Continental Europe seeks to combine flexibility with security in its Essay

Continental Europe seeks to combine flexibility with security in its relations with the workforce via a range of measures one of - Essay Example But the criticisms of the policy direct towards the fact that the diversities present at the national level leads to the decline of the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that flexicurity model proposes (Muffels, 2008, p.386). The Union has taken various measures for the establishment of the same but question still arise regarding its effectiveness with the outburst of the worst financial crisis in 2008 after the Great Depression in 1930 (Flexicurity: Europe's employment solution?, 2008). The paper will be discussing the flexicurity approach adapted by the European Union along with the discussion of its principles and objectives and with special focus on Germany and Denmark. Highlight will be also given on the youth unemployment problem with reference to the Viking, Laval and Ruffert cases discussing the protection measures of the other countries with respect to the benefits in compliance with Art 3 and 49 of the EC treaty which focuses on the right to establish in any state o r that of single market and rights of provision of services across the European Union. Now the subsequent section will be dealing with the concept of flexicurity. 2. Notion of flexicurity In today’s labor market there is a requirement of rigorous levels of flexibility and adaptability both in the interest of the employers as well as the employees for anticipating and responding to the demands of the market (Flexicurity Pathways, 2007, p.3). The crux of flexicurity is an emerging concept in the European Union and has been considered as a significant approach in the labor market and within the employment paradigm (EU Council: Common 'flexicurity' principles adopted, 2008). The policy has been first generated in the Nordic countries for the purpose of solving European Union’s employment paradox. From the studies of Wilthagen and Rogowski in the year 2002 it gets revealed that flexicurity is regarded as the policy that directs towards a synchronized platform that boosts la bor market flexibilities, work organizations as well as labor relations with security provision for the weak group of people inside and outside the labor market. The authors highlight that flexibility and security can be achieved through focus on coordination. They stress that initial jolt will be derived from the macro level actors like government and social partners. Implementation will be established on all levels of the economy with different means of flexibility complementing each other with corresponding varied security forms (Meyer, 2009, p.87). From the early 2000s, the European Union policy of flexicurity included an amalgamation of easy hiring and firing rules benefiting the unemployed and following a pro labor market policy (Flexicurity: Europe's employment solution?, 2008). 3. Underlying principles of flexicurity The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) has been established in the year 1975 working on the area of working co nditions, living conditions and industrial relation ( Agencies and other European bodies, n.d.). The EU body while drafting policies limited itself while applying flexicurity policies with some common principles. The common principles which the flexicurity model proposes is

Music Genre of the Blues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Music Genre of the Blues - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that dating back to the origin of different kinds of music genre, it is quite clear that they came about as a result of coordination of collection of human lifestyle and movement. Contextually, we can attribute the origin of the Blues music genre to human movement and farming and also a product of their deepest expressions. The Blues itself means being sank in melancholy or being depressed. The genre came about as a result of expression of plight and predicaments by the African-American slaves. At such times the Africans were being subjected to work in the North American Colonies Plantations. As the report declares music is influenced by climate through which it thrives. This is an implication that the Blues was also shaped by outside factors besides its human architects. Music was effected in religious activities and Africans who practiced Christianity used it to propagate their spiritual religion. As the Europeans strived towards transforming African pagans into faithful Christians, it can to their attention that these Africans were exceptionally talented in music. If you are to influence someone onto doing something then it is always better and much easier to employ what they have and like. The Europeans used the African music to spread the gospel of Christianity amongst their target population. â€Å"This "spiritual" music was the first instance of African music adapted to the social environment of the New World†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

