Analysing The Emerging Democracy Of South Africa Politics Essay

Analysing The Emerging Democracy Of South Africa Politics Essay South Africa is a young democracy that has begun making serious attempts to bring the nation together and create national equality among the people. First to understand what a democracy is it needs to be defined. William Hay Anthony defines democracy as liberal representative government under law, sustained by a political culture that accepts open disagreement and demands accountability (Anthony, pg 135). This definition highlights the role of institutions in making a political order work (Anthony, pg 135). Applying this definition to the South African case is important to analyzing its development within being a democratic nation. Civil and political rights are important to a democratic nation because it must maintain rights to all of its citizens equally. South Africa has made huge steps in ensuring equal rights to all of its citizens, though it is quite clear that a lot more could be done. In terms of economic rights and social rights, South Africa has made attempts in making thes e rights equal for everyone. The democratic role of South African political parties has been a constant one. The African National Congress has been the party in power of the state since its first democratic election in 1994 and it seems like it is getting more and more support as time goes by. Their policies which have been put forth have the same goal of having equality within the state. In the past 16 years, South Africa has made numerous attempts to make its nation more democratic but it is clear that the work that the nation must do to have a complete democracy, is nowhere near finished. Rights have not always been equal to all people of South Africa throughout history, even in the past 20 years. From 1948- 1994, South Africa was under an apartheid, that is, a segregation of blacks and whites in all aspects of society. Under this rule, all races that were identified by the South African Government were divided. At the time, the government recognized four different racial categories: African, coloured, Indian and white (Lichbach 2009, 466). There were many laws that were put in place to keep the people of the country segregated at all times; the only exclusion to that was if a black African was working for a white one. Some apartheid laws were the Group Areas Act, Land Acts, Population Registration Act and Reservation of separate Amenities Act (Lester 1996, 227). During the apartheid, because coloured people could not vote or own property, they were living in extremely poor conditions and kept in certain black only areas. Even when coloured people could own land, th e qualifications amount was raised too high for many coloured people to even consider attempting to purchase land. (Maphai 1994, 3). Without the ownership of property, one could not vote. When the first democratic election was held in April of 1994, it marked a new beginning in South Africa; some called it the New South Africa. Mandela was named as president and many apartheid laws were abolished. People were becoming more equal within this country which meant people of all the coloured races were lawfully allowed to integrate with their white counter parts in education, work, property ownership and other rights that were not given to them before. With a new government set in place, citizens were excited to see how their country would change for the better given its new democratic policies that would soon begin to be in effect. What some people dont fully understand is that many things like becoming a new democracy take time, especially when dealing with a country with a past like t hat of South Africa. With that being said, even though these wonderful laws were being put into government, they were not exactly being implemented very well. One of the biggest reasons why so many of the countrys people have to live this way is because of the huge inequalities within the country; Inequality is still higher than anywhere else in the world (Pons-Vignon 2008, 3). Inequality is something that cannot be changed overnight with the passing of different laws; it is something will be an ongoing struggle for the country. Something that is special with the democratic characteristics of South Africa is the fact that the minority of the country has most of the power; white people are the clear minority of the population but they clearly have the most power. In 1980, it was shown that whites, who were one sixth of the population, earned two thirds of total income in the country (Maphai 1994, 137). Because white people have such great power as a whole, it is more difficult for other citizens of the country to rise economically. Since 1994, the only place that whites do not have the most power is in government. The Party that has been in power since the liberalization movement has been the black- led African National Congress or ANC. When it comes to voting, which many black people do have a right to now, whites just cannot even compare with the numbers that the Blacks have; in 2001, 79 percent of the population classified themselves as African, 10 percent as white, 9 percent as Coloured and 2 percent as Asian (Lichbach 2009, 472). The fact that government is led by a black supported party is not unfortunate for most white people. In the early 1990s, the ANC adopted many policies and went through many negotiations with the National party (NP) to get more support from the white community. With the attempt that the ANC made toward getting support from white people in the country, white people began to see the ANC more like a rival as rather than an enemy. (M aphai 1994, 75) As well, the leaders of the ANC have done a good job in convincing all people, including whites, that their policies will only help to better the country. Unions are also helpful with making a nation more democratic. The ability to have specific rights because of employment is a huge factor in having equal rights for people. It was 1979 when African Trade Unions were finally recognized and the Congress of South African Trade Unions was then formed in 1985. (Lichbach 2009, 477) Recognizing unions that were made up of Black workers was essential in implying that they, as workers within the state, deserve no less than that of white workers. Unions allow a group of workers to