Why patient outcomes are improved when cared for on specialised Stoke Essay

Why patient outcomes are improved when cared for on specialised Stoke Units - Essay Example Advances in diagnostic aids and medical treatment have come to the aid of the treatment of stroke. Multidisciplinary specialized stroke units have evolved as a sequel to these developments. Specialized stroke units have demonstrated the capability of improving the outcomes of stroke patients. Recommendations: Sound development of specialized stroke units as the means for treatment of stroke patients. Medical, nursing and therapist educational facilities to incorporate educational strategies to provide for the development of these members of the multidisciplinary specialized stroke unit. Additional research into is required into areas for which, evidence is currently not completely validated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of specialist stroke units, when compared to other medical care modes like speciality wards and general wards, on the outcome of patients that have undergone a stroke event. A further aim of this study is to show that specialist stroke units provide better outcomes for stroke patients, as opposed to general wards or other speciality wards, by evaluating the outcomes of patients treated in stroke units as compared to speciality and general wards. The outcomes that would be investigated to provide clarity in the comparison of stroke units to general wards or other speciality wards would include mortality and disability rates, length of stay, development of complications, rehabilitation potential, cost effectiveness and patient satisfaction. Around the world stroke is attracting more and more attention as a medical problem of growing dimensions. The attention is not restricted to the field of medical studies, but has also drawn the attention of the health authorities and the media. This is because stroke has a considerable impact on the socio-economic status of communities around the globe. It was initially thought that stroke was a problem of the western developed

New Enterprise Group Essay Example for Free

New Enterprise Group Essay Bob Chen came from the oriental culture. He was born in Hong Kong. He came to Canada to study and was eventually given the opportunity to work in one of the largest public accounting firms in Canada, James-Williams. As most Orientals, he was quiet and soft-spoken. He was not a straightforward person. He does not readily utter his exact opinions about a situation or a person. This courteous behavior of his had also apparently concealed most of his views about career and work. David Shorter, though not indicated in the case study, possesses the characteristics of a person hailed from or has a great grasp of the Canadian or Western culture. Being the Practice Manager of the New Enterprise Group at James-Williams for the past four years, he had undoubtedly been successful in handling many Canadian constituents under his management. Chen and Shorter had different approaches to management. Shorter believed that for an employee like Chen who has great potential, he has to take things step by step. Chen had expressed his desire to be a tax consultant and thus would like to receive tasks heading toward that direction. Shorter, however, explained that he still needs to do another year of auditing work to make him a more effective tax consultant. He also wanted to take advantage of Chen’s oriental background and would like to use him as linkage to attract Hong Kong clients. Aside from the shortage of senior auditors for that year, a longer auditing experience would help him better understand business problems which would be essential to his desired specialization. Chen, however, was insistent with his career plans. Shorter attempted a compromise by offering him an all-expense-paid tax training program as long as he agrees to spend another year in auditing. Chen rejected the offer and still pushed to be assigned to a tax partner. Shorter finally gave in and assigned Chen to Joe Silverman but Chen has to do some auditing still during his first year with Silverman. Chen, unlike Shorter, was not convinced in taking his career step-by-step. He thought another year of auditing work would only delay him from his desire to be a tax consultant. He was not agreeable to Shorter’s statement that to be an effective tax consultant, he would need to have ample experience as a senior auditor. He, however, had understood Shorter’s visions of attracting Hong Kong clients to the New Enterprise Group. Being able to speak in Chinese and familiar with their culture, he would be able to win their trust easily. But this, unfortunately, was not what he had planned to do in his career. Chen’s performance after his meeting with Shorter was not very satisfactory. It was an act of professional discourtesy not to express directly if he had accepted or rejected the audit task for Softdisk Computer Company. Personality-wise, he may be known not to be very vocal with his opinions or feelings. But professionally, this is very detrimental. Softdisk is one of the important clients of the New Enterprise Group. Important clients should be handled with much care as their trust and confidence to the accounting firm is what retains them as clients. Mike Mcleod who brought up the auditing project went through the proper channels to determine the senior auditor who was available and capable of doing the job. Chen was the only one available in September and October. According to Silverman, there were no tax work lined up for him yet and the job Mcleod was offering would also touch on some tax issues which would be a good experience for him. Chen had not been explicit in expressing his hesitation with the project. He nevertheless attended the physical inventory conducted by the client. This risked the relationship with the client even more. Softdisk had Chinese origins and upon finding out that Chen would be auditing for them, they were very pleased. Once Chen withdraws from this project and declares that he did not want to do the audit in the first place, the New Enterprise Group will be placed in a bad light. Worse, Softdisk may withdraw themselves as a regular client. Shorter, who was also responsible in attracting and maintaining clients, would not find this very acceptable. He would give a failing evaluation to Chen for his professionalism. One of the factors to this evaluation would be his hesitation to the project which had no supporting grounds. First of all, as per task scheduling, he was available during the auditing period for Softdisk. He had also agreed to still perform auditing tasks though he had been assigned already to a tax partner. Other factors would be his being quiet with his hesitations and showing up to the client despite his uncertainties. Losing Softdisk as a client would be a big blow to Shorter and to the New Enterprise Group. The bad image may also eventually reflect to James-Williams as a company which was regarded as one of the most respected accounting firms in Canada. Chen’s behavior and the misunderstanding that transpired between him and his colleagues may also be reflective of a cross-cultural conflict. Individuals with oriental upbringing like Chen are not straightforward people like most Canadians or Westerners. They usually choose to be quiet out of courtesy or being polite to the other party. Being in a foreign land also makes them sensitive to racial discrimination issues. It is possible that Chen may have also perceived Shorter’s recommendation to take one more year in auditing as an underestimation of his capability to move forward as a tax consultant, reason enough for him to be insistent to be placed in a tax assignment. Chen’s colleagues who may not have understood how Oriental people do and perceive things may have taken this behavior against Chen. They may have also overlooked other factors while pushing Chen to take the project. For example, Chen may be by nature a very serious worker that when he accepts a particular project, he does not accept any project unless he is sure that he can finish it to its end and with good quality at that. Chen mentioned that he was currently working with the audit for a film company. This was, according to him, the reason for his hesitation with Softdisk as he did not want to leave his current project unfinished or to jeopardize it. And because he was not so vocal about his opinions and feelings, his colleagues had interpreted this as a deliberate rejection to projects and being very picky about them. Understanding the working styles, career perceptions, cultural norms and behaviors is a major challenge for managers who have subordinates coming from different cultural origins. There may already be barriers primarily in communication. Interaction may be difficult between a native of the country and a foreigner who educated himself to understand and speak the native language. Meanings may be different and may become the usual cause of misinterpretation or misunderstanding between colleagues. It is also unavoidable for some foreigners to manifest their own culture and beliefs when they communicate or work with others. There are some cultures which always exhibit themselves as dominant and aggressive. Some are quiet and not very vocal about their opinions and feelings like Chen. Others also appear very defensive when in front of individuals from other cultures especially there had been a history of discrimination against them. Because of some inherent beliefs, culture also affects one’s confidence in decisions made by the company. The subordinate may register agreement or display quiet hesitation to the decision. Without proper communication channels, opinion differences may lead to loss of confidence to the company or interest to work. For these cultural differences that may eventually evolve to office conflict, managers have to be very careful when communicating, giving out statements and mandating decisions to their subordinates. Statements and decisions should be seen as based from actual facts, from democratic discussions and not from subjective, biased ideas. It is also recommended for managers to learn something about the cultural backgrounds of their subordinates. A manager should always be a step ahead of his subordinates. He should be aware of their thinking processes, goals and working styles. With this knowledge, he can also implement appropriate techniques to motivate them and to criticize them when necessary. Not everybody in the company may perceive a colleague from a different cultural background as an equal. It is then the responsibility of the manager to mandate cultural equality in the office. He may create policies like for any display of cultural discrimination would mean an evaluation of unprofessionalism. Proper communication is a very crucial factor in resolving cross-cultural conflict. Professionally, managers and subordinates may adjust with each other so they can together meet certain goals. As in the case of Chen and his colleagues, misunderstanding may have been avoided if the communication lines had remained open. Chen would have vocalized his hesitancy to the Softdisk project before it came to the point of putting the relationship with the client at risk. Mcleod and Silverman would have been able to make some adjustments as well in due time. Similarly, Chen would have retained his professional stature in the company and not find himself unworthy in his position in the New Enterprise Group.

Frances Welfare System Essay -- International Government

The welfare system in France is founded on the principle of solidarity. Solidarity is sense of the responsibility of the individuals in the society to help each other out. This is all for the common good (Spicker). In order to promote solidarity, France has a welfare system that includes universal entitlements, social insurance, means-tested public assistance, and tax expenditures programs. One aspect of the French welfare system is universal entitlements. One universal entitlement under the French welfare system is health insurance. Every citizen in Frances is able to have healthcare insurance. For those citizens that are employed, the employer and employee both finance the insurance. However, the government pays for the health care of the unemployed. In both the case of employed and unemployed, there is no deductible. France’s health care system seems to be working quite well since it is ranked as the best in the world according to the World Health Organization (Capell 2007). Free nursery provision for every child three years and up is another universal entitlement. Once the child is old enough to attend school, an additional universal entitlement is in place. All French citizens receive a free education. This free education does not just end after secondary education. In fact, there are 86 universities in France that are free to attend. (Rochefort). Universal entitlements are just one aspect of the French welfare system. Another component of the welfare system is means-tested public assistance. For just housing alone, there are two types of means-tested public assistances: social housing and mortgage subsidies. There are government owned housing for those in need like lower income citizens. In addition to government housin... ...sinessweeks, Stock Market & Financial Advice. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_28/b4042070.htm (accessed December 6, 2013). Evans, Martin. "New Economy." Means Testing Flaws. www.martin-evans.org/assets/files/MeansTestingFlawsNewEconomy.pdf (accessed December 6, 2013) Rochefort, Harriet. "Facts on Education in France." Education in France. www.understandfrance.org/France/Education. (accessed December 6, 2013) Spicker, Paul. "The Welfare State." An Introduction to Social Policy. http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/wstate.htm#France (accessed December 6, 2013). Wingert, Jamie. "Country Case Studies and Links." University of Pittsburgh. http://www.pitt.edu/~heinisch/ca_fran.html (accessed December 6, 2013). 2011. "Making work pay." Economist 399, no. 8738: 60-61. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 6, 2013).

