Diversity Management in Human Resource Management

Executive Summary There is a lot of labor movement in the world today. Organizations are increasingly recruiting people from different backgrounds mainly based on merit. However, there is a deliberate move in the corporate world to recruit people of diverse culture in order to fulfill national or affirmative action requirements.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Diversity Management in Human Resource Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The ensuing collage of people has given rise to issues such as fair treatment, minority and majority issues and workplace environment issues and the need for business entities to come up with innovative methods of human resource management. There is consensus among human resource professionals that better management of workplace diversity will not only lead to better organizational performance but also long-term relations between organizations and communities they deal with. This paper therefore seeks explore issues related with diversity issues to determine how best managers can approach then for the achievement of organizational goals. Introduction Competition in the 21st century business environment has given impetus to the role of human resource management in an organization. Over the years, human resource management has evolved to play a strategic role in organizational success. An issue of acquiring and retaining talent has become a top priority in organizations seeking to establish their niche in the competitive world market. There is an increased emphasis on the role and position of the employee in the contemporary corporation. One of the most distinct characteristics of corporations in the 21st century is their global outreach. Increase in technology especially in the telecoms sectors has enabled faster global expansion of corporations who a few years ago only concentrated on their domestic markets. While diversifying businesses to global mark ets comes with numerous benefits, management of the diverse workforce charged with the responsibility of running the businesses in their respective regions is a challenging task. Diversification to global markets has given rise to diverse global management teams in various corporations that come from different races and ethnicities. Besides race and ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, national origin and gender have become new fronts of employee diversification in the 21st century workplace setting.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Cooper Burke (2005, p. 229), diversity refers to the unique characteristics or differences that a particular group has compared to other people. Many human resource management experts contend that gender diversity is as important as race and ethnical diversity. Human resource management plans are increasingly comprehensive and divers ity issues are taking center stage. Human resource management professionals and consultants consider diversity issues as important human resource management policy areas that need a careful approach in the quest to attract and retain the best talent in the corporate world. This paper will explore diversity issues that a typical human resource management consultant or professional will take into account when crafting human resource management plans and policies. Diversity Issues and their importance in human resource management Importance of effective management of diversity issues in an organization cannot be overstated. Often, there is bound to be both personal and professional differences among people of different ethnicities and races. The important thing, however, is how management through human resource management confronts these challenges to ensure a calm and conducive working environment prevails in order to meet organizational goals and objectives. Failure to effectively ma nage diversity often makes some employees feel discriminated and harassed on the basis of their race, ethnic affiliation or gender. Besides, there can be lawsuits that are likely to paint the organization in bad light. It is, therefore, important for HR professionals and consultants to understand how various diversity issues affect the corporate performance, motivation, and success as well as employee interaction for easier crafting of workable human resource management plans. This is because effective management of diversity accords the organization the advantage and competitive edge in the use of flexibility and creativity to achieve organizational goals.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Diversity Management in Human Resource Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Human resource management Planning and Issues When drafting strategic human resource management plans, diversity is often touted as the univers al inclusion phenomenon. According to expert consultants, the term ‘universal inclusion’ encompasses a broader and somewhat opposite definition than employment discrimination and includes other personal characteristics that affect workplace treatment of employees. In drafting strategic human resource management plans, it is important that they adopt a wide perspective in order to comprehensively address diversity issues. A wide perspective that takes an inclusive approach is key to an effective human resource management strategy especially in balancing between minority and majority issues. Piderit Bilimoria (2006, p. 268) say that strategic human resource management plans must address diversity issues and put in place initiatives that makes one an employer of choice that is capable of attracting and retaining top talent. In effect, excellent management diversity issues must aim at developing high potential employees who will increase productivity of an organization. Su ccessful diversity management is possible through implementation of administrative structures that may include special human resource management units that specifically deal with diversity and report to one of the senior executives of an organization. In advanced settings, Albrecht suggests the formation of diversity councils that can act as a link between specific demographic groups in the local populations (2001, p. 87). This in a way will foster good public relations between the company and the local population and in an indirect way will help boost productivity of the organization Human resource management experts contend that a good strategic diversity program for an organization must include an integration aspect of diversity initiatives into the organization’s change programs. Successful integration will ensure entrenchment of people of minority descent into important management positions in the company. There are many issues concerning diversity in human resource mana gement and policy making. They include the work environment diversity issues, minority and majority issues, fair vs. same treatment, and effect of affirmative action in human resource management diversity management.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Analysis of human resource management diversity issues will take place within the wider context that seeks to address various concerns including; making the workplace appropriate and appealing to different workers from different backgrounds, ensuring underutilized groups in the locality have access to equal opportunity to employment and eliminating both ethical and cultural bias in the recruitment as well as management process. This discussion will focus on the issues above in an effort to underscore their importance when drafting human resource management plans for corporations facing numerous multicultural issues. Issues It is important to note that diversity issues fall in numerous categories. However, culture and ethical issues more often than not trump other aspects when dealing with diversity from a human resource management perspective. The three main issues i.e. workplace environment, fairness and Minority and majority issues as well as affirmative action mainly touch on cul ture and ethics. Workplace Environment Diversity Issues Workplace environment diversity issues touch on both cultural ad ethical aspects of diversity. According to Armstrong (2011, p. 14), the workplace environment is one of the most crucial considerations human resource management professionals have to take into account while drafting policies and plans concerning diversity. He adds that human resource departments should maintain policies that emphasize on inclusion and non-discrimination. There should be conscious efforts to hire people from different backgrounds in order to tap into different experiences and views that will contribute to overall organizational performance. This is especially necessary for companies venturing into new markets when hiring people from the locality is more cost-effective than sending expatriates from the parent company. Cornelius (b) (2002, p. 145) says that when considering workplace environment as a major issue in diversity management, many areas a re focused on. Recruitment of company employees must be done fairly to ensure hired people spot various diversity qualities including race, ethnicity and gender. It is the very first step towards making the work environment a truly diverse place. Jackson Rowley (2009, p. 62) recommend a detailing in the human resource management plans of a diverse range of networking techniques to ensure a company hires the best people regardless of their background. Effective human resource management plans that effectively manage diversity must detail an organization’s approach to interpersonal relations. Interpersonal relations in multicultural office settings are the best approach to remove any preexisting prejudices and stereotypes from among employees. Though not precisely, the plans must detail or give allowance for existence of opportunities to learn about other peoples’ differences through meetings and social events such as retreats. There should be an effort to include in th e meetings and retreats individuals critical to successful interpersonal relations to enhance integration and easier management of diversity. Closely related to interpersonal relations, human resource management plans must detail a comprehensive approach to international communication as part of effective workplace diversity management. This is because effective internal communication easily helps break barriers in a multicultural setting. The plans must provide for effective channels of information sharing among employees through use of professional language and tone. Wright Purcell (2007, p. 521) contend that internal communication has been proven to be one of the most effective tools that managers and other business leaders use to break barriers in a multicultural setting. Effective internal communication increases understanding among employees of different backgrounds effectively fostering harmony. People from different backgrounds come with different needs. For effective manag ement of diversity, strategic human resource management plans must provide for accommodations for physical, mental, cultural and religious needs of individual employees. Providing for such needs has proven effective in fostering the feeling of unity and harmony that is crucial to organizational success. Skinner Searle (2011, p. 14) says that human resource management plans and policies