Sunday, April 26, 2020
Report of Strategic Human Resources Management
Summary The report has been formulated after investigating the importance of joining a professional human resource association. The report has highlighted the importance of being in a local or an international human resource professional association.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Report of Strategic Human Resources Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are various advantages associated with joining such associations which include increasing the trading partners and networking. The report will focus on the benefits of joining such a professional association. It will put into detail the requirements for joining such a human resource professional association and the benefits that come with joining them. These include career development, networking as well as material benefits like grants and scholarships. In the introduction, the report will highlight the aspects that will be of main concern to the re port while explaining the aims and objectives of this particular report. In this case the point of concern will particularly be the importance of joining a human resources professional association and the implications to the person joining. It will also focus on the methodology used while obtaining this particular information as well as the limitations. The report has highlighted the results, discussions of the findings and finally the conclusion (Lundy 2006, p. 33). Introduction There are numerous advantages that are associated with joining a human resources professional association. They include ensuring that one remains updated on the developments that occur in this particular field.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is made possible with the help of the newsletters, journals and website updates that are done by these associations. They also organize conferences that inform members about the current developments in the various fields. There are many networking opportunities that are made available by joining such associations hence helping an individual to get new opportunities (Noe 2010, p. 65). These points have been elaborated in detain in the findings/results as well as the discussion. The methodology used in the gathering of the information for this report was mainly the secondary sources which include books, journals, newsletters and internet sources. The report also highlights the limitations that were encountered in the process of getting the relevant information. The report is aimed at finding the advantages that are associated with joining a human resources professional association whether at local or at the international level. The findings/results have then been discussed and a conclusion drawn. Methodology Secondary sources have been used in this research. Some of the materials used include; books, journals, newsletters and online s ources. The secondary sources have been used as the method is economical and there are no much expenses to be incurred. It is less cumbersome when compared to the use of primary data. It is also less time consuming when compared to the use of primary sources of data like direct interviews. It was also preferred due to the ease in comparison between the different sources. It was for instance easier to compare the advantages of joining the human resource professional association from internet sources as well as those found in newsletters and journal articles.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Report of Strategic Human Resources Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The method enhanced the understanding of the issue at hand as in-depth explanations are given. Limitations A number of limitations were encountered in this particular research. For instance, some of the sources accessed were outdated and hence coul d not factor in advantages that are associated with the current technological world, hence rendering some sources irrelevant. Some of the information particularly the online sources could not be relied upon as their origin was questionable. The author and the methodology used in gathering and analyzing the information could not be determined. In addition, some of the sources could not meet the research needs as they were not specific. Some of them for instance focused on the benefits of joining any professional association rather than focusing on the human resources professional associations. In some cases, the information found was insufficient. In addition, some of the online sources could not be accessed as they required subscription fees in order to be accessed. Results Various human resource associations were studies in this particular case and the benefits as well as shortfalls determined. They include the following; Society for Human Resource Management This is the largest hu man resources association composed of 250,000 members spread in 140 countries across the world. The association has been quite instrumental in equipping its members with the appropriate human resources skills and benefiting the human resource profession.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It has various chapters in the United States of America as well as China and India. Such an association is therefore vital in ensuring that its members are updated on the current developments in their respective professions both at local and international level. The members are able to get career or business deals in other countries as opposed to the mother country. For such an association however, it might be difficult to decide on a standard payment for its members given that they are under different conditions in the various countries. Chattered Institute of Personnel management This is a human resource professional association that received the chattered status in 2000. The association has 135,000 members and it is highly respected and recognized in the United Kingdom. Its main purpose is to enhance human resources development and equip its members and their colleagues to adhere to the required standards of human resource practices. It also helps to serve the professional intere sts of those in the association. It ensures that ideal human resources development and management standards are upheld. The association however has its own limitations. For instance, it was recently chattered, which implies that it might not be equipped with all the human resources development skills needed for the training of its members. It is based in the United Kingdom. This might simply imply that it concentrates on the human resources practices that are mainly relevant to those countries in the United Kingdom and hence ignoring other regions like Africa and Asia. The Australian Human Resource Institute This association represents human resources management professionals. It has a membership of about 12,000 people and has been operational for over 60 years. The organization has been pivotal in ensuring that its members are trained and equipped on the most effective human resource development skills. The large membership