Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Human resource management - Essay Example ON-THE-JOB TRAINING: It takes place in a normal work environment using the actual projects, documents, tools and the work place as the training location. In this type the trainee is assigned to a supervisor or a senior employee and he/she observes their training in more like a one to one situation. The purpose of on-the-job training is a better work performance; the trainer can not only focus on his/her input in training, in fact the trainings must have its desired impacts. Although there are no specific ways applied in training because different situations, different assignments call for different methods but the many different types of on the job training are (Rapid Training Development 2010): JOB ROTATION: Job rotation is one of the commonly used methods in on-the-job trainings, this method involves the trainee to move from one job or assignment to another in order to gain experience. In this method the trainees are placed under each and every type of job from clerical job to assistant, cashier, manager for them to learn the importance and the manner to handle every job. COACHING: in this method the trainee is placed under the watchful eyes of a supervisor who acts as a coach and supervises him/her through different assignments. They offer their feedbacks regarding the trainees work and performance make suggestions and help them make improvements in their work quality. But there is only one limitation for the trainee that he/she cannot express their ideas so openly. JOB INSTRUCTION: this method is also known as â€Å"step-by-step training†, in which the trainer explains the different ways of doing jobs. He also gives him/her job knowledge, teaches them the method of doing it and allows him to do the job on their own but under their supervision. After the job is job the trainer appraises, provides feedback, and corrects the mistakes that are made. The

Business Continuity Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Continuity Plan - Essay Example In particular, each of the systems must be evaluated and placed in one of the two categories of risk, as described below: The systems must be based on an assessment of the loss and how it will hit the various departments using it and how it will be in costs of that loss and to recover the data. See the IT Departmental Team Plan on more in depth information on the risks and how best to assess them at senior management level. Stated by MIT (1995). It consists of senior managers from each main department that useing the applications identified above; their role is to ensure the personnel can function during a critical outage, in particular that there is a recovery plan to cover Critical and Emergency states. To this end there must be an alternative system in place, which is up and running at all times. To be in charge of the BTC is the Director of Security who will have the final decision making controls for the team. To report to the Business Continuity Team (BTC), within two hours once access is allowed to the company premises, any application that has been compromised during the outage or attack, then give any advice to the BTC about the best way forward if there is a problem with hardware or for users. Hardware procedures are in the "Maintenance Handbook" maintained by the Facilities department and cover as many eventualities as can be covered. It will be the first set of procedures covered especially if there is a difference in the stated objectives between the BTC and the handbook. IT and facilities are then responsible for putting the recovery into motion. Stated by MIT (1995). Technical equipment such as servers and routers must be locked in cabinets in a locked technical room. Ensure their are ports disabled if not required and working ports are have encrypted passwords strong enough not to be broken. Access is by staff with proper security clearance given by the Security Directors office only. Any contractor

Investment risk mangement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Investment risk mangement - Essay Example Poor mortgage related investment was a very major reason which caused this failure as the real estate portfolio of the company was in a very awful shape. The liabilities of the firm were more than the assets. The firms major sources of revenue was coming from government, corporate industry along with other giant clients to whom financial advice was given related to financial transactions along with acting as a underwriter to the clients. The leverage policy of the organization was a major reason why the bankruptcy took place which basically includes terrible regulations of the firm. Market satisfaction was another important factor was it made the firm too much confident about their financial policies along with lack of financial operation’s transparency. The mortgages were not priced correctly before lending them out .The credit default swap market also had a huge impact on the failure along with misrepresentation in the financial statements also acting as a key cause in the bankruptcy. High level of asset to equity ratio along with extreme high level short term debt financing basically caused major problems for the company. The company was so many dependants on the short term debt that it had to face the risk of runs. Systemic risk was faced by Lehman brothers. There were many recommendations given as to how the risk should have been controlled by many financial experts however for such risks which caused this financial catastrophe. The search for buyer should have been started way before it actually was, bailing out Lehman Brother could have been another beneficial step. Proper steps should have been taken to avoid capital inadequacy. The arrival of the crisis was expected however the auditors and management did not take proper steps to avoid it on time. It is important for the organizations to use new and better methods for checking company’s financial conditions

