Sharpeville Massacre free essay sample

SHARPEVILLE: BLOODY THE BATTLE THE EVENTS OF SHARPEVILLE (21 MARCH 1960), AND THE THREE WEEKS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING IT, HAVE OFTEN BEEN DESCRIBED AS A DECISIVE TURNING-POINT IN MODERN SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY. DOES A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EVIDENCE HEAR OUT THAT VIEW? â€Å" one little boy had on an old blanket coat, which he held up behind his head, thinking, perhaps, that it might save him from the bullets. Some of the children, hardly as tall as the grass, were leaping like rabbits. Some were shot, too. Still the shooting went on † -Humphrey Tyler, Witness and Assistant Editor of Drum Magazine The Sharpeville massacre of 1960 and the events it precipitated had a profound and long lasting effect on South African society and the already volatile political climate of the time. This essay will contend that the unrestrained violence upon a peaceful demonstration proved to be a watershed moment that was decisive in determining the immediate future of the anti-Apartheid struggle, as well as determining the future direction of the Apartheid regime in South Africa. We will write a custom essay sample on Sharpeville Massacre or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This essay will detail the massacre, the events that lead up to it and it will highlight the responses of the government, resistance movement and international community. I will argue that these responses had a long lasting effect on the future direction of the apartheid state and anti-apartheid movement, thus making it a decisive turning point in modern South African history. Before one can appreciate the significance of the Sharpeville massacre, one must understand its historical background and political context. From 26 May 1948, South Africa was ruled by the National Party government, who came to power on the political platform of separateness, or Apartheid. As the rest of the western world moved to end racial segregation, South Africa entered a phase that saw sustained and institutionalised racism at the hands of a government who were representing the minority white race. Christopher Landsberg describes this period impassionedly, stating ‘the social engineering secured for whites a virtual monopoly of power-political, economic and social. Apartheid deliberately created poverty and racial inequalities (that) was at beast a sham democracy. ’ It was the institutionalised racism, however, that eventually lead to the unique set of circumstances that enabled the tragedy at Sharpeville to occur. Apartheid was implemented through a series of evolving laws from 1949 that directly affected all aspects of life for coloured people. Several laws already existed along racial lines, however, it was the National Party government that formalised its social policy on such laws. Prominent examples include the Mixed Marriage Act of 1949, the Immorality Act and the Population Registration Act of 1950 and the Bantu Education Act of 1953. These dictated that whites and non-whites could not marry or have sex, and that each person was officially designated a colour and race (and ultimately an identity) at the government’s discretion. Many families were broken up under these laws, in which some mixed raced families were reclassified, greatly disrupting –if not ending- many family relationships. To combat any opposition, the government created the Criminal Law Amendment Act which made any person associating with anyone who was protesting or repealing any law liable for criminal charges. The National Party also increased all forms of censorship and banned any organisation or publication pertaining to have communist links or sympathies, including several workers’ union, which had significant impacts for the predominately Black labour force. This was in line with international Cold War sentiment and, thus, the Suppression of Communism Act of 1950 was not seen as extreme. Understandably, resistance from oppressed racial groups intensified with time as these laws became more repressive and as their lives became increasingly restricted. Anti-apartheid and racial rights organisations such as the African National Congress (ANC) continued to rise to prominence with powerful doctrines such as the Programme of Action which was adopted in 1949 in Bloemfontein. The ANC’s ten point Freedom Charter of 1955 was another influential call to arms for the repressed groups of South Africa, inspiring them to take more direct mass action. However, the goals of the ANC did not by any means represent those of everyone in the anti-Apartheid struggle. This point was emphasised when the Pan African Congress (PAC) broke away from the ANC in November 1958, looking to represent a larger section of the South African population that were discontent with the apartheid regime. The most notable difference between the two groups was the PAC’s willingness to embrace the notion of multiracialism as a realistic political platform for the future, as opposed to the ANC’s purely Africanist objectives. The PAC also attracted the disenchanted youth demographic, who were eager to commit to their ideological beliefs with action. The PAC also focussed the need to assert their â€Å"African personality† and, as Sobukwe warned, ‘that acceptance of any indignity, any insult, any humiliation, is acceptance of inferiority’. Both groups, however, were inspired by Ghandi’s peaceful approach to resistance which had prevailed in India and, importantly, insisted upon peaceful, non-violent demonstrations at all times. Significant demonstrations in a developing Programme of Action succeeding the Defiance Campaign included a 1957 workers’ stay-at-home, the bus boycotts of Alexandra and Everton proved to be both successful and to a large extent, peaceful. The Sharpeville massacre occurred in unique circumstances, and proved to be a tragic event that would shape the future of the apartheid struggle. As both the PAC and the ANC struggled with the limitations of peaceful protests and police became increasingly nervous with greater responsibilities, a political boiling pot had begun to simmer. Gerhart contends that competition between the now rival anti-apartheid groups was steadily growing, which contributed to the rushed planning of events and relative level of disorganisation. Ross argues that these organisations also underestimated the ruthlessness of the police state mentality that was being hardened across South Africa. However, as Gerhart cites, Sobukwe wrote to the commissioner of police, Major General Rademeyer, assuring him of a peaceful protest and declared that crowds would disperse if given adequate warning and acknowledged the threat of ‘trigger happy, African hating’ police. In early 1960, both the PAC and the ANC announced individual plans to stage a mass, nationwide campaign against the humiliating Pass Laws. This would primarily entail the marching of large numbers of people to police stations, without their passes, to hand themselves in for arrest. The intention was to instigate major civil reforms and highlight the importance of personal freedoms. The brochure calling for the campaign against the Pass Laws (as issued by Sobukwe, a leader of the PAC) stated ‘NO BAIL! NO DEFENCE! NO FINE! ’ which exemplified their willingness for ‘SERVICE, SACRIFICE AND SUFFERING’ for their cause. On March 21, 1960 in the Transvaal region, a PAC stronghold, up to 20000 people converged on the Everton police station and approximately 4000 on Vanderbijlpark’s where they either burnt their passes or surrendered to police. As assured, most of these crowds diverged after warning shots were fired or threatening low flying military jets passed. However, Sharpeville was significantly different due to the police’s poor community relations. Raids were a daily occurrence in Sharpeville, corruption was rife, unemployment was high, housing costs were also disproportionately higher and there had been a significant rise in the influx of arrests and prosecutions in the area, all of which contributed to a more difficult life for Africans in the immediate area. 000 people converged on the Sharpeville station, and refused to leave as those in the other protests had. Several testimonies stated that the crowd was waiting for a top official who was rumoured to address them. Witness accounts vary as to what happened next, with some claiming protesters were fighting or throwing rocks (as in the Langa township where two people had been shot) whilst others stated that they were entirely peaceful. The police were also nervous after 9 police officers had recently been killed by a demonstration that had become violent in Cato Manor. Rusty Berstein states, ‘Suddenly in the midday heat, someone’s nerve cracks. A policeman inside the fence raises his rifle and opens fire. That becomes the signal for the whole police party to blaze away against the people, who flee for their lives. Whether the firing started in panic or on an officer’s orders is never established ’ 69 people are killed and a further 180 are estimated to be injured, and