The Libyan Revolution

Ethical Issues Related to Reproduction Essay Example

Ethical Issues Related to Reproduction Essay Example Ethical Issues Related to Reproduction Essay Ethical Issues Related to Reproduction Essay Ethical Issues Related to Reproduction Ethical issues Abstract The current developments in the medical technology combined with the declining influence of religious morality in the community have made the church encounter different issues associating to life and death, which were additionally nonexistent in the past or were of comparatively associated with varying happenings, in our traditions. It is vital to handle these matters, and provide some outline in relation with the laws of the scriptures. It is not our concern to address these matters profoundly, but to offer sufficient foundation for the ethical decision-making. It has been defined that about 10-15 percent of married couples in the world are infertile, an extra 10 percent have few children than they expected. Childlessness is a burden to most people and couples currently. Nothing could be done to correct or cure infertility in the past, but in the modern days, there are even more other alternatives than needed because of the advances in medical technology. However, there are moral and ethical repercussions embedded in these processes, which makes these practices undesirable. Introduction Assisted reproduction (ARTs) is one way of having children without necessarily engaging in intercourse. Many individuals who opt for ARTs because of infertility and other approaches of curing their infertility have become futile. Some individuals with no fertility challenges choose ARTs to reduce the risk of transmitting some genetic turmoil. However, many scholars have taken different sides on the usefulness of the approach. Some encourages its use with minimum reservation, stressing on the gains they provide the infertile couples and woman who desire to reproduce without a partner of the opposite sex. Those supporting ARTs claim that the community ought to respect personal decisions concerning reproductive issues, referring to the official and ethical rules of individual dependency and lack of proofs that ARTs leads to substantial damage (Scott, 2000). Those opposing have demonstrated concerns on some given aspects or effects of these technologies. They are worried that too much application of ARTs in the society would result to children being products of manufacturers as per the parent’s condition, instead of distinct individuals to be adopted and loved unconditionally. On the other hand, the process is too costly implying that the approach will only help the rich because they can afford such expenses, while the poor will remain with the problem. In addition, the method is still undergoing investigation hence, it is not clear whether the ARTs processes are entirely safe for both the mother and the offspring or not. Connection between reproductive cancers and hormones are known, but women taking these procedures have not been assessed to analyze their risk to these dangers (Wennerholm et. al, 2000). The world has entered into a new age where babies can scientifically be developed in a Petri dish using the sperm of a man and the egg of a woman, then the ensuing embryo transferred to a second woman’s womb for gestation. By the application of fertility drugs and regular inspection, the embryo can develop in to a full baby that can then be given back to the parents who initiated the process, i. e. he persons who donated the sperm and the egg for the procedure. This is what surrogacy is all about. Starting with the idea of creating the child in a test tube and transferring to the womb is in itself shocking as much as ethics are concerned. Infertile couples consider this the best method of having children, but the natural birth and baby development are not followed. Children ought to develop na turally and seek to inherit the genes of its parents, but in this case, the baby has genes from three different people. The other thing is the issue whereby a woman requests another woman womb at a cost. Individuals paying medical costs for a third party purportedly carrying their child, and who may at last refuse to give out the baby, engage in unethical ways (Storey, 2011). Sperm and egg donations also have some ethical issues in that both donors have some rights as pertaining to their donations. The clients have a right to be updated on the disadvantages their sperm or egg has with the likely complications that may result in case someone decides to purchase them. Ethically, that is not an acceptable practice has babies should develop naturally in their initial stages without being investigated for defects and other complications. On the other hand, sperm and egg banks are highly selective as to who should donate them. For instance, in California Cryobank accepts only graduate donors from  some universities. The procedure of the reproduction should not have such selection procedures. In contrast, those banks that do not have restrictions may allow someone to donate several times, which the children being created because of purchasing the sperm may come from one individual hence, resulting to related babies. The difference between ultra selective donor banks and those, which cater for the population that is more â€Å"normal,† put up some ethical issues. Ethical dilemmas surrounding surrogate parenting Surrogate parenting has many dilemmas especially regarding the relationship and ownership of the baby. The most common is the conflict of interest among the commissioning parents and the surrogate mother. Under this condition, it should be clear as to who should have full rights of the baby. Screening the concerned couples for proper identification of the surrogate mother should be carried out to reduce some of the dilemmas. Another dilemma may result when the surrogate mother feels that she is being exploited by the couple and not being well compensated. In such a case, she may end up refusing to let go of the baby and instead seek a court injunction. In addition, the traditional and cultural variances existing in the society has some complications regarding this form of bringing up the children. Women who volunteer as surrogate mothers are considered not complete by other cultures and this need to be resolved because it can affect the development of the child later in life (Storey, 2011). A family is usually made up of father, mother, and the children. However, in this case, the children have different parents attached to them. This makes the definition of a family not to be inclusive as we have a third person claiming and having links to the child. A child in a family definition has only one biological mother and one biological father. Because both mothers have a linkage to the child, it leaves room for the definition of the family to include such exceptional cases when defining a family (Storey, 2011). B. elective abortion Selective abortion is moral because the multiple surviving embryos may cause more harm to the mother before and after birth. For instance, the conception of such embryos may compete themselves for the reduced requirements provided by the mother, leading to retarded development since they would not get enough. In case, all the embryos are left to live, the society should be able to cater for all their needs especially helping the mother and the fam ily in financial terms to raise all the children at a go. The society should also provide basic amenities such as specific training schools for the mental retarded, and support them as much as they can (Bouchard et. al, 1995). Those with defects should be provided with aiding machines or tools that can enable them move from one place to another. For those who are willing, they should also volunteer to take up the responsibility of medical expenses and other requirements prescribed by the healthcare officers. c. Ethical issues surrounding abortion Abortion, for many years, has been illegal in most countries, but nowadays people are fighting for it to be legal. However, in religious beliefs, any form of terminating human life is murder, regardless of whether it is a fetus, infant, or purportedly minor members of the society like the handicapped and the old. Abortion is murder, and it breaches the sacredness of God’s given life. Christians believe that life starts at conception and God alone has the right to take it. Nevertheless, pro-choice supporters claim that restricting abortion raises the occurrences of unsafe abortion, since the accessibility of professional abortion can minimize such cases. Sometimes, those incidences result to maternal mortality. The ethical discussion concerning abortion normally rotates on matters of whether the fetus can be given any rights especially the right to life and whether the woman has some rights over her body. In some places, abortion is only allowed if the life of the mother is in danger, or if the fetus is deformed (Bouchard et. al, 1995). Conclusion Reproduction starts with the interaction between the opposite sexes, after which embryos can develop. Modern technologies have reduced the challenges of childlessness through the various inventions, although some individuals still do not appreciate the God-given life, ending up killing others through abortion. Abortion is of two types: direct abortion is never morally accepted while the indirect abortion, which occurs due to some unavoidable events, is allowed as a way of saving the mother. The pro-life argue from the Christian point of view and have to follow the doctrines, for it is the foundation of their living. Any form of birth control is, therefore, unacceptable as it leads to depriving someone life and is morally wrong in the society. Illegal abortion is also extremely risky as it may endanger the life of the mother, as well. References: Bouchard L, Renaud M, Kremp O, Dallaire L. (1995). Selective abortion: a new moral order? Consensus and debate in the medical community. International Journal of Health Service, 25 (1) 65-84. Scott, G. (2000). Ethical Issues and Assisted Reproductive Technology: Human Reproduction. 15, (1) 944-948. Storey, G. (2011). Ethical Problems Surrounding Surrogate Motherhood. Retrieved on June 16, 2011, from yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2000/7/00. 07. 05. x. html

