Critical Thinking Reflection Paper Essay

The question that I selected is â€Å"Will receiving a college degree improve your career opportunities?† The obvious answer to this question is yes. However, I want to be sure of my answer by backing it up with critical thinking skills to determine that I have come up with the correct answer. One step to critical thinking is making sure that one’s answer can be well supported by factual information. A fallacy is an argument that is based on a weak argument with little to no supportive factual information. To make sure that my answer to the above question is a valid argument, I would need to conduct research and list all of the information that I find. I may look into statistical information such as the employment rate of those with college degrees as compared to those without a college degree in a particular career field. Another aspect of critical thinking is checking one’s answers and determining that they are well supported and well researched ideas. It is important to questions one own ideas and looking at them from a skeptical point of view to find any weaknesses in the argument. This process can be applied to any area of life where a decision must be made. To ensure that I continue to use critical thinking skills throughout my life I can practice using critical thinking for simple situations, therefore making critical thinking a habit rather than a forced thought.

The Impact of Globalization and the Internet Presents Real

The topic of globalization has become a hotly contested debate over the past two decades. Indeed, the increased integration of international economies have led to costs to some and benefits to others. These costs and benefits are a result of three effects of globalization, that is, expanded markets, cheaper resources or a combination of the two. Firstly, from the business perspective, one effect of globalization is that of expanded markets. This means that a business that had previously only sold its goods domestically can start selling products to other countries and this can increase their profit potential.Secondly, another consequence of bilateral trade agreements is the access to cheaper resources. Until the start of the 1990's, the People's Republic of China was largely closed off to the rest of the world. Many companies in the United States produced their goods either domestically or in areas with slightly less expensive labor. When China opened its market to the rest of the wo rld, however, American companies were able to take advantage of the far cheaper labor.This is known as outsourcing. Cheaper labor contributes to cheaper costs, which in turn contributes to larger profits. Sometimes, but not always, this may also mean cheaper products and services. Finally, International development, as a consequence of globalization, arises out of a combination of both expanded markets as well as cheaper resources. A prime example of this is India. Before the late 90s, the information technology sector in India was largely in its infancy stage.However, coupled with an educated yet inexpensive workforce, foreign companies were able to start subsidiaries of high tech activities in cities like Bangalore. This technological know-how spread to local firms, who in turn grew as a result of expanded markets both in India as well as the rest of the world. More and more organizations are getting hooked into the Internet. They use the Internet to promote and sell their product s and services, provide customer support, deliver training, and share corporate information with clients, employees, and customers.Businesses have found that the Internet is a powerful tool to help keep their employees and customers connected. In Vietnam, many organizations know to take advantages of globalization and internet to manage their operations. However, to survive in a competitive environment, they must understand in depth the strategic planning with the support of two above factors. Strategic planning is an organization’s process of defining its strategy , or direction, and making decision on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy.In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues through which it can pursue a particular course of action. Generally, strategic planning deals with at least one of three key questions: 1. â€Å"What do we do? † 2. â€Å"For whom do we do it? † 3. â€Å"How do we excel? † With the aid of Internet, firms can use high technology to access the external situation analysis, supplier markets and labor markets. In addition, they can easily find the database of competitors on the internet to design the attractive policy and prices for their own companies.References list: Wheelen, T. L. , & Hunger, J. D. (2012). Concepts in strategic management and business policy (13th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Myatt, M. (2011). The impact of globalization on business. Retrieved from: http://www. n2growth. com/blog/the-impact-of-globalization-on-business/ Green , J. (2011). How Does Globalization Affect an Organization's Business Approach? Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/globalization-affect-organizations-business-approach-20077. html

Managing Virtual Teams

Managing Virtual Teams 1. Introduction Virtual teams have emerged to mitigate the challenges of managing teams that are distributed across different regions, and are a sustainable component of global business. A project manager managing a virtual team would have to integrate communication strategies, project management techniques including human and social processes in order to support the team, (Kimball, 1997). The author is a project manager assigned to lead a virtual team of 300 volunteers located across the globe to develop recommendations for regulating carbon emissions in the world.As indicated Kimball (1997), this kind of a virtual team usually supports people working in the same professional field and most of the time focuses on learning. 2. The best way to structure this large virtual team The project would be divided into tasks and responsibilities. The team would be divided into sub-teams basing/depending on the regions where the individuals come from, and let these sub-te ams work in isolation to deliver their completed task of the project within the stipulated time frame.It is very important that the tasks and responsibilities are evenly distributed between the sub-teams to create the feeling of fairness among team members, (Edwards & Wilson, 2004). Sub-team leaders can hold a face-to-face meeting in the same location with the author at the start and at the end of the project. 3. Important issues that the author foresee in managing this team a) Different time for interaction Communication across time zones as indicated in OB Week2 Lecture Notes (2013) would be a worrying issue because there might be a difference of 10-12 hours between working days of regions where team members are based.In situations where the author request for urgent response on a particular issue, the information may be sent to the location at a non working time hence causing delay. To solve this problem, the author would adopt a ‘24-hour working’ as outlined in Defe ncom case study, (Edwards & Wilson, 2004) so that individual sub-teams can work on the recommendations during their working day. This would minimize the crossing of time zones and the process can increase team effectiveness.The author, as a project manager can establish a common time to interact face-to-face through video conferencing. b) Different cultural and language issues Working with 300 individuals from across the globe requires a project manager to be aware of different cultural and language issues. These individuals would have different ways of working, thinking and also reporting differently. Integrating the work that has been submitted would be a challenge as there will be no time to develop a common language.In order to solve this issue the team needs to develop an open culture so that everyone can openly share information and not tolerate a blame game. c) Learning the new technology It will be a problem if team members do not understand the virtual working process, whic h can hinder communication therefore affecting team relationships. Team members must be oriented to the virtual working process before the project commence so that they have enough time to ask.The author should develop a support mechanism for the team to use when experiencing difficulties. 4. Motivating individuals to archive the project goal These volunteers can be motivated by highlighting to them that, this is an opportunity for them to sharpen their skills and knowledge through experience of this new working strategy where they will meet different people with different experiences. The author would create a platform for social interaction to speed-up teamwork and create access rights for each of hem to be aware what others are doing. The author would make time to interact with all team members during the project and make sure that they have clear understanding of goals and objectives, also finding out if they are happy. 5. References Edwards, A. & Wilson, J. R. (2004) Implementi ng virtual teams: a guide to organizational and human factors, University of Liverpool Online Library [Online]. Available from: http://site. ebrary. com. ezproxy. liv. ac. uk/lib/liverpool/docDetail. action? ocID=10048150 (Accessed: 14th February 2013). Kimball, L. (1997) Managing Virtual Teams: text of speech given by Lisa Kimball for Team Strategies Conference sponsored by Federated Press, Toronto, Canada [Online]. Available from: http://www. groupjazz. com (Accessed: 15th February 2013). University of Liverpool/Laureate Online Education (2013) Lecture notes from Organizational Behavior and People Management week 1 [online]. Available from: University of Liverpool/Laureate Online Education (Accessed: 07 February 2013)

The Brand Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Brand Strategy - Case Study Example As the new Director of Business Development for Aero Motors, I will design a marketing plan that is achievable within the specified period, and that will help us market our products. Our brand strategy ought to be different and unique from the other brands in the market. As much as we want uniqueness, so many people want the same product as we have developed it. The brand strategy ought to be different from others; it should be unique to attract customers. Forming Brand strategy is never the same in all products; it differs with the kind of product that one wants to market. Developing a brand strategy is a top town approach that is determined by a marketing strategy. The marketing team needs to know beforehand the type of strategies they want to use and should avoid imitation. Uniqueness should be the top objective of brand strategy. There are a number of methods of brand strategy that can be used, branding by thinking involves centralized planning and is the best in bigger companies with a range of products. Another method of brand strategy is branding by imagery; it is linked to the use of advertisements that help relate better to the consumer. This is a good form of brand strategy since it involves the customer. Branding by user familiarity targets product quality, usability, and product design. The customer is the most significant in this form of brand strategy. Branding by self-expression involves the customer who combines efforts with the company to help in brand building. The best brand strategy, which can be, used in marketing our product is branding by use of imagery, this is because its sales depend largely on the image. Our brand should predict customers’ needs and appeal to them emotionally and experientially, this way the car will do well in the market. For the development of relationships and expansion in the US market, we will ensure that the product is properly distributed so that it will be accessible in all the motor market in the United States. A strong brand will require more revenue and will sell more.  

