Age discrimination and its effect on the over 30s in todays workplace Research Paper

Age discrimination and its effect on the over 30s in todays workplace - Research Paper Example Age discrimination is all about taking the focus from job competency as reflected in the skill levels and placing it on the individual’s calendar age. Most people tend to view age discrimination as an aspect that relates to older employees but the fact is that ageism involves young employees too. This is for the reason that there are age restrictions that are illegal and their sole intention is to bar young people with proper educational credentials simply because the employer thinks that the credentials will hinder them from performing their duties as expected (Macnicol 3). Pension reforms were ushered in with the advent of industrialization. Social security in form of specified pension amounts lured older employees into retirement as the schemes had financial benefits. However, after the Second World War, the professional arena experienced a change that saw the entry of the younger generation and modern technology into the workplace (Sargeant 27). â€Å"Discrimination exist s in the minds of those that believe they have the right to exercise abusive authority and control over the powerless, the poor and the oppressed† (Hullet 28). This was the genesis of age discrimination as employers started viewing the ‘old’ employees as a professional burden that lacked the required technical know-how, conservative in their style of work, and above all lacked the zeal to work (Macnicol, 14). Nonetheless, there were those employers who stuck with the ‘old guard’ as they felt that the young were immature and inexperienced to enhance their productivity. Another fact that led to the cropping up of age discrimination was the low output achieved by older employees as they were incapable of keeping abreast with the new technology. Even so, their pay was high and they could not be fired because they had a lifetime employment policy. This made employer to review their policies in favor of the young thereby creating age discrimination. General ly, it can be said that age discrimination affects all age groups. Companies, on the other hand, view hiring young people as expensive as they will require further training and close supervision. They also have reservation on hiring old people because they tend to think that they will not get value for their money as older people will work for a short time before retiring and they are expected to pay out their retirement benefit. Age discrimination on a global scale and the USA Age discrimination is a worldwide phenomenon that affects every society in the world. However, this review will look at the European Union and the United States. â€Å"There is ample evidence that discrimination takes place in the EU† (Macnicol 45). Every standpoint has its own definition of old age, for example, in the statistical aspect old age is considered 60 to 65 years of age as pertaining to retirement or social program entry eligibility (Grobe 12). The European commission ranges old from 55 to 65 years of age. However, a 40 year old is defined as an old worker in the United States of America. Even though the current economic crises mostly affected the young people in Germany, there was also

The use of HR Service Centers Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The use of HR Service Centers - Term Paper Example Frederick Taylor and his followers introduced the first formal monitoring system prior to World War I. In the year 1950, it was recognized that appraisal is a useful tool for motivation as well as development of the employees. In the year 1970, the term performance management was introduced by Beer and Ruh. The later section of the project deals with the literature review of performance appraisal where previously conducted research has been taken into consideration in order generate to ideas and to make the base stronger. The last two section deals with the problems as well as recommendations for performance appraisal. Human resource management is one of the most important functions for any organization. It deals with matters relating to staffing, skill management, performance management, payroll, training and development, recruitment and selection among others. HRM is a management driven activity, focused on the values of the business, commitment oriented, with diverse strategic scope which gives strong stress on incorporation. This paper deals with the discipline of performance management which is one of the most important aspects of HRM (Armstrong, 2006). Performance management is one of the most important developments in the areas of human resource management. It is a tool which helps to measure the performance of the employees as well as improve their way of working so that the goals of the organization are achieved in an effective and efficient manner. It is very often found that whenever one thinks of performance in an organization, the first thing that comes to our mind is performance of the employees. Infact the performance management must deal with the products or services, programs, processes, departments, organization, teams and groups, etc. 360 degree feedback method is the modern appraisal method which includes feedback from everyone including self ratings, peer review and upward assessment. It helps in

Is the UK welfare state in crisis?

