Counseling clients Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Counseling clients - Essay Example The offenders used in this context and to which the assessment tool applies are adult offenders. The Prevention Assessment Tool or PAT has various domains that help explain the criminal behavior among adults. In the first domain, charges as well as referrals are employed to assess the possibility of re-offending by the adults. Referrals are included here if they have a qualifying disposition that may include adjudication withheld. The second domain helps to assess information. In initial assessments, behavior is assessed for the past six months. In the final assessment, behavior is assessed in the last four weeks and may incorporate a program administered for four weeks or less. The third domain focuses on employment and use of free time. It establishes what the adult offender does during his or her free time. Community service is also included in this domain and this information helps to evaluate the practicability of various programs used to correct conduct (Phipott&Grimme 2009). Incorporating this assessment tool will identify the various areas that require technical assistance. This action is possible because the tool is designed to evaluate various crime prevention needs. This tool is particularly helpful because it can access four basic sectors of justice. They include; cross-cutting issues, custodial and non-custodial measures, access to justice, as well as policing. This assessment tool is administered through paperwork. The assessment tool is, however, not designed to give an in-depth analysis of the offenders and their behaviors. The tool is meant to provide an initial assessment. This assessment is based on aspects such as crime concerns, problems and capacities, and the socio-economic situations. The tool also provides a concrete guide on issues that examine the needs for preventing crime both locally and nationally. The application of this tool also has

Customer Service Excellence. Impact of technology on Customer Service Essay

Customer Service Excellence. Impact of technology on Customer Service Excellence - Essay Example Now-a-days, the customers have a huge variety of choices for each product and the organisations have to develop specific strategies that can help them in creating a distinctive image in the market and capture the attention of its targeted customers. In order to get the customer’s attention, almost every organisation is focusing on enhancing the customer experience by developing an effective customer service excellence strategy (Khan and Matlay, 2009). With dynamic changes happening in the customer needs, the organisations have to respond proactively so that they can maintain their competitive edge in the market; the companies have to be customer-centric as the technological advancements are allowing them to lower their cost of information exchange and solve customer problems effectively (Hilgers, 2007). Such advancements in the field of business require the companies to do re-evaluation of their value propositions and focus more on developing the products and services that wil l enhance a customer’s experience. ... Whether an organisation is offering a product or service, it is important for them to focus on providing excellent and out of the box customer service. In order to create demand in the market for their products and services, most of the organisations are now developing new and innovative offerings for services and their main aim is to provide the revenue producing solutions. One of the distinctive features of top ranked companies such as Singapore Airlines, Dell, Nokia, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Sony Corporation, Samsung, Apple and others is an appealing and differentiating service culture (Conklin, Powaga & Lipovetsky, 2004). Every customer is looking for the products and service offerings that will help them in having one to one interaction with the companies and ensure that they have the best buying and consumption experience. Importance of Customer Service Excellence According to Cook (2008), business models are an important aspect of every organisation and they determine four crucial elements that enhance performance and profitability of organisations i.e. choices of customers, costs of transactions, competition among companies and existence of heterogeneity among producers (companies) and customers. The customer service excellence is basically considered to be a challenge by organisations as they have to understand the customer’s perceptions about service excellence and then develop a culture that will meet their expectations level. The development of an effective customer service culture is difficult for organisations as every customer perceives differently about various service initiatives; for instance, helping customers in shopping is considered to be a

