Affirmative Action Initiative in South Africa

Affirmative Action Initiative in South Africa Affirmative action is an initiative adopted by the South African government, which seeks to correct the imbalance of wealth and provide opportunities to the people who were adversely affected as a result of the apartheid regime. It has created a situation where organizations are required to meet specific employment targets for persons of colour in order to operate to the satisfaction of the state. As a result, these people are able to participate in the corporate environment at an accelerated rate. On the contrary, many white South Africans are finding it difficult to obtain their most select employment. The efficiency of affirmative action is best analyzed by assessing its objective of promoting black representation in the workplace and comparing it to empirical evidence. Figures provided by the government indicate that the unemployment rate has steadily declined annually since the inception of the study (September 2001). The September 2007 average unemployment rate of 23% is signi ficantly lower than 29.4% in September 2001. This provides evidence that the policy is doing well to provide work to more South Africans. (www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0210/P0210September2007.pdf) However, a more in-depth study reveals the change in unemployment rates amongst each population group. The best results have been for black people with a decline from approximately 35% (September 2001) to 26.8% (September 2007). The Indian people in the country also improved from approximately 19% to 10% over the same period. White and coloured unemployment rates have remained relatively static over this period at approximately 5% and 20% respectively. This bodes well for black and Indian people and is a strong indicator that affirmative action is achieving its goals. The policy seems to be failing in its attempt to compensate the coloured population. (www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0210/P0210September2007.pdf) However, there are problems that are emerging from affirmative action tha t is having a detrimental effect on the performance on enterprises and the overall success of the economy. The instantaneous and rapid enactment of affirmative action has seen unqualified persons attaining important positions. Many of these people were/are incapable of fulfilling the roles they have been assigned. This has a negative impact on, firstly, the corporation employing these people as they incur costs without the required level of service from their employees. It also adversely affects the consumer, who is dependant upon those employed by organizations to make the best decisions in order to obtain maximum reward. A situation exists whereby unskilled employees are filling skilled positions. (www.sairr.org.za/press-office/institute-opinion) Another concern is that many white South Africans are leaving the country, resulting in a major shortage of fundamental skills. The South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) revealed that between 1995 and 2005, one million white S outh Africans moved abroad. The lack of adequate services has left the country in desperate need of professionals. These people also served as mentors/teachers to inexperienced employees and accelerated their development in the organizations thus exacerbating the problem of their departure. (www.fin24.com/articles/default/display_article) Many contend that a weakness of the affirmative action policy is that it creates a minority of rich black people and does not help the rest (www.new.bbc.co.uk). The majority of the black population are unskilled workers without educations. These people are likely to struggle even with affirmative action in place as their employment options are limited to low income earning sectors due to educational and language problems. It is anticipated that the current generation of black children will reap the benefits of the policy. The government has put facilities in place to ensure these people are schooled and can attain funding for universities. These ar e the real beneficiaries of the system as their employment options are diverse. It would therefore seem that the efficiency of affirmative action should only be interpreted to a significant extent when the current black youth reaches adulthood.

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Art - Essay Example The roofs of churches were vaulted and supported by thick stone walls, rounded arches and massive pillars. The creation of large churches during the Romanesque period was propagated by the strong devotion to Christianity and the church. There was a common belief among the Christians that the world was going to end a thousand years after Christ’s birth. This made people to have more commitment and devotion to church and so the churches had to be increased in size so that they could accommodate the large masses. The increase in size was also caused by political and cultural reasons. Flying buttresses is a masonry structure which typically consists of an inclined bar on an arch that extends from the top part of the wall to the pier which is some distance from the wall. Its main function is to carry the thrust of the vault. The pier is often crowned by a pinnacle which adds weight and enhances stability. The buttresses evolved during the gothic era as they allowed the building of high ceilinged churches (Kleiner 267). This changed the Notre-dame in Paris church architecture in general; it made the churches to have high vaults as they were strongly supported by the buttresses and pinnacles. They made churches to be bigger with high

