Emphasise The Importance Of Introducing Gender Mainstreaming Social Work Essay Essay Example

Emphasise The Importance Of Introducing Gender Mainstreaming Social Work Essay Essay Example Emphasise The Importance Of Introducing Gender Mainstreaming Social Work Essay Essay Emphasise The Importance Of Introducing Gender Mainstreaming Social Work Essay Essay and Oxfam GB defined gender mainstreaming in a set of guidelines for its staff as follows: A procedure of guaranting that all its work, and the manner it is done, contributes to gender equality by transforming the balance of power between adult females and work forces , with this attitude we should every bit good approach gender mainstreaming in our company.[ 1 ]The United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women elaborates on the definition of gender equality as the equal rights, duties and chances of adult females and work forces and misss and male childs ; and adds that equality does non intend that adult females and work forces will go the same but that adult females s and work forces s rights, duties and chances will non depend on whether they are born male or female. Gender equality entails both adult females and work forces and non merely adult females s issue. Reaching a province of equality between adult females and work forces is mak ing a province of humanity.[ 2 ] Recently adult females had entered the work market in an unprecedented manner, adult females are educated, intelligent and have the ability and capableness to take and do the right determinations whether at a managerial station or a domestic 1. It is a great loss for the company non to take full advantage of our female co-workers capablenesss and accomplishments for it is considered cachexia of resources, hence our company s direction is perpetrating a great error baring adult females from busying high managerial places and facilitates their calling promotion, and no demand to advert the de-motivated moral and feeling of favoritism among themselves. There are great obstructions that prevent female co-workers from giving their extreme attempt and dedication towards the work topographic point. Part of the chief obstructions is the working environment and the company s internal policies. Womans should be allowed and assisted in making a balance point between their private life and its demands and carry throughing work duties in an effectual mode. Achieving gender equality increases our company s productiveness on one manus, and on the other improves the household public assistance of our female co-workers. We should disperse the glass ceiling which the company accidentally puts through presenting new regulations and policies and give them entree to resources that would weave their manner to make managerial places if anyone of them proves to merit it. We, as the direction squad of this company, should non restrict the entree to information and resources to any of our staff and collar the chance of calling development, this will give economic and societal benefits both employees every bit good the employer and if non both will lose ; the company will happen itself unable to last the progressively heterogenous market. Our company s organisational construction in its current format prevents adult females from making top professional places. Why Gender Mainstreaming? We, as a baronial company, should advance our staff s societal justness through set uping a more gender balance policies so as to be in line with the human rights Torahs, states labour criterions and non to be accused of being male biased. Women s productiveness is recognized and we should profit from their accomplishments and endowments through giving them more infinite to move and to turn out, through their capablenesss, that they deserve our trust to busy senior places. From the point of position of the International Labor Organization ( hereafter ILO ) , as mentioned by Baboun ( personal communicating, September 25, 2009 ) , there are two wide principles for seeking to accomplish the end of gender mainstreaming, both adult females and work forces should bask equal intervention and the judgement should be based on public presentation and non on sex footing, and we can accomplish democracy and justness through riddance of de facto and de jure favoritism on the footing of employee s sex. Baboun ( personal communicating, September 25, 2009 ) adds that we have to protect the employees societal justness through guaranting gender equality in this company and aid in poorness relief through supplying professional preparation for our staff and particularly for adult females and advance their on the job conditions, and this procedure would be more fruitful if we involved adult females when redeveloping our labour policies that tackles gender equality and aut horization.[ 3 ] All employees, adult females and work forces, should non execute different sorts of occupations on the footing of their sex but instead based on accomplishments, endowment and experience. We need to measure the demands of work forces and adult females in the company so as to emphasis on some of our policies and/or present new policies that enable all employees to accomplish self satisfaction and decent and healthy work environment. As ILO recommend, we should include gender mainstreaming in our institutional scheme to give equal chances and rights to work forces and adult females.[ 4 ]Mainstreaming involves more than increasing adult females s engagement, it places the gender equality affairs at the Centre of policy determinations and programme budgets, and institutional constructions and procedures which can advance the regard and grasp for adult females s difficult work.[ 5 ] Suggestions to accomplish gender mainstreaming We can get the better of some of the gender mainstreaming barriers by presenting gender consciousness preparation for all employees and aided by developing gender consciousness positive policies and integrating gender aims into planning and execution processs ; and to procure this policy we have to put a system of answerability. Razvi et Al ( 1995, p.7 ) emphasizes that puting the aim of de-institutionalize male prejudice should be done through presenting gender guidelines, checklists and ratings signifiers so as to do it hard for staff members to ignore adult females s involvements in their twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours activities.[ 6 ]We can help in accomplishing this aim by set uping a little unit to advance equality and to detect the advancement of gender authorization. We have to earnestly see following some steps and policies that empower both work forces and adult females and accomplish gender equality through guaranting equality of intervention and chances of employment and encouraging adult females to use for vacant stations and leting the publicity of internally hired adult females on the footing of equal wage and calling development without negatively affect their professional and personal societal life balance. All employees should be encouraged to take part in determination devising and to be evaluated and promoted based on their occupation public presentations regardless their sex, colour or nationality. Besides, we have to vouch pregnancy benefits through presenting pregnancy benefits as the right to hard currency benefits during absence for pregnancy and female parent s right to daily interruptions or day-to-day decrease of working hours to suckle her kid.[ 7 ] As senior directors, we have the capableness to better the adult females s working environment and to put policies that enables the adult females to be treated reasonably and on equal footing as work forces. Redood ( 1996, p.1 ) emphasizes that the universe has changed to the better in respect to the intervention of adult females in general, and at their work topographic points specifically, and its our bend to accommodate and advance the public assistance of our adult females s co-workers. Her seven recommendations to relieve gender favoritism include:[ 8 ] 1 ) On traveling seeable communicating by senior direction, the president of this company, and guarantee your committedness to workforce diverseness which will hike the employees motive and dedication to our company and can vouch full use of their endowments and capablenesss. This should be an built-in portion of our concern strategic program. 2 ) Division directors should be held accountable for accomplishing gender mainstreaming end and subject a monthly advancement study, and from our side we have to reserve portion of our budget that enables them to carry on preparation Sessionss and workshops or any other activity which helps accomplishing this nonsubjective such as accomplishment wagess. 3 ) All employees should hold entree to relevant information and resources that help them to take the company a measure frontward in recognizing gender equality and better workplace atmosphere. 4 ) We have to guarantee that the agencies of calling promotion and publicities is non male biased but instead to 1s who deserve it based on their one-year public presentation rating. By this we block publicities based on personal penchants or advancing unqualified people. 5 ) We can alter our traditional recruiting system by seeking out talented campaigners from inside or outside the company by looking at adult females s colleges and universities or caput hunting. 6 ) We have to place the accomplishment and cognition standards for promotion and supply rotational occupation assignments that extend the employee s experience and visibleness and to hold an expert to tutor them. 7 ) Family friendly policies improve productiveness and cut down costs by alleviating workers of non-job related concerns and let them to concentrate on concern aims. In add-on to the above the Secretary General s communicating on gender mainstreaming on 13 October 1997 suggested that within each country of duty gender differences should be taken into history and should publish analytical studies and recommendations on policies and operational executings to guarantee accomplishing our aim. Analytic studies must bespeak gender analysis, sex-disaggregation of informations and studies. When fixing the one-year budget, it should explicitly apportion some fiscal resources to implement gender equality activities.[ 9 ] On top of the above points the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific ( ROAP ) suggested extra processs to advance gender equality at work. The ILO suggest action programs such as disaggregating informations by sex and reexamine the demands of all staff, work forces and adult females, through transporting out a gender analysis, so measure the impact of action on adult females and work forces and place possible disparities between the place of work forces and adult females. Provision of equal opportunities and chances to all, and transporting out gender-specific action, aiming adult females entirely, work forces entirely, or adult females and work forces together with a position to right bing gender inequalities and favoritism. The promotion of adult females is a necessary scheme whenever they are in a deprived place as compared to work forces, because handling everybody equal in a state of affairs of inequality will non tip the balance towards more equality. We have to increase adult females s engagement in programmes and determination devising so as to give adult females a voice and the direction hearing ears, to guarantee that their involvements and positions are taken into history in development work.