You Should Volunteer to Tutor Essay example -- Argumentative Essay

The need for tutors is overwhelming. Tutors help fill the gap between the teachers and the students. With so many students in each classroom, the teacher can't give each student the one-on-one attention that some students need. This is where tutors come in to play. Tutors have been a key instrument ineducation since as far back as the 1500's (Gordon 9). Tutoring is almost as old as educating children. Tutoring younger students is also still going strong in the twentieth century. Today it is more~important than ever due to the increase in students and low budgets that some schools have. As stated by Edward E. Gordon in his book, Centuries of Tutoring" Schoolinghas dominated the twentieth century, but tutoring still holds an important role. Peertutors, after-school remedial programs, home-bound instruction and the 'home-schooling movement' are tutoring's modern expression"(329). We are fortunate enough to have many different tutoring programs at my school. The school has Peer tutoring , peer mentoring and peer helpers within their educational system, just to name a few. One of the writers, Stephanie, was involved in all three of these tutoring programsfor three years while attending High School. Stephanie found it very rewarding to be able to help these students and found it rewarding to help the community. "I felt like I had made a difference," said Stephanie, "and that is a wonderful feeling". Not only do the tutees get rewarded with better grades, the tutors also get many rewards for tutoring. "Studies document that people who participate in them (voluntary associations)generally report greater satisfaction and personal happiness, longer life, greater self esteem, more political effectiveness; and a greater sense of community (... ...udents. They need it and deserve it. Works Cited Booge, Stephanie. Personal Interview. 12 Feb. 1997. Brinkerkoff, Lynn K. White. Sociology . St. Paul: West, 1985. Carter, Gloria Dapper. School Volunteers:What They Do And How They Do It . New York: Citation,1970. Coe, Rick. Personal Interview. 15 Jan. 1997. Gartner, Mary Kohler, Frank Riessman. Children Teach Children . New York: Harper & Row,1971. Gordon, Edward E. Centuries of Tutoring . Lanham. UP. 1990. Lloyd, Dorothy. An Evaluation of a Cross-Age Tutoring Project For At Risk High School American Indian Students . Diss. Bemidji State University. Bemidji. 1991. Rosenthal, Nadine. Teach Someone To Read. Belmont. David S. Lake. 1987. Whelen, Dianne. Personal Interview. 5 Feb. 1997. ---"Youth Service: Minnesota's System Works, So Keep It. " Editoral. Star Tribune. 15 April 1995. IOA.

All I could hear was drilling; ear-splitting drilling, pounding through my head

All I could hear was drilling! Ear-splitting drilling pounded excruciatingly through my head! All morning workmen had been digging up the road outside my house and the noise was driving me mad. All I wanted to do was read my book but I couldn't even do that! I grabbed my book, stomped out of my house, slamming the door behind me! I just ran. I ran through the garden, ignoring my mother hollering at me and commanding me to return inside and finish some tedious task or other. I raced through the garden, past my neighbour's house, through the fields and finally I found peace! It was beside a little river, which was gurgling quietly by, not disturbing anyone. The setting was tranquil and precisely how I wanted it. I lay down on the grass under an old wrinkled willow tree. My only company was two large dragonflies, which hummed and hovered by the riverbank. I picked up my book; it was entitled, Encyclopaedia of Shells, by R. H. De Bruyne. I opened up the book at a random page; I glanced at the page number, 109. A beautiful shell stared out of the page at me, the Cypraea aurantium, a rare breed of the cowrie family found deep in exotic coral reefs. Each photograph was taken at a different angle of the shell, complimenting the exquisiteness of the shell's astounding beauty. Out of the dark, rusty golden mouth shone brilliant teeth, like that of a shark. However, on the topside of the shell there was the most magnificent golden hue, which resembled a giant golden pendant from ancient times. Now I understood why it was called the Golden Cowrie. I began to read about where to find this rare and stunning shell. The words drifted through my mind†¦ â€Å"The Cypraea aurantium can be found in the beautiful coral reef, off the coast of Australia; particularly upon the south east section of corals†¦ I found myself dreaming of scuba diving amongst the corals of the Australian coast. I was sitting on board a small boat, stocked up with scuba diving equipment. An old man with white, wispy hair stood at the helm, his creased skin weathered by many years spent in the salty sea air. The little boat bobbed up and down on the waves like a cork, but that didn't bother me. I loved being out at sea, whether I was swimming, diving, fishing or just relaxing on deck; I loved it. Today, I was scuba diving in search of wonderful shells, which could be found hidden in the vivid corals. I might also pick up some shards of coral broken off by passing boats, and photograph beautiful shoals of fish swimming in their natural habitat. The area of corals I was exploring was surprisingly far out to sea, 27 kilometres to be exact! It was a remote and wildly uncharted region and I hoped to be one of the first to explore it. Finally, after spending the first early hours of the morning out at the sea, we reached our destination. There were a few uninhabited islands surrounding us but they were of no interest to me. I stared down into the rippling cyan ocean. The little waves were foaming as they splashed against the side of the now still boat. After much tugging and heaving I managed to squeeze into my wetsuit. I grabbed the heavy oxygen tank and checked that the oxygen level was full. Then I slung my oxygen tank on my back, spat into my goggles, tied my equipment strap around my waist and I was ready. I plunged into the watery depths and began to swim downwards. After a few minutes I opened my eyes to behold a most breath-taking sight. Corals of every hue and shade imaginable glowed all around me like a necklace of exquisite gems catching the light. They were like no corals I had ever seen before; their colours were so vibrant, and each one uniquely and intricately formed. I was overwhelmed by the pulchritude of my surroundings, a beauty that could not be emulated my man. I felt out of place, as though I didn't deserve to be in this place of wonder. My heart swelled with emotion. I was swayed so greatly by the beauty of the corals that I forget why I was diving, I forgot that there were other wonders still to behold. Eventually, I drew myself out of the trance and I began to swim further. Tiny little fish swam past me, tickling me as they touched my exposed feet. A turtle swam past leisurely, gaping around at its watery surroundings. As I swam deeper, it gradually became darker. The ocean became inky-blue but the corals did not lose their vibrant colours. One thing that did change however, were the fish. They appeared to have a more ghostly appearance and some almost seemed to be filled with light. One particular beast caught my eye. It was shaped like a squid with long, slender tentacles. These tentacles glowed with an ominous electric blue light. It was odd. Although I loathed this beast, I felt drawn to its colourful strands of light, and found it strangely attractive. Suddenly, it darted behind a huge rock! This beast could sense danger. Something much more sinister was lurking nearby. Quickly, I dived behind the rock for cover! A shark was swimming towards me. If I didn't hide I would be torn to pieces. From my lair I could see clearly what was happening without being seen. I hastily brought out my under-water camcorder. I began filming just as the shark past only a few feet away from me. It was colossal! At least ten feet long! It opened its gigantic mouth to reveal rows upon rows of treacherous white teeth. Its gills flapped