Friday, November 29, 2019

Human Resource free essay sample

In this essay the issues of Incentive Rewards, safety in the workplace, employee benefits, and implementing compensation. Also included in the essay is interviewee research, a pre interview reflection, the interview questions, and the conclusion. Interviewee Research For this project I have decided to interview my cousin Chris Noring. Chris is one of the head executives for Aldi’s grocery store. He is the head of administration. Before he was in the corporate office, he was a Store District Manager for several grocery stores in eastern Iowa. His job included training store managers, hiring personal, and made sure all of the stores were run properly and up to federal regulations. Aldi’s grocery stores are a national chain of grocery stores that specialize in discount food items. â€Å"ALDI entered the U. S. market in 1976, with a handful of stores in southeastern Iowa. Now, over 1,000 U. S. ALDI stores are spreading the savings from Kansas to the East Coast. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resource or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In its 2008 report, Supermarket News ranked ALDI 25th in U. S. grocery chains in terms of gross sales—a considerable accomplishment given our select assortment and low prices. (www. Aldi. com) The company’s philosophy is â€Å"Everything we do, from selecting suppliers to scouting locations to building and operating stores, facilitates savings substantial enough to impact your every-day living. † (www. Aldi. com) The company claims it is successful because of a simple motto. â€Å"Aldi’s is convinced that long-term business success can only be achieved if we additionally assume responsibility for people, nature and the environment. This belief is reflected in our CR Policy†. Pre-Interview Reflection My goal for this interview is to obtain firsthand knowledge and get a better understanding on what people who work with human resources do. What better way than to learn from a family member. I expect to learn about what the book say’s about the subject and actually apply it to real life situations. Some of the benefits are gaining knowledge strait from the source, gaining firsthand knowledge, and helping me make better HR related decision latter in my career. Some things that I should consider before I meet is my dress attire. It is essential to make a good impression (even if it is a family member. I should also consider asking him what other things I can do to help better my chances of getting a better career. Interview Questions Incentive rewards How do you set performance measures? What technique do you use? At Aldi’s we believe that the people are the most important part of the company because they provide the stepping stone for the organization. Our Store manager s and their employees use a standard hourly pay system while the store managers are mostly salary. Each store manager receives a bonus if they meet over a certain goal. Employees receive annual bonuses as an incentive. We set goals and standards that should be met by each store and if they do exceed expectations we feel they should be fairly compensated. Which pay system does Aldi’s use and why is it most effective? Pay by the hour for store employees while management starts off with a base salary with yearly increases. It gives managers time to work at their own time while still being fairly compensated and store employees can work their scheduled hours and still be compensated. What are the benefits and downturns off short and long term benefits? Short term benefits can only keep the employee happy for a short time, long term benefits are a great because it gives the employee a chance to have a 401k plan, pension plan, and a health insurance plan. We would like to keep all of our district managers for a long time. They make the company what it is today. Is it better to have group team compensation or individual compensation? What does Aldi’s use? Why do they use that method? We use individual compensation because we feel that each individual has a responsibility with the company and most of the branches in the company involve individual managers. What sort of incentive programs do you believe works the best for your employees? Long term benefits such as a retirement and health plan. It keeps the employee happy and it keeps them happy after their time at Aldi’s. We also offer a stock option plan for employees so if they would like to invest in the company they can. I personally like the stock option plan because it provides an income after retirement. Safety in the workplace What are the challenges of maintaining a safe work environment? Since we are a grocery store, we do have merchandise on high shelves. We emphasize to our store managers that the employee should seek assistants if they need help. We had a case years ago when an employee had a box of meat fall on her and she ended needing surgery. We try to emphasize safety first. We don’t want anyone getting hurt. How do you meet federal standards? The employee reads the employee handbook so the employee knows what the guidelines are. We also meet the food standards set by the USDA. Why is it important to have a safe workplace? We want to have everyone happy. We don’t want a bad reputation for Aldi’s grocery store so safety is first. How do you prepare your employees for a crisis in the workplace if one would arise? We have all of the possible scenarios in the handbook and during the training process we train the employee on each of the scenario. Employee Benefits What kinds of benefits does Aldi’s offer to its employees? 401k, health and dental, paid vacation, paid training How do you balance the benefit cost? This is tough, we try to balance our budget year and we rarely lay off employees. We tell our managers not to hire any additional help if they don’t need it. The employee picks their What are the challenges of having a large number employees with health insurance? When I first started at Aldi’s as the district manager back in 2004, the cost of health insurance has nearly doubled. As a result of having larger cost in health insurance we have had to budget more properly. We don’t want to lay off anyone, so we try to cut back on some unnecessary expenses that can be avoided. How do these benefits motivate the workplace? Having such good benefits, the employee wants to stay at the organization for the long term. The employee is happy with their job and it thus increases their performance. The company thrives Employee Rights How do you ensure moral practices in the workplace? By ensuring that every employee is properly trained on the subject. Part of our managerial training involves having every manager trained about moral ethics. We don’t want discrimination or other negligence in the workplace. Having discrimination causes other employees to not have a sense of security in the workplace. How would you handle a sexual harassment case? Aldi’s has a strict sexual harassment policy. The employee would be notified about the case and proper action would be taken. This can include suspension or possibly termination if the case is serious enough. How do you comply with federal regulations when it comes to privacy rights? We follow the federal guidelines by training our employees on what the regulations are and make sure that managers are enforcing the laws. What surveillance methods and monitoring do you feel work the best? We have general surveillance cameras, our goal is stop shoplifting and I feel it provides a sense of security to the customers knowing that they are protected inside the store. Post-Interview Reflection Incentive rewards According to Chris, after customers, employee’s are the most important part of any organization. He said, â€Å"At Aldi’s we believe that the people are the most important part of the company because they provide the stepping stone for the organization. † This is why it is it is important to provide an incentive for good performance. According to the textbook, â€Å"Incentive plans crate an operating environment that champions a philosophy of shared commitment through the belief that every individual contributes to organizational performance and success. The overall goal for Aldi’s and any other company is to lower labor costs, improve customer satisfaction, and expand product markets. To do this, each individual in the organization must contribute to overall success of the corporation. Chris has found out that long term incentive rewards work the best because it keeps the employee motivated to work their throughout their own personal career. Measurement is the key to the success of incentive plans because it communicates the importance of established goals. At Aldi’s, each store has a goal that they would like to see meet, if the store meets goal, or even exceeds it, they are given a bonus. Chris feels this is a great incentive reward because it keeps the employees motivated to work hard. If Aldi’s didn’t offer this reward, he feels the company wouldn’t be as successful. Most store employees are paid on a standard hour plan at Aldi’s excluding the managers. The managers are paid on a yearly salary with increases in pay every year plus bonus incentives. Chris feels this is the most effective pay system because It gives managers time to work at their own time while still being fairly compensated and store employees can work their scheduled hours and still be compensated. Employees also have the option of buying stock in the company. According to the textbook, â€Å"by allowing employees to purchase stock the organization hopes they will increase their productivity, assume a partnership role, and thus cause the stock price to rise. I feel this is the most effective incentive reward because it gives the employee a sense of ownership in the company and they feel â€Å"important† to the overall success of the corporation. Employee Benefits Another part of the incentive program which involves indirect compensation is employee benefits. According to the Employee Benefits Research Institute, â€Å"By December 2010, benefit costs as a percentage of total compensation costs were 30. 3 percent. † And the textbook said that on average $21,527. With rising employee benefits cost, it is important for employers to balance out the benefits without putting a major financial burden on the company. Chris said this wasn’t part of his job but Aldi’s head human resource manager balances the budget by cutting back on some expenses such as fuel and payroll expenses. The textbook states that â€Å"The major approaches used to contain the costs of health care benefits include reduction in coverage, increased deductibles, or copayments, and increased coordination of benefits to make sure the same expense is not paid by more than one insurance reimbursement. Aldi’s offers it employees several benefits including: Health and dental (HMO) , 401k, paid vacation, and paid training. Having these benefits should try to recruit the best people for the job. Having such good benefits allows Aldi’s to have top personal in the corporate office and in the local stores. Chris say’s that the workers are happy with having such good benefits and it results in better sales and customer satisfaction. The textbook states that, â€Å"Creating a benefits program with a personal responsibility frameworks represents an economic opportunity for employers by lowering medical cost and achieving higher employer productivity and higher employer productivity and greater retirement readiness for employees. Safety in the Work Place Every year thousands of accidents occur in the workplace that could have been avoided. It is essential for HR managers to enforce the safety in the workplace that way injuries don’t occur. According to Chris, Aldi’s sends its store managers to seminars so they know the proper procedures. Since the store manager is trained on safety, it is essential that they train their employees properly to avoid accidents. Chris remembers an incident when he was a district manager where a lady hurt herself trying to get a box of food from the top shelf. The incident cost the company’s thousands of dollars in lawsuits that could have been avoided if the store manager had properly handled the situation. According to the book, â€Å"One of a supervisor’s major responsibilities is to communicate to an employee the need to work safely. Beginning with new employee orientation, safety should be emphasized continually. † It is essential that managers enforce safety guidelines because it cost 50 billion dollars to employers each year in compensation. Employee Rights Employee rights are a natural result of the evolution of societal, business, and employee interest. The books definition of employee rights is, â€Å"The guarantee of fair treatment that employees expect in protection of their employment status. Employee rights are a major concern for Aldi’s. Chris states that . We don’t want discrimination or other negligence’s in the workplace. Having discrimination causes other employees to not have a sense of security in the workplace. Sexual harassment is a major issue now a day’s and Aldi’s trains it employees about the subject so they are aware of the consequences. On some circumstances, Aldi’s has terminated jobs of violators of their harassment policy. I feel this is the appropriate measure to take because having that individual in the work places causes the other employees to feel uncomfortable while working. Aldi’s uses surveillance cameras in the stores for several reasons that include prevention of theft and monitoring the employees. In rare cases, surveillance cameras have been used at Aldi’s to discover that an employee had taken money from the cash register. If it hadn’t been for the cameras, the person may have never been caught. Other Once again I did learn a lot about the duties that an HR manager faces on a daily basis. I am thankful to gain this knowledge from a family member. It gives me a whole other perspective about his job that a textbook cannot teach. With my new knowledge that I acquired, I will use it for future references if a situation would ever arise. It is nice to know these things for the development of my career. I honestly would not have done anything different from the interview or give him advice on the company. Aldi’s is a very successful company because of the corporate office. I would tell him to keep up the good work instead. Follow-up I was very grateful interview Chris for this project because a day before I interviewed him, his wife had a baby and he didn’t have to help me out but he did and I am very thankful. I sent him an email thanking him for the time he took out of his busy life to help me out. Conclusion After reading this essay, we have learned what duties an HR manager faces on a daily basis. We have learned incentive reward programs, safety in the workplace, employee benefits, and employee rights and discipline. It is essential that an HR manager complies with the law while making decisions and make sure that every decision is moral. It is their responsibility to be fair and equal to promote wellness in the workplace.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Othello by William Shakespeare

