Counterterrorism and home grown terrorist

The problem posed by terrorism has received serious attention not only in this country but also in the international community. It poses a real menace and challenge to the nation peace and security, harming the life, dignity and safety of the innocent people. This also weakens the economy and put dangers in all aspect of the states activity. The September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D. C. killed citizens from 83 countries and (according to the United Nations estimates) cost the global economy at least 350 billion dollars.Terrorism is proving to be the dark side of globalization, and because of it, new challenges to the country have emerged. In order to deal with such a complex phenomenon, it is essential to shape a comprehensive and nuanced strategy. The nation should take serious position against terrorism no matter when, where and what forms it occurs, or whom it is targeted. All agencies of the government, local or national, including every individual should st ep up their cooperation in preventing and combating terrorism. How serious a threat is homegrown terrorism in the United States?Experts say it is quite likely that the next terrorist attack will not be the work of well-trained al-Qaeda operatives sent from abroad, but rather that of an American citizen. As al-Qaeda leaders focus more of their energy on trying to inspire others to commit acts of terror, most security and counterterrorism officials believe their message will resonate with at least some small number of Americans. Such fears tend to focus on American Muslims, and experts say this is logical given recent events in Europe.Yet the American Islamic community also has proven one of the government’s best resources for preventing the emergence of homegrown Islamic terrorists. Richard A. Falkenrath, New York City’s deputy police commissioner for counterterrorism, recently told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the possibility of a ‘homegrownâ€℠¢ terrorist attack against New York City or any other American city is real and is worsening; it is hard to anticipate the motives or actions of a homegrown terrorist.Yet despite the high probability of a homegrown terrorist attack, experts say such an event is likely to have a relatively small impact when compared to attacks by conventional terrorist networks but it should be cautioned that self-radicalized individuals and groups can become far more dangerous when they reach out for support from more established terrorist networks. BODY: I. Combating Terrorism: To combat the terrorism, expert stresses the need to grasp two aspects of terrorism: Its root causes and its technological Complexity.The root causes of terrorism, both domestic and international, are varied and complex. One set of factor is essentially ideological and includes religious and ethno nationalistic extremism. Second is the technological complexity, the new terrorist are distinguished by their general ability to use new information and communication technologies. They are also fully able to exploit technology to enhance their illegal transnational activities (Banlaoi, 2004). II. Three factors that must be considered in dealing with terrorism:First, it must involve the gradual and painstaking winning of the hearts and mind of disaffected peoples, great patience and endurance is required. Second, the political nature of the campaign against terror suggests that such a comprehensive strategy cannot be pursued without full cognizance of the potential negative consequences of any action contemplated. Thirdly, a comprehensive strategy must be implemented within a substantive multilateral framework, and ensure the fullest regional participation.There should be four key of such a strategy, socio economic, coercive, political and technical. Socioeconomic measures, poverty and extreme socioeconomic marginalization are root causes of terrorism. These may be the result of either deficient domestic poli cies or powerful globalization processes. Hence developed countries should increase trade, investment and aid linkages with developing countries to enhance their capacities for good governance.Coercive Measures, Strong legal enforcement measures such as freezing of assets and detentions of individuals suspected of complicity in terrorist plots, are the first line attack in the campaign against terror. Political Measures, terrorist by definition fight for a political cause, perceived as ‘just’ or otherwise. Terrorist groups also often feed upon political issues for support/ such as grievances and opposition to illegal and armed occupation, oppression, and abuse and denial of civil and political rights.Technical Measures, It is vitally important that the capacity of the terrorist to plan, fund and implement their activities must be targeted (Banlaoi, 2004). III. The country’s practical measures against terrorist are the following: (1) Identification of terrorist,(2 ) Location and tracking identified terrorists, (3). apprehension of identified terrorist, (4). Prosecution of the identified terrorist and (5), Punishment of the guilty terrorist (Marchetti,1976) IV. Anti terrorism program: A. There are four (4) basic program components associated with the anti terrorist program.The prevention which focuses on international initiative and diplomacy to discourage foreign states from supporting terrorism second is deterrence which emphasizes protection and security and efforts-essentially target hardening-to discourage terrorist acts, thirdly, the reaction, this consist of operations in response to specific major acts of terrorism and lastly is prediction, this includes intelligence and counterintelligence efforts in continues support of the three other program components B. The specific anti-terrorist measures developed and used in fighting terrorismIncludes close international screening of all airlines and passengers for metallic objects, tighter se curity of diplomatic installations, compilation of watch list terrorist, adoption of measures to sow dissention within terrorist group thru black and gray covert operations. V. Ways to fight Terrorism: A. There follows a general measures in fighting terrorism, this are protection of terrorist targets. The terrorist commonly attack strong points such as airports, communications and national offices.Another is the need to expand intelligence gathering in order to initiate particular course of action and forestall the plan of the enemy. The community must also be train for trouble; this will be possible by preparing them to any unusual occurrence like terrorist attacks. The country should improve international cooperation and negotiate flexibly. Others are don’t rule rescues, lean on terrorist allies, order selective reprisals, crack down on unsafe airports and tighten airport and seaport security. B.Psychological operations (PSYOPS) approaches in countering terrorist threats. 