Types of Criminal Practice Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Types of Criminal Practice - Term Paper Example Violent crime includes robbery, homicide, serial violent crime, assault, and rape. It is named violent as it is conducted by the use of arms, weapons, and force. Some of them have profit as a motive while others involve revenge or fulfillment of a psychological drive. Another commonality to violent crimes is that they include various events and have the potential to leave physical evidence. (Peterson, 1994, p. 89) However, the leftovers of physical evidence are not necessary. Â   Â   Â   Â  Violent crimes may result in lengthy investigations if the assailant is unknown. The investigative process includes gathering, evaluating, and analyzing data and arriving at additional leads or hypothetical conclusions regarding the assailant. Evidentiary documents beyond the crime scene may also be gathered to provide background information on the victim or the alleged perpetrator. These, when analyzed, can provide insights into the persons involved in the crime which may speed the investigative process. Â   Â   Â   Â   Violent crime investigation is often the responsibility of the major crimes section of a police or prosecutor’s office. Investigators or detectives from municipal to federal agencies may be involved in the investigation of violent crime. Violent crime is not limited to be prosecuted at the municipal or county level because of the factors that it upholds can cause the case to be assigned to a multi-jurisdictional task force. Among them is the location of the crime, the potential of the crime to be part of a series of similar crimes committed by the same perpetrators, or the crime’s connection to offenses prosecutable in a different jurisdiction or at a different level of government. Â   Â   Â   Â   Â  Detectives or investigators assigned to violent crime units respond to specific reports of crime which are generated by the victim or witnesses and may be lodged through a patrol officer who has gathered data from the scene of the crime or has made the location of the crime secure while awaiting the arrival of investigators and physical evidence technicians.

Character Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Character Analysis - Assignment Example The first words spoken by the girl of his dream was also about ‘Araby’, giving the reader the assumption that it will be a mythological place that he can escape from reality and his harsh environment. The story of ‘Araby’ highlights the contradiction between reality and illusion through illustration of the transformation of innocence to the path of realization and disillusionment as a phenomenon that occurs in a child’s boyhood. The protagonist of the story is the matured boy who had once been the innocent boy depicted in the story. The story opens with the lines â€Å"North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers' School set the boys free†. Paradoxically, even though they were free from school, even their play did not give them the desired pleasure, for it was an equally dull world, where not even play brought any stimulant for the children. All these descriptions of dullness actually cre ate the backdrop against which the boy takes resort to an imagination larger than life and hence encounters a surprising disillusionment. In â€Å"Araby†, the author focuses on character rather than on plot to expose the ironical evidences present in self-deception. On one hand, "Araby" is a story of a boy’s search for excellence or his dream. The search is in vain but gives way to an inner self-realization and an initial step into manhood. From another facet, the story encompasses a grown up man's experience. While the boy's first hand experience relates to his meet with the first love it is also a portrayal of an unrelenting problem of human life – the incongruity between what one wishes to be or have and what destiny actually has in store for us. This opposition experienced by the boy sets up the theatrical background of a story of first love as narrated by the author who has used some consequential symbolic metaphors and irony to reveal the meaning of the st ory. Symbolic images portray the boy as a lonely individual who is aware of the bleakness of the surroundings – the dullness that he rejects silently to find solace in his world of fantasy. During the first reading, the story might seem to be about the love story or first crush of a young boy who craves to gain the attention of the girl, ‘Mangan’s sister’ whom he adores in his mind - â€Å"Her dress swung as she moved her body, and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side† (Joyce, 539). The boy simply cannot get her out of her mind – â€Å"At night in my bedroom and by day in the classroom her image came between me and the page I strove to read.† After the time when the girl speaks to him asking him to visit ‘Araby’, it is as if â€Å"The syllables of the word ‘Araby’ were called to me through the silence in which my soul luxuriated and cast an Eastern enchantment over me† (Joyce, 540). The bo y has now grown up into a man who is already aware of the reality and talks about his childhood innocence that led him to find a strange solace in fantasizing to describe which he says, â€Å"soul luxuriated†. The idea of casting an enchantment somewhat prepares the contrast image that is eventually revealed in the end to make the boy realize the truth about the world where he lived. The presence of the girl’

Mental Health Practice Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10750 words

Mental Health Practice Development - Essay Example Within the healthcare practice, critical reflection has been highlighted as a significant and important skill in helping to achieve the necessary standards of professionalism among nurses and midwives (NMC, 2004).   It has also become an important approach in increasing the coverage of continuing health education, work-based learning, as well as life-long education (NMC, 2004).   Due to the increased focus on professional practice as well as education, it has become important to evaluate the reflective practice based on more practical applications, in this case, within the mental health setting.   Dewey (1933) from the very start has identified how reflection is a specialised thinking exercise.   It is an act which can come about due to doubt and hesitation relating to a situation or phenomenon.   Such a situation can also trigger inquiry and problem resolution.   Reflective practice veers individuals away from routine actions, instead, prompting more reflective and thoug htful action.   Such conceptualization begins with experience, highlighting how individuals and practitioners learn by doing and also by practice (Dewey, 1933).   In this case, problems are thought out first, hypotheses are formulated and errors are resolved and prevented with the use of plan actions, as well as the testing out of ideas.   It utilises two themes based on the modules completed, with a focus on change management and clinical leadership. The Gibbs reflective model will be used for this critical reflection (Fook and Gardner, 2007). This reflective cycle is useful in making an individual evaluate all the phases on an experience or activity. In this case, the stages of Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan shall be used as part of this model. This model has been chosen over other models because it includes more detailed elements of the reflective process (Fook and Gardner, 2007). Such details would help me present how I was able to improve my leadership ability through the modules I have gone through. This critical reflective piece demonstrates the application of different theory models of leadership and change. This reflection would also be critical about my actions and decisions in the process of completing this MSc course. An assessment of this experience, with its challenges is a necessary

