Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The Site Environmental Defense Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The Site Environmental Defense - Case Study Example Our interactive organization focuses on the protection of our ecosystems such as rivers, forests, and wildlife. We are currently encouraging partnerships and expanding incentives for environmental conservation-related activities. (Source http://www.edf.org/ecosystems) Our organization has been fighting as a voice of change towards environmental conservation and adoption of environmentally friendly practices. Currently, most of our activities are funded by well-wishers and donors. We are also recruiting members and anybody is free to join us by signing up and the end of the page. There are several ways through which members and well-wishers can make their donations and become environmental defenders. Finally, we have initiated a number of campaigns that champion the adoption of a greener economy and protect the rights of individuals to openly speak about their environmental concerns. Links to other pages on the site News of our activities Campaigns Donate Blog About Us Since the early 1980s, Environmental Defense .com has always been a leader in inspiring environmental conservation by creating an opportunity for people to connect and share their concerns regarding environmental protection. Consequently, we have grown to become one of the greatest unbiased sources of information related to environmental protection on the internet. ...Environmental defense.com was begun by a small team of environmental conservationists who were concerned by the diminishing populations of aquatic organisms as a result of excessive use of fertilizers and harmful pesticides such as DTT in several parts of the world during the 1980s. It was discovered that these mostly agricultural chemicals often found their ways into the rivers, lakes, and oceans through run-offs and consequently build up to poison several aquatic species. The group of environmental conservation scientists also noted that as the residues of these harmful pesticides and chemicals continue to build up in these organis ms, they eventually found their way up the food chain thus endangering the lives of humans as well. As a result, the environmentalists teamed up together with a few lawyers and scientists to form Environment Defense.com as an organization that inspires environmental conservation by creating an opportunity for people to connect and share their environmental concerns. Over the years, Environmental defense.com has recruited thousands of members including small volunteer groups and is currently working towards organizing funds through donations to expand the organizations' services and activities globally. Finally, our mission is to defend the environment by inspiring change in corporate organizations, in governments as well as individuals to enable them to contribute towards a greener, healthier and sustainable environment for all. Useful Information on our Activities and Advocacy Throughout the last few decades of our existence, our impacts have been felt in many areas of environmenta l concerns such as health, ecosystems, climate, and oceans.
Monday, October 28, 2019
The Day of Valor on the fourth month of the Roman calendar Essay Example for Free
The Day of Valor on the fourth month of the Roman calendar Essay A week after celebrating the Day of Valor on the fourth month of the Roman calendar in the year of Rat, I was born one evening in a city called the financial capital of the country that was colonized by Spaniards for more than three hundred years after it was discovered by a famous Portuguese explorer. My first name Johanne is a variant of Johanna which means â€Å"God is gracious†and my second name Victoria means victory hope my life goes well as my name. My parents, Victorino and Wilma, were a hard working couple who works as an employee of a private company. They produced of our own kind six times in eleven years having five boys, leaving me no sister to have a bonding with. Since I’m the only girl, they call me Princess or sometimes Negneg, short for negra, because of my dark complexion. It’s not that dark like people in Africa but it’s the darkest complexion in my family but it’s alright because I have these black tantalizing eyes, a good set of teeth and a slim body that makes me look like a Filipina beauty queen. I spent my seventeen years of existence in a city known for being a major cultural entertainment hub in Metro Manila. I studied my first five years of my primary education in Nicanor Garcia Elementary School, Makati. After my hit-and-run 50-50 accident case when I was in fifth grade, God gave me my second chance to live and finished my elementary course in Rizal Elementary School in Laguna. I have to transfer because of the severe fracture in my right leg causing me to have a hard time going up stairs. I have recovered from what had happened and continued my secondary education in General Pio del Pilar National High School in Makati. In elementary, I always make my parents proud of me by giving them a numerous medals every end of the school year. I’ve been a consistent contestant in Mathematics Quiz Bee and I made my school proud after qualifying twice in Mathematics Trainer’s Guild, a program to train gifted Filipino kids for international competitions. Aside from Math, I’ve also been in various contests regarding Science and Journalism. Considering me as a dynamic student, I was fairly awarded at the end of the year. When I stepped high school, it was the most exciting part of my life. Having crushes, love team ups, courtships, prom night were the things that could really make you giggle. But the most remarkable incident that shaped my character now was improving my leadership skills. When I was in third year, I ran as the president of SMILE (Students Movement for the Improvement of Leadership and Empowerment) Party List for the upcoming Supreme Student Government election. I taught I’m going to win because I’m from the star section but I’m wrong. I lost. I’m so ashamed. Because of that, I don’t feel like going to that school again. But there was a Non-government organization that invites the students to go on camp in Iba, Zambales for free. Of course, I joined and that made me forgot the pain I felt. On the first night of the camping, everything has changed after the moment I received Jesus Christ as my personal savior. When I got back in school, God blessed me so much that He gave the Hi-Y Club (a high school based club of Young Men’s Christians Association) in my lead. From that happening, I really appreciated the quote: â€Å"After the storm, there’s a rainbow.†I taught the door of opportunity to explore more in leading has closed for me, not realizing He has opened the window for me to experience the chance I thought I lost. Because of this club, I learned to balance my mind, body and spiritual aspect of my life. Creating programs, helping community, serving others and volunteering were some of my experiences that really made my heart swollen and would like to share to others to inspire them. Aside of being a Y’er, I’m now a Christian and started serving Him like sharing the good news, being a part of dance and drama ministry, and helping other Christian to grow in their spiritual life. I feel over joy and satisfaction every time I see myself volunteering on the camp where I was saved. After the enjoyment of high school, I took one step forward in the reality of life. I face the truth that my life will rotate in complicated solutions, brain-whacking terms, millions of numbers, struggling calculators, statements to finish, stability of study, life-long practice, thick books to read, rushing late night work, ugly eye-bugs, unbalanced sums, financial reports, constant lack of sleep, accurate solutions, and heart-stopping result after deciding to take Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in the first polytechnic university in our country. I know I can make it through because I believe that â€Å"what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve†. I may not be the cream of the crop in our class but I will manage to pursue my dreams step by step because I cling to God’s promise: â€Å"For I know the plans I have for you,†declares the Lord. â€Å"Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.†(Jeremiah 29:11)
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Essay example -- essays research papers
POLYCYSTIC OVARIES SYNDROME Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome (PCOS) is an ovulation disorder and infertility that occurs in many women. Polycystic ovaries syndrome dates back to 1845 where it was described in a French manuscript as being â€Å"changes in the ovaries†. It was called â€Å"sclerocystic†. Polycystic ovaries syndrome is a problem that occurs in with the ovaries. A â€Å"polycystic ovary is characterized as being a tough, thickened, shiny white covering overlying a layer of many small cysts just under the ovarian surface.†(Thatcher, 10). That was the description that was found in the French manuscript and is still being used to this day for doctors to define polycystic ovaries. A wedge resection in the early 1900’s was the first form of treatment for this syndrome. PCOS involves more than just the ovaries filled with small cysts. Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome causes infertility in women.      Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome can cause a number of symptoms. Its can cause everything from obesity to missed periods. It also causes women to have more of the male hormone in their bodies, which cause male hair growth. Not all of PCOS patients have excessive hair growth some may have other skin conditions, like acne. PCOS is the one of the most notorious cause if missed menstrual cycles and â€Å"infertility due to the lack of ovulation†. (Thatcher, 12)      There are three main reasons women with PCOS get medical attention. The first is that they have missed menstrual cycles. A woman’s period should not be light, short, or irregular. There are steps that a woman’s body needs to go through in order for women to become pregnant. There is a normal menstrual cycle that a woman’s body                                                   should go through and if it doesn’t then the women has an irregular cycle. This process the movement of an egg to a fertilizing position, developing a lining in the uterus, then the shedding of that lining when the egg doesn’t become fertilized. The second reason woman get medical attention for PCOS, is that they have worries about their physical ... ...e to me in order to try and regulate my periods. If I did not want to have a child then he would have prescribed some type of birth control pill to aid in this process of regulating my cycle. The little cysts form when my egg comes out and does not go any further than the outside of my ovary. My egg latches on to my ovary and forms into a cyst. This is what caused me irregular menstrual cycles. I am currently overweight and trying to get it under control by exercising and dieting. PCOS is something that is common among a lot of women and it can happen to anyone even the healthiest woman.                                                   Work Cited Hammerly, Milton M.D and Kimball, Cheryl, â€Å"What to Do When The Doctor Says its PCOS†, (Fair Winds Press, 2003). Thatcher, Samuel S. M.D, Ph.D., â€Å"PCOS (policystic ovary syndrome) The Hidden Epidemic,†(Perspectives Press, 2000). Personal Experience, Christina Chivalier, Feb. 2005.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Explain why Martin Luther King was considered an Uncle Tom Essay
There are a number of reasons as to why Martin Luther King was and still is referred to as an ‘Uncle Tom’ by some. An Uncle Tom is a black man who behaves in a subservient manner to whites. Malcolm X, among many other blacks, referred to King in this manner. Firstly, many blacks at the time saw King’s non-violence practices as being overly moderate and passive. This is for a number of reasons, mainly that the Negro extremists he criticised dismissed his passion for non violence and was charged as hindering the Negro struggle for equality. Many extremists and those who hoped to go about matters more actively saw King as shying away from the real problem and not confronting matters head-on. He was perceived by many radicals as being ‘all talk, no action’ having brought high the hopes of many young blacks, such as in riot-stricken Ohio, and having done nothing to fulfil the hopes. Moreover, Malcolm X considered King as an Uncle Tom because he was adamant on using non-violence as a political philosophy. Malcolm X sat King’s insistence on using non-violence as a principle, as being suicidal and argued that he was an ‘Uncle Tom’ because non violence only makes sense in a situation under which the person has control over. Malcolm X advocated the idea of self-defence and therefore saw King’s idea of inter-dependence as being as obsequious as Uncle Tom. Lastly, Martin Luther King was considered an Uncle Tom because he had similar methods to that of previous authority figures who were also labelled as Uncle Tom’s. An example is Rosa Parks who used passive methods to get her way and so was called an Uncle Tom. Similarly, King was using a moderate approach and so was given the same label as those who had previously gone about their business similarly. All in all Martin Luther King was considered an Uncle Tom due to the influence of Malcolm X, whose more confrontational methods appealed to black youths who were disappointed with King’s failure to fulfil their hopes. Malcolm X’s influence resulted in many other blacks sharing the ideology that King was an Uncle Tom – this together with the fact that previous icons had been labelled in the same way, led to the growing belief that King was an Uncle Tom.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Global Warming – Truth or Myth: Two Sides to Every Story
Global Warming–Truth or Myth: Two Sides to Every Story Summer 2010 Part I (Thesis): Global Warming: A Natural Occurrence There are always two sides to every story and every different point of view has a right to be heard. When it comes to the discussion of global warmingâ€â€a gradual increase in the earth’s surface temperatureâ€â€there are two very distinct and opposing points of view. The world seems to be split between global warming being caused by humans and it being a natural occurrence; the latter being the viewpoint that I strongly support due to the evidence I will present in detailin this paper. In contrast, I will also discuss, in Part II, the â€Å"anti-thesis†or the opposing viewpoint that humans are actually the cause of thisglobal warming phenomenon. Finally, in Part III of my paper, I will synthesize both viewpoints and discuss in great depth through much evidence as to why I believe global warming to be a natural occurrence that has happened and will continue to happen at different periods of time until the end of days. The first reason is that global warming comes and goes. The earth naturally heats up and cools down. Thirty years ago, we thought the biggest threat was global cooling and now the biggest threat is global warming. Throughout history, there have been numerous cooling and warming periods and we are now going through one of those natural warming periods, which have reached the warming levels of the Medieval Warming Period our ancestors experienced in the past, which I will explain in more detail later in this paper. The cycle of global warming and cooling has been happening long before humans have occupied the Earth and will continue to happen long after we are gone; it is a nature cycle that cannot be broken. The second reason why global warming is a natural occurrence is because the sun is what warms the earth. When the sun gets hotter, it makes sense that we get hotter too and this goes vice versa. If the sun is cooler, we get cooler. The sun has several cycles and the main one we see is the 11-year cycle, which I will explain, in greater detail in the synthesis portion of this paper. When the sun gets hotter there are more rays heating the earth, so the earth gets hotter. If we are so positive that global warming is a man-made problem, explain why Mars is also warming at the same pace as the earth is. Like Earth, Mars has also experienced warming and cooling periods throughout its history. The changes in the sun's heat output can account for almost all the climate changes we see on Earth and Mars; manmade greenhouse warming has made only a small contribution to the warming happening on Earth. The third reason why global warming is a natural occurrence is that manmade CO2 is not the main source of CO2 in the atmosphere. Again, this very interesting and intriguing fact will be furtherexplained later in this paper. I believe this will surprise you, once you read the facts regarding the sources of CO2; these factors were a highly significant reason that led me to oppose humans being the actual cause of global warming. In fact, the largest source of CO2 is the ocean (Broadgate, W. , et. al. , 2009). We only contribute 3. 5% of all CO2 in the atmosphere, while the other 96. 5% is released by natural sources. Therefore, as you see, the contribution of human made CO2 is very insignificant and has very little effect on global warming. In the end, you should be able to understand why global warming is not the result of mankind abusing the Earth, and that it is, in fact, a natural cycle that has been repeated throughout history. Global Warming comes and goes. The earth naturally heats up and cools down. Right now, we are going through a natural warming cycle, which will soon befollowed by a cooling cycle. The sun is always going to control how hot and how cool it is on the earth. Scientists need to consider this; if the sun is hotter, we experience hotter temperatures; and when the sun is cooler, we experience cooler temperatures. Global warming is also not being sped up by the carbon dioxide burned into the atmosphere by humans. We only contribute 3. 5% of all CO2 in the atmosphere, while the other 96. 5% is released by natural sources. There is no denying that global warming exists. Global warming is, unfortunately, a fact of our lives as humans, but humankind is simply not the cause. It is a natural occurrence and will continue to happen even after we are gone from the earth’s surface. Part II (Anti-Thesis): Global Warming: Caused By Humans Every year the average American produces over 22 metric tons of CO2 living a normal life (â€Å"What is Carbon Neutrality,†2008); and the United States as a whole produces 6,049,435 metric tons of CO2 yearly (â€Å"List of Countries by CO2 Emissions,†2010). This disturbing figure is the main cause of global warming and we have yet to take responsibility for our actions. There are many different theories of what has caused global warming and the answer is mankind. Humans are the cause of global warming because of pollution, over population, and deforestation. The first reason humans are the cause of global warming is because of pollution. Pollution is one of the biggest manmade causes of global warming and it comes in many shapes and sizes. The burning fossil fuel is one thing that causes pollution. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable source of energy, such as coal, oil and natural gas and when they are burned they give off a greenhouse gas called CO2 (Chughtai, 2008). We as humans release CO2 from power plants, cars, airplanes, and buildings. About 40% of U. S. CO2 emissions stem from the burning of fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation; about 33% of US CO2 emissions comes from the burning of gasoline in engines of cars; about 3. 5% of CO2 emissions comes from planes, and this figure could rise to 15% by 2050; while, buildings structure account for about 12% of carbon dioxide emissions (Chughtai, 2008). While CO2 is the major greenhouse gas, methane is second most important; methane is more than 20 times as effective as CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere (â€Å"Methane,†2008). Mining coal and oil allows methane to escape. Methane is naturally in the ground. When coal or oil is mined, it has to be dug up from earth and when this is process is completed, you release the methane letting it escape into the atmosphere. With the increasing amounts of CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases we emit into the atmosphere, humans are causing the intensification of the greenhouse effect known as global warming. The second reason why humans are the cause of global warming is because of over population. More people meanmore food, more methods of transportation, more power plants, and more buildings. That means more methane and CO2 will be emitted into the atmosphere because there will be more burning of fossil fuels and more agriculture. Another source of methane is from manure. Since more food is needed to feed the rapidly growing population, we will have to raise food. Animals like cows are a good source of food, which means more manure and more methane emissions. We will also have to plant more crops to grow more food and plants release CO2 into the atmosphere as well. Another problem with the increasing population is transportation; more people mean more cars and more cars means more pollution. Lastly, over population causes city growth, which also admits CO2 into the atmosphere adding to the pollution. The third reason why humans are the cause of global warming isdeforestation. Deforestation is the second principle cause of atrophic CO2 and is responsible for 25-30% of all CO2  1. 6 billion tons  emission into the atmosphere (â€Å"Deforestation Causes Global Warming,†2006). This is done by burning and cutting down 34 million arches of trees a year. Scientists are saying that one day of deforestation is equivalent to the carbon footprint of 8 million people flying to New York. Each year we are losing millions of acres of rainforests, the equivalent in area to the size of The United Kingdom (Specter, 2008). Trees are 50% carbon and when they are cut down or burned, the CO2they store escapes back into the air. The destroying of tropical forests alone is throwing hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. Two billion tons of CO2 enters the atmosphere every year from deforestation and the remaining standing forests still emit a billion tons of CO2 a year (Specter, 2008). If we keep losing our forests at this rate, we will ultimately lose the battle against climate change. In conclusion, humans are the cause of global warming because of pollution, over population and deforestation. Global warming is a result of our human activity, not natural causes. Pollution, over population and deforestation all add to the large amounts of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere, which is increasing the rate of global warming. If we want to put an end to this global problem, we as a human race must limit our pollution, gain control of our population, and stop deforestation. If these three factors do not change, we will ultimately loose the battle of climate change. Part III: Synthesis – Global Warming: A Natural Occurrence I believe that global warming is happening due to natural causes, but I did not always feel this way. Two years ago, I took an English class and as an assignment, we had to do a debate. I missed the day that we were assigned our topics and I received the topic that global warming was happing due to natural causes. At the time, I did not agree, but after doing weeks of research, I changed my mind about global warming. Global Warming is a reoccurring phenomenon that has occurred throughout history since the beginning of time and will continue until the end of time. In fact, as I previously stated, we experienced a warming period during the Medieval Warm Period around 1100 AD when Vikings settled into Greenland and instead of the ice covered land, which fills Greenland’s vast territory today, it used to be green and the perfect place to grow crops (Keigwin, L. D. , 1996). In fact, grapes suitable for winemaking were also reported growing in England (1996); and the tree line in Scandinavia was 100–200 m higher than present (1996). This warming period was followed by a cooling period called the â€Å"Little Ice Age†from 1400 to 1850 AD that brought severe winters and cold summers to Europe (1996). Today we are enjoying global temperatures, which have warmed back to levels of the Medieval Warm Period; this means there is an ice age in our near future. The second premise that leads me to believe that global warming is a natural occurrence is the sun heating the earth. The sun is always going to control how hot and how cool it is on the earth. Scientists need to consider this. If the sun is hotter, we experience hotter temperatures; and when the sun is cooler, we experience cooler temperatures. The sun has several cycles and the main one we see is the 11-year cycle. â€Å"Every 11 years, the sun moves through a period of fewer, smaller sunspots, prominences, and flares – called a solar minimum – and a period of more, larger sunspots, prominences and flares – called a solar maximum†(â€Å"11 Year Cycle of Solar Storms Will Peak in Late 2011,†2009). Right now we are currently at the minimum of this cycle, so the sun is in the process of increasing its heat output and we will experience a peak of heat in 2012 (â€Å"11 Year Cycle of Solar Storms Will Peak in Late 2011,†2009). â€Å"In 2005 data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide â€Å"ice caps†near Mars's south pole had been diminishing for three summers in a row†(Ravilious, K. , 2007). The most important greenhouse gas is water vapor, which makes up 95% of the world’s greenhouse gases. Without this amount of water vapor, the Earth would be too cold and no one could survive. Out of the other 5%, CO2 only makes up . 054% and 96. 5% of this . 054% are from natural sources, and mankind is responsible for only 3. 5% (Broadgate, W. , et. al. , 2009). A single volcano eruption emits more CO2 than all factories and manmade machinery. Moreover, animals and decaying vegetation gives off more 150 giga-tons of CO2 each year, while humans produce about 6. 5 giga-tons of CO2 a year (Broadgate, W. , et. al. , 2009). The largest source of CO2 is the ocean. As the ocean heats up it ives off CO2 into the atmosphere and when it cools down, it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere (2009). Since the Sun is getting hotter is gradually heating the Earth, the oceans are getting hotter thus letting out more CO2. The contribution of human made CO2 is very insignificant and can barely have an effect on global warming. In the end, you should be able to understand why global warming is not the resul t of mankind abusing the Earth, and that it is, in fact, a natural cycle that has been repeated throughout history. Global Warming comes and goes. The earth naturally heats up and cools down. Right now,we are going through a natural warming cycle, which will soon be followed by a cooling cycle. The sun is always going to control how hot and how cool it is on the earth. Scientists need to consider this. If the sun is hotter, we experience hotter temperatures; and when the sun is cooler, we experience cooler temperatures. Global warming is also not sped up by the carbon dioxide burned into the atmosphere by humans. We only contribute 3. 5% of all CO2 in the atmosphere, while the other 96. 5% is released by natural sources. There is no denying that global warming exists. It is a fact of our lives as humans, but mankind is not the cause of it. It is a natural occurrence that will continue to happen even after we are long gone from the earth’s surface. References 11 Year Cycle of Solar Storms Will Peak in Late 2011. (2009, December 3). The Student Operated Press (_The SOP_). Retrieved February 26, 2010, from http://thesop. org/story/science/2007/04/27/the-next-11-year-cycle-of-solar-storms-will-start-in-march-and-peak-in-late-2011. php Broadgate, W. , Caldeira, K. , Fabry. V. , Gattuso, J. P. , Haugan, Hood, M. , et al. (2009). Research Priorities for Ocean Acidification, report from the Second Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World, Monaco, October 6-9, 2008, convened by SCOR, UNESCO-IOC, IAEA, and IGBP, 25 pp. Retrieved February 27, 2010 from http://ioc3. unesco. org/oanet/HighCO2World. html Chughtai, O. (2008, November 2). Fossil fuels. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from http://www. umich. edu/~gs265/society/fossilfuels. htm Keigwin, L. D. (29 November 1996). The Little Ice Age and Medieval Warm Period in the Sargasso Sea. Science 274 (5292), 1503. [DOI:10. 1126/science. 274. 5292. 1503].
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Justifiable Vengeance Is La mere Savage act of burning four Prussian soldiers a first degree murder
Justifiable Vengeance Is La mere Savage act of burning four Prussian soldiers a first degree murder Justifiable Vengeance Justice is the problem which bothers people for many years. Does justice exist or people can punish those who deserve it, in their opinion? The problem is rather contestable and there is no specific opinion about it as in case of justice absence justifiable vengeance is a correct action which should be justified no matter which outcome of the revenge is. Using the example of Victoire Simon, La Savage and basing the discussion on Bentham’s aspects the problem of justifiable vengeance is going to be considered.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Justifiable Vengeance? Is La mere Savage act of burning four Prussian soldiers a first degree murder? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In â€Å"Mother Savage†, the author of the book Maupassant determines the plight of the woman Victoire Simon, La Savage. Her son who is 33 years old enlists in a war against the Prussians. Sometimes later, the Pr ussians arrive at Victoire’s country. The Prussian force which previously was at war with the French is integrated into the French society. The four Prussian soldiers though at war with the French, treat the old woman kindly and gently. They do all the house hold chores sparing the old woman the fatigue that is brought by house work. La Mere Savage only prepares their soup in most cases according to the eye witnesses. The old woman acknowledges none of these as she only thinks of her son who is at war. One morning, La mere savage receives news of her son’s death. This is the ultimate point in which she decides to vent her anger on the four Prussian soldiers. She tricks them into getting into a hay trap. She then sets the hay trap on fire when they are deeply asleep killing the four. Neither she neither regrets nor denies committing the murder. Kennedy, Dorothy and Sylvia in their critical analysis state that a woman seems to have derived a certain kind of satisfaction in avenging her son’s death (44). Bentham starts the discussion in his essay with the statement that pain and pleasure are two central issues for identifying whether the action is moral or not. Right actions should refer more to pleasure than to pain, and vice versa, the actions which are wrong tend to create more pain than pleasure. According to Bentham, four aspects of will (justice) exist, command, prohibition, non-command and non-prohibition. Bentham is sure that punishment is not a matter of intuition but rather a consequence of proven acts of wrong deeds (67). It is also imperative to consider the extent of the wrong deed and punish it accordingly without favoring the condition of an individual’s social status. Dwelling upon Bentham’s four aspects, Parekh in his work says that command and prohibition are rather understood issues, while non-command and non-prohibition may confuse (273). Explaining the non-prohibition aspect, the following should be sated. E verything what is not prohibited directly is permitted, thus one is allowed to act. The non-command Bentham’s aspect prohibits the action until it is not allowed.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Mary’s case according to the Prussians may be considered as an equivalent to first degree murder and may be not. The question in focus is whether La Mere Savage is guilty of first degree murder or not. Corbett answers the issue by considering the appeal to the logos in his research of Bentham’s principles (35). Using this Bentham’s aspect a woman can be justified as she acted in accordance with the war laws. However, on the other hand, soldiers treated a woman kindly and her action may be considered as betrayal and first degree murder. In conclusion, therefore, application of logic is a sure way of determining truth. It is also to a large exten t determined by the parties mandated to administer judgment. Bentham, Jeremy. Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. New York: Prometheus Books, 1988. Print. Corbett, Edward P. J. Classical rhetoric for the modern student. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print. Kennedy, Jim, Dorothy, Mickle, and A. Holladay Slyvia. The Bedford guide for college writers. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2001. Print. Maupassant, Guy de. Mother Savage. Literature: A Pocket Anthology. 4th ed. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print. Parekh, Bhikhu C. Jeremy Bentham: critical assessments. London: Routledge, 1993. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Justifiable Vengeance? Is La mere Savage act of burning four Prussian soldiers a first degree murder? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More
Monday, October 21, 2019
ANOVA Paper - Inventory Accuracy of Team Cs Manufacturing Department
ANOVA Paper - Inventory Accuracy of Team Cs Manufacturing Department The business problem Team C will be analyzing revolves around the inventory accuracy of Team C's manufacturing department. Inventory is a very important subject when a company is publicly owned. It is imperative that a company keeps excellent records of their inventory for investment purposes. Most investors consider inventory the same as money because in essence, it took money to either purchase said inventory or create inventory. Having inaccurate inventory reporting is a very serious crime whether it is done on purpose or not. History has shown that it can lead to very stiff punishment.Historically teams C's manufacturing department has not made inventory accuracy a priority. It was not until 2005 that the department created a cycle count team to track inventory accuracy, and eliminate an end of the year wall-to-wall inventory. The first year of cycle counts was accompanied by a goal of ninety percent overall inventory accuracy for the department.English: anova_ergebnisThe manufac turing department was able to reach this goal but, throughout the year it was realized that the ninety percent goal was not an acceptable goal for inventory accuracy. So a plan for adding percentage to the goal every year was design to ensure continuous improvement when it come to inventory accuracy. The cycle count accuracy goal for 2006 was stated at ninety-two percent overall accuracy.As the year of 2006 progressed it was realized that the department because of multiple factors, the department would be very close to failing to reach their goal of ninety-two percent cycle count accuracy. With there being multiple processes in the manufacturing department the three teams in the department had three different ways of transacting their inventory. The question arose whether their one or more teams was holding the department down or if the average cycle count accuracy was the same...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Understanding Modern Evolutionary Synthesis
Understanding Modern Evolutionary Synthesis The theory of evolution has itself evolved quite a bit since the time when Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace first came up with the theory. Much more data has been discovered and collected over the years that have only helped to enhance and sharpen the idea that species change over time. The modern synthesis of the theory of evolution combines several different scientific disciplines and their overlapping findings. The original theory of evolution was based mostly upon the work of Naturalists. The modern synthesis has the benefit of many years of research in Genetics and Paleontology, among other various subjects under the biology umbrella. The actual modern synthesis is a collaboration of a large body of work from such celebrated scientists as J.B.S. Haldane, Ernst Mayr, and Theodosius Dobzhansky. While some current scientists assert that evo-devo is also a part of the modern synthesis, most agree it has so far played a very slight role in the overall synthesis. While most of Darwins ideas are still very much present in the modern evolutionary synthesis, there are some fundamental differences now that more data and new disciplines have been studied. This does not, in any way, take away from the importance of Darwins contribution and, in fact, it only helps support most of the ideas Darwin put forth in his book On the Origin of Species. Differences Between Original Theory of Evolution and Modern Evolutionary Synthesis The three main differences between the original Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection proposed by Charles Darwin and the most current Modern Evolutionary Synthesis are as follows: The modern synthesis recognizes several different possible mechanisms of evolution. Darwins theory relied on natural selection as the only known mechanism. One of these different mechanisms, genetic drift, could even match the importance of natural selection in the overall view of evolution.Modern synthesis asserts that characteristics are passed down from parents to offspring on parts of DNA called genes. Variation between individuals within a species is because of the presence of multiple alleles of a gene.The modern synthesis of the Theory of Evolution hypothesizes that speciation is most likely due to the gradual accumulation of small changes or mutations at the gene level. In other words, microevolution leads to macroevolution. Thanks to years of dedicated research by scientists across many disciplines, we now have a much better understanding of how evolution works and a more accurate picture of the change species undergo over a period of time. Even though different facets of evolutionary theory have changed, the fundamental ideas are still intact and just as relevant today as they were in the 1800s.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Project Management Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Project Management Assignment - Coursework Example 60 days are required to finish the project. Theoretical smallest maximum number : 632/60 = 10.53 ~ 11. The critical path is B – D – H – K – L. This number is not practical without the interference of the critical path as all activities on the critical path apart from L on a slight note, are dependent on other activities and some overlap with other activities that demand human resource too. An imbalance would alter the duration of some dependencies thus directly affecting the critical path. However, with the more human resource, the implementation would have been viable and would have been implemented to in fact reduce the duration with a condition that the activities were done only in succession. The practical maximum number could thus be 10 while the practical minimum would be 2 as provided by the initial schedule. The critical path is through B, D, H, K, and L. this totals to 38 days. To maintain a maximum number of 14 humans at a time without interfering with the critical path duration in the schedule, we have to increase the duration of activity B to 10 days and reduce the human resource to 3. We then increase the duration of C to 21 days and reduce humans in the same activity to 2 humans. Finally, we reduce the duration of activity K by increasing human resource by 2 to 8. These changes ensure that at any particular time, including overlapping dependencies, the number of human resources is maintained by 14 humans. The schedule is redrafted in the above-drawn table.
Letter & Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Letter & Memo - Essay Example Now don’t run away with the idea that this has to do with either hills or goats; you’d be surprised when I explain what it is- â€Å"Hillbilly Armor†seems to be a slang term that was often used by American troops during war time. This term is widely used by military personnel to describe the vehicle armor which was improvised when they were attacked and the vehicles got damaged. They used improvised material to make their vehicles stronger against the attacks. You can take our vehicle for an example! Such armor was also used during World War II. I am sure you too would have come across this phrase sometime and I would be happy to hear if you had any more information on this interesting phrase. The second interesting phrase which I am sure would come handy to you when we go on operation projects is a funny phrase called â€Å"Speaker Monkey†, the meaning of which I assure you has no connection to monkeys. I can see you smiling from ear to ear and its no wonder because it sounds quite funny. Have you heard of such a phrase? Though it does sound funny, being a speaker monkey is no laughing matter. Let me explain to you what a â€Å"Speaker Monkey†is – A â€Å"Speaker Monkey†is a person who is put in charge of using certain techniques that are vital during Psychological Operations (PSYOP, PSYOPS) These techniques are used not only by military personnel but also in the police force. Have you ever come across such a funny phrase? These people use these techniques while targeting a specific audience in order to influence their behavior and reasoning by playing on their emotions and feelings. Don’t you find these phrases interesting? Please try to collect some more information on this you come across and I would be glad to hear what you have to say. If you have any comments or queries, please do get back to me with them. Hi Everyone! The letter written and sent along with this memo was written to my friend Ram, a local national. Ram
Friday, October 18, 2019
Business Proposal for a Partnership Firm Assignment
Business Proposal for a Partnership Firm - Assignment Example The assignment "Business Proposal for a Partnership Firm" discusses the organizational structure and the management team of Millimeters which is supposed to be a partnership firm with three partners involved in it. They would hold the managerial positions in three separate departments and would work as full-time employees of the company. Luz having experience in the field of procurement and budgeting would be responsible for the same. Christopher having experience in the field of operations management would be responsible for the daily operations and management of the company. The daily scheduling activities related to the store and the future requirements for the store, all would be managed by Johnathan. Apart from these three, other staffs would assist them in their job. The company would also hire specialists in each field of services that are supposed to be offered by the company. There are no significant weaknesses of the company regarding the technical knowledge and relevant business activities that are required to be performed to run the company successfully. However, the three owners of the company being new in this field of running a home improvement store business can prove to be disadvantageous for the company in managing its resources effectively and efficiently. In due course of time, this deficiency could be overcome easily through increased knowledge of running the business. A well-constructed personnel plan has been developed for the company to help in running the business efficiently.... Personnel Plan A well-constructed personnel plan has been developed for the company to help in running the business efficiently. The three owners of the company, apart from getting a share in the profits of the company will also receive remuneration for their respective managerial functions being conducted in the company. The personnel plan has been as such that it would include the three managers in the form of its owners, on cashier would be handling all business matters concerned with cash inflows and outflows of the company. Initially there would be four specialists meant for four different services to be offered by the company initially and they would be on-duty at all times during the business hours. The supporting staffs and workers would total around 8 to 10, working on an average every day. The personnel plan constructed for the company has been summarized in the table give below (Table - 1). It includes the first five years’ forecasted figures regarding the salaries and wages of the employees of the company. Table – 1 (Personnel Plan)  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5       Luz Angela Lopez 50,000 55,000 60,000 65,000 65,000 Christopher Mong 45,000 50,000 55,000 60,000 60,000 Johnathan Douglass 40,000 45,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 Specialists 100,000 125,000 150,000 175,000 200,000 Cashier 20,000 22,000 24,200 26,620 29,282 Others 10,000 11,000 12,100 13,310 14,641 Total Payroll 265,000 297,000 339,200 376,620 404,282 Total Personnel 15 18 20 22 22 Financial Analysis Seating up of the About Millimeters business concern would require a significant amount of investment initially. The major portion of this initial funding would be borne by the three owners of the company.
Innovation Research & Development And Growth Essay
Innovation Research & Development And Growth - Essay Example Nissans culture of innovation has come a long way since its inception. Nissan has always been at the cutting-edge of triggering new innovations for the past eighty years, which has extensively influenced its prosperity as a worldwide corporation. Thus, innovation has for several years remained as the soul and heart for the Nissan brand. (Marketing Weekly News, 2010, p304). For instance, Nissan has acquired at least 142,000 worldwide deals since it was dispatched in 2010 while the Nissan LEAF is currently recognized as the worlds top-rated electric vehicle or EV. Even the Washington Post called the Nissan Leaf a trendsetter as they said that it’s roomy, solid and will definitely entice customers. On the other hand, Nissan looks forward to bring innovation to all sectors including fitness and health fans (Elliott, 2010, p14-19). For instance, the organisation has a big NISMO division, which literally brings race track execution and propelled auto innovation to the road. Furthermore, Nissan has made great advancements in Safety Shields – a new improvement that ensures that drivers are aware of potential risks and threats while on the road. Such forward investments are clear testaments that evidence to the fact that innovation has been key to the organisations prosperity. As Nissan rallies around innovation, the company urges consumers to shift their purchasing behavior when it dealing with cars, minivans and trucks amongst other brand themes. (Marketing Weekly News, 2010, p304). The front-opening alligator hood, which was uncommon for Japanese automatics at the time, went ahead to become a new standard that highlighted entire generations of cars that came after it. After just seventy years, Nissan had proved herself a trend setter and innovator in the international car manufacturing industry. After it was established in 1928 by Yoshisuke Aikawa, the stellar entrepreneur
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Investigation of the beer - Lambert law Lab Report
Investigation of the beer - Lambert law - Lab Report Example It illustrated in the diagram below. Beer-Lambert law states that the absorbance is directly proportional to the concentration of the solution. It relates the absorbance of sample (A) to the concentration of the substance in the solution absorbing it and the path length of the light. Incident light from a tungsten or deuterium lamp is focused through a lens and passed through a slit. Passing the beam through the wavelength selector diffracts it separating it into light of a single wavelength. This particular wavelength is selected and exits through the slit. The light passing through the sample is detected by the photo detector which then converts it into an electrical current measured by the galvanometer. The reading is then sent to a read-out device. The plot of absorbance of light at different wavelengths is called it absorption spectrum. Fig. 1 gives the absorption spectrum of potassium permanganate (KMnO4 ). According to Beer-Lambert law, absorbance is directly proportional to concentration. This is clearly illustrated by Fig. 4. This is also known as a calibration curve. It should be drawn with utmost accuracy in order to obtain a straight line graph. The slope of this curve is equal to the absorbance of the potassium permanganate (Skoog, 45). One source of error is the use of inappropriate concentrations when applying Beer-Lambert law. It is only applicable for dilute solutions and becomes less accurate with increase in concentration. Another source of error is stray light or scattering within the instrument as this cause large errors especially when reading small values. The aim of the experiment was obtained because Beer-Lambert law was verified. Using linear regression analysis, Beer-Lambert law (A = ÃŽ µlc) implies that when concentration is equal to zero, absorbance must also be zero. This is a straight line equation passing through the origin hence the aim was achieved (Svanberg,
Chemistre HW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1
Chemistre HW - Essay Example In the case of ammonia, the amount of hydrogen bonding is limited by the fact that each nitrogen only has one lone pair. In a group of ammonia molecules, there arent enough lone pairs to go around to bond with all the hydrogens available. This is why the boiling point of water is higher than that of ammonia. All known terrestrial life requires water as a solvent. This has led to speculations about whether water is the only liquid capable of maintaining life. The idea that an extraterrestrial life-form might be based on another solvent has gained traction over the years. Ammonia is a classic example. Could life exist on a planet dominated by oceans, lakes, and rivers of ammonia? Ammonia has some problems as a basis for life. The hydrogen bonds between ammonia molecules are weaker than those in water; this makes ammonias heat of vaporization be less than that of water by half. The surface tension of ammonia reduces to a third of the water. Ammonia has a lot of the same molecular properties as water that is essential for life on earth. I propose that life may evolve in an ammoniated medium the same way life on Earth grew in a hydrated one. As scientists we are yet to discover ammonia-based life. Therefore we cant discount that ammoniated aliens can or don’t exist. In the absence of absolute evidence, we are tasked to research on this issue more keenly. Even if ammonia-based organisms do not exist by our terrestrial standards, it does not mean that it cannot happen
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Investigation of the beer - Lambert law Lab Report
Investigation of the beer - Lambert law - Lab Report Example It illustrated in the diagram below. Beer-Lambert law states that the absorbance is directly proportional to the concentration of the solution. It relates the absorbance of sample (A) to the concentration of the substance in the solution absorbing it and the path length of the light. Incident light from a tungsten or deuterium lamp is focused through a lens and passed through a slit. Passing the beam through the wavelength selector diffracts it separating it into light of a single wavelength. This particular wavelength is selected and exits through the slit. The light passing through the sample is detected by the photo detector which then converts it into an electrical current measured by the galvanometer. The reading is then sent to a read-out device. The plot of absorbance of light at different wavelengths is called it absorption spectrum. Fig. 1 gives the absorption spectrum of potassium permanganate (KMnO4 ). According to Beer-Lambert law, absorbance is directly proportional to concentration. This is clearly illustrated by Fig. 4. This is also known as a calibration curve. It should be drawn with utmost accuracy in order to obtain a straight line graph. The slope of this curve is equal to the absorbance of the potassium permanganate (Skoog, 45). One source of error is the use of inappropriate concentrations when applying Beer-Lambert law. It is only applicable for dilute solutions and becomes less accurate with increase in concentration. Another source of error is stray light or scattering within the instrument as this cause large errors especially when reading small values. The aim of the experiment was obtained because Beer-Lambert law was verified. Using linear regression analysis, Beer-Lambert law (A = ÃŽ µlc) implies that when concentration is equal to zero, absorbance must also be zero. This is a straight line equation passing through the origin hence the aim was achieved (Svanberg,
