Wednesday, January 29, 2020
International and Comparative Relations Essay Example for Free
International and Comparative Relations Essay As the number of hired workers in companies raises so are the Human Resources Managers facing more challenges as they need to maintain a competitive edge in their business both at home and abroad. Chinas entry into the World Trade Organization created fresh opportunities which resulted to some firms retreating and others expanding (Bamber, Lansbury Wailes, 2004), making the entry of foreign firms to be faced by challenges than it was in the 1970s and thus even the HR managers are in for a challenge since they have to carefully know how to tackle the culture of post-WTO China so as to have an effective HRM systems. According to Lucas (2004) it is important to understand the HRM challenges facing foreign firms in China and how to overcome them. According to information given by interviewees, who included senior managers and private equity specialists, it was discovered that the Western model of HRM may not solve the challenges. Firms had to come out with ideas on how to manage human resources in response to the changing environment in China. To know how the firms were doing this, interviews were conducted rather than survey instrument (Deery Mitchell, 1999). After the interviews it was noted that the strategies of the HR in China differed from those of the West. For instance one of the HR process in China is selection of people they want to work in their companies. Some private successful firms wanted young people who are from school others selected people who do not drink or smoke. While firms really wanted to remove redundant employees in their companies, some of the managers that were interviewed said that there was benefit â€Å"organized†over-staffing. Again in the issue of employee contribution; to encourage employee contribution there had to be change of mentality like their association of mistakes with penalties. It was noted that many employees in the foreign firms were afraid to do anything outside their job description thus the HRM policies were encouraged to aim at helping these employees. There was also the issue of training programs in which they should also teach about what is wrong and its solution.  One way of helping these employees according to (Verma, Kochan Lansbury, 1995) was to train them well in their jobs so as to extend even beyond their job description. This however has to be encouraged through creation of friendly environment involvement in risk taking. There is also another problem of lack of ground rules that are well-established which results to interference with the operations. Some individuals have the power to stop some industries from operating. The foreign firms thus need to know the relevant person in that location. The HR has the role to select well-connected people in management team (Morgenstern, 1984). Even in some companies they need the individuals they want to hire for their jobs to have connections with government bodies or powerful individuals so as they can link them in case of a problem. The HR also plays the role of â€Å"change agent†(Blanpain, Lansbury Park, 2002) where they help firms implement new programs, improve processes and transform positively the organizations culture. Employment relationship is vital as the employers need to have good relationship with their existing employees as well as their new ones so as to avoid problems at the place of works hence increasing workplace productivity. This however can be complex as sometimes the employees can find the rules set by the employers quite challenging. As human the way we choose to control our goal maybe different from what the organization wants. The organization needs people who can interact with others to be productive to the company. The employment relation constitutes of three sides that is the employers, employees and the law. In addition there are employment rights. In different countries and cities we have different way of treating employees and companies also have got different policies. Employment relationships are faced by challenges such as competitive pressures, technological change as this may result to either the employer seeking new employees who have got the most updated technological skills or requiring the old employees to update their skill by going back to class of which other will not welcome the idea, changing of owns behaviors; this may lead to disappointment to either party. As time goes by the employee-employer relationship changes. This according to Blanpain, Lansbury Park (2002) can be brought about by societal, organizational or individual changes. From the society point of view changes in the relationship is as a result developments in our society for example the cultural norms influence and the values that are related to exchanges. The organization together with the employee composes the second and third sources of changes in employment relationship. The organization and the employer both are part of the society and are both influenced by the same structural factors and dynamic change processes. However they still have some differences as the desires of the organization and those of the employee may not necessarily converge. For instance the organization may require organizational flexibility to cope with the competitiveness. Similarly the employee desire and expectations of the organization may change for example an employee with a family probably with small children will want the employers flexibility to provide good balance between his job and his private life as an important issue. There seems as if the traditional labor laws are less effective in determining the employment relationships in many countries (Dickens Neal, 2006). The pressure for flexibility in firms has led to changes in the employment relations. These changes have been linked to societal factors. In 1999-2000, twenty-seven Dutch Organization (Bach, 1999) a questionnaire was distributed to groups of employees. The data that was gathered from a sample that represented the working population showed that the younger and older employee was underrepresented and there was over representation of people between 