can effectively manage diversity through provision of flexible scheduling for employees of different backgrounds e.g. different religions like Muslims and lactating mothers. In some situations, Cornelius (b) (2001, p. 21) suggests that the plans may consider allowing employees to spot special attire that may be considered ‘’formal’ in the locality. In a multicultural setting, there is bound to be differences in the way employees approach various issues. Human resource management plans must, therefore, detail planning and decision-making aspects in the workplace environment. There should be room for accommodating dissenting and/or alternative views in the organization. This in itself is the essence of diversity in an organization. An understanding that employees come from different backgrounds is crucial and only an inclusion of the above in an effective human resource management plan will effectively help in managing the differences to steer the organization towards its overall goal. Given the dynamism that is associated with workplace diversity issues, it is important for strategic human resource management plans to provide for the enhancement of knowledge and skills about diversity through seminars and forums. Increased understanding of diversity among employees is crucial to successful and effective management of workplace environment in diverse organizational teams. Hollenbeck et al. (2005, p. 65) suggest that strategic human resource management plans must also include elements of performance evaluation for all employees to ensure their commitment to sup porting organizational diversity. In essence, these evaluations will ensure managers and regular employees understand the importance of using appropriate language and communication styles conversant with a diverse workplace environment. Fair Treatment issues Parts of the previous section did dwell on fair treatment of employees as one of the precursors of achieving a perfect work environment where diversity thrives. Piderit Bilimoria (2006, p. 274), however, assert that fair treatment is a major issue when drafting human resource management plans and policies as it sets the pace for employee interrelationship and interpersonal communication. In his discussion of making human resource management plans that ensure fairness in a diverse setting, Armstrong (2011, p. 15) strives to differentiate between fairness and same treatment. While fairness basically means according all people same treatment, treating them all the same may not necessarily work for a diverse staff. For instance, En glish is an official language in many countries. However, proficiency level among nationals of such countries varies greatly. Expatriate managers may at times overlook the above fact and transmit important information in complicated English to both native and expatriate employees. Arguably, the manager is treating all employees equally or the same but, one cannot say for sure if it is fair. Employees with limited English knowledge may not be comfortable and this may in the end invoke feelings of harassment or unfairness. Besides language other important fairness issues in the workplace includes religious freedom and balanced pay. According to Hollenbeck et al. (2005, p. 70), most diversity aspects including culture and ethics have an intricate link to religion. Hollenbeck et al add that religious and political beliefs can be major diversity issues in the workplace and that is why human resource management consultants must consider them while drafting their strategic plans. The plans must acknowledge that religion is a sensitive and important cultural issue in the diverse work environment and employees are entitled to their own beliefs. The plans, therefore, must provide for a mandate for employees to successfully practice their beliefs so long as they do not interfere with organizational operations. Furthermore, strategic human resource management plans must include mechanisms that offer balanced remuneration. Both men and women must be accorded equal remuneration scales. Skinner Searle (2011, p. 20) cite cases where some companies have been accused of implementing parallel systems of pay for expatriates and local employees. They assert that such moves can easily contribute to demoralization of employees thus leading to low rates of productivity. In drafting human resource management plans, therefore, it is prudent that company policies take into account issues of fairness in the treatment of employees in a diverse organization. Fairness as opposed to same tr eatment will easily foster the feeling of comradeship that is crucial to organizational success. There has to be subtle acknowledgement of basic differences among employees in an organization and an elaboration on how such differences will be dealt with. Minority and majority issues and affirmative action According to Jackson Rowley (2009, p. 64), management of diversity involves maximization of employees’ abilities to optimally contribute to organizational growth. One of the externalities affecting diversity, however, is affirmative action trends that are mainly targeted at labor markets. One of the most striking characteristics in any office setting in the 21st century is the imbalance in employee representation. Mostly, the local population makes up the majority of employees in an organization. More often not majority and minorities issues evoke gender debates and the need for equal representation among men and women in an organization. Gender, racial and ethnical equity and economic empowerment initiatives have highlighted the need for gender balancing in an organization. In some cases, authorities require organizations to meet a threshold in the representation of certain demographic groups, a phenomenon popularly referred to as affirmative action. Affirmative action aims at giving advantage to certain demographic groups in the labor market. It mostly lays emphasis on the legal necessity and social responsibility of organizations in hiring people from the minority groups. In a way, affirmative action seeks to foster diversity in organizations through encouraging participation of minority groups in the running of organizations as well as accessing economic opportunities. According to Cooper Burke (2005, p. 239), human resource management professionals and consultants take into account affirmative action issues in the drafting of their strategic plans. Addressing affirmative action as well as minority and majority issues has, therefore, become a maj or consideration that human resource management professionals have to make. It is important to consider the above issues especially in the wake of increased focus on equality in society Issues Wright Purcell (2007, p. 523), however , assert that affirmative action can easily roll back benefits of diversity in an organization. According to him, some employers hire employees to satisfy affirmative action policies and guidelines. In the long run, some employees may feel that they have inadequate access to opportunity and promotion in the workplace because of affirmative action. He suggests that human resource management consultants must draft plans that take into account spillover effects of affirmative action in order to maintain the positive effects of diversity in the workplace. One of the ways that they suggest, which, however, has received criticism from other human resource management consultants, is to disqualify potential minority employees on technicalities if they feel he/sh e does not meet the standards required by the organization. Conclusion Managing diversity is defined as â€Å"planning and implementing organizational systems and practices to manage people so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized while its potential disadvantages are minimized† (Cox 1994, p. 11). Diversity breeds both cultural and ethical issues that affect employees of all cadres in an organization. Most human resource management consultants contend that effective management of diversity provides distinct advantage that highlights the 21st century business trends that emphasize flexibility and creativity. The three broad human resource management issues highlighted in the section above underscore the importance adopting new management methods that are crucial to competitiveness. There is evidence that good management of diversity issues including workplace environment, fair treatment, minority and majority issues and affirmative action breeds heterogeneit y which promotes creativity in an organization especially through production of better problem solutions. Therefore, incorporation of the issues discussed to human resource management plans will offer better solution of higher level problems especially when an organization is going through change and expansion. There is consensus that effective management of diversity helps not only in the realization of competitiveness but, also in acquiring an organization the reputation as an employer of choice. This in effect will help an organization attract and retain the best talent besides significantly reducing turnover costs. Though gender is subtly dealt with in the main issues in the section above, it is one of the issues that have an ethical tag to them. An organization’s human resource management policy can easily tell the ethical principles that the organization pursues concerning placement of both men and women in the running of the organization. Corporation’s desire to expand their global presence, diversity management is ranking high in their agenda. There is consensus among human resource management experts that ignoring diversity is a grave mistake for organization to ignore or adopt a complacent attitude regarding diversity management. Failure to put in place a comprehensive human resource management policy that effectively manages diversity can easily lead to high costs in terms of time and money, low productivity and inefficiency. There is also likely to be high turnover costs besides failure by an organization to attract high quality employees Reference List Albrecht, M 2001, International human resource management: managing diversity in the workplace, Springer, New York. Armstrong, M 2011, Armstrong’s Handbook of Strategic Human resource management, Springer, Berlin. Cooper, L Burke, R 2005, Reinventing human resource management: challenges and new directions, Thomson Learning, New York. Cornelius, N 2001, Human resource managemen t: a managerial perspective, Thomson Learning, Melbourne. Cornelius, N 2002, Building workplace equality: ethics, diversity and inclusion, Sage Publications, New York. Cox , T1994, Cultural diversity in organizations: Theory, research, practice, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, CA. Hollenbeck, J et al. 2005, Fundamentals of Human resource management, Springer, Chicago. Jackson, K Rowley, C 2009, Human Resources Management; The Key Concepts, Sage Publications, London. Piderit, S Bilimoria, D 2006, Handbook on women in business and management, Routledge, New York. Skinner, D Searle, R 2011, Trust and Human resource management, Cengage Learning, New York. Wright, P Purcell, J 2007, The Oxford Handbook of Human resource management, Sage Publications, London. This report on Diversity Management in Human Resource Management was written and submitted by user Irvin Hart to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

9 Tips from Writing a Query a Day How Seinfeld, Fleetwood Mac, and a Writer Inspired Me

9 Tips from Writing a Query a Day How Seinfeld, Fleetwood Mac, and a Writer Inspired Me As a freelance writer, I dislike when editors don’t respond to a query. That frustration hampers my marketing, deterring me from sending queries to major markets very often. My list of feature article ideas sat unused for a long time, longing for homes. Until now. Last month I stumbled onto a writer’s blog about making querying a numbers game where they suggested a class entitled â€Å"30 Queries in 30 Days.† That same day I read Jerry Seinfeld’s approach to productivity: Mark an x on the calendar every day you’ve finished your task, and never break the chain. (SEE: Mridu Khullar Relph mridukhullar.com/ecourse-30-days-30-queries ) Soon I was cranking up Fleetwood Mac’s song â€Å"The Chain† and establishing my calendar. As the band echoed â€Å"You must never break the chain,† I looked at February. Can I write 28 queries or submissions in 28 days? Did I need a class or should I just buckle down? I chose the latter. Here’s what I learned from writing a query a day for a month: Ideas breed more ideas. Ever just brainstormed? The same creativity applies with queries. I started February with a list of 28 ideas, but ended with 40. As I would work with one query, I would think of another idea. Build it, and they will come. Surprise! I heard back from some national markets. If they said no, they said why. They consider professional queries. I have a journalism degree, worked at a CBS affiliate in college, and wrote for a federal agency’s press office for a decade. As a freelancer, I’ve had articles and essays published in locals, regionals, trades, anthologies. With clips and a website, you build infrastructure - voila, your last paragraph of a good query. He’s just not that into you. When the editors don’t respond? Face the fact your idea is not for them. They know their readers better. Or they’ve run something similar. Follow-up, then target the next market and revise. Your email works! Whenever I didn’t get an answer from a sporadic query, I wondered if my email was working or was considered spam on the other end. However, once I regularly sent queries daily, using the premise it’s a numbers game, I got more responses. (Though most haven’t responded yet.) The early bird doesn’t always catch the worm. Because you’re rushing to tailor a query Your paid subscriptions to freelance newsletters are worth it. I checked MediaBistro, TOTAL FFW, ASJA, and Freelance Success archives. Checked Writer’s Digest/Writer’s Market and the magazines masthead to get a editorial contact or email formula. A little help from your friends. When I emailed a writer-friend because she had written for a magazine I was querying, she warned me of issues there. Be helpful with other writers, and they’ll reciprocate. You’ll experience â€Å"rejectance.† Another writer-friend coined this term about acceptance in a rejection. Some editors asked for more ideas from me. Another editor gave me the lowdown on recent changes there. Some explained exactly why they couldn’t use it. Helpful rejections = rejectance! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I heard some no’s. I was also asked to give away an article for free (no). When a door is closed, open a window; re-work it for another market. A February rejection is a March submission; think follow-up opportunities. While I wish I could say I have 28 yesses in my inbox, I cannot. But as I await answers, I’ve beaten procrastination, released ideas, gained editorial contacts, generated leads, and felt productive marking an x on each day of my calendar. â€Å"Never break the chain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or yada yada yada. Thanks, Jerry.

The American Constitution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The American Constitution - Research Paper Example This essay discusses the Robert Morris from Pennsylvania, the "investor" of the Revolution, who began the events with a nomenclature Gen. George Washington for the presidency of the Constitutional Convention. The vote was undoubtedly unanimous. With distinctive traditional humility, Washington articulated his discomfiture at his lack of qualifications to be in charge over such an imposing body and apologized for any errors into which he may plummet in the path of its negotiations. Thus began the majestic ‘beginning’ of the constitution of the greatest economic epicenter of modern day. The Anti-Federalist, played a key role in how the United States was going to function as a Government and the effect the Anti-Federalist paper had on the creation of our constitution. The Anti-Federalist movement, should be given credit in helping to shape our constitution, their cause was a major stumbling block that had to be resolve in order for a more perfect union that protects each in dividual States. The Federalists had more than an innovative political plan and a well-chosen name to aid their cause. The Anti-Federalists were a rebellious alliance of citizens who disagreed with the ratification of the Constitution. In conclusion, the researcher states that no group in the US political history was more dynamic & heterogeneous than the Anti Federalists. Even a brief glance of the concluding vote on confirmation, demonstrates the unbelievable provincial and geological diversity of the Anti Federalist alliance.

Organizing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizing Paper - Essay Example Human resources An organisation’s success is greatly dependent on the human resources employed in that particular organisation. The talent and professional abilities inherent in the human resource is demonstrated by tact in duty performance. Starbucks has invested in ensuring that it has the right talent and ability in place perfected by professionalism. The company also banks on the motivation of employees to realize its profitability. It has greatly relied on its baristas and other frontline staff to getting the best customer. The recruitment process at Starbucks outlines the need for hiring the right people to the organisation, where right people are placed in the selection and training of new employees (Dess, Lumpkin, & Eisner 20). According to Barney (18), the diversity of the management team and the organisational commitment to training of its staff makes the company to be a market leader in innovation in market differentiation. The company competitively remunerates its employees to maintain them and avoid staff turnover. The company has continuously strived to give an unrivalled work environment by means of offering strong management and benefit packages that are above the industry set standards (Dess, Lumpkin, & Eisner 16). ... the employees get time to meet and exchange their experiences they are able to learn between themselves new skills and tact on ways of meddling through the daily business activities. Knowledge The company’s knowledge about what strategy to put in action is instrumental to the success of the company. The various strategies to be applied at particular times are a key antidote to the progress of the company. Horizontal integration used by the company to gain market dominance and presence, this has been achieved through acquisitions of Seattle’s best, Torrefazione Italia and Coffee People all these have been major coffee shops. The knowledge of the significance of acquiring these shops was important in making the decision. Market penetration is crucial to a company presence; the company has established this through differentiation and product placement. Outside the retail stores is also a unique strategy not adapted by other shops. The company’s knowledge of consumer s shopping and consumption habits is important in designing and packaging its products in a manner that consumers find appealing. The company has greatly utilised this information in ensuring that it concentrically diversifies its bottled drinks, ice creams and liqueur (Barney 22). A market has to be developed continuously in order to ensure continued growth of the company. This has been facilitated by the knowledge of the firm to diversify its market by educating its consumers of the value of its products and the speciality of the coffee the company sells to its consumers (Dess, Lumpkin & Eisner 27). The shops are also well versed with the various tastes of consumers as pertaining to music and movies such that the company stands a good ground in offering these to its consumers as they visit their shops,

