Federal Budget for 2001

This country has been dealing with a budget deficit for many years now. In an attempt to change this, on June 29, Congress voted in favor of HConRes67 that called for a 7-year plan to balance the Federal Budget by the year 2001. This would be done by incorporating $894 billion in spending cuts by 2002, with a projected 7-year tax cut of $245 billion. If this plan were implemented, in the year 2002, the U. S. Government would have the first balanced budget since 1969. Current budget plans are dependent on somewhat unrealistic predictions of avoiding such catastrophes as recession, national disasters, etc. and include minor loopholes. History has shown that every budget agreement that has failed was too loose. One might remember the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings bill that attempted to balance the budget, but left too many exemptions, and was finally abandoned in 1990. So after a pain-staking trial for GOP Republicans to create, promote, and pass their budget, as promised on campaign trail 94, Clinton rejected the very bill he demanded. This essentially brought the federal budget back to square one. Clinton thought such a demand on Republicans to produce a budget would produce inner-party quarrels and cause the GOP to implode. Instead, they produced a fiscal budget that passed both houses of Congress, only to be deadlocked by a stubborn Democratic President Clinton. Meanwhile, Clinton bounced back with a CBO scored plan with lighter, less risky cuts to politically sensitive areas like entitlements. Clinton†s plan also saved dollars for education and did not include a tax increase, but most cuts would not take effect until he is out of office, in the year 2001. Although Clinton is sometimes criticized for producing a stalemate in budget talks, the White House points out that the debt has gone down since Clinton took office, with unemployment also falling. Republicans are quick to state that Clinton originally increased taxes in 1993 and cut defense programs, but his overall plan was for an increasing budget without deficit reduction. As of 1996, the national debt was at an all time high of $5 trillion dollars, with interest running at a whopping $250 billion per year. This equals out to an individual responsibility of more than $50,000 per taxpayer. Nearly 90% of that debt has accumulated since 1970, and between 1980 and 1995, the debt grew by 500%. Currently, the debt grows by more than $10,000 per second, and at current rates, our government is about to reach its breaking point. If that†s not enough to scare a taxpayer, by 2002, 60% of government spending will be for entitlements, and by 2012, these programs are projected to take up all government revenue. Not only economic development, but also family income is hurt by debt. With the cost of living going up, it becomes harder to find a job. According to the Concord Coalition, real wages peaked in 1973 and have gone down ever since. If the economy grew as fast as it did in 1950, without a debt, the median family income would be $50,000, compared to the present median of $35,000. As of current fiscal year†s budget, the United States government spends $1. 64 trillion yearly, $500 billion of that, or 1/3 of the total, is for discretionary spending. This discretionary spending is the target for most cuts, and seems to be the easiest to make cuts in. Overall, the difference between the two parties' budget plans is only $400 billion. This could easily be trimmed by eliminating tax cut and adjusting the consumer price index to reality. Democrats say the GOP plan is too lopsided, and Republicans criticize the Democrat plan for being unrealistic. A study by the Urban Institute shows GOP cuts will be felt mainly by the bottom 1/5 of U. S. population. This should be more equally spread out across income brackets. By fulfilling campaign promises made by freshman Republican Congressmen to cut government spending, the GOP managed to pass a $1. 6 trillion budget resolution by a party-line vote, in both houses of Congress. This budget called for major cuts in education, environmental programs, discretionary spending, and the largest of all: entitlements. 70% of the money to balance the budget under the GOP plan would have come from entitlements. This is because entitlement programs currently take up $301 billion a year. Such cuts had already been partially implemented with the GOP cutting overall spending by 9. 1% in 1996 alone. First, in an attempt to stop the projected bankruptcy of Medicare in 2002, Republicans cut $270 billion overall from the program, with hospital reimbursement cuts being the deepest. Although stabilizing the fund is only expected to cost $130-$150 billion over 7 years, the GOP budget would reform the program to run better, and cheaper, by allowing it to grow at 6% yearly, instead of the current 10%. While both parties agree on premium hikes for beneficiaries, this is a touchy subject for the 38. 1 million elderly voters on Medicare. Medicaid, another volatile program, would be cut $182 billion under the GOP proposal. This would entail placing a cap on the program†s spending, and passing control of it to the individual state governments. For an estimated 39 million low-income people on Medicaid in 1996, the GOP plan cuts the program far more than Clinton†s proposed $98 billion cut. Social Security is another program being cut. The government has already reduced the outlay for seniors 70 and younger who are on the program, but Republicans want more by increasing the eligibility for Social Security from 62 to 65 for early retirement, and 65 to 70 for standard retirement. Smaller cuts included $11 billion in student loan reductions, $9. 3 billion in labor cuts, $10 billion eliminated from public housing programs, and several other numerous disaster relief programs cut. The GOP also wants to eliminate programs initiated by Clinton like the National Service initiative, summer jobs, Goals 2000, and Americorps. Along with terminating unnecessary farm programs, and cutting others by $12. 3 billion. Republicans hope to cut the yearly $6 billion that the Federal Government spends on direct subsidies to farmers. Agricultural policies were also reformed and embedded into budget-reconciliation bills. Clinton†s budget only surfaced after he vetoed the budget passed by Congress, and included shallower cuts, with little or no reform to entitlements. This plan was supported by most Democrats and was used as an alternate to a gutsy GOP budget. Clinton repeatedly trashed the Republican†s efforts to make cuts on programs he feels important like student loans, agricultural programs, and entitlements. He accused Republicans of wanting to kill some all together. He has also threatened to veto a Republican plan to reform Medicare called Medical Savings Accounts, unless his programs are left intact. Under Federal law, the President is required to submit budget requests in 2 forms: Budget Authority, the amount of new federal commitments for each fiscal year, and outlays, the amount actually spent in the fiscal year. The plan that Clinton has presented is not only a budget resolution in the form of a campaign document, but also proof of how far the Republicans have moved him to compromise since the they took control of Congress. Most important, it does not readily translate into regular accounting principles used for government programming. This year†s White House budget was a 2,196 page document that the GOP struck down immediately for not cutting taxes enough and neglecting to downsize the government. Among largest cuts within Clinton†s plan was the downsizing of 1/5 to 1/3 of all programs that he felt were not a priority to present day government. In addition, he wanted to close loopholes presented to corporate taxation, that would save an estimated $28 billion. He vowed to keep programs like education, crime prevention, and research or environmental grants. Attention was also placed on discretionary spending, with Clinton cutting a smaller $297 billion compared to GOP†s $394 billion cut. According to the Office of Management and Budget, the President†s plan cuts middle-income taxes by $107. 5 billion in 7 years, small business by $7 billion, and cuts $3. 4 billion from distressed urban and rural area relief. This was to be paid for by a $54. billion hike in corporate and wealthy-income taxes, and also in $2. 3 billion of tighter EITC (Earned Income Tax credit) adjustments. Although Clinton†s plan was expected to cut a whopping $593 billion in 7 years to furthermore produce an $8 billion surplus in 2002, most cuts are long term without a clear goal. Republicans sometimes criticize Clinton for unwillingness to compromise. He has used vetoes and stubborn negotiations to protect personal priorities like education, job training, and environmental programs, but Republicans have also tried using domination to force him to comply. One must remember that President Clinton does have somewhat of an overwhelming power in this debate that Republicans can do nothing about. He is the single person that can veto laws sent to him, and also has the power to call Congress back into session if he is unhappy with the current situation. This was President Truman†s â€Å"ace in the hole† back in 1948. One of the ways we are currently reducing the deficit includes the introduction of â€Å"means testing. † This means that people would get entitlements based on need. The government already has reduced Social Security for modest income seniors' age 70 and younger, but budget cutters want to broaden that idea. There are 2 major problems with means testing. First, it is considered inherently unfair. Some might argue that a person might blow all of their income before the entitlement reductions come into place. Second, it might reduce the incentive to work and encourage people to hide their income. For instance, beneficiaries of Social Security, ages 62-64, lose $1. 00 yearly in benefits for every $2. 00 they earn in income or wages above $8,160 per year. Some say increasing eligibility requirements would solve some problems, and propose raising the age of early retirement from 62 to 65, and standard retirement from 65 to 70. Another touchy subject in budget reduction is the argument that the poor are being left out of savings. According to the Clinton Administration, the GOP budget would cause a family with income of $13,325 per year to lose 11% of their income. United States Treasury Department studies say the bottom 1/5 income families would have net tax increase of an average $12 to $26 under the GOP plan. The top 1/5 income families would receive more than 60% of the tax relief. A HHS analysis states that the GOP plan would also boost child poverty rates from 14. 5% to 16. 1%, and poor families with children would loose 6% of their income. In the end, budget reduction is no easy task. The center of attention for debate on budget cutting is politics, and whoever takes responsibility for reform gets left wide open to criticism. Although Congress and Clinton have spent the past year on debating the budget and the size of the Federal Government, most plans fall back on gimmicks, loopholes, and long-term plans. Even Democrats now agree to downsize the government, but the two parties disagree on how and where. As we trust our elected officials to make decisions in Washington on our behalf, we must show interest and aptitude on the end results. Countries like Sweden and Canada have successfully reformed fiscal policies. Sweden†s government elected to abandon welfare, pensions, health insurance, unemployment programs, family assistance, and child allowances. Their deficit soon fell by 3. 5% of GDP in one year alone. Sweden†s plan was three times as intense as Congress† current plan, while cutting spending in half the time. As for cuts, everyone must suffer. Older Americans have good reason to protect programs that they have paid into for years, but those programs spend an overall per capita amount of 11 times as much on elderly than that spent on children altogether. The youth are the future of America, and we should protect them too. Currently, poverty in US is 3 times as likely to affect the very young than the very old. By balancing the budget, â€Å"interest rates come down, the economy picks up – we will rebound,† says Representative James Greenwood, and everyone should be happy with that.

