Gas Agency

Software requirement specification for BuzzyBUY. com (Online Shopping and auctioning Web Site) Prepared by Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2 1. Purpose 2 2. Document Conventions2 3. Intended Audience and Reading Suggestions2 4. Product Scope2 5. References 2 2. Overall Description 3 1. Product Perspective3 2. Product Functions3 3. User Classes and Characteristics 3 1. Administrators 3 2. Buyers4 3. Sellers 4 4. Casual visitors4 4. Design and Implementation Constraints5 . User Documentation6 6. Assumptions and Dependencies6 3. External Interface Requirements6 1. User Interfaces6 2. Hardware Interfaces6 3. Software Interfaces6 4. Communication Interfaces7 4. System Features7 1. Listing7 2. Account Creation8 3. Selling8 4. Buying8 5. Rating8 6. Others8 5. Other Non Functional Requirements9 1. Performance Requirements9 2. Safety Requirements9 3. Software Quality Attributes 9 4. Business Rules9 6. Appendix A: Glossary9 7. Appendix B: Analysis Models10 1. Introduction: 1. Purpose: The p urpose of this SRS is to specify the requirements of the web based software application buzzybuy. om, which is an online shopping and bidding system. The module to be developed is the first version of buzzybuy –version 1. 0. This Software Requirements Specification provides a complete description of all the functions and specifications of buzzybuy –version 1. 0 2. Document conventions: IEEE standards used. Proper sub numbering system for sub topics based on the importance and priority of the matter. 3. Intended audience and reading suggestions:The expected audience of this document is the faculty in charge of software engineering lab for 6th semester Computer Science, NITK suratkal .It will be used as a reference for grading in the lab for even semester of 2006. There is no suggested reading to be done before going through the document. 4. Product scope: Buzzybuy. com is designed to run on both any modern platform with GUI. It is assumed that the back end that will be used for implementation is MySQL and the front end that will be used is PHP. 5. References: 1. The applicable IEEE standards are published in â€Å"IEEE standards collection†, 2001 edition. 2. Software Engineering, A Practitioner’s approach, 6th edition. By Roger S Pressman. McGraw hill international. 2. Overall description 1.Product perspective:This is proposed to be an enhanced model of the present day existing shopping and auctioning portals. Many flaws in the present online shopping portals haven’t been able to exploit the full potential of e-commerce market. The Software Requirements Specifications intends to identify the flaws in the current existing system and propose an alternative or a solution to them. 2. Product Functions: †¢ It consists of two modules 1. Customer module 2. Administrator module †¢ A customer should have a user account for carrying out transactions. †¢ Transactions include buying, selling and auctioning. Administrator pr ovides the customer with an account following proper registration procedures to prevent malpractices in the transactions. †¢ Any visitor is allowed to browse through the product list, their prices and bidding procedures. †¢ Buying, selling and bidding procedures are kept transparent so that any user is able to go through the procedures. 3. User classes and characteristicsThere are 3 kinds of users for the proposed system 1. Administrators: They create user accounts and give it to the required customers. ? To educate consumers about Buzzybuy’s range of products and indigenous services. They must provide rules for the transactions. ? They must maintain the website and update the same making necessary changes at times. ? They must take care of the security issues involved in the transactions. ? They must inform the users about their transaction status and keep them updated about the progress through emails. ? They must receive feedbacks from their customers or any user s about their system and act upon the relevant ones. ? Look up at all the legal issues involved with the business. ? Keep place for advertisements in the website as a revenue generating option.The place has to be maintained and proper listings done. ? Any failures in the system have to be detected and repaired. 2. Buyers: They are the genuine customers of the website. They can see the listing, bid for various things, and also buy them to various payment options. 3. Sellers: These are the people involved in selling their products through buzzybuy. They consider this as a virtual market place. They need to be provided with proper advertisement place, and ratings of customers. The sellers too are rated based on the feedback they get from previous transactions completed from customers.These feedback data are treated with great respect and are transparent to everyone. The sellers too value this very highly. 4. Casual visitors: These people don’t come to the site on specific intens ions of buying or selling. They just visit to see the listing and too see the products. They need not have an user account. They can be future potential customers. They sellers can lure them with advertisements on the site based on their budget. The following usecase diagram states the above data in a graphical form: [pic] Fig 1 Usecase Diagram for BuzzyBuy 4. Design and Implementation Constraints The main constraint here would be the checking the genuineness of the buyer, which is not always possible. There can be security risks involved. †¢ The design constraints are that the browser at each place may not follow similar screen resolutions, browsers etc. This can lead to the website not having the impact it is planned to have. †¢ Also the rules of the land will prohibit certain items to be sold on the site. Hence all those factors need to be filtered in. †¢ Also storage space constraints may come if the listing becomes too large. Hence a strong server needs to be cho sen to host the database. 5.User Documentation: 1. Online user help with all the necessary help needed to use the site in a bulletin format. 2. Problem addressable forms 3. Software and database specification 4. Details of rules and regulation to sellers as well as buyers. 6. Assumptions and Dependencies None as per now 3. External Interface Requirements: 1. User Interfaces: Each part of the user interface intends to be as user friendly as possible. The fonts and buttons used will be intended to be very fast and easy to load on web pages. The pages will be kept light in space so that it won’t take a long time for the page to load.The staring page will ask the user what kind of a user is he, either seller, buyer or a casual visitor. Based on which the future pages will be loaded in a sequential manner. Each listing page will have a area to put the bid, the product details with photo etc. Each page also will have a search engine to search the products available so that it is re adily available and the user need not search for it. Each button will have an online help link to help the user in understanding the process. 2. Hardware Interfaces: A web server will be used to host the WebPages and the database management system.Most pages will be dynamic pages built with php. Each page will be optimized to the type of web browser and resolution being used. A minimum of PIII system running at 733 MHz will be needed to run the modules. Normal modes of network modes used in Internet technology will be used. 3. Software Interfaces: The incoming message mostly includes requests for a specific task, which on the course of the development will be decided in detail and dealt with in design specification document. The incoming messages from the messages will be converted to a specific format in the database language, the processing made and the request served.The operations will be intended to be made as fast as possible. 4. Communications Interfaces: The web server maint enance and other activities to be done using FTP transfer protocol. The security and other issues will be dealt with in the course of the project, as there is little idea as to how these things work to our team as per now. There will other communication interfaces with the users of the site with site-specific email, forms and complaint addressable mechanisms. These things as far as possible will be automated. 4. System Features 1.Listing: This includes the listing feature of the website where any search or other request of a user to a particular subject is served. The pertinent web pages are loaded and the particular database is initialized. There are listings based on the priority as by user preferences. This is actually the listing of web pages to the users by time of selling, deadline, price, quality etc. Listing includes listing of o Products to be sold directly o Products open for bidding till a particular date o Sellers in a particular area or with specific ratings o Used prod ucts on for sale. Just casual listings of random things o Payment options to buy or sell. |Action |Software reaction | |User logs in the system |The system authenticates | |User defines the information to view |System provides the necessary details as requested by the | | |particular employee | |User views the information | |Table No 1. The table states a typical control passing in the system during logging in Listings will be made very fast and user friendly. Proper security is also a very pertinent point here. 2. Account creation: This includes creating user accounts to each of sellers and buyers separately. This includes taking pertinent information from them and then initializing the database. The database needs to be properly updated on each transaction by the user and all the details of his/her account should figure in the account listing.The security of the account also should be dealt with. 3. Selling:Here the seller can list his/her things on his /her quoted price. Or else he can keep it for a bidding process where he is not sure of the price. The details of which will be kept in the user database. The details of his goods on selling list will be updated to him on a regular basis to his email id. The process of selling can include some bargaining too, but the details are yet to be thought of.The payment and feed back details are kept transparent. 4. Buying:There are 4 ways of buying or intending to buy o Direct buying o Bidding o Group buying o Tracking The details of which will be dealt with in the design specification. Each of these details are kept in the user account where he is kept updated about all his moves. 5. Ratings: Each products, buyers and sellers are constantly rated based on the feedback and the market behavior so that users feel secure about the system.These ratings are given based on a best pointer of five, the details of which are yet to be worked out. These ratings are intended to bring some trust and credibility to the concept of an online market. 6. Others: Include money transactions, legal issues, regional tastes, costs involved, business models used etc pertinent issues but won’t be seen in detail in the document as the things are beyond the reach of the design team. 5. Other Nonfunctional Requirements: 1. Performance Requirements: As stated before. 2.Safety Requirements: Suitable safety has to be taken while allowing a product to be sold on buzzybuy. They have to follow the legalities of the land, and must be ethical. There could be possible misuse of the system by bogus user, bidding and buying without paying up. It is not always possible to check the postal addresses. Also during money transactions the unreliable networks may cause further problems. So such practices need to be avoided. 3. Software Quality Attribute: The system is easy to load and light .It adds to the quality and usability of the system. Some others quality considerations such as adaptability, availability, correctness, flexib ility, interoperability, maintainability, portability, reliability, reusability, robustness, testability, and usability will also be very seriously taken to consideration. 4. Business Rules: Nothing is above customer satisfaction. So the rules need to be kept flexible to meet user needs and preferences at different times. Other models can be applied but is beyond the scope of the team. . Appendix A: Glossary 1. SRS: Software requirement specification 2. GUI: Graphical user interface. 3. PHP: Personal home pages 4. IEEE: Institute of electrical and electronic engineers. 5. FTP: File transfer protocol 6. SQL: Structural query language. 7. Appendix B: Analysis Models [pic] ———————– Central Processing server Listing Selling Buying Administration Administrator Casual visitor Seller Buyer Buyer Seller Casual visitor Administrator Administration Buying Selling Listing Central Processing server