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Research Paper Example Likewise, information contained in â€Å"Today’s Job Seeker Report† published by Simply Hired (2012) revealed that from among the American job seekers surveyed, 70% revealed that they use mobile technology to search for job opportunities (Simply Hired, 2012, p. 5). Also, other relevant information disclosed was that 40% of companies rely on social networking sites, particularly Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even MySpace for recruitment purposes (Kwoh, 2012). A much higher rate of 60% in 2012, as compared to 54% in 2011 was actually reported by Simply Hired (2012) for job seekers to have resorted to social networks. Regardless of the accurate figure, it is evident that job seekers have significantly relied on social networking sites as potential sources of employment; and employers have likewise sought information from these sites to gain more information about prospective applicants and candidates. The currrent discourse hereby aims to present the benefits and costs of using social media during job search. The next section provides relevant and crucial statistical information that identifies the use of specifically identified social networking sites and the users that rely on these for employment. Subsequently, the benefits and disadvantages of using social media would be presented in detail prior to a recommendation and concluding portion. Statistics Use of Social Media in Job Search The information revealed by the Pew Research Center in 2012 has disclosed that the general profile and landscape of social networking site users fall under the following gender and age categories, shown as Table 1, below: Table 1: Profile and Landscape of Social Networking Site Users Social Networking Sites Percentage of Internet Users Demographic Profile Facebook 67% Women, 18 to 29 years old Twitter 16 African Americans, urban residents, 18-29 years old Pinterest 15 Women, white, under 50 years old Instagram 13 African Americans and Latinos, women, urban residen ts, 18 to 29 years old Tumblr 6 Adults 18 to 29 years old Source: Duggan & Brenner, 2013, p. 2 The percentage of internet users identified to be using social networking sites are shown below: Figure 1: Percent of Social Networking Site Users As noted above, both potential applicants and employers utilize these sites for employment purposes. Since Facebook leads in social networking site users, it was reported in the Huffington Post (2012) that â€Å"a survey commissioned by the online employment website CareerBuilder has found that 37 percent of hiring managers use social networking sites to research job applicants, with over 65 percent of that group using Facebook as their primary resource† (37 Percent Of Employers Use Facebook To Pre-Screen Applicants, New Study Says, 2012, par. 1). More interesting are the findings from a survey conducted by the Corporate Executive Board cited by Kwoh (2012) that provided explicit insights from the perspectives of employers which revealed that since employers are making their respective research on potential candidates for employment, those who apparently lie on their resume, provide fake references, and seek unrealistic salaries were found to be the top three pitfalls that should

