What factors affect the gender pay gap in the UK industries Literature review

What factors affect the gender pay gap in the UK industries - Literature review Example Recent statistics indicate that the percentage for GPG has increased exponentially in recent times as compared to the previous five years despite the measures taken to abate the differences. Women begin to experience these wage differences with their male counterparts in their first jobs and the gap continues to widen as the women continue to rise in their careers (Blau, Brinton, Grusky, 2009, pp. 121). This literature reviews examines the different factors that have resulted in such discrepancies in the labor force in the UK. The factors contributing to gender pay gap among women in full time employment can be grouped in to four main categories namely education, experience, occupation, and unexplained factors. Over the years, the number of women accessing higher education has been minimal as compared to the number of men. This has negatively affected both employment and wage rates for women because men often most men have higher educational qualifications. As a result, women need to have slightly superior degrees, for instance a masters or a doctorate degree in order to earn the same amount as their male counterparts with only a first degree (Chant, 2010, pp. 73). The government has taken several, measures to promote higher education for women in the country and the situation is likely to be remedied in the future. Another factor related to experience is professional experience. Women tend to have less professional experience as compared to their male counterparts in similar positions. Women’s professional experience is cut down due to various factors including duration spent on maternity leaves, or time taken off to take care of children. This has in turn affected the wages and salaries that women get in similar positions held by men. One other factor that contributes to the GPG is occupation. The society generally classifies various occupations as male or female professions. Most women would therefore be

The effect of culture on globalization in African countries Essay

The effect of culture on globalization in African countries - Essay Example The author has rightly presented that we are now living in the era of globalization. Our world has become smaller and smaller. What used to be the other side of the world is now just a mouse click away. Communication technology has become so advanced that the borders and barriers that used to impede our contact with each other have now become penetrable. Globalization is affecting many aspects of our lives, from our economy to our politics, and from our social lives to our cultures. In some parts of the world, however, globalization has not been easy to welcome and manage. Some countries have preferred a no-trade economic policy; or have refused to cooperate in international relations, or have refused to accept the effects of globalization into their culture. Globalization in Africa has been a difficult phenomenon to accept. The culture of Africa has not been very receptive to globalization. Culture can make a difference in the success or the failure of government and economic polici es which seek implementation in any organization or country. The people’s culture and traditions can foster acceptance and enhance support for these policies. The paper tells that the culture in different nations has also affected the pace and success of globalization in many African countries. The culture prevalent in China, Saudi Arabia, and other parts of Asia is an important factor which bears impact on the entry of globalization. The current dilemma about culture and globalization is that most nations may share a nationality, but they often do not share a culture.  

Jillian Michaels Biographical Essay Essay Example for Free

Jillian Michaels Biographical Essay Essay People tend to gain weight because they want to fill an emotional void. For many, this void get filled with food. Like a chasm, the void represents a deep hole that feels inescapable. Most people feel so insecure and weak, that the idea of losing weight seems insurmountable. Jillian Michaels, the trainer from The Biggest Loser, helps people overcome emotional obstacles that manifest themselves in their physical beings. Born in Los Angeles California, and raised in Santa Monica, Jillian carried around issues like that of any child. Devastated by her parents’ divorce, Jillian found herself struggling with weight problems in her early teens. At the age of twelve, Jillian weighed almost 175 pounds. Realizing Jillian’s weight problem, her mom signed her up for a martial arts class. Five years later, at the age of seventeen Jillian put her passion for fitness to work and became a personal trainer. Today, Jillian stands at 5’2†, and weighs about 125 pounds. Although petite, the rambunctious character shines through in her reality show The Biggest Loser. Oftentimes, Jillian screams, â€Å"Unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going!† As these words echo through the gym, Jillian Michaels gives out beatings to her contestants, weighing in at almost four hundred pounds, these people allowed themselves to become morbidly obese. Glued to a couch for years, you might, in fact, mistake these people for a bouncy house. In one day on The Biggest Loser, they go from zero movement to full-fledged cardio vascular activity. Using erratic techniques such as plyometrics, boxing, and circuit training, weight gets shredded by the pound. Most might say that Jillian Michaels comes off as intimidating and mean, mainly because she enjoys screaming at people and watching them drop like flies. Like a drill Sargent, Jillian Michaels yells at her contestants as if they were soldiers. Her scream, shrill and blood curdling, encourages and motivates. These contestants, basically on the edge of death, put their lives in the hands of Jillian Michaels. She only yells because she cares and wants to help these people save their lives. Exercise, especially on the Biggest Loser, holds considerable importance. However, Jillian finds it crucial to also eat healthy. While you do burn calories exercising, you can just as easily eat right through them. Jillian, of course, uses her own life as an example for how people should eat and live. Eating mainly organic, she doesn’t see the need to feed our bodies harsh preservatives and chemicals, such as Taco Bell. In many health magazines, Jillian also talks about portioning. She says as long as you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Although difficult, it definitely can be achieved. While considered uptight and neurotic, Jillian does, however, show a compassionate side. She pushes everyone until they break, or until their emotions start to bubble over. Latching on like a leach, Jillian starts to focus on the source of the problem. It is a reoccurring theme that obese people gain weight due to psychological factors. Well aware of this, Jillian uses it to her advantage. She finds the issue that made these people gain weight in the first place, and then helps them accept it. By discovering the original problem, these people start to better understand themselves. Jillian helps them realize why they gained weight, and this allows them to prevent it from happening again. Many people hire a personal trainer to get their butt kicked; or maybe to push them farther than they thought imaginable. With two reality shows, six books, and multiple fitness videos, we can conclude that Jillian Michaels is here to help. Jillian stresses the idea of exercise and healthy eating, while also encouraging the idea of therapy and clearing up your past. At first glance you might say that Jillian comes off as a simple TV character who doesn’t really care about anyone but herself. However, after thorough digging, the love Jillian shows for humanity becomes apparent. Finding drive or desire to exercise sometimes proves to be difficult. With Jillian Michaels’ help, you will find the support and inspiration you need to get off the couch and start moving. Making the world better one over weight person at a time, I hope to one-day give back to the world as much as Jillian Michaels.

