Managing job applications

Introduction The staffing process of firefighters involves spirited applicant assessment, especially because of the intricate nature of the services they are required to offer. This calls for a number of tests to be performed on aspiring candidates so as to establish their appropriateness for the job. In this paper, three types of job applicant tests will be discussed together with their legal and ethical impacts. The specific employment law and the adverse impact created by each test will also be discussed.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing job applications specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Cognitive ability test This is the test that looks into the ability of the candidate to reason (Hunter Hunter, 1984). Applicants who successfully pass the physical dexterity test are issued with this test. Use of number test, reasoning, figures and shapes, and long and short term memory are included in the criterion th at is used to measure cognitive ability. Legal and ethical issues The cognitive ability test issued is uniform to all candidates. However, past studies have shown that there exist differences among individuals based on grounds such as sexes and racial groups. As such, a common test for the whole population may not produce reliable and consistent results that are in line with the state legislations regarding just employment opportunities, such as affirmative action and minority discrimination. Improving cognitive ability test Much room exists on how to improve on both the administration and analysis of cognitive ability tests. Different tests can be administered to different candidates based on their area of origin, sex and racial groups. Similarly, use of non-cognitive measures can be employed. These have the advantage of exhibiting a small or no differences at all by means of subgroups. Motor and physical ability tests This is a recruitment test modeled to assess the aspiring candi date’s physical and motor capacity in performing important tasks while in job. This will show the individual capacity to function as a firefighter. The candidates are placed in a chain that best simulates fire scene events while allowing an 85-foot walk between them. In this test, the candidates are required to wear heavy vest to imitate the weight of self-contained breathing machines and firefighter shielding cloths (Schmitt, Clause, Pulakos, 1996). Legal and ethical issues The motor and physical ability test may contradict the legal requirements on grounds of being discriminative on persons with physical disabilities. However the nature of the responsibility that the candidate is expected to undertake for that matter as a firefighter automatically outdo the requirements of the law. Improving the Physical and Motor tests Motor and physical accuracy can be improved and accuracy of results ensured. This can be done by employing use of two stopwatches to time the physical test . One stopwatch can be used as the bureaucrat to assess time stopwatch and the second one used as the backup stopwatch. In addition, the current technologies especially those that improve accuracy of the data collected from the candidate’s performance can be used.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Personality and interests tests These tests are a common pack when hiring fire fighters. This is because they help the employer to identify as well as gauge the uniqueness and traits in individuals that remain established over time. However, past studies have shown a big number of candidates who are hired after being taken through personality test deliberately manipulate their response in an attempt to appear better (Jensen, 1980). Legal and ethical Issues The bone of contention of personality test and law is the fact that the test may evoke asking of questions that may infrin ge the privacy of the candidate as stipulated by the privacy laws. This is brought about by the kind of questions asked to the candidates by the human resource management team. As such, questions that are too personal can be avoided to eliminate the risk of qualification as infringement on the candidate privacy rights. Improving Personality and Interests tests There is still a big space for improvement of tests assessing personality and interests. A good example can be improving personality predictor tests through incorporation of current approaches for conducting meta-analysis of the information. Comparison of the Legal and ethical implications of the three Tests Considering the essence of each of the discussed test that are used for measuring the suitability of a candidate to be recruited as a firefighter, no test would have major implication because the state of affairs and working environment of firefighters requires that candidates be thoroughly screened before being recruited into the forgiven jobs. As such, there is no strict adherence to the equal opportunity employment legislations when recruiting personnel to work as firefighters. Impact of advancement in Technology in Job Applicant Suitability Tests Technology has made the work of human resource department much quicker, safe and expedient. Organizations that get large number of applicants for vacant post may get the advantage of using technology to minimize the applicant numbers, maybe by use of e- screening of resumes. Recommendations The most appropriate job applicant assessment test for fire fighters would be the Motor and Physical test. It is better to have candidates who are physically fit instead of those having excellent cognitive ability. This is because of the physical involvement of their work. The other tests however should not be disregarded. If anything, personality and interest tests need to be undertaken on candidates   to ensure that the candidates can cope with the many possibilit ies of potentially emotionally destabilizing and disturbing situations as they serve as fire fighters. On the same note, cognitive ability of fire fighters needs to be assessed to ascertain their capacity to handle events and situations that call for critical reasoning.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing job applications specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Hunter, J. E. Hunter, R. F. (1984). Validity and utility of alternate predictors of job performance. Psychological Bulletin, 96, 72-98. Jensen, A. R. (1980). Bias in mental testing. New York, NY: Free Press. Schmitt, N., Clause, C. S. Pulakos, E. D. (1996). Subgroup differences associated with different measures of some common job-relevant constructs. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 11, 115-139. This essay on Managing job applications was written and submitted by user Cayson Nolan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Acquaintance Rape

