Problems Of US Education Essays - Educational Stages, Youth

Problems Of US Education Today, the way the educational system works in the U.S. concerns a large number of people in this country. "Only 25% of adults have a great deal of confidence in the people running education, according to the General Social Survey, down from 49% in 1974" (Russel 4). A lot of discussions have been held to find the best ways to improve teaching methods. At the same time, people recognize that a very valuable solution to increase the level of education in the United States is to look at some problems that cause difficulties and hamper the enhancement of the quality of education. The first step is to define these problems. As in every country, the U.S. wants to develop its national standards in education and wants them to be high. This has always been a government function. Being democratic, the government is trying to fit the qualities of democracy into the way to set these standards. Of course, this is not an easy task since this country has a very diverse population. To please everybody has always been an almost impossible task. Despite this impossibility, national standards have already been set. "If a visitor from another nation was dropped into an American public school classroom without knowing the state or the region, he or she would be likely to see the same lesson taught in the same way to children of the same age" (Ravitch 9). Everything seems right except the fact that the abilities of children are different. Not everybody is able to study at a college; not everybody wants to continue being educated. It is obvious that every country wants to produce as many educated people as possible. But, at the same time, every country needs workers because, regardless of the fast development of technology, there is still a great necessity for human labor. To satisfy all the necessities of the country, the government should provide different kinds of education. This does not mean that we need to eliminate all of the standards; they could be set in each field of education. Although standards are set, there is still a very big difference in teaching methods in different schools. Perhaps, the most serious problem starts in high schools: some schools provide a higher level of education than others. Students from most city schools graduate with the confidence in their knowledge; their level of education is high enough to attend a university. On the other hand, students from small towns, suburbs, and villages do not have the opportunity to get that kind of education because schools in small areas of the United States can not provide the same level of education as schools in large cities. The democratic idea of everybody having an equal education is breached. The "high school" problem further extends to most of the nation's colleges and universities. Students that come to colleges do not have the same level of knowledge. This could be proved by the results of the ACT (American College Test). According to the information provided by the ACT, Inc., out of all the students who took the test in 1997 (959,301), almost the same number of students scored 27 (36,566) as those who scored 14 (36,100). To solve this problem the general education program was brought into the college curriculum. It provides every college student with basic knowledge and, at the same time, balances the general level of education. It seems to be a perfect way to solve the problem of inequality in the educational system. This would be acceptable if it did not impede the system itself. A lot of students that have already gotten enough general education are held back because they are required to take the courses they already had. Most of them think that it is a waste of time and money. The other significant problem is the dropout level in the U.S. colleges. "In states with high postsecondary matriculation rates, the college dropout rates can run as high as two thirds...about one half of those who try the baccalaureate college game will fail" (Gray 530). This means that around 50% of those who attempt to go to college do not get their degrees, thus wasting their time and money. Personal and family problems are the most general reasons for students to drop out. Yet, there are a lot of students who once were convinced by their parents and teachers to continue education, but now realized that they can live without it and that there are ways to make good money having no

Dress Code and Uniforms Essay

Dress Code and Uniforms Essay Dress Code and Uniforms Essay SCHOOL UNIFORMS SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED. In my opinion students should not have to wear uniforms if they don’t laugh or treat other students bad. Should school uniforms be required? Some parents say yes but students say no. the reason why parents say yes is because sometimes the children get pick on a lot about how they wear they clothes and what they should wear. Others believe that kids should have the freedom to dress however they want. After strongly believe that uniforms should not be required in school. Some parents think it’s a great thing for children to wear uniform because now no one would have to be picking on or laugh at about what they wear. Without uniform, they say kids will focus on clothes, instead of schoolwork. There will be pressure to buy expensive clothes, which many families can not afford for the parents these reason, some people insist that uniform are necessary. I personally disagree. There will at all times be interruption. Kids should be encouraged and trusted to focus on their schoolwork, or they will never learn to be in charge. Uniforms are not free. If families are spending money, they should be able to choose the clothes they buy. Also, uniforms interfere with creativity. Requiring uniforms send a message that all kids are the same. If school wants kids to be themselves, they should not force all students to dress alike. For all these reasons, school uniforms should not be required. If teachers and parents and principals want to

Project Keep Placement Stabilization Research Paper

Project Keep Placement Stabilization - Research Paper Example Due to the nature of this intervention, the statistical collection of data and facts associated with child abuse and neglect becomes difficult. To determine how much it would cost to resolve it through the various stages of the model that could be required. The well-being of the child is important. Although when parents usually the women take in alcohol and seems not to be abusive and not dependent or addicted to drinking. It is still possible the conditions under which she drinks may still put the child welfare at risk. A child welfare worker should be concerned about the nature of parent exposure to alcohol and drug use. As noted by The American Psychological Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV/DSM-IV-TR) that a woman should not take in more than seven drinks within a week or three drinks at a time. Child safety is an important issue in our society and factors that may bring about polluting or exposing the child welfare at risk are not lightly taken. Children are meant to be around adult so as to caution and comfort them in their growing years. Children are good observers and adult should be more caution what they do in their presence. This is part of protecting child welfare. But more often than not, parents or adults under the influence of alcohol and drug might not be able to control their misbehavior triggered from substance use and this usually has a lifespan effect on children. Significantly, the child welfare worker should be more concerned with the case of child neglect and abuse by identifying the factors of drug abuse and alcohol exposure. Child welfare worker should be able to support parent influenced by these factors to obtain adequate treatment in the understanding of the recovery concept in the view of child safety.  

Identify Key Technological Influences On the Internationalisation Essay

Identify Key Technological Influences On the Internationalisation Process - Essay Example This essay stresses that if a company needs to decide the strategy to be used to help it improve the overall move and internationalisation process then the company requires to have the available knowledge to do so. Information overload is a high issue that is being faced by most professionals. Intelligent agent is a related technology, which provides a chance to roam networks and selectively refer users to information that would prove to be useful and beneficial. However, it is clear that the best intelligent agent is a human being by himself. It is obvious that computers are useful in KM as they do not slow down the learning, but help the KM to be more efficient and effective in order to support learning to a greater extent. This paper makes a conclusion that the main aspect and factors that affect the internationalisation of any business is the knowledge that is shared within the organisation and the ability of the company to transfer the data and raw information into understandable knowledge. Based on this, it is essential to understand that KM can be improved not only based on the amount of money spent on it but also a great deal of focus is required to be on the efforts of the management process. It is safe to say that knowledge has already grown largely and it has become one of the most essential aspects of any business. It has become a major driver and money is now slowly phasing out of the scene and as the old saying of ‘Knowledge is king’, is now being put to use in almost every industry and every company across the world.

Transformations Of Modern Society Sociology Essay

Transformations Of Modern Society Sociology Essay Modernity is a period of time within the world that started for many around the seventeenth century. It was accentuated by the shift from a move from a feudal system to a system we know as capitalism and the nation state which gained influence throughout the known world. There was a shift in focus from agricultural work and employment to Industrial and town based focus. Many commentators have looked at modernity and what was meant by modernity. This report focuses on modernity from the perspective of Gliddens, his opinion of what its key institutional factors were and those of globalisation. For Giddens modernity as a simple explanation is, ways of life for groups of people which emerged in Europe from about the seventeenth century onwards. This consequently, moved on and became a way of life around the world. Thus modernity is located within a specific time period and a starting geographical position, the features of modernity can be explored later. (Giddens, 1990, p. 1) Modernity changed the way people around the world were connected to each other, this in turn had a profound effect on the personal level. On the one hand modernity gave people the more chances to live a more rewarding life, yet the dangers that came with that were greater in Giddens opinion. He states, modernity was a double edged sword of security versus danger and trust versus risk, this is seen in the fact that more people died in the wars of the twentieth century than in the previous two centuries even if you allow for the increase in population over this period (Giddens, 1990, p. 7). The move from agrarian based production to the industralised production that catered not only for local but international markets produced more varitey of products. However, at the same time human labour power became commercialised. Capitalism became the way of life not only in modernitys economic system but all its other institutions. Giddens, 1990, p.11 explains this as, the social order of modern ity is capatilistic both in its economic structures and other institutions. This created a cycle of investment profit investment meaning profits declined and meant a need for a continual expansion of the system. However for marx though the modern eras rapidly changing characteristics were not derived from a capitalist order but an industrial order, one characterised through the harnessing production to human needs throughthe industrial exploitation of nature (Morrison, 2006, p. 78) Having looked at modernity it is briefly time to explore what Giddens calls the key features of modernity these are , the separation of time and space, disembedding mechanisms and the reflexive appropriation of knowledge (Giddens, 1990, p. 53). These three features were interconnected and could be found in all. So for giddens modernity had multiple layers especially on the institutional level, the introduction of a world clock and time zones along with a move from gregorian to julien calendar gave us uniformity the world over. Here we will look at the next focus of Giddens in terms of modernity, mainly this will explore his perspective on the institutional dimensions of modernity. The four institutional dimensions Giddens 1990 identifies are, Capatilism; industrialism; military power and surveilance(p.59). The first instituional dimension Giddens 1990 deals with is capatalism, capitalism is the making of useful items based around those who have the means of production and those who have no such capital and sell their labour, this creates the axis of a class system. This system requires good to be made for competitive market with price being a guide for buyers, sellers,investors and producers of goods alike. The second institutional dimension Giddens identifies is industrialism, Giddens 1990 sees Industrialism not necessarily as the move to big factories using machines and electricity and or steam power but something more. For Giddens it affects every day life not only the work place but, how we interact with each other and how we travel. It also impacts on the home and leisure life of all individuals. Capitalism and industrialism may be two distinct dimensions but they are inter-related for Giddens, they are in fact so closely linked distinguishing the two from each other is difficult. The third institution dimension explored by Giddens is that of surveilance, this he explains is the role the nation state a phenomenon seen in all modern societies in one form or another exercises control and social regulation. Giddens 1990 sees the administrative system of nation states having coordinated control over areas of territory it has gained, no pre-modern state were able to achieve this level of administrative control. Giddens 1990 (p.58) is directly interested, in the supervision of the activities of a population, this can be directly as Foucault discusses through prison or education systems, or more directly in the way information is controlled. The last institutional dimesion that Giddens identifies is that of military power. For Giddens 1990 the nation state and modern societies are unique in the fact that it was able not only able to create the means for war in weaponary and machines but also had the support of the millitary, in most pre-modern societies the central political figure had to make alliances with princes warlords clan chiefs to gain their support. He also points out how, industralism permeating both the organisation of the military and the weaponary at their disposal. The industralisation of war radically changes the character of warfare, ushering in an era of total war and a nuclear age (Giddens, 1990, p. 58). This point is highlighted in (Hopkins, Evans, Norton-Taylor, 2012) Senior military officers and ministry officials have taken up more than 3,500 positions in arms companies over the last 16 years. So for giddens all four Intstitutional dimensions of modernity were interconnected with each other and c an not be seperated from one another. Lastly we will explore what Giddens means by the term Globalisation, Giddens 1990 (p.64) defines globalisation as, the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happening are shaped by events occurring many miles away. As a definition of globalisation this is one of the better ones available. However, the definition of globalisation by Trevellion 1997 in (Lyons, 2006, p. p.122) that globalisation has both subjective and objective meanings, to embrace both the objective social, economic and technological changes associated with the dismantling of national and regional barriers to trade and communications and the subjective shifts in conciousness associated with the growth of global concerns and global sensibilities. What trevillion is arguing is that globalisation through social, economic and technology changes have made it easier to trade and talk to anyone in the world, but at the same time issues like global warming and chi ld poverty have become a worldwide not just localised concerns any longer. For Giddens there are four dimensions that create globalisation similar to his ideas on modernity. Giddens 1990 (71) shows us that, the nation state, world capitalist economy, world military order, international division of labour. He claims that the chief form of production is economic enterprise and this has definite class related issues. Each state develops a local and world economic policy which involves regulating the economic activity. But the administrative organisation of these states means that they are able to separate the economic from the political. The second dimension for Giddens is world military power. For Giddens trans national companies may have more economic power than certain nations and are able to use this economic power to influence political issues to their favour, however they do not control the means of violence or territory that states do. Most states have either total or majority control for the means of violence within their state. Trans national companies can accumulate all sorts of economic power but, they are not military organisations (Giddens, 1990, p. 71). The other area that occupies Giddens 1990 (p.72) in terms of globalisation is the international division of labour. He claims that, nation states are the main drivers in global politics whilst trans national companies(businesses) are the major players in the world economy. This is especially true when looking at how they trade with other companies, states and individuals. Manafacturing banking and other financial institutions depend on production for profit. Which is why the influence they carry brings the worldwide extension of commodity and financial markets. However, even from its beginnings the world capitalist economy was not just about the trade of goods and services. It involved and involves still the commodification of labour power, this seperates the workers from control of their means of production. This of course has consequences and means class divisions widen and global inequalities become more pronounced. So in summary we are now all more connected especially through the use of global media and the world wide web. We are aware of things happening in other countries yet at the same time we may feel the effects of those things. The recession and possible collapse of Greeces, spains and portugals to name a few economies will have an effect in the united Kingdom and other places around the world who trade with these countries. We have explored Giddens perspective on modernity and the institutional dimensions that are present, before looking at Giddens Views on globalisation and the institutional dimensions of globalisation. Modernity in Giddens eyes is denoted by the move from agrarian community to industrialisation based in the city, with the move to a world time system and time zones and a world calendar. The key instutionial dimensions identified by Giddens were, capitalism, industralism, military power and surveilance each were interconnected. Finally we looked at Giddens views on globalisation and the institutional dimension found within it not suprisingly the institutional dimensions to globalisation are nearly identical to those of modernity. What he pinpointed within globalisation is that inequalities that were already present have not only persisted but expanded and can be found globally.

