Overtime Analysis

Abstract The main aim of this study was to determine the most cost-effective method that the Immigration Branch of Commercial Bank of Dubai would use to minimize their annual expenses. The choice to be made was between overtime and hiring of new employees.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Overtime Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From studies that have been conducted on the topic, it has been concluded that the difference between these two options is insignificant. However, overtime has always been the ultimate option since it is relatively cheaper as compared to hiring of new employees. From the results of the study, it was identified that the bank was understaffed especially on peak hours. It was also found out that the cost incurred while hiring new employees is higher than the cost incurred on overtime. Due to this fact, it was concluded that the bank should maintain its overtime policy. Howe ver, there are some regulations that have to be put in place to improve on operations and reduce overtime costs. Introduction The United Arabs Emirates (UAE) is one of the fasted growing regions of the world. From humble beginnings, the region has grown over the last several decades to be one of the strongest financial hubs of the world (Madar Research Group, 2008). The region supports a vast diversity of commercial activities. These include the oil and gas industry, tourism, infrastructural development, manufacturing industries, IT industries and many other commercial services. It is due to these factors that the GDP of the region has been growing at a tremendous rate especially for the last fifteen years. To support all these activities, the region has developed a strong banking industry. The financial sector of the UAE is undergoing a massive overhaul. This has come about as a result of the changes in the structure and composition of the population. Initially, the UAE population comprised mainly of old individuals who had a static ideology, illiterate and embraced their traditional morals and values. At the present moment, the population of the region has evolved. The region is now dominated by young enthusiastic individuals who are highly educated and more demanding. Their requirements, tastes and preferences have made the banking industry of the region to grow by increasing the diversity of its services and products (Hadjimonolis, 2009).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More With the help of the government, the banks and other financial institutions of the UAE have developed regulatory mechanisms that have enabled a better monitoring of funds and generally improved the banking service. These are perhaps some of the reasons that have led to the success that these banks are currently enjoying. Due to the availability of favourably conditions, the se banks have invested greatly to in order to meet the standards of their international counterparts. At the present moment, UAE has a mixture of local and foreign banks. All these institutions strive to serve the clientele of this region. Due to the commercial nature of the region and the high competition that is present in the banking industry, it has been important for these banks to maintain high standards and offer quality services in order to maintain their customers and attract new ones (Quayle, 2010). At the same time, it is essential for these banks to ensure that their operating expenses are at the minimum in order to enjoy profitability. This will guarantee their sustainability in the short run and in the long run (Berry, 2009). Commercial Bank of Dubai is one of the leading banks in the UAE. Founded in 1969 by the late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the bank has grown in its operations and services. The late Sheikh Al Maktoum is accredited for founding the modern Du bai. During its early days, Commercial Banks of Dubai was in partnership with Commerzbank, Chase Manhattan and the Commercial Bank of Kuwait. Only a small proportion of the UAE citizens were the shareholders of the bank. Majority of the bank owners were foreign investors. Approximately ten years after its incorporation, Commercial Banks of Dubai became a National Shareholding Company. Its operations were further boosted when the government of Dubai became the major shareholder of the company in 1982 (CBD, 2012). This not only increased the available funds but also increased the popularity of the company among the locals. With massive transformations, the institution gradually grew to be one of the leading commercial banks in Dubai and the UAE at large. At the present moment, Commercial Bank of Dubai offers a wide range of retail and commercial services to its customers. The bank has a network of branches spread all over the UAE. Given the growth and expansion that the bank is curren tly experiencing coupled with the advancement in technology, Commercial Bank of Dubai aspires to offer the best banking services in the UAE and the world at larger.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Overtime Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Bank’s Mission Statement is to be recognized as a quality focused, customer driven, financially sound and socially responsible bank. Its vision is to be the bank that leads the way to greater financial and social prosperity (CBD, 2012). The following are the mission statements of the bank: Clients – To be recognized as the preferred banking partner in our target client segments Employees – To be recognized as an employer of choice through the fostering of a motivational environment which rewards superior performance Society – To be recognized for our ethical banking practices and for our contribution to the social well-being of the communities in which we are present. Shareholders – To be one of the most profitable banks in the UAE. The values of CBD create its own culture that supports growing of the company for a decade: Client First Consistent High Quality Cooperation and Teamwork Despite the success that the bank is experiencing, there are a number of problems within its management. All of the branches of the institutions have always been reporting problems that derail them from meeting their short-term and long-term goals and objectives. This is a normal scenario in the normal operations of any institution. The Immigration Branch of Commercial Bank of Dubai has over the last few years been experiencing high operation costs due to a number of factors. Overtime pay has been one of the main reasons why this branch has been experiencing high operating costs. It is essential for an employer to follow the labour laws and pay his staff accordingly. With regards to this issue, Commercial Bank of Du bai is not against paying its employees their normal salaries and overtime for the effort that they have put beyond their stipulated hours of employment. The bank conforms to the Labour Law Article No. 67 and 68 that clearly stipulates the payment rates with regards to normal work and overtime. However, the management of the bank has realised that there is a problem somewhere since it is paying exorbitant amount of money for overtime. In 2011, the bank paid approximately AED 60,000 worth of overtime per month. This figure is lower than that of 2010 but it is still a huge amount. The rise in overtime has increased the budget of the bank for the last several years. In the year 2010, the bank paid approximately AED 1.2 million in overtime pay (CBD, 2012). In the Immigration Branch, approximately the salaries that were paid in the same year had increased by 10% as compared to those paid in the previous years (CBD, 2012).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The main aim this research study therefore is to determine critically analyze the problem that has been brought about by the overtime issue, the impacts it has on the operation of the branch and the bank in general. After all these issues have been identified and understood, proper recommendations shall be formulated to curb the issues that result to employees working overtime hence reducing the overall budget. Problem Statement A section of the management believes that paying overtime is still a better option of solving the employee crisis that the bank is currently experiencing. This is because, these employees understand the system and operation of the bank thus it will be easier for them to meet their targets and achieve the set objectives. On the other hand, there are those individuals within the management who believe that hiring of new employees will be a better option to the current crisis that the bank is facing. They argue that it is cheaper for the institution to hire new employees to meet the current back load in the branch rather than paying the current employees overtime. This study shall therefore focus on these two options and identify the most efficient option among them. Objectives and Research Questions The main objective of this research study is to identify the factors that lead to an increase in the overtime cost of the branch. Once this is achieved, corrective measures will be formulated to reduce the amount of overtime pay in the branch and still maintain the same level and intensity of operations. To achieve all these, the following research questions shall be used: Are there enough employees for each shift? How are employees allocated within the branch? Is it cost effective to pay overtime the current employees or to hire more employees in the branch? Is there any unethical use of overtime? Literature Review The world that we are living in is based on a monetary system. Therefore, for individuals, partnerships, corporations and stat es to be successful in the short run and in the long run, it is essential for them to maximize their earnings (Boone and Kurtz, 2011). According to Al-Hammad (2010), the best may that an organization can maximize its returns is through minimizing its costs and maximizing its benefits (Nelson, 2006). Once a huge margin has been established between income and expenses, the chances for a firm to maximize its profitability and be sustainable are also increased. It is with regards to this issue that managers have always strived to cut their costs to ensure that their organizations not only operate within their current budget limits but also maximize on their returns (Al-Hammad, 2010). It is due to this fact that many managers always eliminate unnecessary costs from their operations in a bid to reduce their operating expenses. Over the years, managers have minimized or cut the funds that were directed on a number of projects. Some of the funds that most organizations are fond of reducing or eliminating include entertainment and recreation allowance, transport allowance, passages, health benefits and funds directed to projects that are deemed as unproductive to an organization. These decisions have been successful in enabling these organizations meet their financial obligations while at the same time they have made others incur even more expenses. Careful consideration therefore has to be taken into account while cutting down funds and seeking alternatives for an organization. While undertaking such measures, the management has to ensure that the option that they take not only reduces the operating expenses of the firm but also maintains or increases the level and efficiency of operations within an organization (Al-Hammad, 2010). The banking industry is experiencing radical changes in the manner in which it is operating and the services that it is offering (Al-Hammad, 2010). In order to meet the ever-increasing demands of consumer and achieve consumer satisfaction, m anagers of banks have to consider the most efficient but cost effective option that will enable them to stand at a competitive edge over their rivals. Managers therefore have to analyze the existing and new staffing methods that will in order to formulate the most efficient method to meet their restrictive budgets (Nelson, 2006). There is a lot of controversy with regards to the staffing levels of different departments and the minimum amount of employees that a specific branch can have in the banking industry (Nelson, 2006). From the studies that have been conducted, it has emerged that the most expensive segment of a banking institution`s budget is the payment of salaries of professional staff Nelson, 2006 (). It has been approximated that almost 70% of the budget of all institutions, banking or non-banking, goes to the payment of salaries of professional staff. Most individuals who have conducted similar studies have arrived to the same conclusion. This is because it is the workfo rce that acts as a vessel of an organization to achieve its vision and missions. Due to this fact, many managers have come up with solutions of trying to reduce this unavoidable cost. One of the options that many organizations have adopted is via maintaining a minimum number of all the employees. To ensure that all the workload it attended to with this minimum number of employees and to eliminate employment vacancies, managers have opted for the overtime option to cover this gap. Indeed, overtime results to additional costs to an organization but most managers are willing to experience this costs rather than the cost of recruiting new employees (Nelson, 2006). Many organizations have accepted the fact that overtime spending is part and parcel of their operating costs. They view overtime as a means of maintaining a minimal staff level and at the same time ensure that the operations of their organization are conducted in an effective an efficient manner. While conducting her study, Le lja (2008) interviewed a number of branch managers of banks in downtown Georgia Atlanta. From her results, 68% of the managers accepted the fact that overtime is one of the best staffing methods that maintains the staff levels of their branches at a minimum while they still exhibit high performance. Of the 24 managers who were interviewed, 18 were using overtime as a means of achieving their targets while maintaining a low sized staff in their branches (Lelja, 2008). It has always been argued that overtime pay is a means of guaranteeing revenue increment in organization that wishes to minimize its operating costs (Lelja, 2008). The rate at which employees are paid for duties they perform in overtime is always higher than the pay they get while working on normal hours. Overtime rate is normally calculated using a number of methods. Despite the method that is used, employees are guaranteed to get more from their overtime efforts. The same concept applies in the banking industry. Out o f overtime, employees of a financial institution tend to make much more than they usually do. A study that was conducted by Nelson (2006) revealed that most of the employees who worked overtime made much more in overtime