Comparison/Contrast Essay

Comparison/Contrast Essay Although both Clarice Lispector's â€Å"The Smallest Woman in the World† and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's â€Å"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World† are magic realist stories showing the extreme sizes of two people, the stories depict differently how a society can react to a certain type of person. Through scenery and physical description, the authors show that different types of people can be loved or hated by a society. Marquez's text starts off with children seeing a large being in the water.The children think â€Å"it was an enemy ship† which can prove that the large size of a person can be very intimidating at first. Opposite to Marquez's text, in Lispector's text, the smallest woman is greeted with friendliness, she was immediately named by the French explorer. This can prove that the small size of the woman can be seen as less intimidating than a larger person. However, in both stories, the characters are suddenly treated differen tly once they have been displayed to a larger crowd.Once the seaweed is removed from the drowned man, the children start to play with the man and are less afraid of him. Also once the woman of the village see the man, they seem to fall madly in love with him. They treat him almost like a god. In contrast, in Lispector's text the people that read the article about the smallest woman in the world, they seem to dislike the idea of her size. The townspeople want her to be their slave or their toy. I think that the difference in size can be seen in both a literal and figurative sense.Literally the large size of the man is what the woman see as a physical appeal to them while the small size of the woman is seen more a â€Å"creepy† or â€Å"strange† aspect of her appearance. However, I also believe that the size of the characters is used as symbolism. For example, we can see that the large size of the man could represent authority and power and this may be why the men of the village feel intimidated my him. It could also show that he is powerful or strong. The woman's small size could be seen as weak or young.It also can be compared to a lack of importance or lack of influence. In the story we see that even the kids don't seem to respect her. The characters race also has a role on the societies views. For example, they describe the woman as being a â€Å"as black as a monkey†, describing how she may be animal-like or treated as a beast. They see her as a primitive being. The fact that she is black may also be why some of the people in France don't seem to respect her. Throughout history black people have been oppressed which is a theme the author added in.In Marquez's text, the fact that the woman named the man as if they knew him, indicates that he was most likely of the same race as them. This is a fact that should be considered in why they feel a close bond with him. The authors also use setting to explain how the magical characters are treat ed. We can see that the man found from the ocean was treated better than the woman who was found in a dangerous part of an African forest. The woman of the town describe Esteban as † most peaceful †¦ man on earth† in which we can find similarities with how we describe the sea.Many people think of the sea to also be peaceful or serene, which is where the drowned man came from. On the contrary, the woman was treated in a negative fashion which could be partially because of where she came from. The woman came from â€Å"the depths of †¦ a jungle†. This can be seen as a dark and mysterious place which may insinuate why the people that read about her seem afraid or dislike her. Another difference between settings in the story is that in Marquez's text, the town where the people discover the man seems to be a small village which isn't the fact in Lispector's text, which is the country of France.Perhaps the authors were trying to show that people that grow up i n bigger towns have more of a biased view on the outside world while people that grow up in smaller cities are more open minded, which would explain the different views on the characters in the story. In conclusion, Lispector's â€Å"The Smallest Woman in the World† and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's â€Å"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World† show how magic realist text are used to push the boundaries of fiction while explaining worldly views. Although both story depicts a magical character's life, they show through physical description and setting that people can be treated differently.

African religion and christianity Essay

Although Africa was not a plain or bear continent, Africans had their way of life, structure of government, religion, economic activities, education,systems of marriage and development plans for their societies, nevertheless the British brought their systems which conflicted with Africans established way of life, this was because the British, as many other European powers were economically depressed and Africa appeared to be the only way out.The British wanted to pass the three C’s; Commerce, that is to make money through acquisition of free labour form Africans, raw materials for their industries as industrial revolution back in Britain was rapidly taking place, market for their surplus production; Christianity to save Africans as alluded in the Gospel of Saint Mark 16 versus 5 Go ye to the entire world, baptizing all men in the name of Jesus.†Explorers such as David Livingstone, Vasco Da Gama, Portuguese Diego Cam and Arabs with Muslim faith had missionary zeal. The la st C is for Civilization, they wanted to civilize Africans in terms of education, culture and many other aspects I will bring out later in this essay. RELIGION Black`s Law Definition of religion; This is man`s relation to Divinity, reverence, worship, obedience, and submission to mandates and precepts of supernatural or superior beings. In a broad sense, it includes all forms of belief in the existence of superior beings exercising power over human beings by volition, imposing rules of conduct with future rewards and punishments. AFRICAN RELIGION Awolalu defines African religion as â€Å"†¦largely written in the people’s myth and folktales, in their songs and dances, in their liturgies and shrines and in their proverbs and pithy sayings. It is a religion whose historical founder is neither known nor worshipped; it is a religion that has no zeal for the membership drive, yet it offers persistent fascination for Africans, young and old.† The African traditional religion was not homogeneous as the communities had different ethnic background thus the religious practices such rituals varied one community to the other. It is worth noting that it was oral, not scripted or written and was passed from one generation to the other by word of mouth as I earlier alluded in the Awolalu definition of religion. Within their organized societal structures, Africans believed in supernatural beings together with ancestral spirits.The ancestral spirits were believed to link the living societal members to the gods. We all agree that one cannot talk about African religion without African values as they are intertwined and inseparable. African religion was embedded in moral values or codes or standards which were believed to originate from God through the ancestral spirits, these values when followed or observed one would be rewarded with maybe good harvest from their cultivation of land or increased number of a flock of cattle. When these values have violated the culprits were reprimanded, for instance, adultery was highly condemned therefore in case a member engaged in it he or she could be punished by God through the ancestral spirit. This punishment could be through the infliction of sickness to the culprit or barrenness. The concept of values is a vital point as one talks of the African religion. African religion is drawn from the African values. The African religion had some institutions which presided over religious functions, these institutions were believed to communicate directly to ancestral spirits (living dead) who in turn would communicate to the gods and grievances of the living societal members would be heard. In the Kenyan context, these institutions include Orkoyot of the Nandi, Oloibon of the Maasai, Seers, Diviners, and Rainmakers depending on the ethnic communities which they came from. These institutions apart from the veneration of the ancestors, they blessed warrior before going for war, advised the political leaders, offered sacrifice to god and conducted rituals for the culprits who violated moral values in the community. The gods had some specific names for instance, in Kenyan context, we had Enkai for the Maasai, Encore for the Abagusii, Mulungu for Akamba, Asis the Nandi, Ngai for the Agikuyu and Nyasaye for the Luo. There were specific worship places which were regarded as holy, this places included shrines, mountaintops some special trees such as mugumo, hills, and some caves. The diversity of the names given to gods and places of worship, show the lack of uniformity in the African Religion. This concludes that Africans were of different ethnic background and had their own religion, gods, and religion as a community. CHRISTIANITY This is a religion based on the life, teachings, and practices of the person of Jesus Christ. The origin of Christianity is drawn from a character, believed to be the Son of God. It is a religion more about the relationship between one and Jesus rather religious practices. A Christian, as the name suggests is a follower of Christ. The origin of Jesus of extra-ordinary or Supernatural happening as it is believed He was conceived by the power of Holy Spirit and born of a Virgin. This small description ascertains the definition of religion as I had earlier defined it. Christianity is practiced through reading the Bible and attendance of services for the Protestants and Mass for the Catholics. The religion is scripted or written in the Bible which is the reference for all who ascribe to Christianity. It contains all the rules guidelines, commands that Christians should observe their entire life. These guidelines govern human relationship to one another and their relationship to their God.there no diverse Christians as all of them draw their beliefs from Jesus Christ through reading and exercising their beliefs from the Bible.Christianity is a homogeneous religion or rather uniform. There are institutions such Priests, Bishops and Catholic Fathers who lead other Christians in worship. These people undergo theology training for them to undertake their duties. There are specific places of worship where Christians congregate. These places are Churches or Chapels. THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. They mainly to spread Christianity and Commerce†¦Dr. David Livingstone, I go back to Africa to make an open pass for Christianity and Commerce.† The first encounter is dated from the 15th Century. The Portuguese Christianity introduction to Africans in the East African Coast. This, however, had very little success. By 19th Century Christian missionaries arrived in East Africa they included: 1.The Holy Ghost Fathers 2.The Church Missionary Society 3.The Methodist Fathers 4.The Mill Hill Fathers THE ENCOUNTER I) Source/origin of Religion The Africans believed that their religion was sourced from god, who they believed long before their ancestors’ existence. The British Missionaries conflict with Africans by telling them about the existence of a God who had a son and lived among us many years ago. The religion of British was written (Bible) thus one had to have the ability to read and write in order to understand it, whereas that of African was passed from generation to generation by oral tradition. There is an introduction of a new system of identifying the origin of religion which conflicts with the African system. II) Places of worship The Africans revered in special caves, Mountaintops, hills, Forests, Special trees (mugumo) and shrines. The British tell Africans that they should worship God places called Churches. This encounter shows that there is a bit of clashing as the African places were very clearly defined and preserved by the community members. The British also seized African land to construct churches or chapels, Africans, as a result, became very hostile as they had distinct worship places which occurred naturally. They believed that their land was for cultivation and a gift from their gods. III) The Practices of Religion The Africans practiced their religion by reverence to their ancestors, offering human and animal sacrifices and invoking the ancestral spirits. They offered sacrifices in order to get favors in terms of harvest. The African worship was communal that is, all community members used to convene to pray for rain and ask for the wellness of the community. The British religion had an aspect of confession of one`s sins before worship, repentance, and forgiveness of sin are granted. This aspect of forgiveness of sins lacks in the traditional African religion, one had to be punished for wrongdoing. British missionary religion brings out an aspect of offerings in terms of money and tithe which is ten percent of one`s total earnings. IV) Religious leaders In African religion, worship was led by Diviners, Rainmakers, and Seers who were considered righteous. The work of religious leaders was taught through apprecentiship and was hereditary from specific clans in the community. There were certain clans from whom diviners would descend. They were highly respected in the community. The British Christian religious leaders attend school to be trained mainly on theology. They study formalities of worship and nature of God. Any member of Christian family can become a religious leader although there are some myths which say one has to be ‘called’ by God. The Christian leader has to have the ability to read and write so as to pass the scriptures to his congregation. V) Uniformity of Religion As I handled earlier in this essay, the African traditional religion was diverse from one ethnic community to the other due to the linguistic differences, migration patterns and origin. Christianity is introduced as a homogeneous religion as the author of it is Jesus Christ, a common ancestry and reference point for all Christians. The diversity of worship is dismantled by the British introduction of this even religion. As I have pointed above there are distinct differences between Traditional African Religion and the British Christianity and how both systems fought to outdo the other. The African religion had deep roots in the society as it was passed orally through stories, myths, riddles and proverbs which were very appealing to the audience. These deep roots were however uprooted as change is inevitable in every circumstance. As an old adage, ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison.’ The British struck the Africans struck back but were easily overpowered, and gave in. The British were gradually using religion as a tool to pass several other systems to the Africans. Education which traditionally was based on oral tradition was easily eliminated as most Africans wanted to quench their thirst for knowledge, for those who resisted religion soon began to embrace this Whiteman’s way of worship.

