God and His Mission

Eileen Paulino One of seven virtues of ancient Greek times was faith. Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Regardless of where we are in our lives we always maintain faith that we will either advance in life or things will simply get better. I myself didn’t always have faith I didn’t think that if I wanted something bad enough it would happen for me. I always looked around at my surroundings and saw myself as a Hispanic female with goals and ambition who no matter how hard she worked wouldn’t amount to much because to most of the world around me I was simply that a Hispanic female from the Bronx.There was definitely a time when I lost all faith in myself my world seemed to be crashing down right before my eyes. On August 11th of 2009 I lost someone who was very important to me, my uncle. We were so much alike sthrong personalities and two people who wanted more in life and had faith that somehow or some way we would provide better for ou r families. I was much younger but losing him caused me to want to give up I didn’t understand why it was that he had been taken from me he was one of a couple of people of who had faith in me and how far I could go in life see I’ve always had a passion for fashion.For along as I can remember it has been a great part of me. When I lost my uncle I felt as though I hadn’t done enough while he was around and that now I was being punished with having to deal with his lost and a family who was devastated. My mother had lost her brother and my grandmother her eldest son for so long their faces had no idea as to what a smile was and seeing my mother and grandmother so down caused great change in me.I no longer was doing well in school and for the first time in my life I stopped drawing and fashion wasn’t as important to me anymore. As time progressed I wasn’t getting any better I had tried to make myself believe that my uncle was still on vacation in the Dominican Republic and that he would be back but these unrealistic hopes as time went by became just that I was being faced with the fact that he was gone. My mother soon enough began to see me giving up on my dream and that I was not doing well in school anymore and it started to tear her apart.My mother was and still is my biggest cheerleader when I didn’t have faith in myself she did so why was I letting her down? At some point it hit me that everything happens for a reason and that my uncle was in a better place he as no longer suffering and regardless he was looking down on me and he wouldn’t have liked for me to give on my dream so I needed to have faith in myself that I could go on and that regardless of how the rest of the world perceives me I can become someone.There’s no reason to lose faith because life handed me a tough time I realized this should motivate me to have more faith in myself and who I believed I was destined to be. I began to do better i n school and started to draw again, fashion is my calling and I should’ve never lost faith my myself. Till this day although I’m still very young have so much more to learn and I haven’t accomplished my dream I don’t lose faith in that one day I will and that’s all thanks to my mother.My mother was born and raised in the Dominican republic and she always had faith that her life will someday turn around and when she had her family she would provide them with a better life then she was given and till this day she hasn’t failed us, she’s been the best mother anyone could ever ask for and for my lifetime I’ll be grateful she never lost faith in me because thanks to her I didn’t lose faith in myself and I’m still fighting for my dream.The first reading I came across with my professor this semester was â€Å"Sherman Alexie The Joy of Reading and Writing : Superman and me†, this is a short story about a Spokane In dian who’s will to be better and great faith in himself allowed for great success to come his was regardless of the challenges he faced in his earlier life.

Comparison of The Crucible and After Liverpool Essay

For this assignment I am going to be comparing two plays both of which I have studied and preformed. The first play, which I studied, was the crucible by Arthur Miller and After Liverpool by James Saunders. Each of the two plays are naturalistic but are set in two very different times. The Crucible is set in Salem Massachusetts in 1642 and After Liverpool is set in the 70’s. The two are quite contrary in how they were set out first of all After Liverpool was made up of 23 small scenes some only having a few lines some having quite a few but most of them were short. The main things used in the setting for each scene are very basic. The scene was made up of a coffee table, a few chairs and a sofa. It os so basic as everyone has these things and this type of thing could happen to anyone of us at any time. This produces the effect that relationships are similar and that in this performance the only thing that maters is the relationship between the actors whereas on the other hand The Crucible is quite different. This is made up of four long acts. This uses lots of sophisticated props for example detailed furniture and crockery. This is all needed to set the time in which the crucible is set. Whereas in After Liverpool the setting is not irrelevant but is not as important. After Liverpool was made up of two characters of not much significance and a series of duologues bar one. After Liverpool is about the lack of communication that can develop over time. The short scenes in this piece are somewhat symbolic to the nature of relationships today. The speed and the fact that long term relationships are not as common. Also most of them are based on sexual attraction, which is now an important thing when looking for a partner. The crucible has many different characters and each of the characters are described and are of quite significance. Compared to After Liverpool where there is no description of the characters. There is no description of characters as it is irrelevant of who you are in this piece as all people are involved or could be involved in a relationship. The crucible is based on a true story and some of the characters were real people. The crucible is an allegory and was written as Arthur Miller wanted to express his views but couldn’t so he uses The Crucible as an allegory to do so. Miller wanted to express his views about the McCarthy communist hunts in America. What he was saying was that if America is so great and believes in freedom why is it that you were killed or exiled for believing in a contrary government to Americas own. Also The Crucibles main theme was mass hysteria and the community being ruled by the church and religion. After Liverpool also uses symbolism in the apples by this is mean is that the apple is representing the forbidden apple from the story of Adam and Eve. Both of theses plays are similar as both are about gaining power in a relationship in the crucible Abigail gains power over John Proctor leading to his death. After Liverpool this is about relationships and communication between couples. It is preformed entirely in chronological order with no flash backs unlike The Crucible tells you about past events. In After Liverpool each scene is wholly about the couples relationship and the communication or lack of the couples lack any past and never refer to the future. The Crucible is very detailed in its explanation of characters, which gives you an idea when performing of how to play each character. In After Liverpool there is no indication and it is entirely down to the person performing the piece. So it is an indication of how the performer sees the scene happening and maybe an indication on how they view relationships. The fact After Liverpool is written like this is also symbolic in that everyone can be in a relationship that is why the characters are labelled M and W. The reason they are labelled M and W is that it can represent anyone, which is rue as anyone can be in a relationship. The scenes did not have to be in any order this is also symbolic that the relationships in the play do not get anywhere they always end up asking the same questions. They had no specific chronological order as everything was happening in the present. Having looked at both plays it has given me an insight of two very effective ways of portraying relationships both of them very different from each other. I preferred performing After Liverpool as I could use my own drama skills to play each character, which I think is a lot better, and I enjoyed it more. Also I found it easier to understand, as it used more modern language, which was easier to learn.

Female Victims of Miscarriage of Justices Dissertation - 1

Female Victims of Miscarriage of Justices - Dissertation Example Laws have male characteristics and target male crime, thus overlooking the realities of women's lives with regards to criminal justice. This generates the "generalizability problem†1 where patriarchal values thus serve masculine needs2. Introduction The very idea of miscarriage of justice is discouraged by every legal system that stands as a bastion to democracy. Every civilised government has recognised the need to ensure that all its citizens are treated fairly within the due process of law. For example, the Criminal Justice Act 1991 provides3 that: â€Å"The Secretary of State shall in each year publish such information as he considers expedient for the purpose of facilitating the performance of those engaged in the administration of justice to avoid discriminating against any persons on the ground of race or sex or any other improper ground.† In attempting to establish a fitting legal system that incorporates the democratic principles of justice, it is of importance that the issue of gender differences is examined. â€Å"Despite claims to the contrary, masculinist epistemologies are built upon values that promote masculine needs and desires, making all others invisible†4– making women almost invisible within the justice system, and this can easily lead to miscarriage of justice. MacKinnon states, â€Å"For women to affirm difference, when difference means dominance, as it does with gender, means to affirm the qualities and characteristics of powerlessness†5. This is very true of our societies even though women are mistreated by the same laws that were established because of care and concern. The law therefore lays emphasis to equality, but uses a masculine standard as a threshold for enforcement. Lahey calls this â€Å"equality with a vengeance.†6 Aims of study The aim of this paper is to explore femininism and miscarriage of justice from a criminal law perspective. This paper does not engage in a dispute about wheth er women’s right should be different from men in the criminal justice system. The underlying premise is that rights are universal. The paper simply uses the universalism and cultural relativism debate as an entry point to a discussion of ethical considerations of women in the criminal law system of justices. It will attempt to demonstrate how cultural differences persist between man and women. â€Å"Difference in this instance is set up as a duality: woman is different from man, and this difference is seen as a deficiency because she is not man†7. The paper will therefore critically and comparatively consider how the law has attempted to reconcile the rights of women at criminal trials with what obtains in different legal cultures and their resultant effect on females as victims of miscarriage of justice. Analysis I will analyze my paper from the perception of these enquires: What is miscarriage of justice? Miscarriage of justices is considered as a situation in which ‘the rights of others are not effectively or proportionately protected by the state’8. The main keyword that makes an act constitute a form of miscarriage of justice is â€Å"failure to act†. How is miscarriage of justice manifested? The victimization of women makes access to justice illusory, amounting to miscarriage of justice. Access to justice is reasoned to be a priority enjoyed by

