Goup Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Goup Communication - Essay Example e singular correspondence just as gathering correspondence incorporate welcome, having one’s position on the topic of conversation, regarding others’ sees and communicating one’s own without culpable others, staying away from superfluous argumentation and useless clashes, and keeping up a harmony among tuning in and talking. Difference over an issue during conversation may prompt clash. The primary method to determine such clashes is to direct a discourse without utilizing profane or hostile language. The discourse may not really lead to an end. In the event that there is an adjudicator, the issue ought to be alluded to him/her for choice. In the event that there is no outsider going about as an appointed authority, it is smarter to change the subject of conversation. The previously mentioned procedures of gathering correspondence can best be utilized with rehearsing more. For a chief to utilize these procedures while tending to a gathering, his/her correspondence style ought to be custom fitted towards the group’s needs (Mitchell, 2012). Successful correspondence in a gathering requires utilization of passionate insight. One likewise must be somewhat lucid to lead gathering

Procurement to Build New Auditorium

The Brain Essay The human body is separated into a wide range of parts called organs. An organ called the cerebrum, is the focal point of the sensory system and it is the focal point of all willful and automatic exercises. It is likewise answerable for different complexities, for example, thought, language, and feeling. The mind weighs simply three pounds in a grown-up yet it contains a large number of a great many nerve cells that make up the sensory system. For a considerable length of time researchers have been examining the puzzlers of the mind and still today, there are numerous parts of the cerebrum that stay a riddle. So as to grasp the mind, it's important to comprehend the assurance it has from wounds. It's additionally basic to find clinical advances through tests and examination to treat decimating neurological ailments. Twenty-eight bones make up the skull. Eight of these bones are interlocking plates. These plates structure the skull. The head gives most extreme security to the cerebrum while the other twenty bones make up the face. Another way the cerebrum is remained careful is by keeping itself in fluid. Almost one fifth of the blood siphoned by the heart is sent to the mind. The mind at that point sends the blood through a perplexing system of veins to where the blood is required. Specific veins produce a defensive liquid. This liquid is the thing that the mind actually drifts in. A third defensive measure taken by the mind is known as the blood cerebrum obstruction. This boundary comprises of a system of extraordinary vessels. These vessels are channels for unsafe synthetic compounds conveyed by the blood, yet permit oxygen, water, and glucose to enter the cerebrum. By understanding the nature in which the mind is kept, an individual can accept that it is the most significant organ in the body. An individual would then be able to figure out how to treat cerebrum juries and numerous neurological maladies. Today, numerous examinations are being directed that might be clinical advances for what's to come. For example, mind uniting is one strategy that might be utilized later on. Cerebrum uniting is transplanting an exceptionally slender layer of mind skin starting with one individual then onto the next. This would bring about the treatment of Parkinson's sickness and other seizure related scatters. Another extreme thought that has just been effectively been taken a stab at rhesus monkey's is, all out body transplants. This would permit somebody with all out body disease to live with another body. Be that as it may, the spine can't be reattached and researchers are contemplating ways on the best way to start cell development in the spinal segment to develop back in the messed up region of the spine. The morals and legitimate issues for such a transplant would most likely never let this activity be performed on people. This is on the grounds that the individual would not be the equivalent . The last thought of things to come is called fake seeing. Counterfeit seeing is accomplished by planting little cathodes before the visual cortex of the mind. The terminals are associated with a little camera that is some place on the individual's ear. A PC is connected to the camera. The PC sends the pictures from the camera straightforwardly to the embedded cathodes. They streak as the image from the camera, in this manner empowering the individual to see. Be that as it may, starting at yet this methodology isn't down to earth as a result of the size of the PC, and as a result of the expense of the bundle. After the entirety of the work and research that we have done it is obvious to us that the cerebrum is one of the most wondrous organs that people could have. It guides us through pretty much each second of our life. Significantly in the wake of investigating the world and the universe, the cerebrum has never stopped to flabbergast individuals, and presumably never will. Science

Retirement Alternatives to a 401(k)

