Free Essays on Beowulf Questions

Companion Questions for BEOWULF- Chapters II- XVI 1. What does the poet tell us about Grendel’s origins? The poet tells us that Grendal is a descendant of Cain who slew his brother Abel (children of Adam and Eve) for this reason the Lord drove Cain far way from mankind. From Cain came all that is evil, including Grendel. 2. Why does Heorot remain empty for 12 years? One night the Grendel went to Heorot and slaughtered 30 men. He did this repeatedly and the men were powerless against the beast. This torment continues for 12 years leaving the Heorot empty. 3. Explain why Grendal does not touch King Hrothgar’s throne. What does Hrothgar resort to in an effort to save his guest-hall? Grendel does not touch King Hrothgar’s throne for fear of the Lord and what he might so to him. Hrothgar resorts to setting a guard at the front of the hall as a â€Å"hall-guardian.† 4. What is Beowulf’s motive for traveling to Hrothgar’s Country? What does he and his men so upon their arrival? Beowulf has heard about Grendal and wants to help Hrothgar defeat it. Upon their arrival to the kingdom, Beowulf introduces himself, states his reason for being there, and asks to meet with the King. Once he was with Hrothgar he offered his help. Hrothgar accepted his help, and prepared a feast for him and his warriors. 5. How is Beowulf taunted by the jealous Unferth? How does Beowulf reply to these taunts? Unferth begins to taunt Beowulf by claiming that he once lost a swimming match against Breca , and says that he will be defeated again by Grendel. Beowulf replies to these claims by calling Unferth a drunk, and tells the men the truth about the swimming battle. 6. Describe what happens to Grendel when he raids Herot and finds Beowulf there. When Grendal walks into Heorot he begins by devouring a warrior. He strikes to grab Beowulf and is surprised by his strength. Terrifies and in shock he thinks to go back to his swamp, but Beo... Free Essays on Beowulf Questions Free Essays on Beowulf Questions Companion Questions for BEOWULF- Chapters II- XVI 1. What does the poet tell us about Grendel’s origins? The poet tells us that Grendal is a descendant of Cain who slew his brother Abel (children of Adam and Eve) for this reason the Lord drove Cain far way from mankind. From Cain came all that is evil, including Grendel. 2. Why does Heorot remain empty for 12 years? One night the Grendel went to Heorot and slaughtered 30 men. He did this repeatedly and the men were powerless against the beast. This torment continues for 12 years leaving the Heorot empty. 3. Explain why Grendal does not touch King Hrothgar’s throne. What does Hrothgar resort to in an effort to save his guest-hall? Grendel does not touch King Hrothgar’s throne for fear of the Lord and what he might so to him. Hrothgar resorts to setting a guard at the front of the hall as a â€Å"hall-guardian.† 4. What is Beowulf’s motive for traveling to Hrothgar’s Country? What does he and his men so upon their arrival? Beowulf has heard about Grendal and wants to help Hrothgar defeat it. Upon their arrival to the kingdom, Beowulf introduces himself, states his reason for being there, and asks to meet with the King. Once he was with Hrothgar he offered his help. Hrothgar accepted his help, and prepared a feast for him and his warriors. 5. How is Beowulf taunted by the jealous Unferth? How does Beowulf reply to these taunts? Unferth begins to taunt Beowulf by claiming that he once lost a swimming match against Breca , and says that he will be defeated again by Grendel. Beowulf replies to these claims by calling Unferth a drunk, and tells the men the truth about the swimming battle. 6. Describe what happens to Grendel when he raids Herot and finds Beowulf there. When Grendal walks into Heorot he begins by devouring a warrior. He strikes to grab Beowulf and is surprised by his strength. Terrifies and in shock he thinks to go back to his swamp, but Beo...

The House of Capulet in Romeo and Juliet

The House of Capulet in Romeo and Juliet The House of Capulet in Romeo and Juliet is one of fair Verona’s two feuding families- the other being the House of Montague. Capulet’s daughter, Juliet, falls in love with Romeo, the son of Montague and they elope, much to the anger of their respective families. Heres a look at the major players in the House of Capulet. Capulet (Juliets Father) Hes head of the Capulet clan, married to Lady Capulet and father to Juliet. Capulet is locked in an on-going, bitter and unexplained dispute with the Montague family. Capulet is very much in charge and demands respect. He is prone to rage if he does not get his own way. Capulet loves his daughter very much but is out of touch with her hopes and dreams. He believes that she should marry Paris. Lady Capulet (Juliets Mother) Married to Capulet and mother to Juliet, Lady Capulet appears distanced from her daughter. It is interesting to note that Juliet receives most of her moral guidance and affection from the Nurse. Lady Capulet, who also married young, believes it was high time Juliet was married off and chooses Paris as the appropriate candidate. But when Juliet declines to marry Paris, Lady Capulet turns on her: Talk not to me, for Ill not speak a word; do as thou wilt, for I am done with thee. Lady Capulet takes the news of her nephew Tybalts death extremely hard, going so far as to wish death on his killer, Romeo. Juliet Capulet Our female protagonist is 13 years old and about to be married to Paris. However, Juliet soon stumbles upon her fate when she meets Romeo,  and instantly falls in love with him, despite him being the son of her family’s enemy. Over the course of the play, Juliet matures, making the decision to abandon her family to be with Romeo. But like most women in Shakespeares plays, Juliet has little personal freedom. Tybalt Lady Capulet’s nephew and Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt is antagonistic and has a deep hatred of the Montagues. He has a short temper and is quick to draw his sword when his ego is in danger of being damaged. Tybalt has a vindictive nature and is feared. When Romeo kills him, this is a major turning point in the play. Juliet’s Nurse A loyal maternal figure and friend to Juliet, the Nurse provides moral guidance and practical advice. She knows Juliet better than anyone else and provides comic relief in the play with her bawdy sense of humor. The Nurse has a disagreement with Juliet near the end of the play which demonstrates her lack of understanding about the intensity of Juliet’s feelings about love and about Romeo. Servants of the Capulets Samson: After the Chorus, he is the first character to speak and establishes the conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues. Gregory: Along with Samson, he discusses the tension in the Montague household. Peter: Illiterate and a bad singer,  Peter invites guests to the Capulets’ feast and escorts the Nurse to meet with Romeo.

