Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Sociology Lesson 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociology Lesson 5 - Essay Example Movement of materials down the supply chain to the market encourages transportation and communication, brings development to underdeveloped areas, and thereby spreads the fruits of national prosperity to a broader segment of the population. More productive citizens would contribute more to the coffers of the state by way of taxes and duties, enabling social services and facilities to reach a greater number of the disadvantaged members of society. Media employed the use of stereotypes in order to build popular sentiment in favor of the nation’s fighting forces and to enhance derision of the enemy forces. Italians were portrayed as bumbling, fun-seeking fools, Germans as automatons, and Japanese as sneaky and dishonest. By playing on the sentiments of the viewing public, propaganda integrated into Hollywood style movies drummed up public support for the war, incited strong animosity towards the enemy, and for a time encouraged viewers to buy war bonds to provide funding for the war effort. 1. Religious practice – This aspect deals with the extent to which people involve themselves in Church membership, attendance at religious services, and so on. It dwells on the cultural traditions and outward manifestations of religion. 2. Religious organization – This aspect treats of the level of society as a whole. It involves the extent to which religious organizations are actively involved in the day-to-day routine. It describes the extent to which religious organizations wield influence and control over the manner society is run and how it functions. 3. Religious thought – Describes the level of individual consciousness and the extent to which people believe in ideas like God, sin, good and evil. This may be significant in terms of secularization, considering that religious activity declined in terms of practice and organization, but

