Ethical issues in the workplace Personal Statement - 1

Ethical issues in the workplace - Personal Statement Example In their ethical code of conduct, organizations define specific rules related to employment, business, transactions, customers and clients. These rules not only provide a direction to the employees and organizational allies but also set right expectations with the customers, shareholders and clients. These rules also include laws related to employment such as anti-discrimination, employee wages, equal employment opportunities, union rights, workplace safety and security etc. Ethical organizational structures establish strong procedures to address employees’ grievances, complaints and other issues. Organizations also specify rules related to organization’s commitment and responsibility towards the environment, society and the nation as well as any other governing bodies that it is a part of. Another important element in an ethical organizational structure is its hierarchy, which has to define clear responsibilities to all its employees and should establish rules of job and accountability as well as reporting structures. Ethical organizations also strive to maintain accurate and complete data related to finance, performance, income tax, and information about their employees in a secure manner. In short, an ethical organizational structure is a comprehensive model of an ideal organization that benefits employees, society and the nations where it

United States Essay Example for Free

United States Essay Nowadays most of students after graduating high school start to think and infer which college or university will offer education and affordable tuition. Some future students decide on its prestige, well known student life, or the distance from home to school. When I graduated from high school, I had to decide stay in my native country and study at the university or come over to the United States of America. I chose being in the USA and study at Lone Star College for many reasons. First reason why I chose to attend this college is the unique distance. I would say I drive from my house to school approximately for 3 minutes or  even can take a walk for 10 minutes. That is amazing when you get to school in a couple minutes and you do not have to stick in permanent heavy traffic in the morning or afternoon. When school is close to the house, students will not have problems with attendance. Another reason was incredibly low tuition fee because it is pretty minor for international students. Even when student has financial problems, this college has all financial helps. For instance, scholarships and loans are available for students. All these financial help open doors for every student  who is interested in being educated. Finally I chose this college because all my major classes are in one campus. My prospective major is petroleum engineering, so I spend lots of time in the library studying math and other subjects. I am very lucky that I do not need to waste my precious time being stuck in traffic before I get from one campus to another. Lone Star College is the best community college and I suggest for future students choose very carefully their colleges or universities. There are lots of colleges with their unique teachers and students and it is not easy to make a decision.

Experiment on Effect of Music on Driving Performance

Experiment on Effect of Music on Driving Performance Research shows that listening to music is mostly common in an automobile (Wikman et al., 1998). Moreover, compared to other activities that might cause a distraction, there is a popular misconception that listening or singing to music while driving on the road causes little-to-no-risk (Dibben and Williamson, 2007). Several types of research and experiments have studied the effects of music on the performance of the operator in different controlled environments and under different conditions (Beh and Hirst, 1999; Baldwin and Coyne, 2003). On one hand, research has continuously supported the idea that under certain conditions, listening to music does increase alertness by countering sleepiness when driving (Braitman et al., 2008; Bellinger et al., 2009; Brodsky and Kizner, 2012). Experiments have also shown that music played close to a persons comfort volume level (72 Dba for male and 66 dba for female ) will induce faster reactions to signals (Turner et al., 1996). On the other hand, listening to music accompanies several behaviors that take the drivers attention. These include changing songs, scrolling to a playlist, fine-tuning a radio station, and swapping CDs which directs the drivers eyes away from the road and leads to single-handed driving (Horberry et al., 2006). Listening to music while driving might also have another drawback as it will cause less auditory acuity for the sound of the music caps road noises (e.g. sirens, horns, vehicle warning signs) (Consiglio et al., 2003; Brodsky and Slor, 2013). This would considerably decrease the operators overall awareness of a situation (Lee et al., 2012). Additionally, momentary loud peaks in music disrupt vestibulocochlear control leading to a decrease in the reaction time of the driver thus increasing the risk of collision (Wikman et al., 1998). An important note is that previous research showed that some music genres like Pop, rock, and dance contain more frequent peaks in the tracks than o ther genres like classic, vocal, and rap (Hughes et al., 2013). Moreover, research has shown that the drivers perception of moving objects can be altered based on the pace of the background music (Brodsky, 2001). Furthermore, research done at the University of Negev in 2012 showed that although drivers that listened to their favorite music songs had elevated positive moods and enjoyed the trips, they exhibited more steering inaccuracies, aggressive driving patterns, and traffic violations compared to drivers that listened to songs they are not familiar with (Brodsky and Slor, 2013). A lot of research have considered effects of music based on its familiarity with the driver (Cummings et al., 2001), loudness (Ayres and Hughes, 1986), and pace (Iwamiya, 1997). Music genres are mainly categorized into Pop, Rock, Dance, hip-hop, and Rap (ÃÅ"nal et al., 2012). This categorization is based on the most popular music for individuals aged between 16 to 30. To our knowledge, there is no research that tests whether the effects of different types of music genres on driving performance(Oron-Gilad et al., 2008). The aim of this study is to test if there are any different effects of genres of music on the driver performance. The objective is to set the genres that enhance the drivers performance and the those that predict the worst outcome.(Ho and Spence, 2005; McEvoy et al., 2006) In this research, we seek to study the effects of the 5 different genres presented earlier on driving performance while controlling all other effects of in-cabin music like volume, familiarity, pace, and tempo. Hypothesis 1: Given that Pop, rock, and dance music have more peaks/climaxes than other music genres, we predict that they will have a negative effect on the performance. Hypothesis 2: On the other, we predict that listening to hip-hop and rap will have a positive outcome when it comes to the drivers performance. The proposed project will be a multivariate experimental design. The first independent variable in this study is the type of music the driver is listening to. These include 5 different genres compare to a control situation, which is when the driver is not listening to any music. 20 popular tracks (4 for each genre) will be chosen to be played during the experiment. The tracks will be chosen from a website called Grooveshark (Grooveshark.org) which contains top charts from each genre. The choice of tracks is very important to this experiment since as mentioned above the pace/beats per minute (BPM) of a song, and familiarity does affect the driving performance, thus all the tracks were chosen should have 120-125 BPM rate and should popular so that every participant will know one of these three tracks. The second independent variable will be the type of incident the driver must respond to. For the current study, a simulated world of the roads in London was created. The setting is intercity roads and highways. Incidents that the participant will face were designed specifically to mimic the possible scenarios that a London driver would experience (National Survey, 2016) they are characterized by 2 groups : Highway incidents Traffic Pileup Car following Monotonous driving Intercity Road incidents Car coming from the left violating the giveaway rule Parked car suddenly driving off Intersection crossing The dependent variables will be mental effort value and the driving performance. The former will be assessed using The Rating Scale Metal Effort (value from 0 to 150 where 0 indicates no effort and 150 indicates extreme effort) (Zijlstra, 1993) at different intervals during the study . In a series of studies by Zijlstra demonstrated that the scale is sensitive to changes in task load and correlates well with physiological changes based on task difficulty. Therefore, the scale is a valid and reliable measure for subjective ratings of mental effort, and an indicator of workload and information processing during the driving task. Throughout the experiment, the driving simulator will log relevant driving performance indicators during a series of 6 incidents that the participants will undergo them twice, once with no music as a control and another while listing to different music genres. More detailed description of the performance indicators will be mentioned in the measurement description. The experiment requires 85 participants that should have the following requirements: Participants should be between 18 and 65 years old A valid driving license for more than 6 months No hearing deficiencies Not persecuted by traffic court Participants will be selected to ensure a representative sample of the population in London. The ratio gender and age should be statistically similar to the drivers in London. According to the national transport, survey done in 2010, the gender ratio was 58% males and 42% females, and the mean age was 40 years. Finally, upon completion of the study, the participants will be rewarded a 20Â £ amazon voucher. All participants will be given a detailed information about the experiment prior participation and will be asked to sign a consent form. This document will include the risks and potential benefits, information about the researcher, and ERGO contact information. Also, the consent form will inform the participants that they have the right to drop out of the study at any stage, and withdraw their data after the study have been completed with no negative impact on them. The study will only be conducted with the approval of the ERGO committee at the University of Southampton. Finally, the participants will be each given a number that will be used in all data logging, questioners, results, and reports so that participant confidentiality is preserved. All soft data will be kept on a secure hard drive and all hard copy data will be kept in a locked cabin under the supervision of the principal investigator. Participants will go through all highway and intercity incidents twice (6 incidents as a control with no music, and another 6 with different music genres playing in the car). When the participants arrive, they will be debriefed and then guided through consent form. Once the participants agree to join the study, they sign the consent form. After that, they will undergo a 3-minute online Hearing deficiency test designed by the Royal institute of Deaf People (www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk) to check for any hearing deficiencies. If they pass the test they will go through a 10-minute training session in the driving simulator so that they will get to know the driving simulator. If the researchers observed any participants having simulation-sickness they would exclude from the experiment at this point. Moving on, the participants will choose 5 songs (one from each genre) that they are familiar with, and they will be informed that they should respond with a single value from 0 to 150 when a research asks them about their mental effort during the driving task. At this point, the participants will be asked to go through the 12 different scenarios with a 5-min break between each 6 incidents. The scenarios will be generated in a random order for the different participants using randomgenerator.org. Such that everyone gets a different sequence of the scenarios with different music genres. Avoiding the effect of sequence on the outcomes. To achieve a controllable environment a couple of measures will be taken. Firstly, the only songs played to the participant are the ones he/she chose before he started the driving simulation.Secondly, the music will be played at a moderate sound level throughout the experiment (72 Dba for male and 66 dba for female ) to exclude any effects of the different volume levels on the drivers performance. Thirdly, road noises simulated road noises will not be played during any of the tests because the research is solely interested in the effects of different music genres on driving performance. A pilot study will be conducted prior to the main study to ensure all the information given to the participants are clear. In addition, a pilot study will allow the researchers to address any possible factors that might affect the outcome and thereby produce a non-replicable result. The pilot will be made up of 10 individuals who will go through the whole experiment and afterward sit with the researchers and address their concerns in a focus group. The feedback will be taken into consideration and the study procedure will be adapted to try to avoid any problem that might arise during the data collection phase. Each incident will last 2 minutes, so each participant will be in the car simulator for an average of 40 minutes (including a 5-minute half-time). Including the debriefing talks, 10-minute training session, consent form, hearing test, and music selection music selection the whole experiment should last an average of one hour for every participant (Strayer et al., 2003; Sheller, 2004; Patel et al., 2008) The experiment will be done in the Southampton University Driving Simulator (SUDS) with a 135-degree field-of-view which contains a Jaguar XJ saloon vehicle linked to the STISIM Drive simulation software, it has an interactive driving simulator with three driving displays supporting a 135-degree driver field-of-view (University of Southampton Driving Simulator, 2016). 1000 Watt Panasonic speaker was used to play the background music that was linked to an iPod. A digital sound level meter was also used to measure the loudness of the music and keep the loudness level on 72 Dba for male and 66 for female participants. To measure driver mental effort the researchers will use The Rating Scale Metal Effort and will log the values on an excel sheet. For the hearing deficiency test, the researchers will use the online hearing deficiency test. For the driving performance monitoring, the SUDS will record specific values for each tone of the 12 of scenarios. The research will use relevant indicators used in other driving simulator experiments that test driver performance because of their effectiveness to portray the overall driver performance in each of the designed incidents.(ÃÅ"nal et al., 2012) Traffic Pileup: Mean minimum headway which is the time needed for the following car to reach the lead car. Absolute minimum headway time. Car following: Mean speed while following the car Standard Deviation of speed Monotonous driving: 2.a 2.b Car coming from the left Maximum deceleration Minimum velocity Maximum Break percentage Parked car suddenly driving off Time to contact the moving car 4.a 4.b Intersection Crossing Distance to the approaching car when the driver crossed the intersection The results will be analyzed using the MANOVA analysis. The two dependent variables will be mean values on the driving performance and mental efforts. The output of those will be compared across the 12 different scenarios. In addition, interactions between dependent variables will be analyzed (in the MANOVA analysis). Bonfornni posthoc tests will allow pointing where the exact difference is between the different scenarios. Finally the . SPSS version 24 will be used for analysis. References Ayres, T.J. and Hughes, P. (1986) Visual acuity with noise and music at 107 dbA. Journal of Auditory Research. Baldwin, C.L. and Coyne, J.T. (2003) Mental workload as a function of traffic density: Comparison of physiological, behavioral, and subjective indices Proceedings of the Second International Driving Symposium on Human Factors. 19-24. Beh, H.C. and Hirst, R. (1999) Performance on driving-related tasks during music. Ergonomics, 42 (8), 1087-1098. Bellinger, D.B., Budde, B.M., Machida, M., Richardson, G.B. and Berg, W.P. (2009) The effect of cellular telephone conversation and music listening on response time in braking. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 12 (6), 441-451. Braitman, K.A., Kirley, B.B., Mccartt, A.T. and Chaudhary, N.K. (2008) Crashes of novice teenage drivers: Characteristics and contributing factors. Journal of Safety Research, 39 (1), 47-54. Brodsky, W. (2001) The effects of music tempo on simulated driving performance and vehicular control. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 4 (4), 219-241. Brodsky, W. and Kizner, M. (2012) Exploring an alternative in-car music background designed for driver safety. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 15 (2), 162-173. Brodsky, W. and Slor, Z. (2013) Background music as a risk factor for distraction among young-novice drivers. Accident Analysis Prevention, 59, 382-393. Consiglio, W., Driscoll, P., Witte, M. and Berg, W.P. (2003) Effect of cellular telephone conversations and other potential interference on reaction time in a braking response. Accident Analysis Prevention, 35 (4), 495-500. Cummings, P., Koepsell, T.D., Moffat, J.M. and Rivara, F.P. (2001) Drowsiness, counter-measures to drowsiness, and the risk of a motor vehicle crash. Injury Prevention, 7 (3), 194-199. Dibben, N. and Williamson, V.J. (2007) An exploratory survey of in-vehicle music listening. Psychology of Music, 35 (4), 571-589. Ho, C. and Spence, C. (2005) Assessing the effectiveness of various auditory cues in capturing a drivers visual attention. Journal of experimental psychology: Applied, 11 (3), 157. Horberry, T., Anderson, J., Regan, M.A., Triggs, T.J. and Brown, J. (2006) Driver distraction: The effects of concurrent in-vehicle tasks, road environment complexity and age on driving performance. Accident Analysis Prevention, 38 (1), 185-191. Hughes, G.M., Rudin-Brown, C.M. and Young, K.L. (2013) A simulator study of the effects of singing on driving performance. Accident Analysis Prevention, 50, 787-792. Iwamiya, S.-I. (1997) Interaction between auditory and visual processing in car audio: simulation experiment using video reproduction. Applied human science, 16 (3), 115-119. Lee, J.D., Roberts, S.C., Hoffman, J.D. and Angell, L.S. (2012) Scrolling and driving how an MP3 player and its aftermarket controller affect driving performance and visual behavior. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 54 (2), 250-263. Mcevoy, S.P., Stevenson, M.R. and Woodward, M. (2006) The impact of driver distraction on road safety: results from a representative survey in two Australian states. Injury prevention, 12 (4), 242-247. National Survey (2016). Department of Transport. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8933/nts2010-02.pdf. Oron-Gilad, T., Ronen, A. and Shinar, D. (2008) Alertness maintaining tasks (AMTs) while driving. Accident Analysis Prevention, 40 (3), 851-860. Patel, J., Ball, D.J. and Jones, H. (2008) Factors influencing subjective ranking of driver distractions. Accident Analysis Prevention, 40 (1), 392-395. Sheller, M. (2004) Automotive emotions feeling the car. Theory, culture society, 21 (4-5), 221-242. Strayer, D.L., Drews, F.A. and Johnston, W.A. (2003) Cell phone-induced failures of visual attention during simulated driving. Journal of experimental psychology: Applied, 9 (1), 23. Turner, M.L., Fernandez, J.E. and Nelson, K. (1996) The effect of music amplitude on the reaction to unexpected visual events. The Journal of General Psychology, 123 (1), 51-62. ÃÅ"nal, A.B., Steg, L. and Epstude, K. (2012) The influence of music on mental effort and driving performance. Accident Analysis Prevention, 48, 271-278. University of Southampton Driving Simulator (2016). Available from: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/research/facilities/driving_simulator.page. Wikman, A.-S., Nieminen, T. and Summala, H. (1998) Driving experience and time-sharing during in-car tasks on roads of different width. Ergonomics, 41 (3), 358-372. Zijlstra, F.R.H. (1993) Efficiency in work behaviour: A design approach for modern tools. TU Delft, Delft University of Technology.

My Examination as a Writer Essay -- Essays Papers

My Examination as a Writer The process of examining me as a writer is not easy. Writing, for me, has never been an easy task. Many times I sat for hours contemplating my blank piece of paper just trying to figure out how to begin to write the creative writing assignment due in a few days for my high school English class. I knew that learning to write well took patience and practice, much like learning any other skill. I remember the long hard hours I spent developing my skills as a skateboarder. I knew that I had to find the same attitude to develop my writing skills. I knew also that I wanted to continue my education and pursue a law degree. Definitely my writing skills had to be developed. This September I found myself no longer as a high school student. I am now a college freshman in the University of Dayton. As a high school student in Puerto Rico, I competed with other Puerto Rican students who also had English as a second language. Now I panicked because I am submerged in a totally English-speaking environment. I was not sure that my ideas could su...

Gender Discrimination in the Workforce

Although there have been decades of hard won civil rights gains for women, we do not yet live in a gender blind society. Sexism perpetuates a cycle of unfulfilled aspirations among women. Public policies are being scrutinized under ever stricter legal microscopes, and an atmosphere of unease about the future pervades our national consciousness – â€Å"a future beset with economic challenges from abroad, technological innovation at home, a demographic revolution in our workforce, and a re-stratification of society. † Restrictions on women’s access to and participation in the workforce include the wage gap and the glass ceiling.We will discuss the following laws that have helped women make important strides in the workforce, cracking (but not breaking) the glass ceiling so they could climb up the corporate ladder: the 1963 Equal Pay Act, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Executive Orders 11246/11375, the 1968 Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act. In addition, we will provide reasons for the continuing network discrimination against females, a recent case study of pervasive gender discrimination resulting in a 152. 5 million dollar ettlement by one well known employer who was sued, and steps women can take to continue making strides toward an equal opportunity workforce. Legislation requiring equal pay for women was first introduced in 1945 in acknowledgement of women’s war work. Business owners and labor organizations succeeded in thwarting the effort, in part because of the perceived need for women to leave the labor force to create vacancies for returning servicemen. By the end of the 1950’s, policymakers were becoming concerned about insufficient use of â€Å"womanpower†.In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act as an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require employers to pay equal wages to men and women doing â€Å"equal work on jobs†¦which [re quire] equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and are performed under similar working conditions†. The Equal Pay Act was the first federal effort to bar discrimination by private employers on the basis of gender. The Equal Pay Act has limitations in its enforcement of protecting women – for full-time, year- round workers, the 2009 American Community Survey median earnings for women were 78. 2 ercent of men’s earnings – $35,549 compared with $45,485. Furthermore, women’s earnings were lower than men’s in all of the 50 states. One year after passing the Equal Pay Act, Congress passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which made it unlawful to discriminate based on a person’s race, religion, color, or sex. Title VII attacks sex discrimination more broadly than the Equal Pay Act extending not only to wages but to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.Thus with the Equal Pay Act and Title VII, an employer cannot deny women equal pay for equal work, deny women transfers, romotions, or wage increases, manipulate job evaluations to regulate women’s pay, or intentionally segregate men and women into jobs according to their gender. In 1971 Reed v. Reed became the first case that the Supreme Court would uphold Title VII to, thus protecting women from sex discrimination. One year following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 as a directive as to how the act should be interpreted and followed. Executive Order 11246 prohibited public and government sector employers from iscriminating based on race, color, religion, or national origin, but not sex. Executive Order 11246 was amended by Executive Order 11375 on October 13, 1967 after sexual harassment became an issue. Sex would now be included as a category that could not be discriminated against by an employer. Executive Order 11375 meant to ensure that women would not be exploited sexuall y to advance their careers. Women were to now be protected in the workplace from supervisors and coworkers who did not take into consideration the concept of personal space or offensive language and conduct.Legal regulations now banned these behaviors and legal action could be taken if they did occur. Executive Order 11375 meant women should no longer have to worry about being discriminated against in the workplace in terms of being hired or released. Executive Order 11375 meant that Affirmative Action (of Executive Order 11246) now applied to women as well. Affirmative Action is an organization’s active effort to find opportunities to hire or promote people in a particular group (in this instance, women). Affirmative Action plans must consist of an equal opportunity policy statement, an analysis of he current work force, identification of underrepresented areas, the establishment of reasonable, flexible goals and timetables for increasing employment opportunities, specific a ction-oriented programs to address problem areas, support for community action programs, and the establishment of an internal audit and reporting system. Contractors receiving more than $10,000 from the federal government must take affirmative action, and those exceeding $50,000 must develop a written affirmative action plan for each of their establishments. The plan must be in place within 120 days of the beginning of the contract.Employers whose contracts meet minimum size requirements must engage in affirmative action to ensure against discrimination. Employers must consider all qualified individuals for employment, must choose without regard to gender (now a protected category), and must engage in outreach to encourage the broadest possible group of qualified individuals to enter the supply or applicant pool. In 1967 Congress passed the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The ADEA branches from the debate on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimina tion on the asis of race, color, national origin, or sex, but not age. President Lyndon Johnson strongly believed that age was a growing issue among Americans. This law prohibits discrimination of men and women employees over the age of 40 and forbids companies to base employment decisions solely on an applicant’s age. The Equal Opportunity Commission enforces this act but there are still many complaints filed yearly from workers who are experiencing discrimination because of their age. For many years, elderly workers have felt that they are losing out to their younger coworkers.The Age Discrimination in Employment Act attempts to eliminate the gap between younger and older employees. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act applies to businesses with 15 or more employees working 20 or more weeks per year including employees in state and local government, federal government, employment agencies, and labor organizations. The ADEA helps protect unlawful discrimination of older individuals that can occur when applying or interviewing for jobs. The Age Discrimination Act protects employees by prohibiting employers to include age preferences or limitations in job applications and advertisements.Under the ADEA it is not expressly forbidden to ask an applicant’s age, but it is closely examined to make sure the query was made for a legitimate purpose. Despite the Age Discrimination Act, The Supreme Court recently changed what qualifies as successfully proven age discrimination. Companies come up with multiple reasons why an employee is terminated without mentioning age, when in actuality the employee’s age is the only factor. Seniors are a growing population and many are planning to work past their retirement age. Discrimination against age is not only affecting individual employees but ociety as a whole. An employee now has to prove that their age was the sole reason for their employer’s actions, therefore older workers can barely fight or prosecute age discrimination. In 2007, 60-year-old Oklahoma City Teacher Judy Jones filed an age discrimination suit against the superintendant who eliminated her teaching position and reassigned her to an office job as a principal. Judy’s salary decreased and benefits were affected during her second year as principal, while school directors and the superintendant himself frequently commented on Judy’s age and retirement plans.The district court rejected her claim because she â€Å"could not show sufficient evidence† that her age was the sole reason for her relocated position and reduced pay. There have been successful outcomes to Age Discrimination lawsuits as the U. S. Equal Opportunity Commission recently charged two companies with age discrimination. A 70-year- old pharmacist at the Honolulu Kmart was awarded $120,000 after higher management habitually commented on, and wrote about, her elderly age, causing her humiliation and compelling her to retire. In a nother case, a 75-year-old qualified receptionist was fired based on ge after her second day at work at Red Rock Western Jeep Tours Inc. She filed a lawsuit and it was settled in a $35,000 payout. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 defines discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and childbirth or any other form of illegal sex discrimination. This act is meant to ensure that no woman will be subject to non-hire by an employer due to pregnancy. She is to be treated the same as any other individual and is to be guaranteed benefits and accommodations based on the same policies and procedures as any other employee with a disability.Pregnancy discrimination occurs when expectant mothers are fired, not hired, or otherwise discriminated against due to their pregnancy or intention to become pregnant. Common forms of pregnancy discrimination include not being hired due to visible pregnancy or likelihood of becoming pregnant, being fired after informing an employer of one’s pregn ancy, being fired during maternity leave, and receiving a pay dock due to one’s pregnancy. In 1978, the U. S. Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, an amendment to the sex discrimination section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Pregnancy DiscriminationAct states that discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions constitutes unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII. This clause covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. Title VII also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations, as well as to the federal government. Women who are pregnant or affected by pregnancy-related conditions must be treated in the same manner as other applicants or employees with similar abilities or limitations. An employer may not single out pregnancy related conditions to determine an mployee’s ability to work. However, if an employer requires its employees to submit a doctor’s statement concerning their inability to work before granting leave or paying sick benefits, the employer may require employees affected by pregnancy-related conditions to submit such statements. If an employee is temporarily unable to perform her job because of her pregnancy, the employer must treat her the same way as any other temporarily disabled employee. Pregnant employees must be permitted to work as long as they are able to perform their jobs.If an employee has been absent from work as a result of a pregnancy-related condition nd recovers, her employer may not require her to remain on leave until the baby’s birth. An employer also may not have a rule that prohibits an employee from returning to work for a predetermined length of time after childbirth. Employers must hold open a position for a woman who has been absent due to pregnancy-related issues for the same length of time jobs are held open for employees on sick or disability leave. Any health insurance provided by an employer must cover expenses for pregnancy- related conditions on the same basis as costs for other medical conditions. An employer need ot provide health insurance for expenses arising from abortion, except when the life of the mother is endangered. Pregnancy-related expenses should be reimbursed exactly as those incurred for other medical conditions, whether payment is on a fixed basis or a percentage of a specific amount. The amounts payable by the insurance provider can be limited only to the same extent of amounts payable for other conditions. No additional, increased, or larger deductible can be imposed. Employers must provide the same level of health benefits for spouses of female employees as they do for spouses of male employees.Pregnancy-related benefits cannot be limited to married employees. Benefits must be provided for pregnancy-related conditions to unmarried women if benefits are provided to employees for other medical conditions. If an employer provides any be nefits to workers on leave, the employer must provide the same benefits for those on leave for pregnancy-related conditions. Employees on leave because of pregnancy-related conditions must be treated the same as other temporarily disabled employees for accumulation and crediting of seniority, vacation calculation, pay increases, and temporary disability benefits.A case that was important to the creation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was Muller v. Oregon (1908). The Supreme Court upheld a decision limiting women to 10 hour workdays based on the idea that â€Å"performance of maternal functions† made women inherently incapable of the same work that men did. In the 1950s and 1960s, laws in several states prohibited women from working and others banned their hiring for some length of time before and after birth. Reasons for the continuing network discrimination against women include myths about female workers, conscious and unconscious stereotyping and biasing applied by ma ny white en who are desperate to keep their competitive edge over women, and inadequate reporting and dissemination of information pertaining to glass-ceiling issues. The following myths about female employees, despite being disproved, still exist: women executives refuse to work long hours or relocate, and many women executives take leave of absences (and that those who go on federally and state protected maternity leave have suddenly lost professional credibility upon becoming pregnant or taking temporary leave). Statistics show women executives work 56 hours per week on average – the same as their ale counterparts. Only 14 percent refused to relocate as compared to 20 percent of the men.Only one-third of female executives surveyed had ever taken a leave of absence and 82 percent of these were for maternity leave or other family reasons protected under FMLA. Finally, there can be a twisted perception that women executives lose their professional credibility upon becoming pr egnant or taking maternity leave – an â€Å"out of sight, out of mind† mantra held by their bosses. Furthermore, a pregnant woman obviously has priorities outside of work and a selfish mployer may have the unreasonable expectation of work being a sole priority. Research suggests that an underlying cause of the glass ceiling is the perception of many white males â€Å"that they as a group are losing – losing competitive advantage, losing control, and losing opportunity as a direct consequence of inclusion of women. † There is also a â€Å"difference† barrier â€Å"manifested through conscious and unconscious stereotyping and bias. † People who do hiring feel most comfortable hiring people who look like them. Recruiters for high-status jobs are predominately white males who then hire other white males from the same socio- conomic status, which helps perpetuate their over-representation in the best jobs. Governmental barriers include the collec tion and disaggregation of employment related data which make it difficult to ascertain the status of various groups at the managerial level. There also continues to be inadequate reporting and dissemination of information pertaining to glass ceiling issues. Most importantly, there needs to be consistent monitoring and enforcement of laws and policies already on the books. The following case demonstrates how costly illegal gender discrimination can be to employers:In May 2010, a jury in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York awarded a record $250 million in punitive damages to 5,600 female sales employees in a sexual discrimination case after Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (â€Å"Novartis†) took the lawsuit filed against them to court – and lost. In July 2010, the parties reached a $152 million settlement agreement of the plaintiffs’ claims of gender discrimination in the terms and conditions of their employment, including compensat ion, promotion/promotional opportunities, reviews, and pregnancy leave. The terms of this greement allow for full compensation of former and current female employees dating from 2002-2010, ensuring that every woman who worked at Novartis over the past 8 years was compensated fairly.As part of the settlement, Novartis must also spend an additional $22. 5 million over the next three years on anti-discrimination policies, programs, and training, as well as on strengthening its employee complaint process. Novartis was ordered to increase its Human Resource and Employment Relations staff within nine months of the effective state of the settlement agreement – ensuring that there would be ne Employment Relations Investigator for every 1,000 Novartis employees. A Compliance Master would be appointed as an external specialist for the New York Federal Court to monitor Novartis’s compliance with the settlement agreement’s terms and conditions. Steps that women can take to continue making strides toward an equal opportunity workforce are to show themselves as decision makers, risk-takers, and players. Furthermore, a female manager should do her best to remove gender biases from her own business practices by not comparing her employees to men at the top.In Conclusion, women are just a few steps closer to being looked at as equal to men due to these legal acts. Women now have fewer restrictions and more rights within the workforce. The 1963 Equal Pay Act and 1964 Title VII brought women higher pay and more equal opportunity. Women are now seeing the benefits of Executive Order 11375 which included protection from any sexual harassment. In 1967 the Age Discrimination in Employment Act was put into place to include age from discrimination, and women benefited from the insistence that age should not prevent a capable and qualified person from working.In 1978 the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was implemented so that pregnancy did not determine a womanâ€℠¢s ability to work; it also ensured that she received the same benefits as anyone else with a disability. Furthermore, even today women are fighting to have fair rights within the workplace. Even with the legal clauses, women are faced with stereotypes and glass-ceiling barriers. In order for women to overcome the problems they are tackling, to truly be protected and to have the rights that they deserve, there must be constant reinforcement of the laws that are currently in place.

