Born in China Essay

I was born in China, a country that has long been known for its excellence and leadership in terms of math ability and numerical problems solving. Just like any Chinese child, I was raised surrounded by numbers and even learned to count in numerical order in Chinese and English before I learned the alphabet. In 1996, my family migrated to Hong Kong where I continued with my education. It was during this educational period that my love for numbers slowly emerged. Nobody could seem to understand, not even I, why I could not sit still in the classroom and listen to the teacher as she taught our classes but then sit very still and attentively every time the subjects leaned towards the Math and Science subjects. While I was bored during the other classes and almost falling asleep in my chair, I would come to life and be the most active participant during classroom discussions that involved numbers. By the end of my secondary school education in Hong Kong, it was pretty obvious to everyone around me that I had a very good head for Math and that this unique ability should be honed and harnessed in order to help my development as a person and member of society. I was lucky enough to have been given a chance to come to the USA in order to under take my college education. This began with my attendance at the Pasadena City College for one year and then my eventual move to East Los Angeles College. My major in both colleges has consistently been Business and Accounting. This is evident in all my grade transcripts as it shows that I performed quite remarkably in the Accounting related subjects while I struggled in the others. Somebody once asked me if I thought that Accounting was unfair because some people excelled in the subject while others did not. At first I was not sure about how to answer his question but then I realized that Accounting is not an unfair thing. The problem that most people have with accounting is that they have very short attention spans. A short attention span has no place in the accounting field because this exacting numbers crunching game requires an analytical eye and tremendous patience in order to be able to properly analyze and give attention to each and every number indicated on the spreadsheet. Accounting is not for the impatient. I will admit that Accounting is a true passion for me. I can work on any accounting scenario for hours on end and not get tired of it. I guess this is why my aunt decided to hire me to work at her dental office. She asked me to come and work for her as her accountant. I was ecstatic when she offered me the job because for me, an accounting job is a dream come true. Anybody who know show crazy I am about Accounting will attest to the fact that I can spend a whole day staring at balance sheet and comparing accounting records. Actually, one of my favorite activities at my aunts office, Garfield Dental, was to work on the forms for the insurance payments, aside from working at the front desk and doing other paperwork for the office. Indeed, numbers is the greatest passion of my life. It is the one other thing that, aside from my parents, taught me the value, patience, hard work, concentration, and discipline. Numbers was the one constant in my life that I could depend upon. Accounting problems are definite and therefore the outcome will always be the same. The solutions remain constantly unchanging. Accounting and Math are passions that are not easily shared with other people. Yet those that do share that kind of passion have a higher level of maturity and sense of discipline. Truly, these are the kinds of passions that the French philosopher Dennis Diderot was referring to when he said that â€Å" only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. † Such is my passion for Accounting and such also, is the passion for learning that I shall take with me once I am admitted as a student into USC.

Healthy Emotional Transition for Mothers, First Week Post-Partum Essay

Emotional is an important aspect of life. We experience joy, anger, and sadness in everyday life. When we do not tend to our emotion needs, psychological complications may occur (Burger & Goddard, 2010). According to health Canada (2009), 16% of women in Canada will experience major depression in the course of their lives. Women experience increased risk for psychological disorders in postpartum period (Raines, Campbell, &Hall, 2010). The most common psychological disorders are postpartum blues, postpartum depression (PPD), and postpartum psychosis (Raines, Campbell, &Hall, 2010). 75% of women experience postpartum blues, but the symptom is usually mild and can usually improve without professional help (Raines, Campbell, &Hall, 2010). A more serious condition is called postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a medical condition that affects about 10% of mothers (Raines, Campbell, &Hall, 2010). In this article, I will examine the postpartum depression in relation to the healthy emotional transition. This topic is important because the postpartum depression is more serious and can usually last for months (Raines, Campbell, &Hall, 2010), and because postpartum depression can usually be detected and prevented (Donaldson-Myles, 2011) (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011) (Garabedian et al. , 2011). The purpose of this paper is to provide the knowledge to prevent PPD. In order to meet the purpose of this paper, I will examine 3 articles that I have chosen from CINAHL and write critical review and relate the information from the article to my own nursing experience. Synthesis These articles offer great in-depth on how to prevent PPD. Wojcicki and Heyman (2011) have reviewed 10 articles and made conclusion that although more studies are needed, high dosage of omega-3 fatty acid can reduce the risk of PPD. Donaldson-Myles (2011) reviewed on the evidence of breastfeeding and PPD and has found a strong inverse link between the two. Garabedian et al. (2011) has found that women who are victim of violence in adulthood are more likely to suffer from PPD. These 3 articles have contributed to additional information on PPD to what is learned from the textbook. They provide insight on when PPD will likely happen and how to reduce the likelihood. Based on the information on these articles, prevention of PPD would be the top priority in my nursing practice. For example, although it is known from the class that 10% of women will suffer from PPD (Raines, Campbell, &Hall, 2010), it is further explained that women suffer multiple abuses should be expected to have higher risk of PPD (Garabedian et al. , 2011). In the future nursing practice, I will check for signs of injury and the mental state of the client as well as those of her partner’s to make sure that the client does not suffer from violence. I will include breastfeeding and high dosage of omega-3 fatty acid daily as part of my health teaching to reduce the risk of PPD (Donaldson-Myles, 2011) (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011). The questions that have emerged from this assignment are many. One question is that even though there are ways to reduce the risks of PPD, what is the sure way of preventing it? Another question is that Wojcicki & Heyman (2011) has found that high dosage of omega-3 fatty acid can reduce the risk of PPD, does taking too much omega-3 have any side effects? Thirdly, what should I do to reduce PPD if the client refuses to breastfeed? The first 4 weeks of this course has provided me with foundation of caring for postpartum mothers. I learned the basic cares and assessments for postpartum mothers. Those 3 literatures provide me with further knowledge of psychological aspect postpartum mother and made me look for signs of trouble. For example, Garabedian et al. (2011) has found that single mothers, smokers, and women of young age are more likely to experience violence, hence more likelihood of PPD. During my first week of practicum, the first mother that I examined was recently single, had to go out to smoke during my visit and was 26 years old. At that time, she looked perfectly fine and well composed and was reading her self-help book. I thought that she was going to be fine with her postpartum life. If I possessed this piece of knowledge back then, I would recognize her has high-risk for postpartum depression and offer her additional information on how to deal with psychological changes. During the week of my health teaching, I had the privilege of witnessing childbirth and caring for the mother and the child for the day. I used Watson’s caritas process 3, which is â€Å"developing and sustaining a helping trusting authentic caring relationship† (Jesse, 2010). From the moment I walked into the delivery room, I kept reminding myself that helping the patient was my first priority, and that anything that I could learn was just a bonus and should not interfere with the woman’s needs. Therefore, after I introduced myself, I used the technique of using silence and avoid looking at the woman’s exposed body parts because I thought it would create more tension for the woman (Burger & Goddard, 2010). I kept quiet till the family finally thought that I was trustworthy. During the teaching, I used Watson’s caritas process 7, which is â€Å"Engaging in genuine teaching-learning experience that attends to unity of being and meaning, attempting to stay within others’ frame of reference† (Jesse, 2010). Since the family looked very educated, I shared my observation on their knowledge to help communicate (Burger & Goddard, 2010). I used terms such as â€Å"you might already know this† to make myself less lecturing. My patient was very willing to listen to what I had to say because I was very helpful in their delivery and they knew that my teaching was an assignment for school. They asked me a few questions regarding to how to deal with postpartum blues and appeared genuinely interested in my presences. I thought my teaching was effective because firstly I was very nice and humble towards them. Secondly, I received feedback from them in term of questions (Burger & Goddard, 2010). Effective communication involves dialogues in both directions (Burger & Goddard, 2010). Conclusion Postpartum period is a difficult time for a woman (Evans, 2010). The body has to undergo physiological and psychological changes (Evans, 2010). Several factors influence the psychological changes. From my reading of the articles, it is learned that breastfeeding and high intake of omega-3 fatty acid reduces the risk of PPD (Donaldson-Myles, 2011) (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011), and that violence victim have higher risk of PPD (Garabedian et al. , 2011). As a nurse, one has to stay vigilant on client’s behavior, diet, and environment and reduce the likelihood of PPD by informing the patient the benefit of breastfeeding, the benefit of omega-3 fatty acid, and by assessing the patient’s living environment. Reviews The key points of this article is that women who breastfeed are less likely to suffer from postpartum depression notwithstanding the old researches proving otherwise and that breastfeeding provides protection that lasts up to 3 month (Donaldson-Myles, 2011).. The intended audiences of this article are midwives (Donaldson-Myles, 2011). The limitations of this study is the defining the postpartum depression and defining breastfeeding. In some of the study, some people are â€Å"mixed† feeding, which can confuse the result (Donaldson-Myles, 2011). There is also no clear, universally defined method on how to breastfeed in all the studies (Donaldson-Myles, 2011). The definition of postpartum depression is also unclear (Donaldson-Myles, 2011). Although most studies use the Edinburgh depression scale, some of the depression symptom may be just due to lack of sleep or religious factors (Donaldson-Myles, 2011). The cut-off point for depression is also not the same across all the studies, with some using the cut-off point of 13 for depression and some using 12 as cut-off point (Donaldson-Myles, 2011). This research is done in Britain (Donaldson-Myles, 2011). It applies to Canadian nursing because both countries share the same culture and customs. The implication of this article for nursing practice is that as nurses, we need to advocate on breastfeeding in our patient care. Since breastfeeding can offer protection from postpartum depression up to 3 month (Donaldson-Myles,2011), we need to make sure that the clients know the benefit of breastfeeding and make sure that they can breastfeed properly. The key points of this article are that taking high dose omega-3 fatty acid supplement reduce the risk for postpartum depression (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011) and that moderate amount shows no effect (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011) . The intended audience of the article is for the researchers who intend to do more research on the correlation omega-3 and postpartum health (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011). The limitation of this research is that it is a review of other journals. Thus the author does not have raw data from the research (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011). This research is done department of pediatrics, university of California, San Francisco, California, USA (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011). This research applies to Canadian content because of the proximity of two countries. One limitation of this research is that it is a review of other articles (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011). The author does not have the primary data from all the studies. Another limitation of this research is that the dosage of omega-3 fatty acid is not the same in all the studies. Some studies take 100mg daily, others take 500 mg daily and there are also recommendations for 2g/day (Wojcicki & Heyman 2011). The key points of this article is that women who are the victim of violence are more likely to self-report postpartum depression (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011) and that the more types of violence experience, the more likelihood of self-reported postpartum depression (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011), and that the likelihood of postpartum depression strongly correlates to the race, marital status, education, and the usage of drugs (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011). The intended audiences of the article are for the medical professionals who are screening depression for postpartum women. The limitation of this study is that this is composed of mostly online questionnaires (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011); therefore, false data can appear in the data collection. For example, postpartum blue can be mistaken as postpartum depression (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011). Secondly, this is survey has a difficult time distinguishing disciplinary action and child abuse (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011). For example, any hit from the guardian could be considered as child abuse in this survey (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011). This research is done in Kentucky, USA (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011). It applies to Canadian nursing practice because 5%-50% of women experience abuse in their lifetime (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011). The implication of this article for nursing practice is that as nurses, we need to check for evidence of abuse as part of nursing assessment. For example, suspicious bruises should be reported. Since violence is strongly correlated to postpartum depression, we need to make sure that the clients with history of abuse can get help in the postpartum period (Garabedian, Lain, Hansen, Garcia, Williams, & Crofford, 2011) .

