The Bush Stimulus Package :: Essays Papers

The Bush Stimulus Package President Bush has just unveiled his new $674 billion economic stimulus package. The Democrats, although they have little chance of getting it passed in the GOP-controlled Senate, have countered with a plan of their own, with a much lower tab of $136 billion. The centerpiece of the Bush plan is arguably the elimination of the tax on dividends paid by shareholders, which makes up a hefty $364 billion of the entire sum. The reasoning is that it is unfair to tax corporate earnings once and then again tax them when they are paid out as dividends to shareholders. However, the president’s logic is faulty in that there are many instances of so-called double taxation in our society. For example, when one earns a dollar as part of one’s income, it is taxed and then it is taxed again in the form of sales tax when the dollar is spent. Another criticism lodged at the White House is that the repeal of the dividends tax benefits the wealthy in a disproportionate manner. Democrats charge that the wealthiest one percent of Americans would stand to gain over forty percent of the benefits. This is partly due to the fact that the wealthiest generally receive the greatest percentage of their income from dividends. Analysts say Mr. Bush is trying to appeal to the new â€Å"investor class†, which now includes the majority of Americans. Interestingly enough, senior citizens and retirees comprise a significant portion of stockholders who collect on dividends. That is what allows George W. Bush to claim that repeal of dividends tax is designed to benefit seniors, when wealthy investors will reap the most reward. The purpose, in theory at least, of ending double taxation is to put more money in the hands of investors, and to encourage more Americans to invest in the ailing stock market, which is now near an all-time low. Another beneficial effect will be to encourage large corporations to pay dividends, thus giving more money to Americans. If this money goes towards consumption and private and capital investment, the economy will inevitably get a much-needed boost, since GDP=C+I+G+X. In addition to elimination of dividend taxation, the Bush plan proposes to make the 2001 tax cuts permanent. Again, one can argue that the wealthy are the primary beneficiaries of Mr. Bush’s tax cuts. But part of the problem stems from inherent inequities in the tax code.

Drug Use in the 1960s Essay -- Essays Papers

Drug Use in the 1960s The time: the 1960s. The place: United States of America. Who? The youth. Doing what? Using drugs. Why? Many reasons. The 1960s proved to be a very turbulent time in the history of American youth growing up. There were many different activist movements all over the country. The primary drug user was the male college student involved in politics. He used mostly marijuana, some cocaine or LSD and of course alcohol. The sixites culminated with perhaps the biggest public scene of drug use ever: Woodstock. American youth in the sixties turned to drugs for a variety of reasons including the Vietnam War, the feeling of rebellion, activist movements, and the general pleasure-oriented society. The society in which these rebellious youth were growing up was one of the pleasure seekers. Dr. Donald B. Louria says "American public is literally enmeshed in an orgy of self-medication."1 Society was pleasure-oriented: the only things that mattered were those that appealed to the senses. When a pleasure-oriented society has too much leisure time, it leads to moral destruction. Simmel, a sociologist, stated "The deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence in the face of overwhelming social forces."2 There were many issues raised in the sixties as far as activist movements. Kierna Mayo Dawsey states that the sixties was an "era marked by social protest and rebellion."3 These include racial justice, abortion, civil rights, women’s liberation, and the United States’ military role in Vietnam. These groups were trying to express "their commitment to such traditional American values as freedom, democracy, and equality."4 Bret Eynon st... ... 11. See Fort, 211. 12. See Fort, 220. 13. See Novack. 14. See Novack. 15. See Dawsey. 16. See Fort, 25. 17. See Fort, 157. 18. Harry Nelson, "LSD Still on Some Minds," Los Angeles Times, 25 March 1991, B3. 19. See Fort, 36. 20. See Fort, 36. 21. See Nelson, B3. 22. Lawrence J. Dessner, " ‘Woodstock,’ A Nation at War," (Toledo, Ohio: Toledo University), 769. 23. See Dessner, 771. 24. See Dessner, 776. Mary C. Dufour, "Twenty-five Years of Alcohol Epidemiology: Trends, Techniques, and Transitions," Alcohol Research and Health Spring 1995: 77-84. David C. Lewis, "Putting Training About Alcohol and Other Drugs Into the Mainstream of Medical Education," Alcohol Research and Health 1989: 8+. Brent Q. Hafen ed, Drug Abuse: Psychology, Sociology, Pharmacology. (Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1973).

Archetypes Case Study Essay

1. Which are the archetypes does Verbeke distinguish? Draw the figures associated with these archetypes. Verbeke distguish between 4 types of archetypes and they are the following: Centralized exporter: Home country managed firm. Firm specific advantage in its final products. Standardized products manufactured at home. Only the transferable firm specific advantages are taken to the host country, meaning that they try to make exporting successful in international markets. No development of location bound firm specific advantages. International projector: Clones home operations into host countries. Knowledge based firm specific advantages are replicated from home country. Only the internationally transferable firm specific advantages are taken to the host country. No development of location bound firm’s specific advantages. The international projector MNE seeks international expansion by projecting its home country success recipes abroad. International coordinator: Its main firm specific advantage is that it can coordinate location advantages (e.g., production capacity to access abundant natural resources) present in multiple countries. International operations are specialized in specific value-added activities across borders. Use internationally transferable firm specific advantages in each host country to develop location-bound firm specific advantages that fit the host country location factors. Multi-centered MNE: Each host county develops own location bound firm specific advantages, only transfers core routines (e.g., financial management). A set of entrepreneurial subsidiaries go abroad, to acquire knowledge for future firm specific advantage development. Local adaptation is the foundation of the international strategy. 2. Is there one best model? Why or why not? There is no best model because these models all depend on the firm specific advantages that an organization has its power on, and also on the host countries appeal for business. Firm specific advantages in the home country  can be a success, but the question is if those firm specific advantages are also a success in the host country? 3. Do you consider a centralized exporter a true multinational? A centralized exporter can be a true multinational if it derives a quarter of its revenue from operations outside of its home country and also if it operates in different host countries, and its managed by a core headquarter in the home country. Warner Bros. Pictures, a major US motion picture studio is a multinational which is operational through exporting its motion pictures. Most of its revenue is attained from its exports and of course from its home country the US. 4. What does it mean that the FSA is embodied in the product in case of an international projector? A product that has embodied a firm specific advantage means that the product contains in it a feature that makes the company with greater success than its former competitors. This firm specific advantage cannot be seen as a stand-alone component in the organization, in order to leverage success it can only be seen as a firm specific advantage within its final product. So this firm specific advantage is not from its operations such as great employee relationship, but only through the final product. This is seen in the centralized exporter. In the international projector this is not the case because they replicate their firm specific advantages to go abroad and use them, such as an advanced technology or secret recipe like Coca cola has one. A good example is Ford, which cloned its American operations into Canada and Europe. Europe was a challenge for Ford due to a widespread prejudice against American cars sold in Europe. 5. Does the firm develop FSAs in the host country in case of the international projector? No the firm which uses the archetype of international projector as a strategy does not develop firm specific advantages in the host country, what this organization do is cloning their home country firm specific advantages to the host countries, so in other words just using success firm specific advantages from home country to the host country. 6. Why is the international coordinator an example of global value chain? The international coordinator archetype is an example of global value chain because it can coordinate different location advantage operations in a wide variety of different geographies in the same period. Global value chains now contain activities that are tightly integrated. This means that firms and workers in widely separated locations affect one another more than they have in the past. So for example BP an international coordinator, when there where oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, it suddenly affected all other BP operations, because their branding image was looked in a worse way, decreasing its organization reputation. 7. Why is a multi-centered MNE characterized by maximum local responsiveness? A multi-centered MNE is characterized by maximum local responsiveness because the foundation of a multi-centered archetype is local adaptation. This local responsiveness is evaluated and analyzed by different entrepreneurial subsidiaries from the organization that go abroad, so that new firm specific advantages can be developed. This newly firm specific advantage in the host country will conform with its host customers and through those means a good local adaptation can be attained. 8. The FSA is also framed in terms of core competences. That is the FSA is strongly related to the core competences of a firm. What key characteristics does Verbeke list for these core competences? There are 4 key characteristics of core competences: – Be difficult for competitors to imitate in terms of achieving the required internal coordination and learning. – Provide potential access to a wide variety of markets – Make a significant contribution to customer needs. – The loss of a core competence would have an important negative effect on the firm’s present and future performance, in terms of value creation. 