than their salaries. This study focused on all industries and professions. It emerged that fire fighters and bankers ended up accumulating much more than other individuals in the society as a result of their overtime pay (Nelson, 2006). In some cases, these individuals ended up earning two times or even three times much more that they earn on normal pay. This fact thus made them to feel respected in the society. This in turn motivated them to even work harder and meet the goals and targets that have been set by their employers. Nelson (2006) concluded that overtime not only reduces the overall expenses of an organization but it also motivates employees to work harder and meet their short-term and long-term targets. The exorbitant amounts of money that employees make out of overtime normally have a heavy blow on the budget of organization. Firms tend to allocate most of their funds to carter for the pay of their employees. However, much more money is even spent as a result of overtime. The managers of many banking institutions have always complained that the amount of money their branches are spending with regards to overtime is so high (Boone and Kurtz, 2011). Commercial Bank of Dubai is one of the banks that have been experiencing high costs for the last few years. In the year 2010, the bank spent approximately AED1.2 million on its Immigration Branch alone on overtime (CBD, 2012). In 2011, the branch required an average of AED 60,000 per month to meet its overtime costs. Most managers in the banking industry believe that the high costs they are experiencing with regards to overtime pay is as a result of the operating shifts that are being used in their respective branches. In her study Quayle (2010) asserted that there is a correlation betwe en overtime pay and the implementation of shifts that last for more than 12 hours. Quayle (2010) believes that the 8-10 hour shift in the banking industry is more effective and efficient than the 10-14 hour shift. However, other researchers argue that the 10-14 hour shift is more effective since it is beneficial to both the banking institution since it reduces the overall expenses and to the employee since such employees are motivated by the high overtime pay that they get. Quayle (2010) suggested that the 8-10 hour shift is more efficient since it requires minimal utilization of sick days and leave days, it requires minimal overtime pay and employees perform to the best of their ability due to the absence of fatigue that arises from long hours of work. The 8-10 hour shift is thus viewed as an efficient and cost effective option as compared to the 10-14 hour shift where more sick days and leave days are used, high overtime costs are experienced and employees are fond of making error s and other mistakes due to fatigue and stress that results from long hours of work. In the 10-14 hour shift, the performance of employees is in most cases not as per the expected standards as employees rarely meet their set goals and objectives as per the requirements of the management. According to Quayle (2010), such shifts have always been associated with decrease in production and quality of goods and services from the employee end point. Therefore, by adopting the 8-12 hour shift, financial institutions shall increase on their effectiveness and efficiency as the employees will be at their best while working (Quayle, 2010). This will ensure that they carter to the needs of their customers as per their expectations. This is an essential factor in achieving consumer satisfaction. On the other hand, the 8-10 hour shift also reduces the operating costs as fewer sick days are used and overtime is minimized. The issue of employing additional staff to meet the staff demand of an organ ization and avoid overtime has always been discussed in a number of studies. Sandberg (2009) conducted a study where he tried to determine whether paying employees at an overtime rate of 1.5 times more than their salary cost-effective as compared to hiring new employees. From the study, it was identified that it was 13.1% cheaper to pay employees overtime than to hire new individuals (Sandberg, 2009). This index was calculated by considering the employees current salary, their overtime rates and benefits versus the cost of recruiting and hiring new individuals. Hiring new employees in itself also has associated costs. These include posting the vacancy advertisement on various forms of media, screening the documents of the applicants, contacting successful applicants to come for an interview and conducting the actual interview. Other costs include hiring trainers to train the recruits, purchasing materials that will be used in the process of training, paying the recruits allowances i n the process of training and other miscellaneous costs that may arise (Sandberg, 2009). In the process, the level of production of these employees is not as per the expected standards of an organization. In addition, there are always high trainee turnover rates as only a small proportion of the employees who commence the training actually go through the entire process and become productive members of staff at the end of the process (Sandberg, 2009). There are also additional costs that are involved with maintaining permanent staff. These include insurance compensation, payment to pension schemes, retirement benefits, holiday pay, leave pay, payment of special tools, equipments and clothing that may be requires for specific works. It is thus essential for the management of an organization to consider all the associated costs while determining the best option to adopt. From his study, Sandberg (2009) concluded that it was cheaper for financially institutions to pay for overtime rathe r than experiencing the costs of hiring new employees. It is due to this fact that many organizations opt to maintain their employees even after their retirement ages. These institutions feel that it is financially feasible to pay such employees their benefits, salaries at a higher rate rather than hiring new employees. Such employees are normally maintained due their expertise that is difficult to get from fresh recruits. It has always been argued that the college live-in programme to be one of the best alternatives to meet the staffing requirements of an organization without straining its financial limits. With this program, organizations are able to meet their obligations without the hiring of permanent staff. The work overload that an organization may be experiencing is normally shifted to these students who work as part and parcel of the team. The main aim of these students is to gain experience and not to be paid. Such programs normally give students the change to put their th eoretical knowledge and skills into practice and gain experience and exposure in the process. Salary is not their main issue. This gives organizations the best chance of reducing their financial burden by administering chores to these students. The college live-in program is thus a better alternative than hiring new employees. In the course of giving these students exposure, there are possibilities that industrious students may be identified that will ultimately join the working team as permanent staff. This is a relatively cheaper means of organizations obtaining employees rather than recruiting from scratch. However, such programs are not expected to fill in the employment vacancies that may be available in an organization or reduce the overtime burden (Sandberg, 2009). Berry (2009) suggested that once overtime has been used for some period of time, it will reach a point that an organization will start o experience the diminishing marginal returns. In his study, Berry (2009) concl uded that it is cheaper to utilize the option of overtime pay for a couple of years than to employ new staff to meet the workload at an organization. This can be achieved by putting in place proper measures, careful planning and wise utilization of financial resources. Once these considerations have been put in place, an organization stands a higher chance of benefiting more from overtime rather than hiring new employees (Berry, 2009). It is thus advisable for financial institutions such as micro finances and banks to adopt and implement the option of overtime while adhering to strict rules and regulations to ensure that this option becomes part and parcel of their operating system. Once this is achieved, such an organization shall benefit a lot from in terms of cost reduction from overtime rather than recruiting new employees. Financial institutions advocate for overtime as a means of maintaining their employee level to a minimum (Al-Hammad, 2010). The minimum number of employees w ho can work in a specific department is normally determined by the volume of work that is expected to be encountered. However, there are always uncertainties that tend to disrupt the number of available employees in meeting their obligations. Holidays offs, leaves, sick leaves, injuries, workshops and training, major incidents and lateness are some of the factors that facilitate the need of overtime (Al-Hammad, 2010). These factors normally result in a decline in the number of available employees to meet the daily obligations of a branch. Due to this fact, Al-Hammad (2010) stated that it was essential for managers to put into consideration all factors that may lead to the occurrence of overtime. However, some of these factors are unpredictable thus difficult to quantify. Due to this fact, Al-Hammad (2010) in his study used historical data to determine the trends and occurrences of factors that led to the development understaffing in various bank branches. From the results that he fo und, he developed a breakeven point of hiring additional employees and advocating for overtime. In his study, he concluded that it was advisable for a branch or an organization to employ more individuals up to the breakeven point. Once this point has been exceeded, it was advisable for a firm to utilize the overtime option as it will yield more benefits and result to lower costs that hiring of new employees (Al-Hammad, 2010). With his results, he was able to develop a profitability formula that would calculate the optimal number of employees who are able to meet the daily staffing obligations of a specific organization. There are however a number of drawbacks that are associated with overtime. It has been argued that the process may be insidious (Berry, 2009). Once the act has been introduced in an institution, it will be virtually impossible for the management to cut on the resultant costs, leave alone eliminating it from the organization. In such circumstances, overtime becomes pa rt of the operating activity of an organization. All the employees of an organization accept it as a norm and it becomes part of their organization culture. Overtime, in some instances, is not successful in meeting the goals and objectives that it has been advocated to meet in the first place. This is because overtime requires employees to work for long hours. This normally leads to brain drain, fatigue and loss of concentration. As a result, employees tend to become less productive. This in some circumstances may lead to a decline in productivity of the entire organization since the employees are incapable of meeting the needs of their clients. From the literature that has been covered in this paper, it is evident that managers are always striving to come up with the best means of reducing their operating costs. One of their main methods has been to maintain the number of the staff at a minimal level. However, this has normally resulted in back loading. Due to this, most managers h ave advocated for overtime as the most cost effective method rather than hiring new employees. This study shall therefore go further on this area of study and determine whether indeed overtime is a cost effective option as compared to hiring of new employees. Methods Literature Review Literature review was a source of secondary information for the exercise. This data was obtained from books, magazines, peer reviewed journals, online articles and other relevant sources that had discussed the issue of overtime and related labour laws. Through literature review, some of the methods that had been used in the previous studies were borrowed and applied to the current study. Also the recommendations of the previous studies were considered in the current work and further research and analysis were conducted on the same. Information from literature review was therefore used as a guiding tool in conducting this study. Administering of Questionnaires To gain quantitative data, questionnaires w ere administered to the target groups using the following procedure: There were two sessions of interviews on each day. The interviews were conducted in the morning hours and in the afternoon. In each session, only one individual was interviewed. This was done to ensure that employees still meet their employment obligations while giving time for the study. Members of different ranks and departments were interviewed to ensure that the attitudes of different employees are tested. Each session lasted for around 60-90 minutes. Techniques: Construction (visual) I conducted all the interviews with the help of a moderator. This ensured that all requirements of the study have been precisely covered. To ensure this, a pre-determined agenda was used. Analysis of qualitative data and questionnaire designing To construct a questionnaire that was precise and straight to the point, qualitative data had to be analyzed and interpreted first. This information helped in the making the questionnaire . It ensured that the questionnaire that was used for the study became a powerful tool for the collection of quantitative data. The resulting questionnaire therefore was precise, flexible and be able to collect only the relevant data that was needed for the research study. Method: Qualitative data coding and survey conducting preparation The data that was obtained from the interviews that were conducted on the target groups was coded statistically to reveal the trends and sequences. Finally, the data that was obtained was used in the preparation of the final report. The inferences that were arrived at from the analysis of qualitative data together with the information from the literature review were used to structure the questionnaire to reflect only the relevant information for the study. Primary Research (quantitative) Primary data is used to refer to data that has been collected directly from the area of study (Hadjimonolis, 2009). For this study, questionnaires were used to coll ect this vital information. This was a critical procedure to obtain first hand information that helped to explore the research objectives and gain statistical data that is necessary for data analysis. The questionnaires were structured in such a way to minimize the occurrence of errors that would have otherwise made the data collected from the field to become unreliable. Careful measures were taken to avoid this. Prior to the conduction of the interviews, the validity of the questionnaires was tested and approved for use. Method: Survey Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the target group. These questionnaires comprised of a total of 15 questions that were structured in such a way that one question led to the other. 20 individuals were interviewed face to face for five straight days excluding weekends. The interviews were only conducted on the Immigration Branch of the Commercial Bank of Dubai. The managers, heads of different departments and employees from all the departments formed the target group of the study. The target group was composed of individuals who held different ranks within the branch. This was essential as it assisted in the determination of the attitudes and perceptions of all branch employees with regards to overtime and hiring of new employees. Random sampling technique was used to get the individuals to be interviewed in the study to avoid biasness. Data Analysis Raw data from the field is of no use since it does not make any sense at all. It is mainly composed of numbers and codes that need to be analyzed to make sense. Analysis of data involves three major steps: Data preparation that involves the organization of the data that has been collected for easy analysis. Descriptive statistics that entails the description and interpretation of the data that has been collected. This can be done using charts and bar graphs to explain the trends that have been observed. Inferential statistics that is done to test whether the data that has been collected is consistent with the objectives and hypothesis of the study. This is where either the null hypothesis or alternative hypothesis is proved to be true. Method: SPSS 16.0 For accurate analysis of the statistical data, a computer programme called SPSS 16.0 was used for descriptive data analysis. The data was explored using descriptive statistics and histogram plots to determine the shape of the distribution for each sample variable. The name given to each variable for the data analysis was given in a table. Data analysis was carried out using parametric tests where the data followed a normal distribution and where the sample number was equal to or greater statistical power. Where the data did not follow a normal distribution or where the data was split into groups of less than the sample size (n), non-parametric test was used. For example, a Pearson correlation test was carried out on the data to explore any linear relationships between the variables. Eth ical Considerations For the data to represent a true and fair view, the study had a few considerations on ethics. The data collection exercise was conducted in only one branch but employees from all the departments and ranks were involved in the study. In addition, the issue of gender was also put into consideration as the members of all the sexes were equally represented in the study. This consideration was done to gather information on the immigration department and the data that was collected could be generalised to reflect all the the branches of Commercial Bank of Dubai and all the banks in general that have been experiencing the same problem. The questionnaire was structured in a manner that it avoided any conflicts with regards to ethical considerations such as traditions, religion, age, rank and gender. It mainly focused on collecting the data that was required for the study. Prior to the commencement of the research, the management, departmental heads, employee representati ves and all the employees of the Immigration Branch were notified. Results The results that were found from the study were very interesting. The data that was acquired from the questionnaires were interpreted using the Likert scale. These results clearly showed the attitudes and perceptions of the employees who were interviewed during the study. Each question in the questionnaire was used to measure a unique variable that was being tested in the study. Additionally, literature review acted as the main source of information for this study. Financial data from the branch revealed the data and statistics of hiring new employees and paying overtime. This data was essential as it guided the course of the research, its analysis and the results that were used to answer the research questions. Due to the ever-rising number of clients, Commercial Bank of Dubai has been employing approximately 80 individuals annually who were distrusted in all their branches. The Immigration Branch for instan ce receives at least 8 -15 new employees annually. In the process of hiring new employees, the branch experiences direct and indirect costs. Indirect costs include those costs that are charged directly to the human resource department of the headquarters while direct costs are those costs that are charged directly to the Immigration Branch. Table 1 below summarised the costs required to hire new employees. Table 1 Cost Amount per Employee (AED) Application of a Position 2500 Application Review 3500 Application Data Entry 2500 Application Status Notification 1300 Written Exam Administration 5500 Written Exam Notification 5500 Other Expenses (Facing the Panel etc) 18,500 Total Costs 39,300 Table 2 below shows other associated costs incurred in the process of employment. Table 2 Cost Amount per Employee (AED) Background Reference Check 5500 Background Educational Check 5500 Background Credit Check 5500 Medical Check 5500 Review of Background Informati on 18500 Fingerprinting 7200 Provision of Accessories 98,000 Total 145700 The total overall cost that is thus required to hire a new employee was approximated to be AED 185,000. This cost does not include the additional salaries and benefits that employees are entitled to. From the analysis of the employment records of the immigration branch between 2008 and 2010, it was evident that vacancies were available in all the departments and ranks. From this analysis, it was concluded that the backlog in work that the Immigration branch is experiencing is as a result of understaffing. This has prompted the manager to advocate for overtime as a solution to their current problems. It is due to this shortage that the management implemented the 10-14 hour shift instead of the 8-10 hour shift. The branch manager`s rank ranged to the no manager on duty to a full time manager. The same trend applied to other managers and departmental heads. For the tellers, their shifts ranged from a low of three 3 on duty to a maximum of 11. Accountants ranged from a low of 4 to a maximum of 12. The customer care department ranged from a low of 2 to a maximum of 6. The number of employees present in a single shift was determined by the peak hours of the day. The peak hours were experienced between 9 am to 10.30 am and from 2.30 pm to 4 pm. The bank also experienced an influx of customers during the period of end month and the beginning of a new month. Due to the seasonal nature of the consumer peaks, the management felt that during off peaks, the branch would be overstaffed hence incur unnecessary expenses. To determine whether overtime was cost-effective than hiring new employees, a thorough examination of the employees annual salary and the hourly rate determined. The hourly rate was determined by dividing the total compensation with the 2256 (the total numbers of hours an employee is expected to work in a year). The overtime rate was then calculated by multiplying the hourly ra te by 1.5. Table 3 below shows the summary of hourly rate pay for employees of different ranks. Table 3 Position Annual Income (AED) Hourly Rate (AED) Overtime Rate (AED) Managers 360,000 159.57 239.36 Accountants 144,000 63.83 103.25 Tellers 120,000 53.19 79.79 Customer Care Reps 96,000 42.55 63.83 To determine the impacts of hiring a new employee, the cost of training can be added to the annual salary that each employee is entitled to. This information can be analysed in the Table 4 below. Position Annual Cost Hourly rate Managers 545,000 241.57 Accountants 329,000 145.83 Tellers 305,000 135.2 Customer Care 281,000 124.56 From the above table, it is evident that paying overtime is cheaper than employing new individuals. The cost of employing new individuals becomes higher as one moves down the ranks and this are the positions that have the ultimate need of effort from employees. To determine the financial impact of overtime versus hiring new employees o n the branch, a Pearson Correlation was conducted. Its results are represented in the Table 5 below. Correlations Overtime Costs Recruitment Costs Overtime Costs Pearson Correlation 1 0.618 Sig. (2-tailed) 0.626 N 30 30 Recruitment Costs Pearson Correlation 0.618 1 Sig.(2-tailed) 0.626 N 30 30 A Pearson correlation of 0.618 implies a strong positive relationship with insignificance at 5% therefore suggesting that it is more expensive for the organization to employ new individuals rather than paying overtime. Discussion The main aim of conducting this research study was to determine whether is overtime was a cost-effective option for Commercial Bank of Dubai to employ on its Immigration Branch over the option of hiring new employs. Studies that have been conducted by Berry (2009), Quayle (2010) and Sandberg (2009) concluded that there is no significant difference between paying overtime and hiring new employees. However, from the results of this study, it i s evident that there is a significant difference between hiring new employees and paying overtime. The significance in difference increases as the ranks of employees in the branch reduces with employees on the customer care department exhibiting huge differences between overtime pay and the cost of hiring new employees. This was evidenced by the AED 60.73 difference in the hourly rate. However, it should be noted that this additional cost is only incurred during the base year of employment. Once the employee has been assimilated into the system, the overall costs are expected to reduce. However, it is due to this reason that Berry (2009) asserted that employers opt to maintain their staff rather than employing new ones every year due to the high costs that are incurred in the process of recruiting these individuals. It is due to this fact that the management of Commercial Bank of Dubai have advocated for overtime over hiring of new employees. Consequently, from the analysis of the e mployment records and performance, it can be concluded that the bank is slightly understaffed. It is due to this reason that the banks always have a backlog of work hence the need for overtime. However, the bank managers argued that this overload of work is only seasonal and is experienced only during peak hours. Once the operations of the bank return to normal, the number of staff that is present is capable of meeting the operational demand. However, if the bank had opted to hire new employees, its operations would only be efficient during peak hours. However, during off peak hours, the branch will be overstaffed hence it will incur unnecessary costs. It is due to this fact that the management prefers overtime over hiring new staff. Finally, there are some drawbacks that are associated with overtime. In her study Lelja (2008) proved that there is a direct relationship between decrease in employee performance and an increase in the amount of work and hours of work. The Immigration B ranch has also experienced the same effect since employees complain of fatigue as a result of working for long hours. In addition, there have been cases of errors and mistakes in the branch. Although these events did not greatly affect the performance of the branch, it is essential for the management to check these issues. However, at the current moment, the bank stands a better chance of meeting its short-term and long-term goals and objectives through cost cutting by embracing overtime over hiring new employees. From the results that have been presented in this study, it is evident that overtime is the most cost-efficient option as compared to hiring of new staff. Conclusion and Recommendation Management is an essential aspect in the determination of the long-term sustainability of an organization. In the process of running an organization, it is the role of a manager to minimize his costs and maximize his benefits in order to ensure that his/her organization is profitable in the short-run and in the long-run. The immigration Branch of Commercial Bank of Dubai has been experiencing high operating costs as a result of overtime. To cut costs, the branch had the option of hiring new staff or implementing overtime. From the results that were arrived at in this study, overtime was the most cost efficient option that the bank had. However, there are some shortcomings that are related to this option. The main shortcoming is the decline in efficiency and productivity of the branch. To avoid this, I would recommend that the bank develops a breakeven point that would determine the best the best staffing alternative with regards to the two options given the prevailing situation. This will ensure that the bank enjoys the benefits of overtime and hiring new staff at the same time. References Al-Hammad, I. (2010). The Obstacles of Instructional Supervision in Arabian Banks.  Unpublished Master Thesis. King Saud University: Riyadh. CBD. (2012). About Us. Commercial Bank of Dubai. Web. Berry, L. (2009). Relationship Marketing of Services, Growing Interest and Emerging Perspectives. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 23, 236–245. Boone, L. and Kurtz, D. (2011). Contemporary Management. New York: Cengage Learning. Hadjimonolis, A. (2009). Staffing and Ethics: A Case Study of Developing Nations.  Technovation, 19 (9), 561-570. Lelja, V. (2008). The Role of Gender in the Perception of Barriers to E-commerce Adoption in SMEs: A Case Study of the United Arab Emirates. IBIMA, 4, 121-147. Madar Research Group (2008). Dubai E-Commerce Special Feature. Madar Research Group. Retrieved from https://www.lowtax.net/information/dubai/dubai-internet-city.html Nelson, C. (2006). UAE National Women at Work in the Private Sector: Conditions and Constraints. Dubai: Trident Communications. Quayle, M. (2010). Management: The Challenge of Financial Institutions in the 21st  Century. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 22(10) , 1148-1161. Sandberg, K. (2009). An Exploratory Study of SME`s Management. Journal of Small  Business and Enterprise Development, 10 (4), 408-417. This research paper on Overtime Analysis was written and submitted by user Mariyah Page to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Multiculturalism in Germany Essay Example

