Qualitative Educational Research in Theory and Practice Essay

Qualitative Educational Research in Theory and Practice - Essay Example There are various oriental approaches used for understanding the different phenomena in life. One such way of viewing the world is positivism. Positivism is philosophical science based information derived from mathematical and logical source of knowledge (Cohen, Manion & Morrison 2011, pp. 12). Auguste Comte developed the paradigm in the 19th century with an objective viewpoint on stability of reality while basing various arguments on historical perspectives. Positivism is also the act of manipulating independent variables while maintaining others constant, in a bid, to identify the relationship between various elements of the world. The predictions in positivism may rely on past, or previous realities explained in the historical tradition. Notably, positivism discredits the existence of human knowledge in the society. It remains based on this regards that various discussions have arisen to counter the paradigm of positivism. The paradigms relationship with natural and physical scien ces for instance, as remained a point of controversy. The paradigm reiterates that action within the society is similar to reactions that the physical world remits towards the absolute laws such as gravity (Cohen, Manion & Morrison 2011, pp. 24). Positivism has generated an argument between poetry and philosophy hence creating a rift in the education systems. For instance, there has been a widening gap between humanities and sciences a factor brought misunderstanding in the education. Positivism advocates for superiority of sciences over the human mind thoughts for the reasons that the human mind provides non-inward knowledge. It furthermore promotes the use of scientific knowledge in judgmental decisions while disregarding other disciplines. Positivism believes reality exists; however, it is composed of various discrete elements (Cohen, Manion & Morrison 2011, pp. 28). This means that reality in positivism is any phenomena with a single objective reiterating a solitary world. This has greatly influenced the education system considering the rift generated by the explanation. For instance, positivism regards social sciences as fallacious. This is the act of treating an abstract concept as having a real existence (May 2001, pp 44). This leads to causal efficacy between the two disciplines that fight over the impartial treatment of abstraction. Realism is the most common philosophical perspective, which holds the thought of a relationship and trust in non-observable concepts. Apart from causing confusion in education systems, positivism also promotes reification. Marxist philosophers like berger and Pullberg 1966 demise social sciences, while giving attention to reification (Cohen, Manion & Morrison 2011, pp. 36). The Marxist theory, on the other hand, associates social sciences to capitalism a factor, which further complicates the education system. According to the theory, societal institutions have changed their role influencing existence of people. Use of posi tivism in the current education systems, therefore, not only causes confusion, but it also violates the integrity of history. It arouses negative feelings, creating biases towards various occurrences in life. It suggests elements of dishonesty in the process of creating various systems (May 2001, pp 67). Positivism does not derive conclusions on a subjective approach. Consequently, positivism does not give priority to emotion or feelings to interfere with the process of judgment. The basis of this argument is the fact that these aspects get

Ballads Case Essay Example for Free

Ballads Case Essay Ballads are poems that tell a story. These ballads are distinguished by such features as few characters, dramatic plots, and may include dialogue, as well as action because it tells a story. They are considered to be a form of narrative poetry. They are often used in songs and have a very musical quality to them. According to the dictionary, Ballad is a narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain. It is the music for such a poem. It is also defined as a popular song especially of a romantic or sentimental nature. Here is an example: (Ballad of a Mother’s Heart) Origin There have been many theories about the originators of the ballads all of which have some validity when applied to the different types of ballad, the main ones are as follows:  · Minstrels: A minstrel is a musician or a poet. Originally, the minstrels were paid entertainers who worked for the Court and influential personages. They wrote songs about current events and historical victories of their patron and they included rewritings of old songs, legends and ballads in their theatre. The theory that the minstrels were the originators of the ballads was held for quite a long time. They are certainly a factor in the spreading of the ballads into the community; ballads were a stock item in the theatre of the minstrels even when their status had declined to that of street singers.  · Dance: Certainly some of the ballads were tied to dances. The word ballad probably comes from medieval French dance songs or ballet (â€Å"ballares† dance).  · Ceremonial dance and songs. Some ballad refrains contain ceremonial chants and responses  · Monks: The monks were the amongst the few who could read and write in the early times of the ballad history and that it follows that they must have had a hand in the composition and writing of the ballads.  · Communal composition: It has been suggested that ballads may have developed as a communal effort; particularly those that contain refrains and rhythms that are connected with work such as weaving and spinning. Example is the walking songs of the Hebrides.  · Cante-fable. This is a story, which is classified with verses that are sung or chanted. Some ballads are distinctively English or Scottish in origin but the older ballads are more likely to have a European source as their beginnings, deriving from earlier poems and old folk tales brought into Britain by its many invaders, immigrants and soldiers returning from foreign wars. Composition Scholars of ballads are often divided into two: The ‘communalists’ who argue that ballads arose by a combined communal effort and did not have a single author. They tend to lead to the view that more recent, particularly printed broadside ballads are a debased form of the genre. The ‘individualists’ who assert that there was a single original author. They tended to lead to the view that later changes in the words of ballads are corruptions of an original text. More recently scholars have pointed to the interchange of oral and written forms of the ballad. Classification European Ballads have been generally classified into three major groups: traditional, broadside and literary. * Traditional ballads Traditional folk ballads exhibit certain characteristics which help to identify them as being genuine in origin. Traditional ballads or folk ballads were universal songs meant to be understood by everyone, so writers would choose words that even the uneducated might understand. Traditional ballads follow a standard format and tell lengthy stories that call on imagery. * Broadsides Broadside ballads are descriptive or narrative verses or songs sung or recited in public places or printed on broadsides for sale in the streets. It is commonly in a simple ballad form. Broadside ballads appeared shortly after the invention of printing in the 15th century and were hawked in streets, fairs, and marketplaces of Europe into the 19th century. Among the topics were love, religion, drinking-songs, legends, and early journalism, which included disasters, political events and signs, wonders and prodigies. * Literary ballads A literary ballad (also known as art ballad) is a narrative poem written in imitation of the old anonymous folk ballad; the author is most often a known professional poet. Usually the literary ballad is more elaborate and complex. Literary ballads were quite popular in England during the 19th cent. The literary ballad, unlike the traditional ballad and the broadside ballad, is a sophisticated rather than a popular form. Importance of Ballads Ballads are important to look at because they show how the form has developed over time. A ballad is not simply a romantic song, although that definition will still apply in the field of music. Romance can be infused into ballads, especially if they are a narrative tale of love (or hate) as seen in the ballad by the anonymous Spanish poet. However, they are so much more as well. Anyone who knows the ballad knows how complex the story is in terms of theme, imagery, characters, symbolism, and many other literary devices and significations.

