Report on Robi Introduction Essay Example for Free

Report on Robi Introduction Essay Robi, formerly known as Telekom Malaysia International (Bangladesh), commenced its operation in 1997 under the brand name Robi among the pioneer GSM mobile telecommunications service providers in Bangladesh. Later, on 28th March, 2010 the company started its new journey with the brand name Robi. About our Shareholders: Robi is a Joint Venture company between Axiata Group Berhad (70%) and NTT DOCOMO INC. (30%) Axiata Group Axiata is one of the largest Asian telecommunication companies focused on high growth low penetration emerging markets. The Group, including its subsidiaries and associates, has over 130 million mobile subscribers in Asia and serves the needs of Asia by providing affordable and innovative mobile services covering over 1. 5 billion people across 10 countries. The Group provides employment to over 25,000 people across Asia. NTT Docomo NTT DOCOMO is Japans premier provider of leading-edge mobile voice, data and multimedia services. With more than 56 million customers in Japan, the company is one of the worlds largest mobile communications operators. Building on a solid foundation of research and development, and guided by its customer-first philosophy, the company leverages the power of mobile communications to enable customers to enrich Page 1 of 5 Miscellaneous Policy Robi Axiata Limited HR Policy Manual Proposed By : Chief Human Resources Officer Approved By: Management Council Effective : 01 July 2011 Version : 01 Document ID: RAx/HR/001/11 their lives. DOCOMO is expanding its global reach through offices and subsidiaries in Asia, Europe and North America, as well as strategic alliances with mobile and multimedia service providers in markets worldwide. Our Purpose WE EMPOWER YOU: We are there for you, where you want and in the way you want, in order to help you develop, grow and make the most of your lives through our services. Our Guiding Principles and Code of Conduct Maintaining the highest ethical standards and integrity in our operations is a crucial factor at Robi. Therefore we have introduced our Guiding Principles that we expect our employees to embed in their minds and uphold in discharging their responsibilities. Our Code of Business Ethics safeguards our ethical standards by clearly defining our way of working. With such systems in place we ensure that we do business with a conscience and safeguard our employees from exploitation. We expect our employees to exemplify the guiding principles in their work and regulate their actions by the stipulations in the Code of Conduct. Robi employees hold themselves accountable to a set of Guiding Principles for the organization. Our Guiding Principles are at the core spot of our action†¦ action that will empower us to achieve excellence! No matter what we do, in order to realize our purpose, we hold ourselves accountable to the following overarching guiding Principles for our rganization: Page 2 of 5 Miscellaneous Policy Robi Axiata Limited HR Policy Manual Proposed By : Chief Human Resources Officer Approved By: Management Council Effective : 01 July 2011 Version : 01 Document ID: RAx/HR/001/11 We will be Creative in our way of work We will be Open to ideas and change, We will be Respectful and earn respect We will be Ethical in our endeavors We will take a Simple approach in the way we work With Passion we will perform We will take Ownership of our actions Being Transparent will be our stance Our Code of Conduct sets out the fundamental standards to be followed by us in our everyday actions on behalf of the Company. We must abide the following code of conduct: †¢ Conduct the Company’s business with honesty and integrity