Women in the Workforce free essay sample

Women in the workforce Introduction The entry and participation of women in the workforce have for long been restricted by the cultural and religious practices. Compared to men, the socio-economic status of women is poor leading to their economic dependency on men. But today, the situation has slightly changed; women are beginning to realize their contribution to the workforce. The realization has come with the struggle for recognition as the women are beginning to eye well-paying jobs in the workforce. However, the change is gradual because the gap replicates right from schooling where more men than women graduate from colleges and universities. Compared to men, women are much less in the workforce. They are still exposed to sex and race discrimination that influences their pay, hiring or promotions. Women’s median earnings are lower than men’s in nearly all occupations, whether they work in occupations predominantly done by women, occupations predominantly done by men or occupations with a more even mix of men and women (Hegewisch, Matite 2013). We will write a custom essay sample on Women in the Workforce or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For equality to be achieved then occupational segregation needs to be wiped out. Occupational segregation sets job limits in the workforce such that men will do jobs that are meant for men and women stick to jobs that are done by women. The most discriminating fact is that women earn less than men in all of the most common occupations for both women and men; they also earn less in broad occupations by race or ethnicity. Besides, the work done by men tends to fetch a lot more than the work that is done by women. Women’s social responsibility also affects their commitment and availability for work. It has become part of their life; for them to take long vacations to take care of the children, more so in the case of the newborns. Such absence from work may hinder any immediate promotions at place of work. This can explain why more men are in higher ranks than women. The market forces have for many years failed to eliminate discrimination in the workforce and that’s why inequality still exists is many companies. The current laws prohibiting discrimination are not being implemented strongly. The laws lack the requisite strength that can form a viable platform on which women can complain against discriminatory pay practices. For example, Equal Pay Act does not allow women to file class-action lawsuits, and it provides very insubstantial damages. The position of women in the workforce has for long been stereotyped. It has been believed that women do not have as much social responsibility as their counterparts. They therefore, even under the same level as men, should not ask pay equality since they are partly or entirely dependent on their husbands. Men are therefore placed at higher social rank than women. In addition, most of the jobs are male-dominated. There are therefore not many jobs available for women, and if there are, then women will mostly serve in the lower ranks. However, in some cases, there are women who take up the uppermost roles in a company. It is devastating that such women receive less support as they are viewed misplaced. The feminine nature of women generally sets some limit. In the workforce, other than the academic qualifications, some jobs may be quite involving that a woman may not perfectly fit. Jobs that involve longs hours of sitting, long hours of travel or jobs that are dangerous in nature may be much weightier than a female can bear. Sexual harassment at the place of work also tarnishes women’s integrity. Once a woman has established a relationship with one of her bosses, it will be very hard, at any given point in time, for that woman to get a higher position than the said sex partner. Due to such sex relationship, women remain at lower ranks because they cannot complain about their employer lest they lose their job or the relationship breaks. Research has shown that a rewarding work experience can reduce the stress associated with one of the multiple roles that women occupy: parenting (Barnett Marshall, 1991). The work experience can make women match the competition in the workforce. Moreover, once a person attains the requisite experience for a given job, the work will not become very strenuous as opposed to a person who lacks experience. This will enable women to multitask, and owing to their multiple responsibilities, they can be able to split time accordingly. It has also been shown that spousal support is most effective in helping women deal with the demands of multiple roles (Cohen Syme, 1985; Duxbury Higgins, 1991; Eckenrode Gore, 1990; Holahan Gilbert, 1979; Ross Murkowski, 1988). Women still struggle for equality at work place, the fight is still on. But it is likely to take long before the labour industry levels at an equal pay for men and women. Some case studies that the struggle may go up to 2057 for such equality to be achieved. Many proposals have been made but their effect is yet to be felt in the labour industry. For example, a draft proposal was brought forward in September 2012 that would see all women on maternity leave compensated. Businesses disagreed and were strongly opposed to it. Strategies and plans are still being laid down on how to tackle the gender parity at work place. Organizations such as Women Movements, Labour Unions and Human Right Commissions are still coming out strongly to push for fairness in the workforce. References Hegewisch A, Matite M. â€Å"The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation† Institute for women’s Policy research (April 2013). Accessed May 21 2013 from National Committee on pay equity. â€Å"Reasons for the Wage Gap†, 2013. Accessed May 21 2013 Freedman J. â€Å"The industrial age† Women in the workplace (2010): pp 13-17. Accessed May 21 2013. Boyle P. â€Å"Left unity now more urgent than before? † Green Left (2013) Jacobs P, Schain L. â€Å"The Continuing Struggle for Acceptance and Equality? † Journal of Academic and Business Ethics: (pp 98-101)

An Overview of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

An Overview of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) NGO stands for non-governmental organization and its function can vary widely from service organizations to human-rights advocacy and relief groups. Defined as an international organization that is not founded by an international treaty by the United Nations, NGOs work to benefit communities from the local to international levels.   NGOs not only serve as checks-and-balances for government  and governmental watchdogs but are crucial cogs in wider governmental initiatives such as relief response to a natural disaster. Without NGOs long history of rallying communities and creating initiatives around the world, famine, poverty, and disease would be a much bigger issue for the world than it already is. The First NGO In 1945, the United Nations was first created to act as an intergovernmental agency - that is an agency that mediates between multiple governments. To allow certain international interests groups and non-state agencies to attend the meetings of these powers and ensure an appropriate checks-and-balances system was in place, the U.N. established the term to define them as characteristically non-government.   However, the first international non-government organizations, by this definition, dated back well into the 18th century. By 1904, there were over 1000 established NGOs in the world fighting internationally for everything from the liberation of women and slaves to disarmament.   Rapid globalization led to the quick expansion of the need for these non-government organizations as shared interests between nationalities often overlooked human and environmental rights in favor of profits and power. Recently, even oversight with U.N. initiatives has given rise to an increased need for founding more humanitarian NGOs in order to compensate for missed opportunities.   Types of NGOs Non-governmental organizations can be broken down into eight different types within two quantifiers: orientation and level of operation - which have further been delineated into quite an extensive list of acronyms. In a charitable orientation of an NGO, investors acting as parents - with little input from those benefitting - help initiate activities which meet the basic needs of the poor. Similarly, service orientation involves activities which send in a charitable person to provide family planning, health, and education services to those in need but require their participation in order to be effective.   Conversely, participatory orientation focuses on community involvement in solving their own problems by means of facilitating the planning and implementation of restoring and meeting the needs of that community. Going one step further, the final orientation, empowering orientation, directs activities that provide tools for communities to understand the socio-economic and political factors affecting them and how to utilize their resources to control their own lives.   Non-government organizations can also be broken down by their level of operation - from hyper-localized groups to international advocacy campaigns. In Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), the initiatives focus on smaller, local communities while in City-Wide Organizations (CWOs), organizations like chambers of commerce and coalitions for businesses band together to solve problems that affect entire cities. National NGOs (NGOs) like the YMCA and NRA focus on activism that benefits people across the country while International NGOs (INGOs) like Save the Children and the Rockefeller Foundation act on behalf of the entire world. These designations, along with several more-specific quantifiers, help international government organizations and local citizens alike determine the intent of these organizations. After all, not all NGOs are supporting good causes - fortunately, however, most are.

