ANALYSIS OF WRITTEN AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ANALYSIS OF WRITTEN AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE - Essay Example Even when existing within the same genre of reporting, the differences between delivery types often dictate the way in which a report is written, including the various ways in which language is used to indicate the type of information contained, its identification as a formal or informal report, the means by which it is intended to be transmitted and the ways in which the information is strung together. The best way to understand the differences imposed by the delivery method is by comparing two different news reports, both covering the same topic, but distributing through differing media to a relatively comparable audience. In this type of comparison, one is able to look at the ways in which the report communicates its genre, how the text appears different from written to oral reporting, how the transitions change from one form to another and how the register, or tone, of the piece can change based upon the supposed audience style. Breaking news on the morning of September 10 focused upon the near shut-down of all UK airports in response to the discovery of a terrorist plot to detonate bombs on airliners while in flight. The CNN News report, aired around the world through various television channels and radio stations, immediately allowed audiences to identify the story as belonging to the genre of serious world news from the very first utterance by Robin Oakley. This is denoted by the carefully neutral tone of voice in which the report is delivered as well as the immediate introduction of â€Å"Home Secretary John Reid†, the very first words of the report. Although there is a touch to the light side, with the concept of people digesting their breakfasts, the introduction to the piece is kept as small and tightly contained as possible and the report shifts almost immediately to the words of the Home Secretary himself. In this and in other aspects, the story follows

The buying back of shares is a dangerous financial strategy as it Essay

The buying back of shares is a dangerous financial strategy as it increases the company's capital gearing. Evaluate this - Essay Example There are different motives that would attract the companies to buy back the shares and there are different techniques that can be used to go through the process of stock repurchase. Different techniques that can are used by the companies for their stock buy-back are as follow: Company offers to purchase the shares from their shareholders at a premium price thus it gives value to them and extra return over price they actually had paid for the shares when they were bought. Companies often buy back their shares from the open market like an ordinary investor purchasing shares and making investment. It is often seen that the market and shareholders perceive the decision of the company to buy back the shares as a positive move and shareholders expecting higher returns stimulates stock price of the company (Larry, 1981). Motives for stock buyback Different circumstances and requirements of business conditions can influence management of share repurchase. Such motivating factors along with their reasons are discussed below: Market perception It is the perception of the shareholders and potential investors that exists in the market matters for future of company. Company is believed to use capital or extra finance available to them to buy back its shares thus giving the perception in market that there shareholders would be valued as they are provided the opportunity to trade possessed shares at the premium price (Udo & Richard, 2003). Thus removing any negative market perceptions that the stock price of the company has fallen and they have low future expectancy that what effects dealing of shares in market. It is often due to low earnings reported by the company in past some period, its operations effected by some scandal or lawsuit thus the share buyback is used as an option to remove any negative perceptions that are prevailing regarding the company in the market (David, et al., 1995). It is becomes necessary for the company to make the share buyback as market due to such instances and incidents might value the share price way low and shares are being traded at value that is below the expectancy of company thus in order to keep a standard for their shares in market and keeping value for their shareholders alive however it is believed that hike in share prices through this approach is of nominal period (Mansor, et al., 2011). Financial Ratios It is a usual practice in the market adopted by the investors before making any investment they make decisions on the basis of research and evaluation of the companies that are seem potential for the investment. Financial ratios of the company are most basic and foremost results that are used for the evaluation of the company. It is part of rational decision making of the investor as they evaluate their choice of investment before making the final decision (Amy, 2000). Thus share buyback can be the part of an accounting technique to get the desired results for the company as however it is the personal financ e of the company that they utilize to buy-back the shares thus it is confidence that the companies have on their abilities that makes them repurchase the outstanding shares that are either absorbed or turned to treasury stock. Thus the purchase reduces assets of company as it is the cash that is being paid for purchase of the shares therefore one of most important

The Analysis And Design Of Work

The Analysis And Design Of Work The first section of this chapter discusses the analysis of work process within a given work unit. Having provided an understanding of the broader context of jobs, the chapter discusses the need for and usefulness of both job analysis and the techniques for performing job analysis. Finally, the chapter concludes by presenting the various approaches to job design to provide managers with an understanding of the costs and benefits of emphasizing different characteristics of jobs when designing or redesigning them. Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, the student should be able to: Analyze a work-flow process, identifying the output, activities, and inputs in the production of a product or service. Understand the importance of job analysis in strategic and human resource management. Choose the right job-analysis technique for a variety of human resource activities. Identify the tasks performed and the skills required in a given job. Understand the different approaches to job design. Comprehend the trade-offs among the various approaches to designing jobs. Extended Chapter Outline Note: Key terms appear in boldface and are listed in the Chapter Vocabulary section. Opening Vignette: Teams Levis: A Poor Fit? Like many corporations attempted in the 1990s, Levis tried to mimic the success of Chryslers team-based organizational structure. Unfortunately, the team-based structure did not materialize at Levis. Efficiency of pants produced dropped 30% as a result of the team structure, as well as labor and overhead increasing by 25%. Overall, the cost of production increased from $5 a pair of pants to $7.50. Introduction-Designing the work to be performed is one of the first tasks of strategy implementation discussed in Chapter 2. The way a firm competes can have a profound impact on the way tasks are organized, and the way the tasks are designed may provide the company with a competitive advantage. Also, the way jobs are designed can, in fact, affect company work-unit performance. There is no one best way to design jobs and structure organizations. The organization needs to create a fit between its environment, its competitive strategy and philosophy on the one hand, with its job and organizational design on the other. Job analysis and job design are interrelated. Work-Flow Analysis and Organizational Structure (Work-flow analysis, analyzing work outputs, processes, and inputs; see text Figure 4.1 and TM 4.1) Work-flow Analysis The Work-flow process is useful because it provides a means for the managers to understand all the tasks required to produce a high-quality product as well as the skills necessary to perform those tasks. Analyzing Work Outputs Work outputs are products of, or services provided by, a work unit. Example: A work output for GM is a new Buick off the assembly line; a work output for Gordon Landscaping Company is a mowed lawn. Once outputs have been identified, it is necessary to specify the standards for the quantity or quality of these outputs. ProMES (productivity measurement and evaluation system) is a productivity improvement technique that focuses attention on both identifying work-unit outputs and specifying levels of required performance for different levels of efficiency. Analyzing Work Processes Work processes are the activities that members of a work unit engage in to produce a given output. Example: Work processes needed to produce an automobile include assembly, painting, and so forth. Every process consists of operating procedures that specify how things should be done to develop the product or service. Analyzing Work Inputs Work inputs are the ingredients that go into the work processes and can be broken down into three categories (text Figure 4.1). Raw materials consist of the materials, data, and informa ­tion that will be converted into the work units products. Equipment refers to the technology, machinery, facilities, and systems necessary to transform the raw materials into the product or service. Example: Raw materials for the assembly of automobiles include various parts (steering wheels, tires, door panels, etc.) and equipment used, including robotic welding machines. Human skills refer to the workers knowledge, skills, abil ­ities, and efforts necessary to perform the tasks. Organizational structure provides a cross-sectional overview of the static relationship between individuals and units that create the outputs. Two of the most important dimensions of structure are centralization and departmentation. Centralization is the degree to which authority resides at the top of the organizational chart. Departmentation refers to the degree to which work units are grouped based upon functional similarity of work flow. Two types of Structural Configuration of organizational structure tend to emerge in organizations. A functional structure (See Fig. 4.2 and TM 4.2 in text) employs a functional departmentation scheme with high levels of centralization. Functional structures are very efficient. However, they tend to be inflexible and insensitive to subtle differences across products, regions, or clients A divisional structure (see Figures 4.3, 4.4, 4.5 in the text and TM 4.3, 4.4, 4.5) employs a workflow departmentation and low levels of centralization. Because of their work-flow focus, their semi-autonomous nature, and their proximity to a homogenous consumer base, divisional structures tend to be more flexible and innovative. However, they are not very efficient. Structure and the Nature of Jobs Jobs in functional structure need to be narrow, highly specialized, and people need to work alone. Jobs in divisional structures need to be more holistic, team-based structure with greater decision making authority. Job analysis is the process of getting detailed information about jobs. The Importance of Job Analysis to HR Managers Job analysis has been called the building block of everything that the personnel department does. Some of the human resource activities that use jobà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœanalysis information include selection, performance appraisal, training and development, job evaluation, career planning, work redesign, and human resource planning. The Importance of Job Analysis to Line Managers Managers must have detailed information about all the jobs in their work group to understand the work-flow process. Managers need to understand the job requirements to make intelligent hiring decisions. Since the manager is responsible for ensuring