Breakfast Roll Call

6:30 A.M. My peaceful sleep and surreal dreams are shattered by the boom of a howitzer cannon. The resounding thunder of the cannon rolls across Lake Maxinkuckee without hesitation. The Culver day has begun. A naA?ve callboy rushes to make reveille call: â€Å"Notice, sirs! Notice, sirs! Bravo Company sirs, notice! Reveille has sounded. Uniform of the day, Duty A, sirs!† I aimlessly shuffle my hands along the window ledge for my glasses; it doesn’t help being awake before sunrise. I lie in bed for a moment, half asleep, pondering the decision I made to become a Culver cadet. I guess I missed the brochure advertising reveille at 6:30. My feet slap down on the cold tile. I open my door to the hallway’s bright lights. The fortunate few who possess the talent to sleep through the cannon remain in their beds until I act as the cannon’s back up. Shuffling along the hallway, I fulfill my position as hall officer. The battered, half-broken broomstick I use every morning doesn’t miss a door—smack, wack. â€Å"Let’s go, get up!† But my words travel across the barren hallway without acknowledgment. On the way back to my room, I give an extra hard wake-up-call to any cadets still sleeping, this time using my fist and the broomstick—bang, wham. From inside the rooms, a common complaint escapes, â€Å"Ok, I’m up! Go away.† It’s too early for leadership. Once in my room, I take my clothes off, grab my towel, and retreat to the warmth of the showers. I turn on the closest knob. Cold water sprays out of the head at first. I jump and back away quickly, every time, I never remember. The callboy’s voice reaches the shower. â€Å"Notice, sirs! Notice, sirs! Bravo Company sirs, notice! First call to BRC, uniform for BRC, duty A, sirs!† My supply of warm water ends a bruptly and I abandon the lighthearted atmosphere of the shower room. In my room I put on my wool duty-pants and tight-fitting duty-A shirt. Formation in the company streets is dark and dreary. Unit Commanders shout commands. â€Å"Form up! Let’s go! Left face, right face.† First sergeants bark out names, â€Å"Carey . . . Here! Hamm . . . Here! Darnell . . . Darnell! Here!† A hundred and fifty drowsy infantry cadets march to the dining hall with the beat of a drum guiding them. Once we’re inside, food lines are long. Glasses slip from lethargic hands— Clink, clink, crshhh. I direct the new cadets to a table and remind them: Personal Inspection is at 7:20 a.m.

Strategies for assessing skills and competencies Essay

Strategies for assessing skills and competencies - Essay Example The main difference between the retail sales and B2B sales is in terms of the volume. B2B deals in large volumes of sales order and therefore, becomes important ingredient of sales strategy. Hence, while the basic competency and skills of the present sales staff is adequate, the new group from within the sales team would need to undergo 4 months training and development program. They would also be required to explore B2B market for 1 month to evaluate their requirements and how the company can meet them. The in-house training by the external consultants and senior management staff would on the following modules would greatly enhance existing skills and provide them with wide scope of expanding their knowledge area: B2B market is focused on bulk orders therefore sales executives must be skilled in knowing what the investment parameters are going to be so that the objections arising due to money, time and resources are already made clear before making their sales presentations. The training module would prepare the sales team to evaluate these parameters for its different business partners. The encouraging and incentive driven work environment promotes retention of employees and gives the organization better leverage to compete with their rivals. The experienced and motivated workforce is conducive to higher degree of creative inputs and innovative approach. Commitment to work and loyalty towards employers is considerably increased when the employees are given opportunity to improve and improvise their professional skills and competencies through in-house training and development. Zapata-Cantu et al. have also asserted that professional growth and self improvement, through human resource development practices, greatly enhance organization’s advantage (Zapata-Cantu et al., 2007). In the highly competitive environment of recessive economy, upgrading the skills of the existing sales executives would be the best option. Indeed, HR’s

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW - Term Paper Example Prior to the HR Act 1998, any individual seeking to challenge the government on breach of rights as provided by the Convention, usually sought refuge at the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg, after proving that there was no remedy in the courts in the United Kingdom. From the perspective of individuals, the HR Act 1998 has implications at the workplace, in the development of legislation, ministerial decisions and use of government policy regarding prosecutions or the enforcement of law (Home Office, 2000). Implications of HR Act 1998 The HR Act 1998 came into force in 2000. From the time it came into force it strengthens and gives effect to the rights and freedoms that are available to all citizens through the ECHR. The HR Act 1998 on its own has not created any new statutory or common law rights, but it places the onus of responsibility on public authorities like government departments, local authorities, borough councils, health authorities and the law enforcement agenci es to take actions in such a way that it is compatible to the rights provided to individuals by ECHR. Furthermore, the HR Act 1998 also makes courts and tribunals duty bound to take into consideration any relevant judgment, decision, declaration or advisory opinion of the European Court of Human Rights into consideration when settling disputes over ECHR conferred rights in the United Kingdom. In such an exercise, it is also necessary for the courts to take into consideration any opinion or decision of the European Commission for Human Rights and the decision of the Committee of Ministers under Article 46 on the jurisdiction of the European Commission for Human Rights. In addition, the reading of primary and subordinate legislation in the United Kingdom must be read in such a way as not to reduce their validity, continuing operation and validity and given effect in a compatible manner to the ECHR (Chandler, 2003). An important distinction has to be borne in mind in that the HR Act of 1998 has only vertical direct effect. This means that only civil servants and public sector undertaking employees can sue their employees, which include government departments, local authorities, borough councils, the police and other public or quasi-public authorities for damages for any believed breaches of their rights guaranteed under ECHR. This avenue is not available for private sector employees. Workers in the private sector having grievances with regard to breach of one or more of their statutory or contractual rights may pray on the basis of a particular right as provide by the ECHR, but cannot bring proceedings against employers solely on the basis of the alleged breach of this right provided by ECHR. However, the can expect the courts in the United Kingdom to interpret the law in a way that foes no harm to their rights guaranteed trough ECHR (Chandler, 2003). Thus full implications of the HR Act 1998 to a certain degree will depend on the manner in which interpretation o f primary and subordinate legislation in the United Kingdom is read against alleged breaches of human rights as guaranteed by the ECHR. Criticism of the HR Act 1998 lies in this aspect, for it is not clearly worded and the English judiciary has been used to examining words in detail, but will now have to examine and interpret on the basis of purpose and intent and also take into consid