Friday, January 24, 2020

A Critique of Endgame and Play Essay -- Plays

The mis-en-scene which is the arrangement of actors and scenery in a theatrical production is vital to the success of a play. Throughout this critique I will review two different plays and examine their use of costume, lighting, and set design to convey a message through a strong mis-en-scene. â€Å"Play† opens with three figures encased in large urns with only their faces visible. The urn as a prop is significant because it symbolizes the individuals’ being trapped by their own desires; doomed to repeat them. They can neither see nor hear one another. A spotlight, acting as a voiceless interrogator projected on the faces of the actors, swivels between them prompting each in turn to speak; when the light leaves, the faces fall silent. A man and two women (a husband, his wife and his mistress) are compelled by the light to recount the story of their love triangle. Through precise use of lighting, shadows, and props the audience is compelled to become fascinated with the story. As the bodies repeatedly recount their stories, various tones are used to describe/convey new details each time. â€Å"Play† begins with a humorous tone, but with each repetition the story becomes darker and wearier? However, the consistency of that single set makes for a po werful message and keeps the audience in tune and focused. The play â€Å"Endgame† opens by initiating the sole mise-en-scene of the play. It is early morning, and Clov has entered a barren room containing two trash cans (covered with an old sheet) and an armchair on casters (also covered with an old sheet). The light of the rising sun suffuses the room as this event takes place. Using a ladder, Clov begins his daily ritual of drawing back the curtains of two small windows (fir... ...ul boring being costumes, Hamm was dressed in red, this representing how he views himself about the universe and play. As a visual designer I gained the importance of what an individual set could do for a play, and how this is one of the main components. This play was the first time I had seen a play that can use one set, and it’s definitely a way to think about future projects and how having one consistent theme rather than integrating multiple ones can be powerful for a story, I also found it fascinating that the author of the play use a hobby of his and incorporated it into the play in a unique way. Works Cited A.C.T Theater. "Endgame And Play." Web. 22 May 2012. Class Reading. "Analysis of Endgame." Web. 22 May 2012. "Mise-en-Scene." What Is Mise-en-scene? Web. 22 May 2012. .

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Enabling a Remote Workforce. Essay

Productivity – Are employees who telecommute more productive than their traditional office colleagues? 1 Savings – What types of savings from a telecommuting program should employers expect? 2 Planning – What kind of planning does an organization need to do to properly implement a successful telecommuting program? 2 Eligibility – How do managers determine the eligibility of employees for telecommuting? 3 Social Interaction – What types of social limitations do remote workers experience? 3 Communication Limitations – Are organizations disadvantaged due to communication limitations with remote workers? 4 Management – How do managers successfully manage and support remote workers? 5 Technical Issues 5 Network – What are the security, bandwidth, and infrastructure implications for the company network to support remote access? 5 Hardware/Software Needs – What are the hardware, home infrastructure, and software licensing needs for the remote user? 6 Telecommuting Variations – What are alternative solutions or variations for telecommuting programs? 7 Connectivity – What are the tools and considerations to accommodate remote network access? 8 Communication – How do you allow your employees to communicate electronically and verbally from home? 9 Collaboration – What are the tools that foster communication? 9 IT Support – What are the options and challenges to providing remote employees with technical support? 10 Cost – How much does deploying a remote workforce cost? 10 Conclusion 11 Introduction There are a number of good reasons why companies should consider supporting a remote worker program including an expanded labor pool, reduced traffic congestion costs (late arriving/stressed out employees), improved recruitment and retention of staff, facility cost savings, reduced parking costs, reduced sick leave and improved worker productivity. Conversely, there are some disadvantages that companies should also be aware of including an isolated work force, family turf problems, lack of social interaction with other employees and the fear by remote workers that they will be overlooked for promotions. Companies obviously have a lot to factor in deciding whether or not to implement a telecommuting program. Thus, the goal of this paper is to provide consideration points to many of the common questions facing such companies. The questions and discussion herein are divided into two primary categories: technical and organizational. They are intended to provide more generalized information that decision makers can use to enhance their understanding of telecommuting issues. Organizational Issues Productivity – Are employees who telecommute more productive than their traditional office colleagues? In general, remote workers appear to be more productive than traditional office workers. In an October 1995 survey of Fortune 1000 managers, 58% reported increased productivity by employees who telecommuted. Also, according to the State of California’s Telecommuting Pilot Program, companies that implemented a remote work force experienced productivity increases ranging from 10 – 30%. Further, telecommuters working for American Express produced 43% more business than their office-based counterparts1. Clearly the case can be made that remote workers are indeed more productive. The primary explanation for improved productivity is a quieter work environment, which offers fewer interruptions. Certainly the remote worker also faces interruptions in their daily work, such as family business, neighbors, chores, television, etc. However these interruptions are generally much fewer than those experienced by the traditional office worker. Savings – What types of savings from a telecommuting program should employers expect? The biggest savings for companies result from reduced absenteeism costs and reduced real estate costs. Oftentimes when employees need to take care of personal business such as doctor visits, car repair, tending to children, etc. they call in sick for the entire day. However, remote workers can take care of personal business and still accomplish some or most of their work tasks from home. The International Telework Association & Council estimates that employees who telecommute can save their employers $10,000 each in reduced absenteeism costs2. According to PC World, telework can cut corporate real estate costs from 25 to 90%, which can result in substantial savings for employers. In fact, AT&T saves $25 million per year from employees who are full-time telecommuters3. Many companies who have implemented a successful telecommuting program have instituted hoteling systems in their offices. A â€Å"hotel† is essentially an empty cubicle that is set up with a phone, network connections and basic office supplies that any employee can use, often