Properties of Solutions Essay

A solution is a mixture of materials, one of which is usually a fluid. A fluid is a material that flows, such as a liquid or a gas. The fluid of a solution is usually the solvent. The material other than the solvent is the solute. We say that we dissolve the solute into the solvent. Some solutions are so common to us that we give them a unique name. A solution of water and sugar is called syrup. A solution of sodium chloride (common table salt) in water is called brine. A sterilized specific concentration (0.15 molar) of sodium chloride in water is called saline. A solution of carbon dioxide in water is called seltzer, and a solution of ammonia gas in water is called ammonia water. A solution is said to be dilute if there is less of the solute. The process of adding more solvent to a solution or removing some of the solute is called diluting. A solution is said to be concentrated if it has more solute. The process of adding more solute or removing some of the solvent is called concentrating. The concentration of a solution is some measurement of how much solute there is in the solution. It might initially offend your sensibilities to consider a solution in which the solvent is a gas or a solid. The molecules of a gas do not have much interaction among them, and so do not participate to a large extent in the dissolving process. Solids are difficult to consider as solvents because there is a lack of motion of the particles of a solid relative to each other. There are, however, some good reasons to view some mixtures of these types as solutions. The molecules of a gas do knock against each other, and the motion of a gas can assist in vaporizing material from a liquid or solid state. The fan in a ‘frost free’ home freezer moves air around inside the freezer to sublimate any exposed ice directly into water vapor, a process clearly akin to dissolving. Solid metals can absorb hydrogen gas in a mixing process in which the metal clearly provides the structure. True solutions with liquid solvents have the following properties: PROPERTIES OF SOLUTIONS 1.The particles of solute are the size of individual small molecules or individual small ions. One nanometer is about the maximum diameter for a solute particle. 2.The mixture does not separate on standing. In a gravity environment the solution will not come apart due to any difference in density of the materials in the solution. 3.The mixture does not separate  by common fiber filter. The entire solution will pass through the filter. 4.Once it is completely mixed, the mixture is homogeneous. If you take a sample of the solution from any point in the solution, the proportions of the materials will be the same. 5.The mixture appears clear rather than cloudy. It may have some color to it, but it seems to be transparent otherwise. The mixture shows no Tyndall effect. Light is not scattered by the solution. If you shine a light into the solution, the pathway of the light through the solution is not revealed to an observer out of the pathway. 6.The solute is completely dissolved into the solvent up to a point characteristic of the solvent, solute, and temperature. At a saturation point the solvent no longer can dissolve any more of the solute. If there is a saturation point, the point is distinct and characteristic of the type of materials and temperature of the solution. 7.The solution of an ionic material into water will result in an electrolyte solution. The ions of solute will separate in water to permit the solution to carry an electric current. 8.The solution shows an increase in osmotic pressure between it and a reference solution as the amount of solute is increased. 9.The solution shows an increase in boiling point as the amount of solute is increased. 10.The solution shows a decrease in melting point as the amount of solute is increased. 11.A solution of a solid non-volatile solute in a liquid solvent shows a decrease in vapor pressure above the solution as the amount of solute is increased. These last four of the properties of solutions collectively are called colligative properties. These characteristics are all dependent only on the number of particles of solute rather than the type of particle or the mass of material in solution. OTHER TYPES OF MIXTURE Take a spoonful of dirt and vigorously mix it with a glass of water. As soon as you stop mixing, a portion of the dirt drops to the bottom. Any material that is suspended by the fluid motion alone is only in temporary suspension. A portion of the dirt makes a true solution in the water with all of the properties of the above table, but there are some particles, having a diameter roughly between 1 nm and 500 nm, that are suspended in a more lasting fashion. A suspended mixture of particles of this type is called a colloid, or colloidal suspension, or colloidal dispersion. For colloids or  temporary suspensions the phrase dispersed material or the word dispersants describes the material in suspension, analogous to the solute of a solution. The phrase dispersing medium is used for the material of similar function to a solvent in solutions. As with true solutions, it is a bit of a stretch to consider solids as a dispersing medium or gases as forming a large enough particle to be a coll oid, but most texts list some such. A sol is a liquid or solid with a solid dispersed through it, such as milk or gelatin. Foams are liquids or solids with a gas dispersed into them. Emulsions are liquids or solids with liquids dispersed through them, such as butter or gold-tinted glass. Aerosols are colloids with a gas as the dispersing medium and either a solid or liquid dispersant. Fine dust or smoke in the air are good examples of colloidal solid in a gas. Fog and mist are exampes of colloidal liquid in a gas. Liquid dispersion media with solid or liquid dispersants are the most often considered. Homogenized whole milk is a good example of a liquid dispersed into a liquid. The cream does not break down into molecular sized materials to spread through the milk, but collects in small micelles of oily material and proteins with the more ionic or hydrophilic portions on the outside of the globule and the more fatty, or oily, or non-polar, or hydrophobic portions inside the ball-shaped little particle. Blood carries liquid lipids (fats) in small bundles called lipoproteins with specific proteins making a small package with the fat. Proteins are in a size range to be considered in colloidal suspension in water. Broth or the independent proteins of blood or the casein (an unattached protein) in milk are colloidal. There are many proteins in the cellular fluids of living things that are in colloidal suspension. Colloidal dispersants in water stay in suspension by having a layer of charge on the outside of the particle that is attractive to one end of water molecules. The common charge of the particles and the water solvation layer keep the particles dispersed. A Cottrel precipitator collects the smoke particles from air by a high voltage charge and collection device. Boiling an egg will denature and coagulate the protein in it. Proteins can be fractionally ‘salted out’ of blood by adding specific amounts of sodium chloride to make the proteins coagulate. The salt adds ions to the liquid that interfere with the dispersion of the colloidal particles. Colloids with liquid as a dispersing agent have the following properties: PROPERTIES OF COLLOIDS 1.The particles of dispersant are the between about 500 nm to 1 nm in diameter. 2.The mixture does not separate on standing in a standard gravity condition. (One ‘g.’) 3.The mixture does not separate by common fiber filter, but might be filterable by materials with a smaller mesh. 4.The mixture is not necessarily completely homogeneous, but usually close to being so. 5.The mixture may appear cloudy or almost totally transparent, but if you shine a light beam through it, the pathway of the light is visible from any angle. This scattering of light is called the Tyndall effect 6.There usually is not a definite, sharp saturation point at which no more dispersant can be taken by the dispersing agent. 7.The dispersant can be coagulated, or separated by clumping the dispersant particles with heat or an increase in the concentration of ionic particles in solution into the mixture. 8.There is usually only small effect of any of the colligative properties due to the dispersant. CONCENTRATION The concentration of a solution is an indication of how much solute there is dissolved into the solvent. There are a number of ways to express concentration of a solution. By far the most used and the most useful of the units of concentration is molarity. You might see ‘6 M HCl’ on a reagent bottle. The ‘M’ is the symbol for molar. One molar is one mol of solute per liter of solution. The reagent bottle has six mols of HCl per liter of acid solution. Since the unit ‘molar’ rarely appears in the math of chemistry other than as a concentration, to do the unit analysis correctly, you will have to insert concentrations into the math as ‘mols per liter’ and change answers of ‘mols per liter’ into molar. Molality is concentration in mols of solute per kilogram of solvent. Mol fraction is the number of mols of solute per number of mols of solution. Weight-weight percent (really mass percent) is the number of grams of solute pe r grams of solution expressed in the form of a percent. Mass-volume concentration is the number of grams of solute per milliliter of solution. There are other older units of concentration, such as BaumÃÆ'ƒÂ ©, that are still in use, mainly in industrial chemicals. Normality is the number of mols of effective material per liter. In acid-base titrations, the hydroxide ion of bases and the hydrogen (hydronium) ion of acids is the effective material. Sulfuric acid (H2SO4)  has two ionizable hydrogens per formla of acid, or one mol of acid has two mols of ionizable hydrogen. 0.6 M H2SO4 is the same concentration as 1.2 N H2SO4. We say that sulfuric acid is diprotic because it has two protons (hydrogen ions) per formula available. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is monoprotic, phosphoric acid (H3PO4) is triprotic, and acids with two or more ionizable hydrogens are called polyprotic. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is monobasic, calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) is dibasic, and aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3) is tribasic. Where ‘X’ is the number of available hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions in an acid or base, N, the normality, is equal to the molarity, M, times X. The normality system can be used for redox reactions, but the effective material is now available electrons or absorption sites for electrons. Consider the following reaction, #43 in the redox section. In a sulfuric acid solution potassium permanganate will titrate with oxalic acid to produce manganese II sulfate, carbon dioxide, water, and potassium sulfate in solution.

