Operant and Classical Conditioning Psychological Processes Free Essay Example, 1000 words

While classical conditioning involves a neutral signal placed before a reflex, operant conditioning applies punishment or reinforcement to encourage or deter a behavior. Operant conditioning involves voluntary action whose outcome is either encouraged or discouraged. On the other hand, classical conditioning entails involuntary and automatic behavior. While classical conditioning involves a neutral signal placed before a reflex, operant conditioning applies punishment or reinforcement to encourage or deter a behavior. Operant conditioning involves voluntary action whose outcome is either encouraged or discouraged. On the other hand, classical conditioning entails involuntary and automatic behavior. A good example of Classical conditioning is the claim that the beach is packed because it is sunny , where the stimulus is the weather. Cherry (n. d.) states that classical conditioning produces an unconditioned response characterized by an unconditioned stimulus. In this case, the r eason the beach is packed with many people is because of a conducive stimulus that encourages them to go to the beach. When we consider the case of a prosecutor presenting a guilty charge against the defendant, then we are looking at classical conditioning. His job acts as a stimulus and the response he elicits is prosecuting the convict. We will write a custom essay sample on Operant and Classical Conditioning Psychological Processes or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Working with the defendants will create a different stimulus that will facilitate recovery from the guilty presumption that he was familiar with; to the notion of innocent till proven guilty. In order to check the effectiveness of the burger incentive, I would keep a record of the average number of individuals visiting the beach on non-sunny days. In classical conditioning, the neutral stimulus does not produce any response until it pairs with an unconditioned stimulus.

Animal Farm By George Orwell - 1770 Words

In George Orwell s 1945 epic novel Animal Farm, the corruption of leadership is described and emphasized through the actions of farm animals. After gaining control of the farm where they were held, a human society arose between the animals with the most intelligent, or most disingenuous, animals rising to the top of the hierarchy. Sheep, chickens, even the farm dogs all bowed down to the pigs that tricked their way to power. The infamous quote, â€Å"all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others† (112) is the epitome of the corruption Orwell wanted to emphasize. Through the different obstacles that the barnyard animals faced, from an attempted return by the humans to a project to construct a windmill, the animals gave more and more power to the pigs leaving them at their mercy. Slowly, the animal leaders became humanized, even going to the extent of wearing clothes and playing cards at the end of the novel, â€Å"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; and it was already impossible to say which was which† (118). Orwell s use of allegory emphasizes the dangers of surrendering power to self-imposed leaders and the corruption that occurs when an overwhelming amount of power is held by an individual. When George Orwell wrote â€Å"Animal Farm†, it is said he was heavily influenced by the rise of communism throughout the world. The most powerful communist influence that Orwell experienced was from theShow MoreRelatedAnimal Farm And George Orwell By George Orwell1034 Words   |  5 Pages Eric Arthur Blair, under the pseudonym of George Orwell, composed many novels in his lifetime that were considered both politically rebellious and socially incorrect. Working on the dream since childhood, Orwell would finally gain notoriety as an author with his 1945 novel Animal Farm, which drew on personal experiences and deeply rooted fear to satirically critique Russian communism during its expansion. Noticing the impact he made, he next took to writing the novel 1984, which similarly criticizedRead MoreAnimal Farm By George Orwell1397 Words   |  6 PagesAn important quote by the influential author of Animal Farm, George Orwell, is, â€Å"Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism.† George Orwell, a Democratic Socialist, wrote the book Animal Farm as an attack on the Communist country of Russia (â€Å"The Political Ideas of George Orwell,† worldsocialism.org). He had a very strong disliking of Communism and the Socialist party of Russia. However, he insisted on finding the truthRead MoreAnimal Farm, By George Orwell1545 Words   |  7 Pagesallow because an this elite institution of people often use this gear to dominate and oppress society. In George Orwell’s story, Animal Farm, Orwell demonstrates that education is a powerful weapon and is a device that can be used to at least one’s benefit. Living in a world where strength is a straightforward to benefit, the pigs quick use education to govern the relaxation of the animals on the farm to serve themselves worked to their advantage. This story in shows the underlying message that   firstRead MoreAnimal Farm By George Orwell944 Words   |  4 Pageslegs(Orwell 132). He carried a whip in his trotter(Orwell 133). In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, animals have the ability to talk and form their own ethos, Animalism. Animal Farm is an intriguing allegory by George Orwell, who is also th e author of 1984, includes many enjoyable elements. More knowledge of the author, his use of allegorical elements, themes, symbols, and the significance in the real world, allows the reader to get more out of this glance into the future. George OrwellRead MoreAnimal Farm, By George Orwell876 Words   |  4 Pagesrebellious animals think no man means freedom and happiness, but they need to think again. The animals of Manor Farm rebel against the farm owner, Mr. Jones, and name it Animal Farm. The animals create Animalism, with seven commandments. As everything seems going well, two of the animals get into a rivalry, and things start changing. Food starts disappearing and commandments are changed, and the power begins to shift. Father of dystopian genre, George Orwell writes an interesting allegory, Animal FarmRead MoreAnimal Farm by George Orwell1100 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction: Widely acknowledged as a powerful allegory, the 1945 novella Animal Farm, conceived from the satirical mind of acclaimed author George Orwell, is a harrowing fable of a fictional dystopia that critiques the socialist philosophy of Stalin in terms of his leadership of the Soviet Union. Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose initial virtuous intentionsRead MoreAnimal Farm By George Orwell1538 Words   |  7 PagesMecca Animal Farm The Russian Revolution in 1917 shows how a desperate society can be turned into a military superpower filled with terror and chaos. George Orwell uses his book, Animal Farm, to parallel this period of time in history. This book is an allegory of fascism and communism and the negative outcomes. The animals begin with great unity, working toward a common goal. The government then becomes corrupted by the temptations of power. George Orwell uses the characters in Animal Farm to showRead MoreAnimal Farm by George Orwell1175 Words   |  5 PagesAn enthusiastic participant in the Spanish civil war in 1936, George Orwell had a great understanding of the political world and made his strong opinions known through his enlightening literary works, many of which are still read in our modern era. Inspired by the 1917 Russian Revolution and the failed society it resulted in, Animal Farm by George Orwell is an encapsulating tale that epitomises how a free utopian society so idealistic can never be accomplished. The novella exemplifies how influencesRead MoreAnimal Farm, By George Orwell1089 Words   |  5 PagesIn George Orwell’s â€Å"Animal Farm†, the pigs as the farm leaders, use unknown language, invoke scare tactics and create specific laws, thereby enabling them to control other animals, to suit their greedy desires, and to perform actions outside their realm of power. Because of the pigs’ use of broad language, and the implementation of these tactics they are able to get away with avoiding laws, and are able to convince other animals into believing untrue stories that are beneficial to the pigs. The firstRead MoreAnimal Farm, By George Orwell1212 Words   |  5 PagesShe stood there over the dead animals thinking to herself what have we come to? We try to become free but we just enslave ourselves to a so called superior kind. Napoleon killed the animals in front of the whole farm and said that this was to be the punishment for the traitors. Snowball was known as a traitor now and anyone conspiring with him would be killed. Snowball and Napoleon both represent historical characters during the Russian revolution in 1917.Snowball who was one of the smartest pigs

