Equity and Trust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Equity and Trust - Essay Example However area of conflict had arisen in the proper disposition of these gifts. A detailed description of Neil’s will and the circumstances related to each of the term stated in the will may prove to be helpful in resolving the conflict. Neil’s will states the following terms : -> 30,000 to be given to the â€Å"Supporters of Elfed Hospital† as a gift -> 60,000 to be gifted to the â€Å"Friends of Thomas Hospital† and -> 400,000 to be used to provide benefits to the inhabitants of Elfed and special privilege to be given to the employees of Neil & Co Ltd and their families. Discussing each of the terms in details would give a clear view of the scenario and will also be helpful in advising the executors of Neil on the probable terms of the declarations made. -> 30,000 to be gifted the â€Å"Supporters of Elfed Hospital† A view on the history behind the relationship between Neil and Elfed Hospital reveals that the main factory of Neil & Co Ltd. is situat ed in the village of Elfed. There is every possibility that considering this fact Neil had included this term in his will, for gifting 30,000 to the â€Å"supporters† of Elfed hospital. Though he mentioned the term â€Å"supporters† and as such there is no legal declaration or discrimination for this particular term, it could be well assumed that the main intention behind mentioning this in the will is to provide welfare in terms of monetary benefits to the Elfed hospital and not in particular to any supporters or volunteers or anyone specific as such.

Mexican Migrant Workers Essay Example for Free

Mexican Migrant Workers Essay Migrant workers have long played a crucial role in the economy of the United States, there has always been a rather heavy flow of both legal and illegal immigrants to the United States. There is a large variety of different jobs available for both legal and illegal immigrants in the United States, many women find work with more affluent families and are employed as nannies or maids. Some women find work in factories, often turning out clothes or toys, which is often labor-intensive low-wage work and especially for those migrant workers that may not be in the country legally. Perhaps the most important role that these women play in the U. S. ’s economy involves our extensive agriculture sector. Prior to slave labor restrictions agriculture in the U. S. was largely dependent on slave labor, which was essentially free as one might expect. The first English colonies imported slave labor as early as 1619 and Spanish colonies had practiced intensive slave labor since the 1560s. Slave labor became increasingly important in producing high-value cash crops such as tobacco, sugar, coffee and cotton. Although slave labor was most important in Southern plantation style agriculture, it also played an integral role in agriculture in the North which is contrary to the popular belief of Northern states being intolerant towards slavery. After slavery was abolished in the 1860s and the slaves were emancipated, it was clear that those involved in agriculture would have to find another source of cheap labor to pick up the slack (Valdez 1). Luckily for North American farmers there were many sources of cheap labor at this time and many people willing to immigrate to find work. Shortly after the abolishment of slavery there was a very large influx of Chinese immigrants, a vast majority of these immigrants were put to work in agriculture as well as being integral to building the nations railroads. The flow of Chinese immigrants was curtailed by the U. S. government when they passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, generally believed to be a reaction to the decline of the gold rush with legislators using the Chinese as a scapegoat. Partially due to the loss of Chinese immigrant labor, many workers began migrating to the U. S. from Mexico and the Philippines. It is important to note that there were plenty of European immigrants that also found employment doing menial agricultural work, however their experiences were generally different than the experiences faced by Mexican workers. For instance, workers from England shared a common language and religion with their employers so it became easier to assimilate into society. Although there was some discrimination towards German and Irish immigrants due to the fact that these were generally Catholic countries, these differences were usually reconciled and didn’t take as much of a toll on those immigrants. However, employers soon found out that their Mexican laborers generally did not go on strike or demand higher wages even when their working conditions were quite poor, this led to increased discrimination and abuse towards Mexican migrants (Valdez 1). The use of Mexican migrant labor declined during the Great Depression, as many of the agricultural jobs filled by Mexicans were now highly sought after by internal migrant workers that hailed from Dust Bowl states and were generally desperate to find work. After World War Two, the U. S. economy was once again healthy and began to thrive as it had before the Great Depression. During the thirty or so years following World War Two a new trend began developing. This trend involved a large number of laborers traveling from the southern United States and Latin America (most notably Mexico) to perform seasonal agriculture work in the more northern states. Indeed, there were plenty of U. S. citizens that performed migrant labor at this time, often being placed in jobs by the Farm Labor Agency, though most employers began to see the benefits of informally employed migrant workers. Although many of these foreign workers were hired through government programs, their contracts were pre-determined by prospective employers. Essentially, this meant that employers had complete control over their workers and if any of them complained about poor working conditions or demanded higher wages they could immediately be deported at their employers whim. Working conditions certainly were poor during this time, many trends that are still perpetuated today began during this period. For instance, most migrant workers depended solely on their crew leader for goods and food which were often sold at exorbitant prices that created â€Å"company† debt for the workers. Aside from the grueling labor, most migrant workers lived in very poor conditions as well with far too many people often crammed into small, dilapidated shacks. Another trend that developed during this period is the increasing use of illegal migrant labor. Beginning during World War II Mexican citizens could legally travel to and work in the U. S. under the Bracero Program, justified due to the fact that crops couldn’t go un-harvested during war time. Essentially a guest worker program, the Bracero Program was active from 1942 to 1964 and during this time it sponsored approximately 4. million border crossings by Mexican migrant workers. This program enforced certain requirements on employers that mandated that an acceptable level of wages, housing, food and medical care be provided to their workers and as a result many migrant workers enjoyed higher standards of living than they had back home. As a result employers began seeking out illegal migrant workers that were not involved in the program, as they could pay them much lower wages while not providing any of the afore mentioned services. Pressure from employers as well as domestic agriculture labor unions (who viewed the Bracero program as an impediment to U.  S. born workers) eventually led to the demise of the Bracero program in 1964. As there was still a huge demand for cheap, agriculture labor and no longer a legal labor pool it is easy to see why there was such a flood of illegal migrant workers from Mexico (Valdez 2). Today, migrant workers are still every bit as important as they were in the past and a large majority of them continue to hail from Mexico. Federal law defines migrant workers as anyone that travels more than 75 miles in search of employment, and by this definition at the turn of the 21st Century there were an estimated 2. million people working as agricultural laborers with a scant 12 % of these workers establishing temporary residences while working and roughly half still considering Mexico to be home. Between 1990 and 2001 the total of Mexican born migrant workers working in agriculture rose from about 30% of the work force to nearly 50%. Although these workers still constitute a small portion of all the U. S. ’s wage and salaried workers they play a critical role in the more labor intensive aspects involved in the production of all fresh, canned, frozen and processed foods consumed in the U. S. More than 85% of all fruit and vegetable crops in the U.  S. require hand planting, hand cultivation and hand harvesting which is extremely labor intensive. Despite their importance in this industry, around the turn of the 21st Century Mexican migrant workers earned an average yearly income that was only about 40% of the official poverty rate (CIA 1). Although the large majority of migrant agriculture workers are male, there is still a very large number of female migrant workers seeking employment within the U. S. To understand the plight of these women we first must understand exactly why they choose to travel to the U. S. in search of work. One of the key push factors for these women is the poor economic conditions that Mexico has historically faced. Mexico went through a very harmful debt crisis in the 1980s that has played a large role in the countries current economic woes. Currently, Mexico’s GDP growth rate is a dismal -6. 5% which places it 200th compared to the rest of the world. Mexico also has an unemployment rate of 5. 5% with an underemployment rate of nearly 25%. Using a food based definition of poverty about 18% of Mexico lives in poverty, however when using an asset based definition for poverty a whopping 47% of Mexicans live in poverty (CIA 1). Due to this impoverished conditions many Mexican women have trouble finding work, and although the literacy rates for males and females are roughly equal in Mexico, and males are generally chosen over women for the jobs that do exist. It is easy to see why so many Mexican women are eager to travel to the U. S. in hopes of finding better jobs and higher wages. Along with money woes, this extensive level of poverty also takes its toll on relationships. When times get tough, there is often more strain at home and husbands and wives are more likely to not get along. Although this is certainly not a problem that is unique to Mexico, there is one key cultural component: Machismo. There is no single, set definition of Machismo, but it is generally viewed as what traditional Mexican culture believes to be acceptable masculinity. Certainly, not every Mexican male fits this Machismo stereotype and there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with the ideals that men should aspire to be strong and tough. However, there are many critics of the Machismo culture and believe that it is very counter-productive and harmful towards women. For instance, it is believed that the Macho man should be able to provide for his wife and family and when poor economic conditions are an obstacle to this the man may often feel inadequate and embarrassed (Soong 1). This wouldn’t be as big of an issue if one of the key pillars of the Machismo man involved violence. Shockingly, one-third of native Mexican women interviewed stated that a husband had the right to hit his wife if she hadn’t fulfilled her obligations and 42% of those interviewed admitted that they had even been beaten as young girls. It appears that the ability for men to assert their dominance over women through violence is an accepted part of Mexican culture and most men are never punished for committing what amounts to very criminal acts. It is believed that between 1999 and 2005 an estimated 6,000 women were murdered in Mexico, with most of these deaths being caused by domestic violence at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends. Of course, we realize that not all or even most Mexican men behave this way however it is certainly a large enough cultural problem to cause a lot of strain on Mexican women. Many women, already overwhelmed by economic worries, leave Mexico simply to get themselves, and often their children, away from abusive relationships (Soong 2). As we have now outlined two key push factors, both economic and social, it is also important to recognize the pull factors: the reasons behind why women choose to migrate to the U. S. The U. S. is very appealing to Mexican women, as they believe that they will be offered better jobs and better wages upon arriving. Unsurprisingly, American companies are also integral in luring these Mexican women to the U. S. s they have began to rely on the cheap, docile labor that these women provide. In fact, many U. S. companies have been known to use Mexican immigrants as an example for how the American Dream can be accomplished. Many American businesses are now creating marketing campaigns that explicitly target Mexican immigrants, knowing full well that they will attract just as many illegal immigrants in the process. Even though these businesses are only seeking to exploit them, many Mexicans and especially Mexican women are interpreting these ads as a sign that they will be more readily accepted in American society and this makes migrating to the U.  S. even more appealing (Wyans 4). Many Mexican women also believe that the U. S. is some sort of egalitarian utopia, even though that is far from true. With the American societies push to be â€Å"politically correct† and aim for a level playing field, many Mexican women feel that the gender inequalities they experienced in Mexico will not exist in the U. S. This idea of an egalitarian U. S. most certainly stems from the very biased media that America exports to around the world, which undoubtedly paints America in a very positive light. Even though the Mexican woman migrating to the U. S. ay secure a more lucrative job and better living conditions, she will most likely face most of the same social ills she had experienced in Mexico (Wyans 5). When taking these push/pull factors in to account it is no shock that so many Mexican women are migrating to the U. S. Most casual observers assume that these Mexican women are only migrating because they are passively accompanying their husbands but this is certainly not the case, especially in recent years. In fact, more than half of the migrant workers from all Latin American countries traveling to the U. S. are women traveling by the own volition. Migrant workers as a whole are confided to the lower skill sector of the labor market, and the women among these migrant workers usually only find work in the lowest manual positions such as childcare, industrial cleaning, food processing and sewing. Not only are female migrant workers given the worst of already poor jobs, they are almost always paid less than their male migrant counterparts. Employers have also caught on to one key trait among female migrant workers, many of them are unwilling to demand higher wages or complain about working conditions simply because they are responsible for their children at home. This leads many employers to subject women to longer hours, lower pay and worse working conditions than they would expect a male worker to put up with (Cultural Survival 1). As I had previously stated, migrant workers play a key role in harvesting and processing our nations food. A very intriguing example of the role that female Mexican migrant workers play in this sector of our economy involves Maryland’s crab industry. Each year, hundreds of Mexican women travel to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to work for Maryland crab companies. These women generally enter the U. S. legally, by obtaining a temporary work visa known as an H-2B Visa. Although the H-2B program was originally intended to the employer to temporarily supplement his current domestic work force with migrant workers, most of Maryland’s crab companies have begun to rely solely on H-2B workers. The H-2B program is quite similar to the government programs I mentioned earlier. The key similarity and cause for concern is the fact that an H-2B guest worker is essentially bound by regulations to a single employer, so any demand for higher wages or better working conditions can still be met with the threat of deportation (Paral 8). In order to obtain an H-2B visa most women meet with local recruiters in Mexico.  These women are already being exploited before they leave their home town, as these H-2B recruiters illegally force them to pay large fees in order to obtain their H-2B permits. Many of the women that can’t afford these fabricated fees wind up working out loans with their H-2B recruiter, which generally have exorbitant interest rates that put the women further in debt. Legally, these recruiters are not allowed to charge any fees but it is impossible to enforce U. S. relations south of the border. Employers are often able to send certain messages via recruiters that violate U. S.  Civil Rights laws, they are able to suggest that recruiters discriminate when choosing employees and are able to plead ignorance if ever reprimanded for their recruiters behavior. After receiving their H-2B visas, the women cross the border and board a bus that will take them to Maryland. They are not informed how long the trip will take, and although they are told to bring American dollars to buy food, many women either cannot afford to eat or are too intimidated by the language barrier to shop for food and as a result go the entire 2-3 day bus trip without eating (Kloer 1). When these women finally make it to Maryland they typically rent houses that are owned by their employers and located on islands in Chesapeake Bay. Crab companies are not legally required to provide housing for the crab pickers, but most own and operate rental houses in order to ensure that their workers remain close to the crab picking houses. The houses not located on islands may just as well be, because during high tide the bridges and roads connecting them with the mainland become impassable. These houses are usually in very poor condition and the women often complain about such problems as non-working stoves, leaks, and poor plumbing. These poorly maintained houses have also been known to house up to 30 women at one time, some women interviewed reported sharing a bedroom with up to 7 other women. Most women must either share beds with other women or sleep on the floor and generally have little to no privacy while staying in rental housing. To top it off, very few companies give keys to their tenants which means they cannot even lock their houses to protect their possessions while working in the crab picking houses (AUWCL 3). Many of the rental houses also have problems that are in direct violation of the counties housing code, such as broken windows and mold infestations. Despite these infractions, no legal action has been taken by the county in order to ensure that these rental houses be in livable condition. Not only are the living conditions of these rental properties very poor, living on an island is also detrimental to the women in some very significant ways. Since these women reside on an island when not working, they become very isolated from the rest of the local community. One almost wonders if these houses weren’t strategically placed by the employers, because living in such isolation shields their plight from the locals and also forces them to rely solely on their employer (Kloer 2). Since there is no public transportation to and from the island, and these women cannot afford to buy a boat, they must rely on their employer for transportation to the mainland. Many companies only arrange transportation for their workers weekly and on fixed days, because there is limited space on the boat only a limited number of women can go to town at once. As a result of this some women reported having to wait two or three weeks before they could get to the mainland to purchase groceries, this meant that they had to rely on fellow workers for food and other items.

