Managing Human Resources at Google Essay

Google Inc. is an American multinational corporation which provides Internet-related products and services, including internet search, cloud computing, software and advertising technologies. Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin met at Stanford University in 1995. By 1996, they had built a search engine (initially called BackRub) that used links to determine the importance of individual webpages. Larry and Sergey named the search engine they built â€Å"Google,† a play on the word â€Å"googol,† the mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros. Google Inc. was born in 1998, when Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim wrote a check for $100,000 to that entity—which until then didn’t exist. Google has been estimated to run over one million servers in data centers around the world, and process over one billion search requests and about twenty-four petabytes of user-generated data every day. Google is a high-energy, fast paced work environment. While the dress code might be â€Å"casual† the company attracts and retains some of the brightest minds in the technology industry. There is a work hard, play hard atmosphere. Most workers at Google have base salaries that are on the lower end of normal for the markets they operate in. The base salaries are supplemented by stock options, challenging work and extensive benefits. In addition to the normal health and welfare benefits that larger companies offer, Google provides its employees with other benefits like Health care for employee and his family, plus on-site physician and dental care at headquarters, vacation days and holidays, flexible work hours, maternity and parental leave, plus new moms and dads are able to expense up to $500 for take-out meals during the first four weeks that they are home with their new baby and Google Child Care Center, just five minutes from Google headquarters in Mountain View. Other bene fits that Google offers to its employees are Fuel Efficiency Vehicle Incentive Program, employee discounts and onsite dry cleaning, plus a coin-free laundry room in the Mountain View office. Google has principles, â€Å"Ten things we know to be true†: 1. Focus on the user and all else will follow. 2. It’s better to do one thing really, really well. 3. Fast is better than slow. 4. Democracy on the web works. 5. You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer. 6. You can make money without doing evil. 7. There’s always more information out there. 8. The need for information crosses all borders. 9. You can be serious without a suit. 10. Great just isn’t good enough. Some of Google’s products are: †¢ Web Search – search billions of web pages †¢ Google Chrome – a browser built for speed, simplicity and security †¢ Mobile – get Google products on your mobile †¢ Image Search – search for images on the web †¢ News – Search thousands of news stories †¢ Drive – Create, share and keep all your stuff in one place †¢ Translate – Instantly translate text web pages, and files between over 50 languages †¢ Groups – Create mailing lists and discussion groups †¢ Blog Search – Find blogs on your favorite topics †¢ Scholar – Search scholarly pages  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Alerts – Get email updates on the topics of your choice †¢ Code Top Google Inc. competitors: Yahoo! Inc. Company Profile Yahoo! wants to spread some cheer to Internet users around the world. Its network of websites offers news, entertainment, and shopping, as well as search results powered by Microsoft’s Bing. Yahoo! generates most of its revenue through providing search and display advertising to Web operations in three categories: Communications & Communities (including Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Groups, and Flickr), Search and Marketplaces (Yahoo! Search), and Media (Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! Finance). Other revenues come from fee-based services such as premium e-mail; royalties, licenses, and mobile products; and broadband Internet access. Yahoo! publishes content in about 45 languages and in 60 countries, regions, and territories. MSN Company Profile MSN, a part of Microsoft’s Online Services Division, is a leading provider of Internet content and services. Its msn.com Web portal provides a wide range of news, information, and entertainment content, as well as online shopping and a search service powered by Bing, Microsoft’s search engine product. MSN also offers communications services such as its MSN Instant Messenger and the Web-based e-mail service Hotmail. All total, the MSN portal draws an audience of more than 100 million monthly users in the US. Its global reach includes some 50 country-specific sites in about 20 languages. Managing Human Resource in Google Managing Human Resources has become vital factor for the organizations within the modern and fast-paced business environment. The unique challenge of HR department is to ensure that the employees are motivated and committed to the organization with the complete integrity and honesty. HR practices at Google named â€Å"People Operations†, which is designed to underline the fact that it is not a mere administrative function, but ensures to build a strong employee-employer relationship. Google is well-known as a great employer and majority of its recognition has come as a result of HR programs and ideas. However there are some gaps in the HR practices of Google. Recruitment and Selection procedure Google place great emphasis in how they attract and hire the very best talent. Google take hiring very seriously and make consensus based decisions. However, nearly every candidate at Google commented on its slow screening, recruiting, and interview process. Several posts suggest that hiring process in Google is very long, time-consuming and annoying. Some examples from current employee of Google are: â€Å"Google actually celebrates its hiring process, as if its ruthless inefficiency and interminable duration were a sure proof of thoroughness, a badge of honor. Perhaps it is thorough. But I would be willing to wager that Microsoft’s hiring process, which takes a fraction of the time, does not result in a lower-skilled workforce or result in a higher rate of attrition. â€Å"The interview process was very mixed: They had me slated as a Windows Developer for some reason, to everyone on my interview loop wondered why. I flubbed my first coding pretty bad but after that it was clear that no-one on my interview loop had enough experience or knowledge to level me. On the other hand they figured that out and scheduled a follow on interview with the head of the Kirkland office who asked reasonable and pertinent questions. Also I was surprised that Google seemed to be proud that they didn’t communicate from one interviewer to the next: at Microsoft it was a good opportunity to find more appropriate interviewers, etc. if a person seemed misstated. Oh well, I thought my interview and hiring process was an anomaly.† Hiring process takes from one to four m onth and it is inconvenient for applicants; however it is necessary from business performance view. In order to hire new employee management should approve head count; also staff can only be hired into approved positions. All new positions must pass through the respective budget approvals for each area. Obviously, recruitment at Google is not the responsibility only of the HR team. The need to hire the right people permeates across the organization, becoming the outlook of every employee, turning Google into a recruiting machine. â€Å"My experience actually in Aug. 2004 when I was interviewing for a sales position in the Seattle office was the typical 13+ interviews, including a day trip to MV where I was told that someone would take me to lunch and instead she took me in a conf. room and interviewed me. So I ended up not eating at all that day until I returned to the airport at 4pm. However, I passed my interviews with flying colors and was surprised 3 weeks later when I still hadn’t heard from my recruiter about the results of the hiring committee meeting.† There are a lot of similar complains about hiring process and interviews which give us the conclusion that Google’s hiring process is time-consuming, both for employees and for Google. Some of the current employees mentioned also that Microsoft procedure is much better. Temporary Employees Google HR rarely gives permanent jobs immediately and prefers to recruit temporary and contract employees. Google’s emphasis on attracting youngsters might reduce its ability to get experience recruiters. Another problem of HRM in Google is the inability to track the on-job performance of the new hires. Challenge of growth Google has done a remarkable job in growing from a small private company to a big organization with 15.000 employers in a few years. However Google face the continual challenge of being able to handle successfully its open and fun-filled work culture. As the company grows it is difficult to provide the same financial and other incentives for its employees. Google’s Human resource chief has said that the runaway success of the fast-growing internet company is generating its own set of people management problems. Moreover Google HR has a trouble in recruitment talented locals in its South Asian operations. The shortage of web development, skills and knowledge of JavaScript and Ajax, the web design technology –Google Map- and the short supply of middle managers become a challenge for HR department. The diversification of the HR functions such as salaries in these countries is another gap in the HR management. â€Å"I was hired to work in Google’s Singapore office. I found out very quickly that Google International is not the same as Google-US. The offered pay was way too low to survive in Singapore, so I left after I got another job offer that I felt was better for me. I really do believe that Google is doing some important work with humanitarian mapping projects and digitizing libraries. But for me, I felt that Google’s popular image did not match its actions in the work place, and that some of the things they did were not very â€Å"Googly.† Working conditions and environment The nature of work at Google undergoes constant changes, hence few employees are able to achieve the task for what they were initially hires. It is also opined that this may hinder the performance management function. Some people would agree that working at Google is more exciting, but Google employees are working incredible hours. A 12-hour working day in Google has become a norm, owning to its wide array of employee benefits and perks such us Google Child Care Center, on-site haircut free of charge, swimming pools, dry cleaning services, on-site medical staff etc. A current employee says: â€Å"There was no proper mentoring for 6 months and within 9 months of my tenure my manager was not happy with my performance, and management always stressed on â€Å"Putting some Extra Effort† – in other words â€Å"Spending some extra hours† †¦ this may not be the case at Google-MV but this is what it is in India. If you don’t put extra hours then you won’t get promoted, no promotion means no salary hike. I feel sad about my decision on choosing Google over IBM †¦ Small pay, No work, No Team spirit, No Hike in 12 months, No balance between Family Life and work are few things which motivated my move out.† In such organization where employers work more that the schedule working hours the relationship and the environment between employers might not be the finest. Employees might lose the balance between work and social life and this finally will lead to unfriendly working environment. â€Å"As soon as I got inside, I had the feeling of being swallowed by a giant borg. Really, I felt like I didn’t exist, watching people buzzing around with laptops.† I have been sitting back, surprised at the level of negativity expressed by those on this thread, and wanted to share my very different experience. Recommendations Google has built a culture where a well-chosen elite accommodates flexibility, shifting roles and above all else, urgency. As Google grows in size and strength, it is a challenge to maintain the pace of innovation and convey a sense of empowerment to Google’s engineers and product managers. In my opinion the first thing that HR department must take into consideration is the very long duration for recruitment and interview process. Selection of the â€Å"right† candidate is an important function of HRM, but this doesn’t mean that interviews and selection procedures must be so time-consumer. HR managers might receive 250 applications for every vacancy. They must compare the qualifications of the applicant with the job description of the vacancy and find the application that fits with the duties of the position, the most suitable. It will be also more efficient for both employees and Google to reduce the number of interviews from over than 4 to maximum 2 or 3. For the dilemma to hire permanent or temporary employees Human Resource Manager must recognize the benefits that they could gain from permanent staff. With a permanent employee, company will save time in training and gain stability. Permanent employees can also contribute to the growing of the business as they get more efficient at their jobs through familiarity with the processes. Temporary employees often lack motivation and loyalty to the company due to the short time spent assisting with operations. HR must also encourage innovation and independent initiatives to its employer. It must give them the time and resources to pursue new ideas in order to develop more tools, functions and technology in order to increase its efficiency and contribute to it’s succeed. Although providing freedom to engineers might attract talent and encourage innovation, but company should not deviate from its core business strategy which directly affects the revenue. Also in countries that it is difficult to find qualified person who can meet company’s expectations for the vacancy position, like the example above (South Asia), HR manager can select the most suitable from the applicants and training him to enrich his skills and knowledge. Google might offer a range of benefits and perks but it should be also careful in balancing business and pleasure activities. The promotion and bonus must not combine with overtimes but with performance and skills. Another important factor that HR manager in Google must consider is the corporate and friendly environment in the organization. If they maintain a friendly relationship between employees they will successful growth and increase productivity. Conclusion Managing Human Resources effectively leads to an improved ability to attract and retain qualifies employees who are motivated to perform and the results of having the right employees motivated to perform are numerous. They include greater probability, low employee turnover, high product quality, lower production costs and more rapid acceptance and implementation of the corporate strategy. No company in the world but Google offers expensive perks like free food, free fitness center, free barber shop that come to you, free car wash while work, free pool table, games room, lap pools for exercises, volley ball courts, company massagers, free laundry, free doctor on site. A research in 2012 shows that the best company to work for is Google. However Google seems to have a gap in the Human Resource Management in a range of factors that HR manager must consider and solve them before these become an important impact to its productivity and growth.