Dama presented for examination Essay Example for Free

Dama presented for examination Essay A written account of practical work undertaken in year 11 resulting in a piece of drama presented for examination. We started the Christmas term 2001 with group warm-up exercises, before even thinking about what we were going to perform in late November or who we were going to work with. These were fun class activities, used to build up group relationships. We did such things as human noughts and crosses, using nine chairs in a 3 by 3 square with the girls as noughts and the boys as crosses. We played 5 games, resulting in one draw and the boys winning 3 to the girls 1. It was fun and used really to warm us up. We then went on to play two games of winking murder. We all sat round in a circle on chairs with our eyes closed while Mrs. Powles walked round the circle tapping someone on the shoulder, telling that person that they are the murderer. Then its all eyes open and we try to work out who the murderer is. Meanwhile, the murderer is winking discreetly at people, killing them. It was very enjoyable and it helped to build up group relationships. Following that, we were assigned the task of pretending to be a salesperson of some description at a drinks evening. We had to decide what we were selling and how to sell it. Once that was decided, we had to go around the class introducing ourselves to each other and trying to sell our product to them in under 2 minutes. It involved much interaction between us all and helped tremendously to strengthen group relationships. Shortly after, we were asked to write on a piece of paper who we wanted to work with and who we did not want to work with if we thought that we would not produce to the best of our ability if we were with them. Finally, I ended up working with Elise, which was great as I had never worked with her before and we were good friends. She didnt seem to complain either, which was a good sign. Then we spent an entire double lesson going through all of Mrs. Powles plays that she had to decide on one to perform an extract out of for the exam in December. We settled finally on an extract from the play The Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn, as we both decided that we wanted to do a comical piece, but not farcical, so it fitted nicely. After searching through the book for a while, we finally came across a suitable duologue between Norman and Sarah. Norman is a librarian, but this definitely does not define his character at all. He is a womaniser, married to Ruth, attempted to have an affair with her sister Annie who is engaged to Tom, and is now working his charms on his other sister-in-law, Sarah, Elises character, who is married to Reg. Sarah is a more strict, clean, and prim character. However, it is sometimes clear that Sarah is quite jealous of Annie because she is the one that Norman says he wants and she wants to replace Annie in Normans eyes. It does eventually happen, as in the second scene they kiss. The extract immediately appealed to both of us, so we decided to give it a try. The extract we did in November was actually two different dialogues taken from two different points in the play. The first is set in the living room in the house and the second is set in the garden. Immediate difficulties we experienced with the exert were few, but as ever there were some. The biggest problem in my mind at the beginning was how to perform the kissing part of the second scene effectively and without embarrassment. It really needed to look convincing as it is the peak of Sarahs life, experiencing the closest thing she will ever feel to true love. It was essential that this came across in the performance. Then came the blocking of the scenes. First of all we just exchanged ideas and thoughts, coming up with a skeletal plan for how to go about performing both scenes. We discussed things such as how lines should be spoken, facial expressions and other small but significant effects. Afterwards we concentrated mainly on the first scene to get that near-perfect before trying the second scene. Once we had familiarized ourselves with the scene and had fairly certain ideas about what to do, we started to really act it out. Not long after, we did hot-seating as a class in which the person in the hot-seat had to answer their questions as their character. I enjoyed listening to other people answer questions with much thought, as they delved into previously unexplored regions of their character. When my turn came, I found it to be a very interesting experience, being able to answer questions as a different person. I had to capture his frame of mind and be able to answer the questions convincingly as Norman. It really helped me to get to grips with Normans character, behaviour and motivation and also to further my acting ability as Norman. When it was Elises turn, it too helped me to understand her character better than I previously did, which enabled me to respond to her better in the play. Following that, we spent most, if not all, of our time concentrating on the first scene, filling in the gaps and finalising parts of it. Performing it in front of the class also helped a lot as it was open to criticism and any ideas from the class or Mrs. Powles. One idea that really affected what we had rehearsed so far was that at the beginning of the first scene, Sarah storms in and physically removes my feet from the arm of the armchair before she sits on it. We had thought this to be a good idea to convey that Sarah was angry with Norman, which she was. The suggestion was that this was not a bad idea, just that it would be more effective if Sarah came in and stared at my feet distastefully, as if daring me to leave them there. When I then remove them, she brushes the arm with her hand before sitting in the chair. This, we decided, was much better than our original plan as it shows that Sarah is a less physical person, more prim and uptight. Throughout all the extract from then on, the amount of physical interaction Sarah did was kept to a bare minimum. We started needing the script less and less and we started on the second scene a definite sign of all-round progress. I found the second scene much more difficult to do than the first, mainly for two reasons. The first was that I had to act drunk, as prior to this scene, offstage, Norman has been consuming large amounts of wine. The real difficulty with this was that I had to appear drunk by staggering around and slurring my words. The staggering part was okay to act but the slurring was the real problem as I still had to be understood by the audience. With practice and advice form Mrs. Powles, however, this problem was soon overcome. The second problem was the kissing part. We knew this would be difficult when we chose the piece, but we still chose to do it. Once the initial embarrassment of it was overcome, there was still an awkward feeling as Elise was my friend. But this we endured right up to the end. As the exam date drew nearer, we spent our time polishing up the piece and adding finishing touches to it, such as sound effects and music. We spent a lot of time searching through the sound effects for some birdsong to be used at the beginning of the second scene, just to inform the audience that it was set outside. As for music, we originally thought about using When a man loves a woman, but in the end we decided on using Irresistible by the Corrs. For lighting effects, we used straw and golden gels on fresnel spots. With regards to costume, we decided that I would look best in a pair of corduroy trousers with a check shirt. But unfortunately I could not obtain a pair of corduroy trousers, so we settled for a pair of chinos with a leather belt. This, we thought, conveyed Normans character quite well; not trendy or modern, yet laid back and charming. For Sarah, we both decided that Elise would look appropriate in a grey skirt suit, as it would convey Sarahs prim and proper personality. When the final day came, it went very smoothly. Neither of us made any real mistakes and our lines were as perfect as they ever would have been. Overall we were both very pleased with our final performance. And, thankfully the audience did seem to enjoy it as they laughed in all the right places, sometimes a bit more enthusiastically than we both had previously expected, which could have meant only good things.

The Tudor Life In England History Essay

The Tudor Life In England History Essay People abusing the person in the pilloryThe Pillory and the Stocks; the pillory is a t-shaped box where the victim would place their head and arms inside. As others passed by they would throw food at the person and taunt and jeer at he/she, it was very humiliating. The stocks were used the same way, except that their feet were bound.http://www.duhaime.org/Portals/duhaime/images/pillory.jpg Ducking stools (especially for those women accused of witchcraft); Accused witches, were tested. They were dunked into a river to see if they were innocent or guilty. If the women had floated, they were considered a witch and would be sentenced to be burnt at stake, if they sunk, then they were innocent. Unfortunately if the women were innocent, she would have drowned anyway. Boiling in oil water or lead; (usually reserved for poisoners); for attempted murder you could be sentenced of the punishment of being boiled alive in hot water or lead. Cutting off various parts of the anatomy nose, hands, ears etc; depending on the crimes committed, you could be sentenced to decapitation of your body parts. If someone stole from the market, they could get their hand(s) chopped off. The gossips bridle or the brankThe Gossips Bridle or the Brank; for women who gossiped or spoke to freely, they would place a large iron framework over their heads, which formed a type of cage. There was a metal stripped placed so it could fit inside the mouth, and it would either have been sharpened or placed with spikes to a certain extent so that any movement of the tongue would inflict much pain and damage.woman wearing a brank The Drunkards Cloak; the punishment for public drunkenness, is quite astonishing. The drunk would be forced and fitted into a don barrel and wander through the town while local villagers laughed and taunted the drunk. Big holes were cut for the persons feet, head and arms. Being beaten; for poor Tudors who begged, they would be beaten until they passed the stones that marked the town parish boundary. The result was very gruesome and so were the beatings. Beheading; beheading was considered less degrading, noblemen would generally be placed with punishment of beheading. Sometimes it took several blows just to decapitate the head. The head would sometimes be placed on spikes on the London Bridge or other areas. This punishment was held in public for many to witness. Tudor schools: Not many children attended school, as they were mostly poor or had too much work in their lives (like farming). Although those that did go to school were mainly sons of wealthy and noble families. Remember that only boys would mostly go to school, as it usually wasnt considered worth the money to send a girl to school. Girls would either be kept home, attending with the house work or sent out to make money for their family. There were 2 types of schools in Tudor times The petty school ( teaching young children to read) The grammar school (teaching the children Latin and mathematics, religion etc) Boys began their school at the age of 4 and moved to grammar school when they were 7 years old. Basically it was meant that boys were educated to work, as girls were taught for marriage and operating a household. Boys were to attend 6 days a week. School started at 7:00 am in winter and 6:00 am in summer, both ending at 5:00 pm. This was a very large amount of time spent for the boys. Unfortunately no long holidays were offered to the boys. Schools would close for 16 days at Christmas and a short 12 days at Easter, and there were no summer holidays. A Tudor class could contain up to as many as 60 pupils! Much of the time was spent learning long passages from textbooks by heart, not only would this keep them quiet, but it would also save currency on buying books. The main subjects Tudor classes learnt were: Latin, Arithmetic, Divinity (religious Study), and English literature. Pupils would have to do writing with quill pens made from feathers, which would have to be sharpened frequently to make it work. Teachers were extremely strict with tolerance of the boys. They would often beat the boys with birches if they did wrong. A birch is specially designed type of cane used to inflict a lot of pain. It wasnt a useful method as some pupils would be too scared to attend school because of the beatings. Teachers used to give 50 strokes of the birch. But for wealthy pupils they could afford a whipping boy and whenever the wealthy pupil got in trouble, the whipping boy would receive the consequence. For school sports, it was a custom to bring money on Shrove Tuesday. Where then the schoolmaster would buy a fighting cock and tie it to a post. The game was that the boys where to take turns throwing sticks at the cock. If a boy hit the cock, it was his. If everybody hit the cock