Unemployment statistics in US Essay Example for Free

Unemployment statistics in US Essay Unemployment refers to a situation whereby a person who is able and willing to work is currently without a job. The total number of employed people plus the number of unemployed persons who are seeking work is referred to as labor force (US Bureau of Labour Statistics, 2010). The participation rate is the labor force divided by the total number of working age population that is not institutionalized (US Department of Labour, 2010). The unemployment level is the difference between the labor force and the total number of people who are currently employed. The unemployment rate is the level of unemployed divided by the total number of working population. There are different types of unemployment types in the overall macro-economy. They include frictional unemployment, structural unemployment, natural rate of unemployment and demand deficient unemployment. Frictional unemployment reflects the time taken by individuals to find and get settled in their new jobs. Structural unemployment is the difference between the skills and other attributes possessed by the labor force and what the employers actually demand. This type of unemployment considers employees who are undergoing re-training in order to start a new job as being unemployed. It is usually increased by technological changes. Natural rate of unemployment is the sum total of frictional and structural unemployment. It is considered to be the lowest rate of unemployment that is expected to be achieved by a stable economy. Demand deficient unemployment is the level of unemployment which is beyond the natural rate unemployment. Causes of unemployment According to Keynesian economics, unemployment results from deficit in effective demand for both goods and services in an economy (US Bureau of Labour Statistics, 2010). Other schools of thought attribute unemployment to structural problems and inefficiencies which are common in the labor markets. Classical economics attribute unemployment to rigidities in labor markets resulting from external environment such as unionization of workers, taxes, minimum wages and other factors that may limit hiring of new employees (US Department of Labour, 2010). Other economists view unemployment as a voluntary choice of the unemployed and the time it takes them to find a new job also referred to as frictional unemployment. Efficiency wages and sticky wages are seen by behavioral economists to be a cause of unemployment. Unemployment level in US Unemployment in 27 US states was reported to have increased in February 2010 while seven states reported a drop in unemployment. There was an increase in unemployment in the state of Mississippi by 0. 4 percent (highest increase). The unemployment in Detroit fell from 15. 3 to 14. 8. The unemployment nationally by February 2010 was reported by Labor Department to be 9. 7 percent. However, job layoffs were fewer than previously anticipated (Trading Economics, 2010). Since the onset of recession in December 2007, 8. 4 million jobs had been lost by March 2010. The US official unemployment was reported to be 9. 5% in June 2010. This accounted for about 14. 6 million unemployed Americans. The black teens were leading with unemployment of 39. 9% Asians had the lowest unemployment rate of 7. 7%. The total number of officially unemployed and the hidden unemployment (29. 1 million) account for 18. 2% of the labor force. The graph below illustrates the levels of unemployment in US between 1999 and 2009.

Shaping of Online and Offline Social Relationships

Shaping of Online and Offline Social Relationships INTRODUCTION Technically speaking internet is a global network of interconnected networks. All most all of these networks holds files such as web pages, that can be accessed by all other networked computers. Every computer or any device like cell phone etc which is connected to internet have the ability to send and receive files in the form of emails or another file extensions over the internet. And thus the people all over the world are connected always. If we place internet in the historical context and then critically examines the effect of internet use on the social relationships then we could see that the effects of internet use are largely depended on particular goals such as self-expression or competition. In 1998, Kraut and his colleagues cited a correlation between the internet use and declines in social relationships. After years the same group of people did a study on the original sample group and founded out that the negative effects of using internet had dissipated and also it sugges ted that the internet had a very positive effect on social and psychological wellbeing of the modern people. Here my aim or objective is to critically analyse the work done by Bo Xie on the topic The mutual shaping of online and offline social relationships. The author of this topic is Dr. Bo Xie, (PhD, Rensselaer Polytechnic ) Assistant Professor in college of information studies under the University of Maryland. She has published a number of books on information management. Her Research Interests are in Health informatics; older adults learning and use of computers and the Internet; computer literacy; lifelong learning; civic engagement; volunteering; social relationships; social support; online communities; health and well-being (http: //terpconnect.umd. Edu/~ boxie/).As a conclusion of my critical analysis I came to know that internet has both positive and negative effects on the social relationships in the modern world.Some of the positive effects are like online chatting, whic h will create new friendships and relationships which also helps in behind in touch with old friends .The same chatting could be the demerit when it creates wasteful relationships between people while chatting in the net for long hours. The positive effects of the internet on the social relationships may be crucial but the demerits of using internet might be destructive METHOD OF EVALUATION In the method of evaluation of the research author had interviewed thirty three participants from OldKids organisation whom falls under old age group and different educational backgrounds. Here the author tries to point out two culture specific groups. First -informed by anthropologists on the observation that the ageing experience difference over cultures and these participants were not selected by age but by self identification. It contained Chinese citizens. Second-retired Chinese participants. In the research the author speaks about the social relationships in the internet age and the social relationships in the later life. She says that the use of internet in this age reduces social relationship and increases the social isolation. The studies reveal that this concept was accepted before years but now the online relationships are more reliable ,realistic, low cost and easy reachable than in older days. She describes that the digital world or the internet age is completely indepen dent on on the offline or the physical world. This is a true fact and the two worlds are entirely different from each other with their own advantages and disadvantages.The virtual world helps each person to overcome from the embodied constraints such as sex, age , race and nationality and gives a quite environment from the outreach of the physical world. But there is also a chance of getting attracted more towards sexy relationships as the online users could pass their message shamelessly as they are not seeing each other face to face. The use of online relations also creates stage frightness in children. The virtual world creates the same situations prevailing in the physical world. This hypothesis is right from my point of view as well.Now we could do any thing in the virtual world that is happening in the physical world expect from the point of physical contacts. More recently the computer people had created even virtual bingos were a user could make a profile with a a character and that character could interact with the other characters whom are created by other users. From the evidences