Yoko Ono Behind the Controversies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Yoko Ono Behind the Controversies - Essay Example The essay "Yoko Ono Behind the Controversies" explores art and activities of Yoko Ono. She is a celebrated image but she is also one of the most hated personalities because of her relationship with the famous Beatle singer, John Lennon. Yoko Ono was born in Japan to Eisuke and Isoko, a wealthy couple who owned banks in the country. Known to have given up his love for music, Ono’s father encouraged her and hoped that she will become the performer he always wanted to be. Eventually, Ono grew up to become not only as a musician but a visual artist as well. Critiques say she is a fake because she does not really have artistic elements in her work. Rather, her works are often abstract and whitish. Still, she had quite a quiet but successful career earlier in her life. Her artworks are said to have succeeded due to the influence and help of her second husband, Anthony Cox, a musician with whom she had a daughter. However, their relationship did not do so well and it ended in separat ion which eventually separated Ono with her daughter as well. On her own, Yoko Ono portayed herself as a radical artist with her presentation â€Å"Cut Piece† in Japan and Carnegie Hall in New York, respectively. She claims she did this in her anger to what was happening around the world and she acted on her beliefs about piece through her expression of art, the â€Å"Cut Piece†. This is the reason why she is also known to be an advocate of world peace. Most of her artworks directly speak to her audiences about being at peace with each other.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Summary - Essay Example ed by introducing the definition of risk, which means the threat of damage to environmental resources, human health, and or the occurrence of a particular hazard. The process of estimating the environmental resources or human health affected adversely under hazardous conditions is called risk assessment. Risk assessments are made every day; therefore, we have to understand why risk assessment is important to life cycle assessments. To consider the raw materials we have to use and make them into products, and consider the energy and emission, and the pollution factors when we think about life cycle analysis, As a result, doing a life cycle analysis to decide whether to reduce the energy, or to reduce the number of raw materials, or to reduce potential pollution comes from the point of an environmental view. And another way is compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a produce system throughout its life cycle analysis.   There are two types of risks: natural and man-made. CO2, SO4, CH4, O3 are natural risk types. Man-made risks, such as oil spills into water resources, waste plant disposal into environment, coal electricity generate plant emits the CO2 into air, artificial chemical ingredients added into food, pesticide for agricultural process, and chemical component in products, such as, Bisphenol A is a chemicals added in the production of polycarbonate plastics, such as water, food container. Bisphenol A accounts for the majority of human exposure. First, Bisphenol A is widespeard, which has potentially adverse effects on human health. There has been tests already done by CDC which found out that detectable levels of Bisphenol A in 935 of 2571 urine samples from a sensitive subpopulation of children 6 years and older. This is especially bad because Bisphenol A can leach into food through human daily diet, and long term use can effect newborns. Also many studies suggest that children are more sen sitive to

Choosing to become a teacher

Choosing to become a teacher Throughout the years, I began to explore my own world-view and thus started to relate my awareness to daily educational practices. The dynamic shift towards becoming a knowledge society requires new trends in the educational process so pupils will be aligned with these new developments. Therefore as a prosperous teacher, I have to help pupils become capable of adapting and using complex modern technologies and adapt theory in everyday life. The Twin Towers destruction also made an impact on my life since I became more aware of the lack of values some people around us embrace. As a result, I am determined to be a dedicated teacher who not just teach content but also demonstrates values and educate pupils. Since I have the obligation to practise what I preach I need to treat all students with respect, dignity and tolerance. Furthermore I propose to make inclusion possible and provide equal opportunities for all pupils irrespective of gender, religion or race by providing them with diff erent resources, language and assessment. 21% of the Maltese children are experiencing some form of poverty was a striking statement which got me thinking about how this situation is going to affect the learning outcomes of the pupils. This situation shows me that I need to be a successful diagnostician of the students family and social background rather than just of abilities and prior knowledge, in order to plan learning experiences which allow students to learn and develop at their own pace. I plan to endorse child-centred learning and provide open and responsive learning environments so that I will be able to recognize students as individuals, as pointed out in Deweys theory of Education. Keeping in mind the knowledge-driven society, I intend to focus on the longer-term goals of training students for life and thus equipping them with twenty-first century skills for understanding, applying and creating knowledge. These goals can be reached by a number of pedagogies which are life -skills oriented and life-long capable. My Christian catholic faith is also foundational to my worldview and has shaped all aspects of who I am. I feel that my beliefs and goals play a central role in the learning process as these cause the change in teachers practices. As a future teacher, I feel that I should develop self-understanding and self-awareness in order to mould the future of the pupils. Through teaching, I would be able to transfer my love for learning into a love for teaching. I want to be a teacher to inspire learning while at the same time i will be a learner myself. I decided to opt for a teaching career in order to be a positive influence on the students and bring out the best in every one of them. Furthermore I intend to make teaching and learning fun and enjoyable for myself and the puils, while at the same time implement effective learning strategies. For me, teaching is not all about facts and content, but getting students to understand concepts which are applicable to everyday life. I believe that a teacher should be a facilitator in the classroom and provide scaffolding for pupils to move from what the y know to the unknown, through their preferred learning styles and discovery learning. I view teaching as a process of encouraging students to make connections between the real world experiences and the subject being studied, in order for them to keep engaged and motivated. Since early childhood, I always felt inclined towards teaching since I used to play this role for long hours, using dolls as students. I also used to correct my own copybooks and was always willing to help my neighbours children when they had any difficulty in doing their homework. Being the older sister, I forced many times my sisters to play school and teach them new things such as playing basketball or cooking. Therefore the Bachelor of Education course was not an unfamiliar territory for me to join in. Furthermore, seeing my working-class parents stuck for long hours doing tiring and complex jobs was another motivation for me to