Scene Analysis Of America Beauty Film Studies Essay

Scene Analysis Of America Beauty Film Studies Essay American Beauty is a film written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes in the year 2000. The film is about Lester Burnham , who is searching for happiness. Lester Burnham is an ordinary-looking man in his forties. Lester is in a loveless marriage because his wife, Carolyn Burnham, who thinks that success is the most important thing in life, neglects him due to her obsession to her real estate career. In the film, Lester often mentions that Carolyn doesnt acknowledge him. Lesters daughter, Jane Burnham, is emotionally distant from her father, and often claims how pathetic she thinks Lester is. In the beginning of the film, Lester was told that he was in danger of losing his job. All these factors dramatically culminate into feelings of desperation and vulnerability for him. This begins to change as Lester is introduced to his daughters friend, Angela Hayes. Lester overhears a conversation between Jane and Angela, where Angela states that she would have sex with him if he would star t working-out and building up his body. The thought of having a teenage girl finding Lester hot, excites Lester thus beginning Lesters change throughout the movie (American Beauty, motion picture, 2000). I will be analysing two scenes of this film which I found to be the most significant in terms of how it helped me shape my interpretation of and emotional response to the film. Both scenes involve major turn of events in the film regarding Lester Burnham and I found that the cinematographic qualities of the scenes played a major part in contributing to the movies overall meaning. According to Richard Barsam, cinematography is the process of capturing moving images on film or some other medium (Barsam 2007, p.140). Barsam states that, Although cinematography might seem to exist solely to please our eyes with beautiful images, it is in fact an intricate language that can contribute to a movies overall meaning as much as the story, mise-en-scene, and acting do (Barsam 2007, p.140). This means that the use of the different aspects of cinematography such as lighting, framing, camera angles can help contribute to interpreting the meaning of the film itself. The two cinematographic elements which are mainly used in the scenes include composition and camera movement. Barsam states that the composition element refers to the arrangement of visual elements within a shot (Barsam 2007, p.161). There can be numerous visual elements within a shot. Some of the elements include lighting, shot compositions (long-shot, medium-shot, close-up), and dynamic compositions. Barsam points out that a key component of composition is lighting. The lighting shapes the way the movie looks and helps tell the story (Barsam 2007, p.148). Among its properties are its source, quality, direction and style. Barsam states that the different properties of lighting work together with other elements to determine the overall mood and meaning of a scene (Barsam 2007, p.154). According to Barsam, the second cinematographic element, camera movement, can change the way we see the images because any movement of the camera modifies the different elements of framing. These elements include camera angle, level, height, types of shots and scale (Barsam 2007, p.176). The moving camera opens up cinematic space, and thus filmmakers use it to achieve many effects. Barsam points out that the moving camera leads the viewers eye, or focuses the viewers attention and, by moving into the scene, helps create the illusion of depth in the flat screen image. (Barsam 2007, p.176) The first scene I will be analysing is the scene where Lester first spots Angela. In this scene, Lester and Carolyn decided to support Jane at her school where she was performing a dance at half-time. This scene is significant because it shows how Lester begins to rebel against who he is, as a result of Angelas sexuality. The scene begins with Lester and Carolyn arriving at the basketball game right before Janes performance. Then as the performance begins, almost immediately into the dance routine, Angela is given an upward position in the frame elevated with dynamic composition. It is dynamic composition because there is movement within the fixed frame (Barsam 2007, p.161). By giving Angela an upward position within the frame, it suggests that Lester is taking notice of her. And as the scene continues, Angela has gotten Lesters full attention. Angela is shown moving towards the camera in another dynamic composition shot complemented by the camera zooming in on her. This enhances Ang elas presence and this also gave me an idea as to the degree of attention Lester is giving Angela due to her sexuality. The scene continues with a static composition shot of Lester. According to Barsam, a static composition shot is where there is no movement within the frame, unlike a dynamic composition where there is movement (Barsam 2007, p.161). The camera then begins to zoom in on Lester. As the camera zooms in, the crowd is eliminated and only Lester is shown in the frame. Furthermore, Lesters eyes appears to be bigger than they actually are because of the way the camera is focusing on them. This makes Lester look as though he is drooling over something he desires. At this point, the camera performs a point of view shot showing what Lesters eyes are fixated on, and that is Angela. This again displays the degree of enchantment that Angela has placed over Lester. In Lesters mind, only Angela and himself exists at that moment, and everyone else is filtered out as they are not of any importance to Lester. The scene then concludes with a shot-reverse-shot of Angela and Lester. A shot-reverse-shot is where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other (Yale Film Studies Program 2002). This allowed me to see that in Lesters fantasy, Angela is dancing erotically just for him, giving each other the same amount of attention. Because of the fact the Lester is desiring a girl that is his daughters age, it should be noted that Angela and Lester are never shown in the same frame in the scene as this suggests that there is some barrier in between them. Another technical element which I found that added to the effectiveness of the scene, was the lighting. In the point of view shot from Lesters perspective that showed that he was fixated on Angela, Angela was shown by herself in the frame. And as mentioned above, this is to point out that Lester only has his attention on Angela. The lighting used complemented the shot as the lighting helped to focus my attention on Lesters enlarged eyes and this showed me that he was being enchanted by what he was seeing. Another way the lighting was used in the scene was when Angela was shown alone in the frame and the background in the shot became a lot darker. At the same time, a bright light shined on Angela from above. The lighting in this shot is high contrast and low key. It is high contrast because the difference between the light and darkness is clear. Barsam states that low key lighting is when little or no fill light is used, the ratio between bright illumination and deep shadow is very high (Barsam 2007, p.152). This is shown in the shot because Angelas shadow can be seen behind her and shadows can be seen on the rest of Lesters face, excluding his eyes. I found that lighting contributed quite a lot in this scene. Firstly, I felt that the light shining solely on Angela portrays Angela as the object of Lesters attention. Barsam states that lighting thrown down on a character from above can be used for many different effects, (ie: vulnerability) (Barsam 2007, p.153). In the case of this scene, the light may be portraying the innocence and purity of Angela as she was a virgin throughout the entire film and as light can sometimes be affiliated with good and darkness with bad. The darkness in the background may represent her fake personality where she lies about her sexual experience to the people around her. The darkness surrounding Lester during the close up shots of him may be representing the sexual thoughts he fantasizes about in the scene. And thus the darkness surrounds him throughout the shots of him paying full attention to Angela. The second scene I will be analysing, is the scene towards the end of the film when Lesters fantasies and dreams are about to become reality. This scene is significant because it shows the second turn of events which transforms Lester again, but this time back to the mature person he once was, and also making him realize what it really meant to make him happy. This scene also makes use of composition and camera movement. The scene begins with Lester moving close towards Angela who is lying on the couch. The camera pans right while following Lester. I found this to build up suspense to what would happen next. And as the camera moves to the right, it moves back down. This is a dynamic shot with downward movement. Dynamic because of the movement within the frame and downward movement because the camera moves in a downward movement. According to Barsam, this downward movement implies a negative action (Barsam 2007, p.177). In this case, the negative action is Lesters sexual tendencies towards Angela who is a teenager. Barsam also mentions that the downward movement implies the loss of something (Barsam 2007, p.177). In this case, the loss is of Angelas virginity. The next shot is of Angela appearing at a 45 degree angle in the frame. This is known as a Dutch-angle shot. According to Barsam, a Dutch-angle shot is when the camera is tilted from its normal horizontal and vertical position so that it is no longer straight, giving the viewer the impression that the world in the frame is out of balance (Barsam 2007, p.174). The Dutch-angle accentuates the unnatural nature of the actions in the frame. In this case, it is of the unnatural reaction of Angela, who is about to have a sexual experience for the first time. As the scene continues, the camera pans from left to right and right to left following Lesters hands as they go up and down Angelas body. I found that this intensified the erotic feeling of the scene. In the next shot, the camera moves to a dynamic crane shot, showing Lesters hands unbuttoning Angelas shirt. According to Barsam, a crane shot is a shot made from a camera mounted onto an elevating arm that, in turn, is mounted on a vehicle capable of moving by its own power resulting in it being more flexible due to the freedom of horizontal and vertical movement. The shot is then followed by a shot-reverse shot of Angela and Lester looking at one another. In the scene, Angela was given the low angle shot, looking up at Lester. Barsam states that a low-angle shot is made with the camera below the action and typically places the observer in the position of feeling helpless in the presence of a superior force (Barsam 2007, 171). In other words, a low-angle shot emphasizes anxiety, fear and vulnerability. The fact that Angela is looking up at Lester also implies that Lester is in control. However, I noticed during the crane shots, Angelas position in the frame is always higher than Les ters. In a way, this implies that she is pure and innocent because good elements are usually given a higher position over bad elements (eg: Heaven up, Hell down). In the next shot, Angela reveals to Lester that she is a virgin. At this point, the shot goes back to Lester, who is in a Dutch-angle shot smiles and asks if Angela was kidding. The reason for the Dutch-angle shot is because Lester has realized what he was doing was unnatural. After this shot, is the second major turning point in Lesters transformation, where he finally realizes after all this while, that being lustful for a teenager wasnt what it meant to be happy. The lighting technique used in this scene seemed to portray the light and darkness symbolic meaning that was mentioned above. Throughout the entire scene, there was always a light shining down on Angela but Lester was always kept in darkness. And with composition of Angelas white shirt and the soft light shining on it emphasizing the white colour of the shirt, the light represents purity and innocence because Angela is a virgin. Whereas, the darkness that surrounds Lester, and the minimal lighting shining on his hands as he moves his hands up and down Angelas body represents the impurity of his actions. The lighting used throughout this scene was low contrast and low key. Low contrast because the lighting used was dim and rather gray. In the final shots of the scene, the lighting used were low contrast and low key as well because that implies a sense of mystery. As a viewer, although Lester had come to realize what it meant to achieve happiness, there was something which kept me wondering what would happen. And true enough, the film ended with Lester getting killed. Throughout the film, there were many more cinematographic elements used which emphasized the personalities and characteristics of each character such as high-angle shots, the use of short-focal-length lenses and Long takes. However, because I interpreted the movie as Lesters transformations through being reborn, I found that the cinematographic qualities used in the two scenes I analysed to be the most significant in my interpretation of and emotional response to American Beauty.

Work Trends - Contractors, Temporary Workers, Annualised Hours :: Business Management Studies

Work Trends - Contractors, Temporary Workers, Annualised Hours Changing working environments Trends  · Use of contractors  · More temporary workers  · Annualised hours  · More part-time working  · Self-employment  · Hiring consultants Employers Advantages Disadvantages 1. Less cost less employment costs helping the business compete 2. Hiring consultants bring experts into the business 3. business can cope with sudden and unexpected changes in sale 4. Less hiring costs 5. Les costs. Flexible workforce can reduce employment costs, helping a business to compete more effectively with other businesses 6. Using a consultants and self-employed people bring expertise into the business 7. The use of consultants and self-employed people means that businesses do not have to pay to them 1. Difficult to communicate with P/T and temporary workers-don’t know them 2. More labour turn over 3. Poor reputation as employers Good effects o employees  · Some employees, such as these with responsibilities for looking after young children, want only part-time or temporary work. They would be happy to be part of a flexible workforce  · Working as part of a team can be a good experience. Employees may enjoy working with other people and learning from more experienced workers. Research says that working in tem can raise morale  · Some employees may prefer to be employed as teleworkers, working from home. Teleworkers do not have the cost and the bother of travelling to work everyday. They can live where they wish and need not to be close to the business that employs them Bad effects on employees  · Some workers may be very dissatisfied with temporary contracts. They might want the security of a permanent job and not feel committed to the business. They may feel unsettled and want to look for other work

Purpose of Schools Essay

School is an institutional mechanism that tries to share knowledge and/or be an agent for social action. Looking back to the ancient history of schools, some schools of ancient Israel for example feel that the main purpose of education was to ‘produce faithful members of a nation – a son who would bring pride to his family and his people and glory to God. ’ In ancient Greece, the school was to produce a productive citizen, wise and mature and Rome followed the example of Greece. However, there are some schools which are just for education, where basic knowledge is shared based on the age through a planned curriculum. There are schools which apart from providing knowledge through planned curricula do bring in social change through actions. I believe that a school has got to play the role of both i. e. sharing knowledge and also be an agency for social action. An example that can be cited following both is the ancient Hindu school called ‘gurukul’ , where apart from knowledge through planned curricula, there are learning sessions on various social norms and values that are normally practiced in the society. The purpose of a school is thus to orient students to socialize by understanding the background, culture and values of that area which would further add to their individual growth and understanding for nurturing good citizens. Apart from this, there is a need for the schools to see to it that students are able to gain proper knowledge which should further help them to able to attain further education and employment. Thus, we can say that the main purpose of schools is to provide education which would enhance the knowledge, skills and attributes of students and make them responsible citizens of the country. Even though schools as educational institutions have their own limitations of access to knowledge, funds to provide the services to students etc. based on the need and following the goal that the educational institution wants to achieve, teachers have to redesign their teaching strategies/pedagogy.

How to Conjugate Voler (to Fly, Steal) in French

How to Conjugate Voler (to Fly, Steal) in French The French verb  voler  has two very interesting meanings. While it may be used for to fly, as in an airplane or as a bird does, it may also mean to steal, as in robbing someone or taking something. In orer to use  voler  properly, you will need to commit its conjugations to memory. A quick lesson will introduce you to the essentials you need to know. The Basic Conjugations of  Voler French verb conjugations can be a challenge because you have more words to memorize than you would in English. Thats because the verb changes not only with the tense but for every subject pronoun within each tense as well. The good news is that  voler  is a  regular -er verb. It follows some very common rules of conjugation and youll use these for the majority of French verbs. That makes each new one you study just a bit easier than the last. The first step in any conjugation is to find the radical of the verb (its stem). In this case, that is  vol-. With that, use the table to study the different endings you need to apply for the present, future, and imperfect past tenses. For example, I am flying is  je vole  and we stole is  nous volions. Present Future Imperfect je vole volerai volais tu voles voleras volais il vole volera volait nous volons volerons volions vous volez volerez voliez ils volent voleront volaient The Present Participle of  Voler The present participle of regular verbs is formed by adding -ant to the radical. For voler, this gives us volant. Voler  in the Compound Past Tense The  passà © composà ©Ã‚  is common in the French language. It is the compound past tense and its relatively easy to construct. You will begin by  conjugating avoir, the auxiliary verb, to fit your subject in the present tense. Then, all you need to do is add the  past participle  volà ©. This gives us  jai volà ©Ã‚  for I flew and  nous avons volà ©Ã‚  for we stole. More Simple Conjugations of  Voler Whenever you need to bring the act of flying or stealing into question,  the subjunctive  can be used. If, however, the act is dependent on something, then youll need  the conditional. In written French, youll likely encounter the passà © simple  or  the imperfect subjunctive  forms of  voler  as well. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je vole volerais volai volasse tu voles volerais volas volasses il vole volerait vola volt nous volions volerions volmes volassions vous voliez voleriez voltes volassiez ils volent voleraient volrent volassent The French imperative  form  drops all formality, along with the subject pronoun. When using it for short sentences, you can simplify it from  tu vole  to  vole. Imperative (tu) vole (nous) volons (vous) volez

Separation of a Mixture of Solids Essays

Separation of a Mixture of Solids Essays Separation of a Mixture of Solids Essay Separation of a Mixture of Solids Essay The mixed solution contained benzene acid, iron, table salt, and sand. When separated using water, fuel, or a magnet, their characteristics and properties changed. The mass of the entire mixed solids was 6. 6 grams. When the magnet was used, the iron was immediately picked up. The mass for that was 1. 7 grams. The table salt was 1. 2 grams. Benzene acid mass was 0. 8 grams and the sand was 1. 4 grams after being separated. Introduction The objective of this lab was to separate and examine different solutions within a elution. In order to separate each element different methods and techniques were used. Separating the Iron filings wasnt difficult or lengthy; however It did require patience and a steady hand. Separating the benzene acid and the table salt took the longest because it needed to air dry causing the water to evaporate. Methods While the water was boiling with the table salt, sand, and benzene acid, the water got thick. It was difficult to separate the solids because they would get stuck to the bottom of the Styrofoam cup. In order to separate the iron flings a magnet was used. The solution first needed to be spread out on a piece of paper. As the magnet was ran over the solution, the iron filings were picked up. It took several tries to get all of the iron picked up. To separate the sand, the burner and distilled water was used. As it boiled, it had to be stirred to make sure it was completely dissolved. Having done this twice ensures that the salt and the benzene acid are completely removed from the sand. An Ice bed was necessary to observe the benzene acid crystallizing. The Ice deed allowed the burning benzene acid to cool down and change appearance and texture. The sand had to be over low heat to be completely dry. No sand splattered which made it effective for the data. To separate the benzene acid, filtration was used. The mass of the filter paper was 1. 1 grams. The ice bath was used again to chill the distilled water in the cylinder. The table salt and benzene crystals were poured into the funnel filter paper. This had to be left to air dry overnight. To separate the sand, the Styrofoam cup had to also be left aside overnight for It to be completely dry. Results After each solid was separated, they were able to be weighted. The solids weighted were iron filings, sand, table salt, and benzene acid. Data Table: Experiment Data Grams Percent of mixture Iron flings 33. 3% Sand 1. 4 27% Table salt 1. 2 23. 5% Benzene acid 0. 8 15. 7% Total 5. 1 99. 5% Discussion This lab concluded that properties are contributory when it comes to separating solids. Using the magnet to gather all the iron filings was very effective, though it did take several tries. Solubility played a huge part in this lab. Each solid took a different amount of time and a different method to become separated due to solubility. This lab did bring up a few questions. For example, would the mass of the table salt or the benzene acid be different if it was boiled rather than air dried? What would happen if the sand was actually air dried rather than boiled? I wonder if their properties would have changed as well. The disadvantage with my data table is the totals. It does not equal 100, though it is very close. Solubility was definitely key in this lab.

The Making of a Memory in January Essay Example

The Making of a Memory in January Essay Example The Making of a Memory in January Essay The Making of a Memory in January Essay As a â€Å"baby boomer†, I have seen and done many things during my 60 years in the world.   I grew up to see technical innovations, the space race, and the transformation of the United States in the 1960’s.   I have traveled all over the country as a child with a father, who was a career military man.   I have even traveled the world during my stint as a Seaman.   I have seen the hard life of the streets and walked the hallowed halls of the university, receiving a Master’s in Criminal Justice, some twenty-plus years ago.   The events of my past tie into the major event I will soon see in my future, President-elect Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration.   I must admit that this milestone in our nation’s history brings to me pride, wonder, and nostalgia.   Along with all these emotions, comes what a man like me finds hard to admit, fear.   Barack Obama has been talking about change and I know all about and I have seen change, I hav e embraced it.   I will embrace inauguration day with as much enthusiasm as I can, even though I am still filled will wonder.I must admit that the new transformation of the nation is difficult for me and many like me.   I grew up, as a young boy, to understand that the integrity of a military person was never to be questioned.   It was an inconvenient truth in my twenties, during my own military experience to see the opposite.   Many Vietnam veterans were not received and revered like the military men of my father’s wars.   To me, McCain was the epitome of courage and strength during that misunderstood war in Vietnam and to see the shift away from the honor that men like him deserve brought up many painful memories for me.   I must add too, that I am white.   But, color has never been an issue with me in this situation.   Most of us, who remember the 60’s, have evolved from pointless racism.As a man, though, who has seen the ins and outs of criminal jus tice, it is hard to trust the integrity of an attorney.   Most in the criminal justice field feel similar.   As an older person, as well, it is hard to trust the unfounded optimism of the youth and their vote.   I remember when I was young and saw many activists hitting the streets in protest and to me it was simply chaos.   But, then it was â€Å"word of mouth† grassroots campaigning while now technology has advanced us to internet activism and social networking.   Some have even said the Obama won because of his extensive internet presence.   All of this is a wonder in itself.   I must admit that some of the fear, too, comes from recalling the tragedies of innovative men like Obama.   I vividly recall the assassinations of both Kennedy brothers, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.   When I hear reports of dissidents in the U.S., I fear for this man, because I know that this can happen, because it has happened.   I wonder if the youth think about that much.In closing, I would like to say that I was proud of both candidates that ran for President in 2008 and will be proud of Obama, when he takes the honor in 2009.   I feel as if I am passing the torch into a new era, a torch that has been burning now for some years without me even realizing it.   It will take a lot of acceptance and expectations for this new generation, but I am confident that they can handle the charge appointed not just to the President, but to them, as well.   As long as the conception of honor and integrity stay always on the table, I can rest assured that the next four years will be memorable and momentous.

Internationalisation of Fashion Company in Brazil Research Paper

Internationalisation of Fashion Company in Brazil - Research Paper Example The research paper "Internationalisation of Fashion Company in Brazil" talks about the ways to present a luxury fashion company on the Brazil fashion market and how to successfully expand its consumer. The internationalization strategy to be pursued should be chosen carefully in order to determine the best approach in the luxury fashion product market. The foreign market expansion is not a new concept. For over two decades, intercontinental development in the trend industry had been unparalleled. The emergence of super-brands has sparked intense competition. The market positioning of some brands makes them more appealing than others. Internationalization can be defined as the sourcing of goods from overseas markets. Buying from worldwide markets is aggravated by the economic and competitive consideration. Fashion companies seek to obtain gain from a low cost of labor in the underdeveloped economies. The global fashion brand has caused most of the people to look for the most successful brands like the Ralph Lauren and Carolina Herrera. The super brands have left the fashion buyers with little choice but to ignore the lesser known brands. Expansion strategies are important when dealing with recessionary pressure. The emergence of a cosmopolitan and fashion-informed consumer market has caused global expansion. And technology has enabled online transactions. This led to an amplified union in worldwide lifestyles. This allowed the fashion industry retailers to correspond efficiently with the customers in foreign markets. International fashion and design companies have succeeded partly because of design excellence, cosmopolitanism and exclusivity (Alexander & Myers 2000). The Carolina Herrera and Ralph Lauren companies have indentified their market niche. The companies target the clients who deal with accessories, garments and apparels. The companies aim at offering differentiated products of high quality (Charles & Gareth 2012). The same market is the target of the rival companies like Loewe. The future of companies like Ralph Lauren and Carolina Herrera and other fashion retailers lies in the internalization strategy. Many domestic markets have been saturated by local brand leading to lessening of profits. Intense local markets competition has caused constraints to complicate the strategic management of these organizations (Charles & Gareth 2012). The rise of global sourcing by fashion retailers and technological advances has made it easy for companies to target the global market (Chevalier & Mazzalovo 2012).

