Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Fair Work Act 2009 Essay

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Fair Work Act 2009 - Essay Example The act focuses on the key parts such as the employment standards of a nation, contemporary awards in the workplace, industrial action, minimum wages, unfair dismissal, office fair work and enterprise agreements. Organisations exists for a purpose but regardless of particular resource in an organisation, HR managers play significant roles in the organisation and they are the key ingredients for organisation success. HR manager controls and manages financial resources, people and other aspects; thus a number of varied things should be taken into considerations in order to transform the nature of work and workplaces in which they are performed. Among these aspects is making significant amendments to industrial relation systems; thus employing more innovative HRM practices such as communicating clearly about organizational policies is vital. The strengths of the Fair Work Act 2009 The aim of the FW Act is to offer a balanced framework for productive and supportive workplace relations, w hich promotes state economic prosperity and social aspects for all Australians (Harpur, 2012, 190). Under this act, employees and employers may bargain collectively to make enterprise agreements in respect of the terms and conditions of employment. The FW Act offer an effective bargaining process in the workplace and this is where agreements between bargaining representatives who represent employers and employees bargain in good faith in order to come to an agreement. Mondy, Noe and Gowan (2005, p. 45) point out that the essential function of the HRM in an organisation is to create and maintain a productive, as well as, a healthy and safe working environment for all stakeholders. The core activities of the human resource manager include offering job analysis, recruitments, retaining employees, and recruiting, training or compensating employees. Regardless of the size of an organisation, HRM should perform their work well by managing and improving the skills of employees in order to create successful organizational performance. These activities take place within a framework of legislation that establishes minimum standards and prospects regarding acceptable behavior in a business entity (Briscoe, Schuler and Claus, 2009, p. 32). The FW Act has been wholly operational since the commencement of the year 2010 and it substituted the workplace relation or work choices amendment Act of 2005 (Manuel and Law Society of South Australia, 2009, p. 51). The FW Act is imperative because it enables employees to adjust the employment costs, workforces or flexible working hours to suit subdued demand (Sloan, 2010, p. 19). Employers in some sectors are concerned with modern awards in the workplace and unfair dismissals while others are concerned with the federal minimum wage; thus the FW Act is vital in the workplace. Many organisations such as the Australian organisations faced turbulent business and economic issues during the 1970s but the implementation of the FW Act 2009 ha s created significant changes on the way organisation perform their functions in the contemporary business world. The FW Act offer flexibility in the workplace and this is significant because it contributes to increased productivity in the workplace. Offering work flexibility is one of the significant aspects that have enabled many human

Using Economic Theories to Analysis a Company Essay

Using Economic Theories to Analysis a Company - Essay Example is not so good. The company is facing stiff challenges from the competitors now. Its marketing strategies are believed to be ineffective compared to that of the competitors’. This report analyses the effectiveness of Apple Inc.’s marketing strategies in recent times with the help of its 2013 annual report. The recent recession has caused a lot of problems to companies all over the world in general and American companies in particular. The collapse of Lehman Brothers and many other American companies has caused concerns in the minds of American investors. Investors in share markets or stock markets are keen on knowing the present performances and the future prospects of prominent companies. The aim of this report is to analyze the performances of an American company in recent times with the help of established economic theories and principles. â€Å"Apple was founded in Cupertino, California on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne to sell the Apple I personal computer kit† (Apple Inc. History, 2008). The initial name of the company was Apple computers since the company was interested only in doing business in the computer and operating system industry. However, the severe competition from the Microsoft, forced the company owners to explore other options to survive in the market. In the 80’s and 90’s, Apple computers struggled a lot to survive in the market. Many people thought that the company was on the verge of closing down. However, at the beginning of 2000, the company has diversified its business and entered the consumer electronics industry. The name of the company was changed from Apple computers to Apple Inc. to make the consumers all over the world aware that the company is no more a computer company, but a major player in the consumer electronics industry. A series of innovative products such as iPhone, iPod, iPad, iTunes etc were introduced in

