Discussions about sex gender and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussions about sex gender and society - Essay Example drag queens giving a very conscious illustration of glamorous women that shows security and a sense of belonging within the gay community, showing a type of power relationship that defies femininity. What is interesting is that Paris is Burning tends to show that queers’ bodies have become instruments that elicit hatred and contempt. Gay drag queens appear more comfortable in their skin when exemplifying the ideal of severe femininity and a sense of self-hatred when forced to engage in social activities without costume. It is perhaps because society has constructed norms that applaud heterosexual ideals (the ultra-feminine woman persona), but chastise when gay men give off femininity in their inherent male form. The documentary is an interesting case study of how established social norms regarding gender determine self-esteem for a queer out of costume and when in costume in terms of their perspective on social belonging. When Ru Paul is discussing the drag transformation that the jocks will be undertaking, he says, â€Å"so put some muscle into it†, as though making appeals toward masculinity that underpins the typical jock. He wants the jocks to be comfortable and excited about being turned into a drag queen, using discourse associated with gender stereotypes of masculinity. It is as if the jocks might be shamed or less motivated if he were to use the same feminine mannerisms he uses with other drag queens. This is an interesting idea for representing how gender roles are socially constructed. He must appeal to the stereotypical construction of masculine attitude and behavior to affect a genuine desire to participate in this transformation. Sharon Osbourne, the judge, states that one drag queen looks very vulnerable, yet comments that the male in costume is doing the best he can. In other episodes, judges are very critical of poor femininity and glamour in performance, but here there is a type of social sensitivity for the straight drag queens in order to

Gambling Legalization Essay Example for Free

Gambling Legalization Essay Gambling is the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize). (Oxford dictionary) Many have their own opinions about gambling and at this time gambling is not legally practiced here in The Bahamas. â€Å"Such a move would bring an end to an illicit industry that makes tens of millions of dollars a year and which employs hundreds; but which contributes little to the general good of the Bahamian people. † (The Bahama Journal 2008). There are many aspects of gambling that can indeed be looked upon positively. â€Å"Gambling comes in many forms, including betting in casinos, racetracks, sporting events, lotteries, bingo games and even virtual gambling on the Internet† (Oddo 2007) Gambling should indeed be legalized, because it will help our economy and society in many ways. If gambling is practiced it’ll give persons with idle time on their hands, something to do and it can also boost our tourism industry. The legalization of gambling here in The Bahamas will lead to an increase in the Bahamas’ Gross domestic Product (GDP), an increase in employment, and finally it can contribute to our entertainment industry. The legalization of gambling would be of grave benefit for our Government as it relates to the Gross Domestic Product In an article titled ‘Legalizing gambling in The Bahamas’ written by Craig Butler his argument for gambling was that the Prime Minister Rt. Honorable Hubert Ingraham should enforce gambling and put an independent company of auditors to oversee this new development. â€Å"If gambling is to be legalized then he must cause the infrastructure to be put in place that will avoid the inevitable attempts at tampering and manipulation by ingenious persons. † (Butler 2008). Once this takes place the Government will be able to implement a taxing system with our own internal revenue service (IRS) so that a certain percentage of the money i. e. twenty five percent will go to the Government in result more money would be spent on more capital goods, meaning more school’s will be built and more work infrastructure on our roads will be carried out. In America, Statistics show that approximately 92. 27 billion dollars comes from gambling on a yearly basis. If this same scenario would apply to us here in The Bahamas that will mean that gambling would be of benefit to our revenue and finance sector. Some believe that legalizing gambling would only allow the Government a free share of the money, and that share will only be spent on their own needs. They will use this money to purchase more cars for them to be chauffeured around in, to have more ‘business’ dinners for themselves, and to spend on five day trips all around the world and the economy won’t feel a dime of it. They are partially right because most people are used to politicians being voted in the House of Assembly and never coming around to visit their constituents, therefore they lack the trust in believing that the Government will deliver once they start to receive the percentage of winnings. However, they are misguided because the Government forecasts a certain percentage of money to go into capital goods every year during the budget and the normal percentage that is set aside for education and health care can rise and can be use more significantly. â€Å"But the legalization of this habit will not lead to an exponential rise in the number of gamblers. It will, however, allow government to fund programmes that can have a positive impact on our youth, such as community centres, sports and education facilities. † (Butler 2008) Mr. Butler makes it evidently clear in his analysis in the Bahama pundit that if the Government had the extra funds they would use it wisely. For example, there’s now a system set up by National Insurance for the unemployed. The unemployment benefit pays 100 dollars a week to those unemployed and if the Government receives more money this can to go up. Not only Bahamians will be getting taxed but foreigners as well. Therefore all of the foreigners that are here now using our casinos and going back with everything, would have to leave that twenty five percent tax fee for the government. Legalizing gambling would also lead to a decrease in the unemployment rate. In an article entitled ‘Gambling Entertainment’, it states that â€Å"The large percentage of employment provided by the Gambling industry, including the land based casinos as well as the Online casinos, puts gambling industry on the top of society chart straight away. † Having gambling legalized would automatically mean that employment will increase. At present Gambling is in the ‘underground economy’ mark when it comes to calculating the unemployment rate. Since it’s illegal workers are considered to be employed, however legally they’re counted as unemployed when it comes to the unemployment rate. In an article written by Olivia Saunders, Saunders illustrated the unemployment rate in a diagram that showed an unemployment rate of 7. 8 percent. Out of this 7. 