and rippled as it breathed. A massive scar slashed across its silvery-grey fin confirmed that this beast had fought and won previous conflicts. After what felt a lifetime, its streamlined body slipped out of sight. I gave a sigh of relief hoping and praying it wouldn't disrupt my exploration further. As the water calmed and cleared, I noticed a large wooden structure before me. It was old, rustic and encrusted with barnacles. A long wooden mast protruded from the helm, its bolts and harnesses rusty and creaky. From the mast, shreds of what had been billowing white sails floated faintly in the ocean, a shadow of what they had once been. Their ghostly appearance sent a chill down my spine. It appeared to be a majestic galleon, a ship from times of exploration. However, this exploration appeared to have gone foul. Intrigued by the galleons wraithlike, eerie appearance, I darted into the ship. I saw a latch and decided to heave it open. A shrill piercing voice escaped my mouth! A phantasmal figure floated up out of the stairway! The white bony corpse still had tatters of clothing on him with wisps of hair still protruding his skull. After a few moments gasping for breath and my heart racing, I regained calm and pushed it out of my way. I proceeded down into what appeared to be the captain's quarters. I gazed around the room; his chest was still intact, full of clothing (a little shoddier than it had previously been), a mahogany telescope with gold embellishments, and a Prussian blue hat. I examined the telescope, which was engraved with the name Captain E. J. Sharpe, 1581. Questions flooded through my mind. I continued in the pursuit of answers examining further areas of the ship. After exploring almost every crevice I found another chest, smaller than the previous one. I opened it slowly, wondering what surprises I would uncover. This chest did not contain rubies, emeralds or gold, but it did contain treasure of a different kind. The captain of this ship appreciated beauty of another kind; the chest was full of the most exquisite shells, gifts from the ocean. There were clams, scallops, whelks to name but only few. But in the midst of all these shells, gleamed a beautiful Golden Cowrie. After carefully packing all the shells into a sack, and a few other artefacts of interest, I proceeded to the surface laden with my treasure. I swam to the edge of a nearby island where I was to be picked up by the old sailor. After a short swim I reached the shore. I found a cave with a cool waterfall and began to change out of my wetsuit and into a change of clothing, which I kept in a small waterproof compartment on my equipment belt. I returned to the beach and lay down on the hot golden sand wearing a bikini, with a sarong wrapped around my waste, soaking up the sun. The sea spray blew cooling on my face. Gradually, the sea spray became heavier and less salty until†¦ † â€Å"Ugh! † I woke up to the sound of raindrops pelting down on me! I ran home as quickly as possible, my summer dress drenched and my hair dripping! I stepped inside the house and closed the door behind me. â€Å"Look at you! I told you to come back in the house! Now I'm going to have to wash your clothes and those mud stains will be difficult to get rid of! What did I tell you young lady†¦ † my mother scowled. Things were loud and stressful as usual. But I was contented to be back where I belonged.

American-Cuban Relations: A critical analysis

The American Cruise Line is a United States small ship company. Its operations are around Eastern Seaboard in the US. Its operations commencement is dated back in early 1970’s. However, the business stopped sometimes in 1980s due to a decreasing level of customers. Its operations either went in business again in 2000, by launching some three ship fleet with the American Eagle (49 – passenger capacity) being the first ship. Others launched in 2002 and 2005 where the American Glory (49 – passengers) and the American Sprit (98 – passengers) respectively. In 2007, the company is to launch the American Star.The owner had sold the company in late 1980’s before it went under due to operational inefficiencies. Since it’s rebirth in 2002, the company continues to embrace a big growth, with its operation expanding highly. The same rebirth followed an acquisition by the owner of the then former company which was operational in 1980’s. The company is a US based small ship company registered in Maine. Its operations are along the US coastal line form the Maine to Florida. Operational profile. The company owns a much larger fleet with a capacity of 220 square fleets.Its cabins are of a larger size than any other small ship company. In its fleet Profile, its currently operates with three cruise ships such as the American Eagle, American Glory and the American Spirit. Its current decision to launch the fourth ship (America Star) within the year is perhaps its greatest achievement. Its ships are profound in three characteristics which make it to adequately compete with its competitors at the market place. They are highly roomy, and of the most modern nature. (http://www. cruisecritic. com/reviews/cruiseline. cfm? CruiseLineID=57)Their ships have adequate privacy due to the large capacity, intimate relations for their relatively small size as well as allowing its passengers to be able to frequently meet within a week. Their dining room are located at the deck which primarily lowest at the stem point, where it has some windows on its three sides it has other two cabin sized lounges, with the tip deck making open cut facility for the remaining part of the ship. The four decks will then be linked together by an elevator. Many of the cabins have balconies which provide an attractive environment for the passengers on the coastal scenery while traveling.Those without balconies will have their windows painted large pictures which are then opened for free circulation of air and also the different sounds emanating form the sea. They also offer cabin facilities for persons who are single or disabled. Generally, the vessels will have identical features in regard to the facilities, decor and also layout. The passengers are free in their choice of cruise in terms of date or even itinerary without been forced to use a cruise without their choice. (Morgan, 2004) The decors are attractive and exciting, with both muted and a range of simple colors.Their close array is like that of a hotels generic lobby. Its main lounge has a specific location. This is underneath their bridges at a directly forward position. It has a set of tail windows in one of the three sides which are used for providing a way of viewing the attractive scenery while passing. However, the stringent maritime laws have worked to lower the company’s activities. These laws prescribe an attractive package in the certain conditions relating to capacity, modern, operating diameters, and other legal conditions on the cruise business.At one point, we can talk of the advantage into the nature of the business customers. However, the same laws may be argued as stumbling blocks into the cruise business where stringent legacies ought to be followed. Consequently, cruise businesses are required to have a layout of specific modalities in the operational system and the physical nature of their ships. Such conditions have been voted as been hig hly expensive leading to conditions of high operating costs. The company has the launch of the American Star in progress which is to be later in this year.Either, its development of Pearl Seas Cruises within the course of 2008, will find the company at the most competitive edge in the international waters. This would have the same similarities to the other ship models, though it’s highly sophisticated. With a regard to the environmental laws about water pollution, the company has been in the fore front to ensure Low rates of environmental pollution. The construction system of its ships follows a highly conventional manner in which high standards ships manufactured with lower cases of oil spill-over in the water.Either, it has various facilities for ensuring safe custodies for any emergency cases and accidents that would lead to oil spillages in the water. Above these parameters, its high advocacy to the travelers of frontiers that provides conditions for lower environmental p ollution has been ensured by the management. The company has continued to recognize and put in place various campaigns on environmental conservations, and reduction in water pollution. Through such a campaign, it has ensured high operational statuses which provide a hallmark in the conservation of the water environment through reduced pollution.(Sagers, 2006) Organizational structure and current operating environment. The company has provided a layout in terms of its organizations structure. A compliment of various stakeholders to be same structure is therefore available. It has the CEO as the highest rank in the structure. A panel of board of directors also accompanies the same structure. Elsewhere, various managerial staff positions provide management services to the different management offices. The current operating structure may be summarized under the aspect of ship board organizational structure.The shipboard organizational structure is comprised of system of controls into th e various activities and operations at the time of boarding a ship. Like any other organizational activity, the ship boarding activity is comprised of various activities that help an adequate environment for the operations. Different personnel have various delegated responsibilities, which help the smooth process of activities during the boarding time. (Hazell, Fitzpatrick, 2006) Various control persons are therefore delegated with various duties.These include; operations control who is capable of the communication process within the shipping process. The engineering control, who provide various engineering services for the shipboard process incase of mechanical breakdowns; the damage controller, who provide repairs and maintenance to any materials breakdown in the shipping process. The shipboard directors(s), who provides a package of directorship in the control layout systems of the ship board process. Above these profiles, the shipboard organizational structure is compounded by o ther systems of control / control officials.These are medical controls, finance officials, supervisors, safety officers, security control and quality assurance controls. All the controls play their relevant authorities and displiness in correspondence to the requirements of the shipboard process. Summarily therefore, shipboard organizational structure is comprised of a system of control that ensure adequacy in the company’s organization at the shipboard process. The shipboard operating structure is comprised of a system of control available at the process of its operations.While the ship is on its traveling process, there are various operating controls and processes that accompany it for adequate and safe traveling and services. At one level, the demographic population of the company can be echoed in a close perspective between the ships and the passenger volume they operate in. The demographic structure of the company depicts diversity in its clients in terms of geographical parameters. Clients are from the whole region. Generally, the number of children clients has been voted to be low.However, a higher volume of children is available during the summer within the Maine and the New England. Currently the company has its three ships with the American Star at the verge of been launched within this year. (Talley, 2000) The major nationalities working in the onboard process are Americans. The company has had dominance in the employment of Americans for its onboard activities. This is in attribute and understanding that fellow Americans can provide good customers relation in the onboard process during the ship traveling.However, the onboard process is accompanied by a number of activities on process where different personnel perform different roles. Firstly, the role and position of show excursions controller should not be overlooked. This is the controller person in charge of excursions in every port in which passengers are taken through to know the differ ent environments they are driving in. This is taken as a refresher course to the passengers in the long journey processes. Food and drinking personals (waiter) who are allied to the different schedules of the passenger feeding.With the long journey process, passengers are ideally provided with food, this is taken care of by the food controller. Like the shipboard organization structure, the on process is also accompanied by a system of control which includes quality assurance, finance, medical, security, administration, above others. At the onboard process, the persons are responsible for these controls. At the shore side either, a comprehensive, package of management structure, controls and human resources issues is highly pronounced to provide a higher and better environment of the shipping process.Majority of the characteristics of activities found at the shore side is a combination those at the shipboard organizational and operating structures above those of the onboard structur e. A combination of the relevant system of control relating to the various systems of control is therefore attributable to the shore side organizational structure. Marketing positioning The small ship industry in America is highly competitive. The company continue to get a high and stiff competition form its competitors around the world.The success to the company has however been through a package of providing relatively high quality products and services above other strategies which helps it to even pursue well in such a competitive market. It has however a highly developed and established system of itineraries which are found placed in the whole Eastern Seaboard covering the Penobscot Bay at the Maine up to the Florida. (Haigh, Nomikos, Bessler, 2004) The traveling system changes considerably during the various seasons of the year. The cruises allied to England Island have the Block Island as their stopping areas at the summer periods.They can also stop at Nantucket or Martha†™s Vineyard. Trips also change in the course of the year depending on the environmental conditions allied to the navigation process. There is the June offer of itineraries from the Chesapeake Bay which are allied to the Baltimore case. However, these are all short trip cases. The great passageway which is form the Baltimore to the peak of Florida is among its long paths. Elsewhere, the ships will sail via the Antebellum Itineraries, which is form the Jacksonville and the Charleston.This occurs at the periods form November throughout April. The Okeechobee trip is offered as an occasional trip. As the 2008 approaches, other cruises will be introduced by the Pearl Seas Cruises. There destinations are proposed to been Canadian Marmites, St. Lawrence Seaway Caribbean American itineraries and also the Central American itineraries. This 2008 activity plan is a clear indication of the high level of expansion by the company in their itineraries. (Still, 2001) The target market of the compa ny is to include the whole of the US costal line.However, this is only its immediate (short run goals) with the intensity into its expanding phenomena, the company is perhaps to embrace its final attribute of expanding to reach the various water ways and ports in the US coastal strip. Elsewhere, its greatest achievement would be expanding to the broad foreign market. Foreign market is seen as an attribute in which the company will develop in capacity to even reach the global market, through mergers, acquisitions, starting or even through Franchises. Miscellaneous details The American Cruise company has continued to embrace the sovereignty as one the largest small ship company in US.Over the last three years, it has had an average of reported profit amounting to $ 694 per annum. The price of it share in the American stock market has considerable been improving. Since is rebirth in 2002, it has continued to show an increasing level of profit. . References Cruise Review and News (2007) American Cruise Lines. Retrieved on 7th Nov. 2007 from http://www. cruisecritic. com/reviews/cruiseline. cfm? CruiseLineID=57 Haigh, M. S. , Nomikos, N. K. , & Bessler, D. A. (2004). Integration and Causality in International Freight Markets: Modeling with Error Correction and Directed Acyclic Graphs.Southern Economic Journal, 71(1), 145+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5006987575 Hazell, L. C. , & Fitzpatrick, S. M. (2006). The Maritime Transport of Prehistoric Megaliths in Micronesia. Archaeology in Oceania, 41(1), 12+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5015172724 Morgan, C. (2004). The Public Nature of Private Industry in Confederate Georgia. Civil War History, 50(1), 27+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5006500885Sagers, C. (2006). The Demise of Regulation in Ocean Shipping: A Study in the Evolution of Co mpetition Policy and the Predictive Power of Microeconomics. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 39(3), 779+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5019554251 Still, C. (2001). Thinking outside the Box: The Application of COGSA's $500 Per-Package Limitation to Shipping Containers. Houston Journal of International Law, 24(1), 81+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5000945085 Talley, W.K. (2000). Ocean Container Shipping: Impacts of a Technological Improvement. Journal of Economic Issues, 34(4), 933. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5001180959 The state of conflict that has come to define the relationship between the United Sates of America and the tiny island nation of Cuba is, unknown to many, as old as the history of Cuba as a nation state. The first signals of conflict came early in the life of Cuba as a Spanis h colony when in 1795 Negro slaves and whites came together to revolt against the Spanish overlords.That momentous occasion caused a great disquiet amongst slave owners in the American south, and thus attracted the keen attention of the American establishment, who did not desire such an example to be set too close to home. The first overt reaction of the American rulers at that time was to make overtures to Spain for the purchase of Cuba. In this respect, Thomas Jefferson, the American President, was reported to have said in 1809 that, â€Å"I candidly confess that I have ever looked upon Cuba as the most interesting addition that can be made to our system of States. †Though Spain persistently rejected the American request, the Americans never dropped their desire to annex Cuba by any possible means. This ardent American desire and policy on Cuba was summed up by the then American Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, â€Å"These islands (Cuba and Puerto Rico) are natural a ppendages of the North American continent, and one of them (Cuba) almost within sight of our shores, from a multitude of considerations has become an object of transcendent importance to the commercial and political interests of our Union†¦ These are laws of political as well as physical gravitation.† It was therefore only a matter of time before the first real conflict over Cuba erupted. When it did, it did so in two fronts, one involved America and Spain while the other involved Cubans themselves, who desired independence from Spain. In 1823, US President Moore declared the Western Hemisphere, including Cuba, as an exclusive sphere of influence of the United States, warning European powers to take heed and steer clear of any interference in the affairs of any nations within the so declared ‘sphere of influence’.Subsequently, in 1898, Cuba became a theatre of war between the Americans and Spain, the Spanish American War. This was coincidentally at a period C uban revolutionaries claimed they were on the threshold of liberating Cuba from Spanish rule. The Americans won in the ensuing war and subsequently took control of the governance of Cuba as protectorate. What was to follow was a despoliation of the Cuban state by successive American appointed administrators, land speculators, profiteers, the Mafia and their local Cuban collaborators.Attendant to these was the economic emasculation of the Cuban nation as American colonists swooped on the island and acquired large swats of fertile farm land, marginalizing the local people, and in so doing sowed the seeds of the many conflicts that were later to help shape American-Cuban relations for almost the past half century. 2. 7. 1. The Actors General Fulgencio Batista Formerly a Sergeant in the Cuban Army, Batista came into limelight when he led a group of sergeants, ‘The Revolt of the Sergeants’ to overthrow a sitting government in 1933.Though he relinquished power shortly afterwa rds to become the army chief, he made himself the elector of the next president and subsequent five others until 1940 when he contested and won the presidency for himself. Successive American administrations found him a willing ally and were in tacit support of his conducts and rule over Cuba. Under Batista, the Miami mafia mob became the co-rulers of Cuba. Batista was to retire from presidency in 1944 only to make a quick come-back in 1948 when he was elected into the Cuban senate. Later in 1952 he sidestepped the elections and took over power in a coup.With the support of U. S administration of Harry Truman, Batista cancelled the elections all together and became the maximum leader. Fidel Castro was one of the contestants in that botched election. Fidel Alejandro Castro. The son of a wealthy Creole farmer, Castro was educated in Jesuit schools, and finally graduated from the Havana University with a law degree. Disillusioned with the poverty he saw around him and the display of we alth by the American colonists, Fidel joined the political movement with intent to stand for an election into the Cuban congress.When this desire of his was scuttled by the cancellation of the elections and the usurping of power by General Batista in 1952, he took up arms with other rebels, ‘The July 26 Movement’, including his brother Raul to wrest power out of Batista forcefully. Their attempt at rebellion in 1953 ended in disaster and the killing of most of the rebels. Fidel, his brother and a few others were arrested, tried and jailed, but later released. Castro was to strike again, and eventually defeated Batista’s soldiers to take over power in 1959.On assumption of power, Castro took several populist actions, which endeared hum to the down trodden Cuban masses. But his later actions of nationalizing all American run and owned businesses in Cuba, closing down all casinos, whore houses and sending the mafia on the run, as well as his switch to communism earn ed him powerful enemies in the American establishment. Ever since, American Cuban relations can be effectively summed up in two this short term- mutual hostility. Dwight D.Eisenhower. Two-term president of the U. S, 1953-1961, Eisenhower was in power at the height of the Castro rebellion, which ousted General Batista from power. Eisenhower was the architect of initial American policy response to the Castro challenge. Hostility was the initial and consistent response to the Castro regime. This response was later to be institutionalized, thus setting the mood for subsequent US-Cuban relations. Eisenhower took far-reaching steps to checkmate Castro.Some of these steps were the authorization of the CIA to train Cuban exiles to form a force that could overthrow Castro and install a more acceptable regime in Cuba, cancellation of American orders for Cuban sugar, prohibition of American exports to Cuba, putting pressure on European banks to cancel loans meant for Cuba, blacklisting of nava l vessels carrying cargo to or from Cuba, massive propaganda offensive to discredit the Cuban regime, liaisons with and use of mafia links to try to assassinate Castro or destabilize Cuba. J. F.Kennedy. He succeeded Eisenhower as American President, and true to his election campaign pledge to ‘do something about Castro’, Kennedy went a step further by authorizing and sponsoring the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban dissidents. This was in addition to other US sponsored covert and overt terrorist attacks against Cuban interests and attempts on Castro’s life. Kennedy followed up late with the termination of diplomatic relation with Cuba in 1961. Some other attempts by Kennedy to deal with Castro included:Operation Mongoose, whose aim was to overthrow Castro through acts of terrorism and subversion; The invoking of US military intervention to â€Å"overthrow the Castro regime; Operation Peter Pan, (1960-62) in which the US colluded with the Catho lic Church transport 14,048 unaccompanied children between 6 and 18 years old out of Cuba for the US; Institution of a full trade embargo against Cuba; Punishment and denial of US aid for third countries which allowed assistance or commerce with Cuba; Imposition of travel to Cuba on US citizens;Though President Kennedy was assassinated in circumstances which some speculations have linked to the Castro issue, the US policy direction on Cuba did not change, but had rather intensified with successive US regimes. 2. 7. 2. Issues Basically the Issues at stake in American-Cuban relations could be described as both ideological and territorial.The United States on the one hand had a long standing interest to annex or control Cuba and to have the island nation come under its capitalist mode of operation, whereas Cuba had traditionally resisted any such designs by the Americans and had under Fidel Castro towed the communist line of production and ideology. 2. 7. 3. The Underlying factors Many recent commentators on the unending face-off between Cuba and the United States have wondered why the US has found it difficult to accommodate the Cubans and their communist form of government at a time that they have normalized relations with such other communist regimes as China and Vietnam.`It is quite obvious that such commentators have failed to take into account the full weight of the underlying factors that have helped shape and instruct American policy direction on Cuba. Some of these factors can be discussed below: 1. The ideological war: Capitalism vs Communism. It is an established fact that the United States is as rabidly capitalist as the former Soviet Union was Communist. So when Castro concluded his revolution by tilting towards communism he inadvertently touched America at it sorest point.It was a declaration that an enemy was at its back door. Thus Cuban American relations were ab initio anchored on diametrically opposing posts the moment Castro took over power. 2. Proximity. Cuba’s proximity to the US which put it within the so-called American sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere precluded that the US must, as a matter of national security, have interest in what happens in its back waters. And what the American administrations loathed most was for Cuba to become an example which other Western hemisphere counties could look up to and copy.3. Interest groups. Most of the American business interests that were nationalized by Castro are today part of the dominant group ruling the United States, and dictating state policy. They have not forgiven Castro and will never forgive him for disrupting their lucrative business operations in Cuba. The same is true of the mafia elements within the Cuban exile groups. 4. Resistance from ordinary Cubans. Having witnessed firsthand what unbridled capitalism and corrupt did to them the first time they came under U.S rule, ordinary Cubans are loathe to again welcome any American hegemony over the m. 2. 7. 4. Scope The scope and ramifications of US-Cuban relations crossed national and continental boundaries in the 70’s and 80’s when Cuba embarked on shoring up leftist regimes or groups in South America and Africa. These attempts brought them into direct conflict with the US; with disastrous effects in Nicaragua, Grenada, Angola, Ethiopia and Congo democratic republic.Consequently, local conflicts were internationalized, protracted and resulted in tremendous human tolls. The effect of almost fifty years of American economic embargoes on Cuba has also been horrendous on Cubans. 2. 7. 5. Previous Attempts at Settlements The first known attempt at settling the disputes between the US and Cuba was in 1964 when Cuba offered to desist from exporting revolutionary ideals to South America if the US would halt its hostile actions against Cuba. The US refused, urging Cuba to first stop close relations with the USSR.It was also speculated that Kennedy had intended to engage Castro in negotiations shortly before he was assassinated in 1965. Another secret attempt was made at reconciliation in 1974, but was supposedly cancelled after Cuba got involved in Angola. President Ford at that time linked normalization of relations with Cuba with its voluntary pull out from Angola. It was under Jimmy Carter that the most real attempts at the normalization of relations with Cuba were initiated when he lifted the travel embargo on Cuba.A maritime boundary and fishing accord was signed by both countries during this period, while diplomatic interest sections were opened by both countries in Havana and Washington, respectively. Other bilateral negotiations were started; the American Congress also repealed the provision of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 banning aid to countries permitting their vessels to trade with Cuba. The National Security Council also rescinded the ship blacklist. 2. 7. 6. Phases and IntensityThe Kennedy era was perhaps marked zenith of Ameri can-Cuban hostility. It was then that the botched Pay of Pigs invasion of Cuba was carried out in 1961, same as the Cuban missile crisis, which involved the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962. Though the missile crisis was eventually resolved, when the Soviets willingly dismantled the missiles, the crisis almost precipitated a nuclear war between the US and the Kruschev-led Soviet Union. Several U.S instigated attempts were also made during that same era to assassinate Fidel Castro, but the climax was the assassination of President Kennedy himself. The other high intensity points in American-Cuban relations were in the 70’s and 80’s when Cuba actively supported leftist insurrections against American backed dictatorships in Africa and South America. The most notable of these countries where Cuban forces played direct combat role were Angola, Ethiopia, Grenada, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The U. S countered these Cuban moves by pouring in massive supp ort to the opposing groups.However, the relations between the have traditionally been known to experience upward and down swings in response to the parties in power in Washington- much more favorable under the Democrats and less so under the Republicans. 2. 7. 7. Balance of Power In territorial size and resources, Cuba is no match to the United States, but the active support of the Soviet Union at the start of the Castro revolution and until the collapse of the Soviet Union brought a semblance of balance of powers between the two feuding neighbors- U. S and Cuba.However, at the collapse of the Soviet Union, there were expectations that Cuba would falter and collapse, but world public opinion and the support of Canada, the European Union, China and of late Venezuela have helped stabilize Cuba ideologically and materially. 2. 7. 8. Capacity and Resource There is no room for comparison of the resources and capacities of both countries, the U. S is way ahead of Cuba in all respects, but as explained earlier what Cuba has going for it are favorable world opinion and the resilience of its leadership and people. 2. 7. 9.State of the Relationship The support for the continuing US embargo of the island nation have been completely eroded, as many of the nations of Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa have since normalized relations with Cuba. Even fellow North American countries of Canada and Mexico have consistently opposed US embargoes on Cuba, especially as it affected US subsidiary companies within these two nations. Even many Americans have come to question the wisdom of continuing with the hostilities when it is obvious that Cuba, at present, poses no threat to U.S national security. Visits have been made of late by sitting congressmen and other influential Americans in efforts to settle the disputes between the two neighbors that are so close but yet so far apart. Works Consulted Chadwick Ian. History of Cuban American relations. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from h ttp://www. ianchadwick. com/essays/cubahistory. html Siera J. A. Compilations of History of Cuba. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://www. historyofcuba. com/history/batista. htm

Job Evaluation a Cornerstone to Hrm Practices

| | | | |edith cowan university faculty of business and law | | | | | | | |mba 5712- hr | | | | | | | | | |assignment 1 | |JOB ANALYSIS A ‘CORNERSTONE’ OF | |ALL HRM PRACTICES AND ACTIVITIES | | | | | | | |MUTEMA CHELLA 10157835 | | | | | LECUTRER: MR. D. PHIRI Submission Date: 13th April 2010 | | TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION3 RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION3 SELECTION4 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT4 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT5 REMUNERATION MANAGEMENT6 PROMOTION OF WORKPLACE SAFTY AND HEALTH6 CONCLUSION7 REFERENCES8 INTRODUCTION To discuss why job analysis is sometimes said to be the ‘cornerstone’ of all the human resource management practices and activities, six Human Resource functions or practices are listed and then showing how job analysis data is utilised in each of these activities. Job analysis is aptly called so because success or failure of the human resource function in an organisation can directly be attributed to the consequences of job analysis (Siddharth, 2009 October). Siddharth (2009) further contends that Job analysis encompasses understanding and closely evaluating the knowledge, skills and attitudes required by an individual in performing a particular role. It’s like performing a Personal Profile Analysis of an invisible person. Once performed, job analysis would throw open a plethora of answers to how Recruitment, Performance Management, Training, Compensation benchmarking and several other processes should follow for the incumbent on the said job. Job analysis refers to procedures for systematically understanding the work that gets done in an organisation and the basic goal is to understand what people do, how they do it and what skills they need to do the work well (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). According to Jackson & Schuler, the results of the job analysis are used to write job descriptions. A job description spells out essential job functions, describes the conditions in which the job is performed and states special training or certification requirements for the job. For employees, job description produced through job analysis serves as a guide to work behaviour while for supervisors and managers; a job description serves as a guide to performance evaluation and feedback. This essay therefore focuses on trying to show that job analysis provides the foundation upon which to build virtually all components of HR system identified as follows;. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION Recruitment involves searching for and obtaining qualified applicants for the organization to consider when filling job openings (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). In the function of recruitment the job analysis would determine recruitment sources and methods. To find the most suitable employees for jobs and thus for the organisation as a whole, those involved in employee recruitment need to be fully aware of the relevant job description and person specification which can only be derived from comprehensive job analysis (Baired etal, 2008). Effective programs for recruitment should attract suitably qualified applicants and discourage those who are unsuitable. One would therefore say that knowing a defined set of competencies allows one to more efficiently target, within a candidates population those competencies for recruitment. SELECTION Selection is the process of obtaining and using information about job applicants in order to determine who should be hired for long or short-term position. Jackson & Schuler (2003) contend that it begins with an assessment of the requirements to be met by the new hire, including technical aspects of a job and the more difficult to quantify organizational need (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Applicants are then assessed to determine their competencies, preference, interests and personality. For productivity and retention, companies such as Southwest, Lincoln Electric, Honda GE, and Toyota hire on the basis of whether an individual matches the job requirements and the corporate culture (Jackson & Schuler, 2003) To do a proper selection of the candidate to be employed it is vital to establish the essential features of the job descriptions and person specifications to allow for objective and easier assessment of applicants (Baired etal, 2008). Selection criteria must be demonstrably job relevant and equitably applied, to facilitate comparison between candidates and the matching of candidates with jobs. They are invaluable in the initial short listing of large numbers of applicants, employment testing, interviewing and subsequent referee checking (Baired etal, 2008) Done very well selection practice ensures that employees are capable of high productivity and motivated to stay with the organization for as long as the organization wants to employ them. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT In general, an organisation’s training and development practices are its intentional efforts to improve current and future performance by helping employees acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitude required of competitive work force (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Rapidly changing technology, foreign competition, and changes in organisational strategy and strategic business objectives are putting pressure on organizations to train and develop employees for competitive advantage. This requires careful attention to needs assessment, program development and implementation, and evaluation. Four types of types of needs analysis-organisational, job, person, and demographic-are designed to diagnose systematically the short and long term human resource needs of an organisation (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Any discrepancies between the experience, knowledge, skills and abilities demonstrated by a job holder and the requirement contained in the job description and specification or list of competencies for that job provide clues to development needs (Baired etal, 2008). Training & development is merely the development and assessment of said competencies for both the employee and the employer. However, without job analysis the organisation would have no way to know what to teach; train and develop and when to do it. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT A performance management system is a formal, structured process used to measure, evaluate, and influence an employee’s job related attributes, behaviours, performance results (Arvey & Murphy, 1998). Two components of performance management system are (a) performance measurement and feedback for individuals and team, and (b) the rewards component of total compensation (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). A well designed performance measurement and feedback process directs employees’ attention toward the most important tasks and behaviours. It informs employees about what’s valued and provides information about whether the employees’ behaviour and results meet the expectations of managers, colleagues, and customers (Jackson & Schuler, 2003) To emphasise the importance of performance management, it is said that; ‘It is estimated that if companies could get 3. 