Retirement Alternatives to a 401(k) Retirement Alternatives to a 401(k) Retirement Alternatives to a 401(k)Retire in something resembling style.Throughout history, humanity has experimented with many different kinds of retirement plans. The earliest retirement plan was the “no-one-lived-past-their-30s” plan. While this had the advantage of not actually requiring any planning, it did not leave much time for relaxation.Later, if legend is to be believed, putting the elderly out to sea on an ice floe gained some popularity. However, with arctic currently melting, this retirement plan is less viable than ever.Since 1978 the 401(k) account has become a common solution for building retirement funds. 401(k) plans are investment accounts offered by employers as part of their benefits package. Employees can direct a small percentage of their pre-tax income into these accounts and their employer will match a portion of those funds.But many jobs do not offer a 401(k). Perhaps your job does not. If that’s the case, how can you avoid being put out on the prover bial ice floe when you reach retirement age?When you want something done right…There are tax-advantaged retirement accounts you can open on your own that are separate from an employer-provided plan . You will not receive the benefits of that employer matching your contributions (unless you are remarkably persuasive), but it is likely better than nothing.“Individual retirement accounts give anyone the option to save for retirement outside of an employer plan,” offers Sam, who writes about early retirement with her husband at How to FIRE. “You could open one at a brokerage firm like Fidelity or Vanguard. However, the IRS does have income requirements and contribution/distribution limits that you should be familiar with. Roth IRAs grow tax-free and traditional IRAs grow tax-deferred. If you are married and one of you does not work outside the home, you may even have the option for a spousal contribution.”Property possibilitiesIf you want your retirement investments to be more tangible, you could consider putting money into property. Unfortunately, this will require you to have quite a bit of money already saved up. There are a few upsides if you can manage it, however.“Rental properties complement stocks and more traditional retirement accounts extremely well,” says Brian Davis, co-founder of SparkRental.com. “To begin with, they generate ongoing passive income … Rental returns adjust for inflation automatically, as well. Not only do rents rise alongside inflation, they are a primary driver of inflation, and often rise faster than the broader inflation rate.”While the money you put into the property will likely be subject to taxes, property ownership has its own sets of carve outs.“They offer tax benefits, with every conceivable expense deducted from your profits,” Davis explains. “Even some paper expenses like depreciation are deductible. Taxpayers do not have to itemize their deductions to take advantage of these deductions, either â€" they come off your rental income before it is added to your adjusted gross income.”Getting into the franchise gameHave you ever fancied yourself a business owner, but you just are not able to do it full time? Well you may be able to get into the franchise game as an investor.“Most investors are unaware that you are able to invest in a full-time or semi-absentee franchise tax free and penalty free with the Rollover for Business Startups (ROBS) program,” says Kenny Rose, founder and CEO of Semfia. “A semi-absentee franchise investment can be owned while working full time and can both build equity and produce a significant income. These are an out-of-the-ordinary investment that can also be paired with with a [U.S. Small Business Administration] loan to leverage pre-tax funds.”Rose says the best way to approach this type of investment is to selectively pick your marketplace and do your research to vet different brands. “Although most people hear the word franchise and go s traight to food, the best way to reduce market risk is to look into recession-resistant industries like haircare, automotive, and fitness,” he says.One caveat to be aware of is the time commitment. Even though it may not require your full time attention, investing in a franchise is not a completely hands off endeavour.“Unlike other typical 401(k) investments, franchises are not passive money earners,” Rose warns. “Even for a semi-absentee investment you will need to manage a manager for 5 to 15 hours per week. Newer trends for semi-absentee are for nonworking spouses and recent college graduates to handle overseeing the management with the franchise structure.”One other risk of note about small business loans: Know that your personal credit may impact your ability to get a small business loan, and a small business loan can impact your credit report, as well. Always make sure you understand the ins-and-outs of taking out any type of personal loan or business loan before mov ing forward with a money-borrowing decision.If all else fails…You may not have access to a 401(k) through your job. You may not meet the requirements for individual tax-free accounts. You may not have the money to invest in property or a franchise. But you can still do your best to put away money for retirement.“Saving for retirement can be intimidating when you know that there are penalties for distributing the money before you are eligible,” Sam says. “If you would like more flexibility with your money, consider opening a taxable account. You can still earmark the money for retirement, but also use it without penalty before your golden years. Just be mindful that you won’t have the same tax advantages that retirement accounts offer. Any option to get you saving is better than not saving at all.”It is not easy to think about retirement while you are dealing with so many daily expenses. But if you can make it a habit to regularly put aside retirement money, it should mak e a big difference later on.ContributorