Friday, December 27, 2019

Gay Marriage Should Be Legal - 1351 Words

In 2015, a momentous thing happened for United States, gay marriage became legal in all 50 states. In most states it already was but the remaining 13 became legal this year. There are many concerns regarding gay marriage, and the effects of them involve many legislative, cultural, religious and family issues. Gay marriage is controversial because a lot of people do not approve of it, they think it is immoral, unnatural, and not what the traditional concept of â€Å"marriage† really means. Opponents of gay marriage say it is only meant for a man and woman and that it is a sin to be with the same sex. Also, because marriage is for procreation and should not be extended to same-sex couples because they cannot produce children together. They believe that marriage is a privilege, not a right and that they do not want their tax dollars going to something that they do not believe in. Proponents say that to ban marriage from two people that love each other is discriminatory and uncons titutional. Love should be enough for marriage, regardless of sexual orientation. From a legal standpoint, marriage is a civil right and should not have restrictions to people of the same sexual orientation (History and Debate of Gay Marriage). Correspondingly, marriage is not only for procreation, otherwise couples who could not have kids or do not wish to have kids would be prevented from marrying too. Gay marriage can also help boost the economy from people who pay for marriage licenses. There have beenShow MoreRelatedGay Marriage Should Be Legal1205 Words   |  5 PagesHoward Sociology 1301-93431 Gay Marriage Getting married is something that most people do when they find love, which it is an important event in their life. The GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) community now get the legal right of same-sex marriage, which they have fought for throughout the years; on the other hand, some opponents of same-sex marriage have called for a constitutional change towards it. Although there were some countries that allowed gay marriage before the United StatesRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1159 Words   |  5 PagesAmendment, which puts a ban on gay marriage. This amendment entitles to equal rights to the gay community, ending toleration of discrimination in jobs, rights protecting gays from hate crimes,rights allowing advancement in government. However, the concept of gay marriage is still not considered a right the American people should extend to homosexuals. II. The vast majority of opponents believe marriage should be between one woman and one man, meaning marriage should be between members of the oppositeRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1574 Words   |  7 Pagesequal rights. Gays and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbian couples are denied the right to marry even if they are outstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop, because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples. Marriage is about love andRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1564 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is marriage? Recently, people argue with respect to the definition of marriage. What happened to marriage? To get married is a very important event for almost everyone. Especially for women, marriage and giv ing a birth could be the two biggest events of their lives. Many people believe that getting married to the one whom he or she loves is natural. However, what do you think if you cannot get married to him or her because it is socially unacceptable? 100 years ago different colored peopleRead MoreShould Gay Marriage Be Legal?778 Words   |  3 PagesShould Gay Marriage Be Legal? â€Å"†¦I now pronounce you husband and wife†¦Ã¢â‚¬  One would normally hear this when attending a wedding. In tradition marriage has been between one male and one female who love each other. But how would one feel if they heard â€Å"I now pronounce you groom and groom† or how about â€Å"†¦bride and bride...†? In the last 50 years the number of same-sex couples has increased. The on-going argument between the government and the people is â€Å"Should gay marriage be legal?† Although some sayRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1126 Words   |  5 PagesJune 26, 2015 for gay marriage to be legal in all fifty states, thirty seven out of the fifty and Washington D.C already legalized gay marriage. Many support gay marriage and many do not, with widespread values and reasons for and against it. Due to religion and rights people across the nation have differing views and opinions of it.In a five to four vote in the Supreme Court gay marriage becam e legalized in all fifty states. Shortly after that a few marriage officiators and marriage licenses peopleRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1179 Words   |  5 PagesGAY MARRIAGES Some states such as Iowa legalized gay marriage through the action of judicial interpretation based on the state’s constitutional stipulations while other states such as Vermont legalized gay marriage through legislation initiatives. These cases demonstrate the government is the sole body that can dictate the validity of whatever is to be regarded as a marriage, and in this case gay marriage. The power to validate marriage is still observed among the private citizens, religious institutionsRead MoreThe Gay Marriage Should Be Legal947 Words   |  4 PagesDefending Gay Marriage During the last few years, homosexuality has become an important issue for debate. Moreover, homosexuals have taken their case further by claiming their right to marry. Same-sex marriage, usually known as â€Å"gay marriage†, is the marriage between two people from the same biological sex (Doskow1). Since 2000, eleven countries have approved the legalization of gay marriage worldwide: Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, ArgentinaRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1480 Words   |  6 PagesNew World Dictionary defines the word married as being husband and wife, yet there are millions of gay activists who are fighting for a new meaning. They believe marriage is more than a piece of paper and a set of rings. The hope is that marriage could be defined as a â€Å"public recognition of a private commitment† or â€Å"emotional, financial, and psychological bond† between two people (Sullivan 53). Gay activists belie ve that taking away the ability to have a publicly recognized relationship or an acceptedRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal925 Words   |  4 PagesGay Marriage jenisea Phoenix Community College Gay Marriage What if you met someone and fell deep in love? What if they meant everything in the world to you? Wouldn’t you do whatever it takes to make them happy? What if i told you that you couldn’t? and that no matter how much you showed someone that you are meant to be that you couldn’t marry them? Wouldn’t that tear you apart inside?. â€Å"The Human Rights Campaign Foundation states that

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Questions On Aboriginal Health And Housing - 1683 Words

I.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Aim To investigate issues that in relation to the Indigenous Australian 1.2 Parameters To identify two current issues in both health and housing in relation to Indigenous Australians and to analyse the initiatives taken to improve Indigenous health and housing and report the outcomes.There is a word limit for the report which is 1000 words. 1.3 Definition Indigenous people are people who have originated from the land in which they settle before settlement or invasion of others (United Nations 2004).They are unique and have different cultural patterns, social institutions and legal system (United Nations 2004). 1.4 Thesis Sentence: 1. Two significant concerns on Indigenous Australian after Europeans settlement are health and housing issues.Some of the effective efforts to reduce these problems are Close the Gap in Indigenous Health Outcomes National Partnership Agreements,The National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood Development, The National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing (NPARIH) and The National Affordable Housing Agreement(NAHA)which has proven success. 2.0 BACKGROUND 2.1 General Background Two types of Indigenous Australians are Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders,and have lived in Australia for 60,000 years before European settlement.Most of the population live in remote area besides non-remote area(Australian Bureau of Statistics 2014) and stand 2% of Australia’s total populationShow MoreRelatedNative Aboriginal : From The Three Groups : Inuit, Metis, And Indian1146 Words   |  5 Pagesï  ¶ Facts: o Aboriginal: used in the Constitution to include the three groups: Inuit, Mà ©tis, and Indian. o Inuit Mà ©tis: ï‚ § Inuit: a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples living in the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. ï‚ § Mà ©tis: people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry o Indian: a male of Indian blood who belongs to a particular band, any woman who is or was lawfully married to him, and any child born to him. o First Nations: members of legally recognized reserve communitiesRead MoreHealth Inequalities Experienced By Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People1222 Words   |  5 PagesPotential – Health Inequities PDHPE Class 3 Tahnee Hodson - Term 3, 2015 1. Describe the health inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. Health inequities describe the differences in health status or in the distribution of health resources between different population groups, ascending from the social conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders experience far more ill health thanRead MoreThe Aboriginal Quality Of Life Within Canada1259 Words   |  6 Pages When discussing the Aboriginal quality of life within Canada there are several issues that come to mind, such as health, education, housing and our Canadian-Indigenous relationship (First Ministers And National Aboriginal Leaders, 2005, p. 1). However, many times Canadians neglect to distinguish the root of the issue. While residential schools may be addressed and looked upon historically, the traumas and effects are still particularly palpable for many Indigenous communities. For this reason, itRead MoreWhat Are The Challenges That Aboriginal FathersEncounter While Supporting Their Partners During Childbirth Case Study752 Words   |  4 Pagesbased on Euro-Western models remain unsuitable for many Aboriginal expectant fathers, especially for those living in poverty, with limited literacy and substandard or no housin g (Ball, 2010). More Aboriginal pregnant women are requesting their partners’ companionship in the birthing room (Carter, Lumley, Wilson, Bell, 2004; Simmonds et al., 2012; Reibel, Morrison, Griffin, Chapman Woods, 2015). Nevertheless, sparse research into Aboriginal expectant father’s involvement during childbirth mirrorsRead MoreThe Colonization Of Canada First Nations1540 Words   |  7 Pagescreated by the government. Policies created had the intentions of improving the Aboriginal people’s standard of living and increasing their opportunities. Mainly in the past hundred years in Canadian Society, policies and government implemented actions such as; Residential schools, the Indian Act, and reserve systems have resulted in extinguishing native culture, teachings, and pride. Policies towards the treatment of Aboriginal Canadians has decreased their opportunities and standard of living becauseRead MoreYouth Suicide Rates Among Aboriginal Youth1278 Words   |   6 Pagesamongst Aboriginal youth are five to seven times higher than non-Aboriginal youth, and Inuit youth are among the highest in the world, at 11 times the national average, there are several contributing attributes that should be further researched. (Health Canada, 2013) One of the contributing factors that are discussed in many Aboriginal courses is that of identity. Aboriginal youth who face high levels of intergenerational trauma due to the RS system often find themselves distanced from Aboriginal cultureRead MoreThe Canadian Government As Effective For Improving The Status Of Native Canadians1622 Words   |  7 Pagesof how they were treated through deficient access to health care, poor living conditions, and lack of education. 3 Subtopics: Deficient access to health care, poor living conditions, and lack of education. Education As per Statics Canada s 2011 Aboriginal Survey, 22.8% of Aboriginal Peoples had finished secondary school and post-secondary education.1 As the late 1800 s Canadian government and church bodies started expelling Aboriginal youngsters from their homes and setting them in what wereRead MoreDiscourse on Aboriginal Health Care7025 Words   |  29 PagesRunning head: THE INFLUENCE OF DISCOURSE ON HEALTH CARE The Discourse of On Reserve Housing Mary Ratensperger Athabasca University Centre of Nursing Science MNS 620 Culture and Health Margo deJong Berg The Discourse of On Reserve Housing The substance of this paper will be to discuss the discourse regarding the inequalities facing aboriginal peoples living on reserves in the northwestern corner of Ontario. Inequality is not naturally occurring; poverty is not an innate culturalRead MoreCollective Rights995 Words   |  4 Pagesbecause they belong to one of several groups in society. They are rights held by groups (peoples) in Canadian society that are recognized and protected by Canada’s constitution. Those groups include Aboriginals, Francophone and Anglophones. Treaty 6, 7, 8 states that the aboriginals could have health care, education, hunting and fishing rights, reserves, farming assistance, payments annuities, and special benefits. All in return for the first nations to share their land and agree to obeying the governmentRead MoreThe Idle No More Movement Essay1725 Words   |  7 PagesWithin the Aboriginal ways of knowing it is suggested that â€Å"land is the heart of Creation, a realm where humans are among a vast array of creatures† (Belanger, 2014, p. 7). In essence, the Aboriginal people have looked upon the earth as a source of resources that may be utilized but must be honored. This is further substantiated by Belanger when he states that â€Å"human beings began to measure their existence in terms of how well they ensured the land’s health and safety, as opposed to how well they

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

If You Were In My Shoes free essay sample

The Sage embraces the one, And becomes a Pattern to all under Heaven. He does not make a show of himself, Hence he shines; Does not justify himself, Hence he becomes known; Does not boast of his ability, Hence he gets his credit; Does not brandish his success, Hence he endures; Does not compete with anyone, Hence no one can compete with him. Indeed, the ancient saying: ABend and you will remain whole is no idle word. Nay, if you have really attained wholeness, everything will flock to you. (Lao Tzu, Tao Teh Ching) Tao Teh Ching is a book of tenets I have been taught to live by and adhere to by my parents and my education in Taiwan. After I moved to the United States two years ago, I began to question my beliefs. Does not boast of his ability, Hence he gets his credit? When the first organization in school I joined, ESL Club, was having an election, I knew that I had the competence to be the president. We will write a custom essay sample on If You Were In My Shoes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However, bound by my firm belief in Lao Tzu that I should not reveal let alone boast of my ability, in this case, my leadership, I should not compete with anyone so no one could compete with me. I did not raise my hand when asked who would like to be a candidate for the election. As Lao Tzus words were reverberating in my mind, a loud, vigorous female voice hit me in the head. I am qualified for this position because I am enthusiastic. I have been a secretary in three other clubs. Why? The answer in simple. I am very responsible, and people trust me. Elect me, and we will have fun. She was elected. She got credit, after boasting her ability They tell me to justify myself, to boast my ability, to brandish my success when I do not allow myself to think I have succeeded in anything because Ive been taught to be humble. They infuse in me the opposite of what I believe. They the Americans. Even writing this essay is making a show of myself. How can I let the admission officers know about me when I want to be the Sage in your eyes, Lao Tzu, as my life goal has always been remaining soft and silent, and yet, shining out of thousands of applicants by pleasing and satisfying the American standards? In this season, everyone is squeezing his or her brain juices, trying to brag about him or her self. What if my upbringing teaches me to always be humble and thus prevents me from saying anything good about myself? While I still see Tao Teh Ching as my ultimate dogma, I find myself unable to fit in with the American mores. Lao Tzu, my Sage, if you were in my shoes American Nike, ones that were made in China what would you do?

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The methodological apparatus of natural sciences

Thesis statement The idea that the methodological apparatus of natural sciences is being procedurally inconsistent with the aims of human sciences cannot be referred to as particularly innovative.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The methodological apparatus of natural sciences specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, it comes as not a particular surprise that, as of today, a number of social scientists continue to reflect upon the qualitative nature of social, political, cultural, and historical processes from essentially anti-scientific prospective, while denying the appropriateness of utilization of methods and procedures of natural sciences in the field of social research. In its turn, this does not only undermine the scientific validity of anti-positivist human studies, but also makes their semantic content quite unintelligible. For example, even though there have been a number of social studies, conducted on the subject of what represent motivational factors behind Hispanic students’ lowered rate of academic achievement, the results of these studies are best referred to as utterly inconclusive (we will refer to this thesis later). Apparently, the quality of today’s social research is being hindered by social scientists’ inability to understand a simple fact that, just as is it is being the case with plants and animals, the representatives of Homo Sapiens specie, and consequently the qualitative essence of human societies’ functioning, never cease to be subjected to objectively existing laws of nature. In our paper, we will aim at exploring the validity of an earlier suggestion at length, while pointing out to the fact that the idea that human sciences should emulate the methods and procedures of natural sciences is absolutely legitimate. Moreover, we will also aim to show there is no well-defined limit to the extent to which the methods of social/human re search may follow the methods of natural research. The soundness of paper’s hypothesis will be exemplified in regards to how subjects matter of human sciences can assessed through methodological framework of Physics, Biology and Mathematics.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Main part Even as far back as during the course of thirties, Collingwood (1936) was able to rationalize methodological inconsistency between human and natural sciences, while suggesting that the developmental context of human history alters the subtleties of how people perceive societal aspects of their existence. Given the fact that, throughout 20th century’s second half, the concept of evolutionary positivism has been increasingly looked upon as ‘immoral’, due to apparent euro-centrism of its theoretical premises, it comes as not a particular surprise that this historical period is being marked with the emergence of clearly anti-positivist social theories, the proponents of which used to make point in rejecting the idea that objectively existing laws of nature define the qualitative essence of human history. For example, according to one of the most prominent advocates of historical anti-positivism Juergen Habermas (1988), there no good reasons to refer to Darwinian Theory of Evolution as representing fully objective conceptual foundation, upon which the theoretical premise of modern biology should be based. Apparently, the main objection to the idea that the methodological framework of natural sciences is being fully compatible with that of social sciences derives out of social scientists’ assumption that the qualitative aspects of how people interact with surrounding realities cannot be discussed outside of currently dominant socio-political discourse. According to Foucault (1978), it is namely predominant socio-political discourse, which adds to the validity of just about any scientific idea or alternatively – undermines the extent of such idea’s scientifically validated soundness. While utilizing their intellect to address life’s challenges, people subconsciously aim to reinforce the soundness of their earlier acquired worldviews. In their turn, these worldviews affect the manner in which people perceive universe and in their place in it – hence, creating objective preconditions for even empirical sciences to be affected by a certain degree of experiential relativism.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The methodological apparatus of natural sciences specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Mills (1959), it is not only that past experiences define the particulars of how people perceive present, but also affect the way in which people will access the significance of their future experiences. Therefore, it comes as not a par ticular surprise that even today, many social scientists continue to remain utterly skeptical as to idea that human mind is being fully capable of discovering the ‘truth’, in societal sense of this word. According to Strauss (1953), the majority of social scientists never cease being utterly skeptical towards the idea that one’s rationale is being fully capable of addressing the dichotomy between fundamental and ‘cultural’ emanations of life. In its turn, in the eyes of particularly ‘progressive’ social scientists, this validates their disbelieving attitude towards the appropriateness of utilization of naturalistic approach to defining the essence of socio-cultural, political and economic dynamics within just about any human society. Apparently, these individuals are being absolutely serious while rejecting the idea that human societies’ functioning can be assed from strictly materialistic perspective as, according to them, the fa ctor of ‘conscientiousness’ plays rather significant role in defining the manner of how members of human societies interact with each other. And, it goes without saying, of course, that the term ‘conscientiousness’ implies perceptional ambivalence. Therefore, it is fully explainable why in time when many human sciences, such as psychology, were in the process of being methodologically perfected, a number of Western prominent intellectuals used to believe that this process will eventually result in revealing the outdatedness of naturalistic methodological approach. As Weber (1946) used to insist, natural sciences are only being capable of providing people with answers to purely technical dilemmas, while leaving the question ‘what is the purpose of one’s life?’ quite unaddressed.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Nevertheless, it does not represent much of a challenge to expose such point of view as conceptually fallacious. The reason for this is simple – it is namely people’s physical existence that presupposes their endowment with metaphysical conscientiousness. As it was noted by Outhwaite (1992), even before the emergence of Homo Sapiens specie, the most fundamental laws of nature operated in the same way they do now. And, it is namely these laws that define the essence of people’s societal attitudes, not the other way around. This is exactly why, contrary to what many social scientists believe, when it comes to defining the fundamental nature of society’s inner dynamics, one may very well refer to the basic laws of Physics. It is important to understand the actual force behind universe’s functioning, as we know it, is the disparity between energetic potentials. According to The Second Law of Thermodynamics, the amount of entropy in the universe is geom etrically proportionate the extent of energy’s dissipation, throughout the cosmos. Given the fact that human societies consist of physically material individuals, The Second Law of Thermodynamics applies to these societies as much as it applies to just about any energetically depended material system. Therefore, it is namely the continuous differentiation between society members’ existential potentials, which keeps such a society on the path on social, economic and cultural progress. What it means is that, while being assessed through the lenses of Physics (natural science), all of today’s neo-Marxian discourses, concerned with ‘combating poverty’ and with ‘ensuring fair distribution of wealth’, appear utterly anti-scientific, and therefore socially counter-productive. The reason for this is simple – the term ‘equality’ is being synonymous to the term ‘entropy’, and the term ‘entropy’ is bei ng synonymous to the notion of death. In its turn, this explains why there is no even a single historical instance of Socialism having proven its practical effectiveness, as political ideology. Therefore, had the proponents of a ‘welfare state’, who are now being put in position of designing socio-political policies in many Western countries, been aware of even basic physical laws, they would not be quite as eager enforcing ‘equality’, because then, they would be able to recognize what will account for the eventual consequences of their political activities. Apparently, the very fact that natural laws (in our case physical) are biasless makes them absolutely suitable to be applied within the context of trying to solve some social dilemma. As it was rightly suggested by Taylor (1985), empirical science is being utterly dispassionate towards what might account for natural laws’ social implications, which is why it is specifically these laws that should be regarded as such that represent an objective truth-value. In other words, if they had a chance, physicists would have proven themselves much more effective as social scientists then many social scientists per se – whatever the ironic it might sound. The same can be said about the practitioners of another natural science – biology. For example, as of today, there have been hundreds if not thousands of sociological, linguistic, historical, psychological and culturological studies, conducted on the subject of representatives’ of racial minorities lowered rate of academic achievement, whose authors had nevertheless failed at exposing the actual reasons behind many ‘ethnically-unique’ students’ clearly defined inability to succeed in studying, simply because, while proceeding with these studies, authors strived to remain well within the boundaries of ‘political correctness’. And, the reason for this is simple – while elabor ating on controversial topics, most social scientists aim to do it from ‘value-neutral’ perspective. This, however, does not lessen the extent of their argumentative biasness. According to Rorty (1987), when the subject of a scientific discussion is being concerned with people, it automatically provides rationale to refer to such a discussion as necessarily ‘evaluative’. And, since perceptional ‘evaluativeness’ simply cannot be avoided, one may as well proceed with evaluating the essence of social phenomena from naturalistic perspective, as the most objective and dispassionate one. Therefore, had social scientists been introduced to the basics of biology, as fully objective natural science, they would know that one’s ability to succeed in academia is being rather genetically then environmentally predetermined. Apparently, it is utterly inappropriate to refer to people’s inability to score high, while IQ tested, as such that derive out of their low social status. On the contrary, people’s low social status is the immediate consequence of their evolutionary underdevelopment, extrapolated in their lowered capacity to operate with abstract categories (low IQ), which in its turn, explains why the extent of every country’s economic well-being reflects the particulars of its population’s racial makeup. Therefore, for biologists, the sheer absurdity of institutionalization of ‘affirmative action’ policies, meant to enforce non-White and non-Asian citizens’ educational equality in Western multicultural societies, appears perfectly clear – the ultimate consequence of this policy’s official legitimatization will be the continuous lowering of Western educational standards. The fact that the methodology of human sciences is being often concerned with procedural utilization of such vaguely defined categories as ‘morality’ and ‘ethics’, natura lly predisposes social scientists towards indulgence in methodologically fallacious theorizing. This is exactly the reason why; whereas, the laws of natural sciences are being fully objective (such as The Universal Law of Gravity, for example), the ‘laws’ of human sciences never cease being the subject of various interpretations, which significantly undermines the extent of these laws’ operational objectiveness and which points out to these laws’ validity as being largely circumstantial. The validity of an earlier suggestion can also be illustrated in regards to psychologists and sociologists’ apparent failure in defining the actual causes behind the process of urban ‘ghettoization’, fueled by ethnic immigrants’ tendency to settle within the boundaries of racially segregated conclaves, which in its turn, results in creation of ‘societies within society’ – a phenomenon, known to the residents of just about ever y Western large city. Nowadays, most social scientists refer to this phenomenon as such that signifies ethnic immigrants’ commitment to ‘celebration of diversity’. Nevertheless, once we refer to an earlier articulated thesis that, since human societies are essentially material and functionally systemic, it is fully appropriate to assess these societies’ inner dynamics through methodological matrix of natural sciences; it will appear that there is nothing particularly odd with such ethnic immigrants’ tendency. Let us elaborate on this suggestion at length. In 1964, one of 20th century’s greatest mathematicians and simultaneously the co-founder of Cybernetics William Ashby formulated the so-called Law of Requisite Variety, which can be articulated in utterly simplified and yet fully descriptive manner – variety destroys a variety. If, for example, a hypothetical farmer had stopped tending a hypothetical wheat field, it would be only the matter of time, before various weeds begin to grow in that field. Moreover, the quality of wheat grains would be reduced from generation to generation, as wheat cannot grow properly while being surrounded by weeds. This is because wheat field’s ‘variety’ is lesser than the ‘variety’ of the surrounding environment. If the field was to be left unattended for a year or two, the new environmental balance would be established, with weeds being spread evenly throughout the field and with some wheat beginning to grow in areas adjacent to the field. Given the fact that, as we have mentioned earlier, human society is nothing but an example of energetically open system, the qualitative essence of its inner dynamics correspond to how system’s complexity interacts with the complexity of surrounding environment. In other words, in order for social system to maintain its stability, system’s complexity cannot be lower than that of the surrounding envi ronment. When society’s complexity is higher than that of geopolitical environment, it begins to export its complexity into environment (the colonization of Third World countries by Westerners). However, when the complexity of a social system appears to be lower than the complexity of geopolitical environment (in our case, due to Westerners being deprived of their existential vitality), the environment begins to export its complexity into the system (the colonization of Western countries by legal and illegal immigrants from the Third World). Therefore, the reason why ethnic immigrants prefer to settle within the boundaries of racially secluded ‘ghettos’ is that, by being such ghettos’ residents, they are able to take full advantage of the lessened extent of host-society’s systemic complexity – pure and simple. Thus; whereas, sociology-based Immigrant Spatial Assimilation Theory fails at explaining what prevents ethnic immigrants from being ab le to integrate into the host-society (it treats such their tendency as essentially phenomenological), the mathematical Law of Requisite Variety explains driving force behind ‘ghettoization’ with perfect clarity. In its turn, this serves as an additional proof as to the full soundness of an idea that there is nothing conceptually inappropriate about methodology of natural sciences being utilized by social scientists. Therefore, despite clearly rhetorical essence of Runciman’s (1971) rhetorical speculation that, due to natural scientists’ tendency to refer to people as ‘things’, it would not be morally justifiable allowing them to do so, the soundness of an idea that people may indeed be treated as ‘things’ can be positively asserted. The reason for this is simple – given the fact that people are social beings; their behavioral patterns are best referred to as highly systemic. What it means is that these patterns could be ea sily predicted, especially when social researchers prove themselves intellectually honest enough not to be making references to ‘soul’, ‘morality’, ‘ethics’ and other essentially meaningless notions, while utilizing naturalistic research-methodology. As Gray (1983) had pointed out to, the very matrix of naturalistic methodology does not feature any value-commitments, which presupposes the high extent of its operational applicability, even in domain of social sciences. Unfortunately, even today, many social scientists experience a particularly hard time while coming to terms with the idea that the representatives of Homo Sapiens specie are nothing but hairless apes, endowed with intellect (some of them are being endowed with only primitive ‘situational’ intellect). And, such their endowment is being purely instrumental, which is why, as it is being the case with representatives of just about every sub-specie of primates, people†™s foremost priorities in life are being solely concerned with spreading their genes, ensuring their dominant position on the ladder of social hierarchy and with experiencing sensual pleasures. Conclusion We believe that the earlier provided line of argumentation, in defense of an idea that human sciences might in fact emulate the methods and procedures of the natural sciences, substantiate the soundness of paper’s initial thesis. It is fully understandable that, due to people’s anthroposophic egoism, only few of them would be willing to be referred to as simply structural elements of larger thermodynamically functioning systems. This, however, does not make them being less of ‘elements’, while assessed through methodological lenses of natural sciences. It is understood, of course, that this idea will not find adherents among moralistically minded social scientists. And yet, as we have shown earlier, there is nothing conceptually inappropriate about such an idea. The methods of natural sciences are indeed being consistent with the methods of social sciences and those who think otherwise appear to lack intellectual honesty to admit this simple fact. Nevertheless, the very essence of historical dialectics leave very little doubt as to the fact that it is only the matter of time, before the validity of the line of paper’s line of argumentation, in defense of its initial thesis, will be recognized as thoroughly objective. References Ashby W 1964, Introduction to cybernetics, London, Routledge Kegan Paul. Collingwood RG 1936, Human nature and human history. Oxford University Press, London. Foucault M 1978, The history of sexuality, Pantheon, New York. Gray J 1983, ‘Political Power, Social Theory, and Essential Contestability’, in D Miller L Siedentop (eds.) The Nature of Political Theory, Clarendon Press, Oxford. Habermas J 1988, Theory and practice, Beacon Press, Boston. Mills CW 1959, The Sociological Imagination , Oxford University Press, New York. Outhwaite, W 1992, ‘New philosophies of social science: Realism, hermeneutics and critical theory’, in A Giddens (ed.) Contemporary Social Theory, MacMillan Education, London. Rorty R 1987, ‘Method, Social Science and Social Hope’, in MT Gibbons (ed.)  Interpreting Politics, Basil Blackwell, Oxford. Runciman WG 1971, Social science and political theory, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Strauss, L 1953, Natural right and history, University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Taylor C 1985, Philosophy and the human sciences, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Weber, M 1946, ‘Science as a vocation’, In HH Gerth and CW Mills (ed.) Max  Weber: Essays in sociology, Oxford University Press, New York. This essay on The methodological apparatus of natural sciences was written and submitted by user Nolan Newton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

WorldCom Fiasco Essay Example

WorldCom Fiasco Essay WorldCom was a company that was dealing with long distance telephone and internet communication server provider technologies. The company at one time became bankrupt because of the mangers who were appointed made the company to go into liquidation because they undertook fraudulent deals and this lead to the collapse of the company. The new chief Executive Officer Mr. Michael Capellas and Mr. Robert Blakely were appointed so as to conduct an audit about the performance of the company.   The task of auditing was difficult because the company had so many employees and so many assets of the company had been overvalued and this amounted to increased fraudulent cases that needed to be reviewed. Recent studies showed that the company’s fraud was as a result of the company’s management’s employee’s mismanagement of the companies operations. http://www.seu.edu/ethics/dialogue/cande/cases/worldcom-update.htmlWorldCom Company’s disasters of bankruptcy lead t o the laying off workers. The investors and the mangers pension funds were not given to them since the company did not have enough money to pay all the workers. The status of the lives of retirees was also affected because they did not have enough money to cater for them once they terminated their employment. It was observed that besides the poor management of the WorldCom Company the telecommunication industry was overbuilt and it could not absorb the capacity of technology that had been built into the system for many years. The WorldCom shares which had peaked at $62 three years ago had fallen to 83 cents at the trading of the stock exchange this lead to the halting of   the company   operations   The management of the company had also borrowed $30 billion from different companies   and at the time of its collapse it had a huge debt such   that it was not able to recover to pay its debts of its customers(Maasen, G.F 1999)..The collapse of the World Com Company had also a positive effect because the managers of most corporations became more responsible since they wanted to maximize profits in their businesses. The government of Congress imposed instructions that all corporations were supposed to follow the rules and regulations of the company and thus the company’s management could no longer manipulate the balance sheets of the WorldCom Company. Another change that was to be undertaken was that the higher management levels salaries were reduced so that the company would cut on its expenses on the salaries and wages which were taking up the company’s largest budget. The ranks of the high-level management structures were regulated so that the right people would hold these positions so as to enable the proper management of WorldCom Company and this reduce the incidence of fraud. http://www.be.wvu.edu/bl-online/news/badnews.htmThe negative effect that WorldCom Company had was that the students who were leaving school had to compete with th e laid off workers of WorldCom, Xeron and Enron companies and this way a challenge to them as they had to compete for the few jobs opportunities that were there in the market. The president of the Congress state Mr. Bush said that he was ready to ensure that the economy of the country was strengthened through reforming the pension plans, and he ensured that corporate criminals were held accountable for their actions. The reason why he wanted to improve the economy was because the WorldCom company had for a long time contributed to the revenue of the country and its demise lead to the reduction of the country’s revenue thus the president of Congress imposed the instructions so that more people would be made to be more responsible for their actions and the huge losses that were being experienced would be reduced.The president of the Congress state Mr. Bush noted that the people who had dedicated themselves to building the WorldCom company deserved to paid better because they ha d contributed to the well-being of the economy and this enabled the country to protect jobs for their employees thus they had no a problem of the security of their jobs and also ensured that the retirees benefits were secure thus they would not have a problem in the future. The president of the Congress later signed into law a bill that increased a review of the accounting industry and he imposed tough penalties for the executives that committed corporate frauds.The management of WorldCom later filed a case in court to state that they had over valued their earnings by more than $ 4 billion and thus the customers of WorldCom Company were assured that the company was in a stable condition thus they did not have to worry that their telephones and their computers would be affected in anyway.Ethics is the study of how to determine what is right or wrong of an action, a way of life or a decision by a person. In the normative ethics it deals with the search of principles that guide a perso n on whether making a decision or an action is right or wrong. In the utilitarian theory it is based on the moral standards that are applied on an outcome of an action or a decision that ensures all people in an organization behave in a way that will be beneficial to the community at large. In the deontology theory it ensures that the decisions are made solely or primarily by considering one’s duties and rights and one that does not change as a result of circumstances.It was not ethical for the leaders of WorldCom to deceive their customers that the company would be successful in the future while it was massively insolvent. The top accounting firms did a bad job of falsifying the audit reports which made customers of WorldCom company to believe that it was a financially stable company.The WorldCom company fiasco sager had an impact on one individual who was known as Cynthia Cooper. She spearheaded the uncovering of the fraudulent activities of the company; she was later award ed a number of awards such as the Accounting Exemplar Award since she had made a notable contribution to professionalism, ethics in the accounting practice of the company. The chief executive officer that is Mr. Ebbers and Mr. Sullivan had contributed to the success of the business since the time they left the company Cynthia cooper was treated badly for uncovering the fraud in the company and her salary was frozen and her auditing position was taken over by another person because she flew to other places of the world since she was given the opportunity to do so.In the year 2004, the chief executive officer of WorldCom Mr. Ebbers was charged with an offense of committing a securities fraud and he had false fully field cases with the Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2005. He was found guilty of all the charges on July 13 that year he was sentenced to a lifetime imprisonment. Mr. Ebber’s lawyer applied for his conviction so that he could not serve the lifetime impris onment, they falsified the case by giving the judge inappropriate information about Mr. Ebber’s knowledge of the WorldCom accounting fraud that took place in the company. His lawyers also claimed that his case had been manipulated because the three high-level WorldCom executives were not given permission to testify on his behalf. In August 2005, the former chief executive officer Mr. Sullivan was sentenced for five years in court due to the fraudulent practices of the WorldCom Company. He pleaded guilty of the offence that he had been charged against with and he was the only person who was to testify against Mr. Ebbers. Currently, Mr. Ebbers has been convicted in a court of law and he remains to pay a bail while he continues to pursue an appeal.The management of companies must ensure that the necessary mechanisms for production and allocation of resources are subjected to ethical constraints which ensure that the outcomes of exchange satisfy the demands of social justice and that the basic needs of the people are met because if people needs are not met then a company may not achieve its objectives of profit maximization. The state needs to regulate the society and the market so that the rights of al people in the society are regulated in the case of WorldCom where the company was liquidated because of the poor management of the resources of the company, the president’s intervention to regulate the market was a positive move because the other upcoming companies would not fall into the same problem.The management of company should prepare annual directors reports that include a more detailed operating and financial review of the company’s performance. This will enable shareholders and other people who are interested in the company’s affairs to make informed assessments of the company’s current position and future strategies so as to curb incidence of fraud that were noted in WorldCom company and this resulted to its closure.Ref erenceMaasen, G.F (1999). An international comparison of corporate governance models†, Amsterdam: Spencer Stuarthttp://www.seu.edu/ethics/dialogue/cande/cases/worldcom-update.htmlhttp://www.be.wvu.edu/bl-online/news/badnews.htmKen, B. (2005) WorldCom’s audacious failure and its toll on an industry. New York TimesHooks, G. (1998) â€Å"Corporate welfare policy and the welfare state. Bank deregulation and the savings and loan bail out, â€Å"social forces Vol 77 ISS.4 pp 1644-1646

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Critical Analysis of Frida essays

Critical Analysis of Frida essays Henry Ward Beecher once said, Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. With her brush, Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, painted the pain, horror, happiness, and triumphs that made up this extraordinary womans life. Fifty years after Kahlos death, her story has inspired director Julie Taymor to take on the enormous project of putting together 120 minutes of a movie to show this womans strengths, weaknesses, failures, and victories. Through the acting, the sets, and the use of Kahlos paintings, Taymor remarkably captures the life of this artist, emphasizing the enduring power of the human spirit. The movie begins with an aging Frida (Salma Hayek) being carried in her bed out of her house and quickly switches to her high school years. She goes to see famous muralist, Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), and immediately becomes intrigued by his womanizing demeanor. A calamitous bus accident leaves Frida temporarily bed stricken with a shattered back. After weeks of being hospitalized, she returns home and paints throughout the rest of her recovery. Eventually, Frida gains enough strength to seek an evaluation of her art from Rivera. Over a period of time, their friendship evolves into a romantic liaison. Although Diego will not maintain fidelity, they agree to marry as long as he remains loyal to Frida. Numerous affairs on both sides plague their marriage and provide anger and discomfort. After agreeing to have a child, fate coldly embraces the life of their unborn. One evening, Frida catches her sister with Diego. Consequently, they separate and divorce. After several flings in Mexi co and Paris, Frida realizes she misses Diego. They remarry, and Fridas medical conditions worsen. Just before her first art exhibition, her doctor demands that she stay in bed. Flashing back to the opening scene, Frida is carried out of her house and to her exhibit. The movie e...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

My life sounds like Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My life sounds like - Essay Example The words in the song encourage me to do what I desire, and what contributes positively to the advancement of humanity. The words that insist that every second count because second chances do not exist inspire me. More to these, the song highlights about forgiving your enemies, which helps me keep from holding grudges in life, and aim at living at peace with all people. Being concerned about the well being of the less fortunate in society forms a significant part of my life. Consequently, Michael Jackson inspires me to participate, continually, in activities that promote the lives of the less fortunate. The song insists on caring for the entire human race, through such acts as giving. It also strengthens my unity values as it teaches me to look at the world as a place that should be filled with peace. Therefore, the song helps me to reach out to the needy around me, and help them live a better life. Switchfoot’s song â€Å"Dare you to move† keeps me going when I face hu rdles in my life. Whenever I experience failure, and thoughts of despair crowd my mind, the words â€Å"I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor† encourage me to keep on trying, no matter how difficult the situation may get. In my academics, for example, I am motivated to keep on working hard as the song teaches me that being strong makes a difference between where I am today, and where I could be tomorrow. The song increases my determination to face the tensions in all areas of life with an unfailing spirit.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Social Performance of Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Performance of Organizations - Essay Example Apple Inc. is an American based multinational company with its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The company performs in a highly competitive market and is engaged in the designing and selling of consumer electronic goods like iPod, iPhone, iPad. Apple Inc. provides products that are unique and has a great youth appeal. The focus remains on targeting the young population since the youth are more inclined towards social networking, music and entertainment. For its superb marketing techniques, Apple Inc. was awarded 2012 CMO Survey Award for Marketing Excellence (Moorman, 2012). In the world of business, there are many external factors that contribute towards the successful performance of a company. Government intervention in the form of laws and regulations has a strong impact on the operations and management of Apple Inc. For instance, the laws and policies set up by the UK government act as limitations and constraints in the manner in which companies market their products. There is Sales of Goods Act 1979 which states that products that will be sold in the market should be according to the specifications mentioned in promotional advertisements. For instance, Apple Inc. deals with electronic products like iPhone, iPad, smartphones, tablets, personal computers and so on. To gain market share over its competitors, Apple cannot exaggerate or promote features that do not exist in its products. Another law is Data Protection Act 1998 which enforces the rights of customers to protect their private information like address, contact number, age etc from unfair us e. For instance, a company must garner permission from customers before sending regular newsletters or future offers to them. Also, a company cannot store data of consumers longer than necessary. This is applicable for Apple Inc. since customers are purchasing products from them. The target customer base is another external factor that largely rules the performance level of

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Law and Ethics in education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Law and Ethics in education - Research Paper Example Effectual school leaders endorse a safe, educational environment. For the period of my practicum at the Dominican University, I had the chance to take part in carrying out a fire drill for the 38 personnel and 200 undergraduates in attendance. The drill was approximately two and a half minutes long, however, necessitated significantly more time for preparation. The management team evaluated the present institute’s fire evacuation plan. We matched up the existing plan to that of summer school map and established the finest paths for summer school program. A novel plan was built up purposely for the Dominican University. We spread tasks amid the management team. I was allocated to the pavilion section in the back of the university grounds. Maps were dispersed to all instructional and non-instructional personnel. On the morning, of the fire drill, during the debriefing by the management team, we settled for the extensive evacuation time was as a result of educators being unfamiliar with the university grounds. We were not obliged to carry out a fire drill; however, we thought it was in the best concern of the learners. This experience allowed me to perceive school safety is the accountability of overseers, educators, students, and personnel. By carrying out this joint, practical course of action, I assisted to make certain the utmost learning probability in a safe and secure educational setting (Cunningham & Cordeiro, 2006). In conclusion, institutional leaders ought to endorse a safe, resourceful, authorized, and effectual educational environment by making sure building and grounds safeguarding, coaching, and practical, preventive procedures for instance fire

Friday, November 15, 2019

Working With and Leading People

Working With and Leading People Working with and leading people Contents Introduction Task 1 Documentation to select and recruit new member of staff: Task 2 2.1 Skills and attribute needed to be a leader: 2.2 Difference between leader and manager: 2.3 Comparison among different types of leadership: 2.4 Ways to motivate stuff: Task 3 3.1 Benefits of team working for an organization: 3.2 Demonstration of working in a team as a leader and member towards specific goals, dealing with any conflict or difficult situations 3.3 Effectiveness of the team at xyz ltd. in achieving organizational goal: Conclusion References Introduction Human resource works with the employers and employee. Al instate have to appoint new employee to run the organization. Human resources work with that. Their job is to recruit new employee when it is needed. As business studies student we must know to work with and lead people. This teaches us to lead people effectively and make them work as the management wants. Every organization has to have a proper team management that can make the workers work efficiently. For this they have to provide training to develop their skill of an individual to become a good employee. In this assignment we will apply our knowledge against the given xyz ltd. to recruit new employee and achieve their mission. Task 1 Documentation to select and recruit new member of staff: Suppose xyz ltd needs to recruit 4 new employee, 10 driver and 3 administrators. Human resource department of xyz ltd have to prepare a documentation to select and recruit new member of stuff. The documentation is given bellow, Approval of the recruitment: Recruitment process of an organization is started when the authority of the organization approves the recruitment. When the organization need new employee they send a draft with a posting description and a document which describe the requirements. After approving the draft the authority of xyz will send it to the HR department. The copy of approval must include the electronic copy of the draft description and advertisement. Position description: No organization can change the post’s position after the advertisement. So before it gives the advertisement xyz ltd must describe the position of the post they are going to recruit. The authority of xyz ltd has to approve the position description. The description must include the responsibilities and duties of the position, all the works and the activities. Advertising: Advertising is one of the most important tasks to recruit new members. The advertisement of xyz ltd is required to be approved by the executive director of HR department of xyz ltd. There are many different media to give the advertisement of the job such as online media, print media, electronic media, open advertisement etc. The HR dept. of xyz ltd will choose the media. The advertisement also describe the vacancy announcement, skills required, terms and conditions, payment etc (Borrini, 2004). HR dept. has to obey the advertisement law before advertising. The advertisement of xyz for different post are given bellow, For driver: Closing date: 31/12/2014 Location: London Vacancy: 10 Types of employment: Temporary Working hour per week: 40 hours Salary: XXX Responsibilities for the post: †¢Agree to go all the places of UK †¢Positive response to changes in the organization †¢Taking part in loading and unloading. †¢Delivering goods on time to anywhere. †¢Maintaining personal skill. †¢Driving safely. †¢Self-motivation, innovation, creativity. †¢Working in as a team. Skills and experiences: †¢Basic knowledge of driving and in English. †¢UK driving license. For administrator: Closing date: 31/12/2014 Location: London Vacancy: 3 Types of employment: Permanent Working hour per week: 40 hours Salary: XXX Responsibilities for the post: †¢Meeting the target weekly, monthly and yearly. †¢Monitoring cost of delivery †¢Maintaining the SHE policies and health and safety regulations. †¢Maintaining personal relations with superior, colleagues and sub-ordinates. †¢Working in as a team Experiences and skills: †¢Degree in business discipline. MBA majored in management is preferred. †¢Working experience for at least 10 years. †¢Good communication skill. †¢Must familiar with socio economic culture of England. †¢Fluency in English. For employee: Closing date: 31/12/2014 Location: London Vacancy: 4 Types of employment: permanent Working hour per week: 40 hours Salary: XXX Responsibilities for the post: †¢Maintaining highly professional manors with sub-ordinates, colleagues and superior. †¢Dealing with different parties for xyz ltd. †¢Monitoring the work of the employee. Skills and experiences: †¢A degree in business. BBA majored in management is preferred. †¢Working license for UK †¢Minimum 5 years of working experience. †¢Fluent in English. †¢Good communication skill The impact of legal, regulatory and ethical consideration to the recruitment and selection process: Impact of sex discriminatory act: It is a mandatory to maintain the sex discriminatory act. No one can be discriminated by their group of sex. If a candidate fulfill the qualification xyz ltd is bound to recruit him or her no matter the candidate is male or female (Jones and Charlton, 2002). Impact of equality regulation: Both young and old people can participate in the recruitment process. The HR manager cannot give privilege to any particular group. If he/she does she will be breaking law of prevention of equality (age) regulation. Impact of race relation act: A person who has the work permit can apply for the job. If the advertisement is for any particular nationality, it will break a law, the provision of race relation act. Impact of law in advertising stage: The HR manager has to make sure that the job advertisement doesn’t break any law and it is going obeying law. The advertisement can not contain any kind of sign of discrimination based on sex, race, age, nationality etc. Impact of right to the employee: The board of interview has to make sure that the applicant has the legal permit to work in UK. And they also should check the background of the applicant of any criminal activities. Impact of law in interview stage: The interview process must be abided by the law. No board member is allowed to ask any questions that can affect any of the applicant’s religious or national view. And disable persons have to be treated in a proper way. Impact of the statement of employment: The employee must be provided by the statement of employment including all the terms and conditions, salary, holidays, and working hours (Baxter Magolda and King, 2004). Taking part in the selection process: After advertising, comes the selection process. HR manager plays a key role in the process. It is a series of some sequential task. How HR dept. takes part in the selection process is given bellow, Selecting a recruitment and selection board: The HR dept. selects a selection and recruitment board to select the new employee. The members are selected by the director of HR dept. of xyz ltd. xyz ltd. is going to recruit tree types of staff. For this the HR dept. has to select three selection and recruitment board. In every board the respective director of the department in which the new employees are being recruited. This board takes the interview of the applicants. Short listing: The selection board makes a short list of candidates by different listing method after receiving the applications. Some popular method of listing is MCQ exam, written exam, IQ test etc. Then the board gives the shortlist to the HR dept. Then HR dept. arranges an interview to select the final ones from the shortlist. Interview: The selection board of xyz ltd. then calls the applicant from the shortlist to face the interview board. They want to see who can satisfy the board. In the interview the board inquires about various things like the background of the applicants, their knowledge, their experience and their cultural background etc. Appointment: The board then recommend for the applicant who satisfied the board. Then the HR dept. appoints the selected candidate those who are recommended by the board. Evaluation of my own contribution to the selection process: According to the instructions given I took part in preparing the documents necessary to select the employee and gave the advertisement. I was also a member of the selection and recruitment board of xyz ltd. I helped them to make the short list and I was present at the interview room. And finally I prepared the necessary documents to appoint the new recruit (Hepple, Coussey and Choudhury, 2000). Task 2 2.1 Skills and attributes needed to be a leader: The quality to lead a team depends on some key skills. Some of them are given bellow, Honesty: We know honesty is the best policy. When a leader is responsible for a team one has to be very honest. Because if the leader is honest and makes ethical value important the team will also follow the leader and the team will be an honest team. Communication: The leader knows what he is going to do and have a great idea about something, but he cannot make the team members understand that. Then it is a very big problem. The leader must know how to communicate with the team members. Communication skill is one of the most important skills leaders have to have. If any leader does not have the right skill to communicate properly with the members of the group he might want to consider focusing on honing communication skills. Good communication skill for leader is like a blessing for the team (Burke and Cooper, 2006). Commitment: There is no greater motivation than seeing the leader working hard alongside with the general members. If the leader expect his team to perform fine, work heard and produce finest content the leader is going to need to set an example. Hard working leader generates the want to work hard and bring some good result among the general members. The leader is to show commitment to hard working but also to the promises he made. It is important to be a fair leader as well as a hard worker (Burke and Cooper, 2006). Creativity: The leader has to be very creative. Otherwise he cannot expect the team members to be creative. The average time the leader has to make clear-cut decision. But some times that the leader have to make a flying decision. This is the time when creativity is vital. In this type critical situation when the team will look on the face of the leader for guidance. That’s why the leader have to think outside the box. Sometimes it is not wise to decide the first thought comes to mind. Those decision needs to give some thoughts. Even it is right to ask the team for guidance. The leader has to utilize every possible resource. Ability to inspire: Sometimes the team needs to be forced, especially at the beginning. Then inspiring them becomes vital. The leader has to make the team want to work hard and effectively. Confidence: Confidence is the key to success. The team leader has to be confidence to be a successful team. There may be time when the task may be worrisome and the plans were not going to work, the leader has to be confident. Otherwise the team will not be able to overcome the situation. Some other skills are ability to delegate, sense of humor, positive attitude etc (Saracho and Spodek, 2005). 2.2 Difference between leader and manager: Manager and leader may look similar but they are not the same. We know from the definition of manager that manager have subordinates. On the other hand leaders have no subordinates he have followers. The difference between leader and manager is given bellow, Attribute of a manager: †¢Manager is the administrator. †¢Manager has to be pragmatic in accepting events and trends. †¢The focus of a manager is to control, the structure and the systems of the organization. †¢Manager has a linear perspective †¢Manager manages his subordinates †¢He perceive threats †¢He minimizes weakness Attribute of a leader: †¢The leader has to study, develop new idea and principles. †¢He has to be innovative †¢A leader have to be resourceful he should look of the solution of the problem. †¢Leader emphasizes on the focus of his team members †¢Inspires the team †¢Leader has to understand the big picture †¢He generally looks for opportunity to develop skills and efficiency (Saracho and Spodek, 2005). 2.3 Comparison among different types of leadership: Different types of leadership exist in the business world. There are some advantages and dis advantages of each and every type of leadership. The environment and the situation of a particular firm determine which kind of leadership they are to adopt. Three kind of leadership is given bellow, Autocratic: The autocratic style allows the leader to make decisions by himself without communicating with other. Every manager poses impose their will and authority over their employee. No one can challenge his decision. Laissez-Fair: In this style of leadership the manager laces direct supervision and regular feedback. Highly experienced and skilled employee needs a very little supersession and guidance. But not every kind of employee is feet for this kind leadership (Haddad, 2002). Participative: In this system a leader listen every input from the employee and member of the team. And then it is up to the leader to make the decision. Most often the leader supports the majority. It is often called as the democratic leadership. This style boosts the employees morally because it shows that their opinion is considered. Comparison: Among all the style the democratic style suits for every kind of organization. Because autocracy is not praised every one. Besides it gives an impression that the leader is a special person and no one can challenge his opinion. Then lassies-Fair is not applicable of every organization. It is appropriate for only the organization where every employee is highly skilled and capable. So it is safe to say that democratic system is the best. And for xyz ltd. democratic system is appropriate (Mackey and Jacobson, 2010).. 2.4 Ways to motivate stuff: There are motivational theories to motivate employee to achieve objective. Some of them are given bellow, Communicating with the employee: It is a basic point but very important one. The stuffs must know that they are listened, understood and valued. Perhaps they need to know they are the most important. If any of the stuff any concern about the organization he need to know that the channel of communication is available and he is listened. That will make them feel more comfortable and will motivate them to do more for the organization. Good salary and rewards: Everybody have their needs. To fulfill the needs they have to earn. The employee work to earn their lively hood. A good amount of salary is their right. And that will motivate them to act highly and effectively. Moreover rewards for their good performance in needed. If the performance of employees is good they should be rewarded. This may be in form of additional pay, bonus, simple gratitude etc (Carnwell, Buchanan and Carnwell, 2009). Involving employees in decisions making: Many different decisions are made every day in a company from the ground level to the enterprise level. Major decisions will be made in the boardroom but that does not mean that the employee is not allowed to choose their method of working. They must be allowed to make small decision like the approach to accomplish the work etc. Offer training and development: Employees need to train to develop their skills and ability. They want to know that every day they are developing their ability to perform more accurately and learning new skills. Every individual have their own goal and ambition. And to maintain their skills they need to provide necessary training. Define the employees’ role: Every employee should have their opportunity to move up their ranks. If they don’t then they might think that their contribution to the company and organization is not noticed and that in not good for organization. If they employee are promoted as their performance they will know that their work in not going un-noticed. Then they will want to perform more (Carnwell, Buchanan and Carnwell, 2009). Task 3 3.1 Benefits of team working for an organization: The primary benefit of team work is that it allows the organization like xyz ltd. to achieve that is quit impossible to achieve for an individual working alone. The advantages of teamwork is given bellow, High quality outcomes: †¢High efficiency: As the combination of individual makes a team, a team can do more than an individual can do alone. †¢Faster speed: As team combines the effort, they can accomplish the task consuming less time. †¢Innovative idea: each individual working in the team may bring many different information and knowledge which makes the task lot easier. †¢Effectiveness: Combination of effort brings more effectiveness. Better context for individual: †¢Mutual support: Because of working together team members become supportive to other member. That helps the team to overcome bad situation. †¢Greater sense of accomplishment: Because the members collaborate and take responsibilities they can feel the greater sense of accomplishment. From above we can see the benefit of team working. If the management of xyz ltd. can provide good motivation and make efficient team then they can overcome some of the great problems they were facing lately (Glasby and Peck, 2004). 3.2 Demonstration of working in a team as a leader and member towards specific goals, dealing with any conflict or difficult situations Xyz ltd faced many difficult situations in their regular organizational tasks. Usually they solve their problems as a team working together just like they should be. In their teamwork they are very team oriented. As a member and as a team leader they are very efficient and effective (White and Harris, 2001). 3.3 Effectiveness of the team at xyz ltd. in achieving organizational goal: The team of xyz ltd. is very much effective and efficient in competitive world. To work in a team in any other environment the team needs some diversified knowledge. The team of xyz ltd has that knowledge. And they help one another to overcome problems. To be in a team the members have to be respectful about other members’ opinion and have the respect for other. This team has them all. Thus the team overcomes many difficult situations. The team of xyz ltd is very effective (White and Harris, 2001). Conclusion Leadership is one of the most important factors to perform in a difficult and new situation. A good leader can bring massive change in the organization by leading people up front. The leader has to face many new situation and new challenges every day. A good leader can solve all the problems and face every challenge if the employees follow the leader and behave in a proper way. References Borrini, G. (2004).Sharing power. [London]: Natural Resources Group and Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods Programme of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). Jones, K. and Charlton, T. (2002).Overcoming learning and behaviour difficulties. London: Routledge. Baxter Magolda, M. and King, P. (2004).Learning partnerships. Sterling, Va.: Stylus Pub. Hepple, B., Coussey, M. and Choudhury, T. (2000).Equality. Oxford: Hart Pub. Burke, R. and Cooper, C. (2006).The human resources revolution. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Saracho, O. and Spodek, B. (2005).Contemporary perspectives on families, communities, and schools for young children. Greenwich, Conn.: Information Age Pub. Haddad, C. (2002).Managing technological change. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications. Mackey, T. and Jacobson, T. (2010).Collaborative information literacy assessments. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. Carnwell, R., Buchanan, J. and Carnwell, R. (2009).Effective practice in health, social care and criminal justice. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill/Open University Press. Glasby, J. and Peck, E. (2004).Care trusts. Abingdon, U.K.: Radcliffe Medical Press. White, V. and Harris, J. (2001).Developing good practice in community care. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 1 | Page

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

HR Trends and Challenges Essay

Every job, organization and industry is going to have trends. These trends dictate the direction that the job, organization or industry is heading whether it is technology driven, psychologically driven, or financially driven. The variables that impact these trends can change very quickly, and are results of needs that are fulfilled by the trends. Some examples are personal computers, cell phones and many other technologies that allow organizations to conduct business faster and easier. Many times a there are multiple trends that are on opposite sides of an idea, and an organization must decide which trend or trends are the correct trends for future success. When organizations face challenges of this nature at the speeds the current business environment changes, forces them to become knowledgeable of the  industry trends very quickly. The organizations must then use this knowledge to make quick decisions on their future direction. The following is an exploration and analysis of the trends that human resource departments and managers are facing in today’s businesses, and why they are important for organizational success today and in the future. Performance Management and Performance Appraisals Good management is always analyzing the performance of the organization and its employees. There are several ways to do this, and depending on the organization and its objectives some methods are more effective than others. A complete performance management system is different from an annual performance appraisal system in several ways. In most cases a complete performance appraisal system is an ongoing evaluation. It uses several factors to determine the productivity of the employees of the organization. Management has to decide what the primary objectives of the organization are. Once this is decided they need to figure out how each department is contributing to the main objectives of the origination. These become sub-goals for the entire company and each department can concentrate on each goal. From here, each employee in that department can be responsible for a goal. The managers in that department can divide the tasks to individual employees. Good performance management systems will allow the managers in each department to evaluate the performance of employee and to see the effectiveness of that employee to complete the required tasks and objectives. Managers then need to figure out a performance reward system which can award the employees for completing their primary objectives. Managers can choose to reward employees on several factors. Competition, quality and content are some of the factors which rewards can be based on. The most important factor is to make sure that rewards are given when the primary objective is met. For example, it would not make since to reward employees on completion, when quality of the product is more important. A good performance management system is a dynamic system which is always changing and adapting to the current needs of the organization. An effective system can motivate employees and allow them to improve the quality of the work the put out. Annual performance rewards concentrate more on the output of the organization as a whole. These rewards are geared more towards the profits and the output of the organizations. Annual performance rewards are important in an organization because they set goals and standards for the organization to achieve in the course of one year. In order to set effective annual performance rewards, management needs to consider its goals for the year. Effective performance rewards can break the year down into three quarts. Doing this makes it more tangible to achieve goals because they the time frame is reduced. Management can look at historical performance of the organization. For example, they can look at the amount of sale of the previous year to set goals for the upcoming year. They can also look at the trends in the industry and project goals for the upcoming year. For example, if trends in a certain quarter are showing improved sales, management can set a higher goal to try and improve sales for the upcoming year or quarter. It is also very important not to set these goals too high as to not discourage the employees. Once these goals are set, performance rewards need to be determined. Management needs to decide what type of rewards can be given out. Monetary rewards, days off and stock options are some examples of rewards. In order to determine the best rewards, management needs to detriment the needs of the employees and find out what would be most beneficial to them. They also need to make sure that the rewards won’t be too costly to the organization. Once the type of reward is determined, the payouts also need to be analyzed. Management can choose to pay out employees based on the amount of profits made within a certain quarter, or on the amount of sales. An effective payout method is one which again concentrates on the primary objective. For example if revenue is more important to an organization, then they may choose to reward employees based on total profits of the organization. Management also needs to decide how they are going to divide the profits. Profits can be divided evenly or based on employee position, or longevity in the organization. An effective annual performance rewards system is similar to a complete performance reward system because it will also reward employee for reaching pre-determined objectives, and it will also motivate individuals within the organization to improve the quality of work. It is important to keep in mind that just like  a good complete performance management system, an effective annual per formance appraisal systems is dynamic an is always changing and adapting to the needs of the organizations and its employees. Managing Turnover Managing turnover is one of the most recent human resources trends in today’s business environment and many organizations have found that managing their turnover effectively has helped with the organizations bottom line, which has resulted in many different success stories. Human resource departments in all organizations would consider managing turnover a very important aspect or the departments overall goals for the organizations they work for, but what does managing turnover really mean? Turnover in any organization is inevitable and the term managing turnover in its simplest form is to deal with the loss of the organization’s human capital and in most cases includes minimizing unwanted turnover in the organization. All organizations will deal with turnover and some of this turnover will be the result of decisions by the organization to part ways with an employee. In this instance the role of the human resource department is to manage the dismissal of these employees and to do so while limiting liabilities. This is an important aspect of the human resources departments’ role in managing turnover, but this is something that has happened in organizations for a long time and is a role that has not and will not change significantly. The major trend in managing turnover falls in the arena of preventing unwanted turnover for an organization. When an organization loses an employee that decides on his or her own accord to leave will result in the loss of many of the costs they incurred in hiring, training and employing the individual. In today’s incredibly competitive business environment organizations cannot afford to lose quality human capital or the resources spent on the employee they are losing. To make matters worse these costs must then be added to the cost of the resources required to hire and train a new employee and all these costs added together becomes very costly for organizations that do not manage turnover effectively. When an organization loses an employee to unwanted turnover the losses that are incurred are a result of many different aspects of the turnover. First and foremost will be the loss of the individual that has decided to leave the organization. This individual produces in some way or form for the organization and when he or she is gone everything that the individual helps to produce will be lost, along with the expertise he or she has gained in his or her current position. The expertise that the individual has can also be part of a team expertise, and the loss of one part of the team can also slow down or stop production of the whole team as well, depending on the ability for others to step in and takeover for the individual leaving. As soon as the turnover is recognized the human resource department will hopefully begin the process of hiring a new employee to step in for the loss, but these processes are sometimes difficult and time consuming because it is important to find a quality candidate. Hiring the wrong candidate could create future problems in managing turnover, which is why the hiring process is an important component in the overall picture of managing turnover, and finding the right person for the job the first time will hopefully result in fewer turnovers. Unfortunately, the losses do no end there because the organization must now train this newly hired employee to do what the employee that left was doing. The lack of expertise in the position, the organization, and the specific team usually means that production will suffer until the new employee gains the expertise and experience that is necessary to complete his or her job efficiently and effectively. This is a threat that all organizations must deal with, and the organizations that manage turnover effectively will be able to take these set backs in stride, while those that do not fall further behind, which is why the managing turnover trend has become so important to so many organizations. Organizations know why managing turnover is so important, but what do human resource departments do to combat unwanted turnover? As stated in the paragraph above it all begins with the hiring process. Hiring qualified, intelligent, and hardworking individuals is a goal that most organizations have, but to achieve these goals the organization must find, recruit, and retain these employees. To find and recruit these gifted individuals the  organization must market itself well and have something to differentiate their organization from all the others. Companies achieve this by having a good name, and offering benefits and perks that their competition does not. Once these individuals are discovered and recruited the organization must then retain the services of these employees. An employee that goes to work each day happy will be less likely to leave the organization, so the human resource department must keep these employees happy to effectively manage his or her organizations turnover. Each individual will find different aspects of his or her working life to be important, but overall human resources should strive to make each employee feel safe and happy at work. Additionally, the organization should create challenging and interesting job positions but most of all employees want to be treated fairly and with respect. The trend of managing turnover is not easy to ascertain, but is a goal that most organizations should implement with the help of its human resources department. Safety and Health Management Along the lines of creating a process where the turnovers of employees are managed are the safety and health issues associated within an organization. Safety and health are of particular concern for all working individuals and the United States government saw it fit for laws to be enacted to protect these rights by establishing the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Workers Rights Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, n.d.). These rights are: Get training from your employer as required by OSHA standards. Request information from your employer about OSHA standards, worker injuries and illnesses, job hazards and workers’ rights. Request action from your employer to correct hazards or violations. File a complaint with OSHA if you believe that there are either violations of OSHA standards or serious workplace hazards. Be involved in OSHA’s inspection of your workplace. Find out results of an OSHA inspection. (Workers Rights, n.d.) With these rights and applicable laws established, a worker is armed with the proper tools to establish a safe working place, furthering his or her job satisfaction to improve retention. While discussing the aspects of health and safety in the workplace, it is important to not one of the most influential laws established in the United States concerning this topic, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Duties of this act are stated as follows: Each employer – shall furnish to each of his employee 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; shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act. Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct. (OSH act of 1970, January 1, 2004) We can see from this passage of the OSH act that specific laws will be applied to all private work practices to ensure the rights of the workers are protected, with respect to health and safety. It is in the best interest, then, for the organization to adhere to specific laws and regulations to keep a safe working environment for employees. The costs of litigation again show how employers will gain more from safe working environments and provide for healthy productive employees. The trend shown here is for government to provide the necessary controls over private  businesses to ensure health and safety practices are implemented and adhered to. While the trend for employers is to provide for healthy and safe working environments, industrial accidents are products of unsafe behavior and not unsafe working conditions (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2004). The culture of an organization’s safety consciousness is still a concern which human resources needs to address. The need to address the safety culture of an organization is paramount in establishing a healthy safety record for a company. Safety records can be used as bargaining tools for companies vying for contracts within other organizations. This incentive for an organization can produce a culture that provides for individual employees in a long-term basis, promoting a culture that is safety conscious. Long-term job exposure in a tight-knit organization promotes a culture that is conducive to safety (as discussed in Dunn, 2001). But human resources provide the spearhead group that initiates the programs to promote the health and safety of an organization’s personnel. With programs such as mandatory safety training and different qualification requirements, a company can show how determined it is to foster safety and health within the workplace. Incentives such as safety awards, safety bingo, and safety presentation awards can reinforce the culture established within an organization (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2004). Healthiness of employees encourages a productive workforce. We have already discussed the controls of government within the private business. Next we discuss the costs of safety and health of employees to an organization. Indeed, â€Å"addressing safety and health issues in the workplace saves the employer money and adds value to the business (Kautz, 2007).† Estimates of around $170 million of expenditures by businesses arising from occupational injuries (as discussed in Kautz, 2007) are costing employers more than profits. Employees who work for organizations that are conscientious about safety and health of its employees enjoy less stress, less impact on family from impact of injuries, and less impact on their incomes due to injury (Kautz, 2007). Therefore, indirect costs added by improved health and safety can revolve around the programs implemented by companies. Such indirect  costs include: increased productivity, higher quality products, increased morale, better labor/management relations, reduced turnover, and better use of human resources (Kautz, 2007). Employers need to see intangibles such as these presented in order to fully appreciate the costs associated with implementing safety programs and health benefits. Intangible items are key to running a business efficiently and effectively. The value added to businesses by continued concern for safety and health of everyone in the organization contributes to the welfare of not only the workers, but of the families and communities where the organization does its commerce. Future Trends and Challenges _Globalization_ â€Å"The world has never been so interdependent. All trends point to cooperation as a fundamental, growing force in business† (Lewis 1991). The past ten years has seen a shift in the business world towards a more global economy. No longer are businesses confined to their home borders, they are expanding into other countries and continents. This shift has had a significant impact on human resources management. Globalization has fueled growth, cooperation between business and government, and created an abundance of new jobs. Companies looking for a competitive edge in the U.S. may open an office in Asia and leverage a cheaper work force to handle responsibilities such as development, manufacturing, or support. Because of this, human resources managers may find themselves staffing a project with members spread out across the globe. This presents a relatively new and challenging issue that must be tackled in order to successfully manage projects and requires managers to be more c ulturally aware. _Challenges of Managing a Virtual Team_ Many organizations are also implementing schedules where their team may work remotely at home or even abroad. Profound systemic changes have been seen in the way companies are structured. The concepts of leadership and managing people gave undergone a radical rethink. â€Å"Cubicles, hierarchies and rigid  organization structures of the past, have now given way to open work environment, flat structure with informality being a general rule and empowerment of individuals† (Shivakumar, 2007). Today work itself is centered around projects, which have virtual teams working on them. This work structure has led to a culture of flexi time, round the clock accessibility to the workplace. Also catching up fast is the trend of workstations at home, remote access, video-conferencing and reporting by exception (Shivakumar, 2007). For effective human resources management to occur, managers must first establish lines of communication between the members. E-mail and faxes are great for communicating facts however, there lacks feelings behind the facts. They also do not allow for real-time communication. Conference calls and project chat rooms can help, but they also have their limitations. Videoconferencing is a significant improvement over non-visual electronic forms of communication. Still, it is a very expensive medium, and real-time interaction is available on only the most advanced and expensive systems. Even with the best system, managers have to overcome the problem of time zone differences, cultural nuances, and finding a convenient time for people to conference (Gray 2003). By establishing primary and secondary windows of time for meetings, a human resources manager can begin to build trust between the members without the face-to-face meetings. Once trust and accountability have been established among employees, it will be able to build synergy and employees will be focused on achieving their goals. _Challenges with Multiple Ethnic and Sociopolitical Backgrounds_ Human resources management also includes facing the challenge of managing teams with members from multiple ethnic and sociopolitical backgrounds. It is important for managers to do their homework and become familiar with the customs and habits of the host country they are going to be working in or the diversity within the team they are working with. Sensitive issues may cause conflict between team members working together on the project. It is the manager’s responsibility to become the mediator and resolve the issue between the conflicting members. Although this is easier said than done, the  manager must keep the staff going in the right direction. _Technology Enhancements_ Over the past few years, human resources training software has gone through many changes. Current global trends and telecommuting requires training that can be accessible via any computer connected to the internet. The development and use of electronic learning is also seen as a major area of potential change as individuals both in and outside the workplace increasingly gain access to online education (Schramm 2007). With electronic mail and interconnectivity of mail systems there is less regard for the geographic location of the employees. Training can also be conducted via teleconference or web- conference. Other enhancements in technology include things such as online reviews, schedule management, and benefits enrollment. Many human resources related functions are done electronically through an organizations intranet. _Work/Life Balance_ Companies today are constantly striving towards enhancing the quality of work life and the personal life of its employees and this does not stop with the employee buts gets extended to his / her family as well (Shivakumar, 2007). Many organizations are adopting benefits such as on-site health clubs, aerobics and yoga classes, sports and cultural activities, employee get-togethers with families invited, day care centers and onsite weight-loss groups. Other benefits are geared towards the family such as extended paid time off for new mothers, paid bonding time for fathers, additional paid time off monthly for parents to attend schools functions with their children, and flexible spending accounts for childcare and healthcare. Additional benefits to create work and life balance help retain good  employees. In addition, it increases productivity because workers are less stressed; they have increased morale, get sick less, and ultimately save organizations money. In the long run, organizations have to spend less money on hiring new employees and on things such as loss of time because of decreased productivity. References Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2004). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Gray, Clifford F. & Larson, Erik W (2003) _Project Management: The Managerial_ _Process._ New York: McGraw-Hill Lewis, Jordan. (2001). _Competitive Alliances Redefine Companies._ Retrieved December 20, 2007 from University of Phoenix Info Trac database Schramm. HR Magazine. _HR Trends._ Retrieved December 20, 2007 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_10_49/ai_n6254361 Shivakumar, Radha_. Emerging Trends in Managing Human Resources._ Retrieved December 20, 2007 from http://www.humanlinks.com/manres/articles/trends_hr.htm OSH act of 1970. (January 1, 2004). Retrieved December 24, 2007, from U.S. Department of Labor web site: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=OSHACT&p_id=2743#5. Workers Rights Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. (n.d.). Retrieved December 24, 2007, from www.osha.gov U.S. Department of Labor web site: http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/worker/rights.html. Dunn, D. (June 18, 2001). Technical Security maintenance team marks 20 years with no lost-time injury. Retrieved December 24, 2007, from web site: http://www.hanford.gov/reach/viewpdf.cfm?aid=81. Kautz, J. (2007). Employee Health and Safety. Retrieved December 24, 2007, from Small Business Notes web site: http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/operating/hr/safety.html.