Track employee locations Essay Example for Free

Track employee locations Essay After the deployment of AD it will benefit the users in maintaining a better security with a single sign on user ID and password. It will also help the administrator in maintaining the system policies. EIS will be on top of the system and it will help in smooth functioning, better backup policies, disaster recovery, security etc. By the end of the development, an end user has created a custom information system geared to its own business and that of its customers. The reporting systems generated an EIS software is not only pleasing to look at but easy to use. It allows top-level executives who dont have time to hold weekly meetings or spend time developing complicated reports to get a window on the information they need to run their businesses effectively. The flexibility of EIS programs allows databases across the entire enterprise to be accessed from departments ranging from distribution to human resources. One of the latest developments in EIS software has been its ability to connect to the Internet. This allows executives of international companies to remotely access all databases across the entire organization by simply using a Web browser. Nearly all the industries middle and upper managers now have access to Executive Information Systems (EIS) that were once reserved for high corporate officials. The systems, which afford executives immediate access to needed information, have become ubiquitous throughout such areas as human resources, claims, and sales and marketing. While the majority of insurers use EIS for data-related activities, use EIS to track employee locations as well as other functions. Although Executive Information Systems were originally conceived as a means to give top corporate brass fingetrip access to up-to-date company information, the systems are being increasingly utilized by upper and middle managers as well. These sorts of capabilities historically have just been in the executive suites. Now companies are trying to get this information out to the front lines. The underwriters and sales force managers have it. Its much more front-line focused, he noted. Most companies use EIS to gather data in any number of areas including marketing, sales, claims or human resources. That information is then compiled into a single database from which relevant information can be retrieved. EIS is an especially useful tool for companies who want to focus on improving service levels and marketing while reducing costs. This is driving the need for EIS or decision support type systems. People are looking increasingly at process reengineering. They cant really improve things they cant measure. EIS systems allow them to measure. They can look at what their goals are what their key performance indicators are, and can manage them over time. Many company, use EIS to track employee locations, and also use the system to track specific information concerning sales and claims management. (Dyment, J. J. 1999, pages 20-26. ) Nearly all the industries middle and upper managers now have access to Executive Information Systems (EIS) that were once reserved for high corporate officials. The systems, which afford executives immediate access to needed information, have become ubiquitous throughout such areas as human resources, claims, and sales and marketing. While the majority of insurers use EIS for data-related activities, use EIS to track employee locations as well as other functions. (Eden, C. and Ackermann, F. (1992), pp53-77) The evolution in computerized information systems can be viewed from the viewpoint of the end user and the direction in which information is flowing. If we ask the question For whom is this new information system primarily being developed? we find that early systems were designed primarily for operating personnel generally to communicate among themselves. Only recently have the needs of the executive been addressed. Even in recently developed EIS the information flow is primarily tactical information taken from the operating levels and sent up the ladder to the executive. In the future we see more emphasis on strategic information and more information flow between executives and from the executive down to the operating level. (H. Watson, R. Rainer, and G. Houdeshel, 2002, page 34. ) The majority of information systems developed in the past have been primarily to support operational functions in the organization. Examples are accounting systems to help keep the books of the corporation, and personnel/ payroll systems to automate payroll processing and assist human resource personnel in maintenance of employee records. Of course senior managers sometimes receive reports from these systems but the reports are usually hard copy printouts of extensive amounts of data or summarized reports prepared by lower-level managers or staff. (Damodaran, A. 2001, page 5. ) Early EISs were primarily on-line management reporting systems which provided the same reports, but via a terminal or workstation, perhaps with some color graphics. The first generation of EISs really consisted of colorful computerized briefing books or report books with little value added when compared with their hard copy counterparts. Many of these rudimentary systems (some estimates range as high as 70 percent) were abandoned after several months of usage because of the high cost of the computerized system when compared with the same paper-based system. Other reasons cited for abandoning these systems are High maintenance cost, sometimes requiring one support person for every three executive users †¢ User interfaces not customized to the individual executives and therefore not appealing †¢ Canned systems which were not developed for the individual and therefore do not provide information really needed by the executive (Duncan, K.and K. Moores. 1999) The new generation of EISs currently entering the market still addresses information flow from the operating to the executive level; however, these systems are adding more value to the data, and they are beginning to address strategic, mission-critical information. Rather than simply providing senior executives an electronic report book with unassisted drill-down to layers of underlying canned data, these new systems provide automated analysis tools which help executives convert raw information into knowledge that can be acted upon (Watson, H.J. , R. K. Rainer, C. Koh 1998). Examples of these new analysis tools include monitors which automatically highlight data values that are outside of preset trigger points, and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to explain underlying information relationships. For example, the executive may turn on the system in the morning and begin to review information automatically downloaded to the system overnight. The EIS alerts him or her that the end-of-quarter financial results for Far East operations have just been transferred from overseas to the database. The executive chooses to review that information first, and a highlighted monitor brings to his/her attention total Far East operating expenses, which are much higher than planned. Rather than drilling down and aimlessly wandering around in massive amounts of underlying data, the new generation system allows the executive to ask, why are total Far East operating expenses so high?

Fw Taylor Scientific Management Theory Business Essay

Fw Taylor Scientific Management Theory Business Essay This leadership style is about take it or leaves it, which means that the boss has the right to make decisions not the workers. In such leadership style there is always one way communication. Workers sometime feel demotivated because the managers do not benefits from the experience of their employees working in organization from a very long. Democratic There is a two way communication which means that in democratic leadership style workers are also involve in decision making because managers think that they can get new ideas from workers for the success of the business. While making quick decisions consulting staff can be a time consuming as well. Paternalistic This is leadership style where managers consult staff to make decisions but at the end managers decide what they think is the best for them. In such case workers sometime gets demotivated because they give their ideas but managers just ignore them due to which workers think that they are just a time wasters. Laisse Fair A type of leadership where managers let worker go and delegate all the authority of decision making. Workers have full rights of decision making as the managers are not even able to come up with any goal or direction and completely involve workers in decision making. Some employees sometime get lost because of a lack of direction and framework and no feedback from managers. P7 F.W Taylor Scientific Management Theory Taylor made his first attempt on workers motivation. His thoughts about workers motivation were that management should give workers proper instructions about their job to increase workers productivity. Taylors scientific approach was that select worker to perform a task, record the time taken by each worker to do each part of the task and then identify the quickest method recorded, train workers by the recorded quickest method and do not allow workers to make any changes to it, give workers a specific time period to complete their task and supervise them so that they do not exceed the given time limit and pay workers based on their performance. The result of Taylors research was that many industries adopt Taylors approach for greater profit as the approach was about increase productivity and performance related pay. Adams Equity Theory A theory which focuses on peoples feelings of how fairly they have been treated Depends on the comparisons we make with others and on how we perceive the relationship between inputs i-e time, effort, skills, experience, ideas and outputs i-e remuneration and recognition. If we think we have done better than we should have done, we may feel some tension but can bear that more easily than feeling hard done by Elton Mayo Human Relations Theory Mayo is best known for his Hawthorne effect. These were based on series of experiments conducted over five year period. Initially his work was based on the assumptions that working conditions, lighting, rest periods etc has a significant impact on workers productivity. But later on experiments were conducted which forced mayo to accept that working conditions are not important in determining productivity level as there are other motivational factors needed to improve workers productivity level. Mayo did the conclusion from his work that changes in working conditions and financial reward have little or no impact on productivity while when there is a team or group working system in industries, management consult workers, take interest in their work, give workers role in decision making can be improve productivity level. Maslow Hierarchy Theory Maslows hierarchy of needs Physiological Need These are the basic needs thus managers should give employees a proper salaries so that employees purchase the basic necessities of their life. They should give break and eating opportunities for their employees. Safety Needs These needs includes environmental, emotional and safety protection. Managers should give workers flexible contracts, health and safety at work, financial security etc to retain them. Social Needs This is about the social event for the employees and making team work system by the managers to encourage employees towards their jobs. Esteem Needs Esteem needs of employees can be fulfill by managers to reward employees and exceed their targets. Manager can give employees higher job positions in organization which helps in bringing the status of employees higher. Self Actualization Self actualization needs are the need where managers give challenges to their employees during their jobs to fully utilize employees skills and growth opportunities are also given to employees by the managers so that they reach to its highest. Hygiene Theory Hygiene needs are the needs which does not meet and cause employees to dissatisfaction. Meeting these needs does make employees satisfy but it hardly prevents them from dissatisfaction. Hygiene is a medical word which means to do something that is necessary. If the Hygiene motivation theory is present then management should not only provide hygiene factors to avoid dissatisfaction of employees but should also provide factors to the work itself for their employees to be satisfied with their jobs. Below is the table that contains factors that lead employees to satisfaction and dissatisfaction; Factors leads employees to satisfaction Factors leads employees to dissatisfaction Achievement Recognition Work Itself Responsibilities Advancement Growth Company policy Supervision Relationship with Boss Work Conditions Salaries Vroom Expectancy Theory of Motivation Vroom suggested that individuals choose to behave in ways that they believe will lead to outcomes that value. His expectancy theory states that individuals have different sets of goals and can be motivated if they believe that there is a positive link between effort and performance and favorable performance will result on a desirable reward. The reward will satisfy important needs. His expectancy theory is based on the following beliefs; Valence: The depth of the want of an employee for a reward such as money or a reward such as satisfaction. Expectancy: The degree to which people believe that putting effort into work will lead a given level of performance. Instrumentality: The confidence of an employee that he/she will actually get what they desire even if it promised by the manager. P8 Monetary Rewards It is also called financial reward system where organizations motivate employees through money. Below are some monetary reward systems; Hourly or wage rate system This is the most common way of paying and multiplies it by the wage rate so that employees collect their wages by the end of the day. A problem with this system is that workers deliberately slow down their work during the day so that they finish their work late and work as an over time. in such cases employees have no job security and incase of sickness a worker does not get paid. Piece Rate System This is given by FW Taylor which is about output related pay. Workers get paid according to their work they have done in a time period. Incase of sickness there is no money and also workers do work quickly in order to make more money due to which quality can be comprise. Salary System Salary is only given to an employee who has legal job contract. Diference in salaries of two different employees is due to the difference in their skills. Employees sometime get an increase in their salaries by the end of the year. Employees with legal contracts get paid even when an employee is sick or on vocation. Commissions Usually given to sales men and is calculated as percentage of sales that an employee make. Normally an employee gets a basic salary plus commission to motivate worker to work hard. This means that an employees income is dependent upon their work however workers do not like to work just on commission. Performance Related Pay Usually given to above average performance workers and is given to management staff. It involves the following procedures; Give workers a target to achieve in a specific time period Check workers performance at the end of the time period Pay workers according to the degree to which they meet the target. A problem with performance related pay is that can do favoritism and pay their family and friends instead someone who really deserves it. Profit sharing This is a way of paying senior management staff i-e CEO or MD. The idea behind it is to break the line and make employees apart of the owners. Usually companies share profits by giving shares, dividends, share in sales revenue, share in retained profits etc. By profit sharing companies get 100% loyalty and motivation from their employees. Non Monetary Rewards This is called non financial rewards where organizations motivate their employees not through money. They motivate employees through training, interaction and delegation and authority. Below are some non monetary reward systems; Job Rotation it is originated from Japan where organizations change the departments of their employees time after time. Job rotation does not bore make an employee get bore with his job because his jobs rotates to different departments with different jobs. Sooner the employee becomes a multi specialize person. Job Enrichment An employee stays on his post but his job scope and responsibility increases. This means an organization load an employee with more than one task. Job Enrichment Given by Herzberg involves not only allowing an employee reach to his full ability but also giving less supervision. This involves the following 3 steps; Let the worker perform a complete unit of tasks so that a worker does not get bored by doing the same job again and again. In other words do not do division of labor. Place a system where you can measure the performance of workers. Let the workers know that this hard work is being judged. Give workers task or challenges other than their routine work. Team Working Division of labor moves away team building therefore do not do division of labor and let employees join teams of their own choice. A team can choose a leader, can be given targets, and team member develop team spirits and hence workers are more productive. A common example a team building is a cell production. Experience shows that firms that encourage team building come up with more quality work. Quality Circles A quality circle is a group of friends meeting in informal manner once a week to discuss about work. Usually if new ideas comes out of a circle the is communicated to the CEO. A disadvantage of quality circle is that workers gossip and talks against each other. Target Setting When an organization sets targets then the following is obtained; They can have a starting point They can have an end point They can choose a direction They can put a time frame They can have a control mechanism They can check the performance of workers. Delegation and Empowerment When the authority is delegated to someone then it means that a person is trust worthy and a trust worthy person always maintain his trust and work hard for the success of the organization. P9 Formal Group It is a systematic grouping of workers in organization to achieve organizational goal in a best possible way. The importance of formal group working is discussed below; Importance of formal group working It helps to carry out specific tasks into different departments to deal with human resources, marketing or accounts. Groups set up from time to time to deal with particular problems i-e to discuss how the introduction of new technology might be handled. Group comes together to work on particular project of organization. Informal Group A group formed by the employees themselves having similar interest or may have something else in common. The importance of informal group working is discussed below; Importance of Informal Group Working Informal groups can improve communication and exchange of ideas for employees in organization and can make work more enjoyable. It helps to support their group members and protect them from the external authority and outside pressure. It increases the employees security and sometime it also enable work to be done more effectively. Group working also assist managers to solve problems as when they notice that any individual is involve in taking advantage of a situation which can cause problem for the group members, they just take a step to come over such situation before the manager is aware of it. Factors which Affect Individual Behavior at Work The major factors affect individual behaviors at work are Demographic factors, abilities and skill, attitude and personality. All these factors are discussed below; Demographic Demographic factor is about the background of an individual according to his, education, skill, age, nationality etc. Organization always prefer such an individual that belongs to a have high qualification, having good skills for communication, young age etc because organizations believe that such individuals are performing well for organization. Individuals belong to a good background having good and effective communication skills are always in demand by organizations. Study of demographic factors really helps managers to select a candidate for a particular job. Ability and Skills The physical power of individual to do something is call ability while skills are defined as the ability to perform in a way that allow individual to perform well. The performance of individual is highly influence by the ability and skills because with full ability and well skill can perform well for the organizations and managers always try to hire an individual that meet the required ability and skill for a specific job. Attitude It can be defined as the ability to respond favorably or unfavorably to some sort of objects or situations. Culture, organization, society has an influence in formation of attitude because employees perform in organization in the way they have their environment. Managers are bound to study variables of a specific job to create an environment for their employees so that they have a positive attitude towards their jobs. Personality it can be defined as the study of characteristics of an individual and the way in which an individual respond. There are many factors that influence in individuals personality i-e culture, society and situations etc. Every individual has difference in their manner while responding to organizational environment. Organizations need to discover about the personality of individual through learning, observation and training etc for a particular job in organization. P10 The Major Factors That Lead to Effective Teamwork