A Woman To Her Lover Essay Example for Free

A Woman To Her Lover Essay ? Write a critical analysis of Christina Walsh’s poem ‘A Woman to Her Lover’. Compare and contrast the poem with others you have studied in the unit. Christina Walsh, a female poet, wrote the poem ‘A woman to her lover’ as a free verse. A free verse is a poem with an irregular stanza length, no rhyme scheme and no syllabus count. Writing it as a free verse reflects her point which is women is can change their attitude towards men. She broke all the rules of poetry, this shows that women do not have to be weak towards men, it does not have to be the same as tradition, the man does not have to control the women, they can have equal love. Stanza one in Christina Walsh’s poem suggests slavery. She uses the word ‘bond slave’, which means a slave that does something without saying anything. Christina Walsh uses an image of a war, ‘as conqueror to the vanquished’. As she is the defeated, then she is forced, which shows that they are enemies. She does not want to be possessed by any one, she refuses it, and ‘O Lover I refuse you!’ she also uses an exclamation mark that shows she is serious. Christina Walsh uses alliteration of the letter ‘b’ throughout the whole poem. This is called a labial plosive. ‘To bend†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, ‘bond slave†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘to bear’ are used in stanza one, this shows that she is angry and being very assertive. ‘To bear your children, wearing out my life’ uses caesura to balance the two ideas. She is saying that if she gives him children, it is equivalent to wearing out her life. She tells him ‘O lover’ right after the caesura that makes the phrase very strong. It is emphasized. Stanza two in Christina Walsh’s poem suggests a very different idea. It shows that she does not want to be treated as an angel that never does any mistakes or to be worshiped as a goddess, no one is perfect and neither is she. ‘Go! – I am no doll to dress and sit for feeble worship’, this shows that she thinks it is pathetic to treats someone like they are perfect and that they are just there to pleaseyou.Throughout the stanza, Christina Walsh uses alliteration in the letter ‘w’, ‘wed†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, ‘word and wish’, ‘wingless†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘worship†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This gives a soft sound that reflects how the man sees the women. She then uses the word ‘Go!’ to show that what she is saying is straightforward, which again shows that she is against being loved for her beauty and perfecti on. She then calls him a ‘fool’ and tells him again, ‘I  refuse you’. This shows that she is convinced with her point and the repetition shows that she I against both points she has mentioned. ‘Sonnet CXXX’ by William Shakespeare can be linked with the second stanza of Christina Walsh’s poem. They both agree about the same idea. They both suggest that women should not be loved for her beauty. At the beginning of the sonnet, the reader starts to feel that Shakespeare hates the women. He says ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun’, this shows that she is not good looking; she is not beautiful. However, he concludes that even though she is not beautiful he loves her more than any beautiful girl has ever beenloved.The poem is a sonnet. This means it contains fourteen lines made up of three quatrains and a rhyming couplet at the end. Only in Shakespeare’s sonnets, the rhyming couplets conclude his point. It is also written in iambic pentameter. Shakespeare is against the idea of tradition and courtly love; he is against the idea that the man describes the women as if she is the most beautiful women on earth. He says that his love to his mistress is ‘rare’ even though he does not describe her as beautiful. Describing her as beautiful would be ‘false compare’. The third stanza in ‘A Woman to Her Lover’ Christina Walsh is trying to show us that she will not be a sex object that satisfies her husband’s desires, and neither will any women of her time. She says ‘not for you the hand of any wakened woman of our time’. She uses the word ‘wakened’ to show that this concept is not for any woman, it is for any aware and educated woman that knows her rights. Christina Walsh repeats the word ‘Or’ in both stanza two and stanza three. This shows that she has a list of ideas that she will make her refuse a man. She also uses the word ‘creature’. This shows that if she accepts the face that a man wants to marry her tofu fill his desires then that is not any better than animals.   She says ‘women of our time’ to show that this way of a relationship is old-fashioned and no one will accept, as now it is not the same as the olddays.The poem ‘To his coy mistress’ shows a teenager that is trying to convince his girlfriend to have sex with him. The boy gives her a list of reasons why she should have sex with him now.   A Woman To Her Lover. (2016, Aug 28).

Literature review on work plac stress Lab Report

Literature review on work plac stress - Lab Report Example Being one of its pioneer teachers, she has developed a high quality preschool program that has gained recognition in the city. It has attracted several parents to enroll their children in school. Over the years, the preschool’s enrollees have multiplied, much to the satisfaction of the school owners. This rise in student enrollment has likewise raised the demand for more teachers and staff. The school owners and directress have entrusted Kelly with the role of training new teachers with the quality of teaching she is known for. She is likewise head of the Parent Involvement Program of the school. Her many duties at work, on top of preparing for her own preschool class and her homemaker role at home has been taking its toll on Kelly. For the past month, she has complained of recurrent migraines, stomach pains and general body malaise. Generally, stress is what one feels when the demands on his life exceed his ability to meet those demands. The stressor may be external, such as the death of someone close to the individual or a sudden change in activity level. Or, it may be an internal stressor such as an illness. In Kelly’s case, her stressors are: overload of work duties, work-life imbalance, her own personality traits and the personalities of the people she works with. The interplay of stressors and the consistent experience of high amounts in one’s life can often lead to burnout. The term â€Å"burnout† is a relatively new term, first coined in 1974 by Herbert Freudenberger, in his book, â€Å"Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement†. He originally defined ‘burnout’ as, â€Å"the extinction of motivation or incentive, especially where ones devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results.† (Scott, 2007) While burnout is not a recognized clinical psychiatric or psychological disorder, there are some similar features between burnout and diagnosable conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders or

Law and ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law and ethics - Essay Example The article discusses the regulations of 49 countries in order to determine how they affect equity issuance. The issue is very relevant as, according to Mahoney, there is a â€Å"promoter’s problem† occurs, when the sellers can’t provide guarantees that the equities they sell are reliable (Mahoney, 1995). Thus, the paper analyses the laws regulating the stock market propositions in each state and researches the connection between these rules and the ways stock markets use to increase profits. â€Å"We analyze the specific provisions in securities laws governing initial public offerings in each country, examine the relationship between these provisions and various measures of stock market development, and interpret the evidence in light of the available theories of securities laws† (LaPorta et al, 2004). Also the article provides the results interpretations made in accordance with corresponding theories of security regulation (LaPorta et al, 2004). First, t he authors represent three assumptions as for the influence the regulation may have on the stock market. The conclusions were strongly supported by hypotheses. The authors define three hypotheses: the first states that market regulation is not needed. This hypothesis is supported by Coase (1960) and Stigle (1964). These experts pay attention to the fact of information disclosure that is provoked by security regulation â€Å"Issuers of securities have an incentive to disclose all available information to obtain higher prices simply because failure to disclose would cause investors to assume the worst† (LaPorta et al, 2004). At the same time the next two hypotheses state that market needs regulation as the investors should be protected from cheating. Stock investments usually prescribes high expenses and if the investors are cheated, loses they bear are too serious. Thus, the government should issue special security laws in order to regulate the climate in the stock markets. â €Å"Both reputations and contract and tort law are insufficient to keep promoters from cheating investors because the payoff from cheating is too high and because private tort and contract litigation is too expensive and unpredictable to serve as a deterrent. To reduce the enforcement costs and opportunistic behavior, the government can introduce a securities law that specifies the contracting framework. The two alternative hypotheses differ in what kind of government intervention would be optimal within such a framework† (LaPorta et al, 2004). Therefore, the most important conclusion made by the authors of the article is that stock markets really can’t do without regulation as it makes much for their prosperity. Secondly, the results show that security regulation means much as it help conclude contracts instead of preventing people from concluding them. Precisely, it was revealed that many aspects of public administration do not play the important role. On the contrar y the regulation usually helps investors recuperate the expenses predominantly in the large markets. Thus, the conclusion was made that the larger the market is, the more thorough monitoring it demands (Barth, Caprio, and Levine, 2003). The authors also emphasize the importance of monitoring the disagreements that occur between the stockholders and investors. It is really essential for the market development. Special attention should be paid also to the change in regulation that would promote economic development and eliminate the gap between the states