Greenery And Sustainability Urban Planning Environmental Sciences Essay

Greenery And Sustainability Urban Planning Environmental Sciences Essay Urban development through construction of roads, building, bridges and even landscaping can have significant impacts on the environment. Many environmentalists regard the preservation and introduction of greenery as fulfilling an indispensable urban infrastructure requirement. Chan and Lee (2008) suggest that urban renewal is commonly adopted to cope with changing urban environment, to rectify the problem of urban decay and to meet various socio-economic objectives. Although the provision of green spaces tend to be routinely advocated and implemented by the planning profession in developed countries, similar kinds of commitments are seen as weakly expressed in many third-world countries. In this essay, I attempt to argue that without a comprehensive sustainability effort and landscape plan, and even with one in some instances, rapidly expanding urban cities particularly in developing countries tend to grow relentlessly outward and upward to cause widespread environmental degradation, through the discussion of sustainable urban planning in one of the cities in developing country, which is Hong Kong. Hong Kong is located just within the tropics on the south coast of China, extending into the South China Sea, Hong Kong consists a land area of 1097 km2 and a sea area of 1700 km2, where there are 250 islands, the larger ones being Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island (Newcombe, Kalma, Aston, 1978; Warren-Rhodes Koenig, 2001). The terrain is mountainous and rugged with very little flat land for settlement, making Hong Kongs population has settled on the limited existing and reclaimed land available for development (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). The city state of Hong Kong has one of the highest urban population densities on Earth (Newcombe, Kalma, Aston, 1978). In the past 150 years, Hong Kong has evolved into a thriving metropolis of 7 million people (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). Despite significant differences in overall life conditions, the Hong Kong population enjoys a quality of life comparable, by many indicators of physical, mental and material well-being, with populat ions in the developed world (Newcombe, Kalma, Aston, 1978). Since the 1960s, Hong Kong has been transformed from a bustling entrepot to a light industry center in the 1970s and to a service-based economy in the 1990s accompanied by economic wealth of more than 10% rise in per capita GDP annually (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). Hong Kong has paid a high environmental price for its success, where its records of pollution levels have caused a decline in environmental quality which is impairing the citys ability to lure international investment (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). According to Warren-Rhodes and Koenig (2001), urban metabolism measures quantitatively a citys load on the natural environment. By knowing the metabolism background of Hong Kong, it will be easier to estimate the environmental level based on the development as well as population density of the city. In cities, metabolic flows arise from material use, food consumption and urban development; materials are stores as infrastructure; and materials and wastes are moved through manmade circulatory systems, with pollutants released to air, land, and water systems (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). Since Hong Kong relies upon and appropriates heavily from natural ecosystems to produce foods and uses water as well as other resources to process wastes, it significantly augments and alters material flow and energy cycling through the environment. Concerns on the impacts on natural resources and the environment especially in the late 1990s have prompted the government to commission a study of how sustainable development could be achieved in Hong Kong (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). According to Warren-Rhodes and Koenig (2001), enormous changes have occurred in Hong Kong over the past 26 years, where 1 million people have been added to the population each new decade, which bringing greater resource needs and waste generation habits, thus increasing the urban metabolic rates. It is argued that high metabolic rates can be beneficial to a citys survival, where compact cities with high population densities can achieve extremely efficient land, energy, and material use, thus reducing urban sprawl and conserving land for recreational and agricultural purposes (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). However, based on studies, the benefits of Hong Kongs high urban metabolism are presently outweighed by the environmental costs, and it is predicted that as population expands to 8.9 million by 2016, energy, materials, water use and pollution discharges will rise accordingly (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). Through this kind of urban metabolic check-up, it allows policymakers to ascertain enduring and root causes of environmental deterioration in a city. Newcombe, Kalma, and Aston (1978), warn on the mounting ecological distress and offered prescient advice on how to mitigate these problems through an adaptive urban management strategy that modifies operations of present urban systems and designs their expansion . . . at greatly reduced resource inputs. As in many other cities, Hong Kong has substantial improvement in its performance of local urban renewal projects (Chan and Lee, 2008). Since 1990s, the importance of sustainable development had been acknowledged and the Hong Kong government had committed to consider the concept holistically when making decisions about future development in the territory (Chan and Lee, 2008). The sustainability concept attracts the attention of the Hong Kong government as international experience proves that sustainable development creates good communities serving different needs of current population without sacrificing the resources available for the future generations (Chan and Lee, 2008). In order to have a more