Monday, October 28, 2019

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay Example for Free

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay 1. ABSTRACT It is debated that sustainable development has not worked well within the globalist environment and continues to seem unpromising for our future. If there is not some sort of new outside of the box idea followed by drastic action which takes place, this society faces grave environmental dangers as every new year comes. This essay will critically assess the statement mentioned above and will go in depth to try to explain how negative impacts can be stopped and this essay will put forth ideas regarding how capitalism and environmentalism can reconcile. 2. INTRODUCTION 2.1. BackgroundGlobalization is a concern today as it is attributed to massive social problems in developing nations. The deterioration of the environment i.e. the destruction of the rain forests, oceans, rivers, and lakes is directly related to overwriting and non-regulation of local environmental laws by corporations in developing countries. Also within the global society, economic inequality, especially poverty and exploitation of underdeveloped nations, are major social problems due to developed policies between international economic institutions of the International Monetary Fund and the Word Bank, international corporations, and national governments. These policies can be so harmful to economies that they contribute to horrors such as world hunger, disease, and human trafficking to name a few. Government intervention by regulation, taxation, and redistributing wealth then distorts natural laws of supply and demand. Some economies may suffer disadvantaged at first, but society is better off when the free market is allowed to control itself. 2.2. Purpose of the ReportThis report is aimed to give in detaied undertandign of what does globalization it, how it developed and what negative impacts on human life. While there are many positive aspects of globalization, its negative effects are overwhelming and far reaching. In fact the effects of the same behave like slow poison which is why it becomes more important to recognize and stop the negatives. 2.3. Statement of the problemBefore understanding the reasons behind why this phenomenon has brought with it so many problems, we need to have a look at  the instruments by which globalization is being promoted and enhanced. The most important and predominant instruments influencing this process are the multinational corporations and the new revolution of information technology. 3. METHODOLOGY While preparing this report, mostly the book resources of Yeditepe University Knowledge Center applied. there were numbers of books to search about the subject. This report will start with briefly defining globalization. then it will follow by its negative impacts in terms of both its economic, human and nature impacts. 4. FINDINGS 4.1. GlobalizationThere are various definitions for the word globalization, but depending on the perspective it is seen in, this phenomenon ramifies itself in different shade colors between white and black. To put ourselves in the appropriate context, it is important to understand what the word globalization means. Globalization in its literal sense is the process of transformation of local or regional things or phenomena into global ones. It can also be used to describe a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together. This process is a combination of economic, technological, socio-cultural and political forces. Globalization is also used to refer to another term called economic globalization and this term, refers to the Integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and the spread of technology.(Robertson, 1992) During the death of each minute consumed and the passing of each day, societies have identified a certain shrinking of the world that has been more real with the strengthening of larger and stronger bonds between parallel worlds called countries. It is interesting to see that this phenomenon is not only visible because of the human being evolution, but also because of the rapid transformations in communication, transportation, and computer technology, that have permitted these parallel worlds to explore and be exposed to other ways of living and cultures (Roberts, 1999). In a broader perspective, this situation could be seen as a beneficial situation due to the fact, that opening up to new cultures, means the breaking of paradigms in the solving of problems. The difficulty nagging in everyones minds is, in the dissolution of those paradigms, are the  societies going to lose their identities which indicate in the way they live life and differ themselves from others? Its a question that has been more and more obvious in the passing of each day and that have started revolutions in pursue of preventing cultural distortion because many countries, in fact, feel threatened by other cultures and consequently, are acting out to preserve themselves the best way possible. 4.2. Globalization and culture Globalization represents a challenge to cultures and local languages. Globalization needs to be pursued with tolerance and respect for the cultures that we come across. Being hastily judgmental could lead to marginalizing many local cultures. Scientific and economic superiority of the US and the flow of information technology assist in imposing certain languages in particular English as a second language in some developing and developed countries, and as a first language in some others and this could have a significant impact on cultures resulting in the dilution if not wiping out traditions, customs, and values of many societies and marginalizes their cultures (Appadurai, 1996). 4.2.1. Cultural imperialism People are scared of cultural imperialism, which describes the idea that one day the whole world will be one big culture and that the blending of cultures will eliminate the existence of the weaker ones and fusion the habits and customs of the stronger ones. In order for this to happen, there must be an eradication of many different cultures around the world, but in a personal perspective, the idea of cultural imperialism is not possible (Appadurai, 1996). Even if all the weakest cultures adopted important habits, people would still prefer some of the things their culture proportions. 4.2.2. McDonalds More than half of the Colombians would never prefer a Mc Donald lunch over a real good sancocho trifà ¡sico and the American culture has a higher possibility to choose the other way around, due to the fact that a lot of people can only afford to eat at Mc Donalds because of its low prices in their country. This is why in a way it is clear that even if cultural imperialism were to happen, the cultures of the world would never be able to come together to form just one. Besides, there is no secret that  globalization is an uneven process, due to the fact that there is an unequal distribution of benefits and losses and this is another argument that demonstrates that many cultures differ(Peterson, 1999). This imbalance, also leads to the separation between the rich countries, and the poor ones causing them to be more against the beliefs of the rich countries, and more protective of their own. Positive cultural understanding of the market is a way to facilitate any marketing program development and resumes in a higher success for the manager that applies this, but some managers confuse themselves believing that marketing influences culture completely (Appadurai, 1996). In a way, this is true but this does not mean it changes it even though product acceptance is affected by culturally based attitudes towards change. There are a few things to take into consideration when thinking that culture is in constant change with marketing. There is a term called corporate culture, which describes the whole collection of assumptions, practices and norms that people in an organization adopt over time. This means that employees have to buy into them, eventually getting to the point where they take them for granted and passes them on. (Bauman, 1998) This term is interesting because all of the companies have their own internal culture that is always bargaining with the culture of its home country and many managers confuse themselves trying to change their national cultures for that of their company without any success, thinking in that idea that market can change culture. Experts in organization behavior say it is difficult to alter any kind of culture independent if it is a national culture or a corporate one, but the corporate culture is more flexible in terms of the way they do things internally and that a manager must understand this in order to obtain success. 4.3. Globalization and developing countries Globalization has serious effects on many developing countries:a. The irresponsible behavior of some multinational corporations toward the environment of developing countries (using these countries as a safe haven) participating in this phenomenon could cause much harm to the latter. Due to lenient policing, expired products are dangerously marketed and natural surroundings are carelessly  abused. So globalization in this context changes the world to become a global pillage instead of being a global village. Besides due to lack of supervisory governmental bodies, such behaviour could also lead to Global Warming -the consequences of which will not be limited only to the marginalized nations (Cosgrove-Sacks, 1999). b. The real test to globalization is through its success in reducing the gap between the rich and the poor at local, national and global levels. However the widening gap between the East and the West at international level, and between haves and have-nots at national level is another serious aspect of globalization (Peterson, 1999). c. Globalization has forced many countries in various parts of this world to regulate to a lower league the most fundamental needs of their peoples. The equitable distribution of food, adequate health care facilities, and the quality of education are no longer priority concerns the political agendas of the governments in these countries (Roberts, 1999). All these indicate that poor societies in the third world not only remain far away from benefiting from globalization, but also they continue to suffer from its calamities, pitfalls and misfortunes. It then contributes to laying the foundation of injustices and social inequalities, and moreover preventing the growth of new markets in these countries because they are unable to compete with the advanced markets. Globalization can also be bad for countries that arent very good at producing things and are too impoverished. Their industries may need protection against multinational firms so that their local industries can develop and get big enough to fund research and development and exploit economies of scale. Globalization means the world becoming one big marketplace with as few trade barriers as possible, so obviously weaker companies would be wiped out by stronger ones, which might be based in a few rich countries. So great income inequality can result. However, it is generally agreed that globalization has more pros than it has cons. 4.4. Globalization and morals The immoral character of globalization is becoming even more serious and its negative impacts in this context have different aspects. Globalization has internationalized crimes. Drug trafficking and the trafficking of women and children have become much more difficult to control because of their international character. Not only crimes are globalized, but also diseases such as AIDS. Pornography too accounts for the poisoning of young minds and counter productive usage of technology. This has lead to increase in crimes against women and beginning of unhealthy trends in society(Perlas, 1999). 4.5. Globalization and international politics By increasing interdependence among countries, globalization would give economically strong and advanced countries a strong hold on international politics. However this power could be misused by superpowers which could possibly challenge international legitimacy through marginalizing the role of the United Nations and ignoring the international law (Baylis, 2001). 4.6. Globalization and societal structuresThe free economy and the development of technology have negative impact on labourers. As known, twenty percent of the world population is producing the needs of all population in this world, while most of the rest 80% are unable to find a suitable source of income. This is serious because underprivileged people are expected to revolt against their bad conditions (Perlas, 1999). This is possible with the growing decline of states power to the favor of private sectors, on one hand, and to the growing decrease of the governmental expenditures on social and public services such as heath, education etc., on the other. In this, globalization is a source of social instability and class disparity. 4.6.1. Inequalities within society It is difficult to fully understand inequalities within society without fully understanding that in our capitalist societies, nothing happens unless it is profitable and that profit is usually achieved through the struggle of others surrounding it.  The leading corporate empires and some of the richest people in our worlds history have achieved their successes through the blood, sweat and tears of the unnamable workers that have helped in the past, and are helping them today (Bauman, 1998). The following essay will critically assess the usefulness of the blame globalism approach as to why there exist so many inequalities in our society, and this essay will also touch upon alternative points of view that steer away from capitalism as the main problem (Peterson, 1999). Inequality in society is quite extensive and it continues to grow. Different ways exist when portraying inequality and where it is rooted from, some views are fact based logic and some are more opinion based. Most of the time our initial views of what inequality is and where it seems to exist most, comes from the infomercials we see where images of poor children in third world countries strike across our televisions. Outside the western hemisphere of the world in the poorer countries there certainly is a visible inequality when compared to life here at home, but this has been the case for so many years (Perlas, 1999). One of the major modern inequalities creating a history of its own for people in the future to look back upon is how our own capitalist society continues to divide the rich and the poor at a fast rate and a greater division as every year passes. 4.7. Globalization materializing human nature Globalization has also popularized a consumer culture among people due to the flow of goods and products. Since the desire to consume more and more can never really be satisfied, the consumer becomes addicted to shopping to a point where the spiritual, moral and intellectual dimensions of his/her personality do not grow or develop. These are actually due to the business corporations, which produce the wide array of consumer goods and the media which advertise them. In fact this trend has also resulted in higher levels of dissatisfaction despite improved lifestyles due to never-ending wants (Bauman, 1998). 4.7.1. Gender issue Gender is essential to modern globalization in manufacturing because it has been discuss at a variety of joint degrees to see if assembly-line workers are to influence global factory regimes and  improve the quality of their jobs. This knowledge is made a power by workers in that they are able to build effective networks of resistance and resistance centers on issues of human rights, labor rights, gender identities, and indigenous identities (Brysk, 2004). Economic oppression caused by the globalization of markets and industries keeps women poor. Around the world, women are paid less than men even when they have similar jobs to male counterparts. Often women are demoted to lower paid positions and then unable to advance. When companies such as factories are privatized, women are the fist to be let go because employers assume that their income is an appendage the income earned by the male head of household. Single, unemployed mothers are one of the largest groups of potential trafficking victims (Brysk, 2004). All of these issues force women into the gray, semi-legal economy, or even worse, the black market in an effort to support themselves and their families. Increased globalization is what causes this oppression for women through trade, travel and the movements of money both legal and illegal become faster and much less able to be regulated and trafficking is made easier due to these factors. 4.7.2. Human rights violation The effect of globalization on state-based human rights violations depends on the type of state and its history. Countries that are newly democratizing with weak institutions and elite-controlled economies, such as Russia, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, the growth of global markets and economic flows tends to weaken coercive forces but increase crime, police abuse, and corruption (Brysk, 2004). Global mobility and information flows generally lead to ethnic mobilization, which may promote self-rule in more open states but mostly it produces abuses in defense of dominant-group control. Alternatively, the same forces have produced slow institutional openings by single-party states, like China and Mexico (Brysk, 2004). In much of Africa, globalization has increased the power void, by both empowering and providing intervention, which displace old governments without combining new ones. Some of the most horrifying abuses of human rights happened in the international civil wars of Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Congo (Brysk, 2004). 4.8. Globalization and prosperity Globalization poses serious questions about  peace and prosperity: Could the implementation of free market principle globally enhance international peace and security or prevents wars, as globalists argue? Prosperity, welfare and economic progress which market economy is expected to achieve could enhance or create some opportunities for political stability; but it does not necessarily ensure peace or social stability (Brueggemann, 2006). It is true that market economy has contributed to social and political stability in liberal states and to peace among them, but it does the opposite in many developing countries. Asian economic crisis of 1997 is a case in point. The free market forces allowed manipulators to control stock markets and to transfer large amount of money just to maximize their profits, while they were destroying the economies of many Asian countries (Baylis and Smith, 2001). Indeed these activities have destroyed the social structures of those societies, and furthermore, created what might be called potential social unrests in the region. That is why globalization in its current formula does not necessarily ensure social and political stability. 4.9. Globalization and Environment Capitalism is mainly about the overall accumulation of wealth based upon the consumption of our planets natural resources and these resources are becoming more and more strictly limited. We as one face the universal environmental problem existing that we are consuming roughly twenty-five percent more than the Earth can give us each year. Our planet needs these natural resources such as trees for example that continue to give our planets ecosystem clean air and water that we all need to survive daily. 4.9.1. Pollution We are exceeding the amount of pollution that our environment can handle. Waste products that give off carbon dioxide emissions into the air are now much more than our planet is able to absorb and deal with without having serious affects for both our planets health and our own. These carbon dioxide emissions are also the leading cause of our climate change referred to as global warming. Even though international agreements exist to prevent global warming by affectively fighting it, there truly needs to be than just marketing principles to achieve overall compliance from everyone (Cosgrove-Sacks, 1999). There has to be set in stone  principles that turn standard to every leading employer that threats the environmental crisis, and they need to feel as if they cannot just continue doing what they are doing by paying a fine here and there. There are many developing nations still needing to grow economically themselves but in order for them to achieve their goals, the richer countries such as ours here in the western hemisphere, we will need to reduce the usages of natural resources in order to balance things out efficiently (Cosgrove-Sacks, 1999). This is highly unlikely to happen as we continue to use more and more resources each and every year that passes now. If everyone in the world lived like we do over here, we would need around five planets to simply provide the necessary natural resources needed to survive. 4.9.2. Environmental technologies Technology that is more efficient and cleaner will not necessarily solve the environmental issues at hand either. Even though these new innovations seem to be the ideology that if we do things cleaner than everything will be okay, this is not the answer to the question of sustainability. Many areas of the world that were or still are leading polluters have began to go about their work more efficiently by adapting cleaner technology but it still does not change the fact countries such as the United States consume far more material goods and end up using more of the planets limited natural resources (Roberts, 1999). There is always another issue behind another and it becomes very difficult to address everything at once successfully. However, without a solution to these problems our planets climate will continue to die (Peterson, 1999). The only way for globalism to move forward successfully would be for it to make a change from exploiting out natural resources such as air and water and to protect them as common wealth trusts of humanities. They could belong to everybody and we would have the power to limit the use of scarce resources, charge rent, and pay dividends to everyone. Continuous economical growth can occur as long it becomes environmentally friendly with efficient technologies being adopted and if the economies steer away from producing material goods and begin to move towards services, sustainable prosperity is  what this is known as. Sustainable prosperity as the global use of resources and methods of dealing with wastes would not exceed the planets capacity to regenerate and absorb. True prosperity can only come if the income disparity between the rich and poor shortens (Brueggemann, 2006). 4.10. Globalization and poverty Wealth is created through labor. This labor comes from the people who are not getting rich from the company of which they are working for. Workers dedicate hours of labor work and most of their lives working with a companys means of production such as machinery and building things. The company owners themselves are not out there building a house, driving a bus, or selling vacuums, yet they are getting practically all of the profit and do not do the hard work themselves. They simple own the means of production. This unfair sort of money pyramid is the bases of pretty much all major money leading companies and it is the system that creates rich and poor and continues to do so much more all the time (Bauman, 1998). 4.10.1. InequalitiesOnce this basic realization is understood, it is easier to see how inequalities within the oppressed classes relate to this as well. For poor people in places like Africa and similar circumstances countries, their struggle is mainly a result of the capitalists not caring about them, because there is no profit to be made out of their labour. What worsens the views and opinions people have on capitalists even more is not that they are exploiting the poor, but it is that they are not exploited them at all. These poor people are irrelevant to capitalist production and therefore capitalists truly do not care if they live or die, eat or starve, the capitalists simple are not concerned. In fact in some cases, capitalists would most likely love if the poor would just die out, so then they could stop pretending to care (Perlas, 1999). Bosses have used all sorts of divisions in the past to attempt to increase the inequalities and drive down working conditions. However, through the years there has been an increasing amount of workers coming together to fight these inequalities. There once existed a time when racism, sexism, and youth wages played more than just a small factor in working wages, but in  fact made up most of the inequalities within our society. With so much success as time progresses, workers continue to unite to challenge globalists (Peterson, 1999). With progressions of equality such as these in our capitalist society, there are certainly other views that do not blame globalism for all the poor in the world, in fact some may even say hat globalism helps people instead of causing societal negativities. 4.10.2. Decrease in living standards of people These types of little scenarios make up the theory of equal opportunity. Poorer families not having the education, health care, or typical social skills which are created by being raised in a decent home, are at a lesser advantage than others whom were raised in a middle class family (Robertson, 1992). This makes it clear to see how people and families remain poor over decades and through generation and as the prices of things climb, these people get even more left behind. It is not necessarily the fault of capitalism, just the result of many, many growing up situations being the same. However, when people then begin to bite onto this theory and give globalism the benefit of the doubt in situations, people then turn around and say it was globalism in the first place long back many years ago that caused that family to be poor. Then as decades passed, these poor families never got out of the downward slope of things and globalism started it all (Brysk, 2004). It is not a simple task to pin point exactly where inequality was derived from in the beginning, it is easier to see where it still exists now. For every positive thing brought to light regarding globalizm, there seems to be an opposing view whether fact of opinion that then blames it again. Globalizm and inequalities in society continue to move around as one, even if possibly they were never one in the beginning and globalisms original intention was never to create a gap as large as the one is today between the rich and poor (Brysk, 2004). 5. CONCLUSION The affects of globalization can be endless. States in the US can see impacts both good and harmful due to manufacturing of export goods. Economically, globalization can be positive when it benefits commerce and can contribute to an increase in the standard of living. Also, when developing nations being to grow wealthier is can lead to social prosperity. On the other hand globalization can be seen as a negative. When it acts as  corporate imperialism, the global issues of environment, gender, and human rights are abused. This is due to the growth of markets, internationally, where economic movements tend to aid the deterioration of protective forces which increase crime levels, and abuse of policies. Depending on how globalization is approached it can negatively or positively affect socializations, but one thing s for sure: it brings change. 6. REFERENCES Appadurai, Arjun, Modernity at large : cultural dimensions of globalization, Minneapolis, Minn. : University of Minnesota Press, 1996Bauman, Zygmunt, Globalization : the human consequences, New York : Columbia University Press, 1998Baylis, John and Smith, Steve, The globalization of world politics : an introduction to international relations, Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2001Brueggemann, William G. The Practice of Macro Social Work. Thompson Brooks/Cole, Canada. 2006. Brysk., Alison. Globalization and Human Rights. University of California Press, Ltd. 2002. Globalization and Gender Inequalities: Advancing the Status of Women Worldwide. The Zontian. 2004. Volume 83, number 4. Cosgrove-Sacks, Carol, The European Union and developing countries : the challenges of globalization, New York : St. Martins Press, 1999Perlas, Nicanor, Shaping globalization : civil society, cultural power, and threefolding, Quezon City, Philippines : Center for Alternative Development Initiatives, 1999Peterson, Robert Dean. Social problems : globalization in the twenty-first century, Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Prentice Hall, 1999Roberts, J. Timmons and Hite, Amy, From modernization to globalization : perspectives on development and social change, Malden, Mass. : Blackwell, 1999Robertson, Roland. Globalization : social theory and global culture, London : Sage, 1992