almost all were shot in the back. Some people were shot in nearby cafes by stray bullets, as were people in their yards and in front of the local ministers’ house. The New York Times quoted a senior police official who stated at the time, ‘I don’t know how many we’ve shot if they do these things, they must learn the hard way. ’ The significance of such an event cannot be underestimated. The events of the next three weeks and immediate reactions from the government, resistance movement and international community had long lasting implications for the apartheid regime. It were these implications that highlight how the massacre at Sharpeville -and three weeks immediately following it- was undoubtedly a decisive, watershed moment in modern South African history. The anti-apartheid movement responded to the massacre with grief, anger, disbelief and an overall new resolve to continue to resist the now murderous regime. As Ben Turok wrote in his autobiography, ‘Sharpeville had become one of the most symbolic events in South Africa’s liberation struggle. It was to ignite the anger of millions of oppressed and those with a conscience in South Africa and around the world’. The PAC gained significant amounts of public sympathy in the wake of the massacre, and support for the general aims of the ANC also increased. A national stay-at-home was announced to mourn the dead and was held for a week, beginning the day after the massacre; this effectively bought many businesses and industries to a standstill as the main source of labour stayed at home. Both the PAC and the ANC encouraged this strike whilst advocating non-violence. Police continued with brutal raids, they targeted the survivors of the massacre, and shot at those attempting to escape as police broke into their homes. This proved to be the main catalyst for the infamous march of 30000 in Cape Town. Lead by Philip Kgosana, a 23 year old who had recently dropped out of university to focus on political activities for the PAC, the march was intended to finish at the South African Houses of parliament. Police officials convinced him that it would be safer for the crowd to disperse in return for some concessions to be made and a meeting with the Minister for Justice that afternoon. When Kgosana returned for his meeting, he was arrested. Arguably the most significant impact of the Sharpeville massacre, however, was the realisation that non-violent resistance would prove futile in a police state such as South Africa. As Thompson asserts, it ‘was a watershed moment in modern South African history. nonviolent methods had achieved nothing except a series of defeats at the hands of a violent state’. Sharpeville marked the militarisation of the resistance movement and the creation of military wings to the ANC and the PAC. The ANC formed the Umkhonto we Sizwe (the Spear of the Nation, which would be lead by Nelson Mandela) and the PAC formed Poqo (Pure), both of which began a bombing campaign against industrial and government sites. As Leach suggests, the resistance movement’s direct response to Sharpeville marked the beginning of endemic violence in South Africa. The government’s response to the massacre -which effectively shaped the events immediately following it- also contributed to why it was such a decisive turning point for South Africa. They temporarily suspended pass arrests and focussed all resources on armoured patrols of potentially troublesome spots. Almost immediately, important leaders of the ANC and PAC were arrested under the Riotous Assemblies Act and the Public Safety Act, which contributed to the emergency situation. These arrests effectively paralysed the main resistance organisations in the short term, as up to the third or fourth layer of organisation had been removed. The day of Kgosona’s march in Cape Town (30 March) a state of emergency was declared. The timing of this was unquestionably impeccable. Just after Kgosona had dispersed the threatening crowds and he returned for his meeting with the Minister for Justice, the State of Emergency regulations enabled him to be arrested. The PAC and ANC were officially banned on April 6 under the Unlawful Organisation Act, sending all levels of organisation underground. The government was also forced to respond on an international level, with the South African representative to the United Nations leaving the table when pointed discussions surrounding the Sharpeville massacre arose. Amid criticism from British Prime Minister Macmillan after the massacre, the South African Prime Minister Verwoerd declared South Africa would become a republic. Similarly, the international response to the massacre and the events immediately following it proved to have lasting significance. The international condemnation and outcry marked a decisive turning point, whereby the global community began to actively speak out against the apartheid state. The New York Times adequately reflected international outrage at the shootings in an editorial the following day. It stated that ‘a policy which degrades the great majority of the people of a nation is certain to lead to tragedy Do the South Africans think that the rest of the world will ignore such a massacre? ’ Countries from across the world expressed disapproval of the events and of apartheid more broadly. Landsberg notes that strong counter reactions internationally included the establishment of the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid as well as the adoption of resolutions 134 of 1960 at the United Nations, deploring the South African government and its actions. The United States called the massacre ‘regrettable’ and a violation of the United Nations Charter on human rights. As previously discussed, another long term effect of the massacre was South Africa eventually becoming a republic after condemnation from Britain. The Sharpeville massacre drew international attention and criticism to the repressive and violent regime that existed in South Africa. This proved to be the first of many international political steps to end apartheid, thus cementing the massacre’s place as a decisive historical turning point. Critics argue that the Sharpeville massacre was not a decisive turning point and was instead a singular ineffectual moment at a volatile time. Gerhart notes that similar protests and boycotts later in 1960 and 1961 proved to be ‘abortive,’ indicating that a lasting impression had not been made, just as it had failed to inspire success in similar actions. Resistance became increasingly difficult after the banning of the ANC and PAC, as well as the arrest of a large proportion of their leadership groups. This is supported by the fact that it took another 30 years for the apartheid regime to fall, and that was only after international pressure and sanctions. However, these arguments fail to engage with the symbolic importance and nature of Sharpeville and the events that followed. As Frankel simply states, ‘Sharpeville is crucial to South African history in the last century because it represents an end, a beginning, a social commentary and an evaluation’. Sharpeville was not the bloodiest, most brutal or surprising attack on Blacks in South Africa’s history throughout Apartheid. Nor did it have the most dramatic international response or incite the largest protests in South Africa’s history. However, it was a moment that represented a direct change to how blacks, whites and the rest of the world viewed apartheid and gave both sides a new resolve that directly influenced the future events and ideologies surrounding apartheid. This in itself proves the massacre and ensuing events were a decisive turning point in South Africa’s history, and the power of this should not be underestimated. One may argue that the massacre and related events changed little in South Africa; however, this grossly miscalculates the importance of inspiring collective emotion, hope and emboldened desire when Africans had little else to fight with. After the massacre, the resistance movement was forced underground and turned militant, changing the battleground dramatically. The government asserted its resolve and police state mentality. The international community awoke to the realities of apartheid and began a long campaign against it. These are all long term effects of the massacre and the events that immediately followed it, which prove that it was a decisive turning point in modern South African history. BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Sources Anon. ‘50 Killed in South Africa as Police Fire on Rioters’, New York Times, March 22, 1960. Anon, ‘Macmillan is Assailed’ New York Times, 21 March 1960. Anon, ‘South Africa Quits Debate; Disputes UN Jurisdiction’ New York Times, 2 April 1960. Anon, ‘The Tragedy at Sharpeville’ New York Times, 22 March 1960. ANC. ‘The Freedom Charter’, as cited in Thirty Years of the Freedom Charter, edited by Suttner, R. and Cronin, J. Johannesburg: Ravan Press, 1986. Lodge, H. C. (US representative at the UN), as quoted in ‘Excerpts from Addresses in UN Security Council on South Africa Issue’ New York Times, 31 March 1960. PAC. ‘Document 47: Calling the Nation! ’ editied by Karis and Carter G. , From Protest to Challenge: A Documentary History of African Politics in South Africa 1882 -1964, Vol. 3, 1977. Secondary Sources Bernstein, Rusty, Memory Against Forgetting: Memoirs from a Life in South African Politics 1938-1964. London: Penguin, 1999. Clark Nancy L. and Worger, William H. South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid. London: Pearson Education Limited, 2004. Dubrow, Saul. The African National Congress, 2000. Frankel, Phillip. An Ordinary Atrocity: Sharpeville and Its Massacre. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. Gerhart, G. Black Power in South Africa: The evolution of an ideology, 1978. Landsberg, Christopher. The Quiet Diplomacy of Liberation: International Politics and South Africa’s Transition. Johannesburg: Jacuna Media, 2004. Leach, Graham. South Africa: No Easy Path to Peace. London: Routledge, 1986. Lodge, Tom. Black Politics in South Africa since 1945, London: Longman Group, 1983. Maharaj, Mac and Kathrada, Ahmed. Mandela: The Authorised Portrait. Rowville, Victoria: Five Mile Press Pty Ltd, 2006. Peffer, John ‘Mellow Yellow: Image, violence, and play in apartheid South Africa’ in Violence and Non-Violence in Africa edited by Ahluwalia, Pal, Bethlehem, Louise and Ginio Ruth. New York: Routledge, 2007. Ross, Robert. A Concise History of South Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Thompson, Leonard. A History of South Africa. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990. Turok, Ben. Nothing but the Truth: Behind the ANC’s Struggle Politics. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2003.

Using a Sample Essay About Innovation

Using a Sample Essay About InnovationSample essays on innovation are an excellent way to help you write a powerful and useful essay. When you take the time to write a sample essay, you can start to see what the essay will look like before you begin writing it. The actual writing process can be made more effective by the use of the sample essay. There are a number of different ways that you can use a sample essay to guide your own writing.Using a sample essay is also a good way to keep your essay focused. You don't want to try to incorporate too many ideas into your essay that is too broad. On the other hand, you don't want to have a bunch of ideas for every sentence because you don't want your essay to feel too unorganized. Instead, you want to keep the focus on one particular aspect of innovation. In this way, your essay will be easier to follow and will have a better flow.Writing an essay is much more difficult when you try to cover more than one topic at a time. This is why using a sample essay is a very helpful tool. You can use it as a jumping off point to get your thoughts in order. This will make it much easier to begin writing a few paragraphs at a time instead of going straight to the part where you explain something.If you want to write your own essay, then you might consider using a sample essay as a guide. You can use it as a way to brainstorm what you want to say about innovation. You might find that a specific aspect of innovation does not show up in the sample essay, but that is okay because you will still be able to use it to shape your own essay.You should always remember that while a sample essay may seem like an excellent idea for a guide, you should not use it as the basis for your essay. You should always start with your own ideas and build upon them to form your own essay. A sample essay can give you a lot of ideas about what to include, but you should always start with your own original thoughts.A sample essay can also be a great way to s tart writing your own essay. After you've done a bit of research, you might be able to use the information to write a good essay. You might be surprised at how many interesting things you can uncover just by doing some research. This can be a great thing to use as a starting point for your own essay.As you get closer to writing your essay, you might find that you have some problems that need to be worked out. This is especially true if you are unsure of how to proceed. Taking a look at a sample essay can be a great way to get some ideas.It is always important to think carefully about the kind of essay you are trying to write. Some people do not know where to begin when they want to write a good essay. Taking the time to read a sample essay is a great way to get some ideas. This will give you the knowledge you need to start writing the perfect essay.

Dark tourism Essays

Dark tourism Essays Dark tourism Essay Dark tourism Essay Dark tourism is a conduct of visiting to locations and special sites related to death and it is either genuine or manmade. Dark tourism is definitely not new in the tourism Industry but there Is a noticeable growth and rising demand from tourists to visit the dark tourism sites In the recent years. Most people are attached, whether on Intentionally or vice versa towards these unique sites and attractions with associated with death, disaster and violence. Referring to (Stone, 2006) dark tourism can be defined as the act of travel and visitation to sites associated with death, suffering or he seemingly macabre as a main theme. It is also a conduct of traveling to locations where there is an occurrence of either tragedy or death. This type of tourism is meaningful and never ceases to affect lives of the people be it in an emotional forms as well as in the political and social ways. There are many terms and types of tourism activities under the branch of dark tourism inclusive of tambourines which indicates the meaning of death In the Greek language, war tourism, black tourism and many more. Grief tourism generally involves traveling to sites of tragedy incident estimations such as murder spots, disaster affect areas, grave yards, war memorials, prisons, death locations of those famous late superstars and many more. Some examples are the most famous, well-known and remarkable Ground Zero In the united States of America, Killing Fields In Cambodia, Auschwitz the second world concentration camp located in Poland where zillion of people lost their lives there. Meanwhile, disaster tourism is concerning conduct of tourism activity involving visitation to locations influenced by natural disasters. For instance, tourists visiting he tsunami and earthquake affected sites in Japan. Such dark sites invite an uncountable number of visitors to the locations year by year. Dark tourism basically shows visitors to locations where the confrontation of mortality can be conducted and produce insights and create awareness. The motivations and purposes of visiting dark tourism sites are totally deferent and not related from one tourist to another. Since from the past, death Is definitely an Inevitable and unavoidable thing and It Is viewed as a kind of taboo and dreaded by all the human beings In the world. Despite the fact that death and mortality Is dreadful and often a sensitive topic for usual conversation, however, its vitally in life utterly cannot be denied. Although there is an old and background and growing proofs of visitation to places linked with death but it is only Just recently that the focus been paid to what can be described as dark tourism. The content of those published Journals online frequently pay less attention towards the experiences portray by dark tourism consumers. There are still lack of information and understanding regarding the actual idea of dark tourism from a contemporary society and ontological security kind of contemplations and perspectives. Therefore, the purpose of this written essay Is to mainly discuss about the perspectives concerning death as well as the possibilities of this unique tourism as a way of making confrontation of death towards the modern and present societies. Furthermore, this paper gives suggestions that dark tourism Is an Intentional travel of visitors to locations and sites portraying conducts and views which are usually not resent from the social population which bring in a feel of unease in viewing or may not actually invite the involvement of death and vice versa the death itself may not always necessarily be viewed as dark and miserable. Visitors are usually introduced to the reasons of death and pain of human beings in certain conditions while traveling to dark attractions and hence this actually producing and supporting a contemplation that death is inevitable and cannot be avoided. The view that death is inevitable possess a possibility to make people feel afraid and encourage some people to ask questions about the structure of social population where they habited in and Joined. This reasoning could be one of the reasons why the thought of death is considered as a kind of taboo. According to Berger, the way to ignore death is to neglect some particular aspects where those two collective and one self is formed. Hence, although, the unavoidable death within the society norm continuously being rejected and despised by the people especially in the contemporary society, however, it can never ever be wholly ignored and forgotten.

