Lord of the Flies: Examine Goldings methods of writing in the last three paragraphs of Chapter Nine

The end of chapter 9 is very different to the rest of the novel, both in the style it is written and in what Golding is trying to portray about human nature. My first impressions of this extract are how different Golding's style of writing is; he is much more poetic, mythical way â€Å"the clear water mirrored the clear sky†. The rest of the novel is written in much more of a matter-of-fact style, through the eyes of one of the other boys, however still in third person. The way he uses adjectives such as â€Å"inaudible† create a sense of calmness and silence, which is a harsh contrast to the killing scene just before â€Å"the noise was unendurable†. This is perhaps to represent the calm, quiet spirituality of Simon's nature, and show how he is a million miles away from the other boys, who made so much noise. It could also represent the fact that Simon is now alone, both physically and metaphorically as he is the only one who knows the truth. Golding also creates an almost superhuman element to Simon, making Simon godlike or giving him the air of a Saint; â€Å"†¦dressed Simon's course hair with brightness†. This is interesting as it is something he was made a point of not doing elsewhere in the novel. He has made a point of showing how fragile human nature is- â€Å"Ralph, cradling the conch, rocked to and fro†, here showing Ralph's emotional breakdown after participating in a murder, and shown the other boys to have regressed to become subhuman â€Å"savages†, in opposition to Simon becoming almost angelic. Throughout the novel Golding has also used the island as a microcosm of the ‘real world', and towards the end of the extract he goes against this idea and describes the world beyond in great detail â€Å"itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations†. I think the fact he describes this in so much detail is important, he is clearly trying to make a point of it: the fact the death of Simon is such a huge human tragedy, but yet when compared to the enormity of the natural world it pales in insignificance. Even though the novel at first seems pessimistic, and hard to believe the author was a Christian, I disagree. When Golding writes â€Å"Simon's dead body moved out to sea†, I think he is showing that amongst all the injustices in the world, those with faith and spirituality (as I think Simon is meant to represent the spiritual aspect of human nature) will go to a better place away from the horror of the world. I think the novel perhaps has a subtle underlying Christian message. You can see throughout that Golding has been very crafting in how he uses techniques to explain the importance of Simon's death in the novel, and the important differences between Simon and the other boys, and the fact Simon has not turned savage. The language he has used to show this is not typical of the rest of the novel however the symbolism is.

A Raisin in the Sun – 5

â€Å" The whole course of human history may depend on a change of heart in one solitary and even humble individual- for it is in the solitary mind and soul of the individual that the battle between good and evil is waged and ultimately won or lost. † This quote speaks of changes in heart. I believe someone who has a change in anyway, whether it’s in heart o anything else, for good has grown and become dynamic. Dynamic is characterized as a constant change in activity or progress. Perhaps the most dynamic character in Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is Beneatha because of her change in identity, career, and love.The first reason why I believe she is the most dynamic character is because of her change in identity. During the beginning of the play Beneatha had straight hair, along with everyone else in her family that was a female. She enjoyed and did not mind her straight hair; until Asagai pointed out that she was conforming to society. He was speaking of the act of imitating the behavior of some situation or some process by means of something suitably analogous, or a simulation. He makes the argument that she should straighten her hair because she should keep her original routes.He begins to speak of being assimilated or, people of different backgrounds come to see themselves as part of a larger national family. Another thing that Beneatha to change her identity was listen to different types of music. She did this in the hopes to prove to her family she did not want to conform. She wanted to prove that she could stay true to her heritage. The next thing that led me to believe that Beneatha is the most dynamic character is her change in career. Although Beneatha has chosen a career path, she is not sure what she would like to do in her spare time.She speaks to mama about learning how to play the guitar. Mama says, â€Å"Why you got to flit so from one thing to another, baby? † (Hansberry 47) Beneatha replies, â€Å"I just want to le arn to play the guitar. Is there anything wrong with that? † (Hansberry 47) â€Å"Ain’t nobody trying to stop you. I just wonders sometimes why you has to flit so from one thing to another all the time. You ain’t never done nothing with all that camera equipment you brought home-â€Å", Mama says (Hansberry 47). She has pursued several different options, but she is like a kid in a candy store and has an extremely difficult time staying, or sticking to one thing.But the thing about her career that changes isn’t what she wants to do, but why she wants to do it. In the beginning of the play she talks about how she wanted to be a doctor because of a tragic accident she witnessed as a child. Her friends face split open before her eyes, and she thought, â€Å"Well that’s the end of him. † But, one day he returned with just a simply scar on his face, and since then she wanted to be that person to help a child live on. But, in the middle of the pla y, she loses faith and finds all dreams pointless, she loses sight of everything that she once stood for.Asagai brings her back to reality, and helps her realize that she can make a difference and change the world, one person at a time. At the end of the play it now becomes clear that she wants to help kids in Africa along side of Asigai. The structure of why is changed because love gets mixed within her dreams. My last reason why I believe that Beneatha is a dynamic character is because of her in heart. George Murchison offers the best opportunities for Beneatha and her family. However, Beneatha comes to a startling discovery after spending an evening with George.He says to her, â€Å"I don’t go out with you to discuss the nature of ‘quiet desperation’ or to hear all about your thoughts – because the world will go on thinking what it thinks regardless – â€Å"(Hansberry 97). After George’s departure, Beneatha is speaking to Mama. She says, â€Å"Mama, George is a fool – honest† (Hansberry 97). Even though George is a wealthy, good-looking man, his shallowness becomes his bitter downfall. Beneatha realizes that she can do much better than him, and that she deserves better than him. George is completely oblivious to her revelation and thinks that his opinion is neither ignorant nor cruel.The irony in George’s statement is that Beneatha can make a difference simply by voicing her opinions and letting her presence made known. Even before George made his brutal comments to Beneatha, she was rethinking her choice of companion. This is when she begins to look further into the enigma that is Asagai. Joseph Asagai, an intellectual from Nigeria. Asagai says that Beneatha seeks out those who understand her hardships, her lack of a definite identity, and her need for an intellectual relationship. As is true with almost any young woman, what she thinks she needs and what she actually needs are two strikingly different things.With two men vying for her heart, Beneatha must make a decision regarding who is best for her. She then, at the end the play, realizes this is the man the she wants and should be with. In conclusion, As Beneatha’s interests change, so does who she is. Her ever-changing identity helps to define her as a diverse individual. This is shown through her change in identity, career, and love. Maybe who we are as a person isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it. Never doubt oneself and don’t worry about what others think, because sometimes change can be a good thing, and sometimes change is needed.

Growing Up African American Essay

I am a member of the African American group and I would like to tell you a bit about the group of when I am a part of. Let me start by saying that my African American group originated from Africa and growing up in America can be tough for people of my race, the African Americans. My group’s history is wide ranging spanning for many years and varying from region to region within the United States. I remember when I was young I use to talk to my mother a lot and asked her many questions like â€Å"Why am I called an African American? † She went on to explain that our race originally comes from Africa and we were part of a slave trade. From my mother I learned that we were slaves until a law was passed to give us freedom. I use to wonder when I was young if there were other people similar to me all over America. I also remember something my father told me once that African Americans live all over the country. My father told stories of how he used to go to an all black school could vote or sit in the front of buses. Being African Americans have faced several kinds of creation and consequence situations in the years they have been a part of the United States. In some places cheaper labor, longer work hours and terrible living conditions. Many people of the United States have made it almost impossible for groups of another race or Ethnicity to strive and live full happy lives. I have seen over the year’s situations of extermination in some parts, as well segregation, and expulsion. In school from some of my teachers, in social interactions like just walking through a store, and especially in the work place when they’ll even give me the chance to work because it doesn’t matter I go to get a job out here. There are some racist, even the Uncle Tom’s. I’ve done everything they ask and still I either get denied the job or they hire me and treat me like Growing up African American 3 trash until I quit, or they try to find a reason to get rid of me. Since, I don’t give them much reason to get rid of me due to my strong work ethic and performance; they usually try to break me down. Education plays an important role for most African Americans; however we are still way behind when compared to the White American which probably has a lot to do with the way some of us was brought up or our background. Regardless of the contributions made by the forefathers of black people, there is a hesitation of acceptance of the race that has been a focus of many groups the strive for freedom and justice for all, that has not yet been rectified. The same group of people was good enough to built the country is not always seen as good enough to live in the house next door. I believe because this country is made up of many different races and ethnic groups that are steadily growing in numbers. If different races are toco exist peacefully in the U. S. , it is vital that we all become educated on the history and culture of different races and ethnicities. According to the 2000 Census data for Lexington, MS the total population for 2000 were 2,025 male 965 and female 1,060 square miles 2. 45. Race: white (635); black or African American (1,362); American Indian and Alaska Native (1); Asian (13); and two or more races (14); and Hispanic or Latino (of any race) (40) (Fact finder Census 2000). Birthplace facts from the 2000 census data in Lexington born in the same state (1,706); born in another state (269); born outside the US (0); naturalized citizen (14); and foreign born, not US citizen (10). Some more 2000 census data in educational attainment population 25 and older was 1,206 in Lexington: high school graduates (299); some college, or associate’s degree (349); bachelor’s degree (111); and master’s, professional or doctorate degree (60). Some enrollment population 3 years and over Growing up African American 4 enrolled in school was 627: preschool and kindergarten (83); grades 1-12 (446); and college (98) (2000 census data). Growing up African American 5 References Factfinder Census 2000 Census data for Lexington, MS My mother and father.

