HRM Topic: Performance Appraisal

Performance appraisals are done to help the employer decide if training classes need to be held, if new hires are needed, as well as maintaining quality of work with employees and motivating employees as well. Trait methods are designed to measure the extent to which an employee possesses certain characteristic such as dependability, creativity, initiative and leadership. The advantages of using this method are this type of performance appraisal methods are inexpensive to develop. It is also easy to use in which they are developed. It also can be used continuously from time to time since the employees are available for evaluation everyday. While the disadvantages are trait evaluation cannot be objective. Serious and far-minded managers may not wish to be subjective when evaluating employees on matters as vital as performance. To make matters worse, employees receiving a rating lower than what they feel is justified always feel that they have been dealt with unfairly. This will lead to lower efficiency of the employees due to the feelings that they were being treated unfairly. This method also is not useful for promotion decision. The second method is behavioral method. Behavioral methods evaluate what employees actually do. The advantages are these methods can distinguish good performers from poor performers by evaluating the behavior. It uses a specific performance dimensions to evaluate. It eases the user to determine what task that is difficult in certain job. It also can yield more accurate ratings. The disadvantages are they are more specific to particular jobs. This might be a difficulty since the scale might not apply to another. It requires more time and effort to develop. The last method is result appraisal method. Result appraisal method often gives employees responsibility for their outcomes, while giving them discretion over the methods they use to accomplish them (within limits). This is empowerment in action. This method also has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of using this method are it focuses on actual performance of the employees. It can also directly align employee and organizational goals. Result appraisal also can be use for goal setting. Meanwhile the disadvantages of using this method are it encourages short term perspective of the employees but ignores the long-term

My Major Subject: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Human Resource Management is the term used to describe formal systems devised for the management of people within an organization. These human resources responsibilities are generally divided into three major areas of management that is staffing, employee compensation, and defining/designing work. Essentially, the purpose of human resources management is to maximize the productivity of an organization by optimizing the effectiveness of its employees. This mandate is unlikely to change in any fundamental way, despite the ever-increasing pace of change in the business world. The basic mission of human resources will always be to acquire, develop, and retain talent align the workforce with the business and be an excellent contributor to the business. 

Human resource management is concerned with the development of both individuals and the organization in which they operate. Human resources management, then, is engaged not only in securing and developing the talents of individual workers, but also in implementing programs that enhance communication and cooperation between those individual workers in order to nurture organizational development. 

The primary responsibilities associated with human resource management include job analysis and staffing, organization and utilization of work force, measurement and appraisal of work force performance, implementation of reward systems for employees, professional development of workers, and maintenance of work force. 

Human resource management functions are ideally positioned near the theoretic center of the organization, with access to all areas of the business. Since the human resources management department or manager is charged with managing the productivity and development of workers at all levels, human resource personnel should have access to and the support of key decision makers. In addition, the human resources management department should be situated in such a way that it is able to effectively communicate with all areas of the company. 

Here let me explain some about selection in HRM management. Selection is the process of choosing individuals who have relevant qualifications to fill existing or projected job openings. There are various sources of information about job candidates such as application form, online applications, biographical information blanks, background investigation, polygraph tests, honesty and integrity tests, graphology, medical examinations, drug testing, employment tests and interviews. 