Effects on environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Effects on environment - Research Paper Example Pollution is contamination of the natural environment and which brings about environmental degradation. Air pollution caused by industrial emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur and other harmful gases leads to depletion of the ozone layer which acts as a shield to protect the earth from excessive and harmful sun rays. Water pollution on the other hand which may be caused by harmful farming, mining and even industrial wastes destroy the environment by exposing it to toxic chemicals and hence killing animals and plants which depend on that water. It also leads to destruction of the soil hence rendering the area inhabitable. The excessive population growth that has been witnessed over the last century has also had its effects on the environment. The major effects include deforestation, depletion of natural resources and extinction of species of both plants and animals. As the population continues to expand and with limited land for settlement, the only alternative left is to start clearing forests and even draining swamps in order to build settlement areas. This leads to climate changes and environmental degradation. The minority species are also displaced in a â€Å"battle for the fittest† as explained by Darwin. Species like that of dinosaur which occupy large areas are killed to clear space to accommodate the excess population. Population growth also leads to increased construction which not only causes pollution which as explained earlier degrades the environment but also leads to deforestation and extraction of earth’s important minerals in the process of construction. Other environmental influencers do not however entirely bring about negative effects on the environment. Some farming techniques for example like animal farming enriches the environment by ensuring provision of manure and hence minerals. Practicing biological methods of farming where no chemicals are used also prevents degrading

U.S. housing price Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

U.S. housing price - Term Paper Example The situation became worse with the reduction in the availability of credit. This made it impossible for the willing prospects to pay for home ownership. This paper makes an attempt to investigate the housing problems of the US and the future that lies ahead of this sector. The project would also provide a direction to the prospective buyers of the houses and would help to determine how the prices of the new housing projects could be reduced. Necessary graphs and charts have been provided to present the statistics that would support the arguments put forward in the paper. How serious is housing price problem in the USA? Studies have proved that in the United States there exists inequality in the distribution of wealth among the population of the country. Federal Reserve has stated that out of the total net worth of the individuals, 27% is accounted for household real estate. An average American would allocate almost 66 % of his or her wealth for housing. On the other hand the high ne t worth individuals of the country generally keeps their money invested in form of a variety of financial assets. The major part of the investment portfolios of these people do not consist of housing investments. Therefore this group of people generally react less to the fluctuation in the housing prices. Thus when there is a rise in the housing prices the people belonging to the middle get mostly affected by it.... On the other hand the people who had their money invested in their primary residence faced the brunt. Generally the housing prices indices have been used to analyze the prices of the housing investments throughout the country (Holt, 2009). However, it cannot be generalized easily because there are regional disparities in the prices of the housing. The size and location of the housing has an effect on the prices that would exist in the market. There might also be defect in the construction of the housing prices index. These data on these indices present certain surprising information. Situations of distress sales of the housing have caused the builders to review their price setting procedure (Talbott, 2003). However, the homes which have been valued at a very high rate have faced a decline in their values with the problems in the housing market. There are a host of reasons for this. The debt to income ratio of the loans and the amount of down payment that the buyers could make for pur chasing a house had been low. Along with this, the loans that were provided were not underwritten in the proper manner. The long term interest rates in the country have been rising in the recent past. This has also posed a threat to the housing market. If the rate of interest on the bonds rises, people would shy away from making housing investments and would park their money for the long term because such investments would be riskless for the investor. Figure 1: Long term interest rates in 2013 Source: Nothaft, 2013 Thus the affordability of housing is quite low for those families that lie in the middle income group. This is especially true in the metro areas of the country. Again at a time of a boom in the housing prices, the real activities taking place

Connection between disabilities and poverty Essay

Connection between disabilities and poverty - Essay Example Low income precedes disability. Consequently, poverty among the pregnant women, poor diet, and stressful living increases the incidences of prematurity among the babies. For example, premature births and low birth weight are indicators of future disability (Lustig and Strauser, 195). Together disability and poverty creates a vicious circle. Worldwide over a billion people have some form of disability with majority of the incidents resulting from poverty instances. Once the poor people are disabled, their poverty levels worsen more. Disabled people are subjects of discrimination in the world we live in, and are frequently denied access to employment opportunities, healthcare, and education that they require to lift them out of poverty. Rather the individuals become poorer more. Individuals with a disability remain on the verge edge of existence and their poverty levels cause a greater effect on their disability (Braithwaite and Mont 220). Together disability and poverty creates a vicious circle. However, disabled individuals re often regarded to be a curse in the society and are even considered being as a result of witchcraft and bad luck. Disabled people are often hidden away from others or left even alone to die. The millennium development goal on eradication of poverty can only be achieved if special consideration is given to the disabled

Management Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management Development - Essay Example The field of human resource development is particularly related to organizational learning and transfer of learning, each of which is a significant objective. The last twenty years have yielded a large amount of research about which factors are key influential factors in the process of transfer of learning (Mailick, 1998, pp. 57-68). This has led to the practices of management training becoming highly popular over the past few decades, since its link to increasing aptitude and improved management practices for both middle managers and top managers. However, research (Mumford, 1994, pp. 20-33) shows that most of the substantial resources that companies are allocating to such management training will be wasted, since institutional learning and training hardly transfers into the organization’s workplace. For this reason, the programs have not had a significant impact yet, which leads researchers to further study into such features of human resource management (Ashton et al, 1975, pp. 1-9). The past few decades have been a misguiding era due to the conflicting management beliefs, findings, and practices in the global economy. While there is still much debate about the effectiveness, methodology, and validity of management development (Mumford, 2004, 71-84), companies are still investing millions in executive management education. This does not pertain only to academic training. The corporate training programs are innovatively designed to cater to several needs of the trainees, such as punctuality of delivery, profound information coverage and job relatedness. For this reason, these training sessions provide learning, which is presented in the context of an organizational workplace, administered at the appropriate time, and sized in small and effective doses, which are easy to comprehend. However, these programs have also failed to produce desired results of significant magnitude, which is why the true effectiveness of management development is still in quest ion. Discussion The operations of a business being international in the new global economy (ILO, 1998, pp. 10-28), further complicate the management and technique required for survival far beyond how they would be for a domestic firm. Research (Hill, 2007, pp. 28-51) shows how the strategy of the organization (what to do) is receiving more attention on an international scale than its own implementation (how to do it) or the training of international managers (the people who will do it). The shortage of qualified and capable international managers is a large reason why these companies cannot successfully practice such international strategies, even though the quantity of available research (Rothwell, 2006, pp. 66-79) on the IHRM policies that MNEs practice is insufficient to support this fact. This research is especially limited regarding international markets other than those of the west and their IHRM practices, thus constraining the validity of this discussion. One major criticism that the existing research (Garavan et al, 1999, pp. 191-207) on management development observes is that the core problems that affect the implementation of management have not received sufficient attention. This pertains especially to the academic perspective about management, which tends to restrict its scope particularly in the UK. This does not allow for room to

The Consumer Behaviour of Latvian outbound tourists towards the online Dissertation

The Consumer Behaviour of Latvian outbound tourists towards the online and offline travel booking method - Dissertation Example Regardless of the advantages associated with the traditional methods of travel booking, from our findings, consumers still prefer online travel bookings and offers. This puts into consideration those consumers who are not in a position to exclusively make use of the services provided by travel agencies and are profiled to; take responsibility when it comes to their own planning and travelling, young tourists who in most cases use traditional means to travel and go for low prices, the economic situation forcing consumers to opt for services where they can find bargains and those who shy off from complex trips thus go for online booking addresses.   A detailed summary of this study gives out very vital information about tourists characters online and the risk incurred. The findings of this study conclude that the hospitality and tourism products are at a greater risk of being purchased, so the products should be well evaluated and this will play a big role in the decision making aspe ct of the consumers . From our findings we have discovered that this two aspects determine largely the specific online booking website to be selected by a tourist. However this two aspects can in one way or another affect the original price or quality of a product. When it comes to the distribution system, the type of booking methods as well as the preferable locations and sites were strongly associated with the nature of their visit.   From the respondents, it was evident that those consumers whose nature for touring happens to be the conference were observed to have their accommodation arrangements mostly done through their own companies and travel agencies. The number of such type of tourists who chose to have their booking done over the internet was minimal.   Tourists who were in the country for regular business trip were observed to have their booking done mostly in two ways; trough their own companies or through travel agencies.   The tourists that mostly did their book ing using the Internet were those who in the country mostly for leisure as they prefer their reservations to be done online. Demographic characteristics were also observed to impact the choice of the booking methods preferred by the visitors. When it comes to gender, there were no significant difference between the men and women booking behaviors. However, the online share reservation amongst women was observed to be slightly bigger than the case in men. Looking at the age factor with respect to online booking, the difference among the age groups was that big. The age group that had the minimal share of the online travel booking belonged to the age group 50 and above while the age group that enjoyed the biggest share was that from 30 to 40 years old v (Janda, Trocchia, & Gwinner, 2002).   Despite the difference, no age group can be regarded as having extremely high share of the online travel booking. The difference witnessed between the share of online travel booking by countries of origin of the tourists was to some level