1 . Widespread educational program directed at audience in the affected areas will expose threat to stability and the quality of life by those threat groups 2. High visibility amnesty and â€Å"secret witness† programs could directly attack the organizational integrity and solidarity of those threat groups. 3. Target the rivalries and jealousy existing in those threat groups. 4. Develop constructive relationship among the various disputants to enhance high level diplomatic talks. C.To develop terrorism counteraction plans and programs, it is necessary to conduct threat studies, to provide an understanding of the capabilities and intentions of terrorist groups, Vulnerability surveys, to reveal the weakness that terrorist can attack and Analysis of all the effects of terrorism. D. PSYOPS doctrine prescribes the use off â€Å"Propaganda Analysis† to determine the effects of activities, programs or campaigns. The basic approaches in this procedure are analysis of Source, Con tents, Audience, Media, and Effects (SCAME). Propaganda is the primary vehicle of psychological warfare.It includes any activity that affects emotion, attitude and behavior of a target audience (Marchetti, 1976) HOME GROWN TERRORISM: Scott Redd, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said in a written statement to the Senate that the emergence of home-grown terrorist groups is posing â€Å"real challenges† for U. S. authorities despite law enforcement successes at disrupting potential attacks. Most security and counterterrorism officials believed that the next terrorist attack will not be the work of well-trained al-Qaeda operatives sent from abroad, but rather that of an American citizen.The White House’s National Strategy for Combating Terrorism says the main terrorist threat today comes from those who â€Å"exploit Islam and use terrorism for ideological ends. † Experts say individuals who are likely to adopt a terrorist ideology share several qual ities: youth, unemployment, feelings of alienation, a longing to feel self-importance, and a need to be part of a group. Religion can be compelling to such individuals, who are then prone to exploitation by deceitful religious leaders. R. P.Eddy, senior fellow for counterterrorism at the Manhattan Institute, says, â€Å"If you think of any ethnic community in this country†¦there are people of all stripes. † However, he suggests counterterrorism efforts should pay close attention to Muslim communities in the United on lessons from the attacks in Madrid in 2003 and London in 2004, which originated in Muslim communities. The White House’s National Strategy for Combating Terrorism says that the main terrorist threat today comes from those who â€Å"exploit Islam and use terrorism for ideological ends.† Experts say individuals who are likely to adopt a terrorist ideology share several qualities: youth, unemployment, feelings of alienation, a longing to feel self -importance, and a need to be part of a group. Religion can be compelling to such individuals, who are then prone to exploitation by deceitful religious leaders. The relationship between American Muslims and homegrown terrorism. Though many of the homegrown terrorists identified in the United State especially since the 9/11 attacks have been Muslims, it is important to note that religious motivations are not present in all instances.It is suggested that counterterrorism efforts should pay close attention to Muslim communities in the United States, where al-Qaeda’s message of radical Islam is more likely to resonate. How have Muslim communities in the United States responded to the growing concern over homegrown terrorists? By and large, American Muslims express great concern over the prospect of homegrown terrorists in their midst. To this end, members of Islamic communities have worked to establish good relationships with U. S. officials, particularly on the local level.Huss ein Ibish, executive director of the Hala Salaam Maksoud Foundation for Arab-American Leadership, says in terms of counterterrorism efforts, â€Å"Most of the major successes the government claims within the United States have actually involved cooperation with the local Muslim communities. How have U. S. officials reacted to the prospect of homegrown terrorists? Experts judge government responses as mixed. Generally speaking, the local approach proves most effective. Eddy says local police are the best tool the government has for preventing homegrown terrorists.Good community policing—establishing relationships and keeping abreast of trends in a neighborhood â€Å"based on common interests other than terrorism†Ã¢â‚¬â€underpins any effort to detect a homegrown plot. Eddy views officers as â€Å"first preventers and not just as first responders,† but it remains incumbent on political leaders to support them as such Home-grown cells were a new domestic phenomeno n for which the FBI and law enforcement agencies had no â€Å"baseline† for measuring the scale of the problem CONCLUSION: Terrorism is a crime committed by a handful of extremist elements and should not be ad equated with any specific ethnic group or religion.Under no circumstances should double standards in applying this principle be allowed. To fight terrorism effectively requires efforts to address its ideological, socioeconomic and political root causes. This should involve strategies aimed at currently solving both current problems and identifying permanent