Processes of Employee Resourcing

Processes of Employee Resourcing INTRODUCTION EMPLOYEE RESOURCING PROCESS Employee resourcing process is a part of human resourcing management which addresses one of the core areas of human resource practices: recruitment and selection. The greatest and most precious Assets of any organization is its employees and the most successful organizations comprise of a well formulated strategy and better management of human resources. The major role of human resource management is acquiring the employee services, developing their skills motivating them to high levels of performance And ensure that they continue to maintain their commitment to organizational objectives that leads to the implementation of organizational Strategy. Now considering the broad of context of global recession with increasing competition and scarcity, for Modern corporation for operating in its core firms the large scale employment is both a constraint and opportunity, where we can see the birth of strategic human resource management. In order to say employee resourcing process supports strategic human resource management, by considering the facts we can see that the strategic management of human resources is spread in successive layers of organization, which is addressing some fundamental environmental demands starting from hiring the right people for participation, motivating them to achieve organizational objectives. EMPLOYEE RESOURCING PROCESS SUPPORTING STRATEGIC HRM Resourcing is a process which helps management to establish and then change the behaviour of employees and increase their competencies too. Strategies of resourcing are basically two: Recruitment: Recruitment is the process by which an applicant is attracted towards the company and where the organization sells itself as an attractive workplace. Selection: Selection is the process in which a candidate is given a job from the pool of applicants, even assessing the applicant’s performance in accordance with the legislation and companies requirements. Selection is different from requirement, where recruitment technically precedes selection. Recruitment involves identifying the sources of manpower and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organizations. On the other hand selection is the process choosing best out of recruited. Recruitment aims at increasing the number of applications for increasing the selection ratios. SELECTION PROCESS According to Gupta (2006), selection is a process of choosing the most suitable persons out of all the participants. In this process, relevant information about applicant is collected through series of steps so as to evaluate their competence for the job to be filled. Selection is the process of assessing the candidates by various means and making a choice followed by an offer of employment (Graham, 1998, p.206). The selection process includes all activities related to internal movement of people across positions in departments and as well as hiring. The process should match the available human resources to jobs or positions in the organization. The main strategic concern is Design, Careful attention should be given to Design a selection system that supports the organizational strategy. For example if a company plans to diversify or is going to change its strategy a careful analysis should be made of the types of people who will be needed to staff the new business or businesses and also parallel analysis should be made of general availability Of such person. Even though some Companies say that this type of planning will not yield a sufficient return on their investment of Time and energy, they say that they will go out and hire the appropriate people from the competition, if necessary, when they are needed. Strategic fit is the key to the success of any recruitment and selection activity. Gathering of evidence and information does selection process from a variety of sources, most commonly by interviews, assessment centre’s, psychometric tests and references. Any selection method must be job related. Generally there are four stages of selection where these stages are again divided. Short-list from evidence supplied Selection process Assessment of evidence from all sources Validating selection 1. Short-listing Short-listing can be a difficult process if supply far exceeds demand or if the criteria specified for the job are so general that they fail to act as self-selecting filter. In some organizations, short-listing can be fairly arbitrary but in others an objective assessment against the job description and person specification or competency requirements will take place. 2. Selection It is unusual for one selection method to be used alone. A combination of two or more methods is generally used. A. Application forms Forms were considered to act as a useful preliminary to employment interviews and decisions. This made sorting of applications and short listing easier and enabled interviewers to use the form as the basis for the interview. Generally these are used as a straight forward way of giving a standard synopsis of applicant’s history. B. Telephone interviewing These can be used if speed is particularly important, and if geographical distance is an issue, as interviews with appropriate candidates can be arranged immediately. CIPD (2006) report that 56% of organizations use this method of selection. Positive aspect is content will be concentrated rather than person. Interviews Various interviews include one-to-one, one-to-two, panel, sequential and behavioral interviews.( these interviews are not discussed in brief as they are discussed in detail in the below 2nd section) C. Tests The use of tests in employment procedures is surrounded by for and against feelings. Tests can be seen as giving credibility to selection decisions in strategic aspects. Different types of tests include 1.Psychological tests, 2. General intelligence tests, 3. Special attitude tests, 4. Trainability tests, 5. Attainment tests. 6. Aptitude tests, 3. Assessments centre’s Assessment centre’s is a multi method strategy for selection and may include interviews and psychometric tests. Assessment centers are developed from the recruitment criteria. For each dimension identified for a particular job role a variety of exercises or tasks are developed to test that dimension. Design of an assessment centre is crucial and needs to be specific to the vacancy being filled and to the organization. 4. Validation of selection procedures The critical information that is important for determining validity is the selection criteria used, the selection process used, and evaluation of individual at the time of selection and current performance of individual. It is useful for validation process if a record is made of the scores that each achieved in each part of the selection process. Test results are easy to quantify and for interview results a simple grading can be used. This includes medical checks and reference checks. Reference check helps to confirm (or deny) the information received from the employee resourcing process (factual check) and/or provide evidence of character or ability (character reference). Factual reference gives an indication of the candidate’s previous experience, his /her suitability and development potential Useful to provide the referee with a job description and ask his/her questions about the candidate’s previous job performance and relate this to the position on offer. Structured telephone reference check is the most beneficial way to obtain the information as people are usually more forthcoming with verbal feedback than written information. If the company does supply a reference it must be accurate. Employee resourcing policy should state clearly whose reference will be used, when in the process they will taken up and what kind of references will be necessary (e.g. from former employers). Objectives of Selection The basic idea in a selection process is to solicit maximum possible information about the candidates to ascertain their suitability for employment. Various steps involved in a selection process. Firstly, the selection process depends upon the type of personnel to be selected. For example, more info is required for the selection of managerial person when compared with subordinate workers. Secondly, it depends on the sources of recruitment and the method that is adopted for making contact with prospective candidates. For example in case of advertisement, selection process is more comprehensive and time-consuming, where as in the case of campus recruitment the process is shortened Thirdly, it also depends upon on the number of candidates that are available for selection. If the number is large enough, there is a need for creating various filtering points and reducing the number of applicants at each successive point. There is no standard selection procedure to be used in all organizations or for all jobs. The complexity of selection procedures increases with the level and responsibility of the position to be filled. Therefore, the strategy and the method used for selecting employees varies from firm to firm and form one job to another. Selection Interviews Legislation underpinning the selection process in strategically aspects â€Å"Law is not an abstract thing, it’s a living organism Since it’s applied on living human beings â€Å" Impact of legislation on selection process Right from the starting legislation has greatly influenced the selection process. Legislation is geared to remove discrimination from the process and ensure equal opportunity. Any selection process is designed to discriminate, but it is on the grounds of who has the best skills and abilities which fits the job and nothing else. Lester says, â€Å"When people sell their services and spend their lives in the premises of the purchaser of the services, a varying amount of dissatisfaction, discontent, industrial unrest likely to occur Hence the need for employee legislations. The employee legislation, labour legislation, human resource legislation whatever name it may be called refers to one and same concepts that cover a number of legislations passed by the governments. As the companies invest a lot through joint ventures or own source will definitely look towards concept of maximizing profit, which will lead to exploitation of Human resources and the executives Needs to be trained in the labour legislations, sociology, psychology, and psychiatry aspects. Now we will discuss the Federal laws and state laws specifying required, acceptable and prohibited employment practices, place constraints on recruitment, selection, placement and training and other human resource activities. Facts and resources say legislation and regulations enacted by governments have a direct impact on area of HRM policy and practice in which they are concerned. Moon (1991) noted there is an impact of legislation in areas such as equal opportunity, occupational health and safety and industrial relations in Australia. Moore and Devereaux Jennings stated, †In Canada, to a considerable extent, legal regulations shape human resources policies and constrain HRM practices.† Source: ( Bob Kane, Ian palmer.1995.International Journal of Man power: page no 11-19,viewed on December 3rd 2008 ,15:16) link- .http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?contentType=ArticleFilename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0160160501.pdf) From the above figure we can easily identify the potential influences of legislation on HRM. LEGISLATIONS IN UNITED KINGDOM If we take United Kingdom, the employment laws are concerned with deterring employers from discriminating. There are two major acts of parliament that govern sex discrimination matters in UK, they are the Equal Pay Act 1970 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. Sex discrimination is an area of law which has been one of EU competence so appeals can be made to the European court of justice. Sex discrimination Act and Racial Relations Act Under this terms of Sex discrimination act(SDA) and the Race relations act 1976 (RRA), it is unlawful to discriminate in employment-including recruitment, training and promotion-on the grounds of a person’s sex or martial status (SDA) or their race, colour ,nationality, ethinic and national orgin (RRA) Three different types of discrimination is defined under this act Direct discrimination Indirect discrimination Victimisation Gender Reassignment Sexual orientation Genuine occupational orientation Race relations amendment act 2000 Disability discrimination Act Under the terms of this act (DDA) discrimination will arise if , for a reason which relates to the person’s disability, the employer treats that person less favourably than it treats or would treat others who are not disabled ,unless there is a substantial justifaction. Under this act a disabled person is defined as anyone with â€Å"physical or mental impairment which has substantial and long term adverse effect on his/her ability to carry out normal day to day activities. Employers are expected to make â€Å"reasonable adjustments† to accommodate people with disabilities. Religious cultural beliefs Under this act no applicant should receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of his/her religion. This legislation out lawing discrimination on grounds of religion was introduced in UK in December 2003, Effectively it prohibits direct indirect discrimination, harassment and victimization on the grounds of religion or belief. Ageism Employment Equality(age) regulations 2006 came into force on 1 october 2006, They prohibit unjustified direct and indirect age discrimination, and all harassment and victimization on grounds of age. Equal pay act The Equal pay act means that men and women in the same employment have the right to equality in the terms of their employment contract. This applies where the person is engaged on like work, the work is related as equivalent work and also considered to be of equal value. Rehabilitation of offenders act The rehabilitation of offenders Act concerns the employment with a criminal record. If a person has been convicted of an offense, provides they have not been re-convicted for a further offense during a specific period. The person( job applicant) is required to disclose it, if asked by an employer. Data protection act This act applies to personal data held in a structured way in a medium (paper, computer, microfiche, tape, etc). To comply with Act, information must be collected and used fairly ,stored safely and not disclosed to anyone unlawfully. There are eight data protection principles set out in the act. Processed fairly and lawfully; Obtained and processed for specified purposes Adequate, relevant and not excessive Accurate and update Held for no longer than necessary Processed in accordance with subject rights Kept secure; Not transferable outside the European economic area –unless equivalent levels of protection for personal data exist. Asylum and immigration act Under the asylum and immigration act the employer could be guilty of a criminal offense if they employ someone who doesn’t have permission to work in UK . This act applies to all temporary, permanent and casual appointments. The fixed –term employees regulations 2002 This regulation on fixed-term employees came into effect from 1 october 2002. The regulations are intended to protect employees engaged on fixed term contracts from being treated less favorably than comparable employees on indefinite contracts. All the above regulations were made, not only for the employee but also for the employer so that the employment can be upholded. These regulations can affect the selection process so that no job applicant will receive less favorable treatment on the grounds of political belief, sex, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or social crisis. Orange.co.uk Cipd.co.uk 1000ventures.com Hrmguide.co.uk Hr.com

Capitalism And Consumerism Of Society

Capitalism And Consumerism Of Society Present society in the west is characterized by a capitalist economic system that is founded on private ownership of property and a profit driven economy. This economy has consequently produced few super rich individuals and further stratified the western society, (Banish the bloated overclass, p. 71). Capitalism is different to a socialist economic system where ownership of property is by the state or communally (Shachtman, p.96). The profit driven economy encourages businesses and enterprises to exploit the market for the sole purpose of making a profit. The marketing strategies of capitalism have therefore created a society of consumers whose benefit is through consumption on the individual level while the monetary profits go to the capitalists. Capitalism has created a society that consumer based and the new phenomenon has been labeled as consumerism. Consumerism has extended even into those areas, which were previously under state control as opposed to being under the control of private corporations. These include the health sector and education among others. The presence of numerous corporations which provide all kinds of services and merchandise have expanded the choices available to consumers. This has created societies, which are based on consumerism as opposed to the earlier societies, which were work based. A consumer society can be identified by the consumption habits of individuals while a work based societys identity lies in the citizenship and occupations of individuals, (Shachtman, p.101). In addition, the consumer society has evolved into a new culture, which has diverse and often contradicting principles to those of work and citizenship. Consequently, capitalists, out to maximum their revenue realization venture into global markets to exploit new markets. This will eventually lead to a single global culture based on consumerism, and individual consumer patterns based on cultural uniqueness and other such factors will be eliminated. As capitalists devise new ways of maximizing their profits, the consumers in a society based on consumerism look for goods of high quality and with the lowest cost. Consequently, both the consumers and the capitalists are not driven by social responsibility and do not try to deal with issues that are created by capitalism and consumerism. Social respon sibility is in the hands of the government and the society but the culture of consumerism and capitalism encourages individualism as each entity is in pursuit of its own goals without considering how some of these goals might be affecting others and the society in genera, (Shachtman, p.106). The nature of the western society made it possible to be targeted for consumer society. A society full of egocentricity, deceptive advertising, nihilism, and values subjectivism to academic goals is easier to sway to the path of consumerism. In such a society where economic growth is the only important thing to any individual and has the capabilities and the power to displace or degrade moral values as we traditionally knew them, the gauge of self worth is always buying power. Those in a position to buy and own property have a more reinforced worth in a society upholding consumerism. The contribution of the media can not be ignored as it continues to create an image which everyone in the western society tries to fit in thus distorting the self worth and self awareness of each person. It is the goal of every capitalist to seduce a large television audience into identification of his personality with specifically designed consumer ideas and advertising fantasies. We no longer possess t he ability to do our things independent of consumerism justification. Advertising duplicity and consumerism are now potential threats to the individuation process and consciousness regardless of continued linking of capitalism to the beginning of consciousness. Social cultural meaning diminishes as it is exploited further by media which siphons inexpressible content in order to attract more consumers. The ability to control consumption gives most capitalists the power to influence the evolvement of different consumption patterns over time. They employ different but simple mechanisms like the promise of a simpler life. The end result is a consumer revolution which in turn forced a relevant reaction in terms of information, communication and technology leading to even more production of goods and services. The goods which result from this high production forces the capitalist society to convince more people to consume goods and alters the basic institution through generation of new ideologies for pleasure. A completely new description of pleasure can also result. One of the major set back of capitalism and consumerism is witnessed at times of economic crisis. The capitalist system has been able to solve the entire crisis but considerably harming the environment especially when we consider the waste created