Yes Minister Is A Successful Satire. Discuss. Essays -

Indeed Minister Is A Successful Satire. Talk about. The British parody Yes Minister is a splendid parody where the characters are imaginatively controlled to frame an entertaining system. It manages the haggling of political life in the background and endeavors to uncover its actual nature. In spite of the fact that the arrangement is set inside the British political scene, it manages political games and conflicts among government officials and the common help that could be found anyplace on the planet. Indeed Minister began airing in 1980 on BBC 2 with every scene running for around 30 minutes. With its shocking achievement it ran for a long time until Jim Hacker at long last became what he generally longed for over the span of the arrangement: Prime Minister. Now the BBC began another arrangement called Yes Prime Minister. The arrangement is still appeared on TV today and individuals keep on getting a charge out of the sarcastic British silliness. In the third period of Yes Minister and just because on 11 November 1982, two years into the arrangement, ran a scene called Equal Opportunities. As its title proposes it envelops the issues to do with Equal Employment Opportunities, concentrating on the Civil Services and their mentalities towards ladies in the workforce. As in different scenes of Yes Minister, Equal Opportunities plans to teach and gather change, while at the same time engaging the crowd it is focused towards. Sharp consolidation of a wide range of kinds of silliness makes a good humored fa?ade for the fundamental issues. In Equal Opportunities it has permitted the investigation of each genders feelings and musings towards one another in the workforce. A bit of incongruity happens when Sarah declares that she is leaving the common administrations. She discloses to Jim Hacker that she needs an occupation that will value her as an individual and where she by and by can accomplish things and in this way has acknowledged work at a shipper bank. She is by no means enchanted by the way that she would be a piece of a 25% portion and doesn't value being belittled: Honestly, Minister, I need a vocation where I dont spend unlimited hours flowing data that isnt applicable, about subjects that dont matter to individuals who arent intrigued. I need an occupation where there is accomplishment as opposed to simply action. I am worn out on pushing paper. I need to have the option to highlight something and state: I did that. Mockery is utilized to slyly say what is truly implied without saying it straight out. What it says straight out regularly disobediently negates its actual significance: We should, in my view, consistently reserve the option to advance the most ideal man for the activity, paying little mind to sex. Sir Humphrey makes out that hes being reasonable however by calling everybody man and afterward saying paying little mind to sex it shows up as an inconsistency. The utilization of exchange permits the watcher a more profound understanding into the characters engaged with the show. While the male characters in Yes Minister deny being chauvinist and guarantee to be paying special mind to the eventual benefits of ladies in the workforce, it is clear through their utilization of chauvinist exchange this isn't the situation. Terms, for example, women's activist touch and dear woman are as often as possible utilized when alluding to ladies all through the content. Sir Humphrey regularly utilizes circumvention to confound the issues. Code words are utilized by numerous individuals of the Public Servants required to get around an issue or to make the issue sound better than what it truly is: a respite to refocus, a break wherein to rethink the circumstance and talk about elective procedures, a space of time for the develop reflection and pondering. Indeed, you mean drop the entire plan. Mentalities of individuals who work in the Public Services are questioned and derided. It is demonstrated that a significant number of the individuals inside the Public Services are lethargic, just consideration about their own prosperity, and accept that progressions occur as an issue of turn: Clergyman! It requires some investment to get things done! This plays on the way that on the grounds that such a large number of individuals in the Services are up to speed doing futile things or are so moderate and languid, it takes a long effort to accomplish anything major. Jim Hacker makes reference to Alexander the Great decision at a youthful age,

Revised Literacies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Modified Literacies - Essay Example Be that as it may, each medium has its own benefits and demrits. Subsequently, my crowd will have a superior comprehension on remix. After I went to the WRA 1004 course, my point of view encounters about composition and perusing have been altered altogether. Prior to going to the class, I had no particular methodologies like RAIDS and SWAP for my exposition. I had no clue about what my paper will resemble. I don't have an unmistakable course of action or style as a primary concern. I just composed as it went. I noticed the disadvantages of remix media. Furthermore, for perusing, I simply read the article, and may quickly discuss the primary concerns. Subsequent to taking the class, I presently comprehend to think before compose, utilizing RAIDS can without much of a stretch assistance me to express my motivation unmistakably, and by utilizing SWAP can help center around my subject and my crowd. In fact, I think some cutting edge innovation based medias -, for example, PowerPoint introduction, some other introduction programming, PC form, and so on other than paper are very viable in passing on thoughts to the intended interest groups. Without a doubt the utilization of PC for composing is blessed with umbrella-accommodations. On the off chance that proficiency implies a man’s capacity to peruse and compose, a PC can be utilized to a media of education which is undeniably progressively helpful that compose on a paper. Presently I accept the term â€Å"literacy† doesn't just mean one’s capacity to peruse and compose, yet in addition it implies one’s capacity to utilize any innovative gadgets moreover. Daley characterizes proficiency as following: Generally education has been usually characterized as the capacity to peruse and compose at a sufficient degree of capability that is fundamental for correspondence. All the more as of late in any case, education has taken on a few implications. Innovative education, scientific proficiency, and visual education are only a couple of models. (45) It is on the grounds that a PC permits an individual to compose as well as permits the person in question to get to a wide scope of understanding materials. A PC proficient individual can access to the tremendous perusing

Economic Theories of Adam Smith Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Theories of Adam Smith - Research Paper Example Financial Theories of Adam Smith This report will talk about various financial speculations by Adam Smith, a Scottish rationalist. Adam Smith is the author of a free-showcase private enterprise. He is likewise the dad of present day old style financial matters and a defender of free enterprise monetary approaches. His contentions against mercantilism made him the dad of current financial aspects. The Scottish scholar spent numerous years educating and distributing a portion of his talks in the â€Å"Theory of Moral Sentiments† in 1759. The material made strides and established the framework for the distribution of â€Å"The Wealth of Nations† in 1776 which solidified Smith’s place ever. In any case, numerous pundits note that in his time Smith didn't ‘invent’ the thoughts he expounded on. He just advanced the thoughts that got known as traditional economy. Utilizing his work different financial experts set the speculations of old style economy which got prevailing during the hour of incredible gloom or the worldwide monetary emergency. The report will likewise contrast the current monetary framework and Smith’s and close whether he would concur with current strategies of today on the off chance that he was alive. Creation Theory From the economists’ perspective, creation basically implies the formation of products and enterprises which buyers will purchase. Organizations are the units of creation, and they convert contribution to yield through a change procedure (Kurz and Salvadori, 1995). The hypothesis of creation at that point comprises of how an organization picks and consolidates different contributions to deliver a yield at a given level in the most effective way. The supposition that will be that dynamic is finished with the perspective on expanding benefits. Creation is about making of riches which thus adds to the society’s government assistance. Assets are restricted and should be effectively used to make the most extreme conceiv able government assistance. There are various information sources or assets of the general public utilized in the creation procedure. These sources of info or assets are the elements of creation. Adam Smith distinguished three variables of creation which are land, work and capital. In the financial aspects the meaning of land alludes to all the common assets which are utilized underway. The land thought incorporates cultivating and assembling land, woodlands, streams, lakes, and mineral stores. In this manner, land doesn't mean a bit of earth. Work credits to both mental and physical endeavors utilized in the creation of products and enterprises. Work is unmistakable in that it is the administrations of work that are purchased and sold. Work is additionally novel since it is the motivation behind why monetary movement happens. The flexibly of work is estimated by the quantity of long stretches of work which is offered at a given compensation rate over a given timeframe (Kurz and Sal vadori, 1995). Capital is a man-made info and can be delegated working or flowing capital alluding to supplies of crude materials, incompletely completed products, and completed merchandise held by makers. On the other hand, it very well may be named fixed capital which comprises of all the gear utilized underway. The part of specialization is significant in the creation procedure. It alludes to the convergence of movement in those lines of creation where the organization or an individual has some characteristic or obtained advantage. Adam Smith caused to notice the significance of the work division in his book â€Å"The Wealth of Nations†. He was on a very basic level worried about the division of work of a specific industry

Target Market Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Target Market Strategy - Essay Example It’s really going to be mechanized shoes or shoes in everyone’s foots. The microcomputer chips connected to these shoes or shoes can consequently gauge one’s walk-separations, tally his strides, measure his circulatory strain in foots, figure the speed of an athlete and so forth. E-Walker will draw in indoor players like badminton and tennis since it can electronically follow one's strides and outside players like cricket and football because of that it can assist players with boosting up their athletic skill through the digitized framework it has been connected with.E-Walker would offer its items to the two games and footwear providers. Sports shoes and different shoes and shoes will be planned and grown in an unexpected way, and along these lines, it will be progressively conservative for the organization to utilize diverse flexibly anchors to showcase them. Sports shoes will be provided to sports providers. Different shoes and shoes will be provided to general footwear providers. STP technique to enter the business sectors and boundary to itSegmentation system of E-WalkerAs Bygrave and Zacharakis (2010, p.170) noted, division is an organization's essential showcasing measurement for setting the key structure and is the way to promoting procedure of recognizing the correct clients of the organization also. For viable advertising, it should section its market by separating the all out market into sub-bunches like land, segment, psychographic and conduct and so on (Lancaster and Reynolds, 2001, p. 68).

Billy Bud Martial Law

Marshal Law in Billy Budd The story â€Å"Billy Budd† by Herman Melville happens in 1797 on a British navel warship. A man named Billy Budd was enrolled into the positions as a maritime mariner for the British positions. England was at war with France during the time so on the warships marshal law was utilized. Billy Budd is a youthful mariner recently selected into the positions, he is enjoyed by numerous individuals of his group. Munity on a great deal of British warships has happened and numerous officials are terrified of their team turning on them.John Claggart is the ace at arms of the boat, his main responsibility is to watch out for the group by ensuring everybody is carrying out their responsibility and making an effort not to begin a rebellion. Claggart accepts that Billy Budd is a perilous man and feels that Billy Budd is at risk to revolt. Claggart on his doubts goes to address the chief and reveals to Captain Edward Fairfax Vere about Billy Budd. Chief Vere doesn' t accept this and asks Claggart and Billy Budd to come go up against one another.Claggart starts to charge him and Billy Budd defeat with rage strikes Claggart and he falls immediately to his demise. After this the skipper is compelled to require a preliminary for the demise of Claggart. The Captain was the sole observer to the case, during the preliminary most appointed authorities just as Captain Vere realize that Billy Budd didn't intend to but since of the Marshal Law set spot Billy Bud must be executed. Commander Vere tells the appointed authorities that they should cast a ballot to execute Billy Budd to demonstrate a guide to the remainder of the crew.Billy Budd is killed by hanging. Marshal law assumes a major job is the passing of Billy Budd. Billy Budd is taken a gander at as unexpectedly slaughtering Claggart he is as yet executed for his wrongdoing. The Navy’s Marshal law was implement and expressed that murder will be murder paying little mind to goal. On the off chance that Marshal law was not implemented Billy Budd would have no doubt have been gone after for executing Claggart and would have been seen as liable yet his condemning would have been different.Billy Budd would have in all likelihood been sent to prison for various years in light of his activities however he would not have been condemned to death. In Marshal law goal doesn't make a difference while in customary law goal is increasingly significant then the activity that has accured. On the off chance that somebody by accidently slaughtered somebody driving they are not executed but instead charged for murder and could get a few years in prison. In the event that the respondent shows that it was not his deficiency they could even and they didn't mean their activities then they could be cleared of murder as well.But in Marshal law they could be trialed and executed for basically slaughtering the other. On account of Billy Budd, Marshal law had an immediate record for his executio n. In the event that there was no marshal law on the British warship he would have been saved his life. All in all Billy Budd’s passing needed to do exclusively with the sort of law imparted in the British Naval positions. On the off chance that Billy Budd would have been charged in normal court he would have been seen as blameworthy and sent to prison for two or three years. Rather Billy Budd was killed by hanging.

