Importance of Language free essay sample

In the story, â€Å"From a Native Daughter†, by Haunani-Kay Trask talks about herself, and how the history of the people and their culture of Hawaii means to her. She has learned stories over time from her parents and ancestors of how things were before her, so she has a lot of knowledge about the history and culture of the people before her. She is very vocal in her voice and wants people who aren’t native from Hawaii to learn the truth about the history of the culture of Hawaii. If Black English isn’t a language, then tell me, what is? In James Baldwin article, Baldwin wants people to understand that all English is the same, it’s just different by the way we speak it. The argument has nothing to do with language itself, but with the role of language. The role of language is an important thing because it describes the way of how you may speak. We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of Language or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When you begin to learn the language of your parents, you start to pick up some of the ways that your parent’s speak. Once you learn your parent’s ways of speaking, you start to learn your how the role of your language describes to others how you speak and the way you speak it. The way you learn to speak your language describes the role of the language in your society that you live in. As you read on, I will begin to compare Trask’s ideas about her language and culture, while including the thoughts of Baldwin’s language. Trask has a strong sense of language and knows how to use the language of her ancestors to apply it to today’s society. She says, †I learned the first of these stories from speaking with my mother and father. I learned the second from books. By the time I left for college, the books had won out over my parents especially since I spent four long years in a missionary boarding school for Hawaiian children†. After reading this quote from Trask, you can see that she has been learning the language and culture of her ancestors. She uses the language of her ancestors by remembering the stories that her parents and grandmother taught her. She is very passionate about the history of her people, and wants everyone to know the difference of what historians describe as their history of Hawaii. In Baldwin’s article, Baldwin says to us how language can also be used as a sense of  power. â€Å"People evolve a language in order to describe and control their situation. What joins all languages is the necessity to confront life†, says Baldwin. In a society of people, the people of the group use language to communicate with other societies. The people within your society uses their language to describe what could be going on, or how things are going. Language within your society reveals how and why the speaker talks. The more confident and more vocal the speaker is, the speaker will have a stronger sense of language. As time goes on, you begin to see that language is evolved in ordered to communicate with other societies. Using the language that you learn at a young age can shows us the background of how you learned your language. Trask says, â€Å"language is a form of knowing by itself; a people’s way of thinking and feeling is revealed in music†. When recording artistes write a song, they use the language that they learned to write a song. As they add in the sounds into the song, it is the way they are feeling that gives us the mood of the song. In Baldwin’s point of view, he is describing how by vocalizing yourself creates an image of who you are and where your from. By having a strong sense of language reveals the private identity, and can be used to connect larger and more public identity. As you begin to vocalize yourself, an image of who you are is created. When you have an image created, people begin to use that image to visualize you. Trask definitely is able to be very vocal and knows how to get her points out into the open. Since Trask is also vocal, she can create an image for herself, and have an image for native Hawaiians and their history and culture. The image that Trask wants for her people is an image of a strong community that will not back down from any prejudiced comments. Trask wants people to learn the truth about the culture and history of her native people of Hawaii. She wants the history to be factual instead of fictional. In one of her speech Trask says, â€Å"Our story remains unwritten. It rests within the culture, which is inseparable from the land. To know this is to know our history. To write this is to write of the land and the people who are born from her†. In this quote, you can see that she is trying to emphasize that the history that we have taken is by people who  have visited the land. She would rather want historians to write down the actually history of Hawaiians from the native people who have lived there. In one Baldwin’s point of views, he talks about how language can also be used as a sense of power. If a certain person is smart enough and understands his own language, then that person can use that language to convince other people into believing what they believe. When you have the ability to persuade people, then you begin to build a sense of power that is hard to break. Understanding your own language can help you with communicating with other people, understanding other people, and learning from other people. Trask