Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 6

Sociology - Essay Example These perspectives show the same problems in the society but offer contrasting views on how to solve them (Vandelay, 2009). Health hazards are always present in the society since the beginning of time. They are part of the world as much as much as the tiniest organisms are. Although they are infamous because of their effects to humanity, nobody could totally get rid of illnesses. Even scientists who have been studying about illnesses for hundreds of years already could not answer all the questions regarding the causes, symptoms and solutions of some of the illnesses that threaten human existence. But man does not seem to give up easily, as time passes by, more and more attempts to answer essential questions regarding the origins of illnesses have been done. There are some scientists who explain the origins of illnesses as an accumulated result of environmental threats, personal defects and incapability to adapt to the environment. This view has been supported in the work of Boaz (2009). Because of illnesses, some if not all of functions of a person is hampered. And this is where it gets really detrimenta l. Once a person suffers from an unknown illness, its either he lives or he dies. Although doctors could well explain the biological causes of most of the diseases using experiments, scholars think that there are a lot of other reasons why diseases exist. People have different levels of immunity from illnesses, but this is not the main reason why people suffer greatly from diseases which have been solved by other scientists already. Some people wonder why these illnesses still exist. Perhaps the best way to analyze the reason behind the existence of these illnesses is to look at the social roots of these illnesses. Some scholars say that the answers in today’s biological issues are social in nature. This means that society has a say in whatever

British Armed Forces

British Armed Forces Management now are aware of the importance of employees, hence using the correct recruitment and selection methods are crucial part of management functions. The success of any organisation depends largely on acquiring the right balance of employees, with the right skills and abilities. Most companies have an established personnel department responsible for   this function. (Armstrong, M. 2009) Poor recruitment and selection techniques can result in rise in cost, lower morale, and a rise in labour turnover. As a result of these, the aim of management is to reduce cost and maximise productivity. This assignment looks at recruitment and selection methods used in the British Armed Forces, selection methods, reliability and validity. (Noe, R.A. et al, 2004) However, interviews and its benefits and types are also dealt with in details. The different types and drawbacks of test, and government legislation form the basis of employment and organisation has to follow set procedures as such. These are all discussed in subsequent chapters. (Noe, R.A. et al, 2004) This assignment focuses on recruitment and methods of selection processes. These systems may be the first formal interaction which candidates have with the organisation. Their impact may extend across a range of stages in the pre-employment relationship with the organisation, not only during the initial attraction, the selection process and the offer of employment, but also in the subsequent attrition, and decision by existing staff to leave.   Example Toyotas recruitment and selection practices are tailored to find the best possible applicants to hire. (Beardwell, J., and Claydon, T. 2007) 1.2 Recruitment and selection in the British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces described recruiting as the measures taken in order to attract a pool of candidates for selection. Recruits are then taking in for training in order to prepare them for their careers in the Army. The training is a continuous process throughout a soldiers career. (www.armedforces.co.uk, 2011) 1.2.1 Army Recruiting and Training Directorate (ARTD) This body is in charge of the step by step progress of potential recruits from the initial recruitment through to the selection process, specialist training and deployment in the army field. (www.armedforces.co.uk, 2011) The ARTD has an estimated annual budget approximately  £700m in which they have enlist 13000 potential candidates, and train 100000 soldiers and officers. The ARTD functions operations are categorised into three phases; such are, general training, Specialist training and Career training. (www.bbc.co.uk, 2011) 1.2.2 Soldier Selection The selection process requires all potential recruit to do an entry assessment at the Armys Careers Office.   Here potential recruits will undertake a touch screen British Army Recruit Battery (BARB) test, psychometric test all computer based designed to see which area in the Army is best suited for the recruit. The tests also include a numeric and literacy test.. (www.armedforces.co.uk, 2011) Candidates who successfully passed both the tests and interviews will be booked for further test. This test is normally a two days course at an Army Development and Selection Centre (ADSC). Here candidates will undergo a thorough medical examination, physical assessment tests, and fitness checks to determine the suitability for an Army career. (www.armedforces.co.uk, 2011) At the end of the two days course, candidates will be informed whether they are success or not, hence, if successful candidates can be given a place in any of the trade they wish to undertake, a Phase 1 training, which is a 14 weeks course, designed to give candidates all the required skills to be a soldier.   At the first day of training, recruits will formally enlist in the British Army, and Phase 2 specialised training will begin at the Army Training Regiment, Pirbright, Surrey. (www.armedforces.co.uk, 2011) 3.1 Methods of Selection Selection is the process of identifying the suitability of applicants from a given pool of candidates. The main reasons of carrying out selection are: (Dessler, G. 2011) To gather relevant information about jobs, applicants and organisations in order to ensure a better quality decisions. To change information and predict future behaviour To facilitate cost-benefits for the investment made in an employee To check, recruit and place job candidates in the best interests of organisation and applicants. (Dessler, G. 2011) 3.1.1 Reliability For employers to ensure that selection has been free of any kind of bias the reliability of the tests has to be demonstrated. Reliability refers to the logical coherence of scores collected by the same person when tested over time on the same test. If test outcomes are not consistent, it will be unethical to take any measures on the basis of the test.   It shows the extent to which similarities or differences in scores could be associate with errors. Dunnette (1966) has identified four sources of errors. (Mathis, R.L. and Jackson, J.H. 2007) Errors due to inadequate sampling of contents indicating that the items for the two tests may have been slightly different. Errors due to chance response tendencies indicating guessing or random responding to the items. Errors due to changes in the testing environment indicating the effect of physical conditions such as light, temperature, time of the day. Errors due to the changes in the person taking the test indicating the influence of health, fatigue, mood, and practice. The different types of reliability can be found in the appendix sections. (Mathis, R.L. and Jackson, J.H. 2007) 3.1.2 Validity This is the most important requirement of a test. Validity means degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure. A test with a high validity means it is nearly comparable to the tests objective. A test with a weak validity means it does not measure what it intend to measure. As a results, there is no prove to use the test outcomes for their primary objective. There are different ways to establish the validity of a test. The different types of validity can be found in the appendix sections. (Legge, K. 2004) 3.2 Ability Tests These are designed to measure individuals capabilities to carry out a task in a specific and unique manner. There are many different types of ability test; (Milmore, M. 2003) 3.2.1 Cognitive ability tests This measures a persons thinking, memory, reasoning, verbal and numerical capabilities. This can be used to show applicants knowledge of terminology and concepts, word fluency, comprehension, spatial orientation, conceptual reason, general and mutual ability. Organisation should ensure that these tests determine cognitive abilities than a job related. (Armstrong, M. 2009) 3.2.2 Physical Ability Tests This measures what a person can do with his/her strength, endurance, and flexibility. For example 1, the British Armed Forces uses this type of test to assess new recruits to ascertain the suitability for a career in the Army. (www.thearmedforces.co.uk, 2011) Another Example 2 is Ford Motor Company, where line workers regularly lift and carry equipment, climbs ladders and performs other physical tasks.(Mathis, R.L. and Jackson, J.H. 2007) Another example 3, Township Fire Department also uses physical ability test (PAT) in assessing potential applicant and highlighted the importance of physical fitness of fire fighters. (Armstrong, M. 2009) Example 4 Portland police bureau uses this to determine the suitability of professional police officers. (Armstrong, M. 2009) 3.3 Personality Tests This is a unique mixture of individual characteristics that can affect how an individual interacts in his/her work environment. As a result, a large number of organisations use different personality tests that determine the extent to which applicants characteristics suits specific job criteria. (Torrington, D., Hall, L., and Taylor, S., 2008) Example 6, the Finish Line, a large retail chain specialising in sporting products, offers job applicants a web-based test which evaluates their personal tendencies and test scores are use to group individuals for the hiring decision. (Mathis, R.L. and Jackson, J.H. 2007) Another example 7 is Blockbuster and Sports Authority also uses similar tools in their pre-employment screening. (The Economist, 2011) Example 8 a California based technology firm also found that the use of personality tests enhanced the selection decision made in the company. (Financial Times, 2010) 3.4 Assessment Centres This consists of various selection techniques, and group selection methods which are considered as a major element, as with work simulation programs and presentation. Assessment centres are used to assess, in depth, a group of broadly similar applicants, using a set of competencies required for the post on offer and a series of behavioural statements which indicate how these competencies are played out in practice. Example 5, Cadbury Schweppes. (Beardwell, J., and Claydon, T. 2007) Example, Energis utilises a series of assessment centres. 3.5 Honesty tests and Drug test Many organizations formerly employed polygraph tests, or lie detectors, to evaluate job applicants, but this changed with the passage of the Polygraph Act in 1988.   This act prohibited the use of polygraphs in employment screening for most organizations. A new technique known as the honesty paper-and-pencil tests was born. This typically ask candidates directly about their attitude towards theft or their past experiences with theft. (Noe, R.A., et al 2004) For example 9, Nordstorm, the large department store chain, uses Reid Survey to screen for violent tendencies, drug use and dishonesty. (The New York Times, 2010) As with theft, there is a growing perception of the problems caused by drug use among employees. For example 10, Fortune 1000 chief executives cited substance abuse as a significant problem in their organization. (Noe, R.A., et al 2004) 3.6 Polygraphs This is more generally and incorrectly termed as the â€Å"lie detector† which is a mechanical device that measures a persons heart rate, galvanic skin responses and breathing rate. The ideology of this device is that if a person answers a question wrongly, the bodys physiological responses will â€Å"show† that a person gave an incorrect response through the polygraphs recording machine. They play a vital role in criminal investigations and background checks. For examples 11,companies such as Pick n Pay, KFC and First National Bank all uses the polygraph to assess the trustworthiness of potential candidates. (Brown, C. (2010) 3.7 References and Biographical Data References are information that an employer gets from other people who know the applicant, either through friends or previous employer. The evidence on the reliability and validity of reference checks suggests that these are, at best, weak predictors of future success on the job. One major reason for this is that most reference letters are so positive that it is difficult to differential applicants. (Van den Brink, et al, 2010) For example 14,Northwestern Bells district manager of management employment notes â€Å"They all say, ‘This is the greatest individual the world have ever seen, the