop and consume the reality of her situation and where she is. Blanche also seems to be very defensive of herself, and talks of her pain of watching the great deal round her die in her own home.She seems to value that Stella may look down on her for losing tam-tam Reve, and becomes hysterical towards the end, until she reaches another climax and bursts out with I let the place go? Where were you? In love with your Polak . Blanche also seems concerned with her own self jut But dont look at me, Stella, no, no, no, not till Ive bathed and rested . I think that this also is due to her class and her belief that she is of a higher social status than the mountain around her (with the possible exception of her sister). Her o ther failing seems to be her drinking.She nervously looks around in Stellas and Stanleys flat for some alcohol and has some, save later on says (indirectly) that she had not had one and that she would only drink one a day. I think this may show Blanche nervousness and what she may do when she is nervous. She therefore may use alcohol as an escape from reality, and the place, which she finds herself in. Blanche seems a bit uneasy around Stanley when they first encounter, and is much less talkative than she is to Stella ( perhaps, once again due to her social class beliefs).Also, I think she is not used to people being so direct with her, as Stanley asks her a personal interrogative sentence to do with her last love quite early. This ends in a climax and her proclaiming Im shocked m going to be sick. looking at the scene as a whole, I can see that Blanche is not use to her new environment, and that she is finding it difficult to get used to her settings, possibly because she was caught completely by surprise when she discovered where her sister lived. This I think has took its toll on Blanche as it has weakened her throughout the first scene and make her slightly hysterical.