History of Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

History of Architecture - Essay Example It will also reveal innovative new building technologies and strategies that can help and restore the viability of a natural cycle (History of architecture, 12). This essay will also touch on the main functions of a shelter and how humans have continuously adapted to differing environments through an amazing diversity of structure. Humans are required to live harmoniously with each other for future growth of the environment. This essay will discuss the nature of dwelling (from the urban scale to the â€Å"home†) in the built environment from the 18th-21st centuries, putting into consideration the scale of the city and the individual or multi-family dwelling. In addition, this essay will describe the design global and the local-built environment from the 18th-21st century and what were happening during the age of reason or enlightenment period, the modern period, and the postmodern period. The traces that are found in caves makes us believe that early humans were living in cave s. The bones they gnawed, even their own bones, and the flints they used were creped around for ever in a cave but get scattered or demolished somewhere else. Caves were winter shelters, and none wished to remain inside on a summer day. This is similar to the response that our ancestors portrayed. The right to travel extensively for the goals of hunting as well as gathering called for the need for at least a short-term shelter. The demand for shelter brought about the beginning of architecture (Pryce, 19). The early human needed a shelter against rain and sun hence they would lean some protective shields, for example, they used leafy branches against the trunk of a tree. Traces of early dwellings that can be counted as reliable were found for as early as 30,000 years ago. The circular or oval ring of stones together with the local materials that was used to act as a tent-like roof was enough evidence that the early humans practiced architecture. An encampment from 25,000 years ago h as been at Dolni Vestonice in Eastern Europe. The evolution of architecture shifted form tents to round houses by around 8000 BC. By 6500 BC, human beings lived in houses with straight walls, which had windows. From the 5th to the 2nd millennium, the construction of Stone Age graves and temples was acquired, and it became common. Multi-family dwelling also known as a multi-dwelling unit or multi-family residential is a categorization of the housing element for the non-commercial populace is contained within one or several building within one complex (McIntyre et al, 15). One common form of a multi-family dwelling is an apartment building. In some cases, multi-family dwelling building is owned individually instead of leasing from a single apartment building owner. There are different types of multi-family dwelling. These include two flat, which is commonly built on a house lot. The second one is a three flat which is similar to two flat, but it contains three flats; they are most com mon. Another type of multi-family dwelling is a four flat apartment (Graff, 17). Duplex or semi-detached - one building, which consist of two houses, townhouse – this is a type of house that is attached to townhouses. There is also the apartment, mixed used building, and apartment community. A one-family dwelling might be referred to as a semi-detached housing. In this case, each unit is separate from another. This makes it easier to sell the

Discrimination Against Homosexuals in the Workplace Essay

Discrimination Against Homosexuals in the Workplace - Essay Example Outline The main argument of the paper concerns a mythic nature of federal acts, prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals in the workplace. On the one hand, the Acts of 1975 and 2000 are focused on homosexuals’ rights protection in the workplace, but in reality, a few companies have been acting in compliance with the principles propagated by these Acts. Moreover, a straight society is not ready to accept homosexuals to the fullest extent. Social norms, moral underpinnings and stereotypes have always caused a negative impact on homosexuals in different spheres of their activity. Introduction From the historical perspective, the world’s governments were not too much enthusiastic about hiring gays or lesbians. This group of people was restricted from their rights’ protection, the grounds for dismissal were also found in homosexuality and many other negative impacts were caused by homosexuality until 1975. After 1975 a gradual shift of legal policies protecting rights of homosexuals emerged. Further on this tendency was developed in the Acts of 2000 (Dipboye & Colella, 2005). Nevertheless, it is relevant for the government not only to introduce regulations against homosexuals’ discrimination in the workplace, but also implement them in practice. Legal aspects In 1975 the Sex Discrimination Act was approved. Nevertheless, there are many arguments concerning interpretation of this Act: â€Å"†¦the prohibition against discrimination on grounds of ‘sex’ does not include a prohibition against discrimination on grounds of ‘sexual orientation† (Estlund, 2003). Therefore, an intrusion in the sexual life of homosexuals has been practiced by the majority of the companies. A so-called lavender ceiling for homosexuals was invented in some companies. Courts have taken different paths in spite of adopted federal regulations: â€Å"Although the courts rejected immorality as grounds for dismissing gay employees, the ir deference to administrative expertise and administrators' reliance on a common sense standard meant that distaste for homosexuals bolstered national security concerns† (Estlund, 2003). Thus, it is necessary not only to implement Acts against discrimination in the workplace, not only â€Å"on the paper†, but also in practice. The government has to prevent discrimination against homosexuals in the workplace in accordance with the Directive on Equal Treatment in Employment and Occupation (27 November 2000). By December 2003 these legal regulations had to be implemented to the fullest extent. Unfortunately, many homosexuals come across oppressing policies in their workplaces. The courts are not much concerned about sexual discrimination in the workplace. Very often legal regulations and rules are not efficient in practice. There is an interesting quotation concerning legal regulations on homosexuals’ discrimination in the workplace: â€Å"They [courts] treat disc rimination against women with small children as actionable sex discrimination, along with discrimination against aggressive women and effeminate men. Yet, for reasons not fully articulated, they refuse to treat discrimination against men in dresses as actionable† (Yuracko, 2003). It is evident that courts’ actions are full of inconsistencies. These decisions may at first look intricate and unprincipled. There is a need to propagate social policies directed on development of homogenized workplace. Employers’

Use of Gender in Advertising

Use of Gender in Advertising Gender and Media Advertising. Introduction: The final dissertation will research, analyze and summarize the findings pertaining to the use of gender in advertising and the possible effects on the target market and society. The media advertising covered to include both print and electronic media and will, at minimum, encompass examples from magazines, television and Internet advertising, as they are the most pervasive within western society. A brief history of advertising and common techniques used in advertising, such as branding, to be included as background information. Methodology.   Content analysis to be done on selected major advertising campaigns in the three specified media of magazines, television and Internet. Additional quantitative analysis tools will be used, where required. Body   The research question to be addressed is: Identify and analyze the use of gender in media advertising, and its probable effects on society and summarize the findings. Provide background information on the historical and ethical use of advertising, including marketing techniques and refer to key proponents of the subject. For the purpose of the dissertation the following definitions will be applied throughout Gender  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender): â€Å"the characteristics, whether biological or socially influenced, by which people define male and female.† (Myers, 2002)Advertising (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising) Generally speaking, advertising is the promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, usually by an identified sponsor. To achieve the required results, information and advertisements will be gathered from multiple sources; including magazines with different target audiences, television advertising and related articles, as well as Internet sites that promote specific products. Internet sites to include both product sites which are selected by the consumer and pop up advertising which is unsolicited. The content analysis of the data will take into consideration the techniques used, how appropriate the gender usage is related to the nature of the product being marketed and the target audience. The results to be summarized, categorized and reported based on the different media being evaluated as they use differing marketing techniques. This could result in gender content in advertising being less appropriate in certain mediums, based on the target audience and whether the target had the choice to select the specific advertisement. Printed media provides standard content for all consumers who view or purchase the magazine Television advertising is timed, niche type marketing to gain the attention of the most likely target market e.g. car related products advertised during NASCAR racing   Internet advertising is often one-on-one marketing based on the specific consumers past usage of Internet sites and information gathered by marketers on consumers from their web sites. e.g. Amazon analyze purchases made and then advertise selected products based on this history data to that individual consumer Certain products advertise using all of the above channels and are likely to prove to be good examples for inclusion in the dissertation. They will provide a total view of a product’s advertising strategy, as well as have a broad effect on society. Such products advertising could include additional channels, such as billboards and cinema advertising and this should be noted and included, where applicable. Where possible, marketing research carried out by the products marketing company will be included to validate the target markets and identify their marketing strategies.    The analysis must include the use of both men and women in advertising and the results need to identify and specify the differences and similarities in the use of both in the specific advertisements.   For this to provide a balanced comparison, the products for both sexes should be comparable, e.g. apparel. In addition to specifically looking at the effects of gender in advertising, any product that displays misleading facts, either by inclusion or omission of relevant facts, in any aspect, is to be investigated and included in the results. I believe that the dissertation will show that there are many examples of gender being included inappropriately by the media. If the introduction of a specific gender in an advertisement has no bearing on the product or the usage thereof, and is included only to engage the interest of the potential consumer, the inclusion is likely to be unnecessary and probably inappropriate. Such misuse could result in a number of negative effects on the consumer, for example Raises false expectations of the effect of the product being marketed Creates stereotypes in the minds of the general public which are erroneous Literature review As part of the analysis, identify and read up articles from key authors on the subject matter and include their findings relating to gender issues in advertising and any other appropriate sources outputs in the dissertation. Assumptions The dissertation is limited to advertising for an adult market and will not include marketing specifically aimed at children or teens. The study will only include media in English that is primarily used in the western world If specific print magazines, periodicals, companies or advertising campaigns are to be included in the study, this will be stated by the client The dissertation relates to advertising directed at the general public and therefore excludes business-to-business marketing and advertising strategies. Possible Limitations The topic will be limited to media advertising in English speaking, western society only, although I believe the use of gender in advertising could have a far greater negative impact in the Middle and Far East. The culture of consumers differs across Europe and the Americas and certain cultural groups will view advertisements differently. If the advertising has been customized by country or region to accommodate differing cultures, this could fragment some of the results. Conclusion: The choice of suitable products and the media advertising utilized is vital to the quality of the final dissertation. Tables and graphs to be included to illustrate the findings, where applicable. The dissertation will summarize the findings of the analysis carried out and document both the negative and positive aspects of gender usage as studied in media advertising. Any unethical practices identified which result in misleading the target market to be included, regardless of whether they specifically relate to the inclusion of gender bias.

Amr Moussa :: Essays Papers

Amr Moussa I am Amr Moussa. I currently represent the country of Egypt as Secretary General of the Arab League, but that’s getting ahead of myself. Allow me to take you back to my beginning. I was born on October 3rd 1936 (Medea’s Information files, 2002 pg 1). While I was growing up I studied law in Cairo, Egypt before I started my successful career as a civil servant. My duties as a civil servant began once I started in the office of Egyptian Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1958(Medea’s Information files 2002 pg 1). This was my first big break and I was going to take full advantage of it. In 1967, some 9 years later, I became the Egyptian Ambassador to India(The African Center, London 2002 pg 1). To me this was the break I had been looking for in my career. This was an opportunity I knew I had to capitalize on, and I did. I was also rewarded with permanent Representation to the United Nations in 1990(Medea’s Information files/Medea 2002 pg 1). Acting as the middleman between Israelis and Palestinians in 1992, when secret talks were going on, I gave my full support to the Declaration of Principles in September of 1993 to guarantee the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) of Egypt’s support. I was a supporter of the Israeli integration in the Middle East. I was very critical of the Israeli government for not having full support over the commitment to the peace process. I was also outraged at the lack of full support for not signing the new Non-Nuclear proliferation Treaty in 1995(Medea’s Information files 2002 pg 1). I have worked extremely hard my whole life to bring my country (Egypt) closer to neighboring countries such as Syria, Jordan, and Iran. Since I started on this journey, I have gained extensive ground to make such progress that is seen today. However there is still no guarantee that the relationships we have made will stand in future times of despair. I have been the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Government of Egypt since 1991(The African Center, London pg 1). In 2001 I was relieved of my duties at Minister for Foreign Affairs. I was recently appointed to be Secretary General of the Arab League of States in May of this past year of 2001(The African Center, London 2002 pg 1).