Media use forecast Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Media use forecast - Assignment Example Before I sleep I browse internet in private and go through my Facebook page where I interact with friends and share personal experiences with various friends. In regard to the media content I focus on, I comment positively on various health-related issues on Facebook. I also comment on public debate by sending messages through twitter to the television network viewers and hosts. My media diet has helped me keep friends and official links that are of much socio-economic gain in my life (Johnson 43). The issues I focus on in media keeps me updated on latest healthcare research findings and emerging technology which is relevant for the contemporary competitive infection-ridden society. My experience with the violent and sexual explicit media content in some programmes in television, magazines and Facebook began to absorb me and nearly cost me my job. I had become addicted and realized that besides losing my job I was also deviating from acceptable moral standards. I therefore decided to reconsider my media diet which has significantly improved my knowledge and moral

Humes Critique of Causality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Humes Critique of Causality - Essay Example Our idea of causality arises from our impressions of three kinds of relations between objects: the relation of contiguity or contact, such as when billiard balls collide, and second, temporal priority, the idea that the effect should immediately follow the cause. These two, when taken together, is what Hume calls conjunction, which can be confirmed by sense experience, but it cannot give us an idea of necessary connection. The third kind of relationship that must be present in our idea of cause and effect is indeed, necessary connection. By necessary connection, Hume means the relation between cause and effect in which the cause necessarily produces the effect. But from what impression do we derive the idea of a necessary connection between cause and effect? Hume claims that there is no rational proof or basis for the causal principle; â€Å"this principle is mere custom or habit† (Hume 37). We only think that a particular cause must ‘necessarily’ have a particula r effect because we have the idea of a necessary connection between a cause and an effect after we experience their conjunctions repeatedly. If Hume were right here, science would seem to be an impossible endeavor, for it is based on scientific causal laws (Lavine 168). If causality were reduced to a mere psychological law, then we would have no basis for scientific knowledge or any objective knowledge for that matter. The foundations of knowledge would collapse into nothing but meaningless psychology.

Function of Storytelling Essay Example for Free

Function of Storytelling Essay The novel Atonement by Ian MCewan and the short story â€Å"The Things They Carried† by Tom OBrien both employ storytelling as a form of redemption. This is achieved in each text through the narrators freedom to manipulate the content and truth of the narrative in order to amend past wrongs and to imagine a more comforting, alternate reality. In Atonement, the narrator , Briony uses her literal imagination to alter the story of her life in hope to seek redemption for past actions with great consequence, while the narrator in Tim OBriens â€Å"The Things They Carried† tells and retells his version of the memory to help it become real. Both narratives show storytelling to be a possible healing process. P1-First step to redemption is to admit the reason for your deception. A novels allows narrator to confess the motive behind his/her sin. Briony initial stage towards redemption is by confessing the dangers of interpretation. quote- To herâ€Å"reading a sentence and understanding it were the same thing; as with the crooking of a finger, nothing between them. There was no gap during which symbols were unravelled†(37) -quote shows Brionys belief in the ease of interpretation which leads her to jump to conclusions she can never change. The blame for the tragedy is not only due to Brionys misinterpretation of events , but the misguided nature of interperation provided by books. â€Å"The Things They Carried† -The narrator describes the difficult conditions of war by describing the emotional and physical baggage they carry. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried the love letters from Martha. These horrible conditions forced Lieutenant cross to day dream about Martha which lead to Ted Lavenders death. -quote:told they carry â€Å"pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatchesand two or three canteens of water† which weigh â€Å" between 15 and 20 pounds†(241). -quote allows the reader to feel the overwhelming weight of being a soldier, which words cant simply explain. The narrator demonstrates the reasoning for Lieutenant crosss daydreaming as a way to escape from chaos of Vietnam war. P2-Using storytelling another step towards redemption is taken by characters revealing repentance by punishing themselves for their wrong doing (reveal repentance/remorse) -briony becomes a nurse and turns away Cambridge. She writes about the hard work she does as a nurse. quote: â€Å"Whatever skivvying or humble nursing she did and however well or hard she did it, whatever illumination in tutorial she had relinquished ,or lifetime moment on a college lawn, she would never undo the damage. She was unforgivable† -Lieutenant Jimmy burns Marthas letter and pictures, thus destroying his distracting fantasy in order to become a true soldier -quote: â€Å"Lavender was dead. You couldnt burn the blame† -Something is missing in explanation. How can I tie in that acts of remorse both did not make amends. P3-Novel is attempt by narrators to erase the wrong he/she did. The outcome of redemption differs for each narrator. -Briony alters the ending of the ending of the story in hope to seek redemption but does not achieve it because quote: â€Å"The problem of these fifty-nine years has been this:how can a novelist achieve atonement when, with her absolute power of deciding outcomes, she is also God? There is no one , no entity of higher form that she can appeal to, or be reconciled with, or that can forgive her† -No matter how many times she rewrites the story she will never receive Robbie and Cecile’s forgiveness. She cant achieve self forgiveness because no alternate ending that she imagines will replace the true ending. -The only way Briony will end her guilt is when her memory fails and she dies. (disease) -Narrator for â€Å"The Things They Carried† achieves redemption for Ted Lavenders death because storytelling allows the memories of Ted Lavender to stay alive. -Storytelling enables the narrators memories to be shaped and rearranged in order to make sense of past events and make them real -The narrator achieves redemption for Ted Lavenders death by storytelling because each time the story is told or retold the soldiers in the Alpha Company are being given a new life each time by the reader. -quote:At first, we learn â€Å"he was shot and killed outside Than Khe† (OBrien 241) and gradually learn â€Å"Ted Lavender was shot in the head on his way back from peeing† (OBrien 246).

