U.S. Supreme Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U.S. Supreme Court - Essay Example Kagan became Pres. Obamas official nominee to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens in 2010. It was easy to see why he would nominate her to the position. In his own words, Pres. Obama described her admirable character traits (Scherer, M., 2010) that led to her nomination as : â€Å"Elena is respected and admired not just for her intellect and record of achievement, but also for her temperament, her openness to a broad array of viewpoints, her habit — to borrow a phrase from Justice [John Paul] Stevens — of understanding before disagreeing, her fair-mindedness and skill as a consensus builder.† Ms. Kagan was nominated during a time of trial for our nation. America was in the grips of the worst recession to ever hit its people, the economy was in shambles and the previous Bush administration had often circumvented the law in order to fulfill its own political agenda. She was in effect, coming into a wounded supreme court that needed to be rehabilitated for hits own good. With her nomination, the president was merely trying to put the best person he could find in to fill the job. By his standards, she fit the bill to a T. There was no political agenda behind it and no lobby group behind her nomination. If there were, she would not have eventually been confirmed. That is not to say though that her nomination was without controversy. there were accusations coming from the GOP, who were actively campaigning against her nomination, that Kagan often defied the constitution by disallowing the military access to students on the Harvard campus during her tenure as Dean at the prestigious university. Columnist Phyllis Schlafly claimed that Kagan had â€Å"defied the Solomon Amendment" -- a statute requiring schools to provide the same access to military recruiters that they provide to other potential employers or lose federal funding†. While Foxs Sean Hannity also reported that she had â€Å"led an effort to "kick

IBM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IBM - Assignment Example According to this case, IBM needed to make necessary changes in order to survive on the market. (p. 2) All other decisions related to this basic idea, such as speeding up the cycle of product development, integrating IBM as global organization, and simplifying the process for the customer fall under it. 2. In order to make those decisions IBM needs to undergo certain processes. They include the following: finance, human resources, customer relationship management, incorporated supply chain, and incorporated product development. Naturally, one area of organization always requires more attention than the others, and in this case it is Personal System Group who had the major problem with the supply. It is recognized that this area needs to be properly taken care of, because it is equally important to overall success of IBM as its any other part. In fact, given that Personal System Group is a computer manufacturer its role in IBM is integral. 3. Implementation of an integrated system sug gests that IBM will benefit out of it, because it will resolve an issue it currently faces; an issue of plants working as an independant units rather than one single unit. However, certain risks of doing this have to be taken into account. The time and complexity of the process could potentialy be problematic, given that not all the plants are on the same page.

What Limits Vo2 Max?

What Limits Vo2 Max? Vo2 max is the maximum capacity of an individuals body to use and transport oxygen during exercise. Vo2 stands for the maximum volume consumption of oxygen. To measure an individuals vo2 max accurately the subject will undertake an athletic test usually on a treadmill or cycle ergometer, as the intensity of the workout increases the intake of oxygen and the concentration of carbon dioxide exhaled is monitored. The workload it gradually increased until there is a steady reading of both of these factors. This then shows the participants vo2 max level. However, an individuals Vo2 max can be limited due to a mixture of different restrictions and developments within the individual. These limitations can also have independent and dependant variables, such as, age, race or fitness. When researching into the limiting factors of the vo2 results two theories have been presented as the main limitations, the utilization theory and the presentation theory. The utilisation theory states that a lack of sufficient oxidative enzymes within the cell structure will limit how much oxygen is diffused and in turn affect the vo2 max scores. Oxidative enzymes are the enzymes which are the catalyst for the oxidisation reaction. Regular training can improve oxidative of the enzymes, which means an improved oxygen utilisation. This would create a better vo2 score as there is more oxygen being created. The presentation theory does not support the idea of the utilisation theory limiting the vo2 max results but suggests that it is more to do with how effectively the oxygen is delivered around the body. As the persons heart rate rises and the volume of blood being circulated increases the demand for oxygenised blood also increases. These two theories can be seen as supply and demand. A review of these two theories by Saltin and Rowell (1980) states that the utilisation (supply) theory is the more significant limiting factor. Studies show a relationship between an increase in oxidative enzymes and an increase in vo2 max results. One study by Costill DL, Thomas R, Robergs RA, Pascoe D, Lambert C, Barr S, Fink WJ (1991) measured the effects of a swim program on aerobic function. While oxidative enzymes were increased throughout the program, vo2 max increased until the last six weeks of the program The state of health of cardiovascular, pulmonary and respiratory systems would be a major if not one of the main limitations of a vo2 max. The cardiovascular is compiled of the heart, blood and blood vessels it also includes the pulmonary circulation which is the movement of blood from the heart, to the lungs, and back to the heart again. The respiratory system includes the airways and lungs where a gas exchange happens due to the diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The health of all of these systems will influence the results of a vo2 max test. A typically bad cardiovascular system will worsen the scores of a vo2 max test, during exercise the heart rate responds by increasing, as does the demand in delivery of oxygen around the body, therefore, an unhealthy heart would be less able to transport as much oxygen into the body in comparison to a less healthy one. In addition to this if the connection between the lungs and heart is weak, the pulmonary circuit, it is likely to have th e same response and trend in terms of the results of the vo2 max (Miller, Levine 2004). However it may not be the cardiovascular system with the problem, it could all come down to ones respiratory system, for example if an athlete has a small lung capacity they will not have the advantages of an athlete with a bigger lung capacity. Although it is all dependant on the lungs ability to diffuse the oxygen into the blood stream, as even though someone can have a smaller lung capacity if they diffuse ninety six per cent of the oxygen and the athlete with the greater lung capacity only diffuses fourth five per cent, the smaller lung capacity has actually overall got a higher vo2 max. This means it all comes down to the bodys ability to diffuse and transport oxygen around the body, the more it can transport the higher an athletes vo2 max is. Another limitation could be the gender of the athlete. It is speculated that males will typically have higher maximum oxygen consumption in comparison to females. Research by Heywood, V (1998) shows that the average vo2 max for a typical untrained healthy male is approximately 35-40 ml/kg/min which mean millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute. However, a typical healthy female will only reach an approximate score of 27-31 ml/kg/min. these scores are of course only averages and the outcomes can differ due to variables in the group of participants. This could be something such as the age of the males or females used, as the scores will generally deteriorate at a certain age. Also, the general fitness of the group could also be a variable as a more athletic person would average better than a non-athlete. Therefore an elite performer would have excessively higher oxygen consumption then an untrained participant, Tim Noakes (2001) studied sports where endurance is an i mportant component in an athletes performance, such as rowing, swimming and running. Noakes found that elite male runners can generate up to 85 ml/kg/min, and female elite runners can generate about 77ml/kg/min. A persons age would also play a part in influencing a vo2 test result. It can be said that the vo2 max decreases with age after a certain point of maturity. A large cross section study by Jackson , Beard , Wier, Ross , Stuteville and Blair (1995,1996) shows that the average decline of vo2 max is accepted as around one per cent each year or is better said as ten per cent each decade after the age of twenty five, this is when it said that most bodies start to deteriorate. The study shows that mens vo2 max generally decreases at a slower rate than womens with a 0.46 ml/kg/min (1.2%) for males and a decrease of 0.54 ml/kg/min (1.7%) for females. This would happen due to the aging process which causes many health problems. In accordance to vo2 max scores this would more likely respiratory and heart conditions which affect the vo2 max results. The decrease in vo2 max levels, however, does not always come directly from the aging process but more the increases in body weight which in some cases happens as people get older. The vo2 max is also a reflection on the body mass of a person, so in effect as the body weight of a person increases the vo2 max generally worsens and deteriorates. Training is an important part of an athletes life, Pollock (1973) found that aerobic training can on average increase vo2 max by fifteen to twenty per cent; this is if the athlete does a thirty minute aerobic training session at seventy five per cent of their aerobic ability three times a week for six months. However the result he got is only an average meaning that some people will respond better or worse it is all on the athletes ability on how high their vo2 max can go. Resistance training and intense anaerobic training have little or no effect on vo2 max readings, however improvements that did occur were only in participants that already had a low level of fitness (Kraemer, Deschenes , Fleck 1988). Resistance training alone does not improve vo2 max (Dudley, Fleck 1987). A considerable amount of training needs to be performed before an athlete can reach their maximum potential vo2 max, however when it is reached they do not have to train at the same intensity to maintain their opt imum level (Hickson, Foster, Pollock, Galassi, Rich 1985). Wilmore JH and Costill DL. (2005) states that altitude can also be a factor which can affect a persons vo2 max scores. Test performed by this source shows that a persons vo2 max results decreases as altitude increases above one thousand six hundred meters. For every one thousand meters that the person climbs above that, the athletes maximum oxygen intake decreases by a further approximate 8 to 11 per cent. The decrease is due to a reduction in the volume of blood plasma, which in turn decreases the heart rate and stroke volume. This is due to a decrease in the maximum cardiac output and therefore lowering the vo2 scores. As proven vo2 max has a lot of limitations, firstly the utilisation and presentation theories are the two which are considered to be main limitations. It has been shown that there are many other factors that can influence the results of a vo2 max test such as age, gender, health and training. However, the research used in this paper is outdated and therefore cannot be considered to be one hundred per cent reliable to date.

Walt Whitmans Song of Myself Essay -- Song of Myself Essays

Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself' is, on the most basic descriptive level, a really long poem. Whitman is clearly a poet with a lot to say, or at least with a lot of different ways to say it. He meanders from the micro to the macro, from atoms to the whole earth. There are obviously myriad ways to explain what the poem is about, and myriad 'keys' to its true meaning. In what became Section 6 of the final edition (lines 90-121 of the 1855 edition ) Whitman himself addresses this sort of 'meta-question' of interpretation. By doing so in one of the quieter, more straightforward sections of the poem, Whitman invites us to use the section as one such 'key.' In Section 6, Whitman lays out a (possible) microcosm of 'Song of Myself' and gives a very kind prompt that here is a place where befuddled readers can ease their way into the poem. Whitman signals from the beginning of this passage that it is more accessible than most of his others. The first line tells us simply of a question asked by a child: ?A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands?? (90). In contrast to some of the earlier lines--the challenge of line 22 (?Have you reckoned a thousand acres much? Have you reckoned the earth much??) or the confusion of lines 30-31 (?I have heard what the talkers were talking?.the talk of the beginning and the end,/but I do not talk of the beginning and the end?.?) --this information is easy to process. We are likely to pause and enjoy the refreshing image of an inquisitive child, hands full of grass. Although Whitman goes on to catalogue all kinds of similar brief, simple sketches, for the moment we only have to deal with one. This single child is a messenge... ... (as determined by the 1891-1892 edition). Whitman?s answer to the question he posed to us earlier is now just what we might expect. ?They are alive and well somewhere;/The smallest sprout shows there is really no death? he tells us (116). This seems almost to say ?Good job?you followed my clues correctly, you too can read poetry.? By setting this section up, Whitman gives us one of his main themes that we can proceed to follow through this poem. At the same time, he shows us that one poem can be about many different ideas, and so cautions us against being too adamant about our newly discovered lens. His multitude of ?uttering tongues? can be confusing, but he does not leave us stranded?he gives us a map that shows one way to navigate this poem, and also the freedom to discover others at will. Works Cited: Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." 14 Nov 2006 .

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Politics and human rights policy have changed significantly throughout the second half of the twentieth century, notably in relation to attitudes about race, gender, and sexuality, and although they have nurtured a particular vision of social justice. Unfortunately, not all the problems of equal opportunities at the workplace have been solved. For female employees, glass ceiling proposes great opportunities to be equally treated and protected (to some extent).During half a century, â€Å"breaking glass ceiling† policies have proved their effectiveness, but cannot â€Å"abolish† gender and racial inequalities. For this reason, training and promotion activities as a part of â€Å"breaking glass ceiling† policies are vital for successful organizational performance. The significance of â€Å"breaking glass ceiling† policies is that it gives women opportunities to be promoted and highly paid, occupy high administrative posts according to their skills and profes sionalism.Findings were provided by Federal Glass Ceiling Commission and revealed that â€Å"95 percent of senior level managers are men and of that 95 percent, 97 percent are white. And of the five percent of these managers who are women, only 5 percent are minority women† (Redwood, 1996). In spite of the fact that equal opportunities policies have implemented for decades and women occupy â€Å"44 percent of the total persons employed in executive†¦ this category is extremely broad, and women are grossly underrepresented at the top executive positions of Fortune 500 corporations† (Jackson, 2001, p.30). To over come these possible threats organizations should conduct programming of specific human resources activities, based on personal development and human capital policies. The problem is that many women are deprived their right to occupy high administrative position. The necessity of breaking glass ceiling is caused by dominance by white males in American workfo rce. At the beginning of the XXI century they occupy the majority of managerial positions and many of the more important blue-collar jobs. The role of women is to occupy lower-paying positions.On the other hand, women racial minorities found considerable barriers to entering the labor market at the higher paying levels. Following Chaffins et al (1995) glass ceiling is â€Å"the form of discrimination has been depicted as a â€Å"barrier so subtle that it is transparent, yet so strong that it prevents women and minorities from moving up in the management hierarchy (Morrison & Glinow, 1990 cited Chaffins et al 1995, p. 380). The glass ceiling has been evident in both position and pay within organizations (Frieze et al. , 1990 cited Chaffins et al 1995, p. 380).In general, glass ceiling means the invisible barrier for women and minority groups that