ICT in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ICT in Education - Essay Example 1-2, 2002). They further inform us that "It is the use of computers as communications tools (as well as aids to learning, teaching and assessment) that presents the key educational development" (Bhanot, & Fallows, pp. 1-2, 2002). ICT is proved to have a subtle impact on sociological environment of the world narrowing down to the personal lives of the common human being (Yuen, Law, & Wong, 2003). With the passage of time, ICT in education is getting more easily in the reach of people due to the gradual price decline (Selwood, & Pilkington, 2005). Emerging as a pervasive marker for the change of people's lives, ICT has now begun to make greater impact: It has come to bear a positive effect on the way schools and other educational institutions were traditionally run before. ... h the observation that "ICT has redefined learning and teaching and is well on the way to changing the future principles, practices, policies, and underlying epistemological issues that define the value, worth, meaning, and delivery of educational services" (p. 220). ICT in Elementary Schools Chasing the impact of ICT in elementary schools, Lim, C. P., & Tay, L. Y. (2003, p. 1) inform us that ICT is more like a neutral tool that depends more on the lesson plan strategies, management of work being put to the students, and on the teaching to them as how to effectively manage different types of ICT tools. However, this very tool can be positively used to develop a higher-order thinking in the pupils. They studied the ICT tools for developing the higher-order thinking in students and listed out some useful inventories. Their study revealed that "there are six interrelated implications of how ICT tools can be used to engage students in higher-order thinking in an elementary school environment" Lim, C. P., & Tay, L. Y. (2003, p. 1). First is the objectives of the lesson that according to them "plays an important role in shaping the development of the lesson" (p.1). Next, are the orienting activities that enable among learner a sense of autonomy. Number three is the right time I CT tool training to the students so that they can engage themselves with ICT tools and start learning. Number four is the integration of different ICT tools so that students can achieve instructional objectives in a rapid manner. On number five on their list is "The classification of a particular type of ICT tool is not based only on its features or characteristics but also on how it is used" (Lim, C. P., & Tay, L. Y., 2003, p. 1). Last on their inventory is the effective management of ICT resources

Interpretation of Statutes by Judges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Interpretation of Statutes by Judges - Essay Example For the autonomy of duty to prevail, judges, who are agents of the judiciary, are expected to interpret statutes by giving effect to the will of Parliament without amending statutes. However, in judiciary practice, statutory interpretation has been said to be subject to different approaches of construction, some of which give judges the powers to amend statutes when giving interpretations (McCloskey & Sanford 2005, p. 66). In this paper, two overall approaches to construction which are intrinsic and extrinsic interpretations are reviewed to have a deeper understanding as to whether in the interpretation of statutes judges simply give effects to the will of Parliament or amend status under the disguise of interpretation. Gluck (2004, p. 1764) noted that statutory aids to interpretation come in two major forms which comprise the use of intrinsic material and extrinsic material. When judges use intrinsic aids, they use materials found within the statute being interpreted, whilst the use of extrinsic aids involve the use of materials anything not found within the statute (Bennion 1997, p. 10). Using extrinsic aids have thus been referred to as non-adherence to literalism as literalism involves the strict adherence to what is found in the statute (Sullivan 2006, p. 74). The Interpretation Act 1978 is one specific aid to interpretation. This is because as seen in Hutton v. Esher UDC 1973, the Interpretation Act 1978 provides that any common term it defines to be used in interpreting any statute that contains the word or term. In Hutton v. Esher UDC 1973 therefore, the land was defined to include buildings acquired for the purpose of compulsory purchase and this interpretation was strictly used in the ruli ng of the judge.