About Pakistan International Airline Pia Management Essay

About Pakistan International Airline Pia Management Essay We will have to selectd Pakistan International Airlines for our report. And we are supposed to write a report where our major area of concern is employee relations against a changing background and nature of industrial conflict and the resolution of collective disputes. Due to the prevailing strict security conditions, we were unable to visit PIA for collecting information. Therfore, information regarding PIA is largely collected from internet. Executive summary In the beginning of our report, we have a brief background regarding PIA About Pakistan International Airline (PIA): Pakistan International Airlines usually better known as PIA can sketch its beginning to the days when Pakistan had not yet achieved independence from the  British Raj and is a public sector venture of Government of Pakistan. In 1946, the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah  apprehended the need for a flag carrier for the prospective country and for this purpose the founder of the country requested financial help from a wealthy capitalist  Mirza Ahmad Ispahani. PIA was first known as Orient Airways, and was registered in  Calcutta  on 23 October 1946. PIA bought 3  DC-3  airplanes in February 1947 from a corporation in Texas and achieved a license to fly in May of the same year. Later, the airline started its operations in June, providing services from  Kolkata  to  Sittwe  and  Yangon. This was the first position second-world-war airline flight by a  South Asian  registered airline company. Orient Airways (early name of PIA) began operations for the ne w country (Pakistan) when it came into being on 14 August, 1947. (PIA, 2012) PIA was once considered as Asias best airline.  PIA is headquartered at  Jinnah International Airport  in  Karachi  and PIA provides services to 24 domestic destinations and 38 international destinations in 27 countries across Asia, Europe and North America. PIAs major bases are at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Whereas, PIAs secondary bases entail  Peshawar,  Quetta, Faisalabad,   Multan and Sialkot. Through secondary bases PIA connects the metropolitan cities with the main bases, the  Middle East,  Europe, and the  Far East. It is largely owned by the  Government of Pakistan  and is regulated by the Ministry Of Defense as an autonomous body. PIA employs 18,043 individuals as of May 2008. (PIA, 2012) Outcome: 1st Tasks for P1: The unitary and pluralist perspectives of employee relations: Since the 1980s, there has been a major standard change in managing employee relations to one stressed on more strategic and incorporated frameworks that are based on employee dedication and mutual workplace interests, as an alternative of the traditional managerial control and conflicts between employers and employees. According to Alan Fox managers have different frames of reference' and everyone has a frame of reference, which can be identified as a lens with the help which one perceives employment relations. Number of other authors also argued that the managers frame of reference impacts how these perspectives are understood and used or not used.  The two well known kinds of ER perspectives are: unitary and pluralist. Before explaining the two main kinds of ER perspectives, we would first like to explain what frame is. Frames: According to Alan Fox, a frame is basically a sociological point of view that may assist in building of a frame of reference with the help of which issues of industrial relations can be observed practically and placed more open to solutions. (Fox, 1966) Unitary perspective: According to Michael Armstrong, the unitary perspective is basically held by managements who perceive their task as that of directing and controlling the employees to accomplish economic and growth objectives. To this end, management thinks that it is the rule-making power. Management tends to observe the venture as a unitary system with single source of authority, itself, and single focus of loyalty, the organization. It admires the good quality of teamwork, where everyone struggles together for a common objective and everyone accepts their place and work willingly, following the leadership of the selected manager. This unitary view, which is basically autocratic and dictatorial, has sometimes been stated in agreements as managements right to manage. The philosophy of HRM with its focus on commitment and support is based on the unitary perspective. (Armstrong, 2006) Characteristics of unitary perspective: First, there is only one source of power in organization, which is usually the management.  Second, the function of organizational leaders is to encourage loyalty and commitment among employees.  Third, organizations are observed as teams that are working together for common or mutual goals and objectives, and there are also no conflicts of interests between managers and employees.  Fourth, the management must represent effective leadership to achieve organizational goals objectives.  Ã‚  Fifth, Trade unions are not perceived as significant for the pleasant managing of conflicts. Sixth, conflicts in the organization are seen negatively and they are dysfunctional and results to disloyalty, thus harming the well-being of the organization.  Ã‚  Seventh, the state is autonomous and forms industrial relations systems (IR). Advantages of unitary perspective: Following are some of the advantages of unitary perspective of employee relations. A major advantage of the unitary perspective is that it openly wants to incorporate employer and employee interests, so that it can enhance employee commitment and loyalty. The unitary perspective also focuses on the role of managers in achieving win-win situations for employees and organizations, wherein their interests can be properly associated with each other Managers are forced to go beyond their managerial styles of managing employee relations and focuses on their leadership abilities and if they can be persuasive and prominent leaders in the organization, there will be no strong demand for trade unions. The unitary perspective is fundamentally individualist in its employee relations approach, which works best for individualist IR systems. Many IR systems all over the world have changed from the collectivist IR standards to individualist standards. Therefore the unitary perspective will be mainly valuable for this kind of IR perspective. Disadvantages of unitary perspective: Following are some of the disadvantages of the unitary perspective of employee relations. The main disadvantage of unitary perspective is the lack of understanding that there are power inequalities between employers and employees which will create different kinds of conflicts. Managers often use greater power over their workforce in shaping work conditions In unitary perspective, conflict is treated too negatively, and not seen as a force that imitates inequalities and which can be used as opportunities to recover work harmony. In unitary perspective, it is ambiguous how individual worker attitudes can be effectively integrated into the organizational objectives, because the unitary perspective is very normative and lacks explanation of how common interests can be recognized and distributed across organizations. Pluralist perspective: According to Alan Fox, an industrial organization is a plural culture, including many connected but separate interests and objectives which should be sustained in some kind of balance. In place where business unity reflected in a solitary focus of authority and loyalty, management has to accept the existence of opponent sources of leadership. It has to face the fact that a business venture has a triple personality: it is at once an economic, a political and a social organization. In the first, it generates and distributes profits. In the second, it represents a system of government in which managers jointly exercise authority over the managed, but are also themselves involved in a complex pattern of political relations. Its third personality is discovered in the plant community, which develops from below out of face-to-face relations based on common interests, attitudes, beliefs and values between diverse groups of employees. (Alan Fox, 2006) Whereas Cave (1994) describes pluralism as, an equilibrium of power between two controlled interests and a adequate degree of trust within the relationship for each side to value the others lawful interests, and for both sides to renounce from pushing their interest separately to the point where it became impossible to keep the show on the road. (Cave, 2006) Characteristics of pluralist perspective: First, pluralist theory considers that the workplace is composed of different sets of beliefs, standards and attitudes. Second, there are opposite sources of leadership in organizations.  Third, conflicts are expected because there are inborn opposing interests and sometimes conflicts can even be useful, if recognized and controlled within institutional reactions.  Fourth, the function of the management is to arbitrate between competing interests.  