Movie Review

There were rules to be followed, and a person should not act differently from others. But in the end, everything changed when Sam and Suez finally decided to run away and lives on their own. After the upbringing, the whole community started to find the love, between Sam and Suez, harmful. It caused the disruption within the stagnant plot of the story, in a way that they were different from what was usually considered correct by the norm. This disruption elevated the twists and turns of the events within the movie.Also because of this, the members of the community started to suffer, and started to find a solution on how to solve this disruption within the community. From living normal, he members of the community started to form this consciousness to each other that resulted to their own involvement in the love between Sam and Suez. However, this did not mean that the community itself as a whole started to form a unity instantly; it was only a step-by-step process that eventually led to the involvement and solidarity of the characters.The community as a whole created the status of each of the characters. It Implemented rules and regulations; from what Is right, to what Is wrong. These biases made by the society led to the corruption of each character that resulted in heir fixed role in the community. For example, the Khaki Scout Trainer was a Math Teacher but because of the community where he was in, he was forced to become a Trainer. Generally, by these biases made by the Community, the members within it started to view everything as normal, and began to be unconscious to others. In the division of the community.This showed that the bias led by the community as a whole produced a bias to an individual, and caused dissever of its member. When the community started to act, due to the subject of love between Sam and Suez, each character started to be involved. From Cam's side of the story, his foster parents started to ignore their own responsibilities to him, unl ike the Khaki Scout Trainer and the Island Police Officer, who were treating him as a family. And from Guy's side of the story, her parents started to pay attention to her maturity due to her issues of rampaging, and being introvert from the rest of her schoolmates.These transformations made by each character showed the manifestation of the romantic convolutions of the two young characters. But as a whole community, this love between the two at first was not accepted because of their age. In the end, due to the early maturity of the young lovers little-by-little the community started to acknowledge their love, thus showed the transformation of the community from being stagnant to a community whose members were involved and united.In addition, the involvement of each character to the love between Sam and Suez, made the portrayal of each scene focused from the island's community to each individual that involved themselves within the issue. The portrayal of each scene from the start of the movie was all about the community and the island itself. It focused on the stagnant community that deals tit their own problems. The people in New Penance had been following the rules and biases done by the community itself.It showed that the portrayal of the scene is on a slide manner that depicted one scene then shift to the other. It also described New Penance by showing the place, and by using a Journalist to give information. The way the Journalist's report, at the start of the movie, is on a fixed manner. The journalist gave information, but the way his report portrayed was that his background was fixed and instantaneously shifting from one idea to the other.This showed that the movie at the start was in a state of stationary ideas that had been made by the community that had been adapted by its members. After the upbringing of the love between Sam and Suez, there was a sudden changed in how the scene had been portrayed. First, it focused more on the two- young lovers. Th e portrayal of each scene about the lovers transformed the scene from being stationary to being alive. There was a beginning of a conversation and showing of each other's actions. Second, it also focused on the involvement of each character.By the time the upbringing happened; the community started to act, and by this action, the scene portrayal started to show the strengths and weaknesses of each character in the story. Lastly, it also dealt with the recovery of the way how it was presented at the start. At the end of the movie, on how the scene that had been being portrayed was the same on how the scene had been portrayed at the beginning. This showed that even though there was a transformation within the community as a whole, the depicting of the scene started and ended with the same portrayal.

A Victims Deliberate Use of Deadly Force

Domestic violence causes far more pain than the visible marks of bruises and scars. It is devastating to be abused by someone that you love and think loves you in return. My resolution that I will be debating is â€Å"A Victims Deliberate Use of Deadly Force is a Just Response to Repeated Domestic Violence†. Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior which involves the abuse by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, cohabitation, dating or within the family.I value the life of both parties including the person who is committing the act of domestic violence. The victim of domestic violence isn’t justified in using deadly force unless the person is committing an act of domestic violence on the victim right that moment. That statement brings me to my first contention, the life of each person involved in a domestic violence dispute are both important. If you are the victim of repeated domestic violence you shouldn’t use deadly force unless it’s in self defense. Read this â€Å"The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead†Murder in the first degree is any murder that is willful and premeditated and by killing the man or woman that committed the act of domestic violence you are indeed going to prison to be put on death row. Jodi Arias a young woman killed her boyfriend Travis Alexander and lied about it for two years in 2008. Then in 2010 she confessed to killing her boyfriend in self defense by shooting him once and stabbing him 27 times. Arias say Alexander attacked her, but police say she planned the attack in a jealous rage. Jodi said that that Travis often had violent outburst that resulted in domestic violence. My second contention A Victims Deliberate Use of Deadly Force Domestic violence causes far more pain than the visible marks of bruises and scars. It is devastating to be abused by someone that you love and think loves you in return. My resolution that I will be debating is â€Å"A Victims Deliberate Use of Deadly Force is a Just Response to Repeated Domestic Violence†. Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior which involves the abuse by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, cohabitation, dating or within the family.I value the life of both parties including the person who is committing the act of domestic violence. The victim of domestic violence isn’t justified in using deadly force unless the person is committing an act of domestic violence on the victim right that moment. That statement brings me to my first contention, the life of each person involved in a domestic violence dispute are both important. If you are the victim of repeated domestic violence you shouldn’t use deadly force unless it’s in self defense. Read this â€Å"The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead†Murder in the first degree is any murder that is willful and premeditated and by killing the man or woman that committed the act of domestic violence you are indeed going to prison to be put on death row. Jodi Arias a young woman killed her boyfriend Travis Alexander and lied about it for two years in 2008. Then in 2010 she confessed to killing her boyfriend in self defense by shooting him once and stabbing him 27 times. Arias say Alexander attacked her, but police say she planned the attack in a jealous rage. Jodi said that that Travis often had violent outburst that resulted in domestic violence. My second contention