Statistic Discussion Questions WEEK 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Statistic Discussion Questions WEEK 6 - Essay Example (Investopedia, 2009) Correlation is a method which helps in measuring the relationship between two variables. It tells us about how one variable will affect the other. Correlation lies between -1 to +1. If it is positive then both the variables are directly related and if it is negative then both the variables are inversely related. It helps in making strategies because it helps in forecasting how the business will be and what decisions need to be taken. (Investopedia, 2009) Some people think that when two events occur together, then they have cause-and-effect relationship according to which, one variable causes the change in the other. This might cause damage to a company and might lead to massive loss. For example, if a company invests somewhere thinking that the correlation was the cause-and-effect relation, then the company might have to suffer huge losses. (Experiment-Resources, 2008) The dependant and independent variables are related to one another. It is assumed that for a certain amount of independent variable, there is a normally distributed amount of mean that shows the dependant variable. The equation these terms produce are best approximates and shows the functional relationship between the data

Researching the Field of Adult Learning Research Paper

Researching the Field of Adult Learning - Research Paper Example ESL hereby stands for English as a Second Language. In other words, adult education system is more popular as a distance education. However, distance educational system is considered as one of the rapidly emerging modes of education. Growth within the field has herewith led the informal and formal education trends to a higher level (Veletsianos, 2010). During adult education practice, students greater and proper attention is in demand for focused guidelines and assistance from their peers as well as teachers. In case of ESL, adults require greater support and motivation for adopting the learning skills majorly owing to the fact that they practice a separate mother tongue. In this regard, technological adoption in ESL program is expected to be more beneficial for those who are interested in learning ESL. Contextually, technological invention is the main evidence of the new emerging educational system wherein the use of internet, computers, cells phones, laptops and many other digital devises in the teaching process as well as in the classrooms has been proved to be beneficial. In ESL process, technological innovation is useful for better communication. It is also observed that communication process is helpful in adopting the language within a shorter time span as compared to the conventional system. Contextually, adult students are more frequent about the use of various technical devices. Proper usage of technical devices in ESL will be helpful for quick learning (Araya & Gamboa, 2012; Choitz & Prince, 2008). Technological invention in distance education is also getting more popular day by day. Hence, it has been observed that technological invention in adult educational system is a positive initiative as it is more competent in providing better opportunities to the people (Merriam, & Grace, 2011). In case of ESL, the usage of technical devices has been playing an important role for both the learners

Major reasons behind the United States'entry into World War I Essay

Major reasons behind the United States'entry into World War I - Essay Example As the US was supplying arms and financial assistance to the allies, Germany became poised to violate the terms with the US government to stop its submarine attacks. While the then German Chancellor Theobald von Bethman-Hollweg was against this decision fearing the US entry in to the war and the subsequent downfall of Germany, the German government however, decided to resume its attacks. President Wilson, thought shocked by the developments, hesitated to immediately declare war on Germany as he was not sure about the public support of his opinion. And in case the German attacks did not target US ships he decided to negotiate with the German government. But the submarine attacks by Germany destroyed several US ships, passengers and naval officials. Following this Wilson decided to arm American merchant ships with naval personal and equipment’s by exercising an executive order. Wilson also received a German telegram sent to officials in Mexico which was intercepted by the Britis h. This telegram sent by the German Foreign Minister promised assistance to Mexico to recover the territory that it had ceded to America during a previous war. In return it requested Mexican support for the war. This telegram along with the continued attacks by Germany on American merchant ships forced President Wilson to declare war against Germany which marked its entry in to World War

Health Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Law - Essay Example These errors usually occur due to the fact that nothing was done to prevent their occurrences or there was an omission or mere negligence. Nonetheless, these medical malpractices are usually punishable by medical malpractice laws. Therefore, this paper aims at analyzing the application of these laws including how and where they have been applied. Finally, the essay will analyze the challenges that hinder effective application of the medical malpractice laws. The main intent of the application of the medical malpractice laws is to ensure that the patient in question is compensated following the ordeals of the medical practices. However, it is worth noting these laws and their applications usually differ significantly. Different countries and states usually apply these laws differently. Therefore, it worth for the medical practitioners to understand the kinds of laws they are liable to in cases they commit atrocities to their patients. Nonetheless, it should also be noted that doctors and or hospitals as well as health care professional are usually never liable to all harms that a patient may suffer while undertaking medical treatment. The only cases when the hospitals and medical practitioners are liable to malpractice laws are when the healthcare provided to a patient is substance. Therefore, these laws tend to determine the competence of doctors and practices they might have not taken not to harm the patient. Medical malpractices are usually expensive to the medical professions and medical institutions. Additionally, most of the time medical malpractices lead to time wastage especially during legal battle between the patient and the medical practitioner or the institution (Johnson, Sloan, and Kimbrough, 2009). The malpractices are expensive in the sense that whenever a patient win such cases, the medical institutions are often required to compensate the customer dearly of all the damaged as determine and spelled by the court. Add2itionally, the malpractices ar e expensive on all the involved parties since it will involvement of medical laws to help in determining or defending the involved accusations. On the other hand, the medical malpractices are time consuming particularly on the medical practitioners’ time since they the law requires them to be present at the court to answer to the accusation of the patient. Other than laws of determining the malpractices within the health care systems, there are malpractices reforms laws that have been proposed by the policy makers to reduce occurrences of malpractices within the medical institution. The implementation or the need of implementation of these reforms has increased in the insurance rates. This is because the policy implementer will be sourced outside the medical sectors and they need to be budgeted for. Therefore, it would be appropriate for the medical practitioners to provide their patients with required quality Medicare among other health care management requirements. It shoul d be noted that despite the positive intension of the proper and accurate of medical services and management to the patients, the availability and applications as well as the adjustment of medical malpractices laws and reforms have since attracted mixed reactions among nearly all the medical stakeholders. Some medical stakeholders think that application of the malpractice laws and

Failure of Shareholder Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Failure of Shareholder Value - Essay Example The present research has identified that despite its perceived role in stimulating business growth, shareholder value remains contentious in out-of-business quarters. Whereas the corporate executives’ penchant for maximizing the share price lacks any historical or legal basis, the refusal of shareholder value in a business organization may as well spell the end of the company’s operations. Regardless of the reasoning, Cole, Sturgess, and Brown have argued that there is no empirical evidence linking corporate focus on shareholder value to an improvement of the status of the economy and or the society. Shareholder value is said to have begun in the second half of the 20th century as an imperative control for managerial  excesses, but over the history, it has turned into a skewed, self-interested doctrine preferred by economists, finance managers, and over-paid corporate managers. According to Roth the supremacy of shareholder value has not yet been codified in law as th e most important priority of the corporate world. In most markets, business organizations can be established for any legitimate purpose. In fact, there is no corporate charter that supports the need to maximize profits or share value. Equally missing in law is the need for executives and company directors to be indebted to shareholders under special conditions. The executives owe a fiduciary responsibility to the business organization, which is an amalgamation of different stakeholders. The only exception is that shareholders are legally entitled to the corporation’s residual value upon the organization’s fulfillment of its other duties. Notably, company directors still have sweeping powers over the residual value, provided they are not channeling the money to their own pockets.

