Volleyball originally was mintonette by YMCA dir Essay Example For Students

Volleyball originally was mintonette by YMCA dir Essay Volleyball originally was mintonette by YMCA director William C. Morgan the man credited with in inventing volleyball in 1895. The game was developed for people who found it difficult to play the sport of basketball. Volleyball involved learning only few skills instead of the many required by basketball. The name was changed to Volleyball in 1896 by Alfred T. Halstead. Adding the skill of spiking which was developed in the Philippines has made the game more difficult over the years. It is a great sport because it could be played on many surfaces, and it doesnt cost much money, not much equipment is needed, such as in a game like football or hockey. Volleyball quickly became a serious sport, instead of popular fun, which it used to be. People of all ages can play and requires minimum preparation or equipment. It has caught popularity with the exposure it has received from the Olympics and televised tournaments. Today people who just want to have some fun or get a little exercise still play volleyball. But volleyball also developed into a sport that if played for competition would need conditioning, training and a lot of skill. It has grown from the few that used to play it at the YMCA to the 90,000 who play in professional tournaments, and the 2.8 million who play it at an organized level. We will write a custom essay on Volleyball originally was mintonette by YMCA dir specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Volleyball has also grown into a popular sport by the addition of indoor and outdoor games. Beach volleyball was started 12 years ago. It has mad volleyball greater than ever, especially in climates such as California and Florida. Beach volleyball is more difficult than indoor volleyball. Jumping and running are much more difficult on the sand, you have to be in good shape to play on that surface. Volleyball is also serving up a profit. With its increased exposure, it has been a sport that many people wanted to play. Twelve courts were built in Cincinnati and were paid for by the players who played on it in three years. Volleyball is now gaining a lot of profit. This tells you how many people want to play the sport and are willing to pay. Vocabulary1) Strenuous Vigorously active. 2) Recreational A means of refreshment or diversion. 2) Exposure the condition of being presented to view or made known. 4) Conditioning To put into a proper state for work or use. I chose this article for many diverse views of modern volleyball. I think that it told me a wide variety of things about volleyball. It showed me things that I could learn, its creation, its expansion and how to enjoy it. It also gave an idea of how volleyball was like in the past and how has it greatly evolved into our modern times. I learned many things from this article. I learned its great history; it was created in 1895, right here in NYC in the YMCA. I also learned that spiking was not developed till many years after the creation of the game itself. Now its a regular part of the game. I also learned of its great increase in popularity. One out of every 98 people in the United States play the game of volleyball in the everyday. The knowledge of how volleyball came about to be helped me understand its history. Although I dont think that this will improve my volleyball skills, it has taught me many things about the sport and how it has changed throughout the years.

Wilfred Owens War Poetry Essays

Wilfred Owens War Poetry Essays Wilfred Owens War Poetry Paper Wilfred Owens War Poetry Paper Essay Topic: Poetry An authors context always has a substantial influence on the texts they write. We will also find this holds true for poetry, if not more so. Poetry is often considered a collection of emotions generated from its writer and we can see this by not only analysing a poem, but by taking into consideration the poets life as well. One such example is Wilfred Owen. Owens poetry has been greatly influenced by his context, and not only by his involvement in World War 1 but the friendships he made in that time. Through knowing Owens context we can interpret how the social, political and historical climate of the world influenced his poetry. Wilfred Owen was born in March, 1893. The course of his life changed many times before he went to war. After finishing school he became a parish assistant before abandoning religion and finally becoming a professor of English. It has never been clearly stated why he abandoned Christianity but we will look into how it has effected his poetry later. In 1910 Owen met Christoble Coleridge, daughter of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and their friendship, together with his skills as an English teacher, is how Owens passion for poetry began. It was not long after England declared war on August 4th, 1914, that Wilfred Owen enlisted with the Artists Rifles Regiment as a cadet. In 1915 Owen was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant of the Manchesters Regiment, and in 1917 was sent to the front line at the battle of Serre. At some stage during that battle Owen was concussed and spent several days in a bomb creator with the corpse of a fellow officer. Whilst recovering at Craiglockhart War Hospital, Owen met the poet Siegfried Sassoon who became the greatest influence in Owens work. In August 1918 Owen returned to the war where he was killed in action on the 4th November, 1918. When the poetry of Wilfred Owen is read there are many instances where we can see direct parallels to events in his life. Lets consider Owens becoming an apostate. There are many parts of his work that indicate an abandonment of religion, the best example being Le Christianisme. The very first line, So the church of Christ was hit and buried, is symbolic of Owen deferring from Christianity. However the rest of the poem, in particular the second stanza, can be interpreted as Owenss resentment of such a change. We can see in other poems