it belonged to the school master. Tudor cures/medicines Tudor times were very unhealthy. And from that it produced many illnesses and ridiculous cures. Following are some reasons why many Tudors had health issues : Open sewers ran through the streets and carried many diseases Toilets were only a hole in the ground outside the owners back door. Water came from village pumps, which meant that the water was taken from a local river, and that river would be full of filth from the town. Country people developed their own medicines for a cheap price, using herbs. But would you realise that you are buying from a person who didnt know the importance of washing their hands when handling your medicine. The Tudors did not realise that plagues were carried by fleas, making it harder to produce cures. People who travelled across certain areas carried different diseases that would spread to others and so on, causing a pandemic. The streets and villages were not so well looked after. Homeless people would sleep on the streets; people would get rid of their garbage in unhygienic ways. Littering on the streets was also a problem. These common illnesses had very interesting Methods of curing them: Headache; drink a mixture of lavender, bay, rue, roses, sage and marjoram. Or press a hangmans rope to your head Bad chest; consume a mix of the herbs thyme, campanula and hyssop. Rheumatism; wear the skin of a donkey Gout (swollen foot); capture a red haired dog and boil it in oil, also add worms, pigs marrow and herbs. Make it a mixture and place it on the affected area of the foot Deafness; make a mixture of the gall of a hare and the grease of a fox, then apply in the ear. Baldness; shave the head and smear with the grease of a fox. Or wash the head with a mixture of juice beetles. Or, crush garlic and gently rub it in the head and wash in vinegar. Plague; place the herb, rue alongside your windowsill. Small pox; hang red curtains around the bed of the patient; apparently the red light is the cure. Or burn leather which produces smoke to kill off the plague. Head lice; pour the liquid tobacco juice onto your scalp Jaundice (bad liver); carefully swallow nine lice dipped in ale, continue this each morning for a week. Tudor food: Tudor women, men and children in England drank beer, sherry, mead and cider and milk. This is because the water was not capable of being consumed unless boiled, only very poor Tudors would drink water. Common vegetables in the Tudor period were cabbages, onions, cauliflower, cucumbers, leeks, lettuce, spinach and turnips. The vegetables Brussels sprouts and broccoli were rare in the Tudor period. Common fruits were apples, strawberries, pears, plums, blackberries, melons, raspberries and lemons. It was believed that fruit was not good for you in the 16th century. So the rich ate preserved fruits like apple tarts. The poor could not afford preserved fruits. On certain days by law, Tudors had to eat fish instead of meat. This was made because of religious reasons, but in the Elizabethan era, it was to support the fishing industry as well. Poor Tudors had a dreary and unhealthy diet. They would only have a cooked meal once a day. Consisting of strips of meat or vegetables (if they could afford) also bread, cheese and maybe onions. This would give them very little energy for their day and make them extremely hungry. Their main source of food was bread.https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcnbTbISo2GV7sJVnWfVgHSYIWz-HZbDR7amgtpSPfg4gCYJpK_2SZB836_RqGN93MZbWZhSkhGQJa4jf0wHq162mfnzaRzOikjSMJ9fvxriV4TDfgfVQodFJmq53IA0-uNJWg4JHmxmt/s1600/Tudor-seamen's-meal.jpg A setting of what a rich Tudor would eatThe rich Tudors could buy or hunt a range of meats. And they could buy rare fruits and vegetables as well. The rich would eat enough meat, but not enough vegetables. They had an unhealthy diet. Many Tudors used spices. Most of the food was heavily salted. It also could disguise the fact of rotten meat. The spices include cinnamon, cloves, salt, garlic, vinegar and sugar. Sugar was a rare luxury; surprisingly it was also used on meat. It sweetened foods and even disguised some that were rotten. During Easter, hot cross buns were made, but not always eaten as they were considered and kept as lucky charms instead. During Christmas, Tudors enjoyed having mince pies. The pies had a great significance as they had ingredients that represented Jesus Christ. Which were raisins, currants, prunes, cloves, mace, black pepper, saffron and a few others. End of the Tudors: Elizabeth (the last of the Tudor line) died at the age of 69, in 24th march, 1603. After her death, many began to reflect one of Englands greatest periods. The Tudor period, lasting 118 years that altered the lives of the English people. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/tudors/images/march/life.jpg Tudor Life

