Why should we care about child poverty in the uk Essay

Why should we care about child poverty in the uk - Essay Example According to Burns(2013)â€Å"In terms of local authorities, Tower Hamlets in London had the highest levels of child poverty, with 42% of children growing up in poverty†. Being developed nation child poverty indicates the incompetence and inefficiency of United Kingdom in the eyes of world. As per Save the Children (2012)â€Å"In Britain today there are a shocking 1.6 million children living in severe poverty†. A nation with comprehensive government agenda and public health policy need to give much attention to health and quality of living of young generation in their country. Child poverty in UK also shows the low wages of its citizen. As per BBC(2012)â€Å" A child is considered to be living in poverty if their household income is less than 60% of averages wages†. So child poverty is a matter of significance as it is a call to the nation for the alteration of policies of public health and welfare of a nation. Child poverty in UK is a subject to be pondered about as it is a concern for the future development of the country. Child poverty is a serious factor which afflicts the health and wellbeing of a child. When a child is mentally and physically impoverished, then the education of the child and his personality is in question. According to (Save the children)â€Å"Malnutrition is the underlying cause of at least a fifth of maternal mortality and more than a third of child deaths globally†. The poverty steals away nourishment, health, living status and education from a child. A child without education is a weakest link of a nation, society and family. So child poverty in UK is a serious issue. As per Barnardos(2013) â€Å"There are currently 3.6 million children living in poverty in the UK†. Child poverty is a shame on the economic status of a nation. If a child is not protected by government, then the country has no authentic responsibility towards its nation.

Why China has grown faster then India

Why China has grown faster then India Introduction: Comparative studies between China and India are becoming more popular now in the international level. China and India are among the largest economies in the world today. While the Chinese economy has surpass India by a wide margin over the past 15 years. I am comparing the growth experiences of China and India at a broad level, explaining why China has grown faster than India by focusing on the comparison of GDP, Exchange rates policies, Monetary and Fiscal policies, and Unemployment in India and China. In this study will analyze why per capita national income is so much higher in China than in India? And why Chinas GDP is growing so much faster? And why unemployment remains high in both the countries and how the Governments addressing the Unemployment factors? Why GDP per capita national income is so much higher in China than in India? In 1978, after years of state controlled productive assets, the Chinese government invests on a major economic reform program. In an effort to awaken economic giant, it encouraged the formation of rural enterprises, private businesses, liberalized foreign trade and investment. China also relaxed state control over some prices, invested in industrial production and stressed on education of its workforce. The growth in the country is accumulated capital assets, such as new factories, manufacturing machinery and communications systems. Economic development has suggested a significant role for capital investment in economic growth, and a sizable portion of Chinas recent growth is in fact attributable to capital investment that has made the country more productive. In other words, new machinery, better technology and more investment in infrastructure have helped to increase its output. Being hospitable to foreign investment, Chinas open-door policy has added power to the economic transformation. Cumulative foreign direct investment, negligible before 1978, reached nearly US$100 billion in 1994. Annual inflows increased from less than 1% of total fixed investment in 1979 to 18% in 1994. The foreign money helped China built factories, creates more jobs, linked China to international markets and led to important transfers of technology. These trends are especially apparent in the more than one dozen open coastal areas where foreign investors enjoy tax advantages. In addition, economic liberalization has boosted exports which rise 19% a year during 1981-1994. Strong export growth, in turn, appears to have fueled productivity growth in domestic industries. (Zuliu Hu, Mohin S.Khan, 1997) GDP Per Capita (Current US$) 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 China 1,731 2,072 2,660 3,422 3,744 India 765 855 1,096 1,065 1,134 (Adapted from The World Bank Group, 2010) Why Chinas GDP is growing so much faster? GDP: Comparative Analysis between China and India As per IMF (International Monetary Fund) report, China was the fourth largest economy of the world by nominal GDP in 2006, where as India was 12th. China registered GDP growth rate of 14.2% in the first half of 2007, where as India has registered a 9.6% GDP growth in June 2007. Chinese economy is worth $4900 billion, whereas the India economy is worth of $1300 billion. GDP Growth (Annual %) 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 China 11.3 12.7 14.2 9.6 9.1 India 9.3 10.1 9.6 5.1 7.7 (Adapted from The World Bank Group, 2010) GDP (Current US$) 2006 2007 2008 2009 China 2,716,870,000,000 3,505,530,000,000 4,532,790,000,000 4,984,730,000,000 India 949,192,000,000 1,232,820,000,000 1,214,210,000,000 1,310,170,000,000 (Adapted from The World Bank Group, 2010) Chinas economy seems to be a better bet, for unlike China; India is yet to prove that it can sustain high growth rates over a period of time. The