Sendong Report

It was a test of faith. Never were the Kagay-anons expecting that such a violent storm which hit the City of Cagayan de Oro, would kill their loved ones, and eventually their livelihood. Typhoon Washi, popularly known as Sendong which struck the Northern part of Mindanao on the early hours of December 17,2011 not only destroyed the city physically but as well as washing away devastatingly the social, political and the economic faiths of the city.The effects of heavy rains in the evening of 16 December until early morning of 17 December, the high tide occurrence and the debris into the river worsened the force of flash flood that impacted the catastrophe (National Disaster Risk and Management Center, 2012). People were sleeping around 2:30 a. m. when the flash flood strikes fierce fully resulting to a haunting tragedy which recorded a death toll of 674 in Cagayan de Oro according to the Final Report on the Effects and Emergency Management re Tropical Storm â€Å"SENDONG† (Washi ) prepared by the National Disaster Risk and Management Center (10 February 2012).Barangay 17, within the prior area of Cagayan de Oro City was one of the areas severely hit by the catastrophic phenomenon, and obtained the greatest share of recovery support. Sustenance and rehabilitation figures are roughly in line with the region–wide numbers. Hundreds of organizations, agencies and thousands of people from all walks of life all over the world share anything that they could give heartily, might be as in cash, in kind, service, and even in thoughtful concerns expressed through social media like Facebook or Twittter in helping to rebuild shattered communities among the 41 City barangays affected by the typhoon.Billions, translated from different currencies to pesos were commended, making this the largest post disaster recovery and extension undertaking commenced for the last 12 years in the Philippine history due the highest number of casualties and damages (CALONZO, 18 Decemb er 2011), City government provided financial assistance ranging from Php 2,500 to 9,000 for each family reliant on the amount of damage and has a significant figure of Php6, 885, 000 as financial aid to each family.Estimated damage of 10000 received financial assistance amounting to 2500; 20000 to 35000 received Php3500 ; Php 35000 to 6000 worth of damage received Php 4,500 ; Php7000 to 100000 cost of damage received Php 6,000 ; 120000 to 300,000 received Php 7,000 to 8000, and damage ranging Php350000 to 3,000,000 got 9,000 financial assistance. In line of President Benigno Aquino III directive for immediate aid efforts for ongoing relief undertakings, a December 28, 2011 press release from the Department of Budget and Management (28 December 2011) indicated Php336. M was added to Department of Social Welfare and Development. Government through Department of Social Welfare and Development had facilitated the delivering of food supplies and financial assistance to the affected commu nities.Red Cross Organization has also demonstrated efforts on providing relief items and medical assistance. Various organizations such as churches, charitable groups as well as radio and TV station have showed goodwill and kindness amidst adversity.In Barangay 17, nearby churches such as United Christian Church in the Philippines and Iglesia ni Kristo have offered free water and sack of rice during that time. Magnum Radio, DXCC provided clothes, canned goods and mineral water for aiding immediate needs while ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya along with various celebrities like Robin Padilla, Kris Aquino and GMA Center Mark Bautista handed relief goods and supplies.Blanco (28 July 2012) on her article Krusada: Cagayan de Oro, 7 months after Sendong, cited an establishment of a total of 6000 shelters prepared by Habitat for Humanity Philippines in which 12 houses are finished daily by Non-Government Organizations, and after 6 months, 3000 quadruplex would be ready for settlement. The purpose of this research is to conduct a study to the barangays in Cagayan de Oro city affected by Sendong, with Barangay 17 being selected as our subject area of research.It aims to determine the loss felt by the residents, either by physical or life, and most importantly to categorize the interventions/ assistance received by the victims in the aforementioned community. Based on the information gathered through the conducted in-depth interview, the researchers have found out that as to the said barangay, most of the houses were flooded with mud and dirt especially those houses built near the river, but only few were being damaged reflecting parts of the houses and roofing’s washed out unlike with what Sendong brought a great damage to areas like Macasandig and Balulang.Only few residents decided to be relocated to the relocation sites provided by the government such as the Calaanan Permanent Site (phase 3) and Indahag Permanent Site (phase 1) with personal reasons such as the famil y lived there for almost 30 years, and owning properties which are being inherited and passed on through generations. In addition, not all of the affected residents have received assistance as to what others do have.As to the statement of Lenie Duhaylungsod, 44 years old, stated through an interview, revealed that she have not received any assistance from Red Cross, where in fact her neighbors have already obtained relief goods and medical kits from the said organization. As we interviewed Rowena Cabunilda, a 50 year old Lechonan business owner, she relates that she have suffered much as to the damage brought by Typhoon Sendong to her livelihood. A venture established and existed for almost seven years, Rowena have never thought that residing near the river would cause the loss of her long-time earned business.With a starting capital amounting to Php10, 000, she had earned a lot for continuing the business making her a successful entrepreneur reflected through her beautiful, million peso priced house as well as her other properties including a business land (she asked us to limit the discussion only to her Lechonan business), further stating that her other properties were not devastated as these were located far from their barangay. In the aftermath of Sendong, there’s only 16 hogs left from the 56 ready to be sold s Lechon, almost 21,000 projected net loss of income for that season which is Christmas, and a loss amounting Php 50, 000 summarizing her capital resources reflected in terms of money as well as with the structure of her Lechonan house.â€Å"Receiving relief goods from the government and financial assistance worth Php 4,000 just for one month, I don’t think if it could be able to sustain us and help us in the recovery of the Lechonan business, which I believe would definitely take two to three years,† she stated. In Barangay 17 alone, 47 are being hospitalized, and 2 were reported dead due to Leptospirosis disease† accordi ng to Honorable Heracleo W. Calinawan, Barangay Captain of Barangay 17. A total 43,507 families being affected here in Cagayan de Oro City, while those being evacuated to 19 relocation sites counts to 6,574 families or a total of 38,985 people. â€Å"Here in our barangay, only few are to be counted being relocated to relocation sites,† Brgy. Capt. Calinawan added.Though these people are being affected by the devastation caused by the storm, but still they can’t leave their own houses and properties, especially the businesses they still have and could still be build back. Known as one of the barangays here in Cagayan de Oro sustained with Lechonan business, Barangay 17 Lechonan owners suffered the loss of livelihood , loss of income generated and yet to be generated , and the resources and capital started and produced for building the business.While some residents affected were skilled workers and self-employed who were not exempted by the negative effects brought by th e catastrophe, most of these respondents claimed of having an income of 100-150 a day less with daily expenses incurred of almost 170-200 a day, further declared that the destruction caused by Sendong put them into much upsetting and distressing life of poverty. Different nations of different forms of administration and leadership united to commit and lend a helping hand to the mourning land of Northern Mindanao.As to a report from ABS-CBN News on December 20, 2011 Obama extended his sympathies â€Å"On behalf of the American people, I wish to express my deep condolences for the tremendous of life and devastations caused by recent flooding in the Philippines. † while his secretary, Hillary Clinton also communicated her commiserations, further stated, â€Å"America stands ready to assist Philippine authorities as they respond to this tragedy. (Ressa, December 18, 2011) while the Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia are in close contact in accordance to the report of Calon zon of GMA News TV (22 December 2011)It will take a period of three to five years before the full recovery would be felt by the affected barangays of the so-called City of Golden Friendship ( including Barangay 17 to the count) , as observed by UN Special Representative for Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlston. Tiangco, 29 January 2012). While the United Nations are busy forecasting the time frame to bring back Cagayan de Oro better, National Economic Development Authority (Quiros, February 23, 2012) in its Strategic Action Plan presented a significant figure of Php 43B; the Northeren Mindanao requires for it to return to its past life and to its earlier picture before the tragic event hits.With half the total percentage of the damaged infrastructure already repaired with the aid of Negros Oriental government (Aranas, December 29, 2012 ) ; Sustainable Livelihood Assistance and Cash for Work programs leading to the provision of cash grants, rehabilitation projects and creation of livelihood strategies to assist affected residents initiated by DSWD ; Self-Employment Kaunlaran Associations(SKAs) which provide income generating opportunities such as sari-sari, farming, livestock raising, food processing, dressmaking, shell craft and fish vending ; permanent resettlement to already rebuilt houses ,and shelters provided by government and private agencies; and the numerous seminars, trainings and programs which demonstrates how the survivors would be well-settled, economically provided and recover sustainably: survivors are on their way of building back what was deemed lost.This study sought to identify the various modes and means as to which the victims of the 2011 Sendong typhoon tragedy which struck and affect the livelihood of Kagay-anons , specifically the affected communities in Barangay 17 had recover and recuperate their livelihood few months after the storm, the different interventions and assistance they received from the governm ent and non-government organizations, and as well as to ascertain the probable time frame as to which the Barangay 17 Sendong survivors would be fully recovered.Being a student with a financial management degree, it would be helpful enough to provide us students the knowledge onto what kind of livelihood these people need and ought to have being survivors of the devastation, and these gathered information would be useful enough for government and non-government institutions assigned in the field of livelihood center programs to provide sustainable livelihood for the affected communities.In the future, the end-result of this study would be useful for researchers and business people in determining the needs of the aforementioned affected communities and later would think of any kind of livelihood/job they would introduce to these communities aiding them towards livelihood recovery and sustainability. Data obtained from actual encounter with the victims turned survivors would further p rovide a much clearer understanding as to what was really the exact event, how did it occur, how did it affect and devastate lives, how much was the cost of damage, how long would the people be fully recovered, what are the strategies prepared and effected by government , international and non-government organizations to help, assist and ensure short to long term recovery and sustainability of the victims,etc.Lots and infinite questions could be made available with accurate and precise answers from actual intervention compared to just being information dependent from mere broadcast and social media, and random hearsays. Nothing would prove to be the best if fact-finding has to be initiated and enacted through proper, formal and accurate procedures. For almost six months of humanitarian aiding, it had resulted to further development on the despair and agony of Barangay 17 Sendong victims. Although the recovery might be deemed relaxed and gradual, but still the affected residents of t he 17th Barangay of Cagayan de Oro struck by Sendong continue to pursue the aspiration to attain full recovery and sustainability before another one bites the dust. FRAMEWORK This study is anchored on the theory of Dr.Jacqueline Carol Badcock, the United Nations resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator in the Philippines, â€Å"Livelihood recovery is crucial to help communities recover from the crisis and to build people’s confidence that they can move on†. Every people have its own process or way of recovery, it still depends on the capacity of individual This study is based on the capacity of the families affected by typhoon Sendong to recover and sustain financially with the available resources they have and how they used the different interventions and assistance they received from the government and non-government organizations to bring back their livelihood. Livelihood is a means of making a living.It encompasses people’s capabilities, assets, inc ome and activities required to secure the necessities of life. A livelihood is sustainable when it enables people to cope with and recover from shocks and stresses (such as natural disasters and economic or social upheavals) and enhance their well-being and that of future generations without undermining the natural environment or resource base (Carney, 1998,pg. 4) The core elements of the framework are the profile of the respondents in terms of civil status, educational attainment, number of children(if married), type of livelihood, years of residency in the barangay, starting capital, place of origin, monthly income generated from the livelihood and other sources of income.Civil status is the registration of individual status due to birth or any changes in personal situation such as marriage, divorce, or death (Slim, 2010). The purpose of which is to know the current marital status of the respondents of whether the victim supports a family or not. Educational attainment refers to t he highest level of schooling that a person has reached (Statistics Canada, 2011). This is necessary to identify the common level of education of each family on the specific location. Number of children refers to the number of offspring a family has. This is included to know how many children each family supports the main purpose is to know if the family income is enough to support the family.Type of livelihood refers to a set of economic activities, involving self-employment and/or wage-employment by using one’s endowments (human and material) to generate adequate resources (cash and non-cash)for meeting the requirements of self and the household, usually carried out repeatedly and as such become a way of life (Mahajan et al, 2004). This is essential to know the family’s way of living, of how they earn and support their family whether it be by employment or business ventures. Years of residency refers to the time during which a person resides in a place (Livelihood, D ictionary online, 2013). This is also identified to know whether the family is new or has been living for many years already in the barangay. Place of origin refers to where something originated or was nurtured in its early existence (Farlex Inc, 2013).This information is also essential for the researchers to know where the family originally came from. Starting capital refers to the money that is required to start a new business, whether for office space, permits, licenses, inventory, product development and manufacturing, marketing or any other expense ( Startup capital, Investopedia Online, 2013). This is to know the amount of money used by the family to start their livelihood again. Monthly income generated from the livelihood refers to the the amount of money or its equivalent received during a period of time in exchange for labor or services, from the sale of goods or property, or as profit from financial investments (Farlex Inc, 2013).This is to know the total amount of money the family receives from their livelihood and whether the family’s income is enough to support the needs of the family as well as to know the capacity of the family to recover financially. Other source of income refers to earnings report used to represent income from activities other than normal business operations ( Webfinance Inc. , 2013). This is included to know whether the family earns money aside from their employment. These detailed personal information is required for documentation and for future analysis of this entire research. Another element used in the framework is the types of loss experienced by the victims whether physical loss or life loss. Physical loss here refers to any damage done to a property (Webfinance Inc. , 2013).It includes properties, objects, and valuable resources lost by the victims as a result of the casualty of the flood. This deals with the properties or establishments owned by those families who has small business but now was washed out by Sendong. This could also be appliances destroyed by the typhoon such as television set, dvd player, component, computer, laptop, refrigerator, washing machine, cook wares like microwave oven, blender, electronic kettle, and small gadgets like cell phone, tablet and many more. This element is necessary to identify the common properties lost by the affected families and to what extent the flood caused damage to the victims.Life loss here refers to the number of family members who survived, how many have died and whether they were able to recover the dead body, how many were missing and what are their experiences during and after the calamity and on how they survived from their everyday living. Interventions or assistance received by the victims is another element used in the framework for the purpose of which is to know the specific intervention and assistance each family received from the disaster and for the researchers to know which specific organization whether it be from the loca l(municipal), provincial, national government, the non-government organizations who provided the victims with the assistance. The interventions/assistance received by the respondents are divided into two: private interventions and public interventions.To be included in the private interventions are the private sectors, industries, entities, non- government organizations both local and international, and people which and who provided interventions/assistance to the survivors of typhoon Sendong. To be included in the public interventions/assistance on the other hand, would be the public agencies, government departments and politicians which and who provided interventions/assistance to the survivors. The type of interventions/assistance received by them would also be collected and recorded as additional information. RESEARCH FLOW OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The study aimed to know how and how long the Sendong survivors in the areas of Barangay 17 in the City of Cagayan de Oro have recovere d the loss of livelihood they encountered after being devastated by the striking of typhoon Sendong.These were as follows 1) To describe the profile of the respondents in terms of: civil status, number of children, type/s of livelihood, years of residency in the barangay, starting capital, monthly income generated from livelihood and other sources of income; 2) to determine the types of loss experienced by the respondents in terms of physical and life aspects; and to find out the interventions/ assistance received by the respondents. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The study focused on the coping and recovery measures undertaken by the chosen occupants in Barangay 17, Cagayan de Oro City. There were 15 randomly selected residents which are being interviewed in accordance with the predetermined objectives.It includes obtaining information asked through personal inquiries in terms of vital personal information, determination of the types of livelihood and how it was adversely affec ted by Sendong which is regarded to be one of the best target question for the study, and finding out the interventions/assistance received by the respondents which purposely attempts to determine the variety of support, relief assistance and funding, donations and pledges the Barangay 17 community had already received, have been receiving and would be receiving. SCOPE AND LIMITATION The study was limited to the people of the respondents in terms of educational attainment, civil status, number of children if married, type of livelihood, years of residency in the barangay, place of origin, starting capital, monthly income generated from the livelihood, and the other sources of income. It determined the types of loss experienced by the respondents in terms of physical and life aspects. It is limited in finding out the interventions assistance received by the respondents. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY National Government.The outcome of this study would provide them detailed information and knowledge as to what proper governance and administration should be directed when any event same as this one would occur in the future. Through in-depth interview, which for most of the time proven accurate, would aid them in further assessing the exact and truthful undertakings, related stories of area survivors and especially the numerical facts of interventions and assistance obtained by the community victims. National Disaster Risk and Management Center. Aid them in further verification of the Final Report on Sendong they have already published and make appropriate changes, if needed. The data obtained through this study would also enable them to understand the tasks and duties entrusted to them being an organ for national management on disaster.Local Government Units. The result of the study will aid them in determining what are the other needs of the victims in their respective areas and be able to make appropriate measures to resolve them. The end-result would also help them understand and identify what are the corresponding duties entrust to them when such events occur again. Community. By giving them an in depth knowledge of what duties and responsibilities are relied on them when such occurrences take place. The study would provide these communities the following information and as well as the measures to cope and recover livelihood if such event would occur. Future Researchers.This study will prompt future researchers to deal with other factors and measures significant for quick and immediate recovery of loss livelihood of devastated societies, not only in the local regions but most importantly for the national as whole, providing prompt and immediate action for livelihood recovery and sustainability. Serve as a catalyst for further research on the grounds of good governance in terms of community safety keeping and public trust building. Victims of Typhoon Sendong. This would aid them on deciding what type of means they are going to prefer and unde rtake for them to be able to support and sustain their needs after the loss encountered during the devastation of Sendong. City Social Welfare and Development Office.The study will be considered as deemed relevant for creating awareness, and for these offices to establish prompt measures and means to recover loss livelihood of devastated residents of the affected community. Academe. This research will aid the learners and would serve as a review for related study in another research setting. LITERATURE REVIEW A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities required for a means of living. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stress and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base. (Chambers & Conway, 1991). As a means of sustenance. (New lexicon Webster Dictionary, 2001).A method need not only played by a sole individual but by various sectors of society, where the coordination of one to many towards the performance of its activities is deemed significant for the realization and attainment of one and everyone’s goal. The hidden complexity behind the term livelihood comes to light when governments, civil society, and external organizations attempt to assist people whose means of making a living is threatened, damaged, or destroyed. As the strength of a given livelihood is not only measured by its productive outcomes, but equally by its resilience to shocks, seasonal changes and trends and these shocks might include natural disasters (International Recovery Platform and United Nations Development Programme –India, 2005)..This study aims to conduct a review and an analysis of how typhoons affects communities and eventually livelihood causing an economic breakdown, and to be able to present through extensive research of how livelihood as strategies, developed to make a liv ing, means created for sustenance and survival is as fragile, breakable and vulnerable as it seems. IRP and UNDP-India. (2005 Cambodia is largely dependent on its natural resource base where agriculture is their primary source of livelihood. Rice production is the key economic activity in some province such as Siem Reap (United Nations Development Programme-Cambodia 2012) although the province also exhibits some of the income from other forms of means such as livestock farming and fishing. But how could the Cambodians be able to sustain a food for living and be able to maintain a good harvest if the country is frequently visited by destructive typhoons resulting to flooded farmlands along with washed livelihood for rural communities?Recommended livelihood recovery interventions include: the provision of capital (e. g. recovery fund) into existing savings and self-help groups; vocational trainings’ and programs to become a skilled worker and eventually learn an alternative liv elihood; and borrowings /financial grants for small and micro businesses (United Nations Development Programme-Cambodia, 2012). Taiwan, known as the main island of Republic of China, is not exempted from calamities such as typhoons and flashfloods due to its subtropical monsoon type climate (Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, 2004), as a result, this industrialized and modernized republic fueled by agriculture, labor and export industries were flooded and flashed away.Typhoon Morakot which struck Taiwan on 8 August 2009 regarded as the deadliest typhoon to hit the island, taking 639 lives evaluated by the World Vision ,form the following assessments that the storm not only affects communities but as well as flooding farmlands, wiping out businesses, livelihood and infrastructure amounting to a net loss of $3. 3B total damage (World Vision, July 2010). Long term livelihood recovery programs comprises establishment of production and marketing unit in Kaohsiung county, employment of fa rmers to a mango plant corporation, livelihood trainings on how to commenced a handicraft business, and peach cultivation (World Vision, July 2010).Hit and devastated by Typhoon Ketsana on 2009, Vietnam of homogenous societies in Southeast Asia (Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, 2004) had slowly but gradually facing its recovery. In coordination with United Nation Programme Coordination Groups, the People's Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM) and international non-governmental organizations, World Vision again set its foot to another ground spoiled by a storm. World Vision facilitates agricultural recovery through the provision of rice and vegetable seedlings which supplied food for 51,303 people during Winter/Spring crop and another 55,191 people during Summer/Autumn crop, allocating fish breed for fish raising and over 1,240 families received a piglet.Agriculture training sessions and technical support services on livelihoods recovery were also conducted as of World Vision (2010) report. Plagued by flood every three years, Bangladesh coping strategies according to Rashid et al. (2006). in his study states them in three broad categories: i) current adjustment strategies of reducing household food consumption, shifting to less preferred foods with lower cash cost, and reallocating household labor to increase current income, ii) unsecured borrowing which refers to borrowing that is not secured by providing household assets as collateral and, iii) secured borrowing denotes borrowing against assets owned by the household.Northern and Central parts of the Lao PDR were struck by Typhoon Haima on June 24-25, 2011 which disturbed the local people’s livelihoods, assets and properties. The Long Term Development Needs (24-60 months) requires the strengthening of farmers groups and developing their capability on livelihood diversification, association with banks, opening herd and flock health programs and coordinating with government for required technical liveli hood (Government of the Lao PDR, 29 August 2011). Typhoons (also identified as hurricanes) were typically trailed with flashfloods, mudslides, landslides and even loss, which can be either life or livelihood, or worse, it can be both.The story about Sendong relates to numerous other countries for which livelihood and economic faiths were unfortunately washed off by the unrelenting strong winds and heavy rains. Livelihood recovery is considered as one of the much disturbed factor of the society after calamity. Most of the moderate to severe affected countries caused by typhoons tends to recover two to seven years. This review of the literature shows the dependence of affected communities to government, private and no-government organizations in order to recuperate what was deemed lost, further reflecting the lack of indigenous knowledge, education and systems to make the coping as effective and successful one. RESEARCH METHODOLOGYThe research design used in this study is qualitative method which emphasizes descriptions and explanations of human experience and practices in an attempt to understand how the research participants experience and explain their lives in reality. This research focused on investigation of the livelihood recovery activities and interventions received by each family within a given location. Personal interviewing is what we use to better understand and get more specific details about the victims’ experiences which are relevant in this study. Guide questions, informal discussions will be used as methods in this research to collect data from the respondents which will result to the revelations of vital.Before interviewing the respondents, the researchers prepared a letter addressed to the Barangay Captain asking permission to conduct an interview with the victims of Sendong. Set of guide questions has been prepared in English based on the objectives of the study and later be translated into the vernacular language. Purposive sampling will be employed from at least 15 self-employed respondents. Before starting the interview, the researchers will explain the purpose and goals of this research to the respondent. The interview will take place in the respondents’ homestead during their free time. An audio recorder will be used with respondents’ permission to record the entire interview along with detailed notes on each interview. The results then were collected, tallied, analyzed and interpreted.