by making a reservation with an office administrator. Hoteling offers telecommuting employees a place to work in the office when necessary without employers having to provide them with a full-time workspace. Planning – What kind of planning does an organization need to do to properly implement a successful telecommuting program? Without doubt one of the most important keys to implementing a successful telecommuting program is proper planning. And since every organization has their unique differences (i.e. size, industry, complexity, culture, locale), there is no single formula for such planning. However, successful telecommuting programs should address the following at a minimum: * Perform an initial assessment * Consider organizational strategy and culture * Consider the role of management * Consider the need for staff input * Determine which staff tasks are most amenable to telecommuting * Consider regulatory compliance and legal issues * Determine technology needs * Prepare a cost-benefit analysis and/or ROI analysis4 Eligibility – How do managers determine the eligibility of employees for telecommuting? According to Langhoff, â€Å"tasks that are most appropriate for telecommuting are jobs where a person works alone, handling information such as reports, proposals, data or research. Writers, salespersons, accountants, programmers, graphic artists, researchers, engineers, architects, public relations professionals – all are prime candidates for telecommuting†5. In determining eligibility for telecommuting, managers should first consider whether the employee’s tasks can be performed remotely. Second, an examination of the individual’s level of performance should be made (i.e. are they hard working and self-motivated or do they need constant supervision and coaching?). Of course it can be tricky selecting who can and cannot telecommute; therefore companies should be aware of the potential legal implications stemming from employees who wished to work remotely but were turned down. Social Interaction – What types of social limitations do remote workers experience? Too often companies only view telecommuting as providing benefits to them and to their employees; however, there remains potential downsides. One potential downside is the lack of social interaction between employees. Employees who work at an office setting spend a considerable amount of their day interacting with other employees. These â€Å"water-cooler† discussions foster a camaraderie that translates into value for companies when the same employees work on projects together or are in need of support from each other. Also, the camaraderie indirectly benefits the company when management is trying to achieve buy-in on various initiatives. Lastly, having close relationships allow employees to maintain a healthy mental balance at work – resulting in an overall higher level of morale. Once telecommuting is introduced into the mixed, some or all of those relationships are lost. Analysis of past telecommuting research shows that the most cited problem associated with negative impacts of telecommuting is the feeling of isolation and loss of morale6. Although isolation feelings and loss of morale (and the resulting decrease in a company’s value) are difficult metrics to measure, some workable solutions have been devised to combat these negative issues. Other solutions have included limiting telecommuting days and making sure to include telecommuting employees in company events7. Communication Limitations – Are organizations disadvantaged due to communication limitations with remote workers? The office environment offers some benefits that telecommuting cannot provide. Most important amongst these benefits is the company’s ability to communicate to its employees. Most offices display signs of the company’s direct communication whether it is embodied in mission statements, annual goal and targets, or newsletters. Indirectly, the company communicates with corporate color schemes, promotion company clothing, and other branding material such as coffee mugs. All of these communications are omnipresent throughout the corporate office setting and help to build company pride, employee loyalty, and a sense of corporate culture. Employees who tend to work remotely are only exposed slightly to this communication through email, conference calls, and other mailed material. This lack of corporate communication may lead to low motivation, lack of identification with the company, and reduced company loyalty8. The solution to the communication challenge is to ensure that corporate communication includes channels to the remote worker. In fact, companies should recognize that off-site employees need more direct and indirect communication such that employees do not develop those negative feelings. Also, companies should make a concerted effort to limit telecommuting days and to include all telecommuting employees in company events9. Management – How do managers successfully manage and support remote workers? Another challenge with telecommuting employees revolves around their direct management. Not only do managers find it much more difficult to monitor the productivity and effectiveness of their telecommuting employee, but they are also challenged by having to change their management style to incorporate the limitations brought about by telecommuting10. Managers who have telecommuting employees are also faced with more potential issues such as family conflicts arising from their employee working from home. These conflicts cross the boundary of work and personal life, and almost always negatively impact productivity. Lastly, it is the role of managers to provide organizational support to the telecommuting employee. With the employee being off-site, the manager is usually limited to email and telephone to support his employee. This limitation further restricts a manager’s effectiveness and typically utilizes more of a manager’s time in sorting out support logistic11. Solutions to the manager’s challenge involve setting up a detailed action plan between manager and telecommuting employee. This action plan should be supplemented with an active communication plan12. Once expectations for both parties are clearly outlined in the action plan, both parties can then communicate progress or support needs more efficiently. Moreover, managers can adapt their management styles to telecommuting employees by setting results-based milestones and orienting tasks into projects such that managers still retain control of certain processes13. Technical Issues Network – What are the security, bandwidth, and infrastructure implications for the company network to support remote access? Before considering the strategy to deploying remote access for a company, a survey should be done of the existing network and current remote access configurations. Once a complete analysis of the current configuration and future needs are assessed, then the following issues need to be included in your strategy of preparing and deploying the company network for a remote force: security, bandwidth, and infrastructure.14 Table N1 – 3 Areas of Security15 Internal Network Usually the most secure of the three, but still should be reviewed for any fallacies. External Network Must secure the PC in the remote location (i.e. firewalls, RSA encryption, etc†¦) to prevent unauthorized access and snooping from the remote location. Remote Worker Least secure, must require security policies to be followed about passwords, where to connect, and who to trust. With more remote workers, there will be an increased demand of bandwidth on the network. Will the remote employees be productive with the current infrastructure that your network can provide? Perhaps considerations for upgrading from16: From To Dial-up (56K) ISDN (128K-256K) ISDN (128K-256K) T1 (up to 1.5M) T1 (up to1.5M) T3 (44.736 Mbps) With the increase demand more infrastructure will be required for allowing an increasing number of remote workers to connect to the corporate network (more servers, security hardware, and routing hardware). Hardware/Software Needs – What are the hardware, home infrastructure, and software licensing needs for the remote user? For the employees who travel often, they are usually provided some mobile computing solutions and they have found ways to work from remote locations. However the new generation of employees, the remote worker will work from the comfort of their home. Working from home brings a new set of issues in to play. HARDWARE * Can the employee keep work and personal items separated? * If not, should the company provide additional hardware? * If the company does NOT provide additional hardware, then how much of the employees hardware can be expensed if upgrades are necessary? * The employee may need/require a fax machine, an additional phone line, or other office equipment. SOFTWARE * Software licensing has be clear-cut as far as how many computers can use the same license, however what about home workers? * The company’s site licensing may not cover home computers and will require the company to pay extra for these licenses. INFRASTRUCTURE * For someone at home who has a DSL, Cable, or Dial-Up connecting, how much of that should the company pay for? * Support, Support, Support. Who will provide the maintenance and support? * Is the home PC secure? If not, who will provide the hardware/software in order to secure it? Also consider how much of the company’s data should be on the personal machine. What happens if the home PC is hacked? Telecommuting Variations – What are alternative solutions or variations for telecommuting programs? Outlined in this paper is the most common setup for a company to develop telecommuting options for their employees. However most of these configurations allow the employee to use limited resources over the Internet (access to shared folders, documents and e-mail). Depending on the size, the costs of setting up an infrastructure for telecommuting workforce could be unaffordable. The following are other options available to companies who wish to have a telecommuting workforce. Citrix Remember or heard about the mainframe days? Well, history tends to repeat itself. As more PC’s were becoming powerful, we moved away from the mainframe days. However with the Internet, the paradigm of sharing resources has returned and now software applications and operating systems have the enhanced ability to handle more than one user concurrently. Citrix17 allows concurrent remote users access to a single server that will give a separate session for each user. Each user will have access to the same set applications on one machine. This solves the software licensing issues of working from a remote location as well as reduces amount of maintenance of hardware/software for the IT department. Satellite Offices Companies are opening satellite offices to reduce commute times for employees and help alleviate city traffic and parking congestion problems. This will result in reduced land costs since these centers are away from the city where the cost of living is lower.18 Telework centers are similar to a satellite office, but operate by independent parties. Unlike satellite offices, numerous employees use them. Think of these options as outsourcing building/infrastructure issues. Connectivity – What are the tools and considerations to accommodate remote network access? In today’s information environment, connectivity has become essential for a significant portion of the workplace. Access to email, network resources, server applications, and the Internet is a continual activity for the white-collar professional. At a minimum, companies would be well served to support webmail. In much the same vein as portal email (Hotmail, Yahoo), mail is maintained on the company server. This server is then linked to a website, and employees can gain secure access to the company server via any browser. Once logged in, an individual has the full functionality of their account – to compose, receive, store, and delete email without explicitly needing to connect to the company network. However, there will be a resulting lack of security – employees need to be encouraged to create and regularly modify complex passwords, and to close public web sessions. That said, the security risk is only to an individual email account; not the company network as a whole. A second logical step for an IT department is to enable Virtual Private Networking (VPN). This will allow employees to connect their remote machines to the company network after establishing an Internet connection through an ISP. This machine then behaves just as a networked office-located computer. For users maintaining both an office and remote computer, this solution requires any desktop applications be maintained on both systems. To avoid this duality, many users will first establish a VPN connection and then emulate their office computer with built-in Windows 2000 and Windows XP remote desktop tools or 3rd party tools such as VNC19. In essence, the remote machine then acts as a terminal or monitor to the office computer, and the user can run the applications found on that machine without any needs for secondary software. The downside to this solution is that emulation is only as good as the connection speed. Communication – How do you allow your employees to communicate electronically and verbally from home? Today’s telephone solutions for the telecommuter generally consist of providing an office phone with call-forwarding features to an employee’s business cell phone – an often times reimbursed expense. This avoids some of the problems associated with using a home line for a combination of business, personal, and dial-up use. The office system simplifies contacting an individual (Simply dial an extension and press 7 to connect to the forwarded line rather than maintaining a constantly changing set of employee contact information). A home line alternative is a distinctive ring system – multiple phone numbers (home, office, fax) use a single line with each producing a unique ring that can be directed to an appropriate voice mail box or machine (PC, fax). A second alternative consists of an off-premise-extension (OPX) or foreign exchange (FX) system. While more expensive, these systems truly mimic the office with a separate home line that is identical to an office extension20. Electronic mail is a requirement for most remote users. IT departments can help support employees using multiple computers to access their email by allowing mail to be retained on the company server rather than downloaded to the individual PC. (As an unrelated benefit, this provides much greater redundancy in the event of a computer hard drive crash). Please see the discussion on web mail for more on remote e-mail use. A less intrusive substitute to phone conversations is instant messaging. While this has potential for both misuse and unproductive