James Joyces Araby - Loss of Innocence in Araby Essays -- Joyce Dubli

Loss of Innocence in Araby In her story, "Araby," James Joyce concentrates on character rather than on plot to reveal the ironies inherent in self-deception. On one level "Araby" is a story of initiation, of a boy’s quest for the ideal. The quest ends in failure but results in an inner awareness and a first step into manhood. On another level the story consists of a grown man's remembered experience, for the story is told in retrospect by a man who looks back to a particular moment of intense meaning and insight. As such, the boy's experience is not restricted to youth's encounter with first love. Rather, it is a portrayal of a continuing problem all through life: the incompatibility of the ideal, of the dream as one wishes it to be, with the bleakness of reality. This double focus-the boy who first experiences, and the man who has not forgotten-provides for the dramatic rendering of a story of first love told by a narrator who, with his wider, adult vision, can employ the sophisticated use of irony and symbolic imagery necessary to reveal the story's meaning. The boy's character is indirectly suggested in the opening scenes of the story. He has grown up in the backwash of a dying city. Symbolic images show him to be an individu... ...ossibility. That sense of loss is intensified, for its dimension grows as we realize that the desire to, live the dream will continue through adulthood. At no other point in the story is characterization as brilliant as at the end. Joyce draws his protagonist with strokes designed to let us recognize in "the creature driven and derided by vanity" both a boy who is initiated into knowledge through a loss of innocence and a man who fully realizes the incompatibility between the beautiful and innocent world of the imagination and the very real world of fact. In "Araby," Joyce uses character to embody the theme of his story.