Spirit Bound Chapter Eight

AFTER THE BITCHING I'D DONE to Abe about always going to remote, crappy places, I should have been excited about the prospect of going to Sin City. Alas, I had a few reservations about my next epic trip. First of all, somewhere like Las Vegas was the last place I would expect a semi-crazy recluse to be. From the bits and pieces I'd heard, Robert had dropped off the radar and wanted to be alone. A busy, tourist-filled city didn't really fit that description. Second, cities like that were perfect feeding grounds for Strigoi. Crowded. Reckless. Low inhibitions. Very easy for people to disappear–especially when most of them were out at night. Part of me was certain it had to be a trick on Victor's part, but he swore up and down that it was true. So, with no other leads, Las Vegas became our next destination. We didn't have much time to debate the matter anyway, knowing the guardians would be searching Fairbanks for us. Admittedly, Lissa's charms had altered our appearances enough that they wouldn't be looking for people with our descriptions. They knew what Victor looked like, though, so the sooner we were out of Alaska, the better. Unfortunately, we had a slight problem. â€Å"Victor has no ID,† said Eddie. â€Å"We can't take him on a plane.† It was true. All of Victor's possessions had been seized by prison authorities, and in the midst of disabling surveillance and taking out half a dozen guardians, we'd hardly had time to go searching for his personal stuff. Lissa's compulsion was phenomenal, but she was exhausted after wielding so much at the prison. Besides, guardians would likely be watching the airport. Our â€Å"friend† Bud the car rental guy provided the solution. He hadn't been thrilled to see his car returned with all the scratches from Eddie's daredevil driving, but enough cash had finally stopped the human's muttering about â€Å"renting to a bunch of kids.† It was Victor who thought of an alternative plan and suggested it to Bud. â€Å"Is there a private airport nearby? With flights we might charter?† â€Å"Sure,† said Bud. â€Å"But it won't be cheap.† â€Å"It's not an issue,† I said. Bud eyed us askance. â€Å"Did you guys rob a bank or something?† No, but we were packing a lot of currency. Lissa had a trust fund that doled her out monthly money until she was eighteen, as well as a high-limit credit card. I had a credit card of my own, leftover from when I'd sweet-talked Adrian into funding my Russian trip. I'd let go of the rest of my assets, like the huge bank account he'd set up. But, wrong or not, I'd decided to keep one card on hand, just in case of emergency. This was certainly an emergency, so we used the card to pay for part of the private plane's cost. The pilot couldn't take us as far as Las Vegas, but he could take us to Seattle, where he was able to connect us with another pilot he knew who could go the rest of the way. More money. â€Å"And Seattle again,† I mused, just before the plane took off. The little jet's interior had a set of four seats, two on each side facing each other. I sat next to Victor, and Eddie sat across from him. We figured that was the best protective configuration. â€Å"What about Seattle?† asked Eddie, puzzled. â€Å"Never mind.† Little private jets aren't nearly as fast as big commercial ones, and our trip took a large part of the day. During it, I continued asking Victor about his brother's role in Las Vegas and finally got the answer I wanted. Victor would have had to tell us eventually, but I think he'd gotten a sadistic thrill out of prolonging the answer. â€Å"Robert doesn't live in Las Vegas proper,† he explained. â€Å"He has a small house–a cabin, I suppose–out by Red Rock Canyon, miles outside the city.† Ah. Now that was more what I'd expected. Lissa stiffened at the mention of a cabin, and I felt unease through the bond. When Victor had kidnapped her, he'd taken her to a cabin in the woods and tortured her there. I gave her as reassuring a look as I could. It was times like these I wished the bond worked both ways so that I could truly send her comfort. â€Å"So we'll go out there?† Victor snorted. â€Å"Certainly not. Robert values his privacy too much. He wouldn't let strangers come to his home. But he'll come to the city if I ask.† Lissa eyed me. Victor could be setting us up. He had lots of supporters. Now that he's out, he could call them instead of Robert to meet us. I gave her a tiny nod, again wishing I could respond back through the bond. I'd thought of this as well. It was imperative we never leave Victor alone to make unsupervised calls. And actually, this plan to meet in Las Vegas itself made me feel better. For our own safety from Victor's henchmen, it was better to be in the city than out in the middle of nowhere. â€Å"Seeing as I've been so helpful,† said Victor, â€Å"I have the right to know what you want with my brother.† He glanced at Lissa. â€Å"Looking for spirit lessons? You had to have done some excellent investigative work to find out about him.† â€Å"You have no right to know about our plans,† I retorted sharply. â€Å"And seriously? If you're keeping track of who's been the most helpful here, we are totally beating you on the score-card. You've got a ways to go to catch up after what we did at Tarasov.† Victor's only response was a small smile. Some of our flight time took place at night, which meant it was early morning when we landed in Las Vegas. The safety of sunlight. I was surprised to see how crowded the airport was. The private one in Seattle had had a fair amount of planes, but the Fairbanks airport had nearly been deserted. This strip was chock-full of little jets, many of them screaming â€Å"luxury.† I shouldn't have been surprised. Las Vegas was the playground of celebrities and other wealthy people, many of whom probably couldn't lower themselves to fly commercial with ordinary passengers. There were taxis there, sparing us the ordeal of another rental car. But when the driver asked us where we were going, we all stayed silent. I turned to Victor. â€Å"The middle of the city, right? The Strip?† â€Å"Yes,† he agreed. He'd been certain Robert would want to meet strangers somewhere very public. Somewhere he could easily flee. â€Å"The Strip's a big place,† said the driver. â€Å"You got any place in particular or should I just drop you off in the middle of the street?† Silence fell over us. Lissa shot me a meaningful look. â€Å"The Witching Hour?† I considered it. Las Vegas was a favorite place for some Moroi. The bright sun made it less appealing for Strigoi, and the windowless casinos created comfortable, dark atmospheres. The Witching Hour was a hotel and casino we'd all heard of. While it had plenty of human customers, it was actually owned by Moroi, so it had lots of clandestine features to make it a great getaway for vampires. Feeders in back rooms. Special Moroi-only lounges. A fair number of guardians on patrol. Guardians†¦ I shook my head and glanced sideways at Victor. â€Å"We can't take him there.† Of all the hotels in Las Vegas, the Witching Hour was the last we'd want to go to. Victor's escape had to be breaking news all over the Moroi world. Taking him into Vegas's largest concentration of Moroi and guardians was probably the worst thing we could do at this point. In the rearview mirror, the driver's face looked impatient. It was Eddie who finally piped up. â€Å"The Luxor.† He and I were in the backseat, with Victor between us, and I peered over. â€Å"Where did that come from?† â€Å"It puts distance between us and the Witching Hour.† Eddie suddenly looked a little sheepish. â€Å"And I've always wanted to stay there. I mean, if you're coming to Vegas, why not stay in a pyramid?