M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay Example

M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay Example M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay Managing Performance When looking at performance management it can be defined as (1) ‘a process which contributes to effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure it is achieved. ’ We can see from this definition that managing performance is crucial to the overall performance of the organisation and meeting its goals and objectives. This process must then be strategic but also link other aspects of the organisation such as individuals and teams. As defined above, performance management is ultimately about achieving high levels of organisational performance. As managers we must use performance management as a continuous process that aims to improve develop the individuals in our team. MITIE uses the below diagram to illustrate that the process is continuous. (2) Within my role as Admin Manager I have 3 people directly reporting in to me. As a team we are largely responsible for the smooth running of the operations side of the business including planned and reactive tasks. The team operates across the contract as a whole so has responsibilities in numerous varied processes and tasks. Below I have highlighted some of the key responsibilities within this role in terms of performance management. * Recruitment – I am responsible for recruiting people who are qualified, have relevant experience and can fit in to the team. * Inductions – Site Company inductions are completed and help to start setting performance standard. Setting Performance standards – Features of the job that are usually continuous and based around how the team works or their behaviour. * Setting Objectives – Team and individual objectives are set to achieve specific performance targets. Also objectives are set for individuals relating to personal development. * Probation Review – Completed 3 months in to a new team mem ber’s employment. This is the first official opportunity to review an individual’s performance. Initial objectives and performance standards are also set at this time. Improvement and Development – I have to look for areas where the team can improve performance. Similarly I have to ensure the team has the skills and ability to complete their objectives. This involves development and training for the team and individuals. This is a 2-way process though and as a manager I must create a culture where the team and individuals can be at the forefront of their own development. * Appraisals – These are completed annually and are used to review performance of the individual. During this process the objectives set previously are reviewed along with performance standards. Feedback is given both positive and negative if required. Future development plan is discussed and agreed with the individual. This is also an opportunity for the individual to discuss any problems or obstacles that they have encountered in trying to carry out their role. Furthermore this is also an opportunity to take action to improve poor performance. * Absence/leave – This involves managing planned leave as well as unplanned so team performance is maintained at the required level. As highlighted above one of the key responsibilities I have as a manager is to set team objectives. These objectives must be set and then agreed with the team. Some examples of objectives I have set for the team are below: * Achieve a minimum of 96% overall KPI score for reactive task performance every month * Manage the planned maintenance tasks so 100% of statutory PPM’s are completed within legislative defined timeframe. * Manage all Priority 1 reactive requests for data centres MTXs to ensure zero SLA failures are incurred each KPI month. Within the team I also have performance standards that I set, which are linked to the MITIE’s values. Some examples are below. (3) * Take pride in delivering and improving services to the client * Understand the clients requirements and try to exceed expectations * Use initiatives to resolve issues calmly and effectively * Promotes MITE by doing the best job possible and demonstrating passion for the quality of work done * Deliver the best service by showing flexibility in approach and being open to fresh thinking * Understand and implement strategies nd processes to generate profits in line with business targets and expectations * Understand what is expected of them in support of the client and how to deliver it * Work efficiently without wasting resources or time, understanding that this effects profit * Informs manager of factors that may impact on the business * Co-operate with colleagues and clients, work together and support each other to achieve team and client goals * Recognise the impacts of personal actions on reputation of the team, yourselves and MITIE * Prioritises workload to ensure personal and team goals are achieved * Make a positive contribution to the team and the organisation as a whole * Demonstrate support for others Looking at the above we can see how many of the objectives and performance standards are linked. To achieve the objectives the team must work to the performance standards. Below I have highlighted an example of how the two are linked. Objective| Performance standards required to complete| Achieve a minimum of 96% overall KPI score for reactive task performance every month| To complete this objective the team must – * Understand the client’s requirements and try to exceed expectations. * Work efficiently without wasting resources or time, understanding that this effects profit * Prioritises workload to ensure personal and team goals are achieved| The performance standards can be applied to all of the objectives in some way and do not change significantly throughout a review year. These standards are continuous and they outline the way in which the team works. Team Objectives differ as they have defined performance areas. Furthermore they can change frequently throughout a review year. When managing performance arguably the most critical element of the process is measuring the performance. This can be completed in a variety of ways and is done so against the team objectives and performance standards set. Measuring performance against objectives differs from that of performance standards. Below I have highlighted how I would measure performance against the objectives and performance standards. In the above flowchart we can see how measuring performance against objectives involves many of the same methods. As managers we can use a combination of measures to get an overall picture of how the team is performing. Measuring objectives is usually a precise measurement with defined criteria for success and failure. For example the KPI score indicates the success and or failure of the above objectives. In the above flowchart I have highlighted the methods I use for measuring performance against the performance standards. To illustrate how a combination of measures is often required I have grouped them together. Looking at the above flowcharts we can see how objectives and performance standards need to work in unison to be successful. All of the performance standards are there to help achieve the objectives and clearly indicate to the team what the expectations are. As the admin manager I need to use a combination of performance measures so I can effectively manage the team’s performance. If I know where we are in terms of performance I can then look at development and improvement opportunities. When measuring performance there are inevitably instances where the team or individuals are underperforming. An example of underperformance that has occurred from an individual is as follows: Within the admin team I manage there are 3 individuals with similar workloads and responsibilities. Around 6 months ago one member of the team continually made errors and in some cases forgot to complete the weekly bookings for the engineers. The bookings are so the engineers in the field can access secure sites and complete routine and reactive maintenance. It is a crucial part of the role and if not completed it impacts negatively on the overall contract performance. After a few weeks of mistakes being made and bookings not being done I decided that a performance improvement plan needed to be implemented. Prior to completing this I had looked at the workload of the individual compared to the other team members and concluded that there was no difference. Next i looked at other factors that could be reasons for the individual performance. In this process I looked at internal factors such as competences, methods of work, personal problems, medical and motivation. Examples of the external factors I considered were distractions, family ; relationships, finance and other team members. Most of these factors were discussed with the individual in an informal meeting to gain an understanding of how the individual thinks they are performing. The individual highlighted that during the time where they complete the weekly bookings they were distracted by phone calls, emails and other team members so couldn’t concentrate on the completing the task. Taking this feedback from the individual I was happy that the reason for underperformance was due to distractions and time management issues. From here I asked the individual to go away and look at the tasks they need to complete in the week and suggest areas for improving their time management. The next step was to have a meeting with the individual to identify areas to improve the way they work to allow the task to be completed. It was agreed that 2 hours was required a week to complete the bookings. Using the individual’s feedback regarding time and the distractions I put together a method that would aim to remove the distractions. I suggested the following methods: * Put a 2 hour window in calendar to complete bookings each week between 10-12 * Put out of office on diverting to other team members for the 2 hours and close down outlook * Divert phone to other team members for 2 hours Move to location away from other team members to complete bookings In the process i looked to remove the distractions and give the task some structure by putting a timeframe to it. This was agreed by the individual and then cascaded to the other team members. When using this performance improvement technique I also had to consider what happens after it is implemented. To do this I used an improvement cycle which continues until the individual is performing at the required level. Below is an example of cycle: (4) For the above example we can see that after the plan stage I must measure the performance. This will involve using the techniques as highlighted earlier, in particular feedback from engineers. I must then compare these results with other members of the team. This will help to see if the improvement process can be improved or needs amending. If any changes need to be made then they are implemented and the cycle starts again. Improving performance is not a start to finish process and needs to be implemented as a continuous cycle. Bibliography 1. ARMSTRONG, M. and BARON, A. (2004) Managing performance: performance management in action. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 2. MITIE Intranet – BMS Form MG(G)541 Managers guide to performance management – objective based appraisals – Page 2 3. MITIE – Performance Standards Document 4. measure2improve. econtrack. co. uk/Content. aspx? 236 – accessed 29/11/2011

