Internal Security Challenges

Ved Marwah Shri N N Vohra, Shri K Santhanam, Director IDSA, Ladies and Gentlemen: I deem it a privilege to be invited to deliver the IDSA Foundation Lecture. Since inception in November 1965, under the stewardship of the late Shri Y B Chavan and the subsequent direction provided by Shri K Subrahmanyam, former Director, the IDSA has acquired a creditable profile. Over the years, the IDSA has played a commendable role in enriching the security discourse and deliberations in India. It is in this context that I propose to share my thoughts with you on a matter of concern to all of us, namely, â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges†. India was partitioned in the backdrop of large-scale communal riots, but the partition of the country on religious lines, without taking into consideration its multiple identities, instead of bringing the communal tensions down, in fact, worsened the situation. The two-nation theory created Pakistan, and it still survives on this theory. Pakistan finds it difficult to accept the reality that India continues to be a democratic, plural, multireligious society and that India today has more Muslim citizens than Pakistan. Read this  Chapter 2 – Why Security is Needed The Government of Pakistan has taken upon itself the responsibility of not only protecting its own citizens, but also the Indian Muslims. The power structure in theocratic Pakistan, dominated by the army, the feudal landlords, the bureaucracy and the religious leaders has been able to retain its hold over the levers of power by playing the antiIndia and Islamic cards. Pakistan plays the Islamic card in its foreign policy also. It misses no opportunity to club India as an anti-Islamic country where Muslims are not safe. The continuing tensions between India and Pakistan have a direct bearing on the internal situation in India. They have further complicated the internal security situation. * IDSA Foundation Day Lecture delivered by Shri Ved Marwah, Governor of Jharkhand on November 11 2003. Strategic Analysis, Vol. 27, No. 4, Oct-Dec 2003.  © Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 503 The management of internal security, therefore, assumes great importance. If the internal security issues are tackled effectively, subversion by the external forces to that extent becomes more difficult. Unfortunately, the rise of contentious politics based on sectarian, ethnic, linguistic or other divisive criteria, is primarily responsible for the many communal and secessionist movements flourishing in India. The presence of hostile neighbours enables the internal conflicts to get external support, which includes money, arms and sanctuaries. The vested interests exploit these conditions to pursue their own agenda. In a well-established political system and a developed economy, conflicts between the various group identities are kept under check as in due course they get assimilated into the national identity. But that has not happened in India as yet, where the wounds of the partition and the colonial rule have still not fully healed. Moreover, the dependence on the government by a large section of our people for their very survival sharpens these conflicts among them. The democratic institutions and the state structures are still not strong enough to fully harmonise these conflicts in a peaceful manner. Violence erupts when conflicting interests cannot be consensually reconciled. The hostile external forces, taking advantage of this situation through subversive propaganda, further accentuate these conflicts. They give material and ideological support to aggravate this sense of grievance to such an extent that a small minority are willing to become tools in their hands to subvert the stability and security of the country. In addition, a number of secessionist and the so-called revolutionary movements are operating in India today. Their goal could be to overthrow the government and bring about revolutionary changes in the structure and functioning of the state, or even secession from the Indian Union. Ever since independence, India has been facing all types of violent conflicts based on religion, caste, language, ethnicity and regional loyalties. Political insecurity further compounds the problem. Preoccupied with the problem of survival, the governments in some of the most affected states are not looking at the problem from a long-term perspective. They have bought temporary peace by compromising with the subversive forces. Such shortsighted policies can have disastrous consequences in the long run. Instead of effectively dealing with them in the initial stages when the problem is manageable, they have allowed these anti-national forces to take roots and spread their tentacles far and wide. When a state government 504 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 is unable to effectively deal with them, instead of strengthening the state police machinery, it rushes to the Centre to hand over its responsibility at the first sign of any serious trouble. It is not surprising that in these states some sections of the police have actually joined hands with the subversive forces against the central forces. If you cannot fight them, join them†. Finding themselves at the mercy of these subversive forces, the people tend to change sides and start supporting them instead of supporting the security forces. It would be wrong to assume that all those supporting, directly or indirectly, these forces are sympathetic to their ideology. Far from it! For most of them, preoccupied with the daily battle of survival, this is the obvious choice, because the police are unable to protect them. Polarisation on caste and religious lines can further reduce the credibility of the police in the minds of the people. The police-politician-criminal nexus can embolden the criminal elements. Their activities can create an environment of lawlessness, where influential and rich people violate the law with impunity. The police is not the only component of the criminal justice system that has suffered because of this nexus. In fact, the entire criminal justice system is under strain. Not all crimes are being registered and those registered are not being properly investigated; and even out of those charge-sheeted, very few are ending in conviction. The conviction rate in case of heinous crimes is steadily falling. In some North-Eastern states it has reached almost zero level, where the police have stopped even submitting the charge sheets in the insurgency-related cases. When the fear of legal punishment disappears, organised crime finds it convenient to spread its tentacles. The crime syndicates are finding the new communication and information technology very useful. Extortion and payment of the so-called ‘protection money’ is more widespread than we would like to believe. According to some reports, direct extortion from the government funds runs into hundreds of crores of rupees. Many of the insurgent and militant groups are not driven by ideology, but by sheer greed. Money power is a bigger motivating factor than ideology. Vested interests have developed around these groups with active connivance of corrupt politicians, police officers and civil servants. Some politicians even take their assistance during election times. They have to return their favours when they come to power. This mutually beneficial relationship has seriously damaged the quality of governance in the interior areas. The real losers are the people. The development process â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 505 gets seriously hampered in a violent environment. When large development funds are siphoned out by this unholy alliance between the criminal and corrupt forces, even the delivery of the most basic services like water, power, healthcare, education and communications becomes a stupendous task. A vicious circle starts. The deprived and the marginalised sections of the society, unable to survive in the present system, get alienated. The militant and extremist forces thrive in this environment. The rise of Left extremism is more due to these compulsions than on ideological grounds. There are media reports about the carving out of a corridor by the Left extremist forces from Nepal to Tamil Nadu. Even if there is no truth in these reports, the involvement of hostile external forces in support of the Left extremist forces to destabilise the country cannot be ruled out. The mushrooming of armed ‘Senas’ on caste and ethnic lines in some parts of the country is a direct consequence of the polarisation of the society. This phenomenon has also affected the police and the administration in general. Loss of public confidence in the capacity of the state to protect their life and property is the primary cause of this dangerous development. Far from controlling them, a politicised and partisan police actually encourages this development. The tensions in some parts of the country, especially in the tribal areas, due to a perceived threat to their identity is not new, but the rise of so many violent movements is a relatively recent development. In the border states these movements become secessionist because of the support they receive from the hostile neighbouring states. The rise of fundamentalist forces is posing the most serious threat to India’s security. Fired with religious zeal these forces have created an entirely new situation. The intelligence agencies in our neighbourhood and the organisations, like Al Qaida, and Jaish-e-Mohammad, are encouraging the so-called ‘Jehadis’ to enter India from outside. After first targeting the border states they have now spread deep inside the country. These bands of fanatics are not only indulging in subversive activities, but are spreading the virus of fundamentalism among the Indian Muslims. The break-up of the Indian Union continues to be the main goal of Pakistan’s domestic and foreign policy. Easy availability of deadly weapons with the subversive groups operating in India has created new dangers for India’s security. With the ‘Golden Crescent’, and the ‘Golden Triangle’ in India’s neighbourhood, drug trafficking poses yet another threat to our security. 506 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 Drug syndicates are generating huge funds, a part of which is being used to give financial support to some of these subversive groups. The intelligence agencies like the ISI are recruiting a number of ‘carriers’ in drug trafficking as their agents. These agencies provide legal immunity for their criminal activities in their own country in addition to giving them financial and logistical support. Internal security challenges are not confined to any one area, but the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir, and the areas afflicted by Left extremism deserve special mention. North-East The Naga leadership under Z. A. Phizo had challenged their integration into the Indian Union even before India became independent in 1947. The Naga insurgency started way back in the early 1950s. Since then the insurgencies in this region have multiplied and spread to many new areas. In this extremely diverse and strategically sensitive region, there are different reasons for the ethnic upsurges and insurgencies in different states. Some seek secession from the Indian Union, some others seek separate states and yet others greater autonomy within the existing state. The number of such insurgent groups could reach three-digit figures. In Manipur alone, more than twenty-five groups are operating. Thousands have died in the insurgency-related violence. Insurgencies have seriously affected the economic life of the region. The whole developmental process is seriously hampered because of this unending violence. One can imagine the plight of the people who are already living on the margin. What to talk of getting a share of the fruits of development, they are deprived even of the most basic services. Unfortunately, unlike Jammu & Kashmir, these violent movements do not stir much response in national consciousness. Even serious incidents of violence hardly find any mention in the so-called mainstream media. The geo-strategic importance of the North-East is not sufficiently appreciated even in the security establishment. All the states in the North-East share an international border with other countries and the seven North-Eastern states are linked to the rest of the country only by a narrow strip of land. The lack of physical, cultural and emotional links has encouraged a feeling of alienation, which is being exploited by the nottoo-friendly neighbours to pursue their own agenda. They are giving support and sanctuaries to many of these groups to use them as leverage against a much bigger and more powerful neighbour. â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 507 The roots of these many insurgencies in the North-East lie deep in its history and its geography. But, it would be wrong to treat it as one homogeneous region with common problems, or social systems and customs. Even physiographically, the region can be divided into three broad areas — hills, plateaus, and plains. The many ethnic groups, speaking many different languages and dialects, who inhabit this remote part of the country consider themselves as separate people with little in common with the people in the rest of the country. The lack of physical, cultural and emotional links has encouraged this feeling of separation. The partition of the country seriously dislocated the old system of communications with serious demographic consequences. At the heart of the problem, however, is the new political consciousness and an urge for asserting their identity, especially among the fiercely independent tribal communities. The partition left the entire region land-locked, and even the old road, railway and river-waterway links with the rest of the country were severed, because they all passed through East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The new rail link via North Bengal is circuitous and too long and expensive for easy access to the region. The air link is not only expensive, but also unreliable due to climatic conditions. The people have to bear enormous additional transport cost for all their supplies. Another intractable problem is created by the influx of migrants from East Pakistan and now continuing from Bangladesh. In the beginning it was confined to the Hindus leaving East Pakistan due to insecure conditions, but later, because of intense population pressure even Muslims started migrating. The fear that immigrant population will one day dominate them is keeping many of the insurgent and secessionist movements alive. The terrain in this region is eminently suitable for insurgency. The hilly terrain and dense forests provide convenient hiding places to mount ambushes on the moving convoys of the security forces. Large parts of the interior areas have little or no police presence. The insurgent groups virtually control the administration in these areas. After attacking the security force they can easily disappear into the local population. Because of deprivation and alienation, a large section of the people tend to be sympathetic to the members of these groups. It is the alienation of the people that has sustained insurgency all these years, though logistic support and sanctuaries provided by the neighbouring states play a vital role in sustaining them. The dispersion of ethnic groups across the international 508 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 boundaries has profoundly influenced the nature of political conflicts. However, it needs to be emphasised that internal-external linkages originate with the failure of the domestic political and administrative system in coping with the internal conflicts. Secessionist leaders often adopt alternative strategies to achieve their goal. They keep on changing their tactics and demands according to the ground situation. The intensity of the conflict depends very much on how strong the public support is. Ethnicity can become an important dimension of internal conflict when it becomes intertwined with other social, political and economic issues. As conflicting groups go from one crisis to the next, they learn by experience to raise their demands to increase their bargaining power. Political changes that offer new opportunities for personal gain and extending their influence can spark violent conflicts. Even though most of them are conscious of the fact that secession is not a viable option, they keep on