The Place to Work in the Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Place to Work in the Bank - Essay Example For this to happen, you need to put your best foot forward and we would expect you to adhere to the rules and regulations that govern the professional conduct here. The working hours are fixed, though, you may come in a bit late with the prior permission of your manager. Do remember to inform your manager in advance so that the customers do not have to wait at the counter or in your office. You have to ensure that you abide by the timings and if you have put in extra hours, you can claim overtime for it. Note that overtime does not apply to the managerial cadre. Your attire must be professional and it must not be flippant or causal. Men are expected to wear ties and optionally a jacket or a suit. Women are expected to dress professionally in business suits. No jeans or sneakers are allowed on all days. On some Fridays that are specially designated, you may come in casual attire. These days would be intimated to you in advance and most of the time there would be some fun and frolic along with celebrations of special occasions in the office. You are not allowed to have food or drinks at your work seat. There are designated cafeterias for these. You are expected to be civil with the customers and put up with minor irritants in their behavior towards you. However, you may raise the issue with your manager if you feel that a particular customer is behaving badly with you.

The question is the topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The question is the topic - Essay Example This will teach children to resolve manageable problems by assuming responsibility. Part of self-reliance means learning from mistakes therefore,parents must encourage the children more to keep going when things go wrong from the consequences of their action. Bibliotherapy is also an effective way to raise their awareness and is useful in resolving behavior problems by means of reading current events to them(Miller, 2010, 260). Delaying gratification of children also helps to develop their personal responsibility and good impulse control. Impulse control is theability to wait or be patient in order to obtain something they want.Another critical aspect that parents must consider while making their kids self-reliant and personally developed is to allow children to think independently and on their own. If children fail in their attempts leading to the right answersbut eventually find the right solutions for a given problem, praise them for their success and achievement. Generally, parents’ behaviors are often the child’s model of self-reliance and children demonstrated this role modeling by their own actions as well.All parents want their kids to perform and achieve better in their lives, and one definite way to help them is to let parents know the importance of being independent and to execute values learned among

Save girl Essay Example for Free

Save girl Essay Nearly half of India’s children are girls. However, the girl child is considered a lesser child in our society. Irrespective of class, caste and economic conditions, she is discriminated against and neglected at all the levels. This result in the denial of basic services required for her survival, welfare and development. The girl child is perceived as a burden to be passed on to another family. Her contribution in the household economy is not acknowledged. Various factors contribute towards the increase of offences/crime against women, including dowry deaths, rape, and eve-teasing, etc. The girl child has to be brought up with utmost care and regard by instilling in her the sense of pride and responsibility of nurturing the future generation. Faster development can only be possible by the human resources development. Therefore, our ultimate aim should be improving the lot of the girl child. I sincerely believe that those who do not respect the girl child. Nearly half of India’s children are girls. However, the girl child is considered a lesser child in our society. Irrespective of class, caste and economic conditions, she is discriminated against and neglected at all the levels. This result in the denial of basic services required for her survival, welfare and development. The girl child is perceived as a burden to be passed on to another family. Her contribution in the household economy is not acknowledged. Various factors contribute towards the increase of offences/crime against women, including dowry deaths, rape, and eve-teasing, etc. The girl child has to be brought up with utmost care and regard by instilling in her the sense of pride and responsibility of nurturing the future generation. Faster development can only be possible by the human resources development. Therefore, our ultimate aim should be improving the lot of the girl child. I sincerely believe that those who do not respect the girl childNearly half of India’s children are girls. However, the girl child is considered a lesser child in our society. Irrespective of class, caste and economic conditions, she is discriminated against and neglected at all the levels. This result in the denial of basic services required for her survival, welfare and development. The girl child is perceived as a burden to be passed on to another family. Her contribution in the household economy is not acknowledged. Various factors contribute towards the increase of offences/crime against women, including dowry deaths, rape, and eve-teasing, etc. The girl child has to be brought up with utmost care and regard by instilling in her the sense of pride and responsibility of nurturing the future generation. Faster development can only be possible by the human resources development. Therefore, our ultimate aim should be improving the lot of the girl child. I sincerely believe that those who do not respect the girl child

