Does Singapore Government Really Care Social Work Essays

Does Singapore Government Really Care Social Work Essays Does Singapore Government Really Care Social Work Essay Does Singapore Government Really Care Social Work Essay Since the 1980s Singapore authorities has started to recognize that the population is acquiring older. Statisticss have shown that by 2030 the aged in Singapore will treble to about 900,000. The steps taken by the authorities includes making elder-friendly installations and comfortss in every lodging estate. Recently, the authorities has besides looked into the employability of the aged who wish to go on working. Housing and Development Board ( HDB ) , Ministry of Manpower ( MOM ) and Ministry of Social and Family Development ( MSF ) are the authorities bureaus which have direct impact on every older individual in Singapore. Aged bend to HDB, MOM and MSF for their lodging, work and public assistance issues severally. These authorities bureaus are viewed as the faces of the authorities. Housing policies have been tuned to the publicity of societal integrating of our seniors by non segregating them from the remainder of the population so that they could age in topographic point . HDB has put in attempts to make barrier-free handiness in the reinforced environment to promote mobility of the aged. A scope of health care and eldercare programmes and services have been rolled out to back up caregiving and let aged to be engaged in the society. The authorities besides recognised the desirableness of employment and employability of the aged for their fiscal security. Although lodging policies and programmes are in topographic point to look into the countries like easing the common attention and support by the households of the older occupants, we feel a sense that the authorities is taking for a strong accent on the person and household autonomy. Harmonizing to the HDB, the assorted strategies rolled out by them are meant to assist the aged to age in topographic point and to let them to hold intergeneration adhering with their households. One of the steps taken by the HDB is by raising the higher-income ceiling for drawn-out households to purchase subsidised HDB flats to advance intergeneration bonding. However, many of such applications have turned out to be simply investing for the younger household members and there is no statistics to demo that how many elderly have benefited from this strategy. This is particularly true when the recent launching of the Executive Condominiums ( EC ) bing 1000000s of dollars by the private developers. HDB besides launched the Married Child Priority Scheme and Higher-tier CPF Housing Grant to promote married kids to remain with or near their parents. On paper, this strategy would profit the aged as their kids are nearby so that whenever they need aid, their kids would be at that place for them. However, this has in fact benefited the younger coevals as they could acquire a grant of up to $ 30,000 if they opted to populate nearer to their aged parents. The purpose by the HDB is good but the younger coevals will believe otherwise. They will take advantage of the pecuniary addition and subsequently do a net income from the sale and travel someplace else. Ultimately, non many of the kids would be populating near their parents when they are truly in demand of their aid. We are besides non certain how the intergenerational relationship of these households even though they are still populating nearby. Another similar strategy is the Higher-tier Singles Grant which is given to promote sing les to populate with their parents. There is no statistics to demo that whether the aged are still remaining with their individual kid after they have collected the flats. HDB has implemented the Monetisation options to enable aged to unlock place equity for retirement income. For those with alternate topographic point to remain e.g. with kids, other relations or with another belongings, they may take to sell their flats to recognize the full lodging equity for retirement demands. Another option will be to sublease their flats under HDB s Approved Subletting Scheme. HDB besides encourages the aged to downgrade by selling their bing flats and purchasing a smaller 1. HDB has resumed constructing 3-room and 2-room flats in 2004 and 2006, severally. This is to promote the higher proportion of aged families purchasing little flats than that for larger flats. Aged are besides encouraged to travel to Studio Apartment ( SA ) which are located nearer to comfortss such as market, nutrient Centres and the easy handiness of public conveyance. In add-on, the HDB has besides rolled out the Lease Buyback Scheme in 2009 to assist the aged aged 62 and above life in 2 o r 3-room flats to monetise their level value whereby they could have monthly income and go on to populate in same level, community and environment. However, all these strategies merely help those who have their flats and who have adequate hard currency to purchase the SA but non those who do non have any belongings or those who are disadvantaged. They are left to fend for themselves and hold to seek aid from assorted public assistance administrations. Harmonizing to the HDB study, they have been turn overing out the Undertaking LIFE ( Lift Improvement A ; Facilities Enhancement for Elderly ) since 1998 to heighten the mobility of the aged. This undertaking has been rolled out in phases and the mark completion of the whole undertaking will be in 2014. The strategy has taken such a long clip to finish has made us inquire what went incorrect with the executing of the undertaking. It has been reported that the HDB has been dragging its pess in the implementing of the strategy to assorted estates based on their petition and demands. HDB has besides politicized this strategy by non offering the life upgrading to certain wards because they are under different political party or their Town Councils ( TC ) have non made any formal petition. If any aged happened to be populating in a ward run by a different political party or the TC has non made any formal petition, so they would hold to go on walking up their stepss as their precedence wo uld be last. Recently, HDB has besides looked into the betterment of the life