Wednesday, July 31, 2019
The Narrative of Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Cabeza de Vaca, the treasurer of an expedition from Spain was shipwrecked and was ultimately forced to trek several miles by natives of Hernan Cortes. Cabeza de Vaca survived by learning the language of the natives and serving them as their physician. After eight years of living with them, he imbibed the culture of the native people in the area, developed an affinity with them such that his rescue from them was not quite a welcome treat for him.He and his 600 men meandered along the interior of New Spain but they ended up to only 4 men on the journey. This compassion for the natives is quite interesting as we see how he changed his ways and some beliefs about. There are many answers to this question. Some say that maybe De Vaca truly began to respect the nativesââ¬â¢ ways. But in the context of the work, I believe this is nothing more than an extended case of Stockholm syndrome.It shows more the changes that he experienced with the natives over the course of his years in America s uch that he has been smitten by the natives (Societal Stockholm Syndrome). What is Stockholm Syndrome? This term was used during the early 70s to denote the different reactions of bank employees to the people who hostaged them. This happened when three women and one man was hostaged in one of the largest banks in Stockholm. Instead of completely resisting these ex-convicts, the captives even resisted the governmentââ¬â¢s efforts to rescue them.They had developed an affinity with the men. It may seem puzzling at first, but when one looks at this to explain what Cabeza de Vaca experienced with the natives, one can readily say that it was largely due to the fact that the Cabeza had developed compassion to the natives who also showed him kindness while they kept him prisoner (Societal Stockholm Syndrome). In sharing of himself and what he knows as a physician, his giving was also his receiving. At such time, giving is its own reward.He was with the natives at those times in a way he will never forget, even if they were to meet again after being separated. Sharing with love and caring comes when one gives freely of himself and what he has, and one reciprocates the kindness. This is gleaned all over his writings as illustrated in one of the Chapters where he recounts. ââ¬Å"Then, supporting us under our arms, they hurried us from one to another of the four big fires they had built along the path.At each fire, when we regained a little warmth and strength, they took us on so swiftly our feet hardly touched ground. â⬠(Cabeza de Vacaââ¬â¢s Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America). This seemed like being pampered guests instead of being captives. In any relationship, there are things one appreciates. If the relationship has much depth, such as what transpired in the narratives of Cabeza de Vaca, then, it was but natural for the Cabeza to be so involved with the activities of the natives. Telling them of his fears is as much a gift as telling them of h is appreciations.Sharing these feelings opened up the nativesââ¬â¢ innate inclination toward elasticity and trust. Genuine concern for the welfare of the people in oneââ¬â¢s life never takes the form of violence towards them as lived by the Cabeza. He did not use violence to gain his own ends and he even convinced himself that ââ¬Å"itââ¬â¢s good for themâ⬠as when the natives initially became oppressive. It is difficult for one to acknowledge acts of violence and oppression for they are statements of oneââ¬â¢s own feelings of incompetence.Perhaps the Cabeza knew that violence ultimately leads, in most cases, to results just the opposite of those it was intended to produce.REFERENCES Cabeza de Vacaââ¬â¢s Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America. Translated by Cyclone Covey. Retrieved May 29, 2007 at: http://www. ibiblio. org/eldritch/cdv/rel. htm#c19Castaway: The Narrative of Alvar Nunez Cageza de Vaca. University of California Press. September 23, 1993. So cietal Stockholm Syndrome. Retrieved May 29, 2007 at: http://web2. iadfw. net/ktrig246/out_of_cave/sss. html
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Analysis Of The Breach Notification Law Letter Essay
Breach notification law letters have contributed to the importance of information security throughout every business level of an organization. Every department of a corporation has the responsibility to detect, monitor, investigate and report breaches; whether a data or physical breach. Reports of breaches help not only IT security officers maintain awareness, but also every other member of an organization as well. Breaches cause reputational damage to organizations, and each one can have major consequences to the corporation. Breach notification letters lead to awareness and attention that may have gone unnoticed or unknown by other companies. These letters must follow the following guidelines when being written: Take responsibility and apologize. Be clear and unassuming. Most people today understand identity theft, but data breach is still a foreign word. Explain what happened, be transparent and honest. Write at a simple understandable level that everyone can understand. Explain the customer options without scaring them. Provide them a phone number and resources if they are concerned and want assistance. Remember that the customer is a single person and should feel that the company is making a genuine attempt to protect them. Be leery of red flags. Letters should be sent to someone outside the company and ask how it reads to them. Does it scare them or do they feel some type of comfort? Explain how the company is ensuring that this type of incident doesnââ¬â¢t happen again. Apologize again.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Theory Paper Three Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Theory Paper Three - Essay Example ssful situations such as economic, career, family or religious problems, hormonal changes such as the onset of menopause in women among others (Stein, 2013). This paper provides a theoretical analysis of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety among young adults and middle aged Groups based on the theoretical constructs of the theory of planned behavior. According to Glanz, Rimer and Viswanath (2008), the theory of planned behavior is one of the most widely used theories in understanding health behaviors such as mental illnesses. Some of the main constructs of the theory of planned behaviors that can effectively be used to explain the occurrence of mental health disorders among the young adults and middle aged persons include: The construct of attitude in the theory of planned behavior argues that individuals often perform self evaluation of their performance or achievements either negatively or positively based on their individual expectations, attributes or targeted outcomes. Armitage and Conner (2001) particularly suggest that young adults and middle aged individuals may under go a number of stressful situations based on the degree of their evaluation of their goals. This may consequently result in work related stresses such as remorse for unaccomplished goals and fear of being humiliated by their successful friends. The concept of social norms under the theory of planned behavior generally refers to the accepted normative or standard codes of behavior within a particular group of people based on the collectivistic cultural or social related variables. For example, individuals often develop perceptions on what they are expected to be by their friends, families or the society. In this regard, the prevalence of mental disorders such as anxiety and depression may be explained by the fact that most people in their middle ages normally experience a number of social changes and may soon found they are unable to conform to the expectations of their
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Statistics Summary Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Statistics Summary - Research Paper Example Quantitative statistics however defines categorical measures that only identify data but does not induce a numeric value (Mann, 2010). There also exist four levels of statistics, nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio levels. Nominal level only has identity property. Ordinal level of measurement has both identity and dimension properties, interval level identifies statistics and measures dimension with equal distance between consecutive variables while ratio level of measurement has a true zero besides properties of interval level of statistics (Babbie, 2010). The role of statistics in business decision making involve research and evaluation of data on alternatives to a problem with the aim of understanding the alternatives for informed decision (Mann, 2010). Statistics could be used to investigate effectiveness of a marketing strategy on an organizationââ¬â¢s level of sales. Identification of significant effectiveness in a pilot study, through test of hypothesis, would suggest implementation the strategy while lack of significant effectiveness would mean that the marketing strategy would not promote sales and should not be implemented (Mann,
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Global Enterprise and Innovation (in China) Essay
Global Enterprise and Innovation (in China) - Essay Example The legal condition of the country is extremely crucial factor which decides the foreign investment. For making a good investment situation there must be a reliable and efficient legal system and the system must be transparent. This will help the investors to perform their business activity without any concern. Despite the above factor several legal problems have been encountered in China which affects the foreign investment and business enterprises (Bulcke & Beule, 2010). The Legal Environment Affecting Business of China China has a good and established legal condition that encourages the foreign investment of different companies and protects their interest to invest in their country. By various rules, regulation, legislation and joint agreement the country has strengthened their legal systems. In order to spread their business in the whole world China is taking part in many global trade activities. For maintaining a good legal environment condition for business, China has repeatedl y modified the existing law and conducted new laws. Moreover, 30 government departments have changed their regulation towards law in approximately 2300 files. By these changes in law and policies on foreign investment activities China has steadily developed a legal environment which is convenient for foreign business interests. For implementing the law there has been a series of actions and procedures regarding the management, establishment, purchase, investment, reinvestment, liquidation, reform and termination of foreign company. By the help of those policies and guidelines, China seeks to attempt the foreign capital entry. In the year 2002 China established ââ¬ËDirectory of Guidelines for Foreign ââ¬â Capital Investmentââ¬â¢ for motivating foreign company to invest in their construction industry, agriculture industry and technology industry and resource development sector. China also provided permit to the telecommunication industry, insurance industry, financial indust ry, service industry and foreign trade sectors. ââ¬ËThe General Agreement of Science and Tradeââ¬â¢ showed 142 services and business enterprises which are grouped under 11 activities. Foreign investors always want a sound legal condition because it allows high return on investment and they want a system which allows them to withdraw their investment capital according to their strategic plan. There are various methods by which the investor can withdraw their capital investment which are: initial public offer, equity transfer, management takeover, liquidation and purchase share back (Feng, 2010). The Political Environment Affecting Business of China Any countryââ¬â¢s political condition has a significant impact on business. There are several factors which a country must consider if it wants to expand the business and investment of foreign companies because a political environment of a country is unstable and can change rapidly. The power of political party and government repr esent the opinion of the countryââ¬â¢s citizen. The rules and regulations created by politician have great impact on business. Political condition creates advantages and also disadvantages for certain companies. For example, the policies of Chinese government drove out few U.S. technology
STAT212 Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
