Google (unionization) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Google (unionization) - Essay Example The only indication of employee unrest surfaced on one occasion when Google employees discovered that the Company had been secretly monitoring their activities using concealed cameras on desktop PCs.(Khouieri,2007) but this was easily and quickly dissipated with an offer of increase in pay. From the perspective of key stakeholders however, the lack of unionization is beneficial, especially because it ensures that company operations are unlikely to be held up for too long due to strikes or similar collective action by employees. In a global online environment, that requires constant employee input in updating and maintaining sites and processing applications, any hindrance in the continuous progression of work could be disastrous and affect consumers, advertisers and Google’s partners all over the world. In a competitive environment, consumers have been increasingly discriminating and demanding, thereby requiring employees to be constantly vigilant in developing new products and services. Employees also need to be vigilant in dealing with problems such as the development of viruses and/or impediments in the smooth operation of software applications associated with Google’s search engine, Adsense programs and other technological applications. A strike by employees brought on by unions demanding higher pay or better working conditions for example, would cause these activities to grind to a halt and adversely affect the interests of consumers, many of whom are heavily dependent upon the online environment in their day to day work activities. Any impediment in the work of employees would also hinder the interests of vendors and suppliers who are liable to lose any cost advantages they may be currently enjoying in their relationship with Google. Where management is concerned, the scope for profits of the Company would also be severely affected, because in a competitive online environment, any impediment to employee inputs could result in

The difference between Islamic and conventional Banks Research Paper

The difference between Islamic and conventional Banks - Research Paper Example Financial scholars have surpassed lasting ambiguous loan contracts practiced by drawing attention of the financial world to the benefits presented by bank products that meet the requirements of Sharia. Most of these products conform to religious backgrounds of the local people; and hence turn out to be attractive to wide fragments of the population in need of financial services they can identify with their cultural beliefs and way of life. Despite these existing trends, little academic evidence and research on the functioning of Islamic banks is recorded. Since its establishment in 1970, Islamic banking has witnessed a significant growth. With the establishment of its operational foundations a few decades ago, the banking model acted as a major vehicle that offer products similar to convenient banks. Numerous academic research and literature have gone further to establish the viability of these types of banks in dealing with finances. It is also evident that the last few decades the banking model has been characterized by an increase in its financial institutions that are spread in all continents. Most importantly financial institutions, in Europe and Asia, operate on Islamic windows and thus provide a convenient banking framework to their clients. Therefore, this paper describes some of the common differences between Islamic and conventional banks (Ali, 2005). Despite the fact that there is growing interest on Islamic banking and Islamic finance literature, a few academic papers about the subjects exist. A policy research working paper by Beck, Demirgà ¼Ãƒ §-Kunt & Merrouche (2010), confirms that there is a deficiency of academic work highlighting Islam finance trends. This trend contrasts with the increased importance played by Islamic banking in a majority of Muslim countries across Asia and Africa. Based on the details presented, this paper will, hopefully, contribute to the rising literature

Health promotion smoking during pregnancy Essay

Health promotion smoking during pregnancy - Essay Example When the pregnant mother inhales chemicals such as nicotine and carbon monoxide, they pass into the placenta. The placenta connects the mother to the baby and carries oxygen and nutrients to the baby. Therefore when the mother smokes the poisons, she prevents the unborn baby from getting nutrients and oxygen which are essential to ensure proper growth of the baby. Smoking during pregnancy has been associated with poverty, low education, psychological illness and poor support from those around the pregnant mother (Lumley, Chamberlain and Downswell 2009). A mother who smokes cigarettes increases the carbon monoxide that is in the bloodstream. This reduces the oxygen that is being availed to the baby. According to the American Lung Association, it estimates that 20% of low-birth weight babies, 10% of infant deaths and 14% of premature deliveries are caused by smoking by the mothers during pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy leads to placenta complications where by the placenta moves and covers the cervix. This prevents the cervix from opening and hence delivery of the baby. This condition is known as placenta Previa. Mothers who smoke have a high risk of developing this complication during their pregnancy period. This condition leads to abnormal fetal growth (Harper, Odibo and MacOnes 2010). Great Britain is one of the countries in the United Kingdom which has recorded a high number of cigarette smokers. According to a report by Tobacco Advisory Group in Royal college, in 1948 the percentage of women smokers in Great Britain was 41%.This rose to 45% in the 1960’s.Statistics in England showed that in the year 2006, 32% of all expectant mothers smoked just before or during pregnancy. Women who are socially disadvantaged are likely to smoke during pregnancy. Pregnant women who smoke pose a threat to the health of their children. In United Kingdom maternal smoking has led to high rate of infant mortality. It has also led to

