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Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
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Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
The book is about war, and one of the main characters is Joe Bonham. He awakens in a hospital bed after he gets hit by a shell at war; he is a young man who serves in the 2nd world war. After he awakens, he is hit by realities of war. His condition is pitiful as he has lost his limbs including his legs and arms. He does not even have teeth, eyes, tongue or even ears. However, he later realizes that his mind is fine, and that puts him in an extremely difficult position. The first thing that comes to Joe’s mind is death. He cannot bear to live like this and he attempts to suffocate himself to death something he fails at because he has a tracheotomy which he does not have control over. His first desire to die quickly evaporates and he decides to serve as a true example of how war can be torturous. He asks to be put in a glass box and be carried around his society to show how horrible war is. He also finds a way to communicate with his doctors. Joe constantly drifts between fantasy and reality, and his thoughts carry the readers to different scenes in his old life and in his life at war. This book is one of the greatest books of war that almost reflects clearly the horrors of war. This paper will review this book for the purposes of analyzing a number of these horrors so that the audience can realize that war can almost never result to desirable outcomes, and if it does, many soldiers pay heavily the price of desirable outcomes.
This is an extremely powerful novel. The story is narrated in the view point of one soldier who participated in war, Joe. The soldier is horrifically injured at war and completely disabled. The only functional thing left in him is his brain. As he tries to understand and cope with his current situation, he wanders back and forth between his old life and life at war, and his current situation. As a result of this, we are able to fully understand and get a complete picture of all of his life. One of the most notable things about the author’s prose is that it lives an unforgettable picture in the minds of the readers. The author is extremely direct and at times blunt when he describes the experiences soldiers like Joe had in the war. However, one later realizes that the way the author tells his story is a way to show the terrible human cost and horrible injuries associated with war. It is clear from the way the author describes these events that he is against war; but who would not. After reading these experiences one cannot help but feel that there really are no benefits of war because no matter the outcomes, numerous lives are going to lost and others are going to be horribly interrupted.
There are various things associated with war and the readers of this novel were no exception. There were times when war was considered noble, and veterans were treated as kings for their participation; they were referred as the American heroes. During these times in history, wars ended with parades that were extravagant with lovers being united. The novel by Trumbo is nothing like this, there are no heroes and there is no triumph at the end of the war. While the book is about the same eras there are evidently no heroes associated with this particular war, neither are there triumphs or reunions; the book is simply chilling and to the point about the most horrible experiences anyone can ever witness in a war. The story does not involve any romantic homecomings either as the readers would expect. The book is simply about horrific reality of war usually covered by the glitzy Hollywood renditions of warfare. The man in Trumbo’s book is fatally injured and disabled. He comes to know such isolation and loneliness no man has ever known. He is technically a living dead man who has not limbs like arms, face, legs or even a tongue. The despair in him is tremendous as he describes his past, and his present. There are notably no commas in the book. This gives the reader the impression that the thoughts emanating from Joe are never ending; they just flow and flow.
Though the war is supposed to make the world a better place by establishing democracy, one cannot help but wonder whether the outcome is worth the loss of human life and functionality among numerous soldiers who participate in the war. Through its horrible, disturbing, graphic, brutal and gruesome descriptions of how horrible a war can get, the reader is convinced that war is really not that good. One can also identify with the later argument by the author about rising against those who would want to send young people to war for any reason.
The book made a highly commendable impression on me. I enjoyed the book extremely. The author in his descriptions was clever, insightful, and told and narrated experiences and events that were gripping. The book was impressive in its stand against the war. It was noted that the book made its point without necessarily having to describe the war overly much. Actually, much of the anecdotes describing times at or near the war were almost whimsical and at times amusing in a dark way. The horror of the war described in the novel, therefore, was not in the war or the battlefields themselves, but in the results and the outcomes of the war that were isolated and terrible. The horror of the war was also implied in the fact that young people were send to war even after such terrors had been witnessed. At the end of the novel, one is left with the impression that Joe is extremely desperate to be heard or to talk to someone.
