Osteology is the subdivision of anatomy pertaining to the study of bones of vertebrate animals, including humans. It comprises the names of specific bones of the skeleton, their placement and articulations in relationship to other bones, body proportions, and visible and microscopic features of osseous tissue. Among Greco-Roman anatomists, who followed the Hippocratic proposition that
Human resource information systems (HRIS) are means of acquiring, storing, manipulating, analyzing, retrieving, and distributing pertinent information regarding an organization’s human resources. They may be as simple as a box of index cards or a file cabinet full of manila folders or as complex as an interactive, Web-based computer application with role-based portals (an integrated and
Human resource planning is a combination of forecasting staffing needs and strategic planning. It involves planning, developing, implementing, administering, and performing ongoing evaluation and assessment of recruiting, hiring, orientation, and organizational exit to ensure that the workforce will meet the organization’s goals and objectives. The typical role of an HR professional performing the staffing function
As the term implies, human resource support systems are the various activities, programs, and initiatives used by organizations to assist in the development of human resources. In general, these systems, which are typically operated by an organization’s human resource department, include training and development, performance appraisal and feedback, career management, formal mentoring, and various types
Nature, at its microphysical level, constitutes the subject matter of quantum theory, also known as quantum mechanics. Never in the history of physics has there been a theory that has changed so drastically the shape of science as quantum mechanics; nor has there been a scientific theory that has had such a profound impact on
Mutants, human or otherwise, historically were defined as those individuals whose appearance or functional capabilities lay beyond the boundaries of the perceived “normal.” Synonymous words include monsters, freaks, and paranormals. Today the terms mutant and mutation refer more commonly to specific alterations at the genetic level that give rise to our full spectrum of phenotypic
Organizational strategy refers to the overall positioning and competitive approach of an organization in the marketplace. Strategic management is the deliberate effort to align the organization’s long-term direction with organizational strategy. Good strategic management integrates organizational functions into a strategic plan so that all organizational units operate in a coordinated fashion in support of the
Theorists who have written about the human life cycle include Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Erik Erickson, and Daniel Levinson. They usually describe universal stages that people pass through during their lives and present the life cycle as one where people progress toward certain goals. Some theories, such as Freud’s, were based mainly on
Human capital consists of the knowledge, skills, general intelligence, educational attainments, and personality characteristics of an individual and covers all strengths and assets of a person. The concept is rooted in two different fields, economics and psychology, thus resulting in two somewhat different perspectives. Human Capital in Economics Economists as well as industrial and organizational
For more than 50 million years, the canopy environment has placed stringent evolutionary conditions upon existence within its domain. Primates are a result of that process. Some examples of primate adaptations traditionally attributed to evolution within the canopy include binocular and color vision, long arms and legs, fingernails, grasping thumb, broad shoulders, enlarged brain, vertical
One common characteristic seen across the whole primate species is its competitive nature. Whether it’s competing to rise in the status hierarchy or competing in the Super Bowl or Stanley Cup Finals, primates as a whole engage in competition regularly. During the competitive stages, several physiological and psychological changes take place. The physiological changes have
Human dignity is of central importance today, particularly in the fields of medical ethics and bioethics, as it represents a fundamental constituent of many contemporary constitutions, the most global being the Charter of the United Nations. It is, however, far from clear what the term human dignity means. The expression itself may be inappropriate, as
As a term indicating well-developed skills pertaining to performing various tasks for personal gain and group benefit, human excellence may be found in all cultures. As a perfected ability in carrying out assigned work for survival, whether in hunting, war, or other activities, such as ritual dancing, excellence has been valued and recognized as well
The Human Genome Project (HGP) is an international project that was coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. Other major partners and additional contributions came from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and China. This project was formally initiated in October 1990 and finally completed in 2003. However, analyses
Paleontology is the study of fossil animals and plants. Human paleontology focuses exclusively on fossils related to the human lineage. Human paleontology is highly interdisciplinary; to recover, describe, and interpret human fossil remains, its researchers need knowledge of cultural anthropology, archaeology, biology, paleontology, and geology. Fossils, the remains or imprints of dead organisms, are the
The term human rights refers to a set of legal and normative standards according to which all humans are ordained with certain rights irrespective of the cultural or social circumstances of their lives. Although the concept has considerable historical antecedents, modern human rights can be said to have been inaugurated with the establishment of the
Every day, year after year, women grotesquely disfigured by fire are taken to Victoria Hospital’s burn ward here in India’s fastest growing city. They are in rows, wrapped like mummies in white bandages, their moans quieted by the pain-obliterating drip of morphine. Typically, these women, and thousands like them, have been depicted as victims of
Human variation, historically a topic of much opinion, debate, and fallacy, is ruled today by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology that was absent from early classification systems. Before the onset of European exploration in the late 15th century, it was believed that humans were descended from a single pair and should not be placed into different
Human genetics is the study of the inheritance of epigenetic traits among humans, notably but not exclusively traits of medical interest. The overarching goal of human genetics is to apply knowledge of human heredity to a better understanding of diversity in development and adaptation as “nature is nurtured.” Another central goal of human genetics is