The Best (and Worst) Online AP Courses, Reviewed

The Best (and Worst) Online AP Courses, Reviewed SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips There are hundreds, if not thousands, of online AP courses. So how are you supposed to find the best one for you? To help you sort through your options, I’ll quickly go over what makes a good online AP course. Then I’ll discuss the best-reviewed online AP courses, some popular online AP class providers, and wrap up with some classes that you should avoid. 7 FactorsThat Make a Good Online AP Course If you're searchingfor the best online AP courses, these are the qualities you should look for. #1: It's Accredited There’s no reason why you can’t self-study for an exam with non-accredited online resources- but if you are going to take an entire AP course online, it makes the most sense to take one that is accredited by the College Board. This means that they have looked over the syllabus and course requirements and approved it, and that it can be listed as an AP course if your high school agrees to list the online course on your transcript. #2: The Material Is Presented Well You want the material to be interesting, engaging, and presented clearly. The coursework may not be your first choice of activity, but if you’re bored out of your mind, you won’t want to study, and if you’re confused, you will be frustrated. #3: Teachers Are Accessible and Give Good Feedback Teachers should be easy to reach and give useful, timely feedback. If you are waiting for them to return assignments from months ago when you take the AP, that’s not particularly helpful. #4: The Workload Is Reasonable Many AP courses are demanding, which is to be expected. But you want to make sure that you have a good sense of how many hours per week you have available to spend on online coursework and how many hours a week the class will take. #5: There's an Easy-To-Use Interface and Tech Support A good course will be easy to navigate on your computer. You should also have easy access to tech support resources should something go wrong. #6: The Class Preps You for the AP Exam If you can get any information on how students tend to score on the exam after taking the course, that will be very useful in making a decision on a course. #7: It's Well-Reviewed A good online AP course is one other students have had good experiences in! Check forum sites like College Confidential for reviews of a given course. With those seven criteria in mind, we’re ready for a more in-depth look at some of the best-reviewed online AP courses out there! You can master the universe...of online AP courses! 8 GreatOnline AP Courses Below I’ve compiled a list of someof the bestonline AP courses. Ideally I would be able to provide an option for every AP, but unfortunately, some APs have very few online options (if any). That is why, as you may notice, there are some popular AP courses like Calculus and English Language that do not appear on the list below. AP US History AP US History From the UC System’s Scout Program Students like the material, the pace, and the focus on AP exam prep. Multimedia lessons are praised for being engaging, and assessments and assignments are full of variety, which keeps things interesting. Students appreciate the consistent pace of the assignments. A special bonus is that the end of the course involves an AP workshop with study strategies, practice AP exams, etc. This is also one of the cheaper online AP course providers, and it’s discounted for CA students. AP Art History AP Art History From the Florida Virtual School Students appreciate that the course spends so much time on non-European art. The interactive gallery format is engaging and helps you retain the material. Finally, the class content is not overly difficult, but students still feel prepared for the AP exam. AP Human Geography AP Human Geography From the Florida Virtual School Students recommend this class, finding it interesting without being frustrating. They also praise the teaching staff and like that teachers are accessible by text, e-mail, and phone. AP Psychology AP Psychology From the Florida Virtual School This course is interesting and fairly easy. Some assignments are fun, and the online textbook has helpful interactive video components and simulations. Overall, this course is straightforward and will prepare you well for the exam. With that said, students advise that some of the course material does require boring rote memorization. AP Biology AP Bio From Johns Hopkins CTY Students felt that this course overprepared them for the AP Bio exam, but in a good way. They also appreciated that the two lowest grades on tests were dropped, so you could dive into difficult material without fear that some struggling along the road would completely tank your grade. AP Biology From Apex Learning This class hasa combination virtual/in-person lab component,which ishelpful given that many online courses do not have labs at all. Students do mention that this course is reading-heavy. AP Chemistry AP Chemistry From ChemAdvantage The main selling point of this class is that students get mailed a small lab kit and do at-home labs; lab components are often missing from online science courses. The course is taught and managed by a husband and wife team. Students receive lots of instructor attention and feel that instructors are flexible when necessary. The course is demanding, as AP Chemistry usually is, but students feel well-prepared for the exam. Unfortunately, this class is primarily offered to homeschoolers, but their FAQ says that they may be able to accommodate students whose schools simply don’t offer AP Chem. AP Computer Science A AP CS A From the Florida Virtual School This is one of the most highly-praised online courses out there. According to students, the FLVS course imparts a strong coding foundation, good habits, and conceptual understanding. Students find that they easily retain the material for months and feel very prepared for the exam. They warn that you may spend 10 hours a week or more writing programs, but that you will enjoy yourself and it is time well-spent. There you have it- a selection of some of the most popular online AP classes available. Still at a loss? Keep reading for a brief list of three of the most well-regarded online AP providers. We briefly interrupt this broadcast to bring you this mesmerizing jellyfish. 3High-Quality Online AP Course Providers In addition to some specific courses being like by students, there are also some online providers that are particularly well-regarded.It’s still a good idea to look for reviews and making sure a course has what you are looking for before you sign up, but these are some online schools that have a reputation for high-quality coursework. Pennsylvania Homeschoolers For homeschooled students in any state, PA Homeschoolers AP Courses are well-reviewed, with excellent teachers being the number one benefit. AP History and English classes are particularly well-liked, and they appear to have the only online AP Environmental Science course that is praised and not widely disliked. However, you must be a homeschooled student to register. Florida Virtual School Though there are a couple courses that aren’t highly reviewed (see below), most students found AP offerings from FLVS to be comprehensive, cost-effective, worthwhile, and adequate preparation for the AP exam. They also have a wide variety of AP courses available. It's one of the cheaper online providers, has no admissions requirements, and is free in Florida! Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Johns Hopkins CTYis an online course provider for gifted students. To take courses, students need to get qualifying courses on the PSAT. In general, students found AP courses from this provider to be thorough and enjoyable. The material used is said to be top-notch. This is an expensive provider, though there is some financial aid available. Allow me to steer you away from AP online danger! 