next president, at least..It is not always accurate. (Noe, R.A. et al, 2004) For example 15, Intuit Corporation tries to get around these problems by requesting references in bulk sometimes asking for as many as 12 letters of reference. The evidence on the utility of biographical information gathered from candidates is far more accurate. The biographical information form also provides a written document that the organisation can verify via outside checks. (Pollitt, D. 2007) For example 16, APCOA Inc. conducts a battery of checks depending on the position, and such investigation may include driving records, credit history and criminal record. (Ordanini, A., and Silvestri, G. 2008) 3.8 Problems with using test There are a number of problems associated with using tests. (Brown, G. T. L. 2008) In most cases, tests may not always be fair as there may be an element of racial, social and sexual bias in the questions and scoring system. For instance, some cultures may be unused to ‘working against the clock. (Hao, Z., and Liden, R.C. 2011) Validation procedures take a lot of time, but yet still are essential to the use of tests. Issues such as the use of web testing, new types of tests, like emotional intelligence tests, are being developed without sufficient validation. (Tulip 2002) The criteria used in defining good job performance are usually inadequate, hence such criteria are subjective and to some extent for the mediocre correlations between job performance and test results. (Collings, D.G., and Wood, G. 2009) Most tests are job specific and unique. Therefore, when the job for which the test is used changes, then the test can no longer be said to relate with job performance in the same manner. (Mathis, R.L. and Jackson, J.H. 2007) 4.1 Government Policy and Legislation The final standard that any form of selection method should adhere to is the law. Legislation has a vital role in the recruitment and selection process especially in preventing discrimination on the grounds of disability, sex, race and age. (Noe, R.A. et al, 2004) The Civil Rights Act of 1991, an extension of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 protects individuals from discrimination based on race, colour, sex, religion, and national origin with respect to hiring as well as compensation and working conditions. There are three major differences between the two Acts. (CIPD, 2010). One recent example 12 can be seen at Coca-Cola and this is highlighted in the â€Å"Competing by Meeting Stakeholders Needs† box; (Lavigna, R.J, and Hays S.W. 2004) Sex and Race DiscriminationThe Sex Discrimination Act (1975) was introduced to protect people and made it unlawful to discriminate based on sex or marital status either directly or indirectly in the field of employment. However, the Race Relations Act (1976) also prohibits employers from discriminating individuals on the grounds of race, colour and nationality. (Torrington, D., Hall, L., and Taylor, S., 2008) Age Discrimination In the UK, age discrimination was introduced in 2006 and makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate based on age in recruiting, promotion and training. (Noe, R.A. et al, 2004) Examples 13 of companies sued under this act include CBS Inc., McDonnell Douglas, Northwest Airlines, Disney, and Martin Marietta. (Noe, R.A. et al, 2004) 5.1 Selection Interviews An interview is a discussion between and employer and a potential candidate for the benefit of both parties to get to know each other for the purpose of filling a vacant position within a company. There are two major reasons for conducting an interview; as an initial screening, and to ascertain that the individual has met minimum qualifications required, and then an in depth interview with HR staff. (Singh, P. 2008) 5.2 Types of selection interviews 5.3 Structured Interviews This conducted by using standardised questions for all candidates to ensure comparisons can be done easily. It provides the opportunity   for the interviewer to design relevant questions and also to facilitate a standardised interviewee evaluation. It is useful in the initial screening process because many applicants can be effectively evaluated and compared. (Valentinis, L., et al 2009) 5.3.1 Behavioural Interview The interviewers often use an experiential type of structured interview. This is a method in which the interviewer will give applicants a job scenario (in which he/she will be looking for certain skills be it multi tasking, flexibility, diplomacy, patience, marketing tactics, and so on) and ask for the candidates opinion in exact steps. (Holtbrugge, D., et al 2010) Example, ATT and Accenture have been using behavioural interviewing for about 15 years now, and because increasing numbers of employers are using behaviour-based methods to screen job candidates, understanding how to excel in this interview environment is becoming a crucial job-hunting skill. Example 17,Capital one uses tests that assist in the evaluation of important behavioural and cultural-fit job criteria. (Mathis, R.L. and Jackson, J.H. 2007) Example Century 18, Theatre also made use of this test and finds it to be saving them money and resources. A recent study indicated that â€Å"past behaviour† structured-type interviews are better at identifying achievement at work than are situational interviews, hence showing the efficacy of this interview strategy. (Mathis, R.L. and Jackson, J.H. 2007) For example 19,the Struder Group consulting firm, after working with a multitude of health care firms across the nation, identified the use of behavioural interviews as a positive practice in organisations. (Gump, S.E. 2006) 5.3.2 Competency Interview This type of interview is similar to the behavioural interview except that the questions are designed to provide the interviewer with something to measure the applicants response against. Competency-based interviews are structured, with questions that relate directly to the essential criteria and competencies required for the post. Using competencies as a benchmark to predict job candidate success is useful because interviewers can identify the factors needed in specific jobs. (Doherty, R. (2010) However, this interview takes time and sometimes is of more benefit to management-oriented people. However, it is also important that you fit in with the team, and with the employers culture and style. A competency-based interview is designed to ask you additional questions about your character, soft skills and personal attributes that let both you and the employer determine whether you fit their needs. (Cardy. R.L., et al 2002) 5.3.3 Situational interview In situational interviewing, job-seekers are asked to respond to a specific situation they may face on the job, and some aspects of it are similar to behavioural interviews. These types of questions are designed to draw out more of your analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as how you handle problems with short notice and minimal preparation. (Dessler, G. 2011) For example 20, a variation of situational format that is used by companies such as GE and Microsoft is termed the case study interview, which requires a job applicant to find out and correct organisational challenges during the meeting. (Beardwell, J., and Claydon, T. 2007) 5.4 Unstructured or Less-structured interview An unstructured interview is one where there may be a script to get the process started, but once the interview gets going the interviewer will start to follow her own points of interest and stop following any script. (Searle, R.H. 2003) An unstructured interview occurs when the interviewer improvises by asking questions that are not predetermined. A semi structured interview is a guided conversation in which broad questions are asked and new questions arise as a result of the discussion. (Searle, R.H. 2003) 5.4.1 Stress Job Interviews The stress interviewing technique is typically used only for positions in which the job-seeker will be facing stress on the job, and the interviewer wants to see how well you can handle the pressure. The key to surviving stress interviews is to remain calm, keep a sense of humor, and avoid getting angry or defensive. (Ball, F.W., and Ball, B. 2010) 6.1 Advantages of interviews The following are the advantages of using interview as a method of selection: Interviews provide opportunities for interviewers to ask probing questions about the candidates experience and to explore the extent to which the candidates competences match those specified for the job; it enable interviewers to describe the job and the organisation in more detail, suggesting some of the terms of the psychological contract; provide opportunities for candidates to ask questions about the job and to clarify issues concerning training, career prospects, the organisation and terms conditions of employment; The interviewer may try to stress you in one of several ways, such as asking four or five questions in a row, acting rude or sarcastic, disagreeing with you, or simply keeping you waiting for a long period. (Armstrong, M. 2009) 6.2 Disadvantages of interview Snap judgments: some interviewers decide whether an applicant is suitable withing the first two to four minutes of the interview, and spend the rest of the time searching for crucial evidence to support their judgement. Negative emphasis: when evaluating suitability, the unfavourable information regarding a candidate is often more emphasised than the information that favours the candidate. Biases and stereotyping: a bias can be describe as a situation where the interviewer favours or select people that they consider to be the same as them based on various personal factors. However, candidates ethnic names and accents can negatively impact personal evaluations. Also, older candidates are most of the time less likely to be interviewed and hired compared to younger applicants. (Mathis, R.L. and Jackson, J.H. 2007) 7.1 Conclusions A year and a half ago, organisations such as investment banks example HSBC, blue chips and consulting firms were competing with dotcoms companies for example Amazon, and Facebookover recruiting the best people. But in the present environment, there are waves of redundancies hence many are grateful that they have a job. However, boom or bust, good recruitment and selection practices are essential. In conclusions, this assignment agrees with the statement; â€Å"the most efficient solution to the problem of interview is to do away with interview and substitute paper-and-pencil measures† This is because research has demonstrated that interviews are an inefficient method of predicting future success in a job. According to Smart (1983) argues that only 94 out of 1000 interviewee respond honestly in conventional interviews. (Armstrong, M. 2009) Factors such as poor reliability and validity of test scores are also major problems of interviews. Different interviewers have their own different styles and approaches, inconsistent handling of different candidates, variation in assessment criteria, biases, and errors are all factors that limits the use of interviews as a method of selection. (Armstrong, M. 2009)

Social War :: Personal Narrative Essays

Social War "That's her, that's the new girl. That's Holly Bennett. She is going to be in our group and not theirs," Mandi told us, as Holly shyly made her way over to the teachers desk. Our regular gang was sitting in the middle of 8th grade English. We were all seated in a circle in the back corner of the old, smelly classroom. Our "enemies," as we called them, were seated in the opposite corner. Mandi, Summer, Kristi, Lindsey, Anna and I were all pretty close friends then. It seemed like you had to be in one of two groups, ours or theirs, to even be talked to by everybody else. Our "enemies," were more or less what you might call the "preppies". They were the few who could get the boys to do whatever they wanted, had lots of high school friends, and could look at the teacher the right way, to get an A on their reports. We got along fine with them, except when a new girl came into our class. The new girls always seemed to start a cold war between us. Last time, we tried everything to get the new girl, Kristi, to hang out with us instead of the preps. We ended up "winning" Kristi over, which made the new meat worth even more. As Mrs. Gallegos, our elderly, over weight teacher, was introducing Holly, many thoughts went racing through our heads. I think we were all pretty much thinking along the same lines, "She's ours." As Holly took a seat over near the door, we began conversing among ourselves. Holly was skinny, tall, had brownish hair and seemed to be very shy. This made several things easy for us. Most of the people in our group were skinny and tall, so that meant we could share clothes amongst ourselves and now Holly could too. As we were planning on how to make Holly ours, I glanced across the room, and saw that our enemies were doing the exact same thing, planning. I told the other girls to look over at them, and then decided that we should first tell them not to even bother with trying to win Holly over. We, after all, had won the last girl, which made the ratio from our group to theirs, 6 to 4.