use (where conversation is more efficient), this is often times an ideal mechanism for sharing small tidbits of information and is especially valuable for troubleshooting. A more extensive tool would be the newsgroup in combination with a company intranet. Here, employees can develop an extensive knowledge base of processes, questions and answers. Collaboration – What are the tools that foster communication? At the lowest end of the technology spectrum, there is the traditional conference call – a virtual audio meeting with many parties. In an effort to fight the inherent isolationism of remote workers, the videoconference personalizes the conference call as participants better identify with the visual image than the audio. To implement, however, you’ll need additional webcam hardware, videoconferencing software and a fast Internet connection. Chat rooms (a variation on the aforementioned instant messaging) are suitable for short discussions or as supplements to a meeting (agenda, minutes, links, data, follow-ups) Web conferencing often includes both videoconferencing and chat room features, but distinguishes itself in that it allows a moderator to emulate his/her desktop to the attendees. Among the forefront of the software leaders in this area is WebEx21. IT Support – What are the options and challenges to providing remote employees with technical support? One of the drawbacks to working remotely is the absence of immediate technical support for both trivial and complex hardware and software issues. Given that troubleshooting is often a hands-on activity, solving problems for telecommuters is likely to be frustrating and time-consuming. However IT managers can take a number of steps to reduce downtime. * Standardize the equipment and installation. The more alike your users systems are, the better positioned you will be to reproduce and diagnose problems. * Maintain an inventory of back-up equipment in the same way that a car repair shop offers loaner cars. * Set up remote users so their desktops can be emulated by technical support – in this way an IT department can provide step by step demonstrations to fix problems * Maintain an easily accessible FAQ and update it with each new problem and solution Managers may also want to consider outsourcing their technical support requirements. Companies like Voyus22 provide 24 hour help desk support and web-based support applications. Cost – How much does deploying a remote workforce cost? The decision that the companies face is how much ownership the company will take for each of the types of telecommuters. For an occasional telecommuter, the employee will more than likely take on the costs. For a heavy telecommuter, the company will probably need to cover the costs to the employee. Telecommuter Type Frequency Implementation Costs Involved Occasional Infrequently Dial-up, Web-based applications Regular Scheduled intervals Remote Connection, 3rd Party Software, Laptop, Firewall, Router. Heavy Frequently to Full Time Provide second computer, VPN connection, ISP costs, other office equipment, maintenance. It is not the technology costs that make or break the telecommuting decision, but it’s the organizational issues that should benefit the company if deployed properly. Conclusion Telecommuting seems to be the answer to the â€Å"increased workload versus work/personal life balance† issue that many companies are seeking. While there exist many challenges towards implementing a successful telecommuting plan, there also seem to be many practical solutions. The real issue seems to stem from whether a company will change its processes and standards to allow for telecommuting to co-exist with office employees. Such a decision, as this paper has outlined, is not as simple as providing remote employees with an internet connection. Rather, the decision has significant technical and organizational ramifications that need to be well thought out before implementation; otherwise, the company is doomed to make the mistakes of many companies that have haphazardly gone down this path. 1 http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html 2 http://www.youcanworkfromanywhere.com/infocenter/facts.htm 3 http://www.youcanworkfromanywhere.com/infocenter/facts.htm 4 http://www.tfw.org.uk/teleworking/contents.htm 5 http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html 6 Pinsonneault, A. (1999). The Impacts of Telecommuting on Organizations and Individuals: A Review of the Literature, Cahier du GreSI, 99(9). 7 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 8 Davenport, T.H. and Pearlson, K. (1998). Two Cheers for the Virtual Office, Sloan Management Review, 39(4), 51-65. 9 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 10 Kirvan, P. (1995). How to Manage Systems for Remote Workers, Communications News, 33, 67. 11 Kirvan, P. (1995). How to Manage Systems for Remote Workers, Communications News, 33, 67. 12 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 13 Davenport, T.H. and Pearlson, K. (1998). Two Cheers for the Virtual Office, Sloan Management Review, 39(4), 51-65. 14 Ascend Communications, 2002, â€Å"Telecommuting Network Guide: A Resource for Planners, Excutives, and Information Managers†, http://users.skynet.be/teletravail/PDF/solut_technique.pdf 15 Jessica L. Hirsch, 2000, â€Å"Telecommuting: Security Policies and Procedures for the â€Å"Work-From-Home† Workforce†, http://www.teleworker.org/articles/telework_security.html 16 Bandwidth Savings, 2003, â€Å"Services In Detailed†, http://www.bandwidthsavings.net/servicesdetail.cfm 17 Citrix.com, 2003, Home Page, http://www.citrix.com 18 Hall, Aric, Bilski, Alicia, Wadman, Scott, 2003, â€Å"Ways People Telecommute†, http://members.tripod.com/~trom/page3.html 19 http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc 20 Wrobel, Leo A., February 1997, â€Å"Helpful Hints for MIS Managers Supporting Telecommuters and Nomadic Users -Part I: Voice Communications†, http://www.rewireit.com/articles/w0297.pdf 21 http://www.webx.com 22 http://www.pcsupport.com/

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Emotional Intelligence And Psychological Depth - 2249 Words

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN ADOLESCENTS The general concept of emotional intelligence (EI) is partly rooted in Thorndike’s (1920) idea of ‘social intelligence’ and Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences (especially ‘intrapersonal’ and ‘interpersonal’ intelligence). In the current context, EI asa construct was discussed in a dissertation by Payne (1986), even though as a term it had appeared in the literature much earlier (Leuner, 1966). Salovey and Mayer (1990) put forward a theoretical model that viewed the construct as a subset of social intelligence and Goleman (1995) provided a broad and highly influential account that has nonetheless attracted concerted criticism for its unsubstantiated claims about the vital importance of EI in people’s personal, social and professional lives. The fact that the field still lacks a universally accepted operational definition has contributed significantly to the emergence of inconsistent and sometimes, contradictory findings that have often been discussed in the scientific literature (e.g. Davies, Stankov, Roberts, 1998; Epstein, 1998; Mathews, Zeidner, Roberts, 2002). Psychological well-being has been approached differently by different researchers and views it in different ways. One view sees it according to the hedonic and eudaimonic approaches of early philosophers. Subjective well-being was first used by Ryan and Deci (2001) as combination of pleasure, displeasure, satisfaction andShow MoreRelatedThe Studies Of Psychological Well -being And Its Effects Within The Workplace1501 Words   |  7 PagesThe Studies of Psychological Well -Being and its Effects within the Workplace As humans, it’s in our nature to continuously strive to live and be well . We seek to find happiness while we overcome the challenges life may present . 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Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Analysis Earned Value Analysis - 904 Words

Earned Value Analysis Team structure, effective communication, risk, cost data and projections, performance metrics, and personnel resources are all pertinent mechanisms that have to be considered in order to track and successfully execute a project (CSU-Global, 2015). After a period of meticulous planning, project managers anticipate that their projects will be executed on schedule and within the proposed budget; nevertheless, according to Maheshwari and Credle (2010), there are internal and external factors that can impede a project’s progress. Therefore, once a project is in motion project managers often rely on tools to assist them with staying on course – and to mitigate project risk. One such tool is an Earned Value Analysis (EVA) report that can help quantify a project s progress during the monitoring and controlling stages - at select time intervals. The EVA can also be used to forecast a project’s completion date and present an analysis of variances that may occur due to add itional or misinterpreted requirements (Maheshwari et al., 2010). Regardless of how the project information is formatted there are several key elements that should be included in the EVA to include, but not limited to, financial data described as planned value, actual cost, and earned value, which are accompanied by project variances and forecasting (Project Management Guru, 2012). The bottom line is that an EVA can be used to help determine - and provide interested parties - the overallShow MoreRelatedCost Control of Construction Projects Through Earned Value Analysis1770 Words   |  8 PagesCost Control of Projects: An Introduction to Earned Value Analysis Abstract Earned value analysis is a method of performance measurement. Many project managers manage their project performance by comparing planned to actual results. 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Monday, December 23, 2019

Throughout a lifetime, only so much conflict could be bore...

Throughout a lifetime, only so much conflict could be bore upon oneself. There is always a breaking point, the important aspect is the timing. From my story Wuthering Heights to Beowulf and Canterbury Tales there are conflicts that have been exaggerated and then blown to preposterous proportions. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight there are conflicts between man and man just like there are in the world we live in today. Conflicts in books or stories could show what is going on in the real world or what an author is thinking and making up.In Wuthering Heights there could be two different conflicts man vs. man, with the conflict between Heathcliff and Edgar, as well as a conflict of man vs. self, with the inner conflict that Catherine faces†¦show more content†¦Heathcliff is the only character who is considered a hero at all, but only to the audience in a romantic hero kind of perspective (Wuthering Heights). In the novel Heathcliff abuses a young woman named Isabella Linton, the selfish snotty sister of Edgar, and she continuously goes back to Heathcliff. To the audience Heathcliff is the young man who everyone wants to see as the romantic hero, allowing them to foresee the pain and violence he causes to Isabella. Only with the deception of Heathcliff Wuthering Heights has a hero, there are no other ways to try and make a hero. Even with one hero the entire story seemed to be wrapped around only three people and only one love. The one love blossomed upon the arrival of Heathcliff into the home of the Earnshaws. Heathcliff was brought into the home by Mr. Earnshaw, who in turn sparked the love of the young children. Upon the death of Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley Earnshaw, the son of Mr. Earnshaw and brother of Catherine, treated Heathcliff more like a servant than a equal. The sparks behind the madness of Hindley was the way Mr. Earnshaw began to adore Heathcliff over Hindley, which made Hindley jealous (Hindley Earnshaw). During all of the past actions, Cathe rine and Heathcliff were obliviant due to the fun they had together at young ages, which began the love they would soon share. When Catherine and Heathcliff were young they did not expand their small circleShow MoreRelatedPsychosexual Development and Human Sexuality1546 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the history of the human race, and even more so today, our own sexuality has become topic for hot debate. Questions of why people prefer on gender over the other, or why some people take pleasure in activities others consider strange. To understand how and why people display certain sexual tendencies it is important to look at how they developed and the type of history a person has. Despite popular belief, not all gay men have been sexually abused as children. 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Sunday, December 15, 2019

AIDS Impacts Escalate From Families to the World Free Essays

The world always poses innumerable threats to humankind’s health and well being. Famine, flood, earthquakes, war, terrorism, epidemics and natural disasters riddle our lives with tragedy. One of the most terrifying of these killers remains silent and unseen even though it may lurk beneath the very skin of those individuals you cherish most. We will write a custom essay sample on AIDS: Impacts Escalate From Families to the World or any similar topic only for you Order Now This terrifying phenomenon has traveled throughout the world and has settled into even the most prosperous nations. Medical advancements, educational programs and government policies have not had success in subduing the spread of this biological executioner. For over three decades, the AIDS virus has run rampant across the globe. As time goes on we see more infections and fewer solutions to the ongoing problems this virus leaves in its wake. The AIDS virus has caused a great deal of substantial and devastating impacts worldwide. To better understand those impacts, a review of the virus and its capabilities will reveal just what a powerful infection this microorganism causes. At first, the AIDS virus appears harmless. It does not bring about immediate impending death or even directly harsh and noticeable symptoms. Unlike that of the dreaded avian bird flu virus which killed several people in Asia with in a matter of days, the AIDS virus can afflict a body for over a decade before death ensues. This happens as a result of the immune deficiency that AIDS causes in a body. The virus itself would not bring about mortality, but for the fact that hampers its host’s immune system, leaving the person susceptible to contracting other illnesses and disease. Chronic illnesses can last for years, can reoccur constantly, and finally can destroy the AIDS afflicted individual once their immune system has broken