The People Factor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The People Factor - Research Paper Example If there is some form of risk, there is some form of insurance that can act as a cover for the risk. In other words, risk can be converted into an equivalent form of insurance. In most cases, higher the risk, higher is the amount of return and the premium for insuring the risk. Risk arises as a result of uncertainty in various investment activities. Cost of investment and its benefits vary according to the varying levels of risk (Anderson & Brown, 2005). Ethical concerns in healthcare management The healthcare management sector is rising in importance in the economy of United States. A large range of ethical dimensions are currently arising in the US healthcare sector. The private healthcare sector is operating like any other organization in the private sector with their profit maximization objective (Zhou-Richter, 2009). However, healthcare is one of the basic rights of any individual. According to ethical principles, an individual is entitled to receive support and care for his or her healthcare issues. In this regard, the most daunting task is to make the rightful decision with respect to some ethical problem arising in healthcare sector. Insurance providers have to recognize the challenges and assess the seriousness of a given situation with confidence. Only when the challenges in dealing with healthcare problems are identified and understood fully, professional and management in this sector can cater sufficiently to the insurance needs of people (Labspace, 2013). The ethical implications refer to the issue of beneficence, justice and respect for the basic need of an individual irrespective of the class or income group that the person belongs to. These ethical values refer to the culture and values embedded in a society and its people and their... The functioning of the dual forces of demand and supply depends on the appropriate measurement of the extent to which the customer is prone to demand insurance owing to sickness. In the US, the broadest recommendation that has been made by President Barrack Obama is that insurance companies should bring the maximum possible number of customers under their policy. There is no substitute for this process since there is lack of sufficient amount of money to cover the actually sick people in the country. Therefore, the number of insured people would imply that companies would be able to earn higher amounts of money in the form of premium. This would allow the companies to run profitably even after paying out large sums of money for claims (Cheney & Haberkorn, 2013). Apart from this method, it is highly recommended that the companies develop a stringent medical screening process to judge the actual health condition of the customers before allowing them to purchase a particular plan. It is recommended that premium should be charged on a dual basis of income of the consumer as well as the level of sickness. Customers with higher annual income would be charged the higher premium than those with lower or marginal income. The problem of lemon arises in the market when there is information asymmetry between the consumers and the sellers. In this problem, both parties involved in transaction posses dissimilar levels of information regarding the same level of product or service regarding which the transaction is being made.

Inaugural speech Essay Example for Free

Inaugural speech Essay In the history of the United States, it has been a tradition that the President, makes an inaugural speech, when he begins his Presidential term. The first such inaugural speech was made by George Washington, on 30 April 1789. (Halsall Paul ). This essay makes an in-depth rhetorical analysis of one of the historic and important inaugural addresses- he one made by President John F. Kennedy, in 1961. He was he thirty-fifth President of The Unites States, and the youngest President to assume this prestigious office. He was the youngest president to die also. He graduated from Harvard University, and spent many years in the US navy. He was a very good writer also, and before assuming the Presidency, he was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer prize in history. ( John Kennedy) His education gave him the vision of a strong America striving for global peace, his naval background gave him the daunting spirit of challenging the enemy and his literal excellence helped in drafting an memorable inaugural speech in the history of the United States. His background is strongly reflected in his inaugural speech. This inaugural speech was delivered when world was at a very important juncture in its history. The dark clouds of the second world war had already vanished, the equations of power had changed, Germany and Japan were lying low, but USSR had risen to the level of a strong super power, always threatening the super power status of the USA. Great Britain, France, and China were as good as neutral not wanting to confront with either of the super powers. Both USA and USSR equated the power balance in such a way that neither can make an advancement. The rest of the world heavily relied on the aid of these to nations, to survive and sustain themselves. Globalization was an unheard word and each nation had its own independent economy. Markets of each nation were closed to foreigners. The cold war between the USA and the USSR for supremacy had just begun, when President John Kennedy made this address. In a narrow context this speech is intended for the Congress of the USA. However, in the broader context, President Kennedy wishes to address the Population of America, southern America in particular, because he takes the pain to make a special mention of them in his speech, and assures them justice and equality. The canvas of his speech is even larger, and crosses the boundaries of the United States. He seems to be addressing the entire population of this world. He cautions the strong nations to exercise restraint and assures help to he weaker ones to develop themselves. The government of the USSR is a special target of this speech. In a polite yet very stern and firm way, he extends an indirect warning to the USSR, to be cautious in their dealings with international affairs. President Kennedy intends to give three clear messages in his speech. One, he stresses on the freedom of every human being. He speaks of freedom not only at national level within the United States, but to all human beings. He clearly communicates his mind in one sentence, â€Å"And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. † Undoubtedly, Kennedy firmly believes that freedom is a basic right of human being, not given by the state, but by God. In other words, all men are born free and no state has any right to deny this basic right to anyone. He shows his commitment to this freedom to the natives of southern states, which have experienced a past full of cruelty and brutality. The second point he makes is on the subject of peace and aid to the weaker nations. Both at national level and at international level. â€Å" To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support—to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective—to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak—and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run†, (John F. Kennedy ) he remarks on the subject of international peace and says that. â€Å" To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required—not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. † ( John F. Kennedy ). On the subject of helping the weaker countries. His third point is a proposal to the ‘adversaries’ of the USA, namely, USSR, to strive for mutual co- operation which can benefit both he nations and the entire humanity. â€Å"Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction. † ( John F. Kennedy ) He remarks. This speech has two important undercurrents. President Kennedy, though very polite, is fully confident. His confidence is evident from one sentence of his speech. â€Å"And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house. † (John F. Kennedy). Second, while proposing mutual co-operation to the adversaries, he also indicates at some amount of suspicion towards their intentions. This is evident from the statement, â€Å"remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof â€Å". ( John F.Kennedy ). The structure of this speech is also very strong and has a natural flow. Beginning with the issue of freedom of Liberty and of all human beings, he switches over to the issue of helping the weaker sections of the American society and the poor nations of this world. He then makes a brief mention of the UN, and pledges American support in its endeavors. Quite surprisingly, a major portion of his speech is devoted to the issue of mutual co-operation between the two super powers. It is a clear indication of the importance Kennedy gave to this subject. But, the big question is, did this subject deserve that much of priority in the prevailing international scenario at that time? This should be a topic for historians to research into. He also reminds the citizens, with an authoritative tone, that they also need to fulfill their duties towards the nation. † From the linguistic point of view, this speech is just a master-piece of careful craftsmanship. It is not a very simple and a direct speech. The exterior gloss of politeness is filled with undercurrents of self-confidence and suspicion towards the attitudes and intentions of others. Figures of speech, namely repetition and metaphor are freely used throughout the speech, act as an ornament. One of his statements in this speech has become very famous, and will be remembered by all. This is, â€Å" And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. † ( John F. Kennedy ) President Kennedy fully succeeds in communicating the three main messages which he intends to pass over. He succeeds because of his style. A style which has nothing new to say, yet everything is new. The word ‘peace’ has great force to attract masses of humanity, and Kennedy has used this word very effectively in his speech. His commitment to peace and self pride for his nation, were, perhaps the reasons for his immense popularity, not within America but around the world. So powerful is the impact of his speech, that it can be safely concluded that Kennedy delivered this address not as the President of USA but as an international leader, to an international community. References : 1. Halsall Paul, [July 1998], History of inaugural addresses, Retrieved on 29 Sept 07 from: http://www. fordham. edu/halsall/mod/presidents-inaugurals. html 2. John Kennedy, The White House, Retrieved on 29 Sept 07 from: http://www. whitehouse. gov/history/presidents/jk35. html 3. Burton Grideon O. , Basic questions for rhetorical analysis, Brigham Young University, Retrieved on 29 September 2007 from: http://rhetoric. byu. edu/Pedagogy/Rhetorical%20Analysis%20heuristic. htm 4. John F. Kennedy, [ 20 February 1961] Inaugural address, Retrieved on 29 September 07 from: http://www. bartleby. com/124/pres56. html .

Essay --

During my 3 years at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) as a Maintenance Planning engineer, I breathed planning and organizing. Working for a multi-billion dollar enterprise, I saw the effects of operational efficiencies on the balance sheet. This relevant exposure has shaped my decision to pursue a career in Industrial Engineering, a field that strives to increase productivity and efficiencies by systematic study and innovation. Working at HPCL’s 7.6MMTPA refinery, I was a part of the team that ensured that all units were maintained well to operate at optimal capacity, round the clock. I was responsible for preparing schedules and planning for the men, machinery and material for maintenance activities. It was in this role that I experienced firsthand, the need and applicability of scientifically managed and optimized processes in the industry. During an outage of the Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU), a faulty spare gasket had kept the start-up of the unit on hold. I was chosen to procure the replacement, for which I had to fly 500 miles on a moment's notice, having to manage the gasket as my luggage. This trip was satisfying, not just because it brought down the potential loss margins from $250,000 to $70,000, but because I learnt the importance of judicious planning in extenuating losses. After this, I led a 4 person team to catalogue and update equipment spare parts in a database. With lessons learnt during the previous outage, I compiled a checklist that leverages the database to streamline and double-check the material planning process, reducing the probability of a last-minute emergency. 28 months and 7 major unit shutdowns later, in January 2013, I was made team-lead for planning a revamp of a Crude h... ...nt of pursuing graduate studies is to enhance my existing knowledge and skills, so that I can realize my vision of unlocking the potential of process optimization in small and medium scale enterprises in nations with developing economies such as India. For now, though, my focus is on garnering specialized knowledge and skills and furthering my industry experience. UC-B is a college with professional expertise like no other. Being a part of the Graduate community at UC-B with their collaborative inter-cultural community will help develop my personality. The teaching approach at UC-B of encouraging by challenge is ideal for a passionate learner like me. With a hope that you will find the potent combination of talent and determination in me as something that will add value to the legacy of UC-B, I am looking forward to be a part of the esteemed UC-B graduate community.