negotiate with their employers about better wages and working conditions. In the aspect of civil and political rights, South Africa is making a clear progression towards truly having equality within those rights. Democratically, South Africa is making a big progression towards effectively having equ al political and civil rights for all of its citizens. Through the coming years there should be more polices out being put into effect and hopefully a better understanding of equality among races. It is only then that the rights that are actually listed within the South African law will have been respected and truly put into practice. Before democracy was even a possibility in South Africa, the main problem was an attempt by white settlers to make a country whose population is 75 percent African a `white man`s country (Maphai 1994, 1). Three million white people had achieved unchallenged superiority over sixteen million Africans by 1965. (Maphai 1994, 1) The technological advancement of white people is one of the big factors of what made them overpower that large number of blacks. (Lichbach 2009, 463) Economically and socially, many South Africans do not have adequate rights that should be equated to them within their democratic nation. In 1994 the life expectancy was at 65 years and then within the next decade it dropped to 52 years. This is because of a degenerative health care system and the battle with HIV- AIDS that the country has to deal with. (Bond December 2009, 581) As of 2007, South Africa had the most deaths of HIV-AIDS than any other country in the world. (Central Intelligence Agency 2010) The infant mortality rate is decreasing but is still relatively high because of the amount of babies dying because of HIV- AIDS. The Literacy rate is on the rise because more people now have access to adequate schools. In 1980, when the literacy rate for whites was 99.3% it was at 67% for Black Africans. (Maphai 1994, 138) Historically, when all coloured Africans were separated from whites, there was always an enormous gap between the well being of whites and that of coloured people. Today, the gap has closed but it is still not equal. As years go by, there are more and more opportunities for black Africans in regard to employment. Years ago, blacks did all of the labour and whites reaped all the economic benefit from that labour. Since new laws have been put in place, blacks now have the option to work in any field that is desired by them. Although, within certain industries, policies biased against employment have restricted income earning opportunities for blacks (Maphai 1994, 143). Skille d jobs with high wages were granted to whites while black workers were paid poorly. (Lichbach 2009, 465) Some say that affirmative action may be needed to keep at least a significant portion of black people in certain jobs but this is not always a sufficient (way) to redress the socio-economic imbalances in South Africa (Waghid 2003, 168). Affirmative action policies may turn qualified applicants to the job solely because of the fact that they are white and cannot be hired because the business needs to hire more black people. There needs to be other policies out into effect that actually provide adequate education to more blacks. A company should not feel obligated to hire someone just to fill a quota; a person should be hired based on the skills he or she has. Poverty is affected by those that are unemployed and those that earn wages. In 1991, the ANC said that the best way to address poverty was through economic growth. (Lichbach 2009, 478) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is represen ted in terms of income. This is unfortunate for the black majority that only earns wages. White people earn an income as well as other money in forms such as that of interest, rent, dividends and profits. All these other forms of income were accessible to whites by virtue of ownership of capital, land and other assets (Maphai 1994, 137) which black people did not have the advantage of being able to own. In the decade of 1986 1996, the annual growth of the GDP was less than one percent whereas the population growth of the country was an average of 2.5 percent per year. (Lichbach 2009, 472) The South African Economy was never designed to serve a black majority (Lichbach 2009, 472). As a middle income country, South Africa has a GNP of about 3630 US dollars per person. After 1994, the economy was revived with the GNP growing at a rate exceeding that of the population growth rate (Lichbach 2009, 472). During the Apartheid, sex and marriage between races was prohibited. Every aspect of social life was segregated by race. People of different races did not have the right to interact with one another socially no matter what the circumstance. The Freedom Charter of the ANC from 1955 declared that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on will of people (Lichbach 2009, 467). It was the 1980s that the government realized that the apartheid was costing a lot of money. The economy was suffering from a recession, currency inflation, and excessive costs (Lichbach 2009, 468). While the economy was going through this hard time, white people had the money emigrate whereas black people had to face the brunt of the poor education system. A social right that should be equal to all is that of citizenship. Under the Bantu Homelands Act (1957) Africans were stripped of citizenship, expelled from parts of the cou ntry and consigned to ten scattered, ethnic homelands (Kopstein Lichbach, pg 467). This was the largest forced movement of a group of people anywhere in the postwar world. Today, all South Africans have citizenship within their country and are able to purchase land anywhere they would like. In 1989 there were numerous black consumer boycotts due to Conservative Councils decision to uphold separate Amenities Act (Lester 1996, 233). The effect of these boycotts was that many businesses decided to take down their white only signs from store fronts. This movement really showed the power that united black consumers can have. Overall, South Africa is moving in the right direction in terms of their economy and society. With the GDP in a steady increase and more jobs being available to more of the country, it seems as if the country is heading towards making the state more democratic. In the term of 1989 1994, the National