Free College Essays - Characters of The Parable :: Parable Essays

Characters of The Parable In The Parable several characters are presented to the reader.   Each one has their own   behavioral characteristics which one may or my not approve of.   The two characters whose behaviors I most approve of are Lee Pai and Hernando.   The characters whose behaviors I do not approve of are Sven and John.   There are several reasons why I approve of the behaviors of Lee Pai and Hernando and do not approve of   the behaviors of Sven and John.   All of   these reasons I have based on my interpretation of the story, The Parable.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Parable is a story about Rosemary, a young woman   who is betrothed to a man named Hernando.   Rosemary is supposed to meet Hernando for there up coming wedding but she is faced with a dilemma.   In order for her to get to her wedding she has to cross a very deep and wide river that is full of crocodiles.   Rosemary is clueless on how she is to get across   this river, so she decides to turn to people, she knows, for help.   The first person she turns to is Sven for he owns a boat.   Sven listens to Rosemary's   problem and tells her he will take her across the river if   she spends the night with him.   Rosemary, surprised and shocked at hearing such an offer, declines and turns to another acquaintance, Lee Pai, for help.   Lee Pai tells Rosemary he is sorry but he can't help her.   Not knowing what else she can do, Rosemary goes back to Sven for help.   She spends the night with him and the next day he takes her across the river.   Rosemary and Hernando are then together at last.   The evening before their wedding, Rosemary feels the need to tell   Hernando what she had to do to get across the river.   When she tells Hernando, he is very hurt and upset.   He calls the wedding off and "banishes Rosemary as a soiled woman" (The Parable).   Rosemary is very distraught over this and turns to John (an acquaintance) for a little comfort.   After hearing her story John says to Rosemary that even though he does not love her, he will marry her.   With this, the story comes to an end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are   two characters in the story, The Parable, that   I approve of .   These two characters are Lee Pai and Hernando.

Adolescents and Sleep-Deprivation: Should High School Classes Start La

Seventeen-year-old Jilly Dos Santos (a student of Rock Bridge High School) struggled every morning to be at school for 7:50 a.m. Rushing to put on makeup, skipping breakfast, and being tardy was common for Jilly. â€Å"I will die†¦I will drop out of school† claimed Jilly when she found out that the school board was considering moving the start of the school day 30 minutes earlier (Hoffman 2). Jilly became a sleep activist because she knew that, biologically, adolescents go to bed and wake up later. Mary Carskadon, considered to be an expert on sleep and circadian rhythms of adolescents, claims that adolescents should receive about 9 hours of sleep a night (Onyper). Many students suffer from sleep-deprivation due to alterations in the peak times of melatonin production, a hormone directly involved in sleepiness, and personal schedules, which affects the body in various ways (Nathan). For example, sleep-deprivation lowers levels of leptin, which is the main hormone involved in the regulation of appetite, thus increasing the chance of overeating (Spiegel). It also increases the chances of depression and affects the levels of cortisol, a toxic hormone induced by stress (Bergland). I believe that classes for 13-21 year-olds should start later because it would result in adolescents sleeping more, performing better in school, and reduce health risks. Based on evidence that adolescents need more sleep, psychologists are starting to believe that schools start too early. Let us say that a school starts classes at 7:30a.m. Students would have to wake up around 6 in order to have the time necessary to get dressed, eat breakfast, and make it to school by 7:30. In order for adolescents to get at least 9 hours of sleep, they would have to go to ... ...014 Hoffman, Jan. â€Å"To Keep Teenagers Alert, Schools Let Them Sleep In.† New York Times. 13 Mar 2014: n.p. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. Nathan, Nila, and Jamie Zeitzer. "A Survey Study Of The Association Between Mobile Phone Use And Daytime Sleepiness In California High School Students." BMC Public Health 13.1 (2013): 1-5. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. Oynper, Serge. â€Å"Class Start Times, Sleep, and Academic Performance in College: A Path Analysis.† Chronobiology International. 15.1 (2012): 318-324. EBSCO. Web. 4th Feb. 2014. Pejovic, Slobodanka, et al. â€Å"Leptin And Hunger Levels In Young Healthy Adults After One Night Of Sleep Loss.† Journal Of Sleep Research 19.4 (2010): 552-558. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Spiegel, Karine. â€Å" The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Hormones and Metabolism.† Medscape.org. n.p. August 2005. Web. 13 April 2014.

