Alternative methods of work Essay Example for Free

Alternative methods of work Essay Telecommuting or working from the house, thanks to advanced communication technologies like wireless Internet, has grown tremendously across the United States in recent years. Today, American commute in cars, buses, planes and trains while travel thanks to the possibility to send and submit files to and from the office. Many reasons have been advanced for the growth of this practice, and some of them include high transportation costs, ageing work force and technological advancements. This paper is going to examine a number of reasons why it is beneficial for employers to use alternative work schedules and telecommuting. Some of the reasons this paper will examine include, but are not limited to, the cost of energy and transportation, more productivity, work safety and ageing workforce Although energy utilization will continue to grow as we expand our industry and improve our standard of living, efficient use of energy will always be of prime importance. By telecommuting to work instead of using more conventional methods, there is a great potential to save energy. Telecommuting brings about increased productivity and commitment from employees (Edmondson, 2001). The flexibility working from home offers to employees who have to care for children or other relatives allows them to perform better at their job. They require less time off, and are generally better focused and more productive. Many employers will discover their employees are accomplishing more and better quality work. Employers can establish goals and benchmarks that employees must meet and there are also ways that employees can be monitored online to ensure they are working during agreed upon hours. Good managers can come up with excellent plans to measure employee performance. One of the major advantages of telecommuting to employers is the reduction of office rental and real estate expenses. The company needn’t maintain the overhead costs of offices and in many instances actual real estate. ATT for example saved approximately $550 million dollars simply by eliminating or consolidating office space alone with their telecommuting program (Hamer, 1991). It also minimizes parking requirements. In addition to office space savings, companies also can reduce parking requirements. Telecommuting also leads to a reduction in benefits expenses. For companies that choose to work with independent contractors even more expenses such as benefits and social security may be eliminated. In fact, employers are likely to find that the majority of their employees would choose telecommuting over pay raises (Christensen, 1990: PP. 5). There is also an easier and even more effective recruitment process. There is a much larger pool of applicants for jobs that human resources has to choose from. Many well qualified applicants won’t apply for a job simply based on location and companies have no choice but to hire applicants that aren’t the right fit for the job. The practice leads to better employee retention success. When a good employee needs to relocate due to personal circumstances, the company is much more likely to be able to retain their service. A tremendous amount of energy is required to produce transportation equipment such as automobiles, buses, trains and jet aircraft. If telecommuting is promoted, there will be less use of this equipment and less energy will be required for production, maintenance and repair of this equipment. Fuel resources needed to operate this equipment will be reduced, as well The building and repair of highways and maintenance requires a large consumption of energy, not only in the operation of the highway construction and repair equipment, but also in the manufacture and transportation of the required materials (Janal, 1991: PP. 4). An increase in the percentage of people telecommuting to work will decrease the need for expanded highways and associated road maintenance. The first two areas related to getting to work. Once a person arrives at work in a central office location, he or she represents another energy consumer; often times magnified many times over what would be required at home. The office building has heating, cooling and lighting needs, and the materials to build it and maintain it require energy in their production and transportation. Working from home requires only modest incremental demands on energy for heating, cooling and lighting needs, and makes effective use of existing building space and facilities. It helps employers to preserve our environment by reducing land use requirements for highway expansion and by reducing slow-moving automobile emissions. Highways and parking lots are continuing to consume large quantities of our land surface area. If a larger percentage of people telecommute to work, existing highways could be reduced in size and parking lots could be converted to parks. One of the largest sources of pollution is the automobile. This is especially true of slow-moving automobiles that often exist in heavy, congested rush hour traffic (Resnick, 1991, PP. 2). Of course, one solution to this problem is increasing the size and number of our roads, but an even better solution is to encourage those who can to telecommute, so we will not need additional highways, parking lots, and airports in the future. And, when we do choose to drive our cars, it will be in fresh air, on less crowded streets, when we are not in a hurry to get somewhere. Telecommuting promotes safety by reducing highway use by people rushing to get to work. There are thousands of traffic-related deaths every year and thousands more people severely injured trying to get to work. In addition there is substantial property loss associated with traffic accidents that occur as people take chances in order to make the mad dash from home to the office (Crabb et al, 1991: PP. 6). Often, people have made the trip so often that they are not really alert, often fall asleep and frequently become impatient by traffic jambs and slower travelers. More and more people are becoming frustrated by the insistence that they come into the office every day, when, in fact most, if not all of their work could be accomplished from their home or sites much closer to their home (Huws, 1991: PP. 11)

The Rainforests of Our Oceans Essay -- Marine Biology

The first thing that comes to mind when we think of coral reefs is either an image of Nemo swimming through those finger-like plants in the ocean or a jumble of those plants we see on postcards and on television, thinking that one of them (but which one?) must be a coral reef. On the contrary, however, coral reefs are far from being plants but are in fact, an ecosystem filled with corals, both hard and soft, and endless reef species. The coral itself is made of many coral polyps, delicate limestone-secreting animals, which serve as a skeleton for the coral. The impact of these reefs on both marine life and humans is immense, but as of today, we have lost almost twenty to twenty-five percent of the world’s coral reefs and about another sixty percent are being threatened by human activities. Consequently, coral reefs should be protected because they benefit us greatly, both economically and biologically, and if we leave them unprotected, we face numerous consequences that will be detrimental to both our economy and the biodiversity of the ocean. Though coral reefs don’t seem like much, it’s impossible to deny the importance of the roles they serve as indicators of the salinity of water and its nutrient levels in our coastal watersheds and oceans. Because corals can only survive in clear and unpolluted tropical or sub-tropical waters that have a relatively normal salinity and that are low in nutrient levels (Thurman), they help local resource managers to understand how activities on land impacts the reefs and to identify changes in water quality, which is a major benefit to us because the reefs are able to detect even the slightest change in water that some of the best manmade technologies can miss (U.S. EPA). They also act as mo... ...ier-reef.html>. Talbot F., and Wilkinson, C., 2001, Coral Reefs, Mangroves and Seagrasses: A Sourcebook for Managers. 29 Mar 2012. Print. Thurman, H.V. Essentials of Oceanography: Coral Reefs. 4th Edition. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1993. 336-341. Print. U.S. EPA, . "Water: Habitat Protection." Coral Reef Protection: What Are Coral Reefs?. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 06 Mar 2012. Web. 25 Mar 2012. . U.S. EPA, . "Water: Oceans, Coasts, Estuaries & Beaches." Coastal Watershed Factsheets - Coral Reefs and Your Coastal Watershed. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 06 Mar 2012. Web. 25 Mar 2012. . Zubi, Teresa. "ECOLOGY: Reefs at Risk." . N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 26 Mar 2012. .

Defender of the Faith/ Philip Roth.

â€Å"l refuse, I can't stop being me, that's all there is to it†. Tears came to his eyes. â€Å"It's a hard thing to be a Jew. But now I understand what Mackey says- it's a harder thing to stay one†. He raised a hand sadly toward me. â€Å"Look at you. † Defender of the Faith/ Philip Roth. The quote above is the part in the Defender of Faith which is a conversation between Crossbars and Marx. Crossbars asks Marx to go out of the army to attend thePassover dinner. Throughout the story we come to understand that Crossbars is taking advantage of the fact that both he and Marx are Jewish for his own benefit. Crossbars tries to â€Å"bond† with Marx on the basis of their common religion, but soon we realize that he uses this common fact to try to get benefits and other privileges. At some point Marx understands that Crossbars is being selfish and is using the religion for his own needs, and gets tired from Crossbar's requests.Crossbars insists that he shouldn' t be treated like everyone else; because he claims that he is better. In addition he throws at Marx accusations saying that he is denting his roots and his family. Crossbars says this only because he is unhappy and doesn't get from Marx what he wants, he calls him a go. â€Å"You even talk like a go. † â€Å"It's a hard thing to be a Jew. But now I understand what Mackey says- It's a harder thing to stay one†.