Industrial Relations Free Essays

IPM Professional Qualification in Human Resource Management Management Case Study 8 Industrial Relations Batch ID PQHRM 22/07 Question 6 The problems that have arisen, findings have been considered and recommendations have been given from points 1 to 5. Question 1 ?Company could not or did not adapt to the changing market conditions. They did not change their strategies of production and did not properly analyze the market conditions. We will write a custom essay sample on Industrial Relations or any similar topic only for you Order Now ?Due to the incompetence of the management the company was taking a hit financially. But the management instead of rectifying what went wrong took the easy way out and blamed the labour for not giving their maximum output. ?There was no industrial peace and industrial peace is vital to ensure the smooth flow of work. Trade unions that have political affiliation were main reason for the ongoing industrial dispute and their dissatisfaction in the existing government did not help. In addition to this they were two trade unions that had an internal dispute among themselves. ?The â€Å"Bolts Nuts† terminated several employees in an illegal manner. Certain employees who were alleged with pilfering were terminated without a disciplinary enquiry or issuance of a show cause letter. Certain employees were terminated for picketing whereas picketing and striking is legal. ?The union and its representatives entered and agreed upon a collective agreement without properly considering the terms and conditions of the agreement. This could be attributed to the lack of negotiation skills. ?Management did not ensure that the workers had the proper tools and skills to increase or even maintain their production levels. The machinery provided for the workers to work with were outdated and not in proper working order. ?Management resorting to illegal means of terminating employees and closing down the factory even before the commissioner or labour made his/her final verdict. ?The environmental authority’s pressure to sort the matter of waste water disposal can be considered as the final blow to the company as there was no way the company could implement a waste water disposal system. Question 2 The above situations could have been averted through the management acting in a timely manner instead of waiting for the market conditions to turn bad. They could have done the following to avert the disaster that occurred: ?Conducted a market survey if the competitors products and their market conditions. The management could have done a PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors) and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). This would have made sure that the management knew where their organization stood as per the market condition and their competitors and the various factors in SWOT or PEST. ?The management should not have blamed the workers for not giving their maximum input. They should have instead introduced a small scale incentive scheme and got the workers motivated so that they worked with them in this crisis situation instead of working against them. They should have also asked for the workers feedback on the reason for this situation and their suggestions on how to improve production. ?Implement Six Sigma. Since Six Sigma focuses on improving productivity without investing in new equipment and increasing productivity through improving the way thing are done or the improving the individual processes itself it would have boosted productivity and increased quality of the products and the productivity of the organization (See next page for the Six Sigma process Diagram 1) ? Negotiations to come to a collective agreement should have been conducted with the majority trade union representative preferably the head who is a competent negotiator and the representative for the employer should have been a member of the EFC or its representation body. The Labour Department should have been involved in this negotiation session and provided conciliation. Diagram 1 ?The management should have not terminated employees in an illegal manner. They should have instead have offered a VRS or if that was not applicable they should have referred to the labour commissioner on job cuts before things they started severely taking losses. Another option that the management had is to ask the employees if they were agreeable to a pay cut. ?Although the company could not afford new machinery they could have done a major overhaul or repair all the machinery that was in use. This would not have given them a boost in production but they would not have lost production either. With regards to the environmental authority the company could have negotiated with them and come to an understanding that the waste water system will be implemented when the company was financially stable. ?Faulty recruitment and selection process. HR or Recruitment department did not find the best fit for the job. This would have been the lead cause for industrial disputes. ?The HR dept could have done a Training Need Analysis and then provided the required training for the workers if the reason for lack of production was lack of skill Question 3 Yes. Good IR in a company can be attributed to the following ? A relationship between employer and employee where collective bargaining is used extensively and joint problem solving exists in order for both parties to mutually benefit. ?Genuine employee involvement and HR practices that involve information gathering, consultation of employees and having their participation in all initiatives. ?Involvement of a third party during disputes where both parties maybe biased to their own cause. As per the above points we could draw to the conclusion that Bolts Nuts Company has poor IR. The company did not have a good rapport with its employee and evidently didn’t use the workers knowledge and suggestions to jointly solve the problems. Collective bargaining was used but not extensively and effectively. Also the fact of employee involvement in information gathering for HR practices is not evident. Employees were not consulted for their views of the situation. Involvement of the labour department was evident but again too late. If a labour department representative was present at the collective bargaining sessions the session would have led to a reasonable collective agreement that was fair. But since this did not happen the collective agreement only led to more disagreement and therefore the collective agreement was rendered redundant. Question 4 The HR manager is partially responsible for this situation as it involved the illegal termination of employees, hiring of employees who were not the best fit for the companies’ requirements and not conducting a Training Need Analysis to ascertain if the employee’s lack of production was due to a lack in Knowledge, Skills or Attitudes and providing the required training. Question 5 The only way for this crisis to be resolved is to implement all the points given in question 2. That would be to Conducted a market survey, Implement Six Sigma, Negotiate an effective collective agreement, the major overhaul of all the machinery, involve employees in the decision making process and providing training as required once a TNA is done. How to cite Industrial Relations, Papers Industrial Relations Free Essays string(172) " reserve for itself the absolute right to set up time standards, club Jobs, change production methods and systems and flexibility in the matter of deployment of workforce\." The tolerance of the Tells workers suddenly gave way. The storm broke and wealth months the workforce, the management and the entire city of Pun were engulfed by this storm. Some attributed the cause to workers’ leaders like Raja Nair, others to Tells officials like Unranked. We will write a custom essay sample on Industrial Relations or any similar topic only for you Order Now The genesis of the phenomena however lay in the history of industrial relations in Tells over nearly fifteen years. Pun was one of the first industrial centre to be established pursuant to the policy of geographic relocation of industries away from established industrial centre in the aryl sixties. During the sixties a number of large engineering companies set up new Industries In the Pun region. Being predominantly engineering industries, the region attracted a large number of skilled workers from all over Maharajah’s. This workforce was young, skilled, educated (being from technical training Institutes such as TIT and private Institutes); and there was a broad cultural homogeneity since most of them were Amaranth-speaking. Pun city, though not an industrial city to the sixties, has well established traditions of trade unionism amongst the municipal workers, the searchers and staff of other governmental bodies. Above all traditionally the workers in the engineering industry are known to be more militant and better organized. Basically this has to do with the nature of the work in the engineering industry, where man is invariably the master of the machine. Engineering Jobs require knowledge, perception, judgment, use of discretion and higher intellectual abilities, all of which results in a self-confident and assertive workforce. Added to all this Is the fact that the new workers coming to Pun had to find residential quarters on the outskirts of Pun. The suburban districts of Pun grew Into working class areas. Both better paid any badly paid workers’ settlements grew within the same locates, leading to extensive social integration of the workforce. All this gave rise to strong traditions of unity, solidarity and class sentiments in the most classical sense of the term. While the other industrial centre were plagued by trade union rivalries, political dissensions, and conflicts founded on caste, region and language Pun developed a tradition of class solidarity. In 1980, when the police fired on the rockers of Baja Auto, almost immediately the other factories closed in support, and a joint action committee was formed. Thereafter on most major events, ‘ad hoe trade union Joint action committees have cropped up. With the numerical strength of workers In Pun Increasing – today the city has 1. 75 to 2 lack industrial workers and, together with their families, they constitute 45-50 per cent of Pun’s population – these traditions were reinforced In strength and Impact. The companies that came up in Pun region too developed a broad unified approach the first place they too like the workers were concentrated in one area. Besides, very few companies were in mutual competition with one another. Many of them were keen to avoid the problems they had to confront in the older industrial centre like Bombay. One of the first things that almost every major company in the Pun region did right from the beginning was to ensure that no outsider, I. E. Professional trade unionist, established himself in Pun. These companies were established at a time when the fact of trade unionism as an inevitable aspect of industrial life had come to be accepted. In the Pun region formation of trade unions per SE never led to any ajar strife. The companies on the contrary encouraged their nascent workforce to form internal company unions. Barring a few exceptions the major pattern of trade union organization in the region is of internal unions with the workers themselves acting as office-bearers. In the mid-eighties Data Samoan from Bombay attempted a break-through but did not succeed. In a few companies unions affiliated to the Ship Seen and BGP tried to establish their unions but could not make any major headway. Against this backdrop, Tells is an Omni-present giant in the Pun region. Spread dead over a vast area, it employs, 8,500 blue collar workers, around 1,000 to 1,100 white collar workers, 2,000 supervisory staff and 2,500 engineers and officers. The average age off Tells worker is 32 years. Besides this a large number of ancillaries around Pun depend basically on Tells for their survival. It has been impossible to estimate the extent of mistranslation. Estimates vary from 400 units to 4,000 units. Besides, there is the consumption of goods and services by the company. To take one or two examples – the two industrial canteens at Tells employ 450 employees. The conservancy staff number around 450. Tells runs 110 buses on 265 routes. And all this growth has taken place over a span of 25 years. In keeping with the general pattern of industrial relations in the region, the company encouraged the formation of an internal trade union in their company. The new workforce formed the Tells Kamala Santayana (TTS), the very union with whom the company is refusing to negotiate today. The TTS was formed in February 1968 and was immediately recognized by the company. The constitution of the union provided amongst other things that the union will not have any outsider I. E. , a non-employee, as office-bearers. The elections were to be held once in every three years. It may be pointed out here that wage agreements are normally revised once in three years. It provided that workers would elect a council of 42 members and these 42 would then elect the office-bearers from amongst themselves. During this time the production in the company was growing rapidly. Normally in the older engineering industries Job classifications are precise. The content of each Job is described and evaluated, grades evolved, and quite often a worker could lawfully decline to do Job which were beyond the description or grade of his Job. Right from the beginning the company sought to avoid rigid classification of Job and to reserve for itself the absolute right to set up time standards, club Jobs, change production methods and systems and flexibility in the matter of deployment of workforce. You read "Industrial Relations" in category "Papers" This guarding its rights. Throughout, the growth in productivity was as a result of increased capacity utilization on the one hand and increase in the productivity of the workers on the other. The increase in productivity was mainly due to intensification of the workers’ work output. Thus in 1980 the company produced 14,000 vehicles. This increased to 0,000 vehicles in 1988 (though the targeted production was 33,000). In 1981, 40 chassis were produced in a day, today it is 125 chassis. Throughout, the workforce remained constant. There was no major technological upgrading. The only areas where some technical modifications were made were in fatigue-related areas, I. E. Where fatigue of the workers reached a point where he became counter-productive. In order to facilitate this the company introduced a number of schemes designed to make optimum use of the workforce. In 1976, the TTS and the company Jointly finalized a skill benefit scheme. Under this scheme a worker could upgrade his skill and give required trade tests after which he would be entitled to two increments. Thereafter a versatility benefit scheme was introduced, whereby a workman who had learnt a new trade besides his own could after passing the requisite tests get three increments. All this made it possible for the company to utilize its workforce with complete flexibility after all, the company believed a worker during his work hours was at the company’s disposal to get as much production from him as was possible.. The internal leadership of the TTS could not perceive the impact of the company’s policies. In 1976 it consented to the skill benefit scheme. The feeling spread amongst the workers that the union leadership was not standing up for their rights, while the management was asserting its rights. In the 1977 TTS elections the workers elected a new leadership which was perceived to be more militant. Under this leadership the workers conducted their first strike which went on for 22 days. This strike was against what is popularly described as ganging of machines and double designations. Ganging of machine meant that a worker who was until then required to load Jobs on one machine and attend to it was now required to load one bob on one machine and immediately attend to another machine or several machines depending on the nature of the Job before returning to the first one. Double designations meant one worker was called upon to do two Jobs. While the former method clubbed machines the latter clubbed Jobs. The state government intervened and referred the dispute for adjudication after which the strike was declared illegal. A number of activists were dismissed and other neutralized, and yet others won over. The workers attributed the failure of the strike and the crushing of the TTS leadership to the absence of strong outside leadership and support. They then turned to the Sara Ashrams Shantung, a trade union affiliated to the Ala Ionians Party. The membership of the Sara Ashrams Shantung was not widespread over all shops and departments, and was concentrated in a few plants and departments. In 1980 the workers of the foundry section began agitation. Once again this was against work norms and methods. The company declared a lock-out of the foundry which other department workers in support of the foundry workers. The foundry workers’ agitation fizzled out. The workers were compelled to give an undertaking of good conduct and report back to work. Some more activists were dismissed after this agitation. In order to defeat the Sara Ashrams Shantung, the company had to rely on the TTS leadership amongst other things. The TTS leadership, in the absence of over-whelming support of workers had to align with the management to defeat the Sara Ashrams Shantung. In the process the TTS leadership acquired privileges and concessions from the company that alienated them more and more from the workers. If workers were intimidated or strong-arm methods were used within the company premises the management looked the other way. Workers say the company actually circuited toughs to deal with the situation. Officers of the company deny this at times and at other times have Justified it saying strong-arm methods must be countered by strong-arm methods ‘sometimes’. The company also began to focus on what it describes as its welfare