definitely has this sense of power because she is able to communicate with other people, and communicate with them by telling them the history of culture of Hawaiians without forgetting any details. In conclusion, some of the ideas of language are similar between Trask and Baldwin. In both Baldwin and Trask’s articles, they have a self image of persuading other into believing what they believe is the truth. Baldwin wants people to understand that all English is the same, it’s just different by the way we speak it. Trask wants people to understand that traditions in culture are the backbone in your development of language. The thing that connects these two writers is that both believe that language is the way people communicate to each other to get their ideas out in the open. Importance Of Language free essay sample We change the way we talk to smaller children and the way we talk at ark. Language is so important that we tend to overlook how we essentially use it for everything. Data Language is important in every aspect of our lives because it allows people to communicate in a manner that enables the sharing of common ideas (Education. Com, 2013). Language helps shape a persons identity (Totally, 2008). Language is the basis of transmitting knowledge (Dry. Minivan, 2006). Language is used to express feelings and in signs, gestures, symbols, and sounds.We change our language depending on who we talk to and where we are talking. Example: at work, to children,etc. (Bauer, Laurie 2003). Learning engage will help a persons vocabulary and expand knowledge. Explanation We use language to communicate, express our feelings to others and to ask questions. Language is so specific to humans that it Separates us from all other living beings. We will write a custom essay sample on Importance Of Language or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We use language by combining words to create meaning. There are currently over six thousand language schemes used around the world (Davits, J. A. 2009).Without being able to express or say how we feel, we wouldnt be able to interact with one another. Signs and symbols are another important aspect of language. For example, a stop sign yields us to stop and smoke usually indicates that there is a fire. Sounds are a language that include a police car, a fire truck or helicopter that help us indicate what they are. We distinguish and name objects to identify and to understand what things are and what they represent. Language helps shapes ones identity by the type of language they are taught growing up and the ethical background they are raised with. Each and every persons culture is different and reflects how we speak, our accent and the wide variety or range of words we use. Our parents choose to teach us what they want us to learn, whether it be one or two languages or more, and our accent reflects how they sound. When we use language, we do so as individuals with social histories (Rooter, 1989). Gender, social class, religion and race all have an impact on our language. For example, we are born as male or female and into a distinct income level that defines us as poor, middle class or upper class.Also, we may be born as Christians, Jews, Muslims, or with some other religious affiliation and thus take on individual identities ascribed to us by our particular religious association (Ochs, 1996). As there are many reasons for language, knowledge is one of the most important. Without language, knowledge would not exist. We need language to understand and to learn and thus we gain knowledge. We take the knowledge we have learned and pass it on to one another, go to school to learn and are taught many things including English and the proper uses of it. Vocabulary is central to English language teaching because without sufficient vocabulary students cannot understand others or express their own ideas (Wilkins, 1972). Without grammar, very little can be conveyed and without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed. Particularly, as students develop greater fluency and expression in English, it is significant for them to acquire more reductive vocabulary knowledge and to develop their own personal vocabulary learning strategies (Lewis, 1993). Every time we speak, we give our listeners information about who we are and where we come from. When we use language we do so as individuals with social history. Our histories are defined in part by our membership in a range of social groups into which we are born such as gender, social class, religion and race. For example, we are born as female or male and into a distinct income level that defines us as poor, middle class or upper class. Likewise, we may be born as Christians, Muslims, Jews or with some other religious affiliation. Thus, we take on individual identities ascribed by us or a particular religious association.Consequences/Conclusion In Conclusion, Language can be said to be a non-argumentative topic. It is proven that without language we would not be able to express our feelings, communicate with one another or be able to learn and retain knowledge. Thus, we could not argue without language. Language shapes who each individual is and which culture they come from. Language is used as signs and symbols. Without these signs and symbols, we wouldnt have stop signs or now that smoke is a sign of fire. Language is the reason why we call each and every object what it is.

Learn How to Order a Drink in Italian

Learn How to Order a Drink in Italian One of the most delightful Italian traditions is meeting up for a pre-dinner drink between 7 and 9pm. Known as an aperitivo, this is a civilized way to wind down from the stress of the day and to whet your appetite for dinner. If you’re curious about how an aperitivo works and the etiquette when you go to one, read this:  How to Do an â€Å"Aperitivo† Right in Italy In order to take part in this tradition, here are three quick phrases to commit to memory: Prendo un bicchiere di (prosecco), per favore. - I’ll take a glass of (prosecco), please.Con / senza ghiaccio - With / without iceNe vorrei un altro, (per favore). - I would like another (please). If you want to get a bit more detailed, here are phrases that are more specific to: Ordering Wine in Italian Prendiamo un quarto di rosso della casa. - We’ll take a quart of red house wine.Prendiamo un mezzo litro di rosso della casa! - We’ll take a half liter of red house wine.Avete un bianco  pià ¹ morbido? - Do you have a white  wine that’s smoother?Mi consiglia un bianco secco? - Can you recommend a dry white wine for me?Prendo un rosso dolce. Solo un bicchiere. - I’ll take a sweet red wine. Just one glass.Vorremmo una bottiglia di Orvieto classico. - We would like a bottle of classic Orvieto.Un bicchiere di vino rosato, per favore. - A glass of rosà ©, please.Vorrei assaggiare un vino rosso corposo. - I would like to try a full-bodied red wine.Chi assaggia? - Who is tasting?Buono! - It’s good!Non mi piace. - I don’t like it. All of the above phrases will be really useful for ordering wine in a restaurant, too. You can learn some more phrases about how to order food here. Ordering Beer in Italian Some  popular beers in Italy are Tennent’s Lager, Peroni, and Nastro Azzurro. If you’re curious about other popular beers,  read this article  (note its in Italian).  Ã‚   Cosa avete alla spina? - What do you have on tap?Avete birre chiare? - What light beers do you have?Avete birre scure? - What dark beers do you have?Prendo una bottiglia di Stella. - I’ll take a bottle of Stella. Partaking of Other Drink Options Popular drinks to order during aperitivo are the spritz, the Americano, a Negroni, and prosecco. Bellinis, a popular drink made of peach juice and champagne,  was invented in the 1930s in Venice and named after the Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini. Vorrei un digestivo. - I would like a digestive.Prendiamo due Bellini. - We’ll take two bellinis.Vorrei qualcosa di analcolico da bere./ Per me un analcolico, grazie. - I would like something non-alcoholic to drink.Prendo uno spritz. - I’ll take a spritz.Due bicchierini di Jameson. - Two shots of Jameson.Un whisky liscio, per favore. - A whiskey neat, please. More General Phrases Cosa ti porto? - What can I get you?Ti offro. - I’m buying.Cosa prendi? - What are you getting?Quant’à ¨? - How much is it?Tenga il resto. - Keep the change.Servite ancora da bere? - Are you still serving drinks? And if you’ve done some more serious drinking while out with Italian friends, the next day you might want to say†¦ Ho un dopo-sbornia incredibile! - I have a hangover!Ieri sera ho preso una bella sbornia! - Last night I got quite drunk! Practice Dialogue And while memorizing the phrases that you’re going to say is certainly useful, it’s even better when you’re able to see everything in context. Here’s a short dialogue of what the interaction might look like: Bartender: Prego. - Go ahead and order. / What can I get for you?You: Prendo un negroni senza ghiaccio, per favore. - I’d like a negroni without ice, please.Bartender: Va bene. Altro? - Okay. Anything else?You: Anche un prosecco e due bicchieri di vino rosso. - A prosecco and two glasses of red wine as well.Bartender: E poi? Nient’altro? - And then? Anything else?You: No, basta cosà ¬. - No, that’s it.Bartender: Sono ventuno euro. - 21 euro.You: Ecco.Tenga il resto. - Here you go. Keep the change.