Flakes designs

1 . Tom Blake was a creative and successful surf pioneer/designer, a creative legend in the history of the sport, who almost single-handedly transformed surfing from a primitive Polynesian curiosity into a 20th century lifestyle. In the process, he was responsible for preserving much of surfing's oral history as well as resurrecting the streamlined surfboards of ancient times. Tom created the first â€Å"hollow† surfboard. At 15 feet long, 19 inches wide and 4 inches thick, it weighed less than 100 pounds an ultra light board for its time. Blake patented his â€Å"Hawaiian Hollow Surfboard† in 1930, and soon almost all racing battledores were hollow.Not only did the hollow boards work well in the surf by staying a float and creating it easier to maneuver but they were the consummate lifesaving tools. Adopted on the mainland by the American Red Cross Life Saving Division, the Hawaiian Hollow Surfboard totally revolutionized water rescue techniques in the United States an d around the world. This wasn't enough for Tom Blake as he then went on to invent ‘surf photography now known and recognized as a common thing among many he bought a 4†³xx† camera from Duke Kinkajou, created a waterproof housing for it and photographed Whisky's surfers from his paddlers.Published in National Geographic in 1935. Flake's photos not only impressed and introduced a wider audience to the Joys of surfing but also inspired two young California surfers to take up cameras: John â€Å"Doc† Ball and Don James and both became legendary surf photographers. After this he then went on to give his surfing paddlers more directional stability, Blake created (and patented) a small, keel-like fin, although the importance of this invention wasn't really appreciated until the late ‘ass when Bob Simmons, Joe Quick and others began to use them.Blake also invented the sailing surfboard, a concept that presaged the windsurfer. Besides being a freethinking innova tor and champion waterman, Blake was a visionary surfer, himself a prototype for an emerging lifestyle. Flake's passion and enthusiasm as a surfer and designer shaped the fundamental steps of our surfing life as it is today, Blake was a highly successful designer in the world of the ocean and surf crafts. Without him surfing or other waterspouts such a kite surfing or paddle boarding wouldn't be the same today.In my opinion Flake's passion and love for the water has driver him to become the most successful and creative surf designer to this day and has changed the life of many ocean enthusiasts . Whilst tom was building surfboards and ocean designs in the sass's the technology he used was not all as snazzy as some you can get your hands on to date. In saying that too handcraft and design a surfboard the basic tools and techniques work best. As with my work, Tom Blake uses wood and materials to create his innovative idea's to do with and push him to strive in what he loves most and h as passion for, Surfing and the ocean.To experiment and test ideas and designs to maximize the surfboards ability. Tom struggled at first with the production of his designs as the technology he could access was not advanced to create these rodents fast and precise. A few of the basic tools tom used to craft his hollow surfboard A. K. A the â€Å"cigar box† was: The hand plane: The bow saw: In my school project, the wooden hand board. I am using all of the same tools as tom but some slightly advanced and less time consuming such as the saber saw or Jigsaw where the bow saw was used and an electric sander where some of the sanding was done by hand.Although to shape the board I am still using a hand plane, exactly the same as Blake had used in the production of his designs including the first â€Å"fin† the hollow surfboard AKA the â€Å"cigar box†. Blake had an extraordinary skill when it came to shaping anything and a saw of any type fit in his hand perfectly. To m had an unusual sense of creating ideas from his mind and carving it out of wood perfectly. This is what helped him thrive to create such innovative designs with low technology. Tom is an inspiration of many shapers, surfers and surf photographers to this day and will always be remembered as â€Å"the man who shaped the surfing world†.Flakes designs and models he made then went on to be factory produced as he sold the rights of the design off. The machine and technology then used to create these roads, waterproof housings for camera's etc. Was then at a much higher standard and used mostly computer based and high tech machines. 3. There are a huge variety of career opportunities for Blake as he offers such a high range of skill and creativity in the design world, tom has a ability to apply attention to detail also a very special skill of being able to create and design what he imagines.With toms variety of skills there are many careers and paths tom could have traveled into, things such as: Surfboard shaper -for tom this would be an underestimate of himself and his skill, UT he could easily pursue a life in shaping surfboards or surf crafts. For tom this was only a hobby side of his life to maximize the crafts for his passion of the ocean, and produce a new and improved surf craft so that everyone could enjoy the thrills of surfing and not have to carry a 200-pound board.Architecture- if tom would have liked to veer his life into a completely different outlook and way of living he would have been very successful in the architecture design as he has the ability to imagine and picture designs in his head and make them real, in architecture this is important. Tom's creativity would have successfully ordered him through things such as house design and building design. Not that tom would enjoy this, as it has nothing to do with his love of the ocean.Photography- although photography is not looked at as a very high classed career option as there are so many photographers in toms time (sass's) the idea of surf photography was pretty unknown and foreign, Toms ability to stand out from the crowd and think outside of the box would and DID help him to create a footprint in the surf photography world. The Idea of creating a waterproof housing for a camera so that he could take his Fussily camera given to him by his dad is Just the kind of innovative and different thinking photography needs!Builder- Tom being able to picture where things could go and where things could be improved and how they could be improved would drive him through and kind of building, have it be construction, furniture, houses, functional or aesthetic, tom would be successful again with his ability to see where things go and need improvements. Toms picturing mind is a key step to any construction and design/production Job. Tom was a very quite child as he had lost his mother to tuberculosis at a young age and his father had given him to distant relatives as he was coping bad with the other's death.Tom's quite persona lead to him writing down and recording most things he did. This was is important as Recording your work is an important key to the design world and without it its hard thrive in your area. Although Tom was quite he definitely spoke through his actions and designs! The nature of toms work was in many aspects impressive and enjoyable for tom as the satisfaction of being a part of the surfing world and remembered by everyone was what pushed tom. The passion of the surfing and the love of ocean were really shown through his work and designs.

Refining the Hr Policy Framework to Support the Vision

[pic] Growing Esteem: Refining the HR Policy Framework to Support the Vision December 2010 Table of Contents 1Introduction3 2Background3 2. 1The environment we will be working in3 2. 1. 1External factors3 2. 1. 2Internal decisions and factors4 2. 1. 3The HR policy imperatives5 2. 2Where we are now5 2. 2. 1Our current staffing profile5 2. 2. 2Current performance7 2. 3The future8 2. 3. 1The goals of Growing Esteem 20108 2. 3. 2Supporting this vision through a refined HR Strategy9 3The refined HR policy framework9 3. 1Consultation and Feedback10 Priority areas for reform10 4. 1Improvement of the performance development framework11 4. 2Clarifying performance expectations12 4. 3Align work activity to ‘work focus categories’ and link these to performance expectations13 4. 4Supporting early career staff15 4. 5Classification issues – broad banding of professional staff classifications16 5Other policy issues17 5. 1Building flexibility – Classification issues17 5. 2A ttracting and retaining highest quality staff17 5. 3Aligning performance – Probation and confirmation17 5. Investing in staff – Leadership and management development18 6Next Steps18 6. 1Governance of the implementation project18 6. 2Plan for areas of further work19 Appendix 1: Schematic diagram of the refined strategic HR Policy Framework20 Introduction We are all part of an institution with a proud record of scholarship and achievement. The University of Melbourne has a well deserved international reputation for research excellence and quality of student outcomes and we have demonstrated our capacity to innovate and lead higher education nationally.Melbourne’s international standing and research prominence has enabled us to attract fine students and staff. We seek to lead through research, to educate for excellence and to connect and contribute through engagement. Substantial progress has been made towards achievement of our vision to be one of the worldâ€℠¢s finest universities and we will need to continue to adapt and improve in pursuit of this vision.The University’s strategy document Growing Esteem 2010, states: â€Å"For the University to realise the ambitions of a refined Growing Esteem strategy it needs people who share the vision and can achieve the actions required. â€Å" Over the coming years we need to ensure that our research and teaching reputation remain among the best in the world in the face of increasing competition; to adapt our approach, to both teaching and our general interactions with students to support a greater proportion of graduate students; and to diversify our sources of revenue to support our endeavour.It is in this context that we seek to articulate our HR strategies and refine our HR Policy Framework so that we can support and develop our staff to achieve the excellence in performance that provides individual satisfaction and collectively will maintain and grow Melbourne’s standing. Thi s paper identifies the major strategic and policy issues which need to be addressed to position us for the future through a refinement of the current HR management framework over the next three years. This paper provides a blueprint for action to guide HR policy development over the next three years.From this framework, detailed policies and procedures will be specified, and there will be opportunity for staff and other stakeholders to provide further input to these as they are progressively developed. These policies will be implemented at the local level within the University and therefore the support that will be provided to our supervisors and managers who are responsible for the day to day interactions with our staff will be vital to their success in bringing about the required changes. Background 1 The environment we will be working inThe environment we will operate in over the next 5-10 years will change significantly and both external factors and the internal decisions made i n our plans will impact on the staff profile we will need to prosper in the new environment and the HR policies and procedures that we need to support our staff. 