Confucianism Is A Comprehensive System Of Thought And...

Confucianism is a â€Å"comprehensive system of thought and behaviour encompassing religion, philosophy, morality, and political science.† Its teachings have shaped the political and social development of China for hundreds of years, and leaves its mark in ancient history. Confucius’s teachings dealt mainly with personal and political morality - he taught what it meant to be a just ruler and a man of principles and honour. His teachings sought to restore the Mandate of Heaven to the rulers in order for peace and prosperity to return to China. His main goal was to help the individuals achieve social and personal perfection, and also reestablish the ordered society that had supposedly existed before this period of internal warfare. Thus,†¦show more content†¦If an individual violates the golden rule, then he or she will violate the spirit of fairness and concern that lie at the heart of morality. In addition to Confucius’s Golden Rule, family is considered one of the main epitome of society. According to Confucius, the â€Å"Filial Piety† involves children who were to owe duties of loyalty and respect to their parents. This concept was also known as The Five Bonds. These bonds â€Å"set out the duties and expectations as between the Ruler and the Emperor and subjects, Father and Son, Husband and Wife, Elder Brother to Younger Brother, Friend to Friend† (Confucianism). Within these relationships or Bonds, each person had specific duties, and these duties and relationships extended to the dead. Hence, this practice led to ancestor worship, which was one of the oldest practiced traditions in China. In a family, the parents rule. This means that the parents serve as prime examples for their children to follow. In return, children are taught to be respectful, truthful, and earnest no matter what the circumstances are. What they are taught at home is to be appl ied to interactions with others in society. According to the â€Å"Chinese Ren and Li† website, it exclaims, â€Å"Confucianism advocates that if everybody can follow ren and li, and behave as his roles dictate, then there are harmonious relationships,

How Gender Roles Are Predetermined by the Environment

How gender roles are predetermined by the environment What is male? What is female? The answers to these questions everyone may depend on the types of gender roles they were exposed to as a child. Gender roles can be defined as the behaviours and attitudes expected of male and female members of a society by that society. Basically to make it clear the pattern of masculine or feminine behaviours of an individual that is defined by a particular culture and that is largely determined by a childs upbringing is what is calls gender roles. Gender roles vary. Different cultures impose different expectations upon the men and women who live in that culture. A persons sexuality comes from within him or her making a person homosexual,†¦show more content†¦In â€Å"A Doll’s House,† Lorrie Moore relates behaviours regarding genders and how genders are expected from the social context. â€Å"A Doll’s House† was a play which forced its audience to question the gender roles constructed by society. Torvald is a typical husband of the story time period. He tries to control his wife and expects her toShow MoreRelatedThe Theory And Contemporary Issues1069 Words   |  5 Pagessociety recognizes nowadays as-- gender roles and stereotypes. They influence how people think, speak and interact on a daily basis with one another. Thus, gender norms were actually created by society (Gardner, 2015). Gender based roles have been around since hunter-gatherers, but these roles were purely based on anatomy (Saxton, 2014). Men would hunt because of their height and muscle advantages, while women would gather plants and nurture the children. Other gender roles that have not risen throughRead MoreBiological Determinism And Why Sociologist Have Mounted Such A Powerful Attack1383 Words   |  6 Pagesfocus on gender and race with reference to biological determinism. The term biological determinism it is a theory that looks into a person’s behaviour and also their genetic makeup, it does not take into account any other social factors which surrounds the environment. It argues the fact that the biological factors i.e., genes and genetics are based on the way an individual behaves over time. Psychologist Charles Darwin, Mendel believed â€Å"our bodies changed to handle the environment†. HelenRead MoreThe Levels Of Intelligence As A Woman And Man1652 Words   |  7 Pageslevels like men, or is it based on the norms of society imposing gender roles? This essay explores the levels of intelligence in a woman and man. Moreover, I will analyze enculturation factors, as well as social determination to ultimately determine if men are smarter than woman. Or if it’s all just a myth. Sex Determination and Differentiations The nature versus nurture debate has been going on for decades; however, when gender inequality of intelligence is approached, innate processes do notRead MoreAnalysis Of Chekhov s Miss Julie 1215 Words   |  5 Pagescreated a method where actors achieved naturalistic performances. Moreover, the key features seen in Naturalism theatre is the determinism of the environment, the actors portrayal of the characters and the concept of happiness. Both of this concepts can be seen in Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters and August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Determinism in the environment is the idea that the characters are victims of their own circumstance. In Miss Julie, Julie is infatuated with Jean, this is displayed by herRead MoreRomantic Relationships Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesGender Roles and Responsibility in Romantic Relationships Across Cultures One of the topics touched on in our AGRO 106 - 001 was gender roles and responsibility in romantic relationships. I am American however I was raised in Caribbean culture, more specifically in a Jamaican household. So I see both ‘hands’ of gender roles and what is expected in relationships from each party. I also see the pros and cons of pre determined gender roles in romantic relationships as well responsibilities based onRead MoreGenetic Determinism of Human Character Essay640 Words   |  3 Pagessexuality and morality specifically are a combination of both nature and nurture. While sexual orientation can be attributed to genes, other factors play a greater role. The level of hormones a baby is exposed to in the womb is influential on gender determinism. The genetic code is not an exact blueprint and therefore, gender is predetermined. (TWCenter, 2012) We are sexual beings, although one is not born a homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. Sexual expression can alter over time, towards differentRead MoreRoles And Roles Of Gender Roles Essay985 Words   |  4 PagesRoles in gender has to be determined before we are even born. Once a child’s sex is revealed, he or she will be placed into certain roles. Before we are even determined to be a male or female, we received 23 chromosomes from each parent. Of the 46 chromosomes, 45 are unisex. It is not determined until the six week which chromosome takes over and determines the sex of the child. As children get older, it becomes noticeable the differences that occur. It has been shown that women will mature quickerRead MoreGender, Stereotypes, And Stereotypes Essay1434 Words   |  6 Pagessocial rules. Recently, stereotypes based on genders have been put into the limelight and have become of high interest to a generation that is infamously known for deviating from the established way of life. Millennials have put gender roles under fire, deeming it a form of segregation and discrimination by g ender. Researchers have followed suit. Mimicking millennial interests, numerous studies have been published that detail the relationship between gender, stereotypes, and the effects of the relationshipRead MoreHow Gender Is Learned Through Play2086 Words   |  9 Pagesplay and learn in different environments at home, day-care, relatives homes, parks, or at schools. Moreover, children learn gender roles through socialization and are reinforced through play. I will be examining how gender roles are learned through play beginning with a literature review followed by applying theory, and then examined through methods and empirical research. Finally, this assignment will end with exploring key findings and discussion related to how gender is learned through play. LiteratureRead MoreGender And Gender Identity And Development1303 Words   |  6 Pagesclassmates came from the predetermined characteristics of what a typical male and female are to look like and act like. One’s judgment of this is based on the classic understanding and characteristics that have been repeatedly taught to them throughout the years. However, gender identity and development is something that has been both misunderstood and misconstrued by people for quite some time. The differences between â€Å"gender† and â€Å"sex† is quite vast. According to John Carl: Gender is defined as the personal