Education in the patient care setting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Education in the patient care setting - Essay Example Before the means to develop and enhance the learning in my area of professional practice for a patient can be established, it is important to discuss first the different principles of learning which relate to the quality of feedback, individualization, relevance, and their applicability to practice. There are eight principles of learning which have to be considered in health education. These principles include: multi-sense learning, active learning, primacy and recency, tell them what you are going to tell them/tell them what you have told them, feedback, reward, practice and repetition, meaningful material, and holistic learning (Egle, 2007, pp. 4-5). In multi-sense learning, two or more senses are utilized, allowing the students to hear, to see, and touch, and to do (Kroehnert, 2000, p. 10). By using various techniques, it is possible to provide visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic outlets for more effective learning. Another principle – active learning also refers to learning by doing (Martyn, 2007, p. 71). This principle sets forth fact that as participants become more actively engaged in their learning, they are also likely to be engaged in the learning and application, as well as in the problem solving, and in case studies (Egle, 2007, p. 4). The third principle, primacy and recency – discusses that learners often remember the first and the last experiences (Castel, 2008, p. 429). A thorough and comprehensive introduction and conclusion are therefore important aspects of learning. The principle of telling them what you are going to tell them, and telling them what you have told discusses the fact that chunking or dividing lessons into mini-sessions can improve the learning process (Egle, 2007, p. 4). The fourth principle, that of feedback sets forth the importance of feedback from learners and trainers (Office of Assessment, Teaching, and Learning, 2010, p. 46). The message is ac tually the feedback; participants need feedback to assess their progress and the leaders need feedback to evaluate the sessions. The fifth principle is reward. This is about experiencing success and reward. Most people feel better when they are rewarded for their efforts and feeling good about themselves often leads to more improved efforts in their activities (Egle, 2007, p. 5). The sixth principle is reward, revision, and reinforcement (Sutton, 1999, p. 2). This principle sets forth that memory needs repetition of materials; the more it is repeated, the more it is ingrained in one’s memory. The seventh principle is on meaningful material. This principle basically sets forth that materials are related to previous knowledge and that participants are likely to learn best with materials which are relevant (Egle, 2007, p. 5). The last principle is on holistic learning. This principle s

Failure of Shareholder Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Failure of Shareholder Value - Essay Example The present research has identified that despite its perceived role in stimulating business growth, shareholder value remains contentious in out-of-business quarters. Whereas the corporate executives’ penchant for maximizing the share price lacks any historical or legal basis, the refusal of shareholder value in a business organization may as well spell the end of the company’s operations. Regardless of the reasoning, Cole, Sturgess, and Brown have argued that there is no empirical evidence linking corporate focus on shareholder value to an improvement of the status of the economy and or the society. Shareholder value is said to have begun in the second half of the 20th century as an imperative control for managerial  excesses, but over the history, it has turned into a skewed, self-interested doctrine preferred by economists, finance managers, and over-paid corporate managers. According to Roth the supremacy of shareholder value has not yet been codified in law as th e most important priority of the corporate world. In most markets, business organizations can be established for any legitimate purpose. In fact, there is no corporate charter that supports the need to maximize profits or share value. Equally missing in law is the need for executives and company directors to be indebted to shareholders under special conditions. The executives owe a fiduciary responsibility to the business organization, which is an amalgamation of different stakeholders. The only exception is that shareholders are legally entitled to the corporation’s residual value upon the organization’s fulfillment of its other duties. Notably, company directors still have sweeping powers over the residual value, provided they are not channeling the money to their own pockets.

The Executive Branch Essay Example for Free

The Executive Branch Essay I.The President of the United States: George W. Bush i.Requirements to Hold Office: You must be at least thirty-five years old, a natural born citizen of the United States, and a resident of the US for no less than fourteen years. ii.Duties and Powers: The President must execute laws, commission all officers of the United States, and adjourn or convene both houses. It is also a duty of the President to pass and regulate laws. With the consent of the Senate he may make treaties. He can appoint ambassadors, public ministers, judges of the Supreme Court, and other officers of the United States. The President is named the commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, as well. iii.Length of Term of Office: The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years. (Article II of the Constitution) Also, according to the twenty-second amendment the President can not hold office more than two terms. iv.Appointment: Presidential elections are held once every four years. In order to vote you must be a U.S. citizen of eighteen years of age or older. The votes are counted by popular and electoral votes. The majority decision of popular votes goes to choose the electoral votes for that state. v.Salary: $400,000-plus $50,000 non-taxable expense account II.Vice President of the United States: Richard B. Cheney i.Requirements: You must be at least thirty-five years old, a natural born citizen of the United States, and a resident of the U.S. for no less than fourteen years. ii.Duties and Powers: Presiding officer of the U. S. Senate. If something were to happen to the President the Vice President will take over his position as President and his duties. In the senate, he may make the decision to break a tied vote. iii.Length of Term of Office: He has a four year term along with the president. iv.Procedure for Election or Appointment: The President and Vice President run as a pair. If the Vice Presidents partner, the candidate for President, is elected then he too will take on the responsibility of the office with him. v.Salary: $192,600-plus $10,000 taxable expense account. III.Cabinet: i.Requirements: Must be approved by the Senate ii.Duties and Powers: Each department has its own set of rules. See each department below for explanations. iii.Length of Term of Office: President may alter at leisure. iv.Procedure for Election of Appointment: Appointed by the President with approval of Senate. v.Salary: $166,700-however, it may vary by department. vi.Departments: a.Department of Agriculture- Secretary, Ann M. Veneman; Watches over agricultural production to make sure prices are fair and food is safe to eat. b.Department of Commerce- Secretary, Donald L. Evans; works to promote  international trade, economic growth, and technological advancement. c.Department of Defense- Secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld; in charge of overseeing everything related to the nations military security, directs Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. Also responsible for flood control, development of oceanographic resources, and management of oil reserves. d.Department of Education- Secretary, Roderick R. Paige; Administers more than 150 federal education programs, including student loans, migrant worker training, vocational education, and special programs for the handicapped. e.Department of Energy- Secretary, Spencer Abraham; Accountable for the research and development of energy technology; energy conservation. f.Department of Health and Human Services- Secretary, Tommy G. Thompson; Manages Social Security; funds Medicare and Medicaid; offers social services; works to control preventable and infectious diseases. g.Department of Housing and Urban Development- Secretary, Melquiades R. Martinez; Supports community development; conducts fair-housing laws; provides affordable housing and rent subsidies. h.Department of the Interior- Secretary, Gale A. Nortan; Protects the natural environment; develops the countrys natural resources; manages national parks, monuments, rivers, etc.;oversees wildlife refuges, research centers, and environmental protection of public land. i.Department of Justice- Secretary, John Ashcroft; Supervises U.S. district attorneys and marshals, federal prisons and other penal institutions; represents the government in legal matters and gives legal advice to President and/or other members of the Cabinet; administers immigration laws. j.Department of Labor- Secretary, Elaine L. Chao; Protects rights of workers; helps to improve working conditions; encourages good relations between labor and management. k.Department of State- Secretary, Colin L. Powell; Advises the president on foreign-policy issues; maintains relations between foreign countries and the U.S.; negotiates treaties and agreements with foreign nations. l.Department of Transportation- Secretary, Norman Y. Mineta; Sets the nations transportation policy; supervises the coast guard. m.Department of the Treasury- Secretary, Rosario Marin; Reports to Congress and the President on the financial state of the government and the economy; regulates the interstate and foreign sale of alcohol and firearms; regulates tax laws and collects Federal taxes. n.Department of Veterans Affairs- Secretary, Anthony J. Principi; presents benefits and services to veterans and their dependents such as offering a medical care program or education. o.Department of Homeland Security- Secretary, Tom Ridge; its goals are to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S.; reduce Americas vulnerability to terrorism and minimize the damage and recover from attacks which do occur.

