Motivating Employees as the First Step to the Organisation Growth

Introduction The success of any organisation depends solely on the contribution of the employees. Employees are the most essential element of an organisation, and thus managers should put the needs of the workers ahead of theirs in order to ensure smooth running of an organisation. Motivating employees is the first step to ensuring that they give maximum contribution to the growth of an organisation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Motivating Employees as the First Step to the Organisation Growth specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are various ways of motivating employees, which include good salaries and remunerations, promotion, recognition and rewarding, leadership style, and off-duty times among other benefits. However, different cultures dictate different ways of motivating employees. Diversity in the world cultures directly relates to differences in the organisational cultures in different parts of the wo rld. For instance, the workaholic Japanese culture is different from the American working culture of almost eight hours a day. Hence, a Japanese employee is motivated in a different style from an American employee, who does not work for long hours. Employees are human beings and so are the organisational managers; therefore, managers should always respect their rights at all cost for the benefits of the organisational success. According to the international labour treaties, employees have the right to demand better working conditions, and if not provided by the employer, they can take the matter to the industrial courts. However, some nations do not adhere to that legal requirement; instead, they have their own labour laws that deprive employees of the right to demand better working conditions. Such nations put much attention to economic growth, which they achieve while retaining poor GDPs for employees are economically poor. Among such nations are China and the UAE that stress on e mployees’ contribution while on the other hand they pay low salaries and deprive them the right to ask for more from their employers. Literature Review According to Lipman (2013), a management and corporate life writer at Forbes, there are five ways to motivate and five ways to de-motivate employees. Factors that motivate employees include aligning employee’s economic interests with the performance of the organisation. Daft (2008) notes, managers should understand that an organisation achieves good performance from employees’ contribution, and thus the management team should offer incentives for workers’ contribution. Lipman (203) feels that this move would allow employees to feel part of the company’s success and hence motivate them to work harder in the future. In addition, managers ought to take interest in the future growth of the employees’ career. Employers who mind about the direction of career of their workers makes them feel motivat ed.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to the Kuwait Times (2013), most of employees in Kuwait offer career development programs that motivate employees and make them feel part of growing organisations. It is interesting to know that organisations that offer career development programs to their employees give way to innovation and quality production, and hence are more competitive than those that do not offer such opportunities to their employees (Kuwait Times 2013). Willmore (2009) is of the opinion that managers and employers should uphold work-life balance in their employees’ lives. This factor reminds the employers that employees are humans with greater life responsibilities beyond their contribution to the organisations that they work for, and thus their lives should be respected. Doyle (2005) adds that respecting employees’ lives requires that they have enough time to spearhead other responsibilities that lie ahead of their lives. According to Podmoroff (2005), this move may appear as a small gesture to an organisation, but it has a remarkable impact to the overall growth of an organisation that depends on the contribution of the employees. Kehoe and Alston (2007) emphasise that employees appreciate working with an employer who understands their lives beyond the scope of the organisation. For instance, managers should send representatives to employees’ family functions such as weddings or funeral ceremonies. Managers and employees should have effective industrial management skills in their organisation for this requirement, according to Lipman (2013) is a crucial element of ensuring good relationship between employees and their employers. Kehoe and Alston (2007) add that industrial management offer platform for dispute management within an organisation and emphasises on the establishment of effective communication chan nels in an organisation. In any working environment, there has to be issues that demand deliberation between employees and their employers. Hence, it is important for employers to listen to employees whenever they have issues that call for attention. The most effective way of ensuring effective communication, according to Daft (2008), is the establishment of flat communication structure that does not demand hierarchical protocols. Protocols often frustrate employees’ efforts to have managers listen to their grievances and thus it is prudent for managers to lessen them for communication purposes. Employers and managers ought to treat their employees in a respectful way, as they would like to have them treat them back (Doyle 2005). Employees are often very respectable persons and hardly do they offend their managers and employers. On the other hand, managers and employers are not often respectful to employees and they often mistreat them. This factor requires that managers and employees be respectable persons to their subordinates, who in this case are employees, and treat them in a respectable manner.