Success Notes

What is my definition success? Living life to the fullest Achieving small goals in life One’s life is in full balance Not feeling stressed and overwhelmed in life Following my dreams Being in control of my future Having college education Having a careerHaving great friends  the continuous state of action that you have to perform to meet your goals To me success means setting up a goal, and then putting your complete energy towards attaining it. If you can do it all, then the feeling of satisfaction with your effort is what I feel defines the state of bliss – for me that feeling of contentment within myself is Success. What does success means to me?What success means for me? Well success to me means an achievement in life or to do well at. Some of my goals that will lead to my success will have to start with going back to school and getting a degree in a field that I never thought possible. That was my first goal to get into college and now that I have achieved that go al, I see nothing but success in the future. When I get done and I get my bachelor degree, who knows the success I could endurance / achieve.Health, Money, Education Have opportunities to be successful Prosperity and success (ideals)

Entrepreneur Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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Law of International Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Law of International Trade - Essay Example The background of the case is as follows: Ythan limited or 'Ythan' as called here are ship owners who claimed damages through this case against bills of holder Primetrade after the ship/vessel was lost. The loss of the vessel has been allegedly due to shipping of dangerous cargo that is a breach or violation of contract signed by the lading holders Primetrade against a dangerous cargo warranty. The vessel was chartered under contract of affreightment by Primetrade to charterers Phoenix Bulk Carriers Ltd referred as Phoenix and thus two sets of bills were issued via contractual incorporation. The cargo was shipped by Orinoco Iron CA also known as Orinoco and they agreed to sell the cargo to Primetrade. Primetrade sold the cargo to Orient Prosperity or Orient in Jingtang China. The cargo was insured through insurance brokers Marsh and McLennan group (Marsh) and was financed through bankers UBS with a credit agreement governed by Swiss law. Orinoco then presented shipping documents to bank for payment and the bank forwarded the documents to UBS. The vessel however was lost at this point and Primetrade and Orient agreed to cancel the on-sale contract and letters of credit and Primetrade sought to make a claim on insurance policy for loss of cargo. The loss of vessel occurred as on February 28, 2004 a disastrous explosion occurred on board the bulk carrier or vessel the Ythan which resulted in death of crew and the cargo of 33, 760 MT was also completely lost. It was shipped from Venezuela for discharge at Jingtang Port, China. The shippers were Orinoco and they were to sell to Primetrade, a Swiss company and they wanted to sell the same quantity of the commodity to Orient Prosperity to China, so the contract showed end user in China. There was a settlement that Primetrade would be paid with release of the bills despite discrepancies in the documents. Primetrade complied with duty of contracts, and secured rights against time limitations and placed shipowners on notice for losses and consequences of casualty. The dispute on payment of bills and claim for losses were referred before arbitrators in London judiciary. The arbitration held that Primetrade were holders of the bills for a short time until the insurance claim was paid . Primetrade made a claim due to threat of arrest and also appealed to the decision of arbitrators bringing forth new evidence and objections for appeals. The new objection and evidence as also the question whether Primetrade was the holder of bills were as important as Primetrade's claim under contract of carriage against carrier. The explosion and loss of cargo on board made it possible for the owners to appeal under section 67 of

Training & Talent Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Training & Talent Management - Essay Example I therefore appreciate the fact that Training and Talent Management has a significant impact on employees (managers, sales staff, customer service, etc.) (Treen, 2000). I suggests that it is important for the HR departments in organizations to ascertain that the employees at all levels including the managers, sales staff, customer service, etc are given equal chances to gain a clear insight of their expected roles and duties which will facilitate meeting the core values as well as purposes of the organization. This realization has enabled me as an aspiring manager to value the importance of Training and Talent Management in relation to the set goals of organization (Treen, 2000). Prior to this new knowledge I would have treated the process of recruitment of employees superficially. For instance, I would have employed the traditional method of placing an advert for job vacancies in the local dailies then asking for written applications based on purely academic qualifications as reflected on the curriculum vitae. I would also have â€Å"canvassed† from within the existing employees based on my â€Å"cronies† as a way of ‘buying royalty’. I would also have involved a hastily constituted panel to conduct â€Å"interviews† whose outcomes would have been premeditated. From the foregoing, it can be understood that I would not have been able to match talent equal to the task which is the core of Training and Talent Management. This topic on Training and Talent Management has acted as an eye opener. I now realize that the objective of Training and Talent Management is facilitating for efficient accomplishment of the responsibilities of the employees to the anticipated standards. Effectiveness of Training and Talent Management programs should be gauged by the perceived results which are reflected in the level of performance of the employees (Treen, 2000).

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

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Philosophy final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

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UK Childrenswear Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UK Childrenswear Sector - Essay Example According to the statistics, the value sector in 2006 accounted for 35.9% of all UK childrenswear sales, whereas the total clothing market accounted for 23.6% and it is estimated that the growth can increase further. The slow growth rate of Childrenswear in UK can be attributed to the factors like, slower birthrate in UK and the rapid growth of the value market in childrenswear. In spite of the overall sector growth, only the value and low-price fashion retailers have exhibited a continuous growth. Of the nine leading childrenswear retailers in UK, only seven that have a value or low price fashion positioning have gained market share between 2002 and 2007. Under traditional mid market retailers group, the market leaders like Next and Debenhams have only gained the equal share in market. The UK childrenswear market can be considered as the clothing supplier sector for the children under the age of 15 years. This sector produces or promotes the categories like infant clothing, toddler clothing, kids wear- girls clothing boys clothing, sports clothing, night wear etc., The childrenswear have experienced a risen value of 13.1% from 2001 to 2005 worth of PS6.3bn. The price deflation in UK has also influenced the childrenswear market, due to the increasing number of supermarkets and value retailers. However, the retailers like ASDA, Primark, Tesco have concentrated much on childrenswear rather than other non food sales. During this period these giants have concentrated much on pricing which have created a pricing strategic war in the childrenswear sector. In order to sustain and make a competitive position in the market, many other retailers have to follow the leader strategy, by cutting down the prices. Also the recent raise in the UK birth rate have also contributed rise for the baby wear sales In the recent years the UK retail childrenswear market have become a value conscious market trying to observe value through out the supply chain. Also the market is trying to impress the customer through various innovative and technology oriented services like creating email lists etc., rather than regular promotions. The UK market has become more product and brand led allowing the retailers to keep their own labels and to establish their exclusive lines of sales. This has gained a marked success over the supermarkets and value retailers who tend to focus on non branded items. The trend of success led the market to concentrate on the pricing. The childrenswear market is driven by 3 types of consumers. 1. Parents, 2. Children, 3. Non Parents who want to gift. Parents always wants the best and stand out look for their kids, which can hinder the market share of the non innovative product suppliers. People began to look for 'latest and unique fashion' for their kids. Though the female population under-15 years age is smaller than the male, the Childrenswear market have experienced a growth for Girls wear than the boys wear. This difference can be attributed to the behavioural and attitudinal differences between consumer behaviour of male and female. Girls do maintain an extensive wardrobe and are also much fashion consciousness, and can make high purchase with the changing trends. The girls' wear market in the UK shows some characteristics when divided on the basis of age group: under-nines and above-nines. Under-nines can be classified and targeted for more traditional children's

