Essay on Personal Narrative My Experience in the Air Force

I have been blessed to have led a highly fulfilling career over the past 22 years. The Air Force’s standards of conduct and performance have helped me mature into an adult while creating lasting memories along the way. I have had the opportunity to make significant contributions to my country that offer a sense of pride and personal achievement. My current duties allow me to directly contribute to the Air Force and Joint arena on an almost daily basis. Joining the Air Force helped me to realize I had undertaken a task bigger than myself. I grew up in a small town and after I graduated high school I wanted more in life than a 9 to 5 job; I wanted to see the world. I had a few friends that had joined the military and had come home to†¦show more content†¦Initially, I was tasked to help unload the massive amounts of cargo that were coming into the base on a steady basis. One day, while helping to unload fire trucks from a C-141, I was told to go back to my room, take a shower, get some rest and in the morning report to the Security Police; I had been selected as an â€Å"augmentee.† Security on the base was stabilized within a few weeks and the Security Police got a few more troops in, so I was told I could go back to my munitions unit. However, I did not want to go back. I liked the well disciplined airman of the 3201st Security Police Squadron and wanted to stay with them to fight the war. After several days of negotiations and some high ranking involvement I was permitted to stay on with the cop s. Permission was granted with one caveat; I had to become a Security Policeman. The next several months were very intense filled with long duty days of on-the-job training. I worked for 43 days, 12-14 hours per day, without a day off. I was taught a multitude of skills. One day, during a surprise ceremony, I was presented with a beret and a badge, an honor I still cherish to this day. I was no longer an â€Å"augmentee†; I was a bona fide Security Policeman. While deployed to Desert Storm I subdued a suspected terrorist, gave aid to a downed RAF pilot and set up a cordon around the crash site, and even took sniper fire while on a reconShow MoreRelatedPersonal Narrative- My Experiences as an Operating Room Nurse in the Air Force910 Words   |  4 PagesDuring my childhood, I would watch war movies with my father and he would tell me stores about his military experiences. His stories not only made me curious about the military, they also instilled a sense of patriotism in me and a desire to make a difference in our country and the world. These stories were not always positive reflections, nor glamorous tales of military life. What they did convey to me is his regret of leaving the military and that is what intrigued me even further to join theRead MoreAn Army At Dawn Essay1643 Words   |  7 Pagesinsight into the campaign in North Africa in 1942-1943 for both Allied and the German forces. The narrative follows the American and British armies as they fought the Vichy French in Morocco and Algiers, and then later when they fight the Germans and the Italians for Tunisia. The novel follows the inexperienced and ill-led soldiers from battle to battle as they gradually become a more cohesive and deadly fighting force. This novel also centers around the almost mythical but also flawed commanders whoRead MoreEssay on Out of the Silence1445 Words   |  6 PagesThe slave narrative genre is an important part of American history. These stories are not only portraits of individual history, but also of American history. By reading the stories of the past we can better determine the path of the future. The personal stories of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs are two excellent examples of the slave narrative genre in American literature. To be sure, bondage and oppression had a lasting and profound effect on both genders; however, men and women experiencedRead MoreNotes On The Land Bears The Mark Of The Human History1657 Words   |  7 PagesOverview We are the stories that we tell. We shape our narratives of the past to represent who we feel we are, selecting aspects to highlight and others to forget based on how we wish to represent ourselves and the meaning we apply to particular events. Simultaneous to that process, the stories passed down through the generations, the stories that define a collective people, and repetition of the stories we each tell in our daily lives, shape individuals and their construction of self and createRead MoreNarrative Essay1444 Words   |  6 PagesNarrative Essays: To Tell a Story There are four types of essays: Exposition - gives information about various topics to the reader. Description - describes in detail characteristics and traits. Argument - convinces the reader by demonstrating the truth or falsity of a topic. Narrative - tells a story, usually from one person’s viewpoint. A narrative essay uses all the story elements - a beginning and ending, plot, characters, setting and climax - all coming together to complete theRead MoreHeroism is a unique concept where the definition can be altered ever so slightly. There is the800 Words   |  4 Pagesperson puts the needs of others before his own. My mother and father are truly remarkable people. My parents are like the foundation to a house and my siblings and me are the finish work. They have given up so much in an effort to give my siblings and I