Teaching Abroad a Guest Blog Post by Elizabeth Q. 14

Teaching Abroad a Guest Blog Post by Elizabeth Q. ‘14 Ciao! Mi chiamo Elizabeth, e sono una amica di Anna. (Hello! I’m Elizabeth ‘14, one of Anna’s many friends). I’m here to talk about teaching at MIT â€" and specifically, you teaching at MIT. What? There are many things to love about the MIT student community, and one of them is that we are all teachers â€" whether it’s working and learning together in the Unified lounge (my home-away-from-French House), spontaneous upperclassmen tutoring services (see #2 in that post â€" yes, I’m that Elizabeth), or any of the many other (see #17) ways to teach,* you are most definitely coming to MIT to teach as much as you are to learn. *If you are anything like me you now have 8 more tabs to MIT Admissions blog posts open in your browser of choice :] CPW just happened at MIT, which for all involved means food, fun, craziness â€" and name tags! Here are the two that were plastered on me this past Friday: The AeroAstro one is from the Academic Midway. I got to talk to many an excited Course 16 pre-frosh â€" and also many an undecided one, especially between Course 2 and Course 16. Course 16 is 8x better. The red one is from French House dinner â€" all LMFers had a custom nametag made by Abby ’17 in which we suggested conversation topics ranging from 3D printing to music groups at MIT to yes, teaching abroad.   As my name tag suggests, ask me about teaching abroad! Here are some Qs paired with some As, but please feel free to contact me at [emailprotected] if you would like more As for more Qs. How will teaching at MIT help me learn to speak Italian?? Good question! As part of the MISTI Global Teaching Labs (GTL) Initiative, I spent three weeks this past IAP teaching at a liceo scientifico in Mantova, Italy, which is a beautiful city with a lot of history. There is no language requirement for this program, and I landed in Milan’s Linate airport on January 7 knowing exactly two words in Italian: Ciao and Arrivederci. Thanks to the GTL programs, which place MIT students in host families, I emerged from Italia three weeks later able to ask “Dove è il bagno?”, read books written for three-year-olds, and conjugate all the important verbs* and regular verbs in the present and perfect tenses. I’d call that progress, wouldn’t you?*pro tip for western languages: if you know the equivalents of to be, to have, must, can, want, could, would, will, may, and to go, you are probably all set for most of life. What if I’m not interested in learning Italian? MISTI has international teaching programs in several other countries, and more seem to be starting up each year. The summer after my freshman year I went to Germany for two months as part of the GTL Germany program. International teaching opportunities also exist in China, Korea, Mexico, Israel, and Spain â€" and none of these have language requirements. So what did you teach when you were in Italy and Germany? Physics! In Italy I taught a unit on waves and interference to fourth-year students, and a unit on reference frames to third-year students, amounting to ~20 hrs/wk of teaching. In Germany I taught special seminars on Special Relativity, Gyroscopes, and the Physics of Flight â€" amounting to ~10 hrs/wk of teaching. Wait, are you a physics major? No. Typically, MIT students in these programs are teaching basic science (physics, chem, bio) and math (calculus, stats, algebra, trig) at a high-school level. Once you’ve taken your GIRs, you’ll know all the material you’ll be teaching, and plenty of students teach subjects unrelated or only marginally related to their declared major. I don’t know if I’m interested in teaching. I encourage you to think about trying one of the Global Teaching Labs anyway. Sure, teaching is a lot of work and will involve a lot of time for preparing lessons, but it’s no more work than you’ll be putting into your classes during term. Any of the GTLs is a great way to explore teaching â€" you get to try teaching very intensely for a relatively short period of time, while learning about a different education system and a new language and culture. Some people try teaching and realize they love it â€" and that could be you. Post Tagged #GTL (Global Teaching Labs) #GTL (Global Teaching Labs)

Uniting Body and Soul In Yeats Among School Children - Literature Essay Samples

In William Butler Yeats Among School Children, the speaker addresses his anxieties about aging. Manipulating traditional rhyme schemes, Yeats articulates the impermanence of youth to examine the need to unify the body and the soul. Although the poem is an Ottava Rima, Yeats incorporates enjambments to illustrate the continual state of meditative wonder throughout the work. Yeats also varies the complexity of each foot as it coincides with subjects perceptions of youth.The first two lines of the poem foreshadow the speakers discomfort with his diminished youth. As he walks through the long schoolroom questioning to which a kind old nun in a white hood replies (lines 1-2), the less fluid use of spondaic and pyrrhic feet by the aged couple juxtaposes the youthful nursery-rhyme structure that describes the children. In strictly iambic pentameter and end-stopped lines, the nun recites the traditional education of the children to cipher and sing,/ To study reading-books and history,/ To cut and sew, be neat in everything (lines 3-5). Line 6, however, interrupts the sing-song structure with an enjambment as the gaze shifts from the children to the speaker: the childrens eyes/ In momentary wonder stare upon/ A sixty-year-old smiling public man (lines 6-8). The caesuras that occur in lines 6 and 7 further emphasize the shift in perception and examination of youth. Becoming the object of a youthful gaze further heightens the speakers awareness of the impermanence of youth.The speaker adopts the childrens youthful state of wonder as he reflects on his idealized image of Maude Gonne (lines 7 and 9). His return to a more simplistic use of iambic pentameter with only slight variations of spondaic and pyrrhic feet echoes the childhood qualities of lines 3-5 in his romanticized depiction of Maude Gonne. In his description of her, he alludes to characters Leda and Helen of Troy in Greek Mythology to fully capture the gloriousness of her essence. The speaker seeks to unite his aged-reflection and his youthful sympathy of love into the yolk and white of the one shell (lines 14-16).In the third stanza, the speaker returns his gaze to the school children to compare them to a youthful Maude Gonne. Remaining in a state of wonder, the speaker attempts to imagine a time before Maude Gonne had become so captivating For even daughters of the swan can share/ Something of every paddlers heritage (lines 20-21). It is evident by the similar sing-song pattern that a youthful transformation occurs not only in his image of Maude Gonne but also in himself as he explains: And thereupon my heart is driven wild:/ She stands before me as a living child (lines 23-24).As the youthful image of Maude Gonne fades and her present image floats into the mind (line 25), the speaker returns to his prior perceptions of an aged man. The speaker describes the appearance of aging by the hollow of cheek and the mess of shadows that are now Maude Gonne and his earlier days of p retty plumage (lines 27-30). Although the persona advises it is Better to smile on all that smile, and show/ There is a comfortable kind of old scarecrow (lines 31-32), the accelerated use of spondaic and pyrrhic feet reveals his anxiousness and discomfort with his aging image.Discontent with the impermanence of beauty as a result of aging, the speaker turns to the nature of motherhood and creation. He speculates the value of beauty for the mother during memories of pre-birth and asks is the sight of an aged son A compensation for the pang of his birth, or the uncertainty of his setting forth? (lines 39-40).The persona continues this line of questioning in the sixth stanza when he addresses the philosophical teachings of Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagoras. Using a childlike diction in words such as spume, play, taws, fiddle-stick, the speaker reduces three centuries of scholars and their theories of the physical world to old clothes upon old sticks to scare a bird (lines 41-48).Con sistent with his speculation in the fifth and sixth stanza, the speaker focuses on the images worshipped by nuns and mothers. He criticizes these images as false replicas that animate a mothers reveries (line 51). Unwilling to depict the natural aging body but keep a marble or a bronze repose (line 52), the speaker concludes that these figures are self-born mockers of mans enterprise (line 56).The tone of the poem makes a drastic change in the final stanza. The focus deters from the anxieties of the impermanence of beauty and youth to the interlocutory, inseparable components that create the essence of being. The last lines of the poem represent the speakers revelation: O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,/ How can we know the dancer from the dance? (lines 63-64). Referencing his earlier allusion to Platos parable, the speaker seeks to blend the beauty, wisdom, and spirituality of the self into the yolk and white of the one shell (lines 56-60 and 16).Upon examining the poem, the first seven stanzas suggest the speakers discontent with aging and fading beauty. Yeats allows his audience to peer into the consciousness of the speaker as he shifts between perceptions and levels of certainty. While these stanzas seem to desperately cling to an idealized youth, his final revelation seeks not only to find resolution in his aging but also to unify the body (physical) and the soul (emotional/mental).

U.s. Federal Minimum Wage Essay - 1162 Words

The current U.S. Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 per hour. In just two years from 2013, the demanded from advocates for raising minimum wage rose from $9 to $15. However, raising the minimum wage is more complex than simply raising the number of federal standard of pay for employees. Relative control groups and other market activities play a part in the outcome of the minimum wage. For example, one instance of market activity was observers said that raising the minimum wage did not hurt individuals; however, wages were raised during an economic downturn so the impact of minimum wage was masked by other activities. Federal Minimum Wage is pressing topic and it is important to consider the pros and cons to raising it, to ask what people and how people are affected, and to look further into the microeconomic theoretical framework of wages surrounding the topic. An argument on the pro raising the minimum wage side is by raising the pay for low income household employees, they will be able to spend more. This situation helps the individual household because it is now able to buy more necessities and or wants. The market is also benefitted because more spending is occurring which increases the overall market activity. - An interesting pro to the impact of raising the minimum wage is that, yes, some employers might be tempted to cut employees with the higher wages requirements, but some might take it as an opportunity to increase productivity and efficiency of the business. BothShow MoreRelatedU.s. Federal Minimum Wage Essay951 Words   |  4 PagesU.S. Congress passed the federal minimum wage law in 1938 as part of their Fair Labor Standards Act. Federal minimum wages were intended to ensure fair wages were paid to an alarming amount of women and youths employed and paid substandard wages. This also seems to be the case today, where countless Americans who work full time, cannot make ends meet by making minimum wage. Evidence shows that raising the minimum wage would drive consumer spending, thus producing faster macroeconomic growth. WageRead MoreRaising the Minimum Wage, A Speech Outline Essay1465 Words   |  6 PagesRaising the minimum wage Introduction I. Attention Getter: Per capita, Idaho is ranked number one in the nation – Number one, when it comes to paying workers as little as possible. II. Topic Orientation: The U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates that 31,000 or 7.7 percent of all Idaho’s workers are paid the current national minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less. (Maben) A. Idaho has the highest percentage of minimum-wage workers per capita of any state. (Maben) B. The overall povertyRead MoreFederal Minimum Wage Should Be Increased1180 Words   |  5 Pagesstarted to come to conclusions that the federal minimum wage is excessively low. The government can stand to help people gain more money, resulting in a less poverty-stricken country. The cost of living or gaining has increased significantly over the past twenty years, and the minimum wage, for most isn t enough for them to support themselves. There have been efforts to increase the federal minimum wage, but none has succeeded in getting approved. Minimum wages are too low for a human, to provideRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Policy During The United States1714 Words   |  7 Pagesincrease the federal minimum wage. Headlines throughout the country highlight recent minimum wage policy changes in major cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle. Last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York announced an approved minimum wage increase to $15 an hour for all fast food workers in the state (McG eehan). Even the website for the White House has a separate page, â€Å"Raise the Wage,† advocating for Congress to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour (Raise the Wage). The mostRead MoreShould Minimum Wage Be Raised?1062 Words   |  5 Pagesever pressing question regarding Minimum wage. Not many subjects can ignite a controversy as quickly as that of whether or not minimum wage should be raised, or by how much should it be raised or if it should remain the same. What is minimum wage? By definition, minimum wage is the minimum hourly wage an employer can pay an employee for work. (â€Å"MinimumWage.com†) America’s minimum wage was first introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. That minimum wage was introduced as part of the FairRead MoreMiimum Wage and Power to the People1746 Words   |  7 PagesThree – Power to the people The third and final alternative minimum wage is to allow the local people in the community vote on a living wage. This alternative would put all the power in the hands of the people; allowing them to decide what is best for their neighborhoods. If the people are allowed to vote in such matters, they will be permitted to use their voice and at the very least express their concerns with the gaps in minimum wage and cost of living in their community. However, there are drawbacksRead MoreMinimum Wage and Its Implications763 Words   |  3 PagesMinimum wage affects everyone. The current minimum wage is at $7.25 and President Obama announced that he wished to see a change in the minimum wage, he wants to raise the hourly wage to $10.10. A rise in the income of those who are employed will also raise the cost of hiring unskilled labor and can potentially reduce the number of people hired by businesses. Also, if minimum wage is raised then the price of the products that the companies are ma king might increase which will continue the cycle ofRead MoreA Brief Note On Raising The Minimum Wage1503 Words   |  7 PagesWage War Alternatives to Raising the Minimum Wage Minimum wage is a topic of considerable controversy and a significant source of economic stratification. Essentially, the minimum wage policy is what defines the baseline income of â€Å"low level† or â€Å"starting positions.† Here in the U.S. most individuals will at some point in their life hold a minimum wage position. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 58.5% of U.S. citizens were paid at hourly rates, and about 2.6 million workersRead MoreCongress As Part Of The Fair Labor Standards Act1084 Words   |  5 PagesStandards Act (FLSA) instituted minimum wage back in 1938. The first minimum wage was at $0.25 per hour and the last minimum wage increase occurred in 2007. Over the past 65 years the minimum wage has varied considerably in inflation-adjusted buying power. It has averaged $6.60 an hour in purchasing power in 2013 dollars, but it has ranged from a low of $3.09 an hour in late 1948 to a high of $8.67 an hour in 1968. Today’s minim um wage buys somewhat more than the minimum wage has historically, althoughRead MoreA Higher Minimum Wage May Help Workers Essay1251 Words   |  6 PagesLabor Standards Act established minimum wage in 1938 (Grossman). Overtime, the minimum wage has been raised in order to account for inflation (BLS 14). However, what the overall economic impact of raising the wage will be is once again a daunting and extensive question. The controversy over raising the minimum wage seems to come from often conflicting economic opinions. While raising the minimum wage is done with good intentions, critics argue that a higher minimum wage will harm those it is actually

Contrast in Composition Definition and Examples

In composition, contrast is a  rhetorical strategy and method of organization in which a writer identifies the differences between two people, places, ideas, or things. On the sentence level, one type of contrast is antithesis. In paragraphs and essays, contrast is generally considered an aspect of comparison. Words and phrases that often signal a contrast include but, however, yet, in contrast, instead, unlike, nevertheless, and on the contrary. Examples and Observations The TV also brought into my life two appealing characters named Laurel and Hardy, whom I found clever and gentle, in contrast to the Three Stooges, who were blatant and violent.(Steven Martin, Born Standing Up: A Comics Life. Scribner, 2007)Unlike most babies, Stuart could walk as soon as he was born.(E.B. White, Stuart Little. Harper, 1945)What a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult.(Sigmund Freud)Books say: she did this because. Life says: she did this. Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things arent.(Julian Barnes, Flauberts Parrot: A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters. Jonathan Cape, 1984I expected a grandmother, wiping her hands on a gingham apron, to come from the kitchen. Instead I got Brenda. Young, sullen, pink uniform, bottlecaps for eyes, handling her pad the way a cop does his citation book. The menu said all breakfasts came with grits, toast, and preserves. I ordered a breakfast of two eggs over easy. Is that all you want?(William Least Heat-Moon, Blue Highways, 1982On the one hand, there is the world of the printed word with its emphasis on logic, sequence, history, exposition, objectivity, detachment, and discipline. On the other there is the world of television with its emphasis on imagery, narrative, presentness, simultaneity, intimacy, immediate gratification, and quick emotional response.(Neil Postman, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992You know, theres a lot of difference between a crazy quilt and a patchwork quilt. A patchwork quilt is exactly what the name implies--a quilt made of patches. A crazy quilt, on the other hand, only looks crazy. It is not patched; it is planned. A patchwork quilt would perhaps be a good metaphor for capitalism; a crazy quilt is perhaps a metaphor for socialism.(Alice Walker, interviewed by Claudia Tate. The World Has Changed: Conversations With Alice Walker, ed. by Rudolph P. Byrd. New Press, 2010There are about four times in a mans life, or a womans, too, for that matter, when unexpectedly, from out of the darkness, the blazing carbon lamp, the cosmic searchlight of Truth shines full upon them. It is how we react to those moments that forever seals our fate. One crowd simply puts on its sunglasses, lights another cigar, and heads for the nearest plush French restaurant in the jazziest section of town, sits down and orders a drink, and ignores the whole thing. While we, the Doomed, caught in the brilliant glare of illumination, see ourselves inescapably for what we are, and from that day on sulk in the weeds, hoping no one else will spot us.(Jean Shepherd, The Endless Streetcar Ride, 1966The word value, it is to be observed, has two different meanings, and sometimes expresses the utility of some particular object, and sometimes the power of purchasing other goods which the possession of that object conveys. The one may be called value in u se; the other, value in exchange. The things which have the greatest value in use have frequently little or no value in exchange; and, on the contrary, those which have the greatest value in exchange have frequently little or no value in use. Nothing is more useful than water; but it will purchase scarce anything; scarce anything can be had in exchange for it. A diamond, on the contrary, has scarce any value in use, but a very great quantity of goods may frequently be had in exchange for it.(Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776 Two Ways of Organizing Contrasts One of the major advantages of using comparison/contrast to explain ideas is that it can lend itself quite naturally to two easy-to-arrange and easy-to-follow patterns of organization. In the point-by-point method, writers address a series of characteristics or features shared by the two subjects; they compare or contrast the two subjects on one point, then move on to the next point. . . . In the subject by subject method, one subject is thoroughly discussed before the writer moves on to the second. You can see a good example of the subject-by-subject method in the essay by Mark Twain. For example, Twain first describes the beautiful and poetic Mississippi before going on to the dangerous Mississippi. (Santi V. Buscemi and Charlotte Smith, 75 Readings Plus, 8th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2007) Point-By-Point Contrasts (Alternating Pattern) MI5 and MI6 in Britain The conflicting attitudes toward [double-agent Kim] Philby  between the sister services of British intelligence would expose a cultural fault line that predated this crisis, long outlasted it, and persist today. MI5 and MI6--the Security Service and the Secret Intelligence Service, broadly equivalent to the FBI and CIA--overlapped in many respects, but were fundamentally dissimilar in outlook. MI5 tended to recruit former police officers and soldiers, men who sometimes spoke with regional accents, and frequently did not know, or care about, the right order to use the cutlery at dinner. They enforced the law and defended the realm, caught spies and prosecuted them. MI6 was more public school and Oxbridge;  its accent more refined, its tailoring better. Its agents and officers frequently broke the laws of other countries in pursuit of secrets, and did so with a certain swagger. MI6 was Whites; MI5 was the Rotary Club. MI6 was upper-middle class (and sometimes aristocratic); MI5 was middle class (and sometimes working class). In the minute gradations of social stratification that meant so much in Britain, MI5 was below the salt, a little common, and MI6 was gentlemanly, elitist and old school tie. MI5 were hunters; MI6 were gatherers. Philbys patronising dismissal of Dick White as nondescript precisely reflected MI6s attitude to its sister service: White, as his biographer puts it, was pure trade, whereas Philby was establishment. MI5 looked up at MI6 with resentment; MI6 looked down with a small but ill-hidden sneer. The looming battle over Philby was yet another skirmish in Britains never-ending, hard-fought, and entirely ludicrous class war.  (Ben Macintyre, A Spy Among Friends. Bloomsbury, 2014) Lenin and Gladstone [Vladimir] Lenin, with whom I had a long conversation in Moscow in 1920, was, superficially, very unlike [William] Gladstone, and yet, allowing for the difference of time and place and creed, the two men had much in common. To begin with the differences: Lenin was cruel, which Gladstone was not; Lenin had no respect for tradition, whereas Gladstone had a great deal; Lenin considered all means legitimate for securing the victory of his party, whereas for Gladstone politics was a game with certain rules that must be observed. All these differences, to my mind, are to the advantage of Gladstone, and accordingly Gladstone on the whole had beneficent effects, while Lenins effects were disastrous.  (Bertrand Russell, Eminent Men I Have Known. Unpopular Essays, 1950) Subject-by-Subject Contrast (Block Pattern) Sloppy people can’t bear to part with anything. They give loving attention to every detail. When sloppy people say they’re going to tackle the surface of a desk, they really mean it. Not a paper will go unturned; not a rubber band will go unboxed. Four hours or two weeks into the excavation, the desk looks exactly the same, primarily because the sloppy person is meticulously creating new piles of papers with new headings and scrupulously stopping to read all the old book catalogs before he throws them away. A neat person would just bulldoze the desk.Neat people are bums and clods at heart. They have cavalier attitudes toward possessions, including family heirlooms. Everything is just another dust-catcher to them. If anything collects dust, it’s got to go and that’s that. Neat people will toy with the idea of throwing the children out of the house just to cut down on the clutter.Neat people don’t care about process. They like results. What they want to do is get the whole thing over with so they can sit down and watch the rasslin’ on TV. Neat people operate on two unvarying principles: Never handle any item twice, and throw everything away. (Suzanne Britt, Neat People vs. Sloppy People. Show and Tell. Morning Owl Press, 1983)