Essay on The Acting Self

Essay on The Acting Self Essay on The Acting Self Essay on The Acting SelfThe study of concept of self is one of central questions in psychology.   Self-concept describes peoples’ perception of themselves.   Ã‚  People possess certain ideas about themselves and according to these ideas they choose the strategy of actions and communication. Feenstra(2013)   distinguishes self-concept as,   â€Å"the collection of things you know about yourself – such as your overall cognitive and understanding (beliefs, attitudes and opinions) about yourself†. Self-concept also includes human behaviors and reactions.   Feenstra also states that self-perception is formed during communication with other people and   through inner perceptions of one’s self.   Self-concept and self-perception influence the way people perceive others. Self-concept becomes a kind of filter which makes the person see certain information in the outside world.   Despite the fact that the notion of self-concept and self-schema have a lot in common, there are also differences between theme. Self-schema is used to organize in structure ideas and notions of self-conception.   As Feenstra (2013) states: â€Å"self-schemas organize and help us use the vast amounts of information within self-concept†.   The self is a powerful force which has great impact on our lives. It affects the way people feel, the way they perceive reality around them and the way they act.   Self-awareness is another notion which deals with peoples’ perceptions of themselves. Self-awareness is an awareness about the particular aspects of self-concept. Self-awareness can be private and public. The first one includes the awareness of inner thoughts, ideas, attitudes   and desires. The second one includes understanding how others perceive us.   This internal and external awareness based on internal and external interaction make the essence of social psychology.   Self-perception and interaction with other people make two basic values in human lives and condition these lives to great extend.   Self-concept, self-schema and self-awareness taken together compose the acting self.

AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1865 TO 1900 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1865 TO 1900 - Essay Example ples of this differential in overall levels of freedom exists with regards to the period in time following the conclusion of the Civil War and the turn of the 20th century. As a function of this unique reality and the differentials and freedom that were existing for whites and blacks during this unique period in American history, the following analysis will seek to analyze these differentials so that the reader may gain a more informed and realistic interpretation of how they impacted upon such people and the far-reaching historical ramifications that these differentials had and continue to have. Firstly and most obviously, African-Americans were able to experience freedom from slavery as a direct result of collusion of the Civil War. Although this statement seems the very matter of fact, the overall an underlying importance that it holds should not be misunderstood. Prior to 1865, at least in areas that were controlled by the Confederacy, the practice of slavery had reduced nearly all legal and democratic rights of African-Americans and place them on a level that was comparable to property. As can reasonably be expected, the overall humanitarian, democratic, legal, and egalitarian effects that this had were profound. Yet, once freedom was one and the process of slavery was abolished, it cannot be stated that African-Americans within the deep South, or anywhere else in the country for that matter, suddenly realized drastic improvement in the overall quality of life or level of freedom that they could immediately express. As a result of the horrors of the Civil War, large sections of the South were laid waste. Cities were burned, infrastructure was destroyed, working aged men and business owners were dead, and resources that could be directed to capital investment were otherwise lost. As such, even though freedom existed for these African-Americans, at least in terms of no longer being slaves, the level and extent to which they could express this freedom and seek

Essay for maternal health Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

For maternal health - Essay Example She is 12 weeks pregnant. Time has come for Ruth to attend an antenatal check up. She needs to decide on whether she needs care by midwife or care by obstetrician. Midwives usually deliver at home and obstetricians deliver in the hospital. Though hospital settings have more infrastructure and expertise to take care of complications occurring during and after delivery, since most of the deliveries are uncomplicated, home delivery is sufficient for uncomplicated pregnancies under the supervision of midwives or any other trained health personnel like general practitioner. Review of literature indicates that most of the studies on the safety of delivery by midwife are on low-risk and uncomplicated pregnancies. Low-risk pregnancy means pregnancy which is less likely to have medical complications. This is determined by the fact that there are no obvious medical problems during pregnancy, the woman has started her prenatal care before19 weeks of gestation, has had 4 visits of antenatal care through the 28th week, e very 2 weeks for the next 8 weeks and then weekly for the last 4 weeks (Macfarlane, McCandlish, & Campbell, 2000). It is obvious that high-risk pregnancies need to be delivered in the hospitals under expertise supervision and monitoring. According to Davies, Hey, Reid and Young et al (1996), general practitioners are apprehensive about inability to handle complications arising during homebirth. Also, some studies like Bastian, Keirse & Lancaster (1998) have revealed that home births carry high death rate due to "underestimation of the risks associated with post-term birth, twin pregnancy and breech presentation, and a lack of response to fetal distress" (Bastian, Keirse & Lancaster, 1998). Certain emergencies like cord prolapse, inverted uterus, or bleeding of the mother and breathing problems with the infant, may need immediate intervention which can be instituted only when the patient is in the hospital. Since Ruths is a