Creating Sustainable Workplace Essay Example for Free

Creating Sustainable Workplace Essay Thinking more broadly about sustainability (see above), reflect on your personal life. How sustainable is your life style? What can you do to make it more sustainable? Write your responses to these questions. Based on the aforementioned definitions and descriptions of sustainability, it is important to put emphasis personal sustainability for it is the aspect that lacks attention. As for my own assessment of my personal sustainability, my life is quite on the right track. I practiced habits that promote health and wellness. However, I admit that I have some lapses in my behavior that I need to improve. I tend to push myself in doing things without thinking the consequences in my health. I spend some time working and studying until the morning which I know is very unhealthy. I also like fast food and eating out for it is convenient for me, which I know have negative impacts on my health and on the environment that eating organic. I need to change some of my attitudes and behavior in order to attain personal sustainability. I need to set limits and improve my time management skills to effectively manage my life. Assignment #3: Observe practices of sustainability at your internship location. Interview 2 people and ask them what the organization does to promote sustainability. What practices do you see and hear that support sustainability? Think broadly here; providing livable wages is as much a sustainable practice as recycling! Discuss what you saw and heard in your interviews that tell you how well the organization is supporting sustainability practices. What thoughts do you have for what the can do to enhance its practices? The company I am working as an intern promotes sustainable practices and inculcates them to their employees as part of their corporate social responsibility. The company provides appropriate and proper wages on their employees as well as medical benefits. Also, the work hours are convenient to promote personal sustainability. As part of their corporate social responsibility, they practice waste segregation to help the environment. They also try as much as possible to minimize their wastes or garbage in the office. For example, the used papers are used as scratch papers to take notes. This is done to help reduce pollutants and to promote environmental sustainability.

Trade unions and management Essay Example for Free

Trade unions and management Essay It is evident from the literature that there has been a sharp decrease in the use of collective bargaining between trade unions and management in deciding employment agreements for employees (e. g. Milner, 1995; Poole Mansfield,1993). Many authors argue that movement towards the individualization of employment relations is replacing the traditional collectivist approach, with the individual negotiation of personalized employment agreements becoming increasingly more favoured over the collective negotiation between trade unions and managements (Milner, 1995; Welch Leighton, 1996). Within this essay, individualism and collectivism mainly revolve around the employment agreement, which is described by Welch and Leighton (1996) as being the main legal mechanism for establishing the rules of work for the employer and individual employees. Brown et al. (2000, p. 616) define the employment contract as being the outcome of a transaction that encompasses both the entitlements and the obligations of the employee. These entitlements encompass commonly associated factors such as pay and fringe benefits, however, what is commonly forgotten is that contracts also regulate the obligations placed on employees such as workloads and job descriptions (Brown et al. , 2000). These are elements that can be either negotiated collectively or individually. In this essay we commence by outlining the meanings of collectivism and individualism the different dimensions of collectivism and individualism in employment relations, and the relations between them. Then we discussed how the movement from collectivism to individualism has been expressed in the pay systems. Collectivism and Individualism Individualism has been viewed as closely associated with unitarism as it suggests shared interests and therefore a preference for a relationship between the individual employee and the manager which is direct and unmediated by collective employee representation. Pluralism has been viewed as being related to collectivism in that this perspective implies conflicting employee-management interests and consequently a preference for collective institutions and procedures in the form of trade unions or collective bargaining. However it has been argued that the tendency to equate unitarism with individualism and pluralism with collectivism in this way fails to do justice to the complexity of management approaches as they relate to the individual and the collective at the workplace(Purcell 1987 cited in the book by Ian Kessler John Purcell, 2003). Notions of individualism and collectivism have been used to characterize distinct but related dimensions of the employment relationship(Ian Kessler John Purcell,2003). Individualism directs attention to how employers manage the individual employee while collectivism encourages a focus on how employers address and deal with collective or representative institutions. Phelps Brown talks of ‘the sense of common interest and common purpose. ’ that united union members in the past (1990:11) and depicts post –war trade unionism as ‘A movement, and not simply a federation of bodies with common purposes. Its members were accustomed to address each other as brothers and sisters, and they did indeed feel a fraternal obligation to support one another. Within the ground rules of democracy, they saw themselves as committed to an adversarial approach in industrial relations and to a radical change in social and economic institutions. (1990:4)’ Trevor Colling (2003) explains that the problem with such perspectives is that they overstate the previous strength of collective identities and, in doing so, depict the current crisis of collectivism as being without precedent and unfathomably deep. Rise and decline of collective bargaining Collective bargaining is defined as ‘a voluntary, formalized process by which employers and independent trade unions negotiate, for specified groups of employees, terms and conditions of employment and the ways in which certain employment-related issues are to be regulated at national, organizational and workplace levels. ’ Lewis, Philip, Thornhill, Adrian, Saunders, Mark (2003). William Brown, Paul Marginson and Janet Walsh (2003) described collective bargaining as a term used when employers deal directly with the trade unions representing their employees in order to regulate the conduct and terms of their work. Flanders (1968) noted that collective bargaining does not involve the actual sale or hire of labour; it is a rule –making process which determines and regulates, in varying degrees, the terms on which individuals will be employed. Purcell reinforced industrial relations origins and strong traditional links with collectivism through the following quote. ‘The study of industrial relations grew out of a recognition that principles of wage fixing in industry, the pursuit of industrial citizenship and the determination of conditions of employment were most obviously, and best, achieved through collective bargaining between employers and representatives of the workforce. ’ Therefore, it can be stated that the original system of industrial relations had strong links with collectivism. Gunnigle, Turner and D’Art (1998) stated that the extent of collectivism in industrial relations may be accurately gauged through trade union penetration; which includes trade union density, recognition and reliance on collective bargaining. Therefore, the following empirical evidence of the rise and decline of collective employment agreements and trade unions will demonstrate trends in collectivism. Milner (1995) explained the data of collective pay setting institutions in Britain from 1895-1990, providing good data for the percentage of the workforce covered by collective bargaining throughout this period of time. In 1910, 15 percent of Britain’s workforce was covered by collective bargaining. This steadily rose to reach 42 percent by 1933 and 51 percent by 1939, peaking at 73 percent in 1973 (Milner, 1995). When the percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining is combined with those affected by trade boards and wage councils (statutory machinery), Milner’s (1995) data shows the overall coverage percentage peaked after World War Two at 89 percent in 1947. Brown et al. (2000) discovered that the proportion of all employees covered by collective agreements in British workplaces fell from 70 percent in 1984 to 54 percent in 1990, and further to 41 percent in 1998. Brown et al. (2000) also cite that the traditional form of multi-employer, industry-wide or national collective bargaining has significantly reduced from 43 percent in 1980 to 14 percent in 1998. Poole and Mansfield (1993) discovered in their study of managers who were also members of the British Institute of Management that the proportion of managers actually involved in collective bargaining dropped from 20 percent in 1980 to 17. 4 percent in 1990, which is a minimal drop when compared to the findings of other studies. However, Poole and Mansfield (1993) interestingly found that informal meetings between managers and union representatives had substantially declined, with 48. 5 percent of managers engaging in such practices in 1980 whilst only 31. 3 percent did in 1990. This trend of union membership rise and decline in Britain is clearly typified by Figure 1, extracted from Disney, Gosling and Machin (1995, p. 404). Although the above data is only from Britain, it is clear from the literature that the decline in trade union membership is not isolated to Britain. Harbridge and Crawford (2000) cite evidence that virtually all OECD countries have experienced negative or reduced employment growth, and that throughout the 1980’s union density fell in all OECD countries except Finland, Iceland and Sweden. The arrival of a government in 1997 that was more sympathetic to trade unions, and the subsequent passing out of the 1999 employment relations act, has tended to reverse the trend towards complete withdrawal from collective bargaining, and even to encourage ‘re-recognition’ of unions in many firms. But this reversal appears to be very much on terms laid down by employers. Factors contributing to decline in collectivism One of the major and most complex factors literature mentions as contributing to the decline in collectivisation relates to the corresponding decline in trade union membership and hence trade union power. Purcell (1993) explains that membership fees are the most important way for trade unions to collect their revenue, and from this it can be extended that if membership declines, then so does the trade unions income and hence power and financial ability to protect its members. Trade unions are the collective force that drive collective bargaining within employment agreements, and the weaker they get, the weaker the influence of collective bargaining. Brown et al. (2000, p. 612) support this link between the strength of trade unions and collective bargaining, and suggest factors that may have contributed to the recent decline in both areas through the following statement: ‘During the previous two decades the membership of trade unions and the coverage of collective bargaining had contracted substantially, battered by Competitive, legal and structural change. ’ Purcell (1993) cites a number of legal changes in Britain that have contributed to the decline in the power and influence of trade unions and collective bargaining. These include abolishing the closed shop, requiring balloting for strike action, and making unions vicariously liable for a wide range of industrial action contemplated or conducted by union representatives or their members (Purcell, 1993). Actions such as these that limit the trade union rights to use industrial action give a big disadvantage to the unions, as industrial action is one of the main tools unions use against the employers (Welch Leighton, 1996). Because of this many employees leave the trade unions or see no point in joining them because the unions do not have the power to represent their views in an effective manner; they are paying the union fees for no benefit (Purcell, 1993; Welch Leighton, 1996). Decisions taken by the employers can also contribute towards the derecognition of trade unions leading to individualism of employment relations. Tuckman and Finnerty (1998) argue that without trade unions employers are able to pressurize the employees to accept reforms . Purcell explains that shifting to single employer bargaining enables firms to easily bring in new payment systems and grade structures and also enables the firms to link the management of labour to product market instead of the external labour market. There is also a view that says Individualised contracts allow employees to negotiate terms and conditions related to their needs as they are directly involved in the bargaining, especially in terms of factors such as performance related pay(Tuckman Finnerty,1998). Managers have also been assumed to prefer the unitary system of industrial relations within the work place compared to the pluralist system(Poole Mansfield, 1993). This unitary approach is linked to individualisation of the employment contracts, with employers and employees negotiating together to discuss the terms and conditions of employment contracts. In contrast the collective approach is viewed as being very pluralist in nature due to trade unions from outside the workplace being brought in to negotiate employment conditions or advocate for employees rights. Purcell (1993) asserts that employers have changed their tactics concerning trade unions to reflect this change to unitarism by deciding to compete with trade unions rather than confronting them, thereby reducing the need for employees to contemplate union membership. Trevor Colling (2003) identifies three variants of explanation for the decline in collectivized employee relations. Those suggesting that decline has been secular emphasize the absence of demand for collective channels of representation and explain this by shifts in the composition of the economy and labour markets. Others point to high-commitment strategies and the extent to which employers have been successful in garnering the trust and allegiance of their employees. Some see the trend as a strategic one, created by deliberate employer actions, facilitated by state policy, to secure managerial prerogative and close down joint regulation. Ian Kessler and John Purcell(2003) explains that since the 1979 changes in the state’s conception of good industrial relations, linked to the decline in union strength ,have allowed management greater choice over which style of employee management to adopt. Ian Kessler and John Purcell (2003) points to some calls for a move towards non-union forms of individualism, particularly among key employer organizations. Howell (1995: 163) notes how in the late 1980s the institute of directors called for: ‘The almost complete individualization of industrial relations, meaning individual pay contracts and merit pay in place of national agreements and collective bargaining, employee shareholding, individualized training, and either the elimination of any role for the trade unions or a minimalist role in which trade unions provide services for their members but do not engage in collective bargaining and have a limited right to strike. ’ Changes in the level of collective bargaining, in particular a move towards decentralization from multi-employer to single-employer, and from single employer to multi-plant, may also be an important indicator of the decline in collective industrial relations ( Mcloughlin, I and Gourlay,S,1993). The wide spread introduction of the system of Human Resource Management (HRM) has been postulated to be a large contributor to the move away from trade unions and collective bargaining towards unitarism and individualized contracts, and this will now be discussed.