Choosing between mischel and rotters explaining personality

Choosing between mischel and rotters explaining personality Both Julian Rotter and Walter Mischel proposed the social cognitive approach to personality. Known as social cognitive theorists, Mischel and Rotter suggested that conscious thoughts and emotions determine the difference between people and guide the way they behave (Mischel, 2004). The social cognitive approach is not based on the description of an individuals personality rather than on the principles of human learning. Thus, they believe that our personality is formed through the learning processes such as observation and interaction with the family and others in social situations. From an interactionist point of view, peoples interaction with their environment predicts their behavior. Rotter suggested that changes in personality can occur at any time but the basic unity that it has prevents it from changing as a result of minor experiences. Rotter talked about the law of effect, as such, he believed that the way people act is a determinant of an anticipated goal. According to Rotter, four variables predict human behavior: behavior potential, expectancy, reinforcement value, and the psychological situation. Behaviour potential is the first component of Rotters theory. Behaviour potential refers to the possibility of engaging in a specific act in a particular situation. A person has a choice of behaviour to acquire in a given time and place. The second variable is Expectancy which refers to the a persons expectancy that a given behaviour will lead to a reinforce. Expectancy can either be General or specific. A specific expectancy is the belief that a particular behaviour at a certain time and place will lead to an outcome. General expectancies are the beliefs that anything a person is doing will make a difference. Rotter believed that the combination of the specific and general expectancies lead to reinforcement. The effort a person devote to achieve his goal will be determined by the total expectancy. The third variable is the reinforcement value. Reinforcement value is Rotters conception of motivation. The thing a person wants to attain has high reinforcement value. The constancy of expectancies and situational variables when there is preference of reinforcement shape behaviour. According to Rotter the perception of people known as the internal reinforcement influences behaviour. The fourth variable considered by Rotter is the psychological situation which is in his prediction formula. He believed that peoples interaction with their environment result in their way of behaving. He suggested that different people will interpret the same environment differently. Moreover, Mischels cognitive affective theory does suggest that individuals behaviour is characterized by the beliefs that they learn, expectancies and feelings but along with that he claimed that these particular characteristics make them different from other people. He termed these characteristics as cognitive person variables which shows the dimensions of the difference between people differ (Mischel, 2004, 569). Mischel named some important cognitive person variables that affect a person when adapting to an environment (Shoda and Mischel, 2006) : Encoding strategies are a persons belief about his environment and other people. Unlike the social learning theory, people make use of their cognitive processes to form personal constructs from the external stimuli. The way people encode an event is different which shows their individual differences in personal constructs. Also, Mischel suggested that stimulus can be altered by how people interpret experiences and to what they attend selectively. Expectancies refer to the persons belief of his capacity and what the person expects from his previous behaviour. Affects refer to feelings and emotions. Affective responses emphasize on a persons behaviour is determined by the interaction of peoples cognitive processes with a specific situation. The affective responses are not separable from cognitions and they influence other cognitive-affective units. Goals and values are what the person want to achieve and believe in. Competencies and self-regulatory plans refer to the persons capacity in terms of his thoughts and actions, his ability to engage in goal directed behaviour. As people do not attend to all stimuli in the environment, they selectively create the world in which they live. Also, the self regulatory plans make people to plan and maintain their behaviours. According to Mischel, these cognitive variables as well as the features of the situation have to be identified to predict a persons behaviour in a given situation. Hence, the interaction of the person and situation lead to behaviour. Mischel suggested that only if a person come upon a specific behaviour, then his behaviour will reflect the characteristics he has learned in that particular situation (Kammrath, Mendoza-Denton and Mischel, 2005). Rotters social cognitive theory was based on the locus of control whereas Mischels cognitive affective theory was based on situation versus person variables. Mischels theory was an extension of Rotters social cognitive approach. Just like Rotter believed that peoples reaction to environmental forces are more determined by cognitive factors than immediate reinforcements, Mischel claimed that behaviour is determined by both situation variables (environmental factors: rewards and punishments) and person variables (internal personal factors). The two person variables : expectancies and subjective values in Mischels theory have the same meaning as in Rotters model. As an extension of Rotters social cognitive theory, Mischel added other person variables like competencies, encoding strategies and self regulatory systems and plans. Mischel strongly believed that the interaction of both environmental and personal factors develops behaviour. He claimed that we have to take into account what we know about a particular person and the present situation to predict the latters behaviour. Furthermore, he laid emphasis on how emotions and person variables interacted. He argued that negative emotions like depression affects peoples interpretation of their experiences and expectancies they hold about the future (Mischel and Shoda, 1995, p.498). Also, Mischel suggested that emotion variables just like cognition depend on how people interpret and label their experiences. The cognitive-affective personality system proposed the consistency paradox which refer to the variability across situations and stability in a persons behaviour. Mischel believed that variations in the behaviour pattern is neither caused by random