therefore enhances networking which in the long run increa ses the chances of its members to get information on the current job openings available, as well as acquire new business deals. The training that is done is quite crucial in ensuring that the members are updated on the most current human resources development strategies. It has been operational for 60 years and hence has enough experience in ensuring that its members get up to date information concerning be best human resources strategies. The association actively participates in setting standards for human resources management, offers training and ensures that its members are recognized professionally. The association also ensures that its members remain updated on the current trends in the Australian business and workforce. Through such, effective training is done and this ensures that its members remain relevant to the ever changing job markets. The association offers training on two human resource courses hence providing the qualified human resources professionals at some afford able fees which is cost effective to its members. Arabian Society for Human Resource Management The association was started with the aim of enhancing human resources management and development in the region. It helps in meeting the needs of human resources professionals within the region. This is made possible by sharing the relevant information and resources with its members within the region. This ensures that their respective organizations adhere to the required standard of performance. The membership of this association is open to students taking human resource courses as well as human resource development professionals and any person with similar objectives to those of the association. The association however has its own shortfalls, for instance, due to the fact that it is regional, it only serves the human resources interests of members within the Arab world hence not factoring in people from other regions or continent. Dubai Human Resources Forum This association was started by Human Resources Managers with the core purpose of ensuring continuous human resource development, networking as well as sharing their experiences. It targets those people with the intention of furthering their human resources development. It has a membership of 300 members who represent their respective companies across the Emirates region. It helps its members in attaining professional standard in the human resources management. It was registered as a professional body in 2002. The small number of its members however hinders it from achieving its goals as this offers limited networking and a smaller base for sharing experiences. It mainly targets the human resource managers and hence restricting its membership. The other people some of whom might be students are not allowed to join this association. It is however recognized in the United Kingdom hence offering its services beyond the region. Discussion According to the findings, there are a number of benefits that come with bein g a member of a human resources professional association. Members of such associations are advantaged since employers look for those individuals who have more than just their academic qualifications. They therefore stand a better chance of getting the available jobs unlike their counterparts who have not joined the associations. They also get firsthand information on any job opportunities in the various fields. This is made possible through the interaction that the members of these associations have. In some cases, the advertisers of the job openings are members of the associations as well. They are more likely to give priority to the members rather than the nonmembers. In some cases, the available opportunities are for members only, and this puts them at an advantage. The findings also show that such associations are quite vital in shaping a personââ¬â¢s career. Members are likely to identify their areas of interest and specialize. This can be attributed to the fact that the ass ociation enable an individual to increase his/her knowledge base and stays updated on the current trends in the various fields. The findings also show that the members are well networked due to the fact that they mingle with members from various fields and specialties. The findings also pointed out that managers, marketers and other influential members of multinational companies that had joined these associations played very significant roles in ensuring that their companies expanded not just locally but internationally as well. Such companies quite easily complied with the international requirements due to the exposure that these members get. Those companies or business that had their key employees in such associations were found to esteem transparency as well as high levels of accountability. According to the findings, it was also quite evident that both local and international human resource professional associations played a significant role in ensuring the harmonization of sala ries and wages to the employees in deferent countries and regions hence minimizing the disparities in the salaries and wages paid to members of the same job group. These associations have also been vital in enhancing business outsourcing. Such associations help the staff of any company or organization to know where to outsource their vital services from. Joining such associations also help the members to be informed on the new business and trading deals hence availing new opportunities for expansion. Such members can effectively manage their organizations due to the training and skills that they acquire while attending the various sessions. They are, therefore, well placed to resolve any problems encountered in these (Boxall 2007, p. 77). From the above findings it is quite evident that both local and international human resources professional association are very significant in making sure that there members are updated on the current trends in the market. The associations are quit e vital in ensuring that the members share their experiences and hence find the best ways to overcome the various challenges at the local and at the international level. They invest in employee development by training their members on the best human resources practices and this helps in ensuring that the members are well versed with the existing standards for human resources practice. Members who join some of these associations also benefit from grants and scholarships which are quite vital in equipping the members with the appropriate human resources knowledge. The associations are quite important for networking. Members from various companies, organizations and different countries come together. This makes it easier for job seekers to be linked up with their potential employers. For those interested in new business deals these associations help them to find new business contacts which are vital for the expansion of their businesses. The associations play a big role in updating the ir members concerning the new human resources development standards