Fifth, Trade unions are lawful legislative body of employees, and they are perceived positively because they help employees focus on their decision-making power. Sixth, the state encourages public interest. Seventh, employee relations constancy can be achieved through a chain of negotiations between managers and employers through the collective bargaining method. Advantages of pluralist perspective: Following are some of the advantages of pluralist perspective of employee relations. Pluralist theory focuses on the effectiveness of industrial relations involvements as it assists in resolving conflicts. Pluralist perspective also considers other different decision-making practices such as communication and consultation with employees. In pluralist perspective conflict is not ignored, but are dealt effectively through stakeholder involvement. Conflict can then be used to recognize fundamental tensions, so that they can be recognized and properly rectified. The pluralist perspective does not ignore or disregard the part of trade unions in managing employee-employer conflicts rather it embraces a broader range of employee relations policies. Disadvantages of pluralist perspective: Following are some of the disadvantages of pluralist perspective of employee relations. The major weakness of the pluralist perspective is the tendency to settle on set of rules and procedures and ignore the methods that also contribute to the resolution of conflicts. The pluralist perspective is unable of recognizing that the state also represents business interests and not just public interests. The pluralist perspective may stress too much on worker interest, which can result to the inefficiencies of collective bargaining practices. Frame of reference at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA): According to our findings and observations, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) uses unitary frame of reference and following are some of the justification for proving that PIA uses unitary frame of reference. The first and main characteristic of a unitary perspective is that the source of power in organization is with the management which is exactly the same in PIA. The power to make any major decisions is with the management of the PIA because PIA is regulated by Ministry of Defense as an autonomous body. The management bodies of PIA encourages loyalty and commitment among employees through number of different monetary and non-monetary approaches, this is another characteristic of a unitary perspective. Employees of the PIA struggle for one common goal which to attain profit by delivering the best possible services to their valued customers. This is also one of the characteristic of unitary perspective. Conflicts are perceived negatively because this negatively affects their business for example, the recent strikes of the employees regarding pay increase severely affected PIAs business. One of the characteristics of the unitary perspective is that it ignores the involvement of trade union and this what the PIAs management did several times in the recent time which lead them to face number of problems. These evidences clearly indicate that PIA uses unitary perspective of employee relations. Tasks for P2: Importance of trade union: Before we discuss importance of trade union it is important first to know what trade union is. Trade union: According to Michael Armstrong, the basic purpose of trade unions is to encourage and protect the interests of their members. They are there to equalize the balance of authority between employers and employees. The basis of the employment relationship is the contract of employment. But this is not a contract between equals. Employers are more or less always in a stronger position to order the terms of the contract than individual employees. Trade unions give workers with a collective voice to make their needs known to management and as a result bring real and preferred conditions closer together. This pertains not only to terms of employment such as pay, working hours and holidays, but also to the way in which employees are treated in such aspects of employment as the remedy of grievances, authority and redundancy. Trade unions also exist to let management know that there will be, from time to time, a substitute view on key matters affecting employees. More largely, unions may see th eir role as that of contributing with management on decision making on matters affecting their members interests. (Armstrong, 2006) In short trade unions have two specific functions, to protect their members through collective bargaining, better terms and conditions, and to support and counsel to their members as individual employees. In additional trade union roles involves, that of providing legal, financial and other services to their members. Importance of trade union: Employees are not the only ones who enjoy the benefits of joining the trade union but its the employer or the organization that enjoys and takes advantage of the benefits of trade union as well. Employees can use trade union as tool through which their voices can be reached to the employer or management. Whereas, trade union greatly help employer or management as it saves their huge amount of time not only in solving their issues but also when they wishes to implement any new rule they do not need to inform each and every employees rather they inform only the trade union leader who then informs all their members. The importance of the trade union can observe by the following advantages of trade union. Representation: As mentioned earlier, trade union represent employees when they an issue at work. For example, if an employee considers he/she is being unjustly treated, he/she can ask the union representative to assist sort out the problem with the employer. In short, union is there to represent employees. Negotiation: Trade union representatives negotiate the problems that affect employees working in an organization. There may be a dissimilarity of opinion between management and union members. Trade unions negotiate with the employers to discover remedy to these problems. Trade union usually negotiates for the problems such as pay, working hours and changes to working practices. In many organizations usually there is a formal agreement between the union and the management which declares that the union has the right to negotiate with the employer. Voice in decisions affecting employees: The economic protection of workforce is determined not only by the level of wages and duration of their employment, but also by the managements personal rules which incorporate selection of workforce for layoffs, promotion and transfer. These policies basically directly affect workforce. In order to ensure these policies are developed fairly, the involvement of unions in such decision making is a way through which employees can have their voice in the decision making to protect their interests. Member services: Now a day trade unions are providing number of different services to their members in order to ensure their rights are not ignored and to make their members effectives. These services involves education training, legal assistance, welfare benefits and financial discounts etc. On the basis of the above benefit of trade union to the organization, we can conclude that Trade union can greatly help PIA to resolve different issues. For example, recently PIAs employees were on strike because they wanted to increase their pay levels, if the management of the PIA had good relations with the trade union they might not had faced this problem. Therefore, considering the importance of trade union PIA must value their trade union otherwise they will face different other serious problems in the near future. Tasks for P3: Role of trade union in employee relations: Trade union plays an important role in forming peoples working lives in almost every part of the world today, though their power in this respect has decreased in current times. The percentage of employees who are members of unions fell in the first decade of the twenty-first century, though this decrease was modest, and far less impressive than the decrease of the previous two decades. The experience of firms and industries to greater market pressures, a growing movement in outsourcing and the growth in unusual employment, employer supported forms of involvement and representation, and the nuisance of legal limitations on the ability of unions to recruit, organize, collectively bargain and take industrial action, has all added to a quick fall in membership. Despite the acceptance of different internal strategies and the introduction of laws pushing employers to recognize unions, the downward trend in membership all the same continued in recent years, although at a slower pace. As mentioned earlier that employees are not the only ones who enjoys the benefits of joining the trade union but its the employer or the organization that enjoys and take advantage of the benefits of trade union as well. Employees can use trade union as tool through which their voices can be reached to the employer or management. Whereas, trade union greatly help employer or management as it saves their huge amount of time not only in solving their issues but also when they wishes to implement any new rule they do not need to inform each and every employees rather they inform only the trade union leader who then informs all their members. Following are some roles of trade union in employee relations: Member services Voice in decisions affecting employees Negotiation Representation The roles of the trade union mentioned above are briefly explained earlier in our report. Tasks for P4: Role of main actors in employee relations: According to (1966), the term employment relationship basically explains the interconnections that exist between employers and employees in the place of work. These interconnections may be formal, for example contracts of employment, procedural agreements. Or they might be informal interconnections as well in the form of the psychological contract, which states certain assumptions and expectations regarding what managers and employer have to provide and are willing to deliver. Employer and employee may also have an individual dimension, which pertains to individual contracts and prospects, or a collective dimension, which pertains to relationships between management and trade unions. (Kessler and Undy, 2006) Whereas according to Michael Armstrong, the parties of the employee relations are managers, employees and employee representatives (union). The substance includes the job, reward and career of individuals and the communications and culture of the organization as it directly affects them. It may also involve collective agreements and mutual employee relations like works councils etc. The formal aspects contain rules and procedures, and the informal dimension contains understanding, expectations and assumptions. At last, the employment relationship exists at different levels in the organization such as management to employees usually, and managers to individual employees and their representatives. The function of the relationship will also be affected by practices such as communications and consultation, and by the management style existing throughout the organization or implemented by individual managers. (Armstrong, 2006) Parties in the employee relations Role of the parties in the employee relations: The role of the employees in the employee relations is to consult their representative or union at times when he/she feels they are treated unfair or if they wish for a demand such pay increase, decrease in working hours or holidays etc. Another role of employees in the employee relations is they must obey the orders from trade union. Whereas union or employees representative have two specific functions, to protect their members through collective bargaining, better terms and conditions, and to support and counsel to their members as individual employees. Similarly, the role of managers or employers is to maintain good relationship with the unions representatives which otherwise leads to different major issues. The role of managers or employers in employee relations is to communicate new policies and regulations to their employees through employee representatives or unions. Tasks for M1: An effective judgment of PIA: Due to the prevailing strict security conditions in Pakistan, we were unable to visit PIAs office for collecting data. Therefore, we had to collect data via electronic sources. Disputes at PIA: According to the report of Mr. Qasim Moini the correspondent of the Dawn News that five flights were affected on Friday after a clash over pay and a working agreement between the management and pilots of PIA threatened to have an effect on the flag carrier`s plan. (Dawn News, 2011) The Pakistan Airline Pilots` Association (Palpa) the delegate body of most of PIAs 450 or so pilots advised its members to go by the book, read articles that allow them to take 10 days off in a month and not fly until given notice 12 hours before a flight in writing. Another dispute at PIA was very shocking in terms of financial cost and passengers dissatisfaction. According to Dawn News on 10th of February 2011, employees strike at PIA that lasted for four days, trapped thousands of passengers and abandoned nearly three dozen domestic and international flights on Friday. PIA spokesman Mashhood Tajwar said 33 flights were canceled. No PIA planes were flying to or from the capital, Islamabad, while the timetable in the southern city of Karachi has been disturbed. Even though PIA is at the brick of bankruptcy but this strike cost PIA a loss of about $22 million. (Dawn News, 2011) The problem was later resolved by federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik by meeting with the employees association leader Suhail Baluch. Being an HR manager of PIA our decision: An ideal manager is one that never gives a chance to the birth of dispute, but since we know that managing human is not an easy task and their behavior is not constant and it changes situation to situation. It is also a believe at large that where human exist there must be some sort disputes because of the nature of human being is they often challenges or perceive things wrongs or take things personally. Our decision for the dispute of the pilot over pay increase and employment hours, we would first look at our policies and employment contract in order to know what they state. After doing so we will critically analyze the party that is wrong (the management of PIA or the pilots). Even if the management of PIA is right, we will still not try give a chance to disputes because it badly effects not only the business but it also dissatisfy customers because as a result of dispute customers may not be served with in the scheduled time. Whereas, even if the pilots were right then we being HR managers of PIA would try to the best of our abilities to carefully and effectively rectify this issue because as mentioned earlier the dispute can result in delays of flights which will financially affect PIA and it will dissatisfy customers as well. In order to rectify this issue, we would humbly request pilots to carry out their tasks on time. For this reason we would like to provide them with some extra incentives because they are working extra hours. And to rectify pay increase issue, we would have contacted employees representative of PIA and being ideal HR managers of PIA we would have adopted win-win approach. This approach basically states that some aspects must be tolerated by the management and some the by the employees representative (employees). We believe our decision will not only help PIA to rectify the arising issue but it will also help them not dissatisfy their employees and their customers as well. While for the second dispute (strikes of the employees of PIA), our decision is almost the same. We will first not give a chance to raise such issues. This issue clearly indicates that the management of PIA is not good towards their employees as a result they were on strike and faced PIA will loss of millions of dollar. According to our deep observation regarding the strike of the employees that lasted four consecutive days creates both a huge advantage and a huge disadvantage. The advantage of this issue for PIA could be a lesson that they should focus and give values to the issues of employees and the disadvantage of this strike is that employees showed their power that they are capable of doing anything with PIA if their wishes were not considered or valued in the future. We being HR managers of PIA would have consulted the union leader prior the issue had reach to a crucial level and in such situation we would have adopted you win-I lose approach because this approach would at least have saved the amount of loss that resulted as a consequence of the strike. Outcome: 2nd Task for P5: Importance of framework approach in industrial relations: Before we discuss why framework approach is importance in industrial relations, we would first like to explain what industrial relation is. Industrial relations: Industrial relations may basically be considered as a system of rules regulating employment and the behavior in which individual behave at work. The systems theory of industrial relations, as put forwarded by Dunlop (1958), described that the function of the system is to create the regulations and practical rules that govern how much is distributed in the bargaining practice and how the parties contributed to one another. (Dunlop, 2006) Industrial relations is described in many more or less formal or informal forms; in legislation and statutory orders, in trade union regulations, in collective agreements and arbitration awards, in social conferences, and in managerial decisions. The rules in industrial relations may be defined and logical, or ill-defined and illogical. Whereas, the only issue with industrial relations is that it does not adequately focus on the distribution of power between management and trade unions. Importance of framework approach in industrial relations: A framework is basically a supporting arrangement around which something can be constructed or a system of rules, ideas or principles that is used to plan or decide something. Framework approach is significant in industrial relations because it will help not only employees, employees representative but also the management or employer in showing them direction of their rights or authorities. Suppose an employee feels he/she treated unfairly such paid low or no holidays are given to him/her, the employee can consult their representative for this issue in order to rectify it. Similarly, if employer feels his/her legal orders are not obeyed, will consult employees representative in order to rectify this issue. This is all because of the proper framework, if there is no proper framework in industrial relations then, both employees and employers may not be able to resolve any issue. In simple words, we can say that framework approach to industrial relations helps in balancing the use of power both for employers and employees. It often observed that employers misuses their power and dictate their employees, to avoid such situations framework approach is used in industrial relations to maintain the balance of power between both the parties. Tasks for P6: Types of collective disputes: Before we discuss different types of collective disputes, it is important first to know what is a dispute and collective dispute. Employment disputes are basically divided into two main types Individual disputes: Collective disputes: As the name indicates, individual disputes are generally those that involve a single employee whereas collective disputes involve groups of workers usually represented by a trade union. The definition of a collective dispute is pretty wide and can involve issues in dispute such as terms and clauses of employment, physical working conditions, commitment, termination, duties of service, provision of work, regulation and a group of other issues associated with employment relations. Collective disputes are further divided into two sub-types which are: Rights disputes: Interests disputes: A rights dispute arises where there is disagreement over the implementation or understanding of legal rights. Whereas in contrast, an interest dispute involve disagreements over the determination of rights and responsibilities of those already exist. Interest disputes generally arise in the perspective of collective bargaining where a collective agreement does not exist. Dispute and their different types Elements of collective disputes: Elements of the collective disputes are usually the grievances between employees and employers. These grievances are usually formed either due misuse of power by the employer or by the disobeying the orders of employers by the employees. Following are some of the elements of collective disputes: When the normal methods of argument or negotiations between an employer and employee representatives fail to reach a conclusion a failure to agree must be recorded and a proper dispute course of actions should be appealed. The dispute methods must be in writing and, depending on the degree of the organization, it must give an opportunity for a dispute to be forwarded to a higher management-employee representative level. If the higher level of management-employee representative negotiation does not resolve the dispute then the issue should be forwarded to external conciliation. Logical time limits must be set for reference to the internal and external levels of a dispute method. In many cases employers and employee representatives may wish the dispute practice to provide for arbitration or mediation. It is advised for both the parties to try to resolve a dispute through conciliation before using these other types of dispute resolution. <