BUSINESS LAW ( REPORT ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BUSINESS LAW ( REPORT ) - Essay Example Even in America itself, it is not possible for a company to function with a unique law in to different states. In other words, companies need to function with respect to the laws prevailing in the location where they operate. Separate legal personality and limited liability are two common terms associated with company law. Wiss (2010) describes separate legal personality as an incorporated company, â€Å"united or combined into an organised body† having rights and liabilities. In her opinion a company is a fictitious person who can enter into contracts, own property and even commit crimes. At the same time when a private company limited by shares, the creditors deal with the company, not with the individuals and it can be termed as a limited liability company. In such cases, if the company become bankrupt, the creditors or the investors do not get paid regardless of the personal financial capabilities of its memebrs (Wiss 2010). Separate legal personality and limited liability are two advantages of corporate status. But under certain circumstances these advantages will become invalid and this paper briefly explains such circumstances in which separate legal personality and limited liability will b ecome invalid. It is not possible for a company to take undue advantages in the name of limited liability or separate legal personality. Corporate law has mainly identified seven instances in which the corporate veil (law that protect the members or founders of a company in case a problem arises) can be lifted; fraud, agency, trust, group enterprise, tort enemy character, tax (Sadhu, n. d) Richard Wachman (2005) has mentioned that fraud is costing British business  £72 billion a year, 6% of the annual revenue of British businesses (Wachman, 2005). The recent corporate scandals involving Enron, WorldCom, Parmalat and Refco, have not taught any lessons to the authorities or the investors. Fraud can attain many forms; some companies may overstate their profits, some

Aquina Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aquina Paper - Essay Example They are still important despite the overlapping with the other truths because it is vital that aside from philosophical science developed by human reason, there must be â€Å"theology† learned through divine revelation (Pojman & Vaughn 52-54). There are no justifications why such knowledge that could be learned through philosophical science, so long as it can be learned through natural reason, could not be learned through sacred science or theology either. Aquinas then explained that there are two forms of science, natural science and higher science. Sacred Doctrine is a science because it progresses from norms coming from higher science, specifically the science of God. He used the example of a musician who trusts in the teachings of a mathematician by reason of authority; the same can be said of sacred science, which is founded on knowledge from God’s revelation. He further argues that Sacred Doctrine is the noblest of sciences because it focuses on the noblest subject matter, which is God, and it offers the most graciously gratifying certainty because it expresses God’s authority. Also, Sacred Doctrine directs us to the noblest objective, which is toward eternal happiness with God. Sacred Doctrine is knowledge, which offers us the most profound and meaningful wisdom of our unending worth and guides us toward its attainment. These premises lead to a single conclusion-- therefore, an unmoved First Mover is real and existent. Whether these premises are valid, invalid, or sound require further examination. Validity is the value of being accurately, empirically, and concretely logical or justifiable; invalidity refers to a lack of factual reliability; soundness refers to the validity of the premises and conclusion. Through the Argument from Change, Aquinas illustrates that human reason has a role in Sacred doctrine not to verify or attest to the knowledge based on faith, but to shed light on â€Å"other things that are put forward in this doctrine†

The Human Body - Data Made Flesh Essay Example for Free

The Human Body Data Made Flesh Essay The title of this essay derives from the words uttered by the protagonist, Henry Case, in William Gibson’s novel ‘Neuromancer’ (1984). This metaphor, which equates the human body as mere data turned into flesh encompasses the theory that in an age of increasing focus on information technologies and the ways in which people interface with them, the boundary distinguishing an individual from their surroundings becomes blurred, if not shattered entirely. As University of Chicago’s William Fulton attests, we exist simply as information systems that happen to inhabit the material instantiation of our bodies, (Theories of Media, 2007). However, one cannot enter discussion about the above topic without first alluding to the particular school of thought which harbours critical theory of this ilk. Exponents of this style of dictum would usually come under the banner of ‘Posthumanists’. The term itself, ‘Posthumanism’, is steeped in hyperbole in that it carries with it an ominous sense of foreboding in contemporary culture, where there is a strong case for the premise that society is becoming less ‘human’, as we retreat behind the veil of technology. To draw upon the direct translation of ‘post’ as ‘after’ would infer the meaning, ‘after-human’ which in some respects gives us a clearer understanding of the concept, as it tends to deal with the modern development of the integration of technology and biology and the human