STAT212 - Statistics Project Example It is crucial that recruiters, students and parents are aware of the impacts of holding work while at school. The outcome assists in determination of how elimination of work and attending school equally. This piece of work assumes that possessing a part-time job will seriously affect learnersââ¬â¢ grades. Additionally, there is anticipation that learners working for more hours perform poorly compared to the ones who work a few hours in a week. A shaky assumption is the amount of time worked has null impact on the learnerââ¬â¢s grade. The data was taken in two stages. The first being in 2011 when a survey carried out annually was mailed to all 5,353 undergraduate learners. A totality of 2,637 learners estimated to be 49% of the population that is targeted, gave a response to the survey. During the survey, all students were asked to give their status of employment. A sum of 1000 learners, estimated as 38% of those who responded indicated that their reason for work was for pay. Further questions were made for those who laboured for pay. The questions were on work experiences and financial situations. Although the experiences in college are the same for non working and working students, the results as rated using the GPA are different. From the targeted groups that were chosen for this study it is found out that learners who work are either not aware of or do not admit that their performance in academic is compromised due to lack of good time for their studies. Form the research it was found out that learners not only search for jobs but the ones that have meaning in their lives. For beginners, they choose work that needs less skill. What inspires them to keep the job is the payment or salaries. Moreover, employment helps to step up their experiences and career. Employment has three meanings in many forms. The first being when students go searching for jobs, they find it interesting as it gives them an experience in job hunting. Then, after getting a job
Friday, July 26, 2019
Evaluation of the Pending Merger of American Airlines and US Airways Research Paper
Evaluation of the Pending Merger of American Airlines and US Airways - Research Paper Example The Pending Merger of American Airlines and US Airways U.S. Airways and American Airlines are set to merge so as to form the largest airline across the entire globe. There is a proposal to settle the matter with Justice Department over an antitrust lawsuit on their merger which is projected to cost US$17 billion (Johanson, 2013). Assent of the plan to merge the two airlines is seen as a potential for resolving competition issues while at the same time contribute to creation of the largest global airline. An in-depth evaluation of the planned merger indicates that there are certain things which are pertinent in case a settlement of the matter happens. One of the prospected outcomes from the pending merger of the two airlines is that more slots for airports will be experienced for cheaper carriers in the American airline market. The two airlines will have to separate slots and facilities relative to airline costs to realize improved competitive advantage in airline industry (Feldman, 2 013). This implies that the merger will lead to co-ordination that will see it control at least 80 per cent of American commercial market in airline business network. The merger of the two US airlines will also gain slots for cheaper carriers across the US. ... g for ease bearers at key US airstrips, this settlement guarantees air transport travelers that they will see more rivalry on persistent and interfacing tracks all around the nation. Therefore, there will be increased competition in American airline industry which will then benefit millions of airline customers following improved airline travelling options and reduced travelling costs in the airline industry. Other airline players such as JetBlue and Southwest Airlines will have an opportunity to gain in the airline industry (Portillo, 2013). This is because American and US Airways will leave out some slots as well as facilities in various airports. This will at the same time increase competition in the American airline business market. Settlement of the merger is also deemed to bring disruption in the mutual relationships that have always existed among legacy carriers. Furthermore, it will increase accessibility to major airports which have previously had cases of congestion. There will also be provision for varied choices to the airline consumers while also enhancing airline fares accruing from increased competition in the airline industry on all national flights in the US (Feldman, 2013). Some of the already existing airlines will win big from the Justice Department on divestiture settlement process since they presently operate on leasing out of slots from American Airlines. Other airlines also stand chances to have their shares in the American airline market rising. The pending merger will see the New American airline becoming the largest global carrier. It will actually be the leading carrier in the world with regards to offering more comprehensive networks across the globe (Johanson, 2013). The same will be true with their services in terms of business excellence
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Raising and countering objections regarding the decision to get an MBA Essay
Raising and countering objections regarding the decision to get an MBA - Essay Example It is also a fact that earning an MBA degree will not automatically grant you a management or executive position-you must have essential skills and experience as well. WHY ONLY THE MBA: For nearly all individuals, advanced education college, technical school, graduate studies, and company training increase employability and average income. Many jobs require minimum education levels to even be considered. For example, I believe every country requires new teachers to have a bachelorââ¬â¢s degree in education. To be a layer you must have a graduate degree in law and the same for medicine and engineering. Individuals planning on college should look at the lifelong income they can expect from a degree. For example very bright student who go into teaching should expect must lower lifetime income than a business major. Itââ¬â¢s also important to know that getting masters in education will keep you out of teaching. The schools will not pay for a MA degree in a new hire, they can hire a BA for much less. Only when you have time, you should consider getting the MA. In the case of PHD any jobs do not reward workers for having a PHD, so there is less motivation to get a PHD (expect among college professors). Many careers such as business accounting and law do not demand PHD so there are few people with these degrees. Coming back at my point generally for business the MBA is considered the terminal or highest degree. However mixing a specialty with an MBA can increase income such as Engineer w/ MBA or MD with MBA who can run a company or organization. Simply the MBA can work as evergreen degree. People object that MBA has lost his worth now: People object that MBA has lost his worth in current economic condition where the employment level is increasing with stunning speed. But according to my research MBA still have certain advantages those can beat all the objections. Better hiring opportunities: As general rule it is considered that more education means more earning . But according to me this rule is especially true for MBA. Many of the Companies have decided to increase their hiring of MBA. According to Corporate Recruiters Survey 2011 Unemployment rates in both the United States and the European Union reached 10-year highs throughout 2009 and 2010. But the 2011 MBA class can breathe easier, however, when it comes to finding a job, as hiring for new MBA graduates trends in a positive direction. In addition simply the MBA is the key door to enter in the world of reputed organizations. Better earning opportunities: Because of MBA you will earn higher salary because of your skills. . According to Corporate Recruiters Survey 2011 84% of employers are offering the MBAââ¬â¢s a benefit package in addition to their salaries. According to United Stated department for labors the management occupations have the higher pay scales in relation with other occupations. This simply shows the worth of MBA degree as a lifesaver. Better relationships: MBA is t he other name of relationships. Being a MBA you are able to deal with every kind of person. For example a manager with a MBA degree with the specialization in Marketing is able to tackle and deal a lot of people at a time in efficient manner. Better skills: Being an MBA you can polish your skills in efficient manner. MBA program is designed especially for business skills. With the help of MBA, you will have much of the knowledge,
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
History of the Parthenon and its Barrier Breaking Architecture Essay
History of the Parthenon and its Barrier Breaking Architecture - Essay Example The building was designed by architects IKtinos and Kallikrates who included various sculptural decorations - both within and outside the temple thus making it the face of Athens. The elaborate designing of the monument is characterized by the use of coherence and harmony based on the foundation of mathematical calculations i.e. a ratio of 9: 4 where the length of the building was more than twice that of its width and the distance between the columns was more than twice their diameter (Belozerskaya and Lapatin 72). Figure 2: Plan of the Parthenon, 447 BC ââ¬â 432 BC Source: Pedley, 2005: pp. 69 The 9:4 ratio used during construction was applied for plan i.e. length: width as well as for elevation. The key architectural style used was that commonly found in the construction of Doric temples which is indicated by the formula used for total number of columns i.e. eight peristyle columns on the front and back and seventeen columns (2x + 1) on the flank (Pedley 69). Due to its unique architectural design the Parthenon is unanimously acknowledged as a symbol of Greek democracy as well as one of the greatest cultural monuments in the world. Brief historical background: The Parthenon is believed to be built on huge platform similar in size to the new Parthenon as indicated by the large scale excavations carried out on the site, thus indicating that a similar building was sought to be constructed by the ancient Greeks on the same scale as the Parthenon. The pre-Parthenon or the older building which was believed to be destroyed by during the Persian invasion in 480 BC were found to have used marble columns drums which were destroyed by fire due to the pressure. These marble column drums were later re-used in the construction of the new Parthenon in the north wall of the Acropolis as a symbol of the great Greek sacrifice and loss endured by them. Similarly various other previously destroyed artifacts found as a part of excavation were used in the construction of the n ew Parthenon (Beard 103). Figure 3: The Parthenon View from the north west, 447 - 432 BC Source: Pedley, 2005: pp. 68 One of the key features of the Parthenon is that it has been built out of recycled materials. Researchers have found evidence regarding the re-use of old materials based on the existence of a small temple (naiskos) located at the Parthenon's north colonnade, in the area between the fifth and eight columns from the east side of the temple (see figure 4). It was believed that the shrine found on the location existed long before the Parthenon was built and that it could be a part of the older Parthenon (Neils 27). Historians have argued that contrary to the popular belief that the new Parthenon was built as a dedication to the patron goddess Athena, the temple was built as an anathema - "a votive offering, not in the honor of Athena but of her glory- seeking, democratic, imperial city". It was believed to uphold the democratic ideals of the Athenians and hence was dedic ated by the people to the people (Hurwit 166). The Parthenon was destroyed by the Turkish forces after a long siege resulting in conversion of the temple into a mosque. The Ottoman Turks completely transformed the Parthenon into a mosque by whitewashing the walls to cover the Christian frescoes; blocking the windows and the converting the Christian watch tower into a
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) isn't wrong. It just doesn't go Essay
