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Human-Computer Interaction Analysis- Topic: Mobile Phones

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Human-Computer Interaction Analysis- Mobile Phones

Introduction

The concept of human and computer interaction is concerned with the various ways a user communicates or interacts with a computer system. The common type’s human and computer interactions are use of command language, menu selection, direct manipulation, and filling in form. These styles of interactions can be described as the medium of communication between the machine and the human being, in this case the user.

The way people interact with devices defines their success, with many up coming technologies, with increased processing power, the way the technology interacts with the user is very vital. There is a general perception that most users are not that technologically savvy to understand the complexities associated with computers. People depending on the demographic variables, culture, situational context, and the expected goal use many computing devices. These computing devices include mobile phones, PDAs, and other hand held devices (Benyon, 2001).

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Mobile phones

There are many types of hand held mobile phones available in the market possessing different applications ranging from multimedia, texting, voice calls, gaming, and many other types of applications. The way the user will interact with this form of technology will definitely affect whether the user will like it or not. Apparently, interaction techniques are limited with the available technology. Users will always choose a use a device with a user friendly interface.

Command Language

Command language or command entry was the first method of computer human interaction style to be used, and is still being used in certain situations. The main operating systems that applied this style Linux and UNIX. In this particular style the user have to type in the commands and parameters at the command line for that particular command to be executed. In this style the user had to know all the required commands and parameters by heart, therefore it placed a lot of cognitive burden on the user to remember all the needed commands. This style thus relied a lot on the users’ memory to be able to recall the commands by their names. It is not very easy to learn all the commands

Form Filling

This style involves the fill-in in of forms, and is not targeted to expert users as in command style. The user interface is form based, in which all the data can be entered in the predefined form fields. Validation of the data input was enabled by a separation mode. This style is still in use today, mainly combined by other styles, especially for those tasks that need a lot of data entry. For example pay roll systems, financial systems software, video rental software, and many other types of systems and software that is data entry oriented.

Menu selection

Menu selection gives the user a set of options which are displayed on the screen, where the user can select the desired menu to execute a command. Once the selection has been done and the command executed, the cascade changes the state of the interface. Here, the user selects a command from the predefined command options available on the menu list. In most cases a group of related commands are put near each other for ease of selection, identification, and use. Users do not have to learn or memorize the commands to be able to execute them, provided the commands are arranged in an orderly manner. These menus are generally arranged or clustered in a pop up or pull down menus (Bøgh, 2001)

Direct Manipulation

Direct manipulation is the latest form of computer interaction with humans. In this style the of directly manipulating an object of interest is entailed, this implies that the object of interest is represented as a unique object in the user interface, and then manipulated directly. This interaction style posses the following characteristics: visibility of the object of interest; rapid, reversible, and incremental actions; replacement of complex commands language syntax by direct manipulation of objects of interest. For example dragging and dropping files in say windows explorer (de Haan, 2000).

Analysis of Interaction Styles

These different interaction styles have their advantages and disadvantages. A user will prefer a particular method depending on its usability, benefits, implementation, and the implications of the tool being represented. Adaptability of a particular style is exemplified by the use cases of the navigation systems available in the mobile phone, and the differences in the interaction behaviors depends on the users attitude, preference, skill, and cultural values.

Command Language

The reasons why a user would prefer the command language interaction style on his or her mobile phone are; the style is flexible as only the require command is inputted. The style appeals to expert users, it supports the use of macros that supports the creation of user defied commands or scripts, in cases where there is low bandwidth it is very useful for interacting with computers that are networked.

The style does not appeal to most users since retention of commands in the human memory is always very poor. It takes a long time and effort to learn all the required commands, and a high rate of making errors is always registered. It is definitely not suitable for users who are not experts; error messages and assistance are very hard to be provided in this interaction style. This is because of the diversities and complexities of relating the various tasks to the interface concepts and syntaxes.

Form Fill-in

This interaction style simplifies data entry to a great deal, and shortens the learning time of commands found in the command style. The fields are always predefined and the user only needs to recognize it and not to memorize it. The system also guides the user through the data entry exercise. This style does not lack disadvantages such as consuming screen space, and it is very rigid as it is set for a much formalized business process ( HYPERLINK “http://www.interaction-design.org/references/authors/scott_sherwood.html” o “Scott Sherwood: Publications, homepage, mini-biography etc;” Sherwood, et al, 2009).

Menu selection

This style is very suitable for novice users, intermittent users, or those people who are very new to the technology. It also appeals to expert users if selection mechanisms and display are fast with appropriate shortcuts. The user do not have to remember the name of a command, he or she just needs to explore around the menus for the appropriate command. It supports decision making, easy error handling since users inputs do not have to be parsed. The limitations include the fact that it is not suitable for small user graphic displays, and may be slow for frequent users. So many menus may give rise to complexity of discouraging proportions, and may lead to information overload (Roto, 2009).