Clear Lake :: essays research papers

I looked ahead of myself, letting my feet do the work, for a moment. The trail seemed so distant and lengthy in front of me. The blue sky filled with scattered puffy, white like cotton clouds. The long grasses tickled at my legs, which were covered with nothing more than my shorts. My boyfriend and I were on our annual hike to Clear Lake. An obviously attractive name for a beautiful body of water. Clear Lake was an icy cold from the glacier run off but after a 2 day hike up a mountain ridge it always seemed enjoyable and refreshing. The lake itself was surrounded by magnificently smooth boulders, which I was told, became so soft to touch from glaciers.The water was undeniably clear and inviting, covered by small pebbles at the bottom and little ripples on the surface. On one side of the small,clear lake was a discreet beach away from the trail. But the lake itself was very discreet at the most people I would ever see is maybe 1 or 2 in a day. Todd, my boyfriend, and I lay on the beach the years before in each others arms. Watching as insects passed over our heads and the world turned while the cotton clouds moved from left to right.It surprises me that we are up here so soon considering the nightmare we experienced the previous year. I sighed and dared to reach back into my head and pull out the dreaded memories I had tried to neglect.The night was young but Todd and I had been hiking all day. Our feet ached along with many other body parts. We built a fire and were up past the lake because we decided to explore a little bit further up, considering we both had some extra days off of work. The winter had been a cold one and there seemed to be little snow melting because the lake appeared low. I felt a chill descend through my body and my hair stuck straight up out of every hair follicle in my body. Leaning back, I took notice to the moon and saw how crisp and serene the mountain sky was. I always loved looking at stars when I went camping, there are so many more to see to the naked eye. The milky way was so easy to see, it looked as though someone had accidentally spilt glitter on a piece of black construction paper. Clear Lake :: essays research papers I looked ahead of myself, letting my feet do the work, for a moment. The trail seemed so distant and lengthy in front of me. The blue sky filled with scattered puffy, white like cotton clouds. The long grasses tickled at my legs, which were covered with nothing more than my shorts. My boyfriend and I were on our annual hike to Clear Lake. An obviously attractive name for a beautiful body of water. Clear Lake was an icy cold from the glacier run off but after a 2 day hike up a mountain ridge it always seemed enjoyable and refreshing. The lake itself was surrounded by magnificently smooth boulders, which I was told, became so soft to touch from glaciers.The water was undeniably clear and inviting, covered by small pebbles at the bottom and little ripples on the surface. On one side of the small,clear lake was a discreet beach away from the trail. But the lake itself was very discreet at the most people I would ever see is maybe 1 or 2 in a day. Todd, my boyfriend, and I lay on the beach the years before in each others arms. Watching as insects passed over our heads and the world turned while the cotton clouds moved from left to right.It surprises me that we are up here so soon considering the nightmare we experienced the previous year. I sighed and dared to reach back into my head and pull out the dreaded memories I had tried to neglect.The night was young but Todd and I had been hiking all day. Our feet ached along with many other body parts. We built a fire and were up past the lake because we decided to explore a little bit further up, considering we both had some extra days off of work. The winter had been a cold one and there seemed to be little snow melting because the lake appeared low. I felt a chill descend through my body and my hair stuck straight up out of every hair follicle in my body. Leaning back, I took notice to the moon and saw how crisp and serene the mountain sky was. I always loved looking at stars when I went camping, there are so many more to see to the naked eye. The milky way was so easy to see, it looked as though someone had accidentally spilt glitter on a piece of black construction paper.

Motivationed and Social Adjustment

41 B. Ed. ELECTIVE COURSE IV GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING OBJECTIVES: At the end of the course, the student- teachers will be able to To recall the principles underlying guidance To recognize the need of guidance and counselling in schools To describe the different services in the school guidance programme To acquire the skills necessary to administer and interpret standardized tools To know the qualities required for a good counsellor UNIT-I Guidance Guidance- Meaning, Definitions, Aims, Nature, Principles and Needs.TypesEducational, Vocational, Personal, Social- Relationship between guidance and Counselling – Benefits- Limitations UNIT-II Counselling Counselling– Meaning, Definitions, Elements-Characteristics – Objectives – Need – Types: Directive Counselling, Non-Directive Counselling, Eclectic Counselling – Meaning, Characteristics, Steps, Advantages, Limitations – Difference between Counselling and Guidance. UNIT-III Guidance Movement in India History of guidance movement in India – Problems of guidance movement in India – Ways to improve guidance movement in India.UNIT-IV Qualities of a Counsellor Counsellor – Qualities – Functions- Professional Ethics- Difference between Counsellor and Teacher. UNIT-V Group Guidance and Group Counselling Group guidance – Meaning, Definition, Objectives, Problems, Significance – Techniques, Uses. Group counselling – Meaning, Requirements – Uses. 42 UNIT – VI Theories of Vocational Choice Theories of Vocational Choice – Ginzberg, Super, Holland, Havighurst, Structural theory UNIT –VII Non –Testing Devices in Guidance Non-testing devices in guidance: Observation – Cumulative record, Anecdotal record, Case study, Autobiography, Rating Scale, Sociometry etc.UNIT-VIII Testing Devices in Guidance Testing devices in guidance-Meaning, Definition, Measurement, Uses of psychological tests: Intellig ence tests – Aptitude tests- Personality InventoriesAttitude scales – Achievement tests – Creativity tests -Mental health – frustrationconflict. UNIT- IX Guidance Services in Schools Guidance services at different school levels–Meaning, Significance, Types – Organisation of Guidance services in schools – Role of guidance personnel – Career and Occupational Information – sources, gathering, filing, dissemination- Career Corner- Career Conference.UNIT X Guidance for Exceptional Children Guidance for Exceptional Children- Meaning and Types. Guidance for gifted, backward, mentally retarded, orthopaedically handicapped, visually impaired, deaf and dumb, juvenile delinquents. SUGGESTED REFERENCE BOOKS: Chauhan, S. S. (2008). Principles and techniques of guidance. UP: Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd. Sharma, R. N. (2008). Vocational guidance & counseling. Delhi: Surjeet Publications. Jones, A. J. (2008). Principles of guidance. (5 ed). Delhi: Surjeet Publications. Crow, L. D. , & Crow, A. (2008). An introduction to guidance. Delhi: Surjeet Publications. 