Frankenstein and the monster Essays

Frankenstein and the monster Essays Frankenstein and the monster Essay Frankenstein and the monster Essay Essay Topic: Frankenstein Pity for Frankenstein is felt mostly because of the heavy losses he had to come to terms with, when his family and indeed happiness was ripped from him by the one he created. The creator is supposed to have some power over what the creation does, not the other way round. Frankenstein is portrayed as a very noble character, a man who excites love and compassion in everyone he meets. He is not trying to do a bad thing by creating the monster, he is just curious and pushing for what he thinks will help mankind forever immortality and the ability to resurrect the dead. For all the goodwill and effort Frankenstein put into his work all that he received was nothing but tragedy and destruction. All of his family were murdered, along with his friend Clerval, by the fiend he had created. It is more obvious why we should feel pity for Frankenstein because of the amount of death that surrounded him. Frankenstein had so much at the start of the book, and to lose it all is heartbreaking. The monster however, had nothing in the first place so he could not lose anything, making great pity felt towards Frankenstein, not the monster. When he loses his Elizabeth tears streamed from his eyes and his mind gave way to every gloomy idea that arose. Seeing a hero like him fall makes people feel sympathetic, increasing the pity that is felt. On the other hand, it could be said that Frankenstein was a very selfish man by not thinking carefully over what the consequences of creating a living being, such as himself, would be. At first he was advised by his conscience not to tamper with nature, but he didnt listen and started his work. : This work was to take him many months and during this time he entered a state of monomania, shutting himself off from the rest of the world and concentrating fully on his creation. He even realises this but refuses to change: Sometimes I grew alarmed at the wreck I perceived that I had become; the energy of my purpose alone sustained me: my labours would soon end, and I believed that exercise and amusement would then drive away incipient disease; and I promised myself both of these when my creation should be complete. For most of this time he didnt even send letters back to his worried family to let them know that he was still alive! Not only this but, once finished with his work and had seen what he monster was, he abandoned it and hoped that it would just die, meaning he could avoid having to deal with it. The only reason he was so focussed was because he wanted to make a difference to mankind and for that, his family would just have to wait. Having seen his creation he realised that what he had done was wrong, but he could not destroy the monster because he had actually made the monster better than the human race itself. Instead he was sure that lack of experience in the world would get rid of the monster for him. The book tells a lot about human nature, that people are not made by their nature but their nurture, and that there are very pleasant sides to it, but this comes with the very nasty sides as well. The amount of criticism of human nature makes us feel pity throughout the book and I believe that this large amount of pity felt for characters in Frankenstein, along with the death of such a noble man and his creation, makes this book the perfect definition of the word tragedy.

French Introductions, or Les Présentations

French Introductions, or Les Prà ©sentations When you meet French speakers, you need to know how to introduce yourself and what to say when you are introduced.  French can be a bit tricky when introducing yourself or others depending on whether you know the person to whom you are making the introduction(s) or even if you have had any contact with the person. In French, those circumstances all require different introductions. Basic Introductions French uses the verb  se prà ©senter, not  introduire,  meaning to introduce something into something else, which translates into English as to insert. The most basic introduction in French, then, would be: Je me prà ©sente. Let me introduce myself. Using s’appeler is the common way of introducing yourself in French. Don’t think of it as â€Å"to name oneself† because it will only confuse you. Think of it in the context of introducing your name to someone, and link the French words to that context instead of applying a literal translation, as in: Je m​appelle...   My name is... Use je suis with people who already know your name, such as those  you have already talked to on the phone or by mail but never met in person, as in: Je suis...   I am... If you dont know the person or have never spoken to him on the phone or contacted him by email or  mail, use  je m’appelle,  as noted previously. Introducing by Name There are also distinctions between formal and informal introductions, as well as singular versus plural introductions, as noted in the tables in this and the subsequent section. French Introduction English Translation Mon prà ©nom est My (first) name is Je vous prà ©sente (formal and/or plural) I’d like to introduce Je te prà ©sente (informal) I'd like to introduce Voici This is, Here is Il s'appelle His name is Elle s'appelle Her name is Meeting People In French, when you are meeting people, you have to be careful about using the correct gender, as well as whether the introduction is formal or informal, as in these examples. French Introduction Enlish Translation Comment vous appelez-vous? (formal and/or plural) What is your name? Comment t'appelles-tu? (informal) What is your name? Enchantà ©. (masculine) It's nice to meet you. Enchantà ©e. (feminine) It's nice to meet you. French Names Nicknames - or  un surnom in French - are much less common in this Romance language than in American English, but they are not unheard of. Often, a longer first name will be shortened, such as  Caro  for Caroline or  Flo  for Florence.   French Name English Translation Le prà ©nom first name, given name Le nom last name, family name, surname Le surnom nickname Cheek Kissing and Other Greetings Cheek kissing  is certainly an accepted form of greeting in France, but there are strict  (unwritten) social rules to follow. Cheek kissing is generally OK, for example, but not hugging. So, its important to learn not only the words that go with cheek kissing - such as  bonjour  (hello) - but also the social norms that are expected when greeting someone in this manner. There are also other ways to say  hello  and ask  How are you?  in French.

