Commencement Speech at the Graduation Ceremony Term Paper

Commencement Speech at the Graduation Ceremony - Term Paper Example We are currently faced with a myriad of problems some of which include an economic slowdown, high unemployment rates, income inequality and soaring costs of living among others which make the transition from college into the job market or the communities you live in just a little bit more challenging. I hope after this, you will not only be academically prepared but more importantly psychologically prepared when you get into the job market. The United States is currently experiencing its highest unemployment rates at 8.6% since November 1982 when it was 10.8 % due to an extra ordinarily feeble job creation in the US with 108.544 million payroll jobs (excluding Government jobs) by September, 2010 almost exactly the same as we had in 1999 while the population grew from 282 million in 2000 to 308 million in 2010 meaning in theory that no new jobs were created by the private sector as illustrated in the graph I below; the stock market performance has been uninspiring in the same period t oo as shown in graph II of the S&P 500. Household investing fell in terms of bonds or stocks owned by the population fell from 57% to 48% in 2008 while incomes remaining on a plateau amidst a rising cost of vital commodities (education, health and energy) GRAPH I: US Jobs GRAPH II_ S&P 500 10 year performance The economy is equally just getting out of the doldrums following Government bailouts in 2009 and a 50 year data on incomes for all races shows a general drop in household incomes. These figures illustrate a shrinking economy with very little new jobs created and a soaring cost of living. Not since the 1920s has the gap between the rich and poor been so wide and evident, with its attendant social problems. In 2011, unemployment in the USA has dropped slightly to 8.9% from a high of a high of 9.6 in 2010 (Gross). Graduate unemployment has surpassed the 4% mark for the first time as shown in the employment trends in graph III below; though a four year degree is an asset in gettin g a job, the rate of those with four year degrees who are currently unemployed is very high, over 4%, this against a backdrop of increasing tuition fees averaging USD 50 000 a year for a private student. The situation can be so dire and as an example a recent college graduate of New York’s Monroe College is suing her alma mater for USD 72 000 because she cannot find a job! (â€Å"My budget 360†) GRAPH III The Harvard Magazine of August 2008 says that the top 1 percent of the US population takes 20 % of the total national income, compared to 18 % in 1908 showing a widening gap between the rich and poor. This means the gap for opportunities between those who come from better off families and the rest of us are also rising. The college degree is diminishing in its power as a guarantee for employment and social security in the US. The education system in the US gives all regardless of background almost an equal opportunity for higher education in well paying jobs such as m edicine, which is a good thing. In counties like the UK, only seven percent of students are educated in private schools, however three quarters of graduate doctors are privately educated, one in three of politicians are privately educated, a half of all senior civil servants are privately educated and two in three of members of the house of lords are privately educated and this trend is getting worse. The rest of the students who went through the public education system have

McDonalds Essay Example for Free

McDonalds Essay McDonalds is the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. McDonalds and its franchises operated more than 33,000 McDonald’s restaurants in 118 countries and serve 64 million customers each day. The company also operates other restaurant brands, such as Piles Cafe. McDonalds is the largest food service company in the world. In 2010, the annual total revenues are 24,075 millions. It is also one of biggest employers in the United States, with over 1. 7 million workers (our company). Only fifteen to twenty per cent of the restaurants are actually company-owned. The rest are franchises, run by 2,659 independent owners who pay a fee of between $400,000 and $700,000 for a franchise. McDonalds licensing department handles the fee structure on a case by case basis, and there are a wide variety of license fees determined by property and equipment costs. A skilled franchisee can earn a sex-figure income from a single restaurant; most own two or more restaurants (report). The following part will focus on the international factors affect on the McDonald’s company. International factor is an external environment. It refers to the characteristics of the environment that are particular to cross-border operations which included economic cycles, competitive and entrepreneurial cultures (book). McDonald’s is a large international company. It’s restaurant distributed around the world. Thus, there are many factors that McDonald’s need to consider. Such as how to meet different countries’ customers’ need. Because of different country’s customers have different culture, habit and different taste of food. The other one is how to gain competitive advantage form local restaurant. There are many fast food service companies in the world for example Burger King and KFC, especially Burger King. Burger King is also a big international company with lots of stores around the world. It’s a great competitor for the McDonald’s (Product positioning). One thing that McDonald’s do to meet customers’ need and gain competitive advantage is customization. Even though McDonald’s is centred on a core formula for its restaurants and food products, it has to have some customization to meet different country’s customers’ need. For instance, alcohol is only available in McDonald’s restaurants in some countries but not in others. Basic on different country’s culture and eating habits, McDonald’s also developed different types of burger to serves different country’s customers. Such as The Teriyaki McBurger, a sausage patty on a bun with teriyaki sauce, sold in Japan (Global and transnational business: strategy and management. George Stonehouse, David Campbell). McDonald’s also uses high quality of food and service to catch customers and gain competitive advantage. As Jim Skinner, Vice Chairman and CEO of McDonald’s, said, â€Å"running better restaurants is McDonald’s number one priority. We will improve operation excellence around the world through new technology, better training, and service enhancements† (report). Training is an important tool for companies to achieve satisfaction and sustaining competitive advantage. Employee training at McDonalds is highly structured. New workers are first taken through the basic Crew Training System. Which is an on-the job- training and is largely vocational. After this process, workers will enter into a new training program, with the skills becoming more complex and generalized. The second level of training begins with a one-hour orientation on the company. Workers will watch a video and read step by step manuals at training room. The video and manuals included every detail of the operation such as how to make burgers, shake. Each restaurant has its own training room. Trainers use a series of