pursue my career in education in order to help others improve their future wellbeing as well as their families. Being a regular volunteer at a local childrens group also shows the love I have for working with children since it gives me the power to make a difference in the childrens life in order to be better citizens. Apart from this, even my summer job requires tutoring since it entails me to teach English to foreign students and crafts to little children. By being around children and adolescents daily, I will remain knowledgeable about current trends and ideas, therefore it breaks the age gap barrier. I also enjoy the autonomy in the classroom where I can be creative and self-directed each day. Therefore I feel that there is no profession which fits me more than teaching. During my Secondary school years, I was taught by a wide range of teachers, some of which were very inspiring role models whilst others did not want to relate with us due to several barriers they built up. Previous experiences as a pupil were mostly pleasant where I managed to build good student-teacher relationship since I always used to abide by what the teachers instruct me to do. Despite this fact, there were some other teachers whom for them we were only a number. I clearly remember a particular English teacher who used to make us copy notes from the whiteboard during the entire lesson so that we could read them at home. I remember the threats this teacher used to exert power on us, which was an intended strategy for her class management. I recall being called names by her and mocking us in front of others when one of us got a wrong answer or was not paying attention. The fear and inferiority I used to experience during these English lessons were unbearable. Now that I look back , I definitely do not want to be like this teacher and provide a threatening environment for the pupils to learn it. My resolve for becoming a teacher strengthened when I encountered several poor teachers who mostly were ill mannered with the students. Therefore this triggered me the idea that I can do better than these teachers without getting the students bored or irritated. I have chosen to become a teacher since I am a product of some very powerful role models who portrayed themselves well in the classrooms. From my past school years, I still treasure memories of good teachers who were an inspiration when I came to choose my career since they were more of friends rather than teachers. Apart from knowledge, they communicated a number of values such as respect, responsibility and perseverance which helped us, students, develop holistically. One particular teacher who inspired me was a Home-Economics teacher who was very patient with students and never gave up on us. Because of her, I learnt to have confidence in myself and my skills since on many occasions I put my newly acquired skills to practise in the safe environment she created. She inspired me to become a teacher through her hard work and determination to help me succeed. I hope to follow after her example and allow time for the students to develop, same as she did to me. Another important person in my life is Marthese, my classmate from early years, who is a slow learner. By helping her in doing tasks and understanding content, she sealed the deal for me and my future plans since she inspired me to become a teacher in order to help others. Furthermore my parents and other relatives also talked me into the idea of teaching due to my caring attitude and my love for sharing knowledge. Since in Malta, teaching is referred to as a feminine profession, I ingrained myself more in this caring vocation. Without these peoples inspiration, I never would have decided to become a teacher. In my home environment, I managed to find the most excellent teacher who is my mother. She inspires me to be the best at anything I choose to be and aids me to achieve my goals and dreams. I was brought up in a family who not only shared knowledge together. The fact that we got involved in each others lives gives me a good overview on how important it is for the students to make them feel welcome and at ease in a classroom setting. Also, I am nurtured in an environment where lifelong learning is given a lot of importance which makes me aware of the positive influence of supportive adult relationships in the academic success of the students. This home setting helped me in staying motivated and positive and to daily face the challenges education may provide. The school context I was accustomed to as a student was based on supportive relationship with the teachers who provided us with clear and consistent behavioural and academic expectations. There were a number of factors within the s chool context which sustained my positive academic self-perception. These factors included a sense of belonging and caring, meaningful and challenging educational environments and high quality pedagogy and support. As a result, my love for school continued to develop since I never perceived school and education from a negative point of view. The original choice and the subsequent perseverance through training depend mostly on the inner motivating factors including the life-lasting outlook of drives, dreams and duties. Since I want to make an impact on the whole well-being of the individual to contribute to his/her quality of life, I think being a teacher is the ideal job.

ARCO arena :: essays research papers

Even though the friendly confines of ARCO Arena hasn't equated into NBA championships (yet) for the Sacramento Kings, ARCO stands as one of the toughest - if not the toughest - places to play in the entire league. The Kings sported a 36-5 home mark in 2003, the best home record in the NBA. All five losses came at the hands of eventual playoff teams, including two of them against the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. The Kings record in ARCO over the last three seasons is an amazing 104-19, another NBA best. The Pistons are 75-48 over that same span at the Palace at Auburn Hills, a full 29 games worse. ARCO Arena was built on 105 acres of undeveloped land just outside the Sacramento city limits. The arena cost 40 million dollars to build, and none of the cost came by way of taxpayer money. ARCO was built primalrily for basketball, so all 17, 317 seats have great sight lines for watching a game. The outside of the building is in no way what someone would call attractive. Basically, it is a tan square in the middle of nowhere. However, it dosen't seem that the repulsive outside looks of ARCO affect Kings fans from coming to the games. Every Kings' game has sold out since ARCO was opened in 1988. What really makes ARCO the best venue in the NBA is the Sacramento fans. The combination of the stadium seating having a "right on top of the court" feel along with ARCO dubbed as the loudest stadium in the NBA causes havoc for visiting teams. Just ask the Lakers. As fans enter ARCO, they see many television screens showing the Kings' in-house pre-game show. The Kings are one of very few teams with that perk. The convenience dosen't end when the game is over, either. ARCO has over 12,000 spaces in close proximity to the arena, and the waiting time to leave the lot is always kept to a minimum. The Palace at Auburn Hills seats 4,000 more fans than ARCO, yet has two-thirds the parking. Combine that with two different interstates that weave around the Palace, and you have a parking nightmare. Another thing that makes ARCO a better arena is having better comfort in the fact that you won't be attacked by a hobo on the way to the car. Criminals in Detroit and Los Angeles probably make six figures annually by ruthlessley mugging some 12-year-old of his only 14 dollars that he made by opening a lemonade stand.