Estonian Air's Big Buy Case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Estonian Air's Big Buy Case - Assignment Example They offer flights to overseas destinations and among their home countries. These include: the US Airways, British Airways, and Air France, among others. A common characteristic of these airlines is that they are fully or partially owned by their governments; which brought them into existence. The low cost carriers set their network of short routes with fleets consisting of one type of airplane. This strategy helped in minimizing maintenance cost as well as the cost of training. Some of these include: Southwest, Jet Blues, EasyJet, AirBerlin and Sky-Europe among others. The third type of competitive groups was regional carriers that specialized in connecting small cities with the larger capital cities in the nation and region. However, the charges by regional carriers were higher than those of low cost carriers. For instance, Air Nostrum connected cities in Spain, whereas SATA Air connects the Canary Islands to the mainlands of Portugal and Germany. Eventually, the Estonian Air Airline faced competition from other airlines that flew through Estonia while connecting to major European cities such as: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, London, Paris, Rome and Vienna. The main competitor of Estonian Air’s is an A/S Air Baltic Corporation, whose network consists of the major European cities as well as the Baltic region. The second main competitor is EasyJet of Britain that has almost 400 routes across Europe. The third main competitor Aero Airlines of Finland specializes in connecting Tallinn with three main cities in Finland. In conclusion, the Estonian Air has a continuously growing transport market. Considering the fact that the air transport market in Estonia grows at a rate of 10% to 15% due to increased tourism activity in Estonia, its market will continue to

A Comparative Analysis of television channels FIVE and BBC Essay Example for Free

A Comparative Analysis of television channels FIVE and BBC Essay Television is a powerful media source, bringing stories to billions across the globe. It has been called the most awesome God-less force in the modern world and it is now seen as a major part of everyday life. The average person spends 4 hours a day watching TV becoming roughly 1/3 of a persons typical waking hours. Television is a constructed view of reality, sometimes exaggerated extremely, solely to create entertainment. In the UK, there are five major terrestrial television channels, (four organisations) with some being vastly more successful than others. The BBC is the only organisation not to make money from advertising. Their money is generated from the TV Licence fee, and this type of broadcasting is known as Public Service Broadcasting. Channel 5 is perhaps seen as the least successful of the five TV channels, possibly due to the fact that it is the youngest. The channel began in 1995, but it was not able to broadcast nationally as many of the populations televisions could not receive it. The company offered to retune every TV that couldnt receive it, before the big launch in 1997. A long advertising campaign was launched, known as Give Me Five in an attempt to draw in viewers. On the 30th March, 1997, Channel 5 was launched at 6pm, attracting an audience of 2. 4 million people, a figure higher than the launch of Channel 4, fifteen years earlier. This new channel neither had the money or reputation to buy and broadcast potentially successful material. Perhaps getting off to a bad start, the main schedule consisted of home and cookery programmes, cheap US exports, and late night pornography. However, Channel 5 did receive praise for its news programming, and soon the ratings became consistently acceptable. The channel gained more money, and was soon able to buy better quality shows, such as Home Away. In 2002, Channel 5 underwent a major image modification. The name changed from Channel 5 to simply, Five, and progressed itself as a serious rival to the other 4 channels. However, the channel has not been without its flaws. For example, Friends spin-off series, Joey, was bought by Five in 2005. Despite a high-profile launch and ad campaign, the program received poor ratings and was eventually cancelled. Similarly, other shows such as Robot Wars and CD:UK proved to be a flop for the channel. These unsuccessful shows have seemingly increased the channels poor reputation. In the channels first year of broadcasting, five receives its lowest audience shares of 2. 