8 percent count are the people that are already presently working for number houses, if we legalize gambling that rate would automatically decrease. Many are lead to believe that legalizing gambling won’t decrease the unemployment rate, because there are already a substantial amount of lottery houses opened already and there are still many unemployed, it’s impossible for this to help our unemployed, and even if it does, it won’t completely take care of the problem. They are partially right because legalizing gambling won’t lead to a complete decline in the unemployment rate, and it won’t be able to employ everyone without a job, however they are misguided because it will help tremendously. Legalizing gambling means that more lotto shops will be able to open, not only in Nassau but also on the family islands which will attract more tourists. Therefore they’ll need more staff, this will also lead to more casinos and more people will be hired in many different aspects. For example they’ll need cleaners, cashiers, coupe and hostesses. The real truth is there are many different aspects in our economy that contributes to the unemployment rate both increasing and decreasing and this rate can never be steady. However once gambling is legalized and there are more venues opened then it’s a necessity to hire people to work in them, and these people will then count towards the unemployment rate and it’ll then decrease. Finally the legalization of gambling can be used as a sport and a form of entertainment. The only form of gambling is not purchasing numbers from the lotto shops as some Bahamians are blindsided to believing, however it is also a sport. There was once a horse racing venue that was used as a sport over here in 1976 but had to leave because gambling wasn’t legal. Legalizing gambling would allow this form of entertainment to once again be practiced. In a journal named ‘Gambling The cost of our future,’ it indicates that ‘Those who participate in gambling activities do so voluntarily and, in return, receive intrinsic benefits from their consumption. Furthermore, if consumers are gambling for entertainment purposes, they are purchasing gambling just as they would purchase tickets for the cinema or a symphony. † (Basham, White). This statement raises a thoughtful argument because gambling is indeed a risk however this risk is on the same level of buying a cinema ticket and you’re not sure if the movie will play or a symphony and you’re not sure if you’ll enjoy it. Opponents believe that having gambling as sports can only lead to more financial problems for an unstable financial home. They may argue that gambling is an addictive game and some families aren’t ready for the strain that this addiction entails, and some people may be willing to do anything to satisfy this addiction like commit robbery. Gambling addiction is also referred to as compulsive gambling or pathological gambling. Medical Author Roxanne Dryden-Edwards raise a valuable point in her article ‘Gambling Addiction’ stating that â€Å"The number of people who gamble socially qualify for being diagnosed with a gambling addiction range from 2%-5%, thereby affecting millions of people in the United States alone. † (Dryden- Edwards) Some may debate that If The Bahamas population is only 316,000 compared to the United States, then our percentage will be more harmful if gambling is practice. But they are misguided because this entertainment and sport may not be addictive but relatively fun and exciting and a good family event for most, even though there may be some bad apples the pros may outweigh the cons. The real truth is that almost everything we do as a form of gaming exercise is pleasurable and having more opportunities will make gambling more enjoyable. The Government can also implement a system so that gamblers that develop the addiction can be fully taken care of and receive psychiatric help called Gamblers Anonymous’ (GA). According to the the 12 step recovery program statistics â€Å"Of those in their fourth month of AA meeting attendance (i. e. have stayed beyond 90-days) 56% will still be attending AA at the end of that year. † (Holding all others constant if this system is practiced here with addicts treatment will be beneficial. In conclusion, gambling can contribute to our economy significantly. Many feel as though gambling will cause more harm than good, however if it’s practiced correctly and everyone abide to the laws that would be put in place, gambling will be more than just an easy way to win a substantial amount of money it’ll be a form of entertainment for many, it’ll be a sport that can be family orientated and finally it can be a way for our economy to jump back into the expansionary boom period and no longer claim that we are in a recession. Works Cited Gambling: http://wordnetweb. princeton. edu/perl/webwn? s=gambling Gambling Revenue: Current year data, Fact Sheets Statistics. 2003 American Gaming Associations http://www. americangaming. org/Industry/factsheets/statistics_detail. cfv? id=7 Saunders Olivia. ‘Unemployment in The Bahamas’ Gambling Entertainment. 2006 Royal World Casinos http://www. royalworldcasino. com/gambling_entertainment. html Oddo, Alfonso. The Economics and ethics of casino gambling. Review of Business. March 22, 1997. http://www. allbusiness. com/specialty-businesses/653985-1. html Patrick Basham and Karen White. Gambling with Our Future? The Costs and Benefits of Legalized Gambling. http://oldfraser. lexi. net/publications/digital/gamblingwithourfuture. pdf http://www. bahamapundit. com/2008/02/legalizing-gamb. html http://www. jonesbahamas. com/? c=128a=15872 http://www. medicinenet. com/gambling_addiction/article. htm http://www. 12step. com/statistics. html.

A Report on Progress on Building of Leisure Centre Proposal

A Report on Progress on Building of Leisure Centre Proposal REPORT ON PROGRESS ON BUILDING OF LEISURE CENTRE PROPOSAL SHERBURY CONFIDENTIAL To: M. Smith, Head of Analysis of Proposals From: N. Rafie, Proposal AnalystDate: 1st May 2015 BACKGROUND There is dissent in the town of Sherbury, Wealdshre County which has been linked to the apparent lack of leisure amenities and facilities in the town itself. Several social issues have been identified such as an increasing crime rate as well as cases of gangs and alcoholism mostly pertaining to teens of Sherbury which has been blamed on the previously kentioned lack of amenities and activities to do in town. As a countermeasure to the social issues and the lack of facilities, Sherbury has decided to start to look at the possibility of building a Leisure Centre. FINDINGS There is a severe lack of leisure amenities and facilities, in particular those that cater to young people and this has been deemed the root cause to the social issues that are becoming apparent in Shersbury. According to police reports there have been an increase in the amount of criminal cases in Sherbury specifically cases involving vandalism and drunk and disorderly behaviour involving the teenage demographic. They have seen an increase of 32% and 24% respectively. It has to be noted that the increase for teen drunk and disorderly behaviour was seen within the last 12 months. There is growing concern with social workers regarding a surge in teenage alcoholism and roaming teenage gangs present at the town centre and housing estates. The social workers attribute these growing social issues to â€Å"boredom derived from little or nothing to do in the evenings. There are only two youth clubs in the town, both of which are oversubscribed. Denial of entry has been met with attempts to disrupt the youth clubs’ activities by older teenagers. The local weekly newspaper, The Sherbury Chronicle has been campaigning for improvements in leisure facilities over these last 6 weeks. The paper has utilised their medium to campaign with scathing editorials with headlines such as â€Å"Council Fuddy-duddies forget their youth. Readers of the Sherbury Chronicle have changed their views regarding the issue have changed from sympathetic to condemnatory due to the correspondence the readers and the paper have which has been labelled as â€Å"Lively†. Town Councillors of Sherbury have been actively canvassing for the building of a leisure centre in order to provide for they consider the town to be sorely lacking amenities. Sherbury Town Councillor James Hillingdon referred to the current situation as a â€Å"shocking state of affairs† pointing out that Sherbury has nothing to offer its young people in the evenings but violent films in its local cinema and alcoholic beverages from its ten central public houses at a recent council meeting. There have been cases of local sports clubs and associations making representation to councillors and to County Hall officials. Some Sherbury sports enthusiasts are travelling thirty miles or more in order to find the amenities that they seek. There are existing sports facilities in Sherbury however they predominantly provide for outdoor sports. There are also sports facilities that are provided for indoor sports in the community hall however this is reportedly over crowded. There have been several activities that have been suggested for inclusion in any future Leisure Centre include table tennis, badminton, basketball, tennis, swimming, judo, karate, volleyball, ten-pin bowling, snooker and billiards, gymnastics and for older members yoga, relaxation classes and keep fit together with a club room for darts dominoes and quieter activities. A rough projection for the building of the leisure centre has been estimated at  £1.8 million Two sites have been identified as suitable for the leisure centre the first at Charles Bowley Recreation Park in Northern Sherbury and the second in Central Sherbury. There are many options available for the funding of the project, increasing council tax in conjunction with securing government grants as well as funding from the Lottery Commission. There are local sports associations that have suggested possible fund raising activities. The Chief Executive of the Council has formed a working party that is made up of representatives from the Planning Department, Architectural Department, Community Liaison office and Spots Advisory Office due to mounting pressure. The working party is tasked with investigating the need for a leisure centre, make projections regarding building and maintenance costs, make suggestion with regard to location and make proposals concerning the types of activities it should house and the layout of various halls and rooms as well as provide a set of recommendations to be submitted to the Council for debate. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS It is safe to say that the root cause of the social issues that are affecting Sherbury is centred on its young people and the lack of amenities and lack of activities which they can expand their energies on. There are facilities and youth clubs in the town that do provide activities for young people however due to their size and lack of facilities it is not enough to provide for all of them. This often leads to conflict between those who are already involved with the clubs and those who are not. This in turn may exacerbate the increasing crime rate as the disruption of club activities may lead to even less people being involved with the clubs. The only activities to do in town such as watching movies and partaking in the consumption of alcohol are contributing even more to the advent of the social issues in Sherbury such as vandalism, gangs and teenage alcoholism. The lack of facilities is not only facilitating the increase of social issues in Sherbury, it is also making it highly inconvenient for many sports enthusiasts who have to travel a considerable distance in order to access facilities that allow them to partake in their sports. This inconvenience can also be considered a loss to the local economy for Sherbury as these potential consumers now bring their business to other towns as well as a loss of the potential to groom local talent in terms of competitive events. All in all I think that Sherbury should proceed with the building of the leisure centre as this would solve many of Sherbury’s current issues. It has to be noted that while it will help deter the effects of the social issues in Sherbury it has to be used in conjunction with other policies as well as understanding that the project will take time and its effects will take time to be seen. So patience will need to be exercised by the Sherbury council as well as its residents. Although the cost of building of the centre is quite high ( £1.8 million) it has to be understood that the social costs will be even higher with crime rates increasing as well as teens turning to alcoholism and gang behaviour, the social repercussions of not doing anything will be higher than the actual financial costs. The provision of activities will enable the youth to expand their energies on activities that are productive and will hopefully help the youth gain a sense of identity from something positive rather than having to end up in a gang or turning to alcohol. Sherbury needs to ensure that they are able to deal with their social issues directly rather than putting all their hopes on the leisure centre to make the issues go away. Sherbury needs to increase security as well as enforce new laws that make sure that the teens will not have access to alcohol too freely. Maybe something along the lines of increasing police patrols in areas that have been frequented by these gangs as well as restricting the public houses from selling alcoholic beverages past a certain time for those who are below the age of 20. The existing youth clubs need to be nurtured and aided further in order to help reduce the effects of social issues. Considering the fact that there are already established Youth Clubs in Sherbury, the council would not have to do any actual work other than maybe fund the clubs in order to increase their capacity to take in new members. By expanding the capacity of the clubs as well as providing them new operating quarters in the new Leisure Centre, the council would be killing two birds with one stone, providing activities for the youth as well as gaining occupants for the centre. Establishing the Leisure Centre will benefit the local sporting community greatly and they understand this with many local sports associations supporting the proposal as well as offering to help fund the project. The council would do well to remember this as the town will benefit greatly should the local sports associations flourish as this will allow the town to produce talent from youth who now have something productive to be involved with. It also has to be considered that the previous situation where Sherbury sports enthusiast were traveling far in order to access sports facilities, the building of the leisure centre may well attract enthusiast from other towns as well. This will help the not just strengthen the sporting community but aid the local economy as well. Out of the two locations, I would suggest the council build it in the Northern Suburbs as a central location, while good for businesses in the area may not have enough space to include all the possible activities that can be provided by the centre as well as not being able to provide enough parking space for users of the centre. (1587 words) 3. a) Opening The opening of an interview is what will set the tone for the rest of the interview, it is in the opening of an interview where the purpose of the interview is made clear therefore. Once the purpose of the interview is made clear the process is made much more easier as all parties will understand why they are there and what it is expected of them. The opening will establish the tone and atmosphere of the interview as well as indicate the level of formality or informality that the interview will take. By setting the tone of the interview, interviewees can be put at ease, or unease according to