Liting Wang

Liting Wang Professor Feindert ENGWR 48016 April 2018 Critique of â€Å"There Is Need to Review Our Education System† â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world†, saidNelson Mandela. The Africa News Service published the article â€Å"There Is Need to ReviewOur Education System† on April 1, 2009 by Rhoda Kalema, a well-known author and titleholder of ‘Uganda's Forum for Women in Democracy as a transformative leader 1996.' The article looks at some pressing issues that the education system of Uganda currently faces. There have been no proper mechanisms to expect high-quality education offered in the country. First, she explains that the experience of educated people shows their fear towards the future to come of the present-day education around the world. If people do not have good education, they will not have a bright future. As a result, a country like Uganda might fall back and will be left veryweak. It will affect the country's improvement in many ways. Second, she suggests that the education administration should start focusing on this situation. In addition, both learners' and teachers face challenges that make it impossible for the education system to be ranked anywhere in the world. The government is aware of these challenges but offers no solution. Through critique, the key issues facing the primary, secondary, and vocational education in Uganda are examined. There is no definite opinion from the author that is currently viable to revive the whole situation. The author fails to mention the mechanisms that have fuelled the failure of the education system but only comes up with assumptions. Even though the article could be persuasive to an extent because of the clear organization, the posting's lack of sources and evidences, grammatical issues, vague terms, and weak arguments confuse readers. The article has a clear organization following an introduction, and lists the main points as subheadings, and a conclusion. Although the author has clear points in the article, she does not provide enough evidence and sources to support them. The author organizes the article into sections and follows with examples which is effective because it is effortless for readers to understand the ideas. However, the article does not include any sources and examples from other authors. â€Å"This would call for the Government to improve on the few available vocational institutions, build many new and modern ones, and create regional vocational and technical instructors training colleges† (Paragraph 8). This and a few other examples appear to like her personal opinions and her thoughts because sources are missing. Readers cannot trust the author easily. Additionally, the body paragraphs do not have transitional words, so the article does not flow well. Numerous grammar and punctuation mistakes are evident all over the article. For instance, the author presents a non-standard question â€Å"Why then stop a parent from feeding his/her child? And why stop a headteacher and his staff their role to plan school meals for their students?† (Paragraph 17). Several grammatical errors show failure to proofread some of the sentences. For instance, in paragraph 5 she mentions: The Ministry of Education should invite retired and current educationists forconsultations, [sic] also the non-governmental organizations with the YouthDevelopment Programmes could be consulted. The education syllabus development, most importantly needs experienced and interested persons in this field and not only the appointed civil servants and technocrats.She does not avoid vague terms and presents them without any explanation. For example, she writes â€Å"Teach the young people skills and they will never be lost children† (Paragraph 7). ‘Skills' is a vague term which needs more specification. Another example of vague word choices is â€Å"Since this statement cannot be easily refuted, then we should mourn the future of our country† (Paragraph 2). The word ‘easily' could have been improved. Some of the author's arguments are presented in random and visually uncluttered manner. The author presents most of her points with no illustrations or citations. The author points out the most exciting factors in the education system. For example, â€Å"Everyone in the country and even those outside who have ever experienced a balanced education about 25-30 years ago is in pain over what is happening in the education sphere† (Paragraph 1). As evident from the article, there is no evidence of any citation where the author got the information from, and this puts into question the credibility of her information. The author uses weak arguments to make logical appeals. For example, â€Å"Then at one time about 3,500 or 350 were crossed off the payroll (shortly after they were reinstated, so we read.)† (Paragraph 10). The strength of this posting is rooted in the author's inability to bring out points to illustrate the failures that are evident to every reader of the article. Anything that contributes to meeting the huge needs of the education systems in Africa is positive, such as programs or projects driven by people who want to serve the general good of the country in the area. The impression that one gets is that there is a desire to be involved in proposing the beginnings of a solution, a standard foundation for teaching that will integrate specific local features and at the same time will train future citizens of an interconnected and culturally mixed world. A change of school learning system will reflect this concept, and it is an interesting one. The author points out the importance of reviewing the education system by giving an example of what needs to be done. â€Å"What we need is the Government to devote a sizeable portion of the budget to education in 2009-2010, construct double, and triple floor classrooms in the existing schools. Only then will our education system be on the right track.† (Paragraph 21). Moreover, everyone in the country and even those that have been lucky to secure jobs outside the country never experienced a balanced education about 25-30 years ago, and it is for this reason that they are in pain over what is happening in the education system. (Paragraph 1). Nevertheless, she fails to point out what is bothering them is and that Uganda's future is doomed to be. The author should provide a more detailed example and offer insight into what vocational and technical institutions focus. Summing up the topic, in general, does not provide any help to the government as the government requires a practical approach to issues not only a theoretical approach. The author does not explain that the revised curriculum needs to focus on the vocational and technical teaching, to provide skills together with the academic learning. In conclusion, the author has managed to create a list of reasons that would help the government and relevant stakeholders argue their case mostly for naught. While like-minded individuals can pull some rhetorical questions to get others thinking, there is little offered in the way of credible argument material. The author also fails to suggest that conspirators and cartels in government hard are working to manufacture a crisis in educational reform. Policy elites are not knowingly falsifying evidence or collectively coming to a secret agreement about how to terrify the public. She also fails to discuss that school reformers inhabit a small and relatively closed network. Policy leaders and stakeholders can accelerate the pace of development. The article is organized in a pleasant and way that makes the posting readable. From the article, it is clear the author has some arguments to make which are sensible but fails to bring out the issue affecting the education system in Uganda in a way that is convincing. Overall, the article is well summed up, but a few improvements in certain elements would have helped in coming up with a more organized piece than what the author has delivered.

Becton Dickinson: World Wide Blood Collection Team Essay

Problem Identification Becton Dickinson a manufacturing company, with operations worldwide, and revenues of over $2.7 billion was founded in 1897, and had ten core businesses organized into two product sectors: medical and diagnostic. Mainly US domestic operation was beginning to give way to expanding international sales, warranting a separate division in Europe. By 1970s, the company was organized by business divisions centered in US and focusing on the largely domestic US market, and an International sector. Since most revenues were earned from the domestic market, priority tended to be domestic, which frustrated managers in foreign countries who wanted to focus more on the resources on their local market. Going international, better said, transnational was the beginning of an evolving problem that Becton Dickinson would face in the upcoming years. Causes of Problem Becton Dickinson and Company (BD) was a supplier of medical products and diagnostic systems to healthcare professionals, the medical industry, hospitals and the general public which included mostly medical gloves, hypodermic needles and intravenous catheters in the medical sector. Blood collection devices, automated systems to detect and identify bacteria and blood cell analysis systems were one of the few diagnostic products that Becton Dickinson produced. During the 1970s BD’s managers did not really take the international market as serious as they should do. Orders were only processed, when the domestic ones were filled out and completed. Furthermore, the managers’ refusals to accept and consider new product requests from abroad were a big threat to the company. In 1980, BD’s senior executives decided to take attempts to develop products and strategic ways to meet the worldwide demands of marketing needs for medical technologies. The competition did not sleep and started expanding into Europe, which began to be another threat to Becton Dickinson not only for the international sector, but also for the US market. Realizing this, BD started to build European Strategic Business Units (SBUs) that reported to the headquarters in the US. Growing concerns about emphasis given to international sales,  especially with European managers voices becoming loud, concerns led to a study senior management’s readiness to consider a new structure of BD’s worldwide activities. A consulting firm offered two structural solutions: â€Å"The Worldwide Product Division† and â€Å"Europe as an Equal Partner†, which was appealing as a way to ensure greater dedication of resources to Europe, but also threatening to duplicate efforts and costs, with the danger of different strategies slowly emerging in each division. After meeting with Harvard professor Christopher Bartlett and his colleague Sumantra Ghoshal â€Å"The Transnational Solution† was born in cooperation with the senior managers. The solution has three faces to it. The first was the challenge faced by MNCs to simultaneously achieve global efficiency, local responsiveness and worldwide innovation. The second was that these objectives needed an environment of international differentiation and asymmetry. Thirdly, they advised firms not to merely change formal reporting lines, but to focus on underlying cultures and values. A typical chain reaction was, that these circumstances affected how Becton Dickinson faced a challenge in implementing a structure that would overcome challenges posed by the growth of business outside of USA. Lack of clear vision and goals by previous management, a lack of clear articulation of the same to second line management and other employees down the chain of command are just some of the few problems that BD had to solve. Alternatives Changes to the existing organizational structure. A change to the existing structure is urgently needed, so that there’s a shift from a corporate mentality to an organization driven by Strategic Planning. This would include meeting the need for a global collaboration and local flexibility that they so badly needed as a fast growing multinational company. Managers and company itself were not prepared, which the case showed, and the lack of anticipation for the need of a suitable structure for a growing company then led to the issue, of quick fixes. This means that whenever managers in other parts of the world were discontent, only then did top management in the US would start to respond and make quick fixes to structural issues.  Cooperation and commitment between top management, middle management and employees is another important part of the change. With no cooperation, and divisions going in different direction the company soon showed signs of urgent need for structural re-designing. Disadvantages to this re-designing could result in a complete departure from the existing task based matrix structure, while others wanted to retain the structure but with minimum changes. This could as well lead to dissatisfaction within the managers and even employees. Secondly, another problem to restructuring is how well conflicts are managed or avoided all together as the company continues to have more divisions out of its central control. Open Research and Development plants in Europe and Japan. With the more and more growing market in these two sectors, Becton and Dickinson should focus on creating R&D centers within these areas and not only in the US with organizations in non-US divisions. Kozy’s thoughts about the future should also include that the European sector is an immensely fast growing one. Within seven years the net trade sales increased by over a $100 million, whereas the US sector increased by â€Å"only† $80 million. Looking at the numbers, you can see that Europe is on the move. A Research and Development center in England, for example, would help to produce local needs and act faster than going through the whole process of talks with US R&D departments and the European R&D organizations. Knowing that with Dufresne BD has a â€Å"champion† on its boat, he should be able to set up his own team of researchers, build a real Development center and take some things in his, better said, the European division’s hand. Japan not to exclude, which has also rising numbers and different marketing needs would also profit from an own R&D plant. Different needs require different solutions, therefore having the US as the only R&D plant, will not help the company nor its divisions. Even with regional R&D managers, like Dufresne, and R&D organizations outside the US, he still does not have team to work and interact with on a day-to-day basis. This would also help to accelerate new product development and quality standards, while maintaining the current distribution systems Budget restrains are a major disadvantage in BD’s case. Total expenses are high in Europe and the numbers jumped in the years from 1985 – 1992 from ca. $10,000 to a high $31,000. The plant would not only bring extra costs, but land had to be bought, people would have to be hired, and machines would have to be purchased. Another negative aspect looking at a plant in Europe or Japan would be the loss of power that the US headquarters and R&D currently have. Becton Dickinson’s US division still wants to have a certain power over its foreign ones. Therefore giving up the R&D department to a certain extent would not be everyone’s favorite in the senior management’s committee. Give Europe and Japan divisions more operating power. As for now, BD’s European and Japanese divisions are quite under the control over the â€Å"parental† guidance and supervision of the US division. The evolution from this classic structure to a new transnational company is a very important part in the future of Becton Dickinson. Even with the introduction of World Blood Collection Team (WBCT), I think that a division in itself should have more power in deciding which products to introduce, which marketing steps should be taken, etc. In the early 80’s the Japan division suffered from not being heard upon on what is need in this division. BD lost small market share in that time. The WBCT illustrated in Exhibit 8(p. 385) illustrates the Strategic, the Operations and the Marketing Team within the whole company including the whole World Blood Collection Team. In my eyes, a smaller group separated in regional divisions would help the success of the company. For example, they could combine the President BC Europe, the Director Manufacturing Europe and the Director of Marketing Europe in one group to run the regional division Europe. They would then have the power to decide which steps should be taken, what to manufacture and how and where to do the marketing. The negative aspect of this approach is that this might leave the path that WBCT and BD in general have taken up until now and again this alternative might run into problems and dissatisfaction with the headquarters. It could also lead to complete separation of the diverse division from the headquarters mission and plans on where the company wants to go. Best Alternative Looking at Becton Dickinson’s past and the way they used to business, the best alternative would be the first one mentioned of the three. Changes to the existing organizational structure, which is also part of the third alternative, would be affecting the outcome the most. The way the company will be working, how the employees will be situated within the company and most importantly how the whole company will be structured, not just domestically, but in the transnational field, is what makes them more competitive. Implementation Steps It would appear that the phenomenal growth of the business was an ambition in the managers’ plans, but they did not make any efforts to construct a structure that would suit for a company whose operations were growing with big leaps. However, there is need to make some changes to the existing structure, so that there’s a shift from a corporate mentality to an organization driven by Strategic Planning. In order to create organizational learning, top management has to create a sense of shared purpose and belonging for all divisions and individuals in the company. There is no better way to do it than to implement an organizational structure that allows and pushes free flow of information from division to division, and back to corporate headquarters without a feeling of restrictive set-ups. The main task of the top management is to shape behaviors of people and create an environment that enables them to take initiative and be more and more cooperative. Another important step is to restructure systems to reflect a willingness to accommodate different geographical and product needs. The old system was structured to suit an operation around the US, and was only slightly changed to accommodate European operations, which were still not considered equal by the US headquarters. Now with sales and operations fully developed outside of the US, it is wise to decentralize some decision-making centers so as to  allow for innovation, local responsiveness and flexibility.

Supporting position for the illegal use of steroids for athletes and Research Paper

Supporting position for the illegal use of steroids for athletes and in general use - Research Paper Example In this way, the athletes struggle, and perpetual desire to perform at the height of their abilities is how the spectator believes they integrate with the game or performance in question. Sadly, as has been exhibited over the past few decades, athletes are more than willing to go beyond the bounds of ethics and morality and dope themselves with performance enhancing drugs/steroids as a function to perform beyond the abilities that normal training and everyday dedication can yield. Such a decision has more than one set of drawbacks. As such, the first of these is the moral and ethical drawback that the athlete is ultimately not achieving whatever level of success they do based upon their own natural abilities but rather based upon the unnatural and unethical use of chemicals that do not exist within their body. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that the athletes are doing irrevocable harm to their bodies for but a few brief moments of hoped fame that this will engend er. Accordingly, this brief essay will seek to discuss and draw a level of inference upon these two factors as a way of understanding what the effects of steroid use can ultimately portend for the athlete’s morality as well as general health. ... This is not truly the singular fault of the athlete but also a fault of the way in which our current society seeks to place its athletes and celebrities on something of a pedestal of perfection. In such a sense, it becomes inconceivable for society to understand that the athlete, something of the current idol and/or god, could behave in a way that is unseemly. This measure of disbelief followed by keen disappointment is what has most facilitated the discussion of performance enhancing drugs and ultimately made the topic of this paper something that society is aware of. Although it is not the purpose of this paper to discuss the ways in which psychological interpretations of the athlete have become warped within Secondly, the reader should of course examine the physical repercussions of steroid use. Whereas the previous information listed impacts upon society, its level of trust and belief in the system of athletics that is presented to it, and the level of dishonesty that the given a thlete is comfortable presenting to the audience, the issue of health applies only to the individual athlete as it is their own health that they are jeopardizing by taking performance enhancing drugs such as steroids (Feinberg 1). It should of course be understood that although steroids can have a powerful effect on the way in which an athlete performs and can greatly benefit their ability to pack on the additional pounds and or muscle mass that the game in question requires (Jones 1). However, with such an abilities come at the marked tradeoffs that its detrimental effects on the overall user necessarily portend. Although many athletes and individuals are aware of the short term affects that

Religious Healthcare Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religious Healthcare - Research Paper Example This report will address the measures regarding the strategic performance of Religious Health Care. In areas of improvement the core functions of the RHC, the governing board can strategize on the following five elements. They should first ensure that the services of the nursing get their rightful planning in time (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2013). This would automatically diffuse any interruption within the operations of the nurses since their positions, time and involvement activity are well in order. Apart from only planning, they should also implement and evaluate to maximize the quality of life of the residents to ensure they have a quality care. The Governing Board should also see into that the program for social services get prior attention. This then follows by implementation and evaluation in order to meet the psychological and social needs of the residents. As a result, the resident’s preferences would receive enough attention and this maximizes the quality of life and ca re. Furthermore, the program for food should be effective. As like the others, it should have good planning, implementation, and evaluated in order to satisfy the needs as well as the interests of the residents in RHC (Institute of Medicine (U.S.), 2003). This would serve as a measure in the provision of the nutritional needs of the residents hence maximizing of their life quality and care. ... Lastly, the board should plan, implement, and evaluate the pharmaceutical program in advance. This would assist in supporting the medical care of the residents resulting to quality care at their disposal. There are various dimensions, which the Board of governors can put into use to measure performance of the Religious Healthcare Institution. To start with, they can check on the overall cost of care. In these measures, the concern is the quality of services provide for by the health plan (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2013). In order to achieve its target on cost of care, information gathering is on high-occurrence and high cost facilities and the monitoring of the rate trend in certain aspects. Therefore, the medical management often gets direction towards management of the cost of provision of health care interventions. Because of this dimension, the medical manger’s specific concern is on how his plan would end up costing and this should compare with fellow competitors (Lighter & F air, 2004). Secondly, effectiveness of care is another dimension involved in measurement of performance. The overall concentration in this is the summative clinical care provided and the results achieved at the end of it. For example, the examination of an eye for a patient with diabetes, screening of breast cancer, the follow up after someone gets hospitalized for mental illness and attending to infants and growing kids with all forms of infection. Through this measure, an organization would have gotten an assessment on how effective it operates. Thirdly, the dimension of foreseeing satisfaction with the care experience would serve best in measuring the performance of RHC (Institute of Medicine (U.S.) et al, 2001). In operations of the institution, this dimension would focus on how the

Yours Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Yours - Essay Example One must know that there are some people holding opinion that handling the most dangerous creature on the planet, i.e., beautiful women is an art in itself and this is an issue which really comes across during the time of the first date. A man tries his best to have the best possible clothes on his body as well as carry a decent hair do, one which will surely be liked by his date, or the first date if we may say. I believe women are very sensitive when the talk is of choosing their date partners. Even the slightest of details are seen with a vigilant eye (by the girl). Thus I believe an American man is constantly under pressure to show own self in his best possible dressing as well as exhibit his manners to the extreme. I hold very diverse ways about this subject and quite rightly so. I opine that some American men love to save the mementos that they receive from their dates and openly show them to their friends, one and all, thus bringing into notice the achievements they have had. It is a totally different story if there is no memento for the person; hence nothing to actually share or brag about within friends and relatives on the man’s part who had his first date. For many American males like me, their first dates turn out to be real horrendous, thus bringing with them pain, frustration and shattered dreams, which they had built of their ideal girl during their leisure time. Everyone like me does so and it surely is agony for us poor souls who see their dates either being fat, chubby or somewhat physically impaired. There might be some other physical and mental disabilities, notwithstanding while preferences on the man’s part are endless too. However I think that dating can be sometimes degrading depending upon the girl with whom the date is being set with as well as the unexpected and uncontrollable surroundings and

Foundation of Human Resources Management- (case study) Essay - 1

Foundation of Human Resources Management- (case study) - Essay Example Employment turnover is a serious problem in GS Plumbing, which found most of the plumbers work alone each day although some jobs require two or more plumbers to work together. In GS Plumbing, it has been observed among 37 percent of total employees some resigned and some are terminated which results to employee turnover. One of the possible reasons for employee turnover at GS Plumbing is better compensation and rewards are offered by the GS competitors and better working environment. Therefore, Alan, HR manager is concerned with other companies offering financial and non-financial rewards aiming to create a balance of work and personal lives of the employees. In GS Plumbing, the works are not properly allocated among the new and old staff members, which lead to job satisfaction among the employees (Zhi, Kaur & WeiBo, 2010, p.4146). When GS employees leave the organization possible actions are taken, retention strategies are adopted in order to retain the employees in the organization . The retention strategies followed by job enrichment, employee involvement, talent management and many other things. In order to stop the employees leaving from organization it is necessary GS Plumbing need to create an environment of employee engagement, which will help the organization to satisfy the working conditions of the employees. Through the case study the long term staff members are unhappy with the allocation of work since routine plumbing task are given to them, which should be actually assigned to new staff members. At this point of time, redesigning of works will help to remove the boredom among the new and old staff members and help them to acquire the new skills in the job. In this way, it will help the older staff members to gain knowledge and skills whereas newer staff members will be facing new challenges Therefore, in this way it will help the Alan and Greg to achieve the balance

E-Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

E-Business - Essay Example However, as much as online banking is present in many banks few have services worth consideration as e-banking. Banks engage in e-banking due to a number of benefits that they accrue together with their consumers and other stakeholders. This paper will look into e-banking in UK and how it is helping banks. E-banking and customers E-banking still has strides to make in order for banks, customers and stakeholders to fully benefit. In the developed world where technological literacy is high many banks have not embraced fully-fledged e-banking services. Many customers also have stuck with the traditional banking systems. This has led to a few net transactions being carried out under the e-banking systems (Helen and Fotini 2004). It is important to note that when a customer is satisfied, the service provider is satisfied in return. Customers who have chosen e-banking methods have done so to avoid standard practices that plague traditional banking (Ian 2009). Other customers do so to ensur e security and privacy of transactions since banks with e-banking options offer security guarantees. Customers are able to do a great deal online for example balance and e-statement inquiries, money transfers, changing personal details e.g. PIN, control overdraft transactions, manage standing orders and payments of bills among others. There are help lines established by banks most of which operate on 24 hours basis. E-banking and banks Mainstream banks in the UK like HSBC, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds are now having a wide range of e-banking services which are clearly illustrated in their websites. They are leveraging on the potential that internet technology has in order to establish online banking facilities. These banks have gained millions of customers from all over the world due to the flexible and convenient nature of e-banking (Ali, Datamonitor (Firm) and Reuters Business Insight 2000). Some of concrete advantages are as follows; 24 hours operations This is basically the biggest advantage where banks operate even after locking up their branches in the evening. E-banking enables customers to access their bank account details on a 24 hours basis as mentioned before. More customers Banks that utilise their marketing strategies to capture more customers are sure to gain more by having e-banking services. E-banking reaches many potential customers who are able to view what a bank has on offer and apply immediately in the bank’s website (Teo and Tan 2000). Traditional banks which have physical locations tend to use more effort to physically reach the prospective customer and convince them to open an account. Innovation in product and service range E-banking enables banks to develop products and services that can only serve internet users. Some of these are the e-bank statements, DVDs, news feeds on finances and financial calculators among others (Buckle, Buckle and Thompson 2004). This has however been challenging for banks in term s of investment cost. The more the services, the more is the initial cost but due to the relative lower cost of operations in the online business in the long term, the initial costs are overshadowed. Broad customer base It is an emerging advantage with banks attracting customers who are beyond their geographical regions. Internet is everywhere

Chemistry and the Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chemistry and the Environment - Essay Example Nitrogen and oxygen predominantly comprise the Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 78.1% and 20.9% respectively while there exists trace amounts of certain elements as argon, water vapor, and carbon dioxide to account for the remaining 1%. Negligible quantities of dust, volcanic ash, and other particulates in solid form are also present in the atmosphere with the main gases to facilitate the formation of clouds. In general, Earth’s atmosphere assumes the role of shielding all living things against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. It keeps the temperature balanced within 24 hours as well. At different temperatures, the atmosphere is further subdivided into layers beginning from the Earth’s surface where troposphere lies between 7 to 14 kms followed by the stratosphere reaching the 50-km altitude. This layer is conducive for airplanes due to stability and with increasing temperature, only minimal amount of water vapor and other components may be detected whereas the troposphere consists of weather occurrences. The ionosphere, on the other hand, makes less than 0.1% of the total mass of the Earth’s atmosphere and the sun’s energy is radiates at its fullest on this layer so that ionization takes place and molecules split as they undergo the process of gaining or losing electrons. (2) Explain what constitutes a good fuel. Evaluate the social value of fossil and alternative fuels and the use of unleaded petrol. What are the sources of pollutants from fuel combustion and what impact do they (COx, SOx, NOx and O3) have on the environment?   Essentiall y, a good fuel must be one that releases heat energy in huge amount when burnt besides the attributes of being less hazardous when used and stored. If the fuel is good, it would be least likely to generate toxic substances or pollutants with unpleasant odor in the environment and between renewable and non-renewable energy resources, renewable energy resources prove to be the chief source of good fuel. Algae-based biofuels for instance may constitute a renewable alternative fuel used extensively in generating electricity. Aside from the renewably extracted geothermal energy, biomass, hydroelectric energy, solar, and wind powers, good fuel alternatives are also available as bioalcohols, ammonia, vegetable oil, hydrogen, non-fossil methane and natural gas. This approach with more secure options may be perceived to remedy issues with health and environmental impact depending upon the number of industries that prefer usage of energy from a renewable source. The fact that It normally take s nearly 700 million years to produce fossil fuels out of decaying plant and animal matters fossilized upon exposure to extreme levels of heat and pressure establishes the social value of fossil fuels which pertain to fuels formed out of the organic remains of prehistoric plants and animals that undergo natural process of anaerobic decomposition and these fuels are chiefly comprised in coal, gas, and oil. Besides being a flexible non-renewable energy source, based on their structure, depositional environment, and thermal reactions, fossil fuels reflect the social relevance of drawing a potential attraction due to the fact that most of world’s reserves of oil and natural gas come from deformed rocks whereas a great quantity of coal may be derived from sedimentary rock layers that do not undergo deformation. By combustion or fuel evaporation, mobile sources that pollute the air are either on-road sources or non-road sources. â€Å"On-road† or highway sources pertain to v ehicles used on roads for transportation of passengers or freight such as light-duty vehicles (LDVs), heavy-duty

Questions from the case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Questions from the case study - Essay Example An article from the U.S. Small Business Administration website states there are four things a person should evaluate when thinking of setting up a business, namely: identifying one’s interests; considering one’s skills; thinking of the conditions (location, time commitment, etc.) of the business, and quantifying one’s investment. (Buying an Existing Business 2013) Anna missed taking into consideration the last two of these requirements. She failed to anticipate the reaction from the existing clientele and employees, the marketing strategies to boost her sales, and the financial responsibilities that came with being a business owner. Upon acquiring the business, Anna encountered problems with how to market her new business. She wanted to revamp the old-fashioned style the existing business was marketing. She had to let the community and potential customers know that the new shop had a different vision from the old one. Hand in hand with this, however, was the prob lem of satisfying existing clientele and employees who were not familiar with her more modern styles and may disagree with the path she wanted the business to go onto. Another problem she faced was making sure she had enough money to sustain her new endeavor. Unlike expenses she used to incur as a stylist, Anna now had to balance a bigger financial statement in order to keep her business. Reference: Buying an Existing Business, 2013. Available from http://www.sba.gov/content/buying-existing-business Case one: Question #2 Different entrepreneurs and business analysts will share various characteristics of a successful business person. Nevertheless, some of these traits will be mentioned repeatedly by each business expert either from observation or personal experience. Larry Levy, author of the Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur and founder of Larry and Carol Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice at the Kellogg School of Management, lists the top characteristics of an e ntrepreneur as passionate, willing to live with fear, risk and occasional failure and able to learn from his or her mistakes. (Hall 2012) Meanwhile, Action Coach, supposedly the best business coaching firm, states that successful entrepreneurs must be, among others, dedicated, unafraid of risk or success, optimistic, passionate about learning and confidence. (Action Coach) Anna manifested all the above-mentioned characteristics which greatly influenced the success of her business. Anna was a risk-taker. She had bought an old business with a product totally opposite that what she had in mind. She was not afraid to take on the demands of overhauling an existing business, one where she wanted to change the product itself. She was already aware that the previous owner was having economic problems but she still decided to buy the salon. Anna was dedicated and confident. Because of her determination, she took the initiative of meeting with business and management professionals to help her . She also encouraged her own team to work with the specialists and brainstorm on how to market her vision. She did not keep a closed mind to their guidance and suggestions. Her passion for fashion motivated her to define her label and come up with marketing strategies to appeal to clients. Aside from this, she listened to the advice of her specialist team on how to manage her finances. This is very important because money is always a very sensitive issue for business owners. Anna was