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Lincoln the Tyrant Essays -- Essays Papers

Lincoln the Tyrant There is no doubt that Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as one of the great American presidents. The general public, when asked about Lincoln, will often tell the tale of a great man. Holding their head high, they will embark on the journey of a benevolent leader, praising the man who envisioned a new America: a great country of racial equality, and the pillar of human liberty. There are some, however, who have quite the opposite view. In his work, The Real Lincoln, economic historian Thomas J. DiLorenzo tells quite the different tale. Daring to criticize this beloved president, DiLorenzo defends his antithetical statements with several key points: Lincoln was more similar to a dictator than an American President. Arguing that the War Between the States was wholly unconstitutional, DiLorenzo corrects the popular misconception that Lincoln’s war was one of abolition. War was not necessary to end slavery, but it was necessary to fulfill Lincoln’s true agenda – to destroy the most significant check on the powers of the central government: the right of secession.1 During the civil war, Lincoln blatantly disregarded the U.S. Constitution and adapted his own form of government. His first step was to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. With such rights thrown away, Lincoln arbitrarily imprisoned those who publicly disagreed with his principles. American citizens accused of crimes have a constitutional right to a speedy public trial by an impartial jury, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted with witnesses against them, to bring witnesses in their favor, and to have the assistance of legal counsel. On April 27, 1861, Lincoln decided that such constitutional... ...rica’s great Tyrant. Footnotes 1. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 9. 2. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 135. 3. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 145. 4. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 141. 5. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 150. 6. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 35. 7. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 11. 8. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 48. 9. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 275. 10. Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002) 269.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Constructing and Supporting a Collaborative Learning Culture Essay

Introduction In our public school system, it is important for leaders to act as guides of change and transformation that leads an institution through the constant and ever changing society. By guiding the school through the process, a leader becomes a servant of the institution, rather than a dictatorial figurehead. It is important that school leaders gain the approval and support of their staffs while implementing any changes that need to occur. This is best achieved by using a collaborative method of leadership that results in a delegation of authority to members of the staff, who normally might not be in a leadership capacity. By giving giving the teachers and other stakeholders the opportunity to make decisions about the general direction of the school, a leader creates a situation where these collaborators become supporters and they will work to make the changes necessary. (Kohm, 2009) This is a development of trust and helps to create an atmosphere of respect that can be very v aluable as the leader sometimes needs to use that respect, like currency, to move the staff into areas of discomfort revolving around the ideas of sharing their educational practices, including both successes and failures, with the rest of the professional staff. Discussion There are many models of collaboration that can be effective at reforming a school and are highly effective. The Professional learning Community (PLC) model is very popular and has become nearly a brand name to describe collaborative models used in education. This model allows the school to be broken into many different PLC groups along many different lines of data, and then reformed as necessary. Most excellent PLC programs look at student data on a regul... ...es. Educational Leadership, 67(2), 67-72. Lath, S. (2010). A study of the occupational stress among teachers. International Journal Of Educational Administration, 2(2), 421-432. Stanley, A. (2011). Professional development within collaborative teacher study groups: pitfalls and promises. Arts Education Policy Review, 112(2), 71-78. Taylor, T., Martin, B. N., Hutchinson, S., & Jinks, M. (2007). Examination of leadership practices of principals identified as servant leaders. International Journal Of Leadership In Education, 10(4), 401-419. Waldron, N. L., & McLeskey, J. (2010). Establishing a collaborative school culture through comprehensive school reform. Journal Of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 20(1), 58-74. Wayne, D. (2008). Alive and well: Optimizing the fitness of an organization. Performance Improvement, 47(5), 21-26.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Module 11 text questions-Creative photography Essay

1. What makes someone a professional photographer? What qualities do you think a professional photographer should have? – If they do the same thing, only get the majority of their income from it. 2. What are three different types of photography? Which type do you think you’d most like to focus on? Why? – Commercial photography, Forensic photography, and scientific photography. I’d probably like commercial photography the most because I like photographing my friends modeling and I would want my work to be shown in magazines and advertisements. 3. What do you think would be the best and worst aspect of being a professional photographer? Why? – Worst- Having low pay, or barely any jobs. – Best- Traveling and experiencing different types of photography. 4. What tasks or responsibilities would photographers have if they owned their own business? – Marketing their business, editing their photos, and selling their work. 5. What is the job outlook for photographers? What factors are influencing the job outlook? – In 2008, there were over 150,000 professional photographers in the U. S. And the average photographer earned almost $30,000 per year. 6. What are the educational or training requirements for becoming a professional photographer? What options exist for individuals? -There is no specific education needed. It usually depends on the type of photography you want to do. All photographers would want to have training in the subject they want to work in. 7. What are the steps to becoming a professional photographer? -Have an interest in photography -Receive a university degree or other training – Develop a strong portfolio 8. What is stock photography? Do you think you’d like to take stock photographs? -Stock photographs are photographs that are made for specific commercial purposes. I think it would be fun o take them, so yes. 9. What do you think is the biggest challenge for professional photographers? – Probably finding a good job in photography. There are not many, and I wouldn’t want to just work as an assistant. 10. How do the careers of freelance and salaried photographers differ? Which one do you think you’d prefer? Why? – Being a freelance photographer has more freedom involved and you don’t have a boss, unlike salaried photographers. I think I’d rather be a salaried photographer because I’m not very independent and I like having a set job, not making it up for myself.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Martin Luther Kings Last Speech