Complacent Employee, Sharon B. Buchbinder Case Study

Complacent Employee, Sharon B. Buchbinder - Case Study Example He feels beleaguered with all the busy schedule and work load and believes that his work is loved by all teachers and students. He works for long hours and stays at school till late hours to attend to all the needs and requirements of the students in the school. He is dedicated to his work assisting troubled kids and at times their families. His office is often filled with kids that need to be psychological assistance and are troubled from problem arising from either at school or home. This case involves Miller, who is satisfied with is work being fired by the administration because it aims to cut down on its cut backs and budgets. It is during one of this session that he receives an unexpected visitor. The unexpected visitor was his Boss miss Harriet who rarely visited. It was the first time for her to come to Miller’s office. When, he saw her miller immediately suspected that something was amiss. Her visits to the elementary school were always brief as she only greeted and a t times grinned to people and left the premises shortly after. However in this occasion she had something, to share with Miller and, he suspected that it was something serious. According to Miller his job entailed counseling troubled kids and ensuring that they did not end up in any stupid act. For instance, the kid he was tending to shortly before Harriet arrived was threatening to kill herself by taking several pills (Buchbinder, 380). Although, Miller was a hard worker and concentrated fully on his main task of counseling he was wrong on ignoring other prescriptions of his work. The job entitled him to write reports to administration to illustrate his contribution to the school. However, he ignored this thus leading to the administration to conclude that he was doing nothing. Although he explains to his boss that he is industrious, and works for lengthy hours he was wrong to ignore writing of reports which was significant to the administration. By ignoring his duties, and assumin g the reports could wait was wrong. Bob also assumed that the reports meant for the superiors were unnecessary (Buchbinder, 379). This was detrimental to his career because part of the consequence would be him losing his job. Without those reports, this was because his superiors could not know whether he was performing his duties but assume that he was sitting at his desk doing nothing. The administration way of assessing its employees is ineffective. This is because no one supervises Bob or requests for the reports. This indicates the weakness of the school administration. It does not have a personal touch with it employees thus leading to the situation such as Bob’s. It is only ethical that when someone makes a mistake mostly in the working place, they should be warned at least once before firing them. It came as a shock to Bob when the news of his lay off was broken to him as he was not aware. Everything was done in a short notice that did not even prepare him psychologica lly. Bad news, such as a person losing a job is not something that should be done in a hurried manner, for they might cause serious repercussions (Sims, 1). The administration should have at least notified its employees of the planned layoffs. This was unfair to the employees such as Bob who are left jobless without an arranged plan B. Using a short notice to fire puts Bob in a peculiar position as he believes he has devoted his life to labor for the school; thus he deserves a decent treatment despite his flaws. It is also disheartening to discover that the administration has already lined up a replacement for Bob even before he has left. The administration has already hired the services of a part-time psychologist from Melville middle School to take Bob’s position (Buchbinder, 380). However, it is true that Bob’

Taxonomy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Taxonomy - Case Study Example The main objective of a car crash analysis is to use a car crash data to identify critical combinations of accident that may produce the greatest amount of harm during an automobile adventure. Analyzing faults of cars and trucks in a car-truck crashes can provide important information to be used during an automobile adventure by drivers. It concentrates on investigating who is at fault between a driver of a truck and a driver of a car. Most of these faults are done by careless drivers that engage on unsafe driving acts on the roadways. For instance, a fault of leaving a vehicle in the travel lane due to inattentive driving behavior may cause a severe and costly accident. The research shows that crashes of cars and trucks are more fatal and severe than any other type of vehicle crashes and can be characterized either by low frequency of occurrence with high severity such as head-on crashes or by high frequency of occurrence with low severity like rear-end crashes (U.S. Department of T ransportation, 1999). Finding out unsafe driving acts commonly experienced on roads, due to careless and inattentive drivers, is a noble undertaking of any person embarking on an automobile adventure to test out a car. This will enlighten on some of hazards or traffic hassles that one might run into on the streets before taking a race. By ranking, these unsafe driving acts would help other drivers taking an automobile drive in a great way to identify and avoid these careless and costly acts. Taking a safe automobile drive to test a car out on a highway will require a lot of discipline and caution. In this regard, ensure that your car is fitted with tools such as air bag and speed limit among others that are essential in reducing cases of injuries and death in case a road accident occurs. A driver needs to rest enough before driving, be alert and avoid alcohol or drug while driving. The headlights, signal lights, windows and

Critically analyse the relative merits of the Capital Asset Pricing Assignment

Critically analyse the relative merits of the Capital Asset Pricing Model and empirical approaches to Asset pricing (such as FAMA and French model) - Assignment Example The basic essence of the model is that it determines the amount of return that an investor is going to earn for putting their money at risk. It would be helpful to have a brief and basic idea about the concept of CAPM with the intention that the understanding of relative merits of it becomes easy. According to the model and ultimate derivation, it can be said that the return which an investor expects to earn by investing on a security or a portfolio is the rate on a risk-free security and a risk premium. The formula for this finding is written like: The basic concept behind the above model is that the investors are required to be compensated in two ways: risk and time value of money. The compensation for time value of money is represented by the risk-free rate which an investor earns by putting his money on investment over a period of time. The other part of the formula on the right hand side is a factor of risk and it determines the compensation the investors should get for taking an additional amount of risk. This amount is calculated by a risk measure (beta). There are certain implications of the model: According to Michailidis (2006), an examination of the emerging Greek Securities market was done based on the CAPM by considering weekly stock returns of 100 companies that were listed on the Athens Stock Exchange for the period 1998-2002. The findings of the test did not support the basic statement that higher risk (beta) means higher levels of return. However the model explains excess return and ultimately supports the linear structure of the CAPM equation (Michailidis & Et. Al., 2006). The model considers reality in explaining risk factor where it assumes only systematic risk associated with the investment options. The unsystematic risk can be removed since there are diversified options for investors and thus can be eliminated. CAPM derives a theoretical relationship between return and

Case study 9B Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study 9B - Assignment Example 1. The first word that attracts attention in the statement is â€Å"digging up†. The ways to â€Å"sig up† the information can be different and not always ethical. Also, persuasiveness of delivering the news the way it is put in the statement strikes the eye as well. The matter is that while some interpret the statement as it is, others may find implications there and use them for their own benefit and to the damage of others. Sometimes the desire to be persuasive while delivering information results in extensive appeal to reader’s emotions, which can lead to the distortion of the information perception. In this case, an aggregator may act as a watchdog over the information; however, this means that it performs tasks uncharacteristic of it, meaning it will act like a critic rather than content placer. 2. The main difference here is the fact that the Associated Press licenses the content and then sell it to the authorized parties, which means the work is paid for. The Huffington Post, in its turn, simply rewrites the content and buries links using quite an aggressive approach to news aggregation. 1. Despite the fact that today many people tend to speak about the ethical side of the problem, for example, the infringement of a copyright, for the long-standing cooperatives, such as the Associated Press, the issue is mostly of economic nature. The matter is that because of news aggregation, such cooperatives lose significant sums of money while aggregators, such as the Huffington Post or Google News, profit from the information other gathered at great cost. If the aggregators paid for content, that might eliminate the ethical side other problem; at the same time, other problems might appear, mostly those associated with the changed character of such projects. 2. News is everywhere and is free; in fact, no one owns the news. It is rather the medium is owned by certain companies. The media

April Reading and Questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

April Reading and Questions - Coursework Example Re-centering whiteness is a theme that is seen as normal way of doing things while on surface all people are regarded as equal. The third theme, masking whiteness protects their superiority. From these themes, it can be seen that there is need to interrogate whiteness in order to realise the problematic assumptions that help to re center or mask the aspect of whiteness. It can also be seen that the issue of whiteness is hidden and it portrays itself in a subtle way in different organizations. The invisibility of whiteness has to be investigated in order to enhance organizational effectiveness when managing diversity. This helps all the people to freely give their ideas without any prejudice. i. What has made me uncomfortable through reading this article is that we are made to believe that we are all equal on surface while in actual fact there is a certain race that is seen as superior. In many multinational organizations, senior management posts are held by whites but there are also other people from other races who are capable of performing the same task. ii. What I had not realised is that the issue of whiteness is significantly gaining prominence in the world of management. Measures are being taken in order to try to address this problematic issue which gives other people more privilege than others on the basis of race. iii. My question is related to the measures that can be taken in order to change the status quo. While the aspect of whiteness is acknowledged in different sectors of the society, it can be seen that the whites have a hidden unfavourable privilege over other races which may be difficult to challenge since it is entrenched in people’s lives such that they see it as normal. This article is closely related to different incidences that I encounter in my life in many occasions. There is so much talk about the issue of equality among different people but it can be seen that there is a hidden

High School Exit Examinations Essay Example for Free

High School Exit Examinations Essay In order to evaluate the educational ability of students Standardized Tests or examinations, have been designed, which do so in an unbiased manner, irrespective of social background and educational experience. One such test is the multiple-choice examination, wherein the students have to make a selection from a number of answers for a particular question and indicate their choice on a test form. Such tests are frequently given to students who study in elementary and secondary schools (Standardized Tests, 2006). These examinations benefitted students to a large extent, because they had to take just one set of examinations, in order to apply for admission to different schools. The College Board initiated the Scholastic Aptitude Test or the SAT in 1926. The SAT is a multiple choice test that was based on the psychological tests given to US Army recruits. The SAT, by the year 1940, was being widely employed by educational institutions in the US (Standardized Tests, 2006). Standardized tests are taken by elementary school and high school, and undergraduates and graduates. The majority of these tests are controlled by the Educational Testing Service or ETS and the American College Testing or ACT Program. The results of these tests help educational institutions to assess scholastic performance and to ascertain the suitability of a student for a particular undergraduate or graduate degree program (Standardized Tests, 2006). The Center on Education Policy or the CEP had made it mandatory for fifty two percent of the students studying in the public schools to take the high school exit examinations. However, the implementation of this policy became difficult as the CEP had realized that opposition from the public towards this compulsory high school exit examination had been on the increase. It was also decided that students who failed to obtain a pass mark in this examination would not be awarded the high school diploma. This decision to withhold high school diplomas to students who failed in the exit examination was greeted with a great deal of resistance (Darling-Hammond, Rustique-Forrester, Pecheone, 2005). The implementation of the exit examinations also caused a gradual reduction in the number of graduate students. This was evident in the Afro – American and Latino students, English language learners and students with disabilities. This reform would result in reduced incentives for students who had been striving to remain in school, a reduction in the curriculum and a disregard for higher order performance skills, because of the utilization of limited measures and irrelevant judgments regarding student learning (Darling-Hammond, Rustique-Forrester, Pecheone, 2005). The use of exit examinations varies from state to state. Some states have already implemented them, whereas other states have not implemented them. A majority of states have put forward several options and alternatives. So far only eight states have implemented the mandatory exit examination as a compulsory requirement, in which the student has to obtain a pass mark, in order to obtain a high school diploma. Further, this system does not take cognizance of the excellence of performance of the students and their academic record and is solely guided by whether the students have obtained a pass mark in the exit examination or not (Darling-Hammond, Rustique-Forrester, Pecheone, 2005). Most of the states have implemented multiple measures of performance in order to evaluate the student’s capability of learning. The student requires a pass mark in the state examination, which is used as an indicator for the student’s ability to obtain a state diploma. Moreover, the student is also required to obtain a pass mark in other alternatives that test the student by using a wide range of methods so as to establish their academic learning. In these states, there is not just a single test to disqualify students from graduation but there exist an array of indicators to determine the knowledge of the students (Darling-Hammond, Rustique-Forrester, Pecheone, 2005). In an important report relating to the implementation of the high school exit test in the state of Mississippi, sixty five recommendations had been proposed. Some of these are, it would be totally inappropriate to require students to obtain a pass mark in an examination that contained material that had not been taught to the students. Further, the exit examination should be based on a multiple choice system, which would test thinking skills. Moreover, the exit examination would be undesirable for the students of the state of Mississippi. In addition, the national – level exit examination would require a total restructuring of the curriculum of the district schools, which would create serious difficulties. Furthermore, measures that evaluate the student’s skills and performance should be segmented. Moreover, great care would have to be taken while implementing tests that evaluate the performance and skills of students (ED384990 – Issues To Consider in Moving beyond a Minimal Competency High School Graduation Test, 1995). The states of Arizona, California and Utah introduced high school exit examinations, in which high school students from the year 2006 have to obtain a pass mark, in order to be awarded a high school diploma. In most of the states of the Union that enforce such high school exit examinations, students are required to take it in the sophomore year. The level of these tests is of the tenth grade and students who are unable to obtain a pass mark are provided with a number of opportunities to again take this test. Sixteen of the twenty three states that have made these tests compulsory have directed the schools to provide remediation to students who fail to obtain a pass mark. Furthermore, in states that are introducing these examinations, financial help for such remediation has in most of the cases been provided by it (David, 21st June, 2006). In the state of New York students have taken these high school exit tests with a very high degree of success and have obtained a large number of diplomas. However, this has not proved to be applicable to students belonging to the minority communities. The Education Commissioner disclosed that eighty one percent of white students obtained their diplomas in due course, whereas the students of minority communities found the obtention of pass marks in English, mathematics, global history, geography, US history and science to be a daunting task. Consequently, only forty two percent of the Hispanic students, forty five percent of African American and sixty eight percent of Asian students obtained their diplomas within the stipulated time (Hoff, 23rd of March, 2005). A survey conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes has revealed the fact that fifty percent of the states of the Union have made it mandatory to obtain a pass mark in the exit test, in order to be eligible to obtain a high school diploma. However, very few states have implemented an alternative procedure for evaluating disabled students, which is of an equivalent standard in comparison to the test applied to regular students. This report goes on to state that the absence of tests for the disabled and regular students that are of equivalent rigor, gives rise to the impression that disabled students are not competent to undertake grade level work (Samuels, 4th of May, 2005). In the state of California, the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger passed a law that exempts disabled students from taking and obtaining a pass mark in the high school exit test. This new law states that if a student had been permitted to follow an individual education plan and if such a student had satisfied all other criteria for being awarded with a high school diploma and further if that student had received remediation for the exit test, then that student would be allowed to graduate, irrespective of having obtained a pass mark in the exit test. The objective of this law was to enable the state of California to provide better instructions for disabled students (Jacobson, 8th of Februray, 2006). In the state of Utah, even if students who do not obtain a pass mark in every portion of the high school exit test, they are awarded the high school diploma. However, such diplomas contain a statement that the student had not obtained a pass mark in the high school exit test. Several states of the Union are having second thoughts about continuing with such high school exit tests and at the same time a several students have proved to be unsuccessful in obtaining a pass mark in their graduation examinations. The law in the state of Utah has made it mandatory for high school students to obtain a pass mark in mathematics, reading and that part of the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test that comprises of tests on writing skills, in order to be awarded with a high school diploma (Olson, 25th January, 2006). In another study it was established that states of the Union, in which high school exit tests are in vogue, have a graduation rate and college entrance examination marks that are significantly lower than states that do not have such tests. In particular, students from states of the Union, that had made it mandatory to obtain a pass mark in the high school exit examination, fared worse than students from states of the Union that did not insist on such a condition, in the internationally acknowledged Scholastic Aptitude Test. Moreover, such students had a significantly lower rate of graduation (Viadero, 2nd of February, 2005). It has been opined by many people that high school exit examinations result in an increase in the number of students who discontinue their studies, before obtaining a high school diploma. The detractors of such exit examinations have very pertinently pointed out the fact that the already low graduation rates are being forced down to a much lower level. Many critics have stated that it would be patently unfair to deny a student who had completed thirteen years of schooling a high school diploma, merely because that student could not obtain a pass mark in the high school examination. Moreover, many persons consider such a denial of a high school diploma to be ruthlessly unjust, because such a diploma is essential for ensuring a bright future.

Recruitment and Selection in Effective Human Resources

Recruitment and Selection in Effective Human Resources The human resources are the most important assets of an organization. The success or failure of an organization is largely dependent on the caliber of the people working therein. Without positive and creative contributions from people, organizations cannot progress and prosper. In order to achieve the goals or the activities of an organization, therefore, they need to recruit people with requisite skills, qualifications and experience. While doing so, they have to keep the present as well as the future requirements of the organization in mind. Recruitment and selection, as a part of effective Human Resource Management is the key to achieving a competitive advantage for an organization. Nowadays, one of the most important concerns for all the business is that of people. The emphasis is on having the right people in the right place at the right time (Lanz, 1988). Seeking new employees is an essential element for each employer, not only in organisations where particular emphasis is placed on the companys human resources policy. Each employer wants to hire the most appropriate candidate for the job who not only has the right qualifications but whose personality will blend in well with the companys structure. The choice of the right people to form a team in organization is one of the most important factors leading to its success. Hence, to achieve this, a company has to pay a huge attention on the recruitment and selection process. Effective recruitment and selection procedures are vital in attracting and retaining high quality staff so every company should take them deeply into consideration. Moreover, human errors are much more expensive in comparison to such assets as land and capital, and often result in serious irreversible consequences. Here I need to add what are the goals of this dissertation I thinkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.and what Ive included in a first chapter, secondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION Definitions of recruitment and selection Conducting business activities and competition between companies in developing international markets show, that Human Resource Management is the source of permanent competitiveness in contemporary business. This domain is not a single, simplified function, but a group of plans, systems, tools, processes and services. Each of these elements provides huge possibilities for profit, provided that one can use effective solutions in exploiting them. As the field of Human Resource Management has strongly changed in recent years, organizations were obligated to become more dynamics and complex. John Storey (2001, p.6) says that It is human capability and commitment, which in the find analysis distinguish successful organization from the rest. This sentence is essential to understand the fundamental tensions and ambiguities associated with Human Resource Management. People are non-material assets of a company and due to their importance have a strategic function. For that reason, recruitment and selection process should be permanent implicated and developed in company structures. According to Pilbeam Corbridge (2006) recruitment and selection process is based on action between applicant and job, which is dependent on stating a need by an organization, using the most appropriate recruitment and selection techniques and on reviewing, evaluating and modifying the recruitment and selection system in the light of experience. Bratton Gold (2003) defined recruitment like a process of generating a pool of capable people to apply for employment to an organization. Furthermore recruitment is a process of attracting individuals on a timely basis, in sufficient numbers and with appropriate qualifications, developing their interest in an organization and encouraging them to apply for jobs within it (Mondy Noe, 1993; Crawford, 2004). During this process, efforts are made to inform the applicants fully about the selection criteria of the required competencies that will lead to effective performance, as well as career opportunities the organization can provide the employee. Whether or not a particular job vacancy will be filled by someone from within, or outside, the organization depends on the organizations human resource policies, the requirements of the job to be filled, the talent to be found and, often, the organizational politics surrounding the decision (Nankervis et al., 2002). Beardwell (1994, p.192) als o indicates that the process of recruitment has two important purposes. Firstly, recruitment should focus on both attraction and retention of the interest of applicants suitable for a given job. Secondly, it should create a positive image of the organization in the eyes of people who come in contact with it. Newell and Shackleton (2000, p.113) define recruitment as the process of attracting people who might make a contribution to the particular organization. The importance of the recruitment function is clear when one realizes that by hiring the most competent applicants the firms performance can be significantly enhanced. In the course of this stage, it is the employer who must encourage the best candidates to apply for a position in the company. Selection is the process of selecting candidates who have relevant qualifications to fill jobs in a company (Mathis, R., 1991, p. 209). For the employer it is a stage during which decisions are made on who is the most appropriate of all the job applicants. The key point of selection is how to make fair and relevant assessment, which indicates strengths and weaknesses of applicant (Boxall P., Purcell J., 2003, p.141). Conversely, the quotation by Townley (1999, p.97) defines the notion of selection in that (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) by definition, it involves a process of discrimination, and the opportunity for managers to emphasize employee acceptability or the good bloke syndrome, rather than suitability residing in task-based criteria. It is a much diversified process: it may be short and simply boil down to reviewing and closely reading job application documents, and hiring a person. Or it may be a longer process also including a job interview and other techniques aimed at finding the best people. Pilbeam Cordbridge (2006) assert that good recruitment and selection is important element of the HR strategy, its forecasting requirements and a key to getting the appropriate people to attain a business goals. Moreover, recruitment and selection is a necessary element of people resourcing strategy, due to communicated policies, procedures and practices can considerably play a part in effective organizational performance, (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) to good employee relations and to a positive public image (Pilbeam Corbridge, 2002). Both the activities are directed towards obtaining suitably qualified employees. Recruitment activities lay the groundwork for the selection process by providing the pool of applicants from whom the selectors may choose. Although, the two activities are closely connected, each requires a separate range of skills and expertise, and may in practice be fulfilled by different staff members. Recruitment and selection are the most important activities in an ongoing cir cle (shown in Fig.1.1) of an organisation as a whole. Figure 1. Recruitment and selection in an organization (Pilbeam Corbridge 2006, p.143) Inappropriate selection and recruitment decisions can have a range of undesirable consequences for the organization and the recruit, including: reduced organizational effectiveness, invalidate reward and development strategies, unfair for the person applying for job and higher rates of turnover. Recruitment and selection are one of the most fundamental elements of the strategy of human resources managing. A wise choice of employees plays a key role in the functioning of an organization. Framework: Recruitment Selection Recruitment and selection are works of the same system and they are so closely connected, although as Foot Hook (cited in Rayner Smith, 2005 p.121) suggest that each requires a separate range of skills and expertise, and each function may in practice be fulfilled by different staff members, or indeed the recruitment function, but not normally the selection decision, may be outsourced to an agency, so it makes sense to treat each function separately, but Pilbeam Corbridge (2006) note that they are not mutually exclusive functions. Hence is many approaches to recruitment and selection tend, however they distinguish that a system has inputs, which are the candidates, a processing unit, which consists of various methods and techniques and outputs, which are also effective employees or candidates, who go back to the labour market and are or eliminate by the recruiters or choose to exit from the process. As Figure 1.2 shows, the recruitment and selection process and techniques are influ enced by the external factors like legal framework, economic situation, social and demographic changes, competitor activity, labour market characteristics and has some sub-systems to it which are interdependent to each other, changes in one will effects the others and also the quality of output. According to Pilbeam Corbridge (2006) theory the systems approach gives an analytical skeleton and allow diffusion through the selection and recruitment sub systems, which are: attraction, reduction, selection and transition. Whereas Kochan Barocci model (cited in Beardwell, Holden Claydon, 2004) point out that organizations have life cycles, and that recruitment, selection and staffing policies vary according to an organizations perceived stage in the cycle. While Goold and Campbell conclude that human resource strategies depend on management profile, whether is it strategic planning, financial control or strategic control (ibid.). Furthermore Anderson and Shackleton (1998, p.15) notice that recruitment and selection as a system is (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) comprised of a series of inter-related components. Important observation about the maxim of chronological dependency, says that it can only be as accurate as decision made in early stage to pre-screen down number of applicants. They emphasize that assessment techniques should predict and also affect on the future performance of employee. It is important here, to say that Human Resource Planning (HRP) is connection between strategic business planning and strategic Human Resource Management. This connection is the most visible in the recruitment and selection of specific numbers of employees with particular abilities, which match to companys requirements. This view made by Paul Iles (2001, p.139) shows why employees, as the most valuable assets in company, should be align to strategic business plan. Nowadays is a lot of variations in recruitment and selection practices, reflecting an organizations strategy and philosophy towards the management of people. That is why many organizations developed frameworks, which allowed them approve a variety of selection and recruitment techniques in order to identify and confess the right people (Bratton, J. Gold, J., 2003, p. 223). Figure 2. The System Approach to recruitment and selection (Pilbeam Corbridge, 2002), p. 115. Process of recruitment and selection Recruiting is an extremely complicated process consisting of many phases. Before recruiting, the company needs to proceed with planning phase. Each organization thus must consider a number of important steps in the planning phase. Firstly it should forecast human resource needs, than specifies job requirements as well as identifies and uses appropriate recruitment channels (Beaumont, P., 1994, p. 57). When planning to recruit one should also include: discussions with clients to predict future hiring needs; maintenance of a contacts network (candidates, employees, competitors); development and maintenance of a strong employee referral program; investment in recruiter training and development; cooperation with management to ensure adequate budget (American Management Association International, Aug 2006, p.10). The command to start the recruitment process comes from senior managers and should be based on a review of the situation to determine that recruitment actually exists. It means, that it should be made recognition of the needs for new human resource. To minimize the risk of wasted money, job analysis should be well done. For the first, job description should be written very carefully. A job description makes it possible for the recruiter to outline what duties, responsibilities and the reason behind the vacancy i.e. expansion, member of staff retires, and the position within th e structure of the organization (Beardwell, I., 1994, p. 195). The first step in the development of a job description is to establish the purpose and general objectives of the post, and then to analyse the requirements of the job. This process is called job analysis, and is particularly important in circumstances where you are preparing a job description for a new or significantly changed post. Job analysis helps to clarify the duties, responsibilities and other job demands. It also helps to identify the skills, abilities and experiences that someone would need to possess to be able to perform satisfactorily in the role (UCD Staff Manual, August 2005, p. II). The process of writing a job description can be very time consuming, especially if company dont provide any system for job analysis. This involves other co-worker from department in context to collect essential information about business nature and actual duties. To accurately recruit candidates, the second part of job analysis personnel specification is required (Beardwell J., 1994, p.195). Person specification is amongst one of the important factor of recruitment and selection that comes after the job analysis and job description as it relates to the person doing the job. Job analysis is the first stage of the whole recruitment and selection process and everything else is built upon it. It aims at finding out what is involved in the job that is now vacant. The effects of a mistake at this point are likely ricochet throughout all subsequent stages whereas job description involves the task and the scope of the job. The person specification profile is the people characteristics required to do the job effectively. The fact that an employer draws up a person specification demonstrates an attempt to introduce some objectivity into what can otherwise be very subjective process. Rather than relying on personal judgements about the knowledge, skills and qualities the successful candidate should possess, the emp loyer with a person specification is following much more methodical and reasoned process. The person specification can be included with the information sent to the candidates to give them more detail about the requirements. It is a good practice to design and send to candidates a form showing each requirement and how it will get assessed (Foot Hook, 2005). Two well-established systems of person specification frameworks discussed by Beardwell and Claydon (2004, p. 205) are (Roger, 1952) seven-point plan and (Munro Fraser, 1954) similar five point plan, illustrated in Table.1.1 and 1.2. It is important to be as precise as possible about the skills, knowledge, qualifications and attributes that are required for the job and about the experience and personal characteristics that are needed. It is good practice to specify what is essential or the minimum required to perform the job, as well as what is desirable. It is also necessary to think about the context of the job and the wider org anisational requirements to specify any elements of person-organisation fit that are important. Munro Fraser (1954) Impact on others: physical make up, appearance, speech, and manner Acquired qualifications: education, vocational training, work experience Innate abilities: quickness of comprehension and aptitude for learning Motivation: individual goals, consistency and determination in following them up, success rate Adjustment: emotional stability, ability to stand up to stress and ability to get on with people Table 1. Person specification framework (ACAS cited in Beardwell Claydon, 2004). Rodger (1952) Physical make-up: health, appearance, bearing and speech Attainments: education, qualification, experience General Intelligence: Intellectual capacity Special Aptitudes mechanical, manual dexterity, facility in use of words and figures Disposition: acceptability, influence over others, steadiness, dependability, self-reliance Circumstances: any special demand of the job, such as ability to work unsocial hours, travel abroad Table 2. Person specification framework (ACAS cited in Beardwell Claydon, 2004). When the process of job analysis has been completed and clearly identified, the next step in recruitment process is to attract quantity of suitable applicants with desired features. Company should consider some factors, like companys budget, level of vacancy, time and selection technique in order to choose the right way in recruitment process. Larger companies generally have a larger budget and are more able to find the best candidates for the job. Effective use of recruitment tools depends on the available budget. This due to the fact that recruiting is expensive and the more selection techniques used the higher the cost to the company, but in doing this the company has a better chance of finding the best candidate. The cost of recruitment and selection is not the only cost the company has to include in its calculation searching new candidates. The other costs the organization should take into consideration are costs of training selected candidates to undertake contributing role to the organization as well as the costs of recruiting and selecting the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾wrong person (Cornelius, N., 1999, p. 29). Every company should adapt recruitment and selection costs to its policy, capabilities and vacancy and on this basis consider if to recruit internally or externally. Furthermore the level of vacancy is another one of the factors a company should consider before choosing a specific method of recruitment and selection. The decision making process is stipulated by individual needs of a company. In order to start the process of recruitment a company should have free vacancies. In fact, managers should decide if a free capacity either proves to be a job opportunity for a potential employee or whether there is an alternative option to resolve the situation. Hence, recruitment and selection processes should not be taken, when there is another opportunity, like reassigning the task to other employees or automated task, so than human resource are no longer required. We need to notice, that the higher level of vacancy provides more sophisticated methods of recruitment (Newell, S., Shackleton V. 2001, p. 25). Another concerning question a company should frankly answer is what kind of selection technique they need to apply, i.e. the one which may facilitate effective employment. A company should frankly answer the question concerning the kind of selection technique they may need to apply, i.e. the one which may facilitate effective employment. Bratton (2003, p.227) notes that appropriate selection technique should recognize the way in which people differ and must be extended to a prediction of performance in the workplace. The twenty-first century organization of work has lost a variety of available methods which give credibility to techniques that attempt to measure peoples attitudes and overall personality. The literature on the subject of organization differentiates between many selection techniques. The basic methods like application form or curriculum vitae are rudimentary to employment interviews. This phase of recruitment process is called pre-screening candidates, which will help t o reduce the numbers of unsuitable candidates and to apply more detailed methods of assessment. After pre-screening is time for candidate assessment. An extensive range of assessment methods is currently available to the recruiter like : biodata, assessment centre, work sample, references are very useful and reliable. Nevertheless the use of interviews is still the most popular selection method in the world. Branine (2008) founds interviews to be the main part of the selection process and that there had been awareness of the danger of subjectivity in the conduct of interviews. To avoid such danger, Gabb (1997, p. 64) argued that companies often prefer an interview panel of two or sequential interviews with different people. A recent comparative study of six countries found that the interview was one of the most popular selection methods. Despite, interviews being reported very often to be subjective and unreliable. It seems that the face-to-face contact with the applicant and the po ssibility of assessing the candidates social and communication skills are the main advantages of the interview, and hence the main reason for using it. While the trio of application form, interview and references is still popular, there have been further developments in incorporating those with the use of assessment centers which has been reported to be in the increase (Branine, M., 2008). Assessment centers are described by Pilbeam Corbridge (2006, p. 157) as useful in penetrating behaviors relating to interpersonal relationships, leadership, influencing ability, sociability, competitiveness, self-motivation, tolerance, persuasiveness, and decisiveness. Assessment centers have become popular venues for the selection of candidates, the identification of their potentials and the assessment of their training and development needs. The number of multinational companies from the USA has increased, more and more large companies are using a variety of tests ranging from ability to aptitude, personality and intelligence, especially those companies who receive a large number of applications and those needing more skilled employees. But as Marchington Wilkinson (cited in Beardwell, I., Holden, L. Claydon, T., 2004) quote none of the techniques, irrespective of how well they are designed and administered, is capable of producing perfect selection decisions that predict with c ertainty who is or who is not bound to be a good performer in a particular role. Figure 1.3 shows the accuracy of selection methods. According to Beardwell et al. (2004) the enlargement in using assessment centers and selection testing like a more accurate methods, can help to improve the effectiveness of the selection process. Though, assessment centers are believed to be the most influential selection method in organizations, but still the higher percentage of the firms considering interviews to be the most important selection method. However, doubts about accuracy push employers to approve the interview formats or supplement the interview with the other selection methods such as tests or work simulation (Beardwell et al., 2004). Data about accuracy of various types of selection techniques covers large differences within each technique. It needs to be considered in that point reliability and validity, but the detailed aspects of these two key criteria, which are already mentioned, are going to be explained in the following part of this dissertation. Table1.3 The predictive accuracy of selection methods Source: Anderson and Shackleton cited in Beardwell et al. (2004, p. 216)) Selection methods concept of validity reliability Reliability and validity, as statistical concepts, are very important for selection methods. Reliability is a link to the extent to which a selection technique achieves consistency in measuring. The statistical analysis normally provides a coefficient reliability. In summary of results, the higher will be coefficient (that is, the closer it is to 1.0) the more dependable the technique (Bratton J., 2003, p.235). Figure 3 shows the validity, estimated by meta analyses, of many selection methods. Good selection methods must meet four basic requirements: practicality, sensitivity, reliability and validity (Price, A., 2000, pp. 148-149). Practicality of the selection method means that it should meet the constraints of cost and time, whereas sensitivity focuses on distinguishing one candidate from another. Reliability of the method can be considered in three aspects: test-retest reliability the duration should not have an impact on the score when doing the same tests; inter-rater reliability the same scores should be given by different interviewers; internal consistency different questions measuring the same competence should give comparable results. Equally, validity has also three aspects: face validity tests are more acceptable when candidates find relevant questions; construct validity and predictive validity how well the suitability of candidates for the position is predicted (Price A., 2000, p. 149). It is possible to make a credible selection decision when the requir ed criteria are clearly marked out. If the criteria are not made clear it will be difficult to make an appropriate decision and will also be difficult to validate the selection process (Torrington, D., 2005, p.142). According to the study of Levy-Leboyer mentioned in the Cornelius book (1999, p. 39), the validity of many selection methods is debatable and that is why they should be used with care. As the high validity the following selection methods are thought: work sample, aptitude test, assessment centre and cognitive test. Medium validity has bio data, and the low validity: references, interviews, personality tests, whereas graphology and astrology do not have any validity (Cornelius N., 1999, pp. 39-40). Moreover validity studies carried out by Taylor (1998) and referred to by Armstrong (2006) found conventional interview methods to be questionable and suggested that alternative selection methods such as biographical data, assessment centres and work tests are more accurate methods of selection. While many studies in recent years have raised concern about selection and validity, the most widely used methods remain the classic trio application form, interview, and references (Taylor 2001). Early research showed that unstructured interview did not have high validity, so as to improve its validity interview should be more structured. It means that all applicants are asked the same questions and the same dimensions are used to assess applicants. Structured interviews should potentially increase the quality of decisions made (Newell, S., 2001, p. 33). However, according to Heffcutt Arthur (1994, pp. 184-190) improving the structure of interview does not increase validity. The question remains therefore, that if these methods are among the least valid, why are they still so popular? Armstrong (2006) suggests it is the comfort factor and that recognition needs to be given to the fact that both interviewers and interviewees like them and have grown to expect them. This is also known as mentioned before face validity. He also suggests that most interviewers / organisations may not be aware of what the research suggests. When compared with other selection methods, the classic trio is relatively low-cost and provides the opportunity to have a face to face meeting. In examining selection methods, Armstrong (2006) further suggests that too much innovation in selection methods may turn prospective candidates off. While some organisations may see this as a form of de-selection, the danger is that potentially high calibre and not just the less suitable candidates may be turned off by lengthier and more drawn out selection processes; even if they are more valid. However, Cornelius argues that using different methods of selection can increase the certainty of selecting the right applicant in a fair way (1999, p. 40) Figure 3 is based on Schmidt and Hunters (1998) review and shows the validity, estimated by meta analyses, of many selection methods. Source: Schmidt, F. L., Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research .Findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 262-274.

Impact of Inflation on Chinas Economy

Impact of Inflation on Chinas Economy Chinese inflation is rising too fast But its had another major side effect. The Chinese economy is fast overheating. All that extra liquidity is driving up prices and wages, while property values have soared. In October, the official figures showed Chinas cost of living climbing by 4.4% year-on-year. That was the fastest increase in more than two years. And the situation may be rather worse than this. Two weeks ago a pundit at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, one of the governments top think tanks, said that by its own calculations the countrys consumer price index had been understated by more than 7% over the past five years. And last week the original Dr Doom, Marc Faber, said he reckons the real Chinese inflation rate is nearer 10% a year. Whatever the exact figures, theres no doubt inflation is rising far too fast for comfort for the authorities. The Chinese central bank has been trying to cool things down gently. Five times this year its raised bank reserve requirements, which reduces the amount that lenders can lend. Yet the credit brakes are being tapped, not slammed, says the FT. The government could be more aggressive. In other words, so far the tightening hasnt had much of an impact. The workforce is getting far stroppier than it once was. Between 2007 and 2008 the latest available data labour disputes more than doubled. Food prices are already rising at 10% year-on-year. The Xinhua news agency reported last week that a basket of 18 staple vegetables cost 62% more during the first ten days of November than in the same period last year. So higher wage demands are likely to become more frequent as most of the population lives close to the edge, says the FT. In fact, its starting to look like Chinas inflation problem has now got rather out of hand. This article is talking about the inflation occurring in China and the costs that it has brought to China. This inflation has caused severe consequences to China and we will be discussing the possible solutions inflation  is a rise in the general  level of prices  of goods and services in an  economy  over a period of time. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the  purchasing power  of money a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy. A chief measure of price inflation is the  inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general  price index  (normally the  Consumer Price Index) over time. Costs of inflation in China: When inflation rates are high, groups such as pensioners, households, dependent on social security benefits, stand lose to a great deal since they are often on fixed incomes. These Chinese will now be able to purchase less than before (less purchasing power), and will start to demand for higher wages. Only those with strong bargaining positions will be able to bid up for higher wages. In addition, people will be able to buy less food items than before which is a major issue because food is one of the basic necessities in human life, as in the article it has shown the the prices of food increase 10% year-to-year. Inflation causes an increase in interest rates and will therefore have a negative effect on investment and output, both of which will adversely affect employment, as in the article we can see that labour disputes have been doubled Higher inflation means that the businesses in China will have to change their prices to keep up to date on the price level. Inflation affects the foreign trade and the exchange rate. Experiencing high rates of inflation, Chinas domestic products will be less competitive internationally. As the domestic products prices increase the demand for these products will fall and therefore the demand for Chinas currency will also fall, thus affecting the exchange rate. The cause of inflation in China: The cause of inflation in Chinas economy was expansionary monetary policies and rising wages. The inflation in China was caused by cost-push inflation. It means that the cost of firms increase, in this case it is higher wages, and the firms are forced to raise prices inorder to cover the costs. Cost-push inflation If the economy demands higher wages, the higher costs of labour will shift the SRAS curve to the left from SRAS1 to SRAS2. The price level rises from P1 to P2. Higher wages increase consumption and therefore increases aggregate demand from AD0 to AD1. The increased spending (and possible expansionary policies) move the economy towards equilibrium at Yfe but at a higher price level. We have now a round of cost-push inflation. Solution: In the article, it has shown that Chinas government is trying its best to avoid this issue but it has been said that it hasnt had much of an impact. One of the possible ways of reducing inflation is by subsidizing businesses. The government can give out subsidies to business so that the businesses can reduce their costs of production. This will then encourage the businesses to lower their prices and thus avoiding inflation. The problem here is that the government will suffer a huge loss if there are many businesses to subsidize. Another possible solution is by appreciating its currency. This is because if it appreciates its currency then firms will be able to buy cheaper raw materials and therefore will have lower costs of production. Thus reducing prices of goods. It can appreciate its currency by using its foreign currency reserves to buy its own currency and this will increase the demand for its currency. Even though this method will help businesses to reduce their prices, there are also negative consequences.

Meningitis In College Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"She thought it was just the flu. We all did. But she didn’t seem to be getting any better. Her parents made her go see a doctor, which was a good thing. It turns out she didn’t have the flu. It was something much worse. Something more dangerous, something more contagious, something life-threatening, something scary,† said my friend Ashley. I was on the phone with her talking about her roommate at Elizabethtown College. It turns out that her roommate, Jocelyn has been diagnosed with Meningitis. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meningitis is a dangerous infection that can cause the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord to swell. There are two types of Meningitis. The most common type of Meningitis is caused by a virus. Viral Meningitis is a mild form, and can be treated with very little treatment. Bacterial Meningitis, commonly referred to as Meningococcal Meningitis is more serious and can cause more serious effects including permanent damage to your nervous system, and in the most extreme cases, death. Outbreaks of Bacterial Meningitis are common in small communities, most often college campuses. ‘   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  College students are at especially high risk to contract Meningitis. Several reasons behind this are the fact that students are participating in the â€Å"college lifestyle.† Recent evidence indicated that college student residing on campus in dormitories or residence halls appear to be at higher risk for meningococcal meningitis than college student...

The Sociology Analysis of Food and Food Ways Essay -- Sociology, Comme

Sociology is the study of society and people. Food and food ways are often elements associated with particular societies and therefore, studying such a topic can offer valuable insight into the ways of that society and the people who live in it. Although eating is a vital part of survival, with whom, how and where we eat are not. Studying such ways can illustrate and represent the identity of a person or group. The nature of people and their beliefs can be indicated when analysing their food habits. Who individuals eat with is a particularly revealing factor into gaining an understanding of their identity, culture and society (Scholliers P 2001). For this reason commensality is a term frequently used in sociological research concerning food and food ways. Commensality can be defined as the notion of eating with others. It is the act of two or more people consuming a meal together (Pearsall J 1999). The purpose of commensality is much more than that of allowing survival. It pushes beyond this and becomes a practice of socialisation. Anthropologist Martin Sahlins suggested that not only does it provide opportunities for people to integrate socially, but that it can be the starting factor and maintaining factor in which enables relationships to form and develop. For example, he found that at the beginning of relationship formation commensality tends to involve the sharing of drinks and snacks. As relationships develop the meals become more complex. He claimed that the traditional cooked dinner of meats and vegetables is one mainly shared among families and rarely with friends (Lupton 1996). This suggests that commensality is often used as an expression of closeness and the extent of such closeness can be discovered by looking at ... ...ldhood in Food, the Body and the Self by SAGE publications in London, England Mail Online NEWS (2010) Eating dinner at the table is 'dying out', says survey [online] available assessed 13/02/2012 Pearsall J (1999) The Concise Oxford Dictionary Tenth Edition page 286 by Oxford University Press in Oxford New York, America Scholliers P (2001) Meals, Food Narratives and Sentiments of Belonging in Past and Present and Chapter Two Commensality and Social Morphology: An Essay of Typology Claude Grignon in Food, Drink and Identity Cooking, Eating and Drinking in Europe since the middle Ages by Berg in New York, America Tapper T and Palfreyman D (2010) The Collegial Tradition in Higher Education in The Collegial Tradition in the Age of Mass Higher Education by Springer in United Kingdom

National Debt :: Argumentative Economics Economy Papers

National Debt I agree with what was said above. The debt although large will never need to be paid off. Cutting off social services in the government is not and will not solve the problem it will only prolong it. The social government shutdown that went in effect at 12:00a.m. monday night does not solve a thing. It only cuts what some people desperately need to servive. True this will save our government some money, but not near enough to erase the debt. Mr. Clinton came into office wanting to make health care affordable for all. Mrs. Clinton made a name for herself trying to get her health care plans passed. Now they turn around and pull this shutdown. I realize the shutdown is not all his falt, but he is the President and he should get negotiations moving in a positive direction. Our government needs to start comprimising both sides of the proposals. Democratic and Republican ideas need to be combined in order to get something passed that will work. If the governme! nt is so concerned with the national debt then they need to work something out instead of just dragging the problem out with the parshall gov't shutdown. My proposal to some of the national debt is to start selling some of the items in our stock houses. I once saw 60 minutes do a piece on the stock houses. It amazed me on how many items we have in surplus. You see, the gov't buys articles off of businesses when they need them during a war time production. After the war is over though, the gov't continues to purchase the same amount of goods even though we don't need them. This allows the business who sells the product to keep their head above water and profit a little which in turn allows the workers to have more money and purchase more goods. This is nice of our gov't to do this, but the surplus items should be used or sold to Americas

Freak the Mighty and “Ability” Extended Response Essay

Believing in one’s self is common, and it thrives throughout the novel, Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick, and the poem, â€Å"Ability,† by Selina E. Matis. There are several lines in the poem, â€Å"Ability,† that relate to the novel, Freak the Mighty. For example, one of the lines in the poem was, â€Å"Ability is to look at a blank page, and create a poem.† An example from Freak the Mighty that relates to that line is that Max didn’t know how to write, even when Freak gave him the empty book. However, in the end, Max ended up writing a whole book. Another line from the poem was, â€Å"For many, ability is never found, but for all, ability is within.† The way this line relates to, Freak the Mighty, is that Max was able to read and write all along, he just had to take a chance and try, and also, not be lazy. One more line from the poem, â€Å"Ability,† is, â€Å"Ability is to stare into the eyes of fear, and come out stronger because of it.† The way that this line relates to, Freak the Mighty, is that when Max’s father, Killer Kane, was choking him, Max fought back. This also shows that, â€Å"what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.† As one can see, throughout the novel, Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick, and the poem, â€Å"Ability,† by Selina E. Matis, they both had many similarities. Both the novel and the poem showed believing in yourself.