and hence help in ensuring their compliance. The members are informed on the existing market needs. This is made possible through the various conferences that are held, the newsletters and journals that are produced by these associations. Members, therefore, get the relevant information concerning the cheaper as well as demanding labor markets. Managers in such associations can use these information to determine the best places to open new branches or where to source there labor from. The associations help the different firms adhere to the different performance benchmarks. This is made possible by these firms sourcing qualified personnel and keeping to the required standards of human resources management (Noe 2010, p. 55). Conclusion Among the various human resources professional associations given above, the preferred association is the Society for Human Resource Management. This is because the association has a la rger membership. This is quite vital for effective networking for job seekers as well as those looking for business deals. The large membership also implies that the members gain a lot when it comes to the aspect of sharing their different experiences. The association was started in 1948, which implies that it has a better experience when it comes to aspects of human resources across the years. It is also represented in 140 countries which ensure that members across the countries share the relevant information and experiences concerning the labor markets, business deals and laws in the various countries. Joining the various human resources professional associations is quite important in many aspects. For instance, the associations help in ensuring that the members from the various organizations adhere to the standard labor laws both at the local as well as at the international level. These associations also train their members in relation to their human resources development and hen ce helping them ensure that they advance their careers. They are very important in enhancing relationships and networks. This might be at the local as well as international levels. Members of such organizations easily access new markets hence expanding their businesses not just at the local level but at the international level as well, especially those in international associations. The human resources professional associations are very significant in training their members to be efficient in their service delivery. The associations also help in ensuring the multinational firms not only comply with the local laws but also adhere to the international standards. This is made possible by training the members on the local as well international laws that govern such firms. The HR staffs are taught on the significance of focusing on the development of human resources rather than just the financial control in order to experience significant prosperity. These associations are quite critical in ensuring that the members are well informed on the current political situation in various regions and countries. This is quite vital for those members that are seeking new opportunities. A stable political environment is quite vital for the establishment of firms and hence ensuring the booming of various businesses. This in the end translates to huge profits for these firms. An unstable political climate on the other hand might not be the best for the establishment of firms. The members of these associations share there experiences and are therefore better placed to face any challenges that come with their various positions. Members who have joined such association can easily access business mergers as opposed to their colleagues who havenââ¬â¢t joined yet. Members of these associations also gain from grants as well as scholarships in human resources development. Some of these associations even allow students to register as members and in some cases those members that are sti ll students are offered scholarships. In some cases there are job opportunities that are advertised and only those who are members of there associations are considered. These associations however have their own shortfalls. For instance some have a small membership and therefore members do not get much experience as well as effective networking. Others are just based within particular regions and not others hence serving just a few members within those regions. In some cases however, the membership to such associations is restricted and students might not be allowed. The requirement for joining for instance might be that the person joining must be a human resources manager. This acts as a barrier to those members that are interested in joining associations but do not hold such positions. List of References Boxall, P. 2007, Strategy and Human Resource Management, London, Macmillan. Lundy, O. 2006, strategic human resources management , London, Routledge. Noe, R. 2010, ââ¬ËEmployee Training and Development.ââ¬â¢ Careers and Career Management , vol. 5, no. 11, pp. 55-65. This report on Report of Strategic Human Resources Management was written and submitted by user Kody D. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Ecommerce essays
Ecommerce essays Online business has become more prosperous in todays marketplace than it has been in the past, when computers were not as popular. With special software that eliminates the jobs of customer service personnel, along with new ad campaigns and e-alliances, Internet commerce continues to thrive. Even non-profit organizations benefit from the people who manipulate the Internet as a source of income. Some websites supply services that help people sell their own items; others base their websites on both the Internet and in the real world. Business to Business connections are being made between corporations and are failing repeatedly and causing many e-failures. First of all, the definition of e-commerce is any business transacted online or transactions conducted over the Internet, either by consumers purchasing goods and services, or directly between businesses. With modern and constantly improving telecommunications infrastructures, we have been provided with the means to exchange data almost instantaneously. Electronic Commerce is about using these data flows in the most effective way possible. Whether you are a multinational car manufacturer buying components from all over the world and manufacturing them in various locations, a food producer whose market depends on seasonal trends or climatic conditions, or a taxi company with a few cabs on the road, you have to ensure that the right information is available to your staff, to your clients, and to your trading partners. Some computer companies have eliminated the job of customer service clerks by using a sophisticated method developed by IBM. They call this system BELL. BELL is an interactive phone/computer based answer machine. Unlike other troubleshooting phone services, BELL answers questions specifically and diligently. Using and owning this software is expensive, but it is a huge money saver because there are fewer employees ...
