Philosophy Principles of sound reasoning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy Principles of sound reasoning - Essay Example The principle of non-contradiction is a principle that is applicable in philosophical reasoning: It asserts that it is not correct to posit that something is correct while at the same time claiming it is correct. The discussion will attempt to explicate whether some of the commonly used tautologies are contradictory in nature. Additionally, it will explore on whether some tautologies are logically equivalent as well as provision of insights whether some contradictions are contingent. Moreover, the discussion will focus on elaboration of some contingents and determine whether they are logically equivalent in nature. The corpus of logically equivalent tautologies entails a scenario where two different forms of statements have similar truth. On the other hand, the concept of tautology exists in compound statements that are usually true in nature no matter what circumstance it is presented. It is a fact that some tautologies are logically equivalent. It is a fact that some tautologies are usually logically equivalent. For example; this can be presented in the Venn diagram below: The Venn diagram below indicates a scenario where A represents animals with mammary glands and B represents all mammals. The point of intersection represents A&B; meaning A can be B and B can be A. In this regard the first premise indicating that all mammals have mammary glands, which is valid. The second statement is also valid indicating that any animal with mammary glands are mammals. In philosophical dimensions, the aspect of contingency alludes to statements that seem possible untrue or even true when exposed to possible valuation. When a contingency is proposed it may not be necessarily false or to some extent necessarily true. Contradictions are usually true statements that exhibit true nature or could be true in regard to the facet of communication. In this regard, all contradictions may be viewed and contingent in nature.

Public Adminstration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Adminstration - Essay Example However, this idea changes with a little exploration into the term and what it means. According to them, "Public means the citizens of a given area-the people of a town, county, state, or country. If an issue is considered in the public domain, information and discourse about that issue are available to the people and can be known to all. The word 'public' also refers to activities the state administers on behalf of the entire community" (Rouse & Berkley, 2003, pg. 4). Rouse and Berkley also let readers know that serving the people is the job of public administrators. "Organized collectives of citizens constitute a variety of public communities in the United States." These include national, state, and local governments, townships, state recreation areas, public utilities, school, sanitary, water districts, public libraries and parks, public defenders, public roadways, and public students (Rouse & Berkley, 2003, pg. 4). There is much debate regarding whether public administration should be considered a craft, art, or science. First it is essential to look at the definitions; a craft is "the skilled practice of a practical occupation or a skill in an occupation or trade" (Wikipedia, 2008, pg. 1). Art is a "skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation" (Wikipedia, 2008, pg. 1).

War and Change in World Politics

War and Change in World Politics Ahmed AlAbdullatif A hegemon refers to the undisputedly strongest state in the international system. Hegemony has five main dimensions namely economic, political, military, institutional and ideological. The theory of hegemonic stability mostly approached from either neorealist or neoliberal direction. The theory of hegemonic stability is critical because it captures the tendency of the leading powers in the world using force to assert their dominance. Similarly, the world super powers also use their positions to create ideas, alliances, and institutions which allow for free participation of other states in a relatively open free participation. In his study, Gilpin argues that the fundamental nature of international relations is yet to change over the millennia. His study is based on history, sociological and economic studies which indicate various forces which have influenced the world order. According to Gilpin, the current economic unevenness is as a result of the differential growth of power in the international system (Gilpin 186). Any shift in the balance of either economic or military power leads to a subsequent weakening of the foundations of the already existing systems. The waning of these systems is primarily caused by those gaining power because they value the increasing benefits and the decreasing costs of changing the system (Gilpin 188). Continued alteration of the system through political, territorial, technological and economic hegemony leads to increased marginal costs of continuing change beyond the marginal benefits. The cost of maintaining the international status quo among the dominant powers has incre ased resulting in major discrepancies between the power they possess and their commitment (Gilpin 187). According to Gilpin, the hegemonic stability between the dominant powers and the rising powers is attained through alteration of the existing laws in the international system (Gilpin 187). Rising powers will always attempt to change the rules governing the international system, the national distribution of territory and the division of the spheres of influence. On the other hand, the dominant powers usually counter the challenge from the rising powers by exercising their hegemonic powers such as proposing changes in their policies in an attempt to restore equilibrium in the systems (Gilpin 187). Gilpins argument suggests that in case the dominant power fails to restore the order through changes in the policies meant to restore the previously existing equilibrium, the disequilibrium is usually resolved by war. Before resulting to war as the final means of restoring the desired equilibrium, the challenged powers have two main alternatives in terms of the actions they can take. The most preferred solution to the disequilibrium created by the rising power is an increase in the resources that are meant in maintaining their positions and commitment in the international system (Gilpin 188). Secondly, the dominant or the aggrieved power can also attempt to reduce its existing commitments as well as the associated costs but ensure that the reduction dies not in any way jeopardize their positions in the international system. These are two policies that should be analyzed separately and be followed in