43 : ! † # :Sharma, R. A. (2008). Career information in career guidance. Meerut: R. Lall Books Depot. Meenakshisundaram, A. (2006). Experimental psychology. Dindigul: Kavyamala Publishers. Meenakshisundaram, A. (2005). Guidance and counseling. Dindigul: Kavyamala Publishers. Qureshi, H. (2004). Educational guidance. New Delhi: Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd. Bhatnagar, R. P. , & Seema, R. (2003). Guidance and counselling in education and psychology. Meerut: R. Lal Book Depot. Vashist S. R. (Ed. ). (2002). Principles of guidance. New Delhi: Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd. Sharma, R. N. (1999). Guidance and counseling. Delhi: Surjeet Publishers.Sodhi, T. S. , & Suri, S. P. (1997). Publication. Aggarwal, J. C. (1991). Educational, vocational guidance and counseling. New Delhi: Doabai House. Sharma, N. R. (1989). Educational and vocational guidance. Agra: Vinod Pustak Mandir. Kochhar, S. K. (1984). Guidance and counseling in colleges and universities. New Delhi: Sterling Publishing Pvt. Ltd. Indu, D. (1983). The basic essentials of counseling. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Private Ltd. Madhusudan, M. (1983). Educational and vocational guidance. Sambalpur: Saha Publishers & Distributors. Anne, A. (1982). Psychological testing. New York: McMillan Company.Chauhan, S. S. (1982). Principles and techniques of guidance. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd. Rao, N. S. (1981). Counseling psychology. New Delhi: Tata Mc Graw Hill Publishing Co. Kochhar, S. K. (1979). Guidance in indian education. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Private Ltd. Guidance and counseling. Patiala: Bawa 44 Gaur, J. S. , & Saraswat, R. K. (1978). Occupational literature: An annotated bibliography. New Delhi: NCERT. James, C. H. (1978). Counselling process and procedures. New York: McMillan Co. Pasricha, P. (1976). Guidance and counselling in indian education. New Delh i: NCERT. Cirtes. (1974).Handbook on vocational guidance. New Delhi: Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation,Govt. of India. Tolbert, E. L. (1974). Counselling for career development. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Patterson, C. H. (1973). Theories of counselling and psycho-therapy. New York: Harper and Row. Sinha, S. N. (1973). Dynamics of vocational behaviour. Jaipur: Asia Publishing House. Nanda, S. K. , & Sagar, S. (1972). Fundamentals of guidance. Chandigarh: N. B. S. Educational Publishers. Barclay, J. R. (1971). Foundations of counselling strategies. London: John Wiley and Sons Inc. Brewer, J. M. (1971). Education as guidance. New York: McGraw Hill.

African American Essay Essay

My name is Michelle Williams-Agwagu and my ethnicity group is African American. African Americans came here by forced immigration. They were not invited here to America, and they certainly did not come here by choice. They were forced and taken on ships that brought them to America just to become slaves to the white people. Upon arrival to America, African Americans were treated poorly. Many of them were torn apart from their family members and some were infants that had no knowledge of whom they were as they became older. The group faced many challenges such as prejudice, segregation, and racism. A set of codes were implemented that all African Americans had to adhere to, or they would be punished by either getting beat by their master or possibly killed. African Americans were not allowed to have any education; therefore, no one was allowed to learn to read or write. The slave owners made sure of that and if any slave did learn to read or write, he or she would be punished by their owner. They were separated from the other people because of the color of their skin and was not allowed to eat, play, drink or have any interaction with the masters or the master’s family members unless it was to do household chores as their servant. They did not have many opinions when it came to making decisions. Unfortunately, African Americans were affected by dual labor market and red lining. In the early stages of African American emancipation, not many of them had education or access to quality higher education. Even if they had this education, they were forced into the lower labor market and regardless of the quality of their education they would start in much lower positions than that of their white counterparts. African Americans were affected by this because they were not given any meaningful jobs with any type of significant pay structure and benefits. The jobs were more short-term than long-term. Red lining is a reality in African American communities across the United States. Red lining is a practice which discriminates against Blacks of all economic sectors when they apply for home and business loans and consumer credit. Blacks, more than any other racial or ethnic group (with the possible exception of Native Americans), receive less credit. Through all the bad treatment that African Americans received from â€Å"white† Americans, they (AA) still participated in reverse discrimination. Reverse discrimination is still a problem here in the United States because it is racism; and racism is racism, no matter how we try to spin it. â€Å"Society classes an African American discriminating against a Caucasian as â€Å"reverse† discrimination because for most of American history, it was the African Americans who were persecuted for something that they could not control – their ethnicity. † (Libra, n. d. ) African Americans have also been affected by the glass ceilings form of discrimination, and that is still an ongoing problem also. â€Å"The â€Å"glass ceiling† refers