Health issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health issue - Essay Example The matter is considered paramount given that obesity is substantially associated with other diseases such as health failure and diabetes. Over the precedent few decades, the occurrence of obesity has been in a frequency that is over twice the number that experienced the health issue (Sturm, 2005). This implies that obesity will soon turn out to be the topmost causative agent of death for the populace at young ages. It still threatens to reduce the quality of existence and add to health costs through various diseases to which it is associated. Over the time, various causes have been presented through research leading to development of interventions and recommendations towards the alleviation of the condition. The major causes of this health issue are nutrition and poor physical exercise. In the recent time, people within the society have profoundly valued junk foods and other modern ways of spending leisure such as playing video sport. These have substantially added to obesity in various ways. The nutritional content of junk foods is considered poor since it only provides the body with calories and not nutrients (Sturm, 2005). These calories are later converted into energy that is often converted into fat since the obese individuals do not engage in physical fitness activities. The matter has profoundly affected the way of living of these individuals and according to research the greater part of the populace mainly in US being obese. Further projections have indicated that, by 2015, four individuals will be obese for every group of ten. The increment of individuals who are obese with a figure that is more than double shows that the matter has to be alleviated to prevent a further rise (Sturm, 2005). Obesity affects all people within the populace although greater harm is imparted on individuals used to taking junk and

Effective pedagogic principles in primary teaching today Essay

Effective pedagogic principles in primary teaching today - Essay Example During the development of academic content for students of the English language, teachers should check that they establish standards for the content to be covered by the syllabus. Apart from doing that, it is primarily important for teachers to employ all the means available to them, to increase the accessibility of the given content among the students (Garinger, 2002). In a similar way, the teacher should guarantee that the language used for teaching should be culturally relevant and authentic. The research done in this field shows that the textbooks used for teaching the English language should be suitable to the varied needs of the students to be taught using the specialised teaching materials. The extensive research done in this area shows that the textbooks used for teaching students should be varied, progressive, and challenging (Garinger, 2002). The materials used for teaching English should offer learners the opportunity to use language in an integrated manner, and more importantly, the different materials should be connected to one another, so as to allow for the progression of skills in language (Howard and major, 2005). The selection of the materials incorporated into the teaching of English should take into account, the varied cultural backgrounds of the learners, and incorporate the use of culturally relevant literature. The materials used should incorporate a wide range of texts related to different themes, and the activities should foster the language acquisition of the students. In order to help students to understand important concepts, the literature should incorporate a variety of visual representations, including charts, diagrams, pictures and concept maps; visual aids help to make language and content more accessible to students.

Assignment 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Assignment 6 - Essay Example This wildfire also resulted in the death of 86 people. This wildfire was so devastating that it prompted the Congress to set aside funds to assist the National Forest Service prevent and fight wildfires. Despite the measures that have been put in place to prevent wildfires, the U.S. still, continue to suffer from the effects of wildfires. Causes of Wildfire Both human and nature are responsible for wildfires witnessed in the U.S. According to Hamilton (2010), about 90% of wildfires that burn the U.S. forests and lands are started by humans. Firstly, arson attack is responsible for most wildfires in the U.S. Arson attacks happen when an individual deliberately starts fire with the aim of destroying the land of a person perceived as an enemy. In 2010 alone, the U.S. fire department reportedly responded to about 260,000 wildfires intentionally started by arsonists (The National Fire Protection, 2013). These intentional fires resulted in at least 390 deaths, and left at least 1,340 peopl e with serious injuries. The fires also resulted in the destruction of property worth $1.2 billion. In fact, the wildfire that burnt more than 147,000 acres of land in Southern California in 2009 was caused by arson, according to the U.S. Forest Service report (CNN, 2009). This wildfire also destroyed many homes in the northern part of Los Angeles. Most wildfires in the U.S. are also caused by people burning debris. Most people in the U.S. have the habit of burning debris. However, sometimes the wind ends up blowing the debris to a dry grass and forest cover resulting in massive wildfires as has been the case in Michigan. The Michigan Fire department reveals that most wildfires in the state are caused by people burning debris (Hamilton, 2010). Smoking is also blamed for the rising incidences of wildfires in the U.S., according to Hamilton (2010). It has been observed that some wildfires are started by discarded burning cigarettes. When an individual discards a burning cigarette on a dry grass or forest, this sometimes ends up triggering a massive wildfire that result in the destruction of several acres of land. A small percentage of wildfires in the U.S. are caused by sparks from moving trains, vehicle exhaust, and heavy equipment. Some of the wildfires that burn the U.S. forests are caused by nature, such as lightning and lava. Silverstein, Silvertein, and Nunn (2009) reveal that whereas 90% of wildfires are caused by humans, the remaining 10% are caused by nature. Normally, when lightning occurs, electric currents are sent to the earth’s surface resulting in wildfires. For instance, report indicates that about half of all wildfires in Florida are stated by lightning. Lightning is also responsible for about 2% of all wildfires in Michigan. Volcanic eruption is also responsible for a significant number of wildfires in the U.S. When an eruption occurs, hot magma is through onto the earth’s surface that cools down to form lava. However, when the ho t lava encounters dry grass or leaves, this sometimes starts wildfires as noted by Silverstein, Silvertein, and Nunn (2009). The physical nature of wildfires The physical nature of wildfire is very complex and depends largely on fuel type, geographical location, humidity, moisture content, temperature of an area and topography. For a wildfire to occur, the necessary elements must be available. Firstly, an ignition source

From Kyoto to Doha, the international community has consistently Essay - 1

From Kyoto to Doha, the international community has consistently failed to reach any meaningful agreement on reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Discuss - Essay Example change, the role and efficiencies of such agreements have been criticised in often instances being influenced by the uncontrollably rising green house gas emissions. One of the most debated international treaties towards climate change can be identified as the Kyoto Protocol which is also attributed as one of the initial coalitions established concerning sustainable development (Karp & Zhao, 2008). The subsequent international coalitions such as 18th Conference of the Parties (COP 18), better known as â€Å"Doha Climate Gateway†, the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer among others have been under deep scrutiny on the basis of its failure to reduce the emissions and thus ensure minimisation of the rate of climate changes (Boyle, 2012; United Nations Environment Programme, 2001; United Nations Environment Programme, 2000). Undoubtedly, it has become a matter of significant concern to identify the fundamental reasons due to which the international treaties have had no apparent influence on the rising emission rates and climate change (Boyle, 2012). Taking these aspects into concern, the study will aim at identifying the background of the International Environmental Agreements (IEAs) with the intention to recognise the influences which have hampered the functional competencies of the treaties. The ultimate objective of the study will therefore be concentrated on rationalising the causes of failure of the IEAs, initiated till date, in the context of climate changes. With this concern, the study will initially attempt to identify the trends concerning the measures adopted to combat climate change from international, European Union (EU) and UK perspectives taking onto account the various institutions which tend to regulate such coalitions or IEAs. The discussion will further proceed to critically analyse the procedures and

Technology in the school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology in the school - Essay Example They have no time to think about the damaging consequences. An individual gives highest priority to the time-saving products, without pondering about its concerns on body, mind and soul. In this essay, apparently on a simple topic, Ed Bell sounds the warning bell about the consequences of showing disrespect to some of the natural ways of doing things and advises the necessity of avoiding mechanical movements. He makes the following statement: â€Å"Although technology has improved society in many ways, we use it indiscriminately, not distinguishing the good from the bad† (470).According to the author, technological advancement does not always contribute to the welfare of humankind. He lists the advantages and disadvantages of raking vs. blowing the leaves and in the process creates a new pattern of thinking, and throws questions about the tendency of the human being to challenge the functioning the nature in a thoughtless manner. (472) Beautiful gardens are built with care. When the roaring machines attack the greenery of the yard, it looks like the demons take over and are out to destroy nature. The author depicts the advantages of using leaf rakes versus blowing (using vacuums) Using rakes is considered as an antiquated method and the progressive individuals argue that leaf rakes need to be consigned to the annals of history. Undoubtedly the blower has some advantages like time saving, and the technical ability to remove leaves from close spaces and easy to use especially for individuals with disabilities. Blowers or vacuums also do the job of shredding the leaves and make available ready-to-use mulch. But the advantages of raking are many and it is a pleasant and not a noisy system. Ed Bell argues, â€Å"But even if it does take longer to rake than to blow, the extra time spent raking provides the exercise that we need. One look at the human body will tell you it is built for raking—it wants to rake!â⠂¬ (Mauk, et.al,