Direct Manipulation

The advantages of direct manipulation are that it is very easy to learn, encourages exploration, errors are easily avoided, use of recognition memory, satisfaction is highly subjective, and task concepts are represented visually. Its limitations are: It may be difficult to programme, it is not suitable for small graphic displays, visual or spatial representation is not always preferred, and compact notations only appeal to expert users.

Mobile Phones and Direct Manipulation

Mobile phone usage is increasing at exponential growth globally, and with the ever changing technology, their use is diversified and versatile. Especially, internet access on mobile phones emerged from the mid 1990s with thriving activities. Smart phone sales peaked 1.18 billion users in 2008, with consumers aware of the services they can offer, but are not ready to use them. Direct manipulation is common in many mobile phones and smart phones because of ease of use. This versatility makes internet usage on mobile phones enjoyable, and therefore, factors and perspectives should be identified to improve the understanding of users preferences and the various usage contexts (Koblentz, 2009; Prates, de Souza, &, Barbosa , 2000).

Some of the problems related to the service should be tackled by giving location based access, and by using visual cues embedded into that environment so as to help in discovering services and content. Today’s mobile phones solve this problem by touch screens where users do not have to memorize user resource locators, thus eliminating the need to type via the keypad. The touch screen provides a semantic convergence between the mobile internet experience and the physical context of the user. The users experience finds a bridge seamlessly with the physical context intone where the physical context and the digital world play a significant role.

Improving user experience is of the essence to facilitate the relationship between technology and people. Therefore, the design and evaluation of a technique that improves users experience is the direct pointer. This enables the users to interact with mobile phones and other hand held devices with large displays. Direct manipulation of the pointer position provides continuous feedback. This technique does not require many types of equipment. The user only needs to have an electronic display, a mobile phone, and a connection between the user and the mobile phone. It does not need any visual markers

Electronic large displays are designed for cameras equipped with mobile phones, which enable direct selection of objects on the electronic display by just pointing at the particular object of interest. This kind of interaction is very beneficial in public environments, subway stations, and shopping malls. These phones use a visual movement detection algorithm that incrementally drags the desired objects across the screen.

These camera based mobile phones is giving rise to unimaginable possibilities in this area of direct manipulation. The camera gives the versatile input and the phone can be connected to other situational displays through Bluetooth. People are generally at ease using their own devices, and this may explain the widespread use. The main application areas of direct manipulation are found in gaming, interactive arts, advertisement, digital bulletins, and entertainment.

Conclusion

Of all the interaction techniques that technology can offer, direct manipulation is based on visual code sensing and relative object movement based on optical flow detection. Direct manipulation allows for selection, dragging, and rotation of object. It enchants the user as it provides a communication channels between the user and technology in a manner that it provides greater opportunities.

References

Prates R, de Souza C, and Barbosa S. (2000) A method for evaluating the communicability of User Interfaces, Interactions Jan/Feb, pp.31-38.

de Haan, G. (2000). ETAG, a Formal Model of Competence Knowledge for User Interface

Design. Free University Amsterdam, October 2000.

Benyon, D, (2001). The new HCI. Navigation of information space, Knowledge-Based Systems, Volume 14, Issue 8, 1 December 2001, Pages 425-430.

Bøgh A, (2001) What Semiotics can and cannot do for HCI, Knowledge-Based Systems, Volume 14, Issue 8, 1 December 2001, Pages 419-424

HYPERLINK “http://www.interaction-design.org/references/authors/scott_sherwood.html” o “Scott Sherwood: Publications, homepage, mini-biography etc;” Sherwood, et al (2009). Adapting evaluation to study behaviour in context. In International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction.

Roto, V. (2009): Guest editorial Preface Mobile internet User experience: introduction to the special issue. International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction, 1 (4) pp. i-v.

Koblentz, E, (2009): How It Started Mobile Internet Devices of the Previous Millennium. International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction, 1 (4) pp. 1-3.

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“The New Trend in Healthcare: Do-it-Yourself” by Betsy Morris

In the wake of the post-pandemic era which strained healthcare systems and made it nearly impossible to book a doctor’s appointment, patients are now providing themselves with care in the comfort of their home. One such patient is Elizabeth Ditty who narrates her struggle to get doctor’s attention when she felt lethargic and could not lose weight. This pushed her to order do-it-yourself medical kits to measure cholesterol and hormone levels and keep track of food sensitivities. The 39-year-old screenwriter, then used the results to add supplements, adjust diet, and eliminate eggs, a move that helped her lose weight and feel better.

Taking matters into her own hands, places Miss Ditty in the do-it-yourself movement that boomed during the pandemic as industry analysts and doctors point out. People were getting frustrated with the burdened system pushing them to turn to home kits, gadgets, monitors, and apps for tests and tasks that were previously carried out by trained medical professionals (Morris, 2). Consumers are conducting EKGs, monitoring own blood pressure, keeping track of their cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and pricking their fingers for blood tests conducted by doctors in hospitals. While the majority of the doctors are in support of consumers taking more responsibility of their healthcare, they warn that too much overdependence on DIY without guidance from an expert could cause major health problems. Despite these concerns, doctors are still recommending that patients take on some additional work citing worker burnouts and staff shortages that cause long wait times for doctor appointments.

