Mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliance Essay

Mergers, acquisitions and key coalition - Essay Example Be that as it may, industry and firm explicit factors at long last oversee the explanation and the motivation behind the mergers and acquisitions and collusions occurring in the worldwide commercial center. While much has been concentrated on the reasons of accomplishment and disappointments of M&A, the vital purposes for the mergers, acquisitions and unions are being taken a gander at in this paper. This paper won't center around the post-merger achievement or disappointment yet focus on the vital reasons that brief firms to go into M&A and unions. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) has been portrayed as ‘among the most significant key choices organizations ever make’ (refered to by Duncan and Mtar, 2006). Acquisitions can be founded on vital choices like market development, item enhancement or area extension. In this way many use it as a method of passage into a remote market where it is hard to begin a completely claimed adventure. Subsequently the choice of M&A relies on the asset based view or the exchange cost investigation. Office hypothesis has likewise been clarified as a M&A procedure. The organization hypothesis fights that director controlled modern firms seek after aggregate broadening. Supervisors profit by the expansion in firm size and dependent on the conviction that huge firms will only here and there come up short and the official pay is connected to the firm size (Lin, Hung and Li, 2006). The asset based view proposes that while firms have substantial and impalpable assets, the assets don 't make esteem except if they associate with different assets. On the off chance that complimentary assets are not under the possession control, the organizations experience issues in understanding the maximum capacity of the assets. This turns into a motivator to converge with different firms that have integral assets. M&A technique can give outside wellsprings of creative abilities to secure the center business. As a similar time,

Caribbean Studies Essay free essay sample

Portray the components that have driven Caribbean transients living in the metropolitan nations to make a home away from home: According to a definition taken from Wikipedia a metropolitan zone is a district comprising of a thickly populated urban center and its less-populated encompassing regions, sharing industry, foundation, and lodging. A transient can be characterized as one that moves starting with one district then onto the next by some coincidence, sense, or plan. The Culture of movement that portrays Caribbean social orders considers relocation to be a way to a superior life, expanded monetary and instructive open doors particularly for their youngsters. Therefore numerous transients decide to make another home in these metropolitan nations. The more noteworthy assortment of chances gave by these metropolitan nations is a principle factor that has prompted transients living in the metropolitan nations to make a home away from home. These nations have increasingly instructive open doors from High schools to top Universities. We will compose a custom article test on Caribbean Studies Essay or on the other hand any comparable point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page In any case, how can it be that transients don’t simply get training and return? It is on the grounds that when they become qualified their local nation at times doesn't have the openings for work to completely use their aptitudes. The pay rates managed by the local nations are likewise not comparable with that paid by the metropolitan social orders. They additionally have more Job open doors in a wide scope of fields while the Caribbean has a restricted measure of employment and instructive chances. In situations where credits were taken to fund considers, it is increasingly efficient to concentrate abroad and take care of advances, regardless of whether the advances be abroad or at home. Another factor is legislative issues. Contingent upon the political atmosphere, Caribbean vagrants may choose to remain away on the off chance that they feel awkward about the pioneer that has been chosen in their nation of origin and imagine that the adjustment in government will bring a financial downturn. Because of new government, less employments might be created and transients may choose to live away where they have a superior possibility of finding a new line of work. In the Caribbean change of government additionally will in general carry with it loss of employments for some non-supporters. It might be increasingly possible for family members to work abroad and send settlements home to support family. Additionally, the political frameworks in metropolitan nations are increasingly indifferent analyzed the Caribbean arrangement of Government. Because of the way that our islands are so little, residents can fall prey to show disdain toward if the Leader of the nation wishes. It might be progressively positive for certain transients to be in an increasingly indifferent political setting. Natural conditions may likewise be a contributing component. On account of the ordinary events of cataclysmic events in our locale, vagrants may feel increasingly good living ceaselessly where they don’t need to continually stress over catastrophic events obliterating their assets. The conditions after a cataclysmic event, for example, dry season, loss of intensity and the decrease of and shortage of other essential needs may lead transients to live away to maintain a strategic distance from these brutal conditions. To sum up, Caribbean transients living in metropolitan nations may make a home in away from their local home because of three variables. They might be pulled in to the wide scope of chances of the metropolitan nations which doesn’t limit their latent capacity, disheartened to return due to the political atmosphere or the natural conditions.

Some comments on topics of interest

Some comments on topics of interest So, usually I stay away from College Confidential, as it has a way of making me despair of the state of humanity on the rare occasions that I do read it. Every so often, though, I follow Bens link to his CC comments, just to see whats happening in the exciting world of high schoolers and their parents being frantic about their stats and complaining about schools real or imaginary affirmative action policies. There was a thread last month, in the Parents Forum, which was discussing Marilee Jones article about the admissions process and the pressures put on students. It was quite a long thread which went on many different tangents. One of these tangents was about AP classes and the pressure to take them. I was surprised and interested at some of the comments (each of the paragraphs below is a different quote theyre not all part of the same statement). What would I like to see: inasmuch as Stanford says their students present an average of 5 AP, why not go a step farther. TELL students that the school will only look at the BEST 4 AP and will discard ALL the remaining from the file. Want to see students taking 3 SAT and no more: penalize students after the 3 tests by applying a dimninishing scale or discarding any tests after the 4th one. Why would this be so hard after all they put limitations on letters of recommendations, so why not limit AP to a REASONABLE level. And, no matter if this offends someone with 10-15 AP, such a number is RIDICULOUS. And very specifically the head of the UC systems admissions office stated that they like to see (read: you better do it) 17 semesters of AP by graduation. That year, the school board voted to open up many more AP classes and now, to remain competitive in context, the kids have 4 and 5 AP classes on their schedules. Now, go ahead nd tell any high schoolers who has Ivy League ambitions that he or she should not worry about AP before HS even start Now, I completely agree that it should not be a competition to see who takes the most AP tests. I am, however, disturbed that anyone would advocate penalizing a child who took many AP tests, or assume that a child who did so only did so because of pressure from elite colleges. Or arrange scheduling so that it was impossible for students to take more than 2 or 3 AP classes a year, as some advocated. Not to mention, I am shocked that the UC system would pressure high schools to pressure students to take more AP classesI suppose, given context like this, I can understand where some of the negative comments about APs come from. 10-15 APs is not a ridiculous number. Neither is 2-3. Or any number, really. It all depends on the kid. I had 14 (by year, this broke down to 1-3-8-2) and I had a life outside classwork. The thing is, Im not some (using the provided example) California kid who was told in 8th grade that I needed to take five million AP classes to get into an in-state school. Believe it or not, AP mania hasnt hit everywhere. In Kentucky, taking any AP classes is considered impressive, and not at all expected. You can get a special Commonwealth Diploma if you complete the Pre-College Curriculum and take four AP classes and three AP tests in different subject distributions, regardless of score. Of the thousands and thousands of Kentucky high school grads each year, only 9000 have received this special diploma since 1987. The point of the program is not to pile on pressure for the benefit of a high-caliber state university system, its to encourage students to attempt college-level work in a state where f or many, going to any college is seen as an impossible dream. I took AP classes because they were good classes, fun classes. They were mostly better-taught. I took AP French freshman year because French 3 was too easy. I took AP Art History because it was a more interesting way to get my county-required humanities credit than the schools lackluster general humanities classes. I took AP US Gov Politics out of love for the subject matter. I didnt take AP Bio, though I could have done so, because I didnt like the way it was taught. There were fun non-AP classes too. My favorite science class was a non-AP bio/biotech class, and I took dual credit creative writing, intro music theory, special topics in computer science, and a grad-level class in medieval French lit at U of L. But AP classes were the easiest way to access fun, exciting work with good teachers, and my school offered a lot of them, so I took them, fighting admins who told me I was biting off more than I could chew. Why, why, would you want to penalize a student for taking advantage of the challenging opportunities offered them? Rein in the UC system, the adcoms who prize APs at the expense of everything else, the parents who hound their kids to the point where parent and child have both lost perspective, the marketers who push all this. Dont rein in the kids. Another tangent had to do with summer academic programs. There appear to be two main schools of thought regarding this. One is Let the kids be kids and enjoy their summers, rather than having them pad their resumes with math camp. The other is For the kids who do these summer programs, this sort of activity is fun, and if a kid doesnt think its fun, they dont belong at an elite school anyway. I disagree with both of these positions, at least to some extent. I never did any summer academic camps or special programs, though I qualified for many. My parents are divorced and live over 400 miles apart, and to me, summer was time for spending with Dad. Going to the Duke Talent Searchs several-week programs, or other residential summer programs, would have meant several weeks less of time spent with him, and I was not willing to do that. This didnt mean that I did nothing during my summers. I read books. Lots and lots of books. Some people have freakish talents, and mine is speed reading (which helped with all those AP classes); I could sometimes go through three paperbacks in a day if I felt like it and have time left over to play. I pursued hobbies such as the study of civil liberties in constitutional law, using old law textbooks. I ran 45 miles a week to get in shape for cross-country. I swam and dove on summer league teams. I learned how to judge springboard diving from watching my dad, who took up judging as a hobby when I started diving, and asking him questions, and after I turned 15 I became certified to do it myself and volunteered at our meets. I also watched TV, lounged around, took walks, and wandered around the backyard making up stories while tossing a tennis ball against the side of the house and catching it. In other words, I wasnt productive all the time, nor was I doing, say, RSI. And I certainly wasnt thinking about how it would all look on a college application. But I was doing lots of things, fun things. If math camp is your idea of fun, more power to you. If its not, fine. What makes it either fun or resume-padding (or both), is whether youre doing it because you wanted to, or because you wanted to look impressive.

Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest Essay - 2143 Words

This assignment is based on Key Idea 2: Problems can arise when one group pursues its own interests to the detriment of others. Deforestation in the Amazon has led to conflicting interests in the Amazon region. Potentially it can affect societies worldwide through global warming. In this assignment, I will agree or disagree with the following hypothesis: Deforestation in the Amazon benefits some people at the moment. It also causes problems for other people, both in Brazil and the rest of the world. In order to draw up a conclusion to the hypothesis, I will be looking at the different types of developments, which have already taken place in Brazil and also, the†¦show more content†¦In Brazil, there is a huge inequality between the rich and the poor - 1% of the population owns 45% of the land. Large areas of the Amazon rainforest have been destroyed as governments have tried to develop it to make Brazil a better country. Some estimates suggest that a fifth of the Amazon rainforest was cleared between 1960 and 1990. It is also estimated that approximately 7.5 million hectares of rainforest are being cut down each year. This is extremely unlikely to be replaced. The Amazon rainforest is in extreme danger. Developments such as deforestation are proving to be a huge problem. Developments that have taken place Numerous types of developments have taken place in the Amazon rainforest. The aim of this is to bring wealth to the area by using its natural resources. . A large amount of iron ore, gold, copper, bauxite and other minerals have been discovered in the rainforest. Mining companies have cut down trees to get to these deposits. An example of this is the Carajas Iron Ore Project; this is what led to highway building. A lot of new roads have been built in the rainforest for transport and commuting. The longest is the Trans-Amazonian Highway, a 5300km (3300miles) long road, built across Brazil from east to west. Other major highways, which were built, are the Belà ©m-Brasà ­lia Highway (from Brasà ­lia to Belà ©m) andShow MoreRelatedDeforestation of The Amazon Rainforest945 Words   |  4 Pages Brazil holds the global warming issue in the palms of its hands and the government of the world’s fifth-largest economy doesn’t seem to care. A recent article featured on usat oday.com states that the destruction of the Amazon rainforest rose 28% from August 2012 to July 2013 after 4 straight years of decline (Sibaja, 2013). I’m sure this may surprise some people because of the widespread concern of global warming and the affect it may have on future generations, but I don’t think the Brazilian governmentRead MoreDeforestation Of The Amazon Rainforest833 Words   |  4 Pages David Alas ENF 111 11/01/15 The Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest I. Introduction A. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most important natural features of our planet, crucial to our way of life. However, what Godfrey (1990) described as â€Å"one of the world’s last great settlement frontiers† is severely under threat. B. According to some experts, during the past 40 years close to 20 % of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed. Furthermore, it has been suggested that this figure could beRead MoreDeforestation of The Amazon Rainforest1136 Words   |  5 PagesThe Amazon rainforest is perhaps the richest collection of plant and animals diversity in the world. It recycles rainfall from coastal regions to the continental interior, providing water for Brazil’s inland agriculture. Big industries like Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, and Cargill have established industrial soy plantations in Brazil that are taking over large plots of land in the Amazon rainforest (Food for Thought). Soy has been popularized in the past decade as a healthy protein substitute forRead MoreDeforestation Of The Amazon Rainforest1779 Words   |  8 PagesSince the year 1970, 758,092 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest have been lost due to deforestation (â€Å"Changing Deforestation 1†). Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses and has been extremely prevalent in the Amazon rainforest in recent years. Many argue that the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is wrongful because of its negative impact on the environment while others argue that it is necessary to keep the BrazilianRead MoreThe Deforestation Of The Amazon Rainforest1574 Words   |  7 Pages A real life example of a social dilemma is the deforestation of the amazon rainforest. In the early 2000’s rapid industrialisation, immense scales of agriculture and other economic activities led to 20% of the territory being destroyed. The scale of destruction particularly, within Brazil was so large; NASA released an image confirming the effects were detectable from space, (Winter, 2014) Many of the contributing parties to the problem included, developers, subsistence farmers, cattle-ranchersRead MoreDeforestation in the Amazon Rainforest Essay1167 Words   |  5 PagesDeforestation in the Amazon Rainforest: Human degradation and its consequences Deforestation is a word that displays an image of cruelty against nature. In any language, and on every continent, the word deforestation is frowned upon by all social classes, however why it is still happening? The consequences of this act that involves human beings willing to cut down trees, burning plants, and destroy habitats of animals are just actions to satisfy some human being. The Amazon rainforest covers variousRead MoreDeforestation In The Amazon Rainforest Essay970 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction: Deforestation is the clearing of a forest and/or cutting down of trees for human benefits such as agriculture, wood exports, etc. Deforestation is the cause of numerous environmental impacts such as habitat loss, flooding and soil erosion. It can also cause climate change, by reducing the amount of rainfall and changing the amount of sunlight reflected from Earth’s surface and increases the risk of forest . Tree growth is important for biodiversity because they absorb carbon dioxideRead MoreEssay on The Effects of Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest1093 Words   |  5 Pagesapproximately thirty percent (â€Å"Deforestation†). That is about nine percent of the world’s total surface. The largest rainforest is the Amazon River Basin, located in South America. The Amazon is home to many species of animals, insects, plants and trees. Many of the trees and plants in the Amazon produce about twenty percent of the oxygen on earth, and absorb carbon. However, the Ama zon is decreasing in size every day due to the ongoing deforestation of the land. Deforestation is when the forest of theRead MoreTragedy of Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest Essay1243 Words   |  5 Pages The Amazon rainforest in Brazil is the world largest rainforest with over 30 million different species of plants, animals and insects. The rainforest used to cover of the earths surface but today only covers . This is mainly because some parts of the forest are being rapidly deforested because the forest is so useful to so many people. Deforestation provides benefits for many different companies which wish to make large amounts of money. Also Brazil owes largeRead MoreImpact Of Deforestation On The Amazon Rainforest Of Brazil, South America, Impact The Environment?1493 Words   |  6 PagesEvaluation Research Summary The question researched was â€Å"How does deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, South America, impact the environment?† The topic of deforestation in the Amazon was chosen as there is much concern about the problem and for the future of the Earth. There were different research processes used to discover new information about the problems in the Amazon rainforest such as, an interview with a person who currently lives in Brazil, annotating books, journals, internet

Masculinity and Advertising Essay - 5171 Words

Masculinity and Advertising Picture this: There are three beach chairs on a beach and occupying each seat is a male college student. One guy has no shirt on and is wearing a hat. With a smile on his face, he looks to his right. The two guys sitting to his left are each reading a magazine. All three men seem to be enjoying the hot weather and the one looking to his right is enjoying a beer. Coming up on his right are three beautiful girls in bikinis. One girl is blonde, very well developed, and as she walks by you can see her breasts move back and forth with every step she takes. She smiles as she walks by, and by the expression on the guys face he seems to be enjoying what he is seeing. Her two friends, who are brunettes, also have†¦show more content†¦When watching a sporting event or looking at certain topics on the web, it is very easy to see that the advertisement are targeted for men. You will rarely see a detergent commercial during a sporting event or while surfing the web there are no half-nake d women in a TIDE ad. The type of advertising on the web I am talking about are the rectangular boxes that you see at the top of the screen usually with some sort of advertisement on it. Advertising companies who are targeting men will show commercials that involve beer, cars, sports figures who are endorsing the companys product, sports drinks, shaving cream, and Norelco products. These commercials are specifically directed towards men. You have to give some credit to the advertising companies; they know exactly what time of day the majority of men will be watching television and on what sites to put their attention getters. I often ask myself why are men the targets of this style of advertising for T.V. and web sites? I know I can give you several answers to these questions. The first answer would involve the stereotypical society we live in. The men are usually seen as the ones who make the most money; therefore, advertising companiesShow MoreRelated Automotive Advertising and Masculinity Essay2364 Words   |  10 PagesAutomotive Advertising: Fueling Masculinity since Forever There has always been the clichà © of gender roles in toddlers that girls play with dolls and boys play with tools and cars. Is that what is expected of children of each sex, or do adults not know any better? When my male cousin was born when I was sixteen, the baby was showered with gifts of plastic screwdrivers, wrenches, saws, Bob the Builder accessories, and of course--toy cars. Why do we have this preoccupation that little boys--whoRead MoreHow Advertising Affects Our Society Essay1438 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is advertising? It is the billion-dollar industry that is slowly taking over our lives as they try to sell us everything. Advertising is an ever expanding force that has impacted every part of our society, including what clothes you wear, what electronics you buy, and what candidate you should vote for. Advertising is everywhere and in everything. It doesn’t only sell us products anymore, but ideas and morals. Look at any political ad to see what morals society wants humans to have. Ads haveRead MoreThe Representation Of Gender Masculinity1729 Words   |  7 Pagesconstruction of masculinity appears natural. This hegemonic masculinity is so naturalised it becomes invisible and we don’t see or think about it. Law, R (1997) states that â€Å"The concept of hegemonic masculinity allows for us to theorise the simultaneous existence of different constructions of masculinity, the social dominance of some constructions and their legitimation as ‘natural’ and the fluid and contested character of all constructions of gender† Pakeha men are the hegemonic masculinity in a New ZealandRead MoreSusan Bordo1355 Words   |  6 Pages168). She explains that the female body was completely normal for people to look at while on the other hand showing a naked male body was considered a taboo that most people were afraid to break. Over the history of time mainstream perceptions of masculinity have changed dramatically! Everything f rom ads, movies, fashion, character, and what is socially acceptable in todays world has changed since Bordo’s writings. When men started to show more of there bodies people reacted quite differently towardRead MoreVisual images Reinforce Traditional Gender and Sexuality Stereotypes948 Words   |  4 Pagesindividual psyches, normalising certain traits associated with masculinity and femininity, men and women, and impacting upon how we frame and define gender and sexual difference in contemporary consumer culture† . This opinion reinforces the notion that the visual images utilised in advertisements reinforce traditional gender and sexuality stereotypes through the depiction of characteristics traditionally associated with masculinity and femininity. The inherent gender dichotomies apparent in societyRead MoreLiterature Review Of The Old Spice Crews 968 Words   |  4 Pageshave found are and describe briefly how it gives you the context necessary to answer your question effectively. Hegemonic masculinity and media consumption It appears that men are more likely to connect with campaigns that endorse the â€Å"patriarchic culture of aggression, male dominance and control† (Kluch, 2015, p373). For example, considering the two Old Spice advertising campaigns aimed towards attracting opposite sexes, males seemed more supportive of the campaign featuring Terry Crews. Crews’Read MoreSexism Within Advertising : A New Era Of Social Justice1397 Words   |  6 Pagesof completely eradicating them will be even more difficult. An example of these mistreatments is sexism in advertising. Sexism is obviously apparent in advertising due to the fact that it solidifies toxic gender roles, introduces women as objects that can merely be bought, and sexualizes normal woman processes. Gender stereotyping may be one of the most common forms of sexism in advertising. These stereotypes can be broken down into three categories: the stereotype that portrays women as house workersRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1655 Words   |  7 Pagesdevelopment, female objectification remains normalized in today’s culture. It is incorporated into our society so significantly, that we do not even notice the objectification that permeates the media (Cortese, 2008). Female objectification in advertising is one case in which this issue can be seen. Such advertisements imply gender roles, therefore, influence the values and attitudes associated with misogyny (Hovland, 2005). The integration of patriarchy and capitalism systems in our society hasRead MoreOozing Hegemonic Masculinity in the Super Bowl Commercials702 Words   |  3 Pages2012 Super Bowl commercials ooze hegemonic masculinity. In this post David Mayeda explores how a masculinity can be used to opress men and women a like. Back in 1987, Raewyn Connell coined the term hegemonic masculinity in a seminal text, Gender Power. Hegemonic masculinity refers to the dominant form of masculinity that exists within a particular culture. Relative to this ever changing, idealized form of masculinity are different subordinated masculinities – those within a culture that do not liveRead MoreGender Socialization : Social Expectations And Attitudes Associated With One s Gender1372 Words   |  6 Pagesrevolve around gender and gender socialization. Gender socialization is â€Å"the process of learning the social expectations and attitudes associated with one’s gender† (Chegg). Our book discusses gender socialization regarding the expectations for masculinity and femininity (Wood 2015). Most companies use these expectations to create their advertisements, but some companies contradict the expectations to create a different vision for gender advertisements. The gendered advertisement campaign that I’m