Molly Dinton Essay Example for Free

Molly Dinton Essay I dont know where documentary is going, but at the moment it is fast becoming a soap opera in order to keep its place in the schedules Molly Dinton. Dinton believes that the documentary genre is changing in order to survive. This evolution of the genre could be justified, and enables the diverse genre to still be able to attain fixtures on the British television broadcasting stations. The statement of the documentary fast becoming a soap opera, can to some extent be supported. Currently on British television, there has been a swarm of reality TV programmes and Docu- soaps, which can be seen as a polluted hybrid of the documentary genre. These programmes are noted as successful in attracting an audience, therefore, the TV institutions are more likely to exploit these wining formulas of the genre and schedule the newer, more popular American format of documentary rather than the traditional documentary formula that aims to construct a social criticism and catalyse change, which often has a stigma of smelling of dust and boredom (Alberto Cavalcanti). Institutions are able to have a minimal risk of financial failure with docu- soaps and reality TV programmes, because as well having a high rating of audience consumption, the programmes are financially very cheap to produce. This is because the hybrid forms do not generally have professional actors but consist of real people. Also the programmes are often filmed in cheap locations over a relatively short period of time compared with Nick Broomfields Aileen- The Life and Death of a Serial Killer. In this recent documentary (2003) Broomfield worked in America for multiple months, which would have been extremely costly. Paul Hanmann, head of BBC Documentary features, says that a reality programme is three times cheaper as comparable light entertainment. Or take for example, Martin Bashirs The Michael Jackson Story, where by Bashir followed Michael Jackson from country to country over a period of a year, making a very costly production for ITV. In this investigative documentary, it too can also be noted as conforming to the new soap opera style of documentary, as Bashir chose to present to the nation the version that sensationalised the Jackson story in a negative light creating a spin off of conversation for a duration after. Bashir, like a soap opera director, chose to present the narrative version of the documentary that would create the most dramatic effect or shock for the audience. TV executives are more keen on scheduling the popular forms of the documentary genre and make the values of the programme centre on entertainment, as they feel entertainment is more appealing to the audience than a documentary that exits on a moral and ethical dimension. The intertextuality of the Docu- Soaps such as Vet School, The Cruise and Driving school, attract huge viewing ratings. For example Driving school had a 12. 5 million audience. The Docu- soap resembles the conventional fly on the wall antecedents, but like a Soap Opera, the genre prioritises audience entertainment over social commentary, and focuses on characters and their personalities, rather than on their social roles or professions. Characters are picked for their personalities, to ensure interesting viewing and strike a parallel with the Soap Operas, in that the characters are known on a first name basis to build up a relationship between audience and screen characters. Likewise, the episodes are strongly based on the drive of the narrative structure, to make more entertaining, simplistic and more story- like for the audience to follow and enjoy. Yet another demonstration of documentaries becoming a soap opera is with channel 4s Thatll teach them. In this series, teenagers of today were seemingly sent back in time to be educated in the 1950s. The programme is then followed up, several months later with, That taught em, making the series like a soap opera because the channel are adding to the original narrative, in order to get a greater knowledge of the teenagers. Reality TV combines the commercial success of tabloid content with a public service mode of address. The genre includes The Salon, Big Brother, Police Camera Action and Wife Swap, which are all hugely popular. Big Brother had a staggering 45, 000 people audition to be on the programme. These programmes are essentially very alike in comparison to Soap Operas. Often in reality TV, contrasting personalities are deliberately selected or an arisen conflict sensationalised; also many of the programmes are edited in order to capture comedy moments. Moreover in the Docu- Soap Driving School, there is evidence to suggest that many of the sequences, or body language/ facial expressions in the programme were faked in order to create further dramatic effect. Through sensationalising episodes, these programmes are able to compete with the story lines of many soaps, and attract viewers who enjoy much of the dramatisation that occurs in the soap operas. It also serves to entertain the audience. Reality TV is very much like many soaps. This is achieved by using editing. The Directors are able to create a persona or character of the participants, that the audience will either love or loathe, through selecting which footage to air and which to discard. With CCTV footage in Police Camera Action and 24/7 actuality footage of the constructed documentary, Big Brother, the audience is able to involve themselves in dramatic irony and acquire a greater knowledge of the characters and their situations, like we are also able to do through watching soaps. As McCann states it often turns us into Peeping Toms, which obviously appeals to a sector of society. There is however, evidence to suggest that many documentaries, which adopt the objective of catalysing change in the law or the dominant ideology and use film verite, are also still scheduled on British TV. For example, during November of each year, war documentaries will be broadcasted for Remembrance Day, and in the month of August, documentaries on Princess Diana and her death will be documented, to heighten the audiences level of awareness surrounding her suspicious death. These documentaries try to offer several new pieces of information discovered that are based on fact and not fiction. Experts, eyewitnesses, and official civil servants provide the evidence for the programme, giving it credibility. The documentary serves to criticise, the way in which the