IP2 Fortun 55 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

IP2 Fortun 55 - Essay Example The age of technology and innovation has imposed upon the employees and organizations extreme competition and hard work to keep with their sustenance. In such a competitive and rigid environment, it is the utmost responsibility of the organizations to keep their employees motivated and maintained through providing them the basic necessities, comfort and satisfaction on the job. This is done through different wellness programs which many companies introduce in order to keep w well-fed and motivated human resource base. Corporate Wellness Programs The corporate wellness programs, commonly known as workplace wellness programs, are sort of motivational programs which are the blend of various environmental, educational and organizational activities. These activities are normally formulated to assist the behavior and attitude which is favorable and encouraging towards the health of the organization’s employees. They are involved in these programs which comprise of health coaching, f itness programs, health education through holding fairs, medical screenings and the various educational programs which are designed with sophistication in order to bring a change in the behaviors and attitudes of the employees. This change is most likely to contribute towards the achievement of better employee health, and a drastic reduction in the possible risks linked to the health of employees. Thus, the basic goal accomplished through the designing and implementation of the wellness programs is the attainment of better health of the employees. According to a recent study presented by the US Department of Health and Human Services, it was indicated that the workplaces which offer the on-site exercise programs to their employees as a component of their wellness programs, experienced a decline from 75 % to 55% in their healthcare costs and the employees’ short-term leaves were also lowered from 38% to 32% , ultimately leading to a rise in the productivity of an average emplo yee from 50% to 52% (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Thus, such wellness programs contribute big time to the health of the employees as well as the organization. Development of an Effective Wellness Program The wellness programs have become the need of time and the basic necessity which should be provided by the organization to all its employees. Here, the Fortune 55 firm is working with an estimated number of 500 employees, who are all busy working hard in order to steer the organization towards achieving its goals. Though, the old wellness program at the company was effective too, however, with the changing needs of the age and the shifting demands of employees, a newer and more effective wellness program should be developed which is capable of delivering further benefits to the employees. Since, the corporate wellness programs are a blend of the healthcare, medical and educational activities, the new plan of the Fortune 500 will follow a more sophisticated mi xture in the program. The elements of the brand new effective wellness program, to be developed and introduced, will include the following elements: Lifestyle Improvement Stress Management Online health coaching Appraisals and assessments of health associated risks Health content programs Employees’ mental health and well being These were the elements which already existed in the company’

Heidelberg Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Heidelberg Project - Research Paper Example The Heidelberg Project has persisted despite this notion. Hope Among the Ruins 3 Hope Among the Ruins: The Heidelberg Project and Urban Renewal Detroit belongs to the phantom legacy of American cities whose best days have always seemed to lay ahead. From its earliest days, Detroit has been a â€Å"city of the future† that never quite got there, starting with the imposition of the grid system in the 18th century to the near-mania for urban renewal of the 20th century. In a sense, Detroit’s â€Å"renewal† has been just around the corner ever since the Depression era, from which David Sheridan claims the city has never fully recovered (Sheridan, 1999). Economic disparity and the blight that accompanies it are part and parcel of this lamentable phenomenon, symptoms of a seemingly unattainable future. In this reality, all that’s left to those who live in poor and forgotten neighborhoods is a form of aesthetic protest that makes itself felt by decorating the bli ghted landscape, by reminding those in power that giving over rundown buildings to artistic expression can, in a real sense, bring about â€Å"urban renewal.