Works Cited HYPERLINK “https://www.citefast.com/?s=MLA” o “Edit”

Morris, Betsy. “The New Trend in Healthcare: Do-It-Yourself.” WSJ, 11 Jan. 2022, www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-trend-in-healthcare-do-it-yourself-11641906002.

Open Forum Discussion

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Tittle

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Date

Reflection on What I Found Interesting

In the past week, I learned something that I find interesting. It made me understand an issue differently. I learned about using critical thinking to expand and engage my thinking skills. I realized that critical thinking relates to nearly all tasks, topics, challenges, careers, opportunities, situations, and environments. It found it significant to apply critical thinking to complete my course work. It is a “domain-general” thinking proficiency, not precise to a specific subject area. In my experience, as an undergraduate learner, I usually tend to be naïve and take information devoid of much analysis. Learning about applying critical thinking in the course work made me understand issues differently.

What struck me was how information on comprehending the literacy skills helps an individual to learn. In the future, having critical thinking skills will be essential to allow me to think quickly on my feet, assess problems, and get the best solutions. I had been struggling with misunderstanding, lack of detailed knowledge, and wanting to know the answer before applying critical thinking. I have picked the following tips that will always be helpful: becoming more self-aware, developing foresight, practicing active listening, and evaluating existing evidence.

Professors name:

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date

“The veldt” and the character being the nursery

I have learnt that George and Lydia Hadley think something isn’t right with the “nursery” in their costly Happy Life Home. The Happy Life Home is an advanced house that robotizes relatively every human schedule: it cooks and cleans, turns lights on and off, transports the Hadley’s to their rooms through an “air storeroom,” and even shakes them to rest (American Literature (2010). As the kitchen naturally makes supper for them, Lydia requests that George choose investigate the nursery, or call a clinician to look at it.

The initial couple of lines build up the setting as an innovative eventual fate of bounty, revolved around an easeful home life in which the family truly doesn’t need to do any work of their own. In the meantime, I think the marked “Cheerful life Home” recommends the consumerism behind this appearing heaven and the say of the requirement for an analyst proposes all really isn’t as great as it appears. “Investigating” the “nursery” utilizes dialect that influences the nursery to seem like an auto or machine, and influences it to clear that even kid raising in this world has been “outsourced” to innovation (Dramatic Publishing, 1972). As I would like to think, the storyteller calls attention to how costly the nursery is with a specific end goal to delineate the degree to which George and Lydia have ruined their youngsters. Yet, my desires of what a nursery should look like is completely overturned by the terrifying veldt that it really introduces. That this veldt reality shows up “too genuine” builds up the charm of fabricated reality, how it can be more empowering than real reality. Then, it’s fascinating that the scene the youngsters have made is one of primitive nature, as opposed to a cartoonish dream.

George’s shock at the nursery’s virtual reality validates this present room’s status as the pinnacle of human power and innovation. Bradbury’s depiction of the nursery “what a good time for everybody” takes after an ad for an amusement stop or motion picture. The way that the nursery now and again feels excessively genuine again references the overstimulation of mass diversion for Bradbury the nursery speaks to a sensible expansion of TV. Here, Lydia think and feels the line amongst reality and virtual reality starting to obscure. The Hadley guardians’ misery isn’t caused by the way that they are working too hard rather, it’s that they don’t have anything to do. The Happy Life Home has assumed control over the majority of their everyday assignments, with the end goal that they never again feel helpful and important in their own particular home. Lydia’s want to cook and clean by and by recommends the possibility that machines that satisfy each impulse don’t make genuine joy (Dramatic Publishing, 1972). The Home has taken away the Hadley’s’ feeling of reason: they need to feel like they have a place on the planet, and keeping in mind the end goal to have a place on the planet they should feel like they matter, which requires that there be work that they need to do.

George’s appearance that the kids have been investing excessively energy in the nursery raises the idea that Wendy and Peter may be dependent on their innovation. Also, for this situation, George perceives that the nursery is particularly unsafe on the grounds that it gives the kids such a great amount of energy with so little obligation. He understands that the veldt is a declaration of his kids’ darkest contemplations. George comprehends that it is normal for kids to wish demise or decimation on others, before they even know the results of such a desire, yet fears that Wendy and Peter, by playing out their contemplations of death in the nursery, may fortify this regular inclination in a way that leads toward real brutality.

Bradbury depicts the view utilizing words that infer cunning: the truth is introduced similarly as an artwork or a motion picture. This further hazy spots the lines amongst reality and the nursery’s “simulated reality”, and proposes that reality relies upon where you stand. The picture likewise shows a flawless juxtaposition between a human eating and of the lions encouraging, another editorial on the major creature ness or brutality of human impulses and wants.

