Interview tips for McDonalds trainee manager job free essay sample

I have chosen to write about the recruitment and selection process of McDonalds. This report will start off with the definition and purpose of recruitment and selection in an organization. This report also compares the recruitment process of Tesco and McDonalds. The specific job position that I have chosen to write on is McDonald’s trainee manager. All the information and resources that had been gathered and compiled in this report is secondary information. Secondary information simply means that the source of info did not come from the writer itself.The recruitment and selection process is very important for an organization to work fluently. Recruitment and selection is a separate process. Recruitment is when an organization searches for potential candidates for the job vacancy. The potential candidates must reach the requirements that have been determined by the organization. The main purpose of recruitment is to have a wide variety of candidates that have the right skills and knowledge that the organization can narrow down and choose the most suitable candidate to execute the job. We will write a custom essay sample on Interview tips for McDonalds trainee manager job or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On the other hand, the selection process occurs after the recruitment process. From the potential candidates that have been recruited only a few or even a single person is selected to uphold the job. Applicants go through a few interviews through the human resource management. It is very important to select the right person for the job. If an organization does not select the right person it could jeopardize the whole organization by a drop in productivity, an also misunderstandings among staffs. This is why an organization needs to have a solid human resource team to undergo an efficient recruitment and selection process that can lead to a successful organization in the future.I have decided to write a report on the recruitment and selection process of McDonalds. McDonalds is a fast food chain that is growing fast all over the world. A single restaurant is independent of their recruitment and selection process. This means that each and every one of McDonald’s restaurant chain is individually responsible to recruit and select their own staff. The total amount of people that are employed in a typical McDonald’s restaurant is roughly around 60 people that include the line of management. On April 19, 2012, McDonald’s had hosted a National Hire Day. The main purpose of hosting that day is to fill a lot of positions for restaurant managers and also their crew members. The result of hiring a large number of people on National Hire Day, the amount of applicants that are teenagers is reducing. For many years, the number of teenage crew members of McDonald’s is insanely high. In the year 1990’s, the percentage of employees that are under the age of 20 in the United States is 45%.

The Bear Essentials

The Bear Essentials The "Bear" Essentials Whether in the Appalachian Mountains or the Nevada sierra, many American forests are home to one of nature's most fascinating animals, ursus americanus, or "American Bear," according to the Encyclopedia Britta nica. More commonly known as the black bear, this animal's passive demeanor often disguises its potential to be threatening, and even deadly, to their human counterparts. Unfortunately, most attacks occur because the black bear remains one of the most misunderstood mammals in the forest.There are many misconceptions about black bears and about how a person should handle an encounter with these creatures. Knowing what not to do during an encounter with a black bear is as equally important as knowing what to do. The following list of "do's" and "don'ts" could prevent a fun day in the forest from turning to tragedy.First of all, don't run. If you come face-to-face with a black bear, your first instinct will probably be to run.English: An American Black Bear ( Ursus americanus)...