This book is an amazing piece of work for its amazing descriptions of the thoughts of a mind locked in a cruel prison- its owners dead body, tortured by the most horrible thought and mental tortures one can ever imagine- without any output or input and movement; and having been put in this condition by the most prolific dispenser of punishment and torture that is unjust- warfare. It is obvious to conclude that the book will have a great influence on the ideas many readers have on war. with the kind of horror the book associates with war, much of it which is true, I am positive that war, to the eyes of most readers of the book, will be looked at with disgust and disdain.
References
Trumbo, Dalton. Johnny Got His Gun. New York: Citadel Press, 2000. Print
JKL Case Study
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JKL Case Study
1 Explain the goals and objectives of the new JKL PMS in the context of JKL’s broader organizational objectives for the next 5 years.
The goals of a company are where it wants to be positioned in the future, its aims. It is a purpose statement. Business objectives on the other hand are the measurable, stated targets of how a business intents to achieve its goals. The goals of a company sets out its values and visions that makes it possible for managers, employees and customers to comprehend the underlying foundations for the actions a company takes. Business objectives that are most effective are the ones that are specific, measurable, agreed by all, realistic, and time specified. Most businesses establish objectives so as to maximize their profits, satisfy in profits, to increase sales and to expand business. JKL has established a number of objectives for some of the above reasons. For example, it intends to withdraw from the rental market so as to focus on the new business and making profits from it, it intends to expand its existing branches to increase sales, the company will continue to sell forklifts so as to expand its market, sales and profits, it also plans to open new branches and a branch office to increase its sales and improve organization for the purposes of increasing profitability and satisfaction in profits (Locke and Ladham 29- 60).
2 Explain the performance management cycle, and the role and responsibility of all JKL employees in the successful implementation of the PMS.
Utilizing a performance management cycle is advantageous in that it adds a process and structure to the efforts of a manager to aid other in achieving their full potential. The performance management cycle is composed of a number of stages; planning developing, reviewing and performing. The first phase is planning, and it the performance management process that can be achieved by clearly communicating with the workers the goals of the stage. The second stage is the development or the execution stage which requires the manager to encourage workers to perform to the required expectations. The third stage is reviewing and it involves the estimation and evaluation of the routine of the employees. The fourth stage requires the manager to continually seek improvements to the standards of performance. The employees of JKL have a responsibility to make the performance management cycle of their company work. They can, for example, be attentive, corporative, help establish measurable performance standards, objectives, learn the required skills, seek mentoring or coaching, and learn several competencies that can be useful in the performance management cycle of their company (Cokins 42- 65).
3 Develop a tool that assists line managers to develop key performance indicators for positions reporting to them.
Key performance indicators are snapshots of a company or business that are build based on measures that are specifically predefined. They generally consist of combinations of spreadsheets, reports, or charts. They might also include regional or global sales trends and figures over a period of time, personnel and staff trends and stats, supply chain information, and anything else that might work for the success of the organization. Any application of KPI like an executive portal can give a manager a view of how the business is performing by displaying essential statistical information about that organization. In coming up with a KPI, a developer or user must define the performance levels the company is targeting and then come up with ways of representing variance or deviation from target, an example is a bar chart showing sales. KPI may show in different colors areas that are under quota, and those over quota in another color. This helps the manager easily identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company (Rummler and Brache 78- 98).
4 Develop guidelines/ policies/ procedures to ensure that line managers are monitoring performance regularly and that timely interventions occur which address unsatisfactory performance and recognize excellent performance.
In organizations that are effective, projects, and assignments are continually monitored. Excellent monitoring involves continuous measuring performance and providing consistent feedback to work groups and employees on their progress towards achieving their aims and goals. Monitoring performance in JKI should include a number of things; carrying out progress reviews in association with employees where their performance is contrasted against their standards and elements. This can help the managers identify areas that are unsatisfactory and correct them, and identify areas that have been performed satisfactory and maintain them. Continuous monitoring gives managers a chance to check how the workers are meeting standards and gives them an opportunity to change problematic and unrealistic standards. By monitoring continuously, performance that is unacceptable can be pointed out during the appraisal and assistance can be given to address any shortcomings in the performance (Gilbert 70-87).