adaptive urban management strategy that modifies operations of present urban systems and design, it is important to first, identify the factors that can contribute to the urban management strategy itself. Some of the factors and areas that should be emphasized in urban design are waterfro nt development, cityscape, pedestrian environment and pollution mitigation (Chan and Lee, 2008). Participants of Council for Sustainable Development discussion forum indicated that urban design should be consisted of layouts of street and open space, design of building as well as transportation network, in creating sustainable urban living space in the Hong Kong territory (Chan and Lee, 2008). Since one of the areas that should be emphasized in urban management and design is by focussing on the layouts of street and open space, planning on strategies on green space provision in urban Hong Kong is seen as a crucial in this matter. According to Jim (2002), woodlands are not preserved in the urbanised areas, where private developers tend to have little statutory obligation or willingness to provide public open spaces, often results in poor protection or obliteration of natural vegetation in new developments and redevelopment schemes. A city generously endowed with high-quality greenery is a necessary ingredient of environmental quality and quality of life. Therefore, preservation and introduction of greenery in urban infrastructure is seen as a moral necessary under urban management and design not only for the environment, but also for the population wellbeing as a whole. With a compact and densely built-up urban fabric, tree growth in Hong Kong is severely constrained in the pervasively crowded and bleak environment (Jim, 1989). Jim (2002) states that, nearly all residents of Hong Kong are living in high-rise apartment blocks, which deprived of private open spaces as well as detached from the land and vegetation. The shortage of public green space has reinforced the lack of interest in greening of Hong Kong urban population, further aggravated by the poor quality of existing amenity greenery by both public and private on the desire for more greenery space (Jim, 2002). This is constrained by the cramped town plan, where the roads have narrow pavements with no tree strips at the roadsides or margin roadside for plantable spaces (Jim, 2002). The same goes to the buildings, where they were built directly next to the road, leaving no lot-frontage plantable spaces (Jim, 2002). The only open space and remnant of plantable spaces are the citys first public g arden, the Botanical Garden, which is located in the heart of the central district, and the Victoria Park, that was built with a charity donation in 1957 (Jim, 2002). Forest cover has been reduced over the centuries by shifting cultivators, sedentary farmers, and, in recent decades, countryside recreationalists (Jim, 1989). According to Jim (1989), without a clear policy to preserve existent trees in places affected by urban intrusions, very few specimens would be saved. Due to the lack of green space provision in Hong Kong, the work agents, namely the landscape architects, urban horticulturists, arboriculturists and urban foresters would be necessary to join planners to collectively contribute in the greenery and sustainable urban planning. According to Jim (2002), some six government bureaux (out of 16 policy-formulation bureaux) and 15 departments (out of 38 departments) are involved in greening issues. There had been some efforts done by the government in bringing more and better greenery in urban development in Hong Kong. One example is, the government decided in building public housing for low-income families that are mainly situated at peri pheral locations with land-conserving developments, where space between the individual buildings is done with open spaces for planting (Jim, 1989). To develop an action plan to bring more and better greenery in the city, earnest support and cooperation are needed from relevant quarters. One of the ways to achieve the greenery and sustainable urban city planning is through comprehensive development area (CDA) zoning, which aims narrowly at facilitating the amalgamation of small contiguous lots for redevelopment. Jim (2002) suggests that this can be done by developing guidelines for the matching of species with site conditions and to optimise the landscaping potential of planting sites, aiming at significantly increasing the number of species with attractive flowers, seasonal changes, outstanding tree form, large final dimensions, meritorious performance and other notable amenity traits. Another greenery and sustainable urban planning can be done in urban Hong Kong is by developing specifications to protect effectively trees destined for preservation in sites, especially those that are affected by buildings, roads and other constr uction activities, which are commensurate with the cramped built environment. In order to encourage the planting of trees within Hong Kong urban society, there need to be some association not only with the government, but also private-sectors and other. This can be done through development projects, such as the introduction of incentives, the dissemination of relevant messages or guidelines in the form of professional practice notes, and the organisation of seminars, workshops and other means of involvement and communication. In conclusion, despite all of these suggestions and action plans in bringing more and better greenery and sustainable urban development in developing cities like Hong Kong, these can only be done through collective cooperation by the government, both private and private developers, as well as high supports from the society. Due to the high urban population, the urban dwellers in Hong Kong city are the core factors in the widespread of environmental concerns by individual and collective responsibility in taking care of the environment as well as making Hong Kong a greener and sustainable for the future generations. By taking this greenery and sustainable environment concerns more seriously, there will be hope for a better quality of life in the future regardless the population density.