Implied trust - land law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Implied trust - land law - Essay Example Section 53(1) (b) of the Law of Property Act 1925 (LPA)1, mandates that parties in these family unions must have their intentions expressed legally. Contrary, most cohabiting couples rarely do have their intentions expressed legally in regards to their family home. It furthers the problem that arises in the division of the property during break ups. This situation has, therefore, made the honourable courts rely on other legal frameworks that might be relevant to the issue. Law of equity and trusts have, therefore, been embraced by the courts as the sober and efficient frameworks to help in solving such issues. Notably the courts under section 53(2) of the Law of Property Act, do bestow upon themselves the discretionary powers whilst handling such cases. The law on trusts provides an extensive and reliable legal framework with which the honourable courts can use to divide the marital property. This is usually much easier in civil partnerships that whereby the necessary legal intentions have been laid down vividly. Complexion of issues usually arise whereby the cohabitee decides to make a claim in the beneficial interest in the case of a sudden separation of the couples. Courts are expected to strictly follow the existing laws to the latter and not to allow the intrusion of other unnecessary and devoid external factors. The law is subject to the upholding of the legal frameworks. If this is not adhered to, the outcomes of the cases may occasion a complete error in the law. As embraced, outcomes of cases are expected to be in line with earlier judicial precedents to create certainty and soberness in the application of these laws. Application of such external factors e.g. emotions may lead totally to different and unreliable outcomes. The courts first instance is usually to establish whether there was an existing express agreement between the parties as to the beneficial interests in their joint property. Notably, if such an express agreement

Describe the Expected Pattern of Children Essay Example for Free

Describe the Expected Pattern of Children Essay Gradually develops ability to hold up own head. Makes movements with arms and legs which gradually become more controlled. Rolls over from front to back, from back to front. When lying on tummy becomes able to lift first head and then chest, supporting self with forearms and then straight arms. Watches and explores hands and feet, e. g. when lying on back lifts legs into vertical position and grasps feet. Reaches out for, touches and begins to hold objects. Explores objects with mouth, often picking up an object and holding it to the mouth. Enjoys the company of others and seeks contact with others from birth. Gazes at faces and copies facial movements. e. g. sticking out tongue, opening mouth and widening eyes. Responds when talked to, for example, moves arms and legs, changes facial expression, moves body and makes mouth movements. Recognises and is most responsive to main carer’s voice: face brightens, activity increases when familiar carer appears. Responds to what carer is paying attention to, e. g. following their gaze. Likes cuddles and being held: calms, snuggles in, smiles, gazes at carer’s face or strokes carer’s skin. Turns toward a familiar sound then locates range of sounds with accuracy. Listens to, distinguishes and responds to intonations and sounds of voices. Quietens or alerts to the sound of speech. Looks intently at a person talking, but stops responding if speaker turns away. Listens to familiar sounds, words, or finger plays. 1 – 2 years Walks alone and stands on tiptoe Climbs on furniture and begins to run Builds a tower of six or more blocks Empties objects from a container Becomes aware of his or her identity as a separate individual May become defiant Becomes interested in playing with other children Separation anxiety begins to fade Speaks about 50 words Links two words together Uses some adjectives (big, happy) Speaks clearly enough for parents to understand some of the words Begins to play make-believe Begins to sort objects by shape and colour Scribbles Finds hidden objects 2 – 3 years Walks up and down stairs, alternating feet Kicks, climbs, runs and pedals a tricycle Builds a tower of nine or more blocks Manipulates small objects and turns book pages one at a time Imitates parents and playmates Takes turns Expresses affection openly Easily separates from parents Speaks 250 to 500 or more words Speaks in three-and four-word sentences Uses pronouns (I, you, we, they) and some plurals States first name Asks why questions Correctly names some colours Copies a circle Understands the concepts of same and different 3 – 4 years Stands on one foot for at least five seconds Throws ball overhand, kicks ball forward and catches bounced ball most of the time Dresses and undresses Uses scissors Cooperates with playmates Tries to solve problems May have a best friend Becomes more independent Answers simple questions Speaks in complete sentences Uses prepositions (under, beside, in front) Speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand Becomes involved in more complex imaginary play Prints some capital letters Draws a person with two to four body parts Understands the concepts of morning, afternoon and night 4 – 5 years Stands on one foot for at least 10 seconds Hops, swings and somersaults May learn to ride a bike and swim Brushes own teeth and cares for other personal needs Wants to be like friends Follows rules Understands gender Wants to do things alone Understands rhyming Uses compound and complex sentences Uses future tense States full name and address Uses imagination to create stories Correctly counts 10 or more objects Copies a triangle and other geometric patterns Understands the concepts of time and sequential order. 6 years Jumps over rope 25cm high Learning to skip with rope Tie own shoes Eager for fresh experiences More demanding and stubborn, less sociable Joining a ‘gang’ maybe important May be quarrelsome with friends Needs to succeed as failing too often leads to poor self esteem Reading skills developing well Drawings more precise and detailed Figure may be drawn if profile Can describe how one object differs from another Mathematical skills developing, may use symbols instead of concrete objects May write independently years Hand-eye coordination is well developed Has good balance Can execute simple gymnastic movements, such as somersaults Skills constantly improving More dexterity and precision in all areas Desires to be perfect and is quite self-critical Worries more; may have low self-confidence Tends to complain; has strong emotional reactions Understands the difference between right and wrong Takes direction well; needs punishment only rarely Avoids and withdraws from adults Is a better loser and less likely to place blame Waits for her turn in activities Starts to feel guilt and shame Read independently and with increasing fluency longer and less familiar texts Spell with increasing accuracy and confidence, drawing on word recognition and knowledge of word structure, and spelling patterns including common inflections and use of double letters Moving towards abstract thought Draw together ideas and information from across a whole text, using simple signposts in the text Read whole books on their own, choosing and justifying selections Engage with books through exploring and enacting interpretation 8 -12 years Movements well coordinated Physical skills improving Takes part in team games Drawings become more complex Friendship becomes more important Independence increasing More understand to self Concentration improves Able to read fluently May think scientifically Able to play complex games such as chess 12 – 19 years Hormonal changes Puberty Skin changes Growth spurts Body hair develops Girl; menstruates; breasts develop, hips broaden Boy; facial hair develops; voice deepens, growth of penis and testes Skills develops depending on interest and practice, for example play a musical instrument Adolescents start to think about the future and if motivated will use all their intellectual ability to achieve their educational goals

