Tuition reimbursement

Organizations which fail to empower their human resources through putting in place proper knowledge management policies fail to benefit optimally from the potential in their employees. Tuition reimbursement is the best form of employee empowerment. Introduction Business organizations more than ever before are faced with a great risk of high employee turnover. To keep employees contented and well motivated, the organization must be seen to be genuinely interested in employee career growth and development.There is no better way to do this than tuition reimbursement study program for employees which enables employees to enroll for relevant courses as adult learners. The duty of companies in the whole program is the provision of financial help to meet the cost of education of the adult learners. The companies also contribute by providing adequate time for the employees. Tuition reimbursement programs are very important to an organization in a number of ways. Tuition reimbursement program s have been found to have a positive correlation with employee productivity (Kiser, 1999).This implies an increase in the productivity capability of a company especially considering the fact that, employees who undergo the program attain new skills and are either able to perform more effectively, or could as well increase their output in that, they become able to use new technologies for instance IT based technologies in their tasks. Employees who have been through these programs are also capable off executing more complex tasks faster and more effectively than their counterparts who lack that additional knowledge.Alternatively, the employees are more empowered to increase their performance in comparison with their past performances. According to (Kitano, & Morey, 1996) employee view tuition reimbursement programs as a sign of confidence and trust the company has in them, this in turn is reciprocated by their employees becoming more loyal and committed to their duties compared to th e period before. To some employees, the effect of such supportive and empowerment program is so big that, they become more loyal, submissive and committed in their duties following such decisions by their employers to cater for their education needs (Keegan, 1994).Employee tuition reimbursement programs have been found to indirectly contribute to the companies’ growth considering the fact that, the workers become more loyal, committed, skillful and effective as a result of the tuition reimbursement programs. Tuition reimbursement most likely leads to companies saving costs associated with the process of always having to always hire and train new employees as well as the time it takes for new recruits to settle upon being recruited.The process of hiring new staff is both time consuming and capital intensive and therefore not cost effective therefore any effort which can counter this is welcome by companies as a lifeline. Tuition reimbursement programs are very good at this. Th e federal government encourages companies to offer tuition reimbursement by in turn giving tax benefits to those companies which offer such programs. Therefore, tuition reimbursement is in that way, an advantage to companies in that, they stand to save expenditure while at the same gaining from a more empowered workforce.Tuition reimbursements are beneficial to employees who improve their worthiness through acquisition of more skills. In an increasingly competitive, market environment, employees stand better chances of getting promotions or jobs elsewhere if they posses more qualifications. Tuition reimbursement empowers employees and positions them strategically to compete in an increasingly competitive job market. Tuition reimbursement programs grants employees a chance to relive their unachieved dreams especially in terms of unattained academic qualifications.This further improves the connection between employees and their employers, a bond which every company longs to have in th e work place. According to (Greengard, 1999), tuition reimbursement achieves the desired learning in adult learners who are considered as pursuing academics with a clear focus especially considering the fact that, they can clearly link class theories and concepts with real life situations, this is what is the aim of any educational program.Therefore, adult learning is very beneficial to adults and all the gains are likely to trickle down to the company once the adult learner has grasped the intended skills. Unlike beginners who do not have any practical experience on their job tasks, adult learners easily connect theories and apply such to difficult issues in the work place to accomplish difficult tasks which an employee who is fresh from college may find impossible to accomplish. Tuition reimbursement is not a perfect program and therefore it has its own downfalls and challenges.First of all, adult learners are usually psychologically and unprepared for classroom teaching especiall y whereby they have to go back to colleges and study in integrated classes with young students. Some feel out of place and this can greatly affect their performance in the different courses they intend to pursue. This has been found to be a major set back in the tuition reimbursement program. The fact that, the tuition programs meet the tuition costs associated with learning leaves the adult learners with a financial burden to deal with.Some of the adult are barely financially well up and the learning program may mess up their finances and therefore interfere with their normal lives. This can be a source of stress in some occasions something which can cause job related stress hence affect job performance. The tuition reimbursement programs may also become a source of frustration for employees who attend such courses with high ambitions and yet fail to realize such dreams even after attaining the academic credentials.For instance, most employees enroll in such learning employees in a bid to gain promotions once they graduate, when ever their expectations are not met, this could prove a challenge for the employee and therefore lead the employee to be de-motivated or to leave the job altogether. Companies risk losing incase employees decide to search for better jobs after a lot has been spend on their training. This especially happens in situations whereby, employees are not genuinely interested in staying in their current jobs but see the learning opportunities as a chance to better their employment chances.Other challenges of implementing such programs include, as improved expenditure and therefore loss of profits, loss of time, the risk of loosing the companies to better paying companies or competitors once the company has invested heavily on the training as well as the fact that, some employees never show any meaningful improvement job performance despite the company spending too much money in their training are nothing compared to the benefits resulting ther eafter.Conclusion In light of the above mentioned advantages of tuition reimbursement programs, there is a need for organizations to incorporate tuition reimbursement programs in their employee development plans. Companies need to view these programs as beneficial to them only if the companies are ready to utilize them. The challenges which companies expect to gain as a result of the tuition reimbursement programs are nothing compared to the numerous benefits as listed above.However, all sides should be considered before an organization decides to support such programs. Advantages of the tuition reimbursement programs are numerous and include amongst others, winning employee loyalty, increased productivity, attraction of the best talent, decreased employee turnover, increased employee motivation, the tax benefits associated with the tuition reimbursement programs as well as increasing literacy levels in the society and improvement of service delivery as a result of well trained and qualified staff.From the analysis above, it is evident that, organizations which fail to empower their human resources through putting in place proper knowledge management policies are likely fail to benefit optimally from the potential in their employees. Tuition reimbursement is the best form of employee empowerment as it brings a lot of advantages not only to the company but also to the employees. ReferencesGreengard, S. 1999. Web-Based Training Yields Maximum Returns. Workforce. 78[2]. Keegan, D. 1994. Otto Peters on Distance Education: The Industrialization of Teaching and Learning. New York. Routledge. Kiser, K. 1999. 10 things we know so far about online training. Training, 36 [11]. Kitano, M. & Morey, A. 1996. Multicultural Course Transformation in Higher Education. Old Tappan, NJ: Allyn & Bacon.

Lumbar puncture or Spinal anesthesia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lumbar puncture or Spinal anesthesia - Essay Example General anesthesia is a state of controlled unconsciousness during which patient doesn't feel anything and may be described as 'anesthetized'. During general anesthesia, anesthetic medications are injected into a vein, or anesthetic gases may be breathed into the lungs. When these medications are carried to the brain by the blood, they effectively "numb" the brain, and produce unconsciousness. Regional anesthesia is the specialized use of local anesthetic to numb a part of the body. Regional anesthesia can be used for operations on larger or deeper parts of the body. Local anesthetic drugs are injected near to the bundles of nerves which carry signals from that area of the body to the brain. The most common regional anesthetics (also known as regional 'blocks') are spinal and epidural anesthetics. These can be used for operations on the lower body. Use of anesthesia has been recorded since prehistory,where Opium poppy capsules were used in Sumeria and succeeding empires. Simple apparatus for smoking of opium were used for adminstration of anesthesia. Contries like India and China initially used cannabis incense and aconitum. As per the Book of Later Han, the physician Hua Tuo performed abdominal surgery using an anesthetic substance called mafeisan, which literally means cannabis boil powder, dissolved in wine. Other variants like Solanum species containing potent tropane alkaloids , Coca and Alcohol were also used in these initial days. The use of above herbal anaesthesia had a crucial drawback compared to modern practice in context of standardisation, as described on Wikepedia by Fallopus that "when soporifics are weak they are useless, and when strong, they kill". This drawback was tried to overcome by, standardizing production as much as possible, with taking production occurring from specific famous locations (such as opium from the fields of Thebes in ancient Egypt). Anaesthetics were sometimes administered in the spongia somnifera, a sponge into which a large quantity of drug was allowed to dry, from which a saturated solution could be trickled into the nose of the patient. At least in more recent centuries, trade was often highly standardized, with the drying and packing of opium in standard chests. Later, use of gases and vapours was also notice during mid 1800. Henry Hill Hickman experimented with carbon dioxide in the 1820s. British chemist Humphry Davy in 1799 used nitrous oxide .Effective general anessthesia for surgery begin in 1846, when a dentist, William Thomas Green Morton, gave diethyl ether at Massachusetts General Hospital, in the first public demonstration of diethyl ether as an anesthetic agent. It was then, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. proposed naming the procedure ansthesia.Anesthesia gained good public repute when Queen Victoria accepted chloroform a la reine from Dr. John Snow during the birth of prince Leopold in 1857. Local anaesthesia originated with the

Reading and writing experiences throughout life Essay

Reading and writing experiences throughout life - Essay Example In my learning of English, I encountered various issues that challenged me in my schooling especially the circumstances in which I had to take exams in English, which was not my native language. In the process of learning, I understood the importance of literacy in any language and its relationship with academic performance. Learning English to me started in my childhood in my elementary school where I was supposed to take some class subjects in English language although I had insignificant knowledge about construction of sentences in English. In order to start my learning in the language, I invested time to understand the most appropriate ways of getting to understand the language so that I could follow the example to gain competence in its usage. I first understood that it is important to have an experience with the environment in which the language is spoken so that I can learn the way the competent were using the language. This was important because as many people interacted in t heir communication, there were aspects of the language that I acquire through staying with them which could be not necessarily found in the teaching syllabus, which I had to go through. Some of the things that I learnt through experience with those who knew to speak in English could have taken long to learn if I had to follow the process of the syllabus. In essence, the experience with English speakers speeded up the process of learning the language in the aspect of speaking but also I realized that I needed some skills in reading and writing the language. This is because even after I learnt to speak some English, I had difficulties in reading and writing in the language because I had numerous errors writing the language. My reading in English language started with understanding of the alphabetical codes that are used in constructing simple and complex word. This was important to me because the words that appeared in the English language were made of alphabets, which produced varyin g pronunciation, which could confuse me if I was to write a dictated passage. The understanding of the alphabets enabled me to have a good understanding of sound in English language that were important in differentiating words that could appear to have slight differences in the alphabets that sound almost the same. Through the interaction with the alphabets also, I was able to understand the various the different issues that can make some letters of the alphabets to be silent in a word which would influence how to written them from a spoken statement. I received valuable learning support from teachers that could elaborate the different ways of constructing words and sentences in English so that I could be able to enhance the study of language. The teacher helped me to construct grammatically correct sentences and later taught to combine the different sentences so that I could form meaningful paragraphs that could communicate some necessary information in the course of learning. Thro ughout the time the teacher taught me to combine different sentences that could be used meaningfully, I used to interact with other people who had experience in English and engage them in simple discourses that were able to advance my skill in the spoken language. Through the teacher, I learnt different signs that are used in the English

One nation under Wal-Mart Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

One nation under Wal-Mart - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that as a retailer, Wal-Mart can be characterized as quite successful. As noted in the case study, currently, the stores of Wal-Mart are estimated to, at least, 4,750, a figure that it is quite high if taking into consideration the level of growth of other retailers globally. The rapid and impressive expansion of Wal-Mart has resulted in strong conflicts, in regard to the role of the firm in the society. For many people, Wal-Mart has helped towards the increase of equality in society; people of different financial status have the potential to visit one of the firm’s stores and buy products of various prices. In other words, Wal-Mart eliminates barriers related to buying, as a critical human experience; such barriers are common in societies of non-developed countries which are characterized by extreme gaps between rich and poor. This means that Wal-Mart helps towards the reduction of social inequality, a fact that promotes peace at al l levels of social and private life. At the same time, the stores of Wal-Mart are structures in such way so that they can offer to customers the chance to make their choice among products of different quality/ characteristics. In this way, customers are given the freedom to develop their decision-making skills. The above positive influence of Wal-Mart in regard to a person’s social and private life is highly appreciated by consumers; as noted in the case study ‘about 138 million shoppers visit the firm’s stores every week’.... capitalism and globalization are promoted. Such view could not be accepted for the following reasons: a) Wal-Mart cannot be blamed for the changes in the life of style, including the development of new modes of retailing, similar to that promoting by Wal-Mart. Large retailers exist in all developed countries, being part of daily social life; b) Capitalism and globalization, as concepts, are not related solely to retail; they rather reflect a radical change on traditional views of life and priorities. In fact, retail is just an aspect of capitalism and globalization; existing political systems worldwide are the key supporters of these concepts. According to the above, it would be not fair to claim that Wal-Mart has promoted capitalism and globalization. Still, the success of Wal-Mart proves that people worldwide tend to support capitalism and globalization, at the level that products of well known brands, that are popular worldwide, are highly preferred by consumers. As a result, work ers have become willing to spend on products that meet the standards of fashion, even if these products are going to cover the workers’ primary needs. In any case, these trends cannot be considered as based on Wal-Mart’s strategies. Rather, Wal-Mart has aligned its objectives with the principles of capitalism and globalization which are, in any case, indispensable part of modern life. 2. Can a retailer ever become too large and too powerful? In the context of modern market, a firm can increase its size and its power by following specific rules. For the retail industry a similar rule exists. Primarily, emphasis needs to be given to consumers’ preferences, as influenced by local ethics and culture. At the next level, it is necessary for the firm to identify brands that

Critiquing Business Plan In Emerging Market.Businesses In Brazil Assignment

Critiquing Business Plan In Emerging Market.Businesses In Brazil - Assignment Example There are cases and instances that governments try to come to the aid of some of these entrepreneurs by use of favorable macro and micro economic policies. This notwithstanding, not all of these policies have eliminated the barriers. Interesting, studies have even confirmed that most economic policies put in place by the Brazilian central government also turn round to be barriers for most entrepreneurs seeking to start up new businesses especially those in the oil and gas sector, of which the biodiesel industry is part (Gartner, 1985). In this critique paper for a business plan that is ready for implementation of a biodiesel startup company in Brazil, the various barriers that may possibly exist and methods that can be used to mitigate each of these barriers are outlined. Licensing The licensing of company system that exists in Brazil could serve as a major barrier to both the entry and growth of the new biodiesel company intended for Brazil. This is because there are licensing regul ations, which have been criticized by most economists and market players as being investor hostile. Unfortunately, such hostility exists in cases that the government feels that the coming of certain companies may be a major competition for existing and known state corporations (Ivanova, 2009). A typical example of this is in the area of energy, where even though there is an open market, the state still practices a casual monopoly, trying to prevent private participation. As part of the casual monopoly strategy, private individuals are made to undergo several routine processes in getting license to operate (Krasniqi, 2007). Meanwhile, the possession of a license to make the commencement of business in Brazil is very important as it opens the avenue for such companies to benefit and enjoy trade incentives that may exist. What is more, in order to have an international reputation and open one’s business up for international investment and other forms of business expansion option s such as enlistment on the Brazilian Stock Exchange, license registration is demanded. A method to overcome this barrier would be to first enter the market as a partner to an existing registered local company. This way, the company will not be given the kind of hostile treatment given to expatriate companies. After some time when there is a separation in the ownership of the company, the license of the original company will over both separated companies if there was ownership up to a certain number of years. Lending and Credit bias in favor of multinationals Access to money for entrepreneurs remains a major barrier to growth for most new entrants in Brazil. This is because there is a form of lending and credit bias that favors existing and well established international and multinational companies as against new entrants and small and medium scale businesses in Brazil (Foley, 2003). Commonly, the financial institutions, most of which are banks try to justify some of these biases by explaining that new entrants and small and medium scale companies lack credit credibility. What this means is that they are not tried and tested in their finances such that they can be trusted with huge sums of credit. In most cases therefore, there is a limitation on the amount of money that can borrowed by these new entrants. Where there are no limitations on the quantum of money that can be borrowed, there are strict lending processes that delay

Sociology - Final Essay Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sociology - Final Essay - Term Paper Example We would think that because of feminism, our society would be aware of the sexist attitudes involved therein and try to get rid of them as soon as it can; however, that is not the case. Families in America are still patriarchal and marriage is similarly male-oriented. To give a few examples, a woman who exerts more control in her marriage is often termed a â€Å"shrew† and is viewed in less esteem than a woman who is submissive to her husband, or always puts the needs of her husband before her own. On the other side, a man who exerts more control in the marriage is not looked down upon, rather he is applauded for taking charge and taking more responsibility, with those men who have handed over the control to their wives judged to be effeminate or meek. The family is a sphere where our society perpetuates constant sexism without it being brought to task, except perhaps by the feminists (who, it may be added, are often looked down upon for this very reason, as this is considered to be an effort of feminists to break down the institution of marriage itself). Much is needed to control the sexist behavior that presents itself in a marriage. For a marriage to be truly equal and free from any sexism, perhaps the best course would be for us, as a society, to come to an agreement that it is just as important for a woman to have her needs fulfilled in a marriage as it is for a man; whether these needs are personal, emotional or professional; a woman has just as much rights to try to get fulfillment as her husband does in the marriage. The feminist approach seems daunting and scary to us, however, upon closer inspection we can easily see that it is not so much as the breakdown of the institution of marriage that is warranted by following the feminist path, but the total emancipation of women in the sphere of marriage, so that they can be on