and the resources utilized. A consumer culture is exploitative, both indirectly and indirectly. Consumption of goods and services involves spending money, which is not equally available across a society that is founded on capitalism. Considering that most resources are not infinite, there must be mechanisms that ensure that they rationed. In this context, consumption does not allow full choice for all individuals but only to those who have the purchasing power, (could you afford to be poor, p. 75). This means that vital services under the control of capitalist structures are not accessible to those who cannot afford them. Scott, (2005) states that good medical care and education is not accessible to the poor meaning that people in loose their lives if they do not have the money to have their illnesses fixed. This brings in the question of whether these divisions should only be for the wealthy or should be available for all. In this regard, consumerism culture may work more towards protecting the possessions of the wealthy through a consumerism culture, which is divisive in nature. The illusion that consumerism puts forward is that of choice for all, which is an effective way of ensuring that the deprived do not harbor sentiments that the capitalist system is short charging them. Consumerism therefore divides the haves from the have-nots and further stratifies the society. In the essay Going to extremes: CEOs vs. Slaves, the author notes the wide margins in terms that exist between the capitalist and consumers, noting that CEOs earn as much as 260% more that the third highest executive, (p. 70). The essay further notes that billionaires, created by capitalism exploit the labor market by subjecting employees to slave-like working conditions with a peanut salary. As much as consumer goods are available across the society, only those who have the money to purchase will benefit. This, according to Karl Marx, is the root of most societal problems, which arise from controlled consumption because of poverty. In a consumerism culture, individuals are motivated by the ability to acquire what they desire. This is not an obstacle for those who can afford it, but for the poor, it is continuous challenge to keep up with consumerism. Although this culture may make products, especially technology readily available in the market, those whose purchasing power is limited will not have access. Technology like PCs, hi-tech communication devices such as phones, LCD TVs and so forth remain unobtainable to the poor. The resulting economic disparity serves only to paint a dreary future for the affected economies. As the rich gain more control and the poor are left with fewer alternatives, the political hierarchy in turn adheres to these policies which violate the commonly held ideas regarding peaceful coexistence and human rights resulting to a self propagating system of exploitation. The corporate capitalist view the consumer only as a target and only embark on factors which control interests thus alter ing culture; putting this up for sale is always made easier by the media advertising. Although there exists some constitutional guarantees, the corporate capitalist anyway subjects the public to economic and political systems which only exploit the rights of the many to the benefits of the few. The major contributors are always the movers of government policies which results to political agenda based on their cravings. This inability to access what they desire will lead individuals, especially those from poor backgrounds to engage in all manner of crimes in order to afford what they want. Juvenile burglary, drug peddling and prostitution are some crimes that are associated with people from poor backgrounds. Individuals driven by what they want will engage in activities, which violate the rights of others just to have enough power to purchase commodities. Just like the elite and the wealthy who own the manufacturing and distributing franchises and are solely driven by maximizing their profits, the consumers are driven by the ability to purchase as much as they can. This individuality, by the capitalists and the consumers alike, often infringe on the rights of others and over exploit available resources to achieve individual ends. Capitalist engage in unethical practices in order to maximum their revenue. In a society that is increasingly being taken up by the consumerism culture, the capitalists are faced with stiff competition as many more industries and companies come up to get their share of the profits. This creates an atmosphere of intense competitiveness among the capitalists who want to attract and retain a bigger market share. In order to this, they need to advertise their goods so that they are widely recognized by the consumers. Consequently, most of these advertisements are misleading to the consumer who in the end is unable to make an informed decision about the quality of the goods or services. A good example is the Macdonalds fast food chain, which previously advertised meals as healthy for children. This statement had to be revised when it was established that the meals so called healthy were responsible for childhood obesity, not to mention other lifestyle diseases that are rooted in the consu mption of greasy food. Therefore, the capitalists not only exploits the consumer by providing sub-standard goods, but may also provide false information, which may ultimately pose a serious risk to the health, life and overall well-being of the consumer. Every individual in the society has the capability of selling his or her labor products. Capitalist mode of production does not support this system. All what they need is a disjointed tie between producers and the means they use for production. This simply means that, the peasant farmers to loose their farms, artisans and constructors to loose their tools among other means to deny these people access. With deprived access, these people have no choice but to seek those who have the means of production to use their land and tools and in return gain some wages. The means of production is therefore the ultimate control as it gives you the opportunity to control the goods produced which are in turn bought by back by the same people who labor to produce them. The gap between the two groups is widened as the laborers are turned once again into consumers and the money taken back by those who own the means of production. They just lend you the money for sometime; but they own it. Consumerism has also led to environmental degradation in so many ways. In order to meet the demands of consumers in such a society, and in a world where resources are increasingly becoming depleted, manufactures will look for alternative sources of raw materials in other countries or localities. After they have exhausted the resources, they will move on to the next stop, without concern of how their activities are affecting the environment. In Hardings, (2001), before you finish eating breakfast