The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) isn't wrong. It just doesn't go far enough. Discuss - Essay Example The cpitl sset pricing model (CPM) theory ssumes tht n investor expects yield on certin security equivlent to the risk free rte (sy tht rte chievble on six-month Tresury bills) plus premium bsed on mrket vribility of return X mrket risk premium. In Winter 1991, the mrket risk premium on listed U.S. common stocks ppers to hve been bout 6.5%, ccording to sttistics published in the Qurterly Review, Winter 1991, by the Federl Reserve Bnk of New York (though the Ibbotson study found it to exceed 8% from the mid 1920s through 1987). Thus in period of 4% infltion, the T-bill rte might be ppropritely 4.5 to 5%; four- or five-yer Tresury note should hve yield of 5.5 to 6%; Tresury bonds should yield percent higher thn this; nd corporte bond yields should hve even higher returns to compenste for their dditionl credit or business risk. The cpitl sset pricing model for this scenrio suggests tht nnul returns on low-bet electric utility might be .05 + .50 bet (.065) = 8.25%. bout 75% of this might come from dividends nd the blnce from expected growth in dividends over n extended time period. By contrst, n verge stock with bet of 1.00 should provide rte of return of 4.5 to 5.0% plus the mrket premium of 6.5% or between 11 nd 12%. high-bet stock (one operting in cyclicl industry, for exmple) with bet, or reltive mrket voltility in price, of 1.50 should provide mrket return of 5.0% + 1.50 (0.065) or bout 15%. We could convert these from ernings price rtios to price-ernings (P-E) rtios nd determine tht the electric utilities, in this scenrio, should trde t bout 12 P-E rtio nd the high-bet stock should trde t P-E rtio of bout 6 to 7 . Three-yer verge (smoothed) ernings for these type firms hve, in fct, provided bout these P-E levels for highly cyclicl stocks during recent yers. The problem is in how to evlute bove verge or super growth rte for non- or low-dividend-pying stocks, topic of mjor concern to investment fundmentlists. Since stocks re bought on the bsis of expected returns for the next yer (or for severl yers into the future), perceived shift in the rte of infltion (or of the interest rte level), will send most common stocks to higher or lower levels. Strength of the overll economy, the sector in which the firm opertes, its own industry's strengths nd weknesses, nd individul firm's chrcteristics likewise hve bering on the ssessed mrket vlue of equity issues. In fct, this hypothesis is greed on by most fundmentlists nd technicins. The pproch recommended by most investment fundmentlists moves from the mcro to the micro nlysis. First of ll, we should determine if the overll stock mrket is the plce to be. Next, we should zero in on the industries tht re showing bove-verge strength. Next, we should select individul firms tht re likely to led others in their respective industries. In generl, the security mrket line, t given point in time, ppers to do resonbly efficient job of explining differences in expected yields on lterntive types of finncil issues. The cpitl sset pricing model is merely grph showing the nticipted yields on securities trded in money nd cpitl mrkets with vrying degrees of finncil risk. The trend line tht joins the points on the grph is referred to s the security mrket line. Mrket yields re shown on the y (verticl) xis nd the vribility of return on the x (horizontl) xis.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Compare Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The poor relation Essay Example for Free
Compare Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The poor relation Essay In this assignment I am going to write about the differences and similarities of two shot stories. The first story I am writing about is called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty it was written in the late1930s by the author James Thurber. The second story is called The Poor Relations Story it was written around 1850 by Charles Dickens. The connections between the two stories are that they are both short but also they have the same topic. They are both about escapists, people who dream. The first story called The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is about a man called Mitty, and it follows him through a normal day. I get the impression that he is in his mid-fifties because his wife has to tell him to get a check up and that he is no longer a young man. He does not work and as no real skills, actually he is quite a pathetic man that spends his days running around after his dominant wife. Mitty has a special difficulty in mechanical maintenance and in most of his dreams he fantasises about being an expert in complicated machinery i.e. operating theatre machinery and jet planes. Even when his wife asked him to put snow chains on the car he got it wrong and she now makes him take it to the garage. I think Mitty is a very light headed man and never really got anywhere in life because other people just pushed him aside. For example when his wife tells him to put his gloves on he does not argue or answer back but puts them straight on although he does not want to. In the space of a couple of hours in which the story is set Mitty slips in and out of reality and fantasy and the dreams always seem to have a connection with something he passes in the street or remembers. Like when he passes the hospital he goes into a dream about being a specialists doctor that saves the life of an important millionaire banker. That shows how easily he can just forget where he is or what he is doing. Walter Mittys wife is a very domineering person and seems to have a lot of control over Mitty I have been looking all over this hotel for you, why do you have to hide in this old chair, how do you expect me to find you. I think Mitty is a very privet person, as he does not talk much, only a few lines to his wife are said. His wife treats him like a little child that is totally dependant on other people, she has to tell him to put on his gloves, buy overshoes and get a check up. She doesnt trust him anymore to do the simplest procedure as to put snow chains on the tyres that she tells him to go to the garage. This is a humiliating experience for Mitty because when he drops the car off the other men at the garage laugh at him, he says that Ill wear my right arm in a sling next time; they wont grin at me then. He obviously knows that people are laughing and mocking him but cant do much about it. Just walking down the street can be ill fated for Mitty as he slips in to a daydream and starts talking to him self. Puppy biscuits That man said Puppy biscuits. I think you could call Mitty unlucky and accident-prone by all the minor incidents that take place in this short story. They are mainly to do with his day dreaming which keep him very interested and away from reality. They seem to make up for the lack of excitement or human attention that he gets. In all of his fantasise he is the hero of the situation and praise is all around him. The first dream is about him being a pilot of a naval hydroplane, he is in control and he seems to save the day some how. That is the opening of the story and we do not know it is a dream until he is interrupted by his wife telling him to slow down. The second dream is about him being an expert doctor and d saving the day by fixing the operating machine simply with his fountain pen and then saving the life of some important millionaire. The third dream is in a courtroom and Mitty is on trial for shooting somebody, apparently he can shoot any gun from a distance with both hands and still be on target. The forth dream is set in the heart of a vigorous war and Mitty offers to fly a two-manned plane alone, people are trying to stop him but his wants to save the day. The fifth dream is at the end of the story and its Mitty getting executed by a firing squad. He takes a long pull of his cigar and dies with honour. I Everything in Mittys dreams seem to be what he wants to be like but never will. In four of the dreams it describes how he is good at machines which in real life is far from the truth. He comes across as being healthy and macho but in real life he needs a doctors check up and cant even put on snow chains. As a hero he is obviously respected and looked up to by fellow companions but also women. In one fantasy a lovely dark haired girl comes running into his arms which of course in the real world would never happen. The only woman that would look at Mitty in such a way is his wife, and she is restricting, bossy and annoying. In Mittys dreams though he can do what he wants and there is no one to restricted him. Sometimes when Mitty dreams he starts believing in them and acts them out in real life. Like at the beginning of the story when he dreams of being a naval pilot he starts speeding in his car and his wife has to tell him to slow down. And at the end of the story when he waiting for his wife to come out of the drug store he believes that he is standing in front of the firing squad. He stood up against the wall of the drugstore, smoking Mitty acts like a little child playing make believe games and a I think that is what other people treat him. Especially with the name Mitty you cant take him too seriously. Write more about how much he believes in them The second short story called The Poor Relation it is similar to the Walter Mitty story in such a way that they are both about escapists but it is still very different story. The Poor Relation is set at a Family Christmas Party where the poor relation (Michael) tells the other guest two very different stories about his way of living. The first story that Michael portrays to the family members is a description of what he thinks the rest of the family thinks of him. Perhaps before I go any further, I had better glance at what I am supposed to be. This first story is very negative about Michaels way of life and he tells the other guests at how pathetic and useless he is. That I failed in in business because I was unbusiness likeThat I failed in love, because. He goes on to relate a normal day for him and describes where he lives, both of which have not much happiness in them. The only shred of contentment or worth while belonging for Michael is his little second cousin Frank. Little Frank and I go and look at the outside of the monument -he is very fond of the monument- and the bridges. When he dies, he says that the only item worth anything to him is a picture of him as a small boy. This he wants given to Frank along with a small message of which he tells how sorry he is for leaving him. He finishes that description of his life on a sour note by saying I failed to find a place in this great assembly, I am better of out of it. Quickly after finishing that story he clears his throat and starts to speak louder. Such is the general impression about me. Now, it is a remarkable circumstance which forms aim and purpose to my story, that this is all wrong. He starts to tell the probably slightly shocked guests, of how this first explanation of his life was a fad, totally unreal. This second story has much more life to it and tells how he once lived with his cold mean but rich uncle in a castle. He used to come down each morning in the freezing cold to be greeted with the same breakfast in the long stone room. When his uncle Chill died Michael automatically inherited his wealth and castle, but Michael fell in love with someone who his uncle disagreed of. His uncle tells him that no longer is he initialled to his money if he marries Christina, so Michael leaves his uncle with his new wife and they start a happy life together. He describes of how where he lives now he does not know what loneliness is, as all his children or grand children are always about, and Little Frank regularly visits. As it turns out this second story is a total lie and the first story that we were told is the truth. Michael is the kind of person that could be lead in the wrong direction easily because all his misfortunes are the result of other people letting him down, so he is easily taken advantage of. That I failed in love, because I was ridiculously trustful- in thinking it impossible that Christina could deceive me. What makes Michael a loser or inadequate in some ways is the loss in his life. At the moment he is fifty-nine years old and is living in a small room that he must evacuate during the day. He survives on a small allowance that John the party host generously gives him. The three main things that turned his life was the loss of his inheritance from his uncle, which was due to him falling in love with Christina who only wanted him for his money. And the loss of his business. That shows how most people treat him, no one seems to have much time for him Sometimes one of my relations or acquaintance is so obliging as t ask me to dinner. Those are on holiday occasions. Out of the whole year he is only invited to dinner about twice or three times. His family know that he is poor, and at holiday time they probably feel that they have to ask him, it is not about wanting him to come. Unlike Mitty I think that Michaels misfortune is mainly his own fault, he cant see deeper than appearance and doesnt know what people think of him, thats how Christina took advantage of him and he cannot see that his relations dont really want him about. Michael dream life is a description of how he would like his real life to be because everything that has gone wrong for him is perfect in his dream. . I think he now realises why so many things went wrong for him but realises that it is a bit late in is life for much to go write in the way that he talks about dying.
Ethical Integrity Essay Example for Free
Ethical Integrity Essay This paper will deal with the concept of ethical integrity relative to the economic crisis of 2009. In order for this concept to make any sense, it must be a social ethic, guides to life and behavior for living in society. But the current state of western economics mas made it clear that revolutionary ideas need to be introduced into our conceptions about ethics, largely utilitarian and relativist. In this paper, the damage done to western economicsââ¬âand the public perception of economicsââ¬âwill be seen through the eyes of four very different, but complimentary authors: John Locke, Pierre Proudhon, Murray Bookchin and GWF Hegel. All three will be used to deal with the elements of ethic integrity in a time of radical dissatisfaction with the status quo: a status quo where the state and the corporate governance of the western world is coming into question like never before. Proudhon was a revolutionary that functioned in the tradition of Locke. He takes the contract of free peoples that was so dear to Locke in forming the state and takes it one step further: that the state, as outlined by Locke, is not necessary at all, if the main basis of it is the contract in defense of natural rights. The state, in this view, seems to be an unnecessary middleman that always grows far beyond the bounds the libertarians like Locke seek to imprison it (George, 1922, 534). For Proudhon, then, all politics is coercive and power hungry, and hence, Lockeââ¬â¢s libertarian theory just provides the groundwork for later tyranny and statism. Proudhon is the creator of a system fo exchange called, for lack of a better phase, ââ¬Å"mutualist anarchism. â⬠What Proudhon saw in his day (the late 18th century) was the wild industrialization of life, the making of quick fortunes and the basic instability of life that was the lot of the average worker and small business man. Such a view would fit to our own day as well. But what Proudhon envisaged is the dismantling of the central state and the large corporate behemoth into t mutualist federation of communities (George, 1922, 535). For him, the man was not a citizen, for that was a mystification with no meaning. He was primary a producer: an industrial worker, farmer, fisherman or banker. It was here that his economic worth was found. All others, the state and the corporate boss, were mere parasites that produced nothing. But if the ethical option of revolution is a proper one, then what would replace the huge modern state? This is the essence of mutualism: the morally integral person manifests his integrity by making and keeping contracts with other people and communities (George, 1922, 538). Anarchy for Proudhon is the moral force that binds individuals and communities to contracts, contracts which represent mutual agreement. If this is the case, then the state makes little sense: the force that binds is the community whose moral force as well as oneââ¬â¢s reputation serve to cement ties one person (producer) to another. In other words, each community of producers, functioning in the larger community of diverse members, have their worth in their skills in a trade or producerââ¬â¢s association: this means that the function of this skill in the society requires a moral approach to contracts: by refusing to hold up oneââ¬â¢s side of the bargain will expose the person in question as morally fraudulent and hence, outside of the system of mutual exchange, and hence, needless to say, broke. Mutualism means moral integrity because oneââ¬â¢ ability to exchange goods and services by way of contract is the basis of an orderly society, not the direction of the state or the creation of needs by corporate bosses. The nature of revolution, then is the gradual taking of political power away from the sate and the corporate boards by these societies of mutual aid: producerââ¬â¢s organizations of farmers, mechanics, etc. Hence, what Locke began as the contract among free property holders to create a state is taken to its next level: workers and producers protecting their autonomy by joining in associations to function on the basis of mutual aid, guaranteed by contract and personal reputation. In other words, Proudhon takes Locke to the next level: from the mutual aid of property holders to the mutual aid of all producers (Proudhon, 1977, 12ff). In both cases, the idea of contract and mutual aid is central, but, since Proudhon is writing in an already industrialized time (Locke, right at the beginning), much has changed since Locke wrote, and the world of industry and finance has destroyed individual autonomy, not enhanced it. As in our own times, both the state and the corporate actors have grown into a symbiotic monster that sucks the average worker dry in taxes and debt. The reality is that no rational person can look at the economic system in the western world in 2009 and claim that it has protected autonomy, community and property: it has done exactly the opposite. Hence, this paperââ¬â¢s focus: the creation, basis and reaction of the morally integral person to this crisis.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Impact of Work Life Balance on Performance
Impact of Work Life Balance on Performance CHAPTER ONE Its all about quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and friends and family Philip Green, British billionaire businessman 1. INTRODUCTION: In cultured and well developed societies including both eastern and western countries the conflicts of work and life balance has been the main issue in the modern and globalised economy. Apparently, the need to maintain flexible work-life balance has become essential as the number of female workers and part time workers have gained more part in the growing globalised multinational organisations (Shelton, 2006). These conflicts are traditionally from societal norms which still requires a man to concentrate on careers rather than on family issues, and it works vice versa with the female members of the society who are supposed to take care of the family more rather than working towards their career options (Walker et al., 2008). The work-life pressures and conflict between personal and professional roles has become the primary area for researches to find the impact of organisational performance due to the imbalanced work-life culture and especially the source of disadvantages women faces in the corporate society. It can be justified as the focus was more on low payment, part-time work culture and absence at the top levels of business (Doherty, 2004). Some more researches of Human Resource and their roles argued that the work-life issue affects the living standards of their employees (Hammer et al., 2004; Shelton, 2006). It was also proved by Shelton (2006), that the working pattern affects the work-life culture and strategies to maintain a balanced structure and the organisational performance. In United Kingdom a variety of work-life balance rules and policies has been implemented by the Labour government since their three successive rules since 1997 (Lewis and Campbell, 2007). 1.1 PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTION: The main purpose of this research work is to analyse the impact of work-life balance on the organisational performance, especially the retail sector (TESCO), which is operating at a huge scale in United Kingdom and Europe and moving internationally. The main area of this research concentrates on the shop floor workers who work in direct relation with their customers who are the main sources of income for the organisation. This study can be used by the Store Managers and Operational Managers of TESCO to develop and implement various needs and wants of their employees especially the shop floor workers in order to improve the organisational performance. The following questions are considered to be the main areas of my research: How the imbalanced work-life culture affects the organisational performance in the retail industry (TESCO), whose main customers is the general public. This question leads to some sub-questions which need to be analysed in order to attain the answer for the main area of study, specifically: How organisations handle work-life conflicts? Is there any influence on the work-life balance strategies on Human Resource and other management practices? What are the main strategies to maintain a balanced work-life culture? What are the main factors of motivation? Is there any relationship between work-life balance and organisational performance? My research is organised in a flow to understand the needs and wants of an employees who works in direct contacts with customers. In my first chapter the major definitions to terms, role of balanced work-life culture, and its importance in relation with Human Resource Management is discussed before moving to the literature part of my research work. In the next chapter the previous studies relating to my research work has been critically analysed to support my research work and moving down to methodology chapter to state how the data collection work was carried out to support my research. This chapter depicts the ways used to collect data and how it was interpreted. The last chapter of my research work is the crucial one and it analysis all the data and gives empirical results of my research study supported by recommendations and conclusion to my work. 1.2 BACKGROUND: In the developed countries, the work-life balance conflict has gained its prominence as the globalised world tends to increase the level of competition among the rival firms in the same sector. Hence, it is considered that Human Resource Management department has a role to play in maintaining a balanced work-life culture in order to motivate the employees to work committed for the organisational growth. The retail market in the United Kingdom is expected to plunge by 15% by 2011 valuing over à £312bn (Datamonitor, UK Retail Futures 2011), showing the slowdown in the annual growth and the increase in the operating cost which acts as the hindrance to utilise the limited available capital. The world economic crisis and changes in the spending perspective of the general public has changed the way the retail industry was operating. Thus, Human Resource is considered as the vital department to tackle this operational changes by finding right people for the right job and ensure they work c ommitted for the organisational growth. Thus overall view of the retail industry has been a tough challenge for the HRM to provide high standards of training and development programmes to their employees. But at the same time it is necessary to understand the needs and requirements of the employees at the operational level who directly work with the end customers in order to provide quality services. TESCO, a leading supermarket retailer in the food and non-food sector operating in United Kingdom and in 13 other countries around the world have more than 500,000 employees and moving rapidly with new and potential markets. This shows the importance of Human Resource Management to maintain a balanced work-life culture which will boost organisational growth. There are various motivational factors that gives job satisfaction and helps to maintain a balanced life, which has to be identified in order to concentrate on that to provide quality training and development needs. 1.3 CONCLUSION: This research work concentrates on finding the motivational factors and the level of awareness among the Customer Assistants who work in the shop floor of TESCOs to improve the training and development programmes. The current economic situation has spared the corporate with limited sources and hence it is not wise to spend lot of money on unnecessary and unwanted programmes. The researcher has used the time and resources to collect and discuss some related topics in the literature review chapter before choosing his research methods. After the discussion about the importance of the objectives in the literature review the researcher moves to methodology chapter to know about the available methods and techniques to collect and analyse the data. At last the analysed data is used to interpret and conclude the argument to find out some recommendations for the organisation. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW: A days work is a days work, neither more nor less, and the man who does it needs a days sustenance, a nights repose and due leisure, whether he be painter or ploughman George Bernard Shaw 2.1 INTRODUCTION: The role of Human Resource Management has increased lately, as the globe has become too small and the brands have moved internationally. This revolution in the global trade has increased the nature of job to be more time bound and customer oriented leaving the employees lot of stress to maintain a balanced work-life culture. Hence, it has become the primary role of Human Resource Department to train and develop their employees to maintain a balanced work-life culture. This chapter finds the literature research works that have been carried out in the past to support the research questions and aims and objectives of the research work. 2.2 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: The Human Resource Management (HRM) is undergoing significant change in designing management systems to utilise the skilled human talents efficiently and effectively to attain the increased levels of organisational goals. All types of organisations, including from small to big, have to recruit, select, train and manage effectively to attain their individual and corporate goals. Hence, Human Resource is essential to fulfil the requirements of both side employees and employers. On the other hand HR has to abide by the legal systems that has been passed out by the government of the nation, and especially in case of international or multinational business firms. Therefore Human Resource Management is considered to be a vital management department whose prime responsible not only stick to recruitment and placing the employees under job, but extends from job satisfaction and retention till retirement, as they are the main capital of every organisation (Mathis and Jackson, 2007). The introduction of part time work culture in United Kingdom has been the cause for the improvement of HRM activities as the multicultural society faces lot of legal and other issues from social backgrounds. Especially the retail giants like TESCO, Sainsbury, Primark, and Marks Spencer are investing lot of their time and money to frame some strategic systems to maintain a balanced work culture which has its direct impact on the organisational performance (Maxwell et al., 2008). On the contrary some people take their employment as their career opportunity to grow within an organisational sector and works dedicated balancing both lives. In such cases the Human Resource Management has to support their employees through training and development programmes to motivate them to go forward with their balanced work life. 2.3 RETAIL INDUSTRY: The growing technology and internationalisation has been a challenge to most industries including the retail industry which operates all over the west and in direct relationship with their customers. This is one of the major industries which have close contact with the customers daily on face to face basis. Hence, this industry requires the employees to be have well balanced work-life culture to deal smoothly with their customers. Retail internationalisation has gained overwhelming focus during the recent years, as the concept of globalisation has attained maturity. This concept has given the well-established retailers like TESCO, Sainsbury, Wall-Mart, etc., to move into international markets with their strong domestic success. The new concepts in the Human Resource Management and the development in the globalisation has given lots of challenges to maintain employees at peace across culture and across global and international laws (Burt et al., 2005). Until late 1990s products were c entral to some organisations, including both intangible and tangible assets. Traditionally manufactures were concerned about the designing and production of goods, whilst retailers were engaged in gathering the products for directly selling to the customers. Moving forward with the economic and cultural changes, the way the retailers work have been changed from just retailing the products and services to manufacture, market, and sell their goods and services and make it available to customers at all convenient levels. Thus the retail market has widened its business from selling to overall business opportunities. The retail industry has split further into various sectors and includes various types of products and contributing a major chunk to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of United Kingdom, both in the production output and employment rate (Varley, 2001). This evolution of retail business in the west especially in the Europe and United States has given lot of opportunities to the retail business to set up lots of projects under pipeline. This developed the construction and food industry in the United Kingdom and in most European countries. The development in the retail industry has widened the opportunities for the international studen ts and the locals studying in United Kingdom. The retail industry in-spite of recession is doing good and pushing the economy from recession to recovery. During 2007, retail industry has produced the highest return in the property business. The retail business has increased the existence of shopping centres accommodating lots of restaurants, entertainment and other complexes which attracts a huge customer base (Dijkman, 2008). The 2007-2008 economic crisis had shaken the entire industry from its development. Though the economic hit was hard, the retail industry jumped out from the storm to lead the economy towards recovery. The growth of high street business was slowed down during March 2009 and thereon, whereas more than 13% of retailers showed stronger sales during this period when compared to the same period a year ago in 2007. This proved the consumer spending is more in the retail industry and its plays an important challenge to the Human Resource Management to rightly take up this opportunity to develop their business. Hence Human Resource works out to fix employee satisfaction and employees benefit to increase their operational output (Wade, 2010). 2.4 ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE: Human Resource department has become the back bone of every organisation, and it is vital for the employees to know how it operates. In others view it is urged that Human Resource is an evil, a bureaucratic force enforcing unnecessary rules and regulations, restricting innovation and hinders the required changes. The Human Resource department is responsible in finding the suitable hires for the right job at the right time, which is considered as one of the main reason for increasing job stress and unsatisfactory level of performance (Mathis and Jackson, 2007). Any strategic activity by HRM is done once it has identified and analysed thoroughly the surroundings or environment where it operates. Hence, organisational culture plays a vital role in maintaining work life balance among its employees (Torrington et al., 2005). Human Resource Management (HRM) is considered as the basis of all management and not as the basis for business activity. The old organisational culture of depending on product or services offered by them to increase the organisational performance does not hold well in modern developed economy. The employees or workers of the company are considered as the major asset to increase the organisational performance and brand image in the market. Managing these resources has to be done constantly by balancing the organisational needs and employees needs that work together to attain the corporate objectives. The changes in the workforce and expectations among the employees and companies HR managers have to work innovatively to convert their organisational background or culture a more friendly and efficient. Especially the employees working in the retail market is considered as the important market in the United Kingdom and are forms the major workforce (Boone, L., and Kurtz, D., 2008). 2.5 E-HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: The modern technological world has witnessed changes in the policies and practices that have been followed in old organisational culture. It is very important for all brick-and-mortar organisations to adopt changes out from the introduction of electronic and web based practices, as the newly introduced web based practices changed the business-to-business practices, the activities of a marketplace, changes in the supply chain, and acts as a catalyst for business. These changes provide HR management with lots of challenges to maintain value in the system to attract the employees and make them satisfied with their work culture in order to maintain a balanced work-life culture to improve the organisational performance. The dot com business has changed the way the business was carried out and it has given a challenging work culture to the employees in all major sectors including the retail market. This revolutionary age has been the reason for Enron to file bankruptcy, and internet age is growing together with the business and globalisation and not going down. The growth in the B2B business and B2C business has enhanced the usage of eHRM within and outside the organisation. This has been a challenge to maintain work-life balance as this web based technology has introduced work from home culture, any time availability for work, etc., which disturbs the personal life at every moment (Torres-Coronas and Arias-Oliva, 2005). 2.6 WORK LIFE BALANCE: Work-life balance is usually viewed as the lack of work-life conflict or mostly the strength in which where work life interferes with family life or vice versa (Grzywacz and Carlson, 2007). Work-life balance relates to the absence of conflict in their personal and professional life (Clark, 2000) as satisfaction and committed and dedicated work without any role conflicts (Guest, 20002). Shaw (2003) has stated that work-life balance extents to individuals who are engaged equally and fully satisfied in both places. It is also considered as a global assessment that work resources meet family demands, and family resources meet work demands such that participation is effective in both domains (Voydanoff, 2005; Grzywacz and Carlson, 2007). Work and leisure is no longer related to any certain kind of jobs or market, and it has become an international requirement for every organisation to compete with their rivals and maintain a satisfied employees group (Lewis, 2003). In terms of United King doms department of Trade and Industry, Work-Life balance is defined as the about adjusting working patterns regardless of age, race or gender, [so] everyone can find a rhythm to help them combine work with their other responsibilities or aspirations (Maxwell, 2005). It is always considered that the work-life balance is very essential to maintain a health working conditions for the organisational benefit and for the benefit of its employees (Barnett, 1998; Edwards and Rothbard, 2000). Similarly, it had been proved by so many research works that the conditions of work life balance have its impact on the performance of the organisation (Kersley et al., 2005; Bureau of Labour, 2007). To maintain work and life a in a balanced scale, there are so many factors and so many persons to play in maintaining balance and harmony of their employees (Allen et al., 2006). Work life balance concerns on employees having a measure to control about where, when and how they work (Clutterbuck, 2003), and the new policies are initiated in strengthening the work life balance in United Kingdom and European Union (DTI, 2002; Lewis et al., 2003) and it has been argued that the employees should co-ordinate various aspects of professional and personal life to have a balanced life. After the introduction of globalisation in the economy, most organisations including the retail firms have started to move across cultures and across oceans to increase their presence and customer base. So, it has seen an intense increase in the working peoples working hours and their working life, which has both positive and negative impact on individuals professional and personal life (Lewis et al., 2003; Bryson et al., 2007; Bulger et al., 2007; Fereday, 2007). This term work-life balance has come out to replicate the concerns the working individuals face to manage their lives equally to improve the living conditions of the society and the performance of the organisation (Greenblatt, 2002; de Cieri et al., 2005; Pocock, 2005; Bryson et al., 2007, Fleetwood, 2007, McDonald et al., 2007). The retail industries have grown to support the community and it has converted the main stores to provide 24/7 services to the society (Pryjmachuk and Richards, 2007). Supple working conditions facilitate autonomy in work place and it improves work-life balance of the employees (Barriball et al., 2007; Dwyer et al., 2007). Many organisations tout work-life balance as a value, and always the workaholics are given more rewards and respect. But this concept holds no good any more as the introduction of globalisation and its cultural impact has turned the organisations to show more interest in maintaining work-life balance for its employees. The modern era has c reated more leaders to pay their attention towards work-life balance and they moralize the good value of upholding a balanced life inside and outside the organisation. It helps to improve more productivity while at work. Work and family issues are not the case during survival farmers and their families worked together to make a living. It has started once the family units made a male breadwinner for their house-wives. It was stated that during world war II, when most of the men in the west are out for war, the women population of more than70% were in the workforce, including pregnant women, which had been a hot topic of those times to maintain balance between their family commitments and to make a living (Shilling, 2009). It is very important to maintain a good balance especially when the employees have kids and old people to take care at home. In the views of Shelton (2006), work-life disagreement is the form of inter-role issue starting due to stress originating from one or more roles and responsibilities. The bonus, pay and other options are great but at the same time every job has got its roles and responsibilities that gives pressures and has direct and indirect effects on the personal and organisational life. This depends on the leadership and managerial skills of the manager who manages the team (Flaum, 2009). Especially women employees are considered more sentimental and dedicated towards their personal and professional life and have less free time as they are tied up with family and society. Shelton (2006) created a hypothetical framework on the constructs based on role conflicts and role involvement to positive plans the effective strategies to reduce work-life conflicts, through influencing roles. The work-life conflict reduces the well-being of the organisational culture and gradually affects the overall organis ational performance. 2.7 HISTORICAL OUTLOOK OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Since the introduction of globalisation and free trade, organisations started to move globally and freely with fewer restrictions on investments in the outside market and this has changed the roles and responsibilities of HRM. Originally the issue of work-life was considered as a problem between family and work (Lewis, 2003), and eventually it was argued that its not the issue between work and life, but between the organisational performance and employee satisfaction and dedication towards work. Furthermore the working timings of the employees were considered as one of the major issue to maintain a balanced work culture and they have introduced flexitime to challenge this issue. This issue broadened along men, women, families, and cultures of the organisations (Bird, 2006). Major research work considers individuals as a unit (Family or Team) and not as separate individual who works without any relationship with their sub-ordinates. Traditionally it is viewed as the absence of conflic t among work and family, or the level of intensity or frequency of work interfering family or vice versa (Grzywacz and Carlson, 2007). 2.8 GLOBAL AND DOMESTIC WORK-LIFE BALANCE MODELS: In many contexts it is considered whether the domestic models hold good in international podium, where the globalisation has changed the international business are carried out. In the global context the main issues to be examined is whether work interferes with life on certain outcomes. In United States it has been proved that the domestic work interferes more on personal life than in any other country, but in other global environments it is considered that personal life interfere with work. This depends on the responsibilities and roles the employees play within an organisation and their role in the family, hence considering both sides from life to work and work to life (Greenhaus, 1988; Dixbury and Higgins, 1991; Frone et al., 1997; Edwards and Rothbard, 2000; Shaffer et al., 2001). The United Kingdom is facing lots of political issues out from people living longer, the changes in the needs of men and women in the labour market in terms of private life and other ways of working. Lots of models have been framed to calculate the work life balance of both genders at various periods and requirements of life. Shelton (2006) created a notional structure supporting role involvement and conflict to envisage the importance of strategies to lower the impacts of conflicts on balanced work culture or manoeuvring roles. This conflict is positively correlated with both organisational performance and family commitments. It is always considered that soaring levels of conflicts are expected for the female employees who have huge targets. 2.8.1 SCIENTIFIC MODEL: Frederick Taylor (1911) proposed that every job possibly will be measured by the amount of work completed and it is always linked with the number of pieces finished or piece rate. This theory is based on the concept that harder the employees work the more rewarded they are. Taylor considered that monetary benefits serve as the motivational factor for the committed employees to work more efficiently and effectively. 2.8.2 TWO FACTORS MODEL: Frederick Herzbergs two factor model or motivation-hygiene theory states certain motivational factors that will have positive impact on the role of employees towards organisational development, like the good basic pay and clean work environment. It was considered that once these factors are in place it automatically keeps up the strengths of the employees to work dedicated for the organisations and stays with the organisations for a long time. 2.8.3 HIERARCHY OF NEEDS: The above two theories were criticised by another great management guru, Maslow, where he showed that people needs to have certain basic needs like safe and secure workplace, emotional fulfilment, self esteem, relationship etc., to be with the organisation with their full committed minds and souls. This concept has gained its attraction since globalisation as it turned up many organisations to go international and grow parallel with the increasing technology and changing market culture. 2.9 LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF GLOBALISATION ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Globalisation has changed the way the works are being carried out and it has changed the roles and responsibilities at each level of hierarchy, giving both positive and negative effects in their balanced life. This also includes the mental strength, changes in the physique, health effects, etc., which might be a reason out of its increased job pressure or imbalanced work-life. 2.10 IS ORGANISATIONAL INTERVENTION IMPROVES WORK-LIFE BALANCE? The world worst economic crisis has given fears in the minds of workers at all levels of management and the management has restricted and reduced the spending on the organisational development in terms of employee benefits and other allowances, by considering cost effectiveness and cost cutting programmes to effectively handle the risked finance to reduce the risk of being cut. The increased concern about the security, family preferences, the multinational organisations are trying to implement various strategies to effectively use their capital for the retention of its skilled and talented employees by providing balanced work-life. However, it is not the only remedy to be auctioned to gain a balanced work group (Harris and Brewster, 2003; Poelmans, 2005). In the perspective of employees, Work Life Balance is maintaining balance between the roles and responsibilities at home and at work. Work Life Balance is the principle that paid employment should be integrated with domestic life and community involvement in the interests of personal and social well-being (Heery and Noon, 2008). Work Life Balance is not only the time we spend working against non-working. It is about how employees use their time to relax, work and energies themselves and spends time with their family and kids (Morgenstern, 2008). It is considered that there exist a direct relationship between the work life balance of the employees and the organisational performance. Work Life Balance is considered as a strategic model to implement lots of Human Resource polices and rules in order to change the organisational atmosphere and organisational cultur e of how the hierarchy works, i.e., either in the vertical way or horizontal way, leading to satisfied employees and managed which in turn leads to organisational success and improved growth. Strategies of Work Life Balance in organisations includes roles and polices including flexible work arrangements, childcare, depends care and other personal and parental benefits (Blari-Hoy and Wharton, 2002; Hyman and Summers, 2004; De Cieri et al., 2005). It is considered that the widespread changes in work-life issues and changes in the workforce demography in developing and developed societies have increased issues of work-life balance (Fleetwood, 2007; Lewis et al., 2007). The increased pressure towards the multi skilled employees out from roles and responsibilities has changed the organisational environment and work culture (Campbell and Charlesworth, 2004). Emphasis on family is considered as more important and higher quality and any imbalance caused by work has a negative effect on both personal and professional life (Frone et al., 1992; Greenhaus et al., 2003; Singh, 2010). Every job is considered to have an element of fun and it gives satisfaction and pleasure instead of stress and pressure. This directly and indirectly leads to the increased organisational output and innovation for the long strategic roles. The term has been in the field of Human Resource over the last two decades and it is considered a vital one in the developed and improve technological world. Work-Life balance is one of the major things to maintain balanced and motivated employees whom even monetary benefits cannot afford to improve the organisational performance. At times salary will not be an attractive one to hold back the employees within the organisation as a committed employee, but the balanced work-life culture provided by the organisations will hold the employees with commitment till their retirement in the same organisation (Mehra, 2010). Human Resource plays a vital role in maintaining transparency to ensure that the office environment doesnt create pressure on their empl oyees and their nature of work. Work-Life balance has been very famous for the last two decades where technology started encroaching peoples time more and more. It is considered that the term itself inherent some problem which presupposes a separation among work and life. In United States most companies offer work-life balance programs to attain competitive advantage whereas in Europe and United Kingdom it is considered as a social responsibility but it is considered that both these terms are not different and the goals are intertwined wherein competitive advantage can be gained through recruiting skilled employees and retaining with socially responsible activities to enhance the reputation of the organisation. 2.11 IMPACT OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE ON EMPLOYEES: Every organizations sets their workplace to be more attractive than their rivals to gain the competitive advantage through satisfying the employees needs and wants by providing balanced work-life culture. Some organisations still believe on the importance of money for the employees as they consider only monetary benefits motivate the individuals to work committed. Some companies find increasing Impact of Work Life Balance on Performance Impact of Work Life Balance on Performance CHAPTER ONE Its all about quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and friends and family Philip Green, British billionaire businessman 1. INTRODUCTION: In cultured and well developed societies including both eastern and western countries the conflicts of work and life balance has been the main issue in the modern and globalised economy. Apparently, the need to maintain flexible work-life balance has become essential as the number of female workers and part time workers have gained more part in the growing globalised multinational organisations (Shelton, 2006). These conflicts are traditionally from societal norms which still requires a man to concentrate on careers rather than on family issues, and it works vice versa with the female members of the society who are supposed to take care of the family more rather than working towards their career options (Walker et al., 2008). The work-life pressures and conflict between personal and professional roles has become the primary area for researches to find the impact of organisational performance due to the imbalanced work-life culture and especially the source of disadvantages women faces in the corporate society. It can be justified as the focus was more on low payment, part-time work culture and absence at the top levels of business (Doherty, 2004). Some more researches of Human Resource and their roles argued that the work-life issue affects the living standards of their employees (Hammer et al., 2004; Shelton, 2006). It was also proved by Shelton (2006), that the working pattern affects the work-life culture and strategies to maintain a balanced structure and the organisational performance. In United Kingdom a variety of work-life balance rules and policies has been implemented by the Labour government since their three successive rules since 1997 (Lewis and Campbell, 2007). 1.1 PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTION: The main purpose of this research work is to analyse the impact of work-life balance on the organisational performance, especially the retail sector (TESCO), which is operating at a huge scale in United Kingdom and Europe and moving internationally. The main area of this research concentrates on the shop floor workers who work in direct relation with their customers who are the main sources of income for the organisation. This study can be used by the Store Managers and Operational Managers of TESCO to develop and implement various needs and wants of their employees especially the shop floor workers in order to improve the organisational performance. The following questions are considered to be the main areas of my research: How the imbalanced work-life culture affects the organisational performance in the retail industry (TESCO), whose main customers is the general public. This question leads to some sub-questions which need to be analysed in order to attain the answer for the main area of study, specifically: How organisations handle work-life conflicts? Is there any influence on the work-life balance strategies on Human Resource and other management practices? What are the main strategies to maintain a balanced work-life culture? What are the main factors of motivation? Is there any relationship between work-life balance and organisational performance? My research is organised in a flow to understand the needs and wants of an employees who works in direct contacts with customers. In my first chapter the major definitions to terms, role of balanced work-life culture, and its importance in relation with Human Resource Management is discussed before moving to the literature part of my research work. In the next chapter the previous studies relating to my research work has been critically analysed to support my research work and moving down to methodology chapter to state how the data collection work was carried out to support my research. This chapter depicts the ways used to collect data and how it was interpreted. The last chapter of my research work is the crucial one and it analysis all the data and gives empirical results of my research study supported by recommendations and conclusion to my work. 1.2 BACKGROUND: In the developed countries, the work-life balance conflict has gained its prominence as the globalised world tends to increase the level of competition among the rival firms in the same sector. Hence, it is considered that Human Resource Management department has a role to play in maintaining a balanced work-life culture in order to motivate the employees to work committed for the organisational growth. The retail market in the United Kingdom is expected to plunge by 15% by 2011 valuing over à £312bn (Datamonitor, UK Retail Futures 2011), showing the slowdown in the annual growth and the increase in the operating cost which acts as the hindrance to utilise the limited available capital. The world economic crisis and changes in the spending perspective of the general public has changed the way the retail industry was operating. Thus, Human Resource is considered as the vital department to tackle this operational changes by finding right people for the right job and ensure they work c ommitted for the organisational growth. Thus overall view of the retail industry has been a tough challenge for the HRM to provide high standards of training and development programmes to their employees. But at the same time it is necessary to understand the needs and requirements of the employees at the operational level who directly work with the end customers in order to provide quality services. TESCO, a leading supermarket retailer in the food and non-food sector operating in United Kingdom and in 13 other countries around the world have more than 500,000 employees and moving rapidly with new and potential markets. This shows the importance of Human Resource Management to maintain a balanced work-life culture which will boost organisational growth. There are various motivational factors that gives job satisfaction and helps to maintain a balanced life, which has to be identified in order to concentrate on that to provide quality training and development needs. 