Accident Report

INCIDENT REPORT INSTRUCTIONS Northwestern University ? Vice President for Research ? University Safety Committees ? Office for Research Safety ***A sample completed form is appended to these instructions. *** When to Submit an Incident report An incident report must be delivered to the Office for Research Safety within five days of the incident. Reports are reviewed by the Chemical and Biological Safety Committee, or the Radiation Safety Committee. ? An incident is defined as any unplanned and unwanted event that occurred during the performance of work activities and that resulted in or could have led to injury or material damage to property.Incident repercussions range from minor (e. g. , a broken mercury thermometer) to significant (e. g. , a 5-gallon bottle of sulfuric acid dropped in a heavy-traffic hallway). ? An Incident Report is appropriate for â€Å"near misses,† incidents not resulting in personal harm or property damage, but which might have, under slightly differen t circumstances. ? The Incident Report requires responses from (I) the person involved, (II) any witnesses to the incident, and (III) the Principal Investigator/Supervisor. Attach additional pages if necessary to complete the report.Reports that are not signed by the PI/supervisor will be returned for completion. The committees require input from the supervisor. See completed Example following the instructions. ? Commonly, there are multiple causes in any given incident—all of which should be identified. Provide a complete and detailed response to each question, making a serious attempt to identify all â€Å"root cause(s). † The contributing factors were probably evident, but overlooked or unrecognized previously. These factors become more distinctly identifiable in light of the specifics of the incident A well-planned work process will include multiple layers of safeguards.Once causes are identified at all levels, consider safeguards and procedures that might be chang ed to prevent future incidents. . ? This report is not intended to assign blame; it should be used as a tool to foster recommendations for procedural improvement. A well-prepared report will identify all work systems that need to be redesigned to compensate for foreseeable human errors. Information gleaned from these reports will also be used to improve safety policies. ? The Incident Report is required for all incidents, and must be submitted to theOffice for Research Safety within 5 business days of the incident. Delaying may result results in lost or forgotten details. Your department will be contacted by the Office for Research Safety if an incident report is not received promptly. Incident Response ? Please refer to the Emergency Response Training Fact Sheet Section 6. 3. 4 of Chemical and Biological Safety in Laboratories for definitions of incidental spills you can clean up yourself versus major spills that require assistance, either by ORS or an outside agency. When in doubt , contact ORS for help.Both types of spill require an incident report. ? Emergency Phone Numbers and procedures may be found in your department emergency evacuation plan, your Safety Desk Book, your Employee Safety Handbook, or the Office for Research Safety web page: http://www. research. northwestern. edu/research/ors/emerg/index. htm The Incident Report Form is located at http://www. research. northwestern. edu/research/ORS/online_forms. htm under Laboratory Safety Forms. Incident Report Instructions and Sample Updated 4/18/2007 INCIDENT REPORT SAMPLE Northwestern University ? Vice President for Research ?University Safety Committees ? Office for Research Safety ***Instructions on when and how to complete this form may be found at http://www. research. northwestern. edu/research/ORS/online_forms. htm under Laboratory Safety Forms. *** Hint: Save this file to your computer, complete your section, email a copy to the next person for their part, and when all information has been ent ered, printed, and signed by the Principal Investigator, return it to Tech, NG-71 . I. Report by person involved Name: __Josephine Doe____________ Department: ___Chemistry_________DatePrepared: December 20, 2007__ How long at this job? _3 wks______Position/Title (e. g. , Grad Student, Technician, Post-doc) ___Graduate Student___ Location of Incident: ___Tech G222_________Date/time of incident: _December 18, 2007_ / Principal Investigator/Supervisor: ___Frank Nobel_________________________ 7:30 am_____ A. Describe how the incident occurred. 1. Explain the operation in which you were involved. What were you doing before the incident occurred? What was your goal? What were you doing at the time the incident occurred? What were the conditions of your work?Is this a routine operation? I was washing a volumetric flask. I added a mixture of acid (hydrochloric and nitric) to the flask, a procedure typical in our lab. I was holding the flask and swirling the acid along the inner walls. 2. De scribe the incident in detail. What happened? A reaction occurred inside the flask. I had capped it to prevent spillage. A pressure build-up blew the cap off the flask and sprayed acid on my face. In shock, I dropped the flask on the bench and it shattered, spilling acid on the surface. 3. Describe the sequence of events that followed the incident.How did you respond? I ran to the eyewash at the sink and rinsed my face for approx. 15 minutes, holding my eyes open with my hands. I called UP and requested emergency assistance. Paramedics arrived about 10 minutes after that. 4. Describe any equipment, machinery, or instruments in use at the time of the incident and their potential contribution to the incident. No equipment involved. B. Did you sustain any injuries? What were they? How were they treated? Did you require medical care? Describe the severity of the injury. Page 2 of 5 PagesLimited burns to my face on my forehead and eyelids. I was taken to the emergency room where my face was rinsed again and treated with topical antibiotic cream. I will have to avoid sunlight for a week since I sustained a second-degree burn. C. Was there any property loss or damage? Please elaborate. The flask was broken. The acid permanently stained the work surface. Acid was sprayed as far as 20 feet from the spill site. ORS cleaned the acid contamination. The lab was closed the next morning after the spill because no one could work in the area while ORS decontaminated it.D. Safety Rules and Procedures. 1. Was the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary during the given operation? Was the PPE worn? What did it consist of? I was wearing a lab coat and nitrile gloves but no eye protection. I should have been wearing safety glasses. 2. What type of training did you receive prior to engaging in this operation? Was the training adequate? What did it consist of? I received ORS general safety training when I entered the program my first year. No training since then. Also, n o training in my lab as to specific procedures.I believe I should have annual refresher training. 3. Are there any specific safety rules which apply to this procedure? Were they followed? Are they adequate? No specific rules established for cleaning of glassware. There are rules regarding PPE. Safety glasses are required and I will wear them from now on. 4. Other comments. I was working alone in the lab. I won’t do that again since I could have used help in locating the eyewash. E. Causal Factors 1. What do you perceive to be the causal factors behind this incident?This could include: inadequate management oversight; lack of appropriate safety policy; proper equipment not used, required, or supplied; etc. Lack of a standardized procedure. An adverse reaction between the acid and contaminants was never addressed in training so I didn’t realize it could occur and how to adequately handle the situation. 2. What are your recommendations for preventing recurrence? Better aw areness (training) about the reactions that can occur between chemicals. II. Other Individuals Involved/Witnesses where applicable 1. Name: __None____________________ Position_____________________ _A. Description of Incident – Where were you and what were you doing when the incident occurred? What did you see? Page 3 of 5 Pages Incident Report Instructions and Sample Updated 4/18/2007 B. Additional comments or observations. 2. Name: __________________________ Position_____________________ _ A. Description of Incident – Where were you and what were you doing when the incident occurred? What did you see? B. Additional comments or observations. III. Report by Principal Investigator/Supervisor A. How and when did you learn of the incident? I received a phone call from the student the next day.B. Contributing/Mitigating Factors – What do you perceive to be the causal factors behind this incident? This could include inadequate management oversight; lack of appropriate safety policy; improper procedure; proper equipment not used, required, or supplied; etc. There was a reaction between the acid and an organic contaminant in the glassware. The flask should not have een capped. The capping caused a pressure build-up to occur in the vessel. The student did not consider the possibility since we had not discussed glassware cleaning procedures. C. Immediate corrective action taken.The use of acids for cleaning glassware will be closely evaluated to determine when a less hazardous cleaning agent can be used. To limit the potential for reaction, we will ensure that any gross organic contamination is removed by thorough rinsing and scraping before use of acid. Acid will be restricted to cleaning of trace contamination. When lab personnel clean with acids, regular venting will be performed to prevent pressure build-up. Also, the procedure will be done in a chemical fume hood, utilizing the horizontal sash as a physical barrier against sprays and splashes.D . Additional remediation efforts to prevent future recurrence (and expected date of implementation). We will schedule an in-house training class to review the cleaning procedures and other lab safety policies, especially the rules about wearing of PPE and working alone. Page 4 of 5 Pages E. Comments The student was working an 11-hour day. Fatigue may have been a factor. Workdays will be limited to 10 hours at the most. Principal Investigator/Supervisor Signature: ____________________________________ Page 5 of 5 Pages

On The Road To Entrepreneurship Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

On The Road To Entrepreneurship - Article Example the US with an endeavor to gain knowledge in diverse fields, thereby returning home and pursue lucrative careers that will boost the nations’ economy and create a self-reliant country. The program caters for air fare, accommodation, tuition and other miscellaneous family expenses. A large number of my colleagues spent their leisure time peers from home, read Saudi newspapers, watch sports, check in at restaurants and gather home to engage in recreation on a PlayStation. We create a mini Saudi Arabia in each of our protected university environments. However, this compels an individual to pose the following question, â€Å"Is that the best value for the investment that our country made in us?† this, therefore, highlights the need for maximally utilizing the investment instilled in us. It will be critical to go out and promote our country’s cultural and social aspects, both within the campus and outside in the business world, owing to our imperative number of over 100,000 ambassadors. For instance, if each of our colleagues went out to educate to our American friends about our nation, over a million US citizens will be conversant with our nation. This would eliminate the misconception about our country, as the media perceives it. If the beneficiaries of the program pursued any of these questions and went beyond my anxiety-neutral situation, I would have perceived the real America and learned lessons that would enhance the education that I endeavored. I mulled over the issue only after I graduated and started working in a US company. I retain information of my dad’s advice prior to coming to the US, â€Å"Son do not just come home with just an MBA, you’d better bring a technology business along with it†. I failed to consider the issue critically. As such, when he inquired after graduation whether I had a business arrangement, my answer was negative. At the time, I realized how profound my dad’s advice had been and how effortlessly I forgot. My country

Housing in UK Master Essay Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Major Causes of Rising House Prices in the UK - Research Paper Example Over the last thirty years, the housing prices in the UK have increased in real terms by nearly three per cent a year. This is in contrast to other countries like France, Sweden and Germany where real estate prices have remained broadly constant or even declined. The determination of prices in local and regional housing markets is a classic example of microeconomics in action. Each housing transaction in the UK depends on the price the seller is willing to sell his property and on the price the buyer is able to pay for it. Buyers place offers for a property that the seller can either accept or reject. When the market demand for properties in a particular area is high and when there is a shortage of quality properties (i.e. supply is scarce) then the seller has the upper hand. This is because there is likely to be excess demand in the market for good properties. Sellers can wait for offers on their property to reach (or exceed) their minimum selling price. Often multiple offers fuel an increase over and above the asking price. When demand both for new and older housing is weak and when there is a glut of properties available on the market, then the power switches to potential buyers. They have a much wider choice of housing available and they should be able to negotiate a price that is lower than the asking price.  When the demand for houses in a particular area increases due to say, an increase in population into the area, or a rise in incomes due to job growth etc., there is upward pressure on market prices.  

Relationship between Theory and Application or Practice Research Paper

Relationship between Theory and Application or Practice - Research Paper Example It can be mentioned that the concepts related to the association between theory and practice has been the main focus among the psychologists and psychotherapists among others because it assists them to attain their respective research objectives. Although, the term theory is not used much in the context of any researches but the principles guide the theories in order to enhance its applicability in various fields (Fook, 2002). A theory is considered to be a representation or a collection of assumptions about a specific reality. Theories can either be explanatory or analytical. People tend to make use of the theories in order to anticipate the results of its actions and to make efficient decisions. Conversely, practice is considered to be an academic research which enhances any research methodology output. It can be affirmed that different theories have a tendency to guide or inform practice by offering direction for action as well as scope for decision making. In the context of psych otherapy, it is considered to be significant to be capable of intervening in the decision making process. In this similar context, it can be revealed that practice can also guide as well inform theory. The observant can gauge the action of others and hence offer feedback. Hence, it can be stated that there exists mutual association between theory and practice owing to the fact that an individual regularly tends to evaluate his/her own hypothesis and generates new meaning from previous experiences. Hence, on the basis of the above discussion, it can be stated that there needs to be a consistency between theory as well as practice. It is well identified that when the action of a person is aligned with his/her intention, the consistency is generally known as ‘walking your talk’. A person acting in a manner being consistent with his/ her intentions can be viewed as possessing integrity, while failure to do so is generally viewed as hypocrisy (Granick, 2005). A theory is sim ilar to the lens that assists a person in viewing experiences. The lens further tends to possess its focal strength along with the areas of misrepresentation. Identification of the relative strengths as well as shortcomings related to different theories has provoked the movement towards collective psychotherapies that summarizes multi-theoretical views. However, none of the theoretical views claim that theories as well as practices shall be aligned (Granick, 2005). One of the interesting facts related to theory and practice has been that they are at once both autonomous and inter-dependent. It can be observed that though the interests as well as the goals of the academics help in increasing the effectiveness, there lies genuine gap between theory and practice. It is argued that the communities tend to gain advantage from cross-fertilization of the people, work and ideas. It has been further identified that the gap arising between theoretical as well as practical views in the context of management learning has not been paid due attention from long period of time. Owing to the factors of increased globalization in businesses and the developments in technology, it has been viewed that there has been a major alteration in the social as well as in the economic environment which in turn forced the organizations all over the globe to make significant changes in their organizational purpose as well as structure.  

The Dixie Group - a case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Dixie Group - a case study - Essay Example The Familytique, the Peppercorn Cottage and the Michaelmas house too need to integrate their sales activity as they come under the shops category. The market square which is a public place for the traders which happens every Wednesday, they book their stall in advance. The payments collected from them should be properly listed and receipts are given in return. These should be integrated using program based information system. The management information system provides information to support management decision making. Pre-specific and pre-planned reporting to managers is accomplished by information reporting systems. Support for managers is accomplished by decision support systems. Information for top management is provided by executive information system. The information system provides information on the operations of the system to management for the direction and maintenance of the system (control). It is important to understand information system in the context of their use in information processing, which is also called data processing. â€Å"an information system uses the resources of hardware (machines and media), software (programs and procedures), and people (specialities and end users) to perform input, processing, output, storage and control activities that convert data resources into information products.† (James A. O’Brien). Thus the information system performs operational, managerial, and strategic support role in the business. These need to be a good information system to integrate the business activity to achieve the goals. The operations information system uses the data generated by and used in business operations. That is, it record and process data update it and produce it into reports. Physical processes are controlled by process control system and office activities are supported by the office automation system. This would help the organisation to achieve an organised

Analysis of Wimps, Whiners, and Weekend Warriors Essay

Analysis of Wimps, Whiners, and Weekend Warriors - Essay Example He cements his claim by pointing at the mythical hero in of ‘true men’ exemplified in Rambo, Wayne and Superman. He furthers his point of reason by George Bush’s sentiments in 1984 debate in which he said that he kicked had a little ass the previous night. Lastly, he postulates that, the males apparent wild tendencies is more than mere feelings but it is also a fervent such for the â€Å"would be† lost boyhood. In the above discos, kimmel’s argument is a farce because it satirizes boyhood. For example, he alludes to bullying in his schools, assenting to a specified dietary detail for a true man and giving import to Bush’s retrogressive sentiments which taint rather than build a descent image of males. Finally, from the movies such as close encounters and full metal jack he draws a conclusion that men leave their families in the desperate search of their lost inner childhood man. In conclusion the excerpt is ridicule on perception of male chauvinism an endeavors to liberate the male dominant society by asserting the relevance of feminism while he defangs the critical crisis masculinity per

Corruption In the Oil Industry (Situation in Alaska, UN Oil-for-food Essay

Corruption In the Oil Industry (Situation in Alaska, UN Oil-for-food Program) - Essay Example oil back in December 1996, the Security Council allowed Iraq to deliver a maximum of $4 billion worth of oil each year wherein two-thirds of the profit will be used in the purchase of humanitarian goods and services. (Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food, 2007b) This value was eventually increased to $10.52 billion a year in 1998. Due to the huge demand for oil globally, the Security Council removed the export limit in December 1999. Despite the huge amount of money that is expected to be collected from this program, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that more than $67 billion of oil revenue has accumulated over-the-years but only $31 billion or less than 50% was spent on the humanitarian program in Iraq. (United States Government Accountability Office - Report to Congressional Committees, 2006, p. 2) The Oil-for-Food program has been successful in achieving its main objectives. As of March 2003, a lot of positive improvements with regards to the Iraqi’s socio-economic status were reported to have increased the living status of its local people. (Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food, 2007b) However, negative issues related to the oil corruption scandals connected to this program have been tremendously debatable for many years. (United States Government Accountability Office - Report to Congressional Committees, 2006; Asman, 2004) In line with the act of removing the export limit of oil under the Oil-for-Food program, the study will examine the major causes and effects of oil corruption; the well-known personalities who are directly and indirectly involved behind the oil corruption scandals; the negative impact of oil corruption to the local people in Iraq; and the strength and weaknesses of Alaska’s regulation on oil corruption. At the end of the study, the researcher will discuss and suggest several ways on how the government of Alaska could prevent and minimize the negative impact of oil corruption among its

A literature review on electromagnetic transponders in prostate cancer

A on electromagnetic transponders in prostate cancer treatment - Literature review Example The present research particularly involved reviewing a number of recent publications including journals, books, articles, magazines and databases related to the use of electromagnetic transponders in cancer treatment. Electromagnetic Transponder is an emerging high tech system that is increasingly being used to track the movement of prostate glands particularly during external beam radiation therapy. The technique particularly involves implanting three tiny electromagnetic transponders into a patient’s prostate gland in order to enhance the delivery of post- prostatectomy radiation therapy by providing real time tracking required to ensure accurate treatment of prostate cancer through radiation therapy (Kindblom et al., 2009). According to many experts, the technique is particularly preferred for the post-surgical radiation therapy for prostate cancer because it significantly allows for enhanced localization of the specific targeted area thereby allowing for the delivery of maximum radiation dose while at the same time minimizing the exposure of the patients surrounding non-targeted normal tissues to radiation (Foster, Pistenmaa and Solberg, 2012, p.2924). The present literature paper particularly focused on a comprehensive review of relevant recent publications such as journals, books, articles, magazines, databases and other professional manuscripts related to the theory, practice and use of electromagnetic transponders in cancer treatment. Finally, the findings of the literature review were then analyzed and clustered based on the key major themes namely the oncologic and functional outcomes of electromagnetic transponders, placement of electromagnetic transponders in prostate cancer treatment as well as the challenges related to the use of electromagnetic transponders in the prostate cancer treatment. For the last 15 years, development of electromagnetic

Planar Ultra Wideband Antenna for Microwave Imaging System for Medical Essay - 2

Planar Ultra Wideband Antenna for Microwave Imaging System for Medical Application (Project Debrief) - Essay Example I am feeling fortunate to have got an opportunity to work under IAP on the project titled ‘Planar Ultra Wideband Antenna for Microwave Imaging System for Medical Application’. For me it was a God sent opportunity as I had got an opportunity to not only put theory to practice at a workplace setting but had even got a chance to work on the subject (medical technology) whose wonders have been inspiring me for over a decade when we got a wireless hearing aid for my grandmother – now an octogenarian. For this project Centre for Wireless Monitoring and Applications (CWMA) was my industry partner. CWMA has a number of achievements to its credit and the research at CWMA is powered by a battery of internationally acclaimed researchers. Prof. Amin Abbosh – a international expert and a point of reference in Ultra-Wideband Imaging, accepted me as his researcher and it was a very exceptional learning experience to work with him. The 15 weeks assignment started on 27th July. I prepared a Gantt chart for the project and it was designed on the basis of the Table 1. (Annexure I). From the beginning of the project I followed project management principles. After preparing the project plan and the Gantt chart, since I had not worked on any simulation tool, and to design the antenna the simulation tool had to play a crucial role. Computer Simulation Technology Microwave Studio (CST MWS) being a specialist tool for the 3D EM simulation of high frequency was used. The first jolt I suffered in the project was the delay I had to face in getting CST MWS from the University, I got it almost a month later than desired. I had to double up to meet the project milestones. While working on CST MSW, I started working on the literature survey. I utilized IEEE Explore (IEEE’s the digital library) at the University. Since I reside away from the University I

Financial Statement Essay Example for Free

Financial Statement Essay The first issue to discuss is the four different types of financial statements and the use of each that a business will use. The second issue to discuss is what financial statements that an investor will review. The third issue to discuss is what financial statements a creditor will review. The fourth will be what financial statements that management within a company will review. The first financial statement is the income statement (Kimmel et al, 2009). The income states will show the success or the failure of a company’s operations for a certain period. The income statement will have the revenue the company will make, the expenses the company will spend, and the net income of the difference of each. The second financial statement is the retained earnings statement (Kimmel et al, 2009). Retained earnings mean the net income that is retained in the corporation. The statement will show the amount and the cause of changes that can occur in the retained earnings during a certain period. The period of both the retained earnings and the income statement have the same period. The information covered on the retained earnings would be the earnings from the month prior, add the net income, minus the dividends, and the outcome for the retained earnings for a certain month. The next financial statement would be the balance sheet (Kimmel et al, 2009). The use of the balance sheet is so a company can report the assets and the claims to the assets during a certain period. The claims to assets can be from two groups, the first would be the claims to creditors that would be the liabilities and the second would be the claims to owners that would be the stockholders equity. The basic accounting equation is Assets = Liabilities + Stockholders’ Equity. Both sides of this equation must balance out. The last financial statement will be the statement of cash flows (Kimmel et al, 2009). The statement of cash flows will provide financial information about the cash receipts and payments of business for a certain period. The statement of cash flows will report the cash effects of the company’s expenses. Those expenses can be through the operating, investing, and financing activities. The statement of cash flows will also show the net increase or decrease in cash during a certain period. The statement will also show the amount of cash at the end of another period. The information found on the statement of cash flows will be the operating expenses, the investing expenses, the financing expenses, the net increase, the cash at the beginning and end of a period. Investors will view the income statement to see the future performance of a company (Kimmel et at, 2009). Creditors will view the income statement for loans. Creditors will also view the retained earnings statement and the balance sheet to see the ability for a company to repay debt. Management will view each financial statement to see the financial health of the company (Kimmel et al, 2009). Management can view the income statement to see if the company is a success or failure. The retained earnings statement to see how much income will return to the company. The balance sheet to see how much cash is on hand for certain needs and to ensure there is a satisfactory proportion of debt to common stock. The statement of cash flows to see the entire picture of what is going on within the company financially. In conclusion, the highlight of the four different types of financial statements and the use of each that a business will use. The highlight of the financial statements an investor will review for the company. The highlight of the financial statements a creditor will review for the company. The highlight of which financial statements the management of the company will review for the organization.