Managing People & Performance Essay

This assignment seeks to holistically analyse the critical â€Å"people issues† which impact the effective performance of a Maltese sea passenger and vehicle service company, namely Gozo Channel Company Limited. The main area of concern has been highlighted to be emanating through lack of strategic approach within Gozo Channel’s HRM, more so there is no alignment between the company’s business strategy and HR strategy. Throughout, this document will seek new recommendations through various business methodologies on how to overcome the barriers and issues which are affecting people’s performance. The first part of this document explains what are the reasons which ultimately affect the performance of Gozo Channel’s employees and review of both the external and internal context are explored, thus identifying what the critical issues are. Part two of this document sets out the action plan of what is required to overcome such barriers and using different models acquired and researched from the Managing People and Performance module, a detailed plan is set up to tackle each and every area effecting the performance of employees. The elective pathway throughout this assignment is focused on High Performing Teams and one major factor being proposed with justification is motivation. The conclusive reflection concentrates on achieving a sense of â€Å"evolution† not a sense of â€Å"revolution† within Gozo Channel, in terms of a sound recruitment strategy, training and development. 1.INTRODUCTION Gozo Channel Company Limited is a government entity which for over thirty years has been providing sea ferry-transport for both vehicles and passengers between the island of Gozo and the main island of Malta. Although it operates the life-link between the two islands in a monopolistic environment, meaning without direct competition, in 2004 the government had to issue a call for a Public Service Obligation , according to the European Union transportation law, which basically â€Å"†¦is an arrangement in which a governing body or other authority offers an auction for subsidies, permit the winning company a monopoly to operate a specified service of public transport for a specified period of time for the given subsidy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wikipedia, 2009) 1.1.THE IMPACT OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE OBLIGATION ON GOZO CHANNEL’S HR OBJECTIVES Initially in 2004, the transport authority awarded a 6 year PSO contract to GC on the basis of its provisions, resources and standards (fleet, human resources, experience and infrastructure). At that time the company was awarded an annual subsidy of approximately â‚ ¬ 4 million. This â€Å"subsidy† as well as the revenue generated along with the various cost cutting exercises, resulted in recurrent annual profits, which in effect meant that the company seemed to be on the right track. In 2010 though, the PSO contract attracted a host of companies and consortiums, all of whom were all eyeing the Malta – Gozo sea-ferry transport service. This situation was seen as a major threat and created an aura of uncertainty among company employees, causing all sorts of speculation. It was the first time that the company had to compete for its â€Å"bread and butter† and speculative pressures forced GC in submitting an annual offer of approximately â‚ ¬ 800k to ensure continuity. This drastic decrease in subsidy requires a holistic review in GC’s business strategy but more importantly the HR strategy has to be properly aligned to meet its objectives. 1.2.MY ROLE WITHIN THE COMPANY As Human Resources and ICT Manager, analysing both the external and internal context of GC is vital to ensure the correct review of its current processes, policies and human resource capital. My role is to ensure that the HR strategy is parallel with the company’s business strategy and more importantly ensure that all employees are nurtured, motivated and trained to support such strategy, thus ensuring that GC move forward in one strategic direction. 2.CRITICAL ISSUE 2.1.INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FACTORS OF THE CRITICAL ISSUE Being a government entity the company has to deal with multiple socio-political pressures, especially in light that GC offers a life-link for the island of Gozo. In a nutshell the island of Gozo depends on GC and to a certain extent one can argue that without a permanent link, GC is practically the road which ensures intra-connectivity between the two islands. Having said that and in light of the new financial realities which the company is facing as mentioned in paragraph 1.1, I have to evaluate both the external and internal context to better understand the forces sustaining the critical issue. 2.1.1.EXTERNAL POLITICAL FACTORS GC’s board of directors are all political appointees and their strategy and vision is determined by the government in administration. Bearing in mind that each administration normally enjoys a term of 5 years, the business strategy varies every time which in essence deters continuity. 2.1.2.INTERNAL POLITICAL FACTORS Moreover the majority of GC’s employees have been politically â€Å"hand-picked†, meaning they were not employed on the basis of skill and/or merit but on merely nepotism. These two factors form an integral part of the company’s critical issue and though they are based on different levels of the company’s structural hierarchy, the source is the same i.e. Political. 2.1.3.EXTERNAL ECONOMIC FACTORS GC currently has 214 employees, of which approximately 80% reside on the island of Gozo and since its inception GC has been always regarded as a leading employer, providing the ever needed employment boost to Gozitans . According to the latest statistical data gathered from the National Statistics Office (May 2013); Gozo has a rate of 10.6% of the overall registered unemployed and with limited employment opportunities in Gozo, many Gozitans seek employment alternatives in Malta. Being a government entity also means that the trade unions have their fair share of influence on the external economic context in terms of collective bargaining and legislation, such as Family Friendly Measures , COLA etc. 2.1.4.INTERNAL CULTURAL FACTOR One of Malta’s leading trade unions, namely Union Haddiema Maghqudin enjoys the 50+1% of the GC’s employee membership; thus is currently the main recognised trade union representing the employees in three sections namely, Seaborne Officers, General Staff and Line Managers. GC together with UHM negotiates collective agreements which stipulate policies, procedural systems and regulate grades and pay structures. This stringent and rigid systematic approach intertwined with a unionised culture, with a strong â€Å"job for life† mentality spreading from top to bottom, restricts the change management concept of the company. This is further attested through the low employee turnover within GC, which is practically zero and only attributable to natural wastage . 2.1.5.TECHNOLOGY FACTOR Today’s market offers an array of Human Resources Management Systems which are systems and processes that intersect HRM and Information Technology. Although GC has invested in HRMS comprising of the following two packages; payroll, time and attendance, there is lack of a proper Human Resources package that allows ease of access for performance appraisals, benefits administration, recruiting and learning management, performance records, scheduling, absence management and analytics. 