Essay on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Veterans

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (commonly known as PTSD) is an important issue associated with military soldiers. The primary focus of this paper will be on the causes of PTSD and the effects it has on returning soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will attempt to elaborate on the soldiers experiences through my own experiences in combat both in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will explain what PTSD is, look at the history of PTSD, how people get it, and differences of PTSD between men and women, and treatment options. As far back in history as we can go, humans have been in a fight for survival. There have been battles with gigantic mammoths, soldiers charging the front line with swords drawn or teachers witnessing neighbors†¦show more content†¦As the years went on, more was learned about this â€Å"battle sickness† and the appropriate therapies to treat them. Since more cases are found in the military, it was primarily military doctors who have formulated the treatments and plans to help those with PTSD we have today. PTSD is defined as an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or happens to you† (United States). In these types of events one can feel that they are not in control of what is going on around them and may feel helpless or in great danger. The Department of Veterans Affairs has listed various life threatening events that can evolve into PTSD. These events include but are not limited to Combat or Military exposure, child sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents, such as a car wreck, natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake† (United States). With the traumatic events causing PTSD come the reactions people will experience after a traumatic event. Nightmares associated with the incident, flashbacks, problems with sleep, and being jumpy are just some of the reactions people will have associated with their incident. The reactions will vary from one person to another and may not even be noticed until several months after a person returns from war. Some go through aShow MoreRelatedVeterans With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder2330 Words   |  10 Pagesmillions of veterans that have served this country by leaving behind their world as they once knew it, thank you. Entering the world of a soldier comes with a culture of warriors who are taught and trained to be ready to kill, but also ready to save, heal, and comfort (Hansen). Sergeant Hansen served in the United States Marine Corps for nine years and was deployed three times, once to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan. He was honorably discharged in April of 2014, however like many other veterans, his militaryRead More Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Veterans Essay2315 Words   |  10 PagesHundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (â€Å"Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD† 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of theseRead MoreEssay On Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In Veterans756 Words   |  4 Pagesstaff, â€Å"Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition thats triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoug hts about the event†. Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, providing expert, whole-person care to everyone who needs healing. This particular condition is problematic among veterans, due toRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder in War Veterans2507 Words   |  11 PagesPOST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN WAR VETERANS SC-PNG-0000009299 Alwin Aanand Thomson American Degree Program SEGi College Penang 1.0 INTRODUCTION Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to ones own or someoneRead MoreNeeds of a Veteran with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder1137 Words   |  5 PagesNeeds of a Veteran with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Should veterans be able to live on their own with post-traumatic stress disorder? Going from living a great life with nothing wrong to being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, is a life changing event for anyone, but should veterans be treated differently from everyone else? Life of Ted Olsen was normal before he was knocked unconscious by a â€Å"massive garage door that jumped a track on base and crashed down onRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder in War Veterans2491 Words   |  10 PagesPOST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN WAR VETERANS SC-PNG-0000009299 Alwin Aanand Thomson American Degree Program SEGi College Penang 1.0 INTRODUCTION Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to ones own or someoneRead MoreEssay on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Veterans2443 Words   |  10 PagesMilitary service members who are and have been deployed to the middle east show high levels of emotional distress and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both active duty and reserve component soldiers who have experienced combat have been exposed to high levels of traumatic stress. As a consequence, many have gone on to develop a wide range of mental health problems such as PTSD. â€Å"According to researchers, PTSD is a long-term reaction to war-zone exposure that can last up to a few minutes, hoursRead More Implications of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for War Veterans1577 Words   |  7 PagesImplications of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for War Veterans War is a complex concept that is increasingly difficult to understand, particularly in an age that allows for live images of combat to be beamed around the world. Many war films depict the brutalities of war and affects war has on participants, but it seems that these representations merely skim the surface. The 20th century is an era that saw a significant amount of military action: World Wars I and II, the Cold War, VietnamRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment For War Veterans1564 Words   |  7 Pages Post-traumatic stress disorder treatment for war veterans Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that may develop after experiencing or seeing a traumatic or a brutal life threatening event. It is increasingly on the rise in war veterans. For those with PTSD only 53 percent have seen physicians or a mental health care provider. And for those who sought out care, roughly only 50 percent received adequate treatment when returning from combat. Although there are many treatmentsRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder Among War Veterans2201 Words   |  9 PagesPost Traumatic Stress Disorder among War Veterans Introduction Soldiers from combat missions face a variety of challenges when conforming to a civilian lifestyle. The fact that there are many of the identification issues and the influence of the environment, soldiers tend to exhibit Post-Traumatic stress disorders. The manifestation of the Post-Traumatic disorder PTSD leads to the development of traumatic brain syndrome and other problems. Service men and women have taken part in many war missions