Theories for Play and Learning in Childcare

Theories for Play and Learning in Childcare Introduction: Education is the backbone for any nation and children are future of a country. Proper education for children is very important for any children. But this education process must need to be productive and effective and designed in structured ways for prosperity of nation. To make education process effective through play and learning planners need to plan according to theoretical approaches practiced long time in play and learning. Not every child in a school or learning activity set is same. Some children are with special needs and need to be teaching carefully. Several types of assessment can be conduct to find out these children with special needs and teach them. Planning play and learning activities for children will be more productive by preparing them by consulting with parents and professionals. Finally results should be recorded for future uses with further education planning for a nation to be more developed. Wrong education in early stages can ruin the future of a child. So hi gh care, in designing early learning activities need to be taken for development of children and nation. Assessment criteria 1.1- Describe the development, over time, of theoretical approaches to play and learning. Several theories in play and learning have developed time to time but no theories were good enough to describe it. Many theories for development in educational practices for children are being used during 20th century. Important theories among them are maturational theory, behaviourist theory, psychoanalytic theory, constructivist theory, socio-historical theory, ecological theory, ecological theory, environmentalist theory and many others. Maturational Theory: This theory was developed by Arnold Gesell in 1925. This theory was developed, based on 3 assumptions, Development base is biological, Type of body, Ectomorph Endomorph Mesomorph Alternating between good and bad years. These assumptions are related with personality development that influenced teaching and reading method of children in mid nineteenth century. By this theory children were not ready for study until 6 years old mentally. Activities in school were developed for unready children to help them to be ready for reading. This process is still in practices known as preschool. Behaviourist Theory: Behaviourist theory was developed by Skinner and Bijou. This theory influenced special education programmes in schools. Its main theme is role of environment in children’s education and development. Teacher uses this theory for those who found with difficulties in on-going environment. Major objective of this theory was not left any children behind. Psychoanalytic Theory: From the very start of 1920 this theory was used for analysing behaviour disorder of children, developed by Freud. In this theory, play therapy was recommended for children accompanied by parents or children. This theory was very useful for children with special needs. Constructivist Theory: There are many constructivist theories, among them theory of Pia Get affects activities of classroom in 21st century. This theory focused on mathematical and logical knowledge of children via improving individual’s relationship rather than socially build knowledge. Socio-historical theory: Developed by Vygotsky in 1978 gave importance on socio-historical context of learning by teaching culture, language and literacy and involvement of adult persons in proximal development zone of a child. Proximal zone of development in children education concept affected learning and play greatly. Ecological System theory: This system stated that children’s learning capabilities are directly or indirectly get affected by their residence place. All macro, micro, meso and exo system of residing place affect a child’s temperament, activity, capability to learn and attention. Environmentalist Theory: This theory resembles ecological theory in some point. Follower of this theory believe that learning theory of children get shaped by environment they belongs to as natural response tendency of human to nature. This concept leads to the idea of developing schools, educators and most importantly families for proper learning of a child. Multiple Intelligence Theory: Developed by Gardner, this theory is influencing recent learning system. Main theme of this theory is to develop multiple types of problem solving abilities in children to develop them. Assessment criteria 1.2- Evaluate different philosophical approaches to play and learning. Philosophical approaches in play and learning are approaches taken by preschools to improve readiness of children. There are many of these approaches and some of them are evaluate below. Play based: Play based philosophy is program of school where children have the ability to choose activity according to their interest. This approach is also known as â€Å"child-centered† approach. In this philosophy, classroom is divided into various sections such as, science, kitchen, reading and many other reading related toys. Teachers let children to play. It seems that children are just playing but through playing they are building social communication skill, cooperation and getting interested in specific subject. This approach is one of the best philosophical approaches. Academic: It is designed with lots of activities for children. Opposite of play based where teacher guide children to do specific activities. Here children get prepared for reading. Teacher let children learn music, letters, shapes, colours etc. most of the parents think that this approach is best as their children are learning in a structured way but philosophers says that preschool stage is for learning social and communication skills. Montessori: This approach designed by Maria Montessori in Italy. This approach is play based with focus on academic activities. In this system children learn according to their pace. Teachers gathered them and design the classroom according to age. This helps younger to learn from older. This is a good approach as it’s based on play and learning both. Waldorf: This system increase children’s creativity in learning. Specific activities set according to time in weeks and ages of children where they can learn gardening, music, reading, singing, and acting. This system is a blend of creative learning and reading. They also learn other social skill in this system. Reggio Emilia: This system is designed to let children explore their learning capabilities. It was developed by Reggio Emilia in Italy. It is project based philosophy where students can learn according to their interest. Though, this system is good for aged children but not appropriate for younger children. Assessment criteria1.3- discuss on current influences on play and learning and the planning and provision of learning. Influencing factors Play and learning Planning and provision of learning Physical security In play and learning students do lots of activities and security program must be taken for them. Sometimes teachers may reject some activities where children might get physical injury. Social and emotional issues. Wrong social and emotional education ruins students’ ability in social skills and emotional feelings. Planners have to choose teacher with good social skills and emotional knowledge which is a tough task. Environment Environment of learning and play influence children ability to learn. Higher school authority has to ensure perfect environment for play and learning which is sometimes costly. Curriculum Curriculum leads children to further learning process after preschool. Wrong curriculum can kill valuable times and future of children so it must be designed with specialist. Parent and teacher role Better parental and teacher role can develop learning process and let a child learn hurry. Teacher role can be controlled by supervision but parent need to be counselled by school authority which increase cost and manpower. Assessment criteria 2.1- explain the use of observations to assess learning needs, consider how assessment based on observations can inform planning and respond to individual learning needs. Observation can be great uses to asses learning needs of a child. In this process a teacher observe children behaviour of academic learning, engagement in activities, interest, response to environment, continuity in interest, progress made by children etc. and record them. Parents can also children behaviour in their community. Systematic observation over time is better than one time observation. By observing several time it easy to know interaction of a child with activities and toys around him/ her. By documenting children behaviour, measuring children’s needs is easy. It allow to design further learning plan for children. For example 3 children playing with parts of aircraft toys and talking for much time help an observer to decide about children’s interest in airlines education along with their language, social and cognitive skills. Observer must be an unbiased person and avoid their personal interests and impression to assess needs of a child. Systematic observatio n should be; Happen several times over a time period. Designed to collect information about children from various types of sources including parents. Designed to collect information about children from various types of context. If teachers observe children they can know about the environment, curriculum, planning and strategies for teaching and can determine whether it need to be developed or not. Assessment criteria 2.2- discuss how information from other agencies can contribute to the assessment of learning needs. Information from other agencies can also contribute to the assessment of learning needs. It will help school to know about pros and cons of it. It enables a school to know perfectness of its progressing and needs. Information from other agencies also can be useful to know about of areas that need to be improved. It also informs about various types of different activities from other children in the community and can take precautionary system to avoid any wrong done in learning and play for future. Performances of other agencies also lead to motivation for teacher. Exchanging information between agencies can lead to amalgamation of agencies to work as safeguard for children and their learning. It can protect children from maltreatment, maintaining equality in children’s development, proper curriculum for learning process and take step that will help children to get the best outcomes. Professionals from agencies can analyse each other’s information to develop a much broade r and effective learning activities set or proper curriculum too. For example information from agency where only children with special need learn can be useful for children with special needs in another agency. These are some ways agencies information exchange can develop learning and play process of education for children. It is responsibility of agencies, authorities and parents in the community to work together to bring best outcomes of children for further national development through education. Assessment criteria 3.1- explain how to plan curriculum activities which promote learning. Curriculum activities are predesigned set of activities for learning of children step by step. Flawless curriculum can provide a child with best education he/ she needed and promote learning. Curriculum can be planned in various ways according to culture and social needs and experience of adults. But curriculum planned to promote learning must include following; The arts: Children need to be encouraged and stimulated by adult persons to reveal their thought, ideas and develop their creativity. Opportunity to share these ideas and thought via various types of arts such as writing, music, drama, dance, painting, design and other activities are very important. Language development: Language development is to improve children’s basic language skill and improve them to communicate with other. Language is the only media to share, gather and learn. So language development is a crucial part for development. Mathematical knowledge: Developing mathematical knowledge in early stage is important. Mathematical knowledge develops children’s logical skill and need for day to day life problem solving skill. Both indoors and outdoors activities should include this. Personal, social and emotional development: This is the utmost important education for children. This is about building their mental identity, values, norms, sustainable relationship, positive attitudes and finally for their well-being. Strong socio-personal and emotional development leads to success in other learning. Physical development: Physical play in outdoors or indoor develop physical strength and stamina of children and let them physically fit beside developing balance and body controlling and awareness about surroundings. Others thing need to be include in curriculum to promote learning are diversity, goals and objectives, routines, family involvement in learning process etc. Assessment criteria 3.2- assess the effectiveness of different approaches to planning learning opportunities. Whole school approach: Whole school approach is based on the idea that, every child has the ability to learn. Whole school practices is the method of diversified learning with high sets of measurement tool for achievements, learning and outcomes and teaching according to achievements of each students. This system includes behaviour support and learning support that need these. In a whole approach system teaching system s diversified with differentiate teaching style according to learners’ needs. Teachers teach here in 2 groups; focused teaching for student with normal achievement pace and intensives teaching for few students who need extra care. Integrated teaching approach: It’s a combination of play and learning guided by either elder person where adult people are intentionally involved with children in playing and learning or child directed play. Child directed play is learning process lead by children’s interest of exploring things. Children are able to learn by themselves but in this approach adults increase children’s learning by intentional engagement. Assessment criteria 3.3- consider methods of involving parents and other professional in reviewing assessments and plans. No specific methods are available of involving parents and other professional in reviewing assessments and plans. It happens in numerous ways. Professional and parents involvement in reviewing assessments helps to understand assessments results in a better way and to create more perfect plans for learning. Family centred system: Parents also can assess children’s behaviour and other activities. Observing only activities in school can’t provide better result. Children’s behaviour and interaction in society and community is important too, that can be assessed by parents and professionals in home. Working together: Another better way for parents, school and professional is to work together to assess behaviour of children and create plans for further learning. They can set standards for assessing by their experience and viewpoint and create plans. This assessment and planning method is more fruitful than any other. Communication: School authority also can communicate with parents and professional as needs to increase effectiveness of learning. Communicating them with assessment process and vital standards will bring proper result and plan. Advocacy and decision making: Advocacy by parents and professional in decision making process by using information from assessment can helpful too. School authority can take suggestion, guidelines and necessary step to make assessment and plans more successful. Community collaboration: Community collaboration by school with professional and parents can be great resulting methods. Collaboration with community let school and professional know more about activities and behaviour of children outside the school. That helps in assessment and planning. Assessment criteria 4.1- analyse the key issues in ensuring that assessment are objective and valid. Key principles for an assessment to be are validity, reliability, practicability and equitable and fair. Assessments procedures and process should be in standard way that can be reliable. Unbiased and regular practicability of assessment procedures is important also. These make an assessment objective. But to be valid there are 6 more key issues and they are, Content and standards: enough time should be taken to familiarise assessor with the units and their needs. This help to determine knowledge and skills need to assess. Create an assessment plan: assessment plan need to be created in this step. Considering learning stage of candidate along with assessment criteria. Choosing assessment method: it is very important issue. Method should be supportive to learning, capable of collecting evidence, providing chance for combination of assessment. Developing an assessment: assessment methods, standards and other criteria determined here. Determining acceptable evidence for the assessment: evidence of developing learning needs should be determine in this stage. Assessment criteria 4.2- reflect on the role of the practitioner in meeting children’s learning needs. Practitioner plays an important role in early learning of children with relevant curriculum. Practitioner must act properly and need to be productive to carry on their role to fulfil learning needs. Their roles are described below; Practitioners have to be capable of understanding curriculum for children education to implement them. They have to understand the importance of physical, intellectual, emotional and social knowledge needed for children. They should ensure security and value for every child equally without considering any discrimination. Practitioner and parents must have to work together to increase confidence of children. Practitioners have to help children to overcome their disadvantages. Positive relationship by practitioner with children and parents create an effective learning environment where children can feel safe and sound. Practitioner should engage children in different kinds of activities designed and lead by them. They need to be able to communicate with children appropriately. They need to take purposeful activity and proper intervention to engage children in learning process. At last, education to be productive and effective needs high care by practitioners. Conclusion: Various types of theoretical approaches used and being used in learning process of children. They were developed time to time and have effective influences in play and learning activities. Combining these theoretical approaches with philosophical approaches in play and learning can be more successful. These approaches affect play and learning and planning of play and learning. Observation method of assessment is one of the best methods to assess learning needs of children for future planning of learning. Information of other agencies is useful in case of planning developed learning plan. Play and learning activities in any school run according to a curriculum. A curriculum must be planned in ways that promote learning. Integrated approaches can be effective one to plan learning opportunities. Parents and professional involvements give different dimension to plan of play and learning. Their evaluation and opinion helps to develop a more productive and effective learning plan. For that , assessments of children need to be valid and objective and practitioners have to works perfectly for education of children needed to be effective in all sector of nation.

