Psychological Contracts in the Workplace

Question: Discuss about thePsychological Contracts in the Workplace. Answer: Introduction The psychological contract can be termed as the relationship between an employer and its workers, which concerns agreed expectations of the contributions and results. It can also be referred to as the unwritten set of expectations of the entire manager-worker relationship. This institution sets the rules and conditions for the relationship and explains in detail how the work should be done be done. It is often viewed from the employees point of view. From their perspective, the psychological contract is the balance between how they are treated by the employers and what they put into the job. The psychological contract was first introduced in the 1960s when its definitions and descriptions emerged in the works of the theorists Chris Argyris and Edgar Schein. Since then, the concept has been interpreted widely from various perspectives and theories have also been developed to explain it. Many experts and scholars have come up with ideas concerning the concept, and continue to examine it either entirely focusing on it or approaching it from another particular but relative angle. One such expert is Denise Rousseau. Denise is specializes in teaching organizational behavior at Carnegie Mellon University. She developed the concept of organizational contracts in the workplace which represents the agreed beliefs, views and opinions, and informal obligations between employers and employees. Psychological Contracts in a Working Environment: Understanding the Ties that Motivate Objectives In the article, the goals behind Denises research are clearly implied in her research questions. These objectives are: To find out the features and dynamics of psychological contracts. To understand how employers can deploy psychological contracts in ways that can be advantageous to the firm. To explain how employees come up with their own psychological contracts. To find ways in which workers and their managers can come up with common psychological contracts that are advantageous to the firm. With these objectives clearly stated, Denise manages to breakdown her concept into smaller sections that explain and clearly elaborate her ideas and research findings. However as it should be expected, Denises objectives will be found to differ from other similar scholarly articles. This is because although different experts have tackled the psychological contract, they have done so from different perspectives hence developing varied concepts. Theoretical Base Denise M. Rousseau came up with the concept of the psychological contracts in the workplace with the aim of specifying how employers and their workers understand the employment relationship. Understanding and strategically executing these contracts might aid modern firms and business organizations succeed in their goals. Since time immemorial, business organizations have grown in size and complexity. For instance, more female workers have been incorporated in the workforce and the employees are better educated. This has caused differences in views and opinions between the workers and their employers. Moreover, employers are nowadays needed to be exceedingly aggressive to attain new, challenging goals fast and well enough. This brings in the necessity to be different and this can be a cause of insecurity. With this evolution, there has been a routine to standardize rather than personalize the type of employment. Therefore, employers prefer to come up with strategies that promote and acknowledge same chances and rights of employees through professional services from the human resource. Conceptual Underpinnings Having stated her research problems, Denise has explored each of these problems in form of simplified sub-topics or sub-sections. She has tackled the problems by describing her own ideas and also referring to other similar scholarly articles and research studies. The research problems are: Which are the fundamental compositions and sections of psychological contracts? With these dynamics, how can managers execute the contracts in manners which can be advantageous to the firm? How do employees come up with their special contracts? What advise can we give to aid employees and their managers create common and helpful psychological contracts? Arguments Denises concept of psychological contracts in the workplace narrows to the opinion that if workers are happy and contented, then a business firm is more likely to succeed. In other words, it is the employee attitudes that motivate organizational success while performance itself does not motivate much of anything. This implies that much of Denises research has dwelled on individual employee and not organizational productivity. These arguments were raised by a study carried out by the experts Benjamin Schneider, Paul Hanges, Brent Smith and Amy Salvaggio from the University of Maryland. These experts argue that there are recent studies which imply that organizational success motivates the workers attitude as equals to the other way round. Therefore, maybe the link between employee attitudes and the entire organizational performance should be examined. Methods Denise M. Rousseau uses an entirely qualitative approach in her research. She develops an idea then conceptualizes it into a theory. Being a professor, an expert and an outstanding scholar in the field of organizational behavior, she has consulted in diverse organizations and taught in many executive programs therefore gathering extensive amount of information. Denise has also explored works from studies by other scholars which has helped her describe and explain her own work. Sources and Credibility of Evidence The sources of this research are vastly from previous studies of other scholars as well as Denises personal field research. However, her research raises arguments from other experts that may question the credibility of the evidence she produces. The article only focuses on one aspect which is employee satisfaction for organizational performance. Place in the Literature As an astounding professor and behavioral expert, Denises article on psychological contracts in the workplace fall under psychology in literature. She has also carried out other various studies that have sort to explain theories and concepts. Soundness of its Conclusion As she concluded her article, Denise is confident that when carefully executed, the psychological contracts can highly motivate employees and therefore become fundamental building blocks in business firms. Potential Theoretical Contribution The article constitutes a contribution to knowledge since it helps managers and employers come up with practices that will help create a mutual working environment with the employers at the work place. However, the research stands to be expounded and criticized however possible. Ability to be Applied by Managers When clearly understood and well executed, Denises theory can be put to application in modern business firms where positive employment relationship is crucial for the organizations success. Conclusion In summary therefore, I find Rousseaus work effective and credible especially in todays business organizations. However, these contracts develop can be varied from one firm to another. Patience is therefore absolutely necessary when implementing this concept. Contrary too, I think Denise should have developed the concept from atleast two angles so as to reduce arguments and criticisms. Her research largely favours employees, which should not be the case in any workplace. This is because the success of any working firm entails more than just satisfaction of the workforce. References Argyris, Chris. Understanding Organizational Behavior. (Homewood, IU Dorsey Press, 1960). Boddy, John. Negotiating the Psychological Contract. Training Journal, Aug 2000: 10. Jenna Pickup. Conway, Neil Briner, Rob B. Understanding Psychological Contracts at Work: A Critical Evaluation of Theory and Research. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, (2005) Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., Kessler. (2002). Exploring reciprocity through the lens of the psychological contract: Employee and employer perspectives. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 11: 69-86 Rousseau, Denise M. Psychological Contracts in the Workplace: Understanding the Ties that Motivate Rousseau, Denise M. (1995). Psychological Contracts in Organizations: Understanding Written and Unwritten Agreements. Rousseau, Denise M. Shperling, Z. (2003). Pieces of the Action: ownership and the Changing Employment Relationship. Shore L. M., et al. (in press). The employee-organization relationship: A timely conceptin a period of transition. Greenwich CT: JAI Press