solutions in the long run. An important prerequisite in this connection is to resolve the question of development and narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. The so called war on terror is not just a war that can be won by sole reliance on military and coercive measures.Recommendation: The country should review and strengthen national mechanism to combat terrorism. Efforts in suppressing sources of funds must b e doubled. The country needs to continuously deepen seeking cooperation from allies’ country in enforcing anti-terrorist program and practices. Develop regional capacity building programmed to enhance existing capabilities to detect, monitor and report terrorist acts and plans. Strengthen cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international levels in combating terrorism in a comprehensive manner and affirm that at the international level.Convene a high level of ad-hoc experts group as the lead to anti terrorism that will continue to focus on the preventions and control of terrorism. To better deter and prevent potential acts of terrorism at home, the state should enact law that will restrict the movement of those who pose a terrorist threat to the community to include organizations which advocate terrorism. Holds accountable all public and private organizations abetting terrorism; Calls for greater vigilance and concrete measures against all possible terrorist supplies, m aterials and finances.The country should designate Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security as the lead to anti terrorism. Americans had to accustom to new security measures that complicated their travel, work, and recreation. United States agencies rearranged their priorities, and local governments scrambled to make preparations for potential terrorist attacks, possibly involving biological, chemical, or even nuclear weapons. References Banlaoi, 2004, War on Terrorism, Rex Bookstore Inc. , Recto Avenue Desker, B. , and Kumar R. ,( 2002) Forging an Indirect Strategy in Southeast Asia.† The washington Quarterly, Volume 25, No. 2 Dulles, A. , (1972) The Craft of Intelligence, New York, wermer paperback, Marchetti, V. (1976), The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence, New York, Pell Agam, H. ,(2001) â€Å"Measure to Eliminate International Terrorism† New York, Paper Back. Ganor, B. (2003)Defining Terrorism: Is One Man’s Terrorist Another Man’s Freedom Figh ter†, http://terror. host. net. kg Homer, D. (2003) The Rise of Complex Terrorism, http//www. Foreignpolicy. com http://counterterrorism. org/mt/pings. cgi/3655 .

Working with and Leading People

Cool Sounds is an established music retailer throughout the UK and it has around 280 stores and 15000 employees, both full time as well as part-time. The products sold by Cool Sounds range from CDs and DVDs to software for computer consoles. The organization has a tall structure and most of the decisions are made from the Head Offices although leading people is usually the specific remit to store management team. Cool Sounds has planned to open a new flagship store in Coventry and hire 80 more employees. I being the general manager of the store have prepared this paper to address some of the issues related to recruitment, selection and retention, leadership, performance appraisal, etc. (Anthony, Kacmar & Perrwe 2005). RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND RETENTION What does Cool Sounds look for in its employees? Cool Sounds looks for a strong academic record when assessing the application of employees. Past experience shows that academic skills are seldom sufficient to be a successful professional within a company as challenging, dynamic and diverse as Cool sounds. Therefore, Cool Sounds has identified four skills and qualities as being essential to performing to the high standards that they expect from their employees. Capacity, achievement, relationships and technicality are these skills identified by Cool Sounds. Capacity is the diagnostic ability to put problems in an extensive but in a relevant view. Achievement is the ability to get things done. Relationships refer to the ability to work efficiently with others in a team and technicality is the ability to understand and approach technical issues coupled with an enthusiasm for technical challenge. The HR management refers to these qualities throughout their assessment and selection process, looking for candidates who can show them to a greater degree than their contemporaries. (Benefiel 2008). Applications and resumes Cool Sounds offers an amazing range of recruitment in many different fields and also requires people from diverse backgrounds. Every year Cool Sounds examine its business requirements and accordingly they conduct external recruiting and for this, they should advertise in the leading newspapers and shortlist the candidates suitable by interviewing them after which they must select candidates on the basis of their degree, although work experience really counts but they should also recruit candidates on the basis of their answers and intelligence. All applications should be assessed and candidates based on the above mentioned qualities and both internal and external selections should be done. Cool Sounds should recruit employees both internally and externally. (Butteriss 1998). The Interview Process Once the recruiters have reviewed the candidates’ application forms and CVs/Resumes, they must conduct telephonic or face-to-face interview and many other interview techniques and questions must be asked to determine the personality of the candidate. Cool Sounds must conduct competency based interviews in order to evaluate the competence in a candidate. (Barker 2008). Situational interviews are conducted by asking questions like e. g. ‘A person in your team is disrupting information, how would you handle the situation? ’ Behavioral interviews should also be conducted in which Cool Sounds should inquire about the candidates’ achievements and any challenges they have faced e. g. ‘Please tell us about a time when you were under great pressure? How did you cope? What was the outcome? The content of the responses to the questions asked should then assessed by Cool sounds. Offer and Onboarding Once the candidates have been successfully selected to work in the organization, they should be called in for a management trainee program. (Clawson & Corner 2004). Offer To give their candidates the best value they can get, Cool Sounds should make sure that it provides the job that the person wants, for instance, if the employee is more flexible about their preferred job and location, the more likely should Cool Sounds should be able to give what the employee want. After finding a suitable vacancy, the employee should be invited to a ‘Get to Know You’ session so that the employee meets the business managers they’ll be working with, as well as some of their team, and find out more about the position. This would also give the employees as well as the company itself to double check whether the candidate is suitable or not and if a suitable match is lacking at this point, Cool Sounds must continue to explore for more candidates. Gravett 2003). Onboarding This is when the employees’ career begins with Cool Sounds and the onboarding programs should be carried out so that employees can get to know the organization better. Moreover, the company should always be ready to guide its employees in the best possible way, so that the employees can have a feel of what their job role is in the organization, what they are supposed to do, and find out how Cool Sounds operates itself. Retention Rewards and Benefits Rewards and benefits are major set of HRM activities and so Cool Sound should provide their employees rewards and benefits and the most common rewards they can give to the employees are worker’s compensation, social security and unemployment insurance. Reward System Reward system serves as a strategic purpose of attracting, motivating and retaining people, therefore Cool Sounds should provide bonus to their employees in order improve the performances of the employees. By taking a look to the performance of the employee or his sincerity with the organization, the employees should be given rewards to keep them motivated. (John 2001). Pay Structure Pay structure is the difference of pays of employees within the organization and it is vital to give the same pays to the employees having same designation so that no sort of conflict arises between them; however the pay must only be different for employees on the basis of their performance. Individual Pay Decisions To promote the employees, individual pay decisions should be made as well and Cool Sounds must ensure that employee’s individual contribution is recognized and rewarded through performance-related pay and bonuses, moreover, facilities must be provided to their hardworking employees and they should also work on the enhancement of the technical knowledge of the employees. Other factors of retention Health and medical benefits should be provided to the employees, every employee should be fairly treated and job security should be provided to them. (Kay 2000). Legal and ethical issues When staff is to be recurited, some legal and ethical issues need to be considered. Code of ethics These include age and gender, race and religion discrimination and sexual harassment and it is mandatory for the HR Department of Cool Sounds to make sure a fair treatment of employees. Employees know that they are safe and they can approach someone in case they are unfairly treated by anyone. Legal issues The HR Department should act as a negotiator and works to establish cooperation between the legal entities, regulatory agencies, supervisors and employees to properly address and determine the issue prevailing. BUILDING WINNING TEAMS. The culture followed by an organization highlights its personality. Culture basically comprises of the assumptions, the values and norms of an organization, the financial position of the organization and about its members and their behaviors. Whenever a new member is added to an organization, they don’t take much time to study and learn about the type of culture being followed by an organization. However, every organization has its different culture and although new employees may take time to adjust but they soon get to know about it and work accordingly and the culture of an organization makes an organization different from others. The culture an organization adopts should be such that it should be accepted by all the employees and it basically helps to understand the human system in an organization and there are basically two types of challenges a culture has to overcome. Once an employee joins an organization, he has to get accustomed to its culture effectively and only those who can adopt it well can survive. After the employees adopt the culture, it leads to a collective learning process creating shared assumption and beliefs. Team learning This refers to the learning that develops the ability in a team to create the results expected and desired by the other members. It further builds personal mastery and shared vision. Team learning leads to good results and growth becomes more rapid. Team learning is dependent on the type of members a team consists of and the way they think and take the other members. (Kline & SaCool Soundsders 1997). Problematic areas One of the major problems being faced by the HR department is because of the diversified workforce at an organization. Many people feel uncomfortable to working with people of a different age, sex, or culture. Despite the fact that employing people from different groups is good but it can lead to a clot of conflicts. The management has to manage a diversified workforce effectively or it can effect employee satisfaction and productivity negatively and the employees who recognize themselves as valued members of their organization are more diligent, concerned, and innovative and this tends them to work harder. Another problem can be the economic unrest prevailing. People from diversified groups would be having different definition of ambition. The outcome of ambition is mostly unpredictable, some ambitions begun in selflessness end in rancor; others begun in selfishness end in large-heartedness. It can at times be uncontrollable as well and some people