5 Develop a disciplinary process for managing unsatisfactory performance. this process will need to conform to the existing organizational and current legal requirements
When the goals and the standards of the organization are not met, the managers must ensure that the performance of the organization is not compromised by taking actions against employees who are performing unsatisfactorily. This can be done by applying disciplinary actions against such employees. One way is to set targets and goals for the worker and let them know that they have to achieve those targets or else severe disciplinary actions will be taken. Workers can also be paid according to the work they perform (Vroom 23-42). This can make them work harder and attain goals. The manager can also send the nonperforming workers for mandatory training so that they sharpen their skills.
6. Provide advice and assistance to line managers in the administration of the new disciplinary procedure.
Line managers have to handle the disciplinary actions with care because misunderstandings can develop from this process leading to legal cases and other undesirable occurrences. As it follows, the line managers should first talk to the employees about the expectations of the company and the need for them to attain certain targets failure to which actions might be take. The managers should also avoid discrimination and personal grudges while delivering disciplinary actions. They should also ensure that the disciplinary actions they decide to take are sensitive to issues related to discrimination, ethics, and morals. Workers should never feel discriminated against or belittled during disciplinary actions and it is the responsibility of the managers to ensure this (LGMB 12- 45).
7 Provide support to line managers when they have to counsel / discipline employees who continue to perform below standards.
When dispensing the disciplinary actions the managers should realize that the company has set goals and targets that must be attained for the company to increase its sales, and profits. The manager should also be aware that without these goals and targets, and without satisfactorily achieving them, the company would be running at a loss or at profits that are unsatisfactory. As it follows, they should not hesitate to discipline any employee who does not attain the set targets and standards. The manger should see the disciplinary process as an advantage for both the company and the employee. The company will get to attain its goals and targets and the employee will get to enjoy the fact that they have a job, if the company does not run a t a profit, then it might need to lay off some workers, therefore, the employee should realize that the managers discipline unsatisfactory workers for their benefit (Gilbert 70-87).
8 Provide support for the managers when they are left with no option other than to terminate employees who fail to respond to interventions.
Most organizations depend on the increase of sales and profits to keep the processes of the company running. If the company is unable to attain the required profits and increase its sales volume, then it does not have enough capital to keep all the processes of the company running. In most cases when this happens, the company has to cut costs of productions so as to keep afloat. When this happens, some employees also have to be cut. It would only be fair to the hard working employees that the workers who perform below average are terminated. Workers who do not reach their targets are the ones who have to go to cut costs and not the workers who achieve standards and targets (LGMB 12- 45).
9 Recognize excellences in accordance with the organizational policy.
For the organization to be said to have achieved excellence in its processes, it has to have achieved and implemented certain policies. These have to do with trade practices, sex discrimination, rehabilitation, safety and compensation act, privacy act, occupational safety and health, freedom of information, employment opportunities that are equal for all sexes, disability discrimination and employment opportunities that are equal for all. For the company to be said to have achieved its goals excellently, it has to attain its goals with the context of the above policies (Otley 363- 82).
10 Provide assistance to the manager/ team involved in the conduct of performance appraisal interviews.
For the manager to find out whether the performance of the company is on track he has to conduct a number of surveys, including appraisal interviews. When conducting these interviews, the manager should assure the interviewee that what they have to say is private, they have to be sensitive to issues related to disability, gender, and ethnicity when conducting interviews as inappropriate questions could lead to issues related to discrimination, managers should also ensure that employees are treated with respect during the interviews, they should create enough time for interviews, they should not threaten or intimidate workers and they should keep the information safe and private (Palmer 31- 6).
11 Develop policies and procedures to ensure that the documented outcomes of performance management sessions are accessible and are stored in accordance with the organizational policy.
While come information concerning the employees should be kept private, other information including the information of training and improvement programs should be made available so that employees can constantly review it whenever necessary. Such information should be kept in a storage system that all employees have access to. Information concerning personal information of the employees and outcomes of certain interviews, however, should only be accessible by certain individuals. The company should observe the privacy act when it comes to certain information. Any other information that can be useful in improving the performance of the company, however, should be made accessible to all concerned parties (Otley 363- 82).
12 Develop a process to deal with any problems or grievances which arise from the performance feedback
Manager should always be attentive and sensitive to the grievances and complains of the employees. The managers should first listen and find out whether the grievances or complains are valid, and whether they can be solved before dismissing them. If such complains or concerns are significant, then the manager should find out how such concerns can be addressed, concerns of the employees should never be ignores (Locke 157- 89).