body. It is basically a notion that we, as humans are becoming increasingly embedded in technology and the technological environment that, in a sense, the paradigm of the ‘natural’ human being has shifted in meaning. Juxtaposed with this is the idea that as humans are more and more subsumed in technology, technology is becoming more and more human with advances in science and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Fukuyama advanced the concept of Posthumanism as a negative case: that of ‘anti-humanism’ or absence of humanism. He bemoans the transgression of â€Å"crucial moral boundaries† that have eroded the ethical distinctions between therapy and technological enhancement (Our Posthuman Future 2002). Gordijn Chadwick describe a posthuman as a being that has at least one posthuman capacity i.  e. a general central capacity greatly exceeding the maximum attainable by any current human being without recourse to new technological means (Why I Want to be a Posthuman when I Grow Up, 2006). Mc Luhan did not use the exact word but he predicted a future that dovetails succinctly with posthuman theories surrounding ‘cybernetics’ when he foretells a society whereby to paraphrase Hayles’ theory of ‘reflexivity’ (1999) that which has been used to generate a system is made to become part of the system it generates. McLuhan alluded to the ‘cybernetic’ possibility of human beings interfacing and entangling with machines on a neurological and functional level. Just as binoculars are an extension of the eye and clothes are an extension of the skin, then information technologies become McLuhans extension of the mind. In this respect, the term ‘post-humanism’ has only really worked itself into contemporary critical discourse in the humanities and social sciences since the mid 1990s, over a decade after Mc Luhan’s death. However, it may be traced back to the Macy conferences on cybernetics from 1946 to 1953 and the invention of systems theory (What is Posthumanism? , Wolfe, 2010). At these conferences they converged on a new theoretical model for biological, mechanical and communicational processes that removed the human and Homo sapiens from any particular privileged position in relation to matters of meaning, information and cognition. The term ‘cybernetics’ had been coined by Wiener in the 1940s to denote â€Å"the entire field of control and communication theory, whether in the machine or in the animal.† Even at this early stage of technology there was a definitive study underway into the correlation of information between machines and living creatures. In the 1960s this theory was modified into the concept of ‘reflexivity’ alluded to above. Systems re-entangle with themselves, and become referential to themselves blurring the traditionally accepted borders imposed on the world between subject and object, object and environment, or in other words between the organic and the natural and the technological and the cultural, a principal tenet of modern posthumanist thought. In current popular use, Fulton describes cybernetics as most often associated specifically with the development of artificial intelligence, virtual technology and cyberspace. He attests, â€Å"cybernetics in the context of technology is only a limited part of a greater whole, which deals with the study of information systems and the media in which they exist, both inorganic and organic. † Further and further extension of the idea leads to a model of the world in which media serve as a series of â€Å"irrelevant substrates† through which pure information freely flows. This situation ties in with many of Mc Luhan’s ideas about media in society but most especially with his ideas about the extension of the mind, extending human beings’ central nervous systems into electromagnetic technology, a topic, I will consider later in the essay. There is much critical opinion to support Gibson’s notion of humans as information systems just like a machine or computer. Clark (Natural-born Cyborgs, 2001) believes that it is by virtue of our intrinsic ability to merge with external resources to perform even the most rudimentary of calculations that we are designed to walk hand in hand with technology in a posthuman future. He offers the example of how we utilise pen and paper to work out moderately complex mathematics, storing the immediate results outside the brain and then repeating the pattern until the larger problem is solved. â€Å"It is because our brains, more than any other animal on the planet, are primed to seek and consummate such intimate relations with non-biological resources that we end up†¦ capable of abstract thought. †¦we are natural-born cyborgs forever ready to merge our mental activities with operations of pen and paper and electronics†¦. † (Clark, Natural-born Cyborgs, 2001) Wiener asserted that we have to become technophiles to operate in a technological world (1954). He noted that because we have modified our environments so radically it is now necessary to modify ourselves in order to exist in this new environment. Furthermore, he equated the now routine breakdown and repair of the human body with that of replacing a faulty part in a machine. With contemporary advances in technology allowing us to alter or perfect many undesirable parts or areas of our