Patriarchal Pathology: The Case of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child and Mahes

Sam Shepard and Mahesh Dattani belong to different countries and time span. They come from different social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Sam Shepard belongs to the cream of the crop of 20th century American dramatists. He was involved with New York's Off-Off Broadway Theater - the new experimental theaters that sprung up in church halls, lofts, basements and cafes after the Off-Broadway theater had become expensive. He was closely allied with Theater Genesis-an Off-Off Broadway venue based at St.Mark’s in the Bowery, an Episcopalian church in the East Village at 2nd Avenue and 10th Street. Mahesh Dattani is a well known cotemporary Indian-English playwright, the first Indian playwright writing in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award. Sam Shepard explores the complicated relationships within American families. In order to ensure the myth of the American Dream, however unattainable, family life is seen by playwrights like Sam Shepard to pay the price. The family is breaking up from within by their adherence to public values. Although his plays explore deeply the American psyche and investigate the cultural heritage of their nation, yet they have a mainstream plea to people all over the world. Mahesh Dattani writes on the burning issues that beset the post-independence Indian society, whether it is communal discord, politics and crime, growing homosexuality or the gender bias. He uses stage to condemn many of the drawbacks prevailing in society. His plays depict marginalized groups of society, people who are considered misfits in a society where stereotyped attitudes and notions reign supreme. His plays have varied content and varied appeal. The works of Sam Shepard and Mahesh Dattani thus r... ...Print. Shepard, Sam.Buried Child.Vintage Publications,1979.Print. Secondary Source Deeba,Farha.Prioritizing the invisible:A Study of the Select plays of Mahesh Dattani.Diss.University of Kashmir,2013. Mathisen,Kari.What’s Happened to this Family Anyway? The Disintegration of the American Family in Selected Plays by O’Neill,Miller,and Shepard.MA thesis. University of Troms,2009. Ranjan,Mukesh. â€Å"Mahesh Dattani’s Where There’s a Will: Exorcising the Patriarchal Code†.The Dramatic World of Mahesh Dattani-A Critical Exploration.Ed.Amar Nath Suri.Sarup Book Publishers,2009.136-144.Print. Shepard, Sam. Buried Child.In Sam Shepard:Plays,Vol.2.London:Faber and Faber,1997.Print. The Cambridge Companion to Sam Shepard. Ed.Mathew Roundane.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,2002.Print.

