Recent Changes In Organisational Form And Personnel Strategies Essay

Recent Changes In Organisational Form And Personnel Strategies - Essay Example Differences between the connotations of the words "labor" and "work† suggest the reorienting effect that Braverman's formulation had on views regarding work, workers, and the workplace (Rowlinson, 2000, p.13-14). Labor is an economic commodity exchanged in the market. Braverman held that work had been degraded by capitalism thus turned into mere labor. Taylorism separated the hand from the brain and vested the brains in management and the hands in labor. Work became deskilled as technological and bureaucratic controls supplanted the self-direction of skilled workers. This process of deskilling standardized work activities robbed work of meaning, leveling skill distinctions among workers. It enlarged and homogenized the proletariat, which came to include clerical and semi-professional occupations. Braverman's focus on skills had the effect of conceptualizing the outcomes of the industrial transformation as technological, psychological, and economic rather than social. Harry Brav erman does not make clear the definition of skill but sees the degradation process as involving the separation of mental and physical activities. One might be concluded that Harry Braverman has identified skills as cognitive abilities of workers, then generalized beyond that point to make skills technical characteristics of jobs. Sociological conceptions of work based on workers' relations to each other, group control over activities, and normative definitions of technical relations are missing.

What role does autonomy play in achieving a 'good death' Essay

What role does autonomy play in achieving a 'good death' - Essay Example â€Å"The main reason for the complex situation at the end of life is the development of life-sustaining technologies within the last fifty years† (Earle et al 2008, p.25). Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of autonomy in achieving a ‘good death’. Hence, the concepts of autonomy and ‘good death’, along with their guiding principles and their application will be evaluated and illustrated. â€Å"The care of dying patients is a responsibility for families, healthcare professionals and society† (Jeffrey 2006, p.2). Most care support is provided by families and non-professional carers. To improve the care of dying patients it is essential to understand end-of-life issues and promote effective communication. Palliative care for patients with chronic, life-threatening diseases such as advanced cancer involves decision making. Professionals are required to include patients in decisions that affect their care, while explaining to the patients and their carers, the ethical issues involved. Patient autonomy is perceived as key to ‘good death’. However, Brown (2003) argues that patient’s autonomy or freedom of choice at the end of life care is not merely a matter of individual preference. Other important criteria that influence a patient’s autonomy are socioeconomic status, availability of services, cultural factors, emotional and relationship factors, along with the political and other aspects of care. The manner in which people are cared for at the end of their lives is one indicator of a civilised society. Recent medical advances can delay death as well as prolong the process of dying. These dynamics generate tension from which emerge ethical dilemmas requiring debate. Though the technological aspect of care increases progressively, the new concerns are regarding the neglect of the softer, psychological elements of care.