bodies with a specifically manufactured replacement it begs the questions, what does it mean to be human and what does it mean to be a machine in the 21st century? â€Å"If corneal implants are part of us, why not contact lenses? If contacts, why not eyeglasses? If eyeglasses, why not automated telescope? If a telescope, why not the computer interfaced with it? (Hayles, Designs on the Body: Norbert Wiener, Cybernetics and the Play of Metaphor, History of Human Sciences, Vol, 3 No 2) Mc Luhan’s adjunct to this concept is: if a telescope can be the extension of the eye, then information technologies can become extensions of the mind. He stated that after extending or translating â€Å"our central nervous system into the electromagnetic technology, it is but a further stage to transfer our consciousness to the computer world as well.† The Internet clearly serves as the next step in this process of extension. By connecting all computers as part of a pervasive, global network of information, man is not only able to extend his nervous system to interface with technology, but is able to use that mediation to directly connect with the nervous systems of other human beings, also tapped into the network. Present day studies are also showing human’s capacities to monitor their bodies in the same way that one might monitor a car for potential faults. With one report (The Quantified Self: Counting Every Moment, 2012 ) attesting that more people are using smartphone and tablet applications to monitor their health in an effort to sustain a healthy life-style but also, in many instances, as a substitute for the much more expensive trip to the doctor. As populations age and health-care costs increase, there is likely to be a greater emphasis on monitoring, prevention and maintaining â€Å"wellness† in future, with patients taking a more active role an approach sometimes called â€Å"Health 2.0† (The Quantified Self: Counting Every Moment, 2012 ). Allied to this is the plethora of people who are undergoing voluntary surgical procedures in order to modify particular parts of their body for a number of different reasons, in the same way someone might change the wheels on their car or update the driver in their personal computer. Converse to the problem of humans becoming more like machines is the question also raised of machines becoming more like humans. If human identity has been reduced to an information system that happens to inhabit the body as medium, whats to say that another information system inhabiting a computer, or the Internet, couldnt be perceived as being equally as â€Å"human? † In a recent article (Mind vs. Machine, The Atlantic, 2011) Brian Christian describes an annual contest between the world’s most advanced artificial-intelligence programs and ordinary people. The contest, known as the Turing Test(, endeavours to find out whether a computer can act â€Å"more human† than a person and Christian discovers that the march of technology is not just changing how we live, it is raising new questions about what it means to be human. He realises that convincing the judges that you are human â€Å"is about more than simply showing up [and being yourself]†. It is something that has to be â€Å"worked at. † This notion has certain resonance for society as a whole. With this in mind, I recall a report (Makwana Irwin-Brown, We’re the Kids in Austerity, 2012) I came across some months ago which stated that 57% of 7-15 year olds in the UK find it easier to talk with friends online than in person, 56% find it easier to talk by SMS than in person. These figures represented for me a sea change in the emphasis on ‘natural’ human interaction, and in what it means to be a ‘natural’ human in today’s society. Perhaps, we are envisaging a new beginning for society one where children feel more comfortable interacting with technology than they do with their fellow human beings. To understand why our human sense of self is inextricably linked with computers, it’s important to realise that computers used to be human. From the mid-18th century onward, computers, many of them women, were on the payrolls of corporations, engineering firms, and universities, performing calculations and numerical analysis. In the mid-20th century, as the ‘digital computer’ developed, it was said to be â€Å"like a computer. † In the 21st century, it is the human mathematical whiz who is â€Å"like a computer† (Christian, Mind vs. Machine, The Atlantic, 2011 ). In a strange but significant turn of events, humans are said to be â€Å"like† something that used to be â€Å"like† us. By this reasoning, one could assume that the modern-day computer is so-called because it is intended to carry out any operations which could be done by a human computer. During the same period that gave rise to the human computer, there too, was much debate amongst philosophers surrounding the idea of what it was to be human. French philosopher Julian Offray de la Mettire (1747) suggested that human beings are only complex animal-machines. This suggestion was, in no doubt, inspired by Descartes uttering in the 16th century that the body was essentially like a machine, pointing out that the only thing not reducible to mechanism is the human mind. Furthermore, the notion of man as a machine or machine-like was something that resonated during the Industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. Ferguson describes the perception of the plight of the factory worker in these times: â€Å"Many mechanical acts require no intellectual capacity. They succeed best under a total suppression of sentiment and reason†¦..  