Formal Proposal on Pensions for Public Employees Research

Formal on Pensions for Public Employees - Research Proposal Example There are different types of pension plans and this report suggests the public organizations to use and implement ‘Defined benefit pension plan’ as this would be beneficial for most of the employees working in public sector. Pension plans are of many types. Retirement plan, state and social pension plan, and disability pension are some of the types. It is mandatory for permanent employees that they should be given payment after their retirement in the form of pension. If it is not paid then it should be mentioned in the contract of the employees. Pension is defined the amount that an employee gets on his retirement through the contribution of employees and investment returns. This amount is received on a regular basis by the employee. Members’ contribution is deducted from their payroll throughout their duration of service (Davis, 1998). Generally, the amount of pension is predetermined and based on a defined formula. This formula may vary from one organization to another however the formula is based on employee’s history of earnings. In America, Public employee pension plan is suffering and the employees at the public organizations are not satisfied with the existing plan. One of the reas ons for this is that government is exploring more unusual investments in order to feed the Public employee pension plan. OCER has invested 10.9 billion dollars in funds. Out of these funds, only 4% is from assets (Reicher, 2014). According to figure 1 presented in the appendix section, all public plans are funded in a well-mannered way and contributions from the employers are found lower in pension plans (Basich, 2011). This report presents a proposal for the pension of public employees. Pension is an important aspect of the workplace as it provides funds at a stage when the person does not have the ability or energy to work appropriately for 40 hours in a week. Senior management has an important role and they have to take part

A Problem Exists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

A Problem Exists - Essay Example And above all, considering the aspect of consulting group activities may give rise to groupism within the classroom environment and also at times may involve a substantial time to find solution to the stated problem. Emphasizing these disadvantages the paper further recommends certain solution measures in resolving the identified issue. A Problem Exists With the advent of globalization and the rapid development in the field of technology, it has been viewed that competitiveness amid people to strengthen their professional identification and recognition in the global world, is also growing at a rapid pace. Correspondingly, English as a language has become one of the mostly used and demanded skills among competent professionals around the globe in today’s increasingly competitive business world. People strive to learn the language as it provides them additional opportunity to get a better job in the corporate world. Considering the growing needs of the language it has been viewe d that people, especially from the Asian region are moving to western countries to pursue their higher education and also to gain proficiency in the language. However, it has been viewed that numerous problem exist amid them when they move to the countries like the US or the UK. In this context, various solutions have been identified, which would help in mitigating the identified problem of foreign learners facing problem in speaking English owing to their perceived discrimination, if implemented effectively (Kuwahara, 2005). Thesis Statement With reference to the identified problem i.e. perceived discrimination among English learners from foreign communities, it has been viewed that the issues can be considered as a minor problem in-contrast to other glitches that exist worldwide. However, it is worth mentioning that the prescribed solutions for the establishment of special class sessions, conducting group activities, working in collaboration with special organizations and proving learning materials like audio clips among others may contain certain loop holes. This thesis will therefore intend to identify three possible disadvantages that may obstruct the effective implementation of the prescribed solutions. Discussion The problem area of perceived discrimination amid English learners from foreign communities is considered to be one of the major problems in the academic sector, especially in the western countries. With the growing need of English language, it has been viewed that people from Asian countries are migrating in the US and the UK as research conducted by many prestigious centers have listed these two nations to offer services of the world’s best universities and colleges resulting in attracting more foreign students and professors in the search of academic excellence (TSL Education Ltd., 2010). However, as English is considered to be the prime language spoken in these nations, foreigners’ ability to speak in this language often raise s barriers to their performance and duration of them to be settled in these western societies. It has often been viewed in this context that there exists a sense of perceived disc