3%, but this can be expected from a debuting channel. Fifteen years earlier, Channel 4 received even lower audience shares on its opening night, although it could be argued that people watched less television in the 1980s. The audience shares increased, and peaked in 2004. The channel has the lowest audience share of the terrestrial channels, but, in its defence, Five is not received in all of the UKs homes. Like all of the other terrestrial channels, Five now has sister channels, Five US and Five Life. These two channels are both somewhat successful, but other sister channels, such as ITV2, E4 and BBC Three are proving to be more viewed. Nowadays, Five is able to branch out and buy successful US shows such as Prison Break and House, as well as buying programmes from other channels in 2008, Five bought Neighbours from the BBC. The BBC was established in the early 1920s, but it was not until 1936 that the channel began its regular television broadcasting as a public service TV channel. However, it was further suspended after WWII began, until 1946 when the permanent service was established. The BBCs mission was to inform, educate and entertain and is still taken into account today. The BBC broadcasts a wide variety of programmes on both of its channels, BBC1 and BBC2. The BBCs major programme is EastEnders, the popular primetime soap. On a weekly basis, the soap receives the highest rating of all terrestrial shows, with only the ITV1 soap, Coronation Street, (and occasionally reality shows such as The X Factor and Dancing On Ice) playing as its rival. Other BBC shows, such as Top Gear, Doctor Who and Little Britain have all been a success throughout the last decade, further improving the channels ratings and reputation. In an attempt to branch out and widen its audience, the BBC has recently made some unlikely purchases. In 2007, the channel brought the successful US show Heroes to BBC2. The show quickly became a phenomenon, and is different from what would usually be broadcast on BBC2. The BBC continues to dominate terrestrial TV, by finding ways to bring in more viewers. The programmes vary from food, to lifestyle, to documentary, to political. The BBC is now contending with ITV in the reality market, as it now features shows looking for new west-end stars, and the ever popular series, Strictly Come Dancing. BBC1 receives the highest audience share of the 5 channels, with an average of 26%. It is seen as the main channel, and regularly receives high ratings. This major organisation has the money to do whatever it pleases, and this has shown over the last decade. The BBC now has 8 channels BBC1, BBC2, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News 24, BBC Parliament, CBBC and CBeebies. These 8 channels prove to cater for everyone. BBC Three is the most popular of the sister channels, frequently receiving new material such as Lily Allen and Friends and Gavin Stacey. The channel is a lighter version of BBC1, with a more comedic element. The BBC now broadcasts internationally. A new channel, BBC America, was launched in 1998, and has carried programming from the BBC to the USA, such as Torchwood and The Graham Norton Show. BBC America is part of two international channels, the other being BBC World. A recent feature of the BBC, BBC iPlayer, has recently been introduced. It has become an on-demand online video player, with unlimited access to BBC shows. The iPlayer is proving extremely popular, with more than 3. 5 million programmes downloaded in its opening week. However, despite the BBC being a major empire, the company relies on the licence fee. It is the only channel not to rely on income through advertising. The core belief of public service television is that it is free from the pressures of commercial TV, and, as its income is guaranteed, public service TV is freer to explore. But this does not mean it can become complacent. High audience shares are still needed because, if they were to fall, the licence fee would be in serious jeopardy. For years, there has been a debate as to whether public service broadcasting should continue. Naturally, the BBC wishes for it to continue, whereas others disagree. The BBC has very little to do to secure its funding, whereas the commercial companies have to work to get their income. The opponents of public service television argue that it is simply another form of taxation. With the arrival and expansion of satellite and cable, some people have no interest in the public service channels. For the BBC, public service broadcasting means that certain pressures are put upon them, but their income is fixed. The BBC could be said to have better quality shows due to them receiving easy money, and it also means that their programmes can be longer, due to the fact that they dont have to make time for advertising. However, for Channel 5, public service television means that there are no pressures. The channel can show what they want (within reason) but their income is variable. Unsurprisingly, the commercial channels are against the licence fee, as it seems unfair. It seems as if the media are in constant debate over whether the licence fee should continue, as many people pay considerable sums for services in which they have no interest in.