The personalities of the contenders Essay Example for Free

The personalities of the contenders Essay How significant were the personalities of the contenders to succeed Lenin in accounting for Stalin’s defeat of his opponents in the years 1924-29? Lenins death on the 21st January 1924 caused huge sadness across the country. After Lenins death, everyone was eagerly waiting to know who would be the next leader of Russia. In the years after Lenins death, there was no clear successor to his leadership. However, when Lenin was leader, Trotsky was always there for him, and he played a huge role in the Civil War, therefore everyone thought he would become Lenins successor. However, as well as Trotsky there were other significant contenders, such as Stalin, Bukharin, Zinoviev and Kamenev which created a huge power struggle. I believe that the personalities of the contenders were significant in this struggle. However, other factors such as ideological battles, removal of opponents by Stalin and the consolidated powerbases also had an effect. The personalities of all were all extremely different by a great margin. The most likely to win, Trotsky was intellectually gifted which greatly benefitted him. He was also a great military leader and had good organisational skills. Trotsky has a few strong disadvantages to his personality though. His late arrival to the Bolshevik party could be interpret Trotsky as an unloyal character while his arrogance due to his intelligence made him quite a few different enemies in the Bolshevik party. Trotsky’s arrogance led to his defeat as he vastly underestimated Stalin and the threat he posed, while also decreasing his inner party support. At the time Trotsky would be clear favourite to win but his poor characteristics let him down. The next contender and winner of the battle for power was Joseph Stalin. An underdog and one of the least likely looking people to win, Stalin played his cards well and to his advantage. Being a Bolshevik from the beginning supported the fact that Stalin was a loyal Bolshevik which was a strength of his personality. Stalin being a cunning character was another strength of his and was a contributing factor to the defeat of his enemies as he was easily able to manipulate and outplay them. His ruthlessness and his ability to easily gain support due to his position and authority to promote them also benefitted greatly to the defeat of his enemies. He had a major weakness and thorn in his side though and that was Lenin’s opinion of him. The ability to easily manipulate Stalin was also a major disadvantage for him. While Stalin didn’t look it, he had just as big  of a chance as Trotsky due to his nature. Another contender in the race for leadership was the â€Å"Golden boy† known as Bukharin. Bukharin was possessed one of the best personalities of the party and his traits and strengths such as his incorruptibility and honest and well natured manner were good aspects about him. His â€Å"Golden boy† title was also helpful as it represented how liked he was by Lenin before his death. His intellectuality also benefitted him greatly and he was often referred to as the brains of the Bolsheviks. Bukharin’s main weakness though was that he ha d no ambition and he was too young. These factors led to a small support for Bukharin while his right-wing views also cut out some votes for him. Another contender, Zinoviev possessed good strengths such as being a good speaker and being good friends with Lenin. These would essentially give Zinoviev a right to the leadership of the party. He was involved little in the civil war though and his dislikeable and vain nature did little to help him gain the support he needed which was why he teamed up with the last contender Kamenev. Kamenev was also a friend of Lenin but compared to Zinoviev was from a working class background which would have benefitted him greatly due to the say and respect he would have. Kamenev had little influence though and was too uninspirational greatly denting his chances Therefore, what we can infer from the personalities and strengths of each other contenders was that Stalin cleverly manipulated and took advantage of each contenders weaknesses which led to him becoming leader. Stalin would also use the past to his advantage e.g. Zinoviev’s poor revolutionary record or Trotsky’s past allegia nces. Stalin would also use the personalities of other contenders to his advantage e.g. Trotsky’s arrogance or the fact that Bukharin has no ambition. There were also many other factors that led to Stalin’s victory though. Another way in which Stalin won was the removal of opponents by Stalin. Stalin slowly but surely took out each of his opponents carefully and concisely. Stalin removed Trotsky by creating the Triumvirate with Kamenev and Zinoviev. Stalin carefully destroyed Trotsky’s reputation with Zinoviev and Kamenev with things such as questioning his loyalty to Lenin, destroying his influence by questioning his ‘Bonapartism’ ideology and question his activities leading up to the revolution. Stalin also made Trotsky miss the funeral of Lenin, shocking the party and destroying Trotsky’s influence by a huge chunk. When Stalin had taken care of Trotsky,  he then took care of Zinoviev and Kamenev by splitting the Triumvirate and creating the Duumvirate with Bukharin. With Zinoviev and Kamenev in decline due to the influence they had in the defeat of Trotsky, Stalin easily defeated them. When that had happened Stalin quickly turned against Bukharin and with his growing inf luence Stalin removed him from the race for leadership. At the end of everything, Stalin had removed all opponents and this was a big factor in determining Stalin’s victory due to the fact that it had removed all of the people in the way of Stalin becoming leader of the Bolsheviks. Another way Stalin took power was by increasing his influence by never actually taking a side. While everyone was on either a left-wing or right-wing stance, Stalin remained neutral as to not damage his influence with members of either side. This way Stalin would face less opposition due to him not going against a large opposition of the party. His stance on things such as the NEP also came to his advantage and he both agreed and disagreed with it at different times. Stalin also took a neutral view on how fast Russia should industrialise, he personally however took a left wing view towards this.

Triangular trade :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slaves and slave trade has been an important part of history for a very long time. In the years of the British thirteen colonies in North America, slaves and slave trade was a very important part of its development. It even carried on to almost 200 years of the United States history. The slave trade of the thirteen colonies was an important part of the colonies as well as Europe and Africa. In order to supply the thirteen colonies efficiently through trade, Europe developed the method of triangular trade. It is referred to as triangular trade because it consists of trade with Africa, the thirteen colonies, and England. These three areas are commonly called the trades â€Å"three legs.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first leg of this trade was merchants from Europe bringing refined goods to Africa to trade for slaves. The merchants traded with chiefs and high authority leaders. The chiefs pretty much could and would trade whomever they pleased, there was no restriction regarding who the slaves were.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the second leg of this trade slaves were transported to the West Indies, this leg was called the middle passage. This part was horrible for the slaves. About 50% of all the slaves on one ship would not make it to the West Indies because of disease or brutal mistreatment. Hundreds of men, woman and children were cramped together for most of the journey, occasionally able move an almost decent amount.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the third leg of the journey slaves were traded for sugar, molasses and other products. Those products were shipped to Europe or other European colonies in the Americas. The slaves in the West Indies were then sold to whomever wanted to buy some.

