Cadet Entrance Response Essay Example for Free

Cadet Entrance Response Essay Compose your own response. What are the most important qualities in becoming a successful USMA cadet and a successful Army officer? Resilience, dedication and leadership are qualities befitting for a successful USMA cadet and a successful Army officer. Resilience is not only an essential quality for becoming a successful cadet or officer, it is also essential for your life. Resilience is the ability to resurrect one’s self from hard times, to never give up, and displays ones mental strength. In the academy I’ve heard that on a cadet’s first year they undergo times of overwhelming stress in tests of emotional stability, perseverance, and ability to organize and perform under stress. With resilience and resolve a cadet will be able to overcome these stressful obstacles. Likewise, discipline is another quality in becoming a successful USMA cadet and a successful Army officer. At times resilience may complement dedication because when one dedicates their self to something, one needs the resolve to continue on with it and never give up. Dedication shows ones loyalty, commitment, and devotion, in which is an important trait when offering one’s service to their country. To finish, a successful USMA cadet and Army officer should have the quality of leadership. As a leader one must offer guidance and work together as a team to get things done efficiently. Leadership brings out control and order in a group. Showing resilience and dedication as a leader conveys a sense of trustworthiness and cooperation among their followers. Any person with a position of leadership needs to set a positive example in order to make their self charismatic and a successful leader. Having these qualities will show the mental strength, devotion, and management skills it takes in becoming a successful USMA cadet and Army officer.

Causes of Absenteeism and High Turnover of Staff

Causes of Absenteeism and High Turnover of Staff You have been employees as the human resource manger of a company. You have checked through the company record on turnover of absenteeism in the company for the past 6 months. Identify the causes of absenteeism and high turnover staffs in your company. Absenteeism occurs when employees are not present at work when they are scheduled to be there. It can be divided into voluntary or involuntary absenteeism. Involuntary absence is viewed to be beyond the employees immediate control; legitimate reasons like personal illness, accidents or family emergencies. Voluntary absence is under the direct control of the employee which can often be traced back to other factors such as a poor work environment, job dissatisfaction and other issues. If such absences become excessive, they can have a seriously adverse impact on a companys operations and, ultimately, its profitability. The causes of absenteeism and high turnover staff are: Low wages: The prospect of getting higher pay elsewhere is one of the most obvious contributors to turnover. Every industry has organizations that pay well and some that pay low. Employees might stay a little longer in times of recession because no other work is available, but they know theyre being exploited and will be looking for a way out. Work environment: Turnover tends to be higher in environments where employees feel they are taken advantage of, where they feel undervalued or ignored, and where they feel helpless or unimportant. Clearly, if managers are impersonal, arbitrary, and demanding, there is greater risk of alienation and turnover. Management policies: Management policies can also affect the environment which can lead to high turnover as well. In a way such as whether employee benefits and incentives appear generous or stingy, or whether the company is responsive to employees needs and wants. Managements handling of major corporate events such as mergers or layoffs is also an important influence on the work environment afterwards. Weak team leadership: Even if someone has been trained to do a specific job, they are usually working as part of team. They are alongside people with complementary roles, who together deliver a process or solution.  If team lack strong leadership they will not function well, which will lead to disagreements and relationship breakdown. Poor training: Asking employees often to do a job but not giving them adequate training will in fact de-motivate the employees and hence allow them to leave the company. Work stress: Work stress experienced at particular types of jobs can also create turnover. Seasonal changes: seasonal changes such as the beginning of a school year can cause high turnover when part-timer, school-age employees return to their classrooms. Demographically specific: Some turnover is demographically specific, particularly for women who are balancing significant work and family duties at the same time. Such women (or men) may choose to leave a company instead of sacrificing their other interests and responsibilities in order to make the job work out. These factors translate into higher turnover rates for women in many companies. Inequitable evaluation: while preparing the performance appraisal of an employee, some mangers will unfairly evaluate the employees performance which in fact de-motivate them and hence lead to high turnover rate. Strained communications between management and employee: When a lack of communication exists in the organizational setting it has the potential to cause significant problems between management and employees. For each case identified above, suggest way(s) in which the staffs can be motivated to remedy the situation. Low wages: according to F W Taylor, the motive for hard work is high wages. The company has to pay high wages to their employees in order to remedy the situation. Work environment: the manger must give high and equal importance to all of his employees, so that they feel who valuable they are to the company and therefore will be motivated to remedy the situation. Management policies: the management policies should meet the employees expectation. Providing them incentive and benefits to motivate them to remedy the situation. Weak team leadership: Teams perform at their best under clear leadership, where someone has a vision of how the team should work and the level at which it should perform. Poor training:  the company must provide with an accurate account of training to their employees to develop their knowledge in those skills and aptitudes which contribute to the welfare of the company and employees. Work stress: the manger must give their employees with a certain number jobs which the employees can able handle and accomplish smoothly at a given time. Seasonal changes: at the time of evaluation and selection the manager must avoid selecting part-timers, or at the time of evaluation the manger must take into consideration the number of hours that the employee can give to the company and the length of his service in order to reduce the turnover rate. Demographically specific: at the time of evaluation, mangers must select those women who are unmarried. Inequitable evaluation: the management must evaluate the employees performance fairly with specific concentrating on his/her performance. Strained communications between management and employee: Improving communication between management and employees requires a focus on  effective communication and leadership management. The following are some important keys to an effective communication: Clarity Active Listening Patience Honesty Awareness of Body Language Question 2 You are the human resource management of the company. Explain how you identify a particular individual for training. Everyone has personal and often unique training and development needs. Such needs may be the result of ambition, career progression, inadequate job performance, or simply to meet changing demands of job or occupation. The purpose of this handout is to outline the process of identifying individual training and development needs and the involvement of the trainer. NO Is Performance Correctable? Is Performance Satisfactory? Is Performance Satisfactory? YES By asking some of these basic questions, it can be able to roughly categorize people and their respective job performance. The outcome of this exercise is to group people into three broad categories. People whose job performance is unsatisfactory and for whom training is probably a necessity. People whose job performance is satisfactory, but may need training in order to maintain this level of performance. People whose job performance is more than satisfactory and whose need for training is for development purposes. Using these categories as a starting point the trainer can ask more detailed question about a person, gradually building up a picture of the individual and using it to identify training needs. To ensure that the training is effective and meet the objectives of the organization, explain how training should be conducted. People must be interested in learning and be willing to learn before they will accept training. The operational objectives of the training should be known by those responsible for it and by those involved in it. Time constraints and performance standards should be predetermined and also made known. Training must be geared to the individual needs of those being trained and be seen to be so. Training must be done either by supervisor or manger, or by an agency acting within a pattern fully understood and approved by the supervisor or manger, and which he will subsequently maintain and reinforce. The rate of training should equal the rate at which an individual can learn, and this should be confirmed by testing. People can learn by being told or shown how to do work, but best of all from the personal involvement of doing wok accepted standards under skilled coaching. Training should be planned, executed and evaluated systematically, in the context of organizational needs. Discuss the issues in the article. According to the article the Singapore government has setup S$600 million to train the workers to develop their knowledge skill. The employers will get higher subsides, up to 90% of course fees, for workers who attend programmes at any continuing education and training centre. For the first time, the low-skilled will be paid $4 for every hour that they are on course. The higher-skilled can get up to $1,000 a month while on training. Half the amount will be use to develop training centre and the rest will be paid out to employers, workers and jobless Singaporeans o course. This will have a great impact on the countrys economy. The unemployment rate will significantly drop and by this great strategy of the government, it will effectively reduce the high turnover rates in the companies and will develop their skills to a certain level.

Organised Crime Affecting The United Kingdom Essay

Organised Crime Affecting The United Kingdom Essay In order to assess the extent to which organised crime is affecting the UK one must first try to define the term itself. A recent definition by Interpol describes it as Any group having a corporate structure whose primary objective is to obtain money through illegal activities, often surviving on fear and corruption  [1]  . UK based SOCA simply states that Organised crime covers a very wide range of activity and individuals involved in a number of crime sectors. The most damaging sectors to the UK are judged to be trafficking of Class A drugs, organised immigration crime and fraud. In addition, there is a wide range of other threats, including high-tech crime, counterfeiting, the use of firearms by serious criminals, serious robbery, organised vehicle crime, cultural property crime and others.  [2]  There are many terms brandished about for organised crime and it is difficult to come up with one definition, therefore, this makes it difficult to also assess what is being tackl ed as far as the UK in concerned. As the SOCA definition above shows there are many different types of crimes which can be called organised crime so therefore in order to assess of how there being tackled one will need to assess them individually, for the purposes of this essay one will focus on Trafficking i.e. drugs and how money laundering is being dealt with in the UK as a big part of organised crime are its proceeds. Organised crime generates a huge income and as crime becomes more globalised and so revenue generated from it increases more and more every day. Profits are usually in the form of cash so therefore need to be disguised in a way to blend into the banking system. The ultimate aim of the money laundering is to get the proceeds of the crime into the financial world legitimately, so the criminals can benefit from it and not get caught. The process is long and complicated as the cash has to moved several times in order to cover its tracks. Different routes the money might take are being transferred in between various different accounts and through front companies which are set up to disguise the illegitimate profits in a legal business form, this process is repeated many times until the criminals can extract their profits legitimately. There are three stages to money laundering, firstly placement, whereby the illegitimate profit is put into the banking system, followed by layering, where t he cash is passed through many different areas in order to perplex its origins, and the final step is integration, where the cash is put through legitimate companies and accounts. Money laundering in the UK is a criminal offence, and as such, any person involved in any known or suspected money laundering activity risks a criminal conviction carrying a jail term of up to 14 years. It is significant that even innocent involvement on the part of professionals such as bankers and lawyers can provoke a criminal charge. Money laundering is an offence covered by many different parts of legislation United Kingdom and can be found in statutes such as the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (as amended), and the Terrorism Act 2000 (as amended). The most significant change made by these two pieces of legislation is that they enforce two new obligations to create Suspicious Transaction Reports. The legislation, then, increases the responsibility on professionals dealing with big financial business of any kind to be cautious in detecting suspicious transactions, and this in effect helps find criminals when such occasions do arise, so, in essence, this is an example of the UK successfully implementing legislation in order to tackle organised crime . This attack on money laundering is huge part of tackling organised crime as it is suggested that the economic and social impact of organised crime in the UK is staggering and statistics show that global profits from people smuggling are estimated to be $10 billion annuall y, 280,000 problem drug users cause half of all crime, every  £1 spent on heroin is estimated to generate about  £4 of damage to the national economy and there are around 400 organised crime bosses in the UK with an amassed criminal wealth of approximately  £440 million.  [3]  The economic and social cost of organised crime is estimated to be in the region of  £20 to  £40 billion per year. The role of recovering criminal assets fell upon the Assets Recovery Agency which was set up under the Proceeds of Crime act 2002 and played an important part in the governments plans to seize the profit out of crime, and separate and prevent the criminal organizations from continuing with their activities by removing the money which motivates their activities and their major source of income  [4]   The Assets Recovery Agency had three strategic aims to disrupt organised criminal enterprises through the recovery of criminal assets, thereby alleviating the effect of crime on communities, to promote the use of financial investigation as an integral part of criminal investigation, within and outside the Agency, domestically and internationally, through training and continuing professional development and to operate the agency in accordance with its vision and values.  [5]   The UK is a founding member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), established in 1989 to develop global measures to prevent money laundering. The FATF has 40 recommendations, engineered to combat money laundering and create the best resources to do so internationally. UK money laundering experts regularly participate in FATF mutual evaluations of its members, showing that the UKs initiatives against money laundering are strong as not only are they tackling the issue internally but are looking at the international impact money laundering has. On the 1st April 2008 the Assets Recovery Agency merged with the Serious Organised Crime Agency. Commenting on the merger Hughes, of SOCA said we are gaining important skills and expertise with the arrival of Assets Recovery Agency staff and we welcome them into SOCA. Now that the merger has taken place we will get on with the job that parliament want us to do, namely depriving crooks of their ill-gotten gains  [6]. In support of this the Home Office minister Coaker said that assets recovery is critical in the fight against all levels of crime and we are determined to stop criminals profiting from crimes which affect the lives of law-abiding majority.  [7]  Adding to this Goggins, said this merger will strengthen the fight against crime in Northern Ireland as it combines the intelligence expertise of SOCA with the hands-on practical experience of ARA. This combination will make the recovery of assets even more effective and strengthen our fight against those who profit from org anised crime.  [8]  This important merger highlights the steps in the UK have taken to try to successfully tackle aspects of organised crime, by merging together these two organisations it showed that the UK has acknowledged the fact the money laundering linked with organised crime is a very serious issue that needs to be dealt with. A further offence as introduced in the Drug Trafficking Act 1994 and the Terrorism Act 2000 which states the offence of failure to report. This occurs where the person suspects that another person is involved in laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking or terrorism, and fails to report it. In the case of the Terrorism Act 2000, this offence is broadened to those who have reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting. These statutory offences have amplified the range of money laundering offences within the UK legislation, and have similarly enlarged the mandatory degree of vigilance on financial professionals. By increasing the legislation to include those or may not even be involved directly in the crime or its proceeds it eliminates any sort chains there may in a particular organised crime groups structure. This offence highlighted is very similar to offences laid out in the USs Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) whereby prosecutors could arrest group leaders ba sed on the activities of those who worked with them. This shows another way in which the Uk is successfully trying to tackle the issue by looking at all aspects of weakening organised crime. Overall the legislation on tackling money laundering is effective, with agencies such as SOCA recognising its importance Money is at the heart of all organised crime. The lifestyle and status it brings are the main motivation for most criminals.  [9]. SOCA states that it is determined to ensure that criminals cant enjoy their profits  [10]. According to the report released by SOCA 2009/10  £317.5 million was seized from organised crimes groups in the UK. A recent example of SOCA in action in April 2011 where SOCA was granted the Confiscation Order in Leeds Crown Court for  £933,422 against Paul Anthony Romano Morgan from Leeds  [11], this is a significant achievement for the UK in tackling the issue of organised crime. In order for the UK to continue being protected the effects of money laundering, authorities, however, must work stronger at identifying criminals that are still accessing the financial system. Only by using more advanced method will criminals and money launderers become more hesitant. Professor Bill Gilmore stated: for the first time, to take co-ordinated and effective worldwide action to undermine the financial power of drug trafficking networks and other criminal organisations, is now in sight if not, as yet, fully within our reach.  [12]  Highlighting there is still room for the UK to improve to completely eradicate organised crime. One of the most threatening of activities undertaken by organised crimes groups is the trafficking of illegal narcotics. The drug trade has the capability to infiltrate all aspects of society and can threaten the social, political and economic security of any nation, so it is not surprising that it is becoming an increasing issue in the UK. The impact of the drug trade may not necessarily be the most threatening to social security, but it is probably the most threatening to the people of the country. The problems with drug trafficking are not simply mattered of criminal activities taking place but what the drugs trafficked into the country are causing, such as addiction and furthermore diseases being spread through improper use and then furthermore the crime associated with drug abuse as more and more people depends on these trafficked narcotics. McFarlane points to another interesting threat which may emerge from an increase in crime: Furthermore, with increasing crime, a free press and civil rights tend to be ignored both by the criminals and by the hard-pressed law enforcement agencies.  [13]  The threat that drug trafficking brings is potentially very large and is affecting the economic stability of the UK and therefore has become a focus of major law enforcement to tackle and one will now review on whether atte mpts to combat drug trafficking have been successful. The Serious Organised Crime Organisation (SOCA), takes a role in the gathering of information about major drug syndicates that control the UK drug trafficking scene. Created in 2007, SOCA is responsible for the collection, analysis, research and dissemination of intelligence relating to major criminals involved in serious crime, including the distribution and trafficking of drugs.  [14]  And in the Annual SOCA Plan 2010/2011 they mention that Class A drugs, poses the greatest single threat  [15]  showing that they realise that it is a serious target to be dealt with. SOCA has been working heavily on tackling drug trafficking with a recent case in again in April 2011 highlighting the capture and trial of one of SOCAs most-wanted, Edward Morton, who went on the run for more than three years,and has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for his part in a organised crime group which trafficked illegal narcotics worth millions of pounds into the UK. SOCAs Gerry Smyth said: This ope ration succeeded in breaking up highly organised professional drugs trafficking gang who brought large quantities of controlled drugs onto the streets of the North East of England. Morton tried to evade justice by hiding in Amsterdam. He failed. SOCA and its national and international partners are determined to bring fugitives back to the UK courts to face justice.  [16]  , this highlights SOCA and UKs enthusiasm on working with international organisation to tackle the problem, which is a positive factor as most drugs are trafficked into the country so therefore it is not enough to tackle the issue internally and from this case we can see the UK has picked up on this and is using this to tackle organised crime successfully. Important organisations that help deal with the international aspect of the problem is HM Customs and Excise National Investigation Service. There are two principal aspects of Customs control for drugs. The first is preventive control at ports and airports and through coastal surveillance. The second is specialist investigations based on information and intelligence gathered from various sources at home and overseas, designed to anticipate and intercept consignments of drugs and arrest the organisers of smuggling attempts.  [17]  With this work continuing it will add the to work with other agencies such as SOCA to deter drug traffickers in the UK. However one may note that the HM customs side of operations does need substantial improvement if today the figure of the profits of drugs being trafficked into the country remains at a staggering 4-6.6 billion a year, this emphasises aspects of the UK operations that needs to be improved in order to tackle organised crime successfully. In fulfilling its aims, the UK works as a partner or member in a number of leading international organisations, The UK is part of United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), formed in 1991, which acts as the focal point in the United Nations for international support and battle against drugs. The UK is also an active member of the Dublin Group, which merges the EU and other countries to bring together individual country policies and give assistance to source country of the illegal narcotics. Many actions have been implemented throughout local Dublin Groups to ensure more commitment from national governments in assisting producer countries but also assistance from the actual source countries themselves in order to successfully tackle organised crime. In particular, the UK plays an important role in the 1988 UN Drugs Convention, which provides a broad framework for intercontinental cooperation against drug trafficking. The UK ratified the Convention in June 1991, extending it to UK Dependent Territories. The UK participates in the G8 Group on Transnational Organised Crime (TOC) following the G7/8 Halifax Summit in 1995. The groups objective was to recognise gaps in intercontinental cooperation against TOC and put forward realistic actions for improvement. All of these movements and actions were taken by the UK show their intent on successfully tackling drug trafficking and in essence organised crime as they have again acknowledged that the problem is not entirely internal and international aid needed to be addressed as most organised crime groups have a non-British ethnicity and in order to administer actions against them and to deter them in it important that the UK seek support of source countries and on reflection it seems that they have done this successfully. There are other arguments that state that the UK cannot tackle the issue of drug trafficking alone simply but regret the source or even the supply, some may argue that present legislation needs to be revisited and weaknesses in it need to be addressed, Steve Rolles of Transform Drug Policy said When prohibition of something collides with huge demand for it, you just create an economic opportunity and illegal criminal entrepreneurs will inevitably exploit the opportunity that it creates  [18]  Lord Mancroft agreed by stating We have controlled drugs in this country but you only have to walk a mile of this palace to realise that the controls do not work, because anywhere on the streets of London you can buy any of these drugs The way forward is a range somewhere from the way we control alcohol or indeed the most dangerous object in our everyday lives, the motorcar. If you go outside in the street and step in front of a moving motor car you will find out how dangerous it is, so what do we do? We do not prohibit it. We license the vehicle, we license the users, we made them pass a test, we make them have insurance so if they damage anybody they have to pay up, we tell them how fast they can use it, on which side of the road. That is control.  [19]   However to argue in favour of what is already being done and its benefits and arguing against controlling drugs trade Professor Strang of the National Addiction Centre told states, There is no question that the illegality of a substance is a major deterrent to its useà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦one would have to presume that if legal constraints were taken away the level of use would almost certainly increase  [20]  , these two arguments highlight different approaches the UK can implement the second being what is being actioned now, however despite how drastic the first argument that Rolles and Mancroft mat be one may have to consider its possible effectiveness in aiding the UKs campaign in tackling organised crime, by eliminating the opportunity for organised crime groups. To conclude is seems on a whole the UK is successfully trying to tackle organised crime, but there are some hole so to speak and from looking at SOCA Annual report 2010/11 one can see that the UKs weakness when it comes to tackling organised crime is its understanding of the inner workings of an organised crime group, Organised crime is identified in the National Security Strategy as a major threat to the UK. Broad estimates value the economic and social costs to the UK, including the costs of combating it, at between  £20 billion and  £40 billion a year. Whilst the understanding of organised crime is becoming clearer year on year, there are however still gaps. To be successful in reducing the harm caused by organised crime it is essential that efforts to combat it are well-directed. This requires investment in developing knowledge and understanding of the threats and of those responsible for them. The harm to the UK comes in particular from a large number of individuals and grou ps operating in tactically astute ways, in response to this the UK has recognised that it needs to improve and will do so by bringing together a wide range of departments and agencies, each with specialist skills and powers  [21]  but whether or not this proves to be successful is yet to be seen. However, in 2010, the Home Office published an evaluation named Drugs Value for Money Review. It pointed out that there was a lack of factual data being collected by the government on the effectiveness of its drug policy against the trafficking of drugs it stated that policies to reduce the availability of drugs produced the greatest analytical challenge. The absence of robust and recognised measures of success, combined with a limited base of research evidence, makes it particularly difficult to draw conclusions about supply-side policy.  [22], so this reiterates the point that in order for the UK to successfully tackle organised crime it needs to put more effort into its research in order to create a higher intelligence to what they are actually trying to tackle.

america sucess or failure Essay -- essays papers

america sucess or failure America-success or failure is a broad topic. This question can be looked at differently from the multi-cultural races that make up America. The most likely theory is America is a success, but with continual change and improvement, she can become more. To prove this theory we will discuss essential events, from past to present that will champion this theory. The period we will cover is from the 1950’s to present day. The political mood, social changes, and domestic situations brought forth many changes in American history. To define America’s success, civil rights comes to the forefront. America has had a long history of racial and unequal rights division amongst its diverse ethnic groups. During the 1950’s, severe treatment of African Americans was very noticeable. Slavery may not exist today, but brutal treatment of blacks continued. Discrimination was a way of life for white America. The South may have lost the war but the battle continued. And Black Americans during these times were less then men in the eyes of many White Americans. Education changed many of the views of White Americans, and the will of certain Black Americans who, regardless of the consequences, were tired of being citizens but not equal. ‘In September 1946 President Harry Truman met with a group of African American leaders to discuss the steps that needed to be taken to achieve their goals. They asked for support of a Federal Anti-Lynching law, abolish a poll tax as a voting requirement, and establish a permanent board to prevent discriminatory practices in hiring. Congress refused to address any of these concerns.’(America Pathways to the Present) It is hard to believe such issues existed in America with such a large multi-racial representation as we have. However, momentum carried Civil Rights forward and brave people like Rosa Parks and Martin L. King brought attention to the wrongs that were being committed. These heroic acts met with violence from America. Technology was key in changing public opinion when this violence came into the living rooms of neutral Americans. Black unity grew and white support continues to grow. The dramatic turning point according to this theory was Martin L. King’s march on the capital and his famous speech â€Å"I have a Dream†. This event was the largest public protest against discrimination and t... ..., lesbian, and bisexual people to serve openly in the U.S. military, a 19-point jump from 1997. (NGLTF Policy Institute Report From Wrongs to Rights, PG 12.) The fact that the gay and lesbian community has made progressive accomplishment is proof that America is succeeding. Twenty years ago the mere mention of this could ruin a person’s life or career. With time and education the Gay and Lesbian community is gaining equal rights, but improvement is always needed. Many measures have been taken to block Gay and Lesbian rights for example a religious activist group failed in its efforts to place initiatives attacking the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community on the November ballot in four Michigan communities this week. Initiatives failed to make the ballot in Royal Oak, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Traverse City, while the results of a similar attempt in a fifth city, Grand Ledge, was not known.’ (NGLTF Policy Institute Report From Wrongs to Rights, P g. 14) America is not perfect, but there is nothing to compare it with in the world. I hope that for the sake of our next generation who will inherit this country we will have and even greater success to speak about.