Manufacturers, accordingly, prosper most where the mind is least consulted, and where the workshop may, without any great effort of the imagination, be considered an engine, the parts of which are men. † (Ferguson, An Essay on History of Civil Society, 1767) The question of human identity being reduced to an information system that happens to inhabit the body as medium has been a driving force for the study of artificial intelligence, and has manifested repeatedly. As Christian puts it some people imagine the future of artificial intelligence as a kind of heaven: â€Å"Rallying behind an idea called â€Å"The Singularity,† people like Ray Kurzweil (in The Singularity Is Near) and his cohort of believers envision a moment when we make smarter-than-us machines, which make machines smarter than themselves, and so on, and the whole thing accelerates exponentially toward a massive ultra-intelligence that we can barely fathom. † Such a time will arrive in which humans can upload their consciousness onto the Internet and get assumed—if not bodily, than at least mentally—into an eternal, imperishable afterlife in the world of electricity (Christian, Mind vs. Machine, The Atlantic, 2011 ). Others imagine the future of computing as a kind of hell, an almost Terminator style apocalypse. Machines black out the sun, level our cities and enable an atmosphere that destroys all living things. There is no doubt that technology has become an integral part of human lives and will only become increasingly so. We have already made the first step into the realm of the posthuman or the cyborg, common examples include the athlete Oscar Pistorious who has prosthetic blades for legs, anyone who has undergone a sex change, or anyone who has modified their bodies with artificial implants for cosmetic reasons. I do not believe there is any going back but I feel technology and humans certainly have the capacity to complement each other and work side by side as we look to the future. It remains to be seen if this synergy will come to pass but there certainly is the capacity for it. And as the human race faces up to some of the toughest questions that have been put to us heretofore I would cautiously back us to prevail To paraphrase Wiener, humans can continue to modify themselves to keep up with the modifications of the environment they find themselves in.

Team Leadership and Resolving Conflict Essay Example for Free

Team Leadership and Resolving Conflict Essay In this paper I will summarize the main points in the unit. The main points in the unit are the five major leadership perspectives, power and influence, and resolving conflict. I will review the key points by using cited passages from the assigned reading and selections from the unit three course room. I will also summarize course room discussion postings relevant to my central topics. In unit three McShane and Von Glinow (2010) discuss the five major leadership perspectives and list them as Competency, Behavioral, Contingency, Transformational, and Implicit (p. 378). There are a variety of ways to lead and different leaders may see fit to guide in various ways depending on the situation. Leaders must learn how to lead and what perspective to take in critical situations to achieve success. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"Leadership is defined as the ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organization of which they are members† (p. 378). The Competency Leadership Perspective names the distinctive qualities an efficient leader will likely have. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) identifies personality, self concept, integrity, drive, leadership motivation, knowledge of business, cognitive and practical intelligence, and emotional intelligence as valuable leadership traits (p. 362). Based on my professional work experience every good or successful leader I have encountered possessed almost every trait above. The Behavioral Perspective seems to focus on the correlation between behaviors exercised and successful leaders. Leaders who seem to be task and people oriented tend to do better in the world of leadership. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"†¦job dissatisfaction are higher among employees who work with supervisors with very low levels of people-oriented leadership† (p. 365). Employee’s who feel their supervisors or managers don’t provide clear tasks and show the effort to express unders tanding for their needs will not bode well for that leaders success. The Contingency Leadership Perspective is centered around the idea that each individual situation warrants a unique combination of leadership tactics. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"The contingency perspective of leadership is based on the idea that the most appropriate leadership style depends on the situation (p. 365). The Transformational Leadership Perspective basically is about the leader building a mutual vision and demonstrating the way it should be done at all times. Leading by example is key to gaining the necessary influences needed to enable followers. If a leader effectively shows their followers they are committed by walking the walk it helps in building the necessary connection needed between leader and follower. The Implicit Leadership Perspective is based on fixed ideas of what a successful leader should be. McShane and Vin Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"We are more willing to allow someone to influence us as a leader if that person looks and acts like our pro totype of a leader† (p. 375). McShane and Von Glinow (2010) describe power as â€Å"the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others† (p. 300). McShane and Von Glinow (2010) discusses the ways power is gained and through what method which are referent, expert, coercive, reward and legitimate (p. 301). I have encountered every type of power listed above. Based on my past experiences I prefer to use and be managed by referent power. Referent of power allows those in leadership roles to be approachable and allows them to relate to their subordinates which creates a feeling of trust and respect. Once this level of respect is established it will be easier for the leader to use more aggressive types of power methods if need be. For example, I had a supervisor in a previous position that was able to identify on every level with all of his employee’s. His communication skills were excellent so this allowed him to gain the trust and respect of his workers. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"people have referent power when others identify with them, like them, or otherwise respect them† (p.303). McShane and Von Glinow (2010) describes influence as â€Å"†¦behavior that attempts to alter one’s attitude or behavior† (p. 309). Knowing how to effectively influence others is key to becoming a successful leader. The influences tactics discussed in our course text are silent authority, information control, assertiveness, coalition formation, upward appeal, persuasion, impression management and ingratiation. Recognizing what combination of power and or influence you need to use in a specific situation is essential to becoming a successful leader. Resolving conflict in the work place can be very difficult to achieve if the right approach isn’t taken by management and employees. Broome, DeTurk, Kristjansdottir, Kanata, and Ganesan (2002) says, â€Å"Differences in perspectives, frames of reference, values, norms, and communication styles are often aggravated by stereotypes, prejudices, and misunderstandings, so that decision-making, problem solving and conflict management become extremely complex† (p. 240). Interactive Management is a process that helps diffuse potentially explosive conflict issues and allows for a productive resolution for both parties involved in the conflict. This process involves all parties to first identify the problem, second establish a course of action moving forward, and third build an effective plan that will be successful. With this type of approach to conflict it allows for communication to stay open and gives the conflict a fair chance to be resolved. Broome, DeTurk, Kristjansdottir, Kanata, and Ganesan (2002) says, â€Å"Devoting time to bring together informed individuals with interest in an issue, and to carefully examine its source, can prevent the waste of time, effort, and other resources that would otherwise be devoted to pursuing ineffective solutions or fighting unnecessary battles† (p. 261). In unit three course room discussions Ray 12/9/11 talked about the importance of the Transformational leader’s perspective; building a mutual vision and showing their commitment to get that goal accomplished. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says this about the Transformational perspective, â€Å"†¦agents of change who create, communicate, and model a shared vision for the team and inspire followers† (p. 371). I also feel that it is essential for a leader to get complete support from their followers to ensure a positive outcome. Once a leader has everyone on board with the vision, they are able to start building trust which will help establish a concrete foundation for success. Nakia 12/7/11 also had this to add, â€Å"In my opinion transformational leaders are the most inspiring leaders. They can take over a horrible company and change the entire culture of the organization†. In conclusion I have summarized the main points in unit three. These points were the five major Leadership Perspectives, power and influence, and resolving conflict. Leaders who understand how to use the right combination of proper perspectives, power and influence will be the most successful leaders. Additionally, successful leaders must know how to resolve conflict effectively. References Benjamin, Broome, J., DeTurk, S., Kristjansdottir, E. S., Kanata, T., Ganesan, P. (2002). Giving voice to diversity: An interactive approach to conflict management and decision- making in culturally diverse work environments. Journal of Business and Management, 8(3), 239-264. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211509295?accountid=27965 McShane, S.L., Von Glinow, M.A. (2010). Organizational Behavior (5th Ed.). New York: McGraw- Hill/Irwin.