Othello by William Shakespeare Introduction One of the reasons why William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello never ceases to remain popular with the public is that the themes of motifs, contained in it, appear truly universal. In other words, while being exposed to the staging of this particular tragedy, viewers do recognize the essence of a variety of psychological anxieties, on the part of the characters, as such that relate to their own.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Othello by William Shakespeare specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This explains why the staging of Othello can be well adapted to the realities of today’s living. In our paper, we will aim to explore the soundness of an earlier articulated thesis at length, while comparing/contrasting Shakespeare’s original play with one of its most recent cinematographic adaptations Tim Nelson’s 2001 movie O. Analytical part Even though movie’s plot unravels am idst contemporary settings, with American typical high school serving as a background, director had deliberately strived for O to emanate as much of original tragedy’s spirit as possible. And, it has to be said that Nelson was able to succeed in it. The validity of this statement can illustrated by the very fact that the names of film’s characters phonetically resemble characters’ names in Shakespeare’s play – Odin/Othello, Iago/Hugo, Desi/Desdemona, Duke/Duke Goulding, etc. Just as it is being the case in Shakespeare’s Othello, the only black character (Odin) in the film appears to be everybody’s favorite – the man on a direct pathway towards gaining social prominence. Despite his blackness, which made him a visible minority in White suburbia’s high school, Odin had proven himself quite indispensible to school’s basketball team. In a similar manner with Shakespeare’s Othello, Odin had found himself fallen in love with white girl Desi – the daughter of school’s principal. Both lovers’ happiness was about to prove short-lived, however, as after having initially failed at revealing Odin as a rapist, his teammate Hugo designed a plan to expose Desi’s infidelity in Odin’s eyes. Such line of a plot, of course, closely resembles that of original Othello’s. Moreover, as it appears from the movie and the play, it is namely due to Iago and Hugo’s perverted sense of justice, that both characters wanted to cause harm to Othello/Desdemona and Odin/Desi – apparently, they both considered themselves being treated unfairly by the ‘cruel world’:Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More â€Å"Iago: But he (Othello), sir, had the election: And I†¦must be be-leed and calmd† (Shakespeare, Act 1), â€Å"Hugo: I†™m considered a utility man†¦ I’m the MVP on this piece of shit team.., and he (Duke) chooses Michael. No way!† (00.08.27). Nevertheless, while being aware of the fact that Othello/Odin could not be challenged openly, Iago/Hugo decided to utilize a particularly sneaky method of destroying his happiness – planting the seed of jealousness in Odin’s heart. Just as it was the case with Iago in Shakespeare’s play, who prompted Cassio to initiate a drunken fight with Roderigo and to consequently lose respect in Othello’s eyes, Hugo encourages Odin’s best friend Michael to act in essentially the same way – to get drunk and to fall out of favor with Odin, as the result. Once, this has been accomplished, Iago/Hugo proceeded further with his devilish plan – he advices Michael/Cassio to socialize with Desdemona/Desi as something that would help him getting back on good terms with Othello/Odin. Simultaneously, Iago/Hugo encour ages Othello/Odin to think of the fact that Desdemona/Desi befriended Cassio/Michael as the proof of her unfaithfulness. In other words, just as we have pointed out earlier, even watching the initial parts of Nelson’s movie leaves very little doubt as to the fact that the themes and motifs, contained in cinematic adaptation, closely match those contained in Shakespeare’s tragedy. Nevertheless, there is a striking difference between how Nelson and Shakespeare interpret the social implications of Hugo/Iago’s blackness. Whereas; in the original play the specifics of Othello’s racial affiliation do not imply him being subjected to white racism, in traditional sense of this word, in Nelson’s movie Odin is being shown as an individual who suffers a great deal from being looked upon by his even most open-minded classmates as someone who does not quite belong to their circle. There is a memorable scene in O, where Michael articulates his deed-seated racist attitude towards Odin with perfect clarity: â€Å"Hugo: What about Odin? Michael: What about him? He is a freaking loser. The ghetto just popped out of him† (01.05.51). Apparently, while adapting original tragedy’s motifs to the realities of today’s living in America, Nelson simply could not refrain from incorporating the theme of racism into the very core of movie’s plot.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Othello by William Shakespeare specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is exactly the reason why this theme, along with the theme of political correctness, is being even explored within the context of Odin indulging in intimate conversations with Desi: â€Å"Odin: See, I can say ‘nigger’ cause I’m a nigger. You can’t cause you ain’t’ (00.15.02). Unlike what it used to be the case with Othello, Odin never ceases to remain acutely self-aware of the color of his skin. Another difference between Shakespeare’s play and Nelson’s film is the fact that; whereas, in the play most characters are being represented as well-grown individuals, film’s characters are essentially teenagers. In its turn, this explains the lessened plausibility of film’s action, as compared to what it is being the case with original tragedy. After all, it was partially due to Othello’s rational realization of the fact that, after having been ‘betrayed’ by Desdemona, he will never be able to get married (because of his old age and ugliness), which filled his heart with anger and prompted him to kill her. Odin, on the other hand, did not have rational reasons to kill Desi – being the most popular person in the school; he would never have a problem falling in love with just about any other white girl. Given the fact that, as of today, more and more American teenagers tend to think of love as being synonym ous to the notion of sex, it naturally predisposes them towards assessing the very concept of ‘romantic faithfulness’ as being quite irrelevant. Therefore, whatever emotionally intense the scene in which Odin strangles Desi to death might be, it can be the least referred to as utterly realistic. Conclusion As we have pointed out in Introduction, there are good reasons to consider Shakespeare’s Othello as cinematically adaptable dramaturgic piece. The watching of Nelson’s film substantiates the validity of this claim perfectly well. After all, for as long as the representatives of Homo Sapiens specie continue to remain highly social beings, they will never cease experiencing the whole range of Shakespearean emotions – love, hate, jealousy, revengefulness, etc. Therefore, despite film’s earlier mentioned shortcomings, it nevertheless can be best defined as utterly accurate in how it tackles the theme of Shakespearian tragic love. We believe tha t the earlier provided line of argumentation, in defense of such an idea, is being full consistent with paper’s initial thesis – in his film, Nelson did in fact succeed with popularizing the theme of tragic love as such that represents a great philosophical value. References O. Dir. Tim Blake Nelson. Perfs. Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett, Julia Stiles. Miramax International, 2001.Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Shakespeare, William â€Å"Othello†. 2005. WilliamShakespeare.info. 6 Jun. 2011. william-shakespeare.info/act1-script-text-othello.htm