exclusion of the other. In generating new resources meant to meet the cost of dominance and also forestall decline, various methods such as an increase in domestic taxation are used (Gilpin 188). Another tool which is commonly used is through an exacting tribute from other states. These two courses act ions usually provoke resistance and rebellion because an increased taxes result in decreased productive investment as well as low living standards. The solution to this can be government employment of more indirect methods of resource generation in a bid to meet a fiscal crisis. Inflationary policies and the manipulation of terms of trade with other countries are common in such case. In hegemonic stability theory, it is important to consider the role played by the hegemon in generating order and cooperation. Neoliberal hegemon has a responsibility to rescue the financial system through opening global trade by sheer economic size as well as encouraging institutionalized cooperation in order to create a sustainable and open economy. According to Gilpin, the hegemons usually force the weaker states to join cooperative regimes in order to reduce uncertainty, decrease transaction costs and build consistency in terms of economic expectations. Cooperative hegemons usually try as much as possible to identify with the interests of its allies and adjust its bargaining position accordingly. Basically, as per Gilpins argument, the cost or the benefit calculation in foreign policy determination is based on a states objective to change the international system using methods that will give them an edge over others by putting their interests first (Gilpin 50). However, as much as a state would like to boosts its national interests over others, a cost is involved. For instance, a state must have adequate resources to meet this cost and also be in a position to pay them. However, if a state does not have adequate resources to meet these costs, it attempts to change the system. The system remains relatively stable if it is unchanged and also if individual states are profiting from it regardless of the obvious inequalities (Gilpin 51). Based on this outcome, political realists fail to argue that the objective of every state is to maximize its power within the international system. However, an opportunity cost to a society is compulsory in the acquisition of power. Consequently, if a given state is in the quest to acquire power, other desired goods are lost in the process. This has been advantageous in improving stability in the international system because most states forgo apparent opportunities to increase their influence as the costs are too high. Although change of the international system is mostly associated with the rising powers who feel disadvantaged by the hegemons, the net gains or the benefits the accrue from a change of system can determine whether the change comes from the rising power or the hegemon. The powerful countries can engage in a change of the international system in order to increase their future benefits. On the contrary, the rising powers can pursue a change of the system to decrease threatened losses. In addition, long-term benefits are an important consideration before making the changes because they are more beneficial compared to the short term gains. Also, the losers of the change also dread the fact that the long-term costs of the development will outweigh the short term benefits. Lastly, Gilpin asserts that once equilibrium has been reached between the costs and the benefits of change, the economic costs of maintaining the status quo tends to rise faster compared to the economic capacity needed t o support the status quo (Gilpin 156). Gilpins argument on the contribution of hegemony in war and order differs with that of Bulls. According to Bull, the international system is only referred to as stable if the changes made are gradual and peaceful. In addition, if an order has to be achieved, states have to follow various well-laid patterns which consequently provide stability to the system and at the same time create goals that are common for all the involved actors and reduce uncertainty. Also, Gilpins argument focuses on the lack of attainment of an equilibrium between the hegemons and the rising powers as the major cause of war. On the other hand, Bull argues that the practice of the laid out patterns institutionalizes the international society. Also, according to Bull, there is a difference between anarchy and order. Anarchical situations in the international order is mainly as a result of lack of higher authority of law making (Bull 135). However, the existence of anarchy in the international system is not neces sary an indicator of lack of order. On the other hand, the existence of order in the international system is not an indicator of the existence of hierarchy. According to Bull, there are five main institutions in the international society which are key to facilitating order. They include diplomacy, international law, the balance of power, war and the Great power managerial system. According to this classification, the Great Powers play a managerial role in the international society. Also, since their interests are system-wide, any incident in the system affects their interests. Therefore, it is critical for the hegemons to establish the order by managing their relations with one another as well as managing the relations between the small states within their sphere of influence (Bull 213). Hegemons, therefore, maintain good relations with one another by ensuring that they recognize the spheres of influence of each other and desist from interfering. The conventional approach to hegemony shows that the concept has been used to an indicator of power disequilibrium in the international system. According to Morgenthau, the primary factors on which hegemon lies include natural resources, military capacity and the level of preparedness, the economic capacity, morale and unity, technological innovation, quality of diplomacy and government. Morgenthaus argument allows the study of hegemony and how it contributes to war and order through a multidisciplinary approach. This implies that hegemony can either be viewed as an agential or as a structural phenomenon. Although the two scholars have a different approach on how hegemonic stability theory impact on war and order, Gilpins argument synthesizes various aspects of Bulls and Morgenthaus argument Work Cited Bull, Hedley. The Anarchical Society: A Study of Order in World Politics. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Gilpin, Robert. War and change in world politics. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1985. Morgenthau, Hans J. Politics among nations; the struggle for power and peace. New York: Knopf, 1967. Print.