3BadOnline AP Classes Of course, not every online AP course is a great experience. There are some classes that are known throughout the world of high school distance learning as particularly terrible, and I’ll discuss why here. AP US History From Apex Learning There were two chief complaints here: logistical and technical issues with the course, and poor preparation for the AP. Students found that they lost points on quizzes due to technical errors when they had selected the correct answer. They were annoyed by all of the faxing they had to do, and that their faxed documents frequently got lost. Even more disconcertingly, students did not feel prepared to get 4-5 level scores on the exam, but only a 2-3. They found they learned more from prep books than the course! If you’re having better luck studying on your own, there’s no point in taking the class. AP Environmental Science From the Florida Virtual School This is probably the most widely disliked online course I saw. Students were frustrated by the workload, assessments, and lack of teacher accessibility. They found that lessons focused on information that was not relevant to the AP exam. They pointed to a high workload of busywork with low exam preparation payoff. Assessments were brutally long. Teachers took a long time to get back to students. The general consensus was that no one should take this course. AP Government From the Florida Virtual School This course, again, was disliked for its poor preparation value for the exam. Students found that assessments were frequently based on minor, unimportant details instead of major concepts. Even diligent students who carefully read the lessons and took notes felt that assessments were unfairly specific and did little to prepare them for the actual AP exam. As you can see, there are several running themes in what makes a course disliked: there are technical problems with the way the course is run, the material is presented in a way that is boring or overly specific, students do not feel prepared for the exam, and teaching staff is inaccessible or not helpful. If you see any of these issues cited in student reviews on College Confidential or elsewhere, these are major red flags. Keep this in mind to avoid any bad eggs! These eggs are good, so you don't need to avoid them. Choosing the Right Online AP Course: Final Thoughts There are high-quality AP online classes available out there, with excellent teaching, good exam prep, and engaging material. There are also less amazing online offerings, with frustrating technological meltdowns, vanishing instructors, and long assessments. I’ve listed some highly-praised options and some that aren't as well-liked, but this is by no means a comprehensive accounting of every course available. I’m sure you’ve noticed that some APs are easier to find online than others, and some have more options than others. This means a few well-known APs (World History, English Language) are conspicuously absent from this list of the best online AP courses. Keep in mind what’s available when you are planning your online AP coursework, and do research carefully! A smart investment in an online AP course can have a great payoff. What's Next? If you're not quite sure if online AP courses are for you, check out my pros and cons to online AP classes. Once you've selected your course of choice, you may need help registering for the AP exam. Want more information about the AP program before you decide? See our expert guide to AP classes and tests. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Healthy People 2010--Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Healthy People 2010--Obesity - Essay Example But it also is the cause of many other diseases like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and some types of cancer. Because of its growing trend and dangers, it is extremely important to make it one of the most important health issues of the people of North Carolina. Obesity is the result of unhealthy food habits, lack of physical activity and lack of awareness of how it can be dangerous in the future. Out of the 27 nutrition objectives in the program Healthy People 2010, overweight and obesity are the two movements that are observed to be getting away from the targets. In particular, it has been noted that the proportion of adults and children who are obese has increased substantially, and this represents one of the biggest challenges for Healthy People 2010. This worrisome trend has led to set a goal to promote knowledge about healthy habits and reduce chronic disease associated with diet and weight. The study of the obesity issue from the past does not show a positive picture. It was noted that between 1976 and 1994, the number of cases of obesity alone have increased by more than 50 percent—from 14.5 percent of the adult population to 22.5 percent. Approximately 25 percent of U.S. adult females and 20 percent of U.S. adult males are obese ( Healthy People 2010). Overweight and obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories from food (energy) than he or she expends through physical activity. And looking at the fast paced mechanical life, where most of the work is done on computer and machines, there are no chances of people getting involved

Forecasting key financial variables in Shariah Based Financial Research Paper

Forecasting key financial variables in Shariah Based Financial instruments - Research Paper Example ique, yield to worst (YTW) to indicate the lowest expected yield, it was observed that a normalized value of 2.57% was at stake hence, investments were likely to yield 97.43% of the expected value at maturity. Based on 1-3 year investment and normal investments, balanced scorecard analysis Evaluateed that variable-income investment was much flexible but volatile to market shocks. On the other hand, it is observed that long-term fixed-income securities are much reliable but earn little income since they are not flexible. In the United States, the population of Muslims has increased dramatically since the past twenty years. Further, there are strong indications that the wealth of the population has also grown more rapidly. In turn, the United States has developed a market for financial and banking alternatives that are compliant with the Shariah principles, as well as the religious and moral law of the Islam. The concept of Shariah compliant or Islamic finance is typically based on the core tenets of the Islamic religion pertaining to property rights, economic and social justice, and distribution of wealth as well as its governance. Among the fundamental features of the Islamic finance system is the Prohibition of Gharar (ambiguous deals and contracts) and Riba that is interested (Kabir and Mahlkrecht 201, 74). According to proponents, Islamic finance significantly contributes to the global financial system stability. Apparently, the performance as well as the relative stability of the Islamic banks and financial institutions frequently originate from the unique features of the financial instruments they provide. The Islamic finance system insists on asset backing as well as the principle of risk sharing. This helps in ensuring the direct connection between the activities of the real sector and financial transactions. In this case, this paper focuses on quantitative forecasting and analyzing volatility of Sukuk financial instrument by considering benchmarking and

The History Of Absenteeism Management Essay

The History Of Absenteeism Management Essay When employees intentionally make absence from work it is known as absenteeism. In todays working organisations everybody misses a day of work now and then. But when an employee misses too many days of work it can be a big problem for the organisation and this can cause serious problems when all other employees have to cover for the missing worker or in worse cases the work simply doesnt get done, which can cause low productivity or non availability of requested services, leading to bad impression on companys position and name. People often tend to have different perspectives or attach different meanings when viewing the topic of employee absenteeism. Absenteeism occurs when the employees of a company do not turn up to work due to any scheduled time off, any illness, any injury, or any other reason. If we look back the history, there is only a small written history of absenteeism in business literature, apparently because until the 20th century businesses had a clear rule, No work: no pay. Then labour unions forced the companies into agreements to allow employees to take time off from work for illness or vacations and the practice of offering paid sick days become widespread. These practices still vary among companies and union contracts and normally there is an average of four to ten sick days per year is standard. Companies have realized that human absence management policies are cost effective; even many companies were unwilling to off paid leave to their employees. In fact, there is an estimate in the current studies regarding absenteeism that those company who have effective employee absence strategies can reduce their overall payroll costs by atleast 10 percent. ABSENTEEISM COSTING THE BUSINESSES Most recent studies on absenteeism have claimed that missing employees cost companies millions of pounds in lost revenue each year. We know that absenteeism can be quite costly. It has been estimated that in the United States alone, absence causes a loss of 400 million workdays per years. Based on this estimates, several researchers have attached a dollar value to this of between $26 and $46 billion per year (Steers and Rhodes, 1978; Goodman and Atkin, 1984a). In Canada, this figure probably approaches $8 to $10 billion. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI, 1999) has carried out a survey and used its membership base to survey both private and public sector employers. This survey showed that the average number of working days lost per employee in the UK in 1998 was 8.5 days, which represented 3.7% of all working time available. Another important correlation showed that absence was positively associated with the size of the organisation, that is absence rates were higher in large organisations than in small organisations. In calculating time lost as a percentage of actual working time available, the survey was based on a 228 days working year. This figure is derived from taking out of 365 days, 104 days for weekends or rest-days, 8 public holidays and 25 days annual leave. For many organisations the figures of 228 would be reasonably proximate, but for others, a revised base would need to be used, for example within the education service. Table 1.1 Absence rates for manual and non-manual employees 1998 (1997 figures in brackets) Average Best performing quartile Employees Days lost % of working Days lost % of working time time Manual 9.4 (10.8) 4.1 (4.7) 5.5 2.4 Non-manual 7.6 (6.8) 3.3 (3.3) 3 1.4 All 8.5 (8.4) 3.7 (3.0) 4.1 1.8 Source: CBI, Focus on Absence, 1999. The other most recent survey on the common causes of absenteeism by BBC has revealed that within the UK 93% of workers cite cods and flu as their common reason for being away from their work. Recently BBC has reported that absenteeism is costing  £10.2bn a year and that is mainly through employees minor illness, stress and family responsibilities. A survey of more than 530 firms for the Confederation of British Industry estimated that 200m days were lost through sickness absence last year, an average of 8.5 days per worker. According to an annual survey report of CIPD in 2009, it is stated that the annual cost of absence, is highest in the following sectors of different organisations within UK: Average  £ per employee/year Public Sector  £784 Manufacturing and production employers  £754 Non-profit organisations  £698 Private services organisations  £666 However, the conclusions showed that there are only 41% of employers who are monitoring the cost of employee absence, a figure which has remained persistently low over the past few years.   Another company Hewitt Associates  which is based in  Lincolnshire,  Illinois  is a global  human resources  (HR)  outsourcing   and  consulting  firm which delivers a wide range of integrated services to help companies manage their total HR and employee costs and improve their workforces has confirmed that absenteeism is costing the organisations in UK more than  £1000 per employee almost every year. INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS International comparison of absence rates is equally useful and informative. The title sick man of Europe was once given to Britain because of apparently poor industrial relations record. This title can be given to any other country now as absence rates in the UK are among the lowest of any EU member country. Table 1 illustrates this point: Country Short-term Absenteeism rate Long-term Absenteeism rate Denmark UK Austria Sweden Ireland Norway Netherlands France Germany Belgium Italy Portugal 3.5 3.6 4.1 4.4 4.5 5.0 5.5 5.6 5.6 5.8 6.9 8.0 9.1 5.5 12.7 3.0 10.4 13.3 11.1 6.5 6.6 5.5 11.2 Source: Adapted from CBI, Focus on Absence, 1989 THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF ABSENCE There are two different classes of employees, manual and non-manual and the most common main causes of sickness absence for both of these classes have been identified as: Manual Non-Manual Minor illness (cold, flu, stomach upsets headaches) Minor illness (cold, flu, stomach upsets headaches) Back pain Stress Musculo-skeletal injuries Musculo-skeletal injuries Home/family responsibilities Back pain Stress Home/family responsibilities Recurring medical conditions Recurring medical conditions Injuries/accidents not related to work Other absences not related to ill-health The latest studies and surveys have revealed that an increase in stress related absence is continuing in number of employers these days. For both manual and non-manual workers, employers perceived that minor illness is the major cause of absence from the workplace. THEORIES RELEVANT TO ABSENTEEISM Over the past many years, there have been many studies and surveys conducted to discover what motivate people. The most recognised theories are Taylor (1856-1917), Mayo (1880-1949), Maslow (1908-1970), McGregor (1906-1964) and Herzberg (1923-2000). Because motivation is very much important not only at work but almost in all part of life too, there are so many new theories which are constantly being developed. MOTIVATION THEORY The word motivation is used to describe certain sorts of behaviour. The purpose of motivation theories is to predict behaviours. Motivation is not the behaviour itself, and it is not performance. Motivation concerns action and the internal and external forces which influence a persons choice of action (Mitchell 1987). Motivation encourages people happily to put more effort into doing something. Well-motivated employees will always feel fulfilled and happy in their respective workplace. Furthermore, the employees are to be expected to be more productive and generate work of a higher quality with lower rate of absenteeism. EXAMPLE A recent case study shows that Siemens, a well known company worldwide, believes that well motivated employees can add extra power into work in order to accomplish the necessary outcomes because they believe that their work is extraordinary. The motivated workforce is more confident to take pride in what they do and off course there is low rate of absenteeism because employees are happier to go to work. HERZBERGS TWO FACTOR THEORY Herzberg used the critical incidental method and his original study was chosen because of the growing importance in the business world and his study was consisted of interviews with 203 accountants and engineers  from different industries in the Pittsburgh area of America. The responses to these interviews were generally consistent and revealed that there were two different sets of factors affecting motivation and work. This led to the Two Factor Theory of motivation and job satisfaction. On the basis of his survey, Herzberg reported that employees tended to describe satisfying experiences in terms of factors that were intrinsic to the content of the job itself. These factors were called motivators and included such variables as: Achievement Recognition The work itself Responsibility Advancement and growth According to Herzberg theory these motivators who also can be known as satisfiers were associated with  long-term  positive effects in job performance while the hygiene factors (dissatisfiers) consistently produced only  short-term changes in job attitudes and performance, which quickly fell back to its previous level. In summary,  satisfiers describe a persons relationship with that she or he  does, many related to the tasks being performed.  On the other hand dissatisfiers have to do with a persons  relationship to the context or environment  in which she or he performs the job.  Ã‚  The satisfiers or motivators relate to what a person does while the dissatisfiers relate to the situation in which the person does what he or she does. So in summary according to Herzberg if the basic needs of an employee are being met at an organisation, the employee will always be willing to come to work and will be happy doing his job. Herzberg argued that extra compensation only work in the short term and other hygiene factors only avoid dissatisfaction and that satisfaction comes from intrinsic motivators. EXAMPLE Royal Bank of Scotland has implemented Herzberg Two Factor Theory and its working successfully at the bank. RBS has put the following few factors from Herzberg theory: The good work by employees  gets recognition The employees at RBS have a combined logic of success when the whole business does well They get extra responsibility and progress through regular performance reviews RBS rewards their employee when they do well in their work RBS also introduced flexible working for its all employees and these are adapted to suit the local needs of each RBS centre. Through its right to work flexibly theory RBS is continuously motivating its employee as if they are unable to come to the work on time due to an appointment, they always can come late and can cover their work through job sharing, home working or variable working hours. ATTRIBUTION THEORY Attribution theory suggests that we observe a persons behaviour and then try to establish whether internal or external forces caused it. If it is judged to be internal, it is seen as being under the persons control; if it is judged to be external, it is seen as a result of the situation. Attribution is said to be subjected to a number of considerations, because we judge actions in a context. For example, we judge how distinctive behaviour is and whether behaviour is unusual for a particular person. Attribution theory is very much relevant to absenteeism as for example the employee is absent from work and the circumstances are that his or her attendance record is exemplary, then the behaviour could be considered unusual and an external cause (that is, that the behaviour is outside the control of the individual) will be attributed. If the absenteeism fits in with the general pattern of behaviour, then an internal attribution will be attached (that is, it will be seen as being under the persons control). EQUITY THEORY The Adams Equity Theory is a simple theory which differentiates an employees inputs and the outputs. According to the theory, the judgment to this fair sense of balance serves to make sure that a strong and useful connection is achieved with the worker, with the overall result being satisfied and motivated workers. This theory states that optimistic outcomes and high levels of enthusiasm are likely only when employees recognize their behaviour to be fair. The thought behind Adams Equity Theory is to hit a strong balance here, with outputs on one side of the level and inputs on the other both weighing in a way that seems reasonably equal. If the balance is in favour of the employer then few employees may work to bring balance between inputs and outputs on their own, by asking for more reward or recognition. Others will be demotivated, and still others will look for substitute employment.   