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Way of The Musical In Turbulent Times Essay

The Way of The Musical In Turbulent Times - Essay Example There are many times in the history of the United States where turbulent times brought a need for ways to refocus the attention of the people towards something more pleasant. One way that has worked throughout time is musical theatre. Generally, each era of turbulence has shown a variety of musicals that dealt with the issues of that time. Some were done for the "feel good" quality to help audiences escape from the turmoil of the world's problems for awhile. In other eras the musicals were more political and dealt with issues of protest using parody and sarcasm to get people to look at the political issues of the time. Within the last several years, as the country deals with a global economic crisis that is uncertain, musicals have become popular again as a vehicle of escape. This research will explore musical theatre and movies from 1920 to the present time. It will explore specific musicals and periods of history that produced a significant turbulent time and how these times effect ed and influenced the audiences.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Process based organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Process based organizations - Essay Example In an organization, process based structures are an important aspect of success because they offer a flexible way of working toward the goals. The most important benefit of process based structures is that the role of each process is well-defined; hence, the overall process becomes error-proof, nearly if not completely. It becomes important, at times, to define the division of process integrators when activities are transferred from one process to the other (Sugiharto, 2009, par.12). Other advantages of process based structures include speedy attainment of deadlines and goals, and the ability of the project to adapt to environment changes quite rapidly. Since there is less overhead structure, hence the overall cost is reduced. Process based structures are most needed when the business environment is unclear and frequently changing. However, although the organizational structure of process based organizations is completely different than that of functional organizations, still, the im portance of functional skills cannot be denied. Sugiharto, T. (2009). Process-based organizations: structure and integration. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved February 15, 2015, from

Monday, November 18, 2019

Decision Analysis for Management Judgment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decision Analysis for Management Judgment - Essay Example Heuristics are simple and efficient rules which are using by the managers of an organization when they will go to take any important decision or making any judgment. There are three types of Heuristics and those are Availability Heuristic, Representative Heuristic, and Base-Rate Heuristic. Availability Heuristic helps to bring some plan or judgment in mind very easily and make a decision in a simple way. Representative Heuristic helps in a comparison between information and mental prototypes. Base-Rate Heuristic is a mental shortcut which helps to make decisions by using probability (Gilovich, Griffin, and Kahneman, 2002, pp. 549-554). Notion of SMARTA comprehensive plan should be made by the manager to do work and implement a plan in a smart way. Hard work is required but in the present market scenario, smart work is more needed than the hard work. Otherwise, there will be no value only for hard work. Then also a growth of the organization will be improved in a smart way. The smart method also can be used to set management objectives. Here ‘S’ means specific, ‘M’ for measurable, ‘A’ for achievable, ‘R’ means realistic and ‘T’ indicates time-based which is very much essential to set the proper objectives of a business.Simulation can be explained as a form of science. This scientific tool can be used in experimental purpose without exposure to risk. Some real world factors and some good underlying assumptions help to do this experiment.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The poverty issue