general feeling is that despite having a boom in technology, services and IT sector, the Indian economy still eventually depends on good monsoons, meaning that agriculture continues to dominate the Indian economy more than it should. (Arvinder Singh, May/June 2005) Foreign Direct Investment, Net Inflows (BoP, Current US$) The FDI flow depends on the market size, market growth rates, political stability, corruption, exchange rates, labor productivity, economic freedom, infrastructure, openness, human capital and taxes. China got $79 billion in 2005 in FDI and India did not even get $ 7 billion in FDI. In 2009 there is slight change in Chinas FDI of about $78 billion dollars but India made a good progress of raising $34 billion in FDI compared to year 2005. The study tried to explore this phenomenon and to understand the drivers for attracting foreign investment in emerging economies. India despite being the largest democracy in the world has lagged behind due to its focus on services and specialized skill based relatively small manufacturing model in contrast to China. India growth model has been based on IT, ITES and skilled manufacturing which are dependent on the availability of human skill and capital in an emerging market. (Swapna S Sinha, Apr-Sep 2008) FDI, Net inflows (BoP, Current US$) 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 China 79,126,731,413 78,094,665,751 138,413,000,000 147,791,000,000 78,192,727,413 India 7,606,425,242 20,335,947,448 25,127,155,852 41,168,605,242 34,577,000,000 (Adapted from The World Bank Group, 2010) China is regularly getting 10 to 12 times more foreign investment than India. In India the number have come up, they will probably come up more. I believe China has a more competitive manufacturing sector than India and that is derived primarily from Chinas greater degree of openness than India. That does not mean that India does not have many world class manufacturing companies, it certainly does, but on an average the competitive environment in China is much stronger because its tariff being much lower. (Wanda Tseng, 2006) Trade in Goods (Imports, Exports and Trade Balance) in China India: Trade with China Month Exports Imports Balance January 2010 6,888.8 25,185.1 -18,296.3 February 2010 6,855.1 23,363.8 -16,508.8 March 2010 7,403.6 24,300.2 -16,896.6 April 2010 6,591.2 25,905.7 -19,314.5 May 2010 6,752.7 29,036.8 -22,284.1 June 2010 6,715.0 32,866.5 -26,151.5 July 2010 7,344.7 33,260.0 -25,915.3 August 2010 7,253.5 35,288.5 -28,035.0 Total 55,804.6 229,206.7 -173,402.1 Note: All figures are in millions of US dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. (Adapted from U.S. Census Bureau, 2010) Trade with India Month Exports Imports Balance January 2010 1,295.5 2,079.4 -783.9 February 2010 1,235.2 1,958.1 -722.9 March 2010 1,454.8 2,472.4 -1,017.6 April 2010 1,671.2 2,650.0 -978.8 May 2010 1,852.9 2,672.6 -819.7 June 2010 1,690.6 2,532.6 -841.9 July 2010 1,800.2 2,591.4 -791.2 August 2010 1,716.8 2,773.5 -1056.7 Total 12,717.1 19,729.9 -7012.7 Note: All figures are in millions of US dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. (Adapted from U.S. Census Bureau, 2010) ? Exchange Rate Policies in two countries: China policy The debate over the exchange rate between the Renminbi (RMB) and the Dollar is usually framed in terms of global imbalances, excessive US consumption beyond its savings on the one hand, and excessive Chinese production and savings beyond its own spending on the other. This quickly leads to a conclusion that the United States should export and save more and China should import and spend more. Leaders in the United States would like the RMB to appreciate significantly and quickly to encourage an expansion of US exports and employment. The argument for a sustained appreciation of the RMB is rooted not only in short term concerns about Chinas large current account surplus, but also in long term trends of Chinas economic fundamentals, including high growth rate, rapid urbanization and industrialization, low national debt and low fiscal deficits. These trends are the result of three decades of reform in China that have opened the country to trade with the rest of the world and led to strong productivity gains. Based on the experience of other fast growing industrializing economies, these forces will increase Chinese wages, the value of the RMB and Chinas price level over time. (Steven Dunaway, 2010) (Geng Xiao, 2010) Indian Policy With the appreciation of the rupee/dollar exchange rate in early May and the expectation of interest rate hike, there was some appreciation of the rupee and that could hurt exports. In particular, it would hurt the low value added exports from small and medium enterprises. The recent recovery in exports happens to be the biggest factor for a sharp rise in industrial output growth; this imminent rate hike was opposed. There were calls for the Reserve Bank of India to intervene in the forex market to contain the strength of the rupee largely to support the export sector recovery. There were even suggestions to continue the export incentives that were part of the overall stimulus packages of 2009. These suggestions are based on the assumption that in India, a weak rupee would encourage exports and thus, help the overall growth recovery. Many economists have argued for intervention in the forex market, and some Asian economies, notable China maintain artificially undervalued exchange rates to maintain international competitiveness. (N R Bhanumurthy, 2010) Monetary and Fiscal Policies in two countries: Indian Monetary Policy The Reserve bank continues its tightening cycle as inflation pressures are building, by raising reserve requirements and its main interest rates since the beginning of the year. Indian Fiscal Policy The budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year