Behavioural Economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Behavioural Economics - Assignment Example Thus, this discussion seeks to analyze the cognitive process of organizing, using and keeping track of financial usage for individuals and households, as related to the forecasting for possible attainment of gains or losses. In realizing this evaluation, the discussion will first assess the process of assigning and grouping different financial expenditures into different categories referred to as mental accounts, followed by the evaluation of the factors informing the choice financial spending or investment functions to align with the predicted chances of gains or losses. The Mental Accounting Theory provides an explanation related to how households and individuals keep track of where their incomes are going and how such entities apply active cognitive processes to control their financial spending (Dawes, 2001:47). The difference between conventional financial accounting undertaken by business entities and the mental accounting applied by individuals and households is that; there lacks specific and elaborate rules on how mental accounting procedures should be undertaken. Thus, the process of mental accounting can only be achieved through observing financial behaviors, and then inferring rules to the behaviors, so as to control future spending. Thus, due to the lack of elaborate rules to guide financial allocations to various individual or household spending activities, these entities apply a variety of subjective criteria that sees finances prioritized and allocated to different spending functions, for example based on the sources of the incomes or t he intent for the specific functions (Baddeley, 2013:147). Thus, the Mental Accounting Theory provides that individuals and households irrationally assign different spending functions to a certain asset group, which in turn results in detrimental effects on the spending behavior and consumption decisions subsequently mad by the entities (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981:455). In this respect,

Economic History and the Business Cycle Research Paper

Economic History and the Business Cycle - Research Paper Example Recession is usually visible in GDP, house hold income, industrial production, employment, and wholesale/retail sales and profits. The macroeconomic indicators fall while bankruptcies and rate of unemployment increases. Recession starts just after the economic activities reaches at the peak and ends as the economy reaches its trough. Between troughs and peak, the economy is said to be in an expansion. The expansion signifies a state of normalcy for an economy. This is a phase of business cycle which is characterized by general rise in economic activities. The gross product expands as jobs are created and incomes generally rise. The periods of recession and expansion occur in what is known as the business cycle. After recovering from a period of recession ending in the year 2000, Turkey has generally experienced a strong economic growth since 2001, experiencing important gains in income and living standards effectively making it an upper-middle income country. From the year 2001 to 2008, Turkey’s GDP per capita increased from US $3057.8 to US $10379.5 respectively which marked period of economic growth as shown in figure 1. This was followed by the trough of the recession in the year 2009. The period of expansion was experienced between the years 2010 to 2013 where GDP growth resulted into creation of more jobs thus reduced unemployment rate as illustrated in figure 3. Generally an increase in GDP should signify an increase in economic growth of a country which should be characterized by creation of more jobs for the citizens and low inflation rates. However between the years 2001 and 2008, the rate of unemployment rises, contrary to the GDP indicator. On the other hand, inflation falls between the years 2001 and 2007, while experiencing a sharp increase in 2008 despite the GDP still growing in that same year: in 2008 the prices of goods increased despite an increase in GDP, as shown in figure 2. In the

Describe how the company Apple provides useful templates for HR Essay

Describe how the company Apple provides useful templates for HR Management - Essay Example out the steps of service for A-P-P-L-E which is an acronym for the company’s name.Thus, an employee should approach customers with a personalized smile, Probe them politely to understand their needs, Present a solution for the customer to take home today, Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns and lastly End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return. This approach is still very much in use today. Employees get canned for being late-forget the ten minute rule, and make certain that your watch just isn’t behind(or your iPhone for the time).Apple employees can get fired for being more than 6 minutes late,3 times in a 6 month period. Stay positive always-Genius bar employees receive training that trains them how to avoid use of negative language. When faced with a technical issue they cannot solve, they are advised to use â€Å"as it turns out† and not â€Å"unfortunately†. There is specific language that ought to be used while addressing emotional customers. An employee should listen and limit their responses to simple reassurances that an employee is actually actively involved. Words such as ‘I understand’,’Uh-huh’†Apple is pretty controlling†¦to say the least,† Keep your mouth shut-Could look strange that your usual friendly employee is not aware of the widely reported rumors about the iPhone 5? It’s pretty likely to be an act. Employees are always under very strict orders to avoid rumors about any forthcoming products, or prematurely acknowledged widespread technical issues about a current product. Any member of staff found writing about the company is fired. New employees-The newly recruited employees are not allowed direct interaction with the customers. They shadow a more seasoned employee for a few weeks before they are left on their own. Apple’s HR spends a lot of resources and time while training its retail employees, which is something very rare in the low-margin retail industry. Actually Apple’s employees are the best

In the majority of the population there are stigmata surrounding the Research Paper

In the majority of the population there are stigmata surrounding the nature of a motorcyclist or Biker - Research Paper Example This made many veterans to access the urban centers and taste every bit of bliss in the cities including drinking and partying. A bike rally in Hollister culminated in the formation of bike gangs. This was the first incident of bike gang which took part in a bloody riot. This riot led to the destruction of property and other valuable in various restaurants and buildings, by drunken motorcyclists. This group caused mayhem without recourse and this has been replicated ever since. This sub-culture is prevalent in the use of cruiser motorcycles. According to Guardians of the Children, the sub-culture thrives in various ideologies like resistance to the mainstream culture of motorcycles (47). In fact, most of the biker gang indulges in malpractices in order to satisfy their daily needs. These groups have their operation in deviance and anarchy given that they do not conform to any set rules and regulation. The gangs use their organizations in propagating their criminal activities. In this regard, their criminality is camouflaged, hence it becomes difficult to apprehend and completely eliminate this sub-culture. The gang is usually structured and has broad networks, which enhances its operations over large geographical regions. The criminal activities the gangs indulge in include drug-trafficking, violence, arms trafficking, abduction and piracy. There are many of these gangs in America, which usually constitute of various numbers of individuals. The most common of these gangs include the Bandidos, Sons of silence and the Hells angels. These biker gangs pose a threat to peace and order among the citizens. Goodman asserts that the outlawed group manages to operate drug and weapon smuggling due to the broad network it has across the globe (41). In fact, there is interlinking of their activities with international drug trafficking organizations. The other motorcycle club is the riding club which is less associated with the intrigues of the biggest gang clubs. The vintag e group of motorcycle clubs is concerned with the ferrying of higher social class people including clergies, emergence blood runners and courier clubs. It is difficult to pursue the criminal gangs because they are friendly like anybody else and they have a broad social and criminal network. Even the intelligence services cannot yield much in pursuit of theses outlawed criminal bike gangs. Furthermore, the freedom they have enhanced the commission of many criminal activities under cover. In addition, they are feared, hence many people lack the guts of daring them. According to The New York Times, legally registered motorcycle clubs like the British motorcycle Federation have great influence in the civil society (23). They also abate the criminal activities of the gang groups under cover. Therefore, it had been hard to reform the motorcycle industry and get rid of the criminal activities propagated by the ill-minded motorcyclists. It has proofed impossible to destroy and discontinue t he biker gang sub-culture. For instance, the federation was created with an aim of protecting the welfare often motorcyclists. The biker gangs are part of the industry, hence they have always been protected even when they have been on the wrong side of the law. Such legally recognized motorcycle organizations have posed a greater threat to the peace and harmony with regard to abatement of criminal activities. Bribery cannot be ruled out in such circumstances

