Euthanasia means good death. Essay Example

Euthanasia means good death. Essay Euthanasia means good death. It is used in situations where death is deliberately chosen, and not when someone is killed by accident (for example, in a car accident or failed medical treatment). Someone will choose to kill themselves or someone close to them because they feel that death is the best option in the situation. This usually happens when someone is suffering from a terminal illness and wishes to die in less pain, and so therefore, wishes to die sooner. There are different types of circumstances when it comes to euthanasia, and there are two different ways of administering it; actively (deliberately enforcing death, for example, by a lethal injection) and passively (simply letting die, for example, by withholding life-prolonging treatment). Although there are moral issues with particular circumstances in which euthanasia is administered, (for example, suicide) the main form of euthanasia that I shall be commenting on is active euthanasia, voluntary and non-voluntary, because I believe it is a factor with more ethical consideration and I personally have strong views on the matter. The simple justifications of euthanasia are as follows; it humanely ends a patients suffering, it shortens the grief of loved ones, and many people argue that one should have a right to decide when they die. If the law were changed, doctors could carry out euthanasia legally. If one could die with dignity, then it could possibly help others face death. It would also help doctors if they knew of their patients intentions. The simple criticisms of euthanasia are as follows; some may argue that patients are incapable of making a rational decision, and may change their mind, but would be unable to tell the doctors this. People have also been known to recover after doctors have diagnosed them of having a terminal illness, and so euthanasia would be wasteful in this case. Some may believe that euthanasia devalues life, as it becomes disposable. It is argued that people would take life too lightly if euthanasia were legalised. We will write a custom essay sample on Euthanasia means good death. specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Euthanasia means good death. specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Euthanasia means good death. specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A lot of voluntary euthanasia cases tend to involve an elderly patient. There are complications in this situation, as old people may feel they are a nuisance to others, and may opt for euthanasia although their heart wants to continue living. This is a huge moral dilemma for friends and relatives, as they have to choose between their loved one suffering or being deprived of him or her. On the other end of the scale, elderly people who live on their own without any living friends or relatives may request to die through sheer loneliness. There could also be a lot of confusion from the patient involved. With the fast progress in medicine over the past century, there are now a lot more older people than there are younger ones. The elderly may, therefore, become confused and request euthanasia motivated from the fact that they miss their youth. A common question also raised in these cases, What is there to look forward to? The justification of the individual intending their own death is made on the grounds that life brings them no pleasure and death is preferable to the intolerable life that they would continue to live. Therefore, it is based on the expected results of the action. A lot of people would argue that choosing death is avoiding the natural course of ones life, however, this mainly applies to religious views and the idea that it goes against the will of God. Some people may say that the only circumstance where choosing death is in the least bit acceptable is when one chooses to keep his or her dignity, and is put to death because of that. It is the secondary result, but not the intended act of the individual. Pro-euthanasia associations form an argument for euthanasia by writing strict circumstances by which euthanasia should be carried out. This being that at least two doctors should diagnose the patient as having an incurable and terminal illness, and that the individual must give a written request for euthanasia at least thirty days beforehand. The Voluntary-euthanasia society (Exit) aims to bring about a change in law so that: An adult person suffering from a severe illness, for which no relief is known, should be entitled by law to the mercy of the painless death, if and only if, that is their expressed wish. Doctors should be allowed to help incurable patients to die peacefully at their own request. The patient must have signed, at least 30 days previously, a declaration making their request known. The issue of euthanasia creates an ethical division between two different types of moral argument, the natural law argument and the situation ethics argument. The Natural law argument against euthanasia is the idea that one is going against the natural cause of ones life. However, it could also be argued that because we naturally avoid death, do we naturally avoid pain as well? This conflicts with the situation ethics debate, which judges each situation on the unique circumstance. It argues the greatest amount of love for the greatest amount of people. A situationist would therefore carry through whatever love required in the situation; which may involve euthanasia, both voluntary and non-voluntary. It could be that love does not permit pain and suffering, but also that it is not loving to kill a person that family and friends will miss dearly. Friends and relatives may be going through anguish as the patient is dying, and may feel better knowing they had a quick and painless death. If euthanasia is the patients request, it may also be considered to be the greatest love that one could give them. On the other hand, friends and relatives may want the patient to live for as long as possible. They may also consider death to be a morally wrong action under any circumstances. Situation ethics therefore is well named, as the morally right action depends on the situation. The same applies to the principle of utilitarianism, of which situation ethics was adapted from. The principle of Utility states that the morally right action is the one that brings about the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. In the case of euthanasia, the same debatable ways of seeing it as morally good or bad applies with utilitarianism as with situation ethics. However, utilitarianism is, in itself, divided between act utilitarians and rule utilitarians. Act utilitarians apply utilitarianism to everything, and so in this case the euthanasia debate would agree with the princ iples of situation ethics. Rule utilitarians tend to judge along the same lines as act utilitarians, but they believe that traditional moral rules should always take priority in a situation. They therefore would probably argue that euthanasia is wrong in all situations, as a traditional moral rule is not to take the life of another. As for utilitarianism in general, calculating the pleasure and the pain of euthanasia can prove to be difficult. This is due to the fact that it is not death itself that matters to many people, just the pain along the way. This is the key motive used to request euthanasia. When using the hedonic calculus, are we measuring the patients pain, or the friends and relatives pain? Which one outweighs the other? Can the two types of pain really be compared? Another complication is one of the general criticisms of utilitarianism, and that is that utilitarians have to have an interpretation of what is good and what is bad, which some argue is made by the conscience. The conscience itself may actually cause long-term guilt for family and friends. This would most likely be motivated from the fact that they have taken a life. The conscience may not have spoken out originally if the friends and relatives were wrapped up in the pain and suffering of their dying loved one in the first place. This does, however, entirely depend on the principles that operate within the conscience. The main debate of euthanasia is the different ideas of the value of life. Is quality better than quantity? Does the individual contribute to society? The opinions of questions such as this may shape an individuals ethical view of euthanasia. A religious analysis of euthanasia in general would start with the idea that death plays a highly important part in religious ethics. All faiths assume the idea that the understanding of death is vital in finding meaning to human life. They all offer explanations for death, and have rituals and services surrounding an individual dying. It is not therefore surprising that they all have strong views on euthanasia. Most religions (and branches of religions) oppose euthanasia; the Roman Catholic Church, for example, is one of the most active organisations in opposing euthanasia. This is due to the fact that most faiths have strict commandments involving a rule in which one shouldnt kill. Whether or not circumstances in euthanasia can justify this rule depends on the religion itself, although its followers in most religions will usually condemn the act to be wrong. Western religions tend to believe in one God, and according to religious scriptures, God has commanded that innocent beings should never be killed. This fits in with the idea that most religions believe that human life is sacred, as it was created by God, and is a gift from God. This refers to the Sanctity of Life, which tends to mean something along the lines of, God gave us life and so only God can take it away. Religious followers would therefore hold the idea that life must always be protected and looked after. The sanctity of life could, of course, be interpreted that we should not interfere with the ending of anyones life. This would rule out life-support machines being used to keep a patient alive. Christianity is a perfect example of the idea that life is a gift from God. They uphold the idea that man is made in the form of God, God made man in his own image (Genesis 1: 27). This makes human life appear to be even more sacred as it implies that man has an importance close to the greatness of God. This does not mean that we look like God, but there is a related likeness beyond the form that we appear as. In the case of euthanasia, it means that human life should be valued, and that Christians should live a life of love, as they believe God does, Whoever sheds the blood of man by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man (Genesis 9: 6). Christians also believe that God gave dominion over every living thing (Genesis 1: 28) which implies that Gods gifts, such as life, should be cherished and lived to the full. It also means that Christians have a duty to look after one another until death. Christians believe that it is Gods duty only to take life away: death is a spiritual process and it should not be interfered with. Some may argue that death and suffering is present as a result of the fall of man, and traditional moral rules should still be accounted for even in unbearable pain. Then there are quotes spoken by Jesus, such as the famous love your neighbour as you love yourself. This can be interpreted in many ways under circumstances such as a request to die from a relative. Is the correct care for an individual the care that serves their request? Is it more caring to let the patient die painlessly, with dignity, or more caring to extend life as much as possible? In the case of Christianity, I believe duties towards one another conflict with duties towards God. This is because duties to one another require respect for every living thing. With respect, comes respect of one anothers decisions. Of course, to accept one anothers decisions, theyd have to respect anothers rational decision to have their treatment stopped, or even their request to be actively killed. As I mentioned in the ethical analysis, it is up to the individual Christian to decide which is more important quality or quantity. If Christians generally interpret the idea of quality in life and that one anothers decisions must be respected, then it can conflict with early teachings that life is a gift from God. It could be the other way round; Christians may prefer quantity to quality, and believe strongly that life is a gift from God. If a request for an early death from a relative came about, then Jesus preaching of love your neighbour would probably be neglected. Christians also believe that no one can judge the value of an individuals life: it lies within Gods understanding and it is not for us to decide. Humanists, on the other hand, believe that the value of life lies in oneself. Thus, Christian beliefs need a compromise when it comes to euthanasia. Christians have especially set up hospices for the terminally ill. These are aiming to care for the patients individually, and prepare them for death. This is because in the past, the dying were deprived of the truth, and brave faces were put on by friends and relatives, pretending that everything was all right. Hospices, on the other hand, help everyone in the situation face death and not fear it. Through this, Christian duties to God and one another can be resolved and prevented from conflicting. Roman Catholocism is a branch of Christianity that strictly forbids euthanasia, Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person (Pope John Paul II: Evangelium Vitae, 1995). They believe that killing in any form is not permitted; and despite the idea that ending suffering could be considered to be a caring action, they believe that life in itself is valuable, even if there is immense pain and suffering. This means that death should be postponed until the last possible minute, and certainly not put to an end intentionally by any human being. Roman Catholics completely dismiss the idea of any person having a right to die. By supporting a right to freedom, they do not believe it goes to the extent of one being able to end their life or anyone elses. However, Roman Catholics do support the right to refuse aggressive medical treatment. This could be because they see passive euthanasia as an acceptance of death, as opposed to deliberately inducing death. As I mentioned earlier, death is considered to be a sacred occasion in all faiths, most of which believe that it is not the end of life. All Christians uphold this idea, including Catholics. Acceptance and awareness of death is therefore, of course, acceptable and even encouraged. True compassion leads to sharing anothers pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear (Pope John Paul II: Evangelium Vitae, 1995). Pope John Paul II states that sufferers should be cared for and we must face through it bravely, and share their pain. Muslims uphold the life is a gift from God argument. They believe that Allah has given us all the great gift of life, and that he only can choose how long each person will live, And no person can ever die except by Allahs leave and at an appointed term (Quran 3.145). They believe that no person has the right to interfere with the length of life, as it suggests that one knows better than Allah. Do not take life, which Allah made sacred, other than in the course of justice (Quran 17.33). The course of justice does not, Muslims argue, apply to euthanasia or suicide, Destroy not yourselves. Surely Allah is ever merciful to you (Quran 4.29). It applies to more complicated circumstances, for example, one person dying so that another can live (e.g. A mother is at risk from her pregnancy and so the foetus may be prematurely expelled). When their time comes they cannot