Human Capital - Benchmarking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Capital - Benchmarking - Essay Example However, many of these benefits are dwindling within the United Airlines Company along with the number of satisfied employees. Talks of terminating the existing pension plans began in 2004. While the plan was highly supported by United Airlines administrators and investors, others were not quite as happy with the possibility. William Swelbar, president of Eclat Consulting in Arlington, VA, believes the investors would like to have seen the pension plans cut before they had to, as though they were letting someone else do their dirty work: â€Å"The question is, will employees be smart enough not to burn the furniture?† (Allison, 2004a). These types of worries imply that the company understands and acknowledges the sinking morale that can come with such a decision, and is considering making that decision despite this knowledge. Causing further distress among the employees is the ongoing arguments surrounding these terminations of the pension plans. Since announcing the possibility that cutting these plans would be the only way out of bankruptcy for United Airlines, several other companies and financial groups have fought with United Airlines regarding the legality of such a decision. The Labor Department, along with the union representing the airlines flight attendants, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, has filed objections to many of the events taking place among the administrators of United Airlines: some of these objections came about after United Airlines quietly removed three executives who were vocally against cutting the pension plans and named the airlines as the fiduciary. (Allison, 2004b). Although the airline has since named an independent fiduciary and made some payments into the pension plans, the amount of insecurity fol lowing such allegations is a cause of major unrest among the employees of United Airlines.

Padini Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Padini Swot Analysis Essay For this particular event, I contributed myself in helping out the needy by showing them my support by donating food, clothes, toiletries. On the 23rd March 2012, at 3:30PM, I was told to gather up at Afi’s house (our team leader) to pack all goodie bags that was supposed to be given out for the needy. We organized the goodie bags and separate them according to the sizes of shirts that was packed in. The next day, on March 24th, our event day, at 3PM we gather up at Afi’s house again to double check with all the stuff that was supposed to distributes for the homeless. Right after we were done double checking those goodie bags, we load all of them inside the cars. All together there were 200 goodie bags. At 3:30PM, we started our journey to Kuala Lumpur. Due to the traffic jams in KL, we reached our destination at 4:30PM. We parked our car and gather up to Mr. Peter, Reach Out senior NGO, for briefing regarding the whole event; on what we were supposed to do and how to handle situations. After a couple of minutes, Mr. Peter divided us into separate task. At 5pm, we the event started. As for this Reach Out event, I was assigned to be the photographer of the day. Throughout the whole hour of giving out those food, clothes toiletries to the unfortunates, I went around here and there to capture all the moments that was happening. Time by time, I did help my teammates giving out those goodie bags. By 6. 15PM, all those goodie bags of food, clothes, and toiletries were completely given out. While most of unfortunates were sitting by the roadside consuming the food that was given by us, I took the chance of capturing those moments. We started packing/ clearing/cleaning up the area by 7pm and head home. I believe that our event was a successful one and I have learnt so much from it.

A Feminist Analysis of Othello Essay -- Feminism Feminist Women Critic

A Feminist Analysis of Othello  Ã‚   In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello there are numerous instances of obvious sexism aimed at the three women in the drama -- Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca – and aimed at womankind generally. Let us delve into this subject in this paper. In the essay â€Å"Wit and Witchcraft: an Approach to Othello† Robert B. Heilman discusses a scene which occurs late in the play and which is sexist: When Othello summons Desdemona and dismisses Emilia, â€Å"Leave procreants alone . . .; / Cough or cry hem if anybody come. / Your mystery, your mystery! . . .† (IV.2.28-30), he not only dismisses Emilia, accuses Desdemona of infidelity, and betrays his own insane bitterness, but he converts the marriage into a brothel arrangement in which all three are involved, and by so doing establishes imaginative lines of connection with the role of Bianca and particularly with the Iago philosophy of sexual conduct. (331) In the opening scene, while Iago is expressing his hatred for the general Othello for his having chosen Michael Cassio for the lieutenancy, he contrives a plan to partially avenge himself (â€Å"I follow him to serve my turn upon him†), with Roderigo’s assistance, by alerting Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, to the fact of his daughter’s elopement with Othello: â€Å"Call up her father, / Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight [. . .].† Implied in this move is the fact of a father’s assumed control over the daughter’s choice of a marriage partner. Brabantio’s admonition to Roderigo implicitly expresses the same message: The worser welcome:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In honest plainness thou hast heard me say   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My daughter is not for thee [. . .]... ... Review, LXIV, 1 (Winter 1956), 1-4, 8-10; and Arizona Quarterly (Spring 1956), pp.5-16. Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985. Mack, Maynard. Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993. Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos. Wayne, Valerie. â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello.† The Matter of Difference: Materialist Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ed Valerie Wayne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991.   