Critical reflection of classroom observations Essay

Critical reflection of classroom observations - Essay Example Lesson aims for the students: The main aim of the lesson was to give the students an opportunity to developskills for generating a conversation more so with a stranger. Specific Skills: By the end of the lesson, the students were expected to generate a general idea of conversation starters through the completion of a specific task. The subsidiary aim of the lesson was to shine light upon the learners on they ought to speak and to learn the appropriate vocabulary for conversing with people under different circumstances. Anticipated Problems & Solutions: As is expected in every lesson, this lesson had its anticipated problems. Pronunciation was the first anticipated problem because the students would have found the new vocabulary in the text hard to cope with. Not only was the new vocabulary posing the problem of mispronunciation, it also had the possibility of making students to slow down in their reading. The students were also expected to present something that they generated from t he task that the teacher gave them. It was therefore expected that some of the students would be shy during the presentation. ... To eliminate the anticipation of the students being shy, the teacher had to make the lesson as interactive as possible and make sure that all the students participated in the activities. Assumed Knowledge: The basic assumption of the lesson was that the students were familiar with the concepts of starting a conversation, especially with a stranger. Materials: Delisle, R. (1997). How to use problem-based learning in the classroom. Alexandria, Va, Asociation for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Ellis, R. (2009). A typology of written corrective feedback types. Gear, A. (2006). Reading power: teaching students to think while they read. Markham, Ont, Pembroke Publishers. Harding da Rosa, J-M. (2012) ‘Managing your classes’ in English Teaching Professional, issue 82 ,pp 22-24. Harmer, J. (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching (4th Edition). Hativa, N. (2001). Teaching for effective learning in higher education.Dordrecht, Kluwer Academic Publishers. Hebden, M. & Mason, J. (2003).Classroom organization.English Teaching Professional. Issue 28.Pp 23-5. Jacobs, G. M. and Ball, J. (1996) ‘An Investigation of the Structure of Group Activities in ELT Coursebooks’ in ELT Journal 50/2 99-107. Saginor, N. (2008). Diagnostic classroom observation: Moving beyond best practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Senior, R. (2008) 'Developing Rapport' in English Teaching Professional, issue 54. Tudor, I. (1993) ‘Teacher roles in the learner-centred classroom’ in ELT Journal (1993) 47(1): 22-3. Widdowson, H. G. (1987) ‘ The Roles of Teacher and Learner’ in ELT Journal, 41/ 2 83-8. Wilson, K. (2008) ‘Facilitator Talk in EAP Reading Classes’ in ELT Journal, 62/4, 366-374. Zepeda, S. J. (2009). The instructional leader's guide to informal

Managerial Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Managerial Economics - Essay Example There are several factors that contribute to the pricing of houses in a free market. The Basic Principle of demand and supply This basic principle of demand and supply would chiefly govern the housing market, i.e. when the demand for housing increases the prices will tend to go up in order to reach equilibrium at the present level of supply. This is a typical example of demand and supply. The equilibrium is determined when the price at which the buyer would like to make purchase coincides with the price at which the seller would like to make the trade. Now the value of the housing properties is determined by both the supply side and the demand side factors which include the price at which the seller would like to go for the transaction with a prospective buyer and the actual price which the buyer would like to pay (Ngai and Tenreyro, 2009, p.7). Now when the demand for residence in a particular locality is high then the dearth of supply would cause the market power to shift from the buyers to the sellers and hence prices would be determined by the seller. Thus, when there is excess demand in the housing market the sellers may hoard the residential unit in order to create a price differential and make more profits. On the other hand when the demand for housing is low the sellers might compromise on the prices and it would be a buyer’s market where the buyer would have a lot of control over the settlement of the prices. The demand for housing at a particular area may increase due to demographic reasons as well. Suppose a new industry is set up in a place where previously there was no human establishment, then labour migration will take place in that particular area and those people would need residential investments. Again as the number of divorces is increasing people these days need more residential units separately and hence the demand for housing increases. In the above figure we see that the initial demand for housing in a particular area id D1 and th e initial supply is S1. The vertical axis would represent the prices of the housing units and the horizontal axis would represent the quantity of houses traded in the market of that particular area. The initial equilibrium price and quantity is at P1 and Q1 respectively. Now due to population inflow, the demand for housing units increases to D2. The supply remaining constant at S1, the new equilibrium would be at the point P2Q2. A point to be noted in this context is that due to an increase in demand the quantity supplied is increasing but at the lesser rate than that of the prices, i.e., P1P2 would be greater than Q1Q2. It should be noted that the supply here is relatively inelastic. The reason behind this is that there is a lag in time in between the price change and the augmentation of supply in housing in that area. When the supply of housing becomes more elastic as in the above figure, the supply curve would move in the rightward direction indicated by the arrow. The new supply curve will be S2. Now if we assume that the demand is unchanged then the prices would tend to go down to P3 which is a price that is higher than P1 but lower than P2. On the other, the equilibrium quantity would further move upwards to Q3 which is higher than both Q1 and Q2.  

Disproportionate Representation of African American Students in Special Education Essay Example for Free