Mental Health and Social Inclusion

Title: An examination of social exclusion policy and its effect on adults of a working age with serious mental health problems To begin, this essay will briefly define the term social exclusion and its historical background. It will then move on to the political history of social exclusion in the United Kingdom. Particularly the essay will focus on the reasons behind unemployment, and the resulting effect of excluding people from society.The policies around employment and the benefit system will be discussed in some detail, and their consequences on working age adults, including those with serious long term mental health issues. The French socialist government termed the phrase ‘social exclusion’ in the 1980’s; it was used to define a group of people living on the edge of society whom did not have access to the system of social insurance (Room, 1995 citied in Percy-Smith 2000). The concept of social exclusion has been defined in many different ways since then.The European commission defines social exclusion as referring to the â€Å"multiple and changing factors resulting in people being excluded from the normal exchanges, practices and rights of modern society† (Commission of the European Communities, 1993 quoted in Percy-Smith 2000 p. 3). This was a move away from using the term underclass in the UK, which was not an acceptable phrase to some, as it was more related to poverty (Lavallette et al, 2001). The term social exclusion pointed at a much more complicated problem rather than just money, if you were excluded something or someone was excluding you and that could be sorted out.Although for some this new phrase just represented a ‘new’ form of the word poverty (Room, 1995 citied in Lavallette). In the UK the New Labour government set up the interdepartmental social exclusion unit in 1997 (Percy-Smith, 2000). Its aims were to â€Å"to find joined-up solutions to the joined-up problems of social exclusion† (No10 Website, 2004). The social exclusion task force works within a number of government departments such as work and pension, children school and family and the ministry of justice (No10 Website, 2004)The social exclusion unit published a series of reports in 1997 that criticised the way both central and local government had failed deprived groups and areas (Batty, 2002). It found that deprived area’s had fewer basic services such as GP surgeries and that little effort had been made to reintegrate some who had been excluded through unemployment (Batty, 2002). Unemployment is seen as one of the main causes of social exclusion (Percy-Smith, 2000). Being unemployed can have serious effects on a person’s confidence, sense of purpose and motivation (Percy-Smith, 2000).The person who works is seen as a full citizen, paying tax and contributing to society (Baldock et al, 1999). Unemployment can also be linked to mental health; a person is twice as likely to suffer from depressio n if they are not working. (Department of health, 1999). The period since the 1960’s saw a distinct decline in the British manufacturing industry leading to a shift in the type of work available, the service sector and office based jobs replaced the manual jobs and altered the pattern of demand in the labour market. Baldock et al, 1999) The unemployment rate for semi skilled / unskilled workers if four times that compared to managerial / professional workers (Percy-Smith, 2000). Those people who live in area’s with low demand for low skilled workers are highly likely to be unemployed for a very long time, leading to a near permanence in exclusion from the labour market (Percy-Smith, 2000). Welfare to work policies were the answer from the Labour government in 1997, `They set out plans to encourage people back into the labour market.Labour came up with the New Deal family of policies. These where aimed at specific groups. For example young people, adults and new deal fo r people with a disability (Percy-Smith, 2000). One of the results of this policy was to create Job centre plus from a merger of the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency. (Hoben, no date given) The Tories previously had set up the job seekers allowance, which had changed the Insurance-based unemployment benefit. (Baldock et al, 1999).With this allowance you had to prove you were actively seeking employment or you would not get your allowance. People who became unemployed would have to go for an initial interview where an adviser prepares an action plan, then short interviews are conducted every two weeks to review the claimants success at gaining new employment and to look at new job vacancies (Percy-Smith, 2000). New deal gateway is aimed at 18 – 24 year olds who had been out of work for 6 months. This offers subsidised work experience within the voluntary sector or with an employer with a ? 0 a week incentive. Also full time education/training is offered to those who did not have sufficient qualifications up the recognized NVQ level two. Young people also have an allocated personal advisor who offers assistance around job seeking, careers advice and in some circumstances drugs/homelessness advice (Percy-Smith, 2000). Anyone who refuses to take up these incentives will have their benefit cut. As Gordon Brown put it (the then Chancellor of the Exchequer) there will be no option â€Å"to stay at home in bed and watch television† (Baldock et al, 1999 p149).For people aged twenty five and above who have been on job seekers allowance for over six months then become eligible for a different set of measures, before becoming eligible for the ‘New Deal’. This is called ‘restart’. Work trials are offered as well as help with interview techniques and CV’s writing skills. After twelve months if the individual has not found work they attend a five-day ‘job plan workshop’ to assess the individuals job prospe cts. This happens again at eighteen months. If after two years they are still unemployed this is when ‘New Deal’ applies. New Deal’ offers training grants as well as an employment credit similar to that of the new deal gateway of sixty pounds a week and the benefit of a personal advisor. The budget for this was ? 250 million for the three years between 1999 and 2002 (Percy-Smith, 2000) It can be argued that jobseekers allowance forces people back to work or forces them to appear to be looking for work in a desperate attempt to keep their benefit. It can be seen as punitive (Percy-Smith, 2000) and with no option to opt out, and it does not actually increase the amount of jobs available.Without the creation of a sufficient number of jobs, people may lose their benefit, though not through lack of trying (Baldock et al, 1999). Also critics have commented on the cost of the new deal strategy with some say this money could be better used creating more jobs. (Percy-Smit h, 2000) Other arguments against new deal look at the timescale difference between the young people and adult services, it cost a lot less to intervene early when someone becomes unemployed so why wait for two years in the case of the adult new deal. (Percy-Smith, 2000).The new deal policy has been quite effective, particularly at getting young people back into the labour market. However, for people with long term significant mental health problems finding paid work can be very difficult. (Layard, 2005) If social exclusion can be linked to unemployment then for people with mental health issues they are excluded by default, with not only unemployment but with the social stigma associated with their mental health difficulties (Layard, 2005). â€Å"There are now more mentally ill people on incapacity benefit than there are unemployed people on jobseekers allowance† (Layard, 2005 p1).Evidence suggests that work can be very therapeutic for people with mental health problems, but i t seems doctors are sceptical about their patients finding and holding down jobs. (Layard, 2005) The problem gets worse the longer the person is on benefits, and as time passes social isolation increases and motivation decreases (Layard, 2005). Ninety percent of people on incapacity benefit say they would like to return to work but would find it very hard to find a job that pays as much as the benefit they receive (Layard, 2005).However, it has been an underlying trend in welfare policy that low paid work should always be the better option than state handouts. This goes way back to the poor law of 1832 where the workhouse provided the last option for very poor families, providing food and shelter for the exchange of labour. For most of those who lived in these workhouses life expectancy significantly dropped upon entering these desperate places (Higginbotham, 2008). In current times, however, sacrificing benefits and returning to work may mean a compromise in quality of life.People receiving incapacity benefit may also claim housing benefit, council tax benefit, free prescriptions and discretionary loans from the social fund to buy large more expensive items (Alcock, 2003). With all this help in place it is quite easy to see why people with a mental illness are unlikely to want to go back to full time employment and run the risk of losing money. This is known as the benefit trap. There is another problem, people who have been on benefits for a long time lack the right qualifications to join the labour market (Dummigan, 2007), increasing social exclusion.If a mentally ill person wanted to find a job but had little or no skills, the choices are very narrow normally leading to a low wage job, again making it unlikely for the individual to want to come off his/her benefits (Dummigan, 2007). The government has tried to rectify this problem by offering further incentives to get people back to work, such as disability tax credits that offer a tax break should some on e find work but there is limited awareness of the financial incentives to return to work (Percy-Smith, 2000).Pathways to work is a recent government initiative with the aim of getting the recipients of incapacity benefit back to work, the claimant will have to take a personal capability assessment which is used to determine whether or not the person is eligable for the benefit, but will focus on â€Å"what the customer can do rather than what they cant† (Department of work and pensions, 2007).A mandatory work focused interview will also take place eight weeks after making the intial claim followed by a screening tool to establish who will have to have more work focused interviews and those who will be exempt from further manditory participation (Department of work and pensions, 2007). Pathways to work will offer a range of programmes to support the â€Å"customer† in preparing for work with a fourty pounds a week incentive or credit for twelve months if their salary is below fifteen thousand pounds a year (Department of work and pensions, 2007).Pathways to work is currently operating in fourty percent of the country. In an interesting move, the remaining sixty percent of pathway to work providers will be from the public sector leading to critism that the government is privatising the welfare system. The government's chief welfare to work adviser, David Freud, said recently: â€Å"I worked out that it is economically rational to spend up to sixty thousand pounds on getting the average person on incapacity benefit into work, somebody will see a gap in the market and make their fortune. † (Quoted in Vaux, 2008).Some voluntary sector organizations have criticized the rather aggressive approach taken by the public sector organizations in winning the contracts, and feel that the voluntary sector would be in a better position to deliver the contracts (Vaux, 2008). Mind charity has criticized the pathways to work initiative stating it â€Å"place s all the emphasis on the individual to find work†, yet, it said  there  was no obligation on employers to actively recruit people with mental health problems. It would also seem that if you disclose to an employer that you have a mental health problem you are more likely to be sacked before your sane colleagues.Also there is a lack of support in the work place for mental health sufferers, which lead to higher sickness rate, which in turn puts off employers recruiting future pathways to work employees (Lombard, 2008). In the recent action plan on social exclusion â€Å"Reaching out† the government recognizes the need for encouragement in the workplace for recruiting people with mental health issues and supports employer based anti-stigma campaigns. It also states that the government alone cannot address social exclusion, and that the wider community has a role to play.But most of all, the individual must want progress for themselves and those around them (Reaching O ut, 2008). In the last five years mental health services have improved greatly (Layard, 2005) Better treatment and early intervention have empowered people to control their own lives, but though these services have improved the medical condition, mentally ill people still suffer from exclusion from society. The association with dependency that being on benefits brings leads to a segregation (Percy-Smith, 2000). In conclusion, social exclusion is a far reaching problem and not an easy task to overcome.Evidence suggests that the government still identifies the problem with unemployment and poverty, and has taken a great deal of measures in providing policies that aim to get people back into the work place. Unfortunately for some, as has been shown, work is not always a viable or the best option, and people who fall under this category may stay on the boundaries of society due to no fault of their own, or be forced into working at the detriment of their health. The changes around the i ncapacity benefit rules may leave some people worse off than when on benefits and this may increase the chances of a relapse in mental ealth issues, which in turn will make them less employable, continuing the cycle of social exclusion. As we enter another recession and unemployment rises again, this is likely to be a huge focus, and the government will have to rethink existing policies around unemployment. Those who are recently unemployed must be given sufficient support to regain employment to avoid falling into the benefit trap in order to avoid the danger of becoming socially excluded. Bibliography Alcock, P (2003) Social policy in Britain, Basingstoke, PalgraveBaldock J, Manning N, Miller S & Vickerstaff S (1999) Social Policy. Oxford University press, Oxford Lavalette,M & Pratt A (2001) Social Policy a conceptual and theoretical introduction. Sage publications London Percy-Smith, J (2000) Policy responses to social exclusion. Open university press. Oxford Batty, D (2002) Soci al exclusion: the issue explained (Online), available at http://www. guardian. co. uk/society/2002/jan/15/socialexclusion1 (accessed on 28/10/08) Department for work and pensions, (2008) Pathways to work process. (Online) Available at http://www. dwp. gov. k/welfarereform/pathways_process. asp (accessed on 5/12/08) Department of health, (1999) National service framework for mental health, modern standards and service models. (Online) available at http://www. dh. gov. uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4009598 (accessed on 1/12/08) Dummigan, G (2007) The benefit trap. (Online) available at http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/6403329. stm (accessed on 4/12/08) Higginbotham, P (2008) Poor laws (Online) available from http://www. workhouses. org. uk(accessed on 4/12/08)Hoban,M & Thomas, J (No date given) DW response to welfare to work – discussion paper. (Online) available at http://www. voicefromthewheelchair. co. uk/ pages/dw-response-to-welfare-to-work (accessed on 1/12/08) Layard, R (2005) Mental health: Britain’s biggest social problem? (Online) Available from http://cep. lse. ac. uk/textonly/research/mentalhealth/RL414d. pdf (accessed on 1/12/08) Lombard, D (2008) The replacement of incapacity benefit. (Online), available at http://www. communitycare. co. uk/Articles/2008/10/27/109795/incapacity-benefit-reform-will-leave-some-disabled-people-worse-off. tml (accessed on 5/12/08) Reaching out, (2006) An action plan on social exclusion (Online), available from http://www. cabinetoffice. gov. uk/media/cabinetoffice/social_exclusion_task_force/assets/reaching_out/chapter1. pdf (accessed on 28/10/08) Social exclusion trends show success (2004) Online, available from http://www. number10. gov. uk/page5544 (accessed on 28/10/08) Vaux, G (2008). Pathways to work, to help those unfit for work. (Online), available at http://www. communitycare. co. uk/Articles/Article. aspx? liArticleID=107551&Pr interFriendly=true (accessed on 1/12/08)