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
All About Malaria Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
All About Malaria - Coursework Example 451). As studies indicate (Rietveld & Schlagenhauf 2008, p.214), malaria produces more complications in pregnant women and young children because these groups are more vulnerable to malaria. If diagnosis for this infection is not done at proper time, it may lead to disastrous results. The disease is said to have supplied by chimpanzees and gorillas to mankind. The comparative lack of genetic variations in plasmodium falciparum also testifies that it has the recent origin from some other primate species (ibid). How malaria is caused Normally this disease is transmitted to people by a certain kind of female mosquito called Anopheles. These parasites are usually found in the saliva of the female mosquitoes of this type. As described by Jacoby and Youngson (2004 p. 1123), when a person is bitten by a female mosquito, the parasite enters the bloodstream through the mosquito’s saliva and makes their way to the liver. Initially, they cause no troubles, but the infected liver then get s damaged releasing merozoites that badly affect the red blood cells (ibid). The multiplying parasites eventually cause the signs of malaria in the host. As stated above, the parasite that causes malaria is called a plasmodium. Typically, there are four different species that cause this disease in man. They are plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium malariae, plasmodium vivax and plasmodium ovale. Among them, the most dangerous one is plasmodium falciparum as it causes most serious complications and often becomes fatal. The rests are less malignant that cause severe fever at alternative intervals. Another peculiar characteristic of these non falciparum parasites is that they may get into the liver and be inactive for long; and the disease will be caused long after original infection (ibid). The different phases of communication and the life cycle of malaria parasites in the human body are illustrated in figure 1. (Figure 1: Source: Davis & Shiel, n.d.) Symptoms of Malaria If a person is affected with malaria, the signs will be visible from ten to twenty eight days of the mosquito bite. The first sign will be tiredness and loss of liveliness. The affected person will have continuous muscle pain and pain in the joints. Some other symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, nausea and diarrhea. The symptoms also include shivering and fever, heavy sweating and fall in temperature. As Ichhpujani and Bhatia (2002 p. 98) points out, Blackwater fever is another complication of malaria in which red blood cells break and release hemoglobin directly into the blood. Cotter (2001, p.39) finds that hemolysis, which is the phenomenon of red blood cell breakage, is the direct cause of Blackwater fever. The most alarming factor about malaria is that the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines. Malaria Diagnosis It is a hard task to diagnose malaria with the clinical criteria as the general symptoms of malaria such as fever and headache are common to a number of illnesses. Therefore, in highly industrialized countries where malaria is rarely reported, physicians have to order special test to identify the presence of malaria. The widely used method of malaria diagnosis test is the Giems blood smear on a microscope slide that is discolored to show the parasites that have got into the red blood cells. The slide of such a blood smear showing Plasmodium parasites are pictorially represented in figure 2. (Figure 2: Source: Jacoby & Younson, 2004.). Though this test is comparatively easy, the
Monday, October 14, 2019
Understanding children and young people Essay Example for Free
Understanding children and young people Essay Children’s development is influenced by a variety of different personal factors, such as: †¢health status †¢disability †¢sensory impairment †¢learning difficulties Health status: A child health status could be determined by their genes or factors such as environment, diet and stress this could have a big impact on the child development. A child being born into a family that both parents carry a trait of sickle cell, that child has one in four chance of being born with sickle cell anaemia. Due to the illness the child sequences and rate development could be affected because of the illness. A child living in a poor environment where it is cold and damp is mostly to develop asthma and also has a bad diet could become obesity or undernourished. This could affect a child aspect of development as they may feel they dont want to play with other children because of their weight or they cant play because their illness restrict what they can do. Children could find it hard to settle in a nursery/ playgroup because they have missed session due to illness this could also be stressful for the child because they might find it hard to make friends. As an nursery worker or playgroup leader you should always make children with an illness or coming from a poor background should all be treated equal and make sure they miss out as little as possible. Disability Sensory impairment: Children born with disabilities could affect their aspect development for example A child in a wheelchair or with a serious physical impairment would find it hard to do many activities, particularity those that are physically demanding. Gross motor skills would be at a less developed rate than peers and fine motor skills may be affected if the child had little or no control over their limbs. Although a disability can affect a child development there should always support and opportunities for children to be able to learn and develop , for example a child should have one to one support or a key worker where that person is allocated to that child to help them gain and learn the same as their peers. Learning difficulties: There are many different types of learning difficulties which can affect a child aspect development in many different ways and also rate of development. Learning difficulties does affect everyone in different ways as we are different individuals they are also present differently at various stages of development. Cognitive development is majorly affected as it covers the way the brain processes information. Learning difficulties prevents the brains ability to receive, process, store, respond to and communicate information. For example a child that is dyslexic will have trouble confusing letter names and sounds, difficulties blending sounds into words, slow rate of reading, trouble remembering after reading text. They will find it hard to concentrate in school as it affects their intellectual skills, this could lead the child feeling left out with their peers. They may might need to have one-to-one lessons at school to help educate them as they may not be at the same cognitive stage as peers.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Existing recruitment and selection process ITcom in India
Existing recruitment and selection process ITcom in India Imagine that you have been asked by an organisation to review an area of HR practice and suggest ways in which it could be improved so as to contribute to HRM strategy and organisational goals. Draw on research literature and contemporary organisational practice to address this issue, and ensure that your answer also pays attention to issues of the methodology employed in the studies you quote. You can choose any area of HR practice that we cover during the second half of the course (that is, recruitment, selection, talent management, performance management, employee involvement and participation). You will also need to provide a short description of the organisation on which you are basing your recommendations so that answers can be evaluated within the context of their application. Objective: The objective of this essay is to undertake an examination of the existing recruitment and selection process forming an organizational framework. The current author will review an Indian based Multinational Company ITcom (Organizations name changed) with respect to globalisation and international market, emphasising on finding the effectiveness on cost/time and quality parameters to identify areas of improvement and suggest ways to improvise on its recruitment and selection procedures drawing on the literature and analysing the research methodology of studies used. Introduction: Increased global competition coupled with enhanced customer/client expectations makes the growth or even the survival of any firm difficult (Back S, 2005). Organizations need to perform and respond to a rapidly changing global environment and thus require attracting and retaining a dedicated, high quality workforce by means of recruitment and selection. From the psychometric perspective (UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), jobs are defined in terms of their tasks or descriptions which are specific. Recruitment is a process of attracting individuals who might meet specifications of task or description. Selection is the process of measuring differences between these candidates to find the person who is best fit. The importance of hiring should not be underestimated because a poor recruitment decision can cost an employer an amount equal to 30 per cent of the employees first year earnings (Hacker 1997). These costs can include: lower productivity; potential loss of clients; training costs; advertising costs; recruitment expenses and redundancy packages (Smith and Graves 2002). According to the CIPD, 20 percent of employees leave within the first six months. This is sometimes called the induction crisis. It was found that numbers varied dramatically by industry, clothing industry figure was 26.5 percent, with 45 percent leaving during first three months, only a third remaining beyond a year (Tarpin et al, 2003). Overall turnover rates in the UK/Ireland fell from 25 percent per year (2000) to about 18 percent per year (2007). However, more people left voluntarily than through dismissal, redundancy, or ending of contracts. Thus it is imperative for an organization to have a strategized HR policy in place for recruitment for selecting and retaining the workforce. Although its recognised as crucial to many organisations, recruitment is often done in an ad hoc and reactive manner. Eight in ten employers rank attracting and recruiting key staff to the organisation in their top three resourcing objectives, but only 50% of organisations in the UK have formal resourcing strategies in place. Many employers acknowledge that they experience tremendous recruitment difficulties (86% according to CIPD). Hence given the costs of filling a vacancy, its important for firms to recruit well and select the most appropriate employees. About the company: ITcom Business, a division of ITcom Limited, is amongst the largest global IT services, Business Process Outsourcing and Product Engineering companies. In addition to the IT business, ITcom also has leadership position in niche market segments of consumer products and lighting solutions. The company has been listed since 1945 and started its technology business in 1980. Today, ITcom generates USD 6 billion (India GAAP figure 2009-10) of annual revenues. Its equity shares are listed in India on the Mumbai Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange; as well as on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States. ITcom makes an ideal partner for organizations looking at transformational IT solutions because of its core capabilities, great human resources, commitment to quality and the global infrastructure to deliver a wide range of technology and business consulting solutions and services. ITcom enables business results by being a transformation catalyst. It offers integrated portfolio of services to its clients in the areas of Consulting, System Integration and Outsourcing for key-industry verticals. It has a wide geographical diversity of operations with over 50 development centers and 10 near shore centres spread across India, Japan, China, France, Austria, Sweden, Germany, UK and USA. In recent years, ITcom has faced a number of workforce challenges, such as an increasingly diverse workforce, increased cut throat competition in market giving rise to attrition rate and uncertainty of workforce requirement. As one of the strategies to address these challenges, a need rises to review and streamline recruitment and selection business processes to support ITcom as a leading organization and to increase the ability to make high quality hires and meet workforce needs. Literature Review in Context with ITcom: The Recruitment Process: Organizational review and Job Analysis: Perhaps the most one can say with any certainty is that many UK companies continue to express a commitment to the idea of HR strategy and planning. How this translates into practice, however, is less clear (Liff, 2000 p.125) When the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities [is] intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals'(Wright and McMahan 1992: 298), HRM can be said to be strategic. More specifically, for recruitment to become strategic, HR practitioners must answers to the following questions (Breaugh 1992; Breaugh and Starke 2000): Whom to recruit?, Where to recruit?, What recruitment sources to use (e.g. the web, newspapers, job fairs, on campus, etc.)