Interview Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Interview Paper - Essay Example It is indispensable that the interview would assist in understanding criminal justice systems and its discretion. I interviewed Joseph S. Campbell, assistant director of criminal investigations division at FBI head offices in Washington, DC. James Comey, the director of FBI, appointed Campbell to act as assistant director of criminal investigation division on May 15, 2014. Mr. Campbell currently works at the department and ensures all criminal investigations cases remains duly addressed within the unit. Joseph S. Campbell have worked within criminal justice system since august 1990. Campbell started his career at the FBI as a special field agent. As an FBI’s special agent, Campbell reported to Chicago field office and conducted investigations relating to public corruption, organized crime, white-collar crime, and drug issues. Campbell has worked within the criminal justice system as an FBI staff for approximately 24 years (FBI, 2014). Mr. Campbell has various responsibility as assistant director of FBI’s CID, a division with approximately 4,800 special field agents, 520 headquarter employees, and 300 intelligence analysts. Campbell oversees most of the divisions activities including conducting training programs for CID agents and managing various pertinent crises within the system. He ensures that the division remains relevant to mitigation of national security threats before they occur. In addition, to coordinating CID’s objectives and employee compliance, Campbell ensures elaborate and efficient management of investigative programs including public corruption, drug-related crime, and financial crime. He ensures that the entire CID system remains efficiently coordinated in conducting comprehensive investigation cases relating to violent crime or organized crime. In addition, Campbell provides directives for the aforementioned investigative programs and other

Middle-Class Homelessness in America Essay Example for Free

Middle-Class Homelessness in America Essay Can you imagine yourself standing in line in hope for a cot at a shelter to share with your family, or waiting for a warm meal in a soup kitchen? This is what many middle-class American citizens have succumbed to. Has the American dream been lost, has the middle-class lost its position in the American economy, and has the inequality of income cause the demise of the middle-class? By focusing on the health care reform and record low unemployment rate we overlook the underlying problem; the dwindling middle-class, the backbone of our country. Many studies have been conducted to define middle-class without much success. It has been attempted to relate it to annual income. One study states that yearly incomes between $32,900 and $64,000, another between $50,800 and $122,000, and the U. S. census bureau middle 60% of incomes is the largest range of all lies between$ 20600, and $102,000 as what defines middle-class. Dan Horn notes in the Cincinnati Enquirer â€Å"Psychologist Ken Eisold, a contributor to Psychology today, said, though, that the way people describe their social status has more to do with what’s going on in their heads than their wallets. † Eisold goes on to say that â€Å"it’s really more about identity†. Horn adds that Julie Heath, director of the University of Cincinnati’s Economics Center agrees with Eisold that saying, â€Å"We’re a middle-class family has more than a financial connotations to it, it has a salt-of the earth to it. That’s the bed rock. Essentially this shows that Americans do not base their social status on their income alone, but also on their personal accomplishments and views of where they have come from and where they are going. That being said, the bed rock of the middle-class comes from one of the most common descriptions what living in America is all about; the great American Dream. History tells us that this emotion connected with being middle-class started showing up in the 1830’s. In these times people came to America hoping for the best, and they clung to ideas of how they would make it. They believed that if those ideas and values were kept, that they were middle-class, even if they were not financially. This is how the idea of the Leave it to Beaver life style came into being. In the 1950’s men took white collar jobs while women stayed home and maintained their house and families. They bought homes in the suburbs, nice family cars, and made safe investments. This provided them a sense of stability and many believed this is what the American dream is all about. Today, in pursuit of the dream, to maintain their middle-class status many Americans have higher incomes than their parents did but both parents are working. Yet while doing the best that they that they can possibly do, many are watching their dreams shatter. Erin Currier, director of the Pew Economic Mobility Project, said â€Å"stability is one of the biggest threats to the middle class today. † She goes on to say, â€Å"Though born into middle-class, many fall out by adulthood. † This is due to inflation of basic needs such as health care, day care, college funding, and the rise of the inequality of income. One term often referred to when relating to the middle-class crisis is Income Gap. As defined on the internet by investapedia. om, the income gap is the unequal distribution of household and individual income across the various participants in an economy. A sociology and political science professor at the University of Arizona who studies income inequality and poverty, says that over the past three decades â€Å"is slow income growth compared to general economic growth†¦ a bigger and bigger portion of economic growth has occurred to the wealthiest 1 %, whether the measure is basic wages or total compensation,† says Lane Kenworthy. (CQ researcher 3) There is political risk involved with this shift that is greater than economics and family finances. A large middle class, especially one that is politically active, tends to be a kind of anchor that keeps our country from swinging back and forth. There are typical values that middle-class families acquire and pass on to their children and those values tend to be good for democracy,† states Teresa Sullivan, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan, and the co-author of The Fragile Middle Class: Americans in Debt. (CQ Researche r 2) The new millennium looked very hopeful for the war on poverty in America. The federal poverty rate was the lowest it had been since 1974 according to CQ Researcher. The next 4 years even better with Housing prices doubling in many cities and increase in home equity loans that brought the Home-ownership rate up to an all time high of 69 percent. In 2008 we would not only see the sand shift out from the false growth of the economy led by the banks and lending companies but our government bail the banks out with $700 billion rescue bill, They did not however bail out the borrower and many lost their homes. Leading to the current middle class crisis. These issues, the rise of the inequality of income and the shattering of the American dream, have led us to the downfall of the middle class. In more recent years the middle-class are finding themselves not only having a decrease in their income due to layoffs and downsizing, but while not able to maintain their dream are losing their homes due to foreclosures. They are now finding themselves sleeping in their cars, if fortunate to still have one. They are waiting in lines for food and shelter, and bathing in gas station rest rooms, standing on street corners and highway exit’s begging for money or work. I have a personal interest in this research because I consider myself a middleclass American who lived through these years of the housing crisis and recession, I have lost a business, I am dealing with the short sale of my home and a threat of foreclosure, I have suffered through divorce and currently I am a struggling single mother. In conclusion the decline of the middle-class has hit very close to home. Although the hope of the American dream dies a slow death in my own heart, because of the continual economic status and burden of the cost of living rising, many like me are losing hope.