projects improvements for the deficit after the fiscal stimulus of last year and the large one off expenditures of the year before. As a share of GDP, the deficit is expected to reach 7.8% of GDP from 9.6% last year and 11.8% in 2008-09. The improvement will come from a combination of weaker expenditure growth from reduced subsidies and greater revenues from the acceleration of economic growth. The reversal of indirect tax cuts that were part of the fiscal stimulus package, the expansion of the tax base and the revival of the privatization program, as well as the one time sale of G3 licenses, which generated over US$ 15 billion. Solvency indicators will improve again, but are expected to remain above comfortable levels, with public debt to GDP reaching 68% by 2014-15. (Export Development Canada, 2010) Unemployment in China India and Remedial Measures by the Government: Causes of Unemployment in China This country has largest population in the world. The work force available is too large. Every year new generation is added to the already available work force. It is very difficult for any government to find jobs for millions of young people entering in the job market. In 2004 the estimation was that 15 million young people will enter the job market and only about 8 million jobs were expected to be created in that year. The other major reason behind the unemployment is the type of jobs offered. There is lack of jobs for the graduates and literate young people. I feel that the ever increasing population and lack of the English speaking workforce are the two major causes of unemployment in China. Causes of Unemployment in India There are individual factors like age, slow pace of development, high growth rate of population, slow industrialization, slow growth rate of agriculture etc. Every year Indian population increases manifold. More than this every year about 5 million people become eligible for securing jobs. Self employment field is subject to ups and downs of trade cycle and globalization. Technological advancement contributes to economic development, but unplanned and uncontrolled growth of technology is causing havoc on job opportunities. The Chinese government is addressing the unemployment issues by promoting growth of tertiary industries, by increasing financial support and implementing favorable policy for non state sector especially small medium companies in private sector. It is also readjusting the employment concept and is preparing laborers with practical job training and education. Conclusion: The main reason why Chinas GDP is higher than Indias is that the growth of China has resulted from the rapid rise in the manufacturing of high-tech goods in the country under the large scale high tech manufacturing firms like Lenovo, Baidu.com and Huawei Technologies. The infrastructural development in China has also been quite high than that of India, which has added to growth of the Chinese GDP. China spends 11% of GDP on infrastructure and India spends 6% of GDP on infrastructure. (Geethanjali Nataraj, 2010)

Antony and Octavio :: Antony Octavio Essays

Chronological analysis of the strengthening of Octavius compared with the errors made by Antony. DATE (BC) Factors affecting Antony Factors affecting Octavius 42BC Battle of Philippi. With Lepidus, Antony led an armed force into Macedonia to face the conspirators who killed Caesar. The "Republican" conspirators had 19 legions at their command (about 120000 men), against the triumvir's 28 legions (about 170000). The triumvirs won resoundingly, and the leaders (Brutus and Cassius) committed suicide. Triumvirs firmly in control of Roman Government. Lepidus, the weaker triumvir, was clearly friendly towards Antony. This is exemplified by his full support against the conspirators despite Octavius' absence, and his previous support for Antony during civil war against Octavius. Battle of Philippi. Octavius was sick during the campaign, and did not play a significant role in its events. However, through his triumviral allies he had avenged the death of his uncle. 42/1BC Division of the Empire. Antony received most of Gaul, but Cisalpine Gaul was redefined as part of Italia. Influence over government in Rome, possibly reduced, as Antony was absent in the provinces to collect taxes and appease veteran soldiers. Lepidus (Antony's ally) was allocated Africa to put him at a distance from Antony and Octavius who divided the European empire between them. Division of the Empire. Octavius received the two Spanish provinces, and Sicily and Sardinia. He settled many of his veterans in Italy, giving him significant influence over the government in the capital. He was also responsible for defeating Sextius Pompey who was causing havoc in Sicily, and a major threat to Rome. 40 Triumvirate strengthened. Antony marries Octavia, sister of the similarly named triumvir. Antony moves East. Power transferred so that he controlled all provinces east of Macedonia (inclusive). Further decrease of influence in Rome as Octavius controls the west, despite the premise of "sharing Italy". Lepidus further marginalised in triumvirate. Triumvirate strengthened. Genuine(?) move by Octavius to maintain alliance through marriage. Octavius takes all of the west. All provinces west of Illyricium were taken over by Octavius' legions. 39 Sextius Pompey appeased by being given Sardinia and Sicily. Sextius Pompey appeased by being given Sardinia and Sicily. 38 Antony discouraged by expansion of Octavius. (read the right column first). Possibly disgruntled by Octavius' acquisition of more territory than was agreed, Antony attacks Octavius' breaking of the 39BC treaty. However, he still sends help to crush Pompey. Makes his capital in Athens. Decline of influence in Rome. (No evidence to suggest he had visited Rome since 41?