Study of the Structural Functional Paradigm

Study of the Structural Functional Paradigm The structural-functional paradigm is a framework for the structure of society. The structural-functional approach tells that all parts in the society works together in order to form a harmonious, sensible and stable society. This approach sees the society as a macro-level orientation. Each and every component is interrelated and it is concerns with broad patterns that shape society as a whole. The larger social institutions of the society such as population, education, economy, government play very important roles on shaping our lives. The family is considered as the most favourable body composition of the social organization because family is the most elementary and closest social structure which every individual attached to. For example, assume that if the students are not present, the teachers would not exist as well. Because there is an interrelated relationship between the students and teachers which represents that the society is a complex system where parts coordinate togethe r to balance and stabilize the civilization. Auguste Comte, the Father of Sociology said that it is very important to keep the society together because many traditions were weakened due to the rapid change of the humanity. Herbert Spencer linked the society to the human body. For example, a society is composed by a large number of individuals as a complete functional group.  In human body, many cells and tissues form the organs of the organism, such as hands, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, etc. Various organs of the organism have its unique features to meet the needs of the organism and to maintain its survival.  Similarly, various social structures have its unique features to meet the needs of the community and provide a stable and balance society.   Case Study of Structural-Functional Paradigm The social structures of marriage and family create deep social and emotional bonds that give individuals in depth systems of support and generate expectations of  social responsibility  within their members, achieving the function of creating social cohesion. Basically, spouses support each other financially, socially, emotionally and physically and are driven to achieve by socially defined expected standards of married life. Families provide the same systems of support for all of their family members, providing healthy settings and opportunities for individual growth for the children.   The structural functionalism perspective sees the family doing its part by preparing its members in a way that will benefit the society. The family is like a body or system and each member performs vitally important functions. Similarly, the heart is dependent on the lungs and brain for the body to function properly. If one part or a person is not doing its or his/her part then it is said to be dysfunctional. The family is said to be not functioning as a whole and something is wrong with that family. Social-Conflict Paradigm The social-conflict paradigm is also a macro-oriented paradigm. The social-conflict paradigm is one of the ideas of Karl Marx. He believes that social-conflict is unavoidable. It is the driving force to improve and progress to a better society.  Human beings compete with each other to acquire the maximum benefits. The social-conflict theory opposes with the structural-functional theory where the social components work together to stabilize the society. A person who poses powers and resources tend to oppress other groups which are lower social class and this resulting in social-conflict. One will also be able to force others to accept his/her views if they have the authority.   Social-conflict not only happens between different classes, it can also occur in various religious, ethnics, cultural, etc. The demand of human beings is endless, when the most basic desires are met, new needs will then emerge. For example, pacers want to have a bike; bicyclists want to have a motorbike; mo torcyclists plan to buy a car  The needs and desires of humans are endless caused humans have to work hard every day to fulfil their desires. However, this phenomenon eventually leads to a progressive society because everyone strives to achieve their needs. Case Study of Social-Conflict Paradigm A conflict theorist might ask, Who benefits from the current higher educational system? The answer, for a conflict theorist attuned to unequal distributions of wealth, is the wealthy. The educational system often screens out poorer individuals, not because they are unable to compete academically, but because they cannot afford to pay for their education. Because the poor are unable to obtain higher education, they are generally also unable to get higher paying jobs, thus they remain poor. The functionalist might say that the function of education is to educate the employees, a conflict theorist might point out that it also has an element of conflict and inequality, favouring one group (the wealthy) over other groups (the poor). Thinking about education in this way helps illustrate why both functionalist and conflict theories are helpful in understanding how society works. Symbolic-interaction Paradigm Symbolic-interaction theory focuses on the study of the relationship between the individual and others. It is a micro-level orientation which emphasizes the social interactions between the individuals in some specific situations. As people interact with each other, a persons self-awareness is the result of the judgement from the surrounding people. The symbolic-interaction theory advocate humans have their own self, and because of this self people play a role of others, and they gain the ability to look at themselves through the eyes of others.  If one does not have the ability to interact with the people and society, the social stability cannot be maintained.  Because of the shared reality that human created, the human social interaction can be stable, expand and maintained. George Herbert Mead says that symbolic-interaction has three characteristics: It has an explanation on the behaviour of others; there is a definite process, which means one is ready to tell others when they do something; have a prediction on others reaction, which is able to predict what they do will cause what responses from others. This depends on the interaction between two individuals have a shared meaning of the symbol system.  Mead sees society as an organized interaction between different individuals, this interactive form of organization depends on the role of the spirit, but also to establish an internal communication process on the basis of the use of meaningful symbols. Case Study of Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm Consider applying symbolic interactionism to the marriage. The things such as, commitments between spouses, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a wedding ceremony, a wedding band and flowers are the symbols of marriage. People relate some general meanings to these symbols. For certain individuals, they maintain their own perceptions of what meaning are these symbols carrying. For instance, one of the spouses may see their wedding rings as a symbol of endless love while the other may just see them as a simple financial expense. Much faulty communication can result from the perceptions of different people on the same events and symbols. Besides, the people choose to marry symbolizes that human beings need a companion for their life. It symbolizes that every individual needs financially, socially, emotionally and physically supports to lead a balanced and steady lifetime.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Theology of C.S. Lewis Essay -- Literary