?, When to recruit? And (5) what message to communicate? HR planning is regarded as essential for at least four sets of reasons (Marchington, 2005): Clear links between business and HR Plans: It draws the link or degree of fit between HR planning and strategic plans, so that the ability of HR function can be measured to deliver precisely what the business requires. It can also be viewed as a relationship between corporate and HR plans, where HR plans will contribute to the development of the corporate. In either ways HR planning can be viewed as major facilitator of competitive advantage. Better control over staffing costs and numbers employed: Making projections about anticipated staffing needs is imperative, irrespective of whether a growth or decline in numbers is predicted. This makes it easier to match supply and demand and therefore make decisions about recruiting from the external labour market, relocating staff, or preparing for reductions in numbers employed in order to achieve greater control over staffing costs (Taylor, 2005. P.101) More informed judgements about the skills and attitude mix in the organization: It is very critical to get the right mix of skills in the employed workforce to attain the confidence of customer and for productivity and profit generation. In case of ITcom, some of its customers are domain based, for example one of its clients is Boeing, which has specifications of employing only citizens in the USA geography and highly skilled professionals in Product Life Cycle Management (PLM). In this scenario what is expected is either ITcom should search and acquire people skilled in this field or get professionals who can be trained on these platforms to give quality results. Maintain a profile of existing staff: By maintaining a profile in terms of age, gender, race and disability etc helps any organization to claim for providing equal opportunities. Without accurate and up-to-date figures on existing staff numbers and their breakdown by grade and position, it is impossible for employers to make decisions about how equality management can be achieved (Liff 2000, p103). In 2008, ITcom was asked by the DOJ (Department of Justice) of US legislations to prove that it offers equal employment opportunity for all. ITcom was using online software (known as SYNERGY) for database generation. This software had a peculiar questionnaire (like age, sex, nationality etc) to understand the background of the candidate applying for jobs. Later these questions were omitted as it was believed that interviewers might get biased at the initial stage of application and may not proceed ahead with the prospective employees candidature. Hence all the details of employee were transferred and saved in the SAP software for internal use and data storage, it helped the company to keep track of its existing employees along with amendments in Synergy software which helped in refraining its managers and recruiters to avoid any discriminatory practice by human error at the stage of recruitment and selection. The primary step in the recruitment process after HR planning, involves a systematic review of the organizational requirements which lead to a thorough analysis of the requirements of jobs called job analysis. The above process of HR planning and job analysis which translates demand for labour, leads to forecasting the internal and external supply. Based on these decisions can be made about the balance between external recruitment, internal staff development or workforce reductions. Table I is an example of a typical seven days of business taken from a hotel operation. The figures have been reduced to two functions: for example, rooms and food and beverage or restaurant and bars, and for simplicity it is assumed that functional flexibility covers two skills, i.e. staff from function A would be able to work in function B and vice versa. In operational terms the seven days depicted here would be a point in a rolling forecast that would change daily. The demand patterns described here are typical of departments within a hotel operation but could also represent patterns in restaurant operations, retailing and many tourism attractions. ITcom has been able to work well in this area of HR planning and setting up a stringent policy to which all the employees/recruiters are bound to be compliant. The Executive Vice President of Human Resource Management personally regulates the HR policies which are formed by the leaders and Senior Managers of the company. A dedicated team continuously works on mapping the market trends and predicts the upcoming problems and opportunities to work pro-actively on demands to incur with supply of labour. Job description, person specification and competencies: Once the job analysis has been collected, the next step is to develop a job description. They are particularly prevalent in public sector and large organizations. A job description usually includes: Job title, location, responsible to (job title of supervisor) and for (job titles of members who will report directly under the job holder), main purpose of the job, responsibilities or duties, working conditions (contains contractual agreements, fringes and benefits etc) other matters such as if travelling is required etc and performance standards along with any other duties that might be assigned by the organisation. (Marchington, 2005) Traditionally, it is divided into two main topics: work-oriented analysis (focussing on the job itself) and worker-oriented analysis (focussing on the worker) (Searle, 2003). Rodgers seven-point plan (Physical make-up, attainments, general intelligence, special aptitudes, interest, disposition and circumstances) and Frasers five-point plan (Impact on others, acquired knowledge and qualifications, innate abilities, motivation and adjustment) rely heavily on personal judgment to specify human qualities associated with successful performance (Newell and Shackleton 2000, p115). The significance of these job descriptions is that they focus on the behavioural aspects of the candidates. Therefore it is not required to make inferences about personal qualities that might underpin behaviour (Newell and Shackleton, 2001, p26). Job descriptions and specifications of person often exist alongside the competency-based approaches (Taylor 2002c), not least because they set a framework within which subsequent HR practices, for example performance management, training and development, pay and grading can be placed (Whiddett and Hollingforde 1999). According to IRS (IRS Employment Review 782 2003, p45) the most commonly used competencies are team orientation, communication, people management, customer focus, results orientation and problem solving. Surprisingly, ethical behaviour, responsibility, enthusiasm and listening are rarely used. Competency can be differentiated in four types (Roberts 1997, p71-72) a) namely: natural which is made up by the big five dimensions of personality; extraversion/introversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience b) acquired: where knowledge and skills acquired through work or other avenues. c) Adapting: this competency area revolves around the ability to adapt natural talents and acquired skills to new situation. And lastly, performing: which comprises observable behaviours and output. Recruitment Methods: Choosing a cost effective method for recruitment is essential and depends on factors specific to organisation. Recruitment is typically regarded as poor relation to selection, typically afforded limited space in most of the publications and gives very little evidence of the theoretical underpinnings (Breaugh and Starke 2000). Recruitment provides the candidates for the selector to judge. Selection techniques cannot overcome failures in recruitment; they merely make them evident (Watson, 1994, p203). It is very important that the organisation decide whether or not to recruit, which sources to be used and what cost. Legal issues are also to be borne particularly while using media and publishing the adverts (Taylor 2002c). Internal and External Searches: ITcom uses various tools for recruitment internally and externally. Internal Sources: It moves its potential employees from one department to another which fills the vacancies and proves to be a career development for the employees. The knowledge transfer from one position to another embarks the capabilities in the staff and enhances their skills and abilities. These practices are more prevalent during rationalisation than in boon or recession (Marchington, 2005). Staffs are also transferred from temporary posts to open ended contracts or from agency work onto the direct payroll. This provides employers with a form of quasi-internal labour market where they can observe people at work before committing to a more secure employment offer (Rubery et al 2002, 2004). There is indication from wider research on agencies that they are progressively taking up strategies to expand markets in which potential recruits, as well as employers, are receptive to temporary opportunities and for whom the profit of agency working outweigh the costs. * There is also an internal marketing team in recruitment department in ITcom which focuses on publishing the job vacancies in the company and gain the references from the existing employees. The CIPD survey showed that word-of-mouth recruitment remains widely used though it is sometimes hard to differentiate from speculative applications. A major advantage of referral programs is the quality of candidates, as most employees are unlikely to recommend friend who will not fit the culture of the organization and who is not suited for the role. The Coventry Building Society filled nearly a quarter of all its posts through this method (IRS Employment Review 804 2004). In ITcom there are various award schemes for recruiters to encourage employees to refer their friends and families. Although it is cheap and readily available, organizations such as Acas, the EOC and the CRE are worried such ring-fencing may strengthen the existing imbalances (gender, race and disability), upsetting the attempts to encourage greater workforce diversity. (Marchington, 2005) One of the major and critical hiring in ITcom is for the Sales division, where the Industry experts like evangelists, practice managers, sales director etc are required to lead the business. ITcom has a dedicated team of leadership hiring professionals who evaluate the candidature for these positions. The current author suggests that the company should try to engage with head-hunters for sourcing and recruiting for such high-level and critical roles. Head-hunters may have extensive contacts which can be beneficial. This method is expensive, and is used much in private sector than in public or voluntary bodies (Marchington, 2005) Apart from the middle and senior level positions, for the fresh recruits the most effective way can be campus placements and the CIPD survey found that it was on a par with the companys own website in popularity. Sources of external applicant and Methods of attracting applicants: Largest number of lists comes under external sources which constitute the open sources. Advertisements in national and local papers are amongst the most widely used methods, and for the specialist posts trade press can be more effective (CIPD 2004b). Radio and TV adverts are rarely used. ITcom in 2009 advertised its employee referral programmes which were based on theme of friendship, aired the adverts on a local radio channel (94.3 Radio One FM in Bangalore), to let the message be conveyed to mass. This had helped the company to gain many applicants through existing employees. E-Recruitment is another one tool which has gained its significance in recent years. According to IRS 90% of firms use some form of e-recruitment. Like job boards (monster.com, dice.com, careerbuilder.com. jobsahead.com etc) for advertising the vacancies. Social networking sites (linkedin.com, myspace.com, facebook.com etc) are also gaining popularity amongst the job seekers and recruiters for filling the positions. Main advantages of e-recruitment are reduced costs, improved corporate image, reduced administration, etc. The Selection Process: Consulting various sources such as Cook (1998), Taylor (2002c), Cooper et al (2003) and Searle (2003) it is conferred that no single technique, no matter how well it is designed and administered, can be capable of being perfect selection decision. Employers are advised not to rely on one method (Marchington, 2005). According to a CIPD survey of more than 1000 employers, it is concluded that the most common and widely used techniques were traditional interviews, competency-based interviews and tests for specific skills. Robertson and Smith (2001) also indicated that most techniques have very low levels of accuracy in terms of producing effective selection decisions. Of techniques used on their own, work sampling offers the highest likelihood of success, closely followed by intelligence tests and structured interviewing (Schmidt and Hunter, 1998) Various authors (Newell and Shackleton 200; Taylor 2002c; Cooper et al 2003 and Searle 2003) discuss the criteria for assessing the value of selection methods: Practicality: According to Cooper et al (2003, p94), it is the most important criteria of all. The method suggested has to be economical in terms of cost and benefits, the time required to administer it and should be within the capabilities of those who are supposed to run it. Most critical is the cost issue. For example, it makes very less sense to run a sophisticated and complex personality test if only one candidate has applied for the post. Sensitivity: A lot of care must be taken to avoid any kind of discrimination based on race, gender, age or disability. Reliability: comprises of different elements but refers essentially to consistency of method used to select individuals (Newell and Shackleton 2000, p119). It should not be too much influenced by chance factors (Cooper et al 2003, p 50-52). For example: inter-rater reliability is crucial if many interviewers take interview, where one rejects and other selects. In ITcom, at many occasions this problem exists, as for certain job roles, several levels of interviews are conducted. It must be taken in consideration to measure the accuracy of each interviewer before concluding a rejection or selection of the candidate. Validity: This defines the correctness of the inferences that can be drawn from the selection methods. (Newell and Shackleton, 2000, p121) define this as the relationship between the predictors (the result from the selection methods used) and the criteria (performance of the job). Key Themes and Recommendations: The assessment of market scenario of ITcom suggests that while there are quite a few areas for upgrading and improvement, there are also many areas that are working well, including: ITcom appears to have more flexibility in identifying the suitable appointment method, establishing the merit criteria to be considered in determining the most suitable candidate with its strong value based strict compliance policies. The range of options (internal and external sourcing) available to recruit staff provides flexibility and supports timely and effective hiring decisions. The Jobs Websites (monster.com, dice.com, careerbuilder.com, linkedin.com etc) appears to be an effective method of attracting successful candidates, and feedback about the job postings, application and interview process and the quality of hires seems positive. Staffing Operating Principles related to fairness, integrity and selection of the most suitable person was seen as both useful and being achieved. The staffing proce ss was perceived to be transparent and able to withstand scrutiny. Executive Search recruitment and screening processes were generally considered to work well and support hiring high quality executive management and senior leaders, in a timely fashion. Opportunities for improvement: Themes emerged including the need to formalize processes that will progress into a more strategic approach to recruitment: Focus must be increased on long-term forecasting of workforce needs in new development centres (e.g. newly opened development centre in Atlanta, GA in USA and Germany), which will help to directly connect workforce planning to the staffing function and developing strategies to address gaps. In this context of globalization, many multinational organizations search for suitable employees from across the globe and apply similar selection criteria with limited attention to effectiveness and less knowledge of different cultural backgrounds (Searle, 2003). Searle also believes that this is an area where practice is far ahead of research and comment. One way firms are trying to manage their operation within this new global context more effectively is by using sophisticated selection assessment practices. If the underlying basis for their assessment is flawed, then these more high-powered tests and assessments will inevitably be a further waste of resources. Increase focus on recruitment planning and implement a project management approach to the hiring process. Increase focus on branding and candidate sourcing for active and passive candidates, including more targeted sources of media. Research has indicated that the media exposure of a firm is a sign of its reputation (Newell and Shackleton, 2001). Technology in form of media and internet helps reducing the cost and time of travel for both applicants and companies. ITcom with most of its offices across the globe uses the telephone and video conferencing for conducting interviews. Expand methods for facilitating the identification of potential internal candidates for executive positions, including if possible, information from succession management and workforce planning initiatives. Enhance utilization of summer employment, work experience, co-op and internship initiatives as a strategy to attract and develop students and recent graduates in conjunction with workforce forecasting needs. Improve efficiency and effectiveness through increased collaboration and use of technology. Increase all stakeholders knowledge of staffing process including the recruitment strategies available. Conclusion: The Recruitment and selection within the wide organizational context highlights the relationship between organizational strategy and human resource policy and procedures. Key changes in methods and practices are identified responsible for increased attention and use of selection systems. Application of techniques enhances the confidence of HR processes. The growth in process oriented research highlights an alternative view of selection and recruitment and is at odds with the psychometric approach. As there is increased sophistication in the selection methods, it is often forgotten that without a proper set recruitment method, there would be less number of applicants for selection; this can have reverse impact on the performance of employment contract. Conversely, usage of well chosen methods can be helpful in choosing the staff which can be fit to meet targets of the organization. Recruitment is one area of HRM where assistance might be sought from the external providers, as being aw are of the limits and using the right techniques are equally important. It is very important that recruitment and selection processes be well organised, delivered and evaluated for the organisational growth. Methodology: The research work or sample used in the essay are pure and applied (from the perspective of application in various situations) and descriptive, co relational, explanatory or exploratory (from the perspective of objectives of the literature view). Most of the information is gathered by the literature from texts and journals and was related to real life experience of the current author from ITcom. Data collection of most of the articles and references cited in the essay are from the companies which is generally the primary data, secondary data is the one used from literature. Wherever required while collecting the data, the interviews were commenced, questionnaires were formed, and observations were made for example the IRS employment reviews and CIPD conducted surveys (which are quoted in the essay) in such styles or formats. Each of the articles and examples portrayed in the essay were based on literature review which brought in the clarity and focus to research problem and improved the methodology by enhancing the knowledge base. The literature pertinent dealt with two types of information, one universal and second specific (local trends). In some of the journals, a number of sources were used to compile databases, for example data was collected from local employment agencies, yellow pages along with interviews and surveys were conducted. These give a broad platform to compare and relate the data by empirical methodology of data accumulation.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
The Jazz Age :: essays research papers
The Jazz Age      Many of the influential artists of the past came from the jazz age such as Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Basie and Crosby, Sarah Vaughan, Cab Calloway, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, and many others.      Frank Sinatra was dominating the scene in 1947. He had a voice that was carefully articulated, and had meaningful quality that could make everyone feel that he was sending a private message in his songs to everyone in the audience. It was not however a happy scene. This was widely known as Sinatra’s career skidding down. His personal appearances were gone along with the screaming fans. His once top charted recordings were now near the bottom, if they even placed at all. His contracts with filmmakers and record dealers were thinking about dropping him.      Sinatra’s problems were due to a few factors with his career. One of them was the fact that he held friendships with Mafia bosses, and his obvious womanizing of all fans and press. There were outside sources too, including the introduction to newer singing styles.      Sinatra wasn’t the only one hurting during this time. The big band swing era was on its way out too. The bands started taking strike after the war and singers became the main attraction as apposed to the band. People were paying more attention to the singers as the main performer and the band were placed somewhere less needed. Sinatra had been undermining the band swing era that had been his foundation. Sinatra’s orchestra was the foundation of his career and what had originally made him famous, but by 1947 his orchestra was no longer in existence. For several years Sinatra kept singing expertly but he was very modest about it. His musical career was instant and fantastic, and he was once again a superstar reaching a status that is so great.      In 1948, Billie Holiday was at her peak, physically and musically. Surprisingly the main reason due to her transformation was her spending time in a federal reformatory for the possession of narcotics. While she was in the federal reformatory she was stripped of her narcotics and because of this she lost her pudginess and became a strikingly beautiful woman. Even after not singing for so long her voice was retained and was said to be even richer and more refined than before.      Billie Holiday was unable to work at nightclubs because of police restrictions with performers with criminal records.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Human Capital, Inequality and Growth in Transition Economies Essay