Martin Luther Kings Last Speech Introduction â€Å"I have been to the mountain† was Martin Luther King’s last speech before he was assassinated. In this speech, King aims at maintaining action by encouraging the civil rights activists to continue fighting for racial equality. He uses biblical references to pass his message across to the people. He says that just like the biblical Jews who suffered in the wilderness, but their descendants finally reached the Promised Land, so will the descendants of the black people in the United States.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Martin Luther Kings Last Speech specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More King rallies the people to keep fighting for their rights and never to give up. He refers to the many successes the movements have had so far. He realized that this was the best tactic to encourage the people to make sure that disillusionment does not overwhelm idealism. He compared past events and to make conclusions that all will be well in the future. On most occasions he uses the bible, for instance, he compares the Jews slaves who were persecuted in Egypt, but due to their perseverance, they lived until they were released and eventually reached the Promised Land, to the black slaves in America whom he believed would also finally be free. This was his central claim, which actually comes out clearly in this line â€Å"I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land† (King 1). This served to encourage the civil rights activists to employ righteousness in their fight for equality. In this speech King was speaking directly to the sanitation workers who were striking in Memphis, but his intention was to reach all African Americans to encourage them to rally behind the movement so that they can achieve their civil rights. He uses many past events to support this claim. For instance, he uses past efforts to illustrate some of the civil rights successes . Among them are the sit-ins that happened in North Carolina, the freedom rides that were witnessed in the South, the Negro activism in states like Georgia, Albany, Alabama, and Birmingham, and also the many supporters who trooped to capital in 1963 to participate in the demonstration in which King gave his â€Å"I have a dream† speech. He also used those fighting injustice in Memphis, Alabama, and Selma to support his claim (King 1). King uses his oratory skills in this speech to create a role of activist to be played by his audience by retelling heroism stories in the past and assuring them that they will eventually succeed even without him around. He employs a superior relationship with the audience by using many personal examples in supporting his claim. This made the people realize that he was a very important person to them. The role of prophet that he gives himself makes people believe in every word that come out of his mouth.Advertising Looking for essay on po litical sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When he says â€Å"I want to thank God once more for allowing me to be here with you† (King 1), he brings out the idea that he is chosen by God to deliver his people from misery. He uses near death experiences that he has gone through to paint himself as a person who has been tested and chosen. He also emerges as a visionary when he claims that he has been on the top of the mountain and has seen the Promised Land (King 1). King uses a well organized chronological structure that he strategically embeds in the context of the time. He travels back to refer to the early successes of the movement in the start of the 1960s and works his way systematically to the present and concludes the speech with a visionary look into the future ahead. By using this structure, King was able to rekindle enthusiasm in his audience by reminding them of their circumstances and encouraging the m to always keep in mind their current troubles (King 1). In short, King claims that the efforts of the civil rights movement will come to bear fruit. He proves this by sharing his dream with the people. Having assumed a prophetic figure, he did not need much proof to strengthen his message although he has cited a few. His message was a humble plea for equality not a demand by blacks that could create fear in the white population. This is shown by his contrasting example of the black women who attempted to kill him and that of the small white girl who admired him. Work Cited King Martin. Ive Been to the Mountaintop. American Rhetoric, 1968. Web. https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm

Monday, October 21, 2019

THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES AND WORLD WAR II essays

THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES AND WORLD WAR II essays After the First World War everyone wanted peace, even Germany. The Germans had no reason to fight; they had admitted defeat and began to rebuild their society. But the Treaty of Versailles changed all that. It had diminished Germanys land, economy, military, and most importantly, honour. The (arguably) unjustified accusations of the League of Nations were enough to revive the anger of the German people, which eventually gave rise to World War 2. Signed on the 28th of June 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was designed after the First World War, when the atrocious experience was still fresh in everyones minds. The diplomats that participated in the event declared that its purpose was to prevent such a battle from ever occurring again. However, some of the dominating powers had hidden agendas. In their discussions, Britain, France and (to a lesser extent) America had decided to place all of the blame of WW1 on Germany. While Britain simply wanted to punish Germany, France wanted to destroy her economy and incapacitate her military forces. The German people felt betrayed from the very beginning. They had accepted the Treaty of Versailles because they were led to believe that it would entail Wilsons 14 points, which Germany agreed with. However, once Germany was signed up these points were, for the most part, ignored by the Allies. She had no choice or say in the matter; if she had not surrendered, the Allies would attack. The objection of the German public can be seen in their quick change of attitude, at first they even refused to sign. They were being unfairly accused of carrying out such a dishonourable act. The Weimar Republic was quickly held responsible for disgracing Germany, and this created the proper environment for groups like the Nazis to take over. Disarmament was also a huge issue. The Rhineland was declared a demilitarised zone and allied troops were sent in to occupy it for 15 years ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Why Grad Schools Require Your Undergraduate Transcript

Why Grad Schools Require Your Undergraduate Transcript Its easy to get caught up in the graduate admissions process. Applicants to graduate school are often (and rightly) overwhelmed by the most challenging parts of the process, like approaching faculty for recommendation letters and composing admissions essays. However, the little things like college transcripts also matter in your graduate school application. No admissions committee will accept an incomplete graduate application. A late or missing transcript may seem like a dumb reason to receive a rejection letter, but it happens. Unfortunately, students with stellar credentials arent even considered by admission committees at their dream graduate programs because of a  forgotten transcript or one that is lost in snail mail. Request All Transcripts Your application is not complete until the institution receives your official transcript from all of your undergraduate institutions. That means that you must send a transcript from every institution that you have attended, even if you did not earn a degree.   Official Transcripts Are Sent by Colleges Dont even think about sending an unofficial transcript or a print out of your school record in place of a transcript.  An official transcript is sent directly from your undergraduate college or university to the school(s) to which you’re applying and bears the college seal. If you attended more than one institution, you will need to request an official transcript from each institution you attended. Yes, this can get pricey. What Do Admissions Committees Look for in Transcripts? In examining your transcript, admissions committees will consider the following: Your overall GPA and verification of your actual GPA compared to what you reported on your admissions documentsQuality of the undergraduate institutionBreadth of courseworkCoursework in your major: Your grades in your major subject area and especially in the upper division courses and within the past two yearsPatterns of performance and improvement if you did not have a strong start Request Transcripts Early​Prevent mishaps by planning ahead.  Request your transcripts from the registrars office early because most offices take a few days, a week, and sometimes even more time to process your request. Also, understand that if you wait until the end of the Fall semester to request transcripts they may be delayed as most offices close for the holidays (sometimes taking an extended break). Save yourself grief and request transcripts early. Also,  include a copy of your unofficial transcript with your application and a note that the official transcript has been requested so that admissions committees have something to review until the official copy arrives. Only some admissions committees may review an unofficial transcript and wait for the official version (this is especially unlikely in competitive graduate programs), but its worth a shot.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Sound and visual media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sound and visual media - Essay Example Other architectural configurations in arena stages allow for podiums with lifting and dropping abilities. In such cases, the audience often rests on temporary seats that facilitate more flexibility. This configuration allows performers to understand the conditions their viewers are in while performing. Engaging the audience based on these conditions makes the performance better (Condee 9). Better detail and expressiveness is necessary for all production factors (Collins and Kapralos). Even though the audience configuration in an arena stage is raised above the stage, their scenery is often limited to cover optimum lines of sight for viewers on all sides. This condition is different for viewers in a Proscenium Arch Stage whose lines of sight are level before a raised platform. Arena theatres often lack a fly system apart from possibly lighting purposes (Hischak 147). The requirement of giving equal lines of sight for all viewers puts distinct limits on the kind of scenery used and on the activities of the performers. This is because, certain audiences in an arena stage will inevitably be seeing an actor’s back at all times. This configuration allows for good recording and production of sound from real sources. However, certain sounds appear false when produced electronically in an arena theatre. As a result, a surrounding architectural configuration for audience s in an arena call for the building of mechanical instruments that mimic sounds like thunder and rain. Architectural configurations carve up an understanding of the conditions audiences are in through sound reflection (Hischak 147). Sound reflection rare occurs in isolation since sound usually finds a surface on its path where refection is takes place. Knowing the arrangement of audience seats in a theatre is imperative for making predictions of the behavior of sound within that theatre. All surfaces echo and absorb sound to some

Friday, October 18, 2019

Interaction Design Coursework on a Check it Out system Essay

Interaction Design Coursework on a Check it Out system - Essay Example Participant observation is an ethnographic method which consists of observing user environment from the user perspective. It’s a natural starting point for a user-centred design process. Initial observation of a Home Hardware superstore indicated that the advantage of the superstores is also its weakness; the size of the store make product location difficult and physically demanding exercise especially for those customers with trolleys laden with others products. Product use or compatibility is not easy to understand for the inexperienced DIY customer, uninitiated in the jargon on the product packages. More shop floor staff would easily remedy the situation but they are few and far between and overworked. The check-out lines are and time consuming either because they are long or some customers buy products in bulk that require measuring different lengths, sizes and weights. After observations, the researcher decided to conduct an ethnographic study of stratified but randomly selected customers of the Home Hardware superstore. The research instrument selected was the questionnaire which combined quantitative and qualitative methods of research i.e. closed ended and open- ended questions. The two methods complement each other (Neuman, 1997), in that it improves the objectivity of the findings and improves the analysis. The initial participant observations established that they are three parameters necessary in designing user-centred solutions to the problems observed. There are three questionnaires each is divided into two parts; scaled closed-ended questions and opened-ended questions. The first questionnaire was to investigate the in-store experience of customers before and during check out. The objective was to elicit perceptions on how store size affects ease of navigation, speed of product location, and advisability of the product. Focus was on floor

