Hong Kong Moral and National Education

Do you think moral and national education should be abolished? Moral and national education had recently become a hot topic in Hong Kong. Moral and national education  is a school curriculum proposed by the  Education Bureau of Hong Kong, it s transformed from the current moral and civic education. The Education Bureau stated that it is to cultivate â€Å"positive values and attitudes† in students. Schools are forced to make it into an independent subject and teachers will teach according to curriculum given by the Education Bureau.However, the society suspected that it is brainwashing, they express their concerns through forming associations like Scholarism and marching. National Education should have included different perspectives for students to know more about their country and citizenship. Instead of letting students know about their country thoroughly, the information is carefully selected by the government. Of the 19 references, 18 of them were written by mainland Chinese. There are no references from local or foreign scholar, no diverse views and different interests.They are all one-sided view of China and neglected lots of important issues such as the development in human rights and democracy in China. Such references and handbooks are inappropriate to use as teaching materials. Hong Kong schools already have liberal studies, civil education and Chinese history, content of lessons are overlapped. Students are overburdened by homework, test and examination. Schools and teachers are rushing through the syllabus of HKDSE. Time is tight for both school and students, another compulsory subject is not needed. This creates more pressure and stress than the benefit it might have on the major stakeholders.The curriculum guide for the evaluation of student’s performance is also being worried. Students have to be emotionally touched in order to show their patriotism. It focuses students to dissemble or to fake their feelings in order to get hig her marks, it is not a proper way of education. Along with contents that praises the Communist China, â€Å"advanced, altruistic and united governing body† with characteristics that â€Å"ensuring stable governance, protecting wholeness of country†. Students are to be brainwashed and to love their country blindly. Extreme nationalism and patriotism can easily leads to war just because of a little conflict (WW1).In my opinion, a moral and civic education curriculum committee should be set to draw up guide lines and design the teaching materials. It should be consist of trained teachers, parents and people from different parts of the society. The curriculum committee can also monitor the implantation of this subject or whether it should become a subject at school. With all the rejections and disagreements from professional teachers, parents and even students themselves, the government should understand their concerns and go for a more opened approach.

Response Don’t Blame The Eater

David Zinczenko is arguing that fast-food restaurants aren’t to blame for people, especially children and teenagers, for their obesity- it is their fault. And I agree with him one hundred percent. Yes, the menus at fast-food companies aren’t the healthiest, but they shouldn’t be blamed for making kids obese. The parents are all fully aware that the â€Å"Big Mac† and â€Å"Baconater† aren’t the most nutritional foods, and they need to take the responsibility for their children’s obesity.Zinczenko argues that we as people should â€Å"†¦know better than to eat two meals a day in fast-food restaurants†, and the fact that it’s near impossible to find healthier alternatives to fast-food. How can people just sit around all day watching television, participate in a fast-food buffet, and then blame the restaurants for their health issues? That’s just absurd and very irresponsible. If people don’t like how thei r kids are fat, stop taking them to McDonald’s all the time!They don’t drive themselves there! And maybe those parents can make some responsible decisions for once in their lives and make their child exercise more and eat healthier. If people expect different results, they have to work for them. Also, Zinczenko mentions how teenagers can’t necessarily find healthier places to eat instead of fast-food places. It’s pretty hard to find a healthier alternative to fast-food when you’re an overweight teenager with a car and a hungry stomach.I mean, there’s only like twelve stores in the entire country that carry fresh produce, low-fat snacks, and 100-calorie chips. NOT. Come one people, you have the car, you have the option of eating healthy or not, why can’t you just suck it up and take the blame for your irresponsible actions? If toddlers can own up to coloring on the walls, why can’t teenagers and adults own up to their decisions to eat at unhealthy places? If you know it’s not a healthy restaurant, don’t eat there!It’s pretty simple. Fast-food industries may try to â€Å"target children in their ads†, but it ultimately comes down to the adults-the parents- choosing to dine at these places and pork up their kids on the high-sugar sodas, salty French fries, and greasy burgers. If they would just take the time to look out the window, they would see the healthy alternatives to fast-food, and how the alternatives are literally right in front of them.

Discussion 13 nur 702 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion 13 nur 702 - Assignment Example Thirdly, a gender dimension to my clinical problem exists and links available evidence with health policy. Burden of hypertension is greater among women than among men. American Heart Association (AHA) helps fight for strong public health policies that help in combating heart disease and can help with the first area. The AHA advances its mission through volunteer funds and research. American Kidney Fund can help in lobbying for health policy that would give patients financial support to help cater for their care and to conduct health education. HealthyWomen can help in foregrounding women issues that accrue from hypertension and heart disease mobilizing for health policy that would help address these issues. To get involved in health policy specific to my clinical problem, I will endeavor to contribute my evidence to the shaping the policy content. Additionally, I will be in the forefront showing the need to have laws that cover the issues that will be found to be pressing regarding the clinical problem. Finally, I will contribute in keeping surveillance ensuring that the policy is implemented and adopted (Brownson, Chriqui & Stamatakis,

The Coca-Cola Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Coca-Cola Company - Research Paper Example We will be looking at several types of financial ratios available in assessing the financial position of The Coca-Cola Company: Liquidity Ratios, Asset Management Ratios, Profitability Ratios and Gearing Ratios. The quantitative findings in this segment can be found in the Appendix section of this report. The results show that The Coca-Cola Company has a good Liquidity Ratio. The company’s Current Ratio is 1.12 (0.95 in Q1 2008) and its Quick Ratio is 0.94 (0.80 in Q1 2008). This means that The Coca-Cola Company is still able to generate enough cash to settle its short-term liabilities. There has been a slight improvement in its Liquidity Ratio compared with the previous quarter. As a guide, a current ratio of 2 is ideal. However, in the company’s case, 46% of its Current Assets (42% in Q1 2008) are made up of cash and cash equivalents. At a glance, the company’s assets are being managed efficiently. Its Inventory Turnover is 1.13 (1.07 in Q1 2008), which shows t hat company is trading better. Its inventories declined by 6% in the first quarter of 2009 whereas its sales increased by 3% in the same quarter of 2008. Nevertheless, the company should take note that over increasing its inventories may adversely affect its business performance. This is because costs associated with holding inventories for too long can be very expensive. As such, managing its inventories well is recommended. There is a slight improvement in the Average Collection Days of 39 (43 Days in Q1 2008). Although the company is able to meet its short-term liabilities; it should still make an effort to improve the collection of its debts. The credit term given to its customers is not stated; however, as a guideline, 30 days is recommended. In this case, the company’s customers are enjoying slightly more than the normal credit terms and this should be monitored.

Issue In Financial Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Issue In Financial Reporting - Essay Example In accordance to the general purpose of financial reporting, financial reports are used to provide the users with information about the reporting entity. The report that will be submitted by the Management Committee of RVCC will serve as a tool for the users for their evaluation since they are supported, given grants, and funded by some other entities (like that of Commonwealth Government and Queensland State Government). The financial reports well serve also transparencies for everybody to inform where all the money goes. If RVCCC will be able to submit the financial reports to their users, it will give the users ideas if the funds allocation or resources allocation they gave are efficient. In other words, this will gain the trust as well for RVCCC from their supporters and funding entity (Review of Business, 2005). The reports will also monitor the cash flows and will also serve as bases to their expenses. It is also well stated in the Definition of Reporting Entity (2001), that all they are entities like them are required to submit financial reports especially to public sectors that helps them, like that of the commonwealth Government and Queensland State Government. ... 2: For each of the following independent cases, discuss whether you believe the items mentioned would meet the definition and recognition criteria for the various elements as mentioned in the 'Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements (ie the AASB Framework). (Ensure that you provide reasons to support your answers in each case and state clearly any assumptions you have made in preparing your answers.): (a) Tate Retailers Ltd operates a chain of retail stores that specialize in the sale of rugby league products. Due to an economy-wide downturn, the company has decided to reduce staffing levels by offering voluntary redundancy packages to 200 of its employees. After agreement was reached with the unions, letters were sent to all employees shortly before the end of the reporting period inviting applications for the package. A response was required within 30 days, which was after the end of the reporting period. The company's board of directors estimates that the redundancies will cost the company $2 million. The financial controller of the company, Bob Johnson, is considering whether to record a provision for redundancies to account for the future redundancy payments to staff. Would this account satisfy the liability definition criteria in the AASB Framework Would this transaction meet the recognition criteria for liabilities according to the AASB Framework (Normally you would not con sider the recognition criteria if the definition for liabilities was not met. However, for the purposes of this assignment you should address the recognition criteria regardless of whether or not you determine that the definition criteria have been satisfied.) - This account shall satisfy the liability definition criteria in the ASBB Framework. Their employees