A Study On Office Ergonomics Management Essay

A Study On Office Ergonomics Management Essay Office ergonomics serve important functions in preparing for, and responding to, workplace critical incidents. Workplace critical incidents are sudden, unexpected events that often are significant enough to overwhelm normal coping responses. They vary in type and severity and can affect employees as well as management. Such incidents can seriously affect the psychological, emotional, and physical well-being of employees, employers, and the entire organization. Negative effects from the unresolved trauma of a critical incident in the workplace can contribute to overall lowered levels of productivity, poor performance, more frequent interpersonal conflict, increased absenteeism, increased use of physical and mental health benefits, increased workers compensation claims, higher turnover, higher rates of alcohol and other substance misuse and abuse, and lower overall employee satisfaction and morale. According to Jones (1985:11-12) it is recognized that no one is immune to problems. It is quite common that a problem in ones sphere of life will affect the other spheres, that is, it is possible that work related problems to have adverse effects on an employees relationship with his or her colleagues, friends, supervisors and family members while on the other side of the coin a person experiencing personal problem originating from home can have a negative impact on the individual performance at work. Already, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and media and entertainment industries find over 25 percent of their workforce engaged in knowledge generation, idea generation, and innovation. Professional knowledge workers share in the responsibility of generating the competitive edge of big enterprise. Bryan and Joyce (2005) report several statistics reinforcing how professionals experience interconnection. They cite that many large national and global organizations may employ as many as 10,000 professional knowledge generators within their corporations. These people may have as many as 50 million bilateral relationships. From these numbers, one can make out that 21st century workers do not perform in a traditional vertical or linear organizational design. Thus employee should be at the centre of every business activity and they should be integrated in a way that they deliver to the core strategy of the business. Employee should be regarded as a direct means of achieving the objectives of the company and they should be considered as an integral element of business practices in view to increase performance and brand name of the company. That why the social need and belonging is very important to present in companies so that employees can get a sense that they know they feel recognised in working in the company. Individuals facing both personal and work related problems do exist at Air Mauritius Ltd. These problems may have their origin with their work design, interpersonal relationships at work or at home, health problem, psycho-social problems, inability to meet family and social life expectations, poor personal financial management, lack of trust and communication with the organization or suffering from stress as a result of perceiving organizational practices as being unfair towards our person. In view that the social dimension of the enterprises in Mauritius is becoming more and more important, Air Mauritius Ltd should at all cost put its people at the heart of its economic and social progress by focusing on their needs for support when they face problem that can shatter both their personal and professional life. To respond to these needs Mauritian airline company should adopt a holistic approach by putting in place broad and explicit structures for dealing with employee problems through early identification and referral, that is, professional attention so that the employee can be assisted to unleash his/her potential to cope with work and life events that may causing harm to his/her personal and professional life. Organisational Profile Air Mauritius Ltd which is one of the main drivers of the Mauritian economy was incorporated in June 1967 and started operations with a Piper Navajo to transport passengers to Rà ©union Island. Forty three (44) years later, the unique Mauritian airline company has grown with an actual fleet of 12 aircraft comprising of 8 wide bodied aircraft, 2 narrow bodied aircraft and 2 prop turbo aircraft and 3 helicopters. The different types of aircraft are illustrated below: Types of Aircraft Number Airbus A340-300 5 Airbus A340-300E 2 Airbus A319-100 2 ATR 72-500 2 Airbus A330-200 1 Total 12 Helicopter 3 Table 3.1-Types of Aircraft From a domestic airline carrier, Air Mauritius Ltd has become the leading scheduled international passenger airline in the Indian Ocean and also serves 28 destinations touching four (4) continents namely Africa, Asia, Australia Europe. It has also expanded its scope of service which includes operation of international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and ancillary services such as cargo. The greatest part of the revenue generation comes from the business and leisure travel with the latter being the main passenger segment which generated 86% of the revenue, 10.4% from cargo services and 4% from other activities conducted by its subsidiaries. During the past four financial years, the number of passengers carried by Air Mauritius Ltd has been fluctuating due to decrease in travel demand as a result of the world unprecedented financial crisis that hit countries where the mass of our passengers are located. Apart from operating aircraft, involved in air cargo services and other aviation ancillary activities, Air Mauritius Ltd has also diversified in other business activities through its subsidiaries namely: Mauritius Estate Development Corporation Ltd (MEDCOR) which is engaged in leasing of office and commercial space Pointe Cotton resort Hotel Co Ltd which owns Cotton bay Hotel in Rodrigues Island and provides hotel accommodation together with all hotel services Airmate Ltd which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Mauritius Ltd incorporated in 2006 to provide call centre and IT enabling services Air Mauritius (SA) (Pty) Ltd which acts as a travel agent for Air Mauritius in South Africa Organisational Structure Apart from its Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Office, Air Mauritius is made up of the following clusters: Flight Operations Cabin Operations Grounds Operations Technical Services Human Resources Organisational Development Internal Audit Finance Information Systems Strategic Planning Communication Corporate Affairs Commercial Procurement Cargo Manpower composition Air Mauritius has a total workforce of 2199 employees who work in Mauritius and it comprises of: Male 1406 Female 793 Total 2199 Table 3.3No of employees Human Resources Issues One of the mandates of the company is to manage and develop its human resources so as it can attained its corporate objectives. Air Mauritius Ltd through its mission statement and values, it demonstrates that they value their employees as one of its missions is to be a rewarding performance driven organistaion and a great place to work and promise to display professional and caring attitude and speak and act positively with our valued customers which include also the employees. Air Mauritius like other business enterprises is not immune of human resource issues that impact on corporate and financial performance. The most common features are labour turnover, termination of employment, sickness absenteeism, injuries at work, medical costs etc and a review of the data of associated with these problems reveal the following: For most people, work is a safe haven. But high-profile incidents/accidents at workplace and safety and health laws are compelling employers to develop preventive programs to mitigate these problems, resulting in the creation of a promising new niche for health and safety professionals. Improved personal control and comfort needs of employees triggered the concern among organisations to provide them with an environment and office design, which fulfill the employees needs and helps to improve their productivity. Most people spend fifty percent of their lives within indoor environments, which significantly influence their mental status, actions, abilities and performance. (Amina Hameed 2009 adopted from (Sundstrom 1994)). Better physical environment of office will boost the employees and ultimately improve their productivity. Various literature pertain to the study of multiple offices and office buildings indicated that the factors such as dissatisfaction, cluttered workplaces and the physical environment are playing a major role in the loss of employees productivity (Amina Hameed 2009 adopted from Carnevale 1992, Clements-Croome 1997). According to Betty G. Dillard (February 1997) the discipline of ergonomics emerged in United Kingdom in the late 1940s and was first officially recognised in the USA in 1957 through the Human Factors Society. In the 1960s and 1970s ergonomics became a familiar study to the field of industrial engineering, and by the late 1970s ergonomics was recognized as a multidisciplinary field at the University of Michigan School of Engineering. Ergonomics is an important factor in achieving and maintaining high levels of worker productivity. Jeffrey E. Fernandez (April 1995) defined ergonomics as the design of the workplace, equipment, machine, tool, product, environment, and system, while considering the humans physical, physiological, biomechanical, and psychological capabilities, and optimising the effectiveness and productivity of work systems while assuring the safety, health, and wellbeing of the workers. Ergonomics is a discipline concerned with all aspects of designing for people. The aim in ergonomics is to fit the task to the individual, not the individual to the task. Ann Brook (1998) further defined ergonomics as the practice of learning about human characteristics and then using that understanding to improve peoples interaction with the things they use and with the environments in which they do so Hundreds of millions of people around the world work in offices. Improving the quality of these environments through user-centered design would provide enormous health, social, and economic benefits to society. Office ergonomics provides an arbitrary framework for integrating a large body of research that is relevant to the design of office work environments to optimize the health, safety, comfort, and effectiveness of their human occupants. (Jay L. Brand 2009) Office ergonomics is an applied branch of human factors and ergonomics. At least 50% of the worlds population presently works in some form of office (Jay L. Brand, P.h.D.( 2009) adapted from Brounen, and Eichholtz 2004; Charles et al, 2004; Veitch et al 2007). To demonstrate this potential, at least 2% of the American workforce suffers from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WRMSD) annually (Jay L. Brand 2009 adapted from Faucett et al 2002). Within the European Union (EU), work-related musculoskeletal disorders (cumulative trauma disorders) constitute 40-50% of this (Jay L. Brand, P.h.D.( 2009) adapted from Drury et al., 2006). Several basic research areas inform office ergonomics body of knowledge and guide its practice, including anthropometry, biomechanics, work physiology, environmental science (e.g., indoor air quality, personal space/territoriality; Sommer, 1969), individual differences, visual and auditory perception, mental workload, information processing, and human motivation. A number of applied areas of interest also enrich office ergonomics research and practice, including macroergonomics, participative ergonomics, usability, job and task analysis, human-computer interaction, displays and controls, organizational design and behavior, and organizational development. Office ergonomics must not only provide design guidance to minimize or eliminate health and safety issues; increasingly, the discipline needs to deliver positive organizational outcomes such as enhancing employee recruitment, retention, and productivity (Jay L. Brand2009 adapted from Lahiri et al, 2005) Hughes (2007) surveyed 2000 employees pertain to various organizations and industries in multiple levels. The reported results of these survey showed that nine out of ten believed that a workspace quality affects the attitude of employees and increases their productivity. Employees in different organizations have different office designs. Every office has unique furniture and spatial arrangements, lighting and heating arrangements and different levels of noise. Office design Office design is defined by BNet Business Dictionary (2008) as, the arrangement of workspace so that work can be performed in the most efficient way. Office design incorporates both ergonomics and work flow, which examine the way in which work is performed in order to optimise layout. Office design is an important factor in job satisfaction. It affects the way in which employees work, and many organisations have implemented open-plan offices to encourage teamwork. Office design is very vital in employee satisfaction, and the broad concept of office design also includes the workflow. The work is analysed initially and it is identified that how it is accomplished and then the overall setting of the office is made according to that flow. This ensures the smooth running of work in the office without hindrances. Over the years, many organisations have devised new designs and techniques to construct office buildings, which can boost productivity, and magnetise more and more employees. Many researches have noted that, the physical layout of the workspace, along with well-organised management processes, is playing a significant role in increasing employees productivity and enhancing organisational performance (Amina Hameed 2009 adapted from Uzee, 1999; Leaman and Bordass, 1993; Williams et al. 1985). A study was conducted on US workplace environment by taking a sample size of 2013. The research was related to; workplace designs, work satisfaction, and productivity. 89 percent of the respondents rated design, from important to very important. Almost 90 percent of senior officials revealed that effective workplace design is important for the increase in employees productivity. The final outcome of the survey suggested that businesses can enhance their productivity by improving their workplace designs. A rough estimation was made by executives, which showed that almost 22 percent increase can be achieved in the companys performance if their offices are well designed. (Gensler, 2006). It is an undoubtedly fact that almost many organisations still do not give much importance to workplace design. As many as 40 percent of the employees believe that their companies want to keep their costs low that is why their workplaces have bad designs; and 46 percent of employees think that the priority list of their company does not have workplace design on top. When data was summarised, almost one out of every five employees rated their workplace environment from, fair to poor. 90 percent admitted that their attitude about work is adversely affected by the quality of their workplace environment. Yet again 89 percent blamed their working environment for their job dissatisfaction (Gensler, 2006). The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID, 1999) carried out an independent study and revealed that the physical workplace design is one of the top three factors, which affect performance and job satisfaction. The study results showed that 31 percent of people were satisfied with their jobs and had pleasing workplace environments. 