The Economics of Information Essay - 1086 Words

Various Aspects of Economics of Information 3.1 Economics of information in Education According to Farid (2007), economics of information is based on the concept that quality information is a scarce and valuable resource. The production and dissemination of information in education constitute two major economic activities, with associated costs and benefits. The value of information depends on its degree of accuracy, completeness, timeliness, reliability, and relevance to issues under consideration. Information possessing these qualities is expected to help in decision-making by both the consumers and suppliers of education. Information is an economic good because scarce resources are employed in its production and dissemination.†¦show more content†¦3.2 Origins of the Information Society and the Information Economy An information economy is based on the idea that the processes of production, transmission, and use of information are replacing or at least dominating over industrial processes as they in turn did an agrarian economy centuries ago. Therefore an economy consists of different sectors, each present to a greater or lesser extent. These sectors consists of agricultural, industrial, service sometimes discussed separately from the information sector, sometimes as an intermediate stage of the information sector and also information where there is general consensus that information has changed from a common good to a commodity with market value and that it is recognized as the most important input to production (Webster, 2002). 3.3 Information as an Economic Good An information economy is based upon the premise that information has economic value and requires an information marketplace in which such value can be exchanged (Branscomb, 1994). The nature of information as experience good means an information good must be used or consumed in order to demonstrate the good and to determine the associated value that is not fixed or constant. Returns to scale means information has a singular cost structure which means high fixed cost but low variable and marginal cost while public good means information goods are non-rival, one persons consumption does not diminishShow MoreRelatedEconomics of Information1066 Words   |  5 Pagesdiscussions among scholars in developed countries regarding economics of information. Developed countries includes Australia, New Zealand, United States, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Canada and many more are countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. The criterion is income per capita; countries with high gross domestic product (GDP) per capita would thus be described as developed countries. Another economic criterion is industrialization; countries in which the tertiaryRead MoreEconomic Databases Are Collections Of Economic Information That Inform The Public About Economic Growth Or Decline?1211 Words   |  5 PagesEconomic databases are collections of economic information that inform the public about important issues that show economic growth or decline. These databases are very diverse and specific ranging from unemployment statistics to construction spending. The data is then used to help calculate long term and short term growth and let people know about economic opportunities. This information can be compared to different countries to let one country know where they measure between other countries. MyRead MoreCurrent Information On The Economic Costs Of Adhd1753 Words   |  8 PagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY In this paper I tried to summarize the current information on the economic costs of ADHD, as well as evaluate possible economic benefits of treating this condition. It is a very well-known fact that ADHD is one of the most common chronic conditions prevalent in childhood and lots of money is spent on treating this disease. The associated burden of the disease and the costs incurred are analyzed in depth in this paper. Many therapies are available for both children and adults howeverRead MoreHealth Information Technology For Economic And Clinical Health1383 Words   |  6 Pagesbest practices to enhance administration, quality and patient engagement, while securing protection and minimizing expenses (Nir Menachemi and Taleah H. Collum, 2011). This influential innovation is in direct response to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009. Therefore in this paper one will evaluate the current state of the infrastructure in workflow and proce sses; identify the existing gaps and issues within the environment, provide solutions forRead MoreHealth Information Technology For Economic And Clinical Health1283 Words   |  6 PagesIn 2009, the U.S. Government passed The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (Mangalmurti, Murtagh and Mello 2060). The HITECH Act authorizes grants and incentives to promote the â€Å"meaningful use† of electronic health records (EHR) by providers (2060). The effect is a high commitment to a technology-led system reform, urgingRead MoreHealth Information Technology For Economic And Clinical Health1484 Words   |  6 Pagesdictates that healthcare organizations must not disclose any identifying patient information, or alert any entity that a particular patient is participating in alcohol/drug treatment program. Th is type of privacy breach must be reported promptly to the internal review board (IRB), compliance officer, risk management office and the privacy officer at the healthcare organization. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment (ARRA)Read MoreInformation Technology For Economic And Clinical Health Act888 Words   |  4 Pagessuppliers. The National Quality Forum (NQF) created the idea of meaningful use; their thoughts included to enhance population health, coordination of forward planning, enhanced well-being, and patient engagement. The U.S. Healthcare Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) made motivators for embracing Meaningful Use criteria starting in 2012, with the likelihood of penalties for failing in attaining the benchmarks by 2015. In August 2012, CMS discharged the last rulesRead MoreHealth Information Technology For Economic And Clinical Health784 Words   |   4 PagesList at least five of the ways you see physicians employing meaningful use in their practices The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act is part of the American Reinvestment Recovery Act (ARRA) signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. The HITECT Act introduced the concept of ‘meaningful use’ which incentivized the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) for the overall improvement of healthcare. This act authorized payments to qualifiedRead MoreHealth Information Technology For Economic And Clinical Health Essay938 Words   |  4 PagesHealth Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act which forces health centers to have â€Å"meaningful use† of certain services using health technology (Kruse, Bolton, Freriks, 2015). These services promote patient-centered care as it helps satisfy the Stage 2 qualification, patient engagement. Patient portals are an excellent technology tool. Therefore, the center should use patient portals. Patient portals provide all day, anytime, anywh ere access to health information usingRead MoreThe Impact Of Free Information Represent For Economic Activities1829 Words   |  8 Pages1. Executive summary: This report is about the impact that free information represent for economic activities. This subject is very important because it explains how social networks website effect the economy by increasing their own revenue, the revenue of the advertisement brands, and the number of employees. The major finding of these results on the huge number of people that are hire in these companies. 2. introduction: In the 21th century, the internet is very efficient. Most of people are

Slaughterhouse Five, By Billy Pilgrim - 2024 Words

assumed that Billy Pilgrim relives his war-time experiences on a near daily basis. Another thing is that Billy avoids connections with people like his mother, and even his own fiancà ©. The conclusion of this analysis as a whole must therefore be that Billy Pilgrim became â€Å"unstuck† in time (in his own world) due to the events of which he witnessed and/or participated in during World War II. The horror of what was occurring around him, and due to the confusion he felt during the occurrence of these events, his entire mental state degraded to the point where he became locked in viewing the past over and over indefinitely, and into helping himself believe his delusion that he was often taken from the earth to another strange planet he felt†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, it may be concluded that Billy, due to the effects of having been a POW, and having been witness to the full magnitude of destruction of the city that had no reason to be destroyed, suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which lead him to review the events over and over during the course of his life in different forms and memories. In order to understand how these drastic factors, the destruction of the city Dresden and ‘PTSD’, came to make Billy Pilgrim â€Å"unstuck† in time, one must analyze and look over the circumstances surrounding those same events. He is clearly suffering from PTSD with the symptoms of flashbacks about the events he went through in his past, his relationships with people aren’t strong and seem forced, and he collides memories with reality. The human mind is a complicated part of the body which current-day science knows little about. Trigger mechanisms, and/or other factors within the brain are relatively unknown to current humanity with all of its complexions. Therefore, in order to produce a valid diagnostic on why Billy Pilgrim became â€Å"unstuck† in time (according to the first chapter), the reader of Slaughterhouse Five must come to copping with situations concerning the experiences he went through described in the novel. Billy starts out, chronologically, as a fairly basic infantryman as a part of the United States Army during the last Nazi offensive of the war (World

Gender Discrimination Free Essays

Social stratification is the structured form of social inequality within a ranked group of people that bring about unequal financial rewards, such as a person’s income, and power or property, which is brought upon by wealth in a society. The social stratification systems come in many different ways and forms. For example, slavery, castes, social class, race, and gender are just some of the issues that are affected by stratification. We will write a custom essay sample on Gender Discrimination or any similar topic only for you Order Now This essay will particularly focus on the issue of stratification by gender, or in other words, gender inequality. Gender inequality or also known as gender stratification, is the unequal distribution of a society’s wealth, power, and privilege between females and males. (Scott and Schwartz, 2000). When the issue is approached, it is evident that the majority of the women are the oppressed as in turn the men being the oppressor. This idea of the oppressed vs. the oppressor is evident throughout history; even in religious terms, some can date back to God’s creation. For example, in the Bible, God had caught Adam and Eve eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was forbidden. It is written in the Bible, â€Å"To the woman he (God) said, I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for you husband, and he will rule over you. † (Genesis 3:16). Around the mid-nineteenth century until nowadays, three beliefs about women and men have prevailed as part of biology or evolution. One, men and women have different psychological and sexual natures, two- men are inherently the dominant or superior sex, and three – both male female difference and male dominance are natural. † (Bem, 1993). Considering these three beliefs, women experience gender inequality in different environments, stereotypes, and occupations. For example, women are stereotyped to be only a stay at home wife and to be in an environment where they are responsible for cleaning the house, cooking dinner, and taking care of the children. Nowadays, there are more women known to have jobs and not a stay at home wife, but yet they are still responsible, or show some responsibility for cleaning the house, cooking dinner, and taking care of the children. As for occupations among women, they experience the limitations of the occupations available. Women also experience less pay or earnings, and the devaluation of their work by society. An article, Social Class and Gender, written by Nancy Andes, expresses occupational stratification by gender inequality through the comparison of three theoretical frameworks or perspectives. The first theoretical framework is the sex segregation model, which is where sex is the only characteristic that affects the placement of a worker into a profession or occupation. The second theoretical framework is the pure class model, which is where the workers’ position of determined by their status or position in the society and how much authority and ownership they possess. The third theoretical framework that is used is the integrated gendered social class model, which is where gender and class perform together that affect the positioning of women and or men in the labor force. After Andes introduces the three theoretical frameworks, she explains each frameworks or approaches in depth, in relation to a table that expresses the earnings and occupations of men and women. The source of the table, or known as empirical evidence, is taken from the UC Bureau of the Census in 1989. The table expressed many different types of employment in the labor force. Within that employment of occupation, the table included the percentage of women within that occupation, women’s annual earnings within the occupation, and even the men’s annual earnings in that same occupation. Read also: Our Changing Society How to cite Gender Discrimination, Essay examples

House on Mango Street Social Issues Essay Example For Students

House on Mango Street: Social Issues Essay The House on Mango Street: More than a Story In todays world there are countless social problems. People are often treated as an inferior or as if they are less important for many different reasons. In The House on Mango Street, the author Sandra Cisneros addresses these problems. Throughout the story Cisneros does a thorough job explaining and showing how these issues affect the public. This novel is written through the eyes of a young girl, Esperanza, growing up in a poor neighborhood where the lifestyles of the lower class are revealed. Cisneros points out that, in todays society, the expectation of women and their treatment, discrimination based on poverty, and discrimination because of a persons ethnicity are the major problems in society. Sandra Cisneros often shows us how women are treated as subordinates in a patriarchal society. In society the way women are supposed to better themselves is by marrying. Often women marry at a young age which Cisneros condemns in The House on Mango Street by stating that her friend, Sally, should not have gotten married by saying: Sally got married like we knew she would, young and not ready but married just the same. She met a marshmallow salesman at a school bazaar, and she married him in another state where its legal to get married before eighth grade. She has her husband and her house now, her pillowcases and her plates. She says she is in love, but I think she did it to escape. (101) This excerpt shows how Cisneros believes that she should not have gotten married at a young age when she says that Sally is young and not ready. The author also reinforces how women too often get married to escape. Esperanza tells us that after the women get married they are supposed to just stay at home and raise their children which they often end up doing alone. Besides womens roles, the way they are treated is an issue that is addressed in the novel. Esperanza tells us many stories where it is evident that women are treated as possessions and often have little or no say in the affairs of the family. Too often it seems that in Esperanzas experiences women are beaten by their husbands or fathers. One such example of a beating is when Sally explains to Esperanza why she often has so many bruises. He never hits me hard (92), is how Sally tells Esperanza that her father often beats her. During many instances in The House on Mango Street people are treated according to their wealth. People often look down upon Esperanza and her peers with no reason except that they live differently because they have less money. During one part of the story Esperanza talks about strangers by saying: Those who dont know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think were dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake. (28) Cisneros shows how people often have misconceptions about people who are different from them and are often too quick to judge. This idea is shown again when Esperanza is talking to a nun and the nun asks, Where do you live? She asked. There, I said pointing up to the third floor. You live there? There. I had to look to where she pointed- the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldnt fall out. You live there? The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There. I lived there. I nodded. .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 , .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 .postImageUrl , .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 , .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27:hover , .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27:visited , .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27:active { border:0!important; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27:active , .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27 .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u325016661b26d809849e9e9ef6ee8d27:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Journal - Volunteering Expectations and Purposes Essay (5) People had a tendency, as shown in this passage, to discriminate without thinking. Unfortunately this behavior caused suffering and humiliation to people in a similar situation to Esperanzas. Race and ethnicity are two things that peoples discrimination is based upon. The thoughts of the characters in the story show that Hispanics are treated worse simply because they are Hispanic. One example of this thought process is when Hispanics like Esperanza and her family are moving into Mango Street and Cathy says, The neighborhood is getting bad (13). Right after this Esperanza states, In the meantime theyll just have to move a little farther north .