a better life. My mother supported our family by working for the Navy for twenty-two years. As a result, my brother and I have our college partially paid for through the GI Bill. On the other hand, my father is the at home supporter. He goes to mostRead MoreBackground Information About The Agency Essay1154 Words   |  5 Pagesprovisional patent on an item called the â€Å"Check 4 the Baby Sign† that addresses a universal critical health concern of babies dying in hot cars. She is an Air Force Veteran who served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the Founder and President of the Tennessee State University Veterans/Military National Alumni Chapter (J. Michaux, personal communication, September 14, 2017). Ms. Michaux is a 2017 graduate of Tennessee State University, with a degree in Health Sciences, Communication ScienceRead MoreAn Analysis Of William Faulkner And Ernest Hemingway1387 Words   |  6 PagesLay Dying and A Farewell to Arms, one can see the similarities and differences between Faulkner and Hemingway through their ability to draw from personal experiences to inspire their work, their narrative styles, and their use of language. William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi and trained as a pilot in the first Royal Canadian Air Force during World War 1. After the war, Faulkner began writing again. A friend told Faulkner to write about his native Mississippi. Inspired by the conceptRead MoreWar, By Sebastian Junger1575 Words   |  7 PagesThe novel War, written by Sebastian Junger, is the journalist’s perspective of events that unfold during his time in Korengal, Afghanistan with the American Army. Throughout the book, he retells his experiences of being shot at, the emotional trauma of losing a soldier in combat, the undeniably strong bond between soldiers, and the consequences combat has on family members. While this novel has some very detailed and brutally honest components regarding the war in Afghanistan, I found the insightRead MoreThe Moral Dilemma And Hypocrisy Of Slavery Essay1907 Words   |  8 Pagesrhetoric reflects the challenge to define freedom in America; moreover, it re flects his morality and commitment to upholding personal freedom. It justifies why he does not ignore slavery, as well as why he did not see slaves as property, but as a group of humans who had been abusively denied freedom, and stripped of their humanity for no reason other than avarice personal gain. Slavery was coerced labor that relied heavily on intimidation, brutality, and dehumanization. Regardless that it was once

Corporate Law Business Dealing Operations

Question: Describe about the Corporate Law for Business Dealing Operations. Answer: Introduction As per the case information, it is apparent that Jack, Jill and Max are successfully engaged in operating a business dealing with sale of trucks for the last 12 months. However, it is imperative that the business structure needs to be formally organized. While there are choices with regards to business structures such as sole proprietorship, trust, company, partnership but the choices with regards to appropriate business structure in the given case is limited to either company or partnership. In order to ensure that the business growth is not hampered and business needs are adequately taken care of, the formal business structure has to be defined by the owners of the business (Latimer, 2005). The potential implications of both partnership and company business structure have been presented below. Partnership In accordance with Section 6, Partnership Act, 1963, any relationship in which two or more people agree to operate a business with the intention of making money is termed as a partnership. The partners tend to have fiduciary duties towards each other as emphasized in Birtchnell v. Equity Trustees (1929) 43 CLR 384. Further, the mutual participation concept forms the basis of any partnership relationship as highlighted in Green v. Beesley (1835) 2 Bing N C 108. Advantages The advantages of the partnership structure are highlighted below (Davenport Parker, 2014) The legal formalities associated with the formation of partnership are minimal and can be completed in a short time. Since there are multiple partners, hence the workload is divided and also the means of raising financing is higher. Besides, knowledge sharing is higher as compared to a sole trader. The sharing of profits and associated liabilities is well defined from the partnership agreement. Disadvantages There is joint liability of partners with regards to actions enacted by individual partners also (Lang v James Morrison Co Ltd (1911) 13 CLR 1 at 11). Interest transfer cannot be unilaterally implemented by a given partner without mutual consent amongst all partners. The partners are personally liable for the liabilities of the business as highlighted in Re Buchanan Co (1876) 4 QSCR 202 case. Company A company structure operates under the aegis of Corporations Act 2001 and may be either limited by shares or guarantee (Pathinayake, 2014). The potential implications of this structure for the shareholders are indicated below. Advantages The company structure has a legal entity of its own which is separate from the owners in accordance with Section 124. The personal liability in case of losses and insolvency is zero for the owners unless personal guarantee has been explicitly extended. Accessing capital markets for incremental funds along with transfer of interest by shareholders is highly facilitated thus providing higher liquidity and exit options. Disadvantages There are legal hassles involved in the setting up of a company which takes cost and time. The reporting requirements on a periodic basis are comparatively greater as compared to a partnership structure. Recommendation Conclusion In the given case, considering that the Jack, Jill and Max are involved in the truck business, it would be advisable for them to opt for the company structure only. This is recommended as the business would potentially require high amount of capital for further expansion which can be easily raised through dilution of equity. The capital needs would be higher as the business is continuing to grow at a fast pace (Harvey, 2009). Additionally, the potential liabilities and losses in the business could be potentially large and hence it is best advised that in order to erase the personal liability of the owners, the company structure must be chosen. Also, it would provide tax benefits in the form of a host of concessions and also the tax rate would be the corporate rate which is beneficial (Lindgren, 2011). 2. Issues On account of Bettys actions, will there be any corporate liability for Child Toys Pty Ltd? With regards to deeds of Charles after retirement, can Child Toys Pty Ltd potentially take any legal course of action? Rule: The liability of employers continues for the acts carried out by the employees during their employment. This is also true in cases when there is no intention on part of employer to indulge in the same as apparent from the verdict of the Amaba Pty Ltd v Booth [2011]. This liability on the end of employer stems from the understanding of the agency law whereby the employees are acting as agents of employers and hence, the liability of the actions of the employees eventually rests on employers as they in the capacity of the principal can potentially alter the conduct and behavior of the agent or employees (Paterson, Robertson Duke, 2015). Further, as represented in the Keramianakis v Regional Publishers Pty Ltd, [2009], employers have a vicarious liability and have to adhere to the accepted doctrine of respondeat superior as per which the responsibility of the employees conduct and actions eventually rests with the employer on account of being the superior party (Lindgren, 2011). Also, Section 5Q of the Civil Liability Act, 2002 states that in the event of work being done by a particular defendant conducting a duty that is delegable, then the negligence tort and potential liabilities would fall on the defendant (Pathinayake, 2014). Also, in Maxwell v Highway Hauliers Pty Ltd, [2014] case, it was ruled that if a contract or sale deed has been enacted owing to misrepresentation by the defendant and the interests of the plaintiff are adversely impacted by the misrepresented information, then the defendant would be held liable for providing compensation to the plaintiff. While restraint of trade agreements are frequently employed, however, in majority cases there are void. This is usually implemented in the form of a restrictive covenant whereby there is a certain cool off period during which the leaving employee cannot compete the employer in the same or similar line of business as he/she may possess confidential information about the business and the same may be used to adversely impact the valid business interests of the employer (Latimer, 2005). In the Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd v Allam, [2013],it was advocates that confidential information is present in every business and if the employee makes attempts to exploit the same that too for hurting the legitimate business interests of the ex-employer, then the employee would be acting in bad faith. In such cases, a restrictive covenant would be held enforceable as is evident from the verdict in the Wingfoot Australia Partners Pty Ltd v Kocak, [2013] case. Hence, with regards to enforceability of restrictive covenant, it would be valid and enforceable for protection of business interests provided it is not expansive in scope (Pathinayake, 2014). Application: As per the case details, Betty is an employee of the company i.e. Child Toys since she is acting as a salesperson. She misrepresented material information with regards to the toys on purpose even though she was aware that the claim being made to the customer is false. The misrepresentation was made with the intention of ensuring the execution of contract but in the process, damage has been caused as a child has sustained serious injuries due to the chemicals present in the toy supplied by the company. The company i.e. Child Toys would have to bear the liability on account of Bettys action as the employer is liable for the actions taken by employees. However, it needs to be also ascertained as to why Betty lied as if it was not dictated by the employer, then she has breached her fiduciary duties towards the employer. As per the information provided in the case, it is evident that Charles owing to his senior position had a profound understanding of the requirements of the senior clients and also identifies them well due to frequent dealing. As part of his termination from the firm, a restrictive covenant has been enacted while prohibits him from competing with Child Toys for a period of two years. Despite this, he along with his wife has started a business which directly competes