Role of a Coach in Athlete Development

Role of a Coach in Athlete Development Jarod Pender The famous basketball coach of UCLA that set the record for most championships, John Wooden once said I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession. Coaches play an important role in the development of young athletes that carries on with them as the becoming adults. The most important factor in an athletes development is how they are treated by the coach. As we will see coaching is an important building point in the lives of young athletes and this is a main factor in how they develop into adults. From being a parent like mentor to these athletes and showing them important skills it is important that coaches take good care of their athletes. An important point made by John Wooden is that Young people need models, not critics. John wooden was a pioneer in coaching and clearly his methods worked because he had an astounding record and many titles to his name from his success at the UCLA. He broke the record of winning 7 c hampionships in a row and won ten in twelve years. His coaching standards have been changed from modern times but he set a winning standard in coaching, and many of these ideals in the following were his ideals. From many of the points that will be brought up in this paper you will be able to distinguish the difference from acceptable coaching to poor coaching. Firstly, Coaches have an important part in the development of the physical growth of young athletes. Coaches have a strong say in how much athletes exercise and stay in shape. Many coaches have their athletes highly active in lifting weights or conditioning. Some coaches have their athletes work too hard and they put their bodies at risk for injury that they have to continue in fear of losing playing time. Many athletes do not realize that they can speak up about the pain and that they think they have no say in the matter, but they do its their body. If an athlete is too scared to speak up about an injury then the coach is putting too much pressure on the athlete and is putting them at high risk for injury. An athlete has a right to keep his own body safe and healthy, but if the coach only wants to win then they might feel pushed to keep playing through the pain. As we look throughout this paper we will see this is only one of many bad characteristics of a bad coach and this alone ca n not only risk the athletes health, but it can ruin the ability for the athlete to trust people close to them. It is common in basketball for coaches to run their athletes until they puke or just about. When coaches do this they put their athletes in danger of exhaustion, heat stroke, and possible sicknesses. Coaches need to understand where to draw a line between improvement and damage. It is the same way for lifting weights if an athlete is doing too much they can put themselves at risk. Also coaches of all sports need to realize that they need safe, but aggressive drills to keep their athletes safe and allow them to last the whole season without excessive injuries. Secondly, Coaches have an important part in the development of the mental growth of young athletes. Coaches can play many roles for athletes in life such as: father or mother figures, mentors, a boss, or friend. Based on this we can see how the coach will develop the athletes mental growth. If the athlete thinks of the coach as a father or mother figure the athlete probably is a positive, but strong influence on the athlete pushing them to succeed allowing them just enough pressure to grow, but not letting them break. If the coach is viewed as a boss the athlete probably does not expect much from the coach besides coaching and improving as an athlete, they will not look for support or encourage from this coach. If the coach is viewed as a friend, then the athlete just wants encourage from the coach and will not likely want this coach putting lots of pressure on them. As athletes get older they can handle more information, stress, and other things that come with being an athlete, but certain coaches control when they grow into this. Many athletes experience a coach when they are young that is considered a bad coach, one who puts winning above his players, this grows into the player over the years. What many players do not realize is maybe that middle school coach or even younger set them up for how they handle pressure in the future from a development in their young years. With this mental growth can come the ability to play mind games with the athletes which indeed can cause damage to the athlete in their ability to trust people long term without worries of alternative motives? Thirdly, Coaches have an important part in the development of the spiritual growth of young athletes. Many athletes in Christian demographics look to their coach for guidance as they can relate to being a Christian athlete, but this can get tricky. Depending on the coach whether or not they are Christian can affect the role they play on the athlete. Obviously if he or she does not give good spiritual advice because he or she is not a faith oriented coach it is going to cloud the judgment of the athlete. Another issue is if the coach is a Christian and he or she pushes Christian ideals, but he or she does not follow them when he or she coaches his or her athletes. Many people would agree with the statement do not talk the talk, if you can not walk the walk because if you tell your students you need to be encouraging as a person to be a Christian, but are a jerk coach then you set a horrible example. Like many things even if it is not spiritual, if you can not follow your own rules you set for your players then you should not force your athletes to follow them. In a world where hypocrisy is flourishing it makes it hard to set a standard and follow it, but if you can not absolutely follow the rules you set for your athletes maybe you need to seek help so you can fix this problem you have. At these youth and teen ages many kids are looking for a spiritual mentor and if someone ruins this for them at a young age then it might ruin how they grow up in the faith, which could force them from it all together. We all need someone to guide our way if we do not then we can fall prey to the random evils around us everywhere. Most kids if they do not have good role models in cities where crime can be a problem they can get involved with the wrong kids or crowd and lead a poor lifestyle. When these kids follow these poor lifestyle choices it can lead to drugs, abuse, gang activity, jail time, or just a poor life because they did not take things seriously and they let it go to waste. Fourthly, Coaches have an important part in the development of young athletes self-esteem. Many studies show that if a child is supported as a child that he or her will have a better chance of being confident growing up. It is the same for children who are constantly put down they will have confidence issues when they grow up. While yes some kids can be supported still growing up not confident in themselves or the complete opposite make an adult of themselves after being left alone. While these studies are evident I think there is one thing that can link many of these cases together, many people in their lives attempt to play at least one sport. While many people play on sport in their life it is often they quit after one sport because they are discouraged and thus do not feel like they want to be bad at something. Many of these people lacked one thing in their experiences: a good coach to encourage them to keep trying, motivating parents, or the drive to succeed. While you do not al l three to be a good athlete have a coach that encourages can make up for the lack of the other too. While not everyone can have supportive parents it is important that coaches can play a little bit of that parenting role by being there for the athlete and supporting them. While there may be a lack of studies proving that coaches play such a high role in the development of athletes I really believe in the next ten years it will be clear and evident how coaching effects these athletes long term. When we see these effects we will be able to identify who had good, moralistic coaches and those who had the bad coaches through their development. While yes there will be variations and deviations from the pattern like the successful business man or woman, or whatever genders will exist in ten years, who pushed through the abuse and degradation of his skills, attitude, or himself from his high school coach to use it as a motivation to succeed and be better. Fifthly, Coaches have an important part in the development of how young athletes handle pressure. If young athletes are giving large amounts of pressure this can over load how they handle things, while it may prepare them for the future you should never put too much pressure on a youth athlete. If you put too much pressure on a young athlete he or she might quit the sport, become discourage, or just easily become frustrated. Pressure management is an important role in coaching youth as they are the future of our sports and world. Growing up playing sports I can agree when a coach puts too much pressure on an athlete a couple of things may happen: one the athlete overcomes the pressure pleasing the coach, the athlete does an average job not over impressing the coach, or the kid completely crumbles under the pressure. If the athlete completely crumbles under the pressure it could leave a lasting impression on the athlete mentally and emotionally, which could stay with them way until th ey are a grown adult making big decisions. If an athlete can consistently succeed under pressure the coach will obviously put more focus and effort into coaching this athlete over others because he or she will help the team more. Most athletes fall into the middle category they complete the task, but it is not as impressive and does not leave wow factor. These athletes are going to either grow into people who can take pressure more than before, will stay as mediocre, or some will fall into the problem of crumbling under pressure. It is important while these young athletes are growing to realize that how much pressure we put on them can affect them for the rest of their lives, but if we take it for granted we can let our goals come before the development of these young athletes we are trying to grow. While pressure can come from good or bad coaching it is how these coaches handle the pressure they give and how they react to the outcome of the athletes response to pressure. Some coach es may put pressure on the athletes to try out a starting spot for multiple athletes, which develops competition which helps develop aggressiveness for fighting for the spot. On the opposite spectrum a coach could put too much pressure on an athlete and then freak out on the athlete when he or she is not good enough for the coachs expectations. Many criminals and addicts have something in common, they were missing a role model in life. Many of these people realize that your parents can not always be your role model, that it where coaches come into play. Many sources believe that the longer that athletes stay in sports the more likely they are to stay out of trouble, which is due to the fact in sports kids have to have decent grades, stay drug free and stay out of trouble in school to stay eligible for their sport. Even to the fact that people admit if they would have stayed in sports they would not have gotten hooked on drugs, joined a gang, or even just kept on a better path. In my life I have personally seen friends who have stopped playing sports and their lives really took a turn for the worst. Luckily I have not had any friends fall into drug addiction, but while I have not experienced this there can be 15 people in Adrian alone who have seen or been in this exact situation. Sixthly, the development of young athletes can be drastically changed by the effects of bad coaching. While many coaches work hard to improve the lives of the many young athletes that come through their programs, it does not matter how many good coaches there are because there will always be bad coaches. What is considered a bad coach you may ask? Well if you do more than one of the following you may be a bad coach: yell at players constantly, do not encourage them, pressure them into playing through injuries, lack patience, are hypocritical in your coaching, play favorites, play mind games, force them to keep what happens in practice a secret, coach with a negative attitude, say your team is the worst you have coached, degrade players. If you take part in one or more of these activities in practices, games, workouts, or any other setting where you are the coach then you may be a bad coach. While many coaches who are completely awful coaches may not know they are a bad coach, there a re a few who do realize what they do. If you realize you bully your athletes you need to either change or quit, because you are only helping yourself with the salary if all you do is breakdown your athletes every day in and out. These tendencies can easily be passed down if you ingrain it into the minds of your athletes. One of the main problems is that many coaches who partake in these problems have good teams or programs so while they are awful coaches, they still get wins which makes them look unlikely to get fired. It can seem impossible for some coaches who bully their athletes who coach in a good program to get fired but as soon as they have a bad season they have good chances of getting fired. With these chances sometimes being slim it can be difficult for parents to deal with these hard to work with, devil like beings, the best thing you can do is try and encourage your athlete and try and make sure to keep the coach in check as much as possible. While you may be tempted to talk to the athletic director sometimes the athletic director is very bias towards protecting who he or she has hired and will not do anything against the coach even if he or she is truly wrong which happens commonly at schools all crossed the country. Seventhly, the development of young athletes can be drastically improved by the effects of good coaching. While it might be easier said than done if you just say be the opposite of the last paragraph, it is not that simple. To be a good coach you have to have a love for three things: God, your athletes, and the programs development. Having a strong spiritual structure can help make your coaching easier because following the bibles teaching helps your be more encouraging. Also none of the things that make a bad coach are good in the bible so it is easy to stay on track. The other step of having a love for your athletes. To be a good coach you need to truly love your athletes, not the jerry Sandusky type of love, but the type of love that you view the athletes as sons or daughters. If you view the athletes in your programs like sons and daughters it makes it much easier to make the right decisions for these young athletes, which in the long run will make you a better coach then before. If you love someone like a daughter or son you will treat them with respect, tough love, and will want the best for them. Lastly you need to have a love for the program. A good coach just does not care about his current team, but he or she cares about the future of the program. Good coaches constantly have camps for the future of the program so they can develop their future teams better. If the coach only cares about the current team and not the future of their program they may lose young athletes to other programs or schools simply because they payed more attention to the young athletes. This has become a growing trend in many programs in the past years as they need the future to succeed in weaker years. Many good coaches use this technique to build solid programs for many years because if a varsity coach works with elementary kids they will be more likely to stay and possibly bring friends to the school as well. Also if a younger athlete has better skills to improve to future tea ms the more likely the coach will keep his job if he or she has multiple years off success. The problem with this is in year of skill and ability drought he or she may decide to play under classmen more than upper classmen to look for the future of his program, because he or she can make up for a bad year this year if he or she has a great season the following year. In conclusion, from all the papers and information I have read over the past couple of weeks it is clear and obviously how to define a good, moralistic person who is a coach. A coach is not defined by the wins he or she gets on the court, field, or arena; but by the athletes he or she develops while they are in his or her program. From the many parts of coaching we hit in this paper many of them seem to boil down to who the coach is morally, if he or she are morally a bad person they will not most likely be a good coach. From building these athletes in to the person they will develop in to as a man or woman, these coaches lay the building blocks for these boys and girls. If they lay the foundation poorly either it will affect the structure immediately and someone will have to fix it or it will build up until it all collapses later in life. It is very important that when they men and women are given the opportunity to lay the foundation of the lives of our boys and girls that they mak e the right, moralistic decisions that will make them grow in amazing men and women. It is important if you are going to build a house to put in a correct, secure foundation; because if you do not then the possibility of the house being damaged later on is more of a higher possibility. That is why when you go to build a house or a building you make sure you have good, competent builder to secure a foundation that will last for generations. In this metaphor the coach being the builder and the boys and girls being the foundation of a house really works well as it shows the possibilities of where the coaching will take the athletes in their futures. When we look for someone to coach our young boys and girls we should take more care to look into the person to verify they will the type of person to make our boys and girls in to the best kids they can be and if they become good athletes too then that is the bonus. We live in the era of people looking for a coach who is going to get wins, but this is a faulty ideal because if the coach mistreats the athletes or does not grow them then you can be doing more harm than good. We need to be more focused on a coach that develops hard work through encouragement, not through punishment. I do think sometimes punishment is needed, but some coaches use punishment as a fear tactic to push athletes in the wrong way. This idea of coaching definitely will cause some athletes to perform, but others definitely will not respond well to this coaching style. As we continue through this new generation of athletes I think more data will come out after seeing the effects of coaching on the last few generations of athletes, at this point we will find out just what the poor coaches caused and what the good coaches created out of these boys and girls.

Deep Sea Fishing :: Personal Narrative Essays

Deep Sea Fishing Wow! I love going deep sea fishing on our boat. I was excited when my dad had asked me if I wanted to go this weekend. We departed that Saturday morning after almost a week of sheer anticipation, our destination, Port Canaveral, home of of some of the best fishing on the east coast of Florida. The sea is a very dangerous place when riled by a storm, even a mild one, so we always made sure the day would be at least close to perfect before we ventured out into the blue darkness of the open sea. My dad and I had seen the destruction careless boaters could get themselves into, and we did our best to avoid it. That Saturday, though, looked as if it were a perfect offshore fishing day. The sky was clear as glass, with a couple straggling cirrus clouds, but nothing worth paying attention to, and above that, the fish were supposedly hitting offshore. All-in-all, the long awaited perfect fishing day had come, at least in our minds it had. In the meantime, my dad backed the boat into the salty murky water as I got the boat ready for our day long journey. I set the navigation system to a favorite fishing spot of ours which was about twenty-five miles out called the Pelican Flats. We headed out on the gently, quiet, rolling blue monster's back as our twenty-two foot vessel handled the one to two foot ocean swells with sheer ease. Finally, after an hour long haul, and fifteen fishing minutes later, we ran into our first sign of action. "Fish on starboard!!" screamed my younger brother. "Fish on stern, grab 'em!", bellowed by dad from the steering wheel. Instinctly, my brother and I had quickly grabbed the poles as the line screamed off and the tips bent almost to the water. Soon enough, both of us had fish on, very large fish from the feel. About half an hour of sweat and a good workout, we finally got the fish to give up their fight for life. That was the first time we had ever encountered a double hook-up, which happens when two fish of a considerable size are hooked simultaneously, and it happened in less than fifteen minutes. We ended up fishing for about four more hours and landed an incredible number of large fish, and we wanted more. The three of us scanned the surface for more action, and found nothing of interest but what looked like a storm cloud moving towards us at an unknown velocity about

Nigerian Government: From Military Rule to Democratically Elected Governance. :: Essays Papers

Nigerian Government: From Military Rule to Democratically Elected Governance. Nigeria’s government has recently gone under a dramatic change. For my paper I decided to write on the topic of Nigerian government. When I interviewed a student, named Arit, from Nigeria, she told me how her country was formerly under military rule and had recently changed to a democratically elected government. Arit believes this is a good change for the country and it will help fix the destruction military rule left behind and pull Nigeria out of the dark. Military Rule Background The people of Nigeria suffered under the control of military rule and are now experiencing the recent change to democratically elected governance. One of the greatest problems in examining the background to military rule in Nigeria is figuring out when the seeds of the takeover and the tragedy of civil war were sown (Oyediran). When military rule first started in Nigeria, it was seen as a rescue operation and was not expected to last long. However, this was not the outcome. Nigeria gained independence in 1960 and out of the forty-three years post independence, the military ruled for twenty-nine years (Igbuzor). In January of 1966, the first military intervention occurred. Structure After the military gained political power the next thing they do is ‘abolish’ all political parties. The reason for this action is because the military sees such organizations as instruments of disunity, agents of strife, discord, and corruption. They also believe these organizations create the conditions that warrant the military intervening (Dudley 85). Nigeria’s military ruled government included: (1) Increased influence by political and military leaders of minority tribes (2) replacement of political party leaders by the military as general policy makers; (3) increased policy-making role for permanent secretaries and top echelons of civil service; and (4) replacement of the four powerful regions by twelve â€Å"states† (Imer 69). Problems However, abolishing the political parties does not destroy the political conflict. In fact, the strife is not eliminated but a vacuum is made between the leaders and the led (Dudley 86). Under military rule, the people of Nigeria were overwhelmed with corruption, fraud, embezzlement, and political instability (Johnson). These problems were reoccurring throughout the twenty-one years of military rule. First Elections The 1999 Constitution provided for a democratically elected government in section seven of the constitution (Igbuzor). February 28, 1999, Nigerians voted in a presidential election to put an end to military rule.

Attenuation Effects on Data Transmitted through Cable :: essays research papers

Attenuation Effects on Data Transmitted through Cable Abstract Attenuation refers to any reduction in the strength of a signal. Attenuation occurs with digital or analog signals. Attenuation is the end result of signals being transmitted extended distances. Attenuation is usually expressed in units called decibels (dBs). The cable type will determine at what point along the length of the cable signal degradation occurs. Repeaters can be inserted along the length of the cable to boost the signal strength which increases the maximum attainable range of data transmitted though the cable. Attenuation Effects on Data Transmitted through Cable The majority of attenuation in Coax cable comes from resistive losses in the cable's metallic conductors. Temperature also has effects the resistivity of the conducting surface. Resistivity is a "bulk property of material describing how well that material inhibits current flow. This is slightly different from resistance, which is not a physical property. If one considers current flowing through a unit cube of material (say, a solid metal cube that measures 1 meter on each side), resistivity is defined as the voltage measured across the unit cube length (V/m) divided by the current flowing through the unit cube's cross sectional area (I/m2). This results in units of Ohm m2/m or Ohm-m." [University of British Columbia Geophysical Inversion Facility] Temperature affects the movement of electrons in the material. When a signal voltage is passed through a wire the electrons collides with the atoms in the material. If more atoms are allowed collide with electrons, the greater the frictional resistance, which affects the cable ability to conduct (allow data to pass through the cable). Temperature causes the atoms with in the material to move. Increasing the temperature causes the atoms to â€Å"jiggle† which causes frequent collations with electrons. The opposite is true when the temperature is lowered. Attenuation is a function of the frequency of the signal, and the length and physical structure of the cable itself. Specifically, it depends on: †¢ The diameter of the inner conductor: as the diameter of the conductor increases, attenuation decreases. †¢ The composition of the outer conductor: the more effective the screening action, the lower the attenuation. †¢ The nature of the dielectric: the lower its constant dielectric, the lower the attenuation. Therefore, an expanded dielectric supplies, at any given diameter, values of attenuation lower than a solid dielectric. Since the type of cable, the temperature, and the rate at which data is being passed through the cables are constant, the length of the cable is the only factor that affects the attenuation in the two cables.

Labor Relations

In this paper, unions and labor relations will be defined and their impact on organizations will be elaborated. Also, the impact of changes in employee relations strategies, policies, and practices on organizational performance will be examined. After this, the question â€Å"Are unions still relevant in the U.S.?† will be answered. Furthermore, the campaign, the election, contract negotiations, grievance handling, arbitrations, labor relations, and strikes will be addressed. Labor unions and labor relations Labor unions, which are the watchdogs and negotiators for the American workforce, are a way of collectively bargaining with employers for fair working conditions and fair wages. The craft unions or skilled laborers and industrial unions or laborers in the same industry, regardless of skill are the two types of labor unions that are organized. In the U.S. Groups of highly-trained carpenters, tailors, printers, and weavers in the colonial age, the seed of modern labor unions were the guilds. Guilds, which are economic and social in nature, are associations of persons who are involved in the same craft or business. The workers who members of guilds are banded together so that the quality standards would be maintained and the employers’ hiring of skilled laborers from home would be ensured. In the mid-19th century, there was an increase in the number of new industrial unions which were created for the assertion of workers’ rights. This change in the personality of the American workforce was due to the invention of the steam engine and other industrial advancements. The Knights of Labor, which inaugurated the Labor Day holiday in 1882, was one of the most important industrial unions. In the 1890s, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was formed. It is composed of the craft unions which include both skilled and unskilled laborers. The federation was formed because its member craft unions were opposed to the composition of the Knights of Labor’s membership. The United Mine Workers and the Danburry Hatters case in 1902 were ones of the early conflicts and strikes included in this period. In the 1930s, when the Great Depression took place, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was formed. Many of the members of CIO were the dissidents of the AFL who favors industrial unionism. Workers in the steel, rubber, auto, maritime, glass, and meat packing industries were some of the major constituents of the CIO. In spite of the conflicts during the 30s and 40s, a powerful body known as the AFL-CIO was formed from the merging of the two national organizations in 1955. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the U.S. government. It was created under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 or the Wagner Act and was amended by the acts of 1947 or the Taft-Harley Labor Act and 1949 or the Landrum-Griffin Act. The board affirmed the rights of the labor to organize and bargain collectively through representatives they chose or to refrain from such activities. The board which is composed of five members is assisted by 33 regional directors. The members are appointed by the U.S. President with the approval of the Senate for five-year terms. The proper bargaining units are determined, the elections for union representation are conducted, and the charges of unfair labor practices by employers are investigated by the board. Coercion, interference, or restraint in labor’s self-organizational rights is included in the unfair practices (Villanueva Siasoco). A research study revealed that the collaboration of an organization (such as community organizations) and a labor union is an impetus for change. For example, the labor unions and community organizations in Greater Boston, which have worked together in recent years, have achieved remarkable successes. Some of their victories include the passing of a Boston living wage ordinance, an increase in the minimum wage in Massachusetts, improvement in union contracts and in workplace conditions, an earned income tax credit on state income taxes, $6 million state job training program for 1, 500 workers, and a number of progressive tax policies which includes a new tax on capital gains. These significant achievements in Boston are reverberated throughout the country. This is manifested by the continuous formation of alliances by community organizations with the organized labor. Again, these alliances are formed for the purpose of tackling problems that affect the lives of the low-wage workers. The Service Employees International Union, which is known for its successful Justice for Janitors campaigns, is one of the unions that organize low-wage workers. The Hotel Employees and Restaurant Union is also a low wage-workers union. These unions are included in the most vibrant and fastest growing organizations in the country. The collaboration of labor unions and community organizations is really needed for the achievement of long-term goals of economic and social justice. The need for the collaboration is being intensified by the changes in the national economy over the last few decades. One the changes that forces for a collaboration of labor unions and community organizations is the shifting of the economy from higher-paying manufacturing jobs to lower-paying jobs in the service sector. Similarly, the public policy efforts for the promotion of the welfare of working families in general are being broadened by the labor movement. The national AFL-CIO, under the new leadership since 1995, has devoted increased resources to advocate policies. These policies include the universal health care coverage which is intended to benefit all American who are working (not only those who are members of unions) and the raising of the federal minimum wage. One of the impacts of labor unions in policies is the announcement of support of amnesty for undocumented immigrants by the AFL-CIO in February, 2000. In addition, the AFl-CIO also played a major role in organizing, planning, and supporting the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride of 2003. This ride is a nationwide effort which aims to raise the visibility of the issues of the immigrant workers (Ranghelli 4). On the other hand, the impact of changes on employees is the decrease in the purchase of labor by employers because of the higher wages won by unions. The success in asserting for higher wages and better working conditions also reduced the number of jobs available (Reynolds). Are unions still relevant in the U.S.? The question â€Å"Are unions still relevant in the U.S.?† does not need anymore time to think about. Unions are absolutely relevant in the U.S. Considering the economic situation today, wherein the trend is to shift from higher-paying jobs to lower-paying jobs, to use more machines than labor force, and to employ contractualization, the exploitation of the labor sector becomes more intense. Thus, unions play a vital role in achieving economic and social justice. Considering the opinions raised by Reynolds, it is very shallow to say that the labor unions are the anticompetitive force in the labor markets. It is very inhumane to think of workers as simply inputs that are needed to be purchased in order for a process such as production or manufacturing to materialize. It is in this thinking where the exploitation of the laborers’ rights arises. Regarding campaigns and elections, union officers are elected based on the standards established by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA). Officers in the local unions are elected through secret balloting. On the other hand, officers of the national and international unions are elected either by secret balloting of the members or by delegates who are chosen by the secret ballot. The election of the officers of the national and international unions is held at least every five years. For the intermediate bodies, the election of officers is held at least every four years and for the local unions, election of officers is held at least every three years. The funds of a union may be used in conducting an election. Also, it is an option for the employers and unions to use their funds in promoting the candidacy of any candidate (http://www.dol.gov/compliance/topics/unions-elections.htm). Collective bargaining refers to the negotiations between an employer and a group of employees. Negotiations are done so that the conditions of employment would be determined. The result of the procedures of the collective bargaining is called collective agreement. Union or other labor organizations represent the employees in bargaining. Federal and state statutory laws, judicial decisions, and administrative agency regulations govern collective bargaining. Arbitration refers to the method of dispute resolution. This method is used as an alternative to litigation. Arbitration is usually used to resolve disputes between employers and employees during a collective bargaining (http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Collective_bargaining#collective_bargaining_and_labor_arbitration:_an_overview). Usually, strike is the last resort taken by workers in addressing their grievances. Holding mass pickets is the most effective way to involve all strikers. Although strikes may mean decrease in wages or dismissal from work, success in such solidarity actions is effectively achieved through picketing the workplaces of the workers (http://libcom.org/organise/guide-to-taking-strike-action). The aforementioned concepts support the answer that unions are still relevant in the U.S. For example, the funds of unions are very vital during an election because may be used to promote the candidacy of a certain candidate who, when elected, must address the concerns not only of the workers but the families in general. Also, it is very significant in addressing the welfare of the people because what labor unions fight for is not just their interests but the interests of the masses. Again, labor union should not be viewed as a hindrance for the economic development. It is not enough to say that a country is developed based on a high gross national product which is achieved through lower cost of production that includes lower wages for the laborers. Higher gross national product which is achieved through exploitations of workers does not mean economic and social justice. Reference Collective bargaining and labor arbitration: an overview. Retrieved November 18, 2006, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Collective_bargaining#collective_bargaini  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ng_and_labor_arbitration:_an_overview John. (November 11, 2006). Guide to taking strike action. Retrieved November 18, 2006,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from http://libcom.org/organise/guide-to-taking-strike-action National Labor Relations Board. Retrieved November 18, 2006, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/bus/A0834954.html Ranghelli. (March 2005). Joining Forces Community Organizations and Labor Unions Form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   New Collaborations. Retrieved November 18, 2006, from Unions and Union Members: Union Elections. Retrieved November 18, 2006, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.dol.gov/compliance/topics/unions-elections.htm Villanueva Siasoco, Ricco. Hard Labor. How unions fought to honor the American worker.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved November18, 2006, from http://www.factmonster.com/spot/labor1.html       Labor Relations Labor relation entails policies and daily practices that are concerned with the regulation and management of individual and team relationships within the organization. Essentially, employee relations are centered on the ability to resolve and prevent conflicts that involve either an individual or the teams in the organization which directly affect work situations and performance. Efficient communication ensures that information is passed to the employees in order to allow them understand better the company’s goals and objectives. Most employee relations managers uphold the responsibility of handling grievances, individual code of conduct while in the office, evaluation of employee performance and counseling programs. Sound employee relations are based on participation and effective communication for both the management and the employees. There are various management styles that cover the way employee relations must be conducted in order to achieve the best from the employees. (Selid, 1995) Trade unions are organized groups of employees officially recognized by both the government and their employer that have come together to promote their common interests. Trade unions have a responsibility of ensuring get the value of what they work for. They are directed to provide a communication channel between the employer and the employees. In some cases, In the United States, trade unions are registered by the specific State that it operates from and they are ratified by the federal government. The United States have a national advisory board referred to as Employee Relations Advisory Board (ERAB) that is concerned with formulating national policies which must be adhered to by individual Employee Relations Advisory Organization (ERAO) which every institution including airline companies must have. At least one representative of ERAO is elected to sit at the Employee Relations Advisory Board. In an airline setting for example, their union is responsible for providing the company’s management with suggestions on how to solicit and disseminate information on plans and programs that are designed for employees who will enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace. (Employee Relations Advisory Organization, 2004) There are impact of changes in employee relations strategies, policies, and practices on organizational performance. For example if employees within an organization are represented by a trade union fully recognized by the same organization e.g. the airline company and the government, cooperation between the employer that is airline company and its employees will be enhanced the workplace. Good and sound formulated strategies and policies that relates to labor relations in organization particularly the airline companies will lead to attainment of organizations goals and pursuing the company’s mission statement in the direct path. There are various management styles that cover the way employee relations must be conducted in order to achieve the best from the employees. These management styles are intended to teach employees the following; applicable regulations and policies, bargaining agreements, grievance and appeal rights, and discrimination and protection of whistleblowers. The impact of changes in employee relations has broadened its definition from the initial industrial relations to such aspects as employer-employee relations, personal contracts, workplace environmental safety, and socio-emotional factors. In developed countries like in the U.S and mostly in airline industries, there is a growing trend of harmonization in almost all levels of government mainly because of the government commitment to enhance employee relations programs. (Sparrow and Hilltop, 1994) Trade unions plays a very major role in trying to protect the rights of employees who form there membership and research indicates that they still relevant in the U.S. administration because they have the task of ensuring that employees rights regarding to the workplace are protected. However, due to corruption and other malpractices the effectiveness of these trade unions has been compromised over the last few years. Research indicates that the employers in the U.S. for example employers in the airline industry are reported to be harassing there employees in the pretext that they are giving out instructions to be obeyed in order to achieve the stated organizational goals, a development which does not auger well with trade unions in the U.S. (Delaney and Huselid, 1996) In general, these trade unions has the following roles, labor climate assessment, positive employee relation programs, union campaigns and election objectives, unfair labor practices such as poor wages and unfounded dismissals, dealing with workplace harassment, coordinating and implementing cooperate relations programs, and handling complaint/issue