Communication Effective teamwork facilitates through clear communication. Team members must follow the same line with respect to their targets and responsibilities. Effective communication is supported by the a particular methods and mediums of communication in certain circumstances and such mediums of communication can be one to one meetings, emails, group talks etc. all the team member should feel free to know about further clarification and responsibilities of job and should feel free to make any suggestion for the advancement of the team. If any conflict arises and teams engage to overcome, they only way to overcome such conflict is to have effective communication instead of solving the issue in gossip. Leadership Leadership plays an important role in leading an effective teamwork. Managers should support all the team members by making them feel as they all work to their highest potential. They should encourage the team members to speak during team meetings to coordinate the efforts of the team members. By doing so motivation arises from managers for the team members and the team members feel as they are also part of the organization and perform with their full potential for the success of the organization. Team Building Exercises Shared experiences and practices also play an important role in developing an effective teamwork. By the introduction of new technology some team member will not see each other without making appoint. Team building exercises target to improve specific aspects of team such as communication and creativity. Games are the effective way to make the entire team member together to improve their relationship and promote their understanding of interest, strength and weaknesses etc. Factors that Threaten Teams Success Motivation Motivation is about to encourage workers to increase productivity and to improve their performance. If there is no concept of motivation in organization and teams do not have any rights to give any suggestion for the success of the business then teams will get demotivated and will promote their teams towards success. Leadership Leadership can be a threat for the teams success in such a manner that if there is an autocratic leadership style in organization and all the rights are with the managers not with the team workers, in any organization where the team workers do not have the right find any solution for the minor issue arise while they are working and are bound to ask for the upper level manager for any conflict then the team will not last for longer and their team development will come to stop at that point. Advancement in the new technology With the introduction of new technology team members of some organizations do not have the ability to operate with it and the team members need to have a proper on the job and off the job training. If organization fails to provide training program for their team to get use of the new technology this will be the serious threat for the success of the teams. P11 Impact of Technology on Communication and Information Technology Technology has increased the speed of communication between office workers, communication with suppliers, banks, and even with customers. Technology came up with computers, internet and intranet which made communication easy and faster. Team workers communicate with each other for achieving their team task through emails. Every team has a team leader and the leader passes the information to the rest of the team members. Email made it very easy for the team workers to communicate each other as whenever the team leader has any task for the rest of the member the leader put all the information in email and send a loop email to all the members. The advantage of the loop email is that all the members will receive the same email with the same information not everyone will get separate email. Inside the organization employees communicate each other through intranet which a good source of communication to communicate from one department to another. Intranet is normally use in every organizat ion having lots of different departments where it is very difficult to walk each department to pass any authority but technology made it very easy due to which every department is now link with each other and whatever information is needed to pass can be done quickly from any department without walking to other department. M3 Bill Gates Bill Gates was born on 28th October 1955 in Seattle, Washington. He belongs to a family of entrepreneurship. He had an interest in software. Bill Gates was co founder, chairmen and chief executive officer of Microsoft. Bill gates became a student at Harvard University in1973. He is also known as the richest person of the world. In 1975 he left Harvard to form Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen to develop software for the new personal computer market. Characteristics of Bill Gates Bill Gates was very smart and intelligent person because he skip math that is because he scored 1590 out of 1600 on SAT. He was a brave one because when he was to lose lots of profit from Microsoft he went to court to fight against IBM and finally won against IBM. Bill Gates is very serious of what he does. Whatever he used to start he did not do anything else until he is done with the first one even if it takes him a longer time. He is able to a successful entrepreneurship for many years till now due to which he is known as the worlds successful entrepreneur. He is a hard worker and self confident person that helped him to achieve everything and is one of the ideal personalities of the world. He believes that if you are intelligent and confident from your childhood you can achieve anything, all such qualities took him to a top position in his chosen professional. Microsoft was his vision that a computer on every disk and every computer with Microsoft software. His basic vision was also that even every house hold must have computer with Microsoft software. When Bill Gates was a student every student wanted to graduate as successful. Bill Gates stop studying and started writing software for computer, his passion about coding, technology and software made his the richest person. Leadership Style of Bill Gates Bill Gates has directive and participative leadership style he specifies that what needs to be done to achieve productivity. He Believe that a task should be planed and organized so that he or she receive a proper guidance about their job. If a task is not clear then still a directive leader is there to clarify the task. He is very participative and involves his potential employees in decision making to get useful ideas from them for the success of the business. Steve Jobs Steve Jobs was born on 24th February 1955 in San Francisco. He was co founder and CEO of Apple. Jobs used to be in garages of his neighborhood working on electronic on weekends and this shaped his interest in the field where he grew. When jobs reach college age he requested his parents to get enroll in Reed college one of expensive college in Oregon where he just spent a time of one semester and then dropped out. During 1980 Jobs developed Mac operating system for Next Computer Company but it was actually owned by Apple due to which Mac was realized by Apple in 1990. Characteristics of Steve Jobs Steve Jobs was also a very confident and intelligent as Bill Gates. As