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 41

How Is She? My birthday falls on a Friday. December 29. In the afternoon, Mom helps me tape trash bags around my cast so I can take my first shower since I broke my leg. This is sort of embarrassing to talk about, but Mom has to help me keep my cast out of the shower, so she holds the shower curtain for me, protecting the cast, as I straddle the edge of the tub, trying to keep my weight on my good leg. Mom hands me the soap when I need it and also the shampoo. She pretends not to look at my naked body, but I am sure she gets a glimpse at some point, which makes me feel strange. I haven't worked out in days, so I feel very small and weak – but Mom doesn't say anything about my diminished girth, because she is a kind woman. After my shower, Mom helps me put on a pair of sweatpants she has modified, cutting one leg off at the thigh so my cast can fit through. I also put on a button-down shirt from the Gap and my new leather jacket. I hop down the steps, crutch my way out the door and into the backseat of Mom's car, sitting sideways so my cast will fit. When we arrive at the Voorhees house, I crutch my way into Cliff's office, pick the black recliner, prop my cast up on the footrest, and tell Cliff everything. When I finish my story, Cliff says, â€Å"So you've been in bed since Christmas?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"And you have no interest in reading or watching television?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"And you're not working out your upper body at all? No weights?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"What do you do all day?† â€Å"I sleep, or I think. Sometimes I write, but Danny has been coming to visit me too.† I had already told Cliff all about God reuniting Danny and me, which even Cliff had to admit was a bit of a miracle and maybe the silver lining to my awful Christmas. â€Å"What do you and Danny do when he visits?† â€Å"We play Parcheesi.† â€Å"Parcheesi?† â€Å"It's the Royal Game of India. How can you not know it?† â€Å"I know Parcheesi. I'm just surprised you and Danny play board games together.† â€Å"Why?† Cliff makes a funny face, but doesn't say anything. â€Å"Danny brings his Parcheesi game all the way from North Philly. He rides the trains.† â€Å"That's good, right? It must be nice to see your old friend.† â€Å"I was sorry to learn that he still can't rap, even after a second operation, but his aunt got him a job doing the janitorial work at her church, which is also a day-care center. He wipes down the pews with pine oil and mops the floors and empties the trash and vacuums every night – stuff like that. He smells like pine trees now too, which is sort of a nice bonus. But Danny is quieter than I remember him being in the bad place.† â€Å"Did you tell Danny about what Tiffany did to you?† Cliff asks. â€Å"Yeah, I did.† â€Å"What did he say?† â€Å"Nothing.† â€Å"He didn't give you any advice?† â€Å"I didn't ask him for any advice.† â€Å"I see.† Cliff grabs his chin, which lets me know he is going to say something my mother has told him. â€Å"Pat, I know how you lost your memory. Everyone does.† He pauses here, gauging my reaction. â€Å"And I think you remember too. Do you?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Do you want me to tell you how you lost your memory?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Why?† I don't say anything. â€Å"I know Dr. Timbers used to tell you the story every day as part of your therapy. That's why I never brought it up. I thought maybe you would talk about it when you were ready, but it's been almost five months – and now you have a broken leg, and things seem to have gotten worse. I can't help feeling as though we need to start trying other tactics. What Tiffany suggested about closure is true. I'm not saying her methods were honorable, but you really do need to come to terms with what happened, Pat. You need closure.† â€Å"Maybe my movie isn't over,† I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the movie is going to end badly, something dramatic happens, which leads to the happy ending. This seems like a good spot for something dramatic to happen, especially since it's my birthday. â€Å"Your life is not a movie, Pat. Life is not a movie. You're an Eagles fan. After watching so many NFL seasons without a Super Bowl, you should know that real life often ends poorly.† â€Å"How can you say that now, especially since the Eagles have won four straight and are headed into the play-offs – even after McNabb went down!† Cliff just looks at me, almost as if he is scared, and suddenly I realize that I was just yelling. But I can't help adding, â€Å"With a negative attitude like that, it will end poorly, Cliff! You're starting to sound like Dr. Timbers! You better watch out, or you're going to be defeated by pessimism!† There is a long silence, and Cliff looks really worried, which begins to worry me. On the drive home, Mom tells me that people are coming over for my birthday. She is making me a birthday dinner. â€Å"Is Nikki coming?† I ask. â€Å"No, Pat. Nikki is never coming,† Mom says. â€Å"Never.† When we arrive home, Mom makes me sit in the family room while she cooks meat loaf and mashed potatoes and green beans and an apple pie. She keeps trying to talk to me, but I really do not feel like talking. Jake and Caitlin arrive first, and they try to cheer me up by talking really enthusiastically about the Birds, but it doesn't work. When Ronnie and Veronica arrive, Emily climbs onto my lap, which makes me feel a little better. Caitlin asks Emily if she wants to draw a picture on my cast, and when she nods, Mom finds some markers and we all watch little Emily draw. She starts off by making a wobbly circle, which is understandable, since the cast is not perfectly flat, nor smooth. But then she just scribbles all sorts of colors everywhere, and I cannot tell what she is up to until she points to her creation and says, â€Å"Pap!† â€Å"Did you draw a picture of Uncle Pat?† Ronnie says, and when Emily nods, everyone laughs because it looks nothing like me. When we sit down at the dining-room table, my father is still not home. Even after the win over Dallas, he has been pretty distant lately, hiding in his study again. Nobody mentions my dad's absence, so I don't either. Mom's meal is delicious, and everyone says so. When it is time for pie, they sing â€Å"Happy Birthday† to me, and then little Emily helps me blow out the candles that make the shape of the number 35. I hardly believe that I can actually be thirty-five, because I still feel like I am thirty – maybe I only wish I were thirty, because then I'd have Nikki in my life. After we eat our pie, Emily helps me open my presents. I get a brand-new wooden hand-painted Parcheesi board from Mom, who says she invited Danny to my party, but he had to work. Ronnie, Emily, and Veronica give me an Eagles fleece blanket. Jake and Caitlin give me a membership to a gym in Philadelphia. The brochure in the box says the club has a pool and a steam room and basketball courts and racquetball courts and all types of weight-lifting equipment and other machines that build muscles. â€Å"It's where I work out,† my brother says. â€Å"And I was thinking we could start working out together once your leg mends.† Even though I'm not all that interested in working out so much anymore, I realize that the membership is a nice present, so I thank Jake. When we retire to the living room, I ask Veronica about Tiffany. â€Å"How's Tiffany?† I say. I'm not really sure why I ask. The words just sort of slip out of my mouth, and when they do, everyone stops talking and a silence hangs in the air. â€Å"I invited her to your party,† Mom finally offers, probably just so Veronica will not feel badly about her sister being excluded. â€Å"Why?† Jake asks. â€Å"So she can lie to Pat again? Set him back a few more years?† â€Å"She was only trying to help,† Veronica says. â€Å"Your sister has a funny way of helping.† â€Å"Stop,† Caitlin says to Jake. And then the room is silent again. â€Å"So how is she?† I ask, because I really do want to know.

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Response to 4 students postings with 60 words and 2 references for each response - Coursework Example challenges that come with diversity when implementing organizational change, no light was shed on the fact that diversity could also be a healthy development in some instances (Kalev, 2006). The impression that such writing creates is that all managers should eliminate all forms of diversity because it will be difficult to deal with them. But there are clearly scenarios when diversities come with numerous advantages to managers who want to implement change (Mind, 2012). This could indeed be described as a more detailed and elaborative discussion on the subject of diversity and organizational change. This is because the writer did not only throw light on the advantages and disadvantages of diversity (Devos and Banaji, 2005) but went ahead to critically outlines some of specific examples of organizational change in the midst of diversity. Then also, series of solutions that best problems were outlined (Jehn, 1999). This way, all managers can draw various implications from the text and use it in controlling the diversity that exists in their own work outfits. It is a strong point for the writer that he elaborates on some of the conditions that bring about diversity at the workplace (Stevens, Plaut and Sanchez-Burks, 2008). In doing this, the writer takes a step further to look at specific instances of organizational change that took place in the midst of diversity. Some challenges that were posed and how they were solved were also outlined (Hickman, 2010). The writer could have however given some generalized implications to the management of diversity other than what prevailed in this present work

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Communication Between Men and Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Postmodernism and Politics Essay Example for Free

Postmodernism and Politics Essay Postmodernism has revealed how science has been political largely because of how postmodernism approaches science, for instance. Postmodern thought does not consider the scientific method as the sole basis for determining the truth or understanding the world as there are many other approaches which, for all we know, may also be more or less valid (Cole, Hill Rikowski, 1997, p. 189). In doing so, postmodernism views the scientific method as one of the reasons why science has dominated not only the academic circles but the bastion of human knowledge in its entirety. Basically, anything that has been established by the methods of science has been collectively understood as the truth or the closest that we can get to truth (Mirchandani, 2005, p. 93). The result is simply staggering—science has become power itself in shaping the course of human civilization. One example is how the development of the atomic bomb through careful scientific research and experiment has led the way to the contemporary proliferation of nuclear power. Countries have become all the more powerful because of their possession of nuclear armaments that could easily wipe away the threats to their sovereignty. Another example is the way in which science has created technological means for hastening the production and distribution of goods across geographical boundaries. The scientific advancement in terms of cyber technology and the internet has contributed to the increase in the capabilities of local and global businesses. In effect, large corporations have gained more ways to expand their wealth and, therefore, their influence over governments. Postmodernism has made all of these circumstances clearer than before although critics point out that postmodernism merely reveals the power of science and the other ways of explaining why science has gained such wide influence over various societies (Lee, 1999, p. 744). In essence, postmodernism has revealed the breadth of the influence and power of science over humanity inasmuch as science has largely contributed to the assimilation of political power and force over the years. Other ways may be developed in explaining how science has behaved in more recent times in changing the political landscape of the world, but postmodernism will agree that those ways do not necessarily stand of lesser significance than the scientific approaches. References Cole, M. , Hill, D. , Rikowski, G. (1997). Between Postmodernism and Nowhere: The Predicament of the Postmodernist. British Journal of Educational Studies, 45(2), 187-200. Lee, J. (1999). The Utility of a Strategic Postmodernism. Sociological Perspectives, 42(4), 739-753. Mirchandani, R. (2005). Postmodernism and Sociology: From the Epistemological to the Empirical. Sociological Theory, 23(1), 86-115.