Gender Issues In Education, Sports And Employment Essay

Gender is the cultural construct attached to the fact of biological sex. The construct of gender has come to carry significant meaning with regard to the valuing of people or behaviors according to gender qualifications. There is much evidence that suggest that gendered inequality is the product of female oppression in a world dominated by global male hegemony within and across institutions including family, school, politics, and the labor market. Gender inequality is generally manifested in unequal rights for women of access to basic social services such as education; unequal rights for equal work in the employment sector, and unequal opportunities in sports. This paper is a brief discussion of the specific problems commonly identified within the issue of gender inequality in the mentioned areas, along with a number of potential solutions to ease, if not to totally eradicate the said inequities. Gender Issues in Education The literature on women’s and girls’ education frequently focuses o gendered inequalities in educational opportunities, educational attainment, and status of women in social, political and economic arenas both within and across nations. This problem may seem relatively straightforward, but gendered educational inequity is a complex phenomenon. Women’s education is strongly contextualized by the social and cultural environment of the local schools and national educational systems. Schools are the locus for much of the progress that is being made towards a culture of equality, although there is still much more to be done in order for gender equality to be a consistent characteristic of educational systems around the world (Valian, 2004). A solution seen for this is to institutionalize gender equity standards as components of school policy and structure, which will make it more likely that gendered inequalities will be both observed and identified as inequity. In this way, a heightened sense of awareness in gendered educational inequality could work on behalf of women. Gender Issues in Sports Gender differentiation has also been powerfully constructed through sports and the culture of sports. Moreover, Scraton and Flintoff (2002) asserted that organized sport has been a powerful cultural arena for reinforcing the ideology and actuality of male superiority and dominance; its traditions, symbols, and values have tended to preserve patriarchy and women’s subordinate position in society. Sport was an activity that serves two purposes for men: it meets their recreational needs, and it is a perfect antidote for their anxieties about effeminacy. Sport thus became a popular means for men to reaffirm their masculinity, and hence, a powerful tool for maintaining patriarchal gender relations. These social conditions made being both a woman and an athlete an anomaly in life. Female athletes did not suit society’s ideal of femininity, and those who persisted in sport suffers various aversive sanctions, especially derogation and public ridicule. A solution seen about this issue is for sports organizations to be prepared to analyze critically the ways they operate, the ways they make policy, and the ways in which national and international policy processes influence or are influenced by these sites of power. Gender Issues in Employment Gender inequality in employment begins with the gender labeling of workers. Gender categorization in workplace primes workers and employers alike to infuse stereotypic assumptions about gender into the institutional scripts by which a job is enacted and represented to others (Blakemore and Griggs, 2007). Employers often begin the process by implicitly or explicitly seeking workers of a particular gender on the basis of assumptions about labor costs that are themselves suffused by the effect of gender status beliefs. On the occasions that they hire a woman for a certain position, the pay is lower compared to a man employed in the exact same position. As a further result, women are inclined to be concentrated in casual occupations, where salary and work environment are poorer than in formal and public positions. The understanding of how to work towards gender equality is that people need to change inequitable social systems and institutions. Generally, ‘institutional change’ is the requirement for addressing the root causes of gender inequality. It means changing organizations which, in their programs, policies, structures, and ways of working, discriminate against women. Organizations should work on legal and policy change, or change material conditions. In order to bring about gender equality in employment, change must occur at the personal level and at the social level. It must occur in formal and informal relations. References Scraton, S. & Flintoff, A. (2002). Gender and Sport: A Reader. New York: Routledge. Blakemore, K. & Griggs, E. (2007). Social Policy: An Introduction. New York: Open University Press. Valian, V. (2004). Beyond Gender Schemas: Improving the Advancement of Women in Academia. NWSA Journal, 16 (1): 207-220.

Hershey’s Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility means supporting and strengthening the communities we are a part of. XXX Ltd is committed to maintaining the highest standards of corporate social responsibility in our business activities and dealings with our external and internal customers and the public on a whole. We are guided by the highest of ethical standards in our business decisions and relationships with others by carefully guard our reputation for â€Å"honesty, integrity and trust†. Our business is committed to providing quality products and services for our customers, clients, and business partners who we will treat fairly and with respect. We believe in fair play. Our word is our bond. We respect the rights and dignity of every employee and treat them fairly and without discrimination. We are tolerant of each other’s differences regardless of their ethnicity. We believe in team work, the sharing of knowledge throughout our organization, and recognize the contribution of every team member. We will offer our employees clear and fair terms of employment and provide resources to enable their continued development. We promote our philosophy by providing a healthy and safe working environment conducive to the well-being of our staff, and fostering an atmosphere of cooperation and harmony in the workplace. XXX Ltd is committed being a good corporate citizen, mindful of our responsibility to give back to the community in which we live and operate our businesses. Successive leaders of our Company have built on this tradition and we encourage our employees to serve their community and country through individual effort and through our XXX Ltd Community Development Foundation, and other organizations. Through the Foundation we make contributions in the areas of education, health, community outreach and the environment through our flagship program â€Å"LEARNING NEVER STOP†. This program offers scholarships for GSAT students across the island and is a key feature of the company’s website in the XXX Ltd â€Å"LEARNING NEVER STOP† tab, which shows all our updates. We recognize that we have a responsibility to the communities and countries in which we operate and will ensure that, in all our activities, by contributing to the safety and protection of the environment. Our Labour Day project 2013 was a massive â€Å"clean up and beautification project† program in Spanish Town, round about where the company adapt (park ). The company also donated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars (250,000. 00) to three primary schools for renovation. The XXX staff donned red to show support the Heart Foundation of Jamaica’s annual â€Å"Wear Red Day†. Representatives from The Heart Foundation of Jamaica along with our loving caring staff educate people through issuing of pamphlets. The foundation wishes to get more women to become aware of their risk for heart disease and promoting a heart healthy lifestyle.