Training And Development In Infosys Management Essay

Training And Development In Infosys Management Essay This essay aims to provide a critical review of Performance Management and Training and Development of HRM in a typical high-tech company: Infosys. Infosys is a Fortune 500 company which specializes in IT services. The company has clients all cross the world and provide expertise in various industry sectors. Infosys integrates its Performance Management and Training and Development to better facilitate its workforce and to help the firm achieve its strategic goals. 1.2 Aim of this essay This essay aims to provide a critical review of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys, and provides proper recommendations for future improvement. 1.3 Structure of this essay Chapter 1 gives a brief background and the aim of the essay. Chapter 2 gives introduction of Infosys. Chapter 3 talks about Performance Management and how this part of HRM functions in Infosys. Chapter 4 deals with Training and Development and its function and role in Infosys. Chapter 5 provides a critical review of the Integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys. Chapter 6 offers some recommendations for future improvement of Infosys Training and Development as well as Performance Management. Chapter 7 is the conclusion of the whole essay. 2. Brief Introduction of Infosys Infosys was started in 1981 by seven people with US$ 250. Today, they are a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing with revenues of US$ 7.075 billion (LTM Q1 FY13). Many of the worlds most successful organizations rely on Infosys to deliver measurable business value. Infosys provides business consulting, technology, engineering and outsourcing services to help clients in over 30 countries build tomorrows enterprise. Infosys has a global footprint with 68 offices and 70 development centers in US, India, China, Australia, Japan, Middle East, UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Canada and many other countries. Infosys and its subsidiaries have 151,151 employees as on June 30, 2012. Infosys helps companies derive the measurable business value that they have always been looking for from business and IT investments. The company delivesr measurable business value in 3 ways: 1. Transform Infosys can transform the fundamental shape of your business PL. Regardless of which team our clients engage with; the company has a best-practice process for delivering value. In Infosys it is called IMPACT to ensure a clear line of sight from process change to bottom-line impact, ensuring that you receive the business value you were promised. 2. Optimize Beyond transformation and innovation, it boils down to execution delivering on time, on budget and on value. Infosys can optimize clients core operations to drive best-in-class efficiency and help fund the transformation and innovation. 3. Innovate Infosys can inject a level of product and service innovation into clients business to create new revenue opportunities through collaboration and co-creation. The foundation of its innovation capability is our core lab network Infosys Labs and the new thinking that our team of over 600 researchers brings to the table. The Vision and Mission of Infosys are: Vision We will be a globally respected corporation. Mission Strategic Partnerships for Building Tomorrows Enterprise. 3. Performance Management and its Function in Infosys 3.1 Academic review of Performance Management Levit (2008) suggest that performance is a multi-layer structure, and depending on different measuring factors, the results may be different also. Thus, if we want to measure and manage performance, we must first define it and know exactly what performance management means. Usually performance management can be defined from three perspectives, and with different perspective, the contents, influencing factors and measuring methods that performance management includes differs. From the individual perspective, the definition of performance management has not come to a universal conclusion as various experts on HRM give their own definitions. At the current stage, there are two main views. One view believes that performance is equal to result; while another view suggests that performance equals behavior. Bernadin (1995) suggest that performance should be defined as the outcome of work, because these outcomes of work are closely related to organizational goals, strategies, customer satisfaction and investment. Kane (1996) points out that performance is the things that an individual leaves, and such things relatively independently exist. Hence, it is not difficult to see that the view of performance is equal to result believes that the outcomes that performan ce gets are the records of how well one employees work is. The relative concepts about performance results include: Accountabilities, Key Result Areas, Results, Duties, Tasks and Activities, Objectives, Goals or Targets, Outputs, Critical Success Factors. Nowadays, however, an increasing number people have accepted the concept that performance equals behavior, and they have posted challenges against the view of performance is equal to result. Campbell (1990) suggests that performance is a set of behaviors that are related to the organization that a person works for or the goals that the organization has. His definition of performance in 1993 is that performance is the synonym of behavior, and it is peoples actual behaviors and it can be observed and measured. Performance management is the process through which managers ensure that employees activities and outputs are congruent with the organizations goals. It is used to establish measures of performance to allow clear targets to be set and is a continuous process that enables us to improve delivery of business. Performance management plays a key role in Human Resources Management because an organizations performance goals are designed according to the organizations development plan, strategy and organizational goals. Today there are various tools for how to manage performance such as Balance I believe that in practical performance management, the broader concept of performance should be employed that is, the concept of performance should include both two aspects of behaviors and results. Such a perspective is well reflected in the definition of performance according to Brumbrach (1998): performance means results and behaviors. It tells us that when we conduct performance management, we should take into consideration of both input(behaviors) and output(results). Performance management should include the two aspects of what to do and how to do. 3.2 Performance Management in Infosys Infosys is a Fortune 500 company whose main service is in IT industry. Today it is the leading firm on the market providing various IT solutions to its clients. The business scope of Infosys ranges from Telecommunication, Banking, Financing, Retailing to Manufacturing. Like most international firms, Infosys has a matrix organizational structure. The companys base is in India, but it is not strictly the headquarter of the company. Its various braches across the world work together to reach the organizations strategic goals. The types of employees in Infosys are divided into two catalogues: regular employee and contractor. Thus, performance management in Infosys has two different management methods for regular employees and contractors. Infosys definition for Performance Management is that performance management is a constant, on-going process of communication. During this process, employees and managers reach a consensus on the following questions in forms of collaboration partners: Tasks that employees should complete; How can the work that employees do make contribution to realizing the companys goals; Use detailed content to describe how to do job well; How can employees and managers work together in order to help employees to improve their performance; how to measure performance; The obstacles that hinder the development of performance and how to conquer them. Meanwhile, Infosys believes that performance management is: The core part of the companys overall human resources strategy; One method to measure an individuals performance; Emphasis is put on the process of improving employees integrated skills; A tool to connect individual performance with the companys strategy and goals. There are three aspects in Infosys performance management: Performance Plan. In this part, managers and employees reach a consensus on following questions: What should employees do? How should work be completed? Why this work item should be done? When should this work item be done? Other relevant questions: working environment, capability, career prospects, training etc. During this process, managers and employees constantly communicate about above questions, and eventually sign on the records of their communication, and use it as the performance goals of the employees. These performance goals are the base of the whole performance management and performance measurement; thus they play a pivotal role in performance management. The process of setting performance goals usually takes a quarter of the year. Performance goals usually include two parts: one is Business Goals; the other is Behavior Standard. According to Pinson (2004), a business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals. business plans may also target changes in perception and branding by the customer, client, taxpayer, or larger community. When the existing business is to assume a major change or when planning a new venture, a 3 to 5 year business plan is required, since investors will look for their annual return in that timeframe. Infosys uses business goals as part of employees yearly performance goals, and they help enhance employees performance and help achieve organizational goals. 2. Constant Communication of Performance. Communication should be through the whole process of performance management. Only once or twice communication between employees and managers are far from enough, and it does not obey the principles of performance management. As Montana Charon (2008), a business can flourish when all objectives of the organization are achieved effectively. For efficiency in an organization, all the people of the organization must be able to convey their message properly. 3. Performance Appraisal Meeting. Infosys performance appraisal meeting is highly efficient, and it is normally held within an hour when all managers get together to discuss yearly performance evaluation. It mainly includes four aspects: 1) Employees self-evaluation; 2) Reaching a consensus on employees performance, according to facts instead of impressions; 3) Deciding performance levels; 4) It is not only to evaluate employees; it is also a good opportunity to solve problems. Cederblom (1982) suggests that a performance appraisal is typically conducted annually. The interview could function as providing feedback to employees, counseling and developing employees, and conveying and discussing compensation, job status, or disciplinary decisions. It is often included in performance management systems and performance management systems are employed to manage and align all of an organizations resources in order to achieve highest possible performance. 