Comparison of Working and Non-Working Mother Adolescents

Comparison of Working and Non-Working Mother Adolescents Relation Among Depression, Loneliness and Self-efficacy of Adolescents of Working and Non-Working Mother Sadia Afrin Summary The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relation among depression, loneliness and self-efficacy of adolescents of working and non-working mothers whether mother’s occupation has any effects on adolescent’s depression, loneliness and self-efficacy. Assess whether depression, loneliness and self-efficacy of adolescents differ by gender or not. The participants of the relevant study will be 100 adolescents of working mothers where 50 will male and 50 will female and 100 adolescents of non-working mothers where 50 will male and 50 will female between the age group of 15 to 18 years selected purposively by convenience sampling technique. To collect the data I will use Bangla Version (Pervin, 2007) of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Dan, 1978), The Depression Scale (Rahman Uddin, 2005), and adopted Bengali Version (Ilyas, 2005) of Sherer’s (1982) General Self-Efficacy Scale. Descriptive and correlation statistical techniques will be employed to depict the quantitative data. Successful completion of the project will add a worthy picture of risk factors of adolescents. Introduction Adolescence comes from Latin word â€Å"adolescere† which means to grow up. It is a transitional stage of physical and psychological human development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to legal adulthood. We all face different emotion, feeling in all over in our life. Depression is an emotional state marked by great sadness and apprehension, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities. So it is a state of low  mood  and aversion to activity that can affect a persons thoughts, behavior, feelings and  sense of well being. According to the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), about 11% of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18. Girls are experiencing depression more likely than boys. Depression in adolescents is probably under diagnosed because the symptoms can be difficult to recognize. Loneliness is an unpleasant experience that occurs when a network of social relationships of a person is significantly deficient whether qualitatively or quantitatively. This definition consists two points of agreement. First, loneliness comes from a deficiency in a persons social relationships. It happens when there is a mismatch between a persons actual social relations and the persons needs or desires for social contact. Second, loneliness is not synonymous with social isolation; it is person’s subjective experience. So it can be said that, Lonelinessis unpleasant and unexpected  emotional  response to isolation or separation or lack of companionship. Although loneliness comes time to time of all age but during adolescence (particularly early adolescence) it is stayed in peak because of many changes in social expectations, roles, relationships, and identities, which may increase the experience of loneliness. Self-efficacy one’s perceived capabilities for learning and performing actions at designated levels. It is the power or strength of ones belief in on es own ability to finish tasks and reach aims. According to Albert Bandura, self-efficacy is the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations. In other words, self-efficacy is a person’s belief in his or her ability to succeed in a particular situation. Many researchers are counting academic competence as self efficacy which begins to decline in grade 7 or earlier. Research in where using longer depression scales such as the Beck Depression Inventory also find a strong relationship between loneliness and depression. The consistent association of loneliness and depression Bragg (1979) proposed a distinction between depressed loneliness and non-depressed loneliness. In a study of college students, Bragg found that depressed loneliness was associated with fairly global negativity, seen in dissatisfaction with social relations, school, work, and many facets of life. In contrast, non-depressed lonely people expressed dissatisfaction only with their social relations; they were not necessarily unhappy about other aspects of their lives. Cognitive processes may also influence the loneliness-depression link. Lonely people who blame themselves for their social problems and who attribute their loneliness to unchangeable factors may be most prone to depression. Self-efficacy makes a difference to as how people feel, think, and act. High self-efficacy allow s individuals to choose challenging settings and explore their environment or create new ones. While Bandura (1997) reported that a low self-efficacy is associated with a low self-esteem, Heslin and Klehe (2006) noted that self-efficacy is related to the experience of stress and work burnout. Specifically, low self-efficacy can lead to a sense of helplessness and hopelessness about ones capability of self-esteem. Dussault and Deaudelin (2001) found a negative correlation between self-efficacy and loneliness (r = .25). This finding suggests that loneliness is more likely exists in people who have lower self-efficacy. Every moment mothers are working for children, in this study working mother indicating them who are attached with job, business almost five years at this time and non-working means mothers who are only housewives. According to Raymond Montemayor Mark D. Clayton (1967), maternal employment might be more likely to result in problems for adolescents when it takes place in the context of family instability, undesirable peer influences and lack of maternal supervision. Lakhe (2003) completed a study which has the aim to see the social adjustment of the adolescents of working and non-working mothers. The result was found that adolescent’s total level of adjustments of working mother is higher than non-working mother. Suprerna Khanna studied on relationship between emotional intelligence and social maturity of adolescent children of working and non-working mothers. This study also found significant social maturity in adolescent children of working mothers than non-working mothers. Rationale of the study: In Bangladesh, there are almost 27.7million adolescents’. Among them, a significant numbers are suffering different mental health problems like anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, low self-efficacy etc. In previous study we saw that adolescents whose mothers work in outside will suffer more mental health problems such as depression, loneliness and low self-efficacy than the adolescents whose mother stay in home. The rationale of the study is that, at first we measure whether the adolescents of working women and non-working women differ in the level of depression, loneliness and self-efficacy. If there found any differences then we say that there may remain some risk factors towards the differences in depression, loneliness and self-efficacy regarding their working status (working women, non-working women). The findings of the proposed study might help the improvement of adolescent’s life. Adolescent’s loneliness and self-efficacy are correlated with depression. If their loneliness is high or low then their depression will be high or low. And it also hypothesized that high-low self-efficacy is also correlated with low-high depression. If these correlations are founded the further extensive study on those areas will lead to explore risk factors and positive factors. Statistics shows that 30 percent of teens with depression also develop a substance abuse problem, lonely teens struggle with relationships and more dangerous thing is untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide, so if we can assume that adolescent child of working mother has these risk factors we can prevent these factors and also working mothers can concerns about their children and they can make different environment where child can not feel lonely, do not be depressed and make high self efficacy. Objectives of the study: The objectives of the present study are to: Investigate the relationship among depression, loneliness and self-efficacy of adolescents of working and non-working mothers. Whether mother’s occupation has any effects on adolescent’s depression, loneliness and self-efficacy. Assess whether depression, loneliness and self-efficacy of adolescents differ by gender. Method Research Design Cross sectional study. Quantitative research, Random individual interview. Sample Size and Participants Almost 50 thousands of adolescents of Dhaka City are population in this study. The present study will be conducted on 200 adolescents where 100 will be working mother’s adolescents and 100 will be non-working mother’s adolescents who will be selected purposively but some will be selected conveniently and randomly. First I will select the school or college conveniently where I can collect data easily and then select a class randomly, I select the students purposively (criteria mother’s occupation, gender). A total of 200 adolescents (male and female) will be taken from Rajuk Uttara Model College by convenience sampling technique. The age of the respondents was between 15 to 18 years. Distributions of participants are given in the table 1. Table 1 Distribution of participants Adolescents (Working Mother) Adolescents (Non-Working Mother) Male 50 50 Female 50 50 Total 100 100 = 200 Instruments Demographic and personal information questionnaire: By this questionnaire, the data on age, gender, educational background, no. of siblings, family status, father’s occupation, and mother’s occupation’s details (job/business, duration, place), mothers’ age, mother’s educational background will be collected. Bangla Version (Pervin, 2007) of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Dan, 1978): The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale was developed to measure loneliness. It is a 20 items 4 point Likert type scale. 20 items of English version were translated into Bengali. Each of the 20 items is scored such that 1 indicates lack of loneliness and a 4 indicates high level of loneliness. Thus, total scores of the scale can range from 20 to 80. Higher score means high level of loneliness and lower score means low feelings of loneliness. The Depression Scale (Rahman Uddin, 2005): The depression scale was constructed to measure depression in the context of Bangladesh. It consisted of 30 items or statements. The answer options for each item of the scale were according to 5 point rating scale. Sum of all values indicated total score on the scale. The highest possible score of 30-items form of depression scale is 150 and the lowest possible score is 30. Higher score indicates higher depression and lower score indicates low level of depression. Adapted Bangla Version (Ilyas, 2005) of Sherer et. al.’s (1982) General Self-Efficacy Scale: This scale was used to measure degree of agreement with perceived personal ability to affect outcomes in various situations. It was a 17 items 5 point Likert type scale where scores ranged between 1(strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). 6 of the 17 items were negative and for these items the scoring was reversed. Total score in the scale ranged from 17-85 with higher score representing higher self-efficacy. Procedure: Necessary demographic information sheet will be prepared first; the standard data collection procedure will be followed with a view to obtaining data about depression, loneliness and self-efficacy of adolescents of working and non-working mothers. First, the participants will sit in a room and then a brief description will be given about the questionnaire. They will be also instructed not to discuss about anything with one another while answering the questions and they will be assured that their opinions would be kept as confidential. The questionnaire with bio-data form was administered individually and they will ask to answer all the questions by giving tick marks. Once the answers will be collected, the respondents will be thanked for their kind co-operation. I will code and analyze the collected data by using computer software SPSS version 16.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Ethics Absence of the Ethical Committee I will not be able to collect Ethical Approval, but I will collect the permission of the Principle and Authority of the collage. I will also collect the consent of the students verbally. Data Analyses A descriptive analysis will be conducted of the variables such as gender, age, mother’s occupation. Then t-test analysis will be carried out to find out the differences between male and female adolescents. After that I will apply correlation statistics to find out the relationship among depression, loneliness and self-efficacy. Then a multiple regression analysis will be carried out to see how much depression, loneliness affect self-efficacy. Time Frame Annex 1 Objective-Data Collection Method analysis

Jane Eyre Essay: Refusal to Sacrifice Moral Principles -- Jane Eyre Es

Refusal to Sacrifice Moral Principles in Jane Eyre   Ã‚   The need to love and to be loved is a general characteristic basic to human nature. However, the moral principles and beliefs that govern this need are decided by the individual. In the novel Jane Eyre , author, Charlotte Brontà «, vividly describes the various characters' personalities and beliefs. When the reader first meets the main character, Jane Eyre, an orphan of ten, she is living at Gateshead Hall in England with her Aunt Reed and three cousins, all of whom she greatly despises. Soon after, Jane is sent away to the Lowood Institution, a girls' school, where she lives for the next eight years. Jane then moves to Thornfield Hall to work as a governess for Mr. Rochester; they fall in love and plan to be married. However, during the wedding ceremony, it is revealed that Mr. Rochester already has a wife. Humiliated, Jane leaves Thornfield and travels to Moor House. While there, Jane hears Mr. Rochester's voice calling her name one evening; she immediately returns to Tho rnfield only to find a charred and desolate house burned by Mr. Rochester's lunatic wife. During the tragedy, Mr. Rochester's wife dies and he looses a hand as well as the sight in both eyes. However, because his wife is deceased, Jane and Mr. Rochester are free to marry and do so. Even though Jane's existence is anchored in the need to love and to be loved, she is an intense character and refuses to sacrifice her moral principles and beliefs regardless of the situation. Jane's intense character is first observed when Mrs. Reed warns the director of the Lowood school, " 'to guard against her [Jane's] worst fault, a tendency to deceit' " (41). Later, Jane tells Mrs. Reed she is not a deceitful child an... ...ohn she loves, but Mr. Rochester. This perspective also demonstrates Jane's unwillingness to submit to an unethical situation against her beliefs. Throughout the novel, Jane Eyre, it is revealed that Jane is a character whose existence is anchored in the need to love and to be loved. However, she is an intensely passionate character who refuses to sacrifice her moral principles and beliefs. While the desire to love and to be loved is a general characteristic of human nature, how this need is obtained is dependent upon the individual's moral principles and beliefs. Works Cited and Consulted Brontà «, Charlotte. The World's Great Classics: Jane Eyre . New York: Grolier Incorporated. Gates, Barbara Timm, ed. Critical Essays on Charlotte Bronte. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1990. Pickrel, Paul. "Jane Eyre: The Apocalypse of the Body." ELH 53 (1986): 165-82.   