Benefits And Barriers To Ehr Health And Social Care Essay

Benefits And Barriers To Ehr Health And Social Care Essay Health informatics is a multidisciplinary area which covers medicine, technology and people. The area puts an emphasis on implementation of information technology and computer science to health care to better manage it. E-health or electronic healthcare is a relatively new discipline introduced to improve patient care, shorten delay times, and prevent errors in clinical settings. Electronic health record (EHR) is an electronic record of patients medical history which includes but is not limited to medications, X-rays, allergies, immunizations etc often accessed by authorized personnel (doctors, nurses and pharmacists) at hospitals and clinics. This will replace paper and eliminate the need for manual paperwork which is unreliable and tedious. According to International Journal of Medical Informatics V. 78, By 2041, 22% of the Canadian population is expected to be aged 65 or over, up from 13% in 2001 (The Change Foundation, 2005). As the elderly population start to retire, the cost an d demand of healthcare increases drastically. This also increases the risks of diseases with aging such as type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, different types of cancer, arthritis, Alzheimers disease and more. Thusly, new and efficient systems are needed for this to better handle this trend. EHR is necessary to fulfill the gaps between health supply and demand, it will benefit patients, health care personnel and improve health care system overall. There are both benefits and barriers to EHR; fortunately, there are ways to overcome the barriers and implement EHR in Canada. The main benefit of EHR for patients include the general improvement for quality of care by providing detailed information about patients medicine intake and history, consequently preventing errors in the future. Other benefits include the mobility of records from medical institutions, hence helping those in remote areas. There would also be fewer waiting times in emergency rooms and clinics since medical personnel have instant access to patients record. EHR also benefits healthcare providers and workers by reducing time spent on paperwork and increasing productivity; while providing efficient and comprehensive care to the patients. In spite of this, some critical barriers do prevent it from adoption. The major concern is privacy of patients records and security. Privacy is a very significant issue and individuals want their information to be in safe hands. O ther barriers include initial setup costs and training for new technologies. Overcoming these barriers will require time and incentives both from public and government which will be discussed later. In conclusion, implementing electronic health records in Canada and overcoming the barriers will benefit patients, healthcare personnel and improve the healthcare system overall. Background New technology has benefited humans to a great extent and EHR is certainly no exception. EHR has existed in Canada for a while but it is still not fully acknowledged by the public. There are television commercials from Canada Health Infoway promoting and raising awareness of EHR in Ontario and British Colombia. The Canadian government has dedicated $1.6 billion to Health Infoway whose objective is to implement a pan-Canadian EHR and provide records to all Canadians by 2015. Alberta has already launched a successful system called Netcare which lets physicians, hospitals and pharmacists access secured online system and observe patients health information. Netcare is one of the reasons why Alberta has the most efficient and best health care system in Canada. On the other hand, Ontario has recently suffered from an appalling scandal which resulted into an estimated $1 billion wasted. eHealth Ontario has come under criticism as well. In April 2009, the provinces opposition parties argued that the government wasted $647 million developing electronic health records before they shut down the SSHA only to start again from scratch with eHealth Ontario (CBC News, 2009). The Health ministry of Ontario needs to take responsibility, stop wasting taxpayers money and implement this system which is long overdue. Other countries have already introduced EHR, such as United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Canada and United States are still debating adoption and falling behind. Majority of the countries which have implemented EHR have national health insurance system which is funded through taxes, similar to Canada. Yet Canada is trailing behind due to ethical and political barriers. It is disappointing to some extent that Canada as a developed nation still lags behind other countries in health care advancements. Nonetheless, these barriers can be solved through increased funding, incentives and establishment of secure systems. How does EHR benefit patients and health care workers? Physicians will benefit greatly from EHR, according to the International Journal of Medical Informatics V. 76 A recent survey of U.S. primary care physician found that almost 75% indicated that these applications could reduce errors; 70% perceived IT as potentially increasing their productivity; over 60% indicated that IT tools have the potential to reduce costs and help patients assume more responsibility (J.G. Anderson/E.A. Balas, 2006). EHR helps medical staff keep track of patients prescribed medicines, previous health conditions, allergies and chronic diseases. This ensures physicians are fully aware of situation and can provide proper treatment with smaller chances of making errors. EHR provides access to current information at the point of care. It gives medical service providers access to key patient information along with online decision support and reference tools. It also helps reduce the possibility of medical errors, assists with compliance issues, and decreases the pote ntial for adverse drug reactions. Features like lab value trends and drug monographs also help with patient consultations. (Alberta Netcare, EHR). This benefits both physicians and patients. For example, if someone has a minor or major accident and is rushed to an emergency room for medical attention, the doctor is required to question the patient for previous medication, history, allergies etc. It is difficult for a patient to recall their history in such a state and is generally unable to communicate. This wastes time and becomes more likely for the doctor to misdiagnosis. According to Health Infoway, Right now in Canada, the lack of a comprehensive EHR system, for every 1,000: Hospital admissions, 75 people will suffer an adverse drug event; Patients with an ambulatory encounter, 20 will suffer a serious drug occurrence; Laboratory tests performed, up to 150 will be unnecessary; Emergency room visits, 320 patients will have an information gap, resulting in an average increased stay of 1.2 hours (Strasbourg, Health Infoway). If EHR were present, the doctor would have had instant access to patients medication history, allergies thus avoiding unnecessary testing. Also, i t would allow a quicker diagnosis with little or no mistakes. This will save great amount of time in emergency rooms therefore reducing lines and making health care system more efficient. Some hospitals in North America do possess EHR systems but its restricted to that specific institution. If EHR connections between hospitals and other medical institutions are established, it becomes easier for health care practitioners to assess patients and provide service. As a result, EHR allows medical professionals in remote areas to access information using network and vice versa. In conclusion, there are some major benefits to EHR which could provide assistance to Canadas healthcare system and improve quality of care. What are the barriers and risks? There are some significant barriers which prevent EHR from implementing in Ontario and other provinces. The main and most controversial barrier is privacy and security of patients health record. EHRs contain very personal important information about a patient which includes demographics, prescribed medicines, allergies, immunizations, lab tests, X-rays and other reports. It would be devastating and very dangerous if records fall into the wrong hands and/or are mistreated. There has been an incident where a patients privacy was not respected. A guilty plea and hefty fine for unauthorized access to personal health information sets a very important precedent for health care providers, says Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work. A medical office clerk from Calgary pleaded guilty to charges of improperly accessing another persons medical information, in contravention of the Health Information Act (HIA). The individual appeared in Calgary court Friday and was fined $10,000. This is the first time that charges have laid under the HIA. (Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, 2007) This creates fear in the minds of the public and privacy and security is at stake despite laws and regulations. These incidents are rare but they do expose the lack of privacy and vulnerability of EHR to disloyal employees. There are also claims that EHRs access to internet and broad systems make it vulnerable to hackers. Figure 1 shows different factors which affect the objective of implementation. (International journal of medical informatics V28) Another barrier to EHR is the initial setup costs and hiring/training staff for new technologies. Developing integrated organizations can be costly and require years before efficiencies are realized. Information technology supports integrated care as EHR allows physicians to access patient information through centralized network (Mary E. Wiktorowicz, p. 301). This can be very expensive because governments have to establish centralized system to store, protect and handle records. As mentioned earlier, vast amount of funding ($1 billion) for eHealth has already been wasted in Ontario and it will be more difficult for taxpayers to reimburse this especially during these harsh economic times. Great incentive and financial support is needed from public to accomplish this venture. All paper records have to be transformed into electronic which will be very time consuming. In conclusion, there are some significant barriers which hinder the implementation of EHR. Overcoming barriers As mentioned already, there are existing laws which already protect the privacy of Canadians. EHR must obey The Privacy Act whose purpose is to extend the present laws of Canada that protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by a government institution and that provide individuals with a right of access to that information (Privacy Act 1985, c. P-21). The Government of Canada and medical institution have a responsibility of protecting and insuring the security of medical records. Alberta has also introduced Health Information Act (HIA) which setup guidelines for both patients and health care workers. This act requires workers (authorized) to access files only when necessary and in professional manner. So far there has only been one situation which set a precedent and sent a serious message to all health care custodians and their employees. This is a very serious matter, and health care providers must know that surfing records for pe rsonal purposes will not be tolerated and individuals will be prosecuted (Wayne Wood, 2007). Medical personnel that violate policy and law are held criminally responsible and their jobs are taken away immediately. Thus it would not be wise for any staff to commit such actions which would cost them their jobs, salary or even end up in jail. EHR are still more secure than ordinary paper records. For example, in November 2008 a reporter of RTV West, a local Dutch radio network, asked for a copy of medical records in several hospitals and asked to fax them to his home. He easily got six out of eight requests without any questions. In the two other cases the hospitals solely requested a written permission (i.e. a signature) (Laurens J. van Baardewijk, Amsterdam Law Forum). This exposes the weak and unsecure system of paper records. Fax machines, telephone and mail systems are very unreliable. There have been numerous incidents involving paper medical records either used improperly by clinical staff or stolen by an intruder and used for unlawful purposes. This is due to lack of security and reliability of traditional paper records. On the other hand, EHR requires login information from health care professionals and authorization is required from patient and worker. All EHR systems are encrypted and only accessible to authori zed users (doctors, nurses, health care workers). Encryption is established into multiple layers which require multiple login sessions and online security monitoring. This makes it extremely difficult for hackers to access the system; consequently, EHR system is both safe and secure. Initial costs are very high and taxes have to increased once again to successful establish this system. An EHR system in Ontario does not necessarily have to cost a fortune, because they could simply borrow and emulate the system from other provinces such as Alberta. McMaster University has already developed a beta system for EHR in hospitals but Ministry of Health is not paying close attention. Nonetheless, EHR system will be established very soon throughout Canada and once its established, itll decrease medical costs by $6 billion. This will eventually decrease the amount of taxes issued significantly, especially in Ontario. It will also create new jobs in health informatics field and provide training to nurses and doctors. It is estimated around 40,000 new jobs will be created. The benefits of EHR are far greater than the risks and barriers. EHR will certainly benefit Canadians and improve our health care system. Conclusion EHR has benefits, barriers and risks, but it is now evident that the benefits outweigh the risks. EHR will be available to all Canadians soon in the future despite the barriers because as population increases, diseases increases and senior citizen population increases accordingly. Therefore, demand for health care rises as more people are waiting in lines for hospitals and clinics. Comprehensive and efficient EHR systems are very crucial to meet health demands of citizens. Some key benefits include the improvement of quality of care by providing information about history consequently preventing errors in the future. Other benefits include the mobility of records from medical institutions and reducing waiting times in emergency rooms and clinics since medical personnel have instant access to patients record. It also benefits health care providers and workers by reducing time spent on paperwork and increasing productivity while providing efficient and comprehensive care to the public. Privacy and security issues still remain; nonetheless, they will be resolved with new laws and technological improvements. Initial setup will be expensive but EHRs benefits are vital to Canadas health care system. Canada needs to catch up to other developed countries in health informatics and improve health care system. To conclude, implementing EHR in Canada will benefit patients, health care personnel and improve health care system overall.