Firstly is application form. It ensures consistency on the information you are getting from the candidate, so you are able to define precisely what information you need. Second is an online application. Benefit of online application is it does not require any complex "roll out" procedure to deploy in large organizations. Third is biographical information blanks. These sources can be scored like tests. The questions rarely have obviously right or wrong answers, so it is difficult to be fakes. Fourth is background investigation. The reasons for performing a background check vary. Many employers rely on background checks to verify the information job candidates put on their    applications. Fifth are polygraph tests. The polygraph or “lie detector” as the media aptly dubbed the polygraph back in the 1920’s was designed to detect and record deception. The function is that when a person lies, the lying causes a certain amount of stress or anxiety that produces changes in several involuntary physiological bodily reactions. Sixth is honesty tests are a specific type of personality test. Honesty and integrity measures may be broadly categorized into two types. First type is Overt integrity tests gauge involvement in and attitudes toward theft and employee delinquency. Second are personality-based measures typically contains disguised-purpose questions to gauge a number of personality traits. Seventh is graphology. Graphology is the pseudoscientific study and analysis of handwriting especially in relation to human psychology. In corporate life, graphology has great potential in Recruitment, Motivation, Appraisal, Personality Profiling and Counseling; in other words, in building stronger and more appropriate teams. Eighth are medical examinations. The purpose of medical examination is to judge the general health and physical fitness of the candidate. Candidates who are not physically fit for the specific job are rejected even when they show good performance in the tests and personal interview. Ninth are drug testing. A drug test can find concentrations of drug metabolites in a person's urine, hair or blood. A metabolite is a contaminate that determines if a specific drug has been used. Tenth is employment tests and interviews. 

Money Cannot Buy Anything

I think that money is the most important thing in the world?. No, i’m wrong. Can happiness really be bought by money? No, i’m wrong again. In a money-oriented era, it is not strange that over a third of youth think that money can buy happiness. Yet, it is an irony that our pillars carry such a thought. In this essay, I will examine the reasons for their belief in the power of money. I will also argue that money cannot buy happiness.

First of all, a comfortable life can be brought if we are rich. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see people complain about their low standard of living. The low educated groups always have to worry about their living. They may worry about losing their jobs as they always work as low skilled workers. Their jobs are not stable at all. They may not be able to cope with their daily lives, let alone being happy. Under such circumstances, money can buy happiness. If they have got more money, they no longer have to worry all the time. They can have a better life by at least having the daily necessities. If they are richer, they can even enjoy themselves by buying expensive clothes, eating in the first class restaurants. Money can bring poor people happiness as their living standards are improved.

Besides, money can’t  fulfill the vanity of people, in turn, it will make people happy. Many people in society like to pursue the brand name fashion or products like Guess, Prada, Levi’s, to list just a few, especially the young generation. Very often, they may not have enough money to buy what they want as they are still students. They tend to skip meals in order to save money. They like to wear brand name fashion to show off. They may feel inferior if they lack money to equip themselves with expensive brand-name clothes. They, then, will lack the self-esteem and self-confidence and thus will feel upset. If they get a lot of money, they can buy whatever they want. They have chances to fulfil their vanity and be proud of themselves.

The people who do not make too much are not too happy. They do not have that the nice new car that their neighbor has. They always want something that someone else has because they think it'll make them better. Now, those who have money are unhappy a lot. They can never get enough. Everything that they have needs to be updated and when they get the item it's already old so they end up replacing it. The rich never get to sit back and enjoy what they have. They are to busy buying.

Soon the individuals who make hardly anything somehow find a way to make more. Their  focus becomes a way to keep the money coming. The focus disappears from their activities and family. The wealthy loose interest in time spent with their families also. Many loose interest in their life. The main focus becomes what to spend the hundred grand on today and then how to make more to make up for what they just blew.

As a conclusion, money is not everything. It’s just a tool for we as a human to live comfortably in this killing money-oriented era. Money can’t buyour happiness.

Article 3: Creative workforce – competing in the new economy

Having a creative workforce is important to tackle competition in a connected environment. A creative workforce is important because the Internet has given the consumer more choices that can be customized to their own needs. Having the next "big idea" is now not as important as having a "unique idea with a ready pool of consumers."
Thus the topic of creativity in the workplace cannot be detached from the concept of intellectual property, patents and franchising.

Having the skill to use thinking processes is not the same as simply being "intelligent". Edward de Bono has emphasized that a highly intelligent person will take a point of view and then use intelligence to defend it. Conversely, many excellent minds are trapped in poor ideas because they defend them well. It is not possible to be immune to biases or perceptions, but excellent thinkers have control over it.

Here are some tips to harness and cultivate creativity in your own workplace.