and in a professional manner. Build relationships with customers, vendors and fellow employees based on trust and treat every individual with respect and dignity. Become familiar with and comply with the Company policies and procedures. Avoid any activities that could involve or lead to involvement in any unlawful practice or any harm to the Company’s reputation or image. Avoid actual or potential conflicts of interests in all transactions. Provide accurate and reliable information in records submitted; safeguard the Company’s confidential information. Promptly report to the Company any violations of law or Company policies that come to the employee’s attention, and cooperate fully in any audit, enquiry, review or investigation by the Company. . †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Page 3 of 5 Miscellaneous Policy Robi Axiata Limited HR Policy Manual Proposed By : Chief Human Resources Officer Approved By: Management Council Effective : 01 July 2011 Version : 01 Document ID: RAx/HR/001/11 All employees must uphold these standards in the conduct of company business. If a decision is not covered by the Code, seek guidance from the Divisional Heads or Human Resources. Our approach to People The purpose of Robi is â€Å"empowering you† – our customers, our stakeholder, and our employees. It is HR’s vision to handhold the company, be its strategic partner, adding value in each step taken towards making Robi the employer of choice. We engage our employees and inspire them to achieve excellence. To ensure excellence, we devise people policies that are relevant and rigorous. Our policies assure that decisions will be consistent with and contributive to Company objectives. The Policy manual is an important guide for management in decision-making that affects employees terms of employment, working conditions and development prospects. The Manual truly belongs to the company as well as to the employee. Characteristics of this Manual The Manual has the following essential characteristics: †¢ Robi people olicies are consistent with the Company’s other policies such as finance policy, business policy. The policies are reflected with the countrys existing law to ensure fairness. †¢ †¢ †¢ Policies are fair, flexible and realistic. Policies and procedures will be reviewed when there are major changes. People policies are applicable for all permanent employees of the Company. The policies are clearly stated so that employees can clearly understand them. Also HR will make necessary policy interpretations to the employees. Page 4 of 5 Miscellaneous Policy Robi Axiata Limited HR Policy Manual Proposed By : Chief Human Resources Officer Approved By: Management Council Effective : 01 July 2011 Version : 01 Document ID: RAx/HR/001/11 Policy Amendment process HR existing policies may be reviewed and will be revised in the policy manual. The Head of HR will review existing people policies and procedures and recommend for necessary changes in it. Also HR will assess and examine the need for introducing any new policy issues and bring those to the notice of the Management Council. The ultimate decision and approval rest on the management authority. Once the management council approves any new policy or amendments to existing policy, it will become the part of the Robi People policies Procedures Manual. Notwithstanding anything contained in this manual, the Management Council has the discretionary power to make exceptions to any of the policy of this manual. It is very important that all concerned understand and comply with the people policies at the work place. Non-compliance of Company policy is clearly violation of policy and merits disciplinary actions. Page 5 of 5 Miscellaneous Policy