† A sardonic comment The persistence and popularity of Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project is a spectacular manifestation of what has been called an angry artistic expression of frustration over willful civic neglect. Guyton’s organic creation is what Robert Zecker has called a sardonic comment on â€Å"the poverty existing in the parts of postindustrial cities that have all but been abandoned by cash-starved civic governments† (Zecker, 2008). The art that was created from abandoned houses and refuse â€Å"were often harsh critiques of the abandonment many Detroiters felt, facing vacant 4 houses; weedy fields overgrown with discarded refrigerators and baby buggies; and a city administration incapable of offering city services†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ibid, 2008). But the Heidelberg Project is more than just conf rontation, it is a revolutionary gesture that says the future is not a thing that mayors, city councils and chambers of commerce bestow on a city. Guyton and those who have followed his example have reserved for themselves the power to effect change†¦even if change comes via the imposition of polka dots. Evidently, the city of Detroit, which dismembered the project on two occasions came to agree, if only in a tacit way. The city â€Å"gave up on its original goal of bulldozing the Heidelberg Project houses and finally started marketing (Guyton’s) artistic creations as tourist destinations† (Ibid, 2008). Art as urban renewal In a very real sense, the Heidelberg Project became art as urban renewal, though it didn’t start out that way. The notion of art and architecture sanctioned by the city was turned inside-out in Detroit. If it wasn’t bulldozed or razed and rebuilt as part of an ambitious political initiative, renewal couldn’t be considered l egitimate if it didn’t come out of an urban planner’s computer. This was the way Detroit had always planned for progress. But the throngs of locals and out-of-town tourists that experienced Guyton’s creations, and the newspaper and journal articles that chronicled the project, could hardly be ignored. And when the Detroit Institute of Art accepted some samples of the project as exhibits, there was no denying that traditional concepts of urban renewal and civic identity had been

A Teachers Self Reflection

A Teachers Self Reflection There are some careers that I will never be good at. For example, I could never be a doctor, or an accountant. And dont you dare try to get me a job as a farmer or a factory worker. However, there has been one career that has always had my attention, and the older I get, the more I realized I was made to be a part of that profession. I first decided I wanted to be a teacher when I was six years old. This might be a little too young to really choose a career, but I realize now that Ive never lost my passion for teaching. After doing the Strengths Quest activity for class, I was a bit confused on the strengths that showed up at the end. When the two classes got together to discuss what they all meant, I got the same feedback for all of my strengths, This is a strength that most good teachers possess. Some people think it is silly that a simple test you can take in 30 minutes could help you decide what you want to do for the rest of your life, but according to the millions of schools th at use the Strengths Quest to help students decide on a major, it is far from foolish to believe that 30 minutes can help you get started on the rest of your life. Futuristic When I first got my results, it was hard to figure out how having Futuristic as a strength would benefit me in my choice to become a teacher. Why would I need to be futuristic when I have already reached my goal of becoming an educator? After a lot of thinking, and reading about this strength a few times, I realized that being futuristic didnt just mean looking into my future with great detail, but helping others take a glimpse into their future, and helping them reach the goals they wish to achieve. Its easy to convince others that anything is possible, when I truly believe that. In the past, there isnt really a time when I could say that having this strength has hurt me, other than the fact that people may tend to think that I am foolish for being so optimistic in my aspirations. Looking into the future and knowing what I want has only helped me become more focused on getting where I want to be. It keeps me from straying from my goals, and helps me make smarter decisions when it comes to other aspects of my life such as my friends and free time. Consistency Consistency could be my most important strength when it comes to being a teacher. It basically says that everything needs to be fair. I dont like when people are favored for any type of reason. It also says that a person with this strength treats everyone equally by having clear rules and applying them consistently. This is obviously a trait that all teachers should possess. Im sure weve all had at least one teacher in our lives that had her favorite student. And not only do you grow to hate that teacher, but you hate that favorite student even more. It is hard to learn values such as playing fair, and treating others equally when the person teaching you to do so, doesnt practice it themselves. Growing up, having this strength actually hurt me in as many ways as it helped me. When I was younger I always had so much jealousy when someone was favored over me, or got more attention. I grew out of this, but I remember that sometimes I would actually lose friends because of those tendencies. I know now that it was silly to be jealous of someone for something so little, and now I know to just look past it, and that you cant be EVERYONES favorite. Now, I use this trait in a positive way. For example, when I see that someone is being favored over someone else, or is getting all the attention, I also make it a point to approach that person and make sure that they get a little attention as well. I think everyone deserves to feel admired, so I do what I can to make them feel important. A teacher should always adopt a fair attitude, when it comes to making any form of evaluations. He should be fair to his profession and assess students on their performance, instead of personal rapports and likings (Greer, 2004). This was in an