Free Essays on Competition

THE GOOD Competition is clearly a part of human nature. While some cultures are more competitive than others, universal elements of competition cut across many cultures. For example, competition for resources in the forms of food, jobs, living quarters, and general status in society is prevalent, to some degree, in most cultures. Furthermore, an element of score keeping is evident in the most innocent of children's games. The number of young people participating in competitive events such as athletics, 4-H contests, spelling bees, academic quiz bowls, or beauty Contests demonstrates how competition engages the youth in this country. Adults, too, compete daily both at work and at play. Some believe that the only way to achieve a competitive edge in the adult world is by engaging in as many competitive experiences as possible in childhood to gain practice. Support of competition is so strong that one political party recently included a mandate for competition through participation in 4-H activities as part of the Iowa caucus. This was a response to an attempt to recognize participation ahead of winning or losing at 4-H events, and was perceived by party leaders as promoting socialism. So competition clearly exists. Exactly how competition motivates young people, however, is much less clear. According to some studies, competition among preteens enables them to compare their skills against the skills of their peers. Competition as a means of social comparison appears to help young people find their niches. As soon as this is established, they can refine and specialize their skills. Helping young people manage the competitive demands of their lives is difficult, but not impossible. Cox (see Practice Wisdom) offers helpful strategies for designing programs in which competition enhances development.... Free Essays on Competition Free Essays on Competition THE GOOD Competition is clearly a part of human nature. While some cultures are more competitive than others, universal elements of competition cut across many cultures. For example, competition for resources in the forms of food, jobs, living quarters, and general status in society is prevalent, to some degree, in most cultures. Furthermore, an element of score keeping is evident in the most innocent of children's games. The number of young people participating in competitive events such as athletics, 4-H contests, spelling bees, academic quiz bowls, or beauty Contests demonstrates how competition engages the youth in this country. Adults, too, compete daily both at work and at play. Some believe that the only way to achieve a competitive edge in the adult world is by engaging in as many competitive experiences as possible in childhood to gain practice. Support of competition is so strong that one political party recently included a mandate for competition through participation in 4-H activities as part of the Iowa caucus. This was a response to an attempt to recognize participation ahead of winning or losing at 4-H events, and was perceived by party leaders as promoting socialism. So competition clearly exists. Exactly how competition motivates young people, however, is much less clear. According to some studies, competition among preteens enables them to compare their skills against the skills of their peers. Competition as a means of social comparison appears to help young people find their niches. As soon as this is established, they can refine and specialize their skills. Helping young people manage the competitive demands of their lives is difficult, but not impossible. Cox (see Practice Wisdom) offers helpful strategies for designing programs in which competition enhances development....

Racism in football. final chapter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Racism in football. final chapter - Essay Example We can consider anti-racist campaigns as organisations, which aim to suggest a programme whereby the public and organisers tackle racialised inequalities. The first part of the chapter will explore the various types of initiatives and discuss how effective they have been. A crucial point here is that there is no ‘real’ way of knowing how effective a campaign is or was. This is because one could interview fans to see their thoughts and attitudes throughout the years but there would still be questions raised about the reliability of the answers and the idea of how to ‘measure’ the change in attitudes. To begin with I would like to discuss ‘fanzines’ and the role of the Football Supporters Association (FSA). Fanzines are magazines, which aim to shift the idea of the football fans as ‘mobs’. These fanzines are produced independently from the football clubs and set out to raise issues about racism and football generally1 thus they can clearly be used as an anti-racist campaigning device (Back et al., 2001). The FSA is a pressure group that aims to express the opinions of supporters and its main aim is to gain an improvement in the facilities and services offered to fans as well as a legitimate way to represent all football fans. Liverpool supporters established it in 1985 and it was an organisation where supporters could talk about football in a positive way. The FSA and fanzines worked in conjunction to promote a message to the fans and the general public. The issue of racism is a complex one, especially when fans are portrayed in various fanzines as racist skinheads. According to Back et al. this image overshadows the ‘banal and the very ordinary face of racism†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (2001:188) and the racist is seen in a very narrow sense. Therefore, one weakness of these fanzines is that racist fans are constructed in a stereotypical way and a move away from these images may

