Blended Learning Implementation in Universities Essay

Blended Learning Implementation in Universities - Essay Example Unfortunately, not all universities have a clear view on how blended learning can be implemented. The goal of this paper is to highlight the most important points and offer a strategic framework for the development and implementation of blended learning strategies in higher education. The paper includes the definition and discussion of blended learning, the main criteria of effectiveness in blended learning environments, possible ways to implement blended learning in the classroom, and a common framework for higher education institutions seeking to implement the blended learning approach. Blended learning: models and implementation Regardless of the goals and objectives of blended learning in universities, the process of implementing blended learning models in higher education mandates the development of strong and complex program implementation frameworks. The overall process of developing and implementing blended learning programs includes the following elements: institutional, ped agogical, technological, design, evaluation and management, support and ethics (Singh 2003). This is actually a unique and extremely useful implementation framework that was proposed by Singh (2003). ... ecide whether it possesses technical and personnel capabilities required, to guarantee that all learners have equal access to blended learning instruments. At this stage of implementation, universities need to perform a detailed needs analysis, to understand what learners need and how blended learning can satisfy their needs. This is the planning stage of the implementation process in blended learning, which must include both strategic and operational aspects (Garrison & Kanuka 2004). In strategic terms, universities must necessarily evaluate the needs, objectives and goals of blended learning, its potential benefits, costs and the availability of resources (Garrison & Kanuka 2004). Operational planning has to be considered, in order to operationalize the goals and objective of blended learning and turn them into an action plan (Garrison & Kanuka 2004). For example, universities may develop advertising strategies to engage learners in blended contexts or attend to the needs of managi ng technologies effectively. Then follow the pedagogical and technological considerations. Universities that seek to implement blended learning approaches must decide upon the content to be included in the blend, the learning objectives to be met, and the learner needs (Singh 2003). In other words, here education professionals link the needs of learners to the learning objectives and the instruments to be used, to help learners meet these learning objectives. For example, if learners are expected to develop a new product or marketing model, then product simulation can become an essential component of the blend (Singh 2003). Once these delivery methods are identified, universities can proceed to decide upon the types of technologies to be used in blended learning. Here, technical

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 55

Reflection - Essay Example Language is important resource which also serves as critical tool for disseminating information. Effectiveness of teaching and learning is indeed a constant effort which teachers apply by testing new approaches with learners. Thus methods of teaching need to be looked from new perspective of bonding with learners which can address their learning capabilities and make teaching and learning effective. I strongly agree with the writer that ELT has gradually lost its relevance as the basic purpose of ELT has been overridden by the researchers who believe that semantics of the language is more important. Language is important tool of communication and ELT becomes relevant for foreign students in English speaking nations. The fundamental aim of ELT was to ensure that foreign students were better equipped to assimilate within mainstream population and communicate effectively. But now ELT has evolved into important method of teaching to foreign students and become controversial as its theoretical aspects obstruct learners’ ability to communicate in the real world which actually defeats the very purpose of the language! Theories become effective only when their efficacy is tested in real world. Consequently, practice should be the basis of evolving theories. (words:

Social Contract Essay Example for Free

Social Contract Essay Discuss the view that morality is a social contract (30 marks) Jean-Jacques Rousseau said Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains and what he is trying to show is that a social contract is binding on the members of a society, everywhere he is bound to be moral. The sources and reasons for the upholding morality (that is what is right and what is wrong) has been questioned since the days of Plato and one answer was given by Thomas Hobbes a contractarian answer. A contractarian believes that human beings are self-interested and it would be rational for him to co-operate with others. Hobbes developed this view by making us aware of the (imagined) state of nature in Leviathan (1651) in which people were present before any form of social cohesion and organisation. Hobbes asserts that at this time, everyone would look out for their self-interest but this would involved a great deal of hostility and an inability to do things out of fear (a humans self-interest could be to steal from you and thus cause you fear). Life would be a torment; war of all against all is how Hobbes puts it. The solution to this is cooperating between people. The implication of this is that there is no morality independent of what people in any given society think. There are however problems with this namely historically there has never been any contract. If we looking historically, we have made agreements (be it the Fourth Geneva Convention or the Magna Carta) but there has never been a collective social moral contract. Humans appear to be innately social. Indeed, it is not even just humans ants appear to work in colonies. Further, a contract would only be understood by a social being. As a result of there being no contract (factually), it would seem to make the idea redundant for if I havent signed anything, why should I be obligated? Although we can object and say that Hobbes isnt saying that people sat around and signed a codified document rather what he is suggesting is that if we were to imagine the state of nature to be the case, it would justified for us to accept such a contract hence giving a justification for us to be moral (as well as the existence of societies). However, there seems to remain one problem. By saying that societies develop morality and that there is no morality independent of this, it leaves us with the problem of cultural relativism. For it would be right in a society to kill all the enemies if thats what society determines, in the case of the Nazis it would be the Jews, yet seldom do we find someone who would actually call this moral and not demand action be taken. We could however say that the contract applies universally and that we have not