Archetypes in the Count of Monte Cristo free essay sample

The Count of Monte Cristo Mysterious, morose, cunning, rebellious, and even ingenious are only a few words used to describe Edmond Dantes as a Byronic Hero. A Byronic Hero is defined as a glorified but flawed character with immense superiority in his passions and powers. These heroes can be depicted in a variety of ways and contexts. Similar to a Byronic Hero, Edmond Dantes has suffered great wrongs and was betrayals. However, he emerges as a cruel and powerful man who believes he is taking the place of fate by having revenge on the men responsible for his suffering. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas skillfully uses symbolism to craft and portray Edmond Dantes as the ideal Byronic Hero. First used by Monsieur Morrel in his attempt to save the life of Dantes’s father, Dantes later uses the red silk purse when he is saving Morrel’s life and family’s honor. We will write a custom essay sample on Archetypes in the Count of Monte Cristo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Right as Monsieur Morrel puts the gun to his head, Valentine runs through the door and calls out â€Å"’Father! Father! You’re saved! ’ She held up a red silk purse. ‘Look! Look! ’† (Dumas 129. ) The red purse becomes the physical symbol of the connection between good deed and reward. Morrel recognizes the purse and works out the connection between the good deed performed on his behalf and the good deed he once performed himself. Morrel concludes that Dantes must be his savior, suspecting that he is working from beyond the grave. This purse represents Dantes as a Byronic Hero because it symbolizes his own titanic passion to reward those that have done him fair and kindness. His intense drive and determination to live out his philosophy without regard to others beliefs only intensifies this immense fervor. When Dantes escapes from prison, he plunges into the ocean, experiencing a second baptism and a renewed dedication of his soul to God. Just after diving into the ocean, Dumas depicts Dantes as â€Å"†¦the best swimmer in Marseilles, and he was now anxious to rise to the surface to try his strength against the waves. To his joy he found that he had enforced inaction had not in any way impaired his strength and agility, and he felt that he could still master the element in which he had so often sported when a bay† (Dumas 80. ). Edmond Dantes can be seen as a Byronic Hero in view of the fact that the Byronic Hero does not possess heroic virtue in the usual sense; instead, he has many dark qualities. He emerges from the waters as a bitter and hateful man, bent on carrying out revenge on his enemies. He is washed in the waters that lead him to freedom and his rebirth as a transformed man is complete. The sea continues to appear in the novel even after this symbolic baptism. Byronic Heroes are often depicted as isolated from society as a wanderer or in exile of some kind. Considering himself a citizen of no land, Dantes spends much of his time on the ocean, traveling the world in his yacht. The sea seems to beckon constantly to Dantes, a skilled sailor, offering him escape and solitude. Dantes’s potion seems to have the power to both kill and to bring to life, a power that Dantes comes to rely on too strongly. The strength of the elixir is conveyed perfectly when the count states, â€Å"Only remember one thing. In small doeses it is a remedy, in large doses it is a poison! One drop will restore life as you have witnessed, five or six will inevitably kill† (Dumas 249). His overestimation of the elixir’s power results in the overestimation of his own power, his delusion that he is almost godlike. It is this misconception that ties the count to the prideful thinking and â€Å"larger than life† conduct of a Byronic Hero. The elixir is not powerful enough to bring the dead to life, just like Dantes himself is not capable of accomplishing anything of the nature. It is when Dantes realizes the limits of his potion that he realizes his own limitations as a human being. Edmond Dantes is viewed as the ideal Byronic Hero by means of Alexandre Dumas’s expertly used symbolism in The Count of Monte Cristo. The passion delivered by the red purse, the transformation caused by the baptismal waters of the ocean, and the pride and power brought by the elixir are all symbols that contribute to him being the perfect exemplar of a Byronic Hero. Because of these symbols, Edmond Dantes can be viewed and compared similarly or even superiorly to any of the Byronic Heroes if the 1800s.

Rhe general information Essay Example

Rhe general information Essay Average age of the passengers of TITANIC was 29.88 years old. Considering the fact that 25% of the passengers were younger than 21 (1st quartile) and only 25% of passengers were older than 39 (100% the 3rd quartile), half of the passengers age was between 21 and 39 (3rd quartile 1st quartile), which indicates that the population of TITANIC was quite young.  The range of the age was pretty wide (79.833), since the youngest baby was 0.167 and the oldest was 80. Therefore, even though the majority of passengers were young, each category of ages from 0 to 80 had some representatives.  General equilibrium of the age (mean) is greater than the median, which means that the whole tendency of the age goes rightward, resulting in positive skewness (rightward skewed distribution). As we can see in bar chart below, there is a high frequency in ages 20 and 30, resulting in an asymmetry distribution. Age 80 in this case is an outlier; its value is too high with respect to the other ages. There was only one person who was 80, out of 1309 passengers. The kurtosis index is low (0.14) suggesting a hypo-normal (more flat) distribution relative to a normal distribution. In other words, the data have a flat top near the mean rather than a sharp peak.  1.2. Gender  The data inferred that there were more males than females on TITANIC. More than half of the population of TITANIC was male compared to only about 40% of the passengers who were female. The minimum ticket price was 0 which means that some passengers did not pay anything for the trip. Average ticket price was about 33 dollars which is quite low considering the most expensive fare was 512 dollars. That is because 75% of the passengers (3rd quartile) bought the ticket below the price of 31.27 dollars, 25% of them (the rest) paid from 32 dollars to 512 dollars. One of the main reasons the mean is not an appropriate measure is its sensitivity to extreme values. This is certainly the case with our data which comprises some extreme prices. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhe general information specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Rhe general information specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Rhe general information specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Therefore, we can see the outlier (512) in the box plot which is way higher compared to the mean of the ticket fare. This means that a very select clientele paid extremely much, perhaps being offered the appropriate luxury. Additionally the distribution is asymmetric, rightward (positive) skewed because the mean is greater than the median; general equilibrium is much higher the middle number. Upper limit is quite wide since, 3rd quartile is high, respectively 1st quartile is only 7 dollars. As we can see in Histogram above, the majority of the passengers bought their ticket under the 50 dollars threshold. Between 32 dollars and 512 dollars ticket, many of them sold by price about 200-250 dollars. In fact only 4 people got the 512 dollar ticket out of 1309 passengers. As a result, most of the passengers on TITANIC had comparatively cheap tickets, even though a select few enjoyed the luxury travel that an expensive ticket bought them. Below, heres a more representative Histogram of fares, one in which we have purposely omitted these luxury ticket prices, and we have increased the number of classes: We found out that there was a difference in the prices of those who survived, namely they paid more for their tickets. However, we cannot infer that survival depended on the ticket price because of the high variability of those who survived. The maximum price paid by a survivor was 512 while the maximum paid by a non-survivor was 263. This doesnt tell us much except that all 4 people who paid the extreme amount of 512 survived.  On average, the survivors paid more than double for their prices but again, the average was influenced heavily by the outliers. Conclusion By making a simple analysis of the general information of TITANIC, we were able to describe the population of the ship in terms of several variables. To summarize, the population was relatively young, more than half of them were males who did not pay too much for their tickets. This fits with the stereotype of the poor young man, in his 20s, looking for a new life in the land of the dreams. Unfortunately, survival ratio from TITANIC was not very high, only slightly less than 40% of the passengers were able to further pursue their dreams.