with the previous employer. Moreover, the new company tends to approach the clients of the previous employer for business. Apparently, this is violation of the restrictive covenant and the conduct of the Charles is clearly not in good faith as the information gained due to his position is being abused against the same clients as Child Toys. In this case, there is no denying that indeed restrictive covenant would be enforceable and legal action can be initiated against Charles by the company. Conclusion: Based on the discussion above, the following are the conclusion drawn Child Toy would be liable for the misrepresentation caused by Betty. The restrictive covenant would be enforceable on Charles and hence Child Toys can initiate legal action to safeguard their valid business interests. References Statutes and Case Laws Section 20, Partnership Act, 1963 Section 6, Partnership Act, 1963 Section 124, Corporations Act, 2001 Section 444F, Corporations Act, 2001 Amaba Pty Ltd v Booth [2011]. 283 ALR 461; Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd v Allam (2013) 297 ALR 406 Birtchnell v. Equity Trustees (1929) 43 CLR 384 Green v. Beesley (1835) 2 Bing N C 108 Lang v James Morrison Co Ltd (1911) 13 CLR 1 at 11 Keramianakis v Regional Publishers Pty Ltd(2009) HCA 18. 237 CLR 268 Maxwell v Highway Hauliers Pty Ltd (2014) HCA 33 Re Megevand; Ex parte Delhasse (1878) 7 Ch D 511 Wingfoot Australia Partners Pty Ltd v Kocak (2013) HCA 43 Books Davenport, S Parker, D 2014, Business and Law in Australia, 2nd eds., LexisNexis Publications, Sydney Harvey, C. 2009, Foundations of Australian law. 3rd eds., Tilde University Press, Prahran, Victoria Latimer, P 2005. Australian business law, 24th eds., CCH Australia Ltd. Sydney Lindgren, KE 2011, Vermeesch and Lindgren's Business Law of Australia, 12th eds., LexisNexis Publications, Sydney Paterson, J, Robertson, A Duke, A 2015, Principles of Contract Law, 5th eds., Thomson Reuters, Sydney Pathinayake, A 2014, Commercial and Corporations Law, 2nd eds., Thomson-Reuters, Sydney

Beginning Perl Tutorial on Foreach Loop

Beginning Perl Tutorial on Foreach Loop The foreach loop is a control structure thats tailor-made to process Perl lists and hashes. Just like the for loop, foreach steps through each element of an array using an iterator. How to Step Through an Array in Perl With Foreach Rather than using a scaler as an iterator,  foreach uses the array itself. For example: You see that this gives the same output as printing the array myNames in its entirety: If all you want is to dump out the contents of the list, you could just print  it. In that case, use the foreach loop to make the output a bit more readable. Youll see that this code creates cleaner output by printing a new line after each item in the list. A Cleaner Foreach Loop The previous example used $_ to print each element of the list. Using this default implied scalar ($_) makes for shorter code and less typing, but it isnt always the best solution. If youre aiming for a highly readable code or if your  foreach  loop is complex, you might be better off assigning a  scalar  as your iterator. There are only two differences: the scalar $name between the  foreach  and the list and the replacement of the default scalar with it inside the loop. The output is exactly the same, but the code is slightly cleaner. Keep in mind: A  foreach  loop is a Perl control structure.It is used to step through each  element of an array.

Poverty and Racism essays

Poverty and Racism essays McCullers addresses poverty and racism of the 1930s South and also of the social and economic crisis that encompassed it during that time. The setting took place in a Southern town whose main economy came from cotton and saw mills and the time was during the Great Depression. Coming out in the 1940s, this novel reflected on the intolerance, poverty and isolation of the South. The characters all addressed at least one aspect of the societys cultural system. During this time blacks, Jews, women and poverty stricken people were looked down upon and often times were thought of as inferior by the society they belonged to. These people also put roles upon themselves as seen with Harry Minowitz, a Jewish boy. He had sex with Mick and soon after felt bad and decided to leave town because of the role that he put on himself as a Jewish person. He though what they did was wrong and he couldnt live with the shame of it, so he left the town and pretty much adopted an out of sight out of mind perception (thats what I think happened anyway). The novel addresses gender roles as seen relating to Mick Kelly. As the story starts, she refuses to be pampered like her sisters do to themselves and she refuses to be lady-like. She dressed like a boy and wore shorts and shirts most of the time. At the end of the novel though she conforms to society and goes along with it and wears a dress. The novel also addresses race and economic injustices. Dr. Copeland feels that all African Americans should unite and reform the way things are in the society and how it acts toward them. Jake Blount, an idealistic workingman and social reformer, brings in aspects of Marxism and wanted to change things for the betterment of the working class. Jake Blount, Dr. Copeland and Mick Kelly all propagate toward Mr. Singer. For Jake, he serves as an audience who would listen to his tirades on socialism and economics. Dr. Copeland tries to help his people...