4. Training and Development and its Function in Infosys 4.1 Academic review of Training and Development Training and development (TD) is an indispensable part in human resource management, with the purpose of enhancing the performance of individuals and groups in organizations. Training and development has a number of names, such as human resource development, and learning and development. As to its definition, there are several popular explanations. According to Rothwell Kazanas (2004), training and development, part of human resource development, is the process of changing an organization, its employees, its stakeholders, and groups of people within it, using planned and unplanned learning, in order to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage for the organization. The main body of training and development is adults, and the way adults learn and develop is different from the way students do. Adults training has more specific purposes, and is usually more practical, with the aim to solve practical questions. Hence, the organization or department that are responsible for developing training programs need to know about theories of adult learning. In the 1950s, Malcolm Knowles developed a new theory for adult learning, which is called Andragogy. Andragogy is in the context of adult learners which is contrasted with definition of childs learning (called pedagogical learning). Michael (2007) suggests that the central idea in the context of adult learning is that it is only after convincing oneself of the rationale of learning that an adult will decide to (and be able to) learn. Hence, adults cannot be treated like children if one hopes to see learning. Therefore it is assumed that workshops and seminars organized by the students themselves create a better learning environment than those organized externally. This has led to a flurry of recent teaching innovations like student-led tutor groups and supplemental instruction programs led by above average students. Another important theory about training and development is Learning Organization which was created by Peter Senge. Pedler Boydell (1997) defines that a  learning organization  is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself. There is no a single model of learning organization. Learning organization is about an attitude toward or ideology of employee and organization and is a new way of thinking about organization. In leaning organization, everyone needs to identify and solve problems, so that the organization is able to constantly try new things, enhancing and improving its capability. The basic value of learning organization is solving problems, whereas in contrast, the focus of traditional organization is efficiency. In any learning organization, employees need to take part in identifying problems, which means that employees need to understand customers requirement. Employees also need to solve problems, and this m eans they need to think about customers requirement in a unique way. Learning organization enhances organizations value by new ideas and information, instead of material production. 4.2 Training and Development in Infosys Training and development is mainly carried out in Infosys by its HR department. Currently the whole company has more than 20,000 employees, and training and development has always been a key function of all HR department in all branches. The company is willing to provide excellent training opportunities for its employees. Though the leading department of training and development in Infosys is its HR department, other departments also take part in and collaborate with HR department. Training and development is carried out by HR personals according to various requirements of different departments which are located in different geographic locations. There are training and development specialists who are responsible for certain training contents, such as technology, business knowledge, company policies, marketing etc. HR department plans yearly training and development schedule together with experts from other departments, and is responsible for carrying out these training schedules. Training courses in Infosys are presented by subject matter experts(SMEs) in the company or by experts from other organizations and universities. Training specialists need to record teachers performance during the training sessions. After training sessions, feedback from employees are collected and analyzed, in order to better the quality and efficiency of the companys training programs. The company creates its training policies which is part of the companys HR policies. And violation of training policies will be reported to the employees reporting manager. This ensures the quality of training and development in Infosys. Training and development plays an important function in Infosys daily operation and strategy development. The HR department divides training and development mainly into four levels. The first level is for senior management and candidate senior management; the second level is for normal employees and normal managers; the third level is for first-line sales personals; the forth level is for new hires and fresh graduates. According to the needs and requirements of different levels, training sessions are designed by different teams. Garavan, Costine, and Heraty (1995) notes that training and development (TD) encompasses three main activities: training, education, and development and that these ideas are often considered to be synonymous. In Infosys, training and development can also be view from these three parts: 1. Training: This activity is both focused on the job tasks that an employee currently handles. It is usually conducted through the form of classroom training, on-the-job training, and competition in Infosys. 2. Education: This activity focuses upon the jobs that an employee may potentially handle in the future. Infosys provides books and self-pace learning courses for such activity, and employees have more flexibility to study on their own paces and they can choose to learn during work time or at weekends. 3. Development: This activity focuses on the activities that the organization employing the individual. In Infosys, every new employee needs to attend the New Hire Orientation Development Program within the first three month after they are employed by the company. Such activity helps new employees know about the corporate culture, policies, dress code and so on and so forth. At the end of each year, Infosys holds several lectures to summarize the whole training and development programs in the passing year, identifying any problems and figuring out solutions to these problems. This helps HR department better plan next years training programs, thus helping the company achieve its short-term and long-term strategic goals. 5. Integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys 5.1 How Performance Management and Training and Development work together in Infosys In Infosys, Performance Management and Training and Development are closely linked. The company creates a computer-based system to manage performance and career development of staff. It is easy for managers to see at what level the employee is currently performing and what kind of training the employee needs to take. This system also helps with a staff training and development strategy to enable employees to help them progress to the top level possible in their current job. It can also provide guidance about the possibility of further training and/or mentoring to assist them to develop their career within the organisation. Employees performance is evaluated according to several aspects, and among these aspects, employees training and development is taken into consideration and could affect employees final performance appraisal. Infosys require its regular employees to take at least five training sessions in one years, to make sure every employee is equipped with latest skills and knowledge so that they can better make contribution to the company and help the company achieve its strategy goals. Employees need to complete the Job Skills Workbook which includes the skills that employees must have to complete their job tasks. This workbook is used as the basis for the performance evaluation. Both employees and managers will have to agree on the type of skills that are included in the Job Skills Workbook and which training level the employee needs to take. Besides, a group of employees can work together to identify their individual and collective training and development goals. Then these goals will be disc ussed with training specialists and their managers, and HR department will try to arrange according training programs for these employees. This, without a doubt, strengthens the companys capability and improves productivity. In Infosys, several activities are undertaken each year in order to develop key skill elements identified. These could include new work experiences, responsibilities and challenges, mentoring, coaching or more formal training. Once identified, these elements will also be included in the performance evaluation of employees. So training and development help identify new skills and responsibilities of employees, and performance management functions as a monitor and evaluation mechanism for these new training and development needs. After training sessions, the manager or team leader needs to provide the employee with feedback about their current performance and their goals for the next agreed time period which is usually one year. Finally, at the end of the agreed time period the employee needs to once again talk with his or her manager or team leader and discuss how they have performed and whether there are any changes in their training and development schedule. 5.2 Strength and Weakness of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys Such integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys has several strengthens: 1. It creates a multi-level mechanism for performance management. By discussing with managers about what kind of skills and performance employees agree to achieve in advance, employees can know clearly what both them and their managers expect from them. Employees can attend various training programs to reach their goals and use what they have learned in their daily jobs, thus improving their productivity and job performance. 2. Employees have more choices about what they want to develop in Infosys and what their career paths are. The value of Infosys is to make every customer satisfied. It is only through excellent work that the company can win high trust from customers. When Performance Management and Training and Development work closely together in Infosys, each employee can have the choice to decide which career path they like to take, such as technical experts, people managers or delivery managers etc. With a clear target and purpose in mind, employees are more motivated to take training and development programs provided by the company and their learning results are later directly reflected in performance evaluation in performance management of the company. On the other hand, however, there are some weakness of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys: 1. It puts too much focus on job skills but ignores management skills. Infosys is a large international company and its services in IT industry are among the best. The company focuses too much on the skills of its first-line employees, and almost 80% of the training and development program are about job skills. The performance evaluation of employees also mainly evaluates what new skills employees have learned through such training programs and how they perform. But in the long run, management skills are also required by employees as some of them are potential managers in the future. 2. The training sessions in Infosys are only for regular employees, not for contractors. So the result is that contractors, that occupy more than 40% of all employees, cannot receive proper training in time. Because contractors are not allowed to participate in the training and development activities, when they discuss with their managers about their performance evaluation, there is no section for training and development. This hinders contractors from developing their skills and could probably hinder the companys strategy development in the long run. 6. Recommendations Based on the strengths and weaknesses of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys, these recommendations could be taken into consideration when the management makes future decisions. 1. Management skills should also be included in Infosys training and development activities, and more first-line employee should have access to it. These employees would become managers in the future, and providing proper training programs on management skills would enhance their productivity and make their work more efficient and effective. 2. Training and development should cover contractors. In Infosys, there are two types of employees: regular employees and contractors. Currently most training and development programs are for regular employees only. By providing contractors the same training and development opportunities, the overall workforce of Infosys can be strengthen, and the companys productivity on the whole can be enhanced. 7. Conclusion This essay reviews both the Performance Management and Training and Development in the company of Infosys. It first provides academic review of the concepts and theories of Performance Management and Training and Development in HRM, then links the concepts and theories with the actual case of Infosys. It provides a critical review of how Performance Management and Training and Development work together in Infosys and analyzes the strengthens and weaknesses of these two HRM functions integrating in Infosys and provides relative recommendations.