War and the media (focusing on the First Gulf War) Essay

War and the media (focusing on the First Gulf War) - Essay Example It is believed that although the main cause of the war was a very ancient conflict of Persians and Arabs. At that time and moment there was a great social and revolutionary change that was occurring in Iran. There was a whole lot of establishment of religious leadership. The reforms that were occurring in Iran were of quite a serious nature. The reforms were both social and political. Saddam Hussein judged the fact that this conflict would put Iran in a weaker position and hence make it easier for the Iraqi soldiers to get hold of the situation and thus invade Iran. The master mind behind this war was Saddam Hussein who believed, that if they attacked the Iranian at this point and time of conflict and turmoil, they will not be able to counter attack and hence face quite a lot of issues with their own security. He considered as the best time for the Iraqis to take over and establish their own supremacy over the whole area. They believed this as the most opportune moment. There was als o a fear of loss of power that had driven Saddam Hussein to consider the attacks. He believed that the Shiite uprising in Iran can ultimately affect the people living in Iraq too. Iraq has a dominant Shiite population and hence he feared that the Shiite Iraqis might feel motivated and rise against the Sunni establishment. It was this fear and the will to become the leader in the region that Saddam Hussein leapt into war. The reason that Saddam Hussein also felt fearless and jumped into war was that they had the support of Americans as well. Iran was undergoing a complete religious transformation and they had always considered Americans as the great Satan. They had declared openly their anti US feelings. This was what fueled the US and they sided with Iraq in this war to terrorize Iran and take control of it. Also, after the First World War , there was a demarcation that was made between the countries. The continued border disputes within both the countries also fueled the incident. If we consider the role of media, media has always been in the hands of those who are in power. In this case it was America who was quite at much stake. They had freshly lost a battle in Vietnam, which despite being a prolonged war turned out to be a gift of deaths alone for the Americans. It was highly important for them that they get a good name and reputation for themselves. Therefore, in this case they favored the Iraqi. The Iranians were very openly against the Americans and therefore, to be able to have their own say and hold in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf they sided with Iraqis. Iraqis had the worst fear in the form of their own Shiite population who might rise up against them as they attacked the Iranians, whose majority population was Shiite. This was what made the war more of name saving game for the Americans. They very publicly showed their support for the Iraqis and provided them with help and guidance so as to be able to overcome Iran. The first two years of t he war proved to be difficult for Iran as they had a very weak army , and which had been further weakened by the constant uprising that was occurring in their state. They could do little to protect themselves, with the continuous infiltrations of the Mullahs in the army. Once they had been able to regain a bit of their control over the army their attack had turn to offensive instead of a defensive one. America just to prove that they were

Being A Student Essay Example for Free

Being A Student Essay Being a student is a full time job. Students work five days a week, seven hours a day. There is a constant load of work that is given to us, and there is a strict set of rules. Being a student is similar to working at a full time job in many ways. Like working adults, students follow a grueling daily routine, which includes waking up early in the morning, focusing for long hours at a time, having to complete a strenuous work load, dealing with unfair teachers or bosses, an extremely high level of stress, a lot of procrastination, and loss of sleep, among others. These are all problems that students and working adults must deal with on a daily basis, but not all similarities between the day of a student and the day of a working adult are negative. Both students and most working adults go through similar ups and downs throughout a typical day, but there is one profession in particular that is so similar to the job of a student that both students and this specific type of working adult are doing their jobs in the same buildings every day. Students and teachers are alike in so many different ways. If one were to observe the similarities in the days of students and teachers, the observations would include both arriving at a school some time between seven o’clock and eight o’clock in the morning, both going to class throughout the day, both having lunch breaks in cafeterias, both being involved in athletics after school, both having the weekends off, as well as spring break, winter break, summer break, and most holidays, both facing daily academic challenges, and both going home at night to do work in order to prepare for the next day. Students and teachers work together in harmony on a daily basis, learning from each other and becoming better people. Neither could prosper in a school environment without the other. Without teachers, students would not be able to learn, and they would have no one to keep them in line when necessary. Without students, teachers would not have a purpose for working in their profession because they would not have anyone to teach. They depend on each other, and, while learning is a full time job for students, and teaching is a full time job for teachers, both bond over their time spent working and learning together at school every day.

