Human Resource department of Thorpe Park Essay

Introduction: This report written on the 16th of October 2002 is to give a detailed report about the Human Resource department of a company. For this purpose, Thorpe Park has been selected as the study company. Task 1-Human Resource function: Introduction: ‘Human Resource means using people as an asset to achieve the company’s goals and objectives.’ The main concerns of the human resource department are: > Planning a successful campaign > Equal opportunities to all > The contract terms and conditions > Training and investing in training > Personal records and its protection > Grievance and disciplinary procedures > Management of the employees > Rewards for work > Welfare of the employees Findings: 1.1 The Human Resource department The human resources department at Thorpe Park has three different managers. Their structure and main functions are as follows: 1. Recruitment manager The recruitment manager at Thorpe Park is responsible for recruiting permanent and seasonal staff. The manager has to advertise the jobs on the local press and other appropriate places. The manager at Thorpe Park is also responsible for deciding work experience positions and other recruiting responsibilities. 2. Training manager The training manager at Thorpe Park is responsible for employees and their training. The major activities of the training manager at Thorpe Park are as follows: > Park structure – this is helpful for the staff as it gets them to know each other and their responsibilities. > Health and safety – to make sure that all employees know what to do and how to handle things in an emergency > Rules and regulations – all employees must know the company rules and regulations as it is required by law and helps the business achieve the objectives. > Role-play situation – helps employees to be able to do team work and support their team mates > Fire safety – show fire exits and fire extinguishers and where to meet and who to call if a fire alarm sounds > Emergency procedures – shows the employees what to do in case of emergency 3. Human resource manager H.R. manager at Thorpe Park is responsible for: > Employee relations – involves everything regarding relation and communication between the employees > Disciplinary procedures – if employees do not behave H.R. manager will provide them with a verbal warning and if repeated that will be followed by the written and then the final warning. > Contracts of employment – making sure all the employees are provided with this legal document > Pensions – paying pension to people that are entitle to it > Other sections this manager is responsible for are: administration, cast welfare, benefits incentives. The above stated managers are very essential to the management of Thorpe Park in the following ways: 1. Recruitment Recruitment responsibility at Thorpe Park is important because if there is not enough staff recruited then the business may have to some of its rides and that will lint to unhappy customers and less profit for the business. As we know staffs is the most expensive asset for all businesses, at Thorpe Park the recruitment managers have to make sure that the staff that they employ are well qualified and fit to the requirements that are necessary for the particular job. 2. Training Because of the nature of the business at Thorpe Park, training is a part and parcel of the new employed staff. The business has to make sure that the employees do know as to what they are doing and what are the necessary precautions to be taken while performing that job. Apart from this, they also have to take care of the health and safety of the people who come to enjoy there. The training manager therefore has to make sure that the money spent on the training of the staff is worth it. 3. Human resources Task 2 Introduction: Human resources planning used to be called manpower planning. However recently it has been defined as ‘the activity of management which is aimed at co-ordinating the requirements for the availability of different types of employees’. The reasons for human resource planning are as follows: * To encourage employers to develop clear links between their business plans and their HR plans so that they can integrate the two more effectively, for all concerned. * Organisations can control staff costs and numbers employed far more effectively. * Employers can build up a skill profile for each of their employees. This makes it easier to give them work where they are most value to the organisation. * It creates a profile of staff, which is necessary for the operation of an equal opportunities policy. The process of human resource planning: * Stocktaking: This could be job analysis or skills audit. That is like a survey of the skills of employees. Performance reviews as if a 6 months review which tells employees about the progress in their work area. * Forecasting supply: This is as if estimating how many employees to have in the future. Many organizations use a technique called labour turnover. There are three ways to calculate this 1. Annual labour turnover index, 2. Stability index 3. Bowey’s stability index. * Forecasting the demand for labour: This is usually determined by predicating factors like, demand for products, product diversification and capital investment plans. * Implementation and review: This is as if accessing the situation e.g. they have the new recruitment plan been successful. Findings: 2.1.1. Employment Trends: Employment trends depend on the supply and demand of labour. The supply of labour depends on statistics like the population of the country. The total population of the UK depends on factors such as birth and death rates and the ease of migration. In addition, the size of the working population affects employment trends. The size of the working population is contributed by the birth and death rates and the age structure. The supply of labour also depends on the working populations preferences for leisure. As people become wealthy, they prefer leisure for work. The demand for labour levels can change with differences in demand for goods and services. An example of this is the leisure and cleaning industry has gone up but the service and manufacturing demand has gone down. Here is an example of this in the economic market. In a boom we spend more on goods and services, although our interest is a lot lower and therefore demand increases and unemployment is low, but in an economic slump interest rates rise therefore people have less income to spend and wages go down. In addition, the cost of borrowing is higher this all contributes to demand falling and high unemployment. Total wage bills rise in a boom and fall in a slump. Another factor that affects employment trends is women’s participation rate in employment. The rise of the tertiary sector has meant a change in employment and employment patterns. The tertiary sector is now more important than the secondary sector which traditionally employed man in say manufacturing. These industries are now being replaced and their place has been taken by the service industries, for example banking, insurance and retailing. The service industries are now major employers of women. What are the employment trends at Thorpe Park? Most employees are recruited from the local area but also from colleges and universities around the country these are student placements and some seasonal; cast come from aboard. What have been the trends in the local area of Thorpe Park over the last 5 years in terms of employment trends? There has been low unemployment Thorpe Park has tackled this by increasing hourly rates. What factors will affect Thorpe Park in the future? Most probably, national trends an example of this there might be a recession and unemployment might increase. Statistics on employment trends external To Thorpe Park Length of service of employees: * Since 1986 the length of service of people at a particular place for 2 years – 20 years was 62%. This figure kept decreasing and in the year 2001 it reached to 56%. * On the other hand people working in a particular place for more than 20 years in 1986 was 9%. Surprisingly this figure increased to 11% in the year 2001. On observing the above stated figure it shows that the latest unemployment numbers for November 2002 to January 2003 continue to suggest that, having been rising for around a year, unemployment is now falling. The unemployment rate at 5.0 per cent is down 0.2 percentage points on the quarter. The latest figure for the level of unemployment is down 73,000 on the quarter to stand at 1.459 million Similarly, on observing the above figure it can be seen that the employment rate continues on an upward trend. Having been rising marginally over the past year, there are low signs that unemployment may be falling, though the decline in the numbers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance appears to be levelling off. The rate of earnings growth remains subdued. Generally, data are consistent with the output growth shown in gross domestic product (GDP) data in 2002. Overall, the labour market remains largely flat. The rate of GDP growth picked up in the second quarter of 2002 after a weak first quarter, and this stronger growth appears to have continued into the third. The fourth quarter experienced slower growth but was still healthy. The number of people in employment continued to grow steadily throughout the period. Nevertheless, while employment continued to grow, through most of last year the rate of increase was no more than in line with population growth, leaving the trend in employment largely flat from May-July 2001 until recent months. However, the stronger GDP growth seen in the second and third quarters does now appear to be showing up in the employment data. Underlying this is the fact that the labour market tends to lag output: output slows or accelerates first; employment levels adjust later. The latest employment figures for November to January show the working-age employment rate up 0.1-percentage point on the quarter at 74.6 per cent. The 16 and over employment level is up 57 ,000 on the quarter (compared with a 271,000 increase on the year). As a result, the latest trend in the employment rate appears to be upward. 2.1.2 Skills shortages Skills shortage at Thorpe Park: * It seems to be that the entire United Kingdom has a shortage of specialist engineers. * This type of shortage has hit Thorpe Park very hard. * Electrical and mechanical engineers are in short supply and Thorpe Park is looking out by various means to find some. * Thorpe Park reckons that this problem could be resolved because large companies like the airlines make their employees redundant quickly. * Thorpe Park always keeps an eye on the national statistics at a monthly basis to see the latest local labour trends. * They cannot afford to miss out ant potential engineers because engineers are the heart and soul of the company. As they are the ones who form the rides and maintain them for our safety. * But they do find it difficult to recruit staff and at times they have to recruit unsuitable staff and train them. * The company gets highly affected by this, as it has to face many cost implications such as advertising and re-advertising of vacancies. * They then have to train them or send them on apprenticeships to become better and much efficient engineers. * At times they even have to increase their pays to attract them and retain them. 2.1.3 Statistics on Competition for employees external To Thorpe Park Unemployment rates for males and females in the UK Here are some statistics on the unemployment rate for females and males in the UK from the period of 1992 to 2001 A higher proportion of young people than older people are unemployed, and a higher proportion of men are employed than women. 16-17 year olds men who were economically active were 13% unemployed. If you look at a male and female unemployment graph, you can see that 16 – 17 year old males are more out of work than the males. Education has a big factor in this because most people of that age are in colleges. The unemployment rate is again lower for females in the 18-24-age bracket. Still the unemployment rate is lower for females than men in the 25-44-age bracket. Overall the graph shows a lower unemployment rate for females. This is probably due to most females still stay at home. So what would be the level of competition for various types of employment within Thorpe Park? Thorpe Park fined it easiest to fill rides, attractions and shop vacancies then they do catering. 2.1.4 availability of labour (internal and external to the business) What is the availability of labour externally to Thorpe Park? There are restrictions of skills and abilities. If there is a particular skill required for an occupation then the worker will be rewarded with high wages as, for example an engineer. Qualifications and training is required some occupations require people to have specific academic qualifications which can only be achieved over along period of time. The strength of trade unions to negotiate wage levels will depend upon their ability to recruit members. Some occupations are difficult to organize as, for instance, the catering industry. In this industry trade unions have little influence compared with those unions operating in the energy supply industry. Mobility of labour if the labour is immobile it means that in those occupations where there is a skill shortage workers are able to command high wages because the supply of labour is limited. Dirty or dangerous jobs – the supply of labour in some jobs is restricted because of the nature of the job; it might be dirty or dangerous such as coal mining. On the other hand some jobs have very good working conditions and attract labour which keep down wages. What is the availability of labour within the local area and also internally within Thorpe Park for various types of employment? The local area has a 0.6% unemployment level. The workforce is flexible – permanent and seasonal. The labour force by gender and age: Females: * There was a considerable rise in the number of women in the labour force over the last 30 years from 10 million in 1971 to 13.2 million in 2001 i.e. by nearly 24.2%. * Women in the age group of 16years to 24 years started concentrating more on education because of which females in this age group had a low labour force particularly between 1991 and 2001. * On the other hand, females in the age group of 25-44 years had a remarkable increased labour force between 1971 and 2001. However, later the figures remained more or less constant. * Females in the age group of 45-54 years had an increase in labour force between 1991 and 2001. * The females 55 years and over had the figures more or less constant throughout. Males: * The number of men in the labour force has increased much slowly from 16.0 million in 1971 to 16.3 million in 2001. * Men aged over 55 years formed only 13% of the male labour force in 2001 compared to 21% in 1971. * However, the labour force of males between the age group of 25-44 years has increased drastically. * Males in the age group of 45-54 years have increased their force in the labour market between 1991 and 2001. 2.2 Collect internal staffing information about Thorpe Park 2.2.1 Labour turnover The labour turnover is not available the end of November 2001 because the termination of seasonal contracts will be complete at this time. 2.2.2 Labour Turnover (wastage Rate) Dismissals 26/1000 correct at 31.08.01. 2.2.3 Sickness Rates For 2000 2394 seasonal sickness absence Months over 100 April, May, September, October Months over 150 June, July, August Days over 100 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Days over 150 Sunday, Saturday 2.2.4 Accidents Rates Unfortunately Thorpe Park would not give us any statistics on accidents rates. 2.2.5 Age demographics The general age rates for various jobs are 89% are 16-24 years of age. 2.2.6 Skills acquired and skills needed The skills and training that are required are: Training: Induction training for all staff and departmental training. Skills: First Aiders only need specific skills. 2.2.7 Training undertaken and training required What is the rate of progression within Thorpe Park? From seasonal cast 14 have been made permanent. 2.2.8 Succession What does Thorpe Park hope to accomplish in the future?. They want to increase their sales through good guest care; this will need high-level training of staff to achieve this. Thorpe Park wants to change their profile of Park from thrill to family bias and they want a high level of guest satisfaction. 