Oprah Winfrey Commencement Speech Essay

Oprah’s audience was very receptive of her mainly because she is a respected icon known all over America. The audience was a group of diverse faculty, staff, graduates, family and friends. When Oprah started her speech welcoming the audience, she gave them an icebreaker saying she wanted to let them in on a secret to personalize her speech. She lets the audience know that her god daughter Kirby attends Stanford and she is very proud of her. Oprah uses humor throughout her speech as she says the name â€Å"Stanford† engaging the audience as she speaks. She gives personal experience in her speech to show her audience that she too had experiences throughout college that could have hindered her from being the icon she is today. Oprah uses great eye contact throughout her speech. She did not read word for word what was on her paper because most of her speech was based off her experience as a student in the past at the beginning of the speech. She gave quotes of her father and B.B. King about learning that is beautiful. She lets the graduates know that your education had just started. Her speech lead on to elaborate on how the world has so many lessons to teach. She lets the audience know that earth is like a school and our lives are the classrooms. Life will have detours and road block but the secret to learn to be open to the lessons. Self improvement will help evolve as human beings. Oprah speaks with an inviting tone keeping her audience engaged. Even though the speech is lengthy, Oprah was not repetitive. She explained a few life lessons of her own journey but still gave humor as she spoke about the main lessons of her speech. The audience was still engaged throughout her speech. Oprah was very familiar with her speech content. She spoke as if she was graduating herself and speaking like she would want to be spoken to as a graduate. Oprah’s posture was appropriate and the gestures she uses with her hands and tone of her voice made the speech stand out more towards her audience. The overall tone of the message was exciting, funny and receptive. Oprah’s speech was spoken to relate to those who were not graduates also. She wants  the audience to understand that a degree is important and you can not allow yourself or others to defer you of a goal or dream. The speech Oprah gave was ethical. She realized the majority of her audience was of the white race and she included her own racial experiences in her speech with the stories she shared. Her own experiences made up the entire speech. The graduates seemed like they were listening and understanding the speech based off the feedback they gave after she spoke. There were interactions from the audience when Oprah spoke about how she made it as the icon talk show host. Oprah conveys to her audience to learn that life is more than just making money. You have to earn it and making money has to have meaning. If you do not have meaning in making your money and making a difference to the world then money doesn’t matter. Oprah shows much inspiration in her speech that should make the audience aspire to be like her or even more. Overall, Oprah did a great job catering to the diverse audience with her speech. It did not seem rehearsed, she gave eye contact and her audience seemed engaged in her speech for the 30 minutes I analyzed it. She did a great job and kept me engaged myself.

Language Analysis Essay

The piece titled ‘getting our future back on the rails – slowly’ is written by a member of The Grow Slow organisation who believes that the most convenient occupant for the land of the abandoned railway yards is a community garden. The author begins the article in a confined toned aiming to convince the reader that a community garden is the right choice and later transfers on to a more critical tone when talking about convenient foods. The author’s main arguments include firstly that community gardens are a global trend and that their community should be one to follow such a trend, secondly a community garden will be beneficial to everyone and is the most efficient option and lastly community gardening will bring the whole community together. Firstly the author asserts that a community gardening is a growing global trend and that the council should accept the chance to bring their community ‘up to date with the rest of the world,’ by stating this the author implies that their community is behind compared to the rest of the world and encourages the reader to feel the urge to catch up with the world and support the growing trend. The author re-establishes this effect when informing the reader of the productivity that city farms bring to ‘hundreds of millions across the globe.’ The author also acknowledges opposing arguments that community gardening is ‘just a passing fashion,’ and further rebuts those arguments by giving examples of community gardens which are still around from the time they were dug in World War 2. Using World War 2 as an example not only causes the reader to agree that community gardens are not just a trend but also can be beneficial in times of crisis; this is furth er supported by the first image which accompanies the article. Secondly the author contends that a community garden will be the most sustainable option and will benefit the whole community. This is when the audience faces the transition in tone which becomes more critical about convenience foods. The author appals to their readers hip pocket nerve when declaring the ‘hidden price tag’ that convenience foods carry because ‘a lot of it is wasted’, ‘ends up in landfill’ and adds to ‘environmental damage.’ Not only does this cause the reader to stray away from the idea of convenience foods, it also brings upon the realisation that growing their own food will benefit the planet as well as themselves. The author further convinces the reader of the negative economic impact that convenience foods have by providing a chart from the NSW environment protection authority  which provides that each year in just one state the cost of processed food waste is approximately $360 million is wasted on packaged f ood, $240 million on frozen food and $170 million on takeaway. In contrast of this the author communicates that if people grew their own food they would value it too much and hence there would be no waste. Lastly the author recommends community gardening as the best option because it will bring the community together. The author claims that the garden will be ‘a great way for children to learn,’ also that ‘kids spend far too much time inside’ and the garden will provide a healthy option for them to go outside and do some physical work in the fresh air. Referring to children as one of the main benefiters from the garden the author not only appeals to the council, because children are the future of their community but also appeals to parents as they want their community to be a healthy and sufficient place for their children. The author declares to the council that voting for the garden will be a ‘visionary’ step and invites the community to ‘join in’ to ‘dig for victory again.’ By using the word visionary the author applies a positive effect on council members who may be reading the article making them feel that if they vote for the garden they will have been a part of a revolutionary step for their community, and inviting the community to ‘dig for victory’ implies to community members that the community option is the right option and as it was successful in the past it should be successful today as well. In conclusion the author’s main purpose is to gain the support of community members and convince council members that the garden is the best option to vote for in the upcoming hearing. The author justifies this through her three main arguments including that community gardens are a global trend to be considerably followed, secondly the author criticizes those who rely on convience foods and provide them with evidence that community gardens are the better and more sustainable option and lastly the author asserts that community gardens wi ll unite the community.

Marketing Plan for Jos. Fredrick &Sons Research Paper

Marketing Plan for Jos. Fredrick &Sons - Research Paper Example From the targeted $70,000, the marketing system, whose validity will determine the accuracy of the budget, will depend on portfolio planning, i.e. the coordinated planning of the individual services, the 80:20 rule, which makes the plan clear, concise and clear by concentrating on the 20% of services, and on the 20% of the customers to account for 80% of the volume and 80% of the profit, and lastly the 7 P's program that focuses on Product/services, Place, Price and Promotion, Physical environment people and the Marketing Process. Since the three broad services offered by Jos. Fredrick & Sons are the company's pillars, the budget will need to be shared equally and a small portion set aside to oversee the implementation of the marketing plan as follows; The company should maintain the slogan "Our Ability is Your Security", as it is well known by the intended market. However, much more should be done in respect to the wording "leave the repairs and regular maintenance to the pros" into a more eye-catching one such as "the man in town will sort you". This will no doubt go a long way in the company's market positioning as it will instinctively arouse interest in the customers who will want to experience the change that the "new man in town" is out to offer, which could be different from what the company has offered in the last six decades. Such a small change in the wording could mean a lot, and the things that the company would require to do is to inscribe those words in their invoices, paint it in a fancy way on their website, or paint their service vehicles with those words in odd colors that will have a feel of odd works such as plumbing. There should also be some bumper stickers with the Company's name, logo, and the words "the ne w man in town will sort you". The costs for such activities will go to the 10% budget provision as they are aimed at overseeing the success of the plan.  

Romanticism and Russia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Romanticism and Russia - Essay Example The basic premise of Romanticism is that everything cannot be explained by reason or logic. Romanticism also upholds the fact that the human emotion is pure and expressing it was important. This was a reaction to the previous movement which is Enlightenment. Enlightenment emphasizes the power of logic and the scientific method over anything else. The romantics, on the other hand, looked for deeper and more meaningful meanings other than numbers and the like. The romantics are more sensual and more rooted to conveying human emotion (Moscovici, 3). And in contrast with the Neo-Classicists, the Romanticists in not just an observer to the creations of the divine but now a creator of fragile meaning and beauty. Romanticists also point out the frailties of the human beings, hence, the common themes of depression and despair on romantic literature (Moscovici, 9). It also asserted the importance of the individual and personal experiences, making a unique hero, because promotes originality. E xamples of this would be Frankenstein and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Romanticism also posits relativism in all aspects. There are no absolute truths unlike in Classicism or Enlightenment. For romantics, there is no right and wrong, even in aspects of morality, but each society was encouraged to make their own sets of rules . According to the Romantics, the theories of Enlightenment prevent emotions and creativity, turning man into a robot and man must liberate himself from these chains – through romanticism. Romanticists are also socially involved, as well as politically (Melani). However, they were also a bit aloof as they often distance themselves from the public, preferring to live in far flung areas. As noted, these romanticists express their own thoughts and feelings and as noted earlier too, this period was happening almost in the same era when the French Revolution also took place (late 1700s). Many authors tried to uphold romanticism in the revolution and the revolu tion, also partly owes some of its principles on Romanticism. With this, artist took stands, wrote works with highly politicized subjects. In other countries, like Germany for example, romanticism boosted nationalism by letting nationalism have an intellectual anchor. Romanticism links various branches of knowledge, from art and humanities to social sciences, psychology, politics and in philosophy . II. Russian Revolution There are two Russian Revolutions. The first one was in 1905, but it did not really gain momentum and failed to revolutionize the government, so to speak. This essay will focus on the 1917 revolution. The 1917 revolution transformed Russia into the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic from monarchy. This had two phases, one led by the peasants and the other phase led by the Bolsheviks (Palmer, Colton and Kramer, 725). The 1917 happened during the last phases of the World War 1. The World War 1 happened in 1914 and Russia was in it. Most of their resources were put o n the efforts for the World War 1 and many soldiers died. On March of 1917, when it was said to be one of the coldest and snowiest winters in St. Petersburg, many people were starving as the weather kept them from city markets (Banks, et al, 535). Workers, most of them hungry, lined up for hours just to get bread. These workers are quite impoverished compared to the Russian monarchy. They have very little money and they hope to spend it on little loaves of bread out in the cold (Banks, et al, 535). The people protested yet again (just like in 1905, Bloody Sunday) when the skies cleared. For four days, people went out in the streets of St. Petersburg and shouted statements like â€Å"Down with the government!†, â€Å"Down with war!†

Mortgage Law and the Vitiating Factors Case Study

Mortgage Law and the Vitiating Factors - Case Study Example The circumstance of evidential presumption comes to the fore when there existed a relationship of trust and confidence along with the happening of a transaction that calls for an explanation. These facts need to be proved in order to establish that there is prima facie evidence to claim that the transaction took place under undue influence. "The evidential burden gets shifted to the stronger party to counter the inference that he or she exercised undue influence on the weaker party." 1 Thus the presumption of undue influence is based on two elements; (i) existence of relationship of trust and confidence and (ii) there was entered a transaction that calls for explanation. There are certain established relationships of trust and confidence like that exists between guardian and ward, parent and child, religious leaders and disciples, doctor and patient and solicitor and client.2 With the proof of the relationship it becomes the legal presumption that there existed a relationship of influence between the parties. The relationship of influence can also be proved by the facts of the case. ... It is important that "a relationship of trust and confidence, reliance, dependence or vulnerability on one side and ascendancy, domination or control on the other side". It needs to be further proved that this relationship has made the vulnerable party agree with the course of action as suggested by the party who was dominant and that the situation was exploited fully to his/her advantage by the dominant party.3 However it is not necessary that there should be a continued existence of the state of dependence for arriving at evidential presumption.4 Therefore the important issue is the use of the influence in an undue manner and not its existence. The abuse of the trust placed by one party on another is considered critical. When it comes to the question of identifying what types of relationships give rise to trust and confidence it is observed in many of the cases people who are young and impressionable or elderly who are under some amount of physical or mental incapacity are being exploited to be unduly influenced.5 Then come the question of the measure of confidence and trust that needs to be placed on the other person. There are some distinguishing characteristics which decide the measure of trust and confidence like a duty on person A to adviser person B or the dominant position that person A possesses over person B. The dominant position may be real or potential. It is also observed that in all undue influence cases either of these characteristic features is present. However there cannot be a list of relationship that may give rise to trust and confidence since there are an infinite number of relationships that will result in trust. It is necessary to consider that whether one party has placed sufficient trust and confidence on

Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour - Essay Example This essay analyzes the attitudes and behavior of consumers that are better explained through the evaluation of certain theories and concepts that bear relations. The supposition takes into deliberation behavior as the fundamental determinant concerning the personal intention to carry out presented behavior. In the formulation of personal behaviors, certain personality assumptions are taken into thought. The three independent concepts that individual consider in formulating their behaviors include; the promptly reachable or salient beliefs regarding the perceived upshots of reflected guiding principles and beliefs that lead to the positive or negative attitude towards behavior. The second consideration is the apparent normative prospects in relation to pertinent referent individuals. Outstanding normative beliefs, direct to the development of a subjective model that bears orientation on the expected societal pressure, on whether to perform or not carry out certain behaviors. In the e nd, individuals are implicit to take into thought certain factors that may either promote or encumber their capacity to carry out certain behaviors. The factors that may bring promotion or hindrances to performance of behavior or rather the standard societal beliefs, direct to the development of expected behavioral standards. The perceived behavioral standards or limitations can also be regarded as the apparent capability to execute the behavior. In general terms, the favorable the mind-set and subjective standard in relation to behavior, and the superior professed behavioral control. This means that an individual’s intention gets stronger in the conduction of behavior (Fishbein, Ajzen, & Robert 2007, 5). The conjecture of reasoned action bears central application in marketing. The theory conceptualizes the practical functions concerning the attitudinal and normative factors. The attitudinal and normative factors are imperative components in the formation of intentions and ge t considered as separate but dependent they are also considered inseparable. The supposition in itself gyrates around the attitudinal and normative thinking, objectives as well as behaviors. The conjecture of planned behavior, which gets considered, as an extension of the conjecture of reasoned action, brings about the concepts or ideas of self worth or efficacy (Lefebvre 2000, 5). This connotes that it has an edge over the performance of behavior. In reference to the conjecture of reasoned action, the imperative predictor, the consequent behavior becomes an individual’s objective to take action. According to the conjecture, the behavioral intention obtains influence through an individual’s mind-set engaging in a certain conduct, as well as, the subjective model that the individual holds concerning behavior. With

Long-Term Stability of Clay Slopes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Long-Term Stability of Clay Slopes - Essay Example In order to describe "the long term stability of clay slopes", this paper will look at factors that make slopes become unstable overtime; the measurement of the instability; impact of long-term stability; and the prevention of instability of clay slopes. To begin with, long term stability of clay slopes is influenced by several causes which as are embedded in two major factors. These main factors, according to Price (1984) and Ritter (1986, p 121) are shear stress and shear strength. Shear stress refers to the forces that cause movement of materials down slope while shear strength is the force that resists materials from moving down the slope. These forces oppose each other in the sense that, while shear stress wants movement of material to commence, shears strength refuses. This means that movement will only occur when shear stress exceeds shear strength. Otherwise, like Sparks (1964, p 56) puts it, in uniform material, shear stress and shear strength may remain comparatively uniform. It is worth noting that shear stress has several intricate components that make it provoke movement of material down slope. Ritter (1986, p 121) outlines material internal friction characteristics; material normal stress and material normal cohesion as factors that determine stability of shear stress. Any drop or increase in these factors may alter shear stress. Internal friction is further broken down into plane friction (produced when one grain of soil slides past another) and interlocking friction (which originates when particles are required to move upwards and over one another. Secondly, Ritter (1986, p.122) further states that effective normal stress has the capacity to hold the material together, thereby increasing internal resistance to shear. It acts perpendicular to a shear surface and is absorbed by the underlying slab at the point of contact between grains. It should also be noted that some of the shear surface is usually occupied by openings which are filled with air or water. And since pore pressure exists in these interstitial spaces, it tends to support part of the normal stress. Thirdly, Ritter (1986, p.123) further states that clay soils have cohesion, which comes as a result of ions and water by clay minerals, thereby creating a binding structure among particles. Unfortunately though, cohesion decreases with increased water acquisition in the soil material. Clay cohesive strength very much depends on attractive forces between the particles and the lubricating action of the interstitial liquid. The more the clay acquires water, the more the slope becomes unstable. However, it should be noted that the rate at which the slope gains more water and the water drains away determines the time the slope should become unstable. For example, fast gaining and slow draining of water on a particular slope will make the slope fail very fast. On the other hand, slow gaining and fast draining of water will make the slope remain stable for some time. Where clay soils remains in an undisturbed normal cohesive strength, long-term slope stability will be evident. Sparks (1964, p 57) agrees with the above statement and adds that cohesive strength increases with depth thereby exceeding shear stress, hence surface mantle (slope material) is the one to be more unstable. As more water is added , cohesion decreases and when all pores are filled, any further input of water results in complete

Nursing Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Nursing Theories - Essay Example How might the concepts we are discussing related to theory and management be applied in community settings, including Third World countries? According to Watson (2008), the theory of human caring offers a structure that nurse leaders can employ to reinstate the nurses’ value-oriented mission of care that permits the leaders to care for nurses and promote wellness. As a result, Watson’s theory of human caring can be used to solve staffing issues in the organization (Wade et al., 2014). In reference to Douglas (2010), staffing of nurses is an imperative aspect of patient care delivery. Nurse leaders can adopt the theory of human caring to solve staffing issues in myriad ways. One way can be through impacting nursing staff through supporting them to take part in self-care activities and practice kindness and love for self and others. Additionally, the nurse leaders can use the theory to develop and adopt policies that guarantee healthy work settings, restricting work hours and offering time for the nurses to relax and rejuvenate (Wade et al., 2014). By portraying the application of the theory by the nurse leaders, it offers an alleyway for the nurses to commence caring in an analytical manner in their practice, and change in the way they interact with patients (McEwen & Wills, 2014). This can assist in reducing compassion fatigue, which results in many nurses resigning from acute care where they are needed most.

Health Promotion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Promotion - Research Paper Example This is why there are a number of media publications which cater to this particular segment due to seeing an opportunity to serve the seniors and attend to their health and life concerns. There are also many Web sites which cater to this seniors group with the rise of Internet usage. One such site is the magazine of the American Association of Retired Persons (AAR) which can be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection and which has about 37 million members. However, there are a lot of seniors who are not very proficient or familiar with the use of personal computers and do not how to access the Internet, especially for those who have poor eyesight or are not very computer literate. Advancing age brings with it the usual ailments of old age such as arthritis, osteoporosis, failing eyesight, poor hearing, problems with maintaining proper balance when standing and while walking, danger of falling down in the stairs or in the bath room, plus all other health needs like having a good diet and physical fitness. The name of the Web site is itself already indicative of the target market for its products and services (www.aarp.org, 2014). Topics are relevant for seniors people (55+ years) and so the site is effective in its messages like maintaining wellness, on leading healthy lives, and preventing common ailments and in the avoidance of the usual accidents at home (Gullota & Bloom,

Gender criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Gender criminology - Essay Example Some people are sold as slaves; some are tricked into slavery while some serve as bonded labors (Hart 2009). Most governments consider human trafficking as a danger to the democratic way of life and also to the basic rule of law (Morehouse 2009). The victims of human trafficking are mostly poor people with little food and no future in their own homeland. Jobs are scarce and it is difficult to support a family. Under these circumstances, the foreign land seems like a green pasture and the human traffickers use jobs in foreign countries especially the U.K and the U.S as baits and sneak the people in the country illegally. Usually people from Mexico, Cuba and South American countries smuggle into America whereas people from Eastern European states, Africa and Asia consider U.K a goldmine. Of all the European countries, UK faces the most unwanted immigrations. Since 2004, immigration from Central and Eastern Europe increased rapidly as many states which were formerly a part of the communist block joined the European Union which allowed their citizens to freely move into Great Britain (Marshal Cavendish Corporation 2009). The number of people who either smuggle into the United Kingdom or are trafficked to this country runs into thousands annually. There is a marked difference between human trafficking and smuggling. As mentioned in the article â€Å"Human Trafficking and Smuggling† published by The Crown Prosecution Service available online at , human smuggling actually means the illegal entry of a person in any country; it is a voluntary act and â€Å"the immigrants are complicit in the offence so that they can stay in the country† and are hardly forced or cajoled to cross the border. Once the person crosses the border, he is on his own and is not controlled by the smugglers. Also smuggling involves crossing of borders and is illegal (House of Lords et al 2006). Human trafficking on the

Value of tuition reimbursement and extra time in adult learning Essay Example for Free

Value of tuition reimbursement and extra time in adult learning Essay Learning is life. We continue to learn as long as we live. In today’s complex world, we often find it necessary to update ourselves, to keep pace with new developments. However learning new skills, organizing knowledge, at times, does not come free. Often, acquiring such specialized knowledge is beyond an individual’s means. To sustain the process of keeping oneself updated with newer skills and knowledge, financial support is called for. As such, it is ‘Important to provide reimbursement and make time in aid of Adult Learning’. â€Å"The illiterate of the year 2000, will not be the individual, who cannot read or write, but the one who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. † (Alvin Toffler). It is said that Education is an investment rather than a cost. In today’s fast changing society, when technology and communication are changing rapidly, wide spread awareness of learning is a necessity. Adult learning was traditionally never very important. Stress was more on school age learning. It is only recently that researchers have turned their attention to learning at the workplace and in everyday settings. (Essays in Rogoff and Lave, 1984; Sternberg Wagner, 1986; Sternberg, Wagner Okagaki, 1993). As learners, the adults articulate the personal goals better, develop motivational skills, and fine tune their knowledge, interests, and acquired skills. Adult learning is based on a learning culture. It involves learning of work related as well as, personal skills which help not only individuals but enterprises and nations to Benefit from. Today learning is a strategic feature of the corporate. In times of reducing profit margins and stiff foreign competition, it is important to have a workforce which is not only professionally thorough in skills, but also ahead of others in the competition. So, employers have a vested interest in making their staff secures with knowledge and skill that will help them succeed at work. â€Å"Learning is no longer a cost, but a benefit that can be quantified† (The Adult Learner at work,p. 306). The adult learner uses transference to use the learnt idea in related jobs. In today’s world where technology is changing fast, by earning a degree in a field related to the job, the employee can perform better. Such learning boosts confidence in the employees and nurtures them to realize their full potential. In an organization, it is the climate of the organization that fosters learning. The staff is encouraged to gain mastery in its field of specialization. The organization must plan out the future allowing learning at every stage. Such organizations believe in empowering the employee. It believes that obsolescence of the staff will ring death knell for the organization. The management supports learning regularly and rewards such personnel accordingly. The commitment of the management makes the employees remain as a loyal workforce. Such values create openness in the organization where individuals can develop, create and contribute ideas fearlessly. It minimizes problems by identifying them at an early stage and arresting the major setbacks. Organizations which encourage its staff in adult learning schemes, foster growth of the personnel, as well as the organization. â€Å"Increasingly, companies will only survive if they meet the needs of the individuals who serve in them; not just the question of payment, important as this may be, but people’s true inner needs† (Harvey Jones, 1987, Making it Happen, p. 249). It becomes important, therefore, that such learnings are supported by reimbursing the tuition fees or course fee of the personnel. The employee is able to convince the employer about the possible advantages of offering tuition reimbursement. The new skills will make the employee more productive. It would also foster leadership in the workplace. Such equipped individuals would enhance the company’s image when working with the client. Globalization today has changed the way, the enterprises manage and perform . The skill, innovation and quality improvement is imperative for productivity, quality, efficiency and competition. Thus training the workforce becomes a critical component of competition. The most successful companies therefore will have to balance the market pressure to adapt to changing skills. It is to cope with the pace of change that the companies or enterprises need to train their staff. The urge to innovate and outperform on the part of the individual and the enterprise tie them in a bond, where each looks after the other’s interest, apart from fulfilling their personal interests. To keep the personnel abreast with the trend, there is a need for constant innovation and training the existing personnel with newer skills. It is always preferred to upgrade the existing personnel with newer skills than bringing in new personnel to meet the need. Existing personnel, being already familiar with the culture of the organization, Can adapt better compared to new personnel, who would have to struggle to familiarize themselves with the organization’s culture. Possibly for this in U. K, ‘Employers invested GBP 10. 6 billion in training in 1993’ (The Learning Age, DFEE, 1998). Human Capital theory as revealed by Harris’s study (2000) undertakes that training is an investment and will occur only when it can justify the cost. This theory holds good only when the company considers its employees as its asset. In such a scenario, specific skills of the employees are more valuable than generic skills. Making time for the employee’s training, needs to be decisively considered before deciding on a training schedule. A number of factors like availability of in house training personnel, speed or number of training days needed, frequency of the skill to be used, difficulty of the task and it’s transference to real life situations need to be considered before an organization decides on a training project. Smaller firms will find it difficult to have in house training due to its higher costs, while bigger firms will find in-house and on-the-job training cost-effective. Large enterprises can afford to have in house training centers which pave way for self-paced and self-directed training. It also aids training before or after work, without compromising on working time. The book ‘Tuition Assistance Usage and First Term Military Retention’ by Richard Buddin, Kanika Kapur, Rand reports of a program, where Department of Defense Supported the employees (on active duty), who enrolled in a college course. It reimbursed up to 75% of their college fees, up to a maximum of $3500 for an Individual in a year. The program was started having considered the benefits of having More educated personnel, who would perform better and would exhibit potential for greater advancement. The program was successful when more than sixty percent of the employees found the recruitment beneficial because of educational opportunities. Thus relevancy and value of tuition reimbursement and making time available for adult learning is synonymous with competitive performance and has become a critical component in today’s changing scenario of globalization. So learning is Life. As we learn we grow. References Thomas. Pourchot, M. Cecil Smith (1998). Adult Learning and Development: Perspectives from Educational Psychology, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Robert Burns (2nd Edition).The Adult Learner at Work: The challenges of lifelong education in the new millennium. Richard Buddin, Kanika Kapur, Rand (2002) Tuition Assistance Usage and First –Term Military Retention . AdultLearning. Directgov-Education and learning. Retrieved on August 30, 2007, from http://www. directgov. uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/Adultlearninggrant/index. htm Arizona Department of Health Services,(Fall 1991)Principles of Adult learning by Stephen Lieb . Retrieved on August 30, 2007, from http://. hcc. hawaii. edu/intranet/committees/FacDevcom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2. htm

A Life Of Sacrifice History Essay

A Life Of Sacrifice History Essay November 13, 2010 wasnt a special day to many people. But to about fifty million Burmese, it might be the turning point of their lives. On that day, a lady called Aung San Suu Kyi was released from detention. In front of her house, a crowd of her supporters gathered together to celebrate the release. The lady is the pro-democracy leader of Burma and has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years, most of it under house arrest. Define Moral courage Thesis statement. Aung San Suu Kyi was the only daughter of Aung San, the man considered to be the founder of modern Burma. Unfortunately, Suu Kyi was only two years old when her father was assassinated in 1948. She hardly remembered anything about this great man. But even though I never really knew him, she said, I was always told how much the Burmese people loved and revered him.' (The Lady) Aung San Suu Kyi spent a lot of time learning about her fathers philosophy and commitment to the cause of independence. This desire to understand her fathers feelings eventually translated into the belief that she had to finish the job that her father had begun. When Aung San Suu Kyi was fifteen years old, her mother Khin Kyi was appointed Burmese ambassador to India. As a result, Suu Kyi moved to India to accompany her mother. Upon arriving in India, Suu Kyi spent one year in a strict convent school. The following year she attended Delhi University, where she learned about political science. During the first few years when Suu Kyi lived in India, she explored the lessons of passive resistance of Mahatma Ghandi and Jawaharlal Nehru. When Suu Kyi was accepted at St. Hughs College at Oxford, she left Delhi University. As an undergraduate at St. Hughs in Oxford, Suu Kyi was remembered as very demure and genuinely innocent, yet with a strong sense of belonging to the Burmese elite. (The Lady 48). Two years after Suu Kyi received her degree, she left for New York. When Suu Kyi arrived in New York to stay with Ma Than E, the older woman had just started working at United Nations headquarters. At Ma Than Es suggestion, Suu Kyi decided to resume her studies at a later date and instead apply for a job at the United Nations. In March 1988, Suu Kyi received a call from a close family friend in Burma, informing Suu Kyi that her mother had suffered a severe stroke. Almost immediately, Suu Kyi began packing. I had a premonition, Michael wrote in the introduction to a collection of essays about his wife, that our lives would change forever. (Burmas Iron Aunty) The next morning Suu Kyi was on a plane heading to Burma. When Aung San Suu Ki arrived in Rangoon to care for her mother, General Ne Wins military socialist government had been in power for twenty-six years. During that time, Burma had gone from being one of the richest nations in Southeast Asia to one of the poorest, most isolated, and most corrupt countries in the world. Thousands of monks, students, and ordinary civilians took to the streets in protest against the government. For weeks, as Suu Kyi nursed her mother in the hospital, the violence intensified, with groups of young people marauding through the streets of Rangoon.(The lady 56) By June, the doctors announced that there was no hope that Suu Kyis mother would recover. Suu Kyi made the decision to take her mother home to University Avenue, where she could die peacefully in her own room. Aung San Suu Kyi has never claimed that when she came to Burma in 1988, it was to lead a pro-democracy movement. It wasnt as if the students were organized in definite political groups in 1988, Suu Kyi once explained. The democracy movement evolved out of general chaos that was everywhere in Burma. It was this climate of rebellion that caused many political groups to emerge, which eventually coalesced into a democracy movement. On August 8, 1988, a day known as the Four 8s, a nationwide strike was called and that included students, civilians, lawyers, doctors, monks and civil servants. Crowds surged into the streets for a pro-democracy demonstration. Sein Lwin responded by ordering troops to open fire. However, the demonstrations continued and the death toll mounted. As Suu Kyi nursed her dying mother, she was kept informed daily of the news and mourned those who lost their lives on the streets of Burmese cities. By then, rumors that Aung San Suu Kyi was in the country had already sp read. Many people believed that the presence of General Aung Sans daughter in Burma meant that more than fifty years of repression, civil unrest, and violence would finally end. All of a sudden, pictures of General Aung San became a prominent symbol of the pro-democracy movement. In response to the hundreds of thousands of people who continued to demonstrate throughout the countries, Aung San Suu Kyi wrote an open letter to the government proposing that a committee be formed for the sole purpose of leading the country toward multiparty elections. Within days, Suu Kyi became a public figure, speaking out for human-rights and liberal free-market economic system. On August 26, surrounded by her supporters, she spoke to a crowd estimated at half a million people. Her message was simple: nonviolence, human-rights, and democracy. For Burmese, Suu Kyi not only was a poignant reminder of the past, but a living symbol of hope for the future. (Body paragraphs continued, influence of Buddhism, In 1991, this once obscure Burmese woman, when she had been living in exile for more than two decades and had been under house arrest for three years, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. There was no better way for the pro-democracy movement in Burma to make the world aware of the political repression throughout the country than for Aung San Suu Kyi and to have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet, there were many people, especially within Daw Suu Kyis inner circle, who feared that winning the prize would make it even more difficult for Daw Suu Kyi and the SLORC to come to any compromise. As the eighth woman in history to win the peace prize, and the first to receive it while in captivity, Daw Suu Kyi became the focus of a variety of human-rights groups throughout the world, as well as the United States Department of State under the Clinton administration-which suddenly put the pro-democracy movement in Burma high on its international agenda. (The lady) Prior to the summer protests, there had been growing unease in the population regarding the economic distress of the country which has stagnant economic growth and is ranked among the 20 poorest countries in the world according to the United Nations.[9] Many, including the United Nations have blamed the economic problems on the leadership of the military junta and the proportion of national income spent on the armed forces. In late 2006, the cost of basic commodities began rising sharply in Burma with rice, eggs, and cooking oil increasing by 30-40%. According to the BBC, on 22 February 2007, a small group of individuals protested the current state of consumer prices in the country. While the protest was small and careful not to be seen as directed at the military junta, officials jailed nine of the protesters. The military junta detained eight people on Sunday, 22 April 2007 who took part in a rare demonstration in a Yangon suburb amid a growing military crackdown on protesters. A g roup of about ten protesters carrying placards and chanting slogans staged the protest Sunday morning in Yangons Thingangyun township, calling for lower prices and improved health, education and better utility services. The protest ended peacefully after about 70 minutes, but plainclothes police took away eight demonstrators as some 100 onlookers watched. On 15 August 2007 the government removed subsidies on fuel causing a rapid and unannounced increase in prices.[11] The government, which has a monopoly on fuel sales, raised prices from about $1.40 to $2.80 a gallon, and boosted the price of natural gas by about 500%.[9] This increase in fuel prices led to an increase in food prices. Soon afterwards, protesters took to the streets to protest the current conditions. These peaceful protests of September 2007 in Burma were not brought to any significant conclusion. The protests were not brought by opposition groups, or foreign governments. However, the Burmese lay people, and the monks were frustrated with the economic and political situation of the country. When the time came activists monks successfully brought together the people of Burma to protest. These protests gave sight to many young people to witness first-hand the brutality of an authoritarian government, thus making them realize the sacrifices the people had to make while fi ghting for political changes in Burma. Furthermore, the junta agreed to talk to the opposition because they want a win-win situation for all. The catch being that the opposition groups follow the rules of the government as of now. Despite all of the talks going on between groups, true democratic changes are still far from being obtained, making the political future of the country uncertain. On the evening of May 3, 2009, Yettaw swam a 2-kilometer (1.25-mile) distance across Lake Inya in Rangoon to the house where Aung San Suu Kyi was held under house arrest by Myanmar authorities. He asked Suu Kyi if he could stay at the house for a few days. She refused, and her caretakers threatened to turn him in to the authorities, but Suu Kyi agreed to let him stay on the ground floor after he began to complain about leg cramps. The Myanmar government requires all non-family overnight visitors to be registered and forbids overnight stays by foreigners. As a result of the 2009 visit, the authorities declared that Suu Kyi breached the conditions of her house arrest.[25] She was charged under the countrys Law Safeguarding the State from the Dangers of Subversive Elements, which carried a three-to-five-year jail term. (legacies and influences) One of the most difficult challenges that Aung San Suu Kyi faces is not only to bring democracy to Burma, but to achieve that goal without putting the people at risk. (her nonviolence philosophy) It is a difficult task since the Burmese people have been shut off from the rest of the world for decades, and do not believe democracy and freedom to be their inalienable rights. As a result, Daw Suu Kyis role lies somewhere between that of a politician who leads the people toward democracy, and a spiritual figure who encourages people to take their initiatives in riding the country of an oppressive regime. For the majority of the Burmese people, the most important sacrifice that Aung San Suu Kyi made for them was not giving in to the SLORCs demands during the six years that the military kept her under house arrest. The SLORC insists that at any time during those years. The lady always had the choice of safe passage out of Burma in a car to the airport and a free one-way ticket back to England where she had been living for the last two decades. For Suu Kyi, that was always an unacceptable alternative. It is also her credit that she refused a sign of courage and stamina that she remained steadfast in her commitment to bring democracy to her country of birth. (The lady) Since 1988, when Aung San Suu Kyi first became visibly involved in the struggle for democracy, the people have become even devoted and loyal to her, more committed to the cause of freedom in Burma, and more dependent on her to bring their plight to the worlds attention. If that were not the case, the NLD would have never survived-and grown-despite all the obstacles the government has put in its way since 1988. (Conclusion) Courage means to work for what you believe with perseverance and to be strong and to have good will. Its not courageous to use ones physical strength and to shout loudly, said Suu Kyi. It is undeniable that Aung San Suu Kyi demonstrated her moral courage. Her sense of responsibility helped Burmese achieve their final goal. Her own little step was a big step to democracy progress in Burmese Unplayed Piano.