The Microcomputer :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a sense computers have been around for centuries. The abacus, a counting machine, was invented by the Chinese sometime between 500 and 400 BC. The numeral zero was first recognized and written by Hindu’s in 650 AD, without which written calculations would be impossible. In 1623 the great grandfather of the processor was born, the calculating clock. Wilhelm Schickard of Germany invented this adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing machine based on the principle of algorithms. For the next three hundred years or so various machines were invented which could perform calculations but none were any vast improvement over Shickard’s clock, perhaps with the exception of Babbage’s punch card machine in 1832 (it was never finished).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1910 marked one of the most important times in the history of the computer with the invention of the first electrical automatic computing machine, the Z1, designed by Konrad Zuse in Germany. Finally after three hundred years there was an advance worth writing home about, but the German government had no time for such things as WW1 began to rage through Europe, so sadly Zuse’s machine was also never completed. Nevertheless the idea had caught on, and the true father of digital computing, Alan Turing, developed the Colossus, a machine which could decipher code. Alan went on to write essays on the subject of artificial intelligence and began a revolution the likes of which would change the world. Turing’s works are still referred to by computer scientists today. Finally in 1945 the first computer as we know it today was completed, ENIAC as it was called could perform calculations in hours which would take a human years to finish. ENIAC had plenty of drawbacks though, first and foremost its size, and secondly the 18,000 tubes it took to run it. ENIAC and UNIVAC, which came shortly after, were indisputably the greatest advances in technology of all time, but they were still useless to the mass majority due to size, cost and time of construction. The invention of the transistor in 1947 solved this problem for the most part, allowing computers to become smaller and more reliable. But alas due to the cost only the largest of private companies and governments could use the machines. By 1964 this had changed, International Business Machines or IBM as we know them today introduced the system 360 mainframe, a solid state semi portable computer which could handle many types of data and allowed many conventional businesses to enter the computer age.

Tension and Suspicion Between U.S. and Russia

Name Teacher AP U. S. History October 8, 2012 DBQ From the years of 1941 to 1949, there was an increase in suspicion and tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was a Communist country ruled by a dictator while America was a capitalist democracy that valued freedom. Their completely different beliefs and aims caused friction to form between them, which contributed to the creation of the Cold War. At the start of the first world war, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact.With Germany and the Soviet Union being allies, the rest of the world had their suspicions. In the U. S. , Senator Truman expressed his dislike of both countries and his view of them as potential enemies(Doc A). Unfortunately for the Soviet Union, the pact between him and Hitler was soon broken by a German invasion. The invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 was a surprise to everyone, especially Stalin who was not prepared for it. According to Churchill, it w as the turning point of the war. This turn on Stalin seemed like a great thing, if the Soviet Union hadn’t collapsed so quickly.With the fear of the Soviet Union’s surrender, Churchill and Roosevelt secretly met in the historic Atlantic Conference in August 1941. An outcome of the conference was the eight-point Atlantic Charter, where Churchill and Roosevelt agreed to defeat Germany before turning to Japan, and they planned for a new world organization, and affirmed their commitment to self-determination for all nations. In the midst of war, tensions were expressed in terms of which nation will emerge as world leader after the war.By 1943, the Allied nations were all committed to winning the war and creating a world in which â€Å"men in all lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want. † That was there goal even though they had yet come up with the basis for a world organization. In 1943, the foreign ministers of the United States, the Soviet Un ion, and Great Britain all met to discuss and define their goal. The United States Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, made the flight to journey to Moscow for the conference(Doc B). The Moscow Declaration was signed on October 30, 1943.In December, two months later, the three leaders issued a â€Å"Declaration of the Three Powers Regarding Iran. † The Soviet Union had committed to joining the war against Japan and expressed support for Roosevelt's plans for the United Nations. Roosevelt felt confident that he had won Stalin's trust by proving that the U. S. was willing to negotiate directly with the Soviet Union and by guaranteeing the opening of the second front in France by the spring of 1944. However, Stalin