Bad Apple Theory

The government has the responsibility of upholding and protecting the rights and welfare of the people. In relation with this, the government established subsidiary bodies and organizations that will help them do their duty of protecting the people. The Police force is among the primary organization that is authorized by the government to maintain the peace and order of their jurisdiction and to properly enforce the law to anyone that will pose a threat to the security of his or her fellow individual or to the general public.However, the reputation of the police force is tainted by corruption due to the illegal practices of some police officers. This kind of problem must be immediately address but there are difficulties in properly controlling corruption because most people still believe with the Bad Apple Theory. The Bad Apple Theory tries to explain the illegal and unethical behavior of some police officers.This theory emphasize that the corrupt practices in the Police Force is due to some â€Å"bad apples† that are found in a clean barrel. Simply put, this means that corruption is brought about by some bad police officers that are working in a clean and ethical police force. This mentality hinders the proper understanding and control of corruption. Due to the fact, that this Bad Apple Theory is no longer applicable.According to the works of Tim Newburn (1999) entitled: Understanding and preventing police corruption: lessons from the literature, corrupt police officers are not natural-born criminals, nor are they bad men or women who are constitutionally different from their honest co-workers. In order to control corruption, it is essential that the barrel should also be examined and not only the apples. In this sense, the whole organization of the police force should be carefully analyzed to see its flaws that might influence police officers to be corrupt (Newburn, 1999).To be able properly prevent and control corruption in the police force, people sh ould forego of the Bad Apple Theory. Authorities and even ordinary citizen should not only be vigilant with corrupt officers but they should also give due attention to the police fore itself. It must be remembered that â€Å"corrupt police are made, not born† (Newburn, 1999). Reference Newburn, T. (1999). Understanding and Preventing Police Corruption: Lessons from the Literature. London: Crown Copyright.

Theory of Equity

Is equal pay the same as equitable pay? First you need to know the difference between the two. Equal pay would be a female doing the job of a construction electrician getting the same pay as her male counter part. Equitable pay is the perceived fairness when employee†s compare pay from their job with other jobs in the company. You also need to know that pay adequacy is the pay level that allows the employee to meet basic needs and to achieve a standard of living that is minimally acceptable to the employee. (Kirkpatrick 1996) the last thing to describe is Equity Theory. Equity Theory maintains that people seek a balance between there efforts and rewards and the rewards that others receive for their efforts. Thus, if one employee believes that his or her efforts are being under-rewarded in comparison to his or her colleagues' efforts, the employee will attempt to restore balance by either securing additional rewards or reducing his or her efforts. Equity pay can undercompensate or overcompensate, two forms of inequity, and cause â€Å"distress† that workers seek. The results suggest that it is not necessarily the case that each [worker] is simply out to get as much as he can for the work. There appear to be equally strong desires that each one should earn the right amount-fair and reasonable amount relative to others. Workers who receive compensation that is considered less than equitable are more likely to strike, file grievances, or eventually withdraw from the workplace if the inequity, or the distress associated with inequity, is not reduced. Equity pay also implies that underpayment produces a different reaction in workers than overpayment does, although both reactions are considered distressing. Underpaid workers may experience feelings of deprivation and of being cheated, whereas overpayment may produce feelings of guilt and unworthiness. These different expressions of distress may engender quite different strategies for reduction. How workers reduce or avoid feelings of inequity caused by overpayment. Individuals would rather raise their estimations of their own inputs than reduce the valuation of their outcomes; the latter process could be far more costly to the individual. Attitudes that devalue the job and/or its outcomes could eventually lead to job dissatisfaction, which is likely to diminish one's overall well-being. Kirkpatrick emplies that â€Å"If employee†s are not meeting pay adequacy through pay or other resources, then striving to maintain fair pay is irrelevant. † (P158) An organization that decides to base an employees' compensation on his or her impact eliminates the need for job classifications and for most compensation management tools. Although this may seem extreme, it's an attractive option, especially given the weaknesses of most classification and compensation systems. Current job classification methodologies attempt to create job level hierarchies based on such criteria as knowledge, skills and the required abilities. The logic here is that the classification system aids compensation management by providing a means to compare salaries paid to equivalent jobs throughout the organization. Compensation should be driven by an employee's contribution, not by his or her classification. Impact analysis eliminates the need for most compensation management tools, including salary surveys that sound the depths of a collective pool of ignorance. Instead of capping salaries at some percentage of what everyone else is paying, compensation can be limited by the estimated r actual return generated by the position. In those rare cases in which market pressure and operational necessity demand that a position be paid more than the return it will generate, impact analysis will keep management apprised of the negative return to prevent its being lost or forgotten. Equal pay not only treats individuals fairly it benefits us all–particularly our Nation's families. It empowers individuals to become more self-sufficient, reducing the dependence of many families on government assistance. It also rises women's purchasing power, increases their pensions, and improves their capacity to save, all of which help to strengthen our economy. During the past three decades, our Nation has made a strong commitment to ensuring that every American is treated with dignity and equality in the workplace. Legislation such as the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act has helped us make progress in correcting discriminatory practices. But we still have a long way to go before the wage gap between men and women are eliminated.