• Set up the constraints first

The process of generating creative ideas to their eventual execution will be greatly expedited if the participants are given a set of constraints first. These constraints can be in the form of funding, market demand and manpower issues. Nothing kills off the creative process in the workplace when 90 per cent of the ideas are eliminated because the management did not communicate about the constraints to employees earlier.

• Failure-tolerant environment

It is important for every team member to have an attitude of supporting and helping people who fail. A good way to do this is to encourage people to share their failures and what they are doing to turn them into success. A related concept is the support of risk-taking. Supporting people in taking risks is all about knowing their capacity to take them and to help them gradually move up their own continuum. What might seem a very low risk to one person might seem a major risk to another person.

"All businesses start out with an idea. The idea may not be very original. The idea may copy exactly what someone else is already doing and aim for a share of the market. The idea has to provide value for the proposed customer. The idea has to be feasible. Finally, the idea has to be profitable. But once a business is up and running then new ideas are seen as a risk. The psychology of risk taking suggests that as soon as there is something to lose then people become very risk averse. Most corporations could double their profits with a good idea. Once a corporation is running effectively, with skilled people', a distribution system and a productive capacity then is the time to welcome new ideas. Problem-solving, efficiency and new idea creation are all very different activities. Only the first two are taken seriously"


- Edward de Bono

• Predict the future

Creativity can only dwell in an environment where people like to predict future trends. Management thinkers use terms like "thinking out of the box" and brainstorming to encourage employees to free up their thinking processes. A more practical way of looking at this is that the correct prediction will allow an organization to tap into a new market and create early barriers to entry.

• Start a Reward System

All constructive and creative ideas should be rewarded. The reward system will differ between organizations but the motive is still the same; recognition. Management can also utilize the organization's website to highlight these ideas with each participant's e-mail addresses provided. The reason is that other organizations may want to incorporate these ideas and the participant can act as a "goodwill ambassador" to create a possible alliance.

• Intellectual Property

According to Robert Merrick of Stand Alone Inventor!, the art of inventing a product is to make it sufficiently novel so that it can enjoy trademark and patent protection. You will not want to create a climate where all your employees' ideas are copied and executed by your competitors. Thus it is important to have a corporate policy where the better ideas are immediately protected through an intellectual property contract drafted out by your legal advisor. This is to ensure that your company's effort in cultivating creativity will not be hijacked once your employee leaves your organization.

URL: (http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezaccess.library.uitm.edu.my/learning/management_skills/workforce.htm)

Article 2: Making effective presentations

It's a moment most students dread: when a tutor announces that this unit will be assessed, wholly or partially, by presentation.
Few people feel comfortable standing up in front of their peers and explaining or demonstrating their ideas and nobody is born with an instinctive knowledge of how to make a good presentation. So how can you turn the heart-thumping, mouth-drying, brain-numbing panic that many of us experience before a presentation, into positive, dynamic energy that brings your work to a higher level?

• Firstly, remember that a presentation is a type of performance. No-one would contemplate walking on stage to perform a play without considerable prior rehearsal. Treat your presentation in the same way. Learn it. Practice all the aspects of it, again and again, until you are word and action perfect. If you are presenting as a team, make time to rehearse together as well as individually, so that the presentation flows easily between you and you can be sure that there is no duplication or contradiction between your various sections.

• Secondly, you have got to know your stuff. Research the topic you are covering in greater depth than you believe is required for the presentation. The easiest way to increase your confidence about presenting something is to feel that you are as fully prepared as possible. When you have a real understanding of the subject you are talking about, you will deliver your presentation more intelligently and you won't have any lurking anxiety that someone's going to ask you a question you won't be able to answer.