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 17

Tiffany's Head Floating over the Waves When Ronnie picks me up in his minivan – which has three rows of seats – Tiffany is already buckled in next to Emily's car seat, so I climb into the very back, carrying the football and the bag my mother packed me, which contains a towel, a change of clothes, and a bagged lunch, even though I told Mom that Ronnie was bringing hoagies from the local deli. Of course my mother feels the need to stand on the front porch and wave, as if I were five years old. Veronica, who is riding in the front passenger's seat, leans over Ronnie and yells to my mother. â€Å"Thanks for the wine and flowers!† My mother takes this as an invitation to walk to the minivan and have a conversation. â€Å"How do you like the outfit I bought for Pat?† my mom says when she reaches Ronnie's window. She ducks down and takes a long look at Tiffany, but Tiffany has already turned her head away from my mother and is looking out the window at the house across the street. The outfit I am wearing is ridiculous: a bright orange polo shirt, bright green swimming shorts, and flip-flops. I did not want to wear any of this, but I knew Veronica was likely to make a fuss if I wore one of my cutoff T-shirts and a pair of workout shorts. Since Veronica and my mother have pretty much the same taste, I allowed my mother to dress me – plus, it makes Mom really happy. â€Å"He looks great, Mrs. Peoples,† Veronica says, and Ronnie nods in agreement. â€Å"Hello, Tiffany,† my mother says, sticking her head into the car a little more, but Tiffany ignores her. â€Å"Tiffany?† Veronica says, but Tiffany continues to stare out the window. â€Å"Have you met Emily yet?† Ronnie asks, and then he is out of the car and Emily is unbuckled from her car seat and placed in my mother's arms. Mom's voice gets all funny as she talks to Emily, and standing next to Mom, Veronica and Ronnie are all smiles. This goes on for a few minutes, until Tiffany turns her head and says, â€Å"I thought we were going to the beach today.† â€Å"Sorry, Mrs. Peoples,† Veronica says. â€Å"My sister can be a little blunt sometimes, but we probably should get going so we can have lunch on the beach.† My mother quickly nods and says, â€Å"Have a good time, Pat,† as Ronnie buckles Emily back into her car seat. Again I feel like I am five. On the way to the shore, Ronnie and Veronica talk to Tiffany and me the same way they talk to Emily – as if they are not really expecting a response, saying things that really don't need to be said at all. â€Å"Can't wait to get on the beach.† â€Å"We're going to have such a good time.† â€Å"What should we do first – swim, walk the beach, or throw the football?† â€Å"Such a nice day.† â€Å"Are you guys having fun?† â€Å"Can't wait to eat those hoagies!† After twenty minutes of non-talk, Tiffany says, â€Å"Can we please have some quiet time?† and we ride the rest of the way listening to the yelling noises Emily makes – what her parents claim is singing. We drive through Ocean City and over a bridge to a beach I do not know. â€Å"Little less crowded down here,† Ronnie explains. When we park, Emily is put into what looks like a cross between a stroller and a 4Ãâ€"4 vehicle, which Veronica pushes. Tiffany carries the umbrella. Ronnie and I carry the cooler, each of us grabbing a handle. We take a wooden walkway over a sand dune covered with sea oats and find that we have the beach all to ourselves. Not another person anywhere to be seen. After a brief discussion about whether the tide is coming in or out, Veronica picks a dry patch and tries to spread out the blanket while Ronnie begins digging the umbrella spike into the sand. But there is a breeze, and Veronica has some trouble, as the wind keeps folding the blanket over. If it were anyone but Veronica, I would grab a corner and help, but I do not want to get yelled at, so I wait for instructions before I do anything. Tiffany does the same, but Veronica fails to ask for help. Maybe some sand gets kicked up or something, because Emily starts screaming and rubbing her eyes. â€Å"Nice,† Tiffany says. Veronica immediately attends to Emily, telling her to blink, demonstrating what to do, but Emily only screams even louder. â€Å"I can't take a crying baby right now,† Tiffany adds. â€Å"Make her stop crying. Veronica, would you please make her – â€Å" â€Å"Remember what Dr. Lily said? What did we talk about this morning?† Veronica says over her shoulder, shooting Tiffany a serious look before turning her attention back to Emily. â€Å"So now we're talking about my therapist in front of Pat? You fucking bitch,† Tiffany says, shaking her head, and then she is walking away from us quickly. â€Å"Christ,† Veronica says. â€Å"Ronnie, can you handle Emily?† Ronnie nods solemnly, and then Veronica is running after Tiffany, saying, â€Å"Tiff? Come back. Come on. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.† Ronnie flushes Emily's eyes with bottled water, and after ten minutes or so, she stops crying. We get the blanket spread out under the shade of the umbrella, weighting the corners down with the cooler, our flip-flops and sandals, and Emily's super stroller – but Veronica and Tiffany do not come back. After every inch of Emily's skin is coated with sunscreen, Ronnie and I play with her down at the water's edge. She likes running after the waves as they recede. She likes digging in the sand, and we have to watch to make sure she does not eat the sand, which seems weird to me, because why would anyone want to eat sand? Ronnie carries Emily out into the ocean, and we all float over the waves for a time. I ask if we should be worried about Veronica and Tiffany, and Ronnie says, â€Å"No. They're just having a therapy session somewhere on the beach. They'll be back soon.† I don't like the way he emphasizes the word â€Å"therapy,† as if therapy were some sort of ridiculous idea, but I don't say anything. After we dry off, we all lie down on the blanket – Ronnie and Emily in the shade, and me in the sun. I doze off pretty quickly. When I open my eyes, Ronnie's face is next to mine; he's sleeping. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and when I roll over, I see that Emily has walked around the blanket. She smiles at me and says, â€Å"Pap.† â€Å"Let Daddy sleep,† I whisper, and then pick her up and carry her down to the water. For a while we sit and dig a small hole in the wet sand with our hands, but then Emily stands and chases the foam of a receding wave, laughing and pointing. â€Å"Want to go swimming?† I ask her, and she nods once, so I scoop her up into my arms and begin to wade out into the water. The surf has picked up some and the waves have a lot more height, so I quickly walk past the breakers to where the water is up to my chest. Emily and I begin to float over the swells. As the waves grow in size, I have to jump and kick really hard to keep both of our heads above water, but Emily loves it and begins squealing and laughing and clapping her hands every time we float up. This goes on for a good ten minutes, and I am so happy; I kiss her chubby cheeks over and over. Something about Emily makes me want to float over waves with her for the rest of my life, and I decide that when apart time is done, I will make a daughter with Nikki ASAP, because nothing has made me even close to this happy since apart time began. The swells get even bigger. I lift Emily up and put her on my shoulders so she will not have her face splashed by the waves, and her squeals seem to suggest that she likes being so high in the air. We float up. We float down. We are so happy. We are so, so happy. But then I hear someone screaming. â€Å"Pat! Pat! Paaaaaaat!† I turn and see that Veronica is running very quickly down the beach, with Tiffany trailing far behind. I worry that maybe something is wrong, so I start to make my way in. The waves are pretty big now, and I have to take Emily down from my shoulders and hold her against my chest to ensure her safety, but soon we are able to negotiate our way back to Veronica, who is now running into the surf. When I get closer, Veronica seems to be very upset. Emily starts to scream and reach for her mother. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† Veronica says to me when I hand Emily over to her. â€Å"I'm just swimming with Emily,† I say. Veronica's screaming must have woken up Ronnie, because he has run down to meet us. â€Å"What happened?† â€Å"You let Pat take Emily out into the ocean?† Veronica says, and by the way she says my name, it's obvious she does not want Emily to be left alone with me, because she thinks I am going to hurt Emily somehow, which is unfair – especially since Emily only started crying when she heard Veronica screaming, so really Veronica was the one who upset her own daughter. â€Å"What did you do to her?† Ronnie says to me. â€Å"Nothing,† I say. â€Å"We were only swimming.† â€Å"What were you doing?† Veronica says to Ronnie. â€Å"I must of fallen asleep, and – â€Å" â€Å"Jesus Christ, Ronnie. You left Emily alone with him?† The way Veronica says â€Å"him,† Emily crying, Ronnie accusing me of doing something awful to his daughter, the sun burning my bare chest and back, Tiffany watching now – suddenly I feel as though I might explode. I definitely feel an episode coming on, so before I blow up, I do the only thing I can think of: I start running down the beach away from Veronica and Ronnie and Emily and the crying and the accusations. I run as fast as I can, and suddenly I realize that now I am crying, probably because I was only swimming with Emily and it felt so right and I was trying to be good and thought I was being good and I let my best friend down and Veronica screamed at me and it's not fair because I have been trying so hard and how long can this fucking movie last and how much more do I need to improve myself and – Tiffany passes me. She runs by me like a blur. Suddenly, only one thing matters: I need to pass her. I start running faster and catch up to her, but she picks up her speed and we run side by side for a time until I find that gear women do not have, and I blow by her and maintain my man speed for a minute or so before I slow down and allow her to catch up with me. We jog side by side on the beach for a long time, neither of us saying a word. What feels like an hour passes before we turn around, and what feels like another hour passes before we see Ronnie and Veronica's umbrella, but before we reach them, Tiffany veers into the ocean. I follow her – running directly into the waves – and the salt water feels so cool on my skin after a long run. Soon we are in too deep to stand, and Tiffany's head is floating over the waves, which have calmed down considerably. Her face is a little tan and her hair hangs dark and wet and natural and I see freckles on her nose that were not there earlier that morning – so I swim over to her. A wave lifts me up, and when I come down over the other side, I am surprised that our faces are very close. For a second Tiffany reminds me so much of Nikki, I worry we might accidentally kiss, but Tiffany swims a few feet away from me before this happens, and I am thankful. Her toes come up out of the water, and she begins to float, facing the horizon. I lean back, stare at the line where sky meets water, allow my toes to rise, and float next to Tiffany for a long time, neither of us saying anything. When we walk back to the blanket, Emily is sleeping with a fist in her mouth, and Veronica and Ronnie are lying down, holding hands in the shade. When we stand over them, they squint and smile at us like nothing bad had happened earlier. â€Å"How was your run?† Ronnie asks. â€Å"We want to go home now,† Tiffany says. â€Å"Why?† Ronnie says, sitting up. â€Å"We haven't even eaten our lunch. Pat, you really want to go home?† Veronica says nothing. I look up at the sky. No clouds at all. Nothing but blue. â€Å"Yeah, I do,† I tell him, and then we are in the minivan driving back to Collingswood.