9. What critique does Verbeke have on the concept of core competences? Core competencies are the company’s most important FSAs: its vital routines and recombination abilities. Recombination abilities are Locating resources, especially knowledge, as response to differences between national and foreign environments, and to satisfy new stakeholders’ demands. Verbeke has a few critiques regarding the concept of core competences and they are the following: Core competences of organizations in industries may differ. Prahalad & Hamel don’t include country factors in their analysis. Their theory overestimates the role of strategic management. Strategic management role is to develop strategic architecture. Develop a road map for the future which identifies core competencies to build the required technologies. In the other side their theory underestimates the role of host country location factors. Another critique from Verbeke is that core competences are historically driven. 10. What are the five forces Porter distinguishes? Explain these in your own words. The five forces Porter distinguishes is about how location advantages that affect firm competitiveness and firm specific advantage development. -Factor conditions: This is a force which is related to production factors such as capital, labor, infrastructure, scientific knowledge, technology. It gives improvement to problematic issues through innovation and continuous learning. A good example from the book is: In case of Japan, firms in several industries such as steel, shipbuilding and automobiles developed technological and design expertise to overcome a lack of natural resources and the just-in-time production process was pioneered in response to lack of affordable warehousing space. -Demand conditions: If customers increase their demand increasing external pressures to firms, then it gives the firm a good competitive advantage. So in order to gain this demand to customers the firm has to innovate a nd respond to the customer sophistication by adapting its technology and design features. This is good for future global  expansion, because the firm already gains early insights into future needs of customers or in other words buyer sophistication. -Related and supported industries: High quality home based suppliers which have great insight into international competition. These suppliers with good know how innovate through more efficient inputs, and spill knowledge between other suppliers within the firm through exchange of ideas, and different ways of communication. This is great for international competition. -Firm strategy, industry structure and rivalry: Domestic rivalry is good for international competitiveness. This forces firms to focus on firm specific advantages development beyond their home location advantages. This helps the firm become an international rival. So this is a well-functioning industry. -Government and chance: Luck plays a role, for example, a lucky innovation process that was coincidentally created and a valuable product with good technology or process knowledge was attained. This is often a long-term consequence. Government are the general governments of which are not corrupt. 11. How does Porter’s model fit in figure 1.2? Where does it belong? Porters fit model fit in figure 1.2 because the model is all about how to use location advantages to increase competition and force its firm to develop a firm specific advantage in order to go across the international border and use it as a competitive advantage abroad. This firm specific advantage can get them access into the development of a location bound firm specific advantage across borders. I think Porters model fits in the location advantages section at home country triangle and then it moves across to all the other host sections according to its force. 12. What is the big problem of Porters model when applied in the context of international business? Each industry has its own characteristics leading to different patterns of international competitiveness. According to Verbeke’s critique, firm specific advantages are home market determined, and Porters model has too much focus on the home market. In international business you need to take  account both markets, so the home market as well as the host country. International business is about how to succeed abroad, and only having emphasis on the home market that is not very attainable. Firms only go abroad if they can establish a match between their firm specific advantages and the location advantages to the host markets.

Essays of Pochury Festival

STORY BEHIND SEPTEMBER 6 BLACK DAY| | On August 14, 1960, the Naga Army attacked Assam Rifle out-post at Thuda (Phor village) in Pochury area. The attack was undertaken by the Eastern Command’s 1st Brigade under the command of Major General Zuheto, along with the then 4th battalion of Pochury Region under the command of Lt. Colonel Thorpa. The monsoon was at its height during the time and all major rivers like Tizu, Lanye and Thethsii were in full spate. The attack was launched after destroying all the six bridges on all the rivers. This was done to stop reinforcement from reaching the besieged army post.As the attack continued into the thirteenth day, ammunitions on both sides were running short and on several occasions the Indian Air Force plane tried to drop relief material and ammunitions but were prevented by the Naga Army. At the same time the Indian Air Force jet fighters strafed the attacker’s positions. An Indian transport plane (Dakota) trying to drop relief m aterials and ammunitions to the besieged post was shot down by the Naga Army on the 14th day of the siege and crash landed at Zathsii, a paddy field of Meluri village. The