down to the point of no survival. In this respect unlike other infections AIDS slowly kills its host, and during that slow period of transition can render a person completely incapacitated with other illnesses. This aspect of the disease has just as much impact on the world as the impending deaths that follow. The AIDS virus transmits itself through contact with body fluids. This means, blood, semen, saliva and other body fluids have the potential to infect others. Unprotected sexual intercourse has most often received the blame for transmission, or perhaps most often gets popular media coverage. Similarly, AIDS transmission also occurs like wildfire among drug users who contract the virus using contaminated hypodermic needles. Sadly enough, cases in which a mistaken blood transfusion held the virus has also caused infection. AIDS also passes from mother to unborn child. So if the mother incurs the infection prior to giving birth, her child will likely have HIV as well. Unfortunately the threat of contracting AIDS increasingly impacts the world as lack of funding and education lead to misinformed populations. While there exist medical treatments for individuals afflicted with AIDS, the treatments only subdue the symptoms of the virus for a time rather than eradicate the illness completely. The medical world has had considerable trouble controlling the AIDS virus and formulating a vaccine for it because of, â€Å"the ability of a virus to change its genetic structure, which, in turn, changes the very proteins in the envelope that would be targeted by a vaccine. Exactly why some viruses shift so drastically and the AIDS virus seems to be able to change its colors as fast as the classic chameleon of the viral world, the flu virus — is unclear† (Langone 150). As the previous statement explains, the rapidly mutating virus makes it nearly impossible to replicate the correct variables for an effective antibody. This impacts the world leaving the medical field at a loss for answers and people at a loss for cures. More personally, the AIDS virus impacts families around the world. When men of the family incur the virus, they most likely will unknowingly transmit it to their wives as well. Men, who act as the predominant financial supporters of the household find their health and their ability to provide for their loved ones failing. When the patriarch cannot work and bring home finances the family may find itself sliding into poverty. Especially if healthcare providers learn of the man’s illness and refuses to pay the vastly incremental costs that the malady can accrue over time. So, as the men of families contract and struggle with the affliction, the rest of the family feels the impact and later as we shall see so does the rest of the world. Women feel just as much impact from the AIDS virus and possibly more. If their husbands have unknowingly contracted the virus, chances are that wives will then incur the infection from their spouses. In some cases women in this situation may conceive children which will also have the virus upon birth. Women feel a great impact from the AIDS virus since they act as the primary caregivers of the family. Time spent at home caring for an ailing husband leaves them unable to find financially productive jobs in the community (â€Å"On the Socioeconomic Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic†). Mothers afflicted by the AIDS virus will eventually fade like their husbands, and in doing so leave their unaffected children as orphans. The impact of AIDS in this regard has a devastating impact on the individual families as well as the world. Similarly, as mentioned above, children can feel the most severe impact of AIDS in their lives. As parents weaken and families fall deeper into poverty, children find themselves without care givers and the basic needs for food, shelter and safety go unfulfilled. If the children have contracted AIDS from their parents upon birth, they too face the impending doom as the virus ravages their immune system. Over all the effect on children can be seen as, â€Å"AIDS is decimating entire generations of productive young adults, while leaving behind a huge cohort of children without parents and adequate community support, vulnerable to exploitation and lacking education and livelihood opportunities† (â€Å"On the Socioeconomic Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic†). This impact of AIDS on children has impounding world wide impacts as will later be discussed. Lastly, elders in the family who have not contracted the AIDS virus also feel the impact as the affliction ravages younger family members. Grandparents must often take in their orphaned grandchildren. If the elders have lost their health and capabilities, they often depend on the help and financial support of their children. With AIDS destroying their offspring, it also destroys their caregivers and financial support for health and medical needs as well. In this respect, AIDS impacts both ends of the age spectrum, both the very young and the elderly. All of these familial impacts have been felt by humans worldwide. In relation, we have seen how the AIDS virus tears apart families and impacts all persons of the family. These impacts further compound from individual families, eventually reaching out and affecting entire populations. The mortality rates of AIDS affect areas obviously increase. As both young children and adults die from their AIDS induced illnesses. Also, the average life expectancy of individuals drops drastically in these populations, due to the fact that AIDS transmission most often occurs in children and young adults. As stated by the article, On the Socioeconomic Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic, â€Å"AIDS kills people mostly in the 15-49 year age group.† This age range of incurred infection leads to a drop in years of life as younger people die of the virus well before the normal projection of life expectancy. For example, â€Å"By 2005-2010, average life expectancy at birth in the 11 worst affected countries is projected to decrease to 44 years. instead of rising to 61 years as projected in the absence of the disease† (â€Å"On the Socioeconomic Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic†).   Lastly, due to the fact that AIDS affects persons in their reproductive years, a decrease in child bearing ensues, leading to population decline in afflicted nations around the world. Over all the AIDS virus has caused a great deal of substantial and devastating impacts worldwide. Men, who act as the financial backbone of the families fall ill and can no longer provide for their families needs. The women often spend time caring for their ailing husbands rather than obtaining jobs for needed income. The women and children can also unknowingly incur infection from the men of the family. Children and elders who are not affected find themselves without care givers and financial supporters. All of this adds up to leave nations around the world with increased mortality rates, lower life expectancy rates and fewer birthrates. Also of importance to note are the economic impacts felt around the world as labor force declines the individuals affected can no longer work. Families as well as nations slide into poverty when they cannot produce the food or materials needed due to lack of human resources. How to cite AIDS: Impacts Escalate From Families to the World, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Contemporary Issues in HR Practice

Question: Has The King Of The Supermarkets Lost Its Crown? Answer: 1. Introduction: By the end of February on 2015, Tesco has projected a loss of 6.4 billion pounds (BBC News, 2015). The report targets to identify and critically analyse the key issues of human resource management (HRM) at Tesco. Tesco has the largest chain in the United Kingdom supermarket sector. The loss suffered by Tesco is the biggest loss ever for the UKs supermarket in the corporate history (BBC News, 2015). Due to several causes, Tesco has faced such disappointed result in their financial performance. The issues may be varied and those may be in customer satisfaction or in employee performance or in strategies used by the company. The reasons for such loss are assessed using the proper human resource models and theories. The business report is thus going to discussed the areas where Tesco lacks with the help of current supermarket leading performers benchmarking performance, Tescos strategic HRM models have been evaluated over here. The business report concludes how the retailer, Tesco can be recommended based on the real cases of the global supermarket. 2. Key Human Resource Issues at Tesco: It can be seen as per the financial report of Tesco since 2010 that, the retailer has faced a lot of problems from the supermarket has faced a great footfall in their property portfolio (Truss, et al., 2012). Without sales, no company can earn revenues and thus have a profit at the end of their financial period. These profits then help the company in growth and expansion. The company has experienced a huge loss in the current year in comparison to the earlier years performance. It can be seen in the following structure of the financial year report of Tesco. HRM is the one of the main resources of Tesco since it helps to accomplish organizational objectives and also offers innovative ideas those may be effective in the business process. The retailer actually trades in the highly competitive market, where consumers have several numbers of options to choose from. Human resource is the key factor of an organisation for making profits and business growth. If manpower has boosted energy to give a strong performance, then only an organisation like Tesco can make their business fruitful (Gulati Soni, 2015). Figure 1: Financial Report of Tesco Since 2010 Source 1: (BBC News, 2015) The relationship between employee and employer, working culture, labour rules, economic and competition, working environment are few factors that are key issues of SHRM or strategic human resource management within Tesco. These factors are not managed by Tesco properly and as a consequence, the retailer has faced such a big downfall in their business recently. Since, the retailer does not use the latest technology, the consumers are less interested in their products which results in a decrease in sales. The competitors took an advantage of the downfalls of the organization and provided the consumers what Tesco was lacking. As an outcome customer base of Tesco has decreased (Samantara Sharma, 2014). Today, the retail market is dominated by the e-commerce retailers mostly. People are more comfortable with the electronic grocery system and they like to buy their commodities over the internet. But, Tesco has not implemented such a big and developed network for its consumers (Xie Allen, 2013). Another issue is that with the dynamically changing consumers needs, market trends have also changed. Business operations and employees training and development programs must be aligned with the changing trends (Brown Grundy, 2012). But, Tesco is not able to cope up with the changing market challenges and thus it has to face such loss. (Entrekin Scott-Ladd, 2013). Another problem in the case of Tescos downfall is that the HR managers do not get enough importance in the decision-making process by the top management department of Tesco. Hence, not all good ideas come up while making major decisions. Creativity is not seen. This also de-motivates the HR managers as it gives them a feeling of ignorance. The confidence of the managers goes down and they are unable to give their 100%. The work they do doesnt give them happiness anymore. Moreover any important feedbacks of the working staffs are ignored as HR managers do not get much importance to the top managerial personnel (Chandra, 2013). 3. McKinseys 7S Model: McKinseys 7S model is used to analyse the position in which an organisation is situated for achieving its objectives. McKinsey has suggested the 7-S framework that aspires seven internal factors for making a successful business, in an alignment of those factors. Seven S indicates to: Skills Structure System Staff Shared value Style It is an effective model to improve Tescos performance (Singh, 2013). The model helps to assess likely future changes of Tesco. With the help of this model, all the departments may align to work accordingly. This model helps to recognize the ways using which an organization like Tesco can implement an appropriate strategy. Figure 2: McKinseys 7S model Source 2: (Choi, et al., 2012) Hard elements in this model are structure, strategy and systems. These are easier to identify and these factors can be influenced directly by companys management. These are Tescos reporting lines, information technology systems and formal procedures. The Strategy here tells us about the methods the company uses in order to achieve its goals and objectives. The Structure tells us about the management of the company. It tells us about top to down management and how it works. System shows us how a company finishes it works and how it achieves it goals. In this process, the company has to identify the important works and get over it first. System shows us how smartly the company has operated and taken care of its business. Strategic human resource management has a lot of strategic issues and thus, Tescos performance degrades its scale of performance. Tescos remuneration structure for men and women is different. This has created a bad effect in their employee management system (Baroto, et al., 2014). Most of the people nowadays opt for a better option like buying over the internet rather buying from the physical market. Tesco has a lack insufficient IT infrastructure so that they can dominate in the e-retail market. However, Tesco leads in the UK supermarket. Soft elements are more intangible and influenced by cultural factors within Tescos business operation. These are difficult to elaborate. These are skills, style, staff and shared values. Shared values can be termed as working together of the team members of Tesco to achieve the overall goals and objectives of the organization. From employers to individual employees all are devoted to accomplishing the unique target of Tesco (Galbraith, 2012). This can be called as shared value. But, the fact is there has a lack in smooth communication and relationship among the employers and employees of Tesco. Skill is although an intangible thing but is very important factor to be focused upon. Skill describes what a company can actually do. It shows the capabilities of the organization to do any particular job. Lately the company has not been co-ordinating well with its staff and not giving them appropriate knowledge and information for them to carry their jobs effectively and efficiently. Since, without having proper knowledge about the business operations and service, employees cannot communicate and dealt with the consumers in a proper manner (Cummings Angwin, 2015). Style denotes to the ways of business operations by which Tesco deals with its consumers. Ever organization has its own style of working and achieving its goals. Tesco has its own style. Tesco basically focuses on 4 different parts or areas which can be termed as financial, customers, operations and employee performance. Style may differ in the employees working performance. The sector is more dependent upon the satisfaction of consumers fluctuated needs and demands. But, Tesco is unable to cope up with this type of change management policies (Kemp, et al., 2012). 