Image Analysis Program :: essays research papers

Purpose: to become familiar with the image analysis program and to develop an understanding to the size and age of planetary nebulae Procedure The first part of the experiment involved using a picture of a church and back round to understand different pixels, ADU, zoom, and how to get the (x,y) coordinates. We then took this brief understanding of pictures and applied it to the stars. We loaded a picture of nebulae m42. After this we needed to calculate the average number of stars or solar masses. We found the (x,y) coordinates of a position in the center of the nebulae and on the edge of the nebulae. We used the following distance formula to find the distance between the points. After this calculation the answer in pixels needed to be converted to arc seconds for use in the small angle formula where 1 pixel approx. = 3 arc seconds. We now could use the small angle formula to find the actual radius in pc. Where d is the radius D is the distance from the Earth in pc and theta is the value we had just found out in arc seconds. After the calculation we needed to convert pc to meters so we used the calculation factor of 1pc=3*10^16m Now we needed to find the density. Density was figured out by multiplying the majority substance in the nebulae (hydrogen) per cubic m^3 by the mass of hydrogen in kg, which gave us the formula We then had the info we needed to find the mass of the nebulae. We calculated this by using a spherical shape for ease of calculation. We used the following formula where m is the mass p is the density and r is the radius found above from the small angle formula (d). Now that we had the amount of mass we needed to find the solar masses so we divided the mass of the nebulae by one solar mass unity in the following equation. Our next part of this lab was to find the age of the nebulae m57 . We used the same formula and procedure as before to find the radius of the star. The distance from Earth was given to us to complete the small angel formula. We then needed to convert from the au to km by the following equation. We were told the expansion of the nebulae to be 20 km/s and assumed this had been going on since the birth of the nebulae for simplicity of calculation.

Psychoeducational Group Leadership: Mindfulness of Breathing Essay

In forming a psychoeducational group, it is vital to determine what kind of information may be needed by the participants. Psychoeducational groups are performed for people who are more mentally balanced and are simply seeking deeper knowledge on a certain theme related to psychological health. A good topic for discussion in many cases is the theory and technique of mindfulness of breathing. Being mindful of how one breathes is often a good indicator in the present moment of how stressed or how calm a person is (Yalom, 2006). When a person is able to self regulate one’s breathing, making sure that the breaths are slow and deep enough, then a person is aware of how situational occurrences affect one’s state of being. This paper takes a look at the case of a psychoeducational group which was formed with the intention of educating group members about the importance of mindfulness of breathing. Group Dynamics This psychoeducational group was formed by the participation of six voluntary group members who were invited to participate in a 30 minute session about the importance of mindfulness of breathing. The initial stage of the group consisted of a warm up activity where people greeted and introduced themselves to one another, followed by a short overview by the group leader regarding the importance of mindfulness of breathing and its connection to increased relaxation and decreased stress. The working phase of the group is where group members opened up to one another about certain stressful situations which occur in life and how their breathing correlated to these situations. Group members practiced being aware of their own breathing and being able to control the breath’s depth and speed. The final stage of the group is when group members affirmed their experience of working together, being thankful that they had the chance to learn something new, communicate with one another, and practice something useful for their personal health. Personal Reflection It is interesting to reflect on what it was like for me to lead this psychoeducational group about mindfulness of breathing, as this is an important element of my own personal ability to self regulate stress. I was excited to sit with the group members, to introduce myself and speak about the healthful benefits of good breathing patterns which produce happy alpha brain waves. The working stage of the group was especially interesting, in that people were relaxed enough to open up about their own personal lives and experiences and to practice slow and deep breathing with one another. The final stage of the group was also successful, in that people had a few minutes to be openly thankful for the group experience and their newfound knowledge. Although it seems like there should be something to say about how the group could have been run better, I am honestly proud to say that the group ran especially smoothly, with the right amount of time spent in each area and the right amount of educational information disseminated in interesting ways. The group members were able to bond with me and with each other, which makes me feel as if this group was led with great success. Conclusion In forming a psychoeducational group, it is important to consider the needs of the participants as well as the focus of topic and organizational structure of the group. The beginning initial stage and ending final stage of the group are usually more structured and planned, with the working stage of the group being more in the hands of the participants (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2010). In any case, it is vital that the group is formed in a true spirit of goodwill, so that the group participants feel safe and comfortable and are able to open up to the group process. References Corey, M. S. , Corey, G. , & Corey, C. (2010). Groups: Process and practice (8th ed. ). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Yalom, I. (2006). The Schopenhauer cure. New York, NY: HarperCollins.