article written about a study that was held at The University of Memphis. The study was about the qualities students want to see most in a teacher. This was second or third on the list. Great teachers have clear, written-out objectives. Effective teachers have lesson plans that give students a clear idea of what they will be learning, what the assignments are and what the grading policy is. Assignments have learning goals and give students ample opportunity to practice new skills. The teacher is consistent in grading and returns work in a timely manner (McEwan, 1999). This is another source that explains the importance of being fair. Being fair and consistent is always important, but when it comes to educating our youth, it is something that s hould be stressed. Woo Woo stands for Winning Other Over. This is a strength that I knew I had before I even participated in the StrengthsQuest activity. In the theme description, it talks about how people with this strength love meeting new people. They dont believe in strangers, just friends they havent met yet. If there was one strength that I would have to choose over all the others, it would be this one. This is also a very important trait that you can have when you are trying to become a teacher. First of all, you meet new kids every year. This means tons of names, faces and attitudes to remember. Secondly, in the description, it talks about how you have to work the room. When youre in the classroom, all of the attention is going to be on you, and what youre doing/saying. There are ups and downs to having this as a trait. Its great sometimes because I always meet new people and make new friends, but it can sometimes give people the impression that I have shallow friendships and dont have any deep connection with others. However, as youll find out later, I have no problems forming strong connections with people that I care about. Input This strength confused me the most, only because I didnt fully understand what it meant. After reading over it a couple of times, I started to see how it really described me pretty well. It talks about how people with this strength are always collecting things. This doesnt just mean material things. You can collect things you cant see as well, such as words, facts, etc. Im an avid reader, and enjoy reading as many books as possible. Other than reading non-stop, I like to learn random facts. There is something about knowing things a normal person wouldnt that really interests me. Its like when youre searching for something on Google, and you dont see what youre looking for, but you found something pretty cool, which lead to another pointless website and so on. This could come in handy when you are teaching because not only can you educate your students on little facts they may not know, but you can help trigger their curiosity and maybe have them reading book after book, or looking up how much a penguin weighs, just because they wanted to know. There are some downfalls to having this as a trait. For those who like to collect material things, it could lead to clutter and make it even more difficult to throw things out since you have so many. Other than that, I think that this trait is harmless. I think its a unique trait and that more people should enjoy collecting random facts and words. Relator As my last strength, I got Relator. This basically means that I enjoy making strong connections with people, and hold my true friends close to my heart. I always want to know more about the ones that I am close to. I want to know their goals, fears, dream, etc. This can be both beneficial and hurtful for teachers. It is good to get to know your students so that they trust you, and what you are teaching them. You want them to enjoy coming to school every day and you hope they look forward to seeing you. Unfortunately, this can be painful to you as a teacher because you make such great connections with the children, and then at the end of the school year, that may be the last time you ever see them, and you have to start the whole process over the next year. This is a risk that relators have to take. They have to risk getting hurt by those that they care about in order to really get the deep connection they are looking for. Always wanting to form close relationships with people has actually helped and hurt my ambitions. Knowing that I will have to meet new kids every year makes me shy away from becoming a teacher. However, I have always wanted to become the teacher that everyone remembers. I know how powerful teachers can be, and I want to have an impact, even if its just on one person. I want to be remembered in a positive person that helped someone shape their life, or help them decide on the person they wanted to be. Information cant be transmitted without a solid connection, and neither can knowledge. You need to form a connection with each and every student (Unknown, 2008). Creating that special bond with your students, and knowing who they are as a person really helps you to educate them they way you should. It is hard to teach a stranger something they dont really want to know in the first place. Conclusion There are definitely some flaws I will have as a teacher; however, I think that my strengths will help me become the teacher I would like to be. Everyone goes through stages where they just have no idea what they want to be when they grow up, fortunately, thanks to the StrengthsQuest activity, its a little easier for me to see that I was born to teach.

Summary of Zheng- He :: essays research papers

Zheng He was a Muslim eunuch who served as a close confidant of the Yongle Emperor of China during the Ming Dynasty. He went on voyages to Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Java, Ceylon, India, Persia, Persian Gulf, Arabia, the red sea Egypt, and the Mozambique Channel. The number of his voyages vary depending on method of division, but he travelled at least seven times to The Western Ocean with his fleet. The fleet comprised 30,000 men and seventy ships at its height. He brought back to China many trophies and envoys from more than thirty kingdoms including King Alagonakkara of Ceylon, who came to China to apologize to the Emperor. Life magazine ranked Zheng He the 14th most important person of the last millennium. In 1405, Zheng was chosen to lead the biggest naval expedition in history up to that time. Over the next 28 years (1405-1433), he commanded seven fleets that visited 37 countries, through Southeast Asia to faraway Africa and Arabia. In those years, China had by far the biggest ships of the time. In 1420 the Ming navy dwarfed the combined navies of Europe. A great fleet of big ships, with nine masts and manned by 500 men, each set sail in July 1405, half a century before Columbus's voyage to America. There were great treasure ships over 300-feet long and 150-feet wide, the biggest being 440-feet long and 186-across, capable of carrying 1,000 passengers. Most of the ships were built at the Dragon Bay shipyard near Nanjing, the remains of which can still be seen today. Zheng He's first fleet included 27,870 men on 317 ships, including sailors, clerks, interpreters, soldiers, artisans, medical men and meteorologists. On board were large quantities of cargo including silk goods, porcelain, gold and silverware, copper utensils, iron implements and cotton goods. The fleet sailed along China's coast to Champa close to Vietnam and, after crossing the South China Sea, visited Java, Sumatra and reached Sri Lanka by passing through the Strait of Malacca. On the way back it sailed along the west coast of India and returned home in 1407. Envoys from Calicut in India and several countries in Asia and the Middle East also boarded the ships to pay visits to China. Zheng He's second and third voyages taken shortly after, followed roughly the same route. In the fall of 1413, Zheng He set out with 30,000 men to Arabia on his fourth and most ambitious voyage.

Historical Changes of Affirmative Actions

Affirmative action was established to practice equal employment opportunity. Moreover, in general, it is a catchall phrase that refers to laws, customs, and social policies. It intends to ease the discrimination between majorities and minorities by giving more opportunities for diverse demographic groups in various social organizations. Also, it refers to both voluntary and mandatory efforts practiced by federal, state, local governments, private employers, and schools to overcome discrimination and to urge equal opportunity into the educational system and working environments (Stephanopoulos and Edley 1995). On the other hand, it is criticized and discussed since it was established due to its has very broad influences in America society. It is not simply a legal issue, but also an issue that affects every American†s way of life. However, it†s just like other laws and regulations, none of them can please all kinds of people. I am a supporter of the affirmative action. Some may say that this is because I am a student, and I need affirmative action to protect my opportunity of finding jobs in the future; unfortunately, they have the wrong thought. I am Taiwanese, and I will find my job in Taiwan where there is no regulation like affirmative action. Therefore, I am standing at a very objective position to discuss this topic with you. Of course, you can always keep you opinions in minds, but please open your minds to look at what I am going to tell you. I. The historical changes of affirmative action Affirmative action was first seen at 1961. President John F. Kennedy referred to his executive order that asked all federal contractors treat the applicants and their employees â€Å"without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin† (Pasour 1989). In 1964, affirmative action expanded its scope to prohibit employment discrimination by large employers, having over 15 employees, whether they have government contracts or not. In addition, from 1965 to 1967, affirmative action was expanded to require all government contractors and subcontractors to take it to expand job opportunities for women and minorities. Then, from 1970 to 1973, legislators evaluated and compared the affirmative action this program and status quo and made this program have more flexible goals and timetables for every organization to achieve it. II. I-200 & Proposition 209 V. S. Affirmative Action When I heard that Washington and California have passed Initiative 200 (I-200) and Proposition 209, which are regulations that against affirmative action, I think the residents of these two states may not clearly realize what the affirmative action really is. These regulations were passed because the supporters believe affirmative action has gone too far to protect minorities and women. Furthermore, the affirmative action causes reverse discriminations, preferential treatments, and privileges at not only work places but also schools. Proponents of I-200 and California†s proposition 209 also argue that affirmative action has led American colleges and universities to use racial and ethnic as criteria to select a significant fraction of their entering classes. They also argue that because of affirmative action, companies may hire less qualified minorities or women instead of best-qualified white males. I cannot agree! If those are true, why are most of the top level managers white males? Besides, why are women getting lesser pay than men have when taking charge of the same duties? According to the report of the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission in March 1995, â€Å"a large proportion of minorities and women are locked into low-wage, low-prestige, and dead-end jobs† (Murrell and Jones). The Glass Ceiling Commission reported that â€Å"97 percent of senior managers at the Fortune 1,000 corporations were white males†(Morin and Warden A01). Also, in 1998, women were earning 75% of men†s salaries base on the same kind of job, said by Jim Hose, a Human Resource Professor of Eastern Washington University. The general pattern of male-female relations continues in modern societies. An example like Home Depot Inc. , â€Å"it was suited by EEOC in 1997 because it hired women into low-level jobs, such as cashier, with little chance for advancement into sales or management positions† (Lerner D3). The evidence shows that affirmative action is still needed due to society†s unequal status. Most importantly, opponents argue that affirmative action causes reverse discrimination, and that is not true. A statistic shows that â€Å"fewer than 100 out of 3000 discrimination cases filed actually involved reverse discrimination and only six out of 100 cases were true† (Wilson 1995). When the U. S. overnment stars to practice affirmative action, it creates broader opportunities for all populations instead of only for white men. At this point, white males may have some impact on them, but the affirmative action is still needed when you consider society as a whole. Another issue has been brought out by advocators of I-200 and Proposition 209, that affirmative action leads schools to select candidates unfairly. However, universities do not just look for racial and ethnic diversity when composing a class. Universities may reject some white students, but the reasons are absolutely not simply about racial and ethnic issues. According to the date, which is based on 1996 applications for ten public Virginia universities, â€Å"show those universities selected applicants would consider about race, sex, SAT scores, class rank, and high school grade point averages† (Mcqueen A13). Affirmative action is the regulation that ensures everyone in America has fair chances in every organization. Why did legislators established affirmative action? Is it because of historical discrimination of white people against African Americans? This notion gives those opponents a very big chance to criticize affirmative action. They argue that discrimination between blacks and whites has become history; therefore, we should not have affirmative action to deepen prejudice or recall everybody†s attention to racialism. Has our society become equal without discrimination? I don†t believe that someone is so naive to think so. Perhaps those critics just don†t want to face the truth of the status quo. There was an example on ABC news, which filmed two men that have the same education, age, appearance, and other qualities, However, one is African American and another is white. While the white got full service in shoes store, got a lower price and better financing plan for buying a car, the African American got opposite treatments. Thus, when you think that affirmative action is enough, please consider what the real world is. The truth is that there is pervasive racism in all areas of U. S. society. IV. Four-fifth rule/Quota and Affirmative action The most common argument about the affirmative action is that many people believe that affirmative action leads organizations to not hire the best-qualified people due to some quota restrictions, such as the four-fifth rule. The four-fifth rule means â€Å"adverse impact exists if the selection ration for the discriminated-against group is less than four-fifths (or 80 percent) of the selection ration for the majority group† (Ledvinka and Scarpello 143). These opponents of affirmative action argue that some affirmative action practices have involved the use of preferential treatment and privilege to achieve workforce diversity that destroyed the purity of assessing candidates. At this point, I am not going to say that there is no company that likes what they have described, but the problems occurred due to misunderstanding of those regulations. What we say about the Four-fifth rule, or simply say quota restriction, is a goal set by government for every organization to follow. So far, there is no company which hires employees base on BFOQ (Bona fide occupational qualification), that has been charged because of not reaching the goal of the Four-fifth rule. â€Å"True affirmative action does not enshrine preferences or mandate quotas. Nor has any effective affirmative-action program ever been structured to allow unqualified candidates to take jobs over the qualified† (Redwood 136). Everyone can have goal. By setting a good goal for yourself, even you can†t reach it, you are still going toward right direction. The affirmative action and Four-fifth rule as like. V. How do you identify the term â€Å"Best-qualified†? Can you give the â€Å"best-qualified† a definition? No, I can†t. Actually, by using â€Å"best-qualified,† this phrase is usually very subjective. Different employers have different considerations under their â€Å"best-qualified† catalogs. Tom may be the best-qualified candidate for company A, but may not be eligible for company B. Also, â€Å"Employers have traditionally hired people not only on test scores, but on personal appearance, family and personal connections, school tiles and on race and gender preferences, demonstrating that talent or desirability can be defined in many ways† (Kivel 1996). As we know, many job opportunities are heard from informal networks, like friends, family, and neighbors. If there is no affirmative action to ensure that everyone has a fair chance at what is available, the segregation between different groups, such as black and white, men and women, will become more and more serious. VI. Affirmative Action creates diversity for our environment Affirmative action helps organizations to find diverse and talented employees. America is a diverse country; therefore, if your company has more diverse employees, your company can get various ideas, information, and knowledge to enhance your competition. Many companies, such as Mountain Bell, have commented that â€Å"by instituting affirmative action, they not only made their employee population look like American, which is a diverse country, but also found more talented and skilled workers† (Pendleton and Douglas 1991). Another example for supporting affirmative action is the Aire Sheet Metal, which its president, Bobby Bramlett, said that â€Å"affirmative action creates opportunities with contractors who otherwise wouldn†t know us, or give us a chance†¦ The work comes through relationships, but that first opportunity to build a relationship comes from affirmative action† (Spencer 151). Therefore, affirmative action can let companies have various personnel to enrich companies† overall human resource and enhance companies competitive capacities. In conclusion, I just want you to recognize what affirmative action really is. Affirmative action ensures that everyone in America has an equal chance to compete with others. It is a law to minimize the gap between blacks and whites, men and women. Although affirmative action may have some impact to white males, we still need this law to balance our society by considering the society as a whole. Affirmative action is good for overall U. S. society, especially, when people can combine those diverse powers together. Affirmative action is a long-term benefit for the U. S. society. I believe every American should support this regulation.

What Is Cheating?

If a survey was conducted to find out what most persons considered cheating in a relationship the majority of people would say, any sexual involvement with another person that is not your spouse or partner. The WordNet defines cheating as the act of being unfaithful to a spouse or lover. Adulterer, cheater, two-timer or â€Å"player† are all words that describe someone that cheats. These are all words to describe someone that is unfaithful, disloyal, dishonest and untrustworthy in a relationship. What really is cheating in a relationship? Cheating is not just an act of sexual involvement. Cheating is any emotion or act that is a hindrance to an exclusive and committed relationship. Dawn and David were married for five years with two kids. David had spent most of his time at the office while Dawn took care of the kids. David was in the real estate business so he was always meeting new people. One day he met a lady, Stephanie. Stephanie and David exchanged email addresses so that they can further discuss real estate business. An innocent chat that was supposed to be strictly business lead to something more emotional. Over a period of six months David and Stephanie developed feelings for each other. Every night and day he found himself constantly chatting to Stephanie. One night they both expressed that they truly loved each other even though they were in committed relationships. David got a divorce and started a relationship with Stephanie. In this incidence David and Stephanie did not have sexual intercourse. However, they developed a strong bond where eventually they fell in love. David spent most of his time chatting with Stephanie. Stephanie got to know his feelings and thoughts something that only his wife should be able to relate to. He isolated his wife and looked to another figure as someone he could communicate with. Some might say that expressing feelings through instant messaging and texting to another individual other than your spouse or partner is not cheating. Why? – Because they can’t see or touch you. How is this not cheating when eventually you are developing feelings for that particular individual? Cheating is developing an emotional bond with another person that is not your spouse or lover. Lust, a strong sexual desire. Yes, this is the word to describe what goes on in spouse’s or partner’s head when they attend a strip club or watch pornography. Some may find it fascinating and just simply fun to attend a strip club. They might consider this not cheating because they are just â€Å"hanging† with the guys or having fun. How is this not cheating when they are lusting after an individual that is not their â€Å"significant other†? If you lust after a guy or girl that you just saw walking down the street or have been working with for years, you are cheating. Cheating is lusting about someone that you are not committed to. Many persons would say that it hurts more to know that their wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend has â€Å"slept† with another person. They would consider this act truly cheating. It is when a sexual act is committed they betrayed. I want to know how they would truly feel if they knew that their significant other developed a bond with another instead of just â€Å"fooling around†. How would they feel if they knew that there was no sexual involvement but they still love them because of who they are? How would they feel if they said that they are leaving them for the girl/guy that works at the strip club? Will it be too late for them to realize that lusting and developing emotions are considered cheating?