25 and 44 years. This is a contradiction to the Chinese authority who wanted younger people. The questionnaires also assessed individual characters, employee obligations toward the company and employer obligation toward the employee. It was noted that most employees aired out their opinions on several issues affecting them and they were thinking beyond their jobs. This is unlike in China where due to fear of intimidation employees were afraid to air out their opinions. A comparative study of employment systems in the US and Japan was achieved by use of game-theoretic framework (Rapra Technology Limited, 2005) here the employment system was seen as an equilibrium outcome of interactions among management, labor, and government. In both countries, the relations evolved from ones associated with short-term contracts and company-wide employee representation. While Japan continued in the same path, the U.S experienced a breakdown of implicit contract during the Great Depression (Mortimer Leece, 1994). It is important to study internationally comparative employment relations so as to contribute to our knowledge about the employment relations in other countries and also to provide model for the development of policy. Due to globalization, there is increased economic connectedness hence the need to learn about employment relations practices in other countries. In addition it also helps with theory construction. International comparison requires acceptance of reference point. Employment relations in Britain as accordance to Jenkins (2000) was characterized with formation of unions which marked a big growth up until the World War II when due to a rising number in unemployment the membership of the unions declined. This was also caused by part-time jobs and concentration in the private sector where unions found it hard to recruit. Unlike most other Western European countries, Britain (Sparrow Cooper, 2003)has one main union confederation that is the Trades Union Congress(TUC) that was established in 1868.Between 1980 and 1990 private sector firms membership of employers associations fell sharply before it started to rise again slightly in the 1990s. The state plays a very important role in employment relations either directly and/or indirectly. The changing pattern of employment relation in Britain reflects some trends which may include de-industrialization, proportion increase in services and growth of a typical employment. Employment relation in United States of America can be started in 1930s (Stuart Martinez- Lucio, 2005) when the US unions first arose as a seemingly permanent force. Between 1940-1950 the unions grew tremendously and in 1960s and 1970s transformed government employment into sector with strong unions. Employers organizations in USA are relatively unimportant and unlike in other countries there have not been any employers confederations. By 1985 the depth of union membership crisis was acknowledged and new forms of employee participation appeared in some workplaces. Though in the early 1990s there was a strong economic recovery (Bender Theodossiou, 1996), there was growing polarisation in employees labor market experiences. By 2000 the pressures from globalisation increased. The non-union sector has marked a tremendous growth in spite of the labour laws being enforced. REFERENCES Almond, P Ferner, A 2006, American multinationals in Europe: managing employment  relations across national borders, Oxford University Press, Melbourne  Bach, S 1999, Public Service Employment Relations in Europe: Transformation, Modernization  Or Inertia?, Routledge Bamber, G, Lansbury, R Wailes, N 2004, International and Comparative Employment   Relations: Globalisation and the Developed Market Economies, 4th ed, SAGE, Boca Raton,     FL Bender, K Theodossiou, I 1996, International Comparisons of the Real Wage-employment  Relationship, University of Aberdeen Blanpain, R, Lansbury, R Park, Y 2002, The Impact of Globalisation on Employment
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
The Wife of Bath :: Essays Papers
The Wife of Bath In the "Wife of Bath's Prologue," she tells the other pilgrims that she has much experience since she has been married five times. She believes in experience rather than in writing. We can see this in the quotation: "Who painted the leon, tel me who? By God, if wommen hadden writen stories, As clerks han within hir oratories, They wolde had writen of men more wikkednesse Than al th merk of Adam may redresse." [Norton, 132] She is very upset about the painting of a man killing a lion. Her fifth husband always reads his book about wicked wives, and he amuses himself by telling her the stories; however, she doesn't like this. She is beautiful, powerful, energetic and relies on her experience, not on any writings or paintings. To highlight her strong and powerful appearance, she wears characteristic clothes. She puts strikingly big kerchiefs on her head, which seem to weigh about ten pounds, and she wears scarlet red stockings. She also wears a hat, and it is as broad as a buckler. Garters hold her red stockings, and her shoes are soft and new. There is a pair of sharpened spurs on her feet. This probably tells us that she has had many experiences with all husbands in her life. She wears a long wide skirt. Her face is as bold as her character is, fair complexioned, and red. On the journey, she walks slowly and sits down easily. Overall, she has been respectable throughout her life. Chaucer also describes her as being deaf in one ear with a gap tooth. It was very rare for a woman in the fourteenth century to travel as a pilgrim, talk about her experiences and thoughts in public and to be married five times. The Wife of Bath is an independent and powerful woman. She strongly believes in herself and in experience rather than in written authority, which are the texts written by men. She feels this way more after she marries her fifth husband. Her fifth husband always reads a book about wicked wives. He wants to control her; however, she doesn't like it. Therefore she takes a page out of his book that he always reads since the book affects him badly; then he hits her when he finds out about her disrespectful behavior. This is the reason for her deafness. She strongly believes she or women can write much better than men do.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Post Katrina Business Recovery Essay