International monetary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

International monetary - Essay Example This occurs when it becomes impossible to maintain the deficit in the current account. This situation indicates, in general sense, that there will be shortage in the foreign exchange reserves and the particular country is no longer in a position to attract sufficient amount of capital inflows for financing the deficit. For handling this situation of crisis, the government takes measure with the motto of reducing the spending of consumers on imports (Economics Help, 2011). The paper will be presented in a compact manner with the brief explanations about the policies undertaken within the exchange rate regime and alternative approaches and then taking up the interrelationships between the two phenomena along with their critical evaluation. Exchange Rate Regime in Resolving BoP Crisis The approaches under the exchange rate regime are floating, fixed and pegged exchange rate regime. ... r the interest rates and monetary aggregates; whereas in the case of pegged exchange rate system, the central bank does so for achieving stability in price. In case of the floating exchange rate regime, the government does not intervene and the rate is determined by the foreign exchange market itself (Olson & He, 2011). Alternative Approaches in Resolving BoP Crisis The alternative approaches to resolve balance of payment crisis deals with the adjustment mechanisms which can be either automatic or discretionary. Automatic adjustment for resolving BoP crisis takes into account four variables under the fixed exchange rate regime. The variables are prices, interest rates, income and money. The alternative approaches, however, are three schools of thought on the adjustment mechanism. The viability of the three schools of thought that will be discussed in this paper are classical approach (1800s - early 1900s) which was centered around standard of gold and mainly emphasized on interest ra tes and prices, the Keynesian approach (1930s onwards) that emphasized on changes in income affecting adjustment and Monetary approach that emphasized on the role of money in adjustment and changes (Carbaugh, 2005). Viability of Classical and Keynesian Approach with Respect to Exchange Rate Regime The mechanism in the classical approach with respect to price adjustment was that money supply (in terms of gold) was directly related to BoP and BoP deficit would cause the money supply to shrink. This means nations in crisis would lose gold and cause the prices to fall. The lowered prices would result in competitive exports and reduce import demands, thus would restore equilibrium. The problem with this approach is that gold flows are not directly related to domestic supply of money and the

Consumption is a site of social struggle between structure and agency Essay

Consumption is a site of social struggle between structure and agency - Essay Example According to the research findings ever since, women and men have always been conscious of how they look. In business too, the image one portrays is extremely beneficial in business and may depict his or her personality. Therefore, the fashion and design industry often provide ways in which individuals could fit into various occasions. In the community, one would be surprised at the rate which people consume commodities, especially clothes and beauty products. In addition, as one walks across the street, one can be impressed by the number of people wearing fashionable clothes and jewellery. Fashion has become part of the society. Many people have derived advantages from the fashion industry. The fashion and design culture started in the past limited to certain aspects in the society. For instance, in the past, it was easy to judge from the quality and the fabric used on a given clothe the social status of a certain person. Nowadays many more dimensions have evolved and considered as under the following: conservative or progressive, low or high educational level, low or high ecological awareness or more. Culture is a unique entity and fashion got its way to its heart million of years ago. With fashion, people often regard it to some cultures that have been there since time immemorial. Take for instance wearing of skirts by the Scottish people. In as much as fashion has more been likened to language since the past, still there is a vast gap existing between them. Language has grammar, and the sequence of the words provides meaning. Clothing, on the other hand has constantly perceived as one entity, not as a sequence, plus has no grammar. In the society, there are some impression regarding language and the clothes people wear (McCracken 2009, p.34). Another example could be the association Kanzus to Arab speaking people. Different languages have in the past been associated to certain fashions. Take for instance the Maasai speaking people in Kenya with their fashio nable clothes. As much as the fashion industry is trying not to associate certain clothes with languages, still in some reasons they become forced to do so. Fashion and culture have always been intertwined. In the society, people refer to certain fashion and designs as attributed to certain cultures. For example, sneakers get associated with the American culture (Douglas & Goodman 2004, p.78). There are some clothes which people associate them with hip hop culture, rock culture and the rest. Fashions get always attributed to certain cultures in the society. Individuals often associate with different cultures for the sake of identity (McCracken 2009, p.36). It is the love for identity that people often look for in certain clothes and materials. The items help them to associate with a given culture. In addition, there are some fashions that are unique, and it is only people who could afford them could possess them. Therefore, some fashion and design industries produce items that are u nique to the specifications of such people (McCracken 2009, p.40). Over time, consumption has proved to be site for social struggle between the agency and the structure. The fashion and design industry have at times have a problem with getting consumers for their products. Finding the right consumer for your product requires a lot of marketing into the lives of people living in the society. In regard to culture, sometimes fashion and culture have clashed. Take for instance the wearing of jeans by women in the Muslim community (Yurchisin 2010, p.33). The societies in some regions are against certain cultures. Majorly, the fashion and design industry often are in the move to create newer things, but the problem, which they often await is, will it be sold or not. There have been cases of outstanding designs and fashions rejected in certain