activities. Since 1981 there has been a sharp increase in industrial co-operatives of employees formed with the active support of the company. Between 1981 and 1987 the company has helped establish nine industrial cooperatives, for various purposes like recycling of scrap wood, conservancy, manufacturing safety shoes, printing, computer revise, felting, foundry-casting, battery cable assembly, welding, etc. Previously such societies were limited to helping widows of deceased employees, canteens and the like. Now it spilled over the industrial production. These co-operatives were intended to provide employment to the dependents and family members of the employees. The TTS leadership was the main agent for the implementation of these schemes. They therefore acquired enormous clout over the workers. Though out of a total workforce of 9,600, only 252 employees were members of the nine cooperatives formed between 1981 and 1987, and these cooperatives employed 698 rocker, the worker could always hope that by being on the right side of the TTS leadership, he could better the position of himself and his family. Besides it put enormous resources at the disposal of the TTS leadership. For the year 1987-88 alone the total turnover of these nine co-operatives was over RSI. 107 lack. The leadership of the TTS increasingly lost their identity as spokesmen of the workers. This got reflected in their style of functioning as union office-bearers. Issues were no longer represented on the basis of any clearest principles or rights, but on ad hoc basis. They were no longer resolved on the basis of the workers’ strength but the clout of their office. Sometimes issues relating to production and shop floor problems were resolved satisfactorily, but most often they were not. It was an alienated leadership providing patchwork solutions. While these trends were developing within the TTS leadership, amongst the workers other developments were taking place. After the failure of the foundry workers’ agitation, the workers began to look once again towards the internal union – the TTS. Leaders, Raja Nair and a few others who they perceived as being better. In the ginning of 1982, Raja Nair was elected general secretary of the TTS. Along with other members of the negotiating team, he too signed the 1981 settlement on wage revision. This settlement evoked widespread anger and resentment among the workers. When compared to the increase in their productivity and the profits of the company the workers felt the settlement gave them very little. The 1979 settlement had revised the wages by between RSI 150 and RSI 210. The 1982 settlement had increased them by RSI. 350 to RSI. 370. Besides, the skill benefit and versatility benefits schemes had been modified to give more leverage to the management and o say to the union in matters relating to production. A large number of workers who gathered at the company’s gate beat up the leaders and engaged in stone throwing. It is said that at this Juncture Raja Nair publicly admitted that he had signed the settlement under pressure from other committee members. He had been recruited in the company around 1979. When he became general secretary he had barely six year’s service behind him. It is difficult at this Juncture to assess what subjective factors weighed with him in this turnabout. But from the point of view of understanding the Tells agitation this is hardly important. What is important is before the workers it refurnished his image as an honest leader. The workers at this stage needed a hero in whom they could concentrate their aspirations. The steps that the company took thereafter only reinforced that need and catapulted one individual into the position off hero. After the disturbances at the company’s gate in September 1982, the company declared suspension of operations for over a week and demanded good conduct bonds from the workers. The workers gave this bond and returned to work. A few weeks after this the company suspended Raja Nair and after holding an enquiry smiled him from service in the beginning of 1983. To the company this was sure way to tackle rebellion. It had yielded results in the past, more particularly in 1977 and 1980 and there was no reason why it should not succeed this time. What the company did not take into account is the fact that the workers too were learning something from their experiences and were growing more mature in their understanding of the company. Coincidentally it was during this time that Raja Nair himself was arrested in a murder charge. He was under trial for six months or so after which he was discharged for want of evidence. This factor added to his image as a leader capable of taking on the Tells management amongst the workers. The rebel group within the TTS now rallied under the banner of the Raja Nair Panel (RAN) and began working as a group. In December 1984 once again the TTS elections were held. In these elections RAN put up a panel of 20 candidates of whom 17 won the elections. In a committee of 42 members they were still a minority and from this point of time the RAN worked as a faction within the TTS. The RAN did not focus much on the wage revision agreement of 1985. They concentrated instead on building up grassroots organization. In order to do this, they first of all changed their style of functioning. Until now by virtue of their working hours. The leaders were not required to work on the shop floor. They were given secretarial assistance by the company for their union work. The RAN decided they would not avail any of these privileges. They began to work on the shop floor. As a result, they were able to build up a rapport with the workers and tackle day-to-day shop floor problems directly. Workers too began to approach them for resolving day-to-day problems. Throughout the period between 1983 and 1987 the RAN focused on building grassroots support and organization. All this time Raja Nair was closely associated with the work of the activists of around 2,000 workers and staunch sympathizers of around 4,000 workers. Together with the fence-sitters the RAN had the overwhelming support of the Tells workers. In December 1987 when the TTS elections took place, the RAN put up a panel for all the seats. The RAN won 34 out of 42 seats. More significant was the fact that all the old leadership of the TTS lost badly in the elections. The language this new committee spoke was different. It actively took up issues on the shop floor. It questioned the supervisors on the methods of work distribution and allotment, on transfers and quantum of work and other issues. It must be mentioned here that the manner in which the productivity of the workers had been raised, as described above, required extensive supervision. The ratio of supervisors to workers is high in the company, roughly around 1:10. The supervisory staff rang the alarm and the management pushed the panic buttons. As a result a chain of events followed leading to the present impasse. At this stage it may be possible to argue that had the management shown greater statesmanship, balanced Judgment ND perceptiveness what followed need not have happened. But today this question will only be academic. In May 1988 the company suspended and later dismissed the vice president of the TTS. A group of workers went on a one-day hunger strike. The rest of the workers boycotted tea, snacks and lunch in the company’s canteen as a mark of solidarity with the hunger strikers. In July 1988 the TTS held a general body meeting and decided to amend their constitution to allow admission to honorary members who were not Tells employees. Since there is a provision in the Trade Union Act which allows admission of honorary members, and there is nothing unusual or illegal about the amendment, the registrar of trade unions, Pun, allowed the amendments and registered the same. Raja Nair was then admitted as honorary member and elected working president. The wage agreement had in the meantime expired and the TTS now terminated the old agreement and submitted a fresh charter of demands. The management refused to speak to the negotiating committee on the ground that they would not deal with outsiders. Later the reasons for not talking to the committee kept changing giving rise to doubts among workers and the outside world of management’s bona fide. At this stage the government on its own motion referred the issue of wage revision for adjudication. As yet there was nothing to indicate that anything extra-ordinary company took the stand that the matters had been referred for adjudication to a tribunal by the government and so they would not negotiate with the new committee as the matter was subsidize. The workers were obviously not in agreement. Before Dalai of 1988 came the bonus issue. A large number of workers refused to accept bonus. The company declared 8. 33 per cent plus a production bonus of RSI. 1,207. 987-88 had been an excellent year for the company financially. Between 1985-86 when the last settlement was signed and 1987-88 when the next wage revision became due, turnover had gone up 37 per cent, net profits by 66 per cent from RSI. 16. 17 core to RSI. 26. 95 core and value added by 43 per cent. The workers could not therefore understand why only 8. 33 per cent was paid by way of statutory bonus. A large number of workers (around 1,100) who had been lured into accepting the bonus returned the same. All these years the company had deducted the TTS subscription from the workers’ wages and paid it to the TTS. This year the company refused to deduct the subscription. The TTS had to therefore organize a membership collection drive. It opened accounts in banks around the residential areas and called the workers to deposit the subscription amounts in those accounts. Workers began lining up in banks. By January 31, 3,811 members had paid subscriptions, by the end of February another 1,810 had paid and by the end of March a further 1,722. By now the company began suspending active supporters of the new committee. It Justified its action by saying that it would not tolerate indiscipline. Amongst the workers this argument had no takers because workers knew the company had allowed and tolerated far more indiscipline from the older committee. In the midst of all this the workers resorted too tool down strike in the beginning of January 1989. This agitation was peaceful and organized. On January 30, Rattan Data was to have visited the factory at Pun. On January 29 Raja Nair was suddenly detained by the police preventively under Section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code. This action triggered a wave of anger. Though he had been detained on the January 29 the news spread to the factory on the 30th. The following day, when he was produced in court, rockers collected in the court premises spontaneously. The numbers began to swell. After arguments for his release, the Judgment was reserved for the next day and the police tried to whisk him away. But workers, whose number was swelling all the time, refused to let the Jeep go and resolved to sit in the court premises until the release of Raja Nair. The police then applied to the court and Raja Nair was released. In the meantime certain events happened outside the trade union scene in Tells which was to have a great impact on the Tells workers’ struggle. In January 1989, the Trade Union Council was formed. In the past Joint action committees had been formed by the trade unions in Pun on the basis of events or issues. For sometime the idea that the Trade Union Council be constituted as permanent body had been suggested by a number of unions, but unions were also cautious since in the past joint councils tended to fizzle out after an agitation or campaign. For six to eight committee had fizzled out. In the meantime Baja] auto workers in Arranged were having their agitation and workers in Pun through a Joint action committee collected funds for the Arranged workers. During this time it was decided to form the trade onion council. The formation was announced on January 19, 1989 at a public meeting of over 20,000 workers and 31 organizations. The general mood of the Pun workers therefore was responsive to the Tells workers. Soon after the arrest and release of Raja Nair, the Tells Employees Union (TIES) was formed in February 1989. The company was all along saying they could not negotiate with the TTS because the matters were pending in court. Now TEE came out with a hand bill that the company was willing to negotiate with them. The members of the old committee who had lost in the TTS election were office-bearers of the TIES. The TEE then challenged the status of the TTS in the courts. Five office-bearers of the TTS went on a hunger strike outside the company and the workers boycotted canteen food in solidarity. On the intervention of Madman Banana, the ‘guardian minister’ for Pun in the Maharajah’s council of ministers, the hunger strike was withdrawn and assurances were made that their problems would be looked into by the government. The workers were under tremendous pressure to Join the TEE between middle of February and March but the membership of the TEE could not go beyond a few hundred. The company now started saying since the validity of the TTS elections was before the courts they would not talk to TTS unless the issue was decided. Within the company the atmosphere was tense and there was widespread feeling that the company would lock-out the factory. The leaders foots had prepared the workers and decided that nothing should be done in the company which may precipitate a lock-out even under gravest provocation. At this point on March 14, 1989, one of the office-bearers of the TTS was assaulted badly within the company premises by TEE members. Since the TTS had given strict instruction not to do anything that would precipitate a lock-out, the workers remained under control, but the anger had cached flash-point. The following day TEE members who were on their way to work were accosted and beaten up in various parts of the city. Now the company suspended around 70 – 75 persons of the TTS for engaging in violence. The company now began to say they would not talk to TTS because they had engaged in violence. However when things became too obvious the company suspended and charge-sheeted one of the office-bearers but continued to recognize the TIES. In the meantime the chief minister’s statement in the Vida Saba that the Tells must talk to the TTS and government would mediate raised the hopes of the workers. The TTS in the meantime began to step up its organizational work and began holding meetings in the residential localities of workers. These meetings though intended for Tells workers were attended by other workers in the locality. The Tells agitation was spreading to those factories too. It appears that at this point other managements in the region began to get anxious about the developments in Tells and began to press for a resolution of the dispute there. On August 18 was the annual general meeting was seen as the architect of the industrial relation policy in Tells, was not given further extension after retirement. The company temporarily clubbed the responsibility of personnel with production by handing charge of industrial relations to the works deputy director (auto division). All this also raised the hopes of the workers and gave a feeling that the changes reflected a reappraisal by the company. As a matter of fact tripartite meetings were fixed between TTS, the company and the government. Though nothing substantial came of it further meetings were fixed. Then suddenly the company signed a wage agreement within the TEE on September 19. By the wage agreement the company sought to give a rise of RSI. 85 on an average. Perhaps it was felt this would lure the workers into the fold of TEE. The company then sought to apply to the industrial tribunal to pass an award in terms of the agreement so that it binding on all the workers. The workers had reached a point of desperation. On September 20 the TTS organized a huge rally of Tells workers, where on the spot the workers decided to fast indefinitely. Around 6,000 workers are estimated to have gone on a indefinite hunger strike. This was in the middle of the city, and generated a massive wave of public sympathy. For the first time perhaps a racketing agency conducted an opinion poll on a workers’ agitation. The opinion poll conducted by the Marketing and Econometric Consultancy Service revealed that 86 per cent of the respondents, all Pun citizens, were aware of the Tells issue, 82 per cent said they believed TTS was the majority union, 68 per cent felt workers were peaceful in their methods of agitation, 69 per cent felt the union was Justified in its agitation and 67 per cent felt the struggle of the Tells workers was for democratic rights. The Trade Union Council called for a one-day sympathy strike by Pun workers which was a complete success. Further tripartite negotiations had been fixed for October 1 . On September 29, the trade Union Council gave a call for demonstrations and street meetings in as many parts of the city as possible by the workers of other companies to draw attention on the Tells issue. The police used this as a pretext and swooped down on the hunger strikers and arrested over 4,000 Tells workers. Of these 2,000 were taken in buses and left off on the outskirts of the city, and 2,000 or so were taken into custody at places like Rating and Nashua. The TTS had been in quandary about how to call of the mass hunger strike without appearing to be back racking or weakening. The police action solved that problem. The company had not been too keen on the tripartite meeting and that problem too was resolved as no meeting could take place after the arrests. This triggered off a new wave of anger which spread throughout the city. The Trade Union Council called for an indefinite industrial strike of Pun workers. But the sight of Tells workers who had been on hunger strike for 10 days being beaten, pushed into buses and carried away evoked stone throwing and numerous incidents all over Source : Economic Political Weekly, How to cite Industrial Relations, Papers