Is the UK welfare state in crisis? Since the British Welfare state materialized in 1945, the debate on how to reform it has never ceased. In the first 25 years after it was introduced, the debate concerned how to increase its scope and abolish means-tested benefits. Then, after the economic crisis in the 1970s, the aim was on how to trim it back. Now, the future of the welfare state itself it the subject of fierce debate. In this essay I will begin with a history of the UK Welfare State and how it came about, before analysing a few of the key elements of the welfare state which will help me decide whether the welfare state is in crisis. I will then finish with a conclusion with my thoughts and views, verbalised. The narrow definition of the welfare state comprises two types of government spending; (1) cash benefits to households such as transfers and income insurance and (2) subsidies or direct government provision of human services such as pre-schooling, education, child care, health care and old age care. The broader definition of welfare state includes housing policies, price regulation, job security legislation and environmental policies1. The purpose of the welfare state is to create economic equality or to assure equitable standards of living for all2, to protect British people from unemployment3, and to encourage the provision of the social services on the same basis as the public services such as roads and libraries4. However, there are differing opinions as to whether the objective of the welfare state is a simple one, as John G. Francis states the purpose is to allocate public funds In order to secure certain minimum life support services for those most in need and to construct a c omprehensive set of social and economic policies designed to realize a certain vision of society.5 Morris Janowitz, on the other hand, paints a more minimal portrait of the welfare state: the welfare state rests on the political assumption that the well-being of its citizens is enhanced not only by allocations derived from their occupations and the marketplace but also grants regulated by the central government. He explains that in addition to the government provisions of benefits for its citizens, there are two further elements in his conception of a welfare state: (1) parliamentary regime determination of resource allocation and (2) the recognition of the states right to intervene in order to create the conditions under which citizens can pursue their goals. The welfare state was developed primarily by William Beveridge. In 1941, the British government commissioned a report into the ways Britain should be rebuilt after the Second World War, mainly how improvements could be made to the system of providing sickness and unemployment insurance. Beveridge was the obvious candidate to compile the blueprints for the welfare state due to his book on Unemployment: A Problem of Industry in 1909, in which he argued that full employment could be obtained if industry was not constrained by over regulation.7 In 1942 as the war reached its height, he produced his report The Report on Social Insurance and proposed that all people of working age should pay a weekly national insurance contribution where benefits would be paid to the sick, unemployed and retired and thus provide a minimum standard of living for all citizens.8 He also identified five giant evils that plagued society and could be tackled: Want (today we call it poverty) by establishing a comprehensive social security system Disease by establishing a new health service Idleness by the state aiming for full employment Ignorance by reforming the education system Squalor by a new house building and slum clearance programme9 The first of Beveridges proposals came into effect before WW2 ended. In 1944 the Ministry of National Insurance was set up before the Family Allowances Act was passed a year later.11 Reactions to the report were positive: It gave me a feeling there was something to work for and fight for after all and that our efforts might be rewarded by some real social improvement, giving means to the phrase winning the peace. (Royal Artillery, male, 29) Its the goods! All the yearnings, hopes, dreams and theories of socialists for the past half century have been crystallized into a practical economic formula. Equity for the lowest common denominator I was staggered by its comprehension. (Insurance clerk, male, 39, Newport) I am aware of a new feeling of confidence in myself as a member of a democratic society when I see those social reforms which I have considered necessary for such long time actually taking shape. (Accountant, male, 40, Prestwick) 12 Such positive reaction, though not all positive, led to a landslide victory for Clement Attlee and his Labour Party and he decided to seize upon Beveridges proposals as a basis for radical action, and proceeded to implement many social policies, which became known as the Welfare State. Attlees hope was to have Beveridges plan in force by 1948, but in a time when Britain was suffering from the severe conditions of post-war Britain, it did not have the money to pay flat rate benefits that would keep people out of poverty.13 The National Assistance act which was passed in 1948 played a bigger role in improving poverty than Beveridge had planned and because the idea of basing entitlement on contributions through national