The Impacts Employee Motivation has on Organisationalperformance Dissertation

The Impacts Employee Motivation has on Organisationalperformance - Dissertation Example A highly motivated employee is hugely productive in the context of the company. However on the other hand employees who are less motivated works less effectively (Management help, n.d.). The purpose of the study is to underpin the fact that how employee motivation helps an organization to get success in the market place. In other words the primary intention behind the study is to uncover the impacts employee motivation has on organizational performance. The topic was chosen on assessing the factors that are significant for an organization. Nevertheless the study revealed motivation as one of the crucial factor for an organization. ... A primary research will be also carried out to get better insights of the topic. The report will be divided into five sections. The first section will be about the introduction to the vital concepts of the study, in the second section a literature review of the topic will be carried out. Once the literature review ends, the report will clearly depict the methodology to be followed for doing the research. The next section will be about data collection and analysis. In this section mainly primary data will be collected, analyzed and meaningful information will be portrayed. Finally the report will conclude, by answering the research questions and addressing the research objectives. 1.1 Defining Motivation Motivation is imperative for an organization as it offers large number of benefits. Some of the evident benefits of having a motivated workforce within the organization are increased productivity and improved efficiency, helps in achieving the organizational goals, creates a friendly relationship within the organization, makes the workforce stable, and it also assists in utilizing the resources properly. Furthermore it also offers other benefits in the context of an organization. It leads to high performance, reduces the employee turnover rate, decreases the rate of absenteeism, portrays a better organizational image, industrial relations become superior and it also helps the organization to get adapted with the changing business environment (Singla, 2011, p.389). Different employees join an organization with diversified needs and demands. The background of the employees such as education, culture, attitude, perception, values, beliefs and location and the way of their upbringing are different. The objective of every

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Should young children be shielded from fear-inducing events, like Essay

Should young children be shielded from fear-inducing events, like Halloween, or should they be allowed to have the human emotion - Essay Example However, despite the fact that quite a number of the children enjoy the Halloween images, a large number of the children development experts believe that the holiday psychologically damages most of the children. These experts favour the protection of the children from the intense effects of Halloween. Other experts argue that fear is a natural human emotion, and as such, it is harmful preventing children being afraid. It is wrong to shield children from fear-inducing events like Halloween, and thus, it is important to subject them to human emotions of fear. Such situations act as means of training children to have fear-management skills, and thus are very important. According to Pain and Susan (2), fear is an emotion induced by a perceived threat, which causes people, or animals to draw away from any fear-causing situation immediately they get that feeling. Fear is very important to children and other people due to a number of reasons. As children grow up, we expect them to become bo ld and brave adults. A brave person is one who can tackle any situation whenever it occurs to them. Therefore, a brave person does not run away from a challenging situation, but faces it with their right senses. This is the main reason why children should face both fear-inducing and scary situations such as the Halloween. Halloween, being one of the most controversial festivals in the history of Americans continuously receives positive and negative criticisms. One of the major reasons for its negative criticisms is the kind of images it draws in the minds of the young children. Halloween images of children dressed in scary costumes create anxiety and fear among the young children. This is the main reason why most of the people argue that children should not be part of the event. Further, experts point out that most of the children undergo traumatizing situations if they were to face such situations. On the other hand, their opponents argue that fear is a necessity to the growth and development of a human being. At an early age, the biggest source of fear for young children is Halloween. Therefore, they should take part in the event for experiencing the scary images of Halloween. These images make them brave people in future, making them confident enough to handle any challenging situation. Life is full of fear and anxiety, as it is characterized by incidences of high levels of uncertainty and anarchy. People cannot choose the kind of situations that they pass through in their course of life. Therefore, we have to be always vigilant enough to handle any situation whenever it happens. Situations that are likely to cause fear to adult people include the site of an accident, adventurous situations, very serious decisions that are very costly, new places and meeting new people. Emotions characterizing such situations are overwhelming to the people involved. While it is impossible to avoid such situations, we can prepare for them by having the ability to control our fear. Too much fear could escalate aq problem, especially in the event of the happening of an accident. A very emotional person, with little experience of emotional situations that require braveness can panic and cause an avoidable accident. The fact that such a person has no knowledge of facing such a situation, as well as what they should do in such circumstances lead to panic and loss of critical thinking. As such, they end up worsening a situation that if handles properly, is preventable. One of the reasons why people

Communication paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Communication paper - Essay Example In the conversation, the sender was my friend who sent a message to me by directly asking me my plans for the weekend. The question was clearly transmitted to me by my friend to which I responded positively. It was apparent that I am the receiver of the message and transmission was immediately achieved since I answered my friend with choices of places that we can visit. I also suggested some things that we can do like watch a movie or just play games in my room. In a way, there was noise between the message since I was excited by the fact that my friend is back so anything is possible. My friend’s message was clearly transmitted because that is also what I had in mind. Using the linear communication model, the conversation was successful because both parties were very optimistic and looked forward to the topic. If I were to analyze the conversation using simultaneous transactional model, it can be said that I was able to give a positive feedback, the message was decoded very well. I know that my friend has the best intention why he invited me so I relied on that belief. Even before my friend my called me up, I was already anticipating some invitation from this person. The conversation seemed very simple indeed but there lies many important lessons in communication. First of all, messages are can be easily decoded by the receiver when the person receiving the message feels positive about the sender. Since the message was transmitted by a close friend whom I trust, it was not hard to send a good feedback. Of course, this is not applicable in all times since noise can also be an obstacle in decoding the message. I could be experiencing some problems that my friend doesn’t know which can elicit a cold response. Probably, I could be feeling ill at that time and would not want to displeas e my friend so I just accepted the idea. No matter what the case maybe, there is another important lesson in communication

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Should young children be shielded from fear-inducing events, like Essay

Should young children be shielded from fear-inducing events, like Halloween, or should they be allowed to have the human emotion - Essay Example However, despite the fact that quite a number of the children enjoy the Halloween images, a large number of the children development experts believe that the holiday psychologically damages most of the children. These experts favour the protection of the children from the intense effects of Halloween. Other experts argue that fear is a natural human emotion, and as such, it is harmful preventing children being afraid. It is wrong to shield children from fear-inducing events like Halloween, and thus, it is important to subject them to human emotions of fear. Such situations act as means of training children to have fear-management skills, and thus are very important. According to Pain and Susan (2), fear is an emotion induced by a perceived threat, which causes people, or animals to draw away from any fear-causing situation immediately they get that feeling. Fear is very important to children and other people due to a number of reasons. As children grow up, we expect them to become bo ld and brave adults. A brave person is one who can tackle any situation whenever it occurs to them. Therefore, a brave person does not run away from a challenging situation, but faces it with their right senses. This is the main reason why children should face both fear-inducing and scary situations such as the Halloween. Halloween, being one of the most controversial festivals in the history of Americans continuously receives positive and negative criticisms. One of the major reasons for its negative criticisms is the kind of images it draws in the minds of the young children. Halloween images of children dressed in scary costumes create anxiety and fear among the young children. This is the main reason why most of the people argue that children should not be part of the event. Further, experts point out that most of the children undergo traumatizing situations if they were to face such situations. On the other hand, their opponents argue that fear is a necessity to the growth and development of a human being. At an early age, the biggest source of fear for young children is Halloween. Therefore, they should take part in the event for experiencing the scary images of Halloween. These images make them brave people in future, making them confident enough to handle any challenging situation. Life is full of fear and anxiety, as it is characterized by incidences of high levels of uncertainty and anarchy. People cannot choose the kind of situations that they pass through in their course of life. Therefore, we have to be always vigilant enough to handle any situation whenever it happens. Situations that are likely to cause fear to adult people include the site of an accident, adventurous situations, very serious decisions that are very costly, new places and meeting new people. Emotions characterizing such situations are overwhelming to the people involved. While it is impossible to avoid such situations, we can prepare for them by having the ability to control our fear. Too much fear could escalate aq problem, especially in the event of the happening of an accident. A very emotional person, with little experience of emotional situations that require braveness can panic and cause an avoidable accident. The fact that such a person has no knowledge of facing such a situation, as well as what they should do in such circumstances lead to panic and loss of critical thinking. As such, they end up worsening a situation that if handles properly, is preventable. One of the reasons why people

