Critical Analysis †Night of the Living Dead Essay

1968’s â€Å"Night of the Living Dead† is one of the most influential zombie movies of all time. Despite its extremely low budget the movie was a great success. I actually believe that the limited budget is what made the movie successful. Due to the fact that it was shot in black-and-white, it gave the film an unique look contributing to its style. In various instances during the movie it the movie looks like a documentary, which adds to the realism of the movie. But what makes the movies scary? The zombies are the main element of horror in Night of the Living Dead. The viewer is afraid of the threat the zombies represent. They carry the horror, hold our attention, instill dread and act as the prime motivator. During the 1960s, this movie really shocked its audiences with its gory violent scenes and twisted plot lines. The brutal scenes in the movie produce a type of â€Å"pain† on the viewer – the images of the vicious deaths allows the audience to envision what it would be like to be in that situation. So, when we view a scene like the eating of the flesh from the victims of the car explosion, we are reacting bodily to the actions of the zombies. Scenes such as that one feel and look real to the viewer contributing to the horror and truthfulness of the movie. 1. After decades of cinematic re-releases, the film was a financial success, grossing $12 million domestically and $18 million internationally. This fact shows how successful this movie really was. 2. The initial budget was $6,000 with the ten members of the production company investing $600 each for a share of the profits. When it was found that another $6,000 was required another ten investors were found but this was also soon found to be inadequate. Image Ten eventually raised approximately $114,000 for the budget. 3. â€Å"Night of the Living Dead† has been remade twice. The first remake was made in 1990 and it included more gore and a revised plot. The other remake was made in 2005. All of these facts contribute to the fact that â€Å"Night of the Living† dead is  one of the most influential zombie movies of all time. The director, Geroge A. Romero, completely revolutionized the horror film genre with this movie. â€Å"Night of the Living Dead† also redefined the word â€Å"zombie†. While the word â€Å"zombie† itself is never used, Romero’s film introduced the theme of zombies as reanimated, flesh-eating cannibals. [1] â€Å"Night of the Living Dead.† Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. . [1]

The Black Man and Langston Hughes

The term identity is defined by Webster’s dictionary as being â€Å"the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions† however in exploring the concept of Identity in black literature, we can find no definite explanation or definition. We can try to accept that it has been rooted in social situations that are generally more discriminatory, such the institution of slavery. In some way shape or form, the average or normal African American is confronted with the question of where do I fit in amongst the white society? The problem with African American Identity has many dimensions, such as community, class, and color. The reality of the African American is one that is inescapable in America. Color which is inherent in the concept of self, manifest in race consciousness. This is extremely significant because an African American establishes his identity with other individuals, known or unknown, on the basis of a similarity of color and features, that allowing the individual to be included in groups membership, â€Å"the subject of his self identity. After the African Americans began to search for their identity looking through heritage, tradition, and folk traditions. Langston Hughes to me has been nourishing the black sensibility and inspiring it to create Afro American literation and transforming it into a â€Å"literature of struggle. † The poetry of Langston Hughes has the theme of â€Å" I, too sing America† He made extraordinary contributions to American literature and has came t o be regarded as a leading voice in the Renaissance of the arts in the 1920’s. Hughes growing up asked the same question to himself of who he was, his lack of identity in society, which put a large impact on his mind and soul and made him a poet of the blacks. Hughes developed a distinct movement of â€Å"negritude† which may be regarded as the soul of the Renaissance. Rising from the consciousness of his skin color and passing through various stages of identification with people and territory of Africa, and finally grounding it in the American Past. Negritude â€Å"in the poetry of Hughes evolves into a definite and enduring concept expressive of definite vision. He Hughes doesn’t suffer from what W. E. B Dubois terms as a double consciousness. â€Å"Two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings, two warring ideals in one dark body. † Search for identity seems to be a vital aspect in the work of Langston Hughes. The identity of an American black citizen was denied to him and there was a loss of identity which a modern man living in the 20th century experiences. The Black people of America are American, the African and Black Americans are at the same time. Africa which is thought to be homeland for blacks, was dealt with by Langston Hughes, who missed the natural beauty of Africa and dreaded being caged in the mayhem of civilization. He searched his roots back in Africa. Primitivism had already become a fascinating alternative for people for people not interested in the 2nd industrial revolution. It gave new meaning of going back to the roots and ones identity. The poem â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† is an example of the of the urge and need of the Negro to go back to his own land to find ethnic connections. The poet says: I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. In the poems entirety the rivers symbolize the glorious past, which have been flowing since humanities inception. So the African who has known rivers cannot be rootless or without past. Hughes also established a definite identity between the Blacks of America and the continent of Africa which he states in his poem called â€Å"Negro† I am a Negro: Black as the night is black, Black like the depths of my Africa. I've been a slave: I've been a worker: I've been a singer: All the way from Africa to Georgia I carried my sorrow songs. It was not easy to just up and go back to Africa. It became the dreamland for the poet, a country in which he could escape into when he finds life difficult to cope with. The poet to me seemed widely aware of misery, frustration, and isolation which to him is something that other blacks are facing. This epiphany of his leans him to the universal significance and appeal to the poets treatment of black life in America. His retreat into African is not a romantic escape from realities of life, but it provides a point of view to look at the realities of the life of black people in America. To say the blacks were treated horribly by white Americans is an understatement, they were compared to beasts and were treated accordingly. The black man was lynched, maimed and burnt, while the black woman was raped and desecrated. Lynching of the black on the charge of raping a white woman was one of the most commonplace events. Fear to the race and hatred, for the black was a common behavior of the white masses. The treatments to the blacks becomes evident in the following lines of â€Å"I, too sing America† I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Hence the stanza shows that the black worker doesn't find any place in the heart of the whites. He is sent to the background by the company bosses who are indifferent towards the blacks. The African American feels lonely in the northern city where there are large The Negro feels lonesome in the northern city where there are a large number of people, yet he still feels lost in the Poem â€Å"One† he relates his profound sense of isolation Lonely As a bottle of licker On a table All by itself. The whites don’t permit the political freedom to the blacks. Blacks are deprived of their basic necessities of life. They don’t have a proper place to live in. Their miserable condition is shown in the poem â€Å"Vagabond† Who have nowhere To eat. No place to sleep, The tearless Who cannot Weep. In this the blacks are alien on their own land. The blacks want a chance to eek out a decent living and have equal rights across America. Langston Hughes says â€Å"undemocratic doings take place in the shadow of the world’s greatest democracy† The blacks have no right to participate in the political affairs. Langston Hughes poetry is also preoccupied with the social problems faced by the blacks. Man is called a social animal. Blacks are not given the equal place in the society. The poet shows this inequality in the poem â€Å"Merry Go Round† the social whites have no sympathy even for a young black child. He has to sit in a segregated section. Hughes writes: Colored child at carnival: Where is the Jim Crowe section On this merry-go-round, Mister, cause I want to ride? Down South where I come from White and colored Can't sit side by side. Thus the merry go round is a metaphor for America. It is a kind of Satire on the American Society which we know as a free Society. A clear picture of the exploitation of the blacks is presented that cultural, social, and psychological space has been denied to them. Hughes never forgetting the images he has seen growing up, he has grown up shell shocked. He can clearly make out the contradiction of principles, for America was a democracy, but for the Negroes, America was fighting for a free and equal world. One where Jim Crow was eradicated, however he understands that the flame of freedom can not be extinguished by lynching and imprisoning blacks. From all this it become evident that Langston Hughes deals with the racial discrimination, lack of identity in the society and lack of freedom for the blacks. His aim and ultimate effect of his poetry is raising awareness and strengthening of the black people in their struggle for freedom in America. He was proud of his Afro-American legacy and tradition. He forcefully projects the theme of identity in his poems. He not only inspires the black to make it to the top but more than that he evokes a vision of a just society. works sited Georgene Seward, Psychotherapy and Culture Conflict (New York: Ronald Press, 1956), p. 129. Arthur A. Schaumburg's â€Å"The Negro Digs up his Past†, in Alain Locke's The New Negro, pp. 931-37. Jay Saunders Redding, To Make a poet Black (Washington:McGrath, 1969), p. 3. James A. Emanuel, Langston Hughes (New Haven: College and University Press, 1967), pp. 148-162. W. E. B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk (New York: New American Library, 1969), p. 45. Langston Hughes, â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers. † Selected Poems (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979), p. 4. Langston Hughes, â€Å"Negro. † Selected Poems (New York:Alfred A. Knopf, 1979), p. 8. Langston Hughes, â€Å"I, too, Sing America. † Selected Poems (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979), p. 275. Langston Hughes, â€Å"One. † Selected Poems (New York:Alfred A. Knopf, 1979), p. 92. Langston Hughes, â€Å"Vagabonds. † Selected Poems (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979), p. 91. Langston Hughes, â€Å"The Big Sea† The Collected Works of Langston Hughes ( New YorkJoseph Mclauren, 1979) Volume 13 P 165 Langston Hughes, â€Å"Merry-Go-Round. † Selected Poems (NewYork: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979), p. 194.

