Balancing Personal Life and Work

In today’s economic condition, work life equilibrium is considered one of the most imperative workplace issues. Work life balance refers to a satisfactory niche between many different roles in an individual’s life. But how to manage this balance to avoid conflict; this topic is discussed through many different aspects enlightened through personal experience. Work Life Balance Before taking any step towards knowing how to achieve work life balance, first we must gain an understanding about what work life balance actually refers to.It is about maintaining equilibrium between work and personal life, facing the multifarious demands in one’s life. The best equilibrium is different for each person because we all have different priorities in life. A young entrepreneur faces different challenges than a family man at the apex of his career. Work life balance involves two factors; Achievement and Enjoyment. Our life will be valuable and balanced when, in all the aspects of life, we are daily achieving success with all the joys of living! My Side of StoryBeing a young student struggling to manage good grades, working part time to support my education during this era of recession as well trying to give my family sufficient of my time as required, at many times I felt the misbalance in my life that is called work-life conflict. I felt unable to manage my time and was highly dissatisfied with my work and progress. Failing health and self esteem and disrupted routine was then a common state of affairs. I was new, hence obsessed with working hard to carve a niche for my career.In order to secure my grades I became overcommitted to my studies as well. I ended up drained every day, spending most of the time on the run†¦ from study to work, work to home and spending rest of the time sitting on computer. All I had once read and heard about work life complications was coming true in my life without my realizing it. It was not until when my parents had to h ave a ‘serious talk’ with me, that I realized where this chaos was leading me to. That instantly snapped me back; I set off to work on improving my standards. The informationIn order to balance one’s work life situation, you may need to look into four quadrants of your life- Friends, Family, Work and Self. Any disturbance in one of them because of the interference of another quadrant may cause work life conflict. Work life conflict must be removed in order to solve the problem and acquire balance. This information regarding the causes can be obtained by observation of daily life experiences and authentic researches conducted. According to the Business Week reports, Individuals who consider their work life balance better than others are likely to work 21% better than those who don’t.Moreover, a study shows people encounter work life conflict have 40% more chances of mood and anxiety disorders, (Kane, 2006); While employees having lower level of this conflic t experience increased job satisfaction. The Evaluation After gathering basic information, now I knew what I was missing and what I got to do. I loved my job, but without my natural energy boosters, I was unhappy and even feeling a bit guilty. My whole time revolved around my work and career, but I couldn’t make up for the very essential part of my life, that is my friends and family.From my newly gained knowledge, I deduced that a balanced approach at my level will be spending quality time with my friends and family that will have a positive physical and psychological impact on me. Moreover, I’ll be free of piled up responsibilities, procrastinated duties, and burden on my mental self, which will eventually also improve my progress in other quadrants of my life. I had to use it to devise such solutions that cancel out where I overdo, and give more space to those I neglected so a balance can be created. The SolutionAs I was already a student I opted for the greatest fa cility available today for work life balance concerned employees- Flexible timings, so that I can have more sense of control over my work. Dinner and meals would at no cost be skipped- they provide a quality time for whole family to be together. Also, sleeping schedules must be maintained, so there remain no health problems. Being present is the key word. No drifting away and being in two places at a time. On weekend there would be no computer, no emails, and no emergency calls from work!I could spend quality time with my family. I could contact my friends, go out and have some fun. Lastly, to spend some of my time on myself; a time to relax or do what pleases me. It’s a kind of meditation, hence keeps your mind calm and alert. Giving my study ample time and not burdening myself with more work than I could manage, was also essential. Conclusion The set of habits I formed as a solution for my work life problem, not only supports but emphasizes a sound balance between work and life activities.Back then I couldn’t see past my work; it still plays a principle part in my life, though it’s not my one and only concern anymore. This equilibrium I discovered open my eyes to worth of other things, that made not only my work, but my life much more gratifying. References Kane, S. (2006). Work Life Balance Strategies. Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://legalcareers. about. com/od/careertrends/a/worklifebalance. htm Work-Life Balance. (2003). Work-Life Balance Defined- What it really means! Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://www. worklifebalance. com/worklifebalancedefined. html