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Human resource management - Essay Example Corporate culture affects a business and its workers in different ways so that workers become more creative and innovative. According to Hawken and Lovins (1999), a business that functions as a learning organization, rewarding measurement, monitoring continuous improvement always outpaces a corporate culture. A strong corporate culture provides a sense of identity for its employees so that they feel as part of the firm. A sound corporate culture can help form a effective teamwork among its workers. Corporate culture encourages workers to become more committed to the business and as a result industrial relation or high labor turn-over problems can be solved. Corporate culture contributes employee motivation that in turn increases the productivity of the employees. The corporate strategy can be used by managers as a measure to control managerial activities and to shape employee behavior and attitude towards the business. The researchers have found that strong corporate culture often damage company performances and its effectiveness in operation (Lowney, 2003, p. 209). People in a group or organization may be different in expressing values, rites or symbols and hence there can be subcultures within a corporate culture. The corporate culture can be ‘integrated, or differentiated or fragmented. The integration perspective of corporate culture is a unitary in which culture is shared and it would be unambiguous. The differentiation perspective is one in which culture forms in different ways. In fragmentation perspective, there would be little consensus between the workers in an organization regarding what is their culture. â€Å"Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal† (Northouse, 2009, p. 3) Leadership is the process of guiding the behavior of other people towards attaining organizational objectives. Leadership causes subordinates to behave in a particular

Risk management and project quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk management and project quality - Essay Example User support seems to be equally high for upgraded software from all vendors, but Globalupgrades seems to have marginally higher support from users. Project risk is defined as an uncertain event or condition in a project, which has a positive or negative affect on at least one project objective. Uncertainties are present in all projects and can effect the time, cost, scope, or quality of a project (Project Management Institute [PMI], 2004, p.238). 2.1 The network infrastructure is weak in some areas of the state, and may not be able to support upgraded e-mail system at some selective locations. This presents an uncertainty which may not allow the project to be executed as per its original intent. This has a potential to affect the scope of the project and is therefore a negative risk. 2.2 Several of the vendors have proposed bundling of additional features like specialized e-mail address books and templates along with their upgraded products, if their product is selected. This is a positive opportunity as the vendor is proposing a value-added service, which can enhance the quality of the project. 2.3 There appears to be a problem with resource availability for the project; the resource is estimated to fall short by two network engineers and a business analyst who would be required for project documentation. This is a negative risk, and has the potential to affect the completion of the project documentation and therefore, the project quality. 2.4 There is a possibility that one of the vendors (Globalcom) will increase its license fee by 20%. Such increase is not budgeted and has a potential to cause a cost overrun. This is a negative risk as this has the potential to negatively affect the project cost of Globalcom is selected as the vendor. 2.5 All vendors seem to be ready to offer higher discounts with increase in number of users. Ohio Department of Taxation (ODT) is considering adopting a similar e-mail system, which can increase the overall number of users when considered together with ODHS. This is a positive opportunity as this has the potential to reduce the cost of the project by leveraging the combined number of users of ODT and ODHS. 3.0 Qualitative Risk Analysis Risk Probability and Impact Assessment is a tool used for Qualitative Risk Analysis. Risk Probability Assessment investigates the likelihood that each specific risk will occur, while Risk Impact Assessment investigates the potential effect on project time, cost, scope or quality. Risks are prioritized as low, moderate, and high priority based on their probability and impact. It is proposed that ODHS use a probability and impact matrix as detailed below for this purpose. Table 3-1 Probability and Im

The Psychological Effects of Ecological Disasters Essay Example for Free

The Psychological Effects of Ecological Disasters Essay The highly advanced technologies emerging nowadays bring many conveniences today that seemed impossible fifty years ago. Yet, such improvements and developments are expected to bear different consequences. Ecological disaster, although a natural phenomenon, is a consequence of man-made hazard. According to Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, and Nelson (1995), majority of the population have experienced â€Å"at least one traumatic event throughout their lifetime†. Although the frequency of traumatic events is high, many people, especially the adults, are able to survive from different forms of disaster and are likely to recover from any traumatic event. However, there are some who are unable to cope with the trauma from such events, such as the children who are prone to resilience. It is indeed a traumatic and stressful experience to be present in any occurrence of an accident, calamity, or a tragedy. Victims of disaster are likely to demonstrate some stress and emotional reactions such as grief, anger, fear, depression, anxiety, and somatization. Other victims of ecological disaster are observed to manifest behavioral expressions of stress which include changes in illness behavior, problems in role functioning at home and in work, troubles of substance abuse, and domestic violence. Moreover, people who are suffering from severe mental illness (SMI) are more prone to experience Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD (Bromet Dew, 1995; Havenaar et al. , 1997). One of the most severe and traumatic disasters occurred on April 26, 1986 was the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which took place for almost 10 days. The explosion resulted in the enormous release of radioactive materials (e. g. iodine and caesium radionuclides) in the areas of Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Belarus. Such radioactive materials are known to cause thyroid cancer (The Chernobyl Forum, 2003-2005, p. 10). Approximately five million people living in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were contaminated with radionuclides. Most of them were emergency workers and on-site personnel including army, local police and fire services, and power plant staff. Some residents of the said areas were also affected. The disaster response actions of the authorities such as the evacuation of people from affected areas somehow reduced the health consequence of the radiation exposures. Aside from thyroid cancer which hit the affected population, there is a notable increased in psychological problems among the residents of affected areas. Such was the result of disturbance and trauma brought by the explosion. People experienced stress and anxiety because of the lack of information about the effects of such radiation and its consequences to social and economic security (The Chernobyl Forum, 2003-2005, p. 7). Until today, the concerned authorities are having difficulties in identifying and eliminating the psychological burden of the Chernobyl explosion. Meanwhile, many researches demonstrated that the occurrence of ecological disasters such as tragedy, terrorism event, traumatic accidents, and others could cause psychiatric disorders to human victims. Such disorders include depression, anxiety, somatization, ASD and PTSD. Accordingly, there are several factors that are believed to contribute to the cause of psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of ecological disaster. Some believe that the impact of psychological effects of disaster depends on the amount of information given to victims of traumatic events. Other researches identified that a victim with lower level of education is prone to experience psychiatric disorder after the occurrence of a disaster. In addition, people who experienced many negative events in life are more likely to manifest mental disorders brought by traumatic event. Meanwhile, other researches assert that people with positive and optimistic personalities are less vulnerable to psychiatric disorder. This research paper will delve into the psychological effects of ecological disasters and will highlight the various factors that affect victim’s psychological processing of Chernobyl explosion, particularly the residents of Former Soviet Union. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this quantitative study is to identify and explore the factors that affect the mental processing of the victims of Chernobyl explosion. Respondents for this study are the affected residents from Former Soviet Union. The analysis for this study will dwell on whether Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and resilience can be predicted using variables such as participant’s age, gender, distance from disaster site, educational level, fewer life stressors, positive personality traits, and empowerment from having more information about the disaster. Moreover, the researcher will attempt to identify those victims who are likely to experience psychiatric disorder after experiencing ecological disaster and those who are not prone to such psychological disorder. It will also attempt to enumerate the different ways and treatments which will be useful in preventing the psychological effects of ecological disaster. Statement of the Problem Generally, this research study aims to examine the factors that affect the psychological processing of the victims of ecological disaster, particularly the victims of Chernobyl disaster from Former Soviet Union. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following problems: 1. What are the possible psychological effects of ecological disasters? 2. Who are the victims of disaster that are likely to experience psychological disorder? 3. Who are the victims of disaster that are likely to cope from experiencing disaster thus overcoming traumatic and stressful obstacles? 4. How do other victims manage to overcome psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of disaster? 5. Why do other victims fail to overcome psychiatric disorder following a traumatic event? 6. What can be done to manage and prevent (if possible) the psychological effects of ecological disaster? 7. Who are the proper authorities responsible for addressing the psychological problems brought by the occurrence of ecological disasters? Hypotheses There are various factors that make the victims of ecological disasters more susceptible to psychological disorder, and these factors are the subject of hypothesis for this study. According to researches, the possibility for victims to develop a psychological disorder depends on the personality of the victims, level of education of the victims; amount of information given to victims of disaster; and quantity of negative events experienced by the victims. Based on the studies conducted by Aspinwall and Taylor (1992) and Scheier and Carver (1995), it was discovered that having a positive personality or being optimistic can contribute to the victims’ physical and psychological well-being. In addition, Scheier and Carver’s (1995) study reveals that optimistic people believe that they could overcome any adversity. Thus, instead of avoiding the obstacles and challenges, optimistic people use problem-solving skills to cope with difficulties (Scheier Carver, 1995). Furthermore, numerous research studies have found that dispositional optimism (positive reason for migration, American acculturation, mastered of English language, and overall life satisfaction) could also lessen the impact of stress to the experience of an individual (Ben-Zur, Rappaport, Ammar, Uretzky, 2000; Herman-Stahl Petersen, 1996; Aspinwall Taylor, 1992). People who have positive outlook are likely to use health care services following the experience of any traumatic disaster. Still, there are factors that contribute to positive personality of individual such as demographic and social aspect, attitudinal-belief, and other structural variables (Anderson Newman, 1973). The researcher assumes that people with negative view of life and are pessimist are prone to experience psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of a disaster. Meanwhile, results of the research studies conducted by Breslau et al. (1997), Kessler et al. (1995), and Kulka et al. (1991) demonstrated that people with lesser educational attainment are more likely to experience PTSD such that lesser educational attainment is correlated with increased level of PTSD. Yet, there are inconsistent results from the empirical literature regarding the psychological and mental health of elderly adults. Majority of the literature review indicated that older people have a greater risk for physical injury and monetary loss, and have fewer social support, which then suggest that elderly are more vulnerable to experience stress. Thus, this group is at a higher psychological risk of developing psychological disorder in the face of disaster (Krause, 1987; Phifer Norris, 1989). Therefore, the researcher presumes that people with high educational attainment and younger population are likely to be resilient to post disaster stress and trauma. Many research studies established that the individual’s perception of risk following a disaster can cause poor health effects which is either physical or mental illness (Kazakov, Demidchik, Astakhova ,1992; Baverstock, Egloff, Pinchera, Ruchti Williams, 1992; Moysich, Menezes, Michalek, 2002). Yet, not all individuals have the same perception on the impact of hazard as according to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), perception on risks varies differently from one another. However, the level of stress caused by any traumatic event to an individual depends on how he or she perceived the risk of a disaster. To elucidate, the amount of information available for the victims of disaster affects his or her perception of risk (Renn Rohrmann, 2000). It is important to note that risk messages enclose factual, value-related, inferential, and symbolic meanings (Havenaar, Cwikel Bromet, 2002). In the case of Chernobyl explosion, limited information about the consequences of the explosion was disseminated to affected residents. Thus, people who have little information following radiation disasters like Chernobyl are likely to experience PSTD. In addition, the perception of the exposure has a significant impact on women, especially women with young children. The researcher then presumes that people who are less informed about the possible effects of disaster such as women and children are likely to suffer from psychological disorder. Other researchers established that victims who are exposed to the most intense features of the disaster are likely to develop the most severe stress reaction and are likely to experience poor mental health outcomes (Weiss, Marmar, Metzler Ronfeldt, 1995; Goenjian et al. , 2000). The degree of exposure significantly affects mental health outcomes. Individuals who are often exposed to high levels of stress in their everyday lives have a higher risk of experiencing mental disorders. Thus, the researcher assumes that individuals who are furthest from disaster sites are more resilient. Rationale for the Study The incidence of exposure to disaster is more frequent than expected. According to result of the research study conducted by Kessler et al. (1995), majority of the population have experienced a minimum of a single traumatic phenomenon in their lifetime. Epidemiological studies conducted by different researchers and specialists have found that approximately, three quarters of the majority population in the U. S. has experienced a single traumatic phenomenon in their life (Green, 1994). To elucidate, approximately one billion people have been affected by natural disasters within the past 25 years (Weisaeth, 1995). Moreover, in a national morbidity survey, researchers found that 60. 7 percent of adult men and 51. 2 percent of adult women in the United States have been involved to at least one traumatic event or an ecological disaster (Kessler et al. , 1995). Meanwhile, in North America, an estimated 17 million people are prone to a natural disaster each year (Meichenbaum Fitzpatrick, 1993). Furthermore, in a meta-review of psychosocial consequences of disasters, it was found that approximately 11% of individuals are suffering from minimal impairments, 50% from moderate impairments, while 21% and 18% are experiencing severe and very severe impairments respectively (Norris, Friedman, Watson, 2002). With these data, we could affirm that disasters are common events or phenomena. Since majority of the population are prone to experience traumatic events such as accidents, tragedy and other ecological disaster, it is important that people have enough understanding and are knowledgeable about the possible psychological or mental health consequences caused by these traumatic events.