13 Explain how HR will support the PMS be providing specialist advise on all aspects of the implementation of the PMS, including career development, to all participants on the process
HR can be extremely useful in this case because it can arrange for training programs that can help in enhancing the skills of the employees and developing new skills and competencies to improve the performance of the employees. The HR can plan these training programs so that they take place continuously and often so that employees get a chance to improve on their skills, competencies and career (Daniels 49- 67).
Works cited
Cokins, Gary. Performance Management – Integrating Strategy Execution, Methodologies, Risk, and Analytics. Osborne: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009. Print
Daniels, Aubrey C. Bringing out the Best in People. Sydney: McGraw-Hill, 1999.Print.
Gilbert, Thomas F. Human Competence: Engineering worthy Performance. Sydney: Pfeiffer. 1996.
LGMB. People and performance: the LGMB guide to performance management. Sydney: Local Government Management Board. 1993. Print
Locke, E.A. ‘Towards a theory of task motivation and incentives.’ Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 14. 2 (1968):157-89.
Locke, E.A. and Ladham, G.P. A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance. Australia: Prentice-Hall, 1990. Print
Otley, D. ‘Performance management: a framework for management control systems research.’ Management Accounting Research 10 (1999): 363-82. Print
Palmer, A. ‘Performance measurement in local government.’ Public Money and Management, October-December (1993): 31-6.
Rummler, Geary A. and Alan P. Brache. Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space in the Organization Chart. Sydney: Jossey-Bass. 1995. Print
Vroom, V.H. Work and Motivation. Osborne: John Wiley. 1964. Print
Learning is where people gain, change or improve on their skills, ideas, knowledge or even their behavior (Holt&
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Introduction
Learning is where people gain, change or improve on their skills, ideas, knowledge or even their behavior (Holt&John,1983). Verbal learning also called linguistic intelligence is a style of learning where the learner will learn through spoken words or from listening from others. The purpose of this paper is to show the skills of verbal learners and how they are different from other learners.
Verbal learning is widely used in school curricula all over the world and is seen as the most straightforward way of learning. It has also been used in different areas such as in politics It contains features such as rhymes and phrases. Learners who have this type of learning style could also have other types of learning styles (Honey&mumford,1982).
A verbal learner can use the certain techniques to perfect his/her learning. They should always practice speaking and writing techniques. This will ensure that they are able to practice on the technique. Another way is to make sure the key words are scripted for easier remembrance.
The learner could also use try to read aloud making the content varied. The learner can try varied tones to read the content this will wholly help in remembering. Doing the learning with others will also make the learning exciting and challenging, therefore, the urge to do fast so as not to be left behind by others (Holt&John,1983).
Another technique that can be used is by use of acronyms for easy remembering or where the words used are difficult for you to remember. By putting the content in one’s word, it will be easier for learning and remembrance.
A verbal learner needs sit in a position where he/she is comfortable to listen from that point. If not, it will cause discomfort which will make the learner not to concentrate, and this undeniably leads to him/her not learning unlike a kinesthetic learner who will be comfortable around any environment where he/she is put.
A verbal learner can also try another technique of writing out explanations in his or her own words if presented with any pictures or diagrams for him to recall the information. This will be a polite way to interpret the pictures and diagrams (Honey&Mumford,1982).
A verbal learner will poses key skill of reading and writing in schools for instance a verbal learner will be of help to other students in areas such as writing reports, in debates, in drama presentations also in poetry. These learners after school will tend to end up in careers such as journalism, politics, in acting and even as public speakers due to their intelligence in reading and writing.
A verbal learner will easily be disturbed by noise. That type of a learner will always stay away and avoid noise as it will interfere with their concentration. This person will try to talk to others, walk around, sing, when he/she is bored to try to relax and put his/her mind together before any further learning can take place (Holt&John,1983).
For a verbal learner, it is necessary to make vocabulary words these are essential for easy remembrance. In a school, before an exams a verbal learner will need to remember all the information that is learned through the period of learning.
References
Honey, P & Mumford, A, (1982). The Manual of Learning Styles. Maidenhead, UK: Peter Honey Publications
Holt, John (1983). How Children Learn. UK: Penguin Books