Human Resource and Industrial Relations Essay

In many Commonwealth Caribbean Countries since the early 1960’s, there have been attempts at Public Sector Reform by replacing the traditional system of Public Administration with what is commonly known as New Public Management and to this day, the successful implementation of such structural adjustment attempts have evaded most Governments who have dared to try. It was evident, however, that there were differences in the way each country attempted to introduce NPM. Jamaica and Barbados, for example, adhered rigorously to the primary tenets of NPM and Trinidad and Tobago by implementing some measures but not others. Human resource management (HRM) is a term which is now widely used but very loosely defined. It should be defined in such a way as to differentiate it from traditional personnel management and to allow the development of testable hypotheses about its impact. Based on theoretical work in the field of organizational behaviour it is proposed that HRM comprises a set o f policies designed to maximize organizational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality of work. Within this model, collective industrial relations have, at best, only a minor role. Despite the apparent attractions of HRM to managements, there is very little evidence of any quality about its impact or that of New Public Management. However, the purpose of this paper is to review and analyze some of the different approaches to Human Resource Management, New Public Management and  Industrial Relations initiatives used in Trinidad and Tobago and the extent to which the introduction of a â€Å"new† model of management in the public sector has led to a realignment in the roles, responsibilities, and relationships between the policy-makers, the bureaucracy, civil society and Trade Unions in Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, mentioning the work of two (2) well accomplished local minds who have contributed to the study of Public Sector Reform and Industrial Relations. Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations (HRIR) is a multidisciplinary area that investigates all aspects of employment relations in the public and private sector. Modern organisations i ncreasingly regard staff as their most valuable asset and a chief source of competitive advantage. Consequently, they attach great importance to how they manage people. Successful management of employment relations is vital if employees are to be motivated and organisations are to be successful. The Human resource management (HRM) side encompasses the governance of an organization’s employees and is sometimes referred to simply as human resources (HR). It is the people who work for the organization and human resource management is really employee management with an emphasis on those employees as assets of the business. Areas of HRM oversight include employee recruitment and retention, exit interviews, motivation, assignment selection, labor law compliance, performance reviews, training, professional development, mediation, change management and some extent of Industrial Relations. Industrial relations, which is sometimes called labour-management relations is a professional area of activity and is multidisciplinary, drawing from several academic areas such as law, economics, psychology, sociology and organizational theory. The field of Industrial relations also similarly encompasses the relationships between employers and employees, between employees and other employee s, between employers and their unions and advisors, between employees and their unions, between workplaces in the labour market, the environment created by historical, political, legal and social forces, cultural norms as well as the products of the industrial relations systems including industrial action, collective agreements, grievance handling and other problem-solving mechanisms. Since the 1990’s, there has been the need to transition from the traditional Public Administration (PA) to New Public Management (NPM) and the implementation of NPM ideas are closely related to Human Resources (HR)  in public institutions. In order to achieve a consistent shift, a lot of attention has been devoted to the reconstruction of Human Resource Management (HRM) as well as the improvement in the quality of Industrial Relations in Trinidad and Tobago that has become necessary due to the increasing frequency of strikes and other industrial action related to negotiations for new collective agreements. The first of the two (2) Authors who’s work are being mentioned and have made valid contributions to the field of Public Sector Reform is Dr. Ann-Marie Bissessar, a well accomplished Senior Lecturer in the Behavioural Sciences Department, University of the West Indies. Dr. Bissessar in one of her many writings entitled. â€Å"The changing nexus of power in the new public sector management of Trinidad and Tobago†, examines the extent to which the introduction of a â€Å"new† model of management in the public sector has led to a realignment of the bureaucracy and civil society in Trinidad and Tobago. The document suggests that the introduction of new public management in the public services of Trinidad and Tobago has led to changes in the structure, culture and functioning of the public sector. Doctor Bissessar argues that while there were tensions between the politician and the administrator during the post-independence period these were, to a large extent, kept in check by the rules and regulations that were part and parcel of the traditional method of administration. The introduction of principles of new public management in 1991 and the stress on greater autonomy and a more â€Å"fluid† bureaucratic arrangement, however, have fundamentally altered the power relationships between the politician and the administrator so that the division between the political sphere and the administrative sphere has become increasingly blurred. With respect to the civil society, concludes that with the exception of certain non-governmental organizations, the wider civil society continues to have a minimal input in either policy formulation or execution. Writing along the same lines of thought was Dr. Roodal Moonilal in his one of his articles entitled, â€Å"A note on the Human Re source Management and its Diffusion†. Doctor Moonilal, wrote that the notion of HRM is difficult to pin down with one definition and that is has central concerns with issues of quality, productivity, safety and the efficient use of materials. Other features include sub-contracting, re-deployment of labour, individual contracts and external forms of flexibility and much of the human relations  school. He took from the work of Allan Fox, who articulated two categories or frames of reference within which to conceptualise workplace industrial relations. He stated that Fox outlined a unitary frame of reference which stressed the importance of a common objective for the enterprise, with one source of authority and one focus of loyalty, all participants have the same basic aim and all aspire to share in the rewards which will accrue from the attainment of this aim. Conflict within this framework is denied, as Fox states, â€Å"the doctrine of common purpose and harmony of interests implies that apparent conflict is either (a) merely frictional, e.g. due to incompatible personalities or â€Å"things going wrong†, or (b) caused by faulty â€Å"communications†, e.g. â€Å"misunderstandings† about aims or met hods, or (c) the result of stupidity in the form of failure to grasp the communality of interest, or (d) the work of agitators inciting the supine majority who would otherwise be content† (1966:12). Improving human relations and communications are said to be the appropriate methods to avoid conflict which is seen as the result of poor social relations. In the unitary frame the presence of trade unions is seen as an â€Å"intrusion† into the private, peaceful and unified structure, they compete â€Å"illegitimately† for control over, and the loyalty of, the employees and are considered â€Å"foreign and alien† to the private affairs of the company. Foxs’ work also identified a â€Å"pluralist† frame which accepts that an enterprise contains groups with a variety of different interests, aims and aspirations and it is therefore a coalition of different interests rather than the embodiment of one common goal. In the pluralist enterprise conflict is normal, expected and should not be suppressed but the aim must be to keep it within accepted bounds to prevent the destruction of the enterprise. The article also states that if HRM can be located conceptually within the unitary ideology in the 1960s, it must also be traced to forms of strategic industrial relations adopted during the very period. The emerg ence of productivity bargaining defined as â€Å"an exchange of higher wages for more work, or the same wages in less time, or for greater flexibility and mobility of labour was seen as an earlier attempt by management to give direction to industrial relations. By the late 1970s external forces placed a focus on HRM in the academic and professional circuits as well as a wide range of features and dramatically contrasting reports on its implementation, impact and implications. The  article also stressed the need for Total Quality Management (TQM) and that the historical labour-management distrust and war in industrial relations has no place in Human Resource Management while stating that there are however characteristics of HRM which can threaten the functioning of traditional trade unionism. Dr. Moonilal states that even though some features of HRM can threaten the Union, they can only endanger a Union if it is weak at the shop floor level with a membership which is immobilized and lacking faith in the collective action and skill in representation. The Practitioners of industrial relations were said to be trade union officers, human resource managers, conciliators, mediators, labour department officials and project managers, among others. The main focus of industrial relations is on people in the workplace, whether such a workplace is a large transnational organization, or a small family firm, whether those employed are on a contract of service or on a contract for service; and whether or not a union is involved at the workplace. Indeed, industrial relations can exist even where collective agreements do not materialize. PART A Like most islands in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago emerged from colonization in the early 1960s extremely poor and with an economy structured around resource exports. Trinidad and Tobago’s tremendous growth spurt slowed, and the economy entered a ten-year period of sluggish growth and had become urbanized, many belonging to the middle class, a situation unknown in most developing countries. As economic growth slowed, increased demands were voiced for adequate housing, better labor rights, more jobs, improved living and working conditions, more equitable distribution of wealth, and national ownership of resources. Despite these demands, the socioeconomic problems present in Trinidad and Tobago were hardly as acute as in other Caribbean countries; nonetheless, such issues as negative attitudes toward foreign ownership tended to dominate. Led by the charismatic and intellectual Eric Williams since its independence in 1962, citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, like people through out the region, hoped and expected that political independence would bring not only dignity but economic improvement. The moderate growth Trinidad and Tobago had been experiencing resulted in some gains for the population. During this time,  the islands’ labor force was highly unionized and the industrial relations climate in Trinidad and Tobago was growing tense with the development of the trade union movement. There was an increasing number of strikes and labour disputes which threatened the economic growth and productivity of the country. The Public Service employees were described as being indolent, inefficient and corrupt and it was impossible to discipline anyone or reform the service. So, It was said that the Public Service no longer attracted the best. The Government of the day could no longer delay in taking legislative action to regulate the relations between unions, workers and employers and there was an urgent need for change and the role of government in the economy increased drastically during the 1960s. The year 1962 was actually when the first step in the development of the collective bargaining process in Trinidad and Tobago was taken in November of that year, just three (3) months after the country obtained Independence from the British in 1962. An agreement was signed by the Secretary to Cabinet at the time on behalf of the Government and by the leadership of the Civil Service Association, the recognized representative for Civil Servants. It established a Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal with the power to decide issues remaining unresolved between the Government and the Association. The Tribunal was designed to function on an â€Å"Ad Hoc† basis and under the Whitley Council System, the Colonial Secretary and subsequently, the Secretary to Cabinet discussed matters relating to the Terms and Conditions of employments in the Civil Service with the Executive of the Civil Service Association .However, the right to approve of not approve any agreements reached was reserved to the Governor General after Independence. The relationship then changed between the Government and the Association and by extension the Civil Service, by bringing an end to the virtually absolute authority previously exercised by the Government. The next phase of Collecting Bargaining was achieved in 1966 when Parliament passed the Civil Service Act as Act No. 29 of 1965. This Act which came into force on August 27, 1966 provided for an effective system of Collective Bargaining referred to in the Act as consultation and Negotiation. The Act established the Personnel Department of Government which was headed by the Chief Personnel Officer and staffed by Civil Servants to; maintain the class of Civil  Servants and keep under review the remuneration payable to them, administer the general regulations respecting the Civil Servants, provide for and establish procedures for consultation between the Personnel Department and an any Association in respect to classification of officers, any grievances and Terms and Conditions of Emp loyment of Civil Servants. Those aspects of the employment relationship which could not be left to collective bargaining such as employee health and safety, minimum age of employment and workers’ compensation, retrenchment and severance benefits and maternity leave are set down in legislation which bind the State and private employers. As a result the Industrial Stabilisation Act, 1965, was enacted. This Act introduced the concept of compulsory arbitration to Trinidad and Tobago by the establishment of the Industrial Court. The main function of this Court was to intervene to prevent and settle industrial disputes between employers and their union represented workers. The Industrial Stabilisation Act was later repealed and replaced by the Industrial Relations Act, 1972, Chapter 88:01 of the Laws of Trinidad and Tobago to provide for the following: free collective bargaining between employer and workers through their representative associations, the development of a peaceful and expeditious procedure for the settlement of disputes, the establishment of the Industrial Court,  the recognition and registration of trade unions,   the freedom to be represented by a trade union and the right not to associate, and industrial action which may be taken by both employer and employee. In addition, Provision was made for a T ripartite industrial relations advisory committee which had the responsibility of reviewing the IRA and making recommendations to the Minister of Labour. This way the Act kept up with industrial relations trends. The general industrial relations policy in Trinidad and Tobago was based on voluntary collective bargaining between employers and workers, via their representative associations, for the settlement of terms and conditions of employment. While the Government has ratified several ILO Conventions, including the Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144), these Conventions only become effective when they are legislatively implemented. A 144 Tripartite Committee, comprising all of the social partners, trade  unions, employers, and Government, in operation in Trinidad and Tobago with the responsibility of considering and recommending the ratification of ILO Conventions. State employees included all civil servants, teachers and members of the Protective Services (Fire, Police and Prison Services). The employment relationship between the State and its employees was governed generally by legislation, which made provisions for terms and conditions of e mployment including recruitment, hours of work, leave entitlements, payment of remuneration, pensions, allowances and other benefits. There was legislation which dealt specifically with each group, such as the Civil Service Act, Chap 23:01 for all civil servants, the Police Service Act, Chap. 15:01, as revised by the Police Service Bill (2003), the Fire Service Act, Chap. 35:50 and the Education Act, Chap 39:01 for teachers. The representative associations of monthly paid State employees may bargain collectively with the Chief Personnel Officer, who is deemed to be the employer of State employees under the IRA. The subject of these negotiations include wage