A Brief Note On The Act Of Terrorism - 1688 Words

An act of terrorism. In itself, is neither moral, nor immoral - no act in itself ever is. Morality of an act is determined by the intentions of its perpetrators and by the circumstances under which it takes place. Killing is a morally neutral act, it is the intention of the killer and the circumstances under which the act takes place, that make it a crime of murder subject to a heavy punishment, an unfortunate accident , or an act of valour rewarded by a medal. In the course of wars or matters of internal policy involving destruction of people and property there are inevitable innocent victims. But established governments, while regretting this fact, justify it on the grounds of military or political necessity. These†¦show more content†¦Terrorists of the former British colonies became members of established governments of independent countries of Africa and Asia. Indeed there are few established governments in the world today, which at some time in history were not established by acts of destruction of people and property aimed at the then established governments. The American Civil War, the French Revolution, the Communist Revolution in Russia, the Chinese Revolution all began as acts of violence and destruction of people and property on a massive scale (including innocent victims) with the objective of overthrowing the then established governments. While established governments see terrorist activity as terrorism, terrorists themselves see it as war - war against an enemy, an oppressor, war for freedom, justice, etc. Indeed, they see themselves as rightful governments fighting for their lawful rights. And, as established governments, they pursue their wars by destroying people and property. The means of destruction in the hands of terrorists are, however, much less powerful and versatile than those in the hands of established governments. And this dictates the targets, which terrorists choose to hit. Terrorists bomb offices and shopping centers, not because they want to kill innocent people, but because they want to hit enemy targets. The fact that shops and offices contain people who have nothing to do with whatever cause the terrorists might be fighting is overshadowed by

Introduction to Social Research Methods-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Critically analyze the workplace bullying that occur in an Operating room. Answer: Introduction Workplace bullying is a repeated phenomenon in which a person experiences ill treatment from the people in the workplace, such occurrences lead to harm a person mentally and physically. There are several different types of bullying which includes physical abuse, nonverbal, verbal, psychological humiliation. Workplace bullying is different from the bullying that occur in schools. Workplace bullying occur within the established framework of rules in an organization and workplace. Studies reveal that the occurrences of bullying often occur when the person who is getting bullied is authoritatively lower than the person who is bullying. Whereas, bullying also occurs among the peers and also within the subordinates (Nielsen Einarsen, 2012). Bullying is of two types; one is overt bullying another is covert bullying. The ill effects of bullying are not restricted to the affected person, but it also affects the culture in an organization and also the work ethics among the employees. There ar e a lot of researches and studies conducted on the occurrence of bullying in an organization and also bullying occurring at the group level. These researches mainly focus on the effects and the impacts of bullying on the affected person (Samnani Singh, 2012). This study also deals with one such research journal on the workplace bullying in the operating room. The aim of the study includes critical assessment of the how the author depicted bullying in the paper, a critical discussion on the sampling techniques, the methods used during the data collection and how the data was analyzed. Background and significance The Author emphasized on the negative effects of workplace bullying as the main rationale behind the study. Workplace bullying is a repeated, totally intentional and isolated sequence of events that lead to negative impacts of the proper working environment on an organization or in a hospital. According to Branch, Ramsay Barker (2013), the workplace bullying is categorized solely as personal and work related. Certain behaviors that are considered unacceptable in the workplace include isolating, excluding and ignoring an individual, humiliating a person in front of a group of coworkers, undermining a persons integrity, using slangs against a person in a workplace, openly attacking a persons religious belief and making bad remarks upon a persons community and skin color, and even the physical abuse is considered as a workplace bullying. Along with these mentioned practices in the workplace, there are other type of bullying in the workplace which are work related, like imposing works t hat are hard to perform and have impractical deadlines, imposing tasks on an employee which are beyond the expertise of the concerned employee, also another wrong practice is taking the credits of another persons hard work, and criticizing and relieving a person from the responsibility. It is a known fact that acknowledging the workplace bullying among the nurse is a difficult part to consolidate (Berry et al., 2012), there are several studies conducted upon the workplace bullying among the nurses, however the methodologies followed in such studies is different. Hence, a comparison cannot be established within the studies. Also, the several studies conducted is based on different sampling techniques in the different healthcare environments. Studies reflect that, in a workplace the newly graduated nurses experience 20% to 32%, while in the emergency departments the incidence of bullying is around 22.9%. A study conducted among the British population of nurses, showed a remarkably hig her incidence of bullying is found to be experienced by the nurses which is around 35.8%. The data is exceptionally high among the newly graduated nurses in comparison with the nonprofessional and professional coworkers. While studies conducted among the Turkish nurses revealed that 20% of nurses reported about intentional bullying. According to Park, Cho Hong (2015), the operating room is considered as a part of the workplace in hospitals within which disruptive behaviors, interpersonal conflict, bullying behaviors and stress are common occurrences. There are several terminologies that are used to define bullying under several circumstances like lateral violence, peer incivility, disruptive behaviors, workplace incivility and horizontal violence. Study conducted among the perioperative registered nurses revealed that reveal that perioperative registered nurses behave negatively, and another issue is that often perioperative RNs criticize the work of the other employee in front of other coworkers. According to Frederick (2014), a higher incidence of workplace bullying in found in the perioperative environment. Also from the same study, the disruptive behaviors affected the work quality and increased the medical errors. Aims and objectives of the study The aims and objectives of the study are segregated into four different points. The first aim of the study is to illustrate the prevalence of workplace bullying within the perioperative registered nurses, unlicensed perioperative workers, surgical technicians at the two-different academic medical hospitals. The second aim is to investigate whether ethnicity, gender, years of profession, years of experience within a unit, and the title of the job can envision the incidence of workplace bullying. the third aim is to investigate whether there is a positive relation between the emotional exhaustion and workplace bullying within the perioperative registered nurses and staff members. The fourth aim is to investigate whether there is any relation between the workplace bullying and patient safety in the operating room (Chipps et al., 2013). Research methodology Conceptual model The Author during the conduct of the research, used a model which is based on a model developed by Hutchinson et al (2010). The model emphasizes on the presence of organizational antecedents which lets the bullying to coexist in the work environment. Organizational antecedents include several others factors which consolidate the effect of workplace bullying. These factors include unofficial organizational alliances, maltreatment of the legitimate procedures, authority and processes. Unofficial organizational alliances include the formation of groups of workers that promote an environment which is favorable for workplace bullying. Managers, who can actively control the bullying is himself engaged in the activity. While the managers are authorized to control such ill activities, are engaged in the misuse of the authority. These activities are an overall effect of the unofficial existence of informal alliances that promotes workplace bullying. According to Hutchison et al. (2010), the b ullying acts are categorized into 3 different domains: personal bullying, bullying through the works or tasks assigned, bullying on the competence and reputation. Personal bullying includes the acts of humiliation, isolation, intimidation and threats. The work-related humiliation includes hindrances in work, economic sanctions. While bullying on competence and reputation includes tarnishing the professional image and hindering the career opportunities. The activities of bullying become normal in a workplace when bullying is accepted as a friendly behavior in the work group. The consequences of bullying include unwillingness and distress during work, it makes the employees less engaged resulting in the reduction of productivity. There are other consequences which are reported by the affected individuals which include higher levels of anxiety, interruptions and depressions during the progress of career (Rodwell Demir, 2012). Study design The Author designed a cross-sectional survey. The sample size included 167 registered nurses, unlicensed perioperative workers that are working in operating room, surgical technicians at the 2 academic medical institutions. There is also an exclusion criterion which includes the employees who have worked under 6 months and the employees who work less than half percentage of work for a week. Workplace bullying was measured using a Revised- Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-R) (Vogelpohl et al., 2013). the NAQ-R was developed to measure the exposure to bullying in any kind of work setting. The respondents were asked whether they experienced any bullying within the preceding 6 months by answering the 22 questions in the questionnaire. While the terms harassment and workplace bullying were not used in the questionnaire instead bullying was mentioned as negative acts. How frequent the respondents experienced the negative behavior was actually documented in the answer section, and the valid ity of the answers was determined with the Cronbach alpha score (Eisinga, Te Grotenhuis Pelzer, 2013), which ranged between 0.80 to 0.91. Emotional exhaustion was measured as part of the study through the emotional exhaustion subscale Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). This scale measures the emotional distress during the job. The participants were further asked to answer 23 questions among which 8 questions are based on the demographic information, 8 on the bullying behaviors and the remaining 7 were based on estimating the expectations, errors and patient safety. The data accumulated from the two-different academic medical hospitals were collected and further used for data analysis. Procedure of data collection After getting the approval from both the hospitals, then the research team conveyed the data collection methodology to the perioperative nurse managers and conducted meetings with the perioperative staffs. The sole purpose is to introduce the whole procedure to the eligible participants. Before the beginning of each and every survey the research team conveyed a clear message through a cover letter depicting the aims and objectives of that particular study. There was also an option for the participants to opt out of the study by not reverting the survey. These cover letters were sent to all the eligible participants (Chipps et