The importance of Commitment in any relationship that one hopes will Essay

The importance of Commitment in any relationship that one hopes will last - Essay Example The role of the simplistic Gimpel in â€Å"Gimpel the Fool† is a classic example of total commitment to a relationship – in this case, to his wife Elka. The story, set in a small Jewish town, tells how a gullible Gimpel is lured into marriage with an adulterous woman who treats him with contempt and ridicule, brazenly carrying on affairs with different lovers. Gimpel suffers this humiliation, sometimes yearning to break away from the relationship (â€Å"Enough of being a donkey,† he used to chide himself, â€Å"Gimpel isn’t going to be a sucker all his life†). But sucker he chose to be, turning down the advice of the rabbi to divorce Elka (â€Å"Let her go, the harlot,† said he, â€Å"and her brood of bastards with her†). Gimpel continues to believe in his wife â€Å"What is the good of not believing? Today it’s your wife you don’t believe, tomorrow it’s God himself you won’t take stock in†), staying totally committed to her until her untimely death. Elka realizes the importance of commitment in their relationship only when she is on her death bed, when she pleads with her husband to forgive her (â€Å"Forgive me Gimpel. It was ugly how I deceived you all these years†). The wrongs that she committed, and the bad way she treated her simple but good husband, continue to plague her even after death (at the end of the story, Elka’s ghost materializes, urging Gimpel to continue in the path of righteousness). â€Å"The Lady with the Dog† is a story set in Russia. The protagonist, Dmitri Gurovm denigrates women and refers to them as â€Å"the lower race†. Unhappy with his marriage, bound to a wife â€Å"who loved without any genuine feeling†, and linked to the conventional Moscow society, he looks for diversions. He does not attach importance to commitments in various extra-marital relationships as â€Å"simple and amusing,† testimony of his â€Å"eagerness for life.† Anna

Privacy in Cyber Space Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Privacy in Cyber Space - Essay Example The use of Internet as a basic mean of corporate usage has now become a critical business activity and therefore needs to be well-monitored as part of the important resources of any company (Cobb, 2002). However, the internet has also been of significant advantage to us in many ways. Where many of its services have benefited us in numerous ways, the email has had a significant character, besides other uses, in the commerce and trade sector. Email has proved to be the information and communication â€Å"Backbone† in most of the organizations (ColdSpark, 2007). It has been successfully used to facilitate the day to day business activities & processes, shared working environment, document transfer, corporate communication (both internal and external) and memorandums. According to the statistics, more than 35 percent of critical business information is found in companies is transferred via emails. Such a high figure means a high stance of dependency on the email service(s) and thus the nature of the content that is being transferred through these emails has actually forced many organizations to re-evaluate the significance of managing the email throughout its whole lifecycle. (ML Inc., 2008) Traditionally, the common practice was to retain the backup of all emails as per the IT department’s needs and cost factor. Now the environment has changed and therefore we need to manage this service as a strategic resource to take the best out of it. Email is considered now as a formal means of communication for any company, specially in a healthcare organizations where patients’ reports are treated with utmost confidentiality, which is no different from the traditional way of distributing the corporate information on the companies’ official letter head. This means that organizational or corporate emails are also bounded to abide by legal obligations of the state. Understanding the whole process of the collection,

Globalisation and Fragmentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalisation and Fragmentation - Essay Example Nevertheless, certain fundamental questions come to mind regarding globalisation and how it addresses human need in this century. Even more important is the question as to how the world can fair on without the essentials of globalisation. Thomas Friedman in his book â€Å"The world is flat† argues on the account that globalisation is the only panacea to address the conflicts often realised in the world. He highlights the important case of the global supply chains through which goods and services reach people across the world irrespective of the manufacturing places (Friedman 586). It certainly does appear that globalisation has helped solve some of the conflicts that were often realised in the world in the early days. Indeed, the case of China and Taiwan presents a very chilling account of how this interrelatedness can help address conflicts in the world. The problems of this age have made countries across the world to be dependent on one another. As such, no country can effic iently survive on its own devices without support or trade from other countries. Conflicts are known to hinder the process of international relations and trade across the world. No country wants to lag behind as the whole world gets ahead in development through globalisation. It therefore implies that the global supply chains realised in the manufacturing processes and consumption of goods and services across the world. In the same vein, investment is normally a function of the favourable conditions existing in the country. Investment and business activities have made many countries to be friends on technical grounds. Countries that were once enemies like India and Pakistan have become friends courtesy of the relations brought by trade and investment supply chains. Friedman is certainly right in the argument that wars and conflicts can substantially be mitigated in the world through the proper management of globalization. Several cases across the world serve to prove this fundamenta l fact. Many countries have begun to realise the devastating effects of war and how a modern war becomes expensive to fund. In that regard, hitherto sour relations have been transformed into friendship for the benefit of the participating countries. Supply chains across the world have enabled business and production activities to thrive in many places. For instance, globalisation has enabled Dell to produce computers in many parts of the world which are then shipped across all corners of this world. As such, a country that benefits from globalisation might not want to jeopardise such favours merely by engaging in war with another country. Nevertheless, Friedman never fails to mention the devastating effects of globalisation and how the global supply chains can be used to bring terror and suffering to humanity. Terror gangs across the world basically rely on effective supply chains in different parts of the world from which coordination of terror activities takes place. These groups rely on efficient networks which are facilitated by the simplicities created by globalisation and the benefits of modern global systems to successfully manage and cause terror across the world while management and organisation is conducted from a centralized location. In a way, it confirms the very fact that globalisation is a double edged sword. William Duiker seems to oppose the views of Friedman regarding the concept of globalisation.

The Progress of Women in Pakistan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Progress of Women in Pakistan - Essay Example Muslim reformers like Sir Syed Ahmed tried their best to educate the Muslim women of the subcontinent (Virdee). There were a lot of hurdles for women, imposed by the society, and attainment of education in the sub-continent was not an easy task for women of that time. Many women participated in public rallies during the Pakistan movement and women leaders took active part in the movement along with the wives of the Muslim leaders. After independence, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah became a symbol of inspiration for the Pakistani women. She was the sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and was very politically as well as socially active. The provision of reserved seats for women existed all through the constitutional history of Pakistan. They had the right of suffrage from independence (D. S. Ahmed 32-42). But the quota was, at the beginning, almost negligible. The progress of women in Pakistan suffered a great set back in the 1980’s, during the dictatorship of Zia-ul -Haq. He formulated and imposed oppressive laws that ran counter to the true spirit of Islam as he introduced his own radical extremist approach to Islam. On the other hand, this dark period for the women of the country was followed by the election of the first woman to be the prime minister of an Islamic state; Benazir Bhutto which was a big achievement for a woman belonging to a predominantly patriarchal society. Another major hurdle in the way of the progress of Pakistani women has been, and still is to this day, the strong feudal system. Women are still seen as objects of use, or rather misuse in feudally administered areas. Statistics show that violence against women is the greatest in these areas. This first decade of the 21st century saw the condition of women in Pakistan improve significantly, with inductions of ladies being carried out in all three armed forces in operational capacity. The proportion of women in the parliament has seen sizeable increase compared to the yest eryears. Women have access to equal education and are being inducted in all fields on equal pays. But the patriarchal mindset has not subsided, and women face discrimination and gender based prejudice and harassment in the workplaces. EFFECTS OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM The constitution of Pakistan is mostly based on the principles of Islam. In its true essence, Islam is a very moderate religion that gave women the right to suffrage and inheritance when the west was still in the dark ages. The much debated ‘Hadood Ordinance’ is a section of the law that deals largely with the punishments regarding limitations imposed on men and women individually and together. Some of the clauses are a distortion of the true limitations present in the Holy book of the Muslims; the Quran. The requirement of four witnesses to prove a woman’s claim that she had been sexually molested raised a storm of protest and criticism by the more sane minded people of the civil society (Khan 34). The l aw said that a woman could be held guilty of adultery herself if she fails to produce 4 male witnesses. This law was amended under the women protection bill of 2006 under the orders of Pervez Musharraf (Prisoners".). The women protection bill came under a lot of scrutiny from the radical religious factions who charged Musharraf with meddling with

Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Capitalism - Essay Example This essay explores the United States plunged into an economic crisis in 2008 and 2009. This situation escalated, and it became an irresistible opportunity for the United States to pronounce the failure of the type of capitalism that had emerged towards the end of the twentieth century. The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy once said, â€Å"One had expected competition and abundance for everyone, but instead one got scarcity, the triumph of profit-oriented thinking, speculation and dumping." According to Sarkozy, the then economic crisis had signaled the return of the state and brought an end to public impotence illusions. Notably, economists regard the state of capitalism as one in which the governments are limited in controlling markets and posing property rights. The majority of political economists usually make strong emphasis on private property, wage labor, power relation, class, and the uniqueness in the historical formation of capitalism. Generally, capitalism encourages eco nomic growth, and the failure of our economy in 2008 should not be laid at Capitalism’s door. For one year that is between June 30, 2009, and July 1, 2008, the United States’ total economic output experienced escalating inflation that led to drop in the economy at an annual rate of 3.8 percent. Historically, this was the worst twelve months in economic decline that the United States had experienced since the year 1946. The rate of unemployment that had started declining in the year 2008 at the rate of five percent per annum doubled at the fall of the year 2010. This led to a fall in the number of jobs, a situation that lasted for about twenty one consecutive months. Towards the end, of May 2010, the median workers were relieved off their duties for a period of twenty-three weeks this is compared to ten weeks when United States had experienced depths of recessions; that is, between 1973 and 1975. All these economic hard times should not be pegged on capitalism, but on p oor governance and poor approach in resolving economic problems (Ingham 89). Shortly after the election of Ronald Reagan in the United States, a norm of a quarter century become operational, and this is the time or period when the free market approach to economic proved to be superior to economies of state directions (Ingham 43). During this period, the America’s income tax rate was halved; thus, reducing burdens from regulation. Notably, during the same period, the United States experienced a tremendous spread and growth of free market economy. This encouraged, free trade, which produced a remarkable stability and significant prosperity. Between the period 1983 and 2008, the gross domestic product experienced a growth of an average of 3.2 percent per year. It is only once within this period that the output of the United States fell in a calendar year; this only resulted when the percentage was being adjusted to two-tenths point (Ingham 104). Unfortunately, the assets of the real estate exploded resulting to varnishing of growth and stability. This drove the United States into a worse economic crisis. As President Sarkozy said, many would see this recession as an economic setback that could be as well regarded as a death blow (Ingham 119). The policies of conservative economy aimed at reducing the government power and liberating the private sector. Therefore, the introduction of the free market could have been regarded as a way of managing a state economy, but it was extremely brief. The surprising reversal of the economic down fall of the United States actually reached a point of no return in the year 2010. All these cannot or could not be blamed on capitalism, but on Americans who were only â€Å"profit oriented.† American is now convinced that the government has failed to solve the economic crisis; in fact, it has worsened the situation. It is liberal economic policies not conservativeness that is in a quick jeopardy (Ingham 342). Most of the Americans had lost faith in the federal government, and the majority had believed

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Rain Man Dissertation

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Rain Man - Dissertation Example Theoretical debates on the subject are summarised, and the ambivalence of contemporary society towards mental illness is explained in the light of these at times conflicting perspectives. This review, therefore, provides a firm theoretical foundation for analysis of the representation of madness in films. Â  The empirical part of this study starts in section 3. Two films are selected for close analysis. Section 3 deals with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Forman, 1975) and section 4 deals with Rain Man (Levinson, 1988). In each case, the film is set in its context, and the representation of madness, or mental illness, is carefully analyzed. Evidence from the film is collated and discussed. The reception of each film is also presented and discussed, revealing how these issues were perceived both by audiences and by academic critics. Finally in section 5 the two films and their reception are compared, showing how an evolution in social attitudes towards mental illness has taken place over the last fifty years in the United States, and arguably also across the Western world which is heavily influenced by mass market films such as the two under discussion in this study. The implications of this change for modern Western societies are considered, as well as the limitations of thes e filmic representations and the considerable tensions and ambiguities which still remain and are carried into the new millennium. Â  There is a vast literature on the way that madness has been defined and dealt with throughout history, and another huge amount of material available on literary and cinematic representations of madness. It would not be feasible to cover all of this ground and so for the purposes of the present study, a two-part literature review will suffice.

