Communications Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Communications - Coursework Example The movement of structuralism is closely connected to the study of signs and symbols and how individuals created meanings of these signs and symbols. The movement of structuralism is said to have been originated in the theories of Ferdinand de Saussure during the early period of the 1900s (Berger, 2006, p.20). Saussure was the one who developed signs and symbols and believed that all languages constitute of difficult system of symbols and these symbols help in expressing ideas and there are certain regulations that are governing the way these symbols are used. He asserted that any particular symbol is a matter of chance and a link does not exist between a word and the meaning attached to it. For example: the word â€Å"dog† does not signify an image of an animal. Structuralism even states that a literary piece of work has zero origin and the individual authoring a piece of literary work simply occupies an already existing language which assists him/her in created sentences for his/her story. 2. Culler states that society is a primary reality, by this statement he is entering into an argument against Ferdinand de Saussure who is of the idea that human beings are the ones who have created society and the society itself was not created first (Berger, 2006, p.14). Basically, Culler is entering into a chicken and egg debate in which the issue is whether chicken created eggs or the eggs created chicken. Culler is arguing that it was not the humans who created the society, and society preceded human beings. Culler states that the society is not an outcome of behaviors conducted by human beings and is not demonstration of the human mind. Culler even stated that if an individual wants to conduct a study on human behavior and wants to analyze human behavior, he/she should first study the society and he even added that meanings are derived when an individual interacts with the society and thus they should be explained in the context of the society. Culler has raise d a significant debate against the assumptions of structuralism, this is because if the society would not have existed human beings would not have learned how to interpret the meaning of a specific sign or object and this is because the meaning of science do not evolve out of nowhere, they are created by the society. The society is very important for the development of communication as due to its existence, humans learn how to speak and write and learn meanings of different signs and symbols. 3. The patterns in which stories and speeches are narrated and told are a huge field of study and one of the greatest theorists who contributed to this study was William Labov during 1972 (Berger, 2006, p.40). According to Labov there are six steps if story telling starting from abstract in which an overview of the story is provided. For example: In a recent speech on animal behavior I attended, the speaker started by proving an overview of what he is going to talk about. Next comes the orienta tion in which the speaker informed us about which animals he is going to talk about, their behaviors at under different situations and the reasons for exhibiting that behavior. Next is the complicating action in which the speaker informed us about the events in which he will narrate the entire topic starting off with a background, concentrating on theorists and application of theories and in the end he concludes. Next he provided an evaluation of the events

National Training Awards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

National Training Awards - Essay Example Managers across the world are investing heavily on employee training so that they can help them pursue their roles more efficiently. For maximum productivity, employees need to be trained to become self aware and on how they can work as a team. They need to be trained on how they can contribute to the overall growth of the company and on problem solving (National Training Awards 2008). It is on this premise that the National training Awards (NTAs) was established. The Department for education and Science formed the NTAs in 1987. It was given the function of rewarding organisations, businesses, and individuals who have achieved a lasting success through learning and training. The British government was very keen on encouraging employers to provide decent and effective training for their employees. The National Awards merged with investors in People Training Awards to develop a strong platform for training excellence. Currently, the awards are managed by UK skills, a totally independent body. Their concept remains the same - to reward organizational successes that have been achieved through employee development. According to National Training Awards (2008), they have short listed 223 finalists in 25 industry sectors this year alone. The winners are expected to be known by November and will be awarded some national or local training awards, depending on their outstan ding achievements, either locally or nationally. Roles of NTAs in improving employee development The NTAs has continued to play some major functions in ensuring that the country's political, social, economic, and technical environment improves through employee development. As already mentioned elsewhere, it seeks to reward businesses which have achieved admirable lasting success through offering their employees an extensive training programme. First, the NTAs chief role is to provide a methodical process by which all the training practices are reviewed and their effectiveness reviewed (What are the benefits 2008). Companies should not conduct training programmes on employees for the sake of training them. There should be set targets that training programmes must achieve for them to be seen as effective. The NTAs provide companies with objective systematic processes by which such successes can be measured and rewarded. According to Ford et al. (1997), there are basic indicators that could prove if any training programme has been effective or not. These indicators include skills assessment, trainee amplitudes, and training instructional design. Such indicators can be best reviewed by the NTAs because of its professional expertise and its objectivity. Upon reviewal, companies will always be advised on the strengths and weaknesses of their training programmes, thus giving them room for improvement. Peter Cresswell, a judge at the national panel of the NTAs and an employee of Siemens Inc. has Infact blamed improper training practices on the lack of innovation that has characterized the competition for the past few years. Organizations should always strive to know what they want to gain or achieve out of undertaking a training programm