delay it for a single hour nor can they bring it forward by a single hour (Quran 16.61). Quotes such as this complicate a Muslims view of euthanasia. Passive euthanasia, for example, may involve turning off a life-support machine that a friend or relative is attached to. Of course, this quote states that to delay the end of life is also morally wrong. This means that to keep the person alive on the life-support machine was wrong in the first place. This form of euthanasia may, therefore, be acceptable; that is if Muslims allowed their relative to be kept alive in the first place. However, it is argued that almost all of medical practice interferes with nature. (The Moral Maze, by David Cook). Jews have very similar beliefs to Muslims. This is because they believe that people should be grateful for the gift of life, and lives are not to be disposed of as we please. As with Christians, they believe that man is made in Gods image (as it is included in the Old Testament). They uphold the quantity over quality idea, suggesting that even a moment in life is equal in value to many years of human life, The value of human life is infinite and beyond measure, so that any part of life even if only an hour or a second is of precisely the same worth as seventy years of it, just as any fraction of infinity, being indivisible, remains infinite (Lord Jakobovits, former UK Chief Rabbi). They uphold this regardless of the pain and suffering a person might be going through, as they believe that this is not an excuse for killing them, The message of Judaism is that one must struggle until the last breath of life. Until the last moment, one has to live and rejoice and give thanks to the Creator (Dr. Rachamim Melamed-Cohen, Jewsweek, March, 2002). This is a very strict rule in Judaism, for example, if someone is a goses (someone who has started to die, and will d ie within seventy-two hours) it is wrong to do even the slightest thing that would make death come more quickly E.g. To open their eyes, or move a limb. Thus euthanasia is a huge moral violation according to Judaism. There is, however, a limit to the duty of keeping people alive. Jews believe that if someone is in incredible pain and terminally ill, then doctors shouldnt extend their life longer than necessary, Thou shalt not kill; but needst not strive officiously to keep alive, (Poet Arthur Hugh Clough). This is the natural idea. For example, if a life support machine is keeping someone alive it is morally acceptable to turn it off if it is likely that they will not pull through, and let death come naturally. It is also only merely pro-longing death, and not actually curing pain. This is as Muslims believe, but with more emphasis. Jews strictly forbid active euthanasia under any circumstances, even if the patient has requested it. A famous case of euthanasia in the Old Testament of the Bible is in 2 Samuel, when King Saul was seriously wounded after a battle. He ordered a young soldier to kill him, to save him being captured. The young solider did as he requested, and when King David heard of this, he had the man executed. The purpose of this was to show that euthanasia was simply a form of murder, and so the soldier paid the penalty for taking a life. This confirms that one of the Ten Commandments, Thou shalt not kill, rules out euthanasia, making it forbidden in Judaism. Alternatives that a patient could focus on if their request for euthanasia is refused include the hope that the medical cure for their illness is just around the corner. Although this hope is small, it is still hope, and could be enough to change his or her attitude. More care and affection towards patients could also hopefully reduce the amount of pleas for euthanasia. To conclude the religious view of euthanasia in the western faiths, they all value the sanctity of life, and although they feel that quality of life is important, quantity is just as valuable as life itself no matter how unbearable. It is also believed that only God has the power to take the life that he has given away, and that man has no business interfering with such matters. An exception could be seen in Christianity, as certain circumstances involving euthanasia can be seen as loving actions. I do not believe that myself or anyone else would state that euthanasia was morally right under all circumstances. I personally refuse to completely condemn euthanasia as a right or wrong action, and would treat any event in which a request for euthanasia is involved individually. Thus I will bring forth two moral ways of approaching it, through situation ethics, and through my personal conscience. Utilitarianism is also, I feel, a logical moral theory, but I do not think we can judge it through any hedonic calculus because euthanasia is such a delicate issue, and we must account for certain degrees of loving emotion. Putting the fact that euthanasia is illegal aside, I feel that situation ethics and our individual consciences should combine to decide which is the morally right action in the case of a request for euthanasia. General criticisms of these sorts of circumstances could also be eliminated; for example, a rational decision should be ensured from both the patient and his or her friends and relatives. These criticisms aside, providing the action will generate a greater love, and our consciences are speaking out and claiming this action is right, then euthanasia should be carried out. I would now like to bring a political view into the picture. Naturally, the British system as it is will not allocate for factors such as love and other general emotions, this is merely how I would handle an individual situation and how I would advise others to handle it. If euthanasia were to be legalised, strict rules would have be applied to circumstances in which death is actively induced in order to put one out of his or her pain and suffering. For example, in Holland, (where euthanasia is legal) a decision for euthanasia will be responded to thirty days afterwards, when a doctor will induce it. I believe that this system works, and also believe that non-biased professionals should judge the situation and decide whether or not a request for euthanasia should be granted. It would, therefore, still be judged upon the situation. It would then be up to friends and relatives to decide if they feel that it is the best thing to do in the situation. A lot of people do, of course, have objections to the legalisation of euthanasia. Mainly, it is because it is against their personal morals, which includes conflict with their religion. There is obviously no way of compromising all of these principles, other than simply saying that there is of course no obligation for them to go through with euthanasia themselves. I do personally think that they should accept this, but no one can demand them to do so. We must also consider the effects of the legalisation of euthanasia besides others disapproval. Because no one is able to predict the future, we can only guess the consequences of any action. Many people argue that life would be taken too light-heartedly if euthanasia were legalised; I personally do not think that this will happen, providing that the rules for which euthanasia can be carried out are strict. If I may, finally, quote Joseph Fletcher, Christian action should be tailored to fit objective circumstances, the situation. This sums up my argument completely, except that it should apply to everyone, and not just Christians. If the morally right action were judged upon the situation, rather than merely condemning particular actions without any consideration of the individual circumstances of a situation, then perhaps religious and non-religious people, moral and not-so-moral people would agree that euthanasia, under some circumstances, is morally right. On the same scale, people could decide when euthanasia is morally wrong in some situations.