Risk and Due Diligence of Castro v Transfield †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Risk and Due Diligence of Castro v Transfield Pty Ltd. Answer: Introduction In the given case, the primary legal issue was whether there was negligence on behalf both the appellant and the defendant. For resolving the legal issue involved in the case, the proper understanding of the term negligence is necessary. The term negligence refers to any conduct that is under-rated in accordance to the code of conduct or behavior established by any legal system, in order to protect others from any risk, harm, injury, or damage that is unreasonable. Any person is said to have acted in negligence if that person has failed to perform any certain conduct or behavior that any prudent person would have conducted under like circumstances. Case Reference The given caselaw is extracted from the case of Castro v Transfield (Qld) Pty Ltd. (57 ALJR 619) 1984. In the given the appellant was Castro, a worker of the Transfield (Qld) Pty Ltd, which is the defendant. In the given case, a permanent disability occurred to Castro when he was involved in carrying an oxygen bottle as heavy as approximately 146 lbs. Castro is reported to have the practice of carrying such heavy bottles during the course of his work. The given case also provides that the Company failed to provide adequate circumstances for using any trolley to move such heavy bottles (Graetz Franks 2013). Legal Issues in the given Case There are two primary points of argument in the given case. The legal issues or the point of argument in the given case is as follows: whether the defendant is liable for acting negligently for not providing adequate circumstances for using trolleys in moving heavy oxygen bottles? whether the appellant is liable for acting negligently by carrying such a heavy bottle by himself and taking the assistance of any other employee? (Alexander, 2015) Arguments in favor of the Appellant The appellant, Castro has brought the allegations of negligence on the part of the Company for not providing proper working circumstances. It is establishedlaw that the duty, responsibility and obligation of maintaining, initiating and providing safe workplace or safe structure of work lies on the part of the employer and not the employee. The employee, who is affected by the absence of workplace safety, is regarded as a victim who can claim damage against his employer in the court of law. This is what happened in the case of Castro (Stewart Stuhmcke 2014). The given clearly states that the Company failed to provide that circumstance, where trolleys could be used to carry very heavy bottles of oxygen. Therefore, the established law could hold the Transfield (Qld) Pty Ltd Company held liable failing to make arrangements of trolleys for their employees, for carrying heavy oxygen bottles. The established obligation or responsibility does not include any hypothetical reasonability on th e part of the employee that he is under any to perceive any potential risk of injury or damage. The mere possibility of any real risk is sufficient (Barker et al., 2012). Arguments in favor of the Defendant In the Court of law, the defendant Transfield (Qld) Pty Ltd Company, used the plea against the charge of negligence brought against by the appellant Castro that oxygen bottle was too heavy for any reasonable person to carry by himself. The Company also remarked that Castro could have taken the assistance of another employee to carry such heavy bottle rather than carry it by himself. The defendant can also state that the appellant was an experienced worker. The task that he was conducting was no new to him (Taylor, 2014). Castro was in charge of the entire procedure of carrying the oxygen bottles, and he could have easily given directions to others for helping him (Sage, 2015). Castro could also have opted for the assistance of a forklift driver to help him. The load of 146 lbs is by obvious reasons too heavy for any person to lift alone. The oxygen bottle was also of an awkward shape and size. The process of lifting involved by Castro was itself dangerous and awkward and was in contr ary to the suggestions and instructions that are forwarded by the Company towards their employees in case of lifting heavy oxygen bottles. If Castro would have acted in accordance with the recommendations and suggestions of the Company, then he would have been able to avoid the risk of back injury and in a way his physical disability. The established law makes a consideration of several elements in judging whether any person has acted in accordance with any reasonable person, who would have acted in the like circumstances. The elements are experience, knowledge, perception and experience. Therefore, in the given case all the mentioned elements are present. The defendant could have used the plea that the appellant Castro has experience as well as knowledge of the work. Castro should also have the perception that lifting such heavy materials may cause him damage (Roodman, 2012). Conclusion From the detailed discussion of the facts of the case and the established law, the due diligence falls on the part of the Company. The Company is directly responsible for its non-failure to comply with its responsibility to provide its employees the favorable environment of working. The Company was under the obligation to provide to their employees the adequate working environment necessary for their working. In the given case, the Company can be held liable for the complying the criterions that cause the act of negligence (Gibson et al., 2013). The criterions that are needed for the occurrence of the act of negligence are duty to take care, breach of that duty, loss or damage caused by any other party due to the breach of the duty. In the given case, the defendant, Transfield (Qld) Pty Ltd Company has committed the offense of negligence because it has failed to comply with its duty of taking care of employees. The breach of duty of the Company to take care of its employees and provide favorable environment for working has to lead to the damage or injury of its employee Castro, in the form of permanent disability. References Alexander, K. (2015). Tort Liability for Ratings of Structured Securities Under English Law.University of Oslo Faculty of Law Research Paper, (2015-06). Barker, K., Cane, P., Lunney, M., Trindade, F. (2012).The law of torts in Australia. Oxford University Press. Gibson, A., Richards, B., Blay, S. (2013).Torts Law in Principle. Law Book Company. Graetz, G., Franks, D. M. (2013). Incorporating human rights into the corporate domain: due diligence, impact assessment and integrated risk management.Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal,31(2), 97-106. Roodman, D. (2012).Due diligence: An impertinent inquiry into microfinance. CGD Books. Sage, A. P. (2015).Risk modeling, assessment, and management. Y. Y. Haimes (Ed.). John Wiley Sons. Stewart, P., Stuhmcke, A. (2014). High Court Negligence Cases 200010. Taylor, M. B. (2014). Due Diligence: A Compliance Standard for Responsible European Companies.European Company Law,11(2).

The detective genre Essay Example

The detective genre Essay His most famous feature is his intelligence, which he demonstrates very modestly. He always presents his deductions with an air of understatement: There is no mystery, my dear madam. As Holmes listens to Helen Stoners story in The Speckled Band, the same quiet confidence and ability to encourage and reassure in very few words is apparent. He talks very little compared to his visitor, but has the ability to listen completely attentively to every detail of her description, Leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed Sherlock Holmes tends to have a great deal of concentration and imagination as he questions Helen Stoner and contemplates the situation, as he has a fair idea of the real events of the story before he leaves his room. The detective work is done within his mind and his visit to the scene of the crime is really only to confirm what he has already deduced. Sherlock Holmes is a hard working, observant character, unlike the police, the public had lost faith in the police and it was down to Doyle to make Sherlock Holmes a detective who could actually continuously unravel clues, solve crimes and build public hope. We will write a custom essay sample on The detective genre specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The detective genre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The detective genre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The other great appeal of the compilation of stories is that the modern reader sees a real historical period of living, which has now passed by. As readers like to see life in olden days, Doyle represents this brilliantly in his stories. In The Speckled Band there is the reference to the dogcart in which Victorians travelled around in, to the attire of Helen Stoner when she visits Holmes. She raised her veil as she spoke and we could see that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and gray, with restless, frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal. Her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was shot with premature gray, and her expression was weary and haggard. The reference to the veil shows the audience that something as gone wrong, as people only tend to wear veils either if your getting married or if someone has died as its tradition to wear such garments.

Three Strikes Law essays

Three Strikes Law essays The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of the three strikes law. The research study will document the impact of the three strikes law on criminal behavior and activity, in an attempt to assess whether the law and similar laws act as an effective deterrent to crime. The research will be conducted of criminal activity in three major cities across the United States. The three strikes law was developed in California as a mechanism meant to lengthen sentences and deter crime, especially crime committed by repeat offenders. Recent studies have suggested however, that the three strikes law is less effective than its initial intended. Among the problems cited by citizens include its tendency to unfairly discriminate against certain minority populations, and the tendency to sentence individuals who normally may be classified as non-violent, minor criminals, as felony offenders. A majority of these "felony offenders" are serving sentences that are generally from 25 years to life, for what might be considered relatively minor crimes. The aim of this study is to investigate to what extent the three strikes law has actually worked in deterring crime. In addition to this, this study proposes to examine to what extent the three strikes law has resulted in successful incarceration of potentially violent criminals. In order to accurately assess the efficacy of the three strikes law, I have developed the following preliminary hypothesis: Null Hypothesis: The three strikes law is not an effective deterrent of crime, and often results in the unnecessary incarceration of non-violent Alternative Hypothesis: The three strikes law is an effect crime deterrent, and is responsible for successfully reducing the proliferance of This study will also aspire to examine the extent to which three strikes laws may unfairly discriminate against certain minority populations. Part of my interest...

The Equality Act 2006 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Equality Act 2006 - Essay Example This essay discusses that "The general duty places a proactive responsibility upon all public bodies to ensure that their services, practices, and policies are developed with the different needs of women and men in mind. This will lead to a more inclusive society with high-quality contemporary services - targeted to meet the specific needs of men and women."2 Interestingly, this Act has already brought legal challenges. On 21 March 2007, the House of Lords refused to remove the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007, which came into force on 30 April. Catholic adoption agencies had routinely refused to place children with gay couples. The government gave the Catholic adoption agencies an additional 21 months to prepare, but as Baroness Andrews told the House: "At present, there are 116 separate pieces of equality legislation in force - 35 Acts, 52 statutory instruments, 13 codes of practice, and 16 European Commission directives and recommendations. They come with 2,500 pages of guidance."3 It is expected that a forthcoming European Union Dire... They come with 2,500 pages of guidance."3 It is expected that a forthcoming European Union Directive will require further legislation that will seek to provide redress for those discriminated against in the provision of goods and services on the grounds of gender reassignment. Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), was quoted as saying: "Even the most well-intentioned businesses and there are an awful lot of them, don't know when they've complied (with the existing laws). It's almost impossible unless you have vast armies of bureaucrats." As part of their corporate social responsibility, persons working in the public domain have a moral and legal responsibility to eradicate discrimination. This is crucial since it should be borne in mind in mind that business impacts on other â€Å"opportunities for the less-advantaged in other areas such as housing.† Based on the foregoing arguments it seems that the business sector has yet to wholeheartedly embrace the legislation and take proactive steps to counteract discrimination in the workplace. One takes comfort from the words of Mr. Phillips – that the majority of organizations in the public domain are well-intentioned.

Can terrorism ever be morally justified Research Paper

Can terrorism ever be morally justified - Research Paper Example The demands could be socio-economic or political. According to Igor Primoratz, terrorism can be defined as: ‘The deliberate use of violence, or threat of its use, against innocent people, with the aim of intimidating some other people into a course of action they otherwise would not take’ (Primoratz, 2011). These definitions however, form more of a general perspective to this whole idea, are simply unsatisfactory. They don’t delve into the root cause and what the ultimate objectives are behind these motives, but rather focus on what is done. The issue in its entirety is far more subtle. Virtually, in every historical era and society, there have been extremists who have used terror as their tactics to advance their cause. Of thousands of such groups that exist or have existed, the validity of their cause is often questioned. However, one element has remained consistent throughout the time, and that is their belief of being denied all the resources and opportunity to advance their cause through conventional means and that terrorism is the only way to voice their concerns and give them relief (Vague, 2007). Some studies suggest that poverty and one’s perception of unfairness and moral debauchery of Western capitalism play an integral part in forming these terrorists. Not only because they have had no other means to make their opinions heard, but also to show their hopelessness and frustration towards their oppressors.

Child labour and possible prevention

Child labour and possible prevention The purpose of this essay is to discuss child labour and possible prevention. Child labour is when a child under the legal age (fifteen) are made to do work that is physically and mentally harmful and which interrupts their education or social development.1 Child labour is a serious problem in many countries. Africa and Asia has the most child employment with both making up 90% of total child employment. They are everywhere but invisible, toiling as domestic servants in homes, labouring behind the walls of workshops, hidden from view in plantations. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that there are more than 200 million children today which are involved in child labour. Some of these children are as young as 5. Child labourers are involved in all type of jobs agriculture, the sex industry, carpet and textile industry, brick making, construction work, quarrying and prostitution. The children that are working in a dangerous or hazardous environment usually dont wear any type of protective clothing or equipment this exposes them to toxic fumes and dangerous chemicals. Child labour should be prevented as it is taking away the childrens childhood, education and it is harmful to their health. There are many reasons why a child is working as a labourer. Most work because of poverty, lack of education and also to support themselves and their families. 1 in 7 children worldwide are working as a child labourer. In Africa, it is 1 in 3 children. 166 million of the children are under the age of 14. 74 million are risking their lives because they are working in a dangerous environment such as mining and construction there are no safety standards, no one has protective equipment, they are all working with bare hands and feet and only earning less than US $1.00 a day. 2 Child labourers that are working in match factories will suffer from phossy jaw. Phossy jaw is caused by accidently ingesting chemicals to make matches. Sometimes the chemicals used to make the matches causes the gums and jaw to become so infected that the jaw bones have to be removed. 3 Child labourers work almost every single day. They work for up to 16 hours a day for 6 days a week. This leaves them to have no time for an education which is important for a childs future. Parents are sometimes responsible for child labour. They force their kids to go to work rather than getting an education. This happens because there are many people who are graduated but still are not able to get a job. Young boys are put into work such as agricultural as soon as they are old enough to do the work. This is from the age as young as 5. Young girls also have to work at a young age but the works they do are not as heavy as the boys. Young girls do household and domestic work. These children have to keep working and are just exhausted at the end of the day which leaves them with no play time with other kids at all. The children who are going to work every day dont get to spend much time with their own family. They dont even get time to play with other children in the same age. The only other children they are with are the ones that they are working with. The children who are suffering from physical and mental job stress will face several health problems in their childhood and later in their life. Child labour is a must for many countries in Africa and Asia, without child labour, it would be even more difficult to survive. But, efforts should also be made to eliminate it. The effort made should be done in a proper manner which will not worsen the problem for those who are already affected. For the unemployed, programs should be introduced which provide an adequate salary. For the poor and the orphan centres, education should be provided for free. Efforts should also be made to change the way parents view child labour. Many poor parents consider child labour as a good though they do not realise how it endangers their childrens health and development. Parents should be made to realize that it is in their best interest to not let their child work at a very young age as this will affect their health, development and self esteem. In general, poverty is the problem that is causing child labour, eliminating poverty would solve most of the problems in Africa and Asia. The world would be a better place for everyone especially the children that are working as a child labour. Without child labour, the children would be enjoying their childhood with friends instead of working every day. There are several other steps that could be taken to prevent child labour. many children left their homes in a way to avoid the abuse that they are victims of from their parents. To prevent this bad treatment, the government could help give conferences to the parents about child labor and the consequences that it brings. In this way, we can help prevent other children running away from home and living as homeless children. Another option could be to build homes for those children that are living in the streets. They will be sent to these homes and they would not have to live outside. In this way we can help prevent children from any abuse that they can suffer in the streets. In these homes, children are not supposed to work; they can study and learn a career, and they will get a better job and a future. Child labor is a very serious problem. Politicians should make laws to prevent child labor and find solutions. Children are our future and we have to take care of them if we want a better future. Bibliography 1 Child Labour Definition. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2009, from http://www.redgoldfish.co.uk/viewglossary.asp?gid=45 2 YouTube Child Labour. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruh0O_mj1v0 3 Child Labour and Disease VA Museum of Childhood. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2009, from http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/childrens_lives/health__work/health/index.html Child labour Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour

Downsizing: Layoff and Employees

A Project Report on: Corporate Downsizing in the Indian context TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Objective3 2. Introduction4 3. Why do Firms Downsize? 6 4. Downsizing – Indian Perspective10 5. Effect of downsizing on organizations13 6. Survey Analysis and Results18 7. Process of Downsizing24 8. Suggestions to improve the morale of survivors post downsizing27 9. Conclusion29 10. References30 1. Objective Corporate downsizing is very common in the US corporate sector but it has till recently not been adopted by many Indian companies. This is changing nowadays, with many Indian companies going in for downsizing as an organizational strategy to cut costs or get rid of non-performing employees. Our objective in this project is to analyze some of the reasons why firms are taking up downsizing. We have studied the effects of downsizing at the organization level, the managerial level and the survivor level. As part of our project, we conducted a survey on survivors of downsizing from Indian companies which have conducted mass or individual layoffs in the recent past. Since downsizing is still relatively new in the Indian context and in most cases, the survivors do not wish to delve further on this topic, our responses were limited in number but they were sufficient to give us an idea of downsizing in the Indian context. Apart from this, we have also studied the actual downsizing process in companies and how it is carried out. We have given some recommendations on steps to be followed by organizations to make sure that they do not acquire a negative image post downsizing. Also, steps to boost the survivors’ morale have also been suggested. If this is not done, downsizing typically leads to increased turnover among high performers in the organization. Downsizing may be unavoidable in some organizations to cut costs – however the HR departments and managers should handle this issue with utmost sensitivity – to avoid any long-term negative effects to the organization. 2. Introduction Layoffs, frequently called downsizing, describe the process in which companies remove temporarily or permanently a number of employees from their payroll. The general purpose of this practice is to reduce the organization’s burden of excess labor costs when human resources cannot be used effectively. Charles Handy first predicted that the technological revolution, which was beginning to make its force felt back in the mid-1970s, would transform the lives of millions of individuals through a process he termed . down-sizing. Downsizing is not a new phenomenon. Downsizing came into prominence as a topic of both scholarly and practical concern in the 1980s. It became a management mantra. (Lecky, 1998) in the 1990s which subsequently became known as the downsizing decade (Dolan, Belout, & Balkin, 2000). In the early 1990s, CEOs and executive management were being targeted more and more by the shareholders. The merger wave of the 1980s taught executives that any company trading at price-earnings multiple lower than the industry-wide multiple was considered undervalued, or a poor-performer, and ripe for a takeover, or messy shareholder law suits. CEOs used to be concerned with optimizing production and cutting costs, which they hoped would engender profits and therefore shareholder wealth. The focus moved on to convince the market of the upward potential in their stock prices. In other terms, it doesn’t matter whether you really have good project or potential to grow but what matters is whether the stock market believes that ou have such strength. To handle such pressure many CEO’s looked for the quick fixes which would reflect immediately in the profit margins of the organizations. Instead of focusing on the long terms planning, short terms goals were set which to project good picture of company’s status. And the easiest way to go around it was to cut down labor cos t as it has a significant contribution to the expenses incurred by the company. Executives looked at the balance sheet to trim the fat, and viewed cutting labor as a necessary and relatively painless method to boost profit margins. The economy was experiencing the sort of growth that made both skilled and unskilled labor more and more superfluous. At the low end of the wage and skill scale, advanced automation in machinery and assembly were enabling workers to become more productive, and reduced the amount of workers necessary for a given level of profit. At the middle end, rapid advances in information technology reduced the need for a large layer of middle management to process and interpret data and feed it to higher management. Additionally, trimming the payroll liability seemed an easier way to increase profits in the short term. The payroll is basically a current liability, and to the extent that workers are not engaged in long-term contracts (or to the extent that a long-term contract with a substantial number of employees is soon to expire), the firm has a certain flexibility in determining the amount of labor it uses in the short run. A move to adjust employment might be a relatively painless way to boost cash flow, when compared to selling land or equipment to obtain cash. A buyer might not be readily available, and the purchase price would not be certain. At first, firms that were lagging their competitors in terms of accounting earnings and price-earnings multiples decided to downsize. As these firms began to catch up to the rest of their industry in terms of profitability, firms that were performing quite well also began to turn to downsizing as a way to convince the market that they were worthy of a substantial jump in market capitalization. From 1993 to 1996, there was a sentiment in the market that smaller up-start companies were going to overtake the larger, blue chip corporations, which were perceived to be bloated with superfluous workers and internal red tape. Although these rumors of diseconomies of scale were widely exaggerated, many large corporations slashed their labor force in a move to maintain an aura of competitiveness. Downsizing is not specific to any industry, it has occurred across the industries. While manufacturing, retail, and service have accounted for the highest levels of downsizing, it is evident that downsizing took place in both the private and public sectors. 3. Why do Firms Downsize? During periods of economic uncertainty, increased costs and declining sales, business owners are sometimes forced to evaluate cost-cutting options including downsizing and layoffs. When a business is in a cost-cutting mode, downsizing and layoffs can take different forms:   †¢ Reduction in force—this is when an employer decides that its labor costs are too much, so they reduce the number of positions. †¢ Position elimination—this is when an employer determines that the position skill-set requirements have changed, the market and competition have changed or sometimes the position simply goes away. Restructuring—while disruptive, some employers find it necessary to restructure their organization. Basically, companies restructure in order to reassess strategies and improve operations. Individual layoffs It is recognized that an employee's commitment to an organization can be expressed in three particular ways: affective, continuance, and normative. Affec tive commitment is focused on an emotional attachment to the organization. On the other hand, continuance commitment is when an employee stays with an organization based on a perceived cost of leaving. In this case, the employee is staying because he/she thinks it will cost more to go find work elsewhere. Lastly, normative commitment refers to an employee's moral obligation to stay with the organization. This can arise due to the employee feeling that the organization has treated him/her well and therefore, he/she owes the organization a continued period of employment. In one sense, each type of commitment somewhat ties the individual to the organization; however, each impacts differently on the manner in which the employee conducts him/herself in the workplace. For example, an employee with an affective commitment will often go above and beyond what is required of his/her position in order to assist the organization in meeting its goals. Employees with high affective commitment tend to be absent from work less frequently and display a higher work motivation and organizational citizenship. Continuance commitment, however, is negatively related to performance whereby employees tend to do simply what is required, have higher rates of absenteeism, and low motivation. An individual can become a threat to the company by engaging in activities which are against company’s norms. These activities may include coming late for the meetings and for work, intentionally working slowly, wasting resources, gossiping and spreading rumors or some serious misconduct such as stealing from company or colleague, verbal abuse, insubordination, sabotage, sexual harassment etc. His behavior in the organization can adversely affect the productivity of other members of organization. And sometimes the situation can be so serious that it can hamper the image of the organization. And if he can influence coworkers to indulge in such activities then it becomes serious problem for the organization. The best approach to handle such situations is to consult that particular individual and convince him from engaging in such activities. But even if with the repeated warnings, he refuses to change his deviant behavior then it is necessary to get rid of such person. Mass Layoffs †'Mass layoff†' implies laying off a large number of workers. Mass layoff constitutes a set of activities, undertaken on the part of the management of an organization, designed to improve organizational efficiency, productivity, and/or competitiveness. It represents a strategy implemented by managers that affects the size of the firm's workforce and the work processes used. The reasons given for the mass layoffs are: Changing market conditions The market determines the lifecycle of a business, and the organizations must stay in touch with changing market conditions in order to keep up the pace of growth. The business climate these days has become enormously more competitive. Global markets have contributed new competitors that can offer goods and services at a much lower cost. Market shifts and the introduction of new technology can make a business become obsolete almost overnight. As many times it is not possible to make the suitable adjustments immediately, and to remain competitive companies often go for the downsizing. Mergers and Acquisitions A merger is a tool used by companies for the purpose of expanding their operations often aiming at an increase of their long term profitability. An acquisition, also known as a takeover, is the buying of one company by another. When this happens, many positions gets replicated or become redundant. For the efficient operation of the organization, it becomes necessary to cut off these jobs. Closure of business unit Due to ever changing technology, development of new products, a company might decide to take out a particular product from the market and close that business unit. If it not possible to accommodate released workforce in the production of the goods then only option remains is that of lay off. Poor financial forecast If the performance of the company is not up to the mark in the recent years and the gloomy picture is supposed to remain for later period also, then it becomes absolutely necessary to cut the costs in some way or other. This may lead the managers to takes decisions of mass layoffs. Overstaffing Organizations hire employees by forecasting their human resource requirement in near future. This forecasting is based on the company’s current position, state of the economy, growth in the industry, ongoing deals with the clients, company’s growth plans etc. The predictions made during this analysis may go wrong for several reasons and organization may end up in hiring the employees beyond its requirement. It is not possible for all the organizations to keep these employees on the payroll due to economic constraints or space constraints. In this case manager often take a decision to layoff the extra resources. Meeting the goals Each company decides and declares the targets for the current fiscal year. But as the end of the year comes nearer, company’s realizes that these goals cannot be achieved by current pace of production. Since there is high pressure from the upper management to meet these goals, managers look for the softer targets such as reducing cost by the mass layoffs. Unprecedented disaster Any unpredicted disaster like sharp fall in stock market, natural calamity, or accidents can plunge organizations in huge losses. So a business owner has a no choice but restructuring his business which often involves downsizing. 4. Downsizing – Indian Perspective Before Indian companies felt the effects of the economic reforms, lifetime employment was often standard practice. Job seekers would get their foot in the door at their favorite companies with the aim of settling down permanently within the organization. Perhaps the main reason for this reluctance to hand out pink slips was cultural – there simply was no knowledge of the concept of â€Å"downsizing. † India’s integration into the global marketplace has changed the rules of the ame significantly. As the economy and the technology industry have slowed to sustainable growth levels, various companies have been forced to downsize in order to remain competitive. Although corporate downsizing in India increasingly resembles downsizing in Western countries, there is residual reluctance to laying people off. A broad selection of com panies operating in India, from shabby state-run enterprises to lean and efficient high-tech multinationals prefer to use of voluntary retirement schemes to trim their numbers in tough times. Some larger companies also elect to downsize through other methods, including deferred recruitments, â€Å"benching† people, and using employees for internal or community service projects. This institutional squeamishness toward layoffs, while understandable from a social perspective, has had some negative effects. State-owned enterprises as well as some private companies are still overstaffed as a result of an unwillingness to lay off employees. Layoff practices in US: ? A generic reduction in force, of undetermined method. ? An Involuntary Reduction in Force – The employee(s) didn't voluntarily choose to leave the company. A Voluntary Reduction in Force – The employee(s) did play a role in choosing to leave the company, most likely through resignation or retirement. ? Layoff notice by email. Following are common practices followed by Indian organizations for downsizing: Deferred recruitments: This is not actual downsizing but one of the ways to bring down the s trength of company for a short term. In this case the recruitment process is deferred, so that by the time the new recruits have joined the company, the company is out of the crisis which is the cause for downsizing. This process is mainly followed in IT companies, where most of them recruit high number of students who are in final year of their graduation. Usually, these companies take into consideration that the next year market will be at the same pace, but there have been considerable variations in market during the last decade. The students who were recruited will join the company as soon as the company has found out ways to come out of the crisis. For example, many students who were recruited in 2006 by many IT services companies have joined in 2008. So, effectively the company saves the costs on those employees. Following this method, the company doesn’t need to layoff any of the existing staff. Benching people: Bench strength is defined as the finding the perfect pool of employees who will be substitutes for existing employees incase of employee turnover. These people are trained for those positions so that they can hit the deck running. But this essence of bench strength is lost in case of Indian companies where, Bench refers to the buffer of employees not assigned to a particular project. As the company works towards improving utilization rates while keeping a tight rein on employee additions, its bench strength would come down. In some cases, employees are on bench for a long period. This is a signal that these employees are just in job because they were previously recruited but not because of the work the company has. So employees who are benched have no work to do. They get bored of not doing any productive work and so try to find out a job where they can really work, instead of just coming to office everyday and passing their time. In this way Indian companies don’t layoff anyone but create circumstances where the employee doesn’t have any option but to leave the company. Using employees for internal and community projects: Internal projects are the projects which are done by the company to increase efficiency within the organization. Usually these projects have no dead lines or have a specific plan. They are just conducted as there is more of man power. This is one of the first steps an Indian company takes when they want to downsize. They put the excess workforce in any one of the internal or community projects. Some of these projects are created so as to accommodate all the excess employees. Employees in these projects will be outcast as the internal projects will not produce any output. Also, employees in these projects do not get enough incentives for their performance. This decreases the employee morale and employees tend to quit the organization. This also serves a signal to employees that the next step is to put them on bench. Bottom performers’ layoffs: This is the only case in which Indian companies hand over pink slips to the employees. Every company has a policy of reviewing the work done by an employee in last few months. After the review, employees who are not performing well are sent for special training. Luckily, if the review period and the time at which the company decides to downsize coincide, company uses this opportunity to layoff the extra employees by not giving them a chance which they used to provide earlier. 