Death Of The Author English Literature Essay

Death Of The Author English Literature Essay The word Author is broadly defined by the OED as, the person who originates or gives existence to anything, but does this mean that a text is produced solely by a single author? It is clear that the author of a text will have a defined idea of what they would like their text to achieve, but can we be sure that an author is capable of producing a text that is uninfluenced by external sources? In this essay I will examine the meaning of a text and distinguish whether it is produced solely by its author or if it is a complex collaboration of the author, text and the readers own subconscious understanding. New Criticism argued that authorial intent was irrelevant to understanding a piece of literature. In their essay The Intentional Fallacy, W.K. Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley wrote that the design or intention of the author is neither available nor desirable as a standard for judging the success of a work of literary art  [1]  . They argued that an author could not be reconstructed from a piece of writing and that the only source of meaning came from the text itself, with any details of the authors desires or life being purely extraneous. Critics such as Roland Barthes and Michel Foucault have scrutinized the role of authorship to the meaning and interpretation of a text. In Barthes essay Death of the Author, he criticizes the method of reading and criticism that relies on aspects of the authors identity to distil meaning from the authors work. This death is directed at the author expressing an inner vision, not at the idea of writing. He is opposing a view of texts as expressing a distinct personality of the author and despises the idea that they consciously create masterpieces. Barthes states the idea that the explanation and meaning of a work does not have to be sought in the one who produced it, as if it were always in the end, through the more or less transparent allegory of the fiction, the voice of a single person, the author confiding in us  [2]  . The author can be disregarded when interpreting a text, because it is language which speaks, not the author; the words are rich enough themselves with all of th e traditions of language. The words and language of a text itself determine and expose meaning for Barthes, and not someone possessing legal responsibility for the process of its production. The author is merely a scriptor. The scriptor exists to produce but not to explain the work, the origin of meaning lies exclusively in language itself and its impressions on the reader. Barthes notes that the traditional critical approach to literature raises a problem of which we cannot detect precisely what the writer intended. Julia Kristeva invented the term intertextuality, suggesting that no text is free of other texts. Intertextuality leads to speculations about the idea of a text guaranteeing stability and identity. If a text is partly explained by a whole series of other texts, then its meaning clearly does not reside wholly inside it, but is also produced by its relation with other texts. Every reader may have a different understanding of the meaning of a text depending on the external texts they associate with it. Looking at William Shakespeares play intertextually, Romeo and Juliet prompts literary criticism as the play shares a relationship with other literary texts. Romeo and Juliets plot is based around more than one different source, making the audience question the originality of the play itself. Shakespeare based his play on an Italian tale, translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562. Romeo and Juliet is a dramatisation of Brookes translation, which Shakespeare has followed closely. We see this through Romeos dialogue as he says, Is she a Capulet? / O dear account! my life is my foes debt.  [3]  Shakespeare literally mirrors the plot of Brookes tale in his own So hath he learned her name, and knowth she is no geast, / Her father was a Capulet,  [4]  It is hard to claim that Shakespeare has ownership of this play along with the idea that this is not an original idea and the content of his play has come from influences around him. Shakespeare was also heavily influenced by Ovids Metamorphoses, taking inspiration from the tragic love story of Pyramus and Thisbe. In Ted Hughes translation, it is clear to see that Shakespeare has been influenced by Ovid, The parents of each forbade their child / To marry the other. That was that. / But prohibition feeds love, mirroring the exact same family feud and passion in Romeo and Juliet  [5]  , Deny thy father and refuse thy name; / Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And Ill no longer be a Capulet (Act 2, Scene II; ll 34-36). There are rumoured to be so many sources behind one of Shakespeares most well-known masterpieces, this certainly begs the question of whether Shakespeare was original and if he gave meaning to his own work. It is appropriate to approach an Elizabethan play as a collaborative work, given the amount of people used to successfully create a play. A piece of drama is inevitably constructed by many hands, adding to the meaning of the play. Romeo and Juliet would not just be defined by William Shakespeare, but how the play was performed would have enormous effect on its meaning along with those involved in the making of it. Romeo and Juliet was arguably not written by Shakespeare, he took influences from many different texts, collaborating with many other writers. The writing behind Romeo and Juliet does not define the play, but it is the staging and performance that make the play what it is. Performance adds to the text in the sense of connecting to it gestures, symbols and staging, these all produce a definition not in the text itself. In a well-known quotation, Barthes draws an analogy between text and textiles, the text is a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centres of cultur e (pp. 142-48) meaning that one persons work is never original. It is the reader/viewer that makes a piece of literature what it is, whether that is personal or not. It is difficult to judge whether a piece of literature successfully carries out what it means to attempt because we can never be certain of the writers intent in the first place. For example Robert Frosts The Silken Tent opened up to much debate about whether the poem was really symbolising a woman and questioned the possibility of its supporting central cedar pole (l. 5) actually representing a boat with language rich in relatable words, for example, guy ropes and compass. It should not be wrong to have a different opinion of a text, finding meaning in literature is all about your personal tastes and experiences allowing you to relate to texts. Literature is all about what you as a reader make of a text in your own personal way. There seems to be no guarantee in this process that the origins of the text, the conventions of the message and the readers opinion are identical in any way. A piece of literature depends on the words and contexts which surround it, but these contexts are not always significant when looking for meaning in a text. The language of textuality itself will present an argument that is potentially counter to the authors conscious intent. The meaning of a text is not produced solely by an author; it is a complex collaboration between author, text and reader. Shakespeare did not give Romeo and Juliet meaning, meaning was created through the text and performance of the play and by the viewer creating their own personal opinions about it. Shakespeare may have been the origin behind Romeo and Juliet but there are many different sources that could have been seen to be used, questioning the originality of the play. The essential meaning of a piece of literature depends on the impression it has made on the reader, the writers passions and tastes do not come into it. Meaning is a collaboration of all these different factors, it cannot be gathered purely from just the author because there may have been no authorial intent behind that text and literature is all about your own personal opinion and where you take that text in your mind. Barthes makes an important point saying, a texts unity lies not in its origins [] but in its d estination, (pp. 142-48) meaning that it all comes down to the reader and society, a piece of texts origins are unimportant. Word Count: 1560

search engines :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Internet commerce is one of the fastest growing industries today. With the wide range of capabilities the web has it make it easier and cost efficient for businesses to make transactions with other businesses. One factor that allows businesses to find each other is search engines. Search engines are part of the reason the web is growing so rapidly.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Search engines have many capabilities from using key words or phrases to find what you are looking for to using general statements to browse the web. But what exactly is a search engine? Search engines are huge databases of web page files that have been assembled automatically by machine. There are two types of search engines. One type is the individual search engine. This type of search engine compiles its information on to its own database making it accessible when you use that particular engine. It does not use any other engine?s information to help with your search. Then there are the meta-searchers which do not have their own databases. They use a combination of individual search engine?s information simultaneously, from a single site and using the same interface. Meta-searchers provide a quick way of finding out which engines are retrieving the best results for you in your search. There are two ways that Meta-searchers show their results. Most use a single l ist which display multiple-engine search results in a single merged list and had removed all the duplicate entries from the list. The second way that they display their results is through multiple lists. These are separate lists in which are displayed as they are received from each engine leaving the duplicate entries on the list.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Search engines are not very complex in the way that they work. Each search engine sends out spiders to bots into web space going from link to link identifying all pages that it can. After the spiders get to a web page they generally index all the words on that page that are publicly available pages at the site. They then store this information into their databases and when you run a search it matches they key words you searched with the words on the page that the spider indexed. However when you are searching the web using a search engine, you are not searching the entire web as it is presently. You are looking at what the spiders indexed in the past.

Analysis of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Essay -- Literature Fahrenh

Analysis of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Imagine living in a world where you are not in control of your own thoughts. Imagine living in a world in which all the great thinkers of the past have been blurred from existence. Imagine living in a world where life no longer involves beauty, but instead a controlled system that the government is capable of manipulating. In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, such a world is brought to the awareness of the reader through a description of the impacts of censorship and forced conformity on people living in a futuristic society. In this society, all works of literature have become a symbol of unnecessary controversy and are outlawed. Individuality and thought is outlawed. The human mind is outlawed. All that is left is a senseless society, unaware of their path to self-destruction, knowing only what the government wants them to know. By telling a tale of a world parallel to our own, Bradbury warns us of a future we are on a path to -- a future of mind manipulation, misused technology, ignorance, and hatred. He challenges the reader to remain open-minded by promoting individualism, the appreciation of literature, the defiance of censorship and conformity, and most importantly, change. Bradbury's inspiration to convey the themes involved in the novel resulted mainly from the social situation of the time. First of all, the novel was written shortly after World War II and increasing numbers of authors began writing about serious topics. Also, the invention of the atom bomb had aroused the Cold War and the use of technology as a form of destruction (Touponce 124). Seeing technology as a potential threat to the well-being of mankind, Bradbury uses Fahrenheit 451 to state his distrust for it in the novel, which explains why the devices are depicted as "chilling, impersonal gadgets of mechanized anti-culture,'; (Mogen 141). Also, as the television was becoming the main form of communication in the 50's, Bradbury believed that it was "reducing society to very mediocre tastes'; (Touponce 125). As a defense against the degradation of literature (as well as peoples' minds), Bradbury intended to teach us of the importance of books by showing us the misery involved in a w orld that lacks them. Another social consequence leading to the writing of Fahrenheit 451 was that, at the time, the country was going through what was ... ...is one must "crash'; some time. In Bradbury's society, all communication to the disturbing outside world had been cut off in order to keep the citizens from worrying. Yet, the society had been living in blind happiness, oblivious to the war raging outside their "world'; and the bomb that finally destroyed them. The horrific society that Bradbury had depicted had been intended to be parallel to our own in order to provide us with a warning. He is warning us of the consequences of censorship and conformity. He is warning us of a future of ignorance. He is warning us of a path we may take if we are not careful. He incites us to remain open-minded and to take on our own quests for self-improvement through knowledge. He teaches us to value books in order to gain that knowledge. He pushes us to fight the censorship that suppresses great minds and hides this knowledge, of which without, we may never know the problems of our culture. Our future depends entirely upon the truth and intelle ctual freedom, and if we do not rise from the ashes of our present like the Phoenix, we may fall victim to self-destruction and ultimately put an end to ourselves, much like Bradbury's fictional society.

Prejudice and Racism in Heart of Darkness? Essay -- HOD Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness: Racist or not? Â   Many critics, including Chinua Achebe in his essay "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness", have made the claim that Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, despite the insights which it offers into the human condition, ought to be removed from the canon of Western literature. This claim is based on the supposition that the novel is racist, more so than other novels of its time. While it can be read in this way, it is possible to look under the surface and create an interpretation of Conrad's novel that does not require the supposition of extreme racism on the part of Conrad. Furthermore, we must keep in mind that Conrad was a product of a rather racist period in history, and it seems unfair to penalize him for not being able to transcend his contemporaries in this respect. Â   This novel, it seems, must be read in a symbolic manner. Objects and characters are not so simple as they seem. Achebe tells us: "Quite simply it is the desire... in Western psychology to set Africa up as a foil to Europe, as a place of negations at once remote and vaguely familiar, in comparison with which Europe's own state of spiritual grace will be manifest" (251-252). If Africa is a foil to Europe, as stated here, then perhaps Conrad only uses the continent of Africa symbolically, without regard to its people - as Achebe himself states, descriptions of Africans as anything more than vague limbs in the darkness are few and far between in the novel. The opposition between light and darkness in the novel, far from being Conrad's own, is traditional in Western literature. Conrad simply uses the most familiar of symbols for the dichotomy between good and evil to enhance his novel's psycho... .... One might also argue that while Marlow is racist, Conrad is not - something like the scenario in another famous river novel, Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, I reject this claim - Marlow does the vast majority of the speaking in this novel, and so the reader identifies him as the novel's narrative voice even though there is, strictly speaking, a frame story outside of this. Â   Finally, even if Conrad was more racist than other authors of his time, why is this so significant? The novel is still valuable as an object of art, for the psychological insights it offers both into the human condition at large and into the motivations of European imperialism and colonization. A novel such as this should not be removed from the canon on the simple basis of its offensive potential. All great literature must have at least the potential to offend.