The Hadley kids are indecent in their control of their folks. In the meantime, Bradbury’s depiction of them influences them to show up relatively mechanical. The majority of their activities and articulations are portrayed as one: one can envision them talking together in a level, emotionless voice. The Hadley’s seem to live ideal lives in their Happy Life Home, yet in truth the guardians feel futile, while the youngsters are un-feeling (Foreshadowing makes the Reader have an Opinion.” (2010). The grisly wallet is another trace of what the kids have been doing – an insight George appears to at any rate halfway comprehend when he bolts the nursery entryway. The lion’s thunder and the resulting shout appear right now to show that his worries are precise.

“The lions were coming. Furthermore, again George Hadley was loaded with esteem for the mechanical virtuoso who had imagined this room. A supernatural occurrence of effectiveness offering at a preposterously minimal effort. Each home ought to have one. Goodness, periodically they scared you with their clinical exactness, they startled you, gave you a twinge, however more often than not what a good time for everybody, your own particular child and girl, as well as for yourself when you felt like a fast side trip to a remote land, a speedy difference in landscape”.

George and Lydia’s evaluation of their kids is basically exact; be that as it may, in the meantime, the guardians don’t perceive the degree of the issue. The way that Wendy and Peter have so effectively crushed spirit into the nursery, and that George and Lydia don’t attempt to make a move, shows how little power the guardians really have over their kids George and Lydia’s mechanical infantilization causes them disregard. Innovation inside the story is both the issue and the cure, which may be the meaning of any fixation.

The way that Peter does not take a gander at his dad delineates how antagonized the kids are from their folks, and from human communication all in all. Diminish does not appear to feel any sort of affection or tend to his dad; he goes so far as to undermine George’s life (American Literature (2010). Dwindles desire to do nothing aside from “look and tune in and smell” exhibits indeed how the Happy Life Home has lessened the Hadley family to creatures who are both latent buyers of amusement and creature like to their greatest advantage.

After reading out the story of “the veldt” and the character being the nursery I have learnt that the George Hadley is a typical husband and father for the 1950s.I think of him as Mr. Cleaver, only not so winsome. He wants his family to have nice stuff. But he’s too busy working to really see what’s going on at home. he spent a lot of his time in his study rather than, to stay with his family. I also learnt that He’s less nervous than his wife. For example, when the nursery isn’t working, George says that it’s probably broken, while Lydia worries that the kids did something to it because they’re dangerous kids and they sleep in separate beds. But George is also, in many ways, the worst father that the 1950s could imagine. He’s weak and ineffective. His kids are in control of the house and they’re an inch away from being juvenile delinquents.

WORK CITED

Larson, Matthew. “American Literature Sarah Pierson Wolff 25 October 2010 Foreshadowing makes the Reader have an Opinion.” (2010).

Acharya, Maya. “Sarah Pierson Wolff American Literature 25 October 2010 The Futility of Ignorance.” American Literature (2010).

Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2015.

Bradbury, Ray. The veldt. Dramatic Publishing, 1972.

Bradbury, Ray. The veldt. Dramatic Publishing, 1972.

For Problem 1’s Solution: a 12-month plan

Target Audience Objective Action/ Activity Responsibility Time

Organizations Ensure the professional communication approach to different organizations Share Content via Facebook about the organization’s programs Marketing Department:

Digital Manager 1/6/2020 -1/6/2021

Individual members Improve members’’ loyalty Open up a group account for particular social media sites such as WhatsApp and Facebook

Members are also required to engage in conversations while using these social media sites Content Creator

& Digital Manager 1/6/2020-30/6/2020

Businesses Creating a communication network that could catapult potential investors to support various initiatives and projects within the community. Joining forces with community businesses to drive messages across their social media platforms and their followers Social Specialist 1/6/2020 -1/6/2021

Volunteers/ Non-membership targets Just like in the case of business, creation of a digital network or community that is ready to support initiatives in the community irrespective of one being a member or not Use of social media campaigns to recruit volunteers to help in various programs. Content Creator

& Digital Manager 1/6/2020 -1/6/2021

(Depends also on the timeline of the project or program)

For Problem 2’s Solution:

Target Audience Objective Action/ Activity Responsibility Time

Business To develop well-established business relationships, which would eventually enable the organization to save on cost while broadening their outreach. Forming business partnerships with other non-profit organizations such as the Multi-Cultural Network(MTN) organization.

Through this, the organization can come up with a project proposal that could require a partnership from a similar organization with a similar objective Marketing Department & The general manager 1/6/2020 -1/6/2021

Organizations Ensure that while partnering with other businesses and organizations, IWMN can use the advertising positions of these organizations to gain more exposure. As a result, more members would be recruited as well as developing viable projects and programs within the western Sydney community. Engaging in similar activities which are inclusive of all the members of the collaborating organizations The marketing department, Content creator & Digital manager 1/6/2020 -1/6/2021

Individual Members Forming partnerships at the membership level IWMN should provide free lectures as well as organize fun community events All departments 1/6/2020 -1/6/2021

Volunteers/ Non-membership targets To recruit more members who would end up creating funds that would supplement the marketing strategy budget

For non-members to engage in social media With the nation currently in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making use of online platforms would prove to be essential.

Through social media, more members are recruited as well as joining in on the conversation of the provision of various services to the community. IWMN members, all departments most especially the digital and social media team. 1/6/2020 -1/3/2021

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1-CONFLICT MANGEMENT

UMUC HRMN365 WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1

Instructions: Locate an article describing the resolution of a recent business conflict. This article must be from a newspaper, academic journal, or credible online news source.

Cite the complete and proper APA reference for the article(s).

Use proper APA citations within the text as well as on a References page.

Explain what is meant by “the costs of conflict”?

From the viewpoint of the participants, what were the costs of this specific conflict?

If resolved, what strategies were used in the resolution?

If not resolved, what strategies would you recommend?

In responding, you must cite a minimum of three sources, one of which you identify as your key source for this recent business conflict. The other two sources support your discussion and responses to the assignment requirement

Small family-owned and operated businesses generate over 80 percent of the US gross domestic product (Garkovich et al.,1995). Subsequently, more than 600,000 new businesses are small business. Of the 600,000 new businesses, family owned business make up ninety percent of this figure. Family owned co-entrepreneurship is one of the factors that make them unique. The concept of family and firm is different from conventional or non-family- owned small business but family owned business has very challenging conflicts in contrast to non-family owned businesses. One company in particular, American harness racing industry had to overcome challenges of occupational sex segregation, interpersonal conflict and gender neutral work position struggles.

Harness racing industries early on were mostly male dominated business. The trainers, drivers and racehorse owners were primarily men with the exception of a few independent women workers. As standard-bred horses increased and more race tracks opened over the decades, positions such as trainer, driver and race horse owner became more and more gender neutral. Harness racing family businesses usually started out as co-trainer partnership between married couples and progressed to a co-owner hierarchy. Conflicts are prevalent in husband and wife occupational relationships, the further they succeed the hierarchy the difficult it was to avoid conflicts.

During stages of co-trainer amongst married partners, conflict can become severe, seemingly because of unresolved family or firm disagreements. The attempt to minimize conflict results in working on different task or different places to avoid conflict. Depending on how partnerships are segregated, vertically (same occupation but different stages of the career ladder) or horizontal (different occupations) are factors that led to conflicts as well as occupational sex segregation. American harness racing industries actively has conflicts as a result of occupational sex segregation. Females are giving jobs that aren’t as predominant as their male counterparts and the pay inequalities of martial co-trainers (male vs. female in general) are disparities that cause conflicts. Harness racing industries weren’t considered gender neutral positions decades earlier and that unchanged mindset still causes friction between marital owners today.

Each of the gender neutral positions such as trainer, breeder, driver, and horse race owner are seen as masculine position with wives helping or assisting their husbands as a separate entity. Although, husband and wife are equal partners and owners, the consensus was that males are seen as the decision-maker and sole proprietor by most customers and employees. Often times the harness racing male owner would make important decision without collaborating with his co-partner and this led to turmoil. The concept is typically accepted by males and manifested by those that prefer being the authority figurehead with their spouses in charge of decisions made at home. In some co-owner relationships the spouses would concede to the idea of positional power to avoid conflicts. Adjustments of some spouse’s to the idea of their husbands being the key decision aren’t welcomed. Majority of women were essentially dominant in their home lives which transferred over to business and the perceived power they had over their marital partners. A common ground could be found for those relationships with exceptional interpersonal skills but partners without good interpersonal skillsets struggled with conflict resolution.

Family owned and operated businesses have greater challenges of maintaining great interpersonal relationships. As with, American harness racing industry tumultuous work, social and family home environments are often times the cause conflicts. Disagreements about the direction of the business, financial stability, and depression and family arguments are common occurrences in this family owned business. Without the separation of family and firm weak interpersonal skills typically are disastrous for these entities.

The cost of conflict examines the economic, social, developmental, strategic and environmental costs associated in respects to parties involved in the conflict. Cost conflicts of occupational sex segregation facilitated unequal treatment, contributed to lower wages for women and lesser authority with less responsibility. This division of sexes further complicated work dynamics and home relationship which incited stressful environments for employees of harness racing industry. Gender neutral issues often made employees feel incompetent, isolated and not accepted which stifled decision making. Their commitment levels were lower which led to poor performance and none productivity. Harness racing lacked interpersonal skills this resulted to lack in communication, communication breakdown, in fighting, aggressive attitudes and occupational sabotage. The business was on a decline until the American harness industry found ways to manage conflicts.

American harness racing industry used effective conflict resolution techniques to resolve occupational sex segregation, gender neutrality and interpersonal issues. Mediation or third party assistance was used to resolve issues between husband and wife co-ownership disputes. Clear and concise duties and responsibilities were outlined and payment matched job responsibilities. An influx of female employees were hired which balanced out the male to female ratio workforce. A comprehensive human resources element was adopted to handle employee grievances and customer complaints. Effective communication training techniques were incorporated and a life consultant was added to the staff. This gave management and employees an outlet to discuss work or relationships issues without retribution. Instead of segregating by sex, more of the upper management duties were divided evenly by management experience.

Reference:

Garkovich, L., Bokemeier, J.L. and Foote, B. (1995) Harvest of Hope: Family Farming/

Farming Families. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky.

Larsen, E. A. (2006). The Impact of Occupational Sex Segregation on Family Businesses: The Case of American Harness Racing. Gender, Work & Organization, 13(4), 359-382. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2006.00312.

Marchand, J. F., & Hock, E. (2000). Avoidance and Attacking Conflict-Resolution Strategies among Married Couples: Relations to Depressive Symptoms and Marital Satisfaction. Family Relations, (2). 201.

Written Assignment 2

Name

UMUC

6/21/2015

Written Assignment 2

Instructions

Instructions: You have been hired by the XYZ Company as a conflict-resolution consultant. The company has just taken on a global flavor through a merger with a foreign firm. In addition, they are experiencing an unusual number of employee grievances. HR has also noted an unusual number of interpersonal squabbles between co-workers, and a recent employee survey showed that many workers felt that there was inequitable treatment among the employees in their departments.

What are the underlying sources of this conflict?

What cultural or diversity issues may be contributing to the conflict?

What additional information would you want to have to thoroughly address these problems?

What method or system would you recommend to address these problems and why?

Introduction

The focus of this paper is on a situation in XYZ Company that has hired me as their conflict-resolution consultant. XYZ Company in this case has just been involved in a global flavor via a merger with a foreign firm. The company is also going through several employee grievances. The interpersonal squabbles and conflicts between co-workers according to the HR department have risen. The findings from a recent survey revealed that many employees felt that in their departments, the employees were being inequitably treated. The paper will therefore, address such areas as the underlying sources of conflict, the diversity or cultural issues that contribute to the conflict, the additional information needed so that these problems can be addressed and finally the system or method recommended for addressing these problems.

Underlying Sources of Conflict

One of the underlying sources of conflict in this situation is unpredictable policies. The fact that company XYZ has a merger with a foreign company means that several unpredictable policies are going to emerge. As far as this source of conflict is concerned, it is important to note that when policies and rules change at work and the company fails to communicate the change vividly to his team, conflict and confusion can occur. A merger with a foreign company comes with new things that will be done differently and with policy change. It is until people understand why the rules are present so that they can accept the change. Otherwise, there will be a conflict (Trueba, Jacobs & Kirton, 2014).

Another underlying source of conflict in this case is conflicting roles. The fact that the company is experiencing employee squabbles means that there could be some conflict roles in the company. With the merger, some employees may have to do a task that is beyond their normal responsibilities and roles. In case this causes them to step on another employee’s territory, then power and conflict struggles can occur. An employee may also feel that someone else should do a given task (Lee & Turner, 2014).

As far as the diversity or cultural issues that may cause the conflict are concerned, one of the issues is that the employees may have conflicting styles. In diversity, everyone does things differently, in accordance with his or her personality and individual needs. For example, there could be those employees who love the thrill of finishing things at the last minute. At the same time, there could be those employees who prefer the structure of strict deadlines to work. A clash in the working styles can cause a conflict. Conflicting cultures could also emerge following the merger of XYZ Company with a foreign company. In this case, all the employees see the world via their own cultural lens. This being the case, differences in the way employees perceive events can spark conflict, especially where the culture of some employees considers what is a norm for the other employee as culturally wrong (Trueba, Jacobs & Kirton, 2014).

Addressing the conflicts

In order to address the issue of conflicting roles, the management or the HR department has to explain why it assigned projects or task to each employee. Offering or providing this explanation will help in remedying the pressure. The management can also utilize team charter to crystallize the responsibilities and roles of the people and to focus on the objectives of the employees (Lee & Turner, 2014).

For the diversity or cultural issues, the best way of addressing them is by making an effort of eliminating the conflict through open communication with the team. The more information HR shares with its employees, the less likely it is for them to come up with different interpretations of events (Levy, Allen & Haber-Curran, 2015).

References:

Trueba, H. T., Jacobs, L., & Kirton, E. (2014). Cultural Conflict & Adaptation. Routledge.

Lee, D. J., & Turner, B. S. (Eds.). (2014). Conflicts about class: Debating inequality in late industrialism. Routledge.

Levy, S. M., Allen, S. J., & Haber-Curran, P. (2015). Emotionally intelligent leadership: A guide for students.

Subject

Students Name

Institution of Affiliation

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“There are no facts; only interpretations” is a famous quote by Friedrich Nietzsche. Based on the statement, facts do not count in a text, but the understanding relies on a person’s interpretations. Poor interpretations may lead to less understanding of the text, and thus for a person to get better insight; they are required to have a better interpretation of the text. Various ways can be used to interpret a text and thus aid in understanding. Some of the most commonly used ways of understanding text include the use of topic knowledge, and the other one is the use of general world knowledge.

Topic knowledge refers to the use of the provided headline in the film or other text to get a better understanding of the film, and thus, it is the understanding that results from the topic under study. For a person to be able to understand even the slightest detail from the text, they must have some familiarity with the topic, either partially of complete exposure. Topic knowledge, therefore, relates to a particular context that a person wants to engage. In a film, to get a better understanding, it is important that one starts from the introduction to make sure that they have captured the introduction details that include the cast and as well the topic or headline. It is through this headline that the viewer will be able to narrow their mind into that particular topic, which will help in the understanding of the text as it will be much easier to interpret.

General world knowledge is the other way that a person can use to get a better understanding of the text. It refers to the experience that a person has and thus brings along to any learning situation. General knowledge provides the background which acts as a hook to hang new information. Through the use of general knowledge, an individual is able to bring or infer meaning to something that was previously vague and did not have any sense of familiarity to them. In a text such a film, a person can understand the content through inferring the meaning from a previously acquired knowledge that helps them have a better interpretation and the consequent understanding of the text. General knowledge is therefore essential in determining how well a person can understand the text through application of the past experiences in the same field.

The two methods of understanding a text differ in various ways despite having the common objective of coming out with a reliable meaning from the text. Topic knowledge can be learned from the text being studied. For example, while watching move, it must have some introductions where the heading will be presented. Basing from the header, the rest of the film body is based on the topic and therefore, to have a better understanding, one has to get the topic first. Failure to understand the topic will lead to a poor understanding of the film due to loose interpretation that results from poor connections between the text body and header.

On the other hand, general knowledge adds to the topic knowledge. Having a prior understanding of a topic or a more general understanding of the topic makes it easier to connect between the texts and apply to the real-life situations, making interpretation less complicated than having no previous knowledge which has the implication of fast understanding. The main difference, therefore, between general knowledge and topic knowledge in the context of interpretation and understanding is the range of information that a person has prior to exposure of the text. General world knowledge creates a pool of information that is easy to apply and interpret in the text, making it easy to understand.

Reading Summary

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“Trying Out One’s New Sword” by Mary Midgley

According to the writer, each individual normally has a hard time trying to understand culture strange to us. We perceive changes and hear constantly of alien customs. When dealing with this difficulty, it is essential to deny that we can ever comprehend any culture apart from our personal enough to make judgments about it. Those who endorse this assert that the universe is sharply into different societies, sealed units each with its system of thought. The writer calls that perspective isolationism and people only take it because they think it is a respectful attitude to other cultures. In reality, it is not respectful because no one can respect what is completely unintelligible to them.

We need to ask if the isolation barrier works and if individuals in other cultures are equally unable to criticize us. We normally believe that outsiders can deliver perfectly good indictments. Comprehending has degrees. Intelligent outsiders can progress in it and several ways will be an advantage over the locals. Midgley maintains that not only is moral isolationism incorrect but also it is reasonably incoherent (Wolff, 2017). Her instance of “trying out one’s new sword” is envisioned to demonstrate how hard it is for us to comprehend a tradition of a different culture using our personal culture’s ethical framework.

Her opinion appears to be that the moral protectionist deliberate that we can’t judge cultures except we can understand them (Alvaro, 2020). She then reasons that ethical isolationism results in a general injunction on moral reasoning which is an unpalatable conclusion. She articulates that judging someone’s particular culture needs the aptitude to judge other cultures, as a frame of reference.

Finally, she pronounces that the postulation on the sector of ethical isolationism that cultures are in out-of-the-way foams from each other is factually incorrect. Cultures intermix at most times and now more than ever. This melding reduces the tenability of moral isolationism by creating different, secluded cultures less present than ever before. But if out-of-the-way cultures do not exist, then neither can seclude ethical societies, and ethical isolationism turns out to be irrelevant.

Reference

Alvaro, C. (2020). The Incoherence of Moral Relativism. Cultural International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology, 17(1), 19-38.

Wolff, J. (2017). Readings in Moral Philosophy. WW Norton & Company.

Assignment 1: U.S. Health Care System

HSA 500 Health Services Organization

This paper will focus on issues of the health care system in the United States. First the paper will identify and evaluate three forces that have affected the development of the health care system in the U. S. An evaluation will be made on whether or not the three forces identified will continue to affect the health care system of the United States over the next decade. Other than the three forces mentioned initially, the paper will identify one other force that is believed to have impacted the nation’s health care system. The paper will conclude with an evaluation of how technology plays an important role in health care.

One can find several forces that have an effect on the development of the U. S. health care system. Those forces include social, political, behavioral, technological and economic. For the sake of this paper, the three that will be elaborated on are social, behavioral and economic. Also, socioeconomic factors can often be seen interacting along with social factors and that can affect the development of the health care system. The social factor of population size has a big impact on health care. The population of the U.S. has grown for a couple reasons. One is due to the natural order of population increase. One other reason is that there is a higher number of births when compared to the rate of deaths. Another factor that affects population is the increased number of the aging population. Older people are healthier and more functional than previous generations. They live a more active lifestyle with increased social activities. The aging population can impact the burden of health care costs on younger workers. The tax dollars the working age population pay help fund health care costs for the aging population. The trends of today in terms of fertility, abortion and mortality are included in the social factors of age, gender and sex. These factors have an effect currently on the development of the health care system and will continue to do so. (Williams, S. & Torrens, P, 2010).

Behavioral factors that can affect the health care system include lifestyle patterns and diseases. Advances have been made, and continue to be made, in the field of treatment and prevention of diseases. Even with those advances, the lifestyles and behaviors of the people in the U. S. will continually affect the development of health care. Until the rise of the AIDS virus, the mortality rate of infectious diseases had decreased. A significant health issue has always been about controlling infectious diseases. The health care system should continue to remain focused on issues such as chronic diseases, infectious diseases and new outbreaks of diseases. This is where lifestyle pattern and behaviors can affect development. In addition to chronic diseases and infections, exposure to violence, vehicular accidents, alcohol and drug use are other factors that affect health care systems. Another role our behavior plays in affecting health care is the use of tobacco products which can cause diseases such as cardiovascular disease, lung disease, lung cancer and oral cancer. Sexual behaviors can also impact health care with the spread of sexually transmitted diseases that can lead to increased infertility, cancer or other complications. Stress can cause breakdowns and deterioration the immune system. Other behavior issues such as morbidity and mortality, as stated in the text by Williams and Torrens, can be linked to behavior, social interaction, lifestyle and other non-physiological determinants. Addressing social and behavior issues is not an easy task. There are many challenges to modifying behavior. The failure of our society to address social, behavioral and economic causes of disease adequately in this new century will continue to affect us and the development of the healthcare system (Williams, S. & Torrens, P, 2010).

Employment and health coverage costs are part of the economic structure and part of the financial access to healthcare. The downturn of the economy did not see employers dropping or restricting coverage; however in some cases they may have reduced costs by realigning the offered benefits or sharing the cost with the employee. The economic issue affecting the health care system is that there is now a change in employer sponsored healthcare coverage. Some changes include employees no longer offering health care as a benefit. This will continue to be an issue in the healthcare system if the economy remains in recession (American Medical Association, 2005). Another change is penalties for lifestyles and behaviors such as an increase in medical insurance cost for smokers.

The forces mentioned in this paper will continue to affect health care because of the failure to address these factors in the near future. The health care system is steady working on addressing issues, but the people using the health care system must address the issues as well. They need to work on improving their lifestyles and behaviors and turning the risky behavior around by making themselves more aware of the risks of what they are doing. A force that was not talked about but that affects health care is technology. Technology has impacted many areas in health care. Such areas can be found in the economy, the clinical setting, impact on patients and insurance companies and also society and government. The health care system has seen an increase in the cost of drugs and pharmaceuticals. There is also an increase in the costs of medical testing and surgery procedures due to technology. The U.S. is advancing in technology in health care and we are seeing more expensive technologies being used. People want the best care and see advancements in technology as being the best that they can get. More physicians are using more advanced technology as it is becoming more widely available. One disadvantage is that when technology is brand new, most insurance will not pay for it right away as they see some new tests and procedures as investigational.

Technology plays a very important role in health care. Technology can be used to store and organize patient records and information. Technology such as EMR (electronic medical records) allow doctors to look at the patient’s whole history including medication history, surgical history and medical history allowing them to be better informed on the patient and allowing them to take better care of the patient. Technology allows medical images to be captured and uploaded to one place that the doctor can access in real time. Technology is ever evolving bringing about new equipment to use for medical images or surgeries. Surgeons are using robots to assist with surgery, resulting in quicker recovery time, less pain and shorter stays in the hospital. CT scans are being used now for screening tools in those patients with a higher risk of lung cancer. A new blood test is being promoted to use as an aid to physicians for the early detection of lung cancer in high risk populations. The serum test looks at elevations in a select group of auto-antibodies, and an elevation of any one of them suggests that a tumor might be present, before visible to the eye.

References

American Medical Association. (2005). Socioeconomic Status in Health Research. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/ Retrieved July 18, 2013.

Williams, S. J., & Torrens, P. R. (Eds.). (2008). Introduction to health services: 2010 custom edition (7th ed.). New York: Cengage Delmar Learning.