Evaluating Employee Retention Essay

High employee turnover rate has been considered as one of the highest drivers for direct and opportunity cost to rise for companies. In the Coca Cola Retailing Research, Blake (2000) estimates that about US$5. 8 billion annually are lost in the supermarket sector alone due to employee turnover. More importantly, this figure significantly reduces the profitability of firms to as much as 40%. Hence, the mantra that human resources or people are still the most important factor of production considering the improvements in technology is still a prevalent notion among scholars and businessmen alike (Buckingham and Vosburgh, 2001). With this in mind, human resources management is driven to attract and retain employees that have proved valuable in the company over periods of time. Essentially, employee retention and the reduction of employee turnover rate had been studied in the literature and in company case studies. However, despite the numerous studies provided to us, there are still debates that need to be resolved on the most potent factors that would make employees stay. This paper presents a case study of Coca Cola Company particularly its program on employee retention, the issues and challenges that it faces in terms of employee turnover, its impact on the company both financially and operationally, and the improvements that can be made in order to enhance the employee retention program and reduce turnover rates. Employee Retention: Factors and Drivers Employee retention on a macro-scale had generally been impacted by the external economy in general and the trends in the business sector (Frank and Taylor, 2004). On a micro-scale however, employee retention are affected by programs/policies of the company, wages and benefits in relation to its competitors, skills, training and promotion, employee motivation and satisfaction as well as other factors that are internal to the company. For instance, while the US economy had been considered at a low level in recent years, employee turnover had been maximal in the periods 2002-2003 because of the downsizing that had been prevalent in US companies. Add to this factor, employee discontent according to the survey of the Conference Board (2003) had been highest since 1995 and that employees are only waiting for a market recovery to look for other jobs (Kaihla, 2003). Hence, aside from these factors that needs to be considered by companies, employee turnover affects the cost of the US economy by at least US$5 trillion annually (Journal of Business Strategy, 2003) and reduces stock prices and earnings to about 38% (Sibson, 2000). Consequently, aside from the financial impact of employee turnover, employee retention has been directly correlated by Dresang (2002) to increase productivity as well as customer loyalty. Employee retention had been attributed to several factors; let us first analyze the factors identified in the literature to contribute employee retention and reduction of turnover. In Coca Cola, the top retention drivers between hourly employees and management employees were identified as follows. For the hourly employees, providing directions, availability of equipment and supplies and immediate supervision were identified as drivers for retention while for managers, it would be organizational direction, training and advancement (Frank, 2000). These factors validate earlier studies that front-line leaders play a critical role in the retention of employees (SHRM Retention Survey, 2000). This is because poor management would drive employees away because of their perceived lack of importance accorded to them by the company. Consequently, this result implies that managers being critical factors in employee retention would need to be improved in terms of training and professional development programs by the company (Gantz Wiley Research, 2004). Hence, Frank (2000) asserted that organizational and management practices as drivers for retention have specific and identifiable goals. First, for employees working by the hour, tactical practices in accomplishing their jobs effectively are considered to be important. This is because these employees derive their satisfaction and motivation from the feedback that they receive from their immediate supervisors. Hence, their execution of their specific tasks is important in order to make them feel important in the company. However, management retention had been attributed to the strategic direction of the company as well as their professional training and advancement. This implies that managers are more likely to stay in a company with a training program that would encourage professional growth as well as a program with concrete promotion guidelines. Coca Cola Employee Retention Program Coca Cola, the leading manufacturer of carbonated drinks had been considered as one of the top employers not only in terms of providing hundreds of jobs worldwide but also in strategically managing its employees turn over rate. The advocacy of Coca Cola rests on the productivity and skills of its employees in providing quality products and assuring quality control of its merchandise. In return, Coca Cola incorporates in its core policies the Workplace Rights Policies which includes a holistic view of its workers ensuring that its policies serves up to the promotion of a holistic employee growth (The Coca Cola Company, 2008). Unlike PepsiCo, Coca Cola allows unions and provides for a collective bargaining in order to protect the rights of its employees. This has led to the unorganization of the employees of PepsiCo compared to that of Coca Cola- while there is a high level of collective bargaining in Coca Cola, PepsiCo has not provided its employees the venue to air its grievances. However, compared to PepsiCo’s Taste to Success employment brand statement and its numerous programs for employee retention such as â€Å"Culture of Shared Principles†, â€Å"Ability to Make an Impact†, â€Å"Quality People† and â€Å"Passion for Growth†, Coca Cola’s campaign for employee retention is still in the process of evolving. For one, the 2000 research employed by Coca Cola to determine the cost and the opportunities for employee retention, the company had redeveloped its corporate strategy to specifically address its management and rank and file retention issues by changing its strategy. For instance, Coca Cola has the â€Å"talent magnets† program in celebration of managers who are able to attract outstanding talents in their team. This is done by Coca Cola in order to provide advancement not only for managers but for rank and file employees as well. Consequently, Coca Cola in its mission statement includes four components indicating the responsibility of managers to develop the rank and file employees. For example, in Coca Cola’s Competency/Success Model, it targets the self and others, rank and file employees would provide the necessary feedback on their manager regarding their development success and compensation based on their skills. Based on these criteria, the managers are then judged by upper management (Olian, et al, 1998). Hence, the focus of Coca Cola is on teams and not on individuals alone. This is similar to the practices in PepsiCo but to a lesser extent. For instance, PepsiCo still values individual achievement and skills in its promotion and advancement. In terms of compensation and pay, both PepsiCo and Coca Cola had been criticized by foreign countries by providing below level compensation for employees. In the United States, typically, the wage of same level employees is the same for both. Consequently, the benefits for regular and part time employees are comparable with one another. Moreover, both companies provide training and development programs, diversity and multi-cultural work environment as well as programs for advancement. However, the primary difference is that Coca Cola had been considered to fundamentally more sound strategically than that of PepsiCo. For instance, while PepsiCo offers different variety of products in the beverage and snack sector and have declared bankruptcy in the past, Coca Cola’s sound management fundamentals have prevented it from investing in risky ventures. While both PepsiCo and Coca Cola had been fraught with workers issues particularly in low salaries and wages as well as the issues of better rights for workers, Coca Cola had fared well better in retaining its employees because it is more stable than PepsiCo (which had closed 4 plants in New Jersey) and because of the presence and tolerance of unions. To a large extent, unions in Coca Cola had perennially protected the rights of its workers and hence, led to lower employee turnover in Coca Cola. Valid and Effective Employee Retention Program Employee retention programs while it should consider external aspects of its operations such as the economic performance of the country, the wages and salary in that specific country as well as competition, internal factors within the human resource sector would also needed to be re-examined particularly in determining the means to retain employees. It should be noted that skillful employees and managers are considered to be precious and scarce commodities in today’s employment world. This is the reason why companies such as Coca Cola reserves rewards for its top performers in selling and marketing its products. For instance, those who have shown superior performance than others are given career advancements readily, trainings and professional development growths are available and they have better bargaining power. Hence, these workers can demand for better work conditions particularly in balancing their work-family life. This however, does not only apply for managers but also for rank and file employees. While priorities would differ for the two classes, the need to be valued by the organization is important. This is manifested in terms of pay and wages, benefits, promotions, advancement, work condition as well as the need to know their role in the organizational mission. Hence, employee retention programs should focus on the internal and external factors of employees: pay, benefits and promotion as well as the working relations of the employees on their immediate superiors and co-workers as well as in providing a better consideration for themselves as a person and not just a worker. For instance, feedback from the manager are important considerations from rank and file employees (Frank, 2000) implying that it is no longer the salary and compensation that matters for retention but also on the relationship of subordinates to superiors. Hence, programs on employee retention should focus on managers’ ability to improve their subordinates and drive their team to achieve. This would imply that advancements would also focus on the ability of the managers to train and improve the position and compensation of their employees. Finally, the ability of companies such as Coca Cola to provide a better balance in the life of the employees by providing opportunities for better working conditions such as work-life balance can improve the loyalty of the employees as well as enhance their productivity (Younger, Smallwood and Ulrich, 2007). Method in Determining Effective Employee Retention Program The Coca Cola Study had proposed thirteen (13) scales for management and organizational practices that can serve as a benchmark in evaluating the employee retention program: 1) organizational direction; 2) immediate supervision; 3) providing directions; 4) providing feedback; 5) equipment and supplies; 6) working conditions; 7) work organization; 8) pay administration; 9) pay and benefits; 10) advancement; 11) impact; 12) training; and 13) capacity (Frank, 2000). These scales serve as a benchmark in evaluating current employee retention programs in Coca Cola. Accordingly, these factors would be critically assessed in the next section using the Coca Cola study in order to determine the areas where Coca Cola had improved since the study was completed in 2000 and the areas that would need improvement. It should be noted that this scale system is specific to supermarket products and may not reflect with other companies. Discussion and Recommendations for Effective Employee Retention Program in Coca Cola Traditional conception on employee retention had been that: increase the pay and employees will stay. However, in current business environment where skilled workers are offered with numerous job offers, the scope of employee retention had also broadened. First, employees now consider the organizational direction of the company. As shown in the survey of Coca Cola, organizational direction is important for managers in order to determine their goals in line with that of the company. A company with good fundamental organizational goals is more likely to retain managers who align themselves within the organizational direction. However, this is not only the case for managers as implied in the second factor which is immediate supervision. Managers and supervisors are tasked with the need to improve on the quality of its supervisory capacity in order to retain rank and file employees. In Coca Cola, managers who are in charge of a team are judged not on their individual performance but on how the team had performed. Hence, effective supervision and management are critical in determining the success of employees both in the managerial as well as the rank and file level. The principle is no longer that managers will rise alone but rather, rank and file employees will rise alongside their manager. This is also the core policy of Coca Cola’s self and others program wherein one is not only responsible for his or her self but for the team as well. Third, providing directions is no longer the monopoly of supervisors and managers. Typically, the vertical or line hierarchy within business firms had been replaced by horizontal and a more interactive workplace. Rank and file employees now have the freedom for better independence as well as in providing input to the management. In Coca Cola, this is no longer prohibited but is encouraged in order to gain fresh and better insights to improve on performance. The principle behind this is that those who do the work are better equipped with the knowledge on how to improve it. Along this line is the recognition that rank and file employees can provide direction to the organization as well which is the fourth factor in the item- providing feedback. The feedback system in Coca Cola does not rest solely on the discretion of the managers but also on the records of the employee. However, the feedback given by the immediate supervisors are important in determining the capacity and skills as well as the importance accorded to an employee. At Coca Cola, since teams are driven to produce, supervisors and managers can provide immediate feedback. Positive feedback gives the sense of accomplishment for employees as well as the feeling that they are valued members of the organization. This in essence, increases employee motivation and satisfaction. The fifth and sixth factors include availability of equipments and supplies as well as working conditions of the employees. It should be noted that in order to accomplish a task, materials necessary would have to be available. For rank and file employees, the management that ensures that these materials are available is tantamount to the perception that the work they accomplish is important in the organization. This leads us to the sixth factor which is working condition. The work environment has been considered as one of the more important determinant of employee motivation and hence, employee retention and turnover. Those employees whose work is not recognized are more likely to be unmotivated. Coca Cola for its part has better working conditions than PepsiCo. However, working conditions outside of the United States would need to be improved because of their poor managerial and plant support. In the United States, these issues are less pressing. Thus, it is the responsibility of the top management to ensure that despite the need of workers in third world countries of work, its improvement would cut the rate of employee turnover and increase the possibility of retention. Seventh, one good way to improve employee retention is for the Coca Cola management to use a slogan that will serve as the company’s goal similar to that of PepsiCo. Many corporations use the slogan, â€Å"People are our most important asset. † Similarly, many companies contend that their values support teamwork, integrity, respect, and dignity. While this may sound good, it takes hard, consistent work in policies, statements and actions for employees to believe it. Eight, the classic pay philosophy is to provide wages that will attract and retain qualified employees. Being aware of the wage rates in an organization’s external market place is critical to Coca Cola’s success for retaining employees. The case of the Coca Cola’s wage scale is low; the company has already lost employees to other sectors that pay a higher rate. Hence, there is a need for improvements in the compensation by improving on performance pays. For instance, lump sum merit awards on the other hand provide financial recognition for an individual’s job performance in lieu of merit-based salary increases. This is an effective way to provide financial recognition, especially to those individuals whose base salary is already relatively high.

Elements used in Raisin in the Sun Essay

Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun is a monumental play in the theatrical world. Produced in 1959, it became the first play written by an African-American woman to hit the stage and was later nominated for several Tony Awards. The play touched many controversial themes of the time including racial discrimination and poverty. The design of Raisin in the Sun, including scenic, costume, lighting, and sound elements, were crucial to developing the plot and emphasizing these themes. All of the elements are vital to the message and audience interpretation of the production, and overall, the Playmakers Repertory Company executed them well. The scenic design of a play is arguably the most important element of a production. It is what sets the stage and puts both the characters and the script into context. In Raisin in the Sun, the set, including scenery and props, helped define the characters, allowing the audience to get a feel for the setting and time period. Most importantly, the scenery developed the line of the play—the space in which the Younger family had to live—which was strategic to developing plot conflict. The Younger family lived in a small, run down apartment that emphasized their social class. To name a few, the wallpaper was discolored, the living room couch was old and musty, and the only visible bedroom to the audience was merely big enough for the bed. Travis, the son, was forced to sleep on the couch, and it was unclear how much space was upstairs where Beneatha, the daughter, and the Grandmother, Lena, slept. The design of the apartment played to the overall conflict within the family; the desperation to escape poverty only intensified within these cramped quarters. Although, the characters managed to deal with their living situation, it caused tension to build within each member of the family, which was a crucial part of plot development. The lower class feel of the house honed in on Walter Lee’s burning desire to get into business and climb the social ladder. The less-than-luxurious surroundings seemed to amplify his unhappiness when he entered the room, allowing the plot to build along with the tension in the house. In addition to scenery, the props strategically placed around the housed illustrated the family’s cares and values. Throughout the room, the audience could see many picture frames. However, the two that were predominately displayed were a picture of Christ hanging over the front door, and a picture of Lena’s deceased husband that stayed on a table in the living room. These props emphasized importance the Younger’s placed on family and religion, which came up many times throughout the production. The entire family lived under one roof, looking after one another and making ends meet, together as a whole. In addition, the plot centered around a life-insurance check from the death of Lena’s husband. This kept the element of religion present since he was deceased and in the eyes of Lena, watching over the family. Both the design of the apartment and the detail of the props within it gave the audience a greater understanding of the deep-rooted values and conflicts of the family. The costume design of Raisin in the Sun went hand-in-hand with the scenery and props. The realistic clothes of the Younger family further described a family of lower class, although not an untidy one. Each day, the members of the family would dress for work or school as well as they could, which illustrated the pride the family carried. This enormous pride stemmed from an important theme within the play: overcoming racial discrimination. Lena dreamed of escaping the busyness of Chicago, and bought a house in a white neighborhood with the hefty check from her husband’s insurance policy. Her pride kept the family afloat and was their only defense against the discrimination they faced from the area. Furthermore, each character’s costumes fit their personalities. While Lena, Ruth, and Walter Lee were usually dressed in working clothes, reflecting their family duty, Beneatha dressed in more modern clothes, illustrating her character as a free-spirited college student. One day she would wear girly skirts and flowery designs, the next she was going back to her roots wearing African garments and sporting natural hair. The costume designers successfully captured each character’s personality as well as keeping the image of pride apparent through the character’s choice of clothes. In addition to scenic and costume design, every play must have specific lighting. This sets the mood of each scene, giving the audience a better feel of what is happening within the plot. For the most part, the lighting within the apartment was warm and dim, giving the setting a homey and somewhat relaxed feel. However, the dimness of the light also played upon the unhappiness that stirred within the family during certain scenes. These moments of lighting kept with the realistic aspect of the play. However, there were times of unrealistic lighting meant to enhance a scene. When Beneatha was dancing to African music and Walter Lee came in and joined her, the lighting became jungle-like. The reds and oranges along with the images of palm frons surrounded the two, carrying them away from the real world. Although this would never happen in real life, it was apparent the lighting was illustrating what was going on in their minds, showing the desire to escape their current troubles. The second and only other time of surreal lighting was when Walter Lee had his breakdown and then moment of clarity near the end of the show. The entire set went dark except for a spotlight on him. This choice in lighting was appropriate for such a somber scene and drew the audience in even more. The times of abstract or unrealistic lighting did not take away from the realness of the play. Instead, it enhanced the scenes to the benefit of the audience. The last element of design that affected the play is the sound design. Obviously the show had typical sound effects—doors slamming for emphasis, Beneatha playing African music, etc. —that decorated each scene as it unfolded. However, there was a significant aspect to the sound design of this particular production. Throughout the play, the characters would turn on the radio and interviews and other recordings from the 1960s would play over the speaker. Some of these included Lorraine Hansberry speaking about the nominations and winning the Tony and discussion of civil rights movements of the time. Some may think this was distracting, but it anchored the play within the time period. This allowed the audience to get a better feel of what was happening during the era and highlighted the major theme of racial discrimination within the plot. All in all, the production of Raisin in the Sun was a success. Yes, this is highly due in part to the excellent skill of the actors. However, without stagecraft, a play cannot be complete. The elements of design produce a world that actors could never create on script alone. In the Playmakers Repertory Company’s production of Raisin in the Sun, the scenic, costume, lighting, and sound design worked cohesively to enhance and develop all aspects of the characters and plot. The provocative themes of escaping poverty, chasing dreams, and overcoming racial discrimination were illustrated brilliantly by tremendous execution of the elements of design and an impressive performance by the acting company.

Free Essays on Ryan Phillipee

Ryan Phillippe â€Å"I think Ryan Phillippe is the real deal. He's the only next-generation guy I've met where I'm like, 'Yup, that guy is not a pretender,† said Joshua Jackson. In the beginning of Matthew Ryan Phillippe’s career he struggled, then he got his first big break, hit the big screen and got to marry the love of his life. Ryan is a dynamic actor, a family man and someone people could look up too. Ryan’s stardom didn’t just happen over night. In the beginning, Ryan led a normal life with a loving family and then he got a big break in Hollywood. Ryan was born on September 10, 1974. He grew up in New Castle, Delaware with three sisters. He had a normal childhood with typical parents. The story of how the angel-faced Phillippe broke into showbiz is when he was getting his curly blond hair trimmed at a local barbershop in his hometown; a stranger, who was struck by his looks, approached him. He encouraged Ryan to become an actor. Ryan’s looks are what got him into acting but his acting skills are what made him famous. Not many people get recognized this was by agents. He was designated for stardom. Just seven months later, 17 year old Ryan had his first job, â€Å"One Life To Live.† He played Billy Douglas, the first gay teenager on a soap opera. The TV world opened up many opportunities for him. Ryan also opened up the door to other soap operas. Ryanâ €™s normal childhood lead to rise to stardom. After struggling for a while, Ryan finally made the big screen. He decided to try film. His first film role was â€Å"Crimson Tide†, that was quickly followed by â€Å"Invader,† â€Å"White Squall,† and â€Å"Nowhere.