Party was in power. It is a white led party was whose leader was Frederik Willem de Klerk. De Klerk had an enormous role in ending the apartheid in South Africa. He was very supportive in changing the country into a multiracial democracy. (Lichbach 2009, 469) During the 1990- 1991 period, De Klerk used expressions like bill of rights, mixed economy, one undivided South Africa and one person one vote (Maphai 1994, 75). He wanted reform and non-racialism within the country. The leader of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1994 was Nelson Mandela when he won the Presidency. It is a black led party that was trying to gain more support from white people within the country. Not many white people wanted to support the party because they viewed the release of Mandela as the catalyst to the chaos that was on the rise within the country. As the ANC began to adopt more policies that appealed to more people in the country it was the first time that the ANC and the current government at the time openly agreed upon the same constituency. (Maphai 1994, 76) The two biggest parties in South Africa were the National Party and The African National Congress. In 1997, the National party changed its name to become the New National Party (NNP). They did this to try to move away from their apartheid past and create a new image for themselves. The party already began to share more views with the opposing ANC, which then led to an alliance between the two parties. After witnessing two federal elections as a recognized party, The NNP decided to dismantle in 2005. This was because of the rapid decrease in voter support; people did not like the idea of the NNP being allied with the ANC. In the 1994 election, NP had some 20% of the vote whereas in the election 10 years later that number dropped down to 1.9% (NEED CITATION FOR THAT). It was clear that the NNP was never going to have much say in governmental matters with so little voter support. Many former members of the NNP decided to join the ANC when the NNP was terminated. Negotiations for reform within the country began in the end of 1991 (Lichbach 2009, 470). During these negotiations the ANC and NP would agree on certain things like one person, one vote; an independent judiciary; and re integration of the homelands (Lichbach 2009, 470). These parties resolved most of their issues through political, economic and military pacts. A transitional government was finally made after the multiparty negotiating forum that took place in 1993. (Lichbach 2009, 470) It was the young leaders like Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela that recommended to the ANC that they should begin discussing the aspect of a multiracial democracy. Within the 1994 election, there was celebration throughout the country. There was an extremely high voter turnout; 86% of eligible voters came out to vote, with ANC having a 63% majority. With Nelson Mandela as the new President, the top three parties, ANC, NP and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), formed the Government of National Unity (GNU). (Lichbach 2009, 471) In 1986, it was P.W. Botha that authorized the repeal of selected apartheid laws in recognition of the fact that blacks now lived permanently in the heart of all major metropolitan areas (Lichbach 2009, 468). Unfortunately this did not work for him because it ignored majority political aspirations. The ANC has been in power of South African since it was liberated in 1994. What people need to know is that the South African economy was never designed to serve a black majority (Lichbach 2009, 472). Some question whether the fact that ANC has such a huge majority over government is a good thing or a bad thing. The strong hold that the ANC has over power of the country may tempt leaders to change rules of the game to cover up corruption or to squelch political dissent (Lichbach 2009, 490). Others say that it is good to see the government representative of what the majority of the country wants. There are about fourteen parties that are represented in the South African government with many of them having no real chance of coming into power. This aspect of the democratic audit is quite good in the case of South Africa because of how representative the government is. The majority of the population, which are coloured, also have the majority in government. Therefore, it is easier for many people to have their voice heard through the party that they support. Though with the fact that one party has such a majority over all the rest, it can also be said that none of the other people in the country will be represented. What makes ANC different from many other majority parties is that many parties want or have an alliance with them. Alliances only occur between parties that share similar views and want one another to prosper. In South Africa, it can be deceived that the ANC- COSATU- SACP alliance manipulates blocks of vote into concentrations of political power for their own aggrandizement (Waghid 2003, 120) to disempowered minorities whose interests are affected by the groups policies. As one of the worlds youngest democracies, South Africa has many democratic elements that need to be implemented within the society. Having democratic policies are meaningless unless those policies are being implemented. Rights and equality issues have been and will still be at the forefront of the governments policies as they try to make the country a better place for all citizens. The rights that are written down in South Africas constitution provide a sense of pride knowing that they are there for everyone but what needs to be realized is that being afforded rights is not the same as being able to exercise such rights (Waghid 2003, 15). The high levels of inequality that are present in South Africa have to do with the fact that it is a young democracy that needs time to alter their society to reflect that. The African National Congress that is in power in government is doing a moderate job in maintaining a satisfactory level of order within the country and will only do more as tim e progresses. To say that South Africa is not a real democracy would not be a fair statement to make because of its youth and inexperience with this type of government. This country is a democracy that needs to evolve more and allow the people truly understand what it means to be a democracy.

The User Experience in Mobile Computing

The User Experience in Mobile Computing ABSTRACT Mobile phones have become a necessity for almost every person throughout the world. Cell phones have become almost a status symbol in addition to the convenience and security that comes from owning them. In this article, We would like to discuss the importance of the user experience and the user interface in Mobiles/Soft Wearables. 1INTRODUCTION In this paper, We would discuss the user experience/ user interface with mobiles/soft wearables in the past, current and future. We would also look at design approach to soft wearables, material explorations. At the end we would see the challenges or difficulties in mobile user experience. 2DISCUSSION Scientists have researched a lot regarding the user experience in Mobiles/Wearables. Early research in this field frequently encouraged people to share their devices to create a collective experience or reach a common goal. Most of this first-wave  research initially looked at the use of smartphones (and tablets) to study mobile collocated interactions. As a result, early mobile collocated interactions research tended to be device-centric. Nowadays, Computers have transitioned from being in a large room (e.g., ENIAC), to our desks (e.g., PCs), to a bag (e.g., laptops), and to our pockets (e.g., mobile phones). Wearable computers (e.g., the WIMM watch) have continued the trend towards ever-smaller computers, ones that can be worn on our wrists (e.g., Apple Watch) or other parts of the body (e.g., Google Glass, Microsoft HoloLens). While the first-wave of mobile collocated interactions seemed device-centric, this current second wave is user experience-centric. Such novel mobile collocated interactions may include clothing, accessories, prosthetics, and jewelry. One s uch example is Its About Time which explores extending smartwatch interactions to turn personal wearables into public displays. Adopting ideas of proxemics could allow for designers to better shape each individuals personal motivations and perceptions of their interactions with both devices and others, to better support their experiences. Soft wearables include clothing and textile-based When designed well, they leverage the cultural, sociological and material qualities of textiles, fashion and dress; diverse capabilities and meanings of the body; as well as the qualities and capabilities afforded by smart and programmable elements. When designing soft wearables a designer must consider a range of requirements that do not typically demand focus when designing products that are not worn, including: sensitivity to material detail; an eye for fit and comfort on bodies with diverse shapes and movement capabilities openness to a diversity of meanings that may be generated; as well as consideration of wearers intimate relations with technology. Soft wearables allow for greater scope within these requirements. Using smart textiles and soft electronic interfaces in wearables opens up the opportunity to engage with wearers senses in diverse and subtle ways. A knitted garment for example can deform and reform as the body moves and pushes against the fabric. When augmented with smart capabilities, such deformations may be used to sense engagement and trigger events. But, There are a number of technological challenges for designing user experience such as binding, security, spatial registration, heterogeneous platforms and sensors, non-touch interaction as well as development and runtime environments. In addition to these, there are social challenges such as privacy, social acceptability, social participation, social exclusion and social engagement. There are a number of Perceptual and Physiological challenges such as varying display resolutions, luminance, effective visual fidelities, visual interference, color or contrast in display overlap which can be experienced with body proximate ecosystems. 4 CONCLUSION Today, mobile application development technology is evolving at a very shocking pace. User experience is becoming an increasingly crucial feature when it comes to the digital landscape. It defines how the user feels and thinks about your product from his or her own perspective. It is about making something valuable, easy to use and effective for your target market. However, in a market where quality and performance always come before brand loyalty, creating a fluid user experience (UX) is key to the success of any mobile app development project. REFERENCES [1] Andrà ©s LuceroEmail author, James Clawson, Joel Fischer and SimonRobinson Mobile collocated interactions with wearables: past, present, and future Nov 2016 [2] Oscar TomicoEmail author and Danielle Wilde Soft, embodied, situated connected: enriching interactions with soft wearables June 2016 [3] Jens GrubertEmail author, Matthias Kranz and Aaron Quigley Challenges in mobile multi-device ecosystems Aug 2016

Graphology :: Handwriting School Education Essays