Lottery Ticket’ Free Essays

Nothing is more cold and neutral in the allotment of fates among a group of equals than with a random game of chance. No one is favored neither is anyone discriminated against. Everyone enjoys the same chances of winning the pot viz. We will write a custom essay sample on Lottery Ticket’ or any similar topic only for you Order Now ‘the Lottery Ticket’ by Anton Chekov, just as much as everyone shares the same degree of nervous apprehension from being chosen among the lot as part of a dark ritual viz. ‘the Lottery’, Shirley Jackson. Many men have squandered their lives and property to follow the fickle goddess of circumstances. Likewise, societies throughout history from across different cultures have oftentimes done away with the long process of rational thought and quiet contemplation for a decisively quick way to decide on issues: through an impartial lottery draw of lives across the board. When chance is allowed to determine the fates of men, the results are irrevocable and are not open to discussion or compromise. Once mathematical statistics have chosen the roll, the consequences have the effect of law. Its concomitant mandate is as good as the universe itself has already firmly spoken on the matter. Both the short stories dwell on the central idea of lottery but the angles by which the scheme of it is scrutinized are in the opposite extremes. In brief, Anton Chekov’s ‘the Lottery Ticket’ tells of the sharp, positive change in the outlook of Ivan Dmitritch and his wife who both led an otherwise enervated and disillusioned life (Chekov 88). They were both thrilled with the prospect of being able to afford a few luxuries in life by winning a hefty sum of money from the lottery (ibid.). Ivan begins to imagine the myriad ways to spend the prize money just as his wife was likewise animated at the thought of traveling to places and improving her lot in life (ibid.). It does not take long before Ivan realizes that it was his wife’s ticket and the entire money belonged to her. He foresees the hypothetical situation where she would have him on a leash. Thus, to dispel the unsavory possibility of being subrogated to the wife, Ivan reveals that the ticket was spurious and the combination did not match the winning number. All at once, bliss was replaced with ill-humor. The resentment for their lives has never been more sharply felt. They had a brief taste of bliss although temporarily. From then on nothing will be the same for them again (Chekov 89). On the other hand, Shirley Jackson’s ‘the Lottery’ takes away the ecstatic pleasure one feels in winning the lottery and replaces it with abject dread and horror.   Without going much into details, a group of people in a certain remote village adopted the brand of lottery which was designed to indiscriminately pick the name of a person, on a fixed time and location, to be subjected to public lynching (Jackson 12). The lottery draw is not something that everyone looks forward to every time it was being held. Instead, it is largely anticipated with fear and terror (Jackson 13). Although the tradition is highly unusual and cruel, people in this community continue to practice the ritual even after its neighboring villages stopped doing it altogether (ibid.). Their talismanic attachment to the lottery is left unexplained although one can draw the connection between symbolic barbarism of backward societies and unquestioned belief in tradition. Nevertheless, the people do not take alarm at the punishment because everyone is statistically equal with the other. Only Tessie Hutchinson seems to be complaining precisely because she was on the fore about to suffer the injury and the unjust penalty of death (Jackson 14). In the same vein, the tradition is perpetuated to the younger generation who were at the frontlines eagerly casting out stones from a pile they have previously prepared. Lottery has been around in human recorded history since time immemorial. Abraham who took charge of large plots of land settled disputes on ownership and patrimony through a simple and efficient method of drawing lots (King James Bible, Gen. 1.18-25). The principle of deciding by lottery is practiced up to the present time. It is generally adopted to resolve issues because of its appeal to fair justice (From Grandpa with Love, 2). The flipside to this argument is that everyone shares both justice and injustice equally. Shirley Jackson’s ‘the Lottery’ is an exposition of this principle in the negative end, whereas, Anton Chekov’s ‘the Lottery’ takes off from the notion that fair play sometimes breed resentment and jealousy by the one who is un-favored against those who are favored. The short stories are cries against injustice, either asking â€Å"why not me?† or â€Å"why me?† in the end. Works Cited Chekov, Anton. The Wife and other Stories: The Tales of Chekov vol. 5. New York: Bibliobazaar Publishers Inc., 2003. From Grandpa with Love.   International Bible Society: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984. 12 February 2008. http://fromgrandpawithlove.com/pdfs/Lot_The_Lot_and_the_Lottery.pdf. Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery and other Stories. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005. King James Bible. New York: Hendrikson Publishers, 2003. How to cite Lottery Ticket’, Essay examples

Shakespeare Man or Myth Essay Example For Students

Shakespeare Man or Myth? Essay Was the man we know as Shakespeare really the author ofthe Shakespearean Works? We know little about the man calledShakespeare, Did he really write the plays, or is he just a man that got confused within history? (Sobran 44) There is not even acorrect spelling of this mans name, Some of the spellings includeShakspere, Shakespeare, And Shaxpere. Shakespeare, Is it the man, Or is it another? (Hayes 1D)Shakespeare is both fact and fiction, he was no concern untilnearly two hundred years after he perished, and there is still no definite or probably will there ever be a conclusion to thismystery. (Sobran 44) There is another man that can be attributed with the works of Shakespeare, His name is Edward DeVere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. (Bethell 47) The man known as Shakespeare does not fit perfectly into thenecessary criteria to determine the author of these works. Thomas Looney invented a series of criteria that had to be filled, in order to be a possible candidate for the authorship of the Shakespearean works. To have all the knowledge that is portrayed in the works, the author must have accomplished many things. These including a superior education, from what we know of Shakespeare, this was not apossibility. (Bethell 46) We do not even know if Shakespeare has everwritten anything in his life, Nor do we know that he was paid for writing these works. The man Shakespeare does not even make a claim that he is the author.(Bethell 50) He may not have been able to write the simplest thing of all, His own name.(Hayes 1D) Its not how little we know about Shakespeare that causes confusion and difficulty, Its the things that we do know about this man that cause the confusion and difficulty. We know Shakespears father, a glover, could not write. When he signed documents, he simply made an X, This is why it is beleived that Shakespeare could not write also, Because he probably did not attend school therefore his education was passed down from his father. (Bethell 48)We do know much more about the man Edward DeVere. We know thatbecause deVere was a nobleman, he could not have his name written upon his writings because he would be considered of a lower class. The plays contain a sense of hate towards some of the noblemen of that time period, which also point the authorship towards DeVere. (Hayes 1D) When DeVere was a young man, he spent a lot of time in Italy and Europe, This could explain the great detail used in the Shakespearean plays of Venice, and other European locations.(Sobran 45) The sonnets have never been able to fit into Shakespears life, On the other hand they fit into DeVeres life well. (Sobran 45)There are facts that lean both ways in this age old mystery ofauthorship, Though the Strafordian man does not fit into the story very well, He may have some advantages that the Oxfordian man may not. DeVere on the other hand, has mostly every fact pointing towards him as the valid author for the Shakespearean works, From his education, to his experiences, to his travel. The Oxfordian seems to come out on top. Shakespeare: Stratforidan, or DeVere?