The Role of Education in Plato’s Republic

The role and significance of education with regard to political and social institutions is a subject that has interested political philosophers for millennia. In particular, the views of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, as evidenced in The Republic, and of the pre-Romantic philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau in his Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, present a striking juxtaposition of the two extremes of the ongoing philosophical and political debate over the function and value of education. In this paper, I will argue that Rousseau's repudiation of education, while imperfect and offering no remedy to the ills it disparages, is superior inasmuch as it comes closer to the truth of things than does Plato's idealized conceptions. To do so, I will first examine Plato's interpretation of the role of education and its function in shaping the structure of society and government and in producing good citizens. I will then introduce Rousseau's view of education and the negative effects of the civilized culture which it produces, and using this view, will attempt to illustrate the naivete and over-idealization of Plato's notions. Finally, I will attempt to demonstrate that it is Rousseau's view, rather than Plato's, that is ultimately more significant in assessing the actual (vs. idealized) merits (or lack thereof, in Rousseau's case) by which education should be judged with regard to the nurturance of good citizens. For Plato, the question of the role of education arises near the end of Book II (377e), after a discussion of both the necessary and consequent attributes of Socrates' kallipolis or â€Å"Ideal City. Such a city, Socrates argues, will, before long, have need of both a specialization of labor (in order for the greatest level of diversity and luxury of goods to be achieved) and of the establishment of a class of â€Å"Guardians† to protect the city from its envious neighbors and maintain order within its walls (i. e. , to police and govern the city). This, in turn, leads inexorably to the question of what attributes the Ideal City will require of its Guardians, and how best to foster such attributes. The early, childhood education of the Guardians, Socrates argues, is the key. What, then, asks Socrates, should children be taught, and when? This quickly leads to a discussion of censorship. Socrates cites a number of questionable passages from Homer which cannot, he thinks, be allowed in education, since they represent dishonorable behavior and encourage the fear of death. The dramatic form of much of this poetry is also suspect: it puts unworthy words into the mouths of gods & heroes. Socrates suggests that what we would call â€Å"direct quotation† must be strictly limited to morally-elevating speech. Nothing can be permitted that compromises the education of the young Guardians, as it is they who will one day rule and protect the city, and whom the lesser-constituted citizens of the polis will attempt to emulate, assimilating, via the imitative process of mimesis, to the Myth (or â€Å"noble lie†) of the Ideal City in which justice is achieved when everyone assumes their proper role in society. The process of mimesis, is, of course, yet another form of education, in which those of Iron and Bronze natures are â€Å"instructed† and inspired by the superior intelligence and character of the Gold and Silver members of the Guardian class. It is therefore a form of education without which the polis cannot operate. Thus, for Guardian and ordinary citizen alike, the education of the young and the continuing â€Å"instruction† of the citizenry are crucial. In addition to these aspects, Plato also conceives of another function of education, and one which is quite significant in its relation to Rousseau's views. For Plato, education and ethics are interdependent. To be ethical, in turn, requires a twofold movement: movement away from immersion in concrete affairs to thinking and vision of unchanging order and structures (such as justice) and then movement back from dialectic to participation and re-attachment in worldly affairs. It is a temptation to become an abstract scholar. But the vision of the good is the vision of what is good for oneself and the city — of the common good. If one does not return to help his fellow human beings, he becomes selfish and in time will be less able to see what is good, what is best. An unselfish devotion to the good requires an unselfish devotion to the realization of this good in human affairs. Just as the purpose of understanding order and limits in one's own life is to bring about order and restraint in one's own character and desires, the understanding of justice requires application in the public sphere (through education). A man who forgets the polis is like a man who forgets he has a body. Plato thus advocates educating both the body and the city (for one needs both), not turning one's back on them. If education is, for Plato, the means by which man comes to fully realize (through society) his potential as a human being and by which society as a whole is in turn elevated, for Rousseau it is quite the opposite. Education, argues Rousseau, does not elevate the souls of men but rather corrodes them. The noble mimesis which lies at the heart of education in Plato's kallipolis is for Rousseau merely a slavish imitation of the tired ideas of antiquity. The ill effects of this imitation are manifold. Firstly, argues Rousseau, when we devote ourselves to the learning of old ideas, we stifle our own creativity and originality. Where is there room for original thought, when, in our incessant efforts to impress one another with our erudition, we are constantly spouting the ideas of others? In a world devoid of originality, the mark of greatness, intelligence, and virtue is reduced to nothing more than our ability to please others by reciting the wisdom of the past. This emphasis on originality is in marked contrast with Plato, who finds no value in originality, deeming it antithetical to a polis otherwise unified by shared Myths of the Ideal City and of Metals. Rousseau rejects this â€Å"unity†, rightly denouncing it as a form of slavery , in which humanity's inherent capacity for spontaneous, original self-expression is replaced with the yoking. of the mind and the will to the ideas of others, who are often long dead. In addition to suppressing the innate human need for originality, education (and the appetite for â€Å"culture† and â€Å"sophistication† that it engenders) causes us to conceal ourselves, to mask our true natures, desires, and emotions. We become artificial and shallow, using our social amenities and our knowledge of literature, etc. , to present a pleasing but deceptive face to the world, a notion quite at odds with the ideas of Plato. We assume, in Rousseau's words, â€Å"the appearance of all virtues, without being in possession of one of them. Finally, argues Rousseau, rather than strengthening our minds and bodies and (a critical point) moving us towards that which is ethical, as Plato contends, education and civilization effeminate and weaken us physically and (perhaps most significantly) mentally, and cause us, in this weakness, to stoop to every manner of depravity and injustice against one another. â€Å"External ornaments,† writes Rousseau, â€Å"are no less foreign to virtue, which is the strength and activity of the mind. The honest man is an athlete, who loves to wrestle stark naked; he scorns all those vile trappings, which prevent the exertion of his strength, and were, for the most part, invented only to conceal some deformity. † Virtue, as opposed to Plato's conception, is an action, and results not from the imitation inherent in mimesis, but rather in the activity — in the exercise — of the body, mind and soul. Education, however, demands imitation, demands a modeling upon what has been successful. How, then, do we rightly assess the merits of education with regard to its it molding of the public character — in its ability to produce â€Å"good† citizens. The answer to this hinges, I submit, on how we choose to define the â€Å"good† citizen. Clearly, if obedience (or â€Å"assimilation to a political ideology†, or perhaps â€Å"voluntary servitude†) is the hallmark of the good citizen, then we must regard Plato's disposition towards education as the proper one. However, obedience, despite its obvious centrality to the smooth operation of society (as we would have social chaos were it completely absent), has its useful limits. Over-assimilation to a political idea or â€Å"blueprint† is every bit as dangerous — indeed, far more so — as the utter under-assimilation of anarchy. For those inclined to dispute this, I would urge them to review the history of Nazi Germany as perhaps the definitive example of what sad, awful spectacles of injustice we humans are capable of when we trade in our mental and spiritual autonomy for the convenient apathy and faceless anonymity of the political ideal. Furthermore, if , as Rousseau contends, our civilization is such that, â€Å"Sincere friendship, real esteem, and perfect confidence [in each other] are banished from among men,† what is the quality of the society for which education — any modern education — purports to prepares us? When, â€Å"Jealousy, suspicion, fear coldness, reserve, hate, and fraud lie constantly concealed under †¦ [a] uniform and deceitful veil of politeness,† what is left to us to educate citizens for, other than the pleasure we seem to derive in pedantic displays of hoary knowledge? If we remove the civility from â€Å"civilization†, what remains to us that any education will remedy?