1.3 CONCLUSION: This research work concentrates on finding the motivational factors and the level of awareness among the Customer Assistants who work in the shop floor of TESCOs to improve the training and development programmes. The current economic situation has spared the corporate with limited sources and hence it is not wise to spend lot of money on unnecessary and unwanted programmes. The researcher has used the time and resources to collect and discuss some related topics in the literature review chapter before choosing his research methods. After the discussion about the importance of the objectives in the literature review the researcher moves to methodology chapter to know about the available methods and techniques to collect and analyse the data. At last the analysed data is used to interpret and conclude the argument to find out some recommendations for the organisation. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW: A days work is a days work, neither more nor less, and the man who does it needs a days sustenance, a nights repose and due leisure, whether he be painter or ploughman George Bernard Shaw 2.1 INTRODUCTION: The role of Human Resource Management has increased lately, as the globe has become too small and the brands have moved internationally. This revolution in the global trade has increased the nature of job to be more time bound and customer oriented leaving the employees lot of stress to maintain a balanced work-life culture. Hence, it has become the primary role of Human Resource Department to train and develop their employees to maintain a balanced work-life culture. This chapter finds the literature research works that have been carried out in the past to support the research questions and aims and objectives of the research work. 2.2 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: The Human Resource Management (HRM) is undergoing significant change in designing management systems to utilise the skilled human talents efficiently and effectively to attain the increased levels of organisational goals. All types of organisations, including from small to big, have to recruit, select, train and manage effectively to attain their individual and corporate goals. Hence, Human Resource is essential to fulfil the requirements of both side employees and employers. On the other hand HR has to abide by the legal systems that has been passed out by the government of the nation, and especially in case of international or multinational business firms. Therefore Human Resource Management is considered to be a vital management department whose prime responsible not only stick to recruitment and placing the employees under job, but extends from job satisfaction and retention till retirement, as they are the main capital of every organisation (Mathis and Jackson, 2007). The introduction of part time work culture in United Kingdom has been the cause for the improvement of HRM activities as the multicultural society faces lot of legal and other issues from social backgrounds. Especially the retail giants like TESCO, Sainsbury, Primark, and Marks Spencer are investing lot of their time and money to frame some strategic systems to maintain a balanced work culture which has its direct impact on the organisational performance (Maxwell et al., 2008). On the contrary some people take their employment as their career opportunity to grow within an organisational sector and works dedicated balancing both lives. In such cases the Human Resource Management has to support their employees through training and development programmes to motivate them to go forward with their balanced work life. 2.3 RETAIL INDUSTRY: The growing technology and internationalisation has been a challenge to most industries including the retail industry which operates all over the west and in direct relationship with their customers. This is one of the major industries which have close contact with the customers daily on face to face basis. Hence, this industry requires the employees to be have well balanced work-life culture to deal smoothly with their customers. Retail internationalisation has gained overwhelming focus during the recent years, as the concept of globalisation has attained maturity. This concept has given the well-established retailers like TESCO, Sainsbury, Wall-Mart, etc., to move into international markets with their strong domestic success. The new concepts in the Human Resource Management and the development in the globalisation has given lots of challenges to maintain employees at peace across culture and across global and international laws (Burt et al., 2005). Until late 1990s products were c entral to some organisations, including both intangible and tangible assets. Traditionally manufactures were concerned about the designing and production of goods, whilst retailers were engaged in gathering the products for directly selling to the customers. Moving forward with the economic and cultural changes, the way the retailers work have been changed from just retailing the products and services to manufacture, market, and sell their goods and services and make it available to customers at all convenient levels. Thus the retail market has widened its business from selling to overall business opportunities. The retail industry has split further into various sectors and includes various types of products and contributing a major chunk to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of United Kingdom, both in the production output and employment rate (Varley, 2001). This evolution of retail business in the west especially in the Europe and United States has given lot of opportunities to the retail business to set up lots of projects under pipeline. This developed the construction and food industry in the United Kingdom and in most European countries. The development in the retail industry has widened the opportunities for the international studen ts and the locals studying in United Kingdom. The retail industry in-spite of recession is doing good and pushing the economy from recession to recovery. During 2007, retail industry has produced the highest return in the property business. The retail business has increased the existence of shopping centres accommodating lots of restaurants, entertainment and other complexes which attracts a huge customer base (Dijkman, 2008). The 2007-2008 economic crisis had shaken the entire industry from its development. Though the economic hit was hard, the retail industry jumped out from the storm to lead the economy towards recovery. The growth of high street business was slowed down during March 2009 and thereon, whereas more than 13% of retailers showed stronger sales during this period when compared to the same period a year ago in 2007. This proved the consumer spending is more in the retail industry and its plays an important challenge to the Human Resource Management to rightly take up this opportunity to develop their business. Hence Human Resource works out to fix employee satisfaction and employees benefit to increase their operational output (Wade, 2010). 2.4 ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE: Human Resource department has become the back bone of every organisation, and it is vital for the employees to know how it operates. In others view it is urged that Human Resource is an evil, a bureaucratic force enforcing unnecessary rules and regulations, restricting innovation and hinders the required changes. The Human Resource department is responsible in finding the suitable hires for the right job at the right time, which is considered as one of the main reason for increasing job stress and unsatisfactory level of performance (Mathis and Jackson, 2007). Any strategic activity by HRM is done once it has identified and analysed thoroughly the surroundings or environment where it operates. Hence, organisational culture plays a vital role in maintaining work life balance among its employees (Torrington et al., 2005). Human Resource Management (HRM) is considered as the basis of all management and not as the basis for business activity. The old organisational culture of depending on product or services offered by them to increase the organisational performance does not hold well in modern developed economy. The employees or workers of the company are considered as the major asset to increase the organisational performance and brand image in the market. Managing these resources has to be done constantly by balancing the organisational needs and employees needs that work together to attain the corporate objectives. The changes in the workforce and expectations among the employees and companies HR managers have to work innovatively to convert their organisational background or culture a more friendly and efficient. Especially the employees working in the retail market is considered as the important market in the United Kingdom and are forms the major workforce (Boone, L., and Kurtz, D., 2008). 2.5 E-HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: The modern technological world has witnessed changes in the policies and practices that have been followed in old organisational culture. It is very important for all brick-and-mortar organisations to adopt changes out from the introduction of electronic and web based practices, as the newly introduced web based practices changed the business-to-business practices, the activities of a marketplace, changes in the supply chain, and acts as a catalyst for business. These changes provide HR management with lots of challenges to maintain value in the system to attract the employees and make them satisfied with their work culture in order to maintain a balanced work-life culture to improve the organisational performance. The dot com business has changed the way the business was carried out and it has given a challenging work culture to the employees in all major sectors including the retail market. This revolutionary age has been the reason for Enron to file bankruptcy, and internet age is growing together with the business and globalisation and not going down. The growth in the B2B business and B2C business has enhanced the usage of eHRM within and outside the organisation. This has been a challenge to maintain work-life balance as this web based technology has introduced work from home culture, any time availability for work, etc., which disturbs the personal life at every moment (Torres-Coronas and Arias-Oliva, 2005). 