Enterprise Networking and Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enterprise Networking and Security - Assignment Example 1 Introduction It has been concluded by some experts that the year 2012 is considered to be the worst year in terms of computer network security breaches (Schirick 2012). Likewise, the year that has not even passed the half year mark, some of the foremost companies were sufferers of network security breaches resulting in massive losses (Schirick 2012). However, the news buzz only highlights Sony and Citibank to be victims of network security breaches, as these companies are popular among the public. The other sides of the picture highlights organizations of all sizes are affected by the consequences of network security breaches. Likewise, it can be concluded that network security risks are continuously evolving, modifying and growing at a rapid pace. Organizations normally install a firewall and even intrusion detection systems that triggers alerts of any suspicious activity, as these two components only covers the technical domain and not the human and physical domain. The current n etwork scenario is utilizing a Virtual Private Connection that is connecting one or more sites. However, the VPN connection is also entitled to allow internet traffic on the same dedicated line from the Internet Service Provider. Moreover, the current network only utilizes a single firewall that is located at the main campus of the university. It concludes that the rest of the two remote sites are only protected via a simple Network address translation function that is incorporated in a DSL modem. Moreover, there are no advanced security appliances such as Intrusion detection systems for analyzing and monitoring any suspicious activity that may possibly become a threat to the University’s computer network. Moreover, there is no patch management for updating security patches in the workstations connected to the network. There are no indications of hardening servers for instance, email server, application server, centralized server and database server must be hardened and needs physical protection as well. 2 Security Vulnerabilities The current network security vulnerabilities will be accessed in three categories i.e. logical security, internal security and external security. As far as logical security is concerned, we can see that the fig 1.1 demonstrates a firewall, Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) server and a domain controller with Microsoft Active Directory. The three categories for network vulnerabilities are categorized as below: 2.1 Logical Vulnerabilities The current logical controls for protecting information assets within the network are active Microsoft Active directory, ISA server and a Firewall. The Microsoft active directory is not primarily a security control, as it does not mitigate any risks associated with viruses, worms, Trojans, phishing, spam, denial of service attacks etc. however, it provides a secure administration of user profiles and File sharing features. File sharing threats are spreading on a rapid pace, as every now and then, new file sharing technologies are getting being developed and in demand. Controls will not only provide value from all network based services, but will also augment productivity for the organization in terms of revenue, customer loyalty and competitive advantage. Workgroup based environment is not centralized. For instance,

Testing of biomolecules Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Testing of biomolecules - Lab Report Example This research will begin with the statement that biomolecules are molecules that are produced by living organisms and which play certain roles in the life of the organism. They include proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids and lipids. Â  The knowledge of the organic molecules forms the basis in the study of biochemistry and medical sciences together with understanding how the body works. The body has a mechanism for ensuring that the molecules are regulated in the body and any deficiency is detected through various clinical manifestations. Some of the biomolecules are synthesized in the body while others are acquired through the food that we eat. For instance, when we come to amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins, they are divided into essential and non-essential ones. The essential ones are not synthesized in the body and so the body has to get them from the environment through the food that we eat. The various biomolecules play different roles in our bodies. T he carbohydrates serve as the primary source of energy. They are divided into three groups, the monosaccharaides which are the simple sugars, the disaccharides which are formed by the dehydration process when two monosaccharide molecules are brought together. An example is the formation of lactose from glucose and galactose. Proteins are important in growth and repair. They also form the enzymes and hormones which are important in various catalytic metabolic processes in the body.

Discuss the work of Michael Haneke in relation to realism Essay

Discuss the work of Michael Haneke in relation to realism - Essay Example Haneke is a well-read European intellectual. He has his roots in the theatre and is also proficient in classical music. His musical talent shows in his films too. He was born in 1942 and his career is like an anomaly. He worked in German and Austrian television for 20 years. Then he made his first feature film The Seventh Continent. Since then he has made nine distinctive theatrical films. Michael Haneke uses the technique of staged realism instead of depicting reality in an attempt for developing staged constellations. This magical technique also includes the viewer. His films have a model structure. The purpose of the structure it is to address the viewer as a white Western subject, a person who is guilty in Hanekes opinion (Niessen, 2009). His technique of addressing the viewers is not on an individual basis, he talks about the whole Western society. The film and technique confronts; Michael Haneke’s filming technique usually include characters with abstract white bourgeois names and features. The protagonists are usually portrayed as morally corrupt and self-alienated. Peter Brunette explains this technique in his book Michael Haneke (2010). The alienation from self and others which the modern society is routinely producing and the loss of humanity in a collective basis, the grinding attenuation of human emotion, and the loss of human communication with the technological advancement, all have distorted the relationship between reality and its representation. The reinforcement of this stereotypical image is to make the viewers uncomfortable because they would consider themselves being portrayed in the movie. This is achieved by leaving the matrix open by the film’s abstractions (Niessen, 2009). The small problems that individuals face in his movies are usually representations of larger issues of the Western culture. Hence, the characters become the symbol of Western social issues. Hanekes movies attract wider audiences. Haneke

Leadership beyond Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership beyond Control - Essay Example The article has extensive information regarding the competitive and the cooperative models of leadership utilized by CEOs. Notably, CEOs who assume the competitive style do not foster adequate distribution of knowledge in the senior management team. In many cases, CEOs who embrace the competitive model are likely to demand admiration and loyalty from the employees without any exception. Some leaders relying on the competitive style may prove mean and ruthless to the employees. They create a form of anxiety regularly endured by the employees and everyone under them. Organizations overseen by a CEO with this leadership style reflect a specific chain of command. The senior management receives orders from the CEO and passes down the orders to every employee. None of the employees can think of disputing the CEO’s directions. The senior management team is not in a position to share ideas with the CEO, particularly during significant decision-making processes. The CEO embraces the ro le of decision-making independently, and he delimits the direction of the organization at all times. Although the competitive leadership style may promote high levels of loyalty, many of the leaders utilizing this style do not get to hear the honest opinion of the senior management team (p. 80). Many of the managers prefer to tell the CEO what he wants to hear instead of giving him honest opinions. Senior managers may also begin to engage in needless competition, which may ultimately influence the organization.

Is capital punishment a good sentencing option Essay

Is capital punishment a good sentencing option - Essay Example Colon-Cruz), declaring it unconstitutional (Bedau, 190). Essentially, capital punishment may be referred to as â€Å"the taking of a criminal’s life by an organized society in view of his crime† (Moreland and Geisler 1990, 103) In the US, the legal methods to carry out the death penalty through the years are as follows: lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging. Arguments in favor of the death penalty can be classified into three: utilitarian, retributive and egalitarian. The first is that view which holds that enforcing capital punishment would serve the common good because society would benefit from it by deterring crime either by discouraging future offenders or by incapacitating the criminal. Many view the utilitarian argument as a forward-looking and objective perspective since it weighs both the cost and benefit of the penalty. The retributive argument, meanwhile, follows the classic â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth† principle. There is no thought given to what the society may reap or achieve from the act of killing an offender. What matters is that the criminal should be punished because he deserves it. Finally, there is also the egalitarian point of view. Here, capital punishment is seen as part of the principle that all people must be treated the same and that too little punishment may constitute an injustice for a criminal that has committed a far grievous crime. On the other hand, proponents who object to capital punishment argue that it violates the right to life, that it is inhumane and actually do nothing to deter crime. As one would find, the arguments are anchored on what is moral and in some areas dwell in the utilitarian line of reasoning as well. Many of those who favor the abolition of death penalty cite the â€Å"inalienable right to life† which Thomas Jefferson himself has eloquently stated in the Declaration of Independence as â€Å"Nature’s Laws† given by God and that no man has the right to

The History of Religion in the US Essay Example for Free

The History of Religion in the US Essay When you think of religion in the United States and how it started you may think of the first settlers. These were not the first being to worship a higher power in the United States. The Indians believed in and worshiped The Great Spirit. Despite the many tribes like the Sioux and Iroquois they all had the same belief in The Great Spirit. The Great Spirit could be present in animals as well as inanimate objects. They all developed great ceremonies to on it. Then came the colonists, the first settlers, who were predominantly protestant these settlers left their home countries because of religion. They did not want to be told how to worship their God. These colonists were Christians but as they began to settle, those with different beliefs separated themselves and developed new segments of religion. The puritans left their country to escape religious prosecution. They later developed the religions of Baptist and Congressionalist’s. Their religion was based on the teachings of John Calvin, and was thought to purify the religion of the Church of England. Their religions eventually lead to self isolation and witch hunts of people who did not follow their religion. The Methodists were a group of Oxford University Students. They were not fleeing religious prosecution when they arrived. The Methodist Church as become the second largest Protestant Church in the United States today. The History of Religion in the United States Christa Hart Lutherans were like no other American Christian denomination; their national origin did play an important role in their history. Members came from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway. The Lutherans settled on the East Coast and American Midwest, and celebrated worship services in their native tongues. Presbyterians who bore little resemblance to the liturgy, structure, and tradition associated with the Roman Catholic Church, the Presbyterian and Reformed churches share a common origin in the teachings of John Calvin. Their belief structure and practices are centered on the Bible and â€Å"the sovereignty of God.† Presbyterians make up one of the largest branches of Protestant Christianity today. The next religion, the Quakers, were founded in 1647 by English preacher George Fox, the Society of Friends emphasized a direct relationship with God. One’s conscience, not the Bible, was the ultimate authority on morals and actions. The state I live in Pennsylvania was founded by the Quakers, specifically William Penn, as a religious sanctuary. Quakers did not have a clergy or dedicated church buildings, and therefore held their meetings in which participants deliberated silently on issues and spoke up when â€Å"the Spirit moved them.† Dressed in plain clothes, Quakers preferred a simple life over one enjoyed by the aristocracy of England and the burgeoning merchant class in the colonies. They also shared an abhorrence of violence. I find my beliefs, even though I The History of Religion in the United States Christa Hart follow or believe in no God, similar, that if you were to need the faith in religion, you should not need to have a specific building, life style or presence in society to practice that religion. That doing so just creates a difference among people creating more separation in a race that should be united. And violence should never be tolerated, growing up in a house hold where violence and abuse was common place, this is a rule that people in my life need to abide by. The oldest Christian churches: Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, have left their unique stamp on the history of religion in America. Called liturgical for their adherence to an elaborate, set form of ritualistic worship practices, most of those churches observe seven sacraments throughout their members’ lives, whereas later Christian denominations usually celebrated only two. Anglicanism, The Church of England (later the Episcopal Church in the U.S.) was first planted on American soil at the ill-fated Roanoke Colony in Virginia, when their first services were held on August 13, 1687. Since that landing, they grew and experienced numerous schisms. Their worship services are similar in some ways to those of Roman Catholicism, and their clergy orders are the same: bishops, priests, and deacons. The History of Religion in the United States Christa Hart Eastern Orthodoxy in America consists of more than a dozen church bodies whose national origin is reflected by their names, such as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, and the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia. Eastern Orthodox beliefs are based on holy tradition, or doctrines from early Christianity, and the Bible. Utopian communities were established in America as places where followers would not waiver could achieve a perfect religious, political and social system. The first community was established by a group of Dutch Mennonites in 1663 near what is now Lewes, Delaware. When the constitution was written it stated in the first amendment which is called the â€Å"Establishment Clause†, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.† Also, the relationship between religion and politics was established in the Article VI of the First Amendment that states, â€Å"No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.† The definition of the separation of church and state found in the U.S. Constitution has caused more disagreement than any other in the nation’s history. The History of Religion in the United States Christa Hart This is a continuously tried amendment, to be challenged by people of religion who try to push their religion or a religion on anyone and everyone who would listen. Just like prayers in schools are constantly pushed by religious politicians. It should not be anyone’s choice on what to believe, it is for a person to decide solely on their own through age and experiences. Religion has continued to change over the decades as more and more immigrants of different religions come to the United States such as Muslim, Buddhists, Jewish, they have been joined by more modern religions like Scientology and Mysticism. More and more people have also chosen, like myself, to have no religion but to base their lives on scientific beliefs in the way the earth and its creatures were created. However religious people also have this similar belief just stating their God would have to have their hand in this somehow. This would contradict most Christian religions.