5 Types of Awkward Wording to Avoid

5 Types of Awkward Wording to Avoid 5 Types of Awkward Wording to Avoid 5 Types of Awkward Wording to Avoid By Mark Nichol The following five sentences demonstrate various ways a carelessly worded or constructed sentence can fail to communicate the intended idea. A discussion and a revision follows each example. 1. There is a danger of overreaction and a rush to implement poorly thought through laws and regulations. Because the phrase â€Å"thought through† modifies â€Å"laws and regulations,† it should be hyphenated, but that phrasal adjective is awkward, partly because it’s difficult to say and especially because of the similarity of appearance of the constituent words. In such cases, seek one or more words that convey the same idea: â€Å"There is a danger of overreaction and a rush to implement poorly conceived laws and regulations.† 2. The consultant submitted a compliance risk mitigation plan. A string of nouns used as adjectives to modify another noun is grammatically correct (when properly hyphenated, which this example is not) but cumbersome. When more than two or three adjectives appear together like this, unpack the sentence and start over again, beginning with the target noun and using prepositions between the adjectives to relax the statement: â€Å"The consultant submitted a plan to mitigate compliance risk.† 3. That person is the chief ombudsman, which we use here to refer to the department’s director. The dependent clause implies that what is â€Å"used† here is the person, rather than the phrase used to designate that person. The sentence must be revised to clarify that here, â€Å"chief ombudsman† is a description of a person, not the person himself or herself: â€Å"That person is the chief ombudsman, the designation we use here to refer to the department’s director.† 4. We understand that all organizations are unique and can help you with your specific challenges. As constructed, this sentence erroneously suggests that all organizations are unique and that all organizations can help you with your specific challenges. The intended meaning, however, is that the company represented by the writer understands that all organizations are unique; in addition, the company can help the targeted reader with specific challenges. To clarify this distinction, the sentence must be divided into two independent clauses, each of which addresses one of the two distinct points: â€Å"We understand that all organizations are unique, and we can help you with your specific challenges.† 5. While reacting to unexpected surprises and being able to put out fires are essential at times, these capabilities are not sufficient for managing a company in a volatile market. In conversational writing, though and while are interchangeable as conjunctions, but it is best to reserve each word to mean â€Å"despite the fact that,† and â€Å"during the time that† respectively; otherwise, readers might misread the beginning of a sentence or phrase starting with while, thinking that the statement pertains to simultaneous events (â€Å"While [someone was] reacting to [something, something else occurred]†): â€Å"Though reacting to unexpected surprises and being able to put out fires are essential at times, these capabilities are not sufficient for managing a company in a volatile market.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should Know50 Idioms About Fruits and VegetablesWhile vs. Whilst