al., 2013). The cover letters as returned by the participants from each of the hospitals kept confidential and these surveys were treated as data sets and were later used for statistical analysis. Data analysis For the data analysis the data accumulated were entered into the IBM SPSS statistics version 19.0 software. A descriptive statistic for each of the hospital was calculated based on the demographic data. For the categorical variables, Frequencies and percentages were calculated while for the continuous variables, standard deviation and means were calculated. The data collected through the NAQ-R were analyzed for the calculation of intensity, frequency as well as target scores. the frequency of workplace bullying is calculated by the adding the negative acts which are experienced by the participants on a daily or weekly basis. The Author considered the participants as targets of bullying when the participants experienced bullying or the negative acts twice of more than twice daily or weekly. A logistic regression model is used in order to determine that the demographic variables have a positive correlation with the target status (Allison, 2012). The target status is defined as no means zero whereas yes means one. The independent variables involve the individual demography of both the hospitals, registered nurses and the non-registered nurses, age, experience of the employees in terms of year in the medical unit, and ethnicity. In a similar fashion the author designed multiple regression model in order to determine that the demographic variables are signifying the intensity of bullying. the continuous bullying intensity is considered as a dependent variable while the other demographic variables were considered as independent variables. The author utilized the spearmans rank correlation coefficient to establish a relationship between emotional exhaustion and the participants experiencing the workplace bullying (Zionts, 2012). a logistic model is also developed which signifies which bullying tendencies resulted in to compromising the patient safety. Within this model, the dependent variable included the compromise of patient safety as no and yes responses with value s of zero and one respectively. Also, each of the negative responses from the NAQ-R is entered separately into the regression model. Critical assessment According to the author, workplace bullying is a repeated, totally intentional and isolated sequence of events that lead to negative impacts of the proper working environment on an organization or in a hospital. Workplace bullying is major problem which is occurring among the perioperative Registered nurses, unlicensed perioperative workers and surgical technicians in the operating rooms (OR). While the survey conducted did not have the words like bullying and harassment in the questionnaire, instead these words are substituted as negative acts. Bullying was measured or quantified based on the common demographic variables like the gender, ethnicity and age. The quantification was also based on other important factors like the years of profession and experience, years of experience in the particular medical unit, title of the job and the job role. While the study was completely based in the operating room of a hospital environment. It neglected the general occurrence of workplace envi ronment n the other types of working environment (Power et al., 2013). The study emphasized on the occurrences of bullying in the operating rooms which can be considered as a micro environment. Although the other aspects of bullying that occur within the other medical units and department of a hospital are not accounted and dealt. Thus, it can be said that although the studies related to bullying in the operating rooms were very minimal, and this particular gave a detailed and descriptive analysis. Yet it failed to highlight the other instances of bullying in different circumstances that arise due to medical emergencies in other units (Gokhman et al., 2012). The sampling process is kept confidential by delivering the cover letter to each of the participants through mail. The participants were employees from two different hospitals which included the perioperative nurses, surgical technicians and the unlicensed perioperative workers. It is important to mention that along with the above-mentioned personnel in the operating rooms, there are other personnel who have a contributory effect on the operating room environment. Like the scrub nurse, anesthesiologist, circulating nurse (Russ et al., 2013). These personnel are not taken in to account during the study, which somewhat decreases the effectivity of the study. The data collection methods were majorly based on the survey conducted through questionnaires that are based on the negative acts experienced by the participants. The study even has the option for the participants to opt out from the study process by not submitting the survey. This somewhat makes the sampling method lose its grip from the effective sampling size. The questions framed lacked the flexibility of expression. Other sampling methods like undisclosed interviews with the affected personnel can effectively highlight the exact cause of work place bullying. The analysis of the data is completely based on statistics and because it did not take into account of other sampling techniques like interviews (Rowley, 2012). Thus, the results reflected data based on the negative acts experienced by the respondents on a daily and weekly basis. Although the study has its drawbacks which are discussed above, the study does have strengths. The first major strength is that study on workplace bullying in operating room is not a well-researched field and not enough studies were done before. This particular study highlighted and revealed a lot of hidden aspects of workplace bullying in the operating room. The second major strength is that the workplace bulling not only affects the targeted person but it also has an equally negative impact on the patient health outcomes including the patient safety, mortality, satisfaction and as well as negative patient events (Laschinger, 2014). Conclusion Therefore, from the above study it can be concluded that workplace bulling is an unpleasant phenomenon that occurs within the workplace and work groups. The negative impacts of workplace bullying not only affects a targeted person mentally but also physically which hampers his or her productivity. Whereas, such occurrences in a medical unit can have serious impact on the health outcomes of the patients. The study focusses on the