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 17

Research Paper Example Identity such as language, religion amongst others implies sovereignty, and from the struggle of the Native Americans in Hawaii and Alaska, albeit approached differently, defines the process towards sovereignty. This paper explores and discusses the sovereignty claims of the native tribes in Alaska and in Hawaii, the 49th and 50th states of the country respectively. As a matter of fact, efficient public service delivery can be disregarded for a chance to indulge in self governance. Nonetheless, with the federal government and the state governments responsible for a number of services for the people in Alaska, including the natives, the relevance of the Alaskan sovereign and the Hawaiian push for tribal sovereigns has been brought into question. The native Hawaiians situation with regards to sovereign assertions is markedly different from the Alaskan situation. However, the tribes in Native Hawaiians tribes had a centralized governing system with a royal queen being at the helm of the authority of the land before colonization and eventual annexation by the United States. Presently, the United States of America exhibit a three spiral form of sovereignty: federal, state and tribal governments. The sovereign status of the native tribes in Alaska has been defined as axiomatic, and this implies that the right to self govern is self evident. The Alaskan natives, similar to other tribes in the Americas, have governed themselves for thousands of years a similar pattern across America’s native tribes came. Assertions of tribal sovereignty as it is presently exist amongst the native Alaskan tribe took very many years to achieve fruition. During the years of sovereignty claims, the tribes used a combination political as well as legal activism. Sovereign assertion achieved by the native Indian tribes over the years is acknowledged within the federal corridors of justice, and entails the

Humanitarian Assistance in War Zones Research Paper

Humanitarian Assistance in War Zones - Research Paper Example As the essay stresses the humanitarian aid agencies are primarily concerned with developmental efforts focused on uplifting the displaced civilians, and helping in preventing the further spread of the conflict, in a bid to protect the loss / damage to the general public. Humanitarian aid, thus aims to rehabilitate the displaced in war torn regions, through provision of basic facilities.This paper highlights that the term developmental assistance refers to the assistance provided by international agencies or NGOs in re-constructing a nation’s infrastructure and/ or economy, which is destroyed due to war or similar internal conflicts. The basic purpose is to ensure that the nation is able to sustain its stability – both political as well as economic, despite war, and prevent it from retracting towards poverty and state of chaos. These agencies are primarily concerned with providing assistance related to governance, transporting basic supplies such as food and water to cri ses zones, and providing assistance in restructuring the economy, among others.   The international aid agencies strive to eliminate or reduce the factors contributing to creating political, social or economic rift, take active measures in blocking economic stagnation, prevent illicit trade which may facilitate further violence such as drug dealing, illicit trade in diamonds, arms and ammunitions etc., increasing employment opportunities, and reducing / eliminating economic incentives to fight.

Analyze readings and tv episode Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analyze readings and tv episode - Essay Example However, it is noticeable that the recent trend represents a paradigm shift in celebrity development. What is apparent is a programmatic shift in the way the contemporary celebrity is developed through concurrent media – television and internet-based branding in particular. Thus, no longer are only the elites with their extraordinary levels of consciousness considered as an important pool of personnel to be regarded for mainstream celebrity, as Hearn illustrates, â€Å"Psychoanalytic  concerns about unconscious  identity formation are for the most part, left to the side here, as are any claims about essential human nature† (198). This has paved way for Ordinariness amongst the recent wave of celebrity development, which, rest assured, has always enjoyed a certain repertoire amongst the discourses of mass celebrities along with denoting essential ingredients of various film and televised content (Bonner). Turner refers to this phenomenon as the demotic turn (153-154) which signifies a convergence of ordinary and celebrity. While there is inherent contradictoriness in the discourses of celebrity itself, as a celebrity by nature cannot be ordinary once elevated by mass appeal, this contradiction is what enhances the apparent widespread acceptance and validation of reality tv shows and the celebrity development it engages in. ... sess singing skills to audition and be judged by a panel in order to partake further in various singing formats with the promise of a reward for the winner in the form of a contract with a leading record label. The participants are initially screened by a panel but later voted on by the general population in a seemingly democratic process of selection. The particular episode in question was part of season 11 episode 1, and was aired on January 18th, 2012. Analysis Turner’s principles of demotic turn were primarily aimed at the understanding of recent celebrity proliferation in mass media. His focus was to determine how self-branding techniques in popular media such as reality TV shows, DIY internet websites, radio talk shows etc. serve to exacerbate the systematic popularization of ordinary people in order to classify them celebrity status. His acknowledgement of the self is characterized by self-recognition, a distinct identity that is argued in the public’s redeeming eye, accepted and promoted. Reality TV accounts for a certain kind of recognition of self as well, as witnessed in American Idol over its tenure. Participants occasionally have to make their case in front of the judges in terms of qualities other than singing, which the show wholly comprises of. Turner cites William Hung as an example, who although never qualified past the screening process, argued that he did not have any training in singing or dancing which he seemed to believe identified him as unique (154). However, he most certainly classified as entertainment, and was rewarded by the show in subsequent re-runs of his audition as part of the show’s promotion. He engaged in a modern form of promotion that Hearn describes as a by-product of self-branding, a methodic interpretation of brand