† These films were interesting, but they were not star making roles. Ryan would have to make a couple more movies until he was the lead man and show off all of his talents. Ryan then worked on â€Å"I Know What You Did This Summer.† He took backseat role behind Freddie Prince Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt. He played an a... Free Essays on Ryan Phillipee Free Essays on Ryan Phillipee Ryan Phillippe â€Å"I think Ryan Phillippe is the real deal. He's the only next-generation guy I've met where I'm like, 'Yup, that guy is not a pretender,† said Joshua Jackson. In the beginning of Matthew Ryan Phillippe’s career he struggled, then he got his first big break, hit the big screen and got to marry the love of his life. Ryan is a dynamic actor, a family man and someone people could look up too. Ryan’s stardom didn’t just happen over night. In the beginning, Ryan led a normal life with a loving family and then he got a big break in Hollywood. Ryan was born on September 10, 1974. He grew up in New Castle, Delaware with three sisters. He had a normal childhood with typical parents. The story of how the angel-faced Phillippe broke into showbiz is when he was getting his curly blond hair trimmed at a local barbershop in his hometown; a stranger, who was struck by his looks, approached him. He encouraged Ryan to become an actor. Ryan’s looks are what got him into acting but his acting skills are what made him famous. Not many people get recognized this was by agents. He was designated for stardom. Just seven months later, 17 year old Ryan had his first job, â€Å"One Life To Live.† He played Billy Douglas, the first gay teenager on a soap opera. The TV world opened up many opportunities for him. Ryan also opened up the door to other soap operas. Ryanâ €™s normal childhood lead to rise to stardom. After struggling for a while, Ryan finally made the big screen. He decided to try film. His first film role was â€Å"Crimson Tide†, that was quickly followed by â€Å"Invader,† â€Å"White Squall,† and â€Å"Nowhere.† These films were interesting, but they were not star making roles. Ryan would have to make a couple more movies until he was the lead man and show off all of his talents. Ryan then worked on â€Å"I Know What You Did This Summer.† He took backseat role behind Freddie Prince Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt. He played an a...

Why The North Won The Civil War Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Why The North Won The Civil War Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Why The North Won The Civil War The Confederate South, which is known for its deep military history, proved to be no competition for an industrially sound and hastily growing north in this Civil War. The North that was industrially strong and armed to the teeth found much of their victories quite easily obtainable. Strategy, moral, leadership, and economy are just a few factors that contributed to the Union?s dominance over the confederate succeeded states. The Union won the civil war by economic fortitude and industrial dominance not just by the power of their military. The Civil War was over before it began. "There was probably never any chance of the South winning without European recognition and military aid" (Zebrowski 222). The union showed its advantages from the beginning. In population the North had an advantage of almost five to two. This advantage appears even greater if the slaves (which were more than one-third of the Southern people) are counted as somewhat less than the same number of freemen (Current 21). Raw materials were mostly congregated in the North. Much of the railroads were traced across the northern habitants: twice as much track and a better system of integrated lines (Brinkley 383). The South fell short with these advantages and just could not keep up. The strategies of these two feuding regions widely varied. Grand strategy was involved in the southern approach to the war. This was the fact that the confederacy didn?t have to win in order to win; it was enough if she held the field long enough to weary the North with the war. The North in order to win, had to conquer the South (Commager 15). The North completed the with help from Lincoln?s Union policy. Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union and he would let nothing get in his way of doing this. Acts of force and violence to support secession were insurrectionary, he said, and the government would "hold, occupy, and possess" federal property in the seceded states (Brinkley 382). Over 2 million men served in the Union military forces during the Civil War. In 1861 at the beginning of the war the union army consisted of 16,000 troops. Lincoln called for the increase in 23,000 soldiers in the regular army, but the bulk of the fighting, he knew, would have to be done by th! e state militias (Brinkley 385). The South had a whole different approach to the War. It did not follow the North?s offensive motion, the South took more of a defensive approach. Edwin C. Bearss feels, "If the South were to win, it had to win a short war by striking swiftly-in modern parlance, by an offensive blitzkrieg strategy (Zebrowski 225). Behind the Confederate President Davis? command the Confederacy sat in a defensive stance, waiting for a northern attack. The main goal of the Confederacy was to protect its homeland. President Davis made one crucial mistake, he failed to create an effective central command system. After General Robert E. Lee left Davis?s side to command forces on the battle field; President Davis for the next two years planned war strategy alone (Brinkley 397). The leadership of these two different regions was very diverse. Lincoln who had almost no military experience except one brief service in a state militia , was on a whole a very successful military commander. He realized that numbers and resources were on his side, also he knew how to exploit the North?s military advantages (Brinkley 396). In 1864, Lincoln made Ulysses S. Grant general in chief of all the Union armies. Grant was not a strategic or tactical general; he simply believed in using the North?s great advantage in troops and material resources to overwhelm the South. He was not afraid to absorb massive casualties as long as he was inflicting similar or greater casualties on his opponents. Confederacy?s President Davis, who unlike Lincoln was a trained professional solider. Davis was not as impressive of a leader as Lincoln. He could not overcome the substantial disadvantages that faced the South and lead his Confederate states to victory. Psychological feelings differed greatly through the United States at this time. Many southerners knew it was certain death if