Microbial Health of the Rhizosphere :: Biology Bacteria Science Essays Papers

Microbial Health of the Rhizosphere Works Cited Missing The importance of the interactions between microorganisms, plants and the rhizosphere was realized as early as 1904 by Soil Bacteriologist and Professor of Agronomy at the Technical College of Munich, Lorenz Hiltner. â€Å"The term rhizosphere was introduced by Hiltner in 1904.† (Gobran, 2001) Hiltner â€Å"emphasized the critical role of microbial activities in the ‘rhizosphere’ in the nutrition and general health of plants.† (Curl, 1986) The term rhizosphere was used to â€Å"describe specifically the interaction between bacteria and legume roots.† (Lynch, 1990) Today there is debate among microbiologists and plant scientists regarding the definition of rhizosphere (Curl, 1986). â€Å"Rhizo† is derived from the Greek word â€Å"rhiza,† meaing â€Å"root†. â€Å"Sphere† is â€Å"one’s field of action, influence, or existence: one’s natural surroundings.† (Lynch, 1990 â€Å"Rhizosphere is the zone where root activity significantly influences biological properties.† (Manthey, 1994) There are three main areas of research that are done on the rhizosphere. The first one is the â€Å"influence of roots on microorganisms.† The second is â€Å"influence of microorganisms on plant growth,† and the third is â€Å"rhizosphere influence on soil-borne pathogens and plant disease.† (Curl, 1986) When Hiltner first talked about the rhizosphere in 1904, he stated, â€Å"The nutrition of plant in general certainly depends upon the composition of the soil flora in the rhizosphere†¦If plants have the tendency to attract useful bacteria by their root excretions, it would not be surprising if they would also attract uninvited guests which, like the useful organisms, adapt to specific root excretions.† This speech identified two of the main topics of rhizosphere research: â€Å"(1) the relation of the rhizosphere to plant nutrition, growth, and development, and (2) the influence of rhizosphere phenomena on pathogens and pathogenesis.† (Curl, 1986) It was realized as early as 1904 that rhizosphere microorganisms can cause disease or transmit viruses as well as benefit the plant. There are microorganisms in the bulk soil as well as in the rhizosphere. The microorganisms in the soil include bacteria, fungi, protists, actinomycetes, and nematodes. These microorganisms are not distributed uniformly around the soil; they are congregated around nutrient sources. A nutrient source for these microorganisms is organic matter. (Curl, 1986) In the rhizosphere there are different amounts and types of microorganisms than there are in the bulk soil due to different substrate, or â€Å"the surface on which an organism grows or is attached.† Other factors that vary from rhizosphere to bulk soil are the acidity, moisture, nutrients, electrical conductivity, and redox potential (Lynch, 1990).