Footwear International Essay Example for Free

Footwear International Essay Footwear International is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of footwear with 83 companies in 70 countries with one of these locations is in Bangladesh, where John Carlson is the managing director. Bangladesh has had a turbulent history in the 20th century and over 85% of the population is Moslem (Thomas, 2003). An article in the Meillat, a newspaper with pro Libyan preferences, made reference to the design of the insole of a sandal included the Arabic spelling of the word â€Å"Allah† and since this design was on the insole of the sandal and next to the foot it is a sign of great disrespect to Moslems. The article also stated Footwear International was owned and operated by a Jewish family and was linked in the shootings of people in Palestine by Jews. This incident seemed to be escalating rapidly as youth groups began calling for demonstrations against Footwear, a lawyer had filed charges under the criminal code that forbade deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious believers. To make matters worse the prime minister had voiced his concerns in the matter as well. Public opinion towards Footwear International has now turned negative due to the erroneous claims published in the Melliat. The newspaper had stated that Footwear was under Jewish ownership which is untrue as the family that owned Footwear International was Christian. The design on the insole of the sandal was based on Chinese temple bells that the designer had purchased and was approved by her supervisor who was Moslem (Thomas, 2003). Numerous other people had seen the new logo during the design process and no one had made objections in regards to this logo either. How this logo incensed the Moslem community and more importantly how should Footwear International and especially John Carlson handle the allege claims against the company? It appears that Footwear International has two alternatives: one option is not to do anything and hope the problem will go away or the second option is to address the situation and resolve the conflict. The first option of not doing anything is not a very a good decision to make by Footwear International. The problem will not go away but will continue to grow until Footwear International ceases all operations in Bangladesh and with that the loss of revenue. Timing is the key in the second option and is more complicated as there are several major hurdles that John Carlson must address in a short period of time. It was indicated that two youth groups were planning on demonstrating against Footwear International. The first obstacle Carlson must be concerned with is for the safety of all his employees and their families especially the four other managers that were named in statement. He may wish to seclude the managers and their families in a safe location to protect them from the demonstrators. Carlson might request extra security personal from the corporate headquarters to ensure their safety. Religion and culture are very sensitive subjects to people of any country and due to the fact the opposition newspaper had printed false information about Footwear International, Carlson must use all types of media to set the record straight. Carlson will need to explain that Footwear International is owned and operated by individuals who are Christians and not Jewish as the newspaper article had stated. Carlson must capitalize on the company’s presence in the country that began in the 1930’s, the first manufacturing plant constructed in 1962, in 1971 the managing director was a freedom fighter, in 1985 Footwear International went public and two years later spearheaded the largest private sector foreign investment in the country and employees over 1800 Bangladesh people in 81 stores and agencies (Thomas, 2003). Carlson must be very sincere as he communicates to the different media outlets on how the design used was based on Chinese temple bells and that the designer who created this logo is Muslim as well. I believe Carlson must compare the design logo to the Arabic spelling of Allah and emphasize that the design logo was not intended to offend anyone of the Muslim society. Footwear International must review the procedures they use in the design process and new policies should be implemented going forward so this type of situation will not occur again. It is important for Carlson to admit this mistake and I think he must make a bold move and announces the recall of these sandals, this may be a costly decision, however it will the show the people he is sincere in trying to remedy the problem. Carlson must also be concerned with the legal actions that a local lawyer has filed against him and if by chance the lawyer does not rescind these charges it may be necessary for him to seek legal help from the corporate headquarters. Footwear International executives should use any means available to open up dialogue with the prime minister in hopes of him recanting his remarks. If the prime minister addresses the situation and reissues a statement supporting Footwear International attempts to correct the situation this would probably pressure the lawyer in dropping the charges. If I was in Carlson’s place I would meet this situation head on and utilize all resources at my disposable to correct this honest mistake. Mistakes happen and it is how we fix these mistakes that people judge our integrity by.

Organization Theory and behavior-power and authority Essay Example for Free

Organization Theory and behavior-power and authority Essay Achievement of organizational objective depends on organization structure which is dynamic. Organization structure defines the flow of power and authority geared toward a particular course of action directed by organization’s objective. For organization structure to help to organization objective it is dependent on the employees. Employees operation are guided by the organization supervisors, whose their role is defined in the organization structures. Supervisor operations are dependent of power and authority which help to ensure things in an organization are done in the right way as well as achieving organization goals and objective. In organization management power and authority are very important as they help the organization to be able to direct organization employee toward organizational goals. Power and authority are dependent on the leadership model in an organization. Organizational managers are the leaders who employees report to hence their performance is dependent on the leadership offered by the manager. Achievement of organizational goal shall only be possible if power and authority are employed effectively. Authority and power helps the management to be able to create a productive culture through social process to guide employees’ capacity towards attaining organization goals and objectives. Power and authority helps the leader â€Å"†¦to create, maintain and improve a culture so that people will achieve objective (purpose) and continue to do so over time†¦Leadership in an organizations is a more specific process of influence since it involves goal that have been specified and can be measured or at least evaluated achieved only through employment of power and authority)† (Macdonald, Burke Stewart (2006) pp 80). To influence employees toward organization goal, management can employ three ways according to Macdonald, Burke Stewart (2006). That is force, manipulation and persuasion. Use of force by the management involves employment of force as well as real application of physical force to compel employees to work. Concept of force requires power to as it call for imposing one person against other employees, often referred to as coercion. Manipulation takes form of social distortion which direct requires the subject to do as they are told without asking questions. Manipulation is different force in that there is no coercion and employees are convinced that they are doing the right thing. Persuasion in an organization attempt to influence the employee to act in a certain way geared towards achieving organizational objectives without force or manipulation. It is dependent on will of the employee and mutual trust. Employment of force manipulation in an organization is dependent on the power and authority bestowed to the various leader or supervisors in the organizational operations. In an organization, authority is provided for by the organizational structure. Organizational structure grants an outline formal distribution of authority in an organization. Authority in an organization is largely provided for by formalization meaning standardized as well as rule and regulations that govern employee operations. Formalization defines the discretion in which an employee can act in his/her duties. â€Å"In an organization with high degrees of formalization, job descriptions and policies provide clear direction. Where formalization is low, employees have a great deal of freedom in deciding how to conduct their work†. In an organization different department exhibit different degree of formalization which may be base on the qualification of the employee to the organization affairs or rank of the employee. Authority is related to power in that it legitimizes supervisors to be able to direct and control subordinates to the intended course of action. Authority helps the supervisor to make decision geared towards organizational objective. Organization has three form of authority namely line authority, staff authority as well as team authority all distributed in the organizational structure. Line authority refers to straight supervisory form superior to subordinate organized such that it flows from top to the bottom of organization structure. Organization structure gives the chain of command which is unbroken line of command defining the decision, making process within an organization. Chain of command defining the authority of different personality in an organization helps employees to know who they are answerable to. This helps to avoid problem of duplication organization activities which comes due to more than one person assigning duties. Line of authority which is the basis of chain of command is linked to line department which are directly connected to production and sales of the organizational products. Examples of line department are marketing and production responsible for performance of the employees and reward. Staff authority as compared to line authority is more pegged to authority to advice base on the expertise and involves advising line managers. Employees help the line departments in coming up with the advices to be used for decision making but they lack authority to make the last decision. Staff supervision through suggestions made by line department decides on what is to be carried in the line department, coordinate as well as provide technical assistance. Team authority is executed by work teams responsible for daily operations in an organization. It comprises of groups of operating employees responsible for coordination of the organization operations. Team based structure as define under team authority in an organization organizes separate functions based on the overall organizational objectives. Authority is dependent to power such that for a supervisor to be able to get things done in accordance to the objectives of the organization power is required. â€Å"Everyone has power in one form or another and it is by exercising this power that organization get thing accomplished. Supervisors who are capable of achieving their objective independently of others are said to possess strength†. To be able to include people in the plan as well as organizational activities, supervisor requires power to get organizational things accomplished. Therefore, power is capability to apply influence in the organizational ahead of authority. This is gotten from the position as established by the organizational structure. In an organization a legitimate power bestowed to various leaders in an organization is established by individual position according to organizational hierarchy. Other forms of power include coercive power, reward power, expert power, referent power as well as information power. Supervisors’ power toward course of action depends on influence in the organization giving authority which may be centralized or decentralized. Centralization means the decision making power is concentrated on top of the management while in decentralization form of decision making authority is in lower level of employees. Relation of authority and power is that authority is the legitimate power of a supervisor to be able to direct employee to a certain course of action in accordance to organization goals. In a nutshell authority is a form of power delegated from the organization main authorities to subordinate.

How Sustainable Is Industrial Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay

How Sustainable Is Industrial Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay Agriculture may seem to be a pre-modern economic activity in which the method or the way it is carried out is old-fashioned. However, industrialization, scientific development and mechanization have affected agriculture like many aspect of life, which created a brand new term: Industrial Agriculture. Industrialized agriculture or industrial agriculture can be defined as the replacement of human labor with capital intensive tools and inputs heavily dependent on fossil fuels, the consolidation of farm land, and increasingly centralized control over the distribution of food resources.(Thu and Dunenberger 1998). The goal of industrial agriculture is to increase yield and decrease costs of production, which is why the farm is seen as a factory with inputs like pesticides or fertilizer and outputs like corn or chicken. (Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 1). Thanks to the industrial agriculture, the mass-production in agriculture came into existence. Compared to the old method, we can produce much more now. Agricultural food, including animals, can be supplied in a short time with more outcomes. Therefore, there is no doubt that in many ways industrial agriculture appears to be a beneficial development and a higher stage in agricultural method. However, it seems to be what it has brought is not as great as what it is taking away. The mechanization of agriculture and the use of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides have caused huge problems in environment, health and the economic condition of farmers. That is why, in this paper, I will argue that industrial agriculture is unsustainable because it leads to unhealthy conditions for both workers and consumers, has negative effects on environment and causes poverty. The first aspect that makes industrial agriculture unsustainable is the health problems due to the conditions in work place, the use of pesticides, anti-biotic and fertilizers and the equipment used in the industrial agriculture. Workers are the first group of people who are exposed to the unhealthy conditions caused by the industrial agriculture. First of all, because of the equipment like farm machinery, tractors, hoes and etc., the accidents are frequent events for workers. The consequence of these kinds of accidents may be losing a hand, foot, small injuries or death. In 1946, data from all industrial groups show that the largest number of occupational deaths, 4,500, occurred in agriculture ( Axelrod 2). This data only belongs to USA so the number that includes more countries will increase the number of death also. Thus, accidents are a serious problem in industrial agriculture. Moreover, because of the high noise exposure from sources like tractors, harvesters and grain dryers, causes hearing loss among workers. According to Marvel farmers experience higher than expected rates of hearing loss starting in their teen years (Kendall 2) In addition to the accidents and noise exposure, the use of chemicals and pesticides in agriculture also creates unhealthy conditions for workers. Poisoning caused by chemical fertilizers seems to be faced by workers frequently. Pesticides used as plant sprays create a hazard to the farm worker either in the process spraying or of harvesting ( Axelrod 2). Thus, the chemicals and pesticides are serious treat to the health of farm workers and the most common illnesses because of these is poisoning. Furthermore, as Kendall points out, the dermatoses, especially skin cancer, and respiratory diseases are among the most pervasive health problems in industrial agriculture (1). Toxic exposure is the main reason for dermatoses. More specifically, exposure to pesticides, chemical solvents, engine exhaust, animal virsues and other substances commonly found in an industrialized farm operation are the reasons for dermatoses and especially skin cancer (Kendall 1). Other common health problem among farm workers is respiratory diseases. The condition in the work place and the material used for the works are again the reason for these kinds of problems. Exposure to irritant, toxic gases and dusts on the farm causes respiratory diseases. The kind of illnesses as a result from this includes chronic bronchitis, occupational asthma, organic dust toxic syndrome, farmers lung and silo filler (Kendall 2). Thus, respiratory diseases can seriously damage farm workers. In short, because of the condition of the work place, the equipment used in the work and the use of pesticides and chemicals, industrial agriculture creates an unhealthy condition that causes serious health problems for workers. In addition to the farm workers, consumers also suffer from unhealthy production and condition created by industrial agriculture. The use of chemicals and pesticides are causing some health problems for consumers as it is for workers. Statistical data provides us with information that makes it rather clear that the use of pesticides leads to serious health problems including fatal diseases. One of this data demonstrates that about 67,000 pesticide poisonings resulting in an estimated twenty-seven accidental fatalities are reported each year in the US in developing countries situation is worse (Pimental, Culliney, Bashore 2). Thus, again, the poisonings are frequent diseases resulted from the use of pesticides. More serious health problems like cancer can also occur because of pesticides. The International Agency for Research on Cancer found sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in eighteen pesticides and limited evidence in additional sixteen pesticides (Pimental, Culliney, Bashore 2). In other words, there are eighteen pesticides which we are sure that can make people cancer. Since in industrial agriculture pesticides are being used excessively, the food that is produced by industrial agriculture is a serious treat for consumers. Other than the use of pesticides, so called factory style animal agriculture also creates health problems for consumers. The term factory style animal production implies the animal production in which unnatural method like using chemicals is being held. Pathogens like salmonella, laisteria and toxoplasma cause foodborn illnesses. These kinds of bacteria occur in chickens but they transmit to humans through meat. They can cause severe diarrhea and nausea and occasionally produce fatal diseases.(Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 5). One may ask that if these bacteria transmit trough meat, why is the industrial agriculture guilty for these health problems? Horrigan, Lawrence and Walker give the answer: The crowded condition of factory farming increase the level of contamination and the high-speed, automated methods of slaughtering and processing the animals make it difficult to detect that contamination.(6) Furthermore, the other common characteristic of factory style animal agriculture that c auses health problems for consumers is the se of antibiotics. Unnatural or produced antibiotics are fed to animals. The goal is to promote growth in production. However, excessive use of such drugs in animals can enhance the development of drug resistant strain of disease, which can be transmitted to humans trough the food supply.(Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 8). In other words, the excessive use of these antibiotics may make people less resistant to disease and make them ill more easily. The last aspect that industrial agriculture causes health problems is genetically engineered food. It is easy to guess this kind food creates heath problems because they are not natural. This kind of food à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦includes organisms not previously eaten by humans.(Horrrigan, Lawrence, Walker 8), which may cause new allergens. Therefore, as there are organisms that we have not eaten before in genetically engineered food, it is likely that new allergens can emerge. The second reason why industrial agriculture is unsustainable is its negative effects on environment. Concerning environmental problems caused by industrial agriculture, the use of fertilizers and pesticides again seems to be the most important problem like it is about heath problems. It is a fair question to ask: why the use of fertilizers and pesticides is so intense, if it causes so many problems? It seems to be the answer is hidden in the definition of industrial agriculture given in the first paragraph. The industrial agriculture is a farm like a factory and it is goal is to produce more to profit more. The negative effects are not as important as the profit. Therefore, as the main goal is to earn money, health or environment are second or even third concerns. We can now continue to examine the negative effects on environment after this brief explanation. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is serious problem for the environment and their rate of use is continuing to increase. The main problem about fertilizers arises from the fact that crops absorb one-third to one-half of the nitrogen.(Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 3). Excess nitrogen creates dead zone because it diminishes the oxygen in the water. This drives off the mobile sea life and kills immobile bottom dwellers. One great example of this is Gulfs dead zone in New Jersey ( Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 3). This nitrogen runoff also affects the ecosystem balance in a negative way, which is direct danger for environment. The use of pesticides is another problem because it causes decline in bird and beneficial insect populations which disrupt the balance between predator and prey.(Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 3). As a result of this the pests are recovering faster, which can damage the agriculture directly. The reduction of biodiversity is another outcome. Syntheric chemicals reduce biodiversity in the insect world. This may not sound as a harmful result. However, the real problem is the death of the wild bees and other beneficial species by pesticides (Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 3). The creation of imbalance in nature harms the biodiversity and kills the species that are beneficial to human kind. The effects of the industrial agriculture on soil demonstrate how harmful it can be on environment. Land degradation seems to be the first negative result of industrial agriculture. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦since World War II, poor farming practices had damaged about 550 million hectares-an area equivalent to 38% of all farmland in use today.(Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 4). Because of industrial agriculture, more that one-third of the farmland had damaged. Considering world hunger, industrial agriculture had damaged all people by damaging that much of the land because the land could have been used efficiently, which could have supplied people with food or even land. The reason for why that much of land had damaged is that industrial agriculture à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦depends on heavy machinery that compacts the soil, destroying soil structure and killing beneficial organisms in the soil food web.(Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 4). Therefore, regarding soil, industrial agriculture is not sustainable. In terms of land, industrial agriculture is not very beneficial either. Land degradation has been a serious problem for a long time. The worlds supply of arable land per person has been declining steadily. (Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 4). Desertification is a rather effective kind of land degradation. It can be defined as land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities. and 15% of al land surface has been experiencing land desertification. (Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 4). This means that less land is available for agriculture. How can a type of agriculture be sustainable, if it reduces the land to use for agriculture? Less land means less family that are engaging in agriculture and less food to supply people with. The reasons for land degradation and desertification are over cultivation, overgrazing and over use of water.(Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 4). Thus, the main reason is over using land and water but if the land degradation continues, in the end there will be no land to over use. The use of water is another aspect where the negative effects of industrial agriculture can be observed. The pollution of water seems to be the sources of problems that industrial agriculture causes because when farming practices pollute surface water and aquifers, they reduce the amount of water that is suitable for other uses.( Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 4). Other users may be any plant, animals or person. The main point is that some practices of industrial agriculture pollute water and this waste water damages many other potential users. The pollution in most of the times stems from runoff of chemicals, silt and animal waste. (Horrigan, Lawrence, Walker 4). Again industrial agriculture seems to be for the benefit of only a few people, while it is harmful for many other people, animals or plants. Together with the problems concerning health and environment, the poverty caused by industrial agriculture is the last aspect that makes it unsustainable. One fact may be the starting point of poverty caused by industrial agriculture, which in seventy years, although the US population has doubled, the number of American farmers has declined from seven million to two million (Kimbrell 17). There may be two reasons for this. First one is land degradation, which is mentioned above, caused by industrial agriculture. Because of land degradation, the amount of arable land is diminishing, which leads to the loss of farm communities. As the farmers who were engaged in agriculture before finds no land, the poverty seems inevitable. The second reason may be higher costs of industrial agriculture. As industrial agriculture requires mechanization, the use of pesticides and chemicals, it is hard for farmers to continue in agriculture. Capital is needed for industrial agriculture, which many farme rs do not have. Therefore, the farms concentrate on very few people that have the capital to invest, which again causes the lass of farm communities and naturally poverty. The other reason for poverty caused by industrial agriculture is the increasing price of food. Although industrial agriculture made it possible to produce more, the price of food is increasing (Kimbrell 15). However, paradoxically farmers do not earn more than they did before. The profits gained from the increasing price of food go to the corporate middlemen, not to the farmers (Kimbrell 17). Other than farmers, society as a whole is becoming poor because of industrial agriculture as well. While food pricing is increasing, we spend money to the heath and environmental problems caused by industrial agriculture. Therefore, we pay more for the food and also we spend more money on health and environment because of industrial agriculture, which makes poverty a problem for the whole society. Poverty for farmers and for the whole society again demonstrates that industrial agriculture is not sustainable. In conclusion, even though industrial agriculture is a development in agriculture as it increases production, it takes more than it gives so it is unsustainable. Negative effects of it on heath, environment and economy are the reasons for why industrial agriculture is unsustainable. Creation of health problems both for workers and consumers because of the use of pesticides, chemical and the conditions of work place causing toxic exposure and accidents is thanks to industrial agriculture. The use of pesticides, chemicals, land degradation and water pollution are the environmental problems created by industrial agriculture. The loss of farm communities and expensive food price are the results of industrial agriculture, which causes poverty. All these reasons seem to demonstrate that industrial agriculture is unsustainable. The solution to these problems may not be going back to the old fashion way of agriculture in which there is no room for mechanization, pesticides or chemicals. All this chemicals or machines should be used for human good, not to gain more profit. Therefore, the problem is not the kind of things that is used in agriculture; the real problem is the relations of production or the social form in which these kinds of things are used. Therefore, in order to achieve sustainable agriculture, we should first abolish the possibility of making profit by industrial agriculture. Then, we should collectivize the means of production and just use them for the human good. WORK CITED Axelrod, S. J. Health Problems in Industrialized Agriculture School of Public Health. September 1949: 1172-1175. Print. Horrigan, Leo, Lawrence Robert S. ,Walker, Polly. How Sustainable Can Agriculture Address the Environmental and Human Health Harms of Industrial Agriculture. Environmental Health Perspective, Vol.110 No.5 May 2002. 445-456. Print Kendall, M. Thu. The Health Consequences of Industrial Agriculture for Farmers in the United States. Human Organization. Fall 1998. Print Kimbrell, Andrew. Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2002. Print Pimentel, D., T.W. Culliney, T. Bashore. http://ipmworld.umn.edu/chapters/pimentel.htm

