Human Resource Management Skills are Critical to Organisational Survival and Success

Introduction Specialist human resource management skill is an important attribute that managers must possess in the present age of globalisation. It provides a playing field for an effective management of staff and enhances retention and turnover processes of an organisation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resource Management Skills are Critical to Organisational Survival and Success specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More HRM also enables management to maximize effective utilization of employees through investment in identified human capital. Through HRM, an organisation can have increased performance, employee satisfaction and more shareholder value. Human resource management is defined as â€Å"a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization’s most valued asset – the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives† (Armstrong, 2006, p. 3). We can understand from the definition that HRM emphasizes people because they are a source of strength and competitive advantage for an organisation. The new trend in business is to strengthen human resource for it can lead to success and competitive advantage for the organisation. This paper aims to analyse HRM skills that a manager and employees should possess in order to enhance the organisation’s performance in the competitive world of business. HRM covers areas of recruitment, selection, staffing, performance evaluation processes, and philosophies and policies of an organisation. Critical Analysis A manager’s knowledge of HRM is significant to the attainment of the organisation’s goals and objectives. The manager has to maintain a good and effective rapport with his employees. The employees too have to establish a good communication with the customers. Meeting the needs and wants of customers is the job of both the manager and em ployees. The manager has to focus his knowledge and capabilities with identifying and selecting employees capable of implementing the organisation’s plans. Motivation is a part of a manager’s job and this is a very significant part of HRM. Without motivation employees do not function well. (Harris et al., 2003, p. 56)Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Effective management focuses on people. The manager and the workforce must work as a team and as a cohesive force, and should be flexible in satisfying the customers’ needs and wants. (Gulati and Oldroyd, 2005, p. 92) With flexibility, the focus is shifted to human resource. Effective management looks at managing people in many angles by answering questions like: How do employees work effectively? How can they be motivated? How can they work as a team? This first objective is on managers so that they can deli ver the necessary management techniques to the employees. The next line of concentration is on the people or employees. Both managers and employees have to be prepared, and their preparation stems from the basic knowledge of their job and the organisation’s objectives. HRM Planning Another function of HRM is human resource planning which is concerned with identifying resources to the business needs of the organisation (Gold, 1999, p. 165). It meets human resource requirements by answering the questions: how many are needed in the organisation, and what particular skills and capabilities should the people possess? (Armstrong, 2006, p. 363) The manager also determines the number and type of employees needed in the team and where the labor supply should come from. Recruitment, training and development, and assignment of people are all in accordance with the organisation’s objectives. Existing employees can be trained, developed, redeployed, transferred or promoted for fut ure skill needs. New recruits should be carefully selected to ensure suitability for future positions. (Cray and Mallory, 1998, p. 7) The organisation’s objectives play a critical role in the staffing process. The manager should see to it that applicants meet the qualification standards of the organisation. Specification of the qualifications, identification of persons possessing those skills, and moving people into the job should be emphasized in the organisation’s staffing strategy (Miller, 1984, p. 58).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resource Management Skills are Critical to Organisational Survival and Success specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More HRM emphasises the integration of traditional personnel functions including recruitment and selection and their management towards the strategic goals and objectives of the organisation. (Nankervis et al., 2009, p. 2) Human resource also needs to be integrated with organisational goals and corporate strategy. (Bratton, 1999, p. 11) Recruitment and Selection Recruitment includes planning, environmental scanning and analysis of organisational objectives, strategies and policies in order to ascertain the right quantity and quality of employees when and where necessary. This means forecasting human resources needs to ensure that the organisation has qualified people in the job. Recruitment and selection are an integral part of an organisation’s overall HRM strategy. HRM emphasises the integration of traditional personnel functions including recruitment and selection and their management towards the strategic goals and objectives of the organisation. (Compton et al., 2009, p. 2) Human resource planning is important to the organisation’s achieving its strategic goals. It is defined as â€Å"the process for ensuring that the human resource requirements of an organization are identified and plans are made for satisfying those requirements† (Armstrong, 2006, p. 363). HRM functions and organisational objectives are linked through planning (Nankerviset al., 2009, p. 9). Training and Development Training and development are applied in a systematic way. The organisation is viewed as a system, and training as a subsystem. Training and development therefore should be an integral part of the system. (Kubr et al., 1989, p. 68) The objective of training and development focuses on the design and implementation of training systems to successfully impact organisational performance. (Smith Mazin, 2004, p. 65)Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A successful training programme takes the trainee through the difficult barrier to the final stage when he or she can perform all of the skills at once and can have the ability to think a stage in advance so that the trainee has control of the selling situation. Motivation In the workplace, workers can be very productive when they feel they are a part of a team, or part-owner of business. They feel this sense of belongingness and so they strive for the company’s success. This is one of the many kinds of motivation that affect individual behaviour in the workplace. People always connect work with life’s fulfillment, and connect their satisfaction at work with their feelings and satisfaction of life and happiness with their family. Work and life balance suggests a balance for life and what people do. Management should introduce worklife balance. This is because stress can cause ill-health and dysfunctionality. There is enough pressure in the workplace, added with all sor ts of pollution. (Firth, 2002, p. 46) Abraham Maslow (1943), who is the originator of the human-need theory, formulated the pyramid theory of need. He arranged it like a pyramid or ladder. Basic needs are at the bottom of the pyramid. As one set is met, the need moves up the ladder to the next. Performance Management Performance is something that an employee contributes to the organisation according to his/her own capabilities and talents. (Mead, 2005) Performance management is an HRM function that focuses on improving the performance of employees. It aims to emphasise their capabilities and individual talents that must contribute to the entire performance of the organisation. Performance management also aims to provide the means through which the staff can provide better results in such a way that the customers will be benefitted in the end (Armstrong, 2000, p. 1). Performance Appraisal Appraising individual employees is one aspect of needs assessment. Beaumont (1993, p. 74) argued that â€Å"the grounds (i.e. criteria) on which an employee is appraised should reflect the larger competitive strategy of the organization†. Indeed, it would certainly reflect on the organisation’s strategic development. Beaumont (1993) further states that some of the leading advocates of Total Quality Management are highly critical of performance appraisals based on individual employees. Line managers appraise their employees and in turn, they are being appraised by their own superiors. Conclusion The functions discussed in this paper are specialist HRM skills that are significant in the survival and success of an organisation. Managers and employees should have these capabilities and skills in running an organisation. Human resource management is a major function that strengthens an organisation. It is created to promote and pursue the aims and objectives of an organisation. An organisation cannot function well without an effective human resource. References Armstr ong, M., 2006. A handbook of human resource management practice. London: Kogan Page Limited. Beaumont, P., 1993. Human Resource Management: Key Concepts and Skills. California: Sage Publications. Bratton, J., 1999. Human resource management phenomenon. In J. Bratton and J. Gold, Human resource management: theory and practice. London: MacMillian Press Ltd. Compton, R. et al., 2009. Effective recruitment and selection practices (5th ed.). Australia: CCH Australia. Cray, D. and Mallory, G., 1998. Making sense of managing culture. London: International London Business Press Inc. Firth, D., 2002. Life and Work Express. United Kingdom: Capstone Publishing. Gold, J., 1999. Human resource planning. In J. Bratton and J. Gold, Human resource management: theory and practice, p. 165. London: MacMillian Press Ltd. Gulati, R. and Oldroyd, J., 2005. The quest for customer focus. Harvard Business Review [e-journal], Available through: City University London . Harris, H., Brewster, C., and Sparrow, P., 2003. International Human Resource Management. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Kubr, M., Prokopenko, J. International Labour Office, Ed., 1989. Diagnosing Management Training and Development Needs: Concepts and Techniques. International Labour Organization. Maslow, A. H., 1943. A theory of human motivation. In F. Goble, Ed., The third force: the psychology of Abraham Maslow, pp. 233-6. United States of America: Zorba Press. Mead, R., 2005. International management: cross-cultural dimensions. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing. Miller, E., 1984. Strategic staffing. In C. Fombrun, N. Tichy, M Devanna (Eds.), Strategic human resource management. United States of America: John Wiley Sons. Nankervis, A., Compton, R., and Morrissey, B., 2009. Effective recruitment and selection practices (5th ed.). Australia: CCH Australia. Smith, S. and Mazin, R., 2004. The HR answer book: an indispensable guide for managers and human resources professionals. New York: AMAC OM Div. American Management Association. This essay on Human Resource Management Skills are Critical to Organisational Survival and Success was written and submitted by user Kelsey Buckley to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Any Given Sunday essays