Challenges of Strategic Human Resource Management

Challenges of Strategic Human Resource Management Strategic Human Resource Management is related between strategic management and HRM. SHRM is intended to create decisions organizations employees important works of its business strategy. It gives the general way of an organizations hope to achieving objectives through its people. SHRM is run for long term issues of the people in business. It is also connected to the organizations structure and its culture, requirements of future business. Its performance can change the total management. Strategic human resource management emphases on human resource programme of Nokia that has long term objectives. It is focusing on internal human resource issues as well as on addressing and solving problems that effect management programs in the long term. So the main goal of strategic human resources is to boost employee productivity by focusing on business resistance that take place outside of human resources. SHRM of Nokia employs strategies that help to develop the business performance of Nokia and help an environment of modernism and flexibility among employees. The main actions of Head of SHRM Juha Akras are to identify key HR areas where strategies can be implemented in the long run of progress the overall employee motivation and productivity. SHRM also describe about the companys internal strengths and weaknesses. This is very important as the strengths and weaknesses of a companys human resources that have a straight effect on the companys future. 1.2 The purpose of Strategic Human Resource Management activities of Nokia: SHRM has a unique purpose to meet the companys objectives. Different company has different strategy and SHRM plays a role to identify the overall need for the company to achieve the company goal. The SHRM activities are as follows for Nokia and it has a great purpose for companys future: 1.2.1Resource planning: Resources are very important and should accessible to get together present and potential business requirements in favour of business policy. Nokia Resource planning directed executive or global and part or narrow system which is done by SHRM of Nokia. Particularly, talented workers or real apprenticeship schemes must be used. 1.2.3 Workforce planning and recruiting: Workforce planning is the development of assessing a companys current and future human resources needs. Workforce planning also includes managing any training and recruitment process to make sure the organisation has the exact staff inexact place. Nokia work force planning has a great purpose to properly express one way to make a workforce receptive to cross functional, Cross-cultural teaming that can therefore make fast, high-quality decisions and increase the organizations flexibility. 1.2.4 Performance management: Nokia SHRM has a system to run employee performance. It ensures individual objectives are copied from company strategy and policies. This is for motivate Nokias employee. 1.2.5 Recruiting and exit procedures: Nokia SHRM makes sure the capable and qualified persons are appointed to open positions, according to real need. The dealers check the quality of candidates. SHRM provided with a work contract or offer letter, basic or specific training. SHRM shall ensure that exit procedures are acquiescent with local legislation, international labour law and appropriate collective agreements. 1.2.6 Nokia specific training and certification: Nokia SHRM has the essential guidance on Nokias organization and product marketing, if required any compulsory Id or certificates to be trained the community procedure of engaging multicultural, multi-country employees in generating and agreeing on a set of values and to search and get deeper considerate of the relationships between strategy, culture, values and business outcomes. 1.3. Contribution of Strategic Human Resource Management to the achievement of Nokias organizational objectives. To continue a strong, booming and well-organized atmosphere Nokia connects with its workforce in the core target to make an situation for all its workers anywhere they can fulfil their prospective. 1.3.1 Company growth: Nokia expands their business in regularly basis with new innovations and ideas. That is why Nokia needs lot of skill and experienced persons to meet their business growth. For example Nokias Research Development work was spread crosswise in 69 web and its 19,579 technical expertises to activate and build up their own facts. In these situations Human Resource played a vital role. It recruits them and trained  them in specific way to success in this project. Nokia is operating their business all over the world and so the human resource providing a socio cultural environment to its employee relationship and workplace. 1.3.2 Profit increasing: Every company is profit oriented. They want to increase their profit in every aspect. Nokia is also increasing profit very successfully by making new ideas implementations. Human resource has a effective involve to increase their profit by reducing labour cost and other activities. Human resources is the organization of resources other than natural resources and capital resources. 1.3.3 Satisfaction of Stakeholders: Human Resource of Nokia always try to satisfy its Stakeholders like its employees, investors, suppliers and others. It has an member of staff approval training and employee judgment assignment and can get achievement on the grades of the training. It makes sure that information related to employees such as industry performance, communicated crossways the society and ensure performance is evaluated fairly and independently.HR of Nokia provide to dealer forces at Nokia services. Task 2: Human Resources Planning: 2.1 Business factors of Coca-Cola that underpin human resource planning: Human resources are the people that work for an organisation, and Human Resource Management is concerned with how these people are managed. Though, the term of HRM has come to mean more than this because people are different from the other resources that work for an organisation. Coca-Cola Human Resource department involves in company strategic planning in various way. When it makes human resource plan there is involve company business factor and external environment factor. 2.1.1 Business Growth: Coca-Cola is a leading beverage company. It increases its business all over the world in every year in different way. So needs lot of staff to meet this incensement of business. Human resources planning takes its consideration forecasting future manpower requirements, where using arithmetical view to plan growth in the monetary situation and expansion of the business. 2.1.2Business Change: Coca cola change their business plan strategy sometimes very frequently in consideration of economic, market variation, competitor and other relative factors. Human resource of Coca-Cola also takes such consideration when it plans in a long term basis. 2.1.3 Impact of Technology: In every certain time all over the world modern technology is invented. Coca-Cola always takes it a challenge when they make a Human resource plan. HR is considered to its existence employee and recruits skilful employee to meet this challenge successfully. 2.1.4 Business Competition: There is a huge competition of all over the world. In this competition rivalry making efficient the organization is a real challenge. Coca-Cola Human resource plan think about this competition and make it organization to fit in this situation. 2.1.5 Labour Cost Control: Coca-Cola Human resource planning includes in a wide way about Labour cost control by maintain waste of time, proper use of materials. Its Human resource always approach training programme to its productions stuff to make difference and make them skilful as they can work fast and more easily. Not only its taking consideration for planning or developing its production stuff it also concentrates its: IT specialists. Engineers. Project Specialist Product designer Executives. Admin stuff Other variations should take for consideration   new legislations like new health requirements,  safety requirements, Changes in government policies   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  like tax tariff, labour demand and supply. 2.2 Human resource requirements in a given situation: According to the New York Times July, 2009 Coca-Cola market was slipped in U.S. market but Coca-Cola still the best carbonate cola. In this situation there was 60% market share was Coca-Cola. Generally its market share relay between 75%-85% in U.S market. In this situation Coca- Cola surveyed their market and find out the barrier and solved it by various planning implementation. Besides the other department Human Resource Management played a vital role to recover the market as well. In Such kind of situation Human Resource makes sure several things that are as follows: 2.2.1 Personal Requirement: HR will arrange the operation teams and then give exact point to its members. According to the size of industry and the involvedness of the operation, might also need to create sub teams. The following points provide options HR might consider in regard to managing some important issues: Let to know and familiar with the specific operations: . Special training is given to employees; new employees also are placed with old ones to learn work and the values prevalent in the company. 2.2.2 Workplace: They must provide sufficient working space to per employee. The temperature must be reasonable. The workplace must be adequately lit and where the work can be done seated seats must be provided. Human resource management makes sure promote an comprehensive atmosphere that inspire all workforce to build up and get to their complete possible, consistent with a promise of human rights in our place of work. 2.2.3 Organizing operation teams: SHRM will help to make a team of talent in safety way also serve up as influential of secondary teams. Team members have to have such skills that are valuable according to the requirements. 2.3 Development a human resources plan Coca-Cola: The Human Resource Plan should also be closely tied to strategic planning. In order to effectively meet their strategic goals and objectives, a world leading company, hire or develop staff with the required skills, knowledge and attitudes to perform the needed functions. The Human Resource Plan of Coca-Cola can be completed in six steps: 2.3.1 Step 1: Setup a big picture: The main purpose of the first step is to bring the group to realize the meaning of and the need for a business strategy and agenda of Coca-Cola. To understand the business strategy the specific department executives will run a workshop and it can be two days workshop. In this two-day workshop the business unit executive reviews business strategy in any issues to impact the business. HR highlights the key driving forces of business such as Technology, distribution, competition, the markets etc and also the implications of the driving forces for the people side of business the fundamental people contribution to bottom line business performance. 2.3.2Step 2: Develop a Mission Statement or Statement of Intent: This come up to human resources planning mirrors the section in business plan of Coca-Cola dedicated to clearing up why your company exists and what value it presents. Human resources planning will be based on your organizations mission statement, goals and objectives because your workforce will be in alignment with the company values. 