this resentment and perhaps also indication that Owen converted back to religion during the war. In Strange Meeting Owen writes by his dead smile I knew we were in hell. It clearly illustrates that Owen was aware of the consequences of disbelieving in God and believed war to be his punishment, his hell. Quite often in Owens work, God is seen to symbolise death. The first line of Apologia Pro Poemate Meo speaks of how he saw God through mud; the mud that cracks on cheeks, meaning he saw God in the face of the dying. We consider this use of God to mean death because very often in Owens work he claims o see death in the eyes of man. Finally, in Greater Love one line gives us a good example of how Owen felt about God. Where God seems not to care. There is one poem which is almost an account of an event from 1917. Whilst leading his platoon in the battle of Somme, Owen captured an abandoned German bunker in no mans land. The sentry who was posted was blinded during a raid. This also happens to be the theme of the poem The Sentry, and we can already see the evidence in the title. After reading the poem we get a much better picture of what actually happened. The first line, We found an old Boche dug-out already indicates the finding of a German bunker. Further into the poem Owen has used the onomatopoeia whiz-bang to describe the sounds of rockets. Following a final attack, another onomatopoeic line depicts a man falling down stairs. Thud! Flump! Thud! Down the stairs The man to fall down the stairs is referred to as the sentry, and n regaining consciousness he cries O sir my eyes Im blind. This is said to have actually happened and gives us a good example of just how real Owens poetry is. Apart from resembling events in his life, Owens poetry strongly reflects his views and attitudes towards war and other issues. Perhaps the most profound trend across his work is the criticism he gives to the glory of war. Lets consider Dulce et Decorum est. The very title is Latin for noble and heroic to die for ones country, but the poem itself has a very anti-war approach in which Owen tries to depict the true image of war. The first stanza describes the state of the soldiers and what they have to endure. The line men marched asleep is describing how they no longer care, how what was once considered extra ordinary is now boring them to sleep. The last two lines emphasises this giving the impression they dont care for their lives and that death no longer perturbs them. deaf even to the hoots, Of gas shells dropping softly behind. The second stanza describes the fitting of gas masks during an attack. It is interesting to note the use of the word ecstasy with ecstasy meaning pure delight. Again this resembles how war can desensitise a person, so much so that a struggle for life is considered pure delight. It then goes on to describe the death of a solider not quick enough in fitting his mask. The final lines of this second stanza describe how the experience of war has affected his dreams. We make the assumption my dreams is literally referring to Owens dreams. The true meaning of this poem is written into the final stanza. The final stanza is a reflection of what Owen feels about war. He writes about the possibility that if we ever saw what he had we would not describe war with such high zest. It is blatantly saying that we do not and cannot have any notion of what war is truly like and how devastating it is. Children ardent for some desperate glory and hence war is depicted as glorious when in fact it is not. Owens attitudes towards this is best summed up by the last lines of this poem The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. We can derive other meanings from Owens works by looking at the extent to which the symbols blood and death have been used. Constant use of blood as a symbol is clearly a reflection of the violence of war. In the third stanza of Strange Meetings blood has been used as a symbol not once, but four times. Yet no blood reached there boil bloody, and be spilled much blood had clogged Foreheads of men have bled In many of his poems, the words blood, pain, die, dark, killed and hell are continuously used. This adds a very dark and evil feel to the poems and our notion of war. It is a technique in which Owen has successfully portrayed war for what it is. In The Next War Owen has personified death to create an enemy for the next war, the war for life. Out there weve walked quite friendly up to Death; Sat down and eaten with him In the poem, Death is described as a friend, Death was never an enemy of ours! It is exploring the notion that men at war did not fear death and did not try to avoid the war they would inevitably succumb to against him. It is also significant that we has been used as opposed to me. This could be referring to all soldiers, but in taking the first stanza into consideration we get quite a different meaning. Wars a joke for me and you, While we know such dreams are true. Siegfried Sassoon. This puts a new meaning to the poem. It now reads as Sassoon and Owen facing death together, and is symbolic of the strength of their friendship. If the war was half of Owens influence to write poetry, then Sassoon was the other half. Sassoon, already a poet himself, met Owen while he was in hospital. Sassoon read through Owens work and helped him develop new techniques, of which we see in his own work regularly. After Owen was killed on the 4th November 1918, Sassoon made it his personal endeavour to publish all of Owens work. If it had not been for Sassoon we would never have known about Wilfred Owen and his poetry. Sassoon once said, All that was strongest in Wilfred Owen survives in his poems, and this we take for truth. Not only does memory of Wilfred Owen live on through these poems, but the fatal mistakes made by humanity in going to war. In illustrating what war was really like, and exposing the false glory, Owen has left future generations a warning not to let history repeat itself. May his words live on forever, The old lie: Dulce et decorum est.