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

Research - Essay Example Despite the discovery, it is also vital to note the role of traditional design efforts, which focused on value rather than user feeling. Having landed in the discipline of interest provides a feeling of satisfaction to undertake various things in the field of design. My training contributes to user centred design in a number of ways. With regards to visibility, a user centred design should have a mental model that predicts significant elements such as navigation in the design. Additionally, it should offer accessibility through colour coding and organised information that allows viewers easy access. It is vital to note that my discipline plays a crucial role in initiating these factors. Moreover, legibility and language of user centred design should be appropriate. Evidently, my discipline is a key player in inducing ornamental designer fonts with rhetorical assistance; nonetheless, it ensures language used in any design remains relevant and understandable. From an aesthetic angle, the world is gradually transforming in terms of human taste and preferences. The change has left designers with a myriad of challenges on the direction to take. in response, a series of creativity initiatives have prevailed in the artistic world. Additionally, the human surrounding is continually changing with the continued development. The expansive development is taking away the aesthetic value, in the process replacing it with contemporary outlooks. These changes are driving designers to current survival techniques that constitute user centred design. Historically, the journey of design has traversed through different elements of design. It started with the reconnaissance period where designers had an upper hand in their products. They had autonomy to choose the colouring system, what to include in their design and even contextual components. It was a

Global Smart Classroom Market Essay Example for Free

Global Smart Classroom Market Essay Classrooms that are technology-enabled are known as smart classrooms. These classrooms are equipped with hardware and software that enhance learning and improve the dissemination of knowledge. Smart classrooms have transformed teaching from a traditional process to an advanced learning process by using an array of audio-visual tools that allow teachers to demonstrate and communicate easily. These technologies consist of software such as educational ERP and disruptive technologies such as LMSs, LCMSs, interactive whiteboards, and simulation-based learning hardware. Smart classrooms use interactive modules, videos, and presentations to improve the teaching process and to engage students in multi-media technologies. Covered in this Report The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Global Smart Classroom market for the period 2015-2019. To calculate the market size, it considers the revenue generated by vendors through the following product segments: Kindergarten K-12 Higher Education View our full TOC here Key Regions EMEA APAC Americas Key Vendors Apple Inc. IBM Corp. Microsoft Corp. SMART Technologies Inc. Other Prominent Vendors Adobe ATT Technologies Blackboard Cisco Systems Dell Desire2Learn Discovery Communication Dreambox Learning Echo360 Ellucian Fujitsu HP Jenzabar Knewton Lenovo Group N2N Services Panasonic Promethean World Saba Software Samsung Toshiba Udemy Key Market Driver Dynamic Interactive Learning Systems For a full, detailed list, view our report. Key Market Challenge Lack of Proper IT Infrastructure For a full, detailed list, view our report. Key Market Trend. Increased Usage of Smart Software For a full, detailed list, view our report. Key Questions Answered in this Report What will the market size be in 2018 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? For more insights, view our Global Smart Classroom Market 2014-2018 report.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Important Factors In Selection Methods