The Positive Impact Of Olympic Economics Essay

The Positive Impact Of Olympic Economics Essay The birthplace of Ancient Olympic Games is Ancient Greece which is called as the Olympic Festival and it was held every four years. Due to the sacrifices of animals were made, a number of the sport competitions occurred which include stadium race, boxing, wrestling, horse riding events and pentathlon such as running, jumping, discus, javelin and wrestling. The winners of the competition were crowned wreath of wild olive and also get great honor. All the Greeks were being allowed to enter into the competition except for the slaves and barbarians. The ancient Olympic Festival was continued until the end of Greek Empire over two thousand years ago. (Technology Student, 2004) Baron Pierre de Coubertin which is the founder of the modern Olympic Games, said that the most important of Olympic Games is to take part in but not to win, as the most important things in life is struggle but not victory. The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896 which has been chosen as recognition of Greek Festival. Its purpose is to create games in order to ensure that people around the world would compete and meet in friendly atmosphere. The meaning of the modern Olympic is the athlete from each country takes an oath In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams at the opening of the ceremony. The aim of Olympic movement is the goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The head office of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is located in Lausanne and Switzerland in order to manage and control the Olympic Movement and the members are from all around the world. The motto of Olympic is called Citius, Altius and Fortius in Latin which means faster, higher and stronger or braver. (Technology Student, 2004) The Objective of Olympic: The objective of Olympic is strived to promote Olympic Games which meets the standards of sustainable development and also respect the environment. The Olympic Games are to promote sustainable development in sports and needs. Besides that, the Olympic Games also promotes positive legacy to the host cities to the Host countries. (Wiki Answers, 2013) Positive Impact of Olympic: Besides being a sport, Olympics also affect business and hosting countries which are businesses can gain from Olympic such as increasing sales, advertisements and reputation through sponsorships. All the companies, sponsorships and investors of the world are focused on Olympics Games in order to help all the business to increase sales. Hosting the Olympic Games can bring many benefits for the host country which can be divided into either short term or long term. The short term of economic benefits including of the fresh cash flow from the visitors who visit the host country, athletes, officials, training activities, cultural events and media activities linked to the Olympics and the formation of Olympic committee. There have three major categories of long term economic benefits for hosting Olympic Games which are including the creation of infrastructure is reaching the global standards, the concern of the international community through media and related to the community. (Globalrp E conomy Issue, 2013) Short term economic benefits are likely as the total changes that occur in terms of revenue, employment and total national output through foreign investments. The first national economic impact will lead to the fact that the host country will be required to produce more services and goods. Therefore, the goods will be consumed to the athletes and the official themselves. The international visitors will need to consume the industrial products. Besides that, that Olympic also include of media personalities of nationally and internationally and these groups will also need to consume goods and services by the host country. There will be also many sponsors participate in Olympic Games and they will also required to consume the commodities. Therefore, the total amount of additional revenue will come from the sales of production of goods by the host country and the above mentioned groups will form a huge of direct economic benefits from the hosting Olympic country. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) Another short term of positive impact of Olympic is some tourists may be interested when seeing the host countys website during the Olympic Games and after. Therefore, there will be large amounts of revenues from those visitors. Research indicated that hosting Olympic country can earn 823 dollars from visitors who visit or access the host country within the first twenty days prior of Olympics and twenty days after the Olympic. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) In addition, the positive impact of Olympic is providing job opportunities or employment. We should not be underestimates the level of creating the employment opportunities from the host country. In fact, an economic estimate in Atlanta, Georgia which is a state that organized the Olympic), the result shows that about seventy seven thousands of employment opportunities were been created. The hotel industry and lodging take up the largest part of creating the job opportunities. Besides that, the food industry such as bars also provides job opportunities. Additionally, the construction sector also will be provided jobs since there will be additional infrastructure such as new buildings. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) The long term economic benefits from hosting the Olympic Games can be as legacy of host country. The first legacy will be considered of facilities built specifically for Olympics. After the Olympic Games, the facilities can be continuing operation for many years. The host country needs to build a top level of Stadium in order to meet the international standards. In fact, Georgia was hosting the Olympic Games in year 1996 and the stadium was costing them approximately 189 million US dollars which is consider as quite good investment since the rate of return greater than investments. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) Another important positive impact is the fact of hosting the Olympics will be exposure for the host country through excessive media and the hosting country will be able to seen by the World. Therefore, their strengths will be reflected in their marketing efforts and this will greatly increase their tourism industry the next few years. Additionally, there will be also exposure in business aspects in order to attract investors come and invest in host country. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) As a host country, London Olympic Games was the worlds hottest spot in 2012. Olympic is an important and massive event that a collection of athletes, media, visitors and politicians from all around the world which is definitely a prestigious role city. According to London, the Olympic Games provided positive impact to the larger businesses in London although there is not reach the extent that had anticipated. But according to the survey of 100 large companies by Deloitte which is the official professional services provider to London 2012. Since the beginning of the Olympic Games, 42% of companies reported that an increase in demand and 77% of retailers increase in demand from the new customers. This result preparation and planning was paid off. Naturally, the greatest advantage is the increasing in Tourism industry. According to London, it was been attracted approximately 300,000 of foreigners and also about 5.5 million day trippers during Olympic Games. (The Consultant Eu, 2013) Another fact was according to Beijing China in 2008, the number of visitors or tourists were rising rapidly. This result shows that Olympic brings the host country to increase the visibility. According to Chen Jian who is the president of Beijing Olympic Economic Research Association was estimated that Beijing was received about 600000 foreign visitors and 2.5 million from Chinas domestic tourists during the Olympic Games along with the number of foreign visitors in Beijing will grow 8% to 9% annually. Besides that, a foreign country student who studying in Beijing was experienced the craze of Olympic Summer by the improvements in infrastructures and commercial services during the Olympic Opening Ceremony. In addition, the number of hotels in Beijing has also increasing in the recent years. That is because since China was entered the WTO and won the Olympic bid, therefore the country was reduced the hotel ownership restrictions. Furthermore, the recruitment in Beijing Olympic sponsor s, partners, suppliers and others companies also wants to take the benefits of the Olympic buzz in Beijing in order to contribute in increasing of advertisement. (Business Today, 2013) The third fact was according to Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 were praised as the best Olympic Games because Sydney not only did achievements on improving the environment, improve urban construction, promote the development of transportation, real estate and tourism, but it also promote the host citys international reputation. Sydney brought a considerable sum of profits and motivated promote the follow-up industrial development of tourism, transportation and real estate. Especially, it brought the huge number of direct revenues about 2,605 million US dollars which is the most profitable in Olympic Games. Additionally, it stimulated about 500 thousands tourists. (Bitstream, 2013) Negative Impact of Olympic: The Olympics prestige not only goes along with economic benefits, it also does in downfalls and significant risks which should not be ignored. Therefore, hosting the Olympic Games is very important to the hosting country. To host the Olympic Games is a huge responsible for the country or city due to having a huge risk because the hosting country invested a large amount of money in the games but they do not know about how many visitors coming for the Games. Therefore, they are risking funds without having a backup plan if there is less visitors in the Games. The Olympic Games also will influence the population of the city about one or two months. The city will be crowded of traffic and interrupt the daily of the citizens due to many visitors. Besides that, when the country hosting the Olympic Games, everything must be near perfect such as the street must be clean and in good condition, the stadium must be neat, the hotels must have sufficient reservations for the visitors. This is all about money. However, the money from the visitors or tourists is not enough to support the wastage. Therefore, the country invests a large sum of money in order to keep the city or country clean and well present during the Olympic Games. If any problem occurs during the Olympic Games, the country has to waste money to fix it. Hosting Olympic Games brings disadvantages to the hosting country especially for poor countries because waste of resources with could for used for the welfare of citizens, corruptions, benefits to go to people in power and business but the poor suffer. Therefore, hosting Olympic Games are waste of resource and money. The money should used for more important things such as improving infrastructure, curing malaria and providing proper education for children and adults from poorer countries. A lots of money are spend on Olympic Games just to watch athletes participate in the Games, but the money can actually donate to the charities in order to helping people in the world. (Debate, 2013) Besides that, another negative impact is social impacts which are cumulative and a wide range of over space and time. Olympic Games may change the significant and the impact assessment become complicating due to the long lead times, dimension and natural of the event. The changes will affect the increasing in congestion, evictions, increasing in prices such as increasing in land rental value. The negative effect of Olympic Games comes from expenditures on transports infrastructure, facilities, housing, safety measures and maintenance in order to meet the requirements or demands of the International Olympic Committee and also to impress to the public. According in London, the total budget comes up to  £9.325 billion. This result estimates that the costs of Olympic Games are difficult tasks. This was result in the final budget was exceeded by  £5.906 billion of the projected budget from the bid in November 2004. Besides that, the expenditure of security had to double. At the same time, there has been twelve fold rises in the management fees by UK Parliament. Therefore, it has been claimed that spending is higher than expected which has been exceeded the positive impacts on economy of United Kingdom. (Merar, 2010-2013) Evidence was in Athens Olympic Games in 2004 was failed to motivate the economic growths due to lack of publicity or promotion and a large number of expenditures. According to Wang and Chen who said about the large amount of expenditure was about 12 million US dollars which is a big debt will be paid for about 10 years. The amount of expenditure was more than double of the budget. Besides that, the Olympic gymnasiums and facilities were not invested until 2000. Therefore the postponed construction led to large amount of costs and inefficiency. This result shows that Olympic Games indeed have a significant impact on the economic development of the host cities. (Bitstream, 2013) Besides that, evidence was showed that the United State government was investigated the BHP Billiton Ltd which is the world top mining company possible of corrupt practices and it was being one of the sponsorship of Beijing Olympics Games 2008. According to Fairfax reported that between 2000 until 2008, BHP Billiton Ltd spent millions of dollars on sponsorship deal of Olympic Games. Conclusion: As a conclusion, I would like to conclude that Olympic Games bring positive impacts and negative impacts to the hosting country that result show the Olympic Games are more than a sport because there are included in cultural, political and economic phenomena. Particularly interest to see Olympic as a tourism attraction, marketing opportunity, media event, the catalyst for urban renewal and development and also was the inspiration for youth and generating a force for peace and understanding of international as well. In fact, it can be said that there value-added, non mainly on sporting, roles which makes Olympic Games becomes unique at the international level and in order to continued survive probably depends on their continuing to play these roles. For example, according to Sir Roger Bannister (1988) who is the Olympic athlete first man to run a mile within four minutes and later became British Sport Minister was discussing about Olympic Games will moves towards the changes but still remain the greatest hopes of the world. Besides that, Olympic is in the deepest interests of the world of the future for them to be continuing. (Google Books) Furthermore, Olympic Games are much more than a show, the games are open to the world and the entire country has the opportunity to take part in numerous activities such as the marching of the flame throughout the country, cultural activities, educational projects and local volunteer services.