2.2.HUMAN RESOURCES FUNCTION WITHIN GOZO CHANNEL Coupled with the main factors mentioned above, GC’s HR has a specialist approach leaning towards a â€Å"Personnel† role rather than that of the more dynamic and strategic role of HRM . Guest (1987) identifies the differences between Personnel and HRM as shown in Table 1 below. PersonnelHRM Time and planningShort-term, reactive ad hoc marginalLong-term, proactive, strategic, integrated Psychological contract ComplianceCommitment Control SystemsExternalSelf-control Employee RelationsPluralist, collective, low trustUnitarist, individual, high trust Structures and systemsBureaucratic/mechanistic, centralised, formalOrganic, devolved, flexible RolesSpecialist/professionalLargely integrated into line management Evaluation criteriaCost minimisationMaximum utilisation (human asset accounting) Table 1 – The differences between personnel and human resource management The traits listed by Guest (1987) under Personnel, are parallel to GC’s HR functions and the drawbacks are further highlighted in Gratton and Truss (2003) three-dimensional people strategy model whereby GC’s position is weak both in the vertical and horizontal alignment. Figure 1 – Gratton & Truss (2003): The three-dimensional people strategy The HR department has no influence on GC’s strategy and the functions are merely day-to-day administrative matters relating to staff driven by rigid procedures which have little discernible relationship with today’s realities; hence the alignment in the â€Å"mere tactics speak† position in the Gratton & Truss (2003) three-dimensional people strategy model as depicted figure 1. 2.3.MANAGEMENT AND COMPANY STRUCTURE This lack of strategic approach is further compounded by the fact that GC has no Chief Executive. Furthermore there is lack of leadership throughout the management team and people management seems to be focused on the HR department only, rather than integrated throughout the entire management structure. 2.3.1.STRUCTURE The company is currently driven by 4 department heads namely, Operations, Commercial, Human Resources and Finance, and although the structure is flat and ideal, there is lack of cohesion between them and each department is individually driven towards its own goals. 2.3.2.MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY Sumantra Goshal (2004) refers to the downfall of Enron and explains how Andrew Fatsow’s (former Chief Finance Officer of Enron) â€Å"†¦designed Enron’s management system around a firm faith that employees pursued only their own self-interest†¦Ã¢â‚¬  quoting Fatsow’s philosophy that â€Å"You must allow people to eat what they hunt†¦only then will they hunt well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Although the context of Enron is not related to GC’s context, it does show that when you ignore the company’s goals and pursue individualistic targets; the results lead to disastrous consequences. 2.3.3.PEOPLE MANAGEMENT Lack of leadership and people management is down to the fact that Line Managers tend to shirk such responsibility, but more so the main factor is lack of ability, hence the staffing issue mentioned in paragraph 2.1.2. 2.4.POLICIES & PROCEDURES GC has an SMS manual containing specific management procedures ranging from safety and environmental policies to people management policies. This manual is inclined to seaborne staff and the systems and procedures are rhetoric and â€Å"institutional† rather than practical. This goes to show that there is lack of communication between GC’s management and critical feedback, which is brought up during internal audits, management reviews, accident reports, etc., is not discussed and analysed correctly. Therefore the planning and implementation process of the ISM cycle is not maintained which eventually is why we are faced with such a situation whereby procedures are not in tune with the current requirements and realities. 2.5.TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT GC has no appraisal and evaluation system in place apart from stringent procedures for seaborne personnel, in line with the required standards of the maritime legislation. Therefore there is no manpower flow and no training strategy, albeit the occasional course organised ad hoc or as required. 2.6.COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS The downward process is non-existent and as highlighted management has no focal point in which all downward processes are channelled through. This is also coupled by the fact that lateral communication between management is also obscured by inter-personal conflicts. These conflicts are down to various reasons, such as lack of motivation, internal politics, greed, and selfishness, but the main factor is that management has no cohesion and everyone works within his own â€Å"castle† rather than in teams – a scenario where no one seems to share information. 3.ACTION AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Having analysed the critical issue in the first part of this document, the tasks ahead have been clearly defined. I have set out a plan to change the mind-set of the current HRM system. This plan tackles 4 critical areas which are highlighted further on in section 3. The table below illustrates GC’s action plan showing the timescales for the implementation of each critical area. Critical IssueTime Frame PlanImplementationReview 3.1 – HRM StrategyBeginning of 1st QuarterEnd of 1st QuarterYearly 3.2 – HR Function and People ManagementBeginning of 2nd QuarterEnd of 2nd QuarterContinuous 3.3 – Enhancing the Performance of Human CapitalBeginning of 2nd QuarterEnd of 2nd QuarterContinuous 3.4 – Measuring & Validating The PerformanceBeginning of 2nd QuarterPeriodically as required Table 2 – GC’s Action Plan 3.1.HRM STRATEGY TYPE It is noticeable that GC’s HR strategy is not aligned with its Business strategy not to mention that the latter is in essence unclear due to the volatile state of the political implications as mentioned in section 2. Thus initially, the first action is to identify a clear vision to implement organisational goals. The â€Å"Line of Sight† model adapted from Higgs, in Rees & McBain (2004) ensures that GC’s business strategy is aligned with its people management policies and practices. On the basis of the issues mentioned in section 2, GC requires three types of HR strategies as defined by Higgs,M (2004); cost strategy, capability strategy and commitment strategy. Figure 2 – The line of sight model 3.1.1.COST STRATEGY As a result of the new PSO, GC has to ensure that part of the business and HR strategy has to focus on high revenue generation with the least possible level of man power cost. 3.1.2.CAPABILITY STRATEGY Parallel to this, GC has to also be strategically aligned to ensure that employees are nurtured, trained and motivated to cater for future capability demands. 3.1.3.COMMITMENT STRATEGY Together with the cost and capability strategies the company must also ensure that employees are committed towards the company’s strategy and goals. 3.2.HR FUNCTION AND PEOPLE MANAGEMENT Implementing the above three strategies requires changing the mind-set of the HR function from a specialist role to a strategic role. It is essential that all Heads of Department, Line Managers and Masters are fully responsible for people management and share this responsibility. This way a greater emphasis will be put on these roles to become the implementers of the HR policies and thus it is imperative to also improve communication between departments through shared responsibility and better knowledge of what is happening. Furthermore this gives an opportunity for all involved to be accountable for any actions taken, thus taking ownership of their problems, bring them closer to employees by helping them better understand the pressures they are facing, gives them a sense of empowerment and helps them to improve as managers by understanding better the processes and their position within GC. In order to implement this change in the management’s work ethic, it is essential that all those involved in managing people undergo training in the EIRA legislation, leadership skills and more importantly making them aware of GC’s policies, regulations and processes. 