Security practices not meeting the challenges (info technology) Essay

Security practices not meeting the challenges (info technology) - Essay Example There is a long line of self-interested intruders ready and willing to capture this valuable data, and as our reliance on digital information has grown, so have the threats. Large concentrations of data, mobile devices, and the need to keep the data useful has all added to the vulnerability of our information technology. While our information system has worked to make our data more secure, the threats of attack and the divulging of information has become ever more prevalent. Information security is an ongoing process that can never quite meet the challenge of the security threats. Security threats originate from three sources. There are internal threats from corrupt employees, external threats that originate from external attacks on the system, and system failure. While direct attacks may compromise the data, system failure can cause a loss of information or system shutdown. While developing a system of access control minimizes attacks, system failures are dealt with through a system of redundancy and audit tracking. These systems are open to compromise by direct attack or well meaning employees that practice lax security measures. The security of a database or network often begins with access control. At the system level this may mean the use of passwords. Passwords are easily compromised and are often shared for the purposes of convenience. Levels of granting only necessary access to a system or a file have been more helpful as data is made available only on a need to know basis. However, in a fast paced team environment, this may require man-hours that far exceed the realistic value of the security. According to Hu, Ferrariolo, and Kuhn, "If a single permission is incorrectly configured, a user will either be ineffective in performing his/her duties or will be given access to unintended information and systems, which could result in undermining the security posture of the organization" (36).

Interview people about the economy Essay Example for Free

Interview people about the economy Essay The people of the Orange County are an optimistic bunch. Yet, one can see this optimism slowly fading away into the darkness. For a country which is so close to perhaps world’s biggest entertainment hub, this is not a pretty picture. It would be wrong to blame the people. Little has gone right for the county since the economic recession of 2008, the effects of which are still quite visible. For a county which was already suffering from one of the more serious unemployment problems than compared to the average figures of the United States of America, the recession of 2008 has spelt doom, and its repercussions can still be felt. Take the case of the 34-year old Mr. Matthews who had a small shop selling electronic goods. However, with most people who gave him patronage, out of jobs or saving up for the bleak future, there are no takers for his once steadily selling shop of television sets and radios. His only hope is a government bailout, so that his customers have more money in their hands, or in other words greater purchasing power so as to indirectly get him out of this mess. Mr. Matthews situation is in complete contrast with Mrs. Mosby who is a secretary with the local government authority. She has been affected very little by the 2008 economic recession but maintains that she is concerned about a lot of her friends, whose businesses have shut or who have been shown the door in their jobs. The only consequence of this recession on her is that while her pay has not increased, prices of many commodities of even general use have gone by which makes it difficult for her to make the ends of her household meet. She is for the moment thankful that she has a government job, but strongly advocates that it is the state’s responsibility to find her fellow citizens a job which at the very least promises them adequate means of survival. Recession and the deteriorating economic situation is a concern not only to those who are currently affected by it, but also those who may be affected by it in the future. Take the case of 24-year old Mike, who is a final year student at the local university. He agrees that the heat in the air can be felt by all, and even though his university manages to put together a small career fair every year, it seems a difficult proposition this year. Although in the top half of his class, Mike admits that getting a job which helps him repay his educational loans he took for college, at least currently, seems to be a daunting task. He is hopeful that by the time he graduates, the situation would improve. He doesn’t make a case for out and out state intervention, but hopes that the state would help big economic powerhouses by giving them incentives and subsidies. Things have turned sour for those who are self-employed as well. Take the instance of a lawyer who has his own practice, Miss Timberlake. Litigation has become suddenly too expensive, and people seem to prefer to hold up matters for now. Even matters of home foreclosure have got delayed for now. People are looking at otherwise normal litigation procedures as a luxury service, which they are unable to afford at the moment, and are not as big a priority as say medical and health expenditure. Health insurance companies are facing the heat as no other according to Jeff, who works at one of the biggest insurance companies. The health and medical costs have spiraled over the last few years. The fact that people have very little disposal income, and are defaulting on their regular premium payments is making the matters worse for the insurance companies. Their being no solution in sight, people are turning to each other and urging them to perform acts of gratitude. For instance, appeals are being made to doctors and other hospital staff to give up a day’s pay. People are becoming much more cautious and conservative in spending their money. For instance, the younger siblings are getting their older siblings clothes. The insurance companies don’t have enough cash flowing in so as to be able to cope up with the increasing medical costs. This spells a disaster not just for one or two companies, but for two industries which are vital to the US economy – health and insurance. Whether there is a way out of this mess is the million dollar question facing everyone right now. The companies in both sectors, however, are optimistic and hope to see things improving with the Obama administration. Obama’s success in being able to pass the health insurance bill is being seen as a huge positive and people seem to be oddly comforted by his words of promise. Job creation is what people are currently looking forward to. Perhaps, the only sections of the society who have nothing to lose right now are the school going children. However, it is amazing how the economic crisis has made way into their everyday conversations as well. David who is only 14 is angry at the whole situation. He maintains that the whole crisis is the fault of the government, which allowed risky investments to be made. He is also unhappy about the liberal policies which have allowed a bulk of the work to be outsourced to other destinations where labour is much cheaper. Stricter laws are needed, he argues emphatically. Those who are retired have been hit badly as well. Their pension schemes and other insurance amounts are simply not enough for them to be able to make their ends meet. Home foreclosures are likely and in the offing, and this has most of them worried. Take the case of Mr. Andrews, who is 66 years old and survives on a small pension scheme. Recently the prices of even basic consumables have risen so sharply risen that he is finding it difficult to make the ends meet. His old age means that it is much more difficult for him to find a job as compared to other freshers just out of college. He is worried that if the State fails to take some concrete steps soon, many Americans could be tinkering on the verge of starving poverty. Take the case of Mr. Murdoch who is a stock market analyst and broker. In the economic recession of 2008, he lost close to $100,000. He says that he is devastated and doesn’t know if there is any hope remaining for his business, and whether he will be able to revive it in the near future. He is currently torn between the idea of continuing his business, or taking up a small job somewhere. However, he himself laughs at the irony of it all, given that it would be near impossible to find a job anywhere. He also feels responsible to many of his clients, who he was acting for, and have lost a considerable amount of money in the stock market. At the same time, however, he is quick to point out that investment in the market is subject to market risks, and therefore, one is understood to have assumed the same.

Buganda Agreement: Affecting Life Of Ugandans

Buganda Agreement: Affecting Life Of Ugandans The aim of this study is to evaluate the political and social impact of the 1900 Buganda Agreement on the people of Uganda. This investigation will look at how the signing of the agreement affected the people of Uganda in the political and social aspects between 1900- 1960. In this investigation, I will also look at the delight that Ugandans enjoyed after the agreement was signed as well as the distress that accompanied the agreement. I intend to carry out my investigation by visiting libraries and reading the available literature about Buganda and the Buganda agreement. For my investigation, I will use textbooks such as A Political History of Uganda, Roots of Instability in Uganda, both books written by S. R. Karugire and The Story of The Uganda Agreement by J. V. Wild. I will also go ahead and carry out interviews with highly distinguished Buganda, Bunyoro, as well as Ankole officials who have satisfactory knowledge on matters surrounding the Buganda agreement Summary of evidence The Buganda agreement was a bilateral accord signed by Sir Harry Johnston for the British government and three Buganda regents namely: Apollo Kaggwa, Stansilus Mugwanyi and Zakariya kisingiri on behalf of the Buganda king: Kabaka Daudi Chwa who was by then four years old and could not logically reason the terms of the agreement .The agreement was apolitical rather than a legal agreement which tried at one and at the same time to reconcile all imperial and local interests to the extents that these interests were identifiable and could be reconciled. The agreement can be summarized into four main sections. The clauses 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, and 14 were administrative rations that were aimed at defining Bugandas boundaries. Clauses 4, 7, 12, 15, 16 and 17 were aimed at the imposition of the infamous gun and hut tax while clauses 15, 18, 19, 21, and 22 were general clauses. The last group of clauses: 5, 6, 8, 13and 20 tackled the issue of recognition of the Kabaka and his government which was dependent on their trustworthiness towards the British administration. There are numerous effects that came about as a result of the signing of the agreement. One of the effects of the Buganda agreement was the taking away of the ultimate functions of the Kabakaship which was the Kabakas power to make all laws for all Baganda thus making the Buganda kingdom independent from the Kabaka. Instead, the Kabaka and the Buganda kingdom were made subject to the colonial government. The act of doing away with the kabakaship also meant that the Kabaka would not appoint a chief unless he had received approval from Her Majestys representative in Uganda. A new system of land ownership was introduced through the creation of an independent class of land owners whose rights over land were not subject to the Kabaka. Along with the new system of land ownership came the division of land between the colonial government and the Buganda government into two distinct parts namely: Mailo land (for the Buganda government) and Crown land (for the protectorate government). (348 words) EVALUATION OF SOURCES A Political History of Uganda This is a didactic textbook that contains a very descriptive step by step history of Ugandas political arena from 1500-1971.The authors biography at the beginning of the textbook shows that he is a learned man with a first class historical background and therefore the book is a very reliable source of information. By setting a time limit for each chapter, the author made accessing topics easier. Through Karugires prefatory proclamation, he openly states that his work has his own ideas and personalities and therefore it is not universally applicable. The textbook has a wide bibliography where its sources are stared. This textbook also provides unbiased views which are based on relevant research material and has a very detailed history of Uganda, Buganda and the Buganda agreement. There is primary evidence in the form of quotes of the people who were directly involved in the Buganda Agreement. The story of the Uganda agreement J. V. Wilds story about the Buganda Agreement is the most eloquent source of information I have used. J. V. Wild gives a step by step narration about the history of Buganda before as well as after the signing of the Buganda agreement, events that led to its signing and the impact it had on its signatories. However, the writer from my point of view is Eurocentric and some of his views clash with Karugires. Unlike Karugire who says that the agreement was dictated and unfair, J. V. Wild says that the Buganda chiefs were given time to think out the terms of the agreement before putting pen to paper. The book has primary sources of information such as letters that were written by Henry Johnston to Her Majesty the Queen, as well as Buganda officials, and quotes from the individuals that had a hand in the signing of the Buganda Agreement. The writer does not embroider any details and this rules out any feelings of bias. (313 words) Analysis There were many effects that emanated from the signing of the 1900 Buganda agreement. One of the noteworthy effects of the Buganda agreement was the doing away with the ultimate functions of the Kabakaship. The kabaka was deprived of his rights to make laws, as well as lost his authority and say over Bugandas land which brought about the individual land ownership system. Busoga, Ankole and Kigezi got to see the existing political organization get shuffled. The existing chiefs were placed under a colonial government representative known as the European District Officer who they were now subject to. The head chiefs, who were not used to being ordered around, were replaced with their minors, the traditional chiefs to who receiving orders were part and parcel of their day-to-day life. By doing so, it would be easy to manipulate the chiefs into British puppets who now had to receive orders from the British and not their fellow Africans. These chiefs were used in a type of leadership known as indirect rule which involved a higher power (in this case the British) instructing local natives (in this case the African chiefs) on how to govern the people. Following the signing of the 1900 Buganda agreement was the reduction of Bugandas boundaries as well as the division of Bugandas land. Ugandas land was divided into mailo land for the Buganda government, and crown land for the British government. The Buganda government land was further divided among individuals such as the royal family members, the lukiiko, the Muhammadan chief and some land was left for the private land owners The signing of the Buganda agreement brought about the establishment of a taxation system based on possession of fire arms (gun tax)as well as areas of residence (hut tax). It is from this taxation system that money to run administrative activities was obtained. A hut tax of 4 rupees per annum was charged on any house, hut, or habitation used as an area of residence while a gun tax of 3 or 4 rupees was charged for any individual who was in possession of a gun, rifle or pistol. Limits were also placed on how many fire arms an individual could possess. For example, the locals were permitted only five guns, while the kabaka was given fifty guns license free. However, the possession of canons and machine guns was prohibited. This was very powerful artillery which would be of great use to the locals if there was an uprising against the British. (417 words) Conclusion The illustration of the area under discussion shows that the signing of the Buganda agreement brought about change in Uganda political and social way of life. The signing of the Buganda agreement undermined the powers of the kabaka as the kabakaship functions were swept away: he lost his say in Bugandas land matters. He could no longer appoint chiefs without the approval from the protectorate government and other concepts upon which the governance of the territory was based were swept away. In areas such as Busoga, Kigezi and Ankole, the existing political structures were shuffled and the traditional chiefs were all placed under the European District Officer. These actions raised a question among todays writers, did the flag follow the cross? However, by the time Uganda was finally granted her independence, most of the terms of the agreement had been swept away and Uganda was no longer subject to the British government. (152 words)

AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

To talk about AIDS today, one has also to talk about sexuality. Nowadays AIDS is largely related to sexual activities since AIDS is a consequence of the virus HIV, which can be transmitted during sexual relations. The movie that we saw, Philadelphia, deals with this. It tells the story of a homosexual man who contracted HIV during sexual intercourse with another man. After some years he starts to suffer from AIDS and the discrimination that came along with it. He was a successful lawyer, and was fired only because he had AIDS. What is AIDS? AIDS is a stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is a disease caused by the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) virus. An HIV-infected person receives a diagnosis of AIDS after developing one of the CDC-defined AIDS indicator illnesses. An HIV-positive person who has not had any serious illnesses also can receive an AIDS diagnosis on the basis of certain blood tests. A positive HIV test result does not mean that a person has AIDS. A person may carry the virus inside his body for as long as 10 years (or more) without showing an illnesses caused by AIDS. Infection with HIV can weaken the immune system to the point that it has difficulty fighting off certain infections. These types of infections are known as "opportunistic" infections because they take the opportunity a weakened immune system gives to cause illness. Many of the infections that cause problems or may be life-threatening for people with AIDS are usually controlled by a healthy immune syst em. The immune system of a person with AIDS is weakened to the point that medical intervention may be necessary to prevent or treat serious illness. Today there are medical treatments that can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. There are other treatments that can prevent or cure some of the illnesses associated with AIDS. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventative care. HIV is spread by sexual contact with an infected person, by sharing needles and/or syringes (drug injection) with someone who is infected, or, less commonly, through transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors. Babies born to HIV-infected women may become infected before or during birth or through breast-feeding after birth. There are a couple of myths about how the HIV is transmitted. Some people fear that HIV might be transmitted in other ways; however, no scientific evidence to support any of these fears has been found.

Cryogenics: Is It Worth Waiting For? :: essays research papers fc

Cryogenics: Is It Worth Waiting For Imagine being frozen in time to escape a deadly illness, then getting warmed when a cure is found. There is question on whether cryogenic methods should be used. To fully understand cryogenics a knowledge of cold, background information on some branches of cryogenics, some problems with cryopresevation, and different peoples views towards cryogenics is needed. "Cold is usually considered hostile to mankind. Most people hate cold and with reasons." If not careful, cold can be deadly to animal and human life, but it can also help cure, because cold bodies perform functions slower (Kavaler 16- 17). Measurement of temperature is extremely important in cryogenics and the temperatures must be exact. The standard for scientific temperature measurement is the Kelvin scale. On the Kelvin scale absolute zero has a value of zero degrees on the thermometer. In theory no substance can be lowered to or below zero degrees Kelvin or absolute zero. Temperatures in cryobiology range from zero degrees Celsius--water freezes--to just above negative two hundred and seventy three point sixteen degrees Celsius--absolute zero. The word "Cryogenics" comes from the Greek word â€Å"kryos† meaning cold (â€Å"Cryogenics† Raintree 127, Kavaler 16). The science of cryobiology was first recognized in the early nineteen sixties. Cryobiology is the study of the effects of extremely low temperatures on living animals and plants. The chief concern in cryobiology is to preserve living matter for future use. This method can also be called cryopreservation. Cryotherapy is the use of extreme cold in treatment. The first trials of cryotherapy proved with great results (â€Å"Cryobiology† Comptons 1, McGrady 97). Frozen cells can be kept alive for very long periods of time in a state of â€Å"suspended animation.† Almost immediately after rapid thawing, the frozen cells regain normal activity. Cooling of the body causes a loss of feeling, therefore it can be used as anesthesia in surgery. Since certain drugs don’t affect healthy cells at low temperatures, the drugs can be safely used against cancerous tumors in the body. Cryogenics also helps in the preservation and storage of human tissues. Tissues such as eye corneas, skin, and blood that were rapidly frozen can be stored in â€Å"banks† for later use. Then skin can be grafted to burn victims and eye corneas can replace damaged ones. Thanks to Cryobiology blood can be frozen and stored for indefinitely for many years as opposed to only three weeks as it was before cryogenic technology was used. Surgeons can use a cryoscapel, freezing tips, to deaden or destroy tissue with great accuracy and little bloodshed (â€Å"Cryogenics† Academic 350, â€Å"Cryobiology† World Book 929).

Government and Politics - Promoting Global and Regional Security in the Post-Cold War World :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Essay is 1507 Words  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The post-cold War world presents an interesting paradox. Conflicts are becoming increasingly local while the world is becoming increasingly interconnected: although conflicts are on a smaller scale, their ramifications affect all nations. In addition, better technology means that the American public is better informed and more eager to intervene, yet at the same time, foreign aid is being drastically cut. The United States does not have the resources to intervene in every conflict or to solve all the problems in the conflicts it does intervene in. Therefore, the U.S. must set priorities, finding a balance between its national security interests and other concerns. In two cases, the drug-fueled civil war of Colombia and the withdrawal of North Korea from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the U.S. correctly intervened to promote regional and global security. However, in both cases, the U.S. mistakenly limited the effects of its efforts by put ting humanitarian concerns before security.    Prioritizing foreign policy objectives can be difficult because there are many to choose from. Many believe that the U.S. should act as the world's policeman, seek to stop human rights abuses, provide humanitarian aid, or work to build democracies. While these are certainly admirable goals, the truth is that the U.S. can often do little good, and sometimes aggravates the problem with intervention.1 The U.S. should instead work to promote both global and regional security. In the long run, this is the only way to achieve the goals mentioned above. It is the best way to promote U.S. interests. Although other domestic concerns, such as building democracies or promoting human rights, should be considered in every situation (and are often integral to the problem), when these concerns conflict with the promotion of global or regional security promoting security must come first. The U.S. must be careful not to jeopardize its attempts to promote global and regional security because of differ ing domestic concerns.    There is much policy overlap between pursuing regional and global security. This makes sense; in order for there to be a stabilized world, there must be stability at all levels, and regional instability can quickly lead to global instability in the increasingly globalized world.2 The overlap can be most clearly seen in the objectives behind U.S. intervention in Colombia and North Korea, the fight against drugs and the fight to stop nuclear proliferation, respectively. No one doubts that drugs have negative effects on society, and when one country, such as Colombia, produces eighty percent of the world's cocaine, drugs are very destabilizing globally.