Gossip Girl Book #1 :: essays research papers

In this first novel, life is beautiful for our teens from the Upper East Side of Manhattan. They're rich, they're beautiful, and they know it. Blair Waldorf is the ringleader of the crew, which includes her handsome but weak-hearted boyfriend, Nate. This femme fatale in training relishes her role and is confident that she and Nate will be together forever. Then the teen every girl loves to hate, Serena Van der Woodson, returns from her Connecticut boarding school, and the young women start fuming. Serena is beautiful and charming, and could unknowingly steal the hearts of brothers and boyfriends -- and she and Nate have a secret history. Of course, ridiculous rumors are abuzz that Serena was expelled for everything from sleeping with half the student body to sacrificing live chickens, but no one knows the real deal because it would be totally unhip to appear too interested in her. She doesn't have time to offer explanations anyway, since she's busy trying to fit in with her old cliq ue, who don't seem to want her around. It may be time for Serena make new friends, but with whom? Gossip Girl reports on Serena's struggle with the group and more -- their dates, their parties, their crushes, and their secrets -- and she tells it all with such knowledge that you, too, will wonder as you close this page-turner, "Who is she?" (Michele D. Thomas) In Gossip Girl, when the beautiful Serena van der Woodsen returns to private school after mysteriously getting kicked out of boarding school, the whole school is talking. All Blair Waldorf knows is that there's no freaking way Serena's going to just waltz back in with her Jimmy Choo mules and Kate Spade bag and steal everyone's heart again. But Serena's got other things on her mind, like college pressure and living up to everyone else's extreme expectations. Plus there's that Ryan Phillippe-looking guy who stands across the street and stares at her all the time. Set in a rich all-girls school full of bulimic, rich, and snotty girls, you'll see into the thoughts of Blair Waldrof, her boyfriend Nate, and her used-to-be best friend Serena van der Woodsen. Blair badly wants to have sex with her boyfriend Nate, and when the moment comes, Nate spills about having slept with her former best friend Serena. Blair turns everybody against Serena when she comes back from her vacation.

Interview Question and Ans

Tell me about yourself? Ans1) My name is Sakshi Malhotra. I am from Faridabad. I have done my graduation degree in BBA from MD University, Rohtak. I am currently pursuing PGDM degree from IMS college. Apart from the academic interests I am a creative person. Q2) What is your greatest strength? Weakness? Ans2) (i) Strengths: * Good communication skills * Strong will power * Dedicated nature. (ii) Weakness: * I cannot tolerate back biting. I may easily lose temper if I come across dishonest people. Q3) Why did you choose to interview with us?Ans3) I chose to interview with you because the job profile fits ideally with the kind of work experience that I am looking forward to. This is the firm in which I can realize my full potential and gain quality experience in my professional life. Q4) What are your short-term and long term goals? Ans4) (i) Short –Term Career Goals: To work in any of the four competitors –KPMG, E & Y, PWC, DELLOITE (ii) Long Term Goal: Long-Term Goa l of mine is to broaden my experience in different departments and work processes of the industry so that I can become qualified enough to lead a company as the CEO.Q5) Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision? Ans5) The most difficult decision I had to make so far was to choose between a career in Hotel Management and a career in management. With the help of my family I decided to choose a career in management as it will still fulfill my dream of managing and I also get to choose the industry I want to work in. Q6) What do you do when a team member is not pulling his/her weight? Ans6) When a team- member is not pulling his/her weight then I will try to find out the reason for the de motivated behavior of the team member.If a can resolve the issue then I will put my efforts in that direction else if I cannot find the reason then I will try to lead by example by putting extra efforts and involving the team member. Q7) Think about a time you made a mistake. What did you le arn from it? Ans7) The mistake that I made was very trivial and hence not worth mentioning here but the lesson that I learnt was much more important. I learnt that it is always easier and better to admit your mistake and apologize for it. Trying to hide the mistake is just another mistake.

The Issue of Student Preparedness

The article titled â€Å"Teaching Responsibility† deals with the issue of student preparedness after high school. The article brings up the recent case of Jonathan Govias who is suing his private high school stating that the school did not prepare him for university. The article goes on to give two examples, one in Virginia and one in Ontario of how these types of problems are being dealt with. The editor agrees s that the school system should be held more responsible for its graduates, but makes it clear that lawyers only complicate matters. I believe that Jonathan Govias† case should be heard in a court of law due to the fact that schools have a certain responsibility and if it is not met then something needs to be done about it. I am in total disagreement with the Ontario†s school plan to get rid of this problem and am a total fan of the Virginia pilot project, because unlike the Ontario plan they are actually looking to help the students and not their own pockets. After dropping out of his first year engineering program at the university of Alberta, Jonathan Govias decided to sue his alma mater for a total of $140,000 claiming that the school failed to fully prepare him for what university had in store for him. Jonathan attended a private school, and as we all know private schools charge a large amount of money in order to provide a better education for its students. That is why parents enroll their children in private schools. Jonathan after graduating got accepted in the engineering program, which is a hard program to get into since a high average is necessary. Private education costs money, therefore making it a business that provides services and like any other business should be held responsible if their services fail, or does not meet the standard that the school promises to meet. I believe that the school is very much responsible for Jonathan†s post secondary education. Private schools take pride in the fact that they can provide a better education than public schools and that they prepare their students with the tools they need to survive in the university world. It is also important to note that this case has not yet been decided in favor of Jonathan and that Jonathan should be given a chance to prove himself. The fact that this action against the private school is taking place shows that Jonathan has just cause for his decision to take his case before the judge. The next area the editor deals with is what Ontario is doing to solve the problem of student preparedness. A key performance indicator review will soon be in effect. This review will look at the employment rate of the former students as well as a survey of what employers think of the quality of the graduates. In the end it is said that up to six percent of a college†s provincial government funding will be affected by these results. This way the schools with successful students will get more funding, where as the schools who do not do well will be faced with cutbacks. Cutbacks in any way shape or form are a bad thing. We are already facing cutbacks in the elementary, junior high and high school levels. These cutbacks are the direct reason for the lack of student preparedness, and now community colleges are in for it. It is interesting that Ontario is going to enforce these rules to community colleges and not to universities. I would like to know why. I do not see how cutbacks are going to help a college that already is not doing well. You might as well shut the school down because with these cutbacks that Ontario has in store for the colleges, the school might as well close its doors. On the other hand Virginia has come up with an idea that will help its students. In order for the schools to be held accountable they have come up with a pilot project that provides its students with educational warranties. This way if a student requires remedial education within two years, the school board will cover the costs. This is how Virginia is dealing with the graduate†s lack of basic skills. This plan by Virginia seems to me to be a better way to make a difference, and shows that they are putting their students first. First thing I would like to point out is that the plan by Virginia is a pilot project, meaning that it is currently at its test phase, therefore we must wait for the results to see if it is a plan to be adopted by all school board districts. With that in mind the pilot project is still a great idea. For one it holds the schools responsible for their actions and keeps a close eye on the schools performance but does not have cut backs in mind. Students are now given a second chance to make things right. It is known that the high school years are hard on adolescence and that many find it hard to cope with the changes that are constantly taking place. Unlike the Ontario plan this projects does not close any doors on its students. The pilot project undertaken in Virginia gets the thumbs; up because it puts the students first by providing them with a chance at a good education, which in the end is the soul purpose of an educational institution. â€Å"Study hard† parents tell you. All your life you hear that in order to succeed in life you must study hard, get a good education and make something of yourself. One must not forget that the school is also responsible for its actions and responsible for providing a usable education. Unfortunately these days the high school diploma does not matter much to people, it is the post-secondary piece of paper that counts. Well obviously one needs a proper high school education in order to be able to survive in the post-secondary world. We as a society need to be concerned with the lack of student preparedness. These students lacking basic skills are going to run the future world. We need to nip this problem through the use of projects such as the one introduced in Virginia. As we enter the millenium, we need to understand that investments in our future are crucial. By providing a better education we prepare our children for all the advancements that we are headed for.