raising this demand to bring together the various contending conflicts on one platform. Making common cause against the Indian state is how many of these groups with conflicting ideologies cooperate with each other in their fight against the Indian state. The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) was born out of the demand to throw out the migrants from Bangladesh, and yet its top leaders are today finding sanctuary in that country. The South Asian ountries have more in common with India than with other countries in the region. They do not even have a common boundary with each other. But this reality has not made them friendlier towards India. History and geography have encouraged negative sentiments rather than positive sentiments about India in these countries. The big powers too have not hesitated to fish in troubled waters. Till the 1970s, China was directly supporting the ins urgencies in the North-East. Strategically, politically and economically the North-East is the most sensitive part of the country and should receive the serious attention it deserves. The ongoing dialogue between the government and the NSCN (IM) is a positive development, but it is going to take a long and torturous route. The NSCN (IM)’s claim on the Naga-inhabited areas in the neighbouring states has created serious complications. The riots in Manipur in 2001 following the extension of the ceasefire to the areas beyond the boundaries of Nagaland are a pointer to the difficult road ahead. The situation in â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 509 Assam has shown some signs of improvement, but large-scale extortion by the ULFA and other groups is posing serious problems. The NLFT and the ATTF continue to be active in Tripura. They have sanctuaries in Bangladesh. Mizoram is quiet, but there are problems between the Mizos and the Chakmas, and the Mizos and the Reangs. Thousands of Reang refugees from Mizoram are staying in camps in Tripura. In spite of many rounds of negotiations between the Mizoram government and the representatives of the Reangs, so far no solution appears to be in sight. The unending internecine feud between the NSCN (IM) and the NSCN (K) has spilled over from Nagaland to the neighbouring states and even to Myanmar. A number of Meitie and Kuki groups have sanctuaries in the Chin Hills in Myanmar. The ULFA and the Bodo groups have sanctuaries in the forests of Bhutan. There are unconfirmed reports of some sort of tie-up between the ULFA and the LTTE. A number of groups have also come up in Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Many experts have called the Naga insurgencies as the mother of all insurgencies in the North-East. The level of violence, however, in this explosive region continues to be high in spite of the fact that the ceasefire agreement with the NSCN (IM) has been in place since 1997. This only goes to show how difficult the road to peace is going to be in this trouble-torn region. It is truism to say that it is not only a law and order problem. It has many other dimensions. No strategy will succeed unless it strikes a right balance between political, economic and security measures. There is need for closer co-ordination among the policymakers. Ideally, there is need for a consensus among the major political parties. The pursuit of narrow political agenda can be exploited by the subversive groups. Many political leaders in this region indulge in double-speak. They mouth nationalist slogans in Delhi but have no hesitation in making strong anti-national statements and collaborating with the insurgent groups in the state. Nor do they have any reservation in changing parties. They frequently hop from one political party to another. In Manipur some politicians have changed sides as many as six times in a year. A chief minister changed his party three times in one month, and his coalition partners three times in 48 hours. A party label has very little meaning. Money and muscle power with active support of the insurgent groups play a key role in the elections. Most of these states are not financially viable. They hardly collect any revenue and depend almost entirely on the Union government for financial 510 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 support. This has caused lack of responsibility in incurring public expenditure. For example, Manipur has created a huge bureaucratic structure with a workforce of almost 100,000 on its pay roll. Over 80% of its total revenue (both Plan and non-Plan) is spent on payment of salaries and pensions. Extortion by the insurgent groups, the leakage’s of huge funds through corrupt practices leave very little for development. And they conveniently put the blame on the Centre for not giving them adequate funds. Through years of neglect this potentially rich region is today the most backward, almost primitive, part of our country. In these appalling conditions an alienated population becomes an easy target for the secessionist propaganda. Jammu & Kashmir The problem has been with us since independence even though Pakistan has no legal case. The ruler of this erstwhile princely state decided to accede to India. According to the Independence Act it was for the rulers of the princely states to decide to join India or Pakistan. Pakistan has been disputing the legality of the accession signed by the then J&K ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh. The initial hesitation of the Maharaja to accede to either India or Pakistan and the unilateral Indian offer to find out the wishes of the people of the state has given Pakistan an excuse to challenge the legality of the accession. It has been doing everything for the last 56 years to grab this state. It has not been able to achieve its objective through wars with India. So, it has started a proxy war since 1989. Waging of a proxy war fits into the Pakistani designs of bleeding India. Unfortunately, the weaknesses of the state and of the administrative systems have provided Pakistan with opportunities to fish in troubled waters. More interested in perpetuating their rule than governing the state, its rulers have been exploiting regional and religious differences. Anti-national forces thrived in this environment and Pakistan has missed no opportunity to support and encourage them. Over the years it has succeeded in building a proPakistan base in the state. Frustrated in their efforts to gain power through democratic means, some politicians joined the anti-India front, more to put pressure on the Indian government than on ideological grounds. In a state, where the overwhelming population was against communal politics at the time of partition, the fundamentalist forces have managed to penetrate into the secular polity. The many serious problems of the people have to be addressed. It is not a coincidence that Pakistan’s efforts to destabilise â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 511 he situation in the state received some success only when our own political mismanagement provided it with an opportunity to intervene, as in 1965 and again in 1989. One of Pakistan’s main aims is to divide the polity on communal lines. The attitude of the Pakistani military government is unlikely to change in the near future. But that does not mean that Pakistan should be allowed to set the Kashmir agenda. Moves will have to be made on all fronts to regain the initiative on both political and diplomatic fronts. The proposals made in the announcements by the Cabinet Committee on Security on October 22 are steps in the right direction, but the ground situation does not justify over-optimism. There are likely to be many ups and downs on this long torturous road to peace in Jammu and Kashmir. Left Extremism Making a beginning in Naxalbari in West Bengal and Telengana in Andhra Pradesh in the 1970s, the movement has since spread to many states: Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. The root cause for the rise in Left extremism is the inability of the states to address the many genuine grievances of the people. The gap between the unrealistic expectations, fuelled by populist rhetoric, and their actual fulfilment has increased and not decreased over the years. The younger generation is no longer willing to put up passively with injustice and humiliation without a fight. The bitterness of the angry young man against the prevailing unjust socio-economic system is spilling over. The older generation is not unsympathetic to them. An educational system which produces unemployable young boys and girls has not helped. Pressure on land has made the task of survival on agriculture more difficult. A callous district administration, especially in the rural areas, a clogged judicial system and feudal attitudes have compounded the problem. The land disputes have multiplied, but the land records and the judicial system to settle them is in disarray. There is a sense of frustration and anger. The most prominent among the groups, that have mushroomed in the recent years, are the People’s War Group (PWG) and the Marxist Communist Centre (MCC) . But it is not ideology and revolutionary zeal that is driving them. For many, joining these groups is the only way to survive. Their main activity is extortion. Huge funds amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees are being extorted by them. What they cannot 512 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 get through legitimate means they obtain through arms and explosives. Their tactics are no different from the insurgents and terrorists. Create terror and extort money. They are, however, not secessionists. Their aim is to overthrow what they call an unjust socio-economic system. But they are in no hurry to achieve their ideological aims as long as they can extort enough money. Corrupt politicians, policemen and civil servants have made their own adjustments with these groups. A live-and-let live attitude is mutually beneficial to all of them. Who knows how much money goes to the extremists and how much goes to the others. The real sufferers are the very people for whom the extremists are waging this war against the state. In public perception a government that is unable to discharge all its responsibilities is more likely to respond when the demand is loud, organised and backed by acts of violence. The many progressive, wellintentioned legislations are not eing implemented effectively and sometimes have done more harm than good by creating more bitterness and frustration, e. g. , the Minimum Wages Act. The marginal and deprived sections of the society are the worst hit. Social and economic factors are important, but even more important are religion and identity. The secessionist movement in J&K is politically motivated, but its ideological base is built ar ound religious funda-mentalism. Fired by religious fervour, the young recruits have no hesitation in attacking ruthlessly what they consider the decayed political and moral order, which they perceive as hedonistic. Once the instruments of governance are discredited, it is not too difficult to justify their destruction as in J&K, the North-East or in the states afflicted by Left extremism. In another sense, however, the aim of all these movements is no different from the aim of legitimate political movements. They too seek to acquire power, measured in terms of exercising influence or control over the people and acquisition of wealth for them is the source of all power. Extortion, therefore, becomes an essential part of their strategy. Their goal and strategy could change during the course of the movement. In the initial stages some of them may only demand economic and political justice or more autonomy in the existing political system, like the Bodos in Assam, but they can take a more extremist stand and demand secession in the later stages. Effective steps to reduce ethnic and social inequalities, disparities in educational and employment opportunities, and for creating an effective machinery for the redressal of public grievance, are absolutely essential to â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 513 mprove the environment in which extremist violence flourishes. Steps to reduce economic deprivation and improve the delivery of essential services can erode the base of public support on which the extremist movements survive. It is relatively easier to find solutions to seemingly intractable political problems, like in J&K, in an environment where people are by and large satisfied with the function ing of the government agencies and are not deprived of essential services. More than anything else, it is the economic policies that would ultimately determine the future of these movements. A thriving economy, which gives hope and opportunity to the people, is more likely to defeat all types of extremist movements than any other strategy. The need for a well co-ordinated security apparatus can hardly be overemphasised. It should include the police, the paramilitary forces, the army and the intelligence agencies. A composite force on the lines of the National Security Guards (NSG) should be organised in all the states, even in those states where the internal security situation is not so serious. It is easier to deal with the problems at the initial stages, than later, when the state police is no longer able to cope with them. But in the states where the situation has gone beyond their control, the Centre, as laid down in the Constitution, is duty-bound to intervene, notwithstanding the fact that law and order is under the State List. The Union government is charged with the responsibility of protecting the states from internal disturbances under Article 353 of the Constitution, even though law and order comes under List-II, the State List. The Union government can issue directions to the state under Articles 257-258. Action for non-compliance of the directions from the Union government can be taken under Article 365. A state government can be dismissed under Article 356, if a situation arises in which the administration of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. A national emergency can be declared under Article 352. But, even if the Centre decides to intervene, the state’s role cannot be minimised. The primary responsibility to deal with the security challenges must rest with the state governments. A situation should not be allowed to develop where the state government washes its hands off, or its forces instead of cooperating with the central forces, actually work against them. The many internal security challenges can be met effectively only with full cooperation between the central and the state governments. The police, 514 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 the paramilitary forces, the army and all the intelligence agencies must act in close co-ordination. The hostile foreign forces can and will take advantage of the internal situation to destabilise the country in pursuit of their own agenda. All serious internal security problems: communal and sectarian violence, organised crime, drug-trafficking, labour and students’ unrest, political violence and even economic crimes, if not checked effectively can develop an external dimension. There is an urgent need to make the police and the paramilitary forces more professional. The emphasis has to shift from ‘more numbers’ to ‘more professionally trained forces’. The internal security problems should not be treated as merely law and order problems. They have to be dealt with comprehensively in all their dimensions and at all levels — political, economic and social. They are all interlinked. At times, the required measures will conflict with each other. Going too far in one direction could be counter-productive. The security requirements have to be met, but that does not mean giving the security agencies a free hand. Striking the right balance is the key to success in meeting these challenges effectively. We need a comprehensive security policy that will be implemented effectively at all levels. Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your indulgence. It has been my endeavour to offer a personal perspective on the nature of the internal security challenges that India currently faces. I hope these thoughts and observations would encourage greater deliberations amongst you. From this interaction we could perhaps distil a collective perspective that would be relevant both to the policy makers and the civil society. And finally, my best wishes to the entire IDSA fraternity on this occasion — and may your stature grow.