Monday, March 2, 2020
Periodic Law Definition in Chemistry
Periodic Law Definition in Chemistry The Periodic Law states that the physical and chemical properties of the elements recur in a systematic and predictable way when the elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number. Many of the properties recur at intervals. When the elements are arranged correctly, the trends in element properties become apparent and can be used to make predictions about unknown or unfamiliar elements, simply based on their placement on the table. Importance of Periodic Law Periodic Law is considered to be one of the most important concepts in chemistry. Every chemist makes use of Periodic Law, whether consciously or not, when dealing with the chemical elements, their properties, and their chemical reactions. Periodic Law led to the development of the modern periodic table. Discovery of Periodic Law Periodic Law was formulated based on observations made by scientists in the 19th century. In particular, contributions made by Lothar Meyer and Dmitri Mendeleev made trends in element properties apparent. They independently proposed Periodic Law in 1869. The periodic table arranged the elements to reflect Periodic Law, even though scientists at the time had no explanation for why properties followed a trend. Once the electronic structure of atoms was discovered and understood, it became apparent the reason characteristics occurred in intervals was because of the behavior of electron shells. Properties Affected by Periodic Law The key properties that follow trends according to Periodic Law are atomic radius, ionic radius, ionization energy, electronegativity, and electron affinity. Atomic and ionic radius are a measure of the size of a single atom or ion. While atomic and ionic radius are different from each other, they follow the same general trend. The radius increases moving down an element group and generally decreases moving left to right across a period or row. Ionization energy is a measure of how easy it is to remove an electron from an atom or ion. This value decreases moving down a group and increases moving left to right across a period. Electron affinity is how easily an atom accepts an electron. Using Periodic Law, it becomes apparent the alkaline earth elements have a low electron affinity. In contrast, the halogens readily accept electrons to fill their electron subshells and have high electron affinities. The noble gas elements have practically zero electron affinity because they have full valence electron subshells. Electronegativity is related to electron affinity. It reflects how easily an atom of an element attracts electrons to form a chemical bond. Both electron affinity and electronegativity tend to decrease moving down a group and increase moving across a period. Electropositivity is another trend governed by Periodic Law. Electropositive elements have low electronegativities (e.g., cesium, francium). In addition to these properties, there are other characteristics associated with Periodic Law, which may be considered properties of element groups. For example, all of the elements in group I (alkali metals) are shiny, carry a 1 oxidation state, react with water, and occur in compounds rather than as free elements.
Saturday, February 15, 2020
History of my immigration or how I got the new life Essay
History of my immigration or how I got the new life - Essay Example Realizing that conditions were not going to get better in Tyver, I decided that immigration to the United States would be the best course of action for finding a more suitable and rewarding lifestyle. To accomplish those goals, I completed my Russian education by attending college while also working as a data entry clerk at a local factory. Five years later, further economic disruptions caused significant changes to my stable lifestyle in the Soviet Union, causing huge financial losses through lost bank accounts, job stability, and loss of pensions in the entire family. It is next to impossible to accurately inform an individual what it feels like to not know where your next meal will come from, however this was the reality of life in the Moscow region in the early portion of the 1990ââ¬â¢s. Hunger was a common element of lifestyle as salaries regarding work outputs were delayed not only for weeks, but for years on end, due to any variety of broad economic rationales. Realizing that I could no longer sustain myself in Russia, I began to explore alternatives, as I had a great education, but no appropriate clothing, no job, and was only 25 years old. I happened upon a newspaper advertisement which stated Change your life and earn money in the process, which was a promotion for USA jobs. A couple of days later, I made the phone call, despite being apprehensive about potentially moving to a foreign country. This singular phone call changed my life entirely. Over a period of weeks, I began to collect all of the necessary information required to travel to the United States, including a visa and a travel ticket. By June 1, 1998, I was ready to leave Russia behind to begin a new life overseas. Though I was quite nervous about making the transfer, unsure of what I would find in the U.S., I realized that there could be no looking backwards if I wanted to find a new life and experience a better quality of living. Upon arrival, I found radical differences in the social