† â€Å"You can't fault that logic,† said Lissa. â€Å"The Luxor it is,† I said to the driver. We rode in silence, all of us–well, except for Victor–staring at the sights in awe. Even in the daytime, the streets of Las Vegas were teeming with people. The young and glamorous walked side by side with older couples from Middle America, who'd probably saved and saved to make this trip. The hotels and casinos we passed were huge, flashy, and inviting. And when we reached the Luxor†¦ yup. It was just like Eddie had said. A hotel shaped like a pyramid. I stared up at it when we got out of the car, trying hard not to let my jaw drop like the starry-eyed tourist I was. I paid the driver and we headed inside. I didn't know how long we'd be staying, but we definitely needed a room as our base of operation. Stepping into the hotel was like being back in the night-clubs in Saint Petersburg and Novosibirsk. Flashing lights and the overwhelming scent of smoke. And noise. Noise, noise, noise. The slot machines beeped and rang, chips fell, people yelled in dismay or delight, and the low thrum of conversation filled the room like humming bees. I grimaced. The stimuli grated on my senses. We passed through the casino's edge to get to the front desk, where the attendant didn't even blink at three teenagers and an old man getting a room together. I had to imagine that around here, they saw it all. Our room was average-size, with two double beds, and somehow we'd lucked out with an amazing view. Lissa stood at the window, entranced by the sights of people and cars on the Strip below, but I jumped straight to business. â€Å"Okay, call him,† I ordered Victor. He'd settled down on one of the beds, hands crossed and expression serene, as though he truly were on vacation. Despite that smug smile, I could see the fatigue etched on his face. Even with his blood refill, the escape and long trip had been exhausting, and the effects of his slowly returning disease were naturally taking a toll on his physical strength. Victor immediately reached for the hotel's phone, but I shook my head. â€Å"Liss, let him use your cell. I want a record of this number.† She gingerly handed the phone over, as though he might contaminate it. He took it and gave me a nigh-angelic look. â€Å"I don't suppose I could have some privacy? It's been so long since Robert and I have talked.† â€Å"No,† I snapped. The harshness in my voice startled even me, and it occurred to me Lissa wasn't the only one suffering from all the spirit used today. Victor gave a small shrug and began dialing. He'd told us on one of the flights that he had Robert's number memorized, and I had to take it on faith that that was who he was calling. I also had to hope Robert's number hadn't changed. Of course, even if Victor hadn't seen his brother in years, Victor had only been imprisoned a short while and had probably kept tabs on Robert beforehand. Tension filled the room as we waited while the phone rang. A moment later, I heard a voice answer through the phone's speaker–though I couldn't make out the exact words. â€Å"Robert,† said Victor pleasantly, â€Å"it's Victor.† This received a frantic response on the other end. I only could hear half of the conversation, but it was intriguing. Victor first had to spend a lot of time convincing Robert that he was out of prison. Apparently, Robert wasn't so removed from Moroi society that he was out of touch with current news. Victor told him that the details would be revealed later and then began making his pitch for Robert to come meet us. It took a long time. I got the feeling that Robert lived in fear and paranoia, which reminded me of Ms. Karp when she'd been in the advanced stages of spirit's insanity. Lissa's gaze stayed fixed on the scene outside the window during the entire call, but her feelings mirrored mine: fear that this could someday be her fate. Or mine as well, if I siphoned away spirit's effects. The image of the Tarasov sign flashed briefly through her mind: WARNING–NOW ENTERING PRISONER AREA (PSYCHIATRIC). Victor's voice turned surprisingly cajoling as he spoke to his brother, gentle even. I was reminded uneasily of the old days, before we'd known about Victor's demented plans for Moroi domination. Back then, he'd treated us kindly too and had practically been a member of Lissa's family. I wondered if at some point he'd been sincere or if it had all been an act. Finally, after almost twenty minutes, Victor convinced Robert to come see us. The unintelligible words on the other end of the phone were filled with anxiety, and at this point, I felt convinced that Victor truly was talking to his crazy brother and not one of his accomplices. Victor set up a dinner meeting at one of the hotel's restaurants and at last disconnected. â€Å"Dinner?† I asked when Victor set the phone down. â€Å"Isn't he worried about being out after dark?† â€Å"It's an early dinner,† Victor replied. â€Å"Four thirty. And the sun won't go down until almost eight.† â€Å"Four thirty?† I asked. â€Å"Good God. Are we getting the senior citizen special?† But he made a good point about the time and sun. Without the safety of Alaska's nearly nonstop summer light, I was starting to feel suffocated by the pressure of sunrise and sunset boundaries, even though it was summer here. Unfortunately, a safe early dinner still meant we had hours to pass. Victor leaned back on the bed, arms behind his head. I think he was attempting an unconcerned air, but my guess was that it was actually exhaustion driving him to seek the bed's comfort. â€Å"Care to try your luck downstairs?† He glanced over at Lissa. â€Å"Spirit users make remarkably good card players. I don't have to tell you how good you are at reading people.† She made no response. â€Å"Nobody's leaving this room,† I said. I didn't like the idea of us all being cooped up here, but I couldn't risk an escape attempt or Strigoi lurking in the casino's dark corners. After showering the dye from her hair, Lissa pulled up a chair by the window. She refused to get any closer to Victor. I sat cross-legged on the second bed, where there was plenty of room for Eddie to sit too, but he remained upright against a wall, in perfect guardian posture as he watched Victor. I had no doubt Eddie could maintain that position for hours, no matter how uncomfortable it got. We'd all been trained to endure harsh conditions. He did a good job at looking stern, but every once in a while, I'd catch him studying Victor curiously. Eddie had stood by me in this act of treason but still didn't know why I'd done it. We'd been there a few hours when someone knocked at the door. I leapt up. Eddie and I mirrored each other, both of us straightening to rigid attention, hands going for our stakes. We'd ordered lunch an hour ago, but room service had long since come and gone. It was too early for Robert, and besides, he didn't know the name our room was under. There was no nausea, though. No Strigoi at our door. I met Eddie's gaze, silent messages passing between us on what to do. But it was Lissa who acted first, rising from her chair and taking a few steps across the room. â€Å"It's Adrian.† â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Are you sure?† She nodded. Spirit users usually only saw auras, but they could sense each other if they were close enough–just as she had at the prison. Still, none of us moved. She gave me a dry look. â€Å"He knows I'm here,† she pointed out. â€Å"He can feel me too.† I sighed, still keeping my hand on my stake, and strode to the door. I squinted through the peephole. Standing there, his expression amused and restless, was Adrian. I could see no one else, and with no indication of Strigoi to be found, I finally opened the door. His face lit with joy when he saw me. Leaning in, he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping into the room. â€Å"You guys didn't really think you could go off on a party weekend without me, did you? Especially here of all places–â€Å" He froze, and it was one of those rare moments when Adrian Ivashkov was caught totally and completely off guard. â€Å"Did you know,† he said slowly, â€Å"that Victor Dashkov is sitting on your bed?† â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"It was kind of a shock to us too.† Adrian dragged his gaze from Victor and glanced around the room, noticing Eddie for the first time. Eddie had been standing so still that he practically seemed like part of the furniture. Adrian turned to me. â€Å"What the hell is going on? Everyone is out looking for him!† Lissa's words spoke to me through my bond. You might as well tell him. You know he won't leave now. She was right. I didn't know how Adrian had found us, but now that he had, there was no way he'd go. I glanced hesitantly at Eddie, who guessed my thoughts. â€Å"We'll be fine,† he said. â€Å"Go talk. I won't let anything happen.† And I'm strong enough again that I can compel him if he tries anything, Lissa added. I sighed. â€Å"Okay. We'll be right back.