A Conceptual Study on HR in Special Reference Essay

ABSTRACT In the present globalized era the environmental changes took place very frequently. So if an organization wants to compete in the cut throat competition they have to cope up with these changes. In the past several decades, technology has had a dramatic impact on human resource management (HRM) processes and practices. For example, technology, especially the World Wide Web, has helped modify many HR processes including human resource planning, recruitment, selection, performance management, work flow, and compensation. These new systems have enabled HR professionals to provide better service to all of their stakeholders (e.g. Customers, Shareholders, Suppliers, Government, Employees etc) and reduced the administrative burden in the field. Despite the widespread use of these systems, there has been a surprising dearth of theory and research on the topic. As a result, the purpose of this special issue is to (a) Human Resource Information System, (b) advance theory and research on human resource management systems (HRMS) and electronic human resource management (eHRM), and (c) Enhance the effectiveness of these systems in organizations. As a result, this article reviews the evolution of HRIS and provides a brief overview of the existing literature, and introduces the article in the special issue. â€Å"HRIS is a management system designed specifically to provide managers with information to make HR decisions.† In the present vast knowledge economy information is power. For efficient management of human assets, HR professional requires accurate and timely data on Recruitment & Selection, Training and Development, Human Resource Planning etc so the aim of paper is to present a conceptual knowledge of HRIS and to explore the impact of information system on HR performance. Key words:- HRM, HRIS, eHRM, HRMS, Stakeholders 1. INTRODUCTION Since the emergence of the internet throughout the world around 1995, many business functions have been transformed. After dealing with accounting, finance and marketing, many companies are shifted their attentions to find a better way of monitoring their Human Resource Management (HRM). Many companies are transforming their HRM functions from manual workflow to computerized workflow. Computers have made the tasks of analyzing the tremendous amount of human resource data into a simple task. Computer hardware, software and data base help organizations maintain and retrieve human resource better and simpler. According to Gara (2001) and Walker (1982), a Human Resource Information System (HRIS) will help organizations â€Å"keep an accurate, complete, updated data base that can be retrieve when needed from reports and manuals.† Then Tannenbaum (1990) defines an HRIS as a system that will acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve and distribute information about an organization’s human resources. Kavanagh et al. (1990) defined HRIS as â€Å"a system used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve and distribute information about an organization’s human resources. An HRIS is not simply computer hardware and associated HR-related software. Although an HRIS includes hardware and software, it also includes people, forms, policies and procedures and data†. HRIS is a key management tool which collects, maintain, analyses and reports information on people and jobs. It is a system because it integrates all the relevant data, which otherwise might have been lying in a fragmented and scattered way at various points ion the larger system; converts this data in to meaningful conclusions or information and makes it accessible to the persons, who need it for their decisions. It is a concept which utilizes the development of Information Technology for effective management of the HR functions and applications. HRIS helps organizations in managing all HR information. It helps in recoding and analyzing employees and organizational information and documents, such as employee handbook, emergency evacuation and safety procedures. The nature of HRIS varies among organizations in relation to their size. In small organizations, it tends to be informal whereas in large organizations, it is more formal and coordinated. Lengnick-Hall and Moritz prompt HRIS to be implemented at three different levels: †¢ The publishing of information †¢ The automation of transactions †¢ Transformation of HR into a strategic partner with the line business 2. HRIS – Why it is needed? †¢ Storing information and data for each individual employee. †¢ Providing a basis for planning, decision making, controlling and other human resource functions. †¢ Meeting daily transactional requirements such as marking absent and present and granting leave. †¢ Supplying data and submitting returns to government and other statutory agencies. †¢ Building organizational capabilities. †¢ Job design and organizational structure. †¢ Increasing size of workforce. †¢ Technological advances †¢ Computerized information system †¢ Changes in legal environment 3. COMPONENTS OF HRIS There are three major functional components of HRIS : †¢ Input function – It enters personnel information into the HRIS. Data entry in the past had been one way, but today, scanning technology permits scanning and storage of actual image of an original document, including signatures and handwritten notes. †¢ Maintenance function – It updates and adds new data to the database after data have been entered into the HRIS. †¢ Output function – It is the most visible function of HRIS. In order to generate valuable output for computer users, HRIS processes output, makes necessary calculations and formats the presentation. It should be noted that most important elements of HRIS are not the computers, rather, the information. So, the components of HRIS should support validity, reliability and utility of information. 4. HRIS APPLICATIONS AND UTILITIES Personnel administration – It will encompass information about each employee, such as name address, personal details etc. Salary administration – Salary review procedure are important function of HRM, a good HRIS system must be able to perform what if analysis and present the reports Of changes. Leave and absence recording — Essentially be able to provide comprehensive method of controlling leave/absences. Skill inventory – It is also used to store record of acquired skills and monitor the skill database both employee and organizational level. Performance appraisal — The system should record individual employee performance, appraisal data, such as due date of appraisal, scores etc. Human resource planning — HRIS should record details of the organizational requirements in terms of positions Recruitment — Record details of recruitment activities such as cost and method of recruitment and time to fill the position etc. Career planning – System must be able to provide with succession plans reports to identify which employee have been earmarked for which position. Collective bargaining — A computer terminal can be positioned in the conference room linked to database. This will expedite negotiations by readily providing up to date data based on facts and figures and not feelings and fictions. THE HRIS MODEL [pic] 5. CONTRIBUTE VALUES TO HR THROUGH HRIS: HRIS serves two major purposes in organizations: HR ADMINISTRATIVE AND OPERATIONAL ROLE: The first purpose of an HRIS is to improve the efficiency with which data on employees and HR activities is compiled. Many HR activities can be performed more efficiently and with less paperwork if automated. HR STRATEGIC ROLE: The second purpose of an HRIS is more strategic and related to HR planning. Having accessible data enables HR planning and managerial decision making to be based to a greater degree on information rather than relying on managerial perception and intuition. 6. HRIS IMPLEMENTATION: Implementing anything is part of project Management. Implementing HRIS in organization is a big activity which require support of many stakeholders such functional, HRIT S, IT Vendor and project manager. Implementation can be divided into given below parts. †¢ Need Analysis. †¢ Vendor Selection. †¢ Process Mapping and complete data gathering. †¢ Creation/Deployment of HRIS application in Test server. †¢ Testing by sample users. †¢ Pre-deployment training to users. †¢ Deployment of HRIS in production. †¢ Post Training and Support. †¢ Feedback. 7. BENEFITS OF HRIS When the administrative tasks and processes of any human resources department become overwhelmed, the most appropriate solution would be to implement the human resources information system. Common administrative functions that involve filling reports and completing paperwork take up a lot of time of the human resource department and this is where the HRIS comes in. Many businesses nowadays are now realizing the importance of HRIS and using the software to increase the efficiency of the whole company. The following are some of the major benefits of HRIS. a. Improves productivity The HRIS systems assist in enhancing both the productivity and workflow of the human resource department. This is because, all the data is usually collected and placed in a central database. This is very beneficial since data is going to be very easily retrieved from the database. b. Saves time Through reducing the total amount of time spent on the administrative functions, human resource employees are able to focus on other essential duties. For example, they can carry out other productive functions like creating presentations, training staff members, succession planning and recruiting since they have enough time due to the HRIS system. c. Improves communication with the employees HRIS creates a database that each employee has access to and thus you will be able to communicate better with your employees through the network. It also has email scheduling capabilities that make it very efficient in terms of assigning jobs to various employees in a very short period of time. d. Creates self-service options Due to the fact that all the relevant information concerning the company or business is placed in large database, the employees can be able to access useful information without having to spend a lot of time going from one office to the next. At the same time, it is very easy to update the information in the database for proper administration. The only disadvantage is that important data concerning your company might be stolen particularly nowadays where there is a great increase in cyber crime. 8. THE CHALLENGES OF INDUCING HRIS SOFTWARE INCLUDES: Selecting right HRIS vendor: The selection of software vendor is the most critical of all the decisions. A successful ERP vendor is not always the best provider of an HR solution. A vendor with experience of developing most of the solutions related to human resource, whether in the personnel or talent management domains or other processes associated with HR offers a better choice, and if such a vendor has the strength of utilizing latest technology & a vision to perceive the future needs of HR fraternity, he may rate the highest on the scale. Mere branding of the products does not necessarily mean quality, though it does carry a higher price tag. Moreover, a vendor providing complex solutions, for which special skills may be needed for initial data entry, maintenance & creation of management reports, need not be rated high. If HRIS software can not configure the existing workflows in an organization and wants the user to adapt to the Vendor HR processes, it is likely to be heavy both on training time & costs and may also gather resistance to its usage at the grass root level. A dedicated and customer oriented vendor will move a mile extra to map all client processes on his solution and indicate well in advance the extent of customization required. He may even introduce a set of best practices provided by his solution but leave their adoption to the client. A good HRIS vendor is conscious of the cost but always sells quality. Onus of responsibility – There is a misconception that introduction of HRIS can relieve HR Manager of all responsibilities. To large extent, HRIS can free up HR Manager from transactional tasks. However, it also brings with it a new set of responsibilities to ensure that the software is being used and implemented correctly. The onus of co-operating with the software vendor and ensuring successful deployment lies with the client HR manager. Over expectations – Due to overstress on the benefits of HRIS software, partially by the media and partially by the marketing departments of software vendors, organizations have developed larger-than-life expectations from the software solutions. When the solutions are unable to deliver these over-expectations, the clients tend to lose confidence in the vendors. The only way out is either pre-sales discussions or a clear statement of user expectations in the form of a Request for Proposal (RFP) document, to which the vendor responds as per the strengths of his solution, including the additional effort required for customization, if the same is technically feasible. Resistance to change – Employees at the client location are attitudinally inclined to use only the existing system. They enjoy the loopholes in the processes, moreso the inability of a manual system to track progress. Therefore, they offer great resistance to change, especially if the change calls for the acquisition of new skills by the employee. Their resistance to change leads to lack of enthusiasm and co-operation in successfully implementing software systems. The onus of responsibility for change management lies entirely with the client, but some vendors do offer HR consultancy as a supplement to their solutions. Training Requirements – HRIS software may have a completely new interface, large number of functions and specially configured workflows. It may demand users to exhibit some level of expertise in understanding the technology solution. When faced with the new software, user experiences anxiety and may display discomfort in using the system. Such discomfort can result in remaining ignorant of various features, thereby denying to yourself the benefit of full exploitation of the software. A good software vendor can resolve this issue by providing on the system training to key personnel and prepare them as torch bearers. He would also provide sufficient on-line help features to all the users. Configuration and Data transformation – Configuring software to an organization’s need and transferring data from existing database to new HRIS is another issue that needs to be handled carefully. The existing data may be either on paper or excel files or in some other form of database. Due to ignorance by employees at client location, the data may not enter the new system in the desired manner, thus obstructing the smooth and efficient functioning of the system, besides creating an inventory of bugs. Best solution to this malady is for the Vendor to obtain data from the client as per a standard template, validate it with a program and consider initial data entry as a service provided to the customer. Software Errors and Bugs – Bugs, error and opportunities for improvement are integral part of software. Expecting HR Software to be picture-perfect and without any errors/ omissions is unfair. These bugs need not scare people since these can be resolved through mutual co-operation between the vendor and client. Once settled, they do not reappear.However, if new bugs surface with higher levels of exploitation of the software, these should be taken as encouraging signals both by the client and the vendor. Work Flow Changes – When you install HRIS software, you also install some innovative globally accepted HR practices and workflows. If you have these practices for the first time, some of the members in your organization may not feel comfortable with the changes, especially the change of work flow. Such changes should be handled very carefully as they can have significant emotional impact on the team members. HR should be ready to award benefit of doubt to the members who suffer a negative impact due to these changes and allow ample time for the new workflows to set in. You need preference and commitment to introduce systems. Remember this if you are keen to implement HR software solutions. 9. CONCLUSION: HRIS has a very wide scope in developing countries. It is applied in personnel administration, salary administration, leave/absence recording, skill inventory, medical history, performance appraisal, training and development, HR Planning, recruitment, career planning, negotiation etc. It is very important for an organization to clearly identify its system requirements before implementing HRIS. This would enable to decide the appropriate level of sophistication of HRIS and would lead to optimal utilization of scarce resource. HRIS database should be used as a single source of all information. This would lead to the development of an integrated HRIS platform for the whole organization. In today’s corporate world human resources has come to play a very critical role. Whether it concerns the hiring and firing of employees or whether it concerns employee motivation, the Human Resources department of any organization now enjoys a very central role in not only formulating company policies. A complete HRIS links all human resources data from the time professionals enter pre- service training to when they leave the workforce. Continuous monitoring and evaluation is vital in determining what an HRIS is accomplishing, what needs to be improved and whether results are being achieved. In future, Human Resource Professionals will be more dependent on higher level and integrated HRIS approaches in order to support more complex as well as free forms of organizations. 10. REFERENCES: 1. Prof. Bhavsar C. Anil, â€Å" A conceptual paper on HRIS † vol.1,Issue.v/Nov.2011pp.1-4. 2. Gara,S.J.(2001). â€Å"How an HRIS can impact HR: a complete paradigm shift for the 21st century. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) White Paper, Retrieved November 11, 2002, from http://www.shrm.org/whitepeper/documents/default.asp?page=63001.asp 3. Kovach, K.A., & Cathcart, C.E. (1999). â€Å"Human resource information systems: providing business with rapid data access, information exchange and strategic advantage.† Public Personnel Management, 28 (2), 275-282. 4. Tannenbaum, S. I. (1990). HRIS: user group implications. Journal of Systems Management, 41 (1), 27-32. 5. Walker, A. J. (1982). HRIS Development: A Project Team Guide to Building and Effective Personal Information System. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. 6. Lengnick-Hall, Mark L. and Moritz Steve (2003), â€Å"The Impact of e-HR on the Human Resource Management Function†, Journal of Labor Research. 24(3), pp. 365-379. BOOKS 1. Hilkka Poutanen, DEVELOPING THE ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR THE ACTIVITIES OF GOOD LEADERSHIP, Acta Univ. Oul. A 553, 2010, ISBN 978-951-42-6171-8 (Paperback). 2. Mohan Thite & Michael J. Kavanagh, Evolution of Human Resource Management and Human Resource Information Systems† The Role of Information Technology†, TMH. 3. Michael D. Bedell, Michael Canniff & Cheryl Wyrick, Systems Considerations in the Design of an HRIS â€Å"Planning for Implementation†, TMH