Multiculturalism in Germany Essay Example Multiculturalism in Germany Essay Multiculturalism in Germany Essay Multiculturalism is the presence of many cultures in one place by having same political rights as other citizens regardless of their differences in private lives. In a multicultural society, the citizens must embrace immigrants who have different values, beliefs and religions. Besides, the government must accept immigrants as their own citizens and they must give political rights as well as civil and social rights. Thus, the integration of distinct cultures can be completed and ultimately it can be seen that multiculturalism works in this country. However, multiculturalism does not work in every place and Germany which is one of these places. The reasons of the failure of multiculturalism in Germany are the restricted political rights for immigrants by government, integration problems between Turks and Germans and also cultural changes in second and third generations. This essay examines the history of Turks in Germany and the reasons why multiculturalism does not work in Germany also it briefly provides some suggestions in order to achieve multicultural success in a society. The migration of Turks to Germany in 1961 was the fundamental turning point for multicultural society in Germany. Turks who are the largest minority group, nearly 2. 4 million, migrated to Germany due to the recruitment of labor by German government in order to strengthen their industry. (Hochmuth, 2006) After the defeat in WW2, German economy collapsed and they need workers from other countries because there were more available jobs than their unemployed people. Therefore, the agreement with Turkey was made by the German government. According to this agreement, Turkish workers had to stay in Germany at least 2 years because Germany wanted to guarantee the attendance of foreign workers. However, this period was extended because of the wishes of two sides. The German government did not want to lose skilled workers because training new workers would take a long time. Also, Turkish immigrants did not want to come back to Turkey because they did not have enough money to start new business in their motherland; therefore they wanted to earn more. In addition, they brought their families to Germany from Turkey. Their children who are the members of second generation of Turks were born there, and families did not want to interrupt their education. (Hochmuth, 2006) In 1973, Germany stopped the recruitment of labor from other countries. After that year, Turks preferred to stay in Germany permanently because they thought that if they came back to their motherland, the Turkish government would not allowed them to return to Germany again. Hochmuth, 2006) Since 1973, nobody has migrated to Germany as a worker, but the population of Turks in Germany continued to increase through births and now the third generation of Turks is residing in Germany too. The first reason why multiculturalism does not work in Germany is the restricted political rights for immigrants. Multiculturalism supposed that there is not any inequality between people whether they are immigrant. However, immigrants had to struggle with the lengthy and difficult proces s of having political rights in Germany because the government did not give them political rights without acquiring German citizenship. Citizens of other nations cannot vote in Germany even if they have lived there for 20 or 30 years. (Powell, 1995) In Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany’s constitution separates the rights into two as general and reserved. General rights are approved for all individuals in the country. These rights consist of liberty of person, freedom of expression and freedom of conscience. (Kaya, 2002) However, reserved rights are valid exclusively for German citizens. These rights include political rights, freedom of movement, freedom of association, and freedom of occupation. The separation of rights is determined with respect to people’s ethnic origin. Therefore, it can be seen as tragically associated with Nazi’s policy which is based on ethnic nationalism. (Kaya, 2002) If Turks want to acquire political rights, they must acquire German citizenship first. There are some ways of acquiring German citizenship. According to Article 116 of the Basic Law, Turkish people have to live in Germany at least 15 years for naturalization but this effort is not enough to be naturalized. They also have to accept to renounce their previous citizenship. Therefore, the requirement of relinquishing Turkish nationality blocked the integration of different cultures in Germany. In addition, until the new law in January 2000, which contained some modifications, children who were born and raised in Germany could not automatically have German citizenship. In order to acquire citizenship, foreigners between the ages of 16 and 23 are required to be resident for more than 8 years, attend school for at least 6 years and have not been convicted of serious offences. (Kaya, 2002) After the new law, the rules of naturalization had little changes. According to the new law, children who are born in Germany can acquire German citizenship at birth if one of their parents have lived lawfully in Germany for at least 8 years, holds entitlement to residence or has an unlimited residence permit for at least 3 years. (Kaya, 2002) There is however a problem about their dual citizenship because they have to choose one of their nationalities within five years between 18 and 23. This application which is prepared by the German government seems to be in contradiction with the essential principles of multiculturalism. The German government constrains Turks to renounce their Turkish citizenship and this damages their cultures too because unless Turks are Turkish citizen anymore, they become distant from their culture which is belong to Turkey. Therefore, it is hard to say that multiculturalism works in Germany. The second reason for the failure of multiculturalism in Germany is the integration problems between Turks and Germans. Turks in Germany are seen as foreigners and migrants by the Germans although Turks search for equality and they wanted to contribute as a part of the German society. Therefore, discrimination is one of the main problems why Turks cannot integrate with the German society. Although Turks have same the civil and social rights as the Germans, their jobs are less prestigious with respect to the German’s. Also, they work for less payment and their profits are identically lower than the German’s. (Powell, 1995) In addition, their education is not adequate for better jobs. Hence, they have to work as blue-collar workers who generally work on manufacturing and mining while Germans work as white-collar workers related to management because blue-collar workers do not require high education. In 1970’s, there were more jobs for unskilled and semiskilled workers like Turks. However, the rate of unemployment among Turks increased since 1980’s because job opportunities in manufacturing industry declined in Germany and education became more important for jobs. (Ozcan, 2004) Turks are not capable of solving the problems which are associated with discrimination in job, lack of employment and fewer educational opportunities. (Powell, 1995) This situation makes the integration of Germans and Turks more difficult. Under these conditions, Turks do not feel accepted by society therefore they also do not want to be accepted. (Hochmuth, 2006) They begin to develop strong ethnic structures and maintain ethnic boundaries hence the integration of these two distinct cultures become more troublesome. The last reason which supports the argument that multiculturalism does not work in Germany is cultural changes in second and third generations of Turks who lived in Germany. In contrast to their parents, the 2nd and 3rd generations speak German better than Turkish. Although their roots were in Turkey, they learn Turkish as a foreign language. (Waldhoff Tan, 1996) This is the indication of the existence of assimilation between two cultures because they are starting to lose their connections with their real homeland. In addition, when they use Turkish, they mix it with a German accent, dialect or words. However, the usage of both languages can cause understanding problem for an outsider. They also use some German words such as Tschu? , which means bye in English, when they speak Turkish and they mixed German and Turkish sentences such as ‘Urlaub ald? ’ which means having holiday in English. This type of blending violates the rules of both languages in terms of the semantics, phonetics and syntax. Also, it damages the characteristics of languages. Their music is another field which is affected by cultural struggle. They create their own cultural synthesis by blending two different cultures. For instance, they mix break-dance and Turk ish folk dance. Thus, they show that the ambivalence which they had because they are sandwiched between upholding tradition and assimilation. Waldhoff Tan, 1996) Due to these confusions between Turkish and German culture, it is clear that multiculturalism does not work in Germany because it is based on the respect to different cultures but in Germany, Turks suffer to protect their culture from German effects. Therefore, the diversity of culture can be reduced and the imagination of multiculturalism can end for ever. Multiculturalism is an integration process which is so difficult to work in any place. It supposed that the cultures can be consistent, unified and tructured in a place. (Kaya, 2002) However, multiculturalism is not a melting pot which absorbs cultures. It always supports the diversity of cultures in one place. Through multiculturalism, people can expand their horizons by comparing different cultures and they can make judgments upon their lifestyle, belief and values. ( Malik, 2002) In order to allow multiculturalism to work properly, first of all discrimination among people should be stopped because if people learn to live together peacefully and equally, multiculturalism can work. Also, the governments should take some responsibilities about this issue. They should protect the immigrants’ rights and struggle with problems of immigrants such as education and job. In addition, they should promote integration by means of counseling and language. (Powell, 1995) Xenophobia is other important obstacle for multiculturalism. The organizations, festivals, seminars should be arranged among immigrants and citizens in order to get rid of this fear. If these suggestions are applied, multiculturalism can work and thus the world can become more tolerable and peaceful place. REFERENCES Hochmuth, H. (2006). Turks in Germany. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from turkishweekly. net/articles. php? id=146 Kaya, A. (2002). The hyphenated Germans: German-Turks. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from tusiad. us/content/uploaded/pw11Hyphenated_Germans. pdf Malik, K. (2002). Against multiculturalism. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from kenanmalik. com/essays/against_mc. html Ozcan, V. 2004). Turks in Germany: aspects of their socio-economic integration. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from ces. boun. edu. tr/papers/feb/veysel_ozcan. pdf Powell, E. V. (1995). Notes from Hamburg: immigrants challenge Germanys social net. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from ssa. uchicago. edu/publications/advforum/v2n3/advocates2. 3. 12. html Waldhoff, H. P. , Tan, D. (1996). Turkish everyday culture in Germany and its prospects. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from ish. uni-hannover. de/Dateien/staff/hw/turkish_hw. html