[ 10 ] No sum of advisors, gender mainstreaming schemes, and gender preparation workshops can convert staff to mainstream gender if accomplishing gender equality is non a clear end set out in their strategic program.[ 11 ]To implement the gender mainstreaming we have to modify our mission statement to conform to the overall company s cause and our gender equality and equity objective. A monitoring system should be put in topographic point to measure our success or failure in run intoing our aim within a clip scope and to come up with recommendations, suggestions and disciplinary actions. Within this clip, staff members should hold comprehended why gender mainstreaming is indispensable for the company every bit good as for all. Excellent managerial leading accomplishments are the corner rock of this procedure, in the first phases direction should hold a stopping point and critical oculus on how things are traveling and to respond immediately to any malfunction or break to the procedure. Men staff members should be empowered every bit good to understand that adult females s function in the company is indispensable and should work with their female co-workers based on this apprehension. The company s manus book should include policies that are gender sensitive and protect gender demands for all employees, for illustration our company, to the extent possible, should make its purchases from other companies and/or providers that enhance gender equality and equity ; by making so we encourage others to follow gender mainstreaming and utilize it as recommending to such a baronial cause. We can profit from Oxfam GB experience on how to advance staff consciousness to gender equality. Oxfam GB used different sorts of protagonism stuffs such as Cadmiums of larning stuffs ; electronic essay exchanges ; series of one-day seminars ; electronic arguments and treatments and other proposed agencies of larning were: a registry of local beginnings of gender preparation ; support for staff to go to preparation classs ; cusps with cardinal information about how to mainstream gender ; sharing a list of utile Internet links and bibliographies ; exchanges with academic staff ; coaction with doctorial pupils who wish to implement participative research.[ 12 ]Staff approached with these types of educational stuff will certainly be affected and by clip will be more gender sensitive if non advocators. Differentiate between formal and substantial equality Though we need to accomplish equality between adult females and work forces staff members, we should be careful non to fall in the trap of ignorance and non to distinguish between the formal or substantial equality when puting our policies to accomplish our gender mainstreaming end. As defined by United Nation Development Fund for Women ( hereafter UNIFEM ) , Formal equality is the signifier of equality that work forces and adult females are treated every bit and under the same set of criterions. This type of equality does nt take into history the unsimilarities between adult females and work forces, as the biological apparatus. For illustration, though we want to accomplish gender equality between all staff members, it is non possible to inquire adult females to work dark displacements because it is insecure and awkward for adult females to go entirely at dark ; on the contrary to what we aim, this sort of policy will widen the spread in gender equality and non bridge it. A protectionist policy should be introduced to back up adult females from being asked to make certain undertakings that may do them injury. However, the Substantive equality, UNIFEM farther explain, means that adult females and work forces should hold equal entree and equal benefits. We should look on how and why both sexes are treated otherwise and through a disciplinary attack set up policies and processs to forestall such favoritisms.[ 13 ] Possible jobs or limitations that might impede the procedure The female parent of all limitation would be the organisation s denial to accept presenting gender mainstreaming as built-in portion in its authorization and chorus from taking active processs in accomplishing gender equality. Staff members, as Whitbread ( 2004, p.42 ) argues, should be acquainted with the relevancy of gender mainstreaming to their work and the organisation s prosperity and how it helps in cut downing unneeded struggles between staff members.