Cost

Cost Nowadays the issue of public health goes beyond the boundaries of the certain countries. We live in a highly globalized world and can effectively join our efforts in order to overcome mass diseases in the poorest countries. The issue of cost-effectiveness becomes one of the central points on the agenda of the global medical organizations and institutions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Cost-effectiveness of the global health programs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The aim of this essay is to characterize the criteria of cost-effectiveness and its impact on the global health programs and interventions. The finding of the cost-effective solution boils down to the determination of the interventions creating the greatest good for the greatest amount of people at the lowest cost (Jacobsen, 2009). It is unarguable fact that the access to the healthcare in the poorest countries is restricted by the severe economic distre ss in these countries. That is why the balance of cost and benefits should be found in the global health programs. The overcome of the mass diseases in the certain regions of our planet cannot be achieved without healthcare cost reduction. Jacobsen (2009) states that â€Å"one way to calculate cost-effectiveness is to compare the cost of an intervention with the resulting increase in years of healthy life† (p. 286). A lot of global medical organizations and institutions refer to the measure of DALY which is the disability-adjusted life years. Levine (2007) mentions that the success of the recent programs has been proved by the inventions that used â€Å"a cost-effective approach, determined by a threshold of about $100 per DALY (disability-adjusted life years) saved† (p.25). However, the global medical programs and interventions differ depending on their particular purpose. The vertical programs which are disease specific and centrally managed assume the delivery of me dicines and services outside the ordinary medical servicing (Levine, 2007). These programs have proved their effectiveness in the low-income countries. The community-wide interventions including salt iodation and the improvement in the tobacco control in Poland refer to the traditional public health interventions which have proved to be successful (Levine, 2007). All of these programs were developed for the achievement of the specific purpose, thus concentrating resources on the aid to certain groups and maximizing the effective result in these groups.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Technological innovations are widely claimed to be the main drivers in the healthcare access promotion. Many of the global health programs concentrate their efforts on the technological innovations in the healthcare system. However, the cost of their implementation and usage is hardly to be affordable to the low-income countries. Levine (2007) states that â€Å"the technological innovation led to better health only because of a concerted and large-scale effort to make it available at cost affordable to developing countries and donor agencies† (p. 29). The cooperation of the private and public sectors are necessary to achieve the cost-effectiveness of the new medical technologies (Levine, 2007). In order to summarize all above mentioned, it should be said that the criterion of cost-effectiveness is the important measure of the overall success of the health program. The reduction of cost for maximizing the number of people treated is one of the main goals of the global health interventions in the low-income countries. In this context, finding of the cost-effective solution is vital for saving lives and increasing the life expectancy in the developing world. The global health organizations should employ this criterion for the determination of the overall effecti veness of the initiated program. References Jacobson, K. H. (2009). Introduction to global health. Boston, USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Levine, R. (2007). Case studies in global health millions saved. Boston, USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Cost Introduction Recently the basis of utilizing antiretroviral treatment for South African citizens suffering from AIDS has been use of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), which consists of two nucleoside formulations along with either a non nucleoside formulation or a protease inhibitor provided concurrently to persons suffering from Aids on a continuing mainstay.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Cost-effectiveness of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More HAART is considered to be more effective to reduce HIV progression and morbidity in relation to other analogues like nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NTRI) [1]. However, constantly mounting pressure on clinical service monetary allocations makes it necessary that clinical service technology shows not only wellbeing and effectiveness but in addition cost efficacy. Financial analyses bring about details regarding cost effectiveness through contrasting the cost and gains of a single medical service project to the cost and/or advantageous of an agenda that it is at the end targeting to substitute. Although highly active antiretroviral treatment is currently popular therapy for people suffering from AIDS in South Africa, insufficient proof was documented regarding its cost efficacy before its extensive utilization. Furthermore, as it has of late been proposed that the guideline for financial analysis should be dynamic and needs to proceed prior to technologies has become reference healthcare policy [2-5] instead of a single event, the study aims to examine the cost efficacy of HAART in South Africa. Methods Study modeling A Markov modeling comprising 38 twelve-month durations was utilized in simulating the progression regarding HIV scourge and in estimating the cost, effect and cost efficacy [4, 6] of highly active antiretroviral treatment alternative [7]. The design of the Ma rkov modeling was based on frameworks earlier utilized in approximating the cost efficacy of HAART [8, 9]. Markov states were developed as per the CD4 numbers, which offer evidence upon which cost efficacy of AIDS therapy is modeled. Cost efficacy was examined through dividing the cost variance with the variance that occurs in health results, that is, quality adjusted life year (QALY) or life year (LY) added between the HAART and No-HAART alternatives in producing incremental cost efficacy ratios (ICERs) [5]. Probabilistic simulations (Monte-Carlo) evaluation was developed based on an imaginary sample of 2000 AIDS patients (1000 in HAART cohort and 1000 in No-HAART cohort) who were aged 18 when they entered the Markov modeling, thus enabling investigation on the impacts of indecision regarding the various variables.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The simulati ons were carried out numerous times to enable representation of a number of various medical events during evaluations. The reference cost of No-HAART treatment, time of HAART therapy impact and the consumption weightings were stated to be mainly â€Å"possible† values, in combination to lower-and-upper boundaries, instead of one-point approximates, in a quest of describing more practical events [3, 10]. A more potential value was set equivalent to documented average value while lower and upper boundaries were set at 0.95 confidence levels. The Markov modeling comprised 4 health conditions: 200=CD4350 cell/micro liter, 50CD4200 cell/micro litre, AIDS and Death. Patients entered the Markov model at the health condition 200=CD4350 cell/micro liter. After each cycle, patients’ HIV state either remained unchanged, advanced or reversed. Figure 1: Health conditions (see rectangles) and transiting probability (see arrows) comprised in Markov modeling (arrow indicates directio n of possible transition) Therapy impacts (transiting probability) Overall effect of therapy on HIV progressions were evaluated utilizing examinable data from South Africa. Information on ART naive patients who commenced using HAART and who in addition had 200=CD4350 cell/micro liter formed part of the cohort. For patients getting HAART treatment, HIV progressions were examined utilizing data from 1000 patients who enrolled for ART therapy over the research duration. HAART effect on HIV progressions were examined utilizing details on 1000 patients who commenced full antiretroviral treatment. Follow-ups for such patients were expurgated during their final visit and/or death, and comprised information prior to treatment, as therapy adjustments at this period would have no impact on progression probability. The uncertainty to die was accounted not only for the concerned age-adjusted death degree in the sample but also for the threat of receiving AIDS [5]. For the sake of this study, a patient in the two cohorts who passed on during treatment duration was deemed to have passed on because of an AIDS based circumstance. However, this can over approximate the death cases linked to HAART, since a larger percentage of death cases are expected to be non-AIDS-based in this cohort [9, 11].Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Cost-effectiveness of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Antiretroviral unresponsive people suffering from AIDS are regarded to be having an enhanced first reaction to therapy in relation to people who have earlier been introduced to antiretroviral [2, 3, 9]. Thus, the model comprised transiting probabilities from one health state to another (see table 1). Because individual follow ups were uncensored when a patient progression along the Markov cycles, the modeling absolutely integrates succeeding therapy malfunction and adjustments during treatment. The first and succeeding pair of transiting likelihoods in each therapy was computed by classifying patients as per their initial health status, 12 months and during 24 months after commencing therapy. A patient who passed on during the 12 months was added to the death state while a patient who had opportunistic disease or whose final HIV based condition was over  ½ a year prior to the expected time, were grouped as per their CD4 amount during the event (200=CD4350 cell/micro liter, 50CD4200 cell/micro litre). The CD4 counts during each period were approximated utilizing linear regression between the prevailing counts and counts after the specified time period. In case no CD4 values were found after this period, the CD4 counts were approximated to be the number prior to this period, as long as the value was determined during the first quarter of that period [12]. Finally, since the period of the impact of HAART is greatly not known, in the basic evaluation it was presumed that extra medical effects of HAART were assumed to be for 60 months with a least and optimum period of 24 and 96 months, in that order. However, the extra cost of HAART in relation to No-HAART treatment was presumed to be separate from medical impact and to prolong up to either the modeling stopped or a person passed on, whichever came early, so as to create conventional estimates of cost efficacy [13, 14]. Table 1: Yearly transiting probability based on a group of persons suffering from AIDS who were listed for therapy in South Africa To state From state 200=CD4350 50CD4200 AIDS Death 200=CD4350 # 0.21 (0.18-0.24) # 0.20 (0.15-0.35) 50CD4200 # # 0.45 (0.35-0.55) 0.25 (0.15-0.35) AIDS # # 0.40 (0.3-0.5) NB: all people entered the Markov model at the health condition CD4†¹ 200. # Indicates residual probabilities. All row probabilities add up to one. Also values exclude yearly age-adjusted likelihood of passing on. Transition probability Changeover pr obability based on Markov modeling is needed in specifying all necessary transitions of Markov conditions (see arrows in fig.1). For the HAART modeling, movement probability as well as 0.95 confidence interval (CI) is approximated based on Kaplan result maximum approximations of survival representing 1000 participants under antiretroviral for the initial 4 years of the study [7, 8].Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Changeover probability for the No-HAART modeling was gotten from a domestic ordinary history group encompassing 1000 ART unresponsive participants. The probability of transiting from 200=CD4350 to 50CD4200 is 0.21, probability of transiting from 50CD4200 to AIDS is 0.45, probability of transiting from AIDS to death is 0.4, probability of transiting from 200 =CD4350 to Death is 0.2, and that of transiting from 50 CD4200 to Death is 0.25. Treatment cost The cost to treat people suffering from HIV with HAART treatment depended on approximates gotten from the South African Potential Evaluating System-AIDS Health Financial research [14]. The research approximated the HIV treatment requirements that were needed by more than 13 000 people suffering from AIDS in 9 hospitals in South Africa, comprising the resources attached to related diseases. Resource approximates were the associated with basic individual costs gotten from an earlier research [12]. This cost was in addition combined with approximates of the social service cost linked to various phases of HIV [15], implying that such an evaluation was carried out based on South African public monetary view. The costs to treat people using HAART were approximated as the cumulative costs to treat people with HAART plus the costs to treat HIV related complications. Discounted per case life-time cost were 2,232,614 for No-HAART against 8,131,018 for HAART. The discounted incremental cost (ICER) per QALY added was 10,533. The ICER value was less than per life year added and fairly greater after discounting costs at 3%. No additional cost was added to this assessment. In the basic evaluation, cost was discounted at 3% in a year but medication impact remained undiscounted, as per the current South African policies, apart from the sensitivity assessment [6, 7]. All documented expenditures were based on 2008 data [12]. Table 2: Total costs of HAART treatment in 2008 (US dollars) and utility weightings based on HIV condition [ 12]. 200=CD4350 50CD4200 AIDS Death Cost 500 750 1500 0 SE 100 150 300 Utility 0.85 0.70 0.50 0 95% CI 0.80-0.90 0.65-0.75 0.45-0.55 0 CI = Confidence Interval SE = Standard error Quality of life Currently, only a few utility weightings are available to people suffering from AIDS. The most appropriate information was generated from a cohort comprising 249 Canadians suffering from HIV utilizing the health utility indexes mark II [12]. However, except for the fact that such information was generated for Canadian individuals, it was only evaluated utilizing multivariate modeling, implying that absence of variations in documented weightings between these two cohorts could be described using elements like before therapy background, period of the last HIV associated situation, threat class or opportunistic diseases. The Mark II comprises of a health condition categorization method and a corresponding pair of utility weightings [12, 13]. The categorization method has seve n measures, consisting of mobility, pain and healthcare. The utility weighting was computed through requesting 1000 Canadians to respond to a visual-analogue scale and through scoring the responses using standardized gable value. Sensitivity evaluation Basically, the greatness of the ICERs measured against their compound variables, and therefore the certainty level that may be associated with the basic cost efficacy approximate, can be examined utilizing sensitivity evaluation [4, 15]. In this study, 1-way sensitivity evaluations were carried out on different elements, comprising the extra costs associated with HAART in order to emphasize their significance to determine cost efficacy. This was attained through varying the number associated with one element (for example cost of HAART) while leaving all other numbers in the modeling process constant, and through analyzing the succeeding variation in ICER value. Elasticity, which measures the effect of adjusting various parameters on t he ICERs, was in addition computed for some elements like the ICER’s % change against a % change in the variable. Overall, a higher elasticity means an enhanced importance of the variable to determine cost efficacy. Negative elasticity is linked to a decrease in the ICER, that is, an increase in cost efficacy, while positive elasticity indicates that the ICER value increased, implying a reduction in cost efficacy. Analysis/Results In this study evaluation, the cumulative cost, life years and QALYs for people who did not use HAART for 38 years was 2232614, 90 and 1964, in that order (see table 3), and for people treated with HAART, the cost, life years and QALYs linked to therapy was 8131018, 115 and 2524 respectively, implying that the cost for treating individuals and impacts were boosted by approximately 36.3 per cent and 22.1 per cent, in that order, generating an ICER value of 238543 for one year added. Approximately 24 % of the cost of highly active antiretroviral treatm ent was due to the costs to provide HIV drugs. Adjusting life years in the health conditions resulted to an ICER value of 10533 in each QALY added (Table 3). Also the cost per case amounted to $138 for participants under HAART and $250 for patients not under HAART. The mean cost of each patient case amounted to $267. 71% of patients led to a mean weighted cost amounting to $162 per case. The cost of each patient treated amounted to $622. The percentage for each case cost associated with treatment varied between 4-34% for patients under HAART. The total yearly cost for HAART including cost of drugs amounted to $438 in a year whereas the highly active antiretroviral therapy cost totaled to $162 in a year. Second phase was twice the cost of first phase, amounting to $952 in a year. The cost of checking CD4 and drug costs amounted to approximately $25 in each quarter. The cost in each Markov state has been computed through multiplying health service use and per case costs. HAART cost wa s greatest for patients bearing 50CD4200 during the initial 12 weeks under HAART, amounting to $548 not including cost for dead patients. Cost remained steady, but shifted to more than $340 in every year period after which second-phase medication was included. No-HAART cost in the 50CD4200 and 200=CD4350 classes amounted to $250 (undiscounted) and to $223 with discounts using an overall discount factor of 22. Table 3: Cost, impact and cost efficacy of HAART in relation to No-HAART Life years QALYs Costs Incremental cost/LY Incremental cost/QALY No-HAART 90 1964 2232614 HAART 115 2524 8131018 238543 10533 Difference 25 560 5898404 Incremental value cannot directly match because of the error of rounding off Sensitivity evaluation The outcomes indicated that the ICER values were slightly elastic to a one percent increase of the per year probabilities of HIV advancement and fairly elastic upon increasing the cost of HAART (with a sensitivity of 0.68). However, additio nal evaluation indicated that the ICER values were highly elastic to increasing rate of discounted cost (with a sensitivity of -7.1) and also sensitive to a discount of treating impacts per year at 1% (with a sensitivity of 10.7). The ICERs were in addition highly elastic to the presumption about the time and costs provided that HAART prolonged in having an incremental impact, the ICERs declined to about 238543 in each life year added. Furthermore, when the probable time-periods of the effectiveness of HAART were extended to six years from five, the ICERs declined to about 229070 in each life year added. Discussion This study aims at approximating the cost efficacy of complete AIDS healthcare comprising HAART based on principal costs, use, Life years and life adjusted quality years data derived from an extensive group in an industrializing nation setup. This research has initiated some improvements to reference Markov model concepts that have been use in industrialized nation HAART cost efficacy analyses such as the development of subway nations in capturing the quickly reducing use and mortality within the initial months of HAART treatment, and the availability of a Markov modeling state that reflects the stringent concept of HAART provision in South African general HAART policies. The Markov model has in addition initiated the idea to capture the main cost-determiner of healthcare via transition cost, which is gained as a patient transits to death from Markov states. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses have acquired statistics indecision with 95/100 confidence interval regarding life-time cost, results and ICER. To conclude, the outcomes generated in this study indicate that HAART is a fairly cost efficient technique to treat people suffering from HIV in relation to No-HAART. However, decreasing the costs associated with HAART would considerably enhance cost efficacy and permanent information regarding the comparable efficacy of HAART is needed so as to compl etely validate the outcomes of this study. References Drummond M, Sculpher J, Stoddart G. Methods for Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programs. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2005. Drummond M, McGuire A. Economic Evaluation in Health Care Merging theory with practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2001. Miners A, Sabin C, Trueman P, et al. Assessing the cost-effectiveness of HAART for adults with HIV in England. HIV Medicine. 2001; 40(2): 52-58. Briggs A, Sculpher M. An Introduction to Markov Modelling for Economic Evaluation. Pharmacoeconomics. 1998; 13(4):397-409. Bozzette S, Joyce G, McCaffrey F, Leibowitz A, Morton S, et al. Expenditures for the care of HIV-infected patients in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. N Engl J Med. 2001; 344: 817–823. Gold R, Siegel E, Russell L, Weinstein C. Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996. Fox-Rushby J, Cairns J. Economic Evaluation. Oxford: Oxford University P ress; 2005. Stoll M, Class C, Scuttle E, Graf M, Schmidt R. Direct costs for the treatment of HIV-infection in a German cohort after introduction of HAART. European J Med Res. 2002; 7: 463–471. Torres R, Barr M. Impact of combination therapy for HIV infection on inpatient census. N Engl J Med. 1997; 336: 1531–1532. Donaldson C, Mugford M, Vale L. Evidence-based Health Economics: From effectiveness to efficiency in systematic review BMJ Books, London; 2002. Freedberg K, Losina E, Weinstein M, Paltiel A, Cohen J, et al. The cost effectiveness of combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV disease. N Engl J Med. 2001; 344: 824–831. Sendi P, Bucher C, Harr T, Craig B, Schwietert M, et al. Cost-effectiveness of highly antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients: SWISS HIV Cohort Study. 2009; 13: 1115–1122. Badri M, Maartens G, Mandalia S, Bekker L, Penrod J, et al. Cost-Effectiveness of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in South Africa. PLoS Med. 2006; 3 (1). Beck E, Kennelly J, McKevitt C, Whitaker L, Wadsworth J, et al. Changing use of hospital services and costs at a London AIDS referral centre. AIDS. 1994; 8: 367–377. Beck E, Mandalia S, Williams I, Power A, Newson R, et al. For the NPMS Steering Group Decreased morbidity and use of hospital services in English HIV infected individuals with increased uptake of anti-retroviral therapy 1996–1997. AIDS. 1999; 13: 2157–2164.