Business-writing radio launched - Emphasis

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Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example His stepmother gave birth to seven children, three in Ecton and four after they had immigrated to Boston. However, after the demise of his mother, his polygamous father married a second wife, Abiah Folger, who bore ten children, bringing the total number of siblings to seventeen. This was at a time when America was a colony of Great Britain. As a result of the abject poverty that had ravaged the British colonies during this time, and bearing in mind the many siblings in the family, Benjamin attended Boston Latin school, a clergy school for a couple of years and was forced to end his studies prematurely due to lack of money. Contrary to this, his passion for acquisition of more knowledge, like all his brothers, grew by the day due to interest in books and the zeal for writing. Though his father had been against it from the start, he finally gave way after realizing his son’s undying enthusiasm for writing and the expense of college education, (Woodworth, 1). He finally took him to a school for writing and arithmetic where he really excelled in the former. Realizing he could not further his sons education, his father absorbed him into his tallow-chandler business newly acquired profession in New England. This sharpened his guidance skills especially when they went to forays with the boys in the sea. His zeal for reading grew by the day. All little money he got was spent on books with some of his first collections being John Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress and R. Burton's Historical Collections.(Woodworth, 3) The inception of a printing business by his brother James on his return to England further exposed him to a variety of books. He was made his apprentice and through this, he made many acquaintances like Mathew Adams, a resourceful businessperson, who exposed him to variety of books in his library collections, majorly poetry. His writing skills improved immensely for example when he wrote his first poetry of The Lighthouse Tragedy .This was further enhanced by acquisition of the book, Spectator and the inception of his brothers first newspaper, New England Courant, which he secretly contributed to under the disguise of Mrs. Silence Do-good. These articles attracted a lot of publicity in town and he eventually broke ties with his brother after he discovered the popular correspondent was his brother (Woodworth, 3) His journey to Philadelphia saw him work in different printing shops where he nurtured the idea of starting his own printing firm. With support from Sir William Keith, the then Pennsylvania governor, to travel to London to acquire printing gear, he would later establish the notion as unworthy of consideration (Woodworth, 21). However, he made several acquaintances like Charles Osborne, Joseph Watson, and James Ralph, all lovers of reading (Woodworth, 69). With the absence of forthcoming prospects, Ben went back to Philadelphia and established, together with other aspirants and tradesmen, a group called Junto with the noble inte ntion of bettering their community. This was done through excellent ideas that led to building of the library company of Philadelphia (Woodworth, 188). The pooling of enough resources from the junta group saw him begin his life of political lobbyism. Together with his trusted associate, Hugh Meredith, they established their first printing house in Pennsylvania. This led to the publication of their first newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. Through his diligence and unremitting obsession for freedom

Exam Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Exam Questions - Essay Example Line managers maintain the arduous role of ensuring that employees are achieving performance targets, focusing on proper planning, scheduling and generic supervision to ensure compliance to corporate policies. However, when line managers take on the role of providing HR assistance, they become much more psychologically involved with employees to improve their dedication and motivation. Consider an organisation with a structured production system governed by traditional line management. In the role of HR provider, the line manager goes beyond the work schedule and efficiency measurement, becoming a strategic partner with the human resources division to create value rather than merely productivity. Research in human resources identifies that employee empowerment is one of the most fundamental methods of gaining their commitment and motivation. Empowerment strategies give employees more flexibility in taking active roles in corporate decision-making, thus giving employees a perception o f control and prestige within the organisation. According to Yusoff (2008) when employees are granted more authority, it becomes easier in the long-run to ensure discipline and control. Line managers have the most frequent contact with employees and thus act as the intermediary for team development. Line management has more intimate knowledge of employees’ attitudes, lifestyle preferences and skills capabilities than that of the HR manager due to their close proximity in the production (or non-production) environments. This gives line managers a unique ability to utilise many different HR theories to ensure that they become more like coaches or mentors than simply authoritative line managers to assist in developing employees’ core competencies. For instance, in a production environment, there is a constant demand for change. Change comes in the form of new technology implementation or systems process restructuring in order to meet cost or strategic-based performance or output goals. The line manager acting as an HR facilitator can become more active in training provision, giving employees hands-on tacit knowledge that can be transferred for better organisational learning and knowledge exchange. According to Bambacas and Bordia (2009, p.225) when training is provided that is perceived as being non-transferrable to another business, it becomes too costly for the employee to leave in pursuit of different employment. Traditionally, the HR manager handles the process of developing and implementing training packages. However, when involving the line manager, the management team can provide a distinctly different element to ensuring employees have the knowledge and skills to accept and embrace changes in the work environment. Line managers hold intimate knowledge of the systems that drive organisational productivity and can thus take this self-contained, tacit knowledge and disseminate it directly through concrete and applied training; something not ach ievable with the HR manager who is not personally familiar with operational systems. The line manager empowers employees, establishing a sense of group belonging in the team, constantly reinforcing that uniqueness of the training packages to gain a psychological advantage over employees. By using both line

Case Study on Hr Planning Essay Example for Free

Case Study on Hr Planning Essay It is the country†s best recognised energy brand. Centrica is a multinational company, with businesses in many countries. Centrica was formed in 1997 and consists of eight separate energy-related businesses, ranging from the supply of gas and electricity to consumers and organisations in the UK and Europe, to storage of gas for other providers, and drain and pipe work maintenance. The UK energy market is highly dynamic. Customers look for the best deals and are increasingly prepared to switch suppliers. In 2007, 900,000 customers switched energy providers. An energy company needs to show it is not just competitive on price, but that it can also provide the right levels of customer service to attract and retain customers. British Gas does not only supply gas but also deals with the installation and maintenance of domestic central heating and appliances. It provides a maintenance and breakdown service for electrical white goods and home wiring. Through the Dyno brand, British Gas also offers drain clearing services, plumbing and home security services. To deliver these services, British Gas needs high calibre staff. It employs more than 9,000 trained gas engineers to install and maintain central heating and gas appliances. This case study explores how British Gas manages the recruitment and selection of new employees. Page 2:  The role of human resource management Managing a successful large business involves acquiring, developing and maintaining a wide range of resources. These resources include materials, buildings, land, equipment, technology and, crucially, people. Any organisation needs good employees who have the right skills to achieve the company†s aims and objectives. Human resource management (HRM) is the business function that focuses on the people aspects of an organisation. It ensures the efficient management of people in the business. It is responsible for ensuring that an organisation has the right people to deliver its overall business plan. Meeting customer needs Centrica, the parent corporation of British Gas, has to deliver long term profitability. Its shareholders expect the business to show a return on their investment by making profits, now and in the future. British Gas needs to contribute to these profits. This means consistently meeting the needs of its customers with competitively priced products and services that give good returns to the company. Residential consumers across the country are the core customer base of British Gas. These customers expect top-class service at keen prices. If British Gas does not meet this standard, the company may lose business to competitors. To ensure customer satisfaction, British Gas engineers must have the technical skills to undertake work to the required standard and the people skills to deliver good customer service. Through its engineer recruitment team, the British Gas Academy must therefore ensure that the company attracts and retains the best engineers. This involves several complementary tasks. It requires planning to assess the future needs for skilled employees at British Gas. It requires a recruitment and selection programme to bring new people into the business. It requires a training operation to equip new recruits and existing employees with the right skills. Retaining people Importantly, British Gas must also ensure that it retains its best people. It is much more cost effective to retain trained and highly skilled staff than recruit and train up new people. British Gas seeks to retain people by offering a mix of financial and non-financial benefits. As well as good pay and a pension scheme, the company provides employees with the opportunity to buy shares in Centrica and it offers a great place to work and high-class training. Page 3:  Training As an expanding business, British Gas needed to increase its workforce to meet customer demand. At the end of 2002, British Gas established the British Gas Academy. The Academy has helped to develop and refocus training facilities to handle the extra training requirement in recruiting an additional 5,000 employees into the engineering workforce. * British Gas runs an intensive apprenticeship programme. This is delivered in training centres. Trainees should expect to qualify by year five. All domestic gas engineers become fully acquainted with the latest computer-aided diagnostic technology. There are also traineeships, which provide a way for new recruits to learn about the gas industry and gain relevant skills and qualifications. British Gas provides technical training for all its engineers throughout their careers. This ensures that its employees are kept up-to-date with new information and technologies to enable them to provide the best service possible. Training does not simply focus on technical skills and knowledge. Most employees have direct contact with customers, so it is important that they have good people skills. Awareness training is provided for employees across British Gas through an online learning package. Another programme is improving staff†s cultural awareness, particularly to support the growing international operations at British Gas. Page 4:  Workforce planning Workforce planning is the process of assessing a company†s current and future labour needs. The British Gas Academies must consider not just overall employee numbers but also the skills that will be required within the business. Workforce planning also involves managing any training and recruitment process to ensure the organisation has the right staff in place. Managers at British Gas conduct a programme of forecasting to predict how much the UK market for domestic gas engineering services will grow. This helps the company decide how many additional engineers it will need in the future. British Gas makes detailed forecasts of its demand for engineering personnel for one year in advance and makes more general estimates for a further two years into the future. Factors affecting workforce planning At British Gas, workforce requirements are driven by two different demands. First, there are contract customers that have service agreements with the company. Second, there are customers who call for one-off assistance if they have a specific problem. Demand for both these services has grown. In the last three or four years, the need for engineers has expanded accordingly. This has meant that it has had to recruit more staff. There are several other factors that influence workforce planning for British Gas. Engineering skills need to be constantly updated. Health and safety issues are also critically important in the gas industry. Health and safety regulations are changing all the time and EU regulations must also be considered. Apart from regular formal training to close skills gaps to ensure engineers stay up to date with technical matters, British Gas can alert engineers about technical changes via field radio or text messaging. Engineers can work all their careers in the field until they retire. Qualified engineers may spend up to 10 years gaining their skills, qualifications and experience. They have valued practical skills that are needed to deal with equipment and customers. However, British Gas also needs suitable people for promotion to higher roles, such as management jobs. It needs managers to plan, organise and co-ordinate the teams of engineers. It therefore needs to attract and recruit a wide range of people into the organisation. Page 5:  Recruitment As part of its workforce planning, British Gas implements a diversity and inclusion strategy using tailored action plans. This means it actively seeks new recruits from a wide range of backgrounds. The need to recruit a diverse engineering workforce is seen as critical by British Gas. It plans recruitment to ensure it has a socially inclusive workforce. This is important as it will enable British Gas to reflect the diversity of its customer base. For example, it is useful to have employees from different nationalities and backgrounds to communicate with customers that do not speak English as a first language. Recruiting more women engineers may help to attract female customers. British Gas has won a national award from the Council for Registered Gas Installers (CORGI) for its efforts to encourage and attract women into the engineering workforce and into plumbing and associated trades. To dispel the myth that only men can be good engineers, British Gas runs a Georgina and the Dragon campaign for children. What British Gas recruitment programmes  have achieved  is demonstrated by various awards during 2009: * British Gas  won awards from the Local Employment Partnership in the East Midlands. The awards for â€Å"Unlocking Talent†Ã‚  and the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Outstanding LEP Achievement Award†Ã‚  recognise  the companys recruitment work with the LEP and Jobcentre Plus in the region. * British Gas has been named in the 2009  Sunday Timess 20 Best Big Companies to Work For. * The British Gas Academy won an award from Women into Science and Engineering (WISE). The award Investor in WISE   rewarded the efforts British Gas makes  to promote science,  engineering and construction  to girls and young women. Advertising British Gas tries to appeal to a varied and diverse audience when promoting its apprenticeships. To advertise opportunities widely, British Gas uses specialist Sky channels like Parliamentary Projects TV, which focuses on careers, and Passion TV, which is aimed at the black community. In print media, it uses womens magazines, publications targeted at ethnic minorities such as The Muslim Weekly as well as other careers directories for the same reason. Other channels include radio, newspapers,  British Gas website  (www. britishgasacademy. co. uk) and a DVD for schools. Recruiting gas engineers of the right level is important. Candidates for a British Gas apprenticeship must be at least 16 years old, and have a minimum of four GCSEs at grade C or above or equivalent (e. g. NVQs). However, they need more than academic qualifications, they must be able to show some aptitude for customer service, such as being able to listen to customers and understand their requirements. Application British Gas uses an online application form. To help British Gas decide an applicants suitability, this includes a value-based questionnaire. This requires responses to a series of statements about attitudes to work. There are 90 statements in all, and an applicants overall responses are rated green, amber or red. The colour reflects the attitudes the applicant has about work and people. This helps to show which roles a person is best suited to. British Gas does not take applicants with red ratings further as they may not show a fit with the company requirements. However after an initial screening, green and amber applicants are invited to an interview and assessment centre for the final selection process. Here, candidates must show evidence of qualifications, ID and driving licence. Page 6:  Selection At the British Gas assessment centre the emphasis is very much upon core competencies and life skills. Life skills are personal skills that are likely to affect the customer experience when someone is working in the field. British Gas engineers needs to show courtesy and politeness, for example. These are personal qualities that have a direct impact upon customer perception. Core competencies involve team working, interpersonal skills (such as dealing with people), motivation and responding to change. These are crucial skills that can affect the way an individual fits in and works within an organisation. Candidates attend the centre for a half-day assessment. This has three elements. The total scores from the three-part assessment help British Gas to decide who receives a job offer. Candidates are notified of the outcome within 14 days. All candidates can receive feedback. For those candidates offered a job, British Gas provides the usual job benefits including a van from the outset and a competitive starting salary. The new recruits then go on to benefit from the comprehensive programme of training through its Academy. This ensures that they are given the best start in their new careers. It also builds employee motivation and commitment to the company. Recruiting and selecting staff is an expensive process. By following a robust selection programme in this way, British Gas is able to ensure it gets the right people with the right skills. It also means it maximises the benefit from its investment. Page 7:  Conclusion Recruitment and selection at British Gas is driven by the need to maintain the competitive position of the company within the energy market. Domestic gas customers demand the very highest standards of service. They can be assured that British Gas engineers have high-level skills and expertise through its careful specification of entry qualifications followed by top quality training. British Gas also assesses the personal attributes of staff through role play and questionnaires as these influence customers perceptions of the service and the company. Great care is taken in determining the organisations future staffing needs. This drives the recruitment and selection process to ensure British Gas is seen as offering dynamic and exciting career paths for people of all backgrounds. By developing and nurturing its people, British Gas ensures that new recruits have the right qualities to help the business to compete.

Flucations In The Australian Dollar :: essays research papers

The Australian Dollar is a "Commodity Currency". A "Commodity Currency" means that its fortunes are heavily dependent on the prices of Gold, Copper, Nickel, Coal and Wool. All of these commodities are Australia’s main exports. At present, commodity prices are low, especially gold. Melbourne-based mining consultant Surbiton Associates said exports of Australian gold were in danger of declining if exploration failed to be supported and production declined as a result. The country produces about $5 billion worth of gold each year and over the past 10 years the metal has earned $42 billion in export revenue. Presently, our dollar has been the weakest in history, comparable to the United States (US) dollar. The record low occurred in early April where it sank to 47.75 US cents. Compared to the US dollar, our Australian dollar buys at present 50.81 US cents. (27 July 2001). It is unrealistic to determine what started the dollars slide or when it started. In this graph it is visible that the dollar started to drop as far back as April 1997. Although, we can never be sure that the fluctuations are actually fluctuations in the $A or those of the $US. For that reason the following figure shows the movements in the $A against the trade weighted index (TWI). As its name indicates, the trade weighted index tries to measure the value of the $A against a basket of currencies. Those currencies are chosen to reflect the weight in Australia's trade with the countries issuing the currencies in the index. At the moment, the US dollar is very strong. This is surprising considering that the American economy is not very strong. Interest rates in the US basically show the situation. Americas interest rates have seen five cuts over the last four months to where it now sits at 3.75%. This was the US governments’ way of trying to kick-start the economy through fiscal policy. This is why many economists believe the US dollar will subside, as there is no backing in the economy. The â€Å"Aussie†, as it is referred to in foreign markets, is believed to be dependent on the performance of the Japanese Yen and the new Eurodollar, with the three currencies tending to move in tandem. This is because of Australia’s importing and exporting relationship with the two other currencies. Interest Rates At the moment the interest rate in Australia sits at 5%. In resent times interest rates have been subject to three cuts.

Hazara people Essay

1. Friendship, guilt, redemption â€Å"He knew about Assef, the kite, the money, the watch with the lightning bolt hands. He had always known. ‘Come. There is a way to be good again,’ Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought. † (Chapter 14, pg 202). This quote symbolizes how Amir strived to do everything to forget, all he needed to do was to fly to Pakistan and see what Rahim Khan wanted him to do. So that’s exactly what Amir did. Rahim Khan tells Amir that â€Å"there is a way to be good again†. Amir knew straightaway what he was talking about. He realizes, that all of those years, Rahim Khan had known about Assef, the kite, the money, the watch with the lightning bolt hands. He had always known. Rahim Khan had knew about Hassan getting raped. He needs to go to Afghanistan and talk about the ‘unspoken secret’ they both knew about. After the phone conversation, Amir keeps remembering Hassan saying ‘for you, a thousand times over! ’ Thinking of this, he knows he has to go to Afghanistan, see Rahim Khan, uncover the secrets and do whatever he asks to ‘be good again’. By this he means that Amir has the opportunity to make up for his betrayal of Hassan by saving his son, Sohrab. Rahim Khan knows what really happened to Hassan and also knows that this has been bothering Amir for years so he is basically implying that Amir can still redeem himself if he goes back to Afghanistan. When Amir ran, he ran from jealousy and fear; fear of Assef and fear of his own reputation as a Pashtun standing up for a Hazara. The negativity of the social setting influenced Amir’s rash decision on betraying Hassan. The prevailing theme of guilt and redemption is weaved through the journey of Amir’s life, influenced by the society, where Hazaras are betrayed. 2. Parental relationships â€Å"Here is another cliche my creative writing teacher would have scoffed at; like father like son. But, it was true, wasn’t it? As it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us. And with that came this realization: that Rahim Khan had summoned me there to atone not just for my sins but for Baba’s too. † (Chapter 18, pg 238) I chose this quote because not only is it ironic in and of itself, but it also ironically characterizes all the characters in the novel. Amir felt his â€Å"sin†Ã¢â‚¬â€betraying Hassan—made him so different from his father. He has spent much of his life trying to please Baba and mimic his father’s life. It is ironic that now, all these years later, when he discovers he and had father were so similar, it sickens him rather than bringing him joy. In the novel, he continually states that he would’ve never would have dreamed that Baba’s greatest sin would be theft on so many different levels (stealing wife, purity, truth) and gone against the nang and namoos, he so adamantly preached to his son. Amir and Baba’s relationship changes throughout the novel. The novel starts out with Amir doing whatever he could to win his father’s attention, which includes betraying his best friend, Hassan. He betrayed Hassan for his father’s full attention. He then earns it when Hassan and Ali move out and Baba and Amir move to America. This quote shows that Amir and Baba are very alike. They both betrayed their best friends. Baba betrayed Ali by sleeping with his wife, and Amir betrayed Hassan by not standing up for him while getting assaulted. Then they both try to redeem themselves with doing other good deeds. Baba, running an orphanage, and Amir going back to Kabul to save Sohrab, Hassan’s son. 3. Maturing â€Å"Earlier in the morning, when I was certain no one was looking, I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier: I planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress† (Chapter 19, pg 254) This quote shows how Amir had changed and grew more mature than before. In Kabul, before he had done the same thing to kick out Ali and Hassan. â€Å"I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it. I waited another thirty minutes. Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies. † (pg. 110) Before, when he put the money under Hassan’s mattress, it was a coward move. He did it so Baba would get rid of both Hassan and Ali. Amir kept trying to cover up his past and get rid of it by setting Hassan up. He thought if Hassan left, then everything would go back to normal, but it didn’t. Now, Amir had a heart. Rahim Khan told Amir to come back to Afghanistan to rescue Hassan’s son Sohrab. Amir stayed with Wahid’s family. They didn’t have much at all. They served Amir all their food they had. Amir felt guilty for all the riches he had. Living in America, without war, having sanitary living conditions and enough food for meals three times a day. So, when it was time for Amir to leave, he snuck a fistful of money under the mattress. This time, it wasn’t a coward who had done it, it had been a loving, but guilty man. Amir was slowly paying back his dues and hardships he had created in the past. 4. Strength of the human spirit â€Å"Then I told him I was going to Kabul. Told him to call the Caldwells in the morning. ‘I’ll pray for you, Amir jan,’ he said. †(Chapter 18 pg 239) Not only did Amir not stand up for himself, he did not stand up for others either (like Hassan when he got raped). Amir didn’t dare to say his opinion, to the public, or to Assef that he and Hassan are friends because Hassan is Hazara and always was going to be. Later that changes. He fights for Sohrab, in fact what he really is doing is fighting back for all the times he didn’t fight for Hassan, against Assef. In the fight he gets hare lipped just like Hassan, I think that’s a symbol. A symbol that says that he has become as brave as Hassan. Another thing that indicates this change is that in the dreams he used to have where he couldn’t part his father from the bear he later dreams of himself as the bear. He always admired his father, and his father was very brave. Bears are significant as brave and fearless. Back in Kabul, it seemed like Amir was finally doing something good in his life. After some misgivings, Amir agrees to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from an orphanage in Kabul. Amir even fights against a Taliban official who turns out to be Assef in order to save Sohrab. This reminds Amir and the readers that this time it wasn’t Hassan who was in Assef’s fist, it was his son and Amir had to save Sohrab because he couldn’t save Hassan last time. This is action instead of inaction; bravery instead of cowardice; selflessness instead of self-absorption. Perhaps this streak of good deeds will make up for his betrayal of Hassan. It’s almost as if the confident Amir combines with the helpless and coward childhood Amir. While saving Sohrab, Amir makes a huge mistake and goes back on a promise to Sohrab. As a result, Sohrab tries to commit suicide. We’re watching Amir repeat mistakes from the past even as he attempts to put the past to rest. This is Amir at his best and worst and perhaps this is the real Amir that really combines all the previous versions of him. He’s weak and blind, but also essentially kind. He’s jealous, but in the end only wants to be loved. Even though sometimes during the book, we would want to scream at Amir, but as we know that he’s an utterly human character, and can’t blame him for anything. 5. ‘Discrimination and prejudice â€Å"True, I hadn’t made Ali step on that land mine, and I hadn’t brought the Taliban to the house to shoot Hassan. But I had driven Hassan and Ali out of the house. Was it too far-fetched to think things might have turned out differently if I hadn’t? Maybe Baba would have brought them to America. Maybe Hassan would have a home of his own now, a job, a family, a life in a country where no one cared that he was a Hazara, where most people didn’t even know what a Hazara was. Maybe not. But maybe so. † (Chapter 18, pg 238) The Kite Runner tackles the issue of discrimination in Afghanistan with an example of the relationship between Pashtuns and Hazaras. Baba’s father sets an example for Amir of being kind to Hazara people, even though they are historically not appreciated and persecuted. Baba could have easily sent Ali to an orphanage after his parents’ death, but he chose not to and picked the decision of raising him in his household. Baba does the same with Hassan, although this is because of the fact that Hassan is actually his son after all. Even in Baba’s house, the house of best intentions, the class barrier between the Pashtuns and Hazaras endures. Ali is as dear to Baba as a brother. Baba calls him â€Å"family. † But Ali still lives in a hut and sleeps on a mattress on the floor. He tends the garden, cooks, and cleans up after Baba, and raises Hassan to do the same. So strong is Hassan’s identity as a servant that even as an adult, when Baba is gone, he has no sense of entitlement. He insists on staying in the hut and doing housework. When Hassan dies defending Baba’s house, he does so not because he feels it belongs to him, but because he is being loyal to Baba and Amir. Discrimination is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Assef tells Amir, â€Å"Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage. † Like his idol, Hitler, he feels entitled to killing those he deems unworthy of living in his land. He even relishes the term â€Å"ethnic cleansing† because it goes so well with his garbage metaphor. Like Baba, many people do not mention the Hazaras’ history of persecution. The author shows that the persecution of the Hazaras is not new, but a greatly intensified outgrowth of long-held discrimination. 6. Man’s inhumanity to man â€Å"How could he have lied to me all those years? To Hassan? He had sat me on his lap when I was little, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, There is only one sin. And that is theft†¦ When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. Hadn’t he said those words to me? And now, fifteen years after I’d buried him, I was learning that Baba had been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he’d stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor. His nang. His namoos. † (Chapter 18, pg 237) Until Rahim Khan reveals Baba’s secret, Amir thinks he is the only sinner among his family and friends. The biggest shocker to Amir was that Hassan was really his half brother. After Amir’s mother died, Baba had slept with Hassan’s mother and got her pregnant. All along Baba knew that Hassan was his son and Ali covered as his father and the two of them were servants in Baba’s house. Amir thought about the reason why Baba was so worked up over Amir’s mentioning of getting new servants was because he would be losing his son that way. There were so many signs he realizes like the plastic surgery and always inviting Hassan to events. Amir was filled with anger and he felt betrayed by Rahim and especially Baba. The regret is even greater in his life that he had driven out his own half brother and did not even know it, and now there is no way to make things right because Hassan is dead. Amir is shocked, taken back, and deeply hurt. Even before Amir betrays him, Hassan makes him feel guilty simply by being such a righteous person. Amir is constantly trying to measure up to Baba, because he does not realize that Baba is so hard on him because of his guilt over his own sin. Amir feels as though his entire life has been a cycle of betrayal, even before he betrayed Hassan. But having a taste of betrayal himself does little towards redeeming Amir. In Ghazi Stadium, the Taliban skews the words of Muhammad in order to justify murdering the alleged adulterers. The mullah announces that every person should have a punishment befitting his sin. Although he would not want to compare himself to the Taliban, Amir believes this in regards to his own sin. When he tried to get Hassan to pelt him with pomegranates, he was expressing his feeling that in order to be forgiven for hurting Hassan, Hassan must hurt him. When Assef almost kills Amir, he felt â€Å"healed,† as though now that Assef has hurt him, it is fair. He even tells Farid that in the room with Assef, he â€Å"got what he deserved. † In the end, Amir finds out that punishment is not what will redeem him from his sin. It is not even saving Sohrab. In order to make up for his sin and Baba’s before him, Amir must erase the lines of discrimination he has lived with all his life by giving Sohrab an equal chance at success and happiness.