Free Essays on Youth Suicide- “Leaving Ear;ly“

Leaving Early Expository texts often present powerful social issues which challenge the reader. Suicide is a sin to talk about in today’s society. Yet it is one of the fastest killing diseases taking many lives each week. Bronwyn Donaghy has put together a factual informative expository text titled Leaving Early to inform the reader about the issue of suicide. Techniques such as facts, Statistics, case studies and interviews have been strategically combined to shock and inform the reader about this serious social issue. Over a long period of time Donaghy has collected information about three different young individuals, who were faced with the unexplainable condition of suicide. Donaghy has selected the most important information case these three case studies and has presented them to the reader to show how real and life changing the strong social issue of suicide can be. Donaghy presents these people in such a way that it makes the reader feel as if they are part of the family or close nit community. The result of this technique positions the reader to feel sympathetic towards the people involved in the text. Jan, Collins mother says â€Å"We were just so blessed! First a girl and then this beautiful little boy†. This makes the reader realize that Collin came from a loving and well structured family, and it is not just abused kids that commit suicide. Jan Schultz comments in the interview that Donaghy had with her that once Collin commited suicide: â€Å" I was so angry with Collin. I had given him so much love, I had spent so much more time on him than I had on the others. I had worked so hard to get him the extra things he seemed to need. He had betrayed me.† The case studies and the response from the victims loved ones persuades the reader to feel guilt and sympathy towards collin. And further more makes the reader fell as if they once new the people in the text. This powerful technique Donaghy has used helps the reader se... Free Essays on Youth Suicide- â€Å"Leaving Ear;lyâ€Å" Free Essays on Youth Suicide- â€Å"Leaving Ear;lyâ€Å" Leaving Early Expository texts often present powerful social issues which challenge the reader. Suicide is a sin to talk about in today’s society. Yet it is one of the fastest killing diseases taking many lives each week. Bronwyn Donaghy has put together a factual informative expository text titled Leaving Early to inform the reader about the issue of suicide. Techniques such as facts, Statistics, case studies and interviews have been strategically combined to shock and inform the reader about this serious social issue. Over a long period of time Donaghy has collected information about three different young individuals, who were faced with the unexplainable condition of suicide. Donaghy has selected the most important information case these three case studies and has presented them to the reader to show how real and life changing the strong social issue of suicide can be. Donaghy presents these people in such a way that it makes the reader feel as if they are part of the family or close nit community. The result of this technique positions the reader to feel sympathetic towards the people involved in the text. Jan, Collins mother says â€Å"We were just so blessed! First a girl and then this beautiful little boy†. This makes the reader realize that Collin came from a loving and well structured family, and it is not just abused kids that commit suicide. Jan Schultz comments in the interview that Donaghy had with her that once Collin commited suicide: â€Å" I was so angry with Collin. I had given him so much love, I had spent so much more time on him than I had on the others. I had worked so hard to get him the extra things he seemed to need. He had betrayed me.† The case studies and the response from the victims loved ones persuades the reader to feel guilt and sympathy towards collin. And further more makes the reader fell as if they once new the people in the text. This powerful technique Donaghy has used helps the reader se...

How would you, as the manager of this company, deal with the risk Essay

How would you, as the manager of this company, deal with the risk associated with doing business in countries that feel threatened by American culture - Essay Example The extent of threat needs to be examined and this can also be measured whether the threat can be minimized or not. In addition to that, the people of the selected country can be appointed for working and teaching the staff the customs and culture of the country in order to establish friendly relations with the natives. In my view, a dummy setup should be started in order to evaluate all the risks involved. Also, a small staff should be appointed including locals as well as Americans to assess their compatibility with each other. A humble and communicative attitude should be adopted in order to accommodate the natives. Relationships of the government with the host country should be evaluated in order to start a business (Shong 32). So, to handle the risks involved in a country being threatened by American culture, the manager of the company has to evaluate the whole setup of starting a new business. Risks are needed to be identified and evaluated. Afterwards, planning should be there to facilitate the natives and minimize the threat felt by

Ethics Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Ethics Paper - Essay Example This paper will analyze the role of Ethics and social responsibility in developing a strategic plan while considering stakeholder needs and agendas, engaging an example that is taken from real life and discussion preventive measures that could have been utilized to avoid this kind of situation. Speaking of role of Ethics in creating a strategic plan, one might point out the following. First of all, the engagement of the above mentioned concept allows people to focus on achievements in the long terms perspective, avoiding actions that might bring benefits in the short run, but result in devastating consequences in future. In addition to that, Ethics makes sure that the corporate plans respect human rights of the employees and provides with reasonable conditions to work in. Finally, it helps the stakeholders to find a perfect balance between their goals and the available tools to achieve them. There is another concept that should be taken into account while considering the issue in question. It is called corporate social responsibility. One might suggest that the acknowledgement of it is relatively new since businesses in the previous ages did not pay enough attention to it; nevertheless, nowadays it is considered to be one of the pillars that hold the strategic development of a company. Another point that should be mentioned with regard to corporate social responsibility lies in the fact that only company with a developed corporate culture are able to take this concept into account. Indeed, the essential part of it focuses on the acceptance of influence that an organizations has on the environment, both social and natural, as well as readiness to be responsible for any changes that are introduced, positive or negative. So, corporate social responsibility makes sure that the way the stakeholders want to achieve their goals is a sustainable one. It may be particularly useful to

The Positioning, Entrepreneurial and Cognitive Schools of Strategy Essay - 1

The Positioning, Entrepreneurial and Cognitive Schools of Strategy - Essay Example It is most commonly used in conducting research on linguistic, history, communication, psychology, political science, education and the study of complex organizations (Waltz, et al, 2010). Strategy content research is especially used in conducting research targeting the often extremely turbulent nursing and healthcare research programs because it is able to provide a basic and relevant approach is suitable in both approaching and retrieval of information and data from a large number of sources in a manner that can be perceived as being more objective and systematic in comparison to intuitive listening or reading this is, in addition to its utility as, a feasible tool in data analysis strategy when one conducts qualitative research (Waltz, et al, 2010). When applied in the conduction of quantitative research, the method invokes the objective simplification and reduction of the recorded data and language to a simple set of categories each representing frequency, intensity or presence of selected characteristics. Strategic thinking is critical in order for one to be able to engage in an effective, strategic planning process. There are several actions that a person can undertake to enable them conduct an effective, strategic planning process. A person needs to try and engage in activities, whether physical or mental that support and encourage the development of strategic thinking on their part. Individuals are encouraged to try and participate in creative art forms. It also greatly aids an individual if the said individual secures the services of a good mentor or coach who can be able to guide them through essential reflective processes involving critical reflection, critical dialogue and critical inquiry. This should be done until it eventually becomes a habit (Sloan, 2012). The use of Constructivist approach can also aid in ensuring adequate mental processes are carried out before an effective mental planning process can be carried

Discussion for online HRM Healthcare class Essay

Discussion for online HRM Healthcare class - Essay Example The result of the study was that health care professionals act in a professional manner because of their professional consciousness. The study even figured out that the main reason due to which individuals of the health care are de-motivated is because they fail to satisfy their professional consciousness. They quit their jobs because of lack of required resources and inappropriate application of tools of human resource management. The study proved that a major role in the retention of health care professionals such as nurses is played by incentives that are not monetary in nature. The study even proved that if human resource management is properly applied, nursing professionals will become motivated. Proper application includes: helping health care professionals develop their career and recognizing and rewarding nurses for the professionalism they have shown towards their profession. Work environment is required which will help promote wellbeing of the workers. Mathauer, I., & Imhoff, I. (January 01, 2006). Health worker motivation in Africa: the role of non-financial incentives and human resource management tools. Human Resources for Health, 4

Care given to a 15 day old baby with breathing difficulties Essay

Care given to a 15 day old baby with breathing difficulties - Essay Example Moreover, the paper will include efforts to understand the foetal circulation in relation to a neonate circulation along with an explanation of provision of the most appropriate treatment and care to Flora, as well as to her family members. Lastly, the researcher will endeavor to provide a clarification of ways that a children’s nurse can take to make a respiratory assessment of a child of Flora’s age, as well as assessments of older children. Discussion On arrival at The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, the team took Flora to the resuscitation room where they noticed her having breathing difficulties and a high pulse rate. Results of the initial assessment indicated her to be at a high risk; however, it was usual as infants often confront respiratory distress and similar signs and symptoms due to undiagnosed cardiac problems (Fergusson, 2008, 23-39). Subsequently, Professor Carley evaluated Flora’s physical condition and her behaviour using observati onal assessment of her airway, breathing, and circulation (Resuscitation Council UK, 2006, 1-10). It was noticeable that Flora was able to move all of her limbs with vigour, and there was no evidence of pallor that could indicate hypoxia (Fergusson, 2008, 35-40). In addition, the team noticed signs of efforts for breathing and visual signs of recession while observing Flora’s chest (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2010, 29). The team also listened to the sound of Flora’s breathing, and luckily, both nasal flaring and chest recession were evident. Vital signs such as, temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration rate, and oxygen saturation were intact and functioning (Federspiel, 2010, 135). Furthermore, the team took blood samples for testing, which revealed that her kidneys were working in satisfactory condition and she was not anaemic, and additionally, Flora’s iron levels in her blood were normal as well. The hemoglobin levels in her blood were good, o xygenated cells were in high enough numbers within the blood to deliver oxygen to all tissues around the body that was another good sign. In addition, the team carried out blood tests to check PH imbalance and white cell count, as when in high numbers, they could indicate infection (Harrison, 2008, 56-67). After evaluating all these tests, Professor Carley reassured Flora’s parents by using the word ‘safe’ while explaining her immediate condition. In particular, Flora was at an age when cardiac abnormalities are often usual. One of the reasons is that in utero, the foetus obtains oxygenated blood, and nutrients from the placenta via the umbilical vein as defined by Chamley et al (2005, 11-26), and the lungs are not functional at this stage. At birth, important changes occurred to turn the foetal circulation into that of a neonatal circulation and before a baby can take in oxygen; her heart had to connect with the lungs (Holmes, 2010, 12), and this transition enab led Flora’s body to take over and begin to work independently (Glasper et al., 2007, 30-55). In particular, with every baby’s first breathe, the airways open and the drop-in pressure causes blood to rush to the lungs to receive oxygen, this oxygen reaches blood, and subsequently,