Describing and explaining the picture attached Essay

Describing and explaining the picture attached - Essay Example There are rough expressions of colors, and a feeling comes that one of the colors has been ripped off at many a places, giving the feel of an old, worn-out painting. The overall look of the painting appears to be flat because the artist has not used vivid colors to distinguish one object from another. The proportion of the size of all objects is regular. Although there is not a clear message in the painting, yet I feel that there is a very deep note, keeping in view the murkiness of the white and black color that rules the painting. There is a sense of gloominess; and, the mother seems sad, but the presence of her baby is a spark of life. The painter has tried to reinforce the truth of life, which is a combination of sadness and happiness, or of dark and light shadows in life. Sadness rules in the painting, as the mother is not able to cope with the stressful moments of her life; while, joy is also there in the form of a

Ancient Art Unit 2 DB Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ancient Art Unit 2 DB - Research Paper Example This statue was originally sculpted and cast to illustrate a treatise (now lost) written by Polykleitos called the Kanon. A piece of Roman art that is also quite impactive is the Colosseum (Knapp & Lehmberg, 2000). Set in ancient Rome, this art was a symbol of Roman dominance and rule. The two art pieces are quite similar in some various aspects. The similarity is found in context, blend and style, and is what makes them some unique pieces (Leonardo & Otinno, 1969). They are however also different in form. One is abstract while the other is representational. The Doryphoros is a two dimensional work of art that achieves a balance of straight and bent, tense and relaxed form that marks it as an ideal example of contrapposto piece (Ritcher, 1970). The Colosseum however is a three dimensional work of art, falls under the representational category and cannot be labeled as a contrapposto piece. In conclusion, the Doryphoros is symbolic to the Greek culture and represents proportionality and completeness in structure and design. The Colosseum was a symbol of Roman power and rule. Both pieces have historical significance as they signify an important period of time in both

Bibliography and Discussion Board Answer Assignment

Bibliography and Discussion Board Answer - Assignment Example The focus of this journal is at researchers and clinicians concentrating on enhancing the knowledge base for the diagnosing, medical prognosis and intervention of mental health considerations in adolescents and children. Along with considering the aspects of neuropsychology and neurobiology neglected in other traditional journals. This journal is aimed to assist the integration process of basic sciences, medical research as well as practical application of such findings. According to Scimago Lab (2012), this journal offers a scientifically thorough and generally open forum for cross cultural as well as interdisciplinary interchange of explored information, necessitating pediatrics, psychologists, adolescent and child psychiatrists, neuroscientists, as well as allied disciplines. While contributions are principally from psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, medicine, education, law enforcement, anthropology and legislature, CAPMH promotes the pertained lay person and the child focused proponent organizations to add. CAPMH is a peer-reviewed publication that works while following its strict guidelines for the review. The articles are chiefly research oriented while depending upon the author’s thought some are also practitioner oriented. Few articles that I found relating to the different sorts of psychiatric disorders faced by children were providing a comprehensive view of the topic. This journal started its publication in 2007 and since then six of its volumes have been issued publishing 193 articles. The articles of this journal are all accessible completely to various scholarly databases like Pubmed etc. While searching, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry was also noticed as the relevant source of information on the topic. It entails, as mentioned by Elsevier (2012), JAACAP is the authorized periodical of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It is the one of the leading journals

What an IT manager must do to create and maintain a successful project Essay

What an IT manager must do to create and maintain a successful project team - Essay Example Additionally, it is an arrangement of activities those are formulated for of planning, initiating, managing and executing resources with the objective of completing specific project or task deliverables inside allocated timeline and budget constraints (Ahn, 2012; Kerzner, 2006). In addition, a project manager is assigned to a project. A project manager is responsible for managing projects tasks. In this scenario, a skillful and qualified project manager is one who is able to foresee the entire project from initialization to completion, as well as have the ability to realize the project vision. For better project management especially in information technology sector, IT project managers are required to make administration skills and capabilities more flexible (Ahn, 2012). This report discusses the role of a project manager in creating and maintaining a successful project team. In this scenario, this report will outline some of the fundamental aspects regarding project management such as basic skills and capabilities required by an IT Project Manager for developing and controlling a successful project team. Given below are some of best practices those are fundamental for of a successful project manager: Effective communication is one of the fundamental aspects of every project management practice. Additionally, for the efficient and effective project management IT project managers need to keep in mind a number of fundamental aspects. In IT project management, project managers need to improve the communication with their team mates using latest tools and technologies. The constant communication and efficient interaction among team members make the overall project easy to handle and deal out. In this way they are able to discuss and resolve project issues and problems. Hence, the project manager is also able to assess the level of the project and possible decision needs to make the project successful (MindTools, 2012). Professionalism is also one of the

Responsible tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Responsible tourism - Essay Example However, the Park has untapped natural resources such as rivers, rocks, lava flow and dust-elephants. All of these can be utilized to generate streams of revenues for the survival and growth of the region. Literature on responsible tourism suggests that poverty alleviation is possible if all the stakeholders work in cooperation to achieved the defined goals. However, this requires all the stakeholders to accept and discharge responsibility. Through a case study analysis it has been identified that the locals play a critical role in the sustainable development of any region. Motivating the locals becomes a major issue which can be shouldered by the NGOs. The tourists, the hotel operators and the tour operators, each have responsibility towards sustainable development. ... km. It is nine times bigger than the Maasai Mara National Reserve (Expert Africa, n.d.). The Park lies to the east of the Nairobi –Mombasa road, equidistant between Nairobi and Mombasa, amidst flora and fauna, and the meandering Galana River (Kenya Wildlife Service, 2013). The Tsavo river flows west to east through the national park, it borders the Chyulu Hills National Park and the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania. The climate here is warm and dry. The Tsavo East National Park was once home to 35,000 elephants, reduced 4,300 by 1988 due to poaching from Somalia (Joshua, 1993). However, under pressure from conservationists and western donors, and under new leadership, corruption was cleaned up and there was ban on trading in ivory. Investments were brought in which facilitated the growth of herds; tourism too picked up as infrastructure was enhanced. The elephant population in the entire Tsavo ecosystem as of 2011 was 12,570 (McKnight, n.d.). The biggest draw of the Park is th e herds of dust-red elephants that bulldoze their way around. Visitors to the park can watch wildlife under a huge sky and experience the wilderness in solitude (Expert Africa, n.d.). In addition, is the Aruba Dam, located on the North Bank of the Voi River, which makes a great game viewing destination. Other attractions include Mudanda Rock, the longest lava flow in the world and Lugard falls. The Park houses the largest mammals, Rhinos, buffaloes, lions, leopards, hippo, crocodile, Gerenuk and Hirola (Kenya Wildlife Service, 2013). 1.2 Aim of this report The aims of this report are as follows: To evaluate the concept of responsibility and sustainability in tourism To analyse a case study in terms of sustainable and responsible tourism To establish an appropriate

Principles of Managing Information and Producing Documents Essay Example for Free

Principles of Managing Information and Producing Documents Essay Unit title: Principles of managing information and producing documents 1. Understand the purpose of information technology in a business environment 1. 1 Identify different types of information technology that may be used for work tasks Types of technology that could be used to do tasks at work are computer software like: Microsoft Word which is software used to create documents Excel is software that can be used for storing and organising data. Publisher is software which is used to create almost anything from documents to greeting cards. Could also use a fax machine, telephone and send emails. 1. 2 Outline the benefits of using information technology for work tasks The benefits of using technology for work tasks include: Speed – A computer can search through files and records quickly to find the information you require. It can also make it quicker and easier to change a mistake. Editing – If you hand write documents if there was a mistake you would have to retype from scratch, but on the computer documents can be easily amended. Quality – On the computer there are many tools that make the quality of a document better like spell and grammar check, templates, different fonts and emboldening, borders, bullet points or numbering and all them enable high quality documents to be produced. Access – On a computer you can control who gets access to the documents because you can just send it to certain people or if you have a password on the computer it restricts who can get on. 1. Understand how to manage electronic and paper based information 1. 1 Explain the purpose of agreeing objectives and deadline for researching information The purpose of agreeing objectives and deadlines is to ensure that you collect all the needed information to complete the task given and you will have a correct date to finish it by. You will also know what sort of resources to use to collect the data because depending on what you’re looking for something’s could be copy righted which you cannot use because it’s illegal. 1. 2 Identify different ways of researching, organising and reporting information Different sources of research are: Paper-based like libraries and newspapers. Technological which is internet, CD/DVDS and television. Asking people which is primary research and gathering research yourself is secondary. To organize information you could: Organise informations according to relevance. Put it in numeric or alphabetical order. Keep it in date order. Different ways of Filing information: Numeric order. Alphabetical Date To report information means keep a log of your information and its sources. First you should plan a report and know what the purpose is for it, then find the data you need to write a report, should then produce a draft and check everything you need is there and then finalise your report and checking it again. 1. 1 Describe procedures to be followed for archiving, retrieving and deleting information, including legal requirements, if required Electronic and paper-based methods: Out guide/Absent cards – Are used when someone removes a file from the shelf and they will insert an out guide in its place which will say which file has been taken and who has taken it. Cross Referencing – So if input onto the computer with a number you can find the original in the files. File retention polices – A company has to keep certain documents for a certain amount of time. Indexing – To keeping a list of names or subjects with references to the pages so able to find when needing the original copy from a file. You can store information on a hard drive inside your pc, you can save it onto a CD/DVD or a memory stick. You can keep data safe by having a password on everything that needs to be kept private, and could have locked away in a certain order in some unit cabinets so only certain people can get in and see the information. The best way to dispose important and personal data is to shred it. 1. 2 Explain why confidentiality is critical when managing information Confidential information could be someone’s personal details like their home address and bank details which must be kept secure under legislation requirements. It is important to keep details confidential to avoid identity theft, also makes clients feel more secure knowing there information is safe because they would not want anybody to find out there details. You can keep data secured manually which is held in a locked area or cabinet, or keep it electronically that is password controlled. 2. Understand the purpose of producing documents that are fit-for-purpose 2. 1 Identify reasons for producing documents that are fit-for-purpose Documents should be fit for purpose so that it is suitable for the audience it is intended for and so that it meets the company standards. To do this you need to make sure that the document is readable, is accurate on details and enhances the organisations reputation. 2. 2 Describe different types and styles of documents and when they are used Different types and styles of documents have different people to use for – Letters for clients and customers Emails with attachments for circulation information to colleagues Reports for providing information to colleagues Most companies have a certain house style template for documents which is formatted accordingly to the guidelines of the certain organisation. Having a template specific to the company has the benefit of promoting the company image and having consistency with documents. 1. Know the procedures to be followed when producing documents 1. 1 Identify reasons for agreeing the purpose, content, layout, quality standards and deadlines for the production of document Reasons may include ensuring the correct format is used for the type of document being produced, because if the purpose is unclear the document will not make sense as it needs to. Content – So you know how to write the document correctly for the audience. Style – Varies on the type of document, so if it was an agreement then a formal standard style would be used. Deadline – Makes the time frame clear for something to be complete, also gives the client a clear time when the project should be finished by. Efficiency Makes the company look more professional and organised. Repetition – Doing good quality work on time gives a good impression of the company which could mean more work because they will be recommended because of its good repetition. 1. 2 Describe ways of checking finished documents for accuracy and correctness, and the purpose of doing so Ways of checking finished documents are by using the spell and grammar checker to ensure there are no mistakes, or you could ask a colleague to check the document to make sure all the necessary information has been included. You should always check that money, date, name and address details are all correct because if the address or money are incorrect someone wrong could be getting a lot or not enough money they need which would have a negative impact on the business and could lead to lost custom. 1. 3 Explain the purpose of confidentiality and data protection procedures when preparing documents You will be observing the Data Protection Act (1998) and policies and procedures of the organisation, this covers, Secure storage of documents Who should have access This is to avoid, Loss of personal data Damage to the business Prosecution The most sensitive information is anything that belongs in a personnel file like: Forms relating to employee benefits. Complaints from customers/co-workers. Records of attendance Warnings or other disciplinary actions Medical/Insurance records Litigation documents Forms providing emergency contacts Wage forms The information in a personnel file should be private and should have log ins to get into if saved onto a computer or saved in locked files and the only people that need access to it for wages etc, will have a key or the password. 1. 1 Compare different types of documents that may be produced from notes and the formats to be followed Documents that can be produced from notes are: Memo – The format will include â€Å"To†¦From†¦Ref†¦Date†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and then the relevant information being communicated. Letter – Printed on company header paper, listing reference, date, name, address, and subject, letter content, from, signature, name and job title. Also if the letter is confidential this must be stated. Report – Title, Introduction, Body of report, a conclusion, consistency of format is essential i. e. using the same font size and style throughout. Minutes – Title of the meeting, date was held, who attended. Agenda – Include apologies for absence, minuets of previous meeting, what it’s about, date, and time. 1. 2 Explain the procedures to be followed when preparing text from notes Procedures to follow when preparing text from notes Purpose for the notes. Format for the document. Check the notes to confirm right and amend if needed. Check you have all correct notes to make a document. Produce document. Check document.