Validity and Reliability of Selection Interviews

Validity and Reliability of Selection Interviews When Organisations are recruiting to find a suitable individual for a position they currently hold, it can be difficult to monitor and ensure that all possible steps are being taken to ensuring that each interview carries the same validity and reliability. This is to ensure that each individual who is being interviewed is given the same equal opportunity, alongside the organisation employing an individual who suits the job specification best. Validity and reliability of structured interviews can have a large impact on type of person that is employed and also affect the actual security that the person employed is the best suited from all the applicants. Selection interviews traditionally consist of a candidate interacting with one or more people from the organisation who have assessed the candidate as meeting the criteria which the role requires. The interviews generally last between 15 and 60 minutes and help the organisation decide whether or not an individual should be offered a job. In general, interviews follow one of three structures (Unstructured; Semi-Structured and Structured). The three vary by the amount of prior preparation for the interview in regards to questions to be asked and how the answers should be assed. Often the more specific answers required from an interview will be shown by the more structured approach an interviewer will take in preparation of the questions. Reliability of the interview is argued to often be low, in that interviewers do not follow the same methods of questioning or method of evaluating each individual interview. Additionally, it has been noted that interviewers support the end decisions on different criteras, different standards, and alter in the amount the final decision is based upon the original intended criteria (e.g., Graves, L.M. and Karren, R.J., 1996. The employmentselection interview: A fresh look at an old problem. Human Resource Management 35, pp. 163-180. Full Text via CrossRef | View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (14)Timothy A. Judge, 2000: 384]). It has also been found that job performance is a lot more reliable and foretelling from structured interviews opposed to unstructured interviews. Research reviews of employment interviewing have concluded that carrying out an interview following a set structure can add to the reliability and validity of interviewer evaluations (e.g., Therese Macan, 1999: 2 09). Natural instinct to cast a first impression on a person is a major factor in trying to ensure an interviewer casts an unbiased decision which follows the original selection criteria. During interviewing it is vital that each applicant is each given a fair and open opportunity and the end decision on whether or not they are offered the place within the organisation is based entirely on how they performed against the role criteria. Ensuring that Gender, Race, Disability and appearance do not hold any restrictions on each individual interview. A study was carried out which looked into how interviewers can cast a bias opinion based on appearance, finding that applicants which were moderately obese (in particular female applicants) were less likely to be considered for employment despite meeting the required criteria of a role including required qualifications (Timothy A. Judge, 2000: 384). Further from this negative information often appears to become more memorable for an interviewer than positive information. Research has outlined that it often requires upto twice as much positive information to change any negative information the interviewer may have initially cast of an individual. . As a result, the unstructured interview has been labelled a â€Å"search for negative evidence (Timothy A. Judge, 2000: 384). This simply highlights the importance of an interview to have the ability to focus on information passed during an interview to ensure that each applicant is assessed following the same criteria to avoid natural instinct having a major impact on each applicants interview. With interviews being generally an unnatural environment applicants generally spend time preparing for the interview, looking into the company history, preparing answers for generic answers that are usually asked for job roles of that criteria. This would inevitably lead to the answers given being unrealistic responses of how an applicant may act in a role within an organisation. This simply highlights the importance of interview containing questions which are going to show a realistic response to show an applicants approach and ethos towards their working life. During the interview this can be achieved by adding unstructured questions which will allow the interviewer to add and expand on answers given to try and get a more realistic and honest response which will further add to the value of the responses given from a candidate. This can also work well within a structured interview situation, as having an opening for several unprepared questions, can give a candidate further chance t o show their true capabilities. Taking into account unavoidable effects (e.g. Anxiety, signs of being Nervous and body language) of environments like Interviews, consideration needs to be taken by the interviewer to account for these. Often anxiety levels can be raised for an applicant during interviews which can an effect on the responses and conduct during the interview which may result in the applicant not showing their full capabilities. A selection of Undergraduates took part in a mock interview model with peers, which shows sustained levels of raised anxiety before and during the interview, followed by a significant decrease directly after. (Therese Macan, 1999: 209). During an interview it has to be taken into consideration that responses given can sometime be not a true reflection of a candidates natural response in any other situation, so allowing time and a chance to develop an answer is crucial to maintaining a high level of validity from the responses given. All of the elements within this essay which highlight possible affects on an interview fall part of what can be seen as a ‘halo effect. With judgements and stereotyping being cast too easily without looking at each interviewee directly on how well they are suited to the role criteria of which their hiring for. Training for any interviewer is crucial, as they need to learn the ways in which they might cast these judgements subconsciously; avoiding these spontaneous biases is one of the most crucial parts of carrying out interviews to ensure that the most suited candidate is chosen. By following more structured interviews situations like the halo effect can be more easily avoided. By offering each candidate the same set of questions and time for their interview then they each will have as open an opportunity as possible to give their best response. In more recent years, human response management specialists have become more involved within the interviewing process as they have to ensure all interviews are following the orangisations equal opportunities policy. Following these latest changes it has opened more opportunities for minority groups which previous may have been of more of a disadvantage to have a fair and equal opportunity when applying for any role, and how they are assess during the selection interview stage. Overall trying to maintain a high level of validity and reliability within an unnatural environment can be difficult and hard to maintain. It is crucial within any interview environment to try and place measures which can both account for these abnormalities and a way to take them into account. If they are not fully considered then an organisation may end up employing an individual for a role which they are not the best suited from all the candidates. One of the most important factors to avoid is an interviewers personal opinion on a candidate as shown from the research in this essay; they often can cast subliminal opinions on candidates because of personal opinion, anxiety and from misinterpreting responses during an interview. The employment of any individual for an organisiation is timely and costly exercise, ensuring all steps are taken to make the right decision on choosing a candidate is important. Make the wrong choice due to errors during the selection interview stage and a n egative impact may be felt by the organisiation afterwards.