Analysis Of Ralph Ellison s Invisible Man Essay -- White people, Bl

In Battle Royal, the first chapter of Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison parallels the struggles of the protagonist to that of minorities in a post-slavery America. Ellison 's character is invited to deliver his graduation speech to a gathering high society white men and finds himself participating in a Battle Royal. Through deeply rooted, almost allegorical symbolism Ellison illustrates the protagonists journey toward self discovery and the â€Å"American dream† in a predominantly white powered society. Throughout this work the narrator/protagonist remains nameless. This namelessness serves to highlight the denial for a significant identity experienced by those who have suffered from the follies of racism. In Ellison 's Battle Royal the protagonist is blind to this racism, which defines him, and portrays himself, as the â€Å"black exception,† by asserting the standards and convictions imposed upon him as a means of achieving success. It is clear that the protagonist is affected by the convictions of those around him when he states that his grandfather 's words of wisdom â€Å"had a tremendous effect upon† him. His blatant naivety and gullibility are foreshadowed as he feels â€Å"guilty and uncomfortable... whenever things [go] well for† him, as if he â€Å"[is] carrying out his [grandfather 's] advice in spite of [himself].† In this particular passage Ellison shows the reader that by being affected by his grandfather 's curse the protagonist subconsciously accepts his grandfathers challenge of achieving success through playing the part of a â€Å"traitor† and a â€Å"spy in enemy territory.† The grandfather 's last words imply that what the protagonist is doing is treacherous and hs act, his speech. With the"thunderous applause" received from the oration of his speech, the protagonist is willingly mislead "in the right direction... of the the destiny of [his] people." Th is allows for the protagonist to maintain the mindset of false superiority. The protagonist mistakingly views himself as a privileged black man causing the hinderance of his journey to self-discovery. The characters surrounding the protagonist are constant reminders of the narrator 's lack of authority on the path of his future. Ellison illustrates this point to highlight that blacks who strive to achieve success or the American Dream through their own terms will only propel themselves farther into the follies of invisibility. In order for the veil to be lifted from the eyes of the blind, men must band together and the fight the powers that may be instead of each other.