Naga Army captured all the 9 (nine) airmen including Flt.Lt. A. S. Singh. This led to a heavy army operation in Pochury area by the Indian Army, who was on a mission to search and rescue the captured airmen, none of whom were ever tortured but were later set free through the Red Cross. In the process of the army operations to rescue the airmen many villages were burnt down and untold atrocities and tortures were inflicted upon the villagers. On September 1, 1960, 6 (six) villagers from Phor village were tortured to death. Their names are Lt. Turachu, Village Chief, Lt. Yutsuchu, Pastor, Lt. Chupuchu DB, Lt. Yituchu GB, Lt. Turuchu GB, Lt. Mughazu GB.Again on September 3, 1960 another 3 (three) villagers from Yisi village were beaten to death namely Lt. Mazu GB, Lt. Throchu, Lt. Mazu RP. Two villagers Lt. Yichuhu a nd Lt. Nyupuchu. from Mokie village were also beaten to death. In Laruri village, Lt. Lingsang was buried alive after severe beating. Lt. Nyukhrusuh and Lt. Rhorupa of Meluri village were beaten severely and after which, their heads were chopped-off. Two villages, namely Tsikuzo and Kuluopfu, were abandoned due to tortures and humiliations meted out by the Indian army. On 6th September 1960, the Punjab Regiment posted at Kangjang village reached Matikhrii village around 10 am.The entire village was encircled in three rings and all the villagers were ordered to gather in one place. Men folk were separated from women and children. All the men were made to keep jumping and do sit-ups, for more than 5 hours in the scorching sun, naked. Any signs of tiredness were met with kicks and hits with rifle butts. Then just before sunset, Indian army not satisfied with the punishment meted out to the villagers, rounded them up inside the Village chief’s house and were forced to sit heads d own like a lamb being lead to its slaughter. Lt.Thah, the then Village chief, knowing what was in store for them bravely volunteered to sacrifice. He stood bravely for the Naga cause even to his last breath and said â€Å"It’s a man’s pride. No surrender, no compromise for our birth right. This sacrifice is to protect our freedom. I shall gladly lay down my life for the Naga future generation. † Then an Indian army jawan, holding a blunt dao(hatchet) chopped off the head of Lt. Pogholo who was first in the line. Witnessing the brutality and horror in front of their eyes and knowing that all of them were going to be killed, one of the villagers managed to escape the execution forcefully.Then one after another heads rolled down separated from the bodies, and in the event a total of nine lives were lost. Their names are Lt. Thah, Lt. Pogholo, Lt. Mezitso, Lt. Pongoi, Lt. Eyetshu, Lt. Zasituo, Lt. Thitu, Lt. Kekhwezu, Lt. Kezukhwelo. The Indian army did not even all ow the loved ones to perform last rites and rituals for the dead. All the dead bodies were dumped inside the village chief’s house and were burnt down to ashes along with the other houses and granaries.The women and children who had fled to the jungle to evade the horror and torture of Indian Army came back the next morning to find the whole village burnt down to ashes. Lt. Thitu who narrowly escaped from the execution was found by his wife Mrs. Rhiitariih with three cuts on the neck, stomach slashed and intestines thrown out. He quoted â€Å"Love, tell my beloved children the sacrifice I have borne for them and I am waiting to die in your lap with a cup of water† and after drinking, he breathed his last. Another victim Lt. Zasituo, traveling Pastor, was also found almost dead with multiple injuries on his chest and neck.Not long after, he died. Then the horrified women and children with no means simply covered the dead bodies with mud and left for the jungles fearing the Indian army might turn up any time. For days together, the survivors wandered in the deep jungle without proper food and shelter. The wild berries and fruits of the jungle were their only food and means of survival. The only comfort and encouragement they could give to each other was the knowledge of glorious sacrifices made by their men folk. The wild animals and birds of the jungle were their only companions, besides themselves.In extreme conditions of hardships and difficulty, many more precious lives were lost. The Naga Army then came to their rescue. They were given food, shelter and protection. Even today, the nightmares and tragedy of the incident still remain fresh in the mind of the survivors. In this long dispersion and exodus, the survivors entered Burma and stayed with the Naga Army in their camp at Sathi where Gavin Young of London Observer met them in the later part of 1961. In his book â€Å"Indo-Naga War†, page 29-30, he wrote that when he met the survivor s, there were only a pathetic thirty people.They spent their lives in the wilderness for two and half years. In 1963, village re-establishment took place but normal life could not be restored for many years. The people of Pochury have ever since observed 6th September as â€Å"BLACK DAY† in memory of all those who had suffered and laid down their lives for the greater glory and freedom of the Nagas. It is a day of sadness and a day to acknowledgement of the sacrifices made by the martyrs. Khuosatho Nyusou, President, P1ochury Hoho Kohima (PHK). (Courtesy: Pochury Students Union. )| |

Account for the continued existence of gender inequalities at work