A Multicultural Workplace

A Multicultural Workplace A multicultural workplace refers to a group of individuals who represent all types of human difference gathered to achieve a common goal, which is the organization or company’s mission. For some, a multicultural organization may refer to their workplace as such, due to the variation of individuals’ age, sex, ethnicity, physical abilities, and even sexual orientation. Additionally, the diversity among this workforce is likely to be considered such based on its employees racial, social and ability characteristics.The scope of diversity within an organization should go beyond the personal characterizes listed here. The scope of diversity within an organization should include the way an organization responds to their multicultural workforce. The times of suppressing cultural differences, which forced individuals to sacrifice parts of their heritage in order to obtain gainful employment, is becoming outdated. Today, conforming to the majority cultur e of this western society is becoming less and less of an issue, and thankfully so.Originally, multicultural initiatives, beginning in the late 1960’s, where associated with race and gender. Today, all differences are encompassed in organization based multicultural or diversity programs with the expectation that all employees become cultural competent and embrace cultural awareness. That is if an organization has created such programs. At Milwaukee Center for Independence (MCFI), multicultural and diversity programs do exist. The organization has created a climate of cultural inclusion, incorporating genuine value for diversity within the workplace and among employees.The organizations diversity initiatives are strengthened by annual culture training, communication, a Diversity Team, and mentoring programs for both internal clients and staff and throughout the community. Cultural training courses are conducted annually for each department within the organization. In addition, MCFI conducts a â€Å"Cultures Week† event each year in celebration of culture and diversity reaching out to all employees and the community. The vision of the MCFI Diversity Team and the agency as a whole is to â€Å"be the benchmark of diversity and inclusion among nonprofit agencies in Southeastern Wisconsin.MCFI will be the organization from which clients want to receive services, for which funders want to provide support, where vendors want to do business and employees see diverse opportunities† (MCFI, 2012). The team’s goals include a commitment to understanding what diversity is and its impact on the workplace and the community (MCFI, 2012). The Diversity Team also works to increase appreciation for richness, which is brought by different attitudes, skills sets, abilities, approaches, and perspectives, as well as promoting cooperation and an understanding of and among individuals of diverse backgrounds.Communication tools have also been created for great er understanding and knowledge of diversity through innovative and creative management. MCFI and the Diversity Team collaborate with other community agencies and businesses throughout the Milwaukee area to spread an understanding of diversity and the vision of MCFI (MCFI, 2012). The managerial principles behind the Milwaukee Center for Independence Diversity Team include members that represent a cross-section of the organization, which is structured to reflect the agency wide culture.In addition, the Diversity Team and its Director, Al Hill, have developed tracking systems to watch and ensure the progress of the agency and team mission, vision, and goals, such as the community outreach programs. Further, the team stays linked with key agency internal and external functions, such as within Human Resources, communication, and training and development team’s agency wide. MCFI was recognized for its achievements in the area of diversity within the workforce. MCFI won the 2009 Awa rd of Excellence from the Wisconsin Association of Equal Opportunity.In addition, MCFI was honored with the 2010 Wisconsin State Society for Human Resource Management’s Workplace Diversity Award. MCFI goes far beyond mere diversity training, expanding to the creation of an inclusive work environment. MCFI’s dedication to diversity in the workplace encourages creative thinking. The agencies clients and employees represent a full spectrum of ages, disabilities, education levels, ethnicities, religions, experiences, sexual orientation, gender, opinions, beliefs, and races.MCFI considers diversity as not just a moral obligation, but visions it as imperative to the success of the organization, which is reaching as many individuals and families with special needs as possible. The MCFI Diversity Team includes internal employees as well as individuals from its affiliates and community agencies. The main objective of MCFI and the Diversity Team is to be the main point of refere nce for inclusion and diversity among non-profit agencies throughout the immediate and outlying communities.Additional visions of MCFI are to be the premier agency for client, vender, and employee choice in regards to services, business affiliation, and employment opportunity. I am confident in saying that MCFI is an excellent place to feel welcome, allowing myself and others to express their individuality. MCFI also allows each employee and client to learn about what makes others different, yet similar, and supporting the acceptance of all human difference. One of the positive impacts of MCFI diversity initiatives is the opportunity given to everyone to see things from different perspectives.Their voice and perspectives are heard in a safe, nonjudgmental, and bias free environment. Working with others with different attitudes, beliefs, and values provide an outstanding opportunity to expand individual knowledge, which only assists to better service the clients of the agency. Along with increased diversity comes an increase in different perspectives providing unique viewpoints for problem solving as well as co-worker and client interaction. At times, there may be barriers in effectively creating a diverse workplace.It is essential to incorporate diversity programs into the company or organizations strategic plan. Further, diversity training should also be tied