Management work has been researched through a large number of studies Essay

Management work has been researched through a large number of studies using a wide range of methods over the last four or to fiv - Essay Example Katz, Henri Fayol and Henry Mintzberg, who conducted studies independently at different times in history. It also tries to understand what the management of a company needs to do. Robert Katz’s views on management Robert L. Katz conducted extensive study in the field of management. Based on the results of his studies as well as direct scrutiny of managers at the place of work, he concluded that there are three vital expertises that every manager should have: cognitive abilities, technical knowhow and interpersonal qualities (Katz, 1974; Virkus, 2009; Sutevski, 2009; SAGE Publications, 2014). Cognitive abilities Cognitive abilities collectively refer to the aptitude of a manager. They refer to the capability to consider and rationalise both theoretical and intricate scenarios. They also refer to a manager’s capacity to understand and apply thoughts and proposals. Cognitive abilities of a manager may include the ability to generate innovative thoughts, create concepts, as sess difficult circumstances and provide effective solutions. Together, these abilities allow a manager to comprehend and make a better decision about the steps to be taken for a particular situation. Managers with cognitive abilities can connect better with a company’s philosophies, working mechanism, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; and generate practical plans of action. Cognitive abilities are crucial to managers who sit at the top of the organisational hierarchy and are faced with difficult situations such as, complying with governmental regulations, managing acquisitions and assessing competitor’s business mode. Technical know-how Technical know-how refers to the knowledge and degree of proficiency that a manager has in his/her particular line of work. It helps a manager to complete the job in a smooth and efficient fashion. Technical know-how not only refers to the ability to operate and use equipments and complex electronics, but also the acade mic qualifications, in-depth theoretical understanding and previous job experience, which will interact together and decide how good the person is at the job assigned. Strong technical know-how is critical for Level-1 executives such as, supervisors. As a manager jumps up higher in the organisational hierarchy from the base level, technical know-how becomes less and less important, since the scope for practical application of such knowledge becomes severely limited. Examples of technical knowhow may include proficiency in software applications, number-crunching abilities and highly specialised expertise to sell products. Interpersonal qualities Interpersonal qualities of a person refer to the ability to connect with senior managers, fellow executives, juniors and subordinate employees and maintain a healthy work environment; provide leadership to the team and help achieve objectives; keep the employees focussed and motivated; help them acquire skills and qualities required for their jobs; and measure and monitor their quality of work. People with high interpersonal qualities can bond with others, collaborate and achieve high quality work and prioritise company’s visions and objectives over personal issues. Interpersonal qualities are a must-have for all executives of a company, regardless of their position in the