Workforce Diversity And Competitive Advantage Commerce Essay

Workforce Diversity And Competitive Advantage Commerce Essay The purpose of this paper is to study the trend of leadership style over the relationship between organizations workforce diversity and its competitive advantage with mission and vision statements as intervening variable which shows the concern of organization leadership towards the diversity management. Most organizations are adopting diversity into their policies and procedures to embrace its benefits and there is a growing recognition that it makes business sense to take diversity seriously. The demographics of working population has changed in last two decades with more mature workforce remaining in the workplace and at the same time more female employees are seen in higher positions while having variation in their cultural backgrounds. Therefore, it seems beneficial for organizations to hire diverse workforce to meet the demands of customer expectations. Organizations that are flexible and responsive to a demanding marketplace require the service of multi-skilled and adaptable w orkforce. One clear competitive advantage for organizations having diverse workforce is that it provides an environment that values differences among employees and encourages them for different ways of thinking and behaving during work to fully contribute to organizational aims and objectives. Employers providing such an environment get the support of their employees and develop a positive public image. It must be understood that each member of diverse workforce holds his differences and similarities; hence, valuing and managing diversity is about recognizing the unique contribution each employee can make to the organization. It is about creating an environment in which everyone feels valued, welcomed, and able to make an important contribution toward the attainment of corporate objectives. Additionally, companies facing challenges in competing global marketplace for market share can use diversity as competitive advantage in a multicultural environment with a diverse pool of talente d and experienced individuals who can bring innovation and creativity to the organization. (U. Yozgat and F. Oben, 2009) studied the effects of leadership style on creativity which leads to the competitive advantage in organizations. This paper is to identify the organizational attitude towards the workforce diversity globally and comparing to Pakistan based organizations. The results showed the great concern of US and UK based organizations towards diversity management and no concern in Pakistan based organizations. Literature Review In this section, literature of workforce diversity is reviewed in correspondence with competitive advantage. Further, different types of leadership are discussed from the literature and then the role of leadership to achieve competitive advantage is reviewed. Workforce Diversity Diversity is not only associated to limited attributes that can be observed but also to those invisible characteristics such as differences in educational background, creativity, understanding, learning style, and problem-solving ability (Nafukho et al., 2011).So organizational performances and processes can be influenced by an individual or a group representing different categories of diversity within a workplace. (van Knippenberg and Schippers, 2007). Diversity is defined as any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another (Giovannini, 2004, p. 22). Hence, diversity affects the organizations effectiveness and performance in terms of competitive advantage. (Joshi and Roh, 2009; Klein et al., 2011). This presumes that performance has a relation with organizations ability to achieve goals with respect to its mission or vision (Devine and Philips, 2001). In other words, performance is deemed as an outcome which is a result of some purposeful activity t o achieve competitive advantage as mentioned in mission or vision statements of an organization (Swanson and Holton, 2009). As the organization strives to achieve its goals or objectives, conflict may arise within the diverse groups to cope up the challenges of differences among them which keep them from achieving organizational performance (Østergaard et al., 2011). Since, Human Resource Department (HRD) deals primarily with performance of individuals, groups and organization at large to achieve competitive advantage, so diverse workforce demands the attention of HRD scholars and practitioners on the issues that arise in organization basing on the differences. It can be observed in modern trends for companies to use diverse workforce for completing special tasks which help achieve competitive advantage (Garrison et al., 2010) and there is always potential for the occurrence of conflict among such diverse groups which can derail the organization from achieving effectiveness. Henc e, it becomes the responsibility of HRD to address such conflicts in advance and use the knowledge of how to build the high performing and productive teams of diverse workforce who can to the overall competitive advantage of organization (Klein et al., 2011). In the past two decades several academic researchers have conducted research on various issues relating diversity. Richard (2000) examined the impact of diversity on organization and its productivity while Jackson (1993) found the positive relationship between diversity and creativity. Diversity research has also addressed the factors involved in assimilating new employees into an organizations culture (Berry and Sam, 1997). However, some argue that by its fundamental nature, assimilating new employees to obtain greater fit between the person and organization is achieved at the expense of diversity (Powell, 1998). In other research, Tsui et al. (1992) showed that race and gender has negative relationship with diversity as compared to age. Other studies have also consistently found that observable attributes have negative effects on outcomes such as identification with the group and job satisfaction at both the individual and group level of analysis (Milliken and Martins, 1996). Furth er, Milliken and Martins (1996) supported the argument of Tsui et al. (1992) that racial and gender diversity can have negative influence on individual and team outcomes in some cases regardless of age. As an example, they referred to those groups members who differ from the larger group tend to show less commitment, more turnover and absenteeism while at the same time this results in additional costs, such as, group coordination cost, communication cost and training and development cost. So, according to them, diversity results in increase in coordination and control costs. Workforce Diversity and Competitive Advantage: Most companies find diversity as a way to gain competitive advantage by increasing business competency, improving net income, building the effectiveness to compete in global markets, improving business performance, achieving higher employee satisfaction, enhancing corporate governance, attracting diverse talents and skills and retaining the workforce that maintains the customer base (McCuiston et al., 2004). Moreover, culturally diverse workforce brings benefits to business economy (Ferley et al., 2003) and leads to better performance of the business (Richard, 2000). According to Adler (1997), a company with a diverse workforce has greater chances for building an innovative working environment. This statement is beautifully expressed in the words of White (1999), who states that creativity thrives on diversity. These benefits can be derived from the proper implementation of diversity-promoting policies (Jamrog, 2002). Many firms today seem to be increasingly embracing racial, ethnic and gender workforce balance, not for legal or ethical obligations, but as a matter of taking a progressive perspective on economic self-interest (Coil and Rice, 1993). It has been recognized recently that increasing diverse workforce has presented both opportunities and challenges for organizations which are striving for efficiency, innovativeness and global competitive advantage (Barak, 1999). As the global markets are getting more complex, utilization of organizations knowledge, skills and abilities is getting even more crucial in this rapidly increasing competition where organizations want to be more creative and innovative (Ng and Tung, 1998). In order to manage the growing diversity of the work force, organizations need to implement such systems and practices so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized and the potential disadvantages are minimized (Cox, 1994). Managers in the organizations prove to be ineffective when dealing with a diverse workforce and language is reported as main hurdle when communication fails between the different nationals in employment Dadfar and Gustavsson (1992). However this negativity of the diverse workforce can be handled successfully by taking effective and rational decisions Watson et al. (1993). Those who decide to have diversity as a source of creativity and innovation, this proves to be much challenging to manage a diversified workforce. Many businesses experience failure when attempt to employ the diversity in its full picture to see its results on operations of the organizations (Farrer, 2004), as it demands the much energy and attention to manage the diversity. Effective diversity management have to cope with many of challenges like work ethics, authority, work relations, culture and ethical standards (McCuiston et al., 2004). Leadership In the literature, many authors which have interest in studying topic of leadership, offered definitions of leadership and defined this concept as a complex process by which a person influences others, applying his/her leadership attributes like belief, values, ethics, character, knowledge and skills, to accomplish a mission, task or objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent (Greenberg Baron, 2000). In addition to, it is seen that there are differences in connection with the types of leadership. Burns (1978) was one of the firsts to identify two types of leadership styles, transformational and transactional. Leadership remained the single most important issue in annual surveys for identifying top management issues during all times (HRI, 2002a). To manage a diverse workforce, organizations need visionary leaders but availability of them is scarce. According to the study by Diversity Inc. (2002), it is forecasted that many top management of several leading companies will lose one in five top managers due to retirement. Let alone, US companies will lose 40 percent or more of their top executives till 2015 (Wellins and Byham, 2001). One solution offered to this scarcity is to develop leaders at every level and in every function in an organization (Hesselbein, 2002). For this solution, Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society (2002) advised the most effective leadership components to manage diversity, which are: Sensitivity and awareness about diverse workforce. Resources to strengthen and improve the quality of diverse individuals Inter-communication skills to solve mutual differences Strategies to maximize the effectiveness of diverse workforce. The goal should be to develop cross-cultural leaders and generate a new crop of multicultural professionals (Yukl, 2002). These leaders are provided with the required resources and authorities to manage workforce. The focus should be to enhance their listening, learning, networking, communication, and experimenting skills to manage a diverse workforce (Melymuka, 2001). Finally an effective strategy must be developed