The Development Of Hip Hop Music Essay

The Development Of Hip Hop Music Essay The hip hop musical genre developed at the same time with the hip hop culture which we can define by stylistic elements such as Raping, Djing, The hip hop music was born at the Bronx of New York city in 1970s basically from African Americans and Jamaican Americans. Often the word rap is used as same meaning with the hip hop but hip hop has an entire subculture. Usually rapping is also called Mcing (emceeing) which is a vocal style in which the artist speaks lyrically in rhyme and with the company of an instrumental or synthesized beat. Beats mostly are created by looping and mixing portions of other songs. The roots of hip hop are found in African-American music and ultimately African music. The griots of West Africa are a group of traveling singers and poets who are part of an oral tradition dating back hundreds of years. Their vocal style is similar to that of rappers. The African-American traditions of signifyingHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signifyin', the dozens, and jazz poetry are all descended from the griots. In addition, musical comedy acts such as Rudy Ray Moore and Blowfly are considered by some to be the forefathers of rap. Within New York City, griot-like performances of poetry and music by artists such as The Last Poets, Gil Scott Heron and Jalal Mansur Nuriddin had a significant impact on the post-civil rights era culture of the 1960s and 1970s. Hip hop arose during the 1970s when block parties became increasingly popular in New York City, especially in the Bronx. Block parties incorporated DJs who played popular genres of music, especially funk and soul music. DJs, realizing its positive reception, began isolating the percussion breaks of popular songs. This technique was then common in Jamaican dub music and had spread to New York City via the substantial Jamaican immigrant community. A major proponent of the technique was the godfather of hip hop, the Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc. Clive Campbell (born April 16, 1955), also known as Kool Herc, DJ Kool Herc and Kool DJ Herc, is a Jamaican-born DJ who is credited with originating hip hop music, in the Bronx, New York City. His playing of hard funk records of the sort typified by James Brown was an alternative both to the violent gang culture of the Bronx and to the nascent popularity of disco in the 1970s. In response to the reactions of his dancers, Campbell began to isolate the instrumental portion of the record which emphasized the drum beat-the break-and switch from one break to another to yet another. Hip hop was almost entirely unknown outside of the United States prior to the early 1980s. During that decade, it began its spread to every inhabited continent and became a part of the music scene in dozens of countries. In the early part of the decade, break dancing became the first aspect of hip hop culture to reach Germany, Japan, Australia and South Africa, where the crew Black Noise established the practice before beginning to rap later in the decade. Meanwhile, recorded hip hop was released in France and the Philippines (Dyords Javiers Na Onseng Delight and Vincent Dafalongs Nunal). In Puerto Rico, Vico C became the first Latino rapper, and his recorded work was the beginning of what became known as reggaeton. Japanese hip hop is said to have begun when Hiroshi Fujiwara returned to Japan and started playing Hip-Hop records in the early 1980s. Japanese hip hop generally tends to be most directly influenced by old school hip hop, taking from the eras catchy beats, dance culture, and overall fun and carefree nature and incorporating it into their music. As a result, hip hop stands as one of the most commercially viable mainstream music genres in Japan, and the line between it and pop music is frequently blurred. Hip hop has globalized into many cultures worldwide, as evident through the emergence of numerous regional scenes. It has emerged globally as a movement based upon the main tenets of hip hop culture. The music and the art continue to embrace, even celebrate, its transnational dimensions while staying true to the local cultures to which it is rooted. Hip-hops inspiration differs depending on each culture. Still, the one thing virtually all hip hop artists worldwide have in common is th at they acknowledge their debt to those African American people in New York who launched the global movement. While hip-hop is sometimes taken for granted by Americans, it is not so elsewhere, especially in the developing world, where it has come to represent the empowerment of the disenfranchised and a slice of the American dream. American hip-hop music has reached the cultural corridors of the globe and has been absorbed and reinvented around the world. Hip Hop music has had many different effects on teens since its inception in the late 1970s. When most people think of rap music today, they immediately think of the gangster or thug mentality that has infested suburban teens with an attitude that reflects the heart of the ghetto. This may normally be revealed through a change in language or slang, as well as a change in appearance or dress. Rap nearly paints a picture to a child of what is going on in the streets. It has a much bigger influence on suburban teens because children who live in poverty strictened areas already have an idea of what that life is really like. Lots of times it comes down to children wanting to be considered cool. As a cultural movement, hip-hop manages to get billed as both a positive and negative influence on young people, especially on Black and Latino youth. On one hand, there are African American activists, artists and entrepreneurs, such as Russell Simmons, who seek to build a progressive political movement among young hip-hop fans and who have had modest success with voter registration efforts. On the other hand, theres no shortage of critics who denounce the negative portrayals of Black people, especially women, in hip-hop lyrics and videos. Recently, a few critics in major U.S. newspapers took note of a well-publicized marketing firm study that cited the cultural influence of hip-hop and reported on sexuality among African American youth in households earning less than $25,000 per year in 10 cities. The study revealed that Black adolescents are becoming sexually active at ages younger than other youth and are suffering from HIV/AIDS at a rate higher than other groups. Political hip hop (also political rap) is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed in the 1980s. Inspired by 1970s political preachers such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron, Public Enemy were the first political hip hop group. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released the first well-known sociopolitical rap song in 1982 called The Message, which inspired numerous rappers to address social and political subjects. Explicitly political hip hop is related to but distinct from conscious hip hop because it refers to artists who have strong and overt political affiliations and agendas, as opposed to the more generalized social commentary typical of conscious hip hop. It can also be used to include political artists of all ideological stripes, whereas the term conscious hip hop generally implies a broadly leftist affiliation or outlook. There are hundreds of artists whose music could be described as political. Black HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_nationalismNationalism was one of the driving ideologies behind the militant wing of the North American civil rights movement in the 1970s and early 1980s. It played a major role in early political hip hop and continues to be a major animating force for many contemporary political hip hop artists. Prominent Black Nationalist artists include Tupac Shakur, Public Enemy, Paris, and many others. Marxism has long been a major animating force in social movements worldwide and is no less so in Hip Hop. Without a doubt the two most overtly Marxist groups in the english language have been Marxman and The Coup. Both groups also incorporate(d) Revolutionary Nationalism into their message, Irish Republicanism for Marxman and Black Nationalism for the Coup. For these artists, as with Marxism in general, class struggle and anti-imperialism are major recurring themes. Anarchism has been a major motivating ideology for popular movements around the globe for over a century and is just as relevant in Hip Hop culture. Like Marxist hip hop, class struggle and anti-imperialism are major themes in anarchist hip hop music along with Anti-parliamentarianism and a strong emphasis on intersectionality and the connections between different movements. The need for community-level grassroots organization and opposition to political hierarchy and illegitimate authority are also common themes. Unlike Marxist acts, several of which have been signed to major labels, anarchists artists have generally followed a DIY ethos which has led them to remain independent.Many other artists object to Capitalism in general but prefer not to explicitly identify with either Marxism or Anarchism and instead advocate various other forms of Socialism. The most prominent hip hop acts that describe their politics as socialist are Dead Prez, Blue Scholars, SNIPED, and Sun Rise Above. Immortal Technique identifies himself as a socialist and supports Castro and Leninism. Looptroop Rockers is an anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist hip-hop project from Sweden. Askari X, a rapper hailing from Oakland, CA, has also expressed his loyalty to the African People Socialist Party. Other political hip hop artists advocate a wide range of positions, and often disagree with one another, as can be expected from an extremely diverse global scene. Zionist hip hop acts like Golan and Subliminal, and Palestinian nationalists like the Iron Sheik have obvious fundamental disagreements about a wide range of issues, but both use hip hop music and culture as a vehicle to express themselves and spread their ideas. As hip hop becomes increasingly widespread, artists from many different countries and backgrounds are using it to express many different positions, among them political ones. The nature of hip-hop (as with much music) as an opposing force to the establishment lends itself to such a use. Listening to rap has not been shown to increase suicidal ideation and anxiety or adversely affect self-esteem among college-aged men and women. Oddly enough, students listening to a nonviolent rap song experienced more depressive symptoms than those who listened to a violent rap song. Overall, rap songs are more inclined to generate angry emotions than heavy metal songs. Every so often a new style of music emerges that takes America by storm and comes to represent the generation that grows up with it. In the 50s it was rocknroll, followed by the Motown sound of the 60s. The 1970s brought folk music and disco, and in the 80s it was rap. Perhaps no other form of music has crossed as many boundaries and become a bridge between Americas many cultures as rap has I believe that hip-hop is bringing the cultures together. The sound of hip-hop is one element that shows that our work can be less divided and more united. I support the joining of artists to create unique styles of music. I think that shows that people are more open to change these days. Anymore, most people do not see the differences in colors or backgrounds. This generation has not only grown up with the rap music, but it has grown up with many different cultures. My peers and I grew up and went to school with many black children. From the very beginning, my generation has accepted the differences in body color. Its not strange to see an interracial marriage or two children of different races that are best friends. Hip-hop has pushed the sounds of the different ethnic backgrounds together to speak to all people.