Feminist Theory :: essays research papers

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the beginning of time women have been considered inferior to men, which seem to proceed to affect everyday lives of all social beings in this world. Women have a disease, a disease that will prevent them for ever having the political drive to achieve political, social or economic opportunities men have. This "disease" is the need for independency and self-respect or the lack there of. This is what we have come to know as feminism. Feminism refers to the body of thought on the cause and nature of women's disadvantaged and subordinate position in society, and efforts to minimize and eliminate the subordination (Hughes, 2002:160). Understanding that the need for independency and self-respect is not a real disease, it is just a metaphor for how women go about trying to achieve them. "For nearly one hundred and fifty years, women have fought for equality and been oppressed by men, and no matter what they do, they will never be considered equals" (Hughes, 2002:161 ). Feminism focuses on the relations between genders and how both male and female become classified as distinct groups rather than a team united as one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The preceding was what feminists and historians want us believe, however, this is not always the case and quite possibly, it has never been the case. For some reason feminism became an international phenomenon. The feminist theory is fairly comparable to this explanation and determinedly claims that the basic structure of society is patriarchal, or male-dominated. The purpose of this paper is to prove that society has changed for women, but women have not changed for society. Women of today have not fought for anything, but they have simply protested their demands and expected society to cater them. This will continue to be true for as long as society takes sympathy upon women and their "needs."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Historical Development of Feminist Theory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Third World leaders and Western development specialists assumed that Western development policies would position fragile Third World economics for a "take-off." Few questioned whether this prosperity would extend equally to all classes, races, and gender groups. Ester Boserup's (1970) Women's Role in Economic Development investigated the impact of development projects on Third World women. Boserup discovered that most of these projects ignored women and that many technologically sophisticated projects undermined women's economic opportunities and autonomy (1970:4). Training in new technologies was usually offered to men, which meant that most "modern" projects improved male opportunities and technology and employment.