1 External factors Changes in the external environment provide us with challenges and opportunities. Increased globalisation of the higher education sector will lead to stronger competition for the best students and staff.This competition for staff will include professional staff, particularly specialists, who will also be sought after in the wider economy. Strategies will need to be implemented to attract, develop and retain the best academic and professional staff who can plan, deliver and support an excellent learning experience for students, and also demonstrate innovation and a capacity to thrive in a changing environment. Technological change will also open new avenues for both education and research and the way in which work is performed in general and aids networking.The increasing pace of knowledge acquisition will require review of the range of information taught in courses and in the way it is delivered. On the research side, funding models and the interest of governments in finding solutions to major societal problems drives greater collaboration – both in the development of cross functional teams within the University and also in increased engagement with other universities, other research bodies and industry.The national higher education policy environment is placing more emphasis on nation-building through growth in graduate outputs, job readiness of graduates, social inclusion, funding for performance, and international standardisation of award nomenclature and content. There is also greater emphasis on engagement of universities with their broader communities. All of these factors and the funding regimes which support the national policy decisions are focussed on growth, which is at odds with our chosen direction to limit growth in student numbers.The local policy framework is also influenced by continuing fluctuation in the global financial environment. The international education company IDP Education is now predicting a considerable decline in international student numbers coming to Australia in the medium term which will impact on the University’s capacity to replace lost local revenue from this source. The ageing academic and professional staff profile across the sector and within the University more specifically means that we will have to attract, develop and retain high quality staff to replace staff lost through natural attrition. Internal decisions and factors Melbourne has taken the decision to limit growth and to eventually reduce student numbers to a more stable and manageable size in order to provide the highest quality education to our students. Consequently we will need to build other revenue streams and to find ways of doing things more efficiently. We will need to be both flexible and entrepreneurial and be able to engage well with the external community. Over this time we will also significantly change our student profile, from the current ratio of 70:30 undergraduate to postgraduate students to achieve a 50:50 balance.It will be challenging to attract high quality postgraduate students in these numbers. This more mature student population will be more demanding and will have high expectations of teaching and support and of their interactions with our administrative staff. Their assessment of the quality of the teaching they receive, their overall satisfaction with their experience and their capacity to get good jobs will impact on our rankings both nationally and internationally against our competitors. The HR policy imperatives This likely future environment highlights the need to consider how together we can increase the focus on performance and productivity and ensure that each staff member achieves their goals and contributes to the University in the way best suited to their strengths and expertise. Thi s will require a strong alignment between individual goals and performance and the University’s objectives and a different approach to developing and managing performance.These changes must be introduced in ways which protect and preserve the fundamental values of the institution, such as meritocracy, collegiality and academic freedom. 2 Where we are now 1 Our current staffing profile Melbourne’s permanent staff number in excess of seven thousand, divided almost evenly between academic and professional staff and is supported by over two and a half thousand additional casual staff. Our academic and professional staff include many talented, committed and long-serving people.It is our staff, their interactions with each other, with students and with local, national and international communities that establish and define our reputation and position in the global higher education sector. Staff are employed in positions classified according to the current academic and profes sional staff classification structures, specified in the University’s Collective Agreement. In addition to our paid staff, a large number of honorary and visiting academic staff contribute to the life and scholarship of the University.Our current staffing profile has the following characteristics: †¢ We have a large number of early career academics, with approximately 60% of the University’s academic staff employed at Levels A and B; †¢ These early career academics are predominantly employed on fixed term contracts. This position changes with seniority, with the majority of academic staff at Level C and above employed on a continuing basis; †¢ In contrast, most professional staff are employed on a continuing basis, with 55% of professional staff employed at HEW Levels 5 to 7;Figure 1 : Current distribution of Academic Staff by Classification (headcount, excluding casuals) |[pic] |% Staff Fixed term | | | | | | | |Figure 2 : Distribution of Fixed term and Continuing Professional Staff by |Level A. | |Classification (headcount) |96. | |[pic] | | | |Level B. | | |71. 8 | | | | | |Level C. | | |42. | | | | | |Level D. | | |25. 3 | | | | | |Level E. | |27. 9 | | | | | | | †¢ The growth in the University’s staff numbers from 2005 to 2008 has largely been the result of an increase in casual staff numbers. †¢ Over 10 % of the University’s academic work was performed by casual staff in 2009.Casual tutors are responsible for a significant portion of teaching into new generation degrees. †¢ The ratio of professional to academic staff has remained relatively steady since 2007 and is below the average for Australian universities and the Group of Eight. This is largely because of the way the University classifies Level A and B research support staff as academic rather than professional staff unlike many other universities. †¢ Approximately a third of both professional staff and academic staff are over 50 years of age; Figure 3: Age distribution of academic and professional staff pic] Academic Staff by level [pic] Professional Staff by level †¢ Approximately 55% of Melbourne academics are male; †¢ Women make up the majority of academic staff at Level A, but by senior levels the position is reversed. Although Melbourne performs better than the sector average in terms of the percentage of women at Levels D and E and at HEW10, women remain underrepresented at PVC and DVC levels as well as amongst membership of the Senior Executive more generally.The appropriate consideration of â€Å"performance relative to opportunity† for staff with significant external responsibilities, non-traditional career paths, or less than full-time working hours remains an ongoing challenge; †¢ A higher proportion of our female staff is employed on a part-time basis than the sector average; †¢ In 2008 and 2009 over half of all professional staff positions have also been filled internally w hile 56% of self-initiated departures from the University in 2009 from this group were from staff with less than 3 years service.The corresponding percentage for academic staff for self-initiated early departure is 51%. This suggests a turnover of newer staff to the University and is a concern if these staff are of high quality and being attracted by better offers from other employers. Level A academic staff and professional staff at HEW levels 3-5 are over-represented in these departure statistics suggesting a need to provide better opportunities and support for good early career academics and professional staff; and †¢ Staffing costs per FTE are increasing at a faster rate than student load.Until recently this has been compensated for by revenue growth but as the environmental scan above shows, this may not be possible in the future. 2 Current performance Melbourne is well ranked in international rankings and we improved our position in the most recent round of the Shanghai J iao Tong and Times Higher Education Rankings. In the Jiao Tong rankings Melbourne was ranked 62nd in the world, the second Australian institution after ANU at 59th. This ranking system uses weighted scores associated with alumni, awards, citations, and publications.Melbourne scores better than ANU in the alumni and awards categories but has lower scores in each of the research categories. In the Times Higher Education rankings Melbourne is ranked first of the Australian institutions, at 36th in the world listing. A new methodology was used in 2010 for this ranking based on teaching (the learning environment), international mix (staff and student ratios), industry income, research volume, income and reputation, and citation impact. The quality of teaching within the University is vital to our students’ educational outcomes.While the Times Higher Education teaching scores for Melbourne are higher than our national competitors we have some way to go to reach the level of our int ernational benchmarking partners. The CEQ good teaching scale also indicates room for improvement. While these rankings vary and are not absolute indicators of teaching performance, it is clear that teaching performance has a significant impact on the level of satisfaction of our students. Improvement in our overall teaching performance will contribute to a more positive learning environment for our students.Nationally in 2008 and 2009 Melbourne was ranked first in the country for research income and publications however, if these measures were viewed per capita (across the total number of research and teaching and research staff), then our leading position would not be maintained. We also performed well in nearly all discipline categories in the first trial ERA outcomes gaining scores of 4 or 5 in nearly all discipline categories. Our research performance has a significant impact on our rankings and on our ability to attract research income and quality staff and students.While we s hould be justifiably proud of that performance it will be more difficult to maintain this position in the future due to likely improvements in the performance of our competitors. We could raise our position in the international rankings and maintain our premier position nationally if there was improved average performance in winning grants and publishing across a broader spectrum of the academic staff complement. 