error nor the situation alone. He rather believed that these variations in behaviour patterns predict behaviour that mirror stable patterns of variation within a person. Mischel and Shoda (1995) devised the Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦then framework which they believe can conceptualise the variations in behaviour. The relationship of the ifà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦then in this framework is as such: If A, then X; but if B, then Y. A and B are taken as situations in which the individual is in and X and Y are the ways people behave as a result of the situations they are facing. For example if Mark is provoked by his wife (situation A), then he will react with aggression (X). if changes and so, then also changes. In the first situation If Mark is being provoked by his wife (situation A), he will react aggressively (X). In a second situation (B), if Mark is being provoked by his boss then he will obey with submission (reaction Y). In these two situations we can see that Marks behavior is inconsistent, but Mischel and Shoda believed that being provoked by two different persons is not the same stimulus. Instead, they suggested that Marks behavior reflects a stable behavior pattern. Thus this framework claimed that the way people react to situations depend on cognitions( for example : perceptions, illusions) and affective (for example feelings) related with them. Mischel and Shoda (1995) proposed a second example where two persons are qualified as irritable but their irritability is caused differently. In the example he said that 2 persons are irritable: Person 1 likes to be the center of attention and likes interaction with others. Thus, Person 1 gets irritable when no one pays attention to him/her. Person 2 likes to be alone and gets irritable when people start to relate their lives. In addition to, there are two situations: Situation A reflects no interaction among people (e.g. Business meeting), It is just a boring situation. In situation B, such interactions are mostly frequent (e.g. parties). Therefore, based on ifà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Then Framework, Person 1 will feel irritated in situation A and not B, whereas Person 2 will feel irritated in situation B and not A. The Ifà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦then framework is based on the Behavioral Signature of Personality. The Behavioural Signature of Personality is the variation in an individuals behaviour in specific situations. In the example of Mark; his Behavioral Signature of Personality is his consistent manner to vary his behavior across situations; that is he will not react aggressively in all situations (Feist, 2004). M ischel took traits into consideration and contend that some basic traits are persistent over time. Mischel himself argued that the idea of consistency of personality across situations is not right. Mischel and Peake (1982) examined the consistency of conscientiousness and friendliness in college students. The result was that students responded inconsistently across situations. Mischels social cognitive theory maintains that peoples behavior is specific to the context of the situation. For example, somebody can be honest at work but can cheat on taxes. This approach does not predict depends that behavior will be consistent across situations. Behavior depends mainly on the consequences of the actions (such as rewards). However, according to Mischel, consistency can occur when the same behavior is reinforced in a variety of situations or if a person is unable to discriminate among situations. For Mischel traits can be useful as they provide summaries of multiple behavioral observation s and as such have descriptive usefulness. Traits affect behavior differently in different situations under certain conditions. For example, the trait of aggression will be apparent only under circumstances like when a person feels frustrated or angry. People with the trait aggressiveness act differently from those who are low in this trait. Moreover, Mischels theory considers the prior experiences in life. The prior experience play a role in situational context. Thoughts and emotions activated by a particular situation are the results of prior experiences with the particular situations. Therefore, situational variables as well as experiences play a role in the occurrence of any behavior. Rotter, on the other hand, attaches great importance to needs of people, as needs indicate the direction of behavior. Mischel talks goals only. Whereas Rotters theory speaks of goals when the focus is on the environment and speaks of needs when the focus is on the person. Rotter and Hochriech (1975) listed six categories of needs: recognition-status, protection-dependency, love and affection and physical comfort. In my own view, Mischels theory is better off than that of Rotters. Mischel even took into consideration the personality traits which he believed account for little of the variance in human behaviour. His aim was to replace traits like sociability or dominance into traits of his own invention. His theory was closely based on the social learning theory of Rotter but he combined the social learning theory with the knowledge about mental processes from cognitive psychology. Mischel with the help of his student, Shoda issued an updated version of his original theory. His new version had five variables instead of four and the new variable was affects, feelings or emotions. The addition of the new variable was due to the research made in 1995 which found that social information and processing and coping behaviour was influenced by affects and emotions (Mischel and Shoda, 1995, p.252). Another aspect which Mischel included in the new version of the theory was the description of personality as a cognitive-affective system. According to his new theory, he claimed that the importance in the five cognitive social learning person variables lie in their simultaneous interaction. Therefore, personality is a stable system that mediates how the individual processes, chooses and constructs social information and produces social behaviours (Mischel and Shoda, 1995). The cognitive affective personality system further claims that a persons behaviour will change based on a particular situation but in a meaningful manner. Mischel and Shoda (1995, 1998, 1999) even devised a framework and suggested that variations in behaviour can be predicted from it and he took into consideration the consistency paradox in explaining peoples behaviour. Moreover, Mischel places his cognitive theory against the traditional trait theory. As such, he argued that his theoretical cognitive person variables are superior to the traits as they express scientific rather than understanding. Unlike Rotter, Mischel and his colleagues believed in the importance of moving from a theoretical perspective of personality out of conceptualizations like irritability to a more scientific conceptualizations like encoding competency. Mischels theory is an advance over the trait approach as well. His person variables focus on the psychological processes in shaping behaviour rather than on the behaviours itself. Another advantage of Mischels theory is that individual differences in behaviour become conceptualized as patterns not as average levels.