What child could know while watching The Chronicles of Narnia in theaters they were also getting a bible lesson? These tales unearth the theology of writer C.S. Lewis through the heart-felt emotions of joy and sorrow, terror and triumph in this fantasy world better known as Narnia. This is the work of renowned writer C.S. Lewis. C.S. Lewis is remembered and recognized by more people as a Christian apologist of the early and middle 20th-century because of the way his writing thrives with biblical images which present Christian theological ideas in a friendlier way for younger audiences. â€Å"One can almost hear the start of the adventure and feels compelled to follow in the footsteps of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, in The Lion, The Witch, And the Wardrobe, siblings who run from the inevitable horrors of the London Blitz†, to the outskirts of the area where they stumble upon a house of an old Professor. An empty room with nothing but an old, dusty wardrobe sparks the curiosity of young Lucy. After the other three children leave, Lucy decides to scope out the inside of the wardrobe. â€Å"As Lucy steps inside she finds herself in the middle of a wood[s] in [the] winter in the magical world of Narnia.† (Ford. www.uctv.ucsb.edu) The Chronicles of Narnia are, without a doubt, the most recognized works of the writer C.S. Lewis. Although they are recognized by a lot of people as just simply children’s fantasy novels, a lot of adults, students, and theologians see so much more in these mere childish novels. In the Narnia Chronicles, Lewis wants his audience to envision Jesus Christ himself through the character of Aslan the lion and through the use of the symbolic lion, Lewis is able to tell his tale of certain memorable events in the lifetim... ...in the Biblical Scripture quotes contained throughout my essay. Books of the Bible that were referenced or quoted include: Genesis, Job, Romans, Gospel of Luke, Proverbs, Hosea, and Revelation. "Notes on Essays and Books of C. S. Lewis." C.S. Lewis. Ed. Paul F. Ford. St. John Seminary, 2006. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. . This website is composed of many files in .pdf format which better discuss specific details of C.S. Lewis' life, works, and theological beliefs. "Why Bother with C.S. Lewis?, Spiritual Life, Christian Living, Page 0." Jesus Christ, Bible Study Tools, Online Christian Living Resources. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. . I used this article to better formulate an understanding of C.S. Lewis' works and how they relate to theology. This is an online forum article.

My Favourite Day of the Week

Saturdays have always been special to me. When I lived in Mexico, Saturday was the most hoped for day of the week. I remember that my cousin and I were always wishing for the school week to end and for Saturday to begin. Every Saturday morning would start the same way: my cousin would come to my house to wake me up. Around 10 a.m. we would go out of town to my family’s ranch. Once at the ranch, we enjoyed a variety of activities. The sun shone down on us, as we lived out our wonderful Saturdays away from the city. We would play soccer, run with the dogs and sometimes hunt birds and lizards with my uncle. There were occasions when we got to help my uncle sow (plant seeds) corn or chiles. Those days were hard, but we still enjoyed them. When we came back from work, we would be rewarded with warm bowls of my grandma’s pasta and beans, accompanied by handmade tortillas and mugs of chocolate caliente (hot chocolate). After we ate our delicious feast, we would retreat to the lone pine tree behind the house to climb the branches and rest, at last. Usually in the afternoon my uncle would take us to the lake; the water was icy cold but it did not matter since there was nothing comparable to the fun that we had at the lake. There was a garden just a few miles away from the house, and often on Saturdays we would go there. Following our swim in the lake, we would eat luscious fruit from the trees. For two hours or more, we would savor sweet peaches, mangos, juicy oranges and sweet guavas. Then, we would return to the house at sunset. On our way back, my uncle would let us ride the mule, since the journey was long. At last, my family would gather around a bonfire to tell scary stories under the starry, dark sky. All of these meals and excursions were such heavenly fun—it is easy to see why Saturdays in Mexico were the most exciting days of my life. My Saturday experiences have changed since arriving in the United States. Here, there is no longer my cousin to spend the day with me; however, I have my family and a boyfriend, who always tries to make Saturdays a different experience than the rest of the week. Now on Saturday I usually wake up around 9 a.m. and take a peacefully lengthy shower. Then, I sit with my family at the table to eat a delightful breakfast that my mom prepares for us. Sometimes I go with my family to play basketball at the park, where we indulge in meals of carne asada. Once in a while we go to the beach or visit my aunt in Ontario. When we go to Ontario, my mom and I go shopping with my female cousins and my aunt. Then at noon my uncle and father cook for us and we have picnic at the park near my aunt’s house. We spend the whole day with them and return home late at night. Also, there are some Saturdays that I spend with my boyfriend. He is not only my boyfriend, he is my best friend, my companion and my comfort. The Saturdays spent with my boyfriend are even more meaningful than those spent in Ontario with my aunt and her family. My boyfriend and I go to the theater to enjoy a movie or just stay home sharing the happiness and misfortunes of the week with each other. No matter what we do, our time together makes my Saturday a special day. I prefer Saturdays over other days of the week because I find harmony within myself. My life is always filled with so many things to do; on every other day I never seem to have a minute of peace. Monday through Friday I dedicate every waking moment to school, work and community issues. On Sundays I volunteer at a museum. Therefore, Saturday is my favorite day of the week because it is wonderfully different from my routine. Additionally, on that day I have the opportunity to spend time with my family and to demonstrate my love and appreciation toward them. There could never be another day of the week like Saturday. Saturdays are exceptional for me; they represent unforgettable memories from my past that I continue to preserve in my heart and mind. I will never forget those amazing weekends with my cousin in Mexico. They are memorable moments that make my Saturdays in the United States (almost) as enjoyable.

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF INHERITANCE I. History A. Discovery of â€Å"transformation† – a change in genotype and phenotype due to the uptake of external DNA by a cell 1. Griffith 1920s did experiments with Streptococcus pneumoniae (p294 fig16. 2) a. took two strains of S. pneumoniae, one virulent, one not b. heat killed virulent strain, then mixed them with the living nonvirulent strain c. living nonvirulent strain became virulent d. nonvirulent strain took on virulent strain’s DNA ? became virulent e. see p294 fig16. 2 S strain = virulent, R = nonvirulent f. ventually Griffith’s work lead way to more studies on DNA being the carrier of genetic info. B. Proof that viral DNA and not viral protein contains genetic information to make more viral particles 1. Hershey and Chase 1950s p295 fig16. 4 a. knew that viruses could infect bacteria and make more viruses using the host cell’s replicating ‘machinery’ b. background: sulfur gets incorporat ed into virus’ protein/phosphorus into virus’ DNA c. took T4 (bacteriophage) and plated with a lawn of E. coli and radioactively labeled sulfur, result = T4 with radioactive labeled protein (DNA not labeled) d. took T4 and plated with E. oli and radioactively labeled phosphorus = T4 with radioactively labeled DNA (protein not labeled) e. background: when virus + bacteria is spun down, viral particles in supernatant and bacteria in pellet f. took T4 (S-labeled) infected new E. coli lawn, spun down, found S-radioactive labels in supernatant g. took T4 (P-labeled) infected new E. coli lawn, spun down, found P-radioactive labels in pellet h. result = it’s the DNA that’s injected into the host to make more virus (even plated these spun down pellet bacteria, and they lysed and released new virus C. Discovery of the structure of DNA 1. Watson and Crick a. used an x-ray crystallography picture (p297) by Franklin to determine DNA as a double-helical structure b. review p298 – A pairs with T and G with C/ A and G are purines and C and T are pyrimidines/double hydrogen bonds between A and T, and triple between G and C II. DNA Replication A. 3 models of DNA replication p300 fig 16. 10 1. Conservative model – the parental helix splits, copies, then goes back together again to remain intact while a second entirely new copy is made 2. Semiconservative model – the parental helix splits, copies and remains a part of the two new helixes 3. Dispersive model – the parental helix splits unevenly, copies and remains a part of the two new helixes but in pieces B. Experimental proof p300 fig16. 11 1. added radioactively labeled heavy nitrogen to replicating bacteria, then placed this culture into radioactively labeled light nitrogen (used to distinguish strands) 2. allowed bacteria to replicate again, results gave hybrid DNA strands (ruled out conservative model) (note: both hybrids half and half and totally mixed look the same, so semiconservative and dispersive models both upheld this time- see below) 3. llowed bacteria to replicate again, results gave hybrid strands and only light double strands (ruled out dispersive model since all should be mixed if this was right) C. Origins of replication p301 fig16. 12 1. origin of replication – site where DNA replication begins a. proteins recognize a specific sequence on the template DNA, open the dsDNA to make a bubble, and begin replication b. replication fork †“ location on DNA strand where new DNA strand is growing 1. prokaryotes plasmid (single circular dsDNA helix) have one origin of replication and replication occurs in both directions 2. ukaryotes have linear dsDNA have many origins and replication occurs in both directions D. Elongation of new DNA 1. DNA polymerase – enzyme that synthesizes the new DNA strand by adding nucleotides to the growing strand 2. DNA polymerase receives energy to do this by nucleotides being nucleoside triphosphate (CTP, GTP, ATP, TTP) since they lose Pii = exergonic reaction to supply energy E. DNA is antiparallel p302 1. carbon numbering – carbon attached to base is 1’, count clockwise, carbon attached to phosphate group is 3’, carbon attached to other phosphate group is 5’ 2. be able to find 5’ vs 3’ end . (p302 fig 16. 14) replication occurs 5’ ? 3’, so strand being made in this direction is called the leading strand and replication occurs toward the replication fork 4. lagging strand is replication that occurs 5’ ? 3’ but replication moves away from the replication fork a. lagging strand produces Okazaki fragments which must be connected with DNA ligase p303 fig 16. 15 F. Priming DNA synthesis (getting replication started) p303 fig16. 15 1. primer – existing RNA polynucleotide on the template DNA strand since DNA polymerase cannot just start adding new nucleotides on its own a. rimer is laid down by enzyme primase b. only one primer required for leading strand to begin synthesizing/new RNA primer required for each lagging strand beginning c. DNA polymerase eventually replaces RNA nucleotides with DNA ones and occurs before ligase connects any lagging DNA strands G. Other assisting proteins 1. helicase – enzyme that unwinds dsDNA at the replication form 2. single-strand binding proteins – hold apart template DNA while replication occurs **FINAL GOOD SUMMARY P304 fig 16. 16 III. DNA Proofreading and Repair A. Mismatch repair 1. as DNA polymerase lays down nucleotides, if it notices a mismatched one to template, will remove and replace with correct one 2. Excision repair p305 fig16. 17: consists of nuclease – enzyme that can cut out damaged segments of a DNA strand, then new nucleotides are filled in based on what the other DNA strand sequence is by DNA polymerase and ligase IV. Replication of the ends of DNA strands p306 fig16. 18 A. DNA polymerase can only add nucleotides to a 3’ end (since it grows in a 5’ ? 3’ direction) B. For lagging strand, there is no problem since it replaces RNA primer and joins DNA with ligase C. For leading strand, there is a problem, since the 3’ end of the template strand has a RNA primer, which cannot be replaced with DNA nucleotides (by DNA polymerase) since there is no 3’ end to start from (DNA polymerase cannot just add nucleotides opposite of the DNA template strand – must use a RNA primer) D. This results in successive replicated strands becoming shorter and shorter – the remedy? E. Telomeres – eukaryotic cells have short repetitive nucleotide sequences that do not code for anything 1. elomeres protect the cell from false alarms that there is DNA damage and cause the cell to die since losing these ends don’t mean anything (note that prokaryotes do not have this problem since their DNA is circular with no â€Å"end†) 2. but when telomeres are lost, are they replaced? Yes by telomerase – enzyme that works in conjuncti on with DNA polymerase to add length to telomeres a. p306 fig16. 19 have shortened â€Å"just made† DNA strand b. telomerase is associated with an RNA strand and DNA polymerase c. telomerase lines up the RNA strand with the 3’ DNA strand to serve as a template to have the 3’ end grow d. hen the RNA strand serves as a primer for new growth onto the 5’ strand, then the primer is removed e. result is an elongated DNA strand that was shorted during replication *telomerase is not present in most cells of multicellular organisms (like us) *DNA of older individuals tends to be shorter *telomerase is abundant in germ line cells – those that give rise to gametes *researchers find telomerase in cancer cells – makes sense since these cells replicate often and would have very short DNA (possible cancer therapy is to target their telomerase)