3 The future 1 The goals of Growing Esteem 2010Melbourne has articulated the outcomes we wish to achieve by 2015 in Growing Esteem 2010, including that: †¢ Melbourne will have an academic workforce sustainable in number and quality and outstanding in its achievement; †¢ Melbourne will be top ranked in all key national indicators of research excellence and impact; †¢ Melbourne will be top ranked in relation to research higher degree recruitment and outcomes; †¢ Through key partnerships we will have maximised the global impact of our research; †¢ Melb ourne will be ranked in the top five against all national learning and teaching and student satisfaction indicators; †¢ Melbourne will be providing the best graduate experience in the country according to appropriate national indicators; †¢ Staff will feel able to contribute broadly to our vision of interaction with wider society through knowledge partnership, advancement and international activities; and †¢ Melbourne will have talented, diverse staff who share a common vision and whose skills and knowledge equip them to achieve the University’s goal of being one of the best international universities in the world.As has been shown Melbourne is currently well placed in relation to some of these measures of performance, but given the increasingly competitive and global higher education environment, to maintain or improve this position will require improvements in leadership and management and to performance management and development, recognition of the diversit y of professional and academic roles, greater recognition of the efforts of our staff and innovative approaches to retaining, and nurturing the best teachers and researchers and flexible and innovative professional staff. Specifically, amongst other things, we need to: †¢ Emphasise research excellence not just research activity and improve he overall consistency of research performance and the number of high citation researchers who count among the world’s top 250 in their fields; †¢ Understand, reward and promote research excellence and creativity, provide career development opportunities and mentoring and develop a research recruitment and retention strategy; †¢ Improve the consistency of the quality of teaching and the student experience across the University while allowing for increased specialisation of academic staff in this area; and, †¢ Promote engagement activities as an equal partner to research and learning and teaching. 2 Supporting this vision through a refined HR Strategy To flourish in this environment and achieve these ambitious outcomes we will need to more actively manage our staff profile over the next five years through a refined HR Strategy. Our HR strategy must enable us to achieve the level of performance necessary if we are to be one of the world’s finest universities. We will need to: †¢ Develop our existing staff; †¢ Commit resources to attract and retain staff of the highest quality; †¢ Put in place appropriate succession planning; Provide classification structures which recognise diverse career paths and allow specialisation by both academic and professional staff; †¢ Nurture early career academic and professional staff and provide them with clear career paths in the university; †¢ Address the issues relating to the casualisation of our staff complement and the increasing proportion of fixed term staff, while retaining flexible working arrangements; †¢ Recognise and dev elop the partnership between academic and professional staff and build the ability of staff to work seamlessly with colleagues from other disciplines and institutions; †¢ Develop and recruit change-adept and flexible academic and professional staff; †¢ Enhance the support provided for the core activities of the University by improving performance of the central enabling divisions through professional development and performance review; †¢ Develop and improve systems which reward and recognise excellent performance in learning and teaching, research, engagement and leadership and in professionals disciplines; and †¢Continue to encourage diversity and address issues relating to the participation of women, particularly at higher levels of the University. These actions will need to occur in the context of managing staffing and non-salary costs. The current HR Policy Framework needs to be refined to align with this revised HR Strategy to allow greater flexibility in t he way work is organised and to support the development and performance of high achieving staff. The refined HR policy framework The refined HR Policy Framework which addresses this strategy links the following components (and is shown schematically in Appendix 1): †¢ The strategy presented in section 2. 3. 2; The necessary organisational and individual capabilities to underpin the achievement of this strategy –a commitment to excellence; flexibility and a willingness to collaborate and cooperate with internal and external partners (these capabilities were well supported by staff during consultation) ; †¢ Broad HR focus areas– these are the areas where our HR actions will be focussed to assist in building performance and include building flexibility; attracting and retaining the highest quality staff; aligning performance with the University’s objectives; and investing in staff; †¢ The specific high priority HR practices which will have most impac t on the achievement of the University’s strategy and the development of the people required for the future; and †¢ Enablers that will support reform. The enablers to support reform include improved HR support, including the provision of accurate, timely and high level advice for our managers and supervisors, to assist them in working with our staff to continue to build capability and best direct efforts towards our goal of being one of the world’s finest universities. 1 Consultation and Feedback A range of stakeholders were consulted about the refinement of the current HR Policy Framework through a number of forums, including: †¢ the 2010 Heads and Deans Conference; †¢ Senior Executive; individual and group consultations with Deans, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Pro Vice-Chancellors, senior administrative staff and members of the HR Professional Practice Area; †¢ Academic Board; †¢ the 2010 Planning and Budget Conference (PBC); †¢ facilitated focus groups of staff randomly selected from across the University; and, †¢ a four week consultation period during which staff and unions could review the proposed Framework and provide anonymous feedback. Approximately 200 staff provided feedback via an online survey, which included the capacity to make free text comment. Approximately 60% of responses received were from Professional staff.Respondents represented all levels of the University, all budget divisions and included continuing, fixed term and casual staff. Staff were generally supportive of the HR framework. While there were some differences of opinion expressed, on the whole there was sound endorsement of the priorities that are set out in the following section. Priority areas for reform A number of priority areas for reform are outlined in the following sections. Although they form an integrated set of actions, the first are those considered by stakeholders to be of highest initial priority in contributing to indiv idual and collective performance. The immediate focus of reform will be: 1. improvement of the performance development framework; 2. larification of performance expectations; 3. alignment of academic work activity to ‘work focus categories’ and linking these to performance expectations; 4. support for early career staff; and, 5. professional staff classification structures. As these areas are the highest initial priorities for reform, this paper canvasses them in more detail. Other policy issues, including leadership and management strategy, which will also be integral to the refined HR Policy Framework are identified later in this paper. As specific policies are developed relating to each of these proposals there will be additional opportunity for consultation with staff.This consultation will be undertaken in accordance with: †¢ standard processes for consulting with staff and unions over changes to HR policy; and/or, †¢ the specific requirements of Schedule 6 of the Agreement which contemplates reviews of the i. Performance Development Framework; and, ii. the academic and professional staff classification structures. The consultation required under Schedule 6 of the Agreement will be conducted by a Working Group comprised of four representatives of each of the University and the NTEU in accordance with agreed processes for consultation and negotiation. The review process and outcomes will be implemented no later than 30 June 2011.The priority areas that received most support from staff during consultation were: †¢ support for early career staff †¢ leadership and management development †¢ clarifying individual performance expectations, and †¢ improved HR support. Unless otherwise identified, the proposals discussed are relevant to both professional and academic staff members, though some have specific relevance to one or other category of staff. 1 Improvement of the performance development framework The current PDF system is similar to those used in many other universities. Its application across the University is widespread and the incidence of participation is monitored.Effective performance management of staff allows the University to set clear objectives against which to develop and reward good performers and to identify, support and manage under-performing staff. Sound performance management of both academic and professional staff is central to the University being able to achieve the objectives and the ranking targets it has set in Growing Esteem 2010 as documented in section 2. 3. 1. Sound performance management has particular benefit for staff where it enables development needs to be clearly identified and addressed. Key policy issues relating to staff performance management in the University include: †¢ the nature of the performance management system; and, †¢ its effective application and use as a development tool. To improve the performance development framework we will: al ign performance, confirmation and promotion outcomes for academic staff so that they represent stages in a performance continuum rather than isolated events; †¢ align position descriptions, probationary criteria and objectives specified through the PDF for professional staff; †¢ develop a streamlined and simpler performance management system; †¢ set performance objectives and requirements which are tailored to the work required of the staff member and include consideration of performance relative to opportunity issues; †¢ rate performance against the different aspects of a staff member’s job rather than just one general rating; †¢ replace current performance assessment rating descriptors to reflect the relative achievement of performance expectations (e. g. he â€Å"satisfactory† rating would become â€Å"has met performance objectives†); †¢ better align the PDF with business plans and with departmental and University goals; †¢ develop more objective performance measures and greater capacity to distinguish between levels of performance; †¢ provide a higher level of HR support to provide managers and supervisors with the skills to develop staff and address performance issues; †¢ ensure that we take a fair, firm, timely and more consistent approach to treatment of underperformance; †¢ consider requiring Budget Divisions to establish a panel to benchmark and moderate for consistency and fairness of performance management across the Division[1]; and, †¢ provide a framework in which faculties and other budget divisions can develop performance management schemes specific to their area. Additionally, for academic staff we will: recognise individual strengths of academic staff in the core areas of teaching, research and engagement and rewarding staff for excellence in those areas; †¢ introduce appropriate descriptors for academic staff work functions or focus areas; and †¢ align staf f actual effort with these work functions. Aspects of this reform will be undertaken in accordance with the review process outlined at Schedule 6 of the University of Melbourne Collective Agreement 2010. Other aspects will be subject to the standard processes for consulting with staff and unions over changes to HR policy. 