checklists, Station Observation Checklist to evaluate new crew members’ performance. For a crew member, the training is over. But once a crew has been promoted to swing manager, he or she will continue to receive training which called management development program. It included teaching technical and functional management skill for employees at the swing manager level. There are four steps in this program. First one is Basic operations Course which covers fundamental restaurant openings. The next is Basic Management Curse which teaches leaderships, time planning, and crew recognition. Then is operations Course, students are trained on crew recruitment and retention, store leadership and decision-making. The last part in this process is Regional Equipment Course. Once employees finished this training and become assistant managed, he or she is eligible to get into Hamburger University, the company’s world wide training center for management personnel. About 2,500 managers and potential franchisees studied here. The course included enhancing communication, interpersonal and human relations skills. All McDonald’s managers are required to receive training from Hamburger University at least once every 5 years to enhance their skills. Training is seen as a core aspect in McDonald’s daily operations. Because of training is one of the important means to achieve standardization. By training employees, company can gain lots of advantages. It can increase company’s productivity, reduce staff turnover and improve service quality (). Each and every one of these customers deserved great services from the moment they approach the counter or drive-thru window until they leave the restaurants. We depend on the employees in the restaurant, whether employed by independent franchises or by McDonalds Corporation, to provide a fast friendly and courteous experience to all guests so they will visit us again and again. Thats why McDonalds Independent Franchisees and McDonalds Corporation look for individuals who like to have fun while delivering fast accurate and friendly service. If you are interested in becoming a part of a McDonalds Team, here are some of the duties that could be required of you: 1. On Time, Neat and Clean: Our crewmembers are expected to report work on time, neat and clean. 2. Wash Your Hands: the most important thing crewmembers so to help make sure our customers receive safe food is to wash their hands often.  3.  Skills and Training: Training will provide you with the skills you will need to perform your job. 4. Standards: Crewmembers follow standard operational procedures so customers always receive exceptional quality service. 5. Teamwork: Our crewmembers rely on teamwork and high energy to get the job done. 6. Clean Spotless Tidy sparking. Our customers expect every McDonalds will be clean. 7. Welcomed Guest: Our crewmembers make each customer feel like a welcomed guest. 8. Service: We depend on our crewmembers to deliver fast, accurate and friendly service with a smile.

People Employed For Shift Work Social Work Essay

People Employed For Shift Work Social Work Essay Over the last decade in India , boom in the IT and the BPO sector brought about an increase in the number of people employed for shift work . Employers face tough competition from other companies and the global business environment . In order to increase productivity and to make themselves available to employers and consumers based abroad , many companies work round the clock and have made provisions for night shift work . Increase in job opportunities in this sector has also given rise to dual earner families and more women entering the work force , working in day shifts as well as non standard work hours . This paper focuses on women who work in the night shift . While night shift jobs may have its perks and financial benefits , there are many disadvantages that add to the stress of the daily life of the employees . To explain night shift schedule , it can be defined as work schedule that is full time , extending after midnight with atleast 8hours and 5 days work , which means that the employees are expected to work in the dark and sleep during the day , bringing in major alterations to their life styles and the life styles of those living with them . Night shift work can vary in terms of fixed or rotating patterns . In a fixed schedule , the employee works in the night shift on a permanent basis , where as in a rotating schedule , the employee alters between day shifts , evening and night shifts depending on the arrangements made by the employers . Physical and mental Health There have been numerous studies conducted to examine the effects night shift work has on health , sleep , circadian rhythms and mental health . Findings from research studies that explore health disorders of shift workers stated that there is a relationship between certain medical disorders and shift work . Evidence stated that heart and gastro intestinal problems and complications in pregnancy outcomes , ulcers were some of the medical disorders commonly faced by shift workers (Knuttson 2003 ) .A study conducted on nurses working in 2 the night shift reported that shift workers have a higher prevalence of physiological problems like digestion problems caused by change in eating patterns, inadequate sleep , fatigue , colds , muscle pains , cramps and heart problems . Disturbance to the normal sleep cycle or the circadian rhythms is likely to cause shift work sleep disorder (SWSD), especially when employees are working in the night shift for prolonged periods . Insomnia and excessive sleepiness while working non standard schedules are the primary signs of SWSD . Desire to take short naps , dozing off while at work , shorter and lowered quality of sleep , poor work performance , reduced mental accuracy are some of the negative effects brought about by SWSD , which inturn leads to the expression of psychological syptoms like irritability , anger , erratic mood and depression . A study conducted on dairy workers in India working in the night shift examined stress levels , health and mood states and provided evidence that night shift workers face higher work stress , negative mental health outcomes and life stress . Role over load , increased work -home conflict , role ambiguity were significant indicators of increased stress levels and mood states . Findings also indicated that night shift work did increase physcial , physiological , psychological and social problems when compared to day shift workers (Srivastava , 2010 ) . There has been an upsurge of interest in studying mental health effects of shift workers .Early research studies have shown evidence that night shift work is associated with depression . Findings from a study that examined the effects of physical health and mental depression due to night shift in nurses revealed that disruption in the circadium rhythm has a direct influence on physical health and depression , reducing quality of life and affecting work performance and social relations . Another model in this study suggested that job schedule limited participation in social activities , affecting social and personal life leading to depression . (Skipper Jung , 1990 ) . Burn out , lethargy , exhaustion , irritability , anger or psychological symptoms like irritability , depression not only affect personal well being , 3 but