American Bureaucracy Free Essays

Bureaucracy is a form of administration wherein the government is divided into bureaus or different departments which are headed by non-elected officials. This administration is characterized by a highly hierarchal distribution of authority amongst the offices and is guided by rigidly fixed procedures and rules. Max Weber listed characteristics of modern bureaucracies: (1) the functions of the bodies are rigidly fixed by laws; (2) hierarchal and integrated into a chain of command; (3) administrative policies are properly documented; (4) services require apprenticeship; (5) functions entail full devotion to office; and (6) access to this system is also an access to technology, jurisprudence commercial science and administrative science. We will write a custom essay sample on American Bureaucracy or any similar topic only for you Order Now The development of the American Bureaucracy is an end result of the division of classes into societies, wherein in the function serves to secure the acceptance of such orders. Thus, according to Lefort, bureaucracy is normally viewed as service of a dominant class within a specific framework to assure preservation of status for most for the dominant class. Moreover, American bureaucracy is seen to have several negative implications on its government form. Citizens are often concerned on the manner at which principles are being attached to certain issues. It is argued that at most times, people face the imminent danger of being placed at a stand wherein the public good is disregarded due to conflicts from rival parties, and that when the rule of justice and rights of minor party have become overpowered by the force of interested and overbearing majority (Madison, 1787). Thus, it is often said that American bureaucracy has encouraged the splitting of administration into factions, which in turn is an effect of unsteadiness and injustices within the system. These injustices are brought by the government’s influential impact on making judgment towards property sentiments, which at large differ based on the social class – wherein the inequality to acquire property is possible to equate based on social standing (Madison, 1787). Consequently, the manner of representation in the republic is also in question. The process at which a representative or representatives are elected is based on a certain limited number. Hence it will follow that proportionality of the election of officers for certain republic may render them the greater or lesser probability of representation for the emancipation of the republic that they represent (Madison, 1787). On the other hand, there are also positive views attributed in the establishment of American bureaucracy. The establishment of bureaucracy in US has pushed separate departments to become independent and to act according to their own will. This shall also follow that the members of this department will develop their own sense of authority and responsibility over their areas. But nonetheless, the idea of independence for the established departments has remained untrue so far. The independence they posses is only minimal and nominal, because the appointments that are taking place within the system and the process by which orders are done, come strictly from the rigidness of orders from higher authorities. Another thing, this kind of system is highly susceptible to biases and administration corruption, since the appointments made are delivered by higher officials and consequently the works to be done should ought to be addressed to the authority who conferred it to them (Madison 1788). Though the distribution of power amongst these departments is done in such a way that each department serves as checks and balance for the other departments, it still occurs that this distribution of authority, instead of being vigilant to the interest of the public, has rather became a cover up for private interest. And this rhetoric of division of powers which aims to distribute powers equally among different departments couldn’t be in any way possible because it is convenient and not rational to create an equal distribution of power to defend each of their own departments. However, the constitution for the American bureaucracy claims two distinct responsibilities that render this kind of administration rational and beneficial to the society. First, in contrast to bureaucracy, a single republic owes concentration of powers towards one entity, which shall serve as the lone guard against power abuse. On the other hand, in a bureaucratic state, the power is divided between two bodies, thus creating a double security against usurpation of powers by officials. Second, this division makes the interests of the republic more guarded in such a way that the first division guards the society against oppression that may be caused by the other division. Therefore, the two separate departments of the government serve as checks and balance between them (Madison 1788). Thus, bureaucracy does not necessarily entail influence on political and economic regime. Neither that its organization has relation to power, rather, bureaucracy administers itself by splitting its powers into divergence (Lefort, 2007) Moreover, the current trend of American bureaucracy is being put into test. The organization of new departments has sprung from the current US government administration, all geared towards increasing their security, customs, immigration and emergency management. According to reports, this reorganization in the US government shall become the most ambitious US reorganization since 1947. The formation of the new Department of Homeland Security shall ideally and constitutionally become the guardian of Americans against terrorist attacks, immigration advocates, and business lobbyists. However, this shall also post a great challenge on coping from the changes that it will allow. The problem shall be rooted on the dilemma of balancing old and new traditions in such a way that this will not disrupt the functions that it is ought to serve for the government and the society (Alden, 2002). Bureaucracy has served its purpose in the American government. Though it varies widely between the positive and the negative feedbacks that it has encountered over its practice, bureaucracy has indeed become an institution in the American government administration. Further, it has its process closely tied to the process of capitalist rationalization. It forms a type of social organization and establishes social strata and dictates a relationship among its members. References Alden, Edward. (22 November 2002) A Battle of American Bureaucracy. Financial Times. Retrieved November 15, 2007, from http://www. globalsecurity. org/org/news/2002/021122-secure01. htm Lefort, Claude. What is Bureaucracy? Retrieved November 15, 2007, from http://www. generation-online. org/h/fplefort. htm Madison, James. (1787 November 22) The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection. Daily Advertiser. Madison, James. (1788 February 6) The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments. Independent Journal. How to cite American Bureaucracy, Papers

One World Essay free essay sample

Water, is essential to all forms of life. Water plays a huge part in our lives whether you realize it or not. It ties in with many different factors, some being political, social, environmental and ethical. Singapore has her own water issue as well. Science plays a major role in today’s world this also includes issue of water and the benefits and limitation science can provide for Singapore in her water issue. Water is extremely vital for our survival. According to (Water Partners International. We will write a custom essay sample on One World Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2008), only about 0. 07% of all water on earth is ready to be consumed by a human and that without water, a human can only live for three days, approximately 2. 6 billion people on Earth lacks access to a safe supply of dirking water which leads to the fact that water-related diseases are one of the leading causes of disease and death in the world. According to (Water Partners International. 2008), every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. This shows us the extreme importance of water in our lives and without it we will perish, so we should not be taking what we have for granted. Singapore is a young and small country who gained her independence from Malaysia in 1965. Singapore had to rely on Malaysia for water since then till today due to her size and the amount of people living in Singapore. Singapore has advanced from being a third world country to a first world country in the past century however she still lacks the ability to produce enough drinking water for the population which according to the (CIA. 2008) is 4,608,167 people. Thus till today, Singapore still acquires water from Malaysia. According to (Lee, Poh Onn. 003), Singapore depends on Malaysia for nearly 40% of her water supply. This turns into a political issue when Malaysia threatens to cut off Singapore’s water supply from time to time. However according to (Lee, Poh Onn. 2003), â€Å"the Malaysian authorities have made repeated assurances that Malaysia intends to observe the 1961 and 1962 water agreements made with Singapore up to 2011 and 2061 respectively. † These agreement made between the two countries allow Singapore to acquire up to 1. 55 million m3 of water per day (Lee, Poh Onn. 2003). Unfortunately, it does not end here. In January 2002, the Malaysia government noted that they would like to secure a fairer price for raw water from Singapore (Lee, Poh Onn. 2003). Thus in result to the new demands of pricing, Singapore started to resorts into finding new ways to acquire water. In April 2002, they came up with the NEWater and desalination ideas which seemed as an alternative which would lessen Singapore’s present reliance on Malaysia (Lee, Poh Onn. 2003). However this play would only be in full motion in the year 2011. So as for the time being, the political tension for water continues. So the Singaporean government realized that depending on other countries for water put them in a very vulnerable position and if by any chance Malaysia suddenly decided to cut off our supply of water, what would become of the nation? This led to the creation of NEWater, to serve the purpose of the being the fourth national tap to fulfill the growing water consumption of Singapore (RGS. 2007). Science can help solve this water issue as technology today is advance enough to be able to convert sea water into drinking water, through desalination and by that producing clean drinking water. The production for clean drinking water goes though a number of processes. Below is the process of which seawater is turned into drinking water: What we can benefit from science is that we are able to treat our water to reuse and recycle it again and again. We are also able to convert sea water into drinking water if needed. However, the limitations are that the process is very costly and it might upset the balance of density and temperature in the sea which might lead to other issues such as global warming. Another limitation links in with a social issue which is if the people would comply to drink the water which has been processed. This diagram below shows Singapores current plan of maintaining a sufficient amount of water for the population: (Singapore Public Utilities Board (PUB). 2008) The idea of NEWater is very appealing and ideal. However there is a social issue it has to deal with. Singaporeans are very â€Å"kiasu (picky)† of what they consume. So the idea of drinking water which was once from their own toilet bowls doesn’t really matter to them weather it has been purified or not. This leaves the government in a very tight position. After much debating and convincing, â€Å"82% of Singaporeans are prepared to drink NEWater, while 16% of the people are prepared to drink NEWater if it is mixed with reservoir water and the remaining minority of 2% of Singaporeans still cannot accept NEWater into their daily lives. Therefore, the government is planning to progressively increase the amount of NEWater injected into our reservoirs so as to allow people to get used to drinking NEWater and accepting it into their daily lives. (RGS. 2007). Apart from local issues, water plays a very important part to the environment. Without water, everything would be dry as sand. Without water we wouldn’t be able to breathe as plants require water to photosynthesize. Without water there would be an almost instantaneous change in global temperature. However, even if somehow we lost all the water in the world and still could miraculously survive, we would lose a huge beauty in ou r world. Water not only brings us life, it gives us an environment to live in. Without water we lose: the wind, clouds, oceans, waterfalls, rainbows, snow, ice, diving, coral reefs, diving, swimming, surfing, ice cream, even centuries of tradition like the Winter Olympic Games. Anything that is required of water we lose. That is why we must preserve our oceans and water even if science allows us to somehow live without water. Water also plays a major part in ethical issues such as religions. In many religions, water is used to cleanse the soul. Or purify a being. For example, when being baptized in Christianity, holy water is sprinkled over a person (Farlex Inc. 003). Due to the all the facts given and discussed, I believe that it is safe to conclude that water is not only one of the main essence of life to us and all living things but also a beauty of which should never be taken away.