environment for less comfortable aged in rental flats. It has been reported that lifts have been modified to halt on every floor, where possible. Non-slip floor tiles, support manus saloon in lavatory, alarm dismay system, etc. are installed in all rental flats. In fact, all these fixtures were eventually put up after legion ailments by the aged life in those flats and the public assistance administrations looking after that country have voiced their concern of the safety of the aged life in those rental flats. Several public assistance orgainisations have reported that before the upgrading the aged life in those rental flats were less nomadic and needed more aid and were frequently neglected. With all these strategies in topographic point, HDB has projected to the state as a caring authorities section for the aged. HDB needs to recognize that there are loopholes in their old strategies and non many elderly have benefited from those strategies. They are traveling to rectify their old errors by establishing another strategy under the Integrated Studio Apartments ( ISA ) which comes with elderly-friendly characteristics and infinites provided for societal and community installations. These ISA are being integrated with larger HDB flats for better occupant mix of immature and old and to ease more societal interaction. Children can purchase larger level types in same block to populate near parents. Since this is a reasonably new strategy, we have yet to see the result of the undertaking. HDB and the TC are in the procedure of doing public lodging environment barrier-free. Ramps and linkways to ease wheelchair entree are being planned and built. All these installations were projected to be completed by 2011. However, non all the lodging estates benefited from this environment barrier-free undertaking. Again the HDB was seen to politicise this undertaking by offering to certain estates where the Members of Parliament ( MP ) have made the petition. HDB and TC have non been seen as merely giving lip service and non pre-emptive plenty to supply senior friendly installations to the estates. Many lodging estates are still waiting thirstily for the undertakings to make their door stairss. HDB and TC are still dragging their pess in the execution of this undertaking even though we are already in 2013. Although HDB and the TC have been stressing that they will go on to measure and modify the lodging landscape in expectancy of demographic alterations and lifestyle demands, they have non done good in this country. They need to seek for new lodging signifiers to provide to the aged in the close hereafter and demand to work closely with other bureaus and administrations to supply community-based attention and support services to the aged. On the employment forepart, in 2011 Budget, Ministry of Manpower ( MOM ) seems to hold done a great occupation by turn overing out the Particular Employment Credit ( SEC ) to make a hard currency inducement for employers to use older workers. This SEC will enable the employers to have reimbursement of hard currency for the employment of aged if they wish to use any older worker. Under the SEC commissariats, the employer would have six-monthly reimbursements numbering 8 % of each of the older worker s part to the Central Provident Fund ( CPF ) over the twelvemonth. Hence, the employer would merely hold to pay the other half of the parts. The SEC is to promote the employment of the older low-wage workers. This is to complement other steps to hike the employment rate of older workers. The SEC strategy was enhanced in Singapore s 2012 Budget to enable an even bigger pool of older workers to measure up. However, this strategy merely benefited a little pool of aged who are still fit to wor k. Those who are frail would non acquire anything from this strategy. The authorities current system is still stressing on the minimum province outgo and in promoting of a strong work moral principle. However, the authorities does non recognize that there would be societal costs like many disadvantaged aged slipping through the spreads. It appears that the system fails to supply an equal safety cyberspace for the aged who are hapless and entirely, the aged unemployed, the handicapped aged and many unsupported older people. Sad to state, our authorities will merely supply the basic societal aid philanthropically, but non an entitlement footing. This is true to our Public Assistance Scheme which is limited via rigorous standards to merely those deserving individuals or households populating in acute poorness who are unable to work due to old age, unwellness or disablement and have no household member able to help. Our quickly ageing population and holding a big proportion of disadvantaged aged has created a vacuity in our wellness attention and other societal outgo. Although the authorities has assured that the aged will acquire immense subsidy for their medical attention, most of the aged prefer to remain off from the infirmaries in order non to burthen their kids with the high medical cost. Although the authorities late announced a $ 20 million addition in passing on specialist professional societal workers to supply more effectual aid to needy elderly, there are non many takers who are willing to function in the societal service or public assistance administrations where they could acquire better work environment and wages in other sectors. Overall the authorities has done a just spot to assist the aged. But we feel that the authorities is still fearful to dunk deeper into their pockets to supply more aid for the aged fearing that more would look to the authorities for aid. Hence, the authorities is merely giving lip service in several countries and still keep their base on single and household autonomy no affair how disadvantaged you are. The authorities will go on to maintain their custodies off on any province public assistance on the aged. It has been a pattern since and the authorities will non alter their accent on the communal duty for back uping the aged who are disadvantaged and entirely. It would look that although our authorities has recognized grounds of increasing adversity amongst the aged, they are still loath to dunk into their pockets for a public assistance safety cyberspace.