The last time I had to debate an issue, it was on the subject of â€Å"Acquaintance Rape.† My goal was to inform my audience that rape is most often committed, least reported, and least prosecuted serious crime in the United States. I also wanted to convey the fact that rape is an act of violence using sex as a weapon. It is also an attempt to control and dominate the other’s physical and emotional safety. Thus, it is not about simply letting ones sexual passions get out of control or is it about how a person looks. Date rape is defined as nonconsensual sex between people who have a social or dating relationship. This term was created to make people aware that rape is not only when a stranger attacks, but it can happen between two people who know each other. This type of attacker may be a friend, associate, classmate, neighbor or relative. In order to achieve the goal of informing my audience as to the serious of this topic, I researched the issue and presented som e alarming statistics. I feel that this argument was somewhat typical of my argument style, however I had to keep in mind the sensitivity of the subject matter. In light of this fact, my approach needed to be a little less adversarial. Typically, I would have been a little more competitive and confrontational. However, I decided to take the consensual approach in some areas such as trying to be both logical and emotional. I feel that in this particular instance that gender and life experience has influenced my argument style. As a survivor of sexual abuse, I understand the confusion one experiences about whether or not he or she has consented to a sexual act. I also understand that in some instances the perpetrator often feels that he is â€Å"entitled† to sex. Both attitudes are incorrect. Unless sex is fully consensual for both parties, it can be classified as rape. Nothing ever gives you the right to force sex. It does not make you cool, powerful, sm... Free Essays on Acquaintance Rape Free Essays on Acquaintance Rape The last time I had to debate an issue, it was on the subject of â€Å"Acquaintance Rape.† My goal was to inform my audience that rape is most often committed, least reported, and least prosecuted serious crime in the United States. I also wanted to convey the fact that rape is an act of violence using sex as a weapon. It is also an attempt to control and dominate the other’s physical and emotional safety. Thus, it is not about simply letting ones sexual passions get out of control or is it about how a person looks. Date rape is defined as nonconsensual sex between people who have a social or dating relationship. This term was created to make people aware that rape is not only when a stranger attacks, but it can happen between two people who know each other. This type of attacker may be a friend, associate, classmate, neighbor or relative. In order to achieve the goal of informing my audience as to the serious of this topic, I researched the issue and presented som e alarming statistics. I feel that this argument was somewhat typical of my argument style, however I had to keep in mind the sensitivity of the subject matter. In light of this fact, my approach needed to be a little less adversarial. Typically, I would have been a little more competitive and confrontational. However, I decided to take the consensual approach in some areas such as trying to be both logical and emotional. I feel that in this particular instance that gender and life experience has influenced my argument style. As a survivor of sexual abuse, I understand the confusion one experiences about whether or not he or she has consented to a sexual act. I also understand that in some instances the perpetrator often feels that he is â€Å"entitled† to sex. Both attitudes are incorrect. Unless sex is fully consensual for both parties, it can be classified as rape. Nothing ever gives you the right to force sex. It does not make you cool, powerful, sm...