Discovering Sicke Cell Anemia Essay -- essays research papers

Discovering Sicke Cell Anemia The topic that I am learning about is Sickle Cell Anemia, a hereditary disease which affects red blood cells. Throughout this research paper, I will discuss what exactly it is, how it is caused, any known treatments or cures, and many other facts that are important in this disease. Sickle Cell Anemia is a health problem throughout the world. More than 250,000 babies are born worldwide with this inherited blood cell disorder (http://www.medaccess.com/h_child/sickle/sca_01.htm). The disorder causes red blood cells to extend into a sickle shape which clogs the arteries.Persistant pain and life-threatening infections result from the illness. About one in 400 black newborns in the U.S. have sickle cell anemia. And one in 12 black Americans carry the sickle cell trait (http://www.medaccess.com/h_ child/sickle/sca_01.htm). This leaves a good chance that the parent with the trait can pass the defect onto offspring although their own health is not harmed. The cause of sickle cell anemia is rather simple but it leaves a life threatening affect. Anyone who carries the inherited trait for sickle cell anemia, but doesn't have the disorder, is actually protected from a severe form of malaria. This helped the children in countries where malaria was a problem, to be able to survive against that disease. What happened to those children? They grew up, had their own children and ended up passing the gene for sickle cell anemia onto their offspring. This disease is a hereditary blood disorder that affects the red blood cell. Red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin which transports oxygen from your lungs to every part of your body. Hemoglobin's oxygen carrying ability is essential for living but if there is a structural defect on the pigmented molecule, it can be fatal. When a normal red blood cell distributes its oxygen, it has a disc shape. But when an affected red blood cell containing sickle cell hemoglobin releases its oxygen, the image of the cell changes from a disc shape to a sickled shape. In hemoglobin, there are four chains of amino acids. Two are know as alpha chains, and two are called beta chains. In a normal hemoglobin, the amino acid in the sixth position on the beta chain is known as glutamic acid (refer to diagram 1.1 on page 6). During sickle cell anemia, the glutamic acid is pushed out of its place and replaced wi... ...ease, I have learned many new details about it. I realized that even the slightest change in the sequence of amino acids can lead to very harmful effects. In this disease, only one amino acid was substituted and still the illness is very harsh. I also learned how exactly the cells deform and why they go into a sickle shape. It was very interesting to learn that the disease mostly effects African Americans. I also learned that when the sickles get clogged in an artery, it results in a very painful attack on the person and may cause them to have an episode. When episodes occur, the patient may have to go into a hospital for pain killers. The disease also can lead to ulcers, strokes, paralysis, decay of tissues, and many other problems throughout the persons entire life. Sickle Cell Anemia is a very serious disease that effects a person and there way of life. It doesn't have a known cure yet but many treatments and therapy are available. If a person has this disease, it is life-threatening and painful attacks can occur at any time, anywhere. It is important to know the causes and reasons for the disease so that you can relate to what a person with Sickle Cell Anemia is going through.

Comparison Between the Play and Movie Versions of Death and the Maiden :: English Literature

Comparison Between the Play and Movie Versions of Death and the Maiden There is a significant difference between the play and movie versions of Death and the Maiden. The movie version emphasizes visual and sound effects, while the play highlights the importance of language. The movie version starts by playing a section from Schubert’s quartet Death and the Maiden. After the melodious music, viewers immediately see and hear lightening outside a small house as well as ocean waves clash against rocks. This contrast not only shocks the viewers, it also prepares them for the upcoming â€Å"action† in the movie. However, the play presents a different perspective. There are only two sentences that cover the above scene, â€Å"Sound of the sea. After midnight.† This simple language will generate imaginations inside readers’ mind and let them create their own movies. The movie version adds more stage directions to create an additional dramatic situation. We first saw Paulina cooking in the kitchen while listening to the radio. She then hears from the radio that Gerardo Escobar has been selected to be the head of the commission. She immediately drops the knife and walks out of the kitchen furiously. However, the above situation does not actually exist in the play Death and the Maiden. The play states that Paulina was sitting in a chair drinking before she heard a car stopped in front of her beach house. The movie version gives viewers evidences that Paulina knew Gerardo Escobar and was not happy about him being the head of the commission. The movie also adds a dialogue between Gerardo Escobar and Roberto Miranda. The main focus in the dialogue is the same as the â€Å"monologue† by Gerardo in the play. However, we can learn from the dialogue that a guy named Roberto Miranda helped Gerardo to get home. We can also tell from Paulina’s facial expression that she was shocked to hear Miranda’s voice. I like the added stage directions in the movie because it made me became very curious about what is going to happen next. The play’s beginning was no as interesting as the movie’s. I also liked the acting in the movie.

Corruption of Corporations in Oryx and Crake Essay

In Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood illustrates a dystopian world where human beings and numerous hybrids organisms coexist. The setting is drawn in the future and Atwood foreshadows that some animals will go extinct and in order to fill up some gap in the food chain, human will have to fill the gap with modified organisms. Moreover, she suggests several interesting ideas about what she thinks might happen in the future. For example, she suggests that apocalypse will occur in the future and how our technology will be more advanced. The author is trying to figure what would happen in the future, but there is one thing in Oryx and Crake that is already seen in current society which will definitely happen in the future as well. And that one thing is corruption of corporations. There are several corporations in the novel and these corruptions begin at the corporations and infiltrate the entire society to cause a never ending cycle that hurts everyone. Therefore, this essay will discuss ho w corruption of corporations ultimately leads to destruction and instability of social structures at societal and individual levels. First, there are four major corporations in the society of Oryx and Crake that must be introduced and discussed. OrganInc and Rejoovesence are two main biomedical corporations seen in the story. OrganInc is a company that created pigoons which contained specific human organs, so that the transplants could be done easier and quicker. Another similar corporation is Rejoovesence and this company specialized also in bio engineering and where Crake held power in. Also, Rejoovesence created Crakers instead of pigoons. Both bioengineering corporations were corrupted in the novel because they tried to make profit or benefit towards themselves through spreading disease. AnooYoo and HelthWyzer are two main pharmaceutical corporations that are also very corrupted. AnooYoo is a company where there is â€Å"a collection of cesspool denizens who existed for no other reason than to prey on the phobias and void the bank accounts of the anxious and the gullible† (247). HelthWyzer is another ph armaceutical corporation which controls the compound and also manufactures pill and many other pharmaceutical products. These two pharmaceutical corporations also became corrupted because instead searching for a new cure for sicknesses; they put a new virus or bug in order to get the citizens to buy more products from the corporations. â€Å"They put the hostile bioforms into their vitamin pills – their HelthWyzer over-the-delivery system – they embed a virus inside a carrier bacterium, E. coli splice, doesn’t get digested, bursts in the pylorus, and bingo! Random insertion, of course, and they don’t have to keep on doing it – if they did they’d get caught, because even in the pleeblands they’ve got guys who could figure it out. But once you’ve got a hostile bioform started in the pleeb population, the way people slosh around out there it more or less runs itself. Naturally they develop the antidotes at the same time as they’re customizing the bugs, but they hold those in reserve, they practice the economics of scarcity, so they’re guaranteed high profits.† (211). This quote shows that pharmaceutical companies inject bacteria inside the pills, so that when people get sick, they can buy the antidote to the injected bacteria. From this cycle, the corporations are able to make a lot of profit. As presented, these corporations are corrupted and only cared to benefit from individuals of the society. However, corporations should act as organizations that help in securing the society. Second, to evaluate how corrupt corporations affect the society, the social structure has to be examined. In the society, the power of government is lacking, so the corporations are the ones with the most power. There are two classes within the society of Oryx and Crake: compounds and pleeblands. Compounds are the areas where higher classes inhabits and in order to be separated from the outer world through building a high wall around the area and CorpSeCorps security guards to protect the citizen who live in the compounds. Due to the long period of separation form the outer world, the citizens in the compounds got the idea that the other citizen from outer world cannot become like them and will only bring down the society. As mentioned above, the compounds are influenced by the corruption of the corporations since they are taking medicines injected with new bacteria. Then, they will have to spend lots of money to buy the antidote. Just because of the corporation’s greed, many people suffered from the bacteria. Also, since there is no way to stop the corporations, they can do whatever they want just to benefit themselves. The other area that was presented in Oryx and Crake is pleeblands. Pleeblands are the outer world which compounds do not bother cooperating with. Due to the segregation of importance or wealth, the citizens in pleeblands do not get enough education. â€Å"Despite the fingerprint identity cards now carried by everyone, public security in the pleeblands was leaky: there were people cruising around in those places who could forge anything and who might be anybody, not to mention the loose change – the addicts, the muggers, the paupers, the crazies. (27). Even the pleeblands were affected by the corruption of corporations because due to their greed, the area of pleeblands became poorer as time passed. Due to the desperation of the plebian, people from the compounds had a possibility which led to many dangers, murder, smuggle, and much more. Last, in order to provide a better illustration, three characters will be closely looked at: Oryx, Crake, and Jimmy. Oryx is a mysterious figure in the novel because her real name. Also, her past was not very clear when compared with the pasts of Oryx and Jimmy. She was influenced by the corruption because due to the corruption or Rejoovesence, she died. The other character who also was affected was Jimmy. He was mentioned as Snowman, who goes and talks about the past and the present and is a literary person. He is affected by the corporations because he had a lot of trouble surviving through the modified organisms that were made by the corporation. For example, Jimmy went through a lot of trouble to get away from pigeons (269~271). Crake is Jimmy’s best friend and unlike Jimmy, he has good knowledge of science. When he was little, he was aware that the corporations in the society were beginning to corrupt.†As soon as they start doing art, we’re in trouble† (361). This quote shows that if the corporations corrupt in arts, many people will suffer while the corporations gain benefit. The citizens knew about the corruption, but took no action and went back to their usual routine. However, Crake did not follow his routine instead he created perfect humans, Crakers. In conclusion, the greed of companies lead to corrupted business models and this eventually put the society and individuals in danger. Atwood takes a dim view of corporations in her novel, Oryx and Crake. The four major corporations only cared about making gains that would only benefit their companies. This caused these corporations to become corrupted and carry on wrongfully. Such corruption infiltrated to individual levels as exemplified through Oryx, Crake, and Jimmy. Therefore, they must be clear without any corruption because as this essay showed, it will be reflected in individuals living in that society. Work cited Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake: a novel. New York: Nan A. Talese, 2003

General Duty Clause: A Curse or a Blessing Essay

It is quite true that employers have the responsibility to supervise the health and safety of its employees in the workplace. Companies who ignore the need to assure its employees should be punished and those who render their workforce a secure facility should be hailed and honored as models. Government regulations are always implemented to protect the lives of workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHact) is one example of the various laws passed by the Congress. Nevertheless, there is one particular provision in the OSHact that is ambiguous; this section is often called the â€Å"General Duty Clause†. According to the act, the General Duty Clause states that: (2a) Each employer (1) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees; (2) shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act. (2b) Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health hazards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct. The increasing awareness of the various work-related accidents in society has urged the Congress to enact such provision of the law. The General Duty Clause obliges employers to recognize all types of hazards in their workplace. It also expects that employers should design and maintain the safety of the workplace to minimize any accidents that the identified hazards may bring to the employees (http://www. epa. gov). Due to this section of the OSHact, The Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) visit all working facilities to inspect any violations regarding the said provision. The employers should then devote some of their resources on useful expertise and knowledge to reduce if not to eliminate hazards. Furthermore, the General Duty Clause has a very broad scope that compliance to it seems to be so arduous (http://www. dem. ri. gov). The article expects that beside the accredited standards and hazards known to the OSHA, the employers also need to pin point unknown and undiscovered hazards in their facilities. Therefore, although there is no detailed standard regarding a hazard, the company can be cited for violation (Robins, 1988, p. 31). This can be very demanding since a single skipped hazard however simple may put the company into jeopardy if the OSHA representative finds it out before the management does. Another difficulty that the employer can encounter is the inadequate capacity of the management to accommodate the means to eliminate or reduce the hazard (http://www. dem. ri. gov). This is especially important to small businesses and companies who are not financially ready to solve such problems. The General Duty Clause is very advantageous to employees and workers. Such is so because the OSHA inspector has great power regarding this section of the Act. The inspector can manipulate violations and hazards in the way that can jeopardize the company. Since the inspector is supposed to examine the workplace and the system processes occurring in the workplace, he can pinpoint even the smallest hazard in the vicinity. He can even be paying attention at a possible hazard that to him is viable but in reality and in the company’s context is not a hazard at all. This is possible because the General Duty Clause does not only speak of recognized hazards that have written standards from the OSHA. The General Duty Clause, as its name implies, encompasses all possible hazards even those that are yet to be discovered. A violation in the OSHA can overthrow the success of a company. Thus, such a situation is one of the events that the employers are frightened about. An OSHA representative can simply walk into your factory and find pitfalls that can damage the profits of the company. Even at some instances, the inspector can find a new hazard that has never been known in the entire history and yet it finds it a hazard in your community. This simple violation can then cause the closure of the said facility. Another headache that can be caused by the General Duty Clause is the over assurance that it can produce to an employer’s workforce. In liberal and radical environments, the workers’ union can exaggerate the possible hazards that are not really potentially dangerous and file a case at the OSHA. These then can overly demand a pile of benefits that can deplete the resources of the company. Some accidents may happen in a facility and yet no hazard can be the root cause of such occurrences but the workers’ union can still file a case against the company because of the provision of the General Duty Clause. Although accidents do happen, sometimes these are not actually due to the dangers of the workplace but rather due to the incapability, carelessness or ignorance of employees. The General Duty Clause has an excellent aim that is to provide a safe working environment for employees. This is an important goal for the employer who regards his people as his most significant asset. Nevertheless, the whole text of the General Duty Clause has so much ambiguity that sometimes, some opportunistic employees and inspectors use it against the company and thus ruin its existence. It should therefore be used and implemented with dignity and justice to create a more cooperative interrelationship between the OSHA, the employer and its employees.

In Praise of Margins

In the essay â€Å"In Praise of Margins† Ian Fraizer upholds the importance of margins as â€Å"a higher sort of unpurpose† (Fraizer 45) defined by his time in â€Å"the woods† (44). Fraizer and his friends spent most of their time in their margins also known as stomping ice in â€Å"the woods†. Fraizer says that marginal place and activities are â€Å"the most important kind† (46) because they are â€Å"where you can try out odd ideas†. Margins could be visiting a park, a friend’s house, a dance studio or even a football field, also doing things such as swinging on a tire, reading, watching movies, dancing or playing a sport.He argues that margins- whether places or activities- are valuable because they allow a person to be themselves, have fun and use their imagination without worrying about impressing anyone. I agree with Fraizer that margins play an important role in people’s lives because although they have no purpose they can have positive results. Fraizer and his friends spent most of their childhood in the woods because that was where they felt comfortable and had fun with each other.This type of margins reminds me of the book â€Å"Bridge to Terabithia† a story that embraces margins in every page. In the novel two kids ironically meet in the woods. There the kids used their imaginations extensively by creating their own kingdom Terabithia, where they reigned over everything and were loved by all the creatures who roamed their land. The woods acted as the two kid’s marginal place because it allowed them to be creative. Marginal places such as these are important because they show a person what they are cable of accomplishing.These kids built a world with waterfalls, mountains and its own civilization. Margins are valuable to have because they let people acquire skills to expand their creativity. According to Fraizer â€Å"a book without margins is impossible to read†. This stat ement enforces Frazier’s belief about the necessity of margins and that attempting to live life without them makes everything unnecessarily more complicated. Fraizer and his friends did anything and everything in the woods.As they told themselves a frequent activity was exploring and the reader understand this was marginal when he mentions they were all easily distracted from their exploration with the sight of the perfect ice to stomp on. Fraizer explains these distractions to extend the understanding of margins and that they don’t require uninterrupted focus because a person doesn’t have something to accomplish, a marginal activity could result in another marginal activity that could have an outcome. I consider watching movies a marginal activity for many, people go to the theater to simply relax and get their mind off of other things.Movies let a person engulf themselves in the lives of others, fall in love all over again with a romance, laugh away all proble ms with a comedy, or feel a rush of adrenaline with an action movie. Films similar to these can create inspiration in people to find love, to become a director, even to become a writer to create a script that will affect people as the film affected them. Margins being without any purpose unintentionally result with a person having a purpose â€Å"every purpose-filled activity we pursue in the woods began as just fooling around†.Through observing his kids actions when they encountered a ditch Fraizer remembers his personal experiences with margins. To Fraizer and his friends â€Å"the woods† played an important role in their childhoods, it acted as a place where they could let their imaginations run wild and pursue what their minds came up with. Fraizer says margins are places or activities that don’t â€Å"account for themselves economically†; however, they are valuable because they can result in a new kingdom, a life changing film or a better understandi ng of life.

The Ed Sullivan Show

Since the late 1940’s, television has been a staple in American culture. A show that was very important in American television history is The Ed Sullivan Show, created by Ed Sullivan and Marlo Lewis in 1948. The show lasted until 1971, making it the longest running variety show in history and the twenty-fourth longest running show in primetime history. The show aired on CBS from 8:00-9:00 pm after being filmed in what was eventually named, The Ed Sullivan Theater. The Ed Sullivan Show lasted as long as it did because it was able to target all audiences in the hour show, which was one of the first television programs truly to do so.It was cancelled in 1971 because of the technological advances of television which made any television program available to anyone, at any time. Although other variety shows have been incredibly popular, The Ed Sullivan Show is the most important variety show to date because of its appeal to all ages. An agreeable argument is that both the Milton Ber le Show and The Steve Allen show had great talents and success as variety shows. The Milton Berle show was started in 1948 by host Milton Berle, who became one of the most famous television show hosts ever.His nickname developed into â€Å"Mr. Television† because of how great a host he was. The show aired originally on the radio and then the idea of the public use of television sparked its television debut. Milton Berle was so successful as host, which is evident in the fact that while on the radio, the show went through four different hosts before it reached him, and then did not change after that point1-6. Another variety show that showed great success on television was The Steve Allen Show. The show debuted many impressive new acts of all kinds.Steve Allen himself was â€Å"innovative, funny, and whimsical†2-15, which made him apart of the show with jokes and comedy skits. His talents helped the show tremendously. The show’s comedy talents were so famous that a few years after the show was cancelled The Steve Allen Comedy Hour was aired on CBS to pay tribute to the original show. While The Milton Berle Show, and The Steve Allen Show can be viewed as very important variety shows, they were not as appealing to all age groups and were not well-rounded shows.The Ed Sullivan Show was so successful as a variety show for so many reasons. One of the most important parts of the success was Ed Sullivan himself. Before becoming a television host, Ed worked behind the scenes as a writer for newspapers and a producer of many television programs. He began writing as a sports columnist and continued writing sports with many different papers all over the country until 1929 when he became a Broadway columnist3-17. Ed began to learn about show business through Broadway writing and shortly after began producing one time shows on television.During World War II Ed worked as the master of ceremonies at many relief effort shows, where people began knowing him as a host. Ed Sullivan made a great host because he was not the classic host with a â€Å"sparkly† personality. He put the focus on the acts by introducing them, and then stepping off to let the performer(s) do what he hired them to do. â€Å"Ed [did] nothing, but he [did] it better than anyone else on television†-Alan King4-9. Ed helped give the show its glory. He was named #50 of TV Guide’s â€Å"50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time† which demonstrates the value Ed gave to the show5-9.He was also a brilliant businessman. Ed exceedingly wanted to be a household name because the more he was nationally recognized, the more money and sponsors he could bring to the show. Mr. Sullivan was paid $164,000 a year, and for that time, that amount of money was incredible even for a television personality, but Ed turned a simple variety show into a phenomena6-19. Another piece of the shows success was the new talent scouted by Ed and the producers. The baby boomers were becoming the new market in pop culture, and The Ed Sullivan Show captured the attention of the baby boomers with all the talent.Ed Sullivan caught the young’s notice and then kept it and influenced it with bringing in new talent. Ed brought the love of English rock to America. On February 9th, 1964 the Beatles appeared live on television for the first time in America. Ed Sullivan noticed the obsession with the Beatles while in England with his wife and made a deal with Brian Epstein that the Beatles would perform three Sunday’s in a row on the show for $10,0007-4. About 73 million people tuned in to watch the Beatles perform, which equates to nearly 60% of all TV’s in America watching8-4.That was one of the biggest TV viewing in television history. After bringing in The Beatles and really launching â€Å"Beatle mania† in the United States, Ed starting focusing on other English rock bands and discovered talents such as The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Pet er and Gordon, etc. 9-4 With all the new talents, Ed brought in many new comedians too. Ed founded the careers of many famous comedians, and shortly after starting the show, any new up-and-coming comedian wanted to be on the Ed Sullivan Show because it meant a start of a career for them.If Ed held that they were funny enough to be on his show, than America would soon agree with that. The Ed Sullivan Show was so successful as a variety show because of the shear number of types of performers that starred on the show. First and foremost, theatrical and musical acts shaped the Ed Sullivan Show. Everything from Broadway music to classical, to rock and roll was played on the show. Ed also enjoyed different dancers a lot so there was everything from ballet to jazz. He also loved showing movie clips and parts of Broadway plays.A Second key genre of acts was comedy. It was one act that the â€Å"whole family† watched and enjoyed together; no matter what comedian or the type of comedy. Ed also focused on just kids with comedy. There was a ten-inch tall puppet named Topo Gigio that was apart of the show for eleven years. 10-8 Topo Gigio along with other kid directed comedy gave the show a softer side, which helped it compete with a show such as â€Å"The Wonderful World of Disney†. The Ed Sullivan Show had so many other acts that kept it shuffled.Sometimes there would be episodes dedicated to one theme, which broke up the usual shows and would be an hour-long episode to pay tribute to somebody or something. Sometimes athletes would appear to give advice about how to play their sport or just to talk to Ed. Some of those athletes include Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. 11-2 Another very interesting type of performance would be a random celebrity in the audience coming up on stage to talk to Ed or to give an impromptu performance, which kept the show and audience members on edge.Ed Sullivan produced one of the most important television shows in history because of its impact on the careers of many and the world of television. ENDNOTES 1. Williams, Mark. â€Å"The Milton Berle Show. † Editorial. The Museum of Broadcast tttttttCommunications. 2011. Web. 22 Nov, 2011. http: //www. museum. tv/eotvsection. php? ttttttttentrycody=miltonberle. 2. Pack, Lindsay E. Saulovich, Johnny. â€Å"The Steve Allen Show. † Editorial. The Museum of ttttttBroadcast Communications. 2011. Web. 22 Nov, 2011. 3. Ed Sullivan Is Dead at 73;Charmed Millions on TV. † The New York Times 14 Oct. tttttttt  1974: n. pag. The New York Times:On This Day. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. ttttttt  . 4. Schaeffer, Eric. â€Å"Sullivan, Ed. † Editorial. The Museum of Broadcast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ttttttCommunications. N. p. , 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. . 5. The New York Times 6. The New York Times 7. Solt, Andrew, Sherwood, Mary. Rev. of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. tttttThe Ed Sullivan Show.SOFA Entertainment, 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. ttttt. 8. Solt, An drew. Sherwood, Mary 9. Solt, Andrew. Sherwood, Mary 10. Solt, Andrew. â€Å"Topo Gigio. † Editorial. The Ed Sullivan Show. SOFA Entertainment,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ttttt2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. . 11. Simon, Ron. â€Å"The Ed Sullivan Show. † Rev. of The Ed Sullivan Show. The Museum of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  tttttBroadcast Communications. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. tttt.