An Interesting Connection :: Rhetorical Analysis Culture Cultural Essays

An Interesting Connection Many times people can be put into a situation that would make them feel uncomfortable. It may be even worse when a situation like that is the way and style that you live. In the two stories A Body Ritual Among the Nacirema, by by Horace M. Miner, and Reclaiming Culture and the Land: Motherhood and the Politics of Sustaining Community by Winona LaDuke, this situation is just that. In both of the stories, the main character or characters are living in a situation where they are considered the outsider or the outcast. Although the main characters find a number of ways to improvise and work around the situation, it still remains and is one of the big and important factors within their lives. In the story Reclaiming Culture and the Land: Motherhood and the Policies of Sustaining Community, the author describes just some of the challenges of working while being a Native American living on and off within a normal Caucasian society. One of the issues brought up in the story is that the author does a poor job in raising her children while they are at the most important stages in their childhood. In this Indian community, everyone knows each other and it is a close, tight knit community throughout. One of the principals which backs this up is that one or more mothers in the community take care of all of the children of the community, kind of like a daycare center. The author is indeed one of these caretaker mothers that would spend a lot of time with all the children. As a result, outsiders look at her and believe that she is doing a poor job at what she considers to be a fine parenting job. And other hardship that she has is trying to understand her place in socie ty because she is a woman. In the story, she describes how things are constantly being taken from her and assumed by the male sex. These and more are some of the problems that she has to deal with in the story. In the article, Body Ritual among the Nacirema, by Horace M. Miner, some of these same problems are faced.