Life Skills free essay sample

This will help the learners to become responsible citizens who will use their values to guide their attitudes and behaviour. Objectives After completing this section, you should be able to: 1. define values 2. demonstrate an acknowledgement and acceptance of the realities of diversity(ethicity,culture, sexual-orientation, spirituality/religion) 3. identify and prioritize ones own values 4. develop an understanding of how values influence decision making and behaviour 5. recognize the need to live together in atmosphere of peace and contributing to sustainable development| What are values? Values have many meanings: * Values are your personal measure of worth shaped by your beliefs, ideas and principles that are important to you. They shape your priorities and guide you in deciding what is right and wrong * Values reflect our attitudes and what we believe about everything. * Peoples values differ and people and we should all learn to tolerate each others values. Examples: * A person who values family will care about his/her partner, children and home life. We will write a custom essay sample on Life Skills or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page * love for my family is a value I am willing to work hard for and maybe even sacrifice to achieve it. That value reflects the fact that I believe love for family is more important than anything else in my life. This should be reflected in my decisions and actions. If not it is not what the person values. * A person who values being healthy will exercise, eat the right foods,live positively and avoid alcohol and tobacco. Classification of Values Values can be grouped into the following groups: 1. Instrumental values 2. Moral values 3. Intrinsic values 4. Aesthetic values Instrumental values  are those dealing with the means of achieving economic gain, like  money  and  status. Prioritizing Your Values Now that you have identified your core values, you understand what is important to you. You can use then refer to your values list whenever you have to make a difficult or important decision. Read some of the questions from the list below. * Should I smoke Marijuana or drink alcohol because my friends are drinking and smoking? * Is it OK to have sex with a few close partners? * What if I decided to have a sexual relationship should I protect myself from HIV AIDS and other STDs? * Is it cool to say no to sex? Is sex OK if you are getting something for it: money, cell phone, or clothes? * Is happiness and health important? These are difficult questions with no straightforward answers. When faced with such decisions, you need to refer to your list of values, prioritize them and then make a decision. The prioritization of values  allows you to make decisions which would lead to fulfillment of goals without sacrificing your core values. Remember that although this decision may be the correct one for you at this point in life, you might decide differently when faced with the same situation later in life. } Activity Number 2Examine the list you of values you selected in Activity 1 and arrange them in order of importance. | Values for a Sustainable Future In a world of limited resources, conflicting values, and competing individuals and groups, we all need to learn to live together in an atmosphere of peace, respecting ourselves and others and contributing to sustainable development. Values also very much depend on the religion. The values and athics of the religion can help human beings learn to co-operate with each other and the rest of nature for the mutual well-be ing of all.