to include diversity at all levels of management, and there must be commitment to diversity at senior levels where it is strategically more important (Conklin, 2001). This strategy must be evident in organizations mission and vision statement and should involve a systemic, results-oriented, business-based approach (Fitzpatrick, 1997). Yet companies do not seek diversity unless this business competency results in increased profit and metrics that substantiate the necessity to expand the emphasis on diversity (Diversity Inc., 2002). Irrefutable measurable benefits can be de rived from properly implemented policies to promote diversity (Jamrog, 2002). The most evident measurable benefits are improved bottom line, competitive advantage, superior business performance, employee satisfaction and loyalty, strengthened relationship with multicultural communities, and attracting the best and the brightest candidates. Competitive advantage defined in diversity as, Recruiting and retaining people of diverse backgrounds who can share a common set of values. . .and approach to business is a priority for todays competitive organization (McCormack, 2002, p. 1). Jamrog (2002) suggested three-point approach to enhance effectiveness of leadership to manage diverse workforce: premise, guidelines and actions. There are three premises that leaders need to value diversity: (1) One size doesnt fit all leaders need to use different approaches for solving problems and developing workers as all situations and individuals are not the same, (2) Not everyone can be a leader organizational should focus only on individuals who have the ingredients of becoming a good leader, and (3) Leaders can be at any level or function anyone who can inspire, influence and guide others in the organization is a leader regardless of position. The five guidelines that leaders need to value diversity are: (1) Communicate, communicate, and communicate share freely your ideas, suggestions, opinions; listen to ideas of others with interest, (2) Build contact into your daily actions and duties Plan your actions, meetings, and duties so as to maximize contact with multiple p eople in the organization. (3) Manage and lead by walking around Be outside the office frequently and interact informally with others of different levels, functions, backgrounds and experience, (4) Champion diversity Bring in the contribution of everyone to increase commitment, innovation and creativity, and (5) Sponsor diversity Defend the decisions, actions and interactions while supporting everyone in the organization. Lastly, the five actions that leaders need to value diversity are: (1) Assessment of leadership potential within the organizations, (2) Provision of training and tools, (3) Inclusion of diversity at all levels, (4) measuring and rewarding efforts, and (5) encouraging the organization to be patient. (Daniel Goleman, 2000) explored different leadership styles to affect the organizations in successful manner. (Malini Janakiraman,2011) identified the concern of the business leaders in treating the diversity management as a source of attaining and sustaining the comp etitive advantage. Organizational vision and mission is strongly related with leadership styles (John J. Sandi L., 2007), which includes the mentioning of competitive advantage explicitly. (John A. Pearce II Fred David, 1987) identified the competitive advantage as a major component in the organizations mission statement. Conceptual Framework: The literature reviewed thus far indicates that there is a positive relationship between workforce diversity and the benefits derived by organizations in the form of competitive advantage (McCuiston et al., 2004). Mission statement should mention the competitive advantages ( John A. Pearce II, Fred David, 1987) so that the goals and objectives can be aligned to attain or sustain the competitive advantage of the organization. Organizations using the diversity management as a competitive advantage or basis for then the organization are to mention the diversity in their mission statement. This study goes around finding the different country based organizations dealing the diversity management as a competitive advantage and the countries not taking it as strength to capitalize for competitive advantages. Data Collection: The data in this paper is based on top 100 companies of Forbes Global 2000 (2012). The mission, vision and strategy statements of these 100 companies are studied carefully. The website links of these statements are provided at the end of this paper in Appendix I. During the study, two of these companies are omitted from the list because both were in Portuguese language and further two are added to complete the list. Moreover, 50 companies of Pakistan from KSE-100 Index (2012) are also studied. The website links of the mission, vision and strategy statements reviewed are also provided in Appendix II of this paper. During the data collection, it was made sure that a company from every sector with revenue over Rs.1 billion is included. Those multinational companies that are working in Pakistan and listed at KSE-100 index were omitted to avoid double entry. The date is shown in following table. Region Diversity No Diversity America 30 8 Europe 25 12 Asia 10 15 Pakistan 1 49 Overall 66 84 Source: http://www.forbes.com/global2000/list/ The criterion set to study these statements is to find the exact word diversity in the mission, vision or strategy statements of these companies. The data collected is shown in following graph. The American region comprising North and West Continents seems to have more awareness about workforce diversity, as shown in the table. While there is no surprise that only one company (KAPCO) in Pakistan mentions diversity in its vision statement. Findings and Conclusion: The results depict that those companies which are