Urban sprawl

The term â€Å"urban design† may have been coined in the mid-1950s but 20 years later it was still largely unused outside a small circle of people concerned with the four- dimensional development of precincts of cities. It has a wide, almost boundary-less definition with different connotations depending on professional discipline or the particular context within which the urban environment is being assessed. It is the process of making or shaping physical forms through cognitive perception (senses) (Arnheim, 1969)-it is not simply an intellectual process nor can it be.Design is not linear and constitutes a sensual engagement with reality (not virtual reality). Elements of Urban design: Urban Design involves the design and coordination of all that makes up cities and towns: a. Buildings, b. Public spaces, c. Streets, d. Transport and e. Landscape. Urban Design weaves together these elements into a coherent, organized design structure. The urban design structure defines the urba n form and the building form. Design is also making of things through indirect or unintentional actions.It is the physical and geometric manifestation of underlying forces generated by human ehavior and its interactions with the environment. The way you arrange your furniture in the living room to be â€Å"comfortable† is an act of design that has behind it significant underlying (cultural) forces and determinants (Hall, 1966). Consequently, as we approach design in our culture, we have basic approaches and conventions for interpreting human behavior and needs into design form. 0 People: need, want, aspiration, passion. Program: what and how much of something satisfies the stated need. 0 Context: bio-physical, cultural, Jurisdictional, historic/time, interrelationships. Organization, structure, and process. 0 Design elements, principles, and relationships or compositions (art): space, enclosure, movement, and circulation. 0 Structure, manufacturing, and economy. References an d source: Urban Design. org. Books: Jon Lang – , Urban Design: A typology of procedures and products, Ron Kasprisin – Urban Design, the composition of complexity. 4. Short notes: a.URBAN SPRAWL: The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas. Poorly planned development that spreads a citys population over a wider and wider the land between them and the city fills in as well. Examples: . A Northern Virginia housing development encroaches on farmland. Population growth and relocation is threatening rural environments across the world. Photograph by Sarah Leen Written by John G. Mitchell Republished from the pages of National Geographic magazine. 2. In the United States, urban sprawl is becoming a matter of increasing concern.From 1970 to 1990, people who worked in U. S. cities moved farther and farther from urban centers. The population density of cities in the United States decreased by more than 20 percent as people in cities moved to suburbs and outlying areas. About 0,000 square miles of rural lands were gobbled up by housing developments. For example, the population of the city of Chicago decreased during this period from 3. 4 million people to 2. 8 million. But the Chicago metropolitan area grew from about 7. 0 million persons to 7. 3 million.Sprawl occurs in metropolitan areas that allow unrestricted growth or that have no plans to contain it. Other factors include the widespread use of automobiles and the building of expressways. Example: Mexico City. References and Source: Unbelievable aerial photographs of Mexico City show how the urban landscape preads over mountains while maintaining a remarkable 25,400 people per square mile. â€Å"In a megalopolis like Mexico City,† Mail, â€Å"the relationship between man and space is ever so apparent. ww. pearlandisd. com† National geographic. com – By John G. Mitchell in July 2001, Fraser Sherman – Demand media. b. URBANIZATION: Urbanization is the physical growth of urban ar eas which result in rural migration and even suburban concentration into cities, particularly the very large ones. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008. By 2050 it is predicted that 64. 1% and 85. 9% of the developing and developed world respectively will be urbanized.Urbanization is closely linked to modernization, industrialization, and the sociological process of rationalization. Urbanization can describe a specific condition at a set time, i. e. the proportion of total population or area in cities or towns, or the term can describe the increase of this proportion over time. So the term urbanization can represent the level of urban development relative to overall population, or it can represent the rate at which the urban proportion is increasing. Example:Chicago 1854 1898 Graphs: Source: United Nations, World urbanization prospects: The 2003 revision, population division of department of economic and social affairs of the United Nations secretariat. c. URBANITY: Urbanity refers to the characteristics, personality traits, and viewpoints associated with cities and urban areas. People who can be described as having urbanity are also referred to as citified. Example: They seek papers and panels that investigate elements of urbanism and urbanity during' the long nineteenth century, such as: urbanites (the flaneur, the prostitute, the detective, the criminal, etc. urbanites and the rise of consumer culture; immigrants and urban communities: urban domesticity in literature and culture; architecture, urban design, and city planning; urban spaces and the gothic imagination; motilities and forms of urban transport; the politics of urban space; the city and the natural environment; urban cartographies; urban crime and violence; urban spaces and urban peripheries (Suburbs; ghettos, wastelands, industrial zones, dumps and other hybrid spaces); urbanism and public health; animals and urban environm ents; concert halls, opera houses, and other urban entertainment venues; estaurants, cafes, and urban eating and drinking; leisure and urbanism; city/country divides; and the anti-urban tradition in art and literature.Typology (in urban planning and architecture) is the taxonomic classification of (usually physical) characteristics commonly found in buildings and urban places, according to their association with different categories, such as intensity of development (from natural or rural to highly urban), degrees of formality, and school of thought (for example, modernist or traditional). Individual characteristics form patterns. The word type has been derived from the Greek word ‘Typos' which means ‘impression'.A type in urban design is a characteristic set of form properties of a building, a space or combinations of both (groupings of buildings or spaces, combinations of buildings and spaces). A type is not a concrete example that can be copied. It is a means of estab lishing a relation between a large numbers of comparable objects. Keeping that in mind it can be seen as a kind of ‘generalized model'. In contrast to a category that has a sharp delineation, the delineation of a type is vague and it is multiple interpretable. This makes it pre-eminently suitable to be used in a design process because it occupies a position in between abstract ideas measures than to the modern measure. The type incorporates quality and quantity, but it is not necessary to revert to pre-rational scientific ideas to use it.Buildings have been classified in many different ways, depending on the nature of the study, and the purpose of the classification. In building type studies, for example, buildings are classified according to their functions. The purpose of building type studies is to compare the methods by which different architects have responded to imilar client needs (building task), under different economic, social, technical and site constraints. Hospita ls are studied together, and so are schools, houses, office buildings, stadiums and so on. The differences in the design approach among the designers can be very instructive. References and Sources: Books: Urban Design: A typology of procedures and products, Urban sprawl The term â€Å"urban design† may have been coined in the mid-1950s but 20 years later it was still largely unused outside a small circle of people concerned with the four- dimensional development of precincts of cities. It has a wide, almost boundary-less definition with different connotations depending on professional discipline or the particular context within which the urban environment is being assessed. It is the process of making or shaping physical forms through cognitive perception (senses) (Arnheim, 1969)-it is not simply an intellectual process nor can it be.Design is not linear and constitutes a sensual engagement with reality (not virtual reality). Elements of Urban design: Urban Design involves the design and coordination of all that makes up cities and towns: a. Buildings, b. Public spaces, c. Streets, d. Transport and e. Landscape. Urban Design weaves together these elements into a coherent, organized design structure. The urban design structure defines the urba n form and the building form. Design is also making of things through indirect or unintentional actions.It is the physical and geometric manifestation of underlying forces generated by human ehavior and its interactions with the environment. The way you arrange your furniture in the living room to be â€Å"comfortable† is an act of design that has behind it significant underlying (cultural) forces and determinants (Hall, 1966). Consequently, as we approach design in our culture, we have basic approaches and conventions for interpreting human behavior and needs into design form. 0 People: need, want, aspiration, passion. Program: what and how much of something satisfies the stated need. 0 Context: bio-physical, cultural, Jurisdictional, historic/time, interrelationships. Organization, structure, and process. 0 Design elements, principles, and relationships or compositions (art): space, enclosure, movement, and circulation. 0 Structure, manufacturing, and economy. References an d source: Urban Design. org. Books: Jon Lang – , Urban Design: A typology of procedures and products, Ron Kasprisin – Urban Design, the composition of complexity. 4. Short notes: a.URBAN SPRAWL: The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas. Poorly planned development that spreads a citys population over a wider and wider the land between them and the city fills in as well. Examples: . A Northern Virginia housing development encroaches on farmland. Population growth and relocation is threatening rural environments across the world. Photograph by Sarah Leen Written by John G. Mitchell Republished from the pages of National Geographic magazine. 2. In the United States, urban sprawl is becoming a matter of increasing concern.From 1970 to 1990, people who worked in U. S. cities moved farther and farther from urban centers. The population density of cities in the United States decreased by more than 20 percent as people in cities moved to suburbs and outlying areas. About 0,000 square miles of rural lands were gobbled up by housing developments. For example, the population of the city of Chicago decreased during this period from 3. 4 million people to 2. 8 million. But the Chicago metropolitan area grew from about 7. 0 million persons to 7. 3 million.Sprawl occurs in metropolitan areas that allow unrestricted growth or that have no plans to contain it. Other factors include the widespread use of automobiles and the building of expressways. Example: Mexico City. References and Source: Unbelievable aerial photographs of Mexico City show how the urban landscape preads over mountains while maintaining a remarkable 25,400 people per square mile. â€Å"In a megalopolis like Mexico City,† Mail, â€Å"the relationship between man and space is ever so apparent. ww. pearlandisd. com† National geographic. com – By John G. Mitchell in July 2001, Fraser Sherman – Demand media. b. URBANIZATION: Urbanization is the physical growth of urban ar eas which result in rural migration and even suburban concentration into cities, particularly the very large ones. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008. By 2050 it is predicted that 64. 1% and 85. 9% of the developing and developed world respectively will be urbanized.Urbanization is closely linked to modernization, industrialization, and the sociological process of rationalization. Urbanization can describe a specific condition at a set time, i. e. the proportion of total population or area in cities or towns, or the term can describe the increase of this proportion over time. So the term urbanization can represent the level of urban development relative to overall population, or it can represent the rate at which the urban proportion is increasing. Example:Chicago 1854 1898 Graphs: Source: United Nations, World urbanization prospects: The 2003 revision, population division of department of economic and social affairs of the United Nations secretariat. c. URBANITY: Urbanity refers to the characteristics, personality traits, and viewpoints associated with cities and urban areas. People who can be described as having urbanity are also referred to as citified. Example: They seek papers and panels that investigate elements of urbanism and urbanity during' the long nineteenth century, such as: urbanites (the flaneur, the prostitute, the detective, the criminal, etc. urbanites and the rise of consumer culture; immigrants and urban communities: urban domesticity in literature and culture; architecture, urban design, and city planning; urban spaces and the gothic imagination; motilities and forms of urban transport; the politics of urban space; the city and the natural environment; urban cartographies; urban crime and violence; urban spaces and urban peripheries (Suburbs; ghettos, wastelands, industrial zones, dumps and other hybrid spaces); urbanism and public health; animals and urban environm ents; concert halls, opera houses, and other urban entertainment venues; estaurants, cafes, and urban eating and drinking; leisure and urbanism; city/country divides; and the anti-urban tradition in art and literature.Typology (in urban planning and architecture) is the taxonomic classification of (usually physical) characteristics commonly found in buildings and urban places, according to their association with different categories, such as intensity of development (from natural or rural to highly urban), degrees of formality, and school of thought (for example, modernist or traditional). Individual characteristics form patterns. The word type has been derived from the Greek word ‘Typos' which means ‘impression'.A type in urban design is a characteristic set of form properties of a building, a space or combinations of both (groupings of buildings or spaces, combinations of buildings and spaces). A type is not a concrete example that can be copied. It is a means of estab lishing a relation between a large numbers of comparable objects. Keeping that in mind it can be seen as a kind of ‘generalized model'. In contrast to a category that has a sharp delineation, the delineation of a type is vague and it is multiple interpretable. This makes it pre-eminently suitable to be used in a design process because it occupies a position in between abstract ideas measures than to the modern measure. The type incorporates quality and quantity, but it is not necessary to revert to pre-rational scientific ideas to use it.Buildings have been classified in many different ways, depending on the nature of the study, and the purpose of the classification. In building type studies, for example, buildings are classified according to their functions. The purpose of building type studies is to compare the methods by which different architects have responded to imilar client needs (building task), under different economic, social, technical and site constraints. Hospita ls are studied together, and so are schools, houses, office buildings, stadiums and so on. The differences in the design approach among the designers can be very instructive. References and Sources: Books: Urban Design: A typology of procedures and products,