3.3.ENHANCING THE PERFORMANCE OF HUMAN CAPITAL Gratton & Ghosal (2003) define human capital as â€Å"†¦an umbrella term comprising the intellectual, emotional and social capital of individuals and organisations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  GC’s bottom line employees lack motivation, drive and in some cases ability which in hindsight is attributable to the fact of a futile recruitment system mired further by political intrusion. Effectively GC’s HRM should aim at developing its human capital and at the same time enhance their performance to a high level of output. â€Å"The Bath people and performance† model by Purcell et al (2003) is the perfect model to adapt in order to achieve High Performance from employees. Utilising the best abilities and skills of each employee as well as motivating them through various incentives such as pay incentives, promotions & training and also by giving employees an opportunity to participate through feedback will aptly help motivate staff. Moreover it is essential that employees are managed, encouraged, respected and trusted. On the basis of this model GC’s HRM has to take a pro-active approach from the entry level of each individual and form a process based on a risk-based approach to examine historical events and future plans. The guidelines for such action should be based on cycle as shown below in figure 4. This way each individual employee will be monitored in an effective way and trained according to his/her competence needs, therefore training is vital for humans, to develop ability, to perform procedures, to operate systems. Figure 3 – The Bath people and performance model Figure 4 – GC’s HRM Guide for Action for Human Capital 3.3.1.EFFECTIVE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION It is essential that GC has a proper recruitment and selection policy in place which works independently and â€Å"politically free† from external or internal interference. Jackson and Schuler (2000) define the terms â€Å"recruitment† and â€Å"selection† as â€Å"†¦Recruitment involves searching and obtaining qualified job candidates in such numbers that the organisation can select the most appropriate person to fill its need†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"†¦Selection is the process of obtaining and using information about job applicants in order to determine who should be hired for long-or short-term position†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thus the selection board has to be fully knowledgeable and must have a clear path of the tasks, abilities and qualifications required for the relevant job so as to ensure that the right person/s has been selected. The model shown in figure 5 adapted from Briscoe (1995) identifies all the stages required to have an effective recruitment & selection policy in place. For starters, GC’s HR has to â€Å"asses the need for the job† through effective planning tools. A model which aptly covers such area is â€Å"The process of Human Resource Planning† by Armstrong (2006) shown in figure 6 below. This model identifies four key stages; business strategic plan, resourcing strategy, demand or supply forecasting and human resources plans, which in effect knits the action and implementation plan of this document leading to the four critical issues of HR resourcing, retention, flexibility and productivity. Figure 5 – Recruitment and selection process adapted from Briscoe (1995) Figure 6 – The process of human resource planning 3.3.2.TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Mabey and Salaman (1995) effectively links both the Business and HR Strategy to Training and Development arguing that â€Å"†¦unless attention is paid to all six dimensions shown in the figure, then the quality of training and development will be impaired and their business impact will be flawed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In essence this is another vital step to ensure that the HR strategy is aligned with the Business strategy thus developing human capital to attain high performance. The performance evaluation process of employees is not intended to castigate people but should effectively help the development process. Therefore effective appraisals and psychometric tests coupled by constant monitoring, would greatly assist the HR department in understanding individual training needs and requirements, as well as keeping in line with the company’s strategic training and development plan. A clear example of the lack of strategic human resource planning within GC is experienced in the marine engineering section. 3.3.2.1.MARINE ENGINEERS Malta currently lacks human resources in the marine engineering sector, which has been in decline over a number of years mainly through lack of interest from students to pursue such a career. This was further tarnished by the fact that the maritime authority failed to endorse the Higher National Diploma in Marine Engineering course and thus the few students who had applied for such course were forced to change career direction. Whereas currently GC’s position has been as a mere spectator over such issue, this calls for a more pro-active approach by highlighting such awareness with the authorities concerned and by ensuring that the maritime authority and MCAST provide endorsed courses, opportunities for sea time to students and more importantly courses are sustained. Moreover GC has to be directly involved in promoting the marine engineering career in schools and career expos, thus investing in the future of human capital – becoming an employer of choice. Figure 7 – Mabey and Salaman strategic training and development model 3.3.3.PERFORMANCE MANGEMENT AND REWARD SYSTEMS GC has to adopt a more business based approach to HRM and should include reward systems. Armstrong (2000) describes performance management as a â€Å"cycle† as shown in figure 8 below. It defines a clear plan of how to manage performance in four stages; plan, act, monitor and review. The monitor and review stages are intertwined with the training and development performance evaluation process. This cycle starts by planning and agreeing a set of targets with an employee, whereby it is fundamental to maintain the performance agreement realistically and it should include â€Å"team-based† bonus elements rather than a high level of â€Å"individual† performance to avoid having a â€Å"silo mentality† Higgs, in Rees & McBain (2004). Figure 8 – The phases of performance management The model below shown in figure 9 below, further explains Armstrong’s performance management system. Figure 9 – Phases of a performance management system 3.3.4.EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION A key element in achieving high morale of employees, job satisfaction, low absenteeism, enhanced productivity and high performance is down to motivation. Maslow (1954) identified a hierarchy of needs as shown in figure 10 below; which ranges from physiological needs, safety, love, esteem and self actualisation. Figure 10 – Maslow’s Pyramid Porter et al (2003) link these needs to general rewards and organisational factors as shown below in table 3. This table more importantly identifies the organisational factors for each level of Maslow’s pyramid. Although Maslow’s theory defines satisfaction as the main contributor to motivation it does not guarantee high work performance. This theory though does form an integral part to attain a motivated work force and further facilitates to understand better what factors are effecting individual employees. This theory therefore has helped me clearly define another important issue which effects performance management within GC – equity and fairness. 