into a company’ vision, goals, and objectives. In order to execute diversity training and awareness successfully, an organization or company must clearly communicate the main objectives of diversity training; establish a means of reinforcement and metrics to measure the effectiveness. In addition, a company or organization must include both minority and majority groups in strategic planning and implementation of a diversity program.I have seen and read much information on diversity and cultural training within the organization I am employed. The organization keeps its employees engaged in diversit y training throughout the year. Monthly conferences are available on site to all internal staff and community guests. Conferences include topics such as the understanding of specific types of behavioral health issues and disabilities. Additionally, guest speakers come throughout Hispanic, African American, and Hmong Culture Awareness months. The opportunities to engage in and open up to awareness of different cultures at MCFI are endless.Issues and problems within the diverse workplace of MCFI are handled with an understanding that individuals are different. Employees of the organization are single mothers and fathers, individuals with disabilities, student’s health issues, and all from different religious, ethnic, cultural, and racial backgrounds and heritage. I have personal experience issues that I needed to address with management. As a full time student and a full time employee, who believe in the importance of family and work/life balance, the organization listened to m y need for time off and alternate schedules to accommodate my life.Flexibility in the work place also allows for such things as difference cultural rituals and holiday celebrations that are outside the norm of western culture. I believe it is crucial for companies and organizations to consider an individual’s differences to allow for some flexibility concerning individual culture differences and life changes. With that, employees remain happy in the work place and continue to work toward the company's mission and continue to be a productive team member. References MCFI. (2012). Diversity mission and vision. Retrieved from http://www. mcfi. net/MCFI-Diversity/Mission-Vision. htm

Motivation and Staff Performance in the Civil Service Essay

The key to motivation is the satisfaction of desires. As long as an individual has an unachieved personal goal, he has the force to motivate him, our behavior consciously or unconsciously, is generally motivate distinctive individual behaviour are to a considerable degree subconscious and therefore not easily susceptible to examination and evaluation. There has been persistent expression of dissatisfaction with the job attitudes and job performance of workers in public sector. This is due to the fact that the job is not attractive to workers. This inadequacy could be traced to the employee’s personal needs, job expectations and or innate states. Employees are usually more productive during a task simply because they want to do it, not because they feel they have to do it. Therefore, it seems evident that people or individuals will be prepared to commit themselves to their job to put in their best effort and loyalty to the job and to work towards the achievement of the organization targets if their goals are met on the job and if they are satisfied with the job. When one is positively motivated, it precipitates positive behavior hence positive erformance. According to Musselman and Hughes (1999) morale affects efficiency of operation. Morale is the result of combination of many complex attitudes, workers personal feelings and biases, their values, economic and cultural environment, degree of security physical health, emotional stability, realization of job expectations and the flow of communication between managemen t and the workers. 3 Many authorities believe that production rates are more sharply influenced by morale of the work force than by any other environmental factor. If employees feel that they are treated fairly well and good working conditions are provided, they are likely to have high morale to do their job. 1. 2 Statement of the Problem The civil service is the instrument through which meaningful development in the country is achieved. This is accomplished when the civil servant uses his acquired skills to formulate and execute government policies geared towards development. However, there is a strong evidence of deterioration about the work standard in the civil service. The behaviours of workers are characterized by such attitudes as laziness, absenteeism, lateness to work, hostility to members of the public; disloyalty and corruption. The expectations of civil servants are not met; hence, there is general laxity and inadequate performance in this sector. It is the general belief of civil servants that their counterparts in the private sector are better off with good standard of living. In view of this, they are not motivated to put in their best. This negative belief has created some problems in the attitude of workers in the civil service which has adversely affected job performance. 1. Research Question in view of the problem raised, this study is therefore designed to seek answers to the following questions in line with the aims of the study (1) What are the factors affecting job satisfaction among the Civil Servants un Oyo State? (2) To what extent are the Civil Servant of Oyo State are satisfied with their job? 4 1. 4 Objectives of the StudyTh e objectives of the research study are to (i) examine the factor that motivate the workers of Oyo State Civil Service; (ii) appraise the existing motivating packages for workers in the state ; and (iii) investigate the effects of staff motivation on job performance in he State. 1. 5 Significance of the Study The study will be of immense benefits to decision makers and human resource managers in organization when dealing with human problem such as the menace of low productivity as appropriate policy decisions that affect their personnel would be made. The importance of workers motivation and job satisfaction should not be ignored by government as they promote the corporate objectives of the organization as well as the individual. This research study would therefore serve as a guide to employers of labour as it would give them the understanding of the workers. The study is also expected to provide additional information research in this area and to government for effective efficient performance in respect of task and allocation of scarce resources for a result oriented state. 