• Thirdly, try to keep your audience engaged with what you're saying. There are a number of ways of doing this but the most basic is simply to speak naturally and make eye contact with different members of the audience as you talk. This means knowing your material off by heart, so that you don't have to read from notes. Smiling also helps – not only will you feel happier and more relaxed (the very act of smiling alters your brain chemistry to make you feel more positive), but other people will smile back at you! And talking to a room full of friendly, smiling faces is a lot less daunting than talking to bored, restless or indifferent ones.Props, visual aids and a joke or two

• Another way to engage your audience is to give them something to do. It is not usually forbidden to ask the audience questions or to request volunteers to take part in a demonstration as part of your presentation. Even this relatively low level of interactivity draws people in to you and to your topic. If you don't feel able to go that far, at least give your audience something to look at while you speak. Keep visual aids simple and relevant so that they add to your presentation rather than overwhelming it but don't be afraid of using them. They add significant value. Don't, though, fall into the trap of trying to hide any weaknesses in your presentation behind over-elaborate or gimmicky props – it won't fool your tutor.

• If you are using props or visual aids, check them thoroughly beforehand, to make sure they work and you know exactly how to operate them. If your aids require equipment that you won't be bringing with you (computers, flip charts, overhead projectors, etc.), make sure you ask for that equipment to be brought in for you, and test it to make sure it works. Even if you're nervous and want to get started, it's worth spending a minute to familiarize yourself with your tools before the presentation, rather than having to stop and figure it out half-way through.

• Finally, a word of caution about the use of humour in presentations. Whilst a presentation can undoubtedly be enlivened with a few laughs at appropriate moments, the purpose of a classroom presentation isn't simply to entertain your classmates. You will be expected to cover the topic requested adequately and to take your studies properly seriously. You should also avoid any potentially offensive or derogatory remarks and remember that humour is a very personal thing: not everyone shares the same view of what makes an amusing anecdote!

Keep to your allotted time; invite questions at the end if you haven't done so already; and then just relax and enjoy it. Remember, nobody has ever died from giving a presentation!

URL: (http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezaccess.library.uitm.edu.my/learning/study_skills/skills/presentations.htm)

Article 1: Obesity, weight-reducing programmes and constipation

The Authors

Elaine Anderson, Third-year Undergraduate Student in Nutrition

Jill Davies, Head of the Nutrition Research Centre both at South Bank University, London, UK.


Abstract
Obesity is caused by positive energy balance. This means that there is higher energy input from food than output through physical activity. Energy not used is stored as fat in adipose tissue around the body. There may be many reasons for weight gain and overeating can play an important role in positive energy balance. Other areas are genetics and socio-economic circumstances. Children born to two parents that are obese have an 80 percent chance of obesity later in life. If one parent is obese then the child has a 40 percent chance. Children or adolescents that are overweight have a stronger tendency to become obese adults. Some twin studies also support genetic theories (McIntyre, 1998). Factors such as low level of education, heavy alcohol consumption, chronic disease, low physical activity levels and, in women, bearing children were found to increase levels of obesity in people with low socio-economic status (McIntyre, 1998; Garrow, 1993).

Weight-reduction programmes
According to many sources weight reduction is the answer to reducing morbidity and decreasing mortality rate (Garrow, 1993; Pi-Sunyer, 1993; McIntyre, 1998). With a weight loss of 10kg, total mortality is reduced by more that 20 per cent. The rates of NIDDM and obesity-related cancer also decrease by 30 per cent and 40 per cent respectively. A weight loss of 5 to 10kg could assist in relieving problems such as back and joint pain, lung function and sleep apnoea (McIntyre, 1998). For an obese person to lose weight they would need either to reduce their energy intake from food, thereby inducing negative energy balance, or to increase their physical activity level or both. It is reported that during weight loss both fat and protein are lost: fat from adipose tissue (fat) and protein from lean tissue (fat-free mass) (Garrow, 1993). McLaren (1981) reports that the reduction due to energy intake over the first few days is a loss of fat-free mass rather than fat from adipose tissue. Garrow (1993) informs us that fat-free mass will be lost during a weight-reducing diet if the calorific value is found to be less than 1,000 kcal/day. A diet so low in calories would also restrict the intake of essential nutrients (Garrow, 1993). Diets available are many and varied such as those provided by primary health care teams and commercial weight-reducing clubs such as Weight Watchers, Slimming World, Slimming Club Magazine plus others.

Commercial weight-reducing diets provided by clubs such as Weight Watchers have changed over the years (McLaren, 1981). Since Weight Watchers began almost 30 years ago it claims to have helped nearly 25 million people (Hicks, 1997). In September 1996 a new diet regimen was launched that offers slimmers a daily points system that is dependent on gender, age, and weight at membership. This has put a stop to laboriously weighing foods and counting calories. Club members can now choose from a range of foods provided by Marks & Spencer and Boots. The diet places an emphasis on eating fruit and vegetables and reducing the intake of foods containing saturated fat (Hicks, 1997). Weight loss at Weight Watchers is aimed at 2-3lbs/week at first then reduces to 1.5-2lbs/week (Hicks, 1997). This amount of weight loss per week is also suggested by Garrow (1993) who has calculated that the reduction in energy intake would be between 500-1,000kcal (2-4MJ)/day and still provide essential nutrients.

Slimming World is another weight-reducing club established 30 years ago. In its booklet Personal Passport to Success it offers a weight loss programme, weekly classes, support and dietary advice. It also informs its club members of the need to eat more fruit, vegetables, reduce intakes of saturated fat and the need for high fibre foods. However, free will prevails and the day’s food choice is still the responsibility of the club member.

Foods not to be restricted are fruit, vegetables and whole grain cereals as these foods are necessary to provide the body with micronutrients and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). A diet containing high amounts of NSP prevents constipation and bowel diseases (Department of Health, 1991; Garrow, 1993).

Constipation
 When energy intake is reduced NSP intake is also reduced (Garrow, 1993). Pi-Sunyer (1993) reports that one of the problems of weight loss is constipation and Cummings (1993) has stated that “complaints of constipation are common in people on low-fibre diets”.

Constipation is classified by “infrequent bowel habit of less than three times per week, transit time of five days or more and stool weight below 50g/day” (Department of Health, 1991). Presently in the UK 1 per cent of the population visit their general practitioner because of constipation, while up to 12 per cent feel they have symptoms of constipation and 10 per cent of the adult population actually suffer from constipation. This figure increases after the age of 60 years to above 20 per cent (Department of Health, 1991; Garrow, 1993). The Department of Health (1991) report that “median stool weight in the UK is about 100g/d, 95 per cent of the adult population passes between 30 and 260g/d, 46 per cent less than 100g/d and 18 per cent less than 50g/d”. It was also found that more women suffered from constipation and had lower stool weights in comparison with men.

The current intake of NSP in the UK is 13.9g/day (Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, 1995) which is marginally above the Dietary Reference Value of the individual minimum of 12g/day (individual maximum being 24 g/day) (Department of Health, 1991). Of these values 50 per cent of total NSP intake is provided by vegetables, whilst 40 per cent is provided by cereals (Department of Health, 1991). The role of NSP in the diet is to add bulk to faeces (Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries & Food, 1995). This occurs when dietary NSP remains intact after passing through the stomach and small intestine (Department of Health, 1991). However, it must be pointed out that not all NSP have the same effect on stool weight and bowel habit. Therefore bowel habit responses are highly variable when faced with soluble and insoluble NSP fractions (Department of Health, 1991). Since each NSP fraction has a different effect on bowel habit it is important that the diet contains a variety of foods that are able to provide both soluble and insoluble NSP “as a naturally integrated component” (Department of Health, 1991).

In order to ensure NSP intakes meet the DRV of 18g/day (Department of Health, 1991) people on weight-reducing programmes would be well advised where possible to opt for “high fibre” varieties of foods (Table I). However, caution will be needed in order to balance the energy intake against NSP intake.

People on weight-reducing programmes need to be aware of the need to balance energy intake against that of NSP in order to reduce the likelihood of developing constipation. Furthermore, individuals who are on such programmes for long periods may be increasing their risk of bowel-related disorders such as haemorrhoids, varicose veins, hiatus hernia and diverticular disease if attention is not given to NSP.

URL: (http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezaccess.library.uitm.edu.my/journals.htm?issn=0034-6659&volume=99&issue=6&articleid=866618&show=html)