increases, travelling and other allowances and leave entitlements. Other legislations were as follow: The Occupational Safety and Health Act – Sets standards for employee health and safety at the workplace The Workmen’s Compensation Act or the Employment Injury and Disability Benefits Bill – Provides compensation where employees are injured on the job Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act – Guarantees the payment of severance pay to retrenched employees. The Maternity Protection Act – Provides maternity leave and related benefits to female employees PART B In December 1991 a new government was elected in Trinidad and Tobago. It soon embarked on an ambitious programme of public sector reform under the overall direction of Gordon Draper as Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Administration and Public Information. The programme drew directly on the NPM paradigm and sought to deliver decentralised management, improved morale and productivity, improved human resource management, improved quality of service and delivery, and improved budgeting and accounting systems. The details of the programme were set out  in detail in a publication of the MTSD as A Profile of the Public Service of Trinidad and Tobago (Commonwealth Secretariat 1995). It covered seven areas, three of which were elaborated in some detail. The first was ‘making the most of staff’ through training and development, the establishment of ‘change teams’ within ministries to lead reform, new systems of performance appraisal, and improving work performance by upgrading accommodation and developing an employee assistance programme. The second focused on ‘making government more efficient’ through the introduction of strategic planning, improving productivity via computerisation, contracting out services, redundancy management, and conducting comprehensive audits, a view also shared by Dr. Bissessar and Dr. Moonilal as mentioned previously. The third area, ‘improving policy analysis and co-ordination’, was to be achieved by creating standing committees of Cabinet in vital areas for national economic development, improving policy presentation in the media, and creating more mechanisms for public consultation on national development. The other areas addressed the quality of public services, partnerships with the private sector and non-government organisations, effective management and the management of finance. It was a comprehensive vision and some of the ideas, mechanisms and procedures set forth in it have since been adopted by other Caribbean countries in their programmes of reform. In Trinidad and Tobago, however, it ran into difficulties. One was over the powers and responsibilities of the Public Service Commission (PSC). The reforms proposed their reduction and rationalisation, with many of them being exercised by ministries and other public agencies in accordance with the more decentralised management principles of NPM. These were resisted by the PSC, which claimed that the government was unfairly blaming them for failures in the public service. They also questioned the introduction of private sector values into the very different ethos of the public service (Trinidad and Tobago 1995). Another was the proposal to establish human resource units in ministries which would have seriously weakened the Personnel Department. A number of ministries submitted plans but there was much delay in implementation reducing the effectiveness of the reform. Other changes in this area, such as performance appraisal, also met employee resistance, suggesting a strong cultural re sistance to change. However, on the one hand, public servants supported change which was beneficial to them  Ã¢â‚¬Å"such as training, pay increases, systems of career path planning and enhanced opportunities†. On the other, they were â€Å"afraid of change† which was in any way radical, rather than incremental, since they equated it with â€Å"retrenchment and downsizing† which would threaten their jobs and erode their tenure. In such circumstances it is not surprising that many were â€Å"openly hostile to suggestions for further reform†. In the face of such opposition, and also a lessening of commitment to micro-manage change by the political leadership, the reform programme slowly ground to a halt. The role of the state in development has come under challenge. The reasons for this include the fiscal crises that hit most developing countries in the 1980s, weakening the ability of the state to fund development programmes; the stabilisation and structural adjustment policies that followed, which imposed reductions in the role and size of government and an increase in the scope and activities of the private sector; and the elaboration, from the beginning of the 1990s, o f programmes of ‘good governance’ which aimed to build ‘an effective state’ through matching a state’s role to its capability, which required a sharper focus on fundamentals, and raising state capability by reinvigorating public institutions. In the achievement of these last set of activities sweeping public sector reform was to be encouraged. The impact of such programmes on the developing world has been the subject of much comment. In the case of small states it raised particular difficulties. The public sector tends to be proportionately bigger and its responsibility for delivering services across a wide range of activities greater than in many larger countries. There were thus serious questions about any proposal to reduce the role of the state. At the same time the need for public sector reform was acknowledged in many small states. The New Public Sector Management (NPSM) is the transfer of business and market principles and management processes from the private sector into the public service itself, or outsourcing government activities to the special purpose companies owned by a government or even to the private sector. There is or has been no empirical evidence that NPSM reforms of the public service or outsourcing have led to productivity increases or public welfare improvements even by private sector standards. Th is is because there are basic problems implicit in the NPSM model which derive from the fact that the aims of the public service differ from those of the private sector.  The private sector is about competition and maximizing profits. The proponents of NPSM seek to treat the public as though they are consuming private sector goods and services. The use of these business techniques in the delivery of public functions constricts the accomplishment of the basic tenets of the state: democracy, regularity, transparency and due process, which are surely more important than perceived efficiency and speed. With regards to its impact on the Industrial Relations System, traditionally, trade unions in the Caribbean, in negotiating wages and conditions of employment for their members, have resorted to the confrontational approach to settle outstanding issues. In the early days of trade unionism, this approach was extremely successful and was effectively used. It can be said that employers were cognizant of the close relationship that existed between the political leaders in most of the Caribbean islands and the trade union leaders. In some instances, they were one and the same person. As the countries became independent and t he impact of adverse economic circumstances began to be felt, employers in both the public sector and private sector responded by resorting to taking tough economic decisions. Invariably, these decisions focused on the way in which wage increases were negotiated, the level of these increases and the impact which they had on government finances and on profits at the level of the enterprise. As a consequence, collective bargaining took a new turn as trade unions were forced to examine seriously their approach to the preparation of proposals and the presentation of their case. At the same time, alternative approaches to confrontation were examined and in some instances adopted. Social dialogue has been developed by the ILO as one of the alternative approaches recommended to the social partners (governments, employers and trade unions). A number of studies on best practices in selected enterprises in the Caribbean are being developed to demonstrate how effective social dialogue can be in increasing productivity and in keeping with the New Public Management approaches. However, it seems to me that there has been increasingly forceful moves by trade unions in Tr inidad and Tobago over the past few years to influence national policies and issues. This may be out of frustrated expectations which originate from political and economic circumstances. Whatever the reason, it is has begun to have a negative impact on the workers they represent and the wider society. If this  situation is not addressed it may very well deteriorate and there will be unintended adverse consequences, including loss of employment opportunities and declining standards of living for those whose interests should be served by the unions. The principal stakeholders must re-examine their contributions to the current state of affairs and resolve to bring about the necessary transformation. We need to start the process of change now and even though it would be time consuming, it must be done. It requires an understanding of the realities of the global economy and the imperative for small economies such as ours to survive and in the longer term, to prosper. Trinidad and Tobago has been in a more fortunate position due to our rich hydrocarbon industry and prices being unexpectedly high. However, this should not be the basis of planning sustainable economic grow th and development. The future requires all the social partners to work together, replacing confrontation by cooperation and collaboration. This can only be accomplished if there are suitable multipartite mechanisms established by the government and adhered to by all stakeholders (government, labour, private sector and civil society) whereby meaningful consultation leads to consensus on common objectives and the strategies by which these can be achieved. There must be a major paradigm shift from dependency on oil and gas revenues to support artificially high employee compensation without regard for productivity. There can be no justification for such irrational approaches to industrial relations. It is time to adopt new methods of resolving issues and to put the issue of pay for performance and productivity on the front burner. The era of ‘might is right’ is a luxury we can no longer afford. We need to usher in a new dispensation of enlightened industrial relations to create a truly developed society. Relations between companies and unions need to shift from being adversarial to one of co-operation and it is critical for both parties, union and management to jointly address the competitive pressures and to work together to harness the skills and the commitment of the workforce. The manufacturing and public sectors in many countries have been the traditional base of support for trade unions. They are now experiencing cons iderable difficulties in maintaining and increasing membership. It is the hope of many that the Government will begin the process of getting the economy back on its feet. In doing so, there is always the potential for increased agitation by trade  unions that could ultimately lead to Industrial action where their demands for double digit wage increases cannot be met by the Government. Such a situation can also impact the industrial relations environment across the private sector where unionization is concentrated, particularly along the East-West Corridor. There is also, the perception among many in society that our industrial relations climate will become increasingly adversarial. Employers are more weary of unionization today more than ever before given the current approach to negotiations and dispute resolution by certain trade unions. This is most unfortunate since these very employers accept that trade unions have a critical role to play in shaping industrial relations in our country and facilitating an economic recovery. It goes without saying that industrial action in any form and by anyone can lead to huge disruptions, losses in production and ultimately adverse long-term economic consequences if unchecked and properly regulated. The problem is that much of the current legislation and regulation governing industrial action was formulated back in the 1960â €™s and at a time when there were no legislative safeguards and specified minimum working conditions. On the other hand, the situation is very different today. Today, most workers enjoy legislative protections  in areas ranging from unfair dismissals to minimum wages, maternity leave and severance benefits. It is important to note that in the 1960s trade union membership was more than twice as much as it is now and industrial relations was more about power relations hence the prevalence of adversarial relationships between employers and workers. Today, this too has changed somewhat and great strides have been made to encourage tripartism, social dialogue and labour management co-operation. The movement towards human capital as the major investment for competitive advantage has greatly accelerated. Improved communication of total reward packages through face-to-face meetings, total reward statements and flexible benefits have in most workplaces replaced indirect forms of communication and the significance of basic pay in the overall remuneration package. The one (1) major area that needed to be addressed was the Industrial Court, which was noted to have served the country will but has not been perfect in  its judgments. Many have questioned whether there is a need for the Industrial Court as some of its judgments have been criticized. In a report submitted to Errol McLeod, Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Development Enterprises on July 29, 2013 by the Industrial Relations Advisement Report Committee, it stated twenty-five (25) recommendations for changes needed within the Industrial Relations Sector. The report stated that there is a need to ensure that the Industrial Court is examined and brought up to a more modern constitution, since there have been no direct changes in the Labour Relations Sector for decades. There are issues with the tenure of Judges, Independence of the Court, Migrant Law, Minimum Wages, Maternity Protection, Work men’s Compensation Ordinance and Retrenchment and Severance Pay. It was also stated that the Collective Bargaining process must be done in a more timely basis. The Industrial Relations Advisement Report Committee also stressed in their extensive report that it was crucial to the Industrial Relations Sector that all twenty-five (25) recommendations made be addressed. With this in mind, it is clear that what our industrial relations system needs now is a modernized legal framework which is relevant to changes in working life, modern human resource management practices and technological advancement. It also needs a proper functioning Industrial Court to preside over all its matters. RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION While several attempts have also been made in the past to improve the operations of the Public Service of Trinidad and Tobago, the challenges associated with Human Resource Management and its evolution into New Public Management, accountability, information and technology, communication technology, leadership systems and the systems of laws and procedures continue to occur. The culture of the Public Service has been one referred to as too â€Å"laid back† and that any diversion from the â€Å"status quo† is frowned upon and resisted. There needs to be collaboration between key central agencies to facilitate their acceptance of the fact that change is needed and accept the relevant responsibilities. Governments need to properly formulate and oversee the implementation of comprehensive change management strategies and have a robust legislative analysis of these  changes. Provisions must be created to ensure effective implementation and review, communication and networking within and among various Ministries and Departments. There also needs to be a strengthening of the Civil Service and administrative components of Public Service Reform, providing them with a better frame work and indicator set. More attention must be given to the budget execution phases of Financial Management and sufficient resources must be allocated to ensure that the officers can perform at their best and with a sense of urgency. With all this in mind, it is quite obvious that any kind or nature of Reform is a work in progress. BIBLIOGRAPHY Labour Law Profile. â€Å"National Labour Profile: Trinidad and Tobago Web. 27 July 2011 http://www.ilo.org/resrch/intro Trinidad and Tobago Economic Development Web. August 2011 www.photius.com/countries/Trinidad and Tobago Bissessar, Ann-Marie. â€Å"The changing nexus of power in the New Public Sector Management of Trinidad and Tobago†. Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of the West-Indies International Journal of Public Sector Management. Web.Vol. 16ISS: No.109 Moonilal, Roodal Dr. â€Å"A note on HRM and Its Diffusion†. June 13, 2009 Sutton, Paul. â€Å"Public Sector Reform in Small States† Cases from the Commonwealth Caribbean. (2009) â€Å"Industrial Relations in Trinidad and Tobago.† Wikipidea Online. Encyclopedia Wikipedea, 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Young, Greg. Home page. Web. 13 Nov. 2013 Chamber of Commerce. â€Å"The Current Industrial Relations Climate in Trinidad and Tobago† Chamber of Commerce, 2011. Web. 10 Nov 2013