reached the signing. Yet this is not what the contract is saying, for even if we were to accept that rules applied universally is the contractarian approach really telling us about morality? No! Even if something benefits me that may not the reason why I do it and definitely not the reason it is moral. An absolutist would say that rules are moral in themselves, regardless of the time or society in which they agreed. Locke develops the idea that there need be no actual agreement by saying that it is a tactic agreement. This means that a person who seeks to reap the benefits of society implicitly agrees to social contract and if I dont then I am free to leave. However am I really free to leave? It would not seem so. To leave, I would most likely have to leave this would not only mean having a passport to go to a different country, which would have its own set of rules but meaning that to get to the airport I would have to abide by the road rules lest I wish to be arrested. Even if Hobbes is correct in saying that there is no actual contract, we are left with why should we honour the agreement? Indeed, if we are self-interested as Hobbes says then surely when the time came, we would act in a self-interest way? This view can be illustrated by Ian McEwans Enduring Love; there is a hot air balloon and in the basket lays a child there is a sudden gust and the balloon starts it flight. Five men grab onto the rope of the balloon, alas there is another gust and if all five men carry on holding on then the child will be saved. This did not happen. All but one, were left clinging on to the rope. Whats even more so apparent is that if I am sure that I will get away with doing something immoral, why shouldnt I do it? If I knew I wasnt going to be caught stealing money then it would be in my self-interest to steal it. Hobbes answer to the aforementioned question is a Sovereign. This means that there is someone to enforce the law (the terms of the contract). By doing this, it would show that when acting against the contract and giving primacy to self-interest, it would not be in our long term self-interest to do so. However this still doesnt answer the question as to why someone who knows they will not get caught should be moral. Indeed, there are many people who are criminals and it is only found out after they have died. Also, there seems to be a different argument put forward by David Gauthier who argues that to there is no need for a sovereign because those of us who have dispositions to altruism, will in the long term have more benefits than those who are shot-sightedly self-interested. This view is strong in the sense that it shows that human beings are genuinely altruistic with a purpose of doing so and thus not having an over pessimistic view of humans (thus the lesser need for a sovereign). There are further problems with the social contract approach. When a terrorist has a hostage, he can use the hostage to dictate the terms of an agreement. This means that despite this being unfair, or even immoral, he can ask for however million pounds and for him to be pardoned of his act. This is obviously immoral and wrong. This situation is analogous to the state of nature period and someone strong dictating the terms which are not moral such as making all children workers. Furthermore, we could take the view of Marx and Thrasymacus (from Platos Republic) who say that the social contract is a means of social control by the minority. This means that the powerful and rich peoples interests can be carried out under the veil of morality. An example is the respect for property which, by no coincidence, is what the ruling class have. This means that the weak can be exploited and the rulers can maintain their position. We can criticise Marx for not taking into account that people do not steal because they do not want to offend the ruling class but this is not what Marx is trying to say. Indeed, what he is saying is that this is the correct reason why people do not do such things and through instruments such as religion and education (throughout history) they have been taught these rules and regulations. However John Rawls argues in his Theory of Justice that to counter this, we must decide the terms under a veil of ignorance in which nobody is certain for their position and so everyone will be fighting for minority rights in case they are within that minority; nothing is assured! If we posit Hobbes view as truth then we also find ourselves holding a pessimistic view of life for we have ample opportunity to break the rules of the contract yet we do not. If we were to hold Hobbes view societies would long be over because we could no longer trust people because they would take such selfish actions. To say that people dont mug each other in fear of being caught is not plausible. Surely the actions of a mother or a carer in the slums seem to show that we do not act just for self-interest. Further, is Hobbes really giving an accurate account of morality? We can indeed have a contract but is the only reason we do not break it because we fear the courts? Surely this isnt morality but a preference of prudence in an action but this view does not correlate with what we express. If someone were to say Stealing is wrong, they do not mean that it is better if you dont because it is more sensible, they mean it is a morally irreprehensible action. Hobbes view is also put under fire by alternative views, Richard Dawkins argues that altruistic behaviour can lead to evolutionary success and is thus embedded in our genes. There was never a conventional agreement rather because it is mutually advantage behaviour helps our evolutionary success, humans do it. So it is not because it is mutually advantageous that we choose to do it but we do it because it is advantageous and has helped us reach this stage. This, of course, is not the only alternative view others view moral as what the Bible says or even the Quran. We could even take the utilitarian approach and say that what is moral is the thing that obtains the greatest number of peoples happiness. To take this view is, as said, to ignore every instance of altruism. However what about blatant acts of altruism? The egoist could say that subconsciously we gain self-gratification from doing right things. However, again, it does not follow that I am doing these things because I want self-gratification. In the case of Mother Teresa, it is not plausible that she only did those things because she wanted self-satisfaction. As the egoist claims that everything is in some way selfish, it negate the idea of selfish and selfless as it distorts the distinction and leaves nothing but motives which is not a direct accurate description of the world. Thus to conclude, to hold the view that morality is defined, described and prescribed by a social contract ultimately fails. Alternative ideas not only, in some cases, have scientific backing but also have a more accurate representation of the real world. The view is both pessimistic and would lead to the powerful being on top and the weak being exploited. Thus we must conclude as Hume did and say that there is not historically validity (among other things) to this claim.