Evaluating Human Resource Planning At Shandrani Hotel

Evaluating Human Resource Planning At Shandrani Hotel For any business to perform well, it must acquire and optimize the deployment of people with talent. Identifying the right talent to fill particular positions and roles is critical to an organizations effective functioning. All, too often, though, businesses fail to devote sufficient attention to this issue. Organizations and jobs will never be the same eternally. Changes are based on the global economy, on changing technology, on our changing work force, on cultural and demographic changes, and on the changing nature of work itself. We need to learn new skills and develop new abilities, to respond to these changes in our lives, our careers, and our organizations. HR planning is a decision making process that combines three important activities which are: identifying and acquiring the right number of people with the proper skills, motivating them to achieve high performance and creating interactive links between business objectives and people planning activities. The purpose of this assignment is to document on the human resource planning at Shandrani Hotel as HR planning is based on the belief that people are an organizations most important strategic resource. We will try to show how far theory can be put into practice as it is difficult to predict the future and also the policies and strategies within the organization can shift suddenly from one priority to the other. Moreover there is lack of evidence that Human Resource Planning really works as there has been little research evidence of increased use or of its success. To assess future requirement of new staff both in terms of numbers and of levels of skills and competences, formulating and implementing plans to meet those requirements through proper recruitment and training. Due to huge competition and globalisation around the world, managers have, to train and develop their employees to make them more efficient in the workplace. Human resource planning refers to the process of employing the right person for the right job. In all industry, organisation have now realised the importance of human resource planning, and all organisation may have different approach to HRP, however, this assignment lays focus in one particular sector, that is the tourism sector. Tourism sector which is labour intensive compared to other industries, for instance, sugar industry which is machine intensive. Therefore the application of human resource planning shall differ and be applied according to the need of the organisation. Chapter 1 gives an idea about what is the position of tourism in Mauritius, we can therefore deduce from past figures that tourism industry is growing, thus very profitable for Mauritian economy Chapter 2 defines the Human Resource planning since its year of introduction to its actual use in the market. We have compiled the views of various theorists on HRP. Chapter 3 shows the procedures followed to gather information for the assignment, with particular reference to Shandrani Resort and Spa. Chapter 4 gives an overview about Beachcomber group and presents Shandrani Resorts and Spa. Chapter 5 will focus on the process of Human Resource Planning at Shandrani Resort and Spa. CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF TOURISM SECTOR IN MAURITIUS The tourism sector, besides facing cut-throat competition knew an excellent performance for the first semester of 2010. Figures from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) of Mauritius has revealed that tourists arrivals for the period January-June 2010, has attained its 439,150 compared to 413,504 in the corresponding year of 2009, thus representing an increase of 6.2%. The tourism industry is of such paramount importance for the Mauritian economy, that the figures indicating the importance for the Mauritian economy towards GDP is expected to rise from 26.5% (MUR 77.8bn) to 32.4% (MUR216.4bn) in 2010. The credits of the massive increases go to a combination of factors, such as aggressive advertising campaigns abroad, the opening up of air access to the country coupled with the increased capacity of airlines already serving the route and the greater consensus amongst all the industry stakeholders. At the end of June 2010, there were 104 registered hotels in Mauritius, with a total room capacity of 11,362 and 23,168 bed places. For the first semester of 2010, the room occupancy rate for all hotels averaged to 64% compared to 59% in the corresponding semester of 2009 while the bed occupancy rate was 56% against 52%. Data from Bank of Mauritius indicates that gross tourism receipts for the first semester of 2010 were MUR 19,869m that is an increase of 8.5% compared to MUR18.249m for the same period of 2009. Based on data available on tourist arrivals for the first six months of the year 2010 and information gathered from various stakeholders, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) forecast of receiving nearly 1 million tourists this year, representing 5% year on year. According to Bank of Mauritius, tourism receipts for this year will be around MUR 935 millions, representing an increase of 6.3% over last year figures. Moreover, in order to tap the hospitality industry in Mauritius, major Indian hotel chains are aggressively setting up hotels in the country. According to Vijaye Haulder, Deputy Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), about 5 major hospitality chains in India are in talks with the Mauritian government for getting land to build hotels. All these hotels are expected to add about 1500 rooms in the next three-four years. The Sagar Hotel Group which is already running two luxury hotels in Mauritius is planning another hotel spread over 20 acres in the country. The tourism industry is a colossal pillar for the Mauritian economy because we have a lot to give, sell and share with the world. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introducing HRP Organizations are presently operating in a rapidly changing and competitive environment. Managers have to optimize the use of the available employees in order to be competitive. HRP therefore attempts to reconcile organisations needs for resources with available supply of labour. HRP therefore results in matching people to the job, that is, the right people doing the right thing. HRP needs to be adjusted from time to time because the goals and objectives of an organization are not stable due to various uncertainties. 2.1 Defining HRP Walker (1980) defines it as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a management process of analyzing an organisations human resource needs under changing conditions and developing the activities necessary to satisfy these needs. Similarly, Vetter (1967), Burrack and Mathys (1985) define it as a process aimed at assisting management to determine how the organization should move from its current staffing position to its desired position. Nel et al (2008:216) maintains that HR planning ensures that a predetermined amount of employees with appropriate skills, knowledge and abilities are available at a specified time in the future à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Hr planning therefore systematically identifies what is needed to be able to guarantee their availability. As defined by Bulla and Scott (1994), it is the process for ensuring that the human resource requirements of an organization are identified and plans are made for satisfying those requirements. From the definitions of Human Resource planning proposed by the various researchers and practitioners, it is possible to attempt to define what HRP is in todays circumstances. It is in our terms a management process designed to translate strategic objectives into targeted quantitative and qualitative skill requirements, to identify the human resource strategies and objectives necessary to fulfill these requirements over both the shorter and the longer terms, As Quinn Mills indicates, human resource planning is a decision-making process that combines three important activities: 1) Identifying and acquiring the right number of people with the proper skills, 2) Motivating them to achieve high performance, and 3) Creating interactive links between business objectives and people-planning activities. However, it must be recognized that although the notion of human resource planning is well established in the HRM vocabulary it does not seem to be established as a key HR activity. As Rothwell (1995) suggests: Apart from isolated examples, there has been little research evidence of increased use or of its success. She explains the gap between theory and practice as arising from: The impact of change and the difficulty of predicting the future the need for planning may be the inverse proportion of its feasibility; The shifting kaleidoscope of policy priorities and strategies within organizations; The distrust displayed by many managers of theory or planning- they often prefer pragmatic adaptation to conceptualization; The lack of evidence that human resource planning really works.and to provide necessary feedback mechanism to assess progress. Overall the purpose of the planning is to invoke an institutional learning process and to generate information which can be utilized to support management decision-making in all staffing areas. 2.2 The process of Human Resource Planning (HRP) Organizations engage in the process of HRP to identify HR needs and the ways of meeting those needs. Business strategic plan; Defining future activity levels and initiatives demanding new skills. Resourcing strategy; Contributes to the formulation and implementation of business strategies. It refers to planning in order to achieve competitive advantage by developing intellectual capital employing more people than rivals; these people will have a wider and deeper range of skills and behave in ways that maximize their contribution-The organisation attracts such people by being an employer of choice. Scenario planning; assessing in broad terms where the organisation is going in its environment and the implications for human resource requirement. Scenario planning has been fairly described as a formal process but it can also be regarded as an informal approach to thinking about the future in broad terms, based upon an analysis of likely changes in the external and internal environment.(Armstrong 2001) The next stage in the process involves predicting how the need for and the availability of Human resource is likely to change in the future. Demand forecasting; estimating the future quantity and quality of people required. The ideal basis of the forecast is an annual budget and longer term business plan, translated into activity levels for each function and department or decisions on downsizing. Various demand forecasting methods are available and they will be analyzed below: managerial or expert judgment This is the most common method and it simply requires management to sit down and estimate the human resources necessary to achieve corporate goals. ratio-trend analysis It is carried out by identifying past trends, using statistical and mathematical techniques and project these into the future to determine requirements. work-study techniques This is effective when individual components of jobs can be measured. This job is broken down into discrete tasks, measure the time taken to complete each component and calculating the amount of labour required. modeling Mathematical modeling techniques using computers help to prepare demand forecast. Supply forecasting; measuring the number of people likely to be available from within and outside the organization having allowed for absenteeism, internal movements, and promotions among others. The forecast will be based on: 1) An analysis of the existing human resources in terms of skills, occupations 2) Forecast losses to existing resources through attrition/labour wastage. 3) Forecast changes to existing resources through internal promotions 4) Effects of changing condition of work and absenteeism 5) Source of supply from within the organization 6) Source of supply from outside the organization in national and local labour market Analysing internal human resources The review of current resources needs to cut organizational and occupational boundaries to provide inventories of skills and potential. It may be important 1) To know how many people with potential promotion exist and where they can be found 2) To know how many people have special skills and abilities in the organization 3) To identify the problems that may arise from retirement In fact the above can help to ensure that the organization is making the most efficient use of its existing resources and can help to identify any potential problem areas. Analysing external supply External supply of potential employees needs to be indentifies- some factors which can have important impacts on the supply of manpower at local and national market are: Population densities within reach of company The attractiveness of the company as a place to work in The effect of changing educational patterns, students staying longer in schools Analysing demand and supply forecasts The demand and supply forecast can then be analyzed to determine whether there are any deficits or surpluses in human resource. This provides the basis for recruitment, retention and if unavoidable, downsizing plans. It refers to the analysis of the number of people leaving the organisation. It provides data for use in supply forecasting, so that calculations can be made on the number of people lost who may have to be replaced. Moreover, an analysis of the number of leavers and the reasons behind their leaving the company will indicate whether actions are needed to improve retention rates. The most common method of measuring labour turnover is expressed as follows: Number of leavers in a specific period x 100 Average number of employees during same period This measure is used most effectively on a comparative basis and frequently provides the basis for internal and external benchmarking. Investigations into reasons for turnover are undertaken via exit interviews and leaver questionnaires or even through attitude surveys. Reasons for leaving are: More pay Better career prospects More security Poor relationships with manager or team leader Bullying, harassment Labour turnover can be very costly since it represents an opportunity cost of time spent by HR and Line Manager in recruitment, loss arising from reduce input from new starters until they are fully-trained, direct costs of introducing induction course. Work-environment analysis It refers to the analysis of the environment in which the people work in terms of scope it provides for them to use and develop their skills and achieve satisfaction. Operational effectiveness analysis Analysing productivity, the utilisation of people and the scope for increasing flexibility to respond to new and changing demand. Human Resource Plans The HR plans are derived from the resourcing strategy and takes