The Customer-Service Agent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Customer-Service Agent - Essay Example Bill Ryan who acts as a customer-service representative or agent in an online marketplace that is owned by the renowned eBay Inc., an internet auction company, it can be stated that the day diary does not include sufficient information. The day diary only depicted limited job responsibilities of a customer-service agent i.e. Mr. Ryan within the online marketplace settings. Moreover, the day diary did not provide a detailed understanding about the core functions as well as the essential qualifications of a customer-service agent. According to the article which deals with Mr. Ryan, the information of the work as well as the activities which he performed acting as a customer-service agent in an online marketplace is quite useful. This article would largely support the different customer-service agents working in dissimilar organizations to get an inclusive along with a systematic job description particularly of a customer-service agent. In relation to the usefulness of the information which is mentioned in the article, it can be stated that the article broadly emphasized upon valuing the demands of the customers by a considerable extent. Moreover, the article also revealed the information that it is quite necessary to settle the arising disputes of the customers for the motive of accomplishing significant returns. In addition, the article also affirmed the valuable information that a customer-service agent should remain calm and composed when the buyers or the customers are upset due to their any kind of dissa tisfaction relating with the products. There lies the requirement of certain extra information as the day diary does not encompass sufficient information about the detailed functions or responsibilities of a customer-service agent. Moreover, the day diary does not describe the qualifications of a customer-service agent in order to execute their various assigned job tasks. In this regard, the other core

This house believes that.International Business will have to manage Essay

This house believes that.International Business will have to manage significant shifts in global power over the next few decad - Essay Example These developed nations hold the key to production while the emerging economies provide mainly the labor and infrastructure necessary for the investment. Technological upgradation has been a key to economic growth and the developed nations have proven this. Technology aims to create objects which are vital for human living. With new developments in research and owing to globalization, these economies like China and India have also realized the importance of technological development (Johnson & Turner, 2009, pp. 1-3). On the grounds of progress in technology it can be inferred that US reigns supreme though India and China have been investing constant efforts towards the same with China a few steps ahead. Technology is usually purchased and sold in the form of capital products incorporating machines and other systems of production. Information regarding technical and commercial aspects is subject to property related rights. In fact there are six elements connected to technology. These are â€Å"geography, culture, economy, people, business, and government† (Li-Hua, 2004, p.28). China has one of the most composite legislative and political systems and this creates hindrances for businesses. The government takes a clear role in issuing licenses and in spite of the loose ends in legislation China is encouraging towards foreign investments. Government has also issued the intellectual property rights in order to protect the â€Å"copycat reputation† of the nation. The business houses need to safeguard against â€Å"confidentiality, corruption and conflict of interest† (Ripard, 2010). India despite her colonial history has higher level of acceptance towards foreign investments. India’s regulations have been loosened and the economy opened when the country faced sudden crisis in balance of payments (Kochanek, 1974, pp. 118-119). Recently both America and India have shown their doubts regarding the products of the telecommunications sector fro m China. Experts suspect that, â€Å"India’s move to obstruct the orders from the Chinese telecommunications has kicked off a sequence of events that resulted in billions of dollars of lost revenue for global telecom market vendors and significant project delays for India’s telecom service providers† (Petrou, 2010). Chinese equipments involve a risk of security, according to Indian buyers and this might risk important information which might lead a firm to ethical problems. Even United States have raised security related issues and the senators from US requested the Obama administration to go through a submission of quotation from Huawei Technologies in China. The crucial causal factors behind the success of Chinese vendors are cheap labor, â€Å"a home-field advantage in China’s hot telecom market† and â€Å"access to an almost unlimited line of credit through government banks†. These facilities are likely to persist. (Petrou, 2010) China, especially Beijing has future plans for forming an environment which facilitates â€Å"homegrown next-generation mobile technology and electric cars†. When assistance was provided to the Chinese local producers in the form of energy resources and technologies at subsidies Beijing received the accusation of breaking free trade principles. This led to filing of a case in the WTO by Washington. China is working fast to create self reliance in the field of