Structural conflict and consensus in Socialization

Structural conflict and consensus in Socialization Explain the relevance of socialization from both the structural conflict and the structural consensus perspectives. Discuss the efficiency and the pitfalls of each approach in relation to youth work. Both structural conflict and structural consensus theories approach the study of social life from a macro perspective, that is, both are concerned with the study of large-scale social structures, such as ideas and belief systems, and institutions, such as the family and education, in their attempts to examine and explain social life (Bilton et al. 1994: p. 10). From this perspective, a better understanding of a given society, and the relationships within it, can be gained through examining the function of social institutions and organizations in terms of the part they play in maintaining social structures within society. An example of this is the study of institutions which are agencies of socialization for example the family and the media to explore the part they play in the production and reproduction of social roles and values (Bilton et al. 1994: p. 12). Socialization, then, is the process through which individuals learn the ways of thought and behaviour considered appropriate in [their] society (Bilton et al. 1994: p. 12), and agencies of socialization function in both formal and informal ways to pass on to the next generation such norms of thought and behaviour. Much early socialization within the family is informal; children learn through observation and interactive experiences with siblings and adults around them the behaviour expected of themselves and others (Ibid). While there is also a degree of formal education within the family, it is within institutions such as schools that children gain much of their formal instruction of the roles and types of behaviour expected of young people in society. The concept of socialization is a useful one and relevant to those working in a range of professional fields, and in particular to those working with young people. This will become more apparent as we now look in more detail at the differences between the structural consensus and the structural conflict approaches. The key difference between structural consensus and structural conflict theories is that, broadly speaking, for consensus theories the values and norms of society that people learn through the process of socialization are shared by all members of society; that is, there is an agreement, or a consensus about, and commitment to, the ideas and beliefs prevalent in society among individuals (Fulcher and Scott 1999: p. 49). Conflict theories, however, argue that, rather than there being a consensus about ideas and beliefs in society, social life is fraught with conflict among different members and groups in society as they struggle with one another to attain or maintain power and control (Ibid: p. 61). This is obviously a simplistic outline of the core tenets of both approaches; however, it may begin to be apparent from this that both perspectives theories of socialization have potential relevance to individuals working with young people. A comparative analysis of both perspectives even at this stage reveals some of the issues encountered by formal and informal educators in this area. In relation to youth work, for example, a key issue for workers, it could be argued, is that of purpose. Is the proper purpose of youth work, as Mark Smith (1988: p. 106) has questioned, to promote the welfare of individuals, serve to secure the reproduction of the means of production and existing power relations, promote community or what? Conflict theorists would argue that socialization of young people in areas such as youth work serves to secure existing power relations; consensus theorists would argue that it serves to promote the welfare of individuals and society as a whole. Smith later concludes that informal educators should be committed [in their work practice] to that which is right rather than that which is correct. However, without a good understanding of conflict and consensus theories, it would be difficult to make judgements regarding the difference in practice between that which is right or correct. It will be argued later that there are, of course, limitations to the extent to which such knowledge is useful in practice, however, this essay will argue that a good understanding of the theories of socialization from the consensus and conflict perspectives can not only give us insight into issues faced by workers in this area, but also help our understanding of our own and our clients feelings and motivations, as well as the agendas and motivations of official institutions and agencies. The questions of purpose and motivation are, it can be argued, very important ones, and are questions into which a study of socialization from consensus and conflict perspectives can give us good insight. In the area of youth work, knowledge and understanding of the above perspectives can lead to healthy questioning of government purpose and motivation when, for example, reviewing official documents such as the DfEE 2001 consultative paper on English youth work. This paper details the governments key priority to help keep young people in good shape (DfEE: 2001: p. 13). Much of what is written in terms of this priority appears to make good sense; for example ensuring young people have access to a rich variety of personal growth experiences and helping them to make informed choices [and] expand their potential (Ibid: pp. 13-14). However, as we shall see, closer analysis of elements of this, and indeed other, official documents and government policies reveal, when studied with knowledge of conflict and consensus theories, underlying official issues and agendas. According to consensus theories, socialization into the cultural values and social norms of society is essential to the stability and cohesion of social structures (Fulcher and Scott 1999: p. 48). From this perspective, all individuals in society share a commitment to societys values, ideas and beliefs. In general we all want the same things and agree that they are the right things to want, for example to secure good employment, achieve our potential, and to contribute to the community. While we may be socialized into such norms and values through formal and informal means, we nevertheless agree that they are right and just. The priorities set out in the DfEE consultative document fit closely with such generally agreed aspirations. The documents authors assert the need to develop preventative strategies and actions which enable [young people] to make informed choices about a range of issues which include avoiding crime, protection from drug or alcohol related dangers, preventing teen age pregnancies and others (DfEE 2001: p. 14). In order to make informed choices about such issues, young people will be able to discuss them with youth workers who have a key role in keeping young people in good shape (Ibid) From a consensus perspective, the socialization of young people regarding these issues is unproblematic; society as a whole can only function effectively if all individuals are properly socialized into the agreed norms and values of society. From a conflict perspective, however, such strategies are not as unproblematic as they may at first appear. While consensus theory sees society as being held together informally by norms, values and a common morality (Ritzer 1996: p. 266) conflict theories argue that order in society stems from the coercion of some members by those at the top (Ibid). As stated earlier, analysis of perspectives such as conflict theories can lead us to question the motivations behind official agenda setting, as well as those behind our own actions and those of others, and here, examining documents such as the DfEE paper, we may begin to question the motivation behind such apparently worthy intervention strategies. The question we may begin to ask, when viewing the world from a conflict perspective, is, in whose interests are the implementation of such policies and strategies? Youth workers and others working with young people do of course want to help young people to live happy and fulfilling lives, and help them to stay safe and well, however, questions can be raised as to whose primary interests some inter vention strategies serve. While the majority may well agree that a state of disorder in society is in no ones particular interest, it is clear that it is certainly in the interests of those in positions of power and advantage to maintain order through effective socialization of individuals into the values and norms of society, in particular the values and norms of society that best suit their own interests. It is, to take what may be considered a more extreme view from the conflict perspective, far better to have good, hard-working, honest citizens paying taxes and refraining from crime, in particular property crime from persons with abundant wealth, than to have gangs of disaffected young people stealing money for drugs and falling pregnant in order to secure valuable government housing. It may now be apparent, then, that comparative analyses of theories of socialization from the conflict and consensus perspective help give us insight and understanding when approaching issues affecting work with young people. The examples above hopefully show the efficiency of this analysis in relation to official agenda setting and policy, however, as mentioned earlier, knowledge and understanding of theories of socialization can also help workers in this area better understand issues facing themselves and their clients. An awareness of whose interests are being served in relation to practice performed by workers with their clients can only work to ensure continued practice evaluation. An understanding of the conflicts in values and norms which many young people may encounter can help workers when making judgements within their own practice with regards to what is right as opposed to correct. One example of the above could be the possible conflict experienced by young people between the values and goals seen by individuals around them, and perhaps by the young people themselves, as fair and just, and the means available to them to embrace such values or achieve such goals. Sociologist R. K. Mertons (1938) theory of anomie addresses this experience of conflict, and suggests that if a society places great emphasis on achieving goals, and less on the appropriate means to obtain them, then an individuals commitment to approved means and thereforeconformity to social norms may be eroded (Fulcher and Scott 1999: p.49). Merton argues that the rift between culturally approved ends, and the means of attaining them, which he refers to as a situation of anomie, can result in individuals resorting to inappropriate means to achieve goals which they, along with the rest of society, agree are worthy. Here individuals have been effectively socialised into the norms and values of approp riate goal attainment, but not so successfully into the appropriate means by which to obtain them. From a conflict perspective, however, it could be argued that the social values placed on goal attainment, and passed on through socialization, do not necessarily serve the best interests of all members of society in the first place. The goal, for example, of buying a large house in an expensive neighbourhood will simply put more revenue the governments way in terms of council tax than will a smaller property, as well as more revenue to mortgage companies, power suppliers and so on. This essay has hopefully shown the relevance, and in the areas discussed, the efficiency of structural conflict and structural consensus perspectives in relation to youth work, however, as stated earlier there are obvious limitations to the extent to which such theories are of use in practice, not least because theories, while helpful, are more usefully conceptualised as tools to stimulate thought and discussion relating to policy and good practice. Finally, all theory is limited because the number of variables present in any given situation means that no theory can simply be taken as a model and then applied. Bibliography Bilton, T. et al., 1994. Introductory Sociology. 2nd edn. London: Macmillan. DfEE, 2001. Transforming Youth Work. London: Department for Education and Employment/Connexions. Also available from: Smith, M. K. (2001) Good Purpose [online] Introduction. Available from: http://www.infed.org/archives/developing_youth_work/dyw6.htm

The effectiveness of employee performance appraisal

The effectiveness of employee performance appraisal Performance Appraisal and Reward system is viewed as the systemic model that correlates supervisory feedback with the employee behaviour, attitude and motivation (Gomez-Mejia, 2007: p. 21-24). Historically, the Performance Appraisal and Reward system has been viewed as the feedback and critics framework to help the employees in enhancing their productivity and performance by virtue of constructive feedbacks, reviewing and rewarding past performance, setting the future goals, employee motivation, training and growth planning and problem solving/grievance handling (Hall et al. 1989: p. 54-67). However, the Performance Appraisal and Reward system in the modern world has been viewed as the tool for evaluation of productivity and efficiency of employees to determine their standing against the salary increments, bonus, promotions and layoff policies (Andres et al., 2010: p. 1599-1607). This has resulted in very narrow viewpoints about the system by employees (Reinke, 2003: p. 23-27) whereb y some take it negatively as well (Daley, 2007: p. 290-293). But Cook and Crossman (2004: p. 526-541) explained that the satisfaction with the Performance Appraisal and Reward system is better in employees that play the role of both appraiser and appraisee. They further explained that best results are obtained when 360 degree feedback system (appraising the managers) system is practiced by the organisation. This is the problem that the author proposes to address in this research. In the modern era when employees exhibit pessimism about the Performance Appraisal and Reward system (Daley, 2007: p. 290-293) because they consider it as the mere tool for deciding increments, bonuses, promotions and continuity in the company (Andres et al., 2010: p. 1599-1607), what makes it so vibrant in companies like KFC resulting in high employee motivation and reduced attrition (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3)? The proposed topic is: The effectiveness of Employee Performance Appraisal System (EPAC): A case study on KFC. 1.2 Background of the Organisation Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is the highest revenue earning chain restaurant of Yum! Restaurants which is ranked at number 239 on the Fortune 500 list that exceeded global revenues of 11 Billion US Dollars in year 2008. KFC is regarded as the fastest growing brand in chain restaurant segment in the world that operates like a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) producing good Chicken dishes under the name finger lickin good. (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3) The company was founded as Kentucky Fried Chicken by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, though the idea of KFCs fried chicken actually goes back to 1930 (Shuker, 2008: p. 8-11). In UK alone, KFC employs more than 22000 people in more than 780 stores across the nation (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3). KFC was regarded as the second best employer on the Britains Top Employers 2010 list. It achieved 3.5/5 stars in Pay and Benefits, 4.5/5 stars in Training and Development and 5/5 stars each in Career Development, Working Conditions and Company Culture in the five attributes rated by CRF Institute in the Britains Top Employers 2010 survey. (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3) KFC has an excellent employee performance measurement system, promoted by parent company Yum! Restaurants. The Champ Card peer rewarding system has been elementary in achieving high motivation and reducing employee turnover. (Corporate Executive Board, 2006: p. 4) 1.3 Purpose of Research Employee Performance Appraisal System (EPAS) is the mechanism of longitudinal (over a period of time) performance management of employees (Smither, 2001: p. 1-7). If designed appropriately, it can result in effective bonding between supervisors and subordinates by virtue of open discussions, appraising strengths and weaknesses of subordinates and the work systems in which they operate, identification of trainings requirements, awareness of future goals, confidence boosting, rewards and recognitions, motivation, etc (Smither, 2001: p. 1-7). The end result can be boost in organisational productivity (Gomez-Mejia, 2007: p. 21-24) and even enhancement of the revenues and profits (Boice and Kleiner, 1997: p. 197-201). But the Performance Appraisal system needs to be designed very effectively and efficiently to ensure that the desired outcomes supporting boost in productivity and hence the revenues and profits can be tangibly achieved (Boice and Kleiner, 1997: p. 197-201). Gabris and Ihrke (2000: 41-44) argued that ineffective measurement systems are going to be questioned by the employees and hence may be unacceptable to them. If ineffective measurement systems are followed, the EPAS will not be perceived to be useful and hence the relationship of participants in review meetings will determine the results and not the actual performance of the employees (Bradley and Ashkanasy, 2001: p. 83-85). In this research, the author wants to learn about how exemplary performance appraisal systems, like the one practiced by KFC, are designed and how are they accurately linked with employee motivation, productivity, and the overall organisational performance. The rewards and recognition system studied by Corporate Executive Board (2006: p. 4) emphasised on the peer relationships, spot reward system for quick wins and celebrating individual and group successes in vibrant ways (like clapping for colleagues, announcing quick wins, giving away Champ Cards, etc.). These attributes are highly advocated by Gabris and Ihrke (2000: 41-44). 1.4 Research Questions Following are the proposed Research Questions for the study: What are the areas of employee performance evaluated by KFC in their EPAS? What are the criteria and performance measures applied in KFCs EPAS? How effective is KFCs EPAS in measuring employees performance? How KFCs EPAS affects motivation and future growth of the employees? What are the scope of improvements in KFCs EPAS? 1.5 Research Objectives Following are the proposed Research Objectives of this study: To study the features of KFCs EPAS and learn the underlying causal factors that contributed to its phenomenal success across the world. To map the learning points from KFCs EPAS with empirical evidences in academic literatures and understand how the academic world have been advocating about such causal factors. Identify new learning points that has not yet been identified by the academic world and discuss about them. Present the value additions from KFC case study to already existing theoretical background in the academic literatures. Present a critical analysis of how KFC can further improve their EPAS by identifying the traits advocated by academic literatures but not prevalent in KFC EPAS. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction Gomez-Mejia (2007: p. 21-24) explained that supervisors feedback through performance appraisal systems can result in two types of responses of the employees Cognitive response and Behavioural response. He analysed that dysfunctional feedbacks (ambiguous, one way, inconsistent, judgemental, misdirected, coinciding with salary increments, etc.) can cause uncooperative cognitive response and reduced employee performance and functional feedbacks (job related, two way, explicit, consistent, clear, not linked with salary increments, etc.) can result in goal oriented cognitive response and improved employee performance Gomez-Mejia (2007: p. 22). Hence, the most effective systems of appraising performance are: functional, relevant, uniform and consistent. Pragmatism is important because it helps to ensure that the system will be easily understood by employees and effectively put into action by managers (Gomez-Mejia (2007: p. 22-24). Drawing upon arguments by Briscoe Schuler (2004: p. 5-57) performance can be viewed as a combination of several factors, such as motivation, ability, working conditions and expectations. It has been established that there are certain factors that affect employees performance more than others. These factors, according to Dowling et al (1999: p. 4-29), include the compensation package, the nature of task, support from higher management, the working environment and the overall corporate culture. In this chapter, the author has presented an organised literature review to analyse how the case study of KFC can be supported by the theoretical foundation already established by empirical theories. In essence, the research instrument can only be designed with the help of such theoretical foundation as explained by Saunders et al. (2007: p. 44-50). 2.2 Elements of Employee Performance Evaluation Traditionally, performance appraisal of employees has been viewed as the psychological test bed for employees that comprises of critics ratings, decision making on rewards and recognitions, deciding amount of salary increments, deciding future expectations, deciding continuity in the company, deciding promotions, measuring the alignment with departmental and organisational goals, etc (Elmuti et al., 1992: p. 42-48). The modern performance appraisal system is linked with quality improvement philosophies of the organisation that was originally conceptualised by Deming (Elmuti et al., 1992: p. 44-45). However, Levy and Williams (2004: p. 881-889) argued that the modern performance appraisal theories have travelled a long way to transition from mere enforcement tool of organisational objectives and quality targets to the system that influences the overall corporate culture and social system. This shall be very much evident in the case study of KFC where the EPAS is viewed to be contribut ing positively to the congenial and highly vibrant work environment in the organisation (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3). 2.3 Link between EPAS, Performance Measures and Staff Motivation EPAS can directly contribute to staff motivation if it is perceived to be fair, transparent, clear, consistent, continuous, bilateral and development oriented (Kavanagh et al., 2007: p. 132-137; Boice and Kleiner, 1997: p. 197-201). As reiterated by Boice and Kleiner (1997: p. 197-201) and Gomez-Mejia (2007: p. 21-24), discrete, one-sided, ambiguous, misdirected, and judgemental appraisals are perceived to be unfair and result in negative cognitive response, demotivation and reduced performance of employees. Boice and Kleiner (1997: p. 198-199) argued that surprises during annual performance reviews may result in retaliation by employees given that they deserve the right to avail continuous feedback. OConnor et al. (2010: p. 729-735) described that performance measures need to be realistic, practical and transparent to the employees such that positive cognitive and behavioural responses can be achieved. The objective of performance appraisal system should be to motivate the employees to achieve highest performance levels against the measures and not get threatened by the measures perceiving that they may be used against them if supervisor is not happy OConnor et al. (2010: p. 729-735). 2.4 KFCs EPAS in measuring performance and motivating their staff KFC has highly congenial and highly vibrant work environment. KFCs EPAS is designed on peer recognition model in which employees can recognise each other by giving away champion cards against quick wins. This is also carried out vertically in which juniors can reward seniors and vice versa. Such on the job recognitions are mapped with the corporate goals and values. This system in KFC meets the SSMART objectives: supports organisational goals and values, simple and sincere, meaningful, adaptable, relevant and timely. (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3; Corporate Executive Board, 2006: p. 2-4) 2.5 Effects of KFCs EPAS on KFC performance and competitive advantages The reports by Huck (2010: p. 1-3), KFC Holdings (Malaysia) Annual Report (2009: p. 8-9) and Corporate Executive Board (2006: p. 2-4) revealed that the key competitive advantage of KFC is the high employee retention and productivity against close rivals like McDonalds. KFC has been rewarding their high performing employees consistently and have been able to retain talents by virtue of their on-the-spot recognition scheme. 2.6 Conclusions The EPAS system should ensure congruence between organisational goals and employee performance and hence cannot be achieved in discrete form (like annual reviews). It has to be continuous and on-the-job. The model by KFC is closely linked with the theories presented by Gabris and Ihrke (2000: 41-44), Kavanagh et al. (2007: p. 132-137) and Boice and Kleiner (1997: p. 197-201) that advocated transparency, consistency, bidirectional, fostering trust relationships, strengthening the colleagues on-the-job, setting of good examples, celebration of quick wins, heart to heart recognition by individuals, and celebration of group success as the key objectives of EPAS that can finally result in high employee motivation and corporate productivity. 2.7 Conceptual Framework The author proposes to conduct interpretive study in which the outcomes of the primary research shall be categorised, classified, and tagged appropriately such that wise interpretations can be drawn and compared with the theoretical foundation of past empirical studies. The author shall compare responses to all questions with the literature review, one-to-one, such that close correlation with the past theories can be framed. Gaps in KFCs EPAS against past theories and vice versa will be identified such that the conclusions and recommendations can be drawn. This approach is called qualitative interpretive study as described by Saunders et al. (2007: p. 44-107). Also Wolcott et al. (2002: p. 85-90) termed this approach as critical thinking research. This is further explained in the next chapter. 3.0 Research Design 3.1 Introduction AERA (2003: p. 2-11) emphasised that Research Design is the collection of various attributes of conducting the research that helps in making the study more focussed, purposive, unbiased, valid, reliable and ethical. Further to this, Bryman and Bell (2003: p. 3-45) described that Research Design begins with the philosophical approach that the author wants to take and leads to appropriate choices of methodology, approach, methods, instruments, sampling methods, data collection and analysis methods, pilot design and ethical considerations. The discussions follow. 3.2 Research Philosophy and Methodology Bryman and Bell (2003: p. 3-45) described that two philosophies are most prevalent in social and business research studies positivism and interpretivism. Positivists try to prove theories through research whereas interpreters try to learn theories through research. Hence, positivists always begin with hypotheses formulation and try to accept and reject them based on outcomes of study whereas interpreters begin with research questions and try to address them through learning from research. Hence, positivists always prefer scientific and objective research whereas interpreters prefer observational research, action research, descriptive research and critical thinking research. (Bryman and Bell, 2003: p. 3-45) Saunders et al. (2007: 44-107) described that positivists normally prefer quantitative research because it only takes numbers as inputs and comprises of scientific methods (like mathematical modelling, experimentation, statistical analysis, etc.) (Bryman, 2004: p. 59-77) whereas interpreters prefer qualitative research because it can take any form of inputs (text, numbers, pictures, etc.) and comprises of interpretive, analytical thinking and observational methods (Bryman and Bell, 2003: p. 3-24). The author perceives that positivists can frame hypotheses because they are seasoned experts in their respective subject matters and are very confident about what they want to prove. The author is an amateur in performance appraisal and hence wants to conduct this research to learn the best practices of EPAS from KFC and map them with literatures. Keeping this approach in mind, the author has selected interpretive philosophy with qualitative research. 3.3 Research Approach 3.3.1 Inductive Approach Qualitative researchers welcome any form of valid inputs (like text, numbers, pictures, voice recording, observations, experiences, etc.) and hence carry out inductive approach of learning (Bryman and Bell, 2003: p. 21-45). Given that the author has selected qualitative research, he wants to adopt inductive learning approach. 3.3.2 Deductive Approach Quantitative researchers only entertain numerical inputs that are applied in experimental setups or mathematical and statistical models to derive the outputs. The model of learning is in the form of P à   Q, where P is independent variable and Q is dependent variable and à   denotes the processor between P and Q. This is called deductive approach of learning. (Bryman and Bell, 2003: p. 21-45) The author has not adopted this approach because the methodology chosen is Qualitative. 3.4 Research Methods 3.4.1 Techniques and instruments Qualitative research is conducted using grounded theory, ethnography, phenomenology and action research techniques. Grounded theory employs learning from past theories, ethnography employs human observation and analysis, phenomenology employs learning from human experience and action research employs learning by participation and involvement. Grounded theory doesnt employ any specific instrument, ethnography employs observation charts, phenomenology employs structured and semi structured questionnaire and action research employs cause-effect charts. (Thompson and Walker, 1998: p. 63-69) The author wants to study EPAS by capturing human experiences (employees at KFC) and hence has proposed the choice of phenomenology with structured questionnaire. As described by Thompson and Walker (1998: p. 63-69), structured questionnaire helps in reducing bias and improving validity because the respondents are closely tied to the context of the questions. These reasons supported the authors choice of structured questionnaire. 3.4.2 Data Sampling, collection and analysis The author has chosen purposive sampling against quota sampling, convenience sampling and snowball sampling. Purposive sampling deals with mapping each possible candidate with pre-determined qualification criteria. Quota sampling deals with purposive sampling for multiple populations with different pre-determined criteria sets, convenience sampling deals with choosing respondents by virtue of ease of access and snowball sampling deals with testing purposive sampling against multiple pre-determined criteria sets and expanding the one that is most relevant. The data collection shall be cross sectional (not tagged with historical significance) and the data analysis shall be interpretive with critical thinking approach. This is further explained in the Reflections chapter. (Cooper and Schindler, 2003: p. 34-109). 3.4.3 Pilot Study As reiterated by Saunders et al. (2007: p. 52-63), pilot study can be very useful to enhance the quality of the instrument and test the interpretations of respondents and validity of the questions asked. It also helps in measuring time taken in conducting interviews. The author proposes to conduct pilot study among few friends and request for constructive feedback to enhance the questionnaire. 3.5 Conclusions The author has proposed to conduct the study employing interpretive philosophy, qualitative methodology, inductive learning approach, phenomenology technique, purposive sampling, cross sectional data collection and interpretive data analysis with critical thinking approach. 3.5.1 Validity and Reliability The validity and reliability shall be assured by carefully designing the structured questionnaire instrument and conducting pilot study to test and enhance it. The structured questionnaire instrument shall be based on the review of most relevant literatures and will be aligned with the research questions and objectives. 3.5.2 Generalisability Although the findings shall be applicable to KFC (due to case study approach), the author shall closely map the findings with the outcomes of the literature review to achieve generalisations. 4.0 Access and Resource Implications 4.1 Access to Subjects The author has access to employees in KFC given his association with the organisation. The study shall be conducted on selected employees of KFC outlets in London after obtaining permission from the Restaurant Managers. 4.2 Ethical Considerations The research shall be conducted in transparent manner keeping the rationale of study very clear to all respondents and the Restaurant Managers. The willingness to participate will be obtained from all respondents prior to starting the study. No deception shall be carried out in any form or shape. In addition, the author shall ensure that the emotional aspects, beliefs and ethnic/religious origin will be highly respected in the process of conducting the study. Moreover, the author shall honour the intellectual properties of literature sources by using Harvard referencing. 4.3 Resources The author proposes to conduct the study alone although volunteers are always welcome. The author plans to conduct face to face interviews and hence will have to bear travel expenses to all outlets and distribute the questionnaire in printed format. The theoretical foundation established from literature review shall be the primary resource that will help in accurate mapping with primary research and critical thinking. 5.0 Proposed Action Plan The author proposes the following action plan for the study. The weeks are proposed to be counted from the day the author gets a go-head from his supervisor to proceed with the study. The overall project shall be completed in eight weeks including weekends whereby the author has planned to dedicate about four hours per day to the study except the Week 6 in which the author may have to work for eight to ten hours a day to secure access to all respondents and conduct the interviews. The author has planned to conduct this entire research alone although volunteers to extend helping hand will always be welcomed. Activity Weeks WK1 WK2 WK3 WK4 WK5 WK6 WK7 WK8 The chapter 1 comprising of research context, aim and objectives, research questions and research structure design will be completed. The author shall conduct extensive research on various journal articles, past research reports, peer reviewed internet sites, books etc. and prepare the list of relevant literatures that shall be included in the References section. The author shall complete Literature Review Chapter (2) and Research Design and Methodology chapter (3). The author shall conduct purposive sampling to select respondents, design the questionnaire and conduct the interviews. (parts of chapter 4) The author shall interpret the responses, map with literature review, discuss the mappings critically and them present the conclusions and generalisations. (Parts of Chapter 4 and the entire Chapter 5). 6.0 Reflections on Learning As explained by Evans (2007: p. 1-4), the research is closely implicated with the ethics, values and cultural identity of the researcher. The philosophical considerations of the research is closely linked with what the researcher wants to achieve out of the study. Evans (2007: p. 104) and Cornish et al. (2007: p. 1-16) further described that the researcher may like to conduct research to study a problem area in depth that he/she wants to address in future, to closely study and understand the subject matter where he/she wants to build his career, discover the solutions to problems that has been bothering him/her for a long time, prove the existence of some theories or correlations between some variables that he/she has discovered during his/her experience in this world, to promote the light of education and learning, etc. The learning methods in research has often clashed in the past like the epistemological oppositions between Interpretivism and Positivism that has been prevailing f or ages (Lorenz, 1998: p. 309-316). The interpreters have been largely depending upon human analytics skills and positivists have been largely depending upon scientific evidence of existing phenomena in natural sciences (Lorenz, 1998: p. 309-316). But Bowden (2005: p. 4-52) and Irez (2007: p. 17-27) presented very unique reflection that can diminish all conflicts and standoffs among different believers. He explained that every researcher wants to know the truth and hence it doesnt matter how he/she knows the truth as long as he is able to get to it. The truth always more important than beliefs of individuals (Irez (2007: p. 18-19). If this is the case then why shouldnt we forget all the conflicts and employ the best of all philosophies and methodologies? He analysed that this thought approach may be correlated with the philosophy of Realism which is neither linked with positivism nor with interpretivism. Every research is in fact the relationship between subjects and aspects of the world. This is what comprises of the truth. One may like to know the truth by engaging with the subjects (interpretivism) or with the aspects of the world (positivism) or with both (realism). This can be understood from the following figure presented by Bowden (2005): Figure 1: The concept of Realism presented by Bowden (2005) The outcome may be descriptive, analytical or critical thinking. In descriptive outcome, the researcher may like to describe the outcomes to build a new theory, in analytical outcome the researcher may like to analyse the outcomes with respect to past theories and in critical thinking outcome the researcher may like to critically think on existing perceptions or existing ways of thinking and compare with the research outcomes to evolve the similarities and differences. (Bowden, 2005: p. 4-52; Wolcott et al., 2002: p. 85-103) As described by Wolcott et al. (2002: p. 85-103), critical thinking is a human skill that is developed by cognitive thinking and analysis (learning from the tangible evidences with a wider out of box thinking approach). It neither involves open ended interpretations nor a blind belief on experimentation or simulation results. The researcher applies cognitive thinking to all the outputs by comparing with multiple valid evidences (inputs) without showing any bias towards a particular type of input. The author has adopted critical thinking approach in this study. In this approach the author shall first develop theoretical foundation about the EPAS framework by browsing through various research reports, journal articles, books, peer reviewed Internet sources, etc. and short-listing the most relevant resources with respect to the research questions and research objectives. The structured questionnaire shall be an outcome of the theoretical foundation formed with the help of the literature review and shall be closely aligned with all the research questions. The responses of structured questionnaire will be closely mapped with the literature review by interpreting and analyzing the outcomes of each question independently and comparing with the theoretical foundation. The differences and similarities between the literature review outcomes and the structured questionnaire outcomes will be evolved by following critical thinking approach and finally the conclusions, recommendations and generalisations will be presented. The author believes in knowing the truth and hence is highly influenced with the realism philosophy. However, interpretivism has been selected in the research design because the author is not a subject matter expert of EPAS and hence wants to learn it by following the inductive learning approach. In future, the author wants to develop his career as human resources manager and hence wants to learn the best practices of EPAS thoroughly given that the author perceives it to be the most difficult challenge in human resources management given that the recipients are the agents that are highly impacted by the EPAS framework. In general, the author wants to develop his skills pertaining to focussed research, discovering the sources of information, finding the truth, critical analytics and deriving specific and general conclusions. These skills are very important in human resources management field because all policies and procedures (like the EPAS framework) are results of reflections from the employee surveys and measurement of their performance at work (Bradley and Ashkanasy, 2001: p. 83-96). The framework itself is meaningless if the criteria of measurements, evaluations and decision making is not understood and accepted by both the parties the appraisers and the appraisees. If the author achieves the role of Human Resources Manager, he perceives that two way communications based on research efforts and fact finding efforts will be key to success and accurate data and information will be the key driver to successful HR planning and implementation, especially in designing the EPAS framework. These skil ls can be generated with the help of this study. Finally, the author wants to reiterate that he will take the learning to his professional world and apply them as actionable outcomes, not only to practice his profession efficiently and effectively but also conduct more academic research studies in future. This study is expected to be very useful for students as well as professionals.

Reflective Essay: Alice in Wonderland -- Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Lewi

There and back again with Alice I gasp my hands on my knees, bent over, out of breath. I can feel my lungs compressing and pushing hard against my chest in an effort to fit just a little more air. My palms are wet, beads of sweat trickle down my forehead, making my hair feel wet and sticky. My shirt is drenched in sweat. I stare at the ground and see the stalks of grass, standing tall like trees to the tiny ants that scurry among them. What I must look like to those minuscule creatures, like a giant, so big that I block the blazing sun and give them shade. I wonder if they are afraid of me? I lift my eyes and glance ahead. I’m almost there, only a couple more meters. I hear footsteps behind me, they’re catching up quickly. It’s now or never. I push off with my back foot and go into a sprint. My heart speeds up, almost as fast as I’m running and I can hear its pounding in my head, like a prisoner beating on locked doors, wanting to be free. If it had feet of it’s own it might run alongside me and race me to the fort, but that’s silly, hearts don’t have feet. I swing my arms back and forth to help me run faster and I try to take longer strides. I’m running so fast now, I feel like everything around me is standing still, as if I’m the only thing in the world that is moving. I don’t want to stop running, I want to keep going, faster and faster, forever. Now I understand why my heart pounds so hard, why it tries to push out of my chest and run on its little feet and never stop, never look back. But I canno t keep on running forever, I have to stop. My legs finally give in and I plop onto the stiff ground. The dust sticks to my sweaty clothes and turns into mud. I take big, loud breaths but I cannot hear myself because my heart is sti... ...in a scientific experiment. Everything is set to provide you with the perfect living conditions, the right amount of food, water, the right temperature, etc. And while you’re in that perfect, controlled environment you feel safe, you feel happy and yet, somewhere lingering in the depths of your mind is the gnawing sensation that at any given moment someone will unscrew the lid on your jar and let in the wrong air, that you will be forced to wake up from your perfect world and dragged, kicking and screaming into the world that everyone else lives in. That is my fear. That I will wake up one day and not be able to return to the world in my dreams but that I will have to learn to survive in the real world. Much like the adventuresome Alice, my wish is to live somewhere between the non fiction and fantasy of daily life, to allow the lines to be blurry. But how blurry?

The Importance of Education in Our Society Essay -- Education Society

The Importance of Education in Our Society In our culture today, there is a huge emphasis on education, especially higher education. Society basically says the more educated you are, the better off you are. That is pretty much true if you live by the means of society. The basic idea that education, especially a college education, is something that people should pursue even into their adult years is not by any means a new idea. Every society has specialized individuals who fulfill certain positions that require extended education. In some cases, these people are known as shamans, priests, or professors, or they may be doctors, mechanics, blacksmiths, or artists. In all these professions, some form of higher education is necessary. It could come from an apprentice or rigorous private study, or it could take the form of a formal higher education. Whatever the form, the meaning is the same, gain knowledge and use it. The idea of education has been a big part of each and every culture on earth. However, as we all know, there are many questions on what it means to be educated in the form of higher education: questions we, as students, must face sooner or later. Here I am, my junior year in college. In a couple of years, I will be either prolonging my education or out in the real world trying to make a living. I must ask myself these questions: What is the purpose of my higher education? What exactly am I learning? Is the education I am receiving here at the University of Arkansas going to be good enough for a future employer? If I am educated does that mean I am trained to do only one thing? Am I one-dimensional? First of all, what does it mean to be educated here at the University of Arkansas? In other w... ...rked fears of the return of the university system geared toward the wealthy. Society needs the higher educated, because the educated do serve a purpose. Not everyone is as blessed as the fortunate few to have obtained a higher education. Society needs professionals (doctors, lawyers, and engineers). It also needs artiest, essay writing professors, philosophers and politicians. In certain ways the educated owe it to the society they came from to make it a better, more diverse living environment, for everyone including themselves. Education is not just what your major is, it is also what you learn along the way. It's about learning about life and who you are. All the while becoming specialized so that you may contribute to yourself and society. It's a journey, and for those of us fortunate enough to embark on that journey I hope that we make the most of it.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry Essay -- Eating Disorders Bulimia Essays

Eat, Drink and Be Merry This essay involves a very personal subject in my life and in the life of someone I hold very near and dear to my heart. A few years ago one of my closest friends whom I had known for most of my life told me under a cloud of tears, embarrassment, fear, and hope that she thought she had bulimia. I was the only one she had the courage to tell, and she felt that she had to tell someone because she had lost all control over her own actions, feelings, and thoughts. She felt that she couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. She never thought that she actually had a problem, but one day she was at the library and she sat down at a desk that had a few books on bulimia there. She started to look through the books and found a quiz to determine if you had bulimia. She was bored and she took the quiz expecting that it would say she didn’t have bulimia, but after she finished taking the quiz she had answered yes to every question except the very first one. Her entire world came crashing down around her, and with each word that she read she became even more panicky and scared. Eventually she came to me, hoping that I could somehow help her and give her the support she needed. I did everything I could to help her. It took up a lot of my time and there were many sleepless nights that I had to go through helping her calm down from her anxiety attacks and uncontrollable urges, but it was all worth it and I would have done more if I could. I believe she has made a tremendous amount of progress and will one day make a full recovery. Bulimia is a very debilitating disease both mentally and physically and people should be aware of its existence because one day one of your close friends may come up to you with something im... ... condition such as bulimia is difficult and often frustrating. The best piece of advice that I ever offered my friend was the idea that there is always hope. No matter who you are or what your problems may be, there is always hope. Every person in the world has a close group of friends or family that loves them. There is always hope, but the only problem is that you have to have the strength to believe in yourself and open up your eyes and see what a wonderful life you really have. No one should take anything in their life for granted because life is always unpredictable and it could always get worse. I will never forget the lessons I have learned in life and I hope that everyone will work to do the same. . Sources Cited: National Eating Disorders Association website www.NationalEatingDisorders.org National Mental Health Association website www.NMHA.org.