Despite the laws and movements, women still do not enjoy equality in the workplace, in position or wages. In this essay I will discuss the origins of gender inequality in an effort to find out where this was first instigated. Initially I will talk about the historical motives of gender inequality and the work of the earlier women's movements and campaigns for equal rights in the early 1900's. I will then discuss various feminist theories of gender inequality, including recent government statistics. Finally I will conclude with my own viewpoints on gender inequality in the workplace in an attempt to discover why it continues to exist today. Ann Oakley 1981(cited in Haralambos and Holborn) gave a historical analysis of the changing role in society for women from before the industrial revolution in the 19th century to the 1970's housewife. Oakley says that men and women and also the children of the working class were employed in the factories. 1819 saw the beginning of the factory act that gradually restricted child labour. From 1841 to 1914 (the beginning of World War 1) women were seen as a threat to men and their employment. In 1852 women's employment was greatly reduced by The Mines Act which banned women from working in the mines, tradition said women should be in the home as a housewife and mother. In 1851 only 1 in 4 women were in paid employment by 1911 it was 1in 10. With the combination of these various acts passed and the growing restrictions on women's employment, more and more women began to stay at home but not by their own choice. Harolambos and Holborn 2000 p. 144) World War I saw many women return to the workforce while men were away fighting in the war; the economy needed women in the workforce even though they were paid less than they were worth. In February of 1918 the representation of people's act gave 2 Women the right to vote for the first time. Under this act only women over 30 were allowed to vote if they were householders, wives of householders, paying annual rent over i5, or graduates of British universities or women who were qualified although not graduates. About eight and a half million women were able to vote in the 1918 election. Women also became eligible to stand as MPs. Several suffragette campaigners stood for Parliament in the 1918 election. None were successful. Between 1914 and 1950 many women returned to work, but their primary role was still seen as that of the housewife/ mother, the industrial revolution had initiated many significant changes for women. Men were not happy about this as seen in the words of Jack Tanner: â€Å"We, as an organisation are opposed to the introduction of women as a general principal. â€Å"(Cited in Walby 1987). Braverman (1974) disagreed with Tanner saying there was a strong case for women being encouraged into the labour force, and that necessity for cheap unskilled labour was a requirement created by employers. Jack Tanner (at the time the leader of the Amalgamated Engineering Union in 1940) was doing his utmost to prevent women entering the male dominated workplace. The reason why men like Tanner should be so opposed to women to work in his male dominated union was not just because of their fear that women would work for fewer wages than men it was more a system of patriarchal objections which women's employment threatened to disrupt. Walby 1987 p2-3) 1970 saw the Equal Pay Act, which meant that women were to receive equal pay to men if they were employed to do similar work of the same value. In 1975 the Sex Discrimination Act was brought in to stop discrimination on the grounds of sex in employment, education and equal chances of promotion. Women in work i. e. paid employment have recently increased, between 1971 and 1997 (E. O. C. briefings, Work and Parenting) the percentage of women in work has increased so that women have now caught up with men in the labour market. The main reason for this is that more and more married women are going outside the home to work, although lone mother's statistics have dropped. (Harolambos and Holborn) 3 Sylvia Walby in Gender Transformations (1997) agrees with these findings, saying that since the 1980's integration of women in the male dominated workplace has increased dramatically, the number of women occupying higher ranking positions mainly in the professional and managerial careers has risen by 155% as opposed to a 33% rise by men. An increase in women's educational qualifications is seen as one of the main reasons for this remarkable boost to women's participation in higher ranking jobs. (Cited in Robinson and Richardson 1997) Norris (1987) says unquestionably women have always worked, but it is in caring for children and the elderly and the preparation and serving of food and looking after a household, known as unpaid labour, this has constantly been invisible in official statistics. One of the most significant changes for women in the labour force since the 1960's has been the percentage of women returning to the workforce and the decline of men's employment. Recently for every 6 men in paid employment there were 4 women, it has been predicted that these trends will continue to increase. However there are visible differences between some countries, in Scandinavia and North America, for example, women make up half the official labour force compared with less than a third in Spain, Ireland and America. In countries such as Canada Portugal and Norway the number of women in paid employment doubled. However in countries such as France, Britain and Germany, Women have been known to leave the workforce to start a family only to return in later years, this is known as the ‘M' curve. (Politics & Sexual Equality1987) Women in work i. e. paid employment has recently increased, between 1971 and 1997 the percentage of women in work has increased so that women have now caught up with men in the labour market. EOC briefings, work and parenting1997) The main reason for this is that more and more married women are going outside the home to work, although lone mother's statistics have dropped (Hood 1997) 4. Barron and Norris (Haralambos and Holborn2000) argued that there are 2 not 1 labour market as outlined below: Primary labour market is made up from good salaries, job security, good working conditions and good promotion prospects; secondary labour market is made up from lower paid jobs, less job security, lower