into account data from a combination of scenario planning, demand and supply and forecasting and labour turnover analysis. Again there is a lack of certainty and predictability. The plans often have to be short term and flexible because of the difficulty of making firm predictions about HR requirement in times of rapid change. (Armstrong 2001: 375) Plans need to be prepared in the areas of resourcing, flexibility, retention, downsizing and productivity Resource planning This is primarily concerned with preparing plans for finding people from within the organisation, recruiting externally and attracting high quality candidates as the employer choice Internal resourcing is the first step to analyse the availability of suitable people from within the organisation, by referring t assessments of potential and a skill database- decisions can be made to promote, redeploy and provide extra training to eligible staffs. The recruitment plan would include the number and type of employees required to make up any deficits and when they are needed. The likely sources of recruits are colleges, advertising. Plan for trapping alternative sources such as part timers How recruitment programme will be conducted Employer of choice plan Recruitment plans should include plan for attracting good candidates by ensuring that the organization will become an employer of choice. Initiatives to become an employer of choice might include Providing opportunities for development and career progression Addressing work life balance issue Better remuneration packages Retention Plan Man Fred De Vries (cited in Williams 2000:28) stated that todays high performers are like frogs in a wheelbarrow: they can jump anytime Various organizations recognize this and are turning their attention to key staff. Retention measures can include the following: Pay and benefit competitive rates of pay, flexible benefits Recruitment and selection set appropriate standards, match people to posts, provide an accurate picture of the job Training and development good induction processes, provision of development opportunities to meet the needs of the individual and the organizations. Job design, provision of interesting work as much autonomy and ream working as possible. Management ensures that managers and supervisors have the skills to manage efficiently. Flexibility Plan Planning for increased flexibility in the use of Human Resource to enable the organization to make the best of its people and adapt swiftly to changing circumstances. Armstrong suggests that the aim of the flexibility plan should be to Provide for greater operational flexibility Improve the utilization of employees skills and capabilities Reduce employment costs Help to achieve downsizing smoothly and avoid the need for compulsory redundancies Increase productivity Thus strategies like job sharing, home working, tele working, subcontracting and employing part time workers should be implemented. Productivity Plan It sets out programmes for improving productivity and reducing employment costs in such areas as: Improving methods, systems and processes Mechanization, automation and computerization The use of financial and non financial incentives Downsizing plan The downsizing plan is implemented as last resort if all else fails It may be necessary to deal with unacceptable employment costs/surplus number of employees by downsizing. The downsizing plan should be based on timing of reductions and the process itself. The plan should set out the following: The number of people who have to go and when and where this need to take place A forecast of the likely numbers who will be volunteer to leave Arrangement for informing and consulting with employees and their trade unions 2.3 Aims of HRP Planning of human resource is extremely important as it enables the optimum use of the most valuable asset of an organization in the attainment of its objectives and goals. To find gaps and devise solutions. As we say, nobody plans to fail; they just fail to plan. To attract and retain the number of people with the appropriate skills, expertise and competencies To anticipate the problems of potential surplus and deficits of people To develop a well trained and flexible workforce, thus contributing to the organizations ability to adapt to an uncertain and changing environment To reduce dependence on external recruitment when key skills are in short supply by formulating retention as well as employee development strategies. 2.4 Factors affecting HRP Employment HRP is affected by the employment situation in the country i.e. in countries where there is greater unemployment; there may be more pressure on the company, from government to appoint more people. Similarly some company may force shortage of skilled labour and they may have to appoint people from other countries. Technical changes in the society Technology changes at a very fast speed and new people having the required knowledge are required for the company. In some cases, company may retain existing employees and teach them the new technology and in some cases, the company has to remove existing people and appoint new. Organizational changes Changes take place within the organization from time to time i.e. the company diversify into new products or close down business in some areas etc. in such cases the HRP process i.e. appointing or removing people will change according to situation. Demographic changes Demographic changes refer to things referring to age, population, composition of work force etc. A number of people retire every year. A new batch of graduates with specialization turns out every year. This can change the appointment or the removal in the company. Shortage of skill due to labour turnover Industries having high labour turnover rate, the HRP will change constantly i.e. many new appointments will take place. This also affects the way HRP is implemented. Multicultural workforce Workers from different countries travel to other countries in search of job. When a company plans its HRP it needs to take into account this factor also. Pressure groups Company has to keep in mind certain pleasure. Groups like human rights activist, woman activist, media etc. as they are very capable for creating problems for the company, when issues concerning these groups arise, appointment or 2.5 Human resource activities Human Resource (HR) planning is imperative to an organizations success. It serves as an analysis of the current and future needs of the organization. This process helps guide an organization in several areas, such as staffing, development, training, and benefits and compensation designs. Staffing Staff, or personnel, planning is one of the most common activities conducted by HR departments, according to an article on AllBusiness.com. It typically is comprised of using the current staff size and design to predict staffing levels for the upcoming year. HR departments may utilize a companys strategic plan as a resource for information. For example, if an organization intends to launch a new interactive website in the following year, the HR department will budget for additional staff to build and maintain the website. Training and Development HR departments create training and employee development plans as well. This type of planning must be conducted in advance of the companys needs in order to prepare for them, both from financial and resource perspectives. Training for new employees and product rollouts may be included. Teaching current employees new skills is considered an aspect of development. Organizations benefit from having streamlined and consistent training programs Career Development Career development is imperative in order to prepare an organization for upcoming retirements, as well as to retain long-term employees. Companies need to have a strategic plan on how they intend to replace their management with qualified leaders. This means that current employees should have career road maps and plans that incorporate both short-term and long-term goals. For example, if an organization is grooming a top, young salesperson for the management track in five years, training should begin now. This may include time management courses, classes on how to coach others and a mentor program. Downsizings When companies foresee an upcoming need to downsize, its in their best interest to have their HR departments plan for it in advance to ensure that the process is smooth and orderly, and complies with all legal requirements. This type of planning also may prevent loss of knowledge and resources. Some companies begin the downsizing process by eliminating non-essential personnel. Others lay off administrative staff, but keep money-generating positions. Organizations may be hit by lawsuits and high unemployment costs if downsizing is not strategically planned. 2.6 Advantages and disadvantages of HRP HRP, in both its traditional and more contemporary forms, can be perceived to have a number of distinct advantages. Firstly, it is argued that planning can help to reduce uncertainty as long as plans are adaptable. Although unpredictable events do occur, the majority of organizational change does not happen overnight so the planning process can provide an element of control, even if it is relatively short term. Taylor (2002 : 73-74) suggests that in the HR field there is potentially more scope for change and adaptation in six months than there is in relation to capital investment in new plant and machinery. Thus he argues that many of the assumptions about the difficulties of planning generally are less relevant to HR. Other advantages relate to the contribution of planning to organizational performance, for ex, the planning process can make a significant contribution to the integration of HR policies and practices with each other and with the business strategy, i.e. horizontal and vertical integration. Marchington and Wilkinson (2002: 280) suggest that HR plans can be developed to fit with strategic goals or they can contribute to the development of the business strategy, but conclude that either way, HRP is perceived as a major facilitator of competitive advantage. Another way that HRP can contribute is by helping to build flexibility into the organization, either through the use of more flexible forms of work or through identification of the skills and qualities required in employees. IRS (2002c) report that a number of organizations have predicted that jobs are likely to change radically over the next few years and so are using selection techniques to assess core values rather than job-specific skills. 2.7 Difficulties in implementing HRP Planners face significant barriers while formulating a Human Resource Planning. The major ones are the following: People question the importance of making human resource practices future oriented and the role assigned to the practitioners in formulation of the organisational strategies. Their argument is simple- there are people when needed offer attractive package of benefits to quit when you find them in surplus. HR practitioners are perceived as experts in handling personnel matter, but are not experts in managing business. The personnel plan conceived and formulated by the HR practitioners when enmeshed with organisational plan, might make the overall strategic plan itself defective. HR information often is incompatible with the information used in strategy formulation. Strategic planning efforts have long been oriented towards financial forecasting often to the exclusion of other types of information. Conflicting may exist between short-term and long-term HR needs. For example, there arises a conflict between the pressure of getting work done on time and the long term needs, such as preparing people assuming greater responsibilities. Many mangers are of the belief that HR needs can be met immediately because skills are available on the market as long as wages and salaries are competitive. These managers fail to recognise that by resorting to hiring or promoting depending on short term needs alone, long term issues are neglected. There is conflict between quantitative and qualitative approach to HRP. Some people view HRP as a number game designed to track flow of people across the departments. These people are strictly quantitative approach to planning. Others take a qualitative approach and focus on individual employee concerns such as promotability and career development. Best results are accrued if there is a balance between the qualitative and quantitative approaches. Non involvement of operating managers renders HRP ineffective. HRP is not strictly an HR department function. Successful planning needs a coordinated effort on the part of operating managers and HR personnel. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY This chapter examines the methodology used to carry out the research survey so as to collect data for the topic under consideration that is the process of Human Resource Planning with particular reference to Shandrani Resorts and Spa, member of the Beachcomber Hotels. It involves the examination of the whole research process from beginning to end. 3.1 Problem definition A problem well defined is half-solved.Kotter. Human resource planning is assumed to consist of 4 clear steps: 1)forecasting future needs, 2)analyzing the availability and supply of labour, 3)drawing up plans to meet supply to demand, 4) monitoring the implementation of the plan. The main issue of this assignment is to analyse the process of human resource planning and the focus of the research is on the hotel industry. 3.2 Research objectives The survey was most specifically carried out at Shandrani Resort and Spa and its objective is To assess future people requirements both in terms of numbers and level of skills and competences, formulating and implementing plans to meet those requirements in terms of recruitment and training. 3.3 Research design For the purpose of this assignment, the most appropriate strategies used were exploratory and descriptive as the research is analysing the process of HRP. On a first instance, an exploratory research was made to reach a better understanding of the research of the research problem. It took the form of an in-depth interview with professionals working at Shandrani, and for the Beachcomber hotels as well. The in-depth interview took the form of a question list with open-ended questions. 3.4 Data collection methods Secondary data Secondary data were collected from books, journals, articles, and appropriate websites. Information about the hotel has been collected from Shandrani Resorts and Spa documents, namely the Beachcomber group manual and Shandranis Livret Daccueil. Primary data An interview was carried out with top management to gather primary data. A questionnaire was therefore designed for this purpose. (See Appendix) Other primary researches Interview with the Director of Shandrani . Face to face interview with Director of Human Resource. Interview with Director of Beachcomber Training Academy for 3 hours. Interview with the Quality assurance manager. Int

Sir Gawain Essay -- essays research papers

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Gawain, a knight of the famed King Arthur, is depicted as the most noble of knights in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Nonetheless, he is not without fault or punishment, and is certainly susceptible to conflict. Gawain, bound to chivalry, is torn between his knightly edicts, his courtly obligations, and his mortal thoughts of self-preservation. This conflict is most evident in his failure of the tests presented to him. With devious tests of temptation and courage, Morgan le Fay is able to create a mockery of Gawain’s courtly and knightly ideals. Through the knight Gawain, the poem is able to reveal that even knights are human too with less than romantic traits. In order to satirize Gawain's courtly ways, the poet must first establish the presence of perfect chivalric code in Gawain, only to later mock that sense of perfection with failure. This establishment of chivalric code is created in part through the expression used to describe Gawain throughout the poem. He is described as "noble" and "goodly" on more than one occasion, giving the reader a positive understanding of the poem's hero (405, 685). This courtly view of Gawain is further expresses by his noble acceptance of the Green Knight's beheading game, in order to "release the king outright" from his responsibility (365). Gawain was the first to accept the Green Knight's terms. His acceptance of the beheading game before any other person brings t...

What is Soul Food? Essay -- Expository Culture African American Essays

What is Soul Food? All ethnic groups have their own language, food, and way of living. Some can even call their food, â€Å"soul food.† Soul food can be described as â€Å"food made with feeling and care,† but in America, soul food simply refers to African-American cuisine (A History of Soul Food). In Imamu Amiri Baraka’s essay, â€Å"Soul Food† he describes how shocked he was to read an article that stated how â€Å"African-Americans have no language and no characteristic food.† So he argued against that supposed fact. I too was shocked and am agreeing with Baraka’s argument. African-Americans have had soul food for hundreds of years, if anything that is all they have ever had. Since slaves had no control or choice in life, cooking became a way to express feelings, share love and nurture family and sorrow (Helton). Soul food is more that just food; it is history, tradition, and family. Soul food dates back to the early 14th century during the time of African exploration. When Africans became slaves in America, they had to make do with the ingredients that were given to them (A History of Soul Food). Their meals of fresh vegetables that they were used to were now being replaced by the thrown away scrapes of food from the plantation house. Not long after, slaves began to refer to their food as â€Å"good times† food because after working long hours in the field or in the house, the evening meal was a time for families to get together (A History of Soul Food). During the meal, elders passed down oral history to the young ones and family and friends came to visit. Soul food was hearty nourishment that met the intense labor needs of working long days (Helton). Decades later, during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, terms like â€Å"so... ...It is the greatest feeling. When I hear the words â€Å"soul food† I immediately think of the history, the traditions, and my family. On the other hand, those people who are not familiar with these terms; they consider it to be just food. Sure you might also think of hushpuppies, fried chicken, collard greens, grits and ribs, but do you know how and why they came about. Not many actually do. As Baraka concluded his essay he stated, â€Å"I guess a square is somebody who’s in Harlem and eats at Nedicks.† I can also agree with that statement. I can see those same squares everywhere else in America; they eat at McDonald’s. Works Cited 1. A History of Soul Food. 13 March 2003. http://www.foxhome.com/soulfood/htmls/soulfood.html 2. Marilyn Helton. Soul Food History. 13 March 2003. http://diabetes.about.com/library/blfoodforthought/ucTSsoulfooda.htm

Puritan Society In Hesters Life :: essays research papers

The Godly beliefs and punishments followed by the Puritans stemmed from their English experience and complete involvement in religion. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. Hester’s act of adultery was welcomed with rage and was qualified for serious punishment. Boston became more involved in Hester’s life after her crime was announced than it had ever been before—the religious based, justice system formally punished her and society collectively tortured her. Based upon the religious, governmental, and social design of the society, Hester’s entire existence revolved around her sin and the Puritan perception thereof; this association breaks way to society significantly becoming involved in her life. The importance of a social framework for the new society, where the Church would be all encompassing, developed from the teachings of such religious reformers as John Wycliffe and John Calvin. The Church would be directly involved in the running of the community and its regime. Enforcing such laws established by scripture read from the Bible, the government disciplined Hester for her committed sin. The Puritans considered the Bible as the â€Å"true law of God that provided guidelines for church and government†. They wished to shape the Church of England to meet their ideals, emphasizing Bible reading, prayer, and preaching in worship services. They simplified the ritual of the sacraments and also wanted more personal and fewer prescribed prayers. The Puritans stressed grace, devotion, prayer, and self-examination to achieve religious virtue while including a basic knowledge of unacceptable actions of the time. Obtaining virtue was expected to secure order and peace within the Puritan community. The Church officials, who played a direct role in the government, calculated the penalties for various sins. When sins arose, the government took the role as chief executive of corrective punishment and instituted castigation. Hester found herself very much a part of the local Church and government’s heavy hand. Everyone was aware of her sinful act, for she was placed on a scaffold amidst the entire people for a painful viewing. The religious morals instilled in the Puritan society caused her much pain long after the public humiliation. Permanently â€Å"symbolized as a sinner†, Hester was branded for life with a cloth letter worn on her bosom. For years after the letter was first revealed on the scaffold, Hester was associated with the sin and the scarlet letter. Because the Puritans contoured religion, social life, and government together, each member of the society was involved in the religion, social life, and government—everybody in Boston saw the â€Å"A† on Hester’s chest in the same light.