Hrm599

Week 1 1. Benefit plans Employer-sponsored benefits reflect the culture and business of the organization, and plans should be crafted and selected accordingly. Think about your current (or former) organization's benefit plan. Did it help to improve the quality of your work as well as your personal life? Why or why not? Was it a generous benefits program or were there specific benefits you felt should have been included? We want more time off Today people are looking for benefits what will help them manage their work-life life-styles better.Today, with the help of technology, employer is now starting to be more capable of offering flexible options with great results. Time off, seems to be another area that, I think, needs major improvement across the whole country. The average of two weeks’ vacation is way below the standard offered in all other countries, even third world countries have mandated better time off benefits embedded in their labor laws. I feel that we Americans wo rk too hard, with little time to be more involved in raising our kids or even taking care of ourselves.No time for soccer practice with my kinds, no time to go to the gym so I can lose some weight, no time to cook a good health meal for the family. Our lives are hassle and hassle and hassle. To me, when it comes to benefits, time off carries a lot of weight. I rather have an additional week of vacation that 5K more in my pay. Benefit plans Our company is into sales, entertainment, sports. I think it would be kinda hard to model a plan accordingly. Our plans are more designed to the type of family you have because we have a big mixture of people.I personally am not covered so I can't really speak in terms of how it benefits my life. Of course I do have vacation time and such, which does allow me to take some to myself. One thing I think would help in my quality of work or personal life is a flexible schedule. What I do sometimes affect payroll, so I have to map out times off or half days. However there are times when I really could use off and not really need to be in, so I wouldn't mind working an extra hour each day to have a half day later, or coming in earlier so I can leave earlier.Mainly because I prefer working in teh morning. I feel it helps me stay more attentative. Benefit discussion Providing workers with paid vacation time is extremely common, and generally considered a low-cost benefit to offer. Two weeks paid leave is fairly standard for a small business in the U. S. Many companies start workers at two weeks and reward them with additional time off as they accrue seniority. Some companies will also pro-rate vacation time, so that new hires that start on or after July 1 are only offered a week's vacation time in their first year. . Benefit Planning Process (graded)| As part of conducting a benefit plan needs assessment, a human resource professional must consider the organization’s business strategy as well as its compensation philosophy. Wh at do you think is the next step that should be taken? What are some of the possible outcomes of a benefit plan needs assessment? depends of what stage of the life cycle of the organization is | Mark Lema | 4/25/2012 7:11:46 AM| | I guess It depends of what stage of the life cycle of the organization we are, and the industry we are.I think that if we are new start-up business in the technology industry, we might need the best talent out there; therefore our strategy should be to offer very competitive benefits to attract and retain the best. Specially if they are highly skilled and in big demand. If I were to be in the â€Å"decline† stage or the organization, I might have to reduce cost and offer cost effective benefits to offset the costs and minimize expenses. | | RE: depends of what stage of the life cycle of the organization is | Harpreet Sandhu | 5/4/2012 7:53:32 PM| | Modified:5/4/2012 7:54 PM | I agree with my classmates that first it all depends on what stage the org anization is in. Along with this in my opinion, the immediate external environment and the changing needs of the organization are the priority too. If there is lot of external competition then the organization might need to reevaluate its benefit plans to attract, retain and reward valued employees. In order to do this, human resources should conduct a thorough review of the current plan and gain a clear understanding of short and long term strategic and financial objectives. | What do you think is the next step that should be taken? | Catherine Flynn | 4/30/2012 11:46:54 AM| | I think they need to look at the employees themselves and what their needs are. Easier for smaller companies, but even for bigger companies you can do online surveys. Finding out what the employees want is kinda imperative because you may not have similar workers. You may have some single people who don't need child care benefits, or older people who are into saving more so would really be interested in a 401 k or Pension more than an FSA account necessarily. | RE: What do you think is the next step that should be taken? | Lynn Peirce | 5/1/2012 12:34:40 AM| | Hi Catherine, thanks for your post†¦. I think, as I have seen through my readings†¦ companies simply are not offering pension plans. I would rather have that than a 401K. I think compnies should use surveys and interviews with kep personnale to see what employees really want after a needs assessment†¦. I imagine the results would be surprising. Management always seems to be disconnected from the â€Å"real† hard working backbone employees. | | RE: What do you think is the next step that should be taken? | Aaron Jones | 5/1/2012 6:04:19 AM| | This is true but they should reconnect themselves so they can find out what is really going on with there employees, the hard backbone employees need to know that they are  notice for there hard work and when mangerment does   surveys and needs assessment this shows th e employees that the organzation is concern about there hard working employees. | | Outcomes of an assessment | Catherine Flynn | 5/1/2012 11:18:52 AM| | I'm not sure what the book says.However I would assume there could be many outcomes such as needs that might be too expensive to cover. Or perhaps not enough people want the same coverage or not enough people to meet the limit requirement for the insurance company. You can also find out that the benefit plan might not suit anyone at all and a serious change is needed. | | RE: Benefit Planning Process | Harpreet Sandhu | 5/6/2012 8:41:42 PM| | Most successful companies utilize business strategic planning to set priorities and goals for the organization's future; outcomes include short-term goals and long-term strategies.A clearly written, well designed strategic plan can align business units, divisions and employees so that the vision of the management team and the mission of the company can be fulfilled. As companies evolve and the environment changes it is critical for companies to maintain a disciplined execution of the strategic plan. However, if they are not aligned with the business strategy, are done independently, and are not linked to a multi-year strategy they can become a source of frustration and may create unintended outcomes.By adopting a strategic benefit planning process, companies can make decisions regarding their benefits and health care with significantly less stress. Addressing the changing environment of health care will be approached with a more thoughtful long-term perspective and will be tied to the values and philosophy of the   company. | benefit plan | Manqing Liu | 5/4/2012 10:36:41 PM| | There are several external environmental factors considered in strategic benefits planning: Industry prospects, economic conditions, and forecasts Employer costs for compensation and benefitsGovernment regulation of employee benefits Changing demographics of the labor force| Next Step | Natasha Wylie | 5/11/2012 2:13:56 PM| | I think the next logical step would be for the company to  do an evaluation  in terms of both cost and employee need, to maintain a balance between direct wages and benefits. Wage increases and benefit changes independently can lead to excessive increases in payroll costs where the organization loses control of the situation. When benefits or one benefits costs are rising quickly, it impacts the organization's ability to raise other parts of the compensation package. |Week 2 discussion Role of Government (graded)| Other than the mandates of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and a few other ineffectual reporting and disclosure requirements, benefit programs were practically unregulated by the federal government. Before the major shift that came with the enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974, which was primarily aimed at traditional defined benefit (DB) pension plans but applicable to other employer sponsored retirem ent and benefit programs. What is the government’s current role in regulating the administration of employee benefits?Do you think there is too little or too much government intervention? Why? Role of the government | Aaron Jones | 5/5/2012 4:23:24 AM| | 1. * Government regulates retirement plans, health benefit coverages, unemployment insurance and workers' compensation benefits. Effects * Government regulation on unemployment insurance pays benefits to the unemployed. By regulating workers' compensation benefits, states can control the amount an insurer pays, the kind of drug testing it requires and whether businesses with fewer employees are exempt from these laws.With the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the federal government establishes standards for retirement and health coverage that private businesses must offer. Liability * In states like North Carolina, the government subjects new employers to a standard tax rate at first. Once it has determine d their actual rate, the state's Employment Security Commission notifies the business by letter of its liability to pay unemployment taxes.Significance * Not only do federal and state regulations on benefits guarantee certain types of coverage, they also establish minimum reporting standards and disclosure requirements for businesses that must document their compliance. Size * An expansive program, ERISA regulates benefits given to a company's current and discontinued employees. It also mandates compliance with the Newborns' Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, to name a few. information from: Government Regulations on Employee Benefits | eHow. om http://www. ehow. com/facts_5554578_government-regulations-employee-benefits. html#ixzz1tzOVqKAW. | RE: Role of Government | Sylvia Privette | 5/6/2012 8:53:03 AM| | Lynn and Aaron I agree with both of you. I don't think the government intervenes eno ugh. I believe they waited to long to help with this issue as they do with all issues. They wait  until they are out of control or the government is tired of paying for the people because they are short on funds, so they attack. Had this issue been dealt with before the backlash would not be so drastic. As Aaron stated it took this particular president to do something.I look back at the wheel and the economy if you don't work for the big companies, then its difficult for the smaller ones to give great benefits. The Healthcare plan is a good one, but possible at an inconvenient time for companies financially. In response to Lynn I too believe the government should provide healthcare coverage but to the needy. If you are employed then your employer should offer heathcare and the employee should be covered, contributing or not. The government is now complaining that are not only giving health care to the needy and companies can help bare some of the cost.We all know healthcare is exp ensive | | RE: Role of Government | Manqing Liu | 5/12/2012 9:54:07 PM| | The government's role in the retirement income area has been dictated primarily by historical factors. Beginning in the late 19th century, the economy of the United States changed fairly rapidly from predominantly agricultural to predominantly industrial and service oriented. Coinciding with this change—and probably in response to it—the large, supportive extended family of the agricultural economy was largely replaced by smaller, more fragmented family units.The shift away from agriculture reduced the amount of economically useful work available to older people, and family structural changes reduced the amount of family support for the aged. | | RE: Role of Government | Aaron Jones | 5/7/2012 6:04:07 AM| | This is the way the system likes to operate, they will let an situation like this one get so far out of hand then have meeting about the matter and really get nothing done instead they fight o n issues that they know should have been address   long before Barack Obama came along.Now that he is here he just wants do do the job he was put in office for taking care the American people and use all the funds in a wisely matter so all can live a more comfortable life. Healthcare is expensive and with the right program in place the cost can be handle if they   take the right action regarding this matter. | Do you think there is too little or too much government intervention? Why? | Catherine Flynn | 5/9/2012 8:26:36 PM| | All benefits are so complex it takes a lot to work plans out, so having regulations I think is helpful.However I don't feel that the government should get more involved than they already are because I feel that they are almost trying to control what I can and cannot have, and that is what I don't agree with. I mentioned before about the Individual Mandate Clause in the new healthcare plan that is being voted on and I personally do not appreciate being told what I can and cannot buy. It should be my choice to purchase health insurance if I want it or not, and this clause is taking that choice away from me. | | Do you think there is too little or too much government intervention? Why? Norma Vega | 5/9/2012 11:32:52 PM| | I think there are too little. While there are some penalties and sanctions imposed by ERISA, through the Department of Labor, these are for violations on the administration of the employee benefits programs of those who voluntarily designed employee benefits plans. How about for those who opted not to voluntarily design employee benefits plans and programs? REFERENCES:Pndyck, Robert S. (2005). Microeconomics. Pearson Education, Inc. http://www. dol. gov/compliance/guide/erisa. htm#who | | To ensure there is fair environment for competition | Mark Lema | 5/10/2012 7:15:33 AM| In my opinion, the government’s role is to primarily set a minimum standard. As they do for the minimum wage. Then to enforce de law, and to ensure there is fair environment for competition and no monopolies are developed. Competition will drive the quality of benefits. | Government Mandates | Professor Blanco | 5/10/2012 1:12:34 PM| | Class-  Ã‚   intereesting that many of you feel that â€Å"government should provide benefits†. Let's take a look at that. Benefits are very expensive, we know. But why? What is driving the cost of these benefits? How do you propose the â€Å"government provided benefits† will be paid? | RE: Government Mandates | Crystal Johnson | 5/10/2012 4:30:08 PM| | One thing that is raising the cost of benefits is specialty drug prescriptions. Specialty drugs for   multiple sclerosis can cost $2,500 to $3,800 a month. The cost of staying alive on drugs is sky rocketing. Prescription drug companies are making a killing with their patents and over charge the public to fix erectile dysfunction or having long lashes. However, drugs that actually extend your life and true quality of lif e should be augmented so everyone can benefit or at least let people have reasonable access to them.I know that sex and long eye lashes are meaningful to quality of life, but not as much as asma medication or kidney cleansing  drugs for dialys patients. http://www. shrm. org/hrdisciplines/benefits/Articles/Pages/SpecialtyDrugs. aspx | | | RE: Government Mandates | Manqing Liu | 5/11/2012 11:15:52 PM| | I found something interesting about government provided benefits: A 2008 poll of 1,400 Americans by the Cornell Survey Research Institute found that when people were asked whether they had â€Å"ever used a government social program,† 57 percent said they had not.Respondents were then asked whether they had availed themselves of any of 21 different federal policies, including Social Security, unemployment insurance, the home-mortgage-interest deduction and student loans. It turned out that 94 percent of those who had denied using programs had benefited from at least one; the average respondent had used four. http://www. nytimes. com/2011/09/20/opinion/our-hidden-government-benefits. html| | | What is the government’s current role in regulating the administration of employee benefits | Natasha Wylie | 5/13/2012 5:43:14 PM| The  basis of ERISA is to provide protection of employee benefit rights. ERISA has a few major objectives, they are: To ensure that workers and beneficiaries receive adequate information about their plans To set standards od conduct for those managing employee benefits plans   and plan funds To determine that adequate funds are being set aside to pay promised pension benefits To ensure that workers receive pension benefits after they satisfied minimum requirements To safeguard pension benefits for workers whose pension plans are terminated | | | Do you think there is too little or too much government intervention?Why? | Natasha Wylie | 5/13/2012 6:05:23 PM| | I'm on the fence about whether there is too much government interv ention in the administering of employee benefits. I'm sure  that both sides could argue where oversight is needed and where there is too much involvement. Whether the oversight is handled by the government or another agency, I do believe that someone should look out for the best interest of employees, and ensure things related to benefits are handled in a proper manner. |Government Mandated Benefits (graded)| There are certain benefits that are legislatively mandated and cannot be altered or dropped by an organization for any reason other than the organization is closing its doors for good! Social Security and Medicare, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, COBRA and FMLA are all federal and state mandated programs. What do you think determines the types of programs that the  