Teens Marriage Essay Example for Free

Teens Marriage Essay People under the age of eighteen should not be allowed to get marry, because at the end of the day they’re still teenagers. Even though they are young adults, they still don’t get the meaning of being married and I dont think they would be mature enough to take that responsibility, their mentality is not ready yet to play that role. Many young adults marry so young because of various reasons. Numerous of teenagers get marry because of pregnancy. However, it’s almost never the case of marrying someone because of love, which is the way many marriages should be based on. Sadly it is not. Pregnancy is the most common reason why young adults get married so young. Some guys feel that if they get their girlfriend pregnant, that it’s their job to take care of their responsibility, which should never be the case. If you and your boyfriend/girlfriend are not ready to take the big step by getting married and supporting each other, then you should never feel that it’s what you have to do for the baby. It will only cause more confusion for the kid. A seventy percent of this kids, when their parents get divorced they end up doing something bad, like getting into drugs or alcohol. So its way better if you don’t get married at a young age. Today’s generation of young adults live their lives so differently. In the United States, half of teen marriages dissolve within fifteen years of the marriage. The reason of this is because many young adults jump right into marriages without any experience. For instance, I’m pretty sure that when teenagers under the age of twenty get married their usually just leaving their parents care and aren’t use to taking care of themselves as far as paying bills, groceries, car insurance and other things that come along with being a responsible adult. When you move out and get married things change. If you want to be supported by your spouse then you have to do the same. Never jump right into a marriage if you’re not ready, it’s only going to make the marriage worst and it will end earlier than you had anticipated on. As a conclusion, there is an overwhelming body of evidence to demonstrate that marriages between young partners simply do not last. At 16, you cant drive, vote, serve actively in the Army, drink or buy cigarettes. Clearly, someone who is not of an age to be given full responsibility for their life should not be encouraged to marry and start a family. We need to accept that teens, whilst being normally sexually active, are simply not mature enough to marry. This is why I think that people under the age of eighteen should not be allowed to get marry.

Video games and violence Essay Example for Free

Video games and violence Essay As of the month of March 2013, 208 children have been arrested for violence this year (â€Å"Each Day In America† 1). Could violent video games be to blame? Some say there is a correlation between the two and others say that violent video games are good for a child’s health and well-being. Based on true statistics on a correlation between violence in children and violent video games, all this controversy over violent video games and behavioral problems is wrong. The rise in the video game industry and violence statistics share no direct correlation (Lovell 1). That is because the video games are not the problem. Video games have been on the rise since the 1970’s and has been rising in popularity and size ever since. Violence on the other hand has been rising and falling way before video games started. Even now that video games have taken an enormous step in popularity, violence has been rising and falling way out of correlation with the video game industry. Violent video games have even been proven to hold real-world benefits for children and their developing brains (Trudeau 1). Video games have been tested and proven to improve hand-eye coordination and even attention span. Tests had been done on children who did not play video games and children who did, and the ones who performed the best when it came to tests on coordination, vision, speed, and attention where the children who played video games. Studies have even shown to improve different skills such as receiving and storing new information better and creative idea formation in the ones who play video games. Many people, though, say that violent video games lead to violence in children and adults since the rise of the video game industry. These people have been proven wrong on many accounts by many statistics. Violence has not steadily risen since the rise of the video game industry and video games have also not been formed around violence, but were developed for entertainment and video games also have a wide variety of themes. People have also said that violent people who have publically shown their violence play violent video games and the video games are the cause of that. If that is true then what about all the other people who play violent video games and show no signs of violence what so ever? The controversy over whether violent video games lead to violence or not should not be held at all and this topic should not be in question. Multiple studies have shown that violent video games can be good for you, and an enormous majority of people who play them never do something violent from influence by the games. Recent statistics have even shown that there is no correlation at all to violence and the rise of the video game industry. The cause could be in other things, but video games are being targeted and always have been targeted ever since their popularity grew. The love of video games and inspiration by them has been growing even more despite this blame. Violence is not inspired by video games, but many great things are. Works Cited Childrens Defense Fund. Each Day in America. N. p. , n. d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. Lovell, Nicholas. If Video Games Cause Violence, There Should Be a Correlation between Game Sales and Violent Crime, Right? Games Brief. N. p. , n. d. 6 Aug. 2010 Web. 27 Mar. 2013 Trudeau, Michelle. Video Games Boost Brain Power, Multitasking Skills. NPR. NPR, 20 Dec. 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.