2.3.3 Step 3: Conduct a SWOT analysis of the organization: This analysis will looks at the internal environment of company. By this analysis the human resource will find out what is Coca-Colas present strengths and what is weakness as well as current in future opportunity and threats to know the whether they able to achieve with the current human resources. SWOT analysis will ensure the clear image about the organisation resources such as capital worker. 2.3.4Step 4: Develop consequences and solutions; Human resource will amalgamate all essential for meeting the company objectives. It will take steps for developing the Human Resource Plan as below: Teamwork of staff to lower levels to the management level should be developed to support in various ways that able to consider necessary in things to build up communication and promote better relationship among all level of employee. The management should emphasize on good quality of corporate culture to build up employees and make a positive and favourable work environment. The reasonable and complete process of human resource management is Performance appraisal. Through the performance evaluation HRM can collect and proves basics for recruiting and selecting new staff and can give training to its existing staff to develop their skill. It is motivate and maintain a work force by satisfactorily and correctly rewarding their dedications. Human Resources Management will defiantly fall down without a dependable performance evaluation system. 2.3.5 Step 5: Implementation and evaluation of the action plans: Developing a human resource strategys main purpose is to make sure that the objectives set are similarly helpful so that the reward and payment systems are incorporated with employee training and career development plans. 2.4 Evaluation of how a human resources plan can contribute to meet Coca-Colas objectives: Human Resource Plan has a great value to achieve of an organisations overall strategic objectives and it is clearly explain that the human resources role completely understands and supports the route in which the organisation is touching. A complete HR plan will also support other exact strategic objectives undertaken by the marketing, financial, functioning and technology departments. Generally Coca-Cola evaluates its HR plan in various ways which are below: It has the exact people in exact place. It has the accurate combination of skills. Employees show their correct attitudes and behaviours. Employees are organized in a effective way. Coca-Cola take decision a HR strategy plan can attach importance to the organisation if it has the values which are below: Some more clear of the common things which recline at the back the success of other plans and strategies which didnt show previously. Recognize basic an essential issue which has to be addressed to its people as the are motivated more dedicated and work successfully. The next area should be including: Workforce planning issues Making plan successful. Workforce skills campaign. Employment justice plans. Motivation and reasonable behaviour issues. Recruitment design in compensate levels, retain and motivate people A reasonable grading and payment system which is serving proper incentive for dedications. A constant performance management structure which is considered to assemble the requirements of all sectors of the business including its people. Furthermore, the HR strategy of Coca-Cola can put in worth is by making sure that, in all its other plans takes its version of and plans for changes in the bigger environment, those are likely to have a major impact such as: Changes in the in general service marketplace. Development of the member of staff relations weather is need. Changes the legal framework which surrounding employment. 3.1 Explanation the purpose of human resource management policies of Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola believes in delivering better performance requirements better capabilities. So its HR policy is planned in procession with this approach and stand on attracting and retaining the brilliant people and developing them constantly. Employees development is the main issues for human resource management. It constantly educated on How to Develop People. Employees, business objectives and ability levels are followed up by the performance management.   Reward system and career management systems are considered on job family model. As a fraction of career management system, internal appointment procedure is used so as to grant them career and job upgrading opportunities. In 2007 there are 97 placement have been filled through internal assignments. Winning and potential employees are reviewed efficiently and exclusively. Talent re-evaluate meetings are planned for next steps with individualized development programs. 3.2 Analysing the impact of regulatory requirements on human resource policies of Coca-Cola: The HR policies can help an organization both internally and externally. It meets requirements for diversity, ethics and training as well as its commitments in relative to instruction and commercial governance. The HR policy of Coca-cola establishes a cultural diversity. HR policies also played a very effective at supporting and building the desired organizational culture. These are lots of system and that actually beneficiary from a company as well as from employee. All around the world, Coca-cola makes sure with 27000 of Expatriates that they be given the kind of correspondence and ongoing support that makes their replacement a positive experience. Coca-Cola team Management with all policies for international mobility with a long term basis. Coca-cola accepted such kind of policies about its internal environment that make sure that they are flexible, smart and complete enough on the way to contract with the large range of needs and issues that is very essential to run a business successfully. Task 3: Reviewing Human Resource Management 4.1 The impact of an organisational structure on the management of human resources: There is a significant impact of HRM of Tesco on organizational structures to get nearer into sight organization in a effective way. The fundamental decision-making scheme was unsuccessful to react quickly to managers desires and concerns. So, Tesco taking place scrapping conservative, hierarchical professional structures in act of kindness of compliment, decentralized management systems. Then smaller number managers were concerned in the decision-making process and companies were adopting more of a team advance to management. HRM professionals, as the management change and were charged with reorganizing workers and escalating their effectiveness. This hard work also resulted in the detonation of part-time, or contract, employees, which necessary human resource strategies that contrasted with those applicable to full time workers. 4.2 Analysing the impact of an organisational culture on the management of human resources: Organizational culture and environment factors are such kind of factor where an organization exist determines the way of managing the organization (Saffold, 1988:547). The connection between organizational culture and human resources practices can be say as follows. When the member of organization i.e. employees, understand and internalized the organzational culture which can be said as the way things are done around here it will enable for employee to choose strategy, and behavior that fit with their personality as well as with the main routines of organization activities. Since Indonesia is belong to country with high power distance and low uncertainty avoidance, it is likely that organizational culture that fit with this condition is parochial type. Parochial culture is characterized by the tendecy to give much attention to some factor such as family relationship, social relation, and personal backgroud, and less attention to capability and competency needed to perform the task. The main power is on the one hand, a powerful person such as the owner or the founder of the company, where the destiny of an employee depends on the hand of the most powerfull person (the boss). There is a division of work, the boss is the planner, the other are the doer. In the high power distance society, good leader or good manager in the eye of the employees, is someone who can act like a good father (Hofstede, 1997). This type of relationship will lead to less participative management in decision making. 4.3 The effectiveness of human resources management is monitored at Tesco: The central point on HR for developing the employees through constant teaching is essential to the achievement of the business; it would amount to a waste of resources. As the UKs largest merchant crossways 14 countries consists of 470,000 members of staff. 4.3.1 Value: These apply together to consumers and employees, and for the latter focus on teamwork, trust and respect, listening, supporting and saying thank you, and sharing knowledge and experience. 4.3.2 Support: Tesco can claim a perpetual support from the employees even though the company faces a dispute concerning the distraction that includes financial services. The company also stretched internationally and economic downturn is enough to keep the companys values. 4.3.3 Growth: The Tescos HR functions are extremely entrenched. They are doing type to both short-term and longer term growth. The company is created 11,000 new jobs in 2009 and they will target the long-term unemployed.   4.3.4 Meritocracy: Tesco boasts the best employee remuneration package in the food retail sector, with an award-winning pension scheme. Some 170,000 staff own shares or are members of share schemes, and there is discounted dental, health and life insurance on offer. 4.4 Justified recommendations to improve the effectiveness of human resources management in Tesco: 4.4.1 Composition of the audit team: There has to be a representative from the HR function and from among senior line managers if the effect has to have any credibility. 4.4.2Identify the functions main customers: It is important to review to measure that what customers main functions are. 4.4.3 Mission reports reconsider: This declaration explains the cause for the HR functions continuation, its principal actions and its most important values. 4.4.4 Reconsider the activities role in implementing the companys strategy: This is critical point to establishing the connection between HR policy and practices as well as the organizations overall business strategy. 4.4.5 Reconsider the HR policy and practices: The benefit of this approach is that line managers can go anywhere if they are not happy with the service they be given from the HR function within the organization. 4.4.6 Create domestic comparison to set up best practice: The organization have to make and continually keep posted a exclusive database of HR practices that gives an overview of developments within the worlds major organizations today. 4.4.7Review the outcome of analysis: Performance gaps have to be identified and the policy implications have to be discussed with the customer. The commitment for implementing the necessary improvements should be gained. 4.4.8 Apply the decided improvements: The metrics selected should be the decided on right indicators of the HR functions performance and evaluate the results with industry averages, competitors, best practice firms, and/or with set targets or previous performance ratings.