The Black Plague :: essays research papers

The Black Plague Then The people of the Crimea were dying from a plague. Believing it was a foreign disease brought to their shores by Italian merchants, the people of the East got back at the Italians by exposing them to the corpses of the victims. Ships arrived from Caffa at the port of Messina, Sicily. A few dying men clung to the oars; the rest lay dead on the decks. Ships carrying the good the Italians wanted now came with the plague. Turned away from Messina, ships traveled on to Genoa and other European ports, making the disease spread to the heart of Europe. The plague came ashore with the surviving sailors and the goods stored in the ship. Florence was the first of the cities of Europe to feel the full force of the epidemic. When it was over between 45,000 and 65,000 Florentines were dead of the plague. People traveled to the countryside to escape what was happing in the cities and the plague traveled with them. People wrote to family members telling them of the spread of the plague and what to expect. Many people fled the cities only to find that the Black Death was already there. In three years time, the plague spread throughout Europe and killed so many people they had no place to bury the people who had died. People blamed the plague on ethnic groups and those people suffered from persecution. Others blamed the plague on foul winds from the east or from earthquakes. In London, when the plague reached there, it killed fifty percent of the people there and the people that remained healthy or survived the Black Death were sure that it was the end of the world. The Black Plague Now We know now that the Black Death is called the Bubonic Plague and is caused by the bacteria Yersinia Pestis . This Bacteria was transmitted by fleas that bit infected rats and then bit humans.

Employee Motivation Essay

Abstract. Employee motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an employee to behave in a certain manner for accomplishing certain organizational goals. Individuals differ in motivation along three parameters viz. self-esteem, need for achievement, and intrinsic motivation. There has been a growing emphasis on employee’s needs rather than just organizational needs, and recognition of the strategic value of employees being developed to their best potential. Organizations have become increasingly aware that the effective development of their employees’ skills and knowledge has benefits for the whole organization. Performance appraisal can be a crucial factor in the setting of career goals and the perception of job satisfaction leading to increased motivation and productivity. The paper examines employee motivation at the workplace. What is Motivation? Motivation is based on emotions. It is the search for positive emotional experiences and the avoidance of negative emotional experiences. Motivation is involved in the performance of all learned responses. It is a behavior that will not occur unless it is triggered. In general, psychologists question whether motivation is a primary or secondary influence on behavior. For example, is the behavior stemmed from personality, emotion perception, and memory or if motivation stems from concepts that are unique. Each year, billions of dollars are spent on motivation courses by large companies. The course involves training in motivation, meetings to boost motivation, incentives to strengthen motivation, meetings to analyze problems in the workplace motivation, tools to measure motivation mission statements, etc. These training sessions also include how to cope with problems in recruitment, productivity and retention, problems of commitment to teams and corporate agendas. Motivation is extremely important to success and to reach personal and business goals that one has set. Ethics Employees must learn to work together towards common goals. Employees must have an understanding of the organization as a whole and how they fit into the organization. They will most likely need training to acquire the knowledge needed for organizational understanding. Once an understanding of the organization and their role in it has been established, the employee with act on the goals set forth. Management must show the employee the need for their being there and for their output and input. The top to bottom role should be fair and there must be a clear code of corporate ethics. There must be communication between all levels, top to bottom, bottom to top. No employee should be left out. Management should ensure that their employees feel secure and they can be trusted and are equals among their peers. Performance should be viewed as a learning experience, not a horrific experience. Appraisals The annual performance review is one of the most feared and fearful processes that leaves employees angry and depressed as opposed to motivated to perform better. Companies have started to look at the appraisal as a more developmental approach to performance evaluation, instead of making the employee feel more insecure about their job performance. By using this technique, it would emphasize on giving employees the skills they need to perform effectively. The goal of a plan such as this would be to achieve goals that have been set by the company and be appraised on how many of those goals they have reached. Goals should be clear and sufficient to motivate employees into action. Business performance will improve by using an effective appraisal system. By defining clear objectives, the employees will be able to focus on the specified task and company goals. Appraisals help the employees feel that their good work is recognized and that they are valued. It also provides an opportunity to discuss concerns and weaknesses that the employee may have and suggestions may be made to find a solution to the problem. Motivation Techniques In order to motivate employees, they must know what is expected of them. Employees must have a clear understanding of challenges and realistic goals that they must meet. Employees that are encouraged to healthy competition ensure that the criteria for successes are clear and do not encourage resentment or low morale. Tough approaches, like firing staff that are not working to their full potential, can motivate other employees to do work better and strive for those goals that have been set. There is no perfect way to motivate staff. Some psychologists hold that financial bonuses or perks will be enough to motivate employees to give their best effort. Competition between employees is also commonly used as a motivation strategy at times. However, the keys to effective employees are motivation strategies that provide a range of incentives that appeal to the different personalities of the employees. While one individual may be driven by money, another may find job satisfaction or creative opportunities more powerful factors. Some company employee motivation techniques suggest that most employees respond to the same incentives. Money is most commonly used to