investigation was run, but also to cause the audience to change their previously held opinion on the subject, and to take on and believe the message given by the text. Occasionally other documentaries by famous documentarians are scheduled, such as Nick Broomfields Biggie and Tupac, (channel 4 2003), where Broomfield exposes the maze of obstacles and corruption complicating the investigation of the unsolved murders of the rap stars. Also, it is evident that many nature documentaries are shown on channel five, but not at peak times, which docu- soaps and reality TV are aired. In addition to this there is evidence to suggest that not all documentaries have to become soap operas in order to keep its place in the soap operas. This point can be clearly illustrated with the co- production by the BBC and Discovery Channel in their creation of Walking with Dinosaurs. The documentary achieved huge success and was stated as being the biggest thing on TV in 160 million years. With the aid of computer graphics, the programme portrayed to the audience at peak times of scheduling, a factual account of how dinosaurs lived, adapted into the different time periods, and eventually became extinct. There are also niche channels on Digital or Sky channels, such as Discovery, History, and the Learning channel, all of which schedule films solely from the documentary genre. These channels have high ratings and status, but are not available to everyone. In conclusion, I feel that Molly Dinton was justified in stating that the documentary is fast becoming a soap opera in order to keep its place in the schedules. This is mainly because the mass audience prefer docu- soaps and reality TV, which are closely related to soap operas. This is because these factions of the documentary genre entertain, and cause diversion and escapism for the audience, who are easily able to relax in their leisure time and watch the light- entertainment programmes. They are not presented with a programme that requires the mind to work too hard after a draining day. The broadcasting institutions generally broadcast, what is demanded from the public and what is financially better for their business, making the way clear for further reality shows that resemble the soaps to be produced. Perhaps the film verite documentaries are not as popular as the hybrid genres because in general they require a higher intellect/ socio- economic group to follow the programme or be interested in the issues investigated. This form of documentary perhaps has outlived its usefulness and no longer has a very clear significance. The vast docu- soaps and reality television programmes are scheduled at peak times, because they appeal to a wider audience where as the occasional documentary is scheduled mainly in the late eve. Therefore it is true that documentaries are fast becoming soap operas in order to survive.

HR Practices At Shell Pakistan Limited

HR Practices At Shell Pakistan Limited Pakistans first oil field was discovered in the late 1952 in Baluchistan near a giant Sui gas field. It covers 122.67 square kilometers (47.36 sq mi). Pakistan Petroleum and Pakistan Oilfields explored and began drilling from Toot area is one of the oldest oil producing regions in Pakistan with the first oil well was drilled in 1964 when President Ayub Khan encourages a mineral development policy. The commercial production started in 1967. There are about 60 million barrels of oil in place with 12%-15% of which is recoverable. At its peak during 1986, the field was producing approximately 2,400 barrel of oil per day. Oil production was entirely confined to the Potwar Plateau till 1981, when Union Texas Pakistan discovered its first oil-field in Lower Sindh. By 1998-1999, the Lower Sindh gas-fields were producing more oil than the Potwar Plateau. Since then, new deposits have also been found here. In 2005, the Vancouver-based International Sovereign Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, Pakistans national oil company, to develop the Toot field.   Pakistan has not experienced many new oil fields coming online. As a result, oil production has remained fairly flat, at around 60,000 barrels per day (bbl/d). Due to Pakistans modest oil production, the country is dependent on oil imports to satisfy domestic oil demand. As of November 2006, Pakistan had consumed approximately 350 thousand barrels of oil and various petroleum products, of which, more than 80 percent was imported. The majority of oil imports come from the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia as the lead importer. In Pakistan transport sector in the biggest user of the petroleum products use 48%, energy sector uses about 36%, and industrial sector which has a share of 12 % while remaining 4% is shared by the residential sector. There are almost four major national oil companies currently involved in the sector, namely Oil and Gas development corporation limited (OGDCL), Pakistan petroleum limited (PPL), and Pakistan state oil company limited and Pakistan oilfields limited (POL). http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l140/tortoise_bucket/Shell-Skull-Iran-Animated.gif Introduction of Shell Pakistan Limited The documented history of Royal Dutch Shell plc (commonly known as Shell) in Pakistan dates back to 1903 when partnership was struck between The Shell Transport Trading Company and the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company to supply petroleum to Asia. In 1928 when Royal Dutch Shell plc and the Burmah Oil Company Limited (was a leading British oil business) in India were merged and Burmah Shell Oil Storage Distribution Company of India was born. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the name was changed to the Burmah Shell Oil Distribution Company of Pakistan. In 1970, when 51% of the shareholding was transferred to Pakistani investors, the name of changed to Pakistan Burmah Shell (PBS) Limited. The Shell and the Burmah Groups, retained the remaining 49% in equal proportions. In February of 1993, as economic liberalization began to take root and the Burmah divested from PBS, Shell Petroleum stepped into raise its stake to 51%. The years 2001-2 have seen the Shell Petroleum Company successively increasing its share, with the Group now having a 76% stake in Shell Pakistan Ltd (SPL) an expression of confidence The second largest oil company in the country, Shell Pakistan has successfully positioned itself as the preferred oil and Gas Company in Pakistan, leading the field in its commitment to customer service, quality of products, safety and environmental protection. Currently shell has been operating for over more than 90 countries and territories and has been providing its products and services. Shell Pakistan is divided into 8 functional areas i.e. Retail, Lubricants, Aviation, Operations, Finance, Corporate, Human Resource and Commercial Fuels. It has played a leading role in energy demand of Pakistan. It represented in all aspects of the upstream and downstream oil business in Pakistan, in exploration both onshore and offshore, in refining, as well as a 26% share holding in the white oil pipeline( an oil pipeline from Port Qasim to the Pak-Arab Refinery (PARCO) at Mehmood Kot, Multan District, Punjab,). As Shell has a rich legacy and long association with Pakistan, it operates over 800 retail stations, it has the leading market share among foreign petroleum retail businesses in Pakistan. HR BUSINESS STRUCTURE OF SHELL A business needs people to achieve its goals. In every organization the business activities are performed by different people working in different departments like marketing, finance, IT, and others, but HR is the one whose functions are not only associated with performing its own department activities but also to look over the activities of other departments. In two words, it is charged with the overall responsibility for deciding upon and implementing strategies and policies aligned with organizations goals and getting the things done from people and then with the management of individuals and departments. Shells HR activities are not dependent on a respective country level but they are categorized into three different levels. HR Business (Global) Shells HR Business has been operating at the global level and evolved in designing the replica of various businesses like Retail, supply and distribution, commercial, global functions, manufacturing, chemicals, finance/controllers, etc. Centre of Excellence (Regional) The people working in centers of excellence are on the regional level and are responsible in making overall policies, setting remuneration, expatriation, and making policies for competence development. HR Country (Respective country) At the country level they are the people like HR managers so where ever shell has been operating the respective country includes HRM. The policies aligned to the business and functions are implemented here and the managers are responsible in conveying what needs to be done. Shell Pakistan is dealing at this country level so our further discussion will be based on the activities of HR country Pakistan. HR Departments Structure at Country Level The responsibilities for HR department at country level are not divided into different sub-departments rather; there are the job positions in the hierarchy which are responsible in having certain duties to be performed and to hold certain responsibilities. The benchmarks are as follows: Employee Relations/Industrial Relations Employee and Industrial Relations at shell are maintained by the HR account managers who focus on the morale and motivation of employees and how they feel about working for Shell, as well as building strong relationships with employee representatives. A lot of Hr managers time is spent in communicating and consulting with Shell staff and representative bodies to ensure theyre aware of decisions at all levels, that they feel involved in the decision-making process. Learning and development Learning development is another seat for the account manager at the table within HR, the HR account manager helps in achieving of business strategies and operational plans. It helps in providing and developing key capabilities to meet the demands and challenges of the business. Working on the design and delivery of learning programs covering Leadership Development, Technical/Professional Development, and the Personal and Business Skills portfolio are the basic responsibilities for manager. Recruitment Country level HRAM provides a recruitment process that brings the best of the worlds talent to Shell and goes for top graduates and experienced professionals whose skills will secure long-term competitive advantage for the company. Policy The next HRAM is responsible in implementing policies that comes into shells basic business principles which includes core values, honesty, integrity, respect for people and the promotion of trust, openness, teamwork and professionalism, and pride in what they do. HRM enforces employees to follow up with these policies. HR PROCESS OF SHELL PAKISTAN LIMITED The process gets started with the planning of HR needs. The first basic need f HR is to make sure that the right number and right people are there at the right time. By performing job analysis it comes to know that the right people are there, by knowing surplus and shortage situations it can work on right quantity and time. Job analysis is done at the global level so Shell at country level is responsible in taking the actions on the situations of surplus and shortage. Surplus of Employees It is in the companys policy not to hire more than 500 employees. During surplus the employees are given the opportunity to apply for other jobs within country at shell and clear the selection process or other then that the HR management refers the excessive employees to other big organizations. Shortage of Employees In case of shortage the company satisfies the term fill in the vacancy in which it gives first priority to its internal employees to apply for the proceeding vacancy and then it goes for external recruitment to fill the place which has been left over by the promoted employee. RECRUITMENT AT SHELL PAKISTAN Those individuals who want to see their future at shell decides upon the way in which they want to proceed with it. There have been different recruitment methods that HR department has been considering: Methods of Recruitment Head hunter firm Shell outsources the responsibility for recruitment when it seeks to recruit a top level professional with defining the requirement grounds of maturity and competence. The organization is in a favor of equal opportunity employer where men and women both are preferred. The outsourcing is done so that the higher position does not become the victim of nepotism or corrupt system. Global Recruitment Shell appreciates the best fit employees for the above positions for which the HRAM put efforts in bringing global talent to