Thomas Hobbes †Leviathon Essay Example for Free

Thomas Hobbes – Leviathon Essay Introduction   Thomas Hobbes, a noteworthy political theorist and contemporary of John Locke, offers a concept of justice that is dependent upon the existence of a social structure which he calls the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth arises out of a state of war which he entitles the state of nature. In the state of nature, all men are equal, and thus, they have equal right to liberty. This equality of liberty is without external impediments insofar as how far one is able to extend his own liberty in the preservation of ones self. When men form societies under the social contract, a covenant which expresses their promise to curb their own ambitions and passions, their liberty, in order to work for the common good and to escape the violence that pervades the mere exercise of human nature, is also created. They then, and only then, are able to define justice, which is only realized in the adherence to covenants, and covenants can only be established and adhered to within the Commonwealth. Outside of society, there are no guarantees for protection. Overview In the State of Nature, all men are equal and are equally able to threaten one another. From this equality arises an equality of hope in attaining their ends. What nature has not bestowed upon one man in brute strength, time bestows upon him in experience. The Right of Nature, according to Hobbes, is the liberty each person has to use their own power for their own preservation. Liberty, in this regard, is identified as a lack of constraints upon a person in regards to his own behaviors. If two want the same thing, and they both cannot have it, they become enemies and endeavor to destroy one another (Hobbes chpt. 13). It is thus within the natural order for men to strive for self-preservation, especially when their own liberty is compromised by anothers practice of his liberty. There are three principal causes of quarrels between men in the state of nature. First, competition causes man to attack one another for personal gain, to make himself the stronger of the two and to take that which he seeks from the other. The second reason a man would invade another mans liberty is for the latters own personal safety, and the principal is thus known as diffidence. Finally, the principal of glory, which is the third cause of quarrel according to Hobbes, stems from the want of a reputation and the need to protect it from attacks on an ones personhood, verbal or otherwise. It is ones reputation which makes one powerful and feared in the state of nature, and thus more able to attain what he wants and needs. Because there exists no way for everyone to be assured their liberty will not be infringed by another, they must, therefore, live in a constant state of war. There is no assurance of peace and there are no boundaries dictating the extent to which one can and must go to preserve his own liberty, even if it means the domination of others. Nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, have no place (Hobbes Chpt. 13). Therefore, there can be no concept of justice, because justice distinguishes the boundaries existing between one mans ability to protect his liberty in the face of another mans endeavor to destroy it. Force and fraud are the cardinal virtues (Hobbes Chpt. 13). Force ensures ones survival, and fraud ensures ones betterment. Without the fear of punishment, nothing stops men from using them and without justice; the term fraud would have no conceptualization as its negative denotation would not exist in a world with no concept of right and wrong.    Examination The First Law of Nature is to seek peace, which is rational. As the main goal of man under the state of nature is self-preservation, peace cannot be sought unilaterally and it is against the nature of man to seek it when in doing so, he concedes his own liberty. In the state of nature, unimpeded liberty exists, and mans security in his life and liberty is questionable. In such a time, there can not be commerce, agriculture, arts, or society, as there is no means by which to ensure their security. Man must live in constant fear of death and violence, and hence, such aspects of culture cannot subsist under that threat. One has no other refuge, than that which his own strength can furnish to him, hence the importance of the three principles of conflict, which lead to gains in strength, the protection of ones life and liberty, and the protection of ones reputation. Hobbes amalgamates and summarizes the first three laws of nature into what is commonly known as the golden rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated. This rule conceptualizes the birth of the Commonwealth and the social contract, wherein man gives away his right of liberty in order to protect himself from the unrestricted liberty of others who also agree to do the same. This is the birth of both the Commonwealth and justice, and the death of the State of Nature. In order to understand the meaning of justice, one must first understand how Hobbes defines justice. Justice, according to Hobbes, is the keeping of covenants. Therefore, where there are no covenants, there can be no justice. In the State of Nature, there can be contracts, just as within the commonwealth, but not covenants. The reasons are as follows: a contract is the mutual transferring of right in the Hobbsian sense and because it is mutual, it is obligatory on both sides and realized simultaneously, however, insofar as a covenant is a transference of right between men in which one promises to fulfill his obligation in the future, the early performer of his duties can not be assured that the other will perform his end of the covenant because there are no external bridles hinging him to it, containing his ambition. To lay down a mans right to anything is to divest himself of the liberty of hindering another of the benefit of his own right to the same (Hobbes Chpt. 13). Only fear can achieve adherence to the covenant; only coercion can bring about fear; and only the Commonwealth can subdue a mans passions through coercion. Therefore, a covenant in the state of nature is no more than a gift given to another as there can be no guarantee that the first to act will get his