From the Paper "The job interview can be traumatic both for the person being interviewed and for the person conducting the interview. There are different types of interview used in business today. The structured interview is one that involves a series of job-related questions which are consistently asked for each applicant for a given job. The unstructured interview is also known as the nondirective interview, and in this case the interviewer is expected to ask probing, open-ended questions. The two types of interview are not only conducted in different ways but also have different purposes, seeking information in each case in order to make a decision about employment. For most jobs, the job interview is an important element in the selection process, and to some degree an interview is subjective no matter what questions are asked because the interviewer has ..."
Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to a labor movement for farm workers. His unique background, his first-hand knowledge of the people's issues, and his superior organizational skills brought his successful organization of the National Farm Workers Association (later named United Farm Workers), even against opposition from the government, the Teamsters Union, and the grape growers. It is the purpose of this paper to describe his background, the nature of his superior organizing ability, and the sociological forces that shaped the Chavez farm workers' movement.
Until he was ten years old, Cesar Chavez, the oldest of five children, lived on a farm near Yuma, Arizona. The 160 acres had come into his family through a government grant to his..."
This paper argues that affirmative action is needed to achieve workplace opportunity and diversity: Benefits and drawbacks, case studies, discrimination and utilitarian rule theory.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 6 sources, 1995, $ 63.95
From the Paper Affirmative action is a system of correction and compensation that is essential for the creation of workplace diversity. Affirmative action attempts to correct the social problem of unequal employment opportunities for minorities and women. The method of correction depends upon whether a weak version of affirmative action is used or a strong version (Pojman, 1995, p. 341). Weak affirmative action seeks to level the playing field by providing scholarships to women and minorities, using community outreach to advertise certain employment positions, or using race or gender as a "tiebreaker" in the selection of equally qualified candidates. Strong affirmative action is often termed reverse discrimination because it gives an outright advantage to women and minorities in rectifying their under-representation in the workplace. The goal
From the Paper "Introduction
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990, with most of its components becoming effective between 18 and 24 months after its implementation. As a result, most workplaces have by now incorporated changes into their business that bring them into compliance with the act. This research focuses on the significant aspects of the ADA with regard to employment, structural changes, and interactions with the public.
How the ADA Defines Disability
The ADA defines disability as a "physical or mental impairment that substantially limits an individual's major life activities" (Hunsicker 81). The definition is also applied to the history of an impairment or to the perception of having an impairment. Under the ADA, discernible disabilities, such as impaired sight and hearing ..."
Abstract This paper addresses the issue of an increase in workplace violence and accidents. It first defines the problem and discusses the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA). It provides suggestions for ways that employers can help decrease workplace violence, including workplace violence-prevention programs. The paper concludes with a vision of what the future can hold.
From the Paper "Workplace violence has become a huge concern among workers throughout the nation. ?It has become such a huge problem that it is accounting for more than 11% of all fatal work injuries. There were approximately 674 workplace homicides in the year 2000 alone.?(OSHA) Although homicide is an extreme form of workplace violence, it clearly shows that minor incidents can quickly escalate to a server situation. Many organizations, including OSHA, have implemented plans to help workplace violence awareness and put prevention measures in place. ?The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 obligates employers to furnish each of [their] employees with a place of employment which is free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.?(Flynn) Officials within OSHA agree that the focus should be more on comprehensive prevention programs, rather than specific abatements. If we can educate people and inform them of the potential effects of workplace violence prior to it happening, we will all feel a lot safer going to work each day."
Abstract Discusses changing labor management and relations in China. Impact of membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Availability of large pool of labor. Employee-employer relations. Unions. Worker's Councils. Profit sharing. Working conditions. Fringe benefits. Hours worked; holidays and vacations. Termination of employees. Foreign personnel; work permits.
From the Paper "Labor Relations in China
Labor Relations
The concepts of labor management and labor relations as they are understood in the Western World are basically unrealized in China today, although that situation is changing rapidly, and, most experts agree, will probably change more as China become fully vested as a World Trade Organization member.
Availability of Labor
According to a special report on labor in China, as of June 1, 2000, there were more than 200 million people earning work wages, and half of them are affiliated with labor unions. However, those wages typically average $20 to $30 U.S. a week. Likewise, most of the available labor is moving to the cities along the coasts, where the wages are higher, sometimes reaching $400 a month. There is, the ..."
Abstract This paper examines the contraversy surrounding the minimum wage which was implemented in 1938 when Theodore Roosevelt enacted the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to protect those who were being abused by the system. It provides a breakdown of the arguments for and against minimum wage increases such as that raising the minimum wage simply cuts off and eliminates low-paying jobs. It concludes with a discussion of the effect of the minimum wage on the economy and labor markets and a look to the future.
From the Paper "As stated in an earlier statistic, a person working full time does not make enough to live. Indeed full-time wages fall well below the poverty line. This issue correlate with welfare. The question often arises among those who are on welfare as to why they should work when working equates to a cut in pay. When people make more money on welfare which is designed to help those who are at the bottom of the economic barrel, it's obvious that minimum wage increases are not only important, but essential to the well being of the nation and the nation's economy."
Abstract Sexual harassment in the workplace has always been a problem and has always been of great importance, but the public's awareness of the issue has not always been high. This paper discusses how in recent years, this trend has changed and it looks at the laws and legislation which govern sexual conduct in the workplace in order to reduce this phenomenon.
From the Paper "The topic has evolved in the lower courts based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual discrimination in the work place. Sex discrimination was not included in the original draft of this legislation but was added at the last minute as an attempt to prevent passage of the Act. As a result, the true intent of Congress in the matter is not known. The first case litigated under this statute was Barnes v. Train some ten years after passage, and the District Court of the District of Columbia rejected the suit as not being the type purposed by the Act. The next case was a year later in Corne v. Bausch & Lomb, Inc. in which two female employees claimed constructive discharge as a result of physical and verbal sexual advances, and the Arizona Federal District Court rejected the suit as not being what was intended by the Act."
Abstract This paper discusses how unemployment is a troubling problem that affects every area of the economic sector. It looks at how in times of economic turmoil unemployment rates typically increase for workers from all industries, influenced by a number of economic indicators, including consumer confidence, inflation, government spending, and economic growth. It examines how unemployment results in a number of economic and emotional consequences for those affected. It distinguishes between two types of unemployment and its various causes as well as the influence of the events of September 11 and afterward that have resulted in higher rates of unemployment across the United States.
From the Paper "After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the U.S. economy headed into a tailspin from which recovery has not been fully realized. Intense fear and trepidation by most Americans resulted in reduced spending and consumer confidence in U.S. markets. As a result, industries in many sectors felt the wave of uncertainty and began to lose profits. Furthermore, economic growth was halted as the U.S. coped with intense feelings of loss and fear. As government spending in the areas of homeland security and the military increased, capital expansions for education, healthcare, and economic stimulus packages were limited. Many U.S. residents felt the dramatic wave of economic uproar directly in their paychecks. Many residents argue that the Bush administration has not fulfilled their obligations to improve the economic outlook in the United States, and this is further complicated by continuous threats of terrorism and an imminent war with Iraq."
Abstract Affirmative action has increasingly become a popular subject of debate. Not only does the phrase "affirmative action? mean different things to different people, but also there are different arguments for and against it. While many people tout the benefits of affirmative action programs, they have acted as a stumbling block for minorities and have essentially created a starker disparity in the struggle for equal opportunity between white people and other minority groups. This paper looks at the pros and cons of affirmative action. It also discusses affirmative action as reverse discrimination, as well as the future of this system.
From the Paper "Affirmative action was created to ensure fair hiring policies for all American citizens, in an attempt to ensure all individuals must be treated equally in the hiring and admissions process. Some of these programs have been effective and have an impact on hiring processes because they maintain that each individual is to be evaluated as an individual on her or his merits and not be discriminated because of their gender, racial or ethnic characteristics.
However, it is important to realize that, in many businesses and schools, affirmative action has established a quota system that rejects or accepts students based solely on race. This makes the original purpose of affirmative action obsolete, as it often causes reverse discrimination. In an attempt to solve racial and sexual discrimination, it is necessary to work harder to eliminate the sources of these problems ? racism and sexism."
Abstract This paper provides a concise response to the book, "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spenser Johnson. The title of "Who Moved My Cheese" refers to a maze where several characters run to find the cheese before their opponents reach it. The image invoked is that of the workforce, where everyone is in competition and only those who adapt to the situations will be able to gain the cheese in the end.
Abstract This paper examines how one particular factor that makes every employer curious before hiring an individual is whether the applicant is using any drug not prescribed as medication. It looks at how this practice of finding out whether any prospective employee is using or has been using any drug is usually carried out through a urine analysis, also called urinalysis, and how it has now become a prerequisite for hiring applicants in the public sector, as well as private entities. It analyzes how the use of a drug test, such as the urinalysis, prior to hiring of applicants may seem to be a precautionary measure on the part of the employer and how it can be degrading to those employees who are already on the payroll of the organizations.
Outline
Introduction
A Discussion on the Pros and Cons of Drug Testing at the Workplace
Reasons as Presented by Opponents of Drug Testing at the Workplace
Reasons as Presented by Proponents of Drug Testing at the Workplace
Concluding Comments
References
From the Paper "One of the major opponents of any sort of drug testing on the present set of employees is the American Civil Liberties Union, (ACLU), who have a number of reasons and points to prove that the drug-testing the present set of employees is both degrading as well as violative of personal privacy. One such reasoning is that the urinalysis for example cannot detect any impairment on the part of the employee, nor can it ascertain or evaluate job performance of the employee, hence the irrelevancy of the urinalysis. Secondly, even it were to be presumed that the employees are not expected to be drunk, stoned, or even asleep, all of which are the after-effects and implications of drug use, the employer would hardly be expected to retain the services of the employee with any of the said habits."
Abstract This paper discusses how three basic issues must be addressed when looking at the ethical background of employee privacy rights. First, one must look at the arguments regarding the employers right to know and to use that knowledge. Secondly, one must investigate the claims of an employee's right to remain private. Finally, one must determine whose ethical responsibility it is to see that each of these competing rights are preserved as much as possible.
From the Paper "The question of an employee's right to privacy poses a particularly difficult ethical dilemma. On the one hand, the employer has an ethical obligation to the worker, to honor their privacy and their general human dignity and rights. On the other hand, the employer has an ethical obligation to the rest of his employees, to his customers, and to his shareholders, and possibly even to society at large to maintain certain standards within the workplace. The employer may also have an ethical obligation to obey relevant state or federal laws. In many ways, these laws can be used as a measure of the accepted ethics of a given situation. However, there are likely many cases where they are insufficient. It is difficult for the law to predict every situation that will arise, particularly in such a personal area as a right to privacy. Additionally, it is possible that the laws themselves are not entirely ethical."
Abstract This paper looks at a variety of aspects regarding minimum wage. It looks at the laws enacted, the rates set, and exceptions to minimum wage laws. The deterioration of the buying power of minimum wage is addressed, and statistical evidence of this deterioration is provided. Also included is an account of the economic impact of minimum wages.
Brief History of Minimum Wage
United States Minimum Wage
Minimum Wages Economic Impact
Different States Minimum Wages
From the Paper "The minimum wage as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed in the year 1938. The first minimum wage was .25 per hour. However, it has increased over the decades with now as current federal minimum wage $5.15 per hour. But even with the increases, the Coalition on Human Needs has observed that the buying power of the federal minimum wage has deteriorated by almost twenty five percent over the last twenty years (about.com)."
Abstract This paper examines how workplace psychology is a relatively new dimension within the industry of psychology, and within this new field is a list of important motivational reasons for the administration of psychological testing to both existing employees and potential employees. It shows how the motivation for the application of psychological testing within the workplace can range anywhere from the desire to apply psychological science to work style varieties and, therefore, job descriptions, to assessing the psychological health of workers in potentially stressful roles. It also looks at how other reasons why psychological testing may occur within the workplace may include use as a tool for the recruitment of new employees or as a tool to assess productivity or workplace problems some associated with social issues and some associated with nonsocial problems.
From the Paper "It must be made clear to the employee that the responses and results of the testing are not conditional to their continued employment and that changes made to benefit them and the workplace are the intended results of any assessment. An employee must understand that it is his or her work that will determine continued employment and not his or her answers on any survey. Whether problems are associated with a social situation or a logistic situation may be assessed through the tools of workplace psychology. It is important with this type of psych testing to make clear to all employees through a wide distribution of the assessments that everyone will have an interest in the results. Employees must not feel singled out as if the results of the test that only they take will determine his or her continued employment."