Health Records

When going to the doctor’s office, there was a time when patients had to check out their medical records before seeing their doctor or dentist. They would also have to return the medical records before leaving the clinics or hospital. Now patients are able to skip those steps because of electronic medical records. But what exactly are manual medical records and electronic records? According to Merriam-Webster, medical records are a record of a patient's medical information (as medical history, care or treatments received, test results, diagnoses, and medications taken).Electronic medical records are digital medical records that either originates from an electronic format or is converted from paper or hard copy to an online version. This paper will give the reader insight on the pros and cons of both manual and electronic medical records, and will allow the reader to form an opinion on which is the better method of filing records. Medical records are used to maintain all of a p atient’s medical files. These files and documents include, but are not limited to vitals, medication history, prior injuries, treatments, and appointments.The medical records come in two forms: electronic and paper (manual). Both are essential to keeping track of patients’ medical history. This is important for doctors to be able to continue appropriate treatment, and especially necessary for patients that have a team of physicians and therapists. Without medical records it would nearly impossible to give the proper care to a patient because there would be a lack of knowledge of past medical care and treatment. The question that usually arises about medical records is â€Å"which are better, electronic or manual records?†This is a very good question, but both methods are very beneficial. There are pros and cons to both of the methods. When comparing the two I like to evaluate them based on storage, legibility, access, and security. These four points can help you determine which method is more reliable or efficient. â€Å"Storage of medical records is an area in which electronic medical records seem to have the edge. Hospitals and medical providers often have warehouses literally filled with paper records. Besides taking up space, paper records are not eco-friendly.Electronic records can be stored on computer drives that require much less space and fewer resources to produce. Paper records also naturally deteriorate over time in storage, regardless of how well their environment is controlled, and they tend to decay upon excessive handling. Computer records can in theory be stored and accessed forever, without the deterioration of record quality. While doctors may have a reputation for poor penmanship, few people in any profession can write as clearly as a computer word processor can.Paper medical records can be difficult to decipher, particularly for those unfamiliar with medical terminology. One of the clear benefits of electronic records is that typeface is more or less standardized and clear across all records. This clarity saves time for the reader, and time can be critical in medical treatment. However, doctors or their assistants who are unfamiliar with the best practices of word processing technology may find it time-consuming to enter records electronically†According to John Csiszar, one of the main benefits of electronic medical records is that they can be shared with other professionals almost instantaneously via electronic transmission or direct access to a storage system. For paper records to reach other interested parties, they must either be mailed or converted to electronic format, such as via scanning and emailing, before they can be accessed.Both paper and electronic record storage systems have some security vulnerabilities. Electronic records are susceptible to hackers and other unauthorized individuals who can gain access by breaking down the electronic defenses of a storage system. Electroni c records can also be rendered inaccessible due to system crashes or other electronic malfunctions. Paper records are generally safe unless someone physically breaks into a storage unit.Both types of records can be susceptible to natural disasters such as fires and floods; however, a facility will typically have only one copy of a paper record, versus at least one backup copy of an electronic record. Both electronic records and manual records are beneficial. I personally think that they should be filed in conjunction with one another. I think that we should do them electronically, but print copies for paper records as a backup system. Computer systems are not always reliable, so the paper records would be beneficial during those times.

How Is the Current Recession Acting Like

How is the Current Recession Acting like/unlike the Great Depression Nowadays, the economy of the world plunges into an awkward situation. The entire world meets a global economic crisis or recession, especially in the United States. After World War , this recession is the biggest recession for the America. Most of people express worried about this recession; absolutely they recall the memory about the Great Depression which was the most enormous economic crisis in the American history. They are anxious because it seems like the United States is going through another Great Depression or will go through another Great Depression. From the history, everyone knows how serious the result came out from the Great Depression; it baffled human beings’ development. No one wants to see another Great Depression happen again. However, there are sufficient reasons to support public people to worry about the Great Depression will happen again, because present recession and the Great Depression, both of them have some similar characteristics. Meanwhile, both of them have much unlike points also can prove the Great Depression will not happen again. In this paper, I will compare and contrast the current recession and the Great Depression, I will prove the current recession causes the effects will much less than the Great Depression, and the Great Depression will not replay. Back to 1929~1933, on October 29 1929, the â€Å"Black Tuesday† came to the United States. On this day, American financial world crashed, the stock’s price fell from top to bottom, fell 40 percentages from 383, also the Dow Jones stock index fell 22 percentages(Baidu, 2009). From this date to November 13th 1929, there was thirty billion disappeared in the market, this number equal to the total expenses of World War?. However, the crash of the stock market was just the beginning of a horrible economic crisis. Even through the Great Depression began at the collapse of the stock market; many experts still thought the influence from the collapse of the stock market was limited, because stock was just a little part of family’s property, it cannot affect Marginal Propensity to Consume(MPC) very much. However, the â€Å"Black Tuesday† was merely the beginning of the terrible issue, was just miniature of the Great Depression. The Great Depression caused a bunch of extremely serious social problem, for example, there were about 2 million to 4 million students had to drop their school. Even some people could not suffer the pain from mentality and physiology then suicide. The most significant problem was that 8. 3 million people lose their job; the unemployment rate reached such a high level which was 25%(Xu, 2009). Almost in every city, the poor people who were in line at the food bank as long as to several blocks. By the end of 1932, totally, there were about 2 million people roamed in the streets, there were no home for them. In September 1932, magazine Fortune estimated that 34 million people had no income; this population was 28% of the whole population of the United States. And at least 15 million people were looking for a job, but there was no job offer to them at that time (Baidu, 2009). Change the view to the economy. At the beginning year of the Great Depression, since the economy became weakness, it was hard for bank to get back of their loan, and the public people were anxious so that they went to the bank to withdraw their deposit. Therefore, at that time 50% was closed. The government took conservative measure, decreased the money supply so that more and more banks had to be closed. Consequently, 9000 banks had already closed and 130 thousands enterprises went to bankrupt. The total output of industry and nation income (NI) decreased 50%, the trade price of goods reduced one third and merchandise trade also cut two thirds (Techcn, 2009). In 1920s, the people’s confidence of the forward economy was expressed in the stock market. From 1921 to 1929, Dow Jones Indexes increased from 75 to 363, average growth rate (AVGR) was 21. 8% which was an incredible number (Su, 2009). Under this prosperous situation hided possibility which can cause the Great Depression. At the beginning of 1929, the stock market of United States of America was crazy, the price of stock raised times by times. As I mentioned before, rather than say black one day, I would like to say black week or black month. On October 24th 1929, the market of New York exchange suddenly got a crash, the speed of falling stock price too quick to catch up by the ticker. Even though some consortiums and the president came out to try to save the market, it did not work. On October 28th and 29th 1929, Dow Jones Indexes fell 38. 33, 13. 47% and on Tuesday fell 11. 73% (Black Tueday, 2002). During this short week, American people lose 10 billion dollars in stock exchange. Time went to the middle of November 1929, the stock’s price in New York Exchanges fell 40%, lose 26 billion dollars. Millions of public people lose their whole life’s money. During the Great Depression, the stock price of US steel fell from $262 to $22, and the stock price of GM fell from $73 to $8 (Techen, 2009). Gross domestic product (GDP) fell 25% during 1929-1933, and Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) of 1933 decreased 24. 6% compared to 1929 (Hexun,2009). â€Å"In economics, a recession is a general slowdown in economic activity over a long period of time, or a business cycle contraction. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way. Production as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment, investment spending, capacity utilization, household incomes, business profits and inflation all fall during recessions; bankruptcies and the unemployment rate rises. †(Wikipedia, 2009). This is the definition of the recession. Compared to the Great Depression, we can figure out some similarities. For example, GDP, employment, and investing spending fall in the current recession or the Great Depression. In current recession, GDP fall 2%, unemployment rate is 8. 1%, and Dow Jones Indexes decrease 52 % (Xu, 2009). From these data, we know that in current recession for the society, many people lose their jobs, also many enterprises go to bankrupt as well as some banks. For the stock market, the Dow Jones Indexes can tell us that the stock market do not in a nice situation. For the whole country, GDP fall so that American economy gets into recession. However, if we take a close look at these numbers, we can see these numbers are different from the Great Depression. As I mentioned, during the Great Depression, GDP fell 25%, unemployment rate was 25%, and Dow Jones Indexes fell 89%. These numbers in current depression are much smaller than the Great Depression; therefore, these numbers prove that the current recession effect will much less than the Great Depression. Reason of the current recession and the Great Depression is different. The current recession is caused by the subprime mortgage crisis. â€Å"The subprime mortgage crisis is an ongoing real estate crisis and financial crisis triggered by a dramatic rise in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures in the United States, with major adverse consequences for banks and financial markets around the globe. The crisis, hich has its roots in the closing years of the 20th century, became apparent in 2007 and has exposed pervasive weaknesses in financial industry regulation and the global financial system† (Wikipedia, 2009). The subprime mortgage crisis happened because of moral hazard. From our textbook we understand that the risk that one party to a transaction takes actions that harm another party called moral hazard. About the reason of the Great Depression, it seems like the stock market’s crash lead to the terrible issue, but the real reason is the unbalanced or unhealthy development of the economy. The strategies from the government to deal with these two issues are different. During the Great Depression, the Federal Reserve did not get the right strategy to deal with the market less liquidity, on the other hand, the current U. S. government decrease the interest, create some new strategies to activate the market, also try their best to save the economy. Also, the current government takes out 700 billion dollars to save banks and insurance companies. Totally, government plan to use 787 billion dollars to stimulate the economy and increase 3. 5 million chances of employing (Xu, 2009). Consequently, the Great Depression will not replay. However, even we can predict the current recession’s effect will less than the Great Depression, we also need pay enough attention to the current recession. In fact, the entire world’s economy is not a good condition, what we need to do is not just the save the economy but also prevent the recession happen again and again.

Evidence based practise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Evidence based practise - Essay Example Evident research should never refer to situations whereby there is whole sale imposition of research without attending to the patient. Further, lack of appreciation to the available research is not evidence based practice. Research is the main part of the evidence based practice in mental health. All clinicians are expected to begin with research and then integrate with their expertise and patient values (Schultz and Videbeck, 2008 p 418). Consequently, the patients also form a crucial component of the evidence based practice in mental health and addictions. Clinicians should also perform the integration of patient characteristics and make the final decisions wile informing the patient what is likely to take place in the treatment process. Clinicians should always make the ultimate judgment regarding a particular intervention or treatment plan. However, untrained persons unfamiliar with the specifics of the case should never be allowed to make treatment decisions (Stickley and Bassett, 2008). Keedy (2003, np) assert that Clinical research should ensure that accuracy and relevancy in trying to solve the problems being experienced by the patient. In addition, the clinical research should be unbiased. Further, the research should also address factors such as disease prevalence and patient populations suffering from the mental disorder. Consequently, clinical research is not complete without focusing on treatment methods. The research should also ensure that it factor in systematic reviews, reasonable effect sizes as well as clinical relevance. Finally, the research should have supporting evidence. According to Allen and Lyne (2006 p 78), Clinicians are expected to have appropriate experience in terms of skills that will lead to the promotion of positive therapeutic outcomes. The clinician should be able to conduct assessments, come up with diagnostic decisions, assess patient progress, understand cultural differences and

Salt Marshes Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Salt Marshes - Term Paper Example In the global view, salt marshes are common in all latitudes, and when they have grown for many decades, the mangrove forests replace the marshes. The mangrove takes over from the marshes because they thrive well in the salty aquatic environment (Biodiversity and Garden 351). For a marsh to form, it goes through a series of biological processes. It takes time for the angiosperms to accumulate so as to form the marshes. There are types of marshes that can cover the terrestrial habitats while others can extend and expand through trapping more sediments and colonization of the sediments (Pennings and Bertness 289). However, both habitats of salt marshes can be occupied by other organisms like birds, insects, mammals and marine living organisms. There are living organisms that survive well in salty environments while others thrive well in non-salty conditions, the freshwater aquatic animals (Charton and Facts on File 276). Salt marshes are an interesting part of the ecosystem because it involves the interaction of the physical and biological factors and how they form a natural environment that can be inhabited by other living organisms. The article on Coastal Eutrophication as a Driver of Salt Marsh loss says that the salt marshes are important in the ecosystem because they help to protect the coastal cities from storms and strong waves (Deegan, et al. 1). In the recent years, the salt marshes have been seen to be decreasing in sizes and some areas along the coastal line have no marshes.

Commercial Law Problem Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Commercial Law Problem Question - Essay Example Sally obtained only 300 bulbs as her supplier could not deliver the full consignment to cover Billy’s order. She has a right to recover damages from her supplier, if she had asked for supply of a particular number of bulbs. Sally had agreed to sell future goods2 to Billy. Sally had made delivery of 300 out of the 400 bulbs that Billy had agreed to buy. Billy was within his rights to reject the entire delivery3. Billy is entitled to damages for non delivery of goods.4 He is also entitled to seek specific performance from Sally.5 When does the Property Pass In Kulkarni v Manor Credit6 the issue was the time when property in the car passed to Kulkarni. The car, subject to a hire-purchase agreement was fitted with license plates after Kulkarni entered into contract with the hire-purchaser. It was held that the car was not in a deliverable stage at that time and hence property in it passed after it came into a deliverable stage. S. 19 and 20 of SOGO provide for the passing of prope rty in goods. As per rule 5 (1) of Section 20, property in future goods by description passes when they are appropriated by the seller with assent of buyer and such assent can be after the appropriation is made. The property in the bulbs passed to Billy when the 400 bulbs were appropriated by Sally for delivery to Billy. Sally’s Legal Position She would have had a right to sue her supplier for the non delivery of specified number of goods. However she had accepted delivery of wrong quantity and she is not entitled to that. Sally has not yet delivered the goods to Clive. She can to withhold the goods from Clive and exercise a right of lien over the goods.7 However, she will not be entitled to sell the goods to Danny, as the property in the bulbs has passed to Clive when she legally or otherwise apportioned the bulbs to Clive and arranged for their delivery. Clive derives an interest in the goods after this. In Re Wait8 the seller went bankrupt after he sold the goods. The buye r claimed an equitable interest to insure that he did not lose both his money and goods to the trustees of seller in bankruptcy. Court of Appeal held that property in the goods had not passed to the buyer as he had only paid for a part of the bulk. In Re Goldcorp Exchange9 the receivers of Goldcorp Exchange argued that the title in the bullion did not pass to the creditors of the company because the goods (bullion) was not ascertained. In the instant case, the goods were ascertained as Clive had seen the bulbs and had agreed with Sally to purchase the same. In the market overt principle, when the goods are openly sold in a shop or a market in Hong Kong, the buyer acquires a good title to the goods, provided he buys them without notice of any defect in title of the seller.10 However, the courts have ruled that the market overt principle can not be applied in all cases. In Au Muk Shun v Choi Chuen Yau11 the issue was sale of 43 tons of pig iron. It was held that 43 tons of pig iron co uld not be considered to be on sale in the retail market. Remedies available to Billy It was duty of Sally to deliver the bulbs to Billy on 18 February as she had agreed to. So Billy is entitled to damages for non delivery of goods. The measure of his damages will be the estimated loss resulting from Sally’s breach of contract. In the instant case, Sally had agreed to sell the bulbs for $48,000. Billy bought the bulbs from Edward at $60,000 when

Musical Jersey Boys Production analysis paper Assignment

Musical Jersey Boys Production analysis paper - Assignment Example When the group started, their story emerged as four stories. Each story represented one of their career season told by different members of the group. Their earliest beginnings occurred during spring. They harmonized this on a balmy evening under a street lamp. According to the group, the zenith of success is during the season of summer. The beginning of autumn is when their fortunes take a toll because the marriages and lives of the members of the group begin to unravel. According to the group, the winter season comes with a lot of reflection, sorrow, and solitude. There is, however, a wide variation when the recollection of individual members of the group is done with their historys broad outlines. It is from these members conflicting memories, torque and tension that the bounce of their music originates and thus revving their music further and thereby giving the group a momentum that is irresistible. The story of Jersey Boys occurs within a four seasons symbolic year though their stories cover a period of several decades in the life of the group. The group started their career in mid-1950s. It is when the rock and roll phenomenon metamorphosised into a lounge music and propriety staid era. It opened the doors and also vented the rebellion and the life force of a large new generation. The first two members of Jersey Boys Valli and Elvis recorded their first albums in 1953 and after that displayed staying unusual power. The Four Seasons hit the pop charts forty times in the 1960s, something unusual because most bands could have disintegrated. The strength of the four seasons was demonstrated when the group remained together under the onslaught of the added pressures of the Vietnam War, famous Rolling Stones to the American shores and the British invasion that brought the Beatles. It managed to bring the famous groups like the Boomers innocence, but the Four Seasons stayed and regr ouped where Gaudio and Valli partnered and sealed the

New Public Management in the Governance and Management of the NHS Case Study

New Public Management in the Governance and Management of the NHS - Case Study Example The UK is widely viewed as a lead reformer of New Public Management, with evidence of a rapid and radical reform programme introduced across the public sector in the 1980s and 1990s. It is undeniable that the UK has had a leading role in the development of NPM. McLaughlin and Osborne (2002) even suggest that there is an argument to claim that the UK was the birthplace of NPM. The adversarial style of its implementation is also a key feature of the UK model (Clark 2000) and this is linked to the political ideology of the Conservative Government, led by Margaret Thatcher, and the constitutional framework that dictates the pace of change. The UK had been viewed as managerially inept (Kingdom 2000: 34) before NPM. In the UK in the 1980s it is easy to regard NPM as a direct result of Thatcherism. There is a strong argument that the success in embedding NPM in the UK can be attached to the drive from the center, and significantly the Prime Minister. However it is still developing, following the change in government in 1997. What seems to have occurred is that the emphasis of the debate was driven initially by ideology but overtaken with debate about improving the management of the public sector, regardless of ideology. The election of the New Labour Government in 1997 could have been expected to have impacted upon the direction of the NPM movement in the UK. However many of the pre-existing agendas have continued and in some cases accelerated, for example, the move to more private finance of services in the public sector. The election of the New Labour Government in 1997 did not reverse the reform programme, although it did refocus around their policies of the modernization agenda (Bovaird and Loffler 2003). Hood (1991) (Hughes 2003: 4) coined the term New Public Management (NPM). The key concepts of NPM emerged as a challenge to traditional public administration in the 1980s In the 1980s there were serious economic difficulties that affected the western capitalized states, resulting in enormous pressures on government spending and this spurred debate on the review of public sector spending across the countries in a move to reduce the spiraling costs.     

U.S. TRADES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U.S. TRADES - Essay Example The major export categories were Machinery, Mineral Fuel and Oil, Vehicles, and Plastic. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) has promoted this link by including wide-ranged, market-opening regulations in the agreement. It is also developed a more impartial set of trade policies so the trade barriers can be decreased and removed in Mexico (BesedeÃ… ¡, 2013). Since this agreement was signed, the trade has increased sharply among the nations who are parties to it; however, this increase of trade activity has caused increasing trade deficits for the US with both Canada as well as Mexico. Japan is the third largest partner of the US with around 300 billion USD in goods and private services trading during the year 2013. In 2010, the Economic Harmonization Initiative was launched between US and Japan to boost the economic growth of both countries by promoting collaboration to harmonize policies that facilitate trade. With the four percent (around 3.00 billion USD) drop as compared to 2012, the US goods trade deficit with Japan was 73 billion USD during 2013, and accounted for 11 percent of the entire US goods trade deficit. The Asia-Pacific region is of vital significance for the US as it is the rapidly developing region as well as a key driver of international economic development. In fact, the region already formed more or less 60 percent of international gross domestic product and around 50 percent of global trade, and is likely to grow by nine percent in 2014. During 2011, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) nations had the entire GDP of 18 trillion USD, of which more or less â€Å"85 percent comprised the US economy† (Williams, 2013, p. 98). United States exports to existing TPP affiliates were around 110 billion USD during 2011 and imports were 95 billion USD, indicating that the US had a trade surplus with existing TPP economies of approximately 14 billion USD. Benefits to the US from the trade

Easyinternetcafe Cafe Essay Example for Free

Easyinternetcafe Cafe Essay This case report addresses the challenges to implement a new logistic system that if well implemented it can improve operations and can convert easyinternetcafe into a profitable company. EasyInternetCafe (eIC)is a chain of Internet cafes with stores in the UK, the USA, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. eIC is part of the Easy Group, headed by the Greek entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou. The original business model is to build and operate on the principle of ‘economics of scale’ or Yield Management: most stores would be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and each has an average of 350 PC’s. In 2003, with losses continuing to mount, eIc management has decided to radically revamp their operations. In order to eliminate the need for future investments in new stores, the strategy was changed. It has been decided to appoint franchisees for the new stores and also, if possible, for the existing legacy stores. According to the new strategy, the franchisee would be required to bear the costs of the property and the hardware. It was also decided to move from large stores to smaller stores with 20 to 30 PCs. The current logistic situation represents a bottleneck and it is one of the major causes for the ongoing losses at easyinternetcafe. After reviewing different logistics scenarios and providers, I strongly recommend taking a closer look to support the logistic alternative that Ingram Micro is proposing. If we do that, we could benefit in the warehousing, accounting and transportation areas, through all this areas, it will help us reduce the logistics costs and labour per new store, from almost to  £2,000.00 to  £1,357.00, this and the benefits mentioned before, will help us to achieve our overall objective of being a profitable company. This; will be the strategic perspe ctive that will be demonstrated throughout the report. Issue(s) Identification: 1. Yield Management does not work for every company. eIC’s first store opened in June 1999 opposite in London. Soon afterwards, it was quickly recognized that eIC’s yield management had certain characteristics that later affected the business model: elC was offering a highly perishable product: 1 hour of Internet access time, cannot be put in inventory, once that hour is gone, there is no way of reselling that hour of internet access time. Although stores are large, capacity is limited; Internet access demand varies, not only by time of day, day of week, but also across other time and seasonal horizons. Incremental costs are next to nothing: it doesn’t matter whether there is one person or 500 in a store, the bandwidth is already there. By the time the second and third stores were opened, eIC had built yield management into its store management system. 2. Current Logistics System Logistics is not a core competency at elC, but it has become one of the integral activities. Logistics for elc means to supply the new stores with their initial assests, including all of the furniture and PCs. This system is a drag on scalability, efficiency and a bottleneck for growth and the main reason for spiraling high cost and ongoing losses. Environmental and Root Cause Analysis: Aggressive use of yield management is a recognized and admired business model of Stelios. EasyJet was a profitable company after just a few years of operation. However, with EasyInternetCafe profits seem a long way off, the assumption that offering very low prices would increase the demand significantly lead to losses of  £80m- £100m from 199 to 2002. Below are some root causes of the symptoms above: * The stores are too large; economies of scale dont materialize if occupancy is half empty. * Fixed costs were too high due to the quantity of Pcs per store. * Staff overheads were excessive. Assumptions: * Are there sufficient customers who want to use an internet cafe? To-day, most of the homes have internet access, and many others have (free) access at their place of work or at colleges or university. * Are the stores located in the right place to attract customers throughout the day and the whole week? Downtown cafes might attract business people needing to keep in touch, but many city centres are quiet in the evenings and at weekends. By mid-2001, with cash running out a drastic action was necessary: a franchising plan is being developed. It is important that every cafe looked the same, with common signage, furnishings and PCs. The time to sign a contract with a franchise is one week. If the franchisee did not already have space for the cafà ©, eIc would assist in recommendations with locations within 28 days. The broadband internet connection had to be installed by the local telecoms supplier within 28 days. Also they need to Desk installed within seven days. Server delivered and installed 2 days and PCs delivered and installed 2 days. CVM delivered and installed 1 day Signage delivered and installed 1 day. Chairs delivered and installed 1 day. Testing complete system 2 days and also Open for business within one day. So, how much time should it take to open the cafe once the contract is signed? From the predecessors plan we see that average duration of time for all activity. Under bellow we discuss about time of the contract are signed.