may not be able handle ambition serving it as a grief to others. It also leads to jealousy. Other than that, people might opt any way to achieve their goals and these might be unlawful as well. Team Charter †¢ Policy formulation – It is essential for the employees to obey the set of rules and policies set by Cool Sounds as this is essential so that proper regulation can be maintained at the work place. (Christensen & Irwin 1976) Knowledge Management – It relates to the programs such as the objectives of the organizations, creating ways to improve the performance of the employees, developing a competitive advantage and creating innovation. (Evans 2003). †¢ Ethics – this is the most important area of philosophy is about right conduct and good lif e and is considerably broader than the common idea of analyzing right and wrong. †¢ Customer Satisfaction – Serving the customers well. Team roles identified by Belbin These roles are identified on the basis of the behaviour of the people when they work in teams and these have a great impact on their performance as well. The roles that Beblin identified are mentioned below. Action Oriented Role †¢ Implementer – the role of the implementer is to translate the ideas and the decisions of the team into actions that can be managed. †¢ Shaper – his role is rather goal directed and more challenging as he has to overcome obstacles and work under great pressure. †¢ Completer/Finisher – the basic task of the completer is to meet deadlines. People Skills Oriented Role †¢ Co-ordinator – facilitates interaction as well as decision making. †¢ Teamworker – it is vital for the teammaker to listen attentively to his team members, to be collaborative and to cooperate with them. Resource Investigator – developing contacts, have excellent communications skills and exploring new ideas are the basic roles played by a resource investigator. Cerebral/Intellectual Role †¢ Planter – his basic goal is to solve problems. †¢ Monitor/Evaluator â⠂¬â€œ having good judgemental and thinking skills are essential for an evaluator. †¢ Specialist – constant learning and building knowledge. The ideas that are proposed by the team members should be implemented in the store if they are feasible. For instance, in the case of Cool Sounds, both the shaper as well as the completer is important so that the store can do its best. To make the store operate in a better way, it would be good to discuss ideas with the team members so that new things can be implemented and this would give a competitive edge to the store. Moreover, it is also vital for the planter to solve problems and negotiate with the team members in order to keep things going in an orderly manner and to avoid conflicts. LEADERSHIP Leadership is basically the process of social influence in which one particular person is able to help and support the others in order to accomplish a common task. It is also about creating something that could help out the people achieve something that is extraordinary. There are a lot of leadership theories proposed by many theorists. Leadership style is the manner or approach of providing direction; implementing plans and motivating people and according to Kurt Lewin, the 19th Century German psychologist suggested three different styles of leadership. All three styles of leadership can be used by Cool Sounds depending on the type of the employees they have hired. (Kouzes & Posner 2008) Styles of Leadership 1. Authoritarian /autocratic – Such leaders have full authority to take decisions and are preferred by such employees who need close supervision in order to complete the tasks assigned to them. Northhouse 2006). 2. Participative or democratic – Such leadership involves including the employees in decision making, however the final decision is taken by the leader. 3. Delegate of Free reign – The leader permits the employees to make decisions for them. However, in any event leaders are the ones who are actually responsible for all their decisions. This style is usually used where employees are few and have greater awareness. (Lee 1991). Skills in leaders The leaders are the ones who should encourage their juniors to suggest ideas that could lead to creativity and innovation. The employees should be rewarded, supported and proper amalgamation should be provided for the processes. Fund learning should be encouraged. This can be done by prioritizing it into budgets and work plans and to make it accessible to the employees or it would be of no use. Trust and respect should be placed on all the levels of the organization. Free communication and personalization should be allowed. Constant training or at least monthly or yearly training programs should be held for all the staff to keep on learning new things. The return on investment should be taken care of. The employees should know how much they are contributing to the company. These are some more factors that could help UN to retain their current employees. (Leat 2001). In order to manage conflicts, the leaders should use conflict management i. e. an amalgamation of different processes that aids in eliminating the sources of conflict and these processes includes negotiation, mediation and diplomacy and dispute resolution or alternative dispute resolution are other terms for conflict resolution. Motivational techniques Empowerment It facilitates the process of making choices and translating these choices into decisions by enhancing the choice making abilities of involved individuals and groups. As a result of this empowerment, individual and collective assets are created which are crucial to the efficiency of organizational and institutional development which controls the utilization of these assets. (Schein 1993) Equity theory This is all about how satisfied an employee is regarding the distribution of resources. The theory was proposed by John Stacy Adams in 1962 and he said that employees seek to maintain equity between the inputs and the outcomes. Everyone expects to be fairly treated and this keeps them motivated to stay in an organization. This theory is basically based on the ratio of inputs (contribution made by employees) to the outcomes (behaviors and contribution