Socrates Euthyphro essays

Socrates' Euthyphro essays Throughout Euthyphro, Socrates explains many examples that represent how someone can have knowledge, or lack there of, pertaining to such things as piety, virtue, justice, and practical wisdom. The first step in explaining these theories is when he has a run-in with Euthyphro. Euthyphro declares that his action toward his father (sentencing for murder of a slave) is pious and the gods appreciate it. He states that piety is something that is loved by the gods. Socrates, on the other hand, does not understand this and begins to demonstrate how Euthyphro does not really know what he is saying. He explains that the gods are always at war and not agreeing completely on everything, therefor how can something be pious if not all the gods love it. But, there are some things that all gods agree upon such as masses, numbers, and sizes. But, do the gods really love these things? Are these things loved because they are pious or pious because they are loved? Socrates proclaims that piety does no t have one form. It would have to be the same at all times, and actions that are loved by the gods do not necessarily make them pious. He also declares that where there is piety, there is also justice, but where there is justice there is not always piety. Euthyphro then tries to state that caring for the gods, such as sacrifice and prayer, is pious, but again Socrates does not agree. Socrates asks who is benefited from giving to the gods. It may be pleasing to the gods, but how is it beneficial or loved by them so how can these actions be pious. In the beginning of Apology, Socrates explains that it is much easier to gain knowledge about scientific or religious conceptions than moral concepts. He declares to the audience that his friend, Chairephon, went to the oracle and asked if anyone was wiser than Socrates. The oracle simply replied no. Socrates could not understand this because he presumes that he truly does not have any ...

CHALLENGING THE OBAMA HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION Research Paper

CHALLENGING THE OBAMA HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION - Research Paper Example The Congress (2010) has once declared: â€Å"By most measures, we have the best medical care system in the world† (p. 32). Yet, there are still major problems and critical issue. A significant portion of the population does not have insurance and costs are continuously increasing. Failure to get a health insurance can prevent one from gaining access to preventative care. The uninsured is given treatment when s/he becomes sick, as recognized by the defendants, since health care in the United States is commonly given because of incapacity to afford medical expenses or acquire a health insurance. Yet, the acquired costs to provide medical services to the uninsured are at times remain unpaid. The costs of unpaid health care services are transferred to economic actors in the form of increased premiums and costs, which, consequently, can contribute to the continuity of the cycle and further enlarge the uninsured population (Congress 2010). The Congress approved of the PPACA against these conditions. The petitioners challenge a number of the interconnected parts of the PPACA as well. Primarily, the new Act considerably changes and enlarges the Medicaid plan. Medicaid is a joint federal-state initiative established in 1965 that supports federal subsidy to states that decide to offer health care to vulnerable and poor populations (Congress 2010). PPACA will expand the numbers of new entrants to the Medicaid rosters by widening the initiative to encompass all people under 65 years of age with a specific income percentage of the federal poverty threshold (Health Care Lawsuits 2011). Furthermore, the new Act opens the opportunity for the formation of medical benefit transactions intended to permit start-up or small businesses and individuals to control their purchasing power to acquire viable prices (Bandow 2011). And finally, the new Act obliges that the states give their workers an agreed health insurance coverage minimum level. The petitioners claim that these co nditions infringe state autonomy and the Constitution by forcing and controlling the states and denying them their ‘celebrated ability’ to govern their own Medicaid initiatives, medical care, and state machinery (Bandow 2011). The petitioners expect that these and a variety of other conditions in the PPACA will generate massive costs for Florida (Health Care Lawsuits 2011). Basically, the petitioners argue that the legislation is invasive, domineering, and may drain states’ coffers. When Congress was pressing on the agenda of President Obama to take into the public sector decision making in health care, lawmakers paid insignificant attention to the Constitution. In spite of everything, the tenants of Capitol Hill had become comfortable with proposing any laws they wanted (Bandow 2011). As expected, all of the followers of the president and their colleagues sacked the constitutional cases against the Obamacare law. Yet, the supporters of state-owned health care ar e not happy anymore. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently abolished a