Human Resource strategy in Recession Term Paper

Human Resource strategy in Recession - Term Paper Example wever, the recent global meltdown or in other words the recession has abruptly changed the employee as well as employer outlook particularly in the aspect of Human resource planning or HRM. So, this paper will analyze how the current economic downturn had a major impact on HRP giving more power to the HR managers when they negotiate with their employees. In this globalised world, an economic problem in one country will not get restricted to that country, but gets spread to other countries. The economies of most of the countries in the world are directly and indirectly dependent on the U.S.’s economy and with liberalization happening everywhere, the negative effects in USA will be felt everywhere, with businesses worldwide facing the negative impact on its HRP. Many companies are suffering losses and as a result of it several companies are opting for retrenchment strategy. Cost cutting would have to eventually result in job cutting. British Airways (BA) has said that it plans to cut a further 1,200 jobs after reporting a huge loss of  £292 million in the six months up to the end of September. (Hinton 2009). Fewer job requirements and constant lay offs irrespective of the sector made employers to be choosy about the kind of employees they want and more dominant in deciding the compensation package for them. Many reputed organ izations have quietly cut the salaries and other fringe benefits to their employees. BBC plans to cut the amount it spends on the salaries of its top bosses by about 25 percent, The BBC currently spends about $129.4 million on pay for its 634 senior managers and nine most senior executives. (Bryan-Low 2009). Managers have upper hand these days and really have become dominant, slightly skewing HRP. Instead of thinking about how to optimize productivity and thereby effectively overcome financial problems, managers look at the easy way out. When negotiating with their employees there are some critical issues that concern both like salary,

Role of Zoos in Conservation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Role of Zoos in Conservation - Essay Example Role of Zoos in Conservation The tropical rainforests have high humidity owing to excess moisture from rainfall, heavy cloud cover and transpiration due to loss of water from leaves. Rainforests are known to generate a majority of their own rain and precipitation. For instance, the Amazon generates almost half of its own rain. Rainforests have a characteristic vegetative structure with several layers named overstory canopy, understory, shrub layer, and ground level (Butler). The canopy is the dense part of the forest consisting of a ceiling of leaves and branches of closely spaced trees. The overstory is the upper canopy about 100-130 above the floor of the forest. The understory occurs below the canopy. The shrub layer is about 5-20 feet above the forest floor and mostly consists of shrubs and tree saplings (Butler). The wildlife varies based on which level of the forest it inhabits. Tropical rainforests have extremely high biological diversity. They are extremely important, complex yet fragile ecosystems. They , especially the Amazon rainforests, are considered the lungs of the planet because they recycle most of the carbon dioxide to oxygen. A vast majority, i.e. more than half of the world’s plant, animal and insect species live in tropical rainforests. At least 80% of human’s original diet came from tropical rainforests. They provide a large number of food and medicinal products. They are extremely vital for the maintenance of normal climate as well as the biological diversity of the planet. Tropical rainforests cover only about 6% of the earth’s surface.

Comparing The Success & Future Of Open & Closed Source Software Essay

Comparing The Success & Future Of Open & Closed Source Software - Essay Example This report examines the potential inherent in the Open Source Software and the factors that have hindered its widespread usage thus far. This information will then be used to arrive at an assessment of whether or not open source software could better serve the needs of public sector institutions as opposed to closed software. Open source software is not the same as freeware. Open source is software that a user can use and freely modify or distribute to others, subject to some minimal restrictions to protect the copyright license which exists on the software (Ebert, 2009). Free software on the other hand, is software that can be copied, modified or distributed without any restrictions at all.(www.chopey.blogspot.com). The opposite of freeware is closed software. This is software that is not freely available and cannot be used without restrictions; it must be purchased from the individual or company that holds the copyright over its use. The notable example of this is the proprietary Windows software owned by Bill Gates’ company, Microsoft. The design of software is viewed as an investment because it involves an investment in formulating it, but at the same time it also provides benefits in that it facilitates certain operations, which justified the costs(Slaughter et al, 1998). Where closed source software is concerned, it is the short term returns from the software that assume a greater level of importance; as a result quality may sometimes be sacrificed in order to ensure that a piece of software is produced within stipulated deadlines. (Slaughter et al, 1998). Due to this, the quality of the source code may be lacking, so that after a certain period of time it will need to be replaced, updated or modified. Since closed software is proprietary with a copyright and cannot be freely copied or modified, this often means that the Company which produced the

Froebel Kindergarten Essay Example for Free

Froebel Kindergarten Essay Freidrich W. A. Froebel is best known as the founder of kindergarten. He was a German educationalist. Froebel was born in 1782 in a village in Germany. His childhood was difficult because his mother died when he was a baby and his father abandoned him. Froebel was given to his uncle’s care. Between 1808-1810 he attended the training institute run by John Pestalozzi at Yverdon. Froebel left the institution accepting the basic principles of Pestalozzis theory: permissive school atmosphere, emphasis on nature, and the object lesson. Froebel, however, was a strong idealist whose view of education was closely related to religion. He believed that everything in this world was developed according to the plan of God. He felt that something was missing in Pestalozzis theory: the spiritual mechanism that, according to Froebel, was the foundation of early learning. Froebels philosophy of education rested on four basic ideas: free self-expression, creativity, social participation, and motor expression. Froebel began to focus on the needs of children just prior to entering school. He envisioned a place attended by 4-6 year olds where children would be nurtured and protected from outside influences—like plants in a garden. Froebel decided to call his school kindergarten, which in German means child garden. Froebel began a training institute for the teachers of his schools. He believed that teachers should be highly respected people with values that the children should imitate. The teacher should also be a sensitive, open, and easily approachable person. Froebels first kindergarten was founded in 1837 in Blakenburg Germany. It featured games, play, songs, stories, and crafts to stimulate imagination and develop physical and motor skills. The materials in the room were divided into two categories: gifts and occupations. Gifts were objects that were fixed in form such as blocks. The purpose was that in playing with the object the child would learn the underlying concept represented by the object. Occupations allowed more freedom and consisted of things that children could shape and manipulate such as clay, sand, beads, string etc. There was an underlying symbolic meaning in all that was done. Even clean up time was seen as a final concrete reminder to the child of Gods plan for moral and social order. In 1848, the Prussian government ordered these schools to be closed because they did not agree with Froebel’s ideas. Then Froebel died in 1852, not knowing the impact his work would have on the U. S. school system. Then many Germans immigrated to the United States after the German Revolution. Among them were women trained in the Froebel system of education. It was these women who were responsible for bringing kindergarten to the United States. The first U. S. kindergarten was for German immigrant children in Wisconsin and taught in German. Then in 1873 kindergarten was introduced in the public American schools. Freidrich Froebels ideas provided the major direction for kindergarten curriculum during the last half of the nineteenth century. Many of his ideas can still be observed in kindergarten today: learning through play, group games, goal oriented activities, and outdoor time. Now applying Froebel’s philosophy of education to the Bahamas. From the National Task Force on Education (1994) Final report. This was stated about Pre-Schools. PICTURE. But yes we do have active kindergartens in many schools. I know for sure on the island of Eleuthera there is the kindergarten section in all of the primary schools. But upon my research I found that there are kindergarten sections in only a few schools here in New Providence. Example: The Bahamas Academy School. Here is a quick look at their curriculum. Then there is one in Yellow Elder Gardens and Elizabeth Estates. REPORTING TODAY FROM THE EDUCATIONAL CHANNEL, I’M VASHTE’ NAIRN.