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Civilization or people Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Civilization or people - Term Paper Example This essay attempts to prove that Hannibalââ¬â¢s victory at the Battle of Cannae should be attributed to the Carthaginian generalââ¬â¢s tactical brilliance, and not to mere luck (i.e. the Roman army was seriously weakened by earlier battles). If Hannibal had exploited his triumph by attacking Rome, the Roman historian Livy believes, the Romans would have been obliged to bring peace claims. However, Hannibal decided not to attack Rome at the moment. Livy believes that this judgment was the ââ¬Ësalvation of the Roman state.ââ¬â¢1 The Battle of Cannae In 217 BC, Hannibal based his army near the Adriatic coast and kept on destroying villages in southern Italy.2 Polybius recounts that Hannibal was deeply informed of the problems posed by the Italian invasion and was aware that his main predicament would be resources.3 Rome was very weak at the time because of the massive losses it sustained the year prior. Still, Rome assigned Quintus Fabius Maximus as the new leader. Because Hannibal has a mightier cavalry, Fabius rested his army in the hills in order to reverse this advantage, resorting to the attack-retreat strategy. This was shrewd and successful given the changing balance of power after the defeats at Trasimeno and Trebia4: ââ¬Å"The Romans hovered in the vicinity of the Carthaginians, cut off stragglers and foragers, and prevented them from founding a permanent base. The strategy avoided Roman defeat and dimmed Hannibalââ¬â¢s glory. It successfully kept Romeââ¬â¢s allies from declaring for Carthage, but it aroused great opposition among Romans themselves, for their state had thrived on a tradition of offensive warfare.â⬠5 However, this was only a brief success. Fabius tried fearlessly to attack the Carthaginians in Falernia. He made sure that Hannibal was caught off guard. That moment, seeing his position as hopeless, Hannibal brought together all the animals in his encampment. He attached flares to each of them and made them attack the Roman encampment. Fear and bewilderment followed. Masked in darkness, with terror raging in the Roman encampment, Hannibal withdrew his whole army of 70,000 soldiers without any fatality on his side.6 Fabius had successfully held back Hannibal for six months, but the Senate decided to end his tenure as commanding officer and assigned two ambassadors, Varro and Paulus. They had realized that to confront Hannibal with not enough advantage would lead to a definite tragedy. Hence, they amassed a huge army: ââ¬Å"Rome assembled the largest army they had ever placed in the field, eighty thousand infantry, and seven thousand cavalry.â⬠7 Hannibal passed through the Aufidus River. The river was actually a barricade in case of defeat. Hannibal planned to take advantage of this positioning to tempt the Roman army to attack. Another lure, even though unintended, was that all of the elephants of Hannibal had been wiped out. It would be a war between two remarkably trained armed forces, th e Carthaginians being outnumbered by the Roman army.8 Both the Roman and Carthaginian armies were organized in traditional order, the cavalry on both flanks and the infantry in the middle. However, Hannibal placed his less reliable Spanish and Gauls foot soldiers at the forefront, while keeping his powerful African infantry on both flanks. This worked as bait for the attacking Roman army, who attacked the Spaniards and Gauls, pushing them, just like what Hannibal had planned. As a result, the U-shaped Carthaginian formation became bowl-shaped,
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Pendleton Civil Service Act :: essays research papers
Pendleton Civil Service Act Since the beginning of the government, people gained and lost their jobs whenever a new president took office. These jobs were political pay-offs for people who supported them. Many people did not take their jobs too seriously because they knew they would be out of their office soon. As Henry Clay put it, government officials after an election are "like the inhabitants of Cairo when the plague breaks out; no one knows who is next to encounter the stroke of death." Over the years the flaws that were made and the problems that resulted became more obvious. After an election you could open a newspaper and find many advertisements, which offered government jobs that were filled before the election. On January 16, 1883 the U.S. legislation established a law, which gave employment based on merit rather than on political party affiliation that leads to corruption in the government system. Widespread public demand for reform in the government was stirred after the Civil War by accusations of incompetence, corruption, and theft in federal departments. After a guy who was refused an office job that he was capable of assassinated President James A. Garfield in 1881, civil service reform became a leading issue in the elections of 1882. In January 1883, Congress passed a comprehensive civil service bill sponsored by Senator George H. Pendleton, providing for the open selection of government employees and guaranteeing the right of citizens to compete for federal jobs without regard to politics, religion, race, or national origin. The new law covered only about 10 percent of the positions in the federal government, but nearly every president after Chester A. Arthur, who signed the bill in to law, broadened its scope. By 1980 more than 90 percent of federal employees were protected by the act. The Pendleton Civil Service Act classified certain jobs, removed them from the ranks, and set up a Civil Service Commission to oversee a system based on merit and not political stance. The commission draws up the rules governing examinations for those positions that Congress places in the classified civil service.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Psychological Factors: Axis of Healthcare Setting Essay