Economics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economics - Term Paper Example In their notable works, famous economic thinkers such as Mishan (1967), Scitovsky (1976) and Arrow et al. (1995) have critiqued GDP, arguing that it is a significant mathematical measure, but not a comprehensive measure of the economic activity of a nation (Kitov, n.d.). In the recent past, GDP economic measure has been considered equal to the social welfare of society. It is evident with the recent adoption of the term "standard of living", used synonymously with GDP. However, this relationship is not buoyed by any significant macroeconomic concept, but has become a habit in the recent past. What is conceivably utmost conspicuous is that a huge bulk of reporters and legislators, irrespective of their party-political inclinations, make very credulous declarations about GDP (vintrova, n.d.). It is therefore not astounding then that we see the majority of people in the world prefer economic growth in terms of GDP growth. The same has been supported by an obvious emphasis on GDP growth by global institutions such as the OECD and IMF. Numerous items and events in this life cannot be assessed through GDP, but they are measurable using the cadent of education, health, clean environment, social welfare, freedom and many others. A famous economist started the process of distinguishing the commodities that are comprised in the GDP measure and the capabilities that are omitted from it. His efforts, buoyed by his colleagues efforts led to the notable discoveries of techniques of supplanting GDP. There are various flaws associated with the GDP measure of economic growth. Key among them; it is reported that GDP measures average costs rather than the benefits that emanate from the market operations. It is also said that GDP leaves out many external costs associated with the country’s economic growth. In the years between 1950 and 1965, a negative mean welfare trend was experienced in

The impact of electricity deregulation on customers and employees in Dissertation

The impact of electricity deregulation on customers and employees in Qatar - Dissertation Example The paper incorporates both secondary and primary research study of the issues relating to the issue of deregulation being set in as in how it tends to affect the internal and external operations of the concern. It tends to draw useful inferences through the conduct of such research to thereby arrive at final conclusions and recommendations. ... .2.1 Interview findings 51 5.3 Questionnaires 52 5.3.1 Findings from surveyed managers and employees 52 5.3.2 Strategy fit with Qatar vision 2030 56 5.3.3 Findings from surveyed customer 58 5.3.3 Understanding KAHRAMAA strategy and objectives by employees 58 5.3.4 KAHRAMAA strategy development policy 60 5.3.5 Employee’s involvement in strategy development 61 5.3.6 The impact of non involvement of employees on strategy development 62 5.3.7 Low employees’ motivation and moral 63 5.3.8 Low initiatives to participate in strategy development 66 5.3.9 Perceived problems with strategy implementation 67 5.3.10 Management perception for strategy implementation problems 68 5.4 Suggestions for improving strategy implementation 69 5.5 Perception of strategy change impact on internal culture 70 5.6 The perception of the impact of KAHRAMAA deregulation strategy 72 5.7 Summary 73 Chapter 6: Analysis and discussion 74 6.1 Introduction 74 6.2 The effectiveness of deregulation at KAHRAMA A 74 6.3 The impact of strategy on KAHRAMAA culture 76 6.4 Research objectives 76 6.4 Summary 78 Chapter 7: Conclusion and recommendations 78 7.1 Introduction 78 7.2 Hypotheses 79 7.3 Limitations 80 7.4 Recommendations 81 7.4.1 Kahramaa 81 7.4.2 Future research 84 7.5 Summary 84 Bibliography 85 Appendices 91 Appendix 1: Survey / interview consent form 92 Appendix 2: Questionnaire 93 Appendix 3: Questionnaire Analysis 96 Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction Electricity deregulation along with privatisation is referred to as ‘liberalisation.’ Liberalisation is an accessible, affordable and reliable service which is replaced by ideal competition, the myth that tend to exit with consumer choice along with priority of the economic efficiency which in turn are measured by profits and also through rate

Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle Essay Example for Free

Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle Essay This is a wonderful description, almost a photographic image for the reader, a description leaving a sense of, is this a man or a monster? This again adds to the already building tension for the reader, who continues to make his or her own deductions. We see almost immediately how brilliantly perceptive Sherlock Holmes is when he spots the mud on the Ms Stoners coat and the train ticket in her hand. From this he deduces that she must have set off early, travelling in a Dogcart for some time before she got to the station. He picks up on clues throughout the story, things that the everyday person would possibly miss. This again draws the reader in, they feel enlightened and start to study the story more carefully wanting to be more like the ingenious Holmes. The story continues and Holmes and Watson visit the home of Ms Stoner and her stepfather. They inspect the bedroom of the dead sister and Sherlock Holmes picks up on several odd effects that he relays to Watson. Firstly a fake bell pull, then a ventilator which does not ventilate. A saucer of milk in the stepfathers room, becomes suspicious when they are advised Doctor Roylott keeps no cats. Several other little clues are spotted and you can almost feel Holmes mind working overtime. The reader will also pick up on the clues and again start to make their own deductions to Whodunnit? The tension starts to peak when Holmes decides to stay the night with Watson in Ms Stoner sisters bedroom. They wait patiently in a near by inn till Holmes spots a tell tale light, a sign for him to make his move. Crossing the lawn the tension is building and the author cleverly startles the reader by his introduction of the Baboon, a detail that Holmes has overlooked until then. When out from a clump of laurel bushes there darted what seemed to be a hideous and distorted child, who threw itself on the grass with writhing limbs, and then ran swiftly across the lawn into the darkness. The fact that Doctor Roylott keeps these exotic animals is ultimately a very important clue. Once in the bedroom the tension is paramount as the two men sit and wait in the eerie darkness. Again the author startles the reader by the sudden fury of excitement when Holmes lights a match, blinding Watson and therefore the reader is momentarily struck by the unknown. Once Watson gains his vision he relays again the image of Holmes lashing out savagely,I could however, see that his face was filled with horror and loathing. What could be happening? The story ends with the conclusion, albeit a little abruptly, maybe even a little unbelievable and somewhat corny for the modern day reader. We discover that it is a snake owned by Doctor Roylott that has been trained by its master to crawl in to the adjacent bedroom and ultimately kills the sleeping victim. Unfortunately for Doctor Roylott, Holmes foiled his plan by scaring the creature, which in due course turned and killed its own master. This allows the reader to let out a great sigh of relief. The crime has been solved the tension has passed. The story albeit a little obvious and very basic, is also very cleverly written. The author succeeds in initially drawing the reader in and keeping their attention throughout. The story would have been extremely exciting and ground breaking in its day. Exotic animal were unheard of. The account is written in very descriptive but extremely long sentences, which is another clue to its age. Time has taken it toll and we as modern readers have been spoiled by the cleverness of the modern day detective novels. Therefore the ending is a little disappointing, no twists or red herrings except for the gypsies . But the story must be applauded, Conan-Doyle was one of the earliest authors of his kind to begin this clever technique of keeping his reader guessing throughout the book. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

