Bright Star Essay -- Literary Analysis, Eliza Heywood

Eliza Haywood is a visionary. In her set of love letters, Love Letters on All Occasions, Haywood distinctly uses select words, such as metaphors, to subconsciously drive home the message to the reader. Whether it be re-enforcing the relationship between the two writers, or rather undercutting it, the reader understands their relationship more fully thanks to Haywood’s choice words. In Haywood’s collection Love Letters on All Occasions from her novel Fantomina and Other Works, two letters in particular, â€Å"Letter XXV† and â€Å"Letter XXVII†, Haywood’s use of metaphors and select word choices help to reinforce the sentiment between the writers to the reader. In â€Å"Letter XXV,† Haywood writes a letter from Theano to Elismonda. Reading the letter, the reader can clearly tell that Theano is madly in love with Elismonda. The fact that Haywood ends the letter with Theano writing, â€Å"My most loved, most Ador’d Elisamonda’s Constantly Zealous Votary, Theano† (Haywood 196) might as well be the final decal in the room Theano has built for Elismonda in his heart. Haywood’s use of the phrase â€Å"zealous votary† is one of the occasions where she re-enforces Theano’s love for Elismonda. Apart, the words â€Å"zealous† and â€Å"votary† don’t mean much. The Oxford English Dictionary defines zealous as â€Å"having or showing zeal,† (Oxford 1) which is â€Å"great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective† (1). Votary is defined as â€Å"a person, such as a monk or nun, who has made vows of dedication to religious service† (1). Haywoodâ €™s combination of the two terms is a metaphor for Theano’s devotion to Elismonda. He is constantly showing great enthusiasm in pursuit of Elismonda, who he views almost as a religion. He is a â€Å"votary,† but not as a monk or nun making ... ... her and knows he would never cross her. Haywood’s response letter written from Elismonda to Theano uses select language and references to his letters to re-enforce the readers apprehension of the complete and utter love these two writers feel for each other. Haywood uses metaphors and select word choices to help reinforce the sentiment between the writers to the reader in two letters, â€Å"Letter XXV† and â€Å"Letter XXVII† in her collection Love Stories on All Occasions from her novel Fantomina and Other Works. Unlike many works from this time frame, both Theano and Elismonda are madly in love with each other and desire each other greatly. This is a rare case of a happy couple in the age of Seduction Fiction, where most tales often ended in tragedy. Haywood’s account of Theano and Elismonda could be considered one of the bright stars in an otherwise cloudy night sky.

Essay --

Final Report Chanel Lawrence CMN 279-201 Dianne Nubla November 2013 OPEN OPTIONS Date: November 14, 2013 To: Mr. Jason John, Client From: Chanel Lawrence, Career Councilor Subject: Career Counseling At your request I have examined the two career choices; Event Coordination and Veterinary Sciences. This report presents data documenting the job description, the salary, working conditions and educational requirements of both career paths. Event Coordinator As an event coordinator you are directly responsible for the conception, production and execution of events. Events include: †¢ Corporate, †¢ Promotions and product launches †¢ Charity or social events †¢ Festivals †¢ Seminars †¢ Conventions †¢ Meetings As an event coordinator you have the opportunity to work freelance or can be employed by tourism associations, convention and conference centers, governments and by conference and event planning companies. (Common menu bar links, n.d) The job is very hands on and will involve teamwork. It is a high-pressure job as it requires close attention to detail and coordinators must have the following skills: †¢ Good and clear communication †¢ The ability to complete wide range activities †¢ Excellent organizational skills †¢ Good time management †¢ Problem Solving and Decision making Due to the fact that different events will vary, the role of event coordinator will depend on the organization and type of event involved. Typical tasks include: †¢ Liaising with clients to ensure their precise event requirements †¢ Creating detailed proposals for events such as timelines, venues, suppliers, legal obligations, staffing and the event budget †¢ Managing a budget, securing and booking a suitable venue or ... ... organiser: Salary and conditions, N.d) My recommendation In conclusion, as your Career Councilor I believe that a career path in Veterinary Science is more beneficial to you as you can receive up to $48,46/hour whereas in Events you are only able to make $24.95/hour. As a Veterinarian you would make up to twice as much in salary and you have the opportunity to save the lives of animals. When it comes to educational requirements the Veterinary Science process is far more specific compared to the vague and varied courses that you could take regarding events. This would entail that you are able to gain more knowledge during your undergraduate study and therefore it would be more satisfying in personal gain. Based solely on the educational benefits, salary difference and personal self-fulfillment I believe that Veterinary Sciences is a career you should pursue.

Knights Tale Essay

Anthony Slaughter 10/27/11 The Knight’s Tale Essay In the beginning of the movie Will is just a peasant, squire but by the end of the movie, upon finding his newfound talent of jousting, he transformed is his social status from peasant to royalty by becoming a knight. In the beginning of the movie, The Knight’s Tale, William Thatcher and his two friends, Wat and Roland, start off as three ordinary squires. Right before a jousting match their knight that they serve dies; with their knight dead there is no one else of royalty to ride in his place. However, with the threat of forfeiting approaching, William decides to ride in his knight’s place, risking being caught and put to prison or worse. Once Will was done getting ready for the joust, it was time to see what he could do and to the surprise of Will, Wat, and Roland he had won the joust. After winning, they received prize money in which they divided up among themselves. Wat and Roland wanted take their share of money and go to the bar, but Will had other plans. Will convinced them to put all their money together and train him to become a better jouster. Wat and Roland agreed and they began to train Will; after a while of training and practicing Will got it down, yet the one thing he didn’t have was documentation that he was born of royalty, which was the only qualification of becoming a knight. Luckily, one day while traveling they came across a man named Geoffrey Chaucer, he was a writer/scribe who had a gambling problem and because of his problem he had lost his cloths and was completely naked on the road. Chaucer promised to create documentation for Will, if Will clothed, fed, shoed, and let him travel with them. Will agreed and all four of them were off to their first jousting tournament. At Wills first tournament, he competed in joust and in sword fighting. Also at this tournament he saw a beautiful woman who peeked his interest, her name was Joseline. Will jousted first and did very well until he faced the cocky and undefeated, Count Adhemar who had mocked him and made him look like a fool in front of Joseline. Will competed in swords next, winning first prize in the competition, but Will was not happy because all he wanted to do was beat Adhemar in jousting, which meant Will had to invest all his time into jousting to have a chance to meet Adhemar in the jousting championships. With his goal in sight, Will began winning all the tournaments he competed in, making his name known throughout Europe. His new armor forged and crafted by the women blacksmith, Kate, who now traveled with them, helped him win his tournaments because of its lightness and strength. Joseline also noticed Will, not because of the fame he had earned but because of her unannounced love for him and invited him to a dance after one of his wins, and their love for each other grew from there. Because of Will’s success he was able to move on to the championships, which took place in his hometown. While in his hometown, Will searched and located his father, John Thatcher who he had not seen in 12 years. Unfortunately, Adhemar watched Will try to sneak out. That next day, before the joust with his adversary, Adhemar, Will was arrested for using fake documentation that said that he was born of royal blood. However, Prince Edward, who had great respect for Will because Will didn’t forfeit the jousting match to him just because he was the Prince, was in the crowd with his personal bodyguard. Prince Edward said that Will was a descendant of ancient royalty, freeing Will. The Prince then knighted Will, enabling him to compete in his jousting championship match between Adhemar. When the match started, Will jumped to a quick lead, Adhemar didn’t like that so he decided to use a lance with a solid, metal tip to intentionally hurt Will†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Characterization is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. There are two ways the author can reveal characterization, direct characterization and indirect characterization. Direct Characterization tells the audience what the personality of the character is. Indirect Characterization shows things that reveal the personality of a character. In the movie the author uses indirect characterization by describing Will’s personality through his actions and choices he makes throughout the movie. One example is at the end, when Will still goes out to joust Adhemar, instead of trying to run away, even though he knows he will most likely get arrested. Will’s act in this situation showed his heart, determination, and relentlessness to complete his goal of defeating Adhemar. Will’s personality led him to follow morals such as bravery, determination, respect, and chivalry. Through these morals Will learned some lessons. Will learned the chivalry of a knight, when jousting Prince Edward, he learned respect when he fell in love with Joseline. Through these lessons he became a noble and honorable man, far different than the peasant life he once lived.

Big Bad Burger

The Brain Behind the Big, Bad Burger Section 1: Analysis Most Americans will consume any food regardless of the calories, nutritional value and health related consequences. The Brain behind the Big, Bad Burger article mentions the importance of using a Business Intelligence System (BIS) which â€Å"provides them with insights, not just mountains of data† (Levison, 2005). Business Intelligence gets its strength from being able to pull data from disparate sources store it for use in a loosely coupled way, and then pull it out in an accurate and meaningful way.Organizations can pull data from customer surveys and sales reports; however, this information is useless without a framework. Jeff Chasney, CKE’S CIO clarified this point further by stating â€Å"There's nothing worse, in my opinion, than a business intelligence system that reports changes on a weekly basis, he says, because those systems don't provide any context as to what factors are influencing those changes.Wi thout that context, you don't know whether the data is good or bad; it's just useless† (Levison, 2005). BIS gathers information from various data points in the company to create multifaceted contextual statistics for better decision making. For example, BIS helped CKE determine if the Thickburger was actually contributing to increases in sales at restaurants or if it was just cannibalizing sales of other, lesser burgers. CKE Thickburger in fact did increase their sales â€Å"it was selling like gangbusters†.The success was measured through a variety of data points including cost of production, average unit volume compared with other burgers, total sales for each of the test stores, and the contribution of that menu item to total sales (Levinson, 2005). The Monster Thickburger exceeded expectations in test market, and this is why CKE decided to roll it out nationwide. Section 2: Summary of Discussion Questions 1. BIS add values to CKP by focusing on the company's most im portant performance indicators which included sales and cost of sale, historical and forward-looking business trends.BIS uses econometric models to provide context which explains performance. By having this information the company is more agile and responsive to improve making decisions and finding problems areas to correct and take new directions in the rapidly changing fast-food industry environments. 2. Some tips for using BIS is for strategic decisions such as what new products to add to menus, which dishes to remove and which underperforming stores should be closed. BIS can be used for tactical matters like renegotiating contracts with food suppliers and identifying opportunities to improve inefficient processes.BIS can also help improve the infrastructure of the supply chain. BIS is an analytical tool that helps executives make better decisions. It is important that we pay attention to data quality and integrity to make sure that we are not basing our judgment on erroneous dat a. I will also suggest devising key performance metrics (KPI’s) that are most relevant to the business to examine the deviations that are causing losses to the operations and locate opportunities areas to grow and take advantage of. One last tip which is very important is to take into account users’ feelings, and address their concerns up front.The success of the BI systems is user acceptance and without user acceptance, companies will waste time and money establishing a Business Intelligence System. 3. The Monster Thickburger was a good idea because it increased sales at restaurants and it narrowed its overall losses and even turned a profit in 2003. As long as you have an idea of what information you are looking for a system can be implemented in order to find that information and make sense of it. References Levinson, Meredith. (2005). The Brain Behind the Big, Bad Burger and Other Tales of Business Intelligence. CIO Magazine.

Pathological gambling intervention Essay

When looking at pathological gambling we ask ourselves how someone gets to the point of addiction. In that regard there are both internal and external factors, beahior and environment related aspects leading to someone’s impulsive urge to gamble. Speaking of which, impulsivity can be a direct factor of a pathological gambler, Impulsive people are naturally more prone to gambling problems because of their nature and personality. That is not to say that all impulsive people will develop gambling habits or problems but they could if the right factors were in play at the right times. Inability to control impulses and also inability to delay gratification are two major impulsivity-related symptoms of pathological gamblers (McCormick & Taber, 1988). Other behavior factors include, coping strategies, high stress levels, family history, gender as males tend to be more prone to this affliction and â€Å"Pathological gamblers have been known to also exhibit antisocial behavior which is related to the impulse control disorder causing antisocial behavior such as exhibited in antisocial personality disorder† (Slutske et al. , 2001). The environment one grows up in Also plays a valuable role in understanding gambling. It’s a common misconception that pathological gamblers are only those that are near major casinos. That can be a tendency but in todays society technology has opened the door to universal in gambling before impossible. With computers and the internet people are now able to gamble straight from their homes on sports, online poker, etc. This boom in technology has allowed more people, from more places and economic statuses and younger ages be able to easily get involved in gambling. Our group even met a professional gambler who would have all of his bets placed on his computer before noon and then do nothing the rest of the day. Technology has extended the reach of gambling to social circles that before may have not been affected. Predisposing, Reinforcing, Enabling Factors Predisposing factors are what set someone up with the highest chances of being a pathological gambler. An addictive personality makes anyone more susceptible as well as having addictions or just gambling itself run in the family. A persons level of impulsivity is also a huge factor, an impulsive person is more likely to give into reckless decisions and follow the activities that give a rush sensation. Impulsive people have problems with delaying gratification making addictive and compulsive tendencies stand out. †Pathological gambling is a problem of impulse control. The more accessible gambling is, the harder it is to maintain the control. †(3) Predisposing factors can also be socioeconomic status, does one have the funds to feed the addiction, or did one one grow up in rough situations and use gambling as a crutch or coping strategy, the factors are vast and varying. Environment as brought up by the last quotation can also be a predisposing factor. Does one have access and how easily plays into an addiction. The closer one is to gambling the more likely they will partake. That used to entail how close someone was to casinos or legal areas of gambling and in many cases still does as more areas are becoming gambling friendly and more funerals pop up in for example, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Missouri, However with technology and the internet, access has become easier for all regardless, of location, sex, race, or economic status. With gambling there are different stages, stages that can reinforce the behavior because despite popular belief many gamblers are reinforced even when they don’t win. â€Å"WINNING PHASE Here the gambler is winning more than losing, has achieved a minimum of one big win. This early big win, bolsters the confidence of the gambler, causing ego to inflate, superior thinking and feeling over other participants. The gambler in this phase begins to spend more time gambling, is gambling for and with larger amounts of money. Winning streak begins to wane, losses start. LOSING PHASE In the losing phase, the gambler begins betting even larger amounts. The gambler accepts the fact that these losses are part of the game. The gambler bets on the long shots, knowing chances are not good for winning, however will pay big if win occurs. The gambler is now losing more than winning. In an attempt to gain back the money lost, the gambler spends more time gambling. Gambler must frequently lie to family, friends, employer, even casinos to convince them that the gambler is still a happy person and all around good person. Deep financial troubles begin. Using lying techniques, the gambler is able to convince employer, family, etc. , of some type of cataclysmic disaster, which requires a borrowing of large amounts of money. Soon the gambler is using this bailout to gamble more. The gambler life has now become unmanageable, family life is increasingly difficult, with deterioration occurring. DESPERATION PHASE During this phase, the majority of the gambler’s time is preoccupied with gambling on all levels. The gambler has no control over the gambling, to alleviate the inner pain, the gambler gambles, knowing the odds of wining are gone, and it does not matter. Lying is out of control. The gambler has one focus and one goal†¦get money in which to gamble