Even as the development of medical science and the technology of its instruments have taken modern healthcare system to a state-of-the-art height, the effective management of psychological factors still prove to be the axis of healthcare, where human touch and a thorough understanding of psychology are bare essentials to complement its other part. The medical science too admits it and accordingly various disciplines of study have come up to understand the finer details of human psychology that are entwined with the overall healing process. Thus this essay explores the necessity and scope of health psychology, besides its inherent elements that have bearings in healing process, before reaching its conclusion. What is Health Psychology? Bio-psycho-social factors create a lot of impact on our health and well-being. Health psychology studies those impacts with an aim to eliminate the negative elements in bio-psycho-social factors besides incorporating the positive ones. Accordingly it encompasses areas like stress, coping strategies, perception of pain, personality determinants of health etc. besides the immune response to stress (psychoneuroimmunology). Therefore, health psychology altogether covers a vast area of study and observation on human behavior, where it probes personality variables or traits and social environment before linking oneââ¬â¢s impact on the other ââ¬â as for example, whether stress in a person could lead to minor or major ailments, ranging from cold to cancer. In all, health psychology works on the interaction between physiological and the psychological system. Accordingly, ââ¬Å"biopsychosocial paradigm of health based on a bi-directional model (Knight & Carnic, 2004), propelled by the concept that health psychology can be instrumental in detection and alleviation of disease, as there is a strong coordination between body and mind. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes it significance and in fact lamented that this area of healthcare needs more thrust, where it could forge a ââ¬Å"new alliance between mental and physical health disciplinesâ⬠(WHO, 1997). From this perspective, there is tremendous scope of development in the field of health psychology, as it a dynamic subject with a plethora of variable factors, which constantly hint on thousand of probabilities. How It Works While any illness is bound to create an emotional impact on the patients, the caregivers too cannot escape such effects. Thus coping with illness requires mental efforts from everyone involved in the proceedings. A study conducted over 150 patients affected with various forms of psoriasis identified the ââ¬Å"existence of psychic stress in 69% of all casesâ⬠, which, with the ââ¬Å"involvement of a Liaison psychiatristâ⬠proved to be immensely important towards their cure (Simonic et al. , 2000). Besides these, there are ethical and practical consideration too command in-depth understanding of psychological factors that stand between illness and effective care ââ¬â especially when the severity of illness can inject pessimism in the patients or when patientsââ¬â¢ erratic behavior under circumstance can influence the caregiversââ¬â¢ behavior. Patients can emotionally be vulnerable due to physical conditions, and that can heavily influence their personality traits; in such situations, application of empathy and respect from the healthcare professionalsââ¬â¢ side can help to restore the situation. Therefore, appropriate knowledge on health psychology can equip the caregivers for such situations. Significance of Psychoneuroimmunology Popularly known as PNI, psychoneuroimmunology deals with the interactions among behavior, brain and the immune system, aiming at determining its potential for mediating the effects of psychosocial factors in illness and disease. The significance of PNI can be understood from a single fact that stress alone carries the possibility of 68 diseases, most of which are deadly. This state of affairs definitely commands a thorough view of health from the biopsychosocial perspective of health to counter stress. A brief description of stress would be pertinent here to further explain the significance of psychological factors in healthcare. Stress, the Dreaded Menaceà Hans Selye proposed one of the most acclaimed definitions of stress in 1926, in which he said, ââ¬Å"Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed upon itâ⬠(14 Day, 1991). He observed that stress stems out from the situations where humans face external changes or demands. This definition clearly indicates that no one can escape the influence of stress, as human life constantly faces such situations. This also clears the deck that external influence on humans will stay all along and thus biopsychosocial factors are embedded with any health problem. If stress is now considered to be ââ¬Å"an excessive or inappropriate activation of the bodyââ¬â¢s fight-or-flight responseâ⬠(14 Day, 1991), then it has to be given its due importance in sphere of healthcare, where it should be armed with adequate knowledge about