What is Work-Life Balance Anyway

What is Work-Life Balance Anyway Work-Life Balance is one of those concepts that was assumed to be valuable up until recent years, when many people are turning the concept on its head and saying â€Å"work-life† balance is really about LIFE balance. While I agree to some extent, I don’t see the reason to toss out the concept of work-life balance altogether. To me, work-life balance is a moment-by-moment experience. I have chosen to own my own business because I have certain things I want in my life: the ability to work remotely so I can visit family and not take â€Å"vacation days†; the option to do yoga or go for a swim in the middle of the day; and the flexibility to work early in the morning or late at night. These things might not be non-negotiable, but they are important to me. For me, they create â€Å"work-life balance† or just plain â€Å"life balance.† Of course they also create challenges for maintaining that balance when things get busy in the business and threaten to infringe upon my â€Å"me† time. You might be examining for yourself what constitutes work-life balance or any sort of balance as you move toward a new job, your first job out of college, getting into college, or any other venture. Are you interested in creating a life where you work less than 40 hours per week, are not stressed out constantly, are fulfilled and have fun? If so, you have a lot of company! I don’t often write blogs based on infographics, but I found this one- Careers with Great Work-Life Balance- to be enlightening. I realize that work-life balance is just one aspect of balance; you can have the right amount of time at work vs. personal life, but then get out of balance taking care of others in your personal life when you need to be taking better care of yourself! Or you can run into challenges in your work life itself in finding balance with the types of activities you do or relationships you create. Nevertheless, here are some of the main points to consider when planning for your quality of life in relation to your work: Flexibility at Work Nine out of 10 Americans feel that their current jobs don’t afford them enough time to attend to their family’s needs: a major indicator that they do not have work-life balance. Furthermore, half of these employees believe that if they were allowed more flexibility in their jobs–with work hours, vacation days, clock management, etc.–they’d be able to perform their jobs better. Flexible schedules, in fact, have become so much in demand that the U.S. Department of Labor has devoted a whole page and many articles to the topic. Consider the things that are most important to you in terms of your working hours. Does your career path provide the flexibility you desire? Are you getting to spend enough time with your family? Can you take the vacations you want to take? Can you work from home when necessary? If you are seeking to change careers, or change the structure of your current work life, it will help to know what you want in terms of schedule flexibility so you can create a structure that provides the work-life balance you need. What are the Indicators of Successful Work-Life Balance? According to the OECD Better Life Index, an organization dedicated to promoting policies that improve economic and social well-being, popular indicators of successful work-life balance include: Total hours worked per week Time devoted to leisure Average pay Growth potential Flexibility Stress Are these barometers of work-life balance important to you? Will considering these factors change the way you pursue your education, your next career, or how you conduct your job search? Perhaps it will be informative to check out the jobs listed in the infographic that make top honors. You might be surprised by some of them! Creating Successful Work-Life Balance is up to You What constitutes work-life balance is subjective: what is most important to you in your work and personal life may be completely different from what matters to your friends, family or even colleagues. So define the non-negotiables in your life, then do your best to create a career path that meets your unique definition of balance. I for one can tell you it’s a constant challenge!

Spatial Order in Composition

Spatial Order in Composition In composition, spatial order is a method of organization in which details are presented as they are (or were) located in space - such as, from left to right or from top to bottom. Also known as  order of place or space structure, spatial order describes things as they appear when observed - in  descriptions of places and objects, spatial order determines the perspective from which readers observe the details. David S. Hogsette points out in Writing That Makes Sense that technical writers may use spatial order  to explain how a mechanism works; architects use spatial order to describe a building design; [and]  food critics reviewing a new restaurant use spatial order to describe and evaluate the dining area. As opposed to chronological order  or other organizational methods for data, spatial order ignores time and focuses primarily on location, as seen in David Sedaris description of a Nudist Trailer Park or in this comparison essay by Sarah Vowell. Transitions for Spatial Order A spatial order comes with a set of transitive  words and phrases that help writers and speakers distinguish between parts of the spatial ordering of a paragraph or argument, of which include above, alongside, behind, beneath, beyond down, farther along, in back, in front, near or nearby, on top of, to the left or right of, under and up. Like the words first, next and finally function in a chronological organization, these spatial transitions help guide a reader spatially through a paragraph, especially those used for descriptions of scene and setting in prose and poetry.   For instance, one might start with describing a field as a whole but then focus in on individual details as they relate to one another in the setting. The well is next to the apple tree, which is behind the barn. Further down the field is a stream, beyond which lies another lush meadow with three cows grazing near a perimeter fence. Appropriate Use of Spatial Order The best place to use spatial organization is in descriptions of scene and setting, but it can also be utilized when giving instructions or directions. In any case, the logical progression of one thing as it relates to another in a scene or setting provides an advantage to using this type of organization when writing about a setting. However, this also provides the disadvantage of making all items described within a scene carry the same intrinsic weight to their importance. By using a spatial order to organize a description, it becomes hard for the writer to ascribe more importance to say the dilapidated  farmhouse in a full detailing of a farm scene. As a result, using spatial order to organize all descriptions is not advised. Sometimes it is important for the writer to only point out the most important details of a scene or setting, giving emphasis to things like the bullet hole in a glass window on the front of a house instead of describing every detail of the scene in order to convey the idea that the home is not in a safe neighborhood. Writers should, therefore, determine the intention of describing a scene or occurrence before deciding which organization method to use when presenting the piece. Although the use of spatial order is quite common with scene descriptions, sometimes chronological or even just stream-of-consciousness is a better method of organization to convey a certain point.