Absurdity in Camus’s The Plague

Albert Camus tried to make sense of plague's challenge to the human spirit in this novel set in North Africa. It is a chronicle of human suffering. â€Å"But what does that mean – ‘plague'? Just life, no more than that.† (Camus, Gilbert 1948 : 307).The old asthmatic, who spends his days transferring peas from one pan to another, summarizes the overarching theme of Camus's narrative: life and death, in a world that does not seem to care for us. The Plague is a powerful literary work, despite its many logical and other shortcomings, which we will be looking into. Camus is obviously trying to stimulate the reader to think about the problems of life and ways to confront life in a seemingly absurd and cruel world — although how far he succeeds in this attempt is doubtful.Over the course of a few days in sometime in the 1940s, in the Algerian city of Oran, thousands of rats emerge into the streets in dying conditions. At this point begins the outbreak. Absurdity creeps into Camus’s story in more ways than one. Dying rats and the spread of bubonic plague is not an unprecedented phenomenon in human history. In the mid 14th century, the devastating black plague exterminated nearly one third of the population of Europe. Spanning three years, it was a disaster of colossal proportions.A major episode of Bubonic plague occurred in ancient Greece, as well as in the late Roman period, killing people in hundreds of thousands. The narrator of the story himself acknowledges the fact of a ten thousand people dying every single day in Constantinople. Therefore, on the first sign of rats dying en masse, all the nations and international authorities would be alerted, not just the city officials. But that does not strangely happen in Camus’s account. No action is taken at all for a long time, though much hullabaloo goes on.The Plague recounts a specific (albeit fictional) epidemic taking place in a particular location at a particular time, alt hough the year is not clearly specified. Therefore historical and practical questions are important in making sense of the story.Camus’s novel was published in 1947, in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. It is reasonable therefore to assume that the Oran episode might have occurred towards the end of the war or in the first years of peace. Towards the end of the First World War, a massive outbreak of Influenza pandemic killed an estimated 40 million people worldwide.No one would even remotely want such a disaster to happen all over again at the end of the Second World War, and therefore no one would have taken the matter lightly. The moment the news is in the media, it would have sent shivers across the national capitals all over the world. By no stretch of imagination, Bubonic plague can be considered a local issue.One cannot possibly conceive any city authorities to be complacent over such a grave matter, thereby delaying action and letting the infection take hold in the populace. Leave alone the local authorities, national and international authorities would immediately jump into the scene taking all possible action to contain the burgeoning plague. That a plague is on its way is clear as day from the first deaths of rats to anyone who is least educated, however the city officials go on merely debating, discussing and hesitating.In 1994, a case of pneumonic plague, a deadlier air-borne version of bubonic plague, broke out in the Northwestern India. The word plague was in the air, and hundreds of thousands of people immediately started evacuating their houses, even before the authorities could rush into action. In the end, few people died of the actual infection, more people must have perished in the stampedes to catch trains and buses.In Camus’s novel that seeks to question the very meaning of human life and existence, however, no such commonsensical, logical measures are taken.Common people behave meaninglessly, authorities beha ve absurdly, international authorities do not even figure in – all this in spite of the narrator, Bernard Rieux, being a doctor himself. Even when the doctor starts worrying, he worries about his own city, not the continent and the world, as if plague knows any city limits. Region-specific infectious diseases such as Ebola infections which break out in West African countries from time to time are called endemics, not epidemics.According to the novel, one is given to understand that Bernard Rieux is preoccupied with his wife’s impending trip to a sanitarium and is therefore at first not alarmed by the rats dying on the streets with blood spurting from their muzzles.Doctors are always preoccupied with something or other, yet any doctor spotting a number of rats dying in such a ghastly manner would have issued red alert instantaneously. Rats dying by coughing up blood are strangely viewed by every one concerned as a sanitation issue! This is a preposterous way of telling a story.