2.3 If you look at the length of service of the employees in the UK in 1986,91,96 and 2001 and you look at the dismissals, which Thorpe Park have, you will see that 26/1000 dismals in a year is 2.6% which is lower than the statistics of the length of service of people in employment. For the year 2001 the UK length of service in a year is 13%, which is a lot higher than Thorpe Parks 2.6% of people who leave after one year. The number of people in employment in Thorpe Park is 1000 ad for the year 2000 there were 2394 absences. In the UK the number of employment at about the end was little under 27500. So as you can see there is a very high number of absences at Thorpe Park. They need to improve on these figures I accept most of these absences are from people who are not really ill. It is probably young people from the age group 16 – 24 who have been out the night before and don’t want to come in. In this case Thorpe Park need to be harder on their disciplinary rules to cut ab sences figures. Thorpe Park does not have enough engineers. This is national problem; They could deal with this situation by having more apprenticeships in engineering. The local area around Thorpe Park, which is Staines, has a 0.6% unemployment level. This is good because nationally the unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds is very high. The 16 – 24 age group is the main age group for seasonal staff so nationally the unemployment rate for females aged 16-17 is 16.8% in 2000 and 18-24 is 8.2%. The male’s 16-17 year olds is 20% and the 18-24 year group is 11.8%. So you can see that the area of Staines has very low unemployment compared to the rest of the UK. By having low unemployment it is harder to recruit more staff. The staff they do recruit might not be the sort person they want but because of the low competition of applicants, they might have to train a person up to the necessary standard. 89% of Thorpe Parks employees are 16 – 24 year olds. Due to the rising interest of this age group going to school, college and university I think this has contributed to a decline in the number of people in employment at that age. Thorpe Park do seem to have a good number of employees at this age though . In 2000 nationally in the UK male 16 – 24 year olds there was only 2.7 million of them in employment with a decrease and the same with females with only 2.3 million in employment. So Thorpe Park is doing well to have 89% of 16 – 24 year olds working for them. 2.4 I recommend that Thorpe Park: * Have harder disciplinary rules to stop so much sickness through absences, the rule should be people who are sick can stay at home, but the people who are sick through hangovers must be told to come in or face harsh circumstances. * There should be more apprenticeships for electrical engineers this will help train people and eventually there will be more qualified electrical engineers working at the Park. * They need to increase their customer service training so customers can feel a good degree of guest care. * Finally if Thorpe Park want their Theme Park more family based, then I suggest a new ride for the family 2.5 2.5.1 Engineers electrical and mechanical engineers are in very short supply. Nationally this is the case. What needs to happen is more apprenticeships and training so we can breed more engineers. Also because of the external influence of terrorism on the airlines a lot of engineers are being made redundant or will be made redundant. This won’t help airlines but other companies will then be able to recruit more engineers. Competition for employees is very tight. The labour market remained robust in 2001 with ongoing employment growth. Traditionally the UK has always had high employment. Low unemployment is meaning that employees are increasing wages by over 4%. Currently unemployment is very low about 4.5% nationally that is about 4 people out of 100 is unemployed and the local unemployment is 0.4% which is 4 people out of 1000. Employment is at an all time of 73% and this is an all time high for women. So this makes it more difficult to recruit staff and employers will find it more expensive because of the amount of advertising and training. The Availability of labour can often cause problems; there are usually restrictions of skills and abilities. There might be a particular skill required for an occupation like an engineer. Qualifications and training is required for some jobs and some time gaining the qualification can take a long time to do. Trade unions need a high level of labour to negotiate wages with its members. Mobility of labour if the labour force is immobile then the labour force that is there can try and demand higher wages because the supply of labour is limited. Dirty or dangerous jobs can sometimes alter the supply of labour because of then nature of the job. On the other hand some jobs have very good working conditions and attract labour which keep down wages. 2.5.2 Thorpe Park has apprenticeships and external courses to train engineers. By doing this they will increase the number of engineers, which at the moment is in short, supply. Due to the low unemployment in the UK Thorpe Park have started to recruit people from abroad to increases their amount of staff, which they will need to do due the Park expanding in size. Thorpe Park is situated in Staines, which is the South East of England, which has the lowest unemployment in the UK. So Thorpe Park are finding tit hard to recruit in the local area that’s why they are expanding recruit aboard. Also I think that Thorpe Park are maybe hoping to bring a different culture to Thorpe Park like Disney World have in America there have kept there Theme Park American but adding some different cultures to the mix. Thorpe Park has offered training schemes through NVQ’S and apprenticeships and other external training courses. Due to the immobile labour of engineers, engineers at Thorpe Park can demand higher wages due to they are in demand and they are very important to the business. Also fixing Theme Park rides does have the possibility of being quite dangerous like possible the loss of a finger etc. On the other hand labour might be attracted to Thorpe Park due to the their good working conditions. They must have good working conditions due to their nature of the business and because the health and safety act states it should, so it is a legal requirement any way. 2.5.3 Over the past 50 years the UK has seen migration rocket. Thorpe Park is also trying to develop this by encouraging people to migrate and work at Thorpe Park. As people become wealthier they want more leisure time this relates to when youngsters go out the night before and then don’t come to work in the morning because perhaps they are too tired or probably got a hangover one of the two. Labour market trends show that most 16 -21 year olds that studied at school, college or university often get a weekend job or an evening job and student placements from say universities. This is who a lot of the seasonal Thorpe Park staff are usually. Due to the low unemployment Thorpe Park has increased its hourly wage. If you analysis national figures on the length of service of employees in the UK you will see that in 2001 people who have been in work for over a year 13% of them leave, compare this Thorpe Parks 2.6% dismals record and you will see that employees at Thorpe Park do tend to stay on for much longer. If you look at the number of people in the employment graph you will see that there is 27500 and Thorpe Park only have 1000 so I suggest that due to Thorpe Parks ambitions to expand the Park in size they will need to expand their employment figures in size. If you look at the unemployment rates nationally you will see that for females aged 16-17 is 16.8% in 2000 and 18-24 is 8.2%. The male’s 16-17 year olds is 20% and the 18-24 year group is 11.8%. All those percentages are lot a higher than the Staines local area unemployment rate which is 0.6%. This proves that there are less people to employ in Staines than the national average. In 2000 nationally in the UK male 16 – 24 ye ar olds there was only 2.7 million of them in employment with a decrease and the same with females with only 2.3 million in employment. So Thorpe Park is doing well to have 89% of 16 – 24 year olds working at Thorpe Park. Task 2- Conclusion I think Thorpe Park do have a successfully human resource plan in relation to the format given in my textbook. Why because the staffs is properly qualified to do the job allotted to them. Also Thorpe Park does use the process of human resources very effectively. Then do this by carry our the 4 main stages which are: Stock taking an example of this is job analysis Forecasting the supply of labour an example of this is annual labour turnover index Forecasting demand for employees Implementation and review Task 3: Recruitment and selection. One of the most important jobs for the human resources manager is recruiting and selecting new employees. Without the right employees, the organisation will be unable to operate efficiently, serve its customers properly, or make any profits. With the proper recruitment and selection techniques, organisations can make as sure as possible that they can achieve these objectives. In the recruitment and selection procedure generally the following procedures: > Giving a job description > Preparing an advertisement for the job > Application forms > Short listing candidates > Person specification > Psychometric/diagnostic tests > Interviews and cross checking the candidates > Offer and rejection of the candidates > Contract of employment > Staff handbook 3.1 > Person specification: A person specification sets out the qualities of an ideal candidate whereas a job description defines the duties and responsibilities of the job. The best-known method of drawing up person specifications is the ‘SEVEN POINT PLAN’ originally devised by Alec Rodger. Following is an example of the seven-point plan: Essentials Desirables How identified Physical (this includes grooming looks, voice tone etc) Attainments (this includes the educational qualifications and experience) General intelligence (the results from the IQ tests) Special aptitude (the special skills of the person) Interests (their hobbies and their social life) Disposition (the stability of the person) Circumstances (the personal life of the person) Rodger’s seven-point plan usually requires managers to distinguish between essential and desirable qualities under each of the seven headings. > Job description: Before an organisation goes in the recruitment process, it needs to examine the job description for the post. A job description lists the main tasks required in a job. In drawing up a job, description the personnel department has a number of alternatives. These are: 1. The line manager can draw up a description of what the job entails. 2. The existing jobholder can do it. 3. The human resource manager can interview the jobholder and the line manager to find out what the job involves. The aim of the exercise is to itemise all the tasks involved in a job and to try to allocate a proportion of the working week to each task. This is important for several reasons: 1. In carrying out appraisals of the employees. 2. When analysing the job for training needs the manager must be able to see what tasks a job involves so that they can determine what training may be required. 3. For pay determination. 4. In planning the size of the work force for the future, it will be necessary to know exactly what tasks each job involves in case the re-allocation of tasks between jobs is requires. Clearly, none of this is possible without good quality and detailed job descriptions. The main features of a job description are: a) The job title b) The location of the job c) A brief outline of what the organisation does d) The main purpose of the job e) A detailed list of the main tasks required in the job f) The standards that the job holder will be required to achieve g) Pay and other benefits h) Promotion prospects i) The person to whom the job holder reports j) The person who reports the job holder > Application form: This is a far more commonly used mode of selection. Consultants devote hours to designing new and better forms that will extract even more accurate information from people. A typical form will require details on addresses, next of kin, education, training, qualifications, work experience, non-work interests (hobbies and social life) and the name of referees from whom the organisation can collect personal recommendations. The personal staff will have identified specific requirements from the job and person specification. They can compare these with the information on the forms. They only need to shortlist the applicants who have met those requirements. The forms can act as a framework for the interviewer to use should the applicant be short-listed. The organisation can keep all the forms for the short listed candidates for the vacancy and draw on them again if another vacancy arises. The form from the successful applicant will become a very useful part of their initial personal records. > Prepared advertisement: Unless an organisation pays a recruitment consultancy or an executive search consultant to find potential recruits, it will have to design its own advertisements to attract people. Specialist consultancies have sophisticated advertising departments that place large and expensive adverts in quality press. Most businesses, however, will not have such facilities and they will have to draw up their own advertisements. Before writing the advertisement, the employer must determine exactly what is wanted from the job being advertised. When drafting the advertisement the key points to consider are: i. Describe the job that is being advertised ii. Describe the type of person that is required for the job but have to be careful because it is illegal to state the sex, ethnic origin of the person required. iii. The pay and the terms and conditions iv. Place of work v. Procedure as to how the candidate can apply for the job vi. Be honest about the job being advertised, it is no use to give an over attractive picture. vii. Find the right place to advertise the job. > Psychometric/diagnostic tests: Now days it is common for employers to expect job applicants to carry out tests to give a fuller picture of their ability to do the job applied for. These are usually referred to as aptitude tests. They are appropriate for manual work where there is some skill involved and in office work where applicants be required to take a short typing or word processing test. For professional posts, these tests are less usual because it is felt that the candidate’s qualifications, references and experience are sufficient evidence. Psychometric tests assess the intelligence and personality of applicants. They are much more sophisticated than aptitude tests and the employer must have properly trained staff to analyse the test results properly. Such tests are particularly valuable when assessing intelligence, interest in the job applied for, motivation and personality. The producers of such tests argue that they are completely unbiased and extremely accurate. They are supposed to be particula rly good at assessment of personality. > Interview format/techniques: This is the final stage of the recruitment and selection and is increasingly common these days. Interviews are arranged for almost every kind of job. The process of shifting through forms or letters and examination of references is now over and that only a few of the applicants for the job will be interviewed. This is because interviews take up the time of senior managers who have to carry them out and this will be costly for them. Interviewing is sometimes done in a poorly thought out and badly structured manner that gives the organisation a bad image. To avoid this situation only requires the observation of a few simple rules: 1. Plan the interview properly. 2. Decide if there is a need for any tests for the applicant. 3. As a rule, the ‘talking split’ in the job interview should be around 20% for the interviewer and 80% for the interviewee. 4. The interview should always begin with friendly questions to put the candidate at ease. 5. Finally, there should be a question asking the candidates if they have any questions. > Offer and rejection letters: These are the crucial moments in the life of a job applicant. His fate for the particular is decided in these letters. It is very easy for the interviewer to say yes but in order to send a rejection letter they have to be polite and gentle as it should not let down the applicants desire for another job. Usually it is common to wish good luck to a candidate for his future jobs in a rejection letter. > Contract of employment: Terms and conditions of employment which apply generally or to groups of employees need to be defined in the contract of employment as described below: 1. Individual contracts of employment must satisfy the provisions of contracts of employment legislation. They include a statement of capacity in which the person is employed and the name or job title of the individual to whom he or she is responsible. They also include details of pay, allowances, hours, holidays, leave and pension arrangements and refer to relevant company policies, procedures and rules. Increasing use is being made of fixed-term contracts. 2. The basic information that should be included in a written contract of employment varies according to the level of job, but the following checklist sets out the typical headings: * Job title * Duties to be performed * The date when the employment starts * Hours of break including lunch break and overtime and shift arrangements * Holiday arrangements * Sickness leave * Length of notice due to and from employee * Grievance procedure * Disciplinary procedures * Work rules * Arrangements for terminating contract 3.2 As mentioned before Thorpe Park has seasonal staffs and permanent staffs. Therefore, for different staffs different procedures and documents are crucial. Lets have a look at these in detail: 1. Seasonal staffs: Thorpe Park has a seasonal staff of over 1000. Such a large number of seasonal staff is very difficult to select and handle. Therefore, in order to make the right decision in selecting the desired seasonal staff they would need to have a proper and well-prepared advertisement. After the advertisement, they would need to have an application form that is very essential because it helps to have a general/detailed outlook of the applicant. As Thorpe park has a large number of seasonal staff they need to have an interview checklist so that they can grade/rate the candidates on the basis of the same questions asked to everyone and that there is no kind of discrimination made during the interview. After all this a contract of employment is very essential for everyone who is employed as it proves that the person is legally employed and that he/she is aware of their duties etc. 2. Permanent staffs: As stated before Thorpe Park has permanent staff of nearly 350 members strong. Permanent staffs do have more authorities and responsibilities than the seasonal staffs. Therefore, the recruitment manager has to be even more careful in advertising and hiring these staffs. Therefore in the initial part a job description; person specification, prepared advertisement and an application form are very crucial and essential because they help in attracting the required candidate. After this, the interview and the psychometric/ diagnostic tests are essential because they help the recruitment manager to know the candidates more carefully. Finally the staff handbook and the contract of employment are helpful to the selected candidate in knowing something more about his job, benefits etc. 3.3 For seasonal staffs: > The advertisement for seasonal staffs is very good and impressive. It can really work towards attracting applicants. However, apart from stating the pay rate if they could also state the words â€Å"plus extra benefits† that could make the advertisement even more exciting. > The application form could also be improved. For instance, on page 2 the applicant is asked about the previous employment history. In this section is a question on the position of the applicant’s job but there is no question about the duties performed by the applicant in the previous job. > The questions asked in the interview checklist are good and can really make the candidate think before they can answer. However, as the number of applicants is going to be very large there would not be sufficient time to ask all the questions to all candidates. Therefore, it is recommended that there should be less questions but straight to the point. > The contract of employment does not state as to how the payments are going to be made – by cash, by cheque or it is going to be deposited into the respective account. For permanent staffs: > The advertisement for the permanent staff is very good and impressive as well. It can really work towards attracting applicants. Again, apart from stating the pay rate if they could also state the words â€Å"plus extra benefits† that could make the advertisement even more exciting. > On the application, form where it is asked to state the employment history there is very little or rather no place to state the responsibilities that the applicant had carried. This could be very crucial information for the company is selecting the desired candidate. 3.4 Analysis of the documents: > Job role: The job role prepared by the company is fantastic and much organised. They have the desired pre planned in their minds and are just waiting for its arrival. The desired qualification of the person is deeply planned and thought through. > Advertisement: The advertisement is good but not up to the mark. After having a look at the job role a person would expect an even impressive advertisement. Though the desired details are placed in the advert there are still a few things missing that make it more attractive as if the payroll could also include extra benefits and more facilities etc. > Application form: Again it is well organised and planned but the place for the crucial information is not provided for e.g. the employment history does not have any place for responsibilities held etc. Task 4 – Training and Development: Introduction: A general definition of training is: ‘the acquisition of a body of knowledge and skills which can be applied to a particular job’. Traditionally, young people left school and found a job that provided them with sufficient initial training to enable them to continue to do the same job indefinitely. Today there are very few ‘traditional’ apprenticeships and people can no longer assume that any job will be a job for life. Even people who do keep the same job for a long time are required to update their skills regularly, or face redundancy because their old skills are rapidly made useless by the advance of new technology. The significance of this is that training is much more central to peoples lives as an ongoing process rather than just something they do at the start of their careers. > Induction training: Induction is the process of introducing new employees to the organisation and its way of life and culture. A successful job applicant should be provided with induction training of some kind. As might be expected the larger, well-resourced organisations do this more thoroughly than poorly resourced, smaller organisations. Most of the induction programme will include: * A tour of the buildings to show the newcomer all the important areas – the sick room, the canteen, the pay office, toilets etc * An introduction to their new workplace – the specific office or factory areas or shop department – where they will be working * Some background details about the organisation – the easiest and best way to do this is to show them a video. > Mentoring: This a type of training where an experienced senior manager is allocated to a young employee in order to help them to structure their career development within the organisation. The mentor passes on the benefits of their experience, insight and wisdom. They will advice the young employee how to deal with a wide variety of managerial problems but they are not there to help them to improve specific skills. > Coaching: This is rather similar to mentoring but the key difference is that coaching involves helping the young employee to acquire high quality skills in a number of specific management areas. Such skills include communication with staff, budgeting, how to appraise staff and how to carry out disciplinary procedures. > Apprenticeships: The main principles of apprenticeships are: 1. Qualifications are workplace based, reflecting real workplace needs. 2. Workplace requirements are now a far bigger influence on what is taught in further education colleges. 3. The single European market means that these new qualifications will eventually become part of a common system of the Euro-qualifications. Apprenticeships usually include NVQ’s, GNVQ’s, Vocational A levels etc. Usually the company pays for such type of education for its budding employees. > In-house training: This is where the employers run courses inside their own organisation. Courses might be held in an ordinary office room or in a smart training centre owned by the organisation itself. The main benefits of using in-house courses are: 1. They are cheap – there is usually no need to employ outside trainers and lecturers. 2. Course content is tailor made for your organisation. 3. References and examples to highlight points can be related to your own organisation. 4. Everybody knows one another, so there is no time wasted in having to get to know other people. > External training: Sometimes it is necessary to send staff to do courses elsewhere. This may be with another employer, at a specialist-training centre, or at a factory of an equipment supplier. The benefits of using external courses are: 1. They bring together specialist trainers/tutors who would never be available to an ‘in-house’ course chiefly because of the high cost. 2. Course members get together from several organisations, and this enables them to learn more about each other and how their respective organisations operate. 3. Trainers place great value on the benefits of being away from the workplace – the course members are in a comfortable and peaceful environment away from any distractions. Findings: At Thorpe Park, there is a separate training sub-department within the Human Resource department. In fact, they also have a special training manager for this purpose. To begin with, let us have a look at the induction programme which is also known as ‘ice-breaker’. > Thorpe Park has two days of induction programme. The day one covers the introduction to the Tussads group, the park structure – the who’s who and where’s where, the parks health and safety issues, the uniforms and appearance of the staff, explanations of the rules and regulations, the role play situations, fire safety, emergency procedures and other general information about the park. > The day two covers the department specific training. This means that the staffs is taken to their respective departments and are given the general overall outlook of their duties and the department. After the induction, there is the personal development programme. This is not actually a training programme but is a process where the applicants are given an opportunity towards their plans in education and with the company. In this programme, the members of staff complete a PDP form, which will enable them to access their areas for improvement/development and look at ways to move forward. Other methods of training in Thorpe Park like the mentoring help the members of staff towards personal development. Besides these, Thorpe Park also offers apprenticeships like the NVQ’s for the members of staff. Across the park, they have people studying for NVQ’s in business administration, landscaping and engineering. Most of the trainings are provided to the permanent staff only. The external courses are used for legislation and development training only. Thorpe Park is known as investors in people. They have got this recognition not by spending money on the entertainment of people but by spending money on improving the quality of their staff by training them, sending them for apprenticeships and by helping them in their personal development. Training is important for the company to improve the competence of the cast and ensure the delivery of a high quality service. Recommendations: > Training is a very important part for a new candidate. Besides providing training to the permanent staff, if the company provides training to the seasonal staff as well then this may help to make the seasonal staff into permanent staff. Hence, the company will be able to save its money on advertising for the permanent staff. > If training sessions are provided to the seasonal staff, this may motivate them and the effect will show on the profit charts. Task 6 – Performance Management Introduction: Frederick W. Taylor: Frederick W. Taylor wanted to find out how people could work best, who was suited to what and to show them how to work more productively with less effort and danger. After all, he was working in a steel plant. Taylor set out four principles of scientific management. They were as follows: > Development of science to replace thumb methods > Scientific selection and progressive development of workmen > Bringing together of science and scientifically selected workmen through the inspiration of an individual > The dividing off of management away from the workers There are many managers today who would find nothing exceptional about Taylor’s words that also include a reference to leadership, something he sees as beyond scientific management. His results were incredible. Abraham Maslow: Until Abraham Maslow’s work, researches looked for what motivated people. Maslow’s answer is that it depends upon the situation of the individual. He therefore prepared a table of hierarchy. This hierarchy theory can be of help also in understanding cultural issues in motivation. Multi-nationals need to learn that what motivates someone in Bangkok may well be different from what motivates people in San Francisco. Douglas McGregor: According to McGregor, there are two alternative views of the nature of man: Theory X – Used to illustrate what he considered being the â€Å"traditional view of direction and control† 1. The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can 2. Because of the human characteristic of dislike of work, most people are coerced, controlled, directed, threatened with punishment to get them to put forth adequate effort towards the achievement of organisational objectives. 3. The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little ambition, and wants security above all. He also felt that these assumptions were used in most industrial organisations, but that they were in adequate for the full utilisation of each worker’s potential. McGregor’s other view of the nature of man i.e. Theory Y contains assumptions, which he believes could lead to greater motivation and increased fulfilment of both individual needs and organisational goals. 1. The expenditure of physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest. 2. External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing about effort toward organisational objectives. 3. Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. 4. The average human being learns under proper conditions, not only to accept but also to seek responsibility. 5. The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in the solution of organisational problems is widely, not narrowly distributed in the population. 6. Under the conditions of modern industrial lie, the intellectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially utilised. Frederick Herzberg: Frederick Herzberg distinguishes between hygiene factors – those that will not increase motivation as such but will certainly decrease it if standards are not right and motivating factors. Hygiene factors include working conditions, salary, job security and company policies. Get these wrong and motivation will decline but add to them over a certain standard and there will be no more effect on motivation. Herzberg says that motivation derives from people having a sense of achievement, recognition, responsibility and opportunities for personal growth. He criticises management for ignoring the motivational factors and trying to motivate through things like money and benefits – expensive and not successful. He is also famous for his acronym â€Å"KITA†, which has been potentially translated as a kick in the pants. He says that KITA does not produce motivation but only movement. Findings: 6.1.1 Performance reviews including appraisals: Thorpe Park carries out regular appraisals with its company staff. The company to usually carries this out so that the management can evaluate as to how effective the staff are in fulfilling the objectives of the company. 6.1.2 Self evaluation: Besides the appraisal system the staff, members also have the opportunity to see and say as to how they think they are progressing and what places they need improvement. They can also recommend the areas where they would need some training or extra guidance. 6.1.3 Peer evaluation: Peer evaluation is not a formal method of performance evaluation but it can really help in the improvement of the staff if their work mates tell them what is required and when. 6.2 The management at Thorpe Park believe that it is very essential to motivate its staff so that they have a high morale and that they completely enjoy the work that they do for the company. They recommend the staff the areas where they think they could improve and send them for training. They do so only for the deserving staff members so that they can make them feel that they are important for the company. This is a very effective way of motivating the staff. Besides these, they have other methods of motivating staff like bonus schemes and other incentive schemes. Throughout the year, the company runs competitions like â€Å"magic moments† and â€Å"magic minds† that help the staff for not only performing good in their work but also motivate them to use their brains to help the company improve and progress ahead. There are grand prises for people who give good ideas to the company to improve their outlook. Besides the financial incentives, the company also has many non financial methods of motivating the staff for e.g. giving the staff member a public acknowledgement, sending them for further education, praising them for the job well done etc. all these do play an important role in motivating the staff. The human resource department does all this because they believe that the staff are the backbone of the business and hence want to use them as an asset to obtain their goals and objectives. 6.3 On taking a closer look at the way the management at Thorpe Park functions it can be stated that they use a little of every motivational theory in trying to motivate their staff. The reason behind this could be that different things motivate different people.