Analysis Of Sherry Turkle s The Flight From Conversation Essay

Turkle lacks any success in her rhetorical appeal to ethos and does nothing to gain the trust of her audience without citing her quotes or properly identify herself as an expert in the field of social media and human interaction. The audience without her identify herself as an expert doesn’t know whether or not to trust what she is saying or if it is just a paper full of emotion with no proof. Not properly identifying how she is related to the subject matter anywhere in the paper makes the audience feel misguided by any information given which leads to mistrust her as a reliable source of information. This mistrust leads the audience to turn away from Turkle and not to believe her throughout the remainder of the article. She attempts to show that she has done some research by saying â€Å"during the years I have spent researching people and their relationships with technology†¦ listening to me† (Turkle). Turkle wants the audience to trust her that she has done her research, and therefor is an expert in this subject matter and throughout the article is t... ... middle of paper ... ...ticle in The New York Times â€Å"The Flight From Conversation†, she unsuccessfully argues that society needs to drop the habit of using social media as an out for face to face conversation, through her emotionally charged pathos that disrupts her from making valuable arguments that turn into a rant filled paper and the lack of properly assuring the audience that she is an expert in the field of human interactions. Though I do believe that more and more people have relied on technology for interaction with their peers, I don’t believe it has become an epidemic as describe in Turkle’s paper. Social media allows us to be able to connect with each other all around the country and is an effective means of quick communication. People still bond with each other and build meaningful relationships that are not just reliant on a piece of technology like describe so in the article.

Getting fired from jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Getting fired from jobs - Essay Example However, this is not true in some cases leading to the said employees having to struggle to keep up with the requirements of their job description after hiring. This is a leading cause as it puts the employer in a difficult position following this inability, of a highly decorated employee, to learn their jobs in or on time for productive working. In addition, the issue of bringing personal issues into work is not left out. This is following the potential that some workers have in their social lives in relation to their ability to socialize effectively and the inability to keep apart professionalism and personal issues. In light of this, personal issues may be brought through one of two or even both ways, which are gossip on other employees, or even bringing in personal differences with other employees to cause squabbles. These are solid grounds for dismissal as it affects the productivity of the employee in question and others that are involved in the personal differences. In addition, the interference of personal issues in the workplace may also occur through using business hours n the workplace to attend to personal issues. Such issues include family problems or even helping friends take care of their own problem. It may be a positive thing to help others or even take care of one’s own problems, but the negative point comes in when the employee cheats the employer of productive time through the same. For example, if an employee has marital problems with his or her husband or wife, it is only logical to attempt at correcting the problems for peace of mind. However, using time, which one is paid for by the employer and is meant for the benefit of the said employer, for personal gain is grounds enough for dismissal. The proper channel would be to go through the employer and ask for time off to sort out one’s personal issues before

Immigration Status In Access to Health Care And Insurance Among the Research Proposal

Immigration Status In Access to Health Care And Insurance Among the Polish Immigrants In the USA - Research Proposal Example The suggested study relates to legal and illegal polish immigrants and their access to health care and insurance services in the United States of America. The study attempts to determine the effects of immigration status (Legal v/s illegal) on the access to health care and related services in America. This study deals with immigrants, who might not know English, therefore, to ensure reliability of scores obtained, the questionnaire will be provided in their language as well. Similarly, the researcher will have to provide the briefing form and the informed consent forms in Polish language also. Immigration status acts as a barrier to seeking and getting access to health care and insurance facility in the USA. There has been considerable research on the topic and there are theories that support both sides of the case. The literature review has revealed contradictory information on the issue. This study is needed to find out the truth about access to healthcare and insurance available to immigrants in the USA. This study will prove to be very helpful in the field of social services. It will provide an insight into the issues faced by illegal polish immigrants in access to healthcare and will point new directions for further research in the field. This study is personally important to me since it will enhance my research skills; give me more insight into the causes of psychological deprivations among immigrants and will make me more sensitive as a counselor towards the health needs of immigrants.