working conditions and less opportunities of job promotion. These work side by side but it is near impossible for someone from the secondary labour market to be promoted to the primary labour market. Primary sector workers include professionals and managerial, highly skilled manual workers, secondary include unskilled and semi skilled workers manual and non manual workers. Dual labour market results from employers using these methods to keep the type of labour they require so incentives are offered to keep highly skilled in the workplace, secondary sector are seen as dispensable, easily replaced, no incentives for high wages, job security, or promotions is offered to them. The dual labour market can apply to both men and women but mainly women, who are seen as easy to replace and having no interest in learning new skills and less concerned with high wages. Men are still seen as the major bread winner and women's seen as having low status in society and not normally belonging to unions is one of the reasons why they are not as likely to aim for primary sector employment. Normally once a woman begins secondary employment there is little chance she will progress to the primary sector (Haralambos and Holborn 2000) Gender divisions and inequality has been linked to feminist campaigners who have tried to put an end to sexual discrimination and inequality in the workplace. The dominance of males throughout society is known as Patriarchy. Patriarchy explains gender and radical feminist explain male power. Radical feminists like Susan Walby in 1997 explains that ‘Patriarchy is seen as the primary form of social inequality' the domestic area is not the only one that women participate in. She shows how the idea of patriarchy is useful in explaining the relationship between women's restriction's in 5 he private and public area by showing that they work equally to achieve this dependence as well as maintaining patriarchy. Walby explains that it is men who are to blame for women's oppression; women are treated unequal because of their unwaged position in society and also because of household commitments. (Robinson and Richardson 1997) Recently in America there have been various discussions about the Glass Ceiling Syndrome and that there is a certain plateau that women can progress to in the workplace, then reach no further. Below are the three methods by which these are implemented; . Networking by word of mouth – most large companies fill vacancies through word of mouth connections, employees are sometimes identified and interviewed (at lunches, dinners or clubs) and then made an offer of employment outside normal working hours 2. Networking by Employee Referrals – an employee refers another employee from a group of (mostly) men mainly from within their own social group; this again does little for the promotional prospects of women. 3. Executive Search Firms – some companies use executive search firms to fill a large number of highs ranking jobs. Some companies have not made some of these firms aware of the equal opportunity obligations under the law. (www. theglassceiling. ) One of the projects that the government has recently introduced is the Work track Programme; this was said to benefit long term unemployed and to help them gain new skills and also to help them back into the workforce. It was said to be particularly beneficial to single parents (mainly women) with children as the family credit top up could be claimed. The downside of this was that it only lasted for 6 months. It created a false feeling of wealth and it was short term, the after effects are longer lasting. Personally I participated in this programme and although I thoroughly enjoyed my work experience it was very difficult to go back to income support. Many other non Work track jobs I applied for were not as flexible, wages were a lot lower and childcare was not as easily accessible, and there was also no follow on programme 7 either which would have been very helpful. On completing this Programme participants are informed that they will be ineligible to partake in any other Worktrack courses for the next three years. Personally I believe this is very unfair, on one hand he government is giving long term unemployed the opportunity to get a taste of what it is like to get back into the labour market, many of the women in this project had not worked for a long time either because they had stayed at home to raise a family or because of lack of skills or educational qualifications and just when they believe they are getting out of the poverty trap the government takes it away from them. Basically it looks to me like another way for the government rigging the unemployment benefit statistics to look as though there are more women in employment than there actually is. Unfortunately I can only account here for some of the reasons I believe exist for the continued gender inequality in the workplace today, in my remit of 2000 words it would be impossible to cover everything. It is, I feel significant and ironic that it had to be a woman, Ann Oakley, who undertook the first ever study on women and housework, she was incidentally told by her boss (probably a man) ‘to go away and come back with a proper topic'. (Harolambos and Holborn 2000)) In my research for this assignment I have to confess to feeling at times more than a little angry at the blatant and visible discrimination of women in the workplace down through the years. Gender equality in the workplace is still a myth that I personally believe will not be solved in the immediate future, although it has certainly improved in past few decades. I acknowledge that men have been somewhat discriminated against also but nowhere near the same level that women have been and not for such a long period of time. In an ideal world men and women would share equal rights, equal pay and equal status in all societies.