with regardless of costs. Family life has deteriorated to the point of non-existence. Illegal activity is now a norm. †(paraphrased from Journal of Addictive Disorders) These phases help explain the reinforcement of pathological gambling along with more well known factor such as the adrenaline rush, the gamblers fallacy, instant gratification and payout. Enabling factors help keep a pathological gambler stuck in their ways and should be avoided as much as possible. Enabling factors can include dwelling on regrets, the focus of could’ve beens. (Pathological Gambling Resources) Looking for quick fixes for gambling addiction can also end up making the problem worse, pathological gambling is an illness that needs in depth treatment and support to be overcome, not a quickfix as those never entail the lifestyle change necessary to change an addicts life. Excluding those afflicted from normal activities or interactions as punishment or a means to help is also a counter intuitive strategy, Addicts need love and support and pushing them away may only compound upon the problem. Furthermore â€Å"Enabling is when you do anything that helps the gambler to continue with his addiction. For example, if you pay his bills for him, lend or give him money, you become an enabler. If you lie to help him cover his lies, you are an enabler. Or if you offer ultimatums in order to control his behavior, you are an enabler. Even if you in any way, directly or indirectly, make it easier for him to continue with his compulsive gambling, you are an enabler. †(Nguyen) Just like an accomplice is guilty in a murder an enabler is guilty through association. Although these may relieve the problem temporarily in some situations, it is always adding to the problem and hurting the addict. Goals And Objectives Our goals are a little more long-term related and the objectives are more specific short term goals. We are focusing more on educational endeavors for the families and friends of the afflicted as this builds the supportive environment necessary to truly help pathological gamblers. Our goals will focus on creating an increase in awareness in the Austin area of pathological gambling, it’s causes and effects, on individuals as well as the community as a whole. We want to create larger supportive environment in the community through the families and friends of the afflicted primarily through educational and awareness increase regimes. As well as provide increase in overall education on the matter for the community, even those not directly affected. As previously mnetioned these goals are broad and wide reaching. Our objectives however are more specific. We want to introduce educational, communication and family based interventions for the increase in awareness of pathological gambling. We will also work with the community and families to ensure interventions are done correctly and effectively fulfilling the needs of the afflicted and their loved ones. Finally but not least in importance we want to gain access to funding and support that will help establish effective educational based, wide reaching and successful intervention programs and learning processes.

Evaluating Poetry Essay

The poem â€Å"Gods Will for You and Me† is the good poem and â€Å"Pied Beauty† is the bad poem according to Perrine standards.  The central purpose of both these poems is to encourage the readers’ individual feelings about God. The poem â€Å"Pied Beauty† is extremely didactic. The writer of this poem is preaching God on the reader. They are trying to get the reader to see all of the things that God has created on the earth and how amazing each one is. The whole poem seems to be a continuous praise on God. The poem even ends with a very clear cut statement, â€Å"Praise him.† This may leave a reader feeling uncomfortable or uneasy. Some of the phrases used in â€Å"Pied Beauty† do not seem to be the best choices for the writing. The phrase â€Å"brinded cow† does not sound as nice as other phrases and does not make me want to love the cow like the writer is suggesting. The phrase â€Å"with swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;† breaks the flow of the poem and could have been left out or worded in a different way. The poem â€Å"Gods Will for You and Me† is getting the point across to be â€Å"loyal to God† in a much simpler and easy going manner. The poem is more realistic and although it has a childlike rhyme to it, it is still fresh and original. It makes me feel, as a reader, that following Gods plan is easy and simple, such as the poem itself. While it is sweet and sentimental it is not over the top or over stimulating to the readers emotions. When it comes to evaluating poetry according to Perrine’s standards, I don’t agree that rating a poem good or bad should be based on certain rules. As a reader, if what you are reading is making you feel good inside then it should be considered a good poem, even if it is sentimental, rhetorical, or didactic. For me, when I read poetry, if I can make sense of what the writer is saying and makes me feel any emotion from the writing, then I declare it a good poem. Didactic poetry should be considered good also, due to the fact that even though it is praising, it is still a strong emotional reading that is getting a point across, whether the reader chooses to follow or agree is  up to them to decide.

Developing Yourself as an Effective Hr Practitioner

Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resource Practitioner The CIPD Human Resources Profession Map The CIPD is the professional body for those working within a HR related role, to â€Å"manage the employer-employee relationship and align an organisation’s culture with its people† (CIPD). Researched through collaboration with business leaders the CIPD has developed a map of the activities, knowledge and behaviours required by the different HR roles to meet current business needs (diagram 1).The map consists of ten Professional areas, four Bands and eight Behaviours. Each area has an extended definition to clarify the key requirements of people who work in that area. Diagram 1 Diagram 1 At the core of the map lie ‘Insights, Strategy and Solutions’ and ‘Leading HR’. These two core elements are considered key areas as they extend across all the elements of the HR profession. Also read: HR Profession Map EssayInsights, Strategy and Solutions relates to the need for a successful HR professional to present and develop strategies and solutions based on a firm understanding of the business, it’s internal environment (vision, values, culture, structure and strategy) and its external challenges (competition, world economy, work/life balance, changing demographics of its workforce, changing legislation etc. ) It demonstrates the profession as a recognised business discipline with people and the organisation at its heart.Leading HR is defined as providing ‘active, insight-led leadership: owning, shaping and driving themselves, others and activity in the organisation’ (CIPD). Great leaders can be found across three main areas of leadership – personal leadership, leading others and leading issues. The ten Professional areas relate to the different roles within HR profession e. g. the requirement of someone operating within an Employee Eng agement role is defined as being responsible for ensuring â€Å" †¦ ll aspects of the employment experience – the emotional connection that all employees have with their work, colleagues and to their organisation (in particular line manager relationship) is positive and understood, and that it delivers greater discretionary effort in their work and the way they relate to their organisation†. The four bands of professional competence define the different levels of work activities and the corresponding responsibilities within each professional area, ranging from administrator to board level.Within the HR Map there is also a useful section on the knowledge and . activities required to transition from one band to the next. Finally the eight behaviours describe how the work activities should be carried out within each professional area. The Agency The Agency, despite being less than two years old, has grown from a team of five to 21 employees – 15 Consultants an d six Compliance Officers. The office is very fast paced and competitive, with Consultants urged to secure new posts for high calibre candidates as quickly as possible.Prospective candidates are invited to come into the branch for a registration interview, where they meet the Consultants who will try and place them within schools. Vivien is an experienced Compliance Officer, supporting three Consultants on her pod. Her role is to meet and greet new candidates when they come in for the registration interview, and check they have supplied the necessary paperwork to meet strict safeguarding guidelines before handing them over their consultant for interview. She works alongside Hans, the lead consultant in her pod.They have a very poor relationship, arguing frequently and demonstrate very little respect for each other’s point of view The Candidate proves to be outstanding and Hans manages to place the candidate in a school within two days. Hans is overjoyed and celebrating loudly in the office, at which point Vivien points out to him that she has Vivien has not completed all the necessary vetting procedures so the candidate does not yet meet the safeguarding requirements to begin work. Hans must now contact the school and delay the candidate’s start date, which inconveniences the school and reflects poorly on the agency.HR CUSTOMERS Consultants Need to meet targets to place high fully vetted high calibre teaching staff in school Consultants Need to meet targets to place high fully vetted high calibre teaching staff in school Managing Director Needs to ensure the company’s strategic objectives are met Managing Director Needs to ensure the company’s strategic objectives are met EMPLOYEE RELATIONS OFFICER EMPLOYEE RELATIONS OFFICER Compliance Officer Need to process high volume of new candidates quickly and accurately Compliance Officer Need to process high volume of new candidates quickly and accurately Diagram 2) (Diagram 2) HOW TO PRIOR ITISE NEEDS ‘Customers do want an HR function with strategic business impact, but this is about solving problems that are strategically important for the business, not about separate HR strategies’ (Hirsh et al) As a result of this lapse in correct protocols the school has threatened to end their contract with the agency, which would have a big impact in the revenue brought in by the pod. Hans is a very successful consultant, and part of his success he will interview a high volume of candidates, averaging 6 interviews per day.Hans has accused Vivien of not processing files quickly enough, letting them pile up on her desk. Vivien responds by telling them she can’t process files when she’s interviewing candidates consistently throughout her day for all three consultants. Vivien has asked in the past to change pods as hers is the most successful so she feels overworked whilst the other Compliance Officers are far less busy. The issues identified in this scena rio are a breakdown in communication, imbalance of workload, and damage limitation to one of the agency’s clients.They order in which they are prioritised – their significance, importance and urgency – must be taken in view of