this morning, he cites the production of rubber, which has led to extensive deforestation in Thailand, which has consequently resulted to increased urbanization. It is no wonder, that the issue of global warming has become a worrying reality to many governments around the world. Global warming has led to climatic changes, whose effects are felt more by people in the developing countries. This is because most of them rely on agriculture and the major source of GDP and unpredictable weather cyc les, droughts as well as floods means that agriculture can no longer be relied on for national revenue. Developing countries are constantly faced with food shortages and global warming has worsened the situation. Global warming is also caused by industry emissions, which destroy the Ozone layer in the atmosphere. Global warming is deeply rooted in industrialization, which in itself was fueled by capitalism and later consumerism. The means used to obtain these resources further destroys the environment. Harding, (2001) notes, tuna from Somalia is fished using explosives, which destroys the coastal eco system. Bananas obtained from the Dominican Republic are grown using chemical fertilizer, which destroys the soil balance. Consumerism and capitalism are enemies of the people. Behind the fancy advertisements, symbolic values, and the promise of merchandise lays their true value characterized and driven by profit making. It is a mechanism by which big businesses ensure continued buying by the consumers not only aimed at profit making. Obsession with consumerism coarsens the moral fiber to a state where the society no longer up holds tradition, but allows itself to be oppressed by structures of consumerism and credit obligations. Consumerism is nothing but a myth meant top make those who believe in it that they can gratify all their needs only through consuming. Cultural fulfillment and social obligations are sacrificed in the altar of gratification associated with owning property and buying goods. The truth is, this gratification is short lived and adds joy for a short moment to those who cal afford to gratify this need and leads to sadness to those who can not afford to fund this need. However, this gra tification deprives us the overall fulfillment of other important cultural mythologies. When culture is commercialized, there is always a lot to loose in terms of perceived reality. Our perception looses its depth, richness and periphery. For these, and other negative reasons that are associated with capitalism and the consumerism culture, it is imperative for the society to take action sooner than later in order to avoid inflicting permanent damage to the society fabric and the environment, which sustains it. Capitalism has created a materialistic society based on individual gratification without much thought of the impact on other people, cultures and environment. Such individual gratification has facilitated societal evils such as human trafficking; drug trafficking, prostitution and forms of crimes. To begin with, changing the consumerism culture in western society is not going to be an easy task, and will definitely not happen overtime. This culture is so ingrained in western societies to the extent that it is now second nature. A more difficult task will be changing the mentality of capitalism from profit realization to moral and social responsibility. Presently, there are groups and movements that are emerging which set an example in the way to change the consumerism culture in American people. The social groups and movements engage in activities such as garbage bin hunting. These people scour dustbins in supermarkets and hotels to get food that has been thrown away but is not spoilt. The foods included canned foods and packaged vegetables, which are thrown out simply because they have minor blemishes. This may seem like an extreme method but it is sending the message to society. That wastage leads to depletion of resources, in addition to denying them to other people who need them. Achieving change is not a task that can be accomplished by one element in this chain of capitalism and consumerism. To begin with, the government should establish policies and guidelines that will ensure that resources are not exploited or depleted. Secondly, the government should also tighten regulations that will protect the environment from abuse by unscrupulous capitalists. Current measures are not effective, evidenced in the current BP oils spill in the Mexican Gulf, which is threatening marine life over a large area. With these guidelines by and punitive measures incase they are violated; the society will be ready to begin the journey towards self-transformation without the use of extreme means that characterize revolutions. However, this kind of change can only begin when the society becomes conscientious about the damage of their current habits and their long-term effects. People may perceive consumerism as a convenient lifestyle where they are able to buy anything to make life easier. However, people should realize that this convenience has adverse effects on the freedoms of others and the environment. Industries should also become more conscientious, and ensure that they do not destroy the very environment that makes their businesses possible in a bid to make quick profits. The industry should acknowledge their moral and social responsibility and ensure that their practices are environmental friendly, do not exploit resources or the market. This can be achieved through civic education of the industry management on safe practices as well as the consumers on how to minimize waste and consider how the products they choose to buy are affecting others. This aspect is demonstrated by the current campaign b eing made for the use green products. In the background of global warming that is threatening the very existence of planet earth, numerous campaigns have been launched that admonish individuals to become environmentally conscious. This movement is referred to as the green revolution where society is going green and demanding only those products that are manufactured in ways that do not harm the environment. The green movement is making progress, as manufactures and merchandisers are compelled to use products and processes that do not destroy the already fragile environment. Even for those who are reluctant to make changes, they have no alternative, as the environmental conscious consumer will simply shun purchasing such products. The effectiveness of the green revolution has been great, and consumers should subsequently step up the movement by demanding more products to go green or else loose their market. Products that have gone green include foodstuff, clothing, technology, which includes phones and computers, furnitur e, toys and even cars. Everyone in the society can contribute to the green revolution by encouraging recycling, avoiding wasteful buying especially packaged food and the use of recyclable goods.