The Hospitality And Tourism Industry In Kenya

The Hospitality And Tourism Industry In Kenya Tourism in Kenya dates back to pre-independence days and as recorded in history as early as the 1930s (Tourism in Kenya). In the early days the bulk of the tourist that visited Kenya did so mainly to take part in the gaming industry in the game hunting expeditions, while the other were the typical old tourist that travelled for Sun Sea and Sand which is one of the tourism products offered by Kenyas tourism industry. In the early days the tourism industry in Kenya attracted first world rulers e.g. The queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II and the President of the United States of America Theodore Roosevelt. Infrastructure As expected the infrastructure that was available in Kenya in the 1930s was less than ideal or/and adequate to facilitate the new growing trend in Kenya which was tourism, never the less the tourism industry was steadily growing. Kenya gained independence in December 1963 (Kenya Timeline) after that time the infrastructure also grew but it is still said to be in an extremely poor state. The infrastructure includes: Electricity Telecommunications Roads Transport The government has urged the public and private sector to work cohesively to achieve an infrastructural development in the country, which would ultimately develop and increase the tourist arrivals to the country. Kenyas tourism is heavily comprised of natural attractions. It is stated that approximately 10% of the country has been reserved for the preservation of the natural attractions and wildlife (Tourism in Kenya) The tourism industry has evolved with the emergence of the new tourist, which brought along new forms of tourism for the country; it include Domestic Tourism, Community and Eco Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Business Tourism and Sport Tourism. Eco tourism is the prevailing form of tourism for in the country with the 10% dedicated by the government for its natural reserve Kenya Eco tourism attractions:- Game viewing expeditions (Flora) This form eco tourism can be linked to the Pre-independence day, where the old tourist travelled for the hunting of the game and Sun, Sea and Sand, with the evolution of the new tourist this has brought along the new game viewing expeditions, where the tourist no longer hunt the animals but view the animals of the country on a Safari. The country has its popular animal attractions which are now commonly called the big five that include the popular: Elephant Rhino Lion Buffalo Leopard (Tourism in Kenya) Plant watching (Fauna) The tree and flowers watching tourism in Kenya is jointly part of the Kenyan agricultural industry, which is the main contributor to the Kenyan GDP. Kenya climatic seasons are similar to those in the Caribbean with a dry and rain season annually. The rainy season in Kenya is responsible for the boom in the fauna of the country. This is the season where the trees and flowers bloom whereas the dry season is quite different. The trees drop their leaves and the flowers dry up. A tourist that visits Kenya in the dry season would have a different experience to a tourist that visit in the rainy season in regards to the country fauna. Safari A safari is another natural way to enjoy the natural aspect of Kenya while understanding the native people and observing their natural lifestyle. The safari is also a main way to enjoy the game viewing expeditions through Kenyas forest reserve. Economical Factors Multiplier Effect The tourism industry is heavily dependent on other industries in Kenya to be a successful industry that caters to its tourist. A main dependency of the tourism industry is the agriculture industry. The agricultural which is predominantly responsible for the food and beverage industry that provides the food that is being served to the tourist. Other industries include the: Textile, transportation and entertainment industries. A multiplier effect is very evident within the economy, to sustain the other industries, the tourist dollar is extremely important to the country. Tourism Employees Kenyas tourism industry caters to the employment of 500,000 Kenyans (National Geographic 2010). These Kenyans have positions in the tourism industry ranging from the service e.g. Tour Guides for Kenyas ever growing Game industry and Safari to the management sector in hotels and Tour Operators. Negative Factors Affecting the Tourism Industry Lacks of awareness of the people The people of Kenya are never included in the decisions brought about from the government and private institutions to the development of the Kenyan tourism as a product. Negatively this would prompt the nationals to act negatively towards the tourist and encourage them to deface the infrastructure of the country, this could also prompt them into vandalizing the belongings of the tourist. Socio-culturally With the improvement in the tourism industry and the influx of tourist into country brought along the ways and attitudes of the new world, negatively this has impacted on the culture by, the increase of prostitution, lack of traditional rites and performances etc. Terrorism Threat The bombing of the US Embassy in 1998 and attempted bombing in Mombasa 2002, has prompted countries to issue negative travel advisory to Kenya which negatively affected the tourist arrivals to the country as depicted in the statistical data. Kenya is a country with a diverse range of tourism products that cater to many types of tourism as mentioned previously. The country is heavily focused on maintaining its natural aspect as well as developing in a sustainable manner keeping with its eco tourism trend as it foremost tourism product. Overall the tourism industry is slowly increasing despite the negative factors that thrown them they were able to increase and move on.

Prostitution Under the Taliban :: Taliban

With the arrival of the Taliban the social and more importantly the economical problems for the women of Afghan has increased. These women live their lives under monstrous oppression of both Jehadi and Taliban fundamentalists in disastrous situations, most of the Afghan women’s basic human rights are denied to them. By the rule of the Taliban, women are denied the right to have a job, this ruling that has created a flood of unemployed women in Kabul. These women that are unemployed now face very serious financial difficulties, suffering along side them are their children. Together that suffer from malnutrition, hunger many forms of illnesses as well as living that a chronic state of poverty. Majority of these women have lost their husbands and have sold the last of their valuable possessions in order to buy food. The women that were fortunate to be able to afford to leave the country and build a new life outside of Afghanistan have long go from the scene. The women that could not afford to leave have become the bulk of beggars in their country. Surprisingly the majority of the street beggars are ex teachers and civil servants. With Kabual being in a bad state of economy it has hit hard the pity income of these beggars. The banning of female beggars entering shops, inns as well as other trading places has increased and this has affected the women’s income greatly. This has forced them to enter into prostitution simply in order for them to make sure that both their children and them-selves survive. Many young widows that are the sole bread earner in their family have had all their doors closed on them with job prospects and have joined the rank of prostitutes as well. Preliminary research on this issue has showed that there are hundreds of new prostitutes that have joined the ranks with the professional ones. Most of these women are working from their homes under the name of ‘Qala’. In the city of Kabul there is somewhere between 25 to 30 brothels actively functioning. However due to security reasons these brothels are constantly on the move every few months. The brothels usually have three to five women working and living in them. ‘Kharabati’ is the name given to the prostitute while the old woman that manages the work of the brothel is call ‘Khaka Kharabati’ and the pimps are called ‘Qala Dar’.

The Terrorist’s Extradition Loophole Essay -- Terrorists Terrorism Ter

The Terrorist’s Extradition Loophole Most extradition treaties between states call for an exemption for crimes that are political in nature. The political offense exemption was originally created to allow states to protect those that another state may wish to prosecute for crimes that are politically committed against that government. R. Stuart Phillips, a Judge Advocate in the United States Army, distinguishes between â€Å"pure† political offenses and â€Å"relative† political offenses. â€Å"Pure† political offenses are directed specifically against the state and do not directly affect civilians. They also do not contain acts that would normally be considered a common crime. This can include efforts to overthrow the government, treason, and espionage. These types of crimes should be protected by a political offense exemption. A problem with the extradition exemption comes up with the â€Å"relative† political offenses. These offenses are not entirely political in nature. These crimes tend to be common crimes that are committed for a political purpose. The reason behind the crime is not enough to warrant an exemption from prosecution for the crime itself (Phillips 340-343). Terrorists should not be allowed to find the loopholes in a system that enables them to continue to terrorize those whom they blame for their problems. This problem is a direct result of the â€Å"gray areas† that make it difficult to tell the difference between a common crime and a political crime. It combines the two acts into one, blurring the line of distinction (Anderson). The government being attacked sees it as a common criminal attack on its sovereignty, while the terrorist sees it as a legitimate means to an end. The government behind which the terrorist is trying to... ...d for. Bibliography Anderson, James H. â€Å"International Terrorism and Crime: Trends and Linkages.† James Madison University. http://www.jmu.edu/orgs/wrni/it.htm (8 Mar. 2002). Kash, Douglas A. â€Å"An International Legislative Approach to 21st-Century Terrorism.† The Future of Terrorism: Violence in the New Millennium. Ed. Harvey W. Kushner. London: Sage Publications, 1998. Phillips, R. Stuart. â€Å"The Political Offense Exception and Terrorism: Its Place in the Current Extradition Scheme and Proposals for its Future.† Dickenson Journal of International Law Winter 1997. 337-359. Van den Wyngaert, Christine. â€Å"The Political Offense Exception to Extradition: How to Plug the ‘Terrorists’ Loophole’ without Departing from Fundamental Human Rights.† International Criminal Law and Procedure. Eds. John Dugard and Christine van den Wyngaert. Aldershot: Dartmouth, 1996.