Graphology Introduction The belief that handwriting is a sign of the inner personality is very old. The first serious attempt to analyze handwriting seems to have been that of Camillo Baldi, an Italian scholar, who published a book on the subject in 1622. As literacy spread, handwriting analysis became popular, being practiced as an art form by such literary figures as Goethe, Poe, the Brownings and Dickens. Jean Hippolyte Michon coined the term "graphology" in 1875. Michon systematized handwriting analysis by associating hundreds of graphic signs with specific personality traits. Around the turn of the century, the French psychologist Alfred Binet performed several experiments with handwriting analysis as a device for testing personality. Binet claimed that handwriting experts could distinguish successful from unsuccessful persons with high accuracy. The German school of handwriting analysis, led by Ludwig Klages, developed a subjective and esoteric approach to graphology, and apparently never even attempted experimental verification of its claims. There is today no single theory or method that dominates graphology. The French school concentrated on isolated signs as specific indicators of personality, and the Germans sought to make subjective interpretations based on a total impression of a person's handwriting. In 1929 M. N. Bunker founded "graphoanalysis" as a compromise between these two extreme positions The language and techniques of graphoanalysis seem to be more or less the common graphological practice in the United States today. (Bunker 1971). Bunker founded the International Graphoanalysis Society, which now offers an 18-month correspondence course for analysts. The society is based in Chicago and claims 10,000 active members. The Institute of Graphological Science in Dallas also offers courses and accreditation in graphology, but it is not affiliated with the Graphoanalysis Society. Unless indicated otherwise, I will use the term "graphologist" to refer to a practitioner of any school of handwriting analysis for per sonality assessment. Graphological technique Even though there is no canonical school of graphology, some discussion of the practice may be helpful. Remember that the basic assumption underlying graphology is that handwriting is an expression of the personality; hence, a systematic analysis of the way a person forms words and letters will reveal traits of personality. The graphologists are fond of repeating, "Handwriting is brain writing." Graphologists look for such features as the slant of characters, the size of individual letters, angularity and curvature, and such non-graphic features as the pressure of upward and downward strokes. In most systems, the slant of the letters is very important.

Intention Consists of Belief, Intention Does Not Entail Belief :: Philosophy Essays

Intention Consists of Belief, Intention Does Not Entail Belief In this paper, we will discuss both Gilbert Harman’s and J. David Velleman’s theories of intentions. The central dispute between their two theories of intention is that Harman holds that intention entails belief, while Velleman holds that intention consists of belief. Velleman constructs a model of intention in which intention consists of belief in order to explain the apparent spontaneity of an agent’s self-knowledge. Harman, on the other hand, rejects the thesis that intention consists of belief because of an example involving an insomniac. My goal in this paper is to show how Velleman’s theory of intention can avoid the problem posed by the case of the insomniac. The conclusion will then be that Velleman’s theory is more plausible than Harman’s, because it is able to successfully explain more about our commonsense observations of agents, namely, how an agent’s self-knowledge is spontaneous. In Harman’s model, intention entails belief in that when one intends to A one believes that one will A. According to Harman, intentions are the result of practical reasoning and beliefs are the result of theoretical reasoning. For example, if I intend to write this paper, I must know that it is within my power to write this paper. Since knowing involves believing, I therefore must believe that I will write this paper in order to intend to write this paper. Thus, one comes to have a belief that one can do something, such as the ability to write a paper, as the result of theoretical reasoning, while one comes to have an intention, like writing a paper, as the result of practical reasoning. Simply put, the process goes as follows: practical reasoning forms intentions dependent upon the conclusions (beliefs) of theoretical reasoning. Now that we have an understanding about how intentions are formed in Harman, it is necessary to discuss what he thinks makes an intention an intention. According to Harman, an "‘act’ of forming an intention is always a means to end" (Harman, 157). Stated another way, an intention is always a way of doing something else. This feature of intentions is what leads Harman to conclude that intentions are self-referential, in the sense that one must intend to intend. That is, one always forms an intention intentionally. An important feature of intentions that Harman derives from this observation is that intentions are a means of guaranteeing that an agent will act in a particular way.