Strategic Management at Honda Essay -- Business Management Studies

Strategic Management at Honda 1. Firstly what is strategic management? It is the process of specifying an organization’s objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve these objectives, and allocating resources so as to implement the plans. Strategic management is usually performed by the highest level of managers in the company. A company’s strategy must be realistic enough for it to achieve it; hence it must make sure it has the right resources to be able to cope with the strategy. An example of an overall business strategy may be to put the organization in a position where it can carry out its mission. Now to see how the definition of strategic management conforms to what’s been written about how Honda grew and developed its markets in the US. Firstly in the BCG account of how Honda grew into the US markets it quotes â€Å"the success of the Japanese manufactures originated with the growth of their domestic market during the 1950s.† To think strategically there are three big questions that need to be answered that are, where are we now? Where do we want to go? How will we get there? I believe the first question of thinking strategically is now answered, â€Å"where are we now† Honda must of seen that they have been successful in their own domestic market and are ready to go into other markets so at this point they must have been thinking where do they want to go next hence the second strategic question. Another quote from the BCG report, â€Å"†¦.the basic philosophy of the Japanese manufactures is the high volumes per model provide the potential for high productivity as a result of using capital intensive and highly automated techniques.† This now I believe has answered the third question of thinking strategically, â€Å"how will we get there.† Honda knew from the success of their own domestic market the key to their success was gaining economies of scale as the cost of producing motorbikes declined with the level of output. So this would be their way of entering the US markets as they also knew their competitors would have a scale economy disadvantage in technology and manufacturing. If we look at the second account of how Honda grew and developed its markets in the US we can see other ways of how its conforms with strategic management. Pascal’s version is based on interviews with the Japanese executives. They say they had no ... ...aving a formalised approach to strategy and implementations there are some disadvantages. Having a formalised strategy can mean a lot of time and thought need to be put into forming a good strategy which might mean a huge drawback in cost savings whereas this time and thought could be implemented elsewhere in the business. A formalised approach to strategy development can also mean a slow response when there is a change in the market. Developing a strategy and implementing as said before takes a long time and a lot of thought which in business means money so when there is a change in the market the strategy may not be relevant to the new situation which could consequently mean further cost occurring such as forming new strategies and responding to the new market situation. A situation like this can be learnt from Honda when they thought their larger bikes would sell as Americans liked bigger things and also they thought the Buddha like handlebar would assist in sales of these larger bikes, but when this was not the case and they learnt it was the smaller bikes (50cc) the consumers wanted they had to quickly change their main strategy and follow on with a new one.

Impact Of The Latest Advances In Technology On Recruitment And Selection

ABSTRACT In the face of a new era of downsizing, garnering of qualified workforce remains a key organizational goal. A commonly held view among the human resource managers is that the human resources are the most important assets of an organization and that they offer the only non-imitative competitive edge. As the point of entry, the process of recruitment and selection of employees plays a crucial role in enhancing the success and survival of the organization in the extremely competitive and turbulent business environment. This paper explores on how the latest advances in technology have impacted on the process of recruitment and selection of employees. Different aspects of the use of new technology will be examined including internet based recruitment, telephone and video conferencing, computer based testing and IVR or Automated telephone interviewing. This will include an overview of the potential advantages as well as challenges arising with the use of each wave of technology. INTRODUCTION In the face of a new era of downsizing, garnering of qualified workforce remains a key organizational goal (Bauer 2004). As the point of entry, the process of recruitment and selection of employees plays a crucial role in enhancing the success and survival of the organization in the extremely competitive and turbulent business environment. Traditionally, the recruitment and selection process relied on fairly low-tech methods such as employee referrals and newspaper ads, in locating and attracting qualified candidates (Lievens, et.al 2002). Successful job seeking included frequenting the local job center (Lievens, et.al 2002). This has however changed over the past few decades as a result of advances in technology. The recruitment process, just like all other business functions, has become increasingly tied to technology (Lievens, et.al 2002). The common practice of mailing applications and waiting to be called for an interview via a phone call has been trumped by technological advances which have eased communication. Technological advances such as internet-based recruitment and candidate assessment, computer-based testing, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), telephone and video-based interviews among other information technologies are now increasingly being used in recruiting and selecting qualified candidates (Chapman & Webster 2003). In this paper, we examine how the latest advances in technology have impacted on the process of recruitment and selection of employees. The following sections will explore on these technological advances, in particular, how they are impacting on recruitment and selection process. This will include an overview of the potential advantages as well as challenges arising with the use of each wave of technology. We begin by exploring on internet based recruitment, which involves recruitment via the web.a. INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENTThe most popular ways through which advances in technology have significantly impacted on recruitment and selection is through the internet. Organizations are increasingly making use of the internet technology, particularly the World Wide Web, as a platform for testing and recruiting potential candidates (Baron & Austin, 2000). Social networking websites, software and online job boards has helped in linking applicants to hiring professionals with focus on knowled ge, skills and abilities (Baron & Austin, 2000). Social networking sites such as LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, monster.com and universe.jobs hold millions of jobs and resumes in their databases (Neil 2003). These professional networking sites play a significant role in the process of recruitment and selection. LinkedIn, for example, is used as a business-oriented social networking site whereby applicants are linked with the employers. LinkedIn is widely used globally as a professional network service and has currently 90 million users (Neil 2003). It is currently valued at over $2.51 billion USD and operates in more than 200 countries (Neil 2003). Advances in technology have indeed shaped the process of recruitment and selection. Online ads are now the lead recruitment methods employed by employers. Recruitment and selection via the web has enabled the employers to build a ‘talent pool’ of qualified candidates and lessen their reliance on conventional print media (Thompson et al., 2008). This has led to significant cost savings as employers lessen their reliance on recruitment agencies (Thompson et al., 2008). In this regard, Harris & Dewar (2000) noted a significant reduction on the cost per-hire from $ 3,295 (for the conventional recruitment methods) to $377 (for internet based recruitment). There are many benefits arising with the use of internet based recruitment method as well challenges that it present to the organizations. It should be noted that internet based recruitment is not without its shortcomings, but the cons must be weighed against the pros in order to determine if this recruitment method is supported. BENEFITS OF INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENT The internet provides efficiency in the administration and scoring of test as the content can be easily modified and answers captured in electronic form (Van Hoye & Lievens 2007). It also enables routine checking of errors, automatic scoring of tests and provides instant feedback to the applicants (Van Hoye & Lievens 2007). This administrative ease enables recruiters to save on costs and time giving them a competitive hedge in the tight labour market. It also provides for increased flexibility for both the employer and applicants in the administration of tests and performance of work in varied geographical locations (Van Hoye & Lievens 2007). Moreover, the widespread of information in a globalized market widens access to a diverse geographical labour pool (Lievens & Harris 