Geopolitics and International Affairs

Geopolitics and International Affairs Geopolitics and International Affairs â€Å"What are the key factors in contemporary redistributions of Geopolitical Power?† The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes Geopolitics as â€Å"analysis of the geographic influences on power relationships in international relations† (2010); therefore Geopolitical Power is the power certain nations have over other nations, based upon Geographic influences and advantages. Across the world the geographies of power shift from nation to nation over time (such as the shift in power from Britain to the USA after WWII) and the hegemonic structure has a huge effect on world dynamics such economy, politics, society and culture. The nation with the most power tends to have the greatest influence over these and other factors. Currently, and in recent years there has been a notable rise in power from nations in the geographic east (most notably China) simultaneous to the apparent decline in power by the worlds current top geopolitical power (the USA). This is raising serious questions as to the future of the current hegemonic structure. There are a number of key factors which are driving this shift in power and here I aim to address and analyse these so that I may answer the question â€Å"What are the key factors in contemporary redistributions of Geopolitical Power?† The USA is currently the worlds dominant geopolitical power and has been since World War II. According to Fareed Zakaria (2008) â€Å"the United States [unrivalled economic status] has lasted more than 120 years† and that â€Å"The US economy has been the worlds largest since the middle of the 1880s†. As of 2008, The CIA World Fact book ranks the USA as having the highest GDP/PPP of any individual nation (The EU is ranked higher than the USA but is technically a united group of countries) which stands at $14,440,000,000,000; around double that of the next country on the list, China (CIA, 2008). In 2004 James F. Hoge, author of ‘A Global Power Shift in the Making (2004) explained that â€Å"Chinas economy is growing at more than nine percent annually† and that â€Å"Chinas economy is expected to be double the size of Germanys by 2010 and to overtake Japans, currently the worlds second largest, by 2020†. To put Chinas rapid growth into perspective in 2 010, its GDP has already overtaken that of Germanys, with economic spectators forecasting Chinas economy to outstrip Japans this year- 10 years prior to Hoges 2004 prediction. However, the economy of a nation may be an important indicator of world power, but is by no means the sole factor in determining hegemonic status; the USA is still dominant for other reasons. Military strength is- and always has been- one of the key ways of determining the power of a nation. The ‘Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) cited the USA as having a military expenditure in 2008 which amounted to $607,263,000,000, accounting for 41.5% of the worlds total military spending (SIPRI, 2009). Military strength provides a nation with the means of physically exercising its geopolitical power over other nations, and the USA currently dominates land, sea and air with its military presence. China may be a growing militant power and have a larger army in terms of personnel, however its military expenditure is a fraction of the USAs; and one must also take into account the sheer size of the population in China which explains the high numbers of active servicemen in the country. Both countries currently have a nuclear capability, which during the Cold War was â€Å"widely seen as a necessary qualification for a seat at the top table†. This is no longer the case and now the possession or development of nuclear weapons is deemed unacceptable behaviour (Hurrell, 2006). This is an example of how the factors of determining Geopolitical power change over time. The demographics of a nation are also of vital importance to its development and changes in population structure can have dramatic effects within both developing and developed nations. As of the 13th Jan 2010, the population of the USA is around 308,478,201, (United States official population clock, 2010) whilst the population of China is around 1,335,035,010 (Chinese official population clock, 2010) over 1 billion more than the USA. This is a vital factor in explaining why China has been experiencing such rapid growth in the past decade. Firstly, a large population means more people spending money, which raises the countrys GDP- China is currently the worlds second largest consumer behind the USA (Zakaria, 2008 [2]). In the current economic climate with recession still looming over many nations, it is important for the general population to keep spending in order to stimulate the economy; in China, this is no issue due to the huge numbers of people. This is why China, and Asia in general, has not been so greatly affected by the ‘global recession as the USA and Europe. A population of this size also provides China with a huge number of people of working age to power the worlds largest manufacturing industry, as well as other important areas of industry from banking (to lead China through this economic shift) to farming (to feed the vast numbers of people living in the country). China is so competitive on the international scene due to its vast labour force. However, it is the structure of a population which is really vital in determining the future power of a nation. An ageing population can put a strain on the relatively smaller working age population due to the cost of providing health care, pensions, housing, etc. A youthful population puts strain on education and health services, food supplies; and can result in too a lack of jobs in the future. Both have their issues, but both also have benefits. Japan for example has the worlds largest ageing population with 12.1% aged 65 and over in 2000, with a predicted rise to 26.2% by 2020 (Anderson, Hussey. 2000). Japan is now experiencing deep demographic issues with the working age population being too small to support the large elderly population, and the birth rate continually falling; having implications to the development of the country which has experienced declining power over the past 2 decades. There is a well known phrase that ‘children are the future and this wisdom is heeded particularly well in the USA. Whilst China may have a huge workforce, they are relatively uneducated. The USA prides itself upon the fact that its education system is so highly regarded, having a high output of skilled workers graduating from its prestigious universities every year. According to Zakaria (2008 [2]) â€Å"America trains more high-quality 4 year engineering graduates per capita than any other country† with â€Å"Eight of the top 10 universities in the worldin the United States†. This is why when visiting many US (and European) higher education facilities it is easy to notice the high proportion of Asian (particularly Chinese) students, as these institutions offer a far higher standard of education than would be available in Asia. These Asian students typically stay in America after they have completed their education due to more job prospects with a better rate of pa y than available back home, so are a vital resource to the country. Americas acquisition and prolonged control of power can largely be thanked to the younger generations who have been educated by US education facilities and gone on to create a huge pool of skilled and talented workers. These workers drive the economic industries of the US, whilst their high expenditure on commodities and consumer goods helps fuel growth of its GDP. Many people believe that China is the sole competitor to the USA for hegemonic status, believing that eventually China will overtake America as the sole dominant world power in terms of economy, military, culture, etc. However, others such as Fareed Zakaria (2008 [2]) believe that â€Å"the rise of rest† is far more likely; meaning that power will become dispersed amongst a number of powerful nations under America so that global decisions will no longer be made from one side of the globe. The countries believed to be the main competitors to this state of uni-multipolarity are those referred to as BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia, India and China. Uni-multipolarity will be the resulting situation whereby the US is still the superpower, but with these BRIC countries having much more participation in world affairs than they have done in the current uni-polar (US dominant) geopolitical structure. This shift in power may come as a shock to America and there is likely to be resistance of some sort from the west, although it is very unlikely that the US will lose its dominance so it should look to facilitate the transition of geopolitical power to make this inevitability happen as smoothly as possible. BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, GF; Hussey, P (2000) Population aging: a comparison among industrialized countries. Health Affairs. [Online] Vol 19. No. 3. Sections 191 203. Available from: http://healthaff.highwire.org/cgi/reprint/19/3/191.pdf (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) CIA (2010). The World Fact Book: Country Comparison GDP. Available from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html?countryName=United%20StatescountryCode=usregionCode=narank=2#us (Last accessed 11th Jan 2010) CPIRC (2010). Chinese official population clock. http://www.cpirc.org.cn/index.asp (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (2010). Geopolitics [Online] Available from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/229932/geopolitics (Last accessed 11th Jan 2010) Hoge, J (2004). A Global Power Shift in the Making. Foreign Affairs. [Online] Vol. 83, No. 4. Pg 2-7. Available from: http://asr2.myweb.uga.edu/Fall%202004/Readings/Global%20power%20shift%20in%20the%20making.pdf (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) Hurrell, A (2006). Hegemony, Liberalism and Global Order: What space for would-be great powers? International Affairs. [Online] Vol 82, No. 1. Pg 1-19. Available from: http://www.giga-hamburg.de/dl/download.php?d=/english/content/rpn/pdf/international_affairs_2006.pdf (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) SIPRI (2009).The SIPRI Military Expenditure Database: USA. Available from: http://milexdata.sipri.org/result.php4 (Last accessed 11th Jan 2010) U.S Census Bureau (2010). United States official population clock. http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) Zakaria, F (2008). The Future of American Power: How America can survive the rise of the rest. Foreign Affairs. Available from: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/63394/fareed-zakaria/the-future-of-american-power (Last accessed 11th Jan 2010) Zakaria, F (2008) [2]. The Post American World. [Online] Available from: http://www.cnl.com/documents/Post-American%20World.pdf (last accessed 13th Jan 2010)