Current Network Characteristics and Components Essay

In reviewing the Kudler Intranet site it can be determined that all three Kudler offices are connected via a dedicated T3 line, set up as a bus topology. Each location is built around a 100base T, fast Ethernet environment. La Jolla serves as the home office location and the location for the main company server. The main server is an IBM blade server system C3000 with a UNIX operating system. As the main company server it runs all the corporate procurement and logistic software (SAP, ERP) and is responsible for all the print/file services, network services, company e-mail, storage control, and the internal and external web. Server backup is provided by a 10GB network-attached storage system. The retail stores are connected to the network via a point of sale server and point of sale terminals. Communications in and out of La Jolla is ported through two Cisco routers with firewalls. The La Jolla location currently has 19 VoIP phones and 19 employees. As previously stated, both the Del Mar and Encinitas locations are built around a 100base T network. Both locations have a local server which is also an IBM blade server system C3000 with a UNIX operating system. Both servers run the same services at the main company server with the exception of the corporate procurement and logistic software. Retail locations also run the same point of sales terminals. Each location currently has six employees and six VoIP phones. There are a total on 30 computers connected to the company network. Current Network Topology Each location is built on a bus topology. Each location employs 100 base T Ethernet with all stations connected via twisted pair cable. All the nodes (computers, servers, printers) are connected to the bus cable with interface connectors. Several problems come to mind with this type of network topology. Dependency on central cable in this topology has its disadvantages. If the main cable (bus) encounters some problem, whole network breaks down. A limited number of stations can be added to the network, these severely impacts future capacity growth. Performance degrades as additional computers are added or on heavy traffic periods. Data speeds can be severely impacted by an increase is users or if users are accessing the network at the same time. Also of concern with this type of topology is the possibility of higher maintenance costs and troubleshooting difficulty. Security is very low on this type of network architecture. Standards Several standards will be applicable to a project of this scope; these standards will depend upon the level of the OSI model that is being addressed. Frame relay will be used at the WAN level. IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN standards will be applicable with Wi-Fi certified devices. Voice over IP (VoIP) uses IP protocols and the International Telecommunication Unions ITU-T standard (H.323). References Reference Anonymous (2007) Kudler Fine Foods. Retrieved February 6, 2013, from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOP/Business/Kudler2/internet/index.asp Reference Anonymous (2007) Kudler Fine Foods Intranet. Retrieved February 9, 2013, from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOP/Business/Kudler2/intranet/index.asp

Jeremiah Johnson essays

Jeremiah Johnson essays Without a doubt the greatest western/pioneer movie ever created is Jeremiah Johnson. This movie shows hardships that American frontiersmen encountered as they traveled west into new land. Jeremiah Johnson, portrayed by Robert Redford, is a man that has been soured by society and civilization and decides to make his life as a mountain man. He sets off into the mountains with only a rifle, horse and mule, and the clothes on his back in an attempt to survive the harsh wilderness that very few live in. Jeremiah Johnson gets back to nature in a way no film has ever before or done since. The movie begins in the mid 1800s with a clean-cut, young soldier, Jeremiah Johnson, leaving military service after the Mexican American War. As he sets out into the Rocky Mountains he encounters struggles that would kill most men. His attempts to feed himself by hunting and trapping fail him and he nearly starves to death. When he tries to catch fish he falls into the river in the middle of winter and gets completely soaking wet. While he is trying to light a fire to keep himself warm and dry off his clothes a huge snowstorm suddenly appears and dumps snow all over his fire. Luckily he comes upon an old trapper named Bear Claw (Will Greer) that takes him to his cabin and gives him food and shelter. Bear Claw takes Jeremiah Johnson out in the wilderness with him over the next couple weeks and teaches him the basics on how to survive in the unforgiving mountains. He shows him how to trap and clean animals hides, salt meat, and build make-shift shelters. One of the strong points on this movie is its realness. The characters talk, act, and present themselves just as someone would at around the mid-1800s. There dialect and sayings make it very believable. For example at the beginning Jeremiah says just where is it, I could find bear, beaver, and other critters worth cash money when skinned. Eve ...

Conflict Resolution Paper Essay Example

Conflict Resolution Paper Essay Example Conflict Resolution Paper Essay Conflict Resolution Paper Essay Conflict Resolution Paper As nurses, it is imperative that we have skills to deal with conflict we encounter throughout the day. Some conflicts are easily handled with simple solutions; other disagreements can persist for weeks or even months and never be handled in a proper way to resolve the situation. The later kind of situation can create resentment, anger, and animosity between employees or colleagues. In this paper I will describe a conflict situation with resolution strategies used by the confronter, discuss other ways to resolve the conflict, and discuss the conflict theory most beneficial to use with a diverse group of people. Introduction The emergency department (ED) I work at employs patient care technicians (PCTs) to help with various tasks that can be delegated. PCTs have very important roles in all nursing settings, and it is true for my ED as well. Often times PCTs are being pulled in different directions as many patients need help with daily living and tasks that can be completed by non-licensed healthcare providers. PCTs jobs are invaluable to the department and the nurses. In the past, we had three PCTs for our 24 bed ER. Each PCT was assigned to a section with two nurses and eight patient rooms. Every nurse could call any of the available PCTs for help. This has created a situation where nurses and PCTs got frustrated. Nurses got upset because at times all three techs were helping in other sections and there was nobody to help in their own sections. PCTs were frustrated because they felt that they were being pulled in every direction. This system was creating a situation that was not working out for effective patient care and produced a tense working environment. PCTs felt underappreciated and over used. Because PCTs did not have a standard section, they did not feel that they made a difference in patient care. They also felt like they were not helping out the nurse, or getting the job done. The PCTs personal job satisfaction was not met. The nurses’ attitude changed toward the PCTs. Some nurses felt that some of the PCTs were playing favoritism toward some of the nurses. Other nurses stopped asking for help and did the job on their own. The added work has created extra stress on the nurse and caused resentment toward the PCT. Nurses were unhappy and felt like they could not count on the help from the PCTs. Eventually this flawed system also affected patient care. Nurses had to prioritize. Taking care of patients by facilitating diagnostic testing, lab testing, medicating patients, and keeping patients alive was more important than, for example, bringing them a warm blanket or snacks. Patients had to sometimes wait for a long time to get disconnected from the monitors to go to the restroom. As a result, patient satisfaction has declined. Conflict Resolution Strategy Used The conflict management demonstrated by the parties involved is avoidance. According to Kelly 2010, there is a disadvantage of this conflict management method. Ignoring the conflict can create a bigger conflict than anticipated, and the source of the problem is more important to one of the parties than the other† (Kelly, 2010, p. 160). This is true for the situation described above. The problem was more important to nurses as it hindered our jobs and made us look bad from the patients’ perspective as evidenced by the declining patient satisfaction scores. The conf lict was suppressed by the involved parties that led to new feelings and attitudes. Not handling a conflict in an effective way has negative effects. Some of the outcomes we can see from avoiding a conflict are low job satisfaction and high work related stress (Wright, 2011). Other outcomes can be identified as burnout among health care workers which can result in â€Å"absenteeism, reduced quality of healthcare delivery, and higher organizational cost, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalized feelings toward patients and coworkers† (Wright, 2011, p. 7). We can see from the conflict described in the scenario that avoiding is counterproductive. Avoidance results in resolution being delayed rather than resolving the issue in a timely manner (Eason Brown, 1999). The ill feelings between PCTs and nurses were created by avoiding talking about the problem for a long time. Avoidance resulted in a snowball effect of increasing resentment and anger between the two groups. Conflict Transformational Theory Solving conflict using the transformational theory is beneficial. According to Chinn (2008), using the conflict transformation theory, the conflict transformation is used before there is a conflict. Any rising issue is addressed in a constructive way, paying attention to possible lessons learned (Chinn, 2008). Using the transformational theory would have revented the bad feelings towards each other. It is not one person’s responsibility to try to resolve a conflict (Chinn, 2008). If transformational theory were used in the described situation, the problem would have been addressed much earlier. Management would have called for a meeting where everybody would have had a chance to voice their problem according to the transformational steps an d theory described below. As a disagreement arises, the group follows specific steps to come to a solution. Chinn (2008), describes four steps of critical reflection. First, each member has a chance to describe the how â€Å"I feel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  about the conflict (Chinn, 2008). In the second step, the group focuses on â€Å"when (or about)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  where the team states the events that lead to the conflict, acknowledging individuals involved (Chinn, 2008). In the third and fourth steps, the members state what they want to see changed and their rationale (Chinn, 2008). It is important to understand how to communicate feelings that are non-threatening and to the point. Using the conflict transformation theory the person avoids using a statement that labels, blames, or places guilt on another person (Chinn, 2008). Constructive statements that state your feeling and identifies the facts of what has happened should be used (Chinn, 2008). Sharing feelings in a non-threatening way allows more discussion (Chinn, 2008). We need to learn to respond to critical reflection without becoming defensive or getting upset. When we are responsible for the conflict, we can learn to respond constructively by following these steps. Listen to what the person is saying, wait for the others’ perspective of the situation in the group, and think about the critical reflection (Chinn, 2008). After these steps we can often make a decision of the fairness of the allegations. Using these steps allows us to respond to a critical reflection in a constructive way that does not sound defensive or apologetic. Present gossip in a positive way. People usually envision gossip as negative, but we can exhibit gossip in a helpful way (Chinn, 2008). To avoid rumors that blames or have potentially damaging affect on the other person, be able to name the purpose of the gossip (Chinn, 2008). According to the conflict transformation theory, when we talk about other people we should present the information in a way that could open the possibilities for greater sympathy and acceptance (Chinn, 2008). Using gossip positively avoids hurting others. It is essential to be able to deal with conflicts and feelings of anger. Feeling angry towards a situation is a clue that something needs to change (Chinn, 2008). At times, it is not possible to see a solution until we take a break away from the conflict (Chinn, 2008). Another way to learn to cope with feelings of anger is rehearsing through role play (Chinn, 2008). Use a situation that occurred in the past and practice when not feeling irritated (Chinn, 2008). Understanding ways to deal with irritating situations is important. Conflict Resolution for Diverse Groups of People We encounter conflict on a daily basis. Some examples of origins of conflict among coworkers can be differences in individual personality characteristics, people with different cultural backgrounds, and between nurse-patients, or nurse-physician (Albardiaz, 2009). Conflict is unavoidable, but it is important to be able to handle it efficiently. The first step in conflict resolution starts with one’s self. To improve our conflict resolution abilities we need to understand our own tendencies, patterns, and beliefs (Smith-Trudeau, 2011). This requires us to look inside ourselves and analyze our values (Smith-Trudeau, 2011). Understanding our own beliefs will help us in resolving challenging conflicts. Collaborative approach to solve a conflict is advantageous. This style is also known as mutual gains, because it aims for the idea of â€Å"win-win† for the parties concerned (Smith-Trudeau, 2011). The parties involved exchange information openly, identify their problems, and outline alternatives to solve these problems (Smith-Trudeau, 2011). Collaborative model â€Å"requires confidence, trust, understanding, empathy, sincerity, and honesty between parties† (Albardiaz, 2009, p. 469). Nurses need to be able to recognize and work with nurses from diverse groups. Diversity in nursing can arise from different cultural background, educational and language differences, and different perceptions through generations or life experiences (Kelly, 2010). Being aware of differences among co-workers helps us communicate more effectively. Nurses need to be aware of that some nurses possess different cultural and educational background. According to Kelly (2008), there are an increasing number of nurses with other than White racial background, who may have different perceptions about nursing and nursing roles. For example, Philippine American nurses feel that caring bedside nursing is the core of nursing, whereas some American nurses feel devalued and would delegate some bedside care tasks (Kelly, 2010). Recognizing different personal value systems through diverse culture or education, we can accept the differences among us. It is important to communicate effectively with nurses whose English language is the second language. To avoid potentially harmful errors, we must take the time to clarify and understand what is being communicated to us (Kelly, 2010). Because of insecurity or other reasons, the foreign nurse may not be comfortable asking for clarification, it is a good idea to ask and make sure that the other person understands what we are conveying. American nurses need to avoid using slang terms and regional expressions, as nurses from other countries may not understand these expressions (Kelly, 2010). Being able to communicate effectively with co-workers who speak English as a second language is essential. Diversities can occur among generations. Age differences between generations can be as much as 15-20 years (Kelly, 2010). Perceptions about work and work ethics can vary between generations (Kelly, 2010). The older generation was raised with more discipline. The baby boomer generation aim for â€Å"material gain, recognition, promotions, and job security† (Kelly, 2010, p. 369). The X generation is willing to change jobs to advance in their careers (Kelly, 2010). Understanding the different goals and needs of the various generations helps us create a harmonious work environment. Conclusion I have described a conflict situation and the resolution strategy used by the parties to resolve the conflict, discussed an alternate outcome if transformational conflict resolution was used for the same situation, and talked about the importance of nurses ability and ways to work with diverse group of people. There are different ways to handle conflicts. In this scenario described above, the involved parties used the avoidance conflict theory. This theory is the least favorable way to handle a conflict as it is a no-win situation for everybody involved. The transformation conflict theory is a better way to resolve conflicts. Following the transformation conflict resolution theory, groups handle any arising situation using specific steps (Chinn, 2008). The transformational theory addresses effective ways to handle disagreements, gossip, and situations with angry feelings (Chinn, 2008). As nurses, we come in contact with a diverse group of people. Differences can be cultural, educational, language or generational (Kelly, 2010). To work together and communicate effectively nurses need to be aware and accept the differences among us. References Albardiaz, R. (2009). Teaching confrontation skills: a session on conflict resolution. Teaching Exchange, 468-470. Retrieved from http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. midwives. org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? vid=5hid=125sid=d833e545-0740-4741-9a95-e4998d4255c7%40sessionmgr113 Chinn, P. L. (2008). Peace and Power Creating Leadership for Building Community (7th ed. ). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Eason, F. R. , Brown, S. T. (1999, May/June). Conflict management: assessing educational needs. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development , 15(3), 92-96. Retrieved from http://ovidsp. tx. ovid. com. ezproxy. midwives. org/sp-3. 5. 0b/ovidweb. cgi? QS2=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 Kelly, P. (2010). Essentials of Nursing Leadership Management (2nd ed. ). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar. Mahon, M. , Nicotera, A. (2011, April/June). Nursing and conflict communication: avoidance as preferred strategy. Nursing