Music Piracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Music Piracy - Essay Example Music piracy is harming the economy in a substantial manner following the robbing of artistes of their creativity and compensation. This also works in the domino effect where loss of revenue in one industry results in an overall loss in other industries; this is because of decreased sales. Illegal music downloads over the internet affects a large number of people ranging from artists, songwriters, audio engineers, computer technicians, talent scouts and producers. All these people are reliant on the music industry for their income and as a source of livelihood, which is based on intellectual property. Denying musicians and their affiliates of revenue puts at risk the jobs of millions of people, as there will be no funds to sustain them at work. In addition, it denies the government of taxes paid by the said population thus affecting the overall development of a nation. Some musicians and producers with recording studios have even been forced to close business to loss of revenue and i ncreasing operating costs leading to losses. On a personal scale, piracy punishes successful artistes by putting them on a level where their rights are not equal to those of other citizens of the world. This is because it is similar to theft or robbery, only that this time it robs an individual of his or her intellectual property. In a normal world, the law punishes robbers and thieves, but in piracy, little is done leading to demoralized artistes and music industry affiliates (Greenblatt 992). This way all those that work closely with the music industry are left at a loss as for clothing lines and no merchandise is rolled out to popularize the music produced. This, in turn, trickles all the way down to the textile industry, finally the farmer, and the global economy. As a result, the music industry is undergoing a slow death owing to increased piracy, and little effort applied to its prevention. In addition, piracy of music affects the internet network used for pirated downloads in terms of bandwidth. This is particularly so as it strips the network to the bare essential leading to loss of productivity, while participating in illegal activities, as is prone in institutions of higher learning (Wade 4). Therefore, in order to prevent music piracy from taking place, a myriad of measures can be taken that are directed to those that engage in the practice. Since most of the pirates in the music industry are students, advertising can play a crucial role. Most companies have taken part in massive campaigns directed at students in an attempt to convince student to stop downloading music illegally. However, this has little effects as students are working even harder to bring down the music industry. Studies show that one of the ways to cut down on music piracy especially in this age of the internet is to understand the mind and the drive behind a pirate’s behavior prior to the action. This is concerning the motivation of the pirate and his or her goals. In this case, a pirate would like access to music but there are inhibitions to getting t to the goal, in the form of monetary requirement. As a result, pirates seek to bypass this barrier by downloading music from illegal sites. Therefore, campaigns targeting definite pirates can be a significant boost against piracy. This is through creating campaign depicting the dangers that one is exposed to

Sally Bingham''s life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sally Bingham''s life - Essay Example Bingham realizes that California and Massachusetts were deregulating electricity. Because she loves the people, Bingham views it as an opportunity to educate them about how generation of electricity takes place (Freedman, 2007). Sally sees her past life as having been more challenging and difficult to live. She admits having had many challenges in trying to sort out what was right for her. In the present, she is making differences in the environment, which she views as being divine.The challenges she experienced and sorted taught her always to keep her heart open to any future challenge. The experience makes her view her future to be more comfortable and challenge free as she has learnt to embrace and term any challenge as an adventure (Freedman, 2007). Culture greatly influence Sallys social role as a wife and mother. After high school, she opted for marriage as the norm of her society in order to become a mother and a wife. Her husband has a decent job, she in effect sees herself as not needing a job since it was the husbands cultural responsibility to provide for them( Freedman,

Review of related literature and studies Essay Example for Free

Review of related literature and studies Essay This chapter presents a review of related literature and studies that serving as a background and frame of preference upon which conceptual framework was formulated. This material gave much background and information for the present study. Related Literature (12 page single space) p 7-21 2. 1 Slavery 2. 1. 1 Timeline of Significant Events. The slave trade had a long history. The first importation of slaves by the Spanish vessels from Africa to America took place in 1522. The first African Slaves arrived in Virginia, USA in 1619. The English colonies start the lawful establishment of slavery in 1660 which included the United States. The start of the big waves of slave importations into the English colonies from Africa occurred in 1700. The slaves start to outnumber the English Americans in 1720. The Quakers start to fight against the evils of Slavery in 1750. The French and Indian War resulted to the expulsion of the French army from many parts of North America for ten years starting in 1753. The United States war for independence from Great Britain started in 1775 in the war of Lexington and Concord. The United States finally declared that it wanted to be independent from the Great Britain on July 9, 1776 . And, the Continental Congress of the United States formally approved their Articles of Confederation on July 9, 1778. And, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania finally abolished the practice of slavery. Great Britain and the United States formally signed the Treaty of Paris agreeing to stop the independence war between the two countries and to recognize the United States as a new nation. And, the Continental Congress sends the new Constitution to the state for ratification on September 28, 1783. George Washington is proclaimed as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789. The Bill of Rights that contained the first ten amendments were approved by more than three fourths of the United States territory and becomes part of the United States Constitution. The United States bought Louisiana from France for fifteen million U. S. dollars. And the members of the United States formally made a law banning the importation of slaves into the United States . Further, the White Churches start their religious outreaches to the African American slaves. The United States quelled the revolt orchestrated by Nat Turner in Virginia. Abraham Lincoln was chosen by the people as the sixteenth president of the United States on March 4, 1861. General Robert Lee’s Confederate army formally surrenders and ends the Civil War on April 9, 1861. The thirteenth Amendment was finally approved by the United States Congress. Lastly, the United States Congress approves with finality the fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. This amendment gives automatic citizenship to the slaves. This amendment also punishes those states that do not comply in with the Amendment to remove slavery by taking away the rebelling state’s representation in Congress. Also, all free men are given the right to vote under the fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Beloved novel also had a theme entitled slavery. Slavery is described by the novel’s author as commonplace. This means that the people who have slaves are considered normal people. The people during this time period accept that slavery is an institution and its philosophy and mindset affects the lives of many people in the slave –prevalent parts of the United States. Consequently, slavery had its advantages and disadvantages. There are also good owners of slaves as well as abusive owners of slaves. Beloved speaks of Garners. They are the owners of the slaves like Sethe. They were very kind to the African American slaves. In return, the slaves like Sethe and Paul D. , another slave, respected the Garners. This happy cooperation between the Garners and the slaves came to an abrupt end when the Garners died. This novel describes the years before the Civil War and the years after it. Morrison’s lyrical narrative coherently weaves together the supernatural and the tangible giving a literary masterpiece that pours out a dazzling achievement resulting to a spellbinding reading activity . They were replaced by the cruel leadership of the Garner replacement. The replacement was a man known only as school teacher. Paul D later stated that their happy home would only last as long as the Garners were alive. This was definitely true. Paul D. further reiterated that their happy home under the Garners would be shattered upon his death. The novel also dictates that the Garners are for against the practice of slavery. However, the novel identifies the slaves as just simple playthings or workers who were manipulated by the Garners to feed their fantasies and wants with the slaves as instruments. In a simple to read manner, Beloved author Morrison wants to paint a picture in the minds of the Beloved readers how big the problem of slavery is. Morrison also indirectly gives clues as to how widespread and evil the slave trade was during those fateful time periods. The author, Morrison, also emphasizes that there are some ways to eradicate slavery. In the Bodwin home, there is a statue of an African American child. The statue has on it an inscription that reads â€Å"At Yo Service†.