prevent them to be appointed to high administrative and managerial positions. Glass ceiling is a symptom of a big problem of equal opport unities and discrimination at work, and a part of diversity management. Equal opportunities policies play a major and continuing role in the lives of people, especially with the growth of large-scale business organisations and the divorce of own ¬ership from management. Organisations of one form or another are a necessary part of a society and serve many impor ¬tant needs.The decisions and actions of management in organisations have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. It is important, therefore, to understand the role of equal opportunity policies and the perva ¬sive influences which it exercises over the behaviour of people. Heated discussions concern the role of glass ceiling in organizational development and its impact on HR management. Discrimination on the grounds of sex or national status is unlawful, and has to be overcome in the work place (Morrison, 1994, 72).The necessity of breaking glass ceiling policies is an issue of the da y, because women and minoroties are discriminated in many aspects of our life and work. The selec ¬tion process in particular directly discriminates between people in order to offer the reward of a job to one but not the others. Certain forms of discrimination are acceptable but others are not, and have been made unlawful. Topical Area Legislation, voluntary codes of practice and equality initiatives have resulted in some progress towards equality of treatment for women, but there remains inescapable evi ¬dence of continuing discrimination.More recent approaches of the business case for breaking the glass ceiling, the economics of equal opportunities, the valuing and managing of diversity in organisations, and the mainstreaming of equal opportu ¬nities are a response to the insufficient progress made so. The main problem is that women do not have a chance to rich high management and administrative positions in some organizations that deprived them from challenges to achieving recognition, promotion and resulted in discriminating policies. The article by Thomas R. Miller and Mary A.Lemons â€Å"Breaking the glass ceiling: lessons from a management pioneer† describes a personal example of Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972), and difficulties based by this woman based on gender discrimination. This article shows that there is a necessity of breaking the glass ceiling strategies because there are always certain groups in any society that are discriminated against unfavourably due to the prejudices and preconceptions of the people with whom they have to deal. Lillian Gilbreth was one of the woman faced by â€Å"glass ceiling†: at the beginning of her career.The authors explain that preconceptions were sometimes verbalised, and the male managers and executives holding these preconceptions were unaware of the way that they saw and judged things and people, especially women employees. Lillian Gilbreth had to prove that she was worthy high managerial posit ion working hard for years and had to complete more work than male employees had to do. The authors portray that this glass ceiling policies within organizations went deep, and in relation to women concerned challenging a system of institutional discrimination and anti-female conditioning in the prevailing culture.The another article â€Å"Designing Women: A Qualitative Study of the Glass Ceiling for Women in Technology† written by Mary A. Lemons , Monica J. Parzinge represent an interesting problem concerning the role of women in engineering and technology management, and dominant role of men in this sphere. The statistical results from IT industry suggest that: â€Å"In 1971, the female portion of computer systems analysts and other specialists was only 9%. By 1990, this proportion had jumped to 35%. In 1996, the Department of Commerce noted a decline in the proportion of females to 30% (Foster, 2000, cited Lemons, Parzinge, 2001, p.4). The authors explain that males cultu re is important in two ways in glass ceiling – first, in respect of the whole range of approaches to cultural diversity, organisational culture is a determinant of the way that organ ¬isations treat women. Breaking glass ceiling tended to concentrate on behaviour and, to a small extent, attitudes, whereas management recognise a need to go beneath this. Glass ceilings for women in IT results in lack of understanding between male and female employees and prejudices towards the role of women in information technology field.However, these preconceived ideas influence the actions of the people who hold them, and the way they deal with others. The effects of this can be seen in the employment arena, as this is inextricably linked with discrim ¬ination in the rest of society. These offer some useful perspectives and practices, although the underlying concepts also raise some issues and concerns. In the article, â€Å"The glass ceiling: are women where they should be† Step hanie Chaffins et al raise a question concerning biased perception towards women and stereotypes that influence decision making of executives.In essence, women are working in occupations which reflect their perceived role in society, and are generally found servicing and caring for oth ¬ers. It is recognized that many organisations are adopting breaking glass ceiling policies and are seriously examining whether they are fulfilling the potential of all their staff. The interrupted pattern of women's employment therefore decreases the incentives for both women and employers to engage in their training. Although this may explain the position for some it does not explain the posi ¬tion of women who do invest their time in education and training.Neither does it explain the disparities in earnings which exist between men and women where neither have committed themselves to education and training The article â€Å"Breaking the glass ceiling: African-American women in management positi ons† by A. Mitra the author unveils another important issues of double glass ceiling policies: gender and racial discrimination. This article reveals disturbing results and shows that â€Å"among supervisors with a high school and college education, black women earn lower wages than black men even after controlling for detailed background, personal, and human capital characteristics.The lower earnings of black female supervisors can partly be attributed to the fact that they are segregated in predominantly female jobs† (Mitra, 2003, p. 67). These facts help to understand the causes and reasons why women cannot achieve high managerial position at the same as men employees and factors that prevent them. From the managerial point of view, disadvantaged groups, who have already been iden ¬tified, are women, people from other racial backgrounds, disabled people and older people, and in the USA there is legislation protecting the employment rights of the first three of thes e four groups.Causes Taking into account the information mentioned above, it is evident that glass ceiling has deep roots and requires special programs and policies in order to provide equal opportunities for women and racial minorities at work. The main caused of glass ceiling is prejudices against â€Å"female wit†, lack of recognition and discrimination. The fact that prejudices has been taken seriously by organizations despite initial ridicule, especially in the popular press, suggests that feminist concerns have become more publicly acceptable.There are other signs of responsiveness to feminist criticism – for example â€Å"female wit†. Though there is disturbing evidence that only a small minority of women feel able to report discrimination at work based on low recognition and appraisal. It should, however, be framed so that it is easy to derive from it policies on these and other aspects of conduct at work. It should also provide a basis on which to build training on such problem themes in a way which is convincing even to people who might otherwise consider them to be matters only for campaigning special interest groups.Cultural values and traditions supported by years of discrimination policy towards women is other cause of glass ceiling. There has been a significant shift in attitudes towards greater acceptance of equality, despite abundant evidence of continu ¬ing prejudice, inertia and discrimination; and there are indications of a greater willingness to respond sympathetically to women suffering sexual harassment or physical violence from men. But the role of groups and individuals committed to achieving equal rights and fair treatment is clearly still essential.â€Å"It translates into a syndrome that people who do the hiring feel most comfortable â€Å"hiring people who look like them. † (Redwood, 1996). The other important facts represent by Rene Redwood who suggests that: â€Å"the underlying cause for the exist ence of the glass ceiling is the perception of many white males that they as a group are losing – losing competitive advantage, losing control, and losing opportunity as a direct consequence of inclusion of women and minorities† (Redwood, 1996). The image of women as a weak member of society and housewife creates a negative image of an employee able to manage effectively.In addition, economic position of many women has deteriorated, some being forced to accept lower wages and many losing protection of their rights at work. High unemployment, changing job patterns policies have meant that the position of working-class women has tended to worsen. This cause Rene Redwood calls â€Å"societal barriers, which include a supply barrier related to educational opportunities and the level of job attainment† (Redwood, 1996). Lack of training and promotion is also a cause of glass ceiling. Performance deficiencies can result from lack of women training which is closely conne cted with lack of skills.Many companies do not propose equal training facilities for female and male supposing that women are more likely to leave job for looking after the children than men, so they see investments in female employees unnecessary and ineffective. Solutions If organizations do not take actions and do not implement appropriate policies aiming to break glass ceiling they can face with strong feminists movement and equal right movement. Also, female employees can organize antidiscrimination campaigns in order to protect their rights and equal opportunities.Also, glass ceiling deprives organizations from highly skilled work force and high qualified professionals. Women can leave an organization if they do not promote for a long time and face with discrimination policies. Today, the debate concerns the action that should be taken to alleviate the disadvantages of women. One company supports legislative action, while the other argues that this will not be effective and th at the only way to change fundamentally is to alter the attitudes