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Motivating Employees as the First Step to the Organisation Growth specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, according to the Lipman (2013), factors that de-motivate employees include abuse of managerial or supervision positions by managers and supervisors over their subordinates. This trend has an inverse relation with the fifth factor of motivating employees. This analogy applies in all areas where human relations apply and especially in the working conditions. A humble supervisor gets along well with his or her subordinates, and on the other hand, an arrogant supervisor always has problems with subordinates (Daft 2008). Arrogant supervisors and managers do not take matters related to their subordinates seriously, and hence thus they annoy the employees. On realising that they ignore their matters, employees tend to use other ill mechanisms for retaliation, which include go-slow protesting and striking among others that lead to poor performance of an organisation. Hence, managers and supervisors should avoid abusing the powers bestowed to them over the rights and needs of their subordinates. Shallal (2011) notes that managers often take advantage of a successful project of an employee, which often takes place in innovative projects, whereby employees work tirelessly in ensuring that they develop a product that will boast competiveness of an organisation. After a successful breakthrough, the project receives credit and often some managers take credit as theirs, which really should not belong to them. Willmore (2009) warns that such an action is humiliating and unethical, and often demoralises the employees hence they fail to exercise their innovativeness for fear of denial of their credit by their bosses. In addition, mana gers and supervisors often lose temper, hence de-motivating their subordinates. Willmore (2009) holds that loyalty belongs to the persons that are capable of retaining their temper even at difficult situations. Losing temper is a clear indicator of dictatorship and pride and thus managers and supervisors should avoid it at all cost. It is difficult for an individual to think outside the box after losing temper and thus difficult to develop solutions to the pressing problems. Employees feel humiliated and demoralised when associating with a tempered boss as it is difficult to reason with him or her when a problem arises (Migrant Forum in Asia 2009). The failure by managers and supervisors to stand up for their subordinates or organisation when under an external attack causes de-motivation to employees.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employees should enjoy the protection of an organisation provided the threat under question is beyond the control of an employee. For instance, an organisation should take responsibility of an accident case involving its vehicle, but not leave it on the hands of the driver. Failing to take responsibility would de-motivate the driver and worst still the reputation of an organisation to the public. Lastly, failure by managers and supervisors to praise their subordinates after doing a commendable job causes de-motivation. Kehoe and Alston (2007) posit that human beings like praises when it is due and they work hard to achieve it whenever there is an opportunity. Working environments offers numerous opportunities for praises, and thus employees work hard for praises from their bosses after making great achievements. After great achievements, bosses’ failure to recognise and praise the workers greatly-demoralises them and worst still leads to inferiority complex. Therefore, Podmor off (2005) insists that it is important to acknowledge employees’ achievements for it motivates them to work harder for more praises, which translates to improved performance of an organisation. Immigrant Women Employees in UAE Policies governing rights of women immigrants Over the recent past, there have been numerous cases of poor working conditions of women immigrants and abuse by their foreign employers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The introduction of the international law in 2004 intended to curb the ill behaviours of employers who abused the rights of immigrant women workers. The UAE is an Islamic cultural region and thus its culture does not allow women to exercise some rights as men do; hence, conflict between employers and immigrant women workers, especially those belonging to different religions and cultures. The UAE Ministry of State and Federal Council Affairs (2008) published a report on the development of the UAE in the handling of women in social affairs after the region ranked 29th among 177 nations. The report titled â€Å"Women in the United Arab Emirates: A Portrait of Progress† outlined the developments and challenges that faced status of women in the region (Omair Katlin 2009). According to a report, by Migrant Forum in Asia (2009), submitted to the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women, more that 70 per cent of women workers in the region are immigrants with Philippines leading with the highest number. The majority of migrant women secure employment as domestic staff in the UAE region. However, the secluded environment that surrounds their work exposes them to the abuses of their employers. Their employers often abuse them â€Å"sexually, withholding their passports, physical abuse and assaults, mobility restrictions, and