Example Answer On Multinational Corporations And Complexity

Example Answer On Multinational Corporations And Complexity Multinational corporations (MNCs), in their effort of globalisation normally face complexity that caused by multiculturalism and geographic dispersion. There are three characteristics of complexity in globalisation. 1) Multiplicity reflects the need of MNCs to be responsive to different viewpoints, public opinion concern and government rules and regulations. 2) Interdependence will means all operation and business activities are interrelated that can not be treated alone. 3) Ambiguity means the lack of information clarity that will lead to difficulty in interpreting events and people. Complexity in the international operating environment will then lead to various global challenges. It is difficult for MNCs to achieve organizational effectiveness and sustainable competitive advantage locally as well as globally if it is operating without an efficient and systematic HRM practices that align with the business strategy. Paine Co. which is building its international presence is facing some HR issues and challenges that typically will happen in MNCs. From the case study, the following main HR issues had been identified. TABLE 1: MAIN HUMAN RESOURCE ISSUES FACED BY PAINE CO. A. Communication Do not have a clear view of the corporate mission statement and vision set within the group. Lack of communication channel between the management and the employees. Do not have get-together among staff for idea exchange and employees feedback sessions. B. Recruitment, selection and retention Decentralised recruitment policies. Do not have good image branding and company reputation. C. Performance management and reward system Do not have well designed performance review and appraisal system. D. Training and development Do not provide staff intensive training for all new employees. Do not have further on-job or off-job training for improvement of skills and knowledge. Do not have interchanging of staff between subsidiaries. Communication being one of the most important components in human life is also the key of success for HR management. Effective communication is essential throughout an organization to ensure transpire of all information and knowledge sharing can be achieved. Communication is also vital for the organizational objectives setting. Effective communication between the employer and employees can lead to a greater understanding in achieving organizations goal. Study by Lindholm, N. (2000) found that it is important to communicate the company goal and job objective clearly to the host-country employees in MNCs to increase their job satisfaction. Jack Welch, the CEO of General Electric Co. (GE) had introduced the informal culture across the company. The Informal by Jack Welch means violating the conventional chain of command, creating communication across all layers of the organization and everyone can talk to the boss. During his tenure as GEs CEO, Jack Welch organized a lot of corporate events that provide opportunities to all the employees to get-together and at the same time the management can communicate the company values and vision effectively to the employees. Besides that, Jack Welch also made unexpected visits to plants and offices abroad as well as scheduled luncheons with his managers to achieve good leading, guidance, and influence the behaviour of complex organization. The weakness in communication within Paine Co. can be seen in a few contexts. The communication problems started from their international expansion with some of the subsidiaries running on decentralised basis. There are no common strategies and objectives been set and communicate across all subsidiaries in the overall business operation. There is also no interchange of people between subsidiaries which can help to promote knowledge sharing and team spirit. Collecting workplace feedbacks from employees can facilitate in creating two-way communication which is important in an organization. Annual staff opinion survey is one of the methods that can be introduced to collect feedbacks from employees. In Paine Co., the occasion that consultants from France made direct complaints to their MD bypassing their local manager had shown the lack in proper channel of communication within the organization. Besides that, Ferguson as the MD of Paine Co. did not emphasize on knowledge sharing and t eam work but only see personal results and performance as the key factors of determining the business success. Therefore, overall synergy can not be achieved for a greater sustainable competitive advantage. Human assets are important for service industry as their people are core part of the source of services that have direct visibility from a customer point of view. Stringent recruitment and selection processes must be implemented to ensure the right people are to be engaged. Employers reputation and corporate branding are other crucial factors that will affect the recruitment and selection process. Highly talented people are always looking for their employer of choice in seeking their job for better career advancement. Singapore Airlines (SIA) for example had been the employer of choice for many educated young people due to their reputation as a service leader in the airline industry. On the other hand, SIA adopts a highly rigorous and stringent selection process which the applicants are required to meet various criteria from outlook appearance, age ranges, academic qualifications as well as physical attributes. The stringent selection process is to ensure the right people bee selecte d for the right job and at the same time improve the service quality of the organization. In this case, Paine Co. failed to carry out the best-practice in the recruitment and selection strategies. The company has had problems in developing a brand with a good company image in Germany, both for clients and staff. While facing the problem in recruiting good staffs, at the