and preconceptions that are held about women. However, there have been some efforts to change attitudes directly in addition to this.The major reason for breaking glass ceiling can be explained by the fact that discrimination against various groups in an organization has been made unlawful and legislation designed to avoid discrimination have been introduced, but they cannot solve all the problems arisen at the work place, and glass ceiling exploited by managers is the only possible way to manage diversity. Also, it was found that â€Å"Female ways of managing life are much better suited to tomorrow's business than is traditional male behavior. † (Lemons, Parzinger, 2001, p. 4). The concept of the learning curve is important in breaking glass ceiling policies.It ascends quickly, showing increasing proficiency. There are various levels in the curve, where a woman is consoli ¬dating and developing her knowledge . Where a group of persons is trained, the group may set ‘norms' which may stop individuals from moving ahead, and therefore it is important to ensure that the group norms are the same as the objectives of the trainer, so that individuals can progress. For managers, it is important to propose equal opportunities for males and female at the workforce avoiding violation of human rights and dignity.A policy for promotion is needed and its contents may be: all promotions to be made, as far as possible, within the firm; the main basis of promotion to be merit and ability. Seniority (often the number of years' service) to be considered but not to form the sole reason for promotion; opportunities given to all employees to reach the highest grades; vacancies be advertised and be kept open to all employees; accurate personnel records must be kept and these must include grading and merit ratings and other relevant details.These occur from one department or job to another or both and may solve a number of problems. Clear records are essential to obtain knowledge of the new job's requirements and the qualities needed for it. The employee, or department head, may have requested the transfer. Care and tact are needed in these situations. After identifying the development needs of the individual the choice of course must be made. Some firms have noted the waste of money on affirmative action. Nevertheless, this policy deprives individuals to be given an opportunity to use the knowl ¬edge gained.â€Å"The evolution of today's organizations â€Å"requires a different emphasis on attributes in developing future managers. These attributes include team working, high interpersonal skills, negotiating, consensus management, and the ability to handle several issues or projects at one time† (Lemons, Parzinger, 2001, p. 4). Breaking glass ceiling policy cannot be considered in isolation from the remuneration policy. Wages may account for up to 80 per cent of total cost s in some industries.The objects of a policy of remuneration are: to attract and retain sufficient staff of the required calibre to meet the orga ¬nization's objectives; to provide staff with incentives for better work; to have a policy which is logical and consistent, easily understandable and flexible. After objectives, policies and priorities have been determined, the methods of remuneration to be used to achieve them should be considered, i. e. job evalu ¬ation, merit rating, incentive schemes and fringe benefits. ReflectionWomen with a high achievement motivation may perceive that successful performance is caused by their own internal forces, and their ability and effort, rather than by the nature of the task or by luck. An employee (and woman as well) may expect promotion as an outcome of a high level of contribution in helping to achieve an important organisational objective. They determine the perceived equity of their own position. Feelings about the equity of the excha nge is affected by the treatment they receive when compared with what happens to other people.Today, breaking glass ceiling covers a range of approaches and emphases, some closer to equal opportunities, some very different. In reality, there remains the question of the extent to which approaches have really changed in organisations. Equal opportunities in may just be a way of making it more palatable in today's climate, may be used to revitalize the equal opportunities agenda. In professional activity and personal leadership these strategy will help to overcome possible difficulties and help to sustain strong position within the company.For academic purpose breaking glass ceiling can be seen as reflective as it deals with people already in the organisation, rather than getting people into the organisation -managing rather than expanding diversity. Many organizations prefer not to invest in women, because they are not sure that it will be repaid with interests. Nevertheless, knowledg e of these facts will help to find appropriate solutions and consensus in training and promotion activities. For leadership policies, breaking glass ceiling should play a major and continuing role on the organization-employee relations.The decisions and actions have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. For HR manager breaking glass ceiling policies will help to have a clear understanding of the following concepts of indi ¬vidualism and membership in a group, impor ¬tant of a personality in the group, important to held meetings privately and in public. For a manager and a leader, breaking glass ceiling should