Time Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Time Management - Essay Example Chris had to seek help on time management after failing in a job interview due to lateness. The head of the interviewing panel was particular to him that they would not like an employee who comes to work late. He therefore got time management skills from a management consultant to whom his brother recommended him. The consultant took him through a series of lessons on time management skills such as planning and prioritizing before testing him on the learned skills and finally subjecting him to a series of rigorous instances that required application of the skills. He was efficient in time management before the end of his scheduled exercises. Stacy however learnt her time management skills through observing her friend’s ability in time management. She severally visited her friend after learning of her efficiency in time management and helped the friend in undertaking her activities. It took her some time but she eventually adopted her friend’s potential in time managemen t (Marquis and Huston, p. 188). It is very difficult to manage time in college. This is because of scarcity of time relative to possible ventures such as attending classes, undertaking personal studies, and participating in extra curriculum

Operations planning & control Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Operations planning & control - Case Study Example eport aims to analyse the case of the Ringinglow farm in terms of operational capacity and planning issues, and based on the findings to recommend the next steps to Fred and Gillan Giles. In order to increase returns on assets and to achieve the extra sales targets Gillian has decided to increase the number of farm visitors by 35 per cent through all the opening months in 2015. However, before making a final decision, it is necessary to analyze the demand for farm visits and the capacities. According to the information given in the case study, the number of visitors on weekend (Saturday and Sundays) is two times higher than on workdays. Therefore, it is possible to calculate the peak demand in 2014 and 2015 on a monthly basis. The data shows that the peak month in the Ringinglow farm is August (4258 visitors in 2014). Then, average weekly demand on Aug 2014 was 1064,5 visitors/week (=4258/4). On Saturdays or Sundays (August 2014) an average number of visitors was approximately 354 visitors per day (1/3 of 1064). Assuming that in 2015, the number of far visitors will increase by 35 per cent, during a peak month in August 2015, an average number of visitors will be 5748. The average weekly demand on August 2015 should be approximately 1437 visitors per week (=5748/4). On Saturdays or Sundays (August 2015) an average number of visitors was approximately 479 visitors per day (1/3 of 1437).Therefore, the pattern of farm visitors’ attendance is over 479 people on the peak day (Saturday or Sunday). As it has been identified in the case study, the parking capacity is 45 car spaces, and 6 spaces for 40-seater coaches. Assuming that the number of visitors arriving in one car will be 4, it is possible to say that the maximum car parking capacity is 180 people, and 240 people by coaches. Therefore, the maximum capacity of car parking per day is 420 people. Taking into consideration the fact that the forecasted number of visitors for 2015 during peak season in peak days

Open Innovation Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Open Innovation Theory - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to illustrate and analyze new practices by drawing attention to practices on capitalization of a company’s innovation knowledge and potential through participation of resources and external factors (Chesbrough, 2009). OpEx is a project that reinforces and constructs the need of opening an external innovation process to give way to innovation. From a wider perspective, it has been argued that paradigm shift takes place based on how companies commercialize and conceptualize inventions and knowledge leading to firms becoming permeable. On a business perspective, there is inconclusive evidence in defining and understanding open innovation but on this particular subject, the focus on open innovation on a business perspective is more engaging and extensive. There are a number of frameworks on open innovation which can be used to examine the implications and application of open innovation in companies as well as creating various relationships between stud ents and industry. These include crowd sourcing, absorptive capacity, innovation communities, outside-in and inside out process. The approach for identifying open innovation practices is by cases identified in the literature that offers suggestions on how firms can deploy and conceptualize open innovation. Examples of strategies implemented are; Unilever, Volvo and Procter & Gamble to name but a few (Dodgson, 2008). This report focuses more on giving an explanation to issues that surround the establishment of academia industry relationship and tools that can be used in fostering such relations for the open innovation. Factors that affect collaborations between academia and industry are presented and numerous strategies to strengthen the open innovation realization are also elaborated. The internet has become a significant driver on introducing forms of community participation to create and disseminate innovation. (Dahlander, 2008). Disclosing academia industry collaboration through open innovation on the internet has become a viable and an interesting approach to enact open innovation. Introduction This paper consists of a particular focus on the establishment and maintenance of academia industry relations as a way of creating and sharing innovations and ideas. It focuses its attention on exemplar practices to capitalize the knowledge of innovation and its potential leading to external factor’s seamless integration. Interactions rather than occurring in a physical world, it takes place through the internet and is mediated by richly mediated interfaces. The open innovation platforms through integration could enhance access to entrepreneurs, academics, consultants and researchers. Incorporation of particular mechanisms and principles can be recommended into practices of open innovation by allowing interactive and media rich collaborations between academia and industries. According to Chesbrough, â€Å"Open innovation is the use of purposive inflows and o utflows of knowledge to accelerate internal innovation, and expand the markets for external use of innovation, respectively. Open innovation is a paradigm that assumes that firms can and should use external ideas, as well as internal ideas, and external and internal paths to market, as they look to advance to technology† (Chesbrough, 2012: p. vii). This means that organizations should use external technologies and ideas in their businesses while on the hand allowing other companies to use the unused ideas. Open innovation frameworks Numerous open innovation frameworks are used to design and implement open innovation. Moreover, these frameworks can also be used to examine the implications and application of open innovation in companies but also create certain types of academia-industry relations

SC1067C Trends in Contemporary Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

SC1067C Trends in Contemporary Society - Essay Example It is sad but true that one out of five in the Britain's population is affected by poverty. Nearly Thirteen million people live below poverty line in the UK. That is a massive amount to be dealt by government and non-governmental organisations. A new report estimates that over five million people live in absolute poverty in Britain. The survey took its definition of absolute poverty from a 1995 United Nations statement which defines it as "a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs." The UN statement defined anyone lacking three or more of the following items as living in absolute poverty: food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and access to social security benefits. "The survey, Breadline Europe: The Measurement of Poverty researched measurements of poverty across the continent and concluded that there were drastic levels of increase of poverty in the UK."(Robert Stevens, 2001) As per Oxfam, an NGO working towards elimination of poverty in Britain, "3.8 million children in the UK are living in poverty. 2.2 million, pensioners in the UK are living in poverty. 7.2 million, working age adults in the UK are living in poverty. 70% of Bangladeshi children in the UK are poor. Women are the majority in the poorest groups. London has a higher proportion of people living in poverty than any other region in the UK." These statistics are shocking but true. The UK is trying hard to fight against the social stigma called poverty. The question arises that what poverty means in the UK. An average family affected by poverty does not have enough to eat, unable to heat their homes, does not have adequate warm clothing, and enough money to cope with unforeseen events. They are struggling more than the rest of us to get a proper education, a decent job and make real choices about what they want to do with their lives. And to top it off, most of them face situations where they are being looked down upon and discriminated because of their situation. Poverty in the UK exists alongside high economic prosperity in a wealthy country. This has lead to large disparities in income and wealth. It has a negative impact on people living on low-incomes. The latest income inequality data for the UK suggests that over the last decade inequality has been pretty much unchanged. Analysis from the Office of National Statistics says the UK's Gini coefficient, which is an internationally accepted measure for measuring inequalities in household income, climbed in 2005/06 after falling between 2001 and 2005. The reason is more unequal distribution of earnings from employment and self-employment, rather than a result of changes in taxes and benefits payments. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has investigated some of the possible explanations for the higher level of inequality that has persisted since the late 1980s. They include an increase in the gap between wages for skilled and unskilled workers, perhaps because of technology change; the decline in trade union power; and falling participation in the labour market by male workers (who are higher paid on average than female workers). Poverty is caused by circumstances beyond an individual's control like gender, nationality, ethnic origin etc. All over the world, women and people from ethnic minority groups are likely to be poorer than the general population. The same is true in the UK. As per Oxfam, "Sixty-nine per cent of Bangladeshi and