Job Satisfaction and Employees Performance

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 0 Background of the study of Job Satisfaction and Employee Performance in Total Nigeria Plc. The Total Nigeria PLC is a privately held, owned and managed industrial lubrication, oil and gas manufacturing company spread across the geographical regions and districts in Nigeria. The company has been a part of the Nigeria manufacturing landscape since 1962 and has earned the reputation as one of the key suppliers for lubrication equipment, oil and gas products in the industry.It manufactures petrol, kerosene, diesel, cooking gas, car care products, insecticides and lubricants such as oilers spray systems, applicators and condition monitoring equipment. Total Nigeria Plc. is dedicated to selling its products through distribution. TOTAL is the world’s fourth-largest publicly-traded integrated oil and gas company, with operations in more than 130 countries spanning all aspects of the petroleum industry, including Upstream operations (oil and gas exploratio n, development and production, LNG) and Downstream operations (refining, marketing and the trading and shipping of crude oil and petroleum products ).TOTAL employees more than 95,000 employees worldwide, TOTAL reported sales of â‚ ¬153. 8 billion in 2006. TOTAL Upstream activities are carried out by three subsidiary companies in Nigeria. They are: 1. Total Export and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNG) 2. Total Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNL) for oil/gas 3. Total Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Limited for gas. They are committed partners in Nigeria's growth and improvement: what they take out of the ground, they put into the economy.Their long term vision is to remain Nigeria's preferred operator, promoting the nation's economy through their various activities, and all the while contributing positively to the sustainable development of its communities. Samuel Emeka Mbah (Unilag Research Paper): There is a general consensus that there exists a managerial problem of finding successful mechanism of retaining employees especially in a job environment that is characterized by constant yearnings for pay rise.Employee job satisfaction has influence on employee turnover in organisations. The implication of this is that the extent to which an organisation is able to retain its employees’ depend on the level of job satisfaction that are made available to these workers. Job satisfaction is known to have positive impact on employee turnover intentions. It means that dissatisfaction on the job increases or will increase the rate of employee turnover intention in organisation. Job satisfaction is how content an individual is with his or her job.Dessler (1978:37) refers to job satisfaction, ‘as the degree of needs satisfaction that is derived from and or experienced on the job’. He affirms to the ability of employees in an organisation aspirations, feeling happy doing their job with the hope that their needs will be achieved. A job is a group of positions , which involves essentially the same duties, responsibility, skill and knowledge†. Scholars and human resource professionals generally make a distinction between affective job satisfaction and cognitive job satisfaction.Affective job satisfaction is the extent of pleasurable emotional feelings individuals have about their jobs overall, and is different to cognitive job satisfaction which is the extent of individuals’ satisfaction with particular facets of their jobs, such as pay, pension arrangements, working hours, and numerous other aspects of their jobs. Consequently, the inability of employees to achieve their needs will amount to dissatisfaction because job satisfaction is a general attitude towards an individual’s job, and the difference between the amount of reward workers receive and the amount they believe they should receive.It has been observed that a person with a high level of job satisfaction holds positive attitude towards the job while the person who is dissatisfied with the job holds negative attitude about the job. Also satisfied employees are known to show higher level work performance in organisations. By analysing job satisfaction an organisation can possibly increase positive outcomes such as employee satisfaction and performance, and may decrease absenteeism and turnover. 1. 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Employees in Total Nigeria Plc. lay important roles, so employee’s satisfaction is a very essential one; hence there arises a need to study the job satisfaction of oil, gas and lubrication employees. The Total Nigeria Plc. has been a part of the Nigerian industrial setting for over 40years. Investigating the employee’s value-perception can aid in managers building and creating work environments that help them to achieve high levels of employee satisfaction. The intention of investigating employee job satisfaction is therefore a step toward creating a healthy psychological contract for people at work (Palme r, 1999, Pg. ). This research therefore, seeks to evaluate the antecedents of employee turnover in the Total Nigeria PLC with a view to understanding its retention strategy. It would also evaluate the level of employee job satisfaction in relation to pay, nature of work and supervision as well as recommend ways of sustaining or improving on the company’s retention strategy. This research study would help in mapping out strategies and methods that would foster objective conclusions. 