External Macro Environment Factors

External Macro Environment Factors Human Resource Management (HRM) according to Boxall and Purcell (2003:1) are the actions which involve the management of employment relationships in the firm. The modern world of business is changing rapidly in its attempt to gain and maintain a competitive edge. Business is operating in an environment affected by macro environmental factors ranging from Technology to Legislation and Globalization. These factors and many others are causing business to re-evaluate itself, both internally as well as externally. Structures are becoming flatter and decentralization is taking place as organizations attempt to remain competitive, survive and grow. The macro environment which is the main concern in this essay, are factors like political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environment (PESTLE) that can influence an organisation but are out of the organisations control. It is very important for HR practitioners to monitor the external macro environment since it can great ly make or unmake their businesses. This can be seen on the social changes technological advancement on workforce and HR policies in the last 10 years. In this essay, an elaborated definition of the external macro environment is well explained. Also, explanations of why it is necessary for HR practitioners to monitor the external macro environment , with reference to relevant academic theory is done. Also an illustration of how technological advancement and social change has affected the workforce and HR policies in the last 10 years is detailed out. The essay is then Concluded and bibliography cited as well. The marketing environment surrounds and impact activities carried out in the organisation. There are three key perspective on the marketing environment which involves the internal environment, the micro environment and the macro environment as shown on the diagram below. There are three key perspective on the business environment which involves the internal environment, the micro environment and the macro environment according to Kotler et al (2009). The micro environment influence the organisation directly and it includes the consumers, customers, suppliers, new entrants and competitors. All factors like men, money, machines, materials and market that are internal to the organisation are known as the internal environment. The external macro environment involves all those factors ranging from the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environment also known as the (PESTLE factor) that affects the organisation uncontrollably, influences the organisations decisions and affects its performance and strategies. These macro factors are continually changing and the company has to be flexible enough to adapt to it. Looking at the political factors affecting a business, it involves factors like initiatives, grants and funding offered by the government, wars, government relationships with other countries, taxation policies, the goods and services the government produces, the health of the nation and the quality of the infrastructure of the economy such as the road and rail system. As such the degree of government intervention in the economy will affect companies operating in it. Thus the political atmosphere of a country should be checked before the establishment of a business. Economic factors includes interest rates, taxation changes, economic growth, inflation, loan access, unemployment, government spending consumer spending and exchange rates that affects the organisation. Using the economic factors to analyse a business scenario, a higher interest rates may deter investment because it costs more to borrow. Also, inflation may provoke higher wage demands from employees and raise costs. Also, a higher national income growth may boost demand for a firms products.   Social factors involves religious differences, ethics, lifestyle of the people, demographic changes, education and culture.  For example, changes in social trends can impact on the demand for a firms products and the availability and willingness of individuals to work. In the UK, for example, the population has been ageing. This has increased the costs for firms who are committed to pension payments for their employees because their staff are living longer. Technological factors involves the amount of research funding in the country, consumer purchasing power, technological advancement/ innovation, intellectual property and copy right infringement. For example Bar coding, online shopping, and new computer designs are all new technological development in the way companies do business due to the advancement in technology. Environmental factors involves a countries weather and climate change, the level of pollution, recycling considerations, legislative changes both current and future. Climatic changes can affect companies in the country. With the changes of global climates experienced today due to global warming, firms make this external factor a significant issue of considerations when expanding their businesses internationally Legal factors are factors like  safety, competition, health, future legislation, trading policies and regulatory bodies which relates to the legal environment in which firms operate. In recent years in the UK for example, there has been many significant legal changes that have affected firms behaviour like in areas like age discrimination and disability discrimination legislation and wages. HR practitioners have to carry out a PESTLE scan of the macro environment where the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental aspects of the business would be scanned properly. This is done in order to caution the HR practitioners on how changes in their external macro environment will impact the organisations activities. The external analysis of the macro environment has both micro and macro focus. At the level of the micro trend, HR practitioners should monitor suppliers, the strength of their competitors, labour supplies and the demographic population. At the level of the macro trend, HR practitioners should monitor the market forecast, technological trends, labour market forecast and trends in public sector employment and political atmosphere of the country. Also, the reason why HR practitioners scan the macro environment is to identify and analyse possible opportunities and threats of the industry as a whole that are outside the control of the industry using the opportunity and threat analysis (SWOT) analysis. The opportunities identifies the environmental characteristics that can help the organisation succeed and the threats identifies environmental characteristics that can prevents the organisation from being successful. As such, with the opportunity and threat analysis, HR practitioners are able to develop a corporate, business and functional level strategy. With the corporate level strategy, the organisation lays a plan action to manage the growth and development of the firm hence profit maximisation in the long run. With the business level strategy, the organisations find ways to counters its threats so as to compete effectively and with the functional level strategy, the HR practitioners establish a plan of action to improve its d epartments so as to create value. All these increases profits and the survival of the organisation. In addition, monitoring the external macro environment will assist the HR practitioner on how to recruit, retain, and develop the workforce they need. As such, HR practitioners are able to carry out their four main functions which are; the acquisition function, development function, motivation function and maintenance function. As such knowing the PESTLE environment will assist them to understand the policies, salaries, culture, educational levels of the potential employees in the country they operate. Once a sound external analysis is conducted, it can be reviewed and updated as part of the planning cycle to identify any significant changes in the environment. Also, looking at the social trends, HR practitioner monitor the external environment in order to know more about the culture of its employees. Trompenaars and Turner (1997) defines culture as the way in which a group of people live, solves problem and reconcile dilemmas. He also postulated seven dimension of culture that relates to relationships with people and their working environment. Also, Arnold et al cited in Handy (1986) pointing out that A strong culture makes a strong organisation and not all culture suits all purposes or people. As such it is necessary for HR practitioners to study their external environment so as to blend the organisations culture with that of its employees in order to create a good working atmosphere in the organisation. Thus resolving cultural differences will bring in team work and group cohesiveness. Furthermore, according to Devanna et al (1984), scanning the external environment assist HR practitioners to fit their HRM policies, practices and strategies in its competitive environment with the immediate business conditions that it faces as shown on the diagram below. The Matching model. As such, informations from the external environment assist HR practitioners to establish a proper mission and strategy, organisational structure and also enables human resource management policies to be used in their organisations based in different countries. The external environment has a major impact on the companies activities and decisions. More often than not, these forces are beyond the control of an organization and its managers. Though non-controllable, these forces require a response in order to keep positive actions with the targeted markets. Thus HR practitioners scan their external environment so that they can respond profitably to unmet needs and trends in the targeted markets. Linked to the above, accordingly, the factors of the environment will need to be considered as inputs in the planning and forecasting models developed by an organization.  Disturbances in the environment may spell profound threats or new opportunities thus the supervision helps HR practitioners to monitor and adapt to the environment if it is to survive and prosper. They thus identify, evaluate and react to the forces triggered by the external environment so as to make profits and survive in the long run. Furthermore, the knowledge gotten from the scanning of the external environment by HR practitioners assist them in gathering informations based on both government and private laws affecting the industry. Laws like rigid government laws in some countries that might affect their investments where by business may be doomed to be non starters due to business restrictions imposed by the government are determined before establishing a business. Also, cost of recruitment and standards in different from one country to another. More so, the availability of key inputs like trained managers, skilled labour, raw material are all impacted by the external environment. As such, monitoring the external environment enables HR practitioners to gather necessary informations which can affect their businesses. Until about twenty years ago, the world of work was an unfortunate place. Change of all kind was slow and non existence. Products had long life cycle, organisations were characterised by long control/ universally applied rule and technological innovations and inventions were pretty slow. In the last ten years technological advancement and social change has affected the workforce and HR policies. Looking at the way technological advancement has affected the workforce, in the past ten years, technological advancement has made globalisation possible amongst employees. Technological innovations in areas like learning and development, telecommunications, computers, satellite system have made it possible for information and innovation to rapidly cross national boundaries in between employees. More so, with technological advancement and the advent of new machines, there has been division of labour within employees hence creating higher quality products, just in time delivery and greater customization of products. In addition, Robinson (2006) pointed out that, within the past ten years in Britain for example, the amount of people employed in the manufacturing sector reduced by a half. Also there has been a decline in skilled and semi skilled manual jobs due to the rise in the creation of machines. The workforce nowadays is highly segmented and job length vary between the skilled and semi skilled jobs. Technological advancement has also affected HR policies in that Decades ago, HR management was autocratic in nature, employee made no decisions in the organisation. Organisational culture was hostile and employees didnt care about career advancement/ promotion opportunities since they were satisfied with their jobs. But in the past ten years, technological advancement has caused the establishment of new policies in order to work hand in hand with the growth. There has been a radical organisational restructuring programmes evidenced in de-layering, downsizing and decentralized. Also, with the advent of technology, HR practitioners keep restructuring new policies in terms of employing on a permanent basis and also offering career advancements in the form of training, development and promotion to employees as pointed out by Robinson (2006). Social change has affected workforce in that, in the past, men were employed most in organisation due to the increasing use of manual labour and physical power. But within the last ten years, there has been a steady increase in the participation of women in the labour force. Robinson (2006) analysed that there has been a rising level of divorce and single parents has lead to the provision of social welfare, health and educational services by HR practitioners. Social change has also affected HR policies in that, organisation in the past faced difficulties of dealing with cultural differences. Going international was very difficult due to the cultural barriers and differences. Within the past ten years, cultural policies have been instituted in order to deal with cultural conflicts in organisations. Organisations find it very easy to go international due to laid down policies, training and care giving to their expatriate employees. Also, HR policies have been adapted to satisfy consumers as customers have greater choice and power to influence purchase Boxall and Purcell (2003). As such, employees receive training in aspects like offering better customer care and services to consumers. All these has lead to increase profitability and survival of organisations. The external Macro environment also Known as the PESTLE environment consists of trends and forces which might not instantly influence the relations that a company has with its clients, suppliers and mediators, but afterward, macro-environmental changes will modify the nature of these relations. As explained above, it is very necessary for HR practitioners to monitor these macro external factors so as to foresee and manage any future impact it might have on the companies activities. Also, looking at the changes in technology and social change on workforce and HR policies in the past ten years, HR practitioners have adapted themselves to this changes by implementing new policies, strategies, rule and regulations to adapt their businesses to these uncontrollable factors.

Halloween KO Frankenstein :: Free Essays Online

Halloween KO Frankenstein Fade in: Amidst the crowd and noise of a swarm of children and their parents in a whirlwind, last-minute attempt to find Halloween costumes and makeup, Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter-Branagh stand hand and hand—pinned against an â€Å"Austin Powers suit† and the ever-popular â€Å"Hershey Kiss† garb. Kenneth’s brows are furrowed and a small wrinkle on his forehead is tense with concern as to how he is going to find anything among the crowds. The door to the store opens occasionally, inviting the crisp October air in—sending small chills up his and Helena’s arms. Helena, standing impatiently in a crimson shawl, weight on one side, looks up at her husband, lips pursed—annoyance dancing in her chocolate eyes. Helena: Remind me why we’re here again, Kenny? Kenneth: Oh honey—you know the party’s tomorrow and we couldn’t show up without costumes. Two noisy youngsters, each with unruly black hair, sucking lollypops run past Kenneth and into Helena—igniting a surge of pain down her side. The children mutter an untranslatable â€Å"sorry† before continuing off to look at the sets of fake blood to Helena’s direct left. Helena: (rubbing her thigh) I know—but why are we here? I mean we have personal assistants to take care of these kinds of things. Kenneth: Dear, I thought it would be fun. After all, we haven’t had a night out together since I started touring with the Shakespearean Company again. Voices from the crowd yell â€Å"Heads Up!† just as a shelf full of Monster’s Teeth and Spirit Gum tumbles on Helena from above. A small, freckled girl with straw colored pig-tails points at Helena with a pudgy finger. Girl: (sardonically) We said...HEADS UP! Ignoring the pain in her leg, Helena rubs her forehead while pulling a pair of green Monster Teeth out of her tousled curls. Helena: (mumbles to Kenneth) Fun. . .right. . . Kenneth: (tugging on their laced hands) Come dear, lets go ask the lady at the counter so we can leave and go get some sleep. I don’t want to have bags under my eyes tomorrow in front of our Hollywood friends. Weaving through the crowds of people, Kenneth spots a store clerk wearing a â€Å"Hello my name is: Sarah† nametag standing behind a short female customer. Kenneth: Excuse me?. . .uh, excuse me! Sarah looks up at Kenneth, squinting viciously in his direction.

