Li and Fung Limited Essay Example for Free

Li and Fung Limited Essay Ans#1- Li Fung Limited is a global trading group. A company would like to use the supply chain management services of Li Fung because it manages the supply chain for high volume, time sensitive consumer goods, delivering the right location. It focuses on providing a one- stop shop service through a network of 69 sourcing offices in 40 countries. Company would prefer Li Fung rather than organising in-house department or appointing a senior manager to handle these activities because it provides services range from product design , development, through raw material and factory sourcing, production planning and management, quality assurance and on to export documentation and shipping consolidation. Moreover company use Li Fung because it could be an effort to also reduce costs. Ans#2- Li Fung expand its global sourcing network through acquisitions since it has found developing networks from the ground up tends to take a long time and to be relatively expensive. Li Fung acquired companies like Inchcape Buying Services in 1995, Swire Maclaine Ltd , Camberley Enterprises Ltd and Colby Group Holdings Ltd. These all are well established companies. Li Fung company is in favour of acquisitions because it doubled the size of company and expanded the companys customer base in Europe and strengthen its position in the U.S. These acquisitions increased the size of Li Fungs sourcing network from 48 offices in 32 countries in 1999 to 68 offices in 40 countries in 2001. Ans#3- Internet opens the door to new levels of connectedness to customers. Successful firms on the Web have used cyberspace to achieve their objectives. Li Fung use the Internet to capture additional business like small to medium- size -businesses that is characterized by small order size and shorter delivery requirements. But they cannot afford large sum of money in inventory. Internet provides solution to these kind of problems. It could allow Li Fung to consolidate small orders for mass production by existing supplier network. Li Fung allow these smaller businesses to have their own private label. The choices available online would allow a product to have the small businesss own distinctive label attached with choices available online and would choices of embroidery colors and packaging. Li Fung should use search engine optimization for increase the awareness of its website. In order to make the additional businesses profitable Li Fung could use their website www.studiodirect.com in many ways. The studio direct will combine its expertise in sourcing and merchandising of apparel with supply chain efficiency. It will derive from its web- based trading. Studio Direct has outsourced every aspect of delivery from pick and pack, shipping and customer clearance.

Advances In Biomedical Science And Technology Science Essay

Advances In Biomedical Science And Technology Science Essay Due to the advances in biomedical science and technology, mammalian cloning has, in the last 13 years, become feasible. This first came to the publics attention with the publicity surrounding the creation of Dolly the sheep in 1997. Through the process of HSCNT(Human Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer), hundreds of mammalian organisms have been cloned and carried to term. However, the process is by no means perfect as not only do numerous embryos fail, but many of those born have significant birth defects, some of which only come to light later in development. To this date, no successful human reproductive cloning has occurred. None the less, rapid advances in technology suggest that human cloning will be reliable in the foreseeable future. This realization has led to an unprecedented debate about ethical and human rights issues which must be balanced against the more broadly beneficial aspects of scientific advancement. An immense amount of people believe that cloning completely interferes with ethical and human rights. This is somewhat due to the fact that cloning in animals has not been 100% effective. Animals have been cloned before but many of them have had birth defects and short life spans. Dolly the sheep became a scientific sensation when her birth was announced in 1997. Her relatively early death in February 2003 fuels the debate about the ethics of cloning research and the long-term health of clones. [Science Museum.org; no name reference] Although Dolly lived to be an adult, she was one of 227 attempts to survive this long. This showed the inefficiency and complications of cloning. Hundreds, if not thousands, of attempts are necessary to produce just one viable clone. On average, just 3% of attempts succeed. (Vergoff:2001) The fact that many of the clones (produced in an attempt to produce just one clone) do not live reflects the reason that people believe cloning is cruel. Antoher reason that they might think cloning is innapropriate is because when comparing nuclear generated embryos and embryos produced during sexual reproduction, a significant number of the cloned embryos fail where as not so many natural embryos do. Because of this fact, mainstream scientists agree that due to the very low success rates of reproductive cloning in animals, this technology is not appropriate for application to humans. The side of the public that feels human cloning is wrong is also against it for reasons other than the clones not being reliably functional. According to them, cloning humans is unethical, inhumane and immoral.'