1. 6 The Scope of StudyConsidering the large population of the Oyo State Civil Service, it will be difficult and time consuming to include all the population of civil servants in the state. Therefore, the study focused on six ministries. The Miniseries are office of the Governor, ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Lands and Housing. The criteria for selecting these ministries are based on the fact that their programmes and activities are 5 geared towards the development of the state and the fact that they provide extensive services to the largest population of the state, hence, their impact is felt throughout the state. In addition, the population of these ministries is expected to be a representative sample of the characteristics of the whole civil service as the population of the selected ministries represents a larger proportion of whole civil service population. 1. 7 Limitation of the Study The system of records keeping at Oyo state civil service commission made it difficult to collect and retrieve data necessary for adequate analysis of data collected for the study. The time for the research study is not enough for an extensive work to be done. It was not easy to carry out a comparative study of all the Ministries in Oyo state because of fund. Definition of Terms1. 8 Definition of Terms The following terms are defined for the purpose of this studyMotivation The drive to satisfy a want or achieve an outcome. In this study, what motivates the labour to put up certain action and what comes out of it? Job Satisfaction The psychological disposition (attitudes and feelings) of workers towards his job. It refers to the contentment experienced when a want is satisfied as a result of a job factor. Morale The collective attitude of workers towards one another, towards their employer, the management, or their work. 6 Job Involvement The enthusiasm and dedication which an individual demonstrates at his job as he gets deeply absorbed in it in a bid to achieve corporate objectives. Management Management is a process by which a co-operative group directs the actions of others towards a common goal (objective). In this case, management is used to mean senior management, except otherwise state. Training The process whereby employees learn the skill, knowledge, attributes and behaviours necessary to in perform their job effectively. Behaviour The general disposition of the management which employees perceive as friendly or hostile, conductive or unconductive and which affect their job behaviour and consequently performance. 7 CHAPTER TWO AREVIEW OF LITERATURE AND THEORETICAL FRAME WORK 2. 1 Introduction Many employers of labour have come to realize that people are the most important of an organization. They concerned themselves with how the workers would be brought together to work for the fulfillment of the corporate of the organization. According to A. K. Ubeku (1975) â€Å"of all the assets of a business organization, people are the most important†. Motivation of workers in an organization is very important as it leads to the development of the individual and improve his job performance. Modern managers in an organization use personnel policy to motivate workers with a view to creating a conducive working situation where workers could attain self-actualization. Motivation creates a sense of success and security in the workers when his/her work is recognized as contributing to the aims and objectives of the organization. The classical approach to motivation has been the â€Å"correct and stick† method. The correct being money and the stick taking the form of physical punishment. The assumption has been that people would work harder and produce more if substantial financial rewards are placed before them or threatened with either dismissal or physical punishment. The classical theorists felt that workers could attain job satisfaction if their productivity and pay are maximized. This was not to be as money could motivate employees to a certain point only. Managers have also come to realize the importance of job satisfaction to workers. This is due to the facts that a worker who is satisfied with his/her works would put up an enhanced job performance while the reverse be the case for the dissatisfied worker. Thus, the success or failure of 8 any organization is a function of how satisfied its employees are with their work. A well-motivated worker could put up a high job performance because of the satisfaction he derived from his work. 2. 2 The concept of motivation and job satisfaction The word motivation is derived from the Latin word â€Å"movere† meaning to move. Motivation is therefore the process of arousing movement. The movement referred to being behavioural movement. Some theorists had asserted that people behaviour is determined by a complex interaction between the unconscious drives and the environment. Motivation is a predisposition to act in a specific goal directed manner. The term motivation refers to goal directed behaviour. Goal directed behaviour is characterized by the process of selecting and directing certain actions among voluntary activities to achieve goals. Motivation can be defined as the state of an individual perspective which represents the strength of his propensity to exert towards some particular behaviour. The word Motivation is derived from motives. The definitions of motives are as follows: Motives are expression of a person’s needs, hence they are personal and internal. Motives are acquired determinants that regulates the patterns of action and that arouse ore activate behaviour. They are the learned determinant of behaviour. Finally, Eze (1984) defined motivation as â€Å"a psychological process initiated by the emergence of a need in the organism which leads to a goal-directed behaviour/action aimed at satisfying the need†. 9 Davis (1981) defined job satisfaction as â€Å"the favorableness with which employee view their work†. It is an indication of the congruence between the worker’s expectations from his job and the actual rewards offered by the job. Eze (1984) defined job satisfaction as the â€Å"sense of well-being, good feeling and positive mental state that emerge in an individual when he obtains regard, consequent upon his job performance, congruent with or very nearly congruent with his expected equitable reward. According to Kevin J. Russel, job satisfaction is â€Å"a function of the importance attached, by the workers, to the extent to which needs are generally met in the work situation relative to the way in which these workers have ordered their wants and expectations (orientation to work)†. These definitions stated above have one thing in common: a recognition of the fact that an individual’s expression of job satisfaction is an emotional effective personal response as a result of his estimation of the degree to which some facts of job reality is congruent or incongruent with values. In order therefore to understand or describe an individual’s job satisfaction, one needs to have a good understanding of that individual’s total personality and value system. Ejiogu (2009) stated that people’s perceptions of their job situation will be directly related to the values which they place on the various aspects of their job and its environment as sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. From Wikipedia (2010) job satisfaction describes how content an individual is with his or her job. The happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be. Job satisfaction is not the same as motivation, although it is clearly linked. Other influences on satisfaction include the management style and culture, employee involvement, empowerment and autonomous work position. 10 2. 3 The Relationship Between Motivation, Job Satisfaction and Job Performance As seen above, motivation is quite different from satisfaction. While motivation refers to the drive and effort to satisfy a want of goal, satisfaction rears to the contentment experienced when a want is satisfied. In other words, motivation implied a drive towards an outcome and satisfaction involved outcomes already experienced (Koontz, O’Donnell and Weihrich, 1981). Motivation, therefore, precedes satisfaction. In most work situation in Nigeria and elsewhere, the same factor affect job performance could also affect job involvement, job satisfaction, job attitude and work motivation. 2. 4 The Early Theories of Motivation and Job Satisfaction In the early years of industrial revolution and after, profit maximization triggered the industrialists to search for ways and means of motivating workers for higher productivity. They want to make profits as much as possible through increased productivity. According to this view, the way to attract employee to work is to offer them attractive pay and the way to attract employees to work is to offer their attractive pay and the way to increase productivity is to constantly raise salaries. Motivation of workers through non-monetary rewards was never thought of by these early industrialists. The early industrialist tied motivation to financial reward (increased pay) which would in turn give workers satisfaction. The early theories on motivation and job satisfaction are as follows: 1. Classical Theory/School 11 2. Human Relation School 3. Structuralists School2. 4. 1. Classical Theory/SchoolThe development of modern management started about the beginning of this century with the classical school led by Frederick W. Taylor. This classical school preached Scientific Management, which combines the study of physical capabilities of a worker with an economic approach which views man as being driven by the need to earn his livelihood. The classical school advocated that if material required was closely tied to work efforts, the worker would respond with the maximum performance he is physically capable of doing. Taylor and his followers saw the worker as a functioning appendage to the industrial machine. Following this, the teaching of the classical school had been referred to as the Machine Theory of Organisation. The school assumed that the most efficient organisation would also be the most satisfying one, because it would maximize both productivity and workers’ pay and consequently job satisfaction. However, Taylor never thought off non-monetary regards. 2. 4. 2. The Human Relations SchoolThe excesses of the Classical approach came to be modified by the teaching of the human relations School which was heralded in by Professor Elton Mayo and his associates in the Hawthorne experiments. These experiments were carried out at the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne works in Chicago, U. S. A. between 1927 and 1932, were aimed at exploring the relationship between physical environment and productivity. The study was especially aimed at finding out the effect of illumination on productivity in the plant. The researcher discovered that when lighting was 12 illuminated step by step over a period of time, production increased correspondingly. On the other hand, when the researchers decided to decrease the illumination in the plant, production continued to rise and did so until the lighting was no longer brighter than moonlight. The major findings and conclusions of the Hawthorne Experiment are as follows(i) The level of production is set by social norms, not by physiological capacities; (ii) Non-economic rewards and sanctions significantly affect the behaviour of workers and largely limit the effect of economic incentive plans; (iii) Often, workers do not act or react as individuals but as members of groups; (iv) The importance of leadership for setting and enforcing group norms and the difference between informal and formal leadership; (v) The importance of communication, participative decision-making and democratic leadership in an organization. The Human Relations School assumed that the most satisfying organization would be the most efficient and so the organization structure and work should be related to the social needs of the employees. The rationale of the argument is that if employees are made happy, they will co-operate fully with the organization in their efforts and so increase organisational efficiency and productivity. Peter Drucker has criticised the views of the human relations school as being too employee centered. While the Classical and Human Relations Schools differ in their emphasis on either the formal or informal aspects of the organisation respectively, both had failed to see that productivity and workers satisfaction are inherently opposed philosophies. This has been left for the Structural School to sort out. That is the basic contradiction between a company’s quest for relationally and profit and the human search for happiness freedom of action. 