deaths in the worst-case scenarios† (Migrant Forum Asia 2009, p.7). Victims lack access to justice due to lack of a legal frameworks that deal with such cases in the region. The aforementioned report, acknowledged some notable progress in the way government dealt with cases involving abuse of women immigrant workers by their bosses. However, foreign states had pressured the government to offer legal mechanisms that offer protection to their citizens who worked in the region. Since the introduction of laws that allowed women immigrants the right to transfer employers under valid contracts, cases of abuses have reduced significantly. Issues surrounding women migrant workers in the UAE Exclusion from labour law Unfortunately, the UAE labour legislations do not recognise migrant house servants. However, they fall under the Ministry of Interior, in the Department of Immigration. The exclusion from the labour laws deprives them of the right to demand labour justice in the industrial courts, which seems as slavery for employers take matters on their hands without fear of the law. Domestic workers are important employees for their services allow employers to a ttend to other economically positive affairs. Hence, employees need the government’s protection just like their employers (Dhal 2012). The government ought to ensure that domestic workers have access to good working conditions. The Migrant Forum Asia (2009) suggests that employees should have good houses, access to communication facilities, mobility rights, and regular inspection of their working conditions. These elements would motivate domestic workers to give their best to the needs of their bosses for there would be a good working relation between the two parties. Temporary labour migration The international labour law allows for easy transfer of employers without deportation; however, the UAE banned the law claiming that domestic workers could become intolerable if allowed to transfer freely from one employer to another. The argument is valid for the sake of security of both the employee and employer, but places a domestic worker at a highly vulnerable position to the ab use of an employer (Suliman Al-Sabri 2009). The government ought to find ways of regulating the movement of domestic workers and allow them to change their employers freely in case of dispute. A corporate employee has the freedom to transfer at will regardless of the nature of existing relationship between him or her and the employer. Hence, the government should extend the same requirements to a domestic worker who is equally important as the corporate worker for the development of the region. Shockingly, skilled domestic workers such as teachers, nurses, and graduates are exempted from some restrictions, which indicates a high level of discrimination and worst still a growing level of slavery in the region. Human Trafficking and Illegal Recruitment There has been a rise in the number of unscrupulous employment agencies associated with the UAE employers in third world countries across Africa and Asia. These agencies take advantage of the economic status of women and promise good w orking conditions in Dubai and Kuwait among other prestigious parts of the UAE. Worst still, these agencies do not comply with the international labour movement agencies that require them to undergo safety screen before conducting their business. Human trafficking is a serious crime across the UAE; hence, those agencies do not assure their victims of foreign safety, and thus they simply damp insecure workers at the hands of employers and never care about them afterwards. Regrettably, those agencies pressure the migrant women to surrender their travelling documents to their bosses, and thus losing contact with their contact individuals and embassies. Additionally, there have been cases of illegal border crossing into the UAE whereby illegal employment agencies channel their victims through into the region. Conclusion and Recommendations Workers require motivation for them to give maximum contribution to the welfare of an organisation. On the other hand, employers should not consider efforts that would motivate their employees as a burden, but rather as an investment worth venturing for the benefit of an organisation. Employees are human beings and just like their employers and bosses they deserve human respect and dignity at all cost. In addition, employers should ensure that employees have a sense of belonging to the welfare of an organisation. Hence, they are part of an organisation’s success, and thus the employers should reward them for contributing to the success of an organisation by offering them incentives among other benefits. Such a move would enhance employees’ motivation and hence they will offer greater contributions to the success of an organisation. In recommendation, employers should value their employers in the same way that they want to be valued. Governments also should contribute in enhancing good employee-employer relationship by introducing laws that prohibit discrimination and abuse of employees’ rights. The governmen ts, at all levels of employments, should enhance industrial relations so that employees may have a right to demand their rights through legal framework mechanisms. In the case of the UAE, migrants need protection through legal mechanisms, and thus respective governments across the region should enact laws that govern workers’ rights at the hands of local employers. For employers who defy labour laws, the government should punish them decisively for they do not only tarnish the image of the UAE in the international arena, but they destroy international relations with the countries where migrant workers belong. Reference List Daft, R. 2008, The leadership experience, Cengage Learning, Mason. Dhal, S. 2012, Employees who employ dirty tricks. Web. Doyle, S. 2005, The manager’s pocket guide to motivating employees, HRD Press, Amherst, MA. Kehoe, D. Alston, D. 2007, Motivating Employees: 25 action-based articles showing you how to engage your people in peak performance, McG raw Hill, New York. Kuwait Times 2013, Work life balance ‘most motivating factor’ for employees in Kuwait. Web. Lipman, V. 2013, 5 easy ways to motivate- and demotivate- employees. Web. Migrant Forum in Asia 2009, Women Migrant Workers in the UAE: not quite in the portrait. Web. Omair, C. Katlin, G. 2009, ‘Women executives; Gender; Clothing; Middle East. Gender in Management’, An International Journal, vol. 24 no.6, pp. 412-431. Podmoroff, D. 2005, Three hundred and sixty-five ways to motivate and reward your employees every day– with little or no money, Atlantic Publishing Company, Florida. Shallal, M. 2011, ‘Job satisfaction among women in the United Arab Emirates’, Journal of International Women’s Studies, vol. 12 no.3, pp. 114-134. Suliman, A. Al-Sabri, N. 2009, ‘Surviving through the global downturn: Employee motivation and performance in healthcare industry’, The open business journal, vol. 9 no. 2, pp. 86-94. UAE Ministry of State and Federal Council Affairs 2008, Women in the United Arab Emirates: a portrait of progress. Web. Willmore, J. 2009, No Magic Bullet: Seven Steps to Better Performance, American Society for training and Development, Alexandria. This essay on Motivating Employees as the First Step to the Organisation Growth was written and submitted by user Jillian Q. 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.

Civilized Features essays

Civilized Features essays I think that the eight features; art and artitecture, social class, writing, advanced cities, specialized workers, religion, public works are the roots of civilized people. They helped people progress Over the centuries people settled in stable communities. Their tecnology, enviroment, agriculture, and way of life became more complex. This became known as an advanced civilization. Each feature of civilized people helped changes occor in the communities. Making the cities more elaborate and advanced. I think that social class was a very important root of civilized people. I think this because social class determined who and what their jobs were. In result adding specialized workers and making public works available I believe that every feature of civilized people was built on another feature of civilization. I believe this is true because without people we would not have advanced cities because people were the key thing to getting the ideas out into the open helping to a civilized cities we would not have specialized workers. For specialized workers helped improve the city with different things such as hunters and gathers, traders, government officials, and priests. I think that religion was a very important feature of civilized people because it helped the city stay stable and structured making them seem prepared and strong to outsiders. Religion had different gods depending on the area that helped cities with their problems such as floods, and other natural disasters because the people believed that the god's did that for a certain reason and it would help them get more organized to please the gods and themselves. Writing was very important to the roots of civilized people because writing helped people express themselves and write down the history of their people. Without writing I think that people could not improve their civilization because it hel ...

WITHHOLDING INFORMATION CASE Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

WITHHOLDING INFORMATION CASE - Research Paper Example Negotiation process entails three primary ethical systems that provide the guidance for the parties participating; for instance, the ethics of purposes, ethics of principles or the ethics of the consequences. Ethics of purposes takes in principles in relation to the Aristotles views concerning the ethics. Aristotle argued that human beings are just naturally good and, as a result, will have no obligation to work with the objectivity of realizing the positive fruits at the end of the work session (Falvo, 2011). However, the same human beings must use the positive ways and means of getting to the conclusion of the matter before them. As result, such negotiations that tend to ignore the ethics presented in this view may not, in this case, reach the positive end of the matter. In the case of the ethics of principle, the principle presents its arguments in relation to the deontological ethics of Emmanuel Kant. Kant argued that human beings are always irrational and, as a result, will strive towards doing that particular activity that is right as the society expects that from them always. In addition, the human beings under this form of ethics will only adopt the use of the rational ways of doing activities and intern realizing what they intend to achieve their objective plans. Negotiators who go for the option of this principle apply the methodologies considered to be of rational and appropriate so as to find the solution to the problem (Cohn, 2007). The case of the ethics of the consequences takes care of the analysis of the possible outcomes of the present actions. As a result, this form of ethics finds it way of use among people in the evaluation of the actions from the positive outcomes of the most concerned parties in the negotiation process (Falvo, 2011). Consequential ethics, on the other hand, does not consider the importance of the means used to reach the goals.