same time it also fails to retain the talented young employees. These have affected the efficiency and smoothness of the project and business operation and at the same time will incur higher cost for recruitment purpose. As recruitment and retention of employee is another challenging task in IHRM. Employers need to select the right people and put them to the right jobs, as well as managing their performance effectively and at the same time retain the quality employees from leaving the organizations. Only the right people will take the organization where they need to go. Hadhiphanis (2010) highlighted three issues that need to be considered by management when recruiting employees: Value of experience and s kills for the proposed position; behavioural and technical competencies based in making hiring decision; and pre-screen candidates before interview. While for retention of staff, Hadhiphanis (2010) again suggested that three strategies need to be carefully implemented in order to ensure the company provide better value to their employees as compare to their competitors. Options of remuneration, fringe benefits and rewards system to employees. Clear in communicating expectations and ability to gauge the performance against expectations. Rotational assignments, career development and planning as well as financial support (job-related and non-job related) to employees. The implementation of good staff recruitment and retaining strategies will not only build good employees capability for today but also for the future. Paine Co. should identify the needs of their employees and should not assume employees in every country having the same needs. Most of the time, the employees needs are reflected in the social-economy and culture of the country. Besides that, employees needs will not be the same all the time and review should be carried out periodically to ensure the HR practices are being implemented correctly to suit the current conditions. As for the performance management and reward system (PMRS) in Paine and Co. Although employees bonus and rewards are performance based, the final decision still subject to the senior management discretions without going through a proper appraisal and performance review system. Therefore their bonus system is not well-regarded. Performance management (PM) was defined as a HRM process involving constant evaluation of individual and corporate improvement progress against the predetermined objectives which are correlated to the company business strategy (Dowling et al., 1999 cited by Lindholm, N., 2000). The extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, understanding of job task and job satisfaction of the employees are mainly influenced by PM practices of a company (Lindholm, N., 2000). PM that is properly planned and implemented will also help in the objectives setting, reducing job errors as well as maximizing employees satisfaction and motivation in achieving not only individual job objective s but also align with the companys business strategy in achieving organizational goals. Evidence from research had shown that cultural differences among countries will affect the elements in implementing PM. PM practices will not be successful if MNCs implement and standardize their PM policies at both home country office and the overseas subsidiaries without consideration the cultural differences among the countries. Hofstedes cultural dimensions theory had been applied by researchers in their studies in relationship between the cultural differences and the transferability of PM as well as job satisfaction in MNCs. Lindholm, N. (2000) suggested that PM system should be modified to suit to the culture of host-country. Modular type PM system that can suit to different cultures in different countries can be developed to improve the job satisfaction and performance of host-country employees. Besides that, the design and implementation of a fair performance evaluation system by taking host-country employees feedback into consideration is crucial to create job satisfaction o f employees in MNCs. IHRM issue is one of the greatest challenges for all MNCs. Even world class companies like General Electric Co. and Black Decker Corp. will face some challenges in managing HRM issues when it first going global. Mendenhall, M.E et al, (2003) had identified the following Big Five global HR challenges for MNCs. Enhancing global business strategy Aligning HR issues with business strategy Designing and leading change Building global corporate cultures Developing global leaders The implementation of good IHRM practices has become very crucial in the success of all organization regardless their sizes and industry (Ulrich, 1997, cited by Nicolaou, N. and Costea, E.S). The fit of this type of culture HR system shall be given more attention in order to create an effective organization. In todays highly competitive globalization business environment, human resource become the main assets of an organization and therefore the implementation of IHRM strategy is the key to the success of the organization and its continuous competiveness in the global market. ANSWER FOR QUESTION 2: Barlett and Ghoshal (2000, cited by Harzing, A.W and Ruysseveldt, J.V., 2004) highlighted the three types of strategic objectives for MNCs are: meeting the challenges of global efficiency; multinational flexibility, and worldwide learning. Porter (1990, cited by Truong, et al, 2010) pointed out that the most significant source of competitive advantage for an economy is a skilled, flexible and well-educated workforce. While Heneman et al. (2000, cited by Truong, et al, 2010) stated that HR is important for all types of organizational sustainability. Many companies had realised the importance of strategic HR practices but only a few can implement it strategically in conjunction with the business strategy to gain competitive advantage (Schuler R.S MacMillan I.C, 1984). The following table shows the core components of HR practices that had