Husserl y la Crisis de la Cultura :: Spanish Essays

Husserl y la Crisis de la Cultura ABSTRACT: The topic of the crisis of culture has been common among philosophers whose thought developed during the beginning of the 20th century, and especially among those who lived through the hard times of the interwar period. Husserl was no exception. I intend in this paper a modest approach to the growth of this subject in the founder of phenomenology. I will attempt to: (1) delimit what Husserl meant by culture; (2) identify the reasons for the crisis of culture; and (3) find a solution to this crisis. La siguiente comunicacià ³n va a constar de tres secciones. En la primera, que se llevarà ¡ la parte del leà ³n, voy a tratar de acotar aquello que Husserl entiende por cultura tanto en su sentido descriptivo como normativo. En la segunda, veremos por quà © eso a lo que à ©l hace referencia con semejante tà ©rmino se halla, en su opinià ³n, en crisis. Por à ºltimo, y ya en una brevà ­sima tercera parte, se tratarà ¡ de dar cuenta del camino que al decir de Husserl es necesario emprender para buscar una salida a semejante situacià ³n de crisis cultural. 1. La doble definicià ³n husserliana de cultura: descripcià ³n y normatividad Creo que no es una mala estrategia a la hora de abordar quà © entiende Husserl por cultura, el comenzar por la biparticià ³n ontolà ³gica que hace del mundo en naturaleza (Natur) y espà ­ritu (Geist). Son muchos los lugares donde se nos habla profusamente de ello. Haciendo un resumen sumario del tema, podrà ­amos decir que el à ¡mbito de la naturaleza es el de las cosas materiales, el de los entes vistos desde la pura exterioridad espaciotemporal, siendo la ley en base a la cual se rigen la necesidad causal. En contraposicià ³n a ello, el mundo del espà ­ritu es aquel en el que lo esencial no viene dado por las relaciones exterior-causales que se dan entre los objetos, sino por la significatividad humana que conforma nuestro primer y primordial contacto con la realidad. Es decir, el mundo del espà ­ritu es el mundo del significado, del sentido, aquello que constituye propiamente nuestro cosmos y nos es dado, en primera instancia, como un regalo por nuestros antepasados. Seme jante mundo sà ³lo puede brotar del yo y su vida de conciencia o, mejor dicho, de un yo (no entro aquà ­ en la distincià ³n yo, hombre, persona, subjetividad trascendental) y una vida de conciencia que se encuentran siempre en constante interrelacià ³n con otros yoes.