Accounting for Individual Differences in the Workplace

Accounting for Individual Differences in the Workplace Introduction In today’s society, there is little doubt that individual differences are certainly important in the workplace as one of critical predictors of training outcome, individual productivity or stress at work. For the reason it affects us most in every way to name a few, we perceive and respond information, our abilities and skills such as logic, creativity and critics, etc., it is necessary for an organisation to understand, value and enjoy the benefits it would bring. This essay would write about the definition of individual differences to begin with; analysis individual differences in demographics, intelligence, and personality; some commonly mistaken assumption in measuring them and recommendation for improving it in selecting and managing people. The aim of the paper in the end is to provide some suggestions for managers to mitigate any false assumptions’ impacts in person differences’ assessment. What are individual differences? Studying individual differences is concerned with variations between one person to another, in other words, it is defined by Ashleigh and Mansi (2012:68) as â€Å"those parts of â€Å"us† which differentiate â€Å"us† from others†. Investigating individual differences is a continuing concern within organisations enables us to, in the view of predicting people’s behaviours, making team formation easier, in turn, managing the team more effectively while there is a common goal and value among team members. The facts remain that each individual is likely to have a regular pattern of behaviour towards similar situation. While there are other key differences between individuals, such as creativity, values, emotions, the scope of this essay will be focused on 3 key points in demographics, intelligence and personality and the way to measure them in a setting of organisational behaviour. Individual differences in demographics According to a definition provided by Ashleigh and Mansi (2012:80), it refers to â€Å"differences within a population group-such as race, age, income, disabilities, educational level, experience, marital status and gender†. For work psychologists, it is important to take those factors into consideration in order to know the group of people involved in research, and their impact on finding results if any in the way to design data application in reality. For example, in the research carried out by Tsui and O’Reilly (1989), some demographic factors, namely age, sex, race, education level, job tenure were used to investigate their impacts on the relationship of supervisors and subordinates. This study outlined that a negative relation between differences and work effectiveness had been reported, not mention to increased role ambiguity for subordinates. Hence, reducing dissimilarity from those factors mentioned above in job allocation and team formation is likely to improve work effectiveness. Moreover, criteria in demographics like age or experience can be employed as supporting factors in the generation-specific HR strategies. For example, young employees are looking for an attractive and supportive environment in which offers learning goal orientation, in exchange, they will display job commitment; while, this environment, on the balance of it, should retain a wealth of valuable knowledge and skills from the older ones (D’Amato and Herzfeldt, 2012). Thus, proper and suitable HR strategies should be given differently to each group. Additionally, while younger employees are, in a way, more creative, fast action, quick response to changes, especially with modern technology, risk-loving, but do lack of professional experiences coming with prices, as against with a bit conservative, slower in response to new changes, but a more professional way of working, rational decision-maker for the older ages. Therefore, it is undoubtedly true that when HR managers fit the job w ith a person or design training strategies for staff, demographic differences should be given a serious consideration to provide suitable programs. Individual differences in intelligence To explain the definition of â€Å"intelligence†, let just put it versus â€Å"ability†. While Wiseman (1967:290) declared that ability â€Å"is defined operationally by the performance of an individual in a specific situation†, for Cooper (1999:6), in general, â€Å"are any behaviours that can sensibly be evaluated† by either monitoring behaviour or asking others to give evaluation such as typing, reading a map, cooking, etc. On the other hand, as for intelligence Binet and Simon (1905) agreed that it has shown the ability to judge, understand and reason easily, while Vernon (1956) added â€Å"the more general qualities of thinking, level of concept developing, reasoning and grasping relations†. By comparison, the term ability has a broader meaning than that of intelligence which means â€Å"mental ability†. There is also a room opening for ongoing debate whether it is fixed or