Domestic Worker in Kuwait

Domestic Worker in Kuwait Executive Summary Kuwait is one of the Middle Eastern countries that have benefited from foreign domestic workforce. It is estimated that the foreign domestic workforce forms a third of the country’s total workforce. Despite the essential role these foreign domestic workers play in the lives of the Kuwait citizens, still they are inhibited from important social benefits such as free education and social healthcare.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Domestic Worker in Kuwait specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, the domestic workers that comprises mostly of foreigners from South Asia and Africa are facing abuses and exploitations under the sponsorship program through which they got legal entry into the country. According to various research findings, foreign domestic workers in Kuwait face numerous problems that include none payment of wages, sexual and physical assaults, psychological abuse, excessive long working hours among other unreported abuses. Therefore this paper will provide a concise report on the problems these foreign domestic workers are facing in Kuwait. The conclusion that the foreign domestic workers in Kuwait face problems that range from non-payment of wages to long working hours are drawn from the finding that these domestic workers lack legal backing that would help them fight against these abuses. The Kuwait’s labor legal system does not recognize the foreign domestic workers while the immigration laws forbid them from running away from their work. Besides, the immigration rules have outlawed shifting or leaving the original job without consulting the employer. On the basis of the findings, it is recommended that the Kuwaiti government should first reform their legal system to recognize and provide protection to the foreign domestic workers. Among the key legal reforms include repealing the Aliens Residence Law articles that give individual employers contr ol over workers freedom of movement, immigration statuses and the freedom to terminate employment. Also to be included in the legal reforms is the recognition of the foreign domestic workers under the Kuwaiti labor laws. The paper will first determine the problems faced by these foreign domestic workers and the legal prohibitions that act as obstacles to the realization of their rights. Then the paper will present the legal findings that will form the basis for recommendations that should be taken by the Kuwaiti government as well as other stakeholders in providing the solutions to the problems faced by the migrant domestic workers. The recommendations will range from the legal reforms to the inclusion of the domestic workers in the labor laws of Kuwait. Finally, the conclusion will be drawn from the recommendations and findings.Advertising Looking for report on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Introduction The estimate by the World Bank is that over 74 million, approximately half of the total migrants, majorly from the developing countries do not move to the developed countries. Rather, they settle and reside in other developing countries (Motaparthy and Sandler 2). Such south to south movements are very common in South-Asian countries where most of the migrant workers move and settle in the rich oil states of the Persian Gulf including Kuwait. Whereas there are differences in the way these migrant workers are treated in these countries, a majority has remained in the low skilled jobs. The female foreign domestic workers make up a third of the total expatriate workforce (Motaparthy and Sandler 3). In Kuwait, foreign domestic workers play an important role in almost every Kuwaiti household. Thousands of foreign domestic workers have been found to be working for the Kuwaiti citizens (Motaparthy and Sandler 4). Women make the majority of these foreign domestic workers (Motaparthy and Sa ndler 4). While some employers have successfully developed a friendly and caring relationship with domestic workers who do odd jobs such as caring for their children, cooking their meals and clean their homes, others have taken the advantage of the weak legal systems that barely protect the rights of these migrant workers and isolated home environments to abuse the right of their workers (Motaparthy and Sandler 3). Worse off, some workers go for several months without being paid. It has also been found that among all the categories of the informal sector, the domestic workers earnings are extremely low and they face myriads of problems. Domestic workers are generally employed to carry out household tasks comprising of cleaning the houses, cooking food, washing dishes, cloths, fetching water together with a few outdoor chores such as child care activities, irregular marketing grocery shopping and even ration drawing (Motaparthy and Sandler 3). In fact, a majority of these women migra nt workers are doing more than one type of job and spend more than the normal time doing their chores. Some are working even past midnight to ensure that they complete their employers’ assignments (Motaparthy and Sandler 4). Comparatively, these women spend more time working for their employers more than they could have spent in their own households. To add in to the woes of these foreign domestic workers, majority of the Persian Gulf governments have weak legal systems that could protect the rights of these migrant workers (Motaparthy and Sandler 4). Countries such as Kuwait have legal systems that further exacerbate the problems of the migrant workers. The Kuwaiti labor laws totally ignore the presence of foreign domestic workers while the immigration legal system prevents migrant workers from changing their jobs and leaving the country without the consent of their employers. As a result, most of the foreign domestic workers have been violently abused and deported without a ny legal redress.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Domestic Worker in Kuwait specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore the objective of this report is to examine the problems of these domestic workers in Kuwait and the level in which such problems affect these domestic workers. Also the paper will examine the legal obstacles faced by these women in order to offer recommendation that should be taken into consideration by the policy makers to ensure that all the foreign domestic workforce in the country are fairly treated according to the international labor organization standards. Statement Problem Basically, across various fiscal years including 2009, 2010 and 2011, countries that send their domestic labour to the City of Kuwait received manifold complaints. Often, the domestic workers in Kuwait complained to their respective embassies concerning psychological abuse, sexual harassments, physical torture, and undue long hours of work with no rest as well as non-wage payments. There are very little redressing opportunities for the household workforce leading to various offensive cases lingering unstated. The Kuwait domestic labor law also seems to bar the domestic workers from seeking redress whereas the migration laws ban the domestic workers from abandoning their particular workplaces without the recruitment agencies consents. There are reported cases of deportation, indefinite detention and criminal charges tied to any domestic worker who quits job without the consent of the recruiting agencies and employers. Each time, many household workforces are expatriated by the Kuwait administration because they are incapable of successfully following and raising their grievances. Other employers demand that domestic workers desiring to seek alternative employments must reimburse the initial recruitment fees given that they have violated the Kuwait labour regulations. This is done by withholding emplo yment alteration consent and confiscating the passports. The constitutionally drafted labour law has equally excluded the Kuwait household workforce from the requisite labour protection. The Kuwait sponsoring system for domestic workers spearheads obnoxious status for employment since it holds expatriate workers accountable for quitting employments without the responsible authorities consent and thereby violating laws. It is apparent that the contractual clauses are hardly enforced thus intentionally excluding the domestic workforce from legal protections. The type of problem, those affected and failure to resolve the problem The current domestic workers problem that is reported in the Kuwait can be classified as being humanely, moral, legal as well as social. From the Human Rights Watch report, it is apparent that the entire domestic workers populations, the recruitment agencies, Kuwait government, local churches and family members of the abused domestic workers are all affected. T he unionization, the work conditions, the private labour supply and recruitment agencies also face a deteriorating growth. In other cases, the recruitment systems are considerably abused leaving the domestic workforces with diminutive lawful protections.Advertising Looking for report on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More If Kuwait fails to resolve the looming problems, it is likely to lose the official ties it has with the rest of the world. In fact, Kuwait needs to sincerely demonstrate to the international community that it takes the basic human rights into consideration and that it is committed to the protection of the domestic workers rights. Solutions In case the Kuwait government notes specific migrant domestic workers vulnerability, it is advisable that the government should pursue decisive efforts geared towards ensuring that such workers are effectively protected both in practice and in law against any sort of discrimination. This implies that, the Kuwait government ought to warrant that there are effectual access and enforcement of complaint procedures. This can be realized thru introducing legalized solutions in all member states. The solutions could be inform of increasing household motivations to employ domestic workers who are duly registered, urging workers only to accept legally cont racted work and offering provisions in areas like civil laws, labour laws, social insurance and tax. The government of Kuwait should equally be obliged by the international law to sincerely protect all individuals’ rights and the domestic workers employment affairs irrespective of whether such workers are in possession of legitimate work permits. That is, provided the employment links have been instigated, the government of Kuwait must ensure that engaged domestic worker enjoys all the employment and labour rights until the termination of such relationships. The provisional domestic labour rights include providing equal remuneration and fair wages for all domestic jobs that offer equal values devoid of discriminating between men and women. There should also be the provision of wellbeing and secure operational setting, rational working hours’ restrictions, vacation and respite hours with compensation through civic and episodic festivals. Since the domestic workers have the rights of living dignified, peaceful and secure areas, the Kuwait government, the sponsoring agencies and employers must be obliged to warrant the domestic workers physical safety. In case the employers failed to offer shelters to the domestic workers which would in turn warrant their dignity, peace and safety, then the Kuwait government ought to provide some alternatives. To realize these, there must be well stipulated employment conditions along with ratified application procedures as well as domestic workers social protection by sponsoring agencies, employer and the government (Motaparthy and Sandler 20). The Kuwait government should draft legislation for domestic workers. The drafted law should have provision establishing workdays’ equivalent to eight hours. The employers must be compelled to offer the domestic workers compulsory annual leaves during periodic and national holidays besides imposing penalties on employers who are reported to remit late salary payments. In fact, the Kuwait employers should be prohibited from recruiting domestic workers thru non-licensed state agencies. A law should be implanted to burr recruiting or sponsoring agencies and employers from confiscating the domestic workers identity documents or passports. Moreover, there ought to be provisionary enacted laws that prohibit employers from forcing domestic workers to carry out house chores tasks which are not categorically stipulated in the contractual agreement. To recognize the commonly raised nonpayment of wage complaints, the Kuwait government needs to enact a law that requires the entire domestic workforce to set up genuine bank accounts in their respective residential home states before migrating to work in Kuwait. Such bank accounts or payment systems should be used by the Kuwait government and the domestic workers countries to instruct the prospective employers to monthly or annually deposit the domestic workers salaries into the stipulated bank accounts prior t o workers migrations. Thus, the receipts for bank transfers should serve as the justified and acceptable payment proof. Kuwait should institute laws that lay down adequate procedures through which domestic workers complaints can be arbitrated and whenever they remain in doubt, they should be referred to a legitimate court system. This should warrant that all domestic workers with unresolved complaint cases will be exempted from the arbitration fees. The Kuwait household workforce legislation must tolerate household workforce to transmit their service provisions devoid of seeking their guarantors’ approvals thru following particular occupation disagreement resolution courses. The fines that recruiting agents or the employers pay because of violating the domestic workforce rights and the Kuwait expatriate labour laws ought to be deposited into the state administered fund which guarantees disbursements to the domestic workers in times of need. For example, in cases where an inju stice is eminent and when a domestic worker becomes unwell for quite an elongated time period. Injustice situations include cases where the Kuwait domestic employers benefit unjustly from the services rendered by the workers through failing to remit their wages (Motaparthy and Sandler 35). Consequently, the unjustified benefits to the employers might accrue from the failure by the employers to terminate or renew the employment contracts devoid of offering the requisite payments for the domestic workers end of service. Finally, effective complaint and monitoring mechanisms should be implemented such as translations services requisite for investigating abusive complaints. Alternative solutions Various alternative solutions have also been proposed that includes Strong domestic worker organization should be established with an aim of protecting the domestic workers rights. Advocate for the transformation of societal power relations that would ensure gender equality, women empowerment a nd the observation of human rights including that of the domestic workers. Advocate for the accountability and the democratization of the organizations that deal with the rights of domestic worker Collaborating and working together with other labor unions Ensure that the rights of workers as well as proper working conditions are secured through enactments of the proper legislations. These propose solutions add to the restrictive laws and stringent penalties that will ensure that the rights of the domestic workers are properly observed. They also add to the measures are aimed at preventing abuse by the employees as well as the recruitment agencies of the domestic workers. In other words, these proposed solutions will ensure security and safety of the domestic workers. In terms of cost, both the Kuwaiti government and the families will suffer. High costs are attributed to financial resources, time and human resources that will have to be spent to ensure that everything is in order. T he cost challenge adds to the other challenges such as lack of support from the public, implementation challenges as well as conflict of interests. Findings For decades, the Kuwait citizens have engaged the household populate emigrant workforce. In fact, the strains for household recruits have sequentially amplified since the fiscal 1965 when just 1000 household immigrant workforce worked in City of Kuwait. The trend began to take a different course in the middle of 1970s when the republic of Kuwait had up-surging revenues from its oil. This made home workforce from various other states to travel to Kuwait to accomplish the escalating household work strains. By the financial year nineteen eighty nine, total overseas house workforce varying from one hundred thousand to one hundred and thirty thousand was housed by the state of Kuwait. The figure of Kuwait household recruits was accounted to have surpassed six hundred and sixty thousand by the fiscal 2009. At present, the majority of household women workforces originate from South-East-Asia albeit a mounting sum of African drifters steadily enters into the Kuwait household employment bazaar. When compared to the rest of the Middle East, Kuwait is ranked second after Saudi Arabia in terms of domestic workers employment. The total domestic labour is in excess of one third of the entire emigrant workers (Motaparthy and Sandler 23). Whereas domestic workers play significant roles in the Kuwaitis homesteads, there are some lapses in the protection gaps by countries that send their citizens to work in Kuwait. Protection gaps by the sending countries Whereas governments that send domestic labour to foreign countries rely on the migrant domestic workers financial contributions in making their local economies, it is reported that such countries take minimal steps when protecting nationals who migrate for domestic work be it during or before their respective migrations. For instance, domestic workforces migrating to the K uwait usually do so via the self-governing recruiters or agencies that pay visits to their villages or hometowns and then link them up with the recruitment or sponsoring agencies found in their abode states. The labor agents are bound to arrange for every formality that a migrating worker is required to have including the signing of the employment contract by the domestic worker. The poor regulations reported on the side of governments of countries that send their domestic workers to foreign countries such as Kuwait have left most workforces vulnerable to various abuses. These include human trafficking cases, forced confinements, misrepresentation