[ 14 ]We should be sensitive to other bing obstructions that will decelerate down or even forestall the company s accomplishment of gender mainstreaming. Hunt ( 2004, p.87 )[ 15 ]assures that Both adult females and work forces can non profit from this procedure if a deficiency in answerability to gender equality policy exists. Failure to prioritise gender equality aims in our programmes due to laden direction docket. Insufficient policy committednesss, inefficient direction tools and systems consequences in failure in gender mainstreaming execution and rating procedures. Missing the cognition and preparation about gender equality constructs and aims. Harmonizing to Howard ( 2002, p.169 ) , one of the major restraints is related to the absence of airing of gender information and sensitiveness to gender issues among our staff. Decision It for a great importance and benefit is the gender mainstreaming when introduced and go a dispensable portion of any organisation s policy. It develops staff members to handle and look at each other in a different oculus, an oculus that does non know apart between sexes or colour, expression at each other in a pure oculus. The bulk of staff work eight hours a twenty-four hours, five yearss a hebdomad, it is a batch of clip infinite the organisation can utilize to work on mending impaired outlooks and explicate them through educational Sessionss, educational stuffs and developing the importance of being gender oriented for them selves every bit good for the organisation and the environing people inside and outside the work topographic point. Without the direction committedness and sincere attempts to implement gender equity and equality this righteous aim will neglect to predominate, and we will still had to bear agony as a consequence of promoting favoritism between work forces and adult females between our forces. As pointed out in the debut, the demand to incorporate gender concerns into all facets of the organisation s precedences and processs and to do gender concerns the duty of all in an organisation. Women should be approached to manage duties the same as we do with work forces, work forces are non born holding superior accomplishments and but instead it was gained by pattern and experience, and we should supply adult females with chances to derive experience and so w could feel no difference between adult females and work forces. There is a demand for giving human resources, even on a portion clip footing, supported by sufficient fiscal resources to take this great human-centered cause on their shoulders manus by manus with all stakeholders to accomplish this baronial end. Gender human resource squad should hold the endowment and accomplishments to present this new babe policy to our staff and all, with the encouragement and support of the direction, have to assist in raising it. There are many obstructions and challenges that adult females need to get the better of until they reach to a point to be treated every bit with work forces, decidedly it would be really difficult and cumbrous and requires a batch of forfeit but Oklahoman or subsequently they will make their purpose because of one factor, justness. We have to back up their cause and promote the favoritism against them through leting and giving them the entree to resources and information as arms to contend the unfairness they are populating in for many old ages. There is no such rapture than the rapture of assisting others to populate in a peace and harmoniousness. Gender favoritism is non portion of our nature but instead created by the patriarchal system that we are populating in. Womans differ from work forces merely in he biological formation nil else and rationally this non a noteworthy footing for striping adult females from any right, was it right to instruction, right to self finding and look and right to be treated as human being. Who among us will non support his female parent s right to be self respected, or right to be treated in self-respect, who can state that Saint Mary the virgin is an ignoble human being.

Fundraising for a charity Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fundraising for a charity - Literature review Example While reviewing a search in EBSCO Host turned up 297 results. Of the 297 results, 6 articles were used. The articles used cane from various different sources. All of the sources used are peer reviewed by a University Library. The articles gave an I depth explanation of popular theories and means of creating a successful charity. After narrowing the search from fundraising to charities, the search performed by EBSCO turned up 210 results. Of the 210 results found, 6 sources were used. The literature chosen to review was peer reviewed only. Many of the sources that were not used contained information that did not pertain to the topic. Other information that seemed to contain biased information was not used. I intended to only use information that strictly pertained to direct theories on fundraising for charities. The findings made for amazing research. The articles gave much insight as to how charities are able to host fundraisers and receive the money that is deeply needed. As described by Ben Goss 2005, Charities must be accountable in order form individuals to want to donate. A person willing to give to a charity wants to know that the charity is not a scam. This leads into another topic that was researched regarding whether or not the charity has positive reviews. An individual can go online and research the charity. The search is likely to find reviews by others whom have donated to the charity. As explained in the journal by Miller 2009, networking is the new way to raise money for charity. Networking allows for those giving donations to go on the charities web page to donate, volunteer and see the charity in action. Seeing accomplishments that the charity has completed is important and a means of proof that the charity is an accountable charity. Accountability can also be discovered by the age of the charity. Most charities are may struggle when first starting out. Many making donations are giving large portions of money and

Joint Venture entry mode of Marks and Spencer in China Essay