been identified and the proposed HRM strategies in order to help Paine Co. in building their corporate business strategy to gain long-term competitive advantage. TABLE 2: CORE HRM COMPONENTS, CURRENT STATUS AND PROPOSED STRATEGIES FOR PAINE CO. HRM Core Components Current Status Strategies Recruitment and Selection Recruitment and selection procedures not regulated or standardised Do not have clear and stringent criteria in selection To use value-based hiring method To carry out proper job analysis and description Specification of minimum criteria in selection Standardisation of recruitment and selection procedures (i.e. interview, psychometric test and social test) Compensation and Benefits Remuneration system not standardised or according to industry standard To carry out industry remuneration review To introduce profit sharing scheme Performance Management and Reward System Do not have proper appraisal review system Rewards do not reflected on the individual performance No relationship between reward policy and corporate business development strategy To carry out KPI as PMRS To create link between goal-setting and performance achievement Training and Development Do not have proper training and development program To have intensive training for new staff To provide continuous training throughout employment Retention of Talents Lack of support from management to staff Lack of communication between employer and employees Lack of motivation Do not have succession plan To create multiple channels for information sharing To rewards the staff with innovative ways To carry out employees satisfaction survey To develop career advancement plan for employees Schuler R.S and MacMillan I.C (1984) suggested two ways for HRM practices to help in gaining organizational competitive advantage: by helping themselves and by helping others. They also clarified that good HRM practices should be first be targeted within the company before implement to the external parties (i.e. customers, suppliers, distributors). Strategic HRM practices should be ideally integrated with the business strategy of an organization in building long-tern competitive advantage. Wirtz, J., et al, 2007 believed that The wrong people are liability. Recruitment and selection is an important process in HRM that will decide whether the right person will be doing the right job at the right place. Value-based hiring method can be utilised by Paine Co. in their recruitment and selection process. A detail job analysis and job functions description should be carried out before determining the selection criteria in their recruitment exercise. Other than qualifications and experiences, criteria like physical attributes, social and emotional competency should also be considered when selecting their consultants who are the front-line staff that serve their clients. Therefore, other than structured interviews, psychometric tests and social competency tests should also be included in the screening process to ensure high quality consultants are recruited. By having stringent selection criteria, the uncertainty of hiring the right applicants with the expected qualities will be reduced. In long run, the cost for recruitment and selection process can be reduced due to the increased in efficiency of recruitment and selection process. Besides the selection and recruitment process, Paine Co. also facing problems in managing their compensation and benefits as well as PMRS. It is suggested that profit sharing scheme to be introduced to the consultant advisers and senior consultants. This will encourage employees to be part of the business partners and increase their commitment towards the company performance. While for PMRS, Paine Co. should implement the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) system to ensure fair evaluation of performance review and structured appraisal throughout the whole group. Implement of KPI system will not only guarantee fair treatment to all staff but also make the objectives setting and performance management process more effective. Training is one of the key components of success for service industry like Paine Co. For organizations that are seeking competitive advantage through HR, Khandekar, A., and Shama, A. (2005) suggested that they should design their HR systems so that human resources can be utilised efficiently and enabling knowledge been used by employees to maximize their organizational competitive. In this situation, Paine Co. is suggested to plan and provide an intensive training program to all its new employees before they carry out their duties. Intensive training programs are effective HRM tools because it can help the newcomers to master their jobs which probably causing fewer anxieties among them. Besides that, company values, objectives and the expectations from the employer can also be clearly communicated across to the new staff through intensive training. Subsequent off-job and on-job trainings should be planned and provided regularly throughout the employment period to improve knowledge and skills of employees. The training and development program is part of the strategic HR management that is essential for Paine Co. to obtain sustainable service excellence and long-term competitive advantage in the industry. Last but not least, the talents retention is another area that needs to be strategically implemented. Tobia, P.M (1999) mentioned that lowering turnover of staff will increase profits of a company. Besides that, only employees who are motivated and satisfied with their working conditions are able to produce good services and products for better competitive advantage in the industry. Many young consultants in Paine Co. left the company by joining the competitors proofed that its employees are not satisfied with their working conditions as compare to the competitors. Paine Co. need to improve the provision of resources to the employees in carrying out their duties. Implementation of some long-term retention programs such