Business process reengineering Essay

This article is about business process reengineering. business processes we can say is the core tasks that are carried out in departments in an organization for the ultimate goal of delivering a product and a high quality one at that and services to the satisfaction of the customer. Business process reengineering is the modeling of the existing processed to steer the organization towards better performance. This is not considered to be done over a long period of time but rather it is something which is done at once so in a way there is a change of the way things are done but the aim is to come up with a better way for a better benefit. Examples of business processes is the manner in which information flows in an organization,management, departmental tasks,, that is the sales and marketing, production, as well as operational and technical support. Business process reengineering strategy is to improve the business competitive advantage. In discussion is its scope and strength. In consideration is the size of the business alongside the composition of the market. Its main aim is improving the existing business processes and sees how they make a business much better than it was before. We can also call it business transformation whereby the existing organization transforms the way work is done with a way of improving the services as well reducing the costs. It is also aimed at adding value to the existing business; processes and maintain the ones which are relevant as they are while at the same time minimizing or getting rid of those that do not add value to the organization. The article also speaks about organizational culture. An organization is a work setting which comprises of employees. These may be in different departments e. g. sales and marketing, production, and transport department. These departments are interdependent and they support one another in their functions. Their main aim is for the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. It comprises of employees who are the human resources. Culture in itself is beliefs, norms, attitudes, values and experiences of an organization and the people who work there. Organizational culture is the way things are done there. There is a trend of the way the management operates and the way people behave and the manner in which they work. An example of an organization culture is the role culture where emphasis is laid on the concentration on the task carried out. Teamwork is also is a type of culture where tasks are accomplished by a group of people working together with a common goal. They however work as a tea m but this they do in order to achieve the organization goals and objectives as a whole. This is the analysis of the existing business processes in which case is the way tasks are carried out in an organization and working towards transforming them and implementing the new process with the aim improving products and services that the organization offers. A group of processes are observed whereby individual tasks are allocated to a team with a wide range of expertise to accomplish with the main aim of achieving the organization goals and objectives. It is also aimed at improving the organization efficiency and effectiveness. The main aim of BPR is to increase an organization competitive advantage and a new competitive edge. An organization can achieve its goals a fresh through business process reengineering since it is as good as new. Cost is the price at which the end product is sold for. In cost strategy the consideration is to penetrate the market with a low price while at the same time offering the standard quality product and even better than that of the competitor but a lower cost. This will be seen to give an organization the competitive edge. The key issue is to maintain the quality of the product while liasing with all the department s in order to ensure that at all costs the cost is reduced from the marketing department to the production department. Cost reduction should be considered in all aspects of the organization and in the whole business process as a whole . this will enable the organisation to reach the consumer with a high quality product and a t a favourable price. Another organization process is production. This is the conversion of the raw materials into a product. The organization has a plant in which there is manual machinery which is used in the production process. Human effort is considered in loading the materials some of them onto the machinery for production. Efficiency is required in order to ensure that the product at the end of the day is prepared on time and also should be of the standard quality. At all times the organization should seek ways to ensure that the costs of production are kept at the minimum in order to ensure that the product reaches the market at a low price, in order to enjoy a competitive advantage. This is the computerized use of machinery. The machinery in the organization is controlled using computers and all the production processes are computer controlled. This will ensure that the product is of high quality, speed will be increased since the machines work much faster than human beings. Efficiency is enhanced where there is continuity of the work being done as well as the uniformity since the machines do not take days off. This will ensure that the supply of products in the market is constant and availability is enhanced. Supplies also can be made even on orders which have been made over a short period of time since the machinery can be able to meet the production to be done with the minimum time possible. This can also ensure that there is a reduction in the cost of production where there are no many human resources required together with the expenses that go with them like medical cover, housing allowances, as well as pension funds. Cost reduction is effective, and it ensures that the product at the end of the day penetrates the market at a very low cost which will enable the organization to build a large customer base, and also expand its market share. This is a combination of beliefs, attitudes, norms adopted by people in an organization and the manner in which they work. It is best described as a collection of norms and values by people and groups working in an organization. This is a type of culture where efforts are directed towards a product or a service being delivered. it brings human resources together and also pulling resources together for the benefit of coming up with the best possible product or service. It is a team culture whereby a team is built and it is assigned a certain project with an aim of achieving a certain goal and objective. In this culture the team is composed of people qualified in different fields of expertise and is marked by sessions of brainstorming where ideas are formed on how to accomplish the set task. There is also an element of friendliness, as the members all the employees working in a team have to combine efforts and hence each one of them is as important and hence they have got to form alliances. It is from expertise that power is derived. Team members have a scope of ideas which they bring on board and contribute towards accomplishment of the set tasks. The main aim is to reduce costs in all aspects of the organization from sales and marketing and other departments to production. This will ensure that the end consumer will enjoy a lower price of the product than that of the competitor. Cutting costs should be considered in all the organization processes. When the cost is reduced the product is able to penetrate the market at a relatively lower price than that of the competitor products. This will increase the market share as well as the profits. When there is an increase in the profits the organization will also be able to run efficiently and be able to meet its consumer needs as well as enjoy growth in terms of better service and product delivery. This can be achieved through mass s production and distribution, reduction of waste and also a reduction of the market force while also maintaining a goal oriented team. This is the time for business process reengineering. It should be considered since it is for the better of the organization where it gets rid of obsolete business processes and introducing and bringing fresh ideas and ways of working in an organization in order to come up with fresh ideas as well as improve the organization efficiency in delivery of products and services. Organization culture plays an important role in the way an organization operates. It is very important that an organization adopts a culture that favours its goals and objectives and enhances the growth of the organization as well as ensure that it encourages the employees to work towards achieving the organization goals.