Joint Venture entry mode of Marks and Spencer in China - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that entering into a new market has been commonly accounted as one of the major challenges faced by companies seeking the benefits of internationalization market expansion. In its course to diversify in the global plethora, the company needs to deal with many barriers including cross-border trade regulations, cultural paradoxes and various other socio-economic factors that are deemed to influence business operations in the targeted host country. Contextually, entering into the market of China also posed considerable challenges to Marks & Spencer (M&S), which is a renowned British multinational retail chain. Critics have thereon argued that it is fundamentally owing to lack of market understanding and appropriate strategies adopted by companies to mark its failure in Asian countries like China. Several challenges and problems encompass the entry of M&S in the market of China. With the opening of their first outlet in the Chinese market, the company experienced a dip in its performance, which was accounted as considerably lower than the expected level in the Chinese market. The outlets opened by M&S, at the initial phases of its operations in the Mainland China, failed to satisfy the needs of the Chinese local customers owing to the company’s lacuna to identify customers’ preferences in the market and offer services accordingly. For instance, the M&S stores were unable to provide garments of smaller sizes, as preferred by the customers in China. (Wood, 2012). Reportedly, the supply chain of the company was also lacking its usual effectiveness, which further inhibited the reputation of the company in the Chinese market, at its introductory phase. Additionally, it was also known that the management of the retail chain was implementing its strategic experiences gained from its operations in Hong Kong, irrespective of the fact that the consumer buying behaviour are found to be considerably distinct in these two regions. This again depicts the lack of market survey of the company taking into account the tastes and preferences of customers in the host country (China Retail News, 2009). In addition, the decisions taken by the company for not collaborating with any of the local firms in China, i.e. ignoring the benefits of JV also barricaded the utmost efficiency of its strategies by restricting the cooperation of local firms to a certain extent. It was thus considered as a mistake made by M&S, which retarded its smooth entry in the Chinese market. However the company focused on concentrating on its size and range of services offered to the Chinese customers as its major Unique Selling Propositions (USPs). Subsequently, the first shop of the company was opened in the Mainland and was propounded to be one of the biggest shopping centres in Asia. Nonetheless, this decision of the company came as a surprise for many investors in the stock market, as opening of the store came just after the global economic turmoil that kept investors wondering regarding the finances of M&S. It has also been noted that competition level from the local marketers were observed to be quite h igh in this area, as the local retailers are more competent in serving the customers in the market providing products preferred by customers of lower age groups and lower income groups. On the contrary, it would be vital to mention that the products

Funnist Incident in Classroom Essay Example for Free

Funnist Incident in Classroom Essay Alright so it was an ordinary day at school, and I was going to my locker in between fifth and sixth hour for the school-wide locker clean-out. I didnt have much to clean, I just emptied my locker of a few homework assignments that seemed to be hiding in the back. So I was done cleaning and I went to my sixth hour class, which really isnt much of a class as it is independent study. Its just me and these two kids from New Delhi who are in seventh grade and take pre-calculus. Well, the room I go to for sixth hour is a science room, so there are a few safety apparatuses to use, just in case: There is an eye wash station if you get chemicals in your eye and a ventilation wood if youre working with things that give off fumes. The last safety device is the safety shower, which is nothing more than a slight depression in the floor where there is a drain, a showerhead overhead, and this metal rod thing that you pull which releases an enormous gush of water. I think you use it if your clothes get on fire or if you accidentally spill chemicals on yourself. Anyhow, I was walking around the room, reading some science comics that were plastered to the wall. Well, I happened to slip on a rogue piece of cardboard that was lying on the floor, and I was spiraling out of control right towards the safety shower. I had no other choice, and plus I was a bit disoriented because I was spinning, so I grabbed on to the metal rod to stop myself from falling and WOOOOOSH A hundred gallons of cold water come down all over me! Im standing their soaking wet, not knowing what to do, and finally the teacher walks into the room and nearly drops his coffee. I was sent to the nurse and she gave me a big towel to wrap myself in. The nurse called my mom to let her know what happened, and she picked me up from school about twenty minutes later. The worst part wasnt me getting wet, oh no. When I activated the safety shower, the door to the classroom was open, and you could see me directly from the doorway! There was a whole crowd of people outside the adjacent classroom, and they started laughing !