Assignment on human growth and development

Assignment on human growth and development This essay uses theoretical perspectives of social sciences relevant to human growth and development by demonstrating the socialisation process and the impact of family structures on the normal development of Gerry. It uses the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to explore the effects of poverty on Gerry’s infancy and it will use Balter, Catherin & Tamis-Lemonda to support Maslow’s philosophy needs. Furthermore it will go on to use Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis to show the effects of attachment during Gerry’s infancy. More still with the use of Erikson’s stages of identity versus role confusion to discuss Gerry’s adolescence, the theory of generativity versus stagnation to explore his adulthood developmental task of his contributing and stagnation to society and finally the psychological crisis of ego integrity verses despair to explain the effects and causes during his development in middle adulthood. However, other psychologists theories will be used to support Erikson’s theories or critic them. During his infancy, 0-2 years by Piaget (1936) (cited in Crawford and Walker 2009 p 22), Gerry and his family experienced poverty because his father had been made redundant. This means that Gerry’s family could not afford to meet his basic needs. According to Maslow’s pyramedical model (1970) ( cited Steers 1998: p21 ) lower -level needs such as food, clothing and shelter have to be fulfilled to a reasonable degree before the more advanced need levels such as self actualisation, esteem, love/ belonging ,and safety are met. It can be argued that the failure of Gerry’s family to meet his basic needs had a profound effect on his development. This argument is supported by Balter, Catherin & Tamis- Lemonda. They argue that â€Å"children growing up in poverty develop developmental delays in intellectual development. Social, emotional and behavioural problems† (Balter, Catherin & Tamis- Lemonda 2003: p.391) (cited Chafel, 1993 and Garbarino, 1993). Poverty goes hand in hand with gross inequality, unemployment and adverse consequences for poor people and society as a whole. Deprivation experienced by poor families affects their quality of life, their health and life expectancy and the education outcomes of their children. Poverty brings despair and fear† Rebach and Bruhn (2001: p. 369). This argument is supported by Spode and Saracho, (2006) (cited in Duncan and Brook-Gunn, 1997), who say that â€Å"children growing up in poverty develop more emotional and behavioural problems than children who live in above the poverty line. This is because early cognitive and behavioural outcomes show to predict later school success†. Another challenge that Gerry encountered was maternal deprivation. This occurred when his mother was in hospital during the birth of Lily and as a result, Gerry had to be looked after by his grandmother. According to Bowlby’s (19 53, 1969) (cited in Smith, Cowe and Blades 2004 p106) maternal deprivation hypothesis, â€Å"children should not be deprived of contact with the mother during a critical period when the primary attachment relationship is being formed†. He also believed that both mother and baby were predisposed biologically to stay in contact and only this relationship would allow normal development. However, critiques of Bowlby like (Oakley 1981) (cited in Holmes 1993: p. 45) argue that to generalise that any separation of mother from child in the first three years of life is likely to be damaging is unwarranted. Oakley further argued that there is no harm in entrusting the infant to the care of a responsible grandmother or baby-minder.

Short Fiction Selections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Short Fiction Selections - Essay Example This quote captures the typical life of almost individual in this current society. This is because things have become tough, and life is rough and cruel on some people especially with regard to lack of income and poverty. Those who are fortunate to have money may also lack some vital elements of life such as joy. As a result, the harsh reality is that individuals in this society hardly achieve what they wish to have in life. In order to console themselves, most individuals use several activities and concepts that take them into the world of illusions in order to escape from these harsh realities. Several literary works indicate how different individuals in the society use imagine space to create illusions and pretend that they are in a world where they wish to be. In The Last Speaker of Language by Carol Anshaw and Pilgrim Life by Taylor Atrim, the characters love and a sense of belonging to forget their problems, albeit on a temporary basis. Similarly, in the short story Navigators by Mike Meginnis, the characters drown their problems using video games to avoid the realities that they have to face. Likewise, in other short stories such as Volcano by Lawrence Osborne, Diem Perdidi by Julie Otsuka, The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West and Culver City by Richrad Lauge, the characters employ several techniques to create illusion and experience the imaginary world. In today’s society, people use the imagine space to escape from their harsh reality. The authors through the short stories portray how characters use love and a sense of belonging to experience the imaginary world and escape everyday harsh realities. For example, in The Last Speaker of the Language, Darlyn comments,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It’s just about—even for a day—being this purely happy.  Like, happy to be a carbon-based life form† (Anshaw 7). In another short story, Pilgrim Life, one quote that relates to this topic says, â€Å"Pilgrim Life† starts with that calmin g view, that apartment, my millionaire roommate, my wine magazine job. The rest of it I entirely made up (I swear) over a three-month stretch in the midst of the worst financial crisis I’ve ever lived through† (Atrim 67). These quotes clearly illustrate how the characters create their own imagination in order to avoid real world. For instance, Darlyn expresses how she values happiness, and acknowledge that it may be for a short time, but is so important. This happiness helps her to escape from the problems with her alcoholic mum as well as job related problems. Similarly, in Pilgrim Life quote, the character acknowledges that not all the good things that he mentions are real, which shows that he sometimes seek imaginary experiences in order to escape from the problems that he has with his-girlfriend among other problems. Dreams and illusions is another strategy used by the authors to demonstrate how the characters uses imagine space to forget their problems. For instanc e, in the short story Volcano by Lawrence Osborne, Martha dreams of things that she would wish for, for example, she thinks that she can change her dream, and thus, change her situate\ion of being with an older man. Perhaps this comes from the technology captured in the following section, â€Å"The dream technique includes a drug and goggles that emit infrared light during REM sleep to allow the dreamer to be present in the dream and remember it, even influence it: by touching a rough surface†(Osborne 10). Other instances of illusion include Diem Perdidi by Julie Otsuka with the most famous quote â€Å"she remembers she does not remember.† She is suffering from dymensia, however, she can remember some things from the past. The most interesting part is that what she