The basic characteristics of literary journalism Essay

The basic characteristics of literary journalism - Essay Example Chronology refers to the arrangement of scenes or events in order in which they take place in a particular eventful situation from the perspective of journalism. Within this context, it can be deduced that this arrangement can be of two types: scenes or observations. In the scenes, there is a particular sequence or arrangement of carefully arranged scenes because this sequence is highly important as it retains a required level and type of structure which is the base of any particular theme involved in the scenes. A sequence of observations can also be used to describe a particular events leading to a meticulous outcome or other effects. Simultaneously, within this context, both types of chorology have different objectives and outcomes as the entire piece of literary journalistic writing is based on the factual or real-life situations in which a particular arrangement of scenes retains a specific type of chronology. As a result of in-built chronology, the piece of journalistic writing becomes able to create an impression of depicting or portraying reality as if it is happening in front of the reader. In the literary journalism, parallel structures are those storylines in which story have more than one causal chain of events and have two different stories are highlighted simultaneously.It can be said that the use of parallelism can increase the level of suspense and adventure in the story in which a particular perspective or use of chronology can be included to make effective.

Starbucks - Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Starbucks - - Case Study Example Additionally, the paper will describe the role of sustainable development in Starbuck’s approach to social responsibility. The Starbuck 2003 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, Titled â€Å"Living Our Values,† defines the coffee retailer’s approach to social responsibility. The approach focuses on partners, diversity, coffee product, customers, community and environment, and profitability. The three concepts of social responsibility are profit responsibility, stakeholder responsibility, and societal responsibility (Kerin et al, 2010). In relation to profit responsibility, a company should maximize profits for the stakeholders without taking advantage of supply shortages to charge very high prices on products. Starbuck’s observes profit responsibility by selling its product via supermarkets, the company’s retail shops, and by extension taking the Starbuck’s coffee experience to the employer’s offices. It uses low profit grocery market segments, retail business cafes, coffee kiosks, high profit margin kiosks, and corporate cafeterias to reinforce and serve its products using high-class experience. It embraces supplier diversity, pays its coffee suppliers well, and conserves their environment. These measures guarantees high and well deserved profits. Where, profits are significant for the growth of Starbuck’s, profitability is placed last as it depends on adherence to partners, diversity, coffee/product, customers, community and environment principles. In relation to stakeholder’s responsibility, a company focuses on stakeholders that can contribute to the achievement of its objectives. Indeed, the coffee retail shop encourages its partners, to stick to the mission statement, comment on deviations from Starbuck 2003 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, participate, and analyze management decisions. In addition, Starbuck’s accords