Human Resources Careers Background In the 18th century, the U.S. economy was primarily agricultural, dependent on crops such as wheat and cotton. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, however, the United States experienced an industrial revolution. With this revolution, the economy shifted largely toward production of raw materials, such as iron and steel, and
Inspired by the scientific framework of organic evolution, paleoanthropologists continue to be very successful in discovering the diversified remains of fossil hominids at sites in eastern and southern Africa. This growing evidence represents the very long, branching, and complex process of human emergence from Pliocene apelike forms, through protohominids and then hominids, to the present
Human behavioral ecology (HBE) applies to principles of evolution by natural selection to explain behavioral and cultural diversity in human populations. It explores how features of social and physical environment constrain the suite of behaviors or “strategies” of individuals and applies the logic of optimization to make formal predictions about the conditions that favor or
Personnel specialists, also known as human resources professionals, formulate policy and organize and conduct programs relating to all phases of personnel activity. Labor relations specialists serve as mediators between employees and the employer. They represent management during the collective-bargaining process when contracts with employees are negotiated. They also represent the company at grievance hearings, required
The human brain is by far the most intriguing, complicated, and highly organized organ in the human body. Furthermore, the human brain is far more complex then all other known creatures, stars, galaxies, and planets in the universe. It is no wonder that research on the human brain has been an extremely daunting and challenging
Human resource management (HRM) has various definitions, but in the main there are two general approaches. The first descriptive approach states that HRM is the managing of employees and human assets at work and within the organization in an integrated and coherent manner. The second approach elaborates this further by stating that HRM is distinct
Although the double helix structure of DNA was discovered in 1953 by James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin, it was not until the 1980s that powerful sequencing and information technologies were developed that enabled scientists to identify particular genes associated with hereditary diseases and to begin to map all of the genes
The human services career cluster contains jobs that deal with families and human needs. Human services workers help people manage the many mental, emotional, and practical demands of everyday life, such as finding a home, securing child care, deciding on a career, or arranging funeral services for loved ones. They also help people deal with
Human factors (HF) is a multidisciplinary area that aims to understand and support the interactions between a human user and other elements of a sociotechnical system. Because human factors research addresses psychological, social, biological, and other task-related parameters of interactions between humans or between a human and a technical system in the context of work
Human resources strategy focuses on two primary issues: The degree to which human resources (HR) practices are aligned with business strategies The extent to which these practices influence organizational performance It is also based on three key assumptions: Human resources can be a source of competitive advantage. Human resource practices have a direct influence on
In line with general psychological approaches across fields, psychologists who study psychology and the law emphasize the behavior, cognition, emotions, and experiences of individuals involved in the legal system. Of course, all individuals within reach of the United States legal system are involved to some degree. The involvement appears evident for police officers, lawyers, judges
Electronic human resources management (eHR) focuses on the use of technology to maintain employee records and enhance human resources (HR) processes, including job analysis, recruitment, selection, training, performance management, and compensation. There has been an increased use of eHR systems in recent years because they are thought to (a) streamline HR processes, (b) reduce cycle
Drugs play an increasingly large role in civilization, and especially among the patients or clients who are seen by mental health professionals. The drugs that counselors may encounter fall into two major categories, therapeutic and recreational. Therapeutic drugs may facilitate the clinical goals of the patients, but can also present unique problems that must be
The World Wide Web has had a substantial impact on research methodology in counseling psychology and in the social and behavioral sciences in general. Indeed, the Internet offers opportunities for research in content areas where traditional methodologies have struggled and special samples have previously been difficult to recruit. However, the Internet also presents many challenges
Viewing the Hawthorne Studies as the linchpin that connected scientific management to new thinking and practice, the human relations movement is the result. This entry approaches the human relations movement from three vantage points: Genesis and growth of the movement Key concepts and practices of the human relations movement Role of the movement in shaping
This article delves into the multifaceted world of human development theories, exploring the intellectual legacies of prominent theorists who have shaped our understanding of how individuals grow and change over the lifespan. It provides an insightful journey through the Psychoanalytic Perspective, elucidating the stages of psychosexual development as conceptualized by Sigmund Freud and the psychosocial
Determining the sequence of the human genome has been compared in significance to Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon and to revealing the “book of life.” At the White House announcement of completion of a draft sequence, the achievement was described by President Clinton in 2000 as “Without a doubt . . . the
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus. A retrovirus is a type of virus that has viral RNA in its nucleus instead of DNA. The primary targets of HIV in the human body are T4 or T-helper cells. T4 cells help to organize the immune system’s response against a foreign invader (e.g., virus, bacteria
The following describes philosophical developments in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The Enlightenment Project In the wake of scientific revolution, social thinkers of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment—the philosophes—began to rethink morals and government along scientific lines. Especially in France, where the most radical ideas abounded, they rejected tradition and religion. The key question was that of