due, moreover, justice, according to Hobbes, originally exists within the commonwealth. Conclusion The keeping of Justice within the commonwealth can be explained in two parts; first, by clarification of the role of law, and, second, through Hobbes concept of authorship. Law, as defined by Hobbes, is distinguishable from right insofar as right is the liberty to do, whereas law binds ones liberty. Law, he says, is derived from reason, and reason tells man that he should strive for peace, which is both the grounds for the establishment of society, and the first law of nature. As all voluntary acts are geared towards gain, and laying down the natural right is a voluntary act, it is done so in order to promote the peace, which is both reasonable and beneficial for the all parties in that the peace is maintained. The law that binds man and takes away his ability to infringe on the liberties of others compel men equally to the performance of their covenants, by the terror of some punishment greater than the benefit they expect by the breach of their covenant (Hobbes Chpt. 15). Therefore, it is the established laws of the Commonwealth which place the fear punishment in men and guides them to the fulfillment of their covenants. Secondly, as the Commonwealth is the unification of men who have conferred their power to govern themselves upon either one man, or an assembly of men, called the sovereign, in order to establish the peace, it is in mans nature to strive individually and collectively for peace in order for self-preservation. The sovereign represents the will of the unified men. The sovereign is the sole legislator, and represents the common good. The laws oblige all citizens and if the citizens have quarrel with the laws, then they only have quarrel with themselves. As the common good is represented by the laws, and as the law of nature, under which the Commonwealth and the sovereign alike were created, and the civil laws contain each other and are reasonable, and as it is the citizens who author the laws in respect to the common good, therefore, neither the common good nor the laws can ever be unjust or against reason. References Hobbes, Thomas; Leviathan, ed. C. B. Macpherson (Harmondsworth: Pelican, 1975)

Student Attendance And Achievement

Student Attendance And Achievement The relationship between students attendance and achievement in public schools has become a drawn out issue. Among different studies by scholars, policymakers, specialists, and parents the outcome has been determined there is a positive correlation between school attendance and academics. This group study has evaluated that the number of days students attended school improved their learning. Research has determine, lack of attendance not only affected individual students academically, but also affected the learning environment of the entire school. Reducing the rates of student truancy and chronic absenteeism has been and continues to be a goal of many schools and school systems. Despite the long history of concern over student attendance, the issue has received relatively little attention from educational researchers. If schools can improve the truancy of students, then education will begin to gain academically. It is deem, the more students are between the four walls of the classro om, the better prepared they will become and achievement levels will begin to show improvement. The issue of poor school attendance has been a serious concern for many years. The correlation between attendance and achievement has policy makers and researchers questioning the efficacy of family involvement. According to Sheldon 2007, analyses showed when schools worked to implement the concerns of the school with families, and community partnerships, student attendance improved an average of 5%, whereas in comparison to schools that did not implement such strategy, rates of student attendance declined slightly from one year to the next (Sheldon, 2007). In respect of this declination, the present education climate, policy makers have placed a heavy emphasis on getting more children to stay in school in order to pass or score proficiently on standardized tests. This major push was attributed to the federal (NCLB), No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The importance of this act has placed heavy sanctions on schools with chronic student failure and poor achievement test results. The si gnificance of this act holds school accountable for high levels of student attendance (Sheldon, 2007). The NCLB placed a rigorous implementation on student achievement and individual schools accountability. Given the major push for academic success, the focus should be redirected more heavily on attendance, mobility, socio economic status and educators in order to improve student achievement (Sheldon, 2007). How Truancy Factors Measure up to Achievement According to Sheppard, 2007, the issue on truancy can best be defined as any unexcused or undocumented absence from school taking into account the attendance rules of the state. Every state has their own set of rules regarding the attendance. These rules are designed to determine the age at which a child is required to start school, the age at which a child may officially finish school and the reasons that might be invoked for any excused absence from school (Sheppard, 2007). The true factors on truancy is the evidence of students performing poorly on tests, in the classroom and not completely prepared for real life situations. One of the obvious reasons for the lack of cleared results in the fight against truancy was the complexed phenomenon, occurring as a result of interplay between various determining characteristics of the family structure and the priority placed on education within the home (Sheppard, 2007). In light of evidence research identified three kinds of factors that contributed to truancy. Currently these factors can be situated at the individual, the family, and the school level of concern. In reasoning on the individual level, it has been established that truants are characterized by lower levels of academic self-esteem (p.267). The family level suggested pupils who are often absent tend to display signs of academic anxiety, sometimes even leading to symptoms of neuroticism. On the school level, truancy was most endemic at the age 