Price Quotes and Pricing Decisions Essay

This archive file of BUS 640 Week 5 Price Quotes and Pricing Decisions Applied Problems shows the solutions to the following problems: 1. a. Why would your company have bid with a zero mark-up on some past tenders? Business – General Business Price Quotes and Pricing Decisions Applied Problems . Please, complete the following 3 applied problems in a Word or Excel document. Show all your calculations and explain your results. Submit your assignment in the drop box by using the Assignment Submission button. Maxim Motronics A.G. have been marketing a new product in Europe that has achieved notable market success and it now plans to introduce this product into the United States market. The product is an electronic device that is mounted in the rear window of passenger cars and allows the driver of one vehicle to have a spoken message converted to text and scrolled across the display panel to be read by occupants of a following vehicle. This new product can utilize the hands-free telephone microphone already installed in many new vehicles, or provides this as free accessory. Maxim expects that demand will be slow at first but will pick up quickly as automobile accessory stores begin to stock the product and as word-of-mouth promotion spreads awareness. Maxim also plans to produce a humorous video for posting to YouTube and to utilize social-media marketing to spread awareness and enthusiasm for the new product. Market demand estimates provided by Maxim are that the firm expects to sell about 125,000 units into the U.S. market within 24 months, and that sales per month will start slowly and increase monthly in the expected diffusion pattern until they stabilize at about 10,000 per month after month 24. The diffusion curve parameters that fit these assumptions are shown in the equation + 46.11T2 – 1.352T3, where Q is sales per month and T †¦ Complete course guide available here – https://bitly.com/1oJNbd3 Reserve your ambitions for a position in the student government for your  sophomore or junior year of college. Freshman are largely ignored by the SGA. You can use your freshman year to learn about campus politics and discover what role you’d like to play in them. Business – General Business Price Quotes and Pricing Decisions Applied Problems . Please, complete the following 3 applied problems in a Word or Excel document. Show all your calculations and explain your results. Submit your assignment in the drop box by using the Assignment Submission button. Maxim Motronics A.G. have been marketing a new product in Europe that has achieved notable market success and it now plans to introduce this product into the United States market. The product is an electronic device that is mounted in the rear window of passenger cars and allows the driver of one vehicle to have a spoken message converted to text and scrolled across the display panel to be read by occupants of a following vehicle. This new product can utilize the hands-free telephone microphone already installed in many new vehicles, or provides this as free accessory. Maxim expects that demand will be slow at first but will pick up quickly as automobile accessory stores begin to stock the product and as word-of-mouth promotion spreads awareness. Maxim also plans to produce a humorous video for posting to YouTube and to utilize social-media marketing to spread awareness and enthusiasm for the new product. Market demand estimates provided by Maxim are that the firm expects to sell about 125,000 units into the U.S. market within 24 months, and that sales per month will start slowly and increase monthly in the expected diffusion pattern until they stabilize at about 10,000 per month after month 24. The diffusion curve parameters that fit these assumptions are shown in the equation + 46.11T2 – 1.352T3, where Q is sales per month and T is the number of months after the launch into the US market. Maxim’s average variable cost (AVC) is constant at $62 per unit and he expects to set the profit-maximizing price by applying a 167% mark-up to arrive at his regular price of $165, since he estimates the demand curve to be – 0.02Q.