can also affect ones social life and satisfaction of their marital relationship (Fam , Econ Iiss , 2007) . The negative consequences that affect physical , psychological , psychosocial well being can seep into the workers marriage , reducing the quality , stability and satisfaction of marital relationship adding to existing stressors . Since this paper focuses on marital satisfaction of night shift workers and the strategies they use to make their marriage work , the definition of marital satisfaction will help gain an understanding as to what this paper purports to examine and the aspects that need to be considered . According to Stone (2007) Marital satisfaction reflects a mental state of percieved benefits and costs of a marriage to a particular person . The more costs the partner inflicts on a person , the less satisfied one generally is with their marriage and with their marriage partner . Similarly the greater the percieved benefits are , the more satisfied one is with their marriage and their marriage partner . Some of the components that come under marital satisfaction would be leisure time spent together , communication , conflict resolution etc . But the challenges that shift workers have to face in their marriage is to face new demands posed due to their work schedule . This would involve them to make ad justments on the home front , especially for female employees , since they have added roles and responsibilities to perform . For a marriage to work , one of the important aspects of marital satisfaction is leisure time spent together . But for a night shift worker , because of the work schedule , quality time and the quality of leisure time spent together would be lower . Quality time would involve the married partners to indulge in favoured activities and pursue shared interests . Weekends seem to be the only time workers could indulge in leisure time with their partners . For a night shift worker , weekends would be used to recuperate from the weeks stress , which could lead to lowered quality of leisure time spent together . Leisure satisfaction especially if the leisure activities performed are favoured by the couple is related to marital satisfaction (Heather , Zabriskie , Hill Brian , 2009) Also , Contribution to 4 leisure time by night shift workers in their marriage would be less because of the disruption between the workers time off and the familys time off . Work would come in the way of some of the familys rituals , for which the worker would be absent or too tired to be part of , like being present at the table at meal times , going out together , attending community events etc . The worker would either be working into the night or would be sleeping and recuperating from work . Social and community life . Since most community and social activities take place in the evening , a night shift employee would probably find difficulty in making time for such events. While weekends provide time to engage in social activities , a night shift employee might be too tired and may not be able to give in fully to social activities as their schedule and life style causes inconvenience to enjoy a social life and for the couple to participate in community activities . In a study that was conducted on families of workers working a modern shift roster , 67.2% of employees reported that night shift work frequently intervened in their social life . This could result in the worker having poor social support in the long run , unless the worker can maintain a balance between work and time for socialization . Social support also helps improve a persons psychological state , their mood and feelings about themselves . Women shift workers challenges . A changing work force has led to an increase in women entering the work force and women opting for non standard work schedule , challenging traditional roles that women held and bringing about changes in family dynamics . The challenges that a woman shift worker has to face is to fulfill multiple roles ie to fulfill family and role obligations , needs and expectations of the family , fulfill social obligations by being part of community activities and fulfill responsibilities at the work front . Women face more role strain when compared to men as a result , night shift work exacerbates and intensifies the stress that women employees have 5 to face . For a married woman night shift worker maintaining work to home balance and reducing work-home conflict would be a major hurdle . Cambridge dictionary defines work-home balance as the amount of time you spend doing the job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy . Shift work is linked with work-home conflict and this conflict is faced more by women when compared to men (Tuttle Garr , 2012) . Barnett and Baruch ( 1985 ) define.role balance as rewards minus concerns , more rewards recieved from a particular role and less concerns experienced would lead to a positive role qualtiy where in lower levels of role conflicts,role overload and anxiety is faced . Considering that employed women working the night shift face role strain , rewards recieved in one of the roles could reduce role conflict and stress and increase well being . If family support is one of the positive role quality on the home front , it is likely that job involvement and control over job would increase . Following role theory , Greenhaus (2003) in his theory of work-home balance , describes work home balance as a continuum where in imbalance in family role lies on one end and balance in work role lies at the other . Greenhaus theory on work family enrichment includes three concepts . Time balance ie equal time invested , Involvement balance ie psychological effort and physical presence expressed and Satisfaction balance ie rewards and satisfaction recieved from both work and family front . Frone (2003) views work-family balance as bi directional . Engaging in one role or domain can either create conflicts or enhances the other domains . Involvement in the family role can either enhance the work domain or create conflicts in the work domain and involvement in work domain can wither create conflicts or enhance the family domain . Stress . Bodenmann ( 2005 ) defines stress as a dyadic phenomenon which involves common 6 concerns , emotional intimacy between the partners and maintaining a close relationship . Dyadic stress concerns a stressful event which confronts the couple , the source of stress could be external , originating between the couple like job stress , culture , society , other relations etc , or could be internal , originating within one of the partners or when the stress of one of the partners seeps into relationship . The impact stress has on one couple will be different for another . It is therefore important to take into consideration the locus of stress , duration and intensity of stress . The locus of stress could either be external or internal . When there is an interaction between the social environment and the couples relationship causing conflicts and internal stress originates within the couple relationship like job stress , personal needs and desires etc .Intensity of stress can be either major or minor and can be measured based on the impact the stressor has had on the relationship and the duration of stress can be seen as acute or chronic ie temporary or prolo nged Bodenmanns stress divorce model analyses the effects minor daily stressors , acute or chronic in nature , on stability and functioning of marital relationships . External stressors , those coming outside the couple system can prove to be more damaging to relationships . such external stressors are usually outside of couples conscious awareness and are minor stressors (time spent together , communication) and not major (critical life events), causing mutual alienation over time , if the stressor is persistent , causing dissatisfaction with the marital relationship ,eventually leading to divorce . According to Bodenmann , external stressors cause impact on marital relationships by decreasing the amount of time spent together so that there are fewer joint expereiences between the couple leading to a lowered feeling of togetherness , poor coping at times of stress . This would eventually lead to a poorer quality of communication and interaction . Interaction between the couple would be largely negative , driving the couple to withdrawing from each other . These stressors leading to deterioration in the quality and stability of 7 marriage would later increase risk of physical and psychological problems like trouble sleeping , sexual dysfunction etc . The impact and reaction to these stressors would eventually lead to negative expression of emotions between the couple like anger , anxiety , increasing conflicts . This entire process would lead to couples alienating and withdrawing from each other . The situation they have landed themselves in would lead to marital disatisfaction , eventually leading to divorce if the problem persists . Bodenmanns model can be applied to a shift workers marriage . Since night shift schedule makes it inconvenient for the couple to indulge in shared experiences and quality time . The job schedule and stress from the job can be seen as a stressor that doesnt permit quality time between the couple . The couple might feel that the amount of time spent together is less eventually leading to poor quality of interaction . When joint experiences shared are lower and the amount of interaction between the couple is low , there could be instances when one of the partner feels lonely and might percieve that the quality of their marriage is deteriorating leading to expression of negative emotions like anger , frustration , sadness . Eventually appraising their marriage as dissatisfying . The effects that shift work has on the physical and mental health of workers can seep into their marital relationships . They sleep during the day when the entire household is active which disturbs their sleep adding to marital distress . Psychological symptoms like irritability , depression can bring down the level of satisfaction of their marriage . Since they feel tired and fatigued frequently , engaging in leisure activities with their spouses becomes difficult . With there being hardly any time for contact , communication becomes difficult between the spouses , which is essential in a relationship . There are many problems that night shift work poses to a workers marriage . This study seeks to find strategies that workers who are satisfied in their marriages use to overcome problems induced by night shift work . 8 Rationale : There have been studies conducted to understand and analyse the impact shift work has on the lives of employees , their physical and mental health , social life and their families .With many of the problems faced by shift workers being covered , this study seeks to gain insight into what makes a shift workers marriage work and explores strategies they use to make their marriage work and to study how night shift employees maintain work home balance . 9 Review of literature Following studies discussed analyze the effects shift work has on health , general well being , and on marital relations . This study analyses the impact that non standard work hours versus standard work hours has on marital satisfaction in five domains which are global distress , problem solving communication , time together , sexual dissatisfaction and affective communication , measured by marital satisfaction inventory , which is a 280 item questionaire that assesses certain domains of marital satisfaction .30 employees who worked the day shift and 20 night shift employees at Western Union in New jersey were selected for the study . The research was built around 5 hypotheses . Hypotheses 1 predicted that day shift workers when compared with non day shift workers would display higher levels of marital satisfaction . Hypotheses 2 predicts that day shift workers would express better problem solving communication and there would be fewer conflicts in their marriage when compared to non day shift workers . Hypotheses 3 predicted that the time spent in quality and leisure time by day shift workers with thei r spouses would be higher when compared to non day shift workers . Hypotheses 4 predicts that day shift workers would experience higher levels of sexual satisfaction with their spouses when compared to non day shift workers .Hypotheses 5 predicted that day workers would be more content in their marriage because of the affection and understanding provided by their spouses . ( Lauf-Goldstein ,1990) research findings could not support the predictions of any of the hypotheses . Unlike many other studies on shiftworks influence on marriage , this study proved that there was not much difference in marital satisfaction between day shift and non day shift workers. The study summarises the effects and consequences of shift work while discussing some of the benefits of shift work ( Finn ,1981). The information for this article is derived from many of the studies conducted on employees who work non standard hours in and 10 outside the U.S.A . Some may accept night shift work because of lack of job opportunities while some would use their night shift work schedule as an opportunity to hold a part time day job as well or pursue education during the day . Night shift work also provides for financial incentives and accomodates employees who function better at night than during the day . The drawbacks are that it takes a toll on ones health , interfering with the normal sleep cycle and reducing the quality of sleep and appetite and causing physical and emotional problems . On the job accidents would also rise if the employees would have to handle machinery . In terms of family life , shift workers experience more work home conflict because of the discrepency between the workers time off and the spouses time off . The workers spouse would have to adjust to the shift workers job schedule and would have to alter their patterns to their working spouses atypical pattern inorder to be able to spend quality time for leisure , meals and recreation . This would take a toll on the mental and physical health of the shift workers spouse especially if theyre working the day shift . The time a shift worker gets to spend time with family could also be poor in quality because they experience fatigue and sleepiness and would find difficulty in carrying out normal activities with their spouses or would show less interest in attending social events or go out together to spend quality time . Sexual activity is another aspect that is interfered by night shift work .In terms of social life , it becomes difficult for a shift worker to attend events for which theyre invited by their friends . It becomes difficult for the spouse to plan any social activity before hand . From this article it becomes evident that shift work impairs ones physical and mental health , their family life , job safety and social life . A study conducted in Netherlands examines the effects non standard shifts have on partnership quality through semi structured interviews . Findings reveal that women were more dissatisfied with varying hours , especially if they had children , as it created stress 11 when compared to men . Men found varying hours more comfortable for tag team parenting . The research explored into the relationship between non standard hours and its effects on marriage . The results indicated a weak link between non standard shift and relationships indicating that non standard work hours did not reduce relationship quality. The study also found that partner support in families with night shift workers , expressed more satisfaction with their relationship which reduced the negative effects that non standard work has on relationships ( Mills Kadri , 2010) . This study assessed both percieved family well being and stressors influenced by non standard work schedule in two studies (Kelly , Amy David , 2008). The goal of this study was to assess work-family spill over and whether the spill over was positive or negative and if working non standard work hours decreased marital instability . The study was conducted on 1166 people aged between 25 74 . Findings of the study revealed that night shift work increased marital instability and also increased negative work home spill over , which are the attitudes , experiences of work transferred to home . Since night shift work can come in the way of ones sleep cycle causing fatigue and stress , the stress gets carried into the workers family life .Stress increases with the presence of a child at home since workers have the added responsibililty to care for the child and causes stress at a daily level . This study investigates the association between shift work and family satisfaction and goes a step further by including people from different work backgrounds into their sample instead of analysing people from one company or a particular type of work . This study also examines different categories of shift from day , evening , night , rotating to split shift and hypothesises that workers experience family satisfaction in degrees , with satisfaction being higher for day shift and lessens as it progresses towards split shift . The study also examines the relationship between the number of work hours , job autonomy and nature of job on family satisfaction . Findings indicated that being in a non standard , non flexible job reduced 12 family satisfaction , especially for evening and night shift workers (Davis , Goodman , Piretti Almeida , 2008). The study also revealed that job autonomy and the nature of the job and work atmosphere resulted in high family satisfaction , since work family spillover would be less . 168 fire personnel from 3 working shifts were part of this study . The purpose of this study was to examine the effects that the 3 types of shift work has on emotional exhaustion as it pertains to work family conflict and social support (Jonathon Halbesleben , 2009). The subjects were made to complete measures on emotional exhaustion , work family conflict and support and demographic controls .The study revealed that work to home conflict increases when the shift work is more demanding and when time spent at home is less . This work home conflict can also contribute to emotional exhaustion in fire fighters . The support that an employee recieves from ones family can break down the stress that an employee faces at night shift work . The study suggests that the schedule should make allowance for the employees to be able to spend more time at home , so that with quality time spent with family could lead to building emotional support for the night shift employee . This research study examines the relationship between shift work and work to family fit . The study hypothesis that employees working in the non standard shift would have poor work to family fit when compared to those employees working in the day shift or flexible hours and also examines if negative work home spillover would be less if the employees had control over their work schedule . The study took 2008 national study of workforce to examine the influence shift work has over employees . (Tuttle Garr 2012) indicated that shift work did largely influence work home conflict , especially in female employees even if the control over shift schedule was more . In the case of men , the results revealed that men had less work to family conflict when they had a greater control over their schedule . 13 This study examines the effects of shift work on marital quality on six domains . Marital happiness , interaction , disagreements , general problems , sexual problems and child related problems (White Keith 1990) . National panel of 1668 men and women were interviewed.. The result revealed that shift work does have a negative impact on marriage . Every domain that the study examined were also affected negatively due to shift work . This study investigates the effects night shift has on marital relations (Messer , 1992) . 65 married men , with 19 full time employees at grocery stores and 46 full time employees of the southern california state departments were chosen for the study.. The employees worked consistent morning , evening , night and rotating shifts . Marital satisfaction inventory was used to assess the level of marital satisfaction / distress . Findings revealed that night shift workers experienced higher work home conflict when compared to day shift workers . The study predicted that people working in consistent day shifts , evening shift , night shift ,and inconsistent rotating shifts would experience different levels of job satisfaction . The results suggest that employees working different shifts express different levels of job satisfaction , with rotating shift workers being most dissatisfied with their work schedule because of the inconsistency of the work schedule . The impact of different timings of work and rotating shift on Work home conflict , job satisfaction and health among the military police is the focus of the study . The study was conducted on 3122 Dutch military police . (Demerouti , Sabine , Arnold Euwema , 2004) revealed that non day shift work resulted in work home conflicts . The findings also revealed that employees from the rotating shifts experienced low job satisfaction since it is inconsistent . Consistency in the timing of shift even if its a non standard work hour didnt result in low job satisfaction when compared to rotating shifts , but only incr eased work home conflict . An article in hindustan times reports that night shift work can disrupt ones life in many ways . David maumes research on the effects of shift work on marriage suggests that 14 both men and women feel that night shift work affects and strains their marital relations . Women are more affected than men by shift work due to role strain . It becomes difficult for them to manage time and to fulfill responsibilites at home , engage with their family members and care for them when compared to men causing strain in their