Human Resource Planning Strategies, Recruitment And Procedures

Human Resource Planning Strategies, Recruitment And Procedures INTRODUCTION According to Bulla and Scott human resource planning is the process for ensuring that the human resource requirements of an organization are identified and plans are made for satisfying those requirements. It determines the human resources required by the organization to achieve its strategic goals. Human resource planning is generally concerned with businesses of longer terms but sometimes it also addresses businesses of short terms as well. In order to improve organizational effectiveness, it looks at the broader issues how people are employed and developed. Human resource planning is an integral part business planning. In this assignment, firstly I will explore that how HR plan supports organizations strategic objectives. Then I will discuss the legal requirements which influence HR planning. In next part, recruitment and selection of new staff is explained in detail and with it the effect of organizational culture on recruitment and retention of staff is described. In last part, human resource management procedures are discussed which are grievance, discipline and dismissal procedures. The strategic planning process projects to changes in the type of activities carried out by the organization. In order to achieve the goals, resource and skill requirements it identifies the core competencies the organization needs. Quinn Mills says that human resource planning is a decision making process and consist of three steps: Identify appropriate number of people with right skills Motivate these people to achieve high performance Create links between business objectives and people planning activities. Human resource planning consists of four steps To forecast future needs To analyse the availability and supply of people To draw up plans To monitor how plans are implemented A strategy is a plan of a company which shows that how it matches its internal strengths and weaknesses to external threats and opportunities. CHALLENGES TO STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE Human resource management priorities are focusing on boosting competitiveness, reducing costs and improving employee performance. COMPANYS BASIC STRATEGIES CORPORATE STRATEGY Corporate strategy is portfolio of businesses that comprise the company and the ways by which these are related to each other. It consists of Diversification strategy identifies the expansion of a company by adding new products Vertical integration strategy shows the expansion of a company by producing its raw materials or selling its products Consolidation reduces the size of a company Geographic expansion takes the business abroad COMPETITIVE STRATEGY Competitive strategy strengthens the long term position of the companys business in the marketplace. Managers use different corporate strategies to achieve corporate advantage. COST LEADERSHIP aims to make the company a low cost leader in industry. DIFFERENTIATION COMPETITIVE STRATEGY is a strategy in which a company wants to be unique in the industry FUNCTIONAL STRATEGY It is a basic course of action that each department of business pursue to achieve its competitive goals. STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT In planning and achievement of any organization, human resource management plays a bigger role in the success. Strategic human resource management formulates and executes HR systems and HR policies. HR ROLE IN THE FORMULATION OF STRATEGY A strategic plan identifies, analyze, and balance the companys internal strengths and weaknesses and external threats and opportunities. Human resource planning process takes place within the context of labour market. According to Elliott (1991): The market for labour is an abstraction; it is an analytical construction used to describe the context within which the buyers and sellers of labour come together to determine the pricing and allocation of labour services. The internal labour market consists of labour within the company. It is a main source of future labour requirements by introducing the policies like training, development, and career planning and management succession. The external labour market consists of regional, local, national and international labour markets. In order to find the right people for the right job, it is necessary to consider that which of these labour markets are the best source. Both the sources are extensively used depending on the size of the company, the rate of growth and decline and the policies of employee resourcing. The firm much relies on internal market and believes in long term careers of the staff through training sessions or apprenticeship. The aims of human resource planning are as follows: The skillful and competent people are obtained and retained Makes the best use of human resource planning To overcome the problems like deficit of people or potential surplus To develop a trained workforce Reduce to rely on external recruitment Human resource planning consist of four steps Forecast future needs Analyze the supply and availability of people Make plans to match supply to demand Monitor the implementation of plan For future demands, human resource planning concentrates on skills and competencies which indicate the numbers required in longer term. Its main aim is to produce policies like training, retention and utilization of human resources and development. Human resource planning addresses the following questions: How many people will be needed? What competencies and skills are required for future? Is training or development needed further? Is there is a need for recruitment? When will there is a need for new people? When will the training and recruitment start? How to tackle the situation of reducing cut costs? How can the flexibility be achieved on the use of people? FORMULATION OF BUSINESS STRATEGY HR strategy contributes to the formulation of business strategy which identifies to make the best use of existing human resources. IMPLEMENTATION OF BUSINESS STRATEGIES It consists of; Development strategies are the needs to increase skills to fit people for greater responsibility. It also defines the outputs required from training programmes. Retention strategies indicate the intentions of the company to get the right people Utilization strategies describe how the organization intends to improve productivity and cost Flexibilities strategies define the companys strategies in developing flexible work arrangements Downsizing strategies are the needs to be done by the organization to reduce the numbers employed. FORMULATION OF HR STRATEGIES Formulation of strategies addresses a number of questions Where are we now? Where do we want to be in the future? How are we going to get there? Resourcing strategies are converted to business strategies by depending on the following plans SCENARIO PLAN conducts an environmental scan on the issues which affect the labour market. This is possibly based on PEST approach. DEMAND FORECASTING estimates the future needs of the people. Its base is long term business plan and annual budget. For the companys plans, details are required which results in increased or decreased demands of employees. The introduction of new technology would also have to be considered in order to bring changes to working methods or procedures. There are four methods of demand forecasting MANAGERIAL JUDGEMENT This method requires managers to sit together and think about the future pressure and workload. The managers have to decide that how many people they need. Line managers and senior managers are involved in this agreement. Top management prepares company and department forecasts and these forecasts are reviewed and agreed with department managers. All the guidelines should be prepared for departmental managers indicating the future activities which will effect their department. With the help of these guidelines, departmental managers prepare their forecast to a laid- down format. They can seek help from personnel department. The personnel department prepares a human forecast of the company. Human resource planning committee then reviewed these two forecasts and reconciles with the department managers about these two forecasts and submits a final amended forecast to top management for approval. RATIO TREND ANALYSIS It is a study of past ratios between direct and indirect workers. In this way, future ratios are forecasted and made some allowances for changes in the company. WORK STUDY TECHNIQUES Work study techniques are used in work measurements to calculate long operations and the requirement of people for those operations. The production budget of any manufacturing company is prepared in volumes of sealable products or in volumes of output for individual departments. The productive hours are then compiled by the use of standard hours. The standard hours per unit of output are multiplied by the planning volume of units to be produced to give the total planned hours. This is divided by the number of actual working hours for an individual operator. MODELLING Technique like computers and spreadsheet can help in demand and supply forecast. FORECASTING COMPETENCE AND SKILL REQUIREMENT This shows an impact of projected, product market developments and the introduction of new technology. SUPPLY FORECASTING estimate the supply of manpower by reference to analyses of current resources and future availability. Supply forecasting consists of number of people from inside or outside of the organization. It covers Existing human resources Losses to existing human resources through employee wastage Changes to existing human resources through internal promotions The effect of changing conditions and absenteeism of work Sources of supply from inside or outside the organization FORECASTING REQUIREMENTS analyse the demand and supply forecasts to identify future deficits with the help of models. DEMAND AND SUPPLY FORECASTING MODELS Models help to make decisions and make the decision makers to understand the situation in which these decisions are made. These modelling techniques help to prepare human resource forecast. It also helps to understand the career evaluation and predict and measure wastage for setting and operating models, data is required which is as follows: Human resource system- gives a description of the people who enter or exit of the organization and their progress at different levels. Stocks the number of people employed in each grade. They are analysed in age or length of service Flows- recruits, leavers and promotion flows are analysed by age or length of service Assumptions- assumptions are made for future behaviour of the system and in this way the implications of different outcomes can be evaluated. Career analysis- a career prospectus is made to build up analysing data on promotions. This links the data to information on the database about the potential of current employees. FLEXIBILITY It aims to achieve increased organizational effectiveness. It has following forms CONTRACT BASED FLEXIBILITY is an employee contract which shows the flexibility of terms and conditions. The overall purpose of the job descriptions is written in terms. This flexibility can be achieved by employing contract workers to work on any task according to their skills. TIME BASED FLEXIBILITY is achieved by the flexible hours. JOB BASED FLEXIBILITY is a functional flexibility in which workers can move from task to task according to their skills. Companies make the fullest use of flexibility in order to make the fullest use of their workforce. Functional flexibility is also associated with pay schemes and ensures that all staff is treated equally in terms of benefits. SKILL BASED FLEXIBILITY is a range of staff to perform different tasks to exercise greater responsibility. it is based on the competencies and the utilization of the capabilities of the workers. ORGANIZATION BASED flexibility makes use of contract workers and part time and temporary staff. PRODUCTIVITY AND COST ANALYSIS analyse the productivity and costs to identify the need for improvement. An increase in activity level can improve the productivity and recruits more employees. In order to reduce costs, a company looks at productivity and employment costs. The input of employees gives an output of goods and services as productivity. Employment costs consist of pay, employee benefits, national insurance contributions, recruitment costs, training costs, leaving costs including redundancy payments, loss of production, replacement and training, the cost of health and safety and personnel administration costs. ACTION PLANNING Action planning is derived from the resourcing strategies and are made in the following areas OVERALL PLAN The overall human resource plan Improves methods in sorting out young people for recruitment Links with schools and colleges to create interest of the young people Attracts young people by developing programmes and training sessions Widens to recruit woman and part time workers Arrange working hours for new employees Provide benefit packages Provide training programmes for the new employees and make better use of their skills and talents HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PLAN The human resource development plan shows The number of existing staff who needs training The number of trainees required and the programmes for recruiting and training them New learning programmes or the changes to the existing courses THE RECRUITMENT PLAN The recruitment plan set out The need of the numbers and types of people required to make up any deficits To attract candidates by training and development programmes, pay and benefit packages, working hours arrangement, child care facilities etc The dealing of the problems in the supply of the recruits by the recruitment programme THE RETENTION PLAN The retention plan is based on the analysis of why people leave. It addresses the following areas PAY This problem arises due to unfair and uncompetitive systems. Actions to be taken are Review pay levels on the basis of market surveys Review pay schemes so that everyone is treated equally Make sure that employees understand the relation between performance and reward JOBS They should be designed in such a way which can increase skill variety and provide opportunities for learning and growth. PERFORMANCE If the employees are not clear of their responsibilities or performance then they can be demotivated. Related to performance, following actions can be taken Encourage managers to praise the staff for their performance by giving them a healthy and informative feedback. Train managers in counselling; give briefing on performance management system and get a feedback on how it has been applied TRAINING If the people are not trained then this can create an increase in resignations. Training and learning programmes should be introduced to employees before joining the organization. Training programmes give employees the confidence and make them more competent in their performance. In this way they can make better use of their abilities and can do variety of tasks and enhance their skills and competencies. CAREER DEVELOPMENT Promotion prospectus and career prospectus in many of the organizations is limited which make most of the employees to turnover. To have a stable workforce, employers need planning in providing career opportunities by Developing promotion procedures Giving advice on career prospectus Encourage promotion from within COMMITMENT Commitment can be increased by explaining the mission and strategies of the company. Communication with employees is very important especially face to face communication. This also seeks the views of other people at work. CONFLICT WITH MANAGES AND SUPERVISORS This is another reason of turnover. This should be solved by Selecting those managers who are qualified and with well developed leadership Giving them training in resolving conflicts and dealing with grievances Recruitment and selection Poor selection results in rapid turnover. Selection of the employees should match with their capabilities. THE FLEXIBILITY PLAN The aim of the flexibility plan is utilize all the skills and capabilities of employers. It also reduces the employment cost and increase productivity. The flexibility plan consist of ALTERNATIVES TO FULL TIME PERMANENT STAFF The core of permanent full time staff consist of managers and team leaders who are needed to run the teams of core workers.it also include professional staff such as personnel which provides high level professional advice and services. Knowledge workers, technicians and highly skilled workers is also a part of team. The next step is the right use of the temporary workers, part-time workers and subcontracting workers. FLEXIBLE HOUR ARRANGEMENT This is also included in flexibility plan. Flexible hours can be arranged in the following ways: FLEXIBLE DAILY HOURS is a day to day pattern according to work loads FLEXIBLE WEEKLY HOURS are the weekly hours which are done at the peak time of the year COMPRESSED WORKING WEEKS is a pattern where employees work less than five days OVERTIME To reduce the overtime costs, flexibility plan offers flexible hours, new shift arrangements and overtime limitations. ARRANGEMENT OF SHIFT WORKING This reduces the overtime and is modified to meet demand requirements. THE PRODUCTIVITY PLAN This plan increase productivity and reduce employment costs by improving the methods like automation, mechanization and computerization. THE DOWNSIZING PLAN This plan sets out Arrangement for consulting with employees and their trade unions Forecast of the number of losses that can be taken up by natural wastage Forecast of the number who want to leave voluntarily Redundancy terms Arrangements by telling individual employees about the redundancies and keeping the trade unions informed CONTROL In spite of including budgets and targets, human resource plan also clarifies the implementation and control. This reports on the numbers employed against establishment and on the numbers recruited against the recruitment targets. Against budget, it also report employment costs and trends in wastage and employment ratios. RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF NEW STAFF The overall aim of the recruitment and selection process is to obtain the number and quality required at a minimum cost in order to satisfy the companys human resource requirements. The recruitment and selection