resolution processes in the respective organizations among others. The only problem that normally cause misunderstanding between the trade unions and the companies or government is that the trade unions can organize go slows, strikes, destructions etc when round table solutions to issues fails. This is very hard for a company to control but with negotiations, it can reach an agreement. Trade unions officials are responsible to their members and they are usually elected to office mainly through secret ballots. This implies those vying for any seats have to campaign for votes from the union members. Sometimes some officials use unfair campaign strategies that do not foster fairness and equality among the contenders. Also these trade union officials play a significant role in any country’s general election because they can influence their members on what directions to vote e.g. advising the members to vote out the present government because of some dissatisfaction that they have with it. Trade unions plays an important role contract negotiations; almost everything can be bargained these days and therefore with employee relations through trade unions such issues as awarding contracts, compensations, benefits, and work schedules can be sorted out by discussing them until a solution is achieved. The bargaining approach settles conflicts that arise as a result of contract matters. It also outlines the rules with which the basis of handling specific work agreements is sorted out. Normally, if this approach is well utilized, employee relations are greatly improved. Grievance handling in any organization is very crucial to all organizations and at least every company has some way of dealing with their grievances. In fact, it is considered that a few individuals in a company are so arrogant that they are font of harassing their workmates leading to poor productivity. Companies need to develop a grievance handling procedure that will ensure that conflicts are eliminated in the organization. Without proper handling grievances of the employees well trade unions may call for strikes to force the government to implement their desired changes. In the recent past strikes and go-slows have become common methods which employees use them to pass their grievances to their employers. (Brewster, 1995) It is therefore prudent for management of any organization to adopt employee recognition strategies. This is another factor that the employers put into consideration for the organization to improve its employee relations; this is basically a communication instrument, which strengthens and compensates the most significant production that the employees have created for the organization. The recognition structure is always made simple, instant, and effectively supportive to the employees’ relations and the organization at large. (Chevrier, 2003) Reference: Brewster. C (1995): Towards a European Model of Human Resource Management- Journal of International Business. Vol 26 Pp 45-67 Chevrier, S. (2003): Cross-cultural management in multinational project groups Journal of World Business. Vol.38. Pp 77-89 Delaney. J and Huselid. M (1996):- The impact of human resource management practices on perceptions of performance in for-profit and non-profit organizations. Academy of Management Journal. Vol 39. Pp 34-56 Employee Relations Advisory Organization, (2004): Labor Relations Washington D.C, Article 2. Pp 5-29 Murray, A. (1989): Top management group heterogeneity and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal Vol. 10, Special issue. Pp 13-34 Selid, M. (1995):- The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance- Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 38. Pp 54-76 Sparrow, P. and Hilltop, J. (1994): European Human Resource Management in Transition. Prentice Hall, New York. Pp 23-45               

What Is the Bayeux Tapestry?

The Bayeux Tapestry What is it? A band of white linen 70m long and 49. 5cm wide, embroidered with yarn, that depicts the events that led to William of Normandy’s conquest of England and his victory at the Battle of Hastings. What was the Battle of Hastings? A battle fought in south Sussex in October 1066 that determined the successful outcome of the invasion. Harold, then-new King of England, had legitimately succeeded King Edward the Confessor, but William felt the crown was rightfully his because of promises made to him by both Edward and Harold. AuthenticityThis has never been questioned – * Style is consistent with other 11th-century Anglo-Saxon needlework * First referred to in 1476 – displayed once a year at Bayeux cathedral * Halley’s comet appears; astronomers have confirmed this. This detail would not have been known by someone who was not closely connected to the event. Origin (Commission and Creation) Bishop Odo, by general consensus, for the fo llowing reasons: 1. His inclusion in scenes in which he may be considered dispensable 2. The tapestry’s close association with Bayeux cathedral, his ecclesiastical seat. 3.Three minor Norman knights, recorded in the Doomsday book as holding Kentish land from him, are named General consensus is that it was manufactured in England. Evidence for this includes: 1. Stylistic similarity with other Anglo-Saxon art 2. International reputation of English needlework at the time 3. Influence of English language – written in Latin with English syntax; English folk names appear, eg. ?lfgyva Age Potentially 946 years old. Was made between 1067 and 1082 if Bishop Odo was the commissioner – he fell out of favour with William in 1083. Bias It is generally agreed that there is a strong Norman bias.The evidence for this includes: 1. The small amount of attention paid to Edward’s legitimising of Harold and death 2. That a common alternative title, William the Bastard, is nev er used or referred to The attempted justification of the campaign – William is portrayed as reclaiming what was rightfully his and Harold as an untrustworthy oath-breaker, in spite of the strong English case for his kingship, the arguments for which include: a. That King Edward wished him to be successor and legitimately passed it on b. That Harold was a wise, experienced governor c.That William had no claim by descent to the throne It is difficult to determine exactly what has been changed or omitted as empirically-written information is non-existant and the single existing closely-dated English account, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, is brief. The only other source that mentions the main contentious point, Harold’s oath, is Norman (Deeds of Duke William, William Poitier). Value to Historians The tapestry provides tremendously important and interesting information to historians about significant Norman characters, their motives and a colourful narrative of an extremely i mportant battle.It is, however, demonstrative of the problem of history-fixing by the victorious side in a controversy. William would have had any unfavourable accounts destroyed had the minority of literate English had the courage to create them. Hence, historians are forced to accept that their only major sources are biased to an unknown degree and compare them with the few facts from other primary sources, eg. dates from gravestones, to develop a somewhat empirical account. References Stenton, Frank. The Bayeux Tapestry. London: Phaidon Press, 1965. Print. 25 Mar. 2013. â€Å"Edward. † Encyclop? dia Britannica.Encyclop? dia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclop? dia Britannica Inc. , 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. . BBC. â€Å"The Battle of Hastings 1066. † Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 3 April 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. â€Å"The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. † The Bayeux Tapestry: A Guide. n. p, n. d. Web, 25 Mar. 2013. â€Å"William I. † Encyclop? di a Britannica. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclop? dia Britannica Inc. , 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Harold II. † Encyclop? dia Britannica. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclop? dia Britannica Inc. , 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. .