Libation

Libation Libation Libation By Maeve Maddox A cutesy use of the word libation is becoming popular with restaurateurs. I heard a radio spot for a local eatery of no particular elegance advertising â€Å"food and libations.† Pinterest has a category called â€Å"Elegant Food and Libations,† and numerous restaurants advertising on the web offer libations. One of them has made sure that potential customers know the meaning of the L word by posting the anticipated question and its answer on its home page: What are Libations? â€Å"They are drinks!† Until the 17th century, when some classically educated young gentleman thought it would be funny to call wine intended to be drunk by his guests â€Å"libations,† the word’s standard use was to refer to an ancient religious practice. libation: noun. The pouring out of wine or other liquid in honor of a god; the liquid so poured out; a drink-offering. Libation is from the Latin verb libare, â€Å"to libate, to pour out in honor of a god.† The usual liquid to pour out in the context of honoring a god or one’s ancestors is wine or some other alcoholic drink, although a libation can be any liquid. Water is poured out by Buddhists. In ancient Rome, milk was poured out to the goddess of childbirth. In addition to being offered to deities, libations were poured out in honor of one’s ancestors. Relatives visiting a Roman necropolis might pour a libation directly onto a grave, or into pipes installed for the purpose. The practice of pouring an offering of liquid onto the ground, an altar, an amulet, or a sacrificial animal has been a part of religious practice in all parts of the world. It continues into modern times in various religious and cultural contexts. A Cuban custom is to spill a drop or two of rum, while saying â€Å"para los santos (for the saints).† A similar custom exists in the Philippines, where someone opening a bottle of rum will spill a capful, saying â€Å"para sa yawa (for the Devil).† The following rap lyrics refer to a libation practice called â€Å"tipping,† in which malt liquor is spilled on the ground in memory of the dead: â€Å"Pour out a little liquor† Pour out a little liquor for your homies 2Pak Going down the drain I’d like to keep stepping But I can’t get past the pain, I tip my 40 to your memory Take a drink and I start to think DRS Gangsta Lean Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterHow to Play HQ Words: Cheats, Tips and TricksEducational vs. Educative

Who moved my cheese by Spencer Johnson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Who moved my cheese by Spencer Johnson - Essay Example They succeeded in finding it. Only because of the presence of cheese, that place becomes their place of interest. They keep on enjoying it. On such a fine day they find no cheese there. But they spend time with their old habits expecting the return of the cheese. Sniff and Scurry explores the maze for new cheese. Hem and Haw are a bit worried. The ’Cheese’ referred to in the story is a metaphor which stands for something a man wish to have with him till the end of his life .It may be some pleasant relationship, money ,peace of mind etc. We people are sometimes like Hem who denies the truth, and sometimes like Haw who first accepts the truth. Of course change is painful. Alteration is hard to adjust because of the inflexibility of the human nature. Tearing up the one which is near and dear is a throbbing experience. Haw adapts to change soon expecting something new which can give more contentment. Haw goes out in search of cheese. At that time he finds Sniff and Scurry already enjoying new cheese. According to Marcus Antonius â€Å"the universe is change, our life is what our thoughts make it.† This book illustrates how people foresee life, and prepare t hemselves for the change. Such people start searching for new alternatives before the actual change comes. Sometimes we have to hunt for the cheese. The envision of a person about life empowers him for the hunting. The simple but practical way of success is simply accepting it. A person who wants to grow should know how to manage life. Life is the change from the state of being and change is a regular process. The unexpected is always expected from life. If we are trained by ourselves to adjust with changes or to emancipate a better way of life due to change, then success will be our companion. We have to change our way of life when the cheese is found lost. The steps we follow, and the time taken for a twist is also important. When we are in the new ‘maze† we feel some

Adult learning and development theories applied to military education Assignment

Adult learning and development theories applied to military education - Assignment Example Established educational programs play an important role in influencing learning processes and program components, moderated by learning and developmental theories, empowers learning processes to success. Examples of learning theories are social cognitive orientation theory, transformational learning theory and self-directed learning theory while Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is an example of developmental theories. Class sessions, tutoring, advising, program evaluation, and mandatory assessment are examples of program components and this paper reviews them subject to learning theories and developmental theories. Transformational learning theory and educational learning components Transformational learning theory is core to adult learning program. The theory’s core construct is the learning approach in which adults transform their existing knowledge, opinions, and assumptions and assume a more open minded and comprehensive scope of their experiences. The theor y relies on meditations, based on positive and negative experiences that motivate an individual and those experiences that develop surprises to adult learners, leading to social change that may be evident in reduced poverty level in the society, enhanced knowledge base in the learners, or reduced level of oppression. Transformational learning also relies on learners’ rationale from which new knowledge constructs are developed from experiences (Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner, 2012; Westby, 2007). Class session defines the traditional learning process in which a teacher teaches students belonging to a given class. It is a common approach to adult education, especially because of fixed schedules converges learning time, and constrained facilities. The foundation of class session exposure of the learner to new knowledge and this identifies with diversified aspects of the transformational learning theory. Exposure to new knowledge offers a basis for reflection into the learne r’s experience, a process that triggers the transformational learning theory’s aspect of reconstruction of perspectives. Developed knowledge in class sessions also offer a benchmark for determining the motivational aspect of an experience as lower benchmarks would enlist positive attitude while high benchmarks would identify discouragements in a learner’s experience. Interactive class sessions also exhaust learners’ perspectives and rationale to transform approach to knowledge development and to changed held perspectives (King, 2009; Boylan, Bliss and Bonham, 1997). Unlike class sessions, tutoring focuses on small number of students per educators and may sometimes be done on a one-on one basis. Its scope is similar to the scope of class session and therefore identify with transformational learning theory. The tutor, in a facilitator role, exposes learners to constructs that evoke reflection and meditation upon experience to motivate new perspectives. Lear nt knowledge from the program component also establishes standards that motivate learners into reflections and meditations. Consequently, tutoring identifies with the transformational learning theory through its concepts that promote reflection, among learners, of their experience, meditation upon the experiences, and integration of the experiences and learnt concepts for a new perspective. Advisory and counseling initiatives are other major components of educational programs and apply to adult education. The adult learner prefers an active approach to knowl

Piper Alpha Disaster Essay Example for Free

Piper Alpha Disaster Essay Followed by steps and improvement which is done after the incident to prevent such disaster to happen again. The case study is concluded with the safety precautions should be installed and practised in the platform. IntroductionThis is a case study about the Piper Alpha disaster, on the management operations and structures, the objective of the management, the industrial process of the platform, the causes of the accident together with the consequences of the accident and case study on the improvement and the prevention of such disaster again. Piper alpha was a  sea  oil production platform  operated by  Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd. [1]  The platform began production in 1976,[2]first as an oil platform and then later converted to gas production. An explosion and resulting fire destroyed it on 6 July 1988, this catastrophic event killed in total of 167 men, [3] with only 61 survivors. The death toll includes two crewmen of a rescue vessel who tried to save the victims of the fire. [4] Total insured loss was about ? 1. 7 billion (US$3. 4 billion). The moment of the disaster the platform was accounted for nearly ten percent of  oil  and gas production, and was the worst offshore oil disaster in terms of lives lost and industry impact. [5] Some evidence says the new gas pipeline was built in the weeks before the 6 July explosion, and while this work disrupted the normal routine, the platform was operating as normal. The discovery of a small gas leak is usual and not a concern at the platform at that time due to carelessness the platform was completely destroyed and caused life of 167 en on the platform, and many of those involved died, analysis of events began. [6] 2. 1 Management and OperationsAn  oil and gas platform is a large structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process  oil  and  natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing. Mostly the platform has facilities to house the workforce crew as well. Depending on the circumstances, the p latform may be  fixed  to the ocean floor, may consist of an  artificial island, or may  float. 2. 1. Management and Structures Piper Alpha receives and sends to the shore the oil and gas production of a group of platforms, Tartan and Claymore. These how the incident took place[1]  : -As the Piper Alpha platform was at the hub of a network of platforms interconnected by oil and gas pipelines. The leak of the gas lead to the initial explosion and ruptured oil lines on Piper Alpha. Managers on other platforms was aware of a problem on Piper Alpha but not its severity, assumed that they would be instructed to shut down their operations, if necessary. However, the explosion interrupted communications from Piper Alpha for minimum of (30 to 60 minutes intervals) passed before these other platforms were closed. As series of explosions occurred as the fires on the platform weakened natural gas riser pipelines on Piper Alpha the intensity of the fires prevented rescue efforts, either by helicopter or by ship which led to 165 workers and 2 rescue personnel killed. The RV job was completed by the end of the shift. The permit to work (PTW) system was often not implemented as according to, for example: Omissions of signatures and gas test results were common. Operations representatives regularly did not inspect the jobsite before suspending the permit at the end of the shift, or closing the permit indicating the work had been completed. The lead safety operator task is to monitor the PTW system process regularly there was no problem indicated, the mishap and the lack of information and work ethics. The management assumed the system working at full efficiency and didn’t check it independently. These led to miscommunication and lack of knowledge and information when the fire began. 4. 1. 2Design Factor -The diesel powered water pumps were set to manual mode, therefore incase of fire the personnel has to reach the pump to start it though the 1983 fire audit report has recommended this practice is discontinued. The sprinkler head were known to be plugged and corroded. -The structural steel on the platform was not alloyed to be fireproof or withstand high intensity of fire. 4. 1. 3Roots Factor The root of the cause was that most of the personnel who had the authority to order evacuation were killed when first explosion destroyed the control room. This was due to the platform design defect, including the absence of blast walls. Another contributing factor was the nearby connected platforms Tartan and Claymore continued to pump gas and oil to  Piper Alpha  until its pipeline ruptured in the heat in the second explosion. Their operations crews did not shut off the production due to lack of training and communication with the management, even though they could see that  Piper Alpha  was on fire. [7]   4. 1. 3. The wrong management decision. The lack of information and adequacy of checking the PTW system process led to wrong decisions and lack of communication during the leak.

Historical Development Of Atomic Structure :: essays research papers

Historical Development of Atomic Structure Yazan Fahmawi Sept. 30, 1995 T3 IBS Chemistry Ms. Redman The idea behind the "atom" goes back to the Ancient Greek society, where scientists believed that all matter was made of smaller, more fundamental particles called elements. They called these particles atoms, meaning "not divisible." Then came the chemists and physicists of the 16th and 17th centuries who discovered various formulae of various salts and water, hence discovering the idea of a molecule. Then, in 1766 was born a man named John Dalton born in England. He is known as the father of atomic theory because he is the one who made it quantitative, meaning he discovered many masses of various elements and, in relation, discovered the different proportions which molecules are formed in (i.e. for every water molecule, one atom of oxygen and two molecules of hydrogen are needed). He also discovered the noble, or inert gases, and their failure to react with other substances. In 1869 a Russian chemist, best known for his development of the periodic law of the properties of the chemical elements (which states that elements show a regular pattern ("periodicity") when they are arranged according to their atomic masses), published his first attempt to classify the known elements. His name was Mendeleyev, and he was a renowned teacher. Because no good textbook in chemistry was available at the time, he wrote the two-volume Principles of Chemistry (1868-1870), which later became a classic. During the writing of this book, Mendeleyev tried to classify the elements according to their chemical properties. In 1871 he published an improved version of the periodic table, in which he left gaps for elements that were not yet known. His chart and theories gained acceptance by the scientific world when three elements he "predicted"—gallium, germanium, and scandium—were subsequently discovered In 1856 another important figure in atomic theory was born: Sir Joseph John Thomson. In 1906, after teaching at the University of Cambridge and Trinity University in England, he won the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the conduction of electricity through gases. He discovered what an electron is using cathode rays. An electron is the smallest particle in an atom, whose mass is negligible compared to the rest of the atom, and whose charge is negative. Though scientists did not know it at the time, electrons were located in an electron cloud rotating around the nucleus, or center of the atom. Another prominent figure in nuclear physics is a man called Ernest Rutherford, born in 1871. He also was a professor at the University of Cambridge, the University of Manchester (both of which are in England), and at McGill College