multinational require a clear vision and strategy about workforce diversity. North and South American countries including USA, Canada, Brazil, and Chile have more awareness of workforce diversity while European countries are also inclined towards it. Findings also indicate that Asian companies are not as diverse as rest of global players because most of these are located in China, Japan and South Korea. Moreover, companies leadership plays a considerable role in inclusion of diversity because usually the top brass establishes the vision, mission and strategy of the company. So, the role of top leadership may not be ignored here. This paper began with the review of diversity and its role in achieving competitive advantage. Further going through the literature it linked to leadership because to include diversity for achieving competitive advantage, managerial leadership needs to have better vision. This evidence in literature was also shown that leadership moderates the affect of diversity to achieve competitive advantage. The requirements of becoming a visionary leader are further discussed which can influence the mission, vision and strategy of the organization. The limitation in this study was the time-frame due to which the exact leadership style could not be established. In future research, a leadership survey can be conducted to determine the style of leadership which can be beneficial for diversity inclusion.

Fear :: essays research papers

FEAR ?@   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently, earthquakes have hit many places like, Kobe, Greece, Turkey and Taiwan. Moreover, some scientists predict that a huge earthquake will hit the Tokai area and it will have enough power to destroy the Tokyo area. I fear earthquakes for 3 reasons: anticipation of disaster, being on the point of death in the rubble, and becoming injured or sick. First, when any size earthquake hits, even a small one, I feel fear because my mind says, ?gSomeday there will be huge earthquake?h. Actually, a huge earthquake has not come yet, but psychologically I feel fear. For example, a few days ago an earthquake hit Tokyo. It was small but my heart beat so quickly during and after the earthquake that I could not do anything because I was so scared.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a huge earthquake such as the Kobe earthquake occurs, many buildings and houses will be destroyed. At that time, I give full scope to my imagination that I will be buried under rubble. Actually, being buried under rubble is most frightening to me because I could become weaker and weaker and finally die. I am frightened not only of being buried under rubble but also of being surrounded by fire or poisonous gas. Being surrounded by fire or poisonous gas, I could feel heat or breathe with difficulty and could know I am going to die. If an airplane crashes or a bomb explodes most people will die instantly, so people usually do not feel pain or fear. However if I am buried under rubble or surrounded by fire and poisonous gas I will feel pain or have difficulty in breathing and I will not die quickly. So it is an agonizing death filled with fear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the earthquake happens, many problems will occur; for example, there will be a problem of supply with goods or temporary dwellings. However, the most frightening problem is disease. After an earthquake, there are sanitary problems. If some diseases spread among the people, it will be difficult to cure the diseases because there will be almost no medical supplies and almost no food.

Barbie :: miscellaneous

Barbie Good afternoon everyone. I’m Dr. Nikolovski and I’m here to talk to you about the controversial Barbie. Barbie, recently turned 40, is perhaps the most debated about child’s toy in the world. She is sold in over 150 Countries and is known to almost every child and adult worldwide. According to creator Mattel, over 93% of all Australian girls aged between 3 and 10 own at least one Barbie each, and the typical American girl of the same age has on average 9. So what does this model of ‘supposed perfection’ have to do with real life you may ask? This successful toy whom is considered to promote an unhealthy lifestyle and image, is a role model of millions of girls around the world, including you daughters. Today I am here to put you any doubts you may have to rest and to promote Barbie as a good and inspiring toy for your children to be playing with. Barbie is one of the most enduring stars in the world. She’s loved, hated, tortured, adored and disemboweled by millions. But the argument still remains, that Barbie is a bad role model for young girls. While some agree yes, I definitely believe no! Barbie has been blamed for quite a few things. Eating disorders being one them, as a result of her â€Å"anorexia-inspired† body. However it must be noted that eating disorders are proven to be a mental disease, just as something like schizophrenia. How a doll, a toy, something for girls to play with is able to be responsible for such a disease is a question I’d be curious to hear answered. Especially as the girls whom play with Barbie are those aged between 3 and 10. Barbie has been around since March 1959, and I’m yet to hear about an eating disorder directly linked with her. I believe that Barbie is an inspiration to young girls in her multiple careers. Which over the years have included things from tennis player, presidential candidate, and paleontologist to an astronaut, which was back in 1964, before there were any women astronauts. This year’s new generation millennium Barbie of 2002 is set to head off to international High School in New York. Barbie’s instant success was not from her body or looks, but clearly from what came with her. It's clear now that her ultimate success is her transformation like qualities.