Case Study of Bicester Village in UK-Free-Samples for Students

In today’s modern world, incomes are rising rapidly and luxury goods are getting available widely, with the attitudes regarding the display of wealth shifting with time. Due to this, more and more Chinese consumers are feeling more comfortable in buying luxury goods. Because of this, the love for these products in china is moving down the economic ladder, meanwhile creating challenges and opportunities simultaneously for the marketers who are used to serving just the very rich consumers. The upper middle class account for a large share of the market and their numbers are increasing swiftly. The interest in the luxury goods segment is moving over jewellery, handbags, fashion and similar products. A large number of the Chinese luxury goods consumers are also spending their money on spas and other wellness activities. The consumption for such luxury services are rising faster in comparison with luxury goods (Li, Li & Kambele, 2012). Over the past decade the Chinese have directed the world towards luxury shopping. By 2015, China was offering more luxury retail selling space than Japan and was swiftly catching up on USA, with the Chinese accounting for almost a third of the overall global luxury spending. Particularly the wealthy Chinese tourists have been the key directors of the international luxury goods sales for more than a decade. As stated by the travel data released by Euromonitor International, the Chinese tourists made approximately 3 million trips to the USA in 2015, which was an upsurge of around 8% from 2014 and a huge 206% upsurge accounted for in the five years from 2010 to 2015 (Travel in China, 2016). In 2015 itself the Chinese made around 5 million trips to Japan, 2 million trips to France and 285 thousand trips to the UK, with most of these trips related to shopping expeditions or significant luxury retailers and shopping hotspots (Economic Impact 2016, 2017). However, in the years 2014 and 2015, the mainland of China recorded its lowest growth of sales of luxury products from the time when records began (Global luxury goods sales growth to stabilise in 2015 - Bain, 2014). Among some of the other factors getting influenced, this decrease in growth also implied that China would not be able to overtake Japan and then go on to become the world’s second largest luxury goods market in the world in the next consecutive five years and it is anticipated to uphold its current position ahead of France and UK in the short to medium term. China recently put in an effort of curbing the wrongdoings in the luxury goods consumption. The effort became a crackdown on the grey luxury goods market that had prospered because of the major price variances among luxury goods within and outside of China. In cases of some Swiss-made timepieces, the alteration in price can be as high as 90% between Western Europe and China (Hancock, 2017). The major players in the grey market are mainly professional shoppers, who are travelling abroad in most cases for buying luxury goods in bulk. They take that back with them home for selling those wares either openly or online, and it has went on to become a business that is worth billions of US dollars. Back in 2016, the government stepped in to combat the grey market by stepping up their customer control and raised penalties for false declarations, which resulted in the increasing numbers of professional shoppers getting caught. However, this is just a single part of the crackdown. Beijing has even presented harsher taxation laws in major categories, with hiking tariffs on watches from 30% to 60% and on jewellery from 10% to 15% (Master & Wendlandt, 2016). These tariffs are applicable on the goods that are legitimately purchased through the internet and delivered in packages to China, and even on goods purchased abroad and brought back to China. The government also put a cap of CNY100,000 (US$15,473) per card on yearly withdrawals at foreign UnionPay cash machines. This is a huge issue for well-heeled Chinese tourists who are into shopping at luxury department stores like Barneys in New York, Galeries Lafayette in Paris and Harrods in London (Lopez, 2016). Several brand leaders in the luxury goods industry were bewailing about the adverse international trading conditions for a long time, and their influence on China’s previously fast growing luxury goods market. This fresh crackdown over overseas spending by Chinese shoppers is another headwind to face and might be the most disorderly one till date. It was the hope of the Chinese government that higher tariffs would help durable luxury goods demand in the domestic market (Roberts, 2017). The enormous and creating number of Chinese luxury buyers can be credited to the rapidly rising disposable family pay rates in China. The amazingly well off Chinese families are clearly exceptional drivers of improvement for luxury and the prime concentration for luxury brands. In any case, the rising Chinese middle-class, including families with pay rates between USD 9,000 and USD 34,000, have transformed into the fast rising buyer divide in China – they have transformed into the subject of much thought from overall brands (Aroche, 2015) These new contenders, whom are generally arranged in second tier urban groups, spend a considerable measure of their pay on luxury, using their purchases as pictures to demonstrate their extending social and money related status, and their desires to accomplish status. In spite of the way that middle-class customers spend less out and out than their wealthier accomplices, their numbers are adequately basic to solidly affect indicate luxury spending in China. According to McKinsey and Company, the overall organization consultancy firm, the Chinese middle class included 500 million people in 2015 (Barton, Chen & Jin, 2013). This number is foreseen to grow more than 550 million by 2022, tolerating that people numbers stay predictable (Atsmon & Magni, 2012). An interesting typical for Chinese luxury customers is that they are comparatively more young than their European and American accomplices – 45% of Chinese luxury buyers are under 35 years of age, they are all around 14 years more energetic than their European accomplices, and 25 years more young than their American accomplices (Cbbc.org, 2015). The ordinary time of Chinese luxury customers is 33.1 years, with more than 80% of all Chinese luxury purchasers between the ages of 25 and 44. Women have transformed into a crucial rising measurement in the Chinese luxury goods exhibit, which has for the most part been overpowered by folks in the region of 35 and 45 years old (Yi, Yuan & Kumah, 2013). This is because Chinese women are beginning to get up to speed with men in numbers in the workplace, and thus are expanding more cash related flexibility and societal position. In like manner, their getting power has extended, and they are obtaining more luxury goods than whenever in late memory to repay themselves for steady work and individual accomplishments. With 25% of Chinese women increasing more than their male accessories, they now speak to three-fifths of the luxury goods publicize (Yi, Yuan & Kumah, 2013). Regardless of the directing of domestic luxury use, Chinese tourists are spending more in luxury retail territories abroad. Of the 27% of total overall luxury purchases by Chinese customers, it is assessed that almost 60% of luxury usage occurs outside the mainland and abroad (KPMG.com, 2017). As voyaging twists up obviously less requesting and all the all the more captivating, Chinese tourism has exploded, with the amount of Chinese tourists outperforming 80 million out of 2012. It is assessed that 72% of Chinese tourists purchase luxury goods abroad, and Chinese tourism is transforming into a basic jar to neighborhood economies around the world (KPMG.com, 2017). Another basic example in the Chinese market is the growing advancement of the Chinese luxury client, as tastes of arranged buyers create with stunning pace. There is a perceivable move of enthusiasm from luxury products showing logos to more minimized and exceptional products, leaving comprehended brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci endeavoring to remain mindful of prior yearly advancement rates. This ponder is most obvious in tier one urban groups, for instance, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, where clients have been acquiring luxury for a long time and are getting the opportunity to be perceptibly capable about shape and curious about what the world sees as in vogue. These tenured shoppers are beginning to focus on brand heritage, craftsmanship, and lack in their luxury purchases rather than obvious logos doubtlessly demonstrating wealth (Ye, Bose & Pelton, 2012). At the same time, significant amounts of the Chinese middle class are coming into wealth where they can endure the cost of luxury shockingly. Along these lines, there is up 'til now a strong enthusiasm for most likely comprehended, logo-decorated products that clearly demonstrate their newly found status in the Chinese social chain of significance. As the luxury goods market sections transversely finished wage levels and social classes, luxury goods associations are standing up to new troubles in fitting their product portfolios to meet distinctive slants, while meanwhile keeping up consistency and particularity in their brand cachet (Zhan & He, 2012). The need to use luxury goods is a direct result of the Chinese masses wanting  to exhibit their anomalous condition of wealth  to others. The  rising gaining power and the effect of Western lifestyles have upheld luxury consumption and thus some first class brands have extending their embodiment in China with a particular true ob jective to misuse that condition. Nowadays, the best way to deal with be known among  Chinese consumers  in the luxury market is through the web using digital frameworks and  tools. Indeed,  social media  and e-commerce  hold a strong effect over Chinese luxury buyers.   A generous number of Chinese purchasers knew accurately what they'll purchase before they arrive  at the store due with 90% of respondents communicating they plan their purchases early (Chiu, Ip & Silverman, 2012). Chinese buyers give watchful thought to the brand and country of-base of luxury goods and tend to hold slants for without a doubt comprehended foreign luxury brands with surely understood logos. Disguising any indication of disappointment go up against" could be a basic method of reasoning fundamental Asian purchasers' strong desires for indulgences regardless of the low ordinary pay. Gifting has been identi?ed as another basic manner of thinking in Chinese luxury product obtaining. Eating up exorbitant gifts re?ects the social chain of significance and furthermore upkeep of the agreement between collect necessities and individual needs. Asians a great part of the time purchase luxury goods for relatives and "package" families with luxury brands to display family wealth and status. Past research has associated gifting to working up guanxi in the Chinese society. Guanxi, illuminated as social ties, expect a key part in various walks around Chinese regular daily existences. Chinese pur chasers tend to assume that the all the more exorbitant the gift, the greater affirmation will be grabbed, the more "face" will be gotten, and the better relationship will be proficient (Zhang & Kim, 2013). Chinese purchasers are existing the components of unmistakable, likeness, self-delight and the journey for quality, which is advanced in the theoretical luxury consumption motivation. Meanwhile, Chinese purchasers in like manner have the refinement of the luxury shopper motivation: they have little motivation of regular self-explanation, however are of unprecedented vitality for the mission for materialistic play and superstar motivation. Here we can see the impact of customary culture of Chinese clients for their luxury shopper motivation (Ko & Megehee, 2012). Chinese shoppers' luxury consumption motivation has the going with perceptible components. To the exclusion of everything else, with respect to Western buyers, they focus on individual organized consumption regard; Second, in regards to Western purchasers, they focus on having a place individual immensity; Third, concerning Western clients, Chinese shoppers have a tendency to use the products' or brands' picture, and the consumption to express their class and status in people in general eye. Fourth, with respect to Western shoppers, they focus on the principle properties of luxury, when the Chinese clients pick and purchase the luxury goods; there are more group motivations to avoid the peril of buyers and to meet the mass intrigue. Fifth, in the luxury consumption of Chinese purchasers, there is a huge bit of them are used to set up their social relations as favors, to address social issues. Finally, starting late, due to the hoarding of social wealth, and furthermore the impact of the contemplation of consumerism and intemperance, Chinese buyers have begun to have a particular measure of individual arranged luxury purchaser motivation, for instance, self-happiness, fine quality and self gift (Jiang & Cova, 2012). The luxury discount village of Bicester, UK, was opened at Clarks Village in Somerset in 1993, the past site of the Clarks shoe mechanical office and not far from the Shoe Museum. McArthurGlen, set up by Harvard-taught Joey Kaempfer, by then started copying US-style outlet malls in Europe with centers like Cheshire Oaks close Manchester. Today there are around 30 outlets in Britain, all things considered, a middle-class space with idealistic brands and the earth to match. Retail outlets are a beating position in a troublesome market. Most UK outlet centers have had yearly sales improvement of 10 for every penny over the latest couple of years, according to Jonathan Adams, senior head of retail valuations at property consultants CBRE. That is before designs for buyer spending: the Office for National Statistics said UK retail sales volumes rose 4.1 for each penny in September year on year. Outlet malls have similarly beated full-price shopping centers in capital regard, as demonstrate d by CBRE, growing by 40 for every penny overall since 2012; full-price shopping centers created by under 1 for each penny (Shannon, 2016).   As the outlets wind up observably higher-end, so do the shoppers. Regard Retail, the proprietor of Bicester, the most upmarket of the UK's outlet malls, says the well off and middle classes come to search for regard rather than discounts — a fine, perhaps solely verbal, differentiate. Certainly, idealistic luxury shoppers might be less arranged to treat themselves to a section price pearl on Bond Street — yet grabbing it decreased cost at Bicester is one of a kind. With the view of directing overall money related improvement, an unfriendly to corruption crackdown on self important "gift giving" in China and dread attacks counteracting tourism to elsewhere in Europe, top notch members, for instance, Time and Gems offer an appealing customer base and superior to anything normal edges (Seo, 2016). A common criticism of outlet malls is the idea of the stock since shoppers are clueless that products can be made especially to be sold in these outlets. Value Retail rushes to point out stock is not "made for outlet" in the watch and fine diamonds part, yet rather is from the brand's past gatherings or is a bit of an assurance of reconditioned stock. Some are watchful this contemplates well the brands. Having halted or unsold stock to fill these outlet stores proposes either poor stock control or associations creating especially for the outlets The Chinese economy has moved toward becoming enormously all through the last ten to twenty years, and all inclusive tourism to China is winding up fundamentally speedier. A part of the reasons behind this gigantic improvement are the general advancement of tourism, the Chinese open-door course of action, more persistent flights among China and whatever is left of the world, and unprecedented changes in Chinese transport establishment, lodging settlement and tourist attractions. Also in China, widespread tourism is viewed as a techniques for pulling in foreign exchange and as a lift to money related advancement. When measuring the impact of tourism, the primary issue is that tourism is not typically named a singular industry. In dealing with this issue, tourists' uses per thing total must be cured for foreign imports, and ought to be allocated to the conveying family unit industry. Basically after these modifications, would one have the capacity to assess the quick impact of tourism on, for instance, regard included or work. The second issue is picking the kind of underhanded effects one wishes to consider and, immovably related, picking of the exhibiting approach for assessing of the picked impacts. Various circumlocutory effects are caused by linkages between tourism-arranged organizations and diverse undertakings. Packs into these linkages overwhelmingly show that tourist establishments and tourism-orchestrated organizations have strong in turn around linkages with giving endeavors, however forward linkages with supplying industries are in every way that really matters truant (Xu, 2013). Today, the financial returns on several luxury shopping mall investments seem much less lucrative than they were five years age. This is due to the slower economic growth that is being specially felt in the interior of Greater China. Crucially, as shopping malls faces slower footfall and as retail sales subside, the luxury brands would require rethinking their growth strategies for the interior. The implications for the luxury industry totally are possibly far reaching, with the situation that China’s interior was previously viewed as a beacon of future opportunity. In case we look outside of Greater China, a noteworthy piece of the positive sales compel saw in 2014 and 2015 in the made regions was truly fuelled by wealthy going to Chinese tourists. In any case, after the Chinese government ruined the renminbi in August 2015, China's outside spending power has become appalling. Added to that, the Chinese economy is set to continue cooling. These two troubles solidified will no doubt influenced the business' property sales mix, possibly setting off another move in overall wage control in 2016 (Carcano, 2013). The impact of a weakening economy is most likely not going to keep rich Chinese buyers from taking off to buy their luxury goods, be that as it may it might change their objective of choice and also signify in-objective spend. Short-pull objectives, for instance, South Korea and Thailand could get the prizes. In case Chinese purchasers cut back on outside trips help far from home, by then we could start to see yet another move to be resolved of vitality between the locale. Spending in North America, Western Europe and Japan could go down, while spending in China could even go up. It is difficult to envision how the condition will make later on. What we can state, nonetheless, is that, according to the examination, 2015 wound up being a champion among the most purposely fundamental years ever for the overall luxury goods industry. Aroche, D. (2015).  Are You Reaching The Global Chinese Luxury Consumer?.  Luxury Society. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://luxurysociety.com/en/articles/2015/11/are-you-reaching-the-global-chinese-luxury-consumer/ Atsmon, Y., & Magni, M. (2012).  Meet the Chinese consumer of 2020.  McKinsey & Company. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/asia-pacific/meet-the-chinese-consumer-of-2020 Barton, D., Chen, Y., & Jin, A. (2013).  Mapping China's middle class.  McKinsey & Company. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/mapping-chinas-middle-class Carcano, L. (2013). Strategic management and sustainability in luxury companies.  Sustainable Luxury: A special theme issue of The Journal of Corporate Citizenship,  52, 36. CBBC - China’s Middle Income Consumers. (2015).  Cbbc.org. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.cbbc.org/news/china%E2%80%99s-middle-income-consumers%E2%80%99-report-released-b/ Chiu, C., Ip, C., & Silverman, A. (2012). Understanding social media in China.  McKinsey Quarterly,  2(2012), 78-81. Economic Impact 2016. (2017).  WTTC,org. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic%20impact%20research/regions%202016/world2016.pdf Global luxury goods sales growth to stabilise in 2015 - Bain. (2014).  Reuters.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.reuters.com/article/luxury-report-idUSL6N0S93YG20141014 Hancock, T. (2017).  Chinese shoppers begin to buy luxury brands again — at home.  Ft.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.ft.com/content/61bc103a-e38a-11e6-8405-9e5580d6e5fb Jiang, L., & Cova, V. (2012). Love for luxury, preference for counterfeits–A qualitative study in counterfeit luxury consumption in China.  International journal of marketing studies,  4(6), 1. Ko, E., & Megehee, C. M. (2012). Fashion marketing of luxury brands: Recent research issues and contributions.  Journal of Business Research,  65(10), 1395-1398. Li, G., Li, G., & Kambele, Z. (2012). Luxury fashion brand consumers in China: Perceived value, fashion lifestyle, and willingness to pay.  Journal of Business Research,  65(10), 1516-1522. Lopez, L. (2016).  It looks like China is about to squash a $7 billion luxury industry.  Business Insider. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.businessinsider.in/It-looks-like-China-is-about-to-squash-a-7-billion-luxury-industry/articleshow/51706401.cms Luxury experiences in China. (2017).  KPMG.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://home.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2016/06/it-Luxury-experiences-in-china-2011.pdf Master, F., & Wendlandt, A. (2016).  China's gray luxury market threatened by new tax regime.  U.S.. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-luxury-greymarket-idUSKCN0WY528 Master, F., & Wendlandt, A. (2016).  China's gray luxury market threatened by new tax regime.  U.S.. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-luxury-greymarket-idUSKCN0WY528 Roberts, F. (2017).  China's Luxury Market Set for Steady Performance Amid Unfavourable Market Environment.  Euromonitor International Blog. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://blog.euromonitor.com/2017/03/china-luxury-market-steady-performance-amid-unfavourable-market-environment.html Seo, J. (2016).  Why Does Everybody Love Bicester Village, England's Famous Luxury Outlet Mall?.  Forbes.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/juyoungseo/2016/07/11/why-does-everybody-love-bicester-village-englands-famous-luxury-outlet-mall/#7cbb637b1218 Shannon, S. (2016).  How Bicester Village retail outlet became a new luxury destination.  Ft.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.ft.com/content/c6bafc88-895a-11e6-8cb7-e7ada1d123b1 Travel in China. (2016).  Euromonitor.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017, from https://www.euromonitor.com/travel-in-china/report Xu, G. (2013).  Tourism and Local Development in China: Case Studies of Guilin, Suzhou and Beidaihe. Routledge. Ye, L., Bose, M., & Pelton, L. (2012). Dispelling the collective myth of Chinese consumers: a new generation of brand-conscious individualists.  Journal of Consumer Marketing,  29(3), 190-201. Yi, J., Yuan, M. F., & Kumah, S. (2013). The Attitude, motivation influence people’s buying Luxury goods: A survey of Chinese in China.  Journal of Business and Management,  15(3), 15-24. Zhan, L., & He, Y. (2012). Understanding luxury consumption in China: Consumer perceptions of best-known brands.  Journal of Business Research,  65(10), 1452-1460. Zhang, B., & Kim, J. H. (2013). Luxury fashion consumption in China: Factors affecting attitude and purchase intent.  Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,  20(1), 68-79.

