Assignment is to read the 22 page IPCC AR4 summary for policymakers Essay

Assignment is to read the 22 page IPCC AR4 summary for policymakers (SPM) (Introduction plus 5 sections) and write a concise summary of it - Essay Example shift in animal and plant ranges together with the earlier timing of various spring events has been linked to warming in the terrestrial ecosystems while changes in ice, frozen ground and snow have resulted in a general increase in both the total number and size of glacial lakes (Ipcc, 2007). It has been shown that the energy balance of the world’s climate system has been altered by changes in the atmospheric concentration of aerosols and various green house gases, solar radiation and total land cover. During the period ranging between 1970 and 2004, Carbon dioxide emissions have been shown to have grown by about 80%. The atmospheric concentration methane and carbon dioxide have exceeded the pre industrial levels recorded from ice cores over the last 650,000 years. This has mainly been attributed to the use of various agricultural products and fossil fuels (Ipcc, 2007). If the Emission of GHG continues at the current rate, this will potentially cause changes in the planet’s global climate system to be larger in the 21st century than those previously observed in the 20th century. Warming is expected to reduce the ocean and terrestrial uptake of CO2 resulting in an increase in the ocean’s acidity with an expected average decrease of its PH by about 0.1 units (Ipcc, 2007). The Greenland ice sheet is expected to continue contracting, a factor that is expected to continue playing a vital contribution to the increasing rise in sea levels after 2100, with various models suggesting the eventual virtual complete elimination of the ice sheet after a millennia. There are several adaptation and mitigation options available touching on various aspects. These include expanding water storage, harvesting and conservation techniques, the adjustment of agricultural product varieties and planting dates, reduction of the world’s dependency on a mostly single source of energy and opting for green energy, creation of storm surge barriers and sea walls to help create a

Raising awareness of Social Studies for Young Learners Essay

Raising awareness of Social Studies for Young Learners - Essay Example 332). . Social studies are important for students to cope with the problems encountered as they enter school. They are taught the meaning of diversity in school, which reflects the diverse society from which they come from in terms of ethnicity, religion and social status. They learn to appreciate diversity, which is useful in their day to day interactions outside school. The studies equip students with life skills of avoiding conflicts in the society. Students are taught the importance of rules and regulations and the need to obey them. They are also taught to appreciate the established institutions and how to participate in their activities. For example they are able to understand democratic processes and how they can participate in future through voting (Gross, S. & Wehner, 2092). A classroom comprises students from various backgrounds that reflect the society they come from. Children from different families study together and social studies help them to understand their place in the society. For example some children may come from diverse backgrounds such as rich, poor, white, black families. There might also be differences in terms of political and religious affiliations. The fact that the classroom mirrors the society indicates that children have been exposed to diversity. Social studies ensure that children understand this diversity and the importance of social harmony. Mere contact with diversity without its understanding may not help to avoid conflicts as children develop in to adulthood. For example, it is one thing to know that the society comprises white and black people, yet it is another thing to understand that colour difference does not mean inequality (Gurin et al. 361). Children in the social studies class are taught to accept and appreciate diversity. They are made to understand that every person

Dance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Dance - Essay Example Indeed, the term â€Å"confiscation† as used in Lesson 1 sought to integrate African dance traditions into the American culture. The terms â€Å"fusion† and â€Å"confiscation† are very significant in the American culture especially with reference to the American dance and society since they play a huge role in creating a new American dance form. The term fusion refers to the aspect of creating a singular and original, high quality show, which blends dance, fashion, and music to establish a high-end performance (â€Å"York Media† 1). Fusion brings a diverse collection of best dancers, models, musicians, artists, fashion designers, hairdressers, and make-up artists to create an original and unique music and dance performance in America (â€Å"York University† 1). In terms of dance and society, confiscation refers to the adoption of techniques and effects from native cultures into the American dance and society (Rogers 10). With reference to cultures and dance, confiscation integrates the conflicting association between the African dance traditions and the American culture. The Ghost dance is a dance practice that exemplifies "confiscation" of dance forms to "create" a new American dance form. From the Ghost Dance, we can indeed derive the fact that there was a confiscation of techniques and effects from native cultures into the American dance and society. The immigration of Indians and the integration of Wodziwobs teachings with the American traditions led to the confiscation (â€Å"United States History† 1). Notably, the American belief systems adopted the religious attributes of Ghost Dance movement. This is clear where the dancers performed the dance with a belief of getting cure for their illness. This related to the ritual intentions as depicted by Wodziwob who started the dance. They disregarded the ritual beliefs and adopted

