Elise Paramore

Admittedly, I should be working on assignments but instead I'm writing this post. There has always been an emphasis on reflection throughout my education, and this is a result of that. 2019 has been a strange year for me. I have had some of the most amazing memories, with some of the best people but then had some of my lowest points which I have had to pick myself up from, and soldier on. This year has taught me that life isn't always the happy-go-lucky entity that it appears to be, and that everything that you want to achieve you have to give your all into. On reflection, I have begun to understand even more who I am and want to be as a person, and that life throws you challenges to learn from, and become even better. Anyone who knows me on a personal level will understand the event that caused this realisation. It sucked at the time however, I've come back stronger and more appreciative of the people around me, their support and encouragement that has boosted me to ke

Coming to uni from a small town in the South West of England, I knew that I was going to have to do some additional activities in order to improve my career prospects. As someone who is always striving to achieve the absolute best for myself, I knew that I needed to do some sort of professional work experience in order to get ahead. As there are a small number of opportunities in the area I live in, I decided that a year in industry was the way to go for me. Placements are a pretty daunting prospect. Looking for a full-time professional job when my work experience is limited to retail was a challenging thing to try to comprehend. However, I knew that I had to take what I had and run with it. I was very fortunate to have a module dedicated to learning about placements. I quickly picked up how to construct a cover letter, CV and application form and the importance of not restricting your search by location. This sort of mentoring was so valuable, even if it was a 9am lecture. I sta

My first year of uni has allowed me to learn many lessons. From making sure you wear shoes in your halls kitchen after there's been pres to remembering to shut your curtains at night when you get changed because your one way window doesn't work at night. One of the biggest takeaways I had from my first year at uni is be organised. As someone who really wants to achieve a lot academically, making sure that I was on top of coursework and revision was so important, and actually being organised elsewhere in your life as well can seriously help. I found that thinking ahead and being organised allowed me to save money and time when travelling home and to see my boyfriend, as well making the most of different opportunities. I want to pass on some of my tips for being organised that hopefully will help you out in the future. https://byalex.co.uk/blog/top-5-influential-dutch-graphic-designers/ 1. Get a Diary  In the age of smartphones, this tip might seem a little redundant. Adm

According to the Oxford Dictionary a decision is "A conclusion or resolution reached after consideration". Decisions form the basis of our day-to-day lives, from the most mundane to the more substantial that require time and effort. As a marketing student, I've been exposed to the importance of effective decision making. Making a good decision can be the difference between survival or failure, especially with the growth of competition and innovation. What I personally find interesting is the argument of scientific versus intuitive decision making. I first came across this idea during my A-Level studies. Scientific decision making is using logical techniques such as probability and expected value to come to a final decision (Read more here ) The above diagram demonstrates the scientific decision making process. It suggests to start with setting objectives, usually SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Based) in order to provide direction and

Throughout my life, I have enjoyed reading. As a child I sped through many books and adored escaping to the fantasy worlds of my favourite books. However, as I grew older, and it became more important for me to be reading, I fell out of love. Throughout my GCSEs, I despised reading, as I wasn't reading for fun, I was reading for the sake of reading. However, as my GCSEs came to an end, I re-ventured into the world of reading, picking up a book every now and then. I also went on to complete an A-Level in English Literature, reading a scope of poetry, plays and prose, and explored a large variety of styles. The title of this post actually comes from the final line of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' in which the main character Prospero addresses the audience. This final line struck a chord with me, because its inviting the audience to use their indulgences to set him free, and at the time it got me thinking about the indulgence of theatre. The idea of escaping to a world dif

In 2018,  HIIK  observed a total of 372 conflicts worldwide-- 57% being violent, and 43% non-violent. It is confounding that so much conflict occurs over our world, but I want to focus on the re-telling of these stories and what we can learn from them. Below are three re-tellings of stories from conflicts and their importance. 1. Hamilton: An American Musical Hamilton about the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's Founding Fathers. It highlights his rise out of poverty set within the American War of Independence. (Read more  here ) The musical demonstrates the importance of re-telling the story of the war, and helps to educate people about the founding of the USA. Admittedly, I had no idea what the story was prior to seeing it, and I was blown away by both the music and the brilliant storytelling of an event that I normally wouldn't take an interest in. The finale of the show 'Who Lives, Who