Uranus (not finished) :: essays research papers

Because Uranus is the 7th planet from the sun, not only is it cold, but it's barely visible too. During the night the only way you can see it is through binoculars or telescope; sometimes on a clear night it's visible to the naked eye. Even from the planet it is dark. Only 15moons are able to be seen, the rest is too dark to tell. Uranus was discovered with a telescope, by William Herschel. Uranus reaches a maximum brightness of magnitude 5.5 and can be seen by the naked eye as a faint point of light in a clear, moonless sky. In Voyager 2 photos, Uranus appears as a generally featureless disk, except for considerable darkening toward the edges. Faint banding is seen in contrast enhanced images, which are clouds. Uranus's average distance from the Sun is 2.875 billion km, and the planet takes 84.01 Earth years to make one revolution about the sun. The inclination of Uranus's orbit is 0.742. Its period of rotation was determined by Voyager 2 to be 17.24 hours. One weird aspect of Uranus is that its ration axis inclined 97.54 degrees from its orbital plane. The circumference of Uranus is 160,454km. This means that the poles of Uranus lie nearly in the plane of its orbit path. Uranus has an equatorial diameter of 51,100km; almost precisely four times that of the Earth. The volume is approximantly 67 times greater than Earth. The gravity is 1.17 times greater than that of Earth. The dark bands discovered in 1869 in the red part Uranus were identified in 1932 as being caused by methane gas in Uranus's atmosphere. This red "spot" of Uranus is the major cause of the blue green color of the planet; the methane absorbs much of the red light from the impinging white sunlight, leaving a bluish green color in the reflected sunlight. Measurements by Voyager 2verified that hydrogen is the main constituent, about 15% in terms of molecular weight, which is a larger percentage than in the atmospheres of either Jupiter or

Internet Is Most Influential Invention in American History Essay

The United States of America who has been ruling the power in technology, communication and in every other field with advance from its history and giving birth to new generation invention which human mind can’t â€Å"even think off from early dreams of global information networks to the dominance of the World Wide Web, networked computers have changed the way Americans interact with the world†. (Inventing the Internet Age – Science and Technology – CBC Archives) In the history of America, the Information Technology in such Internet has been the best power as its kind in the communication, new inventions, science, business and specially for the students who are in the field of science and technology they have been getting help from the internet and they have proved to be the best and always had the Country name on the top. The Internet is a worldwide network of thousands of computers and computers network working together for the upliftment of the human in information and communication technology. It has been a great invention by the human mind and a great achievement in information technology. â€Å"In the history of America in 1956 we found this conference and concept which gave birth to the field of AI as a vibrant area of interdisciplinary research, and provided an intellectual environment to all successive computer research and development efforts†. This new field made the human mind thinks to create Internet which works more professionally from its own parts. In the history of Defense of United States the first research and development was made by Paul Baran’s who started his work at (RAND). RAND was founded in Santa Monica, California who started working after the Second World War and started operational research skills developed by US military to manage them. The first wide area computer network was established by the United States Air Force in 1959 which was used to recognize and respond after a nuclear attack and with the new inventions in the US Defense the system got more organized and developed. (Dartmouth Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference) Later in 1960s the Internet has grown from a single experimental network serving a dozen sites in the United States to a network of networks linking millions of computers worldwide. There were many scientist and great inventors who worked hard that allowed the Internet to develop. â€Å"At that time there was collaboration and conflict among remarkable scientists, including government and military agencies, computer scientists, graduate students, telecommunications companies, standards organizations, and network users†. (Networks: Syllabus of Readings for Complex Adaptive systems) In the history of 1964, the Norbert Wiener won the US National Medal of Science. In the same year Norbert published one of his last book called â€Å"God and Golem† which included certain points where cybernetics impinges on religion which latter had a dominant influences on later generation of scientists and made tons of scientists to research into the potential to extend human capabilities. â€Å"Norbert change the way everyone thought about computer technology and that influencing several later developers of the internet which includes J. C. R Licklider†. (Dartmouth Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference) In the same year Marshall McLuhan’s made a new theory which is still remembered by the name of â€Å"Global Village† to make every one think about the social effects and the world-shattering effects that has made the changed around the world. He tried to change the concept about the media, technology and communication. McLuhan highlighted this theory of his named with global village from his observation and researchers that the electronic (media) was swiftly integrating the globe. If we go pass by the history of internet which is now been very common source of information and communication to every single human on this universe. Sir Bill Gates, who is the Chairman of Microsoft company has invented a programming language basic for the first microcomputer in the history in 1973, after that in the same year Internet and Transmission Control Protocols were initially developed by the great American Scientist Vinton Cerf, who worked for the United States department of Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (ARPA) which was directed by American Engineer Robert Kahn. At first, by the help of Advance Research Project Agency who linked several universities and research laboratories in the United States. After 16 years of development and researches world wide web was developed by the great English computer scientist Timothy Berners-Lee who worked under European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the design of the internet was done in 1973 and published in 1974 the hard work resulting the internet in 1983, a number of demonstration were made by the great scientists of different universities. Moreover from the (ARPANET) which grew in 1970’s Leonard Kleinrocks and his mates worked over the design and performance of packet switched network latter UCLA Netwatch Program performed similar functions Kleinrocks and his team did for ARPANET but the great achievement of Kleinrocks was that he connected SDS Sigma 7 Computer to an interface massage processors which became the first node on ARPANET and the first computer ever on internet in early September 1969. After that in early 1996 the internet interconnected more than 25 million computers in more than 180 countries all over the world. With the interconnection of computer networks and different machines to communicate directly through internet had made the United States rule over everything from the last era. Not just the interconnection but the global interconnection of the United States government who deals around the world so easily with the modern technology, interconnection in the education which has made the best universities all over the world and is making the best scientists, doctors, engineers and with the business network which is available in the public around the world with one click..

Infant Mortality: a Case Study

Theresa Curtis Intro to Global Health Case Study: Infant Mortality Each year approximately 10 million babies do not breathe immediately at birth, of which about 6 million require basic neonatal resuscitation. The major burden is in low-income settings, where health system capacity to provide neonatal resuscitation is inadequate. Many of these babies die because their birth attendant or caregiver did not know a simple technique called neonatal resuscitation. Neonatal resuscitation is important because it is a technique that can and will save a baby’s life.Birth asphyxia is one of the leading causes of infant mortality, cerebral palsy and mental disabilities worldwide. In this case, we were asked to look at the China Neonatal Resuscitation Program. Why is this program important and why was China the country in the most need to have the program implemented? The program is important because more than twenty percent of chinese children die from birth asphyxia. In China 17 million c hildren are born every year. And The idea that children have to die because a nurse is not trained to resuscitate the child is sad.We, as americans are used to the big medical centers and if something happen we know that our child will be in good hands. The Key players in bringing rescuscitation to china was the American Academy of pediatrics. The program was first introduced in 1987 and it failed. I guess at the time there was not enough funding and of course when something new is introduced in the medical world, doctors or administrators are not quick to accept new techniques. I think of all that children that lost their lives because doctors and nurses were not trained to administer CPR or mechanical ventilation.The Chinese Society of Perinatal Medicine provided obstetricians and neonatologst. The Chinese Nursing Association provided nurses professional education and training in resuscitation. They also included midwives in the training because midwives do not use resuscitation t echniques during births. The Freedom of Breath Foundation of life Program was developed to reduce infant mortality rates by ensuring there is at least one skilled neonatal resuscitation provider at every delivery. After five years, that goal has been reached, nd more than 100,000 medical professionals from more than 20 provinces have been trained. In studies conducted by the China Ministry of Health, birth asphyxia mortality declined by 53 percent in 360 hospitals surveyed. (AAP. ORG) The future of the program is other countries being introduced to neonatal resuscitation. If the program worked for china than whose to say, it would not work for other countries. I wanted to research and find what other countries have implemented neonatal resuscitation since China.There is a similar program in Bangladesh. Before the program was implemented, the traditional way to resuscitate was to hold the baby upside down, slap the bottom or blow in the baby’s face. The only suctioning was of the mouth and nose. The main barriers to effective resuscitation are lack of competent staff and lack of simple equipment. Aga Khan University with UNICEF launched a program to improve resuscitation skills of Physicians, Nurses, and Midwives.I hope that all countries are able to implement a neonatal resuscitation program in the hospitals but also go out into the communities and share the technique with those that give birth at home. It is known that many women do not go to medical facilities to give birth. Therefore, there need to be a nurse or midwives that can go out into the village, community, to teach the home nurse how to give proper resuscitation. My five-year goal would be that all people know how to administer neonatal resuscitation.Many children are lost because they come out and they are not breathing. However, if more than one attendant knows the procedure more children can be saved. I would all medical personnel trained and re-trained every six months. It is important t o maintain skills. In many countries the father is not apart of the birth, and maybe they should be. A male instructor can train and show the father during a home birth how to resuscitate if needed. It can be the difference between life and death. Freedom of Breath, Freedom of life |Helping babies breathe | | |Designed to train birth attendants in developing countries in the area| |First to successfully bring neonatal resuscitation to china, in a |of newborn resuscitation. | |systematic and sustainable way. | | |Was developed to reduce the infant mortality rate by always having a |Has a train the trainer approach.Train the nurses and midwives in the| |person trained and skilled in neonatal resuscitation at delivery. |area of resuscitation before they go into the hospital and train | | |fellow nurses and midwives. | |Grew to national scale having 190 certified instructors and 44,000 |Trained 31 facilitators and 102 learners. however, the majority of | |practitioners trained |parti cipants could not demonstrate mastery of bag and mask ventilation| |The rate of birth asphyxia declined by more than a third. | |Providers’ skills and confidence have increased and more babies are |Participants in a program for neonatal resuscitation in | |surviving. The program is saving lives and improving the health of |resource-limited settings demonstrated high satisfaction | |women. | | References www. aap. org www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov www. jnj. com/giving-breath-to-life www. unicef. org/rosa/newborn

Gun Control

Gun Control Gun Control The issue of gun control is of immense significance to the United States for a number of reasons. Firstly, America is the only country in the world with 300 million firearms in circulation, which implies that virtually every adult possesses a firearm. This fact cannot but evoke deep concerns about an increase in homicide rates. Secondly, the point is that the murder rate in the U.S. is fifteen times higher than that in other developed countries, which have implemented stricter laws regulating the private ownership of firearms. As Major Michael Bloomberg mentioned, We are the only industrialized country that has this problem. The only one (In Other Countries, Laws are Strict and Work, 2012). Therefore, it can be reasonably argued that tougher gun laws will help to decrease the homicide rate, since it will be very hard to get any kind of weapons. To see how strict gun laws work, it is essential to consider practices of other countries. Australia is the brightest example. When a gunman shot thirty-five people in 1996, the government needed several weeks to ban shotguns and assault weapons, tighten licensing and finance buyback programs and gun amnesty. Since then, the homicide rate in Australia dropped by 59 %, and there were no gun massacres causing people deaths. Likewise, the British government imposed stricter gun laws after the school massacre in 1996, in Scotland. The authorities have banned all automatic weapons and almost all handguns, so that a person could not easily get even a hunting rifle. Further, in Japan, with its very tough laws, only eleven deaths were caused by firearms in 2008, whereas the same rate in the U.S. constituted 12,000 (In Other Countries, Laws are Strict and Work, 2012). According to other data, tougher gun laws are necessary, since weak gun control greatly contributes to an increase in justifiable civilian homicides, especially if combined with stand-your-ground-laws, implemented in the U.S. in 2005. Since then, as the Guardian analysis proves, the homicide rate has increased by 25%. What makes matters worse is that these measures encourage citizens to kill a potential enemy at once rather than try to escape or avoid threats first (Enten, 2012). It irreversibly leads to the fact that more people will carry guns in more places in order to defend themselves, which, in turn, cannot but cause a general increase in shootings. Besides, if more civilians carry firearms, it will be even easier for experienced criminals to steal weapons and kill people with their help. Although the opponents of tough gun laws, including Sohn (2012), argue that the latter will not prevent offenders from committing homicides, since criminals will find a way to access guns no matter what the rules are, this argument seems rather week. Firstly, even if a criminal is an insane person and wants to steal a gun, he will simply have no way to do that, since ordinary citizens will not carry weapons, and it will be rather hard to steal them from a police officer or specialized shops. Secondly, the Sohns (2012) argument that an armed citizen is one of the criminals biggest fears does not necessarily imply that an offender will not shoot at an armed person. Thirdly, the belief of Sowell (2012) that guns are not the problem but people including people who are determined to push gun control laws is false in essence: if there were no firearms, including other kind of weapons, there would be no murders. To sum up, taking into consideration the above mentioned facts, it can be claimed that stricter gun laws are necessary to reduce the number of homicides. This conclusion is based on the real data proving that limited access to firearms or even the complete prohibition of weapons really works. The prevailing opinion that these are not guns but people, who are guilty of the overwhelming number of murders, seriously undermines the possibility of human survival. It is true that homicides are usually committed by violent or insane people, but violence cannot overcome violence. If more and more individuals possess firearms, homicide rates will swiftly go up. Moreover, easy access to weapons will only intensify the already existing tendency that people get accustomed to murders and approve them as a means of self-defence. They become completely incapable of solving problems without weapons, and this phenomenon cannot but disturb. The wild west system of defence and justice is unacceptable i n the twenty-first century, if humanity wants to survive, and it is high time for every nation and country to acknowledge this.

Report on International Business Machines Corp (IBM) Case Study

Report on International Business Machines Corp (IBM) - Case Study Example Firstly, there was the disruptive change on the organization’s culture as a result of the telecommuting. Secondly, there was the problem with the initial technological support. The first issue has been identified by several authors as being a key stumbling for managing successful change efforts (Beer, Eisenstat, & Spector, 1990; Heracleous & Langham, 1996; Johnson, 1992; Kotter, 2007). All these authors’ viewpoints are looked at within the report. On the other hand, this report does not find the second issue of problems with technological support to be major because while an organization is implementing change one anticipates a state of flux during which systems and technologies have to experience instabilities. Johnson (1992) defined the cultural paradigm as the core set of beliefs and assumptions, held relatively commonly by management and employees, that are specific and relevant to that given organization and that are learned over time. Telecommuting changed the way of doing things at IBM for example some managers lost prestigious privileges such as private offices with private secretaries and team members became physically dispersed which made inter-team communication much harder. The first issue, the negative impact of telecommuting on IBM-Indiana’s cultural paradigm is analyzed using Johnson (1992) cultural web approach. The second issue is largely a technological issue that has to arise as the organization transitions from one stable organizational system to another. Organizational culture and managing change According to Johnson (1992) culture plays a big role in the development of strategy, the management of the resulting strategic change and also on the choices made by an organization’s leadership that lead up to both strategic development and change. In this case telecommuting presents a major strategic change for IBM-Indiana. The culture web is a tool proposed by Johnson (1992) as a suitable device for conducti ng an organization’s culture audit. According to Heracleous and Langham (1996) the cultural web allows managers to conceptualize the organization either within an interpretive frame of reference (what the organization is) or as a variable in a functionalist frame of reference (something an organization has). The culture web comprises of seven elements: paradigm, rituals and routines, organizational structure, power structures, control systems, symbolic aspects and stories as shown in Figure 1 below. Almost all the cultural web elements were greatly affected by the introduction to telecommuting. With telecommuting employees had to contend with new rituals and routines for example maintaining accurate and up to date schedule of activities on the computer to enable scheduling of meetings and teleconferences. Formalized control systems that monitor and therefore emphasize what is important at IBM, in order to focus attention and activity also had to be changed to reflect the ne w arrangement of partly off-site and on-site office arrangements. Managers who had private offices and private secretaries lost these huge symbolic aspects of being managers at IBM and the loss of group-work setting diminished opportunities for social contact and casual communication that

Beyond Grief - The Story of Sadie Likens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Beyond Grief - The Story of Sadie Likens - Essay Example Sadie also had a big heart for the veterans that were returning from military assignments in notably the Battle of Shiloh and the Civil War. As the Civil War raged outside America, Sadie once again recognized the agony of the military veterans and devoted herself towards caring for the wounded by becoming a nurse. Sadie also worked tirelessly during the Battle of Shiloh, and her efforts helped in the formation of the Farragut Relief Corps in 1881 (Kreck 1). The Farragut Relief Corps helped veterans that were struggling and aided them in establishing homes and doing general relief work. Many people had noticed Sadie’s selfless actions including the local authority in Colorado that gave her the position of Denver’s first police matron. Likens had, therefore, made a sign for women because the society felt that police work was a â€Å"man’s job† (Robert 1) Sadie’s new position as a jail matron within the police force entailed managing the new female pri sons and prisoners and ensuring that the state accords them the best care. Sadie stood for truth and justice even is such a move would cost her job. Sadie Likens got fired for refusing to vote for Governor Davis Waite due to the corruption and plunder in his regime (Rocky Mountain News). However, the residents of Denver were aware of her virtuous nature and rallied behind her through revolts until she got back her job. However, Sadie declined and resigned to take the position opting to move in a different direction and take up humanitarian work.