that each indi ­vidual is performing his or her job satisfactorily, the manager must clearly understand the tasks required in every job. Job Analysis Information A job description is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibili ­ties (TDRs) that the job entails. (text Table 4.1) A related readings from Dushkins Annual Editions: Human Resources 99/00:  ¨HRs role will change. The question is how. HR 2008 by Floyd Kemske A job specification is a list of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) that an individual must have to perform the job. Example: Job specifications for an employment assistant would include: (1) a fourà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœyear college degree with major course work in human resources or an equivalent combination of experi ­ence, education, and training; (2) considerable knowledge of principles of employee selection and assignment of personnel; (3) the ability to express ideas clearly in written and oral communication; (4) the ability to independently plan and orga ­nize ones own activities. Competing by Meeting Stakeholders Needs: Staying Alive at the Graveyard Human beings are not nocturnal animals, therefore, working at night is not a natural activity for most people. Evidence suggests that people working the graveyard shift are more likely to develop problems like fatigue, depression, obesity, and also have been found to be more accident-prone and have higher absenteeism and turnover. Fortunately, research shows that people with certain characteristics, like being night owls and who exercise regularly, can respond easier to this type of disruptive behavior. Sources of Job Analysis Information In general, it will be useful for the manager to go to the job incumbents to get the most accurate information about what is actually done on the job. However, the incumbents might exaggerate their job duties. Managers should ask others familiar with the job, such as the supervisor, to look over any information received from the incumbents. Research has shown greater agreement between supervisors and subordinates when rating general job duties than when rating specific tasks. Also, incumbents may be the best source for accurate estimates of time spent on job tasks, but supervisors may be more accurate on the importance of job duties. Research is somewhat inconclusive about the relationship between the performance level of the job analyst and the job-analysis information he or she provides, but recent research has shown that effective and ineffective managers tend to give the same job-analysis ratings despite their performance level. Because of inconclusive research results on the influence of demographic and experience differences, it is best to take steps to ensure that the incumbent group responsible for job-analysis information represents a variety of gender, racial, and experience level categories. Competing Through High Performance Work Systems: Telework With the new millennium approaching, the trend of separating work life from home life may be a thing of the past. With the costs of office space combined with the drastically reduced prices of portable electronic computing and communication devices, a new trend may develop called telework (doing ones work away from a centrally located office). Telework programs can save up to $8000 per employee annually. The number of teleworkers is on the rise. Telework programs have advantages such as a productivity gain caused in part by flexibility that allowed people to work at their peak efficiency and partly by eliminating distractions. Telework programs also have some disadvantages such as employees feeling a hindrance of teamwork and some felt it was harder to balance home and work. Job Analysis Methods Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) The PAQ is a standardized jobà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœanalysis questionnaire containing 194 items representing work behaviors, work conditions, or job characteristics that are generalizable across a wide variety of jobs. The 194 items are organized into six sections, and the job analyst is asked to rate each item on six scales. A computer program generates a job report based on the ratings. Research has indicated that the PAQ measures 13 overall dimensions (text Table 4.2). Knowing the dimension scores provides some guidance regarding the types of abilities that are necessary to perform the job. One of the main problems with the PAQ is that it requires the reading level of a college graduate to complete the ques ­tionnaire. Task Analysis Inventory The task analysis inventory method refers to several different methods that focus on analyzing all the tasks performed in the focal job. It is not uncommon to have over 100 tasks for a job. The task inventoryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ËœCODAP method has SMEs generate a list of tasks and then the SMEs rate each task on various dimensions such as the time spent on the task, frequency of task performance, relative importance of task, and relative difficulty of the task. The task analysis method is different from the CODAP method since once the task list is developed, the SMEs are asked to identify the skills, abilities, and personal character ­istics required to perform each task Fleishman Job Analysis System (FJAS) This approach defines abilities as enduring attributes of indi ­viduals that account for differences in performance. The system is based on a taxonomy of 52 cognitive, psychomotor, physical, and sensory abilities that adequately represent all the dimensions relevant to work (see Table 4.3 in the text). The FJAS scales include behavioral benchmark examples of the different levels of the ability along a sevenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœpoint scale. SMEs indicate the point on the scale that best represents the level of that ability required in a certain job (Figure 4.6 and TM 4.3). Dynamic Elements of Job Analysis Although we tend to view jobs as static and stable, in fact, jobs tend to change and evolve over time. The job analysis process must also detect changes in the nature of jobs. Competing Through Globalization Box: Eliminating Sweatshops at Nike At the time when the Nike spokesperson, Michael Jordan, was bringing in over $10 billion, the workers of Indonesian plants were far from ideal. Labor practices like severe punishment for missed goals and mandatory overtime helped keep costs low and quality high. Consumers became increasingly aware of how their sneakers were actually being made, which led to boycotts and human rights groups getting involved. To end this problem, CEO Phillip Knight raised minimum worker age requirements, adopted safety and Health Standards and allowed HRM to monitor worker conditions in all foreign plants. Knight also invited competitors to do the same realizing that a failure to do so would result in a competitive disadvantage. Job design is the process of defining the way work will be performed and the tasks that will be required in a given job. Job redesign refers to changing the tasks or the way work is performed in an existing job. Jobs can also be characterized on different dimensions of job design (Table 4.4 in the text). Motivational Approach The motivational approach to job design focuses on the job characteristics that affect the psychological meaning and motivational potential and it views attitudinal variables as the most important outcomes of job design. The prescriptions of the motivational approach focus on increasing job complexity through job enlargement, job enrich ­ment, and the construction of jobs around sociotechnical systems. An example of the motivational approach is Herzbergs Two-Factor theory. A more complete model of how job design affects employee reactions is the Job Characteristics Model. Jobs can be described in terms of five characteristics: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. These five job characteristics determine the motivating potential of a job by affecting three psychological states: experienced meaningfulness, responsibility, and knowledge of results. When the core job characteristics are high, individuals will have a high level of internal work motivation, higher quantity and quality of work, and higher levels of job satisfaction. The positive effects require that the employees have adequate levels of satisfaction with the work environment, have the necessary ability to perform the job, and that they have a need to grow. There is some support for the idea that for those with high growth-need strength, job characteristics were more positively related to motivational outcomes than for those with low growth-need strength. Much of the work on job enlargement, job enrichment, and selfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœmanaging work teams has its roots in the motivational approach to job design (Figure 4.4 in the text). However, most of the research shows these interventions increase employee satisfaction and performance quality, but not necessarily increase quantity of performance. Example: Duke Power Company redesigned its customer service function to be more decentralized and enriched the customer reps job to allow for more decisionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœmaking authority. Whirlpool Corporation has also redesigned its customer service function by providing an 800 service line with customer reps that are often former service technicians and can help diagnose a problem over the phone. A related reading from Dushkins Annual Editions: Human Resources 99/00:  ¨Challenging Behaviorist Dogma: Myths About Money and Motivation Mechanistic Approach The mechanistic approach to job design has its roots in classical industrial engineering and focuses on designing jobs around the concepts of task specialization, skill simplification, and repetition. Scientific management, one of the earliest mechanistic approaches, sought to identify the one best way to perform the job through the use of time-and-motion studies. The scientific management approach was built upon in later years and resulted in a mechanistic approach that calls for the job to be designed very simply. The organization reduces its need for highà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœability individuals, and workers are easily replace ­able (a new employee can be trained to perform the job quickly and inexpensively). A related reading from Dushkins Annual Editions: Human Resources 99/00:  ¨HR Comes of Age by Michael Losey Biological Approach The biological approach to job design comes primarily from the sciences of biomechanics (the study of body movements), and it is usually referred to as ergonomics (concerned with examining the interface between individuals physiological characteristics and the physical work environment). The goal of this approach is to minimize the physical strain on the worker by structuring the physical work environment around the way the body works. Example: At Toyotas high-tech Tahara No. 4 line, new electric vehicle carriers were installed to minimize stress on the workers bodies. They adjust a cars height at every workstation. Toyota reports a major reduction in turnover during the plants first year of operation. The biological approach focuses on outcomes such as physical fatigue, aches and pains, and health complaints. The biological approach has been applied in redesigning equip ­ment to reduce the physical demands so women can perform the jobs and to reduce occupational illnesses such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Perceptual/Motor Approach The perceptual/motor approach to job design has its roots in the humanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœfactors literature and focuses on human mental capabilities and limitations. The goal is to design jobs in a way that ensures they do not exceed peoples mental capabilities. This approach generally tries to improve reliability, safety, and user reactions by designing jobs in a way that reduces the infor ­mationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœprocessing requirements of the job. This