The importance of employer branding

The importance of employer branding Terms of references This report highlights the rising awareness for the development of Employer Branding concept and its benefits for the organisations in present competitive labour market. The conflict between effective employer branding and employees rights and satisfaction toward organization has been examined in this report with specific focus on the unethical and controlling effect. Introduction: Employer branding is the perception of employees about an organization as a place to work. Its designed for motivating and securing employees alignment with the vision and values of the organizations. From the HR perspective the concept was subsumed the older term INTERNAL BRANDING that was essentially the process of communicating an organizations brand value to its employee. Employer branding The concept of EMPLOYER BRANDING was created in the 1990s by Simon Barrow, who founded People in Business (now part of TMP Worldwide) and was the co-author of The Employer Brand. 1 In the past, Barrow had been a consumer goods brand manager and headed up an advertising agency in London, but later became the chief executive of a recruitment agency. He was immediately struck by the similarities between the challenges faced in promoting consumer goods and in publicising the strengths of an organisations employee proposition. Both, he recognised, required a strong brand, and so the concept of employer branding was conceived. He defined employer branding as a set of attributes which make the employees feel more close to the company and take pride of being associated with the company they work for. Employer branding is in essence the mental setup of an employee where he or she receives mental satisfaction in the same manner as when he or she uses a product of a preferred brand. Employer branding is therefore a set of attitudes, as well as an array of activities and features enabling the process of branding to be more effective. They could be psychological (behaviour of superiors), economic (compensation package, benefits) or functional (potential to grow, job assigned according to capability). These definitions indicate that employer branding means promoting and building an identity and a clear view of what makes an organization different and desirable as an employer. It has similarities with product and corporate branding but the key difference is its more employment specific. Recruitment and employer branding Developing an employer brand is a combination of adopting vision, values, and behaviours, and delivering a service that shows commitment to best practice and service excellence. It begins with the recruitment process that offers number of tools that can be used to create perceptions of an employing organization, these tools are: Job advertisement and description Interview process Offer letters Information pack for new recruiters Employee handbooks Induction and training. The recruitment process is an important way to build a positive relationship between the organization and employee. Throughout the procedure, the organization can create a strong and positive view about them; even it can be extended to unsuccessful candidates as well. When employees have accepted the sincerity and accuracy of the employer brand, they will carry it forward, actively promoting the brand to colleagues and customers. However, employer branding which is basically untruthful will not work and is likely to be counter-productive. Benefits of Employer Branding Long-term impact: Successful employer brand can have a positive impact on recruiting for a considerable amount of time while considering any Major PR issues. Increased volume of spontaneous candidates: The number of applicants tends to increase each year as the employer branding gets stronger. Cases of a 500% increase of applications have also been observed. Increase in quality of the applicants: The quality of candidates will also improve dramatically; individuals who never would have considered in the past will start applying. Higher offer-acceptance rates: The rate of acceptance increase proportionately with the increase of image and goodwill of the company. Higher Employee Motivation: Employees can be easily motivated, or will stay motivated longer in the company because of the perceived pride in working for the company, and better management practices (generally) that is tied-in with the companys brand image, thus making it a company people work for because they chose. A stronger corporate culture: Employment branding can help strengthen firms corporate culture because of the inertia it gains from the very essence of employer branding; making a company desirable to work for. Diminished negative publicity and image: Effective branding can pinpoint problems by dealing with negative comments and preparing effective counter measurers. Increased manager satisfaction: As a direct result of increased interest from more able and proficient applicants, the managers will have more time for managerial functions as the demand to devote more time to recruitment process will decrease with the quality of the applicant group. Healthy competition: Employer branding is similar to product branding. Hence to keep a company desirable, it has to update its UPS and keep up with its promise of delivery. This increases healthy competition and also makes the companies better by the minute. Increased shareholder value: The ripple effect of the companys goodwill via employer branding can also positively impact a firms stock price. Support for the product brand: If a company has a brilliant brand image, it is more likely that its product will reap the benefits of it and be branded automatically. This helps especially when the company launches a new product. The brand essence should summarize what the brand stands for, becoming the nucleus for product development, all communications and even HR initiatives for employees. Its definition should also be consistent with the corporate vision/mission and values. For example, Volvo is a good example of a brand description is Volvo â€Å"Style, driving pleasure and superior ownership experience while celebrating human values and respecting the environment.† Volvos values and associations reflecting this brand identity are what are considered to be typically Scandinavian e.g. â€Å"nature, security and health, human values, elegant simplicity, creative engineeringand the spirit of stylish/innovative functionality†. For Volvo, this description not only mirrors the psycho-graphic profile of the ideal customer for their cars, but also summarizes what Volvo as a company means to all its workers its employer brand. These are intrinsic values that Volvo workers can relate to, what they believe in and why they feel comfortable making a commitment to their jobs. One can easily visualize the types of HR programs that would inspire a sense of pride and re-enforce these intangibles e.g. nature, health, security and other meaningful human values. ‘Living the brand LIVING THE BRAND is identifying with an organizations brand value to such an extent that employees behaviours fit exactly to the image that the business is trying to portray to its customers (Alan Price 2007). The alignment between employees behaviour and value of organizations brand image is very important. It is suggested that organisations need to ensure that there is no gap between what the organisation is saying in the outside world and what people believe inside the business. The employees should be perceived as Brand ambassador and brand marketing would only be successful if they LIVE THE BRAND. From this perspective: Organizations have encouraged employees to â€Å"buy in† to the business vision and values. They have to ensure that everyone in the organization clearly understand the purpose of the common set of values. According to Ind (2004), the themes discussed are likely to be of interest to HR and marketing practitioners as well as those involved in internal communications within organisations. Employees themselves are expected to internalise features and aspects of the organisations brand to ensure that they become brand champions, thus helping to represent to organisations brand to the outside customers. Such an approach immediately raises some interesting problems relating to equality and diversity as it expects each employee to share a particular set of values and act in accordance with these values. The employee branding approach being recommended by Ind raises a number of challenges for those interested in an equality and diversity agenda. An organisation that aims to ensure that employees are living the brand will specifically aim to attract and recruit employees who already share the values of the corporate brand. Furthermore, those already employed within the organisation will be encouraged to internalise the values of the organisation. Clearly, there are problems for encouraging diversity here, with one of the principles of diversity management being an acceptance and recognition that people are different and individual differences (especially of values) should be welcomed. Inherently, a living the brand focus is likely to go against such a principle. Ind makes the point that encouraging employee identification and commitment to the organisations brand values might deny an expression of individuality. However, Ind suggests that internal branding combined with allowing emplo yees to be empowered will enable freedom with order. Denial of individuality (dress code policy) When it comes to professional image, many employers are realising that Standards of dress and personal presentation are essential thus having a policy on dress code can be important. Where the employees meet customers, they act as the shop window for the company and the benefits of presentable appearance are obvious. However, even where the employees work is internal, there are less tangible benefits such as: Creating a team atmosphere, Engendering standards of professionalism, and Creating a corporate image. As employers are realising this, they are paying more attention to the appearance of their employees and the image and perception of the business dress, grooming and personal hygiene are all part and parcel of this. However, the issue of work place dress codes can be highly controversial. It is vital that employers are aware of the discrimination issues that dress codes can create. Issues with work place dress codes In organisations with uniforms, the issues can be more wide ranging. For instance, at the Greater Manchester Police Force, bureaucracy and unwillingness to accept change has hampered the introduction of hijabs for Muslim women. At Inchcape Fleet Solutions where all 140 non-senior staffs are provided with polo shirts or blouses branded with the company logo the style of the uniform does not suit all staff and most do not like wearing it. This would affect their moods at work and consequently affect their performance. Complaints of discrimination Furthermore, a complaint was raised informally by the staff forum of child trust fund provider Family Investments and relates to the fact that women can wear trousers that are not full length, while men cannot. Employees have requested that the company allows shorts to be worn, as long as they are below the knee Also, in September 2006, a British Airways worker has been suspended and attended an appeal over wearing a cross at work at Heathrow Airport. She claims the suspension is discriminatory, especially since the airline allows Sikh employees to wear traditional iron bangles and Muslim workers to wear headscarves.BA has said it will review its uniform policy in light of the media storm the story has provoked.Employer branding and discrimination law There are three areas of discrimination relevant to dress code policy: Sex Discrimination Act 1975 Religious or Belief Regulations 2003 Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Sex discrimination and dress codes There is the obvious potential for sex discrimination in any dress code, which sets different requirements for men and women. Past claims have challenged policies that: women must wear skirts men should not have long hair Men must wear a collar and tie. The case of Matthew Thompson who objected to the dress code imposed by the Department for Work Pensions at his place of work, a job centre in Stockport, can also be a good example. Mr Thompson claimed that the dress code discriminated against male employees as they were forced to wear a collar and tie whereas female employees could wear T-shirts to work. The Employment Tribunal found in favour of Mr Thompson stating that the dress code was discriminatory as the requirement to wear a collar and tie was gender based and there were no items of clothing that were imposed on women in the same office. From the Thompson case, it became clear that employers should be careful in the way that they draft their dress codes. Employers are not prevented from imposing dress codes that require employees to wear specified items of clothing as long as the code is drafted in such a way as to be even-handed between men and women. For example, jobs in the City, the current convention is for both men and women to wear suits. The convention is that a man should wear a tie with a suit but the same does not apply to a woman. A dress code requiring a smart suit could apply to both sexes but be enforced in a non-discriminatory manner appropriate for each sex. Religion/belief discrimination and dress codes A dress code that requires employees to act in a way contrary to their religious beliefs, risks being indirectly discriminatory. Thus, a dress code forbidding headgear will be discriminatory to male Sikhs, who must wear a turban. The best way to avoid these problems is to be as non-specific as possible. A widely worded dress code requiring smart appearance, with non-binding examples of suitable dress, cannot fall foul of specific clothing-related beliefs. To cross-check your dress code against the main religions clothing beliefs, refer to Acas Guide on Religion and Belief which has a useful chart at Appendix 2 (pages 40-50). It may be possible for employers to objectively justify a dress code contrary to any of these beliefs, if it can be done so objectively. For example, employees at a chocolate factory were successfully prohibited from having beards for health and safety reasons. However, employers should be very wary of relying on objective justification as the courts are reluctant to accept it. There may be a question mark in some cases whether a persons views are beliefs. According to Acas, Rastafarianism (which requires the wearing of a hat) is a belief system. Certain political beliefs or powerful sentiments such as patriotism (the wearing of an American flag badge) may or may not be regarded as beliefs. Employers should respect beliefs that are strongly held whether or not they are religious in nature. Disability discrimination and dress codes Disabled employees may not be able to comply with a dress code, for example, an employee with a neck injury unable to wear a tie. However, by and large, this need not affect the way the code is drafted; instead, employers should be sensitive in the enforcement of the dress code. In summary, employers should be quite a bit flexible when writing a policy on employee dress or appearance. Reasonable flexibility and sensitivity to the employees racial differences should be allowed in the dress code to make employees comfortable and any conflict and law suits, while meeting the Trust standard of Dress code. This view is echoed by organisations such as Broker Network, which believes that employees should be able to make their own judgments on what is best to wear. Many companies are now turning their backs on the concept of dress-down Fridays, opting instead to ditch smart business-wear every day of the week. A survey of 560 organisations has found that four out of five employers believe a more relaxed dress code leads to greater productivity. Nine out of 10 organisations that replied to the poll by the Peninsula employment law consultancy had declared ties an unnecessary part of their dress code. Conclusion The issues discussed above create a challenge for HR professionals involved in employee focused branding projects, especially those where employees are expected to share a specific set of values. That is that such initiatives will undoubtedly create a tension and potentially conflict with principles underlying an equality and diversity agenda. Inds suggestion that inside-out branding allows freedom and order remains unconvincing even when the employees are involved in constructing the brand values. An organisation that dictates a set of values for employees to internalise is still a homogenising force. Organisations that genuinely take diversity programmes seriously will have to tackle this tension. One possible way out of this conundrum is to include equality and diversity awareness as a key value included in the internal brand proposition. Recommendations Any guidelines should be carefully drafted, and employers are advised to treat any requests to dress contrary to the company code for religious or racial reasons with respect. Employers should consult the employee in question and discuss how to accommodate reasonable requests, and try to find a favourable solution. A tribunal will be more likely to be sympathetic to the employer where a policy is required for health and safety purposes, rather than simply to maintain a corporate image. Decide what restrictions on employees appearance are necessary and why. For example, teachers are expected to wear sensible footwear, suitable for the activities their job involves. Restrictions should not be excessive or unreasonable, for instance insisting on suits or ties in the office when employees are not customer-facing. Set out the guidelines clearly, and include the rationale behind any restrictions. Explain why restrictions may be placed on some employees but not others (for example, no body piercing for those operating heavy machinery for health and safety purposes, and those working within a cafà © of a supermarket may have stricter codes enforced on them than those who work in the same store, but dont come into direct contact with food). Give employees notice of when the policy will come into force. Allow employees a grace period before disciplining for non-compliance. Explain what will happen if employees are found to be in persistent breach of the policy (disciplinary action and, potentially, dismissal). Give the name of an individual that employees can talk to if they feel they cannot comply with the policy. Current legislation on issues that could lead to discrimination should be reviewed from time to time, and staff handbook should be read by employment lawyers to ensure compliance. Guidelines should also be updated to accommodate the legislation. Base the policy on business-related reasons. Explain your reasons in the policy so employees understand the rationale behind the restrictions. Common business-related reasons include maintaining the organizations public image, promoting a productive work environment, or complying with health and safety standards. Require employees to have an appropriate, well-groomed appearance. Even casual dress policies should specify what clothing is inappropriate (such as sweat suits, shorts, and jeans) and any special requirements for employees who deal with the public. Communicate the policy. Use employee handbooks or memos to alert employees to the new policy, any revisions, and the penalties for noncompliance. In addition, explain the policy to job candidates.Apply the dress code policy uniformly to all employees. This can prevent claims that the policy adversely affects women or minorities. However, you may have to make exceptions if required by law. (See next suggestion.) Make reasonable accommodation when the situation requires an exception. Be prepared to accommodate requests for religious practices and disabilities, such as head coverings and facial hair.Apply consistent discipline for dress code violations. When disciplining violators, point out why their attire does not comply with the code and what they can do to comply REFERENCES: Edwards, M. R. (2008) Employees as a Focus of Branding Activities: A Review of Recent Contributions to the Literature and the Implications for Workplace Diversity, Equal opportunities international. Vol 27(5) pp. 447-481 [online] Available from: www.emerald.com [Accessed 1 April 2009] Carrington, L (2007) EMPLOYER BRANDING [Online] Available from: http://globaltalentmetrics.com/articles/EB_2007_Brandempl.pdf [Accessed 26 March 2009] Wolff, C. (2007) EMPLOYERS USE DRESS CODES TO ENHANCE CORPORATE IMAGE, IRS. Issue 878. Available from: http://www.xperthr.co.uk [Accessed 26 March 2009] Downes, J. (2007) POLICY CLINIC: DRESS CODES, [online] Available from: http://0-www.xperthr.co.uk.lispac.lsbu.ac.uk/article/81919/policy-clinicdress-codes.aspx?searchwords=Policy+clinic%3a+Dress+codes [Accessed 26 March 2009] Millar, M (2006) EMPLOYERS RELAXING WORK DRESS CODE CAN HELP IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY, [online] Available from: http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2006/07/26/36558/employers-relaxing-work-dress-code-can-help-improve.html [Accessed 26 March 2009] Dr. Sullivan, J (2008) EMPLOYMENT BRANDING: THE ONLY LONG-TERM RECRUITING STRATEGY, [online] Available from: http://www.drjohnsullivan.com/content/view/183/27/ [Accessed 26 March 2009]Stephen Morrall, S Urquhart, C (2003) SEX DISCRIMINATION ARE DRESS CODES DISCRIMINATORY? [online] Available from: http://www.drjohnsullivan.com/content/view/183/27/ [Accessed 26 March 2009]Gronlund, J K (2008) HOW EMPLOYER BRANDINGCAN FOSTER TRUSTS AND LOYALTY? [Online] Available from: http://www.employerbrand.com/Points_pathf.html [Accessed 26 March 2009]