Analysis of Richard Wrights Black Boy

Analysis of Richard Wrights Black Boy Black Boy Essay In Richard Wright’s autobiography of Black Boy, Richard is determined to leave his family to move to the north because they do not provide the necessities for him to be successful. Richard’s bold and stubborn personality negates him success. This runs parallel to the abuse and manipulation that Richard receives that limits his relationships with others around him. Wright also shows how reading frees a soul suffering from discrimination. The US constitution states that â€Å"All men are created equal,† but in the Jim Crow law era, blacks were always looked down upon. Jim Crow promoted segregation and dehumanization amongst blacks and whites, creating the â€Å"wall† that separates whites from blacks. Racial prejudice, hate and discrimination were everywhere; blacks could be punished in any manor, from being arrested and getting a beating, to being slain based on a white person’s judgment on the action perform by the black individual. Throughout the n ovel we can see Richard’s alienation from the white community as well as the black community. Richard grew up in the south bound by rules and regulations formed by the whites. Secluded within their own confines of living, their struggle to survive in such a harsh environment seemed infinite and hopeless. Richard had to take charge when his mother falls ill and must provide for her and the family; disregarding this own health and focusing on keeping up with the rent and bills that needed to be paid. Richard’s father deserted his family leaving him and his mother to be on their own. Nathan, Richard’s dad was a peasant, and a share cropper. He did what the whites commanded him to do, follow the rules with no desire to succeed or progress in life, and repeat each and every demeaning and menial task day by day just to get by. This is the kind of society which ‘trained’ Nathan to be what the whites forced him to be, a dull and dumb individual with no sense of perception of what’s actually going on around him. Being counted as a subspecies, Richardà ¢â‚¬â„¢s father was conditioned to have no sense of hope, his entire life was based upon one thing, and that is falling in line with all other blacks and follows through with all the commands given by the white with no questions asked. This worked on every level imaginable, using sheer force and fear to tear down any sense of hope or positive thinking which blacks had. Just the thought of blacks surpassing a white individual was unthinkable. Why is this? It’s because it was deemed that way, it was how the society worked at that time. No one could question or challenge what whites could or can’t do, all of their thoughts are final. The ideas of being superior amongst the blacks were socially acceptable. And this included dehumanizing and cruel treatments. Richard wasn’t like the other kids that were in the black society. He was more free willed and ambitious. Richard was an independent individual from the start; not getting attached to anyone or in need of assistance of any sort. Richard was fond of education and learning. His quest for knowledge seemed, in the other black people’s eyes as a waste of time and energy, deemed to be helpful. But in some cases, Richard’s knowledge gets him in trouble, even worse getting hurt. An example from the book, is when Richard has to go to the store and buy groceries, but gets robbed numerous times by a gang of boys. The final time that Richard failed to get the groceries his mother told him, â€Å"Don’t come in here†¦You just stay right where you are, I’m going to teach your this night to stand up and fight for yourself†¦Don’t you come into this house until you’ve gotten those groceries.†(pg.24-25). One of Richard’s top quali ties was taught that night by his mother was perseverance. On the other hand we see the opposite, Shorty. Basically this amplifies my point of doing whatever possible to survive in this dreadful environment. He gets kicked in the gut just to get a quarter. My ass is tough and quarters is scarce.(end of ch12) At what point does a person go to violate self-ethics and morals, and go through with it just to survive. How far are you willing to go until you break? There is a delicate bond between the white people and white people, as humans we have limitations on how much we can handle mentally and physically. We can see from this example that Shorty is willing to degrade himself in order to get a quarter per kick. Shorty and Richard go off on a tangent about how to avoid being dehumanized and do something else. Richard offers to help him but Shorty’s hard headedness prevents him from to take heed the information given by Richard. But in Shorty’s remarks, he states that he is lazy to do anything and won’t change his ways of ho w he earns money. The readers recognize that Shorty has accepted the fact of being caught in the white power web of inferiority; he sees that there is no way out of this terrible situation. He went to school for half of his learning, and the half he was self-taught; by reading little bits and pieces he manages to learn quite a bit. Having knowledge and education grants Richard to be ahead of all the other black people. Wanting to be a writer, Wright pursues his dreams of moving North and writing novels. He takes the challenge by getting any job he can to raise money for himself to move to the north once and for all, and freeing himself from the clutches of racial prejudice and white rule. His ability to persevere also guided Richard toward his prosperity. Richard was a fighter and no matter what obstacle he faced, he manages to knock it down and march forth with his duties. Richard was always rebellious, from when he was really young to young adulthood. For example, when the principal at Richard’s school had asked him to give a speech to the audience of whites and blacks, Richard refused to read the principal’s pre-written speech. Just by reading the principal’s speech he was relieved at the same overly stressed out. He had the will and courage that other black individuals lacked to commence forth with this own speech. Richard was willing to leave school without a diploma just because of this unjust action. The whites knew that Richard was different; they knew that he challenged the â€Å"system† and he wasn’t afraid like the rest of the black people. The readers can sense fear coming from the whites, due to Richard’s attitude towards the whites and the boundaries that surround him. The white’s try to cover up their fear and pushing racism by being cruel and demeaning towards the entire black population. We can see in the scene where Richard gets a new job at the optical place, and his co-workers mistreat him just because the boss is kind to Richard. Later Richard leaves the job knowing that his co-workers would ‘kill’ him if told the boss what happed to him. The hostility portrayed by his co-workers was so great that Richard couldn’t handle it anymore, and was forced to leave his job. All of these events mold Richard into the hardy character he is known for. Wright’s intellect was unmatched by the blacks, and well as his rebellious features and conduct. These were a few reasons that he was able to overcome his background of being black individual, and becoming a successful writer. Based on the fact that he was smart and independent, and his perseverance guided him to reach this status, to which all blacks should uphold to. By reading Black Boy it becomes very clear to the reader how life as a black minority is very difficult. We can recognize all the struggles they faced and how Richard challenged and managed to surpass what no blacks ever did.