to the barriers that often confront Ethnic Americans and women in trying to reach the upper ladders of corporate America. African Americans do not earn the same pay for comparable positions† (The Glass Ceiling for African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans, 2008. ) as that of their white counterparts in the same job. Environmental justice issues have plagued African Americans in the past and continue to do so today. In the past century, factories emitting toxic fumes and hazardous waste were positioned near large African American sections of major cities as well as small towns inhabited by mostly African Americans. Today, in areas of Louisiana along the Mississippi River known as â€Å"Cancer Alley†, petroleum and chemical manufacturing plans spew fumes and release carcinogenic chemicals near the water supplies of African Americans. There has long been controversy over this modern issue however no other ethnic or racial group has the desire to have these companies relocate factories near their living areas. African Americans have participated in affirmative action since the very beginning, in fact, affirmative action was implemented in the United States largely for the benefit of this group. Affirmative action makes a valiant attempt to make up for past and current discrimination against a certain group and makes jobs and opportunities that members of this group would not have access to ordinarily. Some African Americans agree with Affirmative Action, while some others disagree with it because they perceive it to be a handout and not being able to get jobs or opportunities on one’s own merit. We, as African Americans have and still face many forms of discrimination. Will it ever end, I do not think so. There have been attempts to close the gap and bring us into that circle of equality but I do not see that ever happening in its entirety, all though we know that all men are â€Å"supposedly† created equal. I culturally identify more with African Americans because it is who I am. However, it is evident that racism with any prefix is a problem in America † it is a problem in the entire world, and I hope people will start accepting people as people rather than accepting that they must hate people because of the color of their skin. Reference Page Libra, Themis. (n. d. ). Is reverse discrimination a problem in the United States?. Helium The Glass Ceiling for African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans (2008). Ethnic Majority.

Nigeria Labour Congress Demand for the Review of the National Minimum Wage and General Wage Review

Today, Nigerians who are lucky to have jobs are finding it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to survive on their monthly pay. The major reason for this is that the pay of the Nigerian worker is not only one of the lowest in the world; it has also not improved as it should in the face of changes in market conditions. Workers in the public sector are particularly worse off.As huge revenues have continued to be acquired from the sweat of workers, the pay and conditions of workers have continued to deteriorate; workers have increasingly been excluded from the wealth created by their labour. In Nigeria, the difference in pay between managers and workers is not only one of the highest in the world: out of every N1 paid as wages, managers collect more than 80 kobo while workers receieve less than 20 kobo; the difference has been increasing over the years.At the same time, owners and managers of banks, top government officials and members of the political class have seen their pay a nd wealth swell ostronomically while workers have had to survive on starvation wages. Workers can no longer survive on what they earn; the situation is made worse by the fact that those who work also have to support family members who form part of the huge army of the unemployed. It has become crystal clear that there is an urgent need for an upward review of the national minimum wage and an upward general review of wages and salaries.History of wage reviews fought by workers This is not the first time that workers would be asking for a general upward review of wages and an increase in the National Minimum Wage. Between 1945 when workers staged the famous 45 days general strike for a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) and 2007, when the demand won by workers for a 25% general wage through the Ernest Shonekan Wage Consolidation Committee was arbitrarily cut down to 15% by Obasanjo, workers have struggled at 15 times to have wages improved and a national minimum wage legislated upon.But the struggles produced notable victories for workers and the NLC, it was usually the case that: the National Minimum Wage was always set below the minimum wage needed by workers to survive. Because of the inadequacy of the wage, some state governments elected on their own to pay more. Even then, there were also some 1 state governments that pay less than the stipulated national minimum wage. The result was that workers always could not cope. The wage reviews were largely unstructured; sometimes negotiated wages were changed by government through circulars; at other times, government effected unilateral wage increases.Agreements reached with government were sometimes distorted at implementation or not implemented at all by government. For example, the 2000 Wage Review Agreement provided for a further 25per cent wage increase for workers with effect from May 1, 2001, and 15 per cent wage increase with effect from May 1, 2002. This was not implemented. Following industrial dispute over this a 121/2 percent increase rather than the 35 per cent agreement in 2000, was signed in 2003. But in the end, only an increase of between 4 and 12 1/2 per cent was implemented by the Federal Government.Although the Shonekan Committee was set up against this background and recommended a 25% increase in salaries, Obasanjo unilaterally implemented a 15% increase in 2007. Government also failed to abide by the timeframes set out for subsequent negotiations with workers. Workers always had to fight to get government to agree to collective bargaining even when the procedure was agreed in previous negotiations. Today, workers find that they have to fight yet again to get government to agree to negotiate a new National Minimum Wage and a general upward review of wages.Rationale for Upward Wage Review today There are several reasons why there must be an upward review of workers wages today. The consequence of the abdication of the agreed approach to the implementation of the phased-wage increases has been that wages and salaries are today sharply depressed and incapable of meeting the basic needs of most workers. In the last one year, inflation has intensified with the cost of living index in the urban sector increasing by over 14 per cent. The disproportionate increase (20. 