A Problem Statement Of Quality Services Information Technology Essay

A Problem Statement Of Quality Services Information Technology Essay CHAPTER 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION Library is the important place for the people especially the students since it helps the students in their learning process. As it seems important for the students, library should be able to provide a conducive environment in order to help the students to do their revision for example. In other words, student satisfaction is an important measure of quality while providing the services in libraries. However, students’ perceptions about libraries seem to have been largely ignored by library management in developing countries. So, the assessment of quality while giving the services provides an important feedback for libraries to assess and improve its services to its users (Yrd.Doc.Dr. Zeynep Filiz -2007). Good service delivery to students is one of the primary goals of service organizations like libraries and is the ability of any service provider to provide promised products or services. Libraries are essentially learning organizations stimulating ac ademic and research activities by providing access to world-class information resources. Traditionally, the success of any library is measured in terms of the size of its collection, staff, and budget. But in the present day competitive world, the libraries need to go beyond the traditional modes of assessments and apply marketing techniques for understanding customer requirements. Students focus in services delivery is essential for satisfying the students. The success depends on students’ perceptions or judgment on the quality of products/services provided by the service personnel in libraries and quality is the measure of how well the products/ services delivered meet students expectations (Manjunatha K and Shivalingaiah D-2004). 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT Quality services in library are very important aspect in order to satisfy the students through having continuous improvement and the students perception is an important aspect to reveal how satisfied the students towards the library contribution in helping them in learning process. Library must provide a good quality of services, sufficient of collection/information, good activities and staff attitude at the same time solving the challenging faced by them. This can ensure that library can play their role as an academic centre that contributes to a conducive learning environment. If the challenges faced not being solved, it will make students satisfaction become lower and it is hard for the students to find what they want in the library. Therefore, library must find out what kind of solution that needs to be done in order to face the challenges since every year new students come with different needs and expectations. Then, library should do the continuous improvement every time so that they could give focus on quality services which makes the service runs smoothly. For that reason, this research is made to know the quality of services provided by UMS library and any continuous improvement can be done if needed. The issues that arise is in terms of the ability of UMS as a learning places to contribute a conducive learning environment in helping the students to access information sources and University to produce a knowledgeable and successful graduate This is accordance with the mission of UMS library â€Å"Providing comprehensive resources and services to support the university requirements in teaching, learning, research, innovation and publication†. So that, this research can measure whether student satisfaction on UMS library services provided fulfill the students need through examine the ability of UMS library in terms of quality services, collection/information, library activities and staff’s attitude.

Who influence me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Who influence me - Essay Example It was after several months of training that she went to India and took her initial vows as a nun. Teresa taught at St Mary’s high school in Calcutta from 1931 to 1948. During her stay at the convent, Teresa saw how the poor suffered. This resulted to her being granted permission to go and work amongst the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Depending on divine providence, Teresa started an open school at the slums of Calcutta. Fortunately, she was joined by many volunteers and financial aid also increased. As a result, Teresa was able to expand on her line of work (Nobelprice 1979 par 2). Teresa started her own order in October 7, 1990 after getting permission from the Holy See. She named it "The Missionaries of Charity". The task of the Missionaries of Charity was to take care of the less fortunate that had no one to take care of. The Missionaries Charity became an international religious family under Pope Paul IV. Currently the order has active and contemplative branches comprising of sisters and brothers in many countries. Between 1963 and 1984, several branches were established; Contemplative branch of the Sisters and the Active branch of the Brothers was founded in 1963, the Contemplative branch of the Brothers was added in 1979 and the Priest branch was established in 1984. The Missionaries Charity has over the years spread all over the world including the former Soviet Union and some Eastern European countries. They take care of the less fortunate people in continents like Asia, Africa and Latin America. They also assist people affected by catastrophes like, famine, floods and epidemics. The Missionaries Charity society has home all over the world where they take care of, AID’S victims, homeless, alcoholics and even shut-ins. On March 29, 1969, Co-workers aided and assisted the Missionaries Charity to become an official international

