An organizational phenomenon Essays

An organizational phenomenon Essays An organizational phenomenon Essay An organizational phenomenon Essay Performance appraisal in American organizations remains a widespread and common practice despite documented criticism of the process by practitioners and researchers alike. Exhaustive research has been conducted on a range of related topics with limited advances in the understanding and practice of performance appraisal. Lack of efficient ways to evaluate performance appraisal systems within organizations has discouraged advances in theory related to performance appraisal as an organizational phenomenon. However, studying individual variables has proved so inadequate at explaining the intricacies of performance appraisal that researchers are attempting more comprehensive evaluation techniques. Attitudes and perceptions of performance appraisal by participants within the context of the organization in which the process operates are now being conducted. The literature suggests relative agreement regarding the structural and procedural components of a well-designed performance appraisal system. Many organizations have implemented systems which are based on accepted practices and procedures only to have them rejected by the users. Clearly there is more to an effective performance appraisal system than a technically sound rating format and well defined policies and procedures. There is however, no commonly accepted method or efficient approach to evaluating the effectiveness or success of a performance appraisal system based on a set of well-defined variables. Identifying and organizing the most important variables in performance appraisal has proved to be a challenging task to researchers and practitioners. Fairness however, is one variable that has been indicated to be a key component in the ultimate success of performance appraisal systems. Evaluating appraisal systems using a theoretical foundation drawn from organizational justice offers researchers the opportunity to examine how the fairness of different aspects of performance appraisal may affect the ultimate success of such organizational systems. Purpose The purpose of this study was to measure perceptions of fairness of and satisfaction with performance appraisal using Greenbergs hypothesized four-factor of organizational justice as a theoretical framework. Better understanding of the perceptions of the fairness based on the concepts of systemic, configural, informational, and interpersonal justice of performance appraisal and related employee reactions to such systems should provide decision makers with more specific information needed to improve the effectiveness of the system in achieving organizational goals. Multi-item scales based on the research of performance appraisal effectiveness and fairness were utilized to measure individuals perceptions of the extent to which fair processes and interactions are manifested in an organizations performance appraisal system. The second goal of the study was to test the theoretical structure of Greenbergs four- factor model of justice using the scales designed to measure perceptions of fair appraisal practices. The scales were allocated across Greenbergs (1993) taxonomy of justice perceptions that has been proposed to be a theoretical model that best integrates the various justice factors into a single model (Thurston, 2001). The study was conducted in a large state government employment system located in the southern United States in the spring of 2003. Two separate agencies were selected for the study. Both agencies have used the same performance appraisal process since it was introduced as a mandatory requirement by the state civil service management division in 1997. The agencies have significantly different missions and work processes and employ different classifications of employees; one is predominantly technical and scientific with many professional and clerical positions while the other is a health care provider. The oversight for the statewide performance appraisal system is maintained by the central civil service management department but each individual organization is responsible for implementing the system. The only measurement of the performance appraisal system to this point has been the determination of the rate of usage of the system.

Habits and Traits of Darkling Beetles

Habits and Traits of Darkling Beetles The family Tenebrionidae, the darkling beetles, is one of the largest beetle families. The family name comes from the Latin tenebrio, meaning one who loves darkness. People raise darkling beetle larvae, known as mealworms, as food for birds, reptiles, and other animals. Description Most darkling beetles look similar to ground beetles, black or brown and smooth. Theyre often found hiding under rocks or leaf litter and will come to light traps. Darkling beetles are primarily scavengers. The larvae are sometimes called false wireworms because they look like click beetle larvae (which are known as wireworms). Though the Tenebrionidae family is quite large, numbering close to 15,000 species, all darkling beetles share certain characteristics. They have 5 visible abdominal sternites, the first of which is not divided by coxae (as in the ground beetles). The antennae usually have 11 segments and may be filiform  or moniliform. Their eyes are notched. The tarsal formula is 5-5-4. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaClass: InsectaOrder: ColeopteraFamily: Tenebrionidae Diet Most darkling beetles (adults and larvae) scavenge on plant matter of some kind, including stored grains and flour. Some species feed on fungi, dead insects, or even dung. Life Cycle Like all beetles, darkling beetles undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Female darkling beetles deposit their eggs in the soil. Larvae are worm-like, with slender, elongated bodies. Pupation usually occurs in the soil. Special Adaptations and Defenses When disturbed, many darkling beetles will emit a foul-smelling liquid to dissuade predators from dining on them. Members of the genus Eleodes engage in a somewhat bizarre defensive behavior when threatened. Eleodes beetles raise their abdomens high in the air, so they almost appear to be standing on their heads, while fleeing the suspected danger. Range and Distribution Darkling beetles live worldwide, in both temperate and tropical habitats. The family Tenebrionidae is one of the largest in the beetle order, with well over 15,000 species known. In North America, darkling beetles are most diverse and abundant in the west. Scientists have described 1,300 western species, but only around 225 eastern Tenebrionids. Sources Family Tenebrionidae - Darkling Beetles - BugGuide.NetDarkling Beetle, St. Louis ZooDarkling Beetle Fact Sheet, Woodland Park ZooBorror and Delongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th Edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson

5 question test review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5 question test review - Essay Example The freedom of a person to do something or decide on something was determined by God even before its conception in the brain. 3. Dualism entails the existence of the mind and the body and how they interact with each other. It describes the presence of a conscious mind which affects the physical body and also the body influencing the conscious mind. Generally it shows that there exists two different aspects that affect each other. The dualistic notion advanced by the Chinese ying yang explains that the universe is divided into two worlds that are predominant. They are different forces which depend on each other and cause the existence of one another. Examples include, hot and cold, light and dark, male and female etc. Zoroastrianism is a religion that believes on the existence of a creator of only the good things and no bad thing comes from him. 4. The Judeo Christian understanding of man and women shows that women were created because of the man and she is ruled over by the man. They base their arguments from the first creation of man and how the woman made the man to sin. They were created by God in order to assist each other and the woman as a companion to the man. 5. Marks and Feud viewed religion as an illusion in which the desire for a father made people to form an imaginary figure to represent that. They argue that religion is slowly been disregarded as science and reasoning creeps in. They explain that due to the changes in the nature of things and civilisation, religion acts as a protection or