Art Exhibition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art Exhibition - Essay Example According to Lanchner and Johns (2009), the two words that Johns uses to describe this work are readymade, referring to the map, and unexpected. Michael Criton located Johns â€Å"between Duchamp and Pollack, between the found object and the created abstraction† (Lanchner and Johns, 2009, p. 19). The second work of art is a collection of prints by Johns in which the numbers 0-9 have been created through the methodology of lithography. Lithography is a process where a smooth surface is treated in some areas so that it will retain ink, but leaving others so that the ink will not be retained. The surface is then used as a printing object from which to press an image onto another surface, most often a paper. The works were created between 1960 and 1963 and are simply titled â€Å"0-9†. The two pieces can be compared from a number of elemental concepts in order to further explore the nature of Jasper John’s work. The painting â€Å"Map† was created in the earli er part of his career when the exploration of the ideologies of America were being combined with the explorations of their meanings through the use of ‘readymade’ objects. The blurring of borders speaks of unity while the bursts of color are in motion, commenting on the wide diversity of the nation. The lines of the distinct object of the map are muddled by the use of the paint overtop of them. The colors are vibrant and primary, using red, yellow, and blue in bursts across the work, the colors blending at some points, distinctive at others. The oil paints are thick with the texture of the work dense and mountainous on top of the map. There is a repetition that creates balance within the chaos and while there is no use of perspective, there is a sense of density that is felt that about the object of the map as the colors burst forth across the entirety of the work. Although there seems to be no design to the work, there is a definite balance to the way in which the colo rs are utilized. They erupt across the painting in light and darkness, yellow splicing through the red and darker blue to provide movement and to justify the transitions. The proportion of the work is large, conveying the immensity of the message that it holds about the concept of the nation, its diversity and its uniformity. The feeling of the painting is electric as the viewer is engaged with the use of color throughout the work. The piece also pulls the viewer in to a contemplation of the idea of America. The work is abstract, even though it utilizes a readymade object in order to create a foundation. The work conveys its meaning as a message rather than a narrative, the expressive use of color defining the parameters in which the viewer is to understand something of the intention. Because of its theme and the rising sense of social revolution that was felt during the late 1950s, it is likely that as the new decade blossomed before Johns he had the inspiration to create a discour se on the nature of the American ideology in context with the movements towards change that was beginning to erupt all around him. The collection or portfolio of ten numbers is presented in two rows of four with the two remaining on the third row. The work is created through the technique of lithography and is therefore smudged representations of the original plates from which they were printed. In viewing the piece as a whole, it is clear that the papers and

Discussion for online HRM Healthcare class Essay

Discussion for online HRM Healthcare class - Essay Example The result of the study was that health care professionals act in a professional manner because of their professional consciousness. The study even figured out that the main reason due to which individuals of the health care are de-motivated is because they fail to satisfy their professional consciousness. They quit their jobs because of lack of required resources and inappropriate application of tools of human resource management. The study proved that a major role in the retention of health care professionals such as nurses is played by incentives that are not monetary in nature. The study even proved that if human resource management is properly applied, nursing professionals will become motivated. Proper application includes: helping health care professionals develop their career and recognizing and rewarding nurses for the professionalism they have shown towards their profession. Work environment is required which will help promote wellbeing of the workers. Mathauer, I., & Imhoff, I. (January 01, 2006). Health worker motivation in Africa: the role of non-financial incentives and human resource management tools. Human Resources for Health, 4

Art Exhibition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art Exhibition - Essay Example According to Lanchner and Johns (2009), the two words that Johns uses to describe this work are readymade, referring to the map, and unexpected. Michael Criton located Johns â€Å"between Duchamp and Pollack, between the found object and the created abstraction† (Lanchner and Johns, 2009, p. 19). The second work of art is a collection of prints by Johns in which the numbers 0-9 have been created through the methodology of lithography. Lithography is a process where a smooth surface is treated in some areas so that it will retain ink, but leaving others so that the ink will not be retained. The surface is then used as a printing object from which to press an image onto another surface, most often a paper. The works were created between 1960 and 1963 and are simply titled â€Å"0-9†. The two pieces can be compared from a number of elemental concepts in order to further explore the nature of Jasper John’s work. The painting â€Å"Map† was created in the earli er part of his career when the exploration of the ideologies of America were being combined with the explorations of their meanings through the use of ‘readymade’ objects. The blurring of borders speaks of unity while the bursts of color are in motion, commenting on the wide diversity of the nation. The lines of the distinct object of the map are muddled by the use of the paint overtop of them. The colors are vibrant and primary, using red, yellow, and blue in bursts across the work, the colors blending at some points, distinctive at others. The oil paints are thick with the texture of the work dense and mountainous on top of the map. There is a repetition that creates balance within the chaos and while there is no use of perspective, there is a sense of density that is felt that about the object of the map as the colors burst forth across the entirety of the work. Although there seems to be no design to the work, there is a definite balance to the way in which the colo rs are utilized. They erupt across the painting in light and darkness, yellow splicing through the red and darker blue to provide movement and to justify the transitions. The proportion of the work is large, conveying the immensity of the message that it holds about the concept of the nation, its diversity and its uniformity. The feeling of the painting is electric as the viewer is engaged with the use of color throughout the work. The piece also pulls the viewer in to a contemplation of the idea of America. The work is abstract, even though it utilizes a readymade object in order to create a foundation. The work conveys its meaning as a message rather than a narrative, the expressive use of color defining the parameters in which the viewer is to understand something of the intention. Because of its theme and the rising sense of social revolution that was felt during the late 1950s, it is likely that as the new decade blossomed before Johns he had the inspiration to create a discour se on the nature of the American ideology in context with the movements towards change that was beginning to erupt all around him. The collection or portfolio of ten numbers is presented in two rows of four with the two remaining on the third row. The work is created through the technique of lithography and is therefore smudged representations of the original plates from which they were printed. In viewing the piece as a whole, it is clear that the papers and

Teaching English as a second language Essay Example for Free

Teaching English as a second language Essay Language is said to be a system in which the combination of sounds form words and the combination of words form sentences for a representation of knowledge is determined by a system of rules. And these rules are applied in the construction of words and sentences. One of the basic principles of learning a second language is to use it as soon as possible in our everyday life activities. This is made clear to the learner and the teacher makes effort to see to it that the language is learned, despite the many interference phenomena in the process. Nigeria is a multilingual and multi-cultural country. It has been estimated that over 400 indigenous languages exist in the country. This multiplicity of languages in Nigeria was compounded with the advent of the colonial masters who introduced and implanted the English language in Nigeria. It has become part of the system to the extent that instead of the continous struggle required to meet up with the standard set by the native speakers , a Nigerian variety has emerged. It is now regarded as a Nigerian language. The English Language in Nigeria enjoys a prestigious status, having a high premium placed on it as the national Lingua franca, It is the Language of administration, trade, commerce and industry, inter-ethnic relationship. It is the language of integration and instruction in schools and above all the language of national Unity as well as international communication. Apart from functioning as the language of integration here in Nigeria, Yate (1992) has observed that ‘ of more notable importance is the increase in the international and technological function of English Language as the dominant language of the Cyber cafà ©, and the most used language in the internet. It is also an elitist language. We now live in an ICT globalised world in which English is the medium of interaction between individuals and nations. According to Babajide 2002: â€Å"For any nation particularly in the third world to be relevant and derive the maximum benefit from the opportunities that abound in every area of human need, for personal advancement and national development, English is a ‘sine qua non’. He further stated that up  till now the country is still faced with the dilemma of selecting an indigenous language that will foster national unity. As the debate continues, Prof. Afolayan bring s out the important place of English when he said that â€Å"It is unrealistic for anybody in Nigeria today to think that National unity can be forged in the country without recourse to the utilization of the English Language†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. It has been the language of political entity itself and also the language of its politico- economic unification and administration. Further more the fact that it is now functioning as the language of Nigerian Nationalism cannot be denied.† Multilingualism and English in Nigeria The first Nigerian National anthem acknowledges the existence of indigenous languages ‘though tribe and tongue may differ in brotherhood we stand†. Nigeria is a typical multi-lingual country in which minority languages which are very many live side by side with the major languages. The country is not only the melting pot of African socio-political and linguistic realities but also the meeting point of divergent and convergent views on minority languages and language policy. Multilingualism is a sociolinguistic phenonmenon that arises as a result of language contact. It is a situation in which two or more languages operate within the same context. Factors such as political annexation, marital relations, economic transactions, cultural association, educational acquisition and religious affiliation bring about multilingualism. All these factors underpin the socio-political landscape of Nigeria today even though the combination of political and economic transaction or exploitation originally brought the people referred to as Nigerians today in contact with the English people. The coming of English colonialist in the 18th Century brought about â€Å"Linguistic imperialism†a situation in which â€Å" the minds and lives of the speakers of a language are dominated by another language to the point where they believe that they can and should use only the foreign lanugauge when it comes to transactions dealing with the advanced aspects of life such as education,philosophy, literature,government and the administration of justice.† So inspite of the fact that English is foreign, it has become a language that has helped to weld together the many people that constitute Nigeria.