Othello as an Outsider Essays

Othello as an Outsider Essays Othello as an Outsider Paper Othello as an Outsider Paper Essay Topic: Othello In Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Othello† the character Othello is presented as an outsider to the events that are taking place amongst the other characters. He was excluded from what the truth holds and this caused his downfall, along with his jealous nature and stubbornness. To make things worse Iago’s cunning plans captures Othello into a downward spiral to his defeat. The sense of irony involved is regarded as a highly important technique that is repeated through out the play. As a stubborn and decisive man he was unable to discern from evil and good. His extreme jealous nature is a significant character trait in which plays a large roll in Othello’s actions. Othello is presented as an outsider to the events that take place throughout the play, this causes the drama and increased irony within the play. He is unaware of the conversations and relationships that are taking place between other characters such as Desdemona and Cassio. Being oblivious towards the truth and having an insecure nature he jumped to conclusion without attempting to sort out complications. His insecurities lead him to only trust the one and only â€Å"honest† Iago, without knowing he is trusting the wrong person he was manipulated. Due to the fact that Othello only believed in his â€Å"honest† Iago he was unable to make decisions that weren’t biased from the rumors which Iago convinced was true. Othello as an outsider came with difficulties due to the lack of trust he had with Desdemona, the lack of trust came from the insufficient amount of communication they had with each other. He placed a small amount of trust into his own wife compared to the trust he had give to â€Å"honest† Iago. This may have been due to his lack of communication with females during his military conflicts. The lack of knowledge of communication may have made it difficult for him to communicate with his wife. He may have learnt to never trust a woman in military situations but found it difficult to adjust into household situations. A fatal flaw that Othello had was the jealous nature in which he had. His high amount jealousy made it convenient for Iago to manipulate Othello through his cunning words â€Å"beware, my lord, of jealous: it is the green eyed monster†. Although he seems to be convincing Othello to be aware of jealousy he secretly wants Othello to turn jealous. By saying this it highlights the dramatic irony in which Iago challenges to destroy Othello’s success. His jealous nature and with the ocular proof before him he could not resist from planning his wife’s death â€Å"I’ll not expostulate with her, let her body and beauty unprovide my mind again†. This is enough to suggest Othello is a very stubborn and decisive man that does not liked to be questioned. Just like a General he will take responsibility for his actions and for his woman. His judgment and accusation that he made was unreasonable and he refused to listen to her explain to â€Å"unprovide my mind again†. Othello has a constant fear for his reputation that has been put into jeopardy by his wife. As a General he is highly regarded and if anyone were to find out of this cuckold he would be shamed in front of his army. In Act 2 Scene 3 Cassio foreshadowed Othello in the lost of his reputation, â€Å"I have lost the immortal part of myself†. The loss of reputation is seen as loosing a part of one’s self, Cassio was unable to bear the consequence of losing face in front of his general. He repeats the word reputation to emphasise the importance of his reputation in which he has lost. After the death of his wife in Act 5 Scene 2 he feels the shame in â€Å"one that loved not wisely, but too well†. Othello admits his weakness as a jealous man, which led him to kill himself from the truth of his actions. The trafficking of human beings from Africa to western countries was highly common in the time of Othello’s leadership of his men. This is a crucial point in which reflects on the concept of Othello as an outsider. Othello as an Arabian Moor was a slave in his past years â€Å"And sold to slavery†, this may have caused his low self-esteem and unconfident image. In Elizabethan times society’s attitudes towards Moors and different races were often very poor. It was clear that Moors like Othello were not welcome to a place in the Elizabethan social order. Shakespeare’s audience would have seen Othello and Desdemona’s marriage as an outrage. It would have caused the audience to perceive this as unusual because he is a black man. Others around him may have been jealous of his success like Iago, it was too much for him to accept which led him to feel the need to destroy Othello. Brabantio was too ashamed of his daughter’s decision to marry a Moor. It was seen as an unjustified action, Brabrantio’s reaction towards the marriage was very poor. This issue relates back to the theme of reputation and loss of face amount colleagues. Brabantio had lost face in front of the Duke and all the Senators of the State because of Desdemona. â€Å"Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father and may thee†, Brabantio is foreshadowing the reason of Othello’s downfall. As an Arabian Othello was unaware of Venetian customs and traditions. This played a major part in the play because of the uncertainties Othello had for his wife and himself. The uncertainties lead to a low self-esteem and knowledge about his wife, without knowledge of Venetian women it was hard for him to understand Desdemona. Through out the play Othello as in outsider had unfair stereotypes placed upon him, this proved to be a challenge for him. There was a constant fear of his reputation at stake, it was possible that he did not want to remain a slave for the Venetians. Shakespeare’s use of a black man as a main character of the play, this suggests that he disagrees with the stereotypical white man as the superior character. If Othello was not an outsider he may have been the superior protagonist of the play and there would not have been a downfall in his success.

Types of Financial Aid for Graduate Students

Types of Financial Aid for Graduate Students There are several different types of financial aid available to graduate students. If eligible, you can receive more than one type of aid. Most students get a combination of grants and loans. Some students may receive scholarships in addition to grants and loans. There are multiple sources of funding for graduate students. Graduate students usually finance their education through fellowships and assistantships in addition to grants and loans. In order to prevent using your own money for school, consider the various options and apply for various government and private aid. Grants: Grants are gifts that you do not need to repay. There are several different types of grants available to students. Students may receive grants from the government or through private sources of funding. Usually, government grants are given to students with need, such as having a low household income. However, government grants require students to maintain a specific GPA throughout their academic career in order to continue to receive aid. Private grants usually come in the form of scholarships and have their own guidelines. The amount being offered varies for each individual based on different criteria. In graduate school, grants can be used towards, travel, research, experiments, or projects. Scholarships Scholarships are awards given to students based on academic excellence and/or talent. Additionally, students may receive scholarships based on other factors, such as ethnic background, field of study, or financial need. Scholarships vary in their amounts and the number of years given aid. For example, they can be awarded a one-time payment or receive aid annually for a certain number of years (Ex/ $1000 scholarship vs. $5000 per year for four years). Like a grant, students do not need to pay back the money awarded in a scholarship. Scholarships can be awarded through your school or through private sources. Institutions offer various scholarships based on merit, talent, and/or need. Contact your school for a list of scholarships being offered to students. Private scholarships are offered through organizations or companies. Some organizations make students compete for awards through performance or essay writing, whereas some look for students that fit specific requirements and standards. You can search for private scholarships on the internet, through online scholarship search engines (e.g. FastWeb), scholarship books, or by contacting your school. Fellowships Fellowships are granted to graduate and post-grad students. They are like scholarships and, similarly, do not require repayment. Fellowships are awarded by private organizations, institutions, or through the government. Fellowships vary in the amount being awarded and can be used either towards research or education. Students can be given a 1- to 4-year stipend with or without a tuition waiver. The type of fellowship awarded is based on merit, need, and the institutions/facultys grant. Some schools allow you to directly apply for fellowships offered through the schools. However, some schools only award fellowships to students who have been recommended by a faculty member. Assistantships Assistantships are similar to internships or work-study programs awarded during your undergraduate years. However, assistantships require students to usually work as assistant teachers (TA), research assistants (RA), assistants to professors, or perform other duties on campus. The amount awarded through assistantships varies based on faculty/institution grants or state or federal aid. Research positions are paid through grants and teaching positions are paid through the institution. The research and teaching positions acquired are in your field of study or department. TAs usually teach introductory-level courses and RAs assist faculty in conducting laboratory work. Every school and department has their own regulations and requirements for TAs and RAs. Contact your department for more information. Loans A loan is money that is awarded to a student based on need. Unlike a grant or scholarship, loans must be repaid to the institution that it is received from (government, school, bank, or private organization). There are several types of loans that are available. The different loans vary in the amount you can borrow, in their requirements, interest rates, and repayment plans. Individuals who are not eligible for government loans may receive loans through private organizations. Private companies have their own qualifications, interest rates, and repayment plans. Many banks offer private student loans specifically for college students. However, private companies are believed to have higher interest rates and stricter guidelines.

Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 22

Business - Essay Example During peak seasons, the statement will indicate more cash in than cash out, but the opposite is true during the off-peak season. If seasonal fluctuations are discovered by the owners, they should brainstorm strategies to keep their cash-in and cash-out equal no matter the season. This may include selling different products during the off-peak and peak season or even offering discounts. The balance sheet is the best financial statement to indicate impact. This is because the new building bought is an asset and will therefore reflect on the balance sheet. The income statement will also be impacted on because it will indicate the expenses of purchasing that building during that financial year. Whether the building brings in cash or demands more cash out of the coffee shop will be reflected in the statement of cash flows (Fridson and Alvarez, 2011). c) Which financial statement shows a quick view of the coffee shops ability to pay back a loan? Are there other factors that are not shown on the statement that should be considered by someone making such a loan to the owners? The income statement is the best financial statement that gives a quick view of the coffee shop. This is because it just indicates the annual profits and losses the shop has made since it began. The statement does not indicate the assets the shop has which if financially boosted can increase the profits by far but since they are not in use or are underutilized have become a liability to the shop. If the person granting a loan is able to view their assets, then he or she may be in a better position to make a fair judgment of whether to grant the shop a loan based on its potentialities of expansion or

RECONSTRUCTION AND RADICAL Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

RECONSTRUCTION AND RADICAL - Assignment Example Reconstruction, it remains true that Radical Reconstruction was more challenging for the Southern States to fulfill than Presidential and provided more benefit to the freedom. The main reason that rendered Radical Reconstruction more challenging in the Southern States was the ability of the same to undermine the South’s economic and social gains. Specifically, Radical Construction fundamentally demanded the democratization and redrawing of racial relations and the enshrining of these milestones in the constitution. This would mean that the rules that had been enshrined in the Emancipation Proclamation would be upheld and not reversed. Although President Abraham Lincoln had successfully issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, yet there was hope among the Southerners that the legal stipulations thereof could be reversed. As a matter of fact, to underscore the reality of this hope, Southerners had attempted to reverse the Emancipation Proclamation by universally condemning it in the Confederacy and then following this condemnation with legal means (Festle, 2003). Again, Festle (2003) divulges that Radical Reconstruction was viewed as a serious threat to the welfare of the South since it could allow blacks the chance to access educational, economic and educational opportunities as a way of transforming their welfare and the society in which they lived. This according to the Southerners meant that blacks were no longer going to kowtow to white American’s demands and servitude. As if their fears were founded, as the Radical Reconstruction neared its conclusion, African Americans vied for greater freedom and empowerment, while unrelentingly challenging and addressing centuries of anti-black laws and traditions. The foregoing does not downplay the hardship that the South experienced in Presidential Reconstruction. However, compared to Radical Reconstruction, Presidential Reconstruction was a lesser evil. In fact, the President could still be