Culture of Deaf Students Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Culture of Deaf Students - Assignment Example The standard curriculum is designed with teaching-learning taking place to large extent through the spoken word. Teachers mainly give instruction through the spoken word which is inaccessible for many DHH children even with developments in assistive technology (Humphries, et al., 2014, p. 1, C 2,3. line 11-13). The curriculum needs to be adjusted to include more of other modes of learning such as learning by doing to ensure that DHH learners become more engaged in the learning process. It has been proven that learning takes place best when the learner is actively involved. The DHH learners need to have access to communication modalities in the educational setting and beyond. Hearing aids, cued speech, cochlear implants, sign language, sign language interpreter, and other ways of facilitating communication should be incorporated into the learning process extensively (Szymanski, Lutz, Shahan, & Gala, 2013, p. 4, line 14-21). The learners will in this way be actively engaged in the lear ning process. Assistive technology can also be used to enhance access to information in the classroom. Language development is a critical matter in cognitive abilities of DHH learners. Before the age of five, children must be exposed to an accessible language on a frequent and regular basis to facilitate their development of full language competence (Humphries, et al., 2014, p.2, C 1,2. line 2-5). Deprivation of language leads to various cognitive deficits since language is the mode of transfer of information. The curriculum should for this purpose, introduce sign language in the educational curriculum from an early stage; preferably before five years of age. In so doing, the learners become proficient in a language that they will have to use for their entire learning lives.  

The impact of the removal of DRA on the management of Human Resources Dissertation

The impact of the removal of DRA on the management of Human Resources in Organisations - Dissertation Example Presentation and description of data shall be done by complying results from core aspects of the questionnaire. The results shall be presented quantitatively by the use of tables and charts to organize data collected. After this, the researcher shall draw on the flow of information received in the data analysis to build three major themes in relation to the research problem. Finally, the researcher shall discuss and interpret data by grouping the data presented into three to correspond to the themes. The discussion and interpretation shall be done qualitatively by drawing subjective conclusions based on concerns and theories raised by various authors and researchers in the literature review. 4.1 PRESENTATION AND DESCRIPTION OF DATA Based on the purpose of the study and research questions raised by the researcher, responses on six key questions from the questionnaire have been presented and described in this section. Answers to these questions are useful in find out factors that have accounted for the scraping of the DRA, the merits and de-merits that are likely to be associated with the scraping of the DRA, and measures that are needed to be put in place to ensure that the policy of scraping the DRA useful. 4.1.1 What is your level of preference for being served by older people aged 55-65 in organisations? The researcher sought to know how well respondents preferred the serviced of older people aged 55-65 in organisations. This question was to draw an inference on the usefulness of older people in organisations and find out their contribution to the development and daily running of various organisations. The table below presents respondents’ level of preference for being served by older people Table 4.1 Preference for being served by Older People Preference Level Number of Respondents Percentage Very much preferred 3 15 Preferred 2 10 Not preferred 9 45 Not preferred at all 6 30 Total 20 100 From table 4.1, it can be seen that out of the twenty (20) resp ondents, 15% of them had a high level of preference for being served by older people. 10% of respondents preferred to be served by older people but did not esteem that so much. 45% of respondents did not prefer being served by older people whereas 30% did wished they were never served by older people. The respondents who were aged between 18 and 70 said their preferences were informed by factors as such as working experience, worker ethics and approachability. 4.1.2 Do you support the scraping of DRA? This component of the questionnaire was a build up to the question asked in 4.1.1. In simple terms, the researcher wanted to find out from respondents whether or not they supported the policy of scraping the DRA to enable people to work in organisations till they themselves felt the need to drop. Out of the twenty (20) people who responded to the questionnaire, thirteen (13) of them answered ‘No’ to the question whether or not the DRA should be scrapped. This means thirtee n (13) respondents wanted employees to retire at age 65. Seven (7) respondents answered ‘Yes’ meaning they wanted employees to work after age 65. Proportionally, If 20 respondents represent 360Â °, 13 respondents = 7 x 360 20 = 234Â ° representing ‘No’ On the other hand If 20 respondents

Human Population Growth Essay Example for Free

Human Population Growth Essay No matter what organism you are talking about, all living things possess the ability to reproduce. This comes in two forms. The first form of population growth is Exponential Population Growth. The second is Logistic Population Growth. Exponential population growth refers to when a population is not subject to any limiting factors, it will grow and expand exponentially even past the capacity of the environment to sustain. Rabbits are a good example of this form of population growth, â€Å"Thus, the exponential growth model explains how a few dozen rabbits can multiply into millions and overrun a continent. † (Simon, Reece, Dickey, 2010) Logistic population growth refers to when a population reaches the capacity of the environment to sustain, the population growth declines. Fur seals of St. Paul Island are a good example of this, â€Å"After hunting was controlled, the population increased rapidly until about 1935, when it began to level off and started fluctuating around a population size of about 10,000 bull seals—the carrying capacity for St. Paul Island. † (Simon, Reece, Dickey, 2010) Humans tend to exhibit exponential forms of population growth. We rapidly reproduce and expand, exceeding the carrying capacity of the environment. This leads to us spreading to other areas and exceeding the carrying capacity there as well.

Reflective Account Of Diversity And Team Performance Nursing Essay

Reflective Account Of Diversity And Team Performance Nursing Essay This reflective account concerns my experiences of participating in a diverse team of people from different nationalities, which was formed for the achievement of specific outcomes over a specific period. The opportunity to work in this team arose in the course of an assignment for syndicate group work. The importance of management of team performance is steadily gaining recognition in the area of modern day organisational behaviour. With modern organisations and operations becoming increasingly complex and dynamic, organisational performance is being driven by specialised employees who are organised into and work as teams. Salas, et al, (1992 p 4) defines a team as a distinguishable set of two or more people who interact dynamically, interdependently, and adaptively toward a common and valued goal/objective/mission, who have each been assigned specific roles or functions to perform Organisational experts have for long been intrigued by the fact that whilst team work is now an accepted tool for improvement of organisational efficiency, many firms that arrange their operations around teams with such expectations find, much to their disappointment, that (a) use of teams has little impact on productivity, and (b) such use of teams can furthermore lead to reduction of productivity (Bolin, et al, 2006, p 2). It is also frequently seen that teams with high performing individuals fail, even as teams with far less impressive members greatly exceed expectations. The performance of the Detroit Pistons basketball team in 2004 and 2005, when they won back to back NBA championships with a roster of unimpressive players illustrates the team performance paradox (Bolin, et al, 2006, p 2). The continued performance of the Ferrari racing team would not have been possible without the efforts of its back up staff (Robbins, et al, 2010, p 3). Such team performance paradoxes are evid ent across the world, with innovative start up teams with networking capabilities humbling huge established corporations with far superior technology and resources (Bolin, et al, 2006, p 2). Understanding the mechanisms of team work is an integral component of modern day learning in organisational behaviour. I was required to participate in a team of members from different nations with different academic, cultural and social backgrounds in the course of syndicated group activity for a period of 6 weeks. The experience gave me the opportunity to participate in an actual team environment, even as I was increasing my academic knowledge of team dynamics and processes. This reflective account details my learning experiences during the process of my participation in a diverse multi cultural team that was required to perform specific tasks and achieve particular objectives and outcomes over a specific timeframe. The essay is structured into sequential sections that take up the functioning of teams in its different aspects, the use of the IPO model for assessment of team effectiveness and the working, evolution and outcomes of our team over a specific 6 week period. Whilst academic theory on teams and assessment of team effectiveness is taken up in some detail, greater emphasis is placed upon my practical experience of participating in an interesting and enriching team environment. The essay ends with a concluding section that attempts to sum up my learning experience and details the ways in which I have gained from this experience in team work. Team Work Modern texts on organisational behaviour identify specific characteristics of teams that differentiate them from general groups (Buchanan Huczynski, 2004, p 7). These characteristics include (a) joint sharing of aims and objectives, (b) mutual dependency and trust, (c) overt expression of emotions, feelings and disagreement, (d) consensual decision making, (e) coordination, cooperation and cohesion, (f) management of trust feelings and conflict between team members, and (g) the creation of a collective and synergistic impact (Buchanan Huczynski, 2004, p 7). Hackman (2002, p 11), states that teams also have very clear boundaries for membership, relatively stable memberships and defined authority to manage their activities and processes. Team performance by and large represents the extent to which teams achieve their specific objectives (Hayes, 2002, p 43-46). Whilst such indicators of team performance are important for organisations because they assist in assessment of the extent of achievement of team goals, many teams, more particularly in business situations do not have targets that are clear and quantifiable (Hayes, 2002, p 43-46). Even where such targets are available, team members and managers can improve their performance in future if they are provided with a richer picture of the ways in which teams function (Senior, 1997, p 32-36). Teams, to be truly effective should thus have some understanding, not just of team outputs, but of the ways and means in which team members work together (Senior, 1997, p 32-36). The Input-Process-Output (IPO) model provides an approach to the understanding of team work and team performance. Inputs, in the IPO model, are seen in terms of issues concerned with group composition like leadership, size, term and diversity, along with factors like autonomy, training and resources that are provided to teams (Ilgen, et al, 2005, p 517-522). Internal team processes comprise of factors like the motivation and commitment of team members, the cooperation and communication between them and their skills of leadership, conflict resolution, decision making and problem solving (Ilgen, et al, 2005, p 517-522). Outputs on the other hand are largely depicted as team objectives or the larger concept of team effectiveness that includes a range of interrelated outcomes in areas of attitudes, behaviours and performance. Such outcomes can occur at the level of individuals, teams and organisations (Ilgen, et al, 2005, p 517-522). The theoretical paradigm behind much of research on team effectiveness comes from the application of the open systems theory, which states that team inputs (skills and abilities) are transformed into team outputs (the quality and quantity of team outcomes) through various interaction processes like utilisation of skills, effort and past strategy. The basic IPO model is flexible enough to be applied to a range of team settings and is illustrated in the figure provided below. A general set of factors for assessment of team work in the context of the above discussion thus needs to include (a) the attitudes, behaviours, thinking, roles and skills of individual team members, (b) team objectives and purposes, which include the setting, clarity, commitment and achievement of goals, (c) team processes like generation of ideas, making of decisions, management of controversy and conflict, communication style, allocation of responsibilities, planning of action and leadership style and (d) the organisational context with regard to structure, culture and associated issues. Working and Evolution of our Team Our experience of team work came about on account of participation in group syndicate activity for a period of 6 weeks. Our team was made up of six members and we were required to work together to (a) generate slogans for organisational use, and (b) achieve improvements in team working in areas of attitudes, behaviours and performance. I aim to assess different aspects of the working and functioning of our team, in terms of the IPO model, and deal sequentially with inputs, processes, and outputs. Inputs Our team consisted of six members, A- myself, B, C, D, E and F. As the oldest and most experienced member of the group, I was the automatic choice for its leader. The chart provided below gives basic details and personality types of group members. The personality ratings have been determined by organisational tests conducted on individual members. Member A B C D E F Nationality British Chinese Cyprus Indian Pakistan Nigerian Sex Male Female Female Male Female Female Education BA Hons History International Business And Management Business and Management Bachelor of Technology Graduate in BA BSC Logistics Profession leading public and private businesses Software Engineer Extraversion 3.8 1.9 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.5 Agreeableness 4.6 3.5 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.3 Conscientiousness 4.1 3.9 2.4 3.9 4.3 2.9 Neuroticism 2.7 3.4 3.1 2.4 3.2 4.1 Openness to Experience 4.5 2.8 3.5 3.8 3.9 2.3 As evident, our team was diverse with respect to nationality, gender, education, and work experience and personality types. Contemporary academic literature on organisational behaviour agrees on the advantages of diverse teams in various areas of organisational work. Diversity in teams, organisational experts feel, results in the availability of a range of perspectives and skills, which, if harnessed properly, can result in greater creativity in generation of ideas, alternatives and solutions than with homogenous teams and lead to better performance. Whilst diverse teams by and large have wider and better range of skills and abilities, it is often challenging to make them function in a coordinated and collaborative manner, in comparison with homogeneous teams. Such challenges to collaborative and coordinated working can arise because of differences in language, attitudes and perceptions of team members. The members of our teams came from different parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. Th eir academic backgrounds ranged from disciplines in the liberal arts to applied sciences, technology and management. Two of us, F and I had some working experience, even as the other four were fresh from college. Whilst the personality types of individual group members are different, all of us scored high on the agreeableness index and were happy to work and bond with each other. As the oldest and most experienced member of the group, its leadership automatically devolved upon my shoulders. This development occurred, without my asking for it, because the other group members looked towards me for advice, suggestions and direction on the functioning of the group. We were at the time of formation of the group provided with specific tasks requiring the generation of a number of slogans for ultimate organisational use. Apart from have to deliver such specific services, we were informed that we would be judged twice, once half way during the course, i.e. after three weeks and finally at the end of six weeks; on completion of the group activity. Various group factors like (a) innovative climate, (b) participation, (c) clarity of objectives, (d) reflexivity, (e) interdependence, (f) autonomy, (g) boundedness, (h) role clarity, (i) task conflict, (j) relationship conflict and (k) team satisfaction would be taken up for assessment during these occasions. We were inform ed to us that our progress would be made available to us at the middle and at the end of the syndicate activity in order to help us in organising our activities and improving our processes. Processes Leadership style is an important component of team work processes in the IPO model. Most texts on organisational behaviour stress on the importance of leadership in the efficient successful functioning of teams, even as the majority of both team successes and team failures are attributed to leadership decisions (Robbins, 2005, p 17-21). Fiedlers theory on leadership states that the adoption of leadership styles is often contingent upon situational circumstances and effective leaders alter their styles in line with situations, attributes and skills of team members, and team objectives (Fiedler, 1967, p 4-8).Leaders are otherwise expected to provide clarity regarding roles to members, communicate effectively, and generate feeling of inclusiveness by asking for comment and by expressing appreciation for contributions of team members (Stacey, 2003, p 15-19). Contemporary research on organisational behaviour also indicates that whilst leaders set the tone for definition of group activitie s, their subsequent responses are distinctly affected by their ongoing interaction and communication with team members (Stacey, 2003, p 15-19). Whilst the role of leadership devolved upon me without my asking for it, I did not ignore my responsibilities and worked towards the development of a committed, clear and collaborative team. I allocated responsibilities to each member and made constant efforts to improve and ensure communication with members on various issues associated with our team objectives as well as other areas of common interest. Although my efforts to communicate with group members were made easier by their general agreeableness, I often found B, the Chinese member to be reticent in her communication with the rest of us. She was not just very shy but also disinclined to explore new opportunities and experiences. These difficulties were however greatly made up by her conscientiousness towards her work. Our group activity and objectives required extensive discussions between member, generation and bouncing off of ideas, and long hours of brainstorming. Many of such sessions resulted in small and big disagreements, some of which ended with members refusing to talk to each other for some time. F, the lady from Nigeria whilst otherwise friendly and agreeable, was prone to excessive argumentativeness, and even hysteria, if her views were not supported by others. Conflicts between her and other members also arouse because of her lack of dedication towards group work and occasional proneness to shirk her responsibilities. We were fortunate that conflicts among group members were restricted and did not erupt frequently. Whilst friendly disagreements over work continued to happen, serious conflicts arose only on three occasions, all of them involving F. I felt conflict resolution to be one of my major responsibilities and was constantly looking for signs of disagreement and trouble. Whilst I would let constructive discussions and disagreements continue and sometimes even encourage them further, I took pains to ensure that personal bitterness between members did not set in and they refrained from making offensive statements towards each other. I am happy with the fact that all members, including F started bonding with each other by the end of the fourth week, started respecting each others point of view, and developed a healthy regard for their team mates. Output All our team members were delighted to find out that our group ended the activity practically at the top of the class, both in the number of generated slogans and in the originality of the two selected slogans. The result proved once more that a diverse team can do very well at creative work in an environment of transparency coordination and communication. We were otherwise pleased to know that we had made good progress in all activity areas, except for boundedness, team and relationship conflict and team satisfaction. I feel that our problems in these areas essentially relate to the inability of our team to manage the disputes and disagreements that often surfaced around F. As the leader I take responsibility for such failures and do feel that I should have tried to use my position as leader to communicate more successfully with F and quell her various mental insecurities in working with people who were possibly more hardworking and gifted than she was. Such an approach would have improved group communication, collaboration and outcomes. Conclusions This reflective account deals with my experiences in a diverse team of 6 persons that was formed for the achievement of specific objectives over a particular timeframe. The significance of team performance is progressively increasing in the discipline of organisational behaviour. With contemporary organisations becoming increasingly complex, organisational performance is now ever more driven by specially formed teams. Team performance normally represents the degree to which teams attain their particular objectives. Whilst such gauges of performance are necessary because they help in assessment of attainment of team goals, teams should also achieve some understanding of the ways in which team members work together. The Input-Process-Output (IPO) model represents an approach to understanding team work and has been used by me to assess the functioning of our team. Our team was diverse in many respects. Diversity, it is felt, leads to greater and to better performance. As the oldest and most experienced team, I became the team leader without asking for the position. I tried to live up to my responsibilities and worked towards the development of an effective team. We were fortunate that conflicts among members were limited and I tried to ensure that personal bitterness between members did not set in. Our team ended the activity at the top of the class with regard to set objectives. We also made good progress in all areas except in team relationships and satisfaction, where our progress was average or even less. I feel that such problems arose from our inability to manage disputes and disagreements. I take responsibility for such failures and feel that I should have tried to communicate more successfully with certain members. My experience of team work has however helped me immensely in maturing as an individual and as a professional and I am grateful for the experience.