One of my interests is fashion. I enjoy browsing through different styles, trying on clothes and admittedly buying a fair few items. However, the fashion industry has a fair way to go in terms of environmental impact. I recently placed an order through an online-only retailer. I ordered three items, and received my packet. Sounds good so far?  Well, to my surprise, I not only receive three items, but also four plastic bags. I received more plastic than product. Now, I can understand that in terms of warehousing logistics, having every item individually packaged is fairly effective and reduces order times however, it is excessive. However, not only does the packaging of clothing lead to a large amount of waste, the discarding of clothes is equally as damaging to the environment. Research conducted presents that 68 pounds of clothing is thrown away per person per year in America (Read more here ). Therefore, it is important that we move ahead as individuals and o

We are due to leave the European Union at some point in the coming months. It is easy to tell that Brexit will have a large impact on all UK business, regardless of the final result. However, I want to specifically focus on the NHS, as a large part of the 'Leave' Campaign's manifesto (found here ) was to 'save £350m a week' in order to spend on priorities such as the NHS. One of the greatest concerns the NHS is their workforce. The Withdrawal Agreement secures the position of EU nationals in the UK, however there is a large amount of uncertainty surrounding their position, and this is expected to grow. Read more about this here . It's also quite important to understand that 39.9% of doctors registered with GMC gained their qualifications abroad (Read more here ). Whilst this does not directly correlate that all of these doctors are immigrants who have moved to the UK to work, it does support the idea that a large proportion of the NHS' workforce is from

'Too many facts, too little conceptualising, too much memorising and too little thinking' -- Paul Hurd Arguably, critical thinking is one of the most important skills a person can learn. Being able to 'sift through the noise' (From this  article)  in order to conclude concisely is highly valuable. My time in education has spanned the majority of my life. From learning the basics in primary school, to honing my knowledge in college, I've been exposed to many ideas and skills. However, it was only at the end of college that I was exposed critical thinking, why? One could argue that the education system is concerned with broadening horizons, teaching culture, history and a basic level of literacy/numeracy. However, you could also argue that the education system is not encapsulating the advanced skills needed in the workplace, making it challenging to learn these when its the most vital. I personally feel that these skills would have been so valuable to have le

As a young person, I find myself using social media on a daily basis. Whether it's scrolling through Instagram while waiting for a bus or using Facebook to connect with my family whilst I'm at university, it surrounds me constantly. It often crosses my mind about how it's being utilised in business whether it be to assist in recruitment, marketing or to maintain balance between work and home. Social media is increasingly used to screen for potential candidates in the recruitment process and I think it is really interesting the amount of data that we share on social media. A simple search of my name brought up all my social medias in the top 5 results.  Research conducted in 2009 showed that 45% of over 2600 hiring managers used social media in their screening of potential candidates (Grasz as cited by Brown and Vaughn, 2011). Considering that this figure is a decade old, it's fair to assume that it is even more prevalent in recruitment today. I find this baz

As a part of my studies at university I am required to create a series of blog posts in which I discuss a number of contemporary ideas that have an impact on organisations and individuals in business. These posts will appear here, and I hope that what I am discussing is of some interest. As a student I find myself wanting to read about business topics, however struggle to digest some of the information that is presented to me, so I am hoping that these posts will be both easy to read and relatable for all. Let me know what you think.

I am writing this follow on post around two years after I published my last. I find it strange to re-read my thoughts after going through a set of A-Level exams. Whilst my thoughts on the pressure put on young people to achieve 5 GCSEs is the same, I now understand that GCSE results do not make or break you. You can still achieve great things even if exams are not your thing.  A Levels opened my eyes to a new kind of pressure, made up of both the environment I was in as well as the newfound pressure of my own expectations. One of the biggest difference between GCSEs and A-Levels is that you are your own motivator. You are expected to want to do well and that you will put in the work needed to get the grades you require for your next stage of life. This new desire caused me to become increasingly stressed and disappointed when I wasn't making progress during A levels.  As much as I got the grades I needed to progress onto the University of Southampton (the dock pictured above