Susan Sontag :: essays research papers

Susan Sontag, in "Against Interpretation," takes a very interesting critical standpoint on the idea of literary interpretation. Unlike most literary critics, Sontag believes that literary criticism is growing increasingly destructive towards the very works of art that they, supposedly, so greatly "appreciate" and "respect." Her standpoint could not be more accurate. Reading her work generates numerous questions, the most important of which is quite possibly, "How are we to take her final statement, ‘In place of a hermeneutics we need an erotics of art.’" In the light of her previous statements, made throughout the work, one could only see this particular statement as an attempt to reach through the fog that blinds the majority of modern critics. According to Sontag, no work of art, especially literature, can escape the surgical eye of the modern critic; therefore, what is to stop her own work from coming under this blade of critic ism? Sontag’s preparation for this criticism shows in the inclusion of her final statement. She has, in effect, laid a trap for the modern critic (who just happens to be you, me, and practically every other reader) with her final statement as the bait. Once the critic picks apart that last sentence, he will see, with greater clarity, the veracity of her work. Throughout this work, Sontag makes many statements that invite interpretation. Critics may analyze her repeated references to Greek literature or possibly her use of sexual imagery, but none could ignore the simplicity, brevity, and word choice that characterize the concluding sentence. The brevity of the final section is what catches the critical eye and the lurid choice of words is what pulls the critic in. The first question that the interpreter finds him/herself asking is, "Why ‘hermeneutics’ and why ‘erotics’? There must be some significance to these terms." Analysis of these terms reveals the two extremes which Sontag has been comparing throughout her piece; "hermeneutics" being an ideal term to describe the type of over-intellectualization that takes place with modern interpreters, and "erotics" being ideal for describing to just what extreme Sontag thinks art should be experienced. When the critics finally "excavates" this statement and, "...digs ‘behind’ the text, to find a sub-text, which is the true one," he finds, low, and behold, the reinforcement of the very statement that Sontag has been inculcating throughout this piece. It does not take long for the critic to re alize that he/she has been duped.