Southfield Christian School (SCS) is a unique Christian...

Southfield Christian School (SCS) is a unique Christian school providing students from preschool to 8th grade a nurturing yet challenging school environment consistent with Highland Park Baptist Church’s cohesive yet culture. Mr Erb, the principal of SCS serves the purpose to assist the School Board, review school plans, and provide an environment which is a welcoming intercultural environment. One mechanism used by the Mr Erb to reach these goals is the annual SCS survey. The annual SCS survey is sent to all SCS parents, teachers, and staff members to assess their perception of and satisfaction with current SCS programs, areas of the SCS needing improvement, and overall opinions regarding the strengths and challenges at SCS. The previous†¦show more content†¦Survey Distribution †¢ The surveys will go home on Monday, April 14, 2014 with the students. They will be due to be returned April 21st, 2014. Reminders will go out on April 18th, 2014. The purpose of the survey is to bring awareness to the need for an understanding of intercultural communication. Everything that happens within a school, and in particular in the classroom, involves communication. Communication is the act of sharing information. On occasion, communication involves the use of oral or written verbal symbols. Sometimes, communication involves various types of non-verbal symbols, including gestures and facial expressions.. Communication is a means for instruction, evaluation, interpersonal relationships, group interactions, parent and community relations and counseling. In order to resolve most behavior issues in schools, you must involve some type of communication. Communication is infused in education. Communication is based on ones culture. The way a person communicates is derived from his or her culture. Some people may share several characteristics from different cultures. That does not change the fact that: communication is a product of culture. Students with different cultural norms are at risk if teachers have little knowledge, sensitivity or appreciation of the diversity in communication

Ethics And Palliative Care For Terminally Ill Patients

In this paper I will defend ethics and palliative care as they pertain to end of life treatment of terminally ill patients. Aggressive medical administration of the terminally ill patient has created critical issues in the morals of end of life consideration. In summary, I will defend this hypothesis by arguing that the following principles, autonomy, beneficence, and justice must all be taken into consideration when treating a terminally ill patient. The noteworthy moral principles of self-rule esteem and value layout existing investigation disclosures. There is a surge of national exercises to improve end of life thought happening today. Autonomy bolsters the thoughts of informed consent, privacy and truth-telling about analysis,†¦show more content†¦Significant advances in patient autonomy have been made in insisting the good and lawful right of rationally skilled patients to settle on choices about the course of their dying. This incorporates enhancing the techniques for the declaration of patients personality. It assists and makes it better for the family to comprehend when it is an ideal opportunity to settle on a choice. Sometimes the patient s voice in medical basic leadership about forceful treatment in terminal sick conditions is not substantial because of their ailment. While doing my examination I read about Nancy Cruzan, and in this case where the US Supreme Court supported the state of Missouri s privilege to require clear and inducing verification with respect to a patient s desire to forego life-maintaining drugs. The consequence of that significant decision was a national outpouring of activity related to development mandates. It additionally incorporated the foundation of the administration Patient Self-Determination Act, which requires that specialist s offices routinely teach patients about progress directives (Tilden, 1999). At the point when nursing homes patients are transferred to acute care that will have significance importance. That happens in light of the fact that advance directives normally disregard to go with them yet in the