9 percent) in the cost of food means that the erosion in the real wages and salaries of workers is alarmingly severe.The process of monetizing and consolidating in-kind benefits which were hitherto not taxed has resulted in an escalation of the tax paid by workers. This has further depressed the real take home pay of workers. 2 All over the world, salary increase in the public sector is underlined by the principle of equity and the need to bridge social inequality in the face of widening economic and social gaps amongst citizens of a country. In Nigeria, while workers’ salaries increased by 15 percent between 2006 and 2007, those of political office holders increased by over 800 percent. The 2008 increase in the compensation of political office holders has further aggravated the disparity (Table 1). On average, their compensation package has been doubled. We need to reduce this disparity for greater equity, productivity and morale. TABLE 1: Salaries of Political Office Holders (Pre and Post Consolidation) S/N Categories 1 Special Assistant to the President; Chief Speech Writer to the President; Chief Press Secretary to the President Members, House of Representatives; Deputy Chief of Staff TTP; Senior Special Assistant, TTP. Ministers of State; Senators; Principal Officers of the House of Representatives; Special advisers TTP.Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives; Minister; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Chief of Staff TTP; National Security Adviser; Chief Economic Adviser; Inspector General of Police; Chairmen, Federal Civil Service Commission, Federal Character Commission, National Salaries, Incomes, & Wag es Commission, Revenue Mobilization Allocation & Fiscal Commission. Deputy President of the Senate; Justices of the Supreme Court; President, Court of Appeal. Speaker of the House of Representatives. HASS (Basic) 626,700 865,200 CONSS* 4,392,012 13,102,402 3 4 1,015,700 13,374,240 1,194,600 15,094,426 5 6 7 1,403,700 15,240,500 1,649,400 16,348,926 Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ; 1,938,000 21,524,164 President of the Senate; Chief Justice of Nigeria . 8 President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed 2,506,000 24,954,405 Forces of Nigeria . *Source: National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Abuja 3 In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Nigeria ought to be paying one of the highest minimum wages, given its resources and level of development.The reality, however, is that the existing minimum wage in Nigeria is one of the lowest in Africa. Table 2 presents the data for Sub-Saharan Africa. The data in the table takes adequate account of the need to adjust the wages to differences in the cost of living or what is called the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). Table 2: Minimum Annual Wage Levels in African Countries ($USD) Country Minimum Special Notes PPP PPP-Based Wage Factor Minimum Wage Angola 1511 1. 975 2984. 23 Botswana 3011 2. 106 6341. 17 DRC 468 2. 077 972. 04 Kenya 948 2. 534 2402. 3 Lesotho 1080 For Manufacturing 1. 847 1994. 76 Madagascar 336 3. 107 1043. 95 Malawi 407 3 1221. 00 Mozambique 1177 2. 129 2505. 83 Nigeria 550 2. 274 1250. 70 South Africa 2780 Farm Minimum 1. 651 4589. 78 Wage: $975 Swaziland 1369 1. 958 2680. 50 Tanzania 1680 2. 8 4704. 00 Zambia 1147 1. 81 2076. 07 Average 1266 2674. 33 The current national minimum wage of N7,500 is far below the minimum cost of providing basic needs for the worker and his / her immediate family. Our survey shows that today the minimum cost of providing for basic needs is N58,200 (Table 2).This estimate is based on threshold hardship levels in which 6 or 8 people may be forced to live in one or two rooms and endure a dietary and living style that is most rudimentary. Additionally, it should be noted that N18,000 is allegedly spent on the feeding of one prison inmate monthly, while the estimate here is merely N20,000 for the feeding of a family of 6 per month. 4 An examination of the cost of living since the enactment of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 shows clearly that the cost of living index has risen so much that the real value of the minimum wage set by the law has virtually been wiped out.Employing published data on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from 2000 till July 2008, and taking into account developments in the overall economy and compensation adjustments since 2000, the minimum wage of workers in 2008 can be computed. This computation shows that in real terms, the minimum wage of workers would have to be adjusted upwards by a minimum factor of 4 in order to maintain the relative position of the least pai d worker in the national compensation structure established in 2000.Thus, the appropriate amount required in 2008 to maintain the real value of the National Minimum Wage set in 2000 would be (N11,213. 52 x 4=N44,856). Table 2: Estimated Monthly Cost of Meeting Basic Needs for a Representative Family * Item Accommodation Utilities a. Electricity b. Water c. Kerosene d. Communication Food Clothing Medical Education Cleaners, Soap and Detergents Entertainment, Recreation Communication Miscellaneous Total Cost (N) 6,000 1,000 500 4,000 2,000 20,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 1,300 and 1,000 1,500 N58,500Our Demands Based on the foregoing Congress demands: (i) A new National Minimum Wage of N52,200. This is the approximate average of the minimum wages when we take into consideration Minimum Annual Wage Levels in African Countries, the minimum cost of providing basic needs for the worker and his / her immediate family and the cost of living data. 5 (ii) that the Federal Government sets up a tripar tite committee as a matter of urgency to negotiate and agree on this, so that the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 can be amended to reflect the new amount.It is instructive to note that current negotiations on fixing a minimum wage for Ghana has recently reached preliminary agreement within the tripartite framework to adopt the basic needs approach in computing the minimum wage. (iii) an amendment to the Act to the effect that the National Minimum Wage law should apply to any establishment employing 20 or more workers, instead of the 50 workers currently stipulated by law. (iv) a general wage review; there is an urgent need to commence negotiations in both the public and private sectors so as to agree on new compensation packages. v) a wage review in the public sector based on the minimum wage computed above. Currently, the least salary in the Civil Service under the Consolidated Civil Service Salary Structure is N133,564 per annum or N11,130 per month. The new salary structure recom mended by the Congress is based on the least salary of N52,200 per month or N626,400 per annum, which is the proposed new national minimum wage. The new Consolidated Salary Structure would then be constructed so as to maintain the existing relativities in the salary structure.Sustainability and Affordability of NLC’s Demands Is the minimum wage proposed by the NLC reasonable, sustainable and affordable? Can the nation pay the new national minimum wage? The answer to both and related questions is an overwhelming YES! It is a resounding YES for the following reasons: (i) An increase in the purchasing power and effective demand of workers will increase the demand for goods and services and translate into growth for the economy. The morale, and therefore, productivity of workers will be greatly enhanced by the wage review. ii) Nigeria earns enough revenues, even with the downward slide in oil prices, to be able to pay. The problem in Nigeria is massive corruption by members of th e political and administrative elite and not lack of resources. To be sure, paying the new minimum wage will require that members of the political class cut their level of stealing of public funds. This will not be a bad thing; in fact, it will be good for the economy. (iii) If the economy can accommodate the huge sums spent on political office holders, it can accommodate a general upward review of wages and a national minimum wage as proposed.In any case, more resources should be devoted to the productive workers in any economy. Apart from political office holders, the profits declared in most areas of the private sector, continue to be massive. Even sectors which are contracting their operations continue to declare huge profits. Therefore, the public and private sectors of the economy are capable of paying higher wages. 6 Framework Proposed for the Negotiations The national minimum wage negotiations should be carried out within the tripartite framework, with workers, NECA and gove rnment represented.The emerging agreement from this negotiation should then be forwarded to the National Assembly as a Draft Amendment to the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000. At the conclusion of the minimum wage negotiation, the public service wage review negotiation should commence between labour and representatives of government, both Federal and States. Private sector negotiations should susequently take place within the existing sectoral framework of collective bargaining. On the general wages review, we wish to call on government to adopt the framework of collective bargaining, with representatives of all public sector employers, whetherFederal or State Governments, as employers, not as governments. Conclusion Congress makes these demands with great patriotism, sensitivity and responsibility. Congress holds that collective bargaining and negotiations with trade unions are sacrosanct and in consonance with the spirit of democracy. Congress calls on government to set up the nece ssary structures for the negotiations without further delay. To delay negotiations will further compound the living conditions of workers of Nigeria in the face of the alarming mass poverty already destroying their lives. February 2009 7

Jamba Juice †Porters 5 Forces: Suppliers Essay

The bargaining power of providers. one of Porter?s Five Forces. can hold a important consequence on an organisation. Suppliers hold power over a house when they increase monetary values and cut down the quality of their merchandise and the house can non utilize their ain pricing to retrieve these alterations in costs. Switch overing costs is the â€Å"negative costs that a consumer incurs as a consequence of altering providers. trade names. or products† . Switch overing costs can stand for a assortment of things: clip and attempt. cost in dollars. and any other negative consequence associated with exchanging providers. Companies that remain successful for many old ages implement a scheme that makes it difficult for purchasers to exchange from their merchandise to rivals. Jamba Juice requires fresh fruits. juices. dairy merchandises. vitamins. and protein ingredients in order to bring forth their smoothies. Their shift costs are low. because it is easy for them to exchange from one company of providers to another. The shift costs for their clients are besides low. because it is really easy for a client of Jamba Juice to take to travel to Starbucks or Orange Julius alternatively. There is non much of a pecuniary difference or excess attempt required for the client ( Hitt. 52 ) . Jamba Juice has providers of all of the ingredients of their smoothies including the dairy. fruits. juices. vitamins. and proteins. Their basic natural stuffs are fresh fruits and veggies. dairy merchandises. and protein ( Jamba Juice ) . Natural stuffs are defined in Investopedia as â€Å"A stuff or substance used in the primary merchandise or fabrication of a good† ( Investopedia ) . Suppliers provide the natural stuffs to do the finished good. Jamba Juice offers existent fruit juices and smoothies. staff of lifes. pretzels. and packaged bites. Jamba Juice says they merely offer high quality smoothies. hence merely the finest fruit and supplies are used. They do rely to a great extent on their providers. particularly those of fruit. They have a end to supply high quality fruit that is consistent throughout the twelvemonth. When telling fruit. they order a jutting sum for the whole twelvemonth at the extremum of the season for each specific fruit. The monetary value of fruit is determined by supply and demand and can change greatly. Jamba Juice has a contract with independent distributers who dispense merchandises from the providers to the shops. Therefore the provider power is low. Jamba Juice prides itself in functioning healthy nutrients and merely healthy nutrients. They besides pride themselves on utilizing fresh fruit. If the fruit they are presently purchasing rises in monetary values all of a sudden so the franchise can merely take to purchase its fruit from another provider. For this ground there isn’t truly that much power. Plus the shop is franchised so every Jamba Juice buys it’s merchandises from a different provider. it’s non like they all depend on one. Buyers The concentration of purchasers for Jamba Juice can be focused into two classs. The first class is the consumers. which travel to the specific locations to buy goods such as a smoothy or burgoo. The 2nd grouping of purchasers is the 1s who choose to buy a Jamba Juice franchise ( U. S. ) . The dickering power of the two separate types of purchasers depends on Jamba Juice?s merchandise distinction. The purchasers looking to have a franchise have the chance to buy any type of company that has the option to franchise their locations. With the premise that Jamba Juice?s purchasers are looking for a specific franchise of â€Å"processed & A ; packaged goods. † so the focal point turns to companies like Dairy Queen. Maui Wowi and Smoothie King Franchises ( Jamba ) . Each of these nutrient locations within the United States proposes the pick to franchise. This handiness of franchised companies gives purchasers the determination to take and make a determination based on their list of values needed within a shop. The ultimate consumers have noticed their pick among the huge sum of smoothy options throughout their communities. The three major rivals force the purchasers to distinguish which company they believe offers the â€Å"best† smoothy. Starbucks is presently viing with Jamba Juice?s purchasers within the breakfast nutrient market. Therefore the purchaser power is Medium. The populace is reasonably used to it’s life style of fast nutrient. Ironss like this are based largely on convenience. Besides the fact that this shop goes off of a healthy life style. they are traveling to acquire a niche market who will back up them no affair what. Substitutes Substitutes are defined as a merchandise or service that is non in the same industry as your merchandise. but can execute the same map as your merchandise. Substitutes possess a menace to Jamba Juice because clients do non hold high shift costs ; therefore it is easy for a client to take a replacement over Jamba Juice?s smoothies. Many of the replacements related to Jamba Juice are similar in monetary value and quality ; therefore they do non hold much distinction from their replacements. Differentiation of a merchandise can assist cut down the menace of replacements. This adds value to a merchandise that is of import to clients. Jamba Juice has differentiated itself by offering its clients healthy refreshments. This will appeal to the wellness witting market that is merely interested in seting healthy nutrient and drinks into their organic structures. This is a niche that is going more popular to people in the US. Consumers value alimentary options to hike their energy every bit goo d as give them much-needed vitamins. The smoothy industry has besides grown because many Americans skip repasts and do non hold healthy eating wonts and they rely on smoothies to give them a choice me up bite and good needed vitamins. There are many menaces that exist to the smoothy industry. Some replacements that pose the highest menace are java. soft drinks. healthy juices. energy drinks and milk shakes. Each of these replacements is similar in monetary value and quality of Jamba Juice. Even with market rates diminishing in soft drinks and java. they still pose a menace as a replacement for Jamba Juice. Coffee is still a menace to Jamba Juice?s smoothies. particularly with successful companies such as Starbucks and Tully?s Coffee. These are well-known companies and trade name names that people know and trust. There is a Starbucks on every corner and the company is really accessible throughout the United States. Milkshakes and ice pick may be another replacement for Jamba Juice. Ice pick can carry through the same demand of a cold creamy drink or refreshment. Topographic points such as TCBY. Cold Stone. and Baskin Robins offer clients the option of a creamy milk shake on a hot summer twenty-four hours or scoops of ice pick. In add-on. many of these ice pick stores besid es serve fruit smoothies. Jamba Juice has differentiated its merchandise line by doing natural smoothies with less sugar. This gives them an border over the replacement of milk shakes or sugary smoothies. Many are get downing to seek healthy drinks such as smoothies and healthy fruit juices such as Bare Juices. This can be another replacement to smoothies. Bare Juices are 100 percent juice with no added sugar or preservatives. They offer a assortment of tasty spirits every bit good as adding antioxidants. protein. and many other foods. Bare Juice is besides get downing to add smoothies to their merchandises. which make them really competitory to Jamba Juice. Therefore the menace of replacements is high. There are a batch of replacements to replace Jamba Juice due to low shift cost for clients and many other merchandises to replace it with. Rivals In the nutrient and drink industry. Jamba Juice has a batch of rivals. Since the company is now get downing to function breakfast nutrients in add-on to drinks. they are in direct competition with 1000s of new concerns. Some of the chief rivals are Starbucks. McDonald?s. and shortly to be bottled drinks at your local food market shops. However. Jamba Juice is seeking to be more aggressive by making clients in locations where other concerns haven?t tried excessively difficult to pull. For illustration. Jamba Juice has late announced that they want to get down opening booths at airdromes and at universities and colleges throughout the state. There are legion rivals in the same industry as Jamba Juice. many of which hold a larger portion of the industry. However. Jamba Juice is spread outing their bill of fare by making more nutrient type options. such as burgoo. The job with this is the fact that this opens up their company for more rivals to take them down. Jamba Juice is come ining a whole new market with a big figure of rivals by functioning nutrient. By functioning nutrient to those clients who already purchase smoothies they are taking that much concern off from their competition. They are carry throughing a demand that has been overlooked. As mentioned earlier. McDonald?s is positioning themselves to take over all of the nutrient and drink