7% more work out of each employee, the equivalent of 18 more minutes of work in each 8-hour shift, the gross domestic product in the United States would swell by $355 billion, twice the GDP of Greece (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). The job description and person specification, the result of the job analysis, provide the criteria for evaluating the performance of the holder of the job. Performance Management can therefore be said to be that by knowing the competencies required for each job or job family allows HR (or management) to track employee knowledge, skills and abilities and distribute them accordingly to wherever they may have the most impact within an organization. These competencies may also be tied to other organizational-level criteria for added impact and a validity check. As has been mentioned this is as a result of job analysis REMUNERATION MANAGEMENT Compensation or remuneration typically includes a mix of several elements, monetary and non monetary forms of rewards. Monetary compensation includes direct payments such as salary, wages, and bonuses, and indirect payments such payments to cover the cost of private and public insurance plans. Nonmonetary compensation include many forms of social and psychological rewards-recognition and respect from others, enjoyment from doing the job itself, opportunity for self-development (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Many workplace agreements emphasise the close relationship between job requirements, learning and development programs, career progression and appropriate salary and benefits systems. Baired etal, (2008) further contends that inappropriate remuneration packages may reflect a need for change of job requirements or adjusted pay scales, often in consultation with the relevant unions. It can be said that competencies help guide compensation models to a much more precise degree than more gross measures like â€Å"seniority. For example, a highly sought after software developer with very unique skills may be able to demand on the market a much higher salary than a typical MCSE who has been with the company for X number of years. A competency based compensation model would addres s that. Again, a job analysis done properly will help determine pay scale. PROMOTION OF WORKPLACE SAFTY AND HEALTH Another of the Human Resource function is the promotion of safety and health at the workplace. Job analysis procedures can be used to identify aspects of a job that may contribute to workplace injuries, and ergonomic principals can be applied to redesign the work environment (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Workplace safety and health refers to the physical and psychological conditions of a workforce that result from work environment provided by the organisation. Physical conditions include occupational diseases and accidents such as actual loss of life or limb; repetitive motion injuries, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, cardiovascular disease, other forms of cancer and other conditions that are known to result from unhealthy work environment include white central nervous system damage. While psychological conditions result from organisational stress and a low quality of working life, these encompass, dissatisfaction, apathy, and withdrawal and so on (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). If an organisation takes effective safety and health measures, fewer employees will have short or long term ill effects as a result of being employed at the organization (Cooper & Neck, 2000). Both the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) of the UK require evidence-based approaches to setting physical and medical employment standards. Proven fitness related strategies include redesigning the most demanding tasks, selecting and training personnel who possess the necessary physical attributes, and assessing and redeploying personnel to jobs within their capability. An essential precursor to pursuing these strategies is to conduct a job analysis to quantify the physical demands of the job (Rayson, 2000) . ). CONCLUSION Job Analysis is quite aptly called the â€Å"corner stone† of all HR activities because the success or failure of the HR function in an organization can directly be attributed to the consequences of Job Analysis. If not carried out or not conducted accurately and comprehensively the other HR processes will be ineffective and the cost to the organisation high in terms of productivity and the ability to retain valuable staff Job analysis encompasses understanding and closely evaluating the knowledge, skills and attitudes required by an individual in performing a particular role. It’s like performing a Personal Profile Analysis of an invisible person. Once performed, job analysis would throw open a plethora of answers to how Recruitment, Performance Management, Training, Compensation benchmarking and several other processes should follow for the incumbent on the said job. Get the job analysis wrong and you'll get the wrong person while recruiting, inefficient and sometimes irrelevant performance management measures, increased training expenditure, improper pay with respect to the market and a whole lot of other issues. . REFERENCES Arvey, R. D, Murphy K. R (1998) Performance Evaluation in Work Settings, Annual Review Psychology 49, 141-168 Baird, M. , Compton, R & Nankervis, A. (2008) Human Resource Management: Strategies (6th ed. ). Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co. Cooper, K, Neck C. (May 2000) The Fit Executive; Exercise and Diet Guideline for Enhancing Performance, Academy of Management Executive 14(2), 72-83 Jackson E. S & Schuler, R (2003) Managing Human Resources Through Strategic Partnerships (8th ed. ). Thomson South-Western Publishing Co Rayson, M. P. (2000) Fitness for work: the need for conducting a job analysis, Occup. Med. Vol. 50, No. 6, pp. 434-436, 2000. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://occmed. oxfordjournals. org

Project Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project Planning - Essay Example It is very important that these items are able to conform to certain quality standards. The client i.e. IRTC cannot take it upon itself to ensure the quality of each and every item. The software, in particular, happens to be the backbone of a reliable computerized billing system. The accuracy, reliability and robustness of such items can be ensured by a reliable vendor only. Facilitator: Though a vendor in principle is supposed to supply the items to the company on a pre-agreed set of terms and conditions, yet for third party products being supplied to the company, the vendor can act a facilitator, if need arises. Such facilitations often come handy in getting company officials trained in operating those equipment or software, maintaining and repair of the system or for future upgrade. Independent Observer: While the system is being implemented, a vendor can act as an independent observer at each stage of system implementation and planning. Because the vendor has supplied such items to similar companies and for similar purposes, at times even minor suggestions from the vendor prove crucial during system validation, testing and implementation. The First Customer: Well, there's every possibility that we need to pay the bills of the vendor as soon as the system becomes functional. In fact this payment depends on the number of items supplied and the terms of payment. In this way, the vendor becomes one fo the first customer of the company, which helps in making the system compatible with our requirements. Trainer: At times, when the supplied items are not of very large value, implying that the company is not in a position to arrange independent training for its staff in operating the system, the vendor's experience comes in handy. The vendor helps in training the manpower, by arranging short duration training sessions of a day or two. Long term partner: Once the mutual expectations are met, the company and the vendor feel comfortable in dealing with each other, thus gives scope for better understanding. This helps in leveraging this partnership in future expansion plans. 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the vendor in these roles for this project Advantages: Following advantages could accrue to the company if the vendor comes up to the expectations i. Company gets a reliable billing system ii. Company is able to offer higher standards of quality to its customers iii. The costs associated in the form of delays and errors gets eliminated iv. Company is able to get its personnel trained at reasonable costs and without much delays in making the new system operational v. Company's officials get to test the project workflow software with more confidence vi. Open lines of communication between the vendor and company can help in resolving minor glitches during the operations. A timely advise often proves very crucial. vii. Whenever in future the company feels the need for upgrade or replacement of the system the vendor can help with his experienced advice. Disadvantages: There are some disadvantages as well in seeking long term partnership with the vendor. Such disadvantages are experienced when the vendor becomes too profit oriented is all his dealings. Some such disadvantages are; i. The company might loose the advantage of the competitive rivalry of the market in soliciting

Common Law and the Doctrine of Privity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Common Law and the Doctrine of Privity - Essay Example However, with implementation of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 (hereafter â€Å"the Act†) many transformations have been witnessed, consequently enabling third parties to enforce terms in contracts. In essence, the common law is built on a number of key principles that stipulate that the third party cannot have rights or bear the liability upon a contract he is not a partisan. In order to understand the privity doctrine, it is essential to first relate it to the law of contract. A contract is defined as a promise of exchange that is legally enforceable. Additionally, a contract can only exist if there is an offer - a promise of exchange is made by an offeror to the offeree, acceptance - where the offeree delivers whatever has been promised, and consideration - the bargain for exchange or simply price for exchange. In addition, it is important to ensure that there exists enforcement and reliance (Koffman & Macdonald, 2007)1. The common law is in most cases dee med as being unfair. A good example, person A enters into a bidding contract with person B, and one of the agreement is that person B will continue paying considerations to person A’s wife upon his death. However, B refuses to honor the promise upon A’s death. Under the common law A’s wife cannot sue B because she is not a party to the agreement. In this light, is the common law fair or unfair? The privity doctrine exists in the premises of contract law which states that only a party to a contract can impose it. It further, states that an agreement cannot inflict enforceable commitments on individuals who are not parties to a contract. This is very practical and ideal in many circumstances; however, it can give rise to some unsatisfactory and discriminatory results in practice. An example of the unsatisfactory eventuality is if a contract is entered into by an agent for another first, or on behalf of the contracting persons. Therefore, numerous exceptions have b een settled to the doctrine. The precise exceptions to the privity doctrine industrialized from case law and precise legislative provisions. As such, the Privity Act 1982 relates to all contracts. As a result, then Act allows a third party beneficiary to a contract, who was projected to benefit from the contract, to enjoy enforcing rights. Nevertheless, the third party has to institute two key elements, namely, the contract must clearly indicate an intention to confer a benefit on the third party legatee, and that the third party must be clearly identified in the contract (designation). Consequently, the Act is void if the promise is not projected to bring forth an obligation that is enforceable by a non-contracting party. Therefore, the privity Act was aimed at empowering third parties to enforce a contract and be compensated for damages where appropriate. In this light, this paper is going to explore whether the common law position prior to the act was justifiable and whether thir d parties have now been given 'a ticket to ride’. Moving on the same, the Act addresses the concerns of variations of contracts advancing a benefit on a non-contracting party. Therefore, the parties to a contract that comprises an enforceable benefit to a third party legatee may revise or end the contract at any stage with the approval of that third party legatee. Consequently, the contract may also be revised or ended minus the approval of that third party beneficiary, up to when the position of the third party benef

Media Sex and Violence - Past and Present Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media Sex and Violence - Past and Present - Essay Example They are interested in shows that satisfy their aggressive nature and thus they turn toward believing violent reports subconsciously. While defining his media theory, Sparks (2009, p.3) asserts that â€Å"Perhaps the effects of media violence are difficult for people to detect in themselves- even though the effects are definitely present.† Negative effects of sex and violence on children Parents and teachers have always been concerned and looking for answers regarding what effects violence and sex in media can imprint on young developing brains. As technology media grows significantly and presents newer and smarter media types, the American youth is the first to get affected thanks to increased availability and affordability of media sources. When the television shows violent programs, then it is to be blamed in mutating the minds of the youngsters from incorruptibility to violence. Violent media arrives with concerns relating to addiction, anxiety, dejection, brutality and ag gression that develop in young minds. Last decade has shown an increase in violence rate among children in the United States and studies show that children are increasingly being treated for anger management thanks to the violent shows and programs shown on television. Children tend to have less-developed ability of decision-making or critical thinking so they cannot realize what is wrong with what they are viewing and their minds learn or absorb every act they see. When a child watches the violent or sexual acts, the energy generated by the fantasy keeps the physical responses from getting expressed. So, when this energy gets its chance, it gets expressed in the real life. Moreover, girls are experiencing very early menstruation and boys are entering into adolescence very early because of being exposed to the bold television shows which hastens their puberty. â€Å"Several longitudinal studies have linked exposure to sex in the media to earlier onset of sexual intercourse†, says Wood (2009). Negative effects of sex and violence on adults â€Å"Research on violent television and ?lms, video games, and music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts†, assert Anderson et al. (2003, p.81). They further state that violence shown in media is responsible for the development of aggressive behavior and thoughts among the adults (Sics, 2011; Boxer et al., 2009). This can also result in abuse in relationships. Desensitization regarding violence and sex occurs. The physiological arousal that results from sexual content shown by media tends to initiate frustration which then comes out in the form of spouse abuse, rape, homicides, and sexual activities. Research suggests that today, the number of adults watching violent and sexual media through different media sources are increasing day by day and it is frustrating to guess where it will end up. Recomme ndations Media literacy is necessary, both in the adults and the children. In case of children, it is important for the parents to work out some parental mediation interventions so that the children’