Locke, Aristotle and Aquinas Essay -- Philosophy essays

Locke, Aristotle and Aquinas      Ã‚   In the tomes of history, many philosophers have outlined their visions of a perfect society.   Until recently however, few have ventured into the waters of religious tolerance.   One such philosopher was John Locke.   Writing in the late 17th century, Locke advocated a complete separation between church and state.   He argued for an unprecedented tolerance of people of all faiths.  Ã‚   Although Locke's views became widely popular throughout Europe and the Americas, they did not meet with unanimous approval.   Many earlier philosophers disagreed with Locke.   Two such philosophers were Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas.   Aquinas disagreed in three key respects:   Compulsion, toleration, and authority.   Aristotle, on the other hand, disagreed on a more fundamental issue:   the goal of politics itself.   This essay aims to elucidate Locke's arguments, and then explicate Aristotle and Aquinas' would-be objections to Locke's A Letter Concerning Toleration.    In A Letter Concerning Toleration, Locke discusses the issue of civil tolerance.   His main premise is that society is constituted merely for the procuring, preserving, and advancing of civil interests.   He defines civil interest as:    Life, Liberty, Health, and Indolency of Boy; and the Possession of outward things, such as Money, Lands, Houses, Furniture, and the like.1    Having explained civil interests in terms of material possessions, Locke argues that the only concern of the Magistracy should be the violation of these civil interests.   The Magistracy is to enforce these rights through punishment, or by threatening the deprivation of the aforesaid rights.   But since no individual would voluntarily forfeit these freedoms, the Magist... ...ed States of America;   1983 Baumgarth, William P and Richard J Regan [eds].   Aquinas, Saint Thomas.   On Law, Morality, and Politics.   Hackett Publishing Company, United States of America; 1988    Notes 1 Tully, James H.[ed]   Locke, John.   A Letter Concerning Toleration.   P. 26 2 Ibid.   P. 27 3 An obvious referral to the Arab Muslims, whom Europeans deemed as "heathens" and "infidels."   This term generally considered offensive, by most Muslims. 4 Baumgarth, William P and Richard J Regan [eds].   Aquinas, Saint Thomas.   On Law, Morality, and Politics.   P. 250 5 Ibid.   P. 250 (with emphasis added) 6 Ibid.   P. 251 7 Ibid.   P. 255 (emphasis added) 8 Tully, James H.[ed]   Locke, John.   A Letter Concerning Toleration.   P. 46 9 Ibid.   P. 47 10 Lord, Carnes [trans.]   Aristotle, The Politics.   P. 99 11 Ibid.   P. 98   

India on The Move Case Analysis Essay

I. Background A country with a 3.3 million square Kilometers area and by 2002 India reached 1.1 billion people with a growing rate of 1.5%, diversity in languages, multi party democracy system, different religious groups, India is facing rapidly growth economy but significant reforms need to be passed still. The financial situation in India by 1992 wasn’t the most attractive but had been growing 6% annually by 2002, turning India into one of the principal growing economies in the world. By adopting the Washington Consensus, India had remove almost all import and exports restrictions, and so the financial controls made by the International Monetary Fund. As a consequence of a slow progress for privatization and all restrictions made for foreign ownership, FDI became slow to enter in India. The biggest obstacle in India to face the reality of growth remains in economics and social performances. II. Analysis (Case Overview) Although GDP growth rate per year was low, information technologies and back office operations were well known and represent 2% of the Indian’s GDP, the expectations aim that it would be continually growing and contributing with the gross domestic product and a desirable 8% growth rate per year and so did exports since the collapse of the Soviet Union. IT led many Indians entrepreneurs develop in the field decreasing unemployment rates. Fiscal deficit turned into the sought of the right taxation policy. Moreover, conflicts with Pakistan, bureaucracy, privatization policy and corruption in the political environment contribute on having India one step back. Finally, education and infrastructure were to be improved. All of the above led the 10th five year plan seek up for fiscal stability, political and religious as well. III. Questions Why did India experience relatively slow economic growth from independence until 1991? Huge population, 1 billion by 2002 with a growing rate of 1.5%, more than the country could support at the time, domestic issues with a fragmented society and religious problems. The political issue with Pakistan represents more expenditure contributing with the deficit. The implementation of Soviet Union model as a developing strategy based on regulations in the private and public sector, including price controls high tariff, huge bureaucracy which made a unattractive economy for foreign investment in relation to other economies. In order to move forward with the economy growth, India had chosen to perform a market competition economy removing almost all its restrictions lowering tariff. Why did Rao adopt the post-crisis, â€Å"Washington Consensus† strategy? How is it working? A combination of the Soviet Union collapse and high oil prices and some other situations such as the crisis in the balance of payments, Prime Minister Rao turned back to the International Monetary Fund for assistance. The IMF would grant loans as long as India uses Washington Consensus policies into its economy. This policies need to be used to minimize the impact of the government decisions; otherwise the economy would completely collapse. These market reforms helped India on reducing its fiscal deficit and having a higher GDP estimated in 2002-2003 5.9% and in 2003-2004 to 5.6%. How big deal are Hindu-Muslim frictions? Demographic fragmentation? Deficits? Religious and political tensions in the regions have a very bad impact in foreign investors decision-making because they perceive this as a threat to their investment. Some of the cases are: the quasi war erupted between India and Pakistan in 1999 over the disputed state of Kashmir. Religious tension between Hindu and Muslims in 1992 on Ayodhya temple dispute cost an estimated of 2000 people lives. In 2002, riots made the Supreme Court banned all religious activities on the site. Is India an attractive site for foreign direct investment? On this days India has become a more stable economy and is growing rapidly representing a good country for foreign investors trust, having a strong support from Government policies, growth of information technologies and back office operations, English speaking people, a steady GDP growth. On the other hand, some of the issues still remain in the country hopefully with a very willing government to solve social and politics conflicts, corruption and fiscal deficit. IV. Number Interpretation India stays Medium in Human Development Ranking, having the 124th place out of 173 countries. There are many differences across states among literacy, sex ratio and population growth. Productivity in the public sector remains low in comparison with private sector. India has an annual growth rate 6%. In 2004 elections the country still is politically fragmented. Large size of deficit outstands. V. Conclusion India is becoming a potential economy in the world, since the 10th plan many indicators have improve and changed in order to be a more attractive market for foreign direct investment and for a growing GDP. Nevertheless, many obstacles should be overcome to get India in the top of mind for investors all over the world, the first thing to bear in mind must be corruption which has been there since the very first days and so it is the political and religious conflicts in the region. All in all, if India is able to work on these issues primarily, the growth  economy would come along with time and the country is going to play a big part of the international business game. References Astrella, K. (Feb. 24, 2012). India on the Move [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from http://es.scribd.com/doc/81228847/India-on-the-Move-Final Kumbhar, R. (Mar 24, 2012). India on the Move [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from http://es.scribd.com/doc/86583756/India-on-the-Move