3.3.4.1.ENSURING EQUITY AND FAIRNESS Having the characteristics of a government entity, lack of motivation within GC is commonly effected through lack of equity between staff; in other words employees tend to become de-motivated when they feel that they are not rewarded for their work, efforts or perhaps even for the reason that they are rewarded on the same level as others who work far less than them. Adams (1965) Equity Theory tries to find the correct balance between the â€Å"inputs† and â€Å"outputs† of an employee. In other terms it defines the â€Å"fair balance† to ensure high performance as well as content and motivated employees. According to this theory Adams (1965) identifies what are the typical â€Å"inputs† and â€Å"outputs† of each individual and thus helping to identify the balance or imbalance which currently exist in GC. Such â€Å"inputs† include; effort, loyalty, hard work, commitment, skill, ability, adaptability, flexibility, tolerance, determination, enthusiasm, trusts in superiors, support of colleagues, and personal sacrifice while the â€Å"outputs† are mainly; financial rewards (such as salary, benefits, perks), recognition, reputation, responsibility, sense of achievement, praise, stimulus, sense of advancement/growth, and job security. A similar theory but has a greater impetus on motivational impact is the Herzberg et al (1959) Two-factor Theory. Frederick Herzberg identifies two factors which he calls â€Å"Hygiene† (factors of dissatisfaction) and â€Å"Motivation† (factors of satisfaction) and claims that unless you eliminate the employee’s dissatisfaction/s and moreover help him overcome such dissatisfaction/s; you can never motivate the employee. Although this theory could transmit effective motivation on an individual context, it could backfire unless â€Å"Hygiene† factors are tackled fairly, with equity and consistently. For example if an employee is dissatisfied on the basis of working as a Mooring Man , one can assume that by changing his grade; motivation will be achieved. Overall though such decision could create an aura of unrest between groups of staff who would view such judgment as unfair and thus pretend similar treatment in their regard, notwithstanding the fact that collective agreements would not allow such practise and in reality high performing teams can never be achieved through such methods. 3.4.MEASURING & VALIDATING THE PERFORMANCE Parallel to implementing the above recommendations, GC’s HR must ensure that management systems are in place to validate and measure the performance of such recommendations. 3.4.1.BALANCE SCORECARD In order to maintain constant focus to ensure that GC’s business activities are aligned to its vision and strategy, an ideal strategic system is the Balance Scorecard Kaplan R S and Norton D P (1992). This model will assist GC’s management to asses the performance of the organisation while also helps identify what should be measured. Kaplan and Norton describe the balance scorecard as â€Å"†¦The balanced scorecard retains traditional financial measures. But financial measures tell the story of past events, an adequate story for industrial age companies for which investments in long-term capabilities and customer relationships were not critical for success. These financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The balance scorecard is also an idealistic strategic tool for GC since the company has an important role as mentioned earlier, therefore the vision and strategy should be intertwined with the four core areas, namely Financial, Internal Business, Innovation & Learning, and Customer.    3.4.2.KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS The Balance Scorecard Kaplan R S and Norton D P (1992) will also enable GC’s HRM to develop its KPI. For example absenteeism can be strategically measured to evaluate to what extent this problem is within GC. In hindsight anything can be measured through KPI and GC’s management has to be intrinsically focused on measuring performance on the basis of directional, financial, qualitative, and quantitative characteristics. 3.4.3.MANAGEMENT REVIEWS GC’s management must review, analyse and discuss the performance of each department to ensure that policies and procedures are effective and not defective towards the performance of the company. The review process is intended to highlight any deficiencies which had been spotted either through KPI, incident reports, customer feedback and employee feedback. Moreover processes may be amended to incorporate new legislation and perhaps to evaluate whether the company has adequate resources. A clear example within GC is the new STCW 2010 legislation amendments which will effect GC from two different angles, namely human resource competencies in terms of certification and adequate resources to provide proper hours of rest periods to employees. 4.HIGH PERFORMING TEAM (ELECTIVE PATHWAY) In today’s ever demanding world of technological advancements and competition every company has to ensure that each individual employee must be motivated and managed appropriately to achieve a high output of performance. As clearly defined in section 3 of this assignment the following characteristics are vital to reach a level of having high performing teams within GC. The key characteristics to achieve high performing teams are: participative leadership by involving and engaging employees, effective decision-making, open and clear communication thus ensuring that employees use effective communication methods and channels, valued diversity in terms of valuing the different experiences and backgrounds in teams which contribute to a diversity of viewpoints thus leading to better decision making and solutions, mutual trust, managing conflict by dealing with conflict openly and transparently and not allowing grudges to build up and destroy team morale, clear goals developed by SMART criteria, defined roles and responsibilities, team building events to promote bonds between employees, and a positive atmosphere with an open culture which is focused on future goals. 