My Study Plan for Korean Language

A. Study plans to improve foreign languages(Korean, English, etc) required for taking a bachelor’s degree course BEFORE and AFTER you come to Korea. Before coming to Korea I've always been interested in foreign languages such as : Japanese and Korean aside from English . I taught myself a good amount of Korean and a basic Japanese ,too . It was hard for me because there weren't enough time due to my school schedule and there weren't any language institutes here that my family can afford either. I taught myself Korean using sites like : Korean101. om , TalkToMeInKorean. com , HaruKorean. com and busyatom. com . These sites helped me improving my Koren and I plan to continue using them more frequently if I get accepted . Aside from these sites , I picked up a lot of my Korean just by watching English Subbed Korean shows and dramas . It was both entertaining , fun and educational too ! As for English I have been developing it ever since I was 9 years old , even before learning it in school I was mesmerized by this amazing language !!And as my curiosity grew , my desire to master this language grew too ! I had a very good background before learning it in school . In my class I was always ahead of my classmates in English because I loved it . After 2 years I started making friends with other American girls and that improved my skills . Movies , novels and websites , It all helped me to speak English fluently aside from what I was learning in school . My family wasn't financially able to get me a seat in a language institute , which is why I haven't done the TOFEL exam yet .Still I managed to teach myself . That makes me confident that if I get chosen for the scholarship and learn Korean and in an institute I'll be able to achieve more !! If I get chosen I'd spend the whole year studying as much as I can . Since I managed to teach myself English even though I was busy with school , exams and home works , I'm confident & 100% sure that if I spend a whole Year s tudying Korean and focusing on Korean I'll master Korean and learn very well . I would practice what I learn as I interact with people .I would learn outside the institute using the websites that I mentioned above to rich my Korean and my English at the same time . I'll make use of every situation , every second starting from my arrival – since all I'll have to do is study the language I've always yearned to learn for a long time – and soak in whatever I can get my hands , ears and eyes on ! It just can't get any better . It has always been my dream to speak Korean fluently and more than that , I've always dreamed of having Korean friends and living in Korea .I even wish that I'll be allowed to do volunteering in Korea & I really hope to get approval of my request and be able to pay back to the Korean community and get close to its people whether it's elders , children or anything I absolutely want to do it , please help me fulfill this request too . I know that it's t oo much to ask but I really want to volunteer . I wish that my Korean will help me earn Korean friends . I'd be honored if I get accepted by them and I'll be really thankful if they teach me about their country , traditions and morals .I hope that I can be good enough to get close to them and be worthy enough to learn from them . I'm always willing to try and willing to learn . Having a chance to become a step closer to my dreams , who's crazy enough to mess such an opportunity ! Aside from Korean I want to improve my English . As I taught myself Korean and some Japanese , I came to find my English improving gradually . When watching Korean media ( drama , shows .. ect) I learn new vocabularies in the English subs and after I translate them , I learn the Korean version of the words .In my first year I'll focus on Korean but I won't forget my English either . I'll make sure to double the educational benefit of the scholarship that I'll receive . If I'll be given the chance to Learn K orean , I'll make sure to get the best of what I have and double it up and improve my English and after that I'm having a new language : Japanese . If I was given the chance to receive a good education I'll make it double and gain not only education and knowledge , I'll learn experience from everyone around me .I will make friends with new people that'll be studying Korean with me . Practice both Korean and English with them & exchange culture with them ,too . As I progress in Korean I'll keep up with English . I'm planning on saving up from my allowance – or working part time job – to be able to pay for the TOFEL and perform the exam , Since I've never been able to do so because I didn't have money . This is only the beginning for me . I want to learn Japanese , Italian , French and Spanish too . That way I'll be able to contact other people. If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart† . said Nelson Mandela As a person who's constantly fascinated by languages . I believe that a human being is on a journey of learning as long as he's breathing & never too old to learn . There's just so much to learn from everyone in this world ! by learning new languages I want to get in touch with its people and their minds , their culture and experiences !My curiosity of the teachings other people carry around the world , fuels my desire to speak their language which will inspire me in my works and enlighten my life and my mind . I believe in myself and in my abilities & I'm yearning for attention , care and support . I know that if I live in a constructive , educational environment it'll help me sharpen my skills and be a productive promising talent . If I get the chance to be a KGSP student , I will work hard to prove that you chose the right student and do my best in order to achieve that.

Why Was Stormont Dissolved in 1972?

why was Stormont Dissolved in 1972? Eighty- seven geezerhood discombobulate passed and compositionition deep down Ireland palliate remains the islands formation feature. Since the half dozen county rude of Federal Ireland was formed under the umbrella institution of the United landed estate in 1921, Federal Ireland has experienced devil currents of its report that are so utmost(a) in their differences. For the freshman 50 or so divisions of Federal Irelands existence the situation ming take with 2 sides of the fellowship, the Protestants and the Catholics was dovish and in that location was very teensy hostility or vehemence between them. Union Ireland was essentially g all overned by peaceful co- existence as the government at Stormont ru direct with relative ease. However, towards the late 1960s, the history of blue Ireland changed, as what was to pass away the darkest period in the countrys curtly history, the Troubles, ensued between the Protestan t and Catholic sides of the conjunction and curseened to suppress Yankee Ireland.In a period that lasted around xxx years, Northern Ireland became a war z ace, characte uprisingd by mis braceings, shootings and sectarian military unit as the two communities fought to defend their beliefs and protect unity other from the so- called other side. However it is the first iii years of the Troubles, from 1969- 1972 and the diarrhea send off Stormont that ordain be the focus of this canvas. The radioactive decay off Stormont in 1972 ended fifty years of Home Rule in the country and led to over two decades of Direct Rule from Westminster.But why was Stormont dissolved in 1972? In this essay I will answer this motility but it is distinguished to none that there is no single reason why. The dissolution off Stormont was a multi- causal particular brought some, by what I happen upon, as five dollar bill key causes the misfortunes of the trade union member governing t o purify and rig earnest the constitution of the dubitable anger (P wrath) and its escalation of violence incarceration and the succeeding PIRA backlash the formation of the UDA and its systematic cleanup programme and lastly crashing(a) sunlight and its aftermath.The calamitys of the trade unionist governments to get come out sufficient reform, satisfying to twain sides and their harm to control the security situation within Northern Ireland from 1969- 1972 was an important factor in the ultimate dissolution of Stormont in 1972. During the last mentioned part of Terence ONeills premiership the mishap of unionism was on the cards, even indeed, as his flaked five oint programme of reforms was greeted with skepticism by both unionists and nationa distinguishs and the Paisleyites were fired by what was seen as a concession to activist pressurewhile others- as events demonstrated- saying bonny now a mixture of impuissance and begrudgery. 1 In February 1969, ONeills failure to secure an indis project fitting mandate showed that the calve of unionism was stemma to develop because as he suggested, old prejudices were too blind drunk for volume to break out of the throw a fashion of sectarian politics once and for all,2 His heritor James Chichester- Clark inherited what was a exhausting situation, that became worse during the marching season of 1969.The failure of the unionist government to successfully control security and the devastating riots, which spread to capital of Northern Ireland following the annual Apprentice sons presentation in Derry in fantastic, showed just how incapable they were of protecting the pile of Northern Ireland and forced Chichester- Clark to request the software documentation of the British secureness forces. This was a humiliation, and it underlined the failure of the Stormont system to deal with either the political or the policing challenges of the popular uprising that was occurring the decisi on added a military dimension to the complete monetary dependence of the regime on London, and thus paved the way for direct rule. 3The army was a last desperate measuring rod and although welcomed by Catholics at the beginning, the GOC Lieutenant- general Sir Ian Freeland warned that the holiday period between troops and topical anesthetic throng is managely to be piffling lived. 4 Indeed it was as Catholics lost confidence in the armys baron to protect them, due to the failure to dispose the 1970 Orange parades, and the massive arms count and curfew of the Lower Falls Road and tell their support towards the increasingly more than unpeaceful PIRA. 5 By transport in the British army, the unionist Government aroused gigantic fear and passionand many Catholics believed that the unionists had neither the will nor the capacity to make the changes the British Government proposed, therefrom alienating the nationalistic community and gave fuel to the PIRAs rise because of its inability to bring in reforms that would have a positive affect on them. 6 Together with an inability of the unionist party to rule itself, as a balloting of no confidence by the unionist Party executive in the Governments law and order policies illustrated in 1970, these factors showed the weak and futile nature of the unionist Government. Further more, alongside later factors which will be discussed later in the essay, such as poundage, these unionist failures helped to pave the way for Stormont to be dissolved in 1972. The formation of PIRA in 1970 proved to be a major downfall of Stormont.The nationalist community left alienated and feeling vulnerable under the Stormont administration increasingly moody their support to Sean MacStiofain and the PIRA and its military policies allowing it to gain impulse in its offers, to provide all potential assistance to or people in the North, left defenceless against the violence of sectarian bigots and free the Irish people f rom British rule. 7 The strategy of PIRA was in three phases, knowing to eventually bring about the eventual overthrow of British rule in Northern Ireland.Phase one was of a purely defensive nature, avoiding confrontation with the army and providing material, financial and training assistance for Northern PIRA units. 8 As soon as it became practicable and practical, the Provisional IRA would move from a purely defensive position to a phase of combined defence and retaliation. 9 The final phase, therefore, was launching an all- out offensive go through against the British occupation system. 10 The PIRA came into accomplish after Orange Order parades in June 1970, which Catholics saw as a demonstration of Protestant power. 11 The riots which followed saw the cleaning of five Protestants by the PIRA. Unfortunately for the people of Northern Ireland, the Falls Road curfew obligate by the Chichester- Clark government following this PIRA function unaccompanied served to increase t he paramilitary organisation fecal matters support base and sustain support for the British army and it led to the escalation of violence within the province. The PIRAs black market was stepped up from the bombing of economic targets to attacks on British army personnel and on February 6th 1971 the first member of the regular British army was killed. 12 The violence only escalated further during 1971, as the Stormont administration struggled to hump with the unprecedented ferocity of the PIRAs violence. By July 55 people had died roughly In the first seven months of 1971 there were over 300 explosions and 320 shooting incidents, which heaped an enormous summation of pressure upon Stormont, that it ultimately was non able to cope with and as we will see later in the essay this led brain Faulkner to undertake what became one of the defining nails in the position of Stormont, the creative activity of internment. 13 The aspect that strikes you the most about poundage is the scale on which it was a failure, non to mention just how bias it was. It was a major blunder by the union member Government under Brian Faulkner because it failed to bring about the seizure of the leading members of the Provisional IRA simply because it lacked the necessary and relevant countersign that was needed. incarceration was entirely one- sided. No attempt was made to arrest loyalist suspects patronage the UVFs record of violence at that place was not a single person on the armys list of 452 names who was not an anti- partionist. 14 The result of Internment was massive alienation among the minority, and mounting fervency for the PIRA. It exacerbated the levels of political violence within the domain as from 1 January to 8 August 1971, thirty- four people had been killedbut from the introduction of Internment until the end of the year139 people died as a result of political violence. 15 Internment also underpinned the SDLPs boycott of Stormont, and therefore destroyed Faulkners very tentative move towards power- sharing. 16 It was a world- wide fortuity for unionism. It portrayed unionism as world sectarian and bias and brought the collapse of Stormont into its position straight as PIRA lashed out against it with a ruthless offensive. During August 1971 there were 131 bomb attacks, 196 in September and 117 in October. It come outed that the PIRA was reservation a concerted attempt to destroy Northern Irelands economy, with the short- term aim of drawing the security forces away from Catholic enclaves and the long- term objective of forcing Britain to abandon the region. 17 It seemed to be working as the economy was only rising by one percent in 1971 and British opinion was that it was willing to ditch Northern Ireland. The PIRA were it seemed successfully bringing about the British withdrawal from the region. The Protestant reaction to this enormous offensive existence carried out by the PIRA was to fight fire with fire, as they formed the ir own paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).The formation of the UDA in September 1971 was the crystallisation of the fears of working- class Protestants, who believed that the threat which the PIRA posed was too great and was not organism dealt with by Stormont or Westminster. or else they saw both governments as prominent in to nationalistic pressure and expectant them too many concessions. Just like Republican paramilitarism, the growth of loyalist paramilitarism was link up to the increasing levels of violence and the perception that the security forces could not contain violent republicanism. 18 The Unionist community did not feel near or protected by the Unionist Government under Faulkner, and like Nationalists sought-after(a) protection from a paramilitary organisation that could fight the PIRA. At the same time, however, the UDAs formation served to add to the already dirty situation that was raging within Northern Ireland and as a result put anoth er(prenominal) nail into the coffin of the Stormont administration. By now Direct Rule was inevitable, and it was a question of when not if it would be introduced.The UDAs formation and systematic outbreak of violence did nothing but heighten the strain between the Protestant and Catholic sides of the spectral divide. The UDAs long- term aim was the defense mechanism of ULSTER against ALL who would destroy her its short- term aims were the return key of law and order to every street in N. Ireland, to prevent further disintegration of our society, and to begin rebuilding our Community both materially and spiritually. 19Throughout late 1971 and 1972, when it killed over one hundred Catholics, who were seen as being un-American to Northern Ireland, the UDA, along with around another forty loyalist paramilitary groups carried out unplanned and usually spontaneous and inordinate attacks upon Catholics in a response to the IRAs thrust of violence. As a result the violence within t he province reached an all time high read/write head into 1972, widely considered to be the worst year of the Troubles.This violence came to a head on the 30th January 1972, or Bloody sunlight as it is known. It was this day and its aftermath that would become the final nail in the coffin of the Stormont administration. By the end of 1971 Northern Ireland was in danger of disintegrating into a state of tumult due to the failures and break- up of the traditional unionist party, the alienation of the SDLP, and the growth of the PIRA and the Protestant paramilitaries. 20 With Northern Ireland entirely reliant upon the security forces of the British Government in 1972, the reality of just how committed it was in the province was beginning to hit Britain. The events of Bloody Sunday brought dwelling house both the extent of this involvement and the damage being paid. 21 After thirteen people were shot dead by the army in the Bogside area, Nationalist and Catholic Ireland detonate w ith anger. For the first time, the South ecame emotionally problematic in the crisis occurring in the North and therefore it became occasionally violent (the British embassy in Dublin was burnt down on 5th February 1972). The PIRA and the Official IRA (OIRA) began a violent and bloody bombing campaign in both Northern Ireland and mainland Britain, as it bombed the officers mess of the 16th Parachute aggroup at Aldershot on 23rd February 1972 as well as the crowded Abercorn eating place in Belfast on quaternate March 1972, one of the cruellest of many violent incidents that took place in the country. 22 Such incidents, proved to be the final straw for the British Government, after what had been a bleak three years for both Stormont and Westminster. Northern Ireland was a war zone, incapable of ruling itself and Britain recognised this, declaring an end to Home Rule on 24th March 1972. Alvin Jackson asks the question, why did Stormont fail? and although the question might seem ir relevant given what precedes it, it is still important to sum up just why it happened and what the main causes were. In his book Ireland 1798- 1998 governance and War, Jackson concludes that in wrong of proximate causes, Stormont failed because it was no longer congruous with the exigencies of British policy , and because it showed no signs of being able to cope with the street violence and organized terror.In the longer term, it had been in violenceual to represent any other than Unionist opinion, and had been at best grudging towards Catholic aspirations. 23 The Stormont administration under Unionism was rather simply incapable of organising its own security, as its decision to request the support of the British army in 1969 showed, and it was entirely one sided, as policies such as Internment showed (a policy that had a massive part to play in the failure of torment. along with these causes, the rise of the UDA and other loyalist paramilitaries and the events of Bloody Sunday contributed largely to its failing, by creating more political violence and alienating the Nationalist community further. However, perhaps, the underlying causewas Irish Nationalism. 24 doubting doubting Thomas Hennessey writes that the single most disastrous decision that produced the next two and a half decades of conflict was the decision of the PIRAs Army Council in January 1970 to begin a war- their war- against the British state. 25 In many ways, Hennessey is in all correct, for had it not been for the bombings and killings of the PIRA within Northern Ireland, then Stormont may well have survived because it would not have had to rule a country that was virtually in a civil war, a country that was in effect untenable. 1 Alvin Jackson, Ireland 1798-1998 authorities and War (Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 1999) p373 2 Diarmaid Ferriter, The Transformation of Ireland 1900-2000 (Profile Books Ltd. long Britain, 2004) p620 3 Alvin Jackson, Ireland 1798-1998 Politics and War (Bla ckwell Publishing, Oxford, 1999) p374 4 Jonathan Bardon, A write up of Ulster (The Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 1992) p672 5 Thomas Hennessey, A annals of Northern Ireland 1920-1996 (Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 1997) p174 6 Henry Kelly, How Stormont Fell in bath Magee, Northern Ireland Crisis and Conflict (Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, London, 1974 ) p121 7 Thomas Hennessey, A History of Northern Ireland 1920-1996 (Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 1997) p173 8 Ibid p173 9 Ibid p173 10 Ibidp173 11 privy Whyte, Interpreting Northern Ireland (Oxford University Press, New York, 1990) p31 12 Thomas Hennessey, A History of Northern Ireland 1920-1996 (Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 1997) p175 13 Ibid p193 14 Jonathan Bardon, A History of Ulster (The Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 1992) p682 15 Patrick Buckland, A History of Northern Ireland (Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 1981) p156 16 Alvin Jackson, Ireland 1798-1998 Politics and War (Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 1999) p376 17 Jonathan Bardon, A History of Uls ter (The Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 1992) p685 18 Thomas Hennessey, A History of Northern Ireland 1920-1996 (Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 1997) p201 19 Ibid p201 20 Patrick Buckland, A History of Northern Ireland (Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 1981) p156 21 Ibid p156 22 Ibid p157 23 Alvin Jackson, Ireland 1798-1998 Politics and War (Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 1999) p376 24 Thomas Hennessey, Northern Ireland The Origins of the Troubles (Gill and Macmillan Ltd, Dublin, 2005) p385 25 Ibid p394