Learning Portfolio Essay

During the semester, I have had to develop a unique study structure that was going to maximize the efficiency with which I utilized my study time. Before starting the course, I read the study handbook so that I could get a rough idea of what the course entailed and the nature of information I would be required to familiarize myself with. This enabled me to identify other relevant sources of information besides the books suggested in the recommended reading list. In the process of reading these materials, I took brief notes of the ideas and points that appeared noteworthy. Being in a non-English speaking country, obtaining relevant books and other resource materials was somehow challenging. I learned to utilize the internet to get books and journal articles from electronic libraries and databases. I also had to subscribe to various journals so that I could get updated news about the course since I realized that criminology is a dynamic topic and it requires one to get case studies and briefs. After the onset of the course, I had to develop effective study habits so that I could organize my time while staying on top of my work. I realized that in order to succeed, I had to make the right decisions about managing my time and resources. I had to give my studies the priority they deserve and I did not let friends or family dictate to me on what aspects of my life were more important than others. My concentration and grasping ability is at its peak during the morning hours, at quiet and cool surroundings which do not offer any distraction. I engaged in discussions and debates surrounding the course material since I know getting the perspective of my fellow students and their contributions on the points I might have missed is very important. Concerning my assignments, I always make sure I have completed them on time and I review them before every class. I also co-relate assignment content and what is in my notes to ensure that I have completed them satisfactorily. I rely on my notes for this because they are very comprehensive since I review and update them after every class; usually including paraphrasing content in my own words and including examples. These study strategies I adopted during the semester are very effective, and after cross-checking with my fellow students and a collection of study guides available in the internet, I found out that they are still very relevant. Of course, I know there will always be ways of improving them as challenges mount. For example, I found out that I had actually misunderstood some concepts and ideas I had assumed I fully understood, so I need to liaise with my professor and study group more. When I started this course, I did not have a clear understanding of what was really expected of me. I did not know if what I was doing was right or wrong, so I had to get the help of my fellow students, friends who had already graduated from the course and my professor to help me learn how to express my points and ideas. I always want to feel that I am living up to expectation, so I always seek feedback to help me identify areas I can improve on. I have formed a consistent effort to request my colleagues and supervisors so that I can refine my perspective regarding key concepts and ideas. In my attempt to be an all-rounder, I specify the kind of feedback I need from my colleagues, professors and supervisors at work. I do not just ask for a critique of the quality and quantity of effort I put in my studies or my work, but I also seek to find out other people’s perception of how effective or ineffective my interaction with other people and the system is. I also gave some of my essays to friends and colleagues to read; and used their criticism and opinions to improve on my essay writing skills. I feel that I can use the feedback I obtain regarding my study and work strategies and quality to improve by developing plans of action based on it on a regular basis. Feedback is effective only if it is involved in the review of strengths and weaknesses so that the actions taken can be specifically tailored to build on my strengths and work on my weaknesses. It is however important to note that feedback can only be genuine if the seeker also reciprocates by giving feedback to the people he or she seeks opinion from. Even though some people may not like getting feedback on their performance especially if it is negative, I try as much as possible to reciprocate by giving genuine feedback to those willing to acknowledge it so that I can receive an equal measure in return. I would be honest if I say that this course has been an eye opener for me. Through planning my time to fulfill course requirements like attending to classes and completing my assignments in time, I have learnt to be more organized not only in class but in other spheres of my life. The need for efficiency made me engage in research in an attempt to identify better, faster and more effective reading styles, and I perfected these on this course. I have attained a better reading speed and I have become better in both written and spoken English. Through research and preparation for writing my essays, I have improved on my writing skills a great deal. I have learnt several referencing styles and I could even take a chance at professional writing as of now. Criminology requires articulate presentation of ideas, facts and arguments; and this