of the employees). This theory would be useful for Cool Sounds because it describes the relationship between the level of motivation that an employee has and the way he receives equitable or inequitable treatment. This relationship is basically between the employee and the employer. With this, the issue to comparison arises as what the employees do is that they compare their input and outcome with that of the others. The inputs mainly are the time the employee gives to accomplish a task, his expertise experience and skills, etc. however, the outcomes are the monetary compensation such as the benefits the employees receive and likewise. Therefore, it can affect the morale, efficiency, productivity, and turnover of the employees at the organization. Furthermore, there are certain assumptions of this theory when it is being applied to a business. For instance, if an employee expects a fair return for her contribution and by comparing her input and outcomes or is not being fairly treated. This comparison is called social comparison and this discourages the employees badly and if the management does not work on it and the result of this would be that the employees will start distorting their inputs as well as the outputs. Therefore, the organization must ensure that they take care of all this in future. Expectancy theory This is basically about choice and the way in which people make choices. It is a motivation theory and was proposed by Victor Vroom. In this theory, the level of motivation of the employees is expected to rise when they put more efforts to do the tasks they are assigned to do and this makes them do better work and this leads to organizational rewards that are valued by the employees. Two things that the expectancy theory emphasizes is the self-interest of the rewards that the employees want and how the employees behave with reference to it. According to this theory, the behaviour of the employees is a result from conscious choices among alternatives. The sole purpose of this theory is to maximize pleasure and reduce the pain involved in completing a task. This theory is based on three concepts that results in motivation. 1. Valence – this is what an employee prefers for a particular outcome and the employee must be motivated to prefer to attain an outcome than the idea of not attaining it. 2. Instrumentality – the extent to which a first level outcome leads to the second level. . Expectancy – Probability that an action will lead to the first level outcome. Therefore, Cool Sounds must use proper reward systems making sure that the performance of the employees is measured properly. WORK AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS As the store would be divided into various sections that must function effectively, some work activities need to be analyzed. For this, it is important for the leaders to plan out things for each department efficiently and motivate the employees of the respective department to perform well. The development needs of an employee can be identified by doing performance appraisal and it would also help to identify the effectiveness of the activities. Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal is done for the purpose of promotions. It is the assessments of an employee’s performance. It serves for administrative and developmental purposes. Administrative purpose provides information for making salary, promotion, lay-off decisions and documentation. Developmental purpose can be used to diagnose training needs and career planning. Cool Sounds appraises its employees because feedback and coaching based on appraisal information provide the basis for improving day-to-day performance. (Perlmutter, Bailey & Netting 2000). Results Appraisal Cool Sounds should appraise its employees’ performance. Results appraisals tend to be more objective and can focus on production data such as sales volumes or profits. Management by Objectives A process in which objective set by subordinate and supervisor must be reached within a given time period. This is another name given to â€Å"Results appraisal. † Aim of MBO. Cool Sounds must use MBO to achieve a set of goals that is clear, specific and reachable, and when managers want to empower employees to adapt their behavior as they deem necessary in order to achieve desired results. The standard of performance at Cool Sounds should be based on job analysis after which performance standards should be notified to its employees. (Morgan 1997). Managers and Supervisors Cool Sounds should also use its managers and supervisors as a source of appraisal information because they are often in a best position to observe an employees performance. Internal and External Customers Cool Sounds should use its internal and external customers as sources of performance appraisal information and it is a good idea for employees to evaluate their own performance. 360-Degree Appraisal Cool Sounds should also use multiple sources of appraisal to gain a comprehensive perspective of one’s performance because each source of performance appraisal information has some limitations, and different people may see different aspects of performance. 60-degree appraisal is beneficial and would be accepted by employee if not linked with increments. (Frappaolo 2006). Performance Appraisal Interview Employees want to know how they are doing, but typically they are comfortable about getting feedback. Cool Sounds should conduct performance appraisal interviews thoughtfully and must summarize the employees’ specific performance, and then supports the employees who are not performing well and appreciates those whose performances are good. Conclusion. Therefore, it is essential for Cool Sounds to take care of the employees they select and recruit because the employees serve as an asset of an organization and so it is a must for them to retain them as well. Moreover, they must also manage the teams well and good leadership skills are essential to make the employees work well. Conducting performance appraisal is also necessary as it can help Cool Sounds find out the level of performance of the employees and how they can further improve their performance. (Lewis 2003).