The Influence of OPEC Essay -- Trade Organizations Economy Essays

The Influence of OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, was formed in Baghdad, Iraq in 1960 to coordinate and unify the policies of petroleum exporting countries. According to OPEC, their main objective is to ensure the â€Å"stabilization of oil prices† and the securing of a steady income to oil producing nations. In order to achieve this objective, the OPEC member nations meet at least bi-annually to decide whether to raise or lower their collective oil production in order to maintain the prices they deem as â€Å"stable.† The main factors that are considered when formulating petroleum policy are the forecasts for economic growth rates and the projected demand for petroleum. (www.opec.org) Exemplary of the importance of OPEC is that the 11 member countries, (with the main contributor being Saudi Arabia), produce about 40% of the world’s crude oil, and account for 55% of the world’s crude oil exports. At the end of 2001, OPEC had reserves of nearly 850 billion barrels of crude oil, which represents nearly 80% of the world total of over 1 trillion barrels. (www.platts.com/features/gasoline) As these numbers indicate, OPEC produces so much oil that they are in a position to exert considerable influence on petroleum supply levels and manipulate the price. The means by which OPEC exerts its influence is through setting production quotas. OPEC sets individual production quotas for each member country that serve as â€Å"production targets† to ensure the level of petroleum supplied by OPEC does not exceed the demand for petroleum. These â€Å"production targets† for each country add up to a â€Å"ceiling† that OPEC desires not to exceed. In reality however, OPEC countries have traditionally exceeded the proposed ceiling. In October of 2002, OPEC set a ceiling of nearly 22 million barrels to be produced per day by the OPEC 10. However, nearly 25 million barrels were produced, 3 million more than the proposed ceiling. Iraq is not included in the quota system because their exports are controlled by the U.N. based on the â€Å"food for oil† program, hence the â€Å"OPEC 10† instead of â€Å"OPEC 11.† (http://www.eia.doe.gov) With the majority of OPEC oil coming from Middle Eastern countries, the politics of the Middle East and in particular, the Persian Gulf, have played an important factor in the policies OPEC decides upon despite the fact that OP... ...educe dependence on imported oil is to reduce dependence on petroleum altogether. And the best way to do this is to increase efficiency and reduce demand of oil. OPEC still has considerable influence in determining the price per barrel of petroleum by setting quotas, but their best days are behind them. The emergence of non-OPEC exporters such as Canada, Russia, and Mexico have stripped the cartel of its power to single-handedly manipulate the petroleum market. The U.S. has benefited from the increased production of petroleum by non-OPEC nations and thus reduced their annual imports from the OPEC countries in recent years. However, the United States needs to address its obtuse energy policy and accept the fact that oil will not last forever and implement strategies that stress efficiency and will reduce the demand for fossil fuels in general. Works Cited (www.eia.doe.gov/mer)- Internet Website (http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/fensec.asp)- Internet Website (www.opec.org)- Internet Website (www.petroleumworld.com)- Internet Website (www.platts.com/features/gasoline)- Internet Website (www.ssc.upenn.edu/polisci/psci260/OPECweb/OPECHIST.HTM)- Internet Website The Influence of OPEC Essay -- Trade Organizations Economy Essays The Influence of OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, was formed in Baghdad, Iraq in 1960 to coordinate and unify the policies of petroleum exporting countries. According to OPEC, their main objective is to ensure the â€Å"stabilization of oil prices† and the securing of a steady income to oil producing nations. In order to achieve this objective, the OPEC member nations meet at least bi-annually to decide whether to raise or lower their collective oil production in order to maintain the prices they deem as â€Å"stable.† The main factors that are considered when formulating petroleum policy are the forecasts for economic growth rates and the projected demand for petroleum. (www.opec.org) Exemplary of the importance of OPEC is that the 11 member countries, (with the main contributor being Saudi Arabia), produce about 40% of the world’s crude oil, and account for 55% of the world’s crude oil exports. At the end of 2001, OPEC had reserves of nearly 850 billion barrels of crude oil, which represents nearly 80% of the world total of over 1 trillion barrels. (www.platts.com/features/gasoline) As these numbers indicate, OPEC produces so much oil that they are in a position to exert considerable influence on petroleum supply levels and manipulate the price. The means by which OPEC exerts its influence is through setting production quotas. OPEC sets individual production quotas for each member country that serve as â€Å"production targets† to ensure the level of petroleum supplied by OPEC does not exceed the demand for petroleum. These â€Å"production targets† for each country add up to a â€Å"ceiling† that OPEC desires not to exceed. In reality however, OPEC countries have traditionally exceeded the proposed ceiling. In October of 2002, OPEC set a ceiling of nearly 22 million barrels to be produced per day by the OPEC 10. However, nearly 25 million barrels were produced, 3 million more than the proposed ceiling. Iraq is not included in the quota system because their exports are controlled by the U.N. based on the â€Å"food for oil† program, hence the â€Å"OPEC 10† instead of â€Å"OPEC 11.† (http://www.eia.doe.gov) With the majority of OPEC oil coming from Middle Eastern countries, the politics of the Middle East and in particular, the Persian Gulf, have played an important factor in the policies OPEC decides upon despite the fact that OP... ...educe dependence on imported oil is to reduce dependence on petroleum altogether. And the best way to do this is to increase efficiency and reduce demand of oil. OPEC still has considerable influence in determining the price per barrel of petroleum by setting quotas, but their best days are behind them. The emergence of non-OPEC exporters such as Canada, Russia, and Mexico have stripped the cartel of its power to single-handedly manipulate the petroleum market. The U.S. has benefited from the increased production of petroleum by non-OPEC nations and thus reduced their annual imports from the OPEC countries in recent years. However, the United States needs to address its obtuse energy policy and accept the fact that oil will not last forever and implement strategies that stress efficiency and will reduce the demand for fossil fuels in general. Works Cited (www.eia.doe.gov/mer)- Internet Website (http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/fensec.asp)- Internet Website (www.opec.org)- Internet Website (www.petroleumworld.com)- Internet Website (www.platts.com/features/gasoline)- Internet Website (www.ssc.upenn.edu/polisci/psci260/OPECweb/OPECHIST.HTM)- Internet Website

Beans & perfect food

Beans are a near perfect food. They belong to a family of plants called legumes. They are high in nutrients and fiber. They are capable of lowering cholesterol. They have other health benefits. They help prevent heart attacks. They are shown to cut the incidence of cancer if included in a diet. They are an effective tool in diet and weight-control. Beans can also produce gastric distress and flatulence. The question becomes, do the benefits of adding beans to a diet outweigh the downside? Beans are proven to be good for the human body.It would appear that their benefits far outweigh their bad effects and should be included in the human diet. Beans can be a major source of soluble fiber in the diet. The fiber content of a cup of beans, eaten regularly, can lower the body’s cholesterol by 10 %, according to Patty Bazel Weil of the University of Kentucky. When they pass through the digestive tract they sweep up bile and carry it along. This bile is a source of cholesterol in the body. This benefit can be seen in as little as six weeks. The soluble fiber has the added benefit of keeping the body regular.A ten percent reduction in cholesterol in the body translates into a 40 % decrease in the risk of heart attack. For those people at risk for diabetes the soluble fiber in beans helps to create insulin receptor sites. These sites are like little connectors. The insulin can gather there to enter cells and not have to float freely. There are compounds found in beans that are known to keep normal cells from becoming cancerous. The protease inhibitors and other chemicals found in them have been shown to lower the risk of breast, colon and prostate cancers. Hispanic women have half the number of incidents of breast cancer as Anglo women.It is believed that the reason is the amount of beans in their diet. Beans contain potassium and magnesium that the body needs for the regulation of the heart and other systems. Harvard University studies show that people who includ ed beans in what was called a ‘prudent’ diet, along with other legumes, whole grains and poultry had a 30 % lower risk of heart disease compared to the people who ate the normal western diet. Because complex carbohydrates are absorbed slowly, beans satisfy hunger for a longer period than simple carbohydrates. High fiber foods have a down side.They can cause gastric disturbances and flatulence. Gas is made up mostly of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. These gases are odorless. Some people, for unknown reasons, produce methane gas. Foods that are high in sulfur content cause gas with a foul smell. These foods are garlic, onions, leeks, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. Beans, however, also cause gas because they contain a sugar that the body cannot break down. Most sugars are broken down by the body and absorbed into the small intestine. The sugar in beans has a molecule that is too large to be absorbed that way.For this reason the molecule makes it all the way to the large intestine intact. There the bacteria break it down. Gas is the by-product of that process. Beans are an important part of a healthy diet. They contain both nutrients and fiber necessary to keep the human body healthy. They have been shown to lower cholesterol. They help prevent heart attacks. They can lower the risk of heart disease. Beans are credited with reducing the risk of cancer. They are low in calories and high in complex carbohydrates. People seeking to diet for weight loss should eat them.While it is true that they cause gas, there are methods to reduce the amounts produced. The benefits of beans are many. The gas, for most people, is a minor thing. Beans should be included in every diet. They are a valuable part of the world’s nutrition. Bibliography AmericanBean. org, n. d. Beans Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Retrieve 2-24-07 from: http://www. americanbean. org/HealthNutrition/Cardiovascular%20Release. htm Tresca, A. , 2006 Abou t: Inflammatory Bowel Disease Retrieved 2-24-07 from: http://ibdcrohns. about. com/od/otherdigestivediseases/f/beans. htm