Benefits of Flexible Working Hours

Benefits of Flexible Working Hours 6. Literature Review 6.1 Definitions Janssen and Nachreiner (2004) defined Flexible Working Hours as involving a continuous choice on behalf of employers, employees or both, regarding the amount (chronometry) and the temporal distribution (chronology) or working hours. â€Å"Arrangements that allow employees to have a more variable schedule as opposed to complying with the standard 8-hour workday† (Janssen and Nachreiner, 2004) According to the definition of Handbook on Alternative Work Schedules, Flexible hours are referred to as the times during the workday, workweek, or pay period within the tour of duty during which an employee covered by a flexible work schedule may choose to vary his or her times of arrival to and departure from the work site consistent with the duties and requirements of the position. Flexible working hours is also defined as a system of attendance whereby individual employees select their starting and finishing times from day to day, subject to the concurrence of the work unit in which they work and to specified conditions. A system in which employees can start or stop work at different hours of the morning or evening provided that they work a certain number of hours per day or week (http://www.hrdictionary.com/definition/flexible-working-hours.html). According to the definition of Technical staff, Southern Cross University, flexible working hours are work schedule in which employees can use their own discretion as to the time on the job as long as they complete the specified number of hours within a work period that is, one month, one week, or one day (Barker, 1999). It is a system of working a set number of hours with the starting and finishing times chosen within agreed limits by the employee (www.oxfordreference.com) Christensen and Staines (1990) defined this as an arrangement provides employees with some limited discretion as to the starting and stopping times for their work day, while requiring a standard number of hours to be worked within a given time period. Flexible working hours refers to the practice by employers of allowing employees to vary their attendance pattern. Variation is usually in terms of start and finish times, as well as hours per day. Flexible working hours are often referred to as flexi time. Employees working flexible hours are able to use flexi time credit to take time off without reducing other leave credits. Flexible working hours are usually subject to a number of operating rules (Transport strategy, Adecision makers guide book). ‘Flexible working hours are also defined as working time arrangements allowing a continuous choice regarding the duration and the temporal distribution of working time for both the employee and the employer (http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/ewco/2006/05/DE0605NU4.htm). A simple deviation from the standard working time is not seen as sufficient for a distinction. The definition intends to exclude shorter but regular working time arrangements such as part-time work or deviating but regular working hours such as shift work (http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/ewco/2006/05/DE0605NU04.htm). 6.2 Why flexible working hours are implemented? Flexible working conditions are becoming increasingly common within modern economies, and in many countries legislation has been introduced enabling certain groups of employees to request flexible working. For example, Scandinavian countries in particular grant extensive flexible working rights, such as parental leave, flexitime and other family friendly provisions to employees (Brandth, 2001). Flexible working arrangements are increasingly offered by organizations in order to remain competitive through the recruitment and retention of top performing employees. These arrangements aim to be a win/win situation for the organization, by way of increased productivity and loyalty, and for the employee through work life benefits. The introduction of flexible working allows employees to have greater control over their work life balance, and can act as an important tool in the organizations recruitment and retention process. Flexible working is one device that employers can use to attract a more diverse workforce, allowing them to compete in the war for talent( Management Brief Report). Some forms of flexible working schedules such as part-time work, compressed work weeks, annualized hours, and flexitime have a long history and have traditionally been introduced largely to meet employer needs for flexibility or to keep costs down, though they may also have met employee needs and demands (Dalton Mesch, 1990).These and other flexible arrangements are also introduced ostensibly to meet employee needs for flexibility to integrate work and family demands under the banner of so-called family-friendly employment policies (Harker, 1996; Lewis Cooper, 1995). Often a business case argument has been used to support the adoption of flexible work arrangements; that is, a focus on the cost benefits (Barnett Hall, 2001). Other contemporary drivers of change include increased emphasis on high-trust working practices and the thrust toward gender equity and greater opportunities for working at home because of new technology (Evans 2000). Nevertheless, despite much rhetoric about t he importance of challenging outmoded forms of work and the gradual association of flexible working arrangements with leading-edge employment practice (Friedman Greenhaus, 2000), the implementation of these policies remains patchy across organizations (Glass Estes, 1997). Since 2003 the right to request flexible working conditions has been granted to all UK employees with children aged less than six years or to those with caring responsibilities (BERR 2008). This right has recently been extended to employees with children aged up to 16 years (BERR, 2009). Many of these legislative changes have been explicitly or implicitly underpinned by the assumption that flexible working will have positive effects on employee adaptability, performance (Artazcoz 2005), work-life balance and health (MacEachen 2008). In a number of low and middle-income countries flexible working hours is a relatively new concept which tends to be restricted to large multi-national companies. Paul Ashton, mobility solutions support manager at Logsys, discusses the work anywhere, anytime, on any device implications of flexible working. Following the introduction of new UK legislation in April 2003 with regards to offering employees with young or disabled children flexible working options, there have been massive developments in the way in which organisations operate. Two years on, the ideas behind flexible working are still being discussed, experimented with and tentatively accepted throughout the UK. At the forefront of this movement is the objective of providing employees with a suitable work/life balance and key to its success is supporting this through achieving more profitable business practices. Flexible working is all about working in real time. It is about mobilizing work forces and giving individuals the freedom and ability to work any time, anywhere, using any device. It is about enterprise-wide access to information, applications and data and the ability to util ize these items as and when they are needed. For employees it means home working abilities and potentially improved work/life balance. It should also mean easier working, more effective methods and processes, and the ability to work smarter to achieve more. For employers it means maximizing efficiency to achieve more through the same resources. It means improved employee retention and improved services for customers- which in turn means increased competitiveness and greater profitability. 6.3 Kinds of flexible hour work practice Flexible work arrangements can take on a variety of characteristics, ranging from staggered working hours to remote, off-site work areas. Within the Flexible work arrangements themselves, employers often provide additional flexibility (e.g., selecting the time of day when staggered working hours begin) and/or offer various options for Flexible work arrangements in order to provide even greater flexibility to their workforces (www.clc.executiveboard.com). Compressed working weeks â€Å"Any system of fixed working hours more than 8 hours in length which results in a work week of less than 5 full days of work a week† (Tepas,1985). This standard definition includes the most obvious examples with 9, 10 or12 hours a day, and a normal full-time working week of 36 to 42 hours. Twelve-hour shifts are particularly controversial. In recent years, as Hoekstra, Jansen Van Goudoever (1994) report for the Netherlands, â€Å"there has been increasing variety in working patterns. The compressed working week is one of the many possible arrangements for working hours. This increasing variety can be attributed to the desire for greater flexibility in working hours. Tepas (1985) have listed the potential advantages of the compressed workweek as follows: Increased possibility for multi-day off-the-job leisure and care activity A reduction in commuting problems and costs Fewer workdays with no loss of pay A regular, steady workweek Ease in covering all jobs at the required times More time for scheduling meetings or training sessions Increased opportunity for communication within the organization Increased opportunity for communication with other organizations Decrease in start-up and/or warm-up expenses Fewer supervisory personnel may be needed More efficient stock flow for assembly-line operations Less night work Increased production rates Improvement in the quantity or quality of services to the public Better opportunities to hire skilled workers in tight labour markets Flexi time Ronen (1981) described Flextime (also called flexible working hours) as a type of flexible work arrangement that allows employees to vary their work schedules, within certain ranges and dimensions, according to their differing needs (). Unlike other flexible work arrangements, flextime focuses exclusively on the work schedule and does not alter the location of work or the total number of hours worked. Although there is no truly standard work schedule, the traditional workday is defined as a forty-hour week, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (Catalyst, 1997). Flextime allows employees to break from the standard work schedule by starting the work day early and ending early, starting late and ending late, or taking breaks during the day and making up the time at the beginning or end of the day. Some flextime options allow employees to work extra hours on one day to make up for shortened hours on another day. Golembiewski and Proehl, (1978) and Christensen and Staines (1990) have been identified several key dimensions of flextime, such as core hours (the daily hours during which employees must be at work), bandwidth (the earliest and latest starting and stopping times to which employees can adjust their schedules) and schedule flexibility, which is the ability to change starting and stopping times from day to day and week to week without prior approval from supervisors. A study by Hill, Hawkins, Ferris and Weitzman (2001) found that perceived flexibility in the timing and location of work was positively related to work-family balance, and that the greater the extent of such flexibility, the more the employees were able to work a greater number of hours without harming their work-family balance. Another study found a direct effect of flextime on work-family conflict (Shinn, Wong, Simko, Ortiz-Torres, 1989). Several studies have found that flextime is related to outcomes indicative of work-family conflict. For example, Ralston (1989) found that employees were better able to juggle work and family demands after flextime was implemented and Bohen Viveros-Long (1981) found that flextime reduced stress among parents. Thomas Ganster (1995) found that flextime was directly related to perceived control over work and family, and it was indirectly related to work-family conflict. Annual-hours contracts annual-hours contracts are contracts of employment where the total hours to be worked in a twelve-month period are specified, rather than the weekly hours. This provides employers with the flexibility to devise a shift system to ensure continuous operations. Traditionally annualized hours were adopted in the manufacturing sector, but increasingly it is a popular system for organizing work time in the service sector, especially where twenty-four-hour, seven-day-week services are provided (http://www.jrank.org/business/pages/39/annual-hours-contracts). Job Share Job sharing is an arrangement where two or more employees share the duties and responsibilities of a single full time job. Each job sharer has broadly the same responsibilities, although their contractual terms and conditions of employment may differ. Job-sharing is common now across a range of occupations, including professions such as GPs, accountants and managers. This is an option that women may prefer as a way of returning to work after maternity leave. The employer benefits as it retains valuable skills within the organization, encourages retention and often results in greater productivity (www.clc.executiveboard.com). Self rostering â€Å"Flexible rostering is where each rostering period is planned individually (typically 4 -6 weeks at a time). Shifts are allocated on the basis of manning requirements which reflect anticipated demand patterns, as well as myriad other rostering parameters, including staffs preferences for off-duty† (Silvestro Silvestro, 2000). Thornthwaite Sheldon (2004) described that employee self-rostering systems enable individual employees to tailor working hours to maximize their compatibility with domestic responsibilities. Such rosters would allow employees to choose to work mornings, afternoons or school hours only, or some combination of different hours each day. Self-rostering means that a group of employees make work schedules by themselves. This is based on a company time frame determined by the employer in which the quantitative and qualitative demands have to be met. By designing the work schedules, the employees determine their own starting and ending time duration of their services and are supposed to create a dialogue to synchronize the individual wishes with the requirements set by the employer (Zeggenschap, 2008). Part time work Employees with a part-time work arrangement typically follow one of the following schedules: Work a reduced number of hours per day, five days per week Work eight hours per day, less than five days per week Employers are increasingly providing part-time employees with many of the same benefits provided to full-time workers particularly smaller employers that want to attract candidates but do not need many full-time workers. As with flextime, some states mandate that part-time work be available for women returning to work after a pregnancy (www.clc.executiveboard.com). 6.4 Benefits of flexible hours working arrangement. Both employees and employers alike can benefit through the utilization of flexible work practices. Flexible work arrangements can help to improve recruitment and retention, assist in managing workloads and in boosting employee satisfaction. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), U.K. guidelines for employers and employees state that flexible working opportunities benefit everyone: employers, employees and their families (www.dti.gov.uk, Flexible Working). For individuals, the opportunity to work flexibly can greatly improve the ability to balance home and work responsibilities. The DTI guidelines provide examples of the following flexible working schemes: Annualized hours describes working time organized on the basis of the number of hours to be worked over a year rather than a week; usually to fit in with peaks and troughs of work. Pay will depend on the hours worked each pay period. Compressed hours allow individuals to work their total number of agreed hours over a shorter period. For example, employees might work their full weekly hours over four, rather than five, days. They would be paid for a full-time job but would not receive overtime payments for any agreed extra hours worked during a day. Flexi time gives employees choice about their actual working hours, usually outside certain agreed core times. Individuals are paid for the hours that they work. Home-working doesnt have to be on a full-time basis and it may suit an employee to divide their time between home and office. Individuals are paid according to the hours that they work. Employers are required to carry out a risk assessment of the activities undertaken by home-workers, identifying any hazards and deciding whether enough steps have been taken to prevent harm to them or anyone else who may be affected by the work. Job-sharing typically involves two people employed on a part-time basis while working together to cover a full-time job. Both receive pay for the hours they work. Shift working gives employers the scope to have their business open for longer periods than an eight-hour day. Agreed flexible working arrangements may lead to a shift premium payment not being required. Staggered hours allow employees to start and finish their day at different times. Pay depends on hours worked in total rather than the time at which they were worked. Term-time working allows employees to take unpaid leave of absence during the school holidays. Bond et al, (2005) The Families and Work Institute report, When Work Works, states that employees who are provided with flexibility in their work are more likely to: Be engaged in their jobs and committed to helping their company succeed; Intend to remain with their current employer; and, Feel satisfied with their jobs. The positive work-life balance effects of flexible working are probably the best known and most frequently cited advantages. Aiming for a greater balance between demands from within and outside the workplace is often the driver for individuals to seek such arrangements. The interplay between employee wellbeing, work-life balance and performance brings into play factors such as organizational commitment, enthusiasm, energy and satisfaction. Flexible working arrangements, such as flexitime and teleworking, are becoming more common in industrialized countries but the impacts of such flexibility on employee health and wellbeing are largely unknown. Several studies have highlighted the beneficial effects of employee-negotiated flexible working on health and wellbeing, such as reduced stress and stress-related illnesses, reduced sickness absence and improved work-life balance, including time spent with children and marital satisfaction (MacEachen 2008). Kerry et al (2010) examined the health and wellbeing effects of flexible working arrangements which favour the worker as well as those dictated by the employer (for example, fixed-term contracts or mandatory overtime). The findings of this review tentatively suggest that flexible working interventions that increase worker control and choice (such as self-scheduling or gradual/partial retirement) are likely to have a positive effect on health outcomes, including improvements in physical health (reduced systolic blood pressure and heart rate), mental health (e.g. reduced psychological stress) and general health (e.g. tiredness and sleep quality) measures. Importantly, interventions which increased worker flexibility were not associated with any adverse health effects in the short term. In contrast, interventions that were motivated or dictated by organizational interests, such as fixed-term contract and involuntary part-time employment, found equivocal or negative health effects. Kandolin (1996) reported significant reductions in tiredness during the night shift when comparing intervention and control group participants. Smith (1998) demonstrated improvements in mental health, sleep quality on day shift, sleep duration on night shift and alertness during night shift in the intervention group compared with the comparison group. Viitasalo (2008) found statistically significant decreases in systolic blood pressure and heart rate for workers with flexible scheduling compared with those in the control group. A study which was performed by Cranfield University, found that the intuitive expectation that the employee who is better able to integrate work and non-work will experience enhanced wellbeing. Indirectly, this positive association impacts on performance, with employees in a sense ‘repaying their organization with improved levels of motivation and drive. Some employees who had become accustomed to working flexibly expressed unwillingness to move back to a more traditional pattern, linking their flexible arrangement to reduced pressure and stress. There was abundant evidence of individuals adapting their working arrangement over time to meet both changing job demands and evolving demands from the home, and great value was placed on the personal control to meet needs from both domains which was afforded by their flexible working pattern. So flexibility is highly valued, but does not remain static over time (www.workingfamilies.org.uk). Stress is linked to wellbeing and work-life balance, and here the picture is less clear. Flexible working could be seen as a positive measure which helped reduce workplace stress through reducing hours, cutting down on commuting time and minimizing work overload. However, it could also be a source of stress, if a reduction in hours meant that employees struggled to achieve objectives which had not been appropriately reduced to match such a change. This reinforces the message that flexible working needs to be well designed to succeed, particularly in the case of reduced hours work where the required tasks of the role should reflect the hours available (www.workingfamilies.org.uk). This study at Cranfield University also focused on the impact on employees performance related to the flexible working schedule. It has found that individuals and their managers felt positive 61% and 45% respectively. A similar number of managers 43% felt that there was no impact either way from flexible working. Only a small proportion of respondents indicated that flexible working had a negative impact on the quantity of work of either the flexible workers themselves or their co-workers. Flexible work allows people to make changes to the hours or times they work, and where they work. It helps people organize their careers to accommodate other commitments, and to manage transitions in and out of the workforce. For flexible work to be described as â€Å"quality†, these changes must not adversely affect income, career progression, availability of scheduled leave or access to desirable employment for those who take it up. For an arrangement to be considered truly flexible it must provide the employee with the means to manage his or her work while managing other commitments, and without adversely affecting the business. In addition, â€Å"quality flexible work† provides benefits for both employees and employers. Benefits for employees may include increased opportunities for families to spend â€Å"quality time† together and greater ease for family members to combine paid work and family responsibilities, while benefits for employers include addressing skills shortages and increased staff retention and loyalty (Fursman, 2009). Employee driven flexibility is widely regarded as a measure that can reduce work-life balance conflict. For example, in New Zealand, research by the Department of Labour (2008) found that employees who reported a particular FWA was available to them were more likely to rate their work-life balance highly. This is supported by research by the Families Commission showing that 88% of survey respondents who had a lot of flexibility were satisfied with their work-life balance, compared to 52% of respondents who had little or no flexibility (Families Commission, 2008). Statistics New Zealand data also shows that among employed people; those that did not have flexible hours in their main job were more likely to be dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their work-life balance (Statistics New Zealand, 2008). Similarly in Australia, a 2008 survey found that employees without FWAs were more likely to experience work-life balance conflict (Pocock et al, 2009). Fursman and Zodgekar (2009) studied the Impacts of Flexible Working Arrangements on New Zealand Families. The findings of this research suggest that many family members have access to flexible work arrangements, and that such arrangements provide significant benefits for them and their families, including less stress and pressure and more opportunities to spend time together. Flexible work arrangements can also allow family members to meet their care responsibilities while maintaining their participation in the paid workforce. The arrangements wanted and needed by families changed as their families changed; for example, as children reached school age, or older family members became increasingly more dependent. A range of studies associate flexible work arrangements with positive outcomes for employees. This includes a positive impact on employees perceptions of job quality (Kelliher Anderson, 2008), increased job satisfaction and reduced leaving intentions (Forsyth and Polser-Debruyne, 2007), enabling families to spend more time together, and reducing stress and pressure (Families Commission, 2008). Gill et al(2007) studied the incidence and impact of flexible working arrangements in smaller businesses. In this study, positive impacts of flexible work arrangements in recruitment and retention, enhanced employee relations, commitment and loyalty are found, together with disadvantages of operational problems and administrative burdens. William et al (1981) have found that the flexi time did not support the traditional flexi time consequences for work satisfaction or leisure satisfaction. However, employees working under a flexi time schedule reported certain other improvements, including easier travel and parking, a smaller amount of interrole conflict, a greater feeling of being in control in the work setting; and more opportunity for leisure activities. 6.5 Limitations of implementation of flexible working hours Hayman (2009) has revealed that the attitudes and expectations of co-workers and employers intermingled with issues about fairness, managerial support, feelings of guilt, and career impacts are particular barriers to flexibility. And also he found that the availability of flexible work options alone may not be enough to influence work-life balance outcomes for employees and that perceived usability is critical. A UK study by Waumsley and Houston (2009) also found that perceptions play a significant role with study participants perceiving that flexible working is detrimental to work performance and career progression. This was despite participants recognizing that flexible working delivers work-life balance benefits. Organizational policies on flexible work cannot be fully effective without real support and commitment from management in implementing and applying these policies. Managers need to encourage and actively support the use of flexible arrangements, and organizations need to actively support managers in making flexible working arrangements part of the normal operating environment. Managers need to be provided with appropriate resources, training and time to appropriately assess all requests for changes in work arrangements. Some adjustments to work organization may be necessary, such as scheduling meetings when all staff can attend (Equal Opportunity for Women in the WorkplaceAgency;http://www.eowa.gov.au/Pay_Equity/Files/Recommendations). Organizations also need to ensure that all employees who are using flexible work arrangements are accepted and respected as valued and committed employees. Such employees should be included in all training and professional development opportunities and given the opportunity for promotion on the same basis as all other employees. A critical part of a flexible work culture is ensuring that employees understand and work within an environment of mutual trust and obligation. Employees must have a strong commitment to the success of any flexible work arrangement. Employees on flexible work arrangements must maintain work and performance standards and ongoing communication between employees and their supervisors is essential. Employee engagement in the success of flexible work arrangements will maximize benefits for both the organization and the employee (Equal Opportunity for Women in the WorkplaceAgency;http://www.eowa.gov.au/Pay_Equity/Files/Recommendations) Research by the Families Commission; found that a perception of unsupportive workplace cultures; a perceived impact on career progression and reduction in income; and a perception that flexibility was only available to highly valued employees were among the barriers experienced by employees (Families Commission, 2008). It also found that flexibility could also lead to guilt about taking time off and employees working harder and doing longer hours than might ordinarily be the case (Families Commission, 2008). A recent smaller study of firms in the New Zealand accounting sector noted the impact of traditional values and culture within the sector that work against flexibility (Ministry of Womens Affairs, 2010). This includes a culture of long hours and at partnership level, a perception that being a partner and caring for children were mutually exclusive (Ministry of Womens Affairs, 2010). Work-life balance issues including Flexible Working Arrangements have a significant gender dimension (Fursman, 2008). Fursmans 2008 review of literature usefully summarizes some of the key issues emerging as including: The significance of gender differences in the industries and occupations that women and men work in, with different occupations affording different opportunities to access Flexible Working Arrangements. A range of literature discusses gender differences in decision-making about career choices with women more likely to make decisions based on accommodating family needs. Differences in the availability of Flexible Working Arrangements, both in the UK and New Zealand, with women more likely to request arrangements affecting their total number of hours worked where as men were more likely to request forms of flexibility that had no effect on income and earnings. Research revealing differences between men and womens perceptions of work with women more likely to place weight on putting family needs before work (Fursman, 2008). Social policy journal of New Zealand mentioned about a research showed that there were a number of barriers preventing the take-up of flexible working arrangements, with many of these resulting from employee perceptions that using flexible work arrangements would not be supported by their employers. The lack of available arrangements in particular workplaces was an obvious barrier; however, other barriers centered on negative employer attitudes, both perceived and actual, to requests for flexible work. Employees reported that they did not use flexible work arrangements because doing so would have a negative impact on career progression and negative financial consequences (parti