Understanding the the Romantic Imagination with Ramond, Wordsworth and

Understanding the the Romantic Imagination with Ramond, Wordsworth and Shelley Works Cited Not Included "The way to find the 'real' world is not merely to measure and observe what is outside us, but to discover our own inner ground†¦. This 'ground', this 'world' where I am mysteriously present at once to myself and to the freedoms of other men, is not a visible, objective and determined structure†¦It is a living and self creating mystery of which I am myself a part, to which I am myself my own unique door." (Thomas Merton in Finley 45) We have spent a good deal of this semester concentrating on the sublime. We have asked what (in nature) is sublime, how is the sublime described and how do different writers interpret the sublime. A sublime experience is recognizable by key words such as 'awe', 'astonishment' and 'terror', feelings of insignificance, fractured syntax and the general inability to describe what is being experienced. Perception and interpretation of the sublime are directly linked to personal circumstance and suffering, to spiritual beliefs and even expectation (consider Wordsworth's disappointment at Mont Blanc). It has become evident that there is a transition space between what a traveler experiences and what he writes; a place wherein words often fail but the experience is intensified, even understood by the traveler. This space, as I have understood it, is the imagination. In his quest for spiritual identity Thomas Merton offers the above quotation to illustrate what he calls 'interpenetration' bet ween the self and the world. As travel writers engage nature through their imagination, Merton's description of the 'inner ground' is an appropriate one for the Romantic conception of the imagination. ... ...here are similar aspects to each writer's experience. Engaging the imagination, Ramond, Wordsworth and Shelley have experienced a kind of unity; conscious of the self as the soul they are simultaneously aware of 'freedoms of other men'. I suggested in the introduction that the imagination is a transition place wherein words often fail but the experience is intensified, even understood by the traveler. For all three writers the nature of the imagination has, amazingly, been communicable. Ramond and Wordsworth are able to come to an articulate conclusion about the effects imagination has on their perceptions of nature. Shelley, however, remains skeptical about the power of the imaginative process. Nonetheless, Shelley's experience is as real, as intense as that of Ramond and Wordsworth. Notes 1. Duncan Wu's foot note, page 403. 2 "Tintern Abbey". Line 97. Understanding the the Romantic Imagination with Ramond, Wordsworth and Understanding the the Romantic Imagination with Ramond, Wordsworth and Shelley Works Cited Not Included "The way to find the 'real' world is not merely to measure and observe what is outside us, but to discover our own inner ground†¦. This 'ground', this 'world' where I am mysteriously present at once to myself and to the freedoms of other men, is not a visible, objective and determined structure†¦It is a living and self creating mystery of which I am myself a part, to which I am myself my own unique door." (Thomas Merton in Finley 45) We have spent a good deal of this semester concentrating on the sublime. We have asked what (in nature) is sublime, how is the sublime described and how do different writers interpret the sublime. A sublime experience is recognizable by key words such as 'awe', 'astonishment' and 'terror', feelings of insignificance, fractured syntax and the general inability to describe what is being experienced. Perception and interpretation of the sublime are directly linked to personal circumstance and suffering, to spiritual beliefs and even expectation (consider Wordsworth's disappointment at Mont Blanc). It has become evident that there is a transition space between what a traveler experiences and what he writes; a place wherein words often fail but the experience is intensified, even understood by the traveler. This space, as I have understood it, is the imagination. In his quest for spiritual identity Thomas Merton offers the above quotation to illustrate what he calls 'interpenetration' bet ween the self and the world. As travel writers engage nature through their imagination, Merton's description of the 'inner ground' is an appropriate one for the Romantic conception of the imagination. ... ...here are similar aspects to each writer's experience. Engaging the imagination, Ramond, Wordsworth and Shelley have experienced a kind of unity; conscious of the self as the soul they are simultaneously aware of 'freedoms of other men'. I suggested in the introduction that the imagination is a transition place wherein words often fail but the experience is intensified, even understood by the traveler. For all three writers the nature of the imagination has, amazingly, been communicable. Ramond and Wordsworth are able to come to an articulate conclusion about the effects imagination has on their perceptions of nature. Shelley, however, remains skeptical about the power of the imaginative process. Nonetheless, Shelley's experience is as real, as intense as that of Ramond and Wordsworth. Notes 1. Duncan Wu's foot note, page 403. 2 "Tintern Abbey". Line 97.

Implementing a Flexible Work Schedule

Flexible work schedules provide employees options regarding their working schedules for standard work week (Monday-Friday). These options include working from home (on occasion) to working a compacted amount of hours within the work week, limiting the amount of days in which the employee has to come into the office. Flexible work schedules are usually implemented with the intention of allowing employers the opportunity to have a well-balanced lifestyle between home and work. The primary or most popular work option chosen is flex-time (Russell H. O'Connell, 2009). Flex-time allows employees to negotiate there hours within the limits of management. Another option is a compressed work week which means that you have worked your 40 hours in less than the standard 5 days. An option that is becoming popular for industries that are technology focused if call job-sharing. Job-sharing allows employees to divide the work load between two employees, which gives each employee the flexibility of working virtually or from different parts of the country (Russell H. O'Connell, 2009). And then there is telecommuting, means that employees can complete their work time obligations from the leisure of their homes or a preferred location. The following Chart provides is a brief description of the flexible work options: A work schedule that condenses one or more standard workweeks into fewer, longer days. A work schedule with variable starting and ending times, within limits set by one's supervisor/manager. Employees still work the same number of scheduled hours as they would under a traditional arrangement. An arrangement in which two or more part-time (or occasional) employees share the responsibilities of one full-time job at a pro-rated salary. A work schedule that is less than full-time but is at least half of the regularly scheduled full time workweek. A block of time off while retaining one's job. These leaves may be paid or unpaid. A work arrangement in which employees regularly work at home or at an alternative work-site during part or all of a work schedule One assumption that is made by many employers is that allowing or implementing a flexible work schedule allows to retain your employees and maintain a more consistent work force (Pruchno, 2000). According to some, implementing and executing a flexible work schedule can reduce employee turnover, and save companies money in the long run on expenses associated with replacing valuable employees. Pruchno states that the cost associated with employee turnover can add up to 130% of the departing employee's salary (Pruchno, 2000). So for many, implementing flexible work schedules can be seen as a cost saving strategy. Another benefit for implementing a flexible work schedule can be measured by having a more relaxed, engaged, committed and productive employee (Families, 2012). Suzan Lewis wrote in her on implementing a flexible work schedule that, â€Å"both flex-time and compressed workweeks had positive effects on productivity/or self-rated performance, job satisfaction, and satisfaction with work schedules but that absenteeism was affected by ex-time only. â€Å"(Lewis, 2003). It later goes on to suggest that absenteeism had a relationship with the flexibility of the arrangement, where for example the different effects on absenteeism are because compressed work weeks are less flexible and therefore do not allow employees to, for example, make up time lost through illness or other reasons, as flex-time does, which results theoretically in a higher level of absenteeism (Lewis, 2003). The intended impacts and benefits for implementing a flexible work schedule is to balance work and lifestyle issues while increasing job productivity, commitment and employee satisfaction. One study concluded that employees operating under a flexible work scheduled usually demonstrate improved work and lifestyle balances immediately (Russell H. O'Connell, 2009). In fact the study states that â€Å"employees operating under flex-time work schedules displayed a more improved level of work and life balances than their counterparts utilizing traditional fixed-hour schedules. (Russell H. O'Connell, 2009). Now, although the impacts of a flexible work schedules may appear to have primarily positive results, an incorrect execution of this program can cause problems. Overall productivity, depending on the industry, could potentially drop if the wrong program is implemented. Issues related to fairness, can also come into place if the program is not implemented and executed accurately. Most employers and employees agree that the proper implementation of a flexible work schedule can help to maintain a work-life balance and can increase job satisfaction and productivity. However, the potential problems to implementing such a program are usually seen when too many options are made available or when the wrong option is made available without proper research and planning. Companies should know and have a clear understanding of the impacts of each flexible work option. Along with this knowledge, companies should understand the impacts of specific flexible work options on their operations. Flex-time and telecommuting may not work as well in a manufacturing environment as oppose to an office setting. And Job-sharing may not work well for an engineering company, as it works for an IT help desk company. So, companies will need to make sure that they have engaged themselves in a comprehensive planning process to determine the right fit. So, the success of implementing and executing flexible work schedule ideally hinges on the actual option that is implemented. Which means that the success is determined by the type of industry that it is implanted in (office work, operation, manufacturing, etc.); the working environment or culture; and the carefully instituted flexibility of the work option itself? Also, as was highlighted earlier, the degree of flexibility is relatively important as well as it relates to how effective the flexible option can be. An option that is too flexible can yield