Employee Rewards Essay Example for Free

Employee Rewards Essay Introduction The purpose of this essay is to critically examine the processes used by Scotia Learning and identify if their rewards are appropriate to those of the market. The report will begin by discussing the background of Scotia Learning and follow on to define reward management highlighting the objective and constraints within the reward strategy. We will then consider the legal framework and examine why there are variations in pay and how job evaluation can ensure equity and fairness is achieved. Finally we will discuss the concept of motivation and the implications of pay for performance within the reward strategy. The report ends with an analysis of the key issues of the topic. Scotia Learning is the case study for this essay and is one of a network of university-based study centres offering preparation for students wishing to study undergraduate and postgraduate degrees for progression into university degree courses. The company has joint venture partnerships with top universities throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and United States of America. â€Å"Reward management is concerned with the formulation and implementation of strategies and policies that aim to reward people fairly, equitably and consistently in accordance with their value to the organisation† (Armstrong Murlis, 2007, p3). Research by Redman Wilkinson (2009) indicates that reward is an enormously complex issue and has to take account of three fundamental principles in determining systems and structures: internal equity, external equity and business strategy. In addition Thorpe Homan (2000) state that the organisation should identify what objectives and behaviours the payment system should have for example, labour market competitiveness and management skills whilst Perkins White (2009) highlight the importance of legal regulations that can put constraints on organisations, for example minimum wage (legal), collective bargaining (trade unions), and the external labour markets. Scotia Learning does not recognise a trade union however it does recognise that collective bargaining has been influential in discussing and setting pay arrangement due to internal and external rates of pay not being equal. Within the employment legislation pay has always been an area of controversy especially when one considers employee’s collective concerns (Brown et al., 2003). The introduction of The Equal Pay Act 1970 outlawing unequal pay for men and women having since evolved into equal pay for equal work and the Equal Pay (Amendment) Regulations 1983 after the UK joined the EU in 1973 (Perkins White, 2009), now gives employees a certain degree of protection in their employment relationship. To strengthen current legislation The Equality Act 2010 was introduced highlighting human rights and discriminatory factors, such as equal pay, sex discrimination, race, disability and equality (religion, sexual orientation, and age) (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2012). In response to this Scotia Learning are aware that they have a ‘duty of care’ to all employees and comply with the Equal Opportunities Policy by ensuring the relevant training is undertaken by managers and employees ensuring everyone understands the importance of and their responsibilities under this Policy. This is also promoted in all recruitment documents, ensuring that wording of job advertisements does not discriminate against any potential applicants. As part of this legislation, employers are legally required to ensure their pay structures are not discriminatory against men and women in terms of valuing work between them in their employment and in order to defend themselves against equal pay claims, organisations must be able to prove that the jobs within their grading system are valued according to the job rather than the gender of the person doing the job. Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in a tribunal claim and if proven the organisation will have to pay all money accrued which can be backdated six years in England and five years in Scotland. In the case of (Birmingham City Council v Abdulla and others [2012] UKSC 47), the Supreme Court ruled that equal pay claims brought in the High Court more than six months after the end of the claimants employment, which would have been out of time in an employment tribunal, should not be struck out under section 2(3) of the Equal Pay Act 1970. The reasons for a claimants failure to bring a timely claim in a tribunal are not relevant in any way to the notion of convenience under section 2(3). (PLC Employment Law Weekly email). Within Scotia Learning pay and benefits are provided on the basis of objective criteria, free from discrimination taking into account the principle of equal pay for equivalent work or work of equal value. In addition we ensure transparency within the reward system is clear to all employees in that they understand how their pay is worked out and what is required from them to achieve this. Job profiles and person specifications for each new vacancy are drawn up in keeping with other jobs of a similar size and responsibility which focus on the skills, experience and qualifications that are directly relevant to the job. Armstrong Murlis (2007, p115) state that â€Å"the payment system is important as it not only conveys a signal to the employees what the organisational priorities are but also acts as a catalyst for wider organisational change† a view reiterated by Armstrong (1996) in which he proposes that the foundations of reward management are to achieve the individual and organisational behaviour that a company needs if the business goals are to be met. Therefore the term ‘employees are the key to enhanced organisational performance’ becomes relevant with links to Kessler and Purcell (1994) where they emphasise that payment systems are related to recruitment, retention and motivation of staff and that the determination of pay is not only the interaction of market forces but also employers. It is also acknowledged that variations in pay can occur for a variety of reasons and from a legal perspective it is important to understand why (Redman Wilkinson, 2009). Firstly the power scenario, in that if labour is scarce, employees will have more power and hence may be able to demand higher pay, in contrast with an over-supply of labour employers have the power and hence may be able to hold pay at lower rates (Redman Wilkinson, 2009). Secondly, it has been acknowledged that ‘the rate for the job’ should be the same for employees doing the same job but considering organisational performance is reliant on the employ ee’s effort, skills and competencies, it is not logical to assume that effort should be rewarded and pay should vary accordingly. A view shared by Redman Wilkinson (2009, p161) who advocate that â€Å"variable pay schemes (VPS) are said to hold out the promise towards the creation of internal labour market that is fairer in rewarding people as it is only ‘fair’ that rewards should have a direct link with effort†. The argument with this theory is that ‘risk adverse’ workers will be less willing to ‘gamble’ on pay related performance than a set amount of pay. Thirdly, we should also take into consideration the external market rate of pay and uneven market pressures such as differing regional or occupational rates of pay as Kessler (2007, p167) states â€Å"external equity is an organisational imperative as failure to respond the labour market changes will leave organisations at a disadvantage competitively†. Scotia Learning responds to these challenges by regularly benchmarking and studying the market rate of pay within the educational sector. Data collected i s beneficial in determining pay to ensure pay scales are in line with and competitive with similar jobs. For example, when recruiting teaching staff, the use of organisations such as SATEFL and other educational websites are particularly useful, for administration staff we would use S1jobs.com and jobseeker.gov.uk website and with management we would use agencies. However, although the aforesaid strategy is very useful, Scotia Learning is a relatively large organisation with Centres worldwide and other factors have to be taken into consideration, such as location and cost of living. In determining the value of jobs within our organisation, although we consider the external market pay rates, decisions concerning pay are done through a coherent wage and career structure internal to our organisation which ensures consistency and fairness in our reward systems. It has been reported that issues with this reward system have arisen within the banking sector resulting in Government intervention to deal with inequalities of pay setting at senior management/director level and low pay via the nati onal minimum wage. This is not an area of concern for Scotia Learning as the annual salary increase is a % rate consistent throughout the organisation and our pay structure process involves a job evaluation â€Å"a systematic process for establishing the relative worth of jobs within an organisation† Redman Wilkinson (2009, p141). In addition Scotia Learning is accredited to the British Council and British Accreditation Council and all HR policies and personnel files are properly documented and filed. Our job evaluation comprises of an analytical (i.e., jobs are broken down into individual components) broad-band pay structure with a range of factors such as knowledge and skills, problem solving, decision making and then allocating points to them. It is interesting to note that research by IRS (2007) showed that an average of 86% of organisations use this form of job evaluation. Within this broad-band pay structure we have 6 wide overlapping salary bands made up of management, HR, teaching staff , finance, student services and cleaning staff with a salary range for each bank of at least 75%. Progression up the bands will be by skills and qualifications, performance and competence enhanced through individual career development thus supplying the motivation for continuous learning. To support this, the annual performance review takes place, however it is not linked to pay or rewards and is based on the objectives of skills and competence which are linked to organisational performance. In terms of equity and fairness the rate of pay for full-time and part-time teaching staff is calculated on the same hourly rate therefore ensuring consistency and fairness within the system. It is interesting to note that research by Redman Wilkinson (2009, p139) argues that by paying an hourly rate â€Å"employers control over pace and performance is reliant on either direct supervision or the willingness of employees to engage with the task† synonymous with the argument surrounding ‘risk adverse’ workers. This point of view may be viable in organisations such as ‘call centres’ where technology enables the monitoring and regulating of work by measuring output and input and within the customer service industry where we have the ‘secret shopper’, but within the education sector autonomy is part of the job as is their professional code of ethics which includes commitment, motivation and discretionary behaviour which is contradictory to the argument by Thorpe Homan (2000) who suggest that non-financial aspects are secondary and rarely given the same prominence in the design of payment systems. Managing rewards is largely about managing employee expectations linking to their psychological contract which is concerned with pay, performance and the development of skills (Armstrong Murlis, 2007). The argument then becomes, if reactions to rewards depend on the psychological makeup, values and needs of individual, one cannot wholly rely on performance related pay schemes to enhance all employees’ performance as not everyone is motivated by money. Motivation only takes place if rewards are worthwhile to the individual and if the process is seen to be fair, therefore, it would require to be customised for every individual in the organisation (Armstrong Murlis, 2007). For example, an employee nearing the end of their career may be more interested in job satisfaction (intrinsic reward), whereas a graduate beginning their career may be more interested in training and development (extrinsic reward). For that reason it can be argued that both intrinsic rewards such as respect, recognition, job satisfaction and responsibility are just as important as extrinsic rewards such as pay rises, bonuses, training and development opportunities and benefits such as annual holidays, company sick pay and company pension. This highlights the importance of implementing an equitable and fair reward strategy in that by incorporating financial and non-financial rewards is that they can be used as a tool to enhance employee motivation resulting in improved organisational performance. Finally the importance of management skills cannot be undermined as they are a fundamental element of human resource management. The management strategy within Scotia Learning is based on autonomy, communication and high levels of trust between management and employees. Evidence to support this is the turnover rate of staff with one employee resigning over the past two years and the annual absence levels within Scotia L earning for all staff inclusive stands at 0.1% of working hours, which is the lowest in the entire organisation. Conclusion This objective of the report was to establish the processes that ensure equity and fairness in the reward systems. We have covered the legal aspects, strategies, market awareness, motivation, job evaluation and performance appraisal and it has become evident that Scotia Learning complies with all legal legislation, and displays equity and fairness within the reward systems. However there was an air of negativity surrounding performance and reward as within Scotia Learning the annual appraisal is not yet connected to pay for performance. It is possible that issues could arise if this was implemented, namely, it could seriously affect the dynamics of the office environment between a very closely-nit team of employees, managers and directors in that, how does the manager justify their decision in the event of a low reward without affecting the equilibrium of the office environment and within a unionised organisation all trade unions argue against performance linked to pay. Schemes relating pay to performance, although generating a tremendous amount of interest have very little in the way of conclusive evidence concerning their effects on performance (Redman Wilkinson, (2009). This echoes Thompson (1992) findings in which he states, â€Å"research fails to provide convincing evidence of a link between individual performance-related pay schemes and improvements in productivity†. The evidence supports that other approaches should be considered in rewarding employees, for example a one-off bonus payment which would not affect the employees’ annual salary. References Armstrong, M. (1996) Employee Reward, London: Kogan Page/IPD Armstrong, M., and Murlis, H. (2007) Reward Management. 5thedn. London: Hay Group Brown, W., Marginson, P., and Walsh, J. (2003) The management of pay as the influence of collective bargaining diminishes. In: P.K. Edwards, Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice, Oxford: Blackwell IRS (2007) Job evaluation is thriving, survey finds: Employment Review, 667 Kessler, I. (2007) Reward Choices: strategy and equity. In: Storey, J. HRM: a critical text 3rd edition, London: Thomson Learning Kessler, I., and Purcell, J. (1994) Performance Related Pay: Objectives and application, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol.2, No.3 Perkins, S. J., and White, G. (2009) Employee Reward: Alternatives, consequences and contexts, 2nd edn. London: Chartered Institute Of Personnel and Development, Redman, T., and Wilkinson, A. (2009) Contemporary Human Resource Management: Text Cases, 3rd edn. London: Prentice Hall, Thompson, M. (1992) Pay for Performance: The employers experience, Brighton, Institute of Manpower Studies Thorpe, R., and Homan, G (2000) Strategic Reward Systems, Harlow: Financial Times Williams, S., and Adam-Smith, D. (2006) Contemporary Employment Relations: A critical introduction, Oxford: University Press Equality of Human Rights Commission, available from: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/human-rights/ date accessed 23/10/12 PLC Employment Law, available from: [emailprotected] – date accessed 26/10/12

Legal Aspects Of Child Labour In India

Legal Aspects Of Child Labour In India CHILD LABOUR AND INDIA- AN ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY PROVISIONS INTRODUCTION Child labour has been in India from a long time in some form or the other. Practice of child labour in match box industries, glass bangle industries and is very commonly seen in cheap restaurants and dhabas etc. Generally speaking child labour can be said to be the exploitation or abuse of children in factories, industries etc, who are below the age specified by law working (mentally or physically) to earn for his/her own survival or to support his/her family partially or fully, and which prevents his/her social and education development may be said to be child labour. The reasons which are generally responsible for child labour may include  [1]  : Poverty, Ignorance, Illiteracy, Population explosion, Lack of knowledge of their own rights, Big amounts of debt on the parents, Large size of family but not enough income to support such big family, Lack of social security scheme in the country, Weak enforcement of labour laws. According to an U.N.O report India has the maximum child labour in the world i.e. approx 20 per cent.  [2]  On the basis of Census 1991 and various governmental and non-governmental organizations following are the number of child labourers in India  [3]  : Census 1991 2.63 crore, Organization research group, Baroda, 1994-95 4.44 crore, Centre for concern of Child Labour 10 crore. Extra-governmental volunteer organization more than 5 crore. The numbers may vary according to different organizations but the fact is clear that the numbers of child labourers in India are in crores, which is again a pathetic sight, especially with all the various child labour legislation and the Constitutional provisions. In a report by the Labour Ministry every 4th child is a child labour, aged between 5-14 years and there is one child labour in every three families.  [4]   But its not as if Indian governments havent done anything about this grave social stigma, over the years it has enacted many statutory legislations and Constitutional provisions in order to eradicate the problem of child labour, to name some of them, we have: Labour legislations: The Child Labour Act, 1986, The Factories Act, 1948, The Mines Act, 1952, The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, The Minimum Wages Act, 1948, The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act, 2000 Constitutional provisions  [5]  : Article 24 provides: strictly prohibits children to work in hazardous environment. Article 21, 45 gives the right to education to all the children below the age of 14years. Article 39 declares the duty of the State to provide the children a free facilities to develop in conditions of freedom and dignity in a healthy manner. India is also a party to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child, 1959. India is also a signatory to: ILO Forced Labour Convention (No. 29); ILO Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No. 105); UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children. The Government of India adopted the National Policy for Children (NPC) in August 1974. This Policy provided that  [6]  It shall be the policy of the state to provide adequate service to children both before and after birth and through the period of their growth, to ensure their full physical, mental and social development. The State shall progressively increase the scope of such services so that, within a reasonable time, all children in the country enjoy optimum conditions for their balanced growth. Indian is also a party to United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child, 1959 and Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1992 and has formulated its labour laws in accordance to International Labour Conference resolution of 1979. The first part of the paper aims to look into the various legislations relating to child labour. In the second part we shall look into the various precedents set by the Supreme Court of India on the issue of child labour and finally the conclusion. Chapter 1 CONSTITUTIONLA AND STATUTORY PROVISIONS Constitutional provisions The government of India has enacted various labour laws has in accordance to International Labour Conference resolution of 1979. The Constitution of India, through various articles enshrined in the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy, lays down that: Article 21 (A) The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age six to 14 years; Article 24 No child below the age of fourteen years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment. The word hazardous employment in Art 24 also includes construction industry, also in P.N. v. U.O.I  [7]  , it has been laid down that Art 24 is enforceable even in the absence of implementing legislations;  [8]   Article 39(e) States that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength; Article 39(f) States that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment  [9]  . Hence Art 39 in whole requires the state to ensure and protect the children and provide proper child care. Article 45 The State shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years The framers of the Constitution imposed a duty on the State under Article 45 as one of the directive principles of the State Policy to provide free and compulsory education to all children until they complete the age of 14 year with the sole objective of completely eradicating illiteracy and child labour. Also many of the states had passed various Acts providing for free and compulsory primary or elementary education to children. But unfortunately years after the commencement of the Constitution the goal set by this Article which was to be achieved in 10 years, have yet not been reached. But the provision in article 39(f) and 45 of the constitution gave certain directions in providing a better quality of life of children employed in the factories. Labour legislations The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986: The Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in 13 occupations and 51 processes that are hazardous to the childrens lives and health listed in the Schedule to the Act  [10]  . The Factories Act, 1948: The Act completely prohibits children working below the age of 14 years  [11]  . It further states that if a child is between 15 and 18 years of age, can be employed in a factory only if he has a certificate of fitness granted with reference to him under section 69 which is in the custody of the manager of the factory. The Act also says that no child shall be employed or permitted to work, in any factory for more than four and a half hours in any day; The Mines Act, 1952: The Act prohibits the employment of children in mines, who have not completed their 15th year. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act, 2000: This Act was last amended in 2002 in conformity with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child covers young persons below 18 years of age. Section 26 of this Act deals with the Exploitation of a Juvenile or Child Employee, and provides in relevant part, that whoever procures a juvenile or the child for the purpose of any hazardous employment and keeps him in bondage and withholds his earnings or uses such earning for his own purposes shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable for fine. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009: The Act states that all children aged 6 to 14 years shall be provided free and compulsory education. It further states that all private schools should allocated 25 per cent of their seats for disadvantaged and differently abled children. Chapters 2 Precedents set by Supreme Court Though the government of India has enacted various labour legislations to prevent child labour still there are some contradiction among them, mainly the definitional debates on child labour as different legislation provide different definition of a child. Section 2(ii) of The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, defines child as a person who has not completed his fourteenth year of age; Section 2(c) of The Factories Act, 1948 defines child as a person who has not completed his fifteenth year of age; Section 2(e) of The Mines Act, 1952 defines child as a person who has not completed his fifteenth year; Section 2(c) of The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, defines child as male or female child of the age of six to fourteen years; Section 2(k) of The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act, 2000 defines child as a person who has not completed eighteenth year of age; Section 2(c) of The Plantations Labour Act, 1951 defines child as a person who has not completed his fourteenth year of age Hence, we can clearly observe that these legislation are at contradiction to each other in defining whos a child and setting an uniform age limit. Therefore the centre and respective state governments should set a uniform universal minimum age of the child as these contradictions adversely affect the objective of protection from child labour and providing a better educational and social development to children of India. Following are few of important Supreme Court cases that have helped in framing better laws regarding child labour: In Democratic Rights V. Union of India  [12]  , it was contended that the Employment of Children Act, 1938 was not applicable in the matter of employment of children in construction works, as it was not mentioned in the act. But the court held even construction work is a hazardous employment and no child below the age of 14 years can be employed as given under Art 24 of the Indian Constitution, even though construction industry has not been specified in the schedule to the Employment of children Act, 1938, thus the SC rejected the contention. In Salal Hydro Project vs. Jammu and Kashmir  [13]  , the Court has restated the principle laid in Democratic Rights V. Union of India  [14]  that Construction work is hazardous employment and any child below 14 cannot be employed in this work. In Sheela Barse and others vs Union of India and others  [15]  , Bhagawati, C.J. quoted from National Policy for the welfare of Children incorporated to provide better social and educational development to the children of India : The Nations children a supremely important asset. Their nurture and solicitude are our responsibility. Childrens programme should find a prominent part in our national plans for the development of human resources, so that our children grow up to become robust citizens, physically fit, mentally alert and morally healthy, endowed with the skill and motivations needed by society. Equal opportunities for development to all children during the period of growth should be our aim, for this would serve our large purpose of reducing inequality and ensuring social justice. In M.C. Mehta v State of Tamil Nadu Ors  [16]  , the SC gave direction to the Union and state governments to identify all children and withdraw them from working in hazardous processes and occupations, and to provide them with free and proper education as incorporated into the Constitution, Artcle 21-A. The Court also directed the Union and state governments to set up a Child Labour Rehabilitation-cum-Welfare Fund using contributions from employers who breach the Child Labour Act. In Unnikrishnan v. State of Andhra Pradesh,  [17]  the SC held that every child has the right to free education till the age of 14 years. Artcle 21-A which was incorporated into the Constitution, reflects this standard. CONCLUSION It is said that child is the father of man, and the children of our country are our biggest asset. The government of India has enacted several laws in order to provide healthy social and educational environment for the children. But in spite of all the laws enacted, problem of child labour still persists in our Indian society that is because child labour laws are themselves flawed in some way or the other or suffer from poor implementation of programmes. Though awareness towards child labour has increased and now there are several NGOs trying their best, but today what we require is to take concrete actions, the central and respective state governments need to provide for better machinery for enforcing child labour laws. Unless this is achieved our country wont be completely free the burden of child labour.

Wembley Stadium pricing study Essay -- essays research papers

Ticket Pricing Strategy for the new Wembley Stadium 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction OBJECTIVE  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To maximise profits from ticket sales at Wembley Stadium KEY ASSUMPTIONS  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. Wembley has a monopoly on certain types of match 2. Wembley is run by profit maximising managers selling tickets to utility maximising buyers STRATEGY  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Set prices for seats as close to the willingness to pay as possible using price discrimination KEY CHOICES  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What type of seating to sell and at what price? 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scope This strategy is limited to the following football matches: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  England home matches – competitive and friendly †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Major cup semi-finals and final †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lower league play-off finals Wembley has a monopoly on these matches due to Football Association (FA) policy2. Theory states that Wembley should charge as close to the willingness to pay of its customers as possible to maximise its profits1. The ability to do this depends on demand and the ability to price discriminate between market segments. 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Absolute Demand Absolute demand for tickets will be high due to several factors: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Football is England’s national sport †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Watching live matches is popular †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wembley Stadium is the ‘home of football’ with a long and distinguished history There is good evidence for assuming high demand: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last three competitive England home games were sold-out2 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Attendance figures for club matches are consistently high3 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recent cup finals at Cardiff Millennium Stadium were sold-out4 Actual demand varies between market segments but can be found from market research, e.g. membership schemes and studying events at similar grounds. 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Market Segmentation The table below shows the range of customers that buy tickets for football matches. Elasticity of demand is shown for each category and explained below: Market Segments   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elasticity of Demand  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reason for Elasticity 1  Ã‚  &nbs... ...y for rugby union and league †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pop concerts – outdoor arenas are alternatives with similar capacity There are a wide range of substitutes available for these that affect willingness to pay. 11  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other Event-Related Income Stadiums contain much more than just an arena to watch sport including: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Refreshments and merchandise †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Broadcasting rights †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Advertising †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Car parking †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other events, e.g. conferences Income for the above would be approximately proportional to the number of people in the stadium. 12  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cabral, Luis. â€Å"Introduction to Industrial Organization†, MIT Press, 2000. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  www.thefa.com 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://stats.football.co.uk/dom/ENG/PR/attend.html 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://stats.football.co.uk/dom/ENG/trn/ENGFAC_F.html#F 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  www.wembleystadium.com 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  www.millenniumstadium.com

Racial Tensions in South Africa Essay -- Racial Relations, Racism

History of South Africa South Africa has large varieties ethnic backgrounds; unfortunately for them none of them are allowed their chance to shine because of the cloud of racism that has over shadowed their history. Like the United States, South African countries are built for the success of whites before any other ethnicity. This can be found in the countries politics and economics alike. For over 300 years this racism has occurred. Around the 1940’s South Africans have coined a policy for this racism, â€Å"apartheid†. In English apartheid can be translated to â€Å"Apart-hood†. (2) This will be touched about in more detail later. Like the United States, South Africa has had to deal with centuries of racism, the problem being that South Africans racism doesn’t seem to be depleting as fast as other countries in the same situation. The first sign of â€Å"civilization† to take place in South Africa began in the mid 1600’s when the Dutch East India Company formed a cape colony. (3) It wasn’t long before the colonists were in need of workers to help farm their rapidly expanding settlement. So like many countries of their time, they went with the route of slavery. Naturally the best candidates for this position were natives to South Africa. Slaves weren’t a necessity, but they were very convenient for the newly settled Dutch (2). The Dutch continued to govern South Africa until the English took over in the 18th century. Fast-forward to the 20th century where racism is just as relevant as ever, and in 1910 new laws have been passed regarding segregation. These laws in 1910 â€Å"expanded racial segregation† (2). A big part of the new law was that whites were now able to seize land owned by black farmers. Also around this time the gov... ...dignity’ required adhering to a code of social and gender behavior appropriate to a ruling race. There was a moral base for antagonism towards blacks: 'It is Nature's deep-seated provision for racial integrity. It is the voice of evolutionary experience speaking within US Similarly, John L. Weston of Brandfort, wrote approvingly of vigilante justice in the US South. He wrote of white Southerners he had known who were highly intelligent, respectable, sympathetic and reasonable, yet who became demented when a "Black Peril" (Plaatje, 1982) case occurred within their reach. This, he argued, was a healthy and virtuous reaction; it is the very capacity of the white man's mind for good that causes this uncontrollable indignation'. He predicted that lynch law will sooner or later be introduced here as it has been in the USA unless heroic steps are taken without much delay.

African American Culture and Traditions

The African American Culture and Traditions A Research Study and Facts That Will Take Us Into What Makes This Culture So Unique. Jeanette C. Council Dr. Jefferson Rackley COUN 504 5 May 2012 Liberty University Abstract The purpose of this research is to identify the uniqueness and diversity of people and practices of the African American culture. Each culture in life has some similarities and some differences. The similarities and differences that are present in a culture is what make the culture what it is.When dealing with a culture, race, ethnicity, of a people or religion it has a history of where it originates and or a heritage that that culture or people can relate to and always go back to, because this is what sets a group apart from the next. We will look at the key factors that contribute to family patterns found in my family of origin, which is the Jewish culture. We will also compare and contrast the similarities and differences between my family origins, which is that of the African American origin. Introduction There are many cultural groups and ethnicities in the world.Each and every person has a background and culture in which they come from, derive, or exist into. We don’t have any control over whether or not we have one culture in our families or many, but that’s what makes us diverse or unique and that’s what gives us the culture African American, Jewish, Asian, or Latino. As I have read and researched many diverse cultures during this course, it has taught me a lot about culture and having respect for mine as well as anyone else’s. We define the word culture â€Å"as the totality of the human experience for social contexts.This experience is mediated by biological, psychological, historical, and political events. Culture also includes behaviors, attitudes, feelings, and cognitions related to our identities living within the world (Hays, 2010). † As I explore my background, I will then learn more about who I am and the beauty of the culture that I originate from. My Family Genogram As I looked into my family history and called relatives to gain information about my background, I learned a lot and yet still want to know more about my family history and background.I was able to search and find four generations in my family tree on my mother and father’s side of the family. My family consists of a mother, a father, four sisters and one brother. One pattern in particular that I notice in my family is that there is a history of preachers and pastors stemming from my father’s side of the family, but as far as I can see the ministry started with my father. My mother’s side of the family has strong roots in the church and of being saved for long periods of time.The one most characteristic that I can remember is that my parents both took us to church, bible study, Sunday school, and any service that could go on in the course of the week. My father was not only a preacher, bu t also a pastor for all my life. Now my brother is an ordained elder as well as my sister and myself. I not only have preachers in my immediate family but I have several cousins in my family that are preachers and pastors. I believe that not only were we called into the ministry; the culture that began in my father trickled down to us. It was a behavior that was taught to them and it continued in us.We were taught how to love the Lord and how to be saved. Once we were taught the way to go then my parents help us to practice this behavior on a regular basis and it became a part of our daily life, even at a young age. What was taught to us is now a way of living; it is not forced but a true way of life. Proverbs 22:6 states, â€Å"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it†. I like what is said from mental health professionals, â€Å"Mental health professionals are increasingly aware that a strong spiritual base can enhance persona l resilience.The values, including sensitivity to others’ feelings, responsibility for one’s actions, personal fulfillment and satisfaction, self-discipline, forgiveness of others, healthy sexual fulfillment, and striving for a sense of purpose†(Bergin, 1991). As I think about this pattern I think about how my parents taught us the way in which we should live as well as teaching us the ways of God. Now that both parents are deceased, the understanding and truth about our beliefs and choice of a relationship with God came from the values, strengths and beliefs that have been instilled in each and every one of my sisters and brother.The African American Culture As I researched and talked to relatives concerning my background, heritage and culture, it made me want to know more about my family and where it all began. I had fun putting Together my family tree or Genogram and I see why it is important to know who we are and where we come from. I am an African American and both my parents are of African American decent. In the African American culture, many of our ancestors came to America by capture and not by choice.It is said that many African Americans were slaves and were a part of slave trade that was increased between the 15th and 19th centuries (Bennett, 2003; Van Sertima, 1976). Many African Americans were brought here to make their white or European owners money and cause them to be prosperous in areas of agriculture. There were white indentured servants, who could have worked to till the ground and make the harvest plentiful, but it wasn’t enough, so plantation owners saw it profitable to use African slaves as a solution to the problem (Zinn, 2003, p. 5). My father grew up in Alabama, which is known as the Deep South and he experienced more racial discrimination then did my mother. My father grew up poor and lack things that we as the fourth generation did not. My father always said that he would provide and make sure that we had a better life then what he had to experience. I also know that my father’s side of the family were sharecroppers and was a part of several other sharecroppers that were denied aide for their crops during times when racial discrimination was on the rise.Everything during that time was considered bad if your skin color was dark or black and if your skin color was light or white you were considered good or superior according to European Americans. Not only was black or dark skin considered inferior or bad, but European American were said to be Christian and black or dark skin was considered non-Christian. â€Å"Prejudice against skin color became the justification for brutality and hatred, and racism became important in building the nations of the Americas† (Zinn, 2003). One important aspect of the African American culture I would say would be that of the Underground Railroad.This was an important way out for many slaves in African American history. There is no way those we call African Americans could talk about slavery or being free without talking about the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad, lead by Harriet Tubman, was a way of freedom, or in other words a network that helped escaped slaves to make their way to the free states as well as Canada. â€Å"Between 1810 and 1860 as many as 100,000 enslaved African Americans were guided to freedom by the workers of the network, such as William Wells Brown, and Josiah Henson† (Koslow, 1999).Another great leader and activist for the African American culture would be that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King was not only an activist and a leader for African American, but he was also a minister and pastor in the Baptist church, which is a pattern of my family background and culture. His children also walked in his footsteps, as did my sisters and brother in my father’s footsteps in the ministry. One cannot be apart of such a great movement and not be affected by i t in a positive way. I know that my father as well as Martin Luther King Jr. ould be pleased to know that the values, beliefs and morals that they instilled in us did not go in vain or return void. I believe the culture that I grew up in and around help strengthen my faith and belief I God. We not only grew up in a household with these values and morals, but in our culture there was not too many people in our family that were not saved and had a relationship with the Lord. If I went to my aunt’s house I was around salvation and a strong belief system that God is in charge of my life. If I went to my great grandmother’s house it was the same.We all shared this belief in common, a relationship with the Lord and a belief that God was the head of each of our lives. I learned at an early age to love the Lord and study to know why I believed in what I believed. I believe that on a personal level, the cultural values and systems that were instilled in me at an early age help to make me the person that I am now. I believe that being a Christian has caused me to be a lover of people, all people and regardless of their religion or background it has caused me to be open-minded.My father has always been a helper of people and he has always loved people no matter what and I truly thank God for that. I remember when I was a young child; my father would bring people to the house, all kinds of people. He did not mind and he did not care what the socio economic status of the person was, whether or not they were bi-racial, pregnant out of wedlock or an alcoholic, it did not matter to him. Now that I am writing this paper, it is giving me nothing but revelation into my true destiny in counseling. I know that my father was a counselor as well as all the other titles and positions that he held.I always knew at an early age, or during my teenage years that I was to help people. I know that because my father was the way he was it manifested into my siblings and myself. My sisters and brother and myself are natural helpers and counselors now that I think about it, wow! I never really thought about it this way until I began to write this paper. My mother would always be hesitant when my father would bring all types of people home. I remember one Christmas when my father brought home a distant relative that was an alcoholic, and he sat right beside me at the dinner table.On another occasion my father was on his way home, and he saw a couple standing at a bus stop arguing, they were young and the girl was pregnant, my father stop to talk to them and he ended up bringing them home and he ministered to them. He gave them money to get to where they were going and took them back to the bus station to get back home. My mother would always tell my father how nervous she was because he would not care who he brought into the house around us, but he was concerned about their well-being and their soul.He was a prime example of the word of God when it tells us: â€Å"And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled† (Luke 14:23). I now see the same characteristics that were in my father. I believe that I am a helper by nature. I currently work as a high school teacher, and they remind me each and everyday that I am supposed to be counseling. I guess they see the natural instinct of the gift of helps in me and they utilize it everyday, and I enjoy helping and counseling them. Spirituality has historically been an important factor in the lives of Africans.There was a myth that Africans did not have God and was without a sense of spirituality, but this is not true, this myth was made up by the slave owners and those that had anything to do with bringing slaves her to America. This myth was put out to make slave owners consciences to be at ease and to allow them to feel better about what they were doing (Billingley, 1992). Other Culture Patterns There are s ome other culture patterns that I have noticed in my background in the fourth generations that I have not seen in any other generation in my family, and that is in the area of divorce.I have divorced almost 4 years now, my sister is divorced, my brother is divorced, but now remarried, and two of my first cousins are now divorced, and one of those cousins has been divorced twice. I not only see this as a pattern, but I am wondering if it is a generational curse somewhere in the family line. This is not a part of my culture in particular, the things that I have learned from my parents as far as relationships and family is concerned is not about divorce. We have an example of longevity in marriages, and they are still together until this day.As far as a counseling aspect would be, I would be able to encourage longevity as well to my clients. I believe that there are so many issues in relationships today that cause people to stray away from the family unit and break ties easier than hen my parents were alive. It was our heritage to stay together and love no matter what, that’s the heritage that I grew up around. One thing I remember was my parent being in love and if there was a problem or situation that was troubling, they didn’t let us know about it. I believe that the day and time we live in today is so unlike the day and time when my parents were married and living.I believe it is a generational aspect that allows couples to leave so easy instead of staying together, it was unheard of then and the relatives that I have that are still married now are still married from the third generation. I want to be like my parents were in my next marriage. Another pattern I see in my family is a biological one. That pattern is multiple births; this is a generational characteristic in my family. Multiple births have been seen throughout the generations in my family, stating with my great – great aunt. During a time when doctors could not detect multiple births, it was not known until a woman gave birth.During that time my great-great aunt had multiple births, some triplets and some twins, but she would lose them at the time she was due to give birth because of the technology that is here no was not here then and doctors could not prepare for the births that were to take place. I have twins throughout my family now, I have a cousin from the third generation that had two sets of twins that are two boys, and then she had a boy and girl, fraternal twins. My mother has a twin sister, who is also fraternal twins, and my mother had twins fraternally, which is my brother Jevon, and my sister Jewel.

Electronic Intelligence Versus Human Intelligence

It seems that nowadays people pay too much attention to technological advancements that promote information and interpersonal communication. In The Poet and the Computer, Norman Cousins argues that the â€Å"problem of technology is not solely to be more productive and comfortable, more content, but how to be more sensitive, more sensible, more proportionate, more alive. † According to Cousins, the real problem of technology is whether it makes easier or harder for human to know who they are, to identify their real problems.From my point of view, although technology allows people to live easily and efficiently, it cannot inspire people's imagination, nor can it enrich human spirit. Computers can help people access all the information they desire-?new and old, however, as Cousins wrote, â€Å"electronic brains can reduce the profusion of dead ends involved in vital research, but they cannot eliminate the foolishness and decay that come from the unexamined life. † It is u ndeniable that computer made a huge progress in human proficiency, but it also has limitations.People cannot expect electronic brains to help them prevent failures, reflect failures n their lives. Electronic brains know how to decrease â€Å"the profusion of dead end†, but they never reflect those dead ends. Electronic brains are designed to provide the right answers. However, people should not only be satisfied with the results, but also the process. In Chinese schools, teachers often tell students that † failure is the mother of success, you should not be afraid of making mistakes, but you have to learn something from failure, then to prevent it in the future. Therefore, solely depending on technology can only solve issues at hand, being reflective and inconsiderate is the key for human society to make progress. Computers can provide material to get people involved, but they do not identify with the real meaning of the information and stories that they produced. Many people believe that computers can provide the correct answers in the most convenient way. However, sometimes computers cannot process and analyze information to assist people in better understanding.It can also lead to a dead-ended search in some way. Consequently, it is impossible to expect technology to answer the questions that people are filled with. Computer cannot replace human intelligence because technology serves as a medium to assist people in gaining information all over the world. How to further develop the information and to apply it in real lives are the main concerns that need human inputs. Even though technology helps people overcome the obstacles of time and space, it cannot tap into human emotional field.As Cousin states in his article, â€Å"technology cannot connect a man to the things he has to be connected to-?the reality of pain in others; the possibilities of creative growth n himself; the memory of the race; and the rights of the next generation. † In a â€Å"computerized time†, technology allows people to keep in touch anywhere any time, hence many people consider that social media such as Faceable and Twitter are appropriate for communication. Many of them even have become addicted to social networking. They spend hours looking through pictures, answering comments under each post, and chatting with different strangers.Because social networking is so distracting, people often forget to communicate in the most influential way, which is face-to-face communication. Faceable does affect face-to-face communication because it often takes the expression and emotion out of communication. The Joy of actual seeing someone is crying or laughing is being taken away. A person can put his or her pictures of smiling faces on Faceable, but can others feel his or her emotion simply through that photo? People will become gradually disconnected if they spend too much time on social network rather than emotionally, personally connect with f amily and friends.In modern days, people tend to believe that they can automatically get pleasure and enjoyment whenever they want. However, humans need emotional connection and face-to-face communication in order to experience others' feelings and emotions. Technology has a negative effect on humans because it gives people a sense of accomplishment easily. People will indulge in the acceptability; hence decrease the ability to think by themselves. The main reason for this is technology gives people the opportunity to find answers that others have found before us.People will be satisfied with the answers that was already given instead of coming up with new ideas on their own. As Cousins states, â€Å"The computer knows how to vanquish error, but before we lose ourselves in celebration of victory, we might reflect on the great advances in the human situation that have come about because men were challenged by error and dealing with it. † Therefore, people should be aware that even though we are now able to access information rapidly and easily through the Internet than before, it is necessary for us to develop our own thinking ability to meet different challenges.Without the process of struggle and dealing with difficulties, people will easily lose and forget the truths discovered by homeless. Once people start to solely rely on technology, the process of human society will move gradually slowly. Technology is a tool to help people perceive knowledge; and people cannot simply rely on it to solve all kinds of problems. For instance, Google translation is useful software for people to translate different languages. However, it can turn out to be a big problem if people use it in an improper way. In my seminar class, our professor talked about a story, which was related to the technological translation.One of his students once used his mother's engage to write a paper, and then translated it into English by Google's translation. Unfortunately, Google's tran slation could only translate the paper word by word, so that every sentence in the paper was broken. Later on, the student admitted that he translated his paper through Google translation. From this example, it is generally believed that people cannot predominately rely on technology. People should keep a skeptical eye towards the information, which is provided by technology, and then divide the information into useful and useless categories.As Bacon said, â€Å"If we begin tit certainties, we shall end in doubts; but if we begin with doubts, and we are patient with them, we shall end in certainties. † Consequently, people should not be satisfied with the certain answers produced by technology. It is necessary for people to get rid of the strong feeling of self-achievement which technology directly provides. Life is not the extension of technology, thus the primary purpose of technology should not be replacing human intelligence, but rather, facilitating human society progres s. Technology will always serve as a tool for human intelligence no matter how powerful and strong it becomes.Because humans have their own brains, they can create their own reality through imagination. According to Cousin, â€Å"The poet-?and I use the term to include all those who have respect for and speak to the human spirit-?can help to supply the subconscious with material to enhance its sensitivity, hence safeguarding it. † Cousin uses poet to represent humans own imaginative thinking and creativity. He believes the human inputs should be kept as its original form. Therefore, it is important for humans to keep their own spirit and create their own reality, which technology can never replace.We are now experiencing a time when people are easily overwhelmed and distracted. It is generally considered that technology has a negative influence on humans imagination and creativity. It detaches us from others' pain and sorrow, and continuously spread a feeling of instant grati fication. People should be able to use technology for facilitating themselves instead of replacing themselves.

Shakespeare's Hamlet and Laertes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shakespeare's Hamlet and Laertes - Essay Example Both are then in the same position- their fathers have been murdered by people in high positions and it becomes their duty to avenge their death. This parallel is however valid only up to a limited extent. The motives behind the two murders differ, as do the means adopted for taking revenge by these two characters. Though the idea of avenging his father's death continues to reside at the back of Hamlet's mind throughout the play, yet his path is beset with obstacles. In this context, Shakespeare's emphasis seems to be more on the intellectual obstacles then the merely physical ones. First and foremost he had to ascertain whether the Ghost that met him in the beginning of the play is what it claims to be, or a dissembling spirit from hell, which had come to work his damnation. This dilemma of Hamlet is best expressed in his soliloquy at the end of Act II: Besides it takes Hamlet a considerable amount of time to adjust the notion of private revenge with his already accepted view that a benevolent God rules the world and reserves the punishment to Himself. On the contrary, when Laertes comes to know of his father's death, he immediately resolves to avenge Polonius' death and exhibits no scruples or qualms about his impetuous decision, taken in haste. The world of Laertes is not of deliberation and contemplation, but is a world beset with action and anger. Unlike Hamlet, he is not prone to pangs of conscience, nor is he hesitant about committing grave mistakes by succumbing to his passions. Such an impulsive mindset of Laertes is deftly expressed in his speech in Act IV, Scene v: To hell, Allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I stand, That both the worlds I give to negligence, Let come what comes; only I'll be reveng'd Most thoroughly for my father. Hamlet's very act of chiding Laertes during the burial of Ophelia is indicative of his personal growth and maturity, in contrast to Laertes' impetuosity. This attribute of Hamlet gets manifold magnified after his unambiguous confession of the intensity of his feelings for Ophelia. I love'd Ophelia; forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love, Make up my sum. Laertes acts as a foil for Hamlet, which highlights the fact that Hamlet had succeeded in developing a deep sense of control and restraint over his passions and had successfully nurtured an ability to bear gracefully with his personal grief, a quality pathetically lacked by Laertes. The same sense of poise and restraint is exhibited by Hamlet, when he is provoked by Laertes' scathing words and actions. This utmost restraint of Hamlet in the face of Laertes' provocation becomes clear when he says: Thou pray'st not well. I prithee take thy fingers from my throat; For, though I am not splenitive and