Different Types Of Faults and Viruses Essay

Different Types Of Faults and Viruses Essay In todays modern society the use of technology is vastly increasing. Technology is progressively becoming a obligatory system that we use in everyday life whether thats using laptops, phones or computers, we use these types of devices mainly due to the implausible service technology provides such the different types of applications and also the well known internet. Statistics suggest that laptops and computers are a very common type of technological device than any other gadget mainly due to its stability, capacity, simplicity, and portability. Having a computer requires a lot of care; computers may come across different types of faults which can be time consuming and frustrating to endure. There are several symptoms a computer/laptop can experience when being under threat such has not being able to download anything, very slow browsing or computer wont come on but this can be avoided by installing firewalls/anti-virus software. P3: Different types of faults Viruses- Viruses are very common in interrupting a computer while it is used in an activity of some sought, Viruses inflict damage by multiplying its self on to another programme without the users allowance which then results in the virus doing anything it wants such as destroying a programme and downloading inappropriate content. A virus can occur by surfing a non- trustworthy site, opening spam mail or clicking on fake adverts. A typical virus would mainly access the hard drive of a computer which can result in deleting important information/data. There are many viruses that can penetrate a computer such as macro viruses, File infectors etc. Error messaging- Error messages imply that a computer has rejected a certain demand that a user has issued for a specific reason, for example when trying to load or save files you may get an out of memory dialogue box, or when trying to access websites the computer may respond with an access denied dialogue box. Loss of service- Loss of service is a certain malfunction while trying performing an operation. Example of Loss of service can be failure in accessing the internet or the system shutting down, or a certain component of the computer is not responding such as the printer, scanner, unable to share resources with other computers or that you cannot interact with other computers. Poor performance- Poor performance is the slow response from the system such as on the internet a certain webpage may take a long time to load or a computer is unable to obey a specific command. In my opinion the internet is the most successful and useful resource in order to find a solution for faults because the internet has unlimited data so if you were looking for information the internet will almost guarantee you a worthy find. How to resolve these faults Viruses: Viruses can damage your system in many ways, shape or form, you should contact a help desk in which you will be consulted by an experienced technician if not then visiting forums where people are in the same situation can help, FAQS (frequently asked questions). Another solution can be downloading anti software or firewalls such as Norton. If you are determined to succeed without having to invest then you may consider opening up the computer and trying to adjust the issue. FAQ Loss of service: A certain component of a computer may not be functioning e.g. scanner, if this issue occurs the user should refer to the manual given with the scanner at purchase or looking at informative books on a possible solution, or maybe reading trouble shooting guides, you may need to contact your manufacturer for assistance. Error messages- This type of fault is very frequent when trying to perform a particular procedure, reading trouble shooting guides may be helpful, reading manuals upon the issue or maybe notifying a technician. Poor performance: a computer may take a long time to load an application such as the internet; a user should contact the local administrator for assistance. When buying a computer a user should always make sure they have the essential package to adjust faults such as having firewalls and antivirus software etc, and they should always have the links on where to go if these types of problems occur P4- Source technical information to provide advice and guidance for a variety of faults. Viewing different sources of information can always help to find a solution to different types of faults, when buying a computer you should consider analyzing what the computer does, its security etc. A user is always given instruction manuals at purchase which are very important because a user may find out how to solve the problems they are having such as poor performance. Alternatively if a manual does solve the issue then a user should consider other options. Below are explanations of each type of sources of information Sources of technical information FAQs: Frequently asked questions or FAQs is an online source which lists the most common questions and answers that are based on a problematic situation. FAQs can be written concerning any subject, they are written by users who have become some sought of an expert in a particular field which they have been in themselves in which they have found the solution. Fault records: it keeps a register of all of the faults that occur, it includes when a fault occurs, why it occurred what do to do solve it. Specialist expertise: an expert can be the best source to cure a fault because they can gain a better understanding when they have visual indication and then they can solve the issue. User manuals: The main purpose of user manuals which can also be known as user guide is to provide assistance and clarity when using a particular system, object or item. The information a manual supplies is usually written by a professional technological writer. Technical forums: Technical forums can be known as an online conversation between different users regarding a specific issue they have experienced. This can be an efficient method when finding a solution because there are millions of internet users throughout the world so you are bound to find someone who has had the same issue and that you can seek advice and help from them but you can come across answers that may be biased. Product specification: A product specification consists of a document that includes the raw material that will be used to make this product, and all the required characteristics If a users computer fails to operate, viewing FAQs can help and actually going to the official company of your computer can help, manufacture lend a major hand in going in to depth with these issues. For example if you have a Compaq laptop or computer and are experiencing difficulties such as faults you can contact the company on