Stress Management In Organisation
Major Concern

Dr. Niranjan Prasad Upadhyay

MANAGEMENT is the process of creating an environment in which individuals working together in groups efficiently accomplish the specific goal. In personnel administration, managers always try to involve in the overall activities of the personnel in the course of setting the goal and objectives of the organisation. Particularly, managers conduct general administration according to the certain assigned job and responsibilities. In the context of Nepalese organisations, managers run the administration according to the objective and assigned job. Managing an organisation well has become a great challenge to every Nepalese administrator. It has been a great challenge for Nepalese bureaucrats in delivering efficient and prompt services to common people.

Goal

Managers achieve organisational goals by getting the jobs done with and through the employee. They must strike an optimum balance between jobs and the employees to enhance organisational effectiveness. This is essential to achieve goals through efficient acquisition and use of available resources. Stress has become a major concern of modern managers in all types of organisations. Its potential role on health and productivity has become a cause for concern. Researches have indicated that almost 80 per cent physical diseases are caused by stress alone.

The term stress refers to psychological state, which derives from persons' appraisal of the success with which he or she can adjust to the demands of the environment. It is closely interwoven in all facets of life. It covers wide areas i.e. management, administration industry, politics and psychology.
Stress is not an exciting topic to deal with in personnel administration. It is necessary and positive force leading to effective work and maintenance of good health. Insufficient stress might lead to 'rush out' while over exposure to stressful conditions might lead to burn - out. Psychologically, stress performance relationship may be compared with the strings on a violin. When there is either too little or too much tension on the strings, music becomes a noise. Organisational researcher often remark that an individual may have a high stress tolerance for one variety of stress and low stress tolerance for another variety, depending on age physical conditioning, learned behaviour adjustment among others.

Nepalese bureaucrats show stress due to various reasons, viz. imbalance of reward and punishment, poor salary, low motivation and poor training facilities, lack of job description and assignment, inadequate recognition of performance, political pressures, and tendency of sharing undue benefits.

Researchers have reported a arithmetical link between coronary heart disease and individuals exhibiting stressful behavioural patterns designated "Type A". These patterns are reflected in a style of life characterised by impatience and a sense of time urgency, hard driving competitiveness, and preoccupation with vocational and related deadlines. The person- environment fit model urges that if a person is not able to fit into his or her working environment, it leads to stress and strain.

High level of stress, or even low levels sustained over long periods of time can lead to reduce employee's performance in an organisation. A psychologist, claims that in Nepal's work context, high stress is caused by diversified factors such as deadline pressures, inadequate career development and opportunities and lack of opportunities to travel abroad. In 1982, CWIN conducted a research on the working condition of children. Amongst the girl carpet weavers, 38 per cent said that they were repeatedly sexually harassed, teased or raped. Nepalese legal experts, say that in carpet and garment sectors, verbal nature of sexual harassment is common. In such sectors, physical abuse by male workers to female workers like pinching on the buttocks, embracing, holding hands, caressing are common and frequent.

In fact, there is lack of legislation and specific law or policy to address sexual harassment in Nepal. Researchers advocate that women face different types of psychological problems related to sexual harassment at workplace like degradation of physical and mental health, decrease in earning, loss of job. Also the psychological effects of sexual harassment are very serious not only to the victims but also to the society. Usually, harassment creates diversified problems like lack of concentration towards work, depression, lose of self-esteem, confidence and mental stress.

In every organisation, workers mostly face different types of interpersonal problems viz. personality difference, information deficiency, role incompatibility and environmental stress. Psychologists highlight that job related stresses are unavoidable in working environment. In this electronic age, managers operate in an increasingly difficult environment. The pressures and challenges facing by the managers are becoming more complex. This environment often elevates stress, and managers are persistently trying to achieve a balancing act between two extremes.

Stress cannot only be negative or destructive. It can also be positive and can encourages people to work hard for their achievement of their targeted or defined objective. A moderate level of stress may lead to better performance by making better preparation. It also helps in creating a more positive self-esteem and an equally positive power. Under moderate stress levels, performance is high because physical and mental capabilities are challenged.