Important Factors In Selection Methods INTRODUCTION The human resource planning is very important and necessary part of an organization. It plays important part in the long run success of an organization and there are several methods which are adopted by different organizations for selection of new employees so that the long term objectives of an organization could be achieved. The hiring process is not a easy task. Every organization has its own selection process according to its need. The selection procedure is very important effort to select right person for right job at right time. The various selection methods are used to obtain an assessment about the qualities of candidates. These selection methods are used to check overall personality, attitude, aptitude, knowledge, adoptability, confidence, communication skills, and managerial skills. If any organization wants to gain long term success in the marketplace, it must develop valuable selection techniques for recruiting new incumbents. The future job performance depends upon the selection of potential employee. It is very complicated and time consuming effort to find out desired talent in the pound of candidates. There are several types of Interviews and paper-pencil measures (tests) which are used at a time to analyse the future job performance of candidates. Sometimes a one organization uses more than one selection method; it all depends upon the nature sensitivity of the job, organization size and number of applicants. Among all selection procedures, the Interview is the most frequent selection method to check oral responses regarding any particular inquiry. Interview is the essential part of selection procedure in most of organizations. Although paper pencil measures also in cycle to check different attributes of candidates but after examining the candidates by various selection methods, mostly organization use interview to finalize the candidate. The validity of interview is often criticised but on this base the importance of interview can not be minimised. An organization also can not fully rely on the validity paper pencil measures. It is a complex process sometime both methods becomes essential and sometime only interview or test is enough for employee selection but it all depends upon requirement, number of candidates, organization size and financial condition of the organization. Interview is still most famous selection tool (Judge et al., 2000; Posthuma et al, 2002). Employment interview is the best selection method (Barclay, 1999; Garman Lesowitz, 2005). There are different important factors in selection methods which are considered by management of firms for getting right staff at right time. Organizations consider such factors like previous work experience, qualification, knowledge, abilities, skills, attitude, personality, and other characteristics. There are also some problems and issues which arise during selection process and these are very important to handle to make selection on merit. For example the perception of interviewer, biasness, discrimination regarding sex, age, racial, religion, disability, physical appearance etc. The selection method must be neat and clean of such prejudices. SELECTION METHODS The selection method is the process of gathering and analysing the information about a person for the purpose of offering new job.(Gatewood Field 2001). There are two stages first is to define the requirement and objective of selection and the second stage is set up the selection method according to that requirement.(Guion, 1998; Patterson Ferguson, 2007).The selection method for hiring new employee depends upon the nature of job, organizational structure, mode of business, and number of candidates etc. Organizations recruitment criteria also depend upon time, cost and need of potential employee. Selection is the final part of total staffing process of an organization. The human resource department takes three basic steps in employee selection process i.e. planning, recruitment and selection. First of all, the human resource department starts planning by projecting the demands of organization for new employees with particular skills and abilities. In the second step , the organizat ion starts advertising to get in touch with potential external incumbent and posting internally to catch new employee within the organization In the third step, the organization finalised the new employee from the pool of candidates which are generated by recruitment process. The organization use different selection methods for hiring right person at right place and at right time. ( Kramar 2008) VALIDITY OF SELECTION METHODS In the context of selection, validity means meaningfulness, the appropriateness, and usefulness of the inferences made about applicants during the selection process.( Gatewood Field 2001).What is the validity of selection method and how it can be determined? These are the basic questions which arise in mind when we examine the validity. Actually the validity deals with the issue that whether the actual performance of the applicant is according to the expected performance which we incurred during the selection method. If the actual and expected performance is very close to each other then we can say the selection method for hiring new employee is valid and if both performances have gaps then the selection method must be change. (Price 2007) IMPORTANT FACTORS IN SELECTION METHODS There are various factors i.e. education, job experience, cognitive ability tests, integrity test, personality tests, IQ tests, interview, references. (Dipboye, 1992; Randall and Randall, 1990). Effective selection requirements should be blueprinted, either by gaining expert views (e.g. Janis Hatef, 2008) or conducting an appropriate job analysis (Patterson et al., 2000; Patterson et al., 2008).The organization takes two considerations in order to select new employee. Firstly analyse the individual differences between applicants by comparing their knowledge, skills and abilities and secondly decide the most appropriate selection method. (Gatewood Field 2001)The knowledge, skills, abilities are very important to determine potential candidate as well as previous job experience also matter. The responsibilities and duties of previous work and qualification can help a lot in understanding new work environment. The other characteristics like personality, attitude and intelligence as wel l as physical examination are also very important factors. Some organization also considers previous background and criminal records in their hiring process. 4.1. APPROPRIATE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES There are several stages of employee selection. First of all knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) of applicant are determined, secondly highlight the contents of job and to determine whether the existing employees skills are appropriate to job nature or not? This procedure is called job analysis. After job analysis the duties and responsibilities are described according to nature of job in documentary form call job description and then what type of human resource is required for that particular job called job specification. (Dessler 2011).The necessary skills, knowledge and abilities which are necessary to perform the job are called job requirements. These can be qualification, experience, training, aptitudes and abilities. (Gatewood Field 2001)The knowledge, skills and abilities ( KSAs) are the basic important factor which is specially examined in the applicant in recruitment process. There are also other two important factors i.e. previous work experience and other characteristi cs. Example: 1 (JAPANESE AUTOMOBILE) Japanese automobile companies generally consider organization dedication, social need and skills, and attention in work.( www.fbe.hku.hk/Programme/Undergraduate/doc/courses/2008-2009/BUSI0075/Fit.pdf Article accessed on 29/01/2011) Example: 2 (TOYOTA USA ) The selection process of Toyota (USA) takes minimum eighteen hours which consists of a general knowledge exam, attitude test, interpersonal skills, assessment centre, an extensive personal interview, and a physical exam. (www.fbe.hku.hk/Programme/Undergraduate/doc/courses/2008-009/BUSI0075/Fit.pdf Article accessed on 29/01/2011) Article accessed on 29/01/2011) WORK EXPERIENCE The duties and responsibilities handled by previous jobs are very important to understand the work criteria and requirements. The experienced persons knowledge and skills are the great assets for organization and it is the main benefit of knowledgeable persons. Organizations take advantages of their developed personal relations due to previous job works so it is very beneficial for future growth of the organization.( Price-2007) Example: 3 (BERNARD HOLDANE ASSOCIATION) The chairman of Bernard Holdane Associates, Jerry Weinger, says candidates should have strong record of distinctions and success in a challenging environment like down economies. (Price-2007 ). EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND Qualification is very important factor for selection of new employees. Every organization seeks qualified persons for hiring. It verifies the educational claims of candidates. The job descriptions and specifications are set out according to qualification. (Kramar 2008) Example: 4 (HRA INDUSTRIES ) Qualification is matched with requirement in selection process of HRA industrial. (www.hr-guide.com/data/016.htm accessed on 29/01/2011) PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL CHARACTERISTICS The other characteristics refer to different personality traits as well as his professional attitude. Many organizations examine personal attributes of candidates, his communication style, presentation skills, oral and written competency of language, confidence, behaviour adoptability etc. These all characteristics build up the personality of the candidate and organization has to seek best potential candidate who have good professional and personal attributes. ( Price 2007) Example: 5 (TOYOTA) Toyota, a Japanese company give more importance to personal traits as compare to technical skills. (Price 2007). Example: 6 (PRET A MANAGER) A famous Company Pret A Manager which have 2800 employees on 118 shops, received 55000 application for 1500 places. According to recruitments strategy of Pret A Manger, the candidates have to show sociable personality, positive approach to life in interview.( Beardwell 2007). PHYSICAL EXAMINATION Candidates are physically examined in process of hiring to discover the diseases and medical limitations for candidate. The future job performance can be affected by candidates health issues so it is necessary to check medical complications before hiring. (Price 2007) Example: 7 (AFG INDUSTRIES)The hiring process of AFG Industries for factory workers includes screening formal resumes , personality testing, that suggest some plant jobs, panel interviews and a medical exam. www.fbe.hku.hk/ Programme/ Undergraduate/ doc/courses/2008-2009/BUSI0075/Fit.pdf Article accessed on 29/01/2011). CRIMINAL RECORDS AND BACKGROUNDCHECKS The criminal records and background checking depends upon the nature and type of organization. This is not a common practice of all the organizations. It is very time consuming and costly. There are several jobs like police jobs, security concern jobs, teaching jobs and sensitive nature jobs where criminal records and background verification is very necessary. Example: 8 ( AMERICAN COMPANIES) The professional back ground companies are getting space in almost 80 percent of American companies due to importance of background checking and necessity of verification of criminal records of candidates.. (www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/pre-employment-background-screening-company-a-reliable-hiring-outsource-for-human-resource-departments-3414302 accessed on 30/01/ 2011) CHOICE OF SELECTION METHOD After identifying the skills and abilities the organization have to take decision about the choice of selection methods. The organization can develop its own selection method to assess the applicant or can adopt selection method of other organizations. The most important test include exercise of assessment centres, cognitive ability testing, integrity testing which are used to assess job performance (Campion et al. 1994; Howard, 1997; Randall, 1990; Salgado and Moscoso, 2002; Wright et al., 1989).So there are various employee selection methods utilizing by different organizations but the most famous selection method is job interview. The other methods could be aptitude test, personality test, reference, assessment centres, background checking, cognitive ability test, drugs test etc. All these methods are used to assess the applicants skills and abilities and to determine any situation which is becoming the root cause of performance failure. The selection method must be appropriate to nature of job and it must be accurate as much as possible in providing the information. The accuracy of selection method depends upon reliability and validity of selection method. IMPORTANT SELECTION METHODS The organizations use various selection methods according to nature of job, size of organization and number of candidates. The organization can use one or more selection methods; it depends upon the reliable and valid so that expected performance of employee could be achieved. (Price 2007) Example: 9 ( MAZDA) In USA, the famous company Mazda is recruiting new employees by assessment of several selection methods. The methods include application forms, aptitude test, group problem solving, personal interview, and previous job experience. (Price 2007) The important methods can be described as: Application Forms and CVs Online Screening and Short Listing Psychometric Testing Ability and Aptitude Tests Personality Profiling Presentation Group exercises Assessment centres References INTERVIEW (Anderson Cunningham-Snell 2000) 5.1. APPLICATION FORMS CVs The application forms mostly use in public sectors. The application forms are prescribed in a formulated way which helps to know about important information of incumbents and this information can be examined during other tests and interviews. The main problem is that sometime the application forms are so lengthy and complicated. CVs are commonly used in private sector to gain initial and necessary information about the candidates qualification, previous job experiences and other distinctions but the problem with CVs is that CVs are presented by applicant in way to which he consider himself more fit for the job. So it is difficult for employer to judge the candidate only by CV. (Anderson Cunningham-Snell 2000) Example: 10 (GOVT INSTITUTIONS) In Pakistan, almost all the Govt institutions require the application and CV from candidates for hiring and selection of candidates for positions. ( personal experience) ONLINE SCREENING AND SHORT LISTING The Online screening is the quick procedure to filter potential incumbents among the huge number of applicants. Generally there are two criterions to short list the candidate by online screening, one is applicants experience and other is qualification. In this method scores are set according to criterions and candidates are shortlisted on the base of those scores. This is very useful method to save valuable time by short listing the applicants in very short time but costly in a sense of implementation of software and uploading of online information for screening applicants. Sometime potential candidate missed the chance of getting opportunity of that required job due to inappropriate key words during search. (Anderson Cunningham-Snell 2000) Example: 11 ( WOOLWORTH) The one of the largest retailer in the market Woolworth is using web-based recruitment policy to hire new employees. Woolworth have 2800 staff in its 800 stores and used online screening method very successfully. (Beardwell 2007). Example: 12 (CADBURY SCHWEPPS) The Cadbury Schweppes have introduced online verbal and numerical reason tests for its recruitment process and received about 4000 applications for just 20 places.