Journal on The Lost Colony Of Roanoke Essay Essays

Journal on The Lost Colony Of Roanoke Essay Essays Journal on The Lost Colony Of Roanoke Essay Essay Journal on The Lost Colony Of Roanoke Essay Essay 1587. Day 1 We arrived today on the island of Roanoke. Queen Elizabeth of England had sent us over here to get down a settlement in the new universe. There were about one hundred and 20 people on board that bantam vas dwelling of work forces. adult females. and kids. I am really happy to do it onto land after so long on the H2O in a crowded ship. The land is heavy with woods. and the organic structures of H2O that surround us are beautiful. John White has been named governor of our settlement. Day 20 I have been inside the huts all twenty-four hours taking attention of the kids and seeking to do it more like a place. I’ve conversed with another one of the ladies and she told me that some of the work forces have ventured into the forest today looking for the lost settlers. There were many gentlemen sent over during England’s last trip ; they were to get down constructing a cantonment. but ran out of supplies so one ship returned to England while the remainder of the work forces stayed here. The 15 of them that stayed have disappeared without any hints as to what happened to them. I besides heard rumours that they have made friends with the Croatoan Indians. and that they will assist us with acquiring supplies. When they returned this afternoon they announced that their day’s expedition was to no help. Soon we all have to get down calculating out a manner to acquire nutrient. we have enough to last for a long clip. but finally we will run out. Day 30 The yearss are get downing out to be the same each twenty-four hours. I have taken attention of the kids all twenty-four hours and cleaned this foul hovel up. Some of the work forces ventured out once more for hope of the lost settlers. but once more to no help. Others worked all twenty-four hours constructing places. Hopefully they will be finished shortly so we can acquire a proper roof over our caputs. John White is speaking of another trip to return to England for more supplies shortly. Day 100 The indigens have brought us nutrient today and hold taught the work forces what workss are comestible. We still are in demand of supplies though and a ship will be go forthing shortly to roll up. Our work forces have lost all hope of happening the 15 work forces who had disappeared. so groups have been on missions to happen gold or some kind of cherished metals to show to her stateliness that the new Colonies are profitable. Day 300 The ship left to travel back to England months ago. and we’ve lost all hope of its return. We have run out of supplies. the indigens are assisting us. but to remain at Roanoke is hopeless. Settlers have decided to get down a move someplace else. John White had organized an onslaught on the enemy Indians who we had heard attacked and killed our 15 work forces left on Roanoke. a few months back. but alternatively we attacked the Croatoans by accident. The Indians are non really lament on us now so we can non trust on them for shelter and nutrient. We have packed all our supplies left and ventured inland. The ship sent back to England didn’t return to the settlement for 3 old ages. During that clip England was at war with Spain and couldn’t afford to allow one of it’s ships return to Roanoke with supplies no affair how much John White begged the Queen. When England had won the war in 1590. a ship was sent back with supplies for the settlement. Once arrived on land. they discovered that the hundred and 16 people had abandoned Roanoke. All that was left was the word Croatoan carved into a tree. The settlement was neer found and the ship returned to England non cognizing the destiny of the settlers.

The Rainbow Warrior Bombing

The Rainbow Warrior Bombing Just before midnight on July 10, 1985, Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior was sunk while berthed at Waitemata Harbor in Auckland, New Zealand. Investigations showed that French Secret Service agents had placed two limpet mines on Rainbow Warrior’s hull and propeller. It was an attempt to prevent Greenpeace from protesting French nuclear testing in the Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia. Of the 11 crew on board the Rainbow Warrior, all but one made it to safety. The attack on the Rainbow Warrior caused an international scandal and greatly deteriorated the relationship between the once friendly countries of New Zealand and France. Greenpeaces Flagship: The Rainbow Warrior By 1985, Greenpeace was an international environmentalist organization of great renown. Founded in 1971, Greenpeace had worked diligently over the years to help save whales and seals from being hunted, to stop the dumping of toxic waste into oceans, and to end nuclear testing around the world. To aid them in their cause, Greenpeace purchased a North Sea fishing trawler in 1978. Greenpeace transformed this 23-year-old, 417-ton, 131-foot-long trawler into their flagship, Rainbow Warrior. The name of the ship had been taken from a North American Cree Indian prophesy: â€Å"When the world is sick and dying, the people will rise up like Warriors of the Rainbow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Rainbow Warrior was easily recognizable by the dove carrying an olive branch at its bow and the rainbow that ran along its side. When the Rainbow Warrior arrived at Waitemata Harbor in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday, July 7, 1985, it was as a respite between campaigns. The Rainbow Warrior and her crew had just returned from helping evacuate and relocate the small community that lived on Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. These people had been suffering from long-term radiation exposure caused by the fallout from the U.S. nuclear testing on the nearby Bikini Atoll. The plan was for the Rainbow Warrior to spend two weeks in nuclear-free New Zealand. It would then lead a flotilla of ships out to French Polynesia to protest the proposed French nuclear test at the Mururoa Atoll. The Rainbow Warrior never got a chance to leave port. The Bombing The crew aboard Rainbow Warrior had been celebrating a birthday before going to bed. A few of the crew, including Portuguese photographer Fernando Pereira, had stayed up a bit later, hanging out in the mess room, drinking the last few beers. Around 11:40 pm, an explosion rocked the ship. To some on board, it felt like Rainbow Warrior had been hit by a tugboat. It was later discovered that it was a limpet mine that had exploded near the engine room. The mine tore a 6  ½ by 8-foot hole in the side of the Rainbow Warrior.   Water gushed in. While most of the crew scrambled upward, 35-year-old Pereira headed to his cabin, presumably to retrieve his precious cameras. Unfortunately, that was when a second mine exploded. Placed near the propeller, the second limpet mine really rocked the Rainbow Warrior, causing Captain Pete Willcox to order everyone to abandon ship. Pereira, whether because he was knocked unconscious or trapped by a gush of water, was unable to leave his cabin. He drowned inside the ship. Within four minutes, the Rainbow Warrior tilted to its side and sank. Who Did It? It was really a quirk of fate that lead to the discovery of who was responsible for the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior. On the evening of the bombing, two men happened to take note of an inflatable dinghy and a van nearby that seemed to be acting a bit strangely. The men were intrigued enough that they took down the van’s license plate. This little piece of information set the police on an investigation that led them to the French Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure (DGSE) – the French Secret Service. The two DGSE agents that had been posing as Swiss tourists and rented the van were found and arrested. (These two agents, Alain Mafart and Dominique Prieur, would be the only two people tried for this crime. They pled guilty to manslaughter and willful damage and received 10-year prison sentences.) Other DGSE agents were discovered to have come to New Zealand on board the 40-foot yacht Ouvea, but those agents managed to evade capture. In total, it is believed that approximately 13 DGSE agents were involved in what the French termed Operation Satanique (Operation Satan). Contrary to all of the building evidence, the French government at first denied any involvement. This blatant cover up greatly angered New Zealanders who felt that the Rainbow Warrior bombing was a state-sponsored terrorist attack against New Zealand itself. The Truth Comes Out On September 18, 1985, the popular French newspaper Le Monde published a story that clearly implicated the French government in the Rainbow Warrior bombing. Two days later, French Minister of Defense Charles Hernu and Director General of the DGSE Pierre Lacoste resigned from their positions. On September 22, 1985, French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius announced on TV: â€Å"Agents of the DGSE sank this boat. They acted on orders.† With the French believing that government agents should not be held responsible for actions conducted while following orders and New Zealanders completely disagreeing, the two countries agreed to have the UN act as a mediator. On July 8, 1986, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar announced that the French were to pay New Zealand $13 million, give an apology, and stop trying to boycott New Zealand produce. New Zealand, on the other hand, had to give up the two DGSE agents, Prieur and Mafart. Once handed over to the French, Prieur and Mafart were supposed to serve out their sentences at Hao Atoll in French Polynesia; however, they were both released within two years – much to the dismay of New Zealanders. After Greenpeace threatened to sue the French government, an international arbitration tribunal was set up to mediate. On October 3, 1987, the tribunal ordered the French government to pay Greenpeace a total of $8.1 million. The French government has yet to officially apologize to Pereira’s family, but has given them an undisclosed sum of money as a settlement. What Happened to the Broken Rainbow Warrior? The damage done to the Rainbow Warrior was irreparable and so the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior was floated north and then re-sunk in Matauri Bay in New Zealand. The Rainbow Warrior became part of a living reef, a place where fish like to swim and recreational divers like to visit. Just above Matauri Bay sits a concrete-and-rock memorial to the fallen Rainbow Warrior. The sinking of the Rainbow Warrior did not stop Greenpeace from its mission. In fact, it made the organization even more popular. To keep up its campaigns, Greenpeace commissioned another ship, Rainbow Warrior II, which was launched exactly four years after the bombing. Rainbow Warrior II worked for 22 years for Greenpeace, retiring in 2011. At which time it was replaced with Rainbow Warrior III, a $33.4 million ship made specifically for Greenpeace.

Pretend you are the Education Secretary Arne Duncan. How would you go Essay

Pretend you are the Education Secretary Arne Duncan. How would you go about tweaking the NCLB What innovations would you implem - Essay Example The No Child Left Behind Act (also referred to as NCLB for short) mandated that by 2014, 90% of all schools will be meeting or exceeding state standards. One problem that NCLB does not take into account is that learning is cumulative. Therefore, if any benchmarks are missed in the beginning, it will be harder and harder for children to keep up to the standards when they are already lagging behind in test scores. The ISAT test measures elementary school childrens’ progress, while the PSAE (the Prairie State Achievement Exam) is given to 11th graders. The PSAE is helpful because it is the test that determines what a school’s Adequate Yearly Progress is. If a school fails to make AYP for a certain number of years, the school has to improve or face restructuring—which involves firing all of the staff and starting with a completely new faculty. Also, a culture open to learning is instilled in the new staff members. Schools may not make AYP for several reasons. One rea son might be that transfer students can bring down the general scores of a school. In fact, â€Å"The recent proposal of Senator Joe Lieberman on revamping NCLB school choice provisions suggested providing a safe harbor for one year from AYP calculations for the new out-of-district student transfers.†1 Schools that do not make AYP are generally schools that have a high number of at-risk students—who, for whatever reason—come from underserved and socioeconomically underprivileged populations. In sum, No Child Left Behind needs to be drastically overhauled so that schools that are not making AYP are not penalized, but rather are being given an extension past 2014 in order to improve further. Putting a timetable on when everyone should be at an ideal level of success is setting everyone up for failure—both students and teachers. Even the best teachers in the world cannot rush success. Improving schools go hand in hand with improving student performance at th ese schools that don’t make AYP on a yearly basis. â€Å"According to one survey, sixteen to nineteen year olds in the high-risk category were almost four times as likely to be high school dropouts as those not in the high-risk category.†2 Improving schools in the United States is going to be a time-consuming and rigorous task. In order to improve schools, one of the main foci will be to attempt to raise student test scores by having them take more practice tests, encouraging them to do more independent study outside the class, and encouraging them to complete their assignments in a neat and timely manner. In schools where there are a dense population of at-risk students, it’s important to stress values and social skills as part of the hidden curriculum. That notwithstanding, another integral part of any school is its teaching staff. That having been said, the next issue to be discussed is the quality of the faculty at schools across the country. There are sever al factors which influence a student. â€Å"At the classroom level there are three main variables which accounted for the learning of the pupil: time, opportunity, and the quality of instruction. Time and opportunity†¦influence†¦the pupil’s learning [directly] whereas the quality of instruction [has an impact on] time and opportunity.†3 Obviously, what would help tremendously is if a teacher knows how to properly budget his or her time, and spend a majority of class time implementing a lesson and then having the students work. This is the main idea of what education consists of at the high school and

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Journal - Essay Example What kinds of websites can be found on the Darknet? Web sites that can be found on the DarkNet are those of nasty or at the very least, unlawful activities including pedophile rings, arms sales or illegitimate drugs; websites that have something to hide. It is notable that websites on DarkNet are those that support things such as private communications, private communities like those who look for anonymity on the web, and besieged file sharing community. DarkNet also contains websites for outright criminals and is the source of the majority of the sneakiest attacks on the private and public infrastructures of the web (Smith, 2009). Why don’t authorities shut down these web sites? The DarkNet is a deeper and more difficult to access parts of the internet. It is not possible to police the internet in its entirety since individuals as well as groups are always devising new ways of remaining off the grid. Thus, the websites cannot be shut down since the people and groups behind th em will always revive them. The authorities would always battle with the DarkNet (Thomas, 2013). Are there valid reasons for the Darknet to exist? Even though DarkNet is a haven a perverts as well as arms dealers, it can also be seen as a citadel of a more dignified cause, that of free speech. It is of note that many nations around the world do not offer their people the freedom of speech. DarkNets offer every user the power of speaking in a free manner with no fear of persecution or censorship (Thomas, 2013). Making Hidden Services anonymous has been a refuge for dissenters in countries such as Mauritania, Lebanon as well as nations that were marred by the Arab Spring. DarkNet is utilized to host blogs in nations wherein the exchange of ideas is disapproved of. Moreover, DarkNet websites also reflect sites which draw corporate or governmental angst, like Wikileaks. Other than granting a bastion of free speech, DarkNet websites also help organizations to increase their security inte lligence, and as a result, it enhances their security posture. Using DarkNet, security administrators could identify scanning activity devoid of employing complex analysis technology that requires committing already overstrained resources, and, with a decreased incidence of false positives (Smith 2008). Reference Smith, M. (2009). DarkNets. Montreal, Canada: CRC Press. Thomas, G. (2013). The Silk Road is Shut Down, and the Owner Is In Custody. Retrived from http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-silk-road-is-shut-down-and-the-owner-is-in-custody Part 2: Privacy In general, which privacy policies do the applications have in common? The following privacy policies are common in all the applications: All collect private information of the users. Policy on now they collect, use and share the information collected from users. Policy on the choices which the privacy policies offer the users, such as how to update and access information. Policy on the circumstance under which personal informa tion of the users will be shared with other parties – it will only be shared for legal reasons. Policy about information that will be always public. Which are different? Only Twitter has policy towards children, stating that the services it provides are not directed