CDFIs            Stand for community development financial institutions. These are unique financial institution in that they provide funding to the low-income bracket that is otherwise ignored by the mainstream financial institutions. They are privately owned by the local community and have an aim to make profit. However, their emphasis on profit making is subject to benefits to local community. They provide funds for rebuilding businesses and housing especially in disaster hit areas. CDFIs include community development banks, community development trade unions, community development loans funds micro enterprises funds, community development venture funds, and community development corporation-based lenders and investors (www.cdfiorg,2007)            CDFIs are quite useful in helping people who have lost investments in disasters rebuild. Small businesses that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast could get funding to rebuild from CDFIs. CDFIs form a channel for the disinvested people to make new investments or rebuild their old investments. They can also offer advice and financial know-how to the borrowers and assist them stabilize and repay the loans. Finally, they offer other banking services that the low-income community requires (Mascarenhas, Prianjalo, 2006). CDFIs are most effective because they do not require the traditional securities from borrowers and have flexible rules of engagement with clients to help both parties achieve their objectives. The low collateral makes funds easily accessible to the community members rebuilding their business from the disaster. The private sector can come in to invest in CDFIs and provide additional capital. This gives the CDFI greater coverage and flexibility. The CDFIs will bridge the gap between the un-banked disaster victims and the traditional banking system. Tax credits            Tax credits provide a taxpayer a tax savings and in effect raise the personal of business income. Tax credits unlike tax deduction reduce the tax payable rather than the taxable income. The federal or state governments apply them to encourage a certain investment program and to achieve an overall social goal. They integrate social awareness in business investment decisions in the private sector. (Laws, Forrest, 2007). In the Katrina recovery program, tax credits would be useful in encouraging investment the Gulf Coast. The Coast became hostile to investment due to the hurricane damage and the resultant poverty levels. Such tax credits would also be useful when extended to disinvested people trying to restart their business in that region. They do not have to pay full taxes while their businesses are struggling to regain profitability. The tax credits can be based on and expense such as wage bill to boost employment and the society achieves a double bottom line. Such tax credits are also effective when they actually make the disaster-hit area more appealing to investor over other investment destinations (Seck, Kathyrn 2007). Tax credits may help businesses break even stay afloat in a harsh business environment. Tax credits also ensure enough cash is available to run operations. Guaranteed loans and bonds            They are loans provided by the private sector to borrowers whose businesses were affected or destroyed by a disaster for which the federal or state government provides partial guarantee in case of default. These loans target small businesses that fit in within a certain criteria provided when such a program is set up. The amount loaned out must also be in tandem with the number of employees. These loans are effective if the interest rates charged are reasonable to enhance accessibility by the borrowers. These loans provide necessary cash to run operations of the businesses (www.doa.louisiana.gov.2006) Business improvement districts            This is an initiative taken by business taken by business people and property owners within a given urban area to payout extra taxes or fees in return for specified services within that area. The fees are paid to a local authority, which in turns provides the services such services may include: additional security, enhanced clean-ups, or public lighting. The private sector group involved demands the services that transform the target area in to an attractive destination either for investment or for consumptions. One of the advantages is that BIDs direct private sector enthusiasm to improve on the business environment. They also enable the private sector to make their own priorities in the public services they need. The private sector also directly benefits from the contracts to provide such services. BIDs also ensure constant cash flow contributed by all beneficiaries from which the services are provided. Contributions are mandatory to all. (Stokes, R. 2006)            On the other hand BIDs may impose excessive fees that may not be unanimous to all but the majority may push through their figure. BIDs may also benefit the members unevenly in spite of ratio of contribution made. BIDs provide such services as refurbishment of disaster urban area. The local business community and property owners will with local authority to join rehabilitate the damage infrastructure. They will also be in involved in lighting up the public areas and provision of social services. The BIDs will also enhance security in the recovery period finally they will regain their market segment through aggressive sales promotion both locally and nationwide.( Mitchell, Jerry, 1999.)            BIDs required professional management that is able to evaluate various ideas and provide a systematic way of achieving them. The management should be accountable to all members providing as report of low the funds have been utilized. BIDs on formation should provide a clear appraisal methodology to check on whether the laid down goals are met. Tax investment financial district            This is a local authority initiative that involves identifying of a particular area in a city and enhancing private sector investment in that area through channeling of tax increment to fund the initiative. The city issue bonds to raise funds for providing incentives in the specified district. Such incentives could be road network on institution or a toxic waste removal. These incentives rebuild the district appeal to investors and the property prices go up. The higher property prices expand the taxable property income and consequently, the property taxes. The authority then channels the tax increment caused by the redevelopment in to a special fund, which bay the bonds. The city sets the boundaries for district and uses the taxable income of the plan as the base. TIFs runs for a specified period after which the tax freeze is lifted and property owners can profit from the redevelopment. (Michael, Joel, 2006) TIFs are advantageous in that they promote investment in area where the private sector had shunned and was disinvesting. They ensure balanced growth through out the city without some parts lagging for behind. Tax revenues are also not diverted from other areas of the city to promote investment in a particular district. However TIFs may lead to displacement of low-income earners by the rich one the district is improved the poor are pushed to poorer areas of the city.( Tyler, Norm, 2007)            TIFs will finance such development as: restoration public infrastructure, utilities, rehabilitation parks and side walks, lighting up of the districts and provision of parking facilities in the disaster-hit towns of the gulf coast. When these services are provided, the private sector will find the cities to be more appealing to private sector. However, the authorities need to carry out a detailed study in the viability of the program and in setting up the boundaries of the district. Public expenditure should go to project that would stimulate private sector growth raise property prices taxes. (Eathington, Liesl, and David Swenson, 2002)  References:  Seck, Kathyrn, 2007. Landrieu Introduces Gulf Coast Small Business Recovery Package. US Senate Committee on Small Businesses & Entrepreneurship. Retrieved On 11/30/07 from http://sbc.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=269054 Coalition of CDFI, 2007. What are CFDIs? Retrieved On 11/30/07 from http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:OraXP0FLmrkJ:www.cdfi.org/whatare.asp+CDFI&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=ke Prinjali, Mascarenhas, 2006. Groups Investing In Katrina-Torn Gulf Region. Washington DC. Retrieved On 11/30/07 from http://www.socialinvest.org/news/releases/pressrelease.cfm?id=55 Laws, Forrest, 2007. Baucus: Permanent Disaster Fund, Tax Credits To Ease Budget Crunch. Farm press. Retrieved On 11/30/07 from http://deltafarmpress.com/farmbill/070914-Tax-Package/ Louisiana Office of Community Development; Disaster Recovery Unit, 2006. Long Term Recovery Loan Guarantee Program: Proposed Guidelines. Retrieved On 11/30/07 from http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/cdbg/dr/ed/Proposed-LTRLP-Guidelines-06_11_27.pdf Mitchell, Jerry, 1999. Business Improvement Districts and Innovative Security Delivery. Retrieved On 11/30/07 from http://www.businessofgovernment.org/pdfs/Mitchell.pdf Tyler, Norm, 2007. Tax Increment Financing. Downtown Revitalization. . Retrieved On 11/30/07 from http://www.emich.edu/public/geo/557book/d232.tif.html Eathington, Liesl, and David Swenson, 2002. Do Tax Increment Finance Districts in Iowa Spur Regional Economic and Demographic Growth? Department of Economics. Iowa State University. Retrieved On 11/30/07 from http://www.econ.iastate.edu/research/webpapers/paper_4094_N0138.pdf Stokes, R. 2006. Business Improvement Districts and Inner City Revitalization: The Case Of Philadelphia’s Frankford Special Services District. International Journal of Public Administration, Volume 29, Issue 1 – 3 January 2006. Michael, Joel, 2006. Tax Increment Financing. Minnesota House of Representatives. Retrieved On 11/30/07 from http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/issinfo/sstif.htm
Saturday, January 4, 2020
The Inclusion Of The Uk - 1742 Words
Introduction For the last few decades there has been a huge debate regarding the inclusion of MFL in the school curriculum in the UK. Considering the current situation of languages according to the British Academy Report (2013) where it says there is a strong evidence that the UK suffers from a growing deficit in language skills and that a weak supply of languages skills is pushing down demand and creating a vicious circle of monolingualism, plus considering that the UK is a place where many cultures and languages coexist, there is a crucial need for understanding the importance of languages in the UK society. The DfE have taken significant steps recently by making compulsory the teaching of foreign languages in primary schools but,†¦show more content†¦The foremost advantage to be considered in terms of learning a foreign language is the acquisition of intercultural communicative competence. As language and culture are tightly knitted, learning a new language means learning a new culture as well. It is beneficial for students to understand the culture (customs, traditions, beliefs, behavior, etc) behind the language to be able to understand the mechanism of the particular language and the way that group of people see the world. Hence, they will increase their understanding of oneself and one s own culture by making comparisons with the other culture, since they will have to be reflective. And this is when a person has the privilege to see oneself and one s culture from an outside perspective. Once in contact with a second language, our minds tend to open and see the world from di fferent perspectives, therefore, we become open-minded, critical, reflexive and more tolerant towards others. This achievement is primordial, specially in a country like UK where there is a mix of citizens from many different backgrounds and where being able to integrate in the growing multicultural community is a must. Providing our young students with this lifelong skill will result in responsible citizens, it will eliminate negative stereotypes
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