workplace bullying in operating room and it presented with a detailed an exhaustive analysis of the results. However, it failed to take into account the other personnel like scrub nurse, circulating nurse and anesthesiologist that work in an operating room. While the study had drawbacks in the method of sampling and representation, also it failed to suggest any effective remedy of workplace bullying. However, the study did mention about the negative impacts on the patient health outcome due to the incidence of bullying in the operating room. References Allison, P. D. (2012).Logistic regression using SAS: Theory and application. SAS Institute. Berry, P. A., Gillespie, G. L., Gates, D., Schafer, J. (2012). Novice nurse productivity following workplace bullying.Journal of Nursing Scholarship,44(1), 80-87. DOI:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2011.01436.x Branch, S., Ramsay, S., Barker, M. (2013). Workplace bullying, mobbing and general harassment: A review.International Journal of Management Reviews,15(3), 280-299. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-2370.2012.00339.x Chipps, E., Stelmaschuk, S., Albert, N. M., Bernhard, L., Holloman, C. (2013). Workplace bullying in the OR: Results of a descriptive study.AORN journal,98(5), 479-493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2013.08.015 Eisinga, R., Te Grotenhuis, M., Pelzer, B. (2013). The reliability of a two-item scale: Pearson, Cronbach, or Spearman-Brown?.International journal of public health,58(4), 637-642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0416-3 Frederick, D. (2014). Bullying, mentoring, and patient care.AORN journal,99(5), 587-593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2013.10.023 Gokhman, R., Seybert, A. L., Phrampus, P., Darby, J., Kane-Gill, S. L. (2012). Medication errors during medical emergencies in a large, tertiary care, academic medical center.Resuscitation,83(4), 482-487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2011.10.001 Hutchinson, M., Vickers, M. H., Wilkes, L., Jackson, D. (2010). A typology of bullying behaviours: the experiences of Australian nurses.Journal of clinical nursing,19(15?16), 2319-2328. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2009.03160.x Laschinger, H. K. S. (2014). Impact of workplace mistreatment on patient safety risk and nurse-assessed patient outcomes.Journal of Nursing Administration,44(5), 284-290. doi: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000068 Nielsen, M. B., Einarsen, S. (2012). Outcomes of exposure to workplace bullying: A meta-analytic review.Work Stress,26(4), 309-332. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2012.734709 Park, M., Cho, S. H., Hong, H. J. (2015). Prevalence and perpetrators of workplace violence by nursing unit and the relationship between violence and the perceived work environment.Journal of nursing scholarship,47(1), 87-95. DOI:10.1111/jnu.12112 Power, J. L., Brotheridge, C. M., Blenkinsopp, J., Bowes-Sperry, L., Bozionelos, N., Buzdy, Z., ... Madero, S. M. (2013). Acceptability of workplace bullying: A comparative study on six continents.Journal of Business Research,66(3), 374-380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.08.018 Rodwell, J., Demir, D. (2012). Psychological consequences of bullying for hospital and aged care nurses.International nursing review,59(4), 539-546. DOI:10.1111/j.1466-7657.2012.01018.x Rowley, J. (2012). Conducting research interviews.Management Research Review,35(3/4), 260-271. https://doi.org/10.1108/01409171211210154 Russ, S., Rout, S., Sevdalis, N., Moorthy, K., Darzi, A., Vincent, C. (2013). Do safety checklists improve teamwork and communication in the operating room? A systematic review.Annals of surgery,258(6), 856-871. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000000206 Samnani, A. K., Singh, P. (2012). 20 years of workplace bullying research: a review of the antecedents and consequences of bullying in the workplace.Aggression and Violent Behavior,17(6), 581-589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.08.004 Vogelpohl, D. A., Rice, S. K., Edwards, M. E., Bork, C. E. (2013). New graduate nurses' perception of the workplace: have they experienced bullying?.Journal of Professional Nursing,29(6), 414-422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2012.10.008 Zionts, S. (2012, December). MULTIPLE CRTTERTA DECISION MAKING. InMultiple Criteria Decision Making Theory and Application: Proceedings of the Third Conference Hagen/Knigswinter, West Germany, August 2024, 1979(Vol. 177, p. 150). Springer Science Business Media.

Walmart Diversity Essay Example

Walmart Diversity Paper | Wal-Mart’s Diversity| Course Research Paper| | Alicia B. Clennan| 647 Pilgrim Dr. San Antonio, [emailprotected] com210-912-4537GM 591: Leadership and Organizational BehaviorProfessor Marco  Faggione| 12/12/2010 | Wal-Mart’s Diversity Introduction The organizational that will be the topic of discussion in my final project paper is Wal-Mart Corporate. Wal-Mart was founded in 1962, with the opening of the first Wal-Mart discount store in Rogers, Ark. The company incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc on Oct 31, 1969. The company grew to 276 stores in all states by the end of the decade. In 1983, the company opened its first Sam’s Club membership warehouse and in 1988 opened the first supercenter. Wal-Mart became international company in 1991 when it opened its first Sam’s club. Wal-Mart serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,692 retail units under 55 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2010 sales of $ 405 billion, Wal-Mart employs 2. 1 million associates worldwide. I am a sales associate at Wal-Mart in the jewelry department. I was hired in June of 2010 and I was not familiar with the corporation yet. However, I recognize how well the organization performs. Wal-Mart believes that business wins, when everyone matters and the true strength of diversity is unleashed, when each associate is encouraged to reach their full potential. As for as with Wal-Mart’s Diversity, personally I am not so familiar and only experience in a not so much with their purpose due to being employed in a span of four months. Research shows other issues with Wal-Mart’s ethical diversity. Wal-Mart is always under the microscope when it comes to discrimination. We will write a custom essay sample on Walmart Diversity specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Walmart Diversity specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Walmart Diversity specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Evidence shows that there are complaints about favoritism, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination. These unethical issues are a problem in today’s occupation society. Problem Statement Wal-Mart has been a target of criticism for its employment practices and its effect on the larger economy and community. There are several incidents mentioned on the web and in court cases. At my Wal-Mart, I have noticed favoritism. Favoritism between managers and employees is a big problem in Wal-Mart. One way of thinking of favoritism is getting called to do the more responsibility type of work. This is like trying to be friends with the boss to get higher in the employment ladder. The managers seemed to have certain picks between subordinates about who gets the special attention. Like I said, I have noticed this act at my Wal-Mart. Most of the night shift girls are friends with one of the night managers at my Wal-Mart. I noticed them going out of their way to please this supervisor. There is an organization called Wal-Mart Watch which began a nationwide public education campaign to challenge the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, to become a better employer, neighbor, and corporate citizen. This organization lets employees (former and present) leave blogs on â€Å"Wal-Mart Speaks Out† discussing issues they see in their Wal-Mart. One individual with the initial RR wrote writes: I was passed over at least five times for promotions because the only people that were getting promotions were the drinking buddies of a manager. She has since been fired; I was a union steward for 20 years in California and have never seen such disregard for labor laws. In this town, in retail if you are injured at work you are fired; this doesn’t only happen at Wal-Mart in [Colorado], it happens at all the grocery stores. I am outraged that they aren’t being forced to treat their employee’s better. With this information, it is unaccepted in the workforce. This can be considered unprofessional relationship in the workforce. It is almost as serious as a manager or a supervisor is having an affair with one of their workers. Favoritism also leads to other problems. These other problems have been reported of happening. Sexual harassment and discrimination for males vs. females have been reported about Wal-Mart. Several cases have been seen through the court systems. One example that will be mentioned later on in the report is of a sexual harassment case that took place in Crosby, TX. Another example that I will mention about in the discrimination of female workers, is about a gender discrimination lawsuit that was the largest in U. S. history. It happened to be about women not getting promoted and pay equally to men. Sexual harassment in the workforce is unacceptable. Wal-Mart has its share of complaints. In Crosby, TX, a former Wal-Mart employee had sued Wal-Mart for sexual harassment from her supervisor. Theil (2008) reported that a former employee named Jenna Aryain of Wal-Mart was sexually harassed by her supervisor. The incident happened on February 25, 2005 as a cashier. Aryain said that for four months her supervisor, Darrel Hays allegedly subjected her to appalling remarks every day. Her supervisor committed her about her looks and made sexual advances to her. Ms. Aryain allegedly complained to another supervisor and no action was taken by Wal-Mart. On June, 20, 2005, her supervisor allegedly yelled at her during work. She left work early that day and told her parents what had happened. Her father called the store manager, Gwendolyn Furr and Chelly Whiddon, an assistant manager, to arrange a meeting to discuss what was going on. Supervisors are much as guilty as the employee. Most supervisors have favorite employees that they count on with certain tasks. When an energetic employee is in your organization, most supervisors call upon them to do the task because they know that it will get done. Your other employees may have the same qualities as the energetic person so they felt left out. (Bielous, 1997) Literature Review Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Manual for Managers and Supervisors by Gibson (1998) guides the upper management on the importance of a sexually harassed free work environment. It lets managers know that the best defense for the sexually harassment subject is an offensive approach. There are actions that companies must take in order to eliminate sexual harassment. By creating a zero tolerance policy against sexual harassment and other inappropriate conduct by company managers and supervisors. Why is it important that managers and supervisors learn this subject? There is an automatic liability on the company if a manager or a supervisor is accused of sexual harassment or doesn’t stop it from happening. There is a law that makes it clear that prevention and elimination of sexual harassment is a must in the workplace. Gibson (1998) also writes that if a victim started the conversation of sex talk that they can claim sexual harassment at any time. A hostile work environment can be considered abusive if the behavior becomes severe or pervasive. Flirting or vulgar language is merely annoying and may not be hostile enough to take legal action, but it usually considered prohibited by company policy. Also a romantic relationship between management and subordinates is not against the law. If one does exist it cannot get out of hand. Getting out of hand may be determined as favoritism in the workforce. The relationship must be consensual between both parties in order to prevent harassment. A hostile environment in the workplace can consist of sexual play while on the clock. In the handbook that Gibson (1998) wrote, he mentions steps a company can take in preventing sexual harassment. First off, a company needs to have a strict written policy prohibiting sexual harassment. The policy should also define, provide examples, outline a procedure for reporting with several avenues to bypass his or her supervisor, mention assurance that all cases will be taken seriously, guarantee all cases have adverse consequences like discharge to the harasser, and all supervisory personnel to immediately report and sexual harassment. Along with a written policy, the company must train each employee on sexual harassment to avoid any pitfalls. The company needs establish an effective procedure for handling sexual harassment complaints. One good idea mentioned is to designate two individuals, one male and one female, in handling the complaints. Some individual feel more comfortable talking to someone of the same sex. Monitoring your management staff for anti-harassment behavior is a good idea or even including EEO preventive practices in daily routines. The organization should quickly investigate all claims and observed conduct. Feel free to give the victim time off to gather their thoughts to prevent them from quitting or suing the company. Separating the victim from the harasser may sound like a good idea, but be careful in where you put the victim. If the victim doesn’t like the area because of disadvantages of moving, it could be considered retaliation. The organizations should take all complaints seriously, even though it did happen five years ago. The employee can’t sue because of the time length; still the organization can make sure that the incident still needs to be controlled. The organization needs to have all sexually harassment cases documented for legal reasons. Valid documents may consist of statement from witnesses, complainant, and the alleged harasser. Other documents may include what the employer did to resolve the conflict. The company should make sure all confidentiality be taken to prevent further liability. Upper management should make sure that no retaliation takes place. In chapter eight, Gibson (1998) mentions an effective way to handle the complaint of sexual harassment. The organization needs to take the complaint seriously. Don’t be judgmental about the case even if the complaint comes from a chronic complainer. The company can be liable on how they handle the sexual harassment complaint. Try to put the victim at ease and assure with confidentiality. Assure the victim that non-retaliation is intolerable and should be reported. Handle all cases with action even though the victim asks that no action should take place to the harasser. The company can still be held reliable. Conducting an in-depth sexual harassment investigation can be difficult Gibson (1998) mentions. An immediate investigation by a neutral person should be handled as quickly as possible. This person is usually a member of the HRO or EEO. Other managers or supervisors should know what is going on in case they are asked to assist. Keep an investigation under general guidelines such as treating all cases separate, keep them valid until proven frivolous, protect the victim from further harm, document complete and accurate, keep all fact a â€Å"need to know† basis, limit the number of people who have access to the information, tell all parties to keep the case confidential, and never broadcast the facts as a training tool. If the case of the harassment to be found true, take prompt corrective action. Consider case by case on the severity of punishment to the harasser. If the victim doesn’t get discharge, warn them that next time a discharge will occur. Inform all results to effective parties in order to protect privacy. Make sure you follow up on all cases to make sure no one has been retaliated. Sometimes the investigator may come to some special circumstance when trying to resolve situations. If the accused wants a lawyer, assure them that there is no need for one and they are not required to have one. Also if there was no witness to the alleged claim, the investigator must take the credibility of the parties when determining the outcome. If the claim can’t be determined if it happened or not, then education to both parties must take place about sexual harassment. Further assure the victim that his or her employment conditions won’t be retaliated. Make sure the complaint is filed for legal reasons. If the claim turns out to be false, determine if the person deliberately lied or simply misread the conduct. Disciplining someone who misinterpreted the action may think they were retaliated, and the company could be held responsible. The law for gender discrimination makes it clear on what is expected in the workforce. Corporations are abided to follow laws and regulations in the United States. US Code Section 2000E-2: Unlawful employment practices (a) Employer practices It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer (1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individuals race, color, religion,sex, or national origin; or (2) to limit, segregate, or classify his employees or applicants for employment in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee, because of such individuals race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Analysis Ethical concept in the workforce keeps the organization is regarded as good character and conduct. We need to make ethical decisions based on focuses of moral dilemmas. Moral problems is that of an ethical consequences of a decision that was made. Ethical leadership is a responsibility that managers and supervisors must abide by. These responsibilities may include caring, honesty, principled, fairness, and balanced choices. Favoritism, does not match under those qualities. Favoritism is the soul issue that Wal-Mart faces today. I have seen favoritism in my workplace. Also favoritism is being viewed at all Wal-Marts around the world. With the other issues that Wal-Mart faces, sexual harassment and gender discrimination, favoritism is usually the root of the problems. Favoritism is more likely to be inevitable in any organization. Organizations should try to reduce them as much as possible. Emotional conflict is difficulties within oneself that arises because of anger, mistrust, dislike, fear, and resentment. Emotional conflict can the energy out of a person and can be distracting. You may see this emotional distress in teams, among co-workers, and in superior-subordinate relationship. There are certain levels of the conflict. One level of conflict you may have is interpersonal conflict. This is a conflict between two or more people. Sexual harassment may become an interpersonal conflict. When your supervisor makes sexual remarks or advances to an employee, conflict arises. When sexual harassment occurs it puts emotional stress on the victim. The victim feels anger toward the incident. Sexual harassment is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. That person will start feeling resentment in that did she do something wrong to cause the harassment. Effects of sexual harassment can vary depending on the individual, and the severity and duration of the harassment. Often, sexual harassment incidents fall into the category of the merely annoying. However, many situations can, and do, have life-altering effects particularly when they involve severe/chronic abuses, and/or retaliation against a victim who does not