The United Kingdom Budget Airline Easyjet Tourism Essay Example

The United Kingdom Budget Airline Easyjet Tourism Essay Example The United Kingdom Budget Airline Easyjet Tourism Essay The United Kingdom Budget Airline Easyjet Tourism Essay which follow the life of simple Jet s employees and rider, is exposed on ITV, often attract over 10 million audience 1998- EasyJet purchase 40 % of Swiss contract procedure, TEA Basel AG, subsequently renamed EasyJet Switzerland 1997- EasyJet launches easyJet.com to give in sequence on the air hose. Four old ages subsequently on the air hose sells its 10 millionth on-line accommodate. 1996- EasyJet takes release of its primary wholly-owned aircraft and goes worldwide with flight to Amsterdam on or after London Luton. 1995- EasyJet found by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. Opening flights go on or after Luton to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Guarantees and contingent liabilities The corporation is known as an official duty to the societal Aviation power to guarantee the imbursement and free of liability of Easy Jet Airline Corporation Limited, a supplementary of the corporation. The confidence is necessary for that company to support its services to attest under regulation 3 of the licence of Air Carriers system 1992. The corporation has issued an confidence in good bend of EasyJet Airline Corporation Limited, a auxiliary duty, in household member to the privilege of congratulations card traffics, and besides in high sentiment of lie traffics carried out harmonizing to caissons scheme. The Company has certain the contractual duty of EasyJet Leasing Limited, a auxiliary duty, in esteem of its contractual duty to Airbus SAS in esteem of the supplier of Airbus 320 dealingss aircraft. The Company has certain the refund of adoptions that finance the accomplishment of aircraft by auxiliary activities. The Company has besides certain the sum duty for the rent of aircraft by auxiliary activities. The Company has certain certain correspondence of recognition which has been issue by a bank on behalf of accessory actions. Income statement and statement of recognized income and disbursal In understanding with portion 408 of the company Act 2006, the corporation is excused from the status to there its ain net incomes declaration. The Company s income intended for the twelvemonth is ?263.6 million ( 2008: ?15.2 million ) . Built-in in this measure are dividend inward edge of ?261.7 million ( 2008: ?nil ) . The Company familiar no other net incomes or charges in either the bing or old twelvemonth. The Company has eight workers at 30 September 2009 ( 2008: seven ) . These are the Non decision-making Directors of EasyJet plc ; their wage is paid by EasyJet Airline Company Limited. The Executive Directors of EasyJet plc is working and waged by EasyJet Airline Company Limited. Situation Analysis EasyJet was chosen as a commercialism fantastic brand by the Super trade name Council which recognizes company with an exceeding merchandise name in November 1999. The mixture of constructive market place state of affairs, hearty in service political orientation and world-class advertisement, underpinned by the capitalist phantom of the adult male now ill-famed to the municipal simply as Stelios, conveying triumph and differentiation to EasyJet. Swot Strengths Failings It additions efficiencies compared to traditional one and carries with rapid turnaround melodies, and progressive landing charge understanding with airdrome, maximise assets useful. Highly strong, advanced and proactive leading provided by the CEO which is being continued. Overall cost leading theoretical account ( utilizing derived function priced menus ) The trade name name `Easy Jet` has all the qualities required for long term memory storage and will non be easy to bury. The air hose flights to chief finish airdrome throughout Europe selling are really attractive to concern travellers. Good leading in the air power sector. Solid repute, high skilled work force applied to clients. High quality and advanced services The air hose does non have the `EasyJet ` trade name ( ain by sir Stelios ) and as consequence, does non hold control on its public presentation of other merchandises and service utilizing the same name. Besides loss of use in hereafter could adversely impact its ain market public presentation. The air hose must be continually innovatively keeping its current advantage in e-tailing. Continue nutriment of cost leading can be hard in a dynamic market. The two drivers of growing, the focal point on monetary value and the focal point on conveyance ( frequent flights, small connexion, more nearby airdromes ) seem to be making their natural bounds. Differentiation from at that place could go hard. The concern theoretical account can go bleary under contentious force per unit area. Depend on each state economic system. Opportunities Menaces Increase entrepreneurial activities in the new EU member state and will be a beginning for concern and economic system travel. Consolidation could assist EasyJet to certain degree offset the force per unit area on its cost and pares. Immense growing of concern and leisure rider predicted in the following 5 old ages. Immigration into Europe is bound to increase due to high inclination of instability in the middle-east part in the resent old ages. Resent enlargement of the EU has resold in gap of new markets for the LCCs. There low pares will increase motion of occupation searchers across boundary lines and besides promote the truism industry, taking to economic growing. Technology promotion in the behavior of concern meeting like video-conferencing can be damaging to short distance flights. Impending addition in environmental revenue enhancements colt be hurdle in future enlargement programs. Terrorism or ruinous loss can ensue in lesser air travel loss off infrastructural support. Due to its limited flue hedge policy, EasyJet is more valuable to fuel monetary value fluctuations ( than Ryan air ) , increasing variableness in its costs. Ware menaces and eruption of epidemics increase apprehensivenesss about air travel. Plague Political factors: In the UK you can non see the political factors that make impact on all bing industries in the state. Like it or non, political intervention is present everyplace in the universe. Presents, all states political landscape is mostly unstable due to volatile international events and the menaces of terrorist onslaughts. The major political event occurred in September 11. Event occurred in September made a particular impact on all air power sectors because planes were involved in the onslaught. The sudden consequence was a important diminution in air traffic because of safety and security concerns of the people. International air hoses are to a great extent influenced by their states trade relationships with others. Unless the authoritiess of both states trade with each other, it can non be any particular limitations into the country taking to loss of possible air traffic. Economic Factors: Business circulations have a varied impact on the air hose industry. Due to the recession, air hoses are considered a epicurean journey A ; hence disbursement on air travel is cut down by the riders and therefore leads to decrease in the ticket monetary values. During affluent period, largely riders are desired to pass money in going and therefore the monetary values of the air ticket additions. Soon after the incident occurred on September 11, the economic system of the universe s dropped into planetary recession. In the UK, even Bankss were forced to cut down outgos to increase net incomes of the organisations and the top degree directors were given first category railroad tickets alternatively of plane tickets. This is one of the major impacts on Easy Jet Airline Services. Social factors: alteration of people s travel wonts has a major impact on the air hose industry. In a state like India, people of different provinces incomes vary. Easy Jet Airlines demand to acknowledge these persons and should function them consequently. Easy Jet Airlines should concentrate on their clients who are chiefly low-income clients and their wonts of traveling, finish they wish to go largely, type of nutrient they eat, etc. , All will be selected in conformity with the basic gustatory sensations of their clients. Technological Factors: The turning use of the Internet is responsible for many chances to air hoses. Major Airline Service suppliers besides deliver many cyberspace based services to its clients such as online ticket engagement, updated information of the flights, agenda of the flight information A ; oversing client ailments. The Easy Jet Authority is emerging new communicating engineerings such as air traffic direction systems, pilotage and surveillance for its air power sector that will assist the organisation to run into the estimated growing and demand for riders in the extroverted decennaries. E-Marketing Strategy Strategy and concern theoretical account Easy Jet s operational policies were based on maintaining costs to a lower limit to let the air hose to offer the lowest menus possible. It adopted a figure of patterns that helped control uneconomical disbursals and provided the best possible service within the bounds prescribed by cost. Easy Jet s strategy has six cardinal confident attacks: Promise to client installation: It aim in cooperation concern and trim clip traveler. Client proposal of EasyJet is Low cost with attention and convenience . EasyJet has adopted the beliefs of given that indispensable installation with a smiling. It has been achieved straight above typical client satisfaction, confirmed by the award that it has been accepted over the old ages. It does non consist any restrictions on manus over baggage but merely limits the size of baggage. Network scheme: EasyJet follow a point-to-point path association and turn by merger points. It focuses on catchment country and low monetary value to acquire clasp of traffic. It expands by turning incidence of flights. Strong stigmatization: EasyJet has invested a clump in PR and promotion. It has been impending in air hose Television plans and fashioned physically powerful trade name profile in catchment countries from side to side promotion. The neon carroty easy trade name name represents cost for money. Pricing and gross direction: The air hoses follow an in one way, time- dependent comparative monetary value with merely on-line reserves apart from intended for two hebdomads before take-off, at what clip tele- engagement is authorized. Lower unit costs: even though EasyJet does embrace lower operation costs, its operation boundaries are a big sum lower than Ryan air. This is since it flies to most of import airdromes for the most portion of the clip, uses two most of import types of convoy, invests a great trade in promotion and community relations and adopts restricted fuel lie. Its menu are besides much advanced than with the purpose of Ryan air. Employee civilization: EasyJet employ about 5000 persons around Europe. In judicial admissions of civilization, EasyJet favoritism an informal concern civilization by agencies of a really level organisation construction, this eliminates gratuitous and excessive beds of disposal. All office-based workers are optimistic to dress indifferently. Neckties are disqualified apart from for pilots! Distant operational and hot- desking have been sort of EasyJet since the beginning. Workers can purchase corporation portion and in add-on are known presentation award appreciate their forces. Features of the concern theoretical account: EasyJet keeps disbursals low by extinguish the redundant costs and frills. Their industry theoretical accounts meet the clients bid for a simple, fiscal program determined travel replacement. EasyJet was lone of the primary air hoses to snuggle the juncture of the cyberspace at what clip it sold its primary settle online in April 1998. Now over 95 % of all seating is selling online, industry EasyJet one of Europe s major cyberspace retail merchants, well plumping its sharing costs. The riders who reserve on-line take bringing of an electronic mail contain their journey inside informations and verification figure, to a certain extent than tickets from side to side the station. Online purchaser besides advantage from paying the cost of a restricted call, in its topographic point of the standard countrywide gait of EasyJet s engagement line. Easy Jet s cyberspace engagement development is straightforward and clear-cut for which it has won many awards ; Safe and efficient flight operations: The standard age of EasyJet fleets is refering 2.5 old ages. It has merely one category in flights. It besides uses the cyberspace and the telephone as resourceful selling equipment. No free tiffin : The air hose has eliminated redundant forces which are multifaceted to cover with such as complimentary catering, pre- assigned seating, interline associates and burden services. This keeps the entire rate of industry depression ; Efficient usage of airdromes: EasyJet fly to chief mark airports all the manner through Europe, but addition efficiencies compared to conventional bearers with rapid rotate times, and progressive corridor accusal understandings with airdromes ; Maximizing the use of significant assets: EasyJet flies its aircraft intensively, with rapid rotate period every minute it lands. This gives it an exceptionally low entity cost with greatest operation of its fleet. It has understanding to keep riders, burden and station in aircrafts of 20 or more seats ; Ticketless travel: Passengers collect booking information via an e-mail to a certain extent than papers and for this ground end point in ticketless journey. This helps to considerably shrivel the charge of publishing, distribute, dispensation and reunion 1000000s of traffics each twelvemonth ; Paperless operations: Since its unfastened, EasyJet has simplified its working patterns by encompassing the construct of the paperless office. The direction and direction of the corporation is undertaken wholly on IT systems which be able to be accessed all the manner through protected waiters from wherever in the universe enabling tremendous lissomeness in the operation of the air hose ; Issues: The air hose seems to be located really good, with experts predict strong expansion in the low charge subdivision. Given the afloat market place and the scarceness of other option in the UK, resistance is likely to intensify ineluctably followed by consolidation, an early signal of which is easy Jet s get of GO. The UK market place offers small addition juncture ; therefore soaking up will be on the Continental bazar and other fresh EU member market. So EasyJet should look at several issues with a drawn-out term position. These issues are: How can it increase its beginnings of accessory gross? Should it be after for spread outing outside Europe in a major manner? How should it turn and spread out its operations without impacting its operating borders? What should be the long term game program to battle competition and hostile coup detat commands? Which are the most moneymaking geographical markets and niche sections that it must concentrate on? Customer centric selling Customer centric selling infers that by considerate the demands of the client foremost and primary, commerce result will be achieve. Looking at the publicity mix from a client centric point of view should consequence in ware and schemes that are conference the demands of likely clients, as different to a necessity to put in costly, interruptive publicity to promote patronage of a demand with the significance of they do non hold. What is a client value proposition? Expansion of a clear buyer value proposal is now an of import portion of client centric selling, client association disposal and trade name. A square position of the charge strategy is provided by Knox et Al. ( 2003 ) in their cheque of attacks to client association disposal. They say a value proposal is: AnA offer defined in footings of the mark clients, the benefits offered to these clients, and the monetary value charged comparative to the competition. Legal and Ethical Issues The Internet and Issues Regarding Defamation Slander is a wide term covering malign and libel. Slander is a fake statement made en path for injure the name of a individual. Slander is a similar study that is published i.e. is stated in a small fixed center, such as in lettering. The Internet, since of the freedoms it provides, is a possible beginning of defamatory issues that could affect ISP liability. Two illustrations of such issue, taken from Bit jurisprudence ( 2000 ) be given lower than. Sensation was sued for libel because of an violative remark ended by one of its habitues in one of its treatment impermanent place ( or bulletin boards ) . The referee had to decide whether esthesis was merely a vending machine of the in bend ( in which pencil instance it would non last responsible for slur by a punter ) , or whether it be a publishing house of the in sequence ( in which glasses instance it would be guilty of calumny since, as publishing house, it has control over content ) . The justice found Prodigy in the wrong of vilification on the justification that phenomenon have good publicized policy for monitoring every bit good as censor content into its statement suites, and therefore execute like a publishing house. On the former manus, in a parallel instance associating CompuServe, the referee ruled that the company be non guilty of libel because it did non use any tally over treatment country content and so acted merely as a slot machine to a certain extent than a publishing house. Internet Issues Involving Privacy Business and way have ever serene information on the subject of folks, families, the market, etc. from get downing en path for terminal studies, interview, etc. In general, the personality on the topic of whom in sequence was populating being collected knew that this be being done. On the other manus, by manner of the Internet every bit good as telecommunications, engineering presently available makes it possible to enter and/or hint every chink or interaction by a client shoping the web, missing their acquaintance. This have raised issue about the person s true to maintain his or her non public with concerns workss and in bend classified. The Federal Trade occupation ( FTC ) has outlined several factors with the purpose of must regulate the anthology or usage of in rank. These are given below ( largely quote from Greenstein, 2000 ; p. 73 ) : Notice: habitues must be made awake of an entity s in bend patterns before delicate in bend is gather. Choice. Regulars should be prearranged the juncture to consent or agree any secondary usage ( uses other than the giving out of a affair ) of information. Lesser uses include notice or remove of informations to 3rd party. Therefore, this would stand for that the determined implicated in the topic would non direct them electronic mails in relation en path for former merchandises otherwise buy or make to be hold their talk to or in rank to any former company non there their say-so. Entree: clients must be able to entree their private informations every bit good as reappraisal it missing notable holds. They ought to besides be able to without jobs with rapidly correct erroneous particular in bend. Integrity and Security: The facts sing consumers non public in sequence should be procedure in such a system that the in rank is exact. The information should and be kept non to be unwraping as it is processed, transmit and stored. This make it required for ISPs and e-commerce unit to do on manus secure communicating with storage of figures. Enforcement: frequenters must hold some clear resources to undertake the location if any of the beneath description is desecrated. Every ISP and e-commerce unit should seek to endeavor to run into the privateness guidelines laid down by the FTC. The U.S. authorities has given private industries the chance to develop their ain guidelines sing the privateness rights of grownups. However, a recent study by the FTC indicated that private industries have, in general, failed to develop their ain criterions sing privateness. They found that 85 per centum of 1,402 sites surveyed collected personal information but did non hold any information about privateness policies. Management Summery EasyJet is through now nutrient readying to purchasing traveler by runing get downing outer metropolis airdromes, but it desires to supplementary introduce its services to pull the persistent accomplishment tourist. Extension into Middle-East, Russia, Asia and Africa must be ingredient of any self-motivated participant in the air hose industry in the visage of intense hostility inside Europe and saturate require. The development of the low rate souk will decelerate losing well in the following five old ages which will augment operating spending. So EasyJet, which has really susceptible working boundaries must explicate an unambiguous program to prevail over this hurdle without comprise its no-frills betterment. The air hose must do a distinguishable program to develop into low rate middling pull subdivision as the bantam draw paths are victory filled up. With suming up a petite more of forces on its flights, it must be able to squarely acclimatise to this country. EasyJet should augment its beginnings of auxiliary returns in-flight and on sentiment to decrease its susceptibleness to external services non below it s managed. The deserving monetary value portion to which EasyJet is mark is bound to augment in information, but every bit good the diverseness of alternate gettable to them is besides turning. So EasyJet has to work out scheme to maintain clasp of patronages and concept client fidelity. Decision Easy Jet s chief strength every bit good its trade scheme has been the violent, colorful selling move towards adopted by its ex-chairman Sir Stelios which have enable the trade name name to do really elevated call to mind and gratitude. Hopefully these findings carry on and function the concern good in the aggressive market. But Easy Jet has to spread out its vision to going a comprehensive participant by comforting its current cautious concern representation. This is really imperative as the up to day of the month European market would positively acquire afloat and as the LCC commercialism is stirring towards consolidation it has to look for new avenue for addition and development.