Any Given Sunday essays On any given Sunday youre going to win or lose. The point is-can you win or lose like a man? This quotation from Oliver Stones Any Given Sunday is not only responsible for the films title; it relates to the movies theme of what it means to be a man. Unfortunately, Stone does not introduce a new masculinity but instead reinforces the manufactured consent of power relations between men that is hegemonic masculinity. Any Given Sunday is the story of a fictional football team (Miami Sharks) that is struggling after several losses and team conflicts to make a comeback with a rookie quarterback. Although the film criticizes the roles of class and race in football, it still supports masculine stereotypes through its comparisons between football and war, its limited character development of female roles, and sympathetic portrayal of Coach DAmatos classic masculinity. The opening scenes of Any Given Sunday dramatize action on the football field, offering obvious comparisons to fighting on a battlefield during a war. Players move in slow motion, grunting, their helmets clanking, and the sounds of colliding bodies echo. Players bark insults and threats at their opponents before knocking them to the ground and injuring them to the point that doctors have to carry them off the field in stretchers. Meanwhile, thousands of fans sit in the stands, cheering loudly as their team gives an opponent a concussion or rips out an opponents eye. Throughout the film, the football games are portrayed in a battle-like manner with a similar sense of drama. Players continue to severely injure each other while coaches and the audience encourage them to keep playing to the death. For example, after numerous concussions, the doctor tells the second string quarterback he could be putting his life on the line if he continues to play. Wh...

Word of Mouth Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Word of Mouth Marketing - Essay Example Techniques to promote a firm's product have been created and modified to come up with a superior marketing strategy with excellent results. Word of mouth marketing which is also regarded to as viral marketing nowadays emerged as one of the most efficient tools in marketing in product promotion, customer recruitment and retention. This paper will try to address the perceived advantages and disadvantages of word of mouth. This paper will give a closer look at word of mouth marketing and how it affects buyer behavior. To further examine the potency of word of mouth as an effective marketing tool, experiences of practitioners will be evaluated. Disadvantages and costs of word of mouth marketing, especially its inaccessibility will also be looked into. According to the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (2006), word of mouth marketing is the ability to harness the voice of the happy customer for the good brand while acknowledging that the voice of the unhappy customer is equally as powerful (and equally detrimental) to the brand. However, it should be noted that word of mouth is often not an intended marketing strategy for goods and services companies as they do not exert direct effort in the "creation" of word of mouth. Instead, word of mouth can be indirectly promoted by firms by ensuring the quality of the products that they offer to customers. No amount of marketing effort can encourage word of mouth but through the collective effort of the whole company in achieving the goals of marketing-creating products and services that gives customer value. Traditionally, word of mouth is done through the face to face social interactions of individual. However, a new trend has emerged in word of mouth marketing together with the revolutionary development in technology. The most important technological innovation which rapidly introduced change in word of mouth marketing is the internet technology. This revolution led to the establishment of viral marketing as a type of word of mouth marketing. Viral marketing refers to "marketing technique that exploits pre-existing social networks to produce exponential increases in brand awareness through viral processes similar to a spread of an epidemic (Viral Marketing 2006)." It should also be added that viral marketing is a word of mouth "enhanced" and "delivered" online as it takes advantage of the internet technology to reach a huge number of people rapidly. Viral marketing includes the use of blogs, amateur websites and other forms of astrosurfing that facilitates word of mouth. Word of Mouth and Buyer Behavior It should be noted that word of mouth marketing takes advantage of both power of human voice and social interaction among customers. A relationship between

The reinterpretation of dreams; The role of cognition in classical and Essay

The reinterpretation of dreams; The role of cognition in classical and operant conditioning - Essay Example 882). As Revonsuo argues that nightmares do not support psychological theories according to which dreams serve emotional healing and adjustment problems. Revonsuo argues, however, that dream content is not as random as theorists claim. In fact, dream content is not only highly organized, but also highly selective. While dreaming occurs, the brain recreates a complicated representation of the world and these representations can either exaggerate waking world experiences of downplay them (Revonsuo 783). Revonsuo also argues that the content of dreams illustrates that dreams are mediated by specific experiences in the waking world. As a result, Revonsuo hypothesizes that dreams are therefore biological functions that serve to â€Å"simulate threatening events, and to rehearse threat perception and threat avoidance† (p. 783). Revonsuo supports his hypothesis by arguing that empirical studies consistently demonstrate that dream content is usually associated with â€Å"threatening elements† (p. 883). In other words, dreams usually involve negative experiences and rarely involve positive experiences. For example, a study conducted by Hall and Van de Castle in 1966) involved dream recollections from 500 females and 500 males between the ages of 18 and 25. The contents of the dream recollections revealed that 80% of the dream contents were negative experiences and only 20% contained positive experiences. Relying on the study conducted by Hall and Van de Castle, Revonsuo observes that a majority of the negative dreams were comprised of attacks or apprehensions of attacks from strange men or animals and in each case the dreamer either took flight or attempted to take flight or hid, or immediate arose from sleep (p. 884). Revonsuo evaluates why strange men and/or animals are the predominant threats in dream contents. Revonsuo goes back to the experiences of primitive man and notes that our ancestors existed in an environment in which animals were persistent t hreats. Our ancestors developed a survival instinct in which running, hiding or otherwise escaping became a staple coping mechanism. These human fears and instincts continue to haunt modern man. Dreaming simulates and perpetuates our instinctive and ancestral â€Å"threat-avoidance programs† (Revonsuo 884). Moreover, human relations were such that men often fought with one another for access to resources necessary for basic living. Although today, interactions with strange men are rarely threatening, it remains true that violence and wars are more frequently committed by males than by females. Therefore unpleasant dream contents in which strange men are the aggressor are also rooted in our ancestors’ survival instincts (Revonsuo 884). Essentially, Revonsuo concludes that dreams represent simulations of threats and that actions played out in dreams are actually representations of waking world experiences of possibilities. Dreaming about perceptions of threats and mechan isms for avoiding threats is no more than a rehearsal or simulation technique conducted in a relatively safe location: the dream world (Revonsuo). Essay 2: Kirsch, I.; Lynn, S. J.; Vigorito, M. and Miller, R. R. â€Å"The Role of Cognition in Classical and Operant Conditioning.† Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 4(2004): 369-392. Previously classical condition was perceived as a reflexive response to external stimuli. For example,

Sampling strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sampling strategy - Assignment Example In other words, each member of the population has an equal chance of becoming part of the sample size. This strategy shall be used to select fifty (50) of such new mothers. The rationale for using random sampling technique in the quantitative survey and selecting fifty (50) respondents is that surveys require the collection of data from a relatively larger setting and as such the sample size must be large enough to give a true proportionate representation of all people within the population. For the qualitative focus group study, a purposive sampling strategy shall be used to select members in the sample size. A purposive sampling strategy do not allow for equal probability of selection of members but comes with its own advantage which is, a specific classification of respondents who are thought to be suitable for the provision of certain data will be selected (Bushman, 2007). This is ideal for a focus group study because using a random strategy may include members who do not qualify for the variables set out to achieve the intended focus. Because the focus group will be critically analyzed, a fewer number of respondents of ten (10) shall be included. Generally for the focus group, the inclusion and exclusion criteria shall be based on a group of well defined variables, whereby only new mothers who fall within the variables shall be included (Calfee and Scheraga, 2004). A typical example of such variable could be new mothers who had pre-mature child birth. Bushman, B.J. (2007). Child birth complications and their attendant solutions: Validity of proposed explanations. Recent developments in alcoholism: Volume 13. (pp. 227-243). New York, NY: Plenum Press. Calfee, J., & Scheraga, C. (2004). The influence of advertising on anti-natal care: A literature review and an econometric analysis of four European nations. International Journal of Advertising, 13,

What Might We Mean By Firm Performance

What Might We Mean By Firm Performance The firm performance is a complex term which may include different shadows of meaning as long as it relates to organizational performance, functioning of the firm and outcomes of its operations. Normally, the firm performance implies the organizational performance, including manufacturing of products and services, functioning of different units of the firm, performance of its employees and outcomes of their work in total. At the same time, the firm performance can be viewed in a broader context as a part of the business development of the firm. What is meant here is the fact that the business development mirrors the firms performance and allows to assess the extent to which the organizational performance is effective. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the firms performance is basically measured in terms of efficiency of the firms operations. In fact, the more effective the firms operations are completed the more positive the organizational performance is and, on the contrary, the low efficiency of firms operations and employees performance means the poor firms performance. In this respect, employees performance comprises an integral part of the firms performance because, in the contemporary business environment human resources, comprise an important marketing asset of any organization. Therefore, the efficiency of employees performance affects consistently the firms performance. Furthermore, it is important to take into consideration that the firms performance is an important indicator for investors and stakeholders. What is meant here is the fact that the firms performance indicates whether the company is worth investing or not. For instance, investors are ready to invest money in firms with the positive marketing performance, whereas poor marketing performance indicates at problems firms have in their business development. As a result, investors avoid investing money in companies with poor performance because they are uncertain in the return on investments and because of high risks accompanying such investments. What is competitive advantage, in OPERATIONAL and CONCRETE terms? The competitive advantage of a company is one of the most important factors that define the competitive position of the company in the market. In fact, the competitive position of a company means the marketing position and performance of the company compared to its major rivals. In this regard, it is necessary to pay a particular attention to the return on investments rate of the company because the higher is the return on investments and lower risks associated with investments and business development of the company, the better is the marketing position of the company. In fact, the company with the high return on investment can count for the steady improvement of its marketing and competitive position because it can take advantage of its business development and growth which occur due to the high return on investments. In addition, the competitive advantage should be unique, relevant and sustainable. At the same time, it is important to distinguish competitive position in operational and concrete terms. In this regard, the competitive advantage in operational terms implies the advantage of the company in terms of its business development, introduction of innovations, use of management strategies, organization of production process and other operations conducted by the company. The competitive advantage of the company in operational terms is defined by its ability to take a better position compared to its rival due to a better organization of the production process and other operations conducted by the company compared to its rivals. As for the competitive advantage in concrete terms, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the competitive advantage in concrete terms implies the advantage of the company in terms of the assets value of the company, costs of its facilities, fixed costs, and other fixed values of the company, along with the products and services provided by the company to its customers. In other words, the competitive advantage in concrete terms implies the advantage the company gains in quantity of products, revenues and other items which can be measured and assessed accurately. Finally, on analyzing the competitive advantage concept, it is worth mentioning the fact that companies have to maintain their competitive advantage. In other words competitive advantage should be sustainable to insure that the company keeps progressing. Otherwise, if the company fails to maintain its competitive advantage, it is doomed to failure because it cannot afford the competition for rivals will keep progressing and outpace the company that has stopped in its development. Question 3: Assess the merits of the VRIO framework when determining a firms competitive advantage? The VRIO framework allows to obtain the basic information on the competitive advantage of a firm. To put it more precisely, the VRIO framework focuses on four key items defining the competitive position of a firm, including value, rarity, imitability, and organization. The value of the company is very important for determining its competitive position. In terms of the VRIO framework, the value implies the ability of a firm to neutralize external threats and hold a better marketing and competitive position compared to its rivals. In such a way, increasing the value, a firm can improve its competitive position and take the lead in the industry. The rarity implies the control over resource in hands a few and the firm should attempt to limit the access of the rivals to the resources. Alternatively, the company may attempt to establish control over resources and, thus, get a consistent competitive advantage over its rivals, especially if they cannot get access to resources. Furthermore, imitability involves the protection of the uniqueness of products and services provided by the company to its customers and the ability of the company to protect its products and services from imitations from the part of its rivals. In this regard, the protection of intellectual property rights, the development of new, original and unique products is crucial because it provides the company with an excellent opportunity to take advantage and hold the dominant competitive position in the market. The uniqueness of products or services is crucial for the competitive position of the company. Finally, the organization is another important factor that determines the competitive position of the company and its competitive advantage. In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that the effective organization allows the company to optimize the production process and company-customer relationships. As a result, companies with a better organization has a competitive advantage of its rivals because its performance is better compared to its rivals due to the better organization of work and more efficient work of employees within the company.