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human resource management - Essay Example The intention of this study is Human Resource planning that is essential in organizations for two major reasons; alignment & change. Due to the impact globalisation, any company seeking to expand beyond the boundaries of a given nation has to come up with ways on how to remain competitive globally. An entity has to change its corporate culture and strategy. Restructuring of business operations has relations to competencies and behaviours of the personnel the organisation possesses. Therefore, to motivate and give support to the organisational behaviour that is required the HR practices and policies have to be changed. This is only possible through HR planning. The HR Management is also needed in the process of strategically aligning an organisation. To this, there are two types of alignment: 1) vertical alignment- this is evident where the system of HR Management can fit with the entire elements of the organization. That is, strategy, culture, and technology among others; 2) horizont al alignment- this is in existence where the HR Management practices and HR policies are in consistence with each other. Thus, there is coherence on the messages concerning how employees should carry themselves at work. As an organisation grows, there arises a need to bring in new employees. This is because of the anticipated future growth. Here HR planning is needed for the accomplishment of this purpose. It is vital to note that HR planning happens in several steps. There are four major stages in HR planning and these are as follows: Preparation of a forecast- At this stage, there is the anticipation of the number of employees that are needed in the future. This step usually favors the firms which have been in business for a while since they can reasonably forecast their future needs based on their past trends as far as Human Resources are concerned. HR Inventory Development- This step is usually an easy task for numerous businesses. This involves the determination of the number o f employees that the company needs in future, taking in to account the employees already working in the organization. A Job Analysis Development- This is considered as the hardest step in HR planning process. This is hard especially because it involves a process of deciding what is to be done and by which employee even though the employees are yet to be hired. A Comprehensive Plan Preparation- This is the most time consuming of the steps, but the most vital. This is, fundamentally the step of determining how to successfully bring in the new employees in the organization. (morebusiness.com, 2006) 2.3 Recruitment and Selection Process in two organisations (Comparison)

Myocardial infarction Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Myocardial infarction - Case Study Example The mice used in this experiment were reported to have larger and more severe atherosclerosis wounds after a stroke or myocardial infarction. These results were observed to be as a result of increased monocyte production that was triggered by the stroke that affected the spleen action. This understanding of factor affecting atherosclerosis and can be used in using better management techniques (Dutta et al 2012). This is because the kind of intervention used on atherosclerosis patients with ischemic complication can affect the long term outcome. Care should thus be taken with patients with such problems to avoid further complications I find this article to be important because you find that most patients suffering from atherosclerosis also suffers from myocardial infarction. The interaction of the two makes it hard to treat one or the other. Understanding how myocardial infarction affects other diseases is important in developing better treatment methods. For instance, people sufferin g from atherosclerosis should not be subjected to a treatment that increases the possibility of getting a stroke or myocardial infarction. It gives a deeper understanding how the myocardial infarction may affect the body so that precautions can be taken. Article two Guidelines for Management of Acute Myocardial Infarction The article looks into the various strategies that have been put forward on the treatment of myocardial infarction. It starts by analyzing all the symptoms associated with the disease and how they affect the body. The author then systematically explains all the treatment options and their implication on the body. This is putting in consideration that although there may many treatment strategies, their effectiveness is tagged on their ability to give the nest end results and reduce the risk of the patient getting other infections. The article puts all these risks in the clear so that doctors can be able to decide which treatment option best suits their patient condi tion. The author highlights early risk stratification and rapid diagnosis as major factors influencing the success of treatment of acute myocardial infarction. In order to understand the extent of the progression of the disease, different strategies are used and this look for biochemical, pathological, clinical and electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics (Banerjee & Kumar 2011). These risks should be analyzed quantitatively to get a greater picture of the disease progression. I think this article is important because it not only describes the different treatment options but it also gives a detailed account of the risks associated with these treatment options. The physician can use this method to determine which treatment option suits a patient in context of other disorders that the patient may have. The information presented here can be used by doctors to have the needed information that would increase the chance of having better outcomes. Article Three Plasma HDL cholesterol and risk of myocardial infarction: a mendelian randomisation study The article is about a study that seeks to know whether a high level of plasma HDL cholesterol decreases the risk of getting myocardial infarction. The study seeks to identify whether the association of low risk to myocardial infection with low plasma HDL cholesterol is cause. It takes a mendelian approach where genes are assorted independently during meiosis and their causal effects is not affected by the disease progr