Free Essays on Marriage

â€Å"What does a Healthy Marital Relationship consist of?† Marriage and the Family Introduction Does anyone know what it means to have a healthy marital relationship? Does anyone know of anyone that has a good healthy marital relationship? This isn’t the question I should be asking, I know. The answer I would probably get would be â€Å"I know a person who knows a person who has a healthy marital relationship.† But more often than not we can think of more people that have bad relationships, because they are greater in numbers than the few good that have good relationships. I will be discussing: (1) what does a healthy martial relationship consist of, (2) what causes unhealthy relationships, (3) How to improve existing not so good relationships, so that they too can become healthy, (4) where people turn for help if they should need it, (5) how does the future look for couples and will they have healthy relationships? What does a Healthy Marital Relationship consist of? A healthy marital relationship consists of 15 basic traits. It’s important to remember that not all relationships have to have all of these traits to be healthy. If your relationship is missing a few traits, it doesn’t mean you have an unhealthy relationship. First, it’s important that partners are able to manage conflicts and differences without threats or losing hope in the matter. It’s also important for the partners to protect and nourish the relationship and to make it a priority. The couple should also be responsible for themselves as individuals, but at the same time they should not ignore the relationship. The couple should feel as individuals, arguments should never lead to abuse or threatened separation. Both individuals should be able to talk about each others wants, needs, feelings, and emotional issues with out feeling embarrassed about what the other person may think. There has to be unconditional love. If not unconditional l... Free Essays on Marriage Free Essays on Marriage Our society is very complex because there are different degrees of organization in it. One unit of organization is family. Families’ cornerstone is marriage. Marriage is one of the most beautiful and challenging relationships among humans. Over fifty percent of married couples get divorced. However mutual understanding, respect for each other, and a healthy social life can make marriage a lasting and happy experience. Mutual understanding is a key element for a successful marriage. Mutual understanding does not mean to agree on everything but to accept and recognize each other’s needs. For example, John needs more personal space then Wendoly does; however Wendoly agrees in spending time separately at least twice a week. In order for this agreement to work, John and Wendoly had to come to an agreement that satisfied both of them. When each partner gives a little in one direction or another, it helps to create harmony and mutual understanding that both parties are satisfied with. Though Wendolyn does not require as much personal space as John, it is apparent that she recognizes John’s need; this is important to the overall agreement. In a separate instance, John does not like to do house chores, but he recognizes how important it is to Wendoly to have a clean home. In an effort to come to a mutual understanding, he agrees to perform house chores at least once a week. Again, this is possible because John is able to recognize how important having a clean house is to Wendoly. Whether a couple is married or not every couple fights. Fighting or arguing is something that happens in all relationships, when people are living together it becomes extremely important that when they argue, they do it respectfully. Mutual respect for each other is what makes the deference. Respecting each other means that we should not use swear words or yell at one another. It might be difficult not to do these things if you are really u... Free Essays on Marriage Marriage Is It the Right Choice? In today’s society, marriage is a fundamental choice that people make in order to provide a secure and stable environment for their families. Marriage offers a more spiritual and healthier lifestyle, compared to the lifestyles of those who are unmarried. Marriage provides a more secure and stable environment for your children to grow up. There are many positive things in life to look forward to when a family is united, such as, birthdays, family reunions, sending the kids off to college, holidays, and the welcoming of a new baby. For instance, when comparing the lifestyles of men, women, and children of married families to that of the non-married, recent surveys and studies have shown that married men earn between 10 and 40 percent more than single men, with similar education and job history. Marriage also increases the likelihood that fathers will have better relationships with their children. Divorce and unmarried childbearing significantly increases poverty rates of both mothers and children. Between one-fifth and one-third of divorcing women, end up in poverty because of divorce. Married women also appear to have a lower risk of domestic violence than cohabiting or dating women. Even after controlling race, age, and education, people who cohabit are still three times more likely to report violent arguments. Since the beginning of our time, through religion, we have been taught that cohabiting was immoral, and that finding our soul mates and becoming married were our destiny. If we would like to be morally right for our faith and well-being, marriage is the beginning our lifelong journey. My argument is not to say that you are more likely to be immoral, if you are not married. However, you are definitely subjected to situations that are a lot more immoral and circumstantial. To conclude my argum... Free Essays on Marriage â€Å"What does a Healthy Marital Relationship consist of?† Marriage and the Family Introduction Does anyone know what it means to have a healthy marital relationship? Does anyone know of anyone that has a good healthy marital relationship? This isn’t the question I should be asking, I know. The answer I would probably get would be â€Å"I know a person who knows a person who has a healthy marital relationship.† But more often than not we can think of more people that have bad relationships, because they are greater in numbers than the few good that have good relationships. I will be discussing: (1) what does a healthy martial relationship consist of, (2) what causes unhealthy relationships, (3) How to improve existing not so good relationships, so that they too can become healthy, (4) where people turn for help if they should need it, (5) how does the future look for couples and will they have healthy relationships? What does a Healthy Marital Relationship consist of? A healthy marital relationship consists of 15 basic traits. It’s important to remember that not all relationships have to have all of these traits to be healthy. If your relationship is missing a few traits, it doesn’t mean you have an unhealthy relationship. First, it’s important that partners are able to manage conflicts and differences without threats or losing hope in the matter. It’s also important for the partners to protect and nourish the relationship and to make it a priority. The couple should also be responsible for themselves as individuals, but at the same time they should not ignore the relationship. The couple should feel as individuals, arguments should never lead to abuse or threatened separation. Both individuals should be able to talk about each others wants, needs, feelings, and emotional issues with out feeling embarrassed about what the other person may think. There has to be unconditional love. If not unconditional l... Free Essays on Marriage They say â€Å"Your life will never be the same once you walk down the isle and say your I Do’s†. I think that they are right. However, I find it interesting that when some people make this statement they are trying to tell you how wonderful life is about to become and on the other hand, there are people who mutter these exact same words and it seems like it is some kind of code for â€Å"run for your life†. I’ve only been married for a short time, but I’ve been in a marriage-like relationship for nearly seven years. In these years, I’ve notices a lot of really good things about being in such a committed relationship. You develop a sense of security somewhere along the way, unlike any you’ve ever had. Like there is someone there that you can count on for any and everything. It’s not only an emotional security, but a physical and financial one as well. You now have that financial back-up just incase you fall on hard times. Not to mention, if you need to work less so you can find yourself or go back to college, you can do that and still make the rent. I’ve come to realize that my husband really is my best friend. I can share all my thoughts and feelings with him, no matter what they are, even if they are about him. I feel like it is thee most honest relationship two people could have and I’ve never felt so comfortable with another person or even myself for that matter. It’s just nice to know that you don’t have to be alone. There are a lot of other perks to being married; Holidays seem to have a new special meaning, it’s like having a â€Å"perma-date† (you never have worry about finding a date), you get a larger income tax refund, more financial aid for school if you choose to go, a better health insurance plan, and best of all, some really nice rings. Of course, like all other things, there are disadvantages to the married life. When you get married, you money in no longer your money, it’s â€Å"our money† a.... Free Essays on Marriage I’m sure you agree that marriage is a commitment. It is a very important decision that a couple has to stick with for the rest of their lives, through good times and bad. It is a sacred promise that would not be fulfilled until death, hence the line â€Å"Till death do us part†. Marriage offers a life of love and happiness but it also will hand you a share of conflicts, hard work and worries. That is why there are three important points you need to remember and have when you decide to enter marriage. These are 1) Human Maturity, 2) Value Clarification, and 3) Authentic Love. You need human maturity before entering marriage. Human Maturity refers to a person’s self-esteem. You have achieved human maturity when you are able to stand alone on your own two feet and have a sense of self. Knowing who you are and being confident in your own skin enables you to devote and offer your entire self to your partner without having any doubts. It also lets you and your partner get to know each other completely and when you know each other that much, you are able to truly trust each other. Lack of human maturity often leads to insecurities, jealousy and lost of trust. Now, you wouldn’t want that in your marriage, would you? The second requirement is value clarification. This means that one has to have a set of priorities and principles. You must know what you want and where you stand and you must be able to share these with your partner so that you two would be able to work on how you would put these priorities and principles into practice. Value clarification gives your marriage a direction. Some think that having a partner with the same set of values as theirs is important. It is good to have a partner having similar values as you but it isn’t necessarily important because if you love each other enough, you two would be able to compromise and work things out on what is best for each other. The last of the three points is authentic ... Free Essays on Marriage Even though the marriages on TV are very different from marriages in real life, there are some similarities that are present, and these similarities are what tie the "non-realistic" to the "realistic," and make these kinds of shows popular and appealing. Marriage in this type of show specifically, is almost portrayed as a joke. It seems that most every character in the sitcom has been with one another more than just once, and having a marriage that lasts is rarely seen. Once a couple does decide to get married the drama begins, and does not stop until the wedding; you have bitter ex’s trying to get their old flings back, parents who do not agree with the marriage, brothers and sisters fighting over the soon to be spouse, the couple themselves fighting due to the old flings that appear, and most dramatic, the ones who come forward about the cheating or dishonesty on the day of the wedding. Beyond the obvious soap opera clichà ©, if a marriage does continue on, it is an extremely sweet one, the characters seem to be in love, and the show makes a connection to the people who watch it. Most every person longs for love, and if they have not found it yet, there is a sense of completion, in their eyes once they see the commitment made. It seems that the couple’s love for one another will go on forever, but the truth of the matter, is that it is a TV show and the audience wants to see drama. Since I would assume, most people have not slept with just about everyone in town, or have not married their ex’s father or mother, or their ex’s brother or sister, and the ways of deception just go on and on, especially in the TV world. When the audience sees this, they see the couple not lasting for more than a month, they see them trying to hurt each other, and in the end, they break off their â€Å"perfect match.† In doing so, this fulfills the audience’s need for deception, betrayal, and deceit but, still gives them a since of stabili...