also gained tentative concessions on Eastern Europe that would be confirmed during the later wartime conferences.In 1945, the famed meeting of the heads of government of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union was held to discuss the reestablishment of the nati ons of a war-torn Europe. The Yalta Conference, held near Yalta in the Crimea, was the second of three wartime conferences held among the Big Three. The Yalta conferees, Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill, confirmed the policy adopted at the Casablanca Conference of demanding Germany's unconditional surrender. There they made plans to divide Germany into four zones of occupation under a united control commission in Berlin for war crimes trials.The Polish eastern border would follow the Curzon Line, and Poland would receive territorial compensation in the West from Germany. Discussing Poland, Churchill wanted to ensure free elections. He pointed out that the U. K. â€Å"could never be content with any solution that did not leave Poland a free and independent state. † Stalin pledged to permit free elections in Poland, but forestalled ever honoring his promise. Stalin talked with Roosevelt and concluded that Churchill didn’t understand the Russian’s fears regarding G ermany(Doc C).These misunderstandings caused new suspicions on both sides. The Big Three asked China and France to join them in sponsoring the founding conference of the United Nations. The USSR secretly agreed to enter the war against Japan within three months of Germany's surrender and was promised S. Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and an occupation zone in Korea. The secret agreement also provided that the Manchurian railroads should be under joint Chinese-Soviet administration. The subsequent outbreak of the cold war and Soviet successes in EasternEurope led to much criticism in the United States of the Yalta Conference and of Roosevelt, who was accused of delivering Eastern Europe to Communist domination. In the Soviet Union, foreign minister V. M. Molotov made a broadcast following the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan(Doc E). Molotov felt compelled to take preventive actions in response. Molotov condemned the Marshall Plan as imperialistic and he claimed it was dividing Eur ope into a capitalist and communist camp. In response he initiated the Molotov Plan.This plan created several bilateral relations between the states of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union and later evolved into the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. Molotov was expressing the views of many Russians, that they saw the West as reneging on its promises made at Yalta and Potsdam. In the United States, an article was published in The New York Times announcing that Czechoslovakia had become a communist state(Doc F). Under pressure from the Czechoslovakian Communist Party, President Eduard Benes allows a communist-dominated government to be organized.In response, America eliminated a large loan to Czechoslovakia that outraged parties in Czechoslovakia. In the London Evening Standard, a cartoon was published portraying Stalin plotting to conquer the rest of Europe(Doc G). The symbolism of the cartoon in Great Britain was the heightened distrust of Russian leaders and it was concrete ev idence of the tensions that sparked the Cold War. Although the Soviet Union did not physically intervene, Western observers decried the virtually bloodless communist coup as an example of Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe.Even though the United States and Great Britain denounced the communist seizure of power in Czechoslovakia, neither took any direct action. Throughout the years of 1945-1948, there was a poll conducted in the United States(Doc H). Each year, a person was asked a question about their feelings toward the Soviet Union. In 1945, a little more than half of the people voted that yes, they believe Russia could be trusted to cooperate with us after the war. In early 1946, the question was if they thought Russia could cooperate with us in world affairs. Half said no. Later that year, 60% voted hat they saw Russia was trying to build herself up to be the ruling power of the world. In May 1948, almost 70% saw the U. S. as being to soft in its policy toward Russia. The heig htened tensions, suspicions, and fears that became associated with the Cold War can be seen in the dramatic shifts in public opinion. With the Soviet Union now a threat, 10 European nations, Canada, and the U. S. established the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) to resist Soviet aggression in Europe. With the Soviet Union somewhat humiliated by the success of the Berlin airlift, they finally ended the Berlin Blockade.It was a success for the West until tension was again increased when the U. S. S. R. sets off its first atomic bomb. Now that the Soviet Union had successfully developed and conducted nuclear tests, the U. S. monopoly was over. Suspicions and tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were seen dramatically from 1941 to 1949 in conferences, public announcements, newspaper articles, and even public surveys. Countries as a whole distrusted each other because of their different beliefs. Each side was engaged in hostility that kept the Cold War brooding .