Collective Bargaining at West University Case Study

Collective Bargaining at West University - Case Study Example In this case it seemed that the school was the one opposed to allowing the workers to unionize or allow another union to speak on their behalf. As employees there is another disturbing aspect to living and working in a right-to work state. Under that law a company can terminate an employee without cause, wrong-doing, or explanation; being part of a union would allow for a level of job security that many businesses may be disagreeable with. After all if the majority of their employees become part of unions then their freedom to down size their staff becomes more and more limited. A survey conducted showing that more than 50% of employees not presently in any kind of union, suffer from feelings of vulnerability, which negatively effects their efficiency and productivity in the workplace (Larsen, 2011). In this case the law found in favor of the RAs and CDAs, so in this case the law seemed to be on the side of the union. 2. Do you think teaching assistants should be considered employees ? Yes, even if their labor is exchanged for credits, school related funds, and because it looks good on their transcripts and resumes in the future, student workers should still be qualify as employees. The contention involves the necessity of employers to allow employees to freely unionize. However by proving that teaching assistants, RAs, and CDAs are not, actually, employees then the laws regarding unionization and collective bargaining would, simply, not apply to them (McHugh, 2011).The time that they spend is not their time, they are given schedules, duties, and responsibilities that they must complete in order to complete their job. However, they are still required to be treated with respect, consideration, and in ways conducive to the rules and policies that apply to all employees. If they are not considered employees then there are no realistic protections for how they are treated and the condition under which they may work. They are employees and just because they may not a lways be paid via actual monies they should still have the right to question how they are treated and have the right to negotiate the duties of their job expectations. According to the research the turnover rates of RAs is quite high, the hours, lack of perks, the aggression, and retaliation of disgruntles students who do not respect their authority makes the job unbearable and not worth it, essentially. The University may save monies in the long run by listening to the demands of the staff members, making changes to solve issues, and limit the turnover and wasted training costs over the course of the school year. 3. Do you think management's reaction to employee interest in unionization differs if the employer already has a high union density among other employee groups? Yes, I think that it does make a difference. In today’s modern society right-to-work states have the freedom and privilege of terminating their staff without any reason or cause, which relieves them of any r esponsibility to their employees. When employers already have a number of involved unions it limits their ability to thin out their staff as they see fit. They may become eager to discourage further unionization for that reason. In the case presented, and as mentioned before, the school is working so hard to verify that the segment of their staff that wants to unionize cannot and they cannot be represented by another

SSOrganizational Setting Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SSOrganizational Setting - Coursework Example The expansion strategy saw the company introduce slightly above 45 manufacturing plants in the United States spread across 26 states. The manufacturing centers include the world’s largest food center that is located in Frankfort Indiana. â€Å"Currently, Frito-Lay has over 1800 distribution facilities and employs over 20,000 employees in addition to selling products in approximately 350,000 retail centers in the United States alone†(Wicklound & Alvers, 2001). In addition to this, Frito-Lay is also considered as one of the leading advertisers in the United States, a situation that has further strengthened the company’s market share as a leading marketer and snack manufacturer. As stated by Lucas and Baroudi, (2004) Frito-Lay has been in operation since the early 1950s where the company’s growth is attributed to the aggressive marketing strategy that Frito-Lay employs. In addition to this, Frito-Lay is involved in the advertising business that implies that the company spends less on marketing. The excess funds that could alternatively have been used in marketing are therefore channeled towards an expansion strategy that has seen Frito-Lay’s sales volumes increase drastically over the years. Over the years, Frito-Lay has introduced into the snack market various products that range from potato chips to various types of cheese dips. The introduction of cheese dips was necessitated by the increased popularity of Mexican food which began to rise steadily in the early 1960s. Today, it is estimated that a significant percentage of Frito-Lay’s dips are linked to vegetables, a situation that food and business experts attribute to low competition in this area. In addition to this, several researchers in food and nutrition have established that sour-based cream dips are increasingly becoming popular in the United States where Frito-Lay controls a significant market