13 The Structuralists see the company organization as a large, complex, social unit in which many social groups interact while these groups have common interests like the economic viability of the organization, they also have some other opposed interests like how the gross profits of the organization are to be distributed. The two groups within the organization whose interests frequently come into conflicts are management and workers, although by no means the only group envisaged by the Structuralists. Essentially, rivalry and conflicts between organizational groups are inevitable and, perhaps, occasionally desirable. Peoples’ behaviour is motivated by common basic needs. These needs vary in degree with gender, generation, culture, maturity and other life circumstances. If appropriately structured, a person’s job can help meet these needs, which leads to job satisfaction and job performance. A lot of research has been done in the area of motivation in relation to the area of organizational management. Researchers and authors agree that motivation is very crucial to the issue of job performance but they differ with regard to the things that motivate. Vroom (1964) sees motivation as a process governing choices made by persons or lower organisms among alternative forms of voluntary activity. This implies that motivation propel an individual to prefer one job to another. Some researchers assumed that variables such as amount of reward are motivational variables that directly influence the strength of incentive motivation. The implication of this is that extrinsic motivation has greater influence on one’s (workers) performance. This seems to be in agreement with Skinners operant conditioning principle which states that â€Å"behaviours are governed by their consequences†. This is to say that if the consequence is positive, there will exist a better 14 performance (behaviour) from the worker. In other words, an individual’s willingness to perform and the effort he will be willing to put depend on the reward he will get from the performance of such activity. There are propounded theories which are sophisticated in nature. Some laying credence to or supporting the above viewpoints and others contradicting them. Some of these theories would be discussed since this review cannot comprehensively discuss all of them. In addition, the literature review will include motivation, job performance, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, Nigeria Civil Service and Oyo State Civil Service. 2. 5 Maslow’s Theory of Motivation The need theory was originally advanced by Abraham Maslow (1938). According to him, people are motivated to satisfy a hierarchy or sequence of needs. He opined that man is a wanting being and what they want depends on what they already have. Maslow recognizes five (5) different needs that motivate individuals to work. These needs are as follows:2. 5. 1 Physiological Needs:These are considered to be basic biological functions of the human organisms and the most important of all human needs. They include the need for food, water, air, sleep, sex, rest, cloth and shelter. An individuals who lacks any of all these physiological needs is disturbed in mind. In addition, if these needs are unfulfilled, the higher needs will not be recognized. 2. 5. 2 Safety Needs:It is only when the individual meets the physiological needs that he tries to focus his attention on the next set of needs in the hierarchy, that is, the safety needs. At this level of the hierarchy, the employee is preoccupied with the safety of his life and property. He is also more concerned with stable situations and the security of his job. The needs for his 15

Problem Solution Essay Ideas Where to Search and How to Choose

Problem Solution Essay Ideas Where to Search and How to Choose Nobody likes having many problems around him/her. However, when you face the necessity of finding a problem solution essay idea, you start searching to them intensively. This article will help you to get the problem solution essay idea and thus to avoid problems with your writing. Personal, Local or Global? Perhaps, writing about some personal problem would be rather interesting and helpful. However, as a rule, a problem solution essay idea should be about a problem which concerns some community, not a single person. As for global problems, they are rather important, but at the same time too serious to become a problem solution essay idea. Thus, local problems are the most appropriate matter to become your problem solution essay idea. Looking for the Problems To find a problem solution essay idea, you can take the following steps: Recollect some local problems you have faced recently and think whether other people also suffer from this situation. Ask your family, friends, neighbors. Read the local newspapers. Making a Choice After you have found several problem solution essay ideas, you have to choose only one of them: Analyze whether a problem really exists. If there is no golf club in your district, it is a fact, but hardly a problem. Think whether you have enough knowledge to cope with your problem solution essay idea. Solving some problems requires a very specific base of knowledge. Evaluate whether you will be able to provide a feasible solution. Many problems just imply that â€Å"huge funding is needed†. Try to focus on the problem solution essay idea which is not about substantial fundraising. However, if you are able to propose where to find the necessary funding to solve some problem, you can choose this problem solution essay idea. You may ask: should the problem solution essay idea I choose be the problem which affects me? Of course, it works as great motivation; however, it is not the obligatory requirement, you can just focus on helping other people.