Disproportionate Representation of African American Students in Special Education Essay Abstract In 2011 there is still disproportionate representation of African American Students in special education classes. This can be defined as conflict in the education environment because, government legislation mandates that No child be left behind, yet African American students, males in particular, are disproportionately being just that, left behind. The purpose of this study is to discuss disproportionate representation. What it means and who it affects most will be identified. Contributing factors such as socioeconomic status and race and ethnicity will also be discussed. Possible solutions in the form of equity and early intervention will be discussed as well. Lastly with these factors identified, it is the hope that feasible and probable solutions can be reached or at least recommended. Review of Literature For more than 40 years the topic of Disproportionate representation has been addressed by scholars. The data collected has been qualitative and quantitative. According to Bollmer, Bethel, Garrison-Morgen, and Brauen â€Å"The issue of disproportionate identification and placement of racial/ethnic minorities in special education has been investigated extensively (Bollmer, Bethel, Garrison-Mogren, Brauen, 2007). † They go on to share that the risk ratio, which is used to compare one racial/ethnic groups likelihood of receiving special education and related services to all other students is one of the most useful tools in this research (Bollmer, Bethel, Garrison-Mogren, Brauen, 2007). Sometimes referred to as disproportionality, disproportionate representation covers both over and underrepresentation. Overrepresentation happens when the percentage of students from one group is larger than expected based on their numbers in the general population. Underrepresentation is occurring when a specific group of students are involved at a lower rate than their numbers in the general population. According to Beratan â€Å"The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education is as clear of a racist outcome as one can find. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) formally recognizes such disproportionate representation as a problem in special education (Beratan, 2008). † He goes on to share the following thoughts and statistics: A) Greater efforts are needed to prevent the intensification of problems connected with mislabeling and high dropout rates among minority children with disabilities. B) More minority children continue to be served in special education than would be expected from the percentage of minority students in the general school population. C) African-American children are identified as having mental retardation and emotional disturbance at rates greater than their White counterparts. D) In the 1998-1999 school year, African-American children represented just 14. 8 percent of the population aged 6 through 21, but comprised 20. 2 percent of all children with disabilities. E) Studies have found that schools with predominately White students and teachers have placed disproportionately high numbers of their minority students into special education (Beratan, 2008). Disproportionate representation not only speaks to the overrepresentation of African-American students labeled as learning disabled, but also to the gross lack of African-American students being labeled gifted. Bonner and Jennings share â€Å"According to the literature, African American males have been disproportionately place in special education classrooms and underrepresented in gifted and talented programs (Fred A. Bonner I. M. , 2007). † Bonner and Jennings go on to say that â€Å"The story of the African American male in gifted and talented programs is one of widespread underrepresentation (Fred A. Bonner I. M. , 2007). † Bonner and Jennings further share that lack of instructor referrals, substandard performance on standardized norm-referenced test scores and student and family choice contributed to the underrepresentation of African American males in gifted programs (Fred A. Bonner I. M. , 2007). The  authors continue to expound on this phenomenon by stating â€Å"Due to the potential for underachievement among African American students in first, second, and third grade, a time in which most identification processes for these programs are implemented, these students often go unidentified (Fred A. Bonner I. M. , 2007). † Artiles and Bal maintain that African American males and Native American students appear to be the most affected groups at the national level (Artiles Bal, 2008). While disproportionate representation has touched all minority groups, African American males in particular have continually been identified as the most over represented population in Special education. Several factors are said to contribute to the disproportionate representation of minority students in Special Education. Yolanda Anyon shares: Barton and Tomlinson (1981) argue that the identification of students with learning disabilities and subsequent placement in special education is a form of social control to minimize problem behaviors in mainstream classrooms. Other researchers have documented that teachers and principals refer children for special needs assessment who are causing the biggest problems in the classroom be it passivity, failure to learn material or aggressiveness (Anyon, 2009). She further goes on to share â€Å"in this way, special education primarily serves social control functions in schools as it legitimizes the removal of â€Å"deviant† students from regular classrooms (Anyon, 2009). † Socioeconomic status is said to increase the likelihood that student will be placed in special education. It is also said that race and ethnicity of students can be a large variable that causes excessive amounts of students of color to be referred and placed in special education. Skiba and fellow scholars share: Among the most longstanding and intransigent issues in the field, the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education programs has its roots in a long history of educational segregation and discrimination. Although national estimates of disproportionality have been consistent over time, state and local estimates may show varying patterns of disproportionality. A number of factors may contribute to disproportionality, including test bias, poverty, special education processes, inequity in general education, issues of behavior management, and cultural mismatch/cultural reproduction (Skiba, et al. , 2008). They further go on to say that â€Å"special education was born out of, and owes a debt to the civil rights movement†, alluding to the fact that both the inspiration for and the strategies used by those whose work resulted in the initial national special education legislation came from the civil rights movement (Skiba, et al., 2008). They also maintain that â€Å"concerns about racial inequity were central to litigation that led to the promulgation of the first special education legislation (Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, IDEA) (Skiba, et al. , 2008). The scholars aptly point out the irony of racial disparity rates of special education service remaining one of the key indicators of inequity in our national educational system (Skiba, et al. , 2008). An additional contributing factor that they share is â€Å"A second factor that might contribute to a disproportionate rate of representation in special education among students of color are sociodemographic factors associated with economic disadvantage (Skiba, et al. , 2008). Skiba, et al, give this insight into the role of poverty in disproportionate representation: In order to directly assess the contribution of poverty to the disproportionate representation of African American students in special education, Skiba et al.(2005) studied the relationship of special education enrollment, race, socioeconomic and demographic factors, and test score outcomes in a sample of 295 school districts in a Midwestern state. Across ordinary least squares and logistic regression equations, poverty made a weak, inconsistent, and often counter-intuitive contribution to the prediction of disproportionality across a number of disability categories (Skiba, et al. , 2008). While there are no definitive causes of the issue of disproportionate representation the above named ones come up in study after study which lends ample credence to them as real and possibly surmountable issues. â€Å"It might well be expected that the students whose educational opportunities are limited will be more likely to be referred for special education services (Skiba, et al. , 2008). Another point expressed by Skiba and fellow scholars is: Of the possible links between general education practices and special education disproportionality, however, only the proportion of culturally consonant teachers in the teaching force has been directly investigaed. Serwatka, Derring and Grant (1995) found that as the percentage of African American teachers increased, overrepresentation of African American student in the emotionally distrubed category decreased. Similarly, in a cross-state comparison, Ladner and Hammons (2001) found that the discrepancy of African American and white rates of eligibility for special education rose in direct proportion to the percentage of the teaching force that was White, especially in districts with a White percentage of more than 60% (Skiba, et al., 2008). Just as there are no definitive causes identified, there are not any fool proof solutions laid out for correcting the issue of disproportionate representation. There are varying thoughts about strategies such as the following: If disproportionality in special education is multiply determined, no single intervention strategy can be universally relied on to reduce racial disparity. Rather, complex causality clearly suggests the need for comprehensive and multifaceted assessment and intervention plans. In particular, the possibility that the determinants of disproportionality are locale-specific suggests that remediation plans must be driven by local needs assessment capable of identifying unique local patterns (Skiba, et al. , 2008). Early intervention approaches are said to possibly reduce disparities to the level that economic disadvantage is at work (Skiba, et al. , 2008). â€Å"Early intervention would not be expected to address systemic failures or bias and would hence fail to address disproportionality that is due to institutional inequity (Skiba, et al. , 2008). † Researchers are beginning to look at the problem of disproportionate representation within the arena of equity studies (Artiles Bal, 2008). According to the authors â€Å"researchers, practitioners, and policy makers continue to debate this problem and critical questions remain unanswered (Artiles Bal, 2008). They go on to question the ability to, or lack thereof, explain how the phenomenon of disproportionate representation consistently remains in existence. Artiles and Bal have raised the following questions â€Å"How have researchers approached the study of this problem, and what are some key gaps in this knowledge base? Does the problem exist in the United States only (Artiles Bal, 2008)? † These scholars have chosen to conduct research on â€Å"the problem of disproportionate representation as related to equity concerns in educational systems’ responses to difference (Artiles Bal, 2008). Artiles and Bal share the following about equity in the United States educational system: Educational equity in the United States has aimed historically to enhance access and participation for students considered different. For instance, programs were created to address the educational needs of students who have different ability levels or whose proficiency in English is limited (i. e. , special education and bilingual education, respectively) (Artiles Bal, 2008). They further go on to share that special education in the United States was created as an answer to some of the issues of difference: The creation of special education was a landmark achievement in the attention of students considered different on the basis of ability. Special education legislation entitled these students to free and appropriate public education, individualized educational programs, due process, and education in the least restrictive environment. Interestingly, an increasingly louder debate has emerged in the past 40 years in the United States about the disproportionate representation of ethnic minority and poor students in special education (Artiles Bal, 2008). Laws that require states report placement data as it pertains to socioeconomic and racial lines to stay abreast of the problem of disproportionality have been imposed. States and school districts that find themselves faced with the issue of disproportionate representation are required to take remedial actions to address it (Artiles Bal, 2008). If equity is the solution and special education was designed to level the playing field, why then the issue of disproportionality? This same question is posed by Artiles and Bal, â€Å"But why then is placement in programs that purportedly address equity issues for students with different ability levels considered a problem when it involves other groups of different students, namely, ethnic minorities and poor students (Artiles Bal, 2008). † While that is a very rational and valid line of questioning, it is far too complicated to answer without factoring in the historical issues that plagued African American students long before special education legislation was implemented. Conclusions Disproportionate representation of African Americans in special education is not a new phenomenon. It has been studied and researched for well over 40 years. Whether it is referred to as disproportionality or disproportionate representation, the terminology covers both over and under representation within a group. While most of the research addresses overrepresentation, there is some out there that speaks to the underrepresentation of African Americans in gifted programs, more specifically African American males. There are no concrete reasons for this phenomenon, but several different factors have been considered contributing factors. Socioeconomic status and race and ethnicity are often the most discussed contributing factors. Special education having roots that stem back to civil rights legislation lends a great amount of credence to the belief that those two factors are probably the leading cause of disproportionate representation. The research shared a very specific accusation of how racism plays a very real part in disproportionate representation. Examples to that end were that studies have found that schools with predominately White students and teachers have placed disproportionately high numbers of their minority students into special education and African-American children are identified as having mental retardation and emotional disturbance at rates greater than their White counterparts. In regards to equity Skiba and fellow scholars give this advice to educators in regards to making effective interventions: Thus, educators and policy makers seeking effective interventions to close special education equity gaps must be willing to openly discuss and address issues of race, ethnicity, gender, class, culture, and language. Moreover, processes chosen to address inequity must have at their core a mechanism to ensure that the perspectives of all stakeholders, especially those of historically marginalized groups who have been the recipients of unequal treatment, are represented when interpreting data on racial and ethnic disparities (Skiba, et al. , 2008). As educators we must take heed to the information shared about disproportionality. Though this information is not new, it must continue to be shared as if it was. While this resarch was specifically about African Americans, other minorities are affected by disproportionate representation. I will be more cognizant of how I determine whether or not to suggest a student be tested for special education services. It is so easy to refer them, before taking the time to investigate the reasons behind the undesireable behavior. Works Cited Anyon, Y. (2009). Social Theories of Learning Disabilities: Understanding Racial Disproportionality in Special Education. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 44-57. Artiles, A. J. , Bal, A. (2008). The Next Generation of Disproportionality Research Toward a Comparative Model in the Study of Equity in Ability Differences. The Journal of Special Education, 4-14. Beratan, G. D. (2008). The song remains the same: Transposition and the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 337-354. Bollmer, J. , Bethel, J. , Garrison-Mogren, R. , Brauen, M.(2007). Using the Risk Ratio to Asess Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality in Special Education at the School-District Level. The Journal of Special Education, 186-198. Fred A. Bonner, I. M. (2007). Never Too Young to Lead: Gifted African American Males in Elementary School. Gifted Child Today, 31-35. Skiba, R. J. , Simmons, A. B. , Ritter, S. , Gibb, A. C. , Rausch, M. K. , Cuadrado, J. , et al. (2008). Achieving Equity in Special Education: History, Status, and Current Challenges. Exceptional Children, 264-288.