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES - Essay Example It turns employees into expert specialists since there is division of labor. However, it also has its weaknesses since people in this structure tend to approve all type of communication as they pass all hierarchies. If the hierarchy is rigid, there is lack of autonomy since hire-ups are required to approve decisions and they may be far from the customer. Ferreira (2009) suggests that there may arise interdepartmental rivalry as they grow in size and this may result in favoritism that benefits departments and not the institutions. Uher (2009) explains that the concept of boundaryless organization has had an impact in the global world since they are not limited to vertical, horizontal, or external boundaries that are usually predetermined. The cross functional teams dissolves their horizontal barriers and the external alliances transcend the firm boundaries together with their relationships. This enables the company to respond fast to environmental changes and be able to spearhead innovation .This boundaryless environments are found in learning organizations where teams self organize and create an environment where knowledge is easily shared in effective

Dabur PESTEL Analysis

Dabur PESTEL Analysis INTRODUCTION The Dabur company was established in 1884, a young doctor armed with a degree in medicine and a burning desire to serve mankind. This young man, Dr. S.K. Burman, laid the foundations of what is today known as Dabur India Limited. The brand name Dabur is derived from the words Da for Daktar or Doctor and bur from Burman. From those humble beginnings, the company has grown into Indias leading manufacturer of consumer healthcare, personal care and food products. Over its 125 years of existence, the Dabur brand has stood for goodness through a natural lifestyle. An umbrella name for a variety of products, ranging from hair care to honey, Dabur has consistently ranked among Indias top brands. Its brands are built on the foundation of trust that a Dabur offering will never cause anyone slightest of harm. The trust levels that this brand enjoys are phenomenally high. Dabur India Limited has marked its presence with significant achievements and today commands a market leadership status. There story of success is based on dedication to nature, corporate and process hygiene, dynamic leadership and commitment to their partners and stakeholders. The results of their policies and initiatives speak for them. The company has kept an eye on new generations of customers with a range of products that cater to a modern lifestyle, while managing not to alienate earlier generations of loyal customers. Dabur India Limited is the fourth largest FMCG Company in India and Dabur had a turnover ofapproximately US$ 750 Million (Rs. 3390.9 Crore FY 09-10) Market Capitalisation of over US$ 3.5 Billion (Rs 15500 Crore).Dabur Amla, Dabur Chyawanprash, Vatika, Hajmola and Real are the brands of Dabur. Dabur is an investor friendly brand as its financial performance shows. The companys growth rate rose from 10% to 40%. The expected growth rate for two years was two-fold. There is an abundance of information for its investors and prospective information including a daily update on the share price (something that very few Indian brands do). Theres a great sense of responsibility for investors funds on view. This is a direct extension of Daburs philosophy of taking care of its constituents and it adds to the sense of trust for the brand overall. The company, through Dabur Pharma Ltd. does toxicology tests and markets ayurvedic medicines in a scientific manner. They have researched new medicines which will find use in O.T. all over the country therein opening a new market. Dabur Foods, a subsidiary of Dabur India is expecting to grow at 25%. Its brands of juices, namely, Real and Active, together make it the market leader in the Fruit Juice Category. PESTEL ANALYSIS ON DABUR INDUSTRY (P)OLITICAL FACTORS: Government intervences : Government support the industry to expand to export its products to grow. Trading policies : Trading policies are also favourable for dabur company so it can export its products it also help him to expand to grow. (E)CONOMIC FACTORS: Consumer focus : they are continuously focussing on analysing the consumer needs develop products to fulfill there needs. This is the main reason for the growth of Dabur company. Living standard : Rise in the living standard of people have increased their production level, produce high quality variety of products. National income : National income is important factor as if affect the growth of the organisation. If per capita income is more the amount spend will be more if it will be lower the amount spent will be less. Inflation rate : Inflation means the rise in the value of all the product in the economy, if inflation rate is higher the cost of products will be higher if inflation rate is lower the cost of product will be lower. This directly affect the growth of the organization. (S)OCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS: Demographics : Demographics is the study of human population in the economy. It helps the organzation to divide the markets in different segments to target a large of customers. For Example- according to race, age, gender, family, religion, sex. Distribution of income : This shows that how income is distributed in the ecconomy. It directly affect the purchasing power of the buyers. And ultimately leads to increase or decrease in the consumption level of the products. Consumerism : This indicates that a large number of options are available while purchasing of goods to consumers, so the choice becomes easy quality products can be choose by consumers. So while purchasing a consumer have different choices to select product according to his needs. Education levels : Education is one of the most important factor which influence the buying power of consumer, while selecting a particular