2003). Additionally, there is a greater transparency in the selection process as candidates are selected based on their skills, experience and competence (Lievens & Harris 200 3). CHALLENGES TO INTERNET BASED RECRUITMENT While it is apparent that online recruitment help cut on recruitment costs, increase efficiency and transparency in the selection process; there are some potentially major drawbacks. Due to the high number of applicants, screening and checking the authenticity and mapping of skills may be a time consuming exercise (Lievens & Harris 2003). The large number of indistinguishable resumes from the various applicants coupled with inadequate software and procedures may lead to poor results in the selection of the ideal candidate (Lievens & Harris 2003). This problem can largely be attributed to the existing methods for parsing resumes which is dependent on software that truncates and exclude the totality of content (Lievens & Harris 2003). Also, failure by the industry software to produce optimum candidate and position convergence may result in correspondingly low retention rates of the new employees hence costing client companies thousands of dollars (Lievens & Harris 2003). Despite having automated assistance, managing the workload remains a daunting task for HR managers. While software has reduced on the number of resumes from the applicants, that would otherwise be manually reviewed, it has not been successful in narrowing candidate resume pools to the ideal qualified applicants (Harris & Dewar 2000).It should be noted that most of the software employed in the process of recruitment and selection generally uses rudimentary lexical and semantic algorithms (Harris & Dewar 2000). These algorithms tend to generate a large candidate pool with most candidates insufficiently suitable for effective use (Harris & Dewar 2000). This is because the industry software lacks the ideal filtering capabilities necessary for the proper parsing of resume. Crucial data that could help in identifying the ideal candidate and position convergence is therefore lost. Without sufficient data, there is not enough variance that could be used in distinguishing among candidate and position suitability (Harris & Dewar 2000). This next section will explore on interactive voice response (IVR) which is also known as automated telephone interviewing. The method is also gaining popularity and is increasingly being used by firms in recruiting and selecting new hires. b. AUTOMATED TELEPHONE INTERVIEWING/INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR) The use of interactive voice response (IVR) which also referred to as automated telephone interviewing is one of the newest ways to recruiting and selecting new hires (Thompson et.al 2008). IVR technology allows for human interaction with the computer via a telephone keypad or through the use of voice recognition (Thompson et.al 2008). This wave of technology is increasingly gaining popularity in the recruitment and selection of employees due to its many advantages. ADVANTAGES OF THE IVR IVR is an easily accessible technology. Take for example the United States where 95% of the households own phones (Thompson et.al 2008). With IVR, applicants can initiate the interview at any time. The applicants or potential employees can initiate an interview by simply making a phone call to a toll-free phone number and be automatically interviewed without any intervention from the operator (Thompson et.al 2008). IVR or rather automated telephone interviewing can help in eliminating interview biases (Thompson al 2008). It is highly cost effective in screening the candidate pool. DISADVANTAGES OF USING IVR While IVR is increasingly being used by many businesses to cut on the costs and give a better experience, it is not without its shortcomings. One of the greatest challenges to using IVR systems in recruitment and selection of employees is that the users find it hard to follow telephone menus and lengthy instructions (Thompson et.al 2008). Also, IVR screening is considered lower in terms of treatment and openness as well as in reconsideration opportunities than the conventional face to face interviewing (Thompson al 2008)..c. TELECONFERENCING AND VIDEO CONFERENCINGThere is also the use of telephone and video conferencing. Teleconferencing involves setting up of a conference telephone call between the selection committee and potential candidates (Gilliland 1993). Job interviews by teleconferencing are common where the applicant and the selection committee are located in geographically sparse regions. Video conferencing, on the other hand, involves the combination of both the audio and video transmissions, hence allowing for communication to take place by a way of an audio visual link (AVL) (Gilliland 1993). With video confer encing, both the applicant and selection committee members are able to share their views and at the same time see each other on the screen. BENEFITS OF VIDEO CONFERENCING Despite reducing the in-person meetings, video teleconferencing as well offer the advantages of face to face communication (Gilliland 1993). There is also significant cost reduction for both the applicant and the employer as there is no need of travelling and associated costs of lodging and meals (Gilliland 1993). There is also the added environmental benefit as a reduction in traveling implies a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (Gilliland 1993). Further, upon placement this technology allows for the continued collaboration with the team members from remote locations (Gilliland 1993). CHALLENGES OF VIDEO CONFERENCING Similar to other technological innovations, video conferencing is not without its shortcomings. There might be a difference in time zones when conferencing in remote geographical locations (Gilliland 1993). Also, some of the human ways to communicating may not translate well with video conferencing (Gilliland 1993). For example, eye contact may not be easily delivered