Issues In Ethical Hacking And Penetration Testing Information Technology Essay

Issues In Ethical Hacking And Penetration Testing Information Technology Essay In this fast growing business world the growth of Information Technology is sky-scraping. Information is a business asset, therefore it is very important to protect the Business Intelligence and the confidential information. It may protect its availability, privacy and integrity. Information Security is more than protecting computer data security; it is the process of protecting the intellectual property of an organization which engages with Network Security. The availability of access to stored information on  server  databases has increased to a great extent. Most of the companies store their business and individual information on their computer than ever before. Many businesses are exclusively stand on information stored in their data centers. Personal staff details, client lists, salaries, bank account details, marketing, sales information and more importantly their research and development secret recipe or marketing strategies may all be stored on a database. If they lack this information, it would directly affect the business operations. Therefore powerful Information security systems needed to be executed to protect this information. The biggest threat to businesses may be the people who make a living from  hacking  or breaching through information security systems. By using their technological skills, they are brave enough to break into computer system and access secured information. Hackers can even turn your home computer into a bomb (Randy Jefferies, 2005). Firewalls, which are intended to prevent access to a computer network, can be easily bypassed by a  black hat namely a hacker with the right tools and skills. The breach can result a heavy loss of crucial information, or a virus could be planted and delete all secured information as an intruder. So that is why Information Security Professionals plays a vast role in this Business Industry, because of this, there is an important position for ethical hackers, who can defend and protect the organization against cybercriminals and even they are capable of penetrating their own system for the testing purposes .When the question arise that, is hacking actually bad? Or is it possible  that there are times when hacking can be seen as good? Before addressing  these scenarios, the term hackers and ethics needs to be defined. So this is where ethical hacker comes in. Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Ethical Hacking can be defined as hacking a network or a system to seek and test vulnerabilities that a hacker could exploit and take advantage of the system. This implies, doing it for the betterment of the firm. This process is done to secure and defend the system from cybercriminals known as black hats with a legally authorized way. The people who involve in ethical hacking are called as white hats who are professionally trained security experts. Most of the firms employ one these White Hats to protect their information systems whilst some firms hires. The Computer crime is where the computer is  the place of the crime and the criminal activities can range from  fraud, theft, and forgery. Businesses who try to approach the problem  have independent computer security professionals who attempt to break  into the computer systems and penetrate as mentioned above. Both of these people, crackers and  professionals are ethical hackers, but they have different ethics. Negative observation of hacking, When is hacking bad? In recent news, a certain hacker who claims to be  known as Gwerdna hacked into a Mac computer, He even made comments on  how easy it was for him to hack into the security and he has stated to break into that library machine he only took 10 minutes. (Micheal Harvey, 2006). The term Ethical Hacking can be addressed as penetration testing. This is a method of evaluating the network or computer system by simulating an attack from a malicious source, a White Hat Hacker but act as a Black Hat Hacker (Wikipedia, 2010). These ethical hackers use these methods which can be identified and clarified as malicious softwares namely Buffer Overflow, Logic Bomb, Parasite, Sniffer, Spoof, Trojan Horse, Virus, Worms. Importance and Benefits of Ethical Hacking As mentioned above the reason for conducting an ethical hack, obviously, is to keep information assets secure. One survey conducted by Rick Blum, stated that It (ethical hacking) is very important and helps save you money and reputation in the long run. (Rick Blum, 2009).Network testing is the most important type of ethical hack, because it is obvious the hacker can easily break the firewall and get into the network. So network should be highly secured. Thats a reason why it is considered as a very important fact for organization because of the rising cyber crime rates and the high growth of cyber criminals. Since computer technology has developed, the crime rates also increased. The intellectual hackers have made mass destructions and losses for many companies and they have damaged their database and leaked information. Had exploited the brand image of most of the firms and damaged their trust on their clientele. Hackers have transferred millions of dollars without any awareness of the banks and their involvement. Even hacked into police departments emergency help desks. For example a group of hackers called Vandals hacked the New York City Police Departments voice- mail system and replaced the usual polite announcements with You have reached the New York City Police Department. For any real emergencies, dial 119.Anyone else were a little busy right now eating some donuts and having coffee. It continued You can just hold the line. Well get back to you.Were little slow, if you know what I mean. Thank You. The bogus messages continued for 12 hours before they were investigated and corrected by ethical hackers (Donald Pimkins, 2000) Some time ethical hacking will not reveal vulnerabilities of a network or a system. But there are a number of consequence benefits that can be derived from an ethical hacking process. The picture below will give a clear idea of what are the benefits available in this process and how it can be prioritized. Ref: http://www.isaca.org/Images/journal/jrnlv2-06-red-teams-audit-tool-2.jpg The size of the threat depends on the type of the business and how its fits with hackers motives. Therefore to prevent these kinds of issues and threats in future firms employ ethical hackers. The term ethics will be clearly structured in the following paragraphs with the support of ethical principles, ethical issues, ethical dilemmas and ethical theories. Business Ethics According to the study Business ethics can be defined as a form of applied ethics that examine ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that occur in a business environment (Gwendolyn Cuizon, 2009). Many businesses have gained a bad reputation just by being in business. By not being stick to business ethics policy firms may fall in trouble, if a business is damaged by an ethical disaster it affects the bottom line which implies profit. It is agreed that IT systems are put in place to support the strategic planes of an organization which would be in lined with business ethics. So that is why organizations see ethics as, a bringing competitive edge to their business. In my point of view in business, the perspective view of stakeholders are different , they see theres whats illegal, whats legal but unethical, ethical but against company policy, not against policy but not in the clients best interests, and finally whats not really opposite to the clients best interests but isnt really going to benefit them moreover. Which can be understood by the below image. http://www.gryphonshafer.com/blog/2008/08/business_ethics.png Ethical Principles and Ethical Issues Ethical principles can be defined as the foundation of ethical behavior. An ethical principle arrives from the social Context, from religious beliefs, and from ethical theory. These ethical principles can applied to computer technologies that have an impact on peoples daily lives where they interacts in government, in education, at work, at play ground and workout) (Penny Duquenoy, 2010) Some general ethical principles can be listed as Respecting others Consider others as equal Keep promises Respect the property of others Act honestly The principles can be addressed as below which relevant to Information Systems professionals and related technologies officers. The Royal Academy of Engineering, in collaboration with Engineering Council (UK) and a number of the leading professional engineering institutions, has developed a Statement of Ethical Principles to which it believes all professional engineers and Information Professionals should follow. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Accuracy and Rigor à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Honesty and Integrity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Respect for Life, Law and the Public Good à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Responsible Leadership: Listening and Informing (Engineering Ethics, 2007) Ethical issues can be addressed as whatever threatens or breaks an ethical principle is an ethical issue. For example ethical principle Respect the property of others Ethical Issue Hack someones computer without their permission and steal information and destroy it by sending a virus or a worm So by understanding this example an ethical issue can be clearly understood. And to assess these kinds of ethical issues in different perspectives ethical theories should be applied. Ethical Theories As discussed above an ethical issue can be identified and evaluated by using ethical theories .These theories can be used as tools for making ethical decisions, and they may also helpful in providing a basis for critical thinking. An issue can be taken in different perspectives and formed opinions with helpful of ethical theories. There are two main ethical theories, Kantianism Consequentialism Kantianism The Kants theory can be defined summarized without going in deep. Kant says that how we behave ethically comes from within us, and the things that we decide are good or bad are based on whether we could imagine everyone doing them. (Immanuel Kant) So for example, it would be logically conflicting to say that breaking a promise is good because if everyone broke their promises there would be a loss of trust in promises, and the whole nature of a promise would be lost. Therefore, he says, that certain things cannot be universalized which means they would not work if everyone did them, and those things are wrong. Examples are: killing others, lying, stealing, breaking promises. Moreover, in Kants point of view, things that we view as wrong are essentially wrong that is, they are always wrong and there is never any reason situation where they would be right. This conflicts directly with the theory of consequentialism, which will be addressed next. Consequentialism Consequentialism theory can be defined as, a theory which deals with consequences of actions rather than the actions themselves .So, and for example, it could be argued that stealing could sometimes be the right action to take provided the outcome is for the good. Theory says that a good outcome is that which brings the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people. Therefore stealing, for example, is a morally acceptable act if it brings greater benefit to the greatest number. For example, if a king has a warehouse full of food when most of the people in the country are starving. In this instance stealing the food to distribute it to the starving people would be the right thing to do. So by this act a great number of people get benefited. So in this case according to consequentialism theory stealing is not bad while it fully contradicts with Kantians theory. Ethical Dilemmas Ethical dilemmas can be addressed as moral dilemmas. An ethical dilemma is a situation where in moral principle or ethical obligations conflict in such a way as to make any possible resolution to the dilemma morally intolerable. In other words, an ethical dilemma is any situation in which guiding moral principles cannot determine which course of action is right or wrong. Can simplified as you will have issue and you will have a solution which will leads you to an unethical way.