Performance Management Plan Essay

A performance management system allows a business to maximize its efficiency through the sum of all its parts. Controlling employee’s behavior, maximizing employee efforts, and minimizing unproductive down town, is at the heart of a performance management system. In fact, according to Clardy (2013), â€Å"†¦a performance management system is the total complex of factors that trigger, channel, and maintain productive task performance.† (pg.1, para.2) Making sure employees are doing their job is no longer an efficient method of performance management. According to Cascio (2013), performance management can be thought of as a compass (pg. 332, para. 3). A compass will indicate current location and be a guide towards a desired direction. Thus, performance management helps businesses understand the current state of an employee’s performance and the desired outcome and direction in which to monitor and measure. Ensuring that an employee’s efforts are having a positive effect on business strategy becomes a key component of performance management. Moreover, human capital and performance management involves understanding how to align human capital management efforts to business strategies. Therefore, understanding how to align limo driver behaviors towards business strategy will be an indicator of the effectiveness of Landslide’s Limo performance management system. To facilitate the effort of recommending a performance management plan several issues will be addressed. First, how to align performance management to business strategy will be examined. Second, the philosophy of the organization performance will be explained. Third, a job analysis process will be conducted to identify the skills needed by employees and methods for measuring those skills will be detailed. Next, the process or processes for addressing skill gaps will be explained and lastly, the approach for delivering effective performance feedback will be determined. Aligning Performance Management to Business Strategy What becomes apparent, in maximizing employee efforts, is how human resources aligns human capital and performance management with business strategy. However, according to Schiemann (2007), â€Å"It’s a tough challenge when you consider that, on average, fewer than 20 percent of employees know their organization’s business strategy.† Therefore, what becomes a key issue is ensuring that employees have a clear understanding of the organizations business strategy. Fortunately, Landslide Limousine has a straightforward approach when it comes to business strategy, however, a few recommendations for further growth will also be included in this assessment and how to align performance management with the recommendations. Landslide Limousine has a business strategy of being comparable to other limousine services in the Austin area, hiring 25 employees, ensuring world class customer service, and achieving five percent revenue growth over the next two years. In addition, we would recommend furthering growth opportunities within a specialty limousine market, offering non-traditional fleet options for non-traditional customers. The performance management system should be clear and concise and the recommendation would be for a simple but effective performance management system. The first recommendation would be to clearly communicate the business strategy to all employees and ensure understanding through a survey of acknowledgement. It is important that all employees, especially limo drivers, understand the importance of how excellent customer service will effect business strategy and secondary benefits like pay. Second, setting smart targets for service and sales, monitoring and evaluating how employees achieve smart targets and sales. From initial contact and during limo service, upselling services and upgrades on every customer interaction, are important smart targets. Like McDonald’s, when an order is placed, employees will ask if the customer wants fries or a drink with their order, the same can be done with smart targets. When a customer orders limo service, asking if they would prefer a larger or more exotic limo would help align smart targets with strategy. Furthermore, monitoring smart targets could be completed using costumer surveys. Ensuring employees are properly supported throughout the process; evaluating performance and finally, further support through training and development. After a customer has completed their limousine service, managers will evaluate customer surveys  and offer any performance evaluation if necessary and any further training to ensure employees are attempting to upsell customers on services. Following this framework is essential in aligning performance management with business strategy and maximizing employee efforts towards business goals. Organizational performance philosophy Performance management is essential in creating an organization that is high performing and supporting employee development (Yale.edu, 2010). Therefore the organizational performance philosophy should align performance management processes towards the goals of performance planning, review, coaching, and development. First, employees are responsible for communicating about performance and ensuring that they are successful towards the development and continually striving for customer service excellence in support of organizational strategy. Next, management is responsible for ensuring that employees understand their performance goals and fully supported during and after development and assisted through performance reviews to ensure that goals are being obtained and that employees have all support and support resources. Ultimately, it will be the responsibility for the organization to provide an effective and impartial performance management system that encourages excellent performance, communication, and proper conveyance of a properly managed performance management infrastructure (Berkley.edu, 2014). Job Analysis and Necessary Employee Skills A job analysis allows an organization to clearly understand a position and the necessary skills employees must possess in order to functionally manage the position. In fact according to hrcouncil.ca (2014) Job analysis is a process for systematically collecting information to help you fully understand and describe the duties and responsibilities of a position as well as the knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the job. The aim is to have a complete picture of the position – what is actually done and how. With the knowledge and understanding of the expectations of a position, surmising the skillset necessary to competently fulfill positions becomes critical. Having a clear picture of the skills needed will be the frontline in aligning performance management with business strategy. First we must  define and identify necessary positions for Landslide Limousines. The necessary positions will be limousine drivers, customer service agents or office administration, fleet vehicle detailers or individuals who will be responsible for stocking limousines and detailing vehicles before and after customer use. Lastly, job analysis for supervisor and management positions must be ascertained for future purposes and to clarify the skill set necessary to help initiate the organizations performance management. Each position will require a broad spectrum of specific skills necessary, however, in general a job analysis will consist of: Summary of duties Details of most common duties Supervisory responsibilities Educational requirements Special qualification Experience Equipment/tools used Frequency of supervision Others the incumbent must be in contact with Authority for decision making Responsibility for records/reports/files Working conditions Physical demand of the job Mental demands of the job To identify the skills necessary for a limousine driver a few position details must be examined. First, drivers will be required to have the ability to drive limousine type vehicles such as stretch limousines and all over-sized limousines. Drivers must also be able to safely drive vehicles that can transport over fifteen people and have their Texas commercial driver’s license to accompany. Having the ability to clarify job duties as a driver will help ascertain the skills necessary to be a driver for Landslide. Support and administration positions must have the ability to communicate effectively and have attention to detail. Clarifying how support and administration positions will work in tangent with drivers will also be essential in understanding the skills necessary for both positions. Lastly, clearly defining management and supervisory so it becomes incumbent to have  a full understanding of how the entertainment and transportation industry works so that the individual can identify performance management aspects and how to properly align them to organizational strategy. Methods of Measuring Employees Skills and Addressing Skills Gap Having the ability to measure employee skills at initial hire and during employment can help in development and training and allocated support. Furthermore, understanding how to address any preexisting skills gap and any skills gap after training, can be critical for further employee development and maximizing human capital efforts. One method of measuring employee skills is to benchmark skills against a numerical formula that can translate skills into a measureable system. This measurable system can be done at initial hire or during an employee’s tenure. A team skills metric can be developed with the goal of benchmarking overall skills. A chart can be implemented with the Y axis and different job codes or specific work instructions across the top of the chart. A measurement of each can be labeled from A through C. The letter A would equal to being an expert and assigned negative three points, B would be classified as good, or trained in job and can work independently with minimum supervision and be assigned negative two points, finally, C would be classified as good or trained but needs moderate supervision (new) and assigned one point. From this numerical system score, each employee would have an average from all their skills and an assessment would be ascertained. Moreover, employees who were cross-trained or who possessed higher skills raised the score, therefore helping identify each employees overall score in relation to their skill set. Another method for measuring employee skills is to use a skills inventory management system. The skills inventory system can be deployed at initial hire or during employment. The skills inventory system would be an online assessment. According to brainbench (2002), A skills inventory begins with a skills measurement system that enables employees to access online skills assessments through the company intranet. When a company implements a new technology, for example, managers may have their employees take a test for skills related to that new technology. Furthermore, once the online test is taken the results are gathered and a numerical score system is assessed in which management can assess whether or  not further training is necessary and what skill gaps are still or continuously lingering. Both methods of measuring employees skills can be measured against a skills benchmark and addressing skills gap can begin. Addressing skill gaps can be addressed by training, development, and peer-mentoring. Further training to address driving issues can be done using defensive driving courses and customer service skills gaps can be addressed with more training as well. However, understanding how to develop better training to hinder further skill gaps is critical for further development. Development of skills should be addressed References Clardy, A. (2013). A General Framework for Performance Management Systems: Structure, Design, and Analysis. Performance Improvement, 52(2), 5-15. doi:10.1002/pfi.21324 Schiemann, W. A. (2007). Aligning people. Leadership Excellence, 24(8), 20. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204619577?accountid=458 University of Berkley. (2014). Berkley HR. Retrieved from http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/about/philosophy/performance-management Yale.edu. (2010, July). Yale University’s Performance Management System. Retrieved from http://www.yale.edu/hronline/focus/documents/2010JulyYALEPERFMGMNTGUIDERev6-7-10final.pdf