approach, similar to the mechanistic approach, generally has the effect of decreasing the jobs cognitive demands. Trade-offs among Different Approaches for Job Design (See Table 4.5 in text and TM 4.7) One research study found job incumbents expressed higher satisfaction with jobs scoring highly on motivational approach. However, the motivational and mechanistic approaches were negatively related, suggesting that designing jobs to maximize efficiency is likely to result in a lower motivational component to those jobs. Jobs redesigned to increase the motivating potential result in higher costs in terms of ability requirements, training, and compensation. In designing jobs, it is important to understand the tradeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœoffs inherent in focusing on one particular approach to job design. Chapter Vocabulary These terms are defined in the Extended Chapter Outline section. Workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ËœFlow Analysis Work Outputs ProMES Work Processes Work Inputs Organizational Structure Centralization Departmentation Functional Structure Divisional Structure Job Analysis Job Description Job Specification Job Element Method Fleishman Job Analysis System (FJAS) Task Analysis Inventory Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) Job Design Job Redesign Motivational Approach to Job Design Job Characteristics Model Mechanistic Approach to Job Design Biological Approach to Job Design Ergonomics Perceptual/Motor Approach to Job Design Discussion Questions Assume you are the manager of a fast-food restaurant. What are the outputs of your work unit? What are the activities required to produce those outputs? What are the inputs? Some examples of outputs for a fast-food restaurant include the food orders and the service provided. Activities required to produce these outputs include cooking, cleaning, preparing orders, taking orders, and so forth. The inputs include the raw materials (the ingredients for the food orders), the equipment (stove, cash register), and the human resources (the ability to cook, the knowledge of what ingredients go into a menu item). Based on question 1, consider the cashiers job. What are the outputs, activities, and inputs for that job? Inputs for the cashiers job include the raw inputs (food ordered, prices, tax), equipment (cash register), and human resources (the skill to operate the register, the knowledge of the prices of the menu items, and the ability to answer customers questions). Consider the job of college student. Perform a job analysis on this job. What are the tasks required in the job? What are the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform those tasks? What environmental trends or shocks (e.g., computers) might change the job, and how would that change the skill requirements? Tasks would include attending class, completing homework assignments, and participating in group assignments. Some examples of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed are knowledge of prerequisite course material, collegeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœlevel reading skills, and ability to work together with others. Some environmental trends that might change the job would result from changes in the job market, such as new knowledge that employers would expect college students to learn. An example might be knowledge of sexual harassment guidelines or ADA legislation. Discuss how the following trends are changing the skill requirements for managerial jobs in the United States: (a) increasing use of computers, (b) increasing international competition, (c) increasing work-family conflicts. Students should have no trouble discussing how these trends are changing the skill requirements for managerial jobs in the United States. Managers are increasingly expected to be computer literate. Managers are also expected to be knowledgeable about other cultures, and knowledge of a second language is more commonly preferred. Managers are also expected to be more sensitive to work/ ­family conflicts (dayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcare and elderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcare issues for example) and to be knowledgeable about various legislation that deals with such situations (such as the FMLA). Why is it important for a manager to be able to conduct a job analysis? What are the negative outcomes that would result from not understanding the jobs of those reporting to the manager? The chapter has a section on the importance of job analysis to both HR managers and line managers. The students answers will probably reflect information in these sections as well as possible reasons of  ­their own. The negative outcomes of a manager not understanding the jobs of his or her subordinates are that the manager may not make intelligent hiring decisions, may not be able to adequately evaluate the performance of subordinates, and will have trouble understanding the workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœflow process if individual jobs are not understood. What are the trade-offs between the different approaches to job design? Which approach do you think should be weighted most heavily when designing jobs? As discussed in the chapter, the trade-offs appear to be between increased satisfaction and motivation and reduced efficiency due to increased costs. For example, the motivational approach that increases satisfaction results in lower utilization levels and increased training time. Table 6.7 in the text summarizes the positive and negative outcomes of each approach. Students answers will vary as to which approach they think should be weighted most heavily depending on their value of the various outcomes for each approach. For the cashier in question 2, which approach to job design was most influential in designing that job? In the context of the total work-flow process of the restaurant, how would you redesign the job to more heavily emphasize each of the other approaches. Students answers will vary. All of the approaches could be used to design the cashiers job. To redesign the job to emphasize the mechanistic approach, students should discuss concepts such as more specialization. To redesign the job to emphasize the motivational approach, students should discuss making the job more complex. To redesign the job to emphasize the biological approach, students should discuss adjusting or making changes in the equipment or job environment. To redesign the job to emphasize the perceptual/motor approach, students should discuss ways to make the job less demanding mentally. Web Exercise Students are asked to go to The Center for Office Technologys homepage and click on the 1998 Outstanding Office Ergonomics Program Winner and review the steps organizations took to improve the office environment. www.cot.org End-of-Chapter Case The New Factory Worker Summary The trend toward high-skills manufacturing began in the mid-1980s with innovative companies such as Corning, Motorola, and Xerox. Companies are replacing assembly-line work with an industrial vision that requires skilled and nimble workers to think while they work. Today, life on the line requires more brains than muscle, so laborers are heading back to school. Examine the changes that have been made in Fred Prices job at Northeast tool, and then compare these to the four types of job design approaches described earlier in this chapter. If we had before-and-after measures on each of the four approaches, which would have revealed the largest change in the content of the job and which would have revealed the least: motivational, mechanistic, biological, or perceptual-motor? Knowing what you do about the trade-offs for various changes in job design, what negative outcomes might we fear from the types of changes brought about at Northeast? With the advent of more technology at the Northeast Tool plant, Fred Prices job has changed from a hands on, production line type job, to a job that requires increased education, leadership skills and managing roles. The largest change in the content of the job: Mechanistic; least amount of change; motivational. The negative outcomes might be: increased training time, lower utilization levels, greater chance of mental overload and stress, and greater likely hood of error. Technological changes, like the robotization of operations at Northeast Tool, can affect the structure of organizations, which in turn can change the level of skill requirements for workers. How did robotization affect the structure of Northeast Tool and the skill requirements for Fred Prices job? Can you think of other technological advancements that have resulted in the opposite affect on workers skill requirements? In what sense does the competitive strategy employed by the firm influence in which direction technology is likely to affect the skill level of workers? When Northeast implemented technological changes at its plant, Fred Prices job skill requirements changed. Before Price was the one doing all the work at the plant. Now, Fred Price has to be technologically savvy enough to control the robots that took his job from him. Any new type of technology that is implemented at Northeast is going to change the skill requirements of individuals jobs. When Fred Price started working for Northeast, he was 18 years old. Northeast supplied only to local California customers. Now, Northeast has to become a company, and even international, to stay competitive. With this type of growth, a company has to change to stay competitive. As we will see throughout this text, globalization has widespread effects on human resource practices. To what extent were the changes in jobs that came about at Northeast Tool driven by factors outside the U.S? If companies like Northeast Tool did not make these types of changes to compete, what other changes might they have had to make? If Fred Price was not willing to make the types of self-improvements he is making, what other types of changes would he have had to accept? What are the national implications of these kinds of changes, and how do these changes relate to the competitive advantage of nations like the U.S? The factors, outside of the U.S, that affected the changes at Northeast were the technologically savvy plants in Japan and Germany. To stay competitive in the global market, and even domestically, Northeast had to implement new technology. If Northeast was not willing to make these changes, then business would be hurt because it just could not compete with the bigger, more technologically sophisticated plants. Fred Price, if not willing to change, would have to settle for something less. These types of changes are at the core of our national competitiveness, the U.S. has been at the forefront in this productivity and competitive war and should continue to do so. Additional Activities Teaching Suggestions Several cases and articles can be used as additional activities when discussing the topic of job analysis and job design. The cases could be assigned to indi ­viduals as a writing assignment, possibly for extra credit, or could be assigned to groups to be done inside or outside of class. The articles could also be assigned and discussed in class. A possible library assignment is suggested to acquaint students with the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Harvard Business School Case 9à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ481à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ179, Office Technology, Inc. (A) by Beer, Von Werssowetz, and Witcraft, Teaching Note 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ485à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ021 by Beer and Spector. Robert Dorr must consider changes in several order administration work organizations that are to be consolidated. The separate units handle product lines with very different characteristics and have managers with different operating styles, philosophies, and personalities. One group is set up in an assembly-line style. Another has a team concept of job organization. Office Technology, Inc. (B) provides future developments. Two videotapes (9à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ884à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ512) and (9 ­884à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ513) are available for use with these cases. Suggested questions for Office Technology, Inc. Consider the order administration task. Discuss the process the LMP and OEM groups use to complete this task. How would you reorganize work in OEM? Consider case facts and class readings and lectures in formulating your answer. Discuss the rationale for your recommendations. If Dorr imposes an LMP-type team approach, what roadblock