5.REFLECTION This assignment and module has effectively allowed me to understand better what the critical issue is. It allowed me to recognise the negative effects of having a non-strategically HRM system coupled by external and internal political interference, which in essence renders the company’s strategic vision as a volatile state of mishmash. The â€Å"empowerment† given to me through this assignment to write down specific grievances which I have personally experienced through my current role as Human Resources and ICT Manager has enabled me to dig deep within GC. For starters my appreciation of the â€Å"human element† within GC has helped me explain why motivation through fairness and equity is vital in order to achieve a high performing team, something which is currently lacking due to the political cloud hovering over GC. Moreover it is essential that there is a strategy of â€Å"evolution† and not a strategy of â€Å"revolution† with GC. The positive effects that a proper recruitment system yields helps achieve results but through this module I realised the importance of training and development which are vital to augment the knowledge and competencies of GC’s human capital, helping themb to work towards achieving GC’s goals and objectives while at the same time safeguarding GC’s future planning. Overall the importance of aligning GC’s HRM to its business strategy is critical to achieve the correct synergy to implement all the processes mentioned in section 3 of this assignment. Consequently the action plan mentioned in section 3 has to be strictly adhered to, in order to change GC’s direction which is slowly destroying its â€Å"livelihood† as well as the â€Å"livelihood† of its employees. This statement further motivates me to push for the changes required by becoming a catalyst of this change in management strategy and as a result achieve the goals required to overcome any risks which eventually will effect GC employees and the Island of Gozo. 6.REFERENCES Armstrong, M (2000) Performance Management: Key Strategies and Practical Guidelines. Kogan Page cited in Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes Adams (1965) Equity Theory: Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes, pp96 and further cited: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_96.htm Briscoe, D.R (1995) International Human Resources Management. Prentice Hall Guest, D.E. (1987) Human resource management and industrial relations, Journal of Management Studies 24(5), pp. 503-521 Gratton, L & Truss, C (2003) The three-dimensional people strategy: putting human resources strategies into action. Academy of Management Executive, 17(3), pp. 74-86 Gratton, L & Ghoshal, S (2003) Managing personal human capital: new ethos for the ‘volunteer employee’. European Management Journal, 21(1), pp. 1-10 Ghoshal, S (2004), People Management, 12 February 2004, p.23 Higgs, M (2004) Future trends in HR. In: R McBain & D Rees (eds) People Management: Challenges and Opportunities. Palgrave Macmillan, Chapter 2 Herzberg et al (1959) Two-Factor Theory: Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes, pp93 and further cited: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_74.htm Jackson, S.E & Schuler, R.S (2000) Managing Human Resources: a Partnership Perspective. Cincinnati: South-Western College Publishing Kaplan, R.S and Norton, D.P (1992) â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard: measures that drive performance†, Harvard Business Review Jan – Feb pp. 71–80 Kaplan, R.S and Norton, D.P (1996) â€Å"Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System,† Harvard Business Review (January-February 1996): pp. 76 Labour Force Survey 2013 Q1 http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3627 Mabey, C., and Salaman, G (1995) Strategic Training and Development Model: cited in Henley Business School, Blackboard Learn, MPP Module & Key Resources Maslow, A (1954) Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper Row: cited in Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes, p92 NSO Register Unemployed http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3631 Porter, LW, Bigley, GA & Steers, RM (2003) Motivation and Work Behaviour, 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin: cited in Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes, p93 PSO definition – Wikipedia 2009 cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_service_obligation Purcell, J, Kinnie, N, Hutchinson, S, Rayton, B & Swart, J (2003) Understanding the People and Performance Link: Unlocking the Black Box. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

The Two Books, Coined by the Theologians

The Two Books Module 3 The Two Books, Coined By The Theologians Gloria J. Farmer HTH-505-0101: Systematic Theology I Instructor: Professor Peter Conlin March 19, 2013 The Two Books – Page 1 God’s objective for self-revelation is that mankind comes to know Him better. From the beginning of creation, God’s plan â€Å"was to create a people among whom he could dwell and with whom he could be in relationship† (Hill & Walton, 2009, p. 23). Mankind has no excuse for not knowing God and establishing a relationship with Him because â€Å"everyone naturally has a general idea that there is a God† (McGrath, 2011, p. 5), based upon His eternal power and divine nature. His glory is declared in the heavens, the work of His hands is proclaimed in the skies, (Psalm 19; Romans 1:20) and â€Å"the order, intricacy, and wonder of creation speak to the existence of a powerful and glorious Creator† (Got Questions, 2013). Moreover, â€Å"people everywhere posses s general knowledge of the existence of God as the Creator of heaven and earth, and they understand His righteousness, and that He administers punishment to the wicked, etc.However, â€Å"people do not have a clue of God’s plans concerning mankind, the benefits of His blessings, our deliverances from sin and death, and the plan of salvation—which denotes true knowledge of God (McGrath, 2011). The Two Books that God reveals Himself to humanity include, â€Å"General Revelation and Special Revelation. â€Å"General revelation refers to the general truths that can be known about God through nature. Special revelation refers to the more specific truths that can be known about God through the supernatural† (Got Questions, 2013). General Revelation was not the catalyst that was designed to teach us our obligation towards God and our proper relationship to him as our creator. It was not designed to guide us in morality even if the fall of man had not occurred in the Garden of Eden† (Preacherwin’s, 2008). It is through General Revelation that God’s revelation of Himself as God, and the righteous judge is seen. Also, through General Revelation man is seen as a sinner standing under The Two Books – Page 2 God’s divine judgment.The clear message of general revelation and what is derived from it–natural theology (e. g. , Romans 1 and 2), encounters the problem of fallen man perverting its clear message. Nature, human history, and human nature (internally—via conscience) denote the three primary categories of general revelation (Apologetics, 2013). â€Å"God manifested or revealed Himself through Special Revelation in three major categories that include: miraculous events, divine speech, and visible manifestations. Special Revelation is redemptive or salvific in nature and is communicated in both words (e. . , Scripture) and acts or actions. It must be revealed/initiated by God alone. Christ and the Sc riptures respectively are the supreme examples of Special Revelation† (Apologetics, 2013). Having said this, The Two Books, coined by the Theologians, present an intertwining role of Special Revelation (Scripture) and General Revelation in the theological task of discovering God. As we explore General Revelation in the area of Science and the Bible, we must note that there is some information that General Revelation tell us and does not tell us.According to VandenBerg, (2010), there are two beliefs among the Christian community concerning scientific knowledge and the Bible. For example, â€Å"there are Christians who reject the knowledge in the areas of evolution, cosmology, and insist that the biblical accounts of creation and cosmology must be read in a woodenly literal fashion. They assert that it is not necessary to harmonize the Bible and science because, for the most part, the scientific academy is wrong.Furthermore, some Christians insist that what the Bible says about the origins of the universe does not, in fact, cannot, contradict what science has discovered. Contrasting those in the first group, those in this group tend to affirm the discoveries of science