World Class Manufacturing

Why is a manufacturing company which adheres to a world class approach better able to succeed in the contemporary corporate environment? How is world class status achieved? The contemporary corporate environment is hugely different from what the corporate environment used to be in the past. Now the corporate environment is highly competitive, volatile and information is easily available to everyone including the customers. Over the years customers have become more demanding and they are clear about what they want and what they don’t want.They don’t want to settle for anything different from their needs and wants. Markets are more fragmented in the contemporary corporate environment. There is a lot of volatility in the market. This is due to continuous improvements and changes in technology which has a huge impact on the production process of companies in the contemporary corporate environment. Many products now have much shorter product life cycles in the contemporary c orporate environment. Prices and costs of products are also fluctuating a lot due to the volatile corporate environment.Companies have to keep selling prices low since there is too much competition in the market. The more competitors there are the more difficult it is for companies to survive since they have to make sure they offer the customers something better in quality as well as price than their competitors. Companies adhering to world class manufacturing (WCM) are better able to succeed in the contemporary corporate environment. This is because adhering to WCM allows companies to be more competitive in the market. WCM focuses more on what the customers want rather than what the company can offer the customers.Under WCM products are made to meet exactly the needs of the customers rather than something similar to what they want. WCM allows companies to be more customers focused and know exactly what they want. This is achieved by putting more resources into market research and i dentifying effectively the needs of the customers. WCM includes the use of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) which allows companies to broaden their product range to meet the needs of the customers and also allows the company to customise products which further helps the company to be more competitive in the contemporary corporate environment.Being customer focused makes companies more competitive and reduces the chances of customers rejecting the products e. g. Boeing works closely with its customers to make sure customers get exactly what they want. WCM also helps companies to reduce costs which mean companies can afford to keep selling prices low and be more competitive. When companies work closely with suppliers they can reduce costs. Chrysler corporation established the suppliers cost reduction effort (SCORE) in an effort to work closely with its suppliers and identify opportunities to reduce costs from the vehicle manufacturing process.Working closely with suppliers allo wed Chrysler and its suppliers to make cost savings of $1 billion in just one year. WCM helps companies strengthen external relationships. This helps to open the doors of the global market for companies and have more opportunities. Selling their products globally makes companies more competitive. WCM helps companies to survive in the contemporary corporate environment by allowing companies to be more flexible so they can cope with the volatility in the market. WCM allows companies to adapt flexibility in different areas such as strategic, tactical and operational.From the strategic point of view, WCM helps companies to be able to quickly align the company’s strategic posture with rapidly changing external conditions. To survive in the contemporary corporate environment it is extremely important for companies to be flexible from the operational point of view. WCM requires companies to be flexible in this area which means companies need to be producing on the spot or in a perio d of time that satisfies the customers’ needs from the beginning, not from stock and not to assembling order. Under WCM this can be achieved by reducing lead times relating to the short manufacturing cycle.WCM allows companies to reduce lead times by adopting a process orientation versus a functional orientation as well as using the mushroom concept and also by removing constraints rather than adapting with them and working within the constraints like under the traditional manufacturing. Worker empowerment is promoted under WCM which helps remove the constraints. Employees are the best people to identify constraints and know how to remove them but under traditional manufacturing, employees don’t have the authority to do this but under WCM workers are given much greater power than they had under traditional manufacturing.Under WCM workers are organised into smaller teams which have responsibility for maintenance, hiring, firing etc. A worker has the power to stop the pr oduction line if they see some problems i. e. jidoka. Workers are also encouraged to make suggestions for improvements known as kaizen and they are also given appropriate information which is also a pre-requisite to empowerment e. g. visual factory, andon. WCM is an approach which allows an enterprise to succeed in today’s highly competitive globalised markets.To achieve world class status, companies need to adopt new organisation structure, culture, work methods, supported by a platform of information age technology. The hardware arm is AMT. With the advent of the information age, information becomes the key resource of a company. This has encouraged the switch from ‘M’ form of organisation to networks as information flows more easily through a network. Furthermore if workers are to play their part in process improvement, they need the information to do this.