submit to the harassment, or who complains about it openly. Indeed, psychologists and social workers report that severe/chronic sexual harassment can have the same psychological effects as rape or sexual assault. Stereotyping is a commonly held popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of stereotype and prejudice are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups based on some prior assumptions. Gender diversity is the proportion of males to females in the workplace. Corporations may have more of an even distribution or the employee pool is composed of mostly males or mostly females. This can have an effect on how people interact and behave with one another in the workplace and would impact culture and social environment. Similarly other demographics such as population, racial characteristics and such all contribute to the work environment. Though gender discrimination and sexism refers to beliefs and attitudes in relation to the gender of a person, such beliefs and attitudes are of a social nature and do not, normally, carry any legal consequences. Sex discrimination, on the other hand, may have legal consequences. Though what constitutes sex discrimination varies between countries, the essence is that it is an adverse action taken by one person against another person that would not have occurred had the person been of another sex. Discrimination of that nature in certain enumerated circumstances is illegal in many countries. Currently, discrimination based on sex is defined as adverse action against another person that would not have occurred had the person been of another sex. This is considered a form of prejudice and is illegal in the United States. Wal-Mart’s reports on gender discrimination of women in their corporation are illegal and should be taken care of. Like every class-action ruling, the certification should not be construed in any manner as a ruling on the merits or the probable outcome of these cases. When these cases arose back in 2001, women were getting 79 cents to every dollar a man made. (Friedman, 2010) Solutions There are solutions that could be used in order to correct the problem Wal-Mart faces. Training, discipline, and monitoring of all employees of Wal-Mart are the best steps in the right direction. If done right, Wal-Mart can start becoming a more successful corporation that others can follow. The corporation needs to take steps in training everyone in the organization on the right and wrong things to do when it comes to diversity. Having quarterly training will give each employee an implant of the things that are wrong. Being an ethical corporation involves everyone. First, start with training your supervisors about the right and wrongfulness of favoritism in the workforce. Tell them that even the little things may be perceived as playing favoritism. Cautioned them about the negative reactions of an extra relationship between supervisor and a subordinate can lead in the wrong direction. Also keep reminding your employees the zero tolerance policy about sexual harassment. Assure people that there will be consequences if supervisors abuse their power. Wal-Mart needs to let their employees that there will be no retaliation if reports are being filed. Let your employees know that gender discrimination is all in the past. Your employees would like to know if they are being paid the same amount. Let you employees know what the pay scale is in your organization. Train your employees on the right and wrong of gender discrimination. Training has its pros and cons. The good thing about training the material is that it gets the information out there to the right people. A people need to here that there are rules and regulations that corporation has to abide by. The bad thing about training is that it can take up a lot of time while people are training. Discipline is another possible solution. Strict guidelines and closure of all cases will ensure everyone is treated equally. Make sure that if someone is sexually harassed that the supervisor or anyone in the organization will be punished. Make sure the punishment is fair and justified. Treat each case upon severity of the case. Like training, discipline also has its pros and cons. Discipline will let everyone in Wal-Mart know that the company is not playing around when it comes with sexual harassment. One thing bad about discipline is that one person may view the severity differently than another person in your organization. Then punishment may be differently and the victim may think that the harasser got off scot free. Frequent monitoring of all your employees is another way we can solve the problem at Wal-Mart. Managers should more frequently review those security cameras. Make rounds to your entire departments and ask questions about how everything is doing. Make sure you not just talk to the supervisors; also talk with all of your staff, even the janitor. The good thing about monitoring is that you can interact to your staff and it lets them know you care about them. Sam Walton would love this idea. The bad thing is that the manager will lose valuable time in his office handling paperwork. Reflection Viewing Wal-Mart after writing this report has a much more meaning to me when I go to work. I can start using my ideas to make a difference in the work place. I can spread my knowledge to my fellow workmates. I can let them know how important it is too seek help if there are any problems. Works Cited Alvarez, F. , Moser, A. (2010). Targeting Employers for Gender-Based Pay and promotion Discrimination: The Next Big Thing?. Employee Relations Law Journal, 36930, 46-53. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database. Bielous, G. (1997). Do you play favorites?. Supervision, 58(8), 9. Retrieved form MasterFILE Premier database. Friedman, E. (2010, April). Appeals Court Rules Wal-Mart Sex Discrimination Case Can Go to Trial. Retrieved from http://abcnews. go. om/WN/Business/wal-mart-sex-discrimination-case-trial/story? id=10480510 Gibson, P. , (1998). Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Manual for Managers ans Supervisors: How to Prevent and Resolve Sexual Harrassment complaints in the Workplace. Employment Human Resources management Professional Series. Chicago CCH Incorpated. Ozbilgin, M. Pringle, J. (2009). Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Work: a Research Companion. Cheltenham,UK , Northampton, MA Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc. Thiel, J. (2008). Harassment Claim Advances. HRMagazine, 53(10),99. Retrieved from Business Source complete database.