Education System Essay

The education system of India is very old. It has started from the ancient times. The Vedas, puranas, ayurveda, yoga represent some forms of education. There are evidences of imparting formal education in ancient India under the Gurukul system. Under the Gurukul system, young boys who were passing through the Brahmacharya stage of life had to stay at the Guru or the teacher’s home and complete their education. Earlier women and people of lower castes didn’t have a right to educate themselves. But Jainism, Buddhism and Sufi movements had some liberating effects. The Britishers can be credited for bringing a revolution in the Indian education system because it is the English language and the reformation movements of the 19th century that had the most liberating effect in pre-independent India. India Education Present Condition  After independence, making education available to all had become a priority for the government. As discrimination on the basis of caste and gender has been a major impediment in the healthy development of the Indian society, they have been made unlawful by the Indian constitution. The 86th constitutional amendment has also made elementary education a fundamental right for the children between the age group- 6 to 14. According to the 2001 census, Total literacy rate – 65.38%. The female literacy rate – 54.16%. Only 59.4% of rural population is literate as against 80.3% urban population according to the 2001 census. Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/education-system-of-india.php#ixzz2KBxKSaq0

Argument Essay Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argument Essay - Research Paper Example Furthermore, man is today more interested in using motor vehicles, which have high rates of greenhouse gases emissions. Cycling is perceived as a boring activity despite the fulfilment that it offers to riders. As a result, humans do not take time to interact with the environment and determine the richness and the freshness of the natural world, which is the major cause of environmental degradation. Therefore, the main question is," what is our personal responsibility toward the natural world, toward what we term our natural resources?" Understanding our responsibilities will have a positive impact to the declining natural resources and impart a change of beliefs; people will prefer natural landscapes compared to the built environment. Pearson, in her book The perfect vehicle: What it is about motorcycles remarks, â€Å"Our aim†¦it seem [is] to accumulate goods. At the end of this metaphoric road stand the non-metaphoric Kmart, glistening like Oz and filled to the rafters with a hundred cheap mementos of wildflowers, in forms of candle, air freshener, sachet, cologne, bath bead, potpourri, and incense stick. In its prior life, of course, the ground under the big store bloomed with wildflowers.† Pearson’s statement confirms the human appetite for built environment at the expense of the natural environment. In its natural form, the ground was filled with beautiful flowers and a rich aroma, the true value of nature. On the second view, Mellissa presents the image of a ground that was previously blossoming with flowers, but on which a store stands to facilitate economic activities. In other words, stores emphasize Pearson’s regret, â€Å"our aim it seems is to accumulate goods.† Despite the value of the undefiled nature and its blossoming flowers, humanity has taken keen interests in economic activities and industrialisation, which erodes and degrades the natural aroma of many landscapes. The natural resources are replaced with ston e-built structures that deface the landscape. Therefore, humans are called to take value in natural resources and not to prioritise the built environment at the expense of a natural environment. There is value in taking interest in natural items and taking pride in exploring the natural world due to the contentment they offer Mellissa states that â€Å"riding on a motorcycle can make you feel joyous, powerful, and peaceful vulnerable and back up happy again† (Pearson 20). A motorcycle is the only vehicle that the rider can fully experience the richness of nature as the rider is ‘vulnerable’ to nature;  the rider is in direct contact when riding. In addition, such vulnerability to nature uplifts the spirit of the rider to experience the happiness and peace that comes from the fragrance of natural plants along the riding path. Considering motorcycles do not emit too much pollutant gases compared to vehicles, Mellissa emphasizes that relating directly with nature as one rides a motorcycle offers full contentment. In the above quote, she explains that after destroying the previously beautiful natural landscape, we go ahead to fill the stone built stores with artificial and cheap mementos of wildflowers, in forms of candle, air freshener, sachet, cologne, bath bead, potpourri, and incense sticks. Mellissa suggests that it is possible to find more expensive fragrances than these, in their

William Blake's The Chimney Sweeper intends to change the mind and Essay