Hosting a Book Launch Party on Facebook

Hosting a Book Launch Party on Facebook Whether or not you’re a Facebook fan, hosting an online launch party for your just-published book can gather readers and sell books.   Real-world book launches are useful for getting the word out about your print book via press releases to newspapers, but sometimes the response in terms of actual attendees leaves something to be desired. For a Facebook launch party, attendance is only limited Before you sign on to Facebook to create the event, you’ll need to design a header for the event page, the same size as your Facebook header (or get a design friend to put it together).   As in all design, colorful and eye-catching will draw the most interest.   Make sure the header gives all necessary info about the event in one glance (i.e., include the words â€Å"Book Launch†). Next, log on to your Facebook page and click on â€Å"Create an Event† on the right side of the page.   Upload your cover photo, choose the date, and fill in the rest of the fields.   One to two hours is a good amount of time- it takes a while for people to read and comment, and you don’t want to tire your fingers too much (once it DOES get going, you may be typing constantly).   When you’re done, click â€Å"Publish.† Post an opening comment to explain the event, and click on â€Å"Share† to invite your friends.   You can also add the event to your news feed.   You’re ready to go!   If there will be some time passing between the setup and the event, check the page regularly for questions (â€Å"How does this work?† comes fairly frequently). Now for an important tip:   Before the party starts, gather some snippets of information- short excerpts, a bit about why you wrote the book, the cover graphic, table of contents, a short

Recommendation Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Recommendation Letter - Essay Example This letter is my formal recommendation for Kennya, who I feel would be an able and excellent candidate for the Pharmacy Degree Program you offer.   She has worked   as a pharmacy technician under my supervision for the past 18 months, and has consistently demonstrated commitment, intellectual skill and personal qualities that have enhanced the service delivery of this community pharmacy. Kennya’s oral communication is excellent, allowing her to develop a close and caring relationship with the patients here, in particular, the older and more vulnerable people. She relates not only to their medical needs, but also to their personal circumstances.   She shows great retentive abilities, attention to detail, demonstrates clear understanding, produces good written work and has the ability to analyze any situation and act on her own initiative.  I am impressed by Kennya’s ability to absorb new information and utilize it correctly and decisively.   She has already ac hieved her pre-pharmacy qualifications, demonstrating good academic and learning skills.   This means she can be trusted to carry out many tasks outside her remit, with only a basic need for checking on my part.   This shows me that her intellectual ability is above average, as is her commitment to serving the community.   Kennya is dedicated to her work and to improving her knowledge in all aspects of pharmacy, but never loses sight of the purpose of her role.   Her character is one of great compassion and understanding, she is energetic and bright and has never let colleagues or patients down in the time she has worked with me. I have observed how Kennya uses her knowledge and experience consistently to benefit all those she is involved with.   I feel that she would contribute a great deal to the program at MCPHS and would reach her goal of attaining her degree and so achieve professional status.   I have no hesitation in asking that you give serious consideration to h er application.   She would be an asset to the program and to the profession.

Brand Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Brand Analysis - Essay Example After a few years, Starbucks completely redefined the American coffee shops. High priced Brews, Lattes, Moccachinos, Cappuccinos and Frappes awakened the senses of 50 million customers across the globe (Burks, 2009, p.01). The company was formed in 1971, in Seattle. It was an initiative of a group of three friends-Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin and Zev. Initially, the store was named as ‘Starbucks coffee, Tea and Spices’ (Burks, 2009, p.01) and the brand logo depicted a chocolate brown colored two tailed mermaid (Gilbert, 2008, p. 13). Later, the name of the store was changed to ‘Starbucks’ and its logo was re-colored to bright green. Starbucks was initially formed with the motto of selling good coffee with a unique flavor that a regular coffee brand wouldn’t offer. After the company was listed in the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ), the growth of the company accelerated and it opened 16,680 stores across the glob e. Today, it has become a global brand with its footing in 47 countries around the world and its net revenue reaching over $ 10 billion (Burks, 2009, p.06). Most of the consumers associate a brand with its logo, which reminds them of the brand promise that an organization makes. Brand Promise of a company is an attempt to make a promise for the benefits of the customers, conveying it and then delivering the promise through their products or service (Pringle, 2008, p.103). The brand logo should be very distinctive. Either the concept of the logo should be unique or colors used in the logo should be vibrant enough to attract the customers. Starbucks remained true to its vision and its promise to use the best quality beans. Consumers generally prefer Arabica beans over Robusta coffee beans. Arabica coffee accounts for 75% production of coffee beans all over the world (Burks, 2009, p.07). Brand Personality refers to a set of human like attributes associated with a particular brand. Bran d personality enhances the appeal of the brand to the consumers. Most of the consumers associate a brand to a person’s character; it can take the form of an actual person, animated figure or generalized person (Gelder, 2005, p. 41). Coffee consumption in America was not as high as in Scandinavia. From the 1990’s the American coffee market scenario completely changed when Starbuck’s redefined the coffee houses. The European Coffee houses were traditional and had an old charm to it and a warm atmosphere. Starbuck stores were modern and hip, offering variety of coffees including hot and cold beverages, fancy decoration, positive and uplifting environment and an access to Wireless Local Area Network connection (Strehle & Cruickshank, 2004, p.03). They connected with the requirements of customers. As the customer’s taste and preferences change, the company tries hard to introduce new flavors of coffee which suits the taste buds of the consumers (Rakocevic, 201 1, p. 13). Brand Value helps in differentiating between right and wrong. The brand values provide a perspective on how the company is expected to act towards its consumers. When a company expands its network in other countries, the original values are hard to retain because different countries have different cultural values and ethics (Gelder, 2005, p. 37). Starbucks’ success can be attributed to a strategy that focused on different sets of value drivers rather than on three big competitors: 1. Quality instead of quantity; 2. Restaurants instead of grocery stores; 3.Close