Report Information from ProQuest Essay

Abstract: The social and psychological needs of an employee must be understood in order to motivate him to complete the assigned tasks. Unless the leaders fully support the premise that organizations must have a high degree of communication to meet employee’s psychological needs, it will remain stagnant. This may further give rise to grapevines and conflicts which adversely affect the organization. Effective internal communication is needed for management to develop and sustain a competitive advantage for organizational performance and improvement. Transformational leaders have a  tremendous influenceontheworkplaceandorganization’sculture. If they wish to institute change, their leadership styles must be strategically aligned to accommodate the organizational culture. McKinsey’s 7S framework is a model for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make organizations successful: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. It can be aligned with any organizational issue that needs to be corrected. Utilizing past literature, survey questions, and interviews, this research paper will find out the strategy and implementation issues in communications flow that the private service sector faces and how a leader can initiate and bring change by alignment with McKinsey’s 7S Framework. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] Links: Linking Service, Linking Service, Linking Service Full text: Headnote Abstract The social and psychological needs of an employee must be understood in order to motivate him to complete the assigned tasks. Unless the leaders fully support the premise that organizations must have a high degree of communication to meet employee’s psychological needs, it will remain stagnant. This may further give rise to grapevines and conflicts which adversely affect the organization. Effective internal communication is needed for management to develop and sustain a competitive advantage for organizational performance and improvement. Transformational leaders have a tremendous influenceontheworkplaceandorganization’sculture. If they wish to institute change, their leadership styles must be strategically aligned to accommodate the organizational culture. McKinsey’s 7S framework is a model for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make organizations successful: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. It can be aligned with any organizational issue that needs to be corrected. Utilizing past literature, survey questions, and interviews, this research paper will find out the strategy and implementation issues in communications flow that the private service sector faces and how a leader can initiate and bring change by alignment with McKinsey’s 7S Framework. Keywords: Change Management, McKinsey’s 7S Framework, Organizational Communication, Transformational Leadership Introduction An organizational setup is a conjoint effort of leaders and followers who work for the accomplishment of certain predefined objectives. The leader’s role is paramount and he has the ultimate responsibility of taking the resources in the desired direction. The concept of leadership has evolved across a period of time. Balgobind (2002), in a comparative study of different transformational leaders, has found that in the past the leader was transactional who was aware of the link between effort and reward. This kind of leadership was responsive and its basic orientation was to deal with  current issues. These leaders would rely on standard forms of inducement, reward, punishment, and sanction to control followers. They motivated followers by setting goals and promising rewards for desired performance. Leadership depended on the leader’s power to reinforce subordinates for their successful completion of the bargain. But times have changed and so has the role of a leader. The leader of today is transformational. These leaders arouse emotions in their followers which motivates them to act beyond the framework of what may be described as exchange relations. Leadership is proactive and forms new expectations in followers. Leaders are distinguished by their capacity to inspire and provide inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and idealized influence in the followers. They create learning opportunities for their followers and stimulate them to solve problems and possess good visioning, rhetorical and management skills. They motivate followers to work for goals that go beyond self-interest. The success of any organization depends largely on the processes and flow of internal communications. The flow of information can be one way or two ways, formal or informal and personal and impersonal. The relationship between employees is based on personal, professional and ethical roles. The communication flow has a great influence on the kind of relationships that exist in the organization. As long as the right messages are conveyed within the defined limits of authority and responsibility, it is helpful for goal attainment. But there are instances when the formal channels of communication are not used and the need to exchange and share ideas gives rise to grapevine communication. The messages are distorted and the incorrect information is spread across. Many times this exchange results in conflicts and strained relationships. If the situation is not taken care of it may affect the organization greatly and may even result in a loss of job for some and may put the organization in severe crises. This situation needs to be corrected and a leader’s intervention can bring a positive change. McKinsey’s 7S framework is a model for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make the organizations successful: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. It can be aligned with any organizational issue that needs to be corrected. The private service sector plays a major role in the growth of any economy and employs large number of people. The interrelationship across all levels is largely dependent on the communication flow in this sector. Most of the information is not communicated in the right manner and employees resort to grapevine for their satisfaction. As such the communication problems in this sector multiply and threaten the survival of the organization. Based on present survey and past studies, the paper aims at highlighting the role of a transformationalleaderinsolvingthecommunication problems related to the private service sector. The McKinsey’s 7S Framework has been aligned with leader’s role for bringing organizational change and excellence. Literature Review Transformational leadership theory has captured the interest of many researchers in the field of organizational leadership over the past three decades. This theory was developed by Bums (1978) and later enhanced by Bass (1985, 1998) and others (Avolio &Bass, 1988; Bass &Avolio, 1994; Bennis &Nanus, 1985; Tichy &Devanna, 1986). Bums (1978) first introduced the concept of transformational leadership in his research of political leaders, establishing the concepts of transforming leaders and transactional leaders, and concluded that leaders and followers help each other to advance to a higher level of motivation. The major premise of the transformational leadership theory is the leader’s ability to motivate the follower to accomplish more than what the follower planned to accomplish (Krishnan, 2005). Transformational leadership has four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1985). Bums postulated that transformational leaders inspire followers to accomplish more by concentrating on the follower’s values and helping the follower align 06 November 2014  these values with the values of the organization. Furthermore, Bums identified transformational leadership as a relationship in which the leader and the follower motivated each other to higher levels which resulted in value system congruence between the leader and the follower (Krishnan, 2002). Leaders have a tremendous influence on the work place and effect on the organization’s culture. If leaders wish to institute change, their leadership styles must be strategically aligned to accommodate the organizational culture (Sheahan, 2012). The effectiveness of organizational communication is determined by leadership and leadership traits that allow for an open path of communication with employee and organization (Pirraglia, 2012). McKinsey’s 7S framework provides a strategic approach to HRM. It was developed in the early 1980s by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, two consultants working at the McKinsey &Company consulting firm. The basic premise of the model is that there are seven internal aspects of an organization that need to be aligned if it is to be successful. These seven features are interrelated and have to be considered jointly to achieve a better integration between HR practice and organizational strategy (Talwar, 2006, p.210). The staff element within the McKinsey 7S Framework refers to employees and their need for development and motivation. Style refers to the actions and behavior of senior executives, rather than what they say. The conduct of top management is an extremely valuable management tool that conveys and reinforces strong messages to stakeholders, particularly employees, throughout the organization (Fleisher and Bensousan, 2007, p.49). A range of highly respected management scholars including Armstrong (2008) and Adair (2009) have emphasized the importance of formulating and promoting shared values within organizations. System relates to processes and procedures that are necessary in order to conduct the business (Murphy and Willmott, 2010). The disadvantages of a tall hierarchical structure have been specified by Dlabay (2011) as inflexibility to respond to changes in the marketplace, loss of communication messages between the layers, de-motivated workforce etc. Johnson (2006) defines corporate strategy as a plan aimed to achieve corporate objectives, Skills, for the organization relate to competencies and capabilities required within the organization in order to achieve organizational objective in an effective way (Schuler and Jackson, 2007). Communication is one of the most dominant and important activities in organizations (Harris &Nelson, 2008). Fundamentally, relationships grow out of communication and the fu nctioning and survival of organizations is based on effective relationships among individuals and groups. In addition, organizational capabilities are developed and enacted through â€Å"intensely social and communicative processes† (Jones et al, 2004). Communication helps individuals and groups coordinate activities to achieve goals, and it’s vital in socialization, decision-making, problem-solving and change-management processes (Berger, 2008). The focus of organizational communication is on the whole system, rather than on parts of the system (Katz &Kahn, 1996). The study of organizational communication centers on processes of interaction, means by which people obtain information, form opinions, make decisions, merge into the organization, leave the  organization, and create rapport with one another (Shockley-Zalabak, 1999). Through communication, people coordinate their actions to achieve individual and organizational goals (Shockley-Zalabak, 1999). Effective organizational communication can be achieved through transformational leadership and will generate greater organizational and employee performance within small organizations (Dario Martinez, 2012). Effective communication is needed for management to develop and sustain a competitive advantage for organizational performance and improvement (Avolio, Lado, Boyd &Wright, 1992; Rowe, 2001). Effective communication succeeds when employees support the leader and the organization if there is a belief that employees’ efforts will be rewarded. Leadership succeeds when initiating response or responding to change and leadership is inextricably linked to the credibility of those leading. Constituents will become willingly involved to the extent that they believe in those sponsoring the change (Kouzes &Posner, 2003). Methodology and Data Collection The experiential survey has been used for the purpose of the paper. Data is qualitative in nature and has been collected through primary and secondary sources. The questionnaire consisted of open ended questions related 06 November 2014  to communication flow and processes. Five private service organizations comprising of hospitality, academia, telecommunication, retail, and insurance were included in the survey. Ten employees from each sector have been taken in the survey and their experiences related to communication problems in the organization have been considered for the purpose of study. Analysis The analysis is based on present survey and past studies. The findings revealed that organizational communication is one of the most important determinants of sound interpersonal relationships within the organization. In a reputed retail store, information was not transmitted through proper channels. There was ambiguity regarding the instructions communicated to employees. This caused discomfort and conflicts in the organization and affected the quality of work. The General Manager-Marketing of the retail store admitted that most of the miscommunication led to conflicts which were difficult to resolve. When asked about the negative influence of past workplace experience on the present organization, the HR Manager of a well known hospital revealed that most of the employees were always thinking about their past work environment and their self-fulfilling prophecies were leading them to live with fear and poor emotional management. In many organizations, most of the information was not communicated to the employees and the decisions were thrown at them. The instructions were not seriously obeyed and the employees turned violent during work. The Area Manager of an insurance company revealed that closed communication gave rise to violent behavior in employees. Grapevine communication has prominence in all organizations and has its own benefits but the Principal of a Technical College revealed that their organizational communication largely depended on grapevine and it was a major cause of dissatisfaction among the employees and resulted into high turnover. The employees of a telecom company expected encouraging behavior from their senior manager. A lower level employee revealed that the absence of compassion in communication and humiliating remarks of their departmental head was extremely offensive to their self-esteem. When these findings were considered around the elements of the McKinsey’s 7s model, it was felt that the 7s model could be linked to the problems related to organizational communication as: Strategy – Improper communication flows give rise to conflicts and hamper the organization’s image. It is important to make the right communication strategies for conflict resolution and sustainable advantage. Structure – Most organizations use formal channels of communication. This results in choking of essential information giving rise to grapevines. The organizational structure has to be designed in a way that information is not choked. Systems – The internal processes and procedures facilitate good communication and it is important to understand how effective they are in maintaining the correct flow. Skills – Communication can flow smoothly if the staff possesses the right skills. Staff – The staff can facilitate effective communication and value needs to be attached to communication skills during recruitment and selection. Style – The management is responsible for promoting a culture of open communication. Shared goals – The organizations’ belief system and attitude towards communication is at the core of other elements.

Serial Killer Couple Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo

Serial Killer Couple Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo Karla Homolka, one of Canadas most infamous female serial killers, was released from prison after serving a 12-year sentence for her involvement in drugging, raping, torturing, and killing young girls. The teenage victims included Homolkas younger sister, whom she offered to her boyfriend Paul Bernardo  as a gift.   Homolka was born May 4, 1970, to Dorothy and Karel Homolka in Port Credit, Ontario. She was the eldest child of three, and by all accounts, was well-adjusted, pretty, smart, and popular. She received ample love and attention from friends and family. Homolka developed a passion for animals, and after high school she started work at a veterinary clinic. Everything about her seemed normal. No one suspected her of hiding deeply disturbing desires. Homolka and Bernardo Meet At age 17, Homolka attended a pet convention in Toronto, where she met 23-year-old Paul Bernardo, an  attractive, charismatic blond with a persuasive personality. The pair engaged in sexual relations the day they met and soon discovered that they shared sadomasochistic inclinations. Paul quickly took on the role of master and Homolka willingly became his slave. Over the next few years, the relationship intensified. The couple shared and encouraged one anothers psychotic behavior. Bernardo began raping women with Homolkas approval. Bernardos specialty was attacking women getting off buses, sexually assaulting them, and subjecting them to other  humiliations. The police and media dubbed him The Scarborough Rapist, after the Ontario town in which many of the sexual assaults were committed. A Surrogate Virgin One source of friction between the couple was Bernardos incessant complaint that Homolka had not been a virgin when they met. Homolka was aware of Bernardos attraction to her sexually inexperienced 15-year-old sister Tammy. Homolka and Bernardo came up with a plan to force Tammy into being a surrogate virgin for her older sister. To accomplish the plot, Homolka stole Halothane, an anesthetic, from the veterinary clinic where she worked. On December  23, 1990, at a Christmas party at the Homolka family home, Bernardo and Homolka served Tammy alcoholic drinks spiked with halcyon. After the other family members had retired, the couple brought Tammy to the basement, where Homolka held a cloth soaked in Halothane over Tammys mouth. Once Tammy was unconscious, the couple raped her. During the attack, Tammy began choking on her own vomit and ultimately died. Unfortunately, the drugs in Tammys system went undetected and her death was ruled an accident. Another Present for Bernardo After Homolka and Bernardo moved in together, Bernardo began blaming Homolka for her sisters death, complaining that Tammy was no longer around for him to enjoy sexually. Homolka decided a young, pretty, virginal teenager named Jane, who idolized the attractive, older Homolka, would make a good replacement. Homolka invited the unsuspecting teen out to dinner and, as shed done with Tammy, spiked the girls drinks. After inviting Jane to their home, Homolka administered Halothane and presented her to Bernardo. The couple brutally attacked the unconscious teen, videotaping the sexual assaults. The next day when the teenager awoke, she was sick and sore but had no idea of the violation she had endured. Unlike others, Jane managed to survive her ordeal with the couple. Leslie Mahaffy Bernardos thirst to share his rapes with Homolka increased. On June 15, 1991, Bernardo kidnapped Leslie Mahaffy and brought her to their home. Bernardo and Homolka repeatedly raped Mahaffy over a period of several days, videotaping many of the brutal assaults. They eventually murdered Mahaffy, cut her body into pieces, encased the pieces in cement, and threw them into a lake. On June 29, some of Mahaffys remains were found by a couple who were canoeing on the lake. The Bernardo-Homolka Wedding June 29, 1991, was also the day Bernardo and Homolka married one another in an elaborate wedding at a Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, church. Bernardo orchestrated the wedding plans, which included the couple riding in a white horse-drawn carriage, and Homolka dressed in an elaborate and very expensive white gown. The guests were served a lavish sit-down meal after the couple exchanged vows, which included, at Bernardos insistence, Homolka promising to love, honor, and obey her new husband. Kristen French On April 16, 1992, the couple kidnapped 15-year-old Kristen French from a church parking lot after Homolka lured her to their car on the pretext of needing directions. The couple took French to their home, and for several days, they videotaped as they humiliated, tortured, and sexually abused the teen. French fought to survive but just before the couple left for Easter Sunday dinner with Homolkas family, they murdered her. Frenchs body was found in a ditch in Burlington, Ontario, on April 30. Closing in on the Scarborough Rapist In January 1993, Homolka separated from Bernardo after months of constant physical abuse. His attacks became increasingly violent, resulting in Homolka being hospitalized. Homolka moved in with a friend of her sister, who was a police officer. Evidence against  the Scarborough Rapist was building. Witnesses had come forward and a composite drawing of the suspect was released. A work associate of Bernardo contacted the police, reporting that Bernardo matched the sketch. Police interviewed Bernardo and obtained a saliva swab, which eventually proved Bernardo to be the Scarborough Rapist. The Ontario Green Ribbon Murder Task Force closed in on Bernardo and Homolka. Homolka  was fingerprinted and questioned. The detectives were interested in a Mickey Mouse watch Homolka had that resembled the one  French was wearing  the night she disappeared. During questioning, Homolka learned that Bernardo had been identified as the Scarborough Rapist. Realizing they were about to be caught, Homolka confessed to her uncle that Bernardo was a serial rapist and murderer. She obtained a lawyer and began negotiations for a plea bargain in exchange for her testimony against Bernardo. In mid-February, Bernardo was arrested and charged with the rapes and the murders of Mahaffy and French. During a search of the couples home, police discovered Bernardos diary, with written descriptions of each crime. Controversial Plea Bargain A plea bargain was discussed that would offer Homolka a 12-year sentence for her participation in the crimes in exchange for her testimony against Bernardo. According to the deal, Homolka would be eligible for parole after serving three years with good behavior. Homolka agreed to all terms and the deal was set. Later, after all the evidence was in, the plea bargain  was referred to as one of the worst in Canadian history. Homolka  had portrayed herself as an abused wife forced into participating in Bernardos crimes but when videotapes that Homolka and Bernardo had made were given to police by Bernardos ex-lawyer, Homolkas true involvement came to light. Regardless of her apparent guilt, the deal was honored, and Homolka could not be retried for her crimes. Paul Bernardo was convicted on all counts of rape and murder and received a life sentence on September 1, 1995. Rumors that Homolkas punishment was too lenient surfaced after pictures of her sunbathing and partying with other prisoners were published in Canadian newspapers. Tabloids reported that she was in a lesbian relationship with Lynda Verrouneau, a convicted bank robber. The National Parole Board denied Homolkas application for parole. Homolkas Release On July 4, 2005, Karla Homolka was released from prison in Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec. Strict conditions for her release limited her movements and whom she could contact. Contact with Bernardo and the families of several murdered teens was expressly forbidden. She is paralyzed with fear, completely panicked, said Christian Lachance,  one of Homolkas attorneys. When I saw her she was in a state of terror, almost in a trance. She cannot conceive of what her life will be like outside. Sources McCrary, Gregg O and Katherine Ramsland. The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators Among Us. 2003.Burnside, Scott and Alan Cairns. Deadly Innocence. 1995.Transcript of Homolka interview. The Globe and Mail, 4 July 2005.

