Thursday, October 31, 2019

What are the ethics behind photojournalism and a real life newspaper Essay

What are the ethics behind photojournalism and a real life newspaper decision to print or not to print a photograph - Essay Example â€Å"The production, presentation, and consumption of visual messages in all manner of media can be justifiably sliced in separate technological, historical, cultural and critical perspectives. The requirements for theory building at each stage are different† (Elliott & Lester, 2002). And while it is recognized that â€Å"Photography is the only ‘language’ understood in all parts of the world, and bridging all nations and cultures† (Helmut Gernsheim cited in Elliott & Lester, 2002), it is also acknowledged that â€Å"photographs supply information without having a language of their own. Photographs quote rather than translate from reality† (John Berger cited in Elliott & Lester, 2002). The difficulty arises from the variety of social, political and cultural approaches that can be taken in the interpretation of an image. Added to this is the greater ability of photographers and photojournalists to manipulate images in many different ways as a means o f achieving the image sought. In determining the ethics involved in the decisions made by photojournalists and their editors regarding whether or not to print a particular image, then, it is necessary to take into consideration the â€Å"intent of the image creator and the not-so-blank canvas of the image consumer† (Elliott & Lester, 2002) as these various approaches come into play. There have been many ethical theories proposed to serve as guidelines for the photojournalist and others regarding what types of images to display or not to display. There are six main theories that can, and should, be applied to photojournalism. These include the categorical imperative, utilitarianism, hedonism, the golden mean, the golden rule and the veil of ignorance. Categorical imperative, suggested by Immanuel Kant, refers to doing the right thing regardless of any extenuating

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Economics at the University of Pennsylvania Essay Example for Free

Economics at the University of Pennsylvania Essay Although I want to major in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, I have a passion for poetry and prose, and I would love more than anything to develop my writing skills in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences. That program provides the disciplined and distinguished qualities that I seek. One must be a great reader before becoming a great writer, so I indulge in books of every genre to expand my range of knowledge. Literature brings me great joy, and I will strive to integrate my fondness for reading and writing into my college experience. Penn’s English Department is unique in that it provides the opportunity for students to place an emphasis on studies in creative writing. Within that framework, I want to channel my passion for poetry into academia. As founder and president of Shandong Normal University Literature Association, if accepted, I plan to visit the Kelly Writers House religiously as a way to satisfy my perpetual craving for remarkable literature. I envision myself grabbing a turkey and cheese sandwich with no mayonnaise at the 1920 Commons, then rushing off to the Kelly Writers House with an armful of books by Maya Angelou and Eric Schlosser. Gathered in a tight circle of chairs, I want to share professional works with fellow literature lovers. We will offer our own daring lines of free verse, swap suggestions, compliments, and light-hearted laughs. During workshops, my very soul seeps steadily through an invisible tube from brain to ballpoint. This complex phenomenon of input-output produces painstakingly arranged ink on paper, a painting made of letters. On my way to a morning class on modern American poetry, I will pass Oldenberg’s famed Split Button and acknowledge Mr. Franklin sitting upright in his chair. After the lecture, I can envision Professor Josephine Park and I conducting research by analyzing the influence of conflicts between America and East Asia on Asian-American texts. As part of the Penn family, I will converse with colleagues, sisters, and brothers that destiny forgot to recognize. Then, I will tutor secondary school students about reading and writing through the outreach program. Having been featured in a myriad of written works and publishing my own collections, I will roll up my sleeves and organize literary pieces in the weekly undergraduate magazine, First Call. As evening emerges, I will bike to the Van Pelt Library, work comfortably in my favorite armchair, and complete the finishing touches on a Second World War paper. Traveling to other parts of the City of Brotherly Love, study group friends and I will order a few Philly Cheesesteaks from Pat’s King of Steaks for dinner. My roommate, with lips coated in frothy toothpaste, will open the door when I get back. After taking a shower, I will dry my hair on a blue polka dot towel, sit on my bed, and chortle cheerfully while my roommate chatters about the highlights of her day. Then I will read an article about the Penn Museum from The Daily Pennsylvanian. After turning off the lights and setting my alarm clock for 6:00am, I will drape my jogging shorts and shirt on a chair for the morning. Before drifting off to sleep, I will fondly recall submitting my application to Penn, and smile in the quiet of my room, happy to be here at last.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

La Legalización De La Cultivación De Cocaína en Bolivia

La Legalizacià ³n De La Cultivacià ³n De Cocaà ­na en Bolivia Hasta quà © punto pueden las decisiones de Evo Morales en cuanto a la legalizacià ³n de la cultivacià ³n de cocaà ­na en Bolivia ser justificados? Últimamente, los problemas asociados con el uso y venta de la coca y su derivativa, la cocaà ­na, se han aumentado en Latina Amà ©rica. Los paà ­ses de Repà ºblica Dominicana, Chile, Mà ©xico y Bolivia, entre otros, se han sufrido a las manos de las leyes internacionales, y, en otro lado, a las manos de los vendedores de la planta. Bolivia es uno de los paà ­ses mà ¡s grandes de Latinoamericana, aunque uno de los mà ¡s pobres. Tiene una poblacià ³n grande de obreros y en los à ºltimos aà ±os se ha experimentado tendencias a un partido socialista. Evo Morales, una figura importante en el à ¡mbito socio-polà ­tico en Bolivia, ha hecho un enorme esfuerzo en re-escribir las leyes sobre el uso de la droga. Este hombre ha estado en primer lugar en muchas luchas contra el ex-gobierno boliviano. Ayudà ³ en derrocar el gobierno en 2002 y en las elecciones casi ganà ³ en una victoria sorprendida. El 22 de enero de 2006 el dicho hombre se convirtià ³ en presidente de Bolivia. Se ha hizo en un hà ©roe para los campesinos bolivianos. Este hombre ha puesto muchas personas nerviosas con su inexperiencia polà ­tica en un paà ­s con una historia inestable que incluye a los Estados Unidos. Lo importante es que Evo Morales se representa como una persona del pueblo, de lo indà ­gena. Por este hombre, las personas pueden entenderse las identidades, en sus costumbres, algo tan concurrente en la vida latinoamericana. Bolivia siempre ha jugado un papel importante dentro de industria droguera. En el aà ±o 1989 un juez alemà ¡n declarà ³ que era en contra de los derechos humanos legalizar el consumo de sustancias que pueden ser peligrosas. Es el derecho de cada persona decidirse lo que quiera hacer con si misma. El ser humano tiene el derecho de hacer lo que quiera si no afecta a otra persona negativamente. En Bolivia, siempre ha sido una mata para la medicina y los campesinos bolivianos continà ºan a usar la coca como sustancia medicinal y relajante. Se dicen que reduce el hambre y el cansancio, y en un paà ­s de tanta pobreza, la gente se ve como algo de necesidad no de lujo. Se ve el uso de la coca como una extensià ³n de las leyes sobre los derechos humanos. Ademà ¡s, la cultivacià ³n de la planta ha producido una migracià ³n al à ¡rea boliviano llamado y ha dado empleo a muchos campesinos. Ha impactado mucho en el estado