Globalization in Afghanistan Essay -- Free Trade, Global Commerce

Afghanistan’s importance with respect to the cultural impact of globalization is increasing as the war in Afghanistan draws down. Afghanistan sits on the edge of the unknown. Once the United States leaves it will be left to create its own destiny. The eyes of the world will be on Afghanistan to see who it allies with, who it trades with and how it conducts itself. Historically speaking, Afghanistan has modernized only when forced by invaders. The Soviet Union built many roads, schools, power plants and other infrastructure to help its newly installed puppet regime, and facilitate its movement through Afghanistan. The USSR saw Afghanistan as country in the way of its pursuit of a continuous stretch of land to connect it to the Indian Ocean. Alexander the great saw it as an obstacle in his expansion east, and Genghis Khan saw it as an obstacle in his westward expansion. Afghanistan is like a time capsule. Many people farm for subsistence, and few are able to read or write. Afghans have been compared to Spartans in that they are a martial people who have been at war for thousands of years. The rough terrain in which they live lends itself to long periods of resistance. Time and time again they have been able to push away would be conquerors. The current war in Afghanistan stands in contrast to previous wars because its purpose is not one of conquest for land or for the exploitation of resources. The purpose of the current war in Afghanistan is to win over the Afghan people and to help them grow ideologically to assimilate into an ever more technologically advanced global environment. Recently Afghanistan has grown significantly in terms of its ability to care for itself. A national army and a developing police force are becomi... ...://www.outsourcingoffshore.us/the-disadvantages-of-outsourcing.php The Ministery. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2012, from Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation: http://www.motca.gov.af/index.php?id=17 United Nations Development Programme Afghanistan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2012, from Environment and Energy for Sustainable Development: http://www.undp.org.af/WhatWeDo/ee.htm vision. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2012, from Ministry of Communications and Technology: http://mcit.gov.af/en/page/3 Lopez, Brendan CDT H-4 ’12. Assistance given to the author, verbal discussion. CDT Lopez edited my paper and gave me feedback on style and format. He recommended that I reword the intent behind the Soviet contributions to Afghan infrastructure. He also recommended that I discuss the lengths that the American government had gone to build cell towers in Afghanistan.

Supervisors: Human Resource Management and Performance Appraisals

Introduction Performance appraisals benefit the company in a variety of ways. On the flip side, they can also create difficulties if they aren’t completed correctly. Many problems within the company can arise when supervisors haven’t been properly trained on appraisals. On a bigger note, companies can also be placed in legal trouble if appraisals are done incorrectly. To avoid these issues, the Human Resource Department needs implement training to the supervisors who conduct performance appraisals. ProblemsEmployee Development Using performance appraisals for developmental purposes is one of the greatest uses of them. Employees need to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses in order to produce the best results for the company. Improvements in performance will only occur if the manager has proactive discussions and shows the employee how to make improvements. In this case, Hubert isn’t helping Harriet by fibbing on her performance appraisal. She will continue to â€Å"slip† on her duties because she might not be aware that she is doing it. Reviewing a negative performance appraisal can be a very difficult task, but needs to be done to help the employees develop within the organization.Rating employees the same on the appraisals will not benefit the company at all. Not only is he hindering Harriet’s development, but it probably doesn’t keep Neil motivated. If his performance is outstanding, his rating needs to reflect that. Hubert should be able to tell him how valued he is to the company and how much his performance is appreciated. Retaining good performers is easier when these positive performance aspects are communicated to them. When done correctly, appraisals help to increase employee development and keep valuable employees motivated.Administration UsePerformance appraisals are also used for administration use, an example being what the case represented. The way Hubert is conducting appraisals will not help manag ers when it is time to determine pay increases, decisions need to be made about promotions, transfers, and demotions, or if disciplinary actions lead to termination (Mathis & Jackson, 2011). Now that it is time to make demotions, the appraisals need to help with decisions.These appraisals are not accurate due to Hubert lack of correctly evaluating both supervisors (Mathis & Jackson, 2011, Case: Supervisors). Since there is no documented differences between the two supervisors, the appraisals are useless for administration use. â€Å"An appraiser should be required to provide justifications for the ratings in addition to appropriate documentation and information† (Smith, 2012). The company is going to have to let the better performing supervisor go in order to avoid legal issues. This could create some negative impacts for the company because the appraisal process wasn’t being implemented correctly.Legal IssuesDisparate Impact or TreatmentDiscrimination can either be in tentional or unintentional; either way it is illegal. Performance appraisal need to show an absences of disparate impact and treatment (Mathis & Jackson, 2011). Using the scenario from the case, Harriet could file a lawsuit for discrimination is she were to get demoted or laid off during the reduction in force. Since there is no documented differences in their performance, Neil should be let go due to the seniority Harriet has over him. There could be grounds for a lawsuit if Hubert decides to demote or laid off Harriet.She could claim that they fired her because of her gender, and there would be no way for the company to prove that she was the poorer performer. There have been similar cases like this. â€Å"Adverse impact statistics have also been used successfully in â€Å"Disparate Treatment† cases to support an individual’s claim of race or gender discrimination† (Ducham, 2013). The importance of training manager correctly and evaluating the appraisal system s comes to light in this case.Supervisor TrainingIt is important for companies to properly train their supervisor avoid legal issues with performance appraisals. These appraisals are very beneficial to the company and training of them should be stressed by the Human Resource Department. From the situation that occurred in this case, it seems as if Hubert hasn’t had any training on performance appraisals. To avoid situations like this from happening in the future, Hubert and all supervisors/department heads need to be trained on how to do these appraisals correctly.Mathis and Jackson (2011) pointed out some key topics that Human Resources should focus on when conducting training on appraisals. For this company, training how to communicate positive and negative feedback, when and how to discuss training and developmental goals, and how to avoid the common rating errors should be addressed (p. 347). ConclusionHubert has created a problem for this company, but has showed the impo rtance of proper training on appraisals. The company needs to evaluate their training procedure and make the appropriate changes. With a good training program in place for supervisors, the company will be able to avoid future problems with appraisals.

Pig-Footed Bandicoot - Facts and Figures

Name: Pig-Footed Bandicoot; also known as Chaeropus ecaudatus Habitat: Plains of Australia Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (2 million-100 years ago) Size and Weight: About six inches long and a few ounces Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Rabbit-like ears; narrow snout; long, spindly legs About the Pig-Footed Bandicoot As you can guess from its name, the Pig-Footed Bandicoot was one of the oddest prehistoric marsupials ever to grace Australias vast interior. This tiny plains-dweller had long, rabbit-like ears, a narrow, opossum-like snout, and exceptionally spindly legs with strangely toed feet, which gave it a comical appearance when hopping, walking or running. As far as is known--since the last living individual was glimpsed over 100 years ago--the Pig-Footed Bandicoot nested during the day in grass-lined burrows, and emerged at night to feed on grass seeds (though specimens in captivity enjoyed a more omnivorous diet). Its not clear exactly why the Pig-Footed Bandicoot went extinct. This tiny mammal managed to coexist, more or less, with the Australian aborigines for tens of thousands of years; most likely it was the much different farming practices of later European settlers that eroded its habitat and sources of food (it didnt help that the cats and dogs the settlers brought with them made quick snacks of the Pig-Footed Bandicoot, at least those individuals too slow to make a hasty escape). During the nineteenth century, a few European naturalists tried to study the rapidly dwindling Pig-Footed Bandicoot before it disappeared off the face of the earth. Amusingly, one adventurer went to great pains to obtain two live specimens from a tribe of Aborigines--and then was forced to eat them when he ran out of food! (See a slideshow of 10 Recently Extinct Marsupials)