How to tame a wild tounge Essay Example for Free

How to tame a wild tounge Essay In the essay, â€Å"How to Tame a wild Tongue,† Gloria Anzaldua the author, states the importance of maintaining one’s native tongue. She believes that people should speak whenever or however they please given that it does not harm anyone. Anzaldua does not want to escape her Mexican ways such as speaking Spanish. It is a vital part of her life because she communicates with her family members speaking a variety of Spanish dialects. Since she has no other way to show her Mexican ways, it is key that she speaks Spanish to maintain her Mexican pride. People take pride in the languages that they speak and its not right for others to tell them they are not allowed to express themselves in those foreign languages. On the other hand, it is important that to speak English in order to communicate with her classmates, teachers, and anyone around her. English is fast becoming the dominant means by which the world is able to communicate. It is being referred to as the global language as it is seen as a common means for interaction between different countries. This new phenomena can be seen in a positive light because the use of English as a common language brings efficiency and greater understanding. Nevertheless there some people who believe that this fact has changed and that now it is more important to learn Spanish and Mandarin than the English language. Anzaldua dealt with this issue on a consistent basis in her school life. Though she was not told to lose her Spanish ways, she felt that speaking English would not allow her to express herself. Especially in the American culture, it was necessary for her to learn English to communicate with her peers. Furthermore, the English language is the number one lingua franca no other comes close. At the moment about 1. 113 million people speak Chinese as their mother tongue, whereas about 372 million speak English. Following this criterion Chinese must be the world’s global tongue; and yet analysts considered English to be the global language of the century. Imagine if China’s economy takes flight in the coming few years, enabling the country to replace the United States as the greatest economical power, there would be a possibility that China could take over in the next couple decades. In fact, reports have shown that the number of Chinese learners is increasing dramatically. Chinese learners in Africa, for example, have increased to 8,000 in the year 2005. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation published the statistic in a 2005 report. The report also says that â€Å"in Sudan alone, Chinese learners have amounted to 450, and many have come to China to learn on Chinese government scholarships, according to Peter Nyot Kok, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Sudan. † According to the U. S. Bureau of the Census, ten years ago about one in seven people in this country spoke a language other than English at home. Since then the proportion of immigrants in the population has grown and grown. Ever-wider swaths of Florida, California, and the Southwest are heavily Spanish speaking. Hispanic people make up 30 percent of the population of New York City, and a television station there that is affiliated with a Spanish-language network has been known to draw a larger daily audience than at least one of the citys English-language network affiliates. According to the census, from 1980 to 1990 the number of Spanish-speakers in the United States grew by 50 percent. Statistically, more people in the world speak Mandarin than English, but Mandarin is not spoken much outside Asia. A global language is a language spoken internationally. A global language is not only a majority people spoken, but also use in international organization or international event. It’s a well-known fact that there is huge demand for English speaking professionals in China who can facilitate international business. There is also acute demand for English teachers who can make the Chinese students better equipped for modern-day business and life. Chinese has more native speakers, however, it also has simplistic grammar, and it lacks articles, prepositions, verb conjugation and tense, singularity and plurality of nouns making it less effective than English at expressing complex meanings. It is also tonal, which limits the speakers use of tone for emotional and conceptual expression. Furthermore most Westerners find the Chinese writing system difficult to grasp. So from emerging trends, it seems evident that Chinese is not more popular than English as a global language. English is widespread largely due to the fact that it is used so heavily in television, film and music. Hollywoods global spread has contributed strongly to the international popularity of English. It is also the predominant language on the Internet. Web pages in other languages often tend to have an English translation. The British Empire and the dominant nature of American popular culture have contributed overall to the spread of English across the planet. Because of this many young Hispanics have favored adopting the English language into their culture. In South East Asia, as a result of English becoming a kind of global currency, there is a large turn towards acquiring language skills not in any language but most specifically in English. As the world becomes more â€Å"globalized† or as corners of the planet open up for trade relations with other countries and tourism booms, the need for English increases. Hotels, shops and schools have a desperate desire to sell their services and make a living. People’s ability to survive is strongly linked to their ability to communicate in English. Consequently native languages become redundant and even endangered. People focus on learning English over learning other languages and also in many cases need to use their individual languages to a lesser degree. In fact more Asians speak English than anyone else. One of them is that it facilitates the exchange of information from one part of the world the other with ease. It is through the existence of a global language like English that peace and trade has been enhanced between dissimilar countries. It has also facilitated the mobility of people both in their physical terms and also electronically. Sufficient statistics indicate that most trade is done electronically and this is greatly facilitated by English as a global language. Finally, there are economic advantages connected with a global language. Crystal claims that the â€Å"more a community is linguistically mixed; the less it can rely on individuals to ensure communication between different groups† (Crystal 2003:11). Consequently linguistically mixed communities, as well as the global community, are spending large sums of money on translations and interpretations in order to reach its citizens. A global language known and spoken by everybody would undoubtedly lower these costs, and the spared money could be used in other important areas instead, for example in humanitarian aid. In fact, during the last decades the need of interpretation and translation in international organizations has progressively has been decreasing thanks to the expansion of English. Many international organizations find it necessary that all people involved speak English, since the translation expenses would be too high. According to Crystal â€Å"half the budget of an international organization could easily get swallowed up in translation costs if there was a lack of a common language† (Crystal 2003: 12). Mutual intelligibility, great career opportunities and reduced administrative costs are some of the advantages a global language would give. We are in need of an international language for communication, politics, trade and security, but at the same time we are worried about language death, the advantages native speakers will have and all the disadvantages non-native speakers will face. English is growing, it is a strong language, and its future seems bright. My opinion is that if there will ever be an official international language English is the best option. It is a strong, well-developed language with millions of speakers. Even if a global language might be important, different languages are of importance for their culture and for the development of their native speakers. Anzaldua wants to maintain her heritage by speaking her language constantly. She is in fear that speaking English will lead to the death of her heritage, but the integration of her heritage with English will only allow her to have communication with more people around her. Languages make the world more interesting and more alive.

The Significance Of Social Work Social Work Essay

The Significance Of Social Work Social Work Essay The purpose of this essay clarifies ethics and values and how fundamental they are within social work practice. How relevant they are in modern day practice in addition raises concerns regards to professionals and personal values and ethics. Highlights serious case reviews and how they link into legislation and policies, and the difficulties with anti- oppression and anti- discrimination in relation to welfare benefit cuts and the economic climate. This assay highlights the BASW and HPCC code of ethics Macmillan (2010) what are ethics? Ethics are somebodies beliefs, principles and morals that are important to them and propose a set of standards and values Oko 2010)) values are the theory and how you value what is good and influence our decision Ethics are the principle in which way we act. Theory behind Professional ethics are led by set of guidelines and processes that adhere to standards of code and ethics are implemented. Maynard A Becket (2005) believes Values are used in many forms, for example it could be financially personal or cultural in relation to faith and other religions. Values determined what we view as high priority and remain significant to your beliefs G. Reamer (2006) suggest Social work values and ethics have developed significantly over the past few decades, acknowledging the importance of professional and personal values and ethics in relation to practice. During the 1960 values and ethic became core values of social work with growing interest towards diverse and complex issues. The National Association of Social Workers implementing a code of ethics.1970 saw a dramatic change in other professions such as nurses health and criminal justice on applying ethics to practice. Joyce E (2009) attitudes towards contemporary psychoanalysts practice and social work have changed in relation to ethics and value, an appreciation of cultural heritage are taken on board and therapy has been brought into the 21st century. Improvements in working together with social work have been accomplished. Banks S ( also believes ethics and values have developed considerably and gain greater recognition with a global interest from various countries adopting the idea with new countries accepting social work has a profession however some countries are a little slower in moving forward but nevertheless taking on board and introducing ethics and values to practice. There is more opportunity than before to access literature and books in regards to ethics and values which makes it more obtainable, however equally feels there doesnt appear to be a great deal of information regarding ethics in relation to politics and anti-oppressive social work even though they are very much attached. .Domineli L(2002).Anti-oppression can be seen in many forms and links into social work practice and values and ethics. Policies and legislation usually play a big part in welfare reforms for example cutting down on benefits and welfare system; this clearly impacts on the poor marginalizing social exclusion. Individuals can often feel that they are a burden on society, especially people who are in receipt of benefits. The government can use destructive language aimed at the unemployed as well as influential through the media or public speeches their portrayed as scroungers and unworthy to society. This form of oppression needs to be addressed and challenged. Social workers are expected to stand up for human rights and promote equality.Gray.M,at et l (2012) believes Social workers are led by legislation and political dilemmas . Legislation and welfare reforms have impacted on public spending cuts which are taking place by the coalition government. Inequality happens when the government makes cuts to the youth services, and various other organizations and local communities, it divides the poor from rich and wealthy, this could be seen as injustice, grounds for oppression between individuals and social groups. Social worker will need the skill and knowledge to underpin the vital importance of identifying their personal values from professional values in order to avoid poor practice and mistreatment. Forming opinions and concluding judgments based on your own assumptions and personal beliefs subsequently understanding values and ethics is imperative. According to Benchin, A., Brown,(2000) Values are encompassed in our daily life and a set of beliefs that originate from different background with expectations and ideas formed from the persons perspective, this can impact on the way we react or behave to various situation therefore, recognizing personal beliefs and remaining open minded and respecting people as individuals will help develop your practice and achieve a better outcome for the service user. However Macmillan (2010) believes in relation to practicality social workers struggle over moral dilemmas all the time and are led by regulation, making decision can be exceptionally difficult Maynard, A Beckett.,(2005) believes Indeed at times it may be difficult not to be subjective and base your own beliefs and values on decision making, as this is what makes us what we are. As a professional you may have suffered a similar problem to the service user, this could influence your decision in deciding what is best for the service user therefore affect your practice blurring the boundaries. In this particular case the social worker may fail to overlook the service users needs. There is no room for judgmental practice in social work. Social workers should be professional and remain impartial to determine whats ethically right. It is important to disregard your own values and beliefs to enable social worker to practice appropriately nonetheless when it comes to the service user needs other factors should to be taken on board in the terms of their ethnicity as the service user may have afro hair or religious beliefs therefore the social worker has to respect the individual. Human Right Committee January (2012) BASW believe British Association of social work is fundamental document that highlights the code of practice and strongly advises how social workers should practice. It refers to ethics and values as the main topic and hugely emphasizes the necessities for social work to represent the codes of practice. Due to the nature of the social work role it raises concerns regarding ethical issues that may well occur for a social worker, the code of ethics and values clearly states the importance of implementing ethics and values as a fundamental part of social work in order to promote and empower service users nevertheless social workers have a duty of care and in some circumstances have no choice but to restrict someones freedom. Social workers are also faced with inadequate resources which impact on their duties .Higman, P (2006) it may be argued that the BASW is a set of standards in relation to confidentiality nevertheless conflicting as remaining comp letely confidential can be difficult for instance there is easy access through the internet and admission to statuary meetings. It is almost impossible to remain confidential due the nature of working in partnership and multiagency teams. Information sharing is important when legal obligations are in place in the terms of safe guarding issues nonetheless service user should to be informed at all times. According to Health Care Professionals council (2012) HCPC is very prescriptive generic document in which it regulates Social workers and health profession; it has the same guidelines as BASW regards to ethics and values in addition it provides guidance on how social worker should behave appropriately and questions professional conduct outside of work which suggests integrity as large part to play in all aspect of a social works life. Macmillan p (2010) believes Social workers struggle with moral dilemmas all the time with in their career, making decisions that are led by regulations and putting it into practice can be extremely difficult. Pattison,Roisin pill.(2004) states social worker should be accountable for their actions in many cases social workers have overacted and placed children in care without any evidence unfortunately failed to this in the Victoria cimbers case. Victoria died a tragic death in the hands of her great aunt Marie Kouao and partner Carl manning this, was damming report led by Lord Lamming. Victoria was let down by the police, several local authorities and health professionals. Ethics and values are apparent throughout Victoria case, assumptions were made towards Victorias ethnicity and cultural heritage highlights the dangers of overriding personal views and religious beliefs. The department of Health Lord lamming Report p116 within the report concluded a catalogue of errors. Social workers complained of lack of supervision and during supervision the social worker alleged the manager discussed her own personal problems and talk about god unfolding her religious beliefs which irritated the soc ial worker therefore found it incredibly difficult to discuss important and difficult cases often failing to complete supervision consequently prioritizing personal and religious beliefs. supervision is imperative to social work. . .

The Wealth of Nations Essay examples -- Economics Economy Politics Ess

The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith’s famous attempt to explain the nature and causes of the wealth of nations rests on several crucial assumptions about human nature which in turn rely on false universalism and questionable dichotomies. To begin with, Smith makes roughly three claims about human nature. Primarily, Smith assumes that self-interest is inherent in all human beings. As opposed to animals which rely on benevolence, in opposition to natural pity (Rousseau p. 53), the human â€Å"will be more likely to prevail if he can interest [others’] self-love in his favour, and show them that it is for their own advantage to do for him what he requires of them† (Smith, p. 18). Smith later relies on this â€Å"self-love† to ground his arguments on the steady base of human nature. More subtly, the â€Å"faculties of reason and speech† play a crucial role in Smith’s treatment of human behavior. Although he never openly lists these â€Å"faculties† as essential to human nature, his argument relies on this assumption. The step from having some goods and needing others to trading with those who have the needed goods and want the overabundant ones cannot be warranted without a presumption of a rational actor. Similarly, every development towards improved efficiency, if these are anything more guided than random evolutionary steps, require such an actor to instigate it. In the case of the arrowmaker, Smith must assume some force driving the arrow maker to save time and maximize profits. Of course, the concepts of barter, trade, and the rest require speech, or some kind of communication. Finally, Smith instills â€Å"a certain propensity in human nature; the propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another.† (Smith p. 17). This, he sugg... ...to the commonness of rationality. Far from all cultures were capitalistic, nor is it possible to prove any would have become capitalistic in the future. Thus Smith’s description of human nature is applicable primarily to Western European coastal trading humans, rather than to the supposed universal and original human specimen. WORKS CITED Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations. Ed. Cannan, Edwin. Chicago, IL: U of Chicago Press, 1976. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. â€Å"Discourse on the Origin of Inequality.† The Basic Political Writings. Trans. Cress, Donald A. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 1987. Visvanathan, Shiv. â€Å"The Laboratory State.† Science, Violence, and Hegemony: A Requiem for Modernity. Oxford University Press, 1988. October 11, 2001.

Psychoanalytic Approach to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚   It’s easy to associate Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with one of Jung’s archetypal motif patterns: the hero and the quest.   Through lots of difficulties or challenges, Sir Gawain reaches the higher ground of knighthood, and also proves himself worthy of a courtly masculine identity.   It still seems quite daring and risky to apply psychoanalytic approach into the text itself, especially it comes with the Oedipus complex.   But if we put Freud’s three psychic zones and Sir Gawain’s conflict together, or related his fear of castration with his fear of being beheaded, the applying of psychoanalytic approach is acceptable.   Within the connections mentioned above, we can see how the father figures function and how a knight’s masculinity is maintain by abstaining from sexual desire in medieval period.  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Sir Gawain is similar to any other hero we see in mythology, who is predisposed to response any obstacles coming upon them, and is thus getting mature both physically and mentally.  Ã‚  Ã‚   So the process of being a real knight is similar to the process of being a real man in Freud’Stheory of child development.   A boy in the process of being a man will confront a threat of being castrated by his father for to engaging in sexual relation with his Mother.   Submitting to the ‘reality principal’, the boy represses his incestuous desire, identifies with his father, and is led to the manhood.   One of the father figures within this text obviously is the Green Knight, who appears as the authority of the nature power to test Sir Gawain’s ability in masculinity and ability in abstaining from sexual temptation.   Before the Green Knight is qualified to test Sir Gawain, he must prove that he is more a man than Sir Gawain.   If we assume tha t being beheaded here is the another form of castration.   That he lets his head cut off by Gawain first is the showing of his superiority in masculinity.   After Green Knight’s head is cut off, he ‘seized this splendid head and straightway lifted it’.   From the passage, we see he is not less a man, and is never afraid of being castrated by his son, which reinforces the Green Knight’s father figure.  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the Green Knight, a father authority is under the disguise of Bertilak, we can assume that his mistress becomes the mother figure.   While the Green Knight is out there hunting, Sir Gawain has to decide whether to put aside his fear of castration and give in the sexual seduction or to repress his own desire.

Intelligence is Key Essay examples -- Art, Celtic Literature

Celtic literature features a full complement of female characters that deserve recognition; from warriors and rulers, to helpmates and daughters. Female characters, like their male counterparts, are often motivated by emotion. The Morrà ­gan and Macha, act out of anger, disrupting a hero or cursing generations to come. Others such as Fà ºamnach, act out of jealousy, causing a chain of events to unfold. However, the women who incite or prompt action due to their intelligence or wit – Rhiannon, Emer, Medb, Nes, and Mac Daa Tho’s Wife – are arguably the most complex and intriguing. Rhiannon purposefully, and with thought, gains the attention of the King Pywll and uses him to avoid an unwanted marriage. Rhiannon appears to King Pywll and his retainers halfway through branch one of The Mabigoni, on three consecutive days, riding a horse that even-paced cannot be caught. On the third day, Pwyll himself rides after her, only able to catch up after requesting her to wait. They begin conversing, and in a single exchange Rhiannon both declares love for Pwyll, and announces her engagement to another. She temps him: â€Å"I have never desired any man, and that because of loving you†, then announces her unavailability (â€Å"Pwyll,† 45). Rhiannon essentially ensnares Pwyll, allying herself with him and ensuring he will go against her current suitor, Gwawl son of Clud. This strong female character even directs Pwyll’s actions in attaining her hand. When her former suitor arrives at her wedding, Pywll rashly promises anything he wants, not knowing the man’s identity. Rhiannon rebukes Pwyll: "Never has a man been more feeble-witted than you,† then lays out three-part plan to ensure that Gwawl shall never attain her (Ford, 46). This intelligent woman ... ...ces that: â€Å"Sleeplessness has come to Macc Da Thà ³Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s house/ He has need of advice but speaks to no one† (Gantz, 181). She suggests that her mind may comprehend what his cannot, and he tells her his blunder, that he promised the hound to two. She suggests that he â€Å"give the dog to both sides- [and] let them fight over it,† (Gantz, 181). This would prevent one party from picking up the hound, and then the other party arriving and attacking him in anger. Though her plan does not go as hoped, she does offer a solution, and protects her husband from blame (the two parties are too engrossed with each other). Celtic mythology features a full complement of women who play an important role. Rhiannon, Emer, Medb, Nes, and Mac Daa Tho’s Wife use their intelligence to help further themselves, to enable those they love, or to protect. They create kings, heroes and alliances.

Blood Sports (Debate) Essay

Blood sports should not be banned; whatever problems there are with the sport can be fixed with reforms. The World Health Organization has called for tighter regulation, including â€Å"Simple rules, such as requiring medical clearance, national passports to prevent players from fighting under more than one name, restricting fights for fixed periods after knockouts, requiring that ringside physicians be paid by the state and not the promoter, and making sure that the players are aware of the potential long-term consequence of blood sports, may help protect them to some degree. †The Australian Medical Association additionally â€Å"recommends that media coverage should be subject to control codes similar to those which apply to television screening of violence. †Finally, the World Medical Association suggests that all matches should have a ring physician authorized to stop the fight at any time. It has been reported that no safety regulations would be effective if head blows remain – however such authors incorrectly apportion blame on boxing for a group of diseases known as Parkinson’s syndrome. Blood sports can result in chronic traumatic neurological conditions if fighters are not well matched, and fight without regulations in regard to their exposure. Boxing cannot cause Parkinson’s disease or other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease as those are genetic conditions – so to include them together as one set of conditions is incorrect and misleading. About 80% of deaths are caused by head, brain, and neck injuries, so the removal of the head as a scoring region may make a huge difference to the injury outcomes for this sport. However it would also change the very nature of the sport; and may mean people won’t participate in it. Ultimately, governments should do what they can to make blood sports as safe as possible, without losing the essence of the sport or banning it entirely. ————————————————- (Banning blood sports would force people to channel their aggression into more harmful, violent activities) There is no conclusive scientific evidence linking increased contact sport participation with being more violent in social settings. Such statements make it sound as thought we would have not violence in society if all contact sport was removed – and we all know that is untrue. Blood sports isn’t about violent aggression, it is about controlled aggression – this is very different to violent behaviors. In a report on â€Å"violent† sports in schools, conducted by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a martial-arts instructor explained, â€Å"Contact and combat sports allow students to deal with their aggression in a safe environment, rather than in the context of the classroom or school hallway. †This type of outlet is not only important for youth, but for adults as well. Jason Brick said, â€Å"Positive Views on Violence In Sports,† Live strong, January 7, 2011, accessed July 13, 2011, With /proposition (The Effect of blood sports on the viewers) Blood Sports have been around for decades. Viewing violence generally triggers or serves in the increase of aggression of an individual. Sports such as wrestling (smack down) and Ultimate Fighter Competition (UFC) are bloody sports and have mostly negative effects on those who watch them. The objective of these two sports is to beat an individual into unconsciousness, make them tap out by inflicting pain, if none of these is accomplished within a time frame, the match is to be stopped and the judges decide who wins. Many children, teenagers, and even adults tend to try and imitate a knock out or combos that were seen performed at one of these fights onto an individual in an uncontrolled environment whether it is their sibling, friend, coworker, or a stranger for different reasons that includes but is not limited to a misunderstanding or horse playing. Watching this sport leaves the viewer psychologically aggressive. For example, if someone watches a match and gets into a fight with another person later on, that person is more likely to use a technique he saw during the fight, and since there is no referee to stop the fight in case of suffocation or tap-out, the victim is more likely to bleed, pass out or even dies. During the 1980’s, two men were in a bar discussing the Marvin Haggler and Sugar Ray Leonard fight that had occurred several days before, and in the process on trying to show exactly how one of the punch landed, both men went outside, drawing a crowd with them. The demonstration turned tragic when one of the men landed a punch to the jaw of the other, and such was the power of the blow, that the victim fell, hit his head on the pavement and started to bleed, and had to be buried a few weeks later. Seeing and permitting violence to be seen makes it seem normal and legal when in fact it is not normal and it is horrible, but here is where lies another problem which is called desensitization. Many years ago when a horrible scene was about to be portrayed on your television set, there would first appear a window saying ‘the images that you are about to see might injure the sensibility of certain people’ or words to that effect. Well, have you noticed that now they no longer even bother showing that little window? It’s as if the media know that human kind are used to everything by now. That nothing is going to affect them that much. So what does this show? It shows that us human beings are getting desensitized to everything and when that happens it also means that we don’t get so emotional about anything anymore and so consequently don’t fight any more either in order to strive for a change. We have all come to a point where nothing moves us that much anymore. (Pain and Injury as the Price of blood sports) Many people think about sports in a paradoxical way: They accept violence in sports, but the injuries caused by that violence make them uneasy. They seem to want violence without consequences— like the ?ctionalized violence they see in the media and video games in which characters engage in brutality without being seriously or permanently injured. However, blood sports are real, and it causes real pain, injury, disability, and even death (Dater, 2005; Farber, 2004; Leahy, 2008; Rice, 2005; Smith, 2005b; Young, 2004a). Ron Rice, an NFL player whose career ended when he tackled an opponent, discusses the real consequences of blood sports. The brutal body contact of the tackle left him temporarily paralyzed and permanently disabled. He remembers that â€Å"before I hit the ground, I knew my career was over. . . . My body froze. I was like a tree that had been cut down, teetering, then crashing, unable to break my fall. † Research on pain and injury among athletes helps us understand that blood sports have real consequences. Studies indicate that professional sports involving brutal body contact and borderline violence are among the most dangerous workplaces in the occupational world. The same could be said about high-pro? le power and performance intercollegiate sports in which 80 percent of male and female athletes sustain at least one serious injury while playing their sports and nearly 70 percent are disabled for two or more weeks. Research shows a close connection between dominant ideas about masculinity and the high rate of injuries in many sports. Ironically, some power and performance sports are organized so that players feel that their manhood is up for grabs. Men who de? ne masculinity in terms of physically dominating others often use violence in sports as an expression of this code of manhood. Until they critically examine issues related to gender and the organization of their sports, they will mistakenly de? ne violence as a source of rewards rather than a source of chronic pain and disabilities that constrain and threaten their lives.