what the interviewer wants. It is in the opening where the flow of the interview is decided. Questions – In an interview there are two simple rules of thumb, ask the right questions and listen to the answers. An interviewer should prepare the questions that should be asked in order to elicit information from the interviewee that is desirable and therefore making the interview productive. Pacing of the questions should be controlled carefully as important information may be glossed over or leading to the interviewee digressing. As previously mentioned It is paramount for the interviewer to be able to ask the right questions, however it equally as important for the interviewer to ask at the right time. Closure – Closing the interview is as important as opening it, for it is in the closure where all information should be summarised, leading to an easy confirmation of information and determining whether the objectives of the interview have been met. It has to be noted that the position of both parties are clarified at the closure of the interview. Whether a compromise or agreement has been made or not and clear communication of this from both parties will further enable whether further action should be taken and if so, in what form. It is in the closure that decisions should be made only if one or both parties have the authority and information to make it. Follow Up – Once the interview is finished it is important for the interviewer to proceed to assimilate the information gleaned from the interview. The information should be recorded properly in order to build up a record of the interview and the interviewee thus making any future attempts to locate information regarding the interview or interviewee much easier. A decision needs to be made following the interview, and this is easier done once all in formation is assimilated thus any determination of any decision can be made as a result of the interview will be more concise and easily made. Also any actions that were agreed upon during the interview should be followed up on. b) 4.a) Polite – It is important for those working in customer service to be polite to the parties they are dealing with. Staff members need to be able to talk properly with good manners in order for the calling party to leave the conversation feeling as though they were dealt with in the proper manner. Even when a customer calls to complain it is important that the staff members maintain their composure and still be polite therefore diffusing a potentially explosive situation and having the complaining party leave the conversation without any resent and feeling better. Knowledgeable – Staff members need to have information that pertains to the subjects that calling parties will be inquiring about, whether this be young people, fitness, the facilities or the centre itself and other information that can be considered relevant to these subjects. Therefore being able to provide the right information to the inquiring parties and having answered their questions satisfactorily is exactly what they need to be able to do. Because a lot of inquirers will not have the information or even incomplete information therefore rendering them unable to make an informed decision as to whether or not they should or can utilise the facilities that the centre provides. Informative – As a lot of calling parties will be inquiring to many subjects as well as ask for advice, personnel need to be able to answer the calling parties to the best of their abilities. This would mean that the staff members have to know what they are talking about as well as be able to explain properly and clearly therefore understanding that having the calling parties leave with understanding how to utilise the information given by the staff member is just as important as having the inquiring party leave with the right information. Understanding – As a lot of parties calling in will be complaining it is important that the staff be able to listen and understand exactly what the party is calling to complain about. And although the staff themselves may not agree with what the customer is complaining about, that is beside the point, hey need to be able to make the complaining party feel better about the situation, and being understanding will ensure that the staff member be able to choose the right words in order to do so. However, it is also important for the staff member to follow up with these complaints and not just offer empty apologies should the complaints be valid. Loquacious – As the job involves a lot of answering questions and in general talking, the staff members need to be able to talk well. Therefore being able to keep a conversation going while at the same time ensuring that they are answering the inquiries or listening to complaints is a core requirement for the job, this is because while a good listener will have all the right information, someone who is able to talk to the calling parties will help the calling party feel as though as they are being treated well. (503 words) b) 1

Western Scientific Perspectives :: essays research papers

Anthropology 122-1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Western Scientific Perspectives   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walking on a clear night a person can’t help but look up and see the stars. Each beautiful, illuminating the night sky along with the moon, far away yet close enough to admire and wonder. I sit sometimes outside and just look up and gaze in wonder at the stars, but the scientists in me thinks further. The stars are like our sun in the solar system, hydrogen balls, exploding, radiating energy and light in all directions yet we are so far that we see them as specks in the night sky. Then there are those night where Venus and Mercury can be seen among the stars, almost a spiritual experience. Science has taught us that gravity and other laws of nature control the movement of such celestial objects and control everyday happenings where most would not give it a second thought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In life we all seek the truth, the truths about the universe; our surroundings. Some people seek the truth through what science tells us. The Big Bang Theory tells us that there was a massive explosion where concentrated matter is scattered all over what is the universe and over time the planets and other systems formed to their current states. Then some seek the truth through religion and God and so we have the story of Genesis from the Bible. Fritjof Capra, author of The Tao of Physics, was a high-energy physicist who conducted years of research in his career and understood his surroundings as a physicist but through his learning the religious philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism saw his surroundings are more than that. Capra saw a rhythm that surrounded everything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"I ‘saw’ cascades of energy coming down from outer space, in which particles were created and destroyed in rhythmic pulses; I ‘saw’ the atoms of the elements and those of my body participating in this cosmic dance of energy; I felt its rhythm and I ‘heard’ its sound, and at that moment I knew that this was the Dance of Shiva, the Lord of Dancers worshipped by the Hindus.† (Capra, 11) Ultimately Capra discovered for himself and argues is the view of the world explained through physics and the view given by philosophies such as Hindusim, Buddhism and Taoism are parallel to each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Capra, knowledge can be divided into to parts, rational and intuitive. Everyday we learn, we gain knowledge of our surroundings and from our everyday happenings.