Cultures of Pakistanis and Native Americans Essay

Cultures of Pakistanis and Native Americans - Essay Example In fact, they are influential towards every key identifiable of a particular culture. Nevertheless, similarities are often observed among cultures situated in different geographical areas - especially in thoughts and rituals. Needless to say, differences do exist to make each culture distinct from every other. The two examples adopted in this paper are the cultures of Pakistanis and Native Americans. Pakistan is a South Asian country situated adjacent to India and China. Pakistani "culture" has been hugely impacted not just by weather and topography, but also by arrays of traditions and historical events (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan). Then again, "Native American culture" is the phrase used to designate the culture of the so-called "Indians" of America - indigenous inhabitants of the two Americas. This essay highlights some of the key themes including traditions, religious beliefs, arts, foods, family and entertainment in each of these cultures. The rich culture of Pakistan can be observed in the Western zone of the subcontinent of South Asia. Densely populated, this developing country happens to be an important agricultural center of the world. The culture exhibits evidences of historical and natural influences. (Malik; 2001) The European intrusio... The community being largely Muslim, mutton and beef are widely preferred as well, but fish and chicken are also consumed. In fact, meat is often an essential component of everyday meals in a Pakistani household. Typical Pakistani cuisine can be quite oily and substantial emphasis is laid on the richness of taste. Entertainment as an industry is yet to thrive in Pakistan, since performing arts face receive little praise as careers from the predominantly Muslim community. However, different kinds of sports including squash, wrestling, shooting and lawn tennis are quite popular, the country having national cricket and hockey teams as well. Singing and dancing are encountered, but not popular owing to the Islamic prohibitions. The impact of Hinduism and Hindu culture are negligible in the Pakistani community. (http://www.infopak.gov.pk/) Owing to recent political developments, many restrictive regulations have been relaxed - music, theater and movies becoming quite popular hence. However, conservative Pakistanis still refrain from pursuing them as career options. Painting is also strongly opposed by Islamic fundamentalists - painters being very few in number as a consequence. The prominent contrast is worth mentioning in this case, since Islamic thought is the sole influence for few fundamentalists. Then again, the history of the previous civilizations in the region has also resulted in some appreciation of entertainment and fine arts as industries. Joint families supporting numerous generations have long been prevalent in Pakistan. Most households still have grandfathers and grandsons living together. After all, the consideration of the family as the most significant unit

Critically evaluate how the Resource based view approach to HRM can Essay

Critically evaluate how the Resource based view approach to HRM can help or fail to produce the performance outcomes an organisation requires - Essay Example isting resources within an organisation and in a new way instead of acquiring new skills for each new opportunity that presents itself in the business environment is ideal to improving organisational performance. Where organisations focus on RBV approach, resources are ideal in enabling the organisation to achieve better performance. In applying RBV approach, two types of resources are available for organisation to use to exploit opportunities in the business environment; this includes the tangible and intangible resources. However, tangible resources can be accessed easily in the market and as such; they bring little advantage for organisations when considered in the long-term basis since competitors can acquire the same resources. On the other hand, intangible resources denote resources that are not physical and those that are at the disposal of the organisation to use in improving performance. For instance, an organisation can use brand name or trademark to create uniqueness over competitors (Wright, Dunford & Snell, p.711). In essence, it is impossible for competitors to buy brand reputation of other firms in an attempt to improve their competitive nature in the business environment. Conversely, while RBV aid in improving an organisation’s competitive edge, it has to be noted that for such goal to be realised, the approach has to consider two critical assumptions that include heterogeneity and immobility (Colbert 2004, p.351). This paper examines how RBV approach to human resource management can help or fail to produce the performance outcomes that an organisation requires. RBV approach to human resource management proposes the view that various resources within an organisation are the key to realising positive outcomes and this includes human capital or resources. These internal resources are also viewed as important in providing an organisation the required competitive advantage in the business environment. This is because when resources within an

Behaviorism vs. Cognitivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Behaviorism vs. Cognitivism - Essay Example The primary aim of this paper is to outline the differences between two schools of academic psychology--behaviorism and cognitivism. I will first outline and explain two experiments purporting to explain human cognition by Jean Piaget. I will then explain how behaviorist B.F. Skinner might object to this methodology. Finally, I will address some possible responses to Skinner that Piaget could use to defend the scientific integrity of his experiments. Jean Piaget is often referred to in academic psychology as a â€Å"developmental cognitivist†. A developmental psychologist is one who scientifically studies changes in human personality, thinking and perceptions over the cross of a lifetime. Piaget’s research tends to focus on the development of human children--specifically the intelligence and cognitive capacities of children. Thus he can be said to be a cognitivist, in that he seeks to discover underlying thought processes by observing behavior. In two of his main works, The Construction of Reality in the Child, and The Child’s Conception of Number, Jean Piaget sets up a series of experiments, which purport to demonstrate the differences in cognitive and intellectual processes between adults and children. In the first experiment I am going to examine, Piaget attempts to explain the ability of children to discriminate between quantities of objects. He does this by placing two lines of candy next to each other--one with the candy arranged in a line spread further apart, and one with the same amount of candy in a line placed more closely together. The children are asked to determine which line contains a greater amount of candy. The results were that â€Å"Children between 2 years, 6 months old and 3 years, 2 months old correctly discriminate the relative number of objects in two rows; between 3 years, 2 months and 4 years, 6 months they indicate a longer row with fewer objects to have "more"; after 4 years, 6 months they again discriminate co rrectly† (Piaget). Piaget concluded that children gain the capacity to discriminate between quantities of objects at 2 years, 6 months, but for whatever reason, are unable to use this ability effectively for this task between ages 3 and 4. The second example of an experiment by Piaget I would like to discuss, seeks to demonstrate how children view the relationship between space and object: The child is presented with a model, about one square meter in size, representing three mountains in relief; he is to reconstruct the different perspectives in which a little doll views them in varying positions that follow a given order...when he is asked what the doll sees from a particular position the child describes what he himself sees from his own position without taking into account the obstacles which prevent the doll from seeing the same view. When he is shown several pictures from among which he is to choose the one which corresponds to the doll’s perspective, he chooses th e one which represents his own (Piaget). This experiment shows that young children lack the capacity to understand spatial relationships, relative to an observer other than their own. The child does not attempt to envisage how a particular object might look from the perspective of the doll, but defaults back to a description from their first-person point of view. Piaget concludes that the behavior observed here could best be explained by the developmental stage the child has reached. He points out that â€Å"the egocentrism and objective relativity in question here concern only the relationships between the child and things, and nothing in sensorimotor action forces him to leave this narrow realm† (Piaget). In other words since the child has only reached the point in life where she always encounters objects in relation to herself, even if you ask questions about the relation between an object and another observer, the child will not understand. Behaviorism is a school of thou ght in psychology that can be thought of in contrast to cognitivism. Rather than observing behavior

What was Harper Lees affect on American Literature Term Paper

What was Harper Lees affect on American Literature - Term Paper Example Nelle Harper Lee is one of the greatest American authors of the contemporary literature world. She rose to fame when her novel â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† selected for the 1960 Pulitzer Prize. The major theme of this novel is her childhood memories about racism. Apart from Pulitzer Prize, â€Å"She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday November 6, 2007 for her services to literature by President George W. Bush at the White House in Washington D.C. She was also awarded the 2010 National Medal of the Arts for her services to literature† (Biography for Harper Lee). This paper analyses the biography and contributions of Harper Lee to American literature. Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. Harper Lee grew up in the small southwestern Alabama town of Monroeville. Her father, a former newspaper editor and proprietor, was a lawyer who also served on the state legislature (1926-38) (Biography of Harper Lee (1926-)) Harper Lee showed immense interest in reading literature even from her childhood. She was very much interested in establishing friendship with others and was eager to learn more and more things from her friends. She was very much sensitive and was eager to analyze or learn more about the incidents happening around her during her childhood. â€Å"Lee was only five years old in when, in April 1931 in the small Alabama town of Scottsboro, the first trials began with regard to the purported rapes of two white women by nine young black men† (Biography of Harper Lee (1926-)). ... After graduating in 1944, she went to the all-female Huntingdon College in Montgomery. Lee stood apart from the other students—she could have cared less about fashion, makeup, or dating. Instead, she focused on her studies and on her writing. Lee was a member of the literary honor society and the glee club (Harper Lee Biography) â€Å"Harper Lee graduated from Monroeville High School in her hometown in Alabama in 1943. She then attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, where she completed most of her core classes from 1944 to 1945† (Benson). â€Å"She studied law at the University of Alabama, and spent a year studying as an exchange student at Oxford. She never completed law school, and moved to New York to pursue a career as a writer† (Southern Writers Tour - Harper Lee). Lee’s law studies happened during the period of 1945-49. â€Å"During the 1950s, she worked as an airline reservation clerk with Eastern Air Lines and British Overseas Airways †((Nelle) Harper Lee (1926-)). In fact Lee studied law with an intention to help the black community as much as possible. However, she realized that as an advocate she has limitations in providing enough social justice to the black community. The above realization forced her to stop her Law studies and to concentrate more on writing articles. In 1957 Miss Lee submitted the manuscript of her novel to the J. B. Lippincott Company. She was told that her novel consisted of a series of short stories strung together, and she was urged to rewrite it. For the next two and a half years she reworked the manuscript with the help of her editor, Tay Hohoff, and in 1960 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD was published (Harper Lee Bio) To Kill a Mockingbird was Lee's first and last novel. â€Å"Lee

Mongols Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mongols - Essay Example For goods to fetch better prices in case of there is a low demand for the product, traders usually venture into some organizations that would help them make a sale. First, traders usually form cartels that will enable them create a monopolistic nature of the market (Rashdall, 1895, p. 150). This action will enable them to be the only stake holders in the market and any buyer can only get the commodity from them. Secondly, traders in the cartel group can easily get the support of the government when they want to remain relevant in the market, they do use the influence of the government so that they can get protection since they are able to show good skills and professionalism. Professionalism arises from apprentice where fellows are taught the skills through learning. Skills mainly consist of curving products from precious metals such as gold. In this venture, having a religious back up was previously considered to be very important as most of the countries were governed by laws relating to a particular religious groups. Religion still remains important today especially if the commodities are consumed by the state that holds a strong religious belief such as the Arab world, the Latin America and the Asians who majority lag behind a particular religion (Richardson, 2001, p. 213). This may not be the case to other countries who do not value religion as they allow freedom of worship. Having support from the religious group means a success in your