(Lee Flamand, 2007). Ethical, Legal, Professional, Social and Cultural Issues in Ethical Hacking When we discuss about ethical hacking there are many issues which can be listed, which will arise in many circumstances. For evaluating these issues and come up with a good solution or opinions the above discussed, structured ethical principles and ethical theories can be taken off. This will obviously give a clear picture to the reader. In this study for further more analysis two important incidents will be assessed by me using the both ethical theories. A Dutch hacker who copied patient files from a University of Washington medical center (and was not caught) said in an online interview that he did it to publicize the systems vulnerability not to use the information. He disclosed portions of the files to a journalist after the medical center said that no patient files had been copied. (Sara Baase, A Gift of Fire, 2003.) If we critically evaluate the above scenario, it is obvious that the hacker has committed a cyber crime and he should be punished according to the Kantianism theory which tells some actions are always wrong. Even though the Dutch hacker didnt misused the copied files he has break into the network and penetrated it. So its ethically wrong when we see in the perspective of Kants theory. But if we evaluate this using Consequentialism theory it will completely contradict with Kantianism theory. Though the hacker was not get caught he has came to an online interview to announce that there is vulnerability in University of Washingtons medical centres network which can be easily attacked. So this good behavior of the hacker shows that he has came to this decision concerning about the betterment of the patients. which direct the theory an action is good If the consequences bring greatest benefit to number of people .If he has published all the copied files through the internet the both parti es will be get affected, the patients and the University. The files may contain confidential information of patients and which they never want to expose. So although this act can be identified as ethically correct whilst its legally wrong. Therefore by this action the Medical centre gets a chance to secure and defend their systems from future attacks. But a according to the statement A solution to an ethical issue can raise another issue Anonymous. May be this act is ethically correct according to the theory of Consequentialism. But what if the hacker found some medical information about his friend? Which information is a kept secret? What if he tells him? What if the friends get to know that his confidential medical information has got leaked through the internet? These kinds of issues can arise which will sometimes take into an ethical dilemma. If we move to the next case which is, A 17 year old hacker know as YTcracker, who penetrated several government and military web sites (including those belongings to the Bureau of Land Managements National Training Center, NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center and the Defense Contracts Audit Agency) said he routinely sends messages to government web site administrators insisting that they address vulnerabilities and adopt Unix or other more secure systems can be penetrated, but the messages largely go ignored. YTcracker said in his defacement of website he targeted systems the government would look at and take seriously and secure it. (Federal Computer Week, 1999) Though this case is Similar to the above discussed one, it provides a different idea. The hacker who has penetrated all these sites called YTcracker has only one intention that is to alert and notify the government organizations to protect their valuable informations, Which can be easily breached and gained access. If critically evaluate this case according to the Kantianism theory. The act of YTcracker is ethically wrong as it threatens the ethical principles go beyond the theory. But according to the point of Consequentialism theory the act is ethical. Because the hacker hasnt done any damage to the government organizations using their web sites. He has only warned and notified them to make them more secured. So greater amount of people gets benefited, because there are most sensitive informations are available in government sites such as National Security, Military and NASA. So if the hacker leaks the information from their databases what will happen there are would be a huge problem for the US government. But both of these incidents are illegal according to the Computer Misuse Act 1990 even they are ethical according to the theories. Because the hackers have offended unauthorized access to computer material (Misuse Act 1990) Ethical Concerns and Professional Issues When implementing an ethical hack in an organization there are ethical issues which engages with information systems professionals can be addressed as, Ethical Hackers have to break the organizations security policy and procedures. Violating the code of conduct. Privacy of the employer and employees Secret Business strategy, Marketing Strategy and product recipe leakage If we further analyze above ethical issues a question may arise, Does ethical hacking is ethical? Before address the issues, we are tend to find a solution for the above question so if, we evaluate the question by putting into Kantianism theory somehow its breaking the rules and regulation, braking the firms security policies and procedures, penetrating the code of conduct. So this act of ethical hacking can cannot be ethical. Even though the professional hackers do it legally it can be unethical, According to Kants point of view. Considering with view point of consequentialism theory this process can be identified as ethically correct, because its all done for the betterment of the organization. So there is no way of criticizing it. Firms do these to seek the vulnerabilities and defend the entire network there should be a testing procedure. So this can be taken as that. In this point of view we can decide its all ethically correct, even though they break their own code of conduct. As information systems professionals point of view ethical hacking can be identified as a complete mess. Because they have to stick to a code of conduct. Then only they are professionals. But when they are being forced to violate these terms when they involve in penetration tests there are in trouble as professionals. Therefore as professionals who are expected to comply with local laws, sometimes they may have to assess and evaluate ethical and legal issues against their personnel values. There can be privacy invasion takes place when they do a ethical hack. Most of the firms hire an ethical since they dont employ one. So when he penetrate their systems and network he can get whatever the information he needs from the organizations databases and networks. All confidential employee and partner documents and information can be seen. The ethical hacker is able to view all the weak points of the firewall. If the ethical hacker is not a professional he may attack the organization later when he needs. Or he will be a big threat. So these issues may arise. And even the secret marketing and business strategy of a leading company leaks the hacker can sell it for the competitors. So this would be a threat for some firms to conduct and penetrations test using an Legal Issues and Laws When considering about legal aspects, the issues which was discussed in the above paragraphs can be brought up since it involves legal issues. Even though those incidents were ethical, its completely illegal, because it breaks the Computer Misuse Act 1990. This Act will be clearly discussed below, The Computer Misuse Act 1990 The  Computer Misuse Act 1990  is an Act of the  UK Parliament. The Bill eventually became the Computer Misuse Act in August 1990.The Act introduced three new criminal offences: Unauthorized access to computer material Unauthorized access to computer material with the intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences Unauthorized modification of computer material.(Statuelaw, 1990) What if an ethical hacker pretends to be an inside intruder? He who knows the entire network and secrets of a company. So he can easily damage and destroy the entire information system. When these situations occur according to the misuse act legal issues can be identified. For an example a disgruntled computer technician at Reuters in Hong Kong detonated logic bombs at five investment-bank clients, causing 36 hours of downtime in networks providing market information crucial for trading. The banks switched immediately to alternative services and reported no significant effects on their work; however, Reuters was deeply embarrassed by the incident (Financial Times Limited, November 1996) so looking into these factors the organization should be fully aware of these kinds of threat which can be aroused. Sometimes Internal politics may force the ethical hacker to make huge losses for the firm. When they employ for and public company. There are so many people in a director board. So what if the ethical hacker gets an order from higher management to plant a logic bomb or do a parasite for important information of the firm and put the blame on another person. For the ethical hacker this job is not that much difficult. Even they may ask him to steal other companies confidential documents. This might cause legal issues which will entirely damage the firms reputation. These kinds of issues can arise without the awareness of the management. Social and Cultural Concerns It is agreed that in business ethics there are loads of issues as deeply addressed in above paragraphs and social and cultural issues can also identified as one of them. Social issues are about to impact on the society. IT depends on the societys reaction and behavior. According to the ethical principles firms should negotiate with the society. If an Information System of a Hospital or a School got hacked, there would be huge issues in the society. As their sensitive information contain on those Information Systems. Similarly this case may occur in a firm. So when an ethical hacker gets involved in this process he has to keep the trust on them if not the blame can be put on him by the society. So both parties get affected. The brand image can be get spoilt in the society when their informations get leaked out. They will lose the trust and faith on their employer. And when the ethical hacking process gets leaked out there are chances of affecting the companys culture. If there is a culture there are certain values to be respected. And if this values get exploited by the penetration testers issues may arise. And when they design these IS system they should respect the values without harming it. For e.g. Pornography. Conclusion From the clearly structured study, it is understood ethical hacking consideration is crucial to maintaining a verifiable level of information security. Even though there are lots of issues in certain aspects of Ethical hacking; it is a critical component of our overall security program which keeps the internal, contracted security. Ethical hacking is a necessity in order to protect company assets and stay close to the reality of unethical hacking. It ethical hacking is very important and helps save you money and reputation in the long run. Ethical Hacking is the best way to assess the network from an outsiders perspective. To reduce the addressed issues above organizations can have their own ethical hacking team or hacker to prevent outside information leakage and to get rid of the fear of that. I think ethical hacking is a must have for any serious organization today in this fast moving business world. It should be a critical part of any proactive organization in todays global competitive market.