Employee Rights and Responsibilities Research Paper

Employee Rights and Responsibilities - Research Paper Example Based on specific guidelines, granting â€Å"time off† with pay is a statutory right of every employee (Lawpack Publishing Limited, 2010). Aside from statutory rights, some contractual rights of employees were also presented in the Harding case. Contractual rights are rights contained in the contract of employment and which were agreed upon by the employer and the employee. Right to employee privacy. This is the right which the employees of Harding Space think is being violated by management. They felt bad having a surveillance camera monitor them and now even their calls will be monitored. Right to know the reasons for monitoring the staff. Employees have a right to know that there is monitoring, what is being monitored and why it is being done. Harding must explain to its employees why there is a need for it. One reason which they can give why the calls are being monitored is because of the highly confidential nature of their business which involves large aerospace contracts of the government. Right to join or not to join a labor union. In the last part of the case, the company spokesman mentioned about how grateful he is that they do not have a union because a disgruntled employee may decide to join the union, if it exists. In the case presented, the employees of Harding have a right to form a union. If they do so, the management might have a problem with the issue of monitoring employees because of the possibility that the union might fight against it. Question 9 There are several rights of privacy that employees have while on the job. Right to his personal possessions. The employee has the right to his personal belongings including his briefcase or handbag (FindLaw, 2011). Right to personal storage lockers. The personal storage lockers should only be accessible to the employee (FindLaw, 2011). Since Harding has already set up TV cameras in the workplace, they should be guided by law that they are not allowed to put cameras in private areas such as c omfort rooms or locker rooms. Right to personally-addressed mail. An employer cannot open a privately addressed mail to his employee because it is considered an intrusion to the rights of privacy of the employee. The case did not show any violation of this right. Right to telephone conversations and voice mails. This right is sometimes subject to monitoring restrictions as shown in the case of Harding Space. â€Å"The federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) places some limitations on an employer's right to monitor its employees' telephone usage at work. Under the Act, an employer usually may not monitor an employee's personal phone calls, even those made from telephones on work premises† (FindLaw, 2009). In the Harding’s case, management was concerned about the personal calls being made by its employees that is why they issued a memo asking their employees to eliminate personal calls. I don’t think that Harding can impose a â€Å"total ban† o n personal calls because that is a right of the employee. What Harding can do is to make a memo stating a certain limit to personal calls. I suggest that if long distance personal calls