Generation Gaps Essay

In our generation we have gone through numerous economical, social, and political changes. Some of which our parents would never have dreamed of. Things such as the cell phone, Wi-Fi, 9/11, and various mass shootings have permanently changed the way our generation lives and has forced our parents’ to adapt to a new way of life. Growing up I remember how different life was from the way it is now. Gas was $0.99 and everyone had dial-up internet service. Airport rules were much more forgiving. For example, If you wanted to travel you had the option of bringing food with you to avoid eating tasteless airplane meals. You were hardly frisked and didn’t have to go through a full body scanner before you departed to your gate. In my mother’s time the rules were even more lax. In the 1960’s there was little concern over terrorism and airport safety. There were almost no security procedures in place and because of this all a passenger had to do was to stroll over to the ticket counter, purchase their ticket, show identification, and board the plane. In addition to this smoking was permitted in all areas of the airplane and sometimes cigarettes were even provided to the flyers. Another aspect of our culture that has changed drastically is technology. A prime example of how technology has changed radically is the creation of the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web or the Internet as it is more commonly known catalyzed the birth of what is now known as the Digital Age. An age filled with constantly changing machinery that have ultimately changed how we go about our lives. Because of the Internet we are now able to buy and send things online. We can also pay bills, communicate with relatives, and share pictures—something our parents’ generation never dreamed of doing. Unfortunately less pleasant things such as the Columbine shootings and the more recent Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have shattered the once widely perceived view of safe public schools and government buildings. Ironically, these places were never really safe to begin with. These tragic events have forced our government to implement laws to protect our safety. Back then, there wasn’t as much controversy over guns as there is today. Partly due to the fact that there was not as much violence in that time period. Thus, the general public felt safer and therefore, felt no need to carry around firearms or other types of weapons. All in all, one of the main reasons our society has changed so much is due to things like the Great Depression and the recent Recession as well as other less sinister events such as the inauguration of Barack Obama and technological advances such as WiFi, electric cars, and smart phones. These changes have altered how we live our lives in the 21st Century. Some have been improvements while others are mostly viewed as a decline from what life used to be like.

Nuclear Weapons should be Extirpate Essay

Nuclear weapons are considered serious threats to the human race and have made the world an insecure residence for living organisms. Nuclear weapons are destructive weapons that obtain its force from nuclear fission and nuclear fusion reaction. Both are theses producers are very harmful for the living organism. Nuclear weapons were first conducted in world war2 on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. It killed approximately 70,000 died immediately from the explosion and another 70,000 died from radiation within five years. The killing included the women and children. All nuclear weapons must be abolished around the world for making world secure, and save budget money. The entire world will be more secure if the planet will free of the nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are the only type of weapons in existence that have the capacity to annihilate the human species and countless other species. The reactions of the nuclear weapons live alive after many years of it’s used. The best example is Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. The nuclear bomb was used on these cities during the world war2, but Nagasaki and Hiroshima are still suffering with the reaction of nuclear bomb. Japanese cannot grow any crop in Nagasaki and Hiroshima because the fusion reaction of nuclear bomb is still alive. Without abolition, there is always the danger that nuclear weapons will proliferate, that more and more countries will obtain them. The existence of nuclear weapons leaves open possibility that a nuclear exchange might take place. The nuclear weapons are extra ordinary costly, and the costs continue into the indefinite future. Billions of dollars are wasted each year to pay for nuclear weapons. The cost of research, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance of the nuclear program is very high. Even it becomes higher, when we include the costs of damage to the land, illness of uranium miners,  cancer deaths from nuclear pollution, and the storage of nuclear wastage. Since early 1940s the U.S. alone has spent $4 trillion on nuclear arms. If current policies are implemented, the U.S. will continue to spend some $25-30 billion on nuclear forces. What is the more important education or nuclear bombs that can kill the human? Today, Congress and Administration are watching government spending, shrinking and eliminating programs and taking measures to reduce the deficit. Despite this, the central feature of national security spending for the past fifty years, nuclear weapons, has been rarely touched. Possession of nuclear weapon does not mean that the country is powerful. Many developed countries such as, Australia, Germany, and Spain do not have nuclear bomb. Some countries have already given up nuclear weapons, showing that it is possible for a nation to be secure without nuclear bomb. Three former Soviet republics, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, became nuclear weapons free states by volunteering transferring their nuclear warheads to Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. South Africa actually developed a small nuclear arsenal clandestinely, and then dismantled it. Argentina and Brazil have also eliminated their nuclear weapons programs even though they achieved initial success in these programs. These countries give a massage to the nuclear powers that you can succeed without nuclear bomb. In summary, the above analysis shows that nuclear weapons are weapons of great destruction. Our government wastes over thirty- three billion dollars a year of our tax money. Furthermore, nuclear weapons pose serious health risk to those around them, including the citizen. There has not been a significant impact on world affairs by nuclear weapons since world war2. Having a nuclear bomb does not guarantee the better life of the citizen, and development of the country. For these reasons, the nuclear weapons should be banned in entire world.