Human Resources - how individuals are managed within an organisation Essay Example for Free

Human Resources how individuals are managed within an organisation Essay Introduction People are an extremely important resource for any organisation. To be a successful business you need to employ staff with the right qualifications skills and experience. The employees of an organisation are collectively known as its human resources, in many organisations, both public and private, the human resources department is also known as the personnel department. However, the difference in name reflects a shift in emphasis from a purely recruitment and welfare role to a greater concern about how to maximise the performance of staff. Human resource management is also an integral part of many job roles. There are many duties performed by a typical human resources department. These duties include drawing up and implementing equal opportunities and health and safety policies, staff consultation, negotiation, appraisal and staff development, as well as training, recruitment and selection of staff. They are the most important resource in the production of goods ands services. Many aspects of the employer-employee relationship are covered by legislation. However, employers are recognising increasingly that good human resource management practice, which goes beyond the letter of the law, can generate benefits for both the organisation and the individual. The role of human resources Human resource management involves managing a range of roles relating to people employed by a business including: Recruitment The personnel department must advertise accordingly and try to attract the best candidates for the job, and the recruit the best applicants. If the wrong person is recruited, and then finds the job boring or too difficult, then the business will not get the most out of its human resources. Also where employees need to be flexible and autonomous and where direct control over employees is difficult, recruitment is becoming more and more important. To make sure the best person is chosen, personnel departments must be clear about: * What the job entails * What qualities the job requires * What rewards is needed to retain and motivate employees. There are many stages of recruiting, they are: 1. Analyse what the job entails and decide what sort of person is needed. 2. Decide how the vacancy is to be advertised or announced. 3. The selection process needs to be planned and conducted in such a way as to ensure that the best candidate is successful. Training involves employees being taught new skills or improving skills they have already have. Why might a business train its employees? It is argued that a well-trained work force has certain benefits for a business. * Well-trained workers should be more productive. This will help the business to achieve its overall objectives such as increasing profits. * It should help to create a more flexible work force. If a business needs to increase production, workers then have to be trained in new tasks. * New machinery or production processes can be introduced more effectively, if the staff are trained. * It should lead to increased job satisfaction to employees. Well-motivated workers are more likely to be more productive. * It should reduce accidents and injuries if employees are trained in health and safety procedures. * It may improve the image of the company. * It can improve employees chances of promotion. How does a firm know if training is required? One method might be to use the job description to find the skills and knowledge needed to do the job. If the employees skills do not match up with the ones in the job description, then there is a need for re-training. Employees can also be asked about areas where they are not quite as confident, and think may need a little work on. This should make them more committed to training. Training needs are found at different levels within a business. Training is often divided into on-the-job-training and off-the-job-training. On-the-job-training takes place when employees are trained while they are carrying out an activity, often at their place of work. Off-the-job training takes place away from the job, at a different location. It may involve the employee being released for periods of time to attend courses at colleges or other institutions. This is by far the most popular form of training. One vital key task of HRM is to keep up to date with employment legislation (UK and EU) and to remain alert to the implications of such legislation for the firm and the workers. The main aim of such legislation is to ensure that employees rights are protected. Basic rights include: * Employees must receive a written statement of terms and conditions of employment within 13 weeks of starting work. * They must be paid the same as other people who carry out identical or similar jobs. * Working conditions must be safe and healthy. * Workers cannot be dismissed unfairly. * Employers must not discriminate against any member of staff. Employees have basic rights to: * They are expected to comply with the terms of their contract. * To do jobs with care and skill, to the acceptable standard. * Observe health and safety regulations. * Not to damage the firms property. There are many other responsibilities that then form the basis of the contract of employment. The contract is formed as soon as the employer offers a person a job and they accept it. Motivation at work For many years firms have given financial rewards in an attempt to motivate employees and improve productivity. However in the last 2 or 3 decades firms have realised that: * the chance to earn more money may not be an effective motivator * financial incentive schemes are difficult to operate * individual reward schemes may no longer be effective as production has become organised into group tasks * other factors may be more important in motivating employees If other factors are more important than pay in motivating workers, it is important for firms to identify them. Only then can a business make sure its work force is motivated. Team work The Swedish car firm Volvo is a well-known example of a company that has effectively introduced teamwork. In both its plants at Kalmar and Uddevalla, it set up production in teams of 8-10 highly skilled workers. The teams decided between themselves how the work was to be distributed and how to solve problems as they arise. It is arguable whether these practices lead to an increase in productivity, but the company firmly believes this method of organisation was better than an assembly line system a similar system is used at Honda UK but with four person teams. If the firm is always changing due to the market, which is causing it to either, expand or de-layer. Then they will have to change the work force accordingly. The case study that I will be looking at is a position as a secretary for Ratcliffe College. P1- Recruitment One of the most important responsibilities of Human resource function is recruitment and selection. The costs of recruitment, training and retaining employees are high, but the costs of selecting the wrong people or losing key members of staff can be even higher. The processes of recruitment and selection must always relate the requirement for skilled staff to the business needs of the organisation. It is also essential that potential candidates be treated fairly. When vacancies arise because existing staff move to other jobs, retire or have to leave work because of illness. Some vacancies occur because the organisation expands or is restructured. Before the organisation advertises a post, it needs to decide whether there is a real need for the position to be filled. It might consider the following alternatives: * Amalgamating one job with another * Giving existing staff overtime * Recruiting temporary staff * Increasing the use of technology or machinery * Once an organisation decides that a vacancy exists, the recruitment process begins. Internal recruitment Internal recruitment strengthens employees commitment to the company, for example Kelloggs have stated the following in their recruitment policy handbook: * Offer the job to an existing employee, as a promotion or transfer * Advertise internally, if suitable candidate is likely to available internally * Advertise externally if no suitable candidate is likely to exist internally(and display notice internally to the effect that the advertisement is appearing) Except in special cases, all vacancies should be advertised internally before external recruitment methods are used. There are a number of advantages to advertising jobs inside the business. * It gives employees within the company a chance to develop their career * There may be a shorter induction period as the employee is likely to be familiar with the company * Employers will know more about internal candidates abilities. This should reduce the risk of employing the wrong person * Internal recruitment may be quicker and less expensive than recruiting from outside the business. However, there are also disadvantages. * Internal advertising limits the number of applicants * External candidates might have been better quality * Another vacancy will be created which might have to be filled * If having investigated ways of filling the vacancy internally the business still does not appoint, then it must find ways to obtain candidates externally. External recruitment There are many ways of attracting candidates from outside the company. The choice of method often depends on the type of vacancy and the type of employee a business wants. Each method has its own benefits and problem, although it could be argued that the overall advantages of external advertising are the opposite of the disadvantages of internal advertising, for example, there is a wider number of applicants. Commercial employment agencies, these are companies that specialise in recruiting and selection. They usually provide a shortlist of candidates for a company to interview, but can also provide temporary workers. For example HMS, Alfred Marks and Kelly Accountancy Personnel. The advantage of commercial agencies is that they are experienced in providing certain types of worker, such as secretaries and clerical staff. They also minimise the administration for the employer involved in recruiting staff. Their main drawback is that they tend to produce staff that only stay in a job for a short time. Another problem for the business is the cost of paying fees to the agency. Recruitment and selection P2-Personnel Specification The first step is to prepare a job description. Before writing a job description, the job itself has to be analysed. This will identify the skills needed to perform the job and will also allow management to consider the overall effectiveness of the post and whether any changes are necessary. Clear