econà ³mico del paà ­s (ver apà ©ndice 1) que en 1987 llegà ³ a unos tres mil millones de dà ³lares estadounidenses y es un fuente de e mpleo de quizà ¡ unos 500,000 personas. Para los campesinos bolivianos es un beneficio natural de alto valor que significa una mejor calidad de vida para ellos. Segà ºn Nicholas Hopkinson en su artà ­culo, Fighting Drugs: Trafficking in the Ameritas and Europe, la industria droguera (y narcotraficante) es la mà ¡s grande despuà ©s de la explotacià ³n de las armas. La de cocaà ­na se valora a unos 150 billones de dà ³lares estadounidenses al aà ±o. (Pà ¡gina 1). Por supuesto, hay muchos que està ©n en contra de la cultivacià ³n de la coca y la llamen lo mismo que narcotrà ¡fico, lo que resulta en una industria ilegal que ayuda sà ³lo a los dueà ±os agrà ­colas de la coca. En realidad mucho del dinero ganado en la produccià ³n de la coca no llega a los labradores sino a los dueà ±os. Ademà ¡s, los enfrentamientos de los productores se han resultado en mà ¡s de cien muertos sà ³lo en el aà ±o 2003. Mientras que el gobierno ver la necesidad de tener, por lo menos, una mediana hectà ¡rea por cada familia para ayudar a la poblacià ³n, tambià ©n el gobierno ha continuado el rà ©gimen represivo contra las cultivacià ³n de los cocaleros. Otros factores en contra incluyen la dificultad en controlar la cultivacià ³n del producto y el aumento de la tasa de crà ­menes dentro del paà ­s y en otros paà ­ses asociados. ‘Funcionarios entrevistados por GAO expresaron ademà ¡s su preocupacià ³n por que los narcotraficantes han cambiado de rutas tanto en el Pacà ­fico como en el Caribe, antes de llegar con sus mercancà ­as a Centroamà ©rica y Mà ©xico, lo cual amplà ­a el campo de vigilancia’. Asimismo, pueden invocar problemas del salud mental entre otros. La cultivacià ³n de la coca ha replicado muchos efectos destructivos para el medio ambiente. En 1997 el gobierno boliviano intentà ³ erradicar la los cultivos de la coca, gracias a un programa financiera de los Estados Unidos. ‘En el perà ­odo analizado por el estudio (2000-2005) el gobierno de EEUU ha entregado $6,000 millones a Colombia y otros paà ­ses de la regià ³n para la lucha antinarcà ³ticos, el desarrollo de soluciones alternativas y reformas judiciales’. En este mismo aà ±o Evo Morales, durante una entrevista con la BBC la dijo, ‘Nunca se van a deshacer de la hoja de coca. Defenderemos a la hoja de coca. La lucha contra la coca es un pretexto para que Estados Unidos domine a Amà ©rica Latina, para que domine a nuestro pueblo, para que viole nuestra soberanà ­a’. Segà ºn Evo Morales, esa produccià ³n no es ilegal debido al hecho que no produce la cocaà ­na, sino sà ³lo produce una industria de la cultivacià ³n de la coca. Aunque existe la ley 1008 (del aà ±o 1988) que pretende controlar la cultivacià ³n y por eso el trà ¡fico de la cocaà ­na, parece que es posible leer la ley en una manera para quienquiera la necesita. Aunque los estados internacionales la consideran algo con que se puede penalizar, muchos prefieren continuar el uso como derecho humano. Segà ºn a muchos cientà ­ficos, es difà ­cil entender los efectos negativos de la coca. En Bolivia, muchos de los indios que consumen la hoja para razones tradicionales o medicinales tambià ©n sufren de otros problemas. Segà ºn Lester Grinspoon y James B. Bakalar, es difà ­cil definir los efectos debido a otros variables en el à ¡rea, por ejemplo, el alcoholismo, desempleo, etc. En mi juicio, hasta que los gobiernos y los ONG internacionales deciden modificar la ley y ponerla mà ¡s clara, no hay la posibilidad de controlar la coca. Es una sustancia con un uso tradicional para muchas personas, no sà ³lo en Bolivia, sino en muchos paà ­ses. Es un costumbre anciano que tiene poco que ver con los narcotraficantes. Sin embargo, con el uso personal viene el peligro del abuso de dicha planta. A la otra mano, si la pone totalmente ilegalizada, el valor de la cual subirà ¡ sin cesar. Es el sustento de muchas personas que la necesitan para la oportunidad de trabajar. Sin ella el impacto econà ³mico para un paà ­s