Song of Lawino- Imagery

Imagery –Song of Lawino By Me Originally set in African ideas, it is clearly challenging for the text to be turned into a foreign language, which in this case, is English. No matter, the words used are comprehensible and nothing much out of our minds’ imagination power. Lawino, the Acoli woman, the wife of an abusive husband and the main voice of this song uses this poem to sing out her thoughts. They involve a lot of imagery of different kinds to various everyday things surrounding us.She describes her husband, Ocol, the son of the Chief as spiteful and arrogant by comparing him to animals and natural sources. Ocol behaves like a child, his tongue bitter like the roots of lyonno lily, seeming like a hen that eats its own eggs. With the simple imagery given, yet so specifically chosen from the environment of the Acoli tribe, I could even understand what Lawino is saying despite being a non-native speaker of English. By imagery, I actually see how Lawino explains her bei ng treated like rubbish by her own husband that she still desperately loves.Ocol is completely filled with hatred towards Lawino with the way he insult, laughing at her as if Lawino is a salt-less ash, an ojou insect. Nevertheless, Lawino shows her hopes that the old Ocol will return to her after the sickness in Ocol’s head is thrown away. For her, things are simple and should be done according to how the elders do. Lawino also describes her anger and her loyalty with her Acoli culture while Ocol, her own husband walks around with a desire to turn himself into a complete English man, hating his roots. Both of them are truly complete opposites.Observant and knowledgeable, Lawino states on how an Acoli is different from an English man or woman. I like the way she sees differently in the English culture as we all should be seeing differently in hers as well. Besides all of those emotions from Lawino, I am very interested in how she describes a human body, her own figure mostly a nd the naked beauty of it. An Acoli does not need to cover up with silk material or any expensive accessories to look beautiful. Despite Lawino’s hair being thick and curly, she appreciates the way she is as an English lady would love her own straight her.Everyone is different and Lawino accepts that, unlike Ocol. Though maybe, for me, Ocol is imagined to be as the man who doesn’t feel like he belongs there in the Acoli tribe by the way Lawino sings on his awkwardness in dancing in the arena. So Ocol turns to a different culture that can provide him more comfort. On the other side, Lawino does not quite approve with the shameful dances and the normal odd routines of the English people but she does not do what Ocol does to his Acoli culture. Lawino does not insult and bear any hatred to the foreigners.She just would rather not be involved in those peculiar activities. Imagery becomes very interesting when Lawino uses unhygienic or ugly comparison to something we would s ee as clean like the hot water or pretty like the hairstyle of the English women. She is keen on describing every object used by Ocol and his mistress, Clementine like the stove to cook, their thick clothing and even the toilet. I, who live in a modern city in the 21st century, would never even dream of comparing those appliances with flora and fauna.In short, the use of imagery is the basic of the poem that makes the whole story so vivid, attached with plenty of emotions and nature of sarcasm. Those comparisons and descriptions from Lawino have shown me how Lawino is indeed clever in the way of how unique a human mind can see things. As for me, I can really do use my imagination easily to create the world where the Acoli tribe collides with the English culture, seeing plenty amusing scenes. (666 Words)

Spanish Indefinite Determiners

Spanish Indefinite Determiners When they come before nouns, words such as some and any part of a vaguely defined class of words known as indefinite determiners. (A determiner is often classified as a type of adjective.) Such determiners usually function much the same in Spanish as they do in English, coming before the nouns they refer to. More precisely, indefinite determiners are defined as nondescriptive words that refer to, or specify the quantity of, nouns without a specific identity. How Indefinite Determiners Are Used in Spanish Like most other adjectives and determiners, in Spanish the indefinite determiners match the nouns they refer to in both number and gender. The one exception is cada, meaning each or every, which is invariable, keeping the same form whether the accompanying noun is singular or plural, masculine or feminine. Again with the exception of cada, which is always a determiner, the indefinite determiners sometimes function as pronouns. For example, while ninguna persona is the equivalent of no person, ninguno standing alone is a pronoun typically translated as nobody. List of Common Indefinite Determiners Here are the most common indefinite adjectives along with their common translations and sample sentences: Algà ºn, Alguna, Algunos, Algunas The base form of alguno, typically meaning some or one (although not as a number), is shortened to algà ºn with it precedes a singular masculine noun through apocopation and thus is listed that way here. The equivalent pronoun, usually translated as someone, retains the form of alguno. In plural form, the translation some is usually used. Algà ºn dà ­a voy a Espaà ±a. (One day, Im going to Spain.)Tiene algunos libros. (He has some books.)Algunas canciones ya no estn disponibles. (Some songs still arent available.) Cada Cada can be translated as either of the synonyms each or every. A common phrase, cada uno, abbreviated as c/u, is used for apiece. Cada dà ­a voy a la oficina. (I go to the office every day.)Tenemos un libro por cada tres estudiantes. (We have one book for every three students.)Puedes comprar boletos por 25 pesos cada uno. (You can buy tickets for 25 pesos apiece.) Cierto, Cierta, Ciertos, Ciertas Although the singular cierto and cierta translates the English a certain, they are not preceded by un or una. In plural form, they are the equivalent of certain as an determiner. Quiero comprar cierto libro. (I want to buy a certain book.)El problema ocurre cuando cierta persona me cree. (The problem happens when a certain person believes me.)Ciertas estudiantes fueron a la biblioteca. (Certain students went to the library.) Cierto and its variations can also be used as a regular adjective after nouns. It then typically means true or accurate. Estar cierto is used for to be certain.) Cualquier, Cualquiera Translations for cualquier and cualquiera before a noun include any, whatever, whichever, whoever, and whomever. Cualquier estudiante puede aprobar el examen. (Any student can pass the test.)Estudia a cualquier hora. (He studies at whatever time.) As a pronoun, cualquiera is used for either masculine or feminine: Prefiero cualquiera de ellos a Pedro. (I prefer whichever one of them to Pedro.) A plural form, cualesquiera, which is both masculine and feminine, exists but is seldom used. When cualquiera is used after the noun, it emphasizes that the specific identity of the noun is unimportant, somewhat like any old in English: Podemos viajar a una ciudad cualquiera. (We can travel to any old city.) Ningà ºn, Ninguna Ningà ºn and ninguna, meaning no or not any, can be thought of as the opposite of alguno and its forms. Although these words are singular, a plural is often used in translation to English. No quiero ningà ºn libro. (I dont want any books. Note how Spanish requires a double negative here.)Ninguna mujer puede salir. (No women can leave.) The plural forms, ningunos and ningunas, exist but are seldom used. Otro, Otra, Otros, Otras Otra and its other forms almost always mean other. A common mistake of Spanish students is to copy another by preceding otro or otra with un or una, but no un or una is needed. Quiero otro lpiz. (I want another pencil.)Otra persona lo harà ­a. (Another person would do it.)Quiero comprar los otros libros. (I want to buy the other books.) Todo, Toda, Todos, Todas Todo and its related forms are the equivalent of each, every, all, or all of. Todo estudiante conoce al seà ±or Smith. (Every student knows Mr. Smith.)Corrieron a toda velocidad. (They ran at full speed.)Todos los estudiantes conocen al seà ±or Smith. (All of the students know Mr. Smith.)Durmià ³ toda la noche. (She slept all night.) Varios, Varias When placed before a noun, varios and varias mean several or a few. Comprà ³ varios libros. (She bought several books.)Hay varias soluciones. (There are several solutions.) As a regular adjective after the noun, varios/varias can mean varied, different or various.) Translating ‘Any’ to Spanish Note that some of these determiners can be translated as any. However, it also is common that when an English sentence is translated to Spanish, no equivalent of any is needed.  ¿Tienen ustedes libros? (Do you have any books?)No tenemos dificultades. (We arent having any difficulties.) Key Takeaways A determiner a type of adjective placed before a noun to indicate that the noun doesnt refer to a specific person or thing.Most Spanish determiners are variable for number and gender.Most of the Spanish determiners can also function as pronouns.

Free Essays on Death And Taxes

Death and Taxes Economics of Tobacco Control Death and Taxes Economics of Tobacco Control Contrary to long-standing beliefs, tobacco-control policies can lead to huge health benefits without harming economies. About 1.1 billion people worldwide smoke, and, with current trends, the number is expected to rise to more than 1.6 billion by 2025. In high-income countries, the number of smokers has, overall, been declining for decades, although it continues to rise in some population groups. In low- and middle-income countries, by contrast, cigarette consumption has been increasing. Few people now dispute that cigarette smoking is damaging human health on a global scale. Smoking-related diseases are already responsible for 1 in 10 adult deaths worldwide. By 2030, perhaps sooner, the ratio will be 1 in 6, or 10 million deaths a year, making smoking the largest single cause of death. Until recently, this epidemic of chronic disease and premature death affected mainly the populations of rich countries, but it is rapidly shifting to the developing world. By 2020, 7 of every 10 people who die from smoking-related diseases will be from low- and middle-income countries. Despite these trends, many governments have avoided taking action to control smoking because of concern about potential economic harm. For example, some policymakers fear that reduced sales of cigarettes would mean the permanent loss of thousands of jobs, particularly in agriculture, and that higher tobacco taxes would result in both lower government revenues and massive cigarette smuggling. Recent research allays these fears. Health effects of smoking Smoking has two major health consequences. First, the smoker rapidly becomes addicted to nicotine, whose addictive properties, although well documented, are often underestimated. Second, smoking ultimately causes disabling and fatal diseases, including cancers of the lung and other organs, ischemic heart disease and... Free Essays on Death And Taxes Free Essays on Death And Taxes Death and Taxes Economics of Tobacco Control Death and Taxes Economics of Tobacco Control Contrary to long-standing beliefs, tobacco-control policies can lead to huge health benefits without harming economies. About 1.1 billion people worldwide smoke, and, with current trends, the number is expected to rise to more than 1.6 billion by 2025. In high-income countries, the number of smokers has, overall, been declining for decades, although it continues to rise in some population groups. In low- and middle-income countries, by contrast, cigarette consumption has been increasing. Few people now dispute that cigarette smoking is damaging human health on a global scale. Smoking-related diseases are already responsible for 1 in 10 adult deaths worldwide. By 2030, perhaps sooner, the ratio will be 1 in 6, or 10 million deaths a year, making smoking the largest single cause of death. Until recently, this epidemic of chronic disease and premature death affected mainly the populations of rich countries, but it is rapidly shifting to the developing world. By 2020, 7 of every 10 people who die from smoking-related diseases will be from low- and middle-income countries. Despite these trends, many governments have avoided taking action to control smoking because of concern about potential economic harm. For example, some policymakers fear that reduced sales of cigarettes would mean the permanent loss of thousands of jobs, particularly in agriculture, and that higher tobacco taxes would result in both lower government revenues and massive cigarette smuggling. Recent research allays these fears. Health effects of smoking Smoking has two major health consequences. First, the smoker rapidly becomes addicted to nicotine, whose addictive properties, although well documented, are often underestimated. Second, smoking ultimately causes disabling and fatal diseases, including cancers of the lung and other organs, ischemic heart disease and...

Degree Rationale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Degree Rationale - Essay Example It was not until one of my dearest friends encouraged me to attend college that I found an interest in a definite career. This eventually led me to Corning Community College which I attended classes full of hope and enthusiasm. However, the stress of working full time, attending college full time, and being a mother, was so physically taxing that I was not accomplishing any of these tasks satisfactorily. Eventually, convinced that I had no other choice, I was compelled to give up my studies and devote my time to remain gainfully employed in order to take care of my son. For years, I struggled with trying to decide exactly what it was I wanted to do with my life. My past job led me to realize that I was â€Å"smart† enough and that I had potential to become whatever I wanted in life. My supervisor taught me that education will provide me with the tools and knowledge I need to understand and participate in today’s world. This is what motivated me into returning to Corning Community College. Here I found the means of fulfilling my desire for learning. Although I still was undecided of what I wanted to do, my hard work and determination paid off by uplifting my self-esteem, which I struggled with all my life. During my last semester at Corning Community College, I felt honored to be included in the Dean’s list. For me that was an academic achievement, but also a personal accomplishment. It was not until attending some of my supervisor’s meetings at work and working by her side that I found an interest in Human Resources. At that very moment, I set a goal for my future to become a human resource generalist. I want to be able to help a company staff their organization and provide employees with the best resources to guide them through their employment. A friend advised me that Empire State College not only provides flexibility, but also a way to earn my bachelor’s degree and help provide me with the tools and knowledge I need to

Refund Anticipation Loans Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Refund Anticipation Loans - Research Paper Example In spite of the high fees associated with RAL’s, most of those coming from the poor families are the ones who usually apply for it. There is an on-going battle between the government, the consumer advocates and tax preparation companies on the continued offering of Refund Anticipation Loans. A refund anticipation loan is a type of short-term loan that is applied by a taxpayer, who wants an early claim on his tax refund. The amount that is acquired through the loan will be repaid by the taxpayer’s anticipated tax refund. It may also be called â€Å"Rapid Refund† or â€Å"Instant Money.† A contract is provided by the financial institution to be signed by the taxpayer that serves as an assurance that the loan will be paid back through the taxpayer’s tax refund (â€Å"Refund Anticipation Loan Fraud†). Common interest rates for RAL’s start from 50% up to over 500%, the basis of which is the length of the time that is needed to process tax forms at the Internal Revenue Services (IRS), that is According to the Center for Responsible Lending. Although this type of loan has been claimed as a way for taxpayers to have their tax refunds earlier in their pockets, more often than not it is advanced only for just a few days or less as compared to the actual date that the IRS releases the tax refund (â€Å"Tax Refund Resources for Consumers†). RAL’s give taxpayers the opportunity to get their tax refund at a sooner date and be able to use the money earlier rather than wait for a couple more days. Even so, problems occur when someone opts to use a refund anticipation loan. Basically the lender knows that the money borrowed will be paid no matter what since the guarantee is the taxpayer’s tax refund; therefore, it is considered as a safer type of loan compared to the other types, but then risking everything just to get the money sooner seems to not sound good at all (Pritchard).