The Importance Of Being On Time Essay Example for Free

The Importance Of Being On Time Essay We are successful in life only when we make the best use of time. Time cannot be stopped, paused, or regained. Some point in life whether it be business related, or for leisure, someone or something will require you to be at a certain place at a given time. Punctuality could be the key to winning a contest, finalizing a business deal, or even keeping your job. We all as human beings have been late before, things happen, but constant lateness affects your dependability. If you are not dependable your opportunities for progression will start to decrease. The life of George Washington was characterized by a scrupulous regard for punctuality. When he asked a man to bring by some horses he was interested in buying at five in the morning, and the man arrived fifteen minutes late, he was told by the stable groom that the general had been waiting there at five, but had now moved on to other business, and that he wouldn’t be able to examine the horses again until the following week. When he told Congress that he’d meet with them at noon, he could almost always be found striding into the chamber just as the clock was striking twelve. Washington’s promptness extended to his mealtimes as well. He ate dinner each day at exactly 4 o’clock, and when he invited members of Congress to dine with him, and they arrived late, they were often surprised to find the president halfway done with his meal or even pushing back from the table. To his startled, tardy guest he would say, â€Å"We are punctual here. My cook never asks whether the company has arrived, but whether the hour has come.†( www.artofmanliness.com) George Washington was a perfect example on how important punctuality is, and what opportunities can be missed. For our first president, being on time was a way of showing respect to others, and he expected to be treated with the same level of respect in return. Although no longer live in an age of knickers and powdered wigs, but being pun ctual is just as important as it ever was. â€Å"Soldiers should be minutemen. Punctuality is one of the most valuable habits a soldier can possess.† Christopher Andrews said it the best, when it comes to punctuality in the army is your bread and butter. You could be the best soldier, but if you’re late all the time you can quickly be potrayed as something way less. Being punctual builds and reveals your discipline. The  punctual man shows that he can organize his time, that he pays attention to details, and that he can put aside this to do that ; he can set aside a pleasure to take care of business. The non punctual man shows he needs to be supervised, seems unprepared, and unprofessional. These things are all the things that could stop a soldier from progressing. It is like a domino effect, one consequence leads to another, and leads you down a trail of detriment. Something so simple as being on time can be the key to being allowed to go to a promotion board, or even staying in the military. If the conduct was constant, action may be intiated to separate you from the service. If you are involuntarily separted, you could receive an Honorable discharge, a general discharge, or under other than honorable conditions discharge. An honorable discharge is a separation with honor based on the quality of service, which meets the standards of acceptable conduct and performance of duty. A general discharge is a separation under honorable conditions , based on a military record being satisfactory but not sufficiently meritorious to warrant an honorable discharge. A discharge under other than honorable conditions is based upon a pattern of behavior of one or more acts or omissions that constitutes a significant departure from the conduct expected of a soldier. An honorable discharge may be awarded under any provisions. A general discharge may be awarded for separation under Chapter 5, Chapter 9, Chapter 13, or Chapter 14. An under othe than honorable conditions discharge may be awarded for separation under Chapter 14 for misconduct. If you receive an honorable discharge, you will be qualififed for most benefits resulting from military service. An involuntary honorable discharge, however will disqualify you from reenlistment for some period of time and may disqualify you from receiving transitional benefits. Also the Montgomery GI Bill you have not met other program requirements. If you receive a General discharge, you will be disqualified from reenlisting in the service for some period of time and you will be ineligible for some military and VA administered benefits, including the Montgomery GI bill. You may also face difficulty in obtaining civilian employment, as employers have a low regard for the General and Under Other Than Honorable conditions discharges. Although there are agencies to which you may apply to have the character of your discharge changed, it is  unlikely that any such applications will be successful. Time is the most influential factor in this world. It is abstract. Everything in this world is commanded and decided by time. Nobody can escape the hold of time. It is the time which gives us the opportunity to make use of it. Those who make best use of time and avail those opportunities grow and rise in life. Those who waste their time lag behind. They fail to make any mark in life. He is the wisest who makes the best use of time. He rises to the great heights who keep pace with the time. Time is very important, it should be managed as if each second , minute hour, day is money. After all time is money. If time isn’t important to you, remember its important to someone else. If you are late to something chances are you are wasting someone else’s time. Being late is a form of stealing. That’s a tough truth, but it’s a truth nonetheless. When you make others wait for you, you rob minutes from them that they’ll never get back. Time they could have turned into money, or simply used for the things important to them. In coming to meet you at the agreed upon hour, they may have made sacrifices – woken up early, cut short their workout, told their kid they couldn’t read a story together – and your lateness negates those sacrifices. If you wouldn’t think of taking ten dollars from another man’s wallet, you shouldn’t think of stealing ten minutes from him either. Being punctual shows you value time yourself, and thus wouldn’t think of depriving others of this precious, but limited resource. Even when you are not dealing with work related things being on time is still important to many people, family, and friends. Being late strains your relationships. When you’re late in meeting other people, it makes them feel under-valued, that whatever you couldn’t pull yourself away from was more important or that they didn’t mean enough to you to warrant allotting sufficient time to arrive on schedule. The guest who flies in to see you feels like a dope standing at the airport alone, your date feels awkward sitting at the restaurant by herself, and your child feels abandoned as she waits with her teacher for you to arrive, all the other children having already been picked up from school. This is not the first time you’ve heard that punctuality is important. It’s easy to understand how keeping our appointments and reporting on time is a  sign of respect. This is especially the case for improving employee productivity. If your leader keeps their word about meetings, deadlines and other time-sensitive promises, it’s easy to feel motivated to get things done. Failure to be prompt has consequences. When you are late or blow someone off entirely, you are telling them that your time is more important than theirs. Of course we should all be on time. And naturally, when circumstances pop up we should call ahead to say we are running late. Let’s put aside human psychology and Army mumbo jumbo for a moment, however, and talk about machinery. Time is an essential element in any working system. The spark plugs in an engine have to fire at exactly the right speed. A bridge can hold the weight of a million cars, as long as are spaced far enough apart. A clock quickly becomes useless if every second is not precisely one second long. All of these parameters are designed for increasing employee productivity. Time is important! Being late is like taking the oil out of a well run machine. It gums up the works, cranks up the heat, and causes things to break. When you are late to a doctor’s appointment, you may cause a domino effect that disrupts other patients. And when the doctor is running behind, you may end up waiting for ages thanks to overlapping ripples in the schedule. This problem applies to any business. Improvement is only possible if we recognize that failure to manage time affects everything.

Realism in Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah, Plain and Tall :: Sarah Plain Tall

Realism in Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah, Plain and Tall A book that has a clear understanding of what is â€Å"real† is often thought to be a quality book. Although what is thought to be â€Å"real† is different for everyone, for me it is how easily I am able to relate to the characters in the book. If I can sympathize and understand what they are going through on an emotional level and can put myself in their shoes, I am more apt to enjoy the story. Narrative style and structure play a very important role here; because it is through these that we get a sense of what type of realism is being portrayed. For example, in Sarah, Plain and Tall, the realism displayed is emotional realism. In Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah, Plain and Tall the narrative style is apparent. We know that it is the character Anna whose point of view this story is from. It is essential that it is told from her point of view, because the arrival of Sarah will ultimately affect her the most. We get a sense of the pain that she has undergone, as well as the over-whelming sense of love and pride she has for her family. As Anna explains, â€Å"†¦I didn’t tell him what I really thought. He was homely and plain, and he had a terrible holler and a horrid smell. But these were not the worst of him. Mama died the next morning. That was the worst thing about Caleb† (MacLachlan 4). It also reveals to us the tremendous amount of responsibility that is resting on her young shoulders. In addition to the point of view, in what realm it was written is also important. Is it written as a fantasy, as a truth, or as a fable? Sarah, Plain and Tall was written as realism, meaning it has a feeling that it actually happened. Although we aren't directly told when and where this story takes place, we get at good sense of it by the descriptions of their everyday life. It is these descriptions that give the book its sense of realism. For example, in chapter seven Caleb describes plowing to Sarah: Papa needs five horses for the big gang plow,’ Caleb told Sarah. ‘Prairie grass is hard’† (MacLachlan 39). Despite the lack of an in-depth depiction, we still gain a feeling of what kind of life these characters led, as well as in what time period the story takes place.

Organizational Behavior Unit 2 Discussion Essay

Attitudes and Behavior interrelates with each other. Important attitudes such as â€Å"self-interest† (Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A.2007) or that identifies with a group that is valued shows a strong relationship to behavior. Job involvement, job satisfaction and organizational commitment are moderating factors that can improve the statistical relationship between employee behavior and attitudes. An employee’s job involvement relates to how strongly they can identify with the work they care about in which they consider â€Å"their perceived work performance level important to self-worth† (Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A.2007). This basically means that employees who are deeply involved in their job are mostly satisfied and maintains a high performance in productivity than the employees who are dissatisfied. When an employee is satisfied with their job they are more confident and perform more positively with their productivity and maintains efficiency. Organizational commitment is a job attitude in which an employee identifies with an organization and its goals. Affective commitment (emotional attachment). Continuance commitment (someone remaining with the organization because of the salary and benefits) Normative commitment (when an employee hesitates to leave the organization because they â€Å"don’t want to leave the employer in a lurch†) (Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A.2007). Employee attitudes and behavior are important to an organization due to the negative impact that will cause a downfall in revenue and inefficient work flows in the organization. When an employee shows negative attitudes and behaviors towards their work ethics can at times negate the other employees’ behavior and attitudes, especially in a union environment.

Identify and assess the significance of three factors that contributed to American westward movement Essay

This could be dismissed as ‘the grass is always greener’. There were however a number of factors involved. These included the search for precious metal, the possibility of obtaining land and the expansion of the railways. Although usually described as a move west, it was to some extent also a move south as in the case of those seeking gold and silver in Californian mines as a result of the accidental finding of gold by James Marshall in 1848 as described by Steve Weigand on the web page ‘The California Gold Rush, an era remembered. Land was seen as a form of wealth and the majority of those who migrated to America did so in the hope of obtaining land to farm. Under British rule Europeans had been restricted in their settlement to the area east of the Appalachians, but after the Revolutionary War this inhibition was removed and so people streamed south and west. Later, with the coming of the railways, markets in the north could be served from further west. This allowed the great expansion of cities such as New York and Chicago. see more:which was a factor that led to the scientific revolution In the years immediately before the American Civil War in the 1860’s the railways had built up into quite a network serving the eastern states, but afterwards they gradually spread over the rest of the country. This meant that people no longer had to spend many weeks of hardship in order to reach their destination and so the tiny townships already established by earlier settlers were quickly expanded new comers seeking for themselves and their families a better life. The Irish potato famine of the 1840’s as described on the History Place web page, ‘The Blight Begins’ led to many immigrants from that country, the majority would not have been city folk, so it is perhaps natural that some migrated to the western states where they saw at least some hope for their future, just like all the other migrants.