To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis Essay - 1301 Words

To ‘Kill a Mockingbird’ is a fairly long, complex novel that encompasses a wide range of issues and universal themes. Accordingly, Harper Lee’s highly acknowledged ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ emphasises the importance of people in positions of privilege to stand up and resist systemic discrimination in order to protect the innocent. Lee has fictionalised the infinitesimal county of Maycomb, a town set in the plot of her Pulitzer prize winning book. This piece of golden fiction is narrated through Jean Louise â€Å"Scout† Finch, a girl whose naivety increasingly declines as the story progresses; furthermore, her sense of morality. Her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who upholds high moral standards. Atticus was given the position to defend Tom†¦show more content†¦Less significant character relationships include Miss Maudie, Mrs Dubose, Boo Radley etc. Atticus is a strong-willed believer in standing up for your own beliefs and distinguish ing the difference between right and wrong. His relationship with Scout impacts the audience significantly as readers are narrated the story through Scout’s naà ¯ve eyes, evoking a more emotional aspect between Scout and Atticus. Atticus simply wants the best for his kids and for them to cultivate accepting the different cultures that Maycomb has to offer. This is clearly demonstrated in Chapter 9. â€Å"’If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it?’ ‘For a number of reasons’...’The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this country in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again’...’every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally’† (page 81-82). Despite Atticus’ hesitation with the case, he accepts the indictment and the consequences tha t follows. Atticus is aware that if he didn’t take the case he would be perceived as heartless and ultimately racist, contrary to this, the characters in the novel felt sympathetic towards him for having to deal with this trial. â€Å"..do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fits down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for aShow MoreRelatedTo Kill a Mockingbird Character Analysis Essay763 Words   |  4 PagesEssay Prompt: In a 1-2 page character analysis, explain what makes Atticus such a good parent, using quotes and evidence from the text to back up your claims. The Most Memorial Parent In 2003, the American Film Institute chose Atticus Finch, a respectful, dignity attorney from To Kill a Mockingbird, as the greatest hero in 100 years of film history. Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird in the 1960s and it immediately received huge acclaims from readers throughout the world. In the novelRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Academic Analysis Essay1404 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The worst sin of all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The academic analysis of the discrimination, racism, and prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird. Extra, Extra, read all about it! Negro Tom Robinson get what he deserves! Now that peoples attention has been grabbed, lets talk about To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird (or TKAM) is set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. It follows the adventures of Jean Louise ,or better known as Scout, and her older brother Jem. They encounter a boyRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Analysis Essay805 Words   |  4 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird is a mix between unjust, and just ways of life in an old town in Alabama called Maycomb that takes a twist into a court case that creates a racist and deadly argument. Harper Lee, a book writer with lots of thought and creativity produces a now, award winning book that she considers to be a simple love story that has transformed into a masterpiece. (Cover copy) To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the town of Maycomb with a small population full of big personalities. â€Å"KillingRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Analysis Essay1431 Words   |  6 Pageseveryone judges their surroundings and the people living in it through a secret lens. Since the beginning of time racism has occurred, but during the Great Depression this lens was most clear to all. This goes hand in hand with the story of â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird†, written by Harper Lee. This book is based on Lee’s childhood during the Depression. Some of the characters in the story are portrayed in her actual life; Atticus is based off her father who was also a lawyer, Dill was in reference of her friendRead MoreEssay To Kill a Mockingbird: An Analysis of Discrimination893 Words   |  4 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird: An Analysis of Discrimination The most important theme of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is author Harper Lee’s tenacious exploration of the moral nature of people. Lee tenaciously explores the moral nature of human beings, especially the struggle in every human soul between discrimination and tolerance. The novel is very effective in not only revealing prejudice, but in examining the nature of prejudice, how it works, and its consequencesRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis Essay711 Words   |  3 Pages In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, she writes about what it’s like to live in a small town around the 1930s. Lee tells the story of life in the town of Maycomb through the eyes of an innocent girl named Scout. Scout and her brother, Jem, go through many events together over the three years that the book takes place such as meeting Dill, getting presents from Boo Radley, learning about the people in their neighborhood, and going to s chool, just to name a few. By using a child as the narratorRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis Essay869 Words   |  4 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a book that takes place in Maycomb, Alabama. It is about a young girl, Scout, and her brother, Jem, learn about the racial and social ranks in society at the time of the Great Depression through struggle and events that occur throughout the book. To convey this theme, the book focuses on the trial of a black man accused of and mistreated due to the white supremacy at that time. The book also focuses on the story of a misunderstood man named Boo RadleyRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird: Analysis of Atticus Essay863 Words   |  4 Pages Throughout Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, it seems as if Atticus Finch is a failure as both a parent and a lawyer. However, somebody with a good understanding of the novel will realise that Atticus is in fact a terrific lawyer and a superb father. However, like all people, Atticus has his flaws. Throughout Scout and Jem’s childhoods, their father Atticus was always there for them. Atticus always made sure he made time to talk to his children and teach them valuable life skills. AtticusRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis Essay791 Words   |  4 Pagespages of To Kill a Mockingbird, created masterfully by Harper Lee. From a rousing court case to a reclusive neighbor, challenging situations wait at every turn. How individuals handle these circumstances depends on their qualities. Lee portrays many diverse characters in this novel. While some become uncertain and crumble under the pressure of tough situations, others force themselves unfalteringly through. Some measure up, but others fall short. Although many characters presented in To Kill a MockingbirdRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis Essay889 Words   |  4 PagesTO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD ESSAY Audience: People who have read To Kill A Mockingbird. Purpose: To get readers to understand that although Mayella is guilty of causing an innocent man’s death, she still deserves some sympathy. Suddenly Mayella became articulate. I got somethin to say, she said. Atticus raised his head. Do you want to tell us what happened? But she did not hear the compassion in his invitation. Is Mayella a character for whom we should feel compassion? In Harper Lee’s To Kill a