2 Clarifying performance expectations Clear performance expectations are essential to guide staff effort and allow staff to understand how their work contributes to the strategies and goals of the University.They also support the quality, consistency and improvement of performance and allow for self-monitoring which contributes to job satisfaction. To clarify performance expectations we will: †¢ Develop general performance expectations for academic and professional staff (e. g. The Melbourne Academic, The Melbourne Professional). These statements will specify in general terms the University’s expectations of each group and its staff as a whole (includin g broad behavioural expectations); †¢ Remove the University-wide definition of research activity and replacing this with faculty or discipline specific definitions; †¢ Set clear and measurable performance standards for teaching, research, ngagement and leadership on a Faculty basis to guide performance against which individuals can be assessed; †¢ Over time establish common performance standards for professional job families (eg finance, IT, marketing, HR, administration etc) and †¢ Align individual objectives with specific goals for the relevant budget division. This reform will be undertaken in accordance with the standard processes for consulting with staff and unions over changes to HR policy. 3 Align work activity to ‘work focus categories’ and link these to performance expectations Academic work at the University is varied, has diversified and will continue to do so. While the majority of staff combine teaching with research and an engagement c omponent, there are staff who focus solely on research and others who predominantly teach.The academic staff complement includes clinicians and specialist curriculum developers, others who focus on engagement with the wider community or on the provision of specialist services and others who have management roles. Despite the general expectation for Melbourne academics, some of these roles may not have a requirement or an expectation for a research component. There is recognition of the diverse nature of academic work in both our promotion criteria and the Minimum Standards for Academic Levels (MSALs)[2] which provide for academics to contribute to research and/or scholarship and/or teaching (that is to focus on one or more aspects of an academic career). Nonetheless, our research focus, although central to the University, may not allow sufficient recognition of academics with strengths outside this area.An alternative approach is to recognise that not all academics for various reaso ns are equally involved with teaching and research or are required to produce similar research outputs and that it can be difficult for academics to manage the competing priorities of teaching, research, community engagement and administrative duties. While recognising that most will continue to combine teaching with research and will meet expectations in both areas, within a single academic classification, staff with a primary focus on teaching or -activities other than research should be appropriately recognised in terms of this primary focus and associated outputs. The University has recognised in its objectives and targets that the quality of teaching is vital to our aspiration to offer an outstanding educational experience.This can partly be achieved by providing a strong career path for those staff who have an excellent record in teaching, or who have demonstrated the capacity to develop this and who are less focused on a research career. Teaching specialist roles have already been created at a number of leading Australian universities to recognise excellence in teaching. The teaching specialist roles require the staff members appointed to them to make a substantial contribution to learning and teaching, educational design and delivery, and educational leadership. Such roles reflect high performance in teaching and are not created to support and manage staff who are not performing at an appropriate level.During consultation, it was proposed that academic staff within the University should have the capacity to be appointed to positions with a focus on teaching or academic support/leadership based on the excellence of their performance in these areas. This proposition received broad support. Staff who are, or who have demonstrated the capacity to become excellent teachers and who have made a practice of innovation and scholarship in teaching in their discipline could accept an offer to take up a teaching-focused role. Other staff who have academic roles, w ith no specific requirement for research, could accept an offer to take up an ‘other specialist’ role.For example, staff who undertake management roles outside a particular faculty and who are employed to pursue a particular mission for the University (such as the DVC and PVC positions) would be considered part of this focus area. Academic staff within the University will therefore be identified as belonging to one of the following work focus categories based on the requirements of their role and subject to meeting any relevant requirements for the focus category: †¢ Research-focussed †¢ Teaching and Research †¢ Teaching specialist †¢ Other specialist. Appropriately for a research led institution such as Melbourne, the majority of academic staff would remain within their current teaching and research or research focused categories, with performance expectations appropriate to the relevant category and faculty or discipline.Such reform allows for the retention of a single academic classification structure, along with its ranks, levels and salaries, but provides greater recognition of the diversity of work undertaken by individuals within that classification structure. The capacity to move between work focus categories over the course of an academic career is provided for, to allow for broad and flexible careers. Movement between the groups will take into account individual performance and development needs as determined through the performance development system. Teaching and other specialist roles may be offered after joint consideration of the interests, qualifications and capacity of the staff member and the specific needs of the Department, School or Faculty.At present the University has a number of staff classified as Level A and B academic staff who are categorised as Research Only staff but who are supporting the research endeavour rather than undertaking original research. In most other universities this group is general ly classified as professional staff rather than academic. A change in classification for a number of these staff will ensure more consistent reporting between the University of Melbourne and its competitors. As previously discussed, work will also be considered at a later date around further development of the job family categories for professional staff, with appropriate expectations being developed by level and job family. To better recognise the diversity of academic work we will: introduce a new academic work focus category of Teaching Specialist to complement the existing categories of Teaching & Research, Research Focussed and Other specialists; †¢ identify academic staff within the University by work focus category; †¢ develop and apply performance expectations appropriate to the relevant category and faculty and discipline; We will also: †¢ further develop the job family categories for professional staff. This reform will be subject to the standard processes f or consulting with staff and unions over changes to HR policy. 4 Supporting early career staff We need to support the development of our early career professional and academic staff, to provide a positive employment experience and assist them in becoming productive members of staff. Graduate entry level for professional staff is most commonly at HEW5 level, and mentoring and other professional development is important at this stage. We need to be able to provide career paths for the development of specialist expertise.This emphasises the need for a sound performance development program which clarifies objectives and identifies career needs. While, when taken together, growth in fixed term and continuing academic and professional staff in recent years has been relatively modest, the percentage growth in casual staff from 2007 to 2009 is more than double this figure. The key issues for casual early career academic staff are the difficulty in establishing an academic career when there is limited certainty of employment and the concentration of casual staff at lower levels of the academic classification structures and into particular areas, notably teaching into New Generation Degrees.The New Generation Degrees will account for approximately half our coursework student load and their success will be critically important to the future success of the Growing Esteem strategy. The quality of the teaching of undergraduate students is important to, student engagement and outcomes. Improved certainty of employment for excellent staff teaching into the New Generation Degrees should be considered. Pathways for research higher degree students into an academic career also need to be improved, particularly given the need for renewal of the academic workforce. We need to recognise that casual and sessional staff, as well as research students, make a significant contribution to University teaching effort and that early career academics in general require support. To better supp ort early career staff we will: address the barriers to employing early career staff on more secure forms of employment; †¢ improve access to and quality of professional development and mentoring programs for early career staff, particularly in relation to supporting early career staff develop capabilities in relation to teaching (where relevant); †¢ employ research students as a preference for casual and sessional roles; †¢ seek agreement to create a new form of employment which provides greater employment security for early career staff; and, †¢ support budget divisions to increase the number of Early Career Development Fellowships. [3] The introduction of the proposed academic work focus categories will also provide clearer career paths for early career academics. A teaching-specialist academic category would better facilitate the appointment of teaching-specialists as course coordinators (on other than on a casual basis) to support the teaching of large New G eneration Degree subjects. This reform will be subject to the standard processes for consulting with staff and unions over changes to HR policy. Classification issues – broad banding of professional staff classifications Broad banding professional staff classification categories will improve career pathways, provide greater flexibility in staffing and aid retention of good staff. There are currently 10 classification levels for professional staff. Staff can progress to a higher classification by applying for another job which is graded at the higher level or by applying for reclassification where higher level duties are required by the work area. These options may not be available within all work areas and so high performing professional staff may seek employment elsewhere, including outside the University.In order to rationalise the large number of classification categories for professional staff and to provide better career pathways it is proposed that a new professional st aff classification structure be introduced consisting of four broad bands reflecting the level of responsibility and specialisation of professional positions in the University. |New Broad Band |Former Classification |Number of Pay Points within the band | |4 |HEW Level 10 A – 10E |3 | |3 |HEW Level 8 – Level 10 Base |9 | |2 |HEW Level 5 – 7 |9 | |1 |HEW Level 1 – 4 |9 |In order to improve the classification structure for professional staff we will: †¢ reform the structure to provide for a number of broad bands within which movement would be based on performance; †¢ reduce the number of pay points within each band in most cases with the effect of increasing the salary differential between each pay point and make movement between pay points more meaningful; †¢ develop clear performance standards for each broad band; †¢ align position descriptions with each level of the system; †¢ require movement between bands to be based on assessm ent of an application for a position in the higher band; and †¢ introduce soft barriers within the bands that staff would have to satisfy in order to progress.This reform will be undertaken in accordance with the review process outlined at Schedule 6 of the University of Melbourne Collective Agreement 2010. Other policy issues There are also other policy issues which will be included in the revised HR Policy Framework and are important to assist our current staff to achieve their potential and to help the University remain attractive to prospective staff. They will be the subject of further consultation and development through appropriate working groups. The issues identified below are grouped into the key focus areas of the Policy Framework shown in Appendix 1. 