Implementation Plan Essay

How ethical are you? Do you consider cheating on your taxes ethical? Are your ethics situational? Are you demonstrating ethics by deciding to do the right or the thing that will make you acceptable to the group or your subordinates? Unethical behavior is thriving well in our country. There are business executives with their perceptions of ethical leadership and its development researched by Catherine Marsh, in our work place there are leaders who are attempting to eliminate bullying through the examination of The Role of Ethical Leadership and its Effects on the Work Environment. The authors who researched information on bullying in the work environment were, Stouten, J. Baillien, E, Van den Broeck, A, Camps, J. De Witte, H. and Euwema, M. in 2011. Thirdly, we have authors; Michele K. Kacmar, Daniel G. Bachrach, Kenneth J. Harris, and Suzanne Zivnuska through their research tested the relationship between ethical leaders in regards to gender in the article Fostering good citizenship through ethical leadership: Exploring the moderating role of gender and organizational politics. Comparatively, the three articles similarity is the examination of ethics within the roles of leadership. Their examinations are inclusive of ethics in the work environment, business executives and their perception of ethical leadership and fostering good citizenship among the genders and organizational politics. Article one is qualitative researched based, article two is qualitative in regard to the workload and quantitative in regards to poor working conditions and article three, mixed-method of research. Research Question(s) The questions posed by the authors were for those that consider themselves ethical leaders what aspects did the value, how does one experiences determine how ethical a leader they are/ Are there significant strategies that ethical leaders could use to eliminate and /discourage bullying? How does the role of gender foster good citizenship through ethical leadership? (Marsh, 2013) The limitations of the studies were similar in their restrictive sampling of data. The participant in article was selected based on recommendations. The author stated that business leaders in which was believed to be ethical were contacted. This study gave the business executives an opportunity to share their personal stories and come to a clear understanding of their ethical leadership skills. Authors’ findings provided evidence that leaders can be an example to followers and model ethical behavior so that workers will be less inclined to be a target of bullying. An understanding was gained by the sample used of supervisors and employees working together daily. In conclusion the three articles examined leadership ethics using different variables. Article one was a qualitative study that examined the perception of how ethical leaders perceived themselves. Each executive shared personal stories from the personal experiences that designed the ethical framework. Article two examined bullying and the impact of ethical leadership and the ability of ethical leaders to curtail or eliminate bullying in the workplace. Article three examined the gender and political organization and how good citizenship could be fostered through ethical leadership.

Studies in Professionalism in Education & Training

I am currently employed in the post 16 training sector as a tutor on the ‘entry to employment’ programme (e2e). The e2e programme is designed to be flexible and individual, with the aim of equipping young people with the necessary skills to become independent; self-motivated; informed and empowered to take control of their own lives. Learners work towards realistic but challenging targets that lead to progression onto suitable training or employment opportunities. There are 3 basic strands to the e2e programme; basic and key skills (literacy, numeracy, communication etc†¦); personal and social development and vocational development.The programme is tailored to suit the individual needs of a variety of young people who are engaged on it. All learners are aged between 16 and 18 years and are not participating in any form of post 16 learning, or in any form of employment. The programme itself is not qualification driven. However, opportunities for the achievement of ce rtificates are available throughout the course. There is no set time limit for the e2e programme ensuring that learners can work at a pace suited to their skills, needs and circumstances – learners can spend as little or as long (within reason) on the programme in order to successfully achieve their goals.The strand I teach is vocational development. This incorporates training sessions such as CV building; interview techniques; job searching and sustaining employment. Learning is individualised, thus meeting the needs across a range of age and ability. Professionalism to me is exceeding the standards as set by various government offices and ensuring that the service young people access at my organisation is a quality one. Further education has received its share of criticism over the last century and this has been reflected in the salaries of the tutors in this sector as opposed to those in the compulsory education sector.To me being a professional is about attitude, behaviou r, self presentation and having a commitment to improvement. How we conduct ourselves in our roles is paramount to earning the respect and appreciation of our fellow workers, managers and indeed the people accessing the services we offer. The learners that access our service are usually low level (below entry 1) and many lack motivation to learn. As the National Foundation for Educational Research conducted research on participants taking part in e2e, â€Å"Around one-third of young people interviewed reported negative school experiences.These related to problems with other students, negative relationships with teachers, lack of achievement and the perceived irrelevance of what they were taught. Many had been expelled from school or had excluded themselves. † (http://www. nfer. ac. uk/research-areas/pims-data/summaries/eet-entry-to-employment. cfm This gives some indication of the difficulties facing tutors in this sector and it is my belief that conducting a programme that r eflects school will only serve to discourage learners from accessing this course.Therefore, although we must be professional, we must also offer something different to the curriculum offered in compulsory education. Thus it is important to consider Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Basic Human Needs. The main points being; physical comfort, safety and shelter, love and belonging, self-esteem leading to self-actualisation. Further education in the UK has seen many changes during the last 10 years. Concerns were raised by the government that Further Education was not producing a skilled enough workforce in line with international standards, impacting upon Britain’s economical viability.Other EU countries were seen to be producing a much higher skilled and trained workforce. The belief was that a cause of this was a lack of suitably qualified teaching staff in FE. This propelled the notion that all teaching and training staff working in the FE sector should be qualified to th e standard set by mainstream schools. It was thought that by doing this, standards of the UK workforce would be raised. In 1999 FENTO (Further Education National Training Organisation) was launched. They were responsible for identifying needs within the FE sector.In 2000 FENTO proposed a set of standards, which addressed wider issues of professional development and considered a new teaching qualifications network. These standards consisted of three main elements: Professional knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes and key areas of teaching. In 2005 Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) was formed to manage the reform of teacher training. All FE teachers now have to register with the Institute for Learning (IfL) which is part of LLUK, and monitors training and records sector training needs.Since initial reforms, teaching standards in FE have further developed and progressed. In March 2006 the White Paper ‘Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances' highlighted further needs to develop a much more highly skilled workforce. It states, â€Å"This is a huge challenge, because there are some deep-seated and long-standing weaknesses in our national skills. We have put in place major reform programmes for 14-19 year olds and adult skills, backed by substantial investment.Those reforms are bringing about real progress. But there is a long way to go to raise skills and qualification levels for young people and adults to world standards† (White Paper ‘Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances', 2006). It also goes on to say that FE establishments are central to achieving world standards in the UK workforce, but are currently not realising their full potential in being the driving force behind skills.The paper paints a grim picture in terms of skills levels of the UK in comparison to other developed countries, and with the Leitch report highlighting the skills need for 2020, it is clear that reform is necessary for the U K to compete in the global economic market. The economic mission is at the core of the proposals, with the focus of the FE sector to be equipping young people and adults with the skills and competences that meet the needs of employers. The proposals laid out in this white paper were implemented in the Further Education and Training Act 2007.Reforms such as the above have a resounding impact on organisations such as mine. We have to ensure that the government’s vision and targets for the future are embraced and taken forward in the most effective possible way, thus demanding that we, as FE employees, are professional in all aspects of our work. So how do we as an organisation ensure the commitment and quality of service that is expected by our government? Firstly it is imperative that we have systems in place that effectively transmit information to staff.Accurate and relevant information and communication are vital in order to transmit and effectively implement plans that wil l uphold the government’s wishes in regards proposals for FE. My organisation has a quality improvement department which continually monitors the performance of the company against standards set out by agencies such as the Office for Standards in Education (ofsted), Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and many more.FE establishments are now subject to inspection by ofsted of which their aim is toâ€Å"inspect and regulate to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages† (www. ofsted. gov. uk). This department is crucial for the continuation of improvements within educational settings. Although misinterpreted by many as ‘harrowing’ and ‘stressful’, the inspection process that this agency conducts is the platform for which FE providers need to build their provision.Ofsted inspections are designed to aid improvement in services, raise aspirations and assist in the achievement of higher standards within educational settings. The quality improvement team in my organisation follow the Common Inspection Framework as dictated by ofsted. This ensures we are providing the services and meeting the standards set by the government. In order to ascertain that teaching staff are in line with this framework, regular lesson observations take place by competent staff. By carrying out these observations, staff are able to use the feedback to continually improve their practice.It is also expected of teaching staff to self evaluate and reflect upon every lesson they teach. This is a key part of professionalism within teaching. I will discuss in more detail later in this essay the values and importance of reflection. The quality improvement team are also responsible for official documentation used by all staff. These are regularly reviewed and updated and communicated to all staff. This ensures that all staff are using the same doc uments and helps create seamless processes that are followed by all.As well as ofsted there are many other agencies that regulate the delivery of FE in the UK. One of these is the QCA. As a provider that delivers qualifications in a variety of subjects the QCA is an important source of information. The QCA maintain and develop the National Curriculum and accredit qualifications to appropriate levels in order to meet the needs of learners, employers and the economy. As we deliver accredited qualifications it is crucial that we follow the guidelines set out by the QCA to ensure we are teaching the correct knowledge and skills that learners need to achieve the standards set.We also have to adhere to awarding bodies such as Edexcel and City & Guilds who provide the qualifications which we deliver. As well as organisational procedures and external influences, it is crucially important that we, as teachers strive to continually improve our practice by self reflection. â€Å"Reflective Pr actice is a process of reviewing an experience from practice in order to describe, analyse and evaluate and so informs learning from practice† (Reece and Walker, 2006 p421). This involves using a selection of the models identified during the course of this programme.Donald Schon (1983) identified 2 sub categories of reflection, reflection on action and reflection in action. Reflection in action is often described as ‘thinking on ones feet’; this is done during the course of action and is one that I have had to use many times during the course of my career. Reflection on action occurs after the actual action and gives professionals the opportunity to develop theories and create knowledge. â€Å"Individuals, supported by others, constantly frame and reframe a problem, test it and reach solutions† (Schon, 1983).Another model of reflective practice is one proposed by David Boud. In the introduction to Understanding Learning from Experience, David Boud et al (19 93), present five propositions of experiential learning, the first of which is; experience is the foundation of and the stimulus for learning. â€Å"Learning always relates in one way or another, to what has gone before. There is never a clean slate on which to begin; unless new ideas and new experience link to previous experience, they exist as abstractions, isolated and without meaning† (Boud et al, 1993, p8).Building on previous learning and relating new learning concepts and topics to past experience has been essential in my teaching practice. Linking new experiences to past ones to create new meanings and insights in extremely constructive in reflective practice. â€Å"We attach our own meanings to events. While others may attempt to impose their meanings on us, we ultimately define our own experience. † (Boud et al, 1993, p10) Another important model of reflective practice is Jack Mezirow’s. His emphasis is on disorientating dilemmas, which he believed can be a slow transition rather than a sudden insight.Mezirow believes that, â€Å"learning is different when we learn to perform than when we understand what is being communicated to us. † (Mezirow, 1990) The belief is that questioning and reflective nature results in an altered and more beneficial learning process. â€Å"In reflective practice, practitioners engage in a continuous cycle of self-observation and self-evaluation in order to understand their own actions and reactions they prompt in themselves and in learners† (Brookfield, 1995) The diagram below illustrates Brookfields perspective of reflective practice.Reflecting upon my practice is something I need to be doing continuously to constantly develop in my role. This reflective process is an essential part of teaching, as Kolb’s Four Stage Model of Learning, demonstrates. Reid (1993) states â€Å"Reflective Practice is a process of reviewing an experience from practice in order to describe, analyse and evaluate and so informs learning from practice† (Reece and Walker, 2006 p421). Reflective practice is a vital part of teaching. Effective practice is a beneficial aspect of continuous professional development and without it progression in teaching would be extremely limited.By gaining a better understanding of their own individual teaching styles through reflective practice, teachers can improve their effectiveness in the classroom and strive to achieve the vision as set out by the government, as previously mentioned, for Further Education. Reflection of Learning – CertEd: During the 2 years I have undertaken learning on the CertEd course, I have learnt many underpinning theories that were previously unknown to me. Although I have worked in the industry for 8 years and learnt from experience and reflection, I have been unaware of the background as to why we do what we do and the reasons for it.It began with the first module which was preparation for teaching. In this mo dule we covered learning theories, learning styles, planning effective lessons, presentation of lessons and factors influencing learning. Before I began the module, I believed I had a sound understanding of the teaching process; however I discovered many more vital and useful tools that I now apply when delivering training sessions. Kolb’s theory was something that I was unaware of before this module. Learning theories was also a topic that I had very little knowledge on. This proved to be one of the most useful sections of this module.I did practice the different approaches beforehand but was unaware of the theories behind them. Now I am aware I believe I use them much more effectively in my day to day role and my planning of sessions. The next module was ‘Developing Personal Skills’, and I found this extremely useful. It enabled me to concentrate my efforts upon areas of my career that were not as strong as some of the others. By doing this I was able to improv e my performance at work a great deal. It was good to have agreed learning contract beforehand as this gave me a schedule to work towards.It was more beneficial negotiating with the tutor, what I wanted to develop, instead of being told what to work towards. In â€Å"Learner managed learning† Graves (1993) states the role of the learning contract in higher education takes on board the concept of our individual learning styles. It gives students the freedom to learn in a way they feel comfortable with. It has long been established that adult learners learn in different ways, and that they are self directing and defined in their experience, with the onus and effectiveness of this learning process primarily, on the learner.Upon reflection, I learnt much from this module, both my IT and networking skills have been improved, and this has had a positive impact on my job role. I feel much more comfortable using IT in teaching now than I did before, especially power point presentatio ns which I have used in a few sessions since my online tutorial. However I still have far more to learn, especially in IT as it is a fast changing concept that is constantly introducing new equipment and technologies into society and indeed teaching.The module on assessment was also beneficial as before this assessment was something that I did without really thinking of the underpinning theories to it. This module made me change my practice by ensuring assessment was valid, reliable and relevant and also prompted me to give more feedback to my learners and document this. The module of learning on curriculum studies was again one that developed my understanding of the subject. Designing a curriculum was a valuable learning experience for me and although a successful one, I have seen many opportunities for improvement along the way.In summary, teaching and learning is an ever changing industry and constant evaluation is necessary for the process to be continually successful and for on going improvement to take place. I found that the autonomy I was given helped tremendously as I was able to decide for myself what course of study the students would follow. Obviously I had to account for external influences such as the criteria of the awarding body and contractual requirements from the LSC, but nevertheless my organisation were prepared to allow me to choose the path students would follow to meet these.Kolb’s theory is foremost in my reflective practice as shown in the diagram below: By designing a curriculum and studying theories of curriculum, I gained a better understanding of the concept. I understand that influences such as organisational policies, government policies, awarding bodies and learning styles of learners, all have a bearing on how a curriculum is developed. I also learned much about the models of curriculum and in what context they are used. Many courses of study are designed to accommodate the product model; i. e.they are focused on achievi ng an end result, such as a recognized qualification; however I feel the process model can still be incorporated with better results, such as additional learning taking place and a more enjoyable learning experience for the student. The course I designed was a success. This was reflected in the achievement and retention figures that were collated at the conclusion of the course. I also believe that I added value to the curriculum by incorporating literacy and numeracy support throughout and designing learning to suit all students regardless of learning styles and abilities.I did have to change the course of study slightly of this curriculum, and so in future I hope to be able to build upon my experiences and design an even more effective course which incorporates the learning I have undertaken during this module. The final module on creativity was the one I felt most beneficial of the entire course. I realised during this module that I had always ‘played safe’ during my teaching and that fear of failure had prevented me from implementing ideas that could enhance my teaching and my student’s learning.During this module I researched creativity within an educational environment. I realised that being creative is sometimes about taking risks, and this was something I had previously been reluctant to do. Although I felt I was innovative in my lesson delivery, I now accept that a fear of ‘failure’ prevented me from fully committing myself to creativity. On the whole the CertEd course has been a valuable and worthwhile experience for me and I believe I have progressed professionally due to the modules I have undertaken.Following the course of study I believe I have made excellent progress professionally and feel much more knowledgeable in the sector than I did previously. I still have to continually improve as a professional and I am fortunate to work for a company that recognises this and encourages staff to undertake CPD. Continuous training and development for all staff is now an everyday part of the profession, not a training course that is ‘thrown in’ every few months with no clear structure.CPD must be strategically planned and embedded within the overall objectives of the organisation to ensure that staff are well prepared for any new developments that arise. At my organisation, staff are encouraged my management to take control of their development and inline with the Business Plan and the Self Assessment Report, are supported to undertake relevant, necessary CPD. I try and improve my practice in many ways. As well as the regular training courses I attend I also take responsibility and ensure that I continually strive to learn and become a more effective practitioner.Learning from other teachers is an important way for professional development. One of the most powerful ways to better your practice is to observe other teachers, ones that are experienced and confident in their roles. During th is course of study I have had a mentor and I have observed her on many occasions, as well as seeking advice and guidance on matters I am not confident in. I believe discussion with colleagues can be an important part of development. They can offer different views on situations and propose alternative methods of practice which might have previously not been considered.As well as using colleagues and mentors, learners are also a crucial part of continuing development. By gathering their thoughts and feedback on lessons I teach them, I am able to implement new strategies and adapt teaching methods to enhance the learning experience for my students. A written evaluation at the end of sessions is another useful way to reflect and enable improvements. â€Å"It is important to produce a written evaluation of the lesson which helps to reflect constructively upon practice.By reflecting on what went well and badly and evaluating what we would do differently we are developing professional pra ctice and evolving new ways to meet our learners’ needs (Wallace, 2001, p178). My organisation also conducts 6 monthly appraisals with all staff. During this process a development plan is also agreed and produced and this involves recording any learning that needs to be achieved, any courses that have to be undertaken and any other developmental requirements that staff feel they have. The appraisal process helps the employees to understand the company’s objectives.It helps them to set their goals and precisely know what role they play in their work to serve the organisation. This avoids frustration and gives job satisfaction to the employees. Performance appraisal benefits all parties and can serve to motivate and inspire employees to continuously develop and improve. My own development plan was agreed in February and runs until August. During this time my targets for achievement are Level 2 ICT qualification, Cert Ed qualification and to maintain my CPD file with all relevant learning.Beyond this time I am looking to achieve a business/management qualification during the next 2 years, and to develop my leadership skills due to a recent change in my job role. I will continue throughout my professional life to strive for improvement and new methods of working, which will enhance the experience of learners accessing our services. Professionalism is an ongoing process. It is commitment to self-improvement, competency in work, motivated in attitude and having respect for both colleagues and learners.

Associate Level Material Essay

As part of your Research Plan, you must draft a research question for your research paper. A research question, which is more specific and focused then a general topic, is the question that you will answer in your paper. For example, if your general area of interest is Social Security, a potential research question might ask, â€Å"How might low-income families save more money under a reformed Social Security plan that includes personal retirement accounts? As you develop a research question, keep in mind that you will research sources with both supporting and different viewpoints. Do not select a narrow or one-sided issue that will limit your research; instead, develop a research question that lends itself to further exploration and debate. What is you topic or area of interest? My topic area of interest is early media exposure and the subsequent attention problems in children. In what ways is this topic appropriate for a persuasive essay? This topic is appropriate for a persuasive essay because it asks what attention problems can occur from children being exposed to media at an early age. One of the attention issues that this could entail is attention deficit disorder. What is your research question? My research question is does early exposure to television and internet relate to attention, behavior and sleep problems in children. How is your research question significant or relevant to the wider community? My research question is relevant to the wider community because the audience reading the paper would include parents, teachers, and those working with children. What background information provides the preliminary grounds for your research? The background information that provides the preliminary grounds for my research are studies I found conducted by child psychologists, and pediatricians. What are some expert or authoritative sources of information for your topic? I plan to use the graphs, and information from studies conducted from child psychologists and pediatricians within my paper to give a broader scoop of the negative and positive effects media has on children. What types of materials do you expect to review for your research paper? I expect to review books, news articles, and research materials such as graphs and chart when conducting my research on this subject. What procedures will you follow to conduct your research? I will follow the procedures of the SQ3R system, as well as APA format. I will also use webs and graphs to jot ideas and free write. What difficulties do you anticipate in conducting your research and supporting your side of the issue? The only difficulties I anticipate in conducting my research is writers block and the possible lack of valid source options as I hate to use wikipedia and blogs in any paper they simply are not credible nor appropriate for a college level paper. ï » ¿Associate Level Material Essay Statistics UCR and Self-Report Data Complete the matrix below. To complete this matrix, list two pros and two cons of Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data and two pros and two cons of self-report data. Statistical Information Pros Cons Official Information: Uniform Crime Report (UCR) According to â€Å"Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics† (n.d.), † The UCR Program collects statistics on violent crime (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) and property crime (burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft)†. â€Å"By congressional mandate, arson was added as the eighth Part I offense in 1979. Arson statistics are not available for access on this site† (â€Å"Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics†, n.d.). Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the various unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction (â€Å"Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics†, n.d.). According to â€Å"Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics† (n.d.), â€Å"Until data users examine all the variables that affect crime in a town, city, county, state, region, or other jurisdiction, they can make no meaningful comparisons.† Unofficial Information: Self-Report Data â€Å"The great advantage of self-report is that it gives you the respondents’ own views directly† (Barker, Pistrang, & Elliott, 2005). â€Å"The self-report methods can be used to obtain information in situations where observational data are not normally available† (Barker, Pistrang, & Elliott, 2005). â€Å"People are not always truthful or forth coming with information during studies† (Barker, Pistrang, & Elliott, 2005). â€Å"The research participants  may not be able to provide the level of detail, or use the concepts, that the researcher is interested in† (Barker, Pistrang, & Elliott, 2005). Web Resources Identify one Web resource of official information and one Web resource of unofficial information about the occurrence of delinquency in the United States. Copy and paste the URL addresses into the spaces provided. Official Information URL of Web site: http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/ranking.cfm Name of Web site: Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics Unofficial Information URL of Web site: http://www.wiley.com/legacy/wileychi/barker/supp/excerpt.pdf Name of Web site: Self-Report Methods ï » ¿Associate Level Material Essay Plate Tectonics Worksheet Answer the lab questions for this week and summarize the lab experience using this form. Carefully read Ch. 8 of Geoscience Laboratory.   Complete this week’s lab by filling in your responses to the questions from Geoscience Laboratory. Although you are only required to respond to the questions in this worksheet, you are encouraged to answer others from the text on your own. Questions and charts are from Geoscience Laboratory, 5th ed. (p. 133-150), by T. Freeman, 2009, New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Reprinted with permission. Lab Questions: 8.4 Which has the greater proportion of Iron, Magnetite, or Hematite? Hematite 8.7 When the reverse switch of a drill is thrown the drill rotates in the opposite direction. How does that affect the drill’s circuitry? The flow of electricity produces a magnetic field and a loop of wire within a magnetic field produces a flow of electricity, when the switch is thrown it reverses the magnetic field making drill spin in the direction of the current flow. .9 Name the 2 other spheres. 8.11 As Columbus’s fleet sailed westward the discrepancy between magnetic north and celestial north changed. Did it increase of decrease? Decreased, North magnetic pole deviates approximately 11 percent from the geographic pole. 8.12 Explain the difference in the orientations of the inclined compass needles in figure 8.18. Toward which cardinal direction is the observer facing? The needle of the compass dips downward in the northern hemisphere and upward in the southern hemisphere. 8.16 During which of these 5 geologic periods were Europe and North America most different in their positions with Earth’s magnetic field? Triassic 8.17 Place the 3 kinds of reefs in figure 8.26 in their order of succession from oldest first to youngest last. Fringing reefs are the oldest, the next oldest would be the barrier reefs, and the youngest reefs are the atoll. 8.18 What explains the shrinking of ocean crust as the crust moves away from volcanoes? As the ocean crust moves away from the volcanoes the shrink because there is lower temperatures. Once the volcanoes form them they begin moving away downward. 8.20 Does it appear in figure 8.29 that the reversals in Earth’s magnetic field are separated in equal periods of time, or are they random in their occurrences? They are random in their occurrences because for example, some periods they reversed 3 times, while in other periods they did not reverse at all. 8.21 What were the three observations that Vine and Mathews made about the stripes? 1. Directional trends- stripes tend to change all on the same direction. 2. Order of the color coding on sides of the ridges- the order of the colors on the side of the ridges corresponds to the color on the sea floor. 3. Widths of stripes compared to the duration of stripes-the wider the stripes are the longer the stripes lived. 8.25 Why doesn’t the South American plate descend beneath the Nazca plate? The Nazca plate is denser than the South American plate. 8.26 How many years will it be until Los Angeles and San Francisco are side by side? Approximately in 12.5 million years 8.27 What is the average rate of northward movement of India during the past 71 million years (in centimeters per year)? 15/71= approximately 2.12 cm per year 8.28 In centimeters per year, calculate the rate at which the Pacific plate is moving northwestern to the hotspot (which is marked by present day volcanoes). 50/5= 10 centimeters per year 8.30 Describe the direction of movement of the Pacific plate during the development of the volcanic islands that comprise the Seamounts. How has that direction changed? During the development of volcanic islands, the pacific plates used to move more northward, but due to the bend in the seamounts caused the plates to shift its movement more on the northwest direction. Lab Summary: Address the following in a 200-300 word summary: Summarize the general principles and purpose of the lab. Explain how this lab helped you better understand the topics and concepts addressed this week. Describe what you found challenging about this lab. Describe what you found interesting about this lab. Write your summary here: This lab was very informative about plate tectonics I learn quite a bit of new information during this study. There were a few thing that I can remember studying during high school, such as continental drift and how continents formed from one single land mass called Pangaea. One thing that I found challenging was about the earth’s magnetic fields, I have never know how magnetic field could ever change. And during this lab I saw that it did not change once but multiple times throughout the years, I even had problems answering a few lab questions about the magnetic field. I also found this topic to be a little challenging, but also very interesting to learn about. Another interesting thing I learned about in this lab was about how a compass can have discrepancy between the magnetic north and the celestial north. As the book says, this discrepancy made some members of the Columbus fleet gave up on their journey because they thought it was a sign. The thing I found to be interesting was how to calculate movement of the tectonic plates. Once again I really enjoyed this section of labs and look forward to the next set of lab assignments. ï » ¿Associate Level Material Essay Generate a list of at least 10 of President Jefferson’s decisions and actions. Decide which party’s ideals are most aligned with the decision or action and provide an explanation of why the decision or action aligns with that party. Decisions and Actions Democratic-Republican Party’s Beliefs and Ideals Federalist Party’s Beliefs and Ideals The Size of the government was reduced The decision was supported by Democratic and Republican as they wanted a smaller government Federalist didn’t support his decision as they wanted a larger and more stronger government Louisiana Purchase Allowed them to lighten their grip on the nation so they were not opposed. Strongly opposed the purchase, favoring close relations with Britain over closer lies to Napoleon, and were concerned that the US had paid a large sum of money just to declare war on Spain Lewis and Clark Expedition Through this would establish relationships with the natives. Wanted to learn more about the Natives in the west. Felt that exploring what was to the west of them would ruin what they had established in the east. The Embargo Act 1807 To Force Britain to reconsider on the American trade by prohibiting their goods from being shipped Was to stop all trade during Jefferson’s second term. Abolition of slave trade It opposed to the political power of slavery rather than slavery itself Wanted to continue slave trade. Military academy established Opposed federalist polices if high tariffs, a navy, military spending, national debt and banking Resources to explore and expand Less Formality Form of dress code. They stood for the less wealthy Believed in keeping an elegance in the white house and worn a more formal attire. The Legality of Partisanship Want to reassess the judges. The senate refused to convict federalist judge Repealed many taxes and reduced the number of federal employees Lined up with their beliefs for a small, weak government. Were in favor of taxation. Land Policies Made the Parcels smaller and more affordable, and allowed for payment over time, rather than a large lump sum Were not in favor of the payment plan Expanding the Agrarian Republic Western expansion was favored Did no want to expand the land Alliance with France Was in favor of this Alliance with France Wanted to work with the British Repelled the judiciary Act of 1801 They were all for it Jefferson had dismissed many federalist and judges so they were against it. Part 2: Response Write a 350-word response to the following question: How â€Å"Jeffersonian† was Thomas Jefferson as president? Jefferson doesn’t fit neatly into the label â€Å"Jeffersonian†. Jefferson’s commitment to the separation of church and state, his â€Å"Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom,† adopted in 1786, barred government from taxing to fund churches. As president, he wrote that he respected the First Amendment’s â€Å"wall of separation between church and state.† Yet he allowed and attended religious services in the U.S. Capitol and used federal funds to finance Christian missions to Native American nations. Jefferson hoped that converting Indians would induce them to embrace private property and live like their white neighbors. Jefferson’s embrace of strict construction, or limiting the federal government to powers explicitly granted by the Constitution, also masks contradictions. When in 1803 Jefferson learned that the United States could buy the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, at first he thought that a constitutional amendment would be needed to authorize the treaty. But instead, he directed American diplomats to make the deal without an amendment. Jefferson argued that he held the presidency in trust for the American people. Like any trustee, he could use his powers creatively for their benefit. If they approved of what he did, even if it seemed to violate the Constitution, they could reelect him. Jefferson’s ownership of slaves also collides with the democratic spirit that â€Å"Jeffersonian† implies. The man who wrote in the Declaration of Independence that â€Å"all men are created equal† owned slaves all his life. His 1787 book â€Å"Notes on the State of Virginia† displays the discord over slavery that bedeviled him. In one chapter, he insisted that slavery was a dreadful wrong and that, in a contest between rebelling slaves and their masters, â€Å"the Almighty has no attribute which could take sides with us.† In another, he suggested â€Å"as a suspicion only† that people of African descent were inferior to people of European descent, and that this inferiority might explain and even partly justify slavery. His friend James Madison explained that, like â€Å"others of great genius,† Jefferson had a habit â€Å"of expressing in strong and round terms, impressions of the moment.† The third president’s closest political ally, Madison learned the hard way to take Jefferson’s inconsistencies in stride. Posterity ought to do the same, as expecting perfect consistency from imperfect human beings will always result in disappointment and cynicism. Instead of bowing down before Jefferson, we should have the courage to look him in the eye.