Czech Republic EU

Czech Republic EU Czech Republic is strategically located at the center of Europe. After the fall of Soviet Union and the end of communism in Czech republic after the velvet revolution there was a considerable growth in the field of economic and industrial area. When the Czech Republic joined into EU and CEC it attracted a lot of investments form the foreign investors. The Czech economic GPD has increased gradually from 3.5 in 2004 to 4.1 in 2005.Along with the countrys strategic location in central of Europe, its low-cost structure and skilled work force have also attracted strong inflows of foreign direct investment. This investment is rapidly modernizing its industrial base and increasing productivity. Before the liberalization of the Czech economy, majority of the companies were mostly run by the state government and had little investments from the outside world. The production level of Czech also reduced and compared with its neighbors. The Czech Republic boasts a flourishing consumer production sector. In the early 1990s most state-owned industries were privatized through a voucher privatization system. Every citizen was given the opportunity to buy, for a moderate price, a book of vouchers that he or she could exchange for shares in state-owned companies. State ownership of businesses was estimated to be about 97% under communism. The non-private sector is less than 20% today. With the liberation of economy and the nod form the government to FDI the Czech economy and its trade balance gradually increased to 3 billion Euros. The GDP and per capita increased staidly. In order to increase the FDI investments the government offered investment incentives in order to enhance the Czech Republics natural advantages, thereby attracting foreign partners and stimulating the economy. Shifting emphasis from the East to the West has necessitated adjustment of commercial laws and accounting practices to fit Western standards. Formerly state-owned banks have all been privatized into the hands of west European banks and oversight by the central bank has improved. The telecommunications infrastructure has been upgraded. The Czech Republic has made significant progress toward creating a stable and attractive climate for investment, although continuing reports of corruption are troubling to investors.(Czech Republic 2003) As Czech Republic has joined the EU in may 2004, most of the foreign investors and leading multinational companies invested huge amount of money into it. The companies like SAB Millers, Volkswagen, and Tesco acquired the companies of Czech Republic and were able to invest more amounts of money and technology into them. With higher competition among the local and foreign companies, the local companies were able to improve its qualities and have an opportunity to compete with them in the global market. When SAB miller acquired the local leading Czech brewing company Plzensky Prazdroj it brought along with it technology which helped it to generate more amount of quantity. As Czech Republic in centrally placed in Europe and it is a member of EU gave SAB miller a foothold in the European market. This also brought good revenues for the local producers and suppliers. There was a steady demand for the local products. Likewise when Czech automaker Skoda was acquired by the German automobile giant Volkswagen, it not only entered a new market but it also helped Skoda to invest more funds into its new technological researchs.The result was that the profits of Skoda gradually jumped from 209 Million dollars to 6.65 billion dollars in a span of time. The operational strategies are made on the day to day basic of the companies at local functional levels. Effective organizational strategies success will only occur depending on the performance of the company. Resources and workforce play a major role at the success of operational strategy. Even though Volkswagen completely owns Skoda it does not make the interference in the management style. With the help of Volkswagen Skoda was able to become a major brand, Skoda were able to position them selves to compete with major car brands. With the help of Volkswagen Skoda was able to use new technologies for better communication with its suppliers and distributors. As Volkswagen being a parent organization of Skoda it does has a major say in its marketing and operational strategies, in designs in order to keep the competitive advantage over its competitors. In the case of SAB millers which is the parent company of Plzensky Prazdroj the production and managerial strategies are held by the ch ild company where as the marketing and decision making strategies are done by the parent company. All the decisions about the production and buying of raw materials are held with Plzensky in order to continue with its old tradition and local heritage. As Kim and Mauborgne (2005) said the creation of a strategy is about providing value its buyers along with reducing the costs will help them have a competitive advantage over its competitors. With help of just in time strategy Skoda was able to have economic scale gains. Skoda was able to create a new market space in Czech and Europe through its cost efficient methods. As in the case of ZVVZ as which had a tough competition with Enven in its local market, they acquired it and were able to reduce the competition. ZVVZ was able to successfully able to create a market for its own in the environmental products. As it has no competitors they ensured that they give high perceived value