their website and address them about this particular situation. http://www.compaq.com/cpq-country/uk/en/cpq_support.html. A computer is almost guaranteed to experience poor performance once which is when a web page does not load or that something is not loading. When a users computer lacks speed it is best to notify a professional technician to make adjustments to the system or possibly upgrading your computer can increase speed. Since my computer is from the company Compaq I would use this source of information on how to increase speed/clearing any junk off the system, http://www.compaq.com/country/articles/index.html. Browsing sites, opening spam mail can occasionally allow viruses to enter the system mainly the hard drive which can result in deleting important data. Re booting the system can be an option if a user does not want antivirus software but this action may result in data being deleted. Downloading antivirus software or firewalls are the biggest help to defend against viruses. A common anti virus software used by many can be Norton since they provide outstanding protection against spyware and virus programs. http://us.norton.com/antivirus. Loss of service can be very time consuming and costly if a device of your computer does not work such as printer. A solution can be reading the manual you got with the device at purchase, contacting a specialist or maybe opening up the device yourself and trying to solve the issue. The best solution can be contacting the manufacturer of your computer and inform them. Error message dialogue boxes are often displayed when you try to perform a certain operation, there are different types of phrases which show an error message has occurred such as access denied and File not found. Reading trouble shooting guides can help, open user forums, but in a different scenario, if you are using a Microsoft application and it fails to obey your demand, you may come across a send error report dialogue box in which you can actually address Microsoft regarding this issue, I believe this is the best cure if you are experiencing these type of faults with Microsoft. But when experiencing error messages while using windows, I believe this source of information may be able to satisfy a users needs. http://en.kioskea.net/faq/113-windows-error-codes-and-how-to-fix-them P5 and P6: Use different communication routes to provide advice and guidance, respond to end users. Communication is a vital ingredient needed in everyday life, lack of communication can disrupt many people/ organizations in their bid to achieve to their full potential. Communication is a method primarily used to distribute information for a certain purpose whether that can be physically, orally, verbally etc; communication can deliver a users factual material, opinions, theory, predictions through to the public. The most common methods of communicating can be through telephones, email and face to face. Communication can be categorized into three main categories which are telephone, email and face to face: Communication passing through telephone can be known as verbal communication, because as a technician a user is not visible through the telephone but words are still used to communicate with the user. It is easy to distribute information through telephone because a user can hear your advice on how to address a specific issue, but through this process there are many issues that a user and technician can encounter such as connection failure and loss of signal. In some cases communication via telephone will not help due to the user having only some degree of knowledge on how to solve an issue. This therefore concludes that it is best for a technician to tackle the matter themselves. Communication through face to face talking can also be known as verbal communication. This type of communication is a more efficient method of solving an issue than any other because a user can show visually the full extent of the issue. A user can give an in-depth insight regarding the problem through talking face to face. This type of communication enables the technician to gain a visual and physical understanding of the issue e.g. printer not connecting, which then can lead to technician taking away the computer and addressing the subject. Below is an example of a face to face conversation: User: hello Technician Hi, so what is the issue regarding your computer? User: I installed a certain programme on my computer (Microsoft word older version) and it seems to keep freezing every often, it keeps saying not responding Technician: do you use your computer very often if so how long? User: yes I use my computer for all sorts of studies and also my nephews play a lot of computer games on the PC. Technician: first of all if your nephews are playing on the computer, always make sure you close the game windows because this can take up the processing power, memory or maybe even try uninstalling them because they can contain harmful viruses. And also make sure that the software you are using is compatible with your windows. Confirm that your PC holds the minimum requests for the software you are using for example the base score of your computer must exceed the software score, if it barely exceeds the software this may cause your computer software to be erratic, the following link describes the base score for a computer and how to match a specific software you would like to use. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/What-is-the-Windows-Experience-Index User: Thank you very much for your help, I believe if have found the solution to my issue Email communication is a written type of communication which demonstrates an issue through a written document. This type of communication media is very different from the others because the user or technician does not have the benefit of voice modulation nor can the recipient receive any form of visual indication, providing the user with a source of technical information may not be certified to use can be an issue, when emailing a user should always be specific about the issue they are enduring if not then a response from a technician can provide information best suited for a different problem. End users query concerning a fault A technicians reply regarding the fault FAQ Why does my computer freeze overtime? What do i do to clean my system? How often should I clean my system? Why cant i run more than 3 applications at once? Information for technicians reply obtained from http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/maintenance/speed.aspx http://cobweb2.louisville.edu/faculty/regbruce/bruce//mgmtwebs/commun_f98/Verbal.htm http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000528.htm Bottom of Form http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/What-is-the-Windows-Experience-Index