insurance was flawed, it meant many people, in particular women, were excluded from the system. Another act which passed was the National Health Service Act 1946, which came into effect on 5th of July 1948 and created the National Health Service in England and Wales.14 A fter the landslide victory for Labour in 1945, Aneurin Bevan was appointed minister of health, responsible for establishing the National Health Service. Since there was already a free, compulsory state education service, the people of Britain now probably had the most comprehensive Welfare State system in the world.15 The question of whether the UK welfare is in crisis is one that has been asked before. The welfare state in the 1970s was claimed to be in crisis with oil price shocks and increasing food prices adding pressure on the economy and leading to a rise in unemployment. Though the causes sharp reductions in output by OPEC and exchange rate fluctuations were said to be external to the welfare state 16, there still continues to be a debate over not just whether the welfare state is in crisis but also if it is sustainable. The first area I will tackle is state benefits. As of September 2009, there were 2.7million people claiming incapacity benefits in the UK17 and with reports stating that less than a third of these claimants are legitimate18, it begs the question that are the standards of the UK health service so inadequate that more people than ever are incapacitated? The simple answer is the majority of these people are simply work-shy19. Michael Portillo of the Sunday Times pointed out the intentions of the Welfare Stare was to prevent this abuse of the system by the work shy20: The state should not stifle incentive, opportunity, responsibility, wrote Sir William Beveridge in the 1942 report that inspired the post-war welfare state. In establishing a national minimum it should leave room and encouragement for voluntary action by each individual to provide more than that minimum for himself and his family. These work shy people are forcing the tax burden on the hard working families and as a result, taxpayers have spent  £346bn on payments to those out work since Tony Blair entered Downing Street. He goes onto say It might have been possible for the state to fine tune benefits when every claimant was known to the local poor law guardians. It is much more difficult today in systems that are nationalised and standardised, before concluding, we ought to assume that fit young people are not entitled to anything. If a few young men from sink estates are now heroes in Afghanistan, why should we presume that all the others are capable of nothing useful at all? Some believe such a centrally planned benefits system is bound to fail because it is not feasible for a planning body to know all the circumstances and facts to able to assess who is in an incapacitated state21. Another area of benefits that has come under scrutiny is child benefits. This has long been considered untouchable as it has high take-up rates and passionate support across the political sector. However, new goals such as reducing child poverty whilst at the same time cutting spending, it is time the state challenged its status as the sacred cow of the welfare state22. Between 1999 and 2004, 600,000 children managed to escape poverty as result of their guardians/parents finding work. However, this trend reversed when the recession hit when between 2008 and 2009, 160,000 more children were in workless households and, inevitably, in poverty. Kate Stanley of the Institute for Public Policy Research makes the point that the welfare state must become much more efficient in reaching poor children and child benefit is one of governments primary tools in ending poverty.23 She goes onto explain that we need to bite the bullet and make it progressively universal so that everyone gets somethin g but poorer families get most, adding further, one option would be to tax child benefit and use the tax to increase the rate of benefit paid to second and subsequent children. As with any policy change, putting forward such change is unquestionably controversial. However, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that yes, while there is a need for a benefit reform in the UK, does it necessarily mean the welfare state as a whole is in crisis? On this evidence, I can conclude with a wholehearted, no. British schools have somewhat of a mixed reputation. Quality of state education is known to vary whilst universities and other higher education institutions garner an excellent reputation internationally and take in thousands of foreign students. The state education system in the UK has been changing at a hectic pace in recent decades which has led to a generation of curriculum chaos and crisis caused by a lack of funding, crumbling infrastructure and shortages of books and other equipment24. Many schools have been forced to cut their teaching budgets at a time when they should have been increasing them, and some have had insufficient funds to buy books for the revised national curriculum and other essentials. This is only going to get worse with the recent spending review by The Coalition hinting there may be savage cutsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in the education budget25. The budget for the Department of Education last year was  £66.7bn, rising to an estimated  £68.7bn this year. While Cha ncellor George Osborne has pledged to protect Sure Start, the government scheme where childrens centres have been built by Labour to provide nursery care, it means other areas such as school buildings and support services are likely to be even harder hit. And it only gets worse: the Audit Commission claims that millions of pounds are still being misspent. A report last year found schools were sitting on excessive cash reserves of almost  £2bn and  £400m a year could be saved if schools bought desks, equipment and services more sensibly26. However, it is easy to criticise and easy to forget the positives. The last government claimed the increase in funding produced key successes, including rises in primary and secondary school exam results, a drop in the number of failing schools, an increase in the number of children staying on in education beyond the leaving age and improvements to early years care with the establishment of a network of Sure Start childrens centres. However, th is all happened during the last government. With ever more bleak and worrying headlines such as Students to face unlimited fees, Nearly one in five children aged 16-19 is functionally illiterate and Schools prepare to cut frontline services, it is not surprising why many are saying the education system in the UK is in trouble. A recent programme on BBC illustrated how Toby Young struggled to set up a new school within the state system. The pressing concern was the campaign to stop these schools was endorsed by the National Union of Teachers. The reason why Mr Young was trying to set up these schools was because they were wanted by parents not happy with the existing state schools. There is mass evidence to support their views with reports year on year showing dwindling numbers on the number of pupils that achieve 5 A-C GCSEs. It is about time students are able to realise their full potential instead of facing silly obstacles. It is no wonder private schools attain far higher grades and pass rates than public schools as they receive much more attention in their small class setting. I see no reason at this stage to go against what many people are saying: the UK welfare state is very much in crisis. The last area I cover is pensions. In the UK there are three major pension routes; (1) occupational final salary pension plans from your employer: (2) the state pension where you may have entitlement to a top-up plan as well as the basic state pension. Those who are not well off may have their retirement earnings boosted by a pension credit: and (3) the money purchase pension scheme either from your employer or from other earnings such as self-employment (these are called personal pensions)27. There are three problems in pension reforms in the UK. The first being whether to continue with the PAYG system or switch to a saving system, though this fight seems to be over as many academics and politicians accept the need to move to a saving or funded system. The second problem is whether, if you opt for the saving system, to make savings voluntary or compulsory, and if compulsory whether or not to give savers a choice of pension providers. The move to a saving or funded system has a great economic advantage in that it builds compound interest into the entitlement. In other words, you invest in the economy and you get the benefit when you retire. Many would like to return to the ideal situation of not wanting to be a burden on your family and the next generation, but as that family obligation myth still continues, it is too high a price to pay for the economic costs of the current system29. The question that leads from this is whether to make saving voluntary or compulsory. I would suggest setting a minimum for compulsory savings and let people saving voluntarily for larger pensions. Indeed the government introduced voluntary pension saving in the new world of pensions, but being auto-enrolled into a pension scheme will be compulsory. The high level of state pension from the age of 65 has been found to cost too much and has steadily declined in relation to average incomes and been replaced by what many call the disastrous means-tested pension credit. With the pension age to rise to 68, this will be a long overdue acceptance of vastly increased longevity30. This demonstrates the slow pace to which the UK responds to changes in reality. The Beveridge report laid the foundations of the post-war welfare state, declaring every citizen who paid his or her contributions should be able to claim an adequate pension worth more than any means tested benefit31. As Philip Johnston of the Telegraph puts it, after 100 years in which living standards have quadrupled, a pension designed to prevent the poorest in society enduring a penurious old age has failed in its purpose. James Bartholomew, in his book The Welfare State Were In, posed the question if we would have been better off without the state pension. He answered, It seems likely that if the state pension had not been introduced, British people would have saved a great deal more and, overall, would probably now be wealthier in their old age. The late 19th century trend for people to become less benefit dependent would have continued, and it would be normal to have very substantial savings. Old people would have more independence and dignity in retirement. In