50 percent of people were seeking jobs and said that they would prefer a job in a company where the physical environment is good. Brill et al. (1984) ranked factors, which affect productivity according to their importance. The factors are sequenced based on the significance: Furniture, Noise, Flexibility, Comfort, Communication, Lighting, Temperature and the Air Quality. Amina Hameed 2009 adapted from Springer Inc (1986) stated that an insurance company in a study revealed that the best ergonomic furniture improved performance by 10 to 15 percent. Leaman (1995) attempted to find the relationship between indoor environment, dissatisfied employees and their productivity. The results revealed that the productivity of the work is affected because the people were unhappy with temperature, air quality, light and noise levels in the office. The productivity level was measured by the method of self reported measurement, which is a 9 point scale from greater than -40 and less than +40 percent (loss/gain). The data collected was correlated and results said that the coefficient of correlation (r)=0.92 and the correlation exists between people who showed dissatisfaction with their indoor environment and those reporting that their productivity is affected by the office environment. Transition of closed offices to open offices. Open offices are distinguished from closed offices as having minimal floor-to-ceiling divisions inside the building shell other than structural or supporting elements. Problems with inadequate privacy and personal control have largely been replicated and extended by subsequent research to include impaired organizational performance, greater stress and cognitive workload, lower intrinsic motivation, more difficulty in concentrating, and less likelihood of adjusting so-called ergonomic furniture among workers in open-plan offices compared with those in enclosed offices (Jay L. Brand 2009 adapted from Banbury Berry, 2005) Maher and von Hippel (2005), measured 60 male and 49 female office workers in a field study of two open-plan office environments. Their results pointed to the importance of individual differences and salient job characteristics, as well as to a discrepancy between the visual-symbolic nature of partial enclosures and their actual effectiveness as acoustic barriers. These findings suggest that employees engaged in complex tasks or with low stimulus-screening ability prefer enclosed offices. Young office employees prefer to spend a greater proportion of their time working in groups or teams than individually. Based on the available literature, it must be concluded that any individual, group, or organizational advantages of moving from closed to open offices depend on a conceptual framework that links a number of merely interesting assumptions still lacking adequate empirical investigation. What appear on the surface to be compelling claims of improved communication, collaboration, community, creativity, and innovation among employees in open offices have received only mixed support at best. Factors affecting Office ergonomics The futureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦depends on how we develop human interfaces that create a match between the internal rhythms of the operator and the computer. ( Harry C. Sweere (2002) Harry C. Sweere (2002) conducted a study to investigate on the ergonomics factors involved in optimum computer workstation design. He pointed out the factors that are involved in the design of a computer workstation. The goal of conducting his research was to offer a practical guide to interpret published ergonomic guidelines and the anthropometric data that can be used to create a user friendly, ergonomically correct computer work environment. According to Harry C. Sweere (2002) the factors involved in the design of a computer workstation are namely:- à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Visual display unit (VDU) adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Keyboard placement/adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Work surface adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Chair design/adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Foot rests à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Wrist rests à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Glare screens à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lighting, task lighting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ease of adjustability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Accessibility to components à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human Computer Interfaces (HCIs) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Space savings All of the above issues concern themselves with the reduction or elimination of a class of physical disorders associated with poor ergonomic design known as Musculoskeletal Stress Disorders (MSDs), which result in: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Eye, neck and back strain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fatigue, headache à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Wrist, hand, elbow and shoulder diseases such as à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¾ Carpal Tunnel Syndrome à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¾ Tenosynovitis à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¾ Tendonitis à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¾ Synovitis Some of the main causes of eye, neck and back strain, which cause visual problems and wrist, hand, elbow and shoulder diseases are: Improper Visual Display Unit screen height and the inability to adjust the screen height to individual preferences Improper Visual Display Unit viewing distance and the inability to adjust the same Improper Visual Display Unit viewing angle and the difficulty of adjusting the viewing angle especially of larger monitors Improper keyboard vertical, fore and aft and tilt positioning. A good ergonomic design principle must be applied to give the operator or a range of operators the optimum man-machine interface and the adjustability required to prevent discomfort and prevent workplace injuries. In many cases the specialised video display mounting technology developed for these work environments can be applied to the desktop to provide ergonomic adjustability and space saving benefits for this environment as well. Screen Height The recommended screen height for VDT monitors is that the top of the monitor screen should be set at or slightly below (approximately 1-2) the eye height of the user when the user is sitting or standing in a comfortable, relaxed position. Whenever possible the screen height should be variable to accommodate personal preferences throughout the day. Harry C. Sweere (2002) Screen Tilt Ideally an upward tilt with the bottom of the screen tilted toward the operator provides optimum viewing because it provides a consistent focal length when scanning from the top of the screen to the bottom. A tilt range of 12 ° to 20 ° is ideal depending upon the size of the monitor. (Harry C. Sweere (2002) Screen Distance from Operator Normally the monitor screen should be placed as far away as possible from the operator, consistent with the ability to read the information presented on the screen. A good rule of thumb for most installations is that the monitor screen should be placed at arms length, with the provision to move the monitor back and forth to suit individual needs being the ideal. Keyboard Height/Positioning Keyboards should be placed at a height that allows the operator to operate the keyboard with the forearms level and hands sloping slightly downward. A negatively tilting keyboard, allowing the operator to keep the wrinkles out of the top of the wrists is ideal. Fore and aft positioning of the keyboard should be consistent with allowing the hands to move easily over the keyboard with forearms level and elbows at the sides, maintaining a 90 ° 110 ° angle between upper and lower arms. Screen/Keyboard Height Variance Anthropometric data for the average range of male to female operators indicates that the top of the monitor screen to centerline of the keyboard placement should range from 20 to 22 with 21 being a good set-up for most applications. Seating Although Lueder and Noro (1994) remains an excellent reference for most of the important considerations related to user-centered seating design, more recent work has enlarged on the importance of an integrative systems framework for predicting seated comfort and discomfort. User-centered seating evaluations tend to emphasize user outcomes associated with long-term sitting such as low back disorders (Jay L.Brand 2009 adapted from Corlett, 2006; George, 2002). Marras (2005) reviewed research that demonstrated interactions between basic tissue and musculoskeletal biomechanics with individual differences (e.g., personality and gender. In light of Marrass review, practitioners should at least realize that occupant-centered design principles that include user characteristics as well as organizational and task contexts are critical, in addition to seating design itself, for preventing or ameliorating low back disorders among office workers. Av. Female 59.4 44 Improving the Human Interface with Computers Ergonomic studies done years ago indicate that screen positioning and keyboard adjustability are some of the most important factors in providing a comfortable work environment and preventing a broad range of MSDs associated with computer use. Disorders such as eye, neck and back strain, fatigue, headaches, and wrist, hand, elbow and shoulder diseases such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can all be dramatically improved through use of good ergonomic design. The foregoing paper is based upon sound ergonomic ground rules and scientific anthropometric data, which can be used by computer workstation designers to help provide an optimum human interface for their computers. Workstation designers are urged to consult with a certified Ergonomist who is familiar with the applicable anthropometric data and computer workstation ergonomic standards for corroboration of the recommendations made for each application. In order to meet such ambitious demands, a broader, systems view for office ergonomics must be adopted (Jay L. Brand 2009) adapted from Bettendorf, 1998). Such a framework fully acknowledges the influence of additional psychosocial, socio-technical, and organisational layers beyond individual human-workstation interactions. Whether or not a foot rest should be recommended depends somewhat on seat height, seat back angle, and seat pan angle as well as on knee clearance considerations related to desk surface height, placement of input devices, and the relative position of these components to one another. (Jay L. Brand 2009) After all, maintaining neutral body postures in any particular limb or body segment should not require that other limbs or body segments assume awkward postures. Maintaining neutral postures and neutral loadings for users requires simultaneous design of the physical components of the environment, their spatial relationships to one another, the users behavioral interaction with each component, and task requirements. (Jay L. Brand 2009) Marshall et al (1999) investigated the influence of complex wrist and forearm postures on wrist range of motion (ROM). Although their results relate more to human functionality constraints than to awkward postures per se, they still illustrate the necessity of an interactive systems framework for applying basic ergonomics research to practical office design problems. Wrist postures cannot be evaluated independently of elbow position, and therefore the design of keyboards or mice cannot be optimized without also considering the design and placement of forearm or wrist suppor. (Jay L. Brand ( 2009)) Helander, Little, and Drury (2000) found that seat height and seat pan angle in particular were interdependent, even when participants adjusted a single chair in isolation-that is, adjustments of one influenced adjustments of the other. An applied example of interdependence among ergonomics principles given in Smith and Cohen (1997) involves the need for a headrest if people use a reclined posture, either to decrease spinal loading. Allie et al (2005) suggested that human-machine system outputs (performance/productivity), user symptoms ( pain, comfort, and discomfort ratings; workload) user preferences and expectations ( spontaneously adjusted settings/positions of office furniture and equipment), biomechanical/ musculoskeletal factors (awkward postures; muscle tension, sensory/perceptual conditions (visual acuity; visual accommodation responses; color responses individual differences ), and task requirements must be taken into consideration when managing office ergonomics. Training A related development since Smith and Cohens (1997) masterful review of the office ergonomics literature involves the importance of placing ergonomics findings within their larger psychosocial and organizational contexts. One relevant aspect of this higher-order context relates to the quality of education and training about the elements and importance of ergonomics design guidelines and other interventions (Smith Bayehi, 2003). The value of basic ergonomics information within applied settings often depends on the effectiveness of such training/orientation programs, as well as on individual differences (Levitt Hedge, 2006). Recent reviews have affirmed the well-known risk factors in the development of musculoskeletal difficulties among office workers: frequency/repetition, awkward or static postures, excessive muscle loads, inadequate recovery/ rest periods and cool temperatures. Ambient and Task Lighting The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (Jay L. Brand, 2009) adapted from IESNA, 2004) recommends maximum luminance ratios of 1:3 between central task materials and the immediate visual surround (approximately 25 ° visual angle, centered at fixation) and 1:10 between task materials and more remote surroundings. Unfortunately, in actual practice, the conditions relevant to these recommendations are rarely measured and anecdotal evidence suggests that luminance ratios often exceed this advice. In addition to their helpful review of previous lighting research that is salient for the design of office lighting, Sheedy, Smith, and Hayes (2005) employed a laboratory experiment featuring fixed head position to clarify and extend current design recommendations. Distinguishing between disability and discomfort glare they described transient adaptation effects from fixating back and forth between two disparate luminance levels-a frequent situation confronting employees in office work environments. Sheedy et al. compared younger (N = 20, mean age 27.9 years, range 23-39) and older (N = 17, mean age 55.5 years, range 47-63) participants performing a central task (presented at 91 cd/m2) at surround luminances of 1.4, 2.4, 8.9, 25.5, 50, 91, 175, 317, and 600 cd/m2. Disability glare was assessed with low-contrast (20%) visual acuity charts; discomfort glare was measured with a questionnaire and preferred (surround) luminance by the method of adjustment. Younger participants performed b est at a surround luminance of 50 cd/m2 and older ones at 91 cd/m2 (equivalent to task luminance). Surround luminance influenced transient adaptation at low but not high levels for both age groups. The design of lighting and day lighting has also experienced a shift from direct guidelines such as adjustable task lighting to provide adequate luminance and legibility/ contrast for work materials or the elimination of glare to the importance of the larger, perceptual context for understanding user-centered design. (Jay L. Brand 2009) However, some evidence paints a more optimistic picture of providing useful, objective guidelines for office lighting. Jay L. Brand (2009) (adapted from Newsham and Veitch (2001)) derived several practical guidelines, including the follow