Henry VIII and his Reformation of the Church in England Essay -- Paper

Henry VIII and his Reformation of the Church in England Henry VIII, in his Reformation of the English Church, was driven mostly by political factors, but also partially by a belief that he was one of the Kings of the Old Testament. Although the initial break with Rome and the dissolution of the monasteries seem to be the work of a monarch who has changed his religious colours, and turned from Catholicism to Protestantism, they were in fact only a means for gaining money and divorce. By 1547, England was still essentially Catholic. Many traditional historians, such as G. R. Elton and A. G. Dickens, believe that the Church originally came under attack in 1529 because the laity were not satisfied with its work. According to Elton, 'If one thing can be said of the English people early in the sixteenth century it is that they thought little of priests.' People were resentful of the wealth of the Church, (it owned approximately one third of all the land, and the incomes of some of the great abbeys exceeded the revenues of the greatest temporal lords), as they felt that they could make better use of it. They were also aggrieved by the Church courts, and more specifically the rights of benefit of clergy and clerical sanctuary, especially after the Hunne case. This view also seems to be supported by contemporary opinion. Evangelicals, such as Simon Fish, had new ideas, and believed that the Church was wrong, while even members of the clergy, like John Colet, seemed to be dissatisfied with the work of the Church. Christian Humanists, for instance Erasmus, wanted a better and more accurate version of the Bible, and even totally devout ... ... noble progenitors of right ought to have been, a full king, that is, a rule, and not rule in his kingdom as others were.' Bibliography Belloc, Hilaire. Characters of the Reformation TAN Books, October 3, 1992 Elton, Geoffrey Rudolph. Reform and Reformation:  England, 1509-1558. Harvard University Press,  Jan 1, 1977 Haigh, Christopher. English Reformations: Religion, Politics, and Society under the Tudors   Oxford University Press, June 24, 1993. Lotherington, John. The Tudor Years. Hodder Education, 7 July 1994. Randell, Keith. Henry VIII and the Government of England, Hodder Education; 2nd Revised edition edition 1 Jun 2001. Rex, Richard. Henry VIII. Gloucestershire: Amberly Publishing Plc, 2009 Lucas, Henry S. The Renaissance and the Reformation Second Edition   New York: Harper Brothers, 1960.

The True Nature of King Leopolds Congo Essay -- King Leopolds Ghost

As the Scramble for Africa intensified, it became clear that certain fundamental rules had to be established; with this purpose in mind, Bismarck formed the Berlin Conference in November, 1884 (Hochschild, 84). Despite not being present at the conference, Leopold made out quite well. He gained the seaport Matadi and all the land required to build his railway from that port all the way around the rapids to Stanley Pool (Hochschild, 86). Leopold was able to gain so much because he successfully maintained the notion that this colony would be a free trade zone for Europeans; they still did not realize that he alone had a trade monopoly of the region (Hochschild, 86). The conference ended in February, 1885 and in May of that year, â€Å"the king named his new, privately controlled country the État indà ©pendant du Congo, the Congo Free State† (Hochschild, 87). In 1890, an African-American named George Washington Williams discovered for himself the true nature of Leopold's Congo. Williams' path to the Congo took a curved route; he was a former soldier who earned a theology graduate's degree from Howard University, was a newspaper writer and founder, as well as a former politician and historian (Hochschild, 102-105). After being introduced to Henry Shelton Sanford during his lobbying campaign in Washington, Williams himself became enthused with the Congo and saw there an opportunity for African-Americans (Hochschild, 105). He met with Leopold for an interview, where he was as enchanted by the king and his noble mission in Africa as all who had come before (Hochschild, 106). While attempting to recruit young, black Americans for work in the Congo, he was faced with questions regarding life there; realizing his own ignorance, he perso... ...son author Adam Hochschild claims for writing King Leopold’s Ghost was â€Å"to show how profoundly European colonialism has shaped the world we live in† (Hochschild, 318). He issues a note of caution regarding the causes of the widespread despair in the Congo; that colonialism alone is insufficient to explain these terrible results, and in attempting to label it as such, ignores the myriad of other causes that create havoc and repression around the world (Hochschild, 318). Some of these other factors that have prevented African nations to become prosperous and peaceful democracies are the oppression of women, the apotheosis of militia leaders such as Mobutu, and the continuation of slave-culture (Hochschild, 318). Works Cited Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold's ghost: a story of greed, terror, and heroism in Colonial Africa. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.

Alcohol Essay Prompt

Lowering Drinking Age The United States should lower the drinking age from twenty one to eighteen, since people are allowed to smoke, vote, and join the selective service at this age. Young teens are already smoking, which can cause more harm than drinking. Voting rights are only allowed for mature adults; if they are able to vote, they should be allowed to drink. By joining the selective service they are putting their lives at risk to defend the country. Being able to drink should be awarded for them risking their own lives just to save others. First, they can smoke cigarettes at age eighteen, and cigarettes are just as bad as drinking. Both of these things can cause problems towards someone’s health. Smoking and alcohol both can damage the liver, and cause heart diseases. If anything, they shouldn’t let people with bad health smoke or drink, rather than the factor being age. The health of someone is more important more than their age. Someone may be twenty one with a lung disease that didn’t come from smoking, but if they smoke it’s only going to get worst. On the other hand, if someone is eighteen, and they have no health problems at all, they should be able to smoke if they want to even though they may gain personal health problems. If they do, then that’s when they should stop smoking and get treatment. Basically, people with good health should be able to smoke or drink, but if they develop any type of health issues, they should see a doctor or stop immediately if it gets bad. Second, the United States will let us vote, but refuse to let us drink at our own risk. People at the age of eighteen should have the same privileges as people who are twenty-one or older, they are both adults. If the drinking age were changed to 18, colleges would be able to regulate alcohol use, so students would not become overly intoxicated, just like colleges have rules for smoking. Since most students who are eighteen drink already, they may get ecstatic if drinking was allowed and actually follow the rules. Lastly, Joining the selective service is a serious job that takes a lot of responsibility and maturity. If someone can have a serious job like that, they should be mature enough to drink alcohol. Age should not matter when it comes to drinking, some people who are twenty one years or older act like their the teenagers sometimes. They may drink just for the fun of it or abuse drinking alcohol, so why should it matter how old someone is. Adults should be able to make their own choices. Students who are sixteen years of age can decided to drop out of high school, people at age eighteen can smoke, citizens are able to join the selective service, but people can’t drink until age twenty one. What kind of sense does that make? If people that are eighteen have an option of attending college, how come they cant decide if they want to drink. A person who is twenty-one or eighteen are both considered adults. Age doesn’t make a difference. Basic Writing 4-4:50 Professor Watson 11/21/11

Extracurricular activity Essay

My freshman year of high school was scary. Two rival middles schools coming together to make one freshman class did not seem like the best idea, the classes were harder, and the stress levels were higher. In eighth grade I was so excited to be in high school, but once I got there I could not wait for that year to be over. Then I realized I still had three more long school years ahead of me. Don’t get me wrong, I had plenty of fun times freshman year. I met so many new people and made a lot of new friends. The majority of my friends then are still my friends now. But I was ready to grow up. I think every teenager thinks like this at one point or throughout every year of high school. Most teenagers are ready to move from home and start a new and more independent life in college during most years of high school. I know that I thought this way for quite sometime. I thought that life in college would be a million times more eventful than life in high school. Sophomore and junior year were also similar to freshman year. Friendships became stronger, classes were continuing to get more difficult, and even though I involved myself more in extracurricular activities, I was ready to get out of town and start college more than ever. I had picked out my dream school and already had so many plans for my freshman year of college. But instead of time speeding up like I wished it would, it felt like it was slowing down. Summer going into senior year I began getting bored with the town and I felt like I was always saying â€Å"there is nothing to do here.† I thought I needed more adventure and was becoming tired of just going through the motions. Although I felt like that then, a few weeks into senior year my mindset had completely changed. Even though senior year has been the toughest year yet, my class has created a culture. There is so many things that define us as a class and set us apart from everyone else. From traditions started at football games, to the things that we do as a group, we have created our own culture and identity. I have realized that even though I have wanted the past three years to fly by, all I want is for this year to slow down. My friends and I have all created extremely close bonds and we have become almost like a family. I feel like throughout the past three years I have taken a lot of things for granted and have not really appreciated all the memories I have had that came from good experiences. I have learned not to take any special moments for granted because I could look back on these days and remember all of the good times and how much I enjoyed my senior year. At times I regret wanting to grow up so fast because I know now that these are some of the best times of my life and I wish I would have appreciated them before. Although I do regret that, I’m thankful I get to spend this year with every single one of my closest friends. I still have a long time to make memories, but as the saying goes, â€Å"time flies when you’re having fun.†