Greek and Roman Art Essay Example for Free

Greek and Roman Art Essay Greek sculptures embody a lot of things and meanings. The way they create a certain object reflects to their psychological state that human beings are ‘the measure of things. ’ One of the known Greek artists during the ancient times is Praxiteles. He is the most famous ancient Greek artist because of his countless masterpieces such as the Aphrodite of Knidos and Nike Adjusting Her Sandal. Another well-known magnum opus that is crafted by Praxiteles is Hermes and the infant god Dionysus. Hermes and the infant god Dionysus is created by Praxiteles in a way that it is anchored to his ultimate decision of altering the rules and principles of the standard and ideal body proportions. It is the most famous example of an adult and child statuary. Praxiteles traces the Kephisodotos step by creating and sculpting a piece delineating a relationship between two figures (Praxiteles, 2008). This sculpture is found at Olympia where it has been commissioned for the said sanctuary. It conveys and expresses the secular world of the period (Hermes and the Infant Dionysus, n/d). Due to the artist’s manipulation and alteration of the standard body proportion, the adult on the artwork which is Hermes, is portrayed as tall and slender, standing in calm, tranquil and relax position. His figure encompasses various lines—from vertical, horizontal, curvilinear and spiral. Vertical lines are visible in his nose, neck and lower part of his leg. Horizontal lines are evident in his eyes and lips. Spiral lines are noticeable in his twisted and curly hair. Curvilinear dominates the whole figure—from Hermes’ face down to his feet. His phallus is not rendered. Nevertheless, a part of the male organ is still exposed and depicted. On the other hand, the baby figure, which is Dionysus, is illustrated in such a way that it is carried by Hermes in his left arm. The infant is just composed of curvilinear. He faces sideways making its physical features appear summarily represented. The cloth that wraps his lower body demonstrates horizontal lines, as well as the trunk of the tree which functions as support of the sculpture per se. On the contrary, Roman sculptures are said to be copied in Greek’s even though they are said to be purely Roman in origin and conception. Some statues are imitations and pastiche of more than one Greek original; some are combinations of Greek gods/athletes’ image and Roman head (Department of Greek Art and Roman, n/d). One of the ancient Roman sculptures which is said and believed that is copied from Greek’s is The Hope Dionysos. It embodies a retrospective Greco-Roman style (Hemingway, 2007). It is crafted during the late 1st century A. D. but during the 18th century it is restored by Vincenzo Pacetti (Vincenzo Pacetti. The Hope Dionysos: 1990. 247, 2006). The main figure in the sculpture is Dionysos. He is portrayed standing at ease and his left arm is resting on a female figure traditionally recognized as Spes, the embodiment and representation of hope. Dionysos wears a panther skin overlapping his chiton while a cloak envelops around his upper right arm and shoulder (Vincenzo Pacetti. The Hope Dionysos: 1990. 247, 2006). The statue is composed of various intricate lines—horizontal, vertical, curvilinear and spiral. The robes of the two figures possess a myriad of draperies which illustrate various vertical lines; however the cloth that is on Spes head shows curvatures. The two sculptures are depicted realistically with their complete body parts as compared to some statues that are lacking with head, arms or feet. Both sculptures possess two figures at the same time. If Hermes and the infant Dionysus showcases Dionysus as a baby, The Hope Dionysos illustrates the grown up one. The former is accompanied by a known Greek god Hermes, the latter is escorted with archaistic female figure, Spes. If Hermes is naked, Dionysos is very well-wrapped. The two statuaries imply dichotomies: the main focus (Hermes and Dionyos) and the out-of-focus (baby Dionysos and Spes), adult and baby, male and female. References Department of Greek and Roman Art. n. d. Roman Copies of Greek Statues. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/hd/rogr/hd_rogr. htm. Hemingway, Colette. (July 2007). Retrospective Styles in Greek and Roman Sculpture. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/hd/grsc/hd_grsc. htm. â€Å"Hermes with the Infant Dionysus. † n. d. The Museum of Antiquities Collection. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www. usask. ca/antiquities/Collection/Hermes. html. Praxiteles. (2008). PEOPLE: Ancient Greece. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www. ancientgreece. com/s/People/Praxiteles/. Vincenzo Pacetti: The Hope Dionysos-1990. 247. (October 2006). In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/hd/grsc/ho_1990. 247. htm . List of Figures Hermes and the infant Dionysus. n. d. Greek Art: Hermes and Dionysus of Praxiteles. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www. mlahanas. de/Greeks/Arts/HermesPraxiteles. htm. The Hope Dionysos. (October 2006). Vincenzo Pacetti: The Ho