The purpose of the documentary film Step into Liquid Essays

The purpose of the documentary film Step into Liquid Essays The purpose of the documentary film Step into Liquid Paper The purpose of the documentary film Step into Liquid Paper The purpose of the documentary film, Step into Liquid, directed by Dana Brown, is to persuade viewers to surf, to step into liquid, as the evocative title suggests. To achieve this, the documentary employs a range of strategies and documentary film conventions to shape the viewers response. Audio, camera angles and framing and many other documentary film techniques, the viewer is encouraged to surfkj. By breaking through the image of the stereotypical surfer and emphasising that surfing is just for fun, Step into Liquid effectively convinces the viewer that surfing is more than a sport, its a lifestyle worthy of having part of ones life. Step into Liquid presents a diverse range of people enjoying surfing in a myriad of different locations in order to convey that surfing can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere. By breaking through the stereotype of the male, athletic surfer, viewers believe that surfing can be enjoyed by anyone, including themselves. Children, women, handicapped people and people surfing oil tanker wake in Texas are presented in Step into Liquid, all surfing for fun. By presenting a diverse range of people surfing, Step into Liquid enforces its view that anyone can surf, anywhere. The audio codes used in Step into Liquid helps the documentary film to achieve its purpose of affecting a positive response to surfing in the viewer. The musical score in the documentary adds to the mood of each segment, in cases enhancing the viewers response to content. The audio mutes in one scene at the point where a large wave is breaking, emphasising the sheer power of the wave, awing the viewer. Audio in Step into Liquid plays an important role in the documentarys purpose of presenting surfing in a favourable light to the viewer. Camera shots under water behind waves help the documentary in achieving its purpose, visually inviting viewers to step into liquid. By having the camera behind the water the viewer is involved and almost experiences the feel of being surrounded by water, stepping into liquid. This technique greatly assists Dana Brown in giving viewers cause to surf by enhancing the viewers response to surfing. Step into Liquid presents the eccentric character of surfer Dale Webster in order to achieve the films purpose. Webster represents the view that surfing is a lifestyle for some, not just a sport. Having never missed a day on the waves over a period of 30 years, he very much supports this. By having Webster in the film, viewers are encouraged to believe that surfing is a lifestyle, more than just a sport. Low camera angles in the documentary film shape the viewers response, therefore helping to achieve the films purpose. By using low camera angles when filming children surfing, the viewer is encouraged to have a positive response; the children are not seen as vulnerable. Therefore the viewer is encouraged even more to believe that anyone can enjoy surfing, not just the stereotypical surfer. The documentary film Step into Liquid uses a range of strategies and techniques to encourage viewers to surf, to step into liquid as the films title evocatively suggests. The presentation of a diverse range of people enjoying surfing and others who surf as a lifestyle stipulates to the viewer that anyone can surf, anywhere; that surfing isnt a matter of life or death, its more important than that. By filming in water below or behind the wave, the documentary involves the viewers, drawing them in. In this case, the films theme is most prominently expressed: to implore viewers to surf, to Step into Liquid.

Toxic Substances Control Act, United States Research Paper

Toxic Substances Control Act, United States - Research Paper Example While the enactment of codified environmental acts with TSCA has brought certain advantages in reducing health risks and negative impact to the environment in general through the course of history since the 1970s, its scope and limitations are perceived to necessitate evaluation measures that suit current demands. History Originally proposed in 1971 by the President’s Council on Environmental Quality, federal legislation for TSCA arrived at a report on ‘Toxic Substances’, detailing a defined need for comprehensive legislation in identifying and controlling chemicals whose production, processing, distribution, application, as well as disposal may pose serious threat to humans and environment alike, especially since environmental statutes back then were lacking adequate regulations. . In 1972 and the following year, bills for the 92nd and 93rd Congresses were passed by the House and the Senate respectively when certain issues rose regarding the scope of tests perfor med, economic consequence, and efficiency in comparison to other regulatory laws. TSCA was approved and officialized into law under the regime of President Ford as the latter signed for its approval on October 11, 1976, under which EPA was granted jurisdiction to address reported episodes of environmental contamination by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) of Hudson River and other waterways, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions toward gradual stratospheric ozone depletion, and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) with agricultural impact. Estimating optimum levels of costs imposed upon TSCA implementation as well as related provisions inventory and hazard notifications were also required for EPA to maintain besides pertinent screening procedures and control of existing industrially used toxic chemicals. Major amendments to the TSCA initially comprised in a single title included Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act under Public Law Number 99-519 (Title II) in 1986 which enabled EPA to set standards for asbestos mitigation in schools, requiring asbestos contractors to be trained and certified as well. Radon Program Development Act in 1988 followed by Radon Measurement two years later, as stated in P.L. 100-551 (Title III) and P.L. 101-508 correspondingly contained directions for EPA to provide technical assistance to states that opt to support monitoring and control of radon. Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Reauthorization Act under P.L. 101-637 moreover was enacted in 1999 whereas the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 through P.L. 102-550 (Title IV) was sought to be carried out in providing assistance leading to abatement of lead-based paint hazards. Through Title V, similarly, environmental concerns at schools along with energy efficiency were dealt with by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 within P.L. 110-140 while Title I was further amended in terms of sales restrictions for elementary mercury in 2008 being authorized by Me rcury Export Ban Act under P.L. 110-414. TSCA Coverage / Content One chief objective of TSCA was to enable producers to develop test data, directing EPA to require such on existing chemicals in case – (1) the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, or disposal of the chemical ‘may present an unreasonable risk’ or (2) when the chemical is produced in substantial quantity by volume, posing the threat of being released to the environment in equivalent or proportional amount which entails a range of measureable impact upon a populace of high biodiversity. Since there were more than

Systems and Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Systems and Operations Management - Essay Example This study tries to bring to light important aspects of the shift from physical to a digital economy and how this digital economy has led to crucial development in the economy of the republic of Korea. A new breed of technology springs out every 60 years or so of which without noticing this new breeds tends to affect the economy positively as a whole; hence, developing it. It introduces new social classes and leads to a different approach to business. In current times, the economy is highly digitised which is characterized as vast, automatic and invisible with adverse effects on employment. An example given is the digitisation of air travel, whereby 20 years ago one had to visit the airport to book a flight, but in current times one can book a flight and pay for it using online services. It is estimated that in less than two decades the digital economy will be as huge as the physical economy (Sears, 2007, 41). It is growing at an alarming rate and people should not underestimate the rate at which it is changing due to the simple fact that unlike the physical economy, the digital economy has no limits. ... As the global economy is interconnected and integrated it is significant to understand the effects of information technology on the economy in general and establish frameworks that will lead to the prosperity of the global economy as a whole (Eui-Hwan, 1999, 2). Information systems and technology has led to crucial and evident development on the economy. In macroeconomic perspective information technology has affected and enhanced the factors and patterns of productions, investment and employment. In a microeconomic perspective, it has enhanced business transactions in that it has led to effective and efficient modes of communication and an interpretation of information among employees who are key players in economic development (Eui-Hwan, 1999, 2). In Korea informational technology has led to direct and indirect development of its economy. In 1995, the value of its information and communication industry was 30 trillion won, this figure rose significantly to 43 trillion won three yea rs later in 1998. Surprisingly enough its GDP also from 7.9% to 9.6%. Consequently, that year employment in that industry increased to 507,000 from 395,000 in 1995. In the information and export industry exports increased to 30billion dollars in 1998 and price increase rates in this industry services and equipment are -0.2% and 6.7% in 1998 which is lower than the national average (Eui-Hwan, 1999, 1). The role of the Korean government while dealing with economic failure has also changed from solving market failure to solving system failure, where system refers to the players involved such as the corporate, the individual person, university etc, and the environment which includes banking systems, labour