Parental Control: Toddlers and Tiaras Abuse Essay

The TV show Toddlers and Tiaras encourages child abuse. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary abuse is: â€Å"improper or excessive use or treatment.† Toddlers and Tiaras is a show based on mothers using their children and treating them like dolls instead of humans. The tiny tots on this show have become famous for their scandalous outfits and routines. We cannot blame the children as many of them are too young to understand the negative responses. From a young age these children are being exposed to an overly sexualized media and then encouraged to participate in it. These girls spend each weekend and most of every day either preparing for or competing in competitions that they may not want to be a part of. They don’t have a say in whether or not they want to compete and often times their mother are the ones pushing them into pageants. The show starts with an introduction to the families that are chosen for this particular week. Each family is filmed in their own home and they take the viewer through their pageant routine. This episode starts with a mother saying, â€Å"I didn’t get to do this stuff when I was little so I think I am living my dreams through my daughter.† The daughter then says, â€Å"I like pageants because my mamma says so.† The mother is taking away her daughter’s freedom of choosing an activity that she enjoys. For a show titled about the children, the mothers get most of the attention. After home tours the families show off their pageant attire. One family even showed the dress fitting for their newest gown. Some of the most disturbing parts of Toddlers and Tiaras are the promiscuous costumes, which include: a mother dressing her daughter, Maddy, as Dolly Parton, complete with fake â€Å"assets,† or two-year-old Mia complete with Madonna’s cone bra, and finally three-year-old Paisley as the prostitute Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman. Paisley wore kne e-high black leather boots and a revealing top and skirt and pranced around the stage as people simultaneously clapped and looked on in horror. Spray tan and fake eyelashes are one thing but once you dress your kid as an iconic prostitute even Julia Roberts would be appalled. These children don’t know who most of the people that they are portraying are. Their mothers on the other hand know exactly who they are and how people will react to a certain costume. They are setting their children up to have a bad reputation. At three years old these innocent girls are being brought into the spot light by their selfish mothers. However, it is eight-year-old Britney who takes the cake when it comes to being â€Å"over-sexualized.†She receives regular Botox injections from her mother before pageants. Are these parents really worried about wrinkles on the face of a girl that doesn’t even have acne yet? When did it become socially acceptable for toddlers to look and act like a twenty, thirty or even forty-year-old woman? Most every little girl wants to feel like a princess, but I doubt any of them want to be a prosti tute, nor do they know what a prostitute is. Even when the outfits are age appropriate, the children never have a say in choosing their attire. A contestant locked herself in the bathroom because she refused to wear a certain dress. These parents spend hundreds of dollars on these dresses; the children should at least enjoy wearing them. Children should be playing with dolls not being one. These children have no say in what they are doing. They are being led by parents that force them into costumes and parade them on stage for their own enjoyment. These parents are in it to win it, whether or not their child wants to compete is another story. They are so focused on using their children to accomplish their own goals that they often end up forcing their child to compete. Along with showing their glamorous wardrobe the families bring the viewer along to the salon for the next step in preparing for a pageant. In preparation for these sleazy outfits, the children are put through a grooming ritual many adults have never braved. This includes spray tanning, buying fake teeth, known as flippers in the pageant world, hair extensions, manicures, waxing and pounds of makeup. One mom went as far as forcing her screaming five year old into getting her eyebrows waxed. This was not her first experience with waxing; she had her skin ripped off during a previous session. This mother saw beauty as being more important than her own daughters comfort. Two pageant moms admitted that they make their daughters follow strict diets of 1600 calories per day. Forcing children into diets when they are already at a healthy weight can cause those children to turn to eating disorders later in life. â€Å"You don’t get as good of a score if your dress doesn’t fit good,† says the mother of 8-year-old contestant, Ever Rose. It is one thing to teach your child healthy eating but when the sole reason is to fit into a certain size dress it has gone too far. Children are growing and as they age they will need larger clothing. Another mom decided to dye her daughter’s eyelashes. Even after her daughter begged her to stop because her eyes were burning the mother insisted on continuing the process. She gave her daughter a chemical burn that could have blinded her but she looked past that just to make sure her child was beautiful. When appearance comes second to safety there is a real issue. Most grown women don’t dye their eyelashes so why would you dye a 9-year-olds? This same mom also bleached her children’s teeth. The worst part is that the dyeing and bleaching of children is all done under the same roof as the book â€Å"7 Worst things a Parent Can Do.† Clearly that book has never been opened. The pain that these children are put through for fifteen minutes on stage is just disgusting. They are being transformed into Barbie’s for their mothers to play with. These mother’s practically ruin their kids childhood, and for what, approval of their child’s beauty from three random people? The families are seen at the start of their pageant day with tired children’s hair in hot rollers and many tears on their faces. Parents like to call their children’s tantrums â€Å"Diva Moments.† These children are tired and are in no mood to sit still in a chair for an hour to get their hair pulled and their faces pressed wi th makeup. The children are sent into hair and make-up that can take up to three hours. â€Å"For children as young as the age of one to be forced to sit still for such great lengths borders on child abuse as parents do not take into account the welfare of their children†(Nussbaum). A significant part of their day is spent on preparation. After each outfit they must change their hair style and touch up make-up which is another hour at least. After their competition routines are finished they change back into their formal gowns, which also includes a hair change and yet another round of make-up for crowning. These children are on stage for all of fifteen minutes the whole day but endure hours of hair pulling and make-up application. During pageants, these kids are still just kids and their parent should realize this. In return to their children’s tantrums these parents scold their kids. A child who is crying because she is tired gets yelled at for being uncooperative. A child acting out because they are exhausted and uncomfortable is a natural instinct, so why would it be any different when they are in a pageant? The most appalling part is that the tantrums don’t just stem from tired tots. The mothers can be added into the mix. One mother threw her daughter’s crown across the room after she won princess. She cursed and said it was a joke; being princess was equivalent to losing. Rather than supporting her daughter and showing her how proud she was, she stole her daughter’s prize and gave her a lesson on how not to behave. I can’t think of any worse punishment then telling your child they weren’t good enough after they just completed something they didn’t even want to do. To avoid these meltdowns during the pageant, the mothers have resorted to giving their children â€Å"go go juice† and â€Å"pageant crack.† Go go juice is anything from soda to energy drinks such as Red Bull and pageant crack is pure sugar. â€Å"Additional calories from energy-drink consumption may increase blood pressure, blood glucose levels, BMI, calcium deficiency, dental problems, depression, and low self-esteem. Sugar and caffeine may also synergistically increase postprandial hyperglycemia, which is of concern for children with diabetes† (Gamble). These children that are already being judged on appearance are being given a substance that may cause depression and low self-esteem. Talk about adding fuel to the flame. Many moms use pixie sticks to boost their child’s energy level during competition. Everyone gets tired but is filling your child with sugar really the best way to get them to perform? They have their worst moments televised for the world to see. What mother would allow such embarrassment for their child? Even if the child was just having an off day, all the viewers see the child as a spoiled brat. Their reputation is tarnished by their parents, and they are too young to even realize it. Over the course of the pageant, many phrases such as, â€Å"don’t you dare embarrass me,† can be heard. As contestants and parents wait in the wings the children are reminded of how they should perform. When a child starts to cause a scene backstage the parents become more concerned with their own embarrassment instead of the child’s needs. The child is told to do well for their mamma, and then they are pushed onstage to compete. They are not only vying for the judge’s approval but also for their parents’. Once onstage, the children do their routines while their families stands in front of the stage showing them what their next move is. The routine is more about how well they can copy their mother instead of showing off their own talents. Once again, the mothers are using their children so that they can stand out. Most parents feel that their child is a reflection of themselves, but when they do everything in your power to create a reflection it has gone too far. They have crossed the line of shaping your child into a respectful and kind human being and turned them into clones. These mothers mold their children so that everyone will see their child as a replica of them. As crowning starts tensions are high. Mothers sit anxiously in the audience while their children wait stone faced. Once onstage, the confusion begins. For the first round the goal is not to get called, meaning you are eligible for a higher title. If the child is not called, then the waiting game starts again. The parents stare at the stage waiting for their child’s name to be called so that they can collect the trophy that they have worked so hard for. The children seem delighted with their prize, but the parents are almost disappointed that they didn’t win the top title. Why can’t these parents be content that their child is happy rather than be upset that they didn’t get the award that they wanted? These mothers are using their children so that they can feel like they accomplished something. They do pageants for themselves and are unable of focusing on their child’s enjoyment. When the child loses the parents vow to spend more money on coaching and better dresses. They keep trying to push a square peg in a round hole instead of finding an activity their child can excel at. They refuse to let their child be who they want to be, which is damaging to the child and may cause issues as the child ages. They have no appreciation for anything other than physical beauty and have a false sense of identity. The need for the child to win this particular competition is incredible. Why don’t the parents just spend more time with their child? Let the child find out what they enjoy instead of sculpting them into something they will never be. This would be more affective than simply finding a new activity, because it would allow the child to explore and feel in control of their life. After the pageant is over what happens? Many children will face psychological problems which may grow into disorders as they age. In a study done by Anna Wonderlich, it was discovered that there was, â€Å"a significant association between childhood beauty pageant participation and increased body dissatisfaction, difficulty trusting interpersonal relationships, and greater impulsive behaviors, and indicate a trend toward increase feelings of ineffectiveness† (Wnderlich,296). These children grow up in an atmosphere where superficial is the new normal. They add so many fake items to make themselves acceptable for a pageant that it may lead to fake items being used to create a false identity. They make a connection between beauty and winning. There is a sense that beauty is how you get what you want. There is so much pressure put on these children to perform that they equate performance to how they should act all of the time. The line between role playing and identity becomes blurred and the pageant reputation wins out when choosing how to behave. They are constantly around competitive mothers and adopt a judgmental attitude towards the other competitors and towards people in general. Since they compete for most beautiful they may judge other people on their beauty. The winners of these competitions often feel superior in comparison to other people and this feeling of power over others can lead to bullying. These young girls contract self-esteem issues from the constant battle of trying to be the best. They are constantly reminded that they need to be the best and that they need to be better than the other girls to win. They may also feel inferior from not winning and think they cannot succeed in life because they can’t win a competition. Another problem is physically- based concept of beauty which has the possibility of turning girls to eating disorders to uphold that physical beauty. Depression may also arise because of the need to feel beautiful and not being able to fulfill that need. These pageants teach the competitors that there is only one mold of what is beautiful and that individuality is frowned upon. A unique sense of style or an odd talent is wrong. The girls are expected to conform to what is mainstream so that they can win. On top of the many mental games this competition puts children through they also form a dependency on others to make decisions for them. Since their mothers usually make all of the choices when they are younger they may grow up to be passive and submissive. This passiveness is not only for decision-making but they also look to their mothers to measure their worth as the judges do during pageants. These mothers are raising their children to have a hard time fitting into society. By not allowing these children to figure out how to do things for themselves they are enabling them and showing them that they don’t need to work out their own problems. Using the definition of abuse from Merriam Webster dictionary: â€Å"improper or excessive use or treatment,† it is clear Toddlers and Tiaras does encourage abuse. The parents on this show use their children to satisfy their own childhood dreams. They are pushing their children into a competition they are not capable of understanding and take away the crucial developmental stage of making friends and sharing toys. The children are so busy trying to beat out the other girls in their division that there is no way to develop a friendship. The children’s meltdowns are aired to the public and the parents are instilling a false sense of identity in their children. These children are being set up to fail because they missed out on most, if not all, of the key moments in childhood. Toddlers and Tiaras Captures the worst moments of the pageant world and highlights the most outrageous competitors and families. Nussbaum, Kareen. â€Å"Children and Beauty Pageants.† Children and Beauty Pageants. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. . Wonderlich, Anna. â€Å"Childhood Beauty Pageant Contestants: Associations with Adult Disordered Eating and Mental Health.† Eating Disorders 13.3 (2005): 291-301. Gamble, Kate. â€Å"Red Bull Gives Kids More than Wings.† Red Bull Gives Kids More than Wings. HCP Live, 16 Feb. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. . TLC: Toddlers and Tiaras

“Connected, but Alone” TED Talk

The TED talk, â€Å"Connected, but alone† by Sherry Turkle talks about how big of an influence technology had become in our generation and how it changed our social interaction. Sherry Turkle talked about how we turn to our phones or other gadgets to have a feeling of acceptance, companionship and interaction. She elucidated in her speech that people nowadays neglect social interaction with others around them and would rather tap away on their phones. She ended her speech hoping that technology can bring people back to the real world and connect us all with each other. I do agree that technology connected us to the world enabling us to learn more about the things around but in the long run, cultivated a feeling of isolation in us. Technology had connected us to the rest of the world but not with each other. At this day and age, technology had become a primary necessity for us. Professionals, students, employees or anyone rely mostly on technology to make their work easier for them. It is continuously developing and improving to make new inventions or improve old ones. Technology has done a lot of good things for us especially for Filipinos. It is not new for Filipinos to have at least one family member as an OFW and we find it hard to communicate with them regularly which is one of the problems that technology has fixed. Now, we can talk to anyone in the world no matter how far they are for us, for free. But even with these good benefits, we often tend to isolate ourselves from the real world and ignore the things or people around us. I can relate to this because as a teenager who grew up with computers and gadgets, I also feel that sometimes, since I can do everything in the internet, I would just stay in the house and tap away on my phone. Sometimes people would attend parties or other formal gatherings to interact with friends or family but now, some are just doing it to take pictures to post on Facebook or Instagram, flaunting their outfits to get a lot of â€Å"likes† which has now become a measure of confidence for some people. Families would sit around the dining table but instead of talking to each other about how their days went, everyone would be on their gadgets. We are also introduced to â€Å"virtual friends†, or people we find online and chat with them. While this is also a good example of how technology has made communication easier for us, when we actually feel the need to talk to someone personally and want to be around people, we feel lonely because we spent too much time online instead going out and meet up with friends. Sherry Turkle ended the TED talk by saying that we need to focus on the ways that technology can lead us back to our real lives. While technology brought about a lot of innovations to make work easier for humans, we must not completely rely on it and we must experience the world in real life and not just through a screen. Overall, the TED talk was effective and accurately describes how our generation utilizes technology for communication. I hope that this TED talk may serve as a wake-up call to not lose our connection with people in the real world and use technology to further improve communication without completely disregarding actual and real-life interaction.