Free Antigone Essays: Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely :: Antigone essays

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely in Antigone "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," said Lord Acton generations ago. In the Greek tragedy Antigone, written by Sophocles, there was a character named Kreon, the antagonist, who was the king of Thebes. Thebes was an autocratic state where Kreon had absolute power. Throughout the course of the play, Kreon abused his privilege of absolute power; and this caused him to suffer greatly, even though he was warned by a few people of his bad deeds. What Sophocles commented on absolute power was that one should not abuse it. If it was abused, he or she had to expect bad consequences. This was indicated by what happened to Kreon when he abused his power. Kreon settled a decree that prohibited anyone from burying Polyneices' dead body. He was proud of his decree, and he also stated that he would be a good king by listening to what people said regarding his decisions. When the decree was broken by Antigone, Kreon sentenced her to death. This angered the gods because they wanted the dead body of Polyneices buried, and they did not want a live body (that of Antigone) buried in a cave. Kreon was told by Haimon to change his mind, but Kreon rejected his request and went ahead and buried Antigone alive. Teiresias warned Kreon that the gods were angry and his actions were to be blamed. Kreon rejected both Haimon's request and Teiresias' warning, and as a result, he suffered in the end. In the beginning of the play, Antigone and Ismene were found arguing about whether Polyneices' body should be buried. Antigone wanted to bury her brother's body, but Ismene objected because she said that they should not disobey Kreon, who had absolute power a nd had prohibited Polyneices' burial (26-80). Ismene indicated that the citizens of Thebes did not dare to go against what Kreon decreed. They all knew that if they objected to Kreon, punishment would be the result. In the play, Kreon was first found addressing the senate as to how a ruler should rule his state. He said in his long speech, "'I believe that he who rules in a state and fails to embrace the best men's counsels, but stays locked in silence and vague fear, is the worst man there. I have long believed so'" (217-221). To impress the senate Kreon told them that he would listen to any advice they gave him because that was what a good ruler should do.

Living in a Multicultural Society Essay example -- social issues, mult

The class activity was simple: draw a self-portrait. As Ms. Caldera began to look through her students' work, one stood out to her. The drawing was of a young fair-skinned, blond-hair, and blue-eyed girl. Normally this would not be a problem, but in this case it was. The girl who had drawn herself was actually quite the opposite: rich dark skin, brown hair, and brown eyes (Caldera). Considering that the United States is such a large melting pot of cultures, it is normal for children to have difficulty balancing between two cultures. Culture, is really important for a child's development because it ultimately influences their morals and values. Although it is difficult for children to balance the traditions and such of two cultures, they are recompensed with a greater knowledge about the world, and understanding of people. Culture is very important when it comes to shaping a person's beliefs and what they stand for, it will basically determine many of their decisions. In specific, children form their behaviors based on their culture, which leads to different customs and beliefs because of the variety of cultures. Different cultures express different character traits in a person; this can lead to the development and prevalence of a child (Culture). Although the United States consists of a shared core culture, it also consists of many other minor cultures; because of this there are many different characteristics, values, and norms that might be interpreted differently by other cultures. Consequently, this can cause cultural misunderstandings, conflict, and discrimination which also leads to an imbalance for children because they do not know what is acceptable in certain cultures. Banks acknowledges that â€Å"Multicultural educ... ... Banks, James and Cherry Banks. Multicultural Education. John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2004. Print Caldera, Araceli. Personal Interview. English Language Program Facilitator. 14 June 2015. â€Å"Constructing Race.† Signs of Life in the USA. 2009 ed. Print. â€Å"Culture.† Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. 2012 ed. Web. 10 June 2015. Davidman, Leonard and Patricia T. Davidman. Teaching with a Multicultural Perspective. New York: Longman, 1997. Print. Grosjean, Francois. â€Å"Advantages of Being Bicultural.† Psychology Today. 19 Apr. 2013. Print. McCarthy, Steve. â€Å"Understanding Bilingualism: What it Means to Be Bicultural.† Childreaserch.net. 2 Jan. 2010. Web. 8 June 2015. Parrish, Patrick, and Jennifer A. Linder-VanBerschot. â€Å"Addressing the Challenges of MulticulturalInstruction.† Cultural Dimensions of Learning 11.2 (2010): 10 pgs. Web. 8 June 2015.