job descriptions form the basis for preparing advertisements and for drawing up person specifications. Once individuals are in the post, job descriptions allow them to know exactly what their roles are, and what is expected of them. Before writing a job description, the job itself has to be analysed. This will identify the skills needed to perform the job and will also allow management to consider the overall effectiveness of the post and whether any changes are necessary. Clear job descriptions form the basis for preparing advertisements and for drawing up person specifications. Once individuals are in a post, job description allow them to know exactly what their roles are, and what is expected of them. When preparing a job description, it is important that the business to look to: * Describe the job accurately- if you overstate or understate the requirements of the job, you will be less likely to attract suitable applicants * Avoid discriminatory descriptions wording that implies one sex is preferable to another is unfair, illegal and unnecessarily restricts the number of people you are able to choose from. Below is an example of a job description, advertised in the local paper, for my case study. Ratcliffe College Job title School secretary Department: Administration, including Bursary Location Ratcliffe College, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake Salary à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½15,000- 20,000 Requirements for the job: * Enthusiastic, sociable, hard working person. * Taking care of any paper work regarding the school, and answering calls throughout the day on any matter. * Computer skills and experience of working in an office. General information * The hours per day would from 9am-5pm, 5 days a week. * There is a team of six people who deal with the administration of the school; this includes the bursar, the head masters secretary and the four secretaries. The profile of the best person to fill a job is a vital reference document to use during the selection process. It helps eliminate unsuitable candidates, guides interviewers and allows selectors to compare candidates objectively. The following are the key areas in drawing up a person specification: * Knowledge and understanding required for the job * Skills and abilities required for the job * Experience required for the job * Educational requirements The following shows a person specification: To fill the receptionist post we are looking for people with most of the following qualifications: 1. GCSEs in Maths and English, additional qualifications such as computer skills required. 2. The applicant must have had previous experience in an office environment 3. Must be computer literate, and able to use a photocopier. 4. Must have an outgoing, friendly personality, and able to communicate efficiently with students and fellow members of staff alike. Most importantly, they must be able to answer the telephone and help with any enquiries. When preparing person specifications, there are several pitfalls to be avoided. * Asking for higher qualifications than are needed, it runs the risk of passing over less-qualified staff who are likely to become frustrated in positions that fail to extend their abilities * Asking for someone with particular or extensive experience, an individual with the right aptitudes, skills and temperament may be a quick learner * Stipulating particular age requirements, tasks that are traditionally regarded as junior can often be done as well, if not better, by older staff. Similar, jobs that have been regarded as the preserve of more mature employees may be performed by able, qualified and highly motivated young people. * Defining narrow physical requirements, these must only be specified where the requirement is genuine and essential. Remember that the specification of physical attributes can lead to direct or indirect discrimination. * Basing your specification on someone who is already doing the job, no matter how good that person might be, he or she is a unique individual and no one else will be a perfect replacement. The newcomer will bring his or her own personality, values and skills. P3-Reviewing Applications Miss Puddleduck- she seems to be able to get on with people and handle situations, as we can see this from her working as a carer in an Elderly Home. She is the eldest to apply for the job and has a good amount of previous experience, which give her the skills needed, like office and computer work. Seems to be a hard work and has good communication skills, and also she has worked with children before so is a strong candidate. From her CV I see that she has three young children, This may cause a problem, as she has a live-in child minder. Mr Langer- Mr Langer sent in an application form with exceptional exam results both from GCSE and A level. He gave some job experience which all showed experience but nothing that was relevant to the job description. His letter of application was very short with not much detail. Being as he hadnt any experience in secretarial duties then I would have thought that he would have tried to impress me through the letter of application. This didnt happen but because of his good exam results I offered him an interview hoping he would have something to offer the company. Mr Langers CV was average, he had typed it out so that it looked neat, and it was set well but the contented which he needed to impress me wasnt there. Mr Langer was a very intellectual young man by the language which he had used on his recruitment forms and his given exam results but unfortunately he didnt have the relevant experience to offer this post. Miss Hill- the weakest candidate looking from her application form, but she seems to be enthusiastic over the job, but from her CV she says she likes socialising, which may be a downfall as she may need to come in any day of the week. Miss Hill has no previous experience. From the CV her GCSE grades are not excellent, however, she has passed English and maths, and has computer skills. I am not sure how well she can communicate with people of different ages, as I have no evidence that she can. However, as she is young she may find it easier to communicate with the student, but she must be able to communicate effectively with the adults as well. She also has a young child, so she may know how to get on with the younger generation in the school Miss Hill has a young child, which could mean that she will need time off work to look after it. She states that her mum could look after the child at the weekends if necessary, however, her mum may not be available in the week if the child is unable to go to playgroup. So it may cause difficulties in the future, as she may have difficulties finding someone to look after the child or she may have to take days off. P4-Contract of employment Once a business has selected an employee, the successful candidates must be appointed. Once appointed. Employees are entitled to a Contract of Employment. This is an agreement between the employer and the employee under which each has certain obligations. It is binding to both parties in the agreement, the employer and the employee. This means that it is unlawful to break the terms and conditions in the contract without the other party agreeing. As soon as an employee starts work, and therefore demonstrates that she accepts the terms offered by the employer, the contract comes into existence. It is sometimes a written contract, although a verbal agreement or implied agreements are also contracts of employment. The employment Right Act, 1996 requires employers to give employees taken on for one month or more a written statement within two months of appointment. This written statement sets out the terms and conditions in the contract. Some common features shown in the written statement are: * The names of the employer and the name of the employee * The date on which the employment is to begin * The job title * The terms and conditions of employment * Remuneration and pay interval; * Hours of work; * Entitlement to sick leave and pay (if any) * Pensions; * Period of notice for employer and employee; * Disciplinary and Grievance procedures. Certain employment protection rights cover employees that are appointed by a business. Government legislation makes it a duty of employers to safeguard these rights. They fall into a number of areas. * Discrimination. Employees cannot be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race or disability. So, for example, a business cannot refuse to appoint a candidate for a job only because that person is female. * Pay. Employees must be paid the same rate as other employees doing the same job, a similar job or a job with equal demands. They also have the right to itemised pay statements and not to have pay deducted for unlawful reasons. Other conditions which may be included are: the need for medical examinations, working from different locations, the right to search employees, the need for confidentiality and the need to obey the specific rules of the organisation. If the employer fails to provide a written statement of the main terms and conditions of employment, an employee could exercise his or her legal right to ask an industrial tribunal to decide what ought to have been in the written statement. This is then imposed upon the employer. Employers with more than twenty employees are also obliged to ensure that every employee has a copy of the disciplinary and grievance procedures. Employers have always wanted workers to be as flexible as possible. In the past this has meant paying overtime for extra hours worked, or higher rates for shift work. Faced with competition, businesses attempted to use their existing employees more efficiently. Sometimes this could benefit the employee. An example of a situation in Adams is a single woman with a child was able to work between the hours of 9 am to 3 p.m. each day while her child is at school. Working flexible hours could mean an employee may take time off for personal reasons and still work their required number of hours a week. Training would also be given to workers so they become multi -skilled able to switch from one job to another if needed. This example of job rotation may perhaps lead to the employee being more motivated. From a firms point of view, an employee that can change jobs may prevent the need to have temporary workers to cover for illness etc. and so reduce labour costs. An example of this is the workstyle initiative at Adams, where team working has been introduced so that workers can change from one process to another and do the work of others in the team if necessary. In 1985 John Atkinson and the Institute of Manpower Studies developed the idea of the flexible firm. They suggested that businesses have a core and a periphery. As a result of increasing competition, firms