Waiting for Superman

Brad Mitchell Ms. Campbell ENG 101 01 October 2012 Waiting for ‘Superman’ The film â€Å"Waiting for Superman† follows five children as they have to struggle through a system of conflicting education regulations and avoid the academic pitfalls that are public schools in order to receive a proper education that may guarantee them a career. The film, directed by Davis Guggenheim, asserts the claim that Teachers' Unions are a main problem to public education, and that charter schools are the safest and most definite method to ensure that a student acquires a proper education.While the film was created with good intentions to improve the education of American students, it has been dismissed by most due to the film seeming to demonize Teachers’ Unions and overly-praising charter school systems. Although public schools have indeed faltered since the 1970’s, it does not mean that private schools and charter schools are the go-to solution. The truth is, publ ic school systems have been proven to perform just as well as, if not better than, the charter schools that the film seemingly praises as a definitive solution.An article from The Washington Post by Rick Ayers talks about a survey run by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, or CREDO, saying that it â€Å"concludes that only 17% of charter schools have better test scores than traditional public schools, 46% had gains that were no different than their public counterparts, and 37% were significantly worse. † (Ayers. ) Another popular argument that the film expresses is that the Teachers' Unions should be reformed because the regulations that the unions created make it nearly impossible to fire a bad teacher.Although Teachers' Unions do have room for improvement, throughout history and across the globe the unions have done more good than harm. The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association were created to abolish the discriminatory pay rates between male and female teachers, and to establish a firm group to ensure that changes to school systems would not be made without representation and that teachers as a whole would not get the short end of the stick. Waiting for Superman† highlights Finland as having one of the best school systems in the world, while in fact ninety-percent of the Finnish labor force is operated by unions. Dana Goldstein wrote in an article for The Nation: You also don't learn that in the Finnish education system, much cited in the film as the best in the world, teachers are—gasp! —unionized and granted tenure, and families benefit from a cradle-to-grave social welfare system that includes universal daycare, preschool and healthcare, all of which are proven to help children achieve better results at school. Goldstein. ) The film also continuously bashes tenure as ‘good idea turned horribly wrong’, saying that it allows bad teachers to sit in class and do nothing to te ach their students without risk of being fired. Tenure was created to ensure that university professors would not be fired for political reasons or when there was a change in administration. When it branched out to public schools, tenure protected every teacher from being replaced due to absurd reasons like race, religion, or sexual preference.Several surveys have shown that most principals say they would indeed have the authority to fire a terrible teacher if the need arises. The other main point that â€Å"Waiting for Superman† argues about is the funding of public schools versus the funding of charter schools. Public schools are federally funded, meaning that decisions made concerning the school and its administration are made by the state, which fall under a set of federal regulations.Charter schools, however, are privately funded, originally by parents and teachers who were committed enough to start a school under their brand of administration and regulations, as time we nt on, though, more people created their own charter schools mainly for the purpose of gaining more money from applicants and showing little care for the education of students, if only to keep their charter school operating. â€Å"Waiting for Superman† has received both positive and negative reviews since its debut in September 2010. Many critics say that the film is little more than charter school propaganda.While it may seem that way, especially with all the accusations of statistical inaccuracy, the film should not be completely ignored. Davis Guggenheim has fulfilled the purpose of the movie by raising awareness about the quality of public education, and alerting the public to the mess that is the work of Teachers' Unions and theirs' and the governments' conflicting regulations. The United States government and the people of the public must work together and reform and improve the nation's education system for the benefit of their children in the short run, and for the be nefit of their nation in the long run.Works Cited Dana Goldstein. â€Å"Grading ‘Waiting for Superman'. † The Nation. 23 September 2010. The Nation. 20 September 2012. . Rick Ayers. â€Å"The Answer Sheet. † The Washington Post. 27 September 2010. The Washington Post. 20 September 2012. . fairtest. â€Å"The Real Facts About ‘Waiting for Superman'. † FairTest. 29 September 2010. n. p. 20 September 2012. .