Privacy And Security Concerns Regarding Health Information Essay Example for Free

Privacy And Security Concerns Regarding Health Information Essay Case 4.8 – E-mail Goes Astray Primarily, the technician is the one responsible for the breach in confidentiality because he was the one who sent out the e-mails. Moreover, he did not seek instructions from Kaiser Permanente regarding the backlogged e-mails. Kaiser Permanente hired the technician to upgrade their system. Therefore, tasks other than doing upgrades should be consulted to the company. The technician should have asked whether the accumulated e-mails in the system should be sent out, and he should have asked what to do with them. However, Kaiser Permanente is partly responsible for the breach, because first and foremost, since they hold millions of private information, they should have made sure that that information would not be compromised. They should have made their system secure and only accessible to Kaiser Permanente personnel. Yes, situations like this discourage subscribers in using the system of Kaiser Permanente. However, the services that Kaiser Permanente offer is of great value and subscribers will not easily discontinue their subscription. But Kaiser Permanente has to ensure their subscribers that this will not happen in the future by informing them what caused the breach and reassuring them that upgrades are being done to improve the security of the system and the privacy of their information. The most important thing to do here is to be honest and at the same time make great efforts to secure the system of the company. Case 4.17 – Patient’s Files Used for Obscene Calls Definitely, background checks should be conducted before hiring new employees because this would ensure the safety of the clients, especially in the health care industry. Employers should be granted access to criminal records for them to be able to identify the extent of the crime that ex-convicts have committed. Cases such as child rape and indecent assault is a serious crime that should not be disregarded when hiring employees, especially when the job requires dealing with other people, children, etc. such as in the health care institution. Former employees who are given access to system information that are confidential, such as passwords, etc. should be screened out from the system. In other words, once an employee is not connected with the institution anymore, his access to the system should be deleted or reset. In this case, the system of the health care institution is at fault because it failed to keep the information confidential and secure. In this case, the hospital is accountable for the actions of the technician. Primarily because they hired an employee without doing background checks, they do not monitor the system, wherein they could have detected that calls were being made and the information of the clients were being accessed, and the system is not 100 % secure. Case 4.44 – University Tightens Computer Security Because of the wide range of subscribers in university medical centers information systems, it becomes vulnerable to hackers. In this case, they hacked into the system and used it to send hundreds of advertisements in their e-mails. The hackers wanted to target the significant number of subscribers in the system. However, the information within the system is not precisely the target of the breach. It is not entirely the medical center’s fault. This is because hackers do what they do. They find ways to get into the system even if security measures were set-up to avoid breaching the security of an information system. Therefore, even if the system is secure, hackers will really find a way to get into the system. The medical center’s fault was that they were not able to detect that the system was being hacked. They should have upgrades in the system, which will be used in monitoring the system and alarming when hackers breach the system.