William Blake's The Chimney Sweeper intends to change the mind and hearts of its readers. Explain how this might be supposed to work upon the consciousness and conscience of Blake's contemporaries - Essay Example Blake’s major poems are represented in two collections: Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. First collection of poems has many similar images of children, besides it presents many religious and social themes. The name of the collection implies that the themes and issues are present from the perspective of a child. The world is shown in the light which is different to the one an adult sees it. In his two collections of poems Blake presents the same themes, but in different lights and from different angles using words ‘innocence’ and ‘experience’ for collections’ titles. On the one hand, the contrast of the issues presented in the two great collections is strikingly vivid. However, on the other hand, the two opposing visions of life are equally important and necessary for better understanding of the wholesome picture of reality. State of innocence is a child’s vision of things and understanding of the world, while state of experience is a mature person’s perception of reality. One cannot be without the other. Two components, child’s innocence and adult’s experience, put together can create a wholesome picture of the reality and the world we live in. The poet makes his best to present all the truth of life through contrasting images of his two complementary collections of poems (Gallant 124). Blake’s intent ion is to change reader’s mind for the better by identifying evils and corruptions present in English society. He makes his contemporaries think of the reality they live in and perceive it objectively and adequately. Songs of Innocence is the representation of childhood and naivetà © it entails. Blake’s poem The Chimney Sweeper is one of the poems published in Songs of Innocence (1789). The poem contains all the hopes, fears, and naivetà © altogether a child might experience, especially during the time when child labor was such

Five filsm of Martin Scorsese Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Five filsm of Martin Scorsese - Essay Example Everything in his work, from his narrative construction, editing, how he directs his actors, all the way to his set design, sound, music, is in perfect harmony. (Casillo & Robert, 90) The Age of Innocence, for instance, looked like a doomed project in the beginning. It provoked fears of failure to live up to the solid and worthy but essentially boring literary adaptations of its time. It however became a golden piece of art, film and refinement, alive in all of its being. (LoBrutto & Vincent, 56) He brings out the much-heated issue of violence in the other three films. He seemingly presents it in two ways .One is to refusing to show it, but always locating it just off-screen. He manages to leave us free to exercise our imaginations and experience the horror, in a way that modern Hollywood does not. Second is by making it as explicitly disturbing as it can possibly be that it is impossible for anyone except the advanced criminal to enjoy it. This is Scorseses back then. (Wernblad & Annette, 67) These methods are however not evident in his most recent work. It was however, still possible to enjoy the violence in Taxi Driver, because of our strange relationship to the main character, but for GoodFellas or Casino, it is a different story. A notable characteristic of his soonest films is the distance he establishes between his audience and all his characters. Identification is hardly a component of the films as it if it flickers only sporadically. (Martin & Richard, 45). The roots of this influential director run deep in the film industry. Martin Scorsese received the title â€Å"directing god† from Roger Ebert, a movie critic. A fellow director, George Lucas has termed him the most influential and best director of their

Auditing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Auditing - Assignment Example The research delves on five of the major areas of heightened audit risk of Havelock Europa Plc (Havelock Europa, 2013). The basis for including the accounts as heightened risk involves two factors. The two factors are internal control and inherent risk (Messier, 2011). Certain financial report accounts have higher probabilities of errors or frauds. The current research centres on five such financial report accounts. The accounts are sales, receivables, payables, cash, and inventory. There is an audit risk that there is error or fraud in the  £ 100,778 thousand Revenue amount during 2012. There is a probability that sales completed during January of 2013 were included in the 2012 sales figure. This can be fraudulently done in order to present a falsely higher sales figure, improving the company’s financial report image (Lyn, 2011). Similarly, there is a probability that uncompleted sales transactions were included in the 2012 financial reports (Dauber, 2009). The uncompleted sales amount includes customer’s promise to purchase the company’s products and services that were never completed. Another possibility is that products returned by customers were not recorded as sales revenue reductions (sales returns). Similarly, discounts given to customers who pay early or pay in case are not reflected as deductions from the gross revenue amounts. Further, sales allowances given to customers to satisfy their complaints concerning poor product and service quality may not be deduction from the gross revenue amount. Further, another possibility is recording a Revenue transaction when there is actually no sales transaction started, processed, or completed (Dauber, 2009). Likewise, there is a possibility that the sales amounts were erroneous recorded or fraudulently recorded. In addition, the financial reports may erroneously or fraudulently not include some realized