ya sufriente le hace aà ºn peor. Un paà ­s subdesarrollado, del tercer mundo, hasta las narices en deudas nacionales se va a morir. Econà ³micamente y polà ­ticamente, Bolivia no le encuentra en una situacià ³n para reforzar las leyes que prohà ­ben la mejor oportunidad de tener una vida mejor para las personas bolivianas. Para Evo Morales, aunque sus ideas y deseos pueden ser pocos idealistas, tiene la justificacià ³n bastante para legalizar la cultivacià ³n de la coca. Para los cocaleros y los demà ¡s del paà ­s es primordial que tiene este trabajo para apoyar a la poblacià ³n. Sea cuà ¡l sea los aspectos negativos que son creados gracias al valor de la mata, es cierto que no se puede negar los alimentos y necesidades bà ¡sicas de un pueblo entero. Apà ©ndice 1. Paà ­s Porcentaje de la cultivacià ³n de la coca à rea de cultivacià ³n. (hectà ¡reas) Valor de coca exportada (USD) Bolivia 45 70,000 3 billà ³n Perà º 45 260,000 1.5 billà ³n Colombia 8 27,000 3 billà ³n Hopkinson, Nicholas: Fighting Drugs: Trafficking in the Americans and Europe Wilton Park Papers: London: August 1991:Pà ¡gina 2 Bibliografà ­a. Libros / artà ­culos consultados: Grinspoon, Lester and Bakalar, James B: 1970: Cocaine: A drug and its social evolution. New York: Basic Book Publishers. Hopkinson, Nicholas: 1991: Fighting Drugs: Trafficking in the Americans and Europe. London: Wilton Park Papers, no. 43. Jorgensen, Steen, et al:1992: Bolivias Answer to Poverty, Economic Crisis and Adjustment: The Emergency Social Fund (World Bank Regional Sectoral Studies) Kurtz-Phelan, Daniel: 22/9/2005: Coca is everything here: hard truths about Bolivias drug war. US: World Policy Journal. Leons, Madeline Barbara and Sanabria, Harry (ed): 1997: Coca, Cocaine and Bolivian Reality. New York: State University of New York Press. Malamud Goti, Jaime E.: 2004: Humo y espejos. Editores del puerto: lugar desconocido. McNicoll, Andrà ©: 1983: Drug Trafficking: A North-South Perspective. Ottawa: The North-South Institute. Painter, James:1994: Bolivia and Coca: A Study in Dependency. CO, USA: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc. Reyes Gerado :12/13/2005: Cuestionan cifras optimistas sobre flujo de drogas a EEUU: El Nuevo Herald. Mirtenbaum, Josà ©: La lucha por la despenalizacià ³n de la coca: 2005: 21/2/2006: http://narcosphere.narconews.com/story/2005/11/8/183258/544 Rodrà ­guez, Alejandro: Bolivia: Who is EvoMorales?: Left Green Weekly: 21/2/2006: http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2002/501/501p16b.htm

Friday, October 25, 2019

Analysis of Lust, by Susan Minot Essay -- Lust Essays

"They turn casually to look at you, distracted, and get a mild distracted surprise, you're gone. Their blank look tells you that the girl they were fucking is not there anymore. You seem to have disappeared.(pg.263)" In Minot's story Lust you are play by play given the sequential events of a fifteen year old girls sex life. As portrayed by her thoughts after sex in this passage the girl is overly casual about the act of sex and years ahead of her time in her awareness of her actions. Minot's unique way of revealing to the reader the wild excursions done by this young promiscuous adolescent proves that she devalues the sacred act of sex. Furthermore, the manner in which the author illustrates to the reader these acts symbolizes the likeness of a list. Whether it's a list of things to do on the weekend or perhaps items of groceries which need to be picked up, her lust for each one of the boys in the story is about as well thought out and meaningful as each item which has carelessl y and spontaneously been thrown on to a sheet of paper as is done in making a list. This symbolistic writing style is used to show how meaningless these relationships were but the deeper meaning of why she acted the way she did is revealed throughout the story. Minot cleverly displayed these catalysts in between the listings of her relationships. One of the main factors of this was the neglect of her parents. It was not stated directly but the fact that her parents did not know what was g...