1 Building flexibility – Classification issues Policy action |Timing | |Introduce additional performance based salary points at the top of current academic and professional classification levels|2011 | |Aid attr action and retention and strengthen the link between reward and performance for level E staff, possibly by |2011 | |providing additional salary steps at this level | | |Explore introduction of a single salary spine for academic and professional staff |2012 | |Revise academic nomenclature |2012 | 2 Attracting and retaining highest quality staff Policy action |Timing | |Review and determine new reward and recognition policies , including implementing a reward for performance structure to |2011 | |recognise, reward and retain high performing staff | | |Review and revise the staff equity and diversity strategies and action plans |2011 | |Improve Workforce Planning and develop succession plans |2011 | |Review and determine new recruitment procedures to attract good staff |2011 | |Talent management program |2011 | 3 Aligning performance – Probation and confirmation |Policy action |Timing | |Improve linkages between promotion, confirmation/probation and the PDF process |2011 | 4 Investing in staff – Leadership and management development Effective leadership has a strong impact on staff satisfaction and is vitally important to the achievement of our goals.To ensure that we have effective leadership and management from our senior staff, we need to: †¢ clarify expectations of our leaders and managers; †¢ develop a broader skill set amongst staff to manage complex people matters; †¢ provide a business skills set to our managers including business planning and budgeting; †¢ incorporate greater levels of mentoring and coaching by peers; †¢ foster an open culture that embraces and supports change and diversity; †¢ provide more specialised development for professional roles; and †¢ deliver development programs differently so that skills more easily translate into the workplace. Future policy issues for consideration are listed below. Policy action |Timing | |Develop a Leadership and Management Development Strategy |2 011 | |Involving: | | |A clear statement of the nature of leadership and management capabilities; | | |Formal coaching and mentoring; | | |Processes for identification of high potential talent and accelerated development plans for high performers; | | |Quality standards for development program design and delivery; and, | | |Dedicated resourcing and funding to address any identified skills gap. | |Develop and gain agreement to a behavioural competency statement |2011 | Next Steps 1 Governance of the implementation project The further refinement of the revised HR Policy Framework will be overseen by a Steering Committee jointly chaired by the Provost and the Senior Vice-Principal. There will also be a number of related work streams each led by a project owner within HR Chancellery and coordinated by a project director, reporting to the Executive Director, HR. These work streams will draw on expertise across the University from faculties and professional practice areas. Specific refe rence groups mentioned above have also been established to rovide a forum for the further development and testing of policy and procedural initiatives and implementation plans. The Academic Reference group will specifically inform work around the introduction of academic work focus categories within the academic classification system, associated changes to the Performance Development Framework and measures to support early career academics. A Professional Staff Reference Group will similarly inform work on broad-banding the professional staff classification structure as well as the associated changes to the Performance Development Framework and other key matters for professional staff. 2 Plan for areas of further work The following is a broad action plan for the refined HR Policy Framework. Timing |Policy initiatives to be completed | |By June 2011 |Leadership and Management strategy and revised program development | | |Negotiation completed with NTEU and staff about proposed chan ges to PDF and classification structures | | |canvassed above | | |Additional support in place for managers in managing performance | |By Dec 2011 |Establishment of links between promotion, confirmation/probation and the PDF process | | |Leadership and Management strategy and programs finalised | | |Behavioural competency statement developed (with initial emphasis on Leadership and Management | | |competencies) | | |Broad banding of professional staff classification structure (subject to negotiation with NTEU) | | |Improved Workforce Planning and succession plans in place | |Career paths: | | |Program for support of early career academics (including casuals) developed | | |Review of transfer and secondment policies | | |Career paths identified within professional staff job families | | |Review of reward and recognition policies complete | | |Talent management program developed | |2012 |Review of recruitment practices complete | | |Competencies incorporated into HR processes such as performance management, recruitment and selection and | | |learning pathways | | |Consultation on possible changes to academic classification structure (for example, varying number of | | |increment points; overlapping bands) prior to negotiation of the next Collective Agreement | | |Consultation on possible revision of academic nomenclature | | |Employer brand developed to promote employment with the University | | |Revision of Staff Equity and Diversity strategy completed | Appendix 1: Schematic diagram of the refined strategic HR Policy Framework [pic] ———————– [1] The supervisor is responsible for performance management practices, however, it is envisaged that the panel is responsible for the higher level consistent implementation of performance management. Some faculties have moved to implement such practices already. [2] MSALs form part of theUniversity’s Collective Agreement [3] Early Career Development Fello wships are a new category of fixed-term employment introduced through the new Collective Agreement. The University must advertise at least 28 such Fellowships before 30 June 2012. Early Career Development Fellowships were designed to provide a more secure form of employment for Level A and B staff who are predominantly employed on a casual or fixed-term basis. These Fellowships will include a structured development program providing training, supervision and appropriate career and professional development opportunities to enable early career academics to establish an academic career.

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Change management - elaboration on points highlighted with blue text - Essay Example This is because the strategy is short-term and assumes a simple link of cause and effect. On the other hand, systemic thinking attempts to structure a long-term solution. Using outside consultants, for example, may be a good reductionist response but in systemic thinking terms it limits the opportunities for that system to learn to solve its own problems. Another example is that of a departmental manager who focuses solely on his tackling issues by looking into the resources in his own department without ever considering external agents that could be responsible for any of the undesirable results. This limits the scope and efficiency with which the problems can be solved. Senge explains the different responses from reductionist and systemic views in chapter 4. Whether understanding a city or a living creature, he argues that a holistic approach is the only effective cure for problems. However, Senge does not mention that complex systems could benefit from short and long term solutions. In nature and in business, some things do develop in separate units and short-term changes are possible in some cases without unintended long-term effects. Manufacturing units, for instance, are complex units made up of many interacting units such as people, departments, technology, routines and structure (Fernandez, McCarthy & Rakotobe-Joel, 2001). The whole system or the whole organization is reduced to manageable individual parts. By studying the individual manageable parts, the leaders or the managers can formulate rules about the behaviour of the whole system. Thus, adopting a reductionst approach can at times be beneficial for organization such as Delap & Waller because it has several functional departments with dispersed locations. In simple terms, the tradeoff between the reductionist and systemic views can be described

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Sex, Violence and Transgression - Essay Example On August 12, 2005, Jack Thompson, an American activist, filed a case in the Alabama court against Sony. Thompson claimed video games are promoting violence and it was due to such a video game which Moore had played endlessly which has compelled him to shoot the policemen. Devin Moore pleaded guilty saying that it the game ‘Grand Theft Auto (GTA)’ that caused him to kill those police officers and he was under the influence of that game. Grand Theft Auto is a video game wherein the player acts as a street mugger who steals cars. He attempts to overrun any pedestrian who comes in his way, liberates a criminal from the police station and runs off by shooting the policemen. The families of the victims argued that Moore replayed all that he had experienced as a player in the violent video game. Devin Moore was only 16 years old. At the time of his arrest, Moore is reported to have said: â€Å"Everybody has got to die.† This statement was later changed in 2004 in a court session to â€Å"Life is a video game. You’ve got to die sometimes.† What leads him to utter these words? More importantly, what made him change his statement? One of the reasons could be that he wanted everyone to believe that it was indeed the video game which was to be blamed and not him. Or maybe he was so mentally disturbed that he could fathom the consequences of changing his statement. As per Moore’s father, Moore had been a disturbed child right from childhood and had a record of taking drugs and being involved in crime. While Devin Moore said that he was under the trance of the game that he had completely lost the ability to differentiate between reality and the game. Also, his lawyer claimed that he was suffering from a dissociative order (Chalk, The Escapist, 2007). Moore appealed not guilty as he had developed a psychological defect by playing the game  for long hours and this deprived him of the sense to evaluate his own actions.