government chooses to make mandatory? Do you feel these programs are efficient and effective?Why or why not? | Government Mandated Benefits | Lynn Peirce | 5/6/2012 2:55:19 AM| | My feeling is that the U. S. economy plays a large part in determining the types of programs the government makes mandatory, in order to help and protect U. S. citizens in times of need, for example, COBRA. Some of these programs go back many years in their enactment, such as the Social Security Act of 1935, when the U. S. had the foresight to help aid in retirement of older workers (and that was post-Depression and pre-WWII).Some of these programs are efficient, such unemployment insurance (even though it should last longer), and some are not, such as Medicare (seniors still have to purchase supplemental insurance or pay out-of-pocket costs). Social Security may not even be around in another 25 years. I think these programs started out well, and the intentions are good, but they became financially strapped. See http://www. socialsecurityreform. org/problem/index. cfm. | | RE: Government Mandated Benefits | Sylvia Privette | 5/6/2012 8:06:52 PM| | I agree with both of you.The government does w hat it feels is necessary when monies are tight for them and for companies. The state of the economy determines in which way the wheel should turn. If it too expensive for the government then they want more from employers, however they also know that employers will want something in return i. e. , tax incentives. The government should have stepped in long ago before these problems became bigger problems. Aaron you make a good point. The government should make sure that the employees they have working in these positions are educated nough to do so. The proper training and supervision is most important. Mishandling of funds is a big issue for the government and it seems as if they need the corporations help in bailing them out financially. I am grateful for the programs that the government has mandated, however, I think the government could regulate more benefits programs. | RE: Social Security ; Government Benefits | Lynn Peirce | 5/10/2012 11:03:05 PM| | Jill, as we discussed in cla ss, Social Security was implemented in 1935, after the Depression, and was only meant to be temporary.Since the system is already broken, and the government is trying to fix it, healthcare will be regulated by the federal government†¦ but as we discussed in class, Obamacare will have to be tweaked in order to satisfy those who are opposed to it, as well as make it more feasible to implement and operate. I imagine this will be  a nightmare. I found this great article about Social Security, written from the viewpoint of a sociologist, on the origins of Social Security and how it is being â€Å"reformed†: http://www2. ucsc. edu/whorulesamerica/power/social_security. tml If the current social security dliemma, is not fixed, I feel that the consequences will be dire. | Do you feel these programs are efficient and effective? Why or why not? | Natasha Wylie | 5/13/2012 7:35:53 PM| | Personally speaking I think that these programs are effective. I have used FMLA, after giving birth to my daughter. T he Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives eligible employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for themselves or a relative suffering from a serious health condition, a newborn baby, recently adopted child or a new foster child.Also covered are emergencies that occur when a relative who is a member of the National Guard or Reserves is called to active duty. To qualify, employees must work for a covered employer for a minimum of 1,250 hours during the designated 12-month qualifying period. Its a relief to not worry about securing your position while out on FMLA. There were times when if an employee needed to be out of work for and extended period of time, there positions weren't held. | Week 3 discussion Healthcare Cost Management (graded)|Many Americans benefit from the investments in healthcare; however, the recent cost growth, coupled with the economic downturn and rising national deficit, has placed a great strain on the financial systems used to finance hea lthcare, including private employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and public insurance programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. What is the responsibility of individuals for the cost of their care? Are health savings accounts and high-deductible insurance policies an approach that should be expanded? What are the concerns for low-income individuals?Healthcare cost management | Aaron Jones | 5/12/2012 7:12:54 AM| | The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes a provision similar to AMA policy on individual responsibility, which is scheduled to take effect in 2014. The Congressional Budget Office predicts the ACA will expand coverage to 32 million more Americans by 2016. Several of the new benefits included in the health reform law, such as an end to coverage denials based on pre-existing conditions, are only made possible by increasing the number of Americans participating in the health insurance market.Individual responsibility for health insurance allows patients to take ownership of their health care needs, decreases the number of uninsured — now estimated at 50 million nationwide — and helps make popular insurance market reforms possible. By promoting individual responsibility and increasing the number of insured individuals, we improve the health of Americans and keep hidden costs from being passed along to all of us * HSA/HDHPs are a highly tax-advantaged savings vehicle appealing to people who have high incomes and to those who are expected to have low use of health care services.For the uninsured, these approaches are less attractive since they often have low income and neither benefit significantly from the tax advantages now have the financial assets necessary to cover the large deductibles associated with the plans. * Their ability to reduce system-wide spending is very limited. * The plans have the potential to increase segmentation of health care risk in private insurance markets unless employers set premiums to offset the healthier s election into the plans or government subsidizes the higher costs associated with the remaining non-HSA market.The plans have thus far been less attractive that prononents envisioned, the authors add, so their potentially negative ramifications on populations with high medical needs have been limited. However, they say, â€Å"efforts to expand enrollment in these plans through further tax incentives, for example, could place growing financial burdens on those least able to absorb them, leading to more barriers to medical care for the low-income and the sick and fewer insurance options. www. rwjf. org/pr/product. | Healthcare Cost Management | Lynn Peirce | 5/12/2012 10:39:30 PM| I think that individuals should be responsible for their own healthcare, whenever possible and affordable, but since the economy has been so bad for so long, a lot of people go without, which places a strain on the financial systems used to finance government-managed programs. I, myself, am fortunate enough to receive Medicaid, but it was not handed to me, as one must be medically-needy (an individual can make $47,500 per year and receive Medicaid). There are two programs within Medicaid in New Jesey, one is the Workability Program, which I am in; the other is for people who are unable to work.Health insurance is very expensive for employers ot provide, as we have been discusssing in class the past few weeks. I feel that high-deductible policies are not the way to go, but health savings accounts may be a great option to explore. The concerns for low-income individuals are that they simply do not have the means to invest in a health-savings account, and if they don't qualify for Medicaid, they are stuck in clinic care, which doesn't really do the job. â€Å"More than 60 percent of nonelderly Americans receive health-insurance (HI) coverage through employers, either as policyholders or as dependents.However, rising health-care costs are leading many to question the long-term viability of the employer-based insurance system. Concerns about the economic burden of providing HI are particularly acute for small businesses, which are both less likely than larger firms to offer HI and more sensitive to price when deciding to offer insurance. Small firms may have difficulty containing costs due to their limited bargaining power and their inability to hire experts skilled in negotiating with insurance companies.Further, while few recent studies have systematically explored differences in the quality of HI plans that small and large firms offer, small firms may offer health plans of lower quality† (http://www. rand. org/pubs/technical_reports/TR559. html). | Healthcare Cost Management | Norma Vega | 5/13/2012 11:20:31 PM| | I would say it depends on the institution. There are great medical facilities all over the US but many are closing down because of different law violations. I think it is a mix of both money and helping patients though. The good facilities I think concentrate on the genuinely helping people part from top down.As they hire staff, I would hope that is one requirement they look for while in the interview process. I think with a good staff and employees that truly care and provide excellent service are the ones that are successful and make more money. | The importance of becoming a smart consumer | Mark Lema | 5/15/2012 1:30:07 PM| | Becoming a smart consumer is a must when it comes to utilizing your healthcare benefits. The high cost of benefits is not under the control of employers, therefore, employer have no option but to offer all other   possible options to reduce the cost of healthcare and minimize the passing of that cost to their employees.Unfortunately, there is very little employers can do. As they cost for healthcare increases, employer have to become more creative in developing a healthcare pla that will not upset employees and   that will not place the company on bankruptcy. HSA and FSA type of accounts are som e of those alternatives that employer use to help employees better manage their healthcare costs. Unfortunately, the lack of understanding how these plans work, and the fact that it requires a lot of time andn preparation to comply with the processes  and submit receipts, has pushed back many current and potential participants.In my case these option do help. My wife, who is the smart one, fully understands the procedures and requirements of HASs and FSAs and has save us   in the last years 100’s of dollars in healthcare costs, this dedication and full understanding of my family healthcare needs, has by far offset the time-burden it requires to manage them. | | What are the concerns for low-income individuals? | Catherine Flynn | 5/16/2012 5:17:20 PM| | For low income families it's a big struggle to be able to afford insurance. Sometimes it can even be something that they just don't think about cause it may not be the firs thing on their mind.When you're worrying about ot her bills, that could take precedent over insurance. Until someone gets sick, then you realize that on top of all the bills, you need money for when you or your child is sick or needs hospital care. For my family when I was growing up, we knew insurance was important because I was a pretty sick kid, so I was always needing doctor visits and medicines, and of course ER visits since I was also clumsy. Then my mother's health started to decline as I got older. So having some sort of insurance was extremely important and I always knew that it's beneficial to have some type of funds available should emergencies occur.When I was in college there were a few years I had to go without benefits. Today and even then I felt extremely lucky I didn't get sick because if I had I would have had a lot of bills. Not only because of that but because My mother and I had assistance, I'm very grateful for it. However not everyone has that, and not everyone is eligible for it because they work. But their salaries may not be enough to get them health care, so they have the option of finding a job that might offer benefits, or get a second job to try and get a plan on their own.It can be very difficult, and it's something you need to ask yourself. Are you going to try your hardest to protect yourself with insurance, or are you going to risk it? I think it depends alot on each persons circumstances. | What are the concerns for low-income individuals? | Michael McArdle | 5/18/2012 10:43:39 AM| | Personally I just feel that low-income people are in trouble of never being able to afford healthcare. There are people that can go to Health Clinics but there is still a fee of $5, $10 or $20, based on income level, and many people cannot even afford to pay the amounts that are listed.Sometimes when I visit to see the Dentist because I don't a dental plan, I pay $20, I hear the stories of the people talking to each other makes me almost want to melt in my seat hearing about their life stories a nd the struggles they have. It is just so sad that all of these people I see in the waiting room are unable to afford to see a Family Doctor, it makes me feel sad. | RE: What are the concerns for low-income individuals? | Aly Traore | 5/18/2012 4:34:25 AM| | what you said is very true and sad, but unfortunately it is the reality. n my opinion, to better live in USA in these days, you have to be at least in middle class that is the level where you can benefit from the system of economy in particular healthcare system. â€Å"low- income† is just a beautiful word to cover the word â€Å"poor† in the government vocabulary. | | Consumer Driven Healthcare (graded)| Consumer driven healthcare has become popular over the past few years as employees seek tax advantages and cost savings on healthcare. What are some of the key features of a consumer driven healthcare plan? Does your company currently offer any of these plans?If so, are you taking advantage of them? Why or why not ? | RE: Consumer Driven Healthcare | Sylvia Privette | 5/15/2012 10:02:36 PM| | Lynn  I agree, with healthcare becoming more and more expensive, for the little things people are starting to self heal as much as possible. Those over the counter medicines are on the rise for purchases because its cheaper. Individuals wait until self healing is no longer working to go to the doctor. I am starting to see more people looking for the cheaper health plans. The plans offered by the government based on income determines your contribution.Some of these plans depending on pay scale are cheaper the what employers are asking. Also free clinics are on the rise for health care, the medical buses we see sometimes like to get your blood pressure checked, or free screenings, free flu shots, mammograms and the use of the department of health especially for children. These are some of the cheaper ways people are staring to use. | | | RE: Consumer Driven Healthcare | Manqing Liu | 5/20/2012 10:49:22 P M| | Many large employers are offering consumer-driven plans, also known as high-deductible plans.These plans require employees and beneficiaries to be more involved, not less, in health care issues. Employee health and well-being affect not only absenteeism, but also bottom-line issues such as disability, workers compensation, and productivity. | | RE: Consumer Driven Healthcare | Aaron Jones | 5/16/2012 4:23:00 AM| | With the high cost that comes with healthcare people are becoming smart consumers when looking for the right healthcare package, it may not have all the benefits people are looking for but as long is the price is right people will just get what they can afford these days.Free clinics, over the counter medicines, whatever will work for that person helps the consumer deal better with healthcare issues. | | consumer-driven plans | Mark Lema | 5/16/2012 1:17:52 PM| | The term consumer-driven evolved out of a concept of a defined contribution in contrast to a defined benef it. Many large employers are offering consumer-driven plans, also known as high-deductible plans. These plans require employees and beneficiaries to be more involved, not less, in health care issues.Employee health and well-being affect not only absenteeism, but also bottom-line issues such as disability, workers compensation, and productivity. | Does your company currently offer any of these plans? If so, are you taking advantage of them? Why o | Catherine Flynn | 5/16/2012 5:22:55 PM| | Our company offers two separate plans, and one of them does fall under this category. Alot of our employees actually do take advantage of this particular plan versus our personal choice plan. I however do not, so unfortunately I lack alot of the specifics about it.I think our biggest question right now is what's going to happen in June, because that will affect our negotiation meetings with our brokers that are coming up soon. It could not change at all, or it could change completely. I will say th at because I'm not to familiar with both plans yet I can't say that I know which one is best for me. I do know however that I am very prone to getting sick, and often, so I suppose that would play a big factor in my choice of benefits. | | RE: Does your company currently offer any of these plans?If so, are you taking advantage of them? W | Aaron Jones | 5/17/2012 4:48:37 AM| | This is a tough situation to be in but like most companies we all have to sit back and look over the choices we have when it comes to making the right choice for health care and I am sure you will sit down and make the best choice for you and your family. Just pray that the company does not make to many changes to the healthcare and if they do it works out for all that is involved in this situation. Good Luck! consumer driven healthcare | Aly Traore | 5/17/2012 10:14:56 PM| | consumer-driven health care is a good idea, and even better a good system, but with a deregulated health care system environment, it wil l be very hard for employee to stick to it for long, because the cost of health care is increasing every day. in my opinion, to be better enjoy all the health care benefits, the system has to be regulated. | | Does your company currently offer any of these plans? | Michael McArdle | 5/18/2012 10:51:13 AM| Our company does offer a lower cost plan if a person has a primary doctor, and it does cost less than a