Masculine Desires Expressed in Art and Media Essay -- Male Masculinity

Suppose the locks to a Starbuck’s Cafà © were slowing turning to seal the doors shut from any last customers. But before the latch could roll into the opposite lock, two strangers pulled open the door and made their way inside. A sight to have seen: James Bond and Keanu Reeves. They held each a large canvas and a sculpture, respectively. Both purchased their favorite coffee drinks at the local cafà ©. Having made an exception in not closing the shop at the normal time, the employee allowed the men to enjoy their beverages inside—in the comfort of the inexplicably soft couches. The gentlemen sat and conversed about their current lives. My question is: does the adolescent worker, who is still bewildered, share a singularity with the unexpected customers, as well as with the artworks in their possession? Regardless of the hypothetical, the answer is always the same: Yes. The fictitious heroes and brave men conceived by man bear the longings and passions of their creator. In fact, it is through them that man lives vicariously. However, prior to the births of legendary characters in motion pictures and comic books, there existed artworks that introduced the public to the deepest desires of man. They portrayed his universal image: a man that is â€Å"wild at heart†. What does the action sequence of The Matrix: Reloaded have in common with a sixteenth-century sculpture? Baccio Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus, exemplifies the first of three desires in man. According to the legend, Hercules went on a journey to complete his tenth labor, a task of retrieving the Cattle of Geryon. Cacus, â€Å"a fire-god†¦demoted to a fire-breathing giant†, stole the cattle from the unsuspecting Hercules and hid with them in a cave. The theft launched the enemies into ... ...expresses. The three desires of man are painted and sculpted in the magazines, books, television shows, and movies of today. Society suggests the ideals and universal image of man it wants to uphold; the media engraves the information into the stone tablets of its mind. Sure, I can appreciate the sculpture of Hercules and the painting of Christ, but only because I know that I can personally relate to the artworks. I want a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. Works Cited Eldredge, John. Wild at Heart. Tennessee: Nelson Publishing, 2001 Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005 â€Å"Hercules and Cacus† Wikipedia September 25, 2006 Gospel of John BibleGateway September 25, 2006 Masculine Desires Expressed in Art and Media Essay -- Male Masculinity Suppose the locks to a Starbuck’s Cafà © were slowing turning to seal the doors shut from any last customers. But before the latch could roll into the opposite lock, two strangers pulled open the door and made their way inside. A sight to have seen: James Bond and Keanu Reeves. They held each a large canvas and a sculpture, respectively. Both purchased their favorite coffee drinks at the local cafà ©. Having made an exception in not closing the shop at the normal time, the employee allowed the men to enjoy their beverages inside—in the comfort of the inexplicably soft couches. The gentlemen sat and conversed about their current lives. My question is: does the adolescent worker, who is still bewildered, share a singularity with the unexpected customers, as well as with the artworks in their possession? Regardless of the hypothetical, the answer is always the same: Yes. The fictitious heroes and brave men conceived by man bear the longings and passions of their creator. In fact, it is through them that man lives vicariously. However, prior to the births of legendary characters in motion pictures and comic books, there existed artworks that introduced the public to the deepest desires of man. They portrayed his universal image: a man that is â€Å"wild at heart†. What does the action sequence of The Matrix: Reloaded have in common with a sixteenth-century sculpture? Baccio Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus, exemplifies the first of three desires in man. According to the legend, Hercules went on a journey to complete his tenth labor, a task of retrieving the Cattle of Geryon. Cacus, â€Å"a fire-god†¦demoted to a fire-breathing giant†, stole the cattle from the unsuspecting Hercules and hid with them in a cave. The theft launched the enemies into ... ...expresses. The three desires of man are painted and sculpted in the magazines, books, television shows, and movies of today. Society suggests the ideals and universal image of man it wants to uphold; the media engraves the information into the stone tablets of its mind. Sure, I can appreciate the sculpture of Hercules and the painting of Christ, but only because I know that I can personally relate to the artworks. I want a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. Works Cited Eldredge, John. Wild at Heart. Tennessee: Nelson Publishing, 2001 Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005 â€Å"Hercules and Cacus† Wikipedia September 25, 2006 Gospel of John BibleGateway September 25, 2006

Advertising in Sport Everywhere You Look Essay

Advertising in sport everywhere you look Pure and simple. My brother loves the game of hockey. He doesn’t care about all the media and advertising surrounding the game, he just simply loves the sport. Tonight he’s going to a New Jersey Devils hockey game purely for the love of the game. He’s going to wear his Reebok, New Jersey Devils jersey and go to the Prudential Center to see the game. The Prudential Center is located near the new Red Bull Park and not far from the Izod Center, which until recently, was known as Continental Airlines Arena. As usual, he’ll park his car in the Ford Lincoln Mercury Parking Lot and proceed past the Verizon Tower to get to the PNC Bank Tower. He’ll proceed up the elevator past Lincoln Mercury Level 1 and give his Ticketmaster ticket to the attendant. He will then meet his friends near the Bud Light Goal Bar. Because he’s not 21 years old yet, he won’t be able to take advantage of the bar experience, but he’s sure to be thinking about the enticement at the entrance which reads â€Å"The red light is on! Time to hit the Bud Light Goal Bar. Occupying an expansive area on the north end of Prudential Center on Lincoln Mercury Suite Level One, the Bud Light Goal Bar offers fans a hip, modern bar atmosphere overlooking the ice. The Bud Light Goal Bar features dozens of flat screen televisions, so while you and your guests enjoy a cold one, you are guaranteed to see all the action. † Next, he will take the elevator up one flight to the Ford Level 2 seating area and buy a program before he gets settled into his seat. If he’s thirsty, he can buy a drink that comes in a Coca Cola cup, even if it’s not Coca Cola. The game will begin soon after the TV advertising time is done. As he waits, he will probably remove his NHL hat and peruse the Devils program to check the team’s statistics and information. Or, he can read about the best investment bank to use, or where to trade stocks for a bargain price. He’ll find out where his favorite team’s apparel can be purchased or what the official mouthwash of the New Jersey Devils is. There are many other events that are coming to the Prudential Arena so maybe he will think about attending one of them. So much to think about before game time arrives. As the game begins, all focus will be on the game itself, if he can manage to not be distracted by the lighted advertisements that continuously change to hock a variety of goods and services. After all, he is only there to watch the game. As to not be confused about who is winning the game, he can look up at the PSE&G scoreboard to know who just scored a goal and what the game score is. I’m sure it will be an exciting night for him, because, purely and simply, he just loves hockey. Relationship between Sports and Media â€Å"Sport and mass media share a very symbolic relationship in American society. On one hand, the staggering popularity of sport is due, to no small extent, to the enormous amount of attention provided it by the mass media. On the other hand, the media are able to generate enormous sales in both circulation and advertising based upon their extensive treatment of sport. † The amount of advertising in sport has become very extreme. In almost every aspect of a sport you can find some form of advertising or media being exposed. The players, the coaches, the memorabilia stores, the stadiums, the teams and especially the commercials during televised games, all include media or advertising in some way. Athletes and Advertising As the saying goes, â€Å"If the shoe fits, wear it†, especially if you’re being paid to wear it. Many all star athletes are given opportunities for endorsements. Popular athletes in advertisements can make a product more attractive to sports fans. Although it is effective to use athletes to promote products, sometimes it becomes a little excessive. Instead of advertising for a couple of products, athletes today are spokespeople for numerous companies. Peyton Manning, the star quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts is said to be the NFL’s, â€Å"Most Marketable Player. † He is currently associated with over seven different products including Gatorade, Reebok, Sprint, and DirecTV. By participating in all these advertisements, it makes it visible that he is doing these ads just for the money. In cases like this, an athlete can be involved with too much advertising and become overexposed. Another case of athletes being overly concerned with dollars is that of Michael Jordan. In 1992, Jordan participated in the Olympics as part of the United States Basketball â€Å"Dream Team† and won an Olympic gold medal. When he learned that on the gold-medal stand he would be expected to wear the official red, white and blue United States warm-up suits with the Reebok logo, he threatened not to appear at the ceremony. â€Å"I don’t believe in endorsing my competition,† Jordan said. â€Å"I feel very strongly about loyalty to my own company. In saying this, it seemed as if his loyalty to his country didn’t matter to him as much as his loyalty to his brand. In the end, the United States Olympic Committee came up with a compromise that said basically anyone who has a personal corporate sponsor who objects to the team sponsor’s name showing on the United States Olympic uniform has the right to obscure what he does not want to show. In this case it wa s the Reebok logo. Television Advertising The Superbowl is known as one of the biggest and most watched events in all of sports. The crowning of the World Champions of football has an enormous audience. In addition to the game, we get to be entertained by the half time show and wait for the cleverly scripted television commercials. The Superbowl is known for its elaborate advertising. Every year, people look forward to seeing the creative new commercials being broadcasted during the football game. For companies to broadcast in a thirty second time block during the event, they must pay nearly two million dollars. In the past, television commercials were a time to leave the room for a quick break from watching the game but now they have evolved into an advertising extravaganza. In the case of the Superbowl, the NFL almost makes more money from advertising then they do for simply broadcasting the game. Advertising on Uniforms The sport with sponsor advertising being the most prevalent on team jerseys is soccer. If you turn on the Fox Soccer Channel to watch the English Premier league you might notice that a large majority of the teams uniforms have a sponsor’s name posted across the front of the jerseys. For example, the 2008 Barclay Premier champions, Manchester United, wore red Nike jerseys with their sponsor’s name (AIG) written across the chest. When soccer fans buy replica jerseys such as Manchester United’s they become part of the advertising scheme. Sponsors believe that the more jerseys sold, the more their name is out for the public to see. Therefore, the sponsor’s goal is to place their logo everywhere possible to expand the popularity of their company. Conclusion In conclusion, to answer the question posed, â€Å"Is sports based media and advertising excessive? †, the answer would have to be â€Å"yes. † Advertising isn’t as simple as the old song, â€Å"Take me out to the ballgame† suggests. When we heard the lyrics, â€Å"Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks† we thought about the experience of being at a ballgame and enjoying the day while munching on some ballpark staples. In today’s advertising environment, we would have to sing the song with some updated lyrics. It won’t be easy to sing â€Å"Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks.