Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Diversity - Essay Example It should be noted that the ideas of people from one culture may be different from that of people from another culture. For example, it is not necessary that a Chinese employee and an Indian employee use same procedures while performing a difficult task. The methods employed by them may have advantages and disadvantages. The blending of these different ideas may result in a new idea. Such new ideas will help the development of new technologies, products and services, and thereby an organization can improve its competitive power in the market. It is difficult for modern organizations to use single cultural workforce and still able to develop properly, since the business are operating globally at the moment. For example, it is impossible for an American company operating in India to use only Americans at its workplace in India. It should be noted that Indians know Indian market better than the Americans. Therefore, the services of locals are inevitable while a company operates globally. To conclude, diversity at workplaces would help an organization to improve creativity among workforces and thereby develop new products and services. The development of new products and services would help the organization to increase its competitive power in the global

Harmonisation of Accounting Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Harmonisation of Accounting Standards - Essay Example They include UK GAAP, IAS, US GAAP etc. More positive, however, has been the improvements in recent times in terms of global convergence; this has convinced various stakeholders that there is still hope that harmonization can be achieved sooner rather than later. Local and international standard setting agencies have initiated harmonization projects that have largely been successful; it will therefore not be too long before a common set of standards guides and controls the accounting world. This will give the accounting profession an identity of legal discipline in its truest sense. This paper examines the issue of harmonization and other aspects that relate to it, for example challenges and advantages. Key Words accounting standards, harmonization of accounting standards. Introduction The harmonization of accounting standards has developed into a hot topic among accounting professionals all over the world (Black 2007, pg.26). Accounting standards can be defined as authoritative stat ements issued by acclaimed accountancy agencies that relate to different aspects of treatments, disclosures and measurements of accounting events and transactions, and that signify best accounting practices. ... For example, in the United Kingdom (UK) electrical and electronic engineers abide by the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers’ (IEEE) standards and principles that define and shape their professional practices (Samir 2003, pg.20). Why, then, is it so difficult for accountants to have a common set of codes that create some uniformity in their line of work and their practices? Over the years, it has been widely acknowledged that the differences in existing standards in various countries have so often been greatly underestimated. As a result of this, achieving uniformity has been a herculean task of sorts; the first step towards failure is usually underestimating the gravity of a problem (Srkant 2005, pg.64). As a consequence, attention has shifted towards understanding the various accounting standards in existence and trying to address how they can be merged. Although it has been met with huge obstacles, results have been better than in previous attempts. History of Harmonization The concept of harmonizing accounting standards dates back to the 19th century when the notion of â€Å"International Accounting Standards† was put forward in the 1st International Congress of Accountants which was held in St. Louis in 1904. In 1957, at the 7th International Congress of Accountants in Amsterdam, Mr. Jacobkraayenhof discussed the need for international accounting standardization and cooperation. In 1966, talks were held among various professional bodies like the Association of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of America, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (Siegel & Shim 2006, pg.33). The talks were led by the then President of the Institute of

Adrienne Rich and Nancy Sommers | Comparison

Adrienne Rich and Nancy Sommers | Comparison Adrienne Rich and Nancy Sommers are both women writers, that in When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision and Between the Drafts respectively, are struggling to identify themselves as writers through the revision of their own work. In both texts we can follow their travel in past through which they recognize and analyze all those things that influenced them and formed their writing style. They are both facing the same fear. They do not write as themselves. For different reasons and each with her own perspective they are trying to break free from the bond that holds them in another writers shoes. Though Rich and Sommers are both dealing with the research of their writing self and despite the similarities in their arguments and some of their conclusions their approach differs as issues of identity, gender and tradition arise. Adrienne Rich mainly bases her text on the fact that literature and poetry where created by men, whose perspective of woman became a tradition in writing. She defines revision as the act of looking back, of seeing with fresh eyes, of entering an old text from a new critical direction1. For a writer she claims that this is an act of survival. Literature until recently gave us a view of how life is, how we see ourselves or how we would like others to see us. She recognizes a pattern in the majority of texts and poems. Women are considered a luxury for a man. They are creatures of grace and beauty. Silent, yet powerful a woman is a dream and a terror2 for men, in the words of Jane Harrison. Always distant and with almost never emotional outbreaks the historically image of a woman is that of a muse, model, nurse, cook, comforter, a bearer of his seeds3. Her inevitable fate is to suffer for love. The writer sees herself as a captive of that image. For a very long time she has been writing for women, as a man would. At first, in order to please and seek acceptance from her father, to whom she owed her education, then her professor, her mentor, followed by her fellow writers and the writing community, also male dominated. Similar to Adrienne Rich, Nacny Sommers also finds herself to write in a stereotype way. However she claims her influences came from the way she was brought up and more specifically from her parents. She does not put so much weight on her gender as a writer but she rather identifies the problem as not being able to combine academic and personal writing. Like there is an authority dictating the limits of personal and academic writing which she must not cross. This sense of authority is also something she inherited from her parents. Nancy Sommers came from German Jew Family that escaped Nazi Germany in 1939, moved to the United States where the children were brought up. She mentions examples of her family life, as evidence of parental authority. Her parents, even though they were speaking German fluently, bought tapes that instructed the language to their children, instead of talking to them. A specific ritual was followed for every lesson. The chairs at the same place, strict body posture and the voice of a German professor would for Nancy Sommes parents guarantee the right way to learn. Following the same principle of the right way to do anything her parents used a guide for their travelling, following strictly the instructions given, spending no more or no less time at each venue, making no additional stops. As if they did not have a voice of their own, as if they could not choose for themselves what to do or not to do, or even how to do it. Her parents gave her the world of two options: the right way or the wrong way. So, both our writers are influenced from authority. Rich, on the one hand, from the authority of men writers in a man dominated society, and on the other hand Sommers influenced from parental authority. When Sommer as a parent herself subconsciously embraced that same principle and projected it to her own child, she found out that, contrarily to her, her daughter had a voice of her own. Nancy Sommer had disguised herself and hid behind the title Researcher, reading and revising, exploring the knowledge of other writers. But she kept herself out of her own writing, being absent from her own work. Just like her parents hid behind the tapes and the guides and excluded themselves from their lives, creating and living someone elses experiences, she hid behind the authority of a researcher and used other peoples work to justify her statements. Never once did she use her personal experiences to support her statements. Another similarity between Rich and Sommers lies within their position on the role of the writer in respect to tradition. Rich is facing artistic tradition, of the way writers write about women, their image and how she as writer is able to cop with all her roles: that of a traditional female and of a writer. As a wife and a mother Rich found it hard to find free time, to think, to question, to imagine; free time that traditionally women never have as they are mainly loaded with the duties of raising children and caring for the family. But following the traditional way of performing female duties is in direct conflict with the main element of writing: imagination. Daily duties, put aside any imaginative activity, that can be put in words. Adrienne Rich felt the conflict between these two roles. She thought herself as a writer or as a mother. The choice of either and or was later replace by and. She sought ways to embrace both parts of her life, the creative one and the maternal one. Likewise Sommers faces again tradition, yet of another kind. Academic tradition is full with either/or sentences: the students are either taught to write academic or personal essays. This tradition seems to create a certainty, an illusion of control to the academic community. Everyone knows their exact role and what they are supposed to do. But Nancy Sommers identifies the fact that students carry their own experiences, their own voices and if encouraged they could use these experiences as evidence to support their own statements, thus creating a new reflective way of writing. In both texts, tradition is questioned, whether artistic or academic as a result of a revision, a deeper look in ones writing, from a different perspective, with a fresh eye. Both writers emphasize the importance of breaking the tradition, that narrows the imagination and this might be their most important common statement. Even though they are both objecting to different kind of tradition they both have the same objective, to help writers, including them, to write for themselves, to use their own experiences and voice, to write from their point of view, breaking every stereotype of either artistic or academic writing. Rich and Sommers mention incidents of their personal and family lives. It is interesting how these specific events reflect the obedience of authority they inherited from their close environment. They follow traditional models, artistic and academic, that forces boundaries to their imagination and self expression. Rich show us how the traditional female model kept her captive in just one role, that of a mother and eliminated her fantasy, thus her writing. Sommers from the other side illustrates how her parentss sense of authority influenced her own perception of authority, this time the academic one, upon her writing. Even though both writers are of female gender their arguments and conclusions also apply to non female writers. They are both looking for way to express purely themselves in their own writing, creating their own images, with no influence of tradition artistic or academic. Using a female point of view, they have managed to reach a problematic area for all writers. Both male and female writers should be able to speak for themselves and use their imagination, freely creating texts and statements which are supported with their own experiences. As mentioned before, both writers notice that there is something missing from their writing. And that something is their own voice, their own point of view. Trapped in the tradition they learned to obey they do not use their own experiences and images in their work. Their similarity lies upon the fact that they were both raised under the influence of tradition. Even though they have a different point of view when revising their work, they come to the same conclusion mainly because the source of their conservatism is the same: obedience to authority. According to Rich, the role of a writer is to create images through words. These images influence other writers and especially women, as they seek their path reading poetry and literature, trying to find ways of expression, looking for examples. And in this effort they come across again and again with the image of Woman in books written by men. But what they do not find is a way to express their own personality in their text, rather than reflect and reproduce a flattering or not image created by another writer. I find it easy to agree with Richs statement. I have often read literature and identified myself with the woman hero of the book. I found my self to be flattered with similarities of character. Of course, in every attempt to write about my self, or to tell a story, I tend to reflect the same image of the woman I read about in my own writing. It is not that I have nothing to say for myself, rather than I find that image charming and want others to see me in this way. Still like Sommers, I am absent from most of my texts. Certainly influenced by my female gender, I tend to have a more romantic and soft approach in my writing. My class and culture are also reflected in my texts as a have no experience from anything different and thus I can not write about it. However the presence of my own experiences is limited in my writing. Mainly because I think of myself as insecure and that I do not have a strong enough statement to make. Another reason is that I find it easier, and I believe I am not the only one to do so, to talk about others than talk about myself. Talking about oneself requires painful digging to reach to self awareness. Of course the fear of revealing personal experiences to others plays its part as well, as again I do not intend to mess my traditional female image, with outbursts of anger, anxiety, passion, and obsession. Adrienne Rich: When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision, p.18 J.G. Steward, Jane Ellen Harrison: A Portrait from Letters (London 1959), p. 140 Adrienne Rich: When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision, p.19

Intervention Essay -- essays research papers

This intervention has to deal with trying to increase my total weight and number of repetitions for weight lifting. The main problem I have been having, mostly with my bench press, has to do with being stuck at one weight at times and not being able to increase the maximum lift or get any more reps out of the workout. I have tried to "shock my system" by increasing the weights to a weight that I could only do one or two times. I have also tried building up my endurance through using less weight for more reps at times. No matter which I have tried, I always seem to get stuck at one point or another. The reason that I chose this form of intervention was because I have tried to talk to many people about why this occurs, but they all seem to agree that it happens to everyone and there is no way to get around it. If I could find a way to avoid this, it would improve my workout a great deal and I would be able to progress at a quicker rate. Besides with the bench, I will occasionally run into problems with any of the power exercises that I do. The military press, front and back, and 21's cause the most problems next to the bench presses. Since separating both shoulders in a skiing accident, I tend to have pains in my shoulders if I work them too hard. Hopefully, by using imagery and setting some short-term goals I would be able to increase the weight much easier than without. I believe that when I visually see the weights on the bar, intimidation may set in and there may be some doubt. If I am able to switch that to positive thought, it may effect how well I am able to lift the desired weight. Besides these exercises, I also chose to track the progress of my push up counts based on sets of three and two other forms of curls. On the bench that I used, I used a bar for one form of curls and I also used the bench curl attachment. I tracked these two not because I was having trouble, but because I wanted to see if either one made a difference in the type of progress that was being made. Subject Age: 22 Gender: Male Major: Sports Management History of Concerns: I discovered this problem when I first began to train in high school. Once I began I made quick and effective progress, but fell into a sort of "slump" for a few weeks on my bench press when I could... ...time of lift, the order of the exercises, type of music, and other factors, lifts on one day vary from those on another. If I were to have recorded these factors at the times of the workouts, there could have been a more accurate conclusion. The weight did increase overall, but that could be just do to the fact that I kept a steady workout regimen and I was able to produce more effectively. That happens regardless of the situations. Most articles believe that imagery and setting goals have a strong impact on the final results. I am not convinced, but I feel that with more research and more accurate record keeping, the relationship could be discovered. Work Cited 1. Schlosberg, Suzanne, "Let's Get Visual", Men's Fitness, August 1998, vol. 14, p. 1-2. 2. www.sover.net/~timw.mental.htm (Strength and Conditioning Coach, Sport Nutrition Consultant, Houston, TX) 3. Buchanan, Dale, "Setting Goals for Fast Results", Lift for Life, September 1, 2000, p.90 4. Lester, Scott, "Weighing the Options", Recreation Resources, November, 1999, p. 17-21

Employment Law Compliance Plan Essay

As you begin the venture of establishing your new business, hiring your first employee or building an entire team of employees brings forth a whole new area for compliance regarding employment and labor laws; this includes both federal and state laws. Atwood and Allen Consulting has compiled an Employment Law Compliance Plan specifically for Landslide Limousines so that you are aware of any and all laws you must abide by as a new employer. Outlined below you will find a brief overview of each law (both state and federal), as well as a summary of consequences if you do not abide by these laws. State Laws The Texas Payday Law Under the Texas Payday Law, all Texas private employers must abide by this law regardless of the size or number of employees. This law requires employers to pay employees in full and on time on regularly scheduled paydays (Kizziar, Bracewell & Guiliani, 2012). Various types of compensation is subject to the Texas Payday Law, which includes compensation for services rendered regardless of how they are computed; commission and bonuses according to the agreement between the employee and employer; and certain fringe benefits due under written agreement with or by policy of the employer. An employer must also meet other obligations for payment of wages  to remain compliant with this law, this includes the following: An employer must pay wages to FLSA exempt employees at a minimum of once per month; FLSA non-exempt employees must be paid at a minimum of twice per month. Employers must have a designated payday, and must also post sufficient notice that is made available to all employees r egarding the designated payday. If an employer fails to establish designated paydays, the paydays will be the first and fifteenth day of each month (Kizziar, Bracewell & Guiliani, 2012). An employee who is terminated from employment must be paid no later than six (6) days from the termination date. Employees who voluntarily terminate their position must be paid on the next regularly scheduled payday. Commissions and Bonuses must be paid in the same manner and time frame in which other wages are paid. All wages must be paid to employees in US currency by check or direct deposit. Employees may receive wages earned in another form only if it is agreed upon between the employer and the employee. An employer may not withhold or garnish employee wages earned unless it is ordered upon by the court, federal or state law, or has the written authorization from the employee to do so. Consequences for Non-Compliance If employers do not abide by this law, an employee has the right to file a wage claim with the Texas Workforce Commission. If the employer is found guilty of non-compliance of any of the above named provisions outlined in this law, the employer may suffer both civil and criminal penalties (Texas Workforce Commission, 2013). The Texas Minimum Wage Act Requirements The Texas Minimum Wage Act was adopted to establish a minimum wage rate for FLSA non-exempt employees in the state of Texas. Effective on July 24, 2009, Texas began to follow the federal minimum wage requirement of $7.25 per hour; as the federal minimum wage requirements change, the state requirements will also change resulting in an automatic wage increase (Texas Workforce Commission, 2013). The Texas Minimum Wage Act also requires employers to provide each of their employees with a written earnings statement, which provides information that enables employees to determine from a single document whether they have been  paid correctly for a given pay period. This Act also pardons numerous employers from its coverage. The primary exemption from the Texas Minimum Wage Act is for any person covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Other specific exemptions include: Employment in, of or by religious, educational, charitable or nonprofit organizations; Professionals, salespersons or public officials; Domestics; Certain youths and students; Inmates; Family members; Amusement and recreational establishments; Non-agricultural employers not liable for state unemployment contributions; Dairying and production of livestock; and Sheltered workshops (Texas Workforce Commission, 2013). Consequences for Non-Compliance If for any reason the employer does not comply with the Act, the employee may file a claim with the Texas Workforce Commission. If the employer is found guilty, they may be subject to civil penalties, with the addition of attorney fees and court costs. Federal Laws Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 This law makes it illegal to discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. This law also makes it illegal to retaliate against an employee if they may have complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit. Title VII of the Act mandates employers to make reasonable accommodation for both applicants and employees in regards to religious practices, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the employer’s business. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 The Equal Pay Act of 1963 makes it illegal for an employer to pay different wages to men and women References Kizziar, J. H. (2012). The Texas Payday Law: Where Is My Paycheck? Retrieved from http:// (2012, January). The Texas Payday Law: Where Is My Paycheck? Kizziar News. Retrieved from http://www.bracewellgiuliani.com/assets/KizziarJan2011News.pdf Texas Workforce Commission. (2013). Texas Minimum Wage Law. Retrieved from http://www.twc.state.tx.us/ui/lablaw/texas-minimum-wage-law.html

Confidence in Students Essay

Statistics reveal that 95% of children and adults experience lack of confidence, self-belief, or low self-esteem at some point in their lives. Confidence is a feeling most adolescents have always struggled with and it is impossible to overestimate the lack of it amongst students. It ties in with stress, peer pressure, and other insecurities most teenagers face on a daily basis. Self-confidence can be altered by various life situations such as one’s school environment, home life, and individual motivation. What most educators fail to realize is that strengthening the confidence of their students is just as important as educating them. Educating students means more than giving academic knowledge. Giving positive and constructive feedback helps reduce weaknesses and enhance strengths. Telling a student how well he’s done on any task, whether it being an exam or regular classwork, helps him feel more accomplished. Students thrive on praise and will push themselves even hard er once they feel their work is being recognized. Even though giving praise is helpful, one should know self-confidence isn’t built from being spoiled with praise. Students will also know if the praise given is genuine. If they feel the praise is meaningless, they will not feel as motivated to push themselves harder. One should remain honest with each student to encourage him to address problems, instead of avoiding or denying their existence. Teachers should always make corrections without damaging a student’s confidence. A simple smile or letting students know you’re happy to see them also helps them to feel worthwhile and appreciated. Another key idea is goals set for each student. Teachers sometime tend to set goals too high or too low for certain students. Recognize that every child is different and has different learning capabilities. Always set realistic goals so the students will feel a sense of accomplishment when the goal is completed. Never make tasks too easy or too challenging. When students reach a point where they can overcome doubt to achieve objectives will help boost their confidence. Including them in your expectations for them and discussing their individual progress is always good to do. This will help students to see what approach or direction they need to take in order to complete the given task to their best ability. Rewarding students for meeting challenges lets them know they’re doing what they should. Most students don’t give themselves enough credit due to their personal insecurities. Encouraging students to set high standards for themselves will test their limits. When a teacher reassures a student that they are capable of achieving greatness, they will feel like somebody truly believes in them and it will motivate them greatly. With all this being said about the school environment, a student’s home life plays a major role with self-confidence as well. Parental relationships help in determining the self-esteem level one may have. Adolescents who view their parents’ communication as supportive and open are most probably to have higher self-esteem than those who perceived their parents’ communication patterns as controlling and unsupportive. Parents shouldn’t put any extra pressure on their children than they’re already facing. Being overwhelmed in numerous tasks and activities is never a good impact on one’s self confidence. It makes one panic and having a parent constantly yelling for one to complete it and do it well lowers self-confidence. A teenager wants to feel that their parents believe in them and their work capabilities. Despite how much a student’s home and school environment may affect their confidence, it all begins with individual motivation. For a student to be confident in their work and themselves, one has to be completely focused. A focused student shows determination and promise which helps the self-confidence level. Focusing on school and being very studious will make a student’s grades increase, boosting their confidence. Telling oneself positive motivational remarks helps also. Believing in oneself is the last step but indeed the most important. Confidence may be hard for teenagers to obtain in today’s society, but it isn’t impossible. The insecurities, peer pressure, and nearly unbearable stress student’s face shouldn’t be seen as a discouragement but instead as motivation to work harder. With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.