Retirement in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Retirement in America - Essay Example 6). The point where an individual discontinues his employment completely, which is called retirement, makes one entitled for private or public pension benefits and the notion of retirement in America has changed over the years. In a historical survey of retirement in America, one comes to recognize that the notion of retirement assumed a great impact on America after World War II and it has undergone essential changes ever since. Unlike the earlier days, there is an emergent notion in America today that "retirement is the beginning of a new and busy chapter of life, a time for continued learning and development, skill building, forming new and purposeful relationships, and giving back to the community Moreover, retirement is 'a time to begin a new chapter' in life and that, just beyond traveling, volunteering is what older adults look forward to most during this new stage of their life" (Johnson, 2003, p. vi). Therefore, the notion of retirement in America has changed over the years and the well-being of individuals after retirement is considered as one of the major responsibilities of the state and the government. Significantly, in the contemporary life of the Americans, retirement in America can effectively offer one of the best periods of life through careful and sensible planning. In this paper, a reflective analysis of retirement in America is offered in order to determine how it has changed from the past, how it will change in the future, which all are the major organizations doing to retirement plans for their employees, and whether employees can retire in America at 62, 67, or will they need to be older etc. Retirement in America In the United States, retirement has been a topic of constant changes over the past several decades - including the consequent attitudes of the people towards retirement, the provisions by the law, Social Security issues, the age of retirement, and other crucial aspects concerning retirement. One of the major responsibilities of the social security programs in America has been to ensure that the individuals who have dedicated their service and potential to the growth of the society are offered the best security programs during their period of old age. Social security has traditionally combined the goals of earnings replacement and income maintenance and the American Social Security system has played a major role in financing retirement. "Despite much criticism, the American Social Security system works fairly well, but only if you consider Social Security payments a handy supplement to other sources of retirement income. Many people who were young when the Social Security system bega n in the 1930's placed too much reliance on it and were forced into difficult financial circumstances in their old age because of inflation. By the 1970's the government began a comprehensive program of tax incentives for various other retirement funds. Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA's), Keogh Plans, and 401(K) plans are some examples." (Financing Retirement, 2007). Therefore, the American Social Security system has contributed heavily to the great changes that have taken place in retirement in America and it is possible that further changes in retirement take place in the future. In America, the rise of retirement started more than a century ago, unlike the commonly conceived notion that it was with

Reflective learning log Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reflective learning log - Essay Example 62). The first part of the article talks about how to put culture into context and is largely based on the work created by Geert Hofstede, described as a "Dutch academic". Hofstede believed that culture is "learned and not inherited" and that it is "somewhere between an individuals unique personality and human nature" (p. 63). Hofstede saw that there were several layers where culture is related to other people in a "mental programming activity". He describes the inner layer as the organization where an individual works, and an outer layer that is the countries or country where an individual lives or has lived. These factors create the first aspects of how people will get along in a leadership capacity. Social class, gender, age, ethnicity and religion are factors that will influence leadership in addition to the others. From this standpoint, the chapter begins to define "organizational culture" and how peel are more apt to define this as "the way we do things around here." (p. 64). There are several theories within this process. Schien suggests that leadership is responsible for the creation, management and sometimes destruction of organizational culture (p. 65). This section of the chapter describes how organizational culture is molded and shaped by different leaders as they also explore culture in the context of what Hofstede sees culture and they attempt to merge the two. The next part of the chapter explores the concept of how organizational culture relates to individuals versus groups in lieu of their own ethnic culture. They begin with a study of individualism and collectivism that explains the difference between groups who only are concerned with the individual versus those who are more socially oriented. They suggest that they way that these two differ may be due to how an individual or group perceives

An Assessment of Effectiveness of Dell's Organization Culture and Essay

An Assessment of Effectiveness of Dell's Organization Culture and Change - Essay Example Nevertheless, the concept of effectiveness should apply to all stakeholders in an organisation. This ensures harmony in all its operations, which has the end result of high performance. The current study examines the effectiveness exhibited by the dell management, in relation to how it has been able to effectively build an organisation culture, which pushed it up to its success. Background of the study In the past few decades, many organisations have changed their ways of doing business. This has been as a result of high competition. In particular, organisation culture and change has been one of the ways through which organizations have sought to focus on to maintain completive advantage (Harold 2009). In this regard, it is apparent that organisations have to analyse the best management practices through strategic plans that are aligned with organisation’s objectives, mission and vision statements (Hill & Jones 2008). These practices become a culture that an organisation shoul d endorse and cling on in order to achieve its objectives (Dyck and Neubert 2010). However, due to increased and the emergence of new technologies, any organisation that needs to survive in highly competitive market has to embrace such technologies (Marr 2010). This means that organisations should also create a culture of adopting innovations that are in line with their objectives (Daft and Lane 2010). Analysis of output control: a concept of organization culture In order to have a spectrum of what organisation culture and change entails, it is crucial to first understand what organisation culture is. This is an internal environment that establishes a personality for the organisation, which plays a part in influencing the behavior of its members (Flamholtz and Randle 2011). These could be summed up to mean core values and fundamental beliefs or an organisation. Studies have documented that an organisation with a strong culture, members act with shared understandings and commitment t o core values. Key elements of organisational culture involve innovation and risk taking, concern for people, team building and emphasis, and performance orientation (Phaditare 2011). With such deliberations, the focus of this paper will be on the case study on Dell Computers, which according to Bhattacharyya 2010, is argued to have been â€Å"able to achieve excellence by giving due emphasis on creating a positive work culture through pro-active human resource management practices† (18). In this regard, this paper aims at articulating on ways through which Dell’s organisational culture has enabled it achieve excellence. In order to have an efficient organization culture, an organization has to have efficient managers and the overall organizational structure. Dell’s organization structure is believed to forecast suitable performance in relation to its goals. For example, Dell’s reward system is linked to its goals, which help to motivate employees in orde r to improve performance. Nevertheless, Dell has created a culture of directions on each division on how to achieve its goals. Dell’s CEO Michael Dell, is argued to have tried to decentralize the authority to low-level employees. This has been an effective strategy that has facilitated company-customer relationship thus creating a customer service culture. Study objectives 1. To find out Dell’s elements of organ

Boston Strangler killings Essay Example for Free

Boston Strangler killings Essay Between 1962 and 1964, thirteen women were sexually assaulted and murdered in the city of Boston. This series of murders was called the Boston Strangler murders. Though most of the victims were older women, a few were in their early twenties, and one young woman was in her late teens. All of the victims were strangled, usually with a personal item the woman owned, such as tights or stockings. The Boston Strangler would gain access to his victims by posing as an official needing to perform a service in the women’s homes. In 1964, Albert de Salvo confessed to having committed the crimes (Chitolie, 1997). Because the Boston Strangler killings involved a repetitive pattern, which always involved specific behaviors, social learning theory is most useful in explaining this case. According to social learning theory, an individual learns by observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others (Kearsley, 2007). People learn societal norms and appropriate, healthy behaviors by modeling others. After one becomes aware of a behavior by observing it, he will usually apply the behavior in future situations, reflecting upon past outcomes that occurred when the behavior was originally observed. The Boston Strangler observed the reactions of his earlier victims and based his approach to future murders on the outcomes of his prior crimes. For example, he knew that by dressing as a serviceman, de Salvo’s victims would respond by trusting de Salvo and allowing him to enter their houses. Consequently, de Salvo used this tactic repeatedly. A more general example of how learned behaviors may influence future practices is evident in the treatment of animals. Many children go through a stage in which they innocently harm insects or small animals (i. e. by trapping them and keeping them in jars, etc. ). In most cases, a parent or other adult intervenes, and the child learns to respect animals. As a result, the child does not have a desire to cause the animal pain. There are some cases, however, in which the child never learns empathy for animals and the pattern of torture intensifies. Based on prior experiences (i. e. causing pain in animals as a form of enjoyment, and not having an adult stop the behavior), a child may continue the undesirable practice. Sometimes, the child’s violent tendencies toward living things may escalate so much that it is later transferred to human beings when the child becomes an adult. As a child, Albert de Salvo trapped cats and dogs and shot them with arrows. It may be argued that de Salvo never learned appropriate behavior in dealing with living things, and as a result, de Salvo’s practice of trapping animals, rendering them helpless, and killing them progressed to trapping and torturing the women he murdered during his adulthood. The childhood practice of continued animal cruelty can be observed among a number of other infamous serial killers as well (Finch, 1992). In the context of social learning theory, the Boston Strangler’s killings perhaps occurred because the individual who committed these crimes lacked proper role models to teach him the rules and norms of society. It appears that this individual was never effectively discouraged from harming living organisms, and it is even possible that he may have witnessed violent acts (perhaps the violent acts of men against women) during his early years of development. Nevertheless, when examining the killings, from the general events that took place to the minor details, there appears to be an obvious pattern of repetitive learned violent behavior. Bibliography Chitolie, Raymond. Serial Killers—Case Files [The Boston Strangler]. 1997. Retrieved March 16, 2007, from http://hosted. ray. easynet. co. uk/serial_killers/boston. html Finch, Patty A. Abuse. 1992. Retrieved March 16, 2007, from http://www. vospca. org/archive/abuse. html Kearsley, Gregg. Theories. 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2007, from http://tip. psychology. org/bandura. html

Sherman’s Stab at South Carolina Essay -- Civil War, Trading Ports

â€Å"South Carolina had succeeded! It had left the Union by vote of its convention at Charleston on the twentieth.†(Lewis 137). To many people this was a shock for South Carolina to be the first state to succeed from the union. To General William Sherman he was devastated as Lewis depicts Sherman Pacing the floor as he was saddened by this tragic news, and in pacing until it became almost an omen to his future march (Lewis 138). As The Civil War came close to an end, the union had come up with a brilliant plan to end it all with just one devastating plan. To trek through the southern states burning and destroying everything in sight so to devastate the southern states and make a surrender inevitable. General William Sherman’s march devastated all the southern states, but affected South Carolina more than any other southern state. With the march through the south General Sherman’s troops destroyed everything in sight. The heart break General William Sherman remem bered at the beginning of the war was still fresh to him, because of this he left South Carolina with nothing to hold onto as a state. As reported in Civil War Battle Guide â€Å"Sherman specifically targeted South Carolina, the first state to secede† (Houghton). South Carolina having a striving economies before the war began one of the leading slave trade states and agricultural trade states General Williams Sherman’s march hit the hearts of the South Carolina people all because of the state making a decision to rebel against the union. Not only would South Carolina be effected negatively but would find themselves searching for a new beginning after the war. No other state would find themselves with as much of a loss as the State of South Carolina just because Sherman struck the m... ...Findling. What Happened? : An Encyclopedia Of Events That Changed America Forever. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2011.eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Hughes, Nathaniel Cheairs. Bentonville : The Final Battle Of Sherman And Johnston. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1996. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Marszalek, John F. Sherman : A Soldier's Passion For Order. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2007. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 25 Nov. 2013. Wright, John D. The Language Of The Civil War. Westport, Conn: Oryx Press, 2001. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 23 Nov. 2013. Sebesta, Edward H., and James W. Loewen. The Confederate And Neo-Confederate Reader : The 'Great Truth' About The 'Lost Cause'. Jackson, Miss: University Press of Mississippi, 2010.eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

ACE Hardware Point of Purchase Observation

Determine the shoppers' decision process. B. Methodology The strength of observation methods lies In â€Å"what It Is†. The subject is not required to recall actions, to answer a questionnaire or to complete a personal Interview. Likewise, the observer Is not In a position to Interpret an answer by an Interviewee. Action is recorded not interpretation. Covert observational research is used. Researchers do not identify themselves. Researchers are either mixing in the subjects undetected, or observing from the distance.This method is used so that the subjects' behavior will not be contaminated by the presence of the researcher. Customers will be observed regardless of whether or not they Interested in certain departments or whether they seemed to be only passing through. All persons, once â€Å"picked up†, will be documented and considered In the analysis even If no purchases are made. The observation location will be focused on the ground floor of ACE Hardware BCC.Resear chers will spread accordingly to the customers movements. The conversion rate of the store will be determined by observing the number of customers coming in only from the main door and customers purchasing at the cashiers of the ground level. Any other activities that take place on the other floor(s) ill not be observed. To avoid biases regarding the elements of the store, researchers will also implement some simple personal interview to the ACE Hardware staffs.By doing so, researchers may interpret the observational data collected more accurately. C. Point of Purchase Observation Things to be observed: Store Measurement Conversion or Closure Rate The amount of time a shopper spends In a store Interception Rate (percentage of customers who have contact with a store employee) Shopping Behavior Departments visited Things seen and touched Things put In the cart Time spent Purchase decision Store Management .Display Location of each departments Products put on the rack at the height the eye level Price tags (is there any differences between products displayed on display table and those on the rack) Differences of products on the height of eye level, above eye level, and under eye level (price, type, colors, shape, etc. ) Products arrangement Lighting b. Store Assistances Employees approach to consumers How to deal with queries and complaints c. In Store Promotion Current promotions Terms and conditions of the promotion Upcoming promotions d. Service Environment Must be available in the service Environment