improve motivation, staff retention and ambition. Everyone is different and has their own view about what is important to their life. For this reason, there are steps that can be used to motivate employees by doing things that they value and mean doing the right thing. They are as follows: Find the right job for the right person Empower Employees Co-operation vs. Competition Involve employees in company development When staff feel secure and nurtured in their work environment they perform  better. These steps help employees feel secure in their environment: Praise and recognition of the employee’s successes as much as you constructively criticize them. Let employees be aware of their job security. Be a Leader to staff. Create a comfortable working environment. Treat employees fairly. Mangers are responsible for overseeing employees who are engaged in work or learning tasks. Managers must be aware that some employees participate more out of interest in the task than others are. Others gain their satisfaction principally out the way in which their performance on the task leads to rewards like pay or status. But typically there is a mixture of motives for which a range of different incentives is relevant. Most employees will find at least some satisfaction in simply doing the work. The balance of these intrinsic and extrinsic sources of satisfaction varies from one person to another and between different situations. Some people indeed are highly motivated by both intrinsic interest and extrinsic rewards. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation Most employees understand intrinsic satisfaction or intrinsic motivation, when an activity is satisfying or pleasurable in and of itself. These activities are things employees like and want to do. For most people, intrinsically enjoyable activities are things like eating, resting, laughing, playing games, winning, creating, seeing and hearing beautiful things and people, and so on. To do these things people do not need to be paid, applauded, cheered, thanked, respected, or anything. They do them for the good feelings that are automatically and naturally received from the activity. Intrinsic rewards also involve pleasurable internal feelings or  thoughts, like feeling proud or having a sense of mastery following studying hard and succeeding in a class. Many, maybe most, activities are not intrinsically satisfying enough to get most of people to do them consistently, so extrinsic motivation needs to be applied in the form of rewards, incentives, or as a way to avoid some unpleasant condition. There are many activities that are intrinsically satisfying to some people but not to other people. This diversity suggests that past experiences can have a powerful influence on determining what is intrinsically satisfying to an individual. In many activities, intrinsically satisfying aspects combine with extrinsic pay offs. For example, employees and people in general, intrinsically enjoy conversing and, at the same time, they get attention, praise, support and useful information. In this case where intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are mixed, one might suppose that over a period of time the accompanying extrinsic reinforcements gradually increase our intrinsic enjoyment of the activity and perhaps vice versa. Extrinsic Motivation Extrinsic Motivation comes from without, such as money, titles, honors, trophies or a date. Extrinsic motivation has been found to destroy intrinsic motivation. Presently there is a movement to eliminate extrinsic motivation from schools, hospitals, and government. Extrinsic Motivation can be based on the phrase, â€Å"Do this, and get this.† Methods of Extrinsic Motivation are sometimes controversial. Some argue that employees view their work as a form of punishment and the paycheck is their reward. Extrinsic rewards tend to focus attention more narrowly and to shorten time perspectives, which may result in more efficient production of predefined or standardized products. Job satisfaction and long term commitment to a task may also be affected. Management first thinks about rewarding employees with money as an effective reward. Unfortunately, money will not always motivate employees to perform better or stay with the company longer. Not everyone thinks money makes the  world go round. Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation is the satisfaction in which the rewards come from carrying out an activity rather from a result of the activity. Employees that are intrinsically motivated tend to be more aware of a wide range of phenomena, while giving careful attention to complexities, inconsistencies, novel events and unexpected possibilities. They need time and freedom to make choices, to gather and process information, and have an appreciation of well finished and integrated products, all of which may lead to a greater depth of learning and more creative output. Intrinsic Motivation is the outcome of a work situation that employees enjoy. It comes from inside of the employee. Employees feel that they are in charge and that they have the opportunity to acquire new skills and abilities to match a different challenge. Employees also feel that they are a part of a successful team. When rewards, such as praise, are based on performance standards that imply one is doing well and performing competently, then the intrinsic interest increases. People like to be told they are doing well. Intrinsic Motivation is an emotional preference that gives pleasure and enjoyment. It stems from a strong emotional interest in an activity. It can be classified as a sense of freedom. Theories. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow is considered as the father of Humanistic Psychology. Humanistic Psychology incorporates both Behavioral and Psychoanalytical Psychology. Maslow, although he studied both types of Psychology, he rejected the idea that human behavior is controlled by only internal and external factor. Maslow, instead, based his Motivation Theory on the basis that â€Å"man’s behavior is controlled by both internal and external factors.† (pp. ) He also emphasized that humans have the ability to make choices and  exercise free will. Maslow collected data for his theories by studying individuals with an outstanding presence. His studies led him to believe that certain people have needs which are unchanging and genetic. Some needs are more basic than others are and others are more powerful than others are. As these needs are satisfied, new needs are created and other needs emerge. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is as follows: Basic Needs: Physiological; The need for sleep and rest, food, drink, shelter, sex, and oxygen. Safety; The need to be safe from harm. The need for a predictable world with consistency. The need for fairness, routine, and a sense of stability and security. Growth Needs Love and Belonging: The need for love and affectionate relationships, belonging to a group, and caring. Esteem (two components): Self-respect: The desire for confidence, competence, adequacy, achievement, and mastery. Respect of others: The desire for acceptance, recognition, reputation, appreciation, status, and prestige. Understanding and Knowledge: The needs to satisfy curiosity, explore, discover, find solutions, look for relationships and meaning, and seek intellectual challenges. Aesthetics: The need for beauty in surroundings. Self-actualization: The need for growth, development and utilization of potential, becoming all that one can be; self-fulfillment. McGregor’s X and Y Theories Two theories of human behavior at work were developed by Douglas McGregor. Theory X and Theory Y. McGregor did not indicate that workers would be type X or type Y. He saw the two types as extremes, with various possible behaviors in between. Theory X workers would be described an individuals who dislike work and avoid work when possible. They also lack ambition and do not like responsibility and prefer to be followers instead of leaders. These individuals also have a desire for feeling secure. Theory Y workers are individuals that could be characterized as individuals who did not dislike work and are considered responsible. These workers consider work as play or a rest time. For Theory Y workers, management would need to challenge the individual and create a working environment where they can show and develop their creativity. With Theory X, receiving rewards motivates the individuals. Keller’s ARCS Theory of Motivation John M. Keller designed four conditions for an employee to be motivated. Attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) are these conditions that when an employee uses them, they will become more motivated to do their tasks and reach goals set by themselves or others. Keller suggests that ARCS must happen in sequence. By following the ARCS order, it will keep the employee interested in the topic. If it were to lose its sequential order, then interest will be lost and motivation would not take  place. This motivation theory argues that events that fulfill personal needs or goals will enhance performance and effort put forth by the employee. Each of Keller’s conditions build upon the next condition. The management should keep these conditions in mind when designing goals and assigning tasks. The Conditions set by Keller are as follows: Attention: The first and single most important aspect of the ARCS model. It is gaining and keeping the employees attention. Keller’s strategies for attention include sensory stimuli, question provocation, and variability. Relevance: Attention and motivation will not be maintained unless the employee believes the training is relevant. The training program should answer the critical question, â€Å"What’s in it for me?† Benefits should be clearly stated. For a sales training program, the benefit might be to help representatives increase their sales and personal commissions. For a safety-training program, the benefit might be to reduce the number of workers getting hurt. For a software-training program, the benefit to users could be to make them more productive or reduce their frustration with an application. Confidence: The confidence aspect is required so that the employee feels that they should put a good faith effort into the organization. If they think they are incapable of achieving the objectives or that it will take too much time or effort, their motivation will decrease. In technology-based training programs, employees should be given estimates of the time required to complete the task or a measure of their progress through the program. Satisfaction: The last is Satisfaction. The employee must obtain some type of satisfaction or reward for achieving the goal or finishing a task. This can be in the form of praise from a supervisor, a raise, or a promotion. If managers are to use this Theory of Motivation, they must address adequate  examples and/or choices for their employees to be available to complete the task or reach a goal. Some employees may be active learners and enjoy experimentation. Some employees may be reflective learners and are more in tune with observing and lectures. These styles must be taken into consideration in order for the employee to feel motivated and be able to help the organization. There are currently thousands of articles on employee motivation research that has evolved from the early work of Maslow, Keller and McGregor. The application of these theories into new communication situations, like the Internet, will be an important contribution for generations to come. Benefits of Motivation Employees It is important that employees are motivated to work hard and increase productivity. Yet some workers are not reaching their full potential. Managers need to be proactive and start or improve existing motivation programs. Employees are aware of what their employers are or aren’t doing to recognize their efforts. The time it takes to set up a program is minimal, program administration is easy and efficient with automated program tracking and reporting. The end result is a program tailored specifically to the needs of the company. To develop a successful motivation program that benefits a company the following suggestions may be helpful: Specific goals that provide a strong sense of motivation and are expected to be obtained. Equity for all participants. Employees perceiving inequity may lower productivity. High perceived value so the participant becomes emotionally involved in obtaining the goal. Employee involvement during the development of the program and timely feedback to employees continuing throughout the program. Employee motivation is the responsibility of the company and its managers. The company must create a workplace that is full of culture and high achievers in order for the business to improve. Recognition, appreciation and rewards are crucial to employee motivation. A pat on the back or a mention of thanks can literally move mountains. Productivity rises for employees that are rewarded for the work they do. A company’s reputation and productivity increases with employees that feel appreciated. Recognition keeps communication open. It is important to keep communication alive with staff. By opening the lines of communication and staying in touch with the employees it will keep you in touch with their needs and desires. Create an atmosphere of cooperation, and give credit where credit is due. In return, the company will have employees that will go the extra hundred miles, and the returns will be tenfold. When an employee is passionate about their involvement and contributions, there will be no limit to the success that can be achieved. Bibliography Pandy, Wayne. (2001) Safety Incentives & Recognition. Creating an Achievement Based Safety Culture. Retrieved September 18, 2004 from http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/csseincentive/sld030.htm Captain Webb, Bob. (2001) Developing productive skills through self-discovery. Retrieved September 18, 2004 from http://www.motivation-tools.com/ Accel Team. (2004) Motivation. Retrieved from http://www.accel- team.com/motivation/index.html Accel Team. (2004) Theorists and their Theories. Retrieved from http://www.accel- team.com/motivation/theory_01.html Carnegie, Dale. (1981). How to Win Friends & Influence People; Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment (pp. 205-243). New York, NY: Pocket Books. Faculty of Information Studies. (1995) Motivation Theories. University of Toronto Retrieved from http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/Courses/LIS1230/LIS1230sharma/motive1.htm