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Statistics Exercise

1.The researchers analyzed the data they collected as though it were at what level of measurement? d.Experimental2.What was the mean posttest empowerment score for the control group? The mean posttest empowerment score was 97.12 3.Compare the mean baseline and posttest depression scores of the experimental group. Was this an expected finding? Provide a rationale for your answer. The mean baseline depression score of the experimental group is 14.00. The mean posttest depression score of the experimental group is 13.36.The posttest score is 0.64 lower than the baseline score. This is an expected finding because after the completion of the empowerment program the experimental group’s depression showed improvement. 4.Compare the mean baseline and posttest depression scores of the control group. Do these scores strengthen or weaken the validity of the research results? Provide a rationale for your answer. The mean baseline depression score of the control group is 10.40 The mean pos ttest depression score of the control group is 10.40. The scores show no change in the control groups score. It does show a change in the empowerments score which shows a decrease in the depression scores for the experimental group.5. Which group's test scores had the least amount of variability or dispersion? Provide a rationale for your answer. The control groups test scores 10.40 both at baseline and posttest showed the least amount of variability or dispersion.6.Did the empowerment variable or self-care self-efficacy variable demonstrate the greatest amount of dispersion? Provide a rationale for your answer. I think the self care efficacy group showed the greatest amount of dispersion. The total groups post test score is 1.78 lower than the baseline score. The empowerment variable total groups posttest is only .11 lower than the baseline group. 7.The mean ( ) is a measure of central tendency of a distribution while the SD is a measure of dispersion of its scores. Both and SD are descriptive statistics.8. What was the mean severity for renal disease for the research subjects? What was the dispersion or variability of the renal disease severity scores?Did the severity scores vary significantly between the control and the experimental groups? Is this important? Provide a rationale for your answer. The mean severity for renal disease for the research subjects was 6.74. The dispersion or variability of the renal disease severity score was 2.97. The severity scores did not vary much between the control and the experimental groups. This is important as the groups were no differences in clinical and demographic characteristics.9. Which variable was least affected by the empowerment program? Provide a rationale for your answer. The mean depression score showed the least amount of change when compared to their baseline values. Only 0.66 points for depression compared to 6.44 points for self care/self efficacy and 6.64 for empowerment. The mean score for the depressi on scale was lower than for the empowerment and self-care self-efficacy scales.10.Was it important for the researchers to include the total means and SDs for the study variables in Table 2 to promote the readers’ understanding of the study results? Provide a rationale for your answer. No, it is not necessary for the reader to have the total means and the SD’s for the study variables in the table to understand the study results. One can understand the results showing only the total means.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Employee Motivation Essay Sample

Employee Motivation Essay Sample Employee Motivation Essay Example Employee Motivation Essay Example Every business is expected to yield profit. However, raising profits can only be possible if the managers and workers perform their duties with their best efforts towards achieving a common goal. A workplace where the employers and employees are dedicated to their work and meet their deadlines without being supervised can score better proceeds. In the competitive business world, each organization yearns to succeed and improve the quality of its services and raise performance levels. Employee motivation is what makes an employee willing to improve personal performance and effectiveness, resulting in the provision of the high-quality outcome at the workplace (Berrin Bauler 182). It is divided into intrinsic motivation (internal factors), such as a feeling of enjoyment brought by the work, and extrinsic motivation (external factors), such as rewards. This paper will research on employee motivation types, factors affecting it, its importance, and techniques applied in motivating employe es. Types of Employee Motivation Intrinsic motivation is a feeling that comes from within a person. It is self-driven and comes from the inner feeling of an individual rather than being imposed by someone or being triggered by a particular reward (Kovach 59). When a worker feels motivated by the work, it is referred to as intrinsic motivation. It is the job itself that motivates a person, especially when it is enjoyable and includes an understanding of the reasonable goals. One can be intrinsically motivated by the work environment. For example, if the environment is favorable, an employee is more likely to feel at peace with the work thus driving him/her to work even more. On the contrary, if the environment is unfriendly, the employee is more likely to be discouraged to work. In fact, he/she will not like the idea of going to work. Intrinsic motivation may be generated through job satisfaction. Most employees feel gratified with their job when they are permitted to have control and liberation and to