of the contractual terms as well as other kinds of abuses whilst under the care of recruitment agencies. A report by the Human Rights Watch showed that scores of abuses were faced in the process of recruiting migrant domestic workers. For example, the Indonesian domestic workers faced forcible confinements in overcrowded local centers for training for months prior to starting their journeys. The domestic workers from Sri Lanka reported that they were deceived about their job locations and working conditions besides being charged illegal recruitment fees (Motaparthy and Sandler 22). Exploitative practices namely the misrepresentation of employment terms and the substitution of different employment contracts instead of the ones signed in address nations similarly prepared stages for extra cases of domestic women workers abuses. Furthermore, government officials who are accountable for supervising the Kuwait domestic work have apparently failed to assume their responsibilities thus causing additional workforce abuse cases. The sending country governments have also neglected to recognize domestic workers abuses thereby perpetuating such abuses as result of the failure of the existing institution to implement the rights of the workers effectively and the dearth of labour protection rights under the law of Kuwait. The labo ur sending countries diplomats have tried to negotiate with the government of Kuwait concerning the improvement of domestic workers protection and observation of their rights via mechanisms like MOUs and political dialogues. The memorandum of understanding incorporates elements such as paying the domestic workers salaries into their bank accounts, prohibiting the confiscation of domestic workers passports, specifying the weekly rest days and minimum wages. Nevertheless, the sending countries have failed to appropriately utilize the diplomatic tools for protecting domestic workers in Kuwait. The failure to realize systematic domestic workers protection in Kuwait is attributable to the competing priorities which include diplomatic cooperation, maintenance of remittance flows and the political pressures intended to maintain domestic workers recruitments. Legal frameworks pursued by the emigrant domestic workforce In Kuwait, the work of domestic migrant workforces is regulated through c ombining weak labour protections and the exceedingly restrictive immigration laws. Indeed, the 1959 Kuwait Alien Residence Law is perceived as the prime law which governs work permits and legal residency for domestic workers. However, lawmakers have incessantly excluded the domestic workforces from the legislative national labour protection. For example, the Kuwait Interior Ministry updated their standard contract in the financial year 2006 by setting forth most domestic workers obligations upon the employers and the recruitment agencies. The mandate given to these two bodies include the responsibility of the employer to pay the necessary recruitment fees to the sponsoring agencies. There is very little provision for protecting the domestic workforces while the Kuwait government dismally monitors the well being of domestic workers, and hardly are there effective means for domestic workers to pursue and lodge their complaints. The Kuwait immigrant domestic workers have their rights p rotected under the conventional international law body which cover all their distinctive rights either as workers or as individuals. The national laws of Kuwait equally offer certain protections to the working condition including the forced confinement constitutional protection, banning and prohibiting the recruitment or sponsoring agencies from asking for any fee from the domestic workers in addition to redressing rights in matters pertaining to unlawful offences such as sexual and physical assaults (Motaparthy and Sandler 27). Pitiable enforcement of the existing domestic legislation, immigration laws and recruitment legislations has however the domestic workforce with very little avenues to seek when encountering hardships in Kuwait. Sometimes, the domestic workers hardly get access to the protections that human rights offer them in their local or domestic laws. Other legal exclusions or laws tend to violate the commitments of international human rights. Specifically, there are t he domestic work exclusions from the labour protection that infringe both labour rights as well as nondiscrimination protections. During the 12th May 2010 Kuwait Universal Periodic Review Session held in Geneva, most delegations observed that the domestic workforce in Kuwait remain barred from the major global labour right standards such as those which are offered to workforces under the Kuwait labour law sectors. Obligations of the international human rights Under the international agreement and universal human rights law, Kuwait is obliged to protect the ratified domestic workers rights within its territorial boundaries from abuses that ensue from the public officers, agency staffs, and the employers. The treaties and laws similarly compel Kuwait to offer remedies to domestic workers with valid claims and to provide efficient recourse means to domestic workers who claim abuses. Despite the fact that Kuwait is obligated to protect the human rights, it has emerged that the domestic workers lacking valid residential permits or those who abandoned their sponsors face discriminatory treatments when seeking redress (Motaparthy and Sandler 28). Systems breeding domestic worker exploitation The domestic labour recruitment sector of Kuwait is dominated by business practices, restraining immigration sponsorship systems and deficient labour protections. These form labour marketplaces where the Kuwait employers have both the freedom and financial incentives for exploiting the domestic workforce with diminutive fear of liability whereas workforces exercise dismal power over the employment circumstances. Basically, the recruitment or sponsoring agencies charging the Kuwait employers the primary employment fees that are equated to the domestic workforce yearly remuneration are bound to pass on such expenses illegally to the domestic workforce. The employers might require any domestic workers who may want to part ways with their respective sponsoring employers to either rem it or offer full services or repayment to the new employers. It is also reported that the Kuwait employers could similarly utilize such status advantages to act as the immigration sponsors of the workers to exclusively extort similar reimbursement payments (Motaparthy and Sandler 42). According to human rights watch reports, it is true that employers and agencies often seek reimbursements with impunities. For instance, habitually the Kuwait employers demand that the domestic workers reimburse payments in order to fund the officially requisite release form needed to transfer the sponsorship for employment. Conversely, the Kuwait employers might demand to return backs the domestic workers’ passports and forcefully agree to let them leave Kuwait. In some cases, the domestic workers reported that the sponsoring agencies asked them to make payments because they have violated the regulations of Kuwait and any payment reimbursements that employers demand (Motaparthy and Sandler 42). For instance, an Ethiopian worker by the name Tigit A asserted that the recruitment agencies have rules stipulating that any domestic worker leaving her employment before completing a two years contract while citing abusive conditions are obligated to pay back the recruitment fees (money) as well as travelling ticket. Employers pay high recruitment fees as they hire the domestic workers therefore making others to abuse their sponsorship powers. Generally, the sense that the employers have bought or paid for a domestic worker makes most Kuwait employers to have the feeling that they are unconstrained to handle and treat the workforce whichever way one wishes. This takes place especially in the context of poorly and inadequately enforced laws. The treatment assumes many forms ranging from locking the domestic workers inside the houses, sexually harassing them, hitting, insulting, withholding the salaries and demanding them to work longer hours devoid of days off. Whereas not all empl oyment situations attain these abusive levels, some Kuwait employers have the feeling that denying domestic workers contract agreements and individual rights is justifiable. Employers refuse to accept domestic workers request to terminate the contractual employment, retain their passports and restrict the workers movements. After domestic workers have completed their two years service contracts, recruitment agencies tend to facilitate repayments of the recruitment fees workers transfers (Motaparthy and Sandler 43). This is realized by arranging for the sale or return of the Kuwait domestic workforce. Such systems for hiring and returning the Kuwait domestic workers currently constitutes the secondary labour markets where employers hire domestic workforce for a time span of two years or even a few days. Recommendation Various key recommendations have been offered to the problems faced by these migrant workers. The key recommendations range from those that are directed to the Kuwaiti governments to those that are directed to the foreign governments whose nationals are working in Kuwait. To the Kuwaiti government, it is recommended that they should first reform their legal system to recognize and provide protection to the foreign domestic workers. Among the key reforms include; Transforming the sponsorship system especially removing the job escape provisions as well as including the criminal charges and penalties for those employers who violate the rights of the workers. Besides, the Alien Residence Law should be abolished or adjusted to provide free labor mobility especially to the foreign domestic workers. This mobility would allow an access to other opportunities without consulting their employers and losing their immigration conditions. Enact labor legislations that recognize the foreign domestic workers. These legislations must ensure that all the foreign domestic workers are included under the Kuwaiti labor laws. Further, the labor legislation must ensure e qual protection of the foreign domestic worker just like any worker under the main labor laws. While drafting the legislation, the standard labor right protected by the international labor organization conventions must be taken into considerations or included as part of that legislation. The international labor conventions defines the standardized working conditions including the number of working hours, holidays as well as the minimum wage requirements. The legislations should be pegged on these conditions. The recruiting agencies should inform domestic workers about the Kuwait legal requirements, regulations and their obligations. Further, the information and contact details should be made available in case there is need for assistance. It is essential that the information be made in a language that is understandable to the foreign domestic workers. There is need for the ministry of labor to have extra authority to decisively deal with domestic labor grievances through the applica tion of any available adjudication mechanisms. In addition those cases that are beyond the labor disputes resolution or arbitration mechanisms should be referred to courts system. This calls for the repeal of the laws that bar courts from arbitration of such cases. Labor-compliant courts should be established and backed by the legal framework in order to act as a trusted arbiter to most of the domestic workers grievances. Domestic workers who have reported any abuse should also be provided with the earliest opportunity to return to their own countries. The government should also enact the legal system that prohibits the domestic workers employers as well as the recruiters from confiscating their employees’ passports and put serious penalties on those who have violated this regulation. The legal system should also put in place mechanisms for monitoring the compliance to this regulation as well as measures that should be taken to penalize those recruiters and employers that vio late the regulation. There is also a need for yearly based statistics about the nature and figure of grievances filed with various legal agencies as well as other departments dealing with domestic labor. The yearly bases records show how complaints are resolved and measures that have been taken against the violators of the regulatory laws. The government should provide financial and any other support to the civil societies that shelter or work hand in hand with immigrant workers whose rights have been violated. However, the conditions of the civil society organizations of protecting the domestic workers must be within the international standards. Moreover, the civil society should be in the forefront in advocating for the rights of these workers. The taskforce of domestic labor inspection should be created with a duty of ensuring that the working conditions for the domestic workers are within the law. The task force must also ensure that the employers are complying with the regulati ons that have been put in place. Generally the task force’s main responsibility should be monitoring the legal compliance of the sector. Finally, the governments are supposed to put in place stringent measures to check the excesses of the agencies dealing with the domestic labor. In the first step towards this mandate, the government should hire more staff to the department of domestic workers as well as any other government created monitoring agencies. In addition, the government should also create clear guidelines that ensure accountability for any of the agency abuses of the laws put in place. To the foreign countries whose nationals forms the domestic workers in Kuwait, the following recommendations are proposed. First, the foreign governments should promote and capacitate their embassies as well as the consulate in order to be capable of dealing with the problems of the domestic workers from their original countries. Most importantly, the foreign embassies in Kuwait shou ld provide assistance to the migrant domestic workers whose rights are constantly being violated by their employers and running away from the hash working conditions. Secondly, information in regards to the contractual rights, the workers’ rights under the international labor organizations as well as any other information concerning the working conditions should be provided to the domestic workers either by the recruiting agencies or any other international organization dealing with domestic labor. The embassies should provide other assistances such as finance and easy access to travel documents. Finally, the cases concerning the domestic workers abuses should be brought before the international organizations for further scrutiny by the embassies in these countries. Furthermore, embassies are supposed to be in places where foreign domestic workers who face criminal charges get protection and redress. The international organizations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), international labor organization (ILO) and the international organization for migration (IOM) should draft and promote the regional and international resolutions or uniform standards that provide protection to the domestic workers in line with the internationally acceptable labor standards and human rights. These organizations should also offer technical advice on legal issues concerning domestic workers to the foreign governments together with the government of Kuwait. Moreover, these organizations should work with the Kuwaiti government in the implementation of the legal reforms as well as increasing the public awareness on the domestic workers labor rights together with other agencies that deal with labor issues. Conclusions From the report findings it can be concluded that more than a half a million female migrant workers from South Asia and Africa working in Kuwait face numerous problems ranging from sexual and physical abuses to lengthy working hours without pay. Majority of t hese workers are women whose main duties include taking care of the households, taking care of the children, cooking meals and cleaning homes. Even though they play important role in these households, most of the employers take advantage of the weak legal system to abuse these workers. More stunning is the lack of legal backing against these abuses. Contrary to the expectations, the Kuwait labor legal system does not recognize the domestic workers while the immigration laws forbid them from running away from their work. Additionally, the immigrant workers are prevented by law from shifting their occupations without their employer’s acceptance. As a result, most of the foreign domestic workers who have been abused and reported the matter to the authorities have ended up being detained or deported without pay. The studies have also found out that most of the domestic workers have faced immigration charges as a result of fleeing from their employers’ abuses, running away or changing jobs without their employers’ consent. The report indicates that many domestic workers who have no chance of seeking legal redress over the abuses are constantly being deported by their various governments. In some instances, workers are forced to reimburse the recruitment cost in case they want to change their jobs. This is done through withholding the workers passports and employers consent to changing the employment. The employers are doing this in total disregard to the government regulations. Basically, the Kuwaiti government should repeal the Aliens Residence Law articles that allow individual employers control over workers freedom of movement, immigration statuses and the freedom to terminate employment. Fundamental legal reforms should be that which is all inclusive, implying the recognition of the foreign domestic workers within the Kuwaiti labor laws. These reforms should go beyond enactments and repeals to include the implementation of these laws to ens ure equal rights for the domestic workers. Therefore, if Kuwait fails to resolve the looming problems, it is likely to lose the official ties it has with the rest of the world. In fact, Kuwait needs to sincerely demonstrate to the international community that it takes the basic human rights into consideration and that it is committed to the protection of the domestic workers rights. Motaparthy, Priyanka, and L. Sandler. Kuwait, Walls at Every Turn: Abuse of Migrant Domestic Workers through Kuwait’s Sponsorship System. New York: Human Rights Watch, 2010. Print.

How does the media techniques employed in Tim Burtons film Edward Scissor hands illustrate the Gothic genre Essays

How does the media techniques employed in Tim Burtons film Edward Scissor hands illustrate the Gothic genre Essays How does the media techniques employed in Tim Burtons film Edward Scissor hands illustrate the Gothic genre Paper How does the media techniques employed in Tim Burtons film Edward Scissor hands illustrate the Gothic genre Paper Genre How does the media techniques employed in Tim Burtons film Edward Scissor hands illustrate the Gothic genre? Looking deep into the subject of media,Tim Burton uses Edward scissor hands to illustrate media techniques of Gothic genre by using effects of costume,lighting and sound.Together these create a gothic atmosphere in the story,introducing the audience to the main character and the story of Edward Scissorhands.The definition of the term Gothic Genre means a type of film or an novel which involves a dark and mysterious background of horror and romance.In this case Tim Burton created a film involving all the influences form Gothic culture.Basically,the story is about an unfinished robot named Edward Scissor-hand, made by its inventor and left unfinished,who was found in an old gothic mansion,castle ,living life alone and isolated ,but soon after he was found by Mrs who invited him into the neighbourhood to live a normal life.As the story goes on Edward falls in love with Mrs teenage daughter Kim but with Edwards unfortunate life he was refused in the community but his love for Kim stopped,him leaving.At the end of the story,it was presented Kim as a Grand Mother,who is telling a fairy tail story to her grand daughter about Edward the scissorhands.Focusing on costume,Burton had made the style very exciting,as it features a scissor hand for the main character Edward as it is told in the story.During the first few scenes Edward does not fit in with the setting and the features of the community but later on,his costume is arranged differently,which enabled Edward to fit in with the community better.For example when Mrs first finds Edward he is wearing black clothing (gothic),soon-after, the shirt he is wearing was changed to white.On the other hand his facial expressions or makeup do not change which gave Edward an unusual characteristics through out the crowd.Arranging Edwards cloths made a big change to his personal look of the Got hic style as a character but as the makeup or his body language did not change as he was a new person in the community which helped the character of Edward Scissorhand,were Tim Burton focused on to maintain Edwards unusual characteristics through out the crowd.The camera angles used in the film are important because they effect the actions which occur in the film.As I was watching the film,I noticed that most of the time camera angles are adjusted to get the perfect view,which enable the viewer to understand the image and the setting clearer and in a better position.In the film this was shown as the story introduces to the town,where it uses high camera angle to make sure people are getting a clearer view at its best for example,if the camera angle is very low (low angle), the viewer would not be in a position to see the full image.In this introduction scene there is also a crane shot involved,which is basically a shot taken in a moving position,which able the viewer to explore more of the image.In many other scenes Burton uses closeup and extreme close up shots,which mainly identifies the facial expressions and the emotions of the characters.This type of shots were revealed when the camera zoomed itself to show the emotions of Edward when he fell in love with Kim, at the middle of the story,showing a detailed view on his face.In the film,Tim Burton uses a lot of effective music and sounds,which is helping the viewers to understand the stories atmosphere better,this also helps the viewer to understand the Gothic Genre.The two main types of sounds used in the film is Synchronous (within the frame) and Asynchronous (outside of the frame),these sound are combined togeather to create the gothic atmosphere.The music at the start of film truely had a gothic essence to it as the tunes create suspence within the viewers.The way Burton styled Edwads voice is very interesting in its own way becacuse of the creepyness and wierdness it creates through out the whole film. Tim Burton focused on a different setting than in a normal Gothic Genre,as this film is layed out differently,comparing to the other films about Gothic Genre.The setting used features a standing out chcateristics mainly beacuse of the two different styles used, ike Edwards style is focued as Gothic but, on the other-hand the community shown in the film is compleatly differernt to Edward which makes Edward stand out and highlights him as a person.

5 Factors for Effective Business Writing Training

5 Factors for Effective Business Writing Training When it comes to business writing, which encompasses everything from email and report writing to marketing messages, even the Fortune 500 companies face crisis. All around theglobe, organizations spend millions onstaff training for leadership, motivation, team†building and whatnot, but invest far less in business writing training. This is a costly mistake.In mostcompanies, employees spend fully 40% of their time †Ã¢â‚¬  or more †Ã¢â‚¬  writing each day. Enhancingthis skill will greatly reduce time writing each document and yield better business writing. Traditionally, business writing typically referred to reports, proposals and memos. Thatnarrow definition is long gone. Every aspect of every business function is carried in some formof writing. New documents have emerged †Ã¢â‚¬  and some of them must be written and maintainedfor compliance with corporate or federal governance and other regulations. In such cases, the last thing your business needs is employees with poor writing skills. This iswhy your business’s primary objective, at the time of hiring, should be to assess the writing skills of your potential employees. After assessing your employees' writing skills, you will have a clear idea (ideally you will have a clear measurement) of current business writing skills and how to improve business writing skills overall. If you feel that your company lacks the necessary business writing skills to write relevant and structured content that clearly elicits the right business response, you can improve employee business writing abilities either by conducting an internal tutorial program or hiring outside expert training. In either case, here are the five most important factors that make up an effective business writing training session: 1) Qualification(s) The first step is to evaluate and verify the credentials of the writing expert and trainer who will conduct the business writing training. The instructor should be well†trained and experienced specifically in business writing, not writing in general. Look for a background in rhetoric, which indicates the trainer understands all aspects of business writing, including thinking, organization, creativity, relevance to audience purpose. Without an understanding of rhetoric, your business writing training could devolve to simplegrammar training. Good business writing training is much more than that. 2) Program Structure An effective business writing training class addresses both the substance and the syntax of documents. While syntax is easier to teach and to find an instructor for, substance requires a thorough understanding of your business, writing requirements, and relevant information involved. It is necessary to appoint an instructor who has both a mastery of English languageand who has taught writing and rhetoric as a subject previously.3) Customization There are several off†the†shelf business writing training programs and software available in the market. They offer a cost†effective way to improve business writing skills for your employees, but they may or may not be the right match for your particular company documents and employee skill gaps. One-size-fits-all doesn’t work with business writing, given its wide application. Search for a company that specializes in offering customized business writing training in addition to off†the†shelf options. This will ensure you’re dealing with a company that truly understands business writing. You will also save costs by gaining a customized business writing training program that does not have to built from scratch. 4) Continual Support Effective business writing training is not just a single event. Transforming your employees’ business writing skills involves continual training. After any business writing training program, make sure there is opportunity to ask ongoing questions and receive ongoing resources. Business writing standards evolve quickly. Make certain your employees have access to new information. 5) Flexibility Lastly, the business writing training should be flexible in two ways. First, it should achievethe desired results †Ã¢â‚¬  improve your employees’ business writing skills. Secondly, the training logistics should be flexible to match your requirements. Can the training support a large, onsite delivery? Can the training support a large, online delivery? Are online and onsite and general and customized options available to best match your needs? Will the company work with you to ensure logistics match what you want? Demand this. Download my eBook, â€Å"Four Steps to Improve Your Team’s Business Writing Skills"to learn more on what makes up a good business writing training session.Read and discover the secret art to effective business writing and maintaining your company’s image and efficiency through proper communication. Or, schedule a complimentary consultationwith a business writing expert to help your team write better at work.

Strategic intelligence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic intelligence - Assignment Example â€Å"Open sources often equal or surpass classified information in monitoring and analyzing such pressing problems as terrorism, proliferation, and counterintelligence† In this sense, OSINT is extremely important for formulation of military plans and government policies The OSINT can be segmented further into various divisions, according to the nature of the sources from which the information is extracted. However many a times officials feel that open source information are too open to be benefited for the secretive nature of military strategy or Governmental policies? OSINT can be related to wide variety of resources like internet, media and public data. The OSINT is the publicly available information which is utilized by American Intelligence Agency and U.S. Department of Defense. Apart from publicly available data, various vendors also supply information to the intelligence agency and government under one name. Generally speaking, OSINT is the easiest way of procuring information from a particular resource. Apart from OSINT, another data collection method which is of primary importance is HUMINT.HUMINT here refers to the human intelligence and information gathered with the assistance of interpersonal connection. This can be acquired with the aid of interview with people, government advisors, accredited diplomats, espionage, Nongovernmental organizations, prisoners or detainees and refugees. Here the information is gathered or collected from interacting with real human beings. However the information collector needs to have accurate knowledge about what needs to be collected in order to make good use of the gathered information. If the information collected is inadequate, there is a chance that there would be loss of energy time and expenditure. Even while collecting information through HUMINT, attention should be given that information collected are genuine. A lack of authenticity in information gathered can result in poor military strategic plans

Class,but not race Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Class,but not race - Essay Example story of hardship, slavery, and Jim Crow laws within the South, legislators within the United States government sought to implement what came to be known as â€Å"Affirmative Action†. Effectively, this particular approach was one that sought to consider race as a determining factor and necessary requirements for organizations and firms, as well as educational institutions, when selecting an individual for a job position or in other organizational settings. Although this federally and legislatively mandated program has created a great deal of fairness within the system, many detractors point to the fact that it is inherently unfair due to the fact that it still continues to perpetuate a system in which an individual’s overall worth is predicated upon racial characteristics. Furthermore, individuals that are specifically against affirmative action have pointed to the fact that at its core, it is not much different than the racial interpretations of an individual’s worth that were perpetrated during the Jim Crow era of the Deep South; albeit somewhat in reverse. One of the authors that specifically finds the issue with affirmative action is Richard Kahlenberg. Kahlenberg’s viewpoint is that the practice of Affirmative Action has in fact been more unfair than it has been fair. The rationale behind this seemingly extreme statement is predicated upon the fact that affirmative action only considers racial characteristics with respect to making determinations within the public sphere. However, according to Kahlenberg, a more root cause of disparity that exists between blacks and whites is not predicated upon skin color alone; rather, Kahlenberg argues that it is predicated upon class. Said Kahlenberg, â€Å"Race-based affirmative action tells the most disadvantaged whites that you have very little in common with African Americans, because you have white skin privilege†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"If the goal is to unite people of all races, this policy is a disaster† (Judis 1).

Seminar issues in hospital Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminar issues in hospital - Case Study Example A human resource unit must develop the skills and potential of an organization. Recent research indicates that career development and a challenging work environment is a priority for most employees (Griffin, 2015). They must create individual development plans for every position in the organization. In addition, this development needs evaluation and measurement to identify the satisfaction level of its workforce. The organization can use some devices to reduce the workforce. Succession planning is essential to ensure that the remaining employees can comfortably handle the remaining work. A voluntary exit incentive program is a useful device to ensure a smooth transition of laid-off employees out of the organization (Hopeman, 2003). Two years is a long enough period to ensure that the program is successful in an organization. Another device is the use of a forced ranking system, in which the abilities of the workforce are ranked according to their skills, and other factors such as length of stay in the organization, and performance (Hopeman, 2003). The human resource department is the most suited unit to implement the two devices in a fair manner. A voluntary exit incentive program is cheaper than a forced ranking system. A forced ranking system is a complex process that involves observation, collection, and analysis of

Wag the Dog Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wag the Dog - Assignment Example This influence of media is clearly seen in the movie entitled Wag the Dog. This paper aims to critique the aforementioned movie in terms of the effects of media and the movie itself as a form of media. Wag the Dog tells the story of a film producer named Stanley Motts, played by Dustin Hoffman and a political adviser, Conrad Brean who is portrayed by Robert De Niro. After a scandal about the president molesting a young girl just a few days before the election, Brean is tasked to ensure his win despite the scandal. Consequently, Brean goes to Motts to â€Å"produce† a war in order to divert the attention of the public to a more important and serious concern. A play about a young Albanian girl running from a village is run as a real news event that mobilized the CIA. Consequently, the produced â€Å"war news† lost its magic when the CIA declared that there are no signs of war or threats on the country. The adviser and producer again make a story about a war hero. This time, the production works its wonders and makes the president a good product. Unfortunately, the producers failed to investigate on the background of their choice actor and they faced the problem of answ ering the possible questions of the people. The producer however, finds a solution to their every problem and they finally bring home their fallen hero for his highly publicized funeral. This made the president’s statistics positive, assuring him of a win during the elections. Meanwhile, the producer craves for the credit for his best production yet. Wanting to protect the confidential information, Brean has to silence Motts. Later, he is announced to have died of a massive heart attack while sunbathing. The president was re-elected and the show continues regarding the Albanian war. The aforementioned movie portrays the effect of media to how people perceive their surroundings. A war can be created and it

Neorealist and Neoliberal Alternatives to U.S. - Russian Security Essay

Neorealist and Neoliberal Alternatives to U.S. - Russian Security Cooperation - Essay Example While neorealism essentially believes that international political situation is inherently anarchic and the only chance of survival a state has is through striking an acceptable balance of power, neoliberalism postulates the world is a community of nations where collective security should be the goal which can be attained through rational harmonization of sovereign interests of member nations (Calhoun 2002). So, it would be in the nature of things to briefly discuss these two apparently contradictory theories, more so the conflict between them, before one delves deeper into the intricacies of mutual relations between two United States and Russia. Anarchy has very often been the starting point of many theories of international relations and the first important point of difference between these two theories is how they perceive anarchy and how they draw their conclusions from such perceptions. The problem possibly lies in having implicit assumptions regarding strategic considerations of a state that are not clearly codified but clouds clarity in drawing rational inferences. The second point of difference is the issue of absolute and relative gains of states. The issue of absolute or relative gains is inextricably intertwined with strategic environment of a particular state and the extent of absolute or relative gains is measured by a particular state against the backdrop of the strategic environment in which it is located.

Letter from Mahavira Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter from Mahavira - Essay Example By enduring all sorts of calamities, I was given this name Mahavira, which means great hero or brave and courageous. You have to learn how to conquer your desires and feelings, not be conquered by them. The only way to liberate yourself from all the pain is learning about the right faith (samyak-darshana), right knowledge (samyak-jnana), and right conduct (samyak-charitra). This last is based on the five vows. Do you remember the five great vows Nonviolence (Ahimsa)-do not harm any living being; Truthfulness (Satya)-to speak only the truth; Non-stealing (Asteya)- do not take anything that was not given to you; Chastity (Brahmacharya)-do not indulge in sexual pleasure; Non-possession/Non-attachment (Aparigraha)- to detach from any material possession. These five principles will help you achieve the blissful state. But you need to detach completely from people, places, and material things. That is why I spent twelve years of my life in silence and deep meditation. Sometimes, I spent days without eating, I had no place to live or clothes to wear, but I achieved Kevalnyan, enlightenment. When I learned this ultimate truth I decided to travel around India and share this knowledge. Be careful with all the living beings, if you harm them, you will be harming yourself. If you take something that was not given to you, it would be like stealing to yourself. Indulging in sensual or materialistic passion will only lead to vices like greed, lust, hatred and anger. These feelings are all violent and destructive; they can lead you to kill. Your karma will accumulate. If you wish to become a monk, you will have to follow your vows strictly. Monks and nuns will have to be very strict about following the Jain philosophy. Everyone can achieve the ultimate happiness; I do not make distinction between men, women, rich or poor. I divide my followers in what is called a four-fold order: monk (Sadhu), nun (Sadhvi), layman (Shravak), and laywoman (Shravika). I believe that the theories of Anekantvada and Syadvada, explain the relativity in the world. The world has an infinity of view points depending on the time, place, nature and state of the one who is the viewer and that which is viewed. The truth has many aspects, it depends from the points of view. What is true from one point of view may vary from another. Absolute truth cannot be obtained from any particular perspective alone. Absolute truth is the sum total of all the different-view points. Imagine for example that you have your eyes covered and that you come across a river while you walk. You step inside and the water covers up to your knees, not too deep it seemed. When you go out and uncover your eyes, you discover that you were standing up on a rock inside the river, but that the river was in fact so deep that it would cover you up to your head. The perspective changed the way in which you described the river. In order to obtain Moksha, you can follow the self-discipline methods I have preached and practiced. Some of them are: disregard of worldly objects, moral purity, meditating without moving the body, self-denial, penance, austerity, renouncing to pleasure, and freedom from karma. Meditation is very important in the life of a Jain. It helps to discipline the mind and the body. Sometimes you will remain in deep meditation in a same position for a long time, while your mind

Neorealist and Neoliberal Alternatives to U.S. - Russian Security Essay

Neorealist and Neoliberal Alternatives to U.S. - Russian Security Cooperation - Essay Example While neorealism essentially believes that international political situation is inherently anarchic and the only chance of survival a state has is through striking an acceptable balance of power, neoliberalism postulates the world is a community of nations where collective security should be the goal which can be attained through rational harmonization of sovereign interests of member nations (Calhoun 2002). So, it would be in the nature of things to briefly discuss these two apparently contradictory theories, more so the conflict between them, before one delves deeper into the intricacies of mutual relations between two United States and Russia. Anarchy has very often been the starting point of many theories of international relations and the first important point of difference between these two theories is how they perceive anarchy and how they draw their conclusions from such perceptions. The problem possibly lies in having implicit assumptions regarding strategic considerations of a state that are not clearly codified but clouds clarity in drawing rational inferences. The second point of difference is the issue of absolute and relative gains of states. The issue of absolute or relative gains is inextricably intertwined with strategic environment of a particular state and the extent of absolute or relative gains is measured by a particular state against the backdrop of the strategic environment in which it is located.

What are the differences between managing people in a small marketing Essay

What are the differences between managing people in a small marketing consultancy and in a family run shoe factory - Essay Example But, the crucial fact is, most of the organization will be managed differently, based on the characteristics of the workers who work in it, among other reasons. Likewise, there is a difference between managing people in a small marketing consultancy and in a family run shoe factory. Firstly, inside a family run shoe factory, there will be an inbuilt or rooted organizational culture, built by the founder or the leader. That is, in any organization, the workers like the five different fingers in one’s hand, will be different from one another, as they will come from different backgrounds. The unison of these different humans under a single organization to reach a target is, and will always be a difficult proposition. As these different humans could only create a different working culture, the success rate will be minimal. Inside the shoe factory, this organizational culture could be easily established because being a family run factory, the founder or owner would have recruited or posted his/her family members from the same background in important positions. Also, as there will a close relationship between the employees, it will reflect in the work. Another vital element is, culture â€Å"coevolves† with the organization, when it achieves success (Sc hein). So, managing them will be an easy affair because of the presence of a common organizational culture. But, in the case of the marketing consultancy, the workers could be from different background having different educational qualifications, ethnicity, etc, etc. In those environments, the workers will only exhibit different mindset, and so formation of a common organizational culture is a difficult task or it will take time. So, managing a small marketing consultancy firm with different workers would also be a difficult task. Inside the family run shoe factory, on the flip side, even if the workers are found to be inept, they will not be fired easily. That is, when the employee becomes too lazy, self-seeking,

Virtue and Real Good Values Essay Example for Free

Virtue and Real Good Values Essay  · Select five values that are most important to you in making decisions.  · Write a 200- to 300-word response addressing the following questions: 1. Ambition 2. Compassion 3. Loyalty 4. Respect 5. Understanding 1. What commonalities do you see in the values you have chosen? The main commonalities I see in the five values I have chosen is that fact that it seems to be really good attributes in someone who really care about someone else. 2. How do these values affect your ethical decision-making? Which type of â€Å"ethical thinker† would you classify yourself as based on your chosen values? I really believe all the five values help me make an ethical decision. For example I would want a person that has ambition, compassion, loyalty, respect, and understanding to work for me. I think these values are important for everyday life. 3. What will you do when one or more of the values you have listed conflict? If one or more of these values conflicts, is time to analyze the situation and sit and re think the values I pick. Everything don’t work together you just got to find some value that work together. I feel these values will not conflict I think they are some real good values. 4. Reflect on the values of your organization or an organization you are familiar with. Are there any major differences between your personal values and the organization’s values? I feel that they are not no different between my values I have to use them every day in life. The values depend on the decision you make in everyday life. They can conflict but you have to find some values that will help with everything you are making a decision you are making in your life.

Aspects and benefits of Work Life Balance

Aspects and benefits of Work Life Balance 1.0 INTRODUCTION This following thesis discusses with the work life balance of an organization. As it is to be explained in this essay a work life balance is required in any organization. It is a vital aspect which most of the organizations do not consider and as a result they end up facing critical situations which could have been easily prevented from happening. The reason is that all the employees would get a proper balance between their work and the time that they spend at home and family. This is very important because the satisfaction of an employee must be given high priority. It is only when the employee is satisfied that his performance could reach to its maximum levels. When the production capacity of every employee in the organization increases, this would obviously increase the productivity of the organization. Therefore this would lead to high sales and profits which would help organizations to reach the optimum level possible. The essay also talks about what is important to manage people within the organization. There are explanations about how stress, empowerment, government regulations and employee of choice could help in the management of employees within the organization. There are also illustrations of how to implement work life balance within the organizations. So as told above the whole routine on an organization depends on the performance of the employees which most organizations dont understand. On continuing with this essay everything will be explained in detail and how work life balance affects an organization. 2.0 DISCUSSION 2.1 HRM defined Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment, management, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers. (Alexander, J. O. 2005) 2.2.1 Work Life Balance Before look into it deep it is all ways a question on what work life is. It basically represents the meaning of an individual balancing his life from work and family. In such situations it is believed that a person can perform to his/her expected level. Work life balance is not a problem to be solved; it is an issue to be managed. Many people and organizations think of work life balance as a problem whereas it should be not. It is only a problem if one is not able to achieve it which in most cases happens but also it basically tells a person that managing it will always make him/her successful. (Luthans, 2008. P. 250) In the earlier days work was just done as a requirement and a part of endurance, however now it is a form of personal satisfaction and less as a kind of survival. One of the medium that help these employees reach their personal development and organizational success is work-life balance. Work-life balance used in the right spirit may not only cause benefits to the employees, it may be a source through which the entire organization gains competitive advantage. Work-Life Balance is taking a bigger bite out of corporate profits than any other bottom line issue today. As a result, it provides the biggest and easiest upside opportunity to immediately affect on the business As employees of firms have been bombarded with overload of work over the decades, as shown in the picture, the concept of work-life will help organizations to hold their best employees. However, it should be remembered that Work-Life balance is not a problem to be solved; it is an issue to be managed as told before. Unfortunately most mangers are woefully untrained to manage this issue for themselves, much less help others to manage it. During the course of this essay recommendations will be provided to overcome this fundamental problem. 2.2.2 Benefits of work life balance for the organization When organizations are able to create a work environment with work-life balance, there are many benefits to the organization. In such cases it can be pointed out that work life balance carries out some benefits. (Perrow, 2006, p.125) Retain staff- As told before with a proper well maintained work life balance employees will be satisfied with whatever they are being given with and will be willing to work more. With self and work satisfied employees an organization can easily retain staff. This will reduce the cost of advertising, recruiting and training of new employees To improve team work and working bonds- Well satisfied employees will always look to work more and perform tasks that they are being assigned to. A work environment with work-life balance will enhance the working relationships between colleagues, improve morale and will encourage employees to show more initiative and teamwork. To increase level of production- With proper retained staff and team effort a higher production level can be achieved. This will help the organization to cater into mass marketing with mass level of production. 2.2.3 Benefits of work life balance for the employees Increase in Job Satisfaction- Since the employees do not have to worry about much of their other matter as a result of a well maintained work life balance they will be able to concentrate on their work which will eventually lead to job satisfaction. This will improve the quality of work which will also lead to better quality output. Decreasing stress and burn out- With proper work life balance being maintained it is obvious that stress is being reduced. As a result of reduction in stress performance of the employees will increase which will eventually benefit the organization. Collaboration- If work life balance is achieved employees will be much satisfied with the work, this will act a motivational factor. Then the employees will be able to work as a team and develop their skills. Therefore they will be benefited by adopting new skills and new techniques which will not only help them in their career but also their social life. 2.3 Why is it important to manage people Think of the last time you heard statements like these; Im the boss here!, Just do the job I gave you!, You need to do it my way! How did you actually feel? Did you feel de-motivated to carry on with your work? Of course you will. Keeping the employees of the organization happy and making sure that they are comfortable with their work surroundings is crucial to the employees performance. And it is their performance that ultimately affects the organization as a whole. The words and the employers reaction, as well as the reactions of others, reflect generational differences in the workplace. For example, if an employee is not happy with his/her boss, this might de-motivate the employee to perform. This de-motivation may rub off on other fellow employees. And ultimately when most of the employees of the department are de-motivated to work, it would result in the poor performance of the entire department. (Alexander, 2006, p.5-12) We have four different generations working side-by-side in the workplace. Remember, if you are old enough, when older workers were the bosses and younger workers did what was asked of them, no questions asked. There were definite rules as to how the boss was treated and how younger workers treated older workers. No longer: Roles today are all over the place and the rules are being rewritten daily. Research indicates that people communicate based on their generational backgrounds. Each generation has distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits and motivational buttons. Learning how to communicate with the different generations can eliminate many major confrontations and misunderstandings in the workplace and the world of business. (Hammil, 2005) There are four generations of employees, which are silents, baby boomers, generation xers and generation Ys. The table given below shows the generation timeline. Source: http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm As of today many of the employees included in the baby boomer generation is retiring or is expecting to retire. Thus the modern day workforce mostly consists of the Generation X Y. Generation X value education, parenting and independence more than work and they have developed varying skills and are more determined in meeting an employee that best suit their needs. Generation Y are those born between 1980 to the present. They are also called Millennias and Echo boomers. Generation Y has been defined as better educated, more tech-savvy, more achievement oriented, and better at problem solving than boomers. (Henricks, 2007) The table given below shows the individuals his or her underlying values, or personal or lifestyle characteristics and how it corresponds with each generation. Source: http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm 2.3.1 Factors that affect the employees in the workplace Looking at the factors that affect the employees in the workplace: Stress Stress occurs when you exceed your ability to cope with pressure. It can be simply described as the harmful physical and emotional response that occurs when there is a poor match between job demands and the capabilities and the resources of the employee. We know that lack of control and autonomy, long hours, lack of job satisfaction and bullying can all cause stress. What cannot still be identified is how resilient an individual may be at coping with pressure. At present one cant predict the impact that exposure to a stressful environment will have on a person. It depends on genetic make-up. You could suffer mental failure or you could get a heart disease. Therefore overly stressed workers will only result in being a burden to the organization as performance commitment levels tend to decline, adding to the losses. (John, 2002, p.25). Empowerment Empowerment is the authority to make decisions within ones area of responsibility without first having to get approval from some superior (luthans, 2008, p. 290). This is about the trust element between the employee and the manager that comes thorough flexible working and is very beneficial to the organization. Freedom to work flexibly is one of the most powerful incentives to attracting and retaining staff. Since we all know that a flexible workforce is also a powerful economic weapon because it helps safeguard against inflation. Indeed, the freedom to work flexibly if so desired is an essential tenet in the new psychological contract between employers and employees. Surveys show it is one of the most powerful incentives for attracting and retaining staff. (Samson Daft, 2005, p.164) Government Regulations -These are simply laws made by the government to provide flexibility for working parents of small children. Again this is crucial to maintain proper work life balance. The governments at present plan to preserve the notion in law regarding this matter. To avoid bitterness, employers will have to offer different incentives to all staff. The movement towards offering a new work-life balance is unstoppable, as it is what everyone wants. However it is a requirement that organizations together with individuals find the perfect balance, with equal commitments to sectors, work life. (kaufman, 2000, p.254) Employer of choice The primary objective of any business is (or should be) to create a high performance workplace. High performance workplaces are characterized by their creativity, innovation, flexibility and competitiveness. Workplaces where people choose to work and give freely of their energies and feel a sense of personal achievement, satisfaction, individual purpose and security, where there is synergy between personal missions and work challenges, and organizational achievement and where the workplace sense of community contributes to overall social cohesion. (Centro, 2009. P. 300) 2.3.2 So what does Employer of Choice mean In simple terms it means that people will choose to work for you and they will: Choose to dedicate them to your success. Choose to stay with you, even when they are being courted by recruiters from other Employers recruiters with exceptionally attractive inducements. An employer of choice is one who inspires highly talented workers to join them and stay with them. (Herman Gloria, 2004, p.158). 2.4 ASPECTS OF WORK LIFE BALANCE 2.4.1 Job sharing Job sharing if we examine is a form of permanent part-time work, where the full time work is coordinately divided between two or more people, where each individual is given specific responsibilities and areas for the entire workload. It needs to be understood that a change from full-time to a job sharing arrangement doesnt mean that the continuity of the employment is broken. (Jones, 2005, p.256) Benefits It increases co-operation and collaboration between all staffs Enhance the experience and knowledge of each individual when the job is shared Enable is better balance paid work persona, family, social and community If any employee is currently involved in any part time studies, this gives them the flexibility for them to complete their studies in a faster rate. Potential Disadvantages Job sharing may also give rise to; Duplication of work or conflicting decisions due to poor communication between the job sharers Disruption of work caused by the absence of a person working on a matter which needs to be completed that day Difficulties renegotiating a job share arrangement if one job sharer leaves The need for additional communication mechanisms for job sharers and other staff Salary, superannuation and other entitlements being affected. Suggestions for overcoming potential problems Chose a job share partner who has a complimentary working style and one whom you communicate well. Job sharers and Managers should clarify the details of the job share arrangements together, prior to the commencement of the job share arrangement. Factors to consider include: How tasks will be divided How to hand over How important decisions will be made How to keep the Manager and other staff members informed about these What will happen if one job sharer resigns Staff members are encouraged to outline these details in their flexible work proposal and Managers need to ensure that they are clearly documented in the final agreed arrangement. Plan well prior to the introduction of the job share arrangement. This is crucial to preventing many of the potential problems that may arise under this type of arrangement. 2.4.2 Part time work Part-time work for professional staff members entails working less than the standard weekly or fortnightly hours, for which all entitlements are paid on a pro-rata basis. Types of the part-time work arrangements include: Weekly fraction: working 0.5 on the basis of two and a half working days each week Fortnightly fraction: three working days one week and two working days the next week within a pay period. Annual fraction: working 0.5 time for the whole year but working six months full time and six months off. Converting from full-time work to part-time work for a defined period of time is also negotiable. This enables a phased return to work following extended or prolonged leave (eg. maternity or sick leave) or phased exit before retiring. Benefits Part-time employees are better able to manage their working hours to suit their personal, family, social and community responsibilities and interests. For e.g. Having time to do well in their job Keeping stress at an acceptable level Maintaining a good balance between work and other aspects of life Meeting their family responsibilities. Employers have greater capacity for attracting and retaining high performing, innovative employees who might otherwise have difficulty in working full-time. Organizations that demonstrate an appreciation of part-time work and flexibility in assisting staff to manage work-life balance enjoy an enhanced public perception. Potential Disadvantages Salary, superannuation and other entitlements may be affected by a reduction in working hours. There may be a need to cover load/hours when part-time employees are not working, especially for roles previously performed on a full-time basis. There is potential for overloading other staff members with work to cover load/hours when part-time workers are not working, especially for roles previously performed on a full-time basis. Suggestions for overcoming potential problems By planning well prior to the introduction of the flexible work arrangement, managers can ensure that when part-time staff members are not working, the work unit is adequately covered. Effective planning and clear communication amongst the parties concerned shall ensure that staff members are not burdened with an overload of work. 2.4.3 Flexible time Flexi-time is an arranged agreement between a Manager and staff member in which they mutually agree to vary their staff members commencing, ceasing and meal break times while still maintaining the total number of hours worked over a period. Another version of flexi-time is when time off in lieu accrued when a staff member works longer than 7.35 hours per day or 36.75 hours per week. These accrued hours can be used to reduce the work hours during other days within the week/fortnight. Since 2006, record keeping requirements under the  Workplace Relations Act  1996 require staff members, entitled to overtime or penalty rates, to record hours for worked in excess of their ordinary work hours. Flexi-time arrangements take into account the current and operational needs of the work area. This means that some positions or work areas will not be able to accommodate flexi-time. Benefits Flexi-time enables the arrangement of working hours to suit personal or family commitments, particularly staff with dependent children. For example, by commencing work at a later time or finishing work at an earlier time enables many parents to drop their children off to school in the mornings or pick them up in the afternoon. Accumulating additional hours then having long stretches of time off work allows employees to more effectively pursue broader career/personal/social and community responsibilities and interests. Employees who are better able to manage their work-life balance more effectively are more likely to have high staff morale, greater employee satisfaction and work commitment resulting in a more enriched working environment and a correspondingly more vibrant, creative and productive workforce. Potential Disadvantages Flexi-time arrangements may mean there are inadequate staff levels at some times. Staffs are required to keep detailed records of flexi-time, which is resource intensive and time-consuming. Suggestions for overcoming potential problems Good planning prior to the introduction of the flexi work arrangements is crucial to preventing many of the potential problems that may arise under this type of arrangement. 2.4.4Pre Retirement contracts A pre-retirement contract is a fixed-term contract entered into by the University and a staff member seeking to retire at a specified future time (usually in between 1-5 years time). Professional and academic staff who are eligible for consideration of a pre-retirement contract includes staff who have: Tenured or continuing employment with the company Reached 55 years of age and will retire at the expiry of the pre-employment contract. Benefits For the staff member A pre-retirement contract allows a staff member to plan for the future by giving guaranteed employment for the duration of the contract. Employees receive a 10% loading above normal salary which is bonus. The contract period provides the work unit time for succession planning. Conversion to a pre-retirement contract can also be combined with part-time employment, enabling employees to enjoy the benefits of retirement while at the same time undertaking paid work. For the Company Pre-retirement contracts provide job opportunities for other employees. The contract period allows the Company to know when a staff member will retire provides certainty for forward/succession planning. 2.4.5 Work from home Professional and academic staff members may work from home: For a specified period of time For a specific project Under certain conditions provided the arrangement is both appropriate and practicable. Approval for a home based work arrangement is therefore considered on a case to case basis, having regard to the nature and requirements of the work, including Occupational Health and Safety requirements. Work duties that involve a  high level of autonomy and independence  are more appropriate for home based work arrangements and include: Project work Report writing Policy development and analysis Computer design and programming Duties that do not require close supervision or contact with other staff, students and public relations A degree of computer literacy to facilitate independent work from home Minimal usage of files and other resources located in the office. The type of  equipment  required for undertaking home based work may include: A computer with disc drives, a USB port or Ethernet connection for transferring work done at home to the office Switching work phone through to the home computer or home phone Having access to University databases and networks on the home computer The provision of a telephone answering service, fax machine or mobile phone. Benefits Working from home can result in: The ability to concentrate on a primary project Less time spent travelling to and from work Reduced child care costs More time with the children and family. Potential Difficulties Working from home may also facilitate: Practical difficulties in arranging equipment required by the employee to undertake home based work Potential risks/hazards at home Distractions resulting in an inability to work as effectively and efficiently as an equivalent staff member on campus Feelings of isolation Lack of access to  staff development opportunities  and workplace information. Suggestions for overcoming potential problems Good planning prior to the introduction of the home based work arrangement is crucial to preventing many of the potential problems that may arise under this type of arrangement. The University provides information for Managers, including steps to be followed in  negotiating flexible work arrangements  and a checklist to assist with this process. 2.4.6 Paternity Leave Providing services such as paternity leave, child care and elder care will further develop the employee relationship with the Organization. Hence, increasing the balance of work and family. All parents  with children under the age of 8;  in the case of a child with disabilities the age limit is 16  are entitled to up to 14 weeks Parental Leave 2.4.7 Compassionate or Emergency Leave Most employers recognize the need for leave in emergency situations. Arrangements vary from organization to organization and are frequently informal. Many employees prefer the need for leave in emergency situations or unavoidable circumstances however arrangement may vary for company to company. However if the company is practicing work life balance they will be able to provide leave to that individual and sharing the work among the employees. 2.4.8 Term-Time Working This system means that the employee works during school terms but not during the school holidays. It appeals, in particular, to parents of school going children. Employment or career break:  At certain stages in working life a break may be needed, for example: to devote more time to other things or for personal development reasons. The facilitating of such breaks can assist in retaining valued staff. A growing number of organizations provide such breaks on either a formal or less structured basis. Sabbaticals:  This is a period of absence from work, which may or may not be on full pay, and duration is normally related to length of service. They provide an opportunity for employees to take a break from or reflect on their work, or engage in new activities. Exam and Study Leave:  When an employee is pursuing further education (this may or may not be job-related), an organization may provide paid leave for the purposes of study and to enable the employee to sit exams.   In the case of workers under 18, this may be mandatory as set out in the  Education (Welfare) Act (2000). 2.4.9 E-Working The concept of e-Working involves working at a distance, not face to face using the technology to ease communications. Through the state of the art technology such as video conferring and Skype for e.g., communication has been made simple and just about everywhere and anytime. It is well suited to performing information technology tasks and works well in certain situations where the employee has a high degree of autonomy, e.g.: Architecture, journalism. Difficulties to be overcome can include issues of control, lack of face to face contact and consistency of service provision. 2.4.10 Virtual Teams Virtual development includes where forming teams of e-workers to work in a mutually supportive way. The team members may not work together or in fact stay in the same country however via the internet the communication is made effectively. This form of teamwork may be suitable in certain situations but the lack of personal interaction and human contact will render it inappropriate in situations where these factors are considered important. 2.5 Benefits of work life balance in work places Work life balance and practices can bring benefits in direct and in direct form to employees, employers and as a whole to the organization. The benefits that come into the organization due to the practices of such strategy would be tangible and quantifiable than other, where they contribute to the organizations gain in the long run. When organizations are able to create a work environment with work life balance, there are many benefits to the organization which could be priceless. 2.5.1 Image An organization that implements such strategy would be a most preferred work place by employees, more over this would create an image for the organization as an entity that emphasizes on their employees satisfaction and well look into the needs of their and satisfy them where as ensuring that organizational goals are been archived. As a whole the organization would have an image in the society as a workers most preferred organization. 2.5.2 Increase in productivity Many researchers have been proved that the best motivation a human can get is not when he is benefited only in monetary terms, where as the person would get motivated and satisfied when his basic and essentials needs are recognized and satisfied. Thus work life balance provides a ground for such practices for the in a organization. Where flexi work hours are encouraged according to the employees situation, telecommuting, job sharing and maternity leaves etc. therefore the employee would feel that his basic and essential needs are been recognized and been addressed and due to the above mentioned methods they could perform their task from homes or flexi working hours where they could address their personal needs and do along with the organizational demand. This would bring down the stress level of employees by not loading everything in one time and as a whole would increase the productivity of the employees in the long run. 2.5.3 Retention of current employee rates When such practices are been exercised in an organizations and where employees are been looked after well where by addressing their issues in a more effective way the employee retention level would be on a positive note. This would reduce the burden on the organization looking for new employees, the cost associated with hiring new employees is relatively high in contrast to the real world where the organization has to incur cost such as advertising and recruitment and training which would be a timely process with high levels of cost involved A work environment with work-life balance will enhance the working relationships between colleagues, improve morale and will encourage employees to show more initiative and teamwork. Therefore, it will increase the levels of production and job satisfaction by decreasing stress and burn-out 2.6 World Class examples of successful organizations which has practiced Work Life Balance 2.6.1 How Google Inc. helps its employees to balance work-life Google as one of the top 10 best companies in the world as a motivation technique (usually called Innovation Time Off), all Google engineers are encouraged to spend 20% of their work time (one day per week) on projects that interest the. The culture at Google Inc. have helped its employees to do what they like to do and thereby reduces their job related stress levels. In an effort to maintain the companys unique flexible work culture, Google has designated a Chief Culture Officer in 2006, who also serves as the Director of Human Resources and the purpose of the Chief Culture Officer is to develop and maintain the culture and work on ways to keep true to the core values that the company was founded on in the beginning-a flat organization with a collaborative environment in order to help the employees to perform well in their jobs by balancing their work-life. Here are some things you might find in a Google workspace: Bicycles for efficient travel between meetings, dogs, lava lamps, and massage chairs. Googlers sharing cubes, yurts, and huddle rooms (few single offices!) with three or four team members. Laptops in every employees hand (or bike basket), for mobile coding and note-taking. Pool tables, volleyball courts, assorted video games, pianos, ping pong tables, lap pools, gyms that include yoga and dance classes. Grassroots employee organizations of all kinds, such as meditation classes, film clubs, wine tasting groups, and salsa dance clubs. Healthy lunches and dinners for all staff at a wide variety of cafà ©s, and outdoor seating for sunshine brainstorming. Snack rooms packed with various snacks and drinks to keep Googlers going throughout the day. These have helped the employees of Google Inc to balance their work-life so, that they could do more innovative, creative things. 2.6.2 How Cisco Systems helps its employees to balance work-life As one of the top 10 companies of the world sustainable work performance based on employee satisfaction is critical to Ciscos success. Accordingly, their managers are trained and encouraged to make sure employees can successfully balance their work and personal lives. Cisco has a tradition of offeri