15, and in general, the problem was more prevalent among boys than among girls, and proved an impossible accuracy task (Sheppard, 2007). Family Involvement According to Anne Sheppard, 2009, poor school attendance and low achievement tended to occur because of parental variables such as low socio-economic status, conflict, neglect, criminal record and mental illness. However, although research has shown that pupils from poorer socio-economic backgrounds had less positive attitudes towards school and learning and lower levels of academic self-concept than their more advanced peers (Sheppard, 2009). It seems that the poorer economical the family structure, the less likely the family unit will be in support of advancing academically especially outside of the classroom. It has also been viewed that the age of the student plays a role in regards to achievement gap. In other words, the differences were not as great as it might have been expected from the achievement gap between the age group up to 16 years, as it were between their socio-economic statuses (Sheppard, 2009). Sheppard suggested the impact of parental involvement was thought to wo rk through parents educational values and aspirations being presented in a positive parenting style, which influenced how pupils perceived education, schoolwork, and their motivation to achieve. If the parents valued higher educational level, the students value would be of equal importance (Sheppard, 2009). In considering this value, the author suggested that parental involvement affected childrens achievement more than school procedures, especially in the primary years. This lack of involvement was determined to have an effect in the later school years in determining the magnitude of learning. This same involvement was perceived in pupils educational aspirations and staying in education rather than measured achievement (Sheppard, 2009). Research and Data Research on truancy among schools, families, peer groups, and individuals factor has slowly evolved according to the results from this study data from principles of middle-high school students of different states. Information on participants came from those who attended an average comprehensive school and based on their percentage of pupils receiving free or reduced school meals. The average targets for these schools were 91.9% (Sheppard, 2009). This figure indicated that all pupils with an attendance below 92% could be considered poor attenders. These attender names were obtained from the participating schools register (Sheppard, 2009). In retrieving such information, an interview was used to elicit in depth pupil descriptions of their parents behavior over matters of school attendance and their explanations of why it occurred. An interview was chosen instead of a written questionnaire as the pupils were judged unable to put detailed responses in writing. The questionnaire was desig ned to give quantifiable data from qualitative questions which would have been suitable for statistical analysis (Sheppard, 2009). Data were collected and throughout the frequency was rated on a 4 point grading scale. The categories determined (0-3), where 0 represented never, 1 represented once or twice a term, 2 represented once every 2-3 weeks and 3 represented once a week or more often students missed school(Sheppard, 2009). In this statistical correlation, researchers viewed in secondary schools, there were correlations between related poor attendance, antisocial behavior, anxiety, low academic attainment and poor future outcomes regarding employment, adult relationships and crime driving the poor academic down turn (Sheppard, 2007). Within the down turn, it was self -evidence that the students that were in truant jeopardy were more likely to have a track record related with law enforcement. Outside of being in jeopardy with the law, good and poor school attenders within the age bracket of 12-13 years of age, were compared on quantifiable measures of their self- reported requested on numerous occasion to be absent from school with parental permission. Results found this age bracket claimed that they asked their parents to allow their absences from school on an occasional or more often basis using illness as an excuse (Sheppard, 2007). Sheppard reported the study done by M. Morris and S. Rutt in 2004, addressed an uneven association between school attendance and achievement with 14-15 year old pupils. Sheppard conveyed this study showed boys underperformed girls with the same level of attendance problem. The report also revealed better attendance among black Caribbean pupils than their white pupils, but the data did not reflect higher achievement. It did show the relationship reflected attendance and achievement varied according to subject between these two groups with poor attendance being associated with poor achievement in English, but not mathematics (Sheppard, 2007). Implication of Time In considering poor achievement in Math and English, author Richard Schiming, 2009, measured the impact of time and students commitments to various course activities one of the major factors students performance where low in given classes. The results were revealing by far, the most valuable and important time commitment in a course was the time actually spent in the classroom proved major improvement. Time spent was the key importance determinant of a student success and each unit of time in the class itself provided, among all the class related activities, proved the greatest improvement in student performance (Shiming, 2009). The importance of students performance was viewed as time spent in a class in discussion sections that accompanied lectures. Also the importance of time spent studying outside of class preparing for the class session itself shown to be effective. Perhaps most surprisingly was the result that the least significant time commitment in improving student performan ce in a particular class was the time spent studying for the tests or quizzes. The greatest positive impact overall daily basis preparing for and participating in class were the students outperform those students who do not attend or skip class regularly (Shiming, 2009). The role of class attendance specifically in this research demonstrated that the lack of attendance was statistically significant