Measuring Performance

Measuring Performance Introduction The purpose of this essay is to assess whether measuring an employee’s performance is an essential tool for managers within organizations. Most managers and human resource directors view performance management and measurement to be a time wasting activity given the belief that they have hired skilled and experienced workers to perform organizational activities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Measuring Performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These managers fail to understand the fact that recruitment, selection and development of employees are important activities that lay the foundation for performance management and measurement. Performance measurement is defined as the sampling of an employee’s current work performance after which the sampled information is measured against a desired result to determine whether the employee is achieving the set out objectives and goals of the compan y (Carlaw et al 2003). Performance measurement is also the management of work outcomes to reduce any variations that might exist in the work performance process. Performance management is seen to be an important activity for many organizations and managers as it allows them to determine whether the employees are achieving the goals, objectives and mission of the organization. Performance measurement provides a sense of direction to employees by showing them what progress they have made in terms of personal goals as well as organizational goals. It provides employees with a gauge of how they have been performing their duties and what they need to do to make their performance better. Performance measurement ensures that employees are motivated to perform their work because of the reward programs that exist for employees who have performed their duties in the appropriate way (Carlaw et al 2003). Performance measurement is the process where an organization sets out the measurements that need to be analysed against the desired results. The main reasons for conducting performance measurement include evaluating how well a company is performing, controlling the performance of employees within the organization by providing managers with the authority to ensure their subordinates are performing their work activities in the right way and also improve the performance of the organization to achieve the organizations goals and objectives (Howell 2006).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Process of Performance measurement Performance measurement is an important activity for organizations since all managers want their employees to perform their jobs well. Measuring job performance ensures that the organization’s resources have been optimally utilised. It also reduces any expenses that might arise due to poor job performance and employee underperformance of work activities. Measuring performance identifies, communicates and rewards the employees who have met the desired organizational results. Performance measurement programs usually originate from the needs and expectations of an organization. Every employee within an organization has a specific need that they should meet to ensure that the organization’s objectives have been met (Mathis and Jackson 2008). The first step in the performance measurement exercise is to identify the expected performance levels that every employee is expected to achieve in their work activities. This will involve conducting a joint discussion between the employees and managers to determine what needs to measured. There are many business processes that require performance measurement and the most important processes are deemed to be those that are important to the organization and its customers. In determining which work activities need to measured managers and employees should ask questions such as what goals and objectives need to be achieved within the organization, what business processes is the organization involved in and what operations are needed to conduct these processes (Platts and Sobotka 2010) After identifying the organization’s business activities, the next step will be to identify the critical activities that need to be measured. This will involve examining the critical activities that are involved in each of the business processes. Critical activities are described as those that have a major impact on the organization’s overall process efficiency, effectiveness, quality and productivity. To determine the critical activities, the organization has determined whether these activities have a direct or indirect relation to the customer’s satisfaction and whether the employees and management view the activity to be critical to the organization. Once the critical activities have been identified, the next step will involve establishing the perfo rmance goals or standards that will be used in the measuring exercise (Hatry 2006) Performance goals and standards are deemed to important in the measurement exercise as they help in determining the desired result of the performance measurement exercise. Goals are usually determined by managers or by customers through their feedback, inquiries or complaints. This will require the organization to know its customers in order to identify their needs and expectations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Measuring Performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For every critical activity that has been chosen for measurement, a goal or standard has to be established to measure this activity. The performance measurement goals should be designed in a way that they can easily be attainable and applicable in the existing environmental conditions of the business. The goals should also be legitimate, measurable and easy to understand (Hatry 2006). One the performance goals have been established the next step will involve establishing performance measurements. Performance measurements are usually defined units of measure that are composed of numbers and units of measures. These numbers and units are usually represented by multidimensional units such as work hours, dollars, and number of errors, meters, and number of projects completed in a given time. To develop appropriate performance measures, managers need to identify raw data that can be used to generate performance measures as well as identify what tools and approaches will be used in implementing these performance measures. This stage involves using what the manager wants to measure by using the critical activity to derive a performance measure. Critical activities that have quantifiable goals can be used to easily derive the performance measures for the exercise. If the critical activities lack quantifiable goals, the performance goals can be derived from raw data needed for the performance measurement program. Raw data could be in the form of customer orders, customer complaints or the number of sales that an employee has made (Hatry 2006). Once the performance measures have been identified the next stage will involve identifying the employees to be measured and the people to conduct the performance measurement activities. Appropriate people need to be chosen to conduct data collection as well as analyse employee performance by comparing the collected information to the desired performance. The person required to conduct the performance measurement activity should also be capable of determining whether any corrective action is necessary to improve performance within the organization. The people or person to conduct this process should know what the goals of the exercise are as well as know what the actual performance of an employee is. They should also have the authority to implement necessary changes after the exercise has been co mpleted (Hatry 2006). After the people to measure and be measured have been chosen and identified, the next step will involve collecting the actual employee performance data. The person conducting the performance exercise will have to look at both descriptive and quantitative data related to the performance of the employee. This will include number of sales that the employee has made, number of errors they have made while performing their jobs and the number of hours they have worked.