Everybody Should Take Stand Against Corruption Politics Essay

Everybody Should Take Stand Against Corruption Politics Essay Corruption in Afghanistan is considered one of the greatest challenges and issues both the citizens and government is facing. It has become widely recognized one of the major source of increasing poverty, backwardness, and instability in the country. It has also been considered a key challenge for governance and rule of law. Apart from this corruption is also an obstacle for the sustainable growth of economy which the country is struggling with. Although, both the government and the citizens have taken major steps to decrease the level of corruption in the governmental departments, the results are still not convincing. Different attempts have been made in order to define corruption; but still there is no precise, clear, single and accepted definition corruption which can be applicable to all forms, types and degrees of corruption. According to World Bank corruption is defined as the use of public office for private gains, or in other words, use of official position, rank or status by an office bearer for his own personal benefit. In this definition, examples of corrupt behaviors include: (a) bribery, (b) extortion, (c) fraud, (d) embezzlement, (e) nepotism, (f) cronyism, (g) appropriation of public assets and property for private use, and (h) influence peddling. (Myint) Corruption has posed serious challenges to the Afghan societies. In the political realm, it has undermined democratic values and good governance and has negatively affected formal democratic processes. Corrupt elections in have reduced the amount of accountability and responsiveness in the elected officials. In the judiciary, corruption in many instances has compromised the rule of law and responsibility against public. More generally, corruption has decreased the capacity of the governmental institutions. Many procedures in the government institutions are considered useless. Apart from this the public wealth and public resources are unequally distributed; the offices are often bought and sold. Moreover, corruption has also undermined the legitimacy of Afghan government and has negatively affected public trust and their tolerance. Everybody understands that corruption will not do any good to anyone. On the contrary, it harms everybody and society. So, in order to get rid of this serious issue and live in a corruption free society everybody should take a stand against corruption. Although, the Afghan government has made several commitments to combat corruption, but the problem is still widespread. Fighting and finally eradication of corruption needs serious work and commitments. It is understandable that corruption cannot be eradicated in a short period of time. It needs years and maybe decades. Combating corruption is not easy. In order to do so, one should know the causes and effects of the corruption on societies. Apart from governmental institutions, International Non-governmental Organizations such as Integrity Watch Afghanistan, United Nationals Agencies and Transparency International has found out numerous causes of corruption in Afghanistan among which United Nation Development Program (UNDP) has offered a broader list of commonly cited causes of corruption. The list includes: (i) a lack of rules, oversight and enforcement; (ii) institutional weaknesses in legislative and judicial systems; (iii) low incomes for public officials; (iv) high rewards comp ared to risks for corrupt behavior; and (v) a low likelihood of having corruption detected. (Balboa and Medalla) All the issues which cause corruption have created serious threats to Afghanistans development, questioned government legitimacy, increased tension between Afghan government and international community which in result has caused instability. Its growing threat has undermined the authority and accountability of government and has decreased the public trust in the government. The effect of corruption has many political, economic, social and environmental effects on the Afghan society which will be discussed one by one. In political spectrum, corruption has obstructed the democratic values which are the basis of Afghan government and the rule of law. Corruption is considered as one of the main obstacles to the development of democracy. Public institutions and governmental departments which are mainly created for the delivery of public services are the units of democratic system. When the officials of these institutions engage in corrupt activities, the institution loses their credibility. Lack of accountability can question the legitimacy of these institutions. Increase in corruption can result political instability and lack of transparency. Apart from this, corrupt societies lack sound political competition. The decisions are often made based on personal authority rather than legal authority which in turn undermine democratic values. These issues finally lead to anger and frustration in the citizens. For instance, Khalis Shinwari, a volunteer inspector assigned by the local elders in Jalalabad to identify cases of bad craftsmanship in development projects, told The Washington Post that the people are angryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but to whom they can complain? (Basar) This sort of dissatisfaction in the citizens can pose major challenges for the young democratic system of Afghanistan. The economic effects of corruption have serious impact on the whole country. First and foremost, corruption causes the misuse of national wealth by a small part of the population. It often results the unequal distribution of wealth, increases costs of goods and the delivery of public services. A report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lists some major economic consequences of corruption as (i) Prevention of economic growth; (ii) reduction in the effectiveness of international assistance; and (ii) loss of tax revenue given that bribes may be paid to evade taxes and customs. (Basar) In corrupt societies corruption causes the transformation of public wealth into private and neglects the necessities of public. The funds are spent on unnecessary projects and the basic needs of citizens are often ignored. Socially, corruption discourages people for working together for the common good of a society. It disturbs social services delivery, increase frustration among the citizens, which in return results in a weak civil society. Apart from this, corruption increases poverty in a society, and increase the gap between the rich and poor. In a corrupt society, paying and taking bribes becomes a tradition which results in inequality, hatred and insecurity. According to UNDP, corruption increases the price of public services and lowers their quality. (Basar) Furthermore, paying bribes for public service frustrate citizens and demoralizes citizens trust on the government which causes social unrest. To sum up, it has become clear that if Afghanistan wants to emerge as a strong democratic state, the government and the citizens need to take concrete steps to fight this serious disease which is spreading day by day. History has shown that corruption has been one of the main factors for the downfall of many regimes. It undermines the legitimacy of the government, weakening the structure; badly affect the economy, worsening poverty, affect reconstruction and increase insecurity and instability. Everybody understands that Afghanistan is decades away from reaching corrupt free society but both government and the citizens has to take a stand and place the fight against corruption as one of the top priorities for the development and stabilization of their beloved country.

Career Self-Reflection Essay

Medical regulatory and legal compliance are important areas of health records management. Consider how deeply you might be interested in overseeing these aspects of patient information in your professional work. From what you have learned about compliance issues so far, highlight the choices that best reflect your career interests and explain your reasons: 1. I would enjoy the authority for seeing that documents within patient files are complete, legible, and organized appropriately. †¢ True True †¢ False because: There are times when patient records are unreadable and there should be someone with the ability to go back over the records and make sure that the doctor can read the information provided. 2. I would enjoy the authority for ensuring that patient files are filed accurately. †¢ True True †¢ False because: Patient files should be filed in an appropriate manner to provide easy access to the doctor or others that need to know precisely where the fiule is at any given time. 3. I would enjoy the authority for developing procedures to track and circulate medical records effectively. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I have provided feedback at my place of employment on tracking procedures for patient files because there have been several times when the doctor has come looking for a chart and no one knew where the chart was or who had it and that is not appropriate. 4. I would enjoy the authority for training office employees to follow records management standards. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I have been proctor for my fellow employees on several occasions and I enjoy watching them grow in their positions. 5. I would enjoy the authority for keeping up with changes in filing policies and compliance standards. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I would enjoy the filing policies but the compliance standards are a different story. I have stated several times I believe state inspectors should have to work in a nursing facility for one week before they set some of their standards because some of them have no clue what goes on in a nursing facility on a daily basis. 6. I would enjoy the authority for investigating reports of suspected violations of policies and standards. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I am very passionate about privacy. Patient rights and patient privacy should be held in high regard. Not everyone needs to know a patients business.