Abstract Aestheticism in Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay

Each character in the novel searches for the elusive goal of happiness, but is never able to a... ..., Sarah. "decadence." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story.New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Sanyal, Arundhati. "Taboo in The Picture of Dorian Gray." Quoted as "Taboo in The Picture of DorianGray" in Bloom, Harold, ed. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Bloom's LiteraryReference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Shuman, R. Baird. Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition, January 2009, p1-2. (WorkAnalysis) Wainwright, Michael, "Oscar Wilde, the Science of Heredity, and "The Picture of Dorian Gray.'"()AUTHOR. English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, 2011, Vol. 54 Issue 4, p494-522, 29p.(Literary Criticism) Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Michael Patrick Gillespie. NewYork: W.W. Norton Company, 2007.

Hillingdon Electricals Ltd Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Hillingdon Electricals Ltd - Coursework Example Moreover, building strong relationship with its business partners along with enhancing its reputation has also facilitated HEL to obtain significant values within its operating areas. However, since the last two years, HEL has been experiencing a significant decline of its market shares due to the rising competition in the respective business industry along with instability of the global economy. The consequences of significant losses incurred in the market share, resulted to an increase in the target set for its retail stores through the implementation of higher pricing strategy for its wide range of households and electronic products. Moreover, the company has also been identified to implement higher promotional activities in order to refurbish the annual sales of its retail stores. The strategy of changing business policies or regulations was highly motivated the organisation to cope with the potential challenges caused by the market competition and economic instabilities. Corresp ondingly, the case scenario of HEL demonstrates three major scenarios regarding the difficulties faced by the organisation with respect to the legal regulations and policies. The company has conducted a wide range of advertising programs through different media to publicise its newly developed pricing structure for the products offered by its retail outlets. According to the advertisement results, it has been observed that the newly built pricing structure has incorporated numerous issues associated with the price of each individual product that are significantly cheaper than other marketers. In this regard, the following discussion of the study includes a brief demonstration of each scenario and justifies effective legal policies for the organisation to evade its potential challenges. Scenario A - Tony and Ursula In relation to the issues observed in the case scenario, indicating to the challenges faced by Tony and Ursula, an error as recognised associated with the pricing strategy of the products offered by each individual store of HEL to be the base point of the conflicts witnessed by HEL. In this context, Tony, a customer of the retail store of HEL had accepted the offer made by the company and purchased an iPad from the company’s online website in a price that was published by the organisation through its advertisements. However, the company claimed that advertised price was erroneous due to a manual mistake and that the actual price of the product was much higher. Although, the retail store had also offered different promotional offers to uphold itsgoodwill, Tony refused to pay the actual market price of the product and bargained the product at the advertised price. In the similar context, another customer Ursula had also faced similar issue during the purchase of product Tablet from the retail store, which was similarly advertised at a cheap price as compared to its market price. Subsequently, HEL made a repeat offer to Ursula at a discounted by a higher price of the product, who further denied paying the actual amount against the product to the store. In relation to the brief synopsis of the scenario of Tony and Ursula, it can be apparently stated that the pricing structure of the products developed by HEL is associated

Is the accessibility of free digital music downloads destroying the Essay

Is the accessibility of free digital music downloads destroying the recording industry - Essay Example The details of how free internet downloads affect the music industry will be examined in the subsequent part of the essay.2 Recording artists put a lot of time and effort to come up with products that gain appreciation from various audiences. It will only be considered fair if these same recording artists got a reward for their efforts. By downloading their music for free from the internet, recording artists are denied the chance of benefiting from their sweat.3 For recording artists who may not be well known or those trying to make a name for themselves in the industry, it becomes very difficult to offset all the payments and expenses that come with production of an album or even a song. They have to pay royalties to a host of parties involved in the process of recording songs, going on tour, purchase of equipment, hiring lawyers or paying up record Companies or any agents that were involved on the production process. Therefore all their investments end up going to other sources. It is a fact that most of the revenue generated in the recording industry is attributed to CD sales or album sales. The internet has caused a sharp reduction in these sales consequently making the artists who make a living from it suffer greatly.4 Free downloads also severely affect upcoming artists. This is because young artists are considered as a sort of investment.

Corporate finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Corporate finance - Essay Example That means it is the theory between the shareholders & the company managers. This term includes the expense of solving the potential conflicts between the two relevant groups. According to this theory, because of incomplete information & uncertainty, two types of problem can arise. Such as- A potential agency problem arises whenever the manager of a firm owns less than 100% of the firm’s common stocks. However, if the owner-manager incorporates & then sells some of the stocks to the outsiders, a potential conflict of interests immediately arises. In most large listed companies, potential conflicts of interests are important, as those firm’s managers generally own only a small percentage of the stocks. In this situation, shareholder wealth maximization could take a back seat to any number of conflicting managerial goals. In addition to the conflict between stockholders & managers, there can also be conflicts between creditors & stockholders. Creditors have a claim on the part of the firm’s earning stream of payment of interest & principle on the debt, & they have a claim on the firm’s assets in the event of bankruptcy. Stockholders have a control of decisions that affect the profitability & risk of the firm. Creditors lend the firm on the base of – 1) Capital Structure: A firm’s capital structure is that mix of debt & equity that maximizes the stock price. At any point of time, management has a specific target capital structure. Capital structure policy involves a trade-off between risk & return:- Financial flexibility or the ability to raise capital on reasonable terms under adverse conditions. The greater the probable future need for capital, & the worse the consequences of the capital shortage, the stronger the balance sheet should be. Managerial conservatism or aggressiveness that refers some managers are more aggressive than others, hence some firms are more inclined

Discussing the Terms - Vernacular, Social Network, Crossover Effect, Research Paper

Discussing the Terms - Vernacular, Social Network, Crossover Effect, Creole Continuum - Research Paper Example Social network: The phrase, social network, refers to a group of people who are held together by familial, professional or other interests. Generally speaking, the most common social networks are family groups, referring to both nuclear and extended families. Insofar as children or youth are concerned, school and college friends constitute a social network of primary importance, just as work colleagues often do with adults. Indeed, were one to critically consider the concept of social networks in relation to oneself, one would discover him/herself to be a member of various social networks, both real and virtual. In application to myself, I would identify my real-work social networks as my friends and family, to name but two groups and my virtual social networks as all the internet chat and interest groups to which I belong and with whose members I share common interests and hobbies. Ethnography of Communication: As a concept, ethnography of communication, refer to a very interesting phenomenon; one which is based on a concession to the fact that there is much more to verbal communication and interaction than the exchange of information. According to the anthropologist, D. House (2003), the concept of ethnography of communication was introduced and developed by the anthropologist Dell Hymes, who argued that verbal communications can only be fully understood and appreciated were their social context taken into consideration. In other words, and as House (2003) explains, within the context of practically any and all forms of verbal communications, the meaning is not communicated through words alone but also through silences, tones, nuances and the gaps between exchanges.  

Steps for Investment Strategy for Stock Market Essay - 3

Steps for Investment Strategy for Stock Market - Essay Example As the capital market is very volatile and requires very efficient and effective strategies for making investments in stock market. The stock markets are highly uncertain, and it is difficult to predict. Therefore, the chances of loss are higher without proper investment plan. This paper will attempt to present an argumentative discussion on the investment strategy for a stock market. In regard to trading strategies in the stock market, many have argued against the stock investment by claiming it as a zero-sum game as there is an equal number of winners and losers. The stock market is highly volatile and to take a winners’ position is quite challenging. An efficient trading strategy can make gains in bullish as well as in the bearish market. The following figure presents volatility of the FTSE for the last forty years. The most of investors who faced great loses due to investments in the stock market are mainly caused by their lack of knowledge and lack of general awareness. In fact, many investors having very limited knowledge regarding stock investments tend to face losses from the stock market investments and their investment behavior mainly driven by behavioral finance. The investors often make the investment based on their behavior which is mainly driven by unconventional market behavior. For example, investors should buy a stock when it comes to its lower boundary and sells just before it is supposed to fall. However, generally, investors do the opposite and face losses. However, there are also certain factors that must be taken into consideration, and the entire investment should follow systematic steps.  