Film Analysis

How To Analyze a Film As you might guess, conducting a semiotic analysis of a film is a somewhat more complicated venture than conducting a semiotic analysis of a print advertisement. This is not to say, of course, that movies and advertisements do not share similarities. Both, for example, are â€Å"texts† that rely on visual imagery to tell specific stories, and both are in the business of promoting specific ideologies. At the same time, print advertisements are limited by the static nature of their medium. Film, on the other hand, is not a static medium, and thus its stories are much more complex. Analyzing a film, then, as our text relates, is much more like â€Å"reading a novel† (307). In short, analyzing a film requires you to take a careful look at the setting, plot, characters, dialogue, symbols, metaphors, archetypes, etc. , as well as those factors that have an influence on the film, such as the social, historical, and political context in which the film was created. STEPS FOR CONDUCTING A SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF A FILM Despite the differences between movies and advertisements, the goal of a semiotic analysis of a film is nonetheless the same as a semiotic analysis of an advertisement, namely to determine its current social significance. With than in mind, here is an expanded and modified version of the steps for conducting a semiotic analysis, tailored specifically to film: 1. Establish the sign (film) to be decoded 2. Set aside your opinion; your task is to analyze the current social significance (This assignment is NOT a review of the film!! 3. Determine what the sign means (analysis of setting, plot, characters, symbols, etc. ) 4. Discuss how the film represents its topic 5. Sketch the overall context (historical, cultural, and political) in which the sign appears 6. Develop a list of questions, concerns, and/or issues that will guide your analysis 7. Develop a thesis statement Again, this is NOT the order in which everything should appear in your paper. This is merely a step by step of how to P REPARE to write a film analysis. It would also be helpful to find other important films in same genre of your chosen film and see HOW your film is different, and WHY that difference is important. ASSIGNMENT Using the steps for conducting a semiotic analysis of a film outlined above as the foundation for your argument, write a three to four page analysis of your chosen film. Preparation for this assignment requires the following: 1. ) Locating, renting, and watching the film 2. ) Going through the steps for conducting a semiotic analysis of a film as outlined above After completing the steps, your paper should include the following: 1. A thesis statement 2. A short but detailed description of the film 3. An analysis of the film that includes some of the details/discoveries that you made while completing the steps (NOTE: You may NOT use first person pronouns in this essay-â€Å"I†, â€Å"me†, â€Å"my†, etc. ) 4. A title page 5. At least two reviews of the film quoted and cited properly 6. Works Cited/References Page Film Analysis Throughout this scenes is John Watson who romantically searches for Sherlock realizing his friend is in great danger. Using this scene we discuss the language of film (Gaucheness. & Startled, 2012), observing the main elements and techniques- miss-en-scene, cinematography, editing and soundtrack- to create a scene in a film. In regards to miss-en-scene the scene takes place in what seems to be a classroom of sorts, Sherlock is face to face with the killer who, as mentioned earlier, is a taxi driver. The characters are facing each other, the dialogue intense yet offhand.With two tootles of pills between them, and the scene set in the evening, the only light that appears to be on is the one above the two characters as the emphasis of focus is on the them and the pills as Sherlock is trying to decipher which bottle contains the pill that kills and which doesn't. While the scene is set in a classroom with the constant close-ups on the faces of the two characters, there are times when it almost looks like they are in an interview room with the lighting above and sitting on opposite sides of a table.The music helps intensify the scene constantly creeping in and out of the scene building drama around these two people and these pill bottles. Sherlock dressed familiar attire of a long coat and scarf with his superior condescending look deduces that the cable dressed in his recently laundered but outdated clothing is a dead man walking with a brain aneurysm. Thus the scene is dramatic but with a sense of realism in the way the characters are dressed and set for an intense showdown. As this is all taking place in the classroom, during the intense moment the scene is then taken back to Watson as he realizes that Sherlock is in danger.The music has a sense of urgency to it as John after discovering the danger his friend is in searches frantically in the classrooms. Close ups are a main part in the scene as it builds the tension showing the facial expressions on both charact ers faces. As they take their seats in the classroom, the establishing shot is a mid-shot of the characters but a long shot of the classroom which helps set that particular scene. There are moments in the scene where the camera pulls back almost as a way to relieve the viewers from the tension.While the sighting is bright when they enter the classroom, it slowly dims so the focus is always on the two characters emphasizing the dramatic undertones of the scene. But the emphasis is the close ups on the characters. The scene is deliberately shot as a dialogue between to characters constantly switching from a close up on character to the other At first low angle shot on the taxi driver which portrays as being the dominating character as he is in charge of the scene but slowly as Sherlock pieces together the reasons for the taxi drivers murderous campaign, the angle is more eye level.Meanwhile during this intense meeting we cut to Watson with mid to long shots that are used as he is stil l looking for Sherlock in the school. There are close ups on his face showing his genuine concern for Sherlock the pace a lot faster than that in the dialogue scene of Sherlock and the Taxi driver. Within this scene it should be noted that continuity editing is apparent through shot reverse shot, eye line match, match on action, the 180 degree rule and the continuity of action sound and lighting. (Gaucheness. Startled, 2012) Watson running around scenes are fast paced and he dialogue between the two characters seems a slower pace but both are the same type of pace as the duration between the shots do in deed decrease heightening the suspense within this scene. Because of this constant dialogue between the two characters the camera is constantly cutting from one character to another developing this rhythmic editing used with the constant back and forth banter between Sherlock and the Taxi driver. Also established in this scene is the match on action â€Å"wherein a movement or actio n is started in one shot and completed in the next† (Gaucheness.Startled, 2012) This again, is portrayed well in this scene as the tension builds between the taxi driver and Sherlock with those who are smarter than who dialogue. Within this scene the non-dietetic sounds are blended with dietetic sound. During the dialogues pieces between Sherlock and the taxi driver the music is only heard quite faintly whenever Sherlock makes a deduction and when the taxi driver emphasizes his superiority. Through Watson scenes the music is urgent and you hear his footsteps so you are able to pick up on his urgency to find his friend.The USIA used is a repetition of the shows theme either with Just certain part taken or the same sequence in the score repeated in variation. The music theme is used constantly through the entire series of Sherlock and seems to play an integral part to the telling of each scene in any Sherlock episode blending in with the characters and the scenes themselves. As seen with the tension that is built up between the Taxi Driver and Sherlock. It's quiet yet as the drama unfolds it gets a little louder and quietest again making sure that the focus us on every little word that is said between the two characters. Film Analysis Film Analysis Assignment When first reading about this assignment I thought about movies that had a strong culture theme to it. I didn’t want to choose a movie that I’ve only seen once, only because I wanted to be sure of its cultural theme and I also wanted to be sure that I knew exactly what the movie was about and everything that happens in it. The movie that I decided to write about is Mulan. It is very clear that the context of this movie provides us with the information that the film takes place in the ancient times in China.We know this because in the opening scene it shows a Chinese soldier standing on The Great Wall of China. Also the clothing that they were is often affiliated with the Chinese culture so we can tell from this context where the movie takes place. Also a few times in the movie it shows the Chinese language written on certain things. I believe that the context of this film affects the communication between characters for a few reasons. One reason is whenever people greet each other, especially someone important, they would bow to them.Another way the context affects communication is that the characters talk to their elders so properly and respectfully. One of the main social identities in this film was the one that Mulan held. Since Mulan was pretending to be a man so she would be able to fight in the war, she definitely had to fit in with those among her. She had to talk like they did, walk like they did, participate in the things that she did. She did this so she would not blow her cover and be caught. The obvious culture identify in this movie is that they are all Chinese.We can tell this because of how they are dressed, their surroundings as well as their facial structure. One of the huge ways one of the characters helped us understand her perspective was when Mulan sang the song â€Å"Refection†. In this song Mulan is talking about how she doesn’t feel like she is good enough and that if she were to act h ow she really is she would break her family’s heart. She thinks that her reflection is someone she doesn’t know. With her singing this song we are able to truly see what Mulan thinks of herself and it helps us understand her more.The relationship between her identity and the context of the movie is pretty understandable. The context in the movie shows us the true identity of who Mulan really is. There is a major change in Mulan’s identity by the end of the movie. Throughout the