DOUGLAS MCGREGOR THEORY X THEORY Y According to Douglas McGregor there are two different views of human beings. He described under his Theory X, that workers come to work to do the work and raise no questions and receive their pay. While in his Theory Y he believed that workers are dedicated and want responsibility. McGregor strongly recommend that employers should treat all the workers as Theory Y because they will be more efficient. EXAMPLE Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in UK has implemented McGregors Theory Y, as NDA wants its employees to be self-directed in their work and are always ready to accept high levels of responsibilities. NDA claims that with the help of this theory their employees absenteeism level is very low as everyone loves their work and they are more responsible to be at work on regular basis. ABSENTEEISM MEASUREMENT To measure worker absenteeism the most obvious way is to record how many days have employees not come in to work. The companies should have some sort of clock-in or accountability set-up making this step relatively simple. Once the numbers are available, surely it would be interesting to know how many of those workers were genuinely ill. Measuring absenteeism can serve as many as four purposes for organisations, which includes the following: Administering payroll and benefits programs Planning human resource requirements for production scheduling identifying absenteeism problems measuring and controlling personnel costs (Gandz and Mikalachki, 1979) Actual assessment and analyzing is a key aspect of managing absence effectively. Organisations must assess if they have complications with absenteeism, its extent and find out the best way to handle it. In the latest Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) absence survey, there were only a less than half of employers who monitor the cost of absence of their employee,  and there were just under  half of organisations who have set a target for reducing absenteeism and the only 38% of organisations benchmark themselves against other employers.   To analyse particular arrangement of absenteeism and underlying the basis, employers should acquire and use data, for example, the management approach of an appropriate manager or an increase in workloads. This can also provide the evidence of how absenteeism impacts on the bottom line and why it value investing in an effective absenteeism management programme. MEASURE TIME LOST To evaluate absenteeism there are a number of different measures that can be used, each of which can gives information about the different aspects of absenteeism. Some of the factors are described as under: LOST TIME RATE Lost time rate measure  articulate the percentage of the total time available which has been lost due to absence: Total absence (hours or days) in the period  x 100   Possible total (hours or days) in the period   For instance, if the total absence of the employees in the period is 155 person-hours and the total time available is 1,950 person-hours, the lost time rate will be:   155 x 100 = 7.95%   1,950   This can also be calculated separately for the individual departments of different groups of employees to uncover particular absence problems within an organisation. FREQUENCY RATE The frequency rate method shows an average number of absences per employee, which is expressed as a percentage. This does not give any indication of the length or duration of each absence period, nor any indication of employees who take more than one spell of absence and it is calculated as under:   No of spells of absence in the period  x 100   No of employees   For example, if an organisation employed on average 110 workers in one month, and during this time there were a total of 24 spells of absence, the frequency rate will be:   24  x 100 = 21.82%   110   To find out the individual frequency rate, we have to count the number of workers who take at least one interval of absence in the period, rather than to total number of intervals of absence. BRADFORD FACTOR This method expresses the persistent short-term absence for individuals, by measuring the number of spells of absence, and is therefore a useful measure of the disruption caused by this type of absence. It is calculated using the formula:   S x S x D S = number of spells of absence in 52 weeks taken by an individual   D = number of days of absence in 52 weeks taken by that individual   For example:   10 one-day absences: 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000   1 ten-day absence: 1 x 1 x 10 = 10   5 two-day absences: 5 x 5 x 10 = 250   2 five-day absences: 2 x 2 x 10 = 40   The trigger points will differ between organisations. The underlying causes will need to be identified for all unauthorised absence. ABSENTEEISM CONTROL POLICIES The companies should have clear policies in place which support their business objectives and culture and this is the first step to managing absenteeism efficiently. Under the current legislation employers are required to provide their staff with knowledge on any terms and conditions relating to inadequacy for work due to the sickness or injury, including any arrangement for sick pay. Effective absenteeism policies must spell out clearly employees rights and responsibilities when taking time off from work due to sickness or any other reason. These policies should include: A clear idea of what absence is, how it can be defined and how it might be measured. An indication of the scope and scale of absence in the UK and elsewhere by sector, region and industry type An account of the likely causes of absence and how they relate to individuals, jobs, organisations and wider factors. Consideration of the legal environment within which absence must be managed. Examination of the equal opportunities implications of absence management, which particular regard to the Employment Relations Act 1999. Discussion of the ways in which work might be made more flexible to suit the needs of both the employer and the employee. Consideration of how a strategy for managing absence might be developed. Examination of the range of tactics that an employer might employ for the management of absence. HOW TO MANAGE ABSENTEEISM Before we discuss how to manage absenteeism we look the types of absenteeism. There are many other reasons why people take time off from work. These can be categorised as under: Non permitted absence or continuous lateness Long-term sickness absence Short-term sickness absence (uncertificated, self-certificated, or covered by a doctors fit note which replaced the sick note from April 2010) Other authorised absences:  for example,  annual leave; maternity, paternity, adoption, or parental leave; time off for public or trade union duties, or to care for dependents; compassionate leave; educational leave. Other than these above categories of absenteeism there are two main types of absenteeism, know as short term absenteeism and long term absenteeism. We discuss in detail how to manage these two main types of absenteeism: MANAGING SHORT-TERM ABSENCE Temporary absence is also known as absence interventions. The most effective interventions in managing short term absence include the followings: A proactive absence management policy Return-to-work interviews Disciplinary procedures for unacceptable absence levels Involving trained line managers in absence management Providing sickness absence information to line managers Restricting sick pay Involving occupational health professionals The most common method which is currently being adopted by many organisations is return-to-work interviews which can help identify short-term absence problems at an early stage. These return-to-work interviews provide an opportunity to managers to start a dialogue with staff over underlying issues, which might be causing the absence.   Tim Holden, the Managing Director of  FLUID, draws on more than 10 years experience as an award-winning recruiter and trainer. FLUID works with organisations to enhance their attractiveness to both current and future employees. Holden suggests that: The use of disciplinary procedures for unacceptable absence may be used to make it clear to employees that unjustified absence will not be tolerated and that absence policies will be enforced.   According to CIPDs recent survey it has been revealed that, only 12% of organisations use attendance incentives or bonuses as a tool of absence management according to our latest absence survey. MANAGING LONG-TERM ABSENCE The current studies and researches on long term absence have shown that absence of  eight days or more justify about one third  of total time lost through absence and absence of four weeks or more accounts for more than 15%. Consequently it is very vital that organisations have an approved strategy in place to help their employees to get back to work after a continuous period of sickness or injury-related absence. The knowledge of potential disability discrimination claims is also critical these days.   LINE MANAGERS ROLE To control and reduce the causes of absenteeism, line managers have a substantial role to play, either directly or indirectly. How managers behave is very important because it has a significant effect on employee health and comfort. Many recent researches show that line managers are the type of employees most likely to be reported as bullies within organisations. Management style within an organisation is also one of the top causes of stress at work.  Ã‚  The role and responsibilities of the line manager in the management of absence should be clearly defined. However, these days the role of line managers is paramount. It is the line managers responsibility to manager his or her department or unit. Therefore it is his/her responsibility to see that these resources are used as effectively as possible. This means that levels of attendance should be good and absence kept to a minimum. The line managers should follow the companys approach to management style, organisation and allocation of work, as this will be a vital part of any strategy to control absence. In addition it is his/her responsibility to follow the company absence polices and procedures to staff. In any organisations the managers need good communications skills to encourage employees so that they can feel free to discuss any problems they may have at an early stage so that they can be given support or advice by the managers before matters escalate. According to all the recent studies and surveys it is stated that despite of all the importance of line manager/supervisor involvement, there are only 50% organisations are training their line managers to get the skills needed to do this effectively. The organisations should train their line managers to get the following skills to handle the absenteeism properly and they should have a good knowledge of: Their companys absence policies and procedures What is their role in the absence management programme How to act upon any advice given by the doctor to the employee. All the related legal and disciplinary aspects of absence including potential disability discrimination issues   How to maintain absence record-keeping and understanding facts and figures on absence The role of occupational health services The proactive measures to support staff health and wellbeing Operation (where applicable) of trigger points Development of return-to-work interview skills Development of counselling skills. In addition, the line manager will be one of the main influences on an individuals view of the company attitude to absence. It is therefore important that the actions and words of line manager support the companys position. It a difference attitude is being taken on the management of absence, whether more strictly or leniently, it will cause problems for the individual manager and for the organisation. Line managers must be able to rely on the support of senior management for decision they take in line with the companys policy, their responsibilities are as under: To effectively organize and allocate work; To use an appropriate management style; To ensure that all staff are adequately trained for their role; To communicate the absence policy and procedures to all subordinates; To apply policy and procedures in a consistent and fair manner; To deal with requests for prior approved absence; To keep accurate and up-to-date records of absences; To investigate reasons for unexplained absences; To carry out return to work interviews; To instigate disciplinary procedures, when required; To provide adequate feedback to senior management; To ensure adequate personal development and training to be able to meet these responsibilities effectively. To support staff health and wellbeing by taking proactive measures for occupational health involvement To be a part of the absence management programme By restricting sick pay To changes work patterns or environment To induct rehabilitation programme There are also four typical components in the recovery of absence and return-to-work process, which are discussed as under: An up-to-date contact with sick employees   The line manager should ensure that a regular contact is maintained using both sensitive and non-intrusive approaches with the employee. This approach must be agreed with the member of staff and management and, also where appropriate, with the union or employee representative. Workplace controls or adjustments   There can be some obstacles which may cause delay, interruption or difficulties to an employees return to work. A risk appraisal can analyse measures or adjustments to assist workers return and stay in work. For example: Allowing a steady or step-by-step return-to-work, for example,  promoting an employee from part-time job to full-time job over a period of weeks To change work arrangement or management style to reduce work pressure and to give the worker more control Modifying the employees working hours, for example allowing flexible working hours to accommodate his/her family demands Co-coordinating the employees mobility. The use of professional advice and treatment   These days there are many occupational health professionals in every country, they can be consulted because they can play a major role to evaluate the reason for absenteeism, and also can carry out employees health assessments, and can assist the managers in preparation for a return to work. Return-to-work planning The management should have a return to work plan agreed by the employee and the line manager, and any other staff which is likely to be affected and this plan needs to include: The goals of the plan, alternative working hours, or a alternative job role The time period of the plan Information about the new working arrangements The reviews that will need to be made to make sure the plan is put into practice The dates when the plan will be reviewed This can be helpful if the management appoint someone who can coordinate the return-to-work process. This also can include the colleagues of the absent worker who can inform him/her of the progress, so that everyone appreciate the situation, as well as easing the alterations back to work and maintaining working relationships. TACTICS FOR CONTROLLING ABSENTEEISM There are many tools that can be used as a part of a structured plan of absenteeism. We discuss some of the tools to control absenteeism. In practice, these tools will be used in isolation but more probably several will be used in combination. PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING: All reasonable steps should be taken to ensure that the employed staff is likely to be good attenders. One of the best indicators of likely future attendance rates is past attendance rates as many employers believe that pre-employment screening is a vital tool in absence management. There are number of simple steps that an employer can take to reduce the risk of employing a poor attender: Ask for information about absence on the application. For example, How many days absence have you had over the last two years? Ask about absence on reference requests. Ensure that those invited for interview are made fully aware of the expectations of the job. This would include duties, hours of work, work environment, standards of performance and conduct. Avoid the temptation to oversell the job at interview as this will result in disappointment and disillusioned employees and they will be more likely to be absent. Use pre-employment medical examinations to identify any potential problems. Note that disablement is not a reason not to employ an applicant, and employers must take great care to observe the terms o