he was interested in the field of electronic and grew in that field as well, he brought all his efforts and experience into practice and came up with new developments for the new generation i-e he came up with Mac operating system and other electronic devices. He was a leader as he knows the best, he was not in favor of involving other in his decisions. His had an autocratic leadership style due to which employees were demotivated because they had no rights over the business. Steve Jobs was a hard worker and he would not let go of a problem until it was solved and once the first problem was solver he used to move to the next one. He had enough knowledge of what is going on with the product because he wanted Apple to be the great one. Whatever he was building was the most beautiful product. His aim was to come up with beautiful products to market and make lots of money from it. Leadership Style of Steve Jobs Steve Jobs had an autocratic leadership style, he kept all the rights to himself and did not use others ideas. His policy was that employees were not involves in decision making. Analyze Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Both the leaders were successful leaders. Bill Gates wanted to make computers and Microsoft software more popular among people and wanted to see computer along with Microsoft software everywhere. Bill Gates is an intelligent leader and has directive or participative leadership style while Steve Jobs had an autocratic leadership style which was not as good as compare to Bill Gates leadership style because the leadership style use by Bill Gates is also the way of motivating employees giving them rights in decision making while people criticized on the leadership of Steve Jobs where employees felt that they are not part of the company because Steve Jobs wanted employees to be far from the decision making. By the comparison of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs the policy applied by Bill Gates is the best one according to the motivation of employees. M4

Woolfs Advice for the Woman Artist :: Virginia Woolf, A Room of Ones Own

Women who want to escape the label "woman writer" (as opposed to writer--the masculine norm) have had to write like one of the boys, de-sexing themselves. Super-feminine lady writers, if they stick to their nice nook, will be both praised and despised for doing what comes naturally. But the woman writer who refuses these categories blows the scheme sky-high and incurs the wrath of the gods. (Michele Roberts in The Independent, 1997) Perhaps more than any other late-twentieth century British woman writer, Jeanette Winterson has taken to heart Woolf's advice in A Room of One's Own that "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction" (4), but Winterson has also, as Michele Roberts points out, "incur[red] the wrath" of the cultural gods as a result. Winterson has used her literary and financial success to secure a life centered around her work and her concerns-- much to the fascination and horror of the British literary establishment and popular press. Winterson challenges the established "rules" of writing, publishing, reviewing--in sum, the cultural expectations for the woman artist in British society--constructing her life in order to argue against, as Woolf does in AROO, two cultural myths: that the artist can remain aloof from the material concerns necessary for the production of art, and that gender and its attendant social roles do not influence the production of that art. Continual ly re-inserting her body, her gender, and her capital into their portrait, Winterson wrestles with the British press and literary establishment for the right to construct her social role-- and live her life--on her own terms. In following Woolf's advice for the woman writer, then, Winterson has struck a nerve in British culture, and the public response she elicits, I will argue, illustrates the persistence of gendered and class-based expectations for a woman artist in Britain today. Instead of tolerating Winterson as another Martin Amis or, in one reviewer's comparison, excusing her behavior as comparable to "old Papa [Hemingway]'s bravado" (Faulks 9), the press presents Winterson's decidedly un-feminine and nouveaux riche behavior with a combination of fascination and ire. Indeed, she is taken to task for the very circumstances which have allowed her to produce her art. Winterson may have garnered the proverbial L500 and a room of her own, but her self-presentation and her resulting representation in the British press encourage us to revisit Woolf's advice and cultural analysis of the woman artist in a patriarchal society with a contemporary eye. Woolf's Advice for the Woman Artist :: Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own Women who want to escape the label "woman writer" (as opposed to writer--the masculine norm) have had to write like one of the boys, de-sexing themselves. Super-feminine lady writers, if they stick to their nice nook, will be both praised and despised for doing what comes naturally. But the woman writer who refuses these categories blows the scheme sky-high and incurs the wrath of the gods. (Michele Roberts in The Independent, 1997) Perhaps more than any other late-twentieth century British woman writer, Jeanette Winterson has taken to heart Woolf's advice in A Room of One's Own that "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction" (4), but Winterson has also, as Michele Roberts points out, "incur[red] the wrath" of the cultural gods as a result. Winterson has used her literary and financial success to secure a life centered around her work and her concerns-- much to the fascination and horror of the British literary establishment and popular press. Winterson challenges the established "rules" of writing, publishing, reviewing--in sum, the cultural expectations for the woman artist in British society--constructing her life in order to argue against, as Woolf does in AROO, two cultural myths: that the artist can remain aloof from the material concerns necessary for the production of art, and that gender and its attendant social roles do not influence the production of that art. Continual ly re-inserting her body, her gender, and her capital into their portrait, Winterson wrestles with the British press and literary establishment for the right to construct her social role-- and live her life--on her own terms. In following Woolf's advice for the woman writer, then, Winterson has struck a nerve in British culture, and the public response she elicits, I will argue, illustrates the persistence of gendered and class-based expectations for a woman artist in Britain today. Instead of tolerating Winterson as another Martin Amis or, in one reviewer's comparison, excusing her behavior as comparable to "old Papa [Hemingway]'s bravado" (Faulks 9), the press presents Winterson's decidedly un-feminine and nouveaux riche behavior with a combination of fascination and ire. Indeed, she is taken to task for the very circumstances which have allowed her to produce her art. Winterson may have garnered the proverbial L500 and a room of her own, but her self-presentation and her resulting representation in the British press encourage us to revisit Woolf's advice and cultural analysis of the woman artist in a patriarchal society with a contemporary eye.