2.6 WORK LIFE BALANCE: Work-life balance is usually viewed as the lack of work-life conflict or mostly the strength in which where work life interferes with family life or vice versa (Grzywacz and Carlson, 2007). Work-life balance relates to the absence of conflict in their personal and professional life (Clark, 2000) as satisfaction and committed and dedicated work without any role conflicts (Guest, 20002). Shaw (2003) has stated that work-life balance extents to individuals who are engaged equally and fully satisfied in both places. It is also considered as a global assessment that work resources meet family demands, and family resources meet work demands such that participation is effective in both domains (Voydanoff, 2005; Grzywacz and Carlson, 2007). Work and leisure is no longer related to any certain kind of jobs or market, and it has become an international requirement for every organisation to compete with their rivals and maintain a satisfied employees group (Lewis, 2003). In terms of United King doms department of Trade and Industry, Work-Life balance is defined as the about adjusting working patterns regardless of age, race or gender, [so] everyone can find a rhythm to help them combine work with their other responsibilities or aspirations (Maxwell, 2005). It is always considered that the work-life balance is very essential to maintain a health working conditions for the organisational benefit and for the benefit of its employees (Barnett, 1998; Edwards and Rothbard, 2000). Similarly, it had been proved by so many research works that the conditions of work life balance have its impact on the performance of the organisation (Kersley et al., 2005; Bureau of Labour, 2007). To maintain work and life a in a balanced scale, there are so many factors and so many persons to play in maintaining balance and harmony of their employees (Allen et al., 2006). Work life balance concerns on employees having a measure to control about where, when and how they work (Clutterbuck, 2003), and the new policies are initiated in strengthening the work life balance in United Kingdom and European Union (DTI, 2002; Lewis et al., 2003) and it has been argued that the employees should co-ordinate various aspects of professional and personal life to have a balanced life. After the introduction of globalisation in the economy, most organisations including the retail firms have started to move across cultures and across oceans to increase their presence and customer base. So, it has seen an intense increase in the working peoples working hours and their working life, which has both positive and negative impact on individuals professional and personal life (Lewis et al., 2003; Bryson et al., 2007; Bulger et al., 2007; Fereday, 2007). This term work-life balance has come out to replicate the concerns the working individuals face to manage their lives equally to improve the living conditions of the society and the performance of the organisation (Greenblatt, 2002; de Cieri et al., 2005; Pocock, 2005; Bryson et al., 2007, Fleetwood, 2007, McDonald et al., 2007). The retail industries have grown to support the community and it has converted the main stores to provide 24/7 services to the society (Pryjmachuk and Richards, 2007). Supple working conditions facilitate autonomy in work place and it improves work-life balance of the employees (Barriball et al., 2007; Dwyer et al., 2007). Many organisations tout work-life balance as a value, and always the workaholics are given more rewards and respect. But this concept holds no good any more as the introduction of globalisation and its cultural impact has turned the organisations to show more interest in maintaining work-life balance for its employees. The modern era has c reated more leaders to pay their attention towards work-life balance and they moralize the good value of upholding a balanced life inside and outside the organisation. It helps to improve more productivity while at work. Work and family issues are not the case during survival farmers and their families worked together to make a living. It has started once the family units made a male breadwinner for their house-wives. It was stated that during world war II, when most of the men in the west are out for war, the women population of more than70% were in the workforce, including pregnant women, which had been a hot topic of those times to maintain balance between their family commitments and to make a living (Shilling, 2009). It is very important to maintain a good balance especially when the employees have kids and old people to take care at home. In the views of Shelton (2006), work-life disagreement is the form of inter-role issue starting due to stress originating from one or more roles and responsibilities. The bonus, pay and other options are great but at the same time every job has got its roles and responsibilities that gives pressures and has direct and indirect effects on the personal and organisational life. This depends on the leadership and managerial skills of the manager who manages the team (Flaum, 2009). Especially women employees are considered more sentimental and dedicated towards their personal and professional life and have less free time as they are tied up with family and society. Shelton (2006) created a hypothetical framework on the constructs based on role conflicts and role involvement to positive plans the effective strategies to reduce work-life conflicts, through influencing roles. The work-life conflict reduces the well-being of the organisational culture and gradually affects the overall organis ational performance. 2.7 HISTORICAL OUTLOOK OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Since the introduction of globalisation and free trade, organisations started to move globally and freely with fewer restrictions on investments in the outside market and this has changed the roles and responsibilities of HRM. Originally the issue of work-life was considered as a problem between family and work (Lewis, 2003), and eventually it was argued that its not the issue between work and life, but between the organisational performance and employee satisfaction and dedication towards work. Furthermore the working timings of the employees were considered as one of the major issue to maintain a balanced work culture and they have introduced flexitime to challenge this issue. This issue broadened along men, women, families, and cultures of the organisations (Bird, 2006). Major research work considers individuals as a unit (Family or Team) and not as separate individual who works without any relationship with their sub-ordinates. Traditionally it is viewed as the absence of conflic t among work and family, or the level of intensity or frequency of work interfering family or vice versa (Grzywacz and Carlson, 2007). 2.8 GLOBAL AND DOMESTIC WORK-LIFE BALANCE MODELS: In many contexts it is considered whether the domestic models hold good in international podium, where the globalisation has changed the international business are carried out. In the global context the main issues to be examined is whether work interferes with life on certain outcomes. In United States it has been proved that the domestic work interferes more on personal life than in any other country, but in other global environments it is considered that personal life interfere with work. This depends on the responsibilities and roles the employees play within an organisation and their role in the family, hence considering both sides from life to work and work to life (Greenhaus, 1988; Dixbury and Higgins, 1991; Frone et al., 1997; Edwards and Rothbard, 2000; Shaffer et al., 2001). The United Kingdom is facing lots of political issues out from people living longer, the changes in the needs of men and women in the labour market in terms of private life and other ways of working. Lots of models have been framed to calculate the work life balance of both genders at various periods and requirements of life. Shelton (2006) created a notional structure supporting role involvement and conflict to envisage the importance of strategies to lower the impacts of conflicts on balanced work culture or manoeuvring roles. This conflict is positively correlated with both organisational performance and family commitments. It is always considered that soaring levels of conflicts are expected for the female employees who have huge targets. 2.8.1 SCIENTIFIC MODEL: Frederick Taylor (1911) proposed that every job possibly will be measured by the amount of work completed and it is always linked with the number of pieces finished or piece rate. This theory is based on the concept that harder the employees work the more rewarded they are. Taylor considered that monetary benefits serve as the motivational factor for the committed employees to work more efficiently and effectively. 2.8.2 TWO FACTORS MODEL: Frederick Herzbergs two factor model or motivation-hygiene theory states certain motivational factors that will have positive impact on the role of employees towards organisational development, like the good basic pay and clean work environment. It was considered that once these factors are in place it automatically keeps up the strengths of the employees to work dedicated for the organisations and stays with the organisations for a long time. 2.8.3 HIERARCHY OF NEEDS: The above two theories were criticised by another great management guru, Maslow, where he showed that people needs to have certain basic needs like safe and secure workplace, emotional fulfilment, self esteem, relationship etc., to be with the organisation with their full committed minds and souls. This concept has gained its attraction since globalisation as it turned up many organisations to go international and grow parallel with the increasing technology and changing market culture. 2.9 LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF GLOBALISATION ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE: Globalisation has changed the way the works are being carried out and it has changed the roles and responsibilities at each level of hierarchy, giving both positive and negative effects in their balanced life. This also includes the mental strength, changes in the physique, health effects, etc., which might be a reason out of its increased job pressure or imbalanced work-life. 2.10 IS ORGANISATIONAL INTERVENTION IMPROVES WORK-LIFE BALANCE? The world worst economic crisis has given fears in the minds of workers at all levels of management and the management has restricted and reduced the spending on the organisational development in terms of employee benefits and other allowances, by considering cost effectiveness and cost cutting programmes to effectively handle the risked finance to reduce the risk of being cut. The increased concern about the security, family preferences, the multinational organisations are trying to implement various strategies to effectively use their capital for the retention of its skilled and talented employees by providing balanced work-life. However, it is not the only remedy to be auctioned to gain a balanced work group (Harris and Brewster, 2003; Poelmans, 2005). In the perspective of employees, Work Life Balance is maintaining balance between the roles and responsibilities at home and at work. Work Life Balance is the principle that paid employment should be integrated with domestic life and community involvement in the interests of personal and social well-being (Heery and Noon, 2008). Work Life Balance is not only the time we spend working against non-working. It is about how employees use their time to relax, work and energies themselves and spends time with their family and kids (Morgenstern, 2008). It is considered that there exist a direct relationship between the work life balance of the employees and the organisational performance. Work Life Balance is considered as a strategic model to implement lots of Human Resource polices and rules in order to change the organisational atmosphere and organisational cultur e of how the hierarchy works, i.e., either in the vertical way or horizontal way, leading to satisfied employees and managed which in turn leads to organisational success and improved growth. Strategies of Work Life Balance in organisations includes roles and polices including flexible work arrangements, childcare, depends care and other personal and parental benefits (Blari-Hoy and Wharton, 2002; Hyman and Summers, 2004; De Cieri et al., 2005). It is considered that the widespread changes in work-life issues and changes in the workforce demography in developing and developed societies have increased issues of work-life balance (Fleetwood, 2007; Lewis et al., 2007). The increased pressure towards the multi skilled employees out from roles and responsibilities has changed the organisational environment and work culture (Campbell and Charlesworth, 2004). Emphasis on family is considered as more important and higher quality and any imbalance caused by work has a negative effect on both personal and professional life (Frone et al., 1992; Greenhaus et al., 2003; Singh, 2010). Every job is considered to have an element of fun and it gives satisfaction and pleasure instead of stress and pressure. This directly and indirectly leads to the increased organisational output and innovation for the long strategic roles. The term has been in the field of Human Resource over the last two decades and it is considered a vital one in the developed and improve technological world. Work-Life balance is one of the major things to maintain balanced and motivated employees whom even monetary benefits cannot afford to improve the organisational performance. At times salary will not be an attractive one to hold back the employees within the organisation as a committed employee, but the balanced work-life culture provided by the organisations will hold the employees with commitment till their retirement in the same organisation (Mehra, 2010). Human Resource plays a vital role in maintaining transparency to ensure that the office environment doesnt create pressure on their empl oyees and their nature of work. Work-Life balance has been very famous for the last two decades where technology started encroaching peoples time more and more. It is considered that the term itself inherent some problem which presupposes a separation among work and life. In United States most companies offer work-life balance programs to attain competitive advantage whereas in Europe and United Kingdom it is considered as a social responsibility but it is considered that both these terms are not different and the goals are intertwined wherein competitive advantage can be gained through recruiting skilled employees and retaining with socially responsible activities to enhance the reputation of the organisation. 2.11 IMPACT OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE ON EMPLOYEES: Every organizations sets their workplace to be more attractive than their rivals to gain the competitive advantage through satisfying the employees needs and wants by providing balanced work-life culture. Some organisations still believe on the importance of money for the employees as they consider only monetary benefits motivate the individuals to work committed. Some companies find increasing
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