How Is the Holocaust Represented in Films Essay

‘The Holocaust’ was the massacre of nearly six million Jews in parts of Europe controlled by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party leading up to and during World War II. When the Nazi party first came to power in 1933 they began building on the anti-Semitist feelings in Germany; introducing new legislations that gradually removed the Jews from society such as the Nuremberg Laws which prohibited marriage or extramarital sexual intercourse between Jews and German citizens and required Jews to wear an armband with the Star of David on it so they could be identified as a Jew. Encouraged by the Nazi’s, people began to boycott Jewish ran businesses and in the November of 1938 they were openly attacked, these pogroms became known as ‘Kristallnacht’ which in German translates as: â€Å"the Night of Broken Glass† because of the vandalised shops and broken glass windows. During Kristallnacht over 7,000 Jewish shops and 1,668 synagogues (almost all of the synagogues in Germany) were destroyed and the official death toll is ninety-one although it is assumed to be much higher. In 1939, after the invasion of Poland, small areas of towns were sectioned off from the rest of the population where Jews and Romani were forced to live in confined and overcrowded spaces. These were known as ‘ghettos’. The largest was Warsaw Ghetto, in Poland (where ‘The Pianist’ was set), with over 400,000 people living within its walls. Although it contained at least 30% of the population of Warsaw it occupied only 2.4% of the city’s area; this meant that the residents of the ghetto were forced to cram in an average of nine people per room. From 1940 through to 1942 starvation and disease, especially typhoid, killed hundreds of thousands. Over 43,000 residents of the Warsaw ghetto died there in 1941. On January 20th, 1942 a â€Å"final solution to the Jewish question in Europe† was devised by the Nazi leaders. Death camps were built in Eastern Europe with new railway systems that were made to transport Jews from other countries to these remote areas. Jews, as well as other ‘undesirables’ such as Romani, Soviet prisoners of war, Polish and Soviet civilians, homosexuals, people with physical or mental disabilities, Jehovah’s Witnesses and other political and religious opponents, were rounded up from all over Europe and forced into tightly packed rail freight cars like cattle. If they survived the journey, a small fraction of the Jews were deemed fit to work as slave labour. Everyone else was sent straight to the gas chambers which were disguised as shower rooms to prevent the victims panicking or trying to fight back. People were packed into these ‘shower rooms’ where the doors were bolted shut and a small but deadly pellet of Zyklon-B was dropped in and was activated by the heat of hundreds of human bodies crammed in together, those inside were dead within twenty minutes. By the end of the war six million Jewish men, women and children had been killed; this was more than two-thirds of the Jewish population. We have watched three films based around the Holocaust. The first of the three ‘The Pianist’ is a film based on the true story of a Jewish man, Wladysaw Szpilman: a famous pianist who worked for a polish radio station, living through the Holocaust. The beginning of the film shows the German invasion of Poland, in which Szpilman’s radio station is bombed, and the anti-Jewish laws that the Germans enforce in Poland, for example, when Szpilman is refused entry to the park or the cafà © with his polish friend and made to walk in the gutter to let polish people get primary use of the pavement. Szpilman and his family soon have to move to the Warsaw Ghetto where death became commonplace due to starvation, disease and attempt to rebel against the Nazi’s. The Nazis treat the Jews appallingly; they forced some Jews to dance to humiliate themselves for their own entertainment, a little boy is beaten to death for trying to scavenge some food for his starving family and, in one scene, Szpilman watches from an opposite flat as Nazi soldiers tip someone in a wheel chair out the window because he couldn’t stand up when they ordered him to. After several months in the ghetto, Szpilman and his family are chosen to be taken to the Treblinka death camp, however, Szpilman is saved from boarding the train by Itzak Heller, a Jewish police officer, while his family board the train never to be seen again. Szpilman is then put to work under gruelling, abusive conditions with the ten per cent or so of the Jews that the Nazi’s kept alive to use for slave labour; tearing down the walls that use to separate the ghetto from the rest of Warsaw and rebuilding the houses for new, non-Jewish residents. The Jews who are still alive are planning on rebelling Szpilman helps; smuggling guns into the ghetto. But after almost being caught by a Nazi soldier who suspects he is concealing something in a bag of beans, Szpilman decides to attempt an escape and take his chances hiding in the city. His friend, Dorota, and her husband hide him in an empty apartment near the ghetto wall where he can get by on smuggled food; however he must not make a noise or go outside as there are other, non-Jews living in the building to all believe the room to be empty. From his apartment window he helplessly watches the Jewish ghetto uprising from the 19th of April 1943 to its unsuccessful end on the 16th May. He lives silently in the abandoned apartment for another few months until he accidently smashes a shelf of china plates. Although Szpilman is unhurt the noise alerts other residents to his presence in the abandoned apartment; he is forced to leave his hideout. Szpilman is hidden once more, with the help of people from the Polish resistance, in another abandoned flat but the man supposed to be providing him with food disappears with the money from generous and unwitting donors, pocketing it all for his self. Dorota and her husband find him gravely ill from lack of nutrition but luckily he recovers in time to witness the Warsaw Uprising. His flat gets bombed during the uprising and Szpilman escapes to the abandoned ghetto where he is found by a merciful Nazi officer, Captain Wilm Hosenfeld. Szpilman plays the piano for him to prove that he is a pianist and the soldier, moved by his playing, finds him food and allows him to remain hidden there. Szpilman hides out here until the end of the war when the German Nazis are rounded up and polish prisoners released. The freed prisoners yell insults at the Germans and Hosenfeld, upon hearing that one of the freed prisoners was a violinist, asks him to contact Szpilman; to ask him if he will return the favour of saving him. However, Szpilman is unable to help Hosenfeld as the camp of Nazi prisoners had been moved and Szpilman returns to playing the piano for the Warsaw radio station. As the movie finishes the closing captions on screen tell us that Hosenfeld died in 1952 in a prisoner of war camp but Szpilman continued to live in Warsaw until his death in 2000, aged 88. The second film we watched was ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ this film took a different, perspective of the Holocaust than ‘The Pianist’. This film is shown through the point of view of Bruno, the eight-year-old child of a German Nazi officer; he doesn’t really see the Jews as any different to himself yet despite his innocence Bruno still becomes a victim of the Holocaust†¦ At the start of the movie Bruno and his family are moving because his father got a job promotion as Commandant of a Jewish extermination camp. Bruno is upset and lonely because he was forced to leave his friends in Berlin so when he meets Shmuel, a Jewish boy the same age as Bruno, sitting on the other side of the fence, in the death camp, Bruno immediately befriends him. Shmuel tells Bruno that he is a Jew and that the Jewish people have been imprisoned here by soldiers, who also took their clothes and gave them the striped camp clothing, and that he is hungry. Bruno is confused and starts having doubts about his father being a good person. However, Bruno regularly returns to the fence bringing Shmuel food and playing checkers with him through the fence. When Bruno’s Mother realises what’s actually happening at the camp through a comment by one of the younger soldiers â€Å"They smell even worse when they burn,† she is shocked and appalled as she believed it to be a labour camp. She argues with her Husband, insisting that she and the children should move elsewhere, eventually the Mother wins out but Bruno doesn’t want to leave anymore because of his friendship with Shmuel. Shmuel tells Bruno that his father is missing. Bruno gives him the bad news that he will be moving away for good the next day after lunch. Wanting to make up for letting Shmuel down and naive that his father has likely been murdered, Bruno agrees to help Shmuel to find his father, and returns the next day with a shovel to dig a hole under the fence to get into the camp, and Shmuel will bring an extra set of camp clothing; Shmuel’s suggestion that he could leave the camp through the hole is rejected by Bruno, who doesn’t know what it’s really like inside the camp and is determined to find Shmuel’s father. Whilst still searching Bruno and Shmuel get caught up in a crowd of people being marched to the gas chambers where both Bruno and Shmuel are murdered with the other Jews. In the meantime, Bruno’s Mother tells his Father, who was in a meeting about increasing the capacity of the gas chambers, that Bruno is missing. They find Bruno’s clothes next to the hole under the fence and realise that he got into the death camp. His Father runs throughout the camp when he reaches the gas chamber, he realises that Bruno has been brought to the gas chamber with the other Jews, but when He arrives it is too late, the boys are already dead and he is devastated. Upon hearing the Father’s cry of â€Å"Bruno!† his Mother and his sister, Gretel, realise what has happened and are equally devastated. The ending of this film has an element of retribution as Bruno’s father, who has killed thousands of Jewish children, finally gets a taste of what it’s like to lose his child. Finally, the last movie that we watched was ‘Life is Beautiful’. This film was set in Italy about the main character, Guido, a young, Jewish, man who at the opening of the film moves to the city with his friend to work at his uncle’s restaurant where he meets his future wife, Dora, although neither knows it yet. During the beginning of the film you can see how the anti-Semitist feelings built up it Italy for instance when the school children are meant to be lectured on ‘the superior race’, when someone paints â€Å"Beware, Jewish horse† on Guido’s Uncle’s horse, the sign on the shop reading â€Å"No dogs, no Jews!† and, later in the film, when Guido and Dora are married, despite the fact that Guido’s a Jew and Dora’s Italian, people trash their house. On Joshua (Guido and Dora’s son) birthday the Germans arrest Guido, Joshua and Guido’s uncle are taken onto the train to be taken to the death camp Dora insists on going with them even though she isn’t a Jew eventually the Nazi gives in and puts her on the train where she is included with the other Jewish women. Guido is devastated to see his non-Jewish wife board the train. Protecting his son from the horrific truth, Guido tells Joshua that they are simply on a big holiday camp, and he turns the camp into a big game for Joshua, saying that they must win 1000 points to win a real tank and leave. Luckily Guido’s quick thinking saves Joshua from the truth when a German officer requires a translator. Despite not speaking a word of German, Guido steps forward and makes up the â€Å"Regole del Campo† from the German’s body language, claiming that tanks, scoreboards and games of Hide and Seek litter the camp, while cleverly stating that Joshua cannot cry, ask for his mother or declared he’s hungry, resulting in the loss of the â€Å"game†, in other words, death. Joshua later refuses to take a shower (repeated from an earlier part in the film), and unknowingly escapes being gassed, so Guido hides him with the help of other Italian prisoners, since there are no other children. Playing messages over the speakers for Dora, kept prisoner on the other side of the camp, let’s Dora know her son and husband are alive, while the Nazi’s don’t speak Italian. With the help of Guido’s former German friend, Herr Lessing, Guido hides Joshua amongst the German children, while waiting the German Officer’s meals. Hiding Joshua in a junction box for the last time, telling him that everyone is looking for him, Guido jeopardises his own survival to prevent the Germans discovering Joshua, while he attempts to free Dora, giving his own life away at the same time. Once the German’s realise they’ve lost the what they desert the camp, closely followed by the surviving Jews escaping, then, when the Americans break into the seemingly deserted camp the following morning Joshua comes out of hiding just as a tank pulls around the corner so Joshua believes that he has won ‘the Game’. Hitching a lift out, Joshua spots his mother reuniting as the film ends. Although all three of these movies are based on the Holocaust each one uses different themes and different view points. Firstly, ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ is filmed from a very innocent, child view point. Bruno is very young and the difference between Jew and German doesn’t matter to him; he doesn’t understand what might be considered wrong in befriending Shmuel. A similar viewpoint is used in ‘Life Is Beautiful’ where Joshua doesn’t know what’s going on because his father told him it was a game. I think that this perspective very effective in displaying the horrors and injustice of the Holocaust and, personally, it makes for a more entertaining film as it uses the audiences’ sympathies to make them more emotionally involved with the plot. However, in displaying historical fact within the film this take has disadvantages because what makes the main characters so innocent is their lack of understanding of their situation which naturally makes it harder for the film to be both educating and entertaining. ‘The Pianist’, however, has a much more grown up approach as, being based on a true story, it sticks to the facts and I felt that I learnt more from that film then I did from the other two. A similar theme that emerges in all three of these films is family. In ‘The Pianist’ Szpilman loses his family early on in the film, although he seems quite close to them before, and he struggles to survive without them probably feeling lonely all those month in hiding with no one with him for company. In ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ you see how Bruno’s family are driven apart by their conflicting opinions of the Holocaust; Bruno’s father is a strong believer in Nazi policy and the commandant of the death camp, however, his Mother is quite shocked and appalled when she learns the truth of what’s happening at the death camp and insists on moving away with the kids, whereas Bruno is young and confused as he’s been brought up being told that Jews are basically evil and German soldiers, like his father, are good but when he befriends Shmuel he realises that some Jews are nice, like Shmuel, and begins to doubt his father. Contrast to this, in ‘Life is Beautiful’ you see how Joshua’s family grow closer together because of the Holocaust; they stick together for each other and Guido even sacrifices himself in hope of saving Joshua. Although we often assume that all of the Nazi soldiers were evil, the issue of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Germans is brought up in all three of these films. Firstly, in ‘The Pianist’ although most Germans are portrayed as evil, the Nazi officer, Captain Hosenfeld, saves Szpilman from starvation or being found and, towards the end of the movie, when he’s a prisoner and begging for help you begin to sympathise with him a bit more, especially when it’s revealed that he died on the caption. Then, in ‘Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ Bruno befriends Shmuel, and Bruno’s Mother and Grandmother openly disagree with Nazi views, which makes you think not to stereotype all Germans as ‘evil’. And lastly, in ‘Life I Beautiful’ although no German steps out and helps Guido and his family, you do see a doctor (who Guido knew before he was forced to work at the death camp) beginning to lose his stability because the work he is forced to do goes against all his moral values. This adds another layer to the ‘evil Germans’ assumption because maybe not all of them were doing it willingly so therefore does that make them bad?