contribute to innovations on their job. Intrinsic inspiration can also be prompted by an environment that emboldens the exploration and learning. Intrinsic motivational factors can be accomplished by job design that encompasses job simplification, job rotation, job enlargement, and job enrichment. Extrinsic motivation is a type of motivation that is affected by the external factors to self-motivate an employee (Kovach 62). These factors usually drive an employee to reach a particular goal either willingly or unwillingly. They originate from the management, and the employees can either react to them positively or negatively. Thus, employers should use external motivators that generate a positive response from the workers. The examples of these factors are punishments and rewards system. When a punishment is set for not achieving a particular target, employees tend to do their best to hit the target. Likewise, when a reward is given to those workers who meet an objective, they will be motivated to work harder to reach the target and get the award. However, in some cases, a punishment produces a negative result; for example, some employees may cheat in their results when they are given a precise target to achieve, making the organization calculate its performance rate on false in formation. This information will include data that supports the improvement but no financial proceeds to support it. Employee motivation is important because it facilitates the sustainability of the business organization by enhancing its improvement. Without motivation, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, it will be challenging for a business to succeed and prosper in the future. Thus, a key to the development of any company is motivation. People cannot be forced to work well but rather be motivated to perform better than before. Employee Motivation Techniques The following are techniques used to create and increase motivation of employees: fashioning a positive work environment, celebrating achievements made by employees, offering job security, providing incentives, training, surveys on employees, and promotions to best performers, and, lastly, sharing profits with the workers. A positive work environment motivates the employees because they feel free, comfortable and welcomed at the workplace. Promoting teamwork and sharing of ideas between employers and employees result in enhanced job performance (Berrin Bauler 223). Bonding is necessary at the workplace because employees will learn to work together to achieve a common goal and promote healthy competition among workers. A manager should be a good mediator when a conflict arises at the workplace and eradicate conflicts as soon as they arise. As much as teamwork creates a positive work environment, employees should be reminded to work independently to perform their assigned task. Recognizing and celebrating achievements made by the workers motivate them to perform better than before (Berrin Bauler 228). Naturally, people like to be recognized for their achievements; the same regards a workplace setting. Awarding workers with the certificates of accomplishment, vacation days, and employee of the month or year titles, giving trophies and gift vouchers are ways of recognizing and celebrating the efforts of the employees. When an employee is honored and known for an excellent work done, he/she will be motivated to do their best. However, if his/her achievements are not recognized, they will be discouraged because their efforts have not been celebrated. There is no need to make a success if you are not going to be known for it. Setting goals to be achieved by the end of a specified time gives an employee a reason to strive to attain a particular target (Berrin Bauler 237). Professional goals encourage competition between workers thus motivating them to reach a particular objective. However, the goals should be reasonable that is an employee can achieve that. When goals are not set, it is difficult for employees to know what is expected of them; thus, they will feel relaxed at their job. On the contrary, when a goal is set, they are made aware of what is expected of them. Setting specific goals and time limits will motivate the employees. Incentives boost employee motivation because when an incentive is put in place, it lures the employees to work harder and smarter (Berrin Bauler 255). Those include cash prizes, gift cards, parking spot and office space. Employees are more likely to be motivated if their efforts are rewarded. Conducting surveys to get feedbacks on how employees feel about the management if they face any problems will provide possible solutions to the problems. This technique can determine if there is a barrier in the workplace and allows the managers to solve the problem. If there are no barriers in the workplace, employees will be motivated to work because there is a peaceful co-existence (Berrin Bauler 228). A survey can be facilitated with questionnaires. These questionnaires should be filled by employees anonymously for the protection of their identification and making them feel free to share their feelings and ideas. A promotion granted on performance motivates employees to perform better. When an employee sees a reward or promotion for good job performance, they will be motivated to work their best. When one worker sees his/her co-worker being promoted because of performing well in his/her duties, he/she will be motivated to do the same to get a promotion (Berrin Bauler 250). Promotions come with a monetary increase in the salary, bigger office and better rank in the office. Acquiring a status through the promotion motivates the promoted employee to work at his/her best not wanting junior