Community Development Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Community Development Corporation - Essay Example This paper also describes the kind of services the company provides. This company is not purely a community development company but has had significant contribution in the recent times. The company works alongside Community Development Corporation (CDC) in Dallas. The main focus of the two companies is mainly the kids. This is a good and commendable move especially because the kids are the future. The program supports an estimated 4000 children in about 18 schools (Jacques, 12). The DynCorp international corporation seeks to promote learning of mathematics and computer applications among other areas of focus. Most recently, the company donated 500 iPods to the children to help them understand computer applications better as well as help them download notes. Other than the small kids, the company also supports other needy groups in the society such as law enforcement veterans, international community development, veterans of the U.S. military and worldwide education programs (Jacques, 20). These are some of the sectors that are often overlooked by the government as well as other community development companies. The company also gives back to the community through its philanthropic donations project which involves training programs for the local community as well as volunteers. Through such projects, the company does not only empower the community but also prepares the community for a better

MARKETING COMUNICATION- exam questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MARKETING COMUNICATION- exam questions - Essay Example Cinema Advertising Cinema advertising is a medium to promote a product in order to create awareness among the consumers. Cinema advertising presents slide promotion and at times it also offers rolling stock alike to a television commercial. A few theatres present lively digital publicity opportunities in place of slide advertising in the theatre hall (Victor, 2006). The Cinema Advertising Association (CAA) represents the two UK cinema advertising related contractors, Digital Cinema Media (formerly known as Carlton Screen Advertising) and Pearl & Dean which provide advice on various issues related to regulation, research and production. The CAA ensures that all UK cinema commercials are according to British Codes of Advertising (BFI, 2010). Pearl & Dean in the UK controls around 19.9% sites of UK cinema. It includes prominent operators of multiplex such as Showcase, Empire, AMC and Apollo (Getmemedia, 2009). In the UK, there are over 3000 screens showing cinema. Production cost relate d to cinema adverting is quite low. For example, Pearl & Dean presents tow types cinema advertisements related production for small businesses of the local area (Marketingdonut, 2011). Television Advertising Television advertising allows the advertisers to inform a large audience  about a business, service or product. ... An effective television advertisement requires a good script that emphasizes a powerful offer. Furthermore, advertisements should be efficiently produced and for this reason it is often better to appoint an advertising agency, which helps to organise an entire operation (All Business, 2011). Advantages of Cinema Advertising: Cinema advertising is designed to target a specific audience and can actively attract the 100% attention of the audience The Digital projector provides high impact on images and sounds, thus the message can be conveyed effectively to the potential customers The cost of cinema advertising is inexpensive; the advertisement can be shown at all possible cinemas or just one local cinema depending upon the budget of an advertiser (NBS Studio, 2010) Advantages of Television Advertising: Television advertising helps to reach large number of audience in a short period of time than radio and local newspapers Message is delivered with picture, sound and action that can prov ide instant credibility to business. It provides an opportunity to be creative and adds a personality in a business, which can be mainly useful for small businesses that depend on repeat customers (All Business, 2011) The advantages of both cinema and television advertising have been discussed above, however depending upon the target customer the advertising media can be selected. The market segmentation is an important factor while taking an advertising decision. If the company is targeting the mass market than it is better to go for television advertising and if it decides to target a specific customer segment for luxurious product than the cinema

SC1067C Trends in Contemporary Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

SC1067C Trends in Contemporary Society - Essay Example It is sad but true that one out of five in the Britain's population is affected by poverty. Nearly Thirteen million people live below poverty line in the UK. That is a massive amount to be dealt by government and non-governmental organisations. A new report estimates that over five million people live in absolute poverty in Britain. The survey took its definition of absolute poverty from a 1995 United Nations statement which defines it as "a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs." The UN statement defined anyone lacking three or more of the following items as living in absolute poverty: food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and access to social security benefits. "The survey, Breadline Europe: The Measurement of Poverty researched measurements of poverty across the continent and concluded that there were drastic levels of increase of poverty in the UK."(Robert Stevens, 2001) As per Oxfam, an NGO working towards elimination of poverty in Britain, "3.8 million children in the UK are living in poverty. 2.2 million, pensioners in the UK are living in poverty. 7.2 million, working age adults in the UK are living in poverty. 70% of Bangladeshi children in the UK are poor. Women are the majority in the poorest groups. London has a higher proportion of people living in poverty than any other region in the UK." These statistics are shocking but true. The UK is trying hard to fight against the social stigma called poverty. The question arises that what poverty means in the UK. An average family affected by poverty does not have enough to eat, unable to heat their homes, does not have adequate warm clothing, and enough money to cope with unforeseen events. They are struggling more than the rest of us to get a proper education, a decent job and make real choices about what they want to do with their lives. And to top it off, most of them face situations where they are being looked down upon and discriminated because of their situation. Poverty in the UK exists alongside high economic prosperity in a wealthy country. This has lead to large disparities in income and wealth. It has a negative impact on people living on low-incomes. The latest income inequality data for the UK suggests that over the last decade inequality has been pretty much unchanged. Analysis from the Office of National Statistics says the UK's Gini coefficient, which is an internationally accepted measure for measuring inequalities in household income, climbed in 2005/06 after falling between 2001 and 2005. The reason is more unequal distribution of earnings from employment and self-employment, rather than a result of changes in taxes and benefits payments. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has investigated some of the possible explanations for the higher level of inequality that has persisted since the late 1980s. They include an increase in the gap between wages for skilled and unskilled workers, perhaps because of technology change; the decline in trade union power; and falling participation in the labour market by male workers (who are higher paid on average than female workers). Poverty is caused by circumstances beyond an individual's control like gender, nationality, ethnic origin etc. All over the world, women and people from ethnic minority groups are likely to be poorer than the general population. The same is true in the UK. As per Oxfam, "Sixty-nine per cent of Bangladeshi and

MARKETING COMUNICATION- exam questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MARKETING COMUNICATION- exam questions - Essay Example Cinema Advertising Cinema advertising is a medium to promote a product in order to create awareness among the consumers. Cinema advertising presents slide promotion and at times it also offers rolling stock alike to a television commercial. A few theatres present lively digital publicity opportunities in place of slide advertising in the theatre hall (Victor, 2006). The Cinema Advertising Association (CAA) represents the two UK cinema advertising related contractors, Digital Cinema Media (formerly known as Carlton Screen Advertising) and Pearl & Dean which provide advice on various issues related to regulation, research and production. The CAA ensures that all UK cinema commercials are according to British Codes of Advertising (BFI, 2010). Pearl & Dean in the UK controls around 19.9% sites of UK cinema. It includes prominent operators of multiplex such as Showcase, Empire, AMC and Apollo (Getmemedia, 2009). In the UK, there are over 3000 screens showing cinema. Production cost relate d to cinema adverting is quite low. For example, Pearl & Dean presents tow types cinema advertisements related production for small businesses of the local area (Marketingdonut, 2011). Television Advertising Television advertising allows the advertisers to inform a large audience  about a business, service or product. ... An effective television advertisement requires a good script that emphasizes a powerful offer. Furthermore, advertisements should be efficiently produced and for this reason it is often better to appoint an advertising agency, which helps to organise an entire operation (All Business, 2011). Advantages of Cinema Advertising: Cinema advertising is designed to target a specific audience and can actively attract the 100% attention of the audience The Digital projector provides high impact on images and sounds, thus the message can be conveyed effectively to the potential customers The cost of cinema advertising is inexpensive; the advertisement can be shown at all possible cinemas or just one local cinema depending upon the budget of an advertiser (NBS Studio, 2010) Advantages of Television Advertising: Television advertising helps to reach large number of audience in a short period of time than radio and local newspapers Message is delivered with picture, sound and action that can prov ide instant credibility to business. It provides an opportunity to be creative and adds a personality in a business, which can be mainly useful for small businesses that depend on repeat customers (All Business, 2011) The advantages of both cinema and television advertising have been discussed above, however depending upon the target customer the advertising media can be selected. The market segmentation is an important factor while taking an advertising decision. If the company is targeting the mass market than it is better to go for television advertising and if it decides to target a specific customer segment for luxurious product than the cinema