Impact on Business on HRM and Employment †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: What Is The Impact On Business On HRM And Employment? Answer: Introduction International human resource management (IHRM) includes typical recruitment, selection, training and development, performance measurement, compensation management and employee health and safety on a global basis (Welch Bjrkman, 2015). This study will represent a scenario, where a HR manager of Altona manufacturing plant of Toyota in Australia is relocating to the sister plant of Toyota in USA. Toyota is one of most popular car organization in Australia (Toyota.com.au, 2017). In such situation, the HR manager will face completely new presidency, rules and regulations, workplace structure in USA. Moreover, with the new presidency of Donald Trump, the human resources of USA are facing several issues in their organizations. This study will highlight the impact of presidency of Donald Trump on the business and economy of the country and thereby on the HR matters. Apart from that, the study will also compare the working of car industry between Australia and USA. Lastly, the study has intr oduced some suggestion for the HR manager for resolving the HR issues. Impact of Donald Trump Presidency on Business and Economy Donald trump is highly concerned about the immigration policy of the United State. Moreover, immigration policy reform has created enough problems for the foreigners residing with the USA as well as the people willing to come in this country from the foreign countries. In this way, the immigration reform policy has led to fewer H1-B visas for the skilled and talented workers (Telegraph.co.uk, 2017). Moreover, some nationalities may completely loose access to the US visa programs. Therefore, the manager of sister plant of Toyota may face the shortage of talented and skilled workers in USA. It can ultimately reduce the organizational productivity of this sister plant. On the other hand, Evans, (2017) opined that other nationalities are trying to capitalize the restrictions of USA and attracting the top talents from USA. It is ultimately increasing the brain drain rate in the USA market and causing skills shortage for the companies. In this way, the HR manager of sister plat of Toyota c an face the same human resource management issue. Employee Confliction Donald Trump does not support to increase the minimum wage of the employees significantly. Moreover, the wage of the worker groups may seem to be quite low. It can actually lower the morale of the workers in working in their job role. After relocation of the manager in USA, he will face the same human resource management issue. The low morale of the workers can reduce the work efficiency in the organization. On the other hand, Kehoe, (2017) opined that in place of increase in minimum wage, Donald Trump has initiated some tax break rules, which can benefit the American workers. However, such tax break rules are actually involved tricky political issues. Therefore, the workers do not see it quite beneficial for them. Therefore, the worker group of the sister plant organization may not be much committed and loyal to their work. The workers will have enough scope raise their voice in regard to their wage structure, which can lead to employee confliction. Loyalty and Turnover Issue During election, Donald Trump promised to improve the life quality of the women. However, while considering the case of an organization, Donald Trump is not highly concerned about the gender equity pay of the employees. The women employees are not getting the utmost privileges, which they used to get from the gender equity pay policy. As per Lippert, (2017), in Donalds presidency, the women employees are getting even higher education than the male employees, but there the women employees are facing disparity in their pays. In this way, it is ultimately creating discrimination between the male employees and female employees, which is ultimately creating de-motivation for the employees. In such situation, the HR manager of the sister plant of Toyota may find it difficult to handle the de-motivation of the employee. In this way, the turnover rate of the organization can be increased. Workplace Discipline Issue The HR manager of sister plant of Toyota in USA can also face issues in regard to workplace discipline. As per Pethokoukis (2016), Donald Trump is not more willing to provide enough right to the worker unions of the organization. Moreover, there is weak collective bargaining process in USA. This policy can actually create human resource issues in the sister plant of Toyota in USA. The workers will be incapable of raising their concern to the management. It can ultimately lead to huge unresolved issues in the organization and damage the workplace discipline, which can be difficult for the manager to handle. Impact on Economy and Human Resource Matters Lack of Overseas Talent The reformed immigration policy of Donald Trump is actually capitalized by other countries for their benefits. These countries are attracting the immigrants of the USA in their own country (Giroux, 2016). In this way, recently there is huge rate of brain drain in this country. Moreover, the increasing rate of brain drain is ultimately reducing the talented employees of USA, which is ultimately decreasing the overall productivity of the country by weakening the economy (Vlasic Boudette, 2017). Moreover, such economic issues will definitely impact the human resource manager of the sister plant of Toyota in USA. The organization will face shortage of oversea talent for fostering innovation in the organization. Wage Discrimination between Local and Overseas Employees The economical impact of Donald Trumps presidency is reflected in his less concern for the vulnerable racial and religious minorities in America (Orentlicher, 2017). Moreover, there are also huge discriminations between the local and overseas employees of organizations. It has been found that local employees are getting higher salary than those of overseas employees (McKee et al., 2017). This is actually discouraging the overseas employees to contribute innovation and utmost productivity. In this way, the less productivity of the overseas employees is actually hampering US economy. In this way, the HR manager of sister plant of Toyota can face issues of handling employee de-motivation. Low Salary Structure for Employees The reformed immigration policy has also discouraged the overseas investors to invest in the USA. Moreover, this situation will ultimately reduce the circulation of money within the country, which will ultimately hamper the economic condition of the country (Fisher, 2016). Furthermore, such economic decline would definitely influence the HR manager of sister plant of Toyota in USA. Due to weak economic condition, the salary structure of the employees will be quite low, which can lead to employee retention issue. Comparison of Working between Australia and USA car industry Organization Structure While considering the organizational structure car industry in Australia, it has been found that Australia follows flat organizational structure. According to Bschgens et al., (2013), the employees of car Australian car industry can openly communicate with their organizational management. Moreover, the employees in Altona manufacturing plant of Australia can openly share their concern regarding their business. Furthermore, the employees also get opportunity to share their organizational issues with the management. Therefore, the employee issues are immediately resolved by enhancing employee satisfaction. On the other hand, Kochan, (2012) opined that the employee in car industry of the USA face mostly hierarchical organizational structure. In such organizational structure, the employees of sister plant of Toyota will face complex hierarchical structure towards communicating with the management. In the present condition, the car industry of USA is being more structured and systematic f or enhancing the productivity. In such complex organizational structure, most of the employee issues can be remained unresolved, which can lead to employee confliction. Incorporation of Innovation According to Gabrielsson et al., (2014), the Australian car industry is highly concerned about incorporation of innovation in the organizations. Innovation is at the core of the car industry success in Australia. Moreover, the Altona manufacturing plant of Australia allows the employees in its decision process. This plat considers the innovative ideas of the employees in business decision making. Along with fostering innovation, this working culture also enhance the level of employee motivation. On the other hand, MacDonald, (2014) opined that the present working culture of car industry in USA mostly follows traditional and strict business ideas. In such working culture, the employees of sister plant of Toyota cannot get much scope participate in the organizational decision making process. This working culture can ultimately increase the employee frustration, which can be difficult to handle by the HR manager. Employee Empowerment As per Leal-Rodrguez et al., (2014), the employees in Australian car industry get enhanced empowerment in their job areas. Moreover, the employees in Altona manufacturing plant get enough freedom in their organization. They have enough right to direct and control their own work and responsibilities. Therefore, the employees can get enhanced empowerment and morale with such working culture. On the other hand, McKee et al., (2017) the present working culture of the car industry in USA is quite dominating and it is especially the reflection of Donald Trumps Presidency and his autocratic power. Therefore, the employees in USA car industry do not get much freedom in their job roles and responsibilities. Likewise, the employees of sister plant of Toyota will get much interference of upper management on their job roles. It can ultimately create employee discouragement and employment issues for the HR manager. Appreciation of Diversity According to Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, (2017), Australia is one of topmost countries, which always appreciates diversity in the workplaces. Such manner is also reflected in the car industry of Australia. Employees regardless of their cultural background, age, race, gender get equal opportunity in the organizational privileges. In this way, Altona manufacturing plant is quite able to incorporate creativity in the organizational process from the ideas generated from employees having different background. On the other hand, Zaefarian et al., (2017) opined that in the presidency of Donald Trump, the employers of car industry are not willing to encourage workplace diversity in the organization. Moreover, no foreign employees will be entertained in the sister plant of Toyota. In this way, the employee creativity will be restricted in the plant of USA. Recommendation Strategic Alliance Strategic alliance is the arrangement between two companies, where they share organizational resources and skills for the benefits of both the organization. The HR manager of sister plant of Toyota in USA should immediately make strategic alliance with other reputed organization in the country. Such alliance can resolve the issues of employee shortage in the organization, which is the foremost problem in the presidency of Donald Trump. Through strategic alliance, the organization will be able to get the employee sources of the other organization. It will recover the employee shortage issue of the organization and enhance their productivity. Training to Local Employees With the presidency of Donald Trump, the organization may lose the overseas talent of the country. Therefore, this situation can hinder the innovation power of the sister plant in USA. Therefore, the HR manager of the organization should immediately incorporate training and learning procedure for the employees towards fostering employee innovation. Training and learning programs can make the employees able to think creatively for the success of the organization. In this way, the HR manager of the organization can resolve the innovation issues of the organization. Pay Hike It has been found that Donald Trump is not concerned with increasing the minimum wages of the employees. This is actually resulting in low wage structure of the employees, which is de-motivating the employees and leading to employee discouragement. Therefore, the HR manager of Altona manufacturing plant should enhance the wage structure and incentives programs of the employees. This enhancing wage structure and incentive programs can motivate the employees towards their utmost productivity. Moreover, the increasing incentive programs can also enhance the employee retention rate of the organization and increase the overall organizational productivity. In this way, the HR manager of the organization would be able to minimize the issues of employee turnover and increasing brain drain. Importance to Collective Bargaining Process One of the most important issues, which the HR manager can face in USA, is the issue of employee confliction. In the present scenario, the employees of Altona manufacturing plant can get less importance in their collective bargaining process. Therefore, it can lead to serious employee confliction in the organization. Hence, the HR manager of the organization should provide more importance to the collective bargaining process and provide more concern to the employee issues. In this process, the HR manager will be able to resolve the employee issues immediately and minimize the issues of employee confliction. Conclusion While concluding the study, it can be said that the HR manager of Altona manufacturing plant will face major human resource management issues, while relocating the in sister plant in the USA. Donald Trump is running an autocratic presidency in this country, which has major impact of the human resources of organizations. The president has reformed the immigration policy of the country, where the overseas talented employees are not getting scope to work in USA organization. However, this policy is actually creating talented employee shortage in the organizations. Likewise, the HR manager of sister plant of Toyota will also face the issue of employee shortage. On the other hand, the president is not also concerned about increasing the minimum wage structure of the workers. It is actually lowering the wage and salary structure of workers and employees. In this way, low salary structure is causing employee confliction among the employees. The HR manager of this organization will face the same issues in managing their employees. Furthermore, lack of overseas talent is actually lowering the ultimate productivity of the country, which has major impact of USA economy. However, the HR manager of the sister plat can make strategic alliance with other organization for minimizing the issues of skill shortage. References Bschgens, T., Bausch, A., Balkin, D. B. (2013). Organizational Culture and Innovation: A Meta?Analytic Review.Journal of product innovation management,30(4), 763-781. Evans, S (2017), Toyota to axe 2600 jobs when car-making stops on October 3, Australian Financial Review, 1 February, p. 2. Fisher, P. I. (2016). Definitely Not Moralistic: State Political Culture and Support for Donald Trump in the Race for the 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination.PS: Political Science Politics,49(4), 743-747. Gabrielsson, M., Gabrielsson, P., Dimitratos, P. (2014). International entrepreneurial culture and growth of international new ventures.Management International Review,54(4), 445-471. Giroux, H. (2016). political frauds, Donald Trump, and the ghost of totalitarianism.Knowledge Cultures,4(5), 95-108. Kehoe, J (2017), Trumponomics: Wall St or economists wrong, Australian Financial Review, 30 January, p. 22. Kochan, TA (2012), Collective bargaining: crisis and its consequences for American society, Industrial Relations Journal, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 302-316. Leal-Rodrguez, A. L., Ariza-Montes, J. A., Roldn, J. L., Leal-Milln, A. G. (2014). Absorptive capacity, innovation and cultural barriers: A conditional mediation model.Journal of Business Research,67(5), 763-768. Lippert, J (2017), The new White House seriously tests Toyota, Australian Financial Review, 27 January, p. 37. MacDonald, IT (2014), Towards neoliberal trade unionism: decline, renewal and transformation in North American labour movements, British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 725752. McKee, M., Greer, S. L., Stuckler, D. (2017). What will Donald Trump's presidency mean for health? A scorecard.The Lancet,389(10070), 748-754. Orentlicher, D. (2017). Political Dysfunction and the Election of Donald Trump: Problems of the US Constitution's Presidency.Indiana Law Review,50(1), 247-264. Pethokoukis, J (2016), Downsides of Trumps Carrier deal, Australian Financial Review, 3-4 December, p. 15. Telegraph.co.uk. (2017).Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2017, from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/18/donald-trump-planning-re-implement-immigration-ban-exemp Toyota.com.au. (2017).Toyota Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2017, from https://www.toyota.com.au/toyota/company Vlasic, B Boudette, N (2017), Carmakers react to Trump threats, Australian Financial Review, 11 January, p. 20. Welch, D., Bjrkman, I. (2015). The place of international human resource management in international business.Management International Review,55(3), 303-322. Zaefarian, G., Forkmann, S., Mitr?ga, M., Henneberg, S. C. (2017). A capability perspective on relationship ending and its impact on product innovation success and firm performance.Long Range Planning,50(2), 184-199.

The Role of Religion in Society free essay sample

Outline and evaluate the view that the role of religion in society is to promote stability and consensus? The title is arguing clearly form a functionalist perspective on religion. Religion is a secondary agent of socialisation, it plays a major part in many people’s lives, even though we may not be as religious as we used to be, religion still features strongly in our word as many of our laws and moral codes, which are targeted at maintaining a stable society stem from the bible.Such as ‘thou shall not murder’ or ‘thou shall not steal’ theses are universally acknowledged morals that help to keep order and consensus. Functionalists believe that religion provides a set of moral beliefs and practices for people to commonly adhere to, therefore it unites them, reinforcing Durkheim’s idea of ‘collective conscience’, Which suggests that society needs people to have these shared values to maintain stability and consensus. We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Religion in Society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Thus it is good to be controlled by religion as it is vital in order for society to function. However a functionalist’s view is not the only one, there are many others. Marxists, like functionalists believe that the main role of religion is to prevent change and maintain the ‘status quo’ however, they differ, as they argue that this has a very negative effect on us. They believe religion ideologically controls us; forcing us to believe certain things as it makes us believe our fate is governed by god. They feel Religion hides the fact that our fate is actually determined by classes and those who are in a higher class than us. Althusser supported this by describing religion as an ideological state apparatus, meaning that religion is used as a tool to control us thus maintaining stability.For example, the hymn ‘all things bright and beautiful’ says that ‘the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate, god made then high and lowly, and ordered their estate’ suggesting that social inequality is god given so we should not question it, only accept it. According to Weber the aim of religion is to make sense of t he world, it deals with the problem of theodicy and answers big questions such as ‘how did the universe evolve? ’ He suggests Religion is used to give people hope, as it provides reason for peoples suffering.For example, the black slavery period, stability and order was maintained through that period by religion, it gave the slaves hope and meaning for their suffering. They were led to believe that if they behaved well and endured their suffering in this life they would be rewarded in another life because this is what god wanted and their suffering is therefore god given. However, he also thought that many teachings from religion could influence behaviour and thus challenge the status quo so in some ways we shape society, and we have elements of control.Therefore it isn’t just religion that maintains stability and consensus, but the people in the society as well; it is more of a two way thing. Malinowski, said religion provides us with comfort in times of crisis and helps maintain the ‘status quo’. For example, if you lose a loved one it is comforting to think, especially to children, that they are in heaven and that one day you will see them again. It helps you to move on quicker so does not affect the status quo. However, some would argue we don’t always need religion in times of crisis; we can get through with love, f amily or counselling. There are many situations in life where religion does not promote stability and consensus, but where it actually causes conflict and change. For example, the Iranian revolution, this refers to events involving the end of Iran’s monarchy under The Shah and its replacement with an Islamic republic Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution. The Shah led a very free westernized society, Muslim girls went to school and wore jeans and had their hair down. Ayatollah, along with many others, felt threatened by the west countries taking over.He believed that Western culture was a plague or an intoxication to be eliminated. So he took Iran back over 200 years, and overnight Muslim girls were now completely veiled up due to fear of their life. He forced everyone to reject the influence of both liberal capitalism and communism even to the extent that they should not be friends with non-Muslims The liberation theology is another contradiction to the functionalist view of religion. It sees religion being used deliberately to bring about social change. The protestant work ethic demonstrates this idea, where religion has caused monumental change.It is centred on a small group of Protestants called Calvinists. They emphasised the necessity for hard work and worldly success, because they believed this was a calling from god. They followed the idea that people were predestined; you were either dammed or saved and that it was impossible to know who was predestined. However, they did believe that one showed signs of being predestined, signs such as business success and wealth. Calvinists also believed that you could earn your fate in heaven by working hard and showing the same signs. Because of this belief consensus as lost, as many people started their own businesses and the greed for wealth grew thus causing countries to turn into capitalist countries. Contrasting this functionalists would say that everything has a perfect function in society which allows it to work smoothly and allow consensus and stability, however, this is not always a constant thing because if one of the function stops working or weakens then it has a knock on effect, causing all the other institutions of society to weaken too, therefore there is less stability and consensus.Functionalists believe the institutions in society such as media and religion are interconnected and work together in harmony to produce a healthy consensus just like the organs of the human body. Each work together to maintain a healthy body and keep it running smoothly, however, if one organ shuts down, it has a knock on effect to all the rest and could result in catastrophic problems and change. Millie Fuller.

Christianity in To Kill a Mockingbird

Christianity in To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee displays many acts of generosity and understanding, but most importantly, the novel sends out a positive notion towards Christianity. The fact that Atticus, a white man, is defending a Negro in a racially segregated community brings a sense of equality for all races to Lee's novel. This idea is a foundation on which many Christian parishes build their beliefs. The most important belief of a Christian is that God creates all humans equally and instructs them to accept each other with warmth and kindness. Because of Lee's exemplification of this belief, the novel is very deserving of its award given by the 1961 Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.One of the cardinal rules in Christianity is to love others as thy brother or sister. Atticus definitely shows his Christian views of equality and justice as well as his psychological stability when he decides to take the case of Tom Robinson.Gods and sodasNot only is Atticus able to cope with the unreasonable, highly emotional views of the white society around him, but is also able to deal with the Negro population of Maycomb both honestly and justly.Atticus causes great controversy between himself and practically the entire society of Maycomb. Women begin to talk of his unethical ways and the preposterous idea of him defending and believing the word of a Negro against the word of Bob Ewell, a man of his own race. All of this conversing of a man who is going against the grain eventually leads to the unlocking of the prejudice and racial minds of the citizens of Maycomb. Some begin to think of Atticus' gesture as a baby step towards racial equality not only in Maycomb, but perhaps the whole southern part of the...

5 Things You Didnt Know About Using Et Al.

5 Things You Didnt Know About Using Et Al. 5 Things You Didnt Know About Using Et Al. The phrase et al. is an integral part of many referencing systems, but it is also commonly misused in academic documents. Read on to find out more! 1. What Does Et Al. Mean? The phrase et al. is Latin for et alia, which means and others. It is therefore used in some referencing systems when there are too many authors to name in a single citation. 2. When Should I Use Et Al.? This depends on the referencing system used by your college, so remember to check your style guide! In most systems, however, it should  only ever be used when you are citing a source with more than three authors. The exact number of authors required before you should use et al. varies between referencing systems. In addition, some systems only use this term for repeat citations of sources with several authors (with all authors named in the first citation). 3. Should I Use It in the Bibliography? Not usually. As above, this may depend on the referencing system youre using, but typically the only place to use et al. is in the main text of your document. This is because most referencing systems specify naming every author in the bibliography or reference list. Some systems make an exception to this rule if the work you are citing has more than six or seven authors. APA referencing, for instance, specifies listing the first six names for sources with more than seven authors, followed by an ellipsis and the final named author. For a journal article with ten named authors, then, APA would require naming the first sixth and the tenth in your reference list. You have to feel a little sorry for authors seven through nine. 4. Do I Need the Period After Al.? Yes! Al. is a shortening of alia and always  needs a period to show that the word has been shortened, in the same way that we use a full stop for etc. and other Latin phrases. 5. Do I Need to Capitalize the Et? No! It is not a proper noun and would not usually appear at the start of a sentence. As such, it would be odd to capitalize it. It can be tricky to get little details like this right all the way through your essay. As such, if you want some help checking it over, just get in touch! We can help with all aspects of your work, including  proofreading,  formatting and checking the consistency of your references.

International Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Human Rights - Essay Example Responsible social behavior could have minimized the scale of the recession; businesses have to learn that maybe, the only thing that is important is the bottom line, that there is an interconnectivity with other factors within and beyond the business environments (Amnesty International, 2008). International co-operations have been accused of gross human rights abuse when they are established abroad more so in third world countries where poverty levels are high. This is because poverty drives workers in these countries to work extremely long hours for minimal wages under deplorable working conditions. This is exploitation at its worst and the governments tend to turn a blind eye because they benefit from the presence of such companies (Amnesty International, 2008). A group that has fallen prey often times to exploitation by corporations are illegal migrants and refugees. Rooted from their own homes in foreign lands where they cannot rely on the government for assistance, these are a vulnerable group. Their only target is survival and since most live in abject poverty, they are willing to work for extremely low wages just to help them get by. This is most unfortunate because migrant populations do contribute to the economies of the countries where they are hosted. Hence, equal working rights for migrants and fighting other discriminations of migrants should be made a priority (UNOG, 2008)2. Another challenge to upholding human rights where transnational corporations and other business enterprises are concerned is the dire poverty mostly inexperienced in third world countries where poverty drives people to accept any kind of work. It is known that multinational corporations that are involved in labor intensive industries choose to do locate their factories where wages are much lower for unskilled workers. Furthermore, those living in countries where there is extreme poverty also do without basic human rights

Milt Jackson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Milt Jackson - Essay Example As a member of a Gospel Quartet, Milt got the first chance to perform in public in which he sang tenor. Dizzy Gillespie was instrumental in bringing this great jazz artist to the forefront and Gillespie, hearing his performance at a Detroit night club, brought Milt to New York to perform with his sextet and later with his big band. Milt also had the opportunity to work with great artists such as Howard McGee, Thelonius Monk, Charlie Parker and Woody Herman in the late 1940s. Again he worked with Dizzy between 1950 and 1952, while also recording some Quartet sides with John Lewis, Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke. The big band, renamed as The Modern Jazz Quartet in 1952, played a major role in the next twenty-two years Milt's career and the quartet, which recorded over thirty albums and toured all over the world, also had a prominent place in his career. "By 1974 the MJQ disbanded, and Jackson started a career as a leader of his own groups, performing blues and gospel-oriented Jazz, away from the musical policy of the MJQ. He became associated with producer Norwman Granz, and recorded some twenty albums with some of the finest musicians associated with the producer's label, like Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, etc. In 1981 the MJQ was reunited to perform in Japan and since then Jackson has been combining his own projects with occasional touring with the MJQ." (Milt Jackson: Biography) Therefore, the career development as well as biography of the vibes player Milt Jackson centered on his accomplishments in jazz and this paper undertakes such a biographical account of this great vibraphonist, focusing on his achievements in jazz. As the first vibraphonist to use a slow vibrato, Milt Jackson revolutionized and extended the limits of the vibraharp. The use a slow vibrato helped him in the creation of impulsive outbursts of short notes as well as a better control of the dynamics. "He discovered new possibilities in his instrument, influencing every vibraphonist to follow. With his gift for melodic improvisation Jackson is a master of ballad interpretation, and remains one of the most soulful players in the history of Jazz." (Milt Jackson: Biography) Born in Detroit and Died as one of the most soulful players in the history of Jazz, Jackson had become a conspicuously importantmusician by the middle of his teen-age years and he started to learn guitar at the age of 7, piano lessons at11, and mastered drums, tympani, violin,guitar and xylophone by the time he reached his high school. Milt was such a talented young man that he also sang in the choir and picked up the vibraphone by the age of 16. Later he established himself as one of the most prominent figures of the jazz quartet called the Four Sharps. All through his career, Milt's came from Charlie Parker, rather thanHampton, his most prominent precursor on the instrument. He also attempted to attain a hornlike legato with his mallets, while he adopted many ofParker's rhythmic traits. Through his sheer quality as a vibraphonist, Milt became the first authentic bebopmusician on the vibraphone, and was one of the greatest musicians of Gillespie'sown band.His career with The Modern Jazz Quartet which began in 1952 had a prominent place in the development of Milt Jackson's achievements in jazz. "The group wore tailored suits and practiced every aspect of their publicpresentation, from walking on stage to making introductions to thepowerfully subdued arrangements in their playing. They wanted to bringback to jazz the

Exercise vs. Diet in Weight Loss Essay Example for Free

Exercise vs. Diet in Weight Loss Essay INTRODUCTION It is estimated that 55% of the adult population in the United States are either obese or overweight (National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute, 1998). Obesity substantially increases an individual’s risk of suffering from chronic diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, and diabetes. Those with excess fat in the abdominal area are at increased health risk (National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute). In an attempt to define the role of exercise in the treatment and prevention of obesity, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) held a scientific roundtable to address this subject. Following the meeting, several consensus statements regarding physical activity and public health were released. Two statements are of particular interest to the applied exercise professional. The first statement declares that the addition of exercise to a diet with restricted caloric intake promotes fat loss, while maintaining fat free mass. The second statement claims that physical activity, without caloric restriction, minimally if at all affects fat loss. The statements suggest that to optimize weight loss, a combination of diet and exercise is best, and that exercise alone will not suffice. Although it is well established that a regimen of diet and exercise is the best way to control body weight, a recent review by Ross, Freeman, and Janssen (2000) challenges ACSM’s statement that exercise alone is not an effective method of weight loss. This review suggests that the studies this statement was based upon do not effectively compare caloric restricting programs to increased energy expenditure programs. They conclude that if these factors were equal, exercise alone can be as effective as caloric restriction for weight loss. The purpose of this article is to present Ross et al.’s argument contrasting the ACSM consensus statement. EXERCISE VS. CALORIC RESTRICTION In their review, Ross et al. (2000) report that few randomized control trials equally compare diet only to exercise only weight loss programs. For example, in a twelve-week study, Hagan, Wong, and Whittam (1986) compared the amount of weight lost through diet only to the amount of weight lost through an exercise program. The obese women and men in the diet only group (n=24) that reduced their caloric intake lost 5.5 kg and 8.4 kg, respectively. To achieve this degree of weight loss, women decreased their average caloric intake by 945 kilocalories a day while the men decreased their average intake by 1705 kilocalories a day. The exercise only group (n = 24 obese men and women), performed a 30-minute walk/jog program 5 days/week. On average, the women expended 190 kilocalories per session while the men expended an average of 255 kilocalories per session, which resulted in a total weight loss of .6 kg and .3 kg for women and men, respectively. The women in the diet only program decreased their body fat from 35% to 29%, where as the women doing exercise only went from 35% to 33% body fat. Additionally, the men in the diet only group decreased body fat from 26% to 21% where as the exercise only group experienced no change in their body fat. This study clearly illustrates that weight loss through diet only was not equated to energy expenditure through exercise only. Therefore, equal amounts of weight loss should not be expected. In contrast, Sopko et al. (1985) in a twelve-week study, with obese men, reported that when the negative energy balance created by diet only and exercise only are equal, the two treatments produce similar results. The participants in the diet only group (n=10) experienced a weight loss of 6.1kg by restricting their caloric intake 500 kcal/day. The exercise only group (n=6) lost 6.2 kg by performing a treadmill walking program in which they expended 500 kcal/day. The men in the diet only group went from a body fat of 31.4% to 25%, where as the exercise only group went from 26.7% to 19%. These results show that equivalent amounts of weight loss can be obtained when the energy expenditure from exercise is similar to the amount of calories restricted through diet. This is contrary to the results of Hagan et. al., as well as the ACSM consensus statement that exercise without caloric restriction minimally affects weight loss. Table 1 summarizes some diet versus exercise weight management studies, further validating when energy expenditure is matched, weight loss is similar. EXERCISE WITHOUT WEIGHT LOSS: THE HEALTH CONNECTION Excess fat in the abdominal area independently increases an individual’s risk of insulin resistance and high blood lipids. This distribution of body fat is also a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease (Grundy et al., 1999, National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute, 1998). It has been shown that weight management programs resulting in a loss of total body fat also reduce a person’s amount of abdominal fat. This loss of abdominal fat is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it has been shown that exercising individuals, who do not experience any overall weight loss still decrease their risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease (Ross Janssen, 1999). The current research suggests that exercise without weight loss is actually linked to reductions in visceral fat (Ross Janssen 1999). In two similar studies, Ross et al. (2000) and Sopko et al. (1985) showed that exercisers who did not lose weight experienced improved insulin sensitivity and an increase in their ‘helpful’ HDL cholesterol. These findings are important because in the event that weight loss is not achieved, a person who is at increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), or its comorbid conditions (i.e., high blood pressure, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance), still benefits from regular aerobic exercise participation. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The applications from this review article are consequential to the personal trainer and fitness professional for two important reasons. It is well established that exercise and diet modification is the best method for weight loss. However, Ross and colleagues and Sopko and associates also show the efficacy and worth of exercise only programs for promoting weight loss (in overweight and obese populations). Also, from a health perspective it is quite meaningful to emphasize that aerobic exercise independently decreases the risk of CAD and related comobidites. For health benefits, Ross et al. (2000) confirm established recommendations of regular, moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, for 30 to 60 minutes on most days of the week. The also suggest that â€Å"substantial reductions in obesity and related comorbid conditions will result when daily exercise is performed at a moderate intensity for 45 to 60 minutes a day without deceasing caloric intake.† However, since most of this health benefits research has been done in predominantly male populations, more research is needed with overweight and obese female populations to validate these benefits in women. References: Grundy, S.M., G. Blackburn, M. Higgins, R. Lauer, M. Perri, D. Ryan. Roundtable Consensus Statement: Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of obesity and its comorbidities. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 31: S502-S508, 1999. Hagan, R.D., S.J. Upton, L. Wong, and J. Whittam. The effects of aerobic conditioning and/or caloric restriction in overweight men and women. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 18:87-94, 1986. National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: The Evidence Report. Obes. Res. 6(Suppl 2), 1998. Pate, R.R., M. Pratt, S.N. Blair, W.L. Haskell, C.A. Macera, C. Bouchard, D. Buchner, W. Ettinger, G.W. Heath, A.C. King, et al. Physical activity and public health. A recommendation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine. JAMA. 273:402-407, 1995. Ross, R., D. Dagnone, P.J.H. Jones, H. Smith, A. Paddags, R. Hudson and I. Janssen. Reduction in obesity and related comorbid conditions after diet-induced weight loss or exercise-induced weight loss in men: A randomized controlled trial. Ann. Intern. Med. 133:92-103, 2000 Ross, R., and I. Janssen. Is abdominal fat preferentially reduced in response to exercise-induced weight loss? Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 31: S568-S572, 1999. Ross, R., J.A. Freeman, and I. Janssen. Exercise alone is an effective strategy for reducing obesity and related comorbidities. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev. 28: 165-170, 2000. Sopko, G., A. Leon, D. Jacobs, N. Foster, J. Moy, K. Kuba, J. Anderson, D. Casal, C. McNally, and I. Frantz. The effects of exercise and weight loss and plasma lipids in young obese men. Metabolism. 34:227-236, 1985.

Mary Robinson and Her Many Masks Essay -- Poet Poem Actress Essays

Mary Robinson and Her Many Masks Mary Robinson’s public image as an actress and at times transgressive female are inseparable from her identity as an author and poet. Having begun her public life as an actress, Robinson remained keenly conscious of the power of audience. She intentionally re-scripted her own past, using her lurid fame to launch her successful writing career. Written at the end of her life, The Haunted Beach represents a culmination of efforts to make a serious impact on the world of poetry. Among other daring moves, Robinson's poem effectively engages with a known poet, in its recognizable similarities to Coleridge's Rime, and makes a social commentary on a murder she witnessed. The poem’s vaguely defined relationship with audience mirrors Robinson’s own multiplicity in voice. Just as The Haunted Beach is told by an unidentified observer, ultimately Robinson’s own identity remains unknowable; at best she is a fusion of her many pseudonyms, stage characters, and ideas pres ented in her written works. Much has been written on Robinson’s complicated relationship with the public, as well as her intriguing rapport with contemporary artists such as Coleridge and Wordsworth. In considering â€Å"The Haunted Beach,† one of the last poems Robinson wrote before her death, one must pay with attention to her complex path to artist and public figure; both the poem’s conception and its reception are affected by her public persona and her artistic and social connections. Robinson crafted multiple identities as actress, author and poet, all of which play into her constantly developing poetic project. Poetry became for Robinson not only a forum for earning income and salvaging her damaged reputation, but also a form of self-expre... ....clayfox.com/ashessparks/reports/miles.html>> Feldman, Paula R, Ed. British Women Poets of the Romantic Era: An Anthology. Baltimore, MD: The John Hopkins University Press, 1997. Griggs, Earl Leslie. â€Å"Coleridge and Mrs. Mary Robinson.† Modern Language Notes, 45 (1930): 90-95. Kramer, Lawrence. â€Å"Gender and Sexuality in the Prelude: The Question of Book Seven.† ELH 54 (Autumn 1987): 619-637. Mellor, Anne K. â€Å"Mary Robinson and the scripts of female sexuality.† In Representations of the Self from the Renaissance to Romanticism. Ed. Coleman, Patrick et al. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, England, 2000. Ockerbloom, Mary Mark, Ed. A Celebration of Women Writers. Pascoe, Judith. Romantic Theatricality: Gender, Poetry and Spectatorship. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997.

Was the Use of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Truman’s Best Option to End World War Ii

The goal of the investigation is to determine whether the use of nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by U. S. President Truman was the best option to end World War II. The investigation will begin by researching other options available to President Truman, which were debated during the war. Then Truman’s options will be analysed for limitations, such as real-life practicality, as well as reliability of the source which presented the options.Some of the issues which will be examined in this investigation are why both the naval blockade and continued bombing was not an option and why the nuclear bomb was the logical choice over an invasion. Two sources that will be evaluated due to their large amount of usable information and relevant data are Hiroshima and Nagasaki-Fire from the Sky and an article from the Kemble Kollection found at http://www. mikekemble. com/ww2/downfall. html entitled Why America Was Right To Drop The Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima ; Nagasaki, both of which will be analyzed in part C for validity and limitations.Word Count: 173 Part B: Summary of Evidence The war for the United States has gone on for four years; public opinion was starting to decay. When the European theatre was still seeing bloodshed the average civilian could follow along because the locations of Europe were well known to the average American. The Pacific theatre was different in this regard; civilians had no concept of how or where the war was being fought, it is not a huge surprise it was a nuisance to the average person.However that’s not all, advertisers were marketing new and wondrous products that would come after the war ended, along with rationing and the increasing death toll that would reach over three hundred thousand lives before the war was done. With the recent defeat of the Nazis most of the world believed that the war was won; Japan would easily be shoved aside and the war was now a distant annoyance preventing soldiers from returning home and holding back new items from consumers.Because of the pressuring demands of public opinion, President Truman had to find a way to end the war, quickly and cleanly, or he would face the end of public support. Options such as a great naval siege of the Japanese main islands and continued bombing of Japanese cities were considered useless by American Generals, they thought of it as â€Å"choking, but not killing†. Preparations and planning begun on what would have been the largest invasion of all time, code named ‘Operation Downfall’ it would be an amphibious invasion of the Japanese islands involving millions of American soldiers and marines.The first invasion of Operation Downfall was named Operation Olympic and was chosen to arrive on the southern beach on the island Kyushu. However, a new report on enemy troop strength on the island, specifically the southern edge, indicated that the Japanese were quickly reinforcing the southern side of t he island and that troop strength increased from approximately eight thousand to over two hundred and six thousand. The Japanese had figured out what the American military was planning. To make matters worse the Japanese government ordered civilians to take up arms and to defend to the death.With these two issues arriving the estimated death toll arrived at up to a million. With these horrifying odds, the whole goal of Operation Downfall to produce a quick surrender was now even in debate, the fighting on the Japanese Islands may last a very long time. However with a naval siege or B-29 bombing possibly dragging on for years the invasion was still the only considered option. However even the land invasion could cause long term issues; if Japan wasn’t defeated quickly the Soviet Union may also invade setting up even more tension.Thankfully for the United States government, the Manhattan project succeeded in producing the world’s first nuclear bomb, and on August 6th 194 5 atomic bomb ‘Little Boy’ was dropped on Hiroshima. Over eighty thousand people died in the first few seconds, yet the Japanese still refused to surrender on American terms. It took a second nuclear bomb, ‘Fat Man’, being dropped on Nagasaki before they surrendered. Word Count 517 Part C: Evaluation of Sources The two sources of evidence to be critically examined are Hiroshima and Nagasaki-Fire from the Sky by Andrew Langley and The Kemble Kollection by Mike Kemble.Hiroshima and Nagasaki-Fire in the Sky is a novel of the events leading up to and repercussions that followed the dropping of the two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Published in 2006, and written by accomplished historical author; Andrew Langley. One thing to note about Andrew Langley is that he specializes in writing children’s novels. Although that fact doesn’t compromise the truth behind the writings, it does however indicate that the novel is no t as in-depth as other sources could be, instead providing a broad overview of the events.However despite being oriented towards children it does not hold off on the cruel hard facts such as eighty thousand dead in the blast alone. Although the novel is considered a secondary source it does use real quotes from thoughts of the men dropping the bomb, people involved in making the bomb and from the people being bombed, as well as numerous real pictures. Andrew Langley, using the pictures and the narration makes it very clear that everyone involved with the bomb regretted it –a clear bias, which brings onto the topic of limitations.The novel seems more oriented to educate children on the horror of nuclear war, rather than to educate on the reasons why it was chosen. In fact it does not explore other possibilities that were considered by generals involved and by President Truman himself. The reader would come out of it believing that the only plan was to use the terrible bomb, wh en in reality it was almost not considered. The second source to be evaluated is the Kemble Kollection, here author of On a Sailors Grave (No Roses Grow); Mike Kemble writes about a large variety of different aspects to do with World War II.Mike Kemble makes it clear on his main page that his articles are ideal for education and referencing. The article of particular interest for this assignment is titled U. S. Plans to Invade Japan in World War 2. Why America Was Right to Drop the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima ; Nagasaki. In this article Mike Kemble details operation Downfall, Olympic and numerous other options that were considered by President Truman’s military advisors and generals at the time, as well as the inevitable result of using the atomic bomb. His site is very popular with over 1. 3 million views and all his articles include references to external sites and sources.One thing to question is who Mike Kemble actually is; his site does not mention anything about his crede ntials or any education he may have. Further research says he’s a retired ex-army NCO now working for Legion Security, part of the Royal British Legion. When it comes to limitations on his work, there are very few. Besides some form issues such as poor in-article referencing there really isn’t that much to say he covers most aspects of a topic and explains the reasons for the decisions made. One possible limitation for the particular article used is that most of the ources he references in his collection are not primary ones; however, it is not a huge issue. Word Count 545 Part D: Analysis President Truman, like all presidents, was bound by the demands of the public; they wanted a quick end to the war for numerous reasons. However that statement alone is not necessarily the case, an article for a newspaper written by Admiral William V. Pratt makes it clear that there was another option to invasion and the bomb, a simple navy war of attrition, one with few casualties th at will simply last longer a slow and steady sort of approach.Of course at this point there are clear lines as to who supports what, each branch of military supporting its own particular route to victory. Then there’s the bomb itself, today there is still debate as to whether it was the morally sound way of ending the war. Historian Ralph Raico (a senior scholar of the Mises Institute) argues the what-if scenario. He points to the fact that if the Nazis used an atomic bomb, and the allies still won, then the use of the weapon would be considered a war crime and the Nazis would be hanged –not that they weren’t already.That is undoubtedly true, however an article written by Matthew Seligmann (reader in history at the University of Northampton, and author of Does Peace Lead to War? ) for The Guardian argues the opposite, he states that Japanese controlled territory was suffering from starvation and that four hundred thousand Asians died each month, meaning that the use of the bomb was the morally right thing to do. For the invasion the range of casualties is extremely broad, anywhere between a million to two hundred thousand. Of course each number has its own uses especially if the three military branches were each striving to be the one that ended the war.Former army-man and author Mike Kemble argues that Japan’s population would have been able to survive a navy siege, using its farms and that the bombing could only damage the cities. His main support for this argument is that over half of Japan’s population was in rural areas and even within cities residents often had gardens for fruit and vegetables, often even wheat. With public support for the war slowly dying, Truman had to find a way to quickly end the war. Both a naval blockade and continued bombing were considered ineffective.The only viable solution besides the atomic bomb is the invasion; however with potential for a million casualties and the Soviet Union invading Ja pan, it would have simply not been fast enough. The end of the war was a question of speed, what would force the Japanese to quit, and what would do it the fastest. The fact that two of Japan’s cities had to be destroyed is further proof that carpet bombing, blockades or endless city combat would not have brought the war to a close. President Truman’s best option was to use the two atomic bombs; Fat Man, and Little Boy. Word Count 486 Part E: ConclusionTiming was key for President Truman; all the options presented to him would take too long to end the war and would only bring further complications. The only option he had was to use the two atomic bombs to force the surrender of Japan. Andrew Langley’s book Hiroshima and Nagasaki –Fire from the Sky, because it is directed at the younger audience, it provides an excellently summarized view of the events leading up to the droppings of the atomic bombs. Andrew Langley himself is a well experienced author with plenty of publications and the book from which this investigation takes evidence is filled with primary sources.The bias against the bombs is due to the nature the bombs played in the Cold War, not against the use of the bombs themselves. The Kemble Collection, by Mike Kemble goes in-depth at answering the whys of history, not documenting the flow of history itself but looking at the other options of the times. His work provided some of the greatest plethora of knowledge on the different options Truman faced, and despite the sources that Kemble uses being mostly secondary, his sources are plenty and well founded, and he makes a point of making it well referenced for the sake of education.List of Sourcesâ€Å"The Decision to Use the Bomb†, Book Mice. Net. December 2008.[online] http://www. bookmice. net/darkchilde/japan/atomic. html Seligmann, Matthew.â€Å"The alternatives to bombing Hiroshima were not morally superior†. Guardian. Friday 15 August 2008. Guardian News and Media Limited 2009.[online] www. guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/15/nuclear.japan Langley, Andrew. Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Issues in the Mock Negotiation Problem Essay

Being a member of the Local 5000 in this whole project I could point out numerous things that make the employees at Auto Products Corporation want things better. There seems to be issues at the Indianapolis plant concerning overtime, premium pay, and even subcontracting instead of using their own employees to do the work. What I have also gotten from this mock negotiation is that in the past, the union and management have been satisfactory. Different viewpoints: I have not had a very good experience with my teammates on this project. I agree that this should’ve been a fun project but it has been very stressful to me. As far as different viewpoints I feel again as though I’ve done this whole project by myself because everything I posted the only response I received most of the time is â€Å"sounds good†, â€Å"I agree†, â€Å"good idea†. I could go on and on about how my views differed from my teammates or how I feel like I had no help in the negotiation. I also feel as though I played the role of secretary and chairperson in this project but overall I am satisfied with the final results on our issues raised to management. Research Provided: Research was provided for my team by me concerning the current seniority clause, required overtime, and the issues concerning the company’s right to subcontract. The union wanted to stick to the current seniority clause, which management agreed, because it isn’t fair that junior employees can come in before a senior at the company to take the place of a job when a senior employee is qualified to fill the position. I provided the following research to my team from the textbook: In many contracts, seniority governs promotions when a senior employee is â€Å"qualified† to fill the position in question. Under others, seniority becomes the determining factor in promotions when the senior has the ability for the job in question equal to that of all other employees who may desire the better job.(Text page359) Sticking with the current seniority clause will ensure that positions are filled properly. Also, in the Mock Negotiation it states that the company has the right to require overtime in the existing contract but there was an issue raised by the employees that the supervisor isn’t fair and that they have been giving their friends the opportunity to earn the extra money and discriminating against the other employees. For this issue I provided the following research from the textbook: The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 places no restriction on employees to work more than 40 hours in a workweek, other than the employees who work more than 40 hours must be paid at least one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for all hours in excess of 40 hours. The textbook also states that when a supervisor makes an error in the regard of offering his/her friends to work overtime and discriminating others; the employer may be faced with a grievance filed by the employee and ask for the amount of money he/she would have earned if he/she would’ve worked. Also, the situation of paying for the same work twice at overtime rates.(text pages288-290) This could be a major disaster if the company doesn’t fix this and if it isn’t then many possible grievances can still be filed. On the issues concerning the company’s right to subcontract, in the negotiation it stated that for many years each skilled tradesperson has worked only within his or her trade and five months ago the company required a mechanic to do a job normally performed by a plumber. A grievance was filed and the arbitrator sustained the position of the union on the basis of the â€Å"past practice† principle. I provided the following research from the textbook for my team: The union should ask the the company add a subcontracting section in the labor agreement. The textbook gives an example of a subcontracting section in a labor agreement that states whenever the company contemplates contracting out any type of work normally performed by a maintenance employees, it shall inform the President, Chairman, and Grievance Committee and the affected Shop Steward of its intentions prior to making a decision to award the contract.(text page389)This would be great considering for many years the company had each skilled tradeperson working only within his or her trade. When the company required a mechanic for a job that normally was performed by a plumber the employee and union filed a grievance. The company should stick with â€Å"past practice† and continue to keep their tradepeople working only within his or her trade. If not then workrightspress.com states that stewards can do the following: Past practices grievances are well suited for group action. Unions can: †¢ Encourage numbers of workers to file grievances on the matter †¢ Distribute leaflets about the dispute †¢ Circulate petitions †¢ Hold meetings during breaks †¢ Picket before or after work or during breaks (being sure not to interfere with employees, suppliers, or shippers) Also in the textbook, the example also states that the union retains the right to examine any existing or new subcontracting agreement for the purposes of checking wage scales and the specific work contracted.(text page389) These are great things we could put in the subcontracting section of the labor agreement. Also in the subcontracting section in the labor agreement, I think the union should also ask that limitations be put in place such as: 1. Requiring the employer to have an agreement that subcontractors will be used only on special occasions ( where specialized equipment that isn’t on company premises is required or where special skills are needed ) 2. No-layoff guarantees to current employees (as in â€Å"no employee of any craft, which craft is being utilized by an outside contractor, shall be laid off as long as the outside contractor is in the plant doing work that employees in such craft are able to do.† 3. Provisions giving the union veto power over any or all subcontracting 4. Requirements that the management prove to the union that time, expense, or facility considerations prevent it from allowing current employees to perform the work. (text page388) The Local 5000 Union Demands: After reading the Mock Negotiation the union decided on the following demands mainly on the issues raised in the negotiation. The union has developed the following demands concerning the Mock Negotiation at Auto Products Corporation for the Indianapolis plant: 1. The union will not permit any change in the medical insurance program. The union wants to fight for better benefit packages, which would include a 401K and also better medical insurances. In the current contract, the medical insurance program does not cover employees that are laid off for more than 30 consecutive days and 80% of the employees laid off, have been laid off for longer than 30 consecutive days. We would like to ask that management remove this and also; still cover the employee’s on layoff, visits to physician offices, hospitals, and emergency rooms up to 60 days. 2. The union would also like to ask the company add a 401k, the union would ask that the company match dollar for dollar what the employees decide to put into their 401k.This will help employees’ retirement. We would also like to administer an Employee Stock Ownership Program which entitles employees’ 5 shares of company stock yearly. 3. The union would also like to stick with the current seniority clause that provides for promotions based on length of service and ability. If the company says that promotions are bid for on a departmental basis then the department that has the position open should be available to the candidate within the company that has seniority based on length of service and ability before a junior employee. 4. The union would also like to discuss the current contract about r equired overtime. The union insists on paying employees time-and-a-half while working these days and insisting that the company use a volunteer method when selecting the employees to work on these days. 5. I think that the union should also place a restriction on the company’s right to subcontract. No subcontracting can occur when skilled trades are available to do the work. When the company contemplates contracting out any type of work normally performed by a company employee, it shall inform the President, Chairman, and Grievance Committee and the affected Shop Steward of its intentions prior to making a decision to honor the contract; allowing the company to subcontract only if, all of their own personal resources have been exhausted. 6. As part of the union, I would also like recommend placing demands on management to allow for a supplementary unemployment benefit program to help dislocated workers. The first is supplementing the unemployment benefits of various state unemployment insurance systems. Second is allowing further income to still unemployed workers after state payments have been exhausted. Without sub pay, laid off workers will start looking for new employment and will most likely be unavailable to return to their original position when an opening occurs. We would also like to remind you that a sub pay clause can catch the attention of the most talented people looking for jobs, people like to work for companies that take care of their employees. Also asking management to supplement the union employee’s unemployment benefits (while laid off through no fault of their own) and allow for up to 90% of their original pay for a maximum of 52 weeks’. 7. I would like to recommend the union demand the removal of the no-strike clause because grievance procedures in some cases seem to not work like they should. I believe a strike or slowdown might help convince man agement that something needs to change. 8. The union would also like an annual wage increase for all workers along with adjusting the escalator clause in the current contract. The current contract provides for a $.03 increase in wages for each .4-point increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). We as the union ask that the company provides a $0.10 increase in wages for each 0.5-point increase in the CPI. I feel these demands were adequate for negotiations because these demands will benefit our employees and fix the problems that are going on at the plant. Although not all were agreed on the only demand that didn’t even get a second look would be adding a supplemental unemployment benefits for dislocated workers. Which I understand this is due to APC’s current costs due to the current loan the company has just borrowed. The Bargaining Zone: Going into this negotiation the union, in all, knew that APC would try and change the medical benefits for their employees. Our demand states that we weren’t going to accept any change to the medical benefits but our plan was to ask for this and negotiate in permitting the company to only pay 80% of medical costs throughout the new contract. Management and the union chairperson, Ziaria, agreed that the company pay for 65% of medical costs throughout the course of the new contract. Our final result was close to what we were original to in the first place so I’d say we accomplished what we wanted in the bargaining zone for this demand. Another demand in which we knew that management would counter on would be the current No-Strike Clause in the current contract. The union requested that this clause be removed and management wouldn’t accept this claiming â€Å"Auto Product Corporation is a production company. Feasibly, we are not able to produce the volumes of quality parts for our vendors when the company is being disrupted with strikes and work slowdowns. Our Local unions file grievances for their members and they go through the process. The contract contains a standard grievance procedure and provide for arbitration for all disputes arising under the contract. The company, with the help of its 3800 employees wants to remain vital to the community, vendors and families of our employees; we can only be effective, if we are producing quality parts.† But, the entire time, the union knew this wasn’t going to work and Paul had mentioned a No-Sue section to be added which management had no problem with. Our bargaining limits on this were accomplished with ease considering management said they had no problem adding this as long as the union was not directly involved or instigating a strike or slowdown. The Negotiation Process: Overall I would have to say that the negotiation process was somewhat difficult in the beginning because management was unsatisfied with our demands refusing pretty much all of them. I feel like the union was more willing to negotiate but that could be because our goal was the employees and the managements goal was reducing costs. For example, the union and management went back and forth on decreasing the amount of stewards to job families, trying to reduce stewards from having 60 to 20 and decreasing the amount of time they have to do grievance work daily. The union and management also went back and forth on non-productive time. Management wanted employees to clock out for lunch and then only have a 5 minute paid wash up at the end of their shift. The union agreed on clocking out for lunch but wanted to keep the 10 minute wash up and management wouldn’t accept this until the very end of negotiations. Besides these two matters, the negotiation process went rather smoothly. My personal thoughts: There are things that I wish would have went differently. For example, my teammates should’ve contributed more to discussions. I feel as though I was constantly waiting on a response from them and more than half the time I would only hear from Paul and as I discussed earlier he would respond mainly with â€Å"I agree† which gives me no other viewpoints or if I should have done things differently. Or, the would respond after deadlines to where I couldn’t change anything. Then, Ziaria, not being in hardly any of our discussions goes in the boardroom and conducts negotiations without even consulting with me or Paul. I understand though that you can’t always choose your teammates. Conclusion: Before conducting these negotiations I went into this thinking I wanted to be on a management team because I have always had this view of unions being dramatic. Instead, my views now are more pro-union because this negotiation has taught me that unions are there for your rights as an employee. When management tries to change the contract, you as an employee, should want the union there to try and get the best possible outcomes for all employees because management is just going to try and cut costs any way they can. Overall I found this project to be interesting and informative on the things that actual companies negotiate on. References: â€Å"The Mock Negotiation Problem.† Sloane, Arthur A., Witney, Fred. Labor Relations. Prentice Hall- Pearson Education, 2012. 435-440. Work Rights Press. How to Win Past Practice Grievances. n.d. 16 November 2012 .

Equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth

Equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth Introduction Equal opportunity in the workplace entails the act of treating employees fairly without prejudice and discrimination. The notion of equal opportunities in the workplace is based on the principle that all employees should be given a level playing field in the workplace irrespective of their gender, race or attribute.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth as many organizations have not fully embraced the concept. The art of managing employees in the organization is mainly about managing their diversity. Each employee is usually different with different ethnic background, gender, age and race. Whether the employee is disabled or not, he or she has different skills, values, attitudes and expectations and therefore equal opportunity in the workplace is aimed at maximizing the potentials of ind ividuals (McKenzie Baker, 2006, 14). Why equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth The following explains why equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth rather than a reality in many organizations today; In many organizations, employment equity is lacking i.e. many organizations have not fully embraced the practice of hiring minorities or women. Many organizations worldwide do not hire, promote, support or value female employees equally to men. Instead, these organizations do not take into account an important resource in a business environment that is competitive. Many companies have chosen to disregard women or the minority and only a few companies have extended their recruitment pool to embrace women in the workplace. The lack of employment equity among organizations implies that these companies lacks a competitive edge due to the fact that they fail to select the most experienced, talented and creative employees as a result of their gender. Diversity in organizations is as sociated with a cost reduction, increase in productivity, an increase in the market share and improved management quality.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The few companies that have realized the importance of diversity in the workplace has initiated new equity plans. Employment equity is however least in many developing countries as only a few proportions of women hold managerial positions. In addition, only a few women in these countries have access to learning opportunities to train them for the managerial jobs. In industrialized nations, women aspiring to hold managerial positions face barriers with regards to full participation such as lack of access to resources particularly to jobs that offer wages and promotional opportunities similar to men. In most instances, women face barriers in participating in management as a result of such factors as race and ethnic ity and the employing industry (Kainer, 2006, 25). Equal opportunity is a myth due to the fact that many organizations across the globe have hired unqualified workers and thus locking out qualified employees. Many organizations have resulted into hiring workers who are not qualified for the sake of reaching some numerical objectives. Equal opportunity is not all about placing a person in a job due to the association that he or she has but it is all about encouraging recruitment and retention of persons who have qualified. Most organizations have adopted affirmative action programs in an effort to ensure that there is equal opportunity in the workplace. Whereas affirmative action has the effect of ensuring that there is equal representation, it has some limitations such as hiring unqualified individuals. Organizations thus ends up hiring individuals who are unqualified as a result of the protected class status and this is illegal since qualified people ends up being not considered fo r the same positions. Therefore, equal opportunity is a myth and not a reality since affirmative action often leads to preferential treatment in employment as it does not consider ability and competence characteristics of a worker. Although affirmative action increases the number of women in sectors where they are underrepresented, the individuals who are hired under the affirmative action programs are usually perceived by others as less competent (Weston, 2002, 8-10). Equal opportunities in the workplace are a myth as most organizations are faced with the challenge of accommodating employees with disabilities. Most organizations particularly in low developed countries have not structured their workforces so that it is representative. People with disabilities have not benefited by securing employment opportunities in greater numbers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Also, there are inequalities with regards to the incomes earned by people with disability as opposed to the salaries that is earned by their counterparts who are not disabled. In developed nations, diversity has not occurred in the workplace too and people with disability are usually not treated the same with the rest of the employees. The rate of unemployment among the persons with disabilities has remained relatively high over the years. The truth of the matter is that organizations fears that their insurance costs will rise if they hire persons with disabilities. Other organizations refrains from accepting working with disabled persons as they consider them to be unsafe workers who are accident prone. Other employers consider these persons to be unproductive as they have high rates of absenteeism.Persons with disabilities are usually not given equal employment opportunities in such jobs as medicine, nursing, dentistry and allied health professions, eng ineering, law, teaching among others. Therefore, the equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth and not a reality as people with disabilities are not accommodated in many organizations across the globe (Anderson, 2010, 5). Also, the equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth due to the biographic influences, family experiences, personal characteristics and the number of hours worked that causes people to experience an imbalance between home and work life. The biographical influences that affect the work-life balance include gender and family characteristics. Usually, women experiences work-life conflicts than men. The personal characteristics that have an effect on work-life balances include life and job involvement. The number of hours worked also contributes to the imbalance between home and work life. Imbalance that exists between home and work usually occurs in three main areas i.e. life and job satisfaction, physical and psychological health and desire to leave and organiza tional commitment. A clear balance between home and work requires to be maintained. Many organizations lacks a clear cut between home and work and this leads to job dissatisfaction among the employees. This also causes physical and psychological health problems. Many organizations fail to assist their employees to manage the balance between work and home. Most employers do not recognize the impact of maintaining a balance between work and home life on their employees. In many organizations, work-life policies are not developed evenly. Also; organizations are concerned that the compulsory leaves that are required for everyone will be used for leisure activities. The equal opportunity in the workplace is therefore a myth as many employers do not maintain a balance between work and home life on their employees particularly the women workers and thus causing job dissatisfaction (Reddy, 2007, 11).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth due to the fact that there is too much bullying and work-related stress among organizations. Many organizations across the globe have reported cases s in stress and depression amongst their workforce. Usually, employees in their mid thirties in high stress jobs are likely to experience anxiety or depression as compared to those who are in low-stress jobs. Many human resource departments do not put policies aimed at countering the work-related stress. There is lack of consistency as some staff is provided withy better support than others. Employees who are supported usually have a feeing that their issues are addressed by their managers and so, they have lower rates of developing work-related stress. Most organizations do not take demonstrate a just and fair approach when supporting their workforce and hence equal opportunity in the workplace is just but a myth. With regards to bullying, many people are bullied everyday and this has contri buted to stress-related sicknesses amongst the employees in most organizations. Many employees results to committing suicides as a result of being bullied by others in the workplace. Bullying results to an abuse of position and power and so, it signifies that there is a problem within the organization (Lutgen-Sandvik, Sypher, 2009, 1-3). Many human resource managers fail to intervene early and hence a person tenders his or her resignation or he or she goes off sick (Laura Reese, 2004). Bullying in the workplace occurs in various forms among them blocking developments and job opportunities, being excluded from meetings, malicious actions and rumors, victimizing and undermining employees, setting unrealistic expectations, setting workloads that are unrealistic, setting unachievable timescales among others. As a result of being bullied, a large number of employees suffer from stress and depression and are thus unable to continue serving in the organization. Their mental and physical health as well as their financial circumstances is also affected and hence the notion that equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth (Leka, Griffiths, Cox, 2003, 8). The other aspect that shows that equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth is through discipline and grievance. In many firms, the procedures for handling disciplines and grievances seldom go hand-in-hand. In most cases, the procedures of airing grievances address quite different aspects and thus, the employee’s performance in relation to his or her role is affected. For instance, an employee’s efficiency may be impaired following a long-standing sickness which is exclusively out of his or her control. In many organizations, the overall objective of discipline and grievance is punitive rather than encouraging appropriate behavioral changes so that the employees can improve in their workplaces. Therefore, disciplinary procedures do not help in promoting fairness regarding the way the employees are tr eated in the workplace and hence the notion that equal opportunity in the workplace is just but a myth (Lowenstein, 2001, 7). Also, employees are usually not informed of the complaints against them and so, they are deprived of the opportunity to narrate their cases before certain decisions can be concluded. Most employees are usually dismissed for their first disciplinary offences even if their case does not result to gross misconduct. They are also not provided with an opportunity of appealing and so; equal opportunity in the workplace is just but a myth. Grievance procedures forms important components of human resource processes as they ensure that the employees are given an opportunity of bringing to notice cases where they feel that they have not been treated in a fair manner. Very often, organizations do not consider the grievances that are raised by the employees. With regards to grievance procedures, there are various issues that do not amount to equal opportunities in the wo rkplace such as; many employees lack confidence as far as the grievance system is concerned. The employees do not believe that their issues will be taken into consideration once they raise them before the management. Most people lack confidence as they hold the view that they will get punished as a result of raising their issues and hence the notion those equal opportunities in the workplace are a myth. In many organizations, employees with disabilities do not have an equal access to the grievance procedures as they are not supported. This is so especially where the grievances require being in writing. The situation is even worse as they find it hard to express them in a case where English is not the first language of employees with disability. Therefore, equal opportunity in the workplace is just but a myth (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, 2008, 6-7). The other reason as to why equal opportunity in the workplace is a myth is the failure by many organizations to embrace the cultu re of performance management. Organizations that fail to embrace the culture of performance management in their workplace do not provided their workforce with an opportunity to work at optimum level. Also many organizations do not set objectives at employee’s level and thus the employee is not rewarded as a result of his or her achievements in the organization (Martinez, 2000, 3-5). Conclusion However, there are few organizations that have ensured that there is equal opportunity in the workplace is a reality and not a myth. For instance, the past few years has seen female workers entering the labor market in larger proportions. Employees with disabilities have also been accorded a level playing field with those who are not disabled. Despite these, most organizations have not fully embraced the culture of equal opportunity in the workplace and therefore, the concept has remained a myth (Nielsen, 2006, 5). Reference List Anderson, T., 2010. Ability Matters: Gaining the Competit ive Edge by Achieving  Diversity in the Workplace. A guide to employing qualified people with disabilities. California: The Arc of California. Kainer, J., 2006.Gendering Union Renewal: Women’s Contributions to Labor  Movement Revitalization. California: Gender and Work Database. Laura, G Reese, A., 2004. Equity in the workplace: gendering workplace policy analysis. California: Lexington Books. Leka, S, Griffiths, A Cox, T., 2003. Work Organizations Stress: Systeatic  Problem Approaches for Employers, Managers and Trade Union Representatives. Issue No.3. Nottingham: University of Nottingham. Lowenstein, D., 2001.Violence in the workplace: American Psychological  Association.  Web. Lutgen-Sandvik, I Sypher, B., 2009. Destructive Organizational  Communication. Nottingham: University of Nottingham. Martinez, J., 2000. Assessing Quality, Outcome and Performance  Management. London: The Institute for Health Sector Development. McKenzie, S Baker, B., 2006. Worldwi de Guide to Termination, Employment  Discrimination, and Workplace Harassment Laws. Available at https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/lawfirms/14/ Nielsen, J., 2006.The leaderless organization. Axminster: Triachy Press. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority., 2008.Discrimination and Diversity  Policy.Vol.1.Issue No.15.EDRMS. Reddy, K., 2007.The Opt-Out Revolution by Women in Management: Myth or? Pretoria: Graduate School of Business Leadership University of South Africa. Weston, P., 2002.Workplace Sabotage. Workplace Bullying: Causes,  Consequences and Corrections. New York: Rouledge, Issue No.2 Vol.5.STP

How To Communicate Effectively With Your Blog Readers

How To Communicate Effectively With Your Blog Readers How about writing your blog posts in a language the majority of your readers dont speak or understand? Yet thats what we bloggers do, sometimes. We write in a way that doesnt communicate well with our readers. Its understandable, really. A  huge communication barrier writers face is that they cant tap into the power of non-verbal communication. We use tone of voice, gestures, and facial expressions to evaluate the meaning behind the words. We can tell if someone is being sarcastic, or is disinterested. But when the only communication tool you have is the written word, you have to learn to pull extra weight. Writers must learn to communicate clearly with their blog readers. Thats especially true if they want to keep their blog readers, and want those readers to do something. How To Communicate Effectively With Your #Blog Readers via @JulieNeidlinger1. Don't Assume People Understand Acronyms And Initialisms One of the more helpful habits I picked up as a newspaper reporter was the practice of always writing out the words that make up an acronym before referring to it only with the acronym in the rest of the article. You would include the acronym after the words, in parentheses, alerting the reader that from here on out, you'll just be using the acronym. Example: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Content marketing copy can be full of acronyms. SEO, CTA- heck, I often stumble on a few that I don't know the meaning of. The field is changing so quickly, and buzzwords and phrases develop at a similar rate. I find if I'm not constantly reading blog posts on the topic, I am soon out of the loop. We've had readers who have asked, in the comments, what an acronym meant. They shouldn't have to do that. Even if you're certain your readers know what the acronym is, try to write it out the first mention so they don't have to feel stupid for not knowing. Don't make your readers guess what your acronyms mean. #blogging2. Don't Make Your Reader Feel Stupid I mention the importance of defining acronyms because they are a part of the way we make our readers feel stupid. This is not a good thing. We can make blog readers feel stupid by assuming they have the backstory, the background knowledge- it's being in a group and realizing you're the only one who doesn't get the inside joke. Don't assume your #blog readers know your backstory. It can alienate them from reading your content.You can help your blog reader avoid feeling stupid without having to re-explain yourself every time you blog by providing links to past posts that will help provide better background. We often include "recommended reading" or "for further reading" boxes in posts at appropriate places in the content. This way,  the reader has a kind of organized guided tour of the content that will bring them up to speed. Recommended Reading: The Communication Barriers You Put In Front Of Your Reader Whatever you can do to make your blog reader feel safe about asking or finding the information to fill in the blank spots will help you retain the reader in the long run. 3. Stop Over-Communicating For some of us, the fear of not communicating causes us to over-communicate. Why tell a story in five sentences when you can tell it in five paragraphs? I know this problem well, believe me. When trying to make a point, I want to be sure I hammer it home, and instead of using one concise example, I figure about ten will do. Sometimes explaining isn't necessary and weighs down the message. Over-explaining isn't necessary nearly every time. This can be true in both your blog copy as well as your responses on social media or in blog comments. Never complain. Never explain. - Katharine Hepburn The Brains On Fire blog shared a few tips to avoid over-communicating and, true to the point, they did not mince words: Wait. Don't respond immediately if you're involved in a conversation. Sleep on it. Time provides a new perspective. Figure out your one thing. If you were only allowed to say one thing, what would it be? Embrace silence. Silence is only uncomfortable for those who have not taken the time to understand it. Breathe. Don't fill the air with talking and noise. Don't fill the screen with meaningless words. Allow you and your reader to breathe. 4. Use Imagery That Has A  Purpose Content marketers know the drill: Have a hero image with all content because images will get noticed and shared more. Unfortunately, that can lead to sloppy image choices just to have an image. Ask yourself if the image or images you are going to use serve a purpose: Does the image contradict the message of the content in any way? Does the image help illustrate the message of the content? Am I using too many images in my copy? Images that contradict what the post is about are like clickbait headlines. They lie. They annoy readers. Your images should support your copy without distracting and making it difficult to read. Images should support your content  without distracting. #blogging5. Emotion Is For The Reader To Feel Because you do not have the ability to show your reader the emotion you are feeling through your facial expressions or tone of voice, you have a bit more work to do to get them to feel the emotion you want from them. Think of a movie or show that makes you tear up. The music, the dialogue, the way the characters are behaving- these all help cue up sad feelings. When I write this post, I can tell you up and down that there's a soundtrack in a minor key playing, but it won't help. So I have to use words that trigger particular feelings. In the March 25, 2015, edition of the Wall Street Journal, an article highlighted how the words used on restaurant menus were aimed at attracting male or female diners. "The word 'hearty' is not a good thing for a woman," she says, "but it's a great thing for a man." Meanwhile, a dish described as "delicate" is likely to be a turnoff to a man craving meat. If a menu describes a meat entree by naming specific animal parts, it is apt to sound gory and unappetizing to many women, Dr. Capaldi Phillips says. Like a space-starved tweet on Twitter, the restaurant menus have to find the words that stir the emotion in the diner. They can't waste space and time telling the diner how they will feel if they eat it. You can tell your blog reader she should feel really good and excited about  your blog post, but telling people how to feel is the best way to get them to feel... nothing. Even if you feel excited, your copy won't necessarily translate that well without work. The reader feels the emotion, not you. Don't tell her how to feel. #bloggingThe reader feels the emotion, not you. Don't tell her how to feel. 6.  Approach  Your Thesis Honestly In most cases, your blog posts begin with a thesis or problem, and then the rest sets about solving or supporting that thesis. Lack of research and logical fallacies can become a problem in some posts that  are contentiously asserting a strong opinion or plan of action. Logical fallacies crop up everywhere online, particularly in heated discussions among random people. When you have a lot riding on proving your point, it's easy to take any shot you can, even if it's a low shot. Frankly, I slip into logical fallacies all the time. Periodically reading about them and practicing the identification of them is helpful to me in my own writing as well as spotting them elsewhere. There are so many of these logical fallacies, and they are so common online and on TV (just watch any episode of The Daily Show) that we are used to hearing them to the point that they become a way we think. They often sound clever and we struggle to contradict or disprove them. When you set out to state a theory and prove a point, be honest about it. If you cannot prove your theory with great research or reasoning, it doesn't mean you can't still write. You simply must write in a way that doesn't try to insinuate and insist that your theory is solid. Avoid logical fallacies to build credible content. #bloggingThe more concrete data you have to back up your thesis  (and the ability to interpret that data accurately), the better. If you're not a data junkie, though, you can still write. The difference will be in the ability to say "green is the best color" or "green is the color I prefer". 7. Clarity Is For More Than Just Diamonds Clarity is the god of writing. Clearly stating your goal. Clearly stating your thesis. Clearly telling your reader what to do. Clearly proving a point. Clearly summing up research and outside links for the reader who decides to trust and not verify. Do you know what the best indicator is for a blog post that won't get to the point? It's a blog post where you don't actually know the point. One of the nice things about using as a team is that there is the ability to discuss and comment on the idea of the post before it actually goes into draft. That way, I know before I write where I am headed. Sometimes it veers. Sometimes I can make that work. But I always have an end goal in mind to work toward. "I'm gonna write about writing" is not a useful thought to have in mind when headed into a 2,000 word blog post. Clarity is achieved through great editing, great language- all of the usual suspects- but it's also heavily reliant on a close-ended idea. You know where you want to go. You write in that direction. You get there. 8. Think Of Reader's Digest Reader's Digest has been popular for more than  80 years. While it might not make prestigious lists, this little magazine has made its way into homes for almost a century and has brought with it stories and articles of all types. I grew up in a house that received Reader's Digest, and I would read it cover to cover, from when I was young until I was an adult. How did this magazine communicate so well across such a broad range of readers? According to Internet Evangelism Today, you can break down their success as follows: It is written at the level of a 13-year-old, but does not talk down to adults. It has a high percentage of stories that are about people. These stories are told dramatically, and use plenty of quoted speech. It addresses practical problems (felt needs), helping improve people's lives. There is humor mixed in with serious articles. How can you use this in your own blog content? Can you add people into your posts through testimonials or anecdotes? Are you addressing practical problems? Do you have a little humor mixed in? People like people. People like solutions to problems. People like to laugh. Simple as that. How Will You Communicate Better With Your Blog Readers? This is by no means the end-all list of how to communicate with readers in your writing, and you might not even put all of them to use in one post. I'm willing to bet many of you have your own tricks and tips. What do you consider to be the most problematic writing technique that keeps readers from latching onto content? And, what do you think is the best way to communicate with your blog readers? As a reader myself, I choke on posts that seem too similar or too salesy. I want to feel that what I am reading is genuine and not contrived for my benefit. I don't want to feel stupid and, consequently, excluded. I want to feel like I'm reading a blog where I belong, where the author is talking to people like me. These tips are just a few ways I try to do that in my own writing.