Jean

Jean Jean-franà §ois Lyotard andRichard M . Rorty Essay â€Å"There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.† ― Harold Pinter Knowledge is and will be produced in order to be sold, it is and will be consumed in order to be valorised in a new production: in both cases, the goal is exchange. Jean-Francois Lyotard The most thought-provoking thing in our thought-provoking time is that we are still not thinking. Martin Heidegger There is nothing deep down inside us except what we have put there ourselves. Richard Rorty The difference between people and ideas is... only superficial. Richard Rorty â€Å"My sense of the holy is bound up with the hope that some day my remote descendants will live in a global civilization in which love is pretty much the only law.† ― Richard M. Rorty â€Å"What makes us moral beings is that...there are some acts we believe we ought to die rather than commit...But now suppose that one has in fact done one of the things one could not have imagined doing, and finds that one is still alive. At that point, one's choices are suicide, a life of bottomless self-disgust, and an attempt to live so as never to do such a thing again. Dewey recommends the third choice.† ― Richard M. Rorty I shall call modern the art which devotes it little technical expertise †¦ to present the fact that the unpresentable exists. Lyotard, Jean-Franà §ois. A self does not amount to much, but no self is an island; each exists in a

A Corporation With No Morals essays

A Corporation With No Morals essays Some teenagers today, may not know what business ethics are. Well, business ethics is the difference between right and wrong in the business realm. There are so many companies with good business ethics but in our world we only hear about the companies with the bad ethics. One of those companies is called Enron. Enron is a gigantic corporation that deals with the electrical power in Dallas, Texas. Enron may have destroyed many peoples lives due to the company declaring bankruptcy. Enrons collapse has devastated the world; especially the market place because no one thought that a corporation that big would ever fall. What the Enron executives did was morally despicable, lying to their fellow blue collar workers and not telling them the truth behind all of Enrons debts. In the space of five days last week, the story of Enrons collapse went from the merely unusual to the truly baroque, with plot elements lifted from the pages of Robert Penn Warren and John Grisham (Time Feb 2002 18 ). Enron executives have brought loads of controversy upon themselves. How does the seventh wealthiest corporation collapse? Why did it collapse? Who was behind all of this? Questions like these are wandering through investors heads who invested their money in this company. Enron was a corporation that was built up through loans or fake money. One would call it fake money because Enron really had no clue on how many debts they owed and how many loans they had. Enron avoided paying federal income tax for four out the last five years and instead received millions of dollars in federal-tax refunds. Enron ran into financial trouble while transforming itself into a company that traded energy, water, weather derivatives and anything else it could turn into commodity (Time Jan 2002 19). Kenneth Lay, the former Enron chairman, resigned a few ...