( Beardwell 2007) PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING Psychometric testing refers to mental measurement. It helps in testing of ability and aptitude as well as personality profiling. Trained and qualified staff is necessary to arrange psychometric testing. Many organizations use these tests with the interview method as a part of selection process. (Beardwell 2007).There must be a proper staff for suitable psychometric testing. The psychometric testing can be divided by two parts. In first par only ability and aptitude is checked and in second part personality is judged. It is essential that candidate are offered feedback and the candidate must know that how information is worked during test. Example: 13 (MORGAN BANKS) The Morgan Banks recruitment consultancy conducted about 10 to 15 psychometric tests in selection procedure of hiring new employees. (Kramar 2007) Example: 14 (BT COMPANY) BT company always consider psychometric test as important tool for hiring new employees. ( Kramar 2007) Example: 15 (AFR COMPANY) AFR a famous organization is also conduction psychometric tests for its recruitment. (Kramar 2007) ABILITY AND APTITUDE TESTS The ability and aptitude tests are very useful to analyse general intelligence, spatial ability, verbal ability, sensory and motor abilities, clerical ability, numerical ability, mechanical ability, diagrammatical ability. The logical reasoning and mental performance is checked by these tests because these tests are designed very comprehensively. It include multiple question which are to be answered in a strictly time. For example if the questions are thirty ,the time would be 30 minutes. ( Gomez-Majla 2010) Example: 16 (USA) In USA ability test is conducted for entry level jobs and Govt. Is saving almost $15 billion per year. ( Gomez-Majla 2010) Example: 17 ( TOYOTA USA ) The selection process of Toyota (USA) takes minimum eighteen hours which consists of a general knowledge exam, attitude test, interpersonal skills, assessment centre, an extensive personal interview, and a physical exam. (www.fbe.hku.hk/Programme/Undergraduate/doc/courses/2008-009/BUSI0075/Fit.pdf Article accessed on 29/01/2011) Article accessed on 29/01/2011) PERSONALITY PROFILING Personality profiling is also very important for acquiring of good job. Sometime personality of person is not suitable to job so its difficult to handle that job for such a person. But if the individual can shift himself according to job criterion and suitability then it can be possible to get particular job.The relative importance of different selection factors; The personality and appearance of characteristics that are observed in an interview and rated as important include being energetic, confident, honest, organised, and verbally fluent (Spina et al. (2000). Example: 18 (ALLIED SIGNUAL) Personality tests are very important selection measure. It is used by companies such as Allied Signal, 3M.and Apple as selection criteria. (www.fbe.hku.hk/Programme/Undergraduate/doc/courses/2008-009/BUSI0075/Fit.pdf Article accessed on 29/01/2011) Article accessed on 29/01/2011) Example. 19 ( ATT, Honeywell, Citicorp, ) ATT, Honeywell and Citicorp are also used personality test as selection criteria. (www.fbe.hku.hk/Programme/ Undergraduate/ doc/courses/2008-009/BUSI0075/Fit.pdf Article accessed on 29/01/2011) Example: 20 (HAYS) HAYS human resource management department specially focus on candidates personality and character profiling. (Human Resource Management (Kramar 2007) Example 21 (AFG INDUSTRIES) The hiring process of AFG Industries for factory workers includes screening formal resumes (not job applications), personality testing, pre-employment training that simulates some plant jobs, interviews with panels of manager s and/or employees, and a medical exam.(www.fbe.hku.hk/ Programme/ Undergraduate/ doc/courses/2008-009/BUSI0075/Fit.pdf Article accessed on 29/01/2011) PRESENTATION In senior level jobs the selection method of presentation is widely used. A topic is given to the candidate and within a time frame he has to deliver a presentation. Sometime candidate receive presentation topic with interview letter and sometime on the spot topic is given. Candidate may have to deliver presentation on power point or overhead projector. (Kramar 2007) GROUP EXERCISES This selection method is used to filter a potential candidate among the group of applicants. The candidates have to debate on a topic or play a given role to show their knowledge, skills and abilities about the given topic. The observers give scores to candidates according to set criterion. (Price 2007). Example: 22 ( MAZDA) In USA, the famous company Mazda is recruiting new employees by assessment of several selection methods. The methods include application forms, aptitude test, group problem solving, personal interview, and previous job experience. (Price 2007). ASSESSMENT CENTRES The assessment centres refers to multiple testing methods. It includes ability testing, group exercise, presentation, aptitude testing, personality profiling etc. This selection method gives the opportunity to the candidate to show his knowledge, skills and abilities and get higher marks irrespective of his previous academic background. This selection method must be fair and neutral.(Beardwell 2007) Example: 23 ( GKN MANUFACTURING COMPANY) 22 GKN, the famous manufacturing company, having business in all over the world is using assessment centre selection method for recruiting new employees. It receive 1000 applications for just only 20 positions ( Beardwell 2007 ) Example: 24 (AT T COMPANY) The American Telephone and telegraph Company (ATT) recruits employees on the basis of Assessment centres. (Human Resource Management by Alan Price 3rd edition, ch 15, p 376). REFERENCES References are also considered very important in selection process. It is difficult for candidate to get a reasonable job with substandard references especially in a private sector. (Gromes- Majla 2010). The basic objective of references is to get information about the applicants qualification, employment history, experience etc. Generally reference is taken from current and former employees. If candidate is not working then the personal reference is demanded. Most organization demand references in written either in form of unstructured letter or in form. Example: 25 (US COURTS) 207 U.S Courts recruits new employees on the basis of reference check. The formal employers feedback is give high importance in selection procedure. ( Gromes-Majla 2010) 5.10. INTERVIEW An interview is a process intended to get the information from a person through oral responses to oral techniques. ( Dessler 2011) A selection interview is a selection procedure designed to predict future job performance on the basis of applicants oral responses to oral enquires. ( Michael McDaniel et al.,1994 ).The validity of interview is often criticised but still interview is interview is most famous selection tool (Judge et al., 2000; Posthuma et al, 2002).Still, practitioners continue to use the employment interview as their primary selection tool (Barclay, 1999; Judge et al., 2000). The non cognitive attributes of candidates are often assessed by interviews. (Otero et al., 2006) According to Nayer about 99% of USA medical schools ,interviews are basic element of the admissions process (e.g. Johnson Edwards, 1991).Interview is the procedure to assess the knowledge, skills and abilities of the candidates by his oral responses towards oral enquiries. Interview is good tool to an alyse the confidence, knowledge, presentation, communication and managerial skills. Some critics question about the validity of interview but still interview is the most appropriate and most useful selection method for hiring new employees. Example: 26 (SUN MICROSYSTEM) In the hiring process of Sun Microsystems , there are multiple interviews for hiring new Organization can use one or more than one selection method for recruitment according to job requirement. www.fbe.hku.hk/ Programme/ Undergraduate/doc/courses/2008-009/BUSI0075/Fit.pdf Article accessed on 29/01/2011) Article accessed on 29/01/2011) 5.10.1 CLASSIFICATION OF SELECTION INTERVIEW The selection interview is can be classified by three heads i.e. structure, content and administers. STRUCTURE VS. UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS INTERVIEW CONTENT ( TYPE OF QUESTIONS) HOW THE FIRMS ADMINISTER THE INTERVIEW (Dessler 2011) STRUCTURED INTERVIEW According to key requirements of job , the structured interview process is formulated and list of questions are set up. Each applicant have to face a group of interviewers and they score them on the basis of their performance. Recent studies of employment interviews have concluded that structured interviews offer greater predictive validity than unstructured interviews (Judge et al., 2000; Ployhart, 2006; Barclay, 1999). If selection system is challenged the structured interviews have more important regarding legal defensibility.(Posthuma et al., 2002)The preset standardised questions are set in the structured interview which is very helpful scrutiny of potential candidate from large number of candidates and gaining accurate results. The structured interviews are very useful and more comprehensive as compare to unstructured. Structure in interviews is one of the generally vital arbiters of its achievement in the calculation of act (e.g. Huffcutt Arthur, 1994). The structured intervi ews have higher foretelling and parallel validity than unstructured interviews (e.g. McDaniel, Whetzel, Schmidt, Maurer, 1994; Wiesner Cronshaw, 1988). The structured interviews were apparent positively and impartially. (Westwood et al. (2008) UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEW The unstructured conventional interviews assessed personality dimensions and social skills while the structured behavioral interview mainly assessed job knowledge, job experience, and situational judgment. (Salgado and Moscoso 2002). Unstructured interviews do not use a standardised set of questions, do not have objective scoring protocols (Latif et al., 2004), and are often prone to biases that affect ratings (Patterson Ferguson, 2007) Despite evidence of their low reliability and validity, unstructured interviews are still used for selection purposes. In a recent survey of pharmacy colleges in the US, only 13% of those that interviewed applicants used a pre-defined list of questions (Joyner et al., 2007).In the unstructured interview there is not set format and manager asks question according to his mind and preferences. It is friendly conversation between interviewer and interviewee. Courneya et al. (2005) compared structured with unstructured interviews, and reported that struct ured interviews put interviewees at ease and allowed them to express themselves more than unstructured interviews. INTERVIEW CONTENT (WHAT TYPE OF QUESTIONS TO ASK) The type of question which are asked in interview called interview content. There can be different categories of questions which can be situational, behavioural, job-related, and stress questions. These questions are used to determine attitude and decision powers of the candidate. There are series of question in which candidates overall reaction and behaviour is checked. If any satiation is given to candidate for response that interview is called situational interview and in some situations candidates are asked how he behaved in past called behavioural interview. In some situation interviewers intentionally ask such questions to candidate which create stress , such interviews are called stress interviews. Candidates are asked questions about past experience, responsibilities and duties, such interviews are named as job-related interviews. In all such interviews candidates overall behaviour, reaction, response, patience level and personality attributes are examined ( Dessler 2011) HOW FIRMS ADMINISTERS THE INTERVIEW Interviews are administered by employers by various ways i.e. face-to-face (one to one) or panel interview, sequentially or all at once and computerised or personally. (Dessler 2011) These interviews also can be telephone, online or video/web based interviews according to nature and circumstances. Organizations mostly use two types of interview; one to one and sequential. In one to one two persons meet and in sequential a series of questions are asked to candidate. Another one is panel interview in which a groups of interviewers meet each candidate with set of questions an score them according to their answers. There are also some other interviews like computerised interviews which are conducted due to distance and saving the precious time of organization. In the computerised interviews the applicants oral or/ and computerised replies are taken in response of computerised oral or visual or written questions. Some organization conduct telephone interviews to ease the applicant or due to distance problem. In this interview some questions are asked about the knowledge ,skills and abilities of the applicant and it gives more confidence to candidate as compare to face to face interview. The online or video/web based interviews are also conducted due to distance and easiness of both organization and applicant. Through video conference each candidate is asked a set of questions and employers examine their responses. (Dessler 2011) Example: 27 ( MONITOR CONSULTING FIRM) Monitor is a famous consulting firm uses group interview as a selection method. Applicants are given a problem to solve and they are monitored by interviewers. (www.kelloggforum.org/top-10-consulting-firms accessed on 5/02/2010) 5.10.2 ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGES OF INTERVIEW I. ADVANTAGES: Interview is useful to find out important information about candidate and his/her attributes. Employer can easily determine the communication and social skills of candidate. The supplementary information can be determined by interview. The verbal fluency can also be checked. It is helpful to find candidates job knowledge. Interview is very useful to compare candidates having equal qualification. Candidate also gets the opportunity to ask questions to interviewer if he/she has any confusion. II. DISADVANTAGES: Personal liking and disliking can be major factor of biasness. Usually interviewer made his mind about the selection of candidate in first few minutes and then remaining part of interview is just used to validate his decision. There can be a great chance of prejudice as according to research it has been proved that minorities are ignored in interviews. There can be a more weight to negative information. Validity and reliability of interviews are always in questioned. (www.hr-guide.com/data/G311.htm Accessed 0n 02/02/2011) IMPORTANT ISSUES IN CONDUCTING INTERVIEW The main purpose of interview is to hire right person for right job but there are some issues which arise during the process of interview which may become hurdle in the neat and clean process of selection. These are the problems which are necessary to address. First of all the perception of the interviewer can affect the selection of the process. The interviewers inability to understand the candidates characteristics and attribute can become big barrier in the selection of potential candidate. Secondly the biased behaviour of the interviewer can also be the hurdle in selection of right applicant. The discrimination of sex, age, racial, relig