Why Most Convicted Criminals are Young, Male and Working-Class :: Free Essay Writer

Why Most Convicted Criminals are Young, Male and Working-Class Official crime statistics show that young, working-class males commit most crime. The following are some reasons that I can think of to explain these generalisations. Young ===== I think young people commit crime as they are out of the age group when their parents closely supervise them. Their curfews may have been extended and parents tend to give them a bit more space, privacy and freedom. They are no longer treated as children but are denied the same rights and responsibilities as adults. This can make them feel deprived of status in society and suffer from what sociologists call status frustration. This simply means that they are frustrated their lack of independent status in society. They are also at the stage when their friends are an important part of their (social) life. They want to impress their mates as well as searching for thrills and status among the peer group. Their peer group provides them some support on things to do with school and family and therefore become of great significance. The majority of young people lack responsibilities that include having children, keeping a job and financial demands such as rent or mortgage. The lacking of responsibilities such as these as well as looking for thrills among the peers can often glide young people in the direction of deviant acts that sometimes collide with the law. They might give up these criminal careers, as they grow older due to things such as marriage, parenthood, buying and looking after a home of their own etc. Another reason for why young people engage in crime could be due to the fact that their parents and teachers can no longer control their behaviour. Some sort of breakdown of behaviour control at home and at school may have occurred. These are the only explanations I can find for why a lot of criminals are young. Their offences usually involve trivial things like shoplifting, under-age drinking and are usually peer group related.

Equality & Diversity Level 2 – As3

NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Equality and Diversity Unit 3: Working or Learning in a Place that Promotes Diversity 1. In relation to your chosen workplace / place of learning, provide examples of policies / codes of conduct that encourage and / or protect equality and diversity. My chosen workplace to study place a lot of emphasis on complying with Equality and Diversity, they not only have a comprehensive policy setting out their aims and what they wish to achieve with the implementation of the Policy but they have extensive Codes of Conduct for staff and partners to follow.Their policy sets out what they wish to achieve, examples being:- The firm are committed to developing a culture which values and respects people from all section of the community and the contribution each individual can make to the work of the firm. The firm aims to ensure equality and diversity objectives are incorporated and become an integral part of governance, management and the duties of every employee. The Policy also goes on to provide definitions for staff of different types of discrimination, explaining in very detailed terms exactly what the firm feels falls into each category, these include:- Bullying & Harassment ? Dignity ? Prejudice Further, the Policy also provides how a complaint is dealt with, by whom and the timescales involved. In terms of the Codes of Conduct every employee is provided with a copy that they must read and retain. The company have implemented a system whereby the final page is signed by the employee and returned to the Equality & Diversity representative so that the company has a record that everyone has seen and read the document. The Code of Conduct sets out:- Also read: Equality & DiversityUnder Awareness – Staff will be tolerant of individuals needs and cultural differences, help; to provide a pleasant working environment,. Have empathy, support and understandings for individual needs and cultural differences, be receptive and adaptable to change, be professional when deal with clients, colleagues and third parties, respect confidentiality, respect the feelings of others and do not stereotype, make assumptions or pre-judge based on someone’s appearance or culture.Further staff will not discriminate directly or indirectly against someone’s age, gender, sexuality, religion, race, special needs or culture. Under Accessibility – staff will respect, understand and meet the needs of different cultural beliefs, be adjustable and adaptable, be aware of your language (both verbal and body) when you are dealing with clients and colleagues, be aware of different meanings according to culture and to offer help with commun ication and translation (braille, audio or interpreter).The Codes of Conduct have further headings with similar statements including policy and Support to assist staff in fully understanding the entire policy and it definitions. 2. In relation to your chosen workplace / place of learning, describe what is expected of members of staff who have specific responsibility for equality and diversity. Include information about their job titles and describe their responsibilities. In my chosen workplace there are two members of staff are responsible for ensuring our Equality & Diversity Policy / Code of Conduct are complied with.This role is covered by a Senior Partner and the Office Manager (terms Equality and Diversity Representatives by the firm) who ensure that the Policy / Code of Conduct is up to date and that they are up to date on the Law / Regulations including Law updates, case Law and advances in enforcing Policies. Should there be a breach of the Policy either the Partner or Offi ce Manager are responsible for ensuring this is investigated fully and fairly on behalf of either staff members or clients whom feel a potential breach may have occurred.They are also responsible for providing all staff with on-going training either via conferences in the office, outsourced conferences or memo based updates. 