A Comparison of a Nuclear and Extended family

Modern day families have evolved over time. In the UK today many types of families exist, from the single parent family to families with fostered or adopted children. This essay will focus predominately on the ‘extended' and ‘nuclear' family structures that I have encountered. I will compare and contrast the framework of these by discussing the inter-relationships within my own extended family. I shall also discuss the different ways of rearing and caring for children and show how the roles of parent and child continue to evolve. Typically a nuclear family can be defined as a unit, which consists of a father, mother, and at least one child. This structure is found in almost all societies although the period in which it remains in this form varies. An extended family, while incorporating the nuclear family pattern is a wider grouping of relatives that characteristically spans three or more generations without the restriction of living under one roof. (Nobbs et al 1989) – See appendix 1. Research has shown (Fletcher, 1966) that families in lower socio-economic groups involved in semi skilled or manual jobs (working class) are less likely to move for work or educational reasons than those of a nuclear family. This means that they are more likely to be a part of a long established extended family. Nuclear families in contrast are more prevalent in higher socio-economic groups, (white collar), often employed in managerial, administrative and professional jobs. These families are more likely to relocate away from relatives and family friends for higher salaries and better jobs prospects. Nuclear and extended families continually re-size and re-model themselves and the changes that this brings can significantly alter the lives of the children. My own family, for example has changed since the 1960's when I was part of an extended family surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Neighbours were also considered as family because they lived in the same four storey Victorian house as us. Affection, duty and common interests closely connected us. Additionally, the daily contact was helpful and welcoming in that it offered practical support and comfort in times of stress concerning childrearing, financial help, problem solving and child-care. These were all advantages of belonging to an extended family. In contrast, as a parent in a nuclear family, we now live away from relatives and while able to gain emotional support by telephone and letter, the distance makes practical support difficult. It is noticeable that changes in traditional patterns of family life in the UK have been taking place in the last half century. The advent of more efficient methods of contraception since the 1960's have led to families having fewer children, compounding the trend for smaller family units (Beaver et al, 1995). My extended family has dissolved through the loss of my parents' relatives and friends through death or relocation. It now equates more closely to a nuclear family model, where I live with my children forming a small group with no other relatives living with them or close by, symbolic of what is occurring in the U. K. today. According to Henwood, et al, (1987) both extended and nuclear families in society are expected to provide many functions. Most important is their duties to provide for the needs of children, as the young are unable to care for themselves, and through their growing years require guidance. The family teaches children values, rules for behaviour and a common language providing the most basic environment for children to learn the culture of the society of which they are a part. Peers, schools and the media have a strong influence as children grow older, but the basic foundations are learnt within the family. The provision of this quality of care today by others outside the family unit would prove very costly and often be less effective. (Woodhead, et al, 1988) Families provide children with name and create a position in society for them. The family portrays a sense of belonging and a feeling of value. This feeling of worth is important to a child's development. I work with special needs children, or whom 50% have no strong family relationships. These children are, understandably, emotionally unstable. Children need a family to meet their needs for love, affection, company and security. In the U. K. today family life is regarded as paramount for emotional and social well-being of a child, and much emphasis is put on social services such as fostering and adoption for providing continuity to a child's up-bringing. ( Barnes, 1995) Economic support varies between families. Both the extended and nuclear family are economic units, however, in the U. K. family members are no longer totally dependent on each other for economic survival. The state provides an economic safety net through State benefits that prevent starvation and destitution reminiscent of the past. (Vasta, et al, 1995) The differences between extended and nuclear groups determine how these functions are carried out. Children in extended families can be seen to have the opportunity to develop and experience a wide variety of relationships, as relatives constantly surround them. However, these children, as in my case, are unable to experience privacy or personal space that they often yearn for as the regular presence of relatives and other children obstruct any opportunity. A feeling of constant pampering and scrutiny by others breeds a need to please a larger number of people, thus causing long-term affects of anxiety, in not being able to act on one's own initiative or actions. Recollections of my own upbringing are ones of confusion, never knowing who to listen to, or who was right. Discipline was not consistent among all my carers in the family. This often resulted in myself falling foul to different codes of behaviour being upheld by different adults. Studies by Farmer (1979) has shown that, particularly among the extended working-class families, there is considerable relationship of dependence and mutual aid between the wife of a family and her own mother. It goes on to point out that that the re-housing of young working-class families in ‘New Towns', thus creating a nuclear unit, at a distance from ‘Mum' suddenly presented young wives with a disquieting independence, finding themselves forced to act on their own initiative. This caused emotional upset, as this was a responsibility unaccustomed to them. It is important, therefore, in some areas that the extended family stays intact. The fathers in a ‘mother- centred' family often have little real authority with which to play out their expected role as head of the household and form strong relationships instead with work colleagues. Sons often follow their father's footsteps into the same profession, often working side by side with them, forming the same strong bonds between father and son, as the daughters accomplish with their mothers. Children tend to have more playmates that are cousins, and the older ones are frequently called upon to care for siblings within the extended family. Close relationships within an extended group have their value, but they can also be limiting, confining, frustrating, so that the loosening of ties for some people at any rate, may constitute a desirable improvement in lifestyle. Family living in close proximity tend to disrupt each other's' personal goals in life and get in each other's way emotionally and socially (Duck, 1992). In comparison children growing up in a nuclear family tend to experience closer relationships with their parents. They can receive a lot of individual attention and have more space and privacy. However, at times, they may also feel isolated in that they have fewer relatives to turn to in times of parental and/or sibling confrontation so encouraging relationships with friends and neighbours also. The nuclear family promotes freedom and independence. It allows for the qualities of maturity and self-reliance in individuals. Husbands and wives share equal status within the nuclear group, enjoying a relationship based increasingly upon mutuality of consideration. They appear to be democratically managed, where both parents tend to include the children in arriving at any family decisions. Parents have more time for each other and their children receive a greater degree of attention, effort and expectation from relationships concentrated within this unit. Significantly children of nuclear families form the basis of their beliefs surrounding relationships from these encounters. The stress and harmony levels that they contain can considerably affect the characteristics of social relationships with peers. Duck, 1992). The parental roles within extended families tend to be more complicated but clearly structured by gender. The mother concentrates on expressive gestures, giving warmth, comfort, care and performing all of the household chores while the father provides financial security, upholds discipline and undertakes household tasks that require more physical strength. The boys and girls are set tasks, which usually follow the roles of the respective parent. For example, girls will help in the kitchen while boys will help clean the car. The nuclear family in contrast seems to show much more flexibility in these roles where less importance is placed on the specific roles of parents and children and more is channelled towards a family team effort. When the children are young the father often takes on more domestic, traditional household, and childcare roles, only relinquishing them as they grow up. Often the parents of nuclear units both work, and do not enjoy the day-to-day practical support seen within an extended family. As teenagers the children often take responsibility for tasks in their parent's absence. Herbst, 1960) The nuclear family can however, come under stress without the support of a larger family network that can act as child minders or mediators, and it could be argued that this causes the fragility, which often leads to the unit quickly disintegrating should confrontation between the parents, becomes rife. This inevitably causes a great deal of emotional upset and economic strain. In the UK between 30% and 50% of nuclear families experience this causing divorce rates to remain high (Bruce et al, 1999), prompting the suggestion that ambition and dreams are often the key drivers in this type of family. Nowadays, nearly 50% of the work force in the U. K is female, although, the younger the child determines whether women work full or part time (Donnellan, 1991). This in itself probably reflects on the distinct absence of affordable child-care for younger children. As already mentioned childcare among extended families is not normally a problem as other members and sometimes-older children provide the care needed when the mother has to hold down a job. (Allan, 1979) With the comparisons and contrasts of the nuclear and extended family units in mind it is important to also consider the parental styles adopted. The mix of rearing practices used by parents and, where relevant other family members, is strongly debated among child psychologists for the positive and negative effects that they have on the behaviour of children. Baumrind (1972) and more recently Grusec and Lytton (1988) identified three models of parenting, authoritarian, permissive and authoritative, with which parents and other adult family members rear children. In the authoritarian model absolute standards are used to control a child's behaviour with obedience and punishment being paramount. Invariably physical and emotional blackmail are adopted. The child's behaviour as a result alternates between aggressive, moody, and irritable and often induces a vulnerability to stress. Contrastingly, permissive parents register few demands or expectations for a mature independent behaviour, often condoning bad behaviour through lack of good communication. The child, as a result lacks self-control, and shows aggressive and impulsive traits attached to a low self- esteem. The authoritative style produces energetic and friendly children as at the core lay clear communication within a warm, responsive and fair model. The child's wishes are always considered yet those who are disobedient are kept in check. This leads to a child that copes with stress well and has a co-operative and self-reliant outlook on life. Minimal evidence can be found to determine which of these styles of parenting are dominant in any particular family structure, but inevitably it would be fashioned by how the parents were themselves raised. From experience of working in a secondary school that accommodates a high percentage of children from working class, and probably extended families, it is noticeable that their children show many of the visual signs associated with the authoritarian style. Often their behaviour is aggressive and they appear unhappy and stressed with life. Importantly, from a teaching perspective it is essential to be aware of the specific family structure when dealing with a child. To be able to work effectively with children and families alike it must be remembered, whatever the family type, the family forms a central part of any child's life. We should be deterred from stereotyping families in order to best assist children in their education. In summary this essay has compared and contrasted nuclear and extended families and identified the roles and relationships that are prevalent among the more conventional of these family structures. Personal reflections have been included, where relevant, to add realism. It has explained how family life has evolved in recent times and given an insight into the parenting styles adopted and the effect they have had on the child.

Premarital sex Essay Essay

Our fathers understood that sex was a blessed experience made only for married couples as a way to express their love and desire for each other. However, our youths today think of sex as a fun-thing; they have the belief that it is okay to have sex with who ever one is having a relationship with, and youths engage in several relationships before deciding to settle down. Yet, our fathers were right with their opinion about sex; sex should be a blessed ordeal and not a fun thing. Youths should try and preserve themselves for marriage, but in a situation where a person cannot hold himself he should then try and protect himself by using a condom because of the effect that unprotected sex would have on him. One of the major effects of unprotected sex is the risk of the female getting pregnant. In some situation the youths involved might not be ready to raise a child yet, and with the female getting pregnant they have problems deciding on what to do. The man might decide to deny being the father of the baby and puts down the woman. This leaves her with the decision of either aborting the child, raising the child as a single mother or dumping the child off anywhere. Each of these three choices is not to the best interest of the child. If the mother aborts the child that means she has taken the life of a human being, and it doesn’t matter if the child is unborn yet or not the child has the right to his life. Even if the mother succeeds in aborting the child she may encounter some complications in the process, and this may affect her later life when she will finally decide to get married and have kids. Another dire option is to dump the child. Some mums dump their kids off in trash, in front of people front doors or at the motherless baby centers. There was even this case of a woman trying to flush down her baby down the toilet; the neighbors heard the baby crying as if it was drowning they called the police, but when the police arrived the child was already dead and the mother too because she killed herself. The best of the three options is the mother raising the child as a single parent, but this is also not a very good idea knowing that no child would want to grow up without his father, at least I know I don’t. Also some of  the kids who turn out to be a menace to the society fall in the group of kids raised by a single parent. This is because the parent may not have enough time to spend with the child since she has to work a great amount of time so as to provide both of their necessities and to pay bills; the child therefore spends more time with friends and on the streets since he is not being monitored by his parent. All these are caused because of one small mistake; having sex unprotected. In many American Universities college students engage in unprotected sex, but most of them are not conscious of the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Among college students who live away from home, 56 percent had been sexually active while attending college, and 73 percent of that group reported having unprotected sex while in college, says the survey by the Society for Adolescent Medicine. (http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.asp?docID=514693). From the above survey it means that youths in colleges who engage in sex have high risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. These students are very well exposed to these diseases because they would have the tendency of having intercourse with several people due to the fact that they converge in an enclosed environment, and also peer pressure. The female involved may also get pregnant and would have to drop out of school and get a job so as to earn some money to take care of her and her kid. Unprotected sex can also result to early marriage. When a female conceives after having sexual intercourse, the couple involved may decide to get married and raise the baby together, but things don’t always turn out well after the marriage; these couples may not know themselves too well. In the event of the marriage they might find out different sides of the opposite person that they don’t like, and they may finally break up. This doesn’t go to the betterment of the child either because he may end up being raised by a single parent and deprived of the other. All these dreadful things can be avoided by merely abstaining from sex till one is married, but when the urge to have sex cannot be overcome then the person involved should use a condom to protect himself.

Retail Supply Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Retail Supply - Essay Example Most of the pedestrians that patronize the streets around the Bay Aledaide Centre are those people who work in the Discovery District in close proximity to educational centers and hospitals. Examples of educational centers in the neighborhood of the Bay Centre include the University of Toronto and the Ryerson University. More than 65 per cent of residents in this area comprises of the working class in the age bracket of 25-64, which is considerably higher than the City’s average of 57 per cent (Figure 2). Figure 2: Population by Age Walking along the streets, it is notable that the intersection neighboring Yorkville at Bay is a center of expensive shopping, which attracts a large proportion of the upper class income earners who lives in the expensive neighborhoods of the city. The majority of the malls along this street sell expensive clothing and household products. The Bay street is largely used for transportation – it is served by the route 6 Bay bus. Other areas inc luding the streetcar tracks, which extends from College street and Dundas are used for diversions and and short turns (Bow 12). Table 1 below shows how Bay Adelaide Centre neighborhood differs from the rest of the Toronto city. HIGHER LOWER MUCH LOWER % of Children (0-4) % of Children (5-14): % of Youth (15-24): % of Seniors (65+): Dependency Ratio: (20%) Total Population Change Table 1: How this neighborhood compare with the rest of Toronto PART B: Yorkville east of Avenue Road Yorkville is commonly known for its shopping activities. The city of Toronto annexed it from a former village. It is neighbor to Davenport road to the north, Bloor Street to the south, Avenue road to the west, and Yonge Street to the east. Officially, the strip is considered as part of The Annex vicinity. The strip is one of the city’s most fashionable shopping centers. It is surprisingly one the the world’s most expensive streets, with rent per square foot ranging from $300 by 2008. Yorkvilleà ¢â‚¬â„¢s has very expensive and fashionable restaurants, shopping and boasts of hosting the first five star hotels in Canada. Compared with the rest of Toronto, the percentage of children below four years is lower, youth is the same, seniors is higher, and the total population change is the same (Table 2). HIGHER LOWER MUCH LOWER SAME % of Children (0-4) % of Children (5-14): % of Youth (15-24): % of Seniors (65+): Dependency Ratio: (30.2%) Total Population Change Table 2: How this neighborhood compare with the rest of Toronto The fashionable boutiques include Gucci, Burberry, Hugo boss, Louis vuitton, Ermenegildo and Betsey among many other upscale designer boutiques. Many companies have their flagships located along this street, including Town Shoes, Gucci, Harry Rosen, Lacoste and Channel [4]. Recently, mid-market retailers have flocked Bloor street, including La Senza, Winners and French Connection. Yorkville is notably known for its luxurious shopping streets. The demand along Bloor street is very high, hence making the rent to shoot very very high. The majority of the retailers is independent (80%), who put a lot of efforts to meet these demands. The number of professional services and offices are extremely high, which services leading companies such as Canada Post, Retail Council of Canada, IBM Canada, Showcase television and consultants from different countries. The majority of the pedestrians are working age who also form the largest proportion of the shoppers (Figure 3). Figure 3: Population by

Renaissance and Baroque Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Renaissance and Baroque - Essay Example During the renaissance, paintings, sculptures, and architecture experienced a re-birth. From the 14th century, the world realized great innovations. During this time, artists blended light and colour more innovatively to their feelings, ideas and emotions. Renaissance art refers t o ancient Greek and Roman cultures. The works of art during this time were mainly used to send religious messages more easily. At the time, people were barely literate and it was easier to communicate through pictures, paintings, and sculptures than through reading and writing. It was a period of great crisis which entailed; the unrest in the Catholic Church and political instability. Artists came up with innovative ways to encourage people to be good and have faith in God. Paintings were therefore mostly religious. During this period, pictures had more depth and space. They were more realistic representations of physical objects. The pictures resembled what they were intended to portray more closely. The m ain elements in reconnaissance art include: perspective, shadows and light, emotion, realism and naturalism. To display three dimensional depth and space in their work, reconnaissance artists implemented the use of linear perspective, horizon line and vanishing point. Artists used shadows and light to create a focal point on a piece of art. In the hope to motivate people to have faith and be better people, renaissance painting employed the use of emotion. They also made objects appear more real and natural.

Software Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Software Engineering - Essay Example Progress tracking measurement The domains of software engineering projects are clearly defined in the knowledge areas of software engineering. Generally, it undergoes the different software engineering processes and different software engineering cycles. These knowledge areas, processes, and cycles are described in the Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK), 2004 Version. Specifically, software engineering measurement undergoes the following process: 1. Establish and sustain measurement commitment, 2. Plan the measurement process, 3. Perform the measurement process, and 4. Evaluate measurement. (SWEBOK, 2004 p. 8-6, 8-7, 8-8) In establishing and sustaining measurement commitment you need to: 1. Accept the requirements for measurement by defining the scope of measurement and committing the management and staff to measurement; and 2. Commit resources to management. (SWEBOK, 2004 p. 8-7) In planning the measurement process you need to: 1. Identify the information needs, 2. Select measures, 3. Define data collection, analysis, and reporting procedures., 4. Define criteria for evaluating the information products, 5. Review, approve and provide resources for measurement tasks, and 6. Acquire and deploy supporting technologies. (SWEBOK, 2004 p. 8-7, 8-8) In performing the measurement process you need to: 1. Integrate measurement procedures with relevant technologies, 2. Collect data, 3. Analyze data and develop information products, and communicate the results. (SWEBOK, 2004 p. 8-8)

Billy Elliot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Billy Elliot - Essay Example In the scene, he tap dances away his frustration to the music of ‘a town called malice’ by the jam. Dancing appears as a vocation for Billy as he fights stereotypes from his father and brother to pursue dancing rather than the coalmining embraced by his family. Billy’s tap dance scene is significant as the dialogue between the four characters in the scene collide. The scene witnesses Billy’s brother, father, himself, and Mrs. Wilkinson. The dialogue of the four characters on Billy’s future informs the audience much about them. Mrs. Wilkinson and Tony hurl abuse at each other showing both their concern and love for Billy, although from varying perspectives (Daldry). Their abuse shows that they both care for Billy’s future albeit from their own narrow views of what he should become and pursue. Both characters are frustrated about each other’s view on Billy’s future yet they all want the best for him. The scene opens up in the kitchen which provides the audience with a claustrophobia feeling. This setting is vital in displaying Billy’s internal conflict at the time. He struggles to deal with societal and familial expectations placed on him. Mrs. Wilkinson, his dance teacher expects him to becom e a potential success while he also gets tasked with caring for her grandmother suffering from dementia. He also struggles against the gender role stereotypes entrenched in society. The camera shots during the scene also indicate the difference in class and discourse between Billy and the three adults at the table. The camera moves back and forth from the high angle of Billy perspective to the eye level shots of the adults. The difference in points of view in the scene represents the discourse on Billy’s perception about himself and what the adults think of him. When Billy tap dances angrily in the scene, it represents that dancing is a vocation for him. His dance alludes to the fact that he can dance his pain away (Daldry). This shows that

I used to live here once by Jean Rhys Discuss how this visit reflects Essay

I used to live here once by Jean Rhys Discuss how this visit reflects her feelings of displacement, taking into - Essay Example The story is thus more of an autobiography where the author talks about her life. The title of the story is symbolic as she wrote many literary works about the Dominican Republic during her school in Britain. The short story I Used to Live Here Once is a small story in a collection of stories Sleep It off Lady. Therefore, the story is symbolic as it amplifies the despair, loneliness, and psychological trauma that come along with isolation in the persona life as she lacks a real identity and people to identify with. Frickey (100) explains that the story being very short has been symbolically placed in the novel to signify a case of finale, which may signify the return of Rhys after many years of exile to Dominican Republic. The strong emotional presentation of the persona’s return in the story is crucial because of an important incidence in her life. The story is presented in a third person presentation, implying the narrator is not part of the story, which may signify lack of identity as the narrator was removed from her ancestral home, she lost her identity and she presents herself as another person in case of duality. The title signifies the narrator is the main actor, but the use of third person may reflect loss of identity as explained. The story is an emotional reflection, where the persona recalls her past life, and the developments that had occurred with her absence, recounting the mysterious journeys in life and the effects they had in her life. The fragmentation is the main style employed in the narrative: the author balances the present and past throughout the story, in connecting memories and the present until the end. Symbolism is another major stylistic device employed by the author. At the beginning, the author describes her surroundings as a â€Å"blue day,† and that the sky looked â€Å"glassy† (Rhys 358). The blue day is symbolic of the clarity that the narrator remembers all events and her past life in the place she used t o call home. However, glassy represents the new ‘unremembered’ life that signifies the new life as she closes the river to search for her lost heavens. The sky looks glassy therefore signifies the unclear that she steps into after closing the river. This glassy and blue sky looks portray the reflections of the persona between the past that she clearly remembers, and knew, and a new life that is not clear to her. Frickey further argues that â€Å"she† is extraordinarily happy walking alone, recognizing the previous settings and noting the changes (100). Everything was thus much clear the persona, making her happy. The novel starts as she is standing at the bank of a river, watching the flowing water, remembering each stepping stone (Rhys 358), and everything was as she remembered. Flowing water is symbolic of the rolling wheels of life. The persona is reflecting on how life has passed, and she clearly remembers each detail of her life as symbolized by stones. The unsafe stone was perhaps what had caused her disconnect and removal from her ancestral home; as agitation by the natives increased symbolized by overflowing water, they were forced to exile. Wilson (68) explains that Rhys was just like other people who were forced to exile and disconnected from their ancestry, and their past. The session at the river therefore signifies reflection of how life has passed and the events that have happened since they were removed from their land. The theme of isolation and

The Contamination of Dirty Bomb Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Contamination of Dirty Bomb - Case Study Example The presence of low-level nuclear materials cannot be disputed. The places where low-level nuclear materials are produced are everywhere in the world, and that means that the materials are found everywhere. Â  After a dirty bomb has exploded, it is necessary to clean up and decontaminate the affected area. All the materials in the place which have been contaminated should be removed from the place of explosion. When a dirty bomb explodes, there are procedures to be followed to decontaminate and clean up the place. Masks should be provided to rescuers to protect them from inhaling dust and other particulates. The relevant authority should observe and monitor the area for possible hazards. There should be equipment in operation to evaluate the oxygen levels, toxic gasses, and flammable gasses. Once the rescue team gets to the point of explosion, they should remove all exploded materials especially cars as these are assumed to be dirty. The personnel should determine the extent area with toxics and should immediately start to evacuate people to safe places. Â  Large uninjured populations should evacuate themselves. The personnel should provide safe exit routes in conjunction with building managers. The victims should be screened for dose rate, and establish those that need decontamination. The victims should avoid eating or drinking but should go and shower with water and soap. The structures and cars contaminated should not be decontaminated during the initial response process. The contaminated water should be allowed to flow into the drainage systems of the municipal. If possible, the water should be redirected to other channels. The people needing immediate attention should be separated from seriously injured people (Benjamin, 2011). These people should be examined for physical contamination and evacuated.

Astronomy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Astronomy - Essay Example b. what is the significance or importance of patterns or cycles in nature to the development of science? Patterns or cycles help science by predicting behavior of seasons, planet movement, and other aspects of our environment. The prediction of these seasons were vital to the survival of ancient people, and still help farmers today. Without these predictions humans would have no food. Astronomy helped ancient civilizations predict the seasons, create temples, invent astronomy and even create gods out of the sky. The practical uses were the making of a calendar to predict seasons. This helped with harvesting food, plan for harsh climates, and gave ancient civilizations a way to document time. 5. describe the apparent motions of the planets in the sky. The planets seem to have the apparent motions of back and forth depending on their orbit and the earth’s position. This proves that all the planets have their own orbits around the sun. 7. how did kepler first try to relate the spacing of the orbits of the planets? Why did kepler find this approach philosophically satisfying? Kepler felt that the spacing of the planet orbits was spiritual. The universe was built in God’s image. The sun was God the Father, the Earth the Son, and everything in between the Holy Spirit. Kepler felt science and religion could compliment each other. On February 4, 1600, Kepler met Tycho Brahe at Benà ¡tky nad Jizerou in Poland. This is where Tychos new observatory was being constructed. This observatory was for Tycho’s studies on Mars. Kepler’s political and religious troubles in Poland plagued the mutual work of Kepler and Tycho. "Since the divine benevolence has vouchsafed us Tycho Brahe, a most diligent observer, from whose observations the 8 error in this Ptolemaic computation is shown, it is fitting that we with thankful mind both acknowledge and honor this benefit of God... For if I had thought I could ignore

Human Resources Functions Essay Example for Free

Human Resources Functions Essay Human resources or personnel function fulfils a number of needs. It is responsible for the hiring and firing of employees, for staff training and development, and for dealing with matters relating to industrial relations. In this report I will be analysing each of the functions related to human resource and then take one of them and make an in depth analysis of it. Once I collect the information I need regarding the responsibilities of the human resources and how they should be carried out, my next step will be to compare them with a medium or large size company to see how they carrying out the responsibilities and what alterations they have made to suit their particular needs. To do this I have chosen Tesco. Below I will briefly look at the four functions of human resource and how they affect Tesco: 1. Human Resource Planning Human resource planning can be defined as: The activity of management which is aimed at coordinating the requirements for and the availability of the different types of employee In simplicity, this means to make sure that the organisation has the right number of employees and of the right quality. For the human resource to achieve their targets they need to have a good understating of the labour market in the local area. When planning human resources Tesco need to take into account the following factors: a) Local employment trends Local employment trends tells Tesco about the levels of employment in the area and gives them a general idea of the type of jobs people are getting and the type of jobs that there are a shortage in. b) Local skills shortages Local skills shortages is an important aspect to Tescos human resource because it informs them about the lack of people with certain qualities in the local area. This is important as it can be used to compare against the Tescos skills criteria for new employees. If they are looking for certain skills from people and theses are not available then they will either need to compromise or look elsewhere. Also, if they know the general skills of the people then when they advertising for a job, it will reduce the chance of them asking for qualities which are absent in the people, which might keep very suitable people from applying and few applicants might mean that further advertisements are needed, costing time and money to Tesco. c) Competition for employees There may be very few people with top qualities willing to work for a company like Tesco. It would be in the best interest of Tesco to seek and take theses enthusiasts on board. If they dont, then other similar retailers will recruit them and then they will become rivals to Tesco. Competition for employees may even be on the lower skills end where there may be a shortage for cashiers, for example. Tesco will need to provide suitable incentives to attract these key people. One simple way in which to attract the mass of people is to increase their wage. This is not always the case due to the financial constraints on a business. d) Availability of labour Availability of labour is an important factor for Tesco. They need to make sure that they are aware of the quantity and quality of workers available when recruiting. This understanding will allow them to make right decision when employing people. If there are very few suitable candidates then they will have to choose someone amongst those. However, if there are many people suitable for the job then they can carry on with their search until they come across some one who fulfils all the requirements. It is important for Tesco to know the availability of workers in their locality as this will enable them to prepare and make back up plans for when there is a shortage of suitable people willing to work for Tesco. Human resource planning also involves looking at how labour is organised within a business. The factors that Tesco must take into account are as follows: a) Labour turnover This is about forecasting supply of labour. It asks the question how many employees will we have in the future? It therefore means looking at internal and external sources of labour. When Tesco is looking at the total supply of labour in its organisation it is important for them to look at labour turnover. Below is an example of one of many ways of working out employee turnover: This is sometime called the percentage waste rate. It tells Tesco what percentage of workforce left in a year. There are also other indexes which deal with stability, which give a good idea of how long employees are staying with the organisation. If employees are not staying very long in certain departments of Tesco, then this can be pinpointed and investigated. b) Sickness and accident rates A high level of sickness absence will affect the supply of labour very badly. If genuine then Tesco can do very little in the short term. If they are bogus then moral within honest workers will be low and confidence in managers can sink. There are many ways in which the human resource team can monitor performance against: o Performance in the previous year o Trends in other organisations in the same industrial sector o National sickness absence figures Accident rates can be lowered and kept to a minimum if health and safety guidelines are followed properly. c) Age, skills and training This is also known as stock taking. It asks the question what is the quantity and quality of staff available in the organisation? It uses the following techniques: o Job analysis involves gathering information about all employees. It collects information regarding their duties and skills required to fulfil those duties. o Skills audit is a survey of the skills, qualifications and experience of all existing staff. o Performance review involves looking at the performance of all employees in order to: o identify potential staff o identify where staff have more training needs This information will give an idea to the rest of the company about the skills and training of their employees. Weakness can be tackled using these information and strengths can be built upon. d) Succession This really only applies to employees at supervisor/line manager level and above. Succession planning enables the organisation to ensure that staff with potential to fill top jobs are given extra training or wider experience so that when the time comes they will be able to fill those positions. Without this type of planning Tesco would see good employees leaving for better opportunities elsewhere. This will make it harder for Tesco to fill gaps at a later date. Conclusion on Human Resource Planning Humans are the most important resource to Tesco and they will need to make sure that they plan properly to ensure that they employee the best people who are best suited to the job. This will ensure they have an advantage over their rivals, as rivals can copy products but not staff. 2. Recruitment and Selection Tesco recruit staff for a number of reasons. Initial recruiting is needed when a new store opens and after that there will be a constant need for recruiting due to the changing needs of Tesco and the needs of he employees. o The growth of Tesco is usually seen with the opening of new stores. The opening of stores means that they need to recruit so that the employees can run the store. o Changing job roles within the business o Resignation, retirement, dismissal also means that recruitment needs to take place in order to replace these workers and keep the business running as before o Internal promotion means that new recruits are needed when existing employees are being promoted to higher positions, which leads to vacancies which can be filled by internal candidates. Promotion usually means that there are now gaps at the lower skill level in the store and this creates jobs for external candidates with less experience. Extra costs are always frowned upon by businesses and recruitment, if not properly done can cost a business a lot of money and time. This means that it is very important for a business to recruit accurately and this will mean that the recruiting team have a clear idea of what sort of person the business is looking for and what is expected from them. The team can save the business money and time by: o Preparing person specifications and job description which clearly outline what kind of person they are looking for and with what qualifications. The job description will clearly linked with what they are expected to do once recruited and what is expected of them. o Carefully planning how, when and where to advertise as this will save time and money for Tesco. Tesco need to weigh out the costs and benefits of different methods of advertising (e.g. using internet or the local newspaper), when the best time for advertising is (in the summer holidays or beginning of the school year) and where to advertise (e.g. in the stores or at the job centre). o Identifying the strengths and weakness of job applications, curriculum vitae and letters of application. The recruiting team will need to be very experienced at electing candidates. Their experience in recruiting will be reflected in the quality of candidates they recruit. o Short-listing candidates involves selecting a small number of applicants for the next stage. This may well be training or more tasks to lower the number of people for the next stage. This selecting will carry on until the right numbers of candidates are found with the desired quality. The recruiting team need to be able to distinguish easily the strong applicants from the weak as there may be hundreds of applicants. When recruiting every applicant deserves and expects the same opportunity as their rivals. There are many legal and ethnic responsibilities relating to equal opportunities which Tesco must uphold so that they dont break the government law and trust of the public. Below are a few acts passed by the government which will govern the recruiting method and process. o Equal Pay Act 1970, requires employers to pay same rate of pay to men and women if they are doing the same job. o Sex Discrimination Act 1975 states that employers may not discriminate on grounds of gender. This act makes it illegal to discriminate against a particular sex when: o Advertising to fill jobs available o Appointing employees for those jobs o Promoting staff into better jobs o Determining the terms and conditions of the ob o When offering employees opportunities for training and development There are Exceptions to this act where this act does not apply. However, these exceptions do not apply to Tesco and this means that the whole act is to be followed by Tesco. o Race Relations Act 1976 makes discrimination on grounds of race illegal in the same areas as the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, i.e. advertising jobs, appointing staff, promoting staff and providing staff benefits. Again there are exceptions which do not apply to Tesco which means the whole act is to be followed by Tesco. o Disability Discrimination Act 1995 updates the protection for disabled persons and places it onto a similar basis as for other forms of discrimination. Key aspects of the Act warn against discriminating when advertising jobs, appointing staff, promoting staff and providing staff benefits. It also states that reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that a disabled person can work on the premises. This act does not cover organisations employing fewer than 20 people. It is therefore correct to say that this act is to be followed closely by Tesco as their employees number thousands. However, Tesco only have to do what is reasonable. If modifications are very expensive then this would be deemed unreasonable. There is some government financial assistance available for modifications to buildings. To ensure that only suitable candidates are chosen and to make the selecting process easier and less time consuming, there are testing method and techniques available to the recruiting team. Aptitude tests It has become increasingly common for employers to expect job applicants to carry out tests to give a fuller picture of their ability to do the job applied for. They are appropriate or manual work where there is some skill involved and also for office work. These types of tests are appropriate for Tesco to use as they will allow them to find out more about the applicant before selecting and will allow the applicants to show their full potential. Psychometric tests These types of test assess the intelligence and personality of applicants. They are much more sophisticated then aptitude tests and Tesco must have properly trained staff to carry out and analyse the tests. The producers of such test argue that they are unbiased and that they can sow, for example, if a candidate would work well in a team. Human resources department must have good interviewing techniques and the interviews must adopt these methods and techniques when interviewing to ensure they reach out comes in the best interest of Tesco and its entire staff. Tesco must make sure that recruiters are aware of all the criteria for evaluating the recruitment process and must ensure that all the guidelines and methods are followed carefully. Many employers now use their employees in a flexible way so that they can get the most value form them. Tesco must understand the importance of recruiting and maintaining a flexible workforce if they are to remain competitive. There are different bases for recruiting people for a flexible workforce, and below I have mentioned a few: o Different modes of employment o Different terms and conditions Just as methods of working have changed, so have the terms and conditions under which people are employed. People may be employed full-time or part-time under a number of contractual arrangements. o Core employees are highly paid workers who offer firm-specific skills which are hard to acquire form anywhere else. Often such skills will have been acquired within the organisation itself. They provide functional flexibility because they do a range of tasks. Because they are so firm-specific they have high job security. o Part-time, temporary and contract labour Sometimes temporary staff are required for short periods of time either to replace employees who are absent or to help out in busy times. When labour is plentiful the short-term contract enables firms to meet present staffing needs without making a long-term contract. Tesco use this type of recruitment when there is a shortage of staff or when there s a busy period (e.g. Christmas) which demands more assistants in the shop floor. Conclusion on Recruitment and Selection Tesco must ensure that their recruiting team is the properly qualified as a good team will lead to good recruits. Tesco must ensure that they use the best and fair methods suited to their environment to select the right candidates. This will ensure the best people are working for them to create the top company. 3. Training and Development A general definition of training is: the acquisition of a body of knowledge and skills which can be applied to a particular job Training can be divided into two main categories: on the job training or off the job training. on the job training This means that the employees acquire their training or development in the workplace itself. An example of this in Tesco is when they recruit a school leaver who has little work experience. One of the supervisors will show the new recruit what they have to carry out and may show them how this is done. off the job training This means attending courses which may be in a collage or training centre away from the work place. This usually applies when there are insufficient facilities or people to train the trainees. Tesco may want its entire senior staff to have a high degree of understanding in health and safety and for this they may send their seniors to a course where they would acquire this knowledge from experts. Induction This is an introduction to the organisation for new employees. It is designed to familiarise new recruits with the organisation, its rules, facilities, policies and key staff. Usually an introductory pack containing the main details will be provided. In Tesco this would be carried out once a recruit starts working or when they are being promoted and new responsibilities are put on them. The induction is very important to both Tesco and their new employee. Tesco need to ensue that they give the best possible start to the recruit and the employee needs to be satisfied that this it is in their best interest to work for Tesco. Tesco will also get their first impression of their recruit so this stage is important for Tesco. Mentoring This can take a number of forms. It may involve an experienced member of staff supporting a new recruit through initial stages after joining the organisation. The aim is to give a new member of staff a point of contact where problems can be taken and advice given. The meetings are usually informal and supportive and the mentor is often someone at the same level in the organisation as the new recruit. Mentoring will allow the new member to pick up new ideas quickly and will be more beneficial for the company. Coaching Coaching is a term which is becoming increasingly used in association with training in business. It involves an expert helping employees to develop specific skills through explanation, practice and encouragement. Coaching is becoming popular as a means of developing the skills of senior managers. This is important as it targets employees at the higher end of the chart. Their success will be passed on to the juniors and this will mean that better managers will mean better staff. Apprenticeships Traditionally, an apprenticeship involved a trainee working for a period of time with a craftsperson in order to learn a trade. In-house raining This is where employers run courses inside their own organisation. Courses run in house will be ones where it is impractical and unrealistic to offer any other alternative an oblivious example would be the organisation induction programme. This type of training is very useful to Tesco because this means that they can easily gather all their employees and teach them new methods or make them aware of surrounding situations. This will give them advantage over rivals as it will mean that all their staff are always up-to date with the latest knowledge, skills and methods. External training Sometimes it is necessary to send staff to do courses elsewhere. This may be at a factory of a n equipment supplier (when an organisation buys new equipment the supplier will usually run training programmes at its own factory to get employees accustomed to using it). This type of training will make the employees more efficient as they wont be wasting valuable time on the shop floor trying to figure out what certain buttons on a machine do. Transferable skills These are skills that, once learnt, may be applied in many different situations. The key skills of Application of Number, Communication and Information Technology are transferable. This could be for example cashing up the till. Non-transferable skills These are narrow skills that are job specific; they apply only to a particular situation. This for example could be the procedure of dealing with out of date food. Conclusion on Training and Development Knowledge and skills of staff are vital to the success of Tesco. Therefore, they must ensure their employees are best trained and that they are always developing. 4. Performance Management A business needs to ensure that its employees are performing effectively. It will wish to: o Identify areas which are unsatisfactory o It may wish to find areas where employees need to be trained and developed o It may wish to encourage and reward good performance perhaps with performance-related pay in the form of bonuses or pay increases. Performance management refers to the practice of setting targets, measuring performance against these and suggesting courses of action. A number of methods may be used to check performance the choice will depend upon the business in question. Performance reviews including appraisals An increasingly important way of getting feedback on employee performance is through appraisal. Appraisal may be closed, in which case the report remains confidential. More usually the process is open, in which case the appraisee takes an active part in the review process and discusses the results. The appraisal essentially looks at what an employees job is, how well it is being performed, and what action should be taken for the future. Self-appraisals Self-appraisals involves employees assessing themselves against a series of criteria. These results can then Peer evaluations This involves employees on the same level within the organisation assessing each other. This may mean that managers in different of Tesco observe each others and write a report. Target setting for individuals and groups All employees should know just whats expected of them on the job. When setting targets the Human Resources department for Tesco must make sure that their targets meet these criteria: o They should be specific. Every person doing a job should know exactly what he or she is expected to do. o They should be measurable. Tesco should have a touchstone against which performance can be measured. o They must be attainable. Unless the targets can be met, staff will consider them unfair and Tesco may find that their staff, resist working towards them. Measuring individual and group output/production Tesco employ staff in order to help the organisation sell the products and provide its customers with quality service. The efforts of the human resources managers will be towards improving the performance of employees and thereby enabling the organisation to achieve its objectives. Performance can be measured in a number of ways: o Performance through profit This may mean comparing its profit for different years or against its other stores. o Performance through quality Today, quality is a word used in all organisations, those providing services as well as those providing goods. This means that Tesco can use methods such as suggestion box for customers to praise customer service or to make complaints against staff. This will enable management to work with the employee in question or to reward them. o Performance through productivity In Tesco, sales representatives, for example, keep records of sales they make. Tesco can for example, compare two staff at the checkouts working the same shifts to see how fast they are serving the customers, by analysing how many customers they have served. They can use this to determine training needs. After setting these performances, the staff will be monitored and their results analysed. In order for Tesco to prosper amongst their rivals they must use the performance results as a way to find and solve problems. For example, the results may show that a particular employee or a group of employee lack certain aspects of knowledge in their jobs. Using this information Tesco can target these employees and send them on training programmes so that they are more developed. Motivation It may seem obvious that staff should be motivated; however, from the point of human resources management this is only true if motivation leads to improvements in the work. Over the years a number of management theories have been put forward in an attempt to explain the nature of motivation and suggest ways in which it may be improved. Frederick Taylors principles of scientific management Taylors belief was that complex tasks should be broken into separate operations so that little could go wrong. Each operation would be performed by a separate employee. The whole job could then be completed in a series of stages by a number of employees working together. This theory can be seen if one aspect of Tesco is looked in to detail. For example, when a delivery comes one employee doesnt unload the truck, check them off, and put them on the shelves. This process of getting goods from the truck on to the shop floor is done by a number of employees working in team so that once one stage is completed the second can be tackled by another set of employees. This way each set of employees knows exactly what they are required to do and chance of something going wrong is decreased. Fredrick Herzbergs two factor theory Herzbergs theories, produced in the 1950s, concern job design and satisfaction. From numerous interviews with accountants and engineers he concluded that two sets of factors are important. o Hygiene factors, which include reasonable pay, satisfactory conditions of work and benefits such as sick pay. o Motivators, which include responsibility, challenge and self-improvement. Hertzberg believed that properly designed jobs provide satisfaction and personal development for the employee. The workers become motivated, perform well and are less likely to be absent. To Tesco this theory is very important. They have taken advice from such theory and adapted their policies where possible to suit their employees. Tesco pay competitive rates, their working conditions are of top quality and they have many benefits. These are a result of understanding this theory and implementing them so that they get the desired results that all companies want. Abraham Maslows hierarch of needs Maslow developed his Theory of Human Motivation in 1943. He believed that motivation comes from a desire to satisfy needs. He placed these in a hierarchy with the basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid and higher needs at the top. In practice Maslow accepted that a variety of needs will exist at the same time, but suggested that once lower needs are satisfied then higher needs become the strongest motivators. Maslows theory has the same basis of Fredrick Herzbergss two factor theory because they both argue that what satisfies a person is the hygiene factors and the Motivators. Fredrick just says that a combination of these two factors leads to better performance where are Maslow goes further to say that they come in a set order where once basic needs are satisfied, higher, more complicated desires will be sought. Both Maslow and Fredrick speak of the same requirements in their theory. Evidence of both these theories can be seen in the day to day running of one of the Tesco stores. One such examples is the promotion of senior managers to managerial positions. In this instance the desire of the employee in question has been fulfilled and soon their desire will advance and they may start looking for further responsibility. Douglas McGregors Theory X and Y. In his book , The Human Side of Enterprise, he put forward two extreme views about the way in which organisations manage their employees. He called theses Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X states that all employees are lazy unambitious and dislike extra responsibilities. They will always resist change of any kind and are totally uninterested in the future success or otherwise of their employer. They are not interested in how the organisation works and prefer to be told what to do. Theory Y is exactly the opposite. Employees are interested in their work and want to be asked for their opinions on how to improve things. They want to be given more responsibilities and will naturally work hard without having to be told what to do all the time. They are also prepared to accept change because they understand it is in everyones best interest to move with the times. In practice theses views are extreme ends of the scale and Tesco like most other organisations falls between the two. They have both employees who have the characteristics of theory X as well as employees with characteristics of theory Y. Naturally the more characteristics an employee holds of theory Y the more likely that that person will be promoted to higher, more responsible positions as its in the best interest for Tesco to make theroy Y employees managers key workers. One reason is that theory Y employees are more likely to have better attendance and punctuality rates because they are self motivating, and this is a great advantage to Tesco and will help Tesco move further. McGregors theories are similar to Muslows and Fredrick Herzbergs. They are all closely related because they all base their theories on the same principle of desire. All their theories show that if a person desires for something and the condition is right then they will work towards it with all their effort. For example, if their s a managerial position and they have the ability to grasp that position then they will, but only if they have the desire to take such responsibility. If however, the conditions are right but the desire is absent then they may not try for such a position or may be promoted with no desire which could lead to chaos. On the other hand, if there is an employee with the desire and no opening is in sight then he/she may decide that the best option for them is to move to another company. Therefore, Tesco endeavours to provide eager, hardworking employees the benefits and promotions they rightly deserve. Relationship between Training Development and Performance Management Before Tesco can give its staff advance training it needs to know what they lack. It will be very expensive for Tesco to give training to its entire staff regarding all the different aspects of the company. Therefore Tesco needs a way of knowing what their staffs lack knowledge in and which staff or group of staff in particular. As I have mentioned earlier there are many different ways of finding out the training is needs and there is a variety of training programs to suit the needs of the employees. Tesco will set training according to the needs which arise from the performance reviews. Once training is given another performance review will be done to asses its success and further training may be suggested. This cycle of training and reviews will always be part of any company due to advances in technology and constant changes in employees and the attitude of society. The training methods Tesco decide to use and they way in which they review performance will be according to the way in which the person in charge understands and evaluates the A business needs to ensure that its employees are performing effectively. It will wish to: o Identify areas which are unsatisfactory o It may wish to find areas where employees need to be trained and developed o It may wish to encourage and reward good performance perhaps with performance-related pay in the form of bonuses or pay increases. Performance management refers to the practice of setting targets, measuring performance against these and suggesting courses of action. Conclusion on Performance Management Tesco must ensure that performance of staff are at their very best. They must use suitable methods to find weakness in staff and improve. T succeed they must make certain that the correct attitude is always emanating from their employees and that they are ready for change. Quality of information collected from recruitment documents When Tesco are recruiting people they have set procedures to deal with application forms and there are several key recruitment documents that are used by them to evaluate the quality of the person applying. Before any candidate is given the an interview they must pass the selection process. When Tesco are advertising for a recruit they will provide the person with a job description. A job description lists the main tasks required in a job. The person flicking through the newspaper for example, will decide if the tasks suit them and they will then apply if they do. Along with the Job description, Tesco will also provide what is known as a person specification. This sets out the qualities of an ideal candidate whereas a job description defines the duties and responsibilities of the job. The best-known method of drawing up person specification is based upon seven separate groups of characteristic: 1. Physique, health and appearance 2. Attainments 3. General intelligence 4. Special Aptitudes 5. Interests 6. Disposition 7. Circumstances This specification clearly sets out the description of the ideal candidate and applicants can be easily measured against this. This makes the job of the interviewer much easier and will ensure that Tesco are recruiting the right people for the right job. One a person has seen the advertisement and they want to work at Tesco, there are many ways they can apply. Below I will list them and analyse the advantages and disadvantages of each: The curriculum vitae (CV) This is the most common way in which applicants let Tesco know that they are interested to work in Tesco. CVs are very useful to Tesco as they advantages Provides an overview of the applicant Easy to produce Taught at school Can be used in the selection process Can be used to compare against requirements disadvantages May not provide vital information Not everybody has easy access to computers The letter of application This is simply a letter asking for the job and explaining why they are suitable it. Human Resources department staff may need to read hundreds of application letters so it is in the applicants interests to pay attention to doing it properly. advantages o Can be used in the sorting process o Provides an overview of the applicant disadvantages o The person taught to write letters well at school will stand out even though their other qualities might no be so good o The letter may miss out information, which is important, and conversely is likely to dwell on factors, which make them look a more attractive applicant. The application Form This is a far more commonly used method of selection. Consultants devote hours to designing a new and better forms which will extract even more accurate information from people. advantages o Specific requirements from the job and person specification can be compared with the application form o Questions, which might otherwise not be answered in CVs or letters, can be asked. o The form can act as a framework for the interviewer, making the interview easier to conduct. o Forms can be kept of all short listed candidates and drawn on them again if another vacancy arises. o The form for the successful applicant will become a very useful part of his/hers personal records. disadvantages o Costly to design and produce. The effects of I.C.T on recruitment documents The advance of I.C.T means that companies like Tecso use their web site to advertise jobs. They also have online application forms that will appeal to a wider range of audience. Their website also facilitates for C.Vs to be sent directly to Tesco. The new ways of capturing information is a great advantage to Tesco. They receive application forms and C.Vs within minutes, which saves them time and money. However initial costs of setting up the websites are very high, but the Human Resources Department doesnt have to worry about this because Tesco will have a website whether the Human Resource department want to use it or not.