The poverty issue This issue of Poverty has been general concern to humanity due to the serious setback it is causing globally. It has become the Worlds epidemic threatening some economic especially those in the Least Developing countries (LDCs). Hence, the magnitude of poverty though varying in different parts of the world is known to be prominent in the LDCs. Countries could be found in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. According to Raanan Weitz 1986, While humanity shares one planet, it is a planet on which there are two worlds, the rich and the world of the poor these poor world countries are called the Third World.[1] They are characterized by low economic growth, low per capital income, low standards of living ,low level of technology, high illiteracy rate, political instability. All of these serve as an impediment to the economic growth processes of these countries. According to Allan Cochrane A crucial aspect of poverty is the way in which It reduces ability of people to participate in the normal lives of their communities with stress being placed on the deprivation which results from the lack rather than low income itself[2] Poverty can influence policy intervene in any society and it is central to policy debates concerning development on welfare issue. After the end of the first and second World Wars that lead mostly to the devastation of Europe, a group countries came together to form the league that will seek to the Affairs of their countries, promote international relations seeking to operate in a variety of areas of human activities. This resulted to formation of International Governmental Organization (INGOs) charged with the responsibility and vision to facilitate the issue of war and peace, disease prevention and peace, and economic development. These IGOs seem to be dominant in contemporary international affairs. Besides, other actors who also play significant role in influencing and determining the course of international relations but yet are not so officially recognized by states, (nonprofit making, voluntarily farmed, specific aims and objectives and that which are active in various human welfare),are Non- governmental Organization(NGOs). According to Daniel S. Papp, Non-government Organizations are extremely divers in Size, composition objective and include bodies such as the International Olympic Commission (IOC). The Committee for nuclear disarmament, the International Federation of Air line Pilots Association, International Rescue Committee (IRC). The International Chamber of commerce, and the World Federation of true Union.[3] In the least developed countries like Africa, both the income and non- income aspect poverty is pervasive due to problem stretching from bad governance and mismanagement, poor economic growth, unemployment and underemployment, lack of access to social services ,low level of investment, high degree of indebtness and many others. The above, mentioned views are buttress by Santiago (1973), thus the third world, with 77% of the population, subsists on only 22% of the world income and even this population is in abject poverty[4] Nevertheless, most of the LDCs have formulated policies and strategies for poverty reduction in their development plans supported and financed by international organizations. Sierra Leone at the west coast of Africa, according to world population data of the reference bureau, Sierra Leone has an estimated population of about 4.5 million. With the natural resources vary from fertile land tropical mineral deposits. Yet, it is ranked at the bottom of united nation Human Development Index (HDI) as the poorest in the world. In support to further reforms and effort to stabilize the economy, the International Monetary Fund(IMF)approved an economic program inflict assistance to facilitate the economy in December 1999.The World Bank also launched the Economic Rehabilitation and Recovery credit to assist Government in restoring protective and economic security. Other donors including the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), THE Department for International Development (DFID) UK and the European Economic Commission (EU) or (EEC) have provided ongoing emergency recovery assistance and budgetary support to enhance government capacity to fund critical program and improve service delivery[5] In a bid to improve on the efficiency of donors support, the Government has centralized aid Coordination in the Ministry of Development and Economic Planning (MODEP) to formulate humanitarian guideline for all NGOs operating in the country. About 75.5% of the population live below the poverty line less than one United States dollar (UA$1) per day [6].This low human development will include indicators like: low primary school enrollment, high illiteracy rate, high maternal death rate, and low level of security etc. However, the poverty situation becomes worsened during the war when most sectors from which the government was receiving revenue especially the mining sector become the target of the war. With the end of the war and successful conclusion of Presidential and Parliamentary elections on the 14th May 2002, Government has already implemented series of strategies that seek to alleviate poverty. To redress poverty, the government articulated and interim poverty reduction paper (I-PRSP) in June2001. Government Institutions, Sectors, International Organization and the international community have refined their policies toward reducing poverty in the country. METHODOLOGY The researcher due to time limitation, and with regards to the objective of this work, researcher will be assessing information gathered from secondary sources/data in order to produce the required and desired result. The researcher opted to integrate the qualitative approach in this study due to its significant advantages. The use of qualitative data gathering method is advantageous as they are more open to changes and refinement of research ideas as the study progresses; this implies that qualitative data gathering tools are highly flexible. This study will use interpretivist as its main research philosophy. A descriptive research intends to present facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study (Creswell, 1994). It is also concerned with relationships and practices that exist, beliefs and process that are on-going, effects that are being felt or trends that are developing. In addition, such approach tries to describe past, present conditions, events or systems based on the impressions or reactions of the respondents of the research (Creswell, 1994). The ontology of qualitative methods is constructivist, which contends that social phenomenon is continually being accomplished by social actors- they are produced through social interaction and are thus constantly being revised.[7] Basically, a descriptive research utilizes observations and surveys. It is for this particular reason that this approach was chosen by the researcher, whose intention is to gather first hand data. Moreover, this will allow for a flexible approach that when important new issues and questions arise at the duration of the study, a further investigation can be conducted. Another advantage is that with this approach, the research will be fast and somehow cost-effective. Aside from the qualitative finding method, secondary research will be conducted in this study. Sources in secondary research will include previous research reports, development books, world and regional documentations, existing findings on journals and existing knowledge on books, firsthand communication source from international organization websites, newspapers, magazines and appropriate use of the internet. The study will undertake an extensive review of the relevant literature on the role played by NGOs in alleviating poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, Case study caritas as a case study. Basically, interpretation will be conducted which can account as qualitative in nature. PROBLEM Poverty is a situation which renders communities and individuals ineffective, passive an isolated, thereby reducing the ability of people to participate in the normal lives of their communities resulting to deprivation which is characterized by lack of income rather than the low income itself. This poverty epidemic is very widespread in Sierra Leone. It penetrates all sectors of our society and at the same time arrests development. Poverty is the major hurdle and impediments of developmental aspirations and strides in the third world which Sierra Leone is an integral component. JUSTIFICATION Similar research works have been undertaking in parts of the country, and at various quarters to investigate the role played by NGOs in complementing and fulfillment of Governments efforts in its stride to help improve the welfare of the citizens. However, many campaigns , talks and surveys have proved right that NGOs indeed playing crucial roles in human activities and have had some degrees of successes in obtaining the objective Example of such NGOs include: The International Red Cross, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, The World Vision, Catholic Relief Service and the like. Hence, it is important for a survey like this to be conducted to see how Caritas in Sierra Leone in helping to alleviate. In Sierra Leone like in any other third world countries, poverty is a complete rural phenomenon. Survey undertaking by various quarters, groups, researchers, civil societies, government sectors have shown that poverty is very alarming in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sierra Leone. To add an addendum to this point, the Central Statistics Office now known as Statistic Sierra Leone,(SCOSHEHEA 1989-1990), explain thus: Eastern Province about 26.4%of the population is poor, Northern province 35.3%,Western Area 15.9% and the SouthernProvince22.3%. Poverty is manifested in the following activities, some single parent family begging in streets, increase in commercial sex work, and an increase in the number of early marriage and pregnancy, high rate of inflation, massive unemployment of Youth etc. The study seeks to highlight the important role played by NGOs with emphasis on Caritas in alleviating poverty. It will also serve as a basis for now and future projection in the allocation of resource for development program Lastly, with the completion of the research work, it can be of good source of information for future researchers, who may wish to further investigate the role NGOs play in poverty alleviations. HYPOTHESIS Caritas Sierra Leone (NGO) is helping and completing Governments effort to alleviate poverty in Sierra Leone. How? SCOPE OF THE WORK This work is divided into five sections these include; section (1) Background/History of poverty Section (2) Background to case study that is background history of Caritas Sierra Leone, section (3) Origin and meaning of NGOs, section (4) Analysis of Caritas activities in Sierra Leone (Agriculture, education, Health), section five Analysis and interpretation of data based on the empirical result and section (5) conclusion. The research work is designed to cover three implementing sectors of Caritas with regard to poverty alleviation, they includes: Agricultural Recovery/Activities Education Health AIMS and OBJECTIVES The major aim of this research is to assess Caritas Sierra Leone (NGO) role play in alleviating poverty in Sierra Leone. The objective is to give brief meaning and origin of NGOs, brief historical background of Caritas, and to, Assess the various activities of Caritas on poverty reduction in areas of operations in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES This study is descriptive and to meet the objectives of this dissertation, the desk research method is used which involves collection of data from Caritas field officers, and administrators, and documentation etc. Reviews of the related articles, publications, books written by development writers and development journals on this subject matter have would be review and consulted and used. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis will be used. TOOLS OF ANALYSIS Tables, Chats, Averages, and Percentages will be used to analyze and present the data. LITERATURE REVIEW Poverty has become a sensitive issue all over the world. Because of this ,individual, consultative group meetings, Government Institutions, Non- Governmental Organisation, Human Right Activist Groups, Humanitarian Organisation, Civil Societies groups, Women Organisations, have in diverse ways undertaken research work written books and formulated activities and strategies towards alleviating poverty. In the course of this discussion, divergent views from selected work will be determine critically to look at the designs and mechanisms adopted by NGOs with specific reference to Caritas sierra Leone to reduce poverty in the LDCs. Peter Townsend (1979) an exponent on the concept and its effect on humanity viewed poverty as follows; Individuals, families and groups in population can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the types of diet, participate in the activities and how the living the conditions and amenities which are customary or approved in the societies to which they belong .There resources are so seriously below those commanded by the average individual or family that they in effect excluded from the ordinary living patterns, custom and activities. Similarly so in Sierra Leone, a situation current under which the bulk of the population is being affected more especially in the rural areas. This work will however examine the length and extent of the poor status under which the population is categories and how it has been alleviated with the intervention of Caritas in Sierra Leone. Evaluating the impact of NGOs, Womens Association in Rural Poverty Alleviation, Connick (1992) outlined the spending power of the average urban household is 2.5 times as the average rural, household ,with a large proportion of the rural household clustered in the lowest spending expenditure groups . The selection of the reviewed location of this study is a clear indication to the fact that the poverty is a rural phenomenon in Sierra Leone and the need for partners in development like Caritas to engage in activities that alleviate poverty in this area is a much concern to this research. Galbraith John Kenneth (1970) revealed that, poverty may itself be a cause of poverty. This is because; it denies the country from investment, revenues for education or purchasing power for consumer product, which in turn, is an inventive to effort. Thus, poverty perpetuates itself. Such are the fundamental that both systems must attack. It is unlikely, that that the causes operate in the same form and in the intensively in any two cases. Effective attacks therefore require not only efficient remedies but also effective diagnosed of the condition to be ameliorated. In applying strategies/policies geared towards poverty reduction in the country, proper identification of the poverty situation should be undertaken. This however, should be complemented by inducting activities and policies to reduce poverty. However, streaming the poverty alleviation programmes, of Caritas from 2001-2008 is a period diagnosed as poverty being very prominent. The strategies and mechanism used by Caritas in fighting poverty is the backbone of this research work. Forster and Shorrocks (1991) argue that aggregate measure of poverty have to be sub-divided consistent. This poverty of a poverty index is closely associated with the nation of decomposability or adaptively across sub-groups .If a poverty index is sub-group consisting, then it must be in the Forster etal, class or any of their increasing transformation. In support of Forster and Shorrocks 1991 statement, Sierra Leone Government put strategy and mechanisms in place, in order to sub-grouped poverty. The Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy was form to look into the poverty situation. Von Pisschke (1919) recognized that, poverty is contextual that is not static and it is relative. Micro credit loan was introduced as a mechanism for the poor to pursue Poverty Reduction activities which were within means and capacities. The knowledge behind this is that, poverty situation can be improved and a way of doing this is through giving micro-credit loans to co-operative groups, womens Organisation. Individuals, to actively engage in activities like small scale business, agricultural activities, which aid in the increase and improvement of diets as well as participating in the activities of their respective communities. This is evident in areas in which Local NGOs; International NGOs operate to reduce poverty in the society. A case study is the activities of Caritas in rural areas and rural urban areas within the last twelve years. A conceptual frame work is that, micro-credit or small loan recommended as a process for generating income through Agricultural activities. Literacy programmes, Skill training or through Small- scale business is widely a concept in the areas where NGOs and other societier Organisations operate. Caritas will be the one under investigation. With regard to this issue, Khander and Kabeer (1998) discussed the idea that, NGOs and Donors were dictated on policies which specifically called for the increased in micro-credit loans to reach out to women and these micro-credit programmes did not limit their desire impact to poverty reduction only but extended it to achieve womens empowerment Nonetheless, in Sub-Saharan Economics, Agriculture is purely subsistence and women are the actors in the production of food and responsible for the smooth running of the home, loans are therefore giving and directed to undertake such activities in the society in order to reduce poverty. Evidence in Chao Beroff (1999) shown that, micro-credit programmes were meant to help the poor generate income and alleviate the poverty sustainable. Similarly, Mayout (2000) explained in the second paradigm that is called the poverty Alleviation Paradigm which manifested in increasing outreach and access to the poor ,providing small loans for consumption and training in some of the poor segment of the population and they are the ones directly targeted and responsible for the family well-being. The issue here is that, micro-credit are meant and targeted more specifically for women whose role in the family well-being are very significant. Mansaray Shiekh U. (1995) also explained that, education, per-capital income, level of investment changes in farm size, employment health, food and nutrition etc were the agents or sectors of development. However, an improvement in these sectors will bring about sustainable development that will reduce poverty. The role of Non-governmental Organisation in development with specific references to the association of Rural Development was taken as the subject on these issues. Susistainable development, however gives to growth leading to a high standard of living .With regard to this, poverty will be alleviated. This study focuses and is however related to examination of the role of Caritas in alleviating poverty with special references to the aspects of Agriculture production, skill training Literacy which is part of the sectors, outlines in development. Gordon Drabek (1988) outlined various analytic concepts and prescription within the idea of promoting NGOs in the developing countries .Many reasons related to the mistakes that have been occurring over time by socio-economic developing countries and making the individual who are intended to gain from these developmental policies continue to remain poor as ever. However, NGOs have contributed significant resource of different categories to development programmes at community and national level for the benefit of the deprived groups in the rural and urban communities. In assessing the role of Caritas in alleviating poverty in Sierra Leone will be an evident toward NGOs performance in their intended purposes. Also, Chamber R. (1988) used the idea of Additionally to present the outstanding contribution of NGOs to development programmes. Additionally here means the making of things better than they would have been and allows for bad as well as good effects. Quiet a substantial number of NGOs which operate in Sierra Leone of which Caritas is one among the many. Caritas in this respect is targeted to see the extent of its contribution in poverty alleviation well composed, organized, established and their contribution towards improving human activities in rural and urban communities is well organized. Raanan Weitz (1986) Allan Cochrane (1992) problems of poverty And abstract from social problem and the family pages Daniel S. Papp Contemporary International Relation Pages 91-92. Santiago (1973) Declaration of Third World, World Economic Republic of Sierra Leone. Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper June 2001. Human Development Reports 2002.United Nation Development Program New York. Creswell, J.W. (1994) Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. in Bryman (2001) Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Oxford, p.264