have attempted to make the workforce as flexible as possible, to increase productivity, reduce costs and react more quickly to change. The business would try to motivate core workers, giving them job security, and employ periphery workers only when needed. Increasingly employers looked to make plans that allow a business to respond to changes. For example, if a large unexpected order arrives, a business will need workers that can get it out on time. Using a flexible workforce enables a business to react effectively to changes that take place outside the business. Examples of workers that are used by a business includes: * Part time employees. * Temporary employees to deal with increases in demand. * Workers on zero hours contracts who are employed by the business but only work and are paid when both the business and the employee agree. * Workers who work to annualised hours contracts, where they work a certain number of hours over a year rather than in a week. * Workers who bank time, by not working when demand is slack but being asked to work that time at a later date. * Office temporary workers to cover for illness. * Self-employed workers. * Job sharing, where two workers are employed to do a full time job that in the past have been carried out by the one person. P5-My Performance in the Interview Before the interview 1. The interviewer should check that the interview arrangements are satisfactory: * Is the seating adequate? * Is the lighting satisfactory? * Is the room quiet or private? * Has it been ensured that the interview will not be disrupted? * Has access for candidates with a physical disability been checked? 2. Check through the job description and the person specification. 3. Read the application forms again, not any special questions or queries. 4. Write down the agreed questions that every candidate will have to answer, so they can make comparisons of each interviewee, this could including: * Why did you apply for this job? * Why did you apply to this organisation? 5. At the beginning of the interview every candidate should be welcomed by name and invited to sit down. 6. Begin the interview with an open or easy question, which should help the interviewees to relax. 7. The interviewer should always stay calm and uninvolved and be ready to listen 8. Keep observing the candidates. Watch for body language signal such as: * The way they sit * Arm and hand movements * Eye movements and eye contact * Voice 9. At the end of the interview the interviewer should: * Thank the candidate * Find out if the candidate has any questions or wants to add anything; * Find out when the candidate could start work; * Ask whether the candidate still wants the job * Tell the candidate how and when they will be told the result of the interview After the Interview 1. The candidates should leave feeling that they have had a fair hearing. An interviewer can ask either open or closed questions. * Open questions cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. Answering them allows individuals to express their opinions and to talk at length. Here are some examples of open-ended questions. What did you enjoy most about a particular job? Which skills do you think would be most useful in this post? How do you plan to achieve that? * Closed questions require a simple yes or no answer. It will always be necessary to ask a few closed questions, but their use should be restricted. Closed questions do not allow the candidate to talk freely, and they can make the interview somewhat stilted, with the interviewer doing most of the talking. When I was the interviewer I asked open ended questions, which allowed me to find out more about the candidate personality as well as there attitude to work. However from my colleagues point of view I was told that I was to laid back towards the candidate and to disorganise, this was because I had not gone through the CVs and the application form. This could have meant that I missed some vital information about the candidates. Also I did not write any information down about each candidate, which meant that I could not remember what the candidates where like. Which meant that I could analyse and compare the candidates. As an interviewee I was confident going for the position, willing to answer the questions, with no problems. But in doing this I had not research the position enough, as I had a lack of information about the school. Knowing this would of help me to put across my views on how I would of achieved the job successfully, and showed that I was interested in the job. I feel that during the interviews I fulfilled most of these criteria. The seating was adequate; there were two seats for the interviewers and one doe the candidate. However, there was a desk in between, it would have been better to try and create a more relaxed atmosphere, by either not having the desk at all, or sitting to one side of the desk. I was familiar with the job description and person specification, and had already prepared certain questions for each candidate. I had prepared a sheet with the questions that I was going to ask all of the candidates, a copy of this can be found in the appendix. I welcomed all the candidates by name and shucked there hand, and tried to make them feel welcome. Throughout the interview I used a variety of open and closed questions. I should have used more open than closed questions to allow the candidate to talk more. This would be one aspect I would have to change in future interviews. I thought of some follow up questions, however, could have thought of some more. I observed the candidates several times throughout the interview, which gave me a good idea of their overall body language. At the end of the interview, I allowed the candidates to ask questions, found out when they could start work, and told them when they would hear of the result. I didnt tell them how they would hear of the result, and I forgot to ask then if they were still interested in the job. After the interview I made some brief notes on the way the candidate had reacted during the interview. All these documents remained private between myself and the other interviewer M4-Local Labour Market Employment by sector Leicestershire TEC Area % East midlands % Great Britain % Agriculture Fishing 1,500 0.4 6,900 0.4 71,000 0.3 Energy Water 5,000 1.2 17,600 1.1 214,700 1.0 Manufacturing 116,700 29.4 418,700 25.8 4,060,000 18.0 Construction 13.300 3.3 70,700 4.4 987,900 4.4 Distribution, Hotels restaurants 80,000 20.1 354,800 5.0 1,319,400 5.9 Transport communication 22,000 5.5 81,100 5.0 1,319,400 5.9 Banking, finance Insurance, etc. 58,600 14.8 230,200 14.2 4,183,700 18.6 Public administration, Education Health 85,900 21.6 378,700 23.3 5,496,600 24.4 Other services 14,000 3.5 65,700 4.0 1,068,900 4.7 Total 397,000 100.0 1,623,800 100.0 22,534,900 100.0 The labour market is split up into three different labour sectors: 1. Primary these are businesses that are involved in extracting natural resources from the environment. Examples are the first two rows of the table. 2. Secondary businesses convert the raw materials from the primary sector into a form that can be used by customers. The third and fourth rows on the table are examples of this sector. 3. Tertiary Organisations provide services. The reminding rows are businesses in the tertiary sector. * Manufacturing contributes nearly 30% to GDP and employs some 27% of the workforce, goods produced range from textiles clothing through aerospace engines. However, manufacturing output within the region is forecast to fall by approximately 0.5% in 1999 before recovering in 2000. * Service Sector employment is growing faster than at the national level, but the service sector is still relatively under-represented. IT related employment, in particular, continues to expand. * Agriculture the East Midlands accounts for 10% of UK agricultural output, and employs 45,000 people across the region, rising to nearly one in five of the workforce in some areas. * Unemployment the regional claimant rate has been below the UK rate and currently stands at 3.9% compared to the UK 4.4% for May 1999. Current situation prospects Within the East Midlands, growth in services was estimated to have been stronger than the UK as a whole during 1998. However, the region saw a sharp slowdown in business services growth, reflecting the dependence of the sector on local manufacturing. Manufacturing output declined significantly during 1998, due to deterioration in both domestic and export demand, and a strong pound. Manufacturing output within the region is forecast to continue to decline during 1999, before recovering in 2000. Subdued performance is also expected in retailing distribution, and in transport communications. Overall regional GDP is expected to rise only slightly by 0.3% during 1999, with employment levels expected to remain static. Short-term changes in the GDP by sector (% per year) Manufacturing Services Other All services Fin. Bus. Services 1998 1999 2000 1998 1999 2000 1998 1999 2000 1998 1999 2000 E.M. 0.3 0.3 -3.1 1.5 0.2 1.2 4.9 2.2 1.9 6.8 -0.7 -1.9 UK -0.2 -0.2 -3.2 1.3 0.6 0.5 2.5 1.5 1.4 1.6 -1.4 -1.9 Inward investment The region has seen inward investment in manufacturing over recent years. In the first half of 1998 the East Midlands won 16 inward investment projects, which created a total of 2,240 jobs. Approximately 50% of the projects came from the USA. Other inward investment projects within the region include Toyota, the Japanese car manufacturer, which has expanded its plant at Burnaston in Derbyshire at a cost of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½200m in order to build a second car model, the Corolla. The region has also been successful in attracting call centres, despite competition. In the future as direct banking and insurance services increase, further investment opportunities are likely to arise for the region. The East Midlands success in attracting inward investment can be explained by its central location, good infrastructure links with the rest of the country, relatively low land prices, and the quality of its workforce. Leicestershires Industrial Profile Leicestershires industrial structure has experienced a long period of change and this change is seen to continue. The manufacturing industry consists of textiles and clothing, electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, food processing, printing and publishing, and pharmaceuticals. In Leicestershire 26% of the population are employed in this sector compared with 19% nationally. The most important manufacturing industry group, in terms of output, remains other manufacturing which includes textiles and food manufacturing, currently accounting for half of all manufacturing output. The fastest growing sector was national transport and communications, with an average annual growth of 9.6% since 