good a consumer should know all its features so it can differentiate them with another products. Law affect social behaviour : Different laws are made by the government to safe guard the rights of consumers. For example- Consumer protection act, this law indicates that a consumer can file a case against a seller if he finds that he is cheated. (T)ECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS: Discoveries innovation : Continuous innovation in products processes is the basis of there services. They provide consumers with innovative products within easy reach Build a platform to enable Dabur to become a global ayurvedic leader. Advancement in technology : Focus on growing there core brands across categories, reaching out to new geographies, within and outside India, and improve operational efficiencies by leveraging technology. Automation : Change in technology will leads to automation, this means that with new technology labour required is less as machines are automatic. All the works are done automatically by the machines as earlier it is labour oriented. Now all the work is machine oriented. Obselete rate : Day-by-day new inventions are made so the rate of obselete is higher, as in Computer LAPTOPS have replaced the PC. This shows that the technology becomes obselete very fast. Research development : This department plays a vital role in the development of the organization. As this department always do research that what are the demand of the markets how to make advancements so the organization can survive in the competitive world. (E)NVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: Environment regulations : The preferred company to meet the health and personal grooming needs of there target consumers with safe, efficacious, natural solutions by synthesizing the deep knowledge of ayurveda and herbs with modern science. Environmental protection : Responsible company to protect Ecological system use Eco-friendly products. (L)EGAL FACTORS: Companies law : The company fulfill all the Company law requirement so as to grow develop to sustain in the compitative market. Employment law : Employment law provides equal opportunities to every citizen to work earn his livelihood. It provides equal opportunities to every citizen. Consumer protection : This law helps to protect the rights of consumers he can file a case against seller if he find that he is cheated. Industry-specific regulations : These laws are related to industry for example- no industry can establish in between cities i.e. it should be outside the cities.

the future of capitalism Essay -- essays research papers

Third World History Book Report . This book report reflects upon the writings of Lester C. Thurow in his 1996 book - "The Future of Capitalism". Thurow is a professor of economics at M.I.T. School of Management and has been a contributing editor to the Newsweek journal. "The Future of Capitalism" is an analytical look at the state of world economics in the late Twentieth Century. Thurow predicts the future of capitalism based upon recent trends in empirical data combined with his own political/economic analysis. Central to this book is a powerful analogy that Thurow uses to communicate his ideas and thoughts to the reader. The distribution of wealth in the world is likened to the surface of the earth - parts of the earth are characterized by high mountainous regions (areas of wealth) while others are of lesser altitude (areas of poverty). In Geology, it is understood that the earth's surface is constantly in a state of flux, impacted by gradual movements in the tectonic plates that float upon the earth's molten inner core. The five tectonic plates affecting the earth's surface (distribution of wealth) are analogous to the driving forces behind changes in world economics; the molten inner core represents the flowing currents of technology and ideology. Thurow contends that movements in the "plates" caused by ideological and/or technological changes can be gradual, having an imperceptible impact on the world's population or they can be sudden with far greater social consequences . When tectonic plates move suddenly, they cause earthquakes on the earth's surface; the distribution of wealth is changed over a very short period of time. In this analogy, periods of rapid change caused by sudden movements in the plates are equated to times of "punctuated equilibrium". Thurow describes "punctuated equilibrium" as fundamental changes in the state of world economics that redefine what it takes to be successful and thus increase one's wealth. By their very nature, periods of "punctuated equilibrium" threaten the status quo, the Midas touch is weakened, what was successful in the past might not be so in the future. "The Future of Capitalism" asserts that we are living in a time of "punctuated equilibrium" and that successful ... ...mained unchanged for millennia. For these countries, the "western way" is a formidable threat that must be thwarted at all costs. When a country's culture is synonymous with its religion, a threat to that culture leads to a rise in religious fundamentalism with often-violent consequences. Sadly, Thurow's prediction of rising religious fundamentalism rings true today. Thurow's book is a rational, well-communicated analysis of world economics. His arguments are based upon sound intuitive reasoning supported with the appropriate empirical analysis. Thurow's use of analogy to communicate his subject is the most impressive aspect of his book. The use of "plate tectonics" accurately reflects the inner workings of world economics; the drivers of change are not obvious to the average bystander. Thurow's book should be mandatory reading for those politicians with an adversity to looking beneath the surface; too many policies target the effect and not the cause. "The Future of Capitalism" stands out because it motivates the reader to look beneath the surface; it provokes a new way of thinking about the world in which we live.