as innovative and fair PMRS; people friendly policies and carry out employees feedback survey will definitely help in reducing staff turnover rate. Opportunity for career advancement is another determinant of retention success. Succession plan and career path plannin g is important to retain talented employees and increase productivity. By implementing all the above proposed HRM strategies will not guarantee the ultimate success of the company in achieving the long-term business competitive advantage if there are no continuous reviews and improvement plans on its strategies. Besides a good HRM systems, products and brand differentiation; focus orientation; global thinking; a sensitive radar system; perpetual spirit of innovations; social and environmental responsibilities are some of the other criteria for MSCs to become a real World Class Company and achieve long-term business competitive advantage. All the above mentioned criteria will need to link people with the strategic needs of the business as people is the most valuable asset of an organization. If the business needs of an organization can be clearly identified and be integrated effectively with the HRM practices, long-term sustainable competitive advantage will not be far from achievable. REFLECTION Planning and formulating the HRM practices with business strategy for competitive advantage will be meaningless if the management do not understand the basic needs of their employees. Therefore, communications play an important role in the analysing and understanding the employees behaviour so that the right HRM practices can be strategized. All employers know what the company goals are, but not everyone is able to articulate their products or services with the market-place effectively to determine the types of employees needed. The needs-matching process to get the right person to do the right job is another great challenge in HRM. Another concern will be the consistency in the implementation of the best HRM practices in an organization. Only long-term consistency in the practices can bring great results and achieve sustainable competitive advantage instead of just short-term success. Commitment from the top management is an important factor that will determine the success. Total organizational commitment can not be achieved without starting from the top and working down. If the top management started to demonstrate good practices, concern and commitment to their job and products, the employees will also begin to follow the same practices and further synergizing their contributions to perform for sustainable competitive advantage. END ABBREVIATIONS GE General Electric Co. HRM Human Resource Management IHRM International Human Resource Management KPI Key Performance Indicator MD Managing Director MNCs Multinational Corporations PM Performance Management PMRS Performance Management and Reward System SIA Singapore Airlines

Food Addiction in America Essay -- Compulsive Eating

Addiction is a dependence on a substance in which the affected individual feels powerless to stop. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as compulsive gambling and shopping. Recent studies suggest that millions of Americans are addicted to food, as well. An average American is bombarded daily with random propaganda to try to sell what some would consider "perfection". Most American citizens try to emulate those fictional characters in celebrity magazines. The truth is a lot of those pictures are air-brushed and some of the individuals have had extensive cosmetic surgery and other medical procedures done to look that way. This media manipulation is the main cause for the many eating disorders and the people addicted to them. For most people eating is a satisfying experience. But for some, eating is an impulse. Men and women of all ages force themselves to eat too much or too little, and experience incredible psychological pain when they do. Body weight and image become a fixation that damages relationships and has severe health consequences. Food addiction is a disorder characterized by obsession with food, the accessibility of food and the expectancy of pleasure from the intake of food. Food addiction involves the recurring consumpti on of food against the individual’s better judgment resulting in loss of control and anxiety or the limitation of food and obsession with body weight and image. In today’s society the worth of a female is based upon her age, her body size and her looks. The male’s worth is based on the amount of money earned or inherited, and athleticism. These images of â€Å"perfection† have been engraved in people’s minds, forcing them to believe that if they can’t live up to the same standards it will mean that they’re not good enough. This is a main cause of most disorders and addictions. Some addictionologists believe that society contributes to the development of addictions by establishing unreasonable or unreachable criteria for worthiness. Individuals who are under chronic emotional distress like negative feelings of self and inappropriate methods for dealing with emotional stress use food disorders. There are three main types of food addictions, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and compulsive overeating. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by extreme fear of gaining weight and ... ...ds brings more shame onto the individual causing the cycle to restart. Meanwhile the individual’s state of mind is also being psychologically damaged. The person becomes depressed because the image that the individual sees in the mirror does not match the image seen on television. This causes a decrease in self-esteem and confidence. The guilt, shame and low self-esteem causes binge eating and the cycle begins all over again. These eating disorders are highly addictive causing Americans a high state of panic. The treatments used for every one of the disorders are different. Anorexia depends on hospitalization while on the other hand over eating doesn’t require it at all. All three disorders require some sort of therapy to deal with the psychological damages and to prevent further complications. These three illnesses are affecting a lot of America’s adolescence as well as the adults. Despite the caution and awareness people have to exercise when dealing with such addictive disorders there are treatment facilities that can help. In an y case, it cannot be overemphasized how important treatment is, the sooner, the better. The longer the behavior exits the harder it is to overcome.

British Irish Relations over the past 300 years :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  British- Irish relations over the past three hundred years have been troubled. There have been many tensions caused by religion in Northern Ireland and Britain's unfair rule of Northern Ireland. The British are guilty of many of the indignities suffered by the Irish people. They are also guilty of causing all of the religious and territorial conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The division between Northern and Southern Ireland dates back to the 16th century. A succession of English monarchs had used the planting of Protestant English and Scottish people on lands seized from Irish Catholics as a way of increasing loyalty to the British Crown. This is an example of how the British treated the people of Ireland unfairly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1912 British parliament gave home rule to Ireland. Home rule is when a country who is ruled by another country is giving the ability to govern its self. However some people in Irelands Northern counties did not want home rule. They wanted to remain governed by Britain. So the people in the Northern Counties (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone) remained under British rule while the Southern Counties formed the Republic of Ireland. Shortly after the formation of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland hostilities pushed these two countries to the brink of civil war. This was prevented by the start of World War I.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  English persecution of the Irish people is one cause of the tensions in Northern Ireland. Before 1793 Irish Catholics were persecuted by British law. Catholics were not allowed to buy and sell land, get proper education, marry Protestants or vote. This fueled problems in Ireland. After 1793 Britain was afraid, after loosing America, that a revolution would happen in Ireland. So the restrictions on the Irish Catholics were done away with. This however angered the protestants who formed the Orange Order, who was against the Catholics. This all came to a head when in 1798 when a small rebellion broke out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It began with a blight of the potato crop that left acre upon acre of Irish farmland covered with black rot.†(The Irish Famine, 1) This of course is in reference to the Irish Famine. The Irish Famine was another cause of the tensions in Ireland. As crops across Ireland failed, the price of food soared. This made it impossible for Irish farmers to sell there goods, the good which the farmers relied upon to pay their rent to their English and Protestant landlords. British Irish Relations over the past 300 years :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  British- Irish relations over the past three hundred years have been troubled. There have been many tensions caused by religion in Northern Ireland and Britain's unfair rule of Northern Ireland. The British are guilty of many of the indignities suffered by the Irish people. They are also guilty of causing all of the religious and territorial conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The division between Northern and Southern Ireland dates back to the 16th century. A succession of English monarchs had used the planting of Protestant English and Scottish people on lands seized from Irish Catholics as a way of increasing loyalty to the British Crown. This is an example of how the British treated the people of Ireland unfairly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1912 British parliament gave home rule to Ireland. Home rule is when a country who is ruled by another country is giving the ability to govern its self. However some people in Irelands Northern counties did not want home rule. They wanted to remain governed by Britain. So the people in the Northern Counties (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone) remained under British rule while the Southern Counties formed the Republic of Ireland. Shortly after the formation of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland hostilities pushed these two countries to the brink of civil war. This was prevented by the start of World War I.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  English persecution of the Irish people is one cause of the tensions in Northern Ireland. Before 1793 Irish Catholics were persecuted by British law. Catholics were not allowed to buy and sell land, get proper education, marry Protestants or vote. This fueled problems in Ireland. After 1793 Britain was afraid, after loosing America, that a revolution would happen in Ireland. So the restrictions on the Irish Catholics were done away with. This however angered the protestants who formed the Orange Order, who was against the Catholics. This all came to a head when in 1798 when a small rebellion broke out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It began with a blight of the potato crop that left acre upon acre of Irish farmland covered with black rot.†(The Irish Famine, 1) This of course is in reference to the Irish Famine. The Irish Famine was another cause of the tensions in Ireland. As crops across Ireland failed, the price of food soared. This made it impossible for Irish farmers to sell there goods, the good which the farmers relied upon to pay their rent to their English and Protestant landlords.