to its customers at a lower prices, to make do this they reduced the cost by outsourcing the logistics. Kim and Maubroge (2005) point out that to have a competitive advantage over its competitors a firm has to successfully align with cost, utility and price potions. Pilsners rural locations enable them to brew and procure raw materials at a very cheap price. And in order to minimize the costs pilsners also utilized the water from theits local stream. Thus they are focused on customer satisfaction they have more customer base. By using proper value innovation companies try to have a competitive advantage over its competitors , Pilsner a brewing company did not use any value innovation in its strategies. Even in the case of Skoda until Volkswagen acquired them they had no proper value innovation. In case of ZVVZ it created new markets and new products lines by effectively utilizing value innovation technique. This ensured that ZVVZ has major competitive advantage over its competitors and ensured them to be a market leader. As the competition among the major companies is increasing, there has been a major impact on the organizational cultures with comparisons to local companies and its parents companies. The positive impacts can been seen at Skoda where the distance between employees and management is high and always ensured for the better performance of the company. Independent decisions are taken at managerial level to have positive results. How ever in some cases the employees were not comfortable this power distance, which lead them to have high risk and uncertainty and due to this there are more misunderstandings among the management and employees. In this case employees were not able to make decisions which lead to having confusion also led to the failures of the companies. In conclusion Czech economy had been able to transfer itself from being a centralized economy to a free economy. The foreign direct investment ensured that Czech economy jumped from a small to very big economy with the help of FDI the local companies were able to invest heavy money into its research departments, which resulted in huge gains for the company. Czech strategic location which is at the center of Europe ensured that major investments are poured into it. References David A. Grvin (1992) Operation strategy . Prentice Hall international England. Kim, C.W., and Mauborgne, R. (2004) Blue Ocean Strategy, Harvard Business Review [online]. pp 76-84, [cited on 30th April 2008]. Accessed via Ebscohost. Krajewski L, Ritzman L(1998) Operation managements 5th edition , Addison Wesley , England. Slack N, Chambers S, Johnston R (1995) , operations management 5th edition , Prentice hall, England.

Evolution of white women in society Essay

During the colonial chronology of the United States, many a historian pictured women as better situated than their more recent contemporaries (Mary Beth Norton, 1984). The value of women in the colonies was premised on the survival mode of the colonists during that time (Norton, 1984). To survive, both male and female were expected to pull their own weight in the community for the common good of the community (Norton, 1984). Due to this situation, the common lines of separation on the roles of women from the men were blurred greatly (Norton, 1984). As such, women in the colonies could engage in the activities that were also done by the men folk in the community (Norton, 1984). But what gave women a distinct advantage was that they could produce offspring, a very large contribution to the survival of the colonies (Norton, 1984). Also, the Common Law as it was applied in England was not fully complied with in the colonies (Norton, 1984). Hence, women were able to contribute more fully in the life of the colonies (Norton, 1984). Today’s society bears little distinction in the role of women in the colonies. At present, women are doing many of the duties and employment that men have usually been pictured. Women can do what the men are doing to be able to cope with the increasing costs of living in the present economy of many countries. Most are successful in many of traditional endeavors of man. Sadly, there are opponents from both sides, one saying that women must be confined to their traditional station, while another seeks greater power for the women. What lies in the crux of the issue is the issue of equality for both sexes. We must treat women as vital instruments to the growth of a society, not only as objects to look and admire at. That aim can be achieved in terms of affording greater avenues for women to make that contribution, not locking them away from them. In this day and age, all hands count in the survival of a community. Reference Norton, M. B. (1984). The evolution of white women’s experience in early America. The American Historical Review, Volume 89, pp. 539-619

Continuing Professional Development Essay

With the rapid pace of change, many people may find that their skills and knowledge, acquired over the recent past, are outdated. In order to update their members, many professional groups have introduced the concept of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). (Foot and Hooks, 2002). The Royal Town Planning Institute (2001) holds that CPD is the means by which members of professional associations maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills and develop their personal qualities required in their professional lives. A guide for employers of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST, 2001) states that CPD is the term that describes how employees maintain their competence in the workplace. CPD comprises of updating particular areas of competence, developing personal and management skills and broadening experience leading to new opportunities. The challenges and opportunities of the work experience provide the central mechanism for maintaining CPD and professional and other organizations should encourage and