[Students for students: 2010] The process is seen as just copying the identical genes, which means it will decrease the diversity of genes. To put it simply, as a human one is meant to see the differences in others and cloning would eliminate this. People would not be completely unique. These people also question the opinion of some parents. They understand that if a parent has a child whose kidneys fail, that they would be willing to clone their child as to donate one of their newly cloned childs kidneys to their own child. However, one could then question whether it would not be strange to suddenly have two identical children. This is where personality is brought to attention. Although human cloning is the process by which an exact genetic replica is made of an individual, this does not, necessarily, mean the same personality, or person, would develop.(Cadena:2007) The question that stands is whether the clone is inferior and different to the general public or not. Most do not like the idea of cloning as it will separate us into two different groups: humans and clones. Aldous Huxley reflects his point of view in his book, Brave New World in a satirical sense. He shows his view of the future with human cloning in a negative way. The novel is set in London in the years that Huxley calls A.F. which stands for after Ford. Henry Ford is the developer of the assembly line technique of mass production and the mass production implies cloning in this sense. At the beginning of the novel, the director of a centre called Hatcheries and Conditioning is taking a group of young students on a tour around one of the labs. He shows them how human beings are custom made and placed into different social castes which were almost like different cultural groups(minus the culture). He then leads them to a special room where the humans are brain-washed. A common phrase that the brain-washed characters say throughout the novel is Put your arms around meHug me till you drug me, honeyKiss me till Im in a coma. Hug me honey, snuggly [Lenina, Chapter 13, pg. 194] His novel relates to the debate of cloning as it reflects his idea of a future with human cloning. Although it is satirical and far-fetched, it makes one question cloning as it displays cloning in a negative way (all humans being the same and put into categories). The anti-human cloning groups see the future of cloning in a similar manner: dark and once again, inhumane. Taking the above concerns into consideration, many people still believe that human cloning is entirely beneficial. This is because there are an incredible number of positive outcomes of human reproductive cloning. On the lighter, appreance side: Dr. Richard Seed, one of the leading proponents of human cloning technology, suggests that it may someday be possible to reverse the aging process because of what is learnt from cloning. Plus, cloning could better cosmetic procedures such a breast implants. This is because with the new technolog, doctors will be able to produce things such as fat, bone and cartialage that matches the patients exactly. On the more serious side, scientists may one day be able to treat people that have had heart attacks by cloning their normal heart cells and placing them in the damaged areas of their heart, give victims of accidents which cause any parts of their body to become deformed their original face features back through cloning(limbs for amputees may be regernerated) and even give women looking for breast augumentations implants the same as their normal tissues in order to prevent them ferom becoming ill. On average, one carries 8 defective genes inside of them which cause them to become sick when they would otherwise remain healthy. With human cloning and its technology it may be possible to ensure that we no longer suffer because of our defective genes. [Smith, S] Many life threatening illnesses such as cancer, leukimea, kidney failure and liver failure could be taken away due to cloning. Ont op of this, cloning technology can test for and possibly even cure genetic diseases. Propnents of cloning also suggest it may serve as a treatment for infertility, allowing those who cannot/can no longer reproduce to pass on genes to future generations. [Kolehmainen,Sophie] A lot of parents think of human reproductive cloning as a way of saving childrens lives. There are plenty of examples of what could happen in the future after human reproductive cloning begins: If a couple becomes infertile after having one child, they would be able to clone their child to have a second one. Parents also state that they would find human cloning benefficial as if they lost their child in an accident, they could get their perfect baby back.(Smith, S) The general attitude of this group of people is why not? If a person can be saved from leukemia, why would anyone feel the need to stop this from happening? Despite this question there is still a debate in which many other factors contribute. An example of one of these is religion. Many in the Western nations wonder whether clones would have a soul. They also question whether it is playing God or not if humans create rather than naturally conceive. Many groups have publicly disapproved of human reproductive and human therapeutic cloning. These include religious organisations, such as the Catholic Church, who disapprove of these technologies. [Werts, D, C: 2002] Go on about regulation.(cant be extended globally) Many groups have publicly disapproved of human reproductive and human therapeutic cloning. Ask dad Although there are many negatives to do with human reproductive cloning, it is expected that it will occur in the future. This is because there are so many bennifits of this cloning surrounding medical purposes. Personally, I worry about what a future with human reproductive cloning will hold. In my opinion, I think it would be ideal if, in the future, cell cloning could be used for medical purposes only and not human reproductive cloning for reasons such as infertility as this would be immoral. However, there is a chance that cloning will not happen in the future and this would probably be best. We are humans and we cannot change the fact that some of us cannot have children or predict the day we are going to die. This is the way of life and to me, cloning humans in this way does not seem right. All in all, the topic holds a debate that will continue for a long period of time before any decisions are made. etc

Managing Workplace Diversity And Gender Discrimination Social Work Essay

Managing Workplace Diversity And Gender Discrimination Social Work Essay Introduction Most women and men are at a disadvantage in areas of job and trainings, wages and salaries, and are constrained to certain occupations based on their age, colour, disability, sex, ethnicity, without reference to their capabilities and skills. Today, in some developed countries for example, women workers still earn up less than male colleagues performing the same work. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity law, workers have the fundamental human right to be free from discrimination, can choose their employment freely without bias and have the ability to develop their potentials to the fullest. Workers benefit from equality policies through training, equal wages, and overall quality of the workforce. The aim of this essay is to explore the multifaceted problems of unequal treatment of workers as a result of diversity and gender discrimination between men and women at work (the labour market). The study will also attempt to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of diversity and equal opportunity at work, and also proffer solutions for the reduction and subsequent eradication of gender discrimination. To the society at large, bringing equality to the workplace has major financial benefits, and if employers practise equality they would have access to a pool of well organised and diverse workforce. ILO (International Labour Organisation) practices equality as a tool to eliminate discrimination at work and in the society, they also apply gender mainstreaming strategies in the field of labour. Benefits of workplace diversity Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences into the application of work. A diverse workforce of skills, experiences, languages, cultural understanding allows a company to operate globally in providing service to customers and having a variety of viewpoints, and also improving an organizations success and competitiveness as well as increased efficiency and effectiveness (Sharron and Maeve, 2007, p.157). Diversity and equality are linked to HR practices, therefore HR professionals have a key role in the implementing of fair and favourable working conditions for employees, and this indeed is a key challenge. Managing diversity helps to control differences by creating a productive working environment in which everyone, feels valued (Tom and Adrian, 2009, p.346), talents are fully utilised and organisational goals are met. The CIPD definition of diversity is, valuing everyone as an individual, valuing people as employees, customers and clients (CIPD, 2007). However, it is also applied to social groups thereby raising awareness of ethnic and cultural diversity. We live in a multi-cultural society where contributions from different cultures are made to society and culture. Diversity should focus on the positive rather than the negative. Equality opportunity and gender mainstreaming Equality can be defined as combined efforts, equal participation and shared responsibilities involving both sexes in decision making, implementation of policies aimed at maximizing potential production of goods and services. The fruits of these efforts should also be shared equally and both sexes should be given opportunities to exercise their rights. Equal opportunity approaches are aimed only at the disadvantaged and therefore potentially create problems in organisations by constantly targeting the disadvantaged rather than making efforts to ensure that the organisation naturally encourages equality of opportunity for all and sundry. There are six social groups listed in the Equality and Human Rights Commission Literature, the body that regulates and monitors the UKs equality legislation, which are gender, age, disability, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. These social groups are protected by law, therefore staff and customers have the legal right to be treated fairly and equally (Kirton, G and Greene, A, 2005). Article VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, bans any type of discrimination based on any social group. In addition, 1963 Equal Pay Act prohibits organizations from formulating gender-based pay discrimination regarding workers who perform same work under similar conditions. Article VII of the 1964 Civil Rights as well set up the USA Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the commission started working in 1965 and has a duty of enforcing the federal acts which disallows workplace discrimination. The focus of Employment Opportunity is underpinned by the notion of social justice or the right to be treated fairly. The following are selected relevant ILO instruments on Equality: Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) This fundamental convention requires equal remuneration for all workers (men and women) for equal measure of work in ratifying countries. Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No.111) This fundamental convention requires ratifying nations to declare and pursue practices of equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation, with a view to eliminating any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin. Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No. 156) The convention requires ratifying states to make it a goal of national policy to enable working men and women with family responsibilities to exercise their right without being subject to discrimination and, as much as possible, without conflict between their employment and family responsibilities. The convention also requires governments to take into account of the needs of the workers in community planning and to develop or promote community services, public or private, such as childcare and family services and facilities. Diversity in the workplace is responsible for and sensitive to the different types of individual who make up an organisation (Sharron and Maeve, 2007, p.159). Organisations need to study the cultures, people and societies they work in, so they can understand and provide for the diverse needs of their customers/consumers. When organisations manage diversity properly, they get excellent results from employees and meet the varying needs of their customers, which is recognised as a factor in business excellence. International Business Machines (IBM) has a long-standing commitment to equality to ensure everyone is allowed to compete on an equal basis. Workforce diversity at IBM excludes no one and serves as the bridge between the workplace and the marketplace. The main issue for diversity management is that managers need to empower all staff to realize their full potential. Companies like Microsoft have had as much as 90% of their market value represented by intellectual capital, human talent, reputation, and leadership. The ability to attract and retain diverse talented people rates more highly, therefore the Government is driving initiatives to encourage diversity and persuade business that there are real advantages to be gained from embracing diversity in the workplace. Diversity focuses on improving opportunities for all staff, respecting and valuing people as they are, rather than expecting them to conform to a stereotype. The global nature of business markets can be seen as a driving force for diversity initiatives. If a companys business is international, its staff must be able to work across cultures, speak the customers language and address any barriers that might exist. A Companys reason for adopting diversity policies are; 1. It is the right thing to do, 2. It is in compliance with equal opportunities and anti antidiscrimination laws and 3. It generates financial benefits that exceed implementation costs (Rebecca, 2005). British Telecoms (BT) recognises that it is crucial for its staff to reflect the diversity of its customers and is able to meet their ever-changing needs. It has introduced a number of initiatives to ensure that more women are recruited and progress in their careers with the company. Diversity policies are used by companies to gain access to talent. BT reports that equal opportunities and diversity policies have resulted in the company attracting 37% of female graduate applicants. By creating a working environment where all employees feel included, valued and rewarded on the basis of their talents and skills, companies increase employee morale leading to improvement in the quality and motivation of the workforce which in turn leads to an improved company performance. Effects of gender discrimination in the work place Learning about sex-roles takes place among men and women during the early phases of their lives, and this can translate itself into an attitude that creates difficulties later in work life, (Larwood and Wood, 1979). A lot of people would concur that these issues and discrimination of women is improper and unlawful and should not be tolerated. Nonetheless, many women have continued to be discriminated in their workplace. As rational people, employers seek to put the right person for the right jobs e.g. when the work demands public relations, appearing on advertisements, employers prefer attractive women as marketers to sell their products. For technical, manual and production work however; they prefer to hire a man, (Tom and Adrian, 2009, p.351). Some employers believe that the cost of employing women is higher and that the productivity of female workers is low due to truncated and intermittent breaks for child bearing and rearing. Women for example are questioned if the family responsibilities could hamper their performance at work and at times questioned about their competency. These beliefs pose particular challenges in decision to employ women at work. The choice of an individual to accept work in a particular occupation or an employers choice to employ either mainly men or mainly women, are decisions influenced by learned cultural and social values that often discriminate against women (and some times against men). The preference is largely determined by learned, gender-related factors which stereotype occupations as male and female. Occupational segregation by sex and Stereotyping The resultant segregation of occupations by sex places a limitation on what jobs male and female can do. The early stereotyping of certain occupations as male and female is one factor that influences the subject choices of children and adults (Archer, 1992). Miller and Hayward (1992) examined childrens perceptions of who should, and who actually does, perform a range of jobs. Both Miller and Budd (1999) and Miller and Hayward (1992) found that individuals preferences remained largely restricted to those jobs that were viewed as gender-congruent (i.e. in keeping with stereotypes about the jobs that are appropriate for their own sex). Boys gave significantly higher preference ratings than girls for nine masculine occupations (airplane pilot, air traffic controller, architect, carpenter, fire fighter, lorry driver, police-officer, scientist and TV repairer). Conversely, girls gave higher preference ratings for seven feminine occupations (dancer, hairdresser, librarian, nursery school te acher, secretary, school teacher and shop assistant). In the UK, research conducted for the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) indicated that parental attitude was one factor which influenced the decisions of young people regarding whether to remain in education or training, or to leave (Payne, 1998). In the USA, Farmer, Wardrop, Anderson and Risinger (1995) have identified parental support as a key factor influencing subject choice. Firstly, the mothers attitude is a key factor in developing the childs own view of the importance of the subject itself; this then influences the development of favourable attitudes towards the occupational area. Secondly, the childs perception of the extent to which their mother believes in the importance of doing well has a positive influence on the childs belief that their success is dependent upon their own efforts, which in turn impacts on their achievement and thereafter on their attitudes (Miller, Lietz and Kotte, 2002). Parental aspirations are usually viewed as an important influence on car eer decisions in general (Erikson and Jonsson, 1996). Schoon and Parsons (2002), also using a path modelling approach has shown that high parental aspirations are strongly correlated with high aspirations in their children and with good academic achievement. Stereotyping against women at work is either due to employers attitude or to what women bring into the labour market in terms of qualification, family demands and feminine differentials. Cultural restrictions Cultural restrictions contribute to the establishment of what is acceptable work and how some countries signify sexual differences for certain occupations. In Moslem countries, Purdah (kirton, G and Greene, A, 2005) effectively forbids women interacting with unknown men in public, as a result, many Muslim women are strongly discouraged from taking sales jobs except in shops where the customers are all women. Women are usually stereotyped to their traditional and cultural roles of child bearing, rearing and home-keepers and are usually disadvantaged in preferences for occupations and promotion. In societies where women are at a disadvantage by sex segregation, parents tend to give their daughters less education than the male thereby adversely affecting the future generation of women and limiting them to the traditional female Occupations (teaching, child-care, nursing, catering). Until recently, Nigerian parents believed that it was a waste to invest in the girl-child because they would eventually end up in the kitchen and were therefore not given formal education but were groomed to attract suitors. Several women are constrained to female jobs in certain sectors either through custom or through the prejudice and discrimination of employers. Some other factors like early marriages affect the education of the female, the role of the woman as helper and not the breadwinner also impedes thei r aspiration for higher challenges. Many women are unable to improve themselves educationally after marriage and childbearing. Glass ceiling Masculine stereotype play a role in determining the occupations which become typically male occupations (engineer, police officer, construction worker, security guard) and of course the breadwinner. There are fewer men in female occupations and when men move into typically female areas of work, there is no equivalent glass ceiling in fact, the opposite almost seems to apply. Examples of areas in which women constitute the majority of the workforce are education and health. In secondary schools, women hold the majority of teaching positions in schools, yet men constitute the majority of head teachers (68 per cent) Source: Department for Education and Skills (DfES) (2003e), Statistics of Education: School Workforce in England. Male nurses were found to have poorer qualifications at both pre-registration and post-registration levels, yet to advance more quickly into senior posts, the average time for male nurse to reach a senior post was 8.4 years, compared with 14.5 years for a female nurse who took no career breaks (Davies and Rosser, 1986). Similarly, male nurses were twice as likely to be found in higher grade nursing posts, although females had better post-basic qualifications (Finlayson and Nazroo, 1998). Women also feel there is relatively poor career progression in male dominated occupations, in terms of pay and status but UBS Investment Bank has a group called Raising the Bar which looks at the glass ceiling and whether women are treated differently and how they progress in their careers. Women find it difficult to break through this ceiling because of the ways in which they are viewed by the society and the individual organization (Stephen Linstead, Liz fulop and Simon Lilley, 2004) as being emotional, irrational, less committed, under-educated and not strong enough to earn top managerial positions. This creates vertical segregation where men predominate in top ranked positions of the organisations. Also because women sometimes prefer to work part time with flexible working conditions, it is therefore difficult to reach senior management positions. However, the role of women in society is radically changing in most countries and even in Nigeria. Vast numbers of women are beginning to work full-time and to aspire to climb the same organisational ladders as their male counterparts (Davidson and Cooper, 1984). Women are attaining higher levels of education and they are competing favourably with the men especially in occupations which were formerly reserved for the men. Female Male pay differentials Income inequalities between men and women from all backgrounds still persists, despite the equal opportunities legislation as womens annual salaries are 25 per cent lower than mens even when overtime and bonuses are taken into account (Sharon and Maeve, 2007, p.163). Women are making progress, but it is still relatively slow, Sean O Grady (2007), states that women working part-time earn 38 per cent less than their men counterparts working part-time as well. Even full-time female employees earn 17 per cent less than men. Hence, it makes it difficult to find women at the top of any business, political career or even the law. It is true that the pay gap among women and men is becoming much smaller than it used to be, even though there are still restrictions for women in top managerial positions and politics. Women are more confident because they are enlightened and have role models like Margaret Beckett who became the first U.K female foreign minister, Dora Bakoyannis the first women ever appointed to a senior cabinet position in Greece, Nigerias Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala the finance minister to foreign affairs. More women are willing to stand up to the law, even if men are still reluctant to give up power to women as a result of the Masculine perception (its a mans world). Child bearing and family responsibilities The debate on work and family life still tends to be focused on working mothers (Esther and Katherine, 1988). Mothers make significant changes to their working lives to accommodate their family and just a small minority of fathers make major changes that enable them to be more involved in family life (Suzanne, John and Melissa, 2006). Many employers view pregnant women as someone who is about to leave them hanging for a couple of month, instead of seeing them as professionals who are competent and can perform. Some employers deny pregnant women the opportunity to advance in their careers by assigning them menial jobs since they feel that they cannot handle challenging problems. These are just attitudes which do not have any basis. For example, it is believed that women typically leave their careers following the birth of children often in their thirties, some women may return after a period of maternity leave or after early years of child rearing, many do not return at all. Some reas ons for not returning are work-life balance issues such as, wanting extended maternity leave, part-time working not being possible for some jobs and the cost of children. Organisations have the feeling that the society is fast moving and when maternity break is taken, technology moves on to such an extent that it is difficult for returners to keep up and a lot of re-training would be required when they return. Therefore, when the women return, companies may have progressed and maybe their previous job has changed to such an extent they have to trade places or move out. Some organisations therefore offer flexible working hours for women who indicate that they would like greater flexibility at work. Flexibility has its own loop holes; it could lead to career death in terms of promotional opportunities (Jerry and kathleen, 2004). Women choose such career comfort in order to balance work with their family life responsibilities. Recommendations to curb gender and diversity discrimination in the workplace Gender Discrimination The use of gender equality mainstreaming strategy will enhance the management of gender diversities in the workplace; it will address the specific and often different needs of women and men. Targeted interventions should be taken which is aimed to overcome sex discrimination, empower women in the world of work and advocate equitable sharing of care responsibilities between both sexes. This approach will help to prevent gender-blind interventions that perpetuate inequality, by ensuring that both women and men benefit equally from management policies. The use of good practices as well as ILO strategies and tools such as the Action Plan on Gender Equality are encouraged in promoting gender equality in the workplace. Gender Audits could also be carried out at intervals. Research and publications, training courses on upgrading mainstreaming skills, and mobilizing gender network should be encouraged in the workplace. Women workers should be given assistance in getting organised and being represented in various sectors especially sectors where they form the minority. There should be a Human Resources specialist to oversee and support the Managing Gender Policy. Diversity Discrimination In the area of Diversity, to attract and retain staff from diverse backgrounds, companies may need to revise existing employment contracts, benefits packages and working conditions to accommodate measures, such as flexible working programmes, maternity/paternity benefits and leave, and childcare schemes. Companies should set up some form of monitoring and reporting processes, by warding off change resistance with the inclusion of every employee in formulating and executing diversity initiatives in the workplace. Leaders and managers within organizations must show commitment by introducing diversity policies amongst organisational functions. The overall participation and the cooperation of management as well as training are essential to the success of an organizations plan. Conclusion Gender, Diversity and Equal opportunity In this essay, findings indicate that gender should be managed in organisations in such a way as to minimise any differences between the employment chances available to men and those available to women. Equal opportunity should aim at allowing women the same level of access to and participation within every level and area of the organisation. As employees gain the benefits of increased equal opportunity for men and women in the workplace, all family members gain from an easing of the strain of juggling work and caring responsibilities and some children will gain the social and development benefits of quality childcare facilities. There is also the danger of promoting such case because equality of opportunity may not be seen as a case of social justice but that of organisational self interest. The benefits of diversity in the work place has its challenges which workers have to put up with, such challenges include prejudices, cultural and language barriers that employees bring into the lime light of work. Such challenges need to be overcome for diversity programs to succeed. There are always employees who will refuse to accept change and the fact that the workplace is changing as a result of the diverse nature of workers. The preconception of following the rules outlooks new ideas and hinders progress. The profits of a globalized economy are more fairly distributed in a society with equality, leading to greater social stability and broader public support for further economic development, (ILO, 1996-2010).

Determinism :: essays research papers

In this essay I will give a clear and knowledgeable understanding of determinism by carefully explaining and comparing hard determinism and soft determinism. It will also be clarified that if either hard or soft determinism were true then there still would be a positive point to human action. Furthermore I will acknowledge that if one were to take on the views of a hard determinist then they would have to change both their emotional and personal relationships with other people. However, if one were to take on the view of a soft determinist then they would not have to change their relationship or opinions of people. Determinism is the philosophical view that every event that takes place can be explained. In other words every event that occurs, happens as a result of an event or set of events that have occurred before it. (Hoefer, 2005) According to this theory, if determinism is truethen, given the actual past, only one future is possible at any moment in time. Although determinists follow the same theory of determinism there are two different types of determinists: Hard determinists and Soft determinists. Both types of determinists share the same belief that everything is determined on a physical level that is, that all events that transpire within nature are determined by events that have happened before it. However they come into conflict when the discussion arises about non – physical determinants. Hard determinists believe that ones thoughts, decisions and actions are also determined by a set of events before them. The reason for this is that hard determinists view actions in the same category as events. Therefore if every event is caused by actions before it, the one taking the action could not have been able to act any differently. This is a very hard theory for some to comprehend, as they believe that if we do not have free will one is not in control of their actions and do not have a freedom of choice. (Nagel, 1987) Soft determinist’s although may believe that some decisions are determined they reject the meaning that hard determinists give to the words ‘free will’ and ‘moral responsibility’. Soft determinists believe that when someone states that they have made a free -will choice although they may know the decision is determined they went through the process of knowing that they are doing the choosing, that they had considered all other options and that no-one either externally or internally had corrupted their decision or made them choose a different option.

Communicating Between Men and Women Essay -- CommunicatingLanguage Rel

Chromosomes Can't Explain This It's no secret that men and women often have difficulty communicating with one another. How many times, for example, have small disagreements combusted into gigantic tragedies with the exchange of only a few words and frustrated expressions? Despite the fact that male and female bodies were obviously made for clear interaction, our respective linguistic capabilities appear to have been scrambled. Some people may wonder how in the hell the human race continues to propagate given the disparaging gap separating the sexes. In an effort to peel away the layers of confusion forged between men and women, authors such as Deborah Tannen, John Gray, and Susan Page have worked to help couples deal with the strain of miscommunication. These authors present their viewpoints and offer their advice in their written work, offering reeling couples a chance to piece together the fragments of their relationship. While certainly not without their critics, these authors have taken steps to show both men and women how they can work towards better understanding what his or her mate is saying, and how to properly respond. "He doesn't understand!" Men have been traditionally chastised by their female companions for lacking the ability to communicate on an emotional, empathetic level. Oftentimes women do not understand why men can't relate to them as well as they'd like. Tannen, Gray, and Page cite different explanations for this phenomenon, and each suggest ways for men to overcome their natural disposition in effectively connecting with their special ladies. Tannen, first of all, proposes the notion that men communicate on a different basis than women. According to Tannen's book, You Just Don't Understa... ...rrestrial metaphor, criticizing him for blurring fiction with fact as a cornerstone for his popularity. Finally, Gleick insinuates that Gray thinks of himself as something of a messiah that would one day use his skills as a negotiator to parley world peace. Whether these authors, or their critics, can be taken for their word is left to each individual to decide. Tannen, Gray, and Page have endeavored to untangle the complex web of miscommunication between men and women. By the same token, their critics have worked to find fault in their arguments and perspectives. Nonetheless, their work has provided a basis from which all manners of people can begin to evaluate their own lives and relationships. Regardless of whether their advice is accurate or not, perhaps the words of these authors can be something to consider during that next fight with the significant other.

Economic Changes of the Ju/’Hoansi

The Ju'/hoansi started as a food foraging society, a mode of subsistence involving some combination of hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plant foods. During the early days, these people would travel long distances within a restricted territory and make seasonal moves to tap into naturally available food sources. Men and women were both equally important in work as well as necessary for survival. Although the men were usually the hunters and women the gatherers, it was not out of character for both sexes to do both jobs. Women were able to share the food they collected with whomever they wanted.Men on the other hand had different rules and constraints they had to go by in distribution of meat. The sharing was done in units of 25 people rather than just one family, they didn't have to share with everyone but no one went hungry within the unit. One way of preserving large amounts of meat was to make jerky. When hunting and killing an elephant would bring many pounds of meat, it would be stored by drying it out in long strips and could be packed easily as they moved to the next camp. In the 1970's the Ju'/hoansi were taken from their homeland, which caused a social change in their people.Jobs were given and paid for with monies. Men were given more jobs then women, which caused a significant change in the economy. Women were given welfare by the government and were isolated at their homes with nothing to do. Their purpose was diminished and they had too much time on their hands. Disease hit the people causing many deaths and tragedy. The South African Government came bringing liquor and many men fought each other, killing off their own people. The change brought to the Ju'/hoansi was a tragedy, they were not accustomed to this new way of life, nor had they been brought up by this kind of culture to be able to adjust.Some of the people went back to their homeland, never to be the same as the early days of foraging for food. They tried to shift to agriculture whic h called for a different understanding than what they were used to. Pre-planning and organization was needed for agriculture. The people had been hunting and gathering, which they did while traveling without planning. It was a different way of life, although some success came for a few, it was not common. Like many others of their kind, they were edged out of their traditional habitats and the foraging cultures have nearly disappeared.

How michael porter five model affects Costco Wholesale Corporation Essay

According to Michael Porter, an industry is affected by certain forces, which enable them to attain different levels of profitability. These five forces help managers analyze the industry to gain a better understanding and develop a more effective business strategy. In the discount retailing industry, it is important to consider the following when considering entry: Threat of New Entrants: Four major competitors, WalMart, Kmart, Target and Costco Wholesale dominate the discount retail industry. The threat of new entrants is low, as this small number of large firms has spent decades establishing their position in the market. While online retailers, such as Amazon.com, and smaller department stores do create a semi-competitive environment, there is no major threat as the entry barriers are high (there is major risk and expensive start-up costs) and small start-ups are discouraged from trying to penetrate the market. The lack of patents and government regulation allow the existence of small department stores in the industry, but their expansion is limited. Rivalry Within the Industry: In the discount retail industry, there is fierce competition among the major brands, as products sold are usually relatively price elastic; most of the shoppers are looking for the â€Å"best value for price† and the goods are not significantly differentiated from one another. This leads to efficient management and competitive costs. While dollar stores and other small retailers have established a niche market, they do not pose a significant threat to the market leaders. Supplier Power: The existence of a large number of suppliers and limited shelf space has lead to low supplier power; retailers like Kmart are free to switch to alternate, cheaper brands. Threat of Substitutes: In terms of brand identity, the main players attempt to differentiate themselves from each other by emphasizing on their strengths; while WalMart is known as the price leader, Target