Discussion Question Week 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Question Week 7 - Essay Example Leaders such as Adolf Hitler of Germany brought about many social changes in his society, so did partitioning of India in 1947.Man ,therefore, being a social being brings about social change to his society. The third means is economic factor. Thus the stratification of individuals in various classes shapes the society’s nature. Education is a key factor here and as people become socially conscious, making money, they positively influence their society and thus affect their lives including living standards, culture, languages and routine life. Fourth means that can change a society is industrialization that encompasses setting up of industrial parks and townships, trade unionism as well as urbanization. Industrialization therefore leads to liberalization, globalization and privatization; factors that all influence the economy of a given society (Andersen & Taylor, 2013). Factors influencing resistance to change include firstly religion-religious groups may impose their dogma on the entire society, leading to battles since several countries have diverse religions. Second factor is perceptions and beliefs that also act as hindrance to social change, for instance the fundamental rights of minorities such as lesbians and gays, race, color, gender etc ought to never be ignored in support of the majority (Andersen & Taylor, 2013). 2. The 3 types of legitimate authority as defined by Weber include; legal authority which basically is on the basis of a system of regulations that are exercised judicially and administratively according to principles that are known. The individuals administering such regulations are elected or appointed by a legally instituted process. In addition, superiors are under such regulations, hence their powers are limited and have their private lives completely separated from their official duties, which normally entail written documentation

Impact of the Elimination of the Electoral College Essay

Impact of the Elimination of the Electoral College - Essay Example This system has, however, been criticized due to weighty reasons. The abolition of the Electoral College system of voting would be better for the electoral landscape. The first reason is that this system leads to gross inequality in the issuance of campaign resources (LeVert 74). Larger states receive more funding for campaigns. Secondly, it is also on record that smaller states are accorded more electoral votes. This gives the notion that some states are more politically important than others. The minority are given a louder electoral voice than the majority. Wyoming has 3 votes with a population of 532,668 citizens against 32 votes for Texas which has approximately 25 million people. Wyoming has an elector for every 177,556 people, while Texas has one for every 715449. This shows unequal representation. It is clear that a majority of the population may endorse a candidate, but the Electoral College system deprives the larger population of the ability to decide their leadership (Bur g 155). This system also advocates for the two-party system. This closes up democratic space, while dividing the country along red and blue lines (Burg 109). It is important to note that other political parties exist in the US, but are not given the support given to the Republican and Democratic parties, despite having positive ideals for the American people. Advocates for the electoral system have argued that this system spreads votes, preventing candidates from concentrating their campaigns in places with high population density.

A Job to die for Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Job to die for - Essay Example (Business Insider) The number of fatalities per 100,000 workers determined this. More dangerous occupations included: Police Officers, Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, Taxi and Truck Drivers, Farmers, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Aircraft Pilots, Logging Workers and Fishers (Business Insider). Less dangerous jobs included Grounds Maintenance Workers (Business Insider) Security Guards (The Daily Beast) and, unsurprisingly, Teachers and Librarians (Media Bistro). Construction is understandably dangerous- the risks are apparent. Accidents happen, no matter the occupation, and when accidents take place amongst unfinished buildings and massive machines, there is a great threat of injury or death. But still, Construction is out-dangered by, for instance, farming. In this case, farming is more dangerous because there is still heavy machinery around, but less safety checks and available aid. If someone is injured on a construction site, there will usually be someone around wh o knows what to do, who knows to call for help. But farming takes place primarily in rural areas, where there may not be a hospital or neighbor within miles. Thus, if a piece of equipment injures someone, their chances of reaching help in time are much less, increasing the fatality rate. Another job that is more dangerous than construction is being a police officer. While one might speculate that the most imposing threat, that which takes the most fatalities, would be violent criminals. But no, interestingly, the â€Å"most common cause of death† for Police Officers is â€Å"Transportation incidents.†(Business Insider) This means that, since Police Officers are on the road so much, they are under constant threat from automobile accidents. For the â€Å"safer-than-construction† occupations, Teacher and Librarian were the safest. This was most likely since they spent most of their day inside, in a safe environment. Transportation is not part of those jobs, so driv ing would not be included as a risk. In my research, I found something interesting. Rather than real threatening sounding hazards, the one factor that caused the most causality at work was transportation incidents like car accidents. I then saw the connection- the most dangerous jobs were those in which the workers were moving around the most on a vehicle. Fishermen were constantly on the open sea, pilots often in the air flying, truck and refuse collection drivers were always on the road. And police officers frequently drove between calls. In fact, 6 of the top 10 most dangerous jobs had a â€Å"most common cause of death† of â€Å"Transportation incidents.† (Business Insider) To fight the threat, our most effective course of action should be to reduce the rate of transportation related fatalities. In A Job to Die For it is proposed that distractions are what make transportation related fatalities so prevalent. Thus, to reduce the danger of occupations, we should redu ce distractions. One option would be to fine people who text-messaged while they drove. Another would be to put restrictions on being on the phone while driving. Even surfing the web while

Impact of the Elimination of the Electoral College Essay

Impact of the Elimination of the Electoral College - Essay Example This system has, however, been criticized due to weighty reasons. The abolition of the Electoral College system of voting would be better for the electoral landscape. The first reason is that this system leads to gross inequality in the issuance of campaign resources (LeVert 74). Larger states receive more funding for campaigns. Secondly, it is also on record that smaller states are accorded more electoral votes. This gives the notion that some states are more politically important than others. The minority are given a louder electoral voice than the majority. Wyoming has 3 votes with a population of 532,668 citizens against 32 votes for Texas which has approximately 25 million people. Wyoming has an elector for every 177,556 people, while Texas has one for every 715449. This shows unequal representation. It is clear that a majority of the population may endorse a candidate, but the Electoral College system deprives the larger population of the ability to decide their leadership (Bur g 155). This system also advocates for the two-party system. This closes up democratic space, while dividing the country along red and blue lines (Burg 109). It is important to note that other political parties exist in the US, but are not given the support given to the Republican and Democratic parties, despite having positive ideals for the American people. Advocates for the electoral system have argued that this system spreads votes, preventing candidates from concentrating their campaigns in places with high population density.

Pablo Picassos Sculptures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pablo Picassos Sculptures - Essay Example The essay "Pablo Picasso’s Sculptures" will describe the figure of Pablo Picasso not only as a painter but as a sculptor. There will be discussed "Head of a Woman", one of the first works of the artist. The bronze figure is indeed a masterpiece not because it just represents the surface, more than that it demonstrates the essence and the structure of a woman’s face. Solidity of the sculpture shows that Picasso intended not only to see the beauty of the world, but also to feel it by means of touching physically. The fractured texture of her face, gorge, and hair draws the parallel with human nature; it represents a metaphor for the way people usually experience other human beings. To my mind, the sculpture is about unsolved mystery of being close to a different person. I like the way the sculpture is transformed every time I move my own head, circle it, look closer at the head, or move away from it. I also like the contrast between the clearly showing up soft touches of the master and the sharp lines and contours of the woman’s face. It helps to create the illusion that the artist intends to look beneath the skin of the sculpture. However, it does not seem violent the way he does it. It is a well-known fact the sculpture Head of a Woman helped Pablo Picasso to see the essence of things in a new perspective and served as the basis of the development of Cubism. In fact, one can see with half an eye the connection with the earliest stage of this style of abstract art – Analytical Cubism.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Essay Example for Free

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Essay When I say Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, what comes to mind? To most of you new age listeners, absolutely nothing, just Spanish guy name, but to all of you in touch musical geniuses, only one word clouds your brain. Volta. The mars Volta is an Avant garde progressive rock group, who at times may not make sense with words, but completely and utterly make up for it with insane riffs, original scales and crazy drum segments. Omar is the guitarist and founder of the mars Volta; he is also the main song writer. Omar has incorporated guitar into his world and career ever since he was twelve year old, starting off with a bass. When he turned fifteen, he claimed he â€Å"needed more strings† and switched to a guitar, this decision changed his life forever. Omar was born on September first 1975 in Puerto Rico, although he grew up in El Paso Texas, and spent much time in South California. He attended high school in El Paso at Coronado where he met his future band mates. In my eyes, Omar is a musical genius; I mean have you ever listened to l’via l’viaquez? Boom, starts off straight with pure riff, of course the Spanish lyrics add to the awesomeness of it, but this guy is a genius. His music never gets boring, ten minute long songs, anthems if you will, they’re long, but not too long, never repeat a scale or rhythm, but you can still hum the chorus, perfect? I think so. Once Omar realized he was an artist, he did more than just play in a band and write music, he decided to write films, including music for the soundtracks. His first film was called the sentimental engine slayer, which was played in numerous theatres, he was good at this indeed, but his true calling obviously lies in the world of fret boards and fender amps. Omar is actually a big fan of Ibanez guitars, his first two were custom, then Ibanez decided to make him his own, which is available for purchase. Omar lives a low radar life, and loves it. He is inspiring to many, including me, the ways he incorporates and uses guitar in his life.