and the references the author argues that the social relationships created or formed and maintained through email are perceived by individuals are less valuable than the relationship created by the one to one face to face and telephonic relationships. This hypothesis is not completely acceptable as there are many evidence of people getting more and more engaged in relationships which is created through internet.But the hypothesis is acceptable from the point of view that people even cant remember even the names of their online friends. The supporting nature of the friendship is very less or rarely visible in online relationship.Evidences shows that friendship is more attached in the later life of older adults. The virtual online friends tries to meet and mingle in the physical world of relations. Thus online friends tends to meet their friends physically face to face TECHNIQUES USED FOR GATHERING DATA AND ANALYSIS The techniques used for the collection of datas to support my observations were absolutely secondary that is by reading the books, journels and and also surfing in the internet as the nature of the assignment is to critically analyse. As we analyse the datas available we could say that the research done by Dr.Bo Xie had some few limitations. The first one is that it has concidered only the people from china as the samples. The use of internet for making relationships in china may be different from other parts of the world. As China is technologically forward than many other countries the online relations could be more in China than in other countries.Second one is that the research selected only thirty three participants which is not sufficient for a good research to be conducted. But the technique used was random sampling which could provide with better results. The data collection would be better if it could do an online sampling which includes the people from other parts of the wo rld were there use of internet is not so common. Third one is that the samples contained only old people and it completely avoided the new generation which definitely would create a break through in the research. The data analysis for this study was controlled by grounded theory where the data collection and analysis occurs simultaneously to ensure the coevolution of the data and the theory.After interview with each person the author writes a short description about the feed back including the time and location of the interview.Its a long process of making a research which takes much time but helps to include each and every minute details of the observation. Then the analysis showed that the need to meet offline is in relation with the need to know more about computers and also to mingle with the friends in the same age group in the physical world. It also resulted in formations of some clubs as well. Internet helped the people to connect with the peers who were physically far away who were not in reach to the old people. This is also an acceptable fact but we should concider one point that internet is not available in rural parts of most of the world. LITERATURE REVIEW Greater use of the Internet was also associated with small, but statistically significant declines in social involvement as measured by communication with the family and the size of peoples local social networks, and with increases in loneliness, a psychological state associated with social involvement. ( Kraut et al,1998) A second study was then done on new purchasers of computer and televisions, and it also showed that the internet had a positive effect on social and psychological well-being. Unsurprisingly, this was more pronounced for extroverts and more socially connected people. (Kraut et al) Results of a new three year study are the first to reveal the social consequences of living in a highly-wired, broadband neighborhood. This research addresses recent interest in the effects of Internet use on relationships with friends, relatives and neighbors. The key finding is that living in a wired neighborhood with access to a high-speed local network encourages greater community invo lvement, expands and strengthens local relationships with neighbors and family, and helps maintain ties with friends and relatives living farther away. (Prof. Keith Hampton and Prof. Barry Wellman ) MAIN ARGUMENTS Main argument gives the strength and weakness of the research. Strengths The research has well explained how the online relations helped older people in finding their old peers and making new friends who are physically too far away from them. The theory used for the research that is the ground theory has strongly supported the findings and observations of the author. The interviews were conducted in depth and it has taken down all the points without any miss at the time of the interview.The analysis is so clear that every one could understand it without much difficulty.The research clearly mentions how the internet helped the old people in making a new online world of their own.The resarch gives references to many great books and authors to make it more reliable.It discusses the topic with a story which the make the readers more entertained. Weakness The research discusses only the positive aspects of old people using internet.The survey done was not a random survey which decreases the accuracy of the research. The number of persons selected for the research were very less like thirty three and also the members were selected from China only.The research did not give any individual details of the interviewees and it just give only an outline of a broader topic.The internet is mostly used by students teenagers etc who were not involved in this research.So there is a chance of getting inaccurate or even wrong dimensions to the research.It also not mentions about what happens in the other parts of the world where there is only a limited access to internet. DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION This research topic is more relevent to the modern world while evaluating deeply and is a must discussed topic.Firstly the use of internet to make peers for the old people is a topic which accurate to the modern world of stress and tension. Due to the increase in number of internet users the world becomes familiar to each individual.The topic is important because in near future nobody might be there who doesnt know how to work with internet. The evidences put forward by the researcher are all valid and the theory and the situation used are very supportive.The conclusion or the outcome of the research is sufficient in giving the idea of the topic. The research is transparent that the techniques used are quite appropriate and is been justified. Though the analysis was good the data collection was not upto the mark but also resulted in better outcome. The methodology is widely accepted type and sounds proper to the prevailing situation.Critically examining is the best way to interpret a research and also it helps in producing better outcomes and a modified future to the stakeholders CONCLUSION This critical review comes into the conclusion that the research has a positive attitude towards the online relationship at the same time it accepts the physical relationship as well. The aim of the research was to differentiate between online and offline relationship and it has done its job with perfection. The research is reliable, acceptable and adds value to the future world. The findings are based and built on theories so they are accurate .the theory shows that the number of people attracted towards online relationship is increased due to its positive aspects. Though online relation creates a virtual distance between the people it creates an awareness that we are one. The most polished quality of the topic falls in the relevant nature of the hosen topic. The results obtained can be used in most of the countries though it cannot be used in some of the rural parts of the world. The limitations of the research are overcome by the relevance and importance of the topic. The research gives great contribution to the modern world of computer. So the validity of the topic is very high.

Frigg Field Case Study

Frigg Field Case Study CUTTING AND REMOVAL OF PLATFORM FOUNDATIONS Callum Toole: 201662274 Antonios Poulis: 201685557 Marinos Mavroulis: 201667892 Abraham Ejiro Ibodje: 201653157 1.1 NORTH SEA Since the first steel piled jacket foundation (SPJF) was installed in the North Sea in 1967 there has been a total of 556 installed and 52 have been decommissioned after operational use. The operational water depth of the North Sea varies as SPJF are split into small and large categories. Of the original 556 foundations 392 were installed in water depths of less than 55m leaving 164 foundations reaching to depths of 190m (Oil Gas UK, 2012) (Offshore-mag, 2000). With oil and gas reserves depleting in this area more and more installations are applying for cease of production (CoP) to begin the decommissioning cycle. It has been estimated that over the next 25 years there will be  £35bn spent on decommissioning activity in the North Sea alone (Decom North Sea, 2014). 1.2 CASE STUDY FRIGG FIELD The Frigg Field is situated in the North Sea with 6 differing fixed foundation structures spread over UK and Norwegian blocks 10/1 and 25/1 respectively. These fixed foundations are a mixture of SPJF and Gravity Based Structures (GBS). For the remainder of this assignment the Frigg Field case study will only consider the cutting and removal of DP2 an 8 leg SJPF which supported a drilling and production platform Figure 2, (Total, 2003). Key aspects of the Frigg Field DP2 to be considered are: Water depth 98m (321.5ft) Production depth 1850m (6070ft) 24 wells drilled in total for production 20 original steel pile foundations (4 external at each corner leg and 4 internal at inner legs) (T Gram, 2011) at 60 diameter (Total, 2003) Jacket recovery via re-float technique after successful installation of buoyancy and cutting of foundations In the North Sea, the selection of the ROV system is vital to its success of the cutting and removal of the DP2 jacket foundations. This is due to the ever-changing dynamic offshore environment that effect cutting, lifting and removal of subsea infrastructure. 2.1 ROV UNIT The Oceaneering Millennium Plus (OMP) 220hp heavy work class ROV was selected for the cutting and removal of the Frigg DP2 foundations due to its operational capabilities. The ROVs working class design allows for front assembled dual manipulators to be interactive with the task in hand. Weighing in at 4,000kg the OMPs dimensions are 3.31.71.9m (LxWxH) (Oceaneering, 2017). The depth capabilities of the ROV exceed the depth needed to fully operate in the North Sea conditions at the Frigg site as it is rated for up to depths of 3,000m. A main consideration of the OMP is its station keeping abilities and dual hydraulic units of 110hp powering 4 vectored horizontal and 4 vertical propulsion units. This allows for 2,000lbs of thrust to be used in the lateral, forward and reverse directions with a vertical thrust of 2,800lbs. 2.2 VISIBILITY TOOL INTERACTION Another main consideration of the ROV selected is its ability to interact clearly with tooling and structures at the water depth. This is made possible by the dual manipulators having 5 degrees of function which is powered by a 24V DC and 110V AC power supply on board. To successfully clear, cut and remove the 20 pile foundations the OMP is versatile enough to interact with heavy duty tools to do the jobs of dredging, cutting and use its manipulators to fit buoyancy cans within 15 mm tolerance for removal operations (Oceaneering, 2017) (Total, 2011). The OMP will be interacting with a standalone subsea dredge and an External Cutting Tool when at operational depths. But also has the ability to be fitted with various skid pans if needed. The ECT selected for the cutting operations of the pile foundations is an abrasive water jet cutting approach due to its multi-dimensional clamp configurations that allow for various diameters form 16 72 pipe to be cut. This is made possible by 8 fully mounted 250W high intensity LED lighting units surrounding the front facing operating area working in conjunction with visuals. The visual output of the OMP comes from cameras which can either be standard, high or 3D high definition (HD) -   3D HD is preferred for the operations due to enhanced visuals allowing for a safer more efficient operation. 2.3 NAVIGATION Automatic controls for the OMP are used via fly by wire systems that allow for station keeping regarding depth, pitch, altitude and automatic pre-programmed headings. To allow for the altitude and headings to be correct a surveying grade gyro and backup fluxgate compass is available on board the ROV. Depth of the ROV unit is vital due to the foundations being at seabed level and to avoid collisions with the seabed and/or cuttings pilings in the area (Oceaneering, 2017). 2.4 LAUNCH AND RECOVERY SYSTEM (LARS) The adaptability of the OMP with regards to different LARS allows it to be used with multiple possible vessels when on site. There are various options available for the OMP: heavy weather over boarding, A-frame, cursor and heavy lift winching. To safely and successfully launch and recover the OMP an A-frame system was selected. This is due to its simplicity, lifting capabilities and cost reduction during mobilisation at a new site or location. 2.5 TETHER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (TMS) During under water operations the OMP can work either free swimming or via a TMS. Free swimming operations are directly connected to the ROV transmitting electrical power, mechanical payloads and optical signal by means of a tether during operations.   A TMS configuration includes the use of a side entry garage or a Top-hat connection where the topside umbilical is connected and then redistributes the power and signals to the ROV via a tethered connection. During this operation at the Frigg Field a Top-hat TMS would be used to guide, control and position the OMP throughout its cutting and removal operations. This is due to strong advantages such as: providing protection to the OMP as it is securely connected during launch and recovery, secure positioning reduces complications at splash zone interaction, the addition of the Top-hat TMS allows for a further working radius from the garage rather than free swimming operations and allowing for greater precision on deployment to the work site. A typical mission for the OMP varies depending on the level of cutting and removal of foundations during decommissioning operations. Regarding the case study adopted for the Frigg Field the typical mission expected would be as follows: Environmental checks would be carried out on the vessel to determine there is safe working conditions for the OMP to operate OMP and top-hat configuration would be connected and moved to launch platform of the A-frame Final checks of OMP before launch Launching and lowering of the OMP (via A-frame) into the water through the splash zone monitoring tension on the line Grounding at operational level of 98m Subsea pressure and containment checks then release from top-hat configuration Movement towards and interaction with dredging equipment via manipulators Dredging work carried out with standalone subsea dredge on completion the tooling would be removed Inspection of pile surfaces to be cut via front mounted cameras Interaction with ECT cutting equipment via manipulators Attachment of ECT cutting equipment to initial foundations monitoring workload from visuals Interaction with buoyancy sections being used for re-float x4 interaction, manipulation, fastening and final checks Final checks of whole system and foundation structure before final piles are cut Attachment of ECT cutting equipment for final cuts x4 carried out Monitoring the floating of the jacket structure and buoyancy module interaction via visuals Final checks of the seabed environment and coverage of unburied foundations Recovery operations via the top-hat configuration and return to surface Checks, assessment and maintenance of the ROV reported Having selected the OMP for the decommissioning and removal of the DP2 SPJF there are various areas that may cause difficulties during the installation, operating and maintaining the OMP. 4.1 SEA STATES WAVE AND CURRENTS In the Frigg field, the average speed of wind between the winter months December to February is about 9.9 m/s. For this wind velocity, waves are most likely to have a maximum height of 2.5m. However, during severe winter storms which occur roughly once per decade in the area, there is a significant possibility of wave average heights from 12.1m and maximum height of 24m. Currents do fluctuate, reliant on the speed and direction of the winds (Total, 2003). With these environmental considerations in the North Sea it was necessary to choose an ROV with high performance thrusters to aid in station keeping whilst operating. The OMP permits this with four powerful vectored horizontal and four vertical thrusters, which allow the system to move in four directions, vertical, lateral, roll and pitch comfortably with 2,000lbs of thrust available (Oceaneering, 2017). 4.2 LAUNCH AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS During launch and recovery operations there are expected difficulties such as: Large waves and high winds can cause the OMP and Top-hat TMS to swing wildly potentially impacting the vessel and causing damage to equipment Difficult deployment and recovery procedures when there a reduced deck space to accommodate the operation On drilling rigs the proximity of the OMP and Top-hat to the vessels hull and thrusters during entry and exit into the splash zone can become complicated Deployed extension cables can be required to reach satellite sites where it was not practical or possible to install via the Top-hat TMS 4.3 OPERATIONAL CUTTINGS Operational drill cuttings can be problematic with the removal of platform foundations due to its chemical makeup and mass surrounding the foundations at the sea bed. With the DP2 platform, 24 wells were drilled in total with an estimated upheaval of contained in an area of 80m x 120m at a maximum thickness of 20cm. Due to the low toxicity of the drilling mud used the cuttings can be removed and treated (Total, 2003). To combat this the OMP is capable of using a stand-alone 12 subsea dredge which can manipulate the suction nozzle aiding in the removal of drill cuttings and sediment surrounding the foundations before cutting operations (Oceaneering DTS, 2013). 5.1 OIL GAS The OMP can be used for different operations in the oil gas industry such as: inspection, maintenance and repair, installation, workover and control system (IWOCS), surveying, dredging, subsea tie-ins, flow assurance checks, assisting in the removal of subsea productions systems, mooring line servicing, cable laying operations, video servicing, acoustic positioning and BOP intervention. Such operations like these can take place in the deep-water environments up to 3,000m maximum operational depths of the OMP. With respect to maintenance, repair and installation operations, the OMP has the capacity of transferring hot tap fittings, pipeline clamps, misalignment ball connectors, swivel-ring flanges, breakaway joints, riser connections and other equipment for delivery, repair and installation. Trenching burial of pipes and cables are operations that are carried out by ROVs that have 200hp and above. The OMP can be considered for these types of laying and burial operations due to its classification and built in features (Oceaneering, 2017). One of the challenges facing operations in the offshore wind farm environment is observation and maintenance of fixed foundation based, cable monitoring, structural integrity checks and seabed surveys, the OMP is well suited to address these issues due to its comprehensive build, mostly in winter and less visible conditions (UnderwaterVision, 2017). 5.2 FRIGG FIELD VERSATILITY During the decommissioning operation of the DP2 jacket it became aware that extra preparation in cutting and removal of pile guides was needed to successfully fit and mount the buoyancy cans for removal. A solution to this was that a bespoke diamond wire tool and buoyancy solution was designed for operations to be carried out by ROV. With the OMP this could be successfully carried out due to its adaptability and tooling interaction (Proserv, 2017). 5.3 OCEAN SCIENCE The OMP can be used for scientific research under water such a sea animal and plants studies in natural environment, Arctic operations, if equipped with various sampling devices. Also, as it is equipped with 3D HD Camera (highly intensity LED) it can operate in extreme environments. Another strong versatile function is that it could be used for underwater interactions documentaries, filmmaking, archaeology projects, e.g. Mystery Mardi Gras shipwreck (Landis, 2017). 5.3 MILITARY The Millennium Plus vehicle optional power/ data interfaces (Ethernet/optical fibre) and other features built in it can be used for naval/military operation, primarily for mine hunting and mine breaking. Neutralizing and retrieving of explosives, moored mines and also inspection tasks like meteorology, detection of environmental hazard, port security, mine countermeasure and maritime intelligence. 5.4 FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE The over exploitation of the North Sea remains a highly-discussed topic to date to combat this there has been a growing market for offshore fish farms. A typical mission would involve the OMP to either help install or inspect and monitor fish inside, inspect netting/cages that have been used for containment. The manipulator operability would allow for heavy cages to be moved into place and fastened securely whilst clearly visual (R. D. Christ, 2014), The OMP can perform a widespread range of activities however there is still the possibility for improvements that may be considered for future development and improved efficiency. 6.1 VISUAL Currently the OMP can be fitted with either: Standard Definition (SD), High Definition (HD) or a 3D HD camera. For improved visibility during decommissioning operations and dredging procedures where the water conditions could be blurred due to sediment, an upgrade to a 4K Ultra HD camera would be beneficial. The light sensitivity and quality of video produced would offer the OMP user a confidence even when the seabed conditions are not clear to operate. The upgraded camera can be fitted with some more technical specifications such as noise reduction, a wider area of view and higher contrast. With these camera upgrades, the user will have less misrepresentations and even better situation and spatial awareness. 6.2 POWER OUTPUT THRUST CAPABILITIES Improving the hydraulic power units on board to 2 x 125hp would allow for an increase in 300lbs of thrust in the vertical, lateral, forward and reverse directions this would allow for the OMP to: improve its station keeping abilities, be quicker during launch and recovery, manoeuvre heavier standalone tools and extra up thrust would allow the OMP to return to the surface with heavier loads more efficiently. 6.3 MANIPULATORS Increasing the manipulators range of motion would allow for more detailed technical operations to be carried out and improve the pilot/ROV interaction. This could be made possible by improving the dual manipulators to have 7 degrees of function and mounting a wrist camera assembly to improve visibility (Oceaneering, 2017). A manipulator that could be considered could be the TITAN 4 with its 7 degrees of motion, titanium material characteristics to reduce weight and titanium wrist mounted camera to increase visibility (FMC Technologies, 2017). Decom North Sea, 2014. Decommissioning in the North Sea Review of Decommissioning Capacity, s.l.: Decom North Sea. FMC Technologies, 2017. http://www.f-e-t.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.f-e-t.com/images/uploads/Schilling_Titan_4_with_Spares_Kit.pdf[Accessed 4 March 2017]. Landis, N., 2017. Naultilus Productions. [Online] Available at: http://nautilusproductions.com/projects/mystery-mardi-gras-shipwreck-documentary[Accessed 4 March 2017]. Oceaneering DTS, 2013. DTS Tooling. [Online] Available at: http://www.oceaneering.com/oceandocuments/brochures/subseaproducts/Oceaneering-DTS-Catalog-2013.pdf[Accessed 4 March 2017]. Oceaneering, 2017. http://www.oceaneering.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.oceaneering.com/oceandocuments/brochures/rov/ROV%20-%20Nexxus.pdf[Accessed 4 March 2017]. Oceaneering, 2017. Millennium Plus 220hp heavy work class ROV. [Online] Available at: http://www.oceaneering.com/oceandocuments/brochures/rov/ROV%20-%20Millennium%20Plus.pdf [Accessed 4 March 2017]. offshore Energy Today, 2012. http://www.offshoreenergytoday.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/tag/ocean-installer/page/2/[Accessed 10 March 2017]. Offshore-mag, 2000. Offshore-mag.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-60/issue-8/news/two-part-kvitebjoslashrn-jacket-will-break-north-sea-water-depth-record.html[Accessed 19 Feb 2017]. Oil Gas UK, 2012. Oil Gas UK The Decommissioning of Steel Piled Jackets In the North Sea Region, s.l.: Oil Gas UK. Proserv, 2017. http://www.proserv.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.proserv.com/media/case-studies/decommissioning/frigg-field/[Accessed 4 March 2017]. R. D. Christ, R. L. W., 2014. The ROV Manual A User Guide for Remotely Operated Vehicles. 2nd ed. Waltham: Elsevier. stevo6187, 2017. imagala.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.imagala.com/post/1X5SEdD4ZD[Accessed 4 March 2017]. T Gram, R. K. J. K. M. J. E. K. C. H. A. S., 2011. Decommissioning of Frigg and MCP01 A Contractor View. Offshore Technology Conference, Volume 21708. Total, 2003. Frigg Field Cessation Plan, Stravanger: Total. Total, 2011. Frigg Field Cessation Plan Close Out Report, s.l.: Total. UnderwaterVision, 2017. Underwater Vision. [Online] Available at: http://www.underwatervision.co.uk/services/wind-farms-and-offshore/[Accessed 4 March 2017].

Othello: Moral and Immoral Aspects of the Play Essay -- GCSE Coursewor

Othello: Moral and Immoral Aspects of the Play  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Certain aspects of the moral dimension of the Shakespearean tragedy Othello are obvious to the audience, for example, the identity of the most immoral character. Other aspects are not so noticeable. Let us in this essay consider in depth this dimension of the drama.    Francis Ferguson in â€Å"Two Worldviews Echo Each Other† describes the deception of Iago: how he paints as evil a guiltless association between Cassio and Desdemona:    The main conflict of the play is a strange one, for Othello cannot see his opponent until too late. But the audience sees with extraordinary clarity. In Act II Iago tricks Cassio into disgracing himself, and then takes advantage of the guileless affection between Cassio and Desdemona to create, for Othello, the appearance of evil. He explains this scheme to the audience, with mounting pleasure, as it develops; and by Act III he is ready to snare Othello himself. . . .(133)    The moral and immoral dimension of Othello, especially the latter, is enhanced simply by its location in Italy. Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar in â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello† comment on how the exotic setting of this play satisfied the Elizabethan dramatist’s dream of portraying evil:    Elizabethan dramatists were fond of portraying characters of consummate evil, and if they could lay the scenes in Italy, all the better, because the literature and legend of the day were filled with stories of the wickedness of Italy. [. . .] Venice especially had a glamor and an interest beyond the normal. Every returning traveler had a tall tale to tell about the beauty and complaisance of Venetian women, the passion, jealousy, and quick anger o... ...reenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare: The Pattern in His Carpet. N.p.: n.p., 1970.    Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Introduction to The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare. N. p.: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1957.      

Treatment of Transgender Prisoners Essay examples -- Rights of Transge

Transgender people in today’s society have it hard enough; going to prison is even harder due to the risks associated to someone who is transgendered. People who are transgendered risk their health and well-being while being locked up in prison. They face a variety of issues while they are incarcerated such as housing, physical, emotional abuse and most of all denial to their basic medical needs that helps express who they are through their gender. Transgender people are discriminated against due to a variety of reasons. We will look at how being transgendered in prison affects their right to health care, how health care laws are changing for people who have transgender identity disorder (GID) and how the Eighth Amendment is changing the care they receive while they are incarcerated. Without the right to receive hormone therapy, that they would otherwise receive on the outside, they risk having both emotional and physical issues. â€Å"The federal government and almost every state recognize transgender people’s right to change their name and to have identification documents with the gender marker that matches their gender identity.† (Jami Kathleen Taylor, 2007) There are a lot of misconceptions on what the meaning of transgender is, some think that they only become the person whether it is male to female, or female to male after surgery. What people fail to realize is that every transgender person transitions in their own way. So what does transgender mean and what is transgender identity disorder? According to the American Psychological Association," transgender" is "umbrella term whose gender identity, gender expression, or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they wer... ...ation and the Law. Thomson West. Phillips, J. (2012, September 28). Gender Identity Disorder in Prison: Depending on a Diagnosis That is soon to Disappear? Retrieved October 4, 2013, from PSYCHIATRIC TIMES: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/gender-disorders/content/article/10168/2105073 Silpa, M. (2011). Note, Hormone Therapy for Inmates: A Metonym for Transgender Rights,20. CORNELL J.L. & PUB. POL’Y , 807, 819–20. Standards of Care. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2013, from World Professional Association of Transgender Health: http://www.wpath.org/documents/Standards%20of%20Care%20V7%20-%202011%20WPATH.pdf. WIS. STAT.  § 302.386(5m)(b). (2009-2010). WIS.STAT.  § 302.386(5m) (2009–2010). www.basicrights.org. (2012, August 22). Retrieved November 8, 2013, from hhttp://www.basicrights.org/featured/affordable-care-act-aca-implications-for-the-transgender-community/

Effective Team and Performance Management Essay

Effective Team and Performance Management Introduction            This is a report on the case study on team performance management of Electric Company. The report will borrow on theory and practice of both leadership and team management in order to explain the need for organisations to employ the use of employee teams which is a strategy designed to improve the performance of the employees. The report will begin with an introduction of the organisation in the case study and then proceed to the aims and objectives of the report. This will be followed by a discussion of the theories that have been used to describe team performance as well as the substitution of leaders by the teams. In this section, an empirical review on these theories will also be carried out. Finally, the conclusions and recommendations will be presented.            Electron, is a small manufacturing company that deals with the manufacture of telecommunications components. The company was established in 1997 and its headquarters is in the North of England. It should be noted that 90 out of 150 employees working at the headquarters work in the manufacturing department. The company operates using the traditional organisation structure divided into various departments such as manufacturing, finance, human resource, sales and marketing and engineering departments. The management of the company decided to group the employees in the manufacturing department into 8 teams each consisting of 10 employees in order to increase their efficiency in terms of the quality and the quantity of work done. The management of the company wanted to establish whether the teams would perform better as compared to when employees were working individually. This report therefore aims to evaluate the performance of the selected teams borrowing heavily on theory and empirical evidence to determine the appropriateness of dividing employees into teams. the report will also rely heavily on the relevant work of other researchers and academicians. The report will also make conclusions on the performance of teams as well as make recommendations on what the best practices are on employee team performance (Mueller, Procter & Buchanan, 2000).            Team PerformanceIn today’s organisations, employees are increasingly being allocated to work groups as part of the strategy to increase their efficiency and output. This is also being done in order to ensure that employees work together in a more effective way and are able to exploit their potential to grow and develop in an optimal way. These work groups are normally designed such that the employees are working together on some common activities in manner that is co-ordinated and in most occasions, these activities cannot be carried out successfully through individual effort alone. In such a case where employees are working together in group for a common goal, this is normally referred to as team work and the groups are normally referred to as teams. It should be noted that in an organisation setting, managers or supervisors can form employee teams on a temporary or permanent basis and the compositions of these teams varies with the purpose for which the te am is created in the first place. This means that there are teams that will constitute of employees from the same department while there are teams which will be made up of employees from across the various departments of the organisation. There are various attributes that will determine whether a team is successful in its activities; however, of a lot of importance is the support from senior management, training and development as well as the devotion and dedication of team members in the execution of their duties (Parker, 1990).            Teams and leadershipTeams are today required to take care of a lot of the duties that were previously assigned to supervisors and therefore various scholars and academicians have made suggestions that teams have come to be substitutes of leadership in organisations of the 21st century. They also argue that as a result of this change, supervisors on the other hand have also evolved from being foremen to mere facilitators of the activities of the team members (Huusko, 2006). In practice therefore, in a situation where the organisation employees are divided into teams, the number of supervisors greatly reduce since the hierarchical structure of the organisation is lowered and the organisation adopts a more flat organisation structure. This therefore means that the role of leadership in the organisation is faced with a new challenging situation where they no longer have a clearly laid down way of operating as their duties have been taken over by the new teams.            There are various theories that have attempted to explain the idea of the substitution of leadership and an example of such is the idea that deals with the idea of moderators that are known to influence the actions of leaders and leaders’ substitutes in different ways. The idea suggests that most of the current arrangements evident in organisations today such as teams, management from a distance and others have various effects on the roles of leaders in the organisation and can either support them or substitute them and even reduce the impact that leaders have on the employees of the organisation. This can occur in a case where the management and the employees are separated by a long distance and may therefore not understand the instructions given to them by their supervisors if proper communication channels have not been established. Researchers on leadership substitutes have also brought a legal angle into the discussion where they argue that employees may receive the needed guidance or instructions from their supervisors but take it for granted that the information comes from the supervisors as they are the primary suppliers of such information in the organisational structure (Howell et al., 1990).            In the case of Electric Company, it is evident that the older team members were given the responsibility of ensuring that the new team members understood the norms of the team and that they obeyed the rules of the team as well as ensure that they were fully and successfully integrated into the value based social order. This therefore means that the role of supervisors and other leadership persons in the organisation was taken over by the older members of the teams indicating that there was a substitution of leadership roles by the teams. This has been clearly supported by both the theories above and the empirical evidence.            Another theory that explains the substitution of leadership by team members is the theory of functional leadership. Researchers have used this leadership perspective to argue that effective team leaders are normally able to follow the activities of their team members and also normally take over any leadership roles in the team at any time when there is need for such an action (Zaccaro, Rittman, & Marks, 2001). This means that a team leader’s primary responsibility in the organisation is to plan the activities of the team and to continuously follow the activities of the team members as well as to determine the functions that are not being carried out in the right way and those that are missing in order to either perform the duties themselves or ensure that team members are made aware of them and directed to carry them out. The functional leadership theory is based on the premise that certain team circumstances normally drive the actions of the team members as well as the team leaders and they therefore call for some leadership activities to be adopted by the team leaders. This means that once the team leaders adopt these jobs then the leaders are left with no duties and therefore become useless in the organisational structure (Zaccaro, 2002).            In most organisations therefore, this theory suggests that leadership behaviours become irrelevant and ineffective in guiding the actions of the teams and therefore the success of teams does not require the involvement of leaders but the guidance of the team leaders and the dedication of the team members. The argument by this theory is therefore in line with the contingency theories of leadership which suggest that leadership effectiveness is normally influenced by the context of leadership, the situation facing the leader at a particular time as well as the organisational conditions at specific times (House, 1971). This means that the characteristics and behaviours of the team members and the team leaders are able to take the place of leadership processes thereby substituting the role of leadership in the organisation. This moves the focus of leadership functions from the person or individual leader to the functions of leadership and extends the idea that leadersh ip functions can be found from other sources other than the organisational leaders themselves.            This is the situation that was experienced by the employees at Electron Company when new members were introduced into the teams. the old team members who were already aware of the values and norms of their teams naturally assumed leadership roles and guided the new members to understand and identify with these team values as they best as they could as this is what drove the dedication of team members in general as well as the performance of the team as compared to the other teams. The result was that the older team members were exerting control over the actions of the new team members and therefore the new team members saw the need to follow the laid down values of the team. This led to a situation where the new team members also started controlling themselves in terms of their actions and behaviour towards work and other team members (Kerr & Jermier, 1978). This therefore made it possible for the values and norms of the teams to be translated into simple rules and regulations that all new employees could understand easily and therefore fit into their assigned teams with ease. The assumption of the responsibility of guiding the new team members by the old team members therefore substituted the need for leadership in the management of the company.            The new way of carrying out duties amongst the team members resulted in a situation where the common values and norms of the team members were gradually turned into properly laid down rules and regulation and it was the responsibility of each team member to follow them in order to effectively contribute to the success of the organisation at large. This therefore means that team members were no longer acting on the instructions of the team leaders but their actions were being guided by the rules and regulations that they had set up themselves. Team members found it easy to follow these rules and regulations as they had played a part in their making and therefore felt more comfortable following hem unlike in a case where these rules had been established by the management of the company without their involvement in any way. Team members found it hard not to follow the rules because of the peer pressure that they experienced from other team members and due to the fact that the rules were such that failure to follow them would lead to punitive actions against the team member. Employee effectiveness was therefore ensured through peer pressure and the fact that older members were very keen to avoid a situation where they could be seen as being too harsh to the new employees. They therefore ensured that they carried out their duties according to the laid down procedures and therefore the new team members were left with no option but to adapt to the situation and follow the actions of the older ones. This situation effectively removed the need for leadership individuals in the structure as the team members were able to control them and ensure that all employees worked for the greater good of the company (Kerr & Jermier, 1978).            Determinants of team performanceResearchers have argued that although most employee groups can be referred to as teams, it should be noted that there are several major differences that distinguish groups and teams and these are very important for anyone to understand in order not to make the mistake of confusing the two. In most cases, groups are normally made up of people who meet through the fact that they share a common interest such as past time activity or sport while a team on the other hand can still be made up of people who share a common interest but the major reason for their being in the same team is the fact that they have complimentary abilities or qualities. This means that for a team to succeed in what they do, they have to work together and combine their efforts and skills otherwise they will just be working as individuals. The main advantage of teams is that they have the energy and the power needed to complete particular tasks and activities which would have been impossible if there was no team in the first place and an individual was carrying out the task by their own. It has been argued that although each member of the team has some unique abilities or skills, they cannot be able to use them and succeed in the execution of the task if they are working alone and therefore they must be in the team for their efforts to count in the execution of the task or activity (Guzzo & Dickson, 1996).            Researchers have also argued that one of the important factors that determine the way people conduct themselves when they are in a team is self-awareness. In today’s business setting, most organisations, through the use of human resource development professionals as well as consultants, have developed various tests that are designed to help employees more self-aware thereby improving their understanding of themselves and what motivates them to act in particular ways. Researchers have however noted that the results of the assessments normally rely on the individual employee’s self-reporting and therefore the outcome of the tests may not be objective in nature and in most cases they are always positive as it is human nature not to say anything negative about oneself. The reason for this is that human beings are known to agree with their personal thoughts. Researchers therefore suggests that employees may fake their personal abilities and they may also b e unrealistic in the way they view themselves and therefore the opinion of others about our abilities or attributes may be disregarded when assuming team roles. This means that the performance of the team may be adversely affected if only an individual’s opinion is considered when assigning team roles (Belbin, 1981).            Various researchers such as Salas, Cooke, & Rosen, (2008) and Cohen & Bailey (1997) have empirically examined the issue of team performance. Traditionally, the effectiveness of a team has been measured by researchers and academicians either through the use of unidimensional models of effectiveness such as real productivity of the team and the objective measurement of team performance or through the use of multidimensional models which normally adopt a wider spectrum of measures other than productivity. These other measures could be the attitude of the members of the team, their behaviour and their levels of job satisfaction (Pina, Martinez, & Martinez, 2008). Empirical research has also revealed that there are three most common measurements that are used to measure team effectiveness and these are performance effectiveness measured in terms of the quality and quantity of the team output, the attitude of the team members measured in terms of level of trust and level of job satisfaction and finally the behavioural outcomes of team members measure in terms of employee turnover and the level of absenteeism among the team members. Researchers however point out that the three measures are used in varying degrees in each team and the degree of usage in a specific team will be influenced by the type of activities that the team engages in (Pina et al., 2008).            ConclusionsThe evaluation of the theories and empirical literature carried out above regarding substitution of leadership functions by the use of teams in organisations shows that it is clear that the future of organisations is towards the establishment of employee teams in the quest for much more concentrated efforts in delivering efficient services and in ensuring that employees are able to maximise their growth and development potential within the organisations. It is clear that using teams in organisations leads to a situation where team members tend to come up with their own norms and values that guide their actions and behaviours and these values and norms finally end up being translated into laws and regulations that all employees in the team can clearly understand and are expected to follow without being reminded by the leaders in the organisation (Mullen, et al., 1994). The emergence of these rules laid down by the team members themselves lead to a situati on where all members of the team know their exact duties and roles in the team and therefore carry out their duties without the need for supervision. This situation has effectively reduced the need for leaders in the organisation as their roles have been slowly eroded by the activities of these teams. This is exactly what happened in the case of Electric Company where the rules that were established by team members took the place of supervisors in guiding the actions of employees. These teams also influence the performance of individual employees and it has been established that individuals in teams tend to perform much better than if they were working individually.            RecommendationsFollowing the discussion above and the conclusions that have been made regarding the role of teams in the organisations and how their performance can be measured and improved, there are various recommendations to the management of companies that will lead to the better performance of teams and the organisations in general. The management of Electric Company should develop a human resource development program aimed at training the team leaders on the formal decision making process and other managerial roles in order to ensure that they are more effective in guiding their team members to better performance. The management of the company should also ensure that selection and assignment of employees to different teams should take into account the individual skills and abilities of the employees in order to ensure that they contribute to the well-being of the organisation through improved performance. Finally, employees themselves should ensure that they follow the laid down team rules and regulations and therefore ensure that they carry out their team roles without being reminded as their individual actions are what will lead to the success of the entire team. It is therefore important for organisations to consider developing various teams among their employees as this will lead to better performance and may also lead to lower costs incurred to maintain supervisors and other leaders in the organisation. References Belbin R. M. (1981) Management Teams: Why they succeed or fail. London, Butterworth-Heinemann.Guzzo, R. A., & Dickson, M. W. (1996). Teams in organizations: Recent research on performance and effectiveness. Annual Review of Psychology, 47, 307–338. House, R. J. (1971). A path-goal theory of leader effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly, 15, 321–338. Howell, J.P., Bowen, D.E., Dorfman, P.W., Kerr, S. & Podsakoff, P.M. (1990), Substitutes for leadership: effective alternatives to ineffective leadership, Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 20-38. Huusko, L. (2006), The lack of skills: an obstacle in teamwork, Team Performance Management: An International Journal, Vol. 12 Nos 1/2, pp. 5-16. Kerr, S., & Jermier, J. M. (1978). Substitutes for leadership: Their meaning and measurement, Organizational Behaviour and Human Performance, vol. 22 no.3, pp. 375–403. Mueller, F., Procter, S. & Buchanan, D. (2000), Teamworking in its context(s): antecedents, nature and dimensions, Human Relations, Vol. 53 No. 11, pp. 1387-424. Parker, G. M. (1990). Team Players and Teamwork: The New Competitive Business Strategy. Oxford: Jossey-Bass Zaccaro, S. J. (2002). Organizational leadership and social intelligence. In R. E. Riggio, S. E. Murphy, & F. J. Pirozzolo (Eds.), Multiple intelligences and leadership (pp. 29–54). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Zaccaro, S. J., Rittman, A. L., & Marks, M. A. (2001). Team leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 12, 451–483. Cohen, S. G., & Bailey, D. E. (1997). What makes teams work: Group effectiveness research from the shop floor to the executive suite. Journal of Management, 23(3), 239–290. Salas, E., Cooke, N. J., & Rosen, M. A. (2008). On teams, teamwork, and team performance: Discoveries and development. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 50(3), 540–547. Pina, M. I. D., Martinez, A. M. R., & Martinez, L. G. (2008). Teams in organizations: A review on team effectiveness. Team Performance Management, 14(1/2), 7–21. Mullen, B., Anthony, T., Salas, E., & Driskell, J. E. (1994). Group cohesiveness and quality of decision making: An integration of tests of the groupthink hypothesis. Small Group Research, 25(2), 189–204. Source document

Martial Law Essay

Batas Militar. Commonly known in its English translation as â€Å"Martial Law†. As stated in the 1973 Constitution of the Philippine Republic that the Prime Minister as the Commander-in-Chief may declare Martial Law under the same conditions, â€Å"in case of invasion, insurrection or rebellion, or imminent danger thereof, the public safety requires it. The President however, using this provision may corrupt the Military forces and become hostage of ambitious Generals who may want to exercise power through a puppet President, without corresponding responsibility. This provision as written in the Article VII, Section 10, Paragraph 2 placed the entire Republic of the Philippines as defined in Article I, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Republic during the Marcos Regime is the root of the Proclamation 1018 that has been executed on September 21, 1972 and remained in force until January 17, 1981. This proclamation also suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus, this suspends the human rights of an accused person to be fight for what he believe is right in front of an authority, but instead his fate depends upon the attitude of the President towards him. On the first days of this proclamation, I believe the country responded well, because they also believe that the Philippines is sick, rebellion against the government has been in power in some rural places and communist armed forces are trying to invade the nation. But I also believed that the authority who is Ferdinand Marcos during that time exceeded to his limitations as the head of state. During the Martial law, Marcos amended the constitution for several times and I believe he used this for his own good. Democracy has been ceased and no news opposing the Marcos administration can be seen in broadsheet and even in the broadcast media such as radio and television, they also put into closure those media stations that attack the wrong doings and failures of the Marcos administration. They put into prison those people whose only objective is to say what they think is right and what they think is best for the nation. Democracy and human rights has been violated during this time, not to mention the allegations of corruption and violation of its own constitution has been brought to the face of President Marcos. The most influential person to be put into prison is Sen. Benigno â€Å"ninoy† Aquino. He’s against the Marcos regime and its corrupt performance. He’s death is the eye opener of the Filipino people who is frightened and afraid to speak out against the Marcos administration, but before that, after he was put into prison, he was exiled to the United States of America, and because of love of country and people and also, maybe, because of his desire to be the next president of the Republic he returned back to his homeland and face the consequences, he was assassinated at the tarmac of Manila International Airport and after how many years named after him and was known nowadays as Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I certainly believed that during the Martial Law era, not to mention the good things that this proclamation brought to us such as discipline, obedience and loyalty to the one who is in power. This proclamation of Martial law has been used by the authorities in such a way that the citizens of this nation will hate them, violating their own constitution, corrupting the money of the people, corrupting the rights of the citizens, corrupting the minds of the military whose prime objective is to defend the nation and not to hurt it citizens. Martial law brought back the love of country and desire to have democracy not dictatorship of the one who is power. Martial law opened the minds of the citizens to move, to join, to fight, and to love freedom. Human Rights should not be sacrificed just to obtain a common goal. In order for us to move forward, we should set our goals and vision with due respect to the rights of the citizens and respect to our own constitution.