Political And Social Upheavals Caused By War - 1533 Words

We have all seen or read about the political and social upheavals caused by war. Some may have even experienced it first-hand. Throughout history war has had negative psychological implications on those effected. However, there is no greater negative impact of war than the psychological and emotional turmoil that it causes individual soldiers. To narrow down the scope of these psychological effects, I have chosen to focus on the U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War during the period 1962 to 1973. The Vietnam War was, in my opinion, the first war that really allowed Americans to become aware of the psychological effects of war. While for many of us the Vietnam War has long been forgotten, our soldiers risked their lives in the jungles of South East Asia for a cause that made no sense politically, militarily and economically. They continue to relive the horrors of this war through flashbacks, nightmares and other symptoms. American soldiers either volunteered or got drafted to serve their country. While most wars are fought through conventional means, U.S. soldiers experience guerilla style warfare for the first time in Vietnam. The North Vietnamese Army used unconventional methods of fighting ranging from, ambushes and raids on the Americans. Vietnamese were able to carry out these tactics because they were able to build underground tunnels to shield their soldiers from the Americans and allow surprise attacks on U.S. soldiers in the Viet Cong jungles. â€Å"FromShow MoreRelatedWitch Hunts of the Early Modern Period as the Result of Religious and Social Upheaval1075 Words   |  5 PagesPeriod as the Result of Religious and Social Upheaval The Early Modern Period was a time of great change in and around Europe. The people of the age were faced with upheaval of all forms; religious, social, political and even economical. Religious upheaval stemmed from changes in religious views and practises. 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Women Equality Men - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 28 Words: 8449 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Sociology Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Today, women have gained a new equality with men. This perspective is indisputable This review explores the contemporary literature on the theme of women and work in the light of the suggestion that women have indisputably gained a new equality with men. Overwhelming evidence has been found for the persistence of gender inequalities which work to disadvantage women in the context of work, including domestic work, although it is clear that providing explanations for this phenomenon has shown that the issue is complex and highly contested. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Women Equality Men" essay for you Create order It is argued that a redefinition and re-interpretation of the inter-dependence between paid and unpaid work, care and leisure is needed. There seems no doubt that in order for there to be a greater measure of real gender equality, male identity, in particular, must beer-examined and changed. It seems clear that research and policy are focusing more on the ways in which caring, in particular, is perceived and constructed in gender terms. However, in order to effect real change in gender equality, it is argued that there must be recognition of the myriad of ways in which both masculinities and femininities are constructed and interact with each other in this complex field. Chapter One Introduction The focus of this literature review is upon the theme of women and work within the context of the premise that women have gained an indisputable equality with men. Whilst it seems, in theory, more equitable, to have included commentary and research in equal amounts from men and women, an exploration of the literature revealed a far greater contribution to the debate from women than from men, perhaps by virtue of womens perception of their own disadvantaged position, and this bias is consequently reflected in the variety of sources cited. Literature search was conducted within a University library database, using the search criteria women and work and gender equality and work and this yielded access to a selection of books and articles. The sources selected for inclusion in the review were restricted to those which specifically focus upon gender differences and inequalities in the realm of work, defined in its widest sense to include that undertaken within the household as well as work in the formal labour market. Due to the plethora of writing and research in this field, the decision was made to restrict sources to those produced within the last ten years, thus maintaining a contemporary focus, although references are made to earlier works. Chapter topics reflect the themes which emerged from the literature. Chapter Two presents a historical overview of womens employment and the major ideology by which it has been underpinned in British society together with the ways in which the different patterns of employment between men and women have served to disadvantage women, particularly in economic terms. Chapter Three explores women as employees in more depth, particularly the ways in which organisations, occupations and spheres of work are profoundly gendered and how this, again, seems to work against women, although it will be shown that this is a contested area. The focus in Chapter Four is upon domestic labour and the ways in which its traditional construction as womens work has been strongly contested. The different ways in which work is itself construed, in both the traditional world of work and the private domain, sets the scene for a change of emphasis. The literature reflects a movement, in Chapter Five, from a concentration upon the inequalities and injustices heaped upon women through patriarchal structures towards a redefinition of the key issues through an exploration of the increasingly blurred distinctions between paid work, unpaid domestic work, care and leisure. A reinterpretation of caring and how this may be incorporated into the discourse on gender and work has been highlighted. It is argued that there is a clear need for more serious account to be taken of the lived experiences of both men and women, to celebrate, rather than denigrate, gender differences and to strive to understand the ways in which such differences are constructed in ways which may disadvantage both men and women. Chapter Two The nature and extent of womens employment Many commentators have noted the different ways in which women and men have organized their lives together and how the work that each undertakes has changed and developed over time (Crompton, 1997; Hatt,1997). Crompton (1997) describes how the gender division of labour originated from, and was profoundly reshaped by, the advent of industrialisation in Britain. By the turn of the 20th century, men became increasingly associated with paid or market work, whilst women were identified with the household and non-market work. This trend became intimately connected with an ideology of womanhood which effectively served to exclude women from market work. As Crompton asserts, the male-breadwinner model emerged from the ideology of separate spheres in which the home and domestic sphere was defined as belonging to women, whilst that of the outside world including the workplace was defined as that of men (1997, p.8). There seems little doubt, as will become clear later in this review, that assuming the main responsibility for household tasks and child-rearing has had a significant impact upon womens participation in market work. The idea that this responsibility is somehow natural can be said to underpin many family-related explanations for womens behaviour in the labour market, however, this is clearly a contentious issue. Those who support the view that the gender division of labour manifested in todays society is rooted in biological differences between the sexes include Hakim (1995; 1996) and Browne (1998). Hakim (1995), for example, sets out to explain the particular patterns of womens employment in Britain and how they are distinct from those of men. She draws on findings from the socio-biological field which cite male traits of aggressiveness, dominance and competitiveness as rooted in hormonal differences between men and women. These natural masculine traits are seen as instrumental in the disproportionate participation and success of men in the employment sphere. In similar vein, Browne (1998) argues, that biologically influenced sex differences in behaviour have important ramifications for the occupational choices made by men and women in the working sphere and their differential employment patterns. Whilst clearly decrying outright sexual discrimination, Browne suggests that much of the glass ceiling and gender gap is the product of basic biological sex differences in personality and temperament acting in the context of the modern labour market and that these differences are the product of differential reproductive strategies followed by the two sexes during the course of human evolution (1998, p.5). Browne argues that instead of denying the reality of these natural sex differences in the pursuit of socially constructed explanations for the gender gap, it will be more productive for feminists, in particular, to embrace them and incorporate them into future discourse about work. Hakim (1995; 1996) is also critical of feminist commentators on womens employment, such as Wallaby (1990), who have suggested that occupational segregation, the construction of womens jobs as separate from mens jobs, has been a mechanism through which women have been systematically denied access to jobs by men. Hartmann (1982), as cited by Crompton (1997), described the rationale behind occupational segregation by sex as the mechanism through which mens superiority over women is maintained by enforcing lower wages for women in the labour market in order ensure their dependence on men. Hartmann (1982) asserts that men benefit from both higher wages and the domestic division of labour and thus, the latter, in turn, serves to perpetuate womens inferior position in the labour market (Crompton,1997, p.11). Hakim argues against this analysis, however, suggesting that the different pattern of womens labour-force participation and work commitment is due to womens choices according to their tastes and preferences. Hence, some women choose to give more priority to their domestic role and child-rearing and less to their employment careers, though, for example, working part-time rather than full-time or opting for less demanding occupations (Hakim, 1996). Hat (1997) discusses the issue of gender and work from an economic perspective and points out that the labour resources of an economy include women and men engaging in productive activity in both the labour market and the household. The working population, however, is term most often used, particularly by economists, to describe those women and men who are engaged in paid employment, self-employment, in Forces, on work-related training schemes or registered as unemployed. This effectively excludes all those women or men in the unpaid sector and full-time homemakers. Hat (1997) records that in1993, in the 16 to 64 age group, 71% of all men and 53% of all women were participating in the working population. The Equal Opportunities Commission report that in the same age group in 2004, over 83% of men and 70% of women were economically active (EOC, 2005, p.8). Although caution is needed in comparisons between different sets of statistics, it seems clear that a larger proportion of men than of women participate in the working population but the gap would seem to be closing. It is notable, however, that patterns of labour force participation by women and men are both distinct and different. Hat (1997) notes that, in 1993, for prime age male workers aged 24 to 49, participation rates were over 90%, declining after the age of 50. For women in 1993, the participation rate was 71% for the age range 24 to 34, falling to 54%for women with a child under 5 years old, increasing again as children enter school. Similarly, in 2004, 52% of mothers with children under 5years old were in employment, of these women, around 66% were working part-time. Crompton (1997) observes that almost all of the increase in womens employment in Britain from the 1950s until the 1980s was impart-time work. This trend is further underlined in the latest statistics in that nearly half of all women (44%) and about 10% of all men work part-time (EOC, 2005). As the statistics show, clearly women are more likely than men to work on a part-time basis. Writers seem divided as to explanations for this phenomenon. Wallaby (1990), for example, has suggested that the expansion of part time employment represents a kind of capitalist, patriarchal conspiracy in which mainly male employers have secured womens cheap and docile labour, whilst at the same time freeing women to continue undertaking domestic labour in the home. Crompton(1997), also, notes that part-time work.has a reputation of being insecure, low-paid and with little by way of training or promotion prospects (p.33). She cites Beeches and Perkins (1987) who suggest that certain jobs were actually constructed as part-time jobs because they were seen as womens jobs, invariably low graded and rarely defined as skilled (Crompton, 1997, p.33). Other writers, such as Hakim (1996), deny the assertion that employers have sought to construct poor work for women, asserting instead that it is women themselves who have demanded part-time work to fit in with their other domestic responsibilities employers have simply responded to meet this demand (Hakim, 1996). Evidence from research by Rubbery et al(1994), however, suggests that not only is part-time work less flexible than full-time work and of inferior quality, but also it has been developed largely to suit the needs of the employer. Since most part-time workers are women, it is women who are most affected by the disadvantages associated with this mode of work. Chapter Three Women as employees Hat (1997) traces the changes in the working population and employment patterns of men and women in recent decades, pointing out that whilst there has been a decline in male employment since 1980, female employment since that time has increased. She cites the official census data from 1994 which revealed that this latter increase was due to a greater proportion of mothers entering paid employment (Hatt,1997). It has been well-documented that within the labour market, women play a different role from men. As we have seen, women are more likely than men to work part-time and, as Hat observes, they also work in different industries from men, occupy different positions even within mixed industries and are under-represented in senior positions(1997, p.17). Many commentators have noted that women are concentrated in certain industries and occupations, such as clerical work, catering, cleaning and caring work whereas men are more often found in the manufacturing sector and the construction industry, for example (Hat, 1997; Franks,1999; Moe, 2003). Even when women and men are found in the same sector, men tend to occupy the more senior positions with women more often situated in the lower ranks of the hierarchy (Hat, 1997; Franks,1999). As Hat (1997) records, women are under-represented at senior-levels throughout all occupational categories (p.21). Crompton(1997) examines the banking industry, in some detail, as an example of the response to labour market demands for low-level clerical workers. She describes how this industry, along with others such as insurance and local government, helped to generate a mass, feminized clerical labour force (Crompton, 1997, p.107). Both direct and indirect discriminatory practices against women within particular banks came to light and pressure from the Equal Opportunities Commission forced some important policy changes. Crompton (1997) acknowledges that there have been major changes to employment practices in the financial sector in general, in later years, as far as gender equality is concerned. She cites structural factors, such as the demand for labour and the organization of the labour process alongside male exclusionary practices as the main contributors to the unequal position of female employees within the banking sector. She also concedes, however, that despite recent reforms, women continue to far outweigh men in occupying low-level positions in banking. It is useful, at this point, to identify the key pieces of government legislation in the UK which have been designed to directly address the issue of equal opportunities between women and men. The first is these Discrimination Act 1975 which promoted the basic principle that men and women should not be less favourably treated by virtue of their sexier marital status. The other is the Equal Pay Act 1975 designed to outlaw discrimination between women and men in the same employment, in pay and other conditions regarding their contracts of employment. This Act was later amended in 1984 to incorporate the Equal Pay for Equal Value principle. In addition to these Acts, the UK is also bound by Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome to uphold European Community equal treatment and equal pay directives (Griffin, 2002). The Equal Opportunities Commission, set up through the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975, functions as the expert organisation on equality between