1992. This growth largely reflects the advantages of Leicestershire as a central location for distribution Industrial sectors Leicestershire TEC area Leicestershire county Leicester city Rutland 1999 Employee estimates Number % Number % Number % Number % Agriculture Fishing 3,100 0.8 2,700 1.2 0 0 400 3.5 Energy Water 9,200 2.3 5,600 2.4 3,200 2.1 400 3.5 Manufacturing 102,600 26.0 64,300 28.1 36,300 23.8 2,000 17.4 Construction 14900 3.8 10,000 4.4 4,300 2.8 600 5.2 Distribution, Hotels restaurants 83,000 21.1 51,100 22.3 29,200 19.1 2,700 23.5 Transport communication 23,100 5.9 16,100 7.0 6,500 4.3 500 4.3 Banking, finance Insurance, etc. 54,800 13.9 28,100 12.3 25,600 16.8 1,100 9.6 Public administration, Education Health 85,900 21.8 41,900 18.3 40,600 26.6 3,400 39.6 Other services 16,600 4.2 9,300 4.1 6,900 4.5 400 3.5 Total employees 393,200 100.0 229,100 100.0 152,600 100.0 11,500 100.0 M5 Analysing the recruitment documents I think I should have spaced out the application form a bit better and left more room for the forenames and surnames. On the application form I didnt put a space for sex, this should have been entered, as some people may see it as not giving equal opportunities. I think that it is of a good size, and the font is neither too small nor too large, however, if there had been more spaces left, then it may have been easier to read. There is not a final section asking for a supporting statement. This does not give the applicant opportunity to sell themselves. I should have put some spaces in the Employment History section for reason for leaving the job, and also how long they had been at their last job for. This would have given me some indication on how willing they are. Also if I had left space at the end of the form, there would have been space for the candidates to sell themselves, also giving me more information to base my questions on at the interview. There should have also been more space for them to fill in information about their education. In the references section there should be space to show what relationship the person given as a reference is to the candidate. As it is important for companies to enforce equal opportunities I should have had a section in the application form asking if they had a disability, what their ethnic origin is and also what colour they consider themselves (black, white, other, mixed). This should be an optional section; however, I should have included it. I also provided a sheet for the candidates to fill in just before the interview. This is where extra information could be gathered, and if any details have changed since they filled in the application form, then I could be notified of them. The appraisal documents: during the interview I made some basic notes of the candidates performance. These notes included how well they answered the questions, and their body language. I also gave them marks for their body language, their language and how appropriate it was, and how confident they were (1 being the best, and 5 the worst) In my personnel specification, I should have said more about the job so that they know more about the job and what jobs would be involved in the position. Also how to handle parents and children. Also in the job description, I should stated more about what the jobs would be involved with, like handling children from the ages of 5-18, so they need to be patient sometimes and also authoritative. M6-Strengths Weaknesses Mrs Jemima Puddleduck Her letter of application was most impressive. It was typed, set out correctly, and lots of good language was used. The recruitment documents that we received from Mrs Jemima Puddleduck showed that she was a well-educated young lady, showing she had studied both GCSEs, and A levels with excellent grades, and also well qualified. The only factor, which made me a little unsure of her, was that she had children, which I felt it might cause some difficulty about the hours she could work. Plus a degree in sports management. It was a very encouraging letter, outlining her strengths and weaknesses, and also stating any previous relevant work experience as well as any other experience to show her enthusiasm for work. Her experiences in jobs show us a very caring girl and she has taken part in work experience in very useful places. Mrs Jemima Puddleduck sent me a very short but detailed letter of application it was in written form very neat and well set out. Her work experiences have given her experience of what this position requires and I feel she would be an excellent candidate for this job. Mr Brett Langer The documents that were given to us by Brett Langer shows that he is ma very hard working person, we know this by looking at his GCSEs and A Levels. So he should then have the basic skills available to do the job successfully, with A grades in Maths and English in his GCSEs. My impression also was that he may be a little well qualified for the job, nonetheless a very promising candidate. It showed that he had some previous job experience, however, he had never worked in an office before. From the letter of application he seemed to be an all round person, being able to get on with people. We can also see this from his past work experience as a Waiter and Employee at McDonalds, this showing he should be able to get on with any sort of person and situations. The only problem is that he is going to be working on a temporary basis as hes looking for a job in the business sector, so he will only be working here until he finds a job in the business industry. Miss Tracy Hill Miss Hill is the youngest candidate applying for the position as Secretary. The recruitment documents, which we received from Miss Tracy Hill, she seems to be a nice girl but lack the personnel skills and personality for the job. There are concerns on how sociable she is, and how this may affect her work, as she may have to come in on a Saturday or Sunday. She has the basic skills to do the job with having GCSEs in IT, Maths and English. She also has no work experience in any field. She is the weakest candidate for the job, but we have decided to give her a chance to prove us wrong in the interview. Jemima Puddleduck questions 1. Will you be able to come in if there was an emergency? 2. Do you think you be able to handle the children when if they get rowdy? 3. Why have you decided to leave your present job? 4. How long would it take to hand in your notice at your present job? 5. How come you havent decided to go into the sports industry? Brett Langer questions 1. Do you know how to use the basics of computer software? 2. How long do you think you would work here? 3. Will you be able to come in if there was an emergency? 4. Do you think you be able to handle the children when if they get rowdy? 5. Do you think you would get along with the different age groups that go to the school? Tracy Hill question 1. Why did you leave school after your GCSEs? 2. Why havent you got any work experience? 3. Would it be a problem with the hours you work with a child? 4. Who will look after the child? 5. Will you be able to come in if there was an emergency? 6. Do you think you be able to handle the children when they get rowdy? M7-My performance in the Interviews To start off with I was shy, I was not sure how they would react to me, but as the interviews went on my interviewing technique improved and I started to settle down. I found that I didnt really help them to relax and settle down, which made them nervous and allowed them t make mistakes, as they didnt know how to react to me. After settling down I became confident enough to ask the candidate questions about the job and putting them in situations and asking how they would handle a particular situation. Due to this I became to laid back, I was showing poor body language; for example my arms were crossed. I also acted to casual with the candidate; I was told this from my colleagues who were also interviewing the candidate. Due to me being confident and laid back, I asked the candidate opened ended questions, which enabled my colleagues and I to get to know the candidate more intimately and what there personality was like. I also found that I was too disorganised for the interview, compared to my colleagues who where ready for the interview, as they had questions readily decided to ask the candidate. Which didnt show a good impression on the candidate and made me look silly. I also had not gone through the candidates information, which gave me a disadvantage, as I did not ask the relevant information for the job. Which lead to me not writing any information about the candidate, so it made it difficult on which candidate to pick for the job. I think that I also should have changed the tone of voice more, as I felt the candidate was finding the interview was getting to boring. Improvements 1. I should appear to be relaxed from the beginning of the interview so that they can give their best performances through out the interview. 2. I shouldnt act laid back whilst interviewing the candidate. As this gives a bad impression to the interviewee, about the way things are running in the company. 3. I should look through the application documents before I interview the candidate to have some kind of information about the candidate and question to find out more about their personality. 4. It would be more fairer to all the candidates if I took notes on each applicant, so that I can offer the job to the best person, so that I can compare them with there good and bad points and offer the job to the best person. M8 Our own design of a Contract of employment 1. Name of employer:_________________________________ 2. Name of employee:________________________________ 3. Job title: . 4. Salary: . 5. Start date: 6. Pay rate:.. 7. Amount of hours that must be completed in one week:. 8. Leave, you are entitled todays-paid holiday per annum in addition to statutory holidays. The leave is to taken at a time convenient to the employer. 9. Sick pay and allowances: .. 10. Amount of holiday entitlement: . 11. What notice is needed when you want to finish that job:.. to ensure flexibility within our workforce, you will at times be expected to work extra hours as required, but you will normally be given advanced notice of times. 12. Grievance Procedures, if you wish to raise any grievance relating to your employment, you should do so in accordance with the grievance procedure shown in the employee information binder, which can be obtained from the Personal office. 13. Pension scheme, details of the contributory company pension scheme, for which you are eligible, may be obtained from the personnel office. 14. Discipline Rules, the company rules form part of your conditions of employment. These are shown in the Employee Information Binder and it is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with these and observe them at all times.