PPO, however the cost of seeing a doctor is still very high, close to $50, and if someone gets a prescription, they pay close to the full price that the prescription would have been to someone without insurance, so overall it is worth paying more for a PPO because the cost to see a doctor or get a prescription is much lower, and if you have a major accident and need surgery, a person is more likely to get the treatment they need over not getting help if their insurance was low cost and does not cover surgeries for emergencies. FSA's | Natasha Wylie | 5/20/2012 1:25:27 PM| | My co mpany offers flexible spending accounts. Flexible Spending Accounts permit employees to pay for specified health care cost that are not covered by an employee's insurance plan. For the upcoming benefit year I did elect a pre=tax contribution to FSA. This year I expect to have dental work done   and having access to the money upfront and pre-tax is an added and much needed benefit. | | RE: FSA's | Norma Vega | 5/21/2012 6:39:29 PM| | Hello Natasha,Same here.I am going to be getting some dental work as well as some minor nasal corrective surgery done and being able to pay the $500 out of pocket cost with a pre tax card is such a luxury. I really have no idea how anyone could not like these benefits. I think it comes down to people being scared of having money taken out, not realizing they’re going to spend it anyway post tax. I also think that some people can’t comprehend exactly how much they are saving from taxes. | What are some of the key features of a consumer dri ven healthcare plan? | Natasha Wylie | 5/20/2012 1:38:03 PM| The key features of consumer driven health care plans are: It helps employers maintain control over cost Enables employees to lower the cost of insurance premiums through high deductibles Puts a restriction on employees ability to make choices about who they want to receive treatment though via in ; out of network providers | | key features of a consumer driven healthcare plan | Manqing Liu | 5/20/2012 10:42:17 PM| | Transforming the third-party reimbursement system into one that puts economic purchasing power — and decision-making — in the hands of the consumer.Supplying the information and decision support tools needed, along with financial incentives, rewards and other benefits that encourage personal involvement in altering health and health care purchasing behaviors. Letting consumers, rather than health plans, control health care decisions. | Week 4 discussion Life Insurance Plans (graded)| A major conc ern for most employees is caring for their families in the event of the employee’s death. Many employers provide life insurance for employees. Does your organization offer a group insurance policy?If so, what is the basic plan design of your organization’s life insurance policy, and for  how much are you covered? RE: Group life insurance plans | Manqing Liu | 5/27/2012 10:52:00 PM| | Group life insurance is term insurance covering a group of people, usually employees of a company or members of a union or association. Individual proof of insurability is not normally a consideration in the underwriting. Rather, the underwriter considers the size, turnover and financial strength of the group. Contract provisions will attempt to exclude the possibility of adverse selection.Group life insurance often includes a provision for a member exiting the group to buy individual coverage. | Group life insurance plans | Aaron Jones | 5/19/2012 7:08:48 AM| | There are three different types of group insurance and this company uses number one for there employees from what I was reading out of the company policy. 1) Basic group term life—This is the most typical coverage, providing basic coverage and often paid for by the employer. The premiums (up to $50,000) paid for by the employer are considered to be an employee income tax-free benefit. ) Supplemental group term life—Often offered by employers in conjunction with a basic group term life policy, this type of coverage provides the flexibility for the employee to purchase additional amounts of coverage. The employee chooses the type and amount of coverage to suit personal needs and circumstances and pays the cost for the premiums. 3) Portable term life—Employees who lose the employer’s group eligibility (they either leave the group or retire) can take this coverage with them to continue their insurance protection generally until they reach age 70.They make their payments directly to t he insurer, many times through electronic funds transfers. From what I saw when I was reading the company policy when it comes to life insurance they use the typical coverage for there employees, they have there reasons why they do things the way they do it because everybody have different reasons for life insurance mostly this company uses number  1 for there employees. | Life Insurance Plans | Catherine Flynn | 5/20/2012 2:46:40 PM| | We offer voluntary life insurance plans for employee, their spouse, and dependents. Each are available in increments of $10,000.Each plan has a maximum benefit of $500,000 except for dependents, this insurance is only available in $2,500, $5,000, $7,000 or $10,000. This is only available for 30 days after you acquire the dependent (birth, marriage, adoption). I personally feel as though it's important for me to make sure my family, even though small, should be protected if I can afford it. Accidents happen, and if I have the available funds why not put money away for that purpose? I've always been a squirrel when it comes to money so saving plans like these are a good fit for me. | Commonwealth life insurance plan | Crystal Johnson | 5/20/2012 7:22:50 PM| From what I understand, my life insurance plan matches my base pay. Base pay is $20,000 to $25, 000 less than my actually income because of the amount of over time that I do. If I get killed on state property  it suppose to be three times my base pay. Rumored has it that the hostage situation that happened in 1998 where a staff was killed by another staff member the grieving family had to go to court to get the triple pay out. The insurance company said that the death was not caused by a patient so they did not want to pay. Even though the killer staffer was upset about upper management decision to fire him.Group Life InsuranceThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides life insurance coverage for permanent employees through The Prudential Insurance Company of America. The a mount of life insurance is equal to your annual salary (rounded to the nearest $1,000) as of the date of hire, up to a maximum of $40,000. The amount of insurance is adjusted on January 1 of each year to account for pay changes. There is a 90-day waiting period from your date of hire before coverage takes effect. Eligible employees will receive a â€Å"Welcome Kit† from Prudential within three months of hire.The kit will include the Booklet/Certificate that confirms coverage and outlines the contract provisions that apply, as well as a Group Insurance Beneficiary Designation/Change form. | | RE: Commonwealth life insurance plan | Natasha Wylie | 5/28/2012 11:34:36 AM| | Life insurance should really be called â€Å"death insurance. † Like other types of insurance, life insurance is protection against the unknown. When you buy life insurance, you're paying for the peace of mind that your family will be taken care of in the event of your sudden demise. Life insurance is t he life jacket in the fishing boat..You hope to never have to use it, but it's nice to know it's there. Some people call life insurance gambling. They think that you're throwing away a bunch of money on the off chance that you'll die young. But when life insurance is handled correctly, it isn't gambling at all. It's simply part of a larger economic plan whose goal is the financial security of your family. It's a shame that often times its not handled correctly. | Imputed Income | Crystal Johnson | 5/24/2012 5:55:52 PM| | Income that may not be seen as cash, but instead comes in the form of a benefit†¦ ometimes by having another pay an expense†¦ sometimes by having a benefit provided. Examples: The value of a car provided by your employer that you may use for personal use. That value is imputed income. Likewise, the value of having some other benefits – over $50,000 a year of life insurance provided by your employer (the value of the insurance is imputed income). An employer sponsored (even if what it does just work to make the costs lower) of an on site cafeteria – imputed benefit. Having a below market rate loan†¦ that some employers provide certain employees†¦ he lower interest that they forgoe is a benefit to you†¦ and hence imputed income. Read more: http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_is_imputed_income#ixzz1vpnMNB4x| Definition of Imputed Income | Lynn Peirce | 5/24/2012 9:33:06 PM| | As per our discussion in class tonight, imputed income is defined, as follows: â€Å"Imputed income is the addition of the value of cash/non-cash compensation to an employees’ taxable wages in order to properly withhold income and employment taxes from the wages. Imputed income is taxable to the assignee (unless specifically exempt).Because it is delivered for the performance of services (related to employment) it must be included in the assignee's Form W-2 to accurately reflect the assignee's taxable wage-related income† (se e http://definitions. uslegal. com/i/imputed-income/). I didn't want to add too much because Crystal also defined it in her post. | | Life Insurance | Natasha Wylie | 5/28/2012 11:28:45 AM| | Employee sponsored life insurance gives employees a peace of mind in the event of death. Having life insurance relieves some of the financial burden left on grieving loved ones.Employee-sponsored life insurance   protects family members by paying a specified amount to n employees beneficiary upon the employees death. | Disability Plans (graded)| In addition to replacing household income when an employee either retires or is no longer working, he or she may also carry some type of income-replacement plan in the event they become disabled. Does your current (or former) employer offer disability coverage for employees? What are the specifics of your coverage? Do you feel the need to purchase supplemental disability insurance? Why or why not? | RE: Disability coverage | Crystal Johnson | 5/22/201 2 2:08:29 AM| Jobs that offer short term disability insurance as part of a benefit's package creates more loyalty in employees than jobs that do not offer it. Human beings are going to acquire bumps and bruises as part of the â€Å"age and wisdom† baggage. Short term disability insurance gives you the luxury to fully heal while keeping a roof over your head and raman noodles on your plate. When employees know  that they  will be able to recuperate without financial stresses  from standing-on-the-stool-to-change -a-light-but-crashed-landed-into-the-wall, they are more willing to go stay where they are appreciated and valued. Disability Coverage | Lynn Peirce | 5/20/2012 1:51:31 AM| | Of course, the firm I currently work for does not offer disability insurance; since I am a Medicaid recipient, I currently would not need it. As far as purchasing supplemental disability insurance, I found an example of coverage from Combined Insurance Company, as follows: â€Å"Disability income insurance is paid directly to you for covered disability for up to two years* when you are totally disabled and can't work due to accident or sickness. You are protected, on or off the job, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.You are considered totally disabled when you are under the regular care of a physician and are unable to perform the substantial and material duties of your own occupation. Income Protector works in conjunction with Social Security and Workers' Compensation to help you maximize your benefits. When no social benefit** is paid, Combined Insurance pays you the full benefit amount of your selected plan. When a social benefit is paid, our disability income protection makes up any shortfall between your target replacement paycheck and your social benefit payment. ** However, Combined Insurance will never pay less than 40% of the benefit amount purchased† (http://www. combinedinsurance. com/insurance-types/disability-insurance. html). I think it is probably a good idea, if you have a family and can afford it, but on the other hand, we are already paying into Disability, and it seems like another money-maker for insurance companies. I mean, there is insurance for just about everything anymore (like pet insurance). How far does it go, and how much should an employer provide when the cost of health insurance is already so high? | | Aflac | Crystal Johnson | 5/20/2012 7:38:08 PM| | I am not a saver. I know I should be more responsible and put money away  for rainy days. I know that I should put away 10% of my income for  life's  financial thunderstorms. I don't have a financial  umbrella. I like dancing in the rain so I got Aflac. Aflac  gave our union a group rate for  disability insurance and secondary life insurance. My coworkers  allowed Aflac to  take out money out of their check because the wanted a stronger piece of mind and  plan  B to their savings plan.I choose to have Aflac take out money out of my  check be cause I cant be trusted to do it myself. | | RE: Disability Plans | Lynn Peirce | 5/23/2012 5:08:32 PM| | They have to pay people/employees to do this, so they have to make it worth everyone's while. The cost to the employer has to be validated in order for it to continue. | | RE: supplemental disability insurance | Aaron Jones | 5/24/2012 6:21:07 AM| | I am sure that a whole lot of people will need this type of insurance when they get to a point in their life and hopefully the insurance will cover the things they will need cover once it kicks in.The rules always change when the person really needs this type of coverage this is why the person must make sure evrything is still good before the insurance is needed. | Disbility plans | Harpreet Sandhu | 5/23/2012 10:20:53 PM| | Short term disability insurance can replace a portion of income during the initial weeks of a disabling illness or accident whereas, long term disability can replace a portion of income after those initial weeks, for an extended period. Some people have one or both of these through their employer.Many people also choose to purchase individual disability insurance on their own. Individual Disability Income Insurance can provide protection for people who do not have disability insurance available through their workplace or may be used to supplement group coverage through their workplace. Some of the benefits of MetLife’s Individual Disability Income Insurance include: Monthly Benefit Payments—after an initial waiting period, benefits are paid for each month you can’t work through the policy’s maximum benefit period.Noncancelable and Guaranteed Renewable Coverage Available – Provided premiums are paid on time, MetLife cannot cancel or change your coverage or premium rates until the first premium due date on or after your 67th birthday. www. metlife. com/individual/insurance/disability-insurance/index. html | | Do you feel the need to purchase supplemental dis ability insurance? | Manqing Liu | 5/25/2012 8:13:45 PM| | Most people don't realize the risk of becoming disabled, permanently or temporarily, at some point in their lives. But the reality is that at age 40, your chances of becoming disabled for 90 days or more prior to age 65 is 43%. Source: 2004 Field Guide, National Underwriter). I think it is necessary to purchase a disability insurance. | | RE: Do you feel the need to purchase supplemental disability insurance? | Aly Traore | 5/25/2012 8:49:59 PM| | why would you want to buy an additional insurance, if you can invest your money somewhere else to make profit over the time period. in my opinion,   I think if your goal is to buy that supplemental insurance just to have more money in a case where you get disable or retired,   this is not a good option. | RE: Mental Health Paridy Act | Sylvia Privette | 5/25/2012 8:46:06 PM| | Modified:5/25/2012 8:47 PM | The Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) provides for parity in the applicatio n of aggregate lifetime and annual dollar limits on mental health benefits with dollar limits on medical/surgical benefits. A plan that does not impose an annual or lifetime dollar limit on medical and surgical benefits may not impose such a dollar limit on mental health benefits offered under the plan. MHPA does not apply to benefits for substance abuse or chemical dependency. Health plans are not required to include mental health benefits in their benefits package. MHPA only applies to those plans that do offer mental health benefits. ttp://www. dol. gov/dol/topic/health-plans/mental. htm | | disability benefit | Manqing Liu | 5/26/2012 9:44:15 PM| | Monthly disability benefit depends on your average lifetime earnings. The amount also may be affected by your receipt of other government benefits. If you are getting workers' compensation, civil service, military, state temporary disability or state and local retirement benefits based on disability, the total amount combined with you r Social Security disability benefits may not exceed 80 percent of your average earnings at the time of your disability.Should your total government benefit go over that amount, your Social Security benefit will be reduced. Disability payments from private sources do not affect your SSDI benefits. | Does your current (or former) employer offer disability coverage for employees? | Natasha Wylie | 5/28/2012 12:35:42 PM| | My organization offers short and long term disability. Short-term disability provides income if employees are not able to work due to a non-work related illness or injury.Long-term disability coverage allows employees to continue receiving a portion of their salary for a period of time if they are disabled and cannot perform the duties of your regular job or injured. This employer-provided benefit provides 60 percent of base pay up to $10,000 per month maximum. | Disability Plans | Natasha Wylie | 5/28/2012 1:43:49 PM| | There are  four laws that influence the desi gn and implementation of company sponsered disability plans: ERISA ADEA The americans with disabilities Act State   Workers compensation and Social Secuity Disability Regulations |