1. 2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDYJob satisfaction can be used as a powerful tool to achieve goal congruency and enhance employee motivation. It has been observed and noted that employees who find self-identity within the organisational context are motivated even in the face of adversity and channel their efforts towards the achievement of organisational goals. The absence of employee motivation may have significant negative implications to the company achieving its strategy. The objectives of this resea rch are: 1. To access the general level of job satisfaction in Total Nigeria Plc. . To determine the nature of the relationship between employees’ job satisfaction level and their performance. 3. To determine the major sources of dissatisfaction in Total Nigeria Plc. 4. To recommend some measures for improving the satisfaction level of the employees. This research will reinforce the knowledge on the holistic approach to job satisfaction from corporate strategy to individual level. It would also help in the academic understanding and development in the field of change management with specific reference to job satisfaction.It will be useful to Total Nigeria Plc. , other state owned enterprises, governmental and private sector organisations in Nigeria in the implementation of job satisfaction. It will give an overview of management and employees’ understanding of the whole concept of job satisfaction, their level of participation in its implementation, from strategy devel opment, goal setting to performance reviews, and their perception regarding its impact on the achievement of corporate objectives. 1. 3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. How can the general level of job satisfaction in Total Nigeria Plc. e accessed? 2. How can the nature of the relationship between employees’ job satisfaction level and their performance be determined? 3. How can the major sources of dissatisfaction in Total Nigeria Plc. Be determined? 4. Recommend some measures for improving the satisfaction level of employees? 1. 4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 1. There is no association between working conditions and job satisfaction. 2. There is no association between rewards provided and job satisfaction. 3. There is no association between welfare measures and job satisfaction. . There is no association between job security and job satisfaction. 1. 5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 1. Job satisfaction should be the major determinants of an employee organizational behaviour. 2. A satisfied employee will be having positive attitude towards his or her job and would go beyond the normal expectation in his or her job. 3. A person who places high importance on imagination, independence and freedom is likely to be poorly matched with an organization that seeks conformity from its employees. 1. 6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDYThe study included all employees of the organisation, with the exception of the researcher and the CEO and regional managers. All the findings and observations made in the study are purely based on the respondents’ answers which may be biased. Time and cost is also another constraint. 1. 6 DEFINITION OF TERMS PLC – Public Liability Company LNG – Liquefied Natural Gas TEPNG – Total Export and Production Nigeria Limited Unilag – University of Nigeria, Lagos State CEO – Chief Executive Officer TUPNL – Total Upstream Nigeria Limited

Restaurant Business in London Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Restaurant Business in London - Essay Example This discussion stresses that people in London are cash-rich and time-poor. On an average, people are not present at home or at work for four hours a day. The most prevalent leisure activity is eating out. The population of London has a high frequency of dining out. The love for eating out among the people of the city reflects in the ever increasing number of restaurants.From the study it is clear that the cosmopolitan city of London is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. More than one fourth of the city population was not born in UK. There is no hesitation in mixing with new culture or trying new food.   People love to explore abroad. Increasing number of people is reaching out to global holiday destinations. This exposure to other countries, new culture and food habits shows an effect on the restaurant menu cards and shop shelves.  The number of cuisines that the population of London love to feast on is thirty. This includes wide range of eating joints from the luxuries restaurants, coffee shops, fast food corners, budget restaurants to take away joints. It serves across all sections of the society. Needless to say, it is one of the top food destinations in the world.  Tourists have been coming to London from the various countries and enjoying the dining experience of all parts of the world.  Today London is particularly well known around the world as a food destination due to its diverse range of people and cultures.