Law School Essay Sample

Law School Essay SampleAs you may already know, law school essays are the first chance for many students have to express themselves to their professors. Although this is the type of writing most often taught in a classroom setting, a law school essay sample is also a great way to get a feel for what it's like to actually write the assignment. Here are some tips to help you when writing the essay and avoid common mistakes.First, some things to consider: Since it's a law school essay, the language will be pretty formal. Hence, spelling and grammar rules that apply to most other types of written work won't apply here. Nonetheless, you should still try to write in a professional manner, so just keep in mind that you'll be expected to use proper spelling and grammar. Even a small detail as to whether or not you should use an apostrophe in place of a hyphen, or vice versa, can make a big difference in how the assignment comes out.And, another important point to remember is that most of the examples in a law school essay sample will be about something related to the law itself. They won't necessarily focus on any particular situation you may be currently in. Thus, try to think about what sorts of things would interest you and how they would apply to your area of study.If you can, make sure to give some thought to what you'd want to say about the topic you want to discuss in your law school essay. For example, if you're writing a term paper about the history of race relations in America, you might want to talk about how interracial couples were treated in the past. But, if you're writing a class assignment about wrongful convictions, you'll probably want to spend more time on the history of criminal law in America.As a student, your goal is to learn as much as possible in order to put together a well-written, well-researched law school essay. Here are some tips to help you with that. Keep in mind that the points you'd like to bring up in your essay will need to be rele vant to your course.The first tip is to write about a personal story, and not a situation that is common to all students in your course. For example, if you want to write about your relationship with your high school sweetheart, but you're writing a law school essay about cases involving civil rights violations, your paper would suffer from a lack of perspective. One way to get around this problem is to talk about something that happened to you, rather than something that are generally common knowledge.Next, in addition to your personal story, think about how you can apply that story to the issue you'd like to discuss in the essay. For example, if you'd like to write about the importance of innocence, avoid discussing examples that deal with wrongful convictions. In contrast, a lot of people who learn about civil rights cases as a result of law school do so by reading a lot of law reviews or doing online research.These are just a few ideas that you can use to help you with your law school essay. With these tips, you should be able to come up with your own essay sample that has all the impact you want. Whether you're writing for a class assignment or simply for personal enjoyment, a well-written law school essay can help you in several ways.