Why Is Monopolies Harmful And How Can Regulation Ameliorate These Harm :: essays research papers

Why Is Monopolies Harmful and How Can Regulation Ameliorate These Harmful Effects? Why is monopoly ‘harmful? How can regulation ameliorate these harmful effects? What problems confront the regulators? In order to deduce that a monopoly is ‘harmful', there must be another market system which is preferable to monopoly so as to offer greater benefits to the public. A monopoly can therefore be compared to perfect competition. If the benefits of perfect competition outweigh the benefits of monopoly then a monopoly can be regarded as ‘harmful' since the consumers are not receiving the maximum possible utility for their purchases. Monopolies are criticised for their high prices, high profits and insensitivity to the public. Some governments therefore, in the light of these protests, advocate policies relating to monopolies, in order to regulate their power in favour of the public's interest. There are several reasons why monopolies may be against the public interest. It is claimed that monopolies produce at a lower level output and charge a higher price than under perfect competition in both the short run and the long run. Consider the diagram above. Assume that this monopolist attempts to maximise profits. Equating MC=MR yields an output of Qm and a price of Pm. If the same industry existed under perfect competition however, the price would be Ppc and output would be Qpc since under perfect competition P=MC=AR. The price in such a situation would thus be lower than under monopoly and output would be greater. Consumers obviously benefit if this is the case since P=MC implies P=Marginal utility so that consumers are maximising their total utility(Under monopoly P>MC and therefore arguably, not the optimum). In the long run under monopoly, supernormal profits persist. Under perfect competition complete freedom of entry leads to the elimination of these profits and forces firms to produce at the bottom of the long run average cost curve. Under monopoly however, there are barriers to entry so as to prevent new firms from entering the industry and reducing the monopolist's profits to the normal level. Higher prices and lower output thus continue to persist in the long run. Due to lack of competition, it is argued, a monopolist has no incentive to develop new techniques in order to survive. A monopolist can therefore make supernormal profits without using the most efficient techniques. Under perfect competition, in order for firms to survive, the most efficient techniques must be adopted or developed whenever possible or else the firm which fails to do so will be forced to shutdown. This argument leads to the conclusion that monopolies have higher cost curves than firms under perfect competition(Assuming

Invisible Man - Invisible to White Society :: Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason I chose," THE INVISIBLE MAN, "is because the black man in this story symbolizes the black the black man in society which is set up to fail. He is used, humiliated, and discriminated against through the whole book. He feels that he is invisible to society because society does not view him as a real person. Reading this book was very difficult, because the book was written in first person singular. I had to think hard on my opinion of Ellison's underlining message in this book. To do this I had to ask the question, what drives a man to believe that he is invisible to a society of people?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book starts out with a Negro boy shy and timid comes to a southern town to be awarded a scholarship. Together with some more Negro boys he is rushed to front of the ballroom were they witness a blond women dancing in the nude. This fiascle is frightening to the boys, because during this period in history a black man could have gotten hung for looking at white lady, not to mention a naked white lady. After this event the boys are blindfolded and made to beat each other to a bloody pulp. Afterwards the boy is made to give a speech of gratitude to the drunken white people while swallowing and nearly choking on his on blood. After this shocking opening the book kind of mellows out some. Next he goes off to college but while in school makes a mistake and takes a white donor through a Negro gin mill. Which from this event he gets expelled. Thinking he has a letter of recommendation, but it is really a document warning potential employers not to h ire him written by Dr.Bledsoe the same man who through him out of the college he adored so much. He travels to New York City. Once in New York his attitude changes it seems that all his misfortunes have taken an effect on him and his attitude changes. He joins a Communist group in which the reader can see the bitterness in his heart. Yet in the book Ellison talks about the party so bad it is a wonder they caught the I of his character at all. He later leaves the group. Yet, still it amazed me that a man could feel so out of place or even unwanted enough to join the communist party. Invisible Man - Invisible to White Society :: Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason I chose," THE INVISIBLE MAN, "is because the black man in this story symbolizes the black the black man in society which is set up to fail. He is used, humiliated, and discriminated against through the whole book. He feels that he is invisible to society because society does not view him as a real person. Reading this book was very difficult, because the book was written in first person singular. I had to think hard on my opinion of Ellison's underlining message in this book. To do this I had to ask the question, what drives a man to believe that he is invisible to a society of people?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book starts out with a Negro boy shy and timid comes to a southern town to be awarded a scholarship. Together with some more Negro boys he is rushed to front of the ballroom were they witness a blond women dancing in the nude. This fiascle is frightening to the boys, because during this period in history a black man could have gotten hung for looking at white lady, not to mention a naked white lady. After this event the boys are blindfolded and made to beat each other to a bloody pulp. Afterwards the boy is made to give a speech of gratitude to the drunken white people while swallowing and nearly choking on his on blood. After this shocking opening the book kind of mellows out some. Next he goes off to college but while in school makes a mistake and takes a white donor through a Negro gin mill. Which from this event he gets expelled. Thinking he has a letter of recommendation, but it is really a document warning potential employers not to h ire him written by Dr.Bledsoe the same man who through him out of the college he adored so much. He travels to New York City. Once in New York his attitude changes it seems that all his misfortunes have taken an effect on him and his attitude changes. He joins a Communist group in which the reader can see the bitterness in his heart. Yet in the book Ellison talks about the party so bad it is a wonder they caught the I of his character at all. He later leaves the group. Yet, still it amazed me that a man could feel so out of place or even unwanted enough to join the communist party.

Applying Models of Health Promotion to Improve Effectiveness of Pharmacist-Led Campaign in Reducing Obesity in Socioeconomically Deprived Areas

Abstract This essay aims to determine how different models of health promotion can be used to improve effectiveness of pharmacist-led campaign in reducing obesity in socioeconomically deprived areas. The health belief, changes of stage and ecological approaches models are some models discussed in this brief. These models are suggested to be effective in underpinning pharmacist-led campaigns for obesity in the community. This essay also discusses the impact of obesity on individuals and the community and its prevalence in socio-economically deprived groups. Challenges associated with uptake of healthy behaviour are discussed along with possible interventions for obesity. It is suggested that a multi-faceted, community based intervention will likely lead to a successful campaign against obesity. Introduction Blenkinsopp et al. (2000) explain that health promotion is aimed at maintaining and enhancing good health in order to prevent ill health. Health promotion encompasses different issues and activities that influence the health outcomes of individuals and society. Health promotion involves the creation and implementation of health and social care policies that are deemed to prevent diseases and promote the physical, social and mental health of the people. Blenkinsopp et al. (2000) observe that pharmacists are perceived to have crucial roles as health promoters in the community. Since health promotion incorporates a range of actions that are aimed in promoting health, it is essential to understand the role of pharmacists in promoting health. In this essay, a focus is made on health promotion for individuals suffering from obesity in socioeconomically deprived areas. A discussion on the different models of health promotion will also be done. The first part of this brief discusses models o f health promotion while the second part critically analyses how these models can be used to underpin pharmacist-led campaigns in reducing obesity. The last part of this essay will summarise the key points raised in this essay. Models of Health Promotion Blenkinsopp et al. (2003) argue that, in the past, perspectives of pharmacists on ill-health takes the biomedical model approach to health. This model considers ill health as a biomedical problem (Goodson, 2009) and hence, technologies and medicines are used to cure the disease. Pharmacists are regarded as ‘experts’ in terms of their knowledge on a health condition and its cure. Hence, when the biomedical model is used, pharmacists’ response to a health-related query likely takes the disease-oriented approach to medical treatment and referral. This approach limits the care and interventions for the patients. Bond (2000) observes that while not necessarily inappropriate for pharmacy practice, the biomedical approach results to ‘medicalisation’ of health. This means that health and illness are both determined biologically. It should be noted that the primary function of pharmacists is to dispense medications. Hence, when making health-related advice to patients, this often involves information on medications appropriate to the health conditions of the patient. However, the role of pharmacists in providing medicines has expanded to include advice on the therapeutic uses of medications and information on how to maintain optimal health (Levin et al., 2008). Taylor et al. (2004) also reiterates that pharmacists are beginning to promote health through patient education that supports positive behaviour and actions related to health. This new approach is consistent with health models for individuals such as health belief model and stages of change. The health belief model teaches that individuals have to acknowledge the perceived threat and severity of the disease and how positive health behaviour can give them benefits (Naidoo and Wills, 2009). The benefits of the new behaviour should outweigh perceived barriers to the physical activity behaviours (Naidoo and Wills, 2009). This model requires that individuals have cues to action to help them adapt a new behaviour and gain self-efficacy. The latter is important since individuals suffering from chronic conditions need to develop self-efficacy to help them manage their condition and prevent complications (Lubkin and Larsen, 2011). It is well established that obesity, as a chronic condition, is a risk factor for development of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, orthopaedic abnormalities and some form of cancer (Department of Health, 2009). When individuals receive sufficient patient education on obesity and the risks associated with this condition, it is believed that they will take actions to manage the condition. While the health belief model has gained success in helping individuals take positive actions regarding their health, Naidoo and Wills (2009) emphasises that patient education alone or informing them on the severity and their susceptibility of the disease may not be sufficient in changing or sustaining behaviour. Although individuals are informed on the benefits of the health behaviour, there is still a need to consider how environmental factors help shape health behaviour. It should be considered that obesity is a multifactorial problem and environmental factors play crucial roles in its development. Public Health England (2014) notes that in the last 25 years, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled. This rapid increase in overweight and obesity prevalence shows that in 2010, only 30.9% of the men in the UK have basal metabolic index (BMI) within the healthy range (Public Health England, 2014). In contrast, the proportion of men with healthy BMI in 1993 was 41.0%. Amongst women, proportion of women with healthy BMI in 1993 was 49.5% but this dropped to 40.5% in 2010. It has been shown that almost a third or 26.1% of UK’s population is obese. If current trends are not addressed, it is projected that by 2050, 60% of adults will be obese (Public Health England, 2014). The effects of obesity are well established not only on the health of individuals but also on the cost of care and management of complications arising from this condition (Public Health England). Managing obesity at the individual level is necessary to help individuals adopt a healthier lifestyle. It has been shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (Department of Health, 2011) and engagement in structured physical activities (De Silva-Sanigorski, 2011) improve health outcomes of obese or overweight individuals. The stages of change model (Goodson, 2009) could be used to promote health amongst this group. This model states that adoption of healthy behaviours such as engagement in regular physical activity or consumption of healthier food requires eliminating unhealthy ones. The readiness of an individual is crucial on whether people will progress through the five levels of stage of change model. These levels include pre-contemplation, contemplation followed by preparation, action and maintenance (Goodson, 2009). Different strategies are suggested for each level to assist an individual progress to the succeeding stage. It has been shown that prevalence of obesity is highest amongst those living in deprived areas in the UK and those with low socio-economic status (Department of Health, 2010, 2009). Families with ethnic minority origins are also at increased risk of obesity compared to the general white population in the country (Department of Health, 2010, 2009). This presents a challenge for healthcare practitioners since individuals living in poverty belong to the vulnerable groups (Lubkin and Larsen, 2011). It is suggested that development of obesity amongst this group could be related to their diet. Energy-dense food is cheaper compared to the recommended fruits and vegetables. In recent years, the Department of Health (2011) has promoted consumption of 5 different types of fruits and vegetables each day. However, the cost of maintaining this type of diet is high when compared to buying energy-dense food. The problem of obesity also has the greatest impact on children from low-income families. R esearch by Jones et al. (2010) has shown a strong link between exposures to commercials of junk foods with poor eating habits. It is noteworthy that many children in low-income families are exposed to long hours of television compared to children born to more affluent families (Adams et al., 2012). The multi-factorial nature of obesity suggests that management of this condition should also take a holistic approach and should not only be limited to health promotion models designed to promote individual health. Hence, identifying different models appropriate for communities would also be necessary to address obesity amongst socio-economically deprived families. One of models that also address factors present in the community or environment of the individual is the ecological approaches model (Goodson, 2009). Family, workplace, community, economics, beliefs and traditions and the social and physical environments all influence the health of an individual (Naidoo and Wills, 2009). The levels of influence in the ecological approaches model are described as intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community and public policy. Addressing obesity amongst socio-economically deprived individuals through the ecological approaches model will ensure that each level of influence is recogn ised and addressed. Pharmacist-led Campaigns in Reducing Obesity The health belief, stages of change and the ecological approaches models can all be used to underpin pharmacist-led campaigns in reducing obesity for communities that are socio-economically deprived. Blenkinsopp et al. (2003) state that community pharmacists have a pivotal role in articulating the needs of individuals with specific health conditions in their communities. Pharmacists can lobby at local and national levels and act as supporters of local groups who work for health improvement. However, the work of the pharmacists can also be influenced by their own beliefs, perceptions and practices. Blenkinsopp et al. (2003) emphasise that when working in communities with deprived individuals, the pharmacists should also consider how their own socioeconomic status influence the type of care they provide to the service users. They should also consider whether differences in socio-economic status have an impact on the care received the patients. There should also be a consideration if th ere are differences in the culture, educational level and vocabulary of service users and pharmacists. Differences might influence the quality of care received by the patients; for instance, differences in culture could easily lead to miscommunication and poor quality of care (Taylor et al., 2004). Bond (2000) expresses the need for pharmacists to examine the needs of each service user and how they can empower individuals to seek for healthcare services and meet their own needs. In community settings, it is essential to increase the self-efficacy of service users. Self-efficacy is described as the belief of an individual that they are capable of attaining specific goals through modifying their behaviour and adopting specific behaviours (Lubkin and Larsen, 2011). In relation to addressing obesity amongst socio-economically deprived individuals, pharmacists can use the different models to help individuals identify their needs and allow them to gain self-efficacy. For example, pharmacists can use the health belief model to educate individuals on the consequences of obesity. On the other hand, the stages of change model can be utilised to help individuals changed their eating behaviour and improve their physical activities. Uptake of behaviours such as healthy eating and increasing physical activities are not always optimal despite concerted efforts of communities and policymakers (Reilly et al., 2006). It is suggested that changing one’s behaviour require holistic and multifaceted interventions aimed at increasing self-efficacy of families and allowing them to take positive actions (Naidoo and Wills, 2009). There is evidence (Tucker et al., 2006; Barkin et al., 2012; Davison et al., 2013; Zhou et al., 2014) that multifaceted community-based interventions aimed at families are more likely to improve behaviour and reduce incidence of obesity than single interventions. Community-based interventions can be supported with the ecological approaches model. This model recognises that one’s family, community, the environment, policies and other environment-related factors influence the health of the individuals. To date, the Department of Health (2010) through its Healthy Lives, Healthy People pol icy reiterates the importance of maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle to prevent obesity. This policy allows local communities to take responsibility and be accountable for the health of its community members. Pharmacists are not only limited to dispensing advice on medications for obesity but to also facilitate a healthier lifestyle. This could be done through collaboration with other healthcare professionals in the community (Goodson, 2009). A multidisciplinary approach to health has been suggested to be effective in promoting positive health outcomes of service users (Zhou et al., 2014). As discussed in this essay, pharmacists can facilitate the access of service users to activities and programmes designed to prevent obesity amongst members in the community. Finally, pharmacists have integral roles in health promotion and are not limited to dispensing medications or provide counselling on pharmacologic therapies. Their roles have expanded to include providing patients with holistic interventions and facilitating uptake of health and social care services designed to manage and prevent obesity in socio-economically deprived individuals. Conclusion In conclusion, pharmacists can use the different health promotion models to address obesity amongst individuals with lower socioeconomic status. The use of these models will help pharmacists provide holistic interventions to this group and address their individual needs. The different health promotion models discussed in this essay shows that it is crucial to allow service users gain self-efficacy. This will empower them to take positive actions regarding their health. Finally, it is suggested that a multi-faceted, community based intervention will likely lead to a successful campaign against obesity. References Adams, J., Tyrrell, R., Adamson, A. & White, M. (2012). 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Twelth Night by Shakespeare

* Characters; I have a recommended choice from either, 1. Olivia, The countess of the countess's household. 2. Viola, A visitor of the Island Illyria, which will later be called Cesario. 3. Malvolio, The countess's steward. I am going to choose Viola. Because I believe that there is more information to write up on this character because of two sides's to write about one person. (So therefore, more to write about and less research!) How would you present your character in a film/theatre production? I would present my Twelfth Night play as a film, due to sound, lighting, and computer effects, and also because you can change the scenery in a matter of second's in a film where as you can only use 1 set in a theatre. Example; In act1 scene2 where the play mentions that the â€Å"Captain† and â€Å"Viola† are on the sea coast of Illyria with pieces of shipwreck all over the beach. After having a good old chat about where they are, it cuts short to act1 scene3 in Orsinos palace. In a theatre that would be hard to do (maybe impossible!) But in a film it would be easy. The only reason that I would go for a theatre approach is if I wanted it to be traditional. (Which I don't!) I would also base the costumes in Elizabethan times, because then the dialect would go with the clothing. My play would be based on a Mediterranean Island that all the people that live on the island talk a hint of Italian, but not the clown (feste) and visitors. Viola is on a ship with her brother (Sebastian) and crew on their way to a unknown destination, until, a large storm hits the vessel causing all members on board to abandon ship. Most of the crew survive but are unknown in the play; the Captain and Viola escape on the same life raft and get washed up on the shores of Illyria. This island is where the whole of the play takes place and where the countess and duke both live. The play begins; The play starts off at Orsio's palace (act1 scene1), with Orsino saying â€Å"if music be the food of love play on† (words follow) and goes to act 1 scene 2, which shows viola and the captain in a life boat all tired and disorientated, Viola â€Å"what country is this dear sir?† Captain â€Å"this place be Illyria, me lady† Viola â€Å"and what should I do in Illyria? My brother he is in Elysium. Perchance he is not drowned; what think you sir? Captain â€Å"It is perchance that you were saved, me lady† Viola â€Å"O my poor brother, he did not live to see the light of day†¦ And so perchance he maybe.† And so on so forth, they keep talking about how she has to become male to be a servant of the duke, so, the captain and her promise to not tell anyone that she's not a man. But the bit that I find funny is that she pretends to be a male by saying that she was castrated as a young lad and that her/his voice hadn't broke. (That was hard to explain!) Act 2 scene 1 Act 2 scene 1 tells you that Sebastian (viola's brother) is alive and well! But not only that but he's on the coast of Illyria as well. Act 2 scene 3 Act 2 scene 3 introduces you to feste the fool! (Clown) I find feste the most interesting character because not only is he more clever than most people on the island Example; Act1 scene5 line 53 Olivia â€Å"well, sir, for want to other idol ness, I'll bide your proof† Feste â€Å"Good Madonna, why morn'st thou?† Olivia â€Å"good fool, for my brothers death† Feste â€Å"I think his soul is in hell, Madonna† Olivia â€Å"I know his soul is in heaven, fool† Feste â€Å"the more fool you Madonna, to mourn your brothers soul being in heaven. Take away the fool gentlemen.† but he uses technical words to humiliate other people. Feste belongs to the duke to humiliate people and to please him e.g. jokes, dance, and sing songs. Example; O mistress mine, where are you coming? O stays and hears, for your true loves coming, That can sing for both high and low. Trip no further, pretty sweeting; Journeys end in lovers meeting Every wise man son doth know.