Analyze an evaluate the impact of volunteer tourism on host Essay - 1

Analyze an evaluate the impact of volunteer tourism on host communities 2 - Essay Example As identified by Sin (2010), we live in a world of â€Å"heightened responsibilities†. At least in the developed world, people are being bombarded; from almost all directions that they need to show have to exhibit great environmental friendliness, moral responsibility, ethical consumerism, eco-friendliness and concern for less privileged members of the society. Corporate social responsibility, ethical marketing, social marketing, charities, cause related campaigns are a manifestation of the same. Volunteer tourism also falls under the same umbrella (Tourism Research and Marketing, 2008, p. 43). Researchers and experts have welcomed this idea with great deal of optimism and energy since it appears that such approach towards tourism can emerge as a much needed catalyst for social change. It can build bridges, foster intercultural relations, generate employment, help less privileged in the underdeveloped countries and set them towards the path of sustainability while providing sa tisfaction to the volunteers. Most of the projects undertaken by the volunteer tourists fall under the umbrella of building, community welfare, teaching, environmental regeneration, business, cultural development, environmental protection, healthcare, journalism, research and others. Countries that most hosted volunteer tourists include Kenya, India, Italy, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Ghana, Honduras and China. This paper, however, is an attempt to review and analyse the concept of volunteer tourism in a critical light. Discussion Tourism is a lucrative industry since it has the potential to contribute to the national output of the host country, generate employment and open doors of foreign exchange. One of the most significant advantages of volunteer tourism is that it directs this tourism money and its economic impact to more deserving and underdeveloped destinations that would not have received the same from other forms of mainstream tourism. Wearing (2001) acknowledges the fact that in the case of volunteer tourism, the host communities are on the receiving end, the volunteers also receive a significant degree of intercultural experience, personal satisfaction, self fulfilment and inner peace. Quite understandably, a volunteer tourist who is working alongside local communities is likely to have much more meaningful interactions with the local community as compared to a tourist who is residing in five star hotels and visiting only elite locations (p. 58). Such interactions are not only helpful in promoting intercultural relations, but at the same time, they also allow people from developed countries to understand the problems of people from developing countries and empathise with them. Guttentag (2009), in light of the overwhelming evidence, acknowledges the fact that over the past couple of decades, volunteer tourism has emerged as a promising mass niche market within the tourism industry, which has been hailed widely to benefit the host communit ies as well as the tourists. However, the author highlights the fact that widespread enthusiasm and optimism regarding volunteer tourism has translated into an uncritical approach towards volunteer tourism,

Macro5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Macro5 - Essay Example Every labour market depending on the economy has its own fluctuations and structural characteristics. In addition, every job always retains its core characteristics like working conditions, required qualifications, working hours and compensation. Furthermore, each employee is represented through professional qualifications, personal abilities and work expectations. Practically, employment occurs when an employee and particular position are matched. In any economy, there are situations when some positions remain unfulfilled, qualified workers are unemployed and some workers are not included in the labour force. When employees and positions are matched poorly and those employees remain in labour force, this trend results in both additional vacancies and additional unemployment. Partially, natural rate of rate is determined by the dynamics of new job creation and termination of current jobs because of decision made on microlevel by individual employees and businesses. Therefore, if othe r aspects of the economy remain constant, simultaneous creation and termination of jobs leads to a higher rate of unemployment. In addition, turnover rates among current employed workforce are also associated with higher unemployment, and are significantly influenced by the nature of jobs and the age mix of the adult population. According to McConnell, Brue and Flynn (2008), inflation is defined as the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is increasing, and, subsequently, purchasing power of consumers is decreasing. From this definition, it is evident that inflation is a negative economic trend. Indeed, two digit inflation rate indicators in the early 1980s in the United States are a good illustration for â€Å"bad† inflation. General decline in purchasing power, particularly among consumers with fixed income, compromised