† I took Adrian's arm and led him outside. As soon as we were in the hallway, he started in again. â€Å"Rose, what's–â€Å" I shook my head. In our time here, I'd heard enough noise from other hotel guests in the hall to know that my friends would hear our conversation if we talked out there. Instead, Adrian and I took the elevator and headed downstairs, where the noise of the casino would mask our words. We found a slightly out-of-the-way corner, and Adrian practically pushed me against the wall, his expression dark. His light attitude annoyed me sometimes, but I preferred it to when he was upset, largely because I feared spirit would add an unstable edge. â€Å"You leave me a note saying you're sneaking off for one last party weekend, and instead I find you holed up with one of the most notorious criminals ever? When I left Court, that's all everyone was talking about! Didn't that guy try to kill you?† I answered his question with a question. â€Å"How did you even find us?† â€Å"The credit card,† he said. â€Å"I was waiting for you to use it.† My eyes widened. â€Å"You promised me when I got all those that you wouldn't go snooping!† Since my accounts and cards had come with his help, I'd known he had access to the records but had believed him when he'd said he'd respect my privacy. â€Å"When you were in Russia, I kept that promise. This is different. I kept checking and checking with the company, and as soon as the activity with the charter plane showed up, I called and found out where you were going.† Adrian's arrival here so soon after ours wasn't that unbelievable if he had been monitoring the card. Once he'd had the information he needed, he could have easily booked a flight. A nonstop commercial jet would have made up the time on our slower, multistop trip. â€Å"There was no way I could resist Vegas,† he continued. â€Å"So I thought I'd surprise you and show up to join in the fun.† I'd used my card for the room, I realized, again tipping off our location. No one else was linked to my or Lissa's cards, but the ease with which he'd tracked us made me nervous. â€Å"You shouldn't have done that,† I growled. â€Å"We might be together, but there are boundaries you've got to respect. This is none of your business.† â€Å"It's not like I was reading your diary! I just wanted to find my girlfriend and–† It was a sign of Adrian's distress that his mind was only now beginning to backtrack and put pieces together. â€Å"Oh lord. Rose, please tell me you guys aren't the ones who busted him out? They're all looking for two human girls and a dhampir guy. The descriptions don't match at all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He groaned. â€Å"But it was you, wasn't it? Somehow, you broke into a maximum-security prison. With Eddie.† â€Å"Must not have been all that secure,† I remarked lightly. â€Å"Rose! This guy has fucked with both of your lives. Why would you free him?† â€Å"Because†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. How could I explain this to Adrian? How could I explain that which, by all evidence in our world, was impossible? And how could I explain what goal in particular was driving this? â€Å"Victor has information we need. Or, well, he has access to someone we need. This was the only way we could get it.† â€Å"What on earth could he possibly know to make you do all this?† I swallowed. I walked into prisons and nests of Strigoi, but saying what I did next to Adrian filled me with apprehension. â€Å"Because there might be a way to save Strigoi. To turn them back to the way they were. And Victor†¦ Victor knows someone who might have done this.† Adrian stared at me for several long seconds, and even in the midst of the casino's movement and noise, it was like the world grew still and silent. â€Å"Rose, that's impossible.† â€Å"It might not be.† â€Å"If there was a way to do that, we would know.† â€Å"It involves spirit users. And we only just found out about them.† â€Å"That doesn't mean it's–oh. I see.† His deep green eyes flashed, and this time, they were angry. â€Å"It's him, isn't it? This is your last crazy attempt to get to him. To Dimitri.† â€Å"Not just him,† I said vaguely. â€Å"It could save all Strigoi.† â€Å"I thought this was over!† Adrian exclaimed. His voice was loud enough that a few people at nearby slot machines glanced over. â€Å"You told me it was over. You told me you could move on and be with me.† â€Å"I meant it,† I said, surprised at the desperate note in my voice. â€Å"It's something we only just found out about. We had to try.† â€Å"And what then? What if this stupid fantasy works? You free Dimitri in some miraculous act, and you drop me like that.† He snapped his fingers. â€Å"I don't know,† I said wearily. â€Å"We're just taking this one step at a time. I love being with you. Really. But I can't ignore this.† â€Å"Of course you can't.† He turned his eyes heavenward. â€Å"Dreams, dreams. I walk them; I live them. I delude myself with them. It's a wonder I can spot reality anymore.† The weird sound of his voice made me nervous. I could recognize one of his slightly crazy, spirit-induced lapses. Then, he turned from me with a sigh. â€Å"I need a drink.† Whatever pity I'd felt for him turned to anger. â€Å"Oh, good. That'll fix everything. I'm glad in a world gone mad, you've still got your old standbys.† I flinched at his glare. He didn't do it very often, and when he did, it was a powerful thing. â€Å"What do you expect me to do?† he asked. â€Å"You could†¦ you could†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Oh God. â€Å"Well, now that you're here, you could help us. Plus, this guy we're meeting. He's another spirit user.† Adrian didn't betray his thoughts, but I had a feeling that I had piqued his interest. â€Å"Yeah, that's exactly what I want. To help my girlfriend get her old boyfriend back.† He turned away again, and I heard him mutter, â€Å"I need two drinks.† â€Å"Four thirty,† I called after him. â€Å"We're meeting at four thirty.† There was no response, and Adrian melted into the crowd. I returned to the room in a dark cloud that had to be obvious to everyone. Lissa and Eddie were smart enough not to ask questions, but Victor, of course, had no such reserves. â€Å"What? Mr. Ivashkov isn't joining us? I'd so been looking forward to his company.† â€Å"Shut up,† I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall near Eddie. â€Å"Don't speak unless you're spoken to.† The next couple hours dragged by. I was convinced that any minute, Adrian would come back and reluctantly agree to help us. We could use his compulsion if things went bad, even though he couldn't match Lissa. Surely†¦ surely he loved me enough to come to my aid? He wouldn't abandon me? You're an idiot, Rose. It was my own voice that chastised me in my head, not Lissa's. You've given him no reason to help. You just hurt him again and again. Just like you did Mason. When four fifteen came around, Eddie looked over at me. â€Å"Should we stake out a table?† â€Å"Yeah.† I was restless and upset. I didn't want to stay in this room any longer, trapped with dark feelings that wouldn't go away. Victor rose from the bed, stretching as though getting up from a relaxing nap. Still, I could have sworn there was an eager glint hidden in the depths of his eyes. By all accounts, he and his half-brother were close, though I'd seen no indication that Victor displayed love or loyalty to anyone. Who knew? Maybe somewhere there was true affection for Robert. We formed a sort of protective configuration with me in the front, Eddie in the back, and the two Moroi between us. I opened the room's door and came face-to-face with Adrian. His hand was raised as though he'd been about to knock. He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh, hey,† he said. He had the standard laid-back Adrian expression on his face, though his voice was a bit strained. I knew he wasn't happy about any of this. I could see it in the tight set of his jaw and agitation in his eyes. Nonetheless, he was putting on a good front for the others, for which I was grateful. Most importantly, he'd come back. That was what mattered, and I could ignore the scent of alcohol and smoke wreathing him. â€Å"So†¦ I hear there's some party going on. Mind if I join you?† I gave him a weak, grateful smile. â€Å"Come on.† Our group now up to five, we headed down the hall toward the elevator. â€Å"I was cleaning up at poker, you know,† Adrian added. â€Å"So this better be good.† â€Å"I don't know if it'll be good,† I mused. The elevator doors opened. â€Å"But I think it'll be memorable.† We stepped inside, off to see Robert Doru. And what might be Dimitri's only salvation.