not, or nature-nurture debate. In the study of Dickens and Flynn (2006), increasing amount of nutrition, test familiarity, educational games, TV show complexity, etc. have been attributable to intelligence improvement. However, Lynn Vanhanen (2006) found that such IQ discrepancies found in across ethnicities, races, and nationalities are proposing â€Å"a difference in innate brain capacity†. Furthermore, Marks (2010) analysed the association between IQ and situational factor like literacy skills across time, nationality, and race.In addition, regarding to the nature-nurture debate, there are those who believed that only environmental factor is absolutely qualified enough to account for individual differences in intelligence Karmin (1977), however, nearly 20 years later, Mackintosh (1995) declared that heritability should be taken into consideration as well. In more details to what extent, Cooper (1999) ar gued that, with constant conditions, intelligence is influenced by genetic component to the extent of 50 60%. These results are consistent with other studies (Plomin et al. 2001; Neisser, 1996) and suggesting that genetic factor may account for more in IQ differences than environmental factors. Therefore, if we are fortunate enough to be born by clever parents and have appropriate educational training, it is possible that our IQ score can be shifted. That leads to another question, i.e How to measure intelligence?. In order to measure it, cognitive ability test which is a part of psychometric test has long been used to reflect individual’s intelligence quotient (IQ) (William Stern, 1912) is calculated as follows: a mental age divided by chronological age, and then multiplied it by 100. One of the most popular and widely used tests of intelligence is Wechsler Scales of Intelligence first introduced by David Wechsler in 1955. A great deal of research and literature has been taken place in the relationship of intelligence and work performance. This combination of findings provides some support for the conceptual premise that general intelligence is certainly a good predictor in assessment of job performance and training proficiency (Sakett et all., 2008; Furnham, 2005; Drasgow, 2003). Nevertheless, it is undoubtedly true while other conditions should stay the same, otherwise, this criteria is absolutely not the only variable that influences performance, but job knowledge and motivation, do also rate a mention here (Kamin, 1995). One of the advantages associated with psychometric test is that it provides a comparison ability in scores which based on the same standard within a group of people. Secondly, this kind of test offers a prediction of performance in a various settings. For example, to assess one’s ability in the recruitment process, situational judgement tests would be given, e.g asking reaction of salesman towards customer’s complaint. Particularly, in the context of the organisation, a great number of organisations have found these tests are effective enough, both in the sense of cost and means for employee selection in recruitment and after-training seasion. On the other hand, there exists some special skills which can not be assessed quickly and accurately through psychometric tests, such as hand and eye coordination (Cooper, 1999). In fact, some previous study found that about half to two-thirds of large companies apply psychometric testing in senior managers’ assessment in Europe (Cook, 2004; Furnham, 2004; Salgado, 1997), and 72% of UK organisations employed ability tests in selecting and assessing process (CIPD, 2007). Individual differences in personality There is a degree of lacking consensus around the terminology of personality. For Furnham (1997:161), the term refers to â€Å"enduring traits or characteristics that account for consistent patterns of responses†, later on, Pervin added (2004:6) more details in the sense of feeling, thinking and behaving. Although there have been some other ways to elaborate its definition, they all shared the common feature is that making every human beings unique in their interaction with the environment. The key theories of personality can be listed as follows: psychodynamic, behaviourist, humanistic, biological, trait and type and social-cognitive. However, due to limited scope, this essay will focus on behaviourist (Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike and Skinner, 1849-1990) and trait and type (Allport, Cattell and Eysenck, 1916-1998). Regarding behaviourist theory, they put emphasis on psychological investigation in observable, measurable behaviour regarded as the merely appropriate method. They stated that through reinforcement either punishment or reward, all behaviours can be modified. The environment can, however, initiate our initial response; but on the account of reinforcement experiences, our behaviours are possibly shaped, thus creating learnt associations which, in turn, direct our future behaviours provided in the same settings. As for the type and trait theory, their approach’s similarity lies in the fact that both of them consider grouping people into personality characteristics. While the type theory places people into discrete groups, as against with seeing personality feature as a continuum for trait theory. For example, a person would be considered either