Conversations with Children Essay

Language is a form of communication wherein children learn how to convey their emotions, thoughts and ideas verbally. Not only is language a tool of communication, it’s also an implement of thinking which is related to the way in which children acquire knowledge, their reasoning and their observations. Within this essay I shall be discussing what and how children learn in the process of conducting a conversation with an adult, by exploring children’s acquisition in terms of linguistic and communicative competence with reference to the dialogue and other supporting evidence. In relation to linguistic competence, Linguist Noam Chomsky (1990, 1986) affirms that ‘language is an innate human ability which is biologically determined and follows a predictable path’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 92) suggesting that children are familiar with language from birth. However, Chomsky in contrast also states that ‘minimal language input is required to trigger the language learn ing process’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 92) testifying that a caregiver’s contribution plays is imperative role in a child’s development. Barbara Mayor, corresponding to Chomsky’s beliefs, has observed that ‘babies are primed even within the womb to attend to the particular ‘melody’ of the language that surrounds them’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 92) such as, a mother’s voice. In comparison to both Chomsky’s and Mayor’s philosophy, Elinor Ochs (1979) argues that non-verbal communication emerges before children can verbally communicate, such as ‘touching, pointing, and eye gaze†¦reaching, holding up, waving, pushing away, head shaking, and the like’ (Ochs, 1979, pg 12, in Mayor, pg 93) designating that minors can interact with their caregivers, almost like having ‘a conversation without words’ (Wells, 1985, pg 24, in Mayor, 2012, pg 93). Gordon Well’s observation coincides with that of Mayor’s, who asserts that a baby’s first experience of language across many cultures is likely to be in dialogue with a caregiver’ (Mayo r, 2012, pg 93). But, how do children learn how to conduct a conversation? In early education, minors learn to converse by creating sounds, firstly by hearing different sounds around them which then urge and encourage children to respond. Babies particularly, learn how to manipulate their vocal sounds in order to make verbal contact with their caregiver such as a ‘cry’ which later progresses to a ‘babbling’. Mayor mentions that ‘their early experimentations of babbling soon differentiates the particular sounds which are meaningful in their linguistic community from those which are not’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 92). Elinor Ochs and Bambi Schieffelin (1979) also mention that ‘children begin by learning speech and only gradually learn the language that corresponds to these in the community around them’ (Ochs and Schieffelin, 1979, in Mayor, pg 93). In studying communicative competence, by being able to conduct a conversation, it has been observed that language mannerisms between caregiver and child, can exemplify the speech that assists the acquisition of language. During this acquisition caregivers display a unique style of speech in which linguistics has referred to as Child Directed speech (CDS), also known as ‘baby talk’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 93) which consist of several features. The first is Phonological wherein caregivers change the rate of speech, use a clearer pronunciation and a higher and more exaggerated pitch allowing children to comprehend words a little easier. The second feature is Lexical, in that adults use shorter and simples phrases whilst employing a more grammatical usage. Syntactic features are the last element where caregivers use a simplified form of speech by using shorter utterances, rather than full sentences sequentially illustrating meaning to their young. In terms of CDS and in reference to the chosen dialogue, it is evident that Anna is capable of comprehending what her mother is saying by the way she responds. It’s apparent that Anna is capable in terms of being able to use short words and long, grammatical sentences. Although she is not correct at times, Anna, in her own way can interpret and express herself through her language; an example of this can be seen in line 18. CDS therefore, permits children to distinguish linguistic patterns by firstly learning word order and then developing a profound understanding of sentence structures. Telegraphic speech is a prime example of a speech act. According to linguistics, telegraphic speech consists of a two-word stage of language acquisition used by children aged 2-3, (Anna’s age), that creates a number of joined utterances. These words then become multiple and children learn how to conduct telegraphic sentences. In the dialogue it’s clear that Anna has developed a sense of being able to build sentences and is able to use word order correctly. It is through telegraphic speech that children learn how to acquire grammatical inflections in word forms and prepositions such as ‘in’ and ‘on’, this can be seen in line 14 of the dialogue also. Discourse and context play a role in teaching children language. Discourse identifies that language has ‘a social purpose’ (North, 2012, pg 133), and allows us ‘to communicate with other people to establish and maintain relationships, to share feelings, to exchange information, or to influence their behaviour’ (North, 2012, pg 133). Barbara Mayor and Daniel Allington declare that context is significant as it ‘refers to the physical location and social circumstances in which a particular example of language use occurs’ (Mayor and Allington, 2012, pg 6). The dialogue is set in informal settin g, the sense of language between mother and daughter within the dialogue is perceived accordingly in this type of social setting in that is relaxed. In regards to grammatical development, competence generally precedes performance wherein children are taught to comprehend a language before being able to speak it. In reference to communicative competence Del Hymes states that ‘a normal child acquires knowledge of sentences, not only as grammatical, but also as appropriate. He or she acquires competence as to when to speak, when not, and as to what to talk about with whom, when, where, in what matter’ (Hymes, 1972, pg 277, In Mayor, pg 106). Holding a conversation with a child can be difficult in terms of captivating their attention, however as Hymes explores, the majority of conversations between caregivers and children are based upon the subject of their interests, such as; family members etc. In this dialogue this is evident seeing that the conversation is based upon drawing both cars and trains for her parents. Another trait in CDS is repetition in which is used to prolong an adult/child conversation by enabling the flow of speech. Repetition can be seen in lines, 3, 5, and 9 of the dialogue where the mother has repeated Anna’s previous comment. Another method used in CDS and perhaps the most essential rule of conversation is turn taking. Turn taking has a primary function that allows the infant to learn conversational structure. Taking turns seems to be a straight forward implement; however other factors need to be addressed in order for a child to fully appreciate the procedures. Within the dialogue, Anna has learnt that she has to take turns and actually appears to be rather good at it. Transition Relevance Place also known as TRP, identified and named by Sacks (1998 [1995]), is when a conversation between one person and another follows fluently. However, it is common for an overlap during conversation in which a person mistakes a TRP and takes their turn of speaking before the previous speaker is able to carry on with their turn. This overlapping of speech can sometimes be unintentional depending on whether a legitimate TRP occurs or not. Referring to the dialogue, in line 1 we can see that the mother is the first speaker in which she speaks with an utterance made up of one so-called TCU (a question). At the end of this TCU (line 1) is a TRP in which the role of the speaker and the listener swop, in line 2 Anna recognised the TRP and speaks. North (2012) has identified that sometimes listeners respond to a previous speakers at a TRP, not by trying to take a turn of speech but instead by showing an interest and by encouraging the speaker to continue talking. This can be seen in 11 in the dialogue ‘Mhm’. North mentions that in terms of taking part in a conversation ‘you cannot just say anything; you have to respond appropriately’ (North, 2012, pg 158). Harvey Sacks agrees and identifies that ‘spoken exchanges are composed of ‘single units’ or ‘composites’, which tend to function together in pairs’, in which he named these units ‘adjacency pairs’ (Schegloff and Sacks, 1973, In Mayor and Allington, pg11). Adjacency pairs are an underlying aspect of conversational-turn taking where one speaker provokes a responding utterance from the second speaker. Question and answer is a common adjacency pair and can be seen in the dialogue throughout lines 1, 3, 7, 13 and 15, which are responded too, by Anna, in a ‘preferred response’. Other adjacency pairs are ‘dispreferred’ responses (responses the listener doesn’t want to hear). References Hymes, D. H. (1972) ‘On communicative competence’ in Pride, J. B. and Holmes, J. (eds) Sociolinguistics: Selected Readings, Harmondsworth, Penguin.