Conflict between Trade Unions and Management Essay

According to Fox, a manager should have an alternative ‘frame of reference’ that will help in analysing employee relations. Many managers use unrealistic ‘frames of reference’ that end up distorting the existing facts thus making solutions very elusive. Fox further explains that there is the need to develop an efficient and effective frame of reference that can view industrial relation conflicts in a realistic manner offering proper solutions (1966. Pp. 34). Fox is against some unrealistic ideologies that are used by managers to serve their interests forgetting the needs of employees. According to him workplace ideologies cannot and will never solve conflicts at the work place. Ideologies should be in a position to persuade, self reassure and legitimise work-related issues. It is clear that Fox was against the Unitarists’ view and was in support of Pluralism. According to Fox, the ideology that defines Unitarism is being abandoned because of its incongruent nature of reality (1966, pp.38). Unitarism and Pluralism UnitarismAccording to Fox, there exist two frames of reference, namely Unitarists and pluralist perspectives. Unitarism view conflict as very unnatural and something out of the ordinary, hence its abnormal nature. The Unitarists, as a result, try to eliminate conflicts that exist in the workplace. Unitarists believe clashes in the workplace arise due to poor management and lack of proper communication. Managers with poor communication and administration skills are to blame for any conflicts that result from the workplace. However, other conflicts may also be as a result of few employees that want to start trouble and chaos at the workplace (1966, p. 17). According to Fox, the main elements of Unitarism include a single authority in a Company that has no opposition at all (1966, p.7). In addition, they agree that the organizational managers’ role is to encourage employees to remain loyal and committed to the Organization (Budd et al., 2004, pp. 36). Lastly according to Collins et al. (2005, pp. 23), Unitarists believe that organizations mainly function as teams and, as a result, they have mutual goals to achieve. It means that they have no conflicts of interest among them including between managers and employees. Unitarism support the joining of hands between the managers and employees to achieve shared goals, values, vision and interests as the managers lead by example through active leadership to help in attaining set goals. They believe that conflicts in an organisation negatively affect its operations leading to disloyalty leading to the impairment of many Companies. They believe that the Government is autonomous and should shape the systems in industrial relations. Pluralism According to Collins et al. (2005, pp.987), Pluralists suggests that an organisation has many stakeholders involved in decision-making and pushing their interests. Conflicts, in such environments is standard and cannot be avoided thus the need for managers to handle it in an amicable manner. Pluralists support collective bargaining. According to Fox (1992, p 9), Trade unions do not introduce conflicts in organizations but the conflicts are endemic. If conflicts are handled well, both stakeholders will benefit, and collective bargaining is the path to take. Managers can even become creative in containing conflicts by reaching best agreements and creating very efficient methods of addressing the issues. Conflict in the labour market Conflict is defined as a discontent that comes from a perceived collision of individuals’ or groups interests and desires, when everyone takes a different expression or opinion. Conflicts in the labour market are unavoidable, but if well managed by the involved stakeholders, it can lead to improved performance. Industrial conflict often occurs when the workers are expressing their frustrations with their leaders in management over the way current affairs are being run in the organization. The main causes of conflicts include disagreeing on salary payment, wage increment and remunerations as stated in the employment contracts. Forms of conflict Employees may choose to express their dissatisfaction either in a formal or informal manner depending on the issue being raised. Formal methods of expressing dissatisfaction are well planned and organised in advance while Informal ones occur spontaneously and have no organisation taking the managers by surprise. Types of organised/ Formal conflicts Strikes According to Collins et al. (2005, pp.117), a strike occurs when an employee temporarily withdraws his/her services, an action that is against the employment contract. Strikes are formal industrial conflicts that are organised by respective trade unions that represent workers in various organisations. Trade unions represent the employees to ensure that their working conditions and payments are abiding by the laid down rules. During strikes, trade unions try to eliminate any possible alternative that employers can use to get services denied by the employees. A strike will continue until the top leadership in the organisation address the matter at hand, addressing the issues that caused it in the first place. Work-to –rule According to Budd et al, (2005, pp.44), Work-to –rule is a formal conflict in labour relations where the employees observe all the legal conditions in their employment contracts and deliberately refuse to use their initiative by acting rigidly and like machines that have already been programmed. An example may include nursing staff who refuses to answer Doctor’s calls because it is not included anywhere in the employment contract. Another example may involve a stenographer that refuses to change the grammatical errors committed by her employer because her primary role is only to transcribe. Work-to –rule is not illegal; therefore no employee can be punished, despite it slowing down performance progress in the organisation Protests and demonstrations Workers may also demonstrate against management’s action to undermine their rights. Demonstrations are legal as long as the employees observe the federal laws. Demonstrations may be organised by trade unions representing the employees. Types of unorganised/ informal conflicts Absenteeism According to Collins et al. (2005, pp.124), absenteeism is an informal conflict in the workplace where workers deliberately refuse to go to work. However, absenteeism may not be an industrial conflict because employees may fail to report to work because of many varied reasons for sickness or injury. When employees fail to go to work and they do not give grounds for the absenteeism either prior or after; then it is considered to be an informal conflict. Absenteeism reduces revenue and productivity of organizations, hence management need to come up with strategies that will avoid it. Sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate damage of employees’ reputation and production by employees as a means of expressing their grievances. Workers may choose to slow down production, disable machines used in processing, slander the Company or directly destroy the firm’s property. Most employees that carry out sabotage hide themselves but are willing to avail themselves when the pressure hits up. Resignation Many employees may choose to resign from their positions and even head to the rivalry company as a result of a protest against certain management practices. It may affect the reputation of the Company or even make the firm loose its competitive nature due to losing best employees to their competitor. Theft Employees may choose to steal from their employer as a protest for poor payment. Workers may organise to steal organisations’ consignment meant for their clients or Production purposes ruining their reputation. Legal regulation of conflict in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom labour laws describe strikes as illegal and, as a result ;nobody is allowed to conduct a strike. However, employees can express their grievances through their trade unions or Labour relations as stated in the Consolidation Act 1992 (TULRCA 1992). Any employees taking part in a strike are required to give a notice to the affected employee and get its members to ballot; if they get a majority vote then the industrial action can go on.Legislations in the United Kingdom labour laws that focus on employee rights are in support for Individualism as compared to collectivism Jurisdictions. Individual Conflicts According to Collins et al, (2005, pp.1024), any organization that is aiming at improving its operations need to minimise the individual conflicts at the place of work. Good managers can also turn the individual conflicts to benefit the firm by understanding every employee. Managers can conduct feedback and interactive sessions as well as face-face meetings with its employees. In addition, every manager should understand the dislikes and likes of his staff including their strong and weak points. Leaders should learn to value their employees’ opinions to make them feel valued. They can go ahead and give leave days to employees that look frustrated and tired. When an employee is found to have committed an offence it is very crucial for the managers to handle the disciplinary action with uttermost care. How to resolve individual conflicts Discipline is an action taken against a person that has failed to confine ton the rules set by a Company of where he works. Grievance on the other hand is a condition on employment terms that appear contrary to the stated rules in individual or collective contracts. It is important for the employees to ensure that: Employees understand what their standard of performance and conduct is and the consequences of failing to meet the standards. Managers should identify the obstacles that can make employees not to meet the standards and look for solutions. Both employees and employers should agree on objectives and timeframe to achieve. Employer should resolve a dispute using the employment tribunal If an employee is dismissed the manager should be able to prove to the tribunal that the due process was followed (Clegg, 1979, pp. 21). Collective conflicts According to Collins et al., (2005, pp.24), Individual employees face many problems like low wages, lack of incentives and poor working environment. Even though, the workers face the problems individually, they cannot attract the managers’ attention due to lack of bargaining power. When trade unions address the issues, then it becomes a collective conflict, and it increases the bargaining power of the employees rather than solving a case by case scenario. Trade unions play a significant role in collective conflicts by increasing the bargaining strength of workers in various employment situations collectively. Collective bargaining assists employees in presenting their grievances and ensures that management does not take a unilateral step or decision. Conflict resolution mechanism It is important for management to realize that conflicts at the place of work are inevitable. Employers and employees will always have issues especially in relation to employment contracts and wage payments. Management should come up with an employment tribunal that will deal with the problems whether individual or collective. When some of the conflicts are so complicated, there is the need for mediation to take place as soon as possible. Employers need to address issues at the workplace as quickly as possible. Postponing will only make the situation more complicated. Mediation helps a lot in solving conflicts before they become more complex. It provides a neutral ground fro employer and employees’ to discuss their issues and come up with solutions that are mutual. Mediation should encourage open communication and should be done by professionals that can develop solutions. According to Collins et al., (2005, pp.124), leaders should define to their employees what protocols to observe to reduce conflicts. It is important for them to create a framework that will encourage good business practices, team building, and talent management. A manager should clearly state actions that will not be tolerated. In addition, it is important for organisations to hit conflicts facing them head-on. Employers should seek out issues that will bring conflicts and intervene as soon as possible. This will help avoid some conflicts from coming up. Clegg believes that before solving conflicts it is essential for every party to understand the ‘what’s in it for me’ factor. It is very critical for all sides ton understand the motivation of others before trying to resolve the conflict. Avoiding conflicts by helping others achieve their objectives will provide a platform to conflict resolution (1979, pp. 22). Stakeholders in conflict resolution in the labour market Trade Unions and Employees. According to Trade Union & labour Relations (Consolidated Act 1992) a trade union is an organisation with workers as its members, whose primary function is to regulate the relationship between employees and employers or Employers’ Unions. The main purpose of a trade union is to protect and promote the interests of their workers who are their members.Trade unions try to get highest wage payment for its members and influence the rules and regulations that govern employment. In addition, they work as employees’ source of power as they control the government to formulate laws that benefit the employee. According to Budd et al. (2004, pp. 26), employers need to recognise trade unions because they provide a mechanism at the place of work that improves communication. It also helps to regulate employee-employer relationship. In addition trade, unions maintain active employment culture in labour relations. Most employers, however resist trade unions because the pose a challenge to the authority of the leaders in the organisation causing potential disruption of work at the firm. Some unions may not be willing to co-operate promoting rise in strikes and strives. Many managers prefer other useful channels of addressing employees’ grievances than use of trade unions. The Government Trade Union and labour relations (Consolidated) (1992, p. 108), defines the government as a state of the day, including the other agencies that perform their will through implementation of labour policies and their legislation. The government may be an employer, income regulator, rule formulator, manpower moderator or the protector of employees, thus the wide responsibility. The employer According to Fox (1966, p. 6) the employer is responsible for supplying its workforce with employment contracts that are favourable and abide by the labour laws in the United Kingdom. At the same time, they should provide a working environment that is beneficial to the employee. As much as their primary goal is to maximise profits it is important for the employer to mind the needs of a worker. Budd et al. believes that the company should acknowledge trade unions and use them as opportunities to move to the next level. Trade unions push employees’ agenda and if companies can use the issues raised to benefit the employee then performance will improve automatically as most employees will feel satisfied (2004 pp. 14). Conclusion Organisational conflict, trade unions, Governments, employers and collective bargaining are critical areas of interest in labour relations. Fox’s views on unitarism and pluralism clearly bring out the conflicts that arise at the workplace. According to Fox, the Unitarism perspective explains that what benefits the employee will automatically benefit the employer and conflict should not be taken as a typical phenomenon. According to the Unitarists, many managers and workers see their organisation in a unitary shape and are impressed with existing situations. The pluralists have an opposite view, however, arguing that what benefits the Company disadvantages’ the employees with the reverse being true. They believe that the interests of workers are very different from those of the employer. Due to the existence of poor labour laws, powerful Multinationals and desperate competition of employees, there exist weak employment conditions. In order to have a balance among the competing parties in the working relationship, Fox explains that firms need to go for the pluralist view as the most efficient and effective mechanism for solving conflicts that cannot be avoided. The frame of reference developed by Fox embraces the interests of both parties hence its relevance to the present society. Conflicts can either be organised or informal with strikes, absenteeism, sabotage and work-to –rule being the most common. Many organisations should come up with mechanisms to solve both the individual and collective conflicts appropriately to avoid affecting their operations. There is the need for the Government, employees, employers and Trade unions to work together to ensure that conflicts are handled in a mature manner. References Budd, J. et al. (2004), â€Å"Why A Balance Is Best: The Pluralist Industrial Relations Paradigm Of Balancing Competing Interests†, Industrial Relations Research Association, Research Volume. Pp. 12-48. Clegg, H. A. (1979). â€Å"The Changing System of Industrial Relations in Great Britain†. Oxford University press: Blackwell. Pp. 17-37. Collins, H. Keith, Ewing, & Aileen McCoglan. (2005). â€Å"Labour Law: Text and Materials 2nd Edition, Kogan Publishers: London. PP 1-1100. Commons, J.R. (1919), â€Å"Industrial Goodwill†. McGraw-Hill: New York. Pp.125-193 Flanders, Management & Unions, pp. 172 (08/10/10) Edwards, P. (2010). â€Å"The Employment Relationship†, pp.11-12 Fox, A. (1966). â€Å"Industrial Sociology and Industrial Relations†. Donovan: London Publishers: London, pp. 1- 187. Commission Research Paper No. 3, HMSO, London. Kochan, T. (1980). â€Å"Collective Bargaining and Industrial Relations: From Theory to Policy and Practice†. Homewood, Ill. Irwin: London pp.41-128. Slides, Perspectives on Industrial Relations, Sept 2010 (08/10/10) http://pesona.mmu.edu.my (10/10/10) http://works.bepress.com (08/10/10) http://www.legacy-itc.csomumn.edu/faculty/jbudd/research/buddgomezmeltz.pd (08/10/10) Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. https://www.google.co.ke/?gws_rd=ssl#. Source document