women and men, its main tasks being to work towards the elimination of discrimination; to promote equality of opportunity and to keep under review the effectiveness of the Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts (Griffin, 2002, p.11). In the area of what has become known as the gender pay gap, it seems that, in general, the gap between male and female earnings has narrowed over the past 60 years, but the trend has been inconsistent. For example, female managers and administrators earned 55% of the annual earnings of their male counterparts on 1970, compared to only 33% in the mid 1920s (EOC,1999). However, this discrepancy narrowed by only 1% in this field of work between the mid 1950s and 1970. Since 1970, although this gap has narrowed significantly with women earning 63% of the pay of their male counterparts, compared to 81% for 1998, it was noted that in all ethnic groups, men have higher average hourly earnings than women(EOC, 1999, p.5). This statistical evidence for the steady narrowing of the gender pay gap appears encouraging in terms of the equality agenda. However, as Griffin (2002) observes, there are other relevant issues. She records that, when we look at all sources of income, including earnings from employment and self-employment, occupational pensions, investment and benefit income, womens income is significantly lower than that of men, apart from state benefits. For example, figures taken from the EOC forth year 1996-7 showed that 45% of women had an income of less than100 a week as compared with 20% of men (Griffin, 2002). More latterly, the EOC has recorded that the gender gap in terms of income has remained quite high, stating that the gender gap between women and mens mean individual incomes in 2002/3 was 46% (EOC, 2005). The EOC (2001) records that despite improvements in recent years, stereotyping remains evident in many professional occupations. Notwithstanding the evidence that greater numbers of women are entering certain professions, such as higher education or the law, womens share of higher level jobs remains generally low. Certain professional and technical occupations, the occupational segregation noted earlier, apparently continue to be heavily dominated by either men or women(EOC, 2001). Empirical studies, especially within the feminist perspective over the past two decades, have moved away from the study of organizational structures per se in order to seek explanations for this persistence in the positioning of men and women in the workplace. Writers such as Pringle (1988), Chodorow (1989) and Halford and Savage(1995), for example, have instead demonstrated how specific kinds of masculinities and femininities, and discourses of gender, are constructed within the workplace. The emphasis here is upon recognizing the diversity of discourses on what it is to be a male or female employee and, ultimately, to avoid over-generalising about all men or all women. One example of this is illustrated by Crompton(1997) in her exposition of different masculinities in the banking industry. She charts the movement within managerial positions in banking from a need for solid, paternalistic men towards the requirement for a more competitive, assertive masculinity within selling culture. Crompton (1997), however, argues that although these discursive, post-modern insights do much to enhance our understanding of the pattern of womens employment, and the different ways in which gender is constructed in the workplace, structural or material explanations remain important. Nazarko (2004) offers a contemporary analysis of the barriers faced by women in the workplace. She maintains that the drive for equal opportunities has hitherto failed to challenge the premise that certain groups of workers such as women are less productive and less attractive to employers (p.25) or the assumption that older workers, including women, are less valuable. Nazarko highlights the popularity of organisational initiatives which promote diversity and difference in the field of human resources. Wilson and Iles (1999), for example, have argued that diversity management improves recruitment, retention and creativity within organisations (Nazarko, 2004, p.25). Nazarkocites researchers such as Rosner (1995) who have pointed out that women and men have different styles of working and managing. Women, for example, tend to use interactional styles in management, encouraging participation, sharing power and information and energising others. In contrast, men tend to use transactional styles, seeing pieces of works series of transactions. Both styles are seen as equally valid and also, may be the preferred model for any individual, regardless of gender. It is argued, then, that both organisations and employees will benefit from initiatives which value diversity and difference, since people would be evaluated and treated as individuals, rather than asocial groups and associated stereotypical connotations. Nazarko(2004), however, fears that the diversity approach does not necessarily eliminate the power structures which persist in society. She argues that until female dominated professions such as nursing are valued as much as male dominated professions like the police force, it is difficult to see how gender equality can be attained. Chapter Four Domestic labour womens work? It is well-documented that the Industrial Revolution within the western world generated a distinction between paid work outside the home and unpaid domestic labour within the household. Mens economic activity came to be focused upon paid work, hence the male breadwinner model, whilst women have commonly divided their working lives between the unpaid domestic sphere and activity in the labour market. Hat(1997) represents the feminist approach to this issue by highlighting the way in which women have long been disadvantaged, particularly in economic terms, by their traditional domestic responsibilities. Not only does their focus upon unpaid domestic task constrain their participation in paid work, domestic work itself is an unpaid economic activity which has for too long passed unnoticed; the skills, which the successful homemaker acquires, go unrecognized in wage and promotion schemes (Hat, 1997, p.50). The terms upon which both men and women are able to participate within the labour market are very different and in this respect, it would seem difficult to argue for a level of equality between the sexes. Many commentators have noted, household and child-rearing duties weigh more heavily upon women than men and have traditionally been excluded from economic analyses of participation in work in the widest sense(Crompton, 1997; Hat, 1997; Franks, 1999). As Hat observes household responsibilities and paid employment are both valid productive activities but they are not equally rewarded by society(1997, p. 49). DE et al (1995), in their analysis of the British Household Panel Survey in the mid 1990s, point out that very few men cited household or family responsibilities as affecting their labour market behaviour, whereas over 80% of women surveyed felt that their labour market participation had been adversely affected by these duties. As Franks(1999) points out, work has come to be synonymous with having a paid job and its counterpart is regarded as leisure. Thus, other kinds of activity such as cleaning the house, doing the shopping, cooking and caring for children and elderly relatives do not officially count as work, although for those involved, it may actually feel very much like work. Underpinning the traditional sexual division of labour is the idea that mens paid work is dependent upon a shadow economy of womens unpaid work (Franks, 1999). Thus, the increased participation of women in the formal paid workforce throws the spotlight onto the status of what had always essentially been regarded as a labour of love. Franks (1999) presents the example of widowed fathers who do not receive the lump sums, tax allowances and continuing state benefits received by widowed mothers. A missing fathers financial contributions recognised, whereas a widowers deceased partner is considered to have had no economic value. One solution offered by some economists has been to officially regard this labour as a form of taxation whereby all of society benefits from it as if they were paying directly to the state (Franks, 1999). Other commentators (Charles and Kerr, 1999); Morris, 1999) have also stressed that despite the contemporary rhetoric of equality between the sexes, the traditional ideology which divides men and women into breadwinner and homemaker is still very much alive. Charles andKerr (1999), for example, point out that even where there may have been certain egalitarian sharing of domestic tasks within couples initially, once children arrive on the scene it is almost always the case that the woman takes on the responsibility for child-care and household tasks whilst the man takes on the role of breadwinner. It is argued that although, ostensibly, this arrangement may appear to be complementary relationship with roles being different but equal, there is a differential allocation of power which renders women disadvantaged. On giving up paid work outside the home, or taking on lower-paid, low-status part-time work, women relinquish their power and status, at least economically (Charles and Kerr, 1999). Having responsibility for decisions about food purchase, or other household necessities, cooking and childcare, it is argued, effectively constitutes the exercise of power by women in other peoples interests. As Charles and Kerr suggest, most of them (women) carryout these tasks within a set of social relations which denies them power, particularly when they are at home all day with young children and are dependent for financial support on a man (1999, p.192). There is a large body of contemporary opinion, evident in the literature, which calls for a redress of balance between the fundamental economic inequity between men and women, particularly within the family unit which includes dependent children. Franks(1999), for example, suggests that there will never be genuine equality between men and women if male identity remains unaltered and unpaid work continues to be shuffled off onto women (p.4). Franks goes on to assert that in a market system where unpaid work is invisible, there is no incentive for men to change their identity to encompass low-status, financially worthless activity (1999, p.4). Crompton (1997) presented her own analysis of the relationship between employment and the family with particular reference to the extent to which there has been any change in the domestic division of labour. She acknowledges that there has been some change, albeit very slow, and she cites research byGershuny et al (1994) who describe the process as one of lagged adaptation in which changes tend to occur most often when women are engaged in full-time employment. Other researchers have found that although men, mainly middle-class men, have expressed a desire to become more involved in domestic and child care arrangements, there is little evidence that equal parenting is the reality (Lupton and Barclay, 1997). A more recent briefing by the Equal Opportunities Commission observes that there are many ways in which education, the family and access tithe labour market interact to produce different opportunities for women and men and which result in both men and women experiencing discrimination by virtue of gender. In relation to women in particular, this briefing comments that womens work should beer-evaluated, so that it is no longer undervalued and poorly paid(EOC, 2002, p.1). Hat, in her analysis of gender, work and labour markets, concluded that the domestic division of labour would certainly seem to lead to social injustice and it is debatable whether it furthers the efficient operation of the economy (1997, p.50). Vogel and Pal (1999) present an interesting exposition of the connections between money and power and men and women within households. Their own research found that, in general, the partner with the greater income was likely to be more dominant indecision-making, with women partners in paid employment having greater power than those who work only in the home. There appear to have been few large-scale studies which have focused upon the experiences of social equality, or inequality, between individual members of the same household. The research conducted by Vogel and Pal (1999) draws on typology, constructed by Pal (1989), of household financial allocation systems, constituting the female whole-wage system, the housekeeping allowance system, the pooling system and the independent management system. In the female whole-wage system, women were given their husbands pay packet, and had sole responsibility for managing the whole household budget. In the housekeeping allowance system, the women were given a fixed sum for housekeeping expenses, the men having prime responsibility for other expenditure. The pooling system was used where partners pooled their earnings and shared access to and responsibility for managing expenditure from the common, joint fund. Finally, the independent management system operated where both partners had independent incomes (usually dual-earner couples), each partner taking responsibility for particular items of expenditure, although this may vary over time. Vogel and Pal (1999) conducted a survey, combined with interviews, of1,211 couples across six British urban areas, covering Swindon, Aberdeen, Northampton, Coventry, Rochdale and Kirkcaldy. Respondents, aged between 20 and 60 years, were questioned on the household financial allocation system which came closest to their own mode of household finance management. By far the most common system used waste pool which was adopted by half of all the couples surveyed, with the remaining half choosing one of the other segregated systems (Voglerand Pal, 1999). The data was further analysed to determine the relationship between strategic financial control and access to money as a resource within the households studied. It was found that in the joint pooling households joint management was associated with both equal strategic control over finances and also with equal access to money as a resource (Vogel and Pal, 1999, p.143). In the female-controlled management systems, constituting just over two-fifths of the sample, a disjunction was found between control over finances and access to money as a resource. The researchers highlighted their finding that even where ostensibly, these women had greater financial control and power in decision-making, significantly higher levels of personal deprivation were experienced by the women with the men more likely to have more personal spending money than their female partners, especially in lower-income families. As Vogel and Pal observe, where the opportunities for exercising financial power are heavily circumscribed by low income and by the husbands expectation of personal spending money, responsibility may be a more appropriate term than control! (1999, p.144). This more detailed analysis presented by Vogel and Pal (1999), together with that of other researchers, such as Morris (1999), provides evidence for the ways in which patterns of gender and class inequalities tend to interlock to increase the differences between women and men. A different perspective upon the issue of gender differences and gender equality in the arena of household work and parenting is provided bother researchers. Doucette (1995), for example, highlights the tendency for debates on this issue to become focused upon the relationship between womens greater responsibility for household work and caring role, and their relative inequality to men in employment and public life. She argues that whilst this is an important issue, insufficient account has been taken of the various configurations that gender differences may take within household life (Doucette, 1995, p.271). Doucette suggests that much of the literature on the gender division of household labour is situated within an equality or equal rights framework, which itself, tends to be constructed through a masculine perspective. For example, she argues that a male model of minimal participation in housework and child care is pitched in relation to a male model of full-time employment (Doucette, 1995, p. 274). Whilst it is clearly documented that womens employment is compromised through the need for women, as a group, to balance their paid and domestic work, it may be argued that women and men cannot simply be lumped together as two homogeneous groups. Doucette suggests that relatively scant attention has been paid to the differences among women and among men and also the changes in household tasks over time. For example, the various developmental stages and changing needs of children as they grow up elicit different demands and responses from parents. Much of the commentary on the gender division of household labour and parenting work, as Doucette (1995) suggests, tends to be focused on particular conception of work. Whilst some of the gender differences found in the research may well be problematic and disadvantageous indifferent ways for both men and women, it is possible to address themes simply differences which are neither deficiencies nor disadvantages (Doucette, 1995, p.276). Doucets own research, for example, found that not all household tasks are perceived as chores particularly, child-care related activities which many experienced much more as pleasures rather than work. The tensions between work and home, between parents own