Women and Depression

Depression is currently the fourth most common cause of disability worldwide (Culbertson, 1997). With depression being such a large issue in society, it cannot be looked at as a â€Å"one size fits all,† particularly when it comes to examining gender differences associated with mental health disorders (Smith and Jaffe, 2012). There are many social causes prevalent in society, varying by gender, which contributes to the risk of being diagnosed with depression or the rate to which they experience depression.Depression is the leading cause for disability in women and they are roughly twice as likely to experience depression as men. Some reasons for this may be that women tend to dwell on their problems, they experience victimization and they also must deal with the effects that estrogen has on the stress hormone and menstrual cycle. Men’s experiences with depression have not been as well understood as women’s. Although women may be diagnosed more then men, it does n ot mean that men suffer any less; they often suffer in silence.With the social constructions of what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman, it has created an atmosphere in which it negatively affects the willingness to seek help or treatment and the diagnosis of mental illnesses relating to health and health care. There is evidence to suggest that men are just as vulnerable as women to depression and for the same reasons that make women depressed but they remain undiagnosed and untreated (Zartaloudi, 2011). Men on average are less willing to seek help but are more reluctant to seek help in the case of depression.There are a larger number of men compared to women who suffer from problems closely related to depression such as alcohol and drug abuse and the suicide rates in men are very high. According to Real, â€Å"women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression than men because many health professionals, as well as family members and friends, may find it easier to diagnose women with depression more than men because of the fear of the stigma and shame surrounding depression for men, a disorder which is regarded as emotional and not a manly illness. (Real, 1997) So in society it is hard to diagnose depression in men because they have a harder time admitting that they have it. With that being said, the social roles that we have created for both men and women create the need for different treatment options and care that will ultimately lead to the same result; successfully treating depression. The social conditions of life and the differences that are presented for individuals create different health care needs for everyone. The health care system often fails to address these differences and in doing so, it can often reinforce the inequalities (Payne & Doyal, 2010).It is important to recognize the different social processes present in society if the health care system is going to respond to the needs of individuals. Men are known to use heal th care services less than women, which can relate to men’s shorter life expectancies. So this leads to the problem of men not wanting to seek health care, as they want to look masculine and adhere to the gender role that society has created. These generalizations can be very harmful to both men and women as they can often affect the action one may take.For example, men also tend to wait longer to seek health care, as they do not use the services as much as women (Payne & Doyal, 2010). So in the case of depression, if men tend to wait longer, it could lead to alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. One is held accountable for every action they perform to be appropriate to the sex category they adhere to. Because the rate of depression is about two times greater for women than men, depression can often be framed as a ‘women’s issue’ and therefore men do not want to admit to being depressed.Women also react differently as they are more likely to change their app etite, become emotional and lose weight where as men tend to turn to alcohol and drugs which can lead to further complications (Zartaloudi, 2011). Although women are more likely to attempt suicide and there are more reported cases of women attempting to kill themselves, men are reported to have a higher death rate by suicide than women. Men have a very high rate of suicide; they are about three to four times more likely to kill themselves regardless of their age.Men are also more likely to commit suicide because they tend to act quicker on their thoughts and use more lethal methods such as guns (Mayo Clinic, 2011). Men often times will try to live up to the standards of masculinity that society has created. It has been hypothesized that men can experience a loss of psychological well-being while trying to achieve the masculine goals related to the gender roles that have been created. Men may also make themselves feel better by relying on avoidance and coping in ways such as distract ion, social diversion, denial and disengagement (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1999).Men often fail to recognize depression, not realizing that some of their symptoms are those of depression. They also down play their sign and symptoms of depression and often do not want to talk about what they are feeling where as women are more likely to seek medical help or turn to family and friends (NIMH, 2011). When looking specifically at women and depression, it can be noted that women suffer in different ways then men due to different social causes they experience.Looking at the cultural roles and how they affect both men and women, women have always been viewed to have unequal power and wealth. With lower incomes, women are more likely to live in poverty and stress about housing and access to health care resources (Mayo Clinic, 2010). Minority women face racial discrimination as well which can lead to lower self-esteem and can contribute to feelings of depression. As well, women who were emotionally, se xually or physically abused as children are more likely to be depressed as adults.Women are also more likely to be sexually abused (Weiss, 1999). Overall depression will continue to affect both and men and women in different ways and it is important to address this issue to ensure that both men and women are getting the correct diagnosis and treatment that is necessary. Although there are many factors that contribute to an increased risk of depression such as death, divorce, job loss or any major changes, it is important to look at social causes that affect women differently than men.There are many specific risk factors for mental disorders that disproportionately affect women which include gender based violence, socioeconomic disadvantage, low income and income inequality, low or subordinate social status and unremitting responsibility for the care of others (WHO, 2012). The high rate of sexual violence present in our society which women are exposed and the correspondingly high rat e of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder result in women being the largest group of people affected by depression.According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, â€Å"Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16,† (CWF, 2012). Having experienced sexual or physical violence can lead to an increased risk in experiencing depression for both men and women, although women are at a higher risk due to a higher rate of experiencing violence. Often, the social construction of gender leads to the view of women being inferior to men and so men view themselves as having control over women and can often result in physical or sexual violence.Some often wonder if men are at the same risk for experiencing violence but the Canadian Women’s Foundation states that 83% of all police-reported cases of domestic violence are against women and that remains the same throughout every province in Canada, (CMF, 2012). It ha s also been reported that one in five women suffer rape or attempted rape in their lifetime, (WHO, 2012). Living with the fear of being raped or experiencing rape also contributes to the increased risk of depression among women. Women often are humiliated to share their experience with anyone and often do not disclose information unless asked directly by a doctor.Men too are reluctant to share their experiences of violence as we have created a social stigma in which men are not to express such emotional feelings and so the violence goes unreported. Violence against women then, may contribute to the reason as to why women are the largest single group affected by depression. Another social cause of depression among both men and women but specifically women is low socioeconomic standing. The higher prevalence of depression among women can be associated with their socioeconomic position, stress processes and role of social support (Warrell, 2012).Reports continue to show that women that live in poverty or with a love economic status show higher rates of depression than women who live in a higher economic standing. The stress of struggling economically can often times play a big role in the emotional toll it takes on a person, specifically women. A reason why women are at a higher risk of depression and suffering long-term is that they are exposed to greater amounts of stress (Warrell, 2012). Women often have responsibilities both at work and within the home as they are often stereotyped as the ‘house-wife’, responsible for most of the duties within the home.Socioeconomic status and the struggle for women to deal with major stressors that relate contribute to the high rate of depression among women. Society has created many stereotypes around gender and how males and females should act. Men are seen as the powerful, dominant type who should have the control and the power within society. Men who show emotions and express feelings associated with the fem ale stereotypes are often looked down upon. Women are seen as the emotional, fragile beings that are emotional and as a result are inferior to men.Although we are working as a society to break down these stereotypes, they are still prevalent and we must find ways to cope with them. Looking specifically at depression, women often feel as though they are inferior to men and that they are unequal within society; this may contribute to feelings of depression. There are many ways for the issue of depression to be addressed. One of the most important ways for this issue to be addressed is for it to be talked about and have fewer stigmas attached to it. Many people view depression and mental illness as a negative thing and therefore much stigma comes attached to the diagnoses of depression.Men, who already have a hard time going to get help when they need it, are even less likely to reach out for help if they will be labeled as weak and treated differently if their condition becomes public knowledge. As mentioned above, if society would take a step back and not put so much emphasis on hegemonic masculinities and make it more socially acceptable for men to show emotion and not have negative repercussions when coming to terms with their mental illness, more men would feel comfortable speaking out about their illness and hopefully actively seek treatment.One way that this stigma is approached is how Bell Canada has created a campaign to help eliminate the stigma attached to depression and mental illness. They offer some interesting statistics that are quite troubling in regards to the problem of mental health and its funding: mental health does not receive the funding relative to the need because mental illness represents 15% of health care troubles; however, they only receive 5% of funding.Another startling statistic provided was that only one-third of Canadians who need mental health services actually receive them. (http://letstalk. bell. ca). Another initiative that has been created to help spread awareness about mental health issues is the Canadian Population Health Initiative. This initiative has seen very positive outcomes in how mental health is treated, promoted and viewed in Canadian society. Many new initiatives and policies have been created in the past 20 years to help address the issues that are faced in the public sector of mental health.Some of the positive changes that have been made include: The creation of the Mental Health Promotion Unit in 1995 to promote health public policy for mental health, in 1996 a new holistic definition of mental health was created to demonstrate that mental health is a â€Å"multi-faceted nature of health and moved beyond disease-oriented understandings† (Ottawa: CIHI, 2009) and in 2007 the creation of the Mental Health Commission of Canada that was to help people living with mental illness get treatment as well as promote positive mental health promotion across the nation (Ottawa: CIHI, 2009).B y the creation of these old and new initiatives and policies, there is more attention being given to the issue of mental health and a reduction of the stigma attached to it. Education is the best way to understand something and if the country is educated on the issues, they will be less likely to rely on old stereotypes to categorize people who suffer from mental illness. I believe that depression is a major issue present within society and we must find ways to break down the gender stereotypes in order for both males and females to feel comfortable talking about it.I believe that it is important to look at how we can address this issue as women are suffering at a higher rate than men while men are suffering in silence, without help from anyone. Depression must be viewed as an illness that is okay to talk about and okay to get help for. Depression is common in society and no one is ever alone when dealing with depression and the feelings associated with it. It is scary to think that two thirds of people suffering are not receiving any help.People suffering need not be ashamed of what they are going through and should be eager to seek the proper treatment when needed. As a society, we must break away from the gender stereotypes associated with gender and understand that depression is an illness that both men and women suffer from. We need to continue to use campaigns and initiatives to show people that they are not alone and that it is nothing to be ashamed of. Women are at a higher rate of experiencing depression as they are affected differently by social causes that are present within our society.In recent times, we have been trying to put to rest the idea that men are superior to women as every human being should be considered equal and capable of doing the same things within society. If everyone is considered as equal, it may lead to a decrease in violence against women and people of color may not feel oppressed by other members of society. If this is possi ble, women’s risk of experiencing depression may decrease and it may no longer be viewed as a women’s illness.It can be concluded that although men and women both suffer from depression and feel some of the same emotions, the way they experiencing depression differs greatly due to the social causes we see in society today. Bibliography References Canadian Institute of Health Information, Improving the Health of Canadians: Exploring Positive Mental Health (Ottawa: CIHI, 2009). Canadian Women’s Foundation, The facts about violence against women. 2012. Retrieved on November 20th, 2012 from < http://www. canadianwomen. org/facts-about-violence> Culbertson, F. (1997).Depression and Gender; an international review. American Psychology, 25-35. K. , B. B. (2012). Diagnosis and treatment rates for depression in older adults have grown overtime, with medication edging out therapy. AHRQ Research Activities, (379), 21-22. Logan, J. , Skopp, N. A. , Karch, D. , Reger, M. A. , & Gahm, G. A. (2012). Characteristics of Suicides Among US Army Active Duty Personnel in 17 US States From 2005 to 2007. American Journal Of Public Health, 102S40-4. doi:10. 2105/AJPH. 2011. 300481 Mayo Clinic Staff. (2010). Depression in women: Understanding the gender gap.Mayo Foundation for medical Education and Research, 1-3. Nolen-Hoeksema, S. , Larson, J. , Grayson, C. (1999). Explaining the gender difference in depressive symptoms. Social Psychology. 77(5): 1061-72. Payne, S. , & Doyal, L. (2010). Re-visiting gender justice in health and health care. In E. Kuhlman, and E. Annadale (Eds. ), The Palgrave handbook of gender and healthcare (pp. 21-35). Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan. Smith, M. , & Jaffe, J. (2012). Depression in Women: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment. The Help Guide. Waller, E. 2012) Socioeconomic Position and Major Mental Disorders. Oxford University Press. Retrieved on November 19th, 2012 from: < http://epirev. oxfordjournals. org/content/26/1/53. full> Weiss e t Al. (1999). Childhood sexual abuse as a risk factor for depression in women. American Psychiatry, 816-28. World Health Organization, Mental Health: Gender and women’s mental health. 2012. Retrieved on November 20th, 2012 from: < http://www. who. int/mental_health/prevention/genderwomen/en/> Zartaloudi, A. (2011). What is men’s experience of depression? Health Science Journal, 182-187.

Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations Essay

CHAPTER 14 Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations Chapter Summary This chapter provides an overview of private-sector labor-management relations in the United States, with brief attention to public-sector differences and international labor relations. After a model of labor-management relations and a context for current relationships are provided, various aspects of the process of collective bargaining are described. Cooperative forms of labor-management relations are then presented. Finally, an explanation is given for how changes in competitive challenges are influencing labor-management interactions. Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, the student should be able to: 1. Describe what is meant by collective bargaining and labor relations. 2. Identify the labor relations goals of management, labor unions, and society. 3. Explain the legal environment’s impact on labor relations. 4. Describe the major labor-management interactions: organizing, contract negotiations, and contract administration. 5. Describe the new, less adversarial approaches to labor-management relations. 6. Explain how changes in competitive challenges (e.g., product-market competition and globalization) are influencing labor-management interactions. 7. Explain how labor relations in the public sector differ from labor relations in the private sector. Extended Chapter Outline Note: Key terms appear in boldface and are listed in the â€Å"Chapter Vocabulary† section. Opening Vignette: Labor Relations and the Bottom Line The main issue in the 54-day strike by the United Auto Workers (UAW) at two General Motors parts plants was job security and whether GM would invest in plants in the United States or continue its effort to cut U.S. employment and shift production overseas to reduce labor costs. The strike postponed all of GM’s plant operations, which caused annual earnings and market share. GM plans to spin off a new unit, which would eliminate 200,000 of UAW workers from the payroll. Ford is thinking about doing the same thing but has postponed the move because of UAW opposition. I. Introduction—Labor-management relations are complex, and many are in transition as competitive challenges force a realignment of management and worker interests. The need for many U.S. companies to become smaller and more efficient translates into actions (job loss) that are at cross-purposes with the interests of union members. II. The Labor Relations Framework (text Figure 14.1 and TM 14.1) A. John Dunlop suggested a labor relations systems that consists of four elements: 1. An environmental context (technology, market forces, etc.). 2. Participants: employees and their unions, management, and the government. 3. A web of rules (rules of the game) that describe the process by which labor and management interact. 4. Ideology (acceptance of the system and participants). B. Katz and Kochan have presented a model that focuses on the decision-making process and outcomes. 1. At the strategic level, management makes basic choices such as whether to work with its union or develop nonunion operations. 2. These labor and management choices made at the strategic level affect interaction at the second level, the functional level, where contract negotiations occur. 3. These strategic decisions also affect the workplace level, the arena in which the contract is administered. III. Goals and Strategies A. Society—Labor unions’ major benefit to society throughout history has been the balancing of power and the institutionalization of industrial conflict in the least costly way. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA, 1935) sought to provide a legal framework conducive to collective bargaining. B. Management must decide whether to encourage or discourage the unionization of its employees. Based upon issues of wage cost, flexibility, and labor stability, as well as ideology, management must decide. If management has a union, it has the option of supporting a decertification vote, an election in which employees have a chance to vote out the union. C. Labor unions seek to give workers formal representation in setting the terms and conditions of employment. (See text Table 14.1 for categories of provisions in collective bargaining agreements). IV. Union Structure, Administration, and Membership A. National and international unions are composed of multiple local unions, and most are affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) (see Table 14.2 in the text for a list). In 1995, three major unions, the UAW, the United Steelworkers, and the International Association of Machinists, announced plans to merge by the year 2000. | | |A related reading from Dushkin’s | |Annual Editions: Human Resources 99/00: | |(â€Å"HR Comes of Age† by Michael Losey | 1. Craft unions are those that organize members of a particular skill or trade, such as electricians or plumbers. Craft unions are likely to be responsible for training programs called apprenticeships. 2. Industrial unions are made up of members who work in any number of positions in a given industry, such as the auto or steel industry. Whereas craft unions may wish to control the number of members, industrial unions wish to maximize the number of members. B. Local unions are frequently responsible for the negotiations of a contract as well as the day-to-day administration of the contract, including the grievance procedure. Typically, an industrial local corresponds to a single manufacturing facility. C. The AFL-CIO is a federation of national unions. It represents labor’s interests in the political process and provides numerous services to its members, in terms of research and education (text Figure 14.2). | | |A related reading from Dushkin’s | |Annual Editions: Human Resources 99/00: | |(â€Å"Labor Deals a New Hand† by Marc Cooper | D. Union security depends upon its ability to ensure a stability of members and dues. Unions typically negotiate a contract clause that defines the relationship it has to employees and that provides for an uninterrupted flow of dues. 1. A checkoff provision is an automatic deduction of union dues from an employee’s paycheck. 2. A closed shop is a union security provision under which a person must be a union member. 3. A union shop requires a person to join the union within a certain length of time after beginning employment. 4. An agency shop is similar to a union shop, but does not require union membership, only that an agency fee be paid. 5. Maintenance of membership requires only that those who join the union remain members through the life of the current contract. 6. Right-to-work laws—As a function of the Taft-Hartley amendment to the NLRA, states may decide to make mandatory union membership (or even dues paying) illegal. E. Union Membership and Bargaining Power—Employers are increasingly resisting unionization. Unions are making new attempts to organize new memberships and to provide new services. Union membership has consistently declined since 1950 and now stands at roughly 10 percent of private-sector employment (text Figure 14.3 and TM 14.2). Reasons for this decline are noted below: 1. Structural Changes in the Economy—These changes include decline in core manufacturing and increase in the service sector. But these changes, according to studies, only account for 25 percent of the overall union membership decline. 2. Increased Employer Resistance—Almost 50 percent of large employers in a survey reported that their most important labor goal was to remain union free. Unions’ ability to organize whole industries has declined, and therefore wages are rarely taken out of competition. Additionally, studies have shown that if a union wins an election, it is frequently the case that managers lose their jobs (see Figure 14.4 for the increase in unfair labor practices filed). | | |Competing by Meeting Stakeholders’ Needs: | |Is Strong Labor Relations Good for Business? | | | |Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls is not looking to cultivate a unionized work force. That is why it endures strikes at its seat| |making factories by UAW workers who were trying to negotiate their first collective bargaining contract with the company. Ford | |has taken a different view because it has begun a strong commitment with the UAW to be a competitive advantage. Ford realizes | |that it is not in the best interests of its employees to accept seats by replacement workers because their relationship with the| |union and respect for the team are too important to them. Finally, Johnson Controls agreed on a contract with the UAW at its | |two plants with help from Ford. | 3. Substitution with HRM—In large nonunion companies, HRM policies and practices may encourage positive employee relations, and therefore union representation is not desired by employees. | | |Competing through Globalization: | |UAW Concedes Defeat at Transplants—for Now | | | |UAW is diverting its attention from the Japanese-owned assembly plants to the German-owned plants because the Japanese are | |turning their backs on the UAW. Transplant operations are tough to implement, but they are continuing to grow in this country | |and employment continues to shrink. Also, the UAW membership is beginning to shrink because it depends on the auto industry for| |its existence. Transplant operations usually offer pay and benefits and the social and political environments don’t support | |unions. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are willing to work with the U.S. auto union because it is easier to organize during economic | |times and they may be able to influence affairs with Germany. BMW pays workers hourly with bonuses as well as using a | |self-directed work team concept. These pay and benefits are attractive to the workers at this company. The union must also | |contend with plant expansions because employees find themselves considering job promotion or at least a move to a more appealing| |work slot. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are expanding both their factories and their payrolls. | 4. Substitution by Government Regulation—Employment laws have been passed that reduce the areas in which unions can make a contribution. 5. Worker Views—The lack of a U.S. history of feudalism and class distinctions has limited the class-consciousness needed to support a strong union movement. 6. Union Actions—Corruption, resistance to obvious economic change, and openness to women and minorities have all hurt the perception of union. V. Legal Framework—Legislation and court decisions that provide the structure within which unions must operate have had an effect upon membership, bargaining power, and the degree to which unions and managements are successful in achieving their goals. The 1935 NLRA enshrined collective bargaining as the preferred mechanism for settling labor-management disputes. Section 7 of the act sets out the rights of employees, including the â€Å"right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining.† A. Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs)—Employers: The National Labor Relations Act (1935) prohibits certain activities by both employers and labor unions. Section 8(a) of the NLRA contains ULPs by employers. 1. Employers cannot interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in exercising their Section 7 rights. 2. Employers cannot dominate or interfere with a union. 3. Employers may not discriminate against an individual for exercising his or her right to join or assist a union. 4. Employers cannot refuse to bargain collectively with a certified union (other examples are given in text Table 14.3). B. Unfair Labor Practices—Labor Unions: These were added by the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act. 1. These ULPs parallel those listed previously. For example, unions may not restrain or coerce employees in the exercise of their Section 7 rights (see Table 14.4 in the text for additional examples). C. Enforcement—The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has the primary responsibility for enforcing the NLRA. 1. The NLRB is a five-member board appointed by the president. Additionally, there are 33 regional offices. 2. Only businesses involved in interstate commerce are covered by the NLRA and therefore subject to the NLRB. 3. The NLRB has two major functions: a. To conduct and certify representation elections. b. To prevent ULPs and to adjudicate them. 4. ULP charges are filed at and investigated by the regional offices. 5. The NLRB may defer to the parties’ grievance process instead of holding a hearing. 6. The NLRB can issue a cease-and-desist order to halt a ULP. It may order reinstatement and back pay. The court of appeals can choose to enforce the NLRB’s orders. VI. Union and Management Interactions: Organizing A. Why Do Employees Join Unions?—Is it for wages and benefits? Do unions help increase wages and benefits? B. The Process and Legal Framework of Organizing—An election may be held if at least 30 percent of the employees in the bargaining unit sign authorization cards. A secret ballot election will be held. The union is certified by the NLRB if a simple majority of employees vote for it. 1. A decertification election may be held if no other election has been held within the year or if no contract is in force. 