conclusion, I agree with the claim that the UK welfare state is in crisis. During the research for this essay, I found almost no evidence to say otherwise, which was a surprise. I have discovered the welfare state has been a failure and I believe the state should stop funding anything beyond a minimum safety net. As stated before, money is being wasted due to recklessness in its spending and rather than divert (even more) resources from social security to health and education, as the government plans, it should slash taxes and let people pay for their own welfare services. The demand for these two categories rises faster than national income and public spending is unlikely to be able to keep up, thus bringing us back to the perpetual perception that they are underfunded. I read an interesting post made by a member of the public on an online forum that made the following comment: Whenever all of part of the NHS runs out of money, wards are closed or operations are delayed or a cost saving measure is taken, but never are salaries cut back. 154 This illustrates how the government have a strong inclination to protect their staff first, instead of their customers who receive the service. But of course the nurses and doctors and administrators feel like they are under paid and endure difficult conditions, and this is often too. It bottles down to the point that their pay and their pensions are not damaged which otherwise would be if they were not working for the government. The future on the welfare state itself is uncertain at this point in time. The right are in agreement that unwarranted spending on the welfare state has weakened economic growth and reduced incentives, while the left feel the traditional welfare state has not paid enough attention to significant groups like women and ethnic minorities. Policy reforms have strengthened not just in the UK but also in the continental Europe and the US. The government often deliberates and avoids making tough decisions, such as introducing a compulsory savings scheme or increasing state pensions, which have been needed to deal with the crisis. As Steve Schifferes of the BBC puts it, though the government wants to seek a political consensus before proceeding with radical reform, time may be running out!

Solar Heating Essay -- Solar Sun Energy Essays

Solar Heating It seems self-evident that, as a global society, we must transition eventually from the nonrenewable fossil fuels we currently rely on to renewable sources of energy such as biomass, wind, and particularly solar energy. The latter, though it involves some difficulties, which we will discuss shortly, is especially attractive, I think, because its source is the energy provided by the sun, which is so vast that, according to some, â€Å"if it could be effectively harnessed, two days’ worth of solar energy could provide more power than all known fossil fuel reserves.† (Duke Power) Because I will be getting a house of my own in just a few years, I decided that an interesting topic for study might be solar heating. There are two different kinds of solar heating, so I will briefly discuss them both: Active Solar Heating There are two different kinds of active solar heating systems: air and liquid. In both kinds of Active Solar Heating, flat plate solar energy collectors are installed on the roof or on the ground. Most often, the side that faces the sun has a glass or plastic cover and the inside space is a black absorbing material. Air systems use air to capture, transfer, and store heat produced by the collectors, while the liquid systems use water or an antifreeze solution. From there, fans or pumps deliver the heat to the house. Ultimately, I feel I would opt for the liquid system, because they cost less to operate and ta...

Jails and Prisons Response Essay

Jails and Prisons Response Prisons and jails may both confine offenders but they have their differences. Jails are for offenders that have short term sentences or for holding until the offender is transferred to a prison. They are also used to hold a criminal during their hearings until sentencing (Schmalleger, 2011). Prisons are for offenders that are sentenced to long-term or permanent confinement. They are institutions separated in to three categories depending on how serious the offense was or the mental state of the offender. There are minimum, medium, and maximum prisons (Schmalleger, 2011). All aspects of the criminals life is controlled by the authorities of the prison. This is what makes it a total institution. Depending on the crime committed and the individual they decide on which institution will be best. There are also four types of prisons which are military, juvenile, political, and psychiatric. They each have their place in the criminal justice system. The concept of prisons as a institution is total control and authority. Medical, education, and treatments are available to inmates as part of their rights. Within any institution there are different programs and departments to make it run properly. Jails play a important role in the system. They hold non-violent criminals from violent criminals. If everyone went to prison they would be over populated. Jails are beneficial because they are local and can hold offenders for short periods. A court would not want to send a offender who did not pay his parking tickets to prison for 30 days.

Class or Mass Case Analysis Essay

Class- or Mass?: Case QuestionsNeptune Gourmet is facing the problem of an inventory pileup. The company needs a way to sell the excess inventory. At the same time many new ships were purchased and expected to operate, which increases supply. Rita Sanchez proposes a cut in prices of the product by fifty percent. This price cut poses a problem due to the fact the Neptune Seafood is a premium product and usually sells for a higher price than the competition. In order to maintain the premium product image Sanchez proposes starting a mass market brand to decrease inventory. There are many variables but some of the bigger ones include; creating the separate brand at all and whether or not the new brand would be associated or separate from the current Neptune brand. Some executives agree with Sanchez while others take the side of Jim Hargrove in disagreement of the proposal. The dilemma is whether the company should start a new brand and price it at fifty percent of the Neptune Gold brand in order to increase sales and decrease inventory. The executives have many conflicting opinions about the effects on the image of the Neptune brand if this method of inventory reduction is carried out. The goal of research for Neptune is to determine the effects on the consumer’s views if a new brand is implemented. How well would a new brand perform entering the current market? Is there already a popular brand on the market that has the low cost segment secured? Neptune should look into what their competition would be in an almost new market. This new brand would likely be seen as lower quality due to the price. With the Neptune name associated the quality image would be strengthened for the lower price product. As mentioned in the case would the grocers fail to stock the product for fear of competition with the stores own private label product?Should the brand be associated with the current Neptune Gold brand or would that hurt the current premium product image. If the name of the new less expensive brand was Neptune Silver, as suggested, but had the quality of Neptune Gold would customers be lost to the lower priced product. Would the lower priced product increase the market size into a lower income bracket? Again, what is the market currently like for low priced seafood? One of the important strengths of Neptune is the fact that all of their products have the Association of Seafood Processors and  Distributors â€Å"Gold Seal of Approval†. If this new brand didn’t have that seal would that also affect the company image?If this is a feasible investment what effects would flooding the market with a low priced product cause. Will other companies with inventory pile-ups respond and cause a price war? The other companies in the market are bound to do something in response to the low prices. If Neptune chooses to do nothing with the stockpiled inventory another company is likely to sell at a very low price to decrease inventory first. Is it a good idea to be a first mover and capture the low priced market early?Also, would targeting South and Central America be a favorable option? In a country where the lower price by U.S. standards wouldn’t seem quite as low, Neptune could keep its premium status while still decreasing inventory. In addition, expanding into other countries could prove to be a profitable venture. At the same time hopefully the expansion could increase demand and decrease the surplus of inventor y. Overall would the venture be profitable? More precisely is the infrastructure in South and Central America suited for distribution or would this cost reduce the feasibility of the investment. A market analysis would be a good starting approach to researching this plan of action. The first step is to define your target market. You need to know exactly what the consumers are like, and how large the market is for the lower price product. Here you could find out who is going to buy the product and how much demand there will be. Projections could be made on the affect to the market and what policies are in place that could decrease profitability. In solving the marketability issue this method along with a SWOT analysis would be very useful. With the problem Neptune is facing in regards to product image, I would use an exploratory approach to learning about the consumer. I would host focus groups to try and determine how the inexpensive brand is associated to the Neptune Gold brand. This would help determine if the brand should be associated closely with Neptune Gold or held distant from the core product. Should Neptune expand into Southern and Central America? Exploratory in-depth interviews would be a quality option for determining if the market would  accept the product or not. You could look for some secondary information on how other similarly priced seafood products performed in that region. The individual would be the best for a focus group in determining the product image dilemma. It could be determined if different financial groups would react differently to the new brand. For example; would the less expensive brand be substituted by the middle class individuals to save money?With a market analysis most of the information would be secondary. The research would involve finding the right data to give the best idea of how well a new product would do in the market. It’s possible that other institutions could be approached in search of information. This would give quality information on where and what would work best for Neptune. With the foreign market problem the research should be done on the retailers and suppliers for the most effective information. These people could tell you pricing and sales information of products currently sold in South and Central America. Also, culture in other countries has to be considered. Most of what you would need to know to enter a new market, the suppliers and retailers could convey through interviews.