Explore the dramatic Essay

Lady Capulet, mother of the young Juliet, was only about 13 when she married the older Lord Capulet. And now that Juliet has reached the age of teens where girls are meant to be ready for marriage and childbirth, she is being pushed to look for a husband, and that is arranged to be Paris. Although Juliet does not exactly despise or even dislike Paris, she does not feel comfortable marrying or attempting to get to know someone who has been forced upon her without consent from her. Although Lady and Lord Capulet might have the title of a married couple they are not close at all. Behind his back Lady Capulet makes remarks and jokes that demise Lord Capulet such as when Lord Capulet calls for a sword to fight, she laughs and says that he should instead be calling for a crutch as he is too old to fight. â€Å"A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword? † But on the other hand, when Lord Capulet is violently screaming at Juliet for disobeying him and refusing to marry Paris and then threatens to throw her out of the house, Juliet looks to her mother for support but alls eh says is that she should listen to her father. And even when she asks for the nurse’s help she says that she better do what Lord Capulet says as she does not want to lose her job by going against what Lord Capulet, her employer and man of the house she works in. So although they might not agree with anything the man in charge says, they (the nurse and Lady Capulet) wouldn’t dare go against him. As a mother, Lady Capulet is not very close to Juliet at all. When she wants to get the point across that she should be prepared to marry and that she should try and get to know Paris as he is the one she should marry, she brings the nurse in to try and help her connect with Juliet and get to her as the nurse is the one who really brought up Juliet from a young age. But rather than stick up for Juliet in her case that she does not want to marry yet, nurse agrees with Lady Capulet and she even makes an old fashioned joke that embarrasses Juliet and which Lady Capulet seems to dislike and disagree with but in reality it is what Lady Capulet is trying to say. â€Å"Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age , wilt thou not, Jule? † This ‘joke’ is portraying that in those days women were not meant in society for much more than pleasuring the men and having babies. â€Å"It is an honour that I dream not of. † Here Juliet is summing up how she really feels about the option of marrying Paris. Although she is being polite to her mother by saying it would be â€Å"an honour† but she also makes it clear that it is not an honour that she doesn’t want to have. Then Lady Capulet starts to explain how many girls the same age or even younger than Juliet become wives and even mothers and she too was Juliet’s mother around the same age. This might seem to Lady Capulet that she is convincing Juliet that marrying is a good thing and she can do it at that young age but she could easily be making Juliet second guess the chance of getting married because she can most likely see what Lady and Lord Capulet’s relationship is like and that they are very detached from each other and are not very close as a married couple. Today the idea of getting married at an age of 13 or 14 sounds absurd and it is even illegal under today’s laws. But back in the Juliet’s time it was common and accepted that men would usually marry women much younger than them, sometimes even half their age. Women did not have many rights such as voting, they rarely went to school and any money they inherited or managed to earn if the were lucky enough to have a job would go straight to their husband or the closest man to them such as their father or brother. This was not only accepted by the men but by everyone. Women just accepted that their sole purpose was really to make babies, look after them and as sex toys. But in today’s society it is very different as women are allowed to make any choices they want, they have the same rights as men and they are allowed to choose themselves when they want to get married or have a child as long they agree with their partner. Juliet’s father’s thoughts also changed over time as at first he says to Paris that although he can give him Juliet’s hand in marriage, he must also woo her and get her to love him. As soon as their marriage is put in jeopardy when one of Paris’ kinsmen is killed, Lord Capulet is desperate to have the wedding and not have Paris shy away from Juliet so he instantly says to Paris that he can marry Juliet straight away and he comments on how they should marry three days time, as two would be too short notice. â€Å"But fettle your fine joints ‘gainst Thursday next, to go with Paris to St. Peter’s church. † This also shows that Lord Capulet is not in complete control of everything and when the marriage of Juliet and Paris is put into danger, Lord Capulet desperately fights to save the marriage to rushing it to three days time. When Romeo and Juliet first meet at Capulet’s party they instantly fall in love and they have a fatal first kiss which sends them into the turmoils of love. Afterwards, when they both find out who the other is, they realize that they are meant to be on opposite sides of a bitter family feud. â€Å"‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy; thou art thyself, though not a Matague. † Before their kiss, which Romeo is much more eager to have, Romeo and Juliet exchange words which are in the form of a