through a webcam, unlike in the conventional face-to-face interviewing where one can easily make eye contact and judge whether the interviewee is paying due attention. Last but not least, we explore on how computer based testing has impacted on recruitment and selection process.d. COMPUTER BASED TESTINGThe use of computer based interviews has increased in the recent years with a wide range of organizations utilizing computer-based online tests for selection purposes (Aptitude/psychometric tests) (Chapman & Webster, 2003). There are several reasons for increased reliance on psychometric tests in the recruitment and selection of employees. Key among these is the increased regulation and legislation, and loss of confidence in academic qualifications (Chapman & Webster, 2003). INCREASED REGULATION AND LEGISLATION Reliance on test use in the selection process has been used as a defensive strategy to regulation and legislation (Chapman & Webster, 2003). Tests are seen as objective indicators of how the skills of potential candidates align with the job description (Chapman & Webster, 2003). These competency tests promote fairness and equal access to opportunities available. LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS There is a growing body of evidence for a loss of confidence with the formal academic qualifications. This is largely attributed to bad governance and corrupt institutions that may award degrees or certificates to incompetent individuals. As such, competency based tests are increasingly being used in screening the candidate pool and in identifying candidates with skills that align with the â€Å"competency profile† for the job in question (Chapman & Webster, 2003). Computer based testing facilitates the selection process by quickly pinpointing the candidates ability more accurately (Chapman & Webster, 2003). Take for example the BULATS online test, a robust business English language test, which is widely used in helping organizations make timely decisions in the recruitment process (Chapman & Webster, 2003). This online test provides a fast and more accurate method of pinpointing the candidates’ ability and suitability to work by using adaptive testing techniques (Chapman & Webster, 2003). CONCLUSION Clearly, we have identified a number of benefits to using technology for purposes of recruiting and selecting job applicants. A quick recap of some of the benefits include increased efficiency in the administration and scoring of tests, increased flexibility, greater transparency, reduction in biases, widened access to a diverse geographical pool of potential candidates, and cost reduction among others. There are however challenges arising with the use of technological advances in recruitment and selection process. For example, the exercise may be time consuming as a large number of applicants need to be screened. Other shortcomings include poor results due to inadequate software and procedures, and difficulties in filtering of potential candidates, among others. Nonetheless, the latest advances in technology have significantly impacted on recruitment and selection process. As pointed out by Kay (2000), the power of the Web and e-technology has changed the way recruitment and selections of employees occur. Technological advancements and the ubiquity of the internet (especially with social networking) have become powerful additions to the process of recruitment and selection. However, these should not be considered as the only solutions to finding the ideal candidate. While changes are still underway, it is clear that advances in technology have dramatically impacted on the recruitment and selection process. REFERENCES Bauer, et.al, 2004. â€Å"Applicant reactions to different selection technology: face-to-face, interactive voice response and computer-assisted telephone screening interviews†, International Journal of selection and assessment, Portland State University: Blackwell publishing ltd. Baron, H., & J. Austin, 2000. Measuring ability via the Internet: Opportunities and issues. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA. Chapman, D.S., & J. Webster, 2003. â€Å"The use of technologies in recruiting, screening and selection processes for job candidates†, International journal of selection and assessment, Vol.11 (2), pp. 113-120 Gilliland, S.W, 1993. â€Å"The perceived fairness of selection systems: an organizational justice perspective†, Academy of management review, 18, pp.694-734 Harris, M., and K. Dewar, 2000. Understanding and using web-based recruiting and screening tools: key criteria, current trends and future directions. Workshop presented at annual meeting of the society for industrial and organizational psychology, San Diego, CA. Kay, A. S., 2000. â€Å"Recruiters embrace the Internet.† Informationweek: pp.72-80. Lievens, F., K. Van Dam and N. Anderson, 2002. â€Å"Recent Trends and Challenges in Personnel Selection†. Personnel Review, 31 (5-6), 580-601 Lievens, F., & M.M. Harris, 2003. â€Å"Research on Internet Recruiting and Testing: Current Status and Future Directions†. In: C.L. Cooper & I.T. Robertson (Eds.) International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Chicester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. vol. 16., pp. 131-165. Neil, A., 2003. â€Å"Applicant and recruiter reactions to new technology in selection: a critical review and agenda for future research†, International journal of selection and assessment, Vol. 11 (2) Thompson, L. F., P.W. Braddy, and K.L. Wuensch, 2008. E-Recruitment and the Benefits of Organizational Web Appeal. Computers in Human Behavior, 24 (5), 2384-2398. Tourangeau, R., D.M. Steiger & D.Wilson, 2002. â€Å"Self-administered questions by telephone: evaluating interactive voice response†, public opinion quarerly, 6, pp.265-278 Van Hoye, G. and F. Lievens, 2007. â€Å"Investigating Web-Based Recruitment Sources: Employee Testimonials versus Word-of-Mouse†. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 15 (4), 372-382.