needs and those of their children, are often constructed as having one easy resolution, in terms of employment outside the home. The downside of difference in terms of womens disadvantage in economic terms through taking part-time employment, for example, it is argued, has tended to receive too much attention. Thus, when women have stated their preference for part-time work, or where women successfully negotiate favourable part-time working conditions, there is little recognition that this might possibly be something positive(Doucette, 1995, p. 278). In this analysis, then, caring work, particularly child care work, is conceived as undervalued, neglected or ignored altogether, having been subsumed under the tendency to situate it as a symbol of entrenched gender inequality. Doucette highlights the ambivalence regarding what actually constitutes gender equality and which gender differences should ultimately be permitted to prevail. As Doucette suggests just as there are varied meanings attached to household work tasks, there are diverse definitions about what it means to share the household work or to be an egalitarian couple (1995, p.279). Doucette, then, calls for an insider perspective on the issue of gender and household labour, in order to investigate and value how men and women understand and construct their lives. The findings from her own research suggest that it would be more productive to explore gender differences and the disadvantages which follow from such differencesrather than arguing for equality between men and women within household life (Doucet,1995, p.280). Furthermore, it seems we will also profit from redefining and interpreting the variety of caring work that takes place within households with children. Chapter Five Blurred distinctions the interplay between paid work, unpaid work and care We have seen how labour market work and household, or domestic, work are essentially interconnected in ways which have served to disadvantage women, particularly economically. Glickman (1995)presented an exposition of the totality of labour which she saw as theatre-dependence between these two types of work, the market and household economies constituting two arenas within a larger structure of production and reproduction. She stresses how work as employment is essentially embedded in other activities and relationships. Crompton echoes this point, suggesting that any account of the expansion of womens employment cannot be divorced from the wider changes taking place in the structure of employment as a whole (1997, p.129). These changes include the decline in work available in the manufacturing industry, the shift to service employment, increased employment flexibility and diversity and, of course, the huge growth evident in the electronic and computer field. As women engage in more paid work, their traditional role in carrying out domestic work and caring will increasingly need to be fulfilled through other means. Such work involves the creation of more jobs in areas such as take-away meals, crches, nurseries and retirement homes which, by virtue of having been historically considered as womens work, will be poorly paid. This could be avoided however, if certain jobs were afforded a higher status through greater social protections such as holiday entitlements, regulation of working hours, sick-pay and pension schemes together with more family-friendly policies (Crompton,1997). In the arena of caring, the qualities and skills involved must be recognised as extremely valuable and essential to society as awhile. If properly regulated and organised, caring constitutes a source of worthwhile employment for both men and women. However, as Crompton (1997) and others have pointed out, these changes require shift in attitude on the part of men in particular which may not be attained easily. Crompton asserts that men are particularly vulnerable in that they are ill-prepared for the workplace and family flexibilities that are increasingly required today (1997, p. p.136). Pal, also, comments that it may well be that most men experience womens growing success in all spheres as a kind of threat they are reluctant to acknowledge(1995, p.191). Furthermore, men, in general, are receiving very little support and understanding for the changes they are forced to undergo (Pal, 1995, p.194). While Crompton (1997) acknowledges that households, and families, are becoming more fragile as more women take up paid employment, she concludes optimistically that, on balance, the gender division of labour between the sexes is becoming increasingly blurred, and with more egalitarian outcomes (p.5). The Equal Opportunities Commission produced a briefing in 2000 called the work-life balance, highlighting the theme of caring and work. It recorded that in 1999, the employment rate for fathers and mothers in couples was 90 and 69% respectively (EOC, 2000, p.3) and stated that there is now a mismatch between peoples caring and parenting responsibilities and the demands of inflexible employment patterns(EOC, 2000, p.1). The Commission emphasised the need for work-life policies to include flexibility in working hours, job-sharing and forms of leave which not only consist of annual, maternal and parental leave but also study leave and employment breaks. Their briefing suggests that family-friendly policies are not widely available or evenly spread between the sexes despite the statistical evidence showing that a high proportion of both men and women are in paid employment and have caring responsibilities. In addition to the policies mentioned above, the EOCultimately called for a reduction of long hours working; more encouragement for men to take an active role in parenting and greater protection from discrimination for carers and others with family responsibilities, (2000, p.1). The complex relationship between paid, unpaid work and caring is particularly illustrated by the situation of lone parenthood. At the turn of the millennium, the number of lone parent households was estimated to be over one million, and including about two million children (Perrons, 2000). In the region of 85 of all households were recorded as headed by lone parents, 905 of whom were lone mothers (EOC,1999). The labour governments response to these figures, derived in large measure from its concerns about lone parenthood costing the state around 10 billion per year, was to introduce the New Deal for Lone Parents in order to move them from welfare into work (Harman, 1997). Two associated policies include Fairness at Work (HMSO, 1998), designed to increase opportunities for women in paid work, and the National Childcare Strategy (HMSO, 1998) which aims to expand the provision and accessibility of high quality, affordable child care. A critique of these government initiatives has included questions about the equitability between those parents who are subsidised for taking unpaid work, while others care for their children themselves entirely at their own expense. Perrons (2000) observes that whilst initiatives such as the National Childcare Strategy and the Working Families Tax Credit Scheme are likely to increase child care provision and help with child care costs for low-income families, there will continue to be nonfinancial care assistance for higher paid women or for those who choose to stay at home. It can be argued, then, that these strategies only serve to perpetuate the male model of work and employment and continue to ignore, and downgrade, the value of the domestic sphere and child care. The goal of affordable and high quality child care, for example, may be said to contain an inherent contradiction which, ultimately, perpetuates disadvantage for women. Affordability implies low cost which, in turn, may be translated into low pay for those people providing the care who are, at present, overwhelmingly women! Unger son (2000) illustrates the circularity of this situation by noting that it is usually women in low paid jobs who pay a high proportion of their wages to low paid, mainly female, childcare workers (p.641). Perrons concludes that as long as either individual or collective care is disproportionately supplied by low-paid female labour then class divisions between women will increase and gender inequity will remain(2000, p.110). Within the context of overall social reproduction, it seems clear that these issues may be resolved only through linking workplace equity and child care provision. Perrons (2000) points out that the distinctions between the two are far from clear-cut. For example, mothers in paid work have perceived going to work as a means of establishing social networks and maintaining their self-esteem (Perrons, 2000). Similarly, caring for people, such as organising play activities for children, or taking a child to the park, can be pleasurable and fulfilling. It would seem, then, that, as Perrons (2000) notes, there is a need to consider how we may apportion peoples needs and the division of their labour more evenly between these activities so that everyone may benefit. Perrons (2000) highlights the efficacy of the Universal Caregiver Model, devised by Fraser (1996) which essentially advocates drawing upon the resources of those people in both paid and caring work which are presently untapped. Formal hours would be reduced for those in paid work, enabling more people to participate in income earning which would, in turn, provide opportunities for all to share in care work (Perrons, 2000, p.111). McKee and colleagues (2002) also criticise public policy and stress that generally it has not demonstrated an awareness of the everyday demands on people, particularly parents, across the life course. They propose a new theoretical model of paid work, unpaid work and caring which they call a caring cape perspective which takes account of the combined processes of caring and working in terms of the myriad of experiences of both parents both temporally and spatially. They point out that care needs change as children grow and parents working and caring patterns also change over time. For example, care tasks become more complex as children go to school with attention turning to afterschool care and activities as well as school holiday arrangements. McKee et al (2002) draw on the research of Adam (1995) who studied parents attempts to negotiate paths through their caring tasks overtime and spatially. Adam (1995) has observed a gendering of time in which men and women evaluate time and tasks differently and this impacts on power and the ability to negotiate every day and longer term childcare work and plans (McKee et al, 2002, p.907). A caring scape perspective, according to McKee et al, takes account of the complexity of spatial-temporal frameworks through which a variety of choices about caring and working are mapped and shaped by people. It questions the association between female biology (pregnancy and childbirth) and feminized tasks, such as housework or childcare, and the equation that has historically been made between naturalness and the caring duties expected of women. McKee et al (2002) argue that future research into the theme of working and caring must seek to place time-space perspectives as central to ensure that the complexities of the everyday management of combining work and caring are fully explored. It seems that research seeking to uncover the persistent inequalities, both in the home and in the workplace, which leave women with the greatest responsibility for informal caring, will continue to be required. Equally, however, there is also a need for research into the structural barriers to caring experienced by men who would prefer to (or should) become more involved with informal caring in the home (McKee, 2002, p.918). The concept of the caring cape, at least from a theoretical standpoint, would seem to provide a useful framework from which to analyse the myriad of lived experiences of the caring and working lives of both men and women. It places the time-space perspective as a central feature, encouraging development from a unit-dimensional to a multi-dimensional approach which, it is hoped, will generate more sophisticated and imaginative policy recommendations in this complex field. Chapter Six Conclusion This review of the literature on women and work began with an overview of the origins of the gender division of labour in Britain which focused on the emergence of the male breadwinner/female homemaker model of gender relations and its impact upon womens participation in the labour market. Arguments for the connection between basic biological differences between the sexes and the persistence of gender differences both within the modern labour market and the private domain of the household were illustrated through the work of Hakim (1995; 1996) and Browne (1998). It is argued that whilst such a perspective should not be dismissed out of hand, the debate is a complex one. There remains strong evidence for the social construction of gender differences and deep-rooted patriarchal structures within our society which have systematically created and perpetuated gender inequalities to disadvantage women (Crompton, 1997; Hat, 1997; Franks, 1999). The literature on womens employment within the labour market (Chapter Three) has revealed contested views regarding the underlying explanations for the different patterns of labour force participation between men and women. Commentators such as Wallaby (1990), Hat (1997),Franks (1999), Griffin (2002) and Moe (2003) have argued that from an economic perspective, the labour resources within society must include both the productive activity in the labour market and that within the household and, furthermore, that the two are inextricably linked. Hat(1997) and Crompton (1997), for example, argue that patriarchal structures have played a central role in constructing the inferior position of women in the labour market, through such mechanisms as occupational segregation and part-time working. Hakim (1995; 1996), on the other hand, presents a persuasive argument for womens ability to make rational choices and decisions for themselves according to their own perceived needs and preferences. The persistence of gender differences in patterns of labour market participation, particularly in the huge growth of part-time employment and also in the context of well-established anti-discrimination legislation and numerous government initiatives to dismantle the barriers to gender inequality in the workplace, seems to add weight to Hakims argument. The evidence presented in Chapter Three, particularly the analyses offered by Chodorow (1989), Halford and Savage (1995) and Nazarko(2004), for example, offers informative insights into the ways in which gender is constructed both between and within different occupations and labour market sectors. There seems to be a strong case for a focus upon gender differences, rather than gender inequalities, and particularly the ways in which different masculinities and femininities are constructed and manifested in the workplace. Such a focus seems tube a more positive and constructive way to move forward in the arena of women and work. The crucial issue to emerge from the commentary seems to be the need to ensure that feminine constructions are as highly valued, within the discourse on gender and work, as masculine ones have been. The increasing body of research into the issue of domestic labour provides overwhelming evidence that this area has been neglected, ignored and undervalued for too long. Research in this area has extended our understanding of work in the widest sense, and how the increased participation of women in the formal labour market has highlighted the status of unpaid household work, traditionally, as a labour of love overwhelmingly performed by women (DE et al, 1995;Franks, 1999). Some commentators have stressed the power differential between women and men, especially acute once the family includes dependent children. Charles and Kerr (1999), for example, highlighted the finding that ostensibly the breadwinner/home-maker and child carer model offers a measure of complementarity between the sexes. However, in reality, at least in economic terms, it seems that mothers, whether or not they are in paid employment, are denied power and status and therefore, are disadvantaged. The pressure for a change in male identity and the dismantling of patriarchal values is very strong, as evidenced in the commentary by Lupton and Barclay (1995), Crompton (1997) and Franks(1999), for example, as well as implicated in the statistical information given in the many briefings cited from the Equal Opportunities Commission. The interesting work conducted by Vogel and Pal (1999) regarding the economic systems adopted by couples within households is testimony tithe myriad of ways in which gender, money and power interact, largely, although not always, to the detriment of women. Finally, it is suggested that those researchers and theorists who focus attention on the diverse ways in which household labour, market labour and the caring role are perceived, constructed and lived by women and men seem to offer the most positive and constructive framework from which real change might be effected, to the advantage of both men and women. Its suggested that, in particular, men and women are likely to profit, ultimately from a redefinition and re-interpretation of the caring work taking place within households and this will, in turn, bring about a qualitative change towards greater real equality between the sexes in the arena of work in its widest sense. 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