OBriens Things They Carried Essay: Truth, Fiction, and Human Emotion

The Things They Carried: Truth, Fiction, and Human Emotion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many levels of truth in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. This novel deals with story-telling as an act of communication and therapy, rather than a mere recital of fact. In the telling of war stories, and instruction in their telling, O'Brien shows that truth is unimportant in communicating human emotion through stories. O'Brien's writing style is so vivid, the reader frequently finds himself accepting the events and details of this novel as absolute fact. To contrast truth and fiction, the author inserts reminders that the stories are not fact, but are mere representations of human emotion incommunicable as fact. O'Brien's most direct discussion of truth appears in Good Form. He begins with, "It's time to be blunt," and goes on to say that everything in the book but the very premise of a foot soldier in Vietnam is invented. This comes as a shock after reading what seems to be a stylized presentation of fact. In the sequence of Speaking of Courage followed by Notes, O'Brien adds a second dimension of truth to a story so vivid that the reader may have already accepted it as the original truth. In Notes, O'Brien steps out of the novel and addresses the reader to discuss the character, Norman Bowker, and the formation and history of the previous story, Speaking of Courage. In a letter from Norman Bowker, Tim O'Brien is asked to write a story about his part in the war. In discussing this, O'Brien presents an elaborate picture of the story's development and the main character's real-life demise: "Speaking of Courage" was written in 1975 at the suggestion of Norman Bowker, who three years later hanged himself in the locker room of a YMC... ...O'Brien goes beyond the telling of war stories in The Things They Carried to say something larger about the art and purpose of story-telling. Contrasting truth and fiction, O'Brien shows that the truth cannot always communicate human emotion. O'Brien's personal guilt at seeing a man die from a grenade blast is real, and must be communicated as such in a story. Norman Bowker's guilt at seeing Kiowa sink into the muck leaves him with a sense of direct personal failure. By incorporating this sense of failure into fictional events, O'Brien is able to communicate the true human emotion behind the story, rather than just the facts. Above and beyond a simple set of war stories, The Things They Carried reduces fiction to the very heart of why stories are told the way they are. Works Cited: O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried.New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1990.   

Of Mice and Men :: essays research papers

John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men in an effort to illustrate the social limitations imposed upon the working class during the Great Depression era by creating various characters who shared one common dream, the â€Å"American Dream,† Steinbeck dramatized on one individual level, the life of the protagonist, George, the grueling struggles and sanguine dreams of an entire social class of people Poet Robert Burns once said, â€Å"The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft a-glae,† Steinbeck parallels this quote with the ill-fated dreams of iterant workers. Delving into the mind of George, Steinbeck exposes his yearning desire to be on his own and his conflicting desire to remain guardian of Lennie and follow their dream. George recognizes that without Lennie’s companionship their dreams will never suffice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George, one of the two protagonists of the novel, provides insight into the psyche of a member of the working class during the destitute 1930s. Like all migrant workers during this time period he has a dream, the central theme of the novel, to â€Å"live offa the fatta the lan† and have his own place. Unfortunately, this dream is unrealistic, living in an oppressive society which views him as a nonentity and confines him to the ranch and bunkhouse, a symbol Steinbeck utilizes to represent drastic limitation, he knows his dream is in vain. George’s dream is ironically barred by his relationship with Lennie, his burly companion who suffers from mental disabilities, and often wonders what it would be like without Lennie. He would be free of all obligations and able to go out with the guys, drink and spend his money. He often blames Lennie for depriving him from activities such as these. Despite his desire to be on his own, George realizes that life with out Lennie would be meaningless. George’s desire for freedom constantly conflicts with necessity of Lennie’s friendship in an otherwise bleak world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The affectionate companionship between George and Lennie is unusual among single, white migrant workers. The arrogance and selfishness of other workers on the ranch, reinforces the importance of the friendship George and Lennie uphold throughout the novel. The friendship between George and Lennie replaces desolation is experienced by many of the workers. Their friendship also allows them to sustain their dream, which remains alive through their conversation. George tells Lennie, the story of their dream so often that even a smart-minded worker like George comes to believe it.

Helpful Hypnotism :: Short Stories Hypnosis Court Papers

Helpful Hypnotism I sat in amazement as the opposing lawyer went into a lecture about hypnosis. He was obviously very informed in the area and had a lot to say. All the members of the jury followed the lawyer back and forth with their eyes as he spoke his final words. Hypnotism is what I had based my entire defense on for the last month and now this scrub lawyer was schooling everybody in the courtroom. â€Å"What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word hypnosis? For most people it’s the crazy genie with a watch swinging back and forth in someone’s face, controlling their every action, and making them do things they normally wouldn’t. But this is far from the truth of what real hypnotism is. Hypnosis is a well-accepted method of alternative medicine (Alman). â€Å"Many psychologists and other doctors study and use hypnotherapy with their patients. This type of hypnosis is completely different than the one with the genie holding absolute power. In fact, there are many misconceptions about this type of hypnosis. Yes, there is a hypnotist that talks to a subject in a soft voice and says things to get a number of different reactions. But any person in their right mind wouldn’t run around bucking like a chicken and not know what is going on. Things like being unaware under hypnosis or the only one who can take you out of a trance is the one who put you in are not true. Truth is that many times people are more fully aware under a trance and anyone including yourself can get you out (Brenman 55). In fact many doctors don’t use the word trance when describing the relaxed state because the person is so aware. They feel that the word trance implies a different mind level or mental lapse and sends out the wrong idea to peop le who don‘t know the subject (Brenman 55). The lawyer paused for effect and took a sip of his drink. I went through a scenario in my head of me getting up and crow-hopping him in the jaw. The cocky bastard continued†¦ â€Å"To be hypnotized a person is often told to close their eyes to reduce distractions.

Hunger Games Theme

What would we do if we were chosen at random to fight for our life? Would we just let it happen? Would we fight back and try our best to keep out dignity? Or would we do whatever it takes just to stay alive, even if it means losing site of who we really are? These are all decisions that Peeta and Katniss, two kids from a city called Panem had to make all by themselves. The novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has many themes, but the most important overall, is the importance of keeping dignity and humanity while fighting for our life. In the Hunger Games, a sixteen year old girl named Katniss and a sixteen year old boy named Peeta are chosen to go into the Hunger Games, where they will fight for their lives. During past years, competitors in the Hunger Games would do a number of unspeakable things in order to survive. Peeta however is the complete opposite. He wants to die with dignity. First off, in the novel The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, many things go wrong in Panem, the society that the main characters Katniss and Peeta live in. For example, their society is filled with many things such as war, starvation, poverty, and violence. Peeta and Katnis have been taught since they were little that no matter what you are doing you have to keep your dignity while doing it. Even if it is fighting to the death. The way that both Peeta and Katniss have grown up comes in really handy during the Hunger Games. It makes it extremely easier for them to keep their dignity during the games. However, many competitors will do anything in order to survive, wouldn’t you? Peeta however, is very different; he believes that if he is going to die, he should at least go with his dignity. This means that while everyone else loses their minds, he will still think straight and won’t do anything outrageous in order to survive. For example, a girl from district 9 said â€Å"here’s some advice, just stay alive† (127). This quote shows that she believes the only thing that matters is staying alive. She will risk anything to live, even her humanity and dignity. Peeta however, would basically rather die with his dignity than live knowing he completely lost his dignity and humanity during the Hunger Games. To Peeta, his dignity is just as important as his own life. The competitors in the Hunger Games family and friends are also loosing spite of their humanity and dignity even though it may not seem like it to them. The family members show their loss of dignity when all of them just sit back and watch as their loved ones battle for their lives. It is just one big game to them. Celebrations are thrown if their loved one kills another person’s loved one. They don’t even comfort the other family at all. Everyone just parties while one family is having one of the worst possible days of their lives. Watching as somebody’s child is being killed isn’t right. Imagine if our society was like this. We wouldn’t just sit back and watch as our family and friends die before our eyes, would we? The novel The Hunger Games is similar to the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding in a few ways. The most important however is the characters loss of humanity and dignity, which occurs in both novels. In Lord of the Flies, the large groups of boys that are stranded on the island lose sight of what is really important to them. They get caught up in trying to stay alive and doing whatever it takes to stay alive. Jack, from Lord of the Flies, ran around chanting â€Å"Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood† (69). This quote shows us that the boys are starting to lose their dignity. This is exactly what happens in Suzanne Collins, Hunger Games. All of the competitors chosen to compete in the annual Hunger Games get caught up in killing people to stay alive that they forget who they really are inside. Ralph, the boy from the novel Lord of the Flies is very similar to Peeta, the boy from the novel Hunger Games in many ways. For example, both Ralph and Peeta are one of the only people to keep their humanity and dignity while they are stranded on an island or in this case fighting to the death in a huge arena. All of the boys in the novel Lord of the Flies lose their dignity and humanity except for Ralph and piggy who stay sane. This is very similar to the Hunger Games. Everyone in districts one through eleven go crazy and forget who they are except for two people. Only Peeta and katniss who are from District 12 keep their dignity while struggling to stay alive. Peeta says â€Å"at least let me die with my dignity† (167). This quote shows us that Peeta won’t lose his humanity and dignity no matter what. In conclusion, the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins shows us how society could end up if we lose sight of our dignity. She shows us that just because something bad could happen doesn’t mean that we have to forget what really matters to us, or even forget who we truly are behind all of the violent, or just plain old fake acts that we would have to put on just to live through the Hunger Games. She shows us through the eyes of Peeta that even when something gets tough, we just have to work through it and keep our head held high.