Working With Special Populations

Working With Special Populations Spirduso et al. (2005) gives the definition of ageing as ‘ A process or group of processes occurring in living organisms that begins with birth and, with the passage of time, leads to a loss of adaptability, functional impairment and eventually death. Also Swain and Leutholtz (2002) define aging as a result in years of physical inactivity, and that much to do with the biological consequences of age is the sedentary lifestyles most aging people have. Those who remain physically active throughout life demonstrate much slower rates of physical decline than do the sedentary, and a growing body of research indicates that those who have been sedentary for many years can experience significant improvements by beginning an exercise programme even at very advanced ages (Fiatrone et al. 1990). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there is over 20 percent of the population in the United Kingdom over the age of 65 and by the year 2025 there is an overall projection that, that value will rise to almost as much as 30% of the population living in the united Kingdom to be over the age of 65 (Mcardle, Katch and Katch 2010). Research shows that when properly prescribed exercise, elderly people can significantly improve their aerobic power (Eshani 1987), muscular strength and size (Fiatrone et al. 1990; Frontera et al. 1988), and bone density (Dalsky 1989). Improvements in functional movements such as walking speed and stair climbing power have also been reported (Fiatrone et al. 1990). These results can reverse the effects of many years of physical decline and lead to greater independence and a much higher quality of life. More than half of elderly people have at least one disability or chronic condition, participation in a regular physical activity/exercise programme has many physiological health benefits including reducing the risk and lessening the impact of many chronic diseases (DiPietro, Caspersen and Ostfield 1995). Aging has numerous effects on organ systems in the body, effecting skeletal muscle, body composition, the cardiovascular system, the metabolic system, the respiratory system, the nervous system, energy expenditure and energy intake and also thermoregulation. These can all seem to be contraindications for exercising when elderly such as thermoregulation being affected this means there is a decreased ability to regulate body temperature when homeostasis is challenged; decreased amount of sweat per active sweat gland; reduced response to increased blood flow during exercise attributable to structure and response of cutenous blood vessels; inadequate ability to reduce splanchnic blood flow during exercise (Kenney 1997 and King, Martin 1998). In general, if an individual leads an active lifestyle it preserves and enhances skeletal muscle, strength and endurance, flexibility, cardio respiratory fitness and body composition for later life. Main Content Physiological Factors Cardiovascular Fitness + Training Since many elderly individuals have a low initial fitness level, it is prudent to begin exercise programmes at a low intensity and to progress gradually (Swain and Leutholtz 2002). Low cardiorespiratory fitness is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality (Blazer 1982). Low VO2 peak is associated with reduced ability to perform ADLs (activities of daily living) including climbing stairs and brisk walking (Birdt 1998). A small improvement in cardiovascular fitness is associated with lower risk of death. Healthy sedentary older men and women can increase their cardiorespiratory fitness by performing aerobic exercise training (Engels et al. 1998: Kuczmarski et al. 1994). Physical activities that the elderly population, should engage in are walking (indoors, outdoors, or treadmill), gardening, swimming (water aerobics), golf and cycling (White 1995). Combining strength with endurance training is also beneficial for the elderly individual. One study showed that after 6 months of combined resistance and endurance training, older healthy individuals increased their VO2 peak (11%) and their upper and lower body strength (Blazer 1982). The ability to carry out normal daily task such as carrying laundry, vacuuming and climbing stairs translated to carrying 14% more weight and moving 10% faster. Resistance Training Elderly individuals, including the oldest old and very frail elderly, demonstrate physiological adaptations to strength training (Kuczmarski et al. 1994). How much adaptation depends on the frequency, volume, mode, type of training and initial training state (Ferketich, Kirby and Alway 1998). Strength training has the potential to improve functional capacity and quality of life of the elderly person (Fiatrone et al. 1990). Most elderly individuals can participate in a resistance training programme that is individually designed. Those with hypertension or arthritis or at risk of osteoporotic fracture need to be assessed and evaluated by a physician prior to initiating resistance training programme (White 1995). A ACSM recommendation for the elderly that bears some scrutiny is the recommendation to use machines as apposed to free weights. Swain and Leutholtz (2002) evaluates that although it is true that machines require less skill, free weights have the advantage of teaching balance and greater neuromuscular control, which may be transferrable to real world activities. Furthermore they also talk about free weights being more superior by allowing the user to add small amount of weight onto their dumbbells i.e. 1kg whereas resistance machines normally have increments of 4.5kg or more which is a large leap when the user is frail, on the other hand ACSM realise that machines require less balance requirements and the risk of injury. Resistance training programmes lasting from 8 weeks to 1 year can increase muscle strength and mass in elderly, regardless of age and sex (Fiatrone et al. 1990). Psychological + Sociological Factors International Society of Sport Psychology (1992) states that â€Å"Individual psychological benefits of physical activity include: positive changes in self perceptions and well-being, improvement in self-confidence and awareness, positive changes in mood, relief of tension, relief of feelings such as depression and anxiety, influence on premenstrual tension, increased mental well-being, increased alertness and clear thinking, increased energy and ability to cope with daily activity, increased enjoyment of exercise and social contacts, and development of positive coping strategies.† Many older individuals do not have a spouse, close children or friends to rely on for socialization, assistance and support (Evans 1999). Although with age, social relationships may change from family to more formalized organizations or nonfamily members, many elderly live in social isolation and are very lonely. This is important because epidemiological studies have demonstrated a relationship between social support and physical health (Evans 1999). To add on to this it has been show that in several studies, lack of social support is a major risk factor for depression, morbidity and mortality (Engels et al. 1998). Participation in an organized training session provides an excellent opportunity for interaction between other elderly people and when organising a session it is been seen to do all activities as in one whole group to get a more major interaction between participants (Evans 1999). Also another method which could be used to improve social interaction for the elderly participating in a exercise program could include a ‘buddy exercise system where individuals are matched up with similar ability to perform their exercises together. Exercise Recommendations Physical activity recommendations for the elderly are updated regularly by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM 2000). High intensity activities such as running, rowing, aerobic/gravity riders, and stair steppers may not be appropriate unless the individual has a rare high fitness level. Low to moderate intensity exercise programmes can be performed daily. Higher intensity exercise sessions (>70% heart rate reserve) should only be performed 3 to 5 days per week (ACSM 2000). This allows for recovery days, which are more important for the older adult than the younger person as elders recover slower. Older individuals with a low exercise capacity may benefit from multiple daily sessions of short duration, whereas the more capable individual can benefit from three sessions per week with exercise bouts performed once per day (ACSM 2000). Elderly individuals who are unable to perform ambulatory activities may be candidates to perform seated chair activities, stationary cycling and water activities. T ai chi is seen to be one of the best activities for elderly individuals to undertake as it improves strength and balance according to Dalsky (1989). For the healthy older individual, it is recommended that exercise be performed minimally for 30 minutes but not beyond an hour in duration. If an individual beginning an exercise programme is predominately sedentary, has severe chronic disease, or has a very low fitness level, a minimum of 30minutes of continuous activity may not be possible. Sessions of as little as 10 minutes two or three times a day is appropriate in this situation. Health benefits are still obtained this way (ACSM 2000). National and Regional Strategies Summary Physical activity of light to moderate intensity helps to improve health, whereas moderate to high intensity physical activity with an emphasis on aerobic endurance improves cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2) as well as health in older individuals. Elderly individuals demonstrate improvements during resistance training by increasing muscle mass and strength; this improves gait, balance, and overall functional capacity and bone health this staving off chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and improve overall quality of life. There are also psychological benefits associated with regular physical activity and exercise. Dr. Robert Butler, former director of the National Institute of Aging states ‘If exercise could be put in a bottle, it would be the strongest medicine money could buy In general the elderly person can improve physical and mental health by performing regular physical activity, and this should be encouraged by all medical and exercise professionals. Ultimately, regardless of age or level of frailty, nearly all elderly persons can derive some physiologic, functional or quality of life benefit from initiating an exercise programme. Training Sessions Mode Frequancy Itenisity Duration Special Considerations Aerobic Training Intensity Load Reference Page American College of Sports Medicine. (2000) ACSMs Guidlines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 6th Edition. Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. Birdt, T.A. (1998) Alzheimers disease and other primary dementia. In Harrisons principles of internal medicine. New York: McGraw and Hill; pp. 2348-2356. Blazer, D.G. (1982) Social support and mortality in an elderly community population. American Journal of Epidemiology; 115:684-694. Dalsky, G.P. (1989) The role of exercise in the prevention of osteoporosis. Comprehensive Therapy. 15(9):30-37. DiPietro L, Caspersen C.J., Ostfield A.M. (1995) A survey for assessing physical activity among older adults. Medical Science Sports and Exercise; 25: 628-642. Engels, H.J., Drouin, J., Zhu, W., Kazmierski, J.F.(1998) Effects of low impact, moderate intensity exercise training with and without wrist weights on functional capacities and mood status on older adults. Gerontology: 44:239-244 Eshani, A.A. (1987). Cardiovascular adaptations to exercise training in the elderly. Journal of Applied Physiology. 46:1840-1843 Evans, W.J.(1999) Exercise Training Guidelines for The Elderly. Medical Science of Sport and Exercise; 31:12-17 Ferketich, A.M., Kirby, T.E., Alway, S.E. (1998) Cardiovascular and muscular adaptations to combined endurance and strength training in elderly women. Acta Physiology Scandinavia; 259-267. Fiatarone, M.A., Marks E.C., Ryan N.D., Meredith C.N., Lipsitz L.A., Evans W.J. (1990) High intensity strength training in nonagenarians. Journal of American Medical Association. 263:3029-3034. Frontera, W.R., Meredith, C.N. OReilly, K.P. Knuttgen, H.G. Evans, W.J. (1988) Strength conditioning in older men: Skeletal muscle hypertrophy and improved function. Journal of Applied Physiology, 64:1038-1044. International Society of Sport Psychology (1992). Physical activity and psychological benefits: International Society of Sport Psychology Position Statement. The Physician and Sports medicine, 20(10), 179-184. Keen, W.L. (1993) The older Athlete: Exercise in hot environments. Sports Science Exchange 6:44. King, A.C. and Martin, J.E. (1998) Physical Activity promotion: Adoption and Maintenance. American College of Sports Medicines Research Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins pp 564-569. Knutzen, K.M., Brilla, L.R. and Caine, D. (1999) Validity of 1RM prediction equations for older adults. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 13, 242-246. Kuczmarski, R.J., Flegal, K.M., Campbell, S.M., Johnson, C.L. (1994) Increasing prevalence of overweight among U.S. adults. Journal of American Medical Association; 272:205-211. McArdle, W.D., Katch, F.I. and Katch V.I. (2010) Exercise Physiology: Nutrition, Energy and Human Performance. 7th Edition. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Seguin, R. and Nelson, M.E. (2003) The benefits of strength training for older adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 25 (Suppl. 2), 141-149. Spirduso WW, Francis KL, MacRae PG (2005). Physical Dimensions of Ageing (2nd ed). Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, pp. 131-55. Swain, D.P and Leutholtz, B.C. (2002) Exercise Prescription: A case study approach to the ACSM Guidelines. Champaign: Human Kinetics. White, T.P. (1995) Skeletel muscle structure and function in older mammals. In Perspectives in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine. Carmel: Cooper; pp.115-174.