involves set ¬ting policies, formulating plans, and trying to make the best deci ¬sions possible.All this is done in a context of how the organisation as a whole, and the HR manager in particular, see the role of glass ceiling, the environment of the business, and the situation in which it operates. The importance of breaking glass ceiling can be explained by the fact that these policies create an environment which encourages the creativity of all, and enables everyone to work without feelings of insecurity, and with ¬out insult. Equal treatment of all employees and absence of glass ceiling is vital in every organization.For future manager nn important priority is to create an environment of trust and shared commitment, and to involve staff in decisions and actions which affect them. References 1. Chaffins, S. , Cangemi, J. P. , Forbes, M. , Fuqua Jr. , H. E. (1995). The Glass Ceiling: Are Women Where They Should Be, Education, Vol. 115, p. 380. 2. Jackson, J. C. (2001). Women middle managers’ perception of the glass ceiling. Women in Management Review. Vol. 16, Iss. 1, pp. 30 – 41. 3. Lemons, M. A. , Miller, T. R. (1998). Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Lessons from a Management Pioneer. SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 63, pp. 4-5.4. Lemons, M. A, Parzinger, M. (2001). Designing Women: A Qua litative Study of the Glass Ceiling for Women in Technology, SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 66, p. 4 5. Mitra, A. Breaking the glass ceiling: African-American women in management positions, Equal Opportunities International. Vol. 22, Num. 2, Feb. 2003, pp. 67-79. 6. Morrison, A. M. , White, R. P. , Velson, E. V. Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Can Women Reach the Top of Americas Largest Corporations? Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1994. 7. Redwood, Rene. The Findings and Recommendations of the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. Retrieved from http://www

My Life in Pink Essay

The story of this sensitively-handled film concerns a young MtF transsexual. It is by turns comic and heartbreaking. Seven-year old Ludovic lives in an upper-middle class Belgian suburban neighborhood. He behaves in a way that is quite natural to him, dresses in a dress or skirt whenever possible, and is quite convinced he will be marrying a neighborhood boy, the son of his father’s boss. His favorite television program is a kitchy girls program about a Barbie-like doll called Pam who lives in a flowery girly pink cartoon fantasy world and has magic powers. Young Ludovic dances Pam’s dance to the haunting song â€Å"Rose†, and like some other girls of his age fantasizes about marriage to a handsome romantic man who will sweep his female love off her feet. The film depicts the difficulties facing a child with gender identity issues and the way the Ludovic himself, the confused parents and family, society, school, other children, and the neighborhood (hostile, hypocritical, and ignorant) handle the situation. Ludovic is seven years old. At first thinks he is a girl, then becomes confused as everyone attempts to disabuse him of this, then tries to find an acceptable common ground (I am a girlboy, or I am a boy but I will grow up to be a girl, or something went wrong and and I should have been born a girl). When he was born, the extra X chromosome accidentally landed in the trash and he got a Y instead! Even an identity as a girlboy is not allowed him by those around him. The only ones who have any understanding of what he is going through are his psychologist and his grandmother who thinks it might be a phase he is going through, but also confronts the situation with some understanding. His sister also sees Ludovich more as he is than as others believe or want him to be. Under increasing pressure from an ignorant community which gives the family the cold shoulder, the parents naturally have difficulty in dealing with Ludovic’s transsexuality, and eventually send him to a psychologist with the intention of â€Å"curing† him, but of course there is no cure – only understanding. Eventually they come to accept the inevitable. The movie, perhaps a larger than life fictionalisation, is a microcosm of the early life experience of a transsexual. The movie deals with homophobia, bigotry, misunderstanding, the retreat of the transsexual into a fantasy life to escape from unthinkable real life, the attempt of the transsexual to hide the condition because of his/her punishment for showing it, and the reaction of the transsexual’s parents, family, and society. Common to the experience, particlarly when the movie was made, is confusion of homosexuality and transsexualism, denial of its existence, the attempt to cure it, the successful discrimination and hostility against the transsexual and his/her family, the realization of the existence of both male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuality, and finally resigned acceptance. The father is fired from his job, and the family moves to a poorer neighborhood, where they find some acceptance and Ludovic meets a young butch girl, perhaps a young FtM transsexual of about the same age. The final relief from troubles is belied by the music which turns somber as the camera pans away from the petit Ludovic, on his own away from the other children. As his pubescent sister says, prophetically, â€Å"it only gets more difficult as you get older†. The final scene dissolves into the haunting theme.