The U.S. Automobile Industry Essay -- Economy, Recession

The United States recession (which lead to a world recession), began in 1997 and significantly impacted the United States automobile industry during the recession period. The United States automobile industry is still reeling from the effects of the recession throughout the period of economic recovery that continues today. According to Chu and Su, â€Å"In this credit-driven recession, one of the hardest hit sectors was the automotive industry, along with the housing and financial markets. Chrysler and General Motors were pushed into bankruptcy; and 276,000 jobs in the automobile and parts industry were destroyed, a whopping 36 percent of the total employment in the sector†. This paper will focus on the future of the U.S. Automobile industry as the United States recovers from the worst recession we have experienced in the past 75 years. I will provide information on the following topics pertaining to the U.S. automobile industry: 1. Externalities that may shift the supply and demand curve over the next five years. 2. Factors creating value in the industry and factors that will most likely input demand in the future. 3. Cost and supply analysis. 4. Industry trends and factors changing the industry. 5. Potential of supply and demand curve movement over the next 5 years. 6. Market Structure. 7. Porter Analysis on the industry. 8. General Motors strategic considerations using the game theory concept. Market Externalities To properly illustrate externalities that may shift the supply and demand curve in the U.S. auto market over the next five years, it is necessary to look at the recent events having affected the U.S. auto industry during the recession and the strides U.S. auto makers have made to recover from near devast... ... If U.S. auto manufacturing takes a down-turn, the U.S. economy will be negatively impacted and the demand for automobiles in the U.S will suffer. If GM or other U.S. auto manufacturers fail, there will be greater opportunity for new entrants into the U.S. automotive sales industry. For these reasons, all manufacturers including GM that sell autos in the U.S. should continue to use a cooperative game theory strategy to ensure the industry recovers. GM should continue to use its technological advantages to create innovative automobiles, but do so cautiously. GM should follow the direction of today’s environmentally conscious consumers who want less expensive, economical automobiles. GM should primarily utilize a cooperative game-theory approach in its sales and marketing strategies in order to stay in sync with the current automotive industry needs.

Business Ethics Test Notes

Case Test 3 Chapter 12 Ethics Case 12-45 1. If the purchase had been handled properly by the controller this transaction may have been considered within ethical standards. However, evidence of weaknesses in internal control over inventory and possible management override of computerized records, that in all appearances increase the risk of adulterated inventory counts and computerized records in general, warrant response from the auditing team during their assessment of financial statements.Although the number of shirts sold to the auditing team do not constitute a material misstatement in regards to the financial statements, the risk related to fraud should be assessed and mitigated during the planning and carrying out of the audit and further audit procedures. These transactions do not affect the existence and valuation assertions relevant to auditing. The right and obligations assertions, on the other hand, may be impacted as physical counts of inventory and their accuracy and com pleteness come into question. The auditor should be wary of procedures related to physical counts of inventory.Extra care to mitigate intentional or misintentional inclusion of inventory in the physical count should be countered by the auditing team. Additionally, the audit should further address the implications of the ability of management to override perpetual inventory records and computerized information in general in all other areas of the audit to assure that relevant risks are mitigated and minimized. Outside of the effects on the auditing process, this case does not affect the opinion of the auditor on the audited financial statements.In spite of this, the client should be made aware of the discovery. Although the likelihood of material misstatement of the financial records due to this occurrence is unlikely, the auditor may find that purchase of the shirts negatively impacts thee appearance of independence of the auditor and the level of confidence entrusted to the auditor and auditing firm as a result of the situation. Additionally, the liability of the auditors may become an issue as litigation related to these audited statements arises. 2.The adequacy of the audit will be negatively affected as assertions need to be modified and relevant risks associated addressed to perform a reliable audit. Increases in control and detection risk factors may prompt the auditor to assign more experienced staff to areas identified as high-risk areas for fraud. Saint Leo’s core value of integrity relates to the auditing professing in a variety of ways as it is an inherent requirement in auditing. Auditors must consistently apply ethical paradigms during their professional and personal lives.This practice increases the confidence of the public in the profession as well as in the audited financial statements of companies. Requiring students to uphold this core value prepares them to address ethical concerns in the workplace and holds them accountable for the i ntegrity of their coursework during their studies as well. By consistently practicing this core value, students are better prepared for successful careers that mirror the core values of the institution and contribute to the economic health of society as a whole. Similar essay: Disadvantages of Ethics in the Workplace

Different Ways of Persuading

A few years back, I had a very close friend who never believes that she has the ability to keep up with life. She reiterates that she is ugly and that nobody is going to like her forever. In addition to that, she insists that she is not at all intelligent. She states that she is useless almost every waking moment of her life. What I did was to show her that I extremely like her; see, according to the â€Å"law of liking†, individuals tend to be fond of someone showing fondness to them as well (Rinke, 2006, n. p. ). My persuasive manner of delivery actually changed her belief that nobody is going to like her (Rinke, 2006, n. p. ). When this same close friend of mine got sick of endometriosis, she did not believe that surgery can help her (Kotelnikov, 2008, n. p. ). What I did was to combine â€Å"trust, logic, and emotions† to convince her to undergo surgery for her sake (Kotelnikov, 2008, n. p. ). I had to tell her that she should trust me and I did that by explaining carefully the procedure of the operation, as well as, the advantages that it will bring her after (Kotelnikov, 2008, n. p. . The tone of my voice, as well as, my body language surely touched her as well since I was able to convince her eventually (Kotelnikov, 2008, n. p. ). There was also a time when she had a terrible family problem (Hogan, 1996, p. 95 – 114). I did not say much, simply because it is enough that I was there to listen and to show her that I care; through the non-verbal communication I carried out, I was able to convince her that her situation is not that bad after all (Hogan, 1996, p. 95 – 114). The gestures, as well as, the eye contacts were convincing enough (Syque, 2007, n. . ). On a final note, in almost all the situations that I have been there with her, I utilized â€Å"reason† to convince her (Hubpages Inc. , 2007, n. p. ). When she told me that she believes all men are bad, I immediately provided her with objective reasons why she should not continue to believe so (Hubpages Inc. , 2007, n. p. ). She was able to draw a commonsensical conclusion eventually after I presented explanations as to why she should not generalize her emotions/perceptions toward men (Hubpages Inc. , 2007, n. p. ).