sonnet, the only one in the whole story. This sole use of a sonnet accentuates the feelings in their words and importance of the scene. Romeo starts by talking about how he needs to soften Juliet with a kiss but Juliet holds back and says how in praying pilgrims pray and kiss by holding their hands against someone else’s. Romeo comments on how hat they do with their hands, they should do with their lips. â€Å"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. † As Juliet tempts and holds Romeo back, the text is written in the form of a sonnet as Shakespeare tries to emphasize the deep feelings being exchanged between Romeo and Juliet. The sonnet uses rhyming to add a feeling of a poem to the text. The use of this single sonnet in the whole story also singles it out for the reader to know that it is very important and highlights a key point in the relationship of Romeo and Juliet as it is the first time they met each other. â€Å"Which mannerly devotion shows in this†¦ And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss. † â€Å"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer†¦ They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. † As shown in these alternate rhyming sentences, the text shows both Juliet’s teasing and Romeo’s eagerness. It is also rhythmic and adds flow to the conversation between the two star crossed lovers. The balcony scene is where Romeo and Juliet first express their true and deep feelings for each other. The balcony that at firsts separates Romeo and Juliet from touching each other acts as a symbol of the barriers of their family’s history against each other. The balcony scene is an intense and decisive scene in the story as it is the point from where Romeo and Juliet cannot turn away from each other. â€Å"It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon. † When he talks of the east he is talking about how the sun (Juliet) rises and that she is the one which lights up his heart. Moon is often coincided with virginity and she, the sun, must kill the moon, or her virginity, and he is the one to help her do so. â€Å"I am too bold, ’tis not to me she speaks: two of the fairest stars in all the heaven† This could come as a certain amount of surprise to a reader as it shows how Romeo does not have incredible amounts of confidence about getting to Juliet’s heart. But then he also talks how she is a star and that she is something out of this world and when she rests her chin in her hand he wishes that his hand was her’s just so that she could get the opportunity to touch her face. â€Å"See how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek! † As Juliet calls for Romeo she offers to give up her family name without hesitation and that her family name does not mean anything because she is in love. â€Å"And I’ll no longer be a Capulet†¦ thou art thyself, though not a Montague†¦ what’s in a name? † â€Å"With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out. † Here Romeo is talking about the wall of Juliet’s house which he has to climb to get to her is like the family difference which separates Romeo and Juliet from being happy together. But Romeo explains that like the high boundaries of the wall, the family feud they are tied up in is no match for the love Romeo has and he will not be stopped from loving her. Juliet is much more cautious and nervous about Romeo being caught and facing the punishment if he does. â€Å"If they do see thee, they will murder thee. † Romeo, as shown before is much more eager to be one with Juliet while Juliet is constantly slightly holding back. While Romeo is willing to swear on anything for his love for Juliet, Juliet says they are better off if they do not swear on anything at all as it is too sudden. And when Juliet insists that she has to leave Romeo asks why she has to leave him so unsatisfied. â€Å"O wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied? † But then Juliet proposes that if Romeo wants to prove his profound love for her he should set up their marriage as soon as possible. â€Å"If that thy bent of love be honourable, thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow. † She also seems very reluctant to let him leave as she is forced to go back inside as she has been called for. â€Å"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow. † Here, as like earlier in the balcony scene, the words of Juliet rhyme for more affect as it is a very heart felt sentence. Rhyming also shows up in the next two lines when Romeo is talking, so Shakespeare must have felt that this was an important or true moment of love between Romeo and Juliet as there was earlier in the balcony scene. The balcony scene is most likely the scene with the greatest amount of feelings being expressed which are revealed through language and forms of writing. Shakespeare does a very good job of making priorities stand out by making the language the text is written in different from text he usually writes. The sonnet is a fantastic way to capture the attention of a reader and create an atmosphere really felt between the two star crossed lovers. In the two films, the original version and the modern version, the balcony scene is portrayed in different ways but they also have many similarities. In both films, Romeo and Juliet or on opposite sides of a bitter family feud and have to endure the fighting between the two families. The modern film, as expected, is very modernised. Rather than use swords for fighting, the two families have weapons such as guns and small hand knives.

Self Awareness and Opportunity Awareness

I have undertaken 5 classes to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses on various topics associated with employability and careers. The classes use a variety of tests and other methods to analyse me in order to produce reports on each topic. This report will summarise these topics and my conclusions from the classes, as well as reflecting on the exercises and how I found the results and their consequences. Employability Skills Employability skills are one of the most important skills a person can learn. It is one thing having the necessary qualifications for a job, but if you don't have the employability skills required, you will not succeed. From Class 1 on â€Å"Employability Strengths and Weaknesses† I found out that my main strengths were my organisation and work skills. For organisation, the class discovered that my main strengths were setting and reaching targets, prioritising tasks and meeting deadlines. These points are all related and vital at University and also at a job in â€Å"the real world†. Without being able to set targets and accomplish them, nothing would ever get done and in life targets need to be set and reached in order to progress. They can be used to monitor you and see improvement, which is a large benefit. My main weakness in my organisation category is my motivation. Sometimes I can't get motivated into doing a piece of work, but once I start and get flowing, I do it till it's finished. Its one of the areas that I have improved on, but there is still room to develop. For work skills, the class confirmed that I am good at using and applying financial information which I gained and developed at college studying maths and business studies which could open up different types of careers, associated with computing also. My weakness in work is teamwork, but only with something academical. I have no problems team working in a sport or socially, but would often prefer to complete a piece of work individually rather than in a group of people as I get more control in the content. The skill that is my main weakness is my adaptability. My strength in this area is the ability to learn from experiences and develop new strategies for tasks that I experience. My weaknesses in this skill are finding creative solutions to problems and I think this is because overall I am not a particularly creative person. Another weakness in this area is that I am not resilient to change and the exercise states that most of us have this as a weakness but its something that is always going to happen and we need to accept change and thrive upon it. Another possible weakness in this area is transferring skills from one situation to another. The test results for this class state that people often have many skills that they have attained from every day life that they do not realise and these skills can be transferred into University or the work place. To improve in this area I have completed the exercises that are contained within this class and this will help me to identify improvements that can be made so that I can turn weaknesses into strengths to maximise my chances of getting a successful career. For this class, I found that I had done most of the activities before gaining similar results so I didn't actually learn much about myself, rather confirming the thoughts that I previously had. The most beneficial part of this class was getting a summary of each individual area of employability that related to me. It showed a graph as an overview of the skills and then described them in detail, which was really helpful as it stated what I am good at and what needs further work on. Occupational Interests Class 2's aim was to help me identify the nature of occupation that was suitable for me and to learn about why it is important to recognise career preferences for choosing an occupation. The test that I completed in this section didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know. The main point that the test found out was that I am not very artistic, which I have known for a long time and anyone else that knows me will know this also. For the other 5 areas, it found that my interests were divided across the board. Apparently this will lead to a â€Å"conflict† in terms of career choice as â€Å"it may prove difficult to find a career area that satisfies all of my interests†. It implied that my answers may have been incorrect, but I feel this is because the questions were too general and could only be answered with a â€Å"yes† or a â€Å"no†. As this was the case, I answered â€Å"yes† for most questions as I felt that it was either correct or partially so. Due to the format of the questions, I felt the summary of answers was irrelevant and conclusions could not be formed from the questions asked. An improvement to the questions could have been to answer on a scale of 1 to 10 and make conclusions based on the scale; this would have given a more in-depth summary on career interests which would have made it more relevant to each person, rather than general answers. Learning Style & Team Working The aim of class 3 was to identify my role when working in a team and my strengths and weaknesses of team working and my learning style when working alone and in a team. Although I participated in the Belbin method of identifying team roles before, it was in the first week that I was at University and my role has changed over this time as I have became more involved in groups and grown as a person. After completing the test as part of the class, the team role that best suited me was â€Å"Team Worker†. The main points of this role are that I support members in their strengths and improve communications between members and help create team spirit within the group. Qualities in this role contain humility, flexibility, popularity and good listening skills, all of which I believe to have. Weaknesses are a lack of decisiveness and toughness and distaste for friction. When I originally did the Belbin test, I didn't rate it highly and didn't pay much attention to the role it gave me. After completing it this time, I agree with the entire summary and believe the method to be informative and helpful in deciding roles for members within a group in order to get the best out of the team members. Employment Opportunities The main employment opportunity that I have in the near future is the year long industrial placement that takes place after my current year. The industrial placement will refine my employability skills in the workplace and also teach me new skills that will increase my knowledge and level of work ready for the final year and progressing from there onwards. Experience in industry for a year will also increase my job prospects once I leave University, as many jobs now require that people have at least 1 year's experience, but to get experience you need a job. It's a cycle that is hard to enter but the industrial placement joins the cycle and gets that valuable experience required. My current employment is working in a high street electrical store. Working with them has improved my communication and team working skills as I work as part of a small team which requires constant communication for us to function efficiently. As part of a team, we get assigned roles and each role in the team is vital for the running of the store. I took this job mainly to fund myself at University but it has taught me skills that I can transfer into my work and for future jobs and career opportunities. Career Decisions The aim of class 4 was to identify my own decision making style and find out and use two methods of improving the quality of my decision making. Also this class helped to prepare to take appropriate action to progress to career plans. I am a mixture of decision making types, including rational, intuitive and â€Å"please everyone†. I discovered that I tend to collect information about the possibilities and weigh up the pros and cons of each outcome to base my decision upon. Other times, I tend to know intuitively which decision to make. I can often not explain or justify these reasons for choosing a particular decision, but I'm drawn towards it. I also like to please as many people as I can when making a decision. If I have no preference on a decision, or would be pleased with a number of outcomes, I would choose the most popular vote to prevent conflict and make the most people happy. The test on Career Decision Making stated that I have a good idea of where I am heading in career terms and that I may have a good record of successful decisions and a strong idea of what career I wish to enter. I agree with this summary of my career progress but was unsure that the test would come to this justification. In the test, there were only 3 options per question and only 12 questions in total so I was sceptical whether it would come to an accurate decision given the lack of depth of the questions, but seeing as though it proved accurate for me, I cannot fault the process too much. Conclusion These classes have enhanced my knowledge of myself and the current skills that I obtain, and also the skills that I need further development on. Some of the classes have exercises that I have experienced before and weren't particularly useful as they told me nothing new, but they confirmed the results that previous tests had found. Other classes and exercises were new that I hadn't done before showed me my learning style which I hadn't previously known and I found out which team role I belong in, which has changed from the last time I did the exercise 14 months ago. One improvement that could have been made to the course was if there were practical classes, roughly once every 2 weeks that we could attend and get a better idea of what was happening and receive any help if we required it and a physical class would have been easier to keep up to date with the certificate than it all being online. Overall I think that these classes, and exercises within then, have been worthwhile as I ha ve learnt which skills I posses and am good at, and also which skills I need to work on to improve my employability.