3. Describe what is broadly expected of all staff in relation to equality and diversity. All staff are expected to treat everyone appropriately regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion, sexual orientation or marital status. They also expect that all staff engage in developing a culture which values and respects people from all sections of the community and the contribution that each individual can make to the workings of a firm.All staff are further expected to have a good awareness of the Code of Conduct and abide by the same throughout their role, specifically expecting all staff to be tolerant, provide a pleasant working enviro nment, be receptive and professional, respect others feeling and confidentiality and not to stereotype or pre-judge. All staff are expected to make themselves aware of the Policy and adhere to it at all times to ensure that each and every aspect of the firm complies with Equality and Diversity to the highest possible standard.All staff are also expected to ensure that breaches or potential breaches are brought to the Partnerships attention quickly so that investigations can be put into place. 4. Based on the work you have done in Question 1 – 3, write a short summary of what you have discovered in terms of the organisation’s work on equality and diversity. Within my workplace the Equality and Diversity Policy / Code of Conduct is thought of as pivotal to the firm. Great pride is taken in the fact the firm have such a comprehensive regulation system and great care is taken by the Partners to ensure that at every opportunity Equality and Diversity is considered.The compa ny have a Equality and Diversity Board , including partners, staff representatives and external service providers, who meet once a month and discuss any issues that may have been raised, whether these be complaints, alleged breaches or simply comments from individuals with regards the Policy (wording etc) or any other issues. The minutes from the meetings are published and a copy placed in a centralised folder with additional copies being sent to all staff via email so that everyone can be kept up to date.Furthermore periodically quizzes are sent round to staff (including partners) with ten questions asking for multiple choice answers to be completed. The Equality and Diversity Representatives make this fun by awarding prizes to the winners but if somebody fails to grasp the quiz additional fact sheets and work is undertaken with that person to ensure the Representatives are confident they appreciate what Equality and Diversity is and why it is held in such high regard at the office . 5. Describe how equality and diversity is monitored within your chosen place of work / learning.The staff with conduct of the Equality & Diversity Policy in the office (Partner and office manager) monitor equality and diversity. They are responsible for monitoring Recruitment and selection processes, promotion and transfer, training, terms and conditions of employment, work live balance policy, grievance and disciplinary procedures, resignations, redundancies and dismissals. Furthermore reviews of the policies are conducted regularly with the help of external experts who ensure that the policies incorporate the most up to date Law and Case law to ensure proper compliance. 6.Prepare a short report on how your chosen place of work / study promotes (communicates) policies and practices for equality and diversity to employees and external stakeholders (such as customers and the community). Provide specific examples. The company has many ways in which it tells external people of the eq uality and diversity policy. It is included in the firm’s website under a separate tab which explains in general terms our policy, advising those who read that we run in accordance with the policy and confirming that a full copy of the policy is available should they wish to read it, free of charge on request.Furthermore our Twitter and Facebook accounts give general information but if the policy changes or is affected by any legal changes these are specifically documented via updates. Internally quizzes are held to help staff keep updated and also regularly memos or training seminars (by internal and external agencies) are also conducted. 7. Describe the organisation’s punishments or sanctions for any breach in the policies / codes of practice / guidelines where equality and diversity are concerned.Individuals are expected to report all incidents of harassment, bulling or discrimination to their head of department, staff partner or manger. In return the company promis e to ensure all complaints are dealt with confidentially and with sensitivity ensuring that investigations are swift and discreet. Anybody who is found to have been acting in contravention to the Code of Conduct or policies or any member of staff that allows a breach to go ahead by turning a blind eye or encouraging the same will face formal disciplinary action.The firm has several outcomes for an investigation via disciplinary action. If a complaint is upheld the offender will be sat down and confidentially spoken to about their conduct and told the behaviour will stop. This will be recorded but taken no further so long as there is no repeat. The second step could be mediation where the offender and victim with a natural member of staff are given the opportunity to sit and discuss the matter. If they do not want to do this face to face a letter exchange will be agreed and monitored.Again the process will be recorded and documented. If the above steps cannot be completed or the brea ch is too serious formal disciplinary procedures will commence in line with the companies normal disciplinary procedures. This takes the form of a disciplinary meeting whereby the offender can put forward mitigation or defence and then the disciplinary partner will decide the next course of action – this can be verbal warning, written warning, suspension or dismissal – again depending on the seriousness of the breach and / or the offenders past disciplinary record.Throughout all of the above the victim is kept informed and the victim can ask that a certain procedure be undertaken – ie: if they do not want a fuss they can ask that instead of disciplinary a warning is given to the person or they can refuse to undertake mediation because they are concerned it will not work or has not worked in the past. If the complaint is not upheld a meeting will be had with offender and victim individually to advise them of the reasons why and the outcome confirmed in writing to them.As in all disciplinary matters if either party is unhappy with the outcome grievance procedures can be commenced, this being done by requesting the same within 21 days of the formal decision. 8. Describe why the creation and maintenance of an environment that promotes and ensures equality and diversity is desirable. Describe the advantages for the organisation and provide examples. The advantage for ensuring Equality and Diversity are complied with within an organisation in the most basic sense is a better place to work.It builds a fairer environment for both staff and the public whereby they know that their views and rights, no matter their personal circumstances, will be dealt with properly and without prejudice. Ensuring prejudice does not â€Å"creep in† to a workplace is essential as prejudice breeds discontent and can cause severe upset to individuals or groups of people. The workplace has people from any cultural and economic backgrounds and therefore enforcing g ood equality and diversity practices means that a happy and social workplace develops. . Describe the consequences for your chosen organisation of failing to create and maintain a diverse and equal environment. You should consider aspects such as: †¢ Legal †¢ Economic †¢ Social Should the employer not create and maintain a proper Policy / Code of Conduct the consequences can be far reaching. A firm known to not comply with any policy could lose clients or professional contacts as they do not wish to engage with a firm that does not comply with Equality and Diversity.This could mean lost revenue and it could also mean that filling staffing positions is harder as people may be cautious of working for someone who would not support them if their rights were breached. Again legally a firm could be pursued via employment law and sued if a complaint via the tribunal was upheld whereby somebodies rights were breached or could be breached and there were no safeguards to protec t them.

Project Management Processes for a Project Essay

In the pursuit to deliver exceptional product software for internal users of the company, the selection of an appropriate process methodology is imperative. One of the departments noticed that the input data in the company’s internal systems did not reflect the actual data in other department systems. A project team was developed to create a new upgraded system that will sustain data from both departments successfully and accurately. The project scope of the project was to focus on the characteristics of each department particulars and merge into a workable system. The project posed certain obstacles that made the decision to which methodology processes to implement an important one. Some of these obstacles were one of the department’s incoming data that did not take the same route compared to other departments to enter the main database. This posed a problem to making sure that the updated software was able to obtain and sustain the data correctly. In addition, the findings had concluded that this particular issue was one of the main reasons for the discrepancies in the old system. The actual discrepancies of data incoming into the old system automatically would cause misrepresentation across all departments that ended up causing quite of confusion. Therefore, the need to use the appropriate process is critical to ensure that the most difficult obstacles unknowns to most would need to be addressed effectively. The process chosen was from the Project Management Institute that uses the concept of Initiate- Plan – Execute – Control – Close to complete the project. The PMI process demonstrated all the areas of focus to better identify, resolve and complete the needed tasks successfully. The usage of the processes created an opportunity to interact with the team members more directly on specific areas that are yet defined. Due to the complex implementation of technology software that needed to communicate data from two different vantage points, the PMI processes methodology allowed for means to dissect certain components effectively. The first stage of the PMI processes to initiate is actually a way to develop a research agenda, in order, to detect any unforeseen issues or concerns. The research is an area that allows all team members to address certain concerns of the project. The IT department played a pivotal role in providing their vantage point of the technology side for a measure to meet in the final analysis. The research initiative provided an opportunity to see thru the different points of view from a technical aspect that could be misinterpreted thru a different means of project processes. The research format provides the initiation to deter any misconception previously connected to the IT department or other departments that could create road-blocks. The PMI process to beginning with the initiating of the project allows for the identification of all criteria’s leading up to subsequent phases. Therefore, the activity definition went hand in hand with the research portion of the project because it reinforces the identification of the desired deliverables to stakeholders. Thereafter the focus on planning allows for the findings from the research to be a smooth transition to designate on whom, what, and when to go further. The actual planning stage assists in being able to separate the tasks from the dependent tasks to ensure completion of the deliverables. The planning stages reinforce the documented data thru the initiation for any pitfalls in successfully implementing a major system upgrade that will support over 5,000 employees. The planning phase guarantees that the next phase of execution by the team members will be conducted in an orderly process due to the initiation on researching the project. Furthermore, the control phase will secure a means to not go over budget on a major and complex project due to initiation previously set in place. The close of the project will assist in the control phases due to the ability to pull all resources together in a timely matter and on target.