Emerging Trends in Csr in India

Emerging Trends in CSR in India Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR as is popularly known is a system of gauging an organization’s bearing on society and weighing their responsibilities. CSR is not just about getting involved in some charitable practices or having ecological responsibility and a recycling policy. It is about the whole representation of the company which is to be considered, from internal practices to their clients, taking in every stride that a business takes during its usual operations.It is a continuous commitment that companies should have towards the economic, social and environmental development of the community in which they operate. Several companies have now enthusiastically taken up to the cause of CSR in countries with rising economies such as India. Corporate social responsibility is sustainable, which involves companies to take up activities without having negative impact on their business.In India several companies have started realizing that i t is a sensible move to take up CSR activities and integrate it with their business process. Corporations are becoming increasingly aware of their role towards the society. They are responsible bodies that feel a sense of duty towards the common welfare and the environment. This comes with a growing realization that they, as an integral part of this society themselves, can contribute to its upliftment and empower of the entire country in turn.Thus Companies now are setting up specific departments and teams that develop policies, strategies and goals which are for their CSR programs and allocate separate budgets to support them. These programs are based on well-defined social beliefs or are carefully aligned with the companies’ business domain. In the modern era, the new generation of corporate leaders considers optimization of profits as the key, rather than the maximization of profit.Hence there is a shift of paradigm from accountability to shareholders to accountability to stakeholders. The focus has been on initiatives that are people-centric with active community participation at all levels. Moreover, the corporations themselves have moved away from the charitable initiatives like giving financial grants or sponsorships to providing products and services in a manner that would make a real difference in the target communities.Companies today are aiming a host of programs and schemes in several areas like education, healthcare, rural development, environment protection, protection of artistic and cultural heritage and disaster management that are modified to meet the specific needs of the target group and for the successful implementation of these schemes corporations devote not only financial resources but expertise, manpower, products and services. Corporate Social Responsibility is increasingly becoming an important aspect of corporate behavior and thus imperative to the business.There are several reasons attributed to this, one being that the pote ntial partners wants to work with companies that are sustainable and has a clean and good image in the society. Employees too want to work for a company that’s making a difference, prospective employees look to CSR reports and other information to get a sense of the corporate culture. Thus the corporations which are private initiatives are becoming more like public institutions whose survival depends on the consumers who buy their products and shareholders who invest in their stocks.A concern for social and environmental development should be made a part of every corporate entity through its inclusion in the annual agenda backed by strong and genuine programs. Thus corporate contribution to the society, environment and business when guided by enlightened self-interest leads to improvement of the quality of life for all. Also effective corporate responsibility requires a good level of commitment from the entire organization and especially the top management who can ensure that not only CSR is practiced in their organizations but is also practiced well.

Buying a House in Today’s Economy Essay

The economy can make or break many decisions and on buying a house is a major one to make sure that the economy is in a good state that buying a house is not the right decision. When it comes to the marginal benefit the economy should be at an increase because purchasing the house is not anything that needs to be done but it is something that one wants to do and if the economy is bad then there is not any money available to make the extra purchase of buying a home at that time. Marginal ost in purchasing a house can affect economy by the simple fact of saving money here and there on some things in order to make sure that that they have money available to buy the house. The selling of the products they might have bought will decrease the economies profits. The removal of tax deduction on the mortgage interest affects the housing market because it will cause people to not be buying houses because some see the tax as a cushion for them to be able to get a house that they may not have had a chance to et based on their income. If they do not have a feeling of safety in purchasing a home they will not take the chance. The ways that government spends money on other things and the taxes make a decision a bit harder because a person Just wants to make sure that buying the house will not result in not having any money to do anything else. If the government ends up spending money on things not needed then there will not be enough money in banks and other finance resources that can help a person purchase a home.

Labour Day Essay

The short essay, â€Å"Labour Day Is a Dreaded Bell in the Schoolyard of the Mind† by Harry Bruce is about his memories of Labour Day over many years of his life. He talked about how Labour Day was like foreshadowing the coming of school, which he hated. Harry described Labour Day as if it were the ‘last meal’ one would take before the inevitable electric chair. Not only was Labour Day bad for foreshadowing the coming of school, it comes with a good-bye to days on the beach, bonfires and all the good things that one enjoys during summer. He clearly shows how Labour Day is a bad day for children, but he also shows the grown-up side of things. His friend drove over one thousand three hundred kilometres to see him, then quickly had to drive back home to go to his job. He talks about how Labour Day makes you grow up in a sense, because instead of focusing on fun childish events to do on the weekend, you have to prepare to get back to your careers. Honestly, to me Labour Day did not really have that much meaning to me growing up. It was just another holiday near the end of summer that in a sense signified the coming of school just as Harry said. I never understood why people took it so seriously. Of course the first thing that pops to my mind about Labour Day is the, ‘Don’t wear white after Labour Day’ rule, but I always neglected it. It also signifies a lot in my household. My parents are typically more left wing on the political spectrum so I remember growing up, going to the parade or protest if you will, and celebrating all the achievements of the workers. It also meant that i was closer to seeing some of my friends that I hadn’t seen for two months. Showing them how much I’ve grown, since I was typically the short kid in the class and grew many inches over the course of summer, where I went, what I did, that kind of stuff. That’s pretty much all that it meant to me, just another holiday where my parents dragged me out to watch a parade and one that signified the coming of the new school year. What people forget is that Labour Day is a holiday; it’s a chance to get together with family and just sit down, have a barbeque, and relax together. It might signify upcoming doom with the likes of school for children or going back to careers for adults, but nonetheless it still is a chance to just take an extra day off. What I learned is that everybody neglects that fact and sees it only with pessimism. Harry taught me to ‘live life in the moment’ if you will, as according to him as you age, Labour Day just gets worse. For me Labour Day wasn’t so bad growing up because I never really acknowledged it but who knows, maybe in the upcoming years I’ll learn to hate it just like Harry Bruce.

Measured Building Survey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Measured Building Survey - Essay Example It comments on the current state of all parts of the structure. These parts of the building are physically inspected but limited to the scope of services offered by the building surveyor. Major defects survey is also referred to as main elements survey. For this type of survey, focus is on the main parts of the structure. Inspection and report concentrate on selected areas like roofs, floors, ceilings and windows. The home buyer report survey is standardized, covering main aspects of the structure but not detailed. It is restricted only to accessible parts of the structure. Specific survey narrows down the scope of survey to particular parts of a property depending on the owner’s knowledge (Douglas, and Noy, 2011 P.8). In most cases, building survey is advocated for buildings that lack documentation or they cannot be used. However, it assists in developing reliable and an accurate document and or a verification of an existing document. This makes building survey an essential a ctivity in the planning process as well as providing detailed information for further planning activities. The methods of survey used are: field sketch, dimensioned sketch, tape and offset survey or extended baseline survey and plane table and alidade survey. The best survey is achieved through a combination of these three methods (Scotland’s Rural Past, 2005, p.6). Sketches, plans and accurate geometric data together with information gathered from survey are combined and structured properly. These parameters are used to derive an actual design and planning process. The first step towards building survey is taking of measurements on site by use of conventional equipment like measuring stick or optical distance meters. Sophisticated surveying techniques like tachometry, laser scanner and photogrammetry are used (.Douglas, and Noy 2011, p.34). The next steps involve combining the measurements to produce details, sections and elevation of the property that are derived from plan. According to RICS (2007, p.30), any residential property is defined by linear measurement but not from floor area. Measurements are taken from a point not greater than 1.5 meters above the floor and skirting board. Recesses, bays and the like are excluded in the measurements taken. The room area should include kitchen units, cupboards and the like although it must be identified separately. When taking garage measurements, the span between main walls faces internally are of importance. Risk Assessment Some of the factors to consider in risk assessment are: Critical areas of concern in relation to residential property. Considerations from building codes and seismic zones. How to get information in relation to resources, skills and ability to investigate what you are not familiar with. Commitment to the task of checking and confirming details in the design. From the plan, elevations and sections developed from survey, the form, dimensions, orientation, natural lighting, ventilation an d spatial organizations of occupants assist in redesigning a new property. Issues required in designing of a house and their relevance as well as recommendations is considered. This is what is called risk assessment that aims at construction of safer homes. The main risks for property are; fire, harsh environment, floods, cyclones and earthquakes. The main services are drainage, gas, electricity and water. The