Mexican-American culture. Music tradition. essays

Mexican-American culture. Music tradition. essays Music adds cultural continuity to any immigrant groups national, religious, and family celebrations. Like other immigrant groups, Mexican immigrants continued their musical traditions once they moved to the United States. The influence of music traditions from Mexico, particularly regional music, has always played an important role in the lives of Mexican immigrants. Music, according to anthropologists, reflects the cultural worlds of any group. An immigrant groups musical heritage represents an important factor in the groups maintenance of national and cultural identity within the larger American society. Throughout Mexican immigrant communities in the United States, distinctively Mexican music styles continue to flourish. Although a diversity of musical styles eventually develops within all immigrant groups, traditional music usually continues within a specific sector of the immigrant community. Musica Nortena (music from north of Mexico) represents one of the major and most recognizable styles of music from Mexico. Musica nortena refers to a music genre that originated in the northern states of Mexico such as Nuevo Leon, Tamualipas, and Chihuahua, and along the U.S.-Mexico border states, particularly Texas. From the earliest phases in their immigrant history, Mexican immigrants brought musica nortena with them to their new communities in the U.S. where the music evolved within their communities, blending new elements with those of the past. Musica nortena can be traced back to the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century. Mexican musicians and songwriters built on the influence of German immigrants who brought their distinctive music styles with them from Germany in the nineteenth century to South Texas and Northern Mexico. Within their communities, Germans listened and danced to German polkas and mazurkas. Im...

Essay on ECONOMICS The Challenges of Unemployment

Essay on ECONOMICS The Challenges of Unemployment Essay on ECONOMICS: The Challenges of Unemployment Essay on ECONOMICS: The Challenges of UnemploymentUnemployment is a form of manifestation of macroeconomic instability expressed in excess of supply over demand of labor, when the economically active population is not engaged in economic activity in the country despite active search for job and willingness to work. Obviously, with the incomplete use of the available manpower resources economic system works not reaching its production capacity limits, and any economic growth in the country is out of the question. Thus, unemployment entails a significant reduction in potential gross product and national income. According to Okun’s law the increase in actual unemployment by 1% compared to its natural rate leads to 2.5% loss of GNP, which further manifests in the reduction of total consumption, savings and investment, general increase of social burden and uneven distribution of unemployment costs among different population groups, and overall reduction of households’ welfar e (Verhaar Jansma, 2014, p. 82). In addition, the rise in unemployment causes worsening of crime situation, worsening of growth dynamics of public interest in labor, as well as loss of qualifications of able-bodied citizens.By the end of 2013 there were nearly 202 million unemployed in the world, that is, about five million more than in the previous year (Nattrass, 2014, p. 90). This especially harmed 74.5 million young people aged 15 to 24, which is a million more than in the previous year (Nattrass, 2014, p. 91). If governments continue to do nothing and do not deal with the crisis of youth employment, stagnant unemployment and other problems of the labor market, this may lead to further social tensions. Thus, unemployment is currently one of the most serious challenges that contemporary economies must overcome. Further in this paper, we will examine the main types of unemployment and produce recommendations on preventing the development of factors causing them.Major types of une mploymentAll working-age population that is not working, but is looking for job is considered unemployed. The criteria for distinguishing the types of unemployment, as a rule, are the reasons for it.Thus, involuntary or unemployment of expectations occurs when an employee is able and willing to work at a given wage, but cannot find a job. The reason is the imbalance in the labor market due to the inflexibility of wages (due to laws on minimum wages, trade union demands, raising wages to improve the quality of labor, etc.). When the real wage is above the level corresponding to the balance of supply and demand, labor supply exceeds demand. Number of applicants for a limited number of jobs increases, and the chance of real employment decreases, which increases unemployment rate. Varieties of involuntary unemployment include cyclic (caused by repetitive production decline in the country or region), seasonal (depends on fluctuations in the level of economic activity during the year, cha racteristic of some specific sectors of the economy), and technological (related to mechanization and automation of production, which resulted in part of labor power becoming superfluous, or requiring a higher skill level (Verhaar Jansma, 2014). In turn, voluntary unemployment is related to the reluctance of people to work, for example under conditions of reduced wages. Voluntary unemployment increases during economic boom and decreases in recession. Also, there is a concept of â€Å"unemployment trap†, when a person’s income do not differ much, regardless of whether one works or not (due to deprivation of the right to appropriate compensation and fringe benefits, as well as significant payments of insurance premiums, etc.), which reduces a person’s interest to employment (Verhaar Jansma, 2014, p. 128).One of the key types of unemployment is structural unemployment which is caused by structural changes in the economy, such as changes in the structure of demand for products of different industries, consumer goods and production technologies, elimination of obsolete industries and professions (Nattrass, 2014). As a result, the structural mismatch occurs between the skills of the unemployed and demands of the available vacancies. This means that people who have a profession and skill levels that do not meet modern requirements and current industry structure, being laid off, cannot find a job. Together with frictional unemployment, structural unemployment forms a natural unemployment, which is compatible with the state of full employment, and the actual amount of production in this case is equal to the potential (Verhaar Jansma, 2014, p. 98). Here, frictional unemployment implies unemployment associated with the process of changing jobs, i.e. voluntary abandonment of one job and the search for another. Frictional unemployed include the dismissed or ones who quit their job, pending restoring at previous job or having found a new job, but who have not started it. Frictional unemployment is a phenomenon not only inevitable but also desirable, as it promotes a more rational allocation of labor and higher productivity.In addition, OECD experts (2010) distinguish institutional unemployment emerging in the case of state or unions intervention in setting the size of wage rates that differ from those that could be generated in the natural market economy, as well as marginal unemployment of poorly protected population layers and the lower classes, in particular unemployment among women, youth unemployment in a group of 18-25-year-olds, and unemployment among people with disabilities. Another serious problem is the presence of hidden unemployment as opposed to registered one, when the unemployment of potential workers is not reflected in official statistics. For example, as a result of production decline, labor force is often not used fully, but is not dismissed either. In latent unemployment, formally employed actually become u nemployed persons. In addition, there is a separate layer of individuals wanting to work, but not registered as unemployed. Partly, hidden unemployment is represented by people who stopped looking for work (Verhaar Jansma, 2014, p. 156).The reduction of unemployment is an extremely challenging task namely due to the existence of a variety of its types. Theoretically, it is not possible to develop a common way of dealing with unemployment, and therefore any state is forced to use different methods to solve this problem, some of which are discussed below.Overcoming unemploymentCommon to all types of unemployment measures include creation of new jobs by stimulating small and large businesses, and establishment of labor exchanges and other types of employment services (Verhaar Jansma, 2014; OECD, 2010; Blustein et al., 2012). However, in general, effective implementation of methods to overcome unemployment requires identifying the factors that determine the supply and demand of labor for each particular form of unemployment.Thus, for example, measures to deal with frictional unemployment primarily include the improvement of the information supply system for the labor market and creation of special services for this (OECD, 2010, p. 41). It is obvious that if the unemployed does not have information on existing vacancies, one cannot get a job. To solve this problem there are labor exchanges, employment centers and other similar private or public organizations. Equally important are the systematic studies of the labor market, including the study of the structure of employment in the labor market of public entities, registered unemployment problems, problems of interaction between employees and employers, employment problems of certain categories of the population, organizational problems of employment service and its individual directions. In addition, various job fairs, open days and similar events can be held to increase awareness.Fighting structural unemployment involves transformation of more complex mechanisms like providing opportunities for training and retraining of the unemployed, as well as protectionist measures to protect the domestic market (Blustein et al., 2012; OECD, 2010). In particular, protectionist measures help protect undeveloped and inefficient sectors of the economy of the country, reducing unemployment caused by the defeat of the enterprises in the competition. At the same time, as Blustein et al. (2012, p. 349) rightly note, this eventually reduces the competitiveness of national companies, undermines international trade, and monopolizes production leading to various negative consequences for the economy. Therefore, more efficient are the methods of economic diplomacy that also focuses on the development of the domestic market, but alongside is promoting national products in the foreign market, supporting investment projects in other countries and attracting foreign investment, providing the best terms of trade in fo reign markets (McBride Mustchin, 2013; OECD, 2010).In addition, the development of vocational education and training of public services allows workers to improve their skills, thereby adapting them to changes in the labor market. Particular attention should be paid to scarce occupations and professions (McBride Mustchin, 2013, p. 346). The disadvantage of this method is that it does not give quick results and increases inequality among workers, since the probability to get education increases in accord with the current job position (Nattrass, 2014, p. 92). Besides, unemployment caused by the decline in production and a sharp increase in the working population cannot be reduced in this way (OECD, 2010, p. 45).The major means of combating cyclical unemployment are implementation of stabilization policy aimed at preventing the deep recessions of production and, consequently, mass unemployment, as well as creation of additional jobs in the public sector (McBride Mustchin, 2013; Blust ein et al., 2012). Direct job creation through public spending is often formed by execution of public interest work, for example, in the field of environmental protection, road and railway construction, clearing debris from places of residence and so on. This approach is part of the Keynesian model of the economy, and it proved to be effective during the Great Depression in the United States. In total, in the 1933-1939 in the United States the number of employees in public works for the construction of canals, roads, and bridges reached 4 million people (Verhaar Jansma, 2014, p. 183).An important aspect in overcoming unemployment, particularly voluntary and hidden, is holding indirect labor market policy aimed at the formation of a certain attitude to unemployment in society, and smoothing its negative effects, as McBride and Mustchin (2013, p. 343) mark. Administrative employment regulation should include the ensuring of legal protection of employees, using of alternative forms of employment, developing unemployment insurance system, simplifying registration of the unemployed at employment services, strengthening guarantees in terms of payment for work and addressing arrears of wages, as well as introduction of effective protection system for wage workers through the mechanism of social partnership (Blustein et al., 2012; OECD, 2010; Nattrass, 2014). Here, in addition of flexible and non-traditional forms of employment providing the possibility or works to choose the optimal working schedule, it is also necessary to use the world experience of job-sharing and work-sharing in time and space. In turn, the system of social partnership is designed to provide negotiation to determine the minimum wage, and in some cases – to establish criteria for increasing wages at the industry or company level within the framework of the national policy of income and employment.ConclusionSince unemployment is a serious macroeconomic problem and an indicator of macroecono mic instability, the state must take measures to fight it. However, ways to overcome unemployment are directly depend on the unemployment types, because they are caused by different reasons. In our view, the factor-based policy is one of the most effective, as it interprets unemployment in the full range of its manifestations. In particular, measures to deal with frictional unemployment primarily include the improvement of the information supply system for the labor market and creation of special services for this, while structural unemployment involves the provision of wide opportunities for training and retraining of the unemployed, as well as economic diplomacy measures aimed at domestic market protection and attraction of investments. Cyclical and hidden unemployment could be prevented through the mechanism of administrative regulation, development of social partnership system and creation of additional jobs in the public sector.At the same time, individual events cannot complet ely eliminate the risk of unemployment and its growth: this can be achieved only in the overall improvement of the economic situation in the country. Therefore, the national policy to combat unemployment should focus on the long term, providing not only population employment, but also stable economic growth.