Life's greatest miracle Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life's greatest miracle - Term Paper Example The producer of the program, Julia Cort notes that the urge to procreate is fundamental to all insects, birds, primates among others. DNA is a molecule responsible for carrying genetic material. It has been 4 billion years since the first discovery of this core molecule of life (Lifes Greatest Miracle). Bacteria replicate by cloning, that makes the parent and the clone identical with the exception of fornication mutants. Cloning as a type of reproduction is disadvantageous in that the species are prone to wipe out in case of a detrimental disease. Sexual reproduction on the other hand involves a male and female organism. Genes from each parent are vital for copulation to take place. The off spring from sexual reproduction is different from the parents and others. Sex results to difference. Variety is advantageous to a population because it translates to survival of a species. Sperm formation takes place in the testicles of a male organism with an approximation of 100,000,000 sperms per day (Lifes Greatest Miracle). Each sperm carries a unique genetic package. Miosis is the process that eggs and sperms undergo for them to exist (Lifes Greatest Miracle). The medical photographer explains the process with the aid of sex cells (egg and sperm). A pair of chromosomes in a sex cell replicate each forming two strands of chromosome attached at the centre. The chromosome then condenses to from an X shape. The partners coil around each other at specific points resulting to the transfer of genetic material. As mentioned earlier, sexual reproduction promotes diversity. Diversity increases the probability of organisms to survive. The narrator tells that majority of males start producing sperms during puberty while in females the creation of eggs onsets as a fetus. The eggs die off over the years. A teenage female outnumbers the adult female in terms of eggs in the ova ry. However, in comparison to a sperm, an egg is of quality rather

Women and Men's Shared Responsibility in Contraceptives Research Paper

Women and Men's Shared Responsibility in Contraceptives - Research Paper Example   As Jinxia (89) points out, the modern woman has a very big contribution to both social and economic development. The structure of the society has changed and the modern woman is more than just a reproductive being. They contribute economically to not only their families but also to the whole economy at large. The modern woman provides for her family almost as much, and sometimes as much as their male counterparts (Chadwick 45). In this regard, their need to be able to control their reproductive processes is inherent given that this affects the way they are able to contribute to their families and the economy at large. A woman should then have the right and ability to control when to get pregnant and become a mother, and when not to. Denying them this right would hinder their ability to contribute to the economy and to the social life. Those who say that women must not be given this right are those who have a low regard of a woman and regard a woman as nothing more than a domestic being whose work is to bear and rear children. Unfortunately, this is a practice of the past and does not apply in the modern world. It is necessary to apply this issue to Kantian ethics. Given that this is a moral/ethical issue to most people, it is necessary to apply the Kantian ethics to identify whether it is good to give women the right to access contraceptives. According to Emanuel Kant, an action is aid to be moral if it is intrinsically based on goodwill. Kant argued that there is no action that can be said to be good or bad on its own, but rather what makes an action good or bad is the good or bad will behind it.

Research Proposal Essay Example for Free

Research Proposal Essay I would like to write about a famous Arabic writer, Naguib Mahfouz. His poetry and works inspire me a lot and I enjoy reading his things. My father always used to read them to me, because his poems were true. Mahfouz always talks about the issues affecting the people of Egypt: generational, historical, religious, and political. Egyptians always have something going on. With his writings, Mahfouz’s introduces the reader to Egyptian reformers and modern and traditional characters as they change. We all know that as a country Egypt constantly reforms, even at an early age, Mahfouz has been able to capture hints of revolution. Mahfouz’s novels are stories of love, ethics, moral responsibility, and crises that characterize a culture that has had many changes. His stories talk about and describe the lives of ordinary individuals caught in struggles of identity and religion. His fictional work paint a picture of Egyptian Muslims that are ruled by their own culture, as well as those they encounter as a result of the outside influence of colonialism. This simultaneity allows Mahfouz to depict the contemporary Egyptian identity as both modern and traditional. In Naguib Mahfouzs short story Zaabalawi there see a young man in search of the mysterious Zaabalawi, because he afflicted with a disease which doctors are unable to cure. Zaabalawi is known to cure illnesses, a holy man that has healing powers. Zaabalawi is like a mysterious figure that has some strange powers to accomplish the impossible. While in this search, the protagonist visits a variety of figures including a religious lawyer, a book seller, a government officer, a calligrapher, and a musician. Not able to find any definite answers as to the whereabouts of Zaabalawi, he begins to doubt his existence. Eventually, however, while in a drunken sleep in a tavern, he dreams that he is in a beautiful garden and experiences a state of harmony and contentment. He awakes to find that Zaabalawi was with him but has now disappeared again. Though upset at having missed him, the main character is encouraged by his dream and determines to continue his search for Zaabalawi. In this story the author uses symbolism to convey his message to his audience, that the quest to find Zaabalawi is a journey into our souls in search of the inner peace that inside us. Mahfouz uses a lot symbolic meanings, such as irony, that is why I want to write about this work. I have always been drawn to these types of writing. Annotated Bibliography 1. Aboul-Ela, Hosam. The Writer Becomes Text: Naguib Mahfouz and State Nationalism in Egypt. Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, 27:2 (2004 Spring), pp. 339-56. I chose Prof. Aboul Ela because his work because it’s easy to read and very simple, some of the other materials was a bit too hard to put together. 2. Naguib Mahfouz. The Happy Man ONE WORLD OF LITERATURE Shirley Geok-Lin Kim and Norman A. Spencer. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993. p.46-p.53 Im using this source because it’s going to help me explain other literary works of Naguib Mahfouz in this essay. 3. Modern Egyptian Short Stories by El-Gabalawy, Saad (trans.) (Najib Mahfouz, Youssef Idris, Saad Elkhadem) ISBN: 0919966039 Im using this other source because of the type of writing. This book explains how Mahfouz writes his stories, and what he uses in terms of grammar and how he builds the story, symbolism and irony. 4. http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/mahfouz.htm This source is going to help me discuss the state of mind of Naguib Mahfouz when he wrote his books. It explains how Mahfouz became a beginning of an era not only in the Egyptian literature but also in the Arab literature.He was always lonely, maybe that’s the reason why his writings were always kind of sad.

Suicide terrorism

Suicide terrorism Suicide terrorists are said to be fanatics. Discuss this statement with regard to the analysis of suicide terrorism and Asymmetric warfare. This paper is a discussion on modern suicide terrorism, starting with a brief history of suicide terrorism, moving onto definitions, characteristics, theories and the asymmetries of suicide terrorism. Suicide terrorism can be dated back to ancient times; it is the evolution of the suicide bomber that brings the most notoriety. With many analysts such as (Gunaratna, 2000; Winkates, 2006), trace the evolution of modern suicide terrorism to Sri Lanka and Lebanon in the 1980s. Acts of suicide terrorism in the past have been relatively confined and their use limited to a small number of locations around the world. In the last decade there has been a significant expansion in the scope and frequency of suicide terrorist attacks. The number of terrorist attacks fell from 660 in 1988 to 250 in 1998; the number of suicide terrorist attacks was climbing rapidly (Clayton, 2003, p. 18). This increase in suicide attacks during the period 2000-2005 is 2.7 times greater in comparison to the period b eginning in the 1980s and lasting until 1999 (Pedahzur Perlinger, 2006, p. 1987). During the period 2000-2009 the scope of suicide terrorism expanded dramatically, with suicide terrorist attacks in Indonesia (Bali), Sri Lanka, Jordan, Israel, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States, England, Spain, Russia, Chechnya and Bangladesh. Although there have been suicide attacks within the west, it is the rapid increase of attacks within countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq that is the notable with a year on year increase. Saudi Arabia became so alarmed with the rise in suicide terrorism that in April of 2006 the Saudi government announced plans to build a multibillion-dollar electrified fence along its 560 mile border with Iraq (Dreazen Shiskin, 2006, p. A1). According to ISAF, in 2008 suicide bombings increased 26 percent from 2007(ISAF, 2009, toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan, January 2009). There has also been a noticeable change in the individuals who carry out suicide attacks, once seen as mainly carried out by you ng men for either Religious or political reasons and yet there has been an increase in the number of women and children now playing an increasing part in suicide missions . One of the latest attacks took place on the Moscow subway, killing 35 and wounding many more; both of these attack where carried out by female suicide bombers. Suicide terrorism can be seen as inexpensive, deadly, and especially effective in accomplishing terrorists goals (Hoffman, 2003, p. 1; Jalalzai, 2005, p.110) attacks have also become increasingly effective in terms of the destruction they cause and the number of people they kill, as the suicide terrorists adopt new innovations such as explosive vests (Gall, 2006, p. A15).There is an asymmetry within suicide terrorist attacks, western countries have a reliance upon smart weapons in the conflict against those seen as terrorists. These weapons can cause huge amounts of damage without the need to directly attack the enemy with ground troops, thus lessoning the casualties sustained during combat operations. The use of a suicide bomber in effect becomes the human equivalent to the smart bomb. The weapon is self directing to the target, it can make changes to the target location, timing and delivery method on an ad hoc bases making the suicide bomber the ultimate smart bomb (Hoffman 2003). The use the human body as a weapon is not a new phenomenon being well documented through the ages. Pape (2005, p.11) calls the Zealots and the Sicarii the worlds first suicide terrorists. The name sicarrii means dagger-men, who would infiltrate Roman-controlled cities and stab Jewish collaborators or Roman legionnaires with a sica, kidnap the staff of the Temple Guard for ransom, or poison their enemies (Bloom, 2005, p. 8). The Zealots and Sicarii used violence to encourage public uprising, including the Jewish War of AD 66. They would attack their victims in broad daylight and in highly public places with little apparent regard for their own safety or escape. Pape (2005) notes that many of these attacks must have been suicide missions, since the killers were often immediately captured and put to death typically tortured and then crucified or burned alive (p. 12). Assassins were an 11th 12th century Shia Muslim sect from the Nizari state, their name, the assassins comes from the Arabic word hashishiyyin. According to Pape (2005), the Assassins created an effective organization f or the planned, systematic, and long-term use of political murder that relied on suicide missions for success. Pape (2005) reports that between 1945 and 1980, suicide attacks temporarily disappeared from the world scene (p.13). Pape (2005) and others (Laqueur, 2003) note the occurrence of politically- and/or religiously driven hunger strikes and suicides (particularly self-immolations) during this period but Pape (2005) claims there is not a single recorded instance of a suicide terrorist killing others while killing himself (p. 13). Reuter (2004) disagrees, citing a pro-Palestinian Japanese Red Army-sponsored attack on Israels Ben Gurion International Airport on May 20, 1972. In what Reuter (2004) notes as the first suicide attacks in the Middle East, on this day three Japanese gunmen with machine guns killed twenty-four people at the airport. They made no effort to escape, and two were shot dead by the airport guard (Reuter, 2004, p. 136). Inspired by Irans use of human minesweepers against Iraq, Hizbollah, launched a series of attacks against Western and Israeli targets in Lebanon (Winkates, 2006, p. 92). Hizbollah suicide attackers killed 80 and wounded 142 in its April 1983 attack on the American Embassy in Beirut, killed 241 and wounded 81 in its October 1983 attack on the US Marine headquarters near Beirut and its attack against the French Multinational Force, killed 58 and wounded 15 (Winkates, 2006, p. 92). In November 1983, Hizbollah suicide terrorists killed 88 and wounded 69 in an attack on the Israeli Defence Force headquarters in Tyre and a month later killed four and wounded 15 in an attack on the American Embassy in Kuwait (Winkates, 2006, p. 92). Sprinzak (2000) notes that Hizbollah leaders were initially very uneasy about the decision to launch suicide attacks, under the reasoning that Islam does not approve of believers taking their own lives. Hezbollahs spectacular success at achieving its goals of ex pelling foreign forces from all of Lebanon inspired other organizations such as Hamas, Tamil Tigers and al-Qaeda to adopt the suicide terrorist method of attack (Pape, 2005, p. 14). The Tamil Tigers were founded in 1972 as a Marxist, ethnic Tamil, Hindu separatist group seeking independence from the Sinhalese Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka. Their Black Tiger division trained to launch suicide attacks against Sri Lankan political leaders, military targets and civilians (Pape, 2005; Winkates, 2006). Hafez (2006) observed that outside of the Middle East, the Tamil Tigers have led the pack in the number and sophistication of suicide missions. It is estimated that the organization completed some 250 successful suicide attacks between 1987 and 2006 (Hafez, 2006, p. 5). In the early 2000s, ethno nationalist and Islamist Chechens began launching suicide attacks against Russian targets (Hafez, 2006, p. 5). Al Qaeda began launching attacks against American and Saudi targets in the Middle East in the mid-1990s. Al Qaedas spectacular entry into the suicide terrorist hall of fame occurred on August 7, 1998 when suicide terrorists used two delivery trucks loaded with explosives to blow up within minutes of each other, the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing a total of 224 people and injuring more than 4,300 persons (Reuter, 2004, p. 142). A little more than two years later, in October of 2000, Al Qaeda suicide bombers detonated 225 kg of explosive charges alongside the American destroyer, the USS Cole on a refuelling stop in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 American sailors and injuring forty. A year later, Al Qaeda suicide terrorists launched their principal suicide operation and what is described as one of the big gest single suicide terrorist action to date, the 9/11 attacks in the United States, killing about 3,000 (Reuter, 2004, p. 144). This attack lead to explanations of suicide terrorism becoming defined as, first, that the suicide terrorist was irrational and/or mentally ill (Brym Araj, 2006; Pastor, 2004; Wintrobe, 2003).Secondly that the deprivation hypothesis this theory uses the explanation that that suicide terrorists were educationally, economically or otherwise deprived compared to their peers (Brym Araj, 2006; Krueger Maleckova, 2002 .In recent years the Bush Administration has advanced both of these theories in some of its anti-terrorist expression. President Bush repeatedly spoke out against the evil and irrational terrorists who commit these actions. The Bush Administration argued that poverty reduction programs in terrorism-prone regions will reduce the incidence of suicide terrorism (Pastor, 2004; Pape, 2005). Numerous studies have found little or no support for these t wo theories of suicide terrorism, recent studies have provided evidence which directly refutes these theories. Krueger Maleckovas, study in 2002, on the economics and education of suicide bombers directly refutes the deprivation hypothesis of suicide terrorism. Krueger Maleckova 2002 concluded that, the evidence that we have assembled and reviewed suggests that there is little direct connection between poverty, education, and participation in or support for terrorism. Indeed, the available evidence indicates that compared with the relevant population, participantswere at least as likely to come from economically advantaged families and to have a relatively high level of education as they were to come from impoverished families without educational opportunities (Krueger Maleckova 2002 p. 9). Numerous studies have established that overall, suicide terrorists do not suffer from personality disorders or mental illnesses which would explain their participation in suicide terrorism (Berko Erez, 2005). As Wintrobe 2003 argued, it is possible to explain suicide terrorist acts in rational choice terms, and that, while such acts are indeed extreme, they are merely an extreme example of a general class of behaviour in which all of us engage (Wintrobe 2003 p. 2). Explaining that, suicide terrorist is not necessarily irrational. A third theory of suicide terrorism focuses on the influence of culture, especially religious culture, on suicide terrorists (Brym Araj, 2006). These explanations have often been used to explain suicide terrorism among Shia Muslims, based on the tradition of the cult of sacrifice (Hafez, 2006; Bloom, 2005). Although this fails to explain the existence of suicide terrorism among cultures and religions with no established cult of sacrifice and it cannot suff iciently explain suicide terrorism among secular, nationalist groups (Pape, 2005; Hoffman, 2003). Furthermore, as Brym Araj 2006 point to, while such cultural resources likely increase the probability that some groups will engage in suicide attacks, one must be careful not to exaggerate their significance. One difficulty with the clash of civilizations argument is that public opinion polls show that Arabs in the Middle East hold strongly favourable attitudes toward American science and technology, freedom and democracy, education, movies and television, and largely favourable attitudes toward the American people. They hold strongly negative attitudes only toward American Middle East policy. This is less evident of a clash of civilizations than a deep political disagreement (Brym Araj 2006 p. 1973). A more recent theory of suicide terrorism has been offered by Robert Pape (2003, 2005). Based on his analysis of suicide terrorism from 1980 through 2004, Pape presented a three-part model describing the causal logic of suicide terrorism. Papes theory de-emphasizes the role of religion including Islamic fundamentalism and focuses on the role of terrorist organization strategy and secular nationalist objectives. Pape argues that suicide terrorism follows a strategic logic aimed at political coercion (Pape, 2005, p. 21). Pape argues that suicide terrorism is part of an organizations broader campaign to achieve political objectives, usually in response to a foreign occupation. Pape goes on to argue that suicide terrorism also follows a social logic since terrorist organizations often command broad social support within the national communities from which they recruit (Pape, 2005, p. 22). A number of analysts, including Bruce Hoffman (1998, 2003) have advanced explanations of suicide terrorism which propose rationale-choice models emphasizing the role of organizational factors that support Papes theory. Theorists have argued that Papes theory is overly simplistic (Atran, 2006; Bloom, 2005; Brym Araj, 2006). Brym Araj 2006 argues that strategic thinking is only one element that may combine with others in the creation of a suicide bomber (Brym Araj 2006 p. 1972). Atran has recently challenged Papes theory on a number of points, including Papes sampling methods which completely discount the explosion of suicide terrorism in Iraq (Pape 2005, p. 130). Atran calls into question Papes dismissal of the role of ideology and religious fundamentalism as well as his assessments of the effectiveness of suicide terrorism (Atran, 2006, p. 132). Other recently emerging theories of suicide terrorism include Pedahzur Perlingers 2006 social network perspective explaining suicide ter rorism in terms of social motivations and Blooms multi-factor model of suicide terrorism (2005). There is a development towards more complex models of suicide terrorism accounting for the role of individual, social, cultural, strategic, ideological, and organizational motivations and factors in suicide terrorism (Smith, 2004). Defining terrorism especially the suicide terrorism will never be an easy task, as Dershowitz (2002, p.4) observes, there is difficulty in a definition that everyone can agree upon is illustrated by the catchphrase, One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter. Dershowitz (2002, pp. 4-5) breaks down most definitions of terrorism into three main elements: 1) the nature of the targeted victims; 2) the nature of those who commit the violence; and 3) the method by which the terrorist seeks to influence their audiences. Atran (2003, p.1535) observes that the concept of terror as systematic use of violence to attain political ends was first codified by Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution. Robespierre saw terror as an emanation of virtue that delivered swift justice (Atran, 2003, p. 1535). Another major difficulty occurs in separating the concepts of terror and terrorism. Pape (2005, p. 9) explains that terrorism involves the use of violence by an organization other th an a national government to intimidate or frighten a target audience. Pape (2005, p. 9) explains further that most terrorist strikes or campaigns have two general purposes: to gain supporters and to coerce opponents. While Papes (2005) definition excludes the possibility of state-sponsored terrorism, numerous other definitions are wide enough to include terrorist acts conducted by or on behalf of a nation state as well as those conducted by private organizations or individuals (Dershowitz, 2005; Winkates, 2006). Winkates (2006,pp. 88-99) defines terrorism as the premeditated threat or use of violence against persons or property, designed to intimidate non combatant victims, the object of which is to change or to stabilize private or public policy. Definitions of suicide terrorism combine the concepts of terrorism and suicide. As with definitions of terrorism, the definitions of suicide terrorism found in the literature vary. Hafez notes, one problem in defining suicidal terrorism concerns the various possible perspectives on the act: how one describes acts of self-immolation committed in order to kill others is a task fraught with controversy. Those whose support these acts of violence prefer to call them martyrdom operations, and their perpetrators heroes and freedom fighters. Those who oppose them prefer to call them homicide bombers, suicide terrorists, or suicidal murderers (Hafez, 2006, p.4). Hafezs own definition of suicide terrorism relies on the more descriptive term of suicide bomber or human bomb which is defined as an individual who willingly uses his or her body to carry or deliver explosives or explosive materials to attack, kill or main others (Hafez, 2006,p. 4). Blooms definition of suicide terrorism is defined as a violent, politically motivated attack, carried out in a deliberate state of awareness by a person who blows himself or herself up together with a chosen target. The premeditated certain death of the perpetrator is the precondition for the success of the attack (2005, p. 76). In terms of the objectives of suicide terrorism, Bloom describes this as, although a suicide attack aims to physically destroy an initial target, its primary use is typically as a weapon of psychological warfare intended to affect a larger public audience. The primary target is not those actually killed or injured in the attack, but those made to witness itThrough indoctrination and training and under charismatic leaders, self contained suicide cells canalize disparate religious or political sentiments of individuals into an emotionally bonded group (Bloom, 2005, p. 77). Pedahzur states that suicide terrorism includes a diversity of violent actions perpetrated by people who are aware that the odds they will return alive are close to zero (2005, p. 8). Pape agrees in that , What distinguishes a suicide terrorist is that the attacker does not expect to survive the mission and often employees a method of attack such as a car bomb, suicide vest, or ramming an airplane into a building that requires his or her death in order to succeed. In essence, suicide terrorists kill others at the same time that they kill themselves (2005, p. 10). Pape further argues that a broad definition of suicide terrorism could include any operation that is designed in such a way that the terrorist does not expect to survive it, even if he or she is actually killed by police or other d efenders. Pape also argues that We might call such operations suicide missions instead of suicide attacks (2005, p. 10). Winkates argues that the best litmus test for definitive suicide terrorism is the intentional and successful sacrifice of a human life to achieve a terrorist objective (2006, p. 89). Hoffman (2003) argues that two key characteristics of suicide terrorism explain its growing popularity with terrorists groups around the world: suicide bombings are inexpensive and effective (p. 2). While coordinated multi-target attacks such as the 9-11 attacks and the London bombings may require extensive planning and considerable investment, even these types of suicide terrorist attacks are less expensive than many conventional terrorist attacks and definitely less expensive than funding an army. The majority of suicide attacks are carried out by individuals, minimizing the amount of investment and administrative overhead. The reliance on human bombs provides terrorists with the ultimate smart bomb (Hoffman, 2003, p. 2). Such smart bombs can be extremely efficient and effective. One of the characteristics of suicide terrorism is its effectiveness against the selected target. As of 2003, suicide terrorism accounted for just three percent of all worldwide terrorist acts, but for 50% of all terrorism-related deaths (Clayton, 2003, p. 18). This is another factor contributing to its effectiveness. The high-kill rate of suicide terrorism increases the amount of terror such attacks instigate in target populations. As Furedi 2007 notes, The threat represented by mass-casualty terrorism is not confined to its capacity for destruction. Public dread of this phenomenon is underpinned by the assumption that this is a treat that is unpredictable and random and its effect incalculable (Furedi, 2007, p .7) adding further to the overall result; suicide terrorism becomes effective in producing fear, justifying its deployment in conflict, by highlighting the unpredictable ability of the act, to produce more fear than the actual act. The act of suicide terrorism highlights an important asymmetry; terrorist need to be successful only once to kill Americans and demonstrate the inherent vulnerabilities they face, (US Congress, 2002). The asymmetry of suicide terrorism is not only the causation destruction, but to seize the attention of Governments and the population of the nation it targets, as Laqueur (1999) notes;Terrorism has been with us for centuries, and it has always attracted inordinate attention because of its dramatic character and its sudden, often wholly unexpected, occurrence. (Laqueur, 1999: p, 3) Asymmetric terrorism reaches out not merely through the use of physical violence but through the symbolic transgression of social morality and national security. Terrorism, as Townshend, (2000); Laqueur, (1999); Chomsky, (2001) have suggested, goes right to heart of what makes us safe; it forces us to pay attention to it whether we want to nor not. The proliferation of video taped messages from leaders of suspected terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda is a testament to the symbol over the actual act of physical violent; there is nothing violent in the images of Osama bin Laden addressing the world through the Aljazeera television networks but it has symbolic presence in a world that is dominated by media and communication technology, as Van der Veer and Munshi (2004) suggest, one of the major successes of modern terrorist organisations is their ability to use the resources of their enemies: the Internet, satellite television, mobile phones and the mass media. Even the condemnation of t errorists in the media, can aid the cause of terrorist organizations; by describing physical acts of violence through the duality of good and evil or right and wrong, the Western media merely serve to elevate and obfuscate the real nature of terrorism which, as research has shown[1], is far more fractured and complex. In this sense, much of the terrorist organizations aim, of seizing attention, is actually carried out by the opposing media; eager for a story and for a simple answer. Suicide terrorism has become a relatively successful military and political strategy; the 9/11 attackers commanded the attention of the world not only through their own efforts but through their targets media; the American television companies, the European press and the global media conglomerates all shared in the process of captivating the publics imagination that, as Towshend(2000) notes; dramatically amplifies the anxiety about security which is never far from the surface of society. (Townshend, 2000 : 8), the communication of the message and the success of this are inextricably linked to the terrorist organisation itself. A highly ordered group with distinct political aims is likely to be more successful in delivering its message than a disparate, non-focused organisation whose aim is to spread confusion and fear. Douglass McFerran(1997) details that many of the IRA campaigns of the 1970s and 80s had distinct short term as well as long term political aims, very often terrorist attacks on mainland Britain were specifically concerned with achieving a specific political target such as protesting over the widespread imprisonment of suspected terrorists or the treatment of those all ready in prison. As Townshend details this is not the case in every terrorist act; the PanAm flight 103 attacks for instance that saw a plane explode over town of Lockerbie in 1988 had no prior demands or message attached to them and very little admission of guilt after (Just, Kern and Norris, 2003: 285).The nature of the attack is likely to influence the success of the communication of demands; Dobkin (1992) details that in 1970 members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked three airliners in order to not only secure the attention of the worlds media in which they were successful, but to demand the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners in British military jails. Their demands were largely met and most of their hostages were released; however when compared to the contemporary Munich terrorist kidnapping where members of the Black September group killed eleven Israeli athletes in an attempt to secure the release of 236 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.Hoffma n (1998) details that the Munich kidnappings were not only failures in terms of communicating and achieving recognisable demands but also in media manipulation: The Palestinians had not only failed to obtain their principal, stated demand the release of terrorists imprisoned in Israel and West Germany but, to many observers, had hopelessly tarnished the morality of their cause in the eyes of the world. Indeed, international opinion was virtually unanimous in its condemnation of the terrorists operation. (Hoffman, 1998: p, 72). But, again, this can often have the opposite to the desired effect. Robert Singh (2003) suggests that the 9/11 attacks merely served to strengthen the socio-political position of the American people, the very group that came under attack; he also suggests that the security systems around the globe became more vigilant and aware of any gaps in their processes: Rather than initiating a transformation, 9/11 accelerated trends, policies and approaches that were well established. If the attacks most immediate political effects were certainly dramatic the Bush administrations approval ratings soared and public confidence in the federal government attained levels unseen since the early 1960s (Singh, 2003: p,52). Al-Qaeda, built upon this position when coalition forces invaded Iraq and later Afghanistan, the fear that is produced by asymmetric warfare attacks is sometimes seen as the main outcome, Somali rebels succeeded in influencing the American public, after pictures of dead American soldiers where broadcast on CNN, in the same way as the Madrid Suicide bombings had on the Spanish public, directly influencing government policy and leading to the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq, the American government forced by the public outcry pulled troops out of Somalia. With limited resources and limited damage to western societies al-Qaeda, has managed to change the very ideals for which it is said the war on terror is conducted. It has become a norm in Europe that after a terrorist attack, new security legislation and other measures are established to combat the threat of terrorism; however most of these policies seem to neglected the human rights of the citizens. These changes are highlight ed by Arce (et,al 2009) the traditional treatment of terrorism-as-asymmetric-conflict in terms of the relative resource disparity between terrorists and their ultimate targets, an additional asymmetry exists through the definition of success. For the target government, success is defined in terms of security against all possible attacks; whereas for terrorists one success is often enough to alter the political landscape, airways, etc. If one target is successfully attacked, then counter terror policy and the competency of the government itself can be subject to public scrutiny.(Arce, et,al, 2009). Thinking and organizing in a different manor than an opponent in order to amplify advantages and by doing so also exploit an opponents weakness. Changes to asymmetrical warfare have been greatly affected by the digital age, no matter the policy initiatives in trying to undermine the terrorists propaganda and promote its own; the forum of the internet allows suicide attacks to be displayed to a world audience. The filming of Martyr videos and attacks can serve both as a recruitment campaign reaching to all corners of the world and a forewarning to those who oppose terrorism. Understanding and defining suicide terrorism is open to debate; there have been a number of successes in terms of securing specific demands in the past not least of all the 1970 skyjacking operation by the PFLP. However, we have also seen how terrorism can be divisive, how it can engender the very opposite of what it sets out to do. As we saw with the London bombings, a post 9/11 society is one that treats the threat of terrorism as a consequence of modern city living. This is perhaps the one main reason why terrorism may become considered a strong military strategy: today the more terrorist activity there is, the more political value it has, yet the less it affects every day individual life. However, of course, terrorism is perhaps the only strategy that many disenfranchised groups have which may account for its constant presence on the global political stage. Ultimately, however, terrorism is a symbolic act, an act that depends upon fear for its meaning; as the public becomes more and more exposed to images and symbols of terror they also become more and more immune. As Baudrillard suggests (2003) the violence of the terrorist is likely to become merely just another image in the media and the terrorist themselves just another face on the television screen and it is this, ironically, that provides its greatest counter measure. In this essay the difficulty in defining, theorising and understanding has been discussed. The asymmetries involved within terrorism have also been discussed, showing that with the use of digital media and little resources the ability of the target to respond to attack within its own borders can become limited to the change of political policy, which in turn may undermine the authority of the government within its own borders. The September 11 attacks and during the post Cold war era, the world has seen no greater power than the United States. International Relations have seen the control and dominance of the United States over the worlds structure. However, after the Twin Tower attacks, the world started realizing the role of others inside the international arena, these others preferably labeled terrorists; questioned the validity of several theories that were formulated as soon as the end of the Cold War was announced, these theories were trying to predict the shape and attitude of the world as it entered a new era. It has always been known that every era in history adapts an indication that will mark it as distinctive, and therefore all of those theories were simple speculations on the nature of what could be such an indication. Theories valid, some predicted the rise of democracy and liberalism, others feared the return of barbarism and anarchy. Also, other theories predicted a clash that will divide the borders of the world according to culture, civilization, ethnicity, and most importantly religion. The world has dramatically changed with terrorism as the key player. It is also very clear that the asymmetries involved in terrorism are very powerful, as it was able to question the strength of the United States, and was able to reform the political policies of many world countries. Terrorism is the worlds most fearful enemy, an enemy that is powerful, aggressive, and most importantly ambiguous. There is no concession within society on terrorism, for many it is not a problem and life continues, for others it has change their view of world order and politics. BIBLIOGRAPHY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (Section 1230, Public Law 110-181) http://www.defense.gov/pubs/OCTOBER_1230_FINAL.pdf Accessed 06/04/2010, Arce, Daniel G; Kovenock, Dan; Robertson,B, Suicide Terrorism and the Weakest Link, CESIFO WORKING PAPER NO. 2753,CATEGORY 2: PUBLIC CHOIC