African continent Essay

My friend came from the African continent, we had shared a lot since we had met in high school and she had always told me stories of her country, most of the stories sounded interestingly and I knew deep down in my heart that it would be a place I would want to visit probably for adventure purposes. It was one of the school holidays when she had been preparing to go back home for an event that was important to her and her clansmen. She had told me that it would be great event and that I was welcome to attend, then event was supposed to go for a week. I was hesitant at first because I knew that I would a lot of money for my transport and accommodation but still really needed to go for an adventure. I thought about it for about six months and I approaching my parents to see if they could finance me. It took a few days when at last they both asked me how safe I would being that far from home. My dad had wondered how safe Africa could be and especially for someone like me who had never been there before. When I convinced them that my friend would take care of me and always give me company they granted my wish! I remember having sat next to my friend in the plane leaving for Nairobi with a lot of anxiety, many imaginations but soon feel asleep since the journey was a long one. We flew for many hours and eventually got to land in the large airport that was filled with peoples movements. We walked out through the arrivals exit and I followed my friends who led me to a huge group of people who I came to learn later that they were her relatives. We put our bags onto a car, entered and were driven off. We then reached to her parents’ home and for sure I could see that it was full of people, my friend told me that the main event was going to take place the following day and that is the reason there were so many people to do the preparation. We were walked through the people as we shook their hands a way of greeting in many parts of Africa. I was shown the room that I would spend my nights which was well lit and next to where my friend was to occupy. The next morning we were woken up very early, I had lost truck of time and I kept trying to figure out and adjust to the time zones. I had told that this day marked a very important transition period to the age group; it was their initiation day! That the process takes a week, which all the initiates had been sent away from home to the wild for months! When the right time reached I saw a parade of many young looking people all in traditional attires, they looked so wonderful! They had colors on their heads and funny slipper- like shoes. There was a lot of singing and dancing, ooh it was wonderful! The main ceremony/initiation process was to start at 4. 30 in the morning and it was a circumcision ceremony. Very old people were to perform the act, the initiates were many and that the process as painful as it is they do not administer anesthesia this way they rate the initiate who undergoes the whole process without any sign of fear or pain as the bravest one. Now I realized at some point that some girls I had seen at the parade were also waiting to undergo the same procedure! I couldn’t believe it, how could a society be so cruel? How could anyone want to mutilate the genitals of a female? I kept asking my friend and I was in total dismay! She kept telling me that it is the society way of intiating the girl child from childhood to adulthood. But I wondered why through such a cruel act? Can’t there be anyone who can stand against it and educate this society the health damages associated? I then observed that the same razor blades were used on all the initiates and at this point I made up my mind that I was not going to leave this place having not conveyed my dismay to the few people who would care to listen. There was so much tension as the process took place, much tension from the parents of the initiates because if anyone cried or screamed during the process they could be left alone and the whole society would treat such a person as a coward. Every time the operation went well there would be ululations in high voices. The few times the operation didn’t go smoothly there would kicks and blows it was so cruel. That whole event challenged me to try and convince the people there how wrong it was to use the same blades, the dangers of HIV and AIDS associated to sharing such items, the health problems associated to Female Genital Mutilation and for sure I was met with hostility but with time since it sank down in some people and they began to see the truth of the matter. Well, I got the contacts of those I found to be reasonable and I have continued to having communication with them, trying to educate them on these matters but the response is slow and I don’t think I will give up even if it takes my life time to have spread this word.

Careers in law are open to all and the legal profession is sufficiently diverse. Discuss.

Introduction As a minority group, women have traditionally remained underrepresented within the legal profession. Whilst careers in law may, theoretically, be open to all, the reality is that due to the physiological make-up, maternalistic nature and historical suppression of women in society they have struggled to break entry into the traditionally male-dominated and elitist profession. This essay will argue that although efforts have and are continuing to be made to make a career in the law accessible for women, one could argue that the profession cannot yet be deemed sufficiently diverse as challenges continue to face women who elect to work with this profession. This essay will begin by summarising the history of the position of women in society, move to look to the challenges that face women and employers and finally, summarise steps that can be taken in an effort to eliminate such restraints. Women have fought a long battle against subordination. As late as the twentieth century, in England and Wales, women remained legally subordinate to men. In other cultures, this position remains in practice today. In England and Wales, coverture referred to the rights of women being subsumed by those of her husband through common law marriage. This legal doctrine left women without an identity and gave her husband control of her, her property and the custody of her children. Marital rape was not outlawed until R v R came before the House of Lords in 1992. Society saw women merely as objects of their husbands. It was not acceptable for women to study medicine or law or to engage in politics. Liberal ideals were quashed by the belief that women were irrational, temperamentally unfit to deal with such subjects and their place was in the home being a subservient wife and maternal parent. During the war effort, in particular, women proved that they were capable of holding down important r oles within the workforce and society more generally, and were seen as rational and intelligent in their thinking as their male counterparts. Women were granted suffrage in 1928 through the Equal Franchise Act and have since broken down the barriers into almost all professions. Despite, in theory, women having the ability to do everything a man can do, challenges