The Great Gatsby A Criticism Of The Twenties (grade 11 Essay)

The Roaring Twenties is considered to be a time of excessive celebration and immense corruption. The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a criticism of American society and its values during this era of history. This criticism is first apparent in the people who go to Gatsby's parties. They get absurdly drunk, do not know who their host is and are rude by excessively gossiping about him. This commentary is also shown in the corruption of the police. Gatsby is able to pay off the police so that the activities going on at his home will go unnoticed and so that he may behave as he wishes. This criticism is finally shown in the corruption of friendship and love, the simple fact being that there is none. People use Gatsby and then throw him away. Fitzgerald's criticism of American society and its values during this time period is first shown in the behaviour of people at Gatsby's parties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people who go to Gatsby's house on Saturday night only go to have a good time. The guests get drunk, get into fights, and act like complete idiots. This behaviour is apparent when Nick goes to one of Gatsby's parties for the first time. Nick says,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The large room was full of people. One of the girls in yellow was  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  playing the piano, and beside her stood a tall, red-haired young lady...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  engaged in song. She had drunk a quantity of champagne...she was   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  not only singing she was weeping too...Most of the remaining   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  women were having fights with men said to be their husbands...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the men was talking with curious intensity to a young   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  actress, and his wife...resorted to flank attacks...(52) The people at the party are so drunk that they are barely aware of what they are doing. As they become more drunk, they become more absurd. The woman singing a happy song bursts into tears for no reason. Men become more friendly to women other than their wives, and wives become more violent in de... ...sby believed loved him as he had loved her for so many years, did not only not attend his funeral, but did not even send a flower or message. All the people Gatsby knows uses him for their own means and then discard him. There is no such thing as friendship or love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Roaring Twenties is considered a time of mass corruption and excessive absurdity. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses his novel, The Great Gatsby, to criticize the American society and its values in this era. This criticism is best shown in the behaviour of the people who go to Gatsby's parties; they are careless, rude and only looking out for themselves. It is also shown in the corruption of the police, who are easily paid to look the other way. It is finally apparent in the corruption of friendship and love, the truth being that there is none. This society and its values are self-centered and materialistic, caring very little for consequences and others. Fitzgerald's message is delivered magnificently and causes one to be appalled by the behaviour of the people during this time in history. Bibliography Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. England: Penguin Books, 1950. The Great Gatsby A Criticism Of The Twenties (grade 11 Essay) The Roaring Twenties is considered to be a time of excessive celebration and immense corruption. The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a criticism of American society and its values during this era of history. This criticism is first apparent in the people who go to Gatsby's parties. They get absurdly drunk, do not know who their host is and are rude by excessively gossiping about him. This commentary is also shown in the corruption of the police. Gatsby is able to pay off the police so that the activities going on at his home will go unnoticed and so that he may behave as he wishes. This criticism is finally shown in the corruption of friendship and love, the simple fact being that there is none. People use Gatsby and then throw him away. Fitzgerald's criticism of American society and its values during this time period is first shown in the behaviour of people at Gatsby's parties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people who go to Gatsby's house on Saturday night only go to have a good time. The guests get drunk, get into fights, and act like complete idiots. This behaviour is apparent when Nick goes to one of Gatsby's parties for the first time. Nick says,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The large room was full of people. One of the girls in yellow was  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  playing the piano, and beside her stood a tall, red-haired young lady...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  engaged in song. She had drunk a quantity of champagne...she was   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  not only singing she was weeping too...Most of the remaining   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  women were having fights with men said to be their husbands...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the men was talking with curious intensity to a young   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  actress, and his wife...resorted to flank attacks...(52) The people at the party are so drunk that they are barely aware of what they are doing. As they become more drunk, they become more absurd. The woman singing a happy song bursts into tears for no reason. Men become more friendly to women other than their wives, and wives become more violent in de... ...sby believed loved him as he had loved her for so many years, did not only not attend his funeral, but did not even send a flower or message. All the people Gatsby knows uses him for their own means and then discard him. There is no such thing as friendship or love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Roaring Twenties is considered a time of mass corruption and excessive absurdity. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses his novel, The Great Gatsby, to criticize the American society and its values in this era. This criticism is best shown in the behaviour of the people who go to Gatsby's parties; they are careless, rude and only looking out for themselves. It is also shown in the corruption of the police, who are easily paid to look the other way. It is finally apparent in the corruption of friendship and love, the truth being that there is none. This society and its values are self-centered and materialistic, caring very little for consequences and others. Fitzgerald's message is delivered magnificently and causes one to be appalled by the behaviour of the people during this time in history. Bibliography Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. England: Penguin Books, 1950.