Performance appraisals in improving employee performance

Performance appraisals in improving employee performance All organization faces the problem of directing the energies of their staff to the task of achieving organization goals and objectives. In doing so, organization need to devise means to influences and channel the behavior of their contributions. Performance appraisals constitute one of the major management tools employed in this process. This is based on the perception of an individuals performance in a job is improved by having definite goals, feedback about their performance and complemented by an appropriate reward system. Therefore, performance appraisal are been implemented. Performance appraisals are used in nearly all organization in worldwide. Corporations use different tools and have a number of goals for performance appraisal often resulting in some confusion as to the true purpose of performance appraisal systems. However, it is core because it allows an organization to measure and evaluate an individual employees behavior and accomplishment over a specific period of time (DeVries et al, 1981). There are many advantages in using performance appraisal in facilities organizational decision employees decision such as reward allocation, promotion or demotions, layoffs or recalls and transfers (Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). It also assists manager to develop employees. Additionally performance appraisal may increase employee commitment and satisfactions due to improvements in organization communication. The outcomes of performance appraisal are in the form of work performance, affective organizational commitment and turnover intention are very crucial to support the overall growth of an organization. According to business dictionary, Performance Appraisals define as a process by which a manager or consultant and evaluates an employees work behavior by comparing it with present standards, documents the result of the comparison and uses the results to provide feedback to the employee to show where improvements are needed and why. Performance Appraisals are employed to determine who needs what training, and who will be promoted, demoted, retained or fired. Besides that, the employees merit like initiative, dependability, and personality to compare with others and ranked or rate base on their performances. Although the performance appraisal is very importance for every kind of organization, it does have several functions. The primary purpose of performance appraisal is to justify the individual performance most often through (1) Clarifying job requirement and standards. (2) Providing feedback to the employee regarding his or her progress toward meeting these standards (3) guiding future performance by formulating an action plan and allocating rewards and opportunity. The purpose of providing feedback is to improve performance in the future for employees and team leaders. Managers able to get valuable information from their staff regarding about the employee and it will help the employee to make their jobs more productive. This process can go through by providing feedback in performance appraisals work units can identify problems that interfere with everyones and take steps to rectify them. Besides that, it also provides an opportunity to discuss strength and resolution of performance deficiencies of an employee. By this, it will allow the employees to move in his/ her direction. The employers promote a positive attitude, advancement and motivation to make the employee to understand their own special potential and find the roles which they really fit well. This also helps the employee to develop as a whole-person which is an important aspect of modern corporate responsibility. The advantage of it is the employment market in which all employers com pete to attract the best recruits and to retain the best staff. Second purpose of performance appraisal is to guide future performance by formulating an action plan and allocating rewards and opportunity. This is where the action plan put into place. The employee should be given time frame for the implementation of the plan in the future. So that the employee can spelled out completely and know what actions should be taken and when it should implement. The organization should inform the employee regarding the plan. Therefore the employee know what is to be accomplished, once the implementation of the plan. Besides that the manager and employee should communicate on a regular basis to discuss the effectiveness of the plan. Therefore, the business moves one step closer to the achievement of their set goal and objectives. This also helps to maintains record of workers that are legally viable which can protect the business when dealing in cases of dismissals and demotions. Importance of performance Appraisal The need of the performance appraisal system is mainly to find out the area of strengths and weakness of the employees. These strengths and weakness are studied by the HR managers carefully and are discussed with the employees the time of the appraisal. The performance appraisal process involves setting of performance standards which can help the comparison of the performance of all the employees. Communication of these standards to all the employees of the company is also one of the most crucial processes in the performance appraisal process. Performance measurement is a process which taken time and lot of efforts on part of the senior management of the organization. At many places, marks or grades are given to the employees by comparing their actual employee performance with the desired performance. Performance appraisal strengths and weakness can help employees conduct a reality check on them and improve their performance. The last step in the performance appraisal process is that of decision making in which the employees are given sufficient time to learn new technologies, be more efficient, increase their working speed and improve the quality of their work. The performance appraisal methods adopted by companies can differ depending on their needs. In many organizations, the feedback on job performance is ambiguous or is given annually as a ritualistic exercise. Many subordinates therefore haven trouble in gasping how their efforts are perceived by the organization. Almost everyone who has worked at a job can remember times when they were unclear on how their performance was being judged. The annual performance appraisal system tends to serve only a little purpose such as salary administration, training and succession planning, but this is not the sole objective of performance appraisal. These objectives will only dilute and weaken the clarity and validity of any appraisal system. Most organization ties the formal appraisal system directly to salary increase, which decrease their validity. Performance appraisal systems are important for organization because it proper enforcement of personal decisions, help works as control device and also give guide the employee development. Performance appraisals provide employee and manager w ith opportunities to discuss areas in which employees excel and those in which employees need improvement. Performance appraisal should be conducted on a regular basis and they need not be directly attached to promotion opportunities. Performance appraisal is importance in term of personal attention because during the review, supervisor and an employee discuss the employees strengths and weakness. This give an opportunity for the employee personally face the supervisor and able to address personal concerns. Besides that, it also importance to communicate about the divisional and also company goal. These help the management to communicate with employee regarding about goal of the company and also highlight the way in which the employees can participate in the achievement of those goals. Benefit of appraisal Most significant benefit of performance appraisal is conducted properly by both supervisors and subordinates have reported the experiences as beneficial and positive. Many supervisor avoid administering performance reviews because the fear of criticizing their employees and also the paperwork. Employees also fear because of negative feedback, being refused a raise or punished for issues out of their control. But appraisal offers a valuable opportunity to focus on work activities and goals, to identify and correct existing problems and to encourage better future performance. Thus the performance of the whole organization is enhanced. Performance appraisal benefits the employee in (1) increased employee productivity and (2) improve areas of weakness. Increased employee productivity Supervisors use performance appraisals to help employees to get a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities within the framework of the company goals. When the employees know that they are an integral component to the overall performance of the company, they will feel more accountable with their duties. Therefore, the supervisor can accurately identify their weaknesses and assist employees in improving and also able to increase the productivity of the employee. Improve areas of Weakness Performance appraisals can expose employees weaknesses and enables them to improve for further career development. Employees have to use the feedback to expand their skill base and focus on areas that need coaching and education. Motivate employees Performance appraisal enables supervisors to formally recognize the achievements and contributions of their employees. The appreciation which receives from subordinates help to increased retention of highly productive employees. During the performance appraisals, supervisor may use incentives such as raises and promotions to motive the employees. For management, performance appraisals bring out the key and non-key performers. The management then takes steps to hone the key performers and develop the non-key into putting in their best. Performance appraisals identify the areas where training and development are needed. This is to expose their weakness and enable them to improve for future career development, if an employee desires to become a manager, yet leadership are lacking, performance reports reveal this incompetency. Employees use review to expend their skill base and focus areas that need coaching and education. This is to assist employees in deciding if they are in the industry that matches their values and personality. Besides that it helps the management to generate idea for improvement. How to improve employee performance Implementing employee appraisal is an important responsibility for a company manager and supervisor. Employees are highly praised for their contribution and given constructive ways to improve the area that are still being learned. Therefore, well designed appraisal systems can strengthen good relationships between supervisors and employees. To improve the appraisal system, there are several ways such as (1) a collaborative approach, (2) Clear objective, (3) Focus on observable behavior (4) Avoid personal feedback. A collaborative approach If both supervisor and employees help to develop the appraisal system, they are likely to endorse it. Therefore, the collaborative approach has several advantages. The appraisal system is likely to be accepted and endorsed by both supervisor and employees since it was created by their peers. Besides that, the actual appraisal form will probably be more meaningful and appropriate since it directly reflects the objectives of their peers. In addition, performance dimensions are tailored to the organization and are clearly defined in appropriate terms. The policies and procedures take into account organizational objectives and concerns. Clear objective In formal performance appraisal system there will be two objectives that compete during the appraisal process. Firstly is to provide feedback to the employees. This is to help the employees to develop themselves and improve their performance. Secondly is to document the performance and to communicate and support administrative decisions about salary increase, promotions, and transfers. Therefore, an effective appraisal system is to focus on one objective during the interviews. These help the supervisor to conduct the interview to improve performance as often as necessary for the benefit of employees, supervisors and the organization as a whole. Focus on observable behavior In appraisal process, discussion between supervisor and employee is most important. In this process, supervisor are not been trained to handle the interview with their employees. The main reason why this process is importance because it help the employees to understand and use the feedback to develop themselves and improve their performance in future. If the feedback it not clear, then it will be difficult for the employee to understand. Avoid personal feedback In all appraisal form contain a section on employee strengths and weaknesses where supervisors comment about the employees aptitudes and qualities that will contribute to or interfere with an employees job performance. In the form, the supervisor need to rate the employees on the personal traits such as maturity, attitude and personality. The problem arises when the supervisor gives feedback to their employees. The employees often become suspicious when they receive general comment such as rate between 3 on a 5 point scale of maturity or poor interpersonal skill. This type of feedback are often disagree by the employees because the characteristic being evaluated are not directly observed. The supervisor does not see the initiative, aptitude, maturity or even job knowledge and interpersonal skill of the employees but they see in a large number of individual behavior form they infer traits and aptitudes. The supervisors who evaluate their employees in these vague, subjective terms may find themselves in court defending their performance appraisals against charges of EEO violations and discrimination against women and minorities. Summary To summarize, performance appraisal should be viewed as a beneficial process within the context of an effective systems of personnel management. It should be accepted as a normal management responsibility to review the performance of all employees and for all managers to discuss performance with their subordinates on a regular basis. Performance appraisal can be an effective tool if they are used in a constructive and motivating manner. The appraisal should target specific areas of weakness and strength. It is importance for employees to know the areas where they are under performing as well as the categories where they excel. A performance appraisal should be a well-though out instrument designed to bring about a desired behavior. When you communicate with an employee using a performance appraisal, it provides an opportunity for clarification of any discrepancies. Those elements will help to ensure that performance appraisal conducted in any organization will yield the desired benef its and be more readily accepted by all concerned.