5. Effect of downsizing on organizations Even though downsizing is primarily done as a positive action to turn around an organization, the main casualty of the process is the way in which people affected are dealt with. Majority of the research on organizational downsizing has been carried out to study the consequences of downsizing at the employee level and the organizational level. At the employee level, research is carried out from a psychological and behavioral viewpoint with a focus on the survivors (employees who remain in the organization after downsizing), victims (employees who are asked to leave) and implementers (managers involved in implementing downsizing, including asking employees to leave). In our study, we have restricted our focus to the survivors and implementers. We have not focused on the effects of downsizing on the actual victims since they are outside the scope of the organization. Effect on survivors An organization’s post-layoff success depends upon the reactions of people in its surviving workforce. Researchers have identified a number of negative symptoms exhibited by survivors during and after downsizing. The most common of these include: Survivor syndrome: A set of emotions, behaviors and attitudes exhibited by surviving employees. This is mainly manifested by lowered morale, initial upsurge in productivity followed by depression and lethargy, increased stress as a result of increased level of uncertainty and ambiguity, threat of job loss, denial or psychological distancing from the perceived threat, lower commitment, increased absenteeism, turnover, decreased loyalty to the organization, fear of future cutbacks and diminishing expectations regarding future prospects in the organization. Survivor guilt: Feeling of responsibility or remorse and is expressed in terms of depression, fear and anger. Survivors may perceive that traditional attributes, such as loyalty, individual competence, and diligence are no longer valued since their co-workers, who had displayed such traits, were themselves victims of downsizing. Survivor guilt mainly occurs when survivors perceive that their own performance merited no better treatment, than that accorded the downsized victims. Survivor envy: Feeling of envy towards the victims. Survivors presume that victims are able to obtain special retirement packages, financially lucrative incentives, and new jobs with more attractive compensation. In most cases, downsizing fails to address the ‘people factor’ effectively whereby the needs of the surviving employees are paid due attention. In many organizations, employees form social groups to fulfill their needs for affiliation. When any member of this social group is laid off, the remaining members see the procedure as unjust, even if the laid-off employee was incompetent for the job. This triggers the feeling of survivor guilt and resentment against the organization. In some cases, the survivors are asked to take broader and unfamiliar responsibilities as a part of efforts to cover the tasks previously performed by those who leave the company. This can lead to burnout, frustration, decline in creativity and trauma – all symptoms of the survivor syndrome. Survivors are reluctant to take up projects from which their peers or friends were laid off, since they feel that working on that project increases their chances of getting laid off as well. Survivor envy occurs when the victims get very generous rehabilitation packages from the organization. In this case, survivors see this as an unnecessary expenditure on behalf of the organization. Also, if victims manage to find new high-paying jobs in other organizations, survivors feel a sense of envy towards the victims. Psychological contract has been defined as â€Å"an individual’s belief in mutual obligations between that person and another party such as an employer†. Survivors of downsizing hold the organization responsible for breaking the psychological contract with the victims. Perceived violation of psychological contract might lead to a decrease in the employees’ organizational commitment and enhance their intention to quit their jobs and to look for alternative employment. On the other hand, some researchers have also found positive effects on survivors post downsizing. Survivors who feel that the top management has carried out the downsizing process justly, feel an increased sense of self-esteem at being retained by the organization and hence their motivation to work increases. These survivors do not view the process as threatening. If the reasons for downsizing are communicated beforehand, survivors tend to see the process as transparent and fair. Also, empowerment and job redesign gives survivors the confidence in their individual capacity to cope with the threat of downsizing and hence result in their exhibiting more progressive responses. Effect on implementers Consider the case of survivors in managerial position, who are the ‘implementers’ or ‘executors’ of the downsizing process. Studies have shown that their job performance and organizational commitment of managers suffers significantly following downsizing. Managers feel responsible for violating the ‘psychological contract’ with their subordinates. In some cases, the managers feel responsible for not providing enough training opportunities to the laid-off employees and hold themselves personally accountable for not guiding their subordinates correctly and not being able to avoid the layoffs. This is more likely to occur in Asian nations, where the feeling of ‘collectivism’ is high, as compared to western nations, where the feeling of ‘individualism’ reigns higher. The feeling of personal responsibility causes huge stress in the implementers of the downsizing process. To overcome this feeling and project an image of being just, most implementers start looking for options in other organizations. Alternately, managers try to rationalize their actions by devaluing and blaming the employees who were laid off. In some cases, the downsizing process implementation creates so much stress on managers that they tend to become hyper effective. They tend to think that all the roles that they should be playing are important and try to perform effectively in all dimensions. This normally results in burnout since the behavior cannot be sustained on a long term. Managers who are optimistic, have high future success expectancy, a high tolerance for ambiguity and a greater openness towards change are less negatively affected by downsizing than those who lack these emotional resources. In times of crisis like organizational change, ‘toxic handlers’ – managers who shoulder organizational pain by helping their co-workers deal with their workplace frustrations, sadness and bitterness, are better handled to act as implementers of downsizing. Negative reactions to psychological contract violation perceptions in implementers might be mitigated to some extent through good working relationships with co-workers, making conservative promises to new recruits which the organization can live up to, clear explanation with rationale for the downsizing decision, extensive and transparent communication with employees regarding the exact scope of the changed contract, evenhandedness in dealing with both survivors and victims, and encouraging cohesiveness and team spirit among employees. Thus, the actual downsizing procedure should be carried out only by those managers who have a high emotional quotient, to handle the various psychological effects and stress arising out of the implementation. Effects on organization Organizations report both positive and negative effects of downsizing. In many organizations, the anticipated economic benefits like lower expenses, higher profits, increased returns on investments and higher stock prices do not occur as expected. Also, other anticipated organizational benefits like lower overheads, smoother communication and increased productivity do not develop. On the contrary, downsizing causes increased turnover among the survivors as well. Hence, the organization also ends up losing valuable organizational memory, knowledge base and experience. In case of mass layoffs, downsizing leads to the loss of key talents and disappearance of crucial skills. Survivors who take over the jobs of their laid-off colleagues start feeling perceptions of job overload and lack of job clarity. When organizations downsize in response to decline in growth rather than a strategy to boost performance, the most competent employees quit voluntarily since they do not see any growth prospects in the organization and the relatively incompetent and inefficient employees get left behind. This further hastens the organizations decline. Organizations that carry out downsizing along with a reduction of assets show higher financial performance than other firms. So downsizing should be part of an overall restructuring package rather than a one-point solution to reduce organizational costs. Downsizing alone cannot ensure an improvement in a firm’s performance. The manner in which it is carried out plays an important role in the financial and operating performance improvement of the organization. 6. Survey Analysis and Results We conducted a survey of 100 people across various organizations varying from manufacturing to services and from public sector to private sector. We got varied responses with respect to our survey. We are presenting the analysis of the survey through different perspectives and are representing them through various charts. In the survey 34% of the respondents reported that the layoff they have seen in their professional life was mass layoff, whereas 64% reported cases of individual layoffs. [pic] The cases of individual layoffs were due to various reasons ranging from technical incompetence to distrust in the organizations core mission and its values. More than 40% of the individual layoffs were due to technical incompetence and 30% were the cases where there was distrust between the employee and his boss. In 10% of the cases, the employees were found to be engaged in anti organizational practices. In 10% of the cases the employees laid off were victims of politics in the organization. In some of these cases, they were part of the lobby that was working against the will of the ruling coalition, these were the employees who were holding important positions and were bottle neck in the process of decision taken by the department heads. The cases of mass layoff happened during the period of recession and due to major change in the technology. These cases happen when the industry was in a smooth phase and the company they were engaged was a middle level company and the company was unable to sustain the market pressures, these were the reasons that were given by the HR department of those organizations while laying off the employees. One of the questions in survey was regarding the effect of downsizing on the productivity and motivation of the remaining employees. 52% of the respondents reported that it did effect the employees productivity and motivation which led to increased absenteeism. The employees lacked focus while working atleast during the next month and a half, they had a notion that a similar thing can happen to them as well. They were psychologically effected when one of their close friends, who was among the employees who were laid off. [pic] Even after the mass layoff took place there were rumors in the organization regarding further such layoffs that can happen in future. Several employees tried to relocate to other organizations, some of them were ready even to join at less salary and perks in other organization. 0% of employees who felt demotivated after the layoff were those who some how felt that they are less technically competent or they lacked some of the basic skills such as communications. When respondents were asked whether they thought of quitting their job soon after the individual or a major layoff, the response varied. Some of them thought of quitting the job immediately and choose the next best possible option they had in hand. 52% of them were somehow indifferent to the recent layoff, they didn’t think about leaving the organizations due to mal effects of layoff. Some of the employees amongst them who held important positions in the organization, they were in positions of decision making or were close to the people who were decision makers. [pic] A high 18% of the respondents felt like leaving the organization within a month while 21% of them thought of biding their time and believing that will improve. They thought of leaving the organization in the next six months duration if the situation doesn’t improve. % of respondents plan to leave within three months. Almost 40% of these respondents actually left the job since they believe that this organization is not worthy enough to put their efforts in, as they felt that loyalty is not the virtue of praise in their respective organization. Among the respondents who planned to leave within a month, 60% of them have seen mass layoff. Hence, mass layoff is perceived as more of a breach of psychological contract between organization and the employees. [pic] The query posed to respondents was regarding whether the notice period was served to the outgoing employees or not. 21% of them replied no to the question. The outgoing employees felt the breach of psychological contract by the company, the same was felt by rest of the employees as well. Every employee seems to be of an opinion that the organization should have atleast given a one month’s notice to the employees. The HR department on the other hand felt that sometimes its inevitable to give notice period. There are several reasons for that, primarily they stressed high absenteeism by the employees and unethical behavior and practices including sexual harassment and other such personal inclinations. [pic] 12% of the respondents reported that the outgoing employee faced embarrassing moment while he was laid off. It includes being escorted by the security personal, personal abuses by the immediate boss and comments by the colleagues. Almost 30% of these employees were charge sheeted treated on the grounds of unethical behavior and 90% of these cases happened during individual layoffs. pic] One of the important area that needs to be addressed whether or not the company has taken due action to keep up the morale of the remaining employees and sideline the side effects of the layoff. 45% of the respondents responded that the due course of action was not taken by the organization. This somehow made them feel to plan to quit the organization. They somehow felt ignored and indifferent in the e yes of the management. Out of these 45% cases, 30% happened during the individual layoffs. The course of remedial action is expected from the organization especially in cases of mass layoff as it turns down the morale of the remaining employees and it further affects the productivity, absenteeism factor and the turn over ratio of the organization. 7. Process of Downsizing The most prominent reason for failure of downsizing is lack of preparations for this process. A successful downsizing process requires planning that begins long before the formal announcement. Downsizing project consists of four stages. These are 1. Making the decision to downsize, . Planning the downsizing, 3. Making the announcement, 4. Implementing the downsizing. [pic] Fig: The Stages in downsizing process. 1. Making the decision to downsize: The first step in the process of downsizing is making the decision to downsize. But, before making that hard decision, it is important to investigate all possible alternatives and use downsizing as a last resort. Various alternatives, such as: freezing hiring, ov ertime restriction, freezing salary, pay cuts, elimination of bonuses, shortening workweeks, unpaid vacations, etc. hould be tried before taking the decision. If the company considers all possible alternatives and find that they could not help to achieve company's goals, it should consider forced layoffs and make the decision to downsize. The reasons for downsizing need to be clearly defined by management. Also, the decision to downsize should never be a short-term solution. It must be integrated into company's vision that makes clear how downsizing will create a competitive advantage. The vision will help employees to understand why downsizing is necessary. It also helps employees to see a real future for themselves in the company. 2. Planning the downsizing: Before making the announcement of downsizing it is very important to make implementation plan. Some of the issues which have to be considered within planning the downsizing include the focus of the downsizing strategy, who should implement the downsizing process, how should the leavers be identified, what compensation will leavers receive and when will they receive it, how and when will the stayers` jobs be reorganized, what training will be necessary. In order to do this stage successfully, it is necessary to do activities such as: a) Form a cross- functional team: The team which will plan and implement the downsizing project should consist of many specialists who come from many functions: human resource, operations, finance, public relation, etc. The team should represent the interests of all members. Also, the team members should divide up the responsibility for communication to stakeholders. b) Identify all constituents: One of the first tasks of the team is to identify constituents who are affected by downsizing and to include their interests in implementation plan. The constituencies include: employees who will be laid off, survivors, shareholders, the community, etc. c) Use expert if it is needed: If there are some areas about which the team does not have enough information or knowledge (job retraining, financial counseling, etc. ) it will be necessary to engage experts from the outside. Outplacement companies can help employees to find new job quickly. d) Provide training for managers: By providing training for managers, they become able to communicate the downsizing convincingly, gain skills to deal with emotions of laid off workers, etc. ) Supply information about the business: By sharing information about the business employees will have full knowledge of the company's finance and its activity and downsizing will become less a crisis and more an expected solution. Also, sharing sensitive financial or competitive data ensures employees that they can trust the management to be open and honest. 3. Making the announcement: The key activities t o be taken care of while making the announcement of downsizing are, explaining business rationale, announcing the decision and notifying benefits. The management should explain the reasons for downsizing and the implementation process. By explaining the necessity of downsizing management can help employees see that downsizing is not caused by their contribution. The company should make the announcement simultaneously to all constituencies. Announcement should give information about downsizing benefits, separation process and the benefits and services for those who will be laid off. Also, at this stage it is important to communicate the company's vision so that the employees who stay will know how downsizing will help the recovery of the company and to see themselves in companies` future. 4. Implementing the downsizing: The first three stages are very important for the effective downsizing, but the fourth stage is where former preparation and promises are to be realized. The key areas in the implementation stage are communication and employee involvement. At this stage it is important to tell the employees the truth about all their concerns and needs. The best is face-to-face communication. By honest answering, the management builds trust and the sense of necessity. A well implemented downsizing process requires the employees involvement, too. Remaining employees often have good ideas about restructuring their jobs and improving internal processes, so they should be involved in implementation phase. 8. Suggestions to improve the morale of survivors post downsizing The morale of the survivors post downsizing would be very low and the management should take enough care to improve the employee morale post downsizing. This can be achieved by proper planning, communicating and by maintaining an environment of trust. Some of the suggestions to improve the morale of the survivors post downsizing are: 1. Plan: The plan should be made by reviewing prior changes, analyzing how the changes were made and making corrections based on their assessment. This plan should include: redefined tasks and responsibilities; strategies to assist managers in helping surviving employees adjust to organizational changes; communications on why changes are necessary and how roles will change. 2. Communicate concisely, clearly and frequently: For both managers and â€Å"survivors† layoffs are emotionally draining experiences. It is often difficult for managers to know what to say and how to say it properly to those who are still with the corporation. Experts agree that it is better to communicate bad news when it is known than keep it waiting for a more appropriate time. At the same time the manager needs to communicate with the survivors how the organization plans to recover, the employees’ role in that recovery and why the changes are necessary. 3. Apply emphatic listening: Often managers are required to console or counsel with survivors of downsized organizations. Managers with strong Emotional Quotient (EQ) may naturally be able to empathize with and consol survivors. However, many managers may require some points on the importance of â€Å"listening emphatically†. Listening is trying to understand the ideas and feelings expressed by others. Good listeners use silence effectively. They postpone judgment about the other person’s feelings, attitudes and concerns until after they have completely heard the person. 4. Maintain an environment of trust: Managers must reinforce the trust factor since many survivors may feel emotionally disappointed. Employees must understand that the charge of the manager is to ensure the organization survives and must trust him to make and communicate the right decisions. 5. Keep Employees Grateful and Humble: The survivors should also be reminded that they should be thankful to have a job. By not filling those vacant positions there's less competition for eventual promotions 6. Avoid Negative Feelings through Positive Motivation: The confused and vulnerable employees should be reassured that a change of job or an out-of-state position is the new learning curve they've probably needed. 7. Separate the Transitionally Displaced: Create a transition center for the dispirited who no longer have a job (but are still on payroll) that removes them from the rest of the company. Without distractions, these isolates will focus expeditiously on their future career plans. 8. Disinformation about restructuring: The information about the restructuring has to be kept as vague and inconsistent as possible. In fact, the more disinformation the better. A certain amount of uncertainty heightens group competition and, hopefully, will disorient your best people and/or intimidate them from leaving. 9. Create Social Diversions: Some diversionary event for should be planned for the beleaguered, â€Å"survivor shock† employees. 9. Conclusion It has to be noted that downsizing or any dramatic change will be met with an emotional response that will be as intense as the situation is threatening. In many cases people will feel victimized and will need to mourn their losses before they can move on. They should be handled properly and if possible, professional counseling should be given to them. 10. References †¢ Learning from the past – Downsizing Lessons for Managers, Franco Gandolfi †¢ Organizational Downsizing: From Concepts to Practices, Sanghamitra Bhattacharya and Leena Chatterjee †¢ Network Destruction: The Structural Implications of Downsizing, Priti Pradhan Shah