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Mother-Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club Essay

Mother-Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club      In the Joy Luck Club, the author Amy Tan, focuses on mother-daughter relationships. She examines the lives of four women who emigrated from China, and the lives of four of their American-born daughters. The mothers: Suyuan Woo, An-Mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, and Ying-Ying St. Clair had all experienced some life-changing horror before coming to America, and this has forever tainted their perspective on how they want their children raised. The four daughters: Waverly, Lena, Rose, and Jing-Mei are all Americans. Even though they absorb some of the traditions of Chinese culture they are raised in America and American ideals and values.   This inability to communicate and the clash between cultures create rifts between mothers and daughters.      The hardest problem communicating emerges between Suyuan and Jing-Mei.   Suyuan is a very strong woman who lost everything she ever had in China: "her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls" (141). Yet she finds the strength to move on and still retains her traditional values.   She remarries and has Jing-Mei and creates a new life for herself in America.   She is the one who brings together three other women to form the Joy Luck Club. The rift is the greatest between Suyuan and June.   Suyuan tries to force her daughter to be everything she could ever be. She sees the opportunities that America has to offer, and does not want to see her daughter throw those opportunities away.   She wants the best for her daughter, and does not want Jing-Mei to ever let go of something she wants because it is too hard to achieve.   "America is where all my mother's hopes lay. . .There were so many ways for ... ...ght to America" (31).   The trip she makes finally helps her to understand just where her mother was coming from, why she was the way she was, and she began to forgive her for all the misunderstandings they had. The rifts between mothers and daughters continue to separate them, but as the daughters get older they become more tolerant of their mothers.   They learn they do not know everything about their mothers, and the courage their mothers showed during their lives is astounding.   As they get older they learn they do not know everything, and that their mothers can still teach them much about life.   They grow closer to their mothers and learn to be proud of their heritage and their culture.   They acquire the wisdom of understanding, and that is the finest feeling to have in the world. WORKS CITED    Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Random House, 1989.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Children’s ideas in Science Essay