Feed back

Lastly, managers can help their subordinates by promoting employee's awareness and fitness, providing social support by evaluating the redesign of work and managing time. Redesigning jobs give employees more responsibility; more meaningful work, more autonomy, increase feedback and their participation can reduce stress. These factors give the employee greater control over work activity and minimise their dependence on others. Furthermore, organisations must develop stress management programmes to help employees to cope with stress.

The Ozone Layer And Ozone Hole

By Ambarish Pokhrel

THE world meteorological organisation (WMO) or UN Environment Programme with a joint working arrangement with the International Council of Scientific unions) is generally recognised as an extremely effective information gathering and disseminating institution. WMO projects are staffed almost exclusively with administrators and scientists, and there has been relatively little involvement of national policy makers in WMO programmes or vice-versa.

Ozone is a powerful absorber of biologically active ultraviolet (UV-b) radiation. The ever-changing dynamic equilibrium of ozone concentration relates in variability in space and time which is quite large. The amounts of biologically active UV-b radiation reaching the earth's surface is variable, in direct (though nonlinear) relation to the variability of ozone, all other things clouds, particle distribution, etc) being equal. A small perturbation in average ozone concentration might not be detectable, but would, in fact, result in an increase in the total UV-b dose received at the surface over a long period of time.

The biological effects of such a change are far from well established. In the past few years, considerable attenuation has been focussed on the projected increase in skin cancer, which might result from increased average UV-b levels. There has also been speculation that other adverse effects might accrue from increased UV-b dosages-effects on plants and animals and even decreased useful life of certain paints & materials due to increased weathering.

Nitric oxide (NO) destroys ozone (O3) in a catalytic manner. Though the complete chemical reaction scheme is very complex: a nitric oxide molecule first reacts with an ozone molecule, resulting in the production of one molecule of oxygen (O2) one of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The nitrogen dioxide molecule, in turn, combines with an oxygen atom (O2) which would otherwise have formed an ozone molecule) to produce an oxygen molecule (O2) a nitric oxide molecule (NO). The cycle has then gone full circle having destroyed two ozone molecule, the nitric oxide molecule remains to begin another ozone destruction cycle.

Unfortunately, nitric oxide from high - flying aircraft is not the only pollutant, which might reduce ozone levels. The same kind of catalytic process is growing rapidly, & now includes the item: Nitric oxide, from nuclear weapons tests or a nuclear war & agricultural denitrification of nitrogen compounds in fertilizers, Chlorine, from the chlorofluromethanes used as a aerosol spray propellant and as a refrigerant, and the main booster engine of the "NASA" space shuttle. Bromine, from Methyl bromide used as an agricultural fumigant and from Brominated Chlorocarbons used as firefighting agent.
In 1974, two chemists from the university of California at Ivine-F-Sherwood Rolland & Mario J.

Moline-warned that the inceasing levels of Chlorofluoro carbons (CFCs) would eventually deplete stratospheric ozone in global scale. Their studies suggested that ozone depletion would occur gradually and would perhaps not be detectable for many years to come. It was surprising; then when British researchers identified a year-to-year decline in stratospheric ozone over Antarctica Ozone diminished by as much as 40 per cent in 1984 and shrank to the point of almost total depletion in certain regions of the lower stratosphere in 1987 and again in 1989. This decrease in stratospheric ozone over Antarctica is known as the ozone hole.

The sharp drop in ozone is known as ozone hole. To understand the causes behind the ozone hole, scientists in 1986 organised the first National Ozone Expedition (NO2E-1) which set up a fully instrumented observing station near Mc-Murdo Sound, Antarctic. During 1987 with the use of instrumented aircraft, Noze-2 got underway. The findings from these research programmes helped scientists put together the pieces of the ozone puzzle.

The stratosphere (about 17km.to 40 km. above the earth's surface) above Antarctica has one of the world's highest ozone concentrations. Most of this zone forms over the tropics and is brought to the Antarctic by stratospheric winds. During September and October, a belt of stratospheric winds called the polar vortex encircles the Antarctic region near 66 degree south latitude, essentially isolating the cold Antarctic stratospheric air from the warmer air of the middle latitudes. During the long, dark Antarctic winter, temperature inside the vortex can drop to b-85 degree centigrade. This frigid air allows for the formation of polar stratospheric clouds. These ice clouds are critical in facilitating chemical interactions among nitrogen, hydrogen and chlorine atoms, the end product of which is the destruction of ozone.

In 1986, the NOZE-1 study detected unusually high levels of chlorine compounds in the stratosphere and in the 1987, the instrumented aircraft of NOZE-2 measured enormous increases in chlorine monoxide (CIO) when it entered the polar vortex. These findings, in conjunction with other chemical discoveries allowed scientists to pinpoint chlorine from CFCs as the main cause of the ozone hole.

Chemistry alone, however, does not explain the entire ozone depletion problem in Antarctica, it does not, for example, explain the early decline in ozone readings just as the ozone hole begins to form. Perhaps dynamic events play a role in these phenomena. Such as mixing of stratospheric ozone-rich air with tropospheric ozone-poor air from below.

Moreover, careful analysis of the 1989 air borne data revaled stratospheric ozone depletion of between 15 and 17 per cent over a 35-day period.

Apparently, several factors inhibit massive ozone loss in the Arctic. For one thing, in the stratosphere the circulation of air over the Arctic, then too, the Arctic stratosphere is too warm for the widespread development of clouds that help activate Chlorine molecules.

Clear

In all cases, it is clear that considerably more work needs to be completed before reasonably accurate relationships may be derived between increased UV-b and adverse biological effects. The adverse effects are of sufficiently significant consequence to require that we move cautiously at present, under the assumption that some, if not all, will be demonstrated to be linked mechanistically to UV-b The extent of the actions which should be taken now to avoid such potential risks is a difficult matter of public policy, which must be developed by a close co-operation of the scientific and political communities.

Dashain Beyond Kathmandu

By BG

DASHAIN, the greatest festival of the Nepalese people is just a fortnight away. Kathmanduites have already felt its arrival. Smiles and happiness that the festival brings to them have already started lurking in their lips. The crowd that throngs everyday at the city's hubbub to buy the Dashain goods also speaks this. However, it seems Dashain won't bring in any happiness to the village people this time.

The people currently living in the capital temporarily are greatly worried as to how they would go home for Dashain as to celebrate the festival. The tickets of buses and planes have already been overbooked. Those who failed to book such tickets earlier are probably planning to hire microbuses or other vehicles.

Dashain is the only occasion when all the Nepalese - people poor or rich - become happy. For the poor who hardly get sufficient food to eat throughout the year, it is an occasion to eat delicious food and wear new clothes. Contrary to this, Dashain is becoming a real dasha for many people this time. Worst is the condition for the people in the Maoists-hit districts. A large number of people, especially politicians and government employees who are currently living or working in Kathmandu seem to be unwilling to return to their villages even during Dashain. Those who want to return, it seems, have taken the risk of their lives. And behind all these anxieties and uncertainties the people are now facing, lies the increasing violent acts of the Maoist terrorists in the villages.

Just a month before the festival was to begin the Maoists spread the sporadic violence killing and injuring dozens of innocent people throughout the Kingdom. The activists of the mainstream political parties, farmers and the ex-police and army personnel have been their main targets. They are still kidnapping common people and killing them in the possible cruelest manner. They even have reportedly kidnapped small kids. Despite continued army and police operations against the terrorists, the common people are yet to feel a sense of security in the villages. And when the people feel unsecured how can they celebrate and enjoy Dashain and other festivals.

However, this scribe is determined to return his village during the forthcoming Dashain, the festival that has a great social and cultural significance. Indeed, Dashain is an occasion to meet parents and other close relatives. Dashain reminds one all of their villages and inspires everyone to return their villages at least once a year. If there comes no Dashain, many a people who are away from their homes to work will probably never get time to return their villages. But this time many people will not find peace in their villages. They will surely encounter several shrieking and crying men and women who happened to lose their dears and nears in the unnecessary series of killings in the villages. This scribe still remembers the faces of his friends and small schoolboys who are now mourning the death of their dear fathers who were killed by the Maoists in the last 10 months. He does not know how he will express condolence to Yadav Prasad, one of his neighbours who helplessly witnessed the rap of his young daughter by a gang of local Maoist terrorists just in sfront of him in the evening at his own home and the hanging body of his wife next evening. His wife had committed suicide hanging on the roof next day her daughter was gang raped.