in explaining why a student received failing grades of a D rather than an A, B, or C in any specific class (Shiming, 2009). The statistical tests employed found that regular class attendance was a significant determinant in minimizing a students chance of receiving failing grades. This study strongly suggested that regular class attendance can aid significantly by acting as an insurance policy in avoiding a D or an F grade in any given class. Data were also sorted to determine the relative impact of each absence in the students final letter grade for a particular course (Shiming, 2009). The empirical results showed that absence from class was statistically significant in lowering the letter grade of the typical student. Specifically, each absence from class lowered a students grade by 0.06 in a 4.00 grading system. Thus, a student with 10 absences in a giv en term would lower his/her grade by 0.6, which would be the difference between a C plus and a B for example. Therefore making attendance one of the major factors in student achievement and schools accountability (Rutkowski, Gonzalez, Joncas, Davier 2010). Other Factors In recent years truancy has become a contextual and school related problem around the country. This behavior has sparked various governments and educational agencies to develop a stricter policy to reduce truancy levels, mainly based on the argument that truancy was associated with risk behavior, crime and substance abuse. Researchers shown in various countries, school systems and government agencies increasingly perceived truancy as a major and salient problem for the education system (Claes, Hooghe Reeskens, 2009). Other countries have developed a vigorous policy to reduce truancy and other form of absenteeism in order to improve and build the achievement gap. Mainly this new stricter policy was deeming from the fact that police and welfare officers had to effectively control the presence of minors on the streets during school hours (Claes, Hooghe, Reeskens, 2009). Since students were choosing to skip out on being in class learning, law enforcement agencies had to imposed sanctio ns on parents to take appropriate action in truancy matters or be fine, forced to take parenting courses or be prosecuted. If schools were going to change the level of achievement, then the level of truancy must be dealt with in the same manner as risky behaviors like the use of alcohol and illegal drugs or violence (Claes, Hooghe, Reeskens, 2009). Penalties and the Law Legislation firmly states that childrens attendance at school were the responsibility of the parents. Official guidance encouraged education social work/welfare services and school pastoral staff to use largely punitive, or perceived punitive methods, with parents of poor attenders. The findings suggested that by the secondary school years, poor attenders were likely to have a history of inconsistent parental reaction to school absenteeism and perhaps education in general (Sheppard, 2007). Limited research evidence suggested that prosecuting parents of non-attenders did not result in improved attendance. It was concluded that such prosecuted parents tended to be socially excluded and disadvantaged, with financial penalties serving a mixture of deterrence retribution and a culture of blame. Similarly, education policy makers should demand high-quality evaluations and empirical studies to examine the relationship between parental prosecution and childrens school attendance, if educatio n welfare services are to use such legal procedures with conviction (Sheppard, 2007). The key to absences and tardiness were finding the right consequences. Under some schools new policy, when a student misses a single class, he or she does not receive a lower class grade or a zero for missed work. Instead, within a few hours of the infraction the students parents receive a phone call (and, if available, an e-mail), and within 36 hours a staff member meets with the student to inquire about the absence. There after every unexcused absence resulted in after-school detention. The response of this action students showed that they took these consequences more seriously than they took a change in their grades. In the research one student commented, Last year I could skip and nobody cared. This year, if I skip once Im taken to the woodshed (Reeves, 2008). Since the adoption of this new policy, unexcused absences have dropped by 42 percent, the number of disciplinary referrals has dropped by 64 percent, and suspensions have dropped by 37 percent. These results were strikingly consistent with evidence from other schools. When schools improved their grading policies-for example, by disconnecting grades from behavior-student achievement increased and behavior improved dramatically (Reeves, 2008). Conclusion In regards to truancy, data clearly demonstrated that policies should not be based solely on repressive policies, but measures should be included as an instrument in the fight against school absenteeism. Investigating truancy, it has been proven school does make a difference. Schools that encourage participation environments can offer supporting climates that are seen as open environment for participation produced a lower truancy record and performance level increased. Also, schools that intensified the involvement of parents with what goes on at the school, and increased achievement challenges strengthened their supporting school climate (Claes, Hooghe, Reeskens, 2009). The research findings supported the claim that truancy should be considered a vital educational problem. High truancy prevented schools from reaching their goal of providing children with a sufficient level of skills to play a meaningful role in society. As much of a fight against truancy, it has not being eliminated as a school issue, but was looked at as a matter of law and order, a core element concern of the education system. As lifelong learners, professional must recognize that professional practices continue to evolve as reflections are placed on new information. If and when information arises that helps and identify the root of educational challenges and track progress which can more readily develop an action plan that will have a positive impact on students, then a common goal will emerge to see every student succeed.