the company’s organisational needs and requirements. When faced with such competing priorities, Stephen Covey’s Grid is a useful tool. In this scenario addressing the school’s needs will fall into Quadrant 1, whilst addressing the poor relationship between Hans and Vivien may fall into Quadrant 2. Good communication is the lifeblood of any successful organisation, the results of which can be detrimental (as in the above scenario).There are many ways of communicating within an organisation, and the method and significance of the message can often determine the best method. TYPE OF COMMUNICATION| ADVANTAGE| DISADAVANTAGE| ELECTRONIC| Provides a record for referral follow-up| Can be impersonal and open to interpretation. | WRITTEN/ POSTER| Easily accessed and visible| The Sender does not know if the communication is received unless a reply is required| VERBAL – FACE TO FACE| Allows immediate feedback | Poor communication ability can interfere with how the message os received. Key elements in providing an effective HR Service. Having an understanding and awareness of the strategic purpose of the company will enable the HR professional to operate in an advisory or educational role, assist in decision making, be proactive by applying an overseeing (or policing) role. Senior managers particularly look to the HR function to have an independent, and challenging, view The key elements of effective HR as identified as: Effective service deliveryChallenges the way in which things are done, to find solutions that are better, cheaper or faster as well as an administrative role in implementing relevant processes and practices. Handling and resolving complaints, informal methods, formal methods, appeals a nd escalation (if required) Effective HR services for employees are seen as supporting, not diluting, the responsibility of the line for people management, and the ability of HR to coach line managers, especially around managing performance, is highly valued.Reinforces the compliance role of the HR/personnel function (both legally and ethically) when it is necessary Building and maintaining good relationships A HR professional needs to have its finger on the pulse of what employees are feeling and how well they are working, balancing the interests of employees with the needs of the business. Delivering service on time with any budget implications Affective time management skills, keeping interested parties ‘in the loop’ Dealing with difficult customers Continuous Improvement Keeps in touch with their ‘customers' through networking in order to understand the business better, reacts to feedback and proactively develops (or contributes to the development of service i nnovations which yield ‘customer' advantage in order to provide continuous measured improvement (Kaizen concept).References: CIPD – The Truth about HR http://www. cliffsnotes. com/study_guide/Methods-of-Communication. topicArticleId-8944,articleId-8919. html Employee communication – Richard Croucher, Human Resource Management , A case study approach Michael Muller-Carmen, Richard Croucher and Susan Leigh. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey ï » ¿Developing Yourself As An Effective HR Practitioner I am doing this HR course to further my career at work. I am supervisor.I am involved in HR in my job, as we do not have an HR department. I work with my Manager at present to help conduct annual appraisals, disciplinary procedures and inductions. I have also been involved with redundancies.We are a medium sized company, which has expanded since I joined in 2000 but as we are growing we feel the need to have 1 person to take on the HR role so that all staff have someone official that they can go to with any problems that they may have.HRPM: this is an easy to use table containing behaviours, professional areas and bands of competence. It allows users to assess their capability in the HR role they have chosen – whether it is general or specialist.The two core professional areas are insights, strategies & solutions and leading HR.As an example of insights in my role at work there are quite a few members of staff who are nearing retirement age and will retire within around two ye ars of each other so we will be losing all the experience and knowledge that they bring to their roles within the business whether that be manufacturing cables or within our quality assurance department, So I have suggested that we employ younger people who we can train working closely with these people so that their knowledge can be passed on. This has been proven to work as we have two members of staff who joined us around 6 years ago straight from school and are some of our best operators as we have trained them in the way we work.The core of the map is about developing an understanding of the organisation that the user is working in, clerk of the works, contracts manager, and architect.Performance and reward – this allows individuals within a work place to use their own skills, behaviours and experience by using a reward scheme such as bonuses.Learning and Development: Build individual and organisational capability and knowledge to meet current requirements – in ma ny industries it is necessary to train an re-train employees as companies become more diverse to keep up with competitors for example, at my place of work we are starting to build completely different types of cable harnesses to what we would have been building one year ago so there is a lot of re-training required for all shop floor staff.Band 1 of the HRPM is most essential in the company I work for, as it is customer orientated.When I am doing the HR role full time my main customers will be shop floor staff although I will be working for others such as Engineers, Our Receptionist and the Managing Director.There are 8 behaviours on the HRPM.Curious: This person is open minded and focused on the future of the business they are in, inquisitive and is always thinking of ways to add to their organisation, focused on the future of the business they are