while seeking to harmonize them in some way with the biblical text. The Reformed tradition, tends to fall into line with the The Two Books – Page 3 latter group† (p. 16). However, â€Å"Because God is the author of both books—the physical world and the Bible—so the argument goes, there can be no disagreement between them.The basic premise for science and the Bible is that God has provided two sources of knowledge for human persons: nature and the Bible (VandenBerg, 2010). Scientists contend that the problem with General Revelation is not that data is interpreted incorrectly with regard to any particular scientific subject that is being studied, but the problem is that the author of the data is distorted (VandenBerg, 2010). A critical analysis of General Revelatio n calls into question what is being revealed.At first glance, â€Å"there is common understanding of what God is revealing about himself. However, the theological jury is still out deliberating a revelatory verdict† (Howard, D. , 2010). One point is agreed upon concerning General Revelation by those who embrace this Doctrine of Revelation is that knowledge about God is revealed concerning His existence and character (Howard, D. , 2010). â€Å"Agreement also exists that the knowledge revealed consists of particular attributes of God or a â€Å"broad outline of what He is like. The attributes of God that are considered to be revealed are those described in passages such as Psalm 19:1-6, Romans 1:18-32, and Acts 14:17. Psalm 19:1-8, according to Demarest, indicates that God â€Å"as Elohim—the eternal, omnipotent, wise, and good Creator and Sustainer of all that is—revealed via general revelation† (Howard, D. 2010). â€Å"Knowledge obtained from general r evelation is not considered salvific in nature, because it lacks salvation knowledge. Knowledge disclosed in general is only about God as The Two Books – Page 4Creator and other â€Å"general† divine attributes, not God as Redeemer and other salvific knowledge. There is no knowledge of redemption or the Redeemer given in general knowledge, because the precise purpose of general revelation is to declare â€Å"the glory of the Creator and give general guidance to the creature,† not to reveal Jesus Christ. Furthermore, humans do not obtain salvific knowledge from general revelation, they have true and accurate knowledge of God’s existence, his attributes, and moral law (Howard, D. , 2010). The task of discovering God is incomplete without Special Revelation (Scripture).The intertwining role of Special Revelation (Scripture) and General Revelation reveal â€Å"two different media that in different ways point to the same messenger—the divine Creator an d Revealer. To the degree that the content of the message is the same—â€Å"God’s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature† (Romans 1:20)—the truth that both books speak the same language and point to the same God must be stressed. At the same time, the truth that natural theology has no saving capacity, that to know our sin and salvation we need the additional special revelation given in Scripture, must never be overlooked.The two Books are not in the first place about the Bible and science but about God and his relation to us as Creator and Redeemer in Jesus Christ† (Bolt, J. , 2011). Special Revelation can be categorized in the following way. â€Å"Theophany (God makes Himself known to the prophet while the prophet is awake and aware of such taking place; Visions (God makes Himself known (not physically) to the prophet who is awake and aware of what is taking place; Dreams (God makes Himself known to a prophet who is asleep); In H is Son—Jesus Christ (Jesus is the ultimate manifestation of God given not just to the prophets, but The Two Books – Page 5 o all people. Jesus is also the perfect image of the invisible God and the object of all Special Revelation. All of Scripture, not just the Gospels, points to Jesus)† (Preacherwin, 2008). Without the Two Books, (General Revelation and Special Revelation), mankind would be deprived of the â€Å"intimate manifestation of God’s special Revelation to his people, revealing Christ and uniting in Christ all of these separate forms of Special Revelation.Scripture reveals Christ in his fullness for God’s people and thus, the completed canon of Scripture is given to us as the capstone upon which our faith is held together† (Preacherwin, 2008). References Apologetics. (2013). Explain general and special revelation using examples. Retrieved March 19, 2013 from http://www. apologeticsinfo. org/outlines/ Got Questions. (2013). What is general revelation and special revelation? Retrieved March 19, 2013 from http://www. gotquestions. org/general-special-revelation. tml Hill, A. E. & Walton, J. H. (2009). A Survey Of The Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan. Howard, D. (2010). A critical analysis of general revelation. Criswell Theological Review, 8(1), 53-75 Preacherwin’s. (2008). Forms of Special Revelation. Retrieved March 19, 2013 from http://preacherwin. wordpress. com/2008/04/21/forms-of-special-revelation/ VandenBerg, M. L. (2010). What General Revelation Does (and Does Not) Tell Us. Perspectives On Science & Christian Faith, 62 (1), 16-24

An Overview of El Nino and La Nina

An Overview of El Nino and La Nina El Nino is a regularly occurring climatic feature of our planet. Every two to five years, El Nino reappears and lasts for several months or even a few years. El Nino takes place when warmer than usual sea water exists off the coast of South America. El Nino causes climate effects around the world. Peruvian fishermen noticed that the arrival of El Nino often coincided with the Christmas season so named the phenomenon after the the baby boy Jesus. The warmer water of El Nino reduced the number of fish available to catch. The warm water that causes El Nino is usually located near Indonesia during non-El Nino years. However, during periods of El Nino the water moves eastward to lie off the coast of South America. El Nino increases the average ocean surface water temperature in the region. This mass of warm water is what causes climatic change around the world. Closer to the Pacific Ocean, El Nino causes torrential rains across the west coast of North America and South America. Very strong El Nino events in 1965-1966, 1982-1983, and 1997-1998 caused significant flooding and damage from California to Mexico to Chile. Effects of El Nino are felt as far away from the Pacific Ocean as Eastern Africa (there is often reduced rainfall and thus Nile River carries less water). An El Nino requires five consecutive months of unusually high sea surface temperatures in the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America to be considered an El Nino. La Nina Scientists refer to the event when exceptionally cook water lies off the coast of South America as La Nina or the baby girl. Strong La Nina events have been responsible for the opposite effects on climate as El Nino. For example, a major La Nina event in 1988 caused significant drought across North America. El Ninos Relationship to Climate Change As of this writing, El Nino and La Nina do not appear to be significantly related to climate change. As mentioned above, El Nino is a pattern that had been noticed for hundreds of years by South Americans. Climate change may make the effects of El Nino and La Nina stronger or more widespread, however. A similar pattern to El Nino was identified in the early 1900s and was called the Southern Oscillation. Today, the two patterns are known to be pretty much the same thing and so sometimes El Nino is known as El Nino/Southern Oscillation or ENSO.