Portents of the Monotheocracy in The Handmaids Tale Essay -- Handmaid

Portents of the Monotheocracy in The Handmaid's Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   American society has had certain cultural and political forces which have proliferated over the past few decades-described as the return to traditional Christian values. Television commercials promoting family values followed by endorsements from specific denominations are on the rise. As the public has become more aware of a shift in the cultural and political climate through the mass media, Margaret Atwood, in writing The Handmaid's Tale, could have been similarly affected by this growing awareness of the public consciousness. This may have led Atwood to write of a bleak future for the country where a new regime is established and one religion becomes so powerful as to take over the nation by a military coup, subjugating women into archaic stereotypical female roles.            Two of these forces, as reflected in the novel, are misogyny among Christian men and the rising political power of the Religious Right. Both are insidious because the real agendas are often couched in the authority of the Bible, and both serve to oppress women and their rights. Christian misogyny, like the brainwashing at the Red Center and ceremonial scripture readings preceding sexual intercourse in The Handmaid's Tale, keeps its foothold on the necks of women by distorting the meaning of Biblical scripture. In the case of the Religious Right, its tenets would abridge not only some of women's rights, such as the availability of abortion, but would also infringe on religious freedom for all Americans. In its forays into the political system, more recently through its Christian Coalition, the Religious Right, like Christian misogynists, interprets scripture to support its movement to meet... ...at Robertson's Agenda for America: a Marriage of Religion and Politics." USA Today. July 1996. 30. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1985. Boston, Robert. Why the Religious Right is Wrong: About Separation of Church and State. Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books, 1993. Doerr, Edd. "Pat Robertson's Agenda for America: a Marriage of Religion and Politics." USA Today. July, 1996. 30 Gushee, Steve. "TV Series Chronicles Rise of Religious Right." The Palm Beach Post. September 27, 1996. 1F. Rinck, Margaret. Christian Men Who Hate Women. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Pyranee Books, 1990. Trotter, F. Thomas. "Bible Frequently Quoted Carelessly for Political Points." The Nashville Banner. September 28, 1995. A7. Wallsten, Peter. "Church Meets State." St. Petersburg Times. February 16, 1997. 1D.   

Canadas Aid To Third World Countries :: essays research papers

Canada's Aid to Third World Countries What are some of the major problems faced by "Third World" Countries today? Who should be held responsible for these problems? Why? What has Canada done to help "Third World Countries"? There has always been a dominant country in the world that sets the economic standard throughout powerful countries. Canada has always been a top rated economic country, usually behind the United States and other large Commonwealth countries. Starting back in the early to mid 60's, Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau decided to use Canadian revenue as foreign aid. These included "Third World". Some of the major problems faced by "Third World" countries today include poor towns which have had a lack of food sources due to the serious poverty, lack of clean drinking water, lack of good sanitation systems, lack of good living conditions, lack of jobs and there is no industry, therefore no import or export revenue. The governments of the "Third World" countries have done horrible jobs of creating good living conditions for their people and in all have not tried to bring their country out of their economic slump. As Canada entered it second century, Prime Minister Trudeau called for a complete review of Canada's foreign policy. Starting in 1968 interested Canadians including politicians, journalists, professors, business leaders, financial experts, as well as church and labour leaders were invited to offer opinions and advice in what was called the Trudeau Review. The ending of this meeting brought about six foreign policy booklets which outlined the benefits of Canadian foreign aid. Some of these benefits included to help the Canadian economy grow stronger, to keep Canada independent, to work for peace and security, to promote fairness and equality for everyone and to improve living conditions for all people throughout the world. The Canadian foreign policy review suggested that Canada strengthened it's ties with Latin America. Trudeau visited Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela in 1976. Canada's trade with Latin America increased from $1099 million in 1970 to $3418 million in 1976. Also Canada gave an increasing amount of development funds to a number of Latin American countries. Canada, in 1973 had a major concern about the middle east and made an effort to bring about a lasting peace to the Arab-Israeli conflict. 1050 Canadian military specialists became part of the United Nations emergency force where they tried to maintain a cease fire by providing supplies, transportation and communication during the 1973 peacekeeping role. The Trudeau foreign policy review recommended that Canada was to work hard to support the United Nations and make it an effective organization for

Political Corruption Essay

Politics are the heart and sole of the American government. Without representatives in our government the people would not have a say. Although the American public has a say, does it really count? The fact of the matter is, the corruption and sleaziness involved in politics can shade the public’s outcry and their voices will not be heard. As Americans, we need to be selective in who we elect to office. As my political cartoon portrays, America is being run by corporations instead of officials. Still no change to this problem has been made. Over the last few years, the issue of corruption (the abuse of public office for private gain) has attracted renewed interest, both among academics and policymakers. There are a number of reasons why this topic has come under recent inspection. Corruption scandals have toppled governments in both major industrial countries and developing countries. In the transition countries, the shift from command economies to free market economies has cre ated massive opportunities for the appropriation of rents, excessive profits, wealthy entrepreneurs and has often been accompanied by a change from a â€Å"well-organized† system of corruption to a more chaotic and toxic one. With the end of the cold war, donor countries have placed less emphasis on political considerations in distributing foreign aid among developing countries and have paid more attention to cases in which aid funds have been misused and have not reached the poor. Corruption is now being dragged into corporations. As campaigns are now in more and more need of money, the wealthy corporations such as Exxon Mobile and Goldman Sachs, have begun running the government by helping to elect state and federal officials. With this power corporations can begin to take advantage of democracy and begin to pass laws that will benefit their company. In history many scandals involving corruption have existed, it is a prominent problem for the United States and anyplace where power can be sought out. Human nature drags us into these problems due to the lust for power and there isn’t a clear solution only temporary ones. Corruption, dishonest, stealing, bribery, fraud and deception are all synonyms for what corporate funding has made of our government. Despite the reformation and establishment of freedom our government has made, the effects of corporate corruption have ruined our portrayal as a country of freedom and equality. Political cartoons are often necessary to embellish what is wrong in America. The wrongdoings are exaggerated and  catch the reader’s attention to attempt to pass along a message. The corruption depicted in this particular cartoon helps show the American public that the corporations are negatively portraying society. The leadership within our government now belongs to the multi-million dollar corporations that fund our senators, representatives and even ties to our president, Barack Obama, exist. Corporations now go shopping at the â€Å"Congressman, Senators and Beyond† to try and fund the most likely candidate to win and supply them with what they want. Recently a scandal involving our own governor, Rod Blagojevich, and Tony Rezko, has shown that corruption exists and threatens American democracy. Elected officials are intended to represent the public. With corrupt official the American public will not trust the government nor be properly represented. Kickbacks from the local and federal government, although easier to detect compared to the past, are the major source of corruption. Rezko and other entrepreneurs involving public facilities, seek out politicians, to grant them permits. The corporations charge double the actual cost and keep the rest for themselves. This is how many of elected officials gain corporate funding. As the cartoon shows, corporations are really the controls behind the congressmen while he is only a â€Å"figure head† for the company. The argument facing corporate sponsorships in campaigns is that this helps to keep normal people from sponsoring the politicians in return for job positions. This way of gaining campaign money originated from the Spoils System during the 1800’s. Politicians promised jobs to people that generously donated money to their campaign and strongly represented the nominee. This was somewhat working until a president, Grover Cleveland, was shot from a deranged campaign donor that didn’t receive a job. The Spoils System was removed and the idea of corporations donating to nominees was put into pl ace. Although this solved the general public from being upset about noon-appointments, it created a large scale of corruption and dishonesty within our government. The development of corporate corruption has deterred the common public but still, employees and friends within the company end up on state boards and under governmental jobs anyhow. So the solution of corporate donations has not worked at all. Not only has this â€Å"solution† developed a negative portrayal of American democracy, it has also slowed down the progress of our governmental officials in completing  important issues. The development of corruption has burdened non-corrupt congressman and has created a goose hunt for the federal government and its programs. The real attention needs to be on internal affairs and international relations. Conclusion: Corruption within our government means more than this single cartoon can portray but still reveals change is needed. The change needs to come swiftly and in a harsh manner in order to maintain our democratic, â€Å"American Dream† portrayal. As the government moves onto international affairs and problems facing our economy, corruption needs to have a set limit. Donations need to be limited and their control over politics needs to be put to a stop. As President Obama’s inaugural speech dictated, â€Å"A New Birth of Freedom,† [from corruption] must be brought forward.

Employee Handbook/Privacy Assignment Essay

Employee handbooks are used to familiarize employees with company policies and procedures. Documented employee acknowledgement of receipt and understanding will strengthen the company’s position by confirming employees were informed concerning policies and procedures affecting their employment including privacy. An effectively prepared handbook will not only avoid employee misunderstandings, enhance morale and productivity but also address any applicable state, federal, and international laws. Employee handbooks should focus on the following three overarching privacy areas: (1) Operating- confidentiality of company information, (2) Employment- personnel files, harassment, criminal convictions, and employment references, (3) Electronic Access Policies- privacy of email, confidential information, passwords, and access of another employee’s email (Employee Handbook Company Policy Manual, 2006). A comprehensive employee handbook will provide a roadmap to guide associates th rough the maze of company policies and procedures. The company’s position in response to privacy rights issues should consider and ensure compliance with common law, statutory requirements, and international law, if applicable. Bennett-Alexander and Hartman define statutory claims as follows: State legislatures have responded to the issue of private sector employee privacy in one of four ways: (1) Enacting legislation mirroring federal law,  (2) Recognizing constitutional right to privacy under their state constitutions, (3) Protecting employees only in certain areas of employment, such as personnel records or the use of credit information, and (4) Leaving private sector employees to fend for themselves [†¦] (pp. 593-594, 1995/2004) As such, the employee handbook should identify policies associated with confidentiality including whether the company requires employees to sign a â€Å"confidentiality agreement†. In addition, information concerning random searches as employees enter/exit the facility should be conveyed in the employee handbook. In terms of general employment privacy, the handbook should speak to handling of personnel file information, medical records, criminal background checks, and employment references. Further, the employee handbook should provide an assurance in regard to confidentiality associated with harassment complaints including the company’s investigation process. Finally, the employee handbook should provide clear expectations and procedures in regard to privacy of email, access of another employee’s email, confidential information, and passwords. Electronic access policy information should include the company’s position in regard to monitoring employee’s use of business information systems. The definition of privacy by Schoeman (cited in Hansson and Persson, 2003) states, â€Å"a person has privacy to the extent that others have limited access to information about him, limited access to the intimacies of his life, or limited access to his thoughts or his body† (p. 3, para. 2). Team B’s objective to employee privacy is to have respect for the individual(s). The information collected from an employee is used for the purpose of the job only. This includes information for benefits and medical issues. Unless there is written permission from the employee otherwise. Employee privacy is very important in today’s changing environment. Privacy boundaries may vary from state to state. According to Webster (cited in Hillstrom & Hillstrom), Searches and seizures-an employer has the right to inspect personal belongings (bags, purses, briefcases, cars, lockers, desks, etc.), except when the employer has created a reasonable expectation of privacy. These expectations can be raised if the employee is given a key to a desk, or if  the employer has disseminated a written policy explicitly stating that it will not make such inspections, Monitoring, computer, e-mail, internet, and fax use-businesses have some significant rights in this regard, since they own the equipment. But if these resources are knowingly made available for private employee use, then a reasonable expectation of privacy has been created and personal data placed and maintained on that equipment can be withheld from the employer, Monitoring telephone calls-companies are allowed to monitor calls to make sure that they are business-related and to record them for training purposes, Surveillance and investigation-many surveillance methods (cameras, ID checkpoints, etc.) are legal, as are investigation of employees, provided that they are reasonable and undertaken for work-related purposes, and Drug testing-these policies have been validated by the courts, although criticism of the practice remains intense in some quarters. Drug testing is a popular measure in many industries, and it is practiced by perhaps seventy percent of large American companies. Small businesses, however, are less likely to embrace this technology because of expense, nature of business activity, and concerns about wo rkforce reaction (Reference for Business, p. 1-2, para. 4-8). Employee Handbook: Privacy Workplace Surveillance Information systems are provided for the express purpose of supporting business activity. As such, all use of company systems including email communications are the property of ABC Company. Employees are generally not permitted to use business information systems for personal use. Personal use is permissible if (a) Management has approved it; (b) it does not consume more than a trivial amount of system resources; (c) it does not interfere with employee’s productivity; and (d) it does not preempt any business activity. Electronic mail systems are not to be used for such purposes as producing or distributing â€Å"chain mail†; operating a business; soliciting for personal, political, or religious causes; or for outside organizations. ABC Company does not guarantee, nor should users have any expectation on  privacy of electronic communications. Users should exercise care regarding the contents of communications. ABC Company maintains the capability to monitor all activity on the company’s business information systems including internet web sites visited. Employees must obtain written permission from their immediate supervisor prior to accessing chat rooms for business purposes. Telephone conversations may be monitored for the purpose of evaluating the quality of service provided to ABC Company’s customers. Drug Testing Current and prospective employees will be asked to submit to drug and alcohol testing per ABC Company policy. Prospective employees will be asked to submit to testing if an offer of employment is tendered. Negative test results for drugs and/or alcohol are a condition of employment. This policy is intended to comply with all state laws governing drug and alcohol testing and is designed to safeguard employee privacy rights to the fullest extent of the law. ABC Company will obtain employee signed approval form prior to administering drug and/or alcohol testing. Failure to submit to testing as a result of probable cause will result in suspension and may result in termination of employment. Any drug and/or alcohol testing requested by ABC Company will be performed by a state licensed laboratory. Each employee asked to submit to a drug or alcohol test will be notified of their results by ABC Company within 2 business days of receiving the lab results. Every reasonable effort will be made by ABC Company to maintain confidentiality regarding results. If the test results are confirmed positive, the employee will be given the opportunity to provide a prescription supporting test findings. ABC Company does not tolerate the use of alcohol or nonprescription drugs on company premises or during work hours at facilities operated by ABC Company. Suspension shall be without pay until the results of the test are obtained by ABC Company. If the results are negative, the employee will be reinstated and compensated for hours not worked as a result of the suspension. Positive test results may result in termination of employment. Every reasonable effort will be made by ABC Company to protect the confidentiality of the  drug test results. Employee Records The purpose of this policy is to ensure that employees who have access to confidential information regarding other employees understand the importance of preserving the confidentiality of such information. This policy applies to all ABC company employees who have access to confidential personnel information and/or are otherwise provided access to such information for legitimate business-related purposes. Employees who have access to confidential information, including, but not limited to, personnel matters concerning other company employees (e.g., compensation, employment-related medical information, retirement benefits, marital status, work performance issues and/or evaluations, etc.) must sign an Agreement Regarding Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure of Confidential Employee Information. Management employees requesting access to such information must submit a signed Agreement Regarding Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure of Confidential Employee Information to the Human Resources Department prior to being granted access to confidential personnel information. Employee information shall not be released to any third party without the written request for release of information signed and dated by the employee and verified by an HR representative. Each request for information shall be treated as a separate inquiry, be limited to the information specified in the document and require separate documentation. Where appropriate or in compliance with laws applicable to an employees specific work location, information will be issued to the appropriate authorities with the proper documents authorizing the search and seizure of said information. References Bennett-Alexander, D.D., & Hartman, L.P. (2004). The Right to Privacy and Other Protections from Employer Intrusions. _Employment Law for Business_ (4th). New York: McGraw Hill. (Original work published 1995) Employee Handbook Company Policy Manual. (2006). In _NUPP Legal._ Retrieved September 8, 2006, from http://www.nupplegal.com/polhanman1.html Hansson, S. O., Persson, A. J., Jan 2003, Privacy at Work-Ethical Criteria, _Journal of Business Ethics_, Part 1, Vol. 42, Issue 1, p. 59-70, 12p, Retrieved on September 8, 2006, from EBSCOhost website http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=29&hid=11&sid=6fd07b5a-b177-42f8-bcd3-def12a5cabc0%40sessionmgr101 Hillstrom, L., Hillstrom, K., 2006, Employee Privacy, _Encyclopedia of Small Business_ _Di-Eq,_ Thomson Gale, Retrieved on September 8, 2006, from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Di-Eq/copyright.html