The Neurobiology of Parkinsons Disease Essay -- Biology Essays Resear

The Neurobiology of Parkinson's Disease In neuroscience it is assumed that the central nervous system governs and defines all aspects of behavior (Grobstein, 1998). Therefore, the brain, the hub of the central nervous system, is responsible for integrating all sensory and motor patterning. To understand the mechanisms of neurobiology it is often useful to observe the nervous system at the level of the neuron. Integration and communication between neurons is facilitated by neurotransmitters, chemicals which act as intermediaries at the synaptic gap (Delcomyn, 1998). Many behavioral disorders have a neurochemical basis, oftentimes associated with abnormal neurotransmitter activity. These abnormalities are thought to stem from interactions between genetics and the environment. One of these disorders is Parkinson's Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease which is characterized by a deficit in the neurotransmitter dopamine (NHGRI, 1998). Parkinson's Disease affects more than a million Americans a year and is distributed equally geographically, in both men and women, and between socio-economic classes (PD Web, 1998). Although the probability of developing the disease is somewhat equal in all populations, recent studies have shown that African-Americans and Asians are less likely to exhibit Parkinson's symptoms than those of European descent (PD Web, 1998). It was first formally identified by British physician James Parkinson in 1817 as "The Shaking Palsy", however, it is thought that the disease has been around for thousands of years. Described as early as 5000 B.C. in the Indian Ayurvedic medicinal tradition and in the Nei Jing, the first Chinese medical text 2500 years ago, Parkinson's disease has been a constant cha... ...ces Consulted: 1)Awakenings. 1998. Parkinson's Disease, Treatment Options. http://www.parkinsondisease.com/ 2)Cosgrove, G.R. 1998. Neurosurgery Web Page. Practical Information Regarding Stereotactic Pallidotomy for Parkinson's Disease. http://www.neurosurgery.mgh.harvard.edu/pd-pract.html 3)Delcomyn, F. 1998. Foundations of Neurobiology. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. 4)Grobstein, P. 1998. Neurobiology and Behavior Lectures, Bryn Mawr College. 5)National Human Genome Research Institute. 1998. Parkinson's Disease- Research News. http://www.genome.gov/DIR/LGDR/PARK2/background_info.html 6)National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. NINDS Hope Through Research. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/healinfo/disorder/parkinso/pdhtr.htm 7)PD Web: Parkinson's Disease Website. 1998. http://www.pdweb.mgh.harvard.edu/IntroPD/Intro.html

Consideration when building market-competitve compensation system Essay

Discuss and explain the considerations when building market-competitive compensation systems. A company that strives to be competitive in whatever market they belong to will always look for strategic and competitive advantages. Building a market-competitive compensation system is the first step needed to attract, retain, and promote high performing individuals who will help a company reach and maintain that edge over competitors, so it is imperative to get it right the first time: offer compensation that is far above the median wage and the company must lower its bottom line, leaving it less money to reinvest, pay stockholders, etc. Offer too low a compensation package and the company will not be able to attract the high performers it is looking for to drive the competitive advantages further. To build a market-competitive pay system a company must: Conduct Strategic Analyses – When a company conducts a strategic analysis of both the external market (industry profile, competitor information, long-term growth prospects) and internal factors (functional capabilities, financial situation) it is looking for the parameters or the limits that it can perform and grow with (Martocchio 146) . Assess competitor’s pay practices with compensation surveys – The textbook goes into depth the factors surrounding compensation surveys, much of which are better explained in a statistics class. It is understandably difficult for a company to develop an internal custom compensation survey, as training personnel who have never done this is difficult, not the mention a company’s competition is understandably resistant to releasing pay numbers to rivals! Published surveys do exist, however, and consulting firms are there, depending on the industry. The most important strategic considerations to develop in a survey are determ ining the relevant job market and choosing benchmark jobs within that market (150). Integrate internal job structure with external market pay rates – Using regression analysis, which â€Å"describes the linear relationship between two variables (i.e. simple regression) or between the linear composite of multiple variables and one other variable (i.e. multiple regression)† (380). In simpler terms, it is finding the sweet spot for the company pay based on external markets and what they pay and factors internal  to the company (relevant work experience, job value, etc). Determine compensation policies – A Company has three pay level policies to choose from: market lead, market lag, or market match. A market lead policy â€Å"leads† the way, establishing a pay which is higher than market trends but may result in reduced profits. This is, however, what a company may want to do to differentiate itself from the competition. Market lag policy has a company compensating employees less than the average. This is best suited to a lowest-cost strate gy and the claim can be made that those low costs are passed to the clients or consumers. Market match policy ensures the company is compensating its personnel the same as current market trends. It is a safe way to go but does little to help a company distinguish itself from competitors, but if it fits within the strategic goals of a company it is the way to go. Works Cited Martocchio, Joseph J. Strategic Compensation: A Human Resource Management Approach 7th Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2013.