workers to think that their senior employee cannot handle the assigned new tasks. It also encourages other employees to copy the behavior of the promoted employee to achieve the same success. The managers should motivate their employees by encouraging them to get more knowledge by sending them to seminars and workshops. This technique enables the employees to acquire new knowledge that helps them advance in their job. Training is very important because it ensures that employees are knowledgeable about new technology or any new way of performing a job. New work is made easier after undergoing a well-constructed training; the training also works as a refresher course for the profession (Berrin Bauler 262). Providing job security also motivates the workers to work better. A worker who is at a company that offers job security is calmer, relaxed and has trust in the business, unlike an employee who is working in an organization with no job security. An employee has faith in an organization where job security has been offered hence will do what is expected of him/her by the employers (Kovach 64). Unlike an employee who has no job security, whose managers may dismiss him/her any time they wish too, he/she will always be anxious and tensed because of being unsure at which point the employment will be terminated whether he/she works at his best or not. Sharing of the company’s profits is also another way of motivating the employees (Berrin Bauler 259). When the profits of a corporation are reflected in the employees salary, it will make him/her want to get more profit for the company to earn more. The more profits they make, the more money they get. That is salary plus profits made by the company. Financial gains mostly motivate employees. When they release an input, they expect an output to them by the management. Theories of Employee Motivation These theories support the techniques of motivating the employees and are divided into process and content theories. Motivation content theories concentrate on the exact thing that motivates an employee (for example, Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, McClelland’s Achievement Motivation, Herzbergs Two Factor Theory, and Alderfers Modified Need Hierarchy) while process theories look at how behavior is instigated and sustained; they include Vroom Expectancy Theory and Adams Equity Theory. Herzberg’s Theory is also referred to as Hygiene Theory. It is a two-factor approach that states that two different factors influence satisfaction and dissatisfaction (Herzberg, Mausner, Snyderman 288). Herzberg ’names the factors that influence dissatisfaction as dissatisfiers (maintenance and hygiene factors) while factors that influence satisfaction are called satisfiers or motivators. Dissatisfiers include working conditions, policies, job security, and status while satisfiers include recognition of achievements, responsibilities, and growth. Dissatisfiers do not have the same impact on job satisfaction but rather influence job dissatisfaction. These factors will not motivate an employee, but their absence in a workplace will influence job dissatisfaction (Berrin Bauler 188). To motivate workers effectively, the management should work on providing good hygiene factors that ensure the staff’s job satisfaction thus motivation. Maslow’s Hierarchy Theory of Needs arranges the interdependent needs of a human being from the basic need to the highest level of requirements (Berrin Bauler 184). The author concludes that once a person has satisfied the lower level of need, the next level of requirements motivates him/her to work harder to attain it. The most fundamental needs are physiological, for example, shelter, food, air, and clothing (Maslow 372). They are the key needs to sustain life, and when they are not met, it affects a person physically. Once a person can sustain his/her life, he/she can be motivated to achieve the next step; but if he /she cannot afford these basic needs, it will be difficult to move to the next level. Employees should be able to afford these necessary basic needs with their salaries to be motivated to get to the next level. Safety needs are the next level, where employees feel a sense of having security, feeling peaceful and orderly at the workplace (Maslow 380). Social need s comprise of friendship, a sense of belonging to a certain group, love and acceptance in a certain environment. Employees usually want to fit in a particular group at a workplace or feel accepted and loved by the others. To satisfy these needs, they tend to work harder to reach a target that will allow them to be identified and accepted by others. A person will strive to reach that rank. Esteem needs generate motivations only when the lower needs are satisfied. They include self-esteem, freedom, and self-confidence. When an employee satisfies these needs, he/she feels capable, in power and worthy to be in that place. However, if the needs are not met, an employee will lack esteem and will feel inferior to the others. What is more, he/she might not be able to tend even to the duties. The highest need is self-actualization that includes creativeness, self-realization, and self-fulfillment (Berrin Bauler 185). When an employee realizes his/her potential, he/she feels the satisfaction of oneself. This process serves as a continuous motivational fact because when an individual completes one need another need arises. Alderfer’s Modified Hierarchy of Needs is a modified Maslow’s Hierarchy Theory (Berrin Bauler 187). Alderfer agrees with Maslow that human needs can be arranged in levels but instead of categorizing them in five, he reduces them to three levels of existence, growth and relatedness. According to Alderfer, two levels