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Theoretical explanation of Environmental Biology - Essay Example We should also plant more trees each time we cut one for an essential usage. Biodiversity should be extremely high in our surrounding. When done with books of a lower level, we should donate them to libraries so as to avoid over exploitation of more trees being brought down for paper. Animals and plants, humans included, all rely on each other and the environment for survival. Some even share vital resources and when some of these resources become scarce, some end up migrating, changing feeding habits, dropping in population and even becoming extinct. There are predator-prey relationships, parasitism, mutualism and commensalism. A predator-prey relationship is whereby the predator relies on the prey as food while the prey relies on other preys like birds as an alert system in case of danger. In parasitism, a certain organism relies on another by living in or on it and feeding on it. The host is harmed while the parasite benefits. Mutualism is where everyone benefits through unintentional exploitation of each other. In commensalism, one organism benefits from another without affecting the other. Therefore, we should always use the gifts of the environment sparingly to avoid unnecessary ecological succession. Overconsumption of the earth’s resources has cont ributed to extreme ecological growth and consequent exhaustion of resources, environmental damage as well as declined ecological wellbeing.... s with all ranges of benefits such as vital goods such as timber and medicinal products, and essential services such as carbon cycling, clean water and pollination. Our daily bread, fish, meat, flowers, books and building timber materials are all gifts of nature. I think building from stone bricks and not timber will be a big step in saving our environment. We should also plant more trees each time we cut one for an essential usage. Biodiversity should be extremely high in our surrounding. When done with books of a lower level, we should donate them to libraries so as to avoid over exploitation of more trees being brought down for paper. Animals and plants, humans included, all rely on each other and the environment for survival. Some even share vital resources and when some of these resources become scarce, some end up migrating, changing feeding habits, dropping in population and even becoming extinct. There are predator-prey relationships, parasitism, mutualism and commensalism. A predator-prey relationship is whereby the predator relies on the prey as food while the prey relies on other preys like birds as an alert system in case of danger. In parasitism, a certain organism relies on another by living in or on it and feeding on it. The host is harmed while the parasite benefits. Mutualism is where everyone benefits through unintentional exploitation of each other. In commensalism, one organism benefits from another without affecting the other. Therefore, we should always use the gifts of the environment sparingly to avoid unnecessary ecological succession. Overconsumption of the earth’s resources has contributed to extreme ecological growth and consequent exhaustion of resources, environmental damage as well as declined ecological wellbeing. Ecological footprint,

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Discuss Karl Marxs critique of capitalism - Assignment Example Similarly, Thomas Hobbes’s renowned publication, the â€Å"Leviathan† claims that a valid government is that which unifies the collective will of the majority and unites them under the authority of sovereign power. Though all the three theories have some similarities, their areas of specialization are different. For instance, they all assert that there should be absolute governments though the theories highlight different specializations in regard to the stated governments. The concept of alienation and class inequality focuses more on the relationship between labor and human expression under capitalism. Under this concept, the workers are alienated from their labor since it no longer belongs to the workers but rather to the capitalists. The workers do as at the demands of capitalist rather than to satisfy their own needs. As far as class inequality is concerned, Marx argues there would be more and more members of society becoming proletarians if communism is not going to be practiced (Gergen 23). He further argues that because capitalist are continually accumulating capital, few capitalist exploiting a large number of poor proletarians who are subsisting on low wages will eventually characterize society. This would in turn encourage two social classes: the capitalist (rich) and the proletariat (poor). Communism can help solve the issue of class inequality and alienation the society faces today. Through communism, all goods and services are shared and as such, every need is met. Communism helps to eradicated poverty since no gets rich (Marx 16-40). At a personal level, class inequality and alienation is something that I undergo on my daily life. For instance, because I come from a middle class as the society stratifies, I cannot freely go into a five star hotel and bond freely with other citizens since I am considered not of the status. As far as

Nature of Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nature of Conflict - Essay Example This makes the employees enter into hitch with the management or higher officials. They may go on strikes or do other sorts of protests. Major conflicts occur when, for example, employees experience gender discrimination, work overload, forced overtime, short deadlines, and no opportunities for promotion, reward or compensation. These factors reduce job security and the employees suffer from work related stress. Other major causes may include dissatisfactory wages and salaries, and poor communication between the management and employees due to which the latter feel that their problems are not being considered. Also, when employees feel that they are not being able to participate in the decision-making process, they may acquire conflicting views about the project at hand. All of these conflicts may get serious enough to be requiring a mediation plan for resolution. No matter the conflict is small or big, the management should make serious efforts to resolve it as soon as possible so t hat employees do not lose their morale (Wilmot & Hocker, 2011). Negotiation or Mediation Negotiation is necessary to solve conflicts. Sometimes, this negotiation is done through mediation. We define mediation as a process in which a third party intervention is sought for reconciliation between individuals or groups. The purpose of negotiation is to make possible the re-establishment of mutual tolerance between the parties involved. However, negotiation itself depends upon the friendly signals shown by the opponents leading to friendly re-union and cooperative bonding. Strasser and Randolph (2004, p.22) affirm that mediators should â€Å"accept conflict as an inescapable facet of human existence, with the possible consequence of reconciliation.† Negotiators and mediators should understand that conflict cannot be eliminated entirely. If negotiators start thinking that they will be able to eradicate conflict completely, then this perception will be a barrier to an effective impl ementation of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process. It will also make the negotiators forceful and aggressive toward resolution. Thus, the negotiators need to adjust their behaviors and attitudes so that they can efficiently deploy conflict management techniques. Personal Experience This section of the paper describes my own case as an example of workplace conflict and negotiation process. I worked as an internee in a company in my city. As I stated, most conflicts occur due to unfair treatment or policy changes from the management side, this incident also involves a conflict between the manager and I. It was about the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). For reader’s information, the major responsibility of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is to make accommodations for disabled employees, under the title I of the Act. ADA makes sure that the disabled employees do not have to face discrimination by their seniors or co-workers when they are at the workplace. In order to get protection by ADA, the individual must have a disability which is defined by the Act as â€Å"a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities† (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005). All persons who have in their medical history that they have been or are going through such a disability, or people perceive him as

Hurricane Katrina Essay Example for Free

Hurricane Katrina Essay When an electrical power outage occurs from a storm, we are instructed to have flashlights, battery operated radios, a generator, survival gear, food, etc. But what happens when the power outage is long-term? What happens when the generator runs out of fuel and we can’t get more fuel? What happens when the batteries run down? For those who did not endure Hurricane Katrina, the consequences of loss of power combined with catastrophic flooding cannot even be imagined. The event of Katrina was not a mere inconvenience, it was a disaster of epic proportions. Much of the failure of first responders and ensuing rescue workers to operate efficiently was due to lost communications. Additionally, family members and friends could not find each other, nor could they find any information for quite a while. This particular storm was a nightmare for communications people as well as the victims. Simply the massive loss of power rendered the Gulf Coast without the basic tools to function. Today’s technology in communications is unparalleled and becoming even more sophisticated by the week; yet without power, even the most high-tech systems are useless (Donny Jackson, 12-01-2005). To review what happened during the storm that shattered communications networks, it is important to look at the emergency communications systems available and explain what failed and why. In the 35th largest city in the U. S. , how could so many people be suddenly disconnected? What happened to the cell phones, instant messaging, satellite technology, broadband, wireless and other forms of everyday communication that are largely taken for granted? Even in the horrendous disaster of 9/11, communication was still taking place. Even Hurricane Andrew didn’t knock all communications systems out. What was different about Hurricane Katrina? As Donny Jackson points out in Mobile Radio Technology (12-01-2005), all communications systems are designed with the notion that power is available. Backup generators and batteries are equipped to keep equipment running for a few hours at the most, which is usually ample time for the electrical grid to be back online to some capacity. In an earlier article by Donny Jackson (11-01-05), the floodwaters were to blame for most of the communications failures. The commander of police communications in New Orleans, Stephen J. Gordon, put it succinctly: â€Å"The wind was almost inconsequential†¦ It was the water that was the killer. † Herein was the problem: most wireless towers are designed to withstand hurricane force winds. The cell towers survived the winds, as in Florida’s hurricanes, but the power to drive the networks was knocked out by the unprecedented floodwaters in the city of New Orleans. There was also damage to a generator when flying debris punctured the radiator on the backup generator. When sudden damage of this type occurs, there is little that can be done to overcome the massive loss of communication. However, IT was still working, and emergency personnel were using the Internet to send out instant messages when all other communications failed. Of course, this was only possible with emergency power available until the fuel in the generators was gone. Since the roads were impassable and there was widespread damage to gas stations and roads to the gas stations, generator fuel swiftly dwindled. When communications are cut off to first responders in a disaster, chaos ensues as victims assume help is on the way and when it fails to arrive, the emotional aftermath is seen. First responders themselves are traumatized by being rendered almost as helpless as the victims they are hired to rescue and protect due to being cut off from each other. In the case of Katrina, it turned out that satellite and internet technology helped enormously in the days following the disaster, when families needed help finding each other and victims needed medical attention or evacuation. It seems that satellite technology had the edge over terrestrial communications systems, yet satellite communications are not yet sufficiently integrated into emergency communications networks, according to Satellite Industry Association (SIA) chairman Tony Trujillo (Peter Brown, 2006). Agreeing with this statement was the FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, stating that: If we learned anything from Hurricane Katrina, it is that we cannot rely solely on terrestrial communications (Brown). IT technology was utilized to patch together a system of tracking evacuees in the days following Hurricane Katrina. Several