Free Essays on My Papas Waltz

My Papa's Waltz The first paragraph of this poem leads us into a not so dulcet world of a young boy who is being abused by his drunken father. With a wretched smell of alcohol that reeks throughout the closed, and an intense atmosphere which surrounds the boy and his father, the little boy hanging on to his abusive father like an eternal flame in deep depths of hell. A young mind can do no more than take the abuse from his abusive father, swallow it in and hope that one day it will disappear like a bad dream. A dreamlike experience that was buried under a stone for depths of time. The everlasting fight with fire swept away throughout the mother’s kitchen as she stood there barely making any contribution to my nightmare. Her appearance was soothing but handicapped, my cry for help turned into wishful thinking as did hers. Her distant cries only came about in bits and pieces as my father and I waltzed away throughout the kitchen with the fire sweeping through on each end of the fist. The soft and tender touches that were my father’s hands at one time turned into a heavy knife that was my bloody nemesis. Sharp and effective, the knife left love marks all over my skinny wrists as I swallowed the pain and hung on to my father like death. Incoherent and foreign, my papa came out swinging as he waltzed me into darkness, every wrong step made by him was just as effective as all the right moves he has made. My loyalty and love to papa is buried under a stone the same way a lost love is buried in depths of time. Sparkle, sparkle the boys love cannot be erased. I only wish you knew what you did as you waltzed me off to my room only so I can disappear on a red like pillow.... Free Essays on My Papa's Waltz Free Essays on My Papa's Waltz My Papa's Waltz The first paragraph of this poem leads us into a not so dulcet world of a young boy who is being abused by his drunken father. With a wretched smell of alcohol that reeks throughout the closed, and an intense atmosphere which surrounds the boy and his father, the little boy hanging on to his abusive father like an eternal flame in deep depths of hell. A young mind can do no more than take the abuse from his abusive father, swallow it in and hope that one day it will disappear like a bad dream. A dreamlike experience that was buried under a stone for depths of time. The everlasting fight with fire swept away throughout the mother’s kitchen as she stood there barely making any contribution to my nightmare. Her appearance was soothing but handicapped, my cry for help turned into wishful thinking as did hers. Her distant cries only came about in bits and pieces as my father and I waltzed away throughout the kitchen with the fire sweeping through on each end of the fist. The soft and tender touches that were my father’s hands at one time turned into a heavy knife that was my bloody nemesis. Sharp and effective, the knife left love marks all over my skinny wrists as I swallowed the pain and hung on to my father like death. Incoherent and foreign, my papa came out swinging as he waltzed me into darkness, every wrong step made by him was just as effective as all the right moves he has made. My loyalty and love to papa is buried under a stone the same way a lost love is buried in depths of time. Sparkle, sparkle the boys love cannot be erased. I only wish you knew what you did as you waltzed me off to my room only so I can disappear on a red like pillow....

Doctor-assited suicide should be legalized for the terminally ill Research Paper - 1

Doctor-assited suicide should be legalized for the terminally ill - Research Paper Example Across the globe doctors, legal authorities, religious leaders, relatives of patients in critical conditions and patients battling for life themselves are concerned about the issue about of doctor-assisted suicide. Whether or not doctor-assisted suicide can ever be justified as a compassionate response towards the voluntary elimination of a person’s life is a major source of concern in today’s world. Generally, euthanasia has been termed as a process of ‘assisted suicide’ upon someone who is under severe medical conditions and the probability of survival is almost zero. This is a reason why euthanasia has also been tagged as a form of mercy killing for the benefit of the patients themselves. Many individuals believe that life is a very sacred and gifted thing and by taking it away it can be tagged as murder, other people, however have different views. They believe that a person’s life is his own and he/she has the right to do whatever he/she wants wi th their life, even if it calls for termination (1). The name Terri Schiavo should ring a bell in every person’s mind. It has been the most renowned cases in the history of America regarding doctor-assisted suicide. Teri, at the age of 26 was diagnosed with a neurological condition called PVS also known as the persistent vegetative state according to which she was practically brain dead. Teri’s parents fought against her husband and were adamant to let her live on the feeding tube even though she was in a vegetative state. The husband, however, stated that Teri would not want to survive in this condition and that pulling the plug is the best solution to all the pain and suffering she is being put through (2). More than a decade, the patient was fed through feeding tube and was on bed. After a furious battle in the court since 1998, Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge in Florida ordered the feeding tube to be removed on the 18th of March 2005

Which trade theories can help us understand the distribution of car Essay

Which trade theories can help us understand the distribution of car production in the world economy - Essay Example Some of the characteristics of the automobile industry can be described as under. †¢ Automobile industry is highly capital and labour intensive. †¢ There are hundreds and thousands of components, which are outsourced from other ancillary industries. †¢ The big auto manufacturers do manufacture some of the parts but they cannot produce each and every part. They have to rely on other suppliers, which can give assured and quality supply consistently. †¢ Replacement of the parts is a huge and lucrative market. (The Industry Handbook: Automobiles) Current Economic Scenario World demand of the cars is now coming from the rapidly growing developing economies. The countries like China, India, and Brazil are growing at the average rate of 7-8 percent. China is registering even double digit growth rate for last several years. Such a high rate of growth creates a huge demand for automobiles in those markets. Automobile market is now driven through these new markets while the demand in the old traditional market of U.S. and Europe is more or less stagnating. (The Wall Street Journal- Auto Sales 2010) It will be pertinent to note that in 1960, companies like GM, Ford, and Chrysler sold almost 90% of the cars in the US market; currently their market share is about 47%. It can be deduced that most cars that Americans bought were not manufactured by the big three. (Manzi 2008)