4. Performance Management: Performance management program is liable for setting organizational goals so that those can be accomplished in order to get the desired outcome in the business sector. Performance management has a huge impact upon alignment of teams goals with individuals interests and finance, people, organizational change and growth (Sharma, 2014). Tesco has a deficiency in this particular matter since the UKs biggest retailer is unable to attract more customers by satisfying their current demands. The organization is unable to evaluate or find out the demands and changes in the running market due to which it is losing its customers. Performance management does not only deal with aforesaid facts but also with standard skill and necessary equipment so that an organization can lead their business operations in the industry (Bourne Bourne, 2012). The standards that have been set by the organization seeing their previous achievements are really high and currently the organization cannot match up to th e level due to which the customer base is disappointed. The customers expect a lot of the top supermarket which they are not getting. Figure 3: HRM element and performance management Source 3: (Bourne Bourne, 2012) Tesco cannot implement an appropriate system to manage the performance of employees and hence Tesco has faced such a big loss recently. If individual personnel in Tesco do not gets sufficient satisfaction regarding their payment structure or other benefits they may not give their best in achieving companys goal accordingly. The retail market is getting changed from the physical market to the electronic market and most of the people opt for that marketing field (Keller, et al., 2011). Tesco needs to think about this changing market trends and hence, they can incorporate new technology in their sales and marketing policy to increase their business. The increase in the business field can also lead to new customer base. Leading the business via internet will give all the people in the world access to the products of the organization. The company has hence easily expand its business and reach new heights. The theory is limited or restricted in the case when the requirements are not clear to an organisation, then how the performance can be managed is not also clear to that particular organisation (Bourne Bourne, 2012). Thus, Tesco first needs to recognise its prerequisites so that the retailer can manage all its present issues. 5. Benchmarking Business Operations in the Worlds Supermarket: Walmart recently leads the supermarket retail chain all over the world. The supermarket has made a profit of 10 billion dollars more from the fiscal year of 2014 to 2015 (Hwang Park, 2015). Walmart has started dealing with manufacturers since 1980 and the retailer have given managing inventory job in warehouses to the suppliers. Inventory management of Walmart funnels information from POS or point-of-sale data (Rothaermel, 2012). The worlds largest and biggest retailer uses the centralized database for real-time sales and warehouse inventory. Even the information are shared by the company to its suppliers so that shipping can be smoother and convenient. The retailer does not fully depend upon technology it uses different ways to operate its business systems effectively. Walmart has an expansive network of more than 160 distribution points covering over 130 miles stores the retailer supplies (Wood, 2015). The retailer has developed all the required equipment by its own so that it may not have to face any kind of difficulties farther. Such as, Walmart has instituted cross-docking in the warehouses. It has developed a process that transfers inventory from departing or arriving trucks directly. But, the entire process is done by the retailer with the help of an effective technical applications automatically (Smith Popkin, 2015). As a consequence, the worlds leading supermarket has lessened its inventory costs, transportation costs and products are reached so quickly. Walmart uses its own truck and has engaged own drivers by providing them standard driving competencies. Tesco should follow this benchmarking operation to adopt proper strategies so that the UKs leading retailer can regain its losses by attracting more customers to its business. If Tesco can implement enough and convenient systems with proper structure within its business sector then, only customers will take interest upon the retailers trading and they will persuade to make purchasing. Benchmarking is necessary to be followed by Tesco. 6. Recommendation: Tesco, king of the supermarkets has lost its crown recently by experiencing a large amount of loss in the business. Tesco should follow a benchmark performance within its business operation, system, organizational structure, performance management and strategic human resource management. Otherwise, the king cannot gain its lost position in the competitive retail market in the United Kingdom. Tesco should focus upon its business policy in the field of sales and marketing operations. So that more people make their purchases from the stores of Tesco than the other supermarkets. In this regard, Tesco should focus upon its technical applications and e-retailing since people prefer this option more particularly at this time. Tesco should provide sufficient training and development programs those are aligned with the present market needs and changing trends of the retail market. Otherwise, customers cannot be satisfied as without proper dealings of employees with the customers, a business c annot experience a growth. 7. Conclusion: Due to several causes, Tesco has faced a big loss ever in the corporate history of UK supermarket on 2015. The reasons are related with the strategic human resource management mostly. The relationship between employee and employer, working culture, labour rules, economic, market competition, working environment factors are not managed by Tesco properly and as a consequence, the retailer has faced such a big downfall in their business recently. HR managers do not get enough importance in the decision-making process by the top management department of Tesco. Hence, the outcomes are weak strategies in the business operation. Tesco should focus upon the worlds leading retailer Walmart in order to get back its market position for leading UK retail market. Tesco has to develop more specifically its strategic facts so that it cannot compete easily by any other retailer. The most important thing the retailer has to build are automatized applications. References Bareto, M. B., Armand, N. Ahmad, F. S., 2014. Effective Strategy Implementation. Journal of Advanced Management Science, 2(1). BBC News, 2015. Tesco reports 6.4bn pound loss. 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