Ethical dilemma Essay Example for Free

Ethical dilemma Essay In the following, ethical dilemma has been discussed and identified from the given case study. The background for the ethical dilemma has been explained. How the consultant has handled the situation of ethical dilemma and how a learner would have handled it differently, has been given below. ? Ethical Dilemma â€Å"Ethical dilemmas, also known as a moral dilemmas, are situations in which there are two choices to be made, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion. In such cases, societal and personal ethical guidelines can provide no satisfactory outcome or the chooser. Ethical dilemmas assume that the chooser will abide by societal norms, such as codes of law or religious teachings, in order to make the choice ethically impossible. † In the given case study, Kindred Todd is also in a situation which is an ethical dilemma. She had just finished her master degree and got a very company to join in. But she did not realize that she had been introduced as an expert on CQI to the potential clients which she discovers by the end of the meeting with the potential clients. She discussed with her boss about the need of the CQI expert but he did not give it an importance and indirectly pushed her to do what the company says. She has now a conflict between her own values(may be religious) which insist her on quitting the job and her personal materialistic needs which do not allow to leave such a good company for her career. Background for Ethical Dilemma â€Å"In a perfect world, businesses and their employees would always do the right thing. Unfortunately, in the real world, ethical dilemmas are a common occurrence in the orkplace. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, dilemmas are situations or problems where a person has to make a difficult choice; an ethical dilemma is a problem where a person has to choose between a moral and an immoral act. Employees must deal with pressures to perform and help the company succeed as well as personal temptations to take the easy way out. In the end, workers will likely face many dilemmas in their careers; companies should provide training and information to assist them in making the right decision. † There are many reasons which make the background or the reasons for the ethical dilemma. Employees in organizations undergo in such a situation when they are sometimes under the pressure from management . When they are particularly asked to do something which is un ethical but it goes in the company’s favor. In some cases, some employees become quite ambitious and want to succeed in their life at any cost without considering the concept of being ethical or un-ethical. They just do what akes them towards promotions or higher career. â€Å"Though diversity is an important part of business, some people may not be comfortable with people from different backgrounds and possibly be reluctant to treat them fairly. This kind of discrimination is not only un ethical but illegal and still remains common. † â€Å"Negotiators may also try to bribe their way to a good deal.  While this is illegal in the U. S. , it still sometimes happens; in other nations, it is more common, and sometimes even expected, which can put negotiators in a difficult position. † This means in organizations negotiating tactics are sometimes also the cause of ethical dilemma. ? How the Consultant Handled the Situation from Ethic View Point The consultant raised an objection before the president of the company instead of remaining uiet on the issue that why she had been introduced wrongly as a CQI expert. Moreover, she passed on the exact evaluation of her meeting about the potential clients and stress on the need of an CQI expert in order to deal with the clients. At least, in order to secure the job, she did not pretend that she can do anything they want. The best part was that she did her best to help the clients in the area of quality improvement by going through books and consulting her friends, so much so that she had a consultant behind her, unseen, to help sort out CQI issues. After the assigned work got over, she resigned the company, as she could’t trust the company for future. A View of How the Learner would have Handled the Situation Differently I would have not been, probably so daring to ask the president for the actual requirement of the clients or might not have resigned the job. ? Conclusion In a workplace, ethical dilemmas are quite common. There are different reasons for a worker to become ethical or un ethical. So, the important thing how you win the war between your values and materialistic needs.