2. The NLRB must define the appropriate bargaining unit. The criterion they use is â€Å"mutuality of interest† of employees. 3. Certain categories of employees cannot be included. C. Organizing Campaigns: Management and Union Strategies and Tactics (see text Tables 14.5 and 14.6 for common campaign issues). 1. Table 14.7 in the text and TM 14.3 list employer strategies, legal and illegal, that are used during organizing campaigns. Additionally, note the significant increase in employer ULPs since the late 1960s. 2. The consequence of breaking the law in this situation is minimal, and discrimination against employees active in union organizing decreases organizing success. 3. The NLRB may set aside the results of an election if the employer has created â€Å"an atmosphere of confusion or fear of reprisals.† 4. Associate union membership provides a person who is not part of a bargaining unit with some of the services a full union member receives (access to insurance, credit cards, etc.). This is a strategy unions are trying in order to increase support. 5. Corporate campaigns seek to bring public, financial, or political pressure on employers during the organizing and negotiating process. Example: William Patterson, corporate affairs director of the Teamsters union, attended the 1996 Time Warner Inc.’s annual meeting, where he unsuccessfully pushed a Teamsters proposal to split the chairman and CEO position into two separate positions. The Teamsters pension funds have assets of $48 billion and actively pursue strategies as stockholders to support their positions. VII. Union and Management Interaction: Contract Negotiation—Bargaining structures, the range of employees and employers that are covered under a given contract, differ, as shown in text Table 14.8. A. The Negotiation Process—Walton and McKersie suggested that negotiations could be broken into four subprocesses: 1. Distributive bargaining occurs when the parties are attempting to divide a fixed economic pie into two parts. What one party gains, the other loses. 2. Integrative bargaining has a win-win focus; it seeks solutions beneficial to both sides. 3. Attitudinal structuring refers to behaviors that modify the relationships between the parties, for example, offering to share information or a meal. 4. Intraorganizational bargaining is the consensus-building and negotiations that go on between members of the same party. B. Management’s preparation for negotiations is critical to labor costs and productivity issues. The following steps are suggested: 1. Establish interdepartmental contract objectives among industrial relations and finance, production, and so on. 2. Review the old contract to focus on provisions needing change. 3. Prepare and analyze data on labor costs, your own and competitors’. Data on grievances, compensation, and benefits must be examined as well. 4. Anticipate union demands by maintaining an awareness of the union perspective. 5. Establish the potential costs of various possible contract provisions. 6. Make preparations for a strike, including possible replacements, security, and supplier and customer. 7. Determine the strategy and logistics for the negotiators. C. Negotiation Stages and Tactics 1. The early stages may include many individuals, as union proposals are presented. 2. During the middle stages, each side makes decisions regarding priorities, theirs and the other parties’. 3. In the final stage, momentum may build toward settlement or pressure may build as an impasse becomes more apparent. More small groups are used to address specific issues. 4. Getting to Yes by Fisher and Ury presents four principles of negotiations: a. Separate the people from the problem. b. Focus on interests, not positions. c. Generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do. d. Insist that the results be based on some objective standard. D. Bargaining Power, Impasses, and Impasse Resolution—An important determinant of the outcomes of negotiations is the relative bargaining power of each party. Strikes impose various economic costs on both sides and therefore, in part, determine the power. E. Management’s Willingness to Take a Strike—Willingness is determined by the answers to two questions. 1. Can the company remain profitable over the long run if it agrees to the union’s demands? 2. Can the company continue to operate in the short run despite a strike. 3. The following factors help determine whether management is able to take a strike: a. Product Demand—If it’s strong, there is greater potential loss for management. b. Product Perishability—A strike timed with perishability of a crop results in permanent revenue loss. c. Technology—A capital-intensive firm is less dependent on labor for continued operation. d. Availability of Replacement Workers—(Note that the Clinton Administration issued an executive order that at the time of publication was under an injunctive order. This executive order prohibits federal contractors from permanently replacing striking workers). e. Multiple Production Sites and Staggered Contracts—These permit the shifting of work from a struck site. f. Integrated Facilities—If parts are not available from a struck plant, other facilities may be shut down. g. Lack of Substitutes for the Product—A strike is less costly if customers cannot purchase substitute goods. F. Impasse-Resolution Procedures: Alternatives to Strikes 1. Mediation is provided by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. While a mediator has no formal authority to force a solution, he or she acts as a facilitator for the parties, trying to help find a way to resolve an impasse. 2. A fact finder is most commonly used in the public sector. The fact finder’s job is to investigate and report on the reasons for the dispute and both sides’ positions. 3. Arbitration is a process through which a neutral party makes a final and binding decision. Traditionally, rights arbitration (the interpretation of contract terms) is widely accepted, while interest arbitration (deciding upon the outcome of contract negotiation) is used much less frequently. VIII. Union and Management Interactions: Contract Administration A. The grievance procedure is a process developed to resolve labor management disputes over the interpretation and implementation of the contract. This happens on a day-to-day basis. 1. The WWII War Labor Board first institutionalized the use of a third-party neutral, called an arbitrator (now, the final step in the grievance process). 2. The effectiveness of grievance procedures may be judged on three criteria: a. How well are day-to-day problems resolved? b. How well does the process adjust to changing circumstances? c. In multi-unit contracts, how well does the process handle local contract issues? 3. The duty of fair representation is mandated by the NLRA and requires that all bargaining-unit members, whether union members or not, have equal access to and appropriate representation in the grievance process. An individual union member may sue the union over negligent or discriminatory representation. 4. Most grievance procedures have several steps prior to arbitration, each including representatives from increasingly higher levels of management and the union (Text Table 14.9 and TM 14.4). 5. Arbitration is a final and binding step. The Supreme Court, through three cases known as the Steelworkers’ Trilogy, confirmed the credibility and binding nature of the arbitrator’s decision. 6. Criteria arbitrators use to reach decisions include: a. Did the employee know the rule and the consequences of violating it? b. Was the rule applied in a consistent and predictable way? c. Were the facts collected in a fair and systematic way? d. Did the employee have the right to question the facts and present a defense? e. Does the employee have the right of appeal? f. Is there progressive discipline? g. Are there mitigating circumstances? B. New Labor-Management Strategies 1. There are signs of a transformation from an adversarial approach to a less adversarial and more constructive approach to union-management relations. 2. The transformation includes increasing worker involvement and participation and reorganizing work to increase flexibility. | | |Competing through High-Performance Work Systems: | |Look Who’s Pushing Productivity | | | |Aluminum Co. of America is working to create a high performance work system within its plant by setting up a labor-management | |partnership and spur productivity, protect jobs, and as using unions as consultants. The International Association of | |Machinists is implementing a revolutionary change in the way unions view cooperation with management. The goal is to protect | |workers’ jobs and pay by making their employers more competitive. By developing expertise in new work systems, unions have a | |chance to make themselves valuable to employers battling today’s intense global and domestic competition. Partnerships can also| |dilute the opposition many executives feel toward unions. However, the most willing unions still battle over wages. The IAM | |has opted for a soft-sell approach, marketing itself as a resource for employers. The one payoff is that unions get mo re jobs | |for its members even if it can’t win election battles against nonunion contractors. | 3. Union leaders have frequently resisted such change, fearing an erosion of their influence. 4. In the Electromation case, the NLRB ruled that setting up worker-management committees was a violation of the NLRA, given certain circumstances (see Table 14.10 for a description of what makes teams illegal). 5. Polaroid recently dissolved an employee committee when the U.S. Department of Labor claimed it was a violation. 6. In a third case, the NLRB ruled that worker-management safety committees were illegal because they were dominated by management. 7. These new approaches (with the boundaries of legality) to labor relations may add to an organization’s effectiveness. Table 14.11 in the text and TM 14.5 illustrate the patterns of traditional and transformational approaches. IX. Labor Relations Outcomes A. Strikes—See Table 14.12 in the text for U.S. strike data. Note that strikes occur very infrequently. B. Wages and Benefits—In 1997, private-sector unionized workers received, on average, wages that were 28 percent higher than nonunion counterparts. 1. The union-nonunion gap is most likely overestimated due in part to the ease of organizing higher skilled (therefore more highly paid) workers. The â€Å"union threat† more than likely causes an underestimation of the differences. The net difference is close to 10 percent. 2. Unions influence the way in which pay is given (across-the-board wages on top of occupational wage rates). Promotions are in large part based on seniority. | | |A related reading from Dushkin’s | |Annual Editions: Human Resources 99/00: | |(â€Å"Off the Tenure Track† by Barbara McKenna | C. Productivity 1. Unions are believed to decrease productivity in three ways: a. The union pay advantage motivates management to use more capital per worker, which is an inefficiency. b. Union contracts may limit work load, and so on. c. Strikes and other job actions result in some lost productivity. 2. Unions, alternatively, may increase productivity: a. Unions provide more efficient communication with management, which may reduce turnover. b. The use of seniority decreases the competition between workers. c. The presence of a union may encourage management to tighten up in terms of consistency on work rules, and so on. 3. Overall, studies have concluded that union workers are more productive than nonunion workers although the explanation is not clear. Example: Between 1978 and 1982, Ford lost 47 percent of sales. Today, Ford uses one-half as many workers to make a car as they did during that period. A major factor in Ford’s increased productivity has been the improvement in their labor-management relationship. Management has made a strong effort to increase employee involvement. The Walton Hills plant outside of Cleveland, Ohio, is given as an example of a change from an adversarial relationship to a more cooperative approach that allowed for a change of work rules which kept the plant open. D. Profits and Stock Performance—These may suffer under unionization if costs are raised. Recent studies have shown negative effects on profit and shareholder wealth. These research findings describe the average effects of unions. The consequences of more innovative union-management relationships for profits and stock performance are less clear. X. The International Context—The United States has both the largest number of union members and the lowest unionization rate of any Western European country or Japan (Text Table 14.13). A number of potential explanations exist. A. The growing globalization of markets (EC common market, NAFTA, etc.) will continue to put pressure on labor costs and productivity. Unless U.S. unions can increase productivity or organize new production facilities, union membership may continue to decline. B. The United States differs from Western Europe in the degree of formal worker participation in decision making. Work councils and codetermination are mandated by law in Germany. XI. The Public Sector—During the 1960s and 1970s, unionization in the public sector increased dramatically. By 1997, 37 percent of government employees were covered by a union contract. Strikes are illegal at the federal level and in many states for government workers. Chapter Vocabulary These terms are defined in the â€Å"Extended Chapter Outline† section. Web of Rules Decertification Craft Union Industrial Union Local Union AFL-CIO Checkoff Provision Closed Shop Union Shop Agency Shop Maintenance of Membership Right-to-Work Laws Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs) National Labor Relations Act, 1935 Taft-Hartley Act, 1947 National Labor Relations Board Associate Union Membership Corporate Campaigns Distributive Bargaining Integrative Bargaining Attitudinal Structuring Intraorganizational Bargaining Getting to Yes Mediation Fact Finder Grievance Procedure Arbitration Duty of Fair Representation Electromation Case Discussion Questions 1. Why do employees join unions? Employees join unions because of dissatisfaction with wages, benefits, working conditions, and supervisory method. Employees believe that collective voice (representation) will increase the likelihood of improvement. Unionization provides a better balance of power between management and employees (as a group). 2. What has been the trend in union membership in the United States, and what are the underlying reasons for the trend? Since 1950, union membership has consistently declined as a percentage of employment to approximately 16 percent of all employment. Students may suggest a number of reasons for this (as discussed in the text): decline in the manufacturing â€Å"core† industries, increase in employer union resistance, more frequently adopted progressive HRM policies, increase in employment legislation, and a lack of union adaptation. 3. What are the consequences for management and owners of having a union represent employees? Various consequences may occur depending on the quality of the union-management relationship. Management may find less flexibility, higher wage and benefit costs, higher productivity, and a negative impact on stock price and profitability. 4. What are the general provisions of the National Labor Relations Act, and how does it affect labor-management interactions? The NLRA provides a detailed list of individuals’ rights regarding organizing a union, bargaining a contract, and involvement (or lack thereof) in job (concerted) actions. These rights are referred to as Section 7 rights. Section 8 lists unfair labor practices for both employers and unions. Students could present and discuss each of these. The NLRB (the primary enforcement agency) was also mandated by the act. The NLRA encouraged unionization in order to provide employees with a balance of power vis a vis employers. It affects labor relations by providing a structure for negotiations and conflict resolution. Students could be called upon to provide some specific examples. 5. What are the features of traditional and nontraditional labor relations? What are the potential advantages of the â€Å"new† nontraditional approaches to labor relations? Traditional labor relations can be characterized as adversarial in nature. Negotiations are generally win-lose, and grievances tend to be settled at the third and fourth levels of the process. Nontraditional labor relations include an emphasis on problem-solving and win-win negotiations. Grievances may be more frequently settled informally at the first step. Additionally, employees may be involved in team efforts and participate in decision making. 6. How does the U.S. industrial and labor relations systems compare with systems in other countries such as those in Western Europe? The U.S. industrial relations system has a very low relative union density rate. The union wage premium is higher in the United States. Western European unions have a much higher level of formal worker participation in decision making. Web Exercise Students are asked to visit UAW’s web site to read about and answer questions about their recent mergers. †¢ www.uaw.com End-of-Chapter Case A Floor Under Foreign Factories? The global economic crisis is turning up the heat on companies that use cheap overseas labor, and as a result many companies are taking action like Nike, Inc. Nike lifted wages for its entry-level factory workers in Indonesia by 22 percent to offset that country’s devalued currency and other companies are finding ways to fix these problems without being undercut by rivals. The American Apparel Manufacturers Association (AAMA) introduced a task force to set guidelines for companies to police their factories and suppliers. In addition, the Council on Economic Priorities launched a program toward labor relations by having companies self-regulate even in the face of negative publicity about sweatshops, which could in turn create a floor of basic working conditions evolving around the globe. The plan is to establish the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a private entity to be controlled 50-50 by corporate and human-rights or labor representatives. The FLA would accredit auditors, such as accounting firms, to certify companies as complying with the code of conduct, and inspect about a fifth of a company’s factories for certification. This plan however needs to address wages and unionization rights in order to be successful. These two efforts can pose a problem for companies who still want to deal with sweatshops because human-rights groups will continue to expose the companies that use this technique. Questions 1. From labor’s point of view, what challenges does the â€Å"mobility of capital† create of protecting worker’s rights? From labor’s point of view, the challenges are: decent wage levels, appropriate standard of living, and job security. 2. Should companies be obligated to pay a â€Å"living wage† to workers? What would the likely consequences be for workers? To avoid exploitation by companies, â€Å"living wages† certainly makes sense. It also treats employees as assets rather than cheap labor. 3. If international labor standards are to be enforced, what is the best means? Should enforcement take the form of self-regulation by industry groups or should national governments cooperate in enforcing such standards? If international standards are to be enforced, they should be consistent and similar for the whole international market. This way it will be easier to monitor and control when there are discrepancies or when there is check-ins in the factories. National governments should take a cooperative approach in this arena to make sure things are going as planned and companies are complying with standards. 4. As a consumer, do the conditions under which people work matter to you in choosing a product to buy? Answers will vary. For the most part, most consumers will not think about where the products came from or where they were made when deciding on whether to purchase a certain product. The people that will take this issue into consideration would probably be the human-rights groups or other informed and concerned consumers; however, many people do not understand or are well informed about such issues. Additional Activities Teaching Suggestions Students are frequently quite interested in how labor relations work. Additionally, they may have fairly strong opinions about unions and their effectiveness. Discussions are therefore quite easy to start and keep going. Below are a number of activities that can be added to the text material. One role play is included that allows students to try out the first step in a grievance procedure. The HBR case on the clerical and technical employees organizing campaigns gives students a good chance to think about how HRM policies and practices truly play a role in employee relations. Two of the â€Å"Competing through† boxes have discussion questions listed. Finally, the Saturn end-of-part case is very useful with this chapter, illustrating the benefits of a constructive joint union-management relationship. 1. Competing through Quality Discussion Questions: †¢ Certainly strikes bring about hostile attitudes in many cases. What strategies can management use to defuse these feelings once people are back at work? †¢  · Given the Electromation case, how careful does management need to be in using teams as a quality improvement technique? 2. Competing through Globalization Discussion Questions: †¢ What types of strategies should U.S. organizations use when dealing with labor relations in other countries? What information do they need and with whom should they staff the labor relations positions? †¢ Will unions ever move to have a multinational structure like many organizations do? Why or why not? You may wish to have students do some library or Internet research on this question. 3. An interesting case from the Harvard Business School is listed below with questions for discussion. This may be assigned to groups as a written case analysis or used in class to discuss and illustrate a number of points regarding why employees join unions and what sort of union organizing techniques are used. Case 9-490-027: Clerical and Technical Workers Organizing Campaign at Harvard University (A) Case 9-490-081: Part (B) Teaching Note (5-490-083) Supplement (9-490-081) This case describes a successful organizing drive among clerical and technical workers at Harvard. The union (HUCTW) relied on unusual strategies: espousing cooperation, avoiding specific demands, emphasizing the need for worker voice, and making use of volunteer organizers. Discussion Questions 1. Should Harvard oppose unionization? 2. How would a union affect the university’s â€Å"business† needs? 3. How effective were Harvard’s campaign tactics? 4. What did you learn about managing human resources from reading and analyzing this case? 5. The Saturn case presents a labor-management relationship (as well as a plant design process) designed from the ground up as a cooperative, joint interaction. After covering this chapter, students should be well prepared to discuss the demands placed upon both the union and management in a situation like Saturn’s. The case provides some focus on the political riskiness of a cooperative relationship for the union-elected officials. In the Saturn case discussion, it would be useful to note the difference between beginning a new operation in which the union-management relationship is based on â€Å"jointness† and trust and the effort needed to change a relationship in which trust has not existed in the past. 6. Assign the following article from The Wall Street Journal (May 24, 1993): â€Å"Why Ms. Brickman of Sarah Lawrence Now Rallies Workers† by Kevin Salwen. Note also that as part of the AFL-CIO’s new â€Å"union summer program,† more than 1,600 young people, mostly college students, have applied for pro-labor candidates and help organize workers. Ask the students to discuss this quote: â€Å"Every successful social movement in history, including the civil rights movement, was run by young people. If the labor movement is going to succeed and grow again, they need to be a big part of it.† 7. A role play is useful in talking about the grievance procedure. Using the following scenario, assign the roles of union steward, supervisor, employee, and observer to students in groups of four. Give them 20 minutes to try to resolve the issue informally, but if they are unable to, have them â€Å"write it up† as a grievance. Those groups that do resolve it may hand in their resolution. Observers should provide feedback to the students in the other roles on interpersonal skills, empathy, listening, idea generation to resolve the issue, and so on. It is Friday afternoon in the special-order fabrications section of the Caseville plant. As the supervisor Mary Reed is checking work orders, she notes that there is one order that has not been handled, and delivery is due the next week. Clearly, Mary is going to have to find several people to work a second shift on overtime. Under the Caseville-Local 484 contract, overtime must be distributed by seniority. The supervisor quickly pulls her seniority list from the file and, beginning at the top, walks around her area talking to the employees and asking about their interest in overtime immediately after the current shift ends. After talking with five men, Mary has only one who will work. Quitting time is five minutes away, and the whereabouts of Brooke Youngblood is not known (Brooke is next on the list). In desperation, Stevens asks three employees standing at their benches who are about to leave. Two of these people agree to work (both are junior to Brooke). That afternoon and evenin g the order is completed. Monday morning, upon arrival, Brooke is greeted and asked about his weekend. It turns out that he had taken a trip into the city with his son for a major league baseball game Friday afternoon. The tickets had been purchased a month before, and the special event was a birthday present. In the course of the discussion, Brooke learns about the overtime and realizes he hadn’t been asked about it by his supervisor. He immediately calls his union steward, Carry Stevens. A discussion ensues.