Human Capital can be defined as the accumulation of competences and knowledge in individuals gained through education and experience, not forgetting their personality attributes. All these put together enable individuals effectivley perform profitable and revenue generating economic activities. Such competent persons in a society are at times reffered to as a workforce or laborforce. Some examples of investments in humans that result in human capital are education, health and training. As Becker says, human capital investments raise the earning ability of individuals, improve health and add to an individuals’ good habits. The term inequality generally refers to disparities in access to opportunities or resources amongst individuals, groups or even countries. Some of the common causes of inequality are; gender, race, age, geographical location and even cultural practices. Inequality normally results in observable differences in levels of growth and development of individuals or from one society to another. Education is the process through which individuals are able to acquire basic skills necessary for life. It is the understanding and interpretation of knowledge that empowers individuals to develop a logical and rational mind. The rational mind is then is able to determine relationships amongts pertinent variables, thereby fostering understanding. Education involves completing curriculum based fixed time achievements, aimed at building professional capabilities. At the individual level, it develops the capabilities and potentials of the individual so as to prepare them to be successful in a specific society or culture. In this case therefore, education serves an individuals’developmental needs. When education happens at the societal level, it is thus defined as a process by which society transmits to new members the values, beliefs, knowledge and symbollic expressions that make communication possible within that society. In this sense, education serves a social and cultural function. Roland (2000) says that transition economics, also known as transformation economics refers to a state whereby economies have gradually changed over from socialism to capitalism, an example being the former socialist economies. There is a shift from standardized prices and monetary theories to institutions geared towards a higher efficiency. This transition can only thrive if there is sustained government and political support. The Soviet Union in full, is known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), It was characterised by a single communist political party, a planned economy and the KGB security agency which closely monitored activities within the union. USSR was formed in December 1922 and by 1956, it was comprised of 15 countries with Moscow being the capital city. The fifteen countries included; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Dissolution of USSR begun in 1985 and continued upto 1991, with the fifteen member states gaining their independence a few months before the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, restructuring of the administrative functions and development of a market based system was immediately embarked on through Yeltsins’ shock program. The aim was to improve standards of living, ensure equitable resource allocation, create new production avenues, promote liberalization, and provide incentives through privatization activities. However, a free and liberalised market did not come without ny challenges. By 1992 Russia suffered a deppressed life expectancy, twenty five percent of the population lived in abject poverty, there were low birthrates, and a downward sloping Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, due to increased investment activities, exploitatation of valuable natural resources and increased business development activites, the economy begun to make significant improvement. The aim of this paper is to explore how education as a factor of human capital and inequality influenced growth in transition economies, with respect to the former Soviet Union countries (FSU). Theoretical research Human capital with regard to education and levels of inequality both have an impact on the growth experienced in transition economies. This growth is therefore an end result of quality educational investments and equitable distribution and allocation of vital resources across a country. Such a hypothesis makes growth the dependent variable whose outcome is influenced by two independent variables namely; education and inequality. Observation of growth and development trends in transition economies and the developing world, have shown that education can have both positive and negative impacts on an economy. One of the positive impacts is that persons who possess the relevant knowledge and skills required by organizations are able to access better job opportunities as opposed to those who are poorly educated. In addition, high levels of education enable individuals to secure jobs in other countries, thus helping to alleviate the problem of unemployement in their mother country. Spagat (2002) observed that during Russia’s transition, intellectual individuals were more motivated to pursue more education opportunities and in return, became very successful in their careers. In regard to the economic transition in the former Soviet Union countries (FSU), educated parents who still held education in high esteem, were very focused on ensuring that their children acquired the same level of education as them or even higher. While on the other hand those parents who viewed education as a burden rather than an investment focused on the bare minimum, that is, basic education. The result of this attitude was that these particular families remained trapped at a basic education level and so was their access to income generating opportunities. Through education and training, individuals acquire problem solving skills and entrepreneur management skills which inturn, help them set up and operate successful ventures, in the process creating employment opportunities. In addition, as the field of education grows within a country with more universities, colleges, high schools and primary schools being constructed, more job opportunities are created in the education sector. Persons who are well educated are likely to secure better paying jobs, which inturn increases their purchasing power plus it increases the demand for goods and services available in the economy. The net effect of this, is creation of more job opportunites in the production and service sectors. These persons are able to improve their standards of living including those of their dependants. In addition, issues of health and fertility are decided upon from a knowledgeable point, (Newell and Reilly, 1999). Through education, individuals are exposed to society and they acquire important attributes and values that can help them enhance their capacity to interact and relate with other persons in society. As a result, they able to adapt and cope with the dynamics of the workplace. Last but not least, education as a contributor to human capital enhances economic growth and development in a country, since the human capital is equipped on how to exploit the countrys’natural resources profitably. Countries lacking this human capital are neither able to exploit their resources adequately, nor are they able to develop their economy at the desired pace. Barro (1998) argues that human capital enhances absorption and application of superior technologies from other countries. Young and educated persons under the guidance of the older folk are able to conduct research and development. The improved technology in a transitional economy enhances the speed and quality of production of goods and services, through improved and more cost efficient work processes. The young industries are in turn able to meet rising demands, both domestic and foreign hence increasing their revenues and taxes to the government. Munich et al (1999), argue that in a transition economy, government support and positive attitude towards investments in human capital is essential. The government has to allocate funds for example for building schools and also for enticing people to enroll in this schools. However, the maintenance of the enrollment levels is a continued process whose economic benefits are only realised over time as was seen in the Czech Republic. In support of this argument, Spagat (1995) warns that it is even though human capital takes years to accumulate, it actually takes a very short while to deteriorate, hence governments cannot afford to postpone this investment, even temporarily. The governments must ensure that education and other skills are transferred effectively from one generation to the next. Restructuring of education, needs to be done from the very beginning of the transition from socialism, in order to immediately improve educations’ quality. There is a multiplier effect that comes with better quality education. The first being an increased access to job opportunities, higher wages and consequently more tax revenue for the government. The major effect however, is that it sets the standards for future generations, both in terms of quality of education and future incomes, (Spagat, 2002). Fan et al (1999) said that the young people of Russia during the transition had little or no motivation to put effort to pursue education. This is because the education system had not been restructured to match the market-oriented system and therefore the returns were not high. World Bank (1995) accused Russia of concentrating on spewing out scientists and engineers instead of producing a mixture of professionals who would support the different sectors of Russia’s’ economy. They only increased between 1991 and 1994, but this human capital investment deteriorated again by 1996, (Brainerd (1998). In order to make ends meet, many dropped out of school and opted for jobs such as taxi drivers, street vendors and some even joined the Mafioso for a quick buck. All was not lost however, when we remember individuals like the Hungarian–American entrepreneur George Soros, who provided funds that would help these countries implement reforms for a better future. OECD (1996) advised that schools and tertiary institutions should not be the only avenues through which education is attained. OECD (1996) advised that adult learning should be encouraged in order to help the older generations access more income. In addition, pre-schooling of children below the age of formal schooling, which was a common feature of the FSU countries fostered child development and also prepared these children for formal education. In these former Soviet Union countries, the major advantage of pre-schooling their young children was in the fact that it freed the women to participate in economic activities, and it also reduced education disparities between children of the educated parents and those of the less educated parents. Micklewright (2000) wrote that investment in learning institutions ensures sustained educational gains. For example, in some of the Soviet Union countries, teachers earned wages so low that they spent their time looking for more income instead of teaching. In addition, repair and maintenance of the buildings was neglected and with lack of heating during winter, schools would be closed. The other problem was the shortage of textbooks. However, these countries tried to salvage the situation by offering meals at school between 1989 and 1996, in order to entice parents to take their children back to school. In countries such as, Yugoslavia, Armenia, Georgia, Tajikistan and Albania, the transition was characterised by serious geographical disparities caused by war, civil and ethnic strife. Facilities were destroyed, hundreds of families were displaced out of their homes and schools were closed, (World Bank, 1997b), thus slowing down the ongoing projects. Human capital is vital for growth of transition economies. Growth should be stimulated across all sectors of the economy and in each part of the country so as to rapidly raise the standards of living and reduce inequalities between urban and rural areas. Keen interest should be paid especially to rural areas, in order to eliminate the possibility of mushrooming of pockets of poverty across the country. According to Flemming and Micklewright (1999), ensuring that access to education is recognized by FSU countries as a human right as stipulated in international law, will greatly boost growth of human capital. Equal rights promote equal access to opportunities and it also reduces discrimination based on gender, race, religion or economic status. Income inequality rose in the Czech Republic and Russia and was very high between 1988 and 1996. In order to support a transition economy, Spagat (2002) suggests that a balance should be created between skilled and unskilled labour. This is because most young people either worked on a full time basis and neglected pursuit of higher education, or they pursued higher education and then begun working at a later stage. One of the negative impacts of education on a country is that by having too many educated persons, the labor market gets saturated thus resulting in a drop in the amount of wages that employers are willing to offer. In turn this acts as a demotivator of the labor force and may also result in brain drain whereby qualified personnel leave their mother country for better opportunities in other countries. The unemployed persons are normally seen resulting to social ills such as alcoholism, drug abuse and robbery amongst others. These social ills inturn dissuade local and foreign investors from putting their money in an unsafe country.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)