minimal results in the intended goal of cost savings and employee work and lifestyle improvements. However, an option that that may be considered to be not flexible enough may risks not to be seen by employees as being beneficial and may not yield to intended cost savings. In saying this, to maximize effectiveness in this respect, a medium needs to be found where the arrangement is flexible yet not to an extent that hinders the intended goals and outcomes. The following outline provides some practical steps for planning, implementing and assessing a flexible work schedule (Families, 2012): What impact will flexible time or work location arrangements have on your service to clients? What are the benefits for employees and the organization? What are the potential problems? Can you deal with them? What time, effort and money it will take to make flexible arrangements successful? Is training required to be sure managers and co-workers have the knowledge and skills Ask employees, possibly in a survey, what they want Consult widely – with other organizations, clients, board members, volunteers, staff Review options, consider strengths and weaknesses of these options Develop written policies and procedures for implementation and monitoring Communicate to board, clients, staff, volunteers, public Run a pilot for a trial period and evaluate it Have staff report back on the pilot to provide their feedback Amend and/or extend the program if necessary After the pilot has run, make any modifications or changes to the program Inform staff of new processes and procedures Continue to evaluate the program on a regular basis Solicit feedback from participants, make changes and adapt plan as required This outline provides some basic steps for getting started, putting/implementing an effective plan of action, and evaluating the plan for improvements and adjustments. It also touches on some required elements that will help the company to yield the intended goals and to obtain buy-in from employees and staff. Implementing a flexible work schedule can be very costly and time consuming in the beginning; however, putting together a realistic and comprehensive plan will go a long ways toward assuring effectiveness. Specifically, the best way to ensure an effective implantation and execution of a flexible work schedule is to make sure that the applied flexible work option suits the specific industry. For example, flex-time can be a relatively ineffective arrangement unless it is chosen for the right job. Allowing a school teacher a day off once a week is probably not a good idea if his/her class schedules require that they be in attendance from Monday-Friday. Whereas a data-analyst who works for a software company, could potentially work 10 hours a day for four days a week and can be just as or even more effective than if he/she work eight hours a day five days a week. So, for companies to truly maximize effectiveness in the implementation of a flexible work schedule, the right flexible work option needs to be applied. In conclusion the some of the benefits of implementing flexible work schedule are cost saving, low employee absenteeism, increased employee productivity and work performance. However, these benefits are only yielded if the company implements and executes the right flexible work option. In this report, detailed steps and recommendations have been provided for how companies can successfully implement a flexible work Schedule. To ensure that the intended goals are achieved it is important that companies make sure that they have identified and implemented the right flexible work option(s). They must also make sure that the implementation process is inclusive whereas employees and executive staff members are included, trained and provided an opportunity to provide input in the implementation process. Finally, implementing a flexible work schedule, if done correctly, can do wonders for employee morale and commitment.

Prenatal And Routine Postnatal Hiv Screening - 1820 Words

I. Introduction Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) diagnoses are increasing among women in the United States; as a result there is an increase in newborns born with HIV via vertical transmission, accounting for nearly all pediatric AIDS cases in the US. Between 1999 and 2000, about 370 HIV infected infants were born, 40% of which were born to mothers who were unaware of their HIV status before delivery. Without antiretroviral therapy or other forms of intervention, 25% of infected pregnant women will transmit the virus to their child during pregnancy, labor or delivery, or after delivery. In recent years, systematic reviews and peer reviewed studies have suggested that mandatory screening for HIV in pregnant women is a cost-effective†¦show more content†¦The study found that with the prenatal screening program, requiring pregnant women be screened for HIV, more women would be tested (about 1.1 million), identifying 527 HIV infected pregnant women and prevent 150 mother-infan t transmission of HIV annually. This program would increase life years by 3,311 among newborns and cost an estimated $8,900 per life year gained, or $195,700 per case of HIV avoided. The new born screening program, requiring all newborn infants be screened, would result in 3.9 million infants tested annually and would prevent 266 cases of newborn HIV infection. This method would identify 1,061 HIV infected women who gave birth and increase life years by 5,878. The annual cost of the program is an estimated $40.9 million, or $7,000 per life year gained, and $153,000 per prevented HIV cases. The benefits of the newborn screening program decrease if pregnant women agree to participate in the prenatal program; however, it is argued that newborn screening is a non-consensual method of screening pregnant women (Zaric, G., Bayoumi, A., Brandeau, M., Owens, D. 2000). Similar to Zaric’s study, Josephine A. Mauskopf conducted a study on the impact of HIV treatment in pregnant women an d their newborns. Cost was defined and estimated as Zaric defined cost and the conclusions were