Character Analyzation “The guest” Albert camus Essay

Albert Camus’ story â€Å"The Guest,† takes place in the rough terrain of Algeria at the end of World War II. Algeria, under French control at the time, was very tense due to civil unrest of the Arabic people. The protagonist of the story is Daru, a solitary French schoolteacher who lives at a school on a remote plateau that has been deserted due to a freak snowstorm after eight months of drought. Two minor characters, a French policeman, Balducci, and an Arab prisoner arrive at the school. Balducci commands Daru to deliver the prisoner to nearby authorities but Daru has a conflict over the decision of whether or not to take the Arab to prison. In the end, Daru leaves the decision up to the Arab. The Arab, being a flat and seemingly static character, somehow contributes significantly to the existentialistic nature of Daru’s character and his actions. The author, an existentialist, tells the story with an indirect presentation. The central idea appears to be there is an inherent conflict between what different cultures view as morally right. We will analyze how the round/flat and dynamic/static qualities of the characters as well as the presentation affect the story’s central idea. Daru’s character, as the protagonist, is very round. In this story, Daru lives at a remote and solitary schoolhouse plagued by silence. Daru is confronted by the decision of whether or not he should deliver an Arab prisoner to the French authorities. We learn the prisoner is in custody for murdering his cousin over grain owed. The flat character, Balducci, represents the French authority and its moral code; while the Arab’s culture seems to permit this act: â€Å"His village was beginning to stir; they wanted to take him back† (105). Balducci gives his fellow Frenchman Daru an obligation to deliver the prisoner. Daru, who is utterly disgusted by the actions of the Arab, does not want to take him to police headquarters because of his existentialist beliefs: â€Å"Every bit of this disgusts me, and first of all your fellow here. But I won’t hand him over† (106). â€Å"That man’s stupid crime revolted him, but to hand him over was contrary to honor† (110). We can see that Daru is torn between what is actually right or wrong. He wants the Arab to run because he doesn’t want to make the choice himself. â€Å"He was amazed at the unmixed joy he derived from the mere thought that the Arab might have fled and that he would be alone with no decision to make† (107). Daru’s character is very dynamic. At first he refuses to bring the Arab to justice due to his existentialist beliefs. We can tell that Balducci looks down on the Arab while Daru, views him more humanely. Daru insists that the Arab doesn’t need to be tied up. Balducci’s character is static. He claims he doesn’t like putting ropes on prisoners but concludes by saying â€Å"But you can’t let them have their way† (106). Daru insulted Balducci by not wanting to comply with him. Later remembering Balducci’s farewell, he reveals â€Å"He had hurt him, for he had sent him off in a way as if he didn’t want to be associated with him,† and â€Å"he felt strangely empty† (110). The Arab’s character remains somewhat static throughout the story. The Arab got up several times the night before, as if almost wanting to escape, but came back in. With the task of delivering the prisoner at hand, Daru’s final choice is t o let the Arab choose his own fate, which was totally not what Balducci intended. The Arab does what he feels is right, or what he feels the governing society feels is right. He complies with French law, while ironically, Daru didn’t. The presentation is also very important in supporting the central idea of this story. A major revolt against the French colonists was about to take place. French control and law was in question. Should one culture be able to dictate laws upon another culture just because it is temporarily the governing body? In the meantime, Daru cooked for the Arab and ate with him, showing him trust and compassion. The Arab was surprised that Daru was eating with him. We can tell the Arab was scared and wanted Daru to go with him. During bedtime, Daru slept naked near the prisoner. This shows that Daru was letting down his guard: â€Å"Men who share the same rooms, soldiers or prisoners, develop a strange alliance as if, having cast off their armor with their clothing† (109). He watched as the prisoner quietly crept out of bed. The Arab was very nervous and got up several times, but Daru didn’t do anything. He was still hoping the Arab would escape so he wouldn’t have to deal w ith the whole situation. The next day the two hiked down the plateau towards the jailhouse. There, Daru showed the Arab the path to the prison, but also showed him the way towards pasturelands where nomads lived: â€Å"They’ll take you in and shelter you according to their law† (111). The Arab  ultimately chose the fate that French law had dictated. When Daru went back to the schoolhouse, he read a message on the chalkboard, â€Å"you handed over our brother, you will pay for this† (111). Here again, we see a conflict of views. Daru, upon not making a choice, inadvertently committed a crime amongst those people. Throughout the story, Daru referred to the Arab as the â€Å"guest.† The irony of this story is Daru is actually the stranger in a strange land while we might perceive the Arab as the â€Å"guest.† In conclusion, we see that different cultures have conflicting views about what is right and what is wrong. As an existentialist, Daru let the Arab decide his own fate. Daru felt if he took the Arab to jail, it would be wrong. He also felt if he told him to go free, it would be wrong against the French authority. Because Daru acted by not acting, he unintentionally committed a crime against the Algerian people. Ironically, Daru was in a catch 22.