HRM Strategic Interventions Overview

HRM Strategic Interventions Overview Although human resource management is a phrase which has been in use for over 40years, it did not come to the fore as a distinctive approach to managing people until the mid 1980s, when it became generally known as HRM. The vocabulary for managing the employment relationship has undergone a change. Personnel Management has increasingly given way to human resource management (HRM) or, better still to strategic human resource management (SHRM). It was charted/noticed in the writings of US academics and managers (for example, Tichy et al., 1982; Fombrun et al., 1984; Beer et al., 1985; Walton and Lawrence, 1985; Foulkes, 1986). This was, however, taken up by both UK managers (for example, Armstrong, 1987; Fowler, 1987) and UK academic (for example, Hendry and Pettigrew 1986; Guest, 1987; Miller, 1987; Storey, 1987; Torrington and Hall, 1987). By the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s it became a common term. Strengthening this change was the emergence, in 1990, of two new academic journals Human Resource Management Journal and International Journal of Human Resource Management. It heralded the pushing-aside of personnel-management and the solidification of HRM. Perhaps the most important reason why HRM emerged as the dominant philosophy for managing people in the 1980s is that chief executives, prompted by economic and business trends, and the view of a number of influential writers such as those mentioned abov e and Kanter (1984), at last began to appreciate that competitive advantage is achieved through their employees i.e. the people who implement the corporate plan, and that they must do something about seeing that it happens in their own organisation. Porter (1985), another highly influential writer captured this view when he wrote: HRM is an integral part of the value chain at firm level. The impact of global competition, complexity, technological change and shifts in employee values have affected UK as well as US chief executives, and it has been said by Fowler (1987) that HRM represents the discovery of personnel management by chief executives. For years, chairmen in their annual reports have been paying lip-service to the message people are important. Now, however, competitive pressures from one-culture, high-commitment firms, and changes in employees expectations have indicated the need for action instead of words to obtain fuller use of their human resources. Having said all these I intend to discuss HRM in perspective, its various strategic interventions (SHRM) and analyse/focus more on Performance Management. I will also highlight the challenges and benefits of this strategic intervention using a particular model and how it truly improves an organisations effectiveness. Understanding HRM A common theme within the human resource management (HRM) literature in recent years has been the adoption of HRM practices designed to achieve high levels of employee performance, flexibility and commitment. Here, human resource (HR) practices are placed in a much more direct relationship with organisational policy making and performance issues than traditional approaches to personnel management (Bach and Sisson, 2000). In the 1980s, original writers in the area of human resource management (HRM), Beer et al. (1984), stressed that in the face of increasing international competition, organisations had to focus on the value of investments in human resources as a major source of competitive advantage. The transition from personnel management to HRM reflects this emerging organisation-wide commitment to human capital development. The change, however, has activated considerable discussion within the academic literature about the successful strategic positioning of, and responsibility for , HRM (Beer, 1997; Dyer and Holder, 1988; Guest 1987; 1989). The effective use of diverse/different people seems to be the primary assets of any organisation aside from its financial, technological and physical resources therefore it has to be managed effectively and strategically. What then is HRM? There are quite a few descriptions : Beer et al (1984) Human resource management involves all management decisions and actions that affect the relationship between the organisation and employees its human resources. Pettigrew and Whipp (1991) Human resource management relates to the total set of knowledge, skill and attitudes that firms need to compete. It involves concern for and action in the management of people. Bratton and Gold (2003) Human resource management is a strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging peoples capabilities is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes and practises. As you can see, the emphasis is, first, on the interests of management, secondly, on adopting a strategic approach, thirdly, on obtaining added value from people by the processes of human resource development and performance management and, finally, on gaining their commitment to the objectives and values of the organisation. We can therefore identify the following as basic characteristic features of HRM: It is a top-management driven activity; The performance and delivery of HRM is a line management responsibility; It emphasizes the need for the integration of business and personnel strategies; It involves the adoption of a comprehensive and coherent approach to employment policies  and practises; Importance is attached to strong cultures and values; It places emphasis on the attitudinal and behavioural characteristics of employees; Employee relations are unitarist rather than pluralist, individual rather than collective, high trust  rather than low trust; Organizing principles are organic and decentralised with flexible roles and more emphasis on  teamwork; Rewards are differentiated according to performance, competence or skill. It is however important to note that these characteristics will be applied in many distinctive ways in different organisations. HRM as practised in America, UK, India, Nigeria or anywhere else will have features which will be affected by economic and political environment, and the industrial relation climates and practices of the country. HRM as practised in any country will depend on the culture and tradition, structure, technologies, products and markets of these countries. Drawing on Squires (2001) work, these practises suggest three basic questions: (1) what do HRM professionals do? (2) what affects what they do? and (3) how do HR professionals do what they do? Firstly, to understand what HRM professionals do we can identify 8 key HRM functions, policies, programmes and practises designed in response to organisational goals and contingencies, and managed to achieve those goals. These functions contain alternatives from which managers can choose. The functions are: (1) Planning; (2) Staffing; (3) Developing; (4) Motivation; (5) Maintaining; (6) Managing relationships; (7) Managing change and (8) Evaluating. Secondly, to identify what affects what they do, we must understand that HR activities that managers undertake vary from one workplace to another. These variations may be due to the following: (a) external effects (economic, political, legal regulations, social aspects,etc) (b) strategy and (c) organisation (size, work and structure, technology,etc). Lastly, how do HR professionals do what they do? This points to the means or skills by which they accomplish their managerial work. These could include technical, cognitive, and interpersonal skills and processes according to Squires (2000) work. Thus far, I have tried to analyse the origin of HRM and its meaning. I have also shown how it contributes to the functioning of work organisation. Now, this is the important part of my discourse the defining features of HRM the theoretical perspectives. Practice without theory, they say, is blind, Hyman (1989). Models of HRM Like I pointed out before, the extent to which HRM is applied, and how it is applied, will vary considerably according to the type of organisation and the environment in which it operates. This will be governed by the policy goals of the enterprise and may be hard or soft depending on the philosophy of top management. But we can identify five major HRM models ( The Fombrun, Tichy and Devana model: developed by the Michigan school ( Fombrun et al, 1984); The Harvard model: the analytical framework of the Harvard model offered by Beer et al. (1984); The Guest Model (David Guest , 1989,1997), The Warwick Model (Hendry and Pettigrew, 1990) and the Storey Model (Storey, 1992) that seek to demonstrate analytically the qualitative differences between traditional personnel management and HRM. These models fulfil at least 4 important intellectual functions for those studying HRM: (1) they provide an analytical framework for studying HRM ( like stakeholders, situational  factors, strategic choice levels and notions of competence and commitment) (2) they legitimate certain HRM practises/interventions (3) they provide a characterisation of HRM that establishes variables and relationships to be  researched and (4) they serve as a heuristic device something to help us discover and understand the nature  and significance of key HR practices/interventions. The Fombrun, Tichy and Devana model For my discourse here, I shall be applying the above model, (Fig 1), which emphasizes the interrelatedness and coherence of HRM activities/practises or interventions. They introduced the concept of strategic human resource management by which HRM policies are inextricably linked to the formulation and implementation of strategic corporate and/or business objectives (hence the name matching model). This HRM cycle in their model consists of four key constituent components: selection, appraisal ( performance management), rewards and development, these four human resource activities aiming to increase organisational performance. The strength of the model is that it expresses the coherence of internal HR policies and the importance of matching internal HR policies into the organizations external business strategy. What makes the model particularly attractive for many personnel practitioners is the fact that HRM assumes a more important position in the formulation of organisational policie s. This model ultimately introduced the concept of strategic human resource management (SHRM) (Fig 2). A strategic orientation provides the framework within which a coherent approach can be developed to the creation and installation of HRM policies, system and practises or interventions. SHRM is concerned with those decisions which have a major and long-term effect on the employment and development of people in the organization and on the relationships which exist between its management and staff. It will highlight how the organization intends to manage its human resources. These intentions provide the basis for plans, developments and programmes for managing change Hendry and Pettigrew (1986) amplify this with the following: use of planning; a coherent approach to the design and management of personnel systems based on an employment policy and manpower strategy, and often underpinned by a philosophy; matching HRM activities and policies to some explicit strategy; seeing the people of the organisation as a strategic resource for achieving competitive advantage. Guest (1992) argues that such a coherent approach to human resource management policies can also lead, via the generic HRM outcomes of strategic integration, commitment, flexibility/adaptability of the workforce and quality (all necessary ingredients when developing a competitive edge), to the following benefits to the organisation which has adopted SHRM: High job performance; High problem solving, change and innovation; High cost-effectiveness; and Low turnover, absence, grievances. Storey (1992) adds to this list attitude and behaviour changes amongst the workforce, resulting in highly desirable increases in competitive performance. Grant (1991) sums up a now-widely-held view that capabilities are the main source of a firms competitive advantage. SHRM aims to provide the framework within which these key characteristics can be fostered. In essence, SHRM requires a holistic approach, with not only an internal integration between HR practices/interventions(recruitment, selection, rewards mechanisms, appraisal performance management), but also an integration between those practices/interventions summarised in an HR strategy and the organisations strategy overall. Thinking holistically about HRM may lead to a greater degree of success simply because changes envisaged in one area of an organisation (e.g. structures) are more likely to work because all the knock-on effects of such a change have been considered (e.g. recruitment, selection and induction policies). Summarily, SHRM ensures that the culture, style and structure of the organisation, the quality, commitment and motivation of its employees, contribute fully to the achievement of business objectives. HR Strategic Interventions Based on the model I am discussing on I shall look briefly at the practises/interventions: recruitment/selection, rewards, human resource development but focus more on performance management. Selection: This is one of the major practices carried out by any organization in ensuring the selection of the right people to join its workforce (IRS, 1999a). The selection(recruitment) process is concerned with identifying, attracting and choosing suitable people to meet an organisations human resource requirements. While recruitment is searching for and obtaining potential job candidates in sufficient numbers and quality so that the organisation can select the most appropriate people to fill its job need (Dowling and Schuler, 1990); selection is concerned more with predicting which candidates will make the most appropriate contribution to the organisation now and in the future (Hackett, 1991). There has been correlational data, Terpstra and Rozell (1993) supporting the conclusion that organisations using a wide variety of selection procedures (such as interviews, cognitive ability test, bio data and the evaluation of recruiting sources, etc) had higher levels of overall performan ce, annual profit, and growth in profit. Rewards: Reward management is the process of developing and implementing strategies, policies and systems which help the organisation to achieve its objectives by obtaining and keeping the people it needs and by increasing their motivation and commitment, Armstrong and Murlis (1991). It is also central to the effective management of the employment relationship. It is not just about money but also concerned with intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation; with non-financial, as well as financial rewards. This motivates and leads directly or indirectly to the satisfaction of many needs. It can act as an incentive to improve performance and as a way to recognise success in a highly tangible way. Human Resource Development: Human resource development comprises the procedures and processes that purposely seek to provide learning activities to enhance the skills, knowledge and capabilities of people, teams and the organisation so that there is a change in action to achieve the desired outcome. It incorporates traditional views of training and development but seeks to extend attention to learning throughout an organisation as a strategy to cope with change. The idea of learning at work has become an obvious good thing, and this has led to growing interest in HRD as a profession and its theoretical development, although there are continuing debates about the meaning of HRD. There is evidence to suggest that learning has an impact on an individuals earning power and employment prospects. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Performance management can be defined as a strategic and integrated approach to increasing the effectiveness of organisations by improving the performance of the people who work in them and by developing the capabilities of teams and individual contributors, and also can be seen as a continuous process involving reviews that focus on the future rather than the past . (Baron and Armstrong, 1998: 38-39). Performance management, unlike the performance appraisal or annual evaluation process, is an ongoing assessment of employees in a manner geared to match their goals to the organizational goals. It also makes strong use of goal-setting and metrics to identify progress and areas of individual strengths. It is important to point out here that employees, as well as supervisors, are often confused by the differences between performance management systems and performance appraisals. Performance appraisals, also called Performance evaluations are tools used to measure the effectiveness of an employee; most organizations conduct performance appraisals once a year during an annual evaluation process. A performance management system, however, is much more dynamic. It can use the performance evaluation tool but also incorporates other elements into the performance management cycle. The overall aim of PM is to establish a high performance culture in which individuals and teams take responsibility for the continuous improvement of business processes and for their own skills and contributions within a framework provided by effective leadership. History and Evolution of Performance Management and Appraisal Performance management systems, in various forms, have been employed for nearly two millennia. In the third century AD, the Chinese were not only using performance appraisal systems but were critiquing each others biases in their evaluations of their employees (Murphy and Cleveland, 1995; Evans, 2004). During the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, factory managers became aware of the importance of their employees performance on their production outputs (Grote and Grote, 1996; Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). The development of the philosophy of performance evaluation systems in America has been attributed to such researchers and philosophers as Peter Drucker and Douglas McGregor, who developed ideas of management by objectives (MBOs) and employee motivation (Evans, 2004; Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). Spreigel reported in 1962 that by the early 1960s more than 60% of American organizations had a performance appraisal system. The systems popularity stemmed from the Armys implementation of a performance management system for its officers (Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). Since then, researchers have continued to develop theories of how different performance evaluation methods can contribute to the success of the organization. Elements of Performance Management Armstrong (2006) identifies the five elements of performance management as agreement (of employee, unit, and organizational goals), measurement, feedback, positive reinforcement and dialogue (contingency management). These ensure that the performance management process is positive, successful and a boost to employee improvement. Continued feedback and assessment is key to the performance management process as shown in the performance management cycle (Fig 3). There are four main elements of the planning portion of the performance management cycle: role creation and development, objective planning, assessment and development planning. The first step, role creation and development, is important because an employee must understand his or her role in the organization before the performance of that role can be fairly assessed. By first defining the employees goal, a supervisor can then align the employees objectives with the organizational goals. In performance management, employers provi de continuous appraisal through feedback and re-alignment of goals based on performance. Unlike the annual evaluation process, most performance management systems are designed to meet the changing needs of both the organization and the employee. The following are the aims of PM as expressed by a variety of organisations (source IRS, 2003): Empowering, motivating and rewarding employees to do their best. Armstrong World Industries Focusing employees task on the right things and doing them right. Aligning everyones individual goals to the goals of the organisation. Eli Lilly Co Proactively managing and resourcing performance against agreed accountabilities and objectives. ICI Paints The process and behaviours by which managers manage the performance of their people to deliver a high-achieving organisation. Standard Chartered Bank Maximising the potential of individuals and teams to benefit themselves and the organisation, focusing on achievement of their objectives. West Bromwich Building Society The organizations that have chosen to use a performance management process have often done so because the annual evaluation process has failed to meet their appraisal needs. The constant communication loop of performance management enables organizations to meet both the goals of their organization and the development and feedback needs of their employees. In contrast, the  annual evaluation process, which is retrospective in nature, provides no formal opportunity for employees to receive feedback about their performance, request development to increase their efficiency or ask for new goals during the year. Role Creation and Development In order for performance management to be effective, an employee must have a clear understanding of his or her organizational role and responsibilities. Armstrong says that the role profile defines the role in terms of the key results expected, what role holders are expected to know and be able to do and how they are expected to behave in terms of behavioural competencies and upholding the organizations core values. Defining the core competencies for each employee is one step in effective goal creation because it allows the supervisor to communicate personalized feedback. Effective and SMART Objectives Creation There are many different kinds of objectives in an organization. Armstrong identifies that effective objective-setting results in an agreement on what the role holder (employee) has to achieve and is an important part of the performance management processes of defining and managing expectations and forms the point of reference for performance reviews. He also identifies the following types of objectives: 1. ongoing role or work objectives: based on the job description 2. targets: quantifiable goals that should be met 3. tasks/projects: specified results or product 4. behavioural expectations: outlines desirable and undesirable behaviours 5. values: outlines the values of the organization 6. performance improvement: areas that need improvement 7. developmental/learning: provide specific areas to meet improvement needs Luecke (2006) notes that effective objectives are recognized as important, clearly written in specific terms, measurable and framed in time, aligned with organizational strategy, achievable but challenging and supported by appropriate rewards. Armstrong provides the SMART mnemonic, to help set effective objectives S = specific/stretching M = measurable A = achievable/achievable R = relevant T = time framed The creation of appropriate, measurable objectives is key to the performance management process; they provide a framework for assessment and, without them, the performance management system would fail. Assessment of Goal Achievement After defining roles and setting goals, the manager and the employee must determine whether the employee had been successful during the assessment period. If the goals are SMART, then assessing the employees performance will be simple: if the employee met the specific goal within the time frame designated, then the assessment would be a positive one. The most important aspect of the assessment is the performance review. There are many ways to conduct performance reviews. Some organizations conduct reviews at certain intervals throughout the  year; others create a timeline based on the goals developed. Many organizations have employees conduct a self-evaluation prior to the evaluation meeting; Aguinis (2007) identifies that self-appraisals can reduce employees defensiveness during an appraisal meeting and increase employee satisfaction with the performance management system, as well as enhance perceptions of accuracy and fairness and therefore acceptance of the system. Both employees and employers have historically disliked the performance review process. Armstrong reports that most appraisals have existed in a vacuum, with little or no relation to the workplace: employees have resented the superficial nature with which appraisals have been conducted by managers who lack the skills required, tend to be biased and are simply going through the motions. In order to have a productive, positive performance review, Aguinis identifies six recommended steps: 1. Identify what the employee has done well and poorly by citing specific positive and negative behaviours. 2. Solicit feedback from your employee about these behaviours. Listen for reactions and explanations. 3. Discuss the implications of changing, or not changing, the behaviours. Positive feedback is best, but an employee must be made aware of what will happen if any poor performance continues. 4. Explain to the employee how skills used in past achievements can help him overcome any current performance problems. 5. Agree on an action plan. Encourage the employee to invest in improving his performance 6. Set up a meeting to follow up and agree on the behaviours, actions, and attitudes to be evaluated. After creating goals and assessing progress, the employee and employer have identified areas that can be improved; the action plan for this improvement is called development planning. This development plan ensures that employees will continue to meet the needs of the organization through the identification of their weaknesses and the opportunity to address them through workshops, classes, and other educational channels. Quantitative and qualitative advantages The literature findings suggest that the introduction of SPM has a positive impact in terms of revenues, sales and net profit. Various studies (Malina and Selto, 2001; Sim and Koh, 2001; Braam and Nijssen, 2004; Neely HYPERLINK #idb49et al.HYPERLINK #idb49, 2004;) identified that organizations implementing and using SPM systems were able to achieve an increase in revenue, an increase in profit, a reduction in costs, and a higher ROA. These studies also indicate that organizations that initially used an SPM system suffered decreased results when they reverted, for whatever reason, to traditional measurement systems. Other studies (Kald and Nilsson, 2000; Sim and Koh, 2001; Neely HYPERLINK #idb49et al.HYPERLINK #idb49, 2004;) showed that organizations using an SPM system experienced a myriad of qualitative benefits, such as improvement in internal communication of the strategy, closer collaboration and better knowledge sharing and information exchange between organizational units, stre ngthened focus on what is important for the business, more focus on the achievement of results, higher quality of performance information, better strategic alignment of organizational units, higher operational efficiency, improvement of management quality, better understanding by people of the organizational strategy, higher commitment of personnel to the organization, more clarity of people of their contribution towards achievement of the strategy and organizational goals, higher innovativeness, better achievement of organizational goals, more pro-activity, more clarity for people about their roles and goals, more effective management control, higher employee satisfaction, stronger process orientation, strengthened reputation of the organization as a quality firm, and a better strategic planning process. Quantitative and qualitative disadvantages Literature findings also show that PM systems are not without disadvantages. Various studies (Kald and Nilsson, 2000; Sim and Koh, 2001; IOMA, Business Intelligence at Work, 2005; Neely HYPERLINK #idb49et al.HYPERLINK #idb49, 2004;) stated that organizations experienced disadvantages after the implementation and subsequent use of SPM but only in non-financial performance terms, no quantitative disadvantages were found in the literature. Disadvantages reported are: too many performance indicators; not enough strategic information in the system; too much internal competition; too expensive and too bureaucratic; performance indicators too subjective and therefore unreliable; performance information too aggregated; too much financial information; and too much historical information. Because of these incredibly negative effects that an improperly conducted performance management system can have on an organization, the system must be implemented thoughtfully and executed consistently. Conclusion Performance management, unlike traditional annual evaluation, provides employees with feedback throughout the year. The system allows constant re-evaluation of goals, progress and performance. This process requires more interaction between the supervisor and supervisee and encourages the professional development of the employee to meet the organizations changing needs. While this more dynamic evaluation process is time-consuming, the increased  productivity levels resulting from performance management have proven to be valuable to many organizations. Lord Kelvin once said: When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you will know something about it [otherwise] your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely in thought advanced to the stage of science (cited in Fisher, 1990). So I believe that performance management (which also details performance measurement) is a very vital HRM strategic intervention.

A Review: The Day Of The Jackal :: Free Essay Writer

A Review: The Day of the Jackal The Day of the Jackal, written by Fredrick Forsyth, is a fictional novel that displays the author's brilliance by setting a mood and connecting you with the characters. The Day of the Jackal takes place in post World War II in France. The Jackal is a professional assassin, whose name is not revealed, who is hired by a French terrorist group to kill Charles de Gualle, the President of France. This terrorist group has had several failed attacks on the President, and the Jackal is their last hope. The mood the author sets is exceptionally suspenseful. When Rodin, the leader of the terrorist group hears of the failed attacks, the reader can feel his frustration and hatred towards the French government. When Jean-Marie Bastien is vigorously preparing for the first assault on de Gualle, the reader can sense the tension in the air and the feeling of accomplishment when Bastien says, "That's it! One hundred and fifty bullets will have passed through the presidential car by the time it comes abreast of the van. By God we've got it." All this points to Fredrick Forsyth's amazing mood setting talent in this novel. The reader feels at one with the many characters as they each take part in the many small ventures that give rise to the climax. In a scene where the Jackal is purchasing a fake identification card, the reader can tell that the man making the card is an expert. Not because it was mentioned, but because the man has such a large amount of information about I.D. cards to offer. This same writing talent that displays the characters with subtle suggestion instead of giving specific details is also shown when the Jackal goes to purchase his sniper rifle. It is not mentioned earlier, but the way the armorer talks about the mechanics involved with making a gun in which the Jackal described shows that he is one of the best in the business. Forsyth takes characterization to new level with the Jackal. The reader gets to know the Jackal with a detached understanding of him. Forsyth keeps him a mysterious being with no past and, as far as the rest of the characters in the book are concerned, no present. The reader gets to know the Jackal's meticulous personality and his great care for

A Crucible analysis in terms of language and structure Essay

In times of moral and social chaos between any civilised or uncivilised society, when the threat of any opposing force or alliance turns citizens and parliament alike into accusative fools; when ‘the voice’ itself is riddled with paranoia and irrational thinking, (most likely by the simple arrival of something unknown or new,) other elements of society come forth to offer through their art, an alternative point of view whether it be subtle or public;  Arthur Miller a leading American playwright of several decades with such acclaimed works as Death of a Salesman and The Man Who Had All the Luck to his name. Although Miller’s dramas took a familial setting, he earned a reputation for dealing with the contemporary political and moral issues of the time. One dramatic device used in a piece studied by myself and piers was an allegory: the use of characters or events to represent ideas or principals in a play, story or picture. At the height of the McCarthy era, when indeed social order and security were replaced by paranoia and an element of superstition, Miller’s allegoric play The Crucible conveyed the insanities and fears of the future by showing on stage a similar occurrence in the past. By playing to the audiences of 1950’s America, Miller brought to light the resolution of 1700’s Salem, how they coincide, and how if the â€Å"witch hunt† in the present day continued one of the biggest public  blunders of the past which would repeat itself. I use the term â€Å"witch hunt† because of the nature of accusations and their ability to root out the weeds of society fifty years ago- the communists.Senator Joe McCarthy takes his place in history as the main figure leading the anti-communist movement. As the threat of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) loomed over the west, and the iron curtain acted not only as a barrier of communications between the two parts, but as point of alienation; east meets west, communists meet democrats, any crossover between the two met its climax at panic, hence the trials in the United States to which Miller was no stranger to. The playwright was brought to trial to assist the court in finding those who were witnessed to meeting and socialising with him; they were deemed communist. In various quotes and accounts given from Miller himself, we can see how his personal involvement in the communist raids appear in the play in the thoughts and feelings of the characters and the overall message that can interpreted from The Crucible: I believe this to be the ethos of boundaries and limits of human beings- how far we can push ourselves before we find the things we would die to hold onto. Are we Abigail with limitless lack of morals persevered by the incomprehensible consideration for self, with her only boundary being her obsession with passion, embodied in a Mr John Proctor? Or are we those minor characters, who Miller had seen in court? â€Å"I saw accepted the notion that conscience was no longer a private matter but now one of state administration. I saw men handing conscience to other men and thanking them for the opportunity of doing so.† ‘Minor’ that is in the sense of having one thing in common; a common boundary which was non-existent it seems when it came to handing over names of â€Å"guilty† friends. If we are not, we are then John Proctors: those who would die for sanctity and purity of one’s name. Miller’s personal input into The Crucible is one that manifests itself in the character of John Proctor: this character is based on the playwright’s boundaries and pride. The strength of Proctor comes from Miller’s beliefs which are mirrored in a quote taken from court- â€Å"I am not protecting the Communists or the Communist Party. I am trying to protect my sense of self. I have taken responsibility for everything I have ever done, but I cannot take responsibility for another human being.† However, I believe that what Such was Miller’s astonishment that history was to be repeated when the world had learnt and moved on from the ‘evil displayed by the judges of these trials and the prosecutors of the Salem witch trials,’ that he took it upon himself to dig up and publicise the past as the events had so much to teach- â€Å"It was as though the whole country had been born anew, without a memory even of certain elemental decencies which a year or two earlier no-one would have imagined could have been altered, let alone forgotten. Astounded, I watched men pass me by without a nod whom I had known rather well for years; I knew that the terror in these people was being knowingly planned and consciously engineered , and all they knew was terror.† This quote also tells us of Miller’s suspicion of the US government: that a fear with no real public threat (communism) had such a massive affect on the general population. I believe he thought that the will of the democratic government increased the hype of communism to keep America what is was and still is, a democracy- no matter how many chapters of history may come back to haunt them.

Should College Tuition Be Free - 1115 Words

The critical challenge within in today’s society is that college tuition should be free or if not free, more affordable for all students. Certainly, higher education should not be considered a luxury where only the wealthy could afford, but an opportunity for all caste systems. It must be an accessible and affordable opportunity for all students in order for them to invest in their education. Higher education is important because it provides more careers to choose from than the careers offered without having a college degree. Ultimately, the issue here is whether it is right to make college tuition more affordable for the students. B. POSSIBLE OUTCOMES One point of view is the strengthening of community colleges. In order to accomplish this the â€Å"Obama Administration has called for a new partnership with states to ensure that the first two years of community college are free for responsible students, whether they are completing the first half of a bachelor’s degree or earning skills to go directly into the workforce† (The White House, 2015). Also, the strengthening of community colleges is important because they are the gateways to economic prosperity for the American people. For instance, â€Å"Each year, over 1,100 community colleges provide students and workers with critical skills† (The White House, 2015). Therefore, it is the responsibility of the federal government, states, colleges, and universities to make higher education affordable for families and students. Moreover,Show MoreRelatedShould College Tuition Be Free?1105 Words   |  5 Pagesget into higher education? College it self is very expensive and puts a financial burden on families.In Europe as well as many other places around the world college is free which allows all sorts of kids to attend. In addition to this, many people do not have the motivation and or desire to reach a upper class of education in college. If we are able to incorporate free tuition in colleges, this would enable families and students to attend. College tuition should be free because families cannot affordRead MoreCollege Tuition Should Be Free Essay1197 Words   |  5 PagesCollege Tuition Should Be Free For All Students College tuition should be free because even with a good degree it is hard for students to overcome the crippling debt of college tuition. High tuition prices are also an obstacle that keeps out those without access to affordable education, even though they may be great candidates who may do well in college and head their field in the future. The current system displays several flaws. The government should put the money slotted for financial aid intoRead MoreCollege Free Tuition Should Not Be Free971 Words   |  4 PagesCollege Free Tuition Education is one of the best ways to succeed; however not everyone has access to it and not everyone has the opportunity to have a degree. After high school a lot of students drop out because the college tuitions are too expensive; they can’t afford them. A couple weeks ago, president Obama came with a proposition in which to make community college free for students because more jobs will require a degree in the future. The program will concern the students who are serious.Read MoreCollege Tuition Should Be Free1165 Words   |  5 Pages College Tuition Should be Free By: Alonzo Myers 29 February 2016 Gardner-Webb University Dr. Lisa Cantrell English 101 Thesis: College tuition should be free because the number of students in debt after they complete college is extremely high. Outline I. Introduction II. Statistics III. Opposition IV. Conclusion Introduction All over America there are students who go off to visit amazing schools that they think are for them, then they start narrowing down their choices and comeRead MoreCollege Should Offer Free Tuition867 Words   |  4 PagesHaving a college degree is considered to a vital part of being successful in today’s day and age. College degrees are really expensive, but in a long run they really pay off. College can be a big financial burden so with that being said, in my opinion, I think community college should offer free tuition with some sort of standards to be eligible for free tuition. President Barack Obama conveyed a speech at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan this past September. President Obama proposedRead MoreShould College Tuition Be Free? America? Essay1267 Words   |  6 Pages Why should college tuition be free in America? The majority of students who graduate leave their alma mater with two things: a degree and a large sum of debt. The current student debt in America is 1.2 trillion dollars. Graduate students account for nearly 40 percent of this debt. From 1985 to 2007 the amount of student debt increased by 7.9 percent. In 1994 the average student borrowed eleven thousand dollars for school. By 2014, however, that figure had increased to thirty-five thousand dollarsRead MoreShould Community College Tuition Be Free?875 Words   |  4 PagesMy immediate response is yes, of course I want community college tuition to be free but then I realized I am already in my second year this will not apply to me. As I further ponder over it I can not help but to think on what terms would this be under. Will you have to have a certain GPA? Will it only be available to us citizens? Will there be a age stipulation? There is a number of factors that can be put on this â⠂¬Å"Free Tuition†. It sounds like an amazing offer be is it really? After hearing theRead MoreCommunity College Education Should Not Be Tuition Free998 Words   |  4 PagesCommunity College Education Should Not Be Tuition Free Every year, millions of students graduate from high school and consider studying in community college. The main reason for them to choose community colleges over four-year universities is the affordable tuition, or they have undecided majors for their careers. Unfortunately, an academic article published in 2014 â€Å"How to Help College Students Graduate,† Kirp demonstrated, â€Å"American students are enrolling college in record numbers, but they areRead MoreShould The Federal Government Should Allow Free College Tuition And The Effects And Consequences Of Doing900 Words   |  4 PagesIn order to have a decent job it is believed that one must attend college and submerge with a degree. It is exactly why most people in the states pursue higher education, a key component to possess financial security. The task at hand has become a challenging achievement, now more than ever, as a result of skyrocketing tuition cost. It causes students to take out massive loans which, at t imes, cannot be returned and therefore creating billions in debt for the United States. The idea that studentRead MoreShould Taxpayers Fund College Tuition? No?909 Words   |  4 PagesAnna Lis Professor Holly Boux Political Science 103 December 1st, 2015 Should Taxpayers Fund College Tuition? No Dear Representative John Kline, Executive Summary: In the United States, college should remain an accessible opportunity for Americans. Any one who is willing to put in the hard work and effort to make their future better, should be secured an education. A college education is important to one s future and can make a huge difference in how successful someone can become.