CU3820 Principles of Assessment in Lifelong learning Essay

1.1: Explain the types of assessment used in lifelong learning. To ‘Measure (assess) the breadth and depth of learning’ (Geoff Petty 1998) I, as a teacher must ensure that my students will understand the targets and goals set for them. This is achieved by using assessment practises. ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning’ breaks down the structure of assessing and learning thus: †¢ Creating †¢ Evaluating †¢ Analysing †¢ Applying †¢ Understanding †¢ Remembering These methods also enable me, as a teacher to measure success within the classroom. To evaluate whether learning is taking place, there are three assessment methods to use. Initial Assessment: To assess the learning capabilities of the learner an initial assessment will take place. This will enable me to determine whether there are any learning difficulties that may affect the learning and teaching process. Once any difficulties are found the relevant support can be given to the learner. Formative Assessment: This method is used to monitor the learning progress of the learners during the course. It will enable me to provide feedback on their progress and also give the learner the opportunity to give me feedback on my performance. This method can also highlight ant problems that may need o be addressed. Summative Assessment; Summative assessments takes place at the end of each course or learning session. It will assess to what extent learning has been achieved and to enable me to re-evaluate my own teaching methods. This will allow verifiers to assign course grades and certification. 1.2 EXPLAIN THE USE OF METHODS OF ASSESSMENT IN LIFELONG LEARNING To explain how assessments show progress and achievement, it is essential to learn what an assessment is. Assessment for learning is a term used to describe how evidence of student learning is recorded by me the teacher and is used by both students and teachers to decide where a student is within their learning and what they need to do better or to keep to the level that they are working at. Assessment for learning is a very effective way to put on record that learning and good teaching are being achieved. Assessment for learning is a joint process between student and teacher where both are engaged in an on-going process of student progress and development. The assessment to use will depend on the subject in my case spanish and any requirements of the organisations involved. Although all teachers should use some initial assessment to identify needs of the learner and to see if they have any previous experience in the language work set to them which in my subject would be spanish. Assessment methods can be recorded for group or individualls to reflect on the ability of the students. The student or learning group and the activities you select and the learning outcomes might affect your choice of assessment methods in a lesson. Formative assessment takes place during learning with the purpose of improving learning and involves me as the teacher giving feed back into the learning process to help me as the teacher, to decide whether a student is ready to move on or needs to practice what is being learnt, or has still yet to learn. It is usually the teacher’s final decision as to whether a student is ready to move on to the next stage of the course. Formative assessment can take a variety of forms; peer and self assessment, verbal and written, questioning and marking. Summative assessment happens at the end of a course. To measure and talk to the student/groups about what they have learned so far in the lessons. Summative learning is less about informing and improving the learning process but more about measuring the end result; for example end of year exam. 1.3 Compare the strengths and limitations of assessment methods to meet individual learner needs Student questioning is an effective way for engaging students within the learning process, obtaining existing knowledge of the chosen course and demonstrating, thinking and understanding of the students enables me to informally yet formatively assess their knowledge and the understanding of the progress the student is making with their studying. For example; at the beginning of my micro teach session, which was a De-fragmentation learning exercise, I asked the group if any of them had any previous experiences. This aided me in what level to teach the group. A good ice-breaker can be used as a group activity, as in my micro teach i got the group to exchange questions and answers with the person next to them to get the group engaged. I then dealt with each learner individually by asking them how they were getting on and if they understood the subject. This simple but effective method engaged the group, then I could address the learners individually and provide individual needs for the said learner. David Miliband stated: ‘We need to do more than engage and empower pupils and parents in the selection of a school: their engagement has to be effective in the day-to-day processes of education, at the heart of the way schools create partnerships with professional teachers and support staff to deliver tailor-made services, In other words we need to embrace individual empowerment within as well as between schools.’ References: Milliband,D (2004)’Personalised learning meeting individual learner needs’ Published by The Learning and kills Network 2. Understand ways to involve learners in the assessment process. 2.1. Explain ways to involve the learner in the assessment process. Carol Boston says ‘Black and William (1998b) define assessment broadly to include all activities that teachers and students undertake to get information that can be used diagnostically to alter teaching and learning. Under this definition, assessment encompasses teacher observation, classroom discussion, and analysis of student work, including homework and tests. Assessments become formative when the information is used to adapt teaching and learning to meet student need.† Where and how do we include students in the formative assessment process? What is the role of technology in this feedback cycle?’ Formative assessment, as I understand it, is an on-going process where both teachers and students evaluate assessment evidence in order to make adjustments to their teaching and learning. Robert Marzano has called it â€Å"one of the more powerful weapons in a teacher’s arsenal.† The formative assessment process can strengthen students’ abilities to assess their own progress, to set and evaluate their own learning goals, and to make adjustments accordingly. Formative assessment can also elicit valuable feedback from students about what teachers are doing effectively and what they could do better. Student Self-Assessment and Reflection Activities which promote meta-cognitive thinking and ask students to reflect on their learning processes are key to the formative assessment process. When students are asked to think about what they have learned and how they have learned it (the learning strategies they’ve used), they are better able to understand their own learning processes and can set new goals for themselves. Students can reflect on their learning in many ways: answering a set of questions, drawing a picture or set of pictures to represent their learning process, talking with a partner, keeping a learning log or journal, etc. Goal Sheets Having students set their own goals and evaluate their progress toward achieving them is an effective part of the formative assessment process. Goal setting has a positive effect on student motivation and learning when the goals are specific and performance based, relatively short-term, and moderately difficult. Goal sheets are an effective way to help students set goals and track their progress. It is best to identify specific goals. For example, â€Å"I will read in English for 20 minutes each night† is more specific than â€Å"I will read more.† Also, goals need to be achievable in a short period of time and not impossibly difficult. The teacher can model how to set effective goals and also how to evaluate one’s progress toward achieving them by asking students to periodically write or talk about what they have achieved, what they still would like to achieve, and how they will do it. 2.2. Explain the role of peer and self-assessment in the assessment programme F. Dochy (2006) said ‘The growing demand for lifelong learners and reflective practitioners has stimulated a re-evaluation of the relationship between learning and its assessment, and has influenced to a large extent the development of new assessment forms such as self-, peer, and co-assessment. Three questions are discussed: (1) what are the main findings from research on new assessment forms such as self-, peer and co-assessment; (2) in what way can the results be brought together; and (3) what guidelines for educational practitioners can be derived from this body of knowledge? A review of literature, based on the analysis of 63 studies, suggests that the use of a combination of different new assessment forms encourages students to become more responsible and reflective. The article concludes with some guidelines for practitioners.’ Principles for using self and peer assessment 1. The purpose for using self and peer assessment should be explicit for staff and students A major reason for using self and peer assessment is for its role in developing students’ skills in improving learning and in helping students to improve their performance on assessed work. Additionally, it has a place as a means of summative assessment. 2. There is no reason why peer and self assessment should not contribute to summative assessment In many such cases such assessment will not contribute a major proportion of the mark until it has been well tried and tested. However, in a well-regulated scheme, there is no reason to limit the proportion of the marks involved. It is particularly important that the principles below are noted. 3. Moderation For any situation in which the mark from peer or self assessment contributes towards the final mark of the module, the member of staff should maintain the right to moderate student-allocated marks. The initial step in alteration of a student-allocated mark may be negotiation with the student(s) concerned. 4. Instances of unfair or inappropriate marking need to be dealt with sensitively Any instances of collusive (‘friendship’) marking need to be dealt with sensitively and firmly. 5. The quality of feedback on student work must be maintained In situations of self and peer assessment, students are usually in a position to learn more than from situations of tutor-marked work. They learn from their engagement in assessing and frequently from oral, in addition to written feedback. However, the tutor should monitor the feedback and, where appropriate, elaborate it to ensure that students receive fair and equal treatment. 6. Assessment procedures should always involve use of well-defined, publicly-available assessment criteria While this is true of all assessment, it is particularly true where relatively inexperienced assessors (students) are involved. The assessment criteria may be developed by the tutor, but greater value is gained from the procedure if students are involved in developing the criteria themselves. 7. Involvement of students in assessment needs careful planning Many students see assessment as a job for staff, but at a later stage they are likely to recognise the benefits to their academic learning and skill development. Initial efforts will take time and tutor support. For these reasons, it is preferable that the use of peer and self assessment is seen as a strategy to improve learning and assessment across a whole programme. The common situation is for these assessment procedures to appear in isolated modules, often not at level 1. 8. Self and peer assessment procedures should be subject to particularly careful monitoring and evaluation from the tutor and students’ point of view It can take time for such procedures to run smoothly and for this reason, the initial involvement of relatively few marks – or solely formative assessment is wise. Student feedback to the tutor on the procedure will be important. 9. The use of peer and self assessment should be recognised as skill development in itself Such procedures are not just another means of assessment but represent the development of self-appraisal/evaluative, analytical, critical and reflective skills. These are important as employability skills and can be recognised in the learning outcomes of a module. References: Dochy,F (2006) Studies in Higher Education. Published by Web of Science(2006) 3.1. Explain the need to keep records of assessment of learning. Record keeping is part of the role and responsibility of the tutor and some often these records are required by law or codes of practice in the institution or industry. But there are boundaries and legislation regarding what can be collected and kept and how it can be used. The Data Protection Act 1998 states that records must be kept securely, be relevant and not excessive, accurate and up to date and not kept for longer than necessary. Students can request a copy of all information held about them under The Freedom of Information Act 2000. All important things to bear in mind. The need for keeping records I like that you are forced to think about why there are these records, not just what they are or how they work. Why are these records being kept, to what end? †¢ Track progress †¢ Prove achievement †¢ Identify issues such as low attendance / learning difficulties †¢ Ensure all sections of course have been completed It could be that a lot of these are required by your institution. But I’m not sure that’s the best answer: â€Å"because I have to†. Take it one step further back and think about why the organisation requires you to keep or submit them. Once you’ve thought about what records you need then it is on to how you collect and categorise that information. The types of records you would maintain A lot of this focuses more on the pastoral side, which I think is nice. Make sure you show a variety of types of records, to show you have thought about the full spectrum: †¢ Attendance and assessment †¢ Everything in between †¢ Tutorials, one to ones, learning reviews / goals / plans 3.2. Summarize requirements for keeping records of assessment in an organisation. Recording and Keeping Assessment Results Most organisations have a process in place for recording the results of assessments, and so does your Registered Training Organisation. It is not uncommon as well for assessors to maintain their own records in case of any follow up or appeals. A generic approach would be: †¢ Assessor either records or passes on the results for recording †¢ Assessor checks that the result has been accurately recorded †¢ Result provided to learner There are several reasons why the results need to be kept: †¢ Feedback to learner †¢ Legislative requirements †¢ Record in case of appeal †¢ Company records for future training needs Recognition of Prior Learning Another reason to maintain a record is for the recognition of prior learning and credit transfer processes. If outcomes can be matched by different training organisations detailed records of exactly how competency is assessed simplify the process. It also means, the competency a learner has acquired in one environment may be considered in another, different environment. With records a learner can apply to have prior learning recognised often before commencing a new training program. While it is necessary to keep a record of the actual result, it can be useful to also keep details on how the assessment was made. Training Records and Confidentiality Generally speaking, the only way an external person is able to access another person’s record is with the written permission of the person involved. |Access to records must be restricted for the sake of confidentiality. | | |Generally, managers and supervisors have limited access to personal files, but consider: | | |Who should have access to assessment records? | | |Why would they need the information? | | |What level of detail do they require? | | Each organisation will have a policy and procedures for access that should comply with ethical and legal obligations. It would be worthwhile checking your store policy and procedures in relation to this area.