Concept Of E Commerce It Information Technology Essay

Concept Of E Commerce It Information Technology Essay You are required to choose an E-commerce website and asses it in terms of seven unique features. Which of the features does the site implement well and which feature poorly in your opinion. Provide your detailed findings and suggestion for improvement? Assume that, you had bought two products through online. Explain why you choose to buy that product through online, pros and cons of online purchase. Table of content Introduction Nowadays most of the peoples in this generation will spend most of the time sitting in front of computer and online. At this moment, most of the peoples will use e-commerce website purchase things rather than go shopping mall and purchases things. In this question , students are required to choose an E-commerce website and assess it in term of seven unique features and explain in details which are the features are implement well and which features poorly in our own opinion, not only that, there are also required to give suggestion the improvement for the poorly features. The seven features of e-commerce such as, Ubiquity, Global Reach, Universal Standards, Richness, Interactivity, Information Density, Personalization and customization. Most of the e-commerce website will include those seven unique features, just a problem between which is good and bad. In order to have a successful e-commerce website, these seven unique features are important. Main body Question 1 From the early and humble beginnings, where peoples are still using the traditional transaction and most of the companies does not have their own website, but nowadays e-commerce sees billions traded annually and not only small companies, even large companies also could not afford without a website. Indeed, for many companies, their presence on the Internet is their window to the world and they are also considering as e-commerce businesses. Actually what is e-commerce? E-commerce also called as Electronic Commerce. E-commerce is a type of industry where purchasing and selling of products or services are conducted through over the internet and other computer network. E-commerce are involves digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individuals. There are two categories e-commerce which are classified by nature of market relationship and classified by type of technologies used. In classified by nature of market relationship are included B2C (Business -to-Consumer), B2B (Business-to-Business) and C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer). Classified by type of technologies used are included P2P (Peer-to-Peer) and M-Commerce (Mobile Commerce). Require having a successful e-commerce website, these are the seven unique features for the e-commerce website is needed. These are the seven unique features for e-commerce, Ubiquity, Global Reach, Universal Standards, Richness, Interactivity, Information Density, Personalization and customization. Ubiquity It is available everywhere such as work, home and any other places via mobile device. When anytime Marketplace is created or extended beyond traditional boundaries and removed from a geographic location. Shopping can take place anywhere. It can reduce costs and save time such as parking fees and wasting time purposely go to the shopping mall and spend time to search for the items. It can make more convenience for customer. Global reach Total numbers of consumers or users an e-commerce business can have. Technology Dimension Business Significance Technology reaches beyond national boundaries Commerce is enabled across cultural and national boundaries seamlessly and without modification. Marketplace includes potentially billions of consumers and millions of businesses worldwide. The next one is universal standard. Universal standard Universal standard is about to lowers market entry for merchants and search costs for consumers. It can reduce product search cost and by creating a single, one world market place, where price discovery becomes faster, simpler and more accurate. Easily to get the information about all the suppliers, prices, and delivery terms of a specific product anywhere in the world. Richness It can provide information richness which is more powerful selling environment for consumers. E-Commerce technologies have changed the traditional tradeoff between reach and richness with audio, video and text message. Instead of using traditional technologies like TV, radio and magazines, most of the peoples will rather use Internet and web get the marketing messages. In the internet and web are able to provide millions rich marketing messages for audiences. Interactivity Consumers or users can be interacted the content in a dialogue that dynamically adjusts the experience to the individual, and make the consumer a co- participant in the process of delivering goods to the market. It is quite similar to face-to-face experience. Comparing to the TV or radio, it is on a massive global scale. Information density Information density amount and quality of information available to all market participants, it can reduces information cost and raises quality Information processing, storage and communication costs drop dramatically while accuracy and timeliness improve greatly. Information becomes plentiful, cheap and accurate. For example, price discrimination in which a merchant can sell the same goods to different targeted market with a different price. Personalization or customization In this features are allow consumers personalized messages to be delivered to individuals as well as groups personalization of marketing messages and also allow consumers customize the products and services based on individual characteristics and consumers needed. In this question are required to choose an e-commerce website, the e-commerce website that are going to choose will be www.ebay.com.my. What is eBay? EBay was founded since 1995 which is an American multinational internet consumer-to-consumer corporation, headquartered in San Jose, California. It was started as a place to trade collectables and hard-to-find items. Today eBay is a global marketplace where businesses and individuals can buy and sell practically anything, but mostly eBay is more on a type of e-commerce which is consumer-to-consumer. Peoples can get information without register in the website, need to register only when peoples wants to buy or sell the products. Peoples can buy what they want in eBay, it is because for everyone. They can buy the things that they want with a great price. These are the example items can found in eBay, electronics, designer fashion, your favorite toy, rare antiques, new cars and furniture. When peoples are looking for those items, they will look for eBay website. eBay also is a best place for peoples to sell things, millions of peoples in this world will just sell things on eBay every day for make some extra money, clear up clutter around the house, start their own business and jump-start holiday savings. At the same time, people s are no need to worry about the products that had been sold will go wrong, eBay will have many programs in place to help you trade with peace of mind, such as feedback system, buyer protection program and dedicated security center. EBay is one of the e-commerce website including all the seven unique features of e-commerce technology and significance. But eBay are not perfectly can do well with all the seven unique features; it has great and poor too. These are the seven unique features of e-commerce will list in sequence from greatest to the poorest. Ubiquity will be the greatest for eBay; it is because eBay are available to everywhere as long as you can online then you can get the information of the products that you looking for. The second will be global reach; eBay is available for everyone in the world, so the number of the users or consumers will be a lot, it is under a global reach level, but there might be some problem that can be reconsider is the users or consumers will be too many and it is hard to be maintain the users or consumers, the marketplace is too wide. Thirdly, universal standard, peoples can get lower cost on eBay and easily to find supplier on eBay, but the price is not fixed and some more consumers have to pay more for the eBay commission. Richness will be in the middle, eBay will just provide information with text and photos, the information sometime will not be so accurate, in order to improve the richness in eBay, it should require sellers to provide a video for their products to make the products information more accurate and clear. EBay quite poor in interactivity, it is hard to have a contact with the sellers; eBay should prepare a more convenience program that allow consumers to contact sellers instead of just reach messages to the sellers. EBay very poor in personalization and customization, it is because eBay is consumer-to-consumer method, so the products sell in eBay mostly is second hand, it is very hard to customize the products for the consumers, they should prepare a form in the website for consumers to write down what they want to change for the products. Lastly, this is the poorest features for the eBay, information density, better do not expect the products will be quality, the items that sell in eBay most probably are second hand or third hand or even more, eBay should compulsory to the seller to have warranty for their products, and improve the limitation, set limited years for the products, for example, if a products that had been more than 10years, do not allow the seller to put in the eBay and sell it. In my opinion, the most important is about the information density feature for eBay, if they can give warrantee for the quality of the products, this warrantee will enroll more peoples use eBay to sell or buy things. Conclusion In conclusion, nothing is perfect in this world, so every e-commerce website will have well and bad, does not have any e-commerce website can fully do well for all the seven unique features. They can only do is keep ask for feedback and suggestion from the consumers or users and keep try to improve the weakness to be better and better, to have a better quality of the website, the more users and consumers only will be enrolled. Especially, eBay is one of the e-commerce website that for the whole world with consumer-to-consumer method to serve consumers, although it is quite convenience to get the products information for peoples needed, but peoples who going to buy products from eBay better do not give too much expectation for the products quality, must be aware of it, it is because the products might not be exactly look as better as the photo provided in the website. Introduction In this question I am required to assume myself is a consumer of online purchase. I had bought two products through the online purchasing website. Why I want to buy those products through online? Why I dont want to go to the shop and buy those products? In this generation online purchase are very common. In this question I do not only have to explain the reason why I want to buy those products from website, I also have to explain in details about the pros and cons of online purchase, which is the advantages and disadvantages of online purchases. Actually, there are not only advantages for online purchase, behind every advantage will also have disadvantage. Although nowadays online purchase are very convenience and more save cost, but there are also certain issues happens we have to be aware, maybe those issues happen will make our money lost and our privacy will be leak out. The answer will telling about we should aware and how to avoid our privacy information and how the hacker get our information and where they get from. Main body Question 2 The two products that I will choose to buy through online are desktop computer and mobile phone. Why choose online purchasing? It is quite convenience comparing to go to the shopping mall or those device shop for research, their prices and the equipment. First of all is about why I will choose to buy desktop computer through online purchasing. Buy a desktop computer with a reasonable and even cheaper price and also specialist for games is not that easy, have to do search for many information and price list. If buying through online, no need to waste my time go to the shopping mall and computer center look for the information and prices, it makes me save time so I can take more time to check for the other brands of the desktop computer price and save cost, I no need to pay the extra parking fees at the computer shops and shopping mall, can just take the money that had saved to assembly more equipment for my desktop computer in order to make it run more faster because it is buy for gaming. Through the online purchasing website can get all the information about the desktop computer including prices. For example, buying a dell desktop, I can just go to a e-commerce website which is sell dells devices and see which of the desktop computer are most suitable for gaming, I can check for the price in the website and try to customize that what I want for my desktop computer such as from 4GB RAM upgrade to 8GB RAM and 500GB hard disk space upgrade to 1TB hard disk space. Not only has that, buying mobile phoned also same, we able to check what the market price for the phone are, and the details for the phone that we looking for, see is it whether the phone really suitable for me or can get even better than that with the reasonable price, can have some packages through the online purchasing website and more convenience. This is why I will choose to buy desktop computer and mobile phone through online purchasing. There are many pros and cons for online purchasing. pros is something similar like advantages of online purchasing and cons is something similar like disadvantages of online purchasing. Pros of online purchasing First of all, it is quite easy to shop through online purchasing. Peoples just needed to have an average internet connection and also some basic knowledge about how to use internet browser to run the e-commerce website. We can just type in their web domain name to browse their website, so that we can get the information about what they are offering, read reviews, make rational buying decision and make comparison with the product from the same categories. Would it be nice to get everything delivered at your doorsteps without you even stepping outside your homes? Purchasing products through online we can get buying our grocery just sitting on our comfortable sofa and watch our favorite TV shows. We also can have some comparisons, read reviews, view user ratings and make uniform and rational buying decisions in online purchasing web. It is much more convenience for us to do quick comparisons, so that we can get a chance to search the entire positive and negatives of a certain product or service. Can we have discount through the online purchasing? Yes! Since there are many online shopping website exists, of course there will be many competition on internet between different shopping websites, but customers always the first, so many websites will offers many kind of promotions for customer such as, gift certificates, shopping points, discount and cash back benefits. Who will be the people who win those offers? We are the persons can won it. No hard cash for online purchasing, its mean buying products without paying cash. We can get the products that we wanted without paying anything in cash. Everything will be handled by our credit card or PayPal account. Especially, those electronic products like plasma television. Cons of online purchasing While shopping on the Internet can be a pleasing and rewarding experience, the negatives or disadvantages associated with Internet shopping cannot be neglected. Let us take a look at some of the disadvantages of online shopping. Firstly, online shopping actually we do not physically seen the items, which mean we can only see the items through the photo provided on e-commerce website, we could not see the items that we bought until it arrive. Normally the photo of items that we see will be much better than once we have the item in front of us. Secondly, online security is quite weak, although online payments are safe but not always, there might have some of the e-commerce websites are not secure enough or do not encrypt our personal credit card date, if hacker has break into the sites system, our credit card data and information will be leak out. Thirdly, certain peoples computer might have spyware on their computer, if we using this computer to purchasing items through online purchasing, it is a risk of our credit card information and personal data been stolen by our own computer. Fourthly, it can cause spam issues on our email, when we bought something through the website such as, a digital camera. We are happy when we receive it, but days pass we will suddenly receiving a hoard of emails offering discounts, special schemes, promotions and so on from the website. When every time they have any special promotions or disco unt, the website will keep sending messages to our email, it is because after we bought products from their website, the website may do have a clause in their privacy policy document that our email able to share with third parties to send us relevant offers, it is quite annoying. Lastly, sometime it may cause online connection issues, due to the internet connection unstable, or sometime there will be a time too many visit the website will cause internet connection problems, when we add items to our online shopping cart, after entering credit card information and submit it, at this moment the internet connection error, we may not know is it the order went through correctly or not. After refresh the screen it may cause double billing or double ordering. Conclusion In conclusion, buying desktop computer and mobile phone from website really very convenience for me, I can get more information not only for the brand that I looking for, at the same time I can also have more information about the other brand of the desktop computer and mobile phone, might be I can found there is another brands products price and features also reasonable than what I looking for. Beside this, the pros and cons given in the question I had learnt a lesson about how to safety buy products from online website. Before buying items through online, make sure our connectivity are going smooth and double check the whole computer it is any spyware in my computer, make sure the whole computer is clear and connection is smooth, only confirm the products that had picked and key in the information that are required that the website asking for. Choose the website that are most people use also very important, dont choose the website that not common without confidentially and nobodys know, or else our money also might gone without anybodys knowing. So choose the website with high confidentially and most people know.

