Software Process Improvement Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Software Process Improvement - Assignment Example This paper will look at the software that can be used in managing the process. Process management is important in that it will bring into optimizing the software that is already in place. It is important to know the times that the software needs to be optimized. To have this process rightly in place and working effectively, there should be an automated way in which can be undertaken. This paper will suggest the software that can be designed to help in assessing the various information systems and suggest process improvement of the software. Log management software One software that can be put in place is that of managing the various logs that are found in a given information system. Logs are the small transactions and details that usually take place in an information system. There is a need to undertake a management process where the logs are managed. This will help to know the requirements that should be improved in case there needs to be some improvement. Before a process is improv ed, there is a need to understand the internal workings of the software that should be improved. The log management software will manage, among other things, the frequency of use of some transactions in the software, the bugs that are common with the use of certain transactions. There is a need to record the logs and the requirements to improve and work on a solution to eradicate these errors. Another issue that should be looked into automatically is the processes that keep on clashing in the system. He internal working of the process in an information system should be looked into and improved on. These are the functions that the information system will work to improve. Error logging software Important software that should be developed to help with process improvement procedure with the various information systems is that of error logging software. This software will help to check for the errors that are normally frequent. It is also important to understand the errors that are commo n in particular processes and the ones that interact with other processes. This software will be used, together with the logging software, to analyze the cause of the errors that are commonly met while working on the various software in the system. This will help have detailed facts about the errors that are experienced which will help the process improvement developers to understand what they are to improve and the way in which this can be achieved. With the various errors being experienced in software, the improvement and eradication of these errors is normally built on detailed understanding of eh software that is causing the errors. It is important to have the right information about these errors (Haug, Olsen, Bergman, 2001). Process optimization software This software will be used in suggesting the best ways in which the software will be optimized. As the software is used every day, there will come a time where the processes will be optimized. What the software will do is monit or the interaction of the various modules and processes that are running in the software and generate a report about the software which interacts most often. It will also look at the tasks that will be undertaken and processed by more than one process. This information will be used by the developers while they are on the quest to improve on the working on the various processes (Oktaba, 2008). After the developers get this information, they will be in a position to have a way forward into working on the interaction of the software processes so that they can work effectively on the various tasks that require multiple processes. This will help in optimizing the software process. Instead of have autonomous software processes

Public Health And Health Promotion

Public Health And Health Promotion In this research paper I discussed the role of Public Relations in communicating health and delivering healthy messages to the public or community. It is more or less the same working with other ministries but Ministry of Health (MOH) are more focused on educating and promoting healthy lifestyle. There are five strategic SMART objectives that as a PR need to be focused and improved on:- Strategic Objective: Establish Strengthen Health in All Policies (HiAP) Strategic Objective: Develop Effective, Quality And Innovative Health Promotion Programmes to reduce Obesity, Unhealthy Diet, Physical Inactivity And Tobacco Use Strategic Objective: Enhance Inter-Sectoral Collaboration And Partnership Strategic Objective: Develop Health Promotion Skills Competencies Strategic Objective: Strengthen Health Promotion Centre Infrastructure and resources The challenges and constraints of Health Promotion Centre (HPC) are to be discussed further more in this research paper. As a conclusion of this paper, I also includes the benefits and expected outcomes for the strategies. Role of Public Relation in Health Communication in Brunei Darussalam INTRODUCTION Brunei Darussalam is a moderate Islamic country with multi ethnic racial where understanding diversity management and cultural values may increase the productivity of an organisation and also create harmonization among the three main races in Brunei; Malay, Chinese and Indian (Brunei Tourism website, 2010). Diversity management is unique in Brunei Darussalam through symmetrical approaches to public relations. Understanding cultural diversity and multiculturalism is very important to articulate a sensitive and multi aspect approach to excellent public relations, especially in rapidly developing country like Brunei Darussalam. There is need for professional aid to understand the dominant religious such as Islam, and minority of Christianity and Hinduism as they want to invest to the country. In fact cultural diversity seen as universal concept, as every country has a different religious and tribal groups. Globalisation has given new meaning that should be practiced according to various ethnic groups with different religion and backgrounds. Public Relation is about maintaining a good relationship between an organization and public through communications in order to pursue its goals and objectives. The role of public relations can influence the main structure of an organization have practiced. The main responsibility for public relations is to gain publicity from the public using media releases such as newspaper, magazines and sometimes appears as spokesperson for that company or organization. The other responsibility for public relations is to find solutions for supplementary problems as well as a decision makers and policy formation. There are theoretical approaches in public relations. Theories applied in different ways because different theories, different assumptions due to different backgrounds such as culture and influence. According to Grunig and Hunt (1984) the best theory of public relation is the four model which explain the development of public relations. The first model is press agency. This is the easiest way to spread propaganda in other to get public attention for their events or products. It is a one way flow of info. Second model is Public information which runs by the government to inform the public on behalf of the organization about its development. Third model is the two ways asymmetric which by all means the power in organization and not to public. Forth model is two ways symmetric where the organizations events or products get feedback from the public. Nevertheless Grunig and White(1984) agreed that public relation is best described in asymmetric ways rather than symmetric ways. Somecritics of symmetrical worldview- both practitioners and theorists- claimed that the approach is unrealistic or idealistic. They argue that organizations hire public relations people as advocates to advance their interests and not as do-gooders who give in to outsiders with an agenda different from that of the organization. In short organizations would not hire a public relations person which not practices asymmetrically. (Grunig and White 1992:46) LEtang(1996) also argues that symmetry in public relations is inconsistent. He argued: There isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a problem in the attempt which some make to maintain the idea of symmetry alongside the role of public relations as advocate. Surely symmetry and advocacy are in opposition. The only way round this tension is to argue that public relations ensure that all world views are held, i.e that the playing field is level. Whether this sort of pandering to the liberal conscience and justifiable is a matter for debate: a debate which has yet to take place within public relations. (LEtang 1996:96-97) The theories then divided into two parts; Rhetorical Theory and Critical Theory. Rhetorical theory is a convincing dialogue about public relations role. It is suggested as dialogue relationship which allows deliberation of written text or language use and their ethics. According to Heath, Rhetoric is symmetrical because each idea placed in the marketplace or public policy arena stands on its own merit. (Heath 2001:49) Critical theory is the power which influences communication. It is about social critiques, political and corporate structures as well as institutional. The theory tries to search for social changes-postmodernism which includes political, cultural, social and economic views. According to Holtzh` ausen, she revisits the concept of the public relation practitioner as keeper of the corporate conscience. She argues that the responsibility for keeping organization abreast of postmodern thinking importantly resides in public relations department. She stated that: Postmodern theories urge public relations practitioners to acknowledgeable the political nature of their activities and to be aware of the power relations inherent in everyday practice. Public relations is about to change or resistance to change, these political acts are manifest in the everyday use of organizational language and symbolism and are influenced by the organizations cultural and social environment. This redefines the boundary spanning role. Instead of claiming objectivity, practitioners are forced to choose which side they are on. (Holtzhausen 2000:110) Public relations required skillful practitioners. Certain skills that needed in these areas are strong analytical skills and communication skills in other to catch the attention of public. Great interpersonal skills, self confidence, self and priority management skills, knowledgeable in financial industry and update with current issues will complete the criteria to be a Public relation practitioners. Integrity and commitment to ethical practice, equity and diversity will also help to gain public attention and expectations on the benefits from the products or events that we are promoting. In communicating health messages to the public is very hard because, we need to do survey about the community at first rather than approaching them directly. Most medical officers do not have the skills or knowledge on how to approach the community creatively. This is when Public Relations practitioners came forward to help them communicating with the public from explaining medical matter great in de tails and too wordy transformed into simple and creative which is easy to understand by the public. WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH PROMOTION? Public Health is a science of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles and research for disease and injury prevention (www.whatispublichealth.org). Public health or societal health refers to the link between health and the way a society structured which includes the basic infrastructure necessary or health- shelter, peace, food and income; and the degree of integration or division within society( Naidoo J. Willis J, 2000,p.7). Not only that, in public health it also includes Environmental Health referring to the physical environment in which people live. Health promotion was defined in the Ottawa charter (WHO 1986) as being centrally concernedwith empowering people to take greater control over their health and thus includesa range of strategies to strengthen communities, develop supportive environments and inform and educate about health issues.Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO 1986) can be defined into 5 action areas, namely: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Building healthy public policies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creating supportive environments à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strengthening community action à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Developing personal skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reorienting health services towards prevention 1.2 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC HEALTH, HEALTH PROMOTION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS. Public Health and Health promotion professions embody and tolerate conflicting ideas of why and how health should and could be approved. The meaning of public health and health promotion are contested and open to misunderstandings such as the explaining the methods for reducing health and promoting well being and fundamentally in the motivation for such interventions. Whereas Public Relations is a person who represent the agency as a spokesperson or a guide on how to communicate health messages to the public or target audience by implementing tactics and strategies as well as evaluating the success of the program. RESEARCH 2.1 HEALTH PROMOTION CENTRE (HPC). Health Promotion Centre (HPC) is a centre that serves the needs of public by providing health information, camps and other recreational developmental activities for the public. HPC also supports and encourages the growth and development of healthy lifestyles among the community through their health messages, gallery, workshop, youth camps and health screening. The roles of HPC:- Educational role: Impart Knowledge and increase awareness of public on various aspects of health Change agent: facilitate behaviour change amongst clients/target groups through the empowerment (knowledge and skills) and advocacy. Instill value: inculcate the practice of healthy lifestyle in the population and also caring attitude towards health among children and youth. Attraction site: a place to visit for a family outing and for tourists. Its main objective is to develop and focus on national health promotion programmes in the country and to ensure that health promotion and chronic disease prevention activities are carried out systematically and effectively. The vision is to realize Ministry of Health (MOH) vision 2035  ´Together Towards a Healthy Nation. The mission statement is Empowering People towards Healthy Living through Effective Health Promotion. (Personal Interview with Senior Medical Officer, 2010) 2.2 ROLES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MEDIA AT HPC The role of Public Relations practitioner in this centre is to communicate health messages or practicing health communication. Health communication is a notion of awareness raising and education about risk and protective factors linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The use of mass and multimedia and other technological innovations to disseminate useful health information to the public, increase awareness of specific aspects of individual and collective health as well as importance of health in development (WHO, 1996). Health promoters need communication skills and strategies to inform, educate, enable, mediate, advocate, persuade, negotiate and facilitate. In order to have this health promoters need a range of functional communication skills in their professional toolkit (Murphy B, 2006). Functional communication skill sets tend to be anchored now, while strategic communication is more future focused. It also a process of hitting right target with the right level of information that suits and resonates with the market as well as engaging the participants in a process so that it is shared activity rather than one-way sharing information. In order to strengthen the links within and beyond the health sector, health promoters must develop and practise ways to strategically communicate our ideas in a language that the intended audience can understand and embrace for example using common language that understood by others (Murphy B, 2006). For example the use of Facebook and Twitter. These two social networking are the best way to commuincate and ideas with the intended audience nowadays. Facebook is a social networking site that enables users to share photos and videos. It also has a status update tab where people can post information (Facebook, 2010). Facebook is available for both personal and business use. Businesses can set up a Facebook fan page so Facebook users can become a fan and follow the organisations updates. Faceboo k is efficient for businesses as it enables users to send invitations virtually and those who have been invited can chose to send a RSVP or decline the invitation on the spot. Whereas Twitter is a real-time information network powered by people all around the world, which lets you, share and discover whats happening now.Twitter asks, Whats happening? and spreads the answer across the globe to millions, immediately (Twitter, 2010).Twitter is a social networking site that uses a system similar to the short messages system or SMS, where people can share information from all over the world. The SMS has a 140-character limit, and the messages sent through are called Tweets. Other people can forward these Tweets; this is called Retweets. People who follow other peoples tweets are called Followers. Twitter is not only limited to personal use. Businesses can also sign up to this networking site to start networking with other Twitter users that might be interested in their business. HPC curr ently has a Twitter account . Facebook and Twitter are FREE communication tools which allow two-way interaction between interested parties and the communicator, a beneficial addition to an organisations website which is mostly one-way communication. Fans and followers are made from a pre-qualified audience who have already identified that they are interested in a concept, and therefore are more likely to react to promotions and positive communication. Facebook and Twitter also act as a platform to answer questions and launch promotions instantaneously with nil or limited material cost. Another example of effective way of communicating and sharing information with the audience is via A strong and informative website and regular e-newsletter communication are beneficial assets for any organisation, as they represent a cost-effective, fast method for one-way communication with current and potential members.The target audience is pre-qualified, having made a choice to visit the HPCs website, or sign up for the e-news letter. Health promotion is directed towards improving the health status of individuals and population. During this modern era, it was transmitted by the mass and multimedia which has positive and negative implications for health. Communication underpins virtually all health promotion action. With this in mind, a broad range of functional communication skills need to be developed and practised by those seeking to work in the health promotion field. Good communicators have the ability to convey complex concepts in a language that speaks to the intended audience. They use metaphors and analogies to make sense of the ideas. As health promotion seeks to strengthen its links within and beyond the health sector, we must develop and practise ways to strategically communicate our ideas in a language our audience understands and embraces. Theres a needs to understand the social model of health as well as the determinants of health and their impacts on population. It also includes planning and evaluat ing strategies on approaching a diverse group with multicultural background with respects. Appropriate health promotion strategies are especially effective to combat the current rapid rise of chronic diseases which represents a major challenge to global development. Chronic diseases include heart disease and stroke (cardiovascular disease), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases which claim 35 million lives every year. Together they are the leading cause of death worldwide and have overtaken the number of deaths due to infectious diseases. This represents 60% of all deaths globally, with 80% of deaths due to NCDs occurring in low- and middle-income countries, and about 16 million deaths involving people under 70 years of age. These diseases also undermine the economic development in many countries leading to a worsening of poverty and illnesses. The global burden of these non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continues to grow. Tackling it is one of the major challenges for development in the 21st century. Unless addressed, the mortality and disease burden from these health problems will continue to increase. WHO estimated that without action, total deaths from chronic diseases will increase by 17% between 2005 and 2015. For those with chronic disease, it can affect every aspects of their life and over time can cause further complications that can further lead to deterioration of their quality of life, participation in activities and even their work performance. There will also be the increasing burden to the costs of health care as well as the psychological and socio-economic impacts to the families and carers. However proven cost-effective strategies exist to prevent and control this growing burden. The causes (risk factors) of chronic diseases are well established and well known, ie, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use. These risk factors, which are the same for males and females are largely modifiable. If uncontrolled, they will lead to intermediate risk factors such as raised blood pressure, raised blood sugar levels, abnor mal blood lipids, overweight and obesity. The major modifiable risk factors, in conjunction with the non-modifiable risk factors of age and heredity, explain the majority of new events of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and some important cancers. The relationship between the major modifiable risk factors and the main chronic diseases is similar in all regions of the world. There are also other risk factors for chronic diseases but they account for a smaller proportion of these diseases. These include harmful alcohol use and some infectious agents that are responsible for cervical and liver cancers. Preventing or delaying illness and death from chronic diseases is possible. At least 80% of all cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes and over 40% of cancers could be avoided through healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco use. Although death is inevitable, it does not need to be slow, painful or premature. Most chronic diseases cause the sufferers to become progressively ill and debilitated, especially if their illness is not managed correctly. Chronic disease prevention and control helps people to live longer and healthier lives. In addition, due to public health successes, populations are aging and increasingly, people are living with one or more chronic conditions for decades, thus worsening the burden of chronic diseases. This places new, long-term demands on health care systems. Not only are chronic conditions projected to be the leading cause of disability throughout the world by the year 2020 but if not successfully prevented and managed, they w ill become the most expensive problems face by our health care systems. In Brunei Darussalam, the situation of chronic diseases is following the global trend. The Ministry of Health reported in 2009 that cancer is the top leading cause of death with 24.6 deaths per 100,000 population whereas heart disease and diabetes mellitus comes second and third accounting for 23.9 and 18.4 deaths per 100,000 population respectively. In addition, this data is further supported by the preliminary findings of the Ministry of Healths Integrated Health Screening and Health Promotion Programme for Civil Servants which was launched in 2007. Early findings showed that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 64.3% of the subjects screened were either overweight or obese à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 55.2% has high blood cholesterol à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 14.7% has hypertensio à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 14.2% has high blood sugar. The above data shows an increase in the proportion of subjects with are overweight or obese when compared to the data obtained by the National Nutritional Status Survey 1997 which showed only 44.5% of the subjects then were either overweight or obese. Therefore, preventive strategies in Brunei Darussalam need to focus on comprehensive, integrated,multi-level, multi-intervention approaches aimed at reducing the negative impact and consequences of chronic non-communicable diseases. Simultaneously, the management of NCDs requires well-coordinated and integrated services at primary, secondary and tertiary levels which focus on curative, preventive, promotive and rehabilitative aspects holistically. Therefore,there are five strategic SMART objectives that as a PR need to be focused and improved on:- Strategic Objective 1: Establish Strengthen Health in All Policies (HiAP) Strategic Objective 2: Develop Effective, Quality And Innovative Health Promotion Programmes to reduce Obesity, Unhealthy Diet, Physical Inactivity And Tobacco Use Strategic Objective 3: Enhance Inter-Sectoral Collaboration And Partnership Strategic Objective 4: Develop Health Promotion Skills Competencies Strategic Objective 5: Strengthen Health Promotion Centre Infrastructure and resources 2.3 CHALLENGES CONSTRAINTS OF THE HEALTH PROMOTION CENTRE (SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS) One of the biggest challenges faced by HPC is the lack of awareness amongst the general and target public as well as lack of media promotions on spreading health messages which includes misunderstanding about the concept of health promotion, competing priority areas, manpower, budget, unconducive environment, behaviour and others. This has proven to be the main hindrance for the centre in reaching their target audience. SWOT Analysis Strengths Financial support from government (MOH) Social network such as facebook and twitter containing information about their organisation. Access to MOH supports, financial and activities. Weaknesses Lack of financial resources to invest in media activities and others Need more sponsorship General public unaware of HPCs existence No official website Private partners Building maintenance Opportunities International presence Government collaboration Increasing the skill set of staff to other field such as communication-media, public relations and etc. Threats Lack of support Lack of workforce Unconducive environment Misunderstanding about the concept of health promotion Competing priority areas Culture. Local evidence has shown that, there is a huge burden of NCDs especially cancer,cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, in Brunei Darussalam. Without definitive action to address these diseases, they will continue to grow exponentially and lead to more people living with poor quality of life and dying prematurely. This, in turn, will have a negative social and economic impact on families, communities and the country as a whole. Being the lead organization that has been entrusted to initiate and coordinate the actions, HPC, from the very start, has several challengesand constraints to deal with. To be able to manage the situation effectively and efficiently, HPC has to convince all relevant stakeholders and partners that only a comprehensive, integrated approach has the best chance of success in the prevention and control of these NCDs. Comprehensive action requires combining population-wide approaches that seek toreduce the risks throughout the entire population with strategies that target individuals at high risk or with established disease and also addressing the social and economic determinants that would affect their health directly or indirectly. The National Health Promotion Blueprint 2011-2015 will be launched on March 2011 aims to use such an approach. Before adopting such a strategy, many factors that will affect the outcome of this approach have to be considered. Some of these factors are: The needs of the target population and individuals as well as the requirements ofthe stakeholders and partners. The resources e.g. human capital, financial, technical, physical and other infrastructure etc, and their management, that are needed for HPC to carry out their tasks effectively. The process of planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the initiatives and programmes. However to ardently follow the strategic framework, HPC will encounter many challenges and constraints. Strategies need to be developed to overcome or reduce these barriers which may impede the successful implementation of this Action Plan. These include: 1. Misconception about health promotion Health promotion is defined as the process of enabling people to increase controlover and improve their health and is also defined as any combination of educationaland environmental supports for actions and conditions of living conducive to healthwhere these processes have been clearly explained in several key health promotion documents. As such health promotion is not just educational and provision of information. It is a continuing process that involves action at every level of society andnot just a series of ad hoc educational activities. One of the challenges is to change the mindset of all stakeholders to convince them that everyone has an important role to play in promoting health from policy-makers and leaders, in Government, organized medical and health services, non-government and private organizations and communities, to individuals. This role will not only be educational in nature but also supportive and enabling for people to practice healthy lifestyles. HPCs role is to l ead, support, facilitate and empower communities and individuals to practise healthy living but it cannot do it alone. All stakeholders have a shared responsibility for health. Hence for HPC to fulfill its role effectively, it must be given a clear mandate and extent of authority from the rele- vant authorities to expediently carry out its designated functions in health promotion in general and particularly in the execution of this strategy. 2. Low priority towards the role of health promotion in the management of NCDs Traditionally organized medical and health services have implemented a range of services to tackle NCDs e.g. Hospital- or clinic-based nutritional programmes, tobacco control programmes etc. However due to diverse needs and priorities, most of the resources for these interventions are directed towards attending to acute problems and urgent needs of patients with NCDs. Less priority is given to the incorporation of preventive health care into the overall management of these patients. As pointed out earlier, a collaborative management approach, with preventivecomponents in the care of the patients with NCDs that involves the patients, their families and health care partners, is more cost-effective than the traditional approach and achieves better health outcomes.Therefore, one of HPCs functions here is to help facilitate the routine incorporation of preventive and promotive care into curative services especially in the management of chronic diseases. This strategic framework includes the reorientation of the health care services for a more holistic approach in the effective prevention and management of chronic conditions. It calls for a partnership among patients and families, health care teams and community supporters. This approach will work best if each patient is informed, motivated and prepared to manage their health and able to work with the other partners. This partnership should be influenced and supported by the Ministry of Health and other health organizations, the broader community and the policy environment to ensure a sustainable positive health outcome. 3. Lack of skilled manpower There is a lack of human capital in HPC, both in numbers and skills. This willundoubtedly impact the performance of HPC with its many roles and functions to fulfill. Besides the current health professionals to carry out the day-to-day operations of HPC, there is a dire need for more specialized personnel who have the professional and technical skills and expertise to enable HPC to perform its many functions including overseeing and coordinating health promotion programmes and activities in general and in particular, initiatives identified. These personnel include: I. Public Health Professionals and / or Allied Health Professionals who are trained in Health Promotion, Programme Management, Epidemiology, Biostatistics including Research Methodology and other similar fields. Such human capital are needed to ensure a more effective and efficient planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all relevant health promotion programmes and initiatives in the country. They will also form the core group will drive the development of a supportive surveillance system and promote a research culture in HPC as part of its strategies to produce scientific evidence to support and rationalise policies, strategies and approaches relating to healthy lifestyle and particularly, NCD prevention and control II. Sociologists and Psychologists As health promotion, in a large part, deals with individuals and their families and the larger communities, HPC needs personnel who are well trained in the principles of Social Science. Social determinants have a great impact on health in any society including the creation of inequities in health. This type of expertise is essential to assist HPC in advocating and framing evidence-based policies and programmes, across the whole of society, that can influence the social determinants of health and improve health equity. On the other end of the scale is the understanding and influencing of human behavior.Psychologists are needed in the formulation of programmes which directly impacts on human behavior such as healthy eating, increasing physical activity and losing weight. They are critical in motivating individuals to change for better health outcomes. III. Public Relation / Communication / Media personnel To carry out effective health promotion, information must be effectively disseminated through traditional and new media. Social marketing is a recognized strategy to educate the public generally. Personnel who are trained to deal with and communicate with individuals, communities and the media, are definitely an asset to this type of work. IV. IT and technical personnel An important part of HPCs function is the creation, production, dissemination and display of various health-related information using different formats, styles and materials, in an interesting and appealing manner that would capture the attention of the audience. HPC needs innovative, artistic and creative personnel who are skilled in IT and the use of pertinent software. 4. Training and capacity building for HPC staff At present, there are less than 50 staff members who are as

Global Communication :: International Relations Global Essays Papers

Global Communication In chapter 14 on his book Global Communication in the twenty-first century, Stevenson focuses on the topic of persuasive communication. He presents a brief analysis of propaganda, or using his term, public diplomacy, making reference to the United States Information Agency (USIA). He also speaks about advertising highlighting that international advertising is increasing. Stevenson refers that the new global communications systems are efficient tools for governments and economics sectors to reach and influence public opinion, I suppose that it is understood that always communications systems have been efficient to influence people. It is much what scholars have writing about persuasive communication and it is much what we have read about this. Stevenson just presents a compact information with different examples which permit illustrated the topic. In the formation of stereotypes, influence in the self-identity and the role of the media in this process, an example comes to my mind. The refuse of the â€Å"stigma† of being Indians, commonly seen in many countries of Latin America. At this respect, Carrasco in a study about Indians migration in Ecuador points out that they â€Å"change their clothes in the bus terminal bathroom in Riobamba, in order to arrive in Guayaquil without seeming Indians.... They return talking like costeà ±os, and some refuse to speak Quechua even in the local community† (Carrasco, 105). Obviously, in this case, this comportment not only responds to an impact of the media over this people, in fact, many of them do not have a direct relation with media. Other factors like history, socio-economic relations, believes and culture are probably much more important than the portrayal of the Indians in the media, nonetheless, it is important to mention how media contribute. We could allege Mexican good selling TV novelas or soap operas, with large acceptancing among audience in Ecuador and other Latin American countries, Indians roles here are poor and with a lack of values. Probably a better example is a disgusting but popular series called â€Å"La India Maria†, where the protagonist is a dumb, dirty and poor Indian woman. The latter produced by â€Å"Televisa† in Mexico. In relation with this program and attending critics from some sectors of the audience, Televisa president, Emilio Azcarraga, said â€Å"to educate is a task of the government and not of Televisa†. Personally I think that for good or bad, nobody has influenced the formation (or disformation) of today Mexican minds as Televisa and Azcarraga family.

Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action Essay

Affirmative action is a policy in which the previously disadvantaged due to discrimination receive priority.   It came to existence as a remedy toward discrimination and then became a problem all by itself according to some theorists, who are opponents to it. Supporters believe affirmative action should be adopted to provide equal employment opportunity, but facts show that it does not.   Affirmative action is a very controversial issue, which has been debated for more than thirty years.  Ã‚   Unlike discrimination, there are not so many laws against affirmative action, but opponents are indeed working on banning it wherever it is possible for them to do so. TABLE OF CONTENTS Brief Overview of Affirmative Action Origin of Affirmative Action Views of Affirmative Action People who benefit from Affirmative Action Employment and Affirmative Action Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Legal Issues of Affirmative Action How to Stop Affirmative Action from Being Taken Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action Brief Overview of Affirmative Action   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Affirmative Action is usually defined as an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women or one to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged people. (Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In practice, affirmative action is taken by giving women and people from a minority group priority.   For instance, a company has an opening for a bookkeeper.   On determining who should be hired, the company gives women and people from a minority group priority.   This could also happen with promotion: only women and people from a   minority group are likely to be promoted, and with education: women and people from a minority group have better chances of obtaining grants and scholarships that would enable them to attend college.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another way of illustrating how affirmative action is taken would be with a classroom in which some students receive a great deal of unfair punishments.   One day it is brought to the teacher’s attention that she will be dismissed unless unfair practices are stopped.   In an attempt to correct the past unacceptable behavior, the teacher starts treating those students with some kind of preference.   In the beginning this will be certainly appropriate, as those students will need to feel that they are not ill-treated anymore. Origin of Affirmative Action   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Affirmative action is believed to have come about as a remedy to the awful  discrimination that regrettably used to take place.   As a matter of   fact, according to T.H. Anderson, (2004) in 1940 discrimination was tradition and in some states it was  even law.   Sad though it might now sound to us, the most educated and  refined African-American did not have the rights the most illiterate  and indecent white individual did (p. 2). Therefore, when discrimination  became illegal in the United States, affirmative action started to  take place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By the mid-1970’s minorities and women were winning significant victories, which could be seen on construction sites,  exemplified by the Metro in Washington D.C.   Mayor Walter E.  Washington took a dramatic step, mandating a strong affirmative action  program in which all private companies doing business or having contracts with city hall would have to submit plans with goals to  advanced minorities and women. (J.H. Anderson, 2004, p. 142)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A valid affirmative action plan is one means of trying to undo the  effects of past illegal discrimination.   Under such a plan, an  employer makes employment decisions based on race or sex factor that  ordinarily can’t be considered, in order to restore equal opportunity  employment for groups that have faced discrimination. When a court finds that a business has discriminated and there are no  other effective means to remedy the discrimination, the court may  require the business to take affirmative action.   For example, a court  may order a company to hire one African-American employee for every two white ones hired until the company’s workforce resembles the  racial mix of the community.   (F.S. Steinhold, 2007, p. 156)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A business may also have to set up an affirmative action plan as part  of voluntary settling a court case or the proceeding of E.E.O.C. (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).   Any voluntary  program must meet the E.E.O.C.’s Guidelines on Affirmative Action Plans. (F.S. Steinhold, 2007, p. 156) Views of Affirmative Action   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because it appears that originally valid plans of affirmative action became in a way corrupted or abused, there have been some opponents to it.   Affirmative action is a subject that has been debated and analyzed by philosophers, legal scholars, social scientists, politicians, journalists, editorial writers, and common citizens for three decades.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Basically, the debate has two sides: the Right and the Left.   The Right, which is totally against it, states that Affirmative action only causes people to obtain what they desire not because they deserve it, but because they belong to a group that was discriminated in the past.   According to this site, affirmative action is unmeritocratic, leads to reverse-discrimination, and is an un-American guarantee of equal results instead of equal opportunity.   The Left, which supports it, states that affirmative action is a compensation for past injustices and a guarantee of a fair share of the economic pie. (J.D. Skrentny, 1996, p. 1 & 2)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To reconcile the two views, it could perhaps be said that an affirmative action plan might be proper in the beginning of a non-discriminatory period of time; women and people from minority groups should feel that they are not discriminated anymore.   On the other hand, there is no reason for this period of time to last forever.   For instance, in the United States discrimination became illegal a very long time ago, so previously discriminated people should not be given any kind of priority because of what it used to happen in the distant past.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When it became vital to take the affirmative action in the turbulent period of 1964 to 1971, a careful consideration of the cultural and historical circumstances became absolutely necessary in its debate and an explanation for why it happened was needed as well.   (Clayton & Crosby, 1992, p. 2) Nowadays, more than thirty years after that period, affirmative action would simply be against logic and no explanation could possibly be given as a result.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Affirmative Action is believed to be one of the most controversial policies in the United States.   â€Å"The issues are complex, they stir strong feelings, and in the media everyone seems to have an opinion on the topic (Clayton & Crosby, 1992, p. 1).   This implies that a great deal of understanding is needed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The complexity of affirmative action as a topic is illustrated by the controversy of whether the version of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 required or prohibited quotas – George Bush’s belief versus his proponents -, the appointment of Clarence Thomas – an affirmative action beneficiary who surprisingly opposed it -, and the apparent shift in the Supreme Court. (S.D. Clayton & F.J. VanDeVeer, 2000, p. 4)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Opponents of affirmative action are believed   to come from a variety of quarters: Supreme Court Justice Thomas – an African-American who opposes it – Thomas Sowell, Shelby Steele, and Glenn Lowry – African-American critics who gained national attention speaking about the policy -, and Stephen Carter – William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale University. Their reactions to affirmative action seem very intriguing. (S.D. Clayton & F.J. VanDeVeer, 2000, p. 4)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Why people who benefit from affirmative action oppose to it deserves the amazement of whoever learns of the fact.   It could perhaps be interpreted that they want to be equal – neither better nor worse.     The fact that they are now granted more rights because they were once deprived of the ones they should have in the first place is likely to make them feel inferior.   In other words, their equality should be put in force and they should only obtain what they rightly deserve regardless of their background.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Affirmative action became a major issue in state courts in California and in Pennsylvania, where it was indeed claimed that its almost inevitable effect was reverse discrimination. People who benefit from Affirmative Action   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In general, belonging to a minority group is due to an inborn or inherited matter, like women, African Americans, and people from different origins.   On the other hand, there are some groups of people who willfully joined a minority group.   For instance, many people learned one religion at home and later converted to a different one.   Homosexuality and bi-sexuality is debatable: some theorists believe uncommon sexual orientations are in the genes, whereas some other ones believe they are a matter of option.   Regardless of which theorists are right, homosexual and bi-sexual people were victims of discrimination in the past and later became beneficiaries of affirmative action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As we all know, African Americans were virtually the worst victims of discrimination.   Without any right whatsoever, people were taken from Africa and brought to America to be sold as slaves.   The awful slavery was abolished a few hundred years later, but African Americans were still unable to obtain what the average person usually could.   In the middle of the twentieth century, discrimination against African Americans became illegal and the law started to call for a total equality, and affirmative action was taken as a remedy. Employment and Affirmative Action   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before focusing on the fact of whether or not affirmative action should be adopted to provide equal employment opportunity, we need to understand thoroughly the basic concepts or employment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   P. K. Edwards (2003) states in his book Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice that the employment relations has two parts: market relations and managerial relations.   The former is more obvious because it covers price of labor, which embraces not only the basic wage but also hours of work, holidays and pension rights.   In this respect, labor is like any other commodity, with a price which represents the total cost of enjoying its use. Yet labor differs from all other commodities in that it is enjoyed in use and is embodied in people.   A machine in a factory is also enjoyed in use and for what it can produce.   Yet how it is used is solely up to the owner.   The ‘owner’ of labor, the employer has to persuade the worker, that is, the person in whom the labor in embodied, to work. (p. 9)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most companies have employees nowadays, given that it simply becomes impossible for the owner to do everything all by him- or herself.   On hiring a new employee, companies have their own criteria.   We see quite often that the same employee who does not qualify for one company does for another one.   Employees are chosen based on the companies’ budget and needs.   In general, a large, profitable business is likely to choose a better skilled worker than a small business that operates at low budget.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Small businesses, which are usually constrained by the pressure of not exceeding their low budget, might also be selective in their own way.   A very unskilled person, however economical he or she might be, is likely to be of no significant assistance to the company.   As a result, the company might end up loosing money because of him or her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When a person is to be hired by a company, it is imperative that it be done under the equal employment opportunity basis.   