A Rose for Emily and The Gilded Six-Bits free essay sample

Takes a look at the treatment of blacks at the time A Rose for Emily and The Gilded Six-Bits were written and then compares the characters in the two novels. This paper compares William Faulkners A Rose for Emily and Zora Neale Hurstons The Gilded Six-Bits. The author examines the treatment of black characters in the two novels and how their depiction differs. The author offers a brief overview of Black history and how it was accepted in society to provide a more in depth understanding of the depiction of black characters in the above novels. Before I begin a comparison of the black characters that are found in the two novels A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and The Gilded Six-Bits by Zora Neale Hurston I would like to present a background for the development of the black history. Without a substantial understanding of their thought processes and assimilation within society it will become impossible to understand the intricacies that make the characters act in the manner that they do. We will write a custom essay sample on A Rose for Emily and The Gilded Six-Bits or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

The Implementation Issues and Strategic Advantages of Lean Systems

The Implementation Issues and Strategic Advantages of Lean Systems Introduction The global manufacturing sector has undergone a notable transformation over the past years as evidenced by the growth in different manufacturing industries. The growth has been spurred by the profitability potential of the sector. Different companies have been established in the services and the industrial manufacturing sectors in the pursuit to exploit the sectors’ profitability. Uniq Limited is a medium sized company that has been established in the manufacturing sector.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Implementation Issues and Strategic Advantages of Lean Systems specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The firm was established in 1998 and it specializes in the manufacture of fast moving apparels and footwear products. A workforce of 120 employees facilitates the company’s operations. Uniq Limited has experienced a positive performance in its profitability since its inception. Mah aevan (2010, p. 5) defines operations management as ‘a systematic approach to addressing issues in the transformation process that converts inputs into useful, revenue-generating outputs’. Operations management further underscores the importance of understanding and addressing problems and issues that arise in the manufacturing process. Thus, it calls for the adoption of effective solutions to operational issues faced. Mahaevan (2010) further affirms that the core aim of operations management is to minimize the cost and maximize revenue through effective planning and operations control. Despite the positive profitability trend, Uniq Limited is not free from challenges. One of the major challenges that the company faces arises from the increase in the intensity of competition. The high rate of globalization coupled with the emergence of e-commerce has led to a remarkable increment in consumer power. Currently, consumers are demanding value for their money, which means th at they are demanding more for less. One of the techniques that Uniq Limited has identified in its quest to achieve competitiveness entails implementation of a lean system. This paper entails a critical discussion on the implementation and strategic advantages associated with the integration of lean systems at Uniq Limited. Operations function at Uniq Limited Uniq Limited is focused on optimizing the level of customer satisfaction by offering customers high-quality apparel and footwear products. Thus, the company considers the operations function as one of the central operations management functions. To achieve maximize on the level of customer satisfaction, the company has integrated a comprehensive set of inputs and transformation process. Uniq Limited considers a set of inputs to meet the customers’ product needs. The inputs include raw materials, labor, time, money, capital equipment, and information. The transformation process enables the company to add value to the inpu ts. The company outsources the raw materials from low-cost countries to minimize the cost of the final product.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Implementation and strategic issues of lean systems The integration of the lean system in the operations function will improve the company’s capacity to satisfy customers and to maximize profitability. The lean concept arises from the need to reduce the amount of duration that elapses between when the customer places an order and the actual delivery of the order. Black (2008, p. 56) argues that lean production involves ‘a new production approach that focuses on different aspects such as time reduction, quality, flexibility, and teamwork’. To benefit from the lean production approach, organizations must entrench lean systems that minimize resource utilization in the production process and that maximize the output. Charron, Harrington, and Voehl (2014) assert that the lean system is demand driven and focuses on ensuring that an organization achieves continuous improvement. Therefore, an organization only produces what the market requires. This aspect underscores the importance of integrating effective lean systems in the pursuit of competitive advantage. In the process of implementing the lean system, Uniq Limited management should take into account the following components as the core building blocks. Product design The first aspect that the organization should take into consideration entails the product design. Under the product design, the company should ensure that the standard parts that workers are required to use in the production process are specified. The organization should establish modular designs, which entails building smaller subsystems that should operate independently. Additionally, the organization should ensure that the lean system integrates a comprehen sive quality system. This aspect will ensure that the final product adheres to the company’s quality specifications. Process design The firm should ensure that the manufacturing process is well designed. To achieve this goal, the firm should consider several aspects. The core issues entail designing small lot sizes, setting up the required time reduction, and developing the manufacturing cells. The manufacturing cells entail establishing specific and efficient production centers. Thus, Uniq Limited should establish manufacturing centers for its footwear and apparel product categories. Establishing the manufacturing cells is critical in the organizations pursuit to maximize equipment utilization. Moreover, the cost of training workers is reduced because of the ease with which the organization can integrate the cross-employee training technique.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Implementation Issues and Strategic Advantages of Lean System s specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Employing the cross training technique is critical is essential in ensuring that the organization maximizes its human capital. For example, in the event of employee absenteeism, the firm can be able to conduct the production employee by implementing cross-departmental task delegation. The design process component should further be comprised of a quality improvement process. The reason for integrating a quality improvement process is to improve the ease with which the organization identifies quality defects in the production process. Subsequently, Uniq Limited will be able to improve the overall quality of the final product continuously. To improve the contribution of the lean system to the firm, Uniq Limited should ensure that the production process is flexible. This move will provide the firm with an opportunity to make the necessary adjustments easily to cater for market changes (Cudney, Furterer, Dietri ch 2013). The Process design component should further entrench a balanced system. The balanced system should take into account two main aspects. First, the organization should ensure that the production cycle time is aligned with the customers demand. Secondly, the production process should be based on an effectively designed work shift system. Thus, the production workload should be equitably distributed amongst the various workstations. Equitable distribution of workload is fundamental to ensuring that employees in some workstations are not overworked. Thus, the likelihood of an error occurring in the production process due to fatigue is minimized. Moreover, balancing the workload is critical in promoting employee productivity. Huthwaite (2007) asserts that a balanced working system promotes employee productivity. In the process of developing the process design, Uniq Limited should take into account inventory storage. The firm should ensure that the production process does not req uire long inventory storage duration. On the contrary, the inventory storage duration should be reduced as much as possible. Slack, Alistair, and Betts (2012) argue that minimizing the inventory storage duration enables an origination to limit the inventory carrying or holding duration. Nevertheless, the firm should maintain inventory buffers to eliminate delays in the production process due to resource shortage.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Personnel and organizational components Despite the incorporation of effective product and process designs, the contribution of the lean system to an organization’s performance is subject to the level of employee commitment. Thus, Uniq Limited should consider its workforce as its most critical asset in implementing the lean system. To make the lean system functional, the firm should ensure that the employees are adequately trained and motivated. The training process should not only be limited to operations function. On the contrary, the training should be broad by focusing on areas such as problem-solving, statistical process control and quality improvement. Furthermore, the firm should consider integrating the cross-training approach to promote flexibility and line balancing in the production process. The rationale for training employees is to eradicate the talent gap that might hinder the efficiency with which the firm responds to the customers’ demands. Slack, Alist air, and Betts (2012, p, 87) assert that lean manufacturing systems ‘require highly skilled and educated employees to inspect, repair, and design the layout of the automated production technology’. This approach will enable the firm to minimize the duration that employees require to undertake the assigned production activities. In addition to training, the organization should ensure that the employees are motivated. This goal can be attained by giving employees an opportunity to make decisions related to the firms’ production process. In this case, Uniq Limited should give its workforce an opportunity to develop product designs to be considered for production purposes. This aspect will play a fundamental role in making employees develop the perception of being valued in the organization’s continuous improvement process. In line with its commitment to satisfy the customers’ demand, Uniq Limited has integrated the project approach. Thus, the firm†™s production activities are project based. The firm adopted the project-based approach because it specializes in the production of fast fashion. Thus, a specific production process must be completed within the set timeframe. Successful employee development will further be subject to the level of employee interaction. Thus, the firm should consider integrating the two-way communication approach. However, to promote two-way communication, the company should ensure that an effective leadership style is adopted. Mahaevan (2010) asserts that the leadership style has a direct influence on the employees’ commitment to job tasks. Manufacturing planning and control The last element that Uniq Limited should focus on in the implementation of the lean system entails manufacturing planning and control. Successful implementation of this building block depends on how effective the management team is committed to implementing different elements. The first element involves level loading, w hich entails the determination of the most appropriate sequence to adopt in the production process. The apparel and footwear production process at Uniq Limited is interdependent and moves from across different stages. Thus, the firm should consider the firm should integrate the push manufacturing system. This system is critical in eliminating errors. In its quest to ensure that the lean system contributes to improvement in the effectiveness of the project-based approach, Uniq Limited should foster the development of two-way communication within the firm. The two-way communication should not only be limited to workers. On the contrary, it should exist between the organization’s managers and lower level employees. The significance of establishing effective communication in the lean system is to promote efficient workflow between the various workstations. Subsequently, workers in the respective workstations appreciate the importance of collaborating in the production process. Th us, the likelihood of successful production is increased. Implementation of technology To integrate the lean system in its operation successfully, Uniq Limited should consider automating some of its operation functions. The implementation of technology is critical in minimizing the cost of operation. For example, the firms should consider automating the inventory management and employee training process. This aspect will minimize the amount of time and resources required to develop employees. On the other hand, automating the inventory management process will aid in reducing the cycle time. Alternatively, the product designing and quality control process should be automated to minimize errors in the final product. Strategic advantages of lean systems Uniq Limited is likely to benefit considerably by implementing the lean system. Some of the strategic benefits that the firm might acquire are expounded herein. Increased productivity Effective implementation of the lean system requires an organization to develop a well skilled and knowledgeable workforce. To achieve this goal, organizations intending to integrate the lean systems have an obligation to design and implement a comprehensive employees’ training program (Slack, Alistair, Betts 2012). By developing a competent and skilled workforce, Uniq Limited will benefit from increased employee productivity. For example, the firm’s employees will be promoting the firm’s ability to undertake continuous product improvement. High product quality Implementation of the lean system will increase the company’s competitiveness in the changing business environment. The integration of the lean system in the production process underscores the importance of teamwork in executing different operations functions. Through teamwork, the firm’s employees will have an opportunity to brainstorm and share ideas on how to undertake the assigned production tasks effectively and efficiently. Thus, the c hance of the team members developing feasible solutions on matters associated with product quality will be improved remarkably. Therefore, the firm will deliver high-quality products to the target customers. Reduced costs Lean systems are based on minimal utilization of resources and maximization of output. For example, the lean system underscores the importance of operating using a lean workforce. Thus, the cost of operation arising from a large salaries and wage budget is reduced. Moreover, optimizing the resources available will enable the firm to minimize the occurrence of wastage in the production process. The reduction of operations and manufacturing costs increases the likelihood of an organization maximizing its profitability. A lean system further leads to the reduction in the overall cost of operation by limiting the inventory levels and the carrying cost (Slack, Alistair, Betts 2012). Conclusion Uniq Limited decision to implement the lean system in its operations functio n can contribute to remarkable improvement in the firm’s performance. The improvement in the firm’s competitiveness will arise from the strategic benefits associated with the lean systems. Some of the core benefits include increased productivity, reduced cost of operation, and production of high-quality products. However, the firm must ensure that the lean system is implemented effectively by taking into account the fundamental building blocks. Reference List Black, J 2008, Lean production; implementing a world-class system, Industrial Press, New York. Charron, R, Harrington, J Voehl, F 2014, The lean management systems Handbook, CRC Press, New Jersey. Cudney, E, Furterer, S Dietrich, D 2013, Lean systems; applications and case studies in manufacturing, service and health care, CRC Press, New York. Huthwaite, B 2007, The lean design solution; a practical guide to streamlining product  design and development, Institute for Lean Design, Mackinac Island. Mahaevan, B 2 010, Operations management; theory and practice, Pearson, Upper Saddle River. Slack, N, Alistair, B Betts, J 2012, Operations and process management, principles and practices for strategic impact, Pearson, Harlow.

A research on the Concept of Homophobia and its Motives Paper

A on the Concept of Homophobia and its Motives - Research Paper Example Homosexuality has been regarded as being immoral, perverse and vulgar since time immemorial. Homophobia is similarly as old and still persists in present times. Homophobia stems from intolerance, ignorance and fear. It developed from prejudice and eventually intensified to panic. Ironically, religious groups do support and exercise homophobic attitudes which is against the ‘treat others as you would like to be treated’ principle. The acute nature of homophobia has gotten to a point where this issue needs societal redress. The following research analyzes the concept of homophobia and the motives behind it in order to determine how to control the vice. Problem Statement Our society has over the past several decades gone through social transformation. There have been assertions of new beliefs regarding human relationships, minority rights, individual freedom and global involvement. Even with such developments, homosexuality has always been a source of conflicts. In spite of the several homosexual groups that act as activists for the rights of this minority group, these groups have not been able to considerably eliminate the vice that is homophobia. Negative and aggressive conduct towards individuals who are homosexual and those in support of homosexuality sets a challenge to the society which needs immediate redress. Objectives The main objective of this paper is to analyze the concept of homophobia. The paper also tries to determine motives behind homophobia and recommends on way forwards in combating homophobia. History of Homophobia Byrne (10) defines homophobia to be the fear of homosexuality as well as of those who practice it. In the 19th century, a lot of the negative attitude towards homosexuals had already developed. By the time the 20th century and the World Wars had come, the attitude had advanced to a great extent. Homosexuals started being viewed as a totally different class of humans that were not the same as the rest of society. They were seen as a class that interrupts the society on a moral, legal and ethical level. As they were sent out oversees during World War I, a lot of homosexuals were able to come together. However, at the end of World War II, men and women who were homosexuals started living as a community separately from heterosexuals. They isolated themselves from the heterosexual individuals. As a result the homosexuals were declared to be psychotic and anti-social individuals that were destructive because of their sexual preferences (Byrne 12). In the 1950s and 19 60s, homosexuals were often ridiculed and hassled by a lot of individuals including the police. Soon after, homosexuals started fighting back against homophobia through formation of civil rights movements. They did this by calling for those that were â€Å"in the closet† to come out in publicly. The number of homosexual organizations increased from 50 to 800 as the closeted homosexuals publicly came out after realizing that there were groups and individuals who supported them. The 1980s were problematic years for the homosexuals. The Roman Catholic Pope called them evil and they were banned from fighting in wars. They were blamed for the existence of HIV/AIDS infections even though homosexuality began far much before AIDS emerged in the 80s. In fact, the

IMRD RESEARCH PAPER (McDonalds) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

IMRD (McDonalds) - Research Paper Example This is because at different level, participants had different age. There were four study levels according to our designed questionnaire. It came out clearly that across the year of study; more participants were from the junior level. From the result analysis we got, there were 11 freshmen, 11 Sophomore, 25 junior, 12 senior and 1 staff. The information from the population of the participants was further summarized in figure I below; The results that we obtained were also devided in terms of Gender. There were many females than males. The actual statistics were 27 males and 33 females. This collectively represents a total of 60 participants. There was diversified answers regarding the feeling participants had on the change in the variety of food in McDonalds over a year. the questionaire used four variables to rate this answers. They include; Decreased, Stayed the same, Increased and Increased a lot. The results obtained rated a mixed reaction toward the question as follows; 4 people answered decreased, 23 stayed the same, 31 increased and 2 increased a lot. This statistics could be summarised below. The response concerning the action taken by McDonald to change its image and promote healthy food was rejected most participants. The answer provided by the 60 participants across different study level was no. Concerning the price of food in McDonald store, the most voted response was that it was cheap. The analysis of this answers rating given was that; no one responded on very cheap, 45 said cheap, 11 said normal, 4 said expensive and no one said very expensive. The answer provided for the question regarding the quality of food prepared by McDonald’s also attracted mixed responses among the participants. 35 participants rated extremely low, 20 said low, 5 said neutral no participant responded on high and very high. The response was gathered from students across the study level. Furthermore, there was mixed response on the question that was

Analysis of Women Victimization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Women Victimization - Assignment Example This dismal of women of color by white women stands as a roadblock to the connection between women. More so, such assumption about black women exposes all women to various degrees and forms of patriarchal oppression in society, some of which as women they share and some of which they do not. The issue of sexism among native women activists is of much concern. It is important that we eliminate the problem of sexism, as they tend to marginalize women in society. Feminism and activism contribute a lot to feminist politics since they question the legitimacy of the United States as an appropriate form of governance. For instance, many racial justice organizations in America rally against hate crimes resulting from the September 11 attack under the name â€Å"we are Africans too†. Issues such as sexism and feminism should unite all women because it forms the basis of their history. Ironically, this is not the case, as native women do not refer to themselves as feminists because they argue that the word feminism is a white concept that should be recognized with white women. Therefore, they assume that the claim of feminism as white then implies that native feminist politics is similar to the feminist politics of other communities. These perceptions have for a long time divided women thus, making it hard for them to work together and fight issues such as patriarchal oppression that affect them in society. Women such as Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, and Tahita Jenkins followed what they believed was true and were not coerced to interact with other women because of their race or color. According to Plato, women should not be discriminated or oppressed because all people are equal, whether female or male. For instance, Plato asserts that while women are caring and rearing children, men should take care of other duties.   

Pros And Cons Of Electric Power Engineering Environmental Sciences Essay

Pros And Cons Of Electric Power Engineering Environmental Sciences Essay Electric power has becoming a necessity in our daily lives. As the use of fossil fuels are slowly running out and phasing out, the use of environmentally friendly energy is now becoming popular and cheaper too. Electrical power is then transmitted after an electric charge has been generated and converted into electricity. It is then distributed to substations then to the homes at a level of voltage, which is safe for us to use. And that is how scientists and engineers have made electricity such as a success to date. Electric power is the use of electric energy to do work. Through electric power, machines are run, and through the running of machines electricity can be generated. Electric power is used in all industries and therefore become an essential tool in our lives. No-one is certain as to where the future of transmission and distribution of electric power lies, but scientists are certain that the energy sources of the future definitely lie in the emission-free sources. Over the years of electric power production various energy sources have been used to produce electric power across the world. These energy sources have been used according to its availability in that specific area, the cost to build and maintain the station, how it will be transmitted and distributed and lastly its affect on the environment. Engineers are trying to find an alternative of clean and cost effective energy to produce electric power. These are some of the electric power used from the past, to date. Hydro-electric power Hydroelectric power is the conversion of energy from free falling water into electrical energy. It uses the water stored in dams. The water flows through a tunnel pipe to the power plants hydraulic turbine. As water rushes through the turbine, it spins the turbine, which drives the electric generator.[1,2] [see figure 3.1 and 3.2]. Pro: It costs less to operate than fossil-fueled stations. There are no emissions produced. Cons: There is generally a deterioration of fish spawning in the areas when dams are used. This process of producing hydro electric power is limited to availability of water and suitable locations for dams and reservoirs [1,2,3] Nuclear power Nuclear power uses a device called nuclear reactor to produce enormous amount of heat by fissioning the nuclei of atoms of a heavy element like Uranium. The heat converts water into steam, which drives the turbine that runs the electric generator. After the steam has turned the turbine, it is left to be condensed in the cooling towers and then later recycled in the plant [4]. Pros: It is carbon-free electricity as it hardly emits any carbon dioxide. It requires much less fuel than fossil-fueled stations to produce an equal amount of electricity. Cons: It produces tons of radioactive waste annually, which is a health hazard to all living organisms. Uranium mining scars the land and pollutes the water supplies as all types of mining do [4,5,6]. Geothermal power Geothermal energy is generated wherever water comes into contact with hot rocks below the Earths surface. The rocks give off heat that makes the water hot enough to turn it into steam. The energy is captured by tapping into earths crust through a process called hydrothermal convection, where a cooler water seeps into the Earths crust, is heated up and then rises to the surfaces. When the water is heated it turns into steam. The steam is then captured and used to drive electric generators [7]. Pros: It releases no harmful emissions as it is a natural source of energy. It is far more efficient than heating and cooling and can move 3-5 times more energy Cons: Geothermal heat pumps have higher up-front costs. Theres a risk that while trying to drill into earths crust, it might trigger seismic activity fracture rock stability, thus resulting in the collapsing of infrastructures.[7,8] And now it is rumored that the use of biofuels might be the energy source for the future as they are the third generation biofuels (made from algae and other microbes). Despite the type of energy source used, the bottom line is they all have to create enough force to turbine a turn a turbine that will then run a generator. The generator has a rotating electromagnet called a rotor and a stator. A separate generator called an excitor powers the rotor creating a magnetic field that produces an electric charge in the stator. The charge is transmitted as electricity [1,7].[see Figure 3.3 and figure 3.4] Electric power transmission There are mainly two ways electric power can be transmitted either overhead or underground. As electric current moves along transmission lines, the lines resist the current flow. The resistance within the lines causes the current to lose energy. Power stations therefore limit energy losses by transmitting electricity at high voltages. As the voltage is increased, the amount of current needed to transmit a particular amount of electric power decreases. Because there is less energy lost due to the resistance. Electric current may either be DC or AC. Direct current flows in only one direction. Alternating current is therefore easier to transmit than direct current [1].[see Figure 5]. The history behind the way electric power is transmitted today. In 1878, Thomas Edison [see Figure 6:] developed and sold commercially viable replacement for gas lighting and heating locally generated and generated direct current electricity. He opened the worlds first public electricity supply in the late 1881.this system was powered from a water wheel , which drove a Siemens alternator that supplied a number of arc lamps with electricity within the town as well as shops and premises. As the years went by Edison opened more power stations in various parts o the world. All his methods of supplying electricity were using direct current (DC). Later on that year it was discovered that there was a demand for electricity, so Edison decided to increase the voltage so that the high demand for electricity could be supplied, and also because the increase in voltage reduced the resistive losses in the cable. But it was after a series of fatal accidents that he also realized that increasing the voltage increases the danger from direct contact and also incre ases the required insulation thickness. Furthermore some loads were difficult or impossible to make for higher voltages. Nikola Tesla, who worked for Edison for a short period of time and appreciated electricity in a way that Edison did not, devised a alternative system using alternating current. Tesla realized that while doubling the voltage would halve the current and reduce losses by three quarters, only an alternating current system allowed the transformation between voltage levels in different part of the systems. This allowed efficient high voltages for distribution where their risks could be easily migrated by good design while still allowing fairly safe voltages to be supplied to the loads. He went on to develop alternative for DC appliances. In 1888, Tesla worked with George Westinghouse, who owned a patent for type of transformer that could deal with high voltages and was easy to make. They both built a power system for a gold mine in Colorado. Almarian Decker finally inve nted the whole system of the three-power generating in California. Edison was force to sell his deal with General Electric to Teslas new system. Thus Teslas alternating current system remains the primary means of delivering electric power to consumers throughout the world. While high-voltage direct current is increasingly being used to transmit large quantities of electricity over long distances.[9] Electrical power distribution Some large industries require high voltage current and receive it directly from transmission lines. But high voltages are unsafe in homes, offices and most factories. The voltage must therefore be decreased before the electricity is distributed to them. High voltages are carried by the transmission line to sub transmission substations near the substations to 12500 to 138000 volts. The voltage is then further reduced at the distribution substations to 2,000 to 34,000 volts. Distribution lines may carry this medium voltage current voltage to commercial, industrial or institutional users. Distribution lines may also carry electric power to distribution transformers on poles , on the grounds , or in under ground vaults. Distribution transformers are what reduce the voltage to the levels needed by most users. Wires from the transformers run to homes, stores, offices, and other users. Nearly all consumers receive electric power at a level of 110-240 volts. And we use it to run our daily li ves [1] [see Figure 7:] . Conclusion Electricity has evolved over the years for it to be where it is today. The electric power demand continues to grow. Power companies as well as engineers must plan carefully for expansion to meet the ever-increasing demand. However, construction of new power plants is costly and takes several years. Many planned nuclear power have been cancelled due to the soaring construction costs and public concern over safety and nuclear waste [see Figure 8 ] :. Extensive research is being carried out into nuclear fusion, but it may take decades to succeed. If the consumption of fossil fuels continues as at present, then the supply will eventually run out. However, many scientists believe that energy from the sun, earth, wind and oceans can be used more extensively to produce electric power cheaply and efficiently in the future [1]. References : electric power. The World Book Encyclopedia. International edition. 6th vol. 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992 pp 159. Hydro electric power. The World Book Encyclopedia. International Edition. 6th vol. 1995,1994,1993,1992 .pp 159. United States geological Survey. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 09,2010, from Water Science for Schools: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html nuclear power stations. The World Book Encyclopedia. International edition. 6th vol.1995,1994,1993,1992.pp159. Pros and Cons of nuclear power http://www.greenenergyhelpfiles.com Pros and Cons of nuclear power http:// timeforchange.org. Geothermal energy. The World Book Encyclopedia. International edition. 6th vol.1995, 1994, 1993,1992.pp 245. Department of energy-Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).2008. Geothermal (Ground-Source) Heat Pumps: Market status, Barriers to Adoption, and Actions to Overcome Barrers. Report ORNL/TM-2008/232. http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/electric_power_industry.

Diversity Essay :: College Admissions Essays

Diversity Essay â€Å"Mom! Tell him to get off me!† cried my sister in Farsi to my mother. My mother ran into the room and pulled me, kicking and screaming, off of my older sister. My sister had come home from her first day of school, and was by this time crying. After issuing her punishment and telling me never to hit my sister again, my mother demanded to know why I was so upset. â€Å"She went to school today, Mom, and she won’t teach me English!† I sobbed. Of course, it was foolish of me to think that my sister could teach me a new language after her first day of school, but I was too young and frustrated to know any better. My frustration was caused by living in a foreign land and not knowing the language, and was amplified by our poverty. I did not have many toys and could not play with other children my age because of the language barrier. I was only two-and-a-half years old when my family moved to America from Iran to avoid the onslaught of the Iran-Iraq war. I was too young to remember any details, but the war stories I have heard are horrifying. Children were used as human sacrifices to deactivate landmines and sent to the battlefields with keys that would â€Å"allow them access to Heaven.† My parents envisioned a future for my sister and I somewhere that would shield us from such atrocities and allow us to advance our lives, even at the expense of their own. The strength that they displayed in sacrificing their own lives for our opportunities has been an inspirational force throughout my life. My mother worked at a laundry service in an apartment complex, and because we had no car or babysitter, I had to wake up mornings and walk with her to work. Several residents noticed me sitting impatiently in the cramped workspace and tried to entertain me in any way that they could. One of the residents, a tall man with funny-looking glasses, was a magician who gave me a copy of a children’s book. I could tell from the pictures that it was a book about a penguin, but I could not yet read its contents. I appreciated the gift, and because I liked this man who would show me card tricks and make funny voices, I was inspired to learn to read it.

