Health benefit costs

It is important for employers to eliminate the benefits drawn by retirees to maintain the benefits of current employees. A number of companies are taking into consideration the changes they are likely to experience as a result of increasing health care costs and the dire economic situation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Health benefit costs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Employers are therefore looking for the most effective ways to reduce such costs (C C H, Incorporated 2003). Elimination of benefits for retirees is a sure way of reducing the costs incurred by an organization, such elimination should be directed to the retirees due to their diminishing role within an organization and their financial position that come about as a result of accumulation of funds during the period of employment. Retirees also draw benefits from organizations that carry out social work. Current employees do not enjoy such a feat . It is however important to reinstate that the reason for the elimination of retirees benefits is the amount of contribution drawn over time that is higher than that of current employees thus a need for employers to create a balance. Employees should be charged more for health benefits as opposed to reducing their contribution to pensions. The reason is that pensions is a mode of saving that caters for the needs of such employees upon retirement while costs incurred as a result of health are termed as recurrent. It is unwise to feel comfortable meeting the health needs which will always form a part of an employee’s life. Pension benefits do not conform to such an ideology. It is worth noting that public employees pay a small percentage of their pension’s costs. This is usually a third or less of the total cost. According to experts this contribution is quite low. It is actually less than 30% of the total cost of the annual pensions plan stated contributions. This mean s reducing the contributions to pension will impact minimally on the overall costs incurred by an employer. In an effort to improve employee satisfaction, it is necessary to study and analyze their expectations especially in terms of finances and motivation. This lays the ground work for initiating corrective measures in case something is a miss. It is inappropriate for employers to reduce employee’s incentives during tough economic times. This only serves to reduce employee loyalty and morale. Employers therefore need to provide channels for employees to voice their concerns in case such an activity is taking place; this is an important way to propagate job satisfaction. The bottom line is that the benefits drawn by employees should not be reduced (Lundy Janes 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After taking into consideration the above mentioned concepts. An emp loyer should create a strategic plan in an effort to balance between the needs of the employees and their own needs. It is through employers performing their duties efficiently that employees can pick up the trend. These duties include provision of benefits appropriately. Employers can therefore take advantage of new tools related to electronic planning and offer benefits which are timely and accurate. Strategic plans are useful in providing controlled budgets. An employer can achieve such a feat by evaluating the present benefit plans, identification of the goals and objectives of the company, determining strategies that relate to the culture of the company, coordinating the benefit strategies in reference to human resource programs, designing a communication plan and establishing a budget that fully supports this plan. This will be useful in ensuring that employees receive their benefits as planned thus increasing the levels of satisfaction (Lundy Janes 2009). References C C H, I ncorporated. (2003). United States master employee benefits guide. Los Angeles, CA: CCH Incorporated. Lundy, S. Janes, S. (2009). Community Health Nursing: Caring for the Public’s Health. New York: Jones Bartlett Publishers. Sims, R. (2002). Organizational success through effective human resources management. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group. This essay on Health benefit costs was written and submitted by user Ciara W. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

My Life In the South by Jacob Stroyer essays

My Life In the South by Jacob Stroyer essays The Life of Jacob Stroyer Slave narratives are the personal accounts by black slaves as well as exslaves about their experiences of slavery and the struggles to obtain freedom. The slave narratives offer chronological incidents into an individual's experiences and they provide the audience with an understanding into the writer's mind and the structure of the slave society. Exslaves, like Frederick Douglass, wrote narratives to try to persuade his readers about the injustices and immorals of slavery and also attempted to eventually abolish the institution of slavery. Other slaves wrote narratives to earn money to buy relatives out of slavery, to support themselves in their old age, and to financially support the causes of abolition. Jacob Stroyer wasn't any different. He wrote his book, My Life in the South, to show the harsh realities of slavery and to document his life on a large slave plantation in South Carolina. Jacob Stroyer was one of fifteen children born on a plantation in 1849. Although the Emancipation Proclamation freed Stroyer in 1864, he spent 15 horrible years in bondage. In Stroyer's book, he describes the cruel conditions he endured on a daily basis from whipping, to being nearly starved to death. Stroyer describes living in one cabin with two large families. How could two families sleep in such a small cabin? Stroyer describes the tension it caused living so close together. Families often competed against one another for food. When someone stole a hog from the master and brought the meat home, the other family reported the thief to the master. That person suffered severe consequences. Stroyer describes how the family sleep when it got so hot during the summer. "When it was too warm for them to sleep comfortably, they all slept under trees until it grew too cool" (Stroyer 57). Stroyer , however, was very fortunate enough to have not been separated from his fam ...

How Have Elements of Music Hall and Melodrama Influenced Subsequent Essay

How Have Elements of Music Hall and Melodrama Influenced Subsequent 20th and 21st Century Performance Styles - Essay Example The melodrama performances of the early nineteenth century were designed for the middle class. A form of serious drama, Michael R. Booth, in his book Theatre in the Victorian Age, says that â€Å"Melodrama contains every possible ingredient of popular appeal: strong emotion, both pathetic and potentially tragic, low comedy, romantic colouring, remarkable events in an exciting and suspenseful plot,†. He goes on to describe the many aspects of the human experience that the melodrama touches, â€Å"physical sensations, sharply delineated stock characters, domestic sentiment, domestic settings and domestic life, love, joy, suffering, morality, the reward of virtue, and the punishment of vice.† ( pg 151). These dramas appealed to the working class as they touched on themes that were familiar and relatable to the audience. While much of the work would be done with past historical eras as the time periods, according to Booth, the themes had a nineteenth century contemporary feel and resonance. was Thomas Holcroft’s, â€Å"A Tale of Mystery† which would be performed at Covent Garden in 1802. This piece was â€Å"Gothic in nature and influenced by the English Gothic novel of the late eighteenth century, the German â€Å"Sturm and Drang† drama, and Parisian melodrama of the post-Revolutionary period.† (Booth, 1991, pg. 155). The story was a translation of the French melodrama, Coelina, ou l’enfant du mystà ¨re , from 1800 by Renà © Guilbert de Pixà ©rà ©court. According to Dr. Marvin Carlson, professor of comparative literature and executive officer of the Ph.D. program at the University of New York, There were several French adaptations that would start the melodrama phase in English theatrical history. However, the development of the familial connection would create a standard for plot and theme. important familial relationships

Discussion questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Discussion questions - Assignment Example he fact that during the advanced stage AD patients may develop physiological complications as body systems begin to fail thereby paving the way for health deterioration. Thus, it is always expedient that other tests are carried out as a way of ruling out other health complications that co-occur with AD. Some of these conditions include brain tumor, anxiety, infections, depression, vitamin deficiency and thyroid complications. To this effect, blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests and computer tomography scan (CT) may be used to ascertain the patient’s internal anatomy (Gillick, 2012). If a kidney failure has been fully established to be real, it will be necessary to put the patient on the dialysis machine. This will help the patient get rid of wastes in her system. Recommending renal failure diet will also go a long way in regulating the amount of phosphorus, sodium and proteins in the diet. The patient will also be put on drips to help hydrate her body. It would be most important for the drip to include dextrose and saline, since these elements will help raise the fluid level. After the tests have revealed the cause of the bruises in the body, appropriate medical intervention may be administered. In this wavelength, the patient’s meal will have to include calcium and vitamin K to help foster coagulation in the patient’s ruptured blood vessels. There are several ethical issues that emanate from this development. Occupational safety of the nurse attending to the patient is a serious ethical issue because, since the patient is at an advanced stage of AD, nurses will have to deal with incontinence. The issue of the quality of life will also pose another ethical challenge, especially if other factors such as the patient being terminally ill, her old age, her relative insignificance to the economy and scarcity of healthcare resources are factored in. Even when requested, euthanasia cannot be executed since it is proscribed in the US. Conversely,

Success Story of David Robert Joseph Beckham Essay

Success Story of David Robert Joseph Beckham - Essay Example Success Story of David Robert Joseph Beckham Most of the famous success stories seems to have their respective head-start from a failure. When it comes to understanding and assessing the success story of David Beckham, one can begin with the hardships he underwent during his initial years as a football player. It has been written by a number of writers who have witnessed or interviewed Beckham that his coach or football teachers remain a reason behind Beckham’s increased effort towards football. It was very difficult for him to get his positions in the football team because a common view was observed in the 1990s that players need to have a typical physique i.e. the players have to be tall and have toned muscles etc. Despite such a stereotype, Beckham worked hard to get the training as a football player. It was his determination and effort that he was able to play in a team of fewer than 15 years of age in 1990s. Later on, he played football for a couple of other football club s. The major clubs where Beckham has served most of the years of his football career included Read Madrid, Manchester United, Galaxy etc (Reavis). In the present times, David Beckham has been able to gain a lot of fame that he ended up being the legacy for most of the clubs. Let alone in Manchester United, he has held the captaincy for about fifty-nine times. In addition, he is known as Beckham for his face value has increased up to $1bn (Cujo). Cijo, Mark. You Branding: Reinventing Your Personal Identity As a Successful Brand.

Effects of Bank Mergers in the UK: Analysis

Effects of Bank Mergers in the UK: Analysis Introduction This paper takes a look at effects of Bank Mergers in the UK. It also shows how banks are affected by mergers and their effects on retail interest rates and customers. It also takes a look at how bank mergers help bring about improvement which is passed on to the customers. The main aim of the paper is to analyze the effects of Bank Mergers. It also takes a look at the environmental factors which lead to the mergers taking place. Aims and Objectives The aim of this paper is to analyse who the beneficiaries of a bank merger are and the cost analysis of the merger. It analyses the costs which are involved with the merger and its effects on the customer. The paper also deduces whether the retail interest rates are not influenced by the effects of mergers. Furthermore it also looks at how different banking products can be affected by mergers. The objectives of this work are: To review the extant conceptual frameworks and models associated with Bank Mergers To identify how mergers affect the relationship between banks and their customers To analyse the cost analysis associated with the mergers of Banks To understand the external factors which lead to mergers taking place between banks Literature Review Bank Mergers are usually subjected to anti competition or antitrust laws if they are found to be limiting the field for competition. The key to a bank merger is that it should bring about benefits to the sector instead of restricting it. There should be synergy between banks instead of tightening the noose and making it tough for everyone. If there are no savings being passed on to the customers then there is no use of a bank merger. There have been scenarios where bank mergers were not permitted by the Competition Commission as the customers would not benefit from the merger. (Competition Commission 2001). The regulatory bodies have to ensure that all gains from the merger do not benefit the merged bank but are passed on to the customers. There is a lot of scrutiny when it comes to bank mergers and identifies the relationship between efficiency and price changes after a merger has taken place. According to Farrell and Shapiro (1990) prices and retail interest rates can fall only if there were lower marginal costs before the merger of the two banks. Mergers are known to have failed if they dont bring about any savings or benefit to the customers. Mergers are not beneficial to the customer if the interest rates for customers are higher. The efficiency of merging banks influences the competition in the market. Bank mergers lead to bad conditions for the consumer if the merger does not promise efficiency. If a bank records efficiency gains after a merger then it brings about price improvements. Bank mergers tend to affect certain banking products in different ways. Research Setting The research is based upon the UK retail banking market. It examines the large and small banks and takes a deep look at the mergers which took place over the last few years and the mergers which failed to take place. Both building societies and UK retail banks are analyzed as they all offer different retail banking services. The research only includes banks that are in the UK retail banking market. The research also takes a look at the mergers which occurred between the small building societies as it is easier to gather data for that. The research has limited adding the mergers between bigger banks. RESEARCH QUESTIONS In order to make sure that the research is conducted properly we have to set a number of key questions so that the research will be able to answer them. To identify how mergers affect the relationship between banks and their customers To analyse the cost analysis associated with the mergers of Banks To analyse the external forces which lead to mergers between banks RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This particular assignment follows the traditional research methodology which allows the research to be conducted in various layers one after the other. The first one is the philosophy of Positivism where a researcher adopts the stance of a scientist who has to evaluate everything in a philosophical manner and understands the evolutionary process of how things are done. The interpretivism philosophy is where things are created due to the interaction between individuals. The research looks at all the issues associated with mergers within the banking retail market. the data is gathered through proper research. There is the need to gather quantitative as well as qualitative data in order to prove the theories and conclusions. RESEARCH APPROACH The research is conducted by examining all the data in a systematic format. Most of the data is present in documentary format along with information available in various journals and papers. All the data needs to be interpreted in a proper organized manner and needs to be separated in order to get the gist of the research. RESEARCH STRATEGY This research paper takes an in-depth look at the effect of mergers between banks and how it affects the banking products in the UK. It also examines how it can affect the interest rates in the banking sector. The paper also takes a look at the external factors which push the market in favour of mergers. It examines factors such as bear market which leads to share prices falling, dire economic situation which lead to problems, bad balance sheets which lead to a drain of capital, mergers which take place mainly due to help two troubled banks i.e. Lloyds TSB and Halifax, losses suffered by the investment arm of banks, collapse of big corporations which lead to a domino effect, hedge funds making losses and lastly due to the insurance divisions which do not do well. It also examines how the retail interest rate is affected if a merger does not go well. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS It is essential for me to follow a proper code of conduct before going ahead with my research process. There is a fine line between ethical and unethical research. The information gathered will be done with the consent of everyone and no laws shall be broken to obtain the data. I shall ask all the people interviewed to sign waiver forms and to give me indemnity from any potential problems. A point to bear in mind is not to intimidate any of the subjects or to harass them in handing over vital information. DATA COLLECTION The plan is to contact all of the various building societies and a few of the big banks which merged in the not so recent past. I need to visit them all and collect information on the types of products they have. It would help to visit someone from the corporate headquarters as retail banks would not have the competent staff which would allow me to gather the information I need. Higher ranked officials at the various banks can only give me information about how their bank products were affected and how mergers in the retail banking sector leads to different interest rates. Data will be collated through both qualitative and quantitative questionnaires, series of interviews, documentary analysis. I would also need to do a walkthrough with people from the various banks and building societies so that I can get the right idea. The questionnaires will be quite straight forward and will only comprise of a few limited questions which are closed ended. The interview process will not take long and will only be a one on one session which is also close ended. The only problem is to schedule everything within a particular timeline. There are a lot of people to interview and that is one reason why it is crucial for me to limit the time I spend on all my interviews so that I can get everything done really fast. It is also interesting to know that both questionnaires and interviews will generate different answers so special attention will have to be paid to both. Document samples are a must to be collected from the various banks in the area. The data collected will be from both primary and secondary resources. Primary Data I will gather all the primary data by simply gathering all the information via personal visits to the various banks and building societies which have been created as a result of a merger between two banks. It will be useful to find out how the banks were able to change their policies and how the merger affected their interest rates. The cost analysis will also be done after taking a look at the before and after status of the merged entities. Bank personnel will be giving me their valuable time so it would help me save time by only sticking to close ended interviews for the session. This will make it easier for both parties. The banks should hopefully provide me with documents I need to support my work and allow me to create my quantitative data. Secondary data Secondary data will be gathered with the help of external sources. It is essential to check out proper databases which deal with the type of historical data required for my analysis of the retail banking sector. The best idea for me is to base my work conducted by a researcher on the same topic. It also helps to do a bit of reading up on the topic so that I would know what this research entails. It is obvious that I wont be able to get all my data from people so I would need to gather information from journals, databases, white papers, etc. some of the data can be cited from text found in the documents supplied by the banks. DATA ANALYSIS The data needs to be examined one by one so that mistakes are not made. There are plenty of key points which can be examined only by going through it with a fine tooth comb. Data can be analysed in the form of charts, tables etc. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Finally the research can be summarised as the sort who will allow me to understand why mergers take place between banks and how the retail banking sector is affected. I will be able to make my conclusions after I have gone over everything at the end of the study. TIME FRAME OF RESEARCH The research program needs to be conducted within a specific timeline. Due to limitation of time and the amount of legwork to be conducted I need to finish my research within 22 weeks. This gives me plenty of time for discovery and to jot all my information down on paper. If I do not finish my research on time it will delay everything and create various problems.

Historical/Cultural Analysis

Historical/Cultural Analysis â€Å"Operation of a Medic. † The text, â€Å"Watching a Medic, Sicily, August 9, 1943†, illustrates the occupation of a medic in action during WWII. This text shows a medic helping another soldier in Sicily. In the background of the image there is a poor and deprived family looking upon the medic performing his duty of helping the injured soldier. This image shows what a medic’s lifestyle was like during the war. Medics had to perform their medical duties in places where injuries occurred, making it especially tough in the areas of where war was occurring.The image shows the historical context of the invasion of Sicily that took place during the same time as the picture. The image also shows the cultural context in relation with the lives of the natives living in Sicily. The occupation of medics and their lifestyle, the topic of war and military invasion, and the inhabitants of the homeland of Sicily, can all be accurately embedded w ithin the tangible meaning of what it was like during the time of this visual text. In the image there is a medic performing a procedure on another soldier that is lying injured on the ground.The injured soldier is lying with his uniform open and his eyes closed. His helmet is lying on the ground beside a poor family that watching the operation happening. The family is in the background and is looking upon with a worried and sad look on their faces. These people are watching the scene of a medic in action from their own doorsteps, which brings attention to the fact that these onlookers are natives of the land where the picture occurred. This distinguishes the awareness of the cultural context that is being revealed in the image by the displaying of what the life was like for a family living in Sicily.The occupation of a medic is one that is very tough and challenging. To become a medic one must first have received medical basic training. They must be able to implement the knowledge and tactics learn in that medical training out on the battlefield. A medic must also be able to think and operate in hostile environments. One medic that served in Sicily during the time of the picture was Jerome McMenamy. McMenamy gives his reflections of working as a medic during the war in an interview. He was asked the uestion: what did you use to alleviate your patients’ pain? McMenamy response was, â€Å"One of the things for a medic in combat is morphine in little tubes. You had a quarter-grain of morphine in there, and you just jabbed it into a guy’s arm and squeezed that tube dry. In a few minutes he was feeling better†(Reynolds, Frank A. ). The treatment of pain, wounds, and minor injures are all examples of duties that medics have to perform during the time of the war. In the image it demonstrates the medic completing these duties.A medic’s occupation during the time of World War II was challenging and also life-threating. Personal accounts of the times of being a medic place a first hand understanding of the true lifestyles that medics had during World War II. McMenamy tells of the hardships he had to go through while being a medic in the war, â€Å"My ankle snapped over a rock and got badly sprained. They put me on kitchen police, and the ankle wasn’t getting any better, but I got though the four months of basic training. They just taped it up, and I was marching with a sprained ankle†(Reynolds, Frank A. . This tells of not only the challenging medical practices that medics had to deal with helping injured soldiers, but also the rough encounters that medics had to overcome. In the image the medic is dressed and suited up as a soldier ready for combat. This suggests that all medics must be prepared in the times of attack, and by doing so they must have completed the four months of basic training that McMenamy discussed. Medics have to participate in the same tough and struggling operations that other soldie rs in the war had to try and complete.The accomplishing of these tough tasks and all the requirements of being a medic has given medics the strength and bravery to go into unfamiliar lands such as Sicily in the image, and perform the medical actions that need to be completed. This enduring and lasting obligation is represented in the visual text by the medic helping a fallen soldier in an area that the medic is not familiar with. The medic being in this unaccustomed area of Sicily brings about the cultural context, and how he is able to perform his duties of a medic while having natives of the region stand close by and watch.Medics had many unpleasant and life threatening experiences in World War II. This brings to attention the experiences of medics in trying to complete their duties in a warzone. Medics have to worry about losing their own life everyday in war while trying to save the lives of others. They have to try to help the injured when not knowing what could happen. This co uld be from an opposing soldier coming up and attacking the medic while the medic is performing an operation on an injured soldier. The medic having no knowledge of the people or things around him is a cultural connection, such as that represented in the image.One invasion that occurred was the Allied invasion of Sicily. The image takes place in Sicily, which gives an historical connection to the battle that occurred in the same place as the picture. The historical connection of the image is the battle that was fought in Sicily during the time of WWII, â€Å"Axis forces struck first at Sicily in July in a amphibious landing that was surpassed in size only by the invasion at Normandy, France, year later. After driving German forces off of Sicily, Allied troops, in September, began a long, costly march up the mountainous Italian peninsula† (Moffett, George).The Allied invasion of Sicily was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis. The Allies taking control over Sicily puts a means of emphasis on the historical context in the image due to the fact that the medic in the image is a member of the Allied Forces. The invasion that occurred in Sicily was done by the Allied forces, meaning that the carried out actions by the Allied forces were done on its opponents’ homeland. This shows the cultural connection in the image, due to the fact of the family in the background looking upon the unfamiliar soldier.This medic had to perform his duty being military medical personnel in a place that was uncommon to him. He was doing his work in front of a poor family that were living in the area where the picture was taken. The poor family was looking upon the medic that was preforming his medical practices in their territory of where they live. This shows the cultural connection to the image because of how the medic had to adapt to the area to complete his duty of being a medic in the unfamiliar land of Sicily. This image of a me dic performing a medical practice on an injured soldier shows the job of a medic in action.It does not show the threats that could occur to the medic while he is completing his job. Military medical personnel face the daily threat of gunfire, explosives, chemical weapons, and other battlefield hazards. While medics try to carry out their job of being a medic many get injured due to the fact of all these hazards happening around them. This image shows a glimpse of what a medic’s life was like during the war. The life of a medic during World War II was not that of picture perfect lifestyle, it was more life treating and having to deal with the thought of death occurring any second in the time of war.Which brings notion to the cultural context of the medic in the image, by him not having the knowledge of the environment around him and any possible threats that would come about. Works Cited: Moffett, George. â€Å"Celebrating WWII's other front. (Cover story). † Christian Science Monitor May 1995: 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. Reynolds, Frank A. â€Å"Field Medic On The Italian Front. † Military History 22. 8 (2005): 54-68. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.