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Once this data has been collected, the next step will involve analysis and evaluation. Data analysis and evaluation determines whether the results of the measurement compare to those of the actual performance or standard. If there are inconsistencies, then the people responsible need to determine whether any corrective action needs to be undertaken to improve performance (Hatry 2006). Importance and Role of Performance Measurement Approaches for Companies While many personnel and human resource specialists concur that performance measurement is an important activity for an organization, some people hold a different opinion on the importance of performance measurement. The generalist view of performance measurements is that they are the tools that managers use to evaluate the performance of an organization and its employees so as to gain understanding of what has been achieved and what needs to be achieved. Performance measures are important for managers as they help them know how th e organization is doing, whether the employees are meeting the organization’s goals, whether the company’s customers are satisfied with the products and services or whether any improvements are necessary for the company’s business operations (Mathis and Jackson 2008). Platts and Sobotka (2010) hold a different view of the importance and role of performance measurement to an organization. The two based their views on a study they conducted on a German gas and electricity company, the results of which revealed that the managers did not use any performance measures on their employees. The results showed that the company used operational excellence instead of performance measurements where the operational excellence depended on organizational mechanisms such as trust and employee responsibilities. The company also used incentives, rewards and inspiration to motivate employees to perform their work effectively (Platts and Sobotka 2010). Conventional research has show n that performance measurement activities within organizations are important activities that help an organization to determine whether it has achieved its goals and objectives and what changes have to be implemented to ensure that the organization achieves its goals and objectives. The traditional roles of performance measurement have been divided into three roles which are inspiration, incentives and accountability where accountability involves the monitoring and reporting of an employee’s performance against the previously determined performance goals (Platts and Sobotka 2010). According to their research, the authors found that an alternative view existed on accountability in performance measurement where the employees in the German company had to prove themselves to be compliant to the principles and guidelines that underlined the operations of the company. They determined from their research that organizations that had a flat structure did not require any performance mea surement metric to drive the performance measurement process. With regards to incentives, the authors observed that the employees working in the German gas and electricity company viewed their clean and healthy working environment as an incentive and motivation for them to perform their work and achieve the set out goals of the company. They also viewed the public recognition of the work efforts to be a more important incentive than monetary rewards (Platts and Sobotka 2010). When it came to inspiration, the authors noted that it came from a desire that the employees had to achieve the stated performance measures. This desire also came from an awareness of the employee’s efforts that contributed to the overall achievement of the organization’s objectives and mission. The alternative view of inspiration that the authors derived from their assessment was employees who identified with the company were motivated to perform well in their work because they had a sense of bel onging. Inspiration within the company was instilled by charismatic leaders and the practice of management allocating more responsibilities to employees (Platts and Sobotka 2010). Platts and Sobotka’s (2010) research noted that the German company practiced alternative means of achieving high employee performance which were through offering inspirational leadership, providing a positive working environment for the employees and encouraging employees to provide their suggestions and opinions on how the company can improve its performance. The authors concluded their research by stating that formalized employee performance measurements were not required in achieving high performance standards within an organization (Platts and Sobotka 2010). Platts and Sobotka’s analysis of the German company showed that performance measurement was not a fundamentally important activity in organizations. A case study of Lloyds TSB Bank showed that the company practised the traditional app roach of performance measurement for its employees since it was involved in a company merger with TSB Group in 1995. The performance measurement program used by the bank was mostly a checklist that assessed the performance of employees within the bank after a given period of time. Performance measurement in the bank was not directed towards the achievement of the company’s goals but it was directed towards the completion of tasks by the bank’s employees. This demonstrated that performance measurement within the bank was more of a bureaucratic process instead of a performance enhancing activity (Houldsworth and Jirasinghe 2006). This reinforced Platts and Sobotka’s view that performance measurement was not an important activity for organizations. The Lloyds TSB Bank incorporated the use of the balanced scorecard in its performance measurement activities where the approach was used to balance the bank’s strategic priorities to its business processes, financ es and its customers. The balanced scorecard did not however measure the performance of employees within the bank effectively because the objectives of the individual scorecards were viewed to be no more than the banks repackaged objectives and goals. There was also a general lack of understanding on how the balanced scorecards worked when it came to measuring employee’s performance within the organization. Such challenges presented an opportunity for the bank’s management to seek new ways of enhancing performance amongst the bank’s employees. These saw the incorporation of five new areas which included franchise growth, contribution, customer satisfaction, risk and people (Houldsworth and Jirasinghe 2006). While the above case studies showed that performance measurement was not an important activity for organizations, the general conception that exists about the activity is that it is important for organizations and managers. Performance measurement is viewed t o be an important key in the success of a business because it communicates the established goals of the organization to the employees. It outlines the activities that need to be achieved by an organization’s employees and it also provides a sense of direction for organizations. Without conducting performance measurement a company cannot be able to determine where it’s going. It also cannot determine whether the set out goals and objectives have been achieved. Performance management therefore becomes an important activity and tool for managers who are determined to achieve the goals and objectives the company (Howell 2006). Conclusion The essay has focused on the aspect of whether measuring employees performance is an important activity for managers. The assessment of the performance measurement process has revealed that the activity is in important in terms of providing a sense of direction to the organization as well as determining what objectives and goals have been achieved by the organization’s employees. The essay also revealed the varied opinions that existed on whether performance measurement was an important activity for an organization. A review of various case studies showed that the activity did not in any way improve the performance of a company meaning that it was just another human resource program that did not add any value to the organization. The case studies revealed that the company’s management practised other activities that were meant to improve the performance of employees within the organization such as using inspirational and charismatic leaders, encouraging employees to take up more responsibilities and encouraging employee loyalty to the organization. While these activities worked for these organizations, the same cannot be applied for other organizations. Despite these variations in opinion, the general consensus was that performance measurement was an important activity for most organizations. References Carlaw, M., Carlaw, P., Deming, V.K., and Friedmann, K., (2003) Managing and  motivating contact centre employees. New York: McGraw Hill. Hatry, H.P., (2006) Performance measurement: getting results. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute Press Houldsworth, E., and Jirasinghe, D., (2006) Managing and measuring employee  performance. London, UK: Kogan Page Howell, M.T., (2006) Actionable performance measurement: a key to success. Milwaukee, US: American Society for Quality (ASQ) Quality Press Mathis, R.L., and Jackson, J.H., (2008) Human resource management. Ohio, US: Thomson higher education Platts, K., and Sobotka, M., (2010) When the uncountable counts: an alternative to monitoring employee performance. Business Horizons, Vol.53, No.4, pp 349-357