Analysis of Wallace Stevens 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird :: Wallace Stevens 13 Ways Blackbird Essays

Analysis of Wallace Stevens' "13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird' by Wallace Stevens is a poem about what it means to really know something. In this poem, Stevens shows this connection by writing a first person poem about a poet's observation and contemplation's when viewing a blackbird. He does this by making each stanza an explanation of a new way he has perceived this blackbird. First, he writes about his physical perception of the blackbird as an observer. Then, he writes about his mental processes during this time. These are as the thoughts and perceptions of the blackbird itself, as what it must be like to be that bird. By the end, he has concluded that by seeing this blackbird, a connection has been made and he now knows the blackbird has becomes a part of him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first stanza, he focuses on the eye of the blackbird as an outside observer. This symbolizes the thoughts and the consciousness of the blackbird. It is also a transition from the observer's perception to the blackbird's perception. In the second stanza, Stevens goes on to say that he was of ?three minds, Like a tree, In which there are three blackbirds.? This was the first time he makes the connection between seeing the blackbird and him himself metaphorically being the blackbird. He makes this connection even more clear in the fourth stanza when he says that ?A man and a woman Are one. A man and a woman and a blackbird are one." In the sixth stanza he goes back to being the poet observer as he watches the blackbird fly by his icy window. Again in the next stanza he goes back to the point of view of the blackbird wondering why the men of Haddam only imagine golden birds instead of realizing the value of the common blackbird. At this time, he makes the connection that in seeing and knowing the blackbird it becomes a part of himself. When he says in the eighth stanza ?I know noble accents And lucid, inescapable rhythms; But I know, too, That the blackbird is involved In what I know.? he is acknowledging that he is still a poet but when he sees, thinks, and writes about the blackbird, in a way he is also the blackbird. After this, the black bird and the poet observer are separated but in the twelfth stanza Stevens writes ?The river is moving. The blackbird must be flying.? This is meant to show that though the observer's

Twilight 8. PORT ANGELES

8. PORT ANGELES Jess drove faster than the Chief, so we made it to Port Angeles by four. It had been a while since I'd had a girls' night out, and the estrogen rush was invigorating. We listened to whiny rock songs while Jessica jabbered on about the boys we hung out with. Jessica's dinner with Mike had gone very well, and she was hoping that by Saturday night they would have progressed to the first-kiss stage. I smiled to myself, pleased. Angela was passively happy to be going to the dance, but not really interested in Eric. Jess tried to get her to confess who her type was, but I interrupted with a question about dresses after a bit, to spare her. Angela threw a grateful glance my way. Port Angeles was a beautiful little tourist trap, much more polished and quaint than Forks. But Jessica and Angela knew it well, so they didn't plan to waste time on the picturesque boardwalk by the bay. Jess drove straight to the one big department store in town, which was a few streets in from the bay area's visitor-friendly face. The dance was billed as semiformal, and we weren't exactly sure what that meant. Both Jessica and Angela seemed surprised and almost disbelieving when I told them I'd never been to a dance in Phoenix. â€Å"Didn't you ever go with a boyfriend or something?† Jess asked dubiously as we walked through the front doors of the store. â€Å"Really,† I tried to convince her, not wanting to confess my dancing problems. â€Å"I've never had a boyfriend or anything close. I didn't go out much.† â€Å"Why not?† Jessica demanded. â€Å"No one asked me,† I answered honestly. She looked skeptical. â€Å"People ask you out here,† she reminded me, â€Å"and you tell them no.† We were in the juniors' section now, scanning the racks for dress-up clothes. â€Å"Well, except for Tyler,† Angela amended quietly. â€Å"Excuse me?† I gasped. â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"Tyler told everyone he's taking you to prom,† Jessica informed me with suspicious eyes. â€Å"He said what?† I sounded like I was choking. â€Å"I told you it wasn't true,† Angela murmured to Jessica. I was silent, still lost in shock that was quickly turning to irritation. But we had found the dress racks, and now we had work to do. â€Å"That's why Lauren doesn't like you,† Jessica giggled while we pawed through the clothes. I ground my teeth. â€Å"Do you think that if I ran him over with my truck he would stop feeling guilty about the accident? That he might give up on making amends and call it even?† â€Å"Maybe,† Jess snickered. ‘†If that's why he's doing this.† The dress selection wasn't large, but both of them found a few things to try on. I sat on a low chair just inside the dressing room, by the three-way mirror, trying to control my fuming. Jess was torn between two – one a long, strapless, basic black number, the other a knee-length electric blue with spaghetti straps. I encouraged her to go with the blue; why not play up the eyes? Angela chose a pale pink dress that draped around her tall frame nicely and brought out honey tints in her light brown hair. I complimented them both generously and helped by returning the rejects to their racks. The whole process was much shorter and easier than similar trips I'd taken with Ren? ¦e at home. I guess there was something to be said for limited choices. We headed over to shoes and accessories. While they tried things on I merely watched and critiqued, not in the mood to shop for myself, though I did need new shoes. The girls'-night high was wearing off in the wake of my annoyance at Tyler, leaving room for the gloom to move back in. â€Å"Angela?† I began, hesitant, while she was trying on a pair of pink strappy heels – she was overjoyed to have a date tall enough that she could wear high heels at all. Jessica had drifted to the jewelry counter and we were alone. â€Å"Yes?† She held her leg out, twisting her ankle to get a better view of the shoe. I chickened out. â€Å"I like those.† â€Å"I think I'll get them – though they'll never match anything but the one dress,† she mused. â€Å"Oh, go ahead – they're on sale,† I encouraged. She smiled, putting the lid back on a box that contained more practical-looking off-white shoes. I tried again. â€Å"Um, Angela†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked up curiously. â€Å"Is it normal for the†¦ Cullens† – I kept my eyes on the shoes – â€Å"to be out of school a lot?† I failed miserably in my attempt to sound nonchalant. â€Å"Yes, when the weather is good they go backpacking all the time – even the doctor. They're all real outdoorsy,† she told me quietly, examining her shoes, too. She didn't ask one question, let alone the hundreds that Jessica would have unleashed. I was beginning to really like Angela. â€Å"Oh.† I let the subject drop as Jessica returned to show us the rhinestone jewelry she'd found to match her silver shoes. We planned to go to dinner at a little Italian restaurant on the boardwalk, but the dress shopping hadn't taken as long as we'd expected. Jess and Angela were going to take their clothes back to the car and then walk down to the bay. I told them I would meet them at the restaurant in an hour – I wanted to look for a bookstore. They were both willing to come with me, but I encouraged them to go have fun – they didn't know how preoccupied I could get when surrounded by books; it was something I preferred to do alone. They walked off to the car chattering happily, and I headed in the direction Jess pointed out. I had no trouble finding the bookstore, but it wasn't what I was looking for. The windows were full of crystals, dream-catchers, and books about spiritual healing. I didn't even go inside. Through the glass I could see a fifty-year-old woman with long, gray hair worn straight down her back, clad in a dress right out of the sixties, smiling welcomingly from behind the counter. I decided that was one conversation I could skip. There had to be a normal bookstore in town. I meandered through the streets, which were filling up with end-of-the-workday traffic, and hoped I was headed toward downtown. I wasn't paying as much attention as I should to where I was going; I was wrestling with despair. I was trying so hard not to think about him, and what Angela had said†¦ and more than anything trying to beat down my hopes for Saturday, fearing a disappointment more painful than the rest, when I looked up to see someone's silver Volvo parked along the street and it all came crashing down on me. Stupid, unreliable vampire, I thought to myself. I stomped along in a southerly direction, toward some glass-fronted shops that looked promising. But when I got to them, they were just a repair shop and a vacant space. I still had too much time to go looking for Jess and Angela yet, and I definitely needed to get my mood in hand before I met back up with them. I ran my fingers through my hair a couple of times and took some deep breaths before I continued around the corner. I started to realize, as I crossed another road, that I was going the wrong direction. The little foot traffic I had seen was going north, and it looked like the buildings here were mostly warehouses. I decided to turn east at the next corner, and then loop around after a few blocks and try my luck on a different street on my way back to the boardwalk. A group of four men turned around the corner I was heading for, dressed too casually to be heading home from the office, but they were too grimy to be tourists. As they approached me, I realized they weren't too many years older than I was. They were joking loudly among themselves, laughing raucously and punching each other's arms. I scooted as far to the inside of the sidewalk as I could to give them room, walking swiftly, looking past them to the corner. â€Å"Hey, there!† one of them called as they passed, and he had to be talking to me since no one else was around. I glanced up automatically. Two of them had paused, the other two were slowing. The closest, a heavyset, dark-haired man in his early twenties, seemed to be the one who had spoken. He was wearing a flannel shirt open over a dirty t-shirt, cut-off jeans, and sandals. He took half a step toward me. â€Å"Hello,† I mumbled, a knee-jerk reaction. Then I quickly looked away and walked faster toward the corner. I could hear them laughing at full volume behind me. â€Å"Hey, wait!† one of them called after me again, but I kept my head down and rounded the corner with a sigh of relief. I could still hear them chortling behind me. I found myself on a sidewalk leading past the backs of several somber-colored warehouses, each with large bay doors for unloading trucks, padlocked for the night. The south side of the street had no sidewalk, only a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire protecting some kind of engine parts storage yard. I'd wandered far past the part of Port Angeles that I, as a guest, was intended to see. It was getting dark, I realized, the clouds finally returning, piling up on the western horizon, creating an early sunset. The eastern sky was still clear, but graying, shot through with streaks of pink and orange. I'd left my jacket in the car, and a sudden shiver made me cross my arms tightly across my chest. A single van passed me, and then the road was empty. The sky suddenly darkened further, and, as I looked over my shoulder to glare at the offending cloud, I realized with a shock that two men were walking quietly twenty feet behind me. They were from the same group I'd passed at the corner, though neither was the dark one who'd spoken to me. I turned my head forward at once, quickening my pace. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather made me shiver again. My purse was on a shoulder strap and I had it slung across my body, the way you were supposed to wear it so it wouldn't get snatched. I knew exactly where my pepper spray was – still in my duffle bag under the bed, never unpacked. I didn't have much money with me, just a twenty and some ones, and I thought about â€Å"accidentally† dropping my bag and walking away. But a small, frightened voice in the back of my mind warned me that they might be something worse than thieves. I listened intently to their quiet footsteps, which were much too quiet when compared to the boisterous noise they'd been making earlier, and it didn't sound like they were speeding up, or getting any closer to me. Breathe, I had to remind myself. You don't know they're following you. I continued to walk as quickly as I could without actually running, focusing on the right-hand turn that was only a few yards away from me now. I could hear them, staying as far back as they'd been before. A blue car turned onto the street from the south and drove quickly past me. I thought of jumping out in front of it, but I hesitated, inhibited, unsure that I was really being pursued, and then it was too late. I reached the corner, but a swift glance revealed that it was only a blind drive to the back of another building. I was half-turned in anticipation; I had to hurriedly correct and dash across the narrow drive, back to the sidewalk. The street ended at the next corner, where there was a stop sign. I concentrated on the faint footsteps behind me, deciding whether or not to run. They sounded farther back, though, and I knew they could outrun me in any case. I was sure to trip and go sprawling if I tried to go any faster. The footfalls were definitely farther back. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder, and they were maybe forty feet back now, I saw with relief. But they were both staring at me. It seemed to take forever for me to get to the corner. I kept my pace steady, the men behind me falling ever so slightly farther behind with every step. Maybe they realized they had scared me and were sorry. I saw two cars going north pass the intersection I was heading for, and I exhaled in relief. There would be more people around once I got off this deserted street. I skipped around the corner with a grateful sigh. And skidded to a stop. The street was lined on both sides by blank, doorless, windowless walls. I could see in the distance, two intersections down, streetlamps, cars, and more pedestrians, but they were all too far away. Because lounging against the western building, midway down the street, were the other two men from the group, both watching with excited smiles as I froze dead on the sidewalk. I realized then that I wasn't being followed. I was being herded. I paused for only a second, but it felt like a very long time. I turned then and darted to the other side of the road. I had a sinking feeling that it was a wasted attempt. The footsteps behind me were louder now. â€Å"There you are!† The booming voice of the stocky, dark-haired man shattered the intense quiet and made me jump. In the gathering darkness, it seemed like he was looking past me. â€Å"Yeah,† a voice called loudly from behind me, making me jump again as I tried to hurry down the street. â€Å"We just took a little detour.† My steps had to slow now. I was closing the distance between myself and the lounging pair too quickly. I had a good loud scream, and I sucked in air, preparing to use it, but my throat was so dry I wasn't sure how much volume I could manage. With a quick movement I slipped my purse over my head, gripping the strap with one hand, ready to surrender it or use it as weapon as need demanded. The thickset man shrugged away from the wall as I warily came to a stop, and walked slowly into the street. â€Å"Stay away from me,† I warned in a voice that was supposed to sound strong and fearless. But I was right about the dry throat – no volume. â€Å"Don't be like that, sugar,† he called, and the raucous laughter started again behind me. I braced myself, feet apart, trying to remember through my panic what little self-defense I knew. Heel of the hand thrust upward, hopefully breaking the nose or shoving it into the brain. Finger through the eye socket – try to hook around and pop the eye out. And the standard knee to the groin, of course. That same pessimistic voice in my mind spoke up then, reminding me that I probably wouldn't have a chance against one of them, and there were four. Shut up! I commanded the voice before terror could incapacitate me. I wasn't going out without taking someone with me. I tried to swallow so I could build up a decent scream. Headlights suddenly flew around the corner, the car almost hitting the stocky one, forcing him to jump back toward the sidewalk. I dove into the road – this car was going to stop, or have to hit me. But the silver car unexpectedly fishtailed around, skidding to a stop with the passenger door open just a few feet from me. â€Å"Get in,† a furious voice commanded. It was amazing how instantaneously the choking fear vanished, amazing how suddenly the feeling of security washed over me – even before I was off the street – as soon as I heard his voice. I jumped into the seat, slamming the door shut behind me. It was dark in the car, no light had come on with the opening of the door, and I could barely see his face in the glow from the dashboard. The tires squealed as he spun around to face north, accelerating too quickly, swerving toward the stunned men on the street. I caught a glimpse of them diving for the sidewalk as we straightened out and sped toward the harbor. â€Å"Put on your seat belt,† he commanded, and I realized I was clutching the seat with both hands. I quickly obeyed; the snap as the belt connected was loud in the darkness. He took a sharp left, racing forward, blowing through several stop signs without a pause. But I felt utterly safe and, for the moment, totally unconcerned about where we were going. I stared at his face in profound relief, relief that went beyond my sudden deliverance. I studied his flawless features in the limited light, waiting for my breath to return to normal, until it occurred to me that his expression was murderously angry. â€Å"Are you okay?† I asked, surprised at how hoarse my voice sounded. â€Å"No,† he said curtly, and his tone was livid. I sat in silence, watching his face while his blazing eyes stared straight ahead, until the car came to a sudden stop. I glanced around, but it was too dark to see anything beside the vague outline of dark trees crowding the roadside. We weren't in town anymore. â€Å"Bella?† he asked, his voice tight, controlled. â€Å"Yes?† My voice was still rough. I tried to clear my throat quietly. â€Å"Are you all right?† He still didn't look at me, but the fury was plain on his face. â€Å"Yes,† I croaked softly. â€Å"Distract me, please,† he ordered. â€Å"I'm sorry, what?† He exhaled sharply. â€Å"Just prattle about something unimportant until I calm down,† he clarified, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. â€Å"Um.† I wracked my brain for something trivial. â€Å"I'm going to run over Tyler Crowley tomorrow before school?† He was still squeezing his eyes closed, but the corner of his mouth twitched. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"He's telling everyone that he's taking me to prom – either he's insane or he's still trying to make up for almost killing me last†¦ well, you remember it, and he thinks prom is somehow the correct way to do this. So I figure if I endanger his life, then we're even, and he can't keep trying to make amends. I don't need enemies and maybe Lauren would back off if he left me alone. I might have to total his Sentra, though. If he doesn't have a ride he can't take anyone to prom†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I babbled on. â€Å"I heard about that.† He sounded a bit more composed. â€Å"You did?† I asked in disbelief, my previous irritation flaring. â€Å"If he's paralyzed from the neck down, he can't go to the prom, either,† I muttered, refining my plan. Edward sighed, and finally opened his eyes. â€Å"Better?† â€Å"Not really.† I waited, but he didn't speak again. He leaned his head back against the seat, staring at the ceiling of the car. His face was rigid. â€Å"What's wrong?† My voice came out in a whisper. â€Å"Sometimes I have a problem with my temper, Bella.† He was whispering, too, and as he stared out the window, his eyes narrowed into slits. â€Å"But it wouldn't be helpful for me to turn around and hunt down those†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't finish his sentence, looking away, struggling for a moment to control his anger again. â€Å"At least,† he continued, â€Å"that's what I'm trying to convince myself.† â€Å"Oh.† The word seemed inadequate, but I couldn't think of a better response. We sat in silence again. I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was past six-thirty. â€Å"Jessica and Angela will be worried,† I murmured. â€Å"I was supposed to meet them.† He started the engine without another word, turning around smoothly and speeding back toward town. We were under the streetlights in no time at all, still going too fast, weaving with ease through the cars slowly cruising the boardwalk. He parallel-parked against the curb in a space I would have thought much too small for the Volvo, but he slid in effortlessly in one try. I looked out the window to see the lights of La Bella Italia, and Jess and Angela just leaving, pacing anxiously away from us. â€Å"How did you know where†¦ ?† I began, but then I just shook my head. I heard the door open and turned to see him getting out. â€Å"What are you doing?† I asked. â€Å"I'm taking you to dinner.† He smiled slightly, but his eyes were hard. He stepped out of the car and slammed the door. I fumbled with my seat belt, and then hurried to get out of the car as well. He was waiting for me on the sidewalk. He spoke before I could. â€Å"Go stop Jessica and Angela before I have to track them down, too. I don't think I could restrain myself if I ran into your other friends again.† I shivered at the threat in his voice. â€Å"Jess! Angela!† I yelled after them, waving when they turned. They rushed back to me, the pronounced relief on both their faces simultaneously changing to surprise as they saw who I was standing next to. They hesitated a few feet from us. â€Å"Where have you been?† Jessica's voice was suspicious. â€Å"I got lost,† I admitted sheepishly. â€Å"And then I ran into Edward.† I gestured toward him. â€Å"Would it be all right if I joined you?† he asked in his silken, irresistible voice. I could see from their staggered expressions that he had never unleashed his talents on them before. â€Å"Er†¦ sure,† Jessica breathed. â€Å"Um, actually, Bella, we already ate while we were waiting – sorry,† Angela confessed. â€Å"That's fine – I'm not hungry.† I shrugged. â€Å"I think you should eat something.† Edward's voice was low, but full of authority. He looked up at Jessica and spoke slightly louder. â€Å"Do you mind if I drive Bella home tonight? That way you won't have to wait while she eats.† â€Å"Uh, no problem, I guess†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She bit her lip, trying to figure out from my expression whether that was what I wanted. I winked at her. I wanted nothing more than to be alone with my perpetual savior. There were so many questions that I couldn't bombard him with till we were by ourselves. â€Å"Okay.† Angela was quicker than Jessica. â€Å"See you tomorrow, Bella†¦ Edward.† She grabbed Jessica's hand and pulled her toward the car, which I could see a little ways away, parked across First Street. As they got in, Jess turned and waved, her face eager with curiosity. I waved back, waiting for them to drive away before I turned to face him. â€Å"Honestly, I'm not hungry,† I insisted, looking up to scrutinize his face. His expression was unreadable. â€Å"Humor me.† He walked to the door of the restaurant and held it open with an obstinate expression. Obviously, there would be no further discussion. I walked past him into the restaurant with a resigned sigh. The restaurant wasn't crowded – it was the off-season in Port Angeles. The host was female, and I understood the look in her eyes as she assessed Edward. She welcomed him a little more warmly than necessary. I was surprised by how much that bothered me. She was several inches taller than I was, and unnaturally blond. â€Å"A table for two?† His voice was alluring, whether he was aiming for that or not. I saw her eyes flicker to me and then away, satisfied by my obvious ordinariness, and by the cautious, no-contact space Edward kept between us. She led us to a table big enough for four in the center of the most crowded area of the dining floor. I was about to sit, but Edward shook his head at me. â€Å"Perhaps something more private?† he insisted quietly to the host. I wasn't sure, but it looked like he smoothly handed her a tip. I'd never seen anyone refuse a table except in old movies. â€Å"Sure.† She sounded as surprised as I was. She turned and led us around a partition to a small ring of booths – all of them empty. â€Å"How's this?† â€Å"Perfect.† He flashed his gleaming smile, dazing her momentarily. â€Å"Um† – she shook her head, blinking – â€Å"your server will be right out.† She walked away unsteadily. â€Å"You really shouldn't do that to people,† I criticized. â€Å"It's hardly fair.† â€Å"Do what?† â€Å"Dazzle them like that – she's probably hyperventilating in the kitchen right now.† He seemed confused. â€Å"Oh, come on,† I said dubiously. â€Å"You have to know the effect you have on people.† He tilted his head to one side, and his eyes were curious. â€Å"I dazzle people?† â€Å"You haven't noticed? Do you think everybody gets their way so easily?† He ignored my questions. â€Å"Do I dazzle you?† â€Å"Frequently,† I admitted. And then our server arrived, her face expectant. The hostess had definitely dished behind the scenes, and this new girl didn't look disappointed. She flipped a strand of short black hair behind one ear and smiled with unnecessary warmth. â€Å"Hello. My name is Amber, and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?† I didn't miss that she was speaking only to him. He looked at me. â€Å"I'll have a Coke.† It sounded like a question. â€Å"Two Cokes,† he said. â€Å"I'll be right back with that,† she assured him with another unnecessary smile. But he didn't see it. He was watching me. â€Å"What?† I asked when she left. His eyes stayed fixed on my face. â€Å"How are you feeling?† â€Å"I'm fine,† I replied, surprised by his intensity. â€Å"You don't feel dizzy, sick, cold†¦ ?† â€Å"Should I?† He chuckled at my puzzled tone. â€Å"Well, I'm actually waiting for you to go into shock.† His face twisted up into that perfect crooked smile. â€Å"I don't think that will happen,† I said after I could breathe again. â€Å"I've always been very good at repressing unpleasant things.† â€Å"Just the same, I'll feel better when you have some sugar and food in you.† Right on cue, the waitress appeared with our drinks and a basket of breadsticks. She stood with her back to me as she placed them on the table. â€Å"Are you ready to order?† she asked Edward. â€Å"Bella?† he asked. She turned unwillingly toward me. I picked the first thing I saw on the menu. â€Å"Um†¦ I'll have the mushroom ravioli.† â€Å"And you?† She turned back to him with a smile. â€Å"Nothing for me,† he said. Of course not. â€Å"Let me know if you change your mind.† The coy smile was still in place, but he wasn't looking at her, and she left dissatisfied. â€Å"Drink,† he ordered. I sipped at my soda obediently, and then drank more deeply, surprised by how thirsty I was. I realized I had finished the whole thing when he pushed his glass toward me. â€Å"Thanks,† I muttered, still thirsty. The cold from the icy soda was radiating through my chest, and I shivered. â€Å"Are you cold?† â€Å"It's just the Coke,† I explained, shivering again. â€Å"Don't you have a jacket?† His voice was disapproving. â€Å"Yes.† I looked at the empty bench next to me. â€Å"Oh – I left it in Jessica's car,† I realized. Edward was shrugging out of his jacket. I suddenly realized that I had never once noticed what he was wearing – not just tonight, but ever. I just couldn't seem to look away from his face. I made myself look now, focusing. He was removing a light beige leather jacket now; underneath he wore an ivory turtleneck sweater. It fit him snugly, emphasizing how muscular his chest was. He handed me the jacket, interrupting my ogling. â€Å"Thanks,† I said again, sliding my arms into his jacket. It was cold – the way my jacket felt when I first picked it up in the morning, hanging in the drafty hallway. I shivered again. It smelled amazing. I inhaled, trying to identify the delicious scent. It didn't smell like cologne. The sleeves were much too long; I shoved them back so I could free my hands. â€Å"That color blue looks lovely with your skin,† he said, watching me. I was surprised; I looked down, flushing, of course. He pushed the bread basket toward me. â€Å"Really, I'm not going into shock,† I protested. â€Å"You should be – a normal person would be. You don't even look shaken.† He seemed unsettled. He stared into my eyes, and I saw how light his eyes were, lighter than I'd ever seen them, golden butterscotch. â€Å"I feel very safe with you,† I confessed, mesmerized into telling the truth again. That displeased him; his alabaster brow furrowed. He shook his head, frowning. â€Å"This is more complicated than I'd planned,† he murmured to himself. I picked up a breadstick and began nibbling on the end, measuring his expression. I wondered when it would be okay to start questioning him. â€Å"Usually you're in a better mood when your eyes are so light,† I commented, trying to distract him from whatever thought had left him frowning and somber. He stared at me, stunned. â€Å"What?† â€Å"You're always crabbier when your eyes are black – I expect it then,† I went on. â€Å"I have a theory about that.† His eyes narrowed. â€Å"More theories?† â€Å"Mm-hm.† I chewed on a small bite of the bread, trying to look indifferent. â€Å"I hope you were more creative this time†¦ or are you still stealing from comic books?† His faint smile was mocking; his eyes were still tight. â€Å"Well, no, I didn't get it from a comic book, but I didn't come up with it on my own, either,† I confessed. â€Å"And?† he prompted. But then the waitress strode around the partition with my food. I realized we'd been unconsciously leaning toward each other across the table, because we both straightened up as she approached. She set the dish in front of me – it looked pretty good – and turned quickly to Edward. â€Å"Did you change your mind?† she asked. â€Å"Isn't there anything I can get you?† I may have been imagining the double meaning in her words. â€Å"No, thank you, but some more soda would be nice.† He gestured with a long white hand to the empty cups in front of me. â€Å"Sure.† She removed the empty glasses and walked away. â€Å"You were saying?† he asked. â€Å"I'll tell you about it in the car. If†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I paused. â€Å"There are conditions?† He raised one eyebrow, his voice ominous. â€Å"I do have a few questions, of course.† â€Å"Of course.† The waitress was back with two more Cokes. She sat them down without a word this time, and left again. I took a sip. â€Å"Well, go ahead,† he pushed, his voice still hard. I started with the most undemanding. Or so I thought. â€Å"Why are you in Port Angeles?† He looked down, folding his large hands together slowly on the table. His eyes flickered up at me from under his lashes, the hint of a smirk on his face. â€Å"Next.† â€Å"But that's the easiest one,† I objected. â€Å"Next,† he repeated. I looked down, frustrated. I unrolled my silverware, picked up my fork, and carefully speared a ravioli. I put it in my mouth slowly, still looking down, chewing while I thought. The mushrooms were good. I swallowed and took another sip of Coke before I looked up. â€Å"Okay, then.† I glared at him, and continued slowly. â€Å"Let's say, hypothetically of course, that†¦ someone†¦ could know what people are thinking, read minds, you know – with a few exceptions.† â€Å"Just one exception,† he corrected, â€Å"hypothetically.† â€Å"All right, with one exception, then.† I was thrilled that he was playing along, but I tried to seem casual. â€Å"How does that work? What are the limitations? How would†¦ that someone†¦ find someone else at exactly the right time? How would he know she was in trouble?† I wondered if my convoluted questions even made sense. â€Å"Hypothetically?† he asked. â€Å"Sure.† â€Å"Well, if†¦ that someone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Let's call him ‘Joe,'† I suggested. He smiled wryly. â€Å"Joe, then. If Joe had been paying attention, the timing wouldn't have needed to be quite so exact.† He shook his head, rolling his eyes. â€Å"Only you could get into trouble in a town this small. You would have devastated their crime rate statistics for a decade, you know.† â€Å"We were speaking of a hypothetical case,† I reminded him frostily. He laughed at me, his eyes warm. â€Å"Yes, we were,† he agreed. â€Å"Shall we call you ‘Jane'?† â€Å"How did you know?† I asked, unable to curb my intensity. I realized I was leaning toward him again. He seemed to be wavering, torn by some internal dilemma. His eyes locked with mine, and I guessed he was making the decision right then whether or not to simply tell me the truth. â€Å"You can trust me, you know,† I murmured. I reached forward, without thinking, to touch his folded hands, but he slid them away minutely, and I pulled my hand back. â€Å"I don't know if I have a choice anymore.† His voice was almost a whisper. â€Å"I was wrong – you're much more observant than I gave you credit for.† â€Å"I thought you were always right.† â€Å"I used to be.† He shook his head again. â€Å"I was wrong about you on one other thing, as well. You're not a magnet for accidents – that's not a broad enough classification. You are a magnet for trouble. If there is anything dangerous within a ten-mile radius, it will invariably find you.† â€Å"And you put yourself into that category?† I guessed. His face turned cold, expressionless. â€Å"Unequivocally.† I stretched my hand across the table again – ignoring him when he pulled back slightly once more – to touch the back of his hand shyly with my fingertips. His skin was cold and hard, like a stone. â€Å"Thank you.† My voice was fervent with gratitude. â€Å"That's twice now.† His face softened. â€Å"Let's not try for three, agreed?† I scowled, but nodded. He moved his hand out from under mine, placing both of his under the table. But he leaned toward me. â€Å"I followed you to Port Angeles,† he admitted, speaking in a rush. â€Å"I've never tried to keep a specific person alive before, and it's much more troublesome than I would have believed. But that's probably just because it's you. Ordinary people seem to make it through the day without so many catastrophes.† He paused. I wondered if it should bother me that he was following me; instead I felt a strange surge of pleasure. He stared, maybe wondering why my lips were curving into an involuntary smile. â€Å"Did you ever think that maybe my number was up the first time, with the van, and that you've been interfering with fate?† I speculated, distracting myself. â€Å"That wasn't the first time,† he said, and his voice was hard to hear. I stared at him in amazement, but he was looking down. â€Å"Your number was up the first time I met you.† I felt a spasm of fear at his words, and the abrupt memory of his violent black glare that first day†¦ but the overwhelming sense of safety I felt in his presence stifled it. By the time he looked up to read my eyes, there was no trace of fear in them. â€Å"You remember?† he asked, his angel's face grave. â€Å"Yes.† I was calm. â€Å"And yet here you sit.† There was a trace of disbelief in his voice; he raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Yes, here I sit†¦ because of you.† I paused. â€Å"Because somehow you knew how to find me today†¦ ?† I prompted. He pressed his lips together, staring at me through narrowed eyes, deciding again. His eyes flashed down to my full plate, and then back to me. â€Å"You eat, I'll talk,† he bargained. I quickly scooped up another ravioli and popped it in my mouth. â€Å"It's harder than it should be – keeping track of you. Usually I can find someone very easily, once I've heard their mind before.† He looked at me anxiously, and I realized I had frozen. I made myself swallow, then stabbed another ravioli and tossed it in. â€Å"I was keeping tabs on Jessica, not carefully – like I said, only you could find trouble in Port Angeles – and at first I didn't notice when you took off on your own. Then, when I realized that you weren't with her anymore, I went looking for you at the bookstore I saw in her head. I could tell that you hadn't gone in, and that you'd gone south†¦ and I knew you would have to turn around soon. So I was just waiting for you, randomly searching through the thoughts of people on the street – to see if anyone had noticed you so I would know where you were. I had no reason to be worried†¦ but I was strangely anxious†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was lost in thought, staring past me, seeing things I couldn't imagine. â€Å"I started to drive in circles, still†¦ listening. The sun was finally setting, and I was about to get out and follow you on foot. And then -† He stopped, clenching his teeth together in sudden fury. He made an effort to calm himself. â€Å"Then what?† I whispered. He continued to stare over my head. â€Å"I heard what they were thinking,† he growled, his upper lip curling slightly back over his teeth. â€Å"I saw your face in his mind.† He suddenly leaned forward, one elbow appearing on the table, his hand covering his eyes. The movement was so swift it startled me. â€Å"It was very†¦ hard – you can't imagine how hard – for me to simply take you away, and leave them†¦ alive.† His voice was muffled by his arm. â€Å"I could have let you go with Jessica and Angela, but I was afraid if you left me alone, I would go looking for them,† he admitted in a whisper. I sat quietly, dazed, my thoughts incoherent. My hands were folded in my lap, and I was leaning weakly against the back of the seat. He still had his face in his hand, and he was as still as if he'd been carved from the stone his skin resembled. Finally he looked up, his eyes seeking mine, full of his own questions. â€Å"Are you ready to go home?† he asked. â€Å"I'm ready to leave,† I qualified, overly grateful that we had the hour-long ride home together. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to him. The waitress appeared as if she'd been called. Or watching. â€Å"How are we doing?† she asked Edward. â€Å"We're ready for the check, thank you.† His voice was quiet, rougher, still reflecting the strain of our conversation. It seemed to muddle her. He looked up, waiting. â€Å"S-sure,† she stuttered. â€Å"Here you go.† She pulled a small leather folder from the front pocket of her black apron and handed it to him. There was a bill in his hand already. He slipped it into the folder and handed it right back to her. â€Å"No change.† He smiled. Then he stood up, and I scrambled awkwardly to my feet. She smiled invitingly at him again. â€Å"You have a nice evening.† He didn't look away from me as he thanked her. I suppressed a smile. He walked close beside me to the door, still careful not to touch me. I remembered what Jessica had said about her relationship with Mike, how they were almost to the first-kiss stage. I sighed. Edward seemed to hear me, and he looked down curiously. I looked at the sidewalk, grateful that he didn't seem to be able to know what I was thinking. He opened the passenger door, holding it for me as I stepped in, shutting it softly behind me. I watched him walk around the front of the car, amazed, yet again, by how graceful he was. I probably should have been used to that by now – but I wasn't. I had a feeling Edward wasn't the kind of person anyone got used to. Once inside the car, he started the engine and turned the heater on high. It had gotten very cold, and I guessed the good weather was at an end. I was warm in his jacket, though, breathing in the scent of it when I thought he couldn't see. Edward pulled out through the traffic, apparently without a glance, flipping around to head toward the freeway. â€Å"Now,† he said significantly, â€Å"it's your turn.†

Putting an End to Poverty

A young boy walks through the mud bare-footed towards his one room shack. He opens the waterlogged door to find his young mother feeding his eighteen month old sister cold beans. He walks towards the kitchen, which is really just a three-legged table, a lawn chair and a stove, and scoops the remaining beans from the stove onto a plate for himself. He gives his mother a kiss on the cheek and walks towards his corner of the room. His mother wipes a tear from her eye. Tonight she did not eat dinner with her children; she did not eat at all just as she had not eaten the night before. This scene did not happen in a third world country like one might have believed. It happens everyday here in America. With the Presidential Elections quickly approaching, the candidates should focus on certain issues such as poverty and welfare. To help put a stop to poverty, the candidates must focus on the children living in the destitution, the education of the families, and the monetary wages of the families that are often making less than $15,000 a year. Politicians believe these things to be true in order to cut down on the poverty level. Putting an end to poverty starts with the children of the families. Vice President Al Gore feels very strongly about this. If the government provides nutritional support programs and food stamps, the likelihood that the children will become mature and flourish increases. Galbraith feels the same was as Gore. â€Å"If the children, though badly fed at home, are well nourished at school†¦ then there is a chance that the children of the very poor will come to maturity without inhibiting disadvantage. † (Galbraith, 246) If the physical well being of the children is watched very closely, then this would decrease the probability of poverty when the children are adults. Programs that could help the poverty level include Gore†s idea to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). By doing this, the EITC would reduce poverty and child poverty rates. The EITC has already lifted 4. 3 million people out of the poverty level, 2. 3 of which were children. â€Å"(If the) physical well-being of the children is vigilantly watched†¦ then there is a chance that the children†¦ will come to maturity†¦ (246). † Secondly, the Governor of Texas, and Republican candidate for the 2000 Presidential Election feels that education is an important way to end poverty. George W. Bush feels that giving federal funds towards school districts in poverty-stricken areas will help expand the number of children and families that will rise above the poverty level. â€Å"We will give schools new freedom to excel in exchange for proven results. When a school district receives federal funds to teach poor children, we expect those children to learn. And if they don†t, parents should get the money to make a different choice. † (George W. Bush www. vote-smart. org/speeches/mtv. phtml? func=speech=m00) Bush also feels that money should be given to those children that are pursuing secondary education. Providing a $1,000 grant to students who took Advanced Placement and college classes in high school is just one example to encourage students of all social classes to try their hardest. Bush also provided the idea that better and safer schools should be built in the impoverished areas. Like Bush, Galbraith feels that education is a very important issue in the fight to end poverty. â€Å"The effect of education and related investment in individuals is to help them overcome the restraints that are imposed by their environment. (246) If the government helps to make the schools more effective in teaching, then the schools will make the poverty level more effective in decreasing. Lastly, the government must help families learn how to manage their finances. The two major candidates for the Presidential Election did not cover this topic. Obviously Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush did not feel that this would have been a successful idea. Galbraith on the other hand, feels that this is very important to help rid the country of poverty. The only way to solve the problem of poverty is to help people help themselves. † (245) One might, however, realize that society would not want the government so closely involved in their lives. This issue would not be of concern towards the Presidential Candidates, but of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). So in that sense, the government is involved with the finances of the people of America, whether they like it or not. The hopes of a nation are to get rid of all poverty. They want to feed and cloth and educate the little boy that lives in the one-roomed shack. They want to teach the parents of that little boy so that way, they can be hired at better paying jobs; they want to help the people with their finances. The man that wins this presidential election is going to have to understand that there is poverty out there, and that there are things that he can do about it. William Pitt once said â€Å"Poverty is no disgrace but it is damned annoying. † Galbraith answered that with â€Å"In the contemporary United States, it is not annoying but it is a disgrace† (247). The leaders of today should help diminish the poverty level from a disgrace to non-existent.

The Moors essays

The Moors essays The Moors who originated form North Africa were a military culture who started their invasions and attempted dominance in 711 ad. The purpose of the invasion was to bring their religion, politics, and their social standards to other parts of the world. But with this brought pain and suffering to where ever they went especially Spain. They were a group that were persecuted by the Christians and eventually expelled by the monarchy of King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella who were Catholic. Despite the persecution that the Moors went though they left an ever-lasting impression on the development of the Spanish people as well as the culture. Many of the impacts that the Moors made during their invasion can still be seen today. The history of the Moors is an interesting one. Muslim Arab armies swept North Africa in the 7th century in a militant expedition to convert tribes to Islam. In the Northwestern corner of the continent, they encountered several indigenous peoples, collectively called Berbers. In 711 ad, A Berber-Muslim army under their leader Tariq ibn-Ziyad, crossed the strait of Gibraltar from North Africa into the Iberian Peninsula for a military invasion. They were confronted with Visigothic inhabitants, peoples of Germanic origin who had entered the peninsula via Gaul about 300 years earlier. The Visigoths had a hierarchical system of nobles and small kingdoms, similar to that of feudalism in medieval Europe. The invading Muslim armies destroyed this system and all the kingdoms in the region, and began instituting their own kingdoms. Goderick, the last of the Visigothic Kings of Spain was defeated at the battle of Rio Barbate in about 715. By 719, the forces were supreme from the Atlan tic Coast to the Pyrenees. They attempted to invade France in 732, but were turned back by the forces of Charles Martel, a Frankish ruler who was the grandfather of Charlemagne (Fletcher 1-13). For the first year of rule, the M...

Employment Relations in Modern Australian Work Place

Employment Relations in Modern Australian Work Place Introduction Employment relationship is a legal framework linking employers and their employees to ensure a sustained interaction in their organizations. More specifically, ER is an economic, social and political relationship between employers and employees which provides manual and mental labor in exchange for the rewards allotted by employers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Employment Relations in Modern Australian Work Place specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With the rise of modernism, there has been need for inclusion of psychological element in the employment relationships to enhance better and more coherent relationship between employees and employers. It should be noted that, employment relations defines the rights and commitments made between the employers and employees. Employers in various organizations build good relationship with their employees by creating favorable working conditions, capable of creatin g psychological satisfaction for them (Ackers 2002: 15). Through cordial relationship between employers and employees, facilitated a well structured legal system, high productivity in the organization is expected since the employees are highly motivated. Traditionally, psychological contract were relied to establish cordial relationship between employers and their employees. Psychological contracts involves the understanding the understanding the people have regarding the commitments made between the employers and the employees which is initially established during the recruitment process where the employees and the employer discuss deeply their eventual relationship. This paper will discuss the extent in which traditional theories of employment helps us in understanding the modern Australian workplace. According to the contract of employment common law, employers have the obligatory duty to care the employees, pay wages, provide work, provide support, safe working environment and m aintain relationship of trust and confidence with the employees. As revealed by Kaufman (2008: 327), in the Modern Australian work place employers are actively engaged in providing their employees with favorable working terms regardless of the genders. It should be noted that, traditional employment patterns were characterized by lack of equity on jobs distribution between the genders. More specifically, women were given less job opportunities than men.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conversely, the current Australian job environment has seen more chances being granted to women in the job markets as a result of the establishment of employment laws inhibiting discrimination on the basis of gender. As revealed by Bell Head (1994: 17), the core elements of employment relationships in Australia today are exchange, effort bargain, inequality and commodification. Throu gh commodification, employees are usually used as means to an end, other than an end itself. Generally, the above are the main elements involved in employment relationships. With regard to some traditional employment theories like the Marxist theory, employers and employees are brought out as having constant conflicts in terms of work conditions. Since employers are usually idle and do very little in their organizations, Marx describes this situation as creating low esteem and morale among the employees. With employee given huge amounts of work and being paid fewer wages than the employer would get, conflict between the employers and employees seem to persist. However, the current situation in the Australian modern workplace is dominated by legal regulations governing employers and their employees in terms of the obligatory duties entrusted to each other in the employment contract. Generally, the Marxist theory seems to be against capitalism by bringing it out as the major cause of fundamental problems between employees and employers, since employees are not psychologically satisfied when their employers who work the least and gain the most (Cooper 2010: 264). As Cooper and Ellem (2008: 539) suggests, the adoption Unitarianism in traditional organizations is a prospective strategy meant to enhance cohesion between employees and their employer. According to unitary theory, organizations are considered as families where the employers and the employees are considered as being in harmony due to their favorable psychological contracts. In this case, loyalty between employees and the employers forms the main emphasis in this employer-employee relationship (Todd 2010: 312). With the society becoming quite dynamic, the contemporary Australian workplace remains no more under psychological contracts.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Employment Relations in Modern Australian Work Place specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With the establishment of employment relations in the contemporary society, employees can form unions capable of advocating for their rights. Particularly, employers in the contemporary society have no direct control of their employees, provided employment contract with their employees has been established. Considering the Employment Standards Act of 2001, employees are directly under the cover of the employer and the workers unions. This is to mean that, it is an obligatory duty of the organizational management to ensure the treatment of the employees with high respect in order to facilitate their efficiency in their work. Understanding the importance of a well motivated workforce has been an eminent issue in many organizations. Through unions, employees’ rights are communicated and procession of cases presented by employees. As Hearn-Mackinnon (2009: 358) reports National Labor Relations Association enhances collective bargaining power for all the employees bo th in the public and the private sector over their safety in their work places/areas. More specifically, unfair labor practices in the company should be the basis for the allegation in the court against its security of employees in its environs (Cooper et al 2009: 352). As depicted in the collective bargaining laws, the company falls guilty of having its working environment unsafe for its employees; through engaging single workers in isolated places without enough security lights According to Peetz Pocock (2009: 47), some of the highest priority Employee Relations areas in the currently globalized society are bargaining power in employee wages, safety in work, working hours and moral ethics. It is important to note that, an employee should be secure in his place of work by being exposed to secure work practices. More so, the employees should be paid well in accordance to their level of performance in the company. Further, the proximity of working duration among employees should be reviewed and be incorporated in the employee unions.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, the level of ethical considerations between the employees and the management should be reviewed and maintained as well. On this basis, the work place life has been found to be more liable to extrinsic factors, but not restricted to internal management practices by the HRM. As noted by Brigden (2009: 371), the contemporary Australian workplace seems to be guided by pluralistic theory. According to pluralistic theory, employees engage in formation of welfares and unions to form a bigger bargaining power in their organizations. As depicted by Chen et al (2008, 534), unity among employees reduces the chances of being oppressed by their employers, since they have a more unified system of actions. In this case, the psychological contract between employers and their employees should incorporate the employees’ freedom to form unions and other associations. Through formation of employee unions and welfare associations, employees get highly motivated (Brigden 2010: 329). T his makes them to become more efficient in production, which makes the organization to acquire competitive advantage in the currently competitive business environment. Mainly, the modern employee relationship seeks to establish democratic and informal relationship between employers and employees sustainably. As a result, a long-term cordial relationship between the employees and employers would be established, since the working environment is naturally friendly. It is important to note that, the modern Australian work place has largely employed radical pluralism. According to radical pluralism theory, management in organizations is considered as being irreconcilable with their employees in cases of differences. This is due to the tendency of the organizations to incorporate narrow range of employee demands. As revealed by Bingham (2007: 224), the possibility of employees to reconcile with their employee when employee needs are rarely fulfilled is quite low. As a result, performance in such organizations remains low, since the psychological contract between the employers and the employees has been violated, leading to low motivation among the employees. According to Blyton Turnbull (2004: 74) social organizations in the modern work places are portraying high social values to their fraternity so as to enhance co-existence which would in turn result into improvement of the performance of their workforce. In fact, Boxall Purcell (2011: 53) links an organization’s level of performance to the welfare of its employees; who are the ultimate determinants of the performance such an organization. Certainly, ethical considerations between employers and their employees is a very important consideration in their interaction within an organization. It should be noted that, when employees are treated with humanitarianism would feel that they are respected and be motivated in carrying out their various activities. In fact, the employees’ ability to develop posi tive attitude towards work would be attributed by their being accorded with high esteem by their employers. The current new management strategies in the modern organizations have seen significant changes in the organizational structures of various organizations. Merging, acquisition and restructuring have been dominant practices among various organizations in their pursuit to establish favorable work-life for their employees. In this case, various psychological contracts are established between the employees and their employers. As reported by Coyle-Shapiro (2005: 87), there are two main psychological contracts which include transactional and relational contracts. In transactional psychological contracts, short-run work relationships between employers and employees are established by having a certain set of obligations to be met. Notably, Peetz Pocock (2009: 49) considers transactional psychological contracts as being economically oriented as they are reasonably specific. This is d ue to their short-term nature as the employers seek to determine the reliability of their employees in terms of work commitment. With the introduction of strategic human resources management, it has been possible for organizations to conform to the industrial relations requirements. In Australia, the introduction of scientific management practices among organizations, consistency and coherence in designing and implementing strategic human resources management has been realized. Contingency framework of employee-employer relationships have been largely understood, making organizations comply with the requirements of the legislation and labor force acts for successful implementation of their strategic plans. As evidenced by Cooper and Ellem (2008: 541), the rationale of using cost-efficiency and the market requirements has been the ultimate strategy of realizing quality production as a result of a highly motivated employee body. The most critical perspective of the employee-employer r elationship is taken on the basis of how the external environment, including unions and associations, are impacting management practices by HRM, where employment contracts are largely employed. Breaching of these psychological contracts has been revealed to have large effect the overall organizational coherence between employees and the employer. Suppose the employer fails to subdue the agreement made in the employment terms, by either delaying payments or applying more strict work terms than agreed, employees are highly discouraged. By failing to conform to the expected behavior, employers usually cause lot interference in terms of trust to their employees. Such an act would be described as breaching of psychological contract since the employer would have failed to sustain the psychological requirements agreed during the time of employment. Brigden (2009: 375) considers the development of conflict between employers and employees as arousing from breaching of psychological contracts , but not necessarily on the basis of formal obligations. Conclusion With the rise of modernism, the Australian workforce has largely changed, where employers and employees are ultimately under legal formalities more than the psychological contracts previously employed in traditional organizations. As it has been revealed, equality in jobs allocation in terms of gender has been employed in the Australian Labor Laws, resulting into high control of employment terms by the legal formalities. Generally, the establishment of employment contract between the employers and employees is largely safeguarded by the existing employment relations laws. References List Ackers, P. (2002) Reframing Employment Relations: The Case for Neo-Pluralism.  Industrial Relations Journal, 33(1): 2-19. Bell, S. Head, B. (1994) ‘Australia’s Political Economy: Critical Themes and Issues.’ in B. Head S. Bell (eds), State, Economy and Public Policy in Australia, Oxford University Press, Mel bourne, pp. 1-21. Bingham, C. (2007). â€Å"Employee Relations and Managing the Employment Relationship,† In Porter, C. et al. (eds.), Exploring Human Resource Management. London: McGraw-Hill. 215-238 Brigden, C. (2009) Unions and Collective Bargaining in 2008. Journal of Industrial  Relations, 51(3): 365–78. Brigden, C. (2010) Unions and Collective Bargaining in 2009. Journal of Industrial  Relations, 52(3): 321-334. Blyton, P. Turnbull, P. (2004) The Dynamics of Employee Relations, 3rd edition. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 57-107. Boxall, P. Purcell, J. (2011), Strategy and Human Resource Management, 3rd ed. London: Basingstoke Publishers. 34-58 Cooper, R. (2010) The New Industrial Relations and International Economic Crisis: Australia in 2009. Journal of Industrial Relations, 52(2):261-274 Cooper, R. et al. (2009) Anti-unionism, Employer Strategy, and the Australian State, 1996–2005. Labor Studies Journal (US), vol.34:3, pp. 339-62. Cooper, R. and Elle m, B. (2008). The Neoliberal State, Trade Unions and Collective Bargaining in Australia. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 46(3) pp. 532–554 Coyle-Shapiro, J. (2005) The Employment Relationship: Examining Psychological and  Contextual Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 85-93 Kaufman, B. (2008) Paradigms in Industrial Relations: Original, Modern and Versions In-Between. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 46(2):314–339. Todd, P. (2010) Employer and Employer Association Matters in 2009. The Journal of  Industrial Relations 52(3): 305-319. Hearn-Mackinnon, B. (2009) Employer matters in 2008. Journal of Industrial Relations, 51(3): 347-363. Peetz, D. Pocock, B. (2009) Workplace representatives and local power in Australia?  British Journal of Industrial Relations, 47.