Angelas Ashes

Angelas Ashes Intertexual Essay By Anna Swartz Children expect many things from life, but as Margaret Michel once wrote "Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect" . This statement is found to be true in "Angela's Ashes" , by Frank McCourt and "Ten Thousand Sorrows" , by Elizabeth Kim. In both novels the children's basic expectations for their parents like to be loved and cared for were not met. In the comparison of the two novels it was found that there were both similarities, such as both authors choice to write in first person, and differences, for instance their choice on how to structure their stories.A parents love something that is forever sought after by a child. Frank McCourt in "Angela's Ashes" , strives for his fathers love for many years. He does everything that he can in a last effort to become more important than a pint in his father's life.Film poster for Angela's Ashes (film) - Copyright ...

Tail and Tale - Commonly Confused Words

Tail and Tale - Commonly Confused Words The words tail and tale are homophones: they sound the same but have different meanings. Both a noun and a verb, tail has several meanings, including the rear part of an animal or vehicle. The noun tale refers to a report or story. Examples: A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.(Mark Twain)I used small words and short sentences as if I were telling a fairy tale to a child.(Maya Angelou,  The Heart of a Woman. Random House, 1981)Memphis is a sad story of long-distance love, with an unexpected twist at the tail end of the tale.(Fred Rothwell, Long Distance Information: Chuck Berrys Recorded Legacy. Music Mentor Books, 2001) Practice: (a)  Kevin told a wonderful _____ about an angel who falls in love with a girl and then becomes human so that he can be with her.(Christopher Pike, The Midnight Club, 1991)(b) A dog wags its _____ with its heart. Answers (a)  Kevin  told a wonderful  tale  about an angel who falls in love with a girl and then becomes human so that he can be with her.(Christopher Pike,  The Midnight Club, 1991)(b) A dog wags its  tail  with its heart. See also: Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words   A Misspelled Tail, by Elizabeth T. Corbett

Wollstonecraft assessment on women education Essay

Wollstonecraft assessment on women education - Essay Example To begin with, it would be advantageous to examine her views on the topic. One of the basic claims that she makes focuses on the idea that â€Å"women are miseducated rather than educated under the reigning system, debilitated and â€Å"depraved† physically from lack of exercise and excessive restrain, debased morally by being taught only to â€Å"abstain† from vice but not how to attain to virtue† (Johnson 32). This is a rather insightful approach since it undermines the whole education system of that time. The author mentions lack of physical education which results in both actual and abstract deprivation of power. In addition to that the moral health of women is also at risk. Moreover, Wollstonecraft appeals to emotions of the audience when she â€Å"relies heavily on the rhetoric, image, and idea of enslavement† (Buss, Macdonald and McWhir 100). While for her contemporaries slavery has nothing, but another phenomenon which takes place in society, the m odern people fully understand the dramatic comparison that this author made. What is more important is that Wollstonecraft does not simply acknowledge the problem, but points out the major obstacles on the way of coping with it. Thus, she â€Å"recognizes that monarchist miseducation of sexual character comes about through various societal institutions† (Laird 189). Indeed, it is rather hard to introduce any changes in society especially in her times: the social life was considered to be static and the above mentioned institution were dedicated to make sure that nothing would be changed in the accepted state of affairs. Finally, Wollstonecraft elaborated on the major problem of lives of women: she argues that â€Å"a woman trained only to be desired and flirtatious, who has then no means to satisfy herself after marriage except by continuing to work her charms† (Bach and Clements 113). In other words, there is not room for personal evolution that is left by the system. Wollstonecraft saw education as a viable