movie Mulan is trying to prove to everyone that she will bring her family honor. At the end of the movie she ends up getting to take home the Emperors Imperial crest along with Shan Yu’s sword. The history in this movie greatly affects the characters standpoints. As we all know, Mulan takes place during the ancient dynasty days in China.So many details throughout this movie give that away. But the one of the many ways that history affects the standpoints of the characters in this m ovie is how they train as well as travel for their battle to fight against the Huns. With it being ancient days the soldiers’ are trained to fight with their hands, they are taught ty kwon doe and how to use a bow and arrow. If this movie had taken place in the 21st century, the soldiers’ would be trained how to shoot guns. This right here shows you that history greatly affects the characters.If Disney had decided to place the movie in present days the climax fight scene would be completely different. The perceptions of history in this movie can teach you many things. There are just so many little details that show you the films history. There’s a scene in the movie where the General has sent a letter to the training camp and we can see its history because Mushu writes the General back with pen and ink. Near the end of the movie the soldiers’ that fought in the battle parade through the city on horses and they have the traditional clothing from that time on as well.One of the main relationships between history and one of the main characters (Shang) is that he is now the leader of the army. Since he is now the leader he has to train the men how they were taught for battle back in those days. There was only one language used in this film, which was English. But there were many different communication styles used in the film. Since Mulan is portraying a man for most of the movie her communication style is very different from the others. She tries to make her voice sound like a man and say things she thinks they would say.At a few points in the movie she forgets to talk in a manly voice, but surprisingly does not give her cover away. There weren’t many uses on nonverbal communication/codes throughout the movie. I can honestly only think of a few things. In the opening scene when Shan Yu appears over The Wall, the Chinese soldier lights a big torch and says â€Å"Now all of China knows you’re here,† Also the cricket, who plays on of the sidekicks of Mulan is silent throughout the whole film. But through his gestures, as well as Mushu being able to know what he’s saying, helps the audience understand the cricket.There are a few main beliefs and values that are reveled throughout this film. In the begging of the movie we see Mulan’s father praying to their families ancestors. The ancestors are of great importance to her family. They believe that the ancestors will bring Mulan protecting with helping her fight in the battle. They also have a high value in their families honor. The littlest things that someone could do would bring their family so many dishonors. There is a scene in the movie where Mulan is to meet with the Match Maker so she can help find Mulan a husband.But through many clumsy mistakes the Match Maker is furious and tells Mulan that she will never bring her family honor. When her parents and grandmother hear of the news they are greatly disappointed in her. That is o ne of the main reasons she goes off to fight in the war. Doing this Mulan believes that she will be able to bring her family honor. There are a plenty of issues of power and hierarchy that are used in this film. At one point in the movie there are a few men sent in from the imperial city to give the town a message. The Emperor has ordered one man from every family must serve in the imperial army.This clearly shows just how powerful the Emperor is and how he can change a family so fast. There is also a scene in the movie where Shang (left in charge by his father General Li) has power over everything that goes on in the camp. There are some men fighting after dinner and as soon as he walks in the men immediately stop and salute him. There is also a scene when Shang is not thrilled with how Ping (Mulan) is training. He wants to â€Å"make a man out of her† but she just isn’t meeting his expectations. He tells her that in the morning she has to go back home. These two exam ples show how powerful he is over the men in the army.

Applied Problem Solving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Applied Problem Solving - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that the structure of centralization will face resistance to change given that some members of the management team would not willingly minimize their power and authority to the subordinates. Another likely hurdle is inadequacy of resources and the necessary finance to oversee the transitional process of change and integration of better approaches such as brainstorming. Further, the time required to develop a delegated system of the company is a constraint given training and repositioning must be conducted while still in operation.This study highlights that the organization structure of the organization was analyzed by the author in order to develop an in depth understanding of the process of decision making and the personnel involved in implementing the derived conclusions, so that constraints can be easily identified. The author reviewed relevant literature relating to the organization and talked to different people such as; key staff in the company, managers in organizations that have introduced and managed similar change and analysts from professional and trade associations.  The author’s organization maximizes its constraint throughput by using the available resources at the time it is discovered. The objective is to establish rapid relief while forming a basis where more complex and advanced analysis of the constraint can do in a later period.

Partnering and Preparing for the Professional Event Essay

Partnering and Preparing for the Professional Event - Essay Example The reporter discusses that "these three elements are an integral part of good leadership as they help to promote goal-oriented path for higher achievement and productive outcome. The empowered decision making is the vital aspect of leaders that highlight their critical thinking that helps to opt for the best course of action. Humility encourages trust building and developing a long-term relationship with the followers. Indeed, for personal and professional growth as the trusted leader, acquisition of knowledge becomes the hugely vital ingredient of good leaders. This not only increases their communication skills but also provides them with critical information for making ethically correct decisions which could influence the larger welfare of their followers. Most importantly, it provides them with the flexibility to embrace change and move forward constructively. Shamir and Eilam’s article was very enlightening that provided me with a new perspective of leaders and leadership. Indeed, one’s life stories hugely influence the personality and ideologies of an individual. A person becomes what he is because of the life that he leads and the lessons that he learns from his experience. The construction of meaning from one’s experience considerably impacts his/ her values and motivates one to evolve goals that conform to one’s values as developed from experience. The incidents and events of life become meaningful elements of authentic leaders who do things because of utter conviction and not because of what is expected of them. I do realize now that I am very much influenced by my past experience."

Case Study on ToyEdu. Creating Business Opportunity Essay

Case Study on ToyEdu. Creating Business Opportunity - Essay Example The company believes that their newly launched product will be a trend-setter in the toy industry. Its unique features will create attraction among the children in the initial stages. ToyEdu feels that the more the children can learn the basic educational tips, the more successful the company can be. ToyEdu’s objectives are very clear. It believes that the creative line of products waiting to be launched in the market of the United Kingdom will be the key to success. They wish to adopt strict financial controls that will reduce their operational cost, thus, enhancing their marginal cost. Furthermore, the company wishes to have a unique team of research and development, which will enable them to respond to the customer’s feedback and develop their products accordingly. The business plan that has been outlined in the proposal consists of the marketing and promotional strategy of the company to inform potential clients about the product. It includes few opportunities for t he business clients in toy industry who may be interested to buy the patent right of the product. The operational plan has been designed in such a way that will be suitable to meet the demand of both the segments, namely the individual consumers and the business clients. ... Traditionally, toys were considered as an equipment of amusement for the children. However, in the recent times, toys have been linked with education for creating the view that learning is fun. Thus, ToyEdu is initially targeting the UK markets, before spreading their businesses globally. Consisting of a handful of employees mostly in the manufacturing department, ToyEdu is looking forward to increase its client base all over the United Kingdom. The company claims to have a unique line of products which will be able to attract customers from different age groups. The financial strength of the company is not that strong compared to the competitors. Therefore, ToyEdu wants to see their company on the stock markets of the UK and establish its image as a renowned manufacturer of educational toys in the global markets. Market Requirement Analysis United Kingdom’s market for toys has been growing gradually. Lots of toys are being imported from the Asian countries especially from mai nland China as well as Hong Kong (Alibaba.com, 2012). Thus, the potential growth of a company producing toys in and around the UK is assumed to have an impact in the markets comprising of individual consumers and wholesalers. Therefore, a launch of products is intended to be made concerning both the segments. The company believes that their products will be able to attract the individual consumers who are the parents, grand parents and other near ones of a particular child. Additional to the individual consumers, the company also wants to target their products to the wholesalers such as schools, day-care centres and companies who are in the toy industry. It has been decided that traditional approach of

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reflection - Essay Example Brief Overview of your Leaflet The leaflet highlights many aspects that seek to enlighten both students and parents on the available resources for improving the experience of year six students. The introductory part of the leaflet highlights the driving force of Sunnyfields which is the fact that each student has an intrinsic capacity inherent since birth and requires nurturing for them to utilize their potential to the maximum level. However, the school environment lacks the potential of providing sufficient resources for children to nurture all their talents. The focus of Sunnyfields is year 6 students who are in their final year of studies. As the leaflet highlights, year six students require advanced preparation for the next level of studies. They face a surging pressure of succeeding in their statutory assessment tests (SATs). Sunnyfields realized that schools focused on motivating other students for these exams taken in May while assuming the surging need for year 6 students to receive worthwhile encouragement and assistance in preparation for these critical tests that reflect the ability of students. Sunnyfields comes in to offer students an opportunity to prepare adequately for the SATs. The program of preparing students for these examinations usually factor in multiple considerations to ensure that each student receives a lot of attention. On the other hand, Sunnyfields provides platforms for year 6 students to develop a diverse range of skills and have fun. There is a range of clubs and groups that focus on different interests of the students. Through registration, students can have the opportunity of developing indispensable skills as well as having thrilling experiences alongside their friends. Moreover, year 6 students can register for a breakfast program that focuses on offering students with a nutritious diet that presents them with all the nutritional requirements for maximizing their learning experience. The objectives of Sunnyfields are in lin e with the theory developed by Piaget that schemata are critical in the development of children. Through these mental orders, children exhibit the capacity of learning new skills. Aspects of Learning and Teaching The most critical aspect of learning offered by the Sunnyfields is the program that seeks to provide students with an opportunity of familiarizing themselves with the new format for the statutory assessment programs. The program offers sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for about ten students to meet in the library with access to multiple resources for their tuition classes. The limited number of students helps the students to receive personalized help from the qualified staff who exhibit expertise and awareness of the new aspects tested in the SATs as evident in the Chace Community Schoolwebsite. The sessions equip students with adequate knowledge and information enabling them to excel in their exams.During these sessions, students can pose any question or concern a nd receive assistance. Through the assimilation process defined by Piaget, children are able to apply the information gained to solve new sets of problems in their exams. In addition, a diverse learning opportunity is the science club that offers students with the required empowerment to become outstanding scientists. The club offers students with scientific interest to build a strong foundation for their future careers. Moreover, students have an opportunity to develop film

Organisational Performance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Organisational Performance - Assignment Example Competitors, business managers, academicians, researchers and other observers constantly kept on asking the same question that what is the secret being Toyota’s impeccable success? The fact is that consistency and quality in Toyota’s vehicles, which also make it as the most trusted and reliable vehicle all over the world, is a direct result of the operational excellence that the company has achieved in the past few decades. In fact, Toyota has intelligently converted that operational excellence into their strategic weapon to outclass the competitors (Liker and Franz, 2011, p. 510).   Partly, this operational excellence is a result of frameworks, tools and approaches that it introduced in the manufacturing world, such as Kaizen, just-in-time manufacturing, once piece flow, Jidoka, Heijunka and others. These techniques also ended up providing Toyota a unique lean manufacturing system, which is discussed latter in the paper. Important here to understand is that mere appl ication of these frameworks and techniques is not what makes Toyota great but it is its continued success at employing these principles is what makes the difference. Toyota has indeed made them a part of its business philosophy, which also places great deal of importance on understanding their workers and their motivational dynamics (Simons, 2011, pp. 390-392).   This paper will briefly explore the strategies that Toyota employed to achieve this operational excellence. Many observers have cited this as the â€Å"The Toyota Way†.   ... s that mere application of these frameworks and techniques is not what makes Toyota great but it is its continued success at employing these principles is what makes the difference. Toyota has indeed made them a part of its business philosophy, which also places great deal of importance on understanding their workers and their motivational dynamics (Simons, 2011, pp. 390-392). This paper will briefly explore the strategies that Toyota employed to achieve this operational excellence. Many observers have cited this as the â€Å"The Toyota Way† or the â€Å"Toyota Production System† which would be the focal point of the paper. Discussion Much of the success that Ford and General Motors enjoyed in the US market during the early 1920s until the late 1950s was primarily because of their ability to use mass production system and leverage the economies of scale by producing as much as possible. On the other hand, Toyota emerged in the small Japanese market after the Second Worl d War where it could not employ the small techniques (Magee, 2008, p. 545; Shingo, et al., 1989, pp. 20-21). Instead, in order to satisfy the customer and their demands, the organisation had to be more flexible by creating the different automotives on the same production lines. This is where Toyota learned and made it its core flexibility to keep lead times shorter and be as flexible as possible. Furthermore, by watching the American counterparts and their mass production systems closely, Toyota realized that the system has the inherent disadvantage of providing too much waste, extra inventory and early wear and tear of the machines, all of which lead to greater costs and lesser efficiency (Vidler, 2001, pp. 226-228; May and Roberts, 2011, 52-53). When Toyota started penetrating into the American market,

Critical Thinking Assignment Polio Crusade Reflection

Critical Thinking Polio Crusade Reflection - Assignment Example The couple should understand that vaccines are safe and only cause minor reactions such as a sore arm once administered to the baby. The couple should also understand that there is more harm likely to occur to a child due to vaccine-preventable disease than by the vaccine itself. For example, failure to give the child polio vaccine will make the baby prone to polio with severe consequences such as paralysis. Therefore, the benefits of vaccines are far more. Moreover, I would like to remind the couple that although polio is almost eradicated in our country, there are still risks. The World health Organization notes that causative agents of some of the eliminated conditions continue to occur in some parts of the world. This means people especially children are vulnerable to causative agents at any time. Hence, the couple should not view disease as something of the past. Lastly, I would like the couple to understand that there has been no established fact that the vaccine causes autism. Studies conducted in the past linking vaccine to autisms have been dismissed. I chose chickenpox as the disease to reflect on various issues raised. It is one of the contagious diseases. The causative agent is varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The condition is easily spread from one person to the other. It is spread to a person that have never had an infection or the person that have not received chickenpox vaccine. It is commonly spread in the air through coughing or sneezing. The virus can also be spread by coming into contact with the chickenpox blisters. There are various signs and symptoms of the disease. The main symptom is a rash that gets itchy. There are also blisters with fluid that later transforms into scabs. The rash first appears on the face, chest, and back. However, the rash later spreads to other parts of the body such as mouth and genital area. The other symptoms include fever, lack of appetite, and headache. There are drugs

Psychology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Psychology - Assignment Example It is also the emotional control center. However, this is the part of the brain that is most prone to injury because of its location. The following are some of the effects in case the frontal lobe is not functioning due to damage. The major function of the frontal lobe is motor functions. Impairment to this part of the brain may result in loss of movements and strength (Carter, Susan, Martyn, Steve, Christopher, Uta and Melanie 107). This mainly affects the arms, fingers and hands. Damage of the frontal lobe may make an individual lose control of his or her hands and arms. Research has also revealed that damage to the frontal lobe may result in dramatic changes in a person’s social behavior. This is because scientists believe that this part of the brain controls nearly all behavioral aspects of human beings. Without optimum functionality of this part of the brain, a person may experience reduced ability to solve problems. Strong evidence also indicates that the person may have difficulties with being attentive. Impairment to this part of the brain may also result in memory loss. An individual may have problems identifying some of the people he or she knew before damaging the frontal lobe. An individual may also find it difficult to recall past events. Depending on which side of the frontal lobe suffers the most damage, a person may speak excessively or on the other hand speak fewer words. Impairment to the left side of the frontal lobe may result in a person speaking fewer words while damage to the right side of the frontal lobe may result in an individual speaking excessively. Damage to the frontal lobe may also affect the emotional aspect of an individual. Research has revealed that the frontal lobe controls the emotional part of humans in the brain. If the frontal lobe is not functioning optimally, an individual may become too emotional about things that he or she would have

Summary response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Summary response paper - Essay Example in Durham Regional Hospital where educational events were held for the purposes of instructing the hospital staff on the aims of RRT as well as the criteria for calling a rapid response. Further, the critical care unit (CCU) got trained on ways of assisting floor nurses asses and stabilize patients as well as on the means of communicating with physicians through Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (SBAR) method (Critical Care Nurse, 1). After education and update of policies, the RRT process was implemented and then later evaluation and review of the outcomes of the process. The review results indicated that the Rapid response calls had a significant increase while a decrease in the number of code blue calls. The findings facilitated the creation of action plans with a focus on safety and education. Additionally, according to the findings of the survey, there should be supplies that lead to standardized box placed at the bedside of every RRT call. Consequently, staff and patient satisfaction was on the rise as outcomes improved (Critical Care Nurse, 1). The aim of the program is to advocate and initiate enteral nutrition for critically ill patients within 24 to 48 hours as means of improving outcomes (Critical Care Nurse, 1). Feeding into stomach normally leads to suboptimal enteral intakes due to the feedings being held for gastric residual volumes (GRV) or can also lead to patient intolerance due to ileus. The shared governance committee decided upon the use of an Electromagnetic Placement System (EMPS) to achieve safe enteral access beyond the pylorus. Postpyloric feeding is advantageous since it leads to greater enteral nutrition delivery to patients, as there are minimal interruptions of feeding (Critical Care Nurse, 1). Collaborative efforts also led to the establishment of a training program together with hands – on opportunities for bedside placement of the tube by the nurse. Furthermore, additional online support was availed on the