Muromachi Period Essay -- essays research papers

The Muromachi style of Zen Buddhism has influence art and design ever since it’s beginning in the 14th century. Although it was influenced by the Chinese styles at a parallel time, they both are still influential and noticed in today’s world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For years Japanese Ink Painting continued to be consistent with a basis on nature, and simplicity. Was the beginning of Minimalism in Japan? Was it intentional? The open composition of space and content on paper is a key of today’s design. The simplicity of monochromatic work is still appreciated in almost every art form.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is a contrast to the Renaissance that occurred during the same time period. There was never work similar in Europe, it was mostly elaborate and colorful. This proves that the Asian styles are the origin of minimalism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even in architecture and landscape, there was interpretation and consistence of nature. The â€Å"Zen Garden† is a key concept that has lasted through the years. The Japanese styles of architecture were inspired by the consistency and simplicity of nature. They were the first to incorporate outside and inside, using a lot of patio space, and open surfaces, using round posts, and hinged translucent walls (Japan, 229).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The dominant styles of the Muromachi Period, Ink Painting, Landscape, and Architecture, are visible in today’s society in all cultures. Design fields incorporate the same appreciation that the Zen Buddhists did. Aesthetics, the set of principles of good taste and the appreciation on beauty, especially in the philosophy of art (Reader’s, 26). During the Muromachi Period, Sesshu (1420-1506) was known as the most famous artist in his medium of Ink Paintings. He was a monk that dedicated his life to painting. He traveled to areas of China and the natural landscape inspired his work heavily. He denied any influence from the Chinese art he saw on his journey. Like the work of Ni Zan (1308-1374), a Chinese Yuan Dynasty ink painter. (History, 842-861)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sesshu’s most noted work was the â€Å"Winter Landscape.† This painting was done after his excursion through China, in the 1467. It is 18.25 x 11.5† in size, and was produced by rushing black ink on a paper. It is overlapped view of a landscape in the foreground, with large mountainous cliff... ...on of the arts really polluted all meaning behind it. This is a dramatic time in which the true Zen Monks doubted their faith in the work they produced. The understanding of this, left room for sarcasm, and criticism, and eventually dilution of the Zen theories of nature and serenity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Put aside the debauchery of the art, this period has influenced so many cultures and design styles. It is key that styles like minimalism and even constructivism trace back to the monochromatic layout of image and text these monks produced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being a designer, it is astonishing to relate styles that I apply to work with these simple Buddhists. They lived a simple lifestyle, appreciating materials and imagery that both were provided by nature. The aesthetics applied is an important way of expressing yourself as a citizen of the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is important that we as people seek to make the world better for mankind. Appreciating the elements, and applying workable solutions was a key contribution these monks made to society. Whether it is through our work or our deeds, it would be ideal that we all follow their example.

Does Geography control your destiny? :: essays research papers

Human activity has major effects on geography. When studying the earth you can come to several conclusions about the geography of any particular civilization. Distribution of life in the civilization allows you to analyze whether their geography is their own destiny. Do people control their own destiny? Is geography something that people can control? Technology is really the key to why geography can be overcome by any people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the history of the earth we have seen many countries leave their homeland. Most of these countries however, are those that are not landlocked. Countries which were not landlocked organized themselves and set sail for new territories to explore. Boat technology allowed for travel, resulting in the whole world becoming more accessible and allowing people to overcome what was thought to be indestructible geography. Obviously access to the sea lowers transport costs and aids economic growth. Yet this mattered less in earlier centuries. Even in some ancient civilizations, they learned to overcome the problem of not having technology. The original silk route from China to Europe used the camel rather than the ship. Only when ship design became advanced from the 15th century onwards did sea-borne trade gain centre-stage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  India and China however, were landlocked and were by far the greatest industrial powers in the world till the Industrial revolution. Technology, not geography, helped temperate agriculture and industry to zoom ahead. One way a country overcomes geographical isolation is to improve its transportation infrastructure. Better roads, ports, paths, and other modes of transport provide access to world markets. But a country can only derive full benefits from these investments against a backdrop of good trade and macroeconomic policies. Consequently this leads to the belief that people again control the thought of their own geography.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Note that Europeans migrated in enormous numbers to warmer climates from the 17th century onwards. However these warmer climates were not always easy to live in. The conditions that a person living in a tropical climate would put up with were far greater than those who live in the subtropics. Global warming has been a huge concern in the entire world. In The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, David S. Landes argues that Europe's temperate climate encouraged hard work and capitalist development, while the heat of the tropics brought reliance on slaves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The communications revolution has shrunk distances. Bangalore, currently the software capital of India with Hyderabad a close second, has proven that landlocked countries can do just as well and that overcoming geography can happen.