market by making merchandises that are similar and cheaper than their rivals. For illustration. McDonald’s late expanded their market by making the McCafe eating house concatenation. Therefore grade of competition is really high. There are a batch of eating houses that sell smoothies and besides some that sell healthy nutrient. Because of this Jamba Juice has to work hard to remain in front of the competition. Normally one time a client chooses a topographic point they like they stick with it. It’s merely acquiring the client to lodge with them. New Entrants The barriers to entry in an industry are a step of how easy it is for a new market entrant to come in into a given industry. In order to judge if the industry that Jamba Juice is in has a high or a low barrier to entry it is necessary to analyze several cardinal indexs of a high or low barrier to entry. These cardinal factors include economic systems of graduated table. merchandise distinction. capital demands. exchanging costs. entree to distribution channels. cost disadvantages independent of graduated table. authorities policy. and expected revenge. The first cardinal factor to finding whether or non an industry has a high barrier to entry is to analyze the companies that can run off of economic systems of graduated table. Economies of graduated table are derived from incremental efficiency betterments through experience as a house grows larger. So as the quality of a merchandise produced during a given period additions. the cost of fabricating each unit declines. Economies of gra duated table are non considered to be a barrier to entry for Jamba Juice or its rivals. Jamba Juice is a retail merchant specialising in selling healthy merchandises such as burgoo and smoothies. These merchandises are customizable and customizable merchandises are non produced in adequate measures to accomplish economic systems of graduated table. Therefore new possible rivals to Jamba Juice seeking to sell comparable customizable fruit merchandise would non happen economic systems of graduated table to be a barrier to entry in this instance. The 2nd barrier to entry is merchandise distinction. This happens when a company can convert consumers that its merchandises are alone and construct trueness to the merchandises. A company can besides offer a set of different but related merchandises to increase the barrier to entry. Jamba Juice has established this barrier to entry in the fact that their trade name works on extremely customizable blended fruit drinks which their advertisement emphasiss as healthy and alone bites. Once clients are loyal to Jamba Juice and its merchandise line. it would be difficult for a new market entrant to change over Jamba Juice clients over to thei r merchandise line. In order to antagonize this. a new market entrant would hold to competitively monetary value their merchandises at lower monetary values. This could ensue in reduced net incomes or even a loss and therefore is unsafe to make. The capital demands for entryway into Jamba Juice’s market are non extended and don’t represent a serious barrier to entry. Since Jamba Juice is a comparatively little operation. the overall costs in opening a location would non be extended. A new market entrant could easy open up a smoothie base or little shop and compete with Jamba Juice. The lone resource that would revenue enhancement the new market entrant would be the excess selling needed to derive market portion early on. As discussed earlier. exchanging costs are erstwhile costs clients incur when they buy from a different provider. These costs pose small barriers to entry for Jamba Juices market. A client merely has to drive to a different location if they wanted to exchange trade names. In order to increase shift costs. companies could offer loyalty wages plans designed to increase the customer?s inclination to return for repetition concern. Another effectual barrier to entry is entree to distribution channel s. If Jamba Juice wants to sell its merchandises in food market shops it would hold to vie for new shelf infinite with all the bing trade names. In order to make so they would hold to offer monetary value price reductions and concerted advertisement. which would cut into their net incomes. That facet of Jamba Juice?s market has a high barrier but the other facet of base entirely fruit juice bases do non. Cost disadvantages independent of scale involve cost advantages that a new market entrant can non copy. The most relevant barrier to entry for the fruit drink market would be the physical locations of the Jamba Juice shops. If Jamba Juice has a premier location that a new market entrant can non entree. so the barrier to entry in that country would be big. For illustration. Jamba Juice has little booths in airdromes. The barrier to entry of authorities policy is comparatively simple in footings of nutrient and imbibe ordinance. A new market entrant would merely necessitate to follow the jurisprudence and obtain the proper permits to sell nutrient and drinks. This would present no barrier for a company serious about acquiring into the market. The last barrier to entry that a new market entrant would necessitate to analyze would be the expected revenge from the establishe d market rivals. If a new market entrant attempts to travel into a market that is in direct competition with Jamba Juice. so they can anticipate a revenge of increased publicities. price-cutting. or new trueness plans from Jamba Juice to protect its market portion. A manner to short-circuit this barrier is to happen a niche that is non yet focused on by the bing market. Overall the barrier to entry for a company that wants to vie with Jamba Juice is reasonably low to mid scope of trouble. It is easy to acquire into the market because one can construct shops rapidly and it does non necessitate extended capital to come in the industry. The lone oppositions that Jamba Juice and other established rivals have erected are a strong merchandise distinction and client trueness. In order for a new market entrant to win. they would necessitate to concentrate on advertisement and happening something to distinguish themselves from the current industry leaders. Therefore the Threat of new entry is Low. Most of these eating houses are reasonably established and have a nucleus client base who are loyal to their merchandises. The lone menace of new entry they have is if an set up eating house who doesn’t sell smoothies decides to add smoothies to their bill of fare.