Sun chief Essay -- essays research papers

Different cultures and religions have many different customs and rituals. In Islam it is common practice for women to be covered from head to toe. In Tibetan Buddhism it is common for devotees to practice asceticism. In Hopi culture and religious tradition food and sex play large and important roles, although in different situations the roles may be completely opposite. In Sun Chief particularly the chapter called â€Å"the Making of a Man† we can see that food is very important spiritually to the Hopi people. In the Wowochim ceremony each boy is given their manhood name over a â€Å"mother-corn ear† (159). In each of a dozen or more ceremonies we see that certain practices such as the sprinkling of corn (159, 160, 162, etc.), or the eating of unsalted foods as a form of fasting (158, 161, 165, etc.), is a major theme. This notion of giving foods back to the Gods, likely stems from the location of the Hopi nation in the desert region of the American southwest. Because food is scarce here, the Hopi people look upon it as the chief gift of the Gods, and therefore the offering of food back to the Gods makes sense. It also makes sense that in certain times of exceptional spiritual devotion, the giving up of food would be necessary to show an intense piety and strength. On the other hand, food is also seen by the Hopi as an important part of celebration. In order to prepare for the Wowochim ceremony the boys hunt and kill as many rabbits as they can get. These are then taken by their mo...

Evaluate the Assessments You Have Carried Out, Stating Whether You Believe They Were Fair, Valid and Reliable

Evaluate the assessments you have carried out, stating whether you believe they were fair, valid and reliable. During the Skype assessments I carried out on 2 learners, who are studying the nvq level 2 in customer services. My job was to observe the 2 learners and assess their ability, and then match against the criteria set for the units which I was observing them for. For both of my learners there are a number of assessment methods I have tried, in order to understand their learning ability. From doing these assessments I have understood where my weaknesses, strengths are, along with the learners. Personal Statement I started off by asking them to write in their own words, how do you maintain a positive and customer friendly attitude, and how you communicate effectively with customers? By them completing these personal statements, it gives me an understanding that they know what their job role is. As these two points which they have written about in their words, are the two units. Basically what I have asked them to do is sum up in their own words what they have understood from the units. I believe that by assessing learners through this method, it is a fair, valid, and reliable. This is because I know the learners, and the information which they have written about is valid because it is in their own words, from their own understanding. However there may also by the disadvantage of doing a personal statement. This is because I believe that there may be a possibility that a personal statement could be written by someone else, as there is no validity and proof of this being created by the learner him/herself. However I have followed these personal statements with questions which brought me to the conclusion, that my learner’s personal statement is valid, fair and reliable. Observation I also used the observation method to assess my learners. I asked my learners to carry out tasks which they have to do, in conjunction with their daily work routine. I observed my learners as they made calls externally and internally, which showed me how good their communications skills are. They called customers and discussed issues which they were having, whilst I was observing their quality of assistance. I believe that this method is fair, valid and reliable, because I can see, hear and also take notes whilst they are carrying out the tasks. From my experience I think that this method of assessment is very good as it gives the assessor a wider choice of observing. But at the same time I would say that it also is not so good, as the results may not be correct. Sometimes the learners may not respond accurately, as they may feel embarrassed, they may not feel too well, and there are other various reasons. Oral questions At the end of the assessment, and also during the assessment, I stopped my learners and asked various questions. Sometimes I asked questions relating to what they were speaking of, for example, one of my learners was talking about CRM, and I had no idea regarding this. So I asked her to explain about it. In a similar way I asked them questions relating to the course. I think the assessments are fair, valid and reliable as they are put on the spot, and answering these questions shows their understanding and capability of the course. Written Questions/Case Study As part of the assessment, I sent a couple of questions which they had to answer in a time limit of 20 minutes. These questions were to determine their skills around the course and their practicality of work. I selected these questions from the criteria of the units which I was assessing them on. These questions are knowledge based, which means that they had to answer in detail, explaining their views and choices. In a same way I set a case study for the learners, where I gave them a scenario, and at the end asked them questions regarding the scenario. Whatever the answers were, the learners had to explain why they chose this answers. I believe this method of assessment is fair, valid and reliable, this is because the learners must write answers from their own understanding of the unit. But along with this, many times learners get the feeling to cheat. However I have carried out some questions which made me believe that the answers were valid. Discuss whether the assessments went well and what would you do differently next time I believe that the overall assessment itself went well, as I came to conclusion after carrying out each method of assessment. I asked my learners to do a personal statement, writing in their own words relating to the unit. Although this is a good way to get an understand of the learners ability, I strongly feel that rather, I should ask them the question, and they answer me, which I could then write down. I believe both observations are really good method of assessing the learner, as i just watched and noted what they were doing, and didn’t need to interfere with their task. But I believe that a Skype method may not be so well, as I felt the learner may not have been so comfortable with this. This is because I could see her, where as she could not see what I was doing. This then becomes a barrier to both sides communicating effectively. So I think that next time when an assessment takes place, both sides should be able to see what both sides are doing. I don’t think my oral questions were so good, I believe they were straight forward and easy to answer. This is because I had less time to prepare the actual assessment itself. And I believe that if I had more time then I could have constructed these questions more complex, which then could be more challenging for the learners. I think that next time I plan for these methods of assessments, I should create a good series of questions, which could give me a better understanding of the learner’s knowledge. As for the written question and the case study, although I believe they are strong methods of assessment, as they allow the assessor to evaluate the learner’s knowledge. I also think that sometimes learners may take advantage of being distant and cheat. I believe that these methods of assessments should be carried out whilst the assessor is watching via Skype. Identify any learning points for your own development. From the feedback received from my tutor, I believe there are two main points which need to be developed before the next assessment, as they relate directly to assessments. The first learning and development point that I need to work towards is the grammar and spelling of my work. I need to make sure that all my work is proof read before sending of for marking. Although this has been my weakness, and I have been advised to always keep this in mind. I believe that this happens due to me rushing through everything. So I believe that if take everything one step at a time, it could reduce the grammatical errors. I could also reduce this by always proofreading work, which would highlight the errors. On a development note which has come to me newly, is the selection of words. I have been told by my tutor that the feedback you gave included the term ‘sweet’ to describe the communication of one of the candidates. My tutor advised me that I must be on the safe side and avoid these terms, as they are deemed offensive. I believe that this is true and I could work towards improving this, where next time I should think of the words I select before giving feedback. Explain how you will continue your professional development to ensure current expertise and competence in your own vocational area as well as assessing. I will use my CPD plan in order to ensure that my current expertise and new experiences are brought to real practice. Every time my tutor, or my colleagues who monitors my every lesson gives me feedback on what I can improve, I put that in my personal development plan. I then try and implement those, and once I have achieved this I tick on the plan. For example, I have been informed more than twice by my colleagues to always go back to lesson objective whilst teaching. I also have been informed by my tutor about my grammar and proof reading my work. So I have created a note on my plan, and now that I have put this action into practice I have ticked off this note. Now until I bring proofreading fully into practice, i will not tick this off. I will be using my CPD plan to note any improvements which I need to make, and then as an outcome assess if that objective has been met. I will continue to practice until this objective has been met, and once it has I will tick this objective off. By following this CPD plan, it will enhance me in my expertise and advance my skills.