Pakistan and it is normally done for the senior position. As Leon GM of Shell says, Global recruitment is done for global talent Internal Recruitment This method receives the primary concern at shell in which the internal employees are more preferred to apply and get selected for the positions on a fair basis as they also have to go through the overall selection process. As internal employees are more familiar with the culture, work unit, rules and regulations so it benefits the organization as well in cost saving. Moreover, there are no promotion opportunities for employees so the internal recruitment has turned out to be an alternate motivational factor to work unit. The employees can apply by visiting the companys intranet. Advertisement Advertisement opens another way for the job seekers. The advertisement is based on job specification in which all the requirements are mentioned which perhaps reduces the possibility of untalented individuals to apply. As the Gm said that going into job description is a lengthy process. The blind box strategy has been proved not that helpful for the HR managers at shell because they applied this strategy for twice but no adequate response was received. Employee Referrals When the company posts the job offers on the notice board or on its intranet for the internal employees then it also runs the possibility that employees will get their referrals along. Job search (cyberspace) Cyberspace is categorized for professionals, internees, and graduates. There are application forms which need to be filled with an attached resumes. POST-RECRUITMENT PROCESS Initial Screening CV/Resumes The individuals curriculum vitae (CV) and resumes are taken into consideration when making selection decision. Shells HR management primarily focuses on the format of the resume of the candidate in other words they short list these resumes on format and pattern bases. Application Form Those candidates who apply on the internet have to register themselves for filling up an application form given on the website of shell. Here it encourages those candidates who are eligible on the criteria as decided by the company. Those candidates are short listed who meets the required criteria and they also enclose their resumes along here. The internal candidates are already registered who just need to log in while applying for the new job. SELECTION Interview Those candidates whose application forms are short listed are invited for an interview. Here an individuals culturally fit requirement is given a close consideration and two interviews are conducted. The first interview is taken by the manager of HR department and then short listed from here are sent for the second interview which is taken by the department managers along with the senior managers. Candidates behavior is also of a keen interest to an interviewer and he is assessed against capacity, achievement, relationship skills and technical skills. Background Investigation There is no specific need of background investigation because the documents that an employee carries along on the interview day become a clear evidence of employees profile. For some positions the degree and experience background is important but mostly an employee can be from any background but must be eligible for the position. Medical Requirement Minimum fitness to work is required as it is set by the Centre of excellence. The country level Hr manager while considering the main factors can reject who does not fit to the minimum requirement. ORIENTATIONAT SHELL PAKISTAN LIMITED Internally selected candidates Employees who are internally selected are given no orientation as they have already been through it and are familiar with the norms, values and culture of the organization. The work introduction is made by the line manager and the employee gradually learns about new work. New Employees The new employees when join the company they are given a set of documents in which they can make themselves aware of the framework in which policies are set so that it makes an organization a good place to work. The documents can contain the following lessons: Code of conduct and ethics Anti-corruption and bribery Anti-trust in which whistle blowing is considered as unethical Policies around harassment and gender A new employee is introduced with the work unit but its his/her responsibility as well to go, shake hand and introduce him or her to others. Moreover there are communications meetings which makes them socialize and they are also given the organization tour. Curriculum activities performed by employees The employees are also offered to attend a day in which there are number of ground activities they need to perform including group discussion, presentations, exercises, real case studies, team building activities and others, to analyze how individual can grapple with different business scenarios. It is done at the global level. LEARNING AND TRAINING Shell believes that the best way to learn is by doing. The emphasis is being on shadowing people and then if the lacking is found during performance evaluation then the employees are trained by on-the-job methods. The new employees are shadowed by which they are assigned to the line managers and observe how the work is to be carried out, what are the daily responsibilities and a lot more. They keep on learning about their work so they develop overtime. The employees are not rotated on the jobs as the promotions are restricted but it can be done by a communication or negotiation with line managers. For suppose, If an employee wants to learn about the new work or job then he can ask of it from the line manager and by the mutual discussion between them he can learn farther. There are specific indicators which analyze the need for training and are computed on the yearly based performances. Analyzing Training needs Accept Error The Hr department keeps the record of employees to evaluate their performances and to see whether they are set into the environment. It looks that the person must be culturally fit, behavior is good, does the work by own, performance is good, and dont tries to dominate over others. Many times the employees are imaged as a perfect candidate for the position during an interview process but the time when the reality appears and if it is opposite then the HR manager does consider it as an accept error. It indicates that an employee needs more of the training. The person is given a period of six months in which he or she is trained