introvert or extrovert in a view of the type theory. By contrast, the trait theory (Allport, Cattell and Eysenck) would find anyone can be anywhere in the between of introvert and extrovert included those towards the extremes (Matthewman, et all., 2009) and that amount and type of trait would be constant. Later on, Costa and McGrae (1992) discovered the essence of traits had been found in 5 factors which were developed into â€Å"Ocean theory† mentioning about 5 traits, namely Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. It is regarded as a widely acknowledged template in explaining the human personality†™s structure (Arnold, 2010). Although Ashleign and Mansi (2012) agreed that â€Å"trait theory is considered the most useful of personality theories for organisational psychologists† so far for its pattern of behaviour detection and classification, its limitations can not be overlooked. In particular, this approach not only offers frameworks in major pattern of behaviours, in which personality assessment can be constructed and employed (Bayne, 1994). However, the fact remains that human behaviours are affected by lots of situational factors (Bandura, 1999), thus individuals are highly unlikely to behave in the same way all the time (Armstrong, 2003). That is the reason why this approach will probably have a limited prediction in value to typical behaviours (Pervin, 1994). Moreover, it fails to explain how these 5 factors develop and the way of their influence on human behaviours which is the centre of work psychology’s interest. Therefore, Makin (1996) claimed that their level of anticipation is no t quite high. One question that needs to be asked, however, is whether reading Big Five traits may make people jump into conclusion too quickly that Neuroticism is something least favourable among all. The answer is it should be dependent on the situation and job’s characteristics. There are actually some jobs requiring a high N scale. For example, Spencer Lord, a HR specialist, says highly neurotic people are often strong in roles that require attention to detail, e.g positions in finance or compliance. Due to their natural caution for avoiding worry about consequences, they can also be very effective in assessing risk (2013). By contrast, being too extroverted may be associated with try to be dominant, attention seeking which are possibly not a good thing in teamwork. In addition, Robertson (2001) claimed that the strongest predictor of job performance is Conscientiousness. However, it failed to consider in a situation demanding being creative and innovate which high C scale usually lacks of. Futhermore, not mention of the fact that, especially in such a rapidly changing world, being adaptive and flexible is certainly necessary (Maltby, et all., 2013:414). Personal characteristics’ measurement probably remains significantly important in the occupational assessment process in organisations. In fact, there have been some popular ways, such as personality questionnaires which is another part of psychometric tests, interviewing and behavioural observation. Firstly, a personality questionnaire contains a lot of standardised statements which need to be responded by candidates. Those statements are filtered from a large database to the target group based on essential characteristics that an organisation needs to know (Matthewman at all., 2009). Their scores would be compared with that of specific group which is â€Å"norms† tables. Therefore, this kind of measurement is also called as â€Å"normative personality measurement†. For example, 16PF5 was developed from the Cattell model of personality, as for NEO-5 was based on the OCEAN model (Costa and McCrae, 1985), or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is also a commonly used one. The fact remains that 56% of UK companies using personality tests at some point of their assessment procedure (CIPD, 2007). On the other hand, despite the great benefits that it offers if being applied in the right way, personality tests can not be trusted as the only source of assessment in people selection. Firstly, candidates may give fake answers in the way they think that would score them up in employers’ eyes. However, this problem can be mitigated by three ways, namely through direction as â€Å"be honest, no right and wrong answer†, social desirability (Crowne and Marlowe, 1964) and answers whose choices are forced. Secondly, the interview has long regarded as the most commonly used forms of people selection (Keenan, 1995). Although it was brought into criticism for being subject to bias and unreliability, some recent researches show that a structured interview with well trained interviewers is highly likely to improve its validity (Dipboye, 2005; Posthuma et al., 2002). Therefore, it is essential to ensure that those questions in the interview should be a job analysis related and consistent. Moreover, as for the interviewer, he should keep set of assessing criteria constant among interviewees in general, and in their responses in particular (Arnord et al., 2010), e.g: rating each answer with multiple rating scale, taking special notes, asking multiple interviewers if possible. Conclusion â€Å"In most situations it is best to use a combination of several personnel selection techniques to ensure fairness and accuracy†.