Original Writing – Cinderella

â€Å"And you can tidy that room before you go out anywhere, young lady!† Great, just what I needed. Another chore, which would take me all night. Well, maybe it's better than going out with them lot anyway. Carly and Michelle had been my best friends for as long as I could remember, but recently the three of us had started hanging around with a girl called Lauren and her friends. To begin with, I wasn't keen on Lauren, but put up with her comments for Carly and Michelle's sake. Then Carly began to change. She was always trying to impress Lauren, and became quite nasty, turning on me. And everyone else seemed to follow Lauren too. I began to feel like none of them liked me, and quite out of place. Just because I didn't worship the ground Lauren walked on. But I was too scared to stand up to her. It would've meant losing all of my â€Å"friends†. I got on with my room feeling down. Later on, we were all down at the youth club. Lauren was telling us all about her latest crush, and as usual, everyone was glued to her story. Well, everyone except from me. I looked around the room and let out a little gasp. Standing in the corner was the nicest guy I had ever seen. He was laughing with his friends, and had a gorgeous smile. He had short, perfect brown hair, and twinkling brown eyes. He looked over and smiled†¦and began walking over. All the girls went quiet, and secretly looked at Lauren. She flicked her hair, and flashed a dazzling smile. His smile moved from me to her. I looked in envy as he walked over to her, and began chatting. â€Å"She knows everyone,† I thought, and turned to them to listen to what he was saying. â€Å"†¦So it will be at my house on Saturday. And I hope to see all of you there.† Was it my imagination or did he look at me while saying that? He walked off, and I was about to ask the girls who he was when Lauren sighed†¦.†oh, he's sooo gorgeous!!† So this is the guy she likes! No wonder, he is really good looking. I can't believe I ever thought I had a chance!! â€Å"Cindy, what have you done to your hair today? It looks awful! And if you come with us to Josh's party, you'll have to make more of an effort with your clothes!!† Lauren's frosty, mocking tone cut right through me, â€Å"And another thing, Josh is mine.† It was Wednesday when I got the phone call. â€Å"Hello? Is that Cindy Lewis?† â€Å"Yeah. Who is this please?† â€Å"It's magic 828. We're ringing to let you know that you've won our ‘guess the year' competition, and have won à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½40 in Topshop vouchers, and a free taxi service for the next time you go out!!† It was great, and it saved me a lot of money for a new outfit for Josh's party. I had spent a long time deciding whether I should actually go or not, after what Lauren had said. But in the end decided to go anyway. I had thought about Josh a lot, and wanted to see him again. My mum, on the other hand, was a different case. â€Å"What do you want to go to a party for when you can stay in and play games with your family?† â€Å"You can't go to someone's party you don't even know!† â€Å"I might have to ring up his parents to check if they're allowing alcohol.† She went on and on like that for ages, until finally, I talked her round. â€Å"Okay, you can go. Under one condition†¦ You get a taxi back and are in this house before 11:30. Otherwise you'll never go out again!† I hadn't been to any proper parties before, Lauren's gang always conveniently ‘forgot to mention it to me' or ‘ thought I already knew about it'. I was nervous, and had no idea what to expect. With my vouchers, I had bought a pair of jeans, which I'd have never been able to afford myself. They were the perfect fit, and sparkled under the light. I also bought a new hair bobble, which had a glittery heart on it. I knew they looked good, but was scared what Lauren would think of them. It was amazing what effect she could have over my life. When the taxi pulled up In front of the address Michelle had given me, a sudden thought that she'd given me the wrong address on purpose nearly made me ask to be taken home. But then I heard the music booming from the house, and saw some people scattered near the doorway. ‘Keep calm,' I told myself. Once I was inside, I saw how packed it was. Someone was trying to open the back door. I saw it was Josh. I began walking over when Lauren appeared in front of me. â€Å"Cindy! Didn't think you would make it. Good party isn't it? We have Josh to thank for that! I came round early to help him get ready. He asked me to, and I just couldn't resist! He's such a sweetie! Oh, have you decorated an old pair of jeans† She reached over and grabbed Josh's hand. She was trying to make me feel small, and it worked. I felt so stupid for thinking that someone might choose me over Lauren. If I had gone over to Josh, what would I have said? Would it looked like I fancied him? I made my way through the moving crowd, and sat outside on the step, alone. â€Å"Hello? How long have you been out here? You must be freezing!† It was him. Why was he talking to me? I looked up at his concerned face. â€Å"I†¦I. Needed some fresh air.† â€Å"What, for over an hour Is it Lauren? Has she upset you?† How did he know I still didn't believe he was actually talking to me. I found myself making up some excuse about something bad happening at home. â€Å"Well I hope it's not bad enough so you can't dance with me,† he smiled shyly. I couldn't believe this was happening. Josh was asking ME to dance! By now people had begun to drift outside, and the music was loud enough out here. Before I gave him an answer, he swept me into his arms, and began to move to the beat. Then a slow song began. â€Å"I hope you don't min†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He began. I rested my arms on his shoulders and he wrapped his around my waist. We swayed to the music together. The song seemed to last for ages, but when it ended, neither of us let go. He moved his face closer to mine†¦ â€Å"Oh no!!† I looked at my watch. It was 11:25. My taxi was supposed to turn up 5 minutes ago, and I was supposed to be home in 5 minutes. I moved away from Josh, and ran towards the front of the house. As I moved, I saw something fall to the floor, and my hair came loose. Great, my new hair bobble. Oh well, I would just have to leave it. I'd rather lose that than be grounded for the rest of my life!! The taxi was still there, so I jumped in without looking back, or saying goodbye to Josh. It was a week after the party, and we were in the youth club. Lauren had seen me with Josh, so was being even more awkward. I didn't dare say anything to her; I was too scared. â€Å"Cindy, get some drinks for all of us please,† She ordered. I went to the vender, thinking about Josh. Why had he danced and tried to kiss me when he could have Lauren? She was far prettier than me, and had a lot more confidence than me. While I was getting the drinks, I heard shouting coming from our table. â€Å"Honestly, it will tie back. I just need to pull it a bit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned round, and took in a deep breath. There was Josh, looking as lovely as ever, standing over Lauren. She was trying to tie something in her hair. Something that looked a lot like my bobble. Suddenly, Josh turned around and spotted me. His face lit up with a smile, and he grabbed the bobble off Lauren. â€Å"Cindy! I've been looking for you all over. When you left so suddenly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know, I'm sorry. But I had to be home by 11:30.† â€Å"I knew there must be a reason. We were getting along so well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he winked. I went red, and looked over at Lauren. She was staring daggers at me. He reached over and brushed my hair back into a pony, and tied it with the bobble. â€Å"And I wanted to ask you something†¦ will you go out with me?† My stomach did a somersault, and I felt like I was floating. I knew how much Lauren liked him, but then I thought of all the awful things she'd said and done to me, and how she'd made my life hell, hoping that everything I did would be all right by her. I thought back to the party, and at the surprise that someone actually found ME attractive. I had managed to have a good time on my own, without being constantly being put down or made fun of. I'd met someone who appreciated me for being myself, not depending on how popular I was. I realised Josh was waiting for my answer. I looked him straight in the eyes and gave him a big smile. â€Å"Yes!† I said.