Health Insurance Matrix Essay

Origin: When was the model first used? What kind of payment system is used, such as prospective, retrospective, or concurrent? Who pays for care? What is the access structure, such as gatekeeper, open-access, and so forth? How does the model affect patients? Include pros and cons. How does the model affect providers? Include pros and cons. Indemnity In 1932 the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a strong position against prepaid group practices, favoring instead indemnity-type insurance that protects the policyholder from expenses by reimbursement (Jones & Bartlett, 2007). As one of the first health policies in the U.S., indemnity plans are considered traditional health plans. Indemnity insurance plans have three options. Two of them are reimbursement plans (Howell, R., 2014). One typically covers 80 percent while the patient covers 20. The other option covers 100 percent. The third option pays the insured a certain amount each day for a maximum number of days. Indemnity plans are fee-for-service plans (retrospective). With an indemnity plan the patient pays for care. Afterwards the patient must submit a claim in order to be reimbursed. Indemnity plans are non-network based plans with open-access. This gives insured individuals flexibility when choosing doctors, hospitals, and health care facilities. No primary care physician (PCP) is necessary. No referrals are needed. Indemnity plans provide patients with flexibility and control over their medical care. No PCP must be selected. No referrals are needed to obtain services. The drawback however, is that patients must submit claims in order to receive reimbursement for services. This can take time. Indemnity plans  only reimburse services covered by the insurer. Services not covered will require full payment from the patient. Providers can require the costs for services up front to guarantee they are getting what they charge. Providers are not required to help patients with the necessary paperwork needed for reimbursement. This potentially saves providers time and resources if they decide to ask for funds in full before service. The drawback to indemnity plans is that patients may not have all the funds required to front the bill. Expensive services can detour patients from seeking care. Consumer-directed health plan Consumer-directed health plans (CDHP) were the result of public backlash against managed care and the rise in health care expenditures (Bundorf,K. M., 2012). CDHP’s were first introduced in the late 1990s. CDHP’s aim to control costs by putting responsibility for health care decisions into the hands of patients. Patients with a CDHP are required to pay for medical services in a fee-for-service type payment plan (retrospective). Patients pay for costs out of pocket until a maximum out-of-pocket limit is met. The insurance company covers additional costs after the maximum limit is reached. The insurer fully reimburses the medical provider. Unless a claim is submitted (AET), in which case only a portion is reimbursed. With a CDHP the patient is required to pay 100 percent of the pharmaceutical and medical expenses. Once the yearly deductible is met, the patient will is only required to cover a certain percentage of costs. The percentage varies depending on the provider. Of course, there are plans that cover 100 percent of their in-network costs. Patients with a CDHP gain access to a network of providers that their insurance company contracts with. The patient is not required to choose a primary care physician, and is not required to obtain a referral to see a specialist for medical care (Aetna, 2012). CDHP’s offer increased consumer control over health care dollars (Furlow, E., n.d.). Patients have better support tools (online, phone). They also have more power to make decisions. Alternatively, increased decision making  ability allows patients to forgo care. This can delay diagnosis and treatment. Ultimately, reducing the effectiveness of the plan altogether. Potential for higher payment amounts at time of service. Alternatively, there is a potential for greater debt amounts. Larger debts will make it necessary for health care providers to be more aggressive for collections. Providers will also encounter increased staff costs in order to follow-up with patients in advance of treatment, as well as in subsequent collection efforts (Fifth Third Bank, 2008). Point-of-service HealthPartners of Minneapolis pioneered point-of-service (POS) plans in 1961, but the concept took 25 years to get off the starting blocks (Dimmit, B., 1996). In 1986 CIGNA Healthcare launched Flexcare, the first POS plan. By 1995 forty percent of employers with at least 200 employees offered POS plans. Providers within a point-of-service network are usually paid a capitated fee. The fee is fixed and does not alter regardless of services rendered. POS plans operate using a prospective payment system. Insurance companies reimburse providers an agreed amount that is decided before a patient receives services. Patients are responsible for paying a co-payment when visiting a doctor. After the patient is seen, the provider submits claim forms to the insurer for the services rendered. Once the claims are processed the insurer will reimburse the provider (Austin & Wetle, 2012). If a patient goes out-of-network, they are required to pay the provider in full. Afterwards the patient can submit a claim for reimbursement. Point-of-service insurance plans utilize gatekeepers. This is the primary care physician for the insured individual. Patients are not required to obtain referrals from their primary care physician to seek medical care services from an out-of-network provider. Although it is recommended. If a patient goes out-of-network they’ll typically have to pay the majority of costs. Unless the primary care provider makes a referral to an out-of-network provider, in which case, the medical plan will pick up the tab (Small Business Majority, n.d.). Patients can easily go out of network. They have geographic flexibility that allows them to access doctors virtually anywhere. Compared to an HMO, patients have more choices. On the other hand, deductibles can be costly (Gustke, C., 2013). Provider’s in-network require a small copay. Out-of-network providers require patients to appease a high deductible. POS’s might not be worth it if you never use out-of-network providers. Out-of-network care requires patients to submit their own claims. Reimbursement can takes months to recover. POS’s are very similar to HMO’s and PPO’s. POS plans may have restrictive guidelines for health care providers. Some POS plans require the use of a primary care physician (PCP). PCP’s are responsible for routine care, all referrals, obtaining precertification for in-network services, and filling out paperwork for in-network care. Preferred provider organizations Preferred provider organizations (PPO) originated in the 1970’s. PPO’s were created from the rules of fee-for-service care. PPO’s steer employees to cooperating doctors and hospitals that have agreed to a predetermined plan for keeping costs down (Kiplinger, 2014). PPO’s negotiate a contract with providers, specialists, hospitals, and pharmacies to create a unified network. The providers within the network agree on a set rate to provide health care services at a lower rate than they normally charge for services (Kiplinger, 2014). PPO’s use a prospective and retrospective system. This is to ensure that the provider is only doing medically necessary tests and treatments for the injury being claimed, rather than trying to gain a larger reimbursement. With a PPO the insured pay a deductible to the insurer. After the deductible is paid, the insurer then covers any additional medical expenses incurred. Preventative care services are not subject to the deductible (Kiplinger, 2014). Some patients are required to make co-payments for certain services, or are required to cover a percentage of the total cost for medical services  rendered. PPOs are open-access plans. PPOs allow patients to seek medical care with any provider, whether in-network or out-of-network. Patients are not required to obtain a referral, they are also not required to select a primary care physician. Patients with a PPO plan have the freedom to choose almost any medical provider or facility they want for their medical services. If a patient seeks medical care within their network, their costs will be relatively low. Patients are not required to choose a primary care physician. They are also not required to go through their primary care physician to see a specialist if said specialist is in the PPO network. On the other hand, when a patient receives care from a provider outside of their PPO network, costs can be higher and sometimes not covered at all. For in-network providers, PPO’s guarantee a large amount of patients. Most patients would rather receive care in-network opposed to paying more for out-of-network. The prospect of a larger amount of patients enrolled in the PPO can generate more income for the provider. On the other hand a provider can lose money if they are not fully reimbursed for medical services rendered, because they are not paid a capitated fee. Health savings account Health savings accounts (HSA) were signed into law in December 2003. HSA’s were created by a provision of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (Stevens, S., 2005). HSA’s are used in conjunction with high-deductible insurance plans to help offset the costs of medical expenses. Health savings accounts use a fee-for-service type payment plan (retrospective). When a patient receives medical care they are responsible for paying for the medical services. Once their high deductible insurance maximum is met, the insurance company will then cover any additional medical expenses. With a HSA the patient is responsible for medical expenses. Since the patient is required to have a high-deductible insurance plan in order to qualify for a health savings account, their own personal money is used to pay for the coverage. On average a high deductible begins around $1,100 for individuals  and $2,200 for family plans. Money inside of an HSA is used to pay for expenses. This money is tax free and can be used to cover many other additional qualified medical services. Health savings account plans are open-access. The patient has the freedom to choose their medical provider and facilities are their own discretion. Referrals are not required and there are no networks from which a patient must choose from. Patients with a HSA have the freedom to manage their accounts and finances themselves. Patients control how money is spent, and have the freedom to choose their place of care. Any money deposited into a HSA is theirs, even if an employer contributes to it. The patient is not required to pay taxes on any money that is in their HSA, or any money used on qualified medical expenses. Potential disadvantages for patients include unpredictability of illness and budget. If money withdrawn from the HSA is used for nonmedical expenses it will be taxed. Fines can also occur. A high deductible can be difficult for some to afford. Providers benefit from direct payments received from patients. Eliminating the middle man saves time and resources. On the other han d, this makes patients more consciousness about the services they use. Some patients may opt out of treatment to avoid expense. References Austin, A. & Wetle. V. (2012) The United States Health Care System, Combining Business, Health, and Delivery. (2nd ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Barsukiewicz, C.K., Raffel, M.W., & Raffel, N. K. (2010) The U.S. Health System: Origins and Functions. (6th ed.) Mason, OH: Cengage Learning Bundorf, K. M. (2012) Consumer-Directed Health Plans: Do They Deliver? Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/reports/2012/rwjf402405 Aetna. (2012). Summary of Benefits and Coverage. Retrieved from http://www.aetna.com/health-reform-connection/documents/SBC-Plansponsorflyer-Self-funded.pdf Furlow, E. (n.d.) Exploring Consumer-Directed Health Care. Retrieved from https://www.ciab.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=318 Fifth Third Bank. (2008). The Impact of Consumer-Directed Health Care on Providers. Retrieved from https://www.53.com/doc/cm/rc-cdh-provider-impact-10012008.pdf Stevens, S. (2005). Pros and Cons of Health Savings Accounts. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/feeds/mstar/2004/04/08/mstar1_11_14978_132.html Kiplinger. (2014) What to Know About Preferred-Provider Organizations. Retrieved from http://www.kiplinger.com/article/insurance/T027-C000-S001-preferred-provider-organizations.html Dimmitt, B. (1996). Can Point-of-Service Go The Distance? Retrieved from http://av4kc7fg4g.search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Can+point-of-service+go+the+distance%3F&rft.jtitle=Business+and+Health&rft.au=Dimmitt%2C+Barbara&rft.date=1996-08-01&rft.pub=Medical+Economics+Inc&rft.issn=0739-9413&rft.volume=14&rft.issue=8&rft.spage=42&rft.externalDocID=10005483 ¶mdict=en-US Small Business Majority. (n.d.) Group Coverage Options. Retrieved from http://healthcoverageguide.org/part-one/group-coverage-options/#Point-of-Service+Plans+%28POS%29 Gutske, C. (2013) Pros and Cons of Health Insurance POS Plans. Retrieved from http://www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/pros-cons-health-insurance-pos-plans.aspx