IT companies met two days after Katrina had struck and agreed to set aside competition and focus on helping the victims (Bart Perkins, 2005). Within five days, IT companies began executing networks for shelters, finding families, financial assistance and infrastructure. This mammoth effort was undertaken doing a lot with a little. Linking databases to larger organizations using what means were available was no small task, given that there was no power supply to speak of. In this case, the private sector possessed a greater ability to render assistance than the emergency or government agencies due to their skills and mobility. The Hurricane Katrina tragedy was ironic in that the entire world was more informed than the victims, evacuees and rescue workers regarding what was needed in the stricken areas, due to television, print and Internet media (Diane Mermigas, 2005). The observance of these phenomena has prompted the investigation into the further development of new bandwidth-rich services that go beyond media and entertainment and imbed themselves into emergency services. As a result of the losses and lack of preparedness in terms of emergency communications for a storm that was possible but not probable enough to prompt a major beefing up of communications networks, new measures are being taken to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Flagler County in Florida is investing $10 million to install an 800 MHz radio system, which will suitably serve multiple channels of communications and heavy user traffic through one network (Michael Reed, 2005). New Orleans had an 800 MHz system, but it was knocked out by the floodwaters. However, the terrain of Flagler County is different and the county also has two satellite phones available as a backup. Satellite equipment works well as long as one has a clear view of the southern sky, but in a city or indoors, they are ineffective (Jackson, 11-01-2005). Two satellite phones may not seem like much, but the county can simultaneously call for help and stay in contact with emergency officials if need be. Moreover, where Flagler County’s radio signals currently fail in the western part of the county, the new 800 MHz system will enable signals to 95 percent of the county. In New Orleans, when the 800MHz equipment was rendered inoperable by the water, the statewide system was insufficient in dealing with the new traffic of users in the form of out-of-area emergency workers (Jackson, 11-01-2005). The resulting demand now is for redundant forms of connectivity, networks capable of re-routing traffic around the point of failure, better protection for equipment in terms of casings, and alternative power sources. In the works now are packets of emergency communications networks that operate on satellite technology and are able to seamlessly interface with terrestrial technology (Brown). One of the acknowledged problems with the communications infrastructure was that in the areas stricken by Katrina, these systems were not in place prior to the storm. Had they been strategically placed, response would have been more efficient and effective. One of the problems with first responders dealing with satellite equipment is the time; first responses are time-critical and while the team is trying to get to the victims, it is not likely that having to keep repositioning the receiver on a mobile satellite communication system would be an attractive idea. There are alternatives that had been considered dubious prior to Katrina, but are now gaining interest. One such communication network is being developed by Space Data, based in Arizona. Almost laughably simple, the Sky Site Network uses weather balloons to fly base systems up to heights of 65,000 to 100,000 feet above the earth (Jackson, 12-01-2005). This system could be deployed in advance of an oncoming hurricane or in the event of a disabled network. The balloons can remain aloft for about a day and are reusable when they fall to earth. Another possibility is a combination of solar, fuel cell and wind powering towers instead of terrestrial electricity. While this combination has largely been dismissed as environmentalism driven pseudo-science, one company has gained great interest after Katrina and has installed the towers at an airport in West Virginia to run the video surveillance cameras (Jackson, 12-01-2005). Knowing that it is only a matter of time before another disaster strikes, whether it is natural or man-made, it is prudent to shore up communications systems and develop different networks, both terrestrial and satellite, that can be compatible. Due to the human condition, it is more likely that such systems will be developed in the private sector focusing on entertainment or gaming rather than emergency preparedness. It seems that new technology becomes quickly taken for granted and integrated into daily life so much that many forget how to function without it. Yet designers and officials would do well to think outside the box by finding multiple purposes for such communications devices, in the event of an emergency. Past disasters such as the London transit bombings of July 2005, the tsunami in Indonesia in 2005 and now Hurricane Katrina have shown the value of videophones and camera equipped cell phones. Yet these devices require terrestrial networks to operate as well as electrical power to recharge them. While some small items such as cell phones, calculators, etc. are solar powered, the sun is not always reliable. Nothing is. This fact should demonstrate the importance of multiple power sources, both conventional and alternative, in order for equipment to function for extended periods of time even when the main power is disabled. In any emergency, effective communication is critical. Making communications networks better can be the difference between life and death in future disasters. Works Cited Brown, Peter J. â€Å"Crisis On The Gulf Coast: When Satellite Was The Only Game In Town. † Via Satellite 21. 1 (2006): 1. Jackson, Donny. â€Å"Without power, but not powerless. † Mobile Radio Technology 23 (12-01-2005).

The people around him Essay Example for Free

The people around him Essay These two poems are written about very different subjects but they both explore the theme of betrayal. In the first poem ‘Havisham’, the poet Carol Anne Duffy uses Mrs. Havisham, a fictional character from the well know novel ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, as her extended metaphor for betrayal. In the second poem ‘Kid’ by Simon Armitage, the poet presents the theme of betrayal from a slightly different perspective using ‘Batman and Robin’ as his literary conceit. Both Havisham and Kid feature literary conceits through which the poets convey the characters thoughts to the reader. In Havisham, Duffy uses her chosen metaphor as the title. This makes the theme of betrayal known to the reader from the very start of the poem. Duffy asexualises the main character in the title through the absence of the pronoun â€Å"Mrs†. This puts extra emphasis on Mrs. Havisham’s metaphoric significance. In kid, Armitage uses the extended metaphor (Batman and Robin) to sarcastically influence the speakers’ role reversal of his childhood relationship with his stepfather who left him and his mother, to be in a relationship with another woman. Both poems use strong plosives in the opening line of the poem. Havisham starts off with the phrase â€Å"Beloved sweetheart bastard†. The repetition of the letter ‘b’ gives the poem an immediate aggressive tone and evokes anger. This phrase is also an oxymoron; the poet is expressing the characters unhealthy state of mind through the polarisation of feeling. This is a result of these two feeling, love and hate, are irreconcilable, and yet both experienced by the speaker to their extremes. Simon Armitage in kid also employs plosives to emphasise the anger and violence expressed throughout the poem examples include, â€Å"Batman, big shot† and â€Å"punching the palm of your hand†. Therefore, both poems use plosives in order to gain the same effect, emphasis on aggression and anger. Clothing is another common device used by both poets to express the characters state of mind. In Havisham the speaker seems to use clothing to convey a deeper meaning to the reader. â€Å"Loves hate behind a white veil† This oxymoron presents two overwhelming contradictory emotion. This shows that although the speaker is angry there is also a more sophisticated side to her. However in kid, the description of clothing is far less sophisticated; â€Å"now I’ve doffed that off-the-shoulder / Sherwood-forest-green and scarlet number for a pair of jeans and crew-neck jumper† . The speaker in kid evaluates his adulthood through his clothing, which shows that he does not operate well in society. The clothes that belong to childhood is the â€Å"Sherwood-forest-green and scarlet number† and the â€Å"pair of jeans and crew neck jumper† belong to adulthood. The speaker shows immaturity by describing his adulthood in terms of external virtues. This would seem fairly mundane in contrast to Havisham, which refers to clothing as part of an intelligent literary device, which subsequently has an effect on the reader. Enjambment is used in both poems, with each poet using this technique to create different effects on the reader. In Havisham, Duffy uses enjambment to build up dramatic tension in the poem. The enjambment used in Havisham goes against normal structure in poetry; â€Å"who did this / to me?†, the effect that is created by the thoughts of the speaker running over from one line to the other, emphasises the great anger felt by the speaker at this point. This use of enjambment is doubly useful, in this case as the overall effect of the enjambed lines is that the idea takes the form of a rant. Armitage creates a mood of aggression in Kid, partly caused by the structure of the poem. Kid is presented in four long periodic sentences with multiple sub-clauses, enjambed over nearly every line. One of the many examples can be seen on line one over to line two were the speaker says â€Å"when you gave the order / to grow up†. The emjabments used in kid also add to the menacing tirade in the poem. In Havisham the structure of the poem resembles that of natural speech. This results in the poem being more naturalistic. At the end of the poem Duffy uses the breakdown in rhythm, â€Å"b-b-b-breaks† to emphasise the speaker’s emotions. By adding in this caesura Duffy shows the disintegration of language, which connotes the breakdown of mind and the unstable mental state of the speaker as a result of the betrayal. Similarly in Kid, Simon Armitage also uses caesura’s to emphasise some key words and themes within the poem, â€Å"I’m taller, harder, stronger, older†. As well as adding greater emphasis to the words, the use of commas between each word breaks up the rhythm of the poem and similarly to Havisham makes the poem exceed the boundaries of normal poetry. This causes the poems to take on the form of a rant. Language devices are used in both poems to enhance the build up of tension. In Havisham, Duffy uses alliteration to build up tension and as stated above, show the unhealthy state of mind of the speaker. The example of this is â€Å"b-b-b-breaks†, this shows the feelings of the speaker mounting up inside her, and she has difficulty getting them out. Her hesitancy in this case could also allude to the speaker’s shamefulness of herself and the state she is in. Duffy also uses sibilance to enhance this effect, â€Å"Spinster, I stink†, this also could allude to the same effect as previously in which the speaker is ashamed of herself. The term spinster refers to unmarried women of marriageable age, and unlike bachelor has negative connotations. This use of sibilance crates a very real effect to the poem the reader can hear, see and smell Havisham in their mind. The assonance found in the second stanza, â€Å"cawing Nooooo at the wall†, implies that Havisham has been re-living in her mind the past events in her life, something that is often not psychologically healthy. The significant literal device found in Kid is the use of repetitive assonance which in this case is all the lines ending in ‘r’: â€Å"order wander yonder rather corner †. These assonances conjures up an ‘index finger pointing belligerently at the interlocutor’. The resulting effect is that of mounting anger and violence in the speaker. In conclusion Duffy lends pathos and a tragic dimension to her character. In order to have a tragic dimension in a character, the character needs to have experienced some sort of tragic event. For Havisham this was the betrayal which causes her to be totally self-aware. As a result this event will manifest itself in to the character of the speaker. This will cause the reader to sympathise with the speaker. In Kid, Armitage presents a character who seeks to measure himself favourably at someone else’s expense. This makes it much harder for the reader to sympathize with the speaker in Kid than in Havisham. As a result of this I feel that the speaker in Havisham is far more captivating than the one in Kid. This is mainly due to the effect the tragic event of betrayal suffered by the reader, has affected her behaviour. This in conjunction with the various stylistic and linguistic features in the poem make Havisham a more powerful and effective poem.