process is a series of three steps: Define requirements Decide terms and conditions of employment, prepare job descriptions and specifications Attract candidates Review and evaluate by building a pool of candidates for the jobs by recruiting internal and external candidates, advertisement, use agencies and consultants Select candidates By interviewing, testing, assessing, assessment centres, offering employment, asking references, and preparing employment contracts DEFINE REQUIREMENTS In recruitment programme, the number of people required should be specified which is derived from the human resource plan. In addition, there will be demands for new jobs to be filled and these should be checked for justification. It is necessary to check the type of employee required for a specific job. For assessing candidates, this information provides a basic introduction required to agencies or recruitment consultants. A candidates profile, educational background, experience and skills produce criteria for a suitable job and is assessed by interviewing or by means of psychological tests. JOB DESCRIPTION A job description sets the overall objective of the job, basic details of the job, main activities and any other special requirements. For the purpose of recruitment, the information can only be provided on the arrangement for training and career opportunities. Pay, benefits, mobility and travelling are included in terms and conditions. PERSONNEL SPECIFICATIONS It is also known as recruitment, person specification or job specification. It requires educational background, qualification, experience, skills, competencies and training from the candidate. EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND OR QUALIFICATION- academic or technical qualification is required EXPERIENCE- achievements or merits obtained COMPETENCIES- it consist of any special skills achieved such as numeracy TRAINING- any special training that a candidate has taken SPECIFIC DEMANDS- a candidate is expected to develop new markets, productivity, best customer services and sales and introduce new techniques and systems ORGANIZATIONAL FIT- the candidate is expected to work within the corporate culture SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS- mobility, unsocial hours and travelling The most familiar classification scheme introduced by Rodger (1952) and is known as THE SEVEN POINT PLAN The seven point plan consists of PHYSICAL APPEARANCE- physique, health, appearance and speech ATTAINMENTS- education, qualification, experience GENERAL INTELLIGENCE- intellectual quality SPECIAL APTITUDES- mechanical, manual dexterity INTERESTS- intellectual, practical, physically active, social, artistic DISPOSITION- influential, power of acceptance, steadiness, dependable, self reliance CIRCUMSTANCES- domestic circumstances, occupations of family Another classification system is produced by Munro- Fraser and is known as THE FIVEFOLD GRADING SYSTEM The fivefold grading system covers IMPACT ON OTHERS- appearance, make-up, speech, manner ACQUIRED QUALIFICATION- education, vocational training, experience INNATE ABILITIES- aptitude for learning, natural quickness of comprehension MOTIVATION- goals set up by an individual and determination to follow them and success in achieving them ADJUSTMENT- emotional stability Both systems are proved to be good for interviewing but seven point plan is more stable and has a longer pedigree. COMPETENCY BASED APPROACH During selection process, competency based approach is used as a framework for a particular role. According to Roberts (1997) The benefit of taking a competencies approach is that people can identify and isolate the key characteristics which would be used as the basis for selection, and that those characteristics will be described in terms which both can understand and agreeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..The competencies therefore become a fundamental part of a selection process. According to Wood and Payne (1998), the advantages of competency based approach are; It increases the accuracy of prediction about stability It facilitates a closer match between the persons attributes and the demands of the job It helps to prevent interviewers making snap adjustments It can underpin the whole range of recruitment techniques- application forms,, interviews, tests and assessment centres ATTRACTING CANDIDATES It is a matter to identify, evaluate and use the most appropriate sources of applicants. If difficulties occur in attracting candidates then being an employer there should be a proper study at the strengths and weaknesses of the company. ANALYSIS OF RECRUITMENT STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES It covers the matters like pay, employee benefits, working conditions, security of employment, educational and training opportunities, career prospectus and the reputation of an organization. The aim of an organization is to build a better image by use of advertisements, brochures or interviews. SOURCES OF CANDIDATES To fill the anticipated openings, if there are no qualified candidates inside then the outside candidates are given more consideration. This may require forecasting general economic, local market and occupational market conditions. To forecast general economic conditions is the expected prevailing rate of unemployment. Lower rate of unemployment lowers the labour supply and then its more difficult to recruit personnel Local labour market conditions are also important. Finally, the forecasting of candidates for jobs in specific occupations is to be recruited. Once a position is filled, the next step is to develop an applicant pool either from internal or external sources. Recruitment efforts are for the welfare of the strategic plans of the company. Some recruiting methods are superior to others, depending what your sources are and who a company is recruiting. If no candidates are available within an organization then the main sources of candidates are ADVERTISING Advertising is a best source to attract candidates. For successful advertisement, a company needs to address two issues: the media and the ads construction. The selection of best medium depends on the types of positions a company is recruiting. OBJECTIVES OF ADVERTISEMENT Attract attention An advertisement should be attractive enough to gain an attention of a potential candidate Create and maintain interest The information of an ad is to be communicated in an attractive way about the job, the organization, qualifications and the terms and conditions of employment. Stimulate action An advertisement should be conveyed in such a way that it not only attracts candidates but encourage them to read at the end and apply. ANALYSE THE JOB REQUIREMENT Its necessary for a company to establish that how many jobs to be filled and when. Then comes the job description and person specification for qualification and experience. The next step is to consider where suitable candidates are likely to come from and the companies, jobs or educational establishments they are in. Finally the pay and the benefits of the company are clearly shown in an advertisement. EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES AS A SOURCE OF CANDIDATES There are three basic types of employment agencies THOSE OPERATED BY FEDERAL OR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS These agencies are on the rise these days. These agencies fill up the jobs, counsellors visit the work site. Review the job requirements and help the employer to write job description. THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION Most societies have units which help their members in finding a suitable job. Public welfare agencies place the people who are disabled and war veterans. PRIVATE OWNED AGENCIES These agencies charge to every applicant for the application they place. These agencies are the sources of managerial personnel, clerical and white collar. RECRUITMENT CONSULTANTS Recruitment consultants advertise, interview and shortlist. STEPS FOR CHOOSING RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT Check its reputation with others Check the advertisements of other companies in order to know the consultancy Meet the consultant who is working on the assignment Compare its fee with other recruitment consultants USING RECRUITMENT CONSULTANTS It is necessary to Brief them the terms and conditions of the company Give them assistance in job defining Clarify arrangements for interviewing and short- listing Clarify the fee and expenses structure Make sure the arrangements made are directly dealing with the consultant USING EXECUTIVE SEARCH CONSULTANTS These are also known as head hunter. These consultants are for senior jobs and direct the limited number of people to specific jobs. They are bit expensive consultants .These consultants have their own contacts and have researchers who identify specific people for a specific job. The consultant forwards the shortlist of candidates with full report to the client when a number of potential candidates have been assembled. CHOOSING AN ADVERTISING COMPANY Following steps should be taken while choosing an advertising company Experience in handling recruitment advertising Services provided to the clients Fee structure Staff meeting who are working on advertisement Discuss methods of working RECRUITMENT ADVERTISEMENT A recruitment advertisement should start with a compelling headline and then it covers the areas like the organization, the job, qualification and experience, terms and conditions of job, the location and the action to be taken. The headline should be a job title and in bold letters. For attracting customers, quote the salary in an attractive way. The name of the company should be given. Create interest in the job and convey the essential features of the job by giving a brief description of the duties of a job holder. The qualification and experience should be stated. This will vary from candidate to candidate. Pay scale and the job requirements will give them the enough information about the experience required. Final section of the advertisement is how a candidate can apply for a job? Candidates would be appreciated if they apply in writing, or have a telephonic conversation or may be called for an informal chat at some suitable place. SEX DISCRIMINATION ACT 1975 According to this law it is unlawful to discriminate by favouring sex in advertisement. Sexiest job titles should be avoided. There are certain jobs which are unisex and are non discriminatory. TYPE OF ADVERTISEMENT CLASSIFIED/ RUN- ON- they are cheap and suitable for routine jobs. In this a copy is run on, having no white space in or around the advertisement and no paragraph spacing. CLASSIFIED/SEMI-DISPLAY-it is much more effective and is fairly cheap. The h

Jetstar Essay -- essays research papers

Article Title: â€Å"Jetstar to enter Tasman dogfight† Source: The Australian OVERVIEW The article by Creedy looks at the newly announced expansion of Jetstar Airline services from its current domestic Australian flight service to its penetration of the trans-Tasman market. Jetstar’s original purpose was to provide Qantas (Same Ownership) a cost-effective alternative for the provision of domestic flights around Australia while also giving customers a cheaper and somewhat â€Å"no frills† option when flying locally. The article outlines the considerations and specifications that Qantas and thus Jetstar have undertaken in order to accomplish its â€Å"first foray overseas† as part of its â€Å"segmentation strategy†. Jetstar’s expansive venture is then obviously significant and relevant to the study of international business’s (any business transaction which involves a cross-border commercial transaction) and the goals and barriers achieved and endured. WHY THE ARTICLE IS SIGNIFICANT TO IB Subsidies The article suggests that Qantas may draw upon subsidy advantages granted by the Australian government through the all-economy â€Å"Australian Airlines† subsidiary in order to help the expansion of Jetstar on â€Å"low-yielding routes†. The government’s efforts to promote international trade and investment as well as Qantas’s new enterprise agreements with Australian flight attendants will allow Jetstar’s â€Å"Cairns-based subsidiary to use new aircrafts, hire foreign crews and fly further†. This p...

A Student Commentary on Big Medias Attack on Fan Websites :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

A Student Commentary on Big Media's Attack on Fan Websites The fight between legal departments at major movie and TV studios and producers of fan websites has reached a fever pitch. The legal department of Fox TV sent out notices to cease and desist to two webmasters of fan "King Of The Hill" websites. Fox Primetime has cracked down on fan sites before, most notably those saluting "The X-Files." It boggles the mind why fan sites pose such a threat to the studios. It would seem that for a fan to take the time and spend the money to build a website without any hope of financial reward would be the supreme compliment to a given show. I know of no fan site which makes money. Usually, unless the webmaster has a free account through their College or University, their Internet access and web space costs money. And if not always a money sink, sites like these are always a time sink. These fans are taking time out of their busy educational and/or work schedules to give these shows free publicity. Still photographs from movies and TV shows used for reviews and/or given away, with or without autographs, to fans has been a traditional means of promoting a studio's wares. When fans offer stills for other fans to collect on the Internet, they are conducting a type of trade which has for decades existed via the mail and in face to face memorabilia swaps. There is more controversy about audio and video clips, but the fact remains that 10% of a copyrighted work of art can be duplicated for "fair use" purposes according to the Berne Convention, the current standard of law on copyrights for most of the world. Current audio techniques for the Internet like .AU, .AIFF, and .WAV get very, very large unless the audio snippet is only a matter of seconds long. And Real Audio .RAM files and Shockwave Streaming Audio files both play as they pass by and are not stored on a person's computer. We are not talking about piracy here. We are talking about a sample that's only a few seconds long, which the people who painstakingly make the sample slave over without any hope of recompense, and which takes up frightfully large chunks of server space. This goes double for the most controversial element of fan sites -- video clips. AVI Video For Windows and QuickTime video files are extremely largely sized.

Why Do We Need Management?

Why do we need Management? Melisa Honeycutt Vista College Why do we need Management? A business is an ongoing activity that will not run itself. As the manager, you will have to set goals, determine how to reach those goals and make all the necessary decisions. You will have to purchase or make your product, price it, advertise it and sell it. You will have to keep records, and determine costs. You will have to control inventory, make the right buying decisions and keep costs down.You will have to hire, train and motivate employees now or as you grow. ( Soni 2010) When a company has good management, the whole company does well. A good manager will be a great buffer for the owner and his employees. He/she will also coordinate most of the day-to-day business. Now we will look at what is the purpose of management, I find that there are five primary functions. * Staffing: You must be good at seeing raw talent and knowing when the company will need more employees. Planning: You need to be able to see the big as well as the small picture. * Organizing:You need great focus, most of the time you will need to be in many places and doing many jobs at once. It is a balancing act. * Leading: You will need to be a leader that can motivate people and get people to work together. * Controlling: You will need to monitor the business to make sure it stays on track. To me the world would look much like my home, if my husband and I left and put no one in charge.It would be complete and utter chaos; no one would know where things are and who did what. I see a manager as a babysitter of sorts and managing a business will be a lot like running my home and family. Does juggling ever come to mind when you think of running your own business? It does mine! References Soni, J. (2010). Why do we need Management? [yahoo answers]. Retrieved from answers. yahoo. com What are the Primary Functions of Management? (2012, November). In Blurtit. Retrieved from QuickBase. Intuit,com website: blurt it. com