Multi-Stakeholders Issues Assessment for Global Organizations Essay

Multi-Stakeholders Issues Assessment for Global Organizations - Essay Example The two detrimental events have been key contributors to this change. In the beginning of 2000s, eruption of corporate scandals such as Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco advocated the idea that multi-national corporations and corporate executives care little for ethics, in their pursuit of profit and wealth generation. In 2008, the global financial crisis erupted and rippled across the world, due to a wide convergence of factors in the real-estate market and secondary financial markets, causing economic collapse of many countries, state and private organizations. This crisis, initially affecting the banking industry, not only scaled to a broader economic and geographic spectrum, but also widened the chasm between Wall Street and Main Street triggering wide-spread anti-capitalism and anti-MNCs protests. In spite of their substantial differences, both of these intra and inter-company crises have at least few characteristics in common. Both crises exemplify that managerial behavior and decision -making has high risk and potential to impact a broad range of people all over the world (Clement, 2005). These crises have been major blows to the public trust in business as an institution. In addition, these financial and economical catastrophes also accentuate that the pursuit of corporate goals can be, without difficulty, unsettled by the actions and behavior of unexpected groups and individuals (Parmar, et al., 2010). These issues, driven by change, interconnectedness and globalization, indicate a need for managers and academic scholars to re-evaluate the conventional ways of conceptualizing the responsibilities of the firm and role of a manager within the company. This essentially gives rise to the need of evaluating and effectively managing needs of all stakeholders for the organization. The concept of corporate objectives focused towards a broader and diverse set of stakeholders has been studied by a number of scholars and practitioners for the past few decades. Among many ideologies, â€Å"stakeholder theory† or â€Å"stakeholder thinking† has developed as a fresh narrative to analyze and manage three interconnected business challenges — the challenge of understanding how value is created and operated, the challenge of linking ethics with capitalism and the challenge of supporting managers with tools to address the first two challenges. This essay highlights and addresses the â€Å"stakeholder approach† to tackle challenges related to business ethics, corporate social responsibility and value creation. Upon the understanding of what stakeholder approach reinstates, the essay analyzes the dilemmas, issues and recommendations in its practical applications for managers. The Stakeholder Approach The stakeholder approach in the context of strategic management was first proposed by R. Edward Freeman in 1984 (Freeman, 1984). Contrary to the customary understanding of corporate strategy, which fundamentally associates the term â⠂¬Å"stakeholder† with the owners, investors or shareholders of the organization, Freeman defined a stakeholder more broadly as â€Å"Any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the firm’s objectives†. This was the first time that an academic study related to

Compensation System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compensation System - Essay Example take place in different plans like weekly or monthly payment of wages, economic loss compensation, payment of medical expenses and compensation to the dependants of a killed employee in the work place. Compensation of loss which occurs as a result of employee negligence does not take place in many jurisdictions. There many workers compensation systems which ensure that all employees have received their rights of compensation as stipulated in the Statutory. Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LSA) cover all employees in the maritime industry. The Jones Act provides compensation and protection of seamen (Lee, 2009). Another program is called Federal Coal Mine Health Safety Act which covers people working in mine industries. It provides compensation to the miners who develop lungs complications. Veterans Administration is another program which provides compensation to people with complications and disabilities not related to their services (King, 2007). In case of disability insurance, an organization should provide weekly payment of wages. This will enable employees to care for medical and family expenses. The employee will receive money weekly, and this can help in quick recovery through receiving a favorable medical care. The company providing weekly payment can incur loss because of payment of processing fee each week instead of making a single payment. Economic loss compensation can be made for past and future loss (Max, 2012). Many people have provided wrong information about loss claim in order to get compensation in this plan. In case of health insurance, employee receives compensation for medical bills. This compensates workers when they develop a complication while providing services (Duke, 2010). The last plan is compensation of the dependants of employees who die in the work place. There same instances in which a person can not receive a compensation. When individual suffers as a result of negligence he/she does not get compensation from any