Interview Essay Essay Example for Free

Interview Essay Essay I conducted my interview with Mrs. Michelle G. Escala; a woman with simple dreams and hopes in life. I approached her with all the kindness, respect, and humility. I started my interview by introducing myself and my purpose for conducting the interview. I was quite nervous during my interview, but I was still able to deliver my prepared questions. Mrs. Escala showed kindness to me during my interview. I could sense her sincerity and confidence while answering all my questions. She is a teacher at Tarong Elementary School, who is willing to inspire pupils and students to learn and to live the value of their existence. Mrs. Escala received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Philippine Normal University, Cadiz City in 2003 and her Masteral in Elementary Education from University of Southern Philippines in 2011. She took the Licensure Examination for Teacher and she passed and now, she’s enjoying her profession. Mrs. Escala was never influenced by anyone to take up the course Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education; it’s her own choice and will. She stated that taking up BEED is the first step in preparing for this profession. She also believes that grades and extracurricular activities are important. She was a consistent honor student since her younger years, she actively participate in their school paper and other organization in their school. In addition, she said, in order for you to finish your studies and to achieve your goal, you must strive hard, manage your time wisely, love what you do, and have faith in God. After finishing her studies, before she becomes a full time teacher, she started as a substitute teacher for about half a year. She also stressed the importance of Practice teaching because it will give you experience and you can meet what is truly the work of a teacher. She also said that attending to seminars either near or far is important because through these a ctivities you can learn more and it will help you to be more professional. Mrs. Escala stressed that teaching is not that easy. You have to be as patient as you can towards your pupils. You must be patient in teaching them their lesson, especially when difficult time comes in. She stated that the most difficult part in teaching is when you know you gave your best but still pupils fail to show what is expected from them. She also said that we must also accept the fact that everybody is not equal in all aspect; we must acknowledge the weaknesses of the pupils and then teach without expecting too much. Teaching has deadlines that must be met, which creates pressure  and the feeling of constantly being rushed. She also said that you must not be absent in your class because it’s not you that will be affected, but the students. Even though there is a reason for you to be absent, she added, you must give them some assignments or activities before the day you’re not there so that their day won’t be wasted, or maybe you must make it up to them on the day that your back. But not all the times it seems to be difficult, there are times it’s easy to handle and fulfilling especially when you achieve your goals for the pupils. She said that what she is trying to achieve with her students is for them to learn, to digest what she taught in class, and hopefully they will be inspired to live with the values she is instilling in them. She also added that it is a great achievement for a teacher to see their pupils progressing physically, intellectually, socially, and financially, that’s why she is aiming to produce pupils to become functionally upright, and useful as well as productive citizen of the society. Mrs. Escala said that her work is satisfying, not in a way that she is satisfied with the food but she is satisfied with her pupils because they are pretty comical. She even added that she would choose teaching all over again, because she loves her job and this is where her heart really belongs. I feel my interview is really beneficial. I learned a lot about her, as well as some about what it is like to be a professional. It was encouraging for me to speak with someone who loves her job so much. My interview with Mrs. Escala provided me information about being a professional and how to be a responsible student and soon to be a professional like her. She also provided me with â€Å"real world† information; information about life and how to handle the difficulties and not letting those difficulties to be a hindrance in pursuing and achieving your goal. Conducting an interviews with her prove to be a great learning experience because it help me a lot and now, I have more knowledge about responsibilities, career opportunities, and what it’s like to be a professional. Even though my interview is not related to my course, it is still challenging and worth remembering. Now, I have more and better idea and understanding of how to achieve my goal, and my goal is to become a Certified Public Accountant.