remain that make it difficult to suggest that men and women are truly equal. Both society and the legal profession now support women embarking on careers within the industry. By 2008-9, 60% of all new admissions to the Roll were women and 52% of those called to the Bar in the same year were women. The Bar society indicated that in 2009, 34% of barristers were women. These figures demonstrate that women now make up over a third of all barristers, however, barristers are usually well educated and often from high socioeconomic standing, so this figure does not fully represent whether the legal profession is diverse for the average woman. Statistical evidence also proves that women still struggle to be appointed to the highest positions within the legal profession. Few women are promoted to Queen’s Counsel and the first woman to sit within the House of Lords was only appointed to this position in 2003. Women are traditionally paid lower than men. The Equal Pay Act 1970 has attempted to solve the disparity between the male and female pay gap, however, it is not uncommon for a case of this nature to arise. Recently, an employee sued her employer, Lewis Silkin, on the grounds that she was being paid lower than a male counterpart. Arguments suggest that due to the more emotional, sensitive and maternalistic nature of women in comparison to men, often women opt to specialise in different areas of law, such as family or personal injury law rather than male dominated specialisms, such as corporate or banking law. Family and personal injury law are also often less high-profile and do not hinge on lucrative deals so the specialisms are often not as well paid. To dismiss a woman for falling pregnant and wanting maternity leave is unfair dismissal. Pregnancy does, however, play an important role in this debate. Most employers would assume that a young woman will take a break to have a baby in the future and the fact that having a child is traditionally less disruptive to the work life of a man, it makes the male counterpart a cheaper and safer option in the long-term. A break in work is seen as disruptive and employers need to fill that position during the maternity leave, effectively causing the employer to pay twice for the same job to be completed. In a time when employers are facing tough economic times, having reliable staff that do not have to be replaced for extended durations appears, on face value, to be commercially viable option. Furthermore, there is a concern for the employer that childcare issues may cause disruption and lost working hours when the employee does return. Legal professionals who are self-employed, such as barris ters, can find the transition far more difficult in terms of covering their living costs and retaining clients during maternity leave and the stress of a new baby when they later return to work. In 2004, the Bar Council published policies that cover the issues of maternity, paternity and flexible working hours in an attempt to balance family life and legal practice. To actively reflect this aim, the policy has increased the time a barrister’s seat may be open rent free with Chamber’s expenses from three months to one year. In Heard and another v Sinclair Roche and Temperley (a firm) and others, it was ruled that the firm had unlawfully discriminated on the grounds of family status and combined with unlawful sex discrimination, constituted unfair treatment. This claim arose when the firm failed to promote or progress the individual. The firm had a total of 36 partners and only 6 were women. This case suggested that women are also less likely to be appointed to managerial positions, particularly if the dominating power is male. Other arguments suggest that women are more emotional than men and office politics are more present. Webley suggests that women struggle to progress in the profession for a variety of reasons including masculine office culture, the pressure of working long hours and high billing targets and dissatisfaction with commodification’s effect on work quality. In terms of the legal profession, lawyers represent the legal position of their client and to do so, must relate well and truly understand the situation of their client. If all lawyers were men, one could question whether women in society could ever be adequately represented by the legal profession. There is an argument to say that there is as much a place for women in the profession as men, as women solve problems in a different way, can be more compassionate and can balance an all-male work environment. Parliament has made attempts to allow greater access to the legal profession to minority groups by enacting legislation such as the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. The main purpose of this enactment was to reform the legal profession after the findings of the Benson Commission in the 1970s. To the judiciary, in particular, important changes were made to appointments and pensions and significant changes were implemented towards the organisation and regulation of the legal profession. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 later recommended that an independent body should be created to deal with the appointment of judges, which came after criticism from the Law Society regarding the old system. Such legislative and societal support towards the accessibility and diversity of the legal profession should instil a hopefulness into affected women that the profession is moving in the right direction. There have been several attempts by the profession itself to promote and encourage accessibi lity and diversity. The PRIME initiative saw 23 UK and Irish law firms come together to form a ground-breaking initiative to increase social mobility through a wide ranging work experience scheme. Whilst this initiative focused more on socioeconomic status rather than gender, the results suggest that real opportunities within the legal profession have been offered to those who are otherwise unlikely to have been given the opportunity. In conclusion, the legal profession is not yet sufficiently diverse. Both historical and contemporary statistics prove a bias towards men due to the maternalistic nature of women. Statistics demonstrate a trend that the profession is moving in the right direction in terms of equality, diversity and accessibility for women, however, the battle for truly equal treatment, rights and pay for both genders is an ongoing issue within the legal profession, as it is in society generally. Historically, women were refrained from having an identity and practicing within the legal profession because they were considered irrational and incapable. Whilst that perception has clearly disappeared, which is a positive shift, women still face challenges due to the physiological differences between men and women. These differences will never change and unless there is a shift in the mentality of employers’, these are likely to be challenges that remain for the duration. One could argue that the ba ttle between equality and diversity within the legal profession and commercial viability for business owners will never truly resolve. 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