Education policy assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Education policy - Assignment Example The tripartite education system introduced three levels of state funded education in England and Wales comprising of Primary school education, secondary school education and further or higher education. Primary school, also known as grammar school education was the first stage of learning, accommodating children up to the age of 11. It was further subdivided into three levels namely infant, nursery and junior levels (Bailey, 2010, pp. 26). The Secondary school or technical grammar schools represent the second level, which initially enrolled children between 11 and 15 years, although this was later increased to 16 beginning from 1973. Further education or Secondary Modern School, unlike the other two levels, was optional and admitted students beyond 16 years of age (Tomlinson, 2005, pp. 48). The tripartite education system was introduced in England and Wales as a response to the Prime Minister’s desire to create an inclusive society where each individual would have equal opportunity to enjoy advantages and privileged available in the country (Baldock, 2011, pp. 13). There was a great desire among the English people to create an identity of their own through the education system that would help individuals transition from the effects of the World War II to live independent lives. The tripartite system was then identified as the best alternative to empower the British society and promote development of skills among the emerging crop of youths in the country. This system was spearheaded by people in the country such as Sir Cyril Burt, a prominent psychologist and Herwald Ramsbotham, president of the Board of Education at the time. The Tripartite system was relatively successful in the beginning before education became highly politicized in England and Wales, leading to abolition of the system and introduction of the Comprehensive System. Before the Education Act of 1944, there was no universal

Construction and Environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Construction and Environment - Research Paper Example He also stated that in the formulation of their proposal for performance improvement, they studied what had been happening and gained insight on the transformations that they had undergone in the recent years. Due to the concerns raised facing the need to meet clients expectations and to the fact that it is underachieving, the Deputy prime Minister set up the Construction Task Force. In UK’s domestic economy, the construction industry provides a substantial value to the Gross domestic product and therefore, it needs to be safeguarded and allowed to continue growing. The industry measures well with the others in the world due to its flexibility, the nature of the willing labour in adapting to the harsh working conditions. To improve efficiency the task force has to refer to several guidelines which were outlined as; quantification of scope for the improvement of efficiency in construction, examination of practices currently in the improvement of innovations in processes and pro ducts, identification of good practices and projects which would help in the demonstrations and also the advisory of the Deputy Prime Minister to improve efficient building of houses of quality (Lock, 2007). Modernisation is a key factor that affects profitability rate. To sustain development in a healthy way, the Task force need to be well catered for because if not addresses the margins would be very low. There is need for training a proportion of the workforce to help solve the problem of skill shortage improve career structure and develop management and supervisory grades (Berkun, 2008). As a result of under-achievement, the clients are not satisfied both in the public and private sector. This under achievement can be attributed to poor investment, unpredictability, competition in terms of price but not considering quality, poor performers not restricted from entering the market. This has led to difficulty in identification of quality brands for investors. The construction indus try in UK is already fragmented with several small construction companies with less than eight employees. This has led to the prevention of continual teams that work efficiently. This has the only advantage of providing flexibility in dealing with workloads that are highly variable. Still, the cycle of the economy has to a great extent affected the industry to an extent that it maximises on how to survive rather than future investment (Sir.John, 2007). There is an encouragement by the construction company to continue developing to the government sponsors and clients. Improvements are recently being initiated with the main agenda as Change. Improvement focuses on the components of construction and materials, this includes pre-assembly and standardization and with the three dimensional modelling and positioning globally. Tools are being put in place to deal with the problems of fragmentation such as creation of partnerships, increasing the techniques and tools for efficiency and quali ty improvement, benchmarking, encouraging team works and integrated Total Quality management (Lock, 2003). As stated by Burke, identification of stakeholders and their respective roles is important in mitigating the problems identified. Management of scope helps a great deal in completion of tasks on time and quantification of task. Work breakdown and structure of the project connecting tasks