course has increased my analytical skills and the depth of my thinking. In the past, I have sort of been what social scientists would call a right brain thinker. To me, an occurrence or a phenomenon was true or false, black or white. But the course has taught me to think from different perspectives. This has been a big change for me bearing in mind that I have been quite opinioned about criminology issues; but I have learned to pay attention and get many sides to any event. Starting university has had an enormous impact on my academic, personal and work life as well. Being a student and working at the same time is a challenge for many people. I work and study; and since I realize that both are important to my life, I don’t let one take the time of the other. I do not take time off to study or skip classes to work or because I worked late; but I do take some hours off to catch up on my assignments and to engage in extracurricular activities to refresh my faculties and also to write my essay. As far as my private life is concerned, my academic engagements have made it necessary to study on most nights and weekends; but the experience has been good since I have gained the ability to see things from an academic and professional angle and reason likewise. This course has definitely induced a lot of changes in me. For starters, I have learned to be flexible to divergent thoughts and ideas, and since I have learned so much in the process, I have found out that some of the opinions I hold regarding other people and occurrences are not necessarily justified. With an increase in knowledge comes a change in heart, and the new ideas, concepts and facts I have learned have changed my opinion and attitude a great deal. Since the beginning of this course, I have continually learned that there is so much information out there for me to absorb and apply in my essays, arguments and in my professional life. Information for real has the capacity to change someone’s beliefs. The more I am challenged, the more I have become aware of the need and the virtue of being able to tolerate the values, beliefs and attitudes of other people. By virtue of the amount of literature I have had to cover, my attitude towards work has changed. Work, be it academic or professional, is no longer an obligation to me, but an opportunity to improve my vistas of knowledge and my capacity to interact with people, information and real life circumstances. In other words, the course has given me an opportunity to grow in character as a person. Through the study of moral values as they apply in criminology and psychology, I have learned that morality is a very personal issue; and that not a single person can rationally claim to have more superior values as compared to others. In as such, my attitude to people has changed a lot, and I am no longer quick to judge the actions of others without first establishing the motives behind their actions. Creative and research and essay writing has taught me the importance of respecting intellectual property. I have come across so much written material in this course; materials which have increased my knowledge base in ways I could not have imagined. It is a matter of fact that people somewhere took their time to do research, derive facts and write them down plus their relationship to and application in real life situations. It is not only responsible but also ethical therefore to respect their rights to their work by responsibly using these works. Responsible use of literary material is achieved by avoiding plagiarism. This entails proper use of resources and the application of correct referencing techniques to cite the contribution of existing literature in any produced essays or research papers. I had never done any referencing before, but the resources providing guidelines for referencing available at the university website helped me a lot in learning how to responsibly utilize literary materials without abusing intellectual property. As I pointed out earlier, I did not know what was expected of me before actually joining this course. As the course progressed, I came to realize that it is actually a very interesting course. Even though it is quite challenging in terms of difficulty in comprehending some of the concepts taught, I do not regret taking it. The course has made me understand people better and have valuable insight on the motivations people have while committing some of the activities they commit. As I said earlier, I had to work as I undertook this course. The responsibilities could have been overwhelming for most people and their families, but the experience brought me closer to my wife who supported me throughout the duration of the course and has still continued to support me. In terms of my professional experience, the course has opened up my mind and conscience. I have met a lot of interesting people and the experience has made me a better communicator, improving the relationship between me and my work colleagues. I am a very ambitious person and I want to continue growing professionally, that is why I decided to further my education in the first place. My ambition sometimes brings me at odds with my colleagues, but I have known how to effectively handle their aggressions. I hope that these skills are going to push me up the professional ladder, even though this is going to take some time considering the system of my place of work.