Importance of Communication in Human Resources

Importance of Communication in Human Resources Critically analyse the importance of effective communication skills in relation to the practice of Human Resource Management. In a workplace increasingly swirling with change, where the people part of the equation is increasingly critical to organizational success, getting communication right could be the defining factor in gaining competitive advantage. The importance of human capital: the idea that people are increasingly the only asset that differentiates one organization from another; puts human resource management (HRM) squarely at the forefront of the rapid change toward an information based economy. People need to know what’s in it for them and HR program components hold the answers. The best designed benefits package or most elegant compensation design will fail if no one fully understands and appreciates it. Thus, no other function could benefit from effective communication skills more than human resources. Broadly speaking, effective communication is â€Å"leader-driven and attempts to help people understand the market forces that shape the actions and strategy of the business.† (D’Aprix, 1996) This means that communication planning should incorporate how to drive employee behaviour to fulfil business outcomes, not simply the tactics and channels used to disperse information to a workforce. The result for business, and hence HRM, has been the challenge of getting the right people in the right place doing the right work in the right way. It may sound simple but is complicated by the simultaneous demographic changes challenging the working world. The population is aging with more employees wanting to stay put for longer at one end of the spectrum, while at the other end younger workers are moving more often. However, 75 percent of the jobs available are in the information, technology and service sectors, areas which traditionally skew toward younger applicants. Amid this ch ange, HR and other managers are faced with rallying their people around a set of common goals aimed at winning in the marketplace, and building such affiliation by negotiation among various employee groups is no easy task. Indeed, effective negotiation skills involve not only getting your message across to another person, but learning how to read what the other person is saying to you. This means not only listening to other people’s words, but also learning to interpret their body language. It also means learning to communicate without pre-empting other people or making them defensive. (Griffin, 1998) Studies on audiences’ reactions to speeches show that a speaker’s persuasive powers come from not just what is said but the way the speaker looks and sounds. Since the nonverbal cues you project are as powerful as the verbal ones, first, determine what it is you want the person you’re communicating with to do, then select an appropriate combination of words and body language to convey your message in order to communicate effectively and influence them in negotiations. The ultimate goal is to include others in the communication process without coming across as threatening, in or der to minimise conflict and stress, which are both increasingly critical problems in the modern workplace (Sanchez and Dempsey, 2002) Management style is the key to effective communication skills, and thus managers need to establish a style that makes them feel comfortable, in order to avoid stress for both themselves and their staff. For example, some managers may be comfortable getting personal with employees; while others may not and thus should not. Whatever style managers do adopt, in order to be effective they must be sure to use it consistently with all employees, as the biggest source of anxiety for both managers and employees is unclear or inconsistent instructions (Griffin, 1998). Also, to improve the handling of discipline and grievances, managers should be accessible and available when employees seek them out, to avoid grievances or problems escalating. To handle and prevent grievances, managers should be generous with as much positive feedback as possible, and include helpful criticism which focuses on the results of employees’ work. Listening to complaints without being defensive, and sympathiz ing with people so that they know they’re getting through, are also critical skills for handling grievances, which can otherwise spread and harm morale and productivity (HR Briefing, 2000). However, whilst conflict is often viewed as a problem to be avoided, conflict is also an opportunity to improve communications, build teamwork and relationships, and learn about the wants and needs of others. When conflicts arise, they don’t have to be immediately resolved, and often an attempt to do so results in cutting off communication. Indeed, in most instances it’s better for HR managers to act on conflict when they have more information, instead of approaching the problem at a time when tempers are likely to flare. Even in situations where a serious confrontation is unavoidable, and could result in a resignation or serious industrial unrest, managers can ease the tension by making sure to give themselves time to carefully formulate a response. In conclusion, the key to a beneficial HR and internal communication relationship is cooperation and mutual respect instead of competition, conflict, or worse, indifference. Communication cannot be an afterthought relegated to the bottom level of HRM considerations, and restricted to writing e-mails and conducting formal appraisals By recognising the importance of effective communication, HRM can deliver more effective services and ensure accomplishment of its people mission with communication being the critical success factor. In contrast, if HRM fails to develop its communication skills to a truly effective level it risks failing to fulfil its mission of developing, retaining and rewarding the talent necessary for a business to succeed. In extreme examples, ineffective communication can even create problems itself, especially in times of change or uncertainty, when clear, consistent communication is vital to maintaining employee and managerial morale and productivity. References D’Aprix, R. (1996) Communicating for Change: Connecting the Workplace With the Marketplace. Jossey-Bass. Griffin, J. (1998) How To Say It At Work. Prentice Hall Direct. HR Briefing (2000) Wrong words and moves create conflict. Aspen; 1st July 2000, p. 7. Sanchez, P. and Dempsey, T. (2002) Communication the critical success factor. Strategic HR Review; Vol. 2, Issue 1, p. 24