marriage and increasing work -home conflict . The study is built around three themes .Economic trade offs , family routines and emotional adjustments (Handy ,2010) . With night shift work comes financial benefits . In many families , the members have to adjust around the shift workers routines and patterns , spouses would have to give up their own jobs so as to manage family life . Financial benefits comes in handy , making it comfortable to rely on the shiftworker while the spouse takes care of the family , resorting to traditional family roles .the study also focuses on emotional health of the shift worker . The physiological and psychological effects of shift work could take a toll on ones emotional well being In terms of family routines , the workers had little knowledge of the family routines , since the spouse takes prmary responsibilty to ensure that the family members rituals fall in line with the workers . This shows the amount of effort spouses expend to make the marriage work and play a part in reducing work to home c onflicts Psychopathological symptoms caused by night shift work and its influence on the quality of life of health workers is examined in this study (Dusunen ,2010) . 45 nurses working the night shift were the sample for this study . Symptom checklist and short form 36 was used to measure psychopathological symptoms and quality of life . Night shift nurses reported higher scores for somatization , obsessive compulsive , interpersonal sensitivity , anxiety , paranoid ideation and global severity scores than day shift workers . Shift work also reduced the quality of life and the night shift nurses scored higher on pain and physical function . The studys implications were to improve the quality of life of the nurses by adjusting their work schedule , keeping in mind the influence night shift has on their 15 psychological state. While most studies indicate that night shift work can reduce marital satisfaction and increase work home conflict , there are few studies which have proved that night shift work doesnt affect marital relationships . Employees with better control over their schedule and job autonomy and job satisfaction showed having a better family life and marital satisfaction as work home conflict is less . Greenhaus and powell (2006) came up with a theory called work to family enrichment , a concept that explains that being able to manage time , carrying over the positive mood from work back home and using networks from work to help their families lessened work to home conflict . Some studies also indicate the possibility that couples working the night shift score high on marital satisfaction because they already have conflicts with their spouses , not induced by working the night shift . They find night shift work convenient as they can avoid conflicts at home and interacting with their partner s . 16 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This chapter presents results in a tabular format following content analysis . The responses were coded , categorized and placed under a broad category of themes . Following each table expansive responses as examples are provided by the participants , representing each theme . Analysis . Content analysis for the first question Mention some of the advantages of working in the night shift revealed 5 themes and are mentioned in a table below . 20 Table 1.Mention some of the advantages of working in the night shift Category Sub categories Number of responses Advantages of night shift. More pay 5 Travelling easier 4 Find time for chores 3 Husband has experience 2 in the same field. The second most frequent theme which accounted for 40% of the responses is easy commuting while working in the night shift . Respondent 9 stated that , Respondent 3 stated that travel time to office and back home is less and the roads are relatively empty while getting out says respondent 8 . Travelling to and from work becomes more convenient as traffic will be smooth and the stress involved in travelling 21 reduces considerably. 30% of the participants responses falls under a category termed as Find time for chores . These participants find night shift work favourable as it allows time to complete chores during the day . The following response given by respondent 9 will help describe this theme . Table 2 Can you list the problems you face working in the night shift Category Sub category Frequency of responses Disadvantages of night shift. Less time with partner 15 Health issues 14 Partner frustrated. 4 Worries about having a baby. 4 Normal routine affected 4 22 Relationships and friendships 2 affected. Analysis for this question revealed 6 themes under the category Disadvantages of night shift. The most apparent theme seen as a disadvantage of

The Natives of Canada Essay -- Canadian Canada History

The Natives of Canada I believe the rising anger and determination by native peoples towards land claims and equal rights has created a situation which must be addressed immediately. Man has come a long way in time, as he has learned to master the powers of fire, and to hunt and fish for food. All of this was done by a collection of knowledge. With these thought patterns, he reached a way of life which was suitable and which created a sense of balance throughout the world's complex ecosystem. But one group of people wanted more. They progressed and educated their minds through time. To some it may be known as plain greed and to others known as common day evolution. To this day the answer remains in the hands of the philosophers. The European continent hosted the group of human beings that thrived for ultimate knowledge and a perfect civilization. The famous quote Trial and Error was appropriate for the European's escalating achievements. Some were fatal and some were rewarding, but they were all eventually accomplished in the great European continent. They then set out to other continents to broaden their horizons and reach total knowledge and enlightenment. The 16th century was the setting for the early days of the arriving Europeans to the North American continent. Countries such as England, Portugal, France and Spain entered the continent and set up colonies which were widely spread out over the land. The natives of the area had formerly agreed upon their occupation of the space, and so welcomed the newly arrived settlers. An agreement was made in the two-row wampum treaty which was signed between the natives and the settlers from Europe in 1664. The agreement would allow... ... laws. Before the arrival of the European's, the natives had a very highly developed society, with a perfect system of government. Now, many centuries later, they see that their common future has been torn to shreds. If the self government proposal was put into effect, a natural resource would be needed for it's survival, and at the present time the reservations do not hold great possibilities. A better location in the reservations could quite possibly open a few new doors to the suffering natives. The current government has constituted the suggestion before, but no actions were ever taken. In conclusion, it is clearly evident that if the natives were ever given more responsibility, which includes a greater authority in the decision making process of Canada, it would most definitely allow them to plan a new and powerful role in Canadian society.

When Some People Win, Must Others Lose, or Are There Situations in Which Everyone Wins

Often times, people think of their relationships with one another as one of rivalry—some win, some lose. However, some seemingly limited victories may foster situations in which everyone wins. Challenging the traditions to pursue personal goals, people are in fact able to better one another as the society develops as a whole. Within a healthy environment in which personal interest and individual aspirations are encouraged and valued, everyone wins as a result of the improvement of the network as a whole.Instead of provoking hostile competition and combining the efforts of individuals, a network or a family that respects individual developments can maximize the capability of an individual and therefore the capacity of the community as a whole through the stimulation of independent thinking. Google, for instance, remains one of the most innovative enterprises by promoting the originality of its members rather than imposing systematic collaboration within the company.At Google, e ach member is given twenty minutes of freethinking to develop his own ideas, which he could later advance as a personal project. As a result, pioneering ideas such as Google news and Google Earth are able to come to light, allowing Google to keep growing as an entity and its working environment young and innovative. Seemingly personal victories are therefore transformed into ones that contribute to the bigger community through a shared value of pursuit in personal interest and creativity.In this situation, everyone wins and grows as an integral part of the family. Similarly, when people challenge conventional ideas to bring about a revolutionary change, everyone within the society wins. Rosa Park and her courageous refusal to give up her seat embody the spirit of a widespread social victory. Not willing to simply accept the supposed superiority of the whites, Rosa Park stood up for herself and her race instinctively without knowing the consequential outcome of her actions.She refuse d to acknowledge the natural barrier of race, a discriminating boundary that had been drawn since the creation of the country. Although she was put into jail temporarily, her peers were inspired to defy injustice and abolish segregation, triggering a national civil rights movement that eventually determined American values of freedom and equality that have become an integral part of American identity.Despite oppositions between different racial groups, the revolution elicited was not a victory of one group but a victory of the nation. America won. Freedom and equality won. Justice won. Motivated by personal interest and guided by a critical view of the world, people can often inspire a victory for all as the society breaks away from the old and embraces the new. There aren’t times when some people must lose, just as society progresses to eliminate the absolutes.

Shrek english Essay Example

Shrek english Essay Example Shrek english Essay Shrek english Essay Essay Topic: Beauty and the Beast and Other Tales In traditional fairytale stories, ogres are man eating beasts and the prince usually rescues the princess. How do the makers of Shrek use presentational devices to reverse this tradition to reveal the ogre as good and the prince as evil? Shrek, although a fairytale, does not possess the characteristics and techniques which a traditional fairytale comprises of. Shrek stands apart from other fairytales as it completely changes the tradition of an ogre being a man eating beast into a valiant knight. On the other hand the prince-the traditional hero, turns out to be the scoundrel. The character Shrek has analogous physical features and habits as of an ogre but the similarity ends there. The dissimilarity appears in Shreks humane nature. The princess, Fiona, has been portrayed as a one who is lacking the traits of a true princess. The traditional prince Lord Farquad has also been shown as the villain who is gutless and callous. Shrek as a whole deviates from a fairytale, as it wants to cater to a wider audience as far as possible. By producing this film in this way, directors have also a brought a new era in animation production. Traditional fairytales use conventional portrayal of the princess being locked in the highest room of a creepy tower. The tower is guarded by a fiery red female dragon who is an obstacle between the knights and the princess. The knight trying to rescue the princess has to cross a long creaky woody bridge. He has to be careful not to fall over as there is hot lava underneath the bridge. These conventions create a creepy image in the audiences mind and thus give it an image of a true fairytale. The movie plays a sweet romantic music in the background as Shrek approaches the princess. The movie also shows that the princess is bound by a spell and only the first kiss from her true love could free her from it. A traditional fairytale also uses conventions such as storybooks with a prince proposing to a princess. The other traditions a fairytale contain are images of beautiful flowers, bushes, dark forests, birds humming e.t.c. Audiences expect a traditional fairytale to be a romantic come dy. They expect to see princesses in extravagant costumes, a prince riding to go and rescue the princess. They might expect to hear some soothing music. The film begins in a fairytale style. This is indicated by the production team which is Dream Works Production. The man sitting on the moon and the background music indicate that the movie is going to be an animated romantic comedy. The movie starts by showing a fairytale book depicting a prince, proposing to a princess, with flowers in his hands. The story book begins with the line Once upon a time which is a typical beginning of a fairytale. However, while the story progresses, a mammoth green hand rips the page out and uses it as a toilet paper. This is a beginning of a series of events, which tell the audience that the movie is diverting from the conventions of a traditional fairytale movie. As soon as the bathroom door opens, we see a huge, ugly giant standing in front of us. He is the hero of the story, Shrek. The hero of a fairytale story is usually a charming young prince and not an ugly ogre. Shrek is an introvert and prefers to have his privacy. A prince on the contrary is outspoken and likes to interact with other people. The introduction of the character Donkey, confirms our suspicion of the movie Shrek not being a fairytale. When the Donkey accidentally bumps into Shrek and hides behind him, instead of being frightened, portrays that something is amiss. The Donkey realizes that Shrek maybe the only person who can save him from the ruthless aggression of the outside world and therefore immediately takes a liking for him. The prince, who is a traditional hero, is introduced as a villain approaching his prey, contradicting the image of a young prince galloping on his horse. His stature, physique and popularity among his own people soon turn the tide against him. Shreks behaviour at the tournament in Duloc is unusual of an ogre. Shrek prefers to sort out matters over a pint of beer and not get physical. A typical ogre would not even think of negotiating, he would straight away start fighting. Shrek, the protagonist of the movie has been introduced in a vile and uncouth fashion. He is seen taking a bath with mud, frightening people with his ghastly size and ripping the page of his storybook and using it as toilet paper. He is a loner due to the fact that the outside world portrays him as a dangerous creature. He fancies his privacy and is totally ignorant about the matters and concerns of the outside community. He is self-centred and is only concerned about living his own personal life and not getting into useless matters. Shrek possesses humane qualities and has the virtues of a good human being. This is supported by the fact that when the donkey bumps into him, Shrek stands up for him and helps him from Lord Farquads army. Shrek has also been shown in a very positive light during the tournament. At the tournament he does not revert to fighting straight away, but prefers to work calmly. Shrek, rescuing Princess Fiona shows his valiant character. Later, his love for Prince ss Fiona is the confirmation of him possessing human qualities and not having a stone heart like a typical ogre. Donkeys relationship with Shrek develops dramatically over a period of time. The relationship with donkey influences Shrek to such an extent that he starts sharing his personal thoughts with the Donkey. In the beginning of the relationship, Shrek doesnt like the Donkey as they both are of a contrasting nature-Shrek is an introvert while the Donkey is an extrovert. However, while going to rescue Princess Fiona, Shrek realises Donkeys loyalty and friendship. Their friendship is so strong that Shrek risks his life to save Donkeys. Shreks heroism is proved when he takes upon himself the duty of getting fairytale creatures back to their home. A typical ogre wouldnt demonstrate such actions as he would neither care nor be bothered. Shrek believes strongly in non-violence, when there is no reason to fight. His behaviour at Lord Farquads convent gives an impression to the audience that some ogres adhere to the policy of the opponent attacking first. A typical ogre would immediately start fig hting. Shreks audacity to take on a fiery red dragon and risking his own life to save two other lives just proves that he is not self-centred and differentiates from typical ogres in a very large way. Shreks gleaming attire in the creepy castle portrays his heroism and his attitude shows his caring nature. His relationship with Princess Fiona corroborate to our earlier deductions of him not being a typical ogre. The manner, in which he approaches Princess Fiona to propose to her, depicts the symptoms of a charming young prince. His kind and loving nature sufficiently compel us to believe that he is a human being and not a man-eating ogre. Lord Farquad has been introduced in a very unconstructive manner. He has been introduced like the villain in the movie Star Wars. He enters a dark castle, wearing his gloves and instructing his men to open the large doors to the torture room. His stature in comparison to his guards just shows that he is a gutless and is not a real prince who will risk his own life to save others. His mocking laugh is of a villain and not a charming young brave prince. He himself doesnt carry on the torture but orders his men to do so. He is impolite and believes that the world is at his disposal and he is the supreme ruler. During the tournament, he makes a public statement that rescuing the princess will involve sacrificing lot of lives. He adds that it is a sacrifice he is willing to make. This shows his selfish behaviour and his non-popularity among the people of Duloc. This is the reason why his army has to hold up boards during public functions, demanding the people to do what is written on the boards. He views Princess Fiona as an epitome of beauty and a paragon of women. However, while Shrek is Rescuing Princess Fiona, Lord Farquad is sipping martini and admiring her in the magical mirror. At the wedding, he is very impatient and does not handle things in a composed manner. He is pretty much ignored by the audience, as well as Shrek and Princess Fiona. He mocks Shrek and Princess Fionas relationship and doesnt ever appreciate the fact that Princess Fiona was at the wedding due to Shreks efforts. At the end of the long unwinding movie, Shrek and Lord Farquad receive the true treatment they deserve. Lord Farquad is devoured with relish by the female dragon, which helped Shrek and Donkey reach the Princesss wedding. On the other hand, Shrek reaches for Princess Fiona and delivers a kiss. Princess Fionas true state is revealed when the sun goes down. She transforms from a beautiful princess to a fat ugly ogress, which is in contrast to a typical fairytale ending where the reverse takes place. Shrek and Princess Fiona have a fairytale wedding in a non-fairytale story. The audience is elated at the sight of the pair- Shrek and Fiona. As the audience already knows the role Shrek and Lord Farquad play, they are delighted when the good wins over the evil. The audience feels strongly about the end of Lord Farquad as they have already witnessed his cunning and cheeky deeds. This film has presented Lord Farquad and Shrek in a very exciting and progressive manner. Shrek has been presented as not a typical ogre and has been introduced as a true hero who risks his life. He possesses humane qualities and can fall in love with human beings. He is only similar to typical ogres in physical features. Lord Farquad has been introduced as a typical villain. The animators have shown him in a negative light throughout the movie and have convinced the audience that he is not the typical young prince and is more like a malicious and spiteful ruler who oppresses his people. The film departs from the conventions of a fairytale but not to such an extent. The film contains traditional fairytale conventions such as a princess being locked in the highest room of the tallest tower but the film also departs from fairytale conventions such as the prince being the villain and the ugly ogre going and rescuing the princess. The film teaches a number of morals to young children. It teaches them not to judge a book by its cover and that appearances and images of people can be deceptive and misleading. It also imparts the important message that people should not be judged by their outside beauty but by their inner beauty.