Relationship Between Staff Motivation and Performance

Relationship Between Staff Motivation and Performance INTRODUCTION Shortages can be a symptom of demotivation, poor management and lack of organizational support (Zurn et al., 2005). Shortages are resulting in heavy workload, which is a precursor to job stress, and burnout, which have also been linked to low job motivation. Nurses job motivation is an elusive concept, which is defined within its extrinsic and intrinsic values (Cowin, 2002). Extrinsic values encompass the tangible aspects of the job including wages, benefits and bonuses, whereas intrinsic values include status, recognition, personal and professional development opportunities, and other similar factors (Cowin, 2002). Reasons for nurse demotivation have been well documented in the nursing literature. Such reasons include lack of involvement in decision-making, poor relationship with management, low salaries and poor benefits, lack of job security, poor recognition and lack of flexibility in scheduling (Albaugh,2003). Nurse demotivation has been also linked to emotional exhaustion and b urnout, Which can affect patient outcomes (Aiken et al., 1997). Furthermore Shields Ward (2001) and Tzeng (2002) has also stated that improper motivation is a primary predictor of nurses intent to leave (Shields Ward, 2001; Tzeng, 2002). A study conducted in the United States presented evidence showing that demotivated nurses were 65% more likely to have intent to leave compared to the motivated counterparts (Shields Ward, 2001). Other predictors of intent to leave vary from other motivation factors like low salaries and fringe benefits, inflexible work schedule (Coomber Barriball, 2007; Hayes et al, 2006), career advancement prospects (Tzeng, 2002, Rambur et al., 2003), in addition to poor management and job stress (Rambur et al., 2003). Nurses turnover is linked to situational factors (Larrabee et al., 2003) such as low levels of motivation (Tzeng, 2002). It is worth noting that improper motivation has also been found to be a better predictor of intent to leave as compared to the avail ability of other employment opportunities (Shields Ward, 2001; Purani Sahadev 2007). A study by El-Jardali et al. (2007) also found a negative correlation between motivation and intention to leave in Lebanese nurses. Their studys main objective was to examine the impact of motivation as a predictor variable on intention to leave used as dependent variable in the study. The finding of the study reveals that the main cause of the dissatisfaction and hence intention to leave was negatively associated with hospitals motivation schemes such as compensation and incentives (extrinsic rewards). Purani and Sahadev (2007) used motivation with multi-faceted construct as predictor variable and examine its impact on intention to leave among the nurses in India. Assuming one of the role as interaction and communication with clients and patient of both profession is common, their study also used experience as moderating variables to examine how working experience could affect motivation and inte ntion to leave relationship. Purani and Sahadev (2007) found that employees with long stay at workplace had higher level of motivation and would not incline to quit. Their finding also suggested that motivation and intention to leave relationship framework must also have other demographic variables consideration into the model of motivation and intention to leave. Pearson and Chong (1997) also examined the impact of job content and job information on motivation among Malaysian nurses in large public sector hospital. They found that job information is stronger predictor to nurses motivation and therefore argued that intrinsic factors such as job information and organization commitment also influence nurses motivation. However, they did recommend that motivation with information cues available to nurses are crucial to determine nurses motivation which may lead to intent to leave or higher job burnout, if not available. Tzeng (2002) examined the impact of working motivational factors a s well as job satisfaction factors as independent variables on nurses intention to leave in cross-sectional study in Taiwan. He found that low levels of motivation, emotional exhaustion and burnout and to the poor social image of the nursing profession influenced nurses intention to leave in Taiwans hospitals. This study therefore, suggested that motivation is a multi-faceted construct and should have both intrinsic as well as extrinsic factors to measure job satisfaction (Tzeng, 2002). HOW MOTIVATION AFFECTS EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE The extent to which employees are motivated in their work depends on how well those employees are able to provide output in their job. Motivation is expected to have a positive effect on quality performance. Employees who are characterized by a high level of motivation show a higher work and life satisfaction. Having a high level of motivation is therefore in itself valuable for employees and a decrease in motivation might affect employees negatively. The motivation leads to high level of initiative and creativity from the employee and where monitoring is difficult, motivation is therefore extremely important for ensuring high quality performance. In Armco Health Center, the quality of employee performance is measured by three individual measures of employee performance. The first measure of the individual performance items is a self-rating measure of employee performance through a program called SAP. The performance of the employee asks to indicate eight-points scale how well the em ployee is doing the job. The second measure of the performance of the Armco Health Center is the extent to which the nurses are willing to conduct tasks that are not part of their job description. The employees are asked to report on the SAP about their willingness to perform additional tasks that are not expected from them regularly and to think constructively about how the organization they work for could be proved. Last item that measure the performance of the nurses are the number of days they were absent. EMPOWERMENT AND STAFF MOTIVATION Nursing is increasingly broad in scope and encompasses an ever widening range of work behaviors and role responsibilities. However, they work within a climate of uncertainty and disempowerment along with high organizational demands placing them under considerable stress (1,2). This condition threatens both physical and emotional wellbeing of nurses and the profession itself and may results to low nurses commitment which in turn may contribute to disengagement or withdrawal of nurses from their organizations (3,4). Consequently, threatens organizational functioning and the quality care, since low nurses commitment leads to absenteeism or poor performance (5). However, the nurses low commitment is being a problem in many countries, Aiken et al(6) have cautioned that the health care workforce faces the serious risk of losing one in five registered nurse for reasons other than retirement. Supportively, several other studies revealed that the turnover rate for hospital registered nurse is among the highest rates found for professional and technical occupational groups (7,8). In addition, in 2002 the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) recorded that current annual registered nurse turnover rates range from 18% to 26% (9). Moreover, Victorian Governmental Department of Human Services Research suggests that at low levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, retention of nursing staff is difficult and this in turn increases absenteeism (10). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, like many other countries is also suffering from nursing low commitment which evidenced by registered nurses high turnover rate and resignation(11). However, some national studies and articles highlighted that governmental sectors in Riyadh city were suffering for many years from high turnover rate of nurses that reached to 70% in some hospitals and resulted in high nurses shortage (12,13) . Along with working condition, salary, nursing disempowerment and uncertainty being cited to explain why the nurses exhibit poor work performance or uncommitted to their organization. In a research conducted by Attree (17) that studies the relationship between nurses perception regarding their control and governance , revealed that registered nurse were dissatisfied with their governance, perceived lack of control over their everyday practice and commented on a popular perception that they had become disempowered , lacked influence and asserted that they have fairly little power. Its the managers and physicians who have the power, not nurses. Both managers and physicians decided, told and expected from the nurse to just get on with it, without discussion, or negotiation. As Salvage (18), nurses may see themselves as skilled practitioners, but the public still clings to its old image of the nurse as the doctors handmaiden. This indicates that nurses are not powerless due to lack in competence, motivation, and/or information, but because lack of awareness and enabling system and structure. Foser and Hoggett (19) termed this situation as a Do more with less culture where rhetoric is designed to empower the exhausted workers by emphasizing their commitment to organizational goals . However, disparity between the nurses desired and perceived autonomy and control over daily job activities interferes with nurses attempts to perform according to their expectations as professionals and may contribute to disengagement and withdrawal from the profession of nursing (17). Parallel to this is the national view of nursing in Saudi culture. Abu- Zinada (11,20) stated in many articles that the nurses were disempowered, and have a feeling of uncertainty. In contrast, she saw that the nurse has the right to make decisions that are separate of the physician ones. Moreover, Al-morshed (21) considered that the nurses were not assistants to the physician or that their role is limited to giving injection or helping a patient, since the nursing is a science before everything. Thus, creating conditions that foster a sense of empowerment in healthcare settings are critical to both employee wellbeing and organizational success(22) . For employee well-being, empowerment offers opportunities for learning, development, and playing a more active role in operational decisions through the personal development and involvement in decision making. As a result, employees can sense their feelings of self-worth, meaningfulness, job satisfaction and morale that result from their contributions and control or autonomy over their work. Additionally, empowerment is essential for enhancing nurses role, strengthening the professional image, and continuously improving the healthcare system. It allows the nurses to perform in a professional manner by being more autonomous, responsible and participative (23). For organizational success, many hospitals uses the concept of empowerment as a retention strategies to improve nurses commitment by fostering the desire not to leave the organization for selfish interests or marginal gains, and increase willingness to work by making personal sacrifice, performing beyond normal expectations , endure difficult times with an organization and increasing acceptance of organizations values and goals . As a consequence, nurses will be less burned-out and more engaged in their work and will contribute to organizational effectiveness (24). Although, the concept of empowerment is frequently used in health services and in nursing ,particularly in relation to the quality of care, since the mission of nursing is to provide safe and quality nursing care thereby enabling patients to achieve their maximum level of wellness(25). Also empowerment play a significant role in the management of job stress and job satisfaction as well as in nurse attraction and retention ( 26). Hence, creating healthy work conditions that empowered nurses and provide freedom to act according to their expectation as a professional, may be a fruitful strategy for nurse managers and administrators to retain nurses who currently work by promoting their commitment to the organization, especially in a critical care settings. Nowadays, many seek power but few possess it. Nurses are not exception (Marquis and Huston, 2000). In health care settings, an unequal power base exists among administrator, physicians, and nurses as a result of the competing goals of administration and the coexistence of multiple lines of authority (Sabiston and Laschinger, 1995). The rigidity of hierarchical rule-bound structures has been specifically blamed for nurses inability to sufficiently control the content of their practice (Laschinger and Havens, 1996). Kanter (1993) proposed that an individuals effectiveness on the job is influenced largely by organizational aspects of the work environment. This author identified power and access to opportunities to learn and grow, as structural determinants affecting the behavior of the individual. This power is derived from the ability to mobilize information, support, and resources necessary for getting the job done. Access to these empowering structures is influenced by the degree of formal and informal power an employee has in the organization (Kanter,1993). Formal power evolves from having a defined job that affords flexibility, visibility and centrality to organizational purpose and goals whereas informal power is determined by the extent of employees networks and alliances with sponsors, peers, and subordinates within the organization. Access to these empowering structures has a positive impact on employees, resulting in increase in their job satisfaction, level of organizational commitment and feelings of autonomy. Consequently, employees are more productive and effective in meeting organizational goals (Dutcher and Adams, 1994 ; Laschinger et. al., 1999). Nurses autonomy or control over work was seriously limited by unequal power relationships with medical staff, which enhanced physician power and restricted the nurses freedom, and consequently hindered their empowerment (McParland et al., 2000). To achieve excellence in nursing requires empowered staff nurses in order to be effective in their roles, and to be more autonomous (Marquis and Huston, 2000). Nurses who perceive them to be empowered are more likely to enhance client care through more effective work practice. Thus by providing the sources of job-related empowerment and autonomy, work methods and outcomes could be improved (Kanter, 1993; Sabiston and Laschinger, 1995). EMPOWERMENT IMPROVES MOTIVATION Empowerment. Thomas and Velthouse (1990) define empowerment as personal power that flows from professional growth, which is correlated with job satisfaction. Klakovich (1995) further states that the empowerment of nursing staff may be the critical variable in achieving positive organizational outcomes while maintaining the caring values of the nursing profession Klakovich (1996) defines three dimensions of empowerment as reciprocity, synergy, and ownership. Empowerment is a reciprocal leader-follower relationship that advances and aligns strategies, both organizational and individual (Klakovich, 1995). The Reciprocal Empowerment Scale tool reports in three subscales: reciprocity and synergy sub-scales represent the interactive leader/follower process; the ownership subscale represents the outcomes . Reciprocity involves a leadership behavior pattern of sharing power, support and information. Empowerment Research has shown correlations between nursing leadership job satisfaction and e mpowerment (Laschinger et al., 2003; Mrayyan, 2004). In recent years, the idea of empowerment has become popular in the nursing literature (Kluska et al., 2000; Laschinger Finegan, 2005). The review of the literature reveals empowerment being used in various contexts; such as, mental health, chronic care, and health promotion (Dahlgaard Dahlgaard, (2003), Paterson(2001) . In these contexts, the concept of empowerment incorporates