The Solutions of Energy Shortage in Pakistan

Energy Shortage now is a global crisis for many countries in the world including Pakistan. Pakistan, one of the high rapid development developing countries now is in the worst energy crisis in its history (Kazmi, 2013). The high speed increasing of its economy and population absolutely demand a large energy supply, but the problem is that the storage of the energy of the country now can hardly supply the whole country’s energy usage. As AOL News said â€Å"Car owns wait for hours to get petrol and gas, cities and villages are lack of electricity for many hours per day, homes can hardly cook without gas.†The situation is becoming more and more serious in the whole country. Actually, Pakistan’s energy shortage crisis can be tracked back to the 1990s ( Kugelman, 2013); and in the 1970s, the energy crisis was averted once because of the Mangla and Tarbela dams. However, the strong economic growth needs a large mount of energy; no matter how indigenous energy resource s do Pakistan have, it is hard to satisfy the soared consumption of energy. For figuring out the good solutions of energy crisis in Pakistan, we’d better to know the effects and causes of the crisis.It is very obviously to see that the impact of the energy crisis in Pakistan is terrible for almost everywhere during the country: economic, educational, political and etc. As Chung (2013) mentioned, because the lack of electricity, numerous business and factories have to reduce 20 to 25% of their productivity, and the consequence of this can be really bad such as citizens are losing jobs, children are losing their education opportunities and factories are losing their foreign markets and clients, even worse, it may lead economic slowdown or economic contraction on Pakistan.On the other hand, Pakistan relies on the compressed natural gas (CNG) most and this is an important cause that leads the energy shortage crisis directly on Pakistan. Because the population is increasing so fas t, no matter how much gas the government has purchased in, it’s still hard to supply CNG for the whole country, also the negative impact of this is that there’s a inflation on the price of CNG. Besides, according to Leung (2013), the government plays an important role in this crisis.The poor managements of the government makes a lot of problems in Pakistan such as the government realized the problem but it didn’t take any action to solve the problem, the worse is, the government even made the problems worse. Government always spent money on wrong ways but not to spend the most of money on solving the energy crisis; at last, it seems that government can only make a ration of energy and owe much more money, but this obviously cannot solve the problem and it will keep increasing burden on the citizens.Hence, for solving the serious energy shortage problem, what could be the possible solutions and what solutions can truly solve the problem permanently or temporarily ? One thing now can be sure is that for solving the energy crisis, Pakistan will require political will, additional funding, and new power-generation sources etc. (Kugelman, 2013). One short-term solution as Kugelman (2013) pointed out that Pakistan could request a new loan from International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, except how much will this solution work, it seems that Pakistan now is not willing to get help from IMF at least after the spring’s elections.In other words, because of the possible political influence from IMF, it’s hard for Pakistan to get new fund from IMF as for now. It means even get loan from IMF is good solution in the additional fund way, it’s not a happy solution for the government’s political will. However, actually for the Pakistan’s situation, even the government doesn’t ask IMF for fund help, it’s still necessary and better to get economic help as soon as possible because even the government itself canno t pay all power bills.New fund can also help Pakistan to import more energy for supplying the demand for a while. Except the new fund, shifting the energy resource to another one is also a good solution for Pakistan. For this, coal energy seems like the best choice to instead of CNG for Pakistan. Considering Pakistan’s economy situation, like Ebrahim (2012) mentioned, many experts think coal is the alternative for Pakistan because Pakistan cannot afford to be romantic.Hydropower depends on water so it’s seasonally, oil is too expensive, only importing abundant coal is viable because coal is much more cheaper than oil and it’s non-seasonally. However, although coal energy is a long-term solution for Pakistan to solve the energy problem, it is also a long-term damage for the global environment (Chung, 2013). In this way, Pakistan needs to consider how to balance the solution of the current problem and the cause of the potential crisis in the future. Hopefully coal energy won’t be a dilemma for Pakistan in the future.Meanwhile, besides coal energy, another long-term solution for Pakistan now is to develop more sugar plants to supply electricity. According to Kazmi (2013), Pakistan has the potential to get electricity from sugar plants across the country especially in rural areas. Sugar mills only use low bagasse to heat boilers; moreover, sugar can also produce ethanol for motor gasoline. This means, if Pakistan starts to use large sugar to be an energy row-material, then it will be helpful for Pakistan to contain oil imports and CNG (Kazmi, 2013).The advantages of sugar are obviously; it can provide Pakistan another new chance to change the situation in a good way, and maybe the only problem for this solution for Pakistan is how to get more places for planting sugar. In general, like Kugelman (2013) mentioned, Pakistan’s energy problems are deep and complex, and sometimes the crisis is not only about Pakistan itself, other coun tries could be involved in the problems; thus, for getting better understand of the problem and better solutions for the problem, we still need to find more information. However, as for now about Pakistan, the energy shortage crisis is becoming worse and worse.The impacts of the crisis are negative: people in Pakistan now have a very hard and challenging life, economy may suspend or even reverse, government can hardly control the situation etc. So far, due to Pakistan’s complex situation, sugar seems like the best solution for Pakistan to solve the problem, it’s cheap and easy to get, it can provide both gas and electricity energy for the whole country, and it can help government to balance the imports and the fund during the crisis. Hopefully, Pakistan could solve the energy shortage crisis and change its hard situation peacefully and quickly.

From the Great Wall to the Pyramids

The Great Wall of China and the Egyptian Pyramids are both Manmade Wonders of the World and belong to two of the oldest civilizations. Ancient Egypt and ancient China both have history that date back over 4,000 years ago, and though the two civilizations co-existed simultaneously with one another, there were little contact between the two. Yet apart from some underlying differences, there are many similarities between the two cultures as is highlighted when examining the Analects and The Book of the Dead.On the surface, the social behavior and values emphasized in the Analects and The Book of the Dead resemble one another; however, upon closer examination it becomes apparent that the origin and purpose behind the actions different greatly. The purpose of the two literatures contrast due to the lifestyles and beliefs that were held during each of the corresponding civilizations. Though the texts preach similar values and achieve similar results in terms of human behavior, the factor t hat ignited the creation of these two historical pieces differ tremendously.The Analects was written by Confucius, also known as Kong Zi, who resided during the Era of Warring State, which was a sub-period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. This was a time of disunity and power struggle where the empire was divided into areas controlled feudal lords who desired to expand their land by conquering weaker neighboring states. In the midst of this, philosophies of humanity and order began to blossom, as people began to grow tiresome of the constant wars and chaos. Confucius emphasizes that, â€Å"If they [riches and honor] cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held†(p. ). These philosophies flourished as people began wanting reforms towards a harmonious life. Confucianism contributed to the downfall of the Zhou Dynasty, bringing in new values and social behaviors to the civilization. The Book of the Dead, on the other hand, formed due to the Egyptians emphasis of the afterlife. The Ancient Egyptian society was centered on the Nile River that provided fertile soil for the Egyptians to be able to survive. They believed that this â€Å"gift† from the Nile was from the gods when the people found favor with them.To maintain the positive relationship with the Gods, and to insure a favorable afterlife, The Book of the Dead was created as a guide for the dead to pass over to the next life. A contrast can be drawn in what stemmed the creation for each of these texts. The Analects was created to bring about change in the Chinese Civilization while the Book of the Dead was designed to further the positive relationship Egyptian people had with the Gods. . Though the two texts have varying origins, similar values are emphasized throughout the two historical texts and the civilization as a whole.The Egyptian word â€Å"maat† is an important term in the Egyptian society and is seen throughout the Book of the Dead. It signifies not just truth, but also balance, justice, and order. The people are required â€Å"live on maat, and feed on maat† (p. 3), which further reveals that the people’s life revolve around order and truth. In a similar fashion, Confucius also emphasizes the revolving order of truth, education, and justice. In the Analects, Confucius instructs man to â€Å"recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness†, an obvious dedication to not only justice and equality, but also sympathy.Further, Confucius reinforces that â€Å"the object of the superior man is truth, not food. † Similarly, the same parallel exists between the justice and equality aspect of the Analects and the â€Å"maat†, the order and truth, found in the Book of the Dead. Thus, the values conveyed in the Book of the Dead, for motivational purposes for a â€Å"good† afterlife, mirror the ones found in the Analects, as the common Chinese civilization also take to heart said values for t he benefit of society overall and to improve their current circumstances.Therefore, although there is a difference in origin and intention abiding by such values, it is hard to avoid the fact that the common values and social rules revolving around both civilizations’ societies closely resemble one another. Though the messages revealed in the two historical texts are similar, how the same objective is delivered differs, which in turn also affects the people’s lifestyle. The Book of the Dead provides of list of actions that must and must not be done, as it serves as a checklist of things the Egyptians must do before death such as, â€Å"I have not caused pain, I have cause no man to hunger, I have made no one weep.. (p. 1). The Analects instead provides words of wisdom and guidance for the people when making the decision like, â€Å"What you do not want done to yourself, do not to do others† (p. 1). This empowers the people to make the decision and to find what it right and wrong. Another factor that further emphasis the difference in what motivates the people to conduct good behavior is education. Confucianism seeks to emphasize the importance of education and provide the genesis of the concept of morality.In other words, the priority and heavy emphasis given to education by Confucianism exists to enable the education of right from wrong, and it is their belief that only through such truth and knowledge can one be conscious of choosing right over wrong. As an extension of that philosophy, Confucianism also argues that to know the ethics between right and wrong is essentially useless without applying and acting upon it. In contrast, the Book of the Dead doesn’t emphasize such an innate and acute developed sense of morality and ethics, and instead, dictates several rules of what to do and what not to do.The mystery or education needed to identify right from wrong is not necessary, and practically doesn’t exist, and instead a s imple adherence to discipline and obedience is the true test of their morality. In other words, the Egyptians did not place an emphasis of conscience or the development of ethics and morality, but instead places a greater emphasis on structured obedience, abiding by the rules stated in the Book of the Dead. All in all, it is no surprise that the two ancient civilizations live completely dissimilar lifestyles with contrasting beliefs, as they were isolated from one another.As the two began developing their culture, it is interesting to point out that their values and favored social conduct behavior ultimately became quite parallel. The emphasis in harmony, truth, and social order would not be prevalent in other societies, yet are in both the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Chinese civilizations. And yet, it is no doubt that their beliefs of the afterlife and motivation for following such conduct differs tremendously and is what gives each civilization their unique culture.