Meaning of the term secular

In addition to this, the essay will address the debate of Indian's secularity. A brief history of Religion will be addressed, with reference to the work of E. B. Taylor, Emilee Druthers and Karl Marx. Some other questions which will be answered are why do sociologists study Religion', What role does Religion Play in the society', and ‘How does religion work to maintain solidarity among members of a society. ‘†Religion has convinced people that there's an Invisible man living In the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day.And the Invisible man has a list will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time† (Carline, n. D. ). Hardball's and Healed, in Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, have explicitly stated that supernatural beliefs exist in all societies, including the primitive societies. Robertson states that religion â€Å"refers to the existence of supernatural beings which have a governing effect on life. This definition takes into account the fact that religion is not only a belief in the existence of supernatural elements, but also that these elements exert some degree of control over the lives of the people. The nineteenth century saw a rise in the study of religion as scholars began to question the origin and evolution of the same. Sociologists drew analogies based on Darning's Evolutionary Theory – they tried to trace the evolution of society and social institutions. Focusing on the work done by E. B.Taylor, the theory of Animism was an important contribution to the study of religion. Taylor believed that animism was the earliest form of religion. It refers to the belief in spirits. According to him, in order to make sense of events such as life after death or the composition of dreams, early philosophers conjured up the idea of the soul. The soul, in simple words, is a s pirit which is present in the body and gives it life. Once the idea of spirits was invented, it was applied not Just to man, but also animals and man-made objects.Thus â€Å"religion, in the form of animism, originated to satisfy man's intellectual nature, to meet his need to make sense of death, dreams and visions. † (Hardball's, Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, 1981) Sacred and Profane are two terms presented by Emilee Druthers in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, and are the most instrumental elucidation of religion from a functional perspective. He stated that all societies divide the world into two disagrees, biz. , sacred and profane, and that religion is based upon this division (Hardball's, Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, 1981).Sacred refers to everything that is considered ‘Holy' by the people of the society. All sacred elements are treated with respect and are revered. The sacred element is a symbol- it is representative of something. However, the term sacred does not only apply to supernatural elements such as God or Angels. The term encompasses all elements in the society, tangible or non-tangible, that are considered holy. Thus a tree, rock, stone, etc. , may be considered sacred by a certain group of people. Profane covers all the elements of the society which, in simple terms, are not considered holy.This distinction formed the basis for Deuterium's analysis of religion. Based on his studies on Australian tribes, he developed the term totemic. He regards totemic as the most basic form of religion. A totem is a symbol, usually an animal or a plant, which is sacred to the tribe. For instance, in tribal India, the Gongs have a goat clan whose members look upon the goat as their totem because a goat which had been pilfered by their ancestors for sacrifice turned into a pig when the theft was discovered and thus paved the thieves from punishment.Like all functionalists, Druthers argued that social life would be impossible wi thout the presence of shared values and beliefs which form the ‘collective conscience'. This implied that without a collective conscience there would be chaos in the society. He thus stated that religion Religion has been defined with reference to the sacred rather than God because this makes social comparison easier. For instance, certain sects of Buddhism do not engage in a belief in God (Scott & Marshall, 1994). A contrasting view is observed in the Marxist theory.Karl Marx, the founder of the unionism, blatantly stated that religion is a farce- merely a crutch for the people, who look towards it to find inner peace and solace. He took this a step further and said that religion adds to the development of a false consciousness among the worker class, giving them the strength to cope with their exploitation, in hope of gaining a fruitful life after death, as a reward for their suffering. So, the workers view their exploitation as a natural order of life, and do not challenge their masters.Thus Marx called religion the ‘opium of the masses', holding it responsible for the exploitation of the workers by the capitalists. Various theories have been presented in order to understand religion better. The theories discussed above are only basics of the sociology of religion. The study of religion dates back to over a century, and there have been innumerable contributions to the field. The analysis of religion is a difficult and complex one, it requires increased knowledge of various social phenomena. In addition to this, I must emphasize on the necessity of subjectivity and neutrality in the study of religion.A researcher must not be biased against the particular religion or religions he/she is tidying. The researcher should assume a neutral attitude towards the research subject because his personal biases may affect the results and his conclusions. Therefore, it is important to note that sociologists study religion to understand how it affects the functi oning of society, and not to prove or disprove any of the doctrines. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Going back in history, to the Vivid period in India, Hinduism is considered to be the oldest religion which originated in northern India.Hinduism was the predominant religion during ancient India, and is responsible for shaping most of the classical and odder culture of India. Through the course of time, India faced a number of invasions from different directions, which consequently brought new and different cultures to India. These cultures consisted of different forms of art and literature, architecture, and especially religion. Every successful invasion of India brought along a wave of immigrants who, over a period of time, were accepted into the Indian society.This acceptance of different cultures led to extravagant changes in the Indian way of life. India is often regarded as the religiously most diverse nation to exist in the world. Contributing to around 17. 5% of the world's population( Census, 2011), India is home to a number of religions like Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, to name a few. In fact, some of the major World Religions, like Jansenism and Buddhism, originated in India. The East India Company was instrumental in the rise of Christianity in India.Initially, the Company's government did not allow Christian missionaries to operate in the nation, however, this ban was lifted according to the Charter Act of 1813 – the licensed missionaries were allowed to operate. This Act further assisted the spread of Christianity throughout India. Tate, India has seen the growth and development of major religions over the past decades. As discussed earlier, the countless number of invasions introduced new religions into India. Major religions such as Islam, Judaism and Christianity were propagated in this way.Statistics indicate the Hinduism is the third-largest religious community in the world after Christianity and Islam (PIT, 2012). Narrowing the field down t o India, Hinduism is the religion of the majority, and Christianity and Islam constitute the largest minority religions in the nation. According to the Census of India, 2001, of the total population 80. % are Hindus while Muslims comprise 13. 4 % and Christians 2. 3 % respectively. Roughly 828 million are Hindus while Muslims are approximately 138 million out of Indian's total population of about 1,029 million. Sikhs account for 1. Per cent of the total population. The share of Buddhists, Gains and other religions are 0. 8 %, 0. 4 % and 0. 6 % respectively (Sensualist, 2011). While writing the article Why India is not a secular state', Omar Khalid's', reinforces his argument that India is not a secular state in totality. The Oxford English Dictionary defines secular as something that is ‘ not connected with religious or spiritual matters'. So a secular state would imply a separation or distinction of the state from all religious matters. All affairs of the state would be carri ed out without any religious interference.This means that the state or government should not promote any religious groups or organizations. In this context, the constitution makers of India incorporated the word secular in the Constitution, but there have been innumerable arguments on whether ‘secular' is Just a word on paper, or whether secularism has actually been applied and adopted as a practice in India. Khalid's' has highlighted five areas where secularism has failed to come up to its expectations. As per the constitution, â€Å"Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Gain or Buddhist religion† (India C. O. , 1949).The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 applies,- (a) to any person who is a Hindu by religion in any of its forms or developments, including a Irishman, a Eliminating or a follower of the Brahms, Parthian or Array Assam; (b) to any person who is a Buddhist, Gain or Sikh by religion, and (c) to any other person domicile d in the territories to which this Act extends who is onto Muslim, Christian, Paris or Jew by religion, unless it is proved that any such errors would not have been governed by the Hindu law or by any custom or usage as part of that law in respect of any of the matters dealt with herein if this Act had not been passed. Act 25 of 1955) This means that officially there is no such thing as a Buddhist, Gain, or Sikh marriage, which is an additional endeavor to refuse other religions an idiosyncratic identity and absorb them into the Hindu category. The Office of the Registrar General that conducts the decennial census enumerates anyone who is not a Christian, Muslim or Paris as Hindu. (Khalid's, 2009) The freedom of religion is granted under Article 25 (1), of the Constitution.However, a Since then approximately seven state legislatures have agreed upon laws strictly putting a ceiling on conversions from Hinduism to other religions while aiding conversions to Hinduism. Christianity has been under constant fire for a long time now. These challenges that Christianity is faced with will be discussed in course of this essay. Thus we see certain legislative discriminations based on religion. Another area discussed by Khalid's is the Employment sector.He says that Article 16 (2) of the constitution prohibits discrimination in public employment based on religion, but there have been innumerable cases of discrimination. In a classic example where the Hindu culture has been infused in the Indian culture, the ban on beef took away the means of livelihood of a multitude of butchers and also the cheapest source of proteins for the poor. Agreed, the cow is sacred to the upper class Hindus, but this is not true for the Christians, Dalais and other groups. So we see another case of discrimination within the culture with a religious basis.India witnessed multiple massacres which were supported by the state, biz. , of Sikhs in 1984 and of Muslims in 2002. In both cases, the indivi duals in the highest position of the Executive branch of he government Justified the riots, namely, Rajah Gandhi after the assassination of his mother, and Neared Mood after the train was attacked in Godard killing 58 people. It is true that the plasticization of religion has been occurring, and innumerable legislations have been affected by this. Various political parties in India have been affiliated with different religions.Former Maharajah's Governor and Member of Parliament P C Alexander observed that plasticization of religion, caste and fragmentation of our society were posing a threat to national integration (NUN, 2007). Taking into consideration the fact that political parties have been flaunting their own religions, it is possible to say that these religious promotions by politicians have an adverse effect because they are indirectly encouraging communism. Followers of different parties may turn against each other and this may lead to communal riots.Khalid's hard-hitting o bservations were concluded with a final note- â€Å"For all these five reasons, India is not a secular state. It is in fact the defender of Hindu dharma. † (Khalid's, 2009) Turning the spotlight on Christianity in India, the first attempt to introduce the elision was seen when SST. Thomas visited India and was brought to the court of Gunpersons. As Stephen Neil has elucidated in A History of Christianity in India, Thomas was initially rejected and he later went on to South India, where he was successful in baptizing the higher class people.Neil has mentioned that Thomas first visited Monolayer on the Accordance Coast, and came across thirty-two village communities. It is notable that he concentrated on converting the higher castes first because the lower castes were bound to follow whatever the high castes indulged in. When the Portuguese arrived in India, they found that the Thomas tradition had been widely accepted. Francis Xavier arrived at Ago to find it almost a Christia n settlement, with seven churches and a set of clergy men. Stephen Neil has provided fitting geographical and statistical evidence to help analyze the arrival of Christianity in India.The following decades witnessed the colonization of India by the British. The However, conversions were not the only function these missionaries performed. Many reputable and important schools, colleges, hospitals and so on, were established with the help of the missionaries in India. Neil, 1984) The people of India also seemed to be accepting the Christian faith openly because it gave them a chance to escape the complex rituals that their original faith demanded. In totality, Christianity was being accepted, although forced conversions were still taking place.The post colonial period witnessed great growth of a number of religions, especially Christianity. The decision to name India a secular country encouraged this growth. Christian converts could rest assured that they would be safe in India. So, ov er the years Christianity kept on growing steadily, and today, it has established itself as one f the largest minority religions in India, although, the question that arises is, has Christianity really been completely assimilated with the Indian society. RESEARCH METHOD Taking on a rather rudimentary form of investigation, I have collected information based on interviews with individuals.The main questions I asked them were: 1. Their views on acceptance of Christianity in India 2. Their personal understanding of the term ‘Secular' 3. Whether they think that India is a secular state in practice 4. What according to them are some of the challenges faced by Christianity A total of 45 people were interviewed, individually, and in groups. The questions were posed formally, but responses were more or less informal, and based on the ensuing discussions, I have formulated an average of their opinions and reached certain conclusions.AAA majority of the sample was not completely aware o f the meaning of the term secular. On being given the actual meaning and definition of the term, 57% of the people stated that India does not seem to be a secular country. 36% said that they thought India was indeed a secular state, and the remaining 7% did not have an opinion. Now, based on some preliminary research, I have concluded that Christianity s a religion has undergone a number of phases of maturity and is developing from a fledgling to a fully grown bird. However it is facing a number of challenges which is hindering this development.A majority of the sample referred to the persecution and arrests of Christians in Arioso and Kashmir as basis for their above view. People have seen this as a manifestation of the insecurity faced by Hinduism. The increasing speed at which people are converting to Christianity is alarming for the devout Hindus, and that is why they are resorting to extreme means such as these. As far as he assimilation of foreign religions into mainstream Ind ian life goes, Christianity has done pretty well, although, there has always been the case of forced conversions.However, it is important to note that Christian missionaries have contributed to the development of society in a number of ways. The benefits that these missionaries bestow upon the nation cannot be denied. It is, after all, a part of their way of life to take care of people. Studies have also indicated that missionaries have played a role in combating various cases of substance abuse. Moving to the secularity of India, I house of parliament, Meter Kumar. At a large gathering at the prestigious Cambridge University in England she said, † there is no room for religious politics in the world's largest democracy.