FIFA World Cup 2014 In Brazil Essay

In 2014 Brazil will host one of the most important competitions for the sports. It is the FIFA world cup. It will be the 20th official FIFA world cup and it will happen between June 12 and July 14 of 2014. This is the 20th edition of this competition and will be contested by the men’s national teams from the 208 member associations of the FIFA. Brazil will be host the competition for the second time. The first time was in 1950 right after the World War 2. The two world cups before the one in 1950 got canceled because of the war. Seventeen cities showed interest in being chosen as world cup host cities, but usually FIFA only approves 8 to 10 cities so they ended up choosing 12 cities in 12 different states. The final game will happen in Rio de Janeiro at the Macarana stadium. The opening ceremony was supposed to happen at Sao Paulo’s football club stadium but technical problems wouldn’t allow it so a brand new stadium will be built just for the world cup. Rio de Janeiro is one of the most popular cities and is the second largest cities of Brazil, containing 6.3 million people and it is very famous for the samba, carnival and the Christ of Redeemer. Maracana is their principal and biggest stadium. It was built for the world cup in 1050. It was renovated in 2006 and fits 82 000 people but in the days it used to fit almost 200 000 people. Sao Paulo is also a popular city. Sao Paulo is the largest city in South and Central America. The population use a lot of public transportation because cars are v ery expensive and there is a lot of traffic. Sao Paulo is known as the â€Å"motor of the economy† because a lot of big companies has their bases in Sao Paulo.

Auroch Prehistoric Mammal Facts and Figures

Auroch Prehistoric Mammal Facts and Figures Name: Auroch (German for original ox); pronounced OR-ock Habitat: Plains of Eurasia and northern Africa Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (2 million-500 years ago) Size and Weight: About six feet high and one ton Diet: Grass Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; prominent horns; larger males than females About the Auroch Sometimes it seems that every contemporary animal had a plus-sized megafauna ancestor during the Pleistocene epoch. A good example is the Auroch, which was pretty much identical to modern oxen with the exception of its size: this dino-cow weighed about a ton, and one imagines that the males of the species were significantly more aggressive than modern bulls. (Technically, the Auroch is classified as Bos primigenius, placing it under the same genus umbrella as modern cattle, to which its directly ancestral.) The Auroch is one of the few prehistoric animals to be commemorated in ancient cave paintings, including a famous drawing from Lascaux in France dating to about 17,000 years ago. As you might expect, this mighty beast figured on the dinner menu of early humans, who played a large part in driving the Auroch into extinction (when they werent domesticating it, thus creating the line that led to modern cows). However, small, dwindling populations of Aurochs survived well into modern times, the last known individual dying in 1627. One little-known fact about the Auroch is that it actually comprised three separate subspecies. The most famous, Bos primigenius primigenius, was native to Eurasia, and is the animal depicted in the Lascaux cave paintings. The Indian Auroch, Bos primigenius namadicus, was domesticated a few thousand years ago into what are now known as Zebu cattle, and the North African Auroch (Bos primigenius africanus) is the most obscure of the three, likely descended from a population native to the Middle East. One historical description of the Auroch was written by, of all people, Julius Caesar, in his History of the Gallic War: These are a little below the elephant in size, and of the appearance, color, and shape of a bull. Their strength and speed are extraordinary; they spare neither man nor wild beast which they have espied. These the Germans take with much pains in pits and kill them. The young men harden themselves with this exercise and practice themselves in this sort of hunting, and those who have slain the greatest number of them, having produced the horns in public, to serve as evidence, receive great praise. Back in the 1920s, a pair of German zoo directors hatched a scheme to resurrect the Auroch via the selective breeding of modern cattle (which share virtually the same genetic material as Bos primigenius, albeit with some important traits suppressed). The result was a breed of oversized oxen known as Heck cattle, which, if not technically Aurochs, at least provide a clue to what these ancient beasts must have looked like. Still, hopes for the resurrection of the Auroch persist, via a proposed process called de-extinction.

King Philip II of Macedonia

King Philip II of Macedonia King Phillip II of Macedon reigned as King of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from 359 BC until he was assassinated in 336 BC. King Phillip II was a member of the Argead dynasty. He was the youngest son of King Amyntas III and Eurydice I. Both of Phillip II’s older brothers, King Alexander II and Periddiccas III, died, thus allowing Phillip II to claim the throne of King as his own. King Phillip II was the father of Phillip III and Alexander the Great. He had many wives, although the exact number is disputed. The most famous of his unions was with Olympias. Together they had Alexander the Great. Military Prowess King Phillip II is noted for his military savvy. According to ancient history professor, Donald L. Wasson:   â€Å"Although he is often only remembered for being the father of  Alexander the Great,  Philip II of Macedon (reigned 359 BCE - 336 BCE) was an accomplished king and military commander in his own right, setting the stage for his son’s victory over Darius III and the conquest of Persia. Philip inherited a weak, backward country with an ineffective, undisciplined army and molded them into a formidable, efficient military force, eventually subduing the territories around Macedonia as well as subjugating most of Greece. He used bribery, warfare, and threats to secure his kingdom. However, without his insight and determination, history would never have heard of Alexander.† King Phillips Assassination King Phillip II was assassinated in October of 33 BC at Aegae, which was the capital of Macedon. A large gathering was taking place to celebrate the marriage of Phillip II’s daughter, Cleopatra of Macedon and Alexander I of Epirus. While at the gathering, King Phillip II was killed by Pausanias of Oretis, who was one of his bodyguards. Pausanias of Oretis immediately tried to escape after murdering Phillip II. He had associates stationed directly outside of Aegae who were waiting for him to make an escape. However, he was pursued, eventually caught, and killed by other members of King Phillip II’s bodyguard crew. Alexander the Great Alexander the Great was the son of Phillip II and Olympias. Like his father, Alexander the Great was a member of the Argead dynasty. He was born in Pella in 356 BC and eventually went on to supplant his father, Phillip II, on the throne of Macedon at the young age of twenty. He followed in his father’s footsteps, basing his rule around military conquests and expansion. He focused on expansion for his empire throughout Asia and Africa. By the age of thirty, ten years after he had taken over the throne, Alexander the Great had created one of the largest empires in the entire ancient world. Alexander the Great is said to have been undefeated in battle and is remembered as one of the greatest, strongest, and most successful military generals of all time. Over the course of his reign, he founded and established many cities that were named after him, the most famous of which being Alexandria in Egypt.

Legislative Activism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Legislative Activism - Research Paper Example icians use discriminations as platforms for change, sociologists and anthropologists look at culture based on interactions between people of different skin colors, and forms are filled out that consistently ask the question of skin color, the one belief that does not seem to be readily available to the American people is that skin color has no bearing on any display of differences between people who are born in the same region. The unfortunate consequence of believing that skin color is relevant to differences within the human species is that some people are subjugated while others gain a position of superiority that has no real basis. In researching this topic, the vision of a young child who saw people as ‘peach people’ and ‘brown people’ comes to mind his thoughts categorizing them in color groups, but without the insinuated ‘stereotypes’ that come from the concepts of ‘black’ and ‘white’. The consequence of categorization through false representations of color and implied attributes is that a perpetuation of ignorance influences the course of history within the Western world, and primarily within the United States. As a result, the United States has developed an arrogance about the rest of the world based upon the myth of the ‘average’ Caucasian in exchange for a frequent view from other cultures of the world that the United States has hubris and a false sense of superiority based upon prejudiced reactions to people of ethnicities that visually present differently than Caucasians. The issue of race is a persistent problem that invades every part of life that is associated with the legal system. Most, if not all, legal forms ask questions that pertain to race, despite the inaccuracy of the descriptions of skin color from which those forms categorize people. Race is merely a social grouping in which a culture has decided to divide people. That can be done through skin color as easily as it could be done through hair color or eye color.

Discuss the extent to which the concept of duty of care in negligence Essay

Discuss the extent to which the concept of duty of care in negligence has developed in a manner so that both the claimant and de - Essay Example This means that tort is about a duty of care which one owed to another but failed to discharge accordingly. This is widely described in most books as negligence. This paper would examine the concept of negligence and how it affects the development of the concept of duty of care in order to ensure the fair treatment of both claimant and defendant in court cases. Concept of Neighbour In the landmark case of Donoghue V Stevenson3, the neighbourhood principle was developed. In the case, Mrs.Donoghue bought a bottle of ginger beer which was manufactured by Mr. Stevenson. After drinking it, she found that there was a snail in the bottle. Mrs. Donoghue fell ill and she sued Mr. Stevenson. The House of Lords sat on the case and held that Mr. Stevenson, being the manufacturer of the drink owed Mrs. Donoghue a duty of care. This is because it was reasonably foreseeable that failure to ensure product safety would cause another person to suffer and go through undue hardship. On the basis of this case, the concept of neighbourhood was established. Lord Atkins stated that in every action and inaction, a person must examine its implications and potentials of harming another individual who might be affected by them. Based on this, the concept of who a person's neighbour is was defined and established in law. Through the Donoghue V Stevenson case, it is established that a person owes another person a duty of care, once the neighbourhood relationship exists. This sets the parameters for the examination of tort cases. Duty of Care The neighbourhood test in the 1932 case of Donoghue V Stevenson has been modified to the basis of proximity. Proximity establishes that there was a close and sufficient relationship that made a person suffer some kind of injury from the action of another who was close enough to wield a duty of care to avoid that injury. In Caparo V Dickman4, a three fold test was developed to ascertain whether it is fair and just to impose a duty of care on a person for a given action in tort. These are: 1. The harm of the action in question must be reasonably foreseeable as in the case of Donoghue V Stevenson 2. The parties involved in the case must have a close relationship of proximity. 3. The duty of care imposed upon them must be fair, just and reasonable. Breach of Duty Once the three elements of a case are established, the court would need to establish that the duty of care was breached. And this breach is tantamount to negligence. Negligence is the failure to take reasonable care where a duty of care exists in a relationship5. Thus, the breach of a duty of care or negligence gives rise to a tortious liability and it leads to a given legal case. The breach of duty is failure to show a degree of care that a reasonable person ought to show in the same circumstances6. In other words, the breach of a duty of care creates an objective test which allows the court to measure the extent of a given act in tort. This is because, a reasonable person m ust show a certain level of basic consent for his actions. Without that, the real parameters of a case of tort cannot be defined. Thus, the test for reasonableness is important and fundamental in establishing the extent of negligence and the extent of failure. In Phillips V William Whiteley7 a woman suffered an infection as a result of her ear being pierced by a jeweller. The woman argued