Martin Luther King Jr. Headed Research Essay

Martin Luther King Jr was a well known civil rights leader in the 1960’s. He inspired many African Americans with his speeches and his non-violent movement. He had vision, courage and concern three out of the six characteristics mention by Campbell (2002) that create a leader. Even though he was well know for stopping segregation it is important to study his effective leadership. Many High School students have studied about Martin Luther King Jr. However, there is much more to King. We need to study his courage to step up and create sit-ins and protest, concern for others right and vision to tie all these in and make them possible. In addition, we need to look into these characteristics that made him a strong catalyst for change. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the findings about the leadership and characteristics of Martin Luther King Jr. Also adding to how this leader improved the reading and writing skills to this papers author. The questions posed for the research described here are the following: 1. What important findings were made during this research? a. Why was he concerned about the rights they had? b. How did sit-ins and boycotts help King? c. What did it take to accomplish his goal? 2. Which of the leaders personal characteristics seem to be most important for his success as a catalyst for change? 3. What did the author of this paper learn about him/herself as the research, reading and writing for this assignment progress? 4. What conclusion can be drawn from this research? Findings about the Leader Martin Luther King Jr most important accomplishment was concerned about the civil rights that black people had King tried to protect the freedom of discrimination based on â€Å"gender, religion, race, national origin, age or sexual orientation.† (History Alive ch. 46) King wanted to give African Americans their rights to freedom of speech. he saw to gain equality through the world. also King wanted to stop the discrimination that was mostly based on race. this would stop the segregation that was going on and open the doors of opportunity and a better community. Much of Kings work was controversial during the time in which he lived. People opposed King because he encouraged sit-ins and boycotts. In one of the many sit-ins four college students sat in white people spots and refused to move because they were not getting served. The students dressed like they were going to church and the sit-in lasted for almost two weeks. Many white people fought the black people and the black people were arrested. They were able to get bailed for fifty dollars or do the thirty-three days in jail. Then the marches started and one girl marched up to the mayor and she said that it was unfair. Three weeks later black people got served.(History Alive.p 69) In the Montgomery Bus Boycotts was organized because of the segregated buses. The boycott lasted 328 days with no one riding the bus. Martin Luther King Jr lead the black people in this boycott. In 1955 black people had to sit in the back of the bus and white people sat in the front, sometimes black people had to give up their seats. Black boycott leaders got attacked by white people. Some of which got their homes bombed. Even though they were attacked they stuck to their non-violent system. eleven months later the segregation was considered unconstitutional. King said that, â€Å"it wasn’t a victory for them or whites, but justice and good will.† (History Alive. p 69) Kings ideas were important for the time in which he lived. People opposed King because they knew he would accomplish his goals. It took a lot of Kings time to accomplish desegregation and equality, but he was able to accomplish all the sit-ins, boycotts and marches with the help and support from his family, church and his followers who wanted the justice that King wanted to achieve. The Leader’s Personal Characteristics The three personal characteristics that, according to Campbell are necessary to become a strong exceptional leader are vision, concern and courage. These three characteristics best describe Martin Luther King Jr. King’s vision was shown through his speeches, sit-ins and boycotts. King wanted the future of his people and the future generation of young African Americans to be better and equal. He wanted to put a stop to the segregation and the discrimination that was going on through this time period. King knew that his vision would come true when these problems would come to an end. King wasn’t concern for himself only. He was concern for the entire African American community. King tried to prevent the hate that was being shown by the white people towards the black people to stop. Once this stopped King knew that the children growing up in this time period wouldn’t grow up with the same hatred shown by their parents. He wanted to put a stop to all of it so it wouldn’t spread to the young minds of the children as well as in the parents. This was all accomplished by King through his courage. He went through many risks. King not only put his life in danger, but the life of his family and his followers. The sit-ins, boycotts and marches brought hate and violence to King and his followers as well. There were times that they experienced mob attacks and bombings on their own home. All of which put King in danger for following and making justice happen. Fighting for every ones rights using non-violent movement was difficult, but courageous. King using this type of movement was significant and brave because he didn’t fight back when they would get attack and going out with this movement in mind against all those people that apposed King showed his true leadership skills. Learning about Myself as a Reader and Writer This experience has made me a better reader because it helped me improve my note taking and helped me focus on a certain topic. My note taking has become more in depth and I’m able to pull out the important part or parts of the articles were are reading. Having focused notes also helped me stay focus on this topic. I learned how to focus on a specific topic for each paragraph in my essay. Writing was a difficult part for me because I didn’t know exactly what I had to write about sometimes, or I wouldn’t have a clear sense of direction, or explanation to what I was, or had to do. This caused me a lot of confusion, so that leads into why I didn’t do so well in my papers. It was the little assignments we got that confused me the most because I didn’t find a connection from the little assignments to the bigger one. Also because we mixed how to write the paper along with finding facts and integrating sources. It would have been more helpful if we had spilt that into two different sections and having one section to do with MLK, finding the facts and integrating sources as one section and how to write the paper as another. The things I need to work on the most are writing and making connections with the assignments provided. Due to the fact that, that was my point of confusion during the assignment. Also it was writing that I scored the lowest in and this shows that I didn’t become a better writer throughout the course of this assignment Conclusion Where are we in racial equality today? what would Martin Luther King Jr think or do? Today were are not as bad in racial equality as in the time of Martin Luther King Jr, but we do experience racial hate and judgement today, mostly against Hispanics. If King was alive today, his reaction would probably be the same as when he experienced the discrimination against African Americans. He probably wouldn’t like the way people are being treated and would feel the same type of tension he did when he was a catalyst for change in the 1900’s. King would try to find away to help and also make this stop by using the same method, such as non-violent movement. King would have to change his way of solving this to get the same success he had if he tried to be a catalyst for change during this era because of the different time periods Citations Campbell, Scott. â€Å"Great Leaders Grow Deep Roots The Six Characteristics of Expectional Leaders.† . N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan 2012. . King, M.. â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail.† â€Å"letter from a birmingham jail†. University of Pennsylvania, 1963. Web. 8 Dec 2011. Carson, Clayborne, et. al. of the Martin Luther King Research and Education Institute. The Martin Luther King, Jr. encyclopedia. Greenwood Press: Westport, Connecticut. 2008. Goff, Brent. History Alive!: Pursuing American Ideals. Teachers Curriculum Inst, 2008. Web. .

I Do Not Believe in Ghosts

I do not believe in ghosts When I was little I lived in a house that was haunted. Wait don’t go! I know, I know, this subject is tired. The thing is I don’t even believe in ghosts. At least that is what I tell myself now, but back then I’m telling you that house was haunted. We moved there when I was in first grade and the first time I saw it, I started crying. Something about the house just seemed wrong. It was â€Å"pretty†, but it gave me a really ugly feeling.All sorts of weird, creepy, and inexplicable things would happen there. We had three dogs when we lived there, two of them ran away, and one went crazy and couldn’t live with us anymore. We had rabbits and they all died. We stopped getting pets. The toilet would flush itself. Once, I was talking back to my mom and she told me to stop or God would punish me and I said something along the lines of â€Å"yeah, right† and then the ground shook. I kid you not there was an earthquake, but no one except my mother and I felt it.Apparently, only our house shook. Another time, my brother who was an infant at the time was in his bassinet under a lamp that was hanging from the ceiling. I looked at my mother and told her she shouldn’t put him there because that lamp was going to fall on him. I walked over and moved the bassinet and as soon as I moved him the lamp fell. Crazy! It makes no sense to me that I have such clear memories of this house that was seemingly possessed and yet, I do not believe in ghosts. Do you?

Impact Of The Latest Advances In Technology On Recruitment And Selection The WritePass Journal

Impact Of The Latest Advances In Technology On Recruitment And Selection ABSTRACT Impact Of The Latest Advances In Technology On Recruitment And Selection ABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONa. INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENTBENEFITS OF INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENTCHALLENGES TO INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENTb. AUTOMATED TELEPHONE INTERVIEWING/INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR)DISADVANTAGES OF USING IVRc. TELECONFERENCING AND VIDEO CONFERENCINGBENEFITS OF VIDEO CONFERENCINGCHALLENGES OF VIDEO CONFERENCINGd. COMPUTER BASED TESTINGINCREASED REGULATION AND LEGISLATIONLOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONSCONCLUSIONREFERENCESRelated ABSTRACT In the face of a new era of downsizing, garnering of qualified workforce remains a key organizational goal. A commonly held view among the human resource managers is that the human resources are the most important assets of an organization and that they offer the only non-imitative competitive edge. As the point of entry, the process of recruitment and selection of employees plays a crucial role in enhancing the success and survival of the organization in the extremely competitive and turbulent business environment. This paper explores on how the latest advances in technology have impacted on the process of recruitment and selection of employees. Different aspects of the use of new technology will be examined including internet based recruitment, telephone and video conferencing, computer based testing and IVR or Automated telephone interviewing. This will include an overview of the potential advantages as well as challenges arising with the use of each wave of technology. INTRODUCTION In the face of a new era of downsizing, garnering of qualified workforce remains a key organizational goal (Bauer 2004). As the point of entry, the process of recruitment and selection of employees plays a crucial role in enhancing the success and survival of the organization in the extremely competitive and turbulent business environment. Traditionally, the recruitment and selection process relied on fairly low-tech methods such as employee referrals and newspaper ads, in locating and attracting qualified candidates (Lievens, et.al 2002). Successful job seeking included frequenting the local job center (Lievens, et.al 2002). This has however changed over the past few decades as a result of advances in technology. The recruitment process, just like all other business functions, has become increasingly tied to technology (Lievens, et.al 2002).   The common practice of mailing applications and waiting to be called for an interview via a phone call has been trumped by technological advances which have eased communication. Technological advances such as internet-based recruitment and candidate assessment, computer-based testing, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), telephone and video-based interviews among other information technologies are now increasingly being used in recruiting and selecting qualified candidates (Chapman Webster 2003). In this paper, we examine how the latest advances in technology have impacted on the process of recruitment and selection of employees. The following sections will explore on these technological advances, in particular, how they are impacting on recruitment and selection process. This will include an overview of the potential advantages as well as challenges arising with the use of each wave of technology. We begin by exploring on internet based recruitment, which involves recruitment via the web. a. INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENT The most popular ways through which advances in technology have significantly impacted on recruitment and selection is through the internet. Organizations are increasingly making use of the internet technology, particularly the World Wide Web, as a platform for testing and recruiting potential candidates (Baron Austin, 2000). Social networking websites, software and online job boards has helped in linking applicants to hiring professionals with focus on knowledge, skills and abilities (Baron Austin, 2000). Social networking sites such as LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, monster.com and universe.jobs hold millions of jobs and resumes in their databases (Neil 2003).   These professional networking sites play a significant role in the process of recruitment and selection. LinkedIn, for example, is used as a business-oriented social networking site whereby applicants are linked with the employers. LinkedIn is widely used globally as a professional network service and has currently 90 million users (Neil 2003). It is currently valued at over $2.51 billion USD and operates in more than 200 countries (Neil 2003). Advances in technology have indeed shaped the process of recruitment and selection. Online ads are now the lead recruitment methods employed by employers. Recruitment and selection via the web has enabled the employers to build a talent pool of qualified candidates and lessen their reliance on conventional print media (Thompson et al., 2008). This has led to significant cost savings as employers lessen their reliance on recruitment agencies (Thompson et al., 2008). In this regard, Harris Dewar (2000) noted a significant reduction on the cost per-hire from $ 3,295 (for the conventional recruitment methods) to $377 (for internet based recruitment). There are many benefits arising with the use of internet based recruitment method as well challenges that it present to the organizations. It should be noted that internet based recruitment is not without its shortcomings, but the cons must be weighed against the pros in order to determine if this recruitment method is supported. BENEFITS OF INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENT The internet provides efficiency in the administration and scoring of test as the content can be easily modified and answers captured in electronic form (Van Hoye Lievens 2007). It also enables routine checking of errors, automatic scoring of tests and provides instant feedback to the applicants (Van Hoye Lievens 2007). This administrative ease enables recruiters to save on costs and time giving them a competitive hedge in the tight labour market. It also provides for increased flexibility for both the employer and applicants in the administration of tests and performance of work in varied geographical locations (Van Hoye Lievens 2007). Moreover, the widespread of information in a globalized market widens access to a diverse geographical labour pool (Lievens Harris 2003). Additionally, there is a greater transparency in the selection process as candidates are selected based on their skills, experience and competence (Lievens Harris 2003). CHALLENGES TO INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENT While it is apparent that online recruitment help cut on recruitment costs, increase efficiency and transparency in the selection process; there are some potentially major drawbacks. Due to the high number of applicants, screening and checking the authenticity and mapping of skills may be a time consuming exercise (Lievens Harris 2003). The large number of indistinguishable resumes from the various applicants coupled with inadequate software and procedures may lead to poor results in the selection of the ideal candidate (Lievens Harris 2003). This problem can largely be attributed to the existing methods for parsing resumes which is dependent on software that truncates and exclude the totality of content (Lievens Harris 2003). Also, failure by the industry software to produce optimum candidate and position convergence may result in correspondingly low retention rates of the new employees hence costing client companies thousands of dollars (Lievens Harris 2003). Despite having automated assistance, managing the workload remains a daunting task for HR managers. While software has reduced on the number of resumes from the applicants, that would otherwise be manually reviewed, it has not been successful in narrowing candidate resume pools to the ideal qualified applicants (Harris Dewar 2000).It should be noted that most of the software employed in the process of recruitment and selection generally uses rudimentary lexical and semantic algorithms (Harris Dewar 2000). These algorithms tend to generate a large candidate pool with most candidates insufficiently suitable for effective use (Harris Dewar 2000). This is because the industry software lacks the ideal filtering capabilities necessary for the proper parsing of resume. Crucial data that could help in identifying the ideal candidate and position convergence is therefore lost. Without sufficient data, there is not enough variance that could be used in distinguishing among candidate and position suitability (Harris Dewar 2000). This next section will explore on interactive voice response (IVR) which is also known as automated telephone interviewing. The method is also gaining popularity and is increasingly being used by firms in recruiting and selecting new hires. b. AUTOMATED TELEPHONE INTERVIEWING/INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR) The use of interactive voice response (IVR) which also referred to as automated telephone interviewing is one of the newest ways to recruiting and selecting new hires (Thompson et.al 2008).   IVR technology allows for human interaction with the computer via a telephone keypad or through the use of voice recognition (Thompson et.al 2008). This wave of technology is increasingly gaining popularity in the recruitment and selection of employees due to its many advantages. ADVANTAGES OF THE IVR IVR is an easily accessible technology. Take for example the United States where 95% of the households own phones (Thompson et.al 2008). With IVR, applicants can initiate the interview at any time. The applicants or potential employees can initiate an interview by simply making a phone call to a toll-free phone number and be automatically interviewed without any intervention from the operator (Thompson et.al 2008). IVR or rather automated telephone interviewing can help in eliminating interview biases (Thompson al 2008). It is highly cost effective in screening the candidate pool. DISADVANTAGES OF USING IVR While IVR is increasingly being used by many businesses to cut on the costs and give a better experience, it is not without its shortcomings. One of the greatest challenges to using IVR systems in recruitment and selection of employees is that the users find it hard to follow telephone menus and lengthy instructions (Thompson et.al 2008). Also, IVR screening is considered lower in terms of treatment and openness as well as in reconsideration opportunities than the conventional face to face interviewing (Thompson al 2008).. c. TELECONFERENCING AND VIDEO CONFERENCING There is also the use of telephone and video conferencing. Teleconferencing involves setting up of a conference telephone call between the selection committee and potential candidates (Gilliland 1993). Job interviews by teleconferencing are common where the applicant and the selection committee are located in geographically sparse regions. Video conferencing, on the other hand, involves the combination of both the audio and video transmissions, hence allowing for communication to take place by a way of an audio visual link (AVL) (Gilliland 1993). With video conferencing, both the applicant and selection committee members are able to share their views and at the same time see each other on the screen. BENEFITS OF VIDEO CONFERENCING Despite reducing the in-person meetings, video teleconferencing as well offer the advantages of face to face communication (Gilliland 1993). There is also significant cost reduction for both the applicant and the employer as there is no need of travelling and associated costs of lodging and meals (Gilliland 1993). There is also the added environmental benefit as a reduction in traveling implies a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (Gilliland 1993). Further, upon placement this technology allows for the continued collaboration with the team members from remote locations (Gilliland 1993). CHALLENGES OF VIDEO CONFERENCING Similar to other technological innovations, video conferencing is not without its shortcomings. There might be a difference in time zones when conferencing in remote geographical locations (Gilliland 1993). Also, some of the human ways to communicating may not translate well with video conferencing (Gilliland 1993). For example, eye contact may not be easily delivered through a webcam, unlike in the conventional face-to-face interviewing where one can easily make eye contact and judge whether the interviewee is paying due attention. Last but not least, we explore on how computer based testing has impacted on recruitment and selection process. d. COMPUTER BASED TESTING The use of computer based interviews has increased in the recent years with a wide range of organizations utilizing computer-based online tests for selection purposes (Aptitude/psychometric tests) (Chapman Webster, 2003). There are several reasons for increased reliance on psychometric tests in the recruitment and selection of employees. Key among these is the increased regulation and legislation, and loss of confidence in academic qualifications (Chapman Webster, 2003). INCREASED REGULATION AND LEGISLATION Reliance on test use in the selection process has been used as a defensive strategy to regulation and legislation (Chapman Webster, 2003). Tests are seen as objective indicators of how the skills of potential candidates align with the job description (Chapman Webster, 2003). These competency tests promote fairness and equal access to opportunities available. LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS There is a growing body of evidence for a loss of confidence with the formal academic qualifications. This is largely attributed to bad governance and corrupt institutions that may award degrees or certificates to incompetent individuals. As such, competency based tests are increasingly being used in screening the candidate pool and in identifying candidates with skills that align with the competency profile for the job in question (Chapman Webster, 2003). Computer based testing facilitates the selection process by quickly pinpointing the candidates ability more accurately (Chapman Webster, 2003). Take for example the BULATS online test, a robust business English language test, which is widely used in helping organizations make timely decisions in the recruitment process (Chapman Webster, 2003). This online test provides a fast and more accurate method of pinpointing the candidates’ ability and suitability to work by using adaptive testing techniques (Chapman Webster, 2003). CONCLUSION Clearly, we have identified a number of benefits to using technology for purposes of recruiting and selecting job applicants. A quick recap of some of the benefits include increased efficiency in the administration and scoring of tests, increased flexibility, greater transparency, reduction in biases, widened access to a diverse geographical pool of potential candidates, and cost reduction among others. There are however challenges arising with the use of technological advances in recruitment and selection process. For example, the exercise may be time consuming as a large number of applicants need to be screened. Other shortcomings include poor results due to inadequate software and procedures, and difficulties in filtering of potential candidates, among others. Nonetheless, the latest advances in technology have significantly impacted on recruitment and selection process. As pointed out by Kay (2000), the power of the Web and e-technology has changed the way recruitment and selections of employees occur. Technological advancements and the ubiquity of the internet (especially with social networking) have become powerful additions to the process of recruitment and selection. However, these should not be considered as the only solutions to finding the ideal candidate. While changes are still underway, it is clear that advances in technology have dramatically impacted on the recruitment and selection process. REFERENCES Bauer, et.al, 2004. â€Å"Applicant reactions to different selection technology: face-to-face, interactive voice response and computer-assisted telephone screening interviews†, International Journal of selection and assessment, Portland State University: Blackwell publishing ltd. Baron, H., J. Austin, 2000. Measuring ability via the Internet: Opportunities and issues. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA. Chapman, D.S., J. Webster, 2003. â€Å"The use of technologies in recruiting, screening and selection processes for job candidates†, International journal of selection and assessment, Vol.11 (2), pp. 113-120 Gilliland, S.W, 1993. â€Å"The perceived fairness of selection systems: an organizational justice perspective†, Academy of management review, 18, pp.694-734 Harris, M., and K. Dewar, 2000. Understanding and using web-based recruiting and screening tools: key criteria, current trends and future directions. Workshop presented at annual meeting of the society for industrial and organizational psychology, San Diego, CA. Kay, A. S., 2000. â€Å"Recruiters embrace the Internet.† Informationweek: pp.72-80. Lievens, F., K. Van Dam and N. Anderson, 2002. â€Å"Recent Trends and Challenges in Personnel Selection†. Personnel Review, 31 (5-6), 580-601 Lievens, F., M.M. Harris, 2003. â€Å"Research on Internet Recruiting and Testing: Current Status and Future Directions†. In: C.L. Cooper I.T. Robertson (Eds.) International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Chicester: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. vol. 16., pp. 131-165. Neil, A., 2003. â€Å"Applicant and recruiter reactions to new technology in selection: a critical review and agenda for future research†, International journal of selection and assessment, Vol. 11 (2) Thompson, L. F., P.W. Braddy, and K.L. Wuensch, 2008. E-Recruitment and the Benefits of Organizational Web Appeal. Computers in Human Behavior, 24 (5), 2384-2398. Tourangeau, R., D.M. Steiger D.Wilson, 2002. â€Å"Self-administered questions by telephone: evaluating interactive voice response†, public opinion quarerly, 6, pp.265-278 Van Hoye, G. and F. Lievens, 2007. â€Å"Investigating Web-Based Recruitment Sources: Employee Testimonials versus Word-of-Mouse†. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 15 (4), 372-382.

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Meriwether Lewis LEWIS, Meriwether, explorer, born near Charlottesville, Virginia, 18 August, 1774; died near Nashville, Tennessee, 8 October; 1809. He was a great-nephew of Fielding Lewis, noticed above, and inherited a fortune frown his father, who died when the son was a child. Meriwether, who was of a bold and adventurous disposition, left school at eighteen years of age, and in 1794 volunteered in the troops that were called out to quell the whiskey insurrection in western Pennsylvania. He entered the regular service in 1795, became captain in 1800, and in 1801-'3 was private secretary to President Jefferson, who in the latter year recommended him to congress to command an exploring expedition across the continent to the Pacific. He set out in the summer of 1803, accompanied by his associate, Captain William Clark, and a company that was composed of nine young men from Kentucky, fourteen soldiers, two Canadian boatmen, an interpreter, a hunter, and a Negro servant of Captain Clark. They began to ascend Missouri river in the spring of 1804, passed a second winter among the Mandans in latitude 47Â º 21' N., and on 7 April, 1805, continued to ascend the Missouri until the middle of July, when they reached the great falls. Near the close of this month they attained the confluence of three nearly equal streams, to which they gave the names of Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin. They ascended the Jefferson to its source, traveled through the mountains from August till 22 September, when they entered the plains of the western slope, in October embarked in canoes on the Kooskoosky, a branch of the Columbia, and on 15 November reached the mouth of that river, after traveling more than 4,000 miles from the confluence of Mississippi and Missouri rivers. They passed the following winter on the south bank of the Columbia in an entrenched camp, in March, 1806, began to ascend the Columbia on their homeward journey, and in May left their bo... Free Essays on Lewis Free Essays on Lewis Meriwether Lewis LEWIS, Meriwether, explorer, born near Charlottesville, Virginia, 18 August, 1774; died near Nashville, Tennessee, 8 October; 1809. He was a great-nephew of Fielding Lewis, noticed above, and inherited a fortune frown his father, who died when the son was a child. Meriwether, who was of a bold and adventurous disposition, left school at eighteen years of age, and in 1794 volunteered in the troops that were called out to quell the whiskey insurrection in western Pennsylvania. He entered the regular service in 1795, became captain in 1800, and in 1801-'3 was private secretary to President Jefferson, who in the latter year recommended him to congress to command an exploring expedition across the continent to the Pacific. He set out in the summer of 1803, accompanied by his associate, Captain William Clark, and a company that was composed of nine young men from Kentucky, fourteen soldiers, two Canadian boatmen, an interpreter, a hunter, and a Negro servant of Captain Clark. They began to ascend Missouri river in the spring of 1804, passed a second winter among the Mandans in latitude 47Â º 21' N., and on 7 April, 1805, continued to ascend the Missouri until the middle of July, when they reached the great falls. Near the close of this month they attained the confluence of three nearly equal streams, to which they gave the names of Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin. They ascended the Jefferson to its source, traveled through the mountains from August till 22 September, when they entered the plains of the western slope, in October embarked in canoes on the Kooskoosky, a branch of the Columbia, and on 15 November reached the mouth of that river, after traveling more than 4,000 miles from the confluence of Mississippi and Missouri rivers. They passed the following winter on the south bank of the Columbia in an entrenched camp, in March, 1806, began to ascend the Columbia on their homeward journey, and in May left their bo...

Task 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Air Solutions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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