how stress can aggravate the health problems and how it can be diffused. That is where ââ¬Å"Psychoneuroimmunologyâ⬠steps in, delving deep into the relationship between the immune system and brain and observing the outcomes of its chemistry. Psychoneuroimmunology and Healthcareà According to PNI, ââ¬Å"every part of our immune system is connected to the brain in some way, be it via a direct nervous tissue connection, or by the common chemical language of neuro-peptides and hormonesâ⬠, where it suggests that the immune system, ââ¬Å"which keeps us free from external invaders besides maintaining internal homoeostasis, is sensitive to outside influencesâ⬠(Kooker, 2001). This is substantiated by the fact that chemicals secrete in the brain in response to mental-emotional processing like moods and feelings. PNI was accepted as a new discipline in Yale University as early as in 1977, though then it was known as Behavioral Medicine, an outcome of the realization about its significance towards providing total therapeutic solution to patients. Boiling down to its simplest possible form, PNI collects healthy habits that can enhance the power of immunity in humans. This speaks of its broad range of activities, where it weighs the biopsychosocial factors to reach at the core of the health problem. In fact PNI provides much needed attention on the dynamics of body-mind interactions where it acknowledges the fact that ââ¬Å"our brains secrete hormones in response to our thoughtsâ⬠(Lorraine, 2003). Thoughts Hold the Key The discoveries through PNI have proved that it healthcare cannot afford to keep psychological factors out of consideration. It has shown that thoughts, no matter where it comes from outside or from the subconscious, can heavily influence the body condition. Alongside, researches to this direction have been able to bring out the positive application of thought. Thus the benefits of PNI have already been established. As for example, Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has able to determine the brain regions that respond to meditation, besides identifying the stress zones under duress (Lorraine, 2003). Findings like these would surely help in both enhancing immunity and preventing stress, as new techniques in stress management have already been stemming out of these findings. Benefits of Transcendental Meditationà Aligned to the progress of PNI as stated above, several techniques of thought regulation or control have been doing rounds. As for example, transcendental meditation has been found to produce a very beneficial state to human body, where it reduces blood pressure, respirator rate, oxygen consumption, blood flow to skeletal muscles, perspiration and muscle tension (Lorraine, 2003). This clearly shows that psychological factors are embedded with well being and in no way they can be kept outside the periphery of routine healthcare system. Physicianââ¬â¢s Viewpoint ââ¬Å"We must work as psychologists to erase the line between health and mental health in research, practice, and public policyâ⬠, says Norine Gl Johnson, the former president of American Psychological Association in 2001. In her presentation at prestigious Psi Chi Distinguished Lecture she clearly points out the necessity of intertwining health and psychology, where ââ¬Å"educators must be at the forefront of presenting to students and future psychologists the latest in psychology health research and health practicesâ⬠(Johnson, 2002). Nancyââ¬â¢s words only corroborates the age-old vision that medical treatment cannot be provided without the help of psychology, because psychological factors are the integral part of both illness and well being. Discussion On one hand the researchers have proved the deep impact of psychological factors on both patients and caregivers, while the discoveries regarding the efficacy of new techniques stemming out of modern research and study on biopsychosocial factors clearly show that they are no less potent tools towards managing illness as well as fostering well being. The negative impact of stress or the positive influence of transcendental meditation as cited by studies above amply proves this fact. Accordingly, these facts have already been doing rounds in social and academic circles, thereby convincing people about the impact of psychological factors on both illness and well being. This state of affairs virtually makes it impossible for any healthcare setting to do without any provision of measuring psychological factors involved in any illness. Besides this, the healthcare professionals too would be interested to be equipped with adequate knowledge and application techniques of psychotherapies, which would, in a way, work as their own shields against job stress associated with care giving. Conclusion Evidences show that psychological factors have great bearing on illness and its healing, thereby automatically qualifying them to occupy an important part in the healthcare setting. Going by the expertsââ¬â¢ opinion, it can be said that recognition of psychological factors in healthcare setting would not be an encroachment in the domain of conventional healthcare, but would be the advent of a new horizon in its sphere, where it would add tremendous value to the healthcare processes. Therefore, psychological factors form the axis of healthcare in modern day setting, in spite of the presence of state-of-the-art gadgets and availability of effective medicines.
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