The Small Company with a Big-Time Motivation Program

Question 1 – How strong was the overall employee motivation program at Badger Mining? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best, Badger Mining gets a 10! The company focuses on employees needs, is flexible with scheduling lets employees take off for family matters, matches 401k, generous profit sharing program, and a good health care package. This touches upon every aspect of a good employee motivation program. Question 2 – What evidence of participate management can you detect in this case? One key example was the example of the expansion to the Taylor plant. The company V. P. Dan Valiquette made sure to consult with the employees who would be affected by the expansion. He wanted the guys having to run the equipment involved in the redesign of the process, thus promoting employee buy-in, and the employees felt valued. He also included contractors and vendors involved with the change, which made everyone involved with project feel part of the process and take ownership. Question 3 – How well do you think open-book management would work at Badger Mining? I think it would very well at Badger Mining. The level of trust between upper management and their workforce is extremely high; they have a very cohesive group that is committed to excel. They already have several of the key blocks in place to be successful using OBM; trust and empower employees and profit sharing. Question 4 – Keys to successful employee participation programs. The examples of successful employee participation programs in this case are 1) Profit sharing, 2) long term security of employees working for Badger Mining and the company’s history, 3) the training programs and culture within the company, and 4) the protection of the individuals who work for the company by letting them have flexible schedules and take time off for family. These examples make Badger Mining perfect for participative management. The employees want to participate because they feel valued and that they have ownership in the company, in short they feel like they matter. Question 5 – Would you like to work for a small company like Badger Mining? Yes I would love to. Working for public education has its rewards, but they’re not financial, but I do feel very lucky to love what I do. However, it would be good to work for a company that I could work hard and e rewarded for the effort.