to fit into the specific requirements and evaluation also goes a long time to time. Competence profile There are competence profiles for each job and people are supposed to be assessed together on profiles. For instance, firstly the people are shadowed and then if somebody needs to acquire leadership skills, negotiation or interpersonal skills or any other skill then for that there are programs like on-the-job training such as; Work Assignments Team tasks Projects Shadowing people Links to websites with different universities Management articles and research publications DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING There are international programs for employee development and training. The pure development is been made through foreign courses which are considered as a part of off-the-job training and the training which helps a little in development of an employee are virtual courses. Foreign Courses Foreign courses are considered as the development of an employee as the HR director stated, There are public and foreign courses which is a part of the overall development, we look at the individuals job performance and potential so everybody doesnt go for that and everybody may think that unless are gone for a course they cant be able to learn, but learning and development are two different things. You should need to be learning all the time and as development is the costly process so we limits off the candidates. Virtual courses (Shell Open University) These are the online courses by which an employee can learn by browsing the shells official website where one can get the access to shell Open Universitys web page and learn all the relevant things. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Performance appraisal is done by two way process: Goal Performance Appraisal Shell set targets for improvement and measures, appraises and then reports performance. There is a competency profile for each job according to which an employee is assigned to the different work-related goals that need to be achieved. GPA is given on the evaluation whether the goals have been achieved. Ranking Ranking is a process alike on which the individuals are compared within their departments and the best ranker receives the reward. There is a structured budget so only one person will be receiving the reward. As the HR manager stated, Everybody cant be man of the match in every match. REWARDS AND BENEFITS TO EMPLOYEES The employees are benefited and rewarded on many different grounds. Some of them are as follows: Internal recruitment The internal employees are given the first priority to apply for the next positions. This has been made as an alternate for promotions. Competitive Salary The competitive salary is based on market conditions so the experienced and the one with high skills is probably the one who is paid high. Performance-related pay and bonuses When the employee accomplishes goal-performance appraisal then he/she is rewarded with bonuses or sometimes it gets the increase in salary. Club memberships The employees are given different club memberships and are also offered to participate into its activities in which they are awarded as well by the clubs. Vehicles The employees are given cars and pick and drop facilities. The top managers are also benefited with fuels. Annual paid leaves The employees are given annual paid leaves for which there salary is not deducted. Flexible working practices The environment of the work place is made so flexible and interesting that the employees feel secure and remain concentrated while being at the work place. The timings are also flexible so that employees cannot think about taking out time for some of his/her off the job related work during job. Long Service Awards Shell recently held a long service awards distribution ceremony in 2010 at Karachi in which the eligible staff who had completed 30, 25, 20, 15, 10 years of experience in the company were awarded. Champions trophy The champions trophy-east was launched in 2009 to recognize and reward account managers and sales managers for the commercial fuel teams in east. It was aimed to energize the sales professionals and appreciate the outstanding performances .From Pakistan Ehtesham saleem, AM for a Pakistan commercial fuel was awarded. Traveling vouchers In 2009 shell evaluated its top 3 sales performers in east and they were given travel vouchers valued at 3,000pounds, 2,500 pounds, and 2,000 pounds for the first, second and third winner respectively in which the account managers from Pakistan were also included. Other benefits and rewards include: Maternity/paternity leave and possible sabbaticals Mobile bills Shell fuel cards Pension/ retirement plans Healthcare coverage Recommendations Shell is one of the biggest organizations globally, but as it has all the policies designed at global level so it costs high at regional level. The demands of culture and needs of employees vary from country to country. So for every region the policies should be well designed and structured according to the needs of the employees. It is very time consuming because the HR department working in Pakistan has to gather all the information regarding performance appraisals, promotions etc and then all of this information is sent at a global level, it can create a communication gap without the HR department working at a global and a regional level. Policies should not only be implemented but should also be created according to the employees, because the supervisor or the manager to whom the employee reports directly only knows about his/her performance. Conclusion HR department in every organization plays a vital role in managing all the activities which are related to profitability and management of employees which are main assets of an organization. Shell is a multi-national organization which is working at a global and regional level. All the policies are made for the benefit of the employees, they consider everyone equally none is favored or prioritized unless he/she is capable and prove themselves by fulfilling the tasks assigned. They motivate their employees by providing them the opportunity to apply for a vacant position which shows that how much they are valued. Team work is valued because they consider that an employee is no good to the organization if he/she cannot cope up with the team, everyone can work for themselves but a true dedicated individual is that who matches his desired needs with the organization demands.

The House Of The Seven Gables Essay examples -- essays research papers

THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES The story begins as Nathaniel Hawthorne lays down the setting and describes the house of the seven-gables and the story of its creation. The house is old and overrun by moss weeds and bushes, but the greatest aspect is the gigantic tree in the front of the house that seems to grow in size as it feeds off the misery of the inhabitants and the decay of the house. The very land that the house was built on was stolen from Matthew Moule. Since Colonel Pyncheon liked the location he helped accuse Matthew Moule of witchcraft and had him hung from the gallows pole. At his death, Matthew Moule curses Colonel Pyncheon saying, 'God will give him blood to drink!" One hundred and sixty years ago, when Colonel Pyncheon opened the new seven-gabled mansion, the guests found him lying dead in his study with his face covered in blood. Now, 160 years later, the curse still haunts the household as unfortunate circumstances fall upon the Pyncheons. The claim to the vast acres in Maine still remains lost. Clifford Pyncheon was convicted for killing his uncle and is sent to prison for 30 years. The only Pyncheon left living in the house is Hepzibah, who is forced to put aside her pride and open a 1-cent shop on the first floor. The 1-cent shop in itself is a symbol if irony due to the fact that Hepzibah was once rich and now, though she is living in a mansion, she sells penny goods on the bottom floor. Townspeople come in usually just to see her work an...

Copyright Laws :: essays papers

Copyright Laws CHAPTER 1 Lennie and George are two friends during the depression. Lennie is a big guy that is not very intelligent. George is a medium size man that takes care of all the business. In the first chapter George and Lennie talk about getting a new job at a ranch. They want to save enough money to build their own ranch and â€Å"Live off tha fatt a the land.† They explain that they will have bunnies, alfalfa, and other goods to sell. CHAPTER 2 George and Lennie get the new job in chapter two. They meet the people they will be working with. Candy is an old man that has a dog. Slim is a respected man. Curley is the boss’s son who is small and used to box. Curley is also a jealous man who has a wife. Curley’s wife is known as a tart. She talks to all of the guys even when she shouldn’t. Crooks is a black man, the stable buck who isn’t aloud to be by the white people much. This chapter is mainly about George and Lennie meeting all of the new co-workers. CHAPTER 3 All of the guys on the ranch think Candy should get rid of his dog. The dog is old, stinky, and can’t even walk or eat. Slim tells Candy that the dog should be shot for his own good. Slim shoots the dog. Curley and Lennie get into a fight. Lennie doesn’t really understand why. Curly wants to fight. Curley is a jealous man and hates the fact that Lennie is bigger than him. Lennie blocks a punch from Curley and broke his hand. Lennie also got a new puppy in chapter three. Lennie spends as much time as he can with his new dog. CHAPTER 4 All of the men went to the whore house except for Lennie, Crooks, and Candy. When Lennie went to check on his puppy, he decided to talk to Crooks in his room. Crooks’ room was part of the stable. There were shoes, hay, horse reins, and horse shoes everywhere. Crooks didn’t really want Lennie to come inside, but he thought some company was better than none. Curley’s wife came to see what was up. Crooks told her to leave. Curley’s wife was mean and told Crooks that she would have him hung if he wasn’t nice to her. Copyright Laws :: essays papers Copyright Laws CHAPTER 1 Lennie and George are two friends during the depression. Lennie is a big guy that is not very intelligent. George is a medium size man that takes care of all the business. In the first chapter George and Lennie talk about getting a new job at a ranch. They want to save enough money to build their own ranch and â€Å"Live off tha fatt a the land.† They explain that they will have bunnies, alfalfa, and other goods to sell. CHAPTER 2 George and Lennie get the new job in chapter two. They meet the people they will be working with. Candy is an old man that has a dog. Slim is a respected man. Curley is the boss’s son who is small and used to box. Curley is also a jealous man who has a wife. Curley’s wife is known as a tart. She talks to all of the guys even when she shouldn’t. Crooks is a black man, the stable buck who isn’t aloud to be by the white people much. This chapter is mainly about George and Lennie meeting all of the new co-workers. CHAPTER 3 All of the guys on the ranch think Candy should get rid of his dog. The dog is old, stinky, and can’t even walk or eat. Slim tells Candy that the dog should be shot for his own good. Slim shoots the dog. Curley and Lennie get into a fight. Lennie doesn’t really understand why. Curly wants to fight. Curley is a jealous man and hates the fact that Lennie is bigger than him. Lennie blocks a punch from Curley and broke his hand. Lennie also got a new puppy in chapter three. Lennie spends as much time as he can with his new dog. CHAPTER 4 All of the men went to the whore house except for Lennie, Crooks, and Candy. When Lennie went to check on his puppy, he decided to talk to Crooks in his room. Crooks’ room was part of the stable. There were shoes, hay, horse reins, and horse shoes everywhere. Crooks didn’t really want Lennie to come inside, but he thought some company was better than none. Curley’s wife came to see what was up. Crooks told her to leave. Curley’s wife was mean and told Crooks that she would have him hung if he wasn’t nice to her.