Anorexia and Bulimia :: Causes of Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia

Bulimia Nervosa   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  June Engel (1993), found that today’s society’s idealization of thinness is producing an alarming increase in eating disorders especially among young women. The never-ending efforts to lose weight and conform to the media image of an â€Å"ideal† shape are leading more and more young people to diet at the cost of health. Weight – preoccupation is now widespread in our society, affecting the people of all ages, classes, occupations and ethnic backgrounds. June, Engel (1993) reported that once considered just a subclass of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa is now recognized as its own disease, occurring mainly in women aged 16 to 25, especially among high school students. Bulimia nervosa affects an estimated 2-4 percent of Canadian females aged 12-25 (and some adolescent males.) Like anorexia nervosa, it too involves extreme weight-preoccupation, but with alternate side effects of binging and fasting, vomiting and purging being common pla ce after binges. Factors of Bulimia include a family history of alcoholism and depression. National Institute of Mental Health (1993) reported that even though it’s easier to talk about anorexia and bulimia being different conditions, individual patients often suffer from symptoms of both. Indeed, it often happens that bulimia develops after a period of months or years of anorexic symptoms. Women suffer from these disorders 10 times more than men, and so this leaflet refers to the sufferer as â€Å"she†! Although often thought of as adult problems these disorders most often start in the teenage years while the sufferer is still at home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Corben and Lindsey (1990) described that lots of people are becoming aware of obesity. Though these concerns are good, excessive concern for thinness is also a major problem (like Bulimia â€Å"a fear of obesity†.) June Engel (1993) illustrated that once you have an eating disorder sadly many remain eating – disordered and dissatisfied with themselves for life. Bulimics share the anorexic’s fear of losing control, being depressed, and obsessed with weight loss. Bulimics start on restricted diets but can never stick to them, and occupy their time in cycles of restricted eating, binging and self-inflicting vomiting and purging. They use a lot of laxatives, diuretics and sometimes even ipecac syrup (to force themselves to vomit.) When their dietary restraint breaks down, bulimics binge on cast amounts of food – cakes, desserts, hotdogs, whatever is appetizing, then they vomit it all up to avoid weight gain. Self-imposed vomiting, which may take hours per sess ion, gets rid of only a few calories and is extremely hard on the digestive system, throat and heart.

A Plead for Weed :: Legal Issues, Drugs, Marijuana

â€Å"All Mexicans are crazy and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy,† (Anonymous, 1927). While marijuana has been seen as a malignant substance that causes insanity, the specific reason marijuana became illegal still remains unknown. Most Americans assumed marijuana was illegal due to the process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings that it was to protect citizens from the dangerous drug (Guither, 2011). However, the United States should completely legalize marijuana because it has its own benefits to improve the society. The debate over the legalization of marijuana is not a new phenomenon as it has been an ongoing controversy in the United States. In 7000 – 8000 B.C., marijuana was legal and used in woven fabric, food, incense, cloth, and rope (Guither, 2011). Marijuana remained legal until the Mexican-Americans smoked it and brought the plant with them during the Mexican Revolution in 1910. California then initiated the first marijuana state law outlawing the preparations of hemp (Guither, 2011). In addition, Latin Americans and black jazz musicians were also involved with marijuana, which played an essential part in the music scene. A newspaper in 1934 also editorialized that â€Å"marijuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows and look at a white women twice,† (Guither, 2011). Based on history, racism became the charge against marijuana. The history of marijuana has influenced the United States’ decision not to legalize marijuana completely today. Legalizing marijuana is still a concern because the United States has failed to recognize the potential benefits of marijuana. Some states have recently legalized a small portion of marijuana only for medical purposes. The people who oppose to the legalization of marijuana have never given a chance to understand the benefits of marijuana. They should take into consideration that legalizing marijuana could create major changes to the world. The current interest of legalizing the use of marijuana has led to two arguments: The entrance of people into the field of drug abuse, and the insistence that people believe marijuana is not a detrimental drug compared to alcohol and tobacco (Bloomquist, 1967). With the strict laws prohibiting the use of marijuana, individuals have decided to use their own methods to obtain marijuana illegally. This type of criminal behavior causes the police to arrest individuals for marijuana violation (Bloomquist, 1967). This convinces proponents to believe that the current laws have restricted and violated people’s constitutional rights to smoke marijuana instead of tobacco or instead of drinking alcohol (Bloomquist, 1967).

Does Shakespeare matter? :: essays research papers

In today’s world the quality of the art form called writing is said to be somewhat diminishing, it is important for English literature to keep some studies of classic literature, such as Shakespeare. I think well rounded education must have a strong foundation in both modern and classical literature, for the foundation in classical literature, an in-depth study of Shakespeare’s works would be more than sufficient. Not only was Shakespeare so skilled in his writing that he has become a significant point in the history of literature, but a majority of his works were written on such basic human themes that they will last for all time and must not be forgotten. William Shakespeare has become landmark in English literature. One must be familiar with the early days of English literature in order to comprehend the foundation of much of more modern literature’s basis. Shakespeare’s modern influence is still seen clearly in many ways. The success of Shakespeare’s works helped to set the example for the development of modern dramas and plays. He is also acknowledged for being one of the first writers to use any modern prose in his writings. Another sign of a truly dominant writer is one who finds even the entire existing vocabulary of the language limiting to his creativity. Shakespeare often did, and so on occasion created his own form of grammar and vocabulary, much of which has since become commonly used. Few modern writers have the skill to make new words which stick in the language, or to write in such a way that their words become used centuries later. By using just the right combination of words, or by coming up with just the right image, Shakespeare wrote many passages and entire plays that were so powerful, moving, tragic, comedic, and romantic that many are still being memorized and performed today, almost four centuries later. But the greatness of Shakespeare’s ability lies not so much in the basic themes of his works but in the creativity he used to write these stories of love, power, greed, discrimination, hatred, and tragedy. Therefore there can be no doubt that knowledge of the works of Shakespeare is needed for any education of English literature to be considered complete and well rounded.

The Joys of Being Pregnant

On August 9, 2010, life as I knew it changed forever. It was a normal summer day at home, much like any other Monday that summer. Everything on the outside appeared to be the same as usual, but on the inside, I knew there was a change. I was two weeks pregnant and I wouldn’t know it until about 5:30 that night. It was a very emotional discovery, finding that I would become a mother in a little less than nine short months. Not only did that discovery change my life, but it also changed the lives of many others who love and care about me. My mother, 33, would become a young grandmother and my step dad, 26, would become an even younger grandfather. My boyfriend of three years would have to throw away his childhood and become a man for his son or daughter. I was scared to death that the shock and severity of my situation would destroy any chance of gaining the support of them, but all three, along with the rest of my family, kept loving me and began to love the new life growing inside of me. I am now eleven weeks pregnant and I have had the privilege of actually seeing my baby via ultrasound. He or she was almost a centimeter long on the first of September and resembled a peanut or a lima bean. Seeing the baby’s heartbeat flashing like a tiny strobe light hit me like a ton of bricks. The â€Å"embryo† that I had heard of in books and diagrams was now a child to me; a living, growing baby who was developing arms and legs and eyes. A baby that may grow up to have my dimples or my boyfriend’s blue eyes. He or she would call me â€Å"mommy† and love me unconditionally. And I would love him or her right back, as strong and as hard as I could. I keep the pictures from the sonogram on the refrigerator, but my favorite one is in a little white frame in my bedroom. I look at it often and I wonder how much the baby has changed since that picture was taken. My next appointment is the 29th, and I am so anxious to be able to see how much this life inside of me has grown and be able to take home more pictures that I will treasure as much as the first one.

Louis Althusser

In his essay, Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses, Louis Althusser demonstrates that in order to exist, a social formation is required to essentially, continuously and perpetually reproduce the productive forces (labour-power), the conditions of production and the relations of production. The reproduction of productive forces is ensured by the wage system which pays a minimum amount to the workers so that they appear to work day after day, thereby limiting their vertical mobility.The reproduction of the conditions of production and the reproduction of the relations of production happens through the State Apparatuses which are insidious machinations controlled by the capitalist ruling ideology in the context of a class struggle to repress, exploit, extort and subjugate the ruled class. The Marxist spatial metaphor of the edifice, describes a social formation, constituted by the foundational infrastructure i. e. , the economic base on which stands the superstructure comprising o f two floors: the Law-the State (politico-legal) and Ideology.Althusser extends this topographical paradigm by stating that the Infrastructural economic base is endowed with an â€Å"index of effectivity† which enables it to ultimately determine the functioning of the superstructure. He scrutinizes this structural metaphor by discussing the superstructure in detail. A close study of the superstructure is necessitated due to its relative autonomy over the base and its reciprocal action on the base. Althusser regards the State as a repressive apparatus which is used by the ruling class as a tool to suppress and dominate the working class.According to Althusser, the basic function of the Repressive State Apparatus (Heads of State, government, police, courts, army etc. ) is to intervene and act in favour of the ruling class by repressing the ruled class by violent and coercive means. The Repressive state apparatus (RSA) is controlled by the ruling class, because more often than n ot, the ruling class possesses State power. Althusser takes the Marxist theory of the State forward by distinguishing the repressive State Apparatus from the Ideological State Apparatuses (ISA).The ISAs consist of an array of institutions and multiple realities that propagate a wide range of ideologies such as Religious ISA, Educational ISA, Family ISA, Legal ISA, Political ISA, Communications ISA, Cultural ISA etc. He accentuates the differences between the RSA and the ISAs as follows: 1. The RSA functions as a unified entity (an organized whole) as opposed to the ISA which is diverse and plural. However, what unites the disparate ISAs is the fact that they are ultimately controlled by the ruling ideology. 2.The RSA function predominantly by means of repression and violence and secondarily by ideology whereas the ISA functions predominantly by ideology and secondarily by repression and violence. The ISA functions in a concealed and a symbolic manner. He declares that the School has supplanted the Church as being the crucial ISA which augments the reproduction of the relations of production (i. e. , the capitalist relations of exploitation) by training the students to become productive forces (labour-power) working for and under the Capitalist agents of exploitation.The Educational ISAs, which assume a dominant role in a Capitalist economy, conceal and mask the ruling class ideology behind its liberating qualities so that their hidden agendas become inconspicuous to the parents of the students. Althusser compares â€Å"ideology† to Freud’s â€Å"unconscious†. In the same sense that Freud had stated that the unconscious was eternal, he hypothesizes that ideology too is eternal due to its omnipresence. Therefore, ideology in general has no history.Althusser posits that it is not possible for a class to hold State power unless and until it exercises its hegemony (domination) over and in the ISA at the same time. The importance of ISAs is unde rstood in the wake of class struggles because ISAs are not only a crucial stake in class struggle but they are also the site of class struggle. The resistances of the exploited classes are able to find means and opportunities to express themselves in the ISAs to overpower the dominant class.An oppressed class can end its oppression by over powering the dominant/ruling class by utilizing the contradictions within the ISAs or by conquering combating positions in the ISAs during struggle. The crux of Althusser’s argument is the structure and functioning of â€Å"ideology†. Althusser explains the structure and functioning of ideology by presenting two theses. Firstly, he posits that ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence.This distortion of reality is caused by material alienation and by the active imagination of oppressive individuals who base their domination and exploitation on the falsified representations of the world in order to enslave the relatively passive minds of the oppressed. Secondly, he posits that ideology always has a material existence in the form of concrete entities or apparatuses (ISAs). Hence, an individual’s belief in various ideologies (imaginary realities) is derived from the ideas of the individual who is a subject endowed with a consciousness that is defined by the ISAs.This (false) consciousness inspires and instigates the subject to behave in certain ways, adopt certain attitudes and participate in certain regular practices which conform to the ideology within which he recognizes himself as a subject. The ideas of the subject are inscribed in the ritual practices based on the â€Å"correct† principles of that ideology. Hence, despite the imaginary distortion by ideology, a subject derives his beliefs from the ideas which become his material actions and practices governed by material rituals which are all defined by material ideological apparatus and derived from the same.Althusser’s central thesis states that ideology transforms individuals as subjects by a process of interpellation or hailing. The Family ISA is at work even before a child is born because it predetermines the identity of the child before its birth. Hence, an individual is always-already a subject. An individual is subjected to various levels of ideological subjection and each level of subjection or each ISA that subjects the individual influences the individual’s day to day activities and thereby determines his real conditions of existence.Further, Althusser demonstrates that the recognition of oneself as a ‘free’ subject within an ideology is only a misrecognition because the notion of a ‘free’ subject in ideology is only an illusion. In reality, the subject is subjugated, limited, restricted and controlled by ideology to such an extent that he has limited freedom and diminutive individual agency. Due to this misrecogni tion the subject acts and practices rituals steeped in the dominant ideology that are detrimental to his/her own welfare.