Harlen (1997) identified various techniques which can be used to enable children to reveal their ideas. These include: – questioning, asking children to draw or write about what they think is happening, discussing their writing or drawing with their teacher and initiating a group discussion.  With Harlen’s view in mind and considering the class topic of materials being focused on in Science, my partner and I decided to plan a lesson that explored children’s ideas of what particular objects are made from and what they were prior to the object they are now. It was felt that in order for children’s ideas to be highlighted, visual cues would be beneficial. Harlen (2000:125) supports this and affirms  Ã¢â‚¬Å"There are often products or artefacts at several stages of children’s activities which all have the potential to indicate children ideas.†Ã‚  The use of visual aids did help children respond to the questions asked and assist children develop their ideas. They ensured the children were focused and also ensured the children were kept on task.  For one of the examples, it may have proved more effective if the visual objects had been provided for each stage that the object had been through to get it to what it is now. To evaluate children’s ideas, it was thought that questioning the children would be very beneficial and as Harlen (2000) emphasised open questions and person-centred questions prove the most effective types of questions in order to find out children’s ideas. Considering this view, my partner and I tried to ensure the majority of our questions included these two question types. The first question to be asked was â€Å"What do you think this was before it was made into a jumper† thus reflecting a person-centred question. Some of the children at this stage replied with the answer â€Å"a sheep† and upon reflection it can be said that the question needed to be more focused to ensure the children stated what the jumper was exactly before it was a jumper. It perhaps would have been more affective and easier for the children if we had looked at the objects the other way around focusing on a sheep, moving on to a ball of wool and then moving on to the woolly jumper. However the learning objective was to see if children could state what an object was prior to the one it is now and what is was before that. This part of the lesson was completed as a whole class in order to generate more ideas. Harlen (2000:101) suggested that children’s discussion with their peers is a valuable source of generating ideas. This is because children are encouraged to consider alternative ideas through other people’s ideas and secondary sources and not just from what they experience directly.  Sharp (2000:85) identified  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Children’s involvement in formulating their ideas, attempting to communicate them and listening to alternative explanations by their peers is a valuable learning process.† To enable a clear understanding of children’s ideas were generated it was thought that through children drawing their ideas as well as discussing them would not only highlight their ideas but would also be valuable for assessment purposes. Harlen (2000:125) highlights â€Å"children’s drawings give particularly rich information about their ideas.†Ã‚  Throughout the drawing of pictures, the children were required to think about what the objects were before and before that. The drawings provided us with a clear insight into the children’s thoughts and ideas. Sharp (2000) highlights through discussions with children, about their pictures, enable their ideas to be clarified and explained upon. As well as drawing pictures, the children were asked to write a brief description of what the various objects were prior to what they are now. Harlen (2000) identified that through writing, children’s ideas may prove more productive. Within the writing, children expressed their ideas more thoroughly than within the pictures and recorded how some of the objects had been a different object prior to the object they are now.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Differentiating Between Market Structures Table an Essays

Differentiating Between Market Structures Table an Essays Differentiating Between Market Structures Table and Paper February 2, 2012 In this executive summary, we will look at the differentiating between market structures. We will start by comparing and contrasting public goods, private goods common resources, and natural monopolies. How labor market equilibrium is affected by the supply and demand of labor. Looking at different market structure and the effectiveness of the structure for an organization Competition, Oligopoly, Monopolistic and Monopoly. Lastly, looking at factors that affect the labor Supply and demand. When comparing and contrasting goods we must have an understanding of what they are. Private goods are service that can be used by a person who have bought it or own it the good . Public good are services that can be consumed at the same time by everyone with no one can be excluded. Common resources are that non-excludable and can be used only once, and no one can be stop by using what availed . Natural monopoly a good or service that is non-rival but excludablecan be produced at zero marginal cost. Examples of everyday things we use or see can be cat orgies in private goods, public goods, common resources, and natural monopoly. Private goods can be known as food, drinks, car, house, clothes, computers, and cell phones, but Public goods are the law, air traffic control, national defense, safety lights, and police officers. Common resources are fish in ocean, national parks, atmosphere, and oxygen. Natural Monopolies are the internet, cable television, bridges, tunnels, and manmade dams. Demand for labor depends upon marginal revenue generated from each unit of output and the productivity of each labor unit. If the productivity of workers raise the marginal revenue product increase. The demand for labor is also affected by its cost and by changes in the size of the workforce. While more workers are hired, the demand for labor is less. Workers are hired at different wages. Firms demand labor in exchange for wages. When the firm output decrease, so do the demand for labor. The main determinant of labor supply is the wage rate. There are workers who are able and willing to work at different wages. Some of the factors that can affect the supply of labor are; increase in population, change in demographics, and changing alternative. Workers supply labor to firms in exchange for wages. The market supply of labor is the number of workers of a particular type and skill level who are willing to supply their labor to firms at different wage levels. When look at competition in any organization we must look at suppliers and organization that may cause a threat. We Have compare Kmart, Wal-Mart and Target in clothing, grocery and home essentials stores. In addition, we look at local pharmacies and retail stores such as Walgreens and CVS. With there being competition in any organization we must look at numerous suppliers, sellers, and alternative products each companies offers. We must also look at the price point of each market to see the determined the demand of the product. Oligopoly of theses market is to exist where there is very little competition. This happens when an area only offers certain stores, or consumers have preferences of store and quality. We must also look at the stores income and see if there shelf space or means to market the product. Some organization finds it to be difficult or expensive to have certain product offer in their organization. Lastly, we look at the Monopolistic and Monopoly of these organizations. Monopolistic are non-essentials items such as cable, cell phone carrier, long distance Company, and Internet provider. Monopolies are essentials in every organization and house such as utilities Gas, Light, and Water. Labor supply is affected by the average wages and the birth rate. If the economy is down employers cannot pay the employee minimum wages if he cannot afford it. Therefore, the employer has to let the employee go. Another example the labor supply if the demand for the goods is not high then the company is not making any money to sustain keeping the same amount of employees to the company. Labor demand is affected by the demand for consumer's goods and the sudden

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Television Uses and Abuses Essays

Television Uses and Abuses Essays Television Uses and Abuses Essay Television Uses and Abuses Essay Television Uses And Abuses Television is the most impressive , useful and powerful invention of 20th century. It was invented by John Logie Baird in 1928. Approximately 80-90% of the areas of the world have T. V coverage. T. V leaves better and everlasting impression on the viewers. It is a good source of entertainment. .We are able to know about the happenings of the world through T. V telecast. Moreover, it is better than radio and newspapers. We can listen ,watch as well as read news on T. V whereas radio and newspapers dont provide us such facilities. Various live programs are shown on T. V like cricket , football , hockey matches etc. It also shows all religious functions/festivals and regular preachings of saints and religious gurus. Many channels are there on T. V which adds to our knowledge like business, tourism , discovery channels etc. Historical movies are good for everyone to know about the history. One of the best use of Television is that there are open educational channels which help students to learn and earn while sitting at there homes. In case of emergency/urgency, one can alert/warn the citizens through T. V. Yoga programs shown on T. V have helped millions of people. Live operations are shown on T. V like when Hotel Taj (Mumbai) was attacked by Pakistani terrorists or when Laden was killed by American Navy. These all had a great impact on people. Polling during elections or counting of votes or election results are shown live on T. V. T. V has many disadvantages also. Vulgar and violent programs or fashion shows or western movies shown on T. V are not good for children. They become violent by watching these movies. They watch these movies till late night. Children perform stunts done by professionals and some of them have lost their lives also due to this. They want products shown in T. V whether they are good or bad for them. Children become couch potatoes because they do not play outdoor games and eat continuously while watching T. V and it affect their eyes and studies . T. V propagates violence,indiscipline and there is adverse impact of western programs. A lot of time and energy gets wasted, watching T. V. It has some big disadvantages also-like 26/11 attack was shown live worldwide which helped the Pakistani terrorists to help their partners who were in Mumbai . The terrorists in Mumbai (Hotel Taj) knew everything what was happening outside. Still,in my views advantages of T. V are more than its disadvantages. The only need is to have self-control. Parents shouldnt allow their children to sit before T. V for a long time and watch western movies,as these have corrupting influence on youth . Bad commercials or serials should be restricted. Due to T. V social connections between people have also reduced. Television should be a Servant and not a Master. However,T. V is a useful invention but its viewing should be for possible minimum duration and viewers should be choosy/selective in watching only useful programs.

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Unification of Information Security Program Management and Project Article

The Unification of Information Security Program Management and Project Management - Article Example However, converging the two managements has drawbacks as well. More often than not, drawbacks weigh more than success on the first stages of the implementation. In light of the mentioned union, his paper will discuss the risks brought about by the new technology, the tasks to be dealt with in developing the Enterprise Information Security Program, and the adherence to executing risk management. The life of any organization or enterprise moving to build up a gateway lies in making goals into reality, and maintaining a successful position in the industry. Dealing with new things may bring more thoughts to ponder. The unification of Information Security Program Management and Project Management comes with new security threats/risks that must be addressed accordingly. "Unfortunately, in the context of security, requirements and specifications are most often overlooked. This may in turn account for the estimated 92% of security vulnerabilities NIST3 recently attributed to applications."1 Organizations wanting to advance with Information Security Program are susceptible to the possible hazards for the Project Management in setting up new systems to adhere with the goals of both managements. A partner of Hurwitz and Associates, Fran Howarth, wrote an article about "The Convergence of Physical and IT Security." Howarth stated that "IT systems are increasingly being attacked-and not in the way they used to be, by hackers concerned most with gaining the respect of their peers for their exploits, but by criminals intent on financial gain."2 H owarth further explained that: the heightened security threats that we face today-especially given the high levels of international terrorism that we face-affect huge parts of our lives. In recent years, public buildings, hotels, embassies and transport links have all been targeted by terrorists. And huge parts of our critical national infrastructures, including power, water and food supply, transport links and facilities, government and commercial facilities remain vulnerable, not just to terrorist attacks, but also to theft, sabotage and environmental disasters.3An executive summary of a research entitled "Making Security an Integral Part of the Management" from Computer Electronics Inc. reveals that "security should be an important element of project management, to ensure that the security implications of these changes are addressed."4 A skilled and knowledgeable project manager must be aware of the security requirements in managing projects. In addition, A Guideline to the Project & Program Management Standard produced by the International Association of Project and Program Management for the benefit of the project managers who need "to attain project success according to schedule, cost, quality, and to customer expectations."5 IAPPM sees a greater need in developing new techniques as organizations compete to be more accessible in providing solutions, products and services.6 IAPPM describes project management as "the centralized management by an individual to plan, organize, control and deploy key milestones, deliverables and resources from conception through retirement, according to customer goals. Often project managers are skilled to use specific templates and techniques to manage through the preferred project life-cycle."7 For example, a

Saturday, November 2, 2019

What health and wellness means to you Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What health and wellness means to you - Essay Example In a personal context I believe health and wellness are primarily about achieving a broad based and holistic sense of balance dependent on nurturing and taking care of the varied facets of my life, are they physical, mental, spiritual, social, financial, or intellectual that blend together to endow the human life with happiness and peace. Yes I agree that keeping the body free of disease by avoiding unhealthy habits, exercising regularly and eating the right diet are essential to my innate sense of wellness. Yet, this is not the be all and end all of my sense of wellness. For me, staying healthy is about continually striving to strike the right balance between my career and academic pursuits, my commitment to my family and the society, in which I live, my spiritual life and the intellectual aspirations I tend to have. In fact for me all these aspects of my life are closely intertwined and linked to each other, and a deterioration or neglect even in one of them directly translates into negatively impacting the other aspects of my health and wellness. For instance my career pursuits endow me with a sense of security and confidence, and any deterioration in them not only shakes my confidence in my ability to lead a successful and secure life, but also gives way to mental anxiety and stress that may make me eat unhealthy , have sleepless nights, avoid my family and friends, and not able to concentrate on the spiritual side of my personality. Similarly, my association with my family and the society in which I live endows me with a sense of identity and acceptance (Cattan & Tilford, 2011). If for some reason, say too much involvement in my career pursuits, I start ignoring my family beyond what is acceptable and normal, I will eventually become victim of a sense of isolation and mental anxiety, irrespective of the progress I may be excelling in the career aspects of my life. This may also make me develop physical and mental maladies like high