Beliefs of Islam Essay

The central beliefs of Islam are summed up in the Five Pillars. These pillars express obligations imposed on Muslims in order to live in accordance with the will of Allah and set requirements for everyday Muslim life. They are the foundation of Islamic faith and reflect its basic tenets. The first Pillar is Shahada, or Iman, believing in God’s oneness. The essence of the first Pillar is reflected in the saying: â€Å"There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet† (University of Calgary). All Muslims pronounce this simple formulation that embraces the basics of what they believe in. The saying also means that the only worthy purpose in life is to serve and obey Allah and to do so through learning and following the teachings of Muhammad who the Muslims treat as the Last Prophet. Another Pillar is the prayer, or Salah, which the Muslim is supposed to perform five times a day. The prayer establishes a direct connection between the praying person and God. As Islam does not have a hierarchy of priests typical of other religions, â€Å"prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Qur’an and is generally chosen by the congregation† (Islam 101).   The times for prayers are morning, noon, later afternoon, evening and sunset. In this way, prayers accompany Muslims the whole day and remind them of the need to worship God. The next pillar is Zakat, or the obligation to give charity. This demand, â€Å"originally a free-will donation†, has now turned into a compulsory demand to direct 2.5% of one’s annual income for charity or religious purposes (University of Calgary). Muslims in this way purify their wealth by setting aside a portion of it for the poor. Those willing to give more than required by Zakat can do so in secrecy, allocating a portion of their income as sadaqa-h, preferably in secrecy from other Muslims. Fasting (Sawm) relates to the obligation to abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse in the daytime in the month of Ramadan. The requirement does not refer to those who because of health problems cannot give up eating in the daylight hours. Their fast is transferred to another time, or they have to compensate for it in other ways. Each evening of the Ramadan, Muslims meet to â€Å"break† the fast together when the sun sets. Hajj (Pilgrimage) refers to a trip to Mecca, the holy place to all Muslims. The trip has to be undertaken in an â€Å"egalitarian atmosphere, Ihram† including â€Å"donning of simple white garments, refraining from sex, haircuts, jewelry, arguing† (University of Calgary). During their trip, Muslims circle the Ka’ab, the holy stone. Walking counterclockwise around the stone, they underscore the centrality of the stone in their beliefs. In general, the pilgrimage is arranged in such a way as to commemorate the prophets Abraham, Hagar Ishmael and Muhammad. For example, Sa’y, â€Å"running seven times between hills and drinking from Zamam spring† symbolizes â€Å"Hagar’s running for water† (University of Calgary). The Hajj is not really binding on Muslims since they only have to do this trip if they are physically fit to do it and financially able to afford it. The Five Pillars effectively capture the basic beliefs of Islam: belief in the one-ness of God and the fact that Muhammad was the Last Prophet, centrality of Islamic faith in everyday life, moderate life, sharing of wealth between the rich and the poor. In my opinion, the first Pillar, Iman, is the easiest to realize since it only involves repeating the words over and over again. This is an effective way to remind a person of the nature of one’s beliefs; however, it does not take too much effort. Ramadan, on the other hand, is extremely challenging both to health and will power. At one point I had a good friend who was a devout Muslim and I could observe how staunchly he resists eating and even drinking during the Ramadan. Such abstention can only be withstood by someone who is really devoted to one’s principles and has strong faith in religion. References Islam101. The Five Pillars of Islam. Retrieved June 16, 2006, from http://www.islam101.com/dawah/pillars.html University of Calgary. (n.d.). The Five Pillars of Islam. Retrieved June 16, 2006, from http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/I_Transp/IO5_FivePillars.html