positive and respectful relationships through constant dialog (Ellefsen Hamilton, (2000) Prybil( 2003). Morrison, Jones, and Fuller (1997) performed a non-experimental descriptive study that explored the effects of leadership style and empowerment on nursing job satisfaction. The participants included various nursing personnel, such as nurse managers, nursing assistants, nursing clinical leaders, licensed practical nurses and staff nurses. The researchers examined how staff nurses perceived empowerment The researchers results in their variance analysis i ndicated a statistically significant difference in empowerment among different job classifications within the organization Empowerment accounted for more variance with job satisfaction for licensed personnel than for unlicensed personnel, as well as, for differing by type of satisfaction. The researchers findings indicate the importance of empowerment to staff nurse job satisfaction. They also show the contribution of empowerment to job motivation and how they vary by personnel. This study gives reason for performing this research study that examined the relationship of nurse empowerment and motivation Furthermore, studies have shown that Indian nurses had a moderate empowerment level and their actual work empowerment perception was significantly lower than their expectation (Huang, Lin, Hsu, Chen, Huang, 2003). The findings also showed that nurses had the lowest score on participation in decision making. Researchers pointed out that the nursing leaders tended to use authority and might only consult several members opinions for decision making. The opportunity for nurses to participate in decision making is limited. As such, frontline nurses might think decision making is the managers responsibility, not theirs (Mok Au-Yeung, 2002). Participation can be seen as the highest level of empowerment. Nurses level of participation in decision making (PDM) can be used as an important indicator of empowerment. In western health care system, it has been found that the area where nurses prefer to be involved in decision-making is more related to the context of nursing practice, such as nursing unit operation (Blegen et al., 1993). Yet, in Indian nurses PDM is still not well studied. The extent to which nurses prefer to be or are actually involved in decision making is still not clear. Laschinger and Finegan (2005) surveyed 273 medical, surgical and critical care nurses concluding that structural empowerment had a direct effect on organizational trust and respect, job motivation and commitment. An important addition to the understanding of empowerment in nursing education was another finding that empowerment increased motivation level of the nurses (Falk-Raphael, Chinn, Anderson, Laschinger, Rubotzky, 2004) Work empowerment has been linked to many other important organizational outcomes, such as job motivation, organizational commitment, lower levels of job stress and empowering leader behaviors (Spence-Laschinger, Tuer-Hodes, 2003). Hollinger-Smith and Ortigara (2004) stated that nurses perceptions of work empowerment are related to commitment to and trust in the organization, autonomy, participation in organizational decision-making, and job motivation. Increased autonomy and work motivation have been directly linked to nurse retention and increased patient satisfaction (Hollinger-Smith Ortigara, 2004). Empowering work environments can also influence nurses ability to practice in a professional manner, ensuring excellent patient care and positive organizational outcomes. Organizational changes have a direct effect on the work environment and may contribute to higher rates of demotivation, burnout and absenteeism among staff (Kuokkanen, Savikko Doran, 2007). Factors of empowerment c an also provide a way to measure the effects of organizational changes (Kuokkanen et al., 2007). To achieve excellence in nursing requires empowered staff nurses in order to be effective in their roles, and to be more autonomous (Marquis and Huston, 2000). Nurses who perceive them to be empowered are more likely to enhance patient care through more effective work practice. Thus by providing the sources of job-related empowerment and autonomy, work methods and outcomes could be improved (Kanter, 1993; Sabistonand Laschinger, 1995). In Sochalskis (2002) survey of nurse empowerment , it was found that 1 out of 3 staff nurse participants (manager and staff level) were dissatisfied and hence demotivated in their job. Increasing job satisfaction, as it positively correlates with empowerment and organizational commitment, is a strategy to help retain employees (Laschinger, Finegan, Shamian, Casier, 2000). As patient care becomes more technologically advanced and complex, (requiring greater experience on the part of nursing staff to perform the job correctly), workplace stability and a utonomy become invaluable in a hospital setting (Laschinger et al,2000.). Many researchers have concluded that building collaborative decision making teams will empower both nursing and managerial staff; which boosts morale and work performance (Cowin, 2002 Kluska et al., 2004). Ellefsen and Hamilton (2000) concluded that nurse empowerment encourages nurses in management positions to perform their duties efficiently and with confidence and competence. Research suggests when hospital leadership encourages subordinate empowerment; there is a direct link to increased subordinate job satisfaction and motivation (Laschinger, Finegan, Shamian, Wilk, 2001). Evidence has shown that empowered nurses shift their self-perceived role from that of a subordinate to collaborator; which encourages consensus building, improves job ownership, improves trust and the followers motivation, sense of responsibility and organizational commitment( Wagner ,2006 Watson, 2002). Empowerment not only increase s job motivation, but inspirational and visionary transformational leadership encourages the highest level of staff efficiency and productivity (Keuter, Byrne, Voell, Larson, 2000; Moss Rowles, 1997). Masi (2000) concluded that empowerment provides opportunities for choice and promotes autonomy, which allows subordinates to demonstrate their competencies. The espoused benefits of empowerment The supposed benefits of empowerment can be broadly divided into two areas: benefits for the organization; and benefits for the individual. Much of the empirical research into empowerment has focused on organizational benefits assuming that these are the driving force behind attempts to engender empowered working (Cunningham et al., 1996). Certainly the motivation for managerial adoption of empowerment is typically driven to help managers manage and improve work organization and job performance, not to primarily create an environment that is beneficial for the employee (Psoinos and Smithson, 2002). Global competition and a changing business environment have prompted organizational change in response to increased pressures to improve efficiency and performance (Lawler et al., 1992). It has been argued that organizations with higher levels of empowerment have demonstrated improvements in various economic performance areas (Applebaum et al., 1999). The economic benefits of empowerment s pecifically may be difficult to assess as often it is introduced as part of a broader initiative such as BPR and TQM (Psoinos and Smithson, 2002). Despite the espoused organisational benefits Argyris (1998) argues that empowerment has still not delivered the promised benefits, remaining a myth rather than reality. While it could be argued that the primary motive for empowerment is initially driven by the need to improve the economic performance of the organisation, benefits to the individual employee have also been identified. Nykodym et al. (1994) found that employees who consider themselves empowered have reduced conflict and ambiguity in their role, as they are able to control (to a certain extent) their own environment. They suggested that this reduces emotional strain on the employee. Similarly, it has been suggested that empowered employees have a greater sense of job satisfaction, motivation and organisational loyalty (Koberg et al., 1999, Spreitzer et al., 1997). Empowerment cannot only impact attitudes but it can also impact on performance, specifically employee productivity (Koberg et al., 1999) and employee effectiveness (Spreitzer et al., 1997). Overall the literature points to many potential benefits to both organisations and employees like if the workplace empowerment is successful, then it produces a win-win situation (Lashley, 1999). However, despite the strong support for empowerment in theory, in practice empowerment may exist in rhetoric only and control is the reality for employees (Sewell and Wilkinson, 1992). Although it may be considered that employee empowerment will improve organizational performance but it is possible that empowered employees are not necessarily more motivated or have higher levels of job satisfaction (Collins, 1999). Thus the benefits of empowerment should not be assumed to automatically occur nor should the rhetoric of empowerment be confused with the reality. Measurement of the employee benefits is very difficult t o achieve. Unlike organisational benefits which can be measured using objective facts, individual benefits are much more complex. Certain objective measures, such as absence and turnover rates have been applied in this context (Psoinos and Smithson, 2002). However, it is often considered that softer measures of employees attitudes may provide informative insights omitted by other more tangible measures (Psoinos and Smithson, 2002). FACTORS IMPORTANT FOR MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES One of the most perplexing healthcare retention issues is keeping newly licensed nurses from leaving after just a year or two of employment in the clinical setting (Zucker, Goss, Williams, Bloodworth, Lynn, Denker, et al., 2006). Kovner, Brewer, and Djukic (2007) presented evidence that 13% of newly licensed 1490 RNs had changed principal jobs after one year, and 37% reported that they felt ready to change jobs. Nurses leave the profession mainly because of low pay and poor job satisfaction (DiMeglio, Padula, Piatek, 2005)Hence pay and motivation at workplace are very important factors of retaining the staff. Therefore, nurse leaders are faced with two challenges: to recruit sufficiently qualified nurses and to establish rewarding work cultures that promote retention. Recruiting a younger generation of nursing staff members and meeting retention demands of cross-generational nurses will be a challenge like no other previously seen in healthcare (Cordinez, 2002). Newly licensed nurse s recruitment and retention into the workplace are fundamental strategies for ensuring that healthcare systems have the continued capacity to deliver patient care (Berliner Ginzberg, 2002). Understanding why newly licensed registered nurses choose to remain in nursing is an essential component of recruitment and retention strategies. Despite a recent four year trend of increasing nursing school enrollment and graduation of qualified nurses (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2005), the latest data on the shortage of RNs in the United States is estimated to reach about 500,000 by 2025 (Buerhas, Staiger, Auerbach, 2000.This study shows that nursing shortage is going to increase and hence motivating factors like pay,proper work environment and empowerment are necessary for retaining the experienced nurse staff. Hecker (2005) predicts that more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by the year 2014. The problem is that many of the newly licensed nurses w ill not remain in nursing and will choose to leave the profession within four years of graduation from a nursing program (Sochalski, 2002). In a study by Bowles and Candela (2005), 30% of newly licensed RNs left their first nursing position within one year of employment, and 57% left their first nursing position within two years of employment.This study further provides evidence that adds to the case study done by Kovner, Brewer, and Djukic (2007) which also adds to data and evidence that nurses are leaving their profession due to lack of empowerment and motivation in hospitals. The nursing shortage and the high incidence of turnover among newly licensed nurses within the first year of employment need to be investigated. It is well documented that nurses are leaving the profession because they are dissatisfied with current working conditions and not because they are disenchanted with the ideal of nursing, which originally attracted them to the profession (Lynn Redman, 2005; Strachota, Normandin, OBrien, Clary, Krukow, 2003). There is limited research that addresses newly licensed registered nurses career choices post-graduation. The future of nursing rests in the ability to recruit and retain upcoming generations to the profession.Currently, however, there is limited knowledge concerning what influences the decisions of newly licensed registered nurses to remain in nursing. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify factors that influence newly licensed registered nurses decision to remain in nursing. The shortage of people entering professional nursing, nurses dissatisfaction, and high turnover of newly licensed registered nurses are issues of concern. The national shortage in the nursing workforce highlights the critical importance of encouraging nurses to remain in practice. Evidence suggests that a shortage of nurses is detrimental not only to quality of patient care, but also to staff morale, which in turn affects staff retention (Wilson, 2006). The socialization and assimilation of newly licensed nurses into the healthcare system is a pivotal event that influences the retention of nurses (Aiken, Clarke, Sloane, Sochalaski, Silber, 2002). Professional socialization and work readiness are contributing factors to the retention of newly licensed registered nurses. The transition from student to new nurse is a vital period in several ways. It is the quality of this transitional experience that is likely to influence new nurse retention (Clare van Loon, 2003; Duchsch er, 2001; Ewens, 2003). Professional socialization, a potential buffer to the effects of reality shock, includes the acquisition of knowledge, skills, identity, occupational traits, values, norms, and self-concept (Mamchur Myrick, 2003). The process of professional socialization, from career choice to transition to enculturation to the practice setting is influenced by others, especially other nurses (Beck, 2000; Hinds Harley, 2001). It is this initial professional socialization of nurses that will determine the success or failure of retaining new nurses in the healthcare workplace. The increasing complexity of health services and the acuity of patient care create an expectation by the healthcare organization that the new nurse will hit the ground running (Cowin Hengstberger-Sims, 2006, p. 61). Furthermore, Cowin and Hengstberger-Sims believe the workplace expects newly licensed nurses to quickly fulfill their potential as knowledgeable workers, but the health organization remune rates newly licensed nurses at the lowest possible pay scale. These researchers asserted that incongruencies such as high level of stress related to responsibility and high workloads paired with minimum pay compound the effects of reality shock of nurses new to the field. The healthcare workplace demands work readiness from its newest nurses and the partnership of responsibility for work readiness between nursing education and the workplace can be described as precarious. The strategies of mentorship and preceptor ship have been embraced within many healthcare organizations as a means of increasing work readiness, decreasing the effects of reality shock and lessening the possibility of new nurse attrition (Greenwood, 2000). The period that separates a novice practitioner from an advanced beginner is one which requires support, guidance and constant supervision by experienced individuals to ensure newly licensed nurses develop competently and safely, b