Analysing the dimensions of Human Resources

Analysing the dimensions of Human Resources Human Resource Management (HRM) came into popular term over the past decades as a top managerial approach aimed at re-ordering the employment relationship to ensure employee efforts were strategically focused on achieving superior individual and organisational performance and competitiveness in increasingly volatile markets. All companies including British Gas are now paying considerable attention to make strong bond between HR practices and employees and organizational performance. The main purpose of this unit essay is to discuss about HRM as an approach to managing human resources such as labour in British Gas. 1.1 Explain Guests model of hard-soft, loose-tight dimensions of HRM. (P1) The most widely acceptable models of HRM are the soft and hard versions. The soft model is associated with human relation and the hard model on the other hand sees employees as human resource (Gratton et. al. 1999). The soft model assumes that employees respond better when an organisation recognise their individual needs and addresses them as well as focusing on the overall business objectives. The hard model primarily focus to promote human resource planning strategy, align with business strategy, outsourcing, flexibility, performance management and downsizing or work intensification. Some HRM models have been developed by UK academics including Guest and Storey. Guest has identified key features of personal management and HRM that allow for comparative measurement and acknowledging the close links between human resource strategy and general business strategy (Bratton and Gold 2003). The Guest model of HRM is given below: Policies Organisational job design Policy formulation and implementation/management of change Recruitment, selection and socialization Appraisal, training and development Manpower flows through, up and out of the organisation Rewards systems Communications systems HR outcomes Strategic Planning/implementation Commitment Flexibility/adaptability Quality Organisational outcomes High job performance High problem solving Successful change Low turnover Low absence Low grievance level High cost-effectiveness (Adopted diagram from Guest 1997) The model highlights the below key points: Linking to the strategic management of an organisation (Bloisi 2005) Seeking commitment to meet organisational goals and quality of work Focussing on the individual needs rather than the collective workforce to decrease turnover and absence Enabling organisations to devolve power and become more flexible Focussing people as an asset to be positively utilised by the organisation (Bloisi 2005). 1.2 Review the differences between Storeys definition of HRM and personnel and IR practices. (P2) There are some differences between HRM and Personnel Management (PM) and Industrial Relation (IR) practices as there are a lot of different views and contradictions. HRM is a new managerial discipline that has different perspectives of PM and IR, but create a new and broader disciple as a results of different views and contradictions of these two (Beardwell and Holden 1997). The main aim of PM and IR is to serve the objectives of the employer, towards an approach which seeks to gain the commitment of the employees and aims to satisfy the requirements of stakeholders. On the other hand, HRM is a theoretical strategic approach of competitive advantage or organizational success factor of tomorrow and it should be strategically integrated and aligned with the business strategy. Storey (1992) has established a theoretical model based on how an organisation has evolved from PM and IR practice to HRM practices is called a model of shift to HRM. Storey has underlined 27 points of differences between PM and IR against HRM. These points are grouped into four categories: beliefs and assumptions e.g., PM and IR requires the careful delineation of contract while HRM seeks to encourage employees to go beyond contract strategic aspects e.g., PM and IR takes time to take decision while HRM takes customer oriented approach with fast speed of decision making line management e.g., management role with line managers in PM and IR is transactional while it is transformational in HRM key levers e.g., communication in PM and IR is restricted while in HRM it is increased; and pay is evaluation based in PM and IR while in HRM pay is performance based. If these two strategies are not closely aligned, the organisation will find itself pulling in different directions and not making any progress toward meeting goals. 1.3 Analyse HRM from a strategic perspective and its implications for the role of the line manager and employees. (P3) For competitive advantages, an organisation should change old ways of doing business where most of the burden and responsibility of change will fall onto first-line managers of HR. They share the burdens and responsibilities with other line managers and employees. The first-line managers play a crucial role in making strategies for HRM because they are responsible for executing HR practices at the workplace (Nehles et. al. 2006). If these strategies are not identified and created consistency across business units to ensure closely aligned towards the attainment of corporate objectives, the organisation will find itself pulling in different directions and not making any progress towards meeting goals. The challenges for line managers are given below: Rapidly changing of technology that lead to the changing of business environment Pressure to do more with fewer resources to minimise production and other cost Downsizing of the employees to cut labour cost Greater workforce diversity as customers expectations are too high Increasing gap between available skills and required skills for a job. The line managers need employees with up-to-dated skills, multi-skilled, committed toward organisational missions and visions and competency for role play. The line managers also need tools and information systems to make quick and effective decisions. The line manager is directly accountable for the program impact of HR decision, while the HR team or employee is directly accountable for the compliance of the action. HR managers and employees must need a range of skills to cope with the change and make a productive environment. In this case, HR department provides full support and takes the lead in helping managers identify the core knowledge, skills and abilities required to support the companys competitive advantage (Buhlel 1999). For example, for a specific task, HR department may need to conduct an assessment and identify particular training needs. Then HR training specialist will be called up to actually deliver the training program. The HRM should do the following for managers and employees regularly otherwise business objectives will not be met in the long term. Providing training for such as problem solving, decision making and change management Creating positive environment Providing feedback and counseling on the options available to accomplish particular task/program with timely and professional manner Providing assistance with timely manner Supportive attitudes shown by the HR teams Collaborative relationship between line manager and HR team to effect needed action. 2.1 Review and explain a model of flexibility and show how this might be applied in practice (P4). Show how the case company might identify and apply this model to solve their workforce issues (M1). Flexibility refers to adjust and deploy the skills of its employees to match the skills required by its changing workload and production methods. Professor Chai Feldblum said We believe workplace flexibility is good for employers and employees, so its worth the effort to get it right for employers and employees (Gurchiek 2009). HRM can design a job where employees can work with flexibility considering the issues such as scheduling of hours work such as nontraditional start and end times; the amount of hours worked such as job sharing, phased retirement and part time work; the place of work such as a remote location or home; and changing work hours over the month or through the year depending on the demands of the job such as working more hours during busy periods and taking time off in quiet times. Review and explain a model of flexibility and show how this might be applied in practice (P4) Show how the case company might identify and apply this model to solve their workforce issues Workforce flexibility increases productivity and job satisfaction. It helps the company to become top in the markets maintaining the culture of diversity and tolerance. The flexibility depends on the nature of the job. HRM will need to ensure that the organisational culture is tolerant of alternate work schedules. The British Gas can provide 24/7 services to its customers and distribute its workload throughout the day as part of diversity and good customer services. More staff can be scheduled to work at peak time and less staff for off-peak time. The company can employ some staff who can work from home or remote area to reduce cost and provide better services to its customers within possibly less waiting time. The company needs to provide adequate training and support including equipment so that staff can work from home or provide services on demand to its customers. As a result, the company may need to pay less salary to such staff. For example, staff working from home or working on demand doesnt need to travel and/or can look after children home at the same time and as a result, they can work at cheaper rate than staff working at office. The company can employ local and nationwide staff on demand rather than employing them permanently to provide a maintenance and breakdown service for electrical goods and home wiring. The staff can be paid depending on number of services they provide. In order to provide quick and quality service to its customers, many staff working from home or staff working on demand should be employed and trained and reviewed their performance regularly. The company should randomly record and review staff telephone conversations and services provided to its customers operating a customer satisfaction online or postal survey. These resources can be used to train staff as well. 2.1 Review and explain a model of flexibility and show how this might be applied in practice (P4) Show how the case company might identify and apply this model to solve their workforce issues. (M1) 2.2 Describe the need for flexibility and the types of flexibility which may be developed by an organisation and give examples of how they can be implemented (P5). The employees need for flexibility at workplace. As a result, they can work better and more productive way than others. The need for flexibility at work place is given below: employees can look after children at home or spend more time with children and can reduce childcare cost older workers could remain longer if number of hours are reduced makes positive difference in retention and stress among lower-wage employees than their more advantaged counterparts increases moral, job satisfaction and higher level of engagement (Drucker 2010) decrease stress or turnout attract talent people in the organisation reduce consumption of employee commuting time and fuel costs. Flexibility can be different types such as flextime- allows employees to select their starting and ending time within a range of hours, reduced time, flex-leave- allows time off during the workday to address personal and family issues and flex-career- allows multiple points for entry, exit and re-entry. A company like British Gas needs to decide the scope of flexibility and make a plan considering all possible options for flexibility at workplace. The company can implement flexibility in the following ways: develop a business case looking at comparable companies like nPower, EDFEnergy and Southern Electric and their experiences with flexibility (Friedman D. E. 2010) reviewing existing and past programs and company policies to see how well they are working and what needs improving determine flexible work options, negotiate with employees if possible and review. introduce a pilot scheme to see how they work before fully implementing them help supervisors and managers to learn new ways of managing, including how to solve problem and look for win-win solution (Friedman 2010). 2.3 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of flexibility working practices from both the employees and the employer perspective (P6). Flexibility is a management tool that can benefit employers and employees but it may not be welcomed by all employees of an organisation. Research shows that 78% of respondents reported that having access to flexible work options contributes to their success as employees to a moderate or great extent (Pitt-Catsouphes 2009). So flexibility should be applied creatively and it works best when all employees and customers are involved in the process of developing flexibility. Advantages Flexible workplace helps organisation if employers and employees get flexibility while they take decisions, they can do much better way and can save a lot of cost and bring a lot of revenue for the business. Flexibility in workplace help the employees providing flexibility like working from home and limited employment could ensure that employees are at their optimum working level. Disadvantages Lower wage workers are more likely to report that using flexibility will negatively affect their advancement (Richman 2006) If the employees are not responsible enough and/or they are not monitored regularly, the business might actually face lack of productivity During the hiring of the individuals or employing someone, flexibility options should be discussed in detail and care should be taken into consideration to ensure that only candidates who are serious about their jobs, careers and professions will be employed by the company. Indeed, the success or failure of the implementation of flexibility depends on how well the employees take it, how they use it to become more productive, instead of finding ways to shirk work and how the management assists them to implement it. The company should consider a range of workplace factors such as extent of access to flexible work options, supervisor support of flexibility, negative work-family culture and extent of utilisation of flexible work options to bring full advantages of flexibility at workplace (Pitt-Catsouphes et. al. 2009). 3.1 Describe the forms of discrimination that take place (P7) Recruitment and selection have been considered as areas for discrimination. In general the following two forms of discrimination take place (Bratton and Gold 2003) during recruitment and selection process: Direct where employees of a particular gender, race, age, colour or ethnic group are treated more favourably than other employees. For example, a policy to recruit only young persons to field workers. Indirect where particular requirements treat everybody equally but discriminate to a particular group where the requirement cannot be justified. For example, applicants for field workers should be 1.85 metres tall could result in a low proportion of female applicants. 3.2 Review how the legislative framework and any proposed changes relating to discrimination in the workplace can be applied by an organisation (P8). How has the above case company designed their recruitment policy to apply relevant law to avoid discrimination (M2). All organisations should be aware of legislation concerning discrimination in employment and have a duty to protect their employees from any discriminatory behaviour. According to the law, it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of their sex, age, race, disability, religion or martial status in recruitment, selection, promotion, pay, training, hiring, transfer, dismissal and all other activities and responsibilities related to HRM. An organisation like British Gas should avoid discrimination during recruitment and selection process. This is not only a legal requirement but also it gives the best chance of getting the right person for the job. The following changes can be proposed relating to discrimination in the workplace to avoid discrimination during recruitment: Ensure that best people are recruited on merit and the recruitment process is free from bias and discrimination Application form should contain minimum of personal details and some specific questions to avoid discrimination during selection process such as asking candidates to indicate special requirement to attend interview During interview, certain questions that are relevant to the persons ability should be asked only but must not be asked something that discriminate from other Assessment such as skill test and interview should be fair, reliable and valid throughout the recruitment process Fully investigate if a complaint of discrimination is made against selection Monitor recruitment process and update and review all policies regularly to meet employment law requirements fully Must take care while carrying out necessary checks such as checking necessary documents to ensure that the candidate has right to work in the UK. 3.3 Explain a range of current initiatives and practices which focus on equal opportunities in employment (P9). The HRM should follow rigorous and fair selection process to recruit suitable employees to ensure equal opportunity is everywhere. After employment, each employee should get equal opportunities to get promotion, development, training and to get all other facilities provided by the organisation, and terms and conditions are based solely on job related ability and merit. The British Gas should consider the following initiative and practices which focus on equal opportunities in employment: All managers and employees should have training on equal opportunities Review the effectiveness of the policy and identify practices that may lead discrimination Advise and take swift action if it is expected that discrimination is taking place Make arrangement so that employees can make complaint easily regarding any issue of discrimination and they are kept well informed the progress of the complaint Look creatively at new work patterns, employee practices and flexible working and promote the idea of equal opportunities throughout the organisation All staff should be treated with dignity and respect at work Employers should make an environment to prevent bullying and sexual harassment as they lead to job insecurity, illness, absent from work and even resignation (ACAS 2009) Equal pay and disability discrimination policies should be implemented seriously at workplace Because of ill health, dismissal from job must not be taken place and if it does, it can be considered as discrimination. 3.4 Compare and contrast equal opportunities and managing diversity (P10). In order to promote equal opportunities and diversity at workplace, first thing is to have equality and diversity policy, then it is backed up by action plan to promote the policy at workplace and ensure that it is understood and followed across the business including areas such as recruitment, training and pay to avoid discrimination (Web1 2010). In order to minimise or avoid the chance of discrimination over equal opportunities and managing diversity, the organisation needs to monitor the process following the steps: Collect monitoring data providing separate monitoring sheet with application form, through appraisal, performance evaluation and direct complaint and filling direct monitoring form Analyse collected data confidentiality Review policies and action plan where necessary. 4.1 Explain performance management in practice (P11). Using examples describe how organisation organize and manage performance appraisal activity (D2) and communicate these findings to the relevant human resources manager (M3). Performance management is one of the responsibilities carried out by top management to examine actual practice at workplace (Pollitt 2002). The senior managers should carry out a performance review and provide feedback regularly or at least once per year to their fellow employees providing an opportunity for discussion of career objectives and progressions, identifying training needs, assisting to develop individual abilities and help in succession planning to maximise career potential. The performance appraisal should cover issues such as salary, promotion, retention/termination, recognition of performance, layoffs, identification of poor performance, job requirements, legal requirements and analyzing past and present performance. Performance management is a culture in which individuals and groups take responsibility for the continuous improvement of business processes, standards and quality of products and of their own skills, behaviour and contributions (CIPD 2010). The British Gas should organise and manage the following performance appraisal activities: Arrange appraisal meeting with employees to discuss training required to improve skills, knowledge, standards and procedures and self-appraisal Let employees to fill in appraisal form Identify actions that help lead to improvement including the time and goals for the follow-up meeting Review the agreed activities Give and receive feedback Make effective communication at all levels. Managers and/or supervisors at the workplace should have communications to ensure that each employees performance appraisal activities are done on time. They should use a common information system possible an online system or intranet that will allow easy storing and accessing of performance reports and training needs information and generate automatic reminder messages regarding performance meeting and any activities due to complete. Using and sharing such information system at workplace, trainers and supervisors can provide effective and specific training to improve staff performance. 4.2 Critically evaluate different human resource practice in the workplace (P12). Use critical reflection to the above justify whether human resource practices are followed at British Gas or indeed any other company of your choice (D1) An organisation can use many different human resource practices in the workplace to evaluate employees performance such as performance appraisal, electronic performance, monitoring of quality services, monitoring competitiveness, calculating employee turnover rate, 360 degree performance management feedback system and reviewing safety incident. These practices promote human resource development of an organisation. For example, monitoring of quality service involves the recording of calls, team leader listening to calls, the provision of feedback, coaching on telephone technique and service delivery and the 360 process allows for multiple points of view to be given on any given individual to improve performance and identify training needs. A decent company like British Gas practices many from the above and does almost everything to maintain excellent customer services. The company has many call centres all over the Europe and provides adequate training and monitors employees performance regularly. The British Gas has launched a website called http://www.britishgasjobs.co.uk/ as Careers at British Gas. The website can be developed further to promote human resource development. In order to make aware potential and existing employees, job descriptions of all posts should be available on the website and these should be updated regularly. Potential candidates can be referred to the website. Once there is a candidate, the online system should conduct behavioral and technical tests first, then need a telephone screening, then bring them in for a face-to-face interview. The company can also use self-learning/service software programs within company website to reduce administrative costs and time, to increase information access for employees and managers and improve information accuracy (Price 2007). 4.3 Evaluate the impact of globalization on issues such as human resource planning (P13). Changes in the global business environment such as rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT), global dimension, currency exchange rate and takeover or expansion overseas have major consequences for HR managers (Price 2007). As a result, factors outside of a companys control that will affect its requirements for human resources and ways of managing them change as well and the organizational needs human resource planning based on cost benefit analysis in advance to use and manage human resources to meet organisational needs and add greater value (Friedman 2007). Indeed, the ICT and reduction in communication costs has facilitated the globalisation and increased competition. So human resource planning in any organisation is vital to train and develop employees. It should be strong linked with recruitment, selection, career planning and development, performance appraisal and the remuneration system otherwise the organisation cannot compete. 4.4 Review the impact of different national cultures and practices human resource professionals can employ to manage a cultural diverse workforce (P14). Demonstrate convergent/lateral/create thinking while answering the above questions (D3). National cultures differ mainly in four areas which are labelled by Hofstede (1980) as dimensions and these are power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism-collectivism, and masculinity-femininity. Research shows that a human resource policy can be familiar and effective to a country but it may be unfamiliar and ineffective to another country due to cultural factor. For example, pay for the performance scheme is very popular in the USA and UK but it may not successfully be practiced in another country (Suharnomo 2009). Laurent (1986) found that decision making in Germany is more centralised than in UK. On the other hand, organisations in UK spend more money for employee well-being and middle management development program than many other countries (Suharnomo 2009). Newman Nollen (1996) indicated that organisation performance is better in the organisations where there is congruency between national culture and human resource practices. An organisation must adjust its management practice in accordance with the environment or national culture to achieve successful organisational performance. For example, career development is stronlgly related to national culture in UK and USA. An employee who has good character will likely be able to use their capability in a workplace with other people. So cooperation is very important for every employee to meet organisational objectives. Conclusions Organisations with better learning, training and development systems, reward and recognition, and information systems can promote human resource development and improve organisational performance. These should be measured, monitored and updated staff skills time to time to meet organisational objectives.