Internment of Japanese Canadians during world war 2 essays

Internment of Japanese Canadians during world war 2 essays In 1942, 23,000 Japanese Canadians lived on the West Coast of British Columbia. The majorities of them were Canadians by birth or naturalized citizens. While they worked as fishermen and laborers and paid their taxes, they were denied the right to vote. Thirty-five years after the first person of Japanese origin settled in Canada, Japanese Canadians continued to face persecution and racism. Despite the racism, the community continued to develop and prosper. During the years of limited immigration, women arrived and families began to grow. Japanese Canadians, still without the franchise, volunteered for service in WWI. By 1919, Japanese Canadians owned nearly half the fishing licenses in B.C., but by 1925, 1,000 fishing licenses were stripped from them. In 1941, Japanese Canadians were fingerprinted and photographed and were required to carry registration cards. War was imminent. Immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, 1,800 Japanese Canadian fishing boats were seized and impounded. The government enacted the War Measures Act and vested power from the representative Parliament to the Prime Minister's Cabinet. Within three months, federal Cabinet Orders-in-Council forced the removal of Japanese Canadian male nationals to camps, and then authorized the removal of all persons of Japanese origin. The RCMP was given expanded powers to search without warrant, impose a curfew and confiscate property. A Custodian of Enemy Property was authorized to hold all land and property in trust. During the "evacuation", many people were given only 24 hours notice to vacate their homes, before being sent to "clearing sites" where they were detained until internment camps were prepared. A civilian body, the B.C. Security Commission was in charge of the expulsion orders. By November 1942, after eight months of operation, the Commission managed to breakup and up-root families and sent nearly 22,000 individuals to road camps, internment camps a...

APA Referencing What You Need to Know

APA Referencing What You Need to Know APA Referencing: What You Need to Know Although produced by the American Psychological Association, APA referencing is now used to cite sources in a variety of academic fields (not just the social sciences). Knowing the basics of APA referencing is therefore important for any college student. In today’s post, we run through a few important facts about APA referencing, including its background and the format you should use for in-text citations. What is APA Style? APA style and APA referencing are set out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which covers various elements of style and formatting as well as citing sources. First published in 1974, the APA manual is designed to ensure that academic writers communicate â€Å"with a minimum of distraction and a maximum of precision.† The APA’s simple-but-clear referencing system is part of this. APA Citations APA referencing uses parenthetical citations, meaning basic source information is provided in the main body of your document. For the majority of source types, APA citations require you to give an author surname and year of publication (along with relevant page numbers if you’re quoting a source directly): Ciabatta is â€Å"one of the most famous Italian breads† (D’Acampo, 2011, p. 22). Note that the name, year and page number are separated by commas in APA citations; it’s also important to remember that the page number is preceded by â€Å"p.† in these citations. The format changes a little when the author is named in the text. In these cases, the year of publication is given immediately after the name, but any page numbers still appear after the quoted text: D’Acampo (2011) claims that â€Å"Tuscan bread is well known for being low in salt† (p. 33). APA Reference Lists In addition to in-text citations, APA referencing requires all sources to be listed with full publication information at the end of your document. This reference list should: List all sources cited in your document (do not list sources you haven’t cited) Invert the names of authors (surname first, followed by initials) Order sources alphabetically by author surname List multiple works by the same author chronologically, earliest first Italicize all journal and book titles Use a half-inch hanging indent for each line after the first in an entry Provide all names of authors for any text with up to seven authors; for texts with more than seven authors, simply list the first six then add the final author after an ellipsis Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in titles and subtitles The precise information required for each source varies depending on format but will generally include details about the author(s), title and publisher. The D’Acampo book cited above, for instance, would appear in the reference list as: D’Acampo, G. (2011). Italian home baking. London: Kyle Books. And after finishing your reference list, why not treat yourself to a nice ciabatta?

Asian American women before 1950 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Asian American women before 1950 - Essay Example Prior to this the community endured a century of hardships that mitigated their integration into mainstream American socio-culture. If racial prejudice was a sizeable challenge on its own, the issues were compounded for womenfolk. The rest of this essay is an overview of the Asian American experience prior to 1950. Sociological theories on ‘gender’ and ‘intersectionality’ were perused as were classic literary works and essays pertaining to the subject. It is instructive to look at theoretical perspectives that make lucid the Asian American women’s experience before 1950. During much of the evolution of sociology, studying history and society through the axis of gender was not common practice. Race, ethnicity, age, class and nation were the common definitive parameters for groups that were studied. Understanding socio-history from the perspective of gender was mainly an offshoot of feminist movements of mid-twentieth century. The second wave feminist m ovement was especially instrumental in introducing this approach. The relational identities of women of 19th century as either someone’s daughter, husband or mother is fully applicable to Asian American women. ... .the goal is to discover the range in sex roles and in sexual symbolism in different societies and periods, to find out what meaning they had and how they functioned to maintain the social order or to promote its change†. (Scott, 1986) Seen in the backdrop of this theoretical framework, it is fair to claim that Asian American women had a decidedly more arduous century prior to 1950 than their male counterparts. This is evident in the literary works of the time, especially that of Jade Snow Wong’s ‘Fifth Chinese Daughter’. The short novel is filled with real life events of the author as she lived through the transition from a native Chinese culture steeped in tradition and the more liberal outlook afforded in America. The book shows the patriarchal familial set up among the Chinese and how this can be a hindrance for immigrant women looking to avail of opportunities for personal and professional growth in the New World. ‘Intersectionality’ is ano ther useful theoretical basis for studying Asian American women’s experience, for it brings the core problems from different domains to the analysis. It helps the studied group to â€Å"invent and inhabit identities that register the effects of differentiated and uneven power, permitting them to envision and enact new social relations grounded in multiple axes of intersecting, situated knowledge.† (Chun, Lipsitz, and Shin, 2013) The theory is seen in action in Jew Law Ying’s ‘Coaching Book’ - a touching historical document that brings out the extent of Asian American women’s struggle for citizenship in the USA. The work is a translation of the ‘coaching book’ which the author’s father sent to her mother prior to the latter’s long voyage to America. The book

Ergonomic in my workplace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ergonomic in my workplace - Assignment Example This is because they are required to bend stretch and twist their bodies. Also, the fact that the bed ridden or injured clients are awkward people makes it hard for the nurses to safely move them from one position to another. The bending and twisting cause chronic back pains and injuries. The solution to this problem is the use of mechanical lift sheets, draw sheets and specially trained lifting teams for moving the equipment. In addition, most health care organizations have no lift policies that make clients tiresome when they bend, stretch and twist their bodies. The most common ergonomic issues revolve around interactions between the staff members, the clients and the psychiatric unit systems. The first ergonomic issue involves lifting causing back pain chronic back injury. The most immediate operations after clients are received in the psychiatric unit is the x-ray, blood tests on HIV, TB and STDs. Due to the client violent behaviours and the need to attend the clients physically, the staff find it hard to relate with this working environment (Salvendy, 2012). It is hard to get the client relaxed and ready to receive medical treatments. Sometimes the clients spit on the staff members or escalates while being injected. In order to curb this problem, the clients are fitted with masks or face shield to prevent them from spitting on the staff. In addition, the psychiatrics give medicine to the clients for them to sleep usually for 8 to 48 hours at one time. In this way, the staff can easily attend the clients, perform their tests and draw blood from their bodies. Another common ergonomic issue arises when moving the clients from the stretcher to the bed or from one bed to another. The issue has also spread in the raising of the blood drawing table position in an elevated position. Usually, the nurses are required to bend, twist or stretch because lifting injured clients