Principles of Semiotics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Semiotics - Essay Example As language with its signs and symbols is a sign, then to many it is linguistics. So, semiotics is a complex subject studying everything that is expressed under the sky. It is no doubt that Saussure, a famous linguist, is one of the early developers of semiotics. Roland Barthes, Greimas, Julia Kristeva, Jakobson are important in modern semiotics. In its course of development, semiotics had close ties with linguistics, structuralism and social psychology. Structuralism looks at language as a set of signs. They explored the underlying structures beneath the language. Modern Semiotics strives to relate signs and their meaning to their social context and situates itself in the wider perspective offered by social semiotics. It is closely allied to Marxist theory in its social concerns. Semiology aims to take in any system of signs, whatever their substance and limits; images, gestures, musical sounds, objects, and the complex associations of all of these, which form the content of ritual, convention or public entertainment: these constitute, if not languages, at least systems of signification. (Barthes 1967, 9) Acknowledging Barthes idea of signs, semiotics concerns itself with everything that can be considered as a sign, according to Umberto Eco. Sign is anything that signifies something else. ‘Signify’ is very important in Semiotics. As Daniel says, â€Å"n a semiotic sense, signs take the form of words, images, sounds, gestures and objects†. It could be a study of signs in the social, personal or philosophical context. It could be read from Feminist, Marxist or Sociologist perspective. To put in other words, a sign... is something which stands to somebody for something in some respect or capacity (Peirce 1931-58, 2.228). Print and other media advertisements can be read closely to reveal themes and trends in the permutations and combinations of signs. It also gives clue of the readers and the advertisers. The

Personal Value and Ethical Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Personal Value and Ethical Standards - Essay Example In purely lexical terms, the word ethics comes from the Greek word ethikos which means ‘based on habit’. In present terminology, ethics is taken to be a branch of philosophy which judges individual and collective actions as being right, wrong, good or bad. In business and professional fields like finance, construction, public relations, advertising and many others, the application of ethical principles is said to be a part of the good practices which create and increase credibility for the business interest (Alexandra & Woodruff, 1990). The field of human services is not exempt from the practice of ethics and there is an entirely different branch of ethics connected with the actions of those who interact with individuals in need. In fact, even those who have no contact with others and are only conducting research on the various topics under the field have to follow ethical and legal guidelines that govern how research can be done on any particular topic (Scanlon, 2000). Thus, every individual from researchers to those who actually provide services have to follow ethical guidelines. Therefore, it is important to understand what ethical guidelines are in actuality. Velasquez et. al. (1987) report that when people on the street were inquired about the meaning of ethics, they said that ethics have to do with internal feelings of what is right and wrong or that ethics are religious beliefs or that ethics are legal requirements. People also considered ethics to be acceptable behavior as per the rules of society and some simply did not know what it meant. While the responses stated above may come naturally given the context the word ethics is so often used in. It must be clarified that ethics have nothing to do with the internal feelings of a person (Alexandra & Woodruff, 1990). This is because personal feelings and emotions about something may lead a person to do what

Private military contractors Essay Example for Free

Private military contractors Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Private military contractors, also known as private security contractors provide a number of different services for the UN military in Iraq.   Various services include the preparation of meals, navigating army supply vehicles, military training and security for US officials.   Some private military contractors also provide interrogation and translating services for the US military. Contractors providing this service in particualr have been suspected of a number of human rights abuses at the Abu Ghraid Prison.   Other activities by private military contractors have raised issues about humanitarian conerns and the abuse of womren’s rights.    There are currently at least 100 private military contractors in Iraq.[1]   This discussion looks at the unique role of private military companies in Iraq and examines their impact on the rights of women. Private Military Companies in Iraq   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The US military and the State Department spends billions of dollars on private security contractors in Iraq.[2] These contractors according to the Washington Post are: â€Å"Out of public view, have been engaged in a parallel surge, boosting manpower, adding expensive armor and stepping up evasive action as attacks increase.†[3]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The primary goal is to â€Å"offset chronic troop shortage† and the number of invidual contractors are between 20,000 and 30,000.[4]   David Isenberg in a report by the British American Security Information Council published on September 4, 2004 maintains that it is impossible to accurately account for the number of private military companies currently in Iraq.   This is because only PMC’s whose contracts exceed $50 million are required â€Å"to be reported to Congress.†[5]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Isenberg complains that the legal status of private military companies is especially problematic since there is no real provision in International law to account for their role and definition.[6] While many view the private military personnel as mercenaries, they do not fit the definition of mercenry within the meaning of the Geneva Convention.[7]   Article 47 describes a mercenary as an idividual who takes part in military combat and is not a national and: is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of that Party.[8]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   James Conachy however, refers to these private military personnel as â€Å"modern-day mercenaries.†[9]   Conachy aligns their physical presence with their abstract presence.   While they are by and large not subjected to transparency and legal accountability in the traditional sense they operate out of uniform and from â€Å"unmarked vehicles†.[10]   They go about their business in this manner while â€Å"manning roadblocks, or stalking outstide building, with machine guns.†[11] As a result, the private militaray presence in Iraq has â€Å"become an ubiquitous and offensive symbol of the US occupation.†[12]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conachy maintains that the need for private military presence in Iraq is obviated by the bredth of US military deployment overseas following the September 11 terrorist attacks.   Without the use of private military companies the US would be compelled to send more troops to Iraq from an already depleted armed force or would have to seriously consider â€Å"reviving the military draft.†[13] It is obvious from this assessment of the single purpose of the private military that distinguishes them from the Article 47 definition of mercenary.   Mercenaries are not aligned to a paritcular party and obviously the private military contractors are aligned to the US and are used to facilitate the US military’s shortfall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The following description of private military duties takes them well outside of Article 47’s definition of mercenary: â€Å"Far more than in any other conflict in United States history, the Pentagon is relying on private security companies to perform crucial jobs once entrusted to the military.†[14] It is clear that private military companies are not in actual combat.   Mercernaries, according to the Geneva Convetions are actively fighting . Human Rights Concern and Women   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In an article published in the Guardian, Luke Harding explains that the full extent of abuse toward women by all sectors of the military in Iraq will not be fully known.   This is primarily because Islamic women rarely discuss violations of a sexual nature.   Rape, Harding maintains is a symbol of shame in the muslim world   and â€Å"victims can be killed to salvage family honour.†[15] The most shocking incidents of abusive treatment of women originate from the Abu Ghraib jail which was primarily manned by private military personnel.[16] Accroding to Patrap Chatterjee the private military’s role at the Abu Ghraib jail was one of interrogation which brought them into more frequent contact with the prisoners than other jail personnel.[17]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that in October 2003 there were approximately thirty female prisoners in the Abu Ghraib jail.[18]   According to prison personnel, that number was reduced to five by May of 2004.[19]   The Internation League for Peace and Freedom had documented some eye witness accounts of abuse at the Abu Ghraid jail.   One such account was given to Iman Khamas who heads the International Occupation Watch Center, a private organization that collects anti-human rights information.   The account came from a former prisoner who told Khamas of a rape incident at the jail.   Khamas reports that the prisoner recalls that: â€Å"†¦ the prisoner said her cellmate had been rendered unconscious for 48 hours. ‘She claimed she had been raped 17 times in one day by Iraqi police in the presence of American soldiers.’[20]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another report originated from Mohammed Daham al-Mohammed who heads an Iraqi group, the Union of Detainees and Prisoners.   According to a-Mohammed he was informed of a â€Å"mother of four† who had been arrested in December of 2003 and killed herself after being raped by US guards who forced her husband to watch while incarcerated at the Abu Ghraib jail.[21]    According to the woman’s sister the rape victim committed suicide.[22] The victim had told her sister of incidents of physical abuse outside of the rape.   In one account she recalled a American male pulling her by the hair and forcing her to look at her husband while the American took off her clothing.   After this incident the rape took place.   Once released, the woman was afraid to face her husband since he had witnessed the rape and asked her sister to help her commit suicide.[23]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A former male prisoner reported incidents where women were constantly removed from their cells to private rooms.   The prisoner explains: They had to pass in front of our tent and cried out, Find a way to kill us.[24] Human Rights groups explain that rape for a Muslim woman shames the entire family which is why these women would rather die having suffered a rape.[25] Khamas recalls an incident in which she visited a woman at the Abu Ghraid jail and a female prisoner told her about a rape, but whispered in her ear despite the fact that no one else was present.[26]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Khamas, Mohommed and Hoda Nuaimi, a professor in politics at Baghdad University report that: â€Å"†¦three young rural women from the Sunni Muslim region of Al-Anbar, west of Baghdad, had been killed by their families after coming out of Abu Ghraib pregnant.Nuaimi said that in the case of another such woman, who was four months pregnant, her brother had been reluctant to kill his sister because he considered her a victim.†[27]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Luke Harding reports that the first information about abuse of female victims at the Abu Ghraib jail, a US facility first came to light by a note smuggled out of the prison by a female prisoner.[28]   In the note the woman claimed that women were being raped by US personnel and many of them had become pregnant.   The note also begged the Iraqis to â€Å"bomb the jail to spare the women further shame.†[29]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Swadi, a female lawyer among seven representing the female detainees indicated that the abuse was not limited to the Abu Ghraib jail and was happening all over Iraq.[30] The shame associated with rape and the consequence for family disgrace were evident in the following account from a female prisoner at al-Kharkh, a US military base: She was the only woman who would talk about her case. She was crying. She told us she had been raped†¦Several American soldiers had raped her. She had tried to fight them off and they had hurt her arm. She showed us the stitches. She told us, We have daughters and husbands. For Gods sake dont tell anyone about this.’†[31]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Luke Harding also reports that an investigation conducted by the US Military which was headed by Major General Antonio Taguba confirmed the contents of the note smuggled out of the Abu Ghraib facility.   Moreover, digital photographs, according to Tajuba’s findings also depitcted US personnel engaging in sexual contact â€Å"with and Iraqi woman.†[32] Tajuba’s investigation also found videotapes of nude female prisoners.[33]   There are additional photographs of Iraqi women being forced at gun point to â€Å"bare their breasts.†[34] While these photographs have been relased to Congress they have not been released to the public.[35]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In May of 2004: â€Å"an Iraqi woman in her 70s had been harnessed and ridden like a donkey at Abu Ghraib and another coalition detention centre after being arrested last July.†[36] UK Labor Member of Parliament Ann Clwyd investigated the incident and confirmed that it was in fact true.   The Iraqi elderly woman had been held without charge for at least three weeks during which time â€Å"she was told that she was a donkey.†[37]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Luke Harding explains the devastating consequences for female rape victims which only accentuates the abuse involved.   According to Harding: â€Å"Honour killings are not unusual in Islamic society, where rape is often equated with shame and where the stigma of being raped by an American soldier would, according to one Islamic cleric, be unbearable. The prospects for rape victims in Iraq are grave; it is hardly surprising that no women have so far come forward to talk about their experiences in US-run jails where abuse was rife until early January.†[38]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the time of writing, Harding describes another incident of physical and mental abuse agianst female detainees in Iraq in which the private military personnel are activiely involved.   Five women, according to Harding were being held in â€Å"solitary confinement† in cells measuring just 2.5 meters in length and 1.5 meters in width at Abu Ghraib.[39] Captain Dave Quantock who was then in charge of the prisoners at Abu Ghraib told journalists that all female prisoners at Abu Ghraib are kept â€Å"in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.†[40]   The only entertainment the women are allowed is access to the Koran.[41]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mystery surrounds the grounds upon which the five females in solitary confinement are held.   The general term used is that they are held as â€Å"security detainees.†[42] Swabi maintains that these women are being held â€Å"for who they were married to and their potential intelligence value.†[43] Be that as it may, the degree of abusse cannot be justified.   Under both US and International laws the cruel and inhuman treatement of prisoners at anytime is unlawful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   International humanitarian laws contained in the Geneva Conventions 1949 of which the United States ratified since 1955 requires that during times of war and peace all prisoners are to be treated humanly.[44] More over the Geneva Convention IV specifically prohibits rape and indecent assault on women.   Article 27 provides as follows: â€Å"Women shall be especially protected against any attack on their honour, in particular against rape, enforced prostitutiOn, or any form of indecent assault.†[45]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Judicth Gail Gardam and Hillary Charlesworth argue that women have always been at risk of violence in armed conflict.   Although the emphasis has always been on sexual violence there have been other forms of violence against women.   Gardam and Charlesworth note that the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action called for governments worldwide to map out plans for combatting: â€Å"the effects of armed or other kind of conflict on women, including those living under foreign occupation.†[46] The Iraqi conflict and occupation and the violence against women is therefore nothing new.   What is perhaps more surprising is the fact that it could happen in light of international laws and attention to violence against women in the past. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An irony arises out of these reports.   The US invasion has been called â€Å"operation Iraqi freedom† which presupposes a vastly humanitarian effort.   Yet in the course of fighting for Iraqi freedom, those sent to fight for the cause have added to the problem.   Roger Normand alleges that the US personnel in Iraq are: â€Å"†¦violating almost every law intended to protect civilians living under foreign military occupation.[47] While many of   these crimes are being committed by private military companies,   the world at large and the Iraqi populace draw no distinction between the US soldiers and the security companies employed by them to help the cause. The private military and security personnel are agents of the US government and as such the US government is vicariosuly liable for the misconduct of the private miliatary contractors.   As long as they are permitted to continue working with and for the military and as long as they continue to violate international law particularly article 27 of the fourth Geneva Convention, the US must take responsibility for the ills committed by them.   They cannot take the benefit without the burden.    Bibliography Center for Economic and Social Rights.(n.d.) â€Å"New Report Documents Extensive U.S. War Crimes In Iraq†. Available online at: http://www.ccmep.org/2004_articles/iraq/061104_CESR.htm Retrieved December 11 2007 Chatterjee, Pratap. (May 12, 2004) â€Å"Private Contractors and Torture at Abu Ghraib, Iraq.† Democracy Now. Available online at: http://www.democracynow.org/2004/5/12/private_contractors_and_torture_at_abu Retrieved December 11, 2007 Conachy, Jamers. (May 3, 2004) â€Å"Private Military Companies in Iraq: Profiting from Colonialism.†International committee of the Fourth Amendment. Available online at: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/may2004/pmcs-m03.shtml Retrienved December 11, 2007 Fainaru, Steve. (June 16, 2007) â€Å"Iraq Contractors Face Growing Parallel War: As Security Work Increase, So do Casualties.† Washington Post Gardam, Judith, Gail and Charlesworth, Hillary. (Feb. 2000) â€Å"Protection of Women in Armed Conflict†. Human Rights Quarterly Vol. 22 No. 1 pp 148-166 Geneva Convention Harding, Luke. (May 12, 2004)† Focus Shifts to Jail Abuse of Women.† The Guardian. Harding, Luke. (May 20, 2004) â€Å"Rape in Iraq: The other prisoners.† The Guardian. Isenberg, David. (Sept. 4, 2004) â€Å"A Fistful of Contractors: A Case For a Pragmatic Assessment of Private Military Companies in Iraq.† British American Security Information Council, Research Report. Kabbara, Rouba. (May, 29, 2004) â€Å"Human Rights Groups: Iraqi Women Raoed at Abu Ghraib Jail.† Peace Women Available online at: http://www.peacewomen.org/news/Iraq/May04/Women%20in%20Prison.html   Retrieved Deember 10 2007

Book Report of Brave New World Essay -- Essays Papers

Book Report of Brave New World Author: Aldous Huxley was born in 1894, and died in 1963, the same day JFK was assassinated. He first went to Eton, and then to Oxford. He was a brilliant man, and became a successful writer of short stories in the twenties and thirties. The first novels he wrote were comments on the young generation, with no goal whatsoever, that lived after WW I. Before he became a writer; he worked as a journalist and a critic of drama. Other books of his include "Antic Hay", "Time Must Have a Stop" and "Island". Next to novels, essays and short stories he also wrote poems, biographies, plays, political books, and even a record of his experiments with drugs. Theme: The theme of Brave New World is freedom and how people want it. The people want poetry, danger, good and bad things. This novel shows that when you must give up religion, high art, true science, family, love and other foundations of modern life in place of a sort of unending happiness, it is not worth the sacrifice. These are all also distinguishing marks between humans and animals that were abolished here. In exchange, they received stability with no wars, social unrest, no poverty or disease or any other infirmities or discomforts. However, they only live with an artificial happiness, which they have been brainwashed to love since infancy. There is no marriage, no violence or no sadness which may result in an unstable society which would threaten the totalitarian government. But the majority of the people don't realize what they are missing as it's never been there. It's a society in which the human being only serves a sociological and scientifical purpose; the individual thoug ht is overruled by one big autocratic state. Huxley is also telling us to be careful with our science, or we may end up like the Utopians, mass producing identical citizens, then brainwashing them to think alike and to think exactly what the government mandates. Exposition: In the first scene we are introduced to the futuristic world of London and how the babies are "conditioned" and categorized from birth. Then we meet some of the main characters, Bernard and Lenina who are both Alpha Plus status. It is foreshadowed that the two are going to make a trip to a Savage Reservation in New Mexico for vacation. Complications: Before Bernard and Lenina leave for the savage camp Ber... ...lso dislikes the Utopian civilization. The problem with him is they let they him get too smart. That led him to want a better life, a dream he felt was unobtainable in Utopia. He was one of the few people that understood John and had similar interests in literature. He is also classified as an alpha-plus. Setting: The novel is situated around six hundred thirty-two years "after Ford" released the T-Model automobile, or around 2535. Ford has become somewhat of a God. It is essential to the theme that it be placed in the future because of the advancement in technology and science. Without these progressions the Utopian Society could not have been created. Diction: I thought that Aldous Huxley's style was good and easy to understand and follow. He used descriptive words when they were needed. They gave you the illusion of being in a futuristic world. The beginning is filled with technological information mixed in with the description of the world. The word "Ford" is often used instead of "God" and obscenities. Method of Narration: The novel is written in 3rd person omniscient and Huxley frequently uses characters to portray his thoughts about the Utopian Society. Book Report of Brave New World Essay -- Essays Papers Book Report of Brave New World Author: Aldous Huxley was born in 1894, and died in 1963, the same day JFK was assassinated. He first went to Eton, and then to Oxford. He was a brilliant man, and became a successful writer of short stories in the twenties and thirties. The first novels he wrote were comments on the young generation, with no goal whatsoever, that lived after WW I. Before he became a writer; he worked as a journalist and a critic of drama. Other books of his include "Antic Hay", "Time Must Have a Stop" and "Island". Next to novels, essays and short stories he also wrote poems, biographies, plays, political books, and even a record of his experiments with drugs. Theme: The theme of Brave New World is freedom and how people want it. The people want poetry, danger, good and bad things. This novel shows that when you must give up religion, high art, true science, family, love and other foundations of modern life in place of a sort of unending happiness, it is not worth the sacrifice. These are all also distinguishing marks between humans and animals that were abolished here. In exchange, they received stability with no wars, social unrest, no poverty or disease or any other infirmities or discomforts. However, they only live with an artificial happiness, which they have been brainwashed to love since infancy. There is no marriage, no violence or no sadness which may result in an unstable society which would threaten the totalitarian government. But the majority of the people don't realize what they are missing as it's never been there. It's a society in which the human being only serves a sociological and scientifical purpose; the individual thoug ht is overruled by one big autocratic state. Huxley is also telling us to be careful with our science, or we may end up like the Utopians, mass producing identical citizens, then brainwashing them to think alike and to think exactly what the government mandates. Exposition: In the first scene we are introduced to the futuristic world of London and how the babies are "conditioned" and categorized from birth. Then we meet some of the main characters, Bernard and Lenina who are both Alpha Plus status. It is foreshadowed that the two are going to make a trip to a Savage Reservation in New Mexico for vacation. Complications: Before Bernard and Lenina leave for the savage camp Ber... ...lso dislikes the Utopian civilization. The problem with him is they let they him get too smart. That led him to want a better life, a dream he felt was unobtainable in Utopia. He was one of the few people that understood John and had similar interests in literature. He is also classified as an alpha-plus. Setting: The novel is situated around six hundred thirty-two years "after Ford" released the T-Model automobile, or around 2535. Ford has become somewhat of a God. It is essential to the theme that it be placed in the future because of the advancement in technology and science. Without these progressions the Utopian Society could not have been created. Diction: I thought that Aldous Huxley's style was good and easy to understand and follow. He used descriptive words when they were needed. They gave you the illusion of being in a futuristic world. The beginning is filled with technological information mixed in with the description of the world. The word "Ford" is often used instead of "God" and obscenities. Method of Narration: The novel is written in 3rd person omniscient and Huxley frequently uses characters to portray his thoughts about the Utopian Society.

A Minimum Of Two A Short Story English Literature Essay

â€Å" Minimum of two † is a aggregation of short narratives written by Australian author Tim Winton. He writes his narratives in different positions such as first and 3rd individual, chiefly for the reader to experience the narrative more in deepness. The book features 14 short narratives which are ; Forest Winter, No Memory Comes, Gravity, The Water was Dark and it went everlastingly down, Nislam ‘s Friend, Minimum of two, Distant Lands, Laps, Bay of Angels, The strong 1. Keeping, More, Death belongs to the dead his male parent told him and unhappiness to the sad and eventually Blood and H2O. Throughout all of these narratives there is relevant injury for past events, coming to an result of growing in either a positive or negative manner. The short narrative that in my sentiment is the most powerful in respects to trauma and growing is the narrative â€Å" Minimum of two † . It ‘s written in first individual position of the hubby ( Neil ) . This is a deep narrative about a married adult female called Greta acquiring raped by a senior in her section by the name of Fred Blakey. He is taken to tribunal by Greta and Neil and is sentenced to 5 old ages imprisonment but for Neil this is non plenty because he went through ample agony through the recovery of Greta in the manner that she did non desire to be intimate with him because she was sensitive as expected after being raped. With this issue, Neil decides to take affairs in his ain custodies and contemplates killing Blakey when he gets released, he tells his friend Tony Mitchell that he will be making this. Mitchell does n't hold with what Neil wants to make, but Neil does n't listen to him and ends up killing Blakey when he got out. His scruples so catches up with him and he so feels like the most atrocious individual, stating that he feels that he was a â€Å" dead adult male † . The chief injury in this narrative is the colza of Greta by Fred Blakey, this is chiefly trauma from Greta as she becomes sensitive and does n't acquire intimate with Neil, this is besides a traumatic for him, and this is shown in the manner he writes about his feelings. It seems like her familiarity with him is a great thing for him doing this narrative traumatic for both Neil and Greta. In the stoping Neil putting to deaths Blakey and comes to a negative growing of feeling sorry for himself, every bit good as losing his best friend Tony Mitchell. The following narrative that showed injuries and growing is the narrative called â€Å" Distant Lands † . It ‘s written in the 3rd individual position. This short narrative is about an fleshy adult female working at her male parent ‘s newsagency. This adult female is called â€Å" Fat Maz † she was teased and tormented through high school and besides was non supported really good by her parents, they besides treated her as if they did n't cognize her or that she was n't their girl. There was a twenty-four hours though that changed her life, a alien Pakistani adult male comes into the newsagency, and opens the book â€Å" Distant Lands † has a glimpse and leaves. As she goes to inspect the book she realises the endorsement stating â€Å" You will desire this book ne'er to complete † after she reads the endorsement she is interested in reading the book, as she is reading it the Pakistani adult male comes into the newsagency one time once more and this clip re-opening â€Å" Distant Lands † and smiling at Fat Maz, he gives her money and some assurance to go forth her refuse occupation assisting at her male parent ‘s newsagency The injury in this narrative is chiefly from Fat Maz ‘s life, how she had been teased all in high school and even at place with her parents she was n't treated nicely. The growing coming from this is positive when a cryptic Pakistani adult male comes in and gives her money and assurance to go forth her occupation at the newsagency. Another narrative that had trauma with growing coming as an result is the narrative â€Å" Laps † . This narrative written in the 3rd individual position is about a immature adult female by the name of Queenie that has flashbacks of her childhood, and her gramps when he was alive as she swims laps through a pool. She is new to Perth, and she is someway reminded of her gramps and the whaling undertakings from her childhood and she is haunted by these ideas. She so gathers plenty bravery to travel back to her place town to undertake her yesteryear, and so be able to travel on with her life. The injury from this narrative is the flashbacks that Queenie get from her troubled childhood ; she see ‘s these atrocious flashbacks when swimming as swimming reminded her of an earlier clip of her life. The growing gathered from this narrative is that Queenie had the bravery to travel back to her place town and kind out her jobs so that she is now able to populate a new life in Perth with no haunting flashbacks. Tim Winton is a gifted author with allot of creativeness shown in this aggregation of â€Å" Minimum of two † . He has the ability to compose approximately difficult injury, but besides an result of growing. The three narratives chosen for this essay ( Minimum of two, Distant Lands and Laps ) are all illustrations of how he can convey growing out of injury. In decision this aggregation of short narratives by Tim Winton is truly traveling to the reader, as he brings non merely trauma but growing out of each narrative.

Points of Concern in the Company’s Evaluation Form Essay

The evaluation form currently being used by the company has many points of concern. First, it takes a look at the personal characteristics of the employee such as friendliness and attitude towards work. These criteria must be taken into account, however, results / accomplishments of the employee must be considered. It must be noted that assessing characteristics of the person in relation to the job may not be very credible since the rater can be very subjective. The fact that the manager discontinued the evaluation to give it a thought is a proof that the manager has little confidence that the evaluation process is credible and acceptable to all. It must also be noted that the engineer himself is not confident about the process, claiming that no one is qualified to evaluate him since he is the only trained engineer in the company. Value of Common sets of Evaluation Criteria Having a common set of evaluation forms for all employees can post problems especially when employees compare the results of their performance evaluation. It is best to set realistic targets first and then come the appraisal period; these will be checked if they were accomplished excellently. The form can be common but the measures will be varied based on the position of the employee and the function. On the other hand, using common sets of evaluation criteria also have advantages. First, it would be easy for the managers and employees to understand since evaluation forms are similar across positions or functions. Second, come promotion or lateral employee transfer, raters in the evaluation procedure won’t have any difficulty in going through the process since nothing has changed even if employees delivered varying results. For employees, even if they adjust themselves with the demands of the new job (lateral transfer or promotion), what is expected of them has not changed as stipulated in the evaluation forms. What Should be Evaluated? Given the company’s evaluation form, the Balanced Scorecard developed by Kaplan and Norton can be adopted. The Balanced Scorecard takes into account all perspectives that contribute to the accomplishment of the job. â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard translates mission and strategy into objectives and measures organized into four perspectives: Financial, Customer, Business Process and Learning and Growth. † (Kaplan and Norton). The Financial perspective is the ultimate indicator of whether the strategies being implemented contribute to the achievement of the company’s objectives and goals. This can be measured through percentage in savings, return on investment, actual sales versus sales target, etc. For the Customer Perspective, â€Å"the core outcome measures include customer satisfaction, customer retention, customer acquisition, customer share, etc. † In the Business Process Perspective, results are being taken into account. The measures should answer the question: What processes / transactions should the employee be good at? These processes include everyday transactions of the employee. The measures under this perspective should have a direct impact on how the company takes care of the customers. For example, a Marketing Associate must be good at conceptualizing and delivering good marketing programs. The Learning and Growth Perspective focuses on the development and competencies of the employee. Competencies such as attitude towards work, teamwork, integrity, timeliness, etc can be taken into account. For some companies, they require employees to submit reviews of prescribed books, articles and movies to build a culture of learning within the organization. The four perspectives developed by Kaplan and Norton are inter-related and must all contribute to the achievement of the Financial objectives. The relationship can be two-pronged, which means a focus on one perspective will have a significant effect on the other perspectives. Ideally, when the organization takes care of the people and make them equipped with the necessary skills (Learning and Growth), they will excel in the workplace and can do their jobs well (Business Process). If they can do the job well, customers will be delighted because quality products and services are delivered to them (Customer). If customers are delighted, they will be loyal to the company’s products and services, thus, will translate to revenues or profit. Involving Other Raters in the Appraisal Process Aside from the Balanced Scorecard, the company can also use the 360 degree feedback. Involving different persons in the evaluation process or multi-rater feedback is beneficial for developmental purposes (Madigan, 1999). The ratee can have an idea on the different things that he has to improve on. As Madigan (1999) quoted Mark Edwards, co-author of the book 360 Degree Feedback: The Powerful New Model for Employee Assessment & Performance Improvement, â€Å"Single-source feedback is not very credible to managers and employees. When people get feedback from a boss, they often just don’t believe it. Whereas, if they get the same feedback — saying the same thing — from multiple sources, they believe it. † Drawbacks of Involving Other Raters in the Appraisal Process However, multi-rater feedback or 360 degree feedback has not been validated as a tool for performance appraisal. This is especially when the raters are not consistent on what they say about the ratee. Survey fatigue can also be a factor (Madigan, 1999). Employees may find exhausting to rate a lot of their colleagues in their company. Also, raters have a natural tendency to become subjective in the appraisal process. -Edwards, as again quoted by Madigan (1999) said that his favorite use of the 360 degree feedback is for talent assessment and promotions as the method gives the management an overview of who will succeed in the organization. As Madigan (1999) says, â€Å"Legal concerns can arise when a 360-degree instrument, valid only for development purposes, is used for performance appraisal. The Center for Creative Leadership, a nonprofit, educational organization, sells 360-degree instruments, but they are not for appraisal (due in part to the group’s policy of dealing only with leadership development). Dalton explains, â€Å"Anytime you are going to use something that calls itself a test, or a measurement tool, it has to be validated to show that the score means something and that what you are going to use it for is an appropriate purpose. If someone takes you to court, your validation strategy has to be such that you can say, ‘Yes, your honor, we have validated this tool, and it is perfectly acceptable for me to give Carol a 20 percent raise and Maxine a 5 percent raise based on what we understand about this test. ’ Our instruments have not been validated for appraisal purposes, and so we tell people when we sell them, that, in essence, if they use them that way, they will be in court alone. † Errors in the Appraisal Process that are Caused by Bias Also, it must be noted that performance appraisal methods are affected by several factors that can disrupt the whole process thus, neglecting the true purpose of the Performance Evaluation System. In organizations where managers or superiors usually rate employees, de Koning (2004) says that they are usually subjective in evaluating employees especially when the evaluation rating is linked to a performance bonus or an increase in pay. De Koning (2004) even noted that in one organization surveyed by Gallup, employees refer to the performance appraisal as â€Å"the form you need to give out to give a person a raise. † With this culture in the organization, managers will be pressured to control the performance appraisal to give everyone a raise. In some cases, this control can even be used by the rater to deliberately disqualify a ratee from a raise, especially when they are not in good terms. For the employees’ side, they would tend to currying favors for their superiors rather than focusing on excellently performing their respective business processes. There is also the HALO effect. This is when one performance criteria influences the rating in another. For example, if an employee is often absent, other factors will be lower than normal. Citing of critical incidents are also factors for biased because these may be isolated cases only. Consistency in these incidents must be established so that appraisal results would be credible. A culture of feedback must also be developed so that members of the organization will take the performance appraisal process seriously. In many organizations, the HR units usually send notices reminding everyone to beat the deadline for submission of results of performance appraisal. This is an indicator that the organization crams about the process and not interested to it. Whenever this scenario happens, both raters and ratees would always hustle the ratings just to submit on time, thus to receive a raise. Timing is also a factor. Performance Appraisal periods must not coincide with other company projects, events or busy period of the year so that the employees’ attention will be focused on the process. If employees are busy delivering business results, they might not have enough time to do the appraisal process and thus, cramming about it just to beat the deadline. Performance appraisal must be given time such that the employees’ exemplary results and points for development can be properly highlighted. Other Performance Appraisal Techniques There are a lot of performance appraisal methods that can be adopted by the company. Methods include the Critical Incident Method where the rater lists down incidents that had an impact to the performance of the employee. The Weighted Checklist is a list of effective and ineffective behavior on the job. Essay Evaluations are narratives prepared by the rater about the performance of the employee. However, this method is highly dependent on the ability of the rater to articulate his thoughts into writing. Another technique is the Management by Objectives (MBO) method. In this method, the managers set objectives for the employee. MBO focuses on what is accomplished rather than how it is accomplished (Ngo, D. , 2009). It must be noted that the Critical Incident Method and Essay evaluations tend to be subjective and focus on the behavior or competencies while the Weighted Checklist and the Management by Objectives measure results. Results look at the expected outputs of the job while competencies are sets of skills, behavior and knowledge that drive the delivery of outputs. However, these methods may work for if fit for the type of organization (e. g. MNC, NGO, GO, etc. ) As stated in wikipedia. org, there is also the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales that are used to report performance. It is an appraisal method that seeks to combine the benefits of narratives, critical incidents, and quantified ratings by securing a quantified scale with specific narrative examples of good or poor performance (wikipedia. org). How to Improve the Evaluation Form The company can evaluate the above methods and study which is the most appropriate and acceptable to the employees and management. Company culture and practices must be taken into account when adopting a particular method. The company must also take into account that their strategies must be linked with the appraisal method. However, every company can adopt a generic method that has three phases. Phase 1 is setting of expectations. Usually, management set these expectations during Strategic Planning Sessions where it stipulates what should be delivered within a given period. Phase 2 is monitoring. Delivery of results must be monitored so that appropriate interventions can be implemented to drive the results. The last phase is the evaluation and follow through. This is the evaluation proper and when next steps are identified for the development of the employee. To determine the appropriate evaluation form, the question of what is expected by management must be answered. If management expectations focus on competencies such as customer orientation, decision-making, teamwork, etc. Whatever the case is, the above techniques can be used. For the case of the engineer, the Balanced Scorecard can be used since it can integrate both results and the competencies. A balanced weight for both will add credibility to the appraisal process. The weight can be based on what is more important for the company, results or competencies? Whatever the case is, results of evaluation must be justified or can be explained well by the rater. Also, appraisal must be about performance and not the importance of the job. Usually, organizations benchmark with others regarding their performance management systems. Also, HR Consultants can be hired to help the organization improve the appraisal system. It is suggested that the company do an organizational diagnosis first. An organizational diagnosis will give the company the necessary data that will improve the performance management system. After the organizational diagnosis, they should develop a framework that will link the performance appraisal rewards. It must be noted that linking performance with rewards will make employees more motivated in their job. After this, the company can develop their system. As stated above, planning sessions must be done to communicate to the employees their key result areas (KRAs). Once KRAs are identified, a per division or department meeting must be done to identify how these KRAs will be measured. For example, it is a KRA of a manager to send his or her subordinates to training. This can be measured by the number of employees sent. A 100% attendance of subordinates can be the â€Å"outstanding† while 50-99% is â€Å"satisfactory. † This must be done to all positions. Once the employee knows how exactly he or she will be measured, he or she can easily determine if the job is being done well or not. Doing these steps can make the evaluation process in the company more credible and objective to employees. References: De Koning, G. M. J. 2004. Evaluating employee performance (part 1). Retrieved June 14, 2009, from (http://www. whatmakesagoodleader. com/Employee Performance-Evaluation. html) Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. 1996. Translating strategy into action: the balanced scorecard. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, Massachusetts. Madigan, C. O. 1999. Full-circle feedback. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from (http://businessfinancemag. com/career-hr). Ngo, Davi. (2009). Performance appraisal methods. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from (http://www. humanresources. hrvinet. com/performance-appraisal-methods/). Wikepedia. org. Behaviorally anchored rating scales. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Behaviorally_anchored_rating_scales).

Maratha Empire and Fort Essays

Maratha Empire and Fort Essays Maratha Empire and Fort Essay Maratha Empire and Fort Essay Raigad fort Raigad (Marathi: is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire eventually covering majority of modern day India. The fort, which rises 820 metres (2,700 ft) above sea level, is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. There are approximately 1400–1450 steps leading to the fort, though today a rope-way exists to reach the top of the fort. The fort was looted and destroyed by the British upon siege. History Shivaji Maharaj had seized the fort in 1656, then the fortress of Rairi, from the royal house of the Chandrarrao Mores, a junior or Cadet dynasty descended from the ancient Maurya imperial dynasty. The last More king (or raja) was a feudatory of the Sultan of Bijapur. Shivaji renovated and expanded the Fortress of Rairi and renamed it Raigad (the Kings Fort), the name he gave it when he selected it for his capital when he founded the Maratha empire. Rajgad, a hill fortress situated in Raigad District of Maharashtra, India was capital of Shivajis kingdom. Major features The fort was built by Chandrarao Mores in 1030. forts ruins today consist of the queens quarters, consisting of six chambers, with each chamber having its own private restroom with plumbing. The main palace was constructed using wood, of which only the bases of pillars remain. Ruins of three watch towers can be seen directly in front of the palace grounds overlooking an artificial lake called Ganga Sagar Lake created next to the fort. It also has a view of the execution point called Takmak Tok, a cliff from which the sentenced prisoners were thrown to their death. This areas is now fenced off. [1]. The fort also has ruins of the market, and it has such structure that one can shop even while riding or sitting astride a horse. The kings public Durbar has a replica of the original throne that faces the main doorway called the Nagarkhana Darwaja. This enclosure had been acoustically designed to aid hearing from the doorway to the throne. A secondary entrance, called the Mena Darwaja, was supposedly the private entrance of the royal ladies of the fort; it leads to the queens quarters. The erstwhile main entrance to the fort is the imposing Maha Darwaja. The convoy of the king and the king himself used the Palkhi Darwaja. To the right of Palkhi Darwaja, is a row of three dark and deep chambers. Historians believe that these were the granaries for the fort. [2] A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji is erected in front of the ruins of the main market avenue that eventually leads to the Jagdishwar Mandir and his own Samadhi (tomb) and that of his dog Waghya. [3]

Article summary Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Article summary - Research Paper Example The study employed a venue-based sampling strategy for recruitment of respondents during randomly selected blocks of time. Research staff gathered the data on the basis of a master schedule of monthly activities that conducted throughout metropolitan Atlanta. The sampling frame included 25 locations including churches, bookstores, educational forums, community meetings, and special events such as family health fairs. Three hundred seventeen people were invited to participate, and 223 provided written informed consent (response rate: 70%). The research employed SPSS 17.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL) and SAS 9.2 (SAS Institute, Inc, Cary, NC) for analyses. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations were also generated for variables of interest. In addition, bivariate correlations were also generated to explore key relationships. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and resulting scale-reliability estimates were generated. We determined that a Cronbach’s ÃŽ ± reliability estimate of ≠¥ 0.70 would support reliability of each subscale. A multivariate logistic regression models were also used to analyze the independent contributions of variables. Quantitative result revealed that twenty two percent (n=50) of the parents had had their children vaccinated for seasonal inï ¬â€šuenza in the previous 3 months. The overall seasonal inï ¬â€šuenza vaccine-acceptance rate for children was 40.8% (n = 91). Also, the overall acceptance rate of obtaining H1N1 vaccine within 90 days for children was a low 35.9% at n = 80. The significant factors that were identified that could predict predicted H1N1 vaccine acceptance for children included lack of insurance (OR: 3.04 [95% CI: 1.26 –7.37]), higher perceived child susceptibility to H1N1 (OR: 1.66 [95% CI: 1.41–1.95]), prioritizing children over other family members for vaccination (OR:3.34 [95% CI: 1.33– 8.38]), and having the belief that H1N1 is a greater community

Changes in the United States after the Civil War Research Paper - 1

Changes in the United States after the Civil War - Research Paper Example The economic and social differences between the southern and northern parts of the country also contributed to the war, as the latter region was characterized by industrialization and urbanization while the former was an agrarian economy. The industrialized northern part had an advantage over the other and, thus, they won the war. The country’s rights were limited as the federal government enjoyed more power and this induced a protest against the federal government, therefore, causing the Civil War. They believed that Lincoln was anti-slavery and in favor of Northern interests. Before Lincoln was even president, seven states had seceded from the Union: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas†. The economic changes succeeding any war are found to be negative as the destruction caused by the war pull back the economic condition of a country since a huge amount of cost is involved. â€Å"The struggle to define the composition of â€Å" the people† and the republic in the new postwar and post-emancipation South was hardly settled by the American Civil War. But there was no going back. It was not just that slavery was abolished and the Confederacy destroyed, but that the slaveholders’ stunning experiment in proslavery and antidemocratic nation building was over†.Devastating economic changes were visible in both regions, but the southern part witnessed more destruction comparatively.  Mostly all the plantations in the southern region were destroyed in the war.