support their members to maintain their CPD. Here, CPD can be organized so that it can be carried out almost automatically. It is a continual process of planning, completing activities, assessment of those activities and review/feedback to the plan. A system that encompasses these four stages must be set up. Many employers have a system in the arm of the Human Resource Department and professionals should be encouraged to include their employers in the CPD process, as ideally, it should be a partnership that will benefit employee, employer and the company. The annual appraisal interview is the ideal time to plan development targets and assess progress. The details of CPD are very much the property of individuals and one should not rely on the company’s personnel system. If not maintained properly, it may be of no support to an employee if he no longer works for that particular company. The planning stage is the most important of the four core aspects of CPD. There should be an analysis of the current job, concentrating on knowledge and skills. Then, the same thing should be done for the job/position targeted. Consultation with a mentor at this stage may be helpful. A skills and knowledge gap analysis will identify appropriate learning and  development activities. Available opportunities and personal constraints, such as money availability, should be taken into account and targets should be high, practical, achievable and challenging, bearing in mind that the plan will change regularly. (Porter 1998). Relevant information such as technical subjects, foreseeable career opportunities and in – house or external development courses should be gathered. An outline plan stating objectives, priorities, target dates and appropriate activities must also be developed. If suitable, the plan should be agreed with interested parties such as colleagues, employer, and mentor or development specialist. The outline plan should be developed into a structured detailed plan to include such information as targets agreed resourced, agreed support, agreed control and responsibility. To meet development need and to achieve targets, a wide range of activities may be chosen and support of the employer may sought. Activities may be formal and structured, for example, as in courses, distance learning, conferences, presentations or research. The advantage of formal activities is that they will often offer tangible evidence that can be incorporated into a record of CPD, the disadvantage being that the employee may feel some of the cost, especially in the cases of external courses. CPD will be a combination of this formal structure as well as less structured activities such as work experience, assignments, on the job training or mentoring. Advantages derived here are the unexpected challenges and the professional contact leading to better learning. Successful development usually requires that learning activities be matched with practical applications. An important outcome of activities is the compilation of a detailed record of activities undertaken, which should show what activities have actually occurred and with what consequence. A suitable log/record book should include certificates of attendance at events, training syllabuses, completion certificates, performance appraisals as well as a personal development record. The review against the CPD plan must be measured in terms of new/improves  levels of competence. Some useful questions to ask at this stage include ‘ What added value was gained from this activity? What can I do now, do better, that I could not do before? How do I plan to use my new abilities? Am I making progress towards achieving my learning objectives? What lessons have I learned and what should I do next?’ As stated previously, CPD is a continuous process of planning, completing activities, assessment of those activities and review/feedback. Having completed the review and feedback stage, the plan must now be amended to start the process again. The benefit derived here is the regular updating of achievements, which will act as a useful historical record and a powerful document when in discussion with a current or potential employer. In terms of CPD, professional associations are particularly helpful in conducting a skills audit gap analysis, determining the knowledge and skills required for a particular job, setting development objectives and assessing learning experience. They also aid in deciding the next necessary steps and may offer encouragement and provide motivation to persist with a CPD activity, as well as suggesting other CPD activities. Advantages and disadvantages may arise from choosing professional associations from within and external to an organization. Benefits may include a structured plan being presented, mindful of deviations and credible certification. A downside from an internal association may be the training to a specific and specialized field, as in the case of Information Technology, thereby limiting employees. The advantages and disadvantages of CPD in relation to professional associations, employees and employers may best be shown by how CPD obligations affect those particular groups. CPD is important to employers because it involves the competence and efficiency of the workforce. Professionals aged under 30 ranked career development opportunities higher than salary, while those over 30 still place it high on their demands. (IMarEST 2001). Today, technology is  changing at such a rapid rate that individuals must keep up to date in order to remain competitive and employable, and, businesses must invest in their workforce in order to remain competitive and profitable. The crucial role played by people in a company is now widely recognized and now many firms are becoming involved with initiatives such as ‘ Investors in People.’ The employee who maintains his competence through CPD will be a highly valued member of the workforce, giving assurance to the truism that ‘ the investment in people appreciates, whilst investment in equipment depreciates.’ (IMarEST 2001). This investment by employers may be double edged, as people in the U K change their employers every 4.5 years on average, either voluntarily or compulsory, for example as a result of redundancy. Thus, one employer after investing in an employee’s CPD may find that he has prepared his employee for another employer. Investment in employee development provides a benefit to the company which result in ‘ bottom line profit.’ Even in the short run, payback can significantly exceed the outlay because when employees understand the processes they are working with, and appreciate the business objectives that they are working towards, their productivity and creativity improve. Individuals also gain greater job satisfaction which lead to a greater commitment to the company’s performance and therefore a lower rate of staff turnover, an advantage to employers. Employees should be encouraged to take a proactive role in deciding what training and development activities they should undertake, whilst employers should be helping and guiding such decisions to ensure that corporate goals are met. Individuals have a responsibility to themselves and their employers to consider what might be required in the future and to prepare themselves to be ready when opportunities occur and when changes are necessary. At the same time, employers have a responsibility to their company and their employees to provide an environment where people can develop the necessary skills and knowledge to take on new responsibilities as the need arises. (Christopher 1998). The days when we did a three to four year course and thought we’d been  trained for life have gone. Evolving technology, faster rate of product development and the need for employees to work across several disciplines, require everyone to be aware of the need to regularly update their skills. CPD offers a well recognized mechanism for all to update their technical competence, communication and management skills, and an appreciation of the commercial aspect of their industry. CPD will allow a person to spot opportunities and exploit new ideas effectively. From the point of view of not performing CPD, we can highlight some inherent disadvantages to all concerned parties. Clients are becoming more involved with their investments in terms of scrutiny. Vocal groups of shareholders may be ready to arm themselves with litigation, lobbying powers and letters whenever they feel professional standards may have slipped. CPD will be the proof of continued development and reviewing of professional standards, reducing an organization’s vulnerability to its professionalism being brought into question. Correctly maintained CPD will also have the benefit to review and explore one’s career and to discover strengths and weaknesses, holding to the adage ‘ to learn now ensures that you earn later.’ (Evans 1997). Every company need some form of career development program to produce a succession of motivated upward moving employees. Even employees who are destined to remain at the same level may need career development as their job change or become obsolete. Employers may invest in the CPD of their employees by some transparent actions. They need to clarify how business objectives may best be met by the investment in employees, and should use opportunities like annual appraisals to discuss individual development. They should listen to employees’ ideas and encourage them to consider personal goals, and setting realistic expectations, as there will be limited resources of time and money. Employers should persevere in CPD of employees, with regular review progress reports, as it will lead to tangible improvements in productivity and in the competitiveness of the business. A mentoring scheme should be established to assist in setting medium and long-term career goals. The wide ranges of activities that take place, daily, in the workplace provide many of the most important learning skills. People should be given the chance to experience different situations and develop a wide range of skills. In specific instances, formal, off the job training may be required. Employees should be encouraged to read widely to gain an appreciation of the wider issues related to their job. (Beer 1985). The professional development of staff should not be confined just to technical competence but should include the wider issues of environmental protection, health and safety, interpersonal skills, management techniques, and legal and financial knowledge, where necessary. Employers should actively encourage their employees to attend events organized by local groups of professional institutions and similar relevant organizations. These meetings offer both technical updating, by means of formal lectures, and the opportunity for discussion with other professional people working in related fields. Encouraging staff to network in this way is a key means of increasing competitiveness. It is of great benefit to employees to have help in reviewing their progress and guidance in choosing which routes to follow. Managers within a company should be aware of the importance of individual development and be able to guide those for whom they are responsible. They should be aware not only of development goals, but also of the different types of training requirements that different people have. (Bernardin and Russel 1993). It is strongly recommended that, where possible, a fellow professional act as a mentor to facilitate the CPD of employees, as helping individuals improve their performance will improve overall business results. There are no hard and fast rules for the amount of time to be spent on staff development. It is the benefit of an activity to a particular employee rather than the activity itself that is important and all learning opportunities, however informal, should be seized when they arise.