can be achieved at the same time. It is not necessary to move from one stage to another (Berrin Bauler 187). A person can attain the highest level of need without fulfilling the lower needs. Thus, in these two propositions, he is not in agreement with Maslow’s theory. When an employee satisfies growth needs, he/she will have the desire to meet relatedness needs. The fewer existence needs are met, the more desire a person will feel to fulfill them. In McGregor X-Y Theory, X stands for autocratic management while Y is participative management. X theory assumes that external motivation is achieved through punishment or threat while Y theory believes that an employee is internally motivated with a good environment. X Theory assumes that people dislike work and, therefore, have to be pressured to contribute to a companys goals. Y implies that although punishment can motivate a worker to work, it is not the only way because employees are self-motivated. Employees can get motivation from within themselves because of good environmental factors surrounding them at a workplace. According to McClelland’s Need-Based Motivation Theory, human beings have three needs: achievement, power, and affiliation (Berrin Bauler 190). In his research, McClelland found out that businessmen have a desire for achievement motivation. According to him, motivation achievement can be taught through training by teaching an employee to act in terms of achieving a motive (Berrin Bauler 190). Locke’s Goal Theory illustrates how setting specific goals to induce high performance and setting more challenging goal increase performance efforts. Through employees’ participation in making goals, they will set higher goals and be motivated to achieve even more to gain superior performance. Workers will set reasonable and attainable goals since they are the ones expected to reach the objective unlike when employers set unreasonable goals. In this theory, for a goal to be achieved, there has to be an effort to achieve it. When the goals set are unreasonable, there will be no motivation to attain them. Thus, it is important to involve the staff in setting the goals. Skinner’s motivation through positive reinforcement suggests that stimuli trigger behavior. Thus, in a business set up, any factor that results in behavior change is a motivational change (Berrin Bauler 205). The change can either be positive or negative. Skinner advises managers to use positive reinforcers such as promotion and salary increment to promote motivation in the workplace. Managers should also solve problems in the workplace to create a peaceful environment that will motivate employees. The staff can only be motivated if there is a positive reinforcer. Vroom’s Model Theory asserts that effort leads to performance and performance leads to either positive or negative rewards. Positive rewards motivate employees while negative rewards do not motivate them. Employees’ work effort is based on what they are expecting to gain at the end of it thus the expectancy theory (Berrin Bauler 203). Ensuring the staff expects a pay rise and promotion will motivate them to work harder on achieving the set goals. When there are no reward expectations, a minimum effort will be put since there is no potential gain at the end of it. No one wants to work for free unless it is charity. Work is believed to have some payment after its completion; thus, an extra work of achieving a goal should have an extra bonus to the salary. If the management considers bonuses, its staff is more likely to be motivated. Adam’s Equity Theory illustrates how employees seek fair treatment at the workplace in cases of rewards and the rate of their efforts (Berrin Bauler 195). Employees base their judgments on comparing themselves with people around them or with persons of the same profession. They will feel undermined if they realize that they are contributing more than the other employees and are not being rewarded the same way. The level of motivation is based on the percentage of fairness that has been found out by the employees. When employees believe they are treated equally, they will be motivated; but when they believe there is unfairness; they will be discouraged. Unfairness can cause the staff to be hostile, disruptive and silent. This paper has critically explained the concept of employee motivation and the various advocated theories used to motivate employees towards helping the organization to accomplish its goals. Theories of employee motivation suggest that there are many variables influencing how employees perceive their work and are motivated to achieve a high level of performance. Concepts of fairness, hierarchy, motivational effects and external motivational factors all give tools to help to analyze motivational influences and come up with strategies to increase levels of motivation at a workplace. Although most theories seem to conflict, they do shed light on those areas of motivation. Motivation is a vital area in the study of organizations and management, and it cannot be ignored even with the presence of many unanswered questions and conflicting theories. Employees are the most important resource in an organization and, for this reason, they should be treated well and should always be motivated. Well-motivated employees are always ready to work hard towards achieving the set goals of the organization. Employees individually and collectively contribute to the attainment of the set goals for sustainable competitive advantage. It can be achieved through various ways including providing safe working conditions for employees, rewarding the employees well according to the work they do, and providing training programs to sharpen the employees’ skills.