in and is always thinking of ways to add value to their organisation.Decisive Thinker: This person takes in data and information and is a fast learner. They use the information they receive in a structured way to identify options and make recommendations.Skilled Influencer: This person can influence stakeholders to gain commitment and support within the company/industry they work within.Personally Credible: This person uses professionalism to bring value to the whole company they work in including stakeholders and peers.Collaborative: This person works very well with other people within and outside of work.Driven To Deliver: This person is determined and resourceful and uses these skills to deliver the best results for their company.Courage To Challenge: This person will speak up for what they believe in even if confontated with resistance and unfamiliar circumstances.Role Model: This person always leads by example, has integrity and independence and balances personal organisational and legal matters very well.Activity 2In my HR role, I have 4 main customers. These are shop floor staff which includes inductions for new members off staff, Engineers and Our Receptionist. Shop floor staff: I sit in on (and will conduct) appraisals. We have a written assessment, which the shop floor staff must fill out before attending the appraisal. This includes questions about personal development. In the appraisal we discuss the types of work they would like to do in the future, any pay/skills upgrades they may be getting and when they can expect to get them by. We also discuss any problems they may be having although we always encourage them to come to us (our manager, the other shop floor supervisor or myself) with any problems as they come up rather than waiting for the appraisal.The shop floor manager currently  conducts the appraisals and I sit in on them and take notes then type up all the outcomes of the appraisal with a copy to be given to the employee. I conduct Return To Work interviews for employees who have had any unauthorised absence(s). This is conducted using a form with set questions asked and recorded by my-self about the nature of the absence. The Employee and myself then sign it and it is then scanned into their personnel file. I have sat in on and taken the minutes for redundancy meetings. I have had a limited role in these. As well as taking minutes, I am there for moral support, as I know all of our employees personally due to My job as a supervisor and the number of years I have worked there.Engineers:When I am a full time HR practitioner, I will be able to support the engineers with any problems they may have with other members of staff such as conflicts about the way the engineers plan jobs and the way they are actually built on the shop floor. This can be an issue for both the engineers and shop floor staff as the engineers quote the times for each job but they are not always accurate so this means that the shop floor staff may appear to not build cables in the allocated time.New Employees:I will be conducting all inductions for new Employees – This i ncludes a walk around the factory introducing them to key members of staff such as our other supervisor, first aid, fire marshals and the other members of staff who they will be working closest with. I will also show them the fire exits, evacuation points and show them the fireboard with everybody’s names on. I will tell them when the fire alarm is tested and register them on out hand scanner, which clocks everyone in and out of the building and is also used for payroll. I will show them where the toilets are and what times their breaks and lunch breaks are. New Employees have to read our health and safety handbook thoroughly.Conflicting Needs:I prioritise these by consulting with my manager and shop floor staff so that I am able to decide what to deal with first. For example, I would deal with a conflict between two or more employees by speaking to them separately away from their normal work environment and if appropriate, I would get them together to talk about the problem. This would take priority over an appraisal or other day-to-day activity.Communication:I use email to communicate at work. The advantage of this is that everything that is said between Myself and the person I am communicating with is in writing and can be referred back to if necessary. The disadvantage of this is that if it is something urgent, the person I am communicating with may not see the email straight away, as many members of staff are not desk bound. Verbal communication: this has the advantage of getting the message across immediately and being able to get an instant reaction both verbally and assessing through their body language. The disadvantage of this is that you would not be able to accurately refer back to the conversation at a later date, as verbal conversations are not always accurately remembered.Printed memo:I use these to communicate anything I need to tell the whole shop floor as they do not have access to email in their workplace. The advantage of this is tha t I can carefully think about and word the memo exactly how I want it to be put across. It is also good because it is in writing and can be referred back to at a later date. The disadvantage is that I cant always get an instant reaction to it as everyone gets it at the same time so will not necessarily inform me of any feedback unless I ask them.An example of all the above methods of communication is that when we unfortunately had to make redundancies some time ago, there was a memo given to every member of staff from their manager to let them know that everyone was at risk of being made redundant. My Manager and I then had to liase with our legal specialists via telephone and by e-mail. We then sat with each individual and let him or  her know if they were being made redundant or not. We felt that sitting down with everyone individually, they would be able to speak about any concerns they had whether they were being made redundant or not.