The best candidate should be the one taking over the position.   Failure to do so would be an unfair practice that might eventually lead to some significant problems.   F.J. Crosby and C. VanDeVeer (2000) wrote in their book Sex, Race and Merit: Often, when a problem has been identified, hiring or promotion goals are instituted. In classical affirmative action programs (where the employer monitors to make sure that qualified people are hired and promoted) the goals are derived from close study of the organization and are based on realistic appraisals of the labor market. (p. 4) From the above, we see that classical affirmative action is a way in which equal opportunity employment is achieved, and supporters of affirmative action indeed focus on the remedy of unfair acts of discrimination performed in the past.   Everybody believes that the employer is to monitor to make sure that qualified people are hired and promoted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In fact, the goal of affirmative action when it came to existence was equal employment opportunity.   Nonetheless, its practice later on became corrupted and its present goal is to give priority to people who belong to a minority group that was discriminated in the past.   Many opponents of affirmative action would indeed oppose to discrimination and would agree to a policy in which only qualified people are hired and competent employees are promoted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  J.M. Bernbach (1998), who so much disapproves of discrimination wrote: In 1996, affirmative action (the practice, fostered by federal government, of providing preferential treatment and / or opportunities to specified groups of persons in hiring or promotion, etc., as a means of correcting the present effects of past discrimination) received a good deal of negative attention. (p.3) On certain occasions, affirmative action seems necessary or  appropriate to remedy past injustices, but there is no reason to  believe that everybody, including people who were always against  discrimination, must follow suit. Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the name implies, equal employment opportunity is the right of every single person to be employed regardless of his or her background, i.e. race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or reprisal. In the United States there is an organization called Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that focuses on how this right is actually granted to every individual. Burstein in his book Discrimination, Jobs, and Politics (1998) states: In order to form a satisfactory picture of what public wanted on EEO, members of the congress would, ideally, want to know about three aspects of constituents attitudes: first, whether their constituents favored EEO, second, whether they wanted the government to do anything about it; and third, whether they felt strongly about the issue.   (p. 42)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We see that the government is very much concerned about fair hiring and promotion practices.   It is indeed a fact that everybody wants equal employment opportunities; nobody favors priority on the basis of discrimination or affirmative action.   People want the government to ascertain the equal employment opportunities are in effect and they do feel strongly about the issue.   The answer of most people is that the right person should take over the position he or she rightly deserves   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antidiscrimination programs are believed to be inefficient and costly.   The reason might be the stagnant economy that has apparently not permitted to continue with them.   Government pressures to employ or promote women and minorities may force firms to misallocate labor and thus suffer production losses.   Keeping with the current concern over productive efficiency can rather be an antidiscrimination effort. (P. Burestein, Equal Employment Opportunity, 1994, p. 85)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Better production in a company as a whole could rather achieve equality.   For instance, a company has been in business for many years and, on analyzing their activities, they come to see that their production was better when they had people with more skills in the engineering department.   As a result they decide to hire a high-skilled engineer.   When doing so, they carefully evaluate every candidate regardless of their background until they end up hiring the most suitable one.   One year later, the company analyzes their activities and see some remarkable improvements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One might want to ask how it is possible for someone who is not so skillful to become skillful in the future.   The answer would be quite simple: more education or training, and, as we all know, education is very easy nowadays. There are many ways online that would enable one to obtain it, and there are many regular schools that could help.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some people take their not being hired as a lesson to get more education or training.   Inevitably, when the person being hired is from a majority group, some people accuse the company of being discriminatory, and, when someone from a minority group is hired, the company might also be accused of having taken affirmative action.   When something alike happens, the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) needs to be contacted, and they need to investigate the situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The beginning of antidiscrimination and or against affirmative action is perhaps freedom.   One might question what freedom has to do with either discrimination or affirmative action, and the answer might be the actual explanation of what freedom means.   Freedom is the right to share fully and equally in American society – to vote, to hold a job, to enter a public place, to go to school.   It is right to be treated in every part of national life as a person equal in dignity and promise to all others.   (Curry, G.E. &West, C. , 1996, p. 17)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a society in which freedom is in existence, the equal opportunity employment practice is easier to put in practice.   Some people might use this freedom in an abusive form, ending up in discrimination or affirmative action.   That is why it is necessary that a commission EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity) exist.   The goal of this organization is to establish rules and regulations and, whenever a case of discrimination or affirmative action is reported, this organization needs to study it thoroughly and then determine how it could be corrected.   In some occasions, it is even necessary to take legal action. Legal Issues of Affirmative Action   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unlike discrimination, which is so clearly against the law and there is a great deal of coverage both constitutionally and statutorily, it has not become possible to have affirmative action at the same level.   No one constitutional or statutory provision covers all the many different varieties of affirmative action.   (C. Wolf-Devine, 1997, p. 182) As a result, it becomes very intricate for both judges and attorneys to deal with a case of affirmative action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If a man that does not belong to a minority group is not hired solely because that company is currently taken affirmative action when hiring, he would first report the incidence to Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.   If the E.O.E.C. determines that the individual has brought prima facie evidence, they might decide to take legal action against that company.   The judge and the attorney are likely to regard the whole case as a reverse-discrimination and by doing so, the same sources of law that are used in a discriminating case can be used for this particular one. After all, the individual that was hired was only successful to obtain this job because he or she belongs to a minority group, not because he was the best qualified for it.   If the case had been just the opposite – the individual that was hired did not belong to a minority group, whereas the one that was not hired did – it would have been a regular discrimination case, which would have had a great deal of coverage in the American legal system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The very same situation would have been with someone who has been working at a company for a very long time and, due to his valuable qualifications, would deserve promotion.   Besides the fact that promotion is not given to him, two other co-workers – a woman and an African American – do become promoted in an attempt to take affirmative action.   Given that promotion is also controlled to E.E.O.C., the individual contacts them immediately and they determine that the matter is to be brought in front of a judge.   This case would also be treated as a discriminating case, and it indeed is a case of reverse discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Herman Belz, in his book Equality Transformed (1991): Affirmative action lacks consistency and coherence insofar as the Supreme Court applied two antithetical theories of employment discrimination, upheld quotas in hiring and promotion while prohibiting them in layoffs, and used some form of strict scrutinity review to analyze discrimination under the Constitution while forsaking such reviews under Title VII – and only then asking whether a race conscious measure promoted the goal of minority employment. (p. 225 & 226) The above shows up to what point affirmative action is to be treated like discrimination when it comes to legal matter.   However, the fact that when affirmative action is taken does not at all mean that there has in fact been discrimination put judges and attorneys in a cumbersome situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While discrimination has the same principles, is clear and can be carefully considered, affirmative action – in general regarded as the opposite of discrimination – is never clear enough to be handled by a judge and attorneys.   As we know, affirmative action is sometimes taken as a remedy, whereas discrimination comes as a matter of opinion.   For instance, a company that never hires African American is sued for discrimination.   The basis of this type of discrimination will always be the same; the accused will try to deny the fact.   Someone that is sued for taking affirmative action will rather try to justify his attitude. How to Stop Affirmative Action from Being Taken   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Affirmative action is definitely not an effective diversity or opportunity policy; it is merely reverse discrimination. Given that a person obtains what he or she wishes because he or she belongs to a minority group – not because he or she deserves it, the policy is very unfair indeed.   A fair policy would be one in which the best-skilled individual takes over a position at a company or someone who qualifies for a grant or scholarship to attend college obtains it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On some occasions, there might be a court order for a company to take affirmative action.   When this happens, it is usually in an attempt to settle a lawsuit that was placed because discriminatory policies were adopted by that particular company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When affirmative action is taken on a voluntary basis without any good reason whatsoever, it becomes a legal transgression that is just as awful as discrimination.   Obviously, a court cannot order a company taking affirmative action to be discriminatory from now on, as this would only be an awful crime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The solution toward the problem of taking affirmative action is quite simple: the company should make their hiring and promotion decision based on the workers skills and qualifications, not based on the fact that that particular individual belongs to a minority group.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission should come up with some guidelines to prevent companies from taking affirmative action altogether.   Those guidelines should be brought to the attention of the U.S. Senate in order for them to become laws.   As we know, when a company is accused of taking affirmative action, judges and attorneys find it difficult to handle the case, because there are not enough laws against it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Copying the laws of discrimination would not be an option, because a court would never order a company to discriminate, whereas it might order a company to take affirmative action as a remedy for past discriminatory activities.   New laws need to be put in force, as laws against affirmative action were in some occasions questioning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is very painful to pinpoint that extreme affirmative action is widespread in the United States, and there does not seem to be any solution at first sight.  Ã‚   Under the assumption that affirmative is taken as a remedy toward discrimination, the number of individual that claim to suffer from affirmative actions exceeds the number of the ones who suffered from discrimination in the past and now benefit from the policy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Empirically the official case for affirmative action is weak and conceptually it is loose.   Believing that the policy has been â€Å"good for America† and that it has been an instantaneous move to â€Å"color-blindness† would be ill-advised.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Equal opportunity is supported by everybody, but it would be inappropriate to the extreme to believe that the way to achieve it is phasing out affirmative action. Michigan, a state in which there are many opponents, is one of the ones that have intended to ban affirmative action altogether, and such a measure is believed to be one of the harshest attacks on affirmative action to come to a vote anywhere in the country. This movement has been called â€Å"Michigan Civil Rights Initiative† and it deserves to be called the Michigan Anti-Affirmative Action Initiative. It was also intended to add language to the Michigan state constitution to disallow â€Å"preferential treatment† based on gender, or race. Other states following suit are California, Washington State, and Florida.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The passage of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative would specifically ban public institutions from using affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to people from minority groups and prohibit public institutions from discriminating against groups or individuals that do not belong to those groups.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative is indeed very appropriate and the whole country, as well as the whole world, should follow in their footsteps. Anderson, T.H. (2004). Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action. Oxford University Press, (p.2, 3 & 142) Belz, H. (1991) Equality Transformed, Transaction Publishers (p225 & p226) Bernbach, J.M. (1998). Job Discrimination II, Voire Dire Press (p. 3 & 4) Burestein, P. (1994). Equal Employment Opportunity, Aldine Transaction (p. 85) Burestein, P. (1998). Discrimination, Jobs, and Politics. University of Chicago Press (p. 42) Clayton, S.D., & Crosby, F.J. (1992). Justice, Gender, and Affirmative Action. University of Michigan Press (p. 1 & 2) Clayton, S.D., & by F.J. &, VanDeVeer, C. (2000). Sex, Race, and Merit.   University of Michigan Press (p. 4) Curry, G.E. & West, C. (1996). The Affirmative Action Debate, Basic Books (p. 17) Edwards, P.K. (2000). Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice. Blackwell Publishing (p. 9) Skrentny, J.D. (1996). The Ironies of Affirmative Action: Politics, Culture, and Justice in America. University of Chicago Press (p. 1 & 2) Steinhold, F.S. (2007) The Employee’s Legal Handbook, Nolo, (p. 156) Wolf-Devine, C. (1997) Diversity and Community in the Academy, Rowman & Littlefield, (p. 182) Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002

Job Description Essay

In today’s job market there are a lot of demands from employers. The business environment is constantly changing. Your knowledge, skills and abilities have to be able to meet the demands of the job market. Showcasing yourself and the familiarity and the experience with the procedure detail of the job is very important The Job Analysis. Goes hand in hand with a job description. A job description identifies characteristics of the job to be performed in terms of the tasks, duties and responsibilities to be fulfilled. (Youssef, 2010). It is basically a â€Å"snapshot† of a job. The job description needs to communicate clearly and concisely the responsibilities and tasks. (Lindenberger,2011) There are a lot of people competing for the same job. Ultimately who gets hired depends on the most qualified applicant. I would use a job description to make sure I get the most qualified person for the job. The person job fit has to be right has to definitely be compatible. Your skill highlights and the ability to successfully perform the job is a key factor. I would use a competency-based analysis. The potential employee definitely has to be competent enough to perform the qualities and requirements needed to effectively carry out a job like mines. My job description was to me very detailed. It was somewhat intimidating at first but once I got hired, I understood why. I am currently working as Assistant payment worker for the State of Michigan. The tasks and responsibilities is what my job duty requires of me from day to day. Which was very much detailed. It is assisting clients with getting the help they may need and providing resources for them. I assist client’s help with Food, Shelter and medical resources. I often go above and beyond what my tasks and responsibilities that are required of me, because of my human character I often feel sorry to see what people have to go through in this world. Sometimes in the job description you will see what the responsibilities include but are not limited too. So I would want someone dedicated to what there job is, but also a team player and don’t mind going the extra mile. In the end it’s all about customer service. The tools and technology used are also a key factor. Most jobs often require training once hired. But you at least need the basic skills of using computer software. Educational requirements would also be very important on a job analysis. A degree is preferred most of the time when applying for any job in the business field. If not a degree it is important to me, to at lease have a certain amount of college credits. Which is what needed to obtain my job. In order to gain some valuable information about candidates, there are different selection methods that should be used. Selection methods can narrow down potential candidates. (Youseef,2010) The approach and selection method I would use is testing, I think is a good method to use, especially when there are so many applicants applying for the same position. Testing will help to eliminate clients that are not qualified for the job. Testing will reveal how much knowledge a person has with general competency and knowledge needed for the job. The scores will tell it all. The Interview method is also another good method I would consider. Almost any job you apply for, you will have to have an interview, weather its in person or over the telephone. I have to interview clients everyday at my current job, to see if the fit the qualifications of receiving assistance. Being able to look at a person, and have direct interaction is important. When questions are being asked it will sometimes portray how honest a person is. You can tell by the body language or sometimes how directly a person answers a question if they are being truthful or not. It will show confidence. However there are different types of interviews. The one I would use is a panel discussion interview, which is having several interviewers asking questions. That can sometimes make a person really nervous. I know I was, but again if you have the skills and knowledge to prove it, then it shouldn’t be a problem A job description is just what it says, it describes the job. As a competitive employee, make sure you fit that description the best you can.

Why its Important to Write Right in the Legal Profession †And 5 Common Writing Pitfalls to Avoid

Why its Important to Write Right in the Legal Profession – And 5 Common Writing Pitfalls to Avoid The following article, by Brenda Bernstein, was first published on MyLegal.com. In a well-publicized case, a federal judge in Florida denied a lawyer’s motion (without prejudice, so he can re-file the motion) stating that it was â€Å"riddled with unprofessional grammatical and typographical errors that nearly render the entire motion incomprehensible.† Read the full article here: Judge Labels Lawyers Motion Nearly Incomprehensible, Marks Up Errors ABA Journal The judge highlighted the following problems, among others: Incorrect use of apostrophes. Typographical errors (using the word â€Å"this† instead of â€Å"thus† and the word â€Å"full† instead of â€Å"for†). Incorrect placement of periods and commas outside of quotation marks. Wrong word use (using the phrase the plaintiff â€Å"had attended on filing† this action, instead of saying the plaintiff had â€Å"intended† to file an action). One very long sentence. Don’t let this happen to you! If you write legal documents in any way, shape or form, it is absolutely essential to use correct spelling and grammar. In a famous case in England, a traffic ticket was thrown out because it was issued for illegal â€Å"stoping† instead of â€Å"stopping†; the alleged perpetrator had conducted no mining activities (â€Å"stoping† is a mining term) and so was found not guilty. I bet that police officer never issued another â€Å"stoping† ticket. Past or Present? One extremely common error I see amongst law students is using the word â€Å"lead† to mean the past tense of â€Å"lead.† This mistake could get you in trouble, since the past tense of â€Å"lead† is â€Å"led† (with no a). You could be writing in the wrong tense! Example or Complete List? Another place you can easily convey the wrong meaning is with â€Å"i.e.† and â€Å"e.g.† When you use â€Å"i.e.† it means â€Å"that is† or â€Å"in other words.† The proper way to follow â€Å"i.e.† is with a definition or complete list. For example: The defendant was charged with illegal stoping, i.e., mining activity. â€Å"E.g.† means â€Å"for example.† The proper way to follow â€Å"e.g.† is with a partial list of possibilities. For example: The motion was denied for bad grammar, e.g., typographical errors and wrong word use. If â€Å"i.e.† were used here, we would need to provide a complete list of the examples of bad grammar. (For a more thorough explanation of i.e. and e.g., read my post Common Grammatical Errors: Should You Use i.e. or e.g.?) Law or Liberty? Do you know the difference between a statute and a statue? Statutes are laws. Statues are sculptures. We have statutes of limitations and a Statue of Liberty. Don’t get these confused. You might want to remember the extra â€Å"t† for â€Å"time† when it’s a statute of limitations, or for â€Å"text† when it’s any written law. And you might think of following those statutes to a â€Å"T† (or 3)! Proper Punctuation: Periods and Commas Inside Quotation Marks To touch on one of the Florida judge’s beefs, periods and commas, in the United States, always go inside quotation marks, even when they are not part of the quotation, e.g., The defendant was arrested for â€Å"illegal stoping.† Although there are rare exceptions to this rule, they will probably not appear in legal writing (they are more likely to show up in technical writing). For a detailed discussion of this issue, see my blog post The Quandary of Quotation Marks ( ). Proper Punctuation: Apostrophes Many people incorrectly use apostrophes to make plural words. Don’t do it! Did you notice that the plural of apostrophe is NOT â€Å"apostrophe’s†? It is â€Å"apostrophes†! The plural words lawyers, judges, laws, statutes, DUIs and the 1990s do NOT take apostrophes. Use an apostrophe and then an â€Å"s† to make a singular possessive. The lawyer’s brief was riddled with errors. The judge’s ruling was final. Use an â€Å"s† and then an apostrophe to make a plural possessive. The five lawyers’ arguments diverged widely. All the county judges’ courtrooms contain the latest in audio-visual equipment. Put your apostrophes in the right place – and avoid annoying the judge. So Many Chances to Err! There are multiple ways to make writing errors in legal documents, and I have only covered a few. My most important advice is to proofread and proofread again! Get a second pair of eyes to check your work. If you have grammar questions you want answered, I will answer them to the best of my ability in the comments section of this blog. I look forward to hearing from you†¦ Happy writing!

What Is the SAT Experimental Section

What Is the SAT Experimental Section SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In many regards, College Board has made the SAT a lot more transparent. As of March 2016, the majority of the test has a very clear and consistent format - with one exception. In recent months, some students encountered an unexpected 20-minute experimental section at the end of their tests. This guide will explain everything we know so far about thisexperimental section and how it differs from the experimental section on tests past. Read on to learn about this extra material and what it means for your test prep. What's the SAT Experimental Section? For many months leading up the new SAT, students and SAT experts thought the redesigned test had eliminated the experimental section.College Board made no mention of it, and thefree practice testsit released featured no trace of extra questions. Then, on February 4th, just a month before the new SAT was set to debut, a College Board officialsaid in a conference for test center coordinatorsin Boston that some students would get an experimental section. College Boarddidn't elaborate much further on what this meant. When counselors received theirAdvising and AdmissionHandbook, they saw these instructions: "The SAT given in a standard testing room (to students with no testing accommodations) consists of four components - five if the optional 50-minute Essay is taken - with each component timed separately. The timed portion of the SAT with Essay (excluding breaks) is three hours and 50 minutes. To allow for pretesting, some students taking the SAT with no Essay will take a fifth, 20-minute section. Any section of the SAT may contain both operational and pretest items."* *Emphasis mine. Operational items, by the way, are questionsthat count toward scores. Pretest itemsare not scored and don't factor in. Despite their declared commitment to transparency, College Board has been pretty opaque about the experimental section and whether or not it counts toward students' final scores! When the new SAT was administered in March and May, some students got an extra 20-minute section at the end. All the students that got the experimental section had chosen not to take the essay. All students who opted for the essay section did not have the extra experimental section. It could have been Writing, Reading, or Math. It's possible thatthis experimental section is unscored and meant to test out future material. It may be thatCollege Board is being vague on this point to make sure that students still take this section seriously. If students knew it was unscored, then they might not try as hard - or even skip it completely - and then College Board wouldn't be able to test out material for future tests. At the same time, no one seems to know yet whether or not this section indeed has "operational items." At this point, if you get an extra 20-minute section during your test, you should treat it no differently than you do the rest of the SAT. Before getting into additional tips on how the experimental section affects your test prep, let's compare it to the experimental section on the old SAT. What was that experimental section like, and what's the purpose of experimental sections on the SAT in the first place? What Was the Experimental Section on the Old SAT? The experimental section on the old SAT was much more easily understood than the one on the new SAT. College Board was transparent about the fact that there was an experimental section on every SAT. All students got this extra section. It was unidentified, so they couldn't know which section it was. The experimental, or variable, section was an extra 25-minutes that could have appearedasany subject - Math, Writing, or Critical Reading. It remained unscored, andtest-takers couldn’t predict which section was the experimental one. College Board kept it unidentified so that studentswould take it as seriously as any other section. In theory, the experimental section was indistinguishable from other sections of the SAT. In reality, though, and especially on test administrations immediately preceding the redesigned test, students noticed some strange questions unlike anything they’d prepared for on practice tests. Some of these unusual questions, as it turned out, resembled material that has sinceappeared on the redesigned SAT. So even though past students didn't know which section was experimental, they did know to expect one. On the new SAT, many students were surprised to be met with an extra 20-minute section. So why does College Board include these extra sections on the SAT?What exactly is their purpose? Why Are ThereExperimental Sections on the SAT? In the past, the SAT experimental section was given for three main reasons: to test out future material, to ensure fairness and gauge difficulty level, and to detect any evidence of cheating. Presumably, the experimental section on the new SAT hassimilarpurposes. Let's look at each function in a bit more detail. To Test Out Future Material College Board, or rather its contracted test developer, Educational Testing Service (ETS), used the experimental section for years to try out new questions and material for future tests. In the past, ETS mainly used this section for developing near identicaltests. More recently, though, the experimental sections included especially novel question types as ETS worked toward therevampedSAT. If you took the "old" SAT in 2014 or 2015, you may have felt likean SAT guinea pig. The fact that College Board's been unclear about the experimental section on the new SAT suggests that it's still being used to test out future material. They want students to take it seriously, so they can get an accurate sense of the quality of their questions. At the same time, College Board has suggested that any section on the SAT, including this extra 20-minute one, could have a combination of "operational" and "pretest" items. Therefore, we can't know for sure yet whether or not every question on the extra 20-minute section really is unscored, even though only a fraction of students are taking it. To Ensure Fairness and Gauge Difficulty Level In years past, ETS used the data from the experimental section to determine whether questions were fair and comparable to past tests. They also analyzed the results across gender, race, socioeconomic status, and other social categories to ensure that the questions were equally accessible to students across demographics. Of course, manywould argue that SAT scores have always correlated with levels of family income and parental education and will continue to do so. This correlationkeeps the SAT and its validity a matter of controversy.It alsounderlies the statements given bymany colleges about why they've recently adoptedtest optional or test flexible admissions policies. Beyond working toward fairness, ETS also used results from the experimental section to gain insight into the levels of questions. If 80% of students got a question correct, for instance, then ETS could categorize it in the "easy" level. This understanding helped test designers select and arrange questions on new tests. Presumably, College Board is analyzing data from the 20-minute experimental section of the SAT in a similar way. One notable difference, however, is that only students who opted out of the essay section weregiven this extra section. To Find Evidence ofCheating Finally, inrare cases, ETS used the experimental section to detect cheating. There have been a few cases where students gained access to questions and answers before test day. If a student performed amazingly on all sections except the experimental one, then ETS could audit the test to investigate for any unfair advantage. Any students who had access to the test beforehand would have known which section was experimental (and probably freak out a little on the inside). But of course,the majority of students would never cheat on this important test, and they also would have beenhard pressed to figure out which section was experimental. Let's consider that last issue in some more detail. Did takers of the old SAT know which section was experimental? How obvious is it to takers of the SAT now? CanTest-Takers KnowWhich Section IsExperimental? The answer to this question varies depending on whether students took the old SAT or are taking the redesigned SAT of today. As such, let's consider them separately, starting with takers of the SAT today (ie, in March of 2016 and after). Takingthe New SAT Takers of the new SAT could tell which section was experimental. The new SAT has a straightforward format. It starts with a 65-minute Reading section, followed by a 35-minute Writing section. Then you get a 25-minute Math No Calculator and a 55-minute Math with Calculator. Thus the unexpected20-minute section of unpredictable subject matter was clearly the experimental one. Students who registered for the SAT with Essay wentonto the 50-minute essay as their last section. Students who opted out of the essay likely thought they were all done, but many then had to takean extra 20-minute section. As this section was not represented in College Board's breakdown of the test and practice tests, it appeared to be the experimental one. Takers of the old SAT had it a little differently, as you'll see below. Taking the Old SAT Takers of theoldSAT, unlike many who took the new SAT, knew to expect an experimental section. However, they couldn't easily figure out which one it was. They knew that the experimental section was 25-minutes, but the old SAT also had fiveother 25-minute sections. At the end of their test, students could deduct which subject their experimental section covered, Math, Critical Reading, or Writing, byfiguring out where they had extra material. However, they had no sure way of knowing which Math, Critical Reading, or Writing section was experimental. There was one exception to this rule. While most experimental sections blended in indistinguishably from the rest of the test, a few on 2014 and 2015 tests stood out for their unusual question types. A few students noted that they got "evidence-based" questions on Reading, which asked for the evidence to their answer to a previous question. These question types were unprecedented on the old SAT, but they later showed up in abundance on the redesigned test, as you've seen if you've taken or prepped for it at all. Now that you have a sense of the experimental sections on the old and new SAT, let's figure out how this extra section affects your test prep, if at all. What can you doto prepare for an extra 20-minute section of unpredictable content? Should the experimental section affect how you trainfor the SAT? How Does the Experimental Section Affect Your Prep? Just knowing about the experimental section is one important way to prepare for the test. If you're taking the SAT without the essay section, then don't be too surprised if you get a 20-minute section in Math, Reading, or Writing as a fifth section, after the Math with Calculator. If you're taking the SAT with Essay, then so far it seems that you don't have to worry about the experimental section. Unfortunately, College Board hasn't been too explicit about this section, who gets it, or what it means. We'll try our best to give you advance warning if they end up adding an extra section to the SAT with Essay version of the test, too! Besides learning about the experimental section, there are a few additional tips to consider when prepping for the SAT. Take All Questions Seriously Let's say you've signed up for the SAT without the essay and made it through your first threehours of testing. Then you get an extra 20-minute section in Math, Reading, or Writing. It might feel all too easy to blow off this section and just start filling in random bubbles. This would be a mistake, though. College Board has said that all sections, including this 20-minute one, contain operational and pretest items. There's no way of saying for sure that your performance on these questions won't be counted toward your final scores at all. As you saw above, College Board also used the experimental section in past years to determine the validity of scores. If you did great on other sections but bombed the experimental section, then this inconsistency raised red flags. We don't know yet whether the 20-minute section is used for these same purposes, but dismissing it as insignificant doesn't seem worth the risk! While you may start to feel fatigued at the end of such a long test, try your best to finish up strong. That brings us to the next tip - prepare for a longer test. Prepare for a Longer Test If you're taking the SAT without the essay, then you might benefit from prepping with longer tests. Taking timed practice tests is an important part of your prep, as it allows you to hone your time management skills and get better at staying alert over a long period of testing. Since the experimental section adds 20 minutes, you could simulate the experience by adding extra questions to your own practice tests. There aren't actually any 20-minute sections on the official SAT practice tests - the one that comes closest is the 25-minute Math No Calculator section - so you might have to create this extra section from scratch by collecting extra practice questions. Since the 65-minute Reading section usually has 52questions, you could collect 16or so to answer. For Writing, you might answer about 25questions. Math No Calculator could stay about the same, perhaps taking away two or three questions. For the Math with Calculator, you could design a section with about 13 or 14questions. Don't worry about getting the proportion of time to questions exactly right. The important point is that you add 20 minutes or so of additional testing time with SAT practice questionsto train your focus over a longer period of time. Of course, it's unclear whether all students who are taking the SAT without the essay will get an experimental section. This unpredictability leads us to our final point - stay adaptable! Stay Adaptable For the most part, you can know exactly what to expect on SAT test day, from testing procedures to the structure of the test to the types of questions you'll encounter. The main source of unpredictability is this 20-minute experimental section, which may feature additional Reading, Writing, or Math questions. Since College Board has historically used the experimental section to test out future material, it may add unusual question types that you're not prepared for. If you encounter something weird, try not to let it mess with your head. Just doyour best and roll with the punches. While you can't know for sure and should take every section seriously, many items on this section might be "pretest," or unscored, anyway. At least, that's what you can tell yourself so you can keep your cool and stay confident! Again, you can largelyknow what to expect on test day. As long as you practicefor answering questions and managing your time, you can expect to achieve similar scores as you have on practice tests. By prepping with a plan, you can feel confident about the test, with or without an extra experimental section! What's Next? Are you curious about other changes to the SAT this year? Check out the ten major changes you need to know about the redesigned SAT. Once you've familiarized yourself with the changes, you're ready to start studying! This expert guide discusses the best ways to study for the SAT. Are you looking to hone in on a particular section? Check out our ultimate study guides for the Reading section, Writing section, and Math sections of the SAT, along with our step-by-step instructions for writing the essay! Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today!

Whats the Standard High School Curriculum You Should Take

What's the Standard High School Curriculum You Should Take SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you wondering what a typical high school curriculum looks like? Do you want to know what classes you’ll be taking as a high school student? Read this guide to learn about the standard high school curriculum, high school graduation requirements, and what classes colleges expect you to have taken. How to Find Your School's Curriculum This is a general guide to high school curricula. It was created by researching national education standards, as well as the curricula of high schools across the country. While the information below applies to many students, not all high schools teach the same courses, follow the same course sequence, or have the same curriculum requirements. Use this information as a guideline to research your own high school’s curriculum more in-depth. To find your own school's curriculum, talk to your academic adviser. You can also look on your school's website, searching for "graduation requirements", "course sequence" or something similar. Your high school's course catalog will also usually contain this information. Which Subjects Should You Take More Rigorous Courses In? In addition to explaining typical graduation requirements, each core subject in this guide includes ways to exceed basic requirements and strengthen your transcript. However, trying to go the extra mile in every subject can be exhausting and lead to you getting burned out. Because colleges appreciate depth more than breadth, concentrate on putting extra effort in the area(s) you plan to continue studying in college. For example, if you plan on majoring in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) field, try to follow our guidelines for exceeding expectations in your math and science classes, and worry less about taking advanced courses in English and history (although still work to get solid grades in those courses). Similarly, if you plan on majoring in something like journalism, concentrate most of your effort on taking advanced English classes and additional English electives. Also, if you are looking at attending a highly competitive college, know that most expect applicants to have taken honors or advanced classes if their school offers them, and most also require or highly recommend completing four years in each core subject (math, science, English, and social studies). Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. Standard High School Curriculum Below is information on the typical classes a high school student will be expected to take, organized by subject. Each subject includes classes that are required to graduate high school, classes colleges expect students to have taken, and suggestions for ways to impress by going beyond these expectations. English Requirements: Four years of English are required to graduate high school. Freshman and Sophomore years: Classes during these years will be primarily focused on developing writing and critical reading skills. Junior year: This year will focus on American literature, as well as continued development of writing skills. Senior Year: Electives Possible electives include British literature, creative writing, and world literature. Colleges will expect all high school graduates to have completed four years of English. To Exceed Expectations: Take honors or AP classes when possible. There are two AP English classes: English Language and Composition (usually taken junior year), and English Literature and Composition (usually taken senior year). There are three IB literature classes: Language A: Literature, Language A: Language and Literature, and Literature and Performance. Also consider taking additional English electives in areas that you’re interested in, such as literature or writing. Math Requirements: At least three years of math, including algebra and geometry, is required to graduate high school. The typical course order is: Algebra 1 Geometry Algebra 2/Trigonometry Pre-Calculus Calculus (Not all students start with algebra 1, and not all students complete all the above courses or follow the above order exactly) Most colleges require three-four years of math for non-STEM majors, including algebra 1 and 2 and geometry. For STEM majors, most colleges require four years of math, sometimes including pre-calculus and calculus. To Exceed Expectations: Take four years of math. Take math at the highest level offered by your school, such as at an honors or AP level. There are three AP Math classes: Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Statistics. There are four IB Math classes that cover roughly the same material but vary in difficulty and speed. Take pre-calculus and calculus, if possible. Take additional math-related electives such as statistics and computer math. Science Requirements Two to three years of science, including biology and chemistry, is required to graduate high school. Freshman year: Biology Sophomore year: Chemistry Junior year: Physics or Earth Science Students who are more confident in their math and science skills typically take physics, while those who are not take earth science instead. Senior year: optional electives Potential electives include astronomy, environmental science, and human biology. Most colleges require two-three years of science for non-STEM majors. For STEM majors, most colleges require four years of science, including physics. To Exceed Expectations: Take four years of science. Take honors or accelerated classes your first three years. Take physics instead of earth science your junior year. Take an AP science class your senior year. AP science classes include: Biology, Chemistry, Physics (1,2, and C versions), and Environmental Science There are seven IB science classes: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Design Technology, Environmental Systems and Societies, Sports, Education and Health Science You can also take more career-focused classes if your school offers them, such as job shadowing at a hospital. Social Studies Requirements: Three years of social studies, including US history, is often required to graduate high school. Freshman year: Introductory course This can be a human geography course or another introductory social studies class. Sophomore year: World history Junior year: US History Senior year: Optional electives Possible electives include psychology, US government, and anthropology. Most colleges require completing at least two years of social studies, often including US history and World or European history classes. For students planning on majoring in a related field, such as political science or history, most colleges require they have completed four years of social studies. To Exceed Expectations: Take four years of social studies. Take AP classes when possible during your first three years. AP options during these three years include Human Geography, World History, European History, and US History During your senior year, take an AP social studies elective, if possible. AP electives include Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Psychology, US Government and Politics, and Comparative Government and Politics. IB classes for social studies are offered under the group entitled â€Å"Individuals and Societies†. Ten classes are offered on varying subjects. Foreign Language Requirements: Foreign language requirements can vary greatly by school. Most high schools require students to complete one-two years of foreign language. Most colleges require one-two years of a foreign language, and highly competitive schools may require or recommend up to four years. Most high schools and colleges require that these credits all come from the same foreign language. For example, if your high school requires two years of foreign language, taking Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 will meet that requirement, but taking Spanish 1 and then switching to Italian 1 often won’t. To Exceed Expectations: Take one foreign language all four years of high school, including AP level if possible. You may also want to consider taking a second foreign language. Other Classes These are classes that are not part of the core curriculum, but may still be a part of graduation requirements. Electives Most high schools require students to complete a certain number of credits in order to graduate. Core requirements (such as those listed above) usually do not fill all these credits, so extra space in your schedule can be used to take electives. Electives can be regular, honors, or AP level. They can relate to a core subject, such as statistics, creative writing, and zoology, or not, such as choir, drawing, and woodworking. Physical Education Many high schools require students to complete one-four years of physical education. This may be waived if you participate in a school sport. How to Use This Information Now that you know what the typical high school curriculum looks like, you can use this information to make more informed decisions about your own high school classes. Some actions to take include: Think about your course sequence early, ideally starting freshman year if possible. Reflect on your course choices each quarter or semester. Are you on track to graduate on time? Are you taking the classes you need to get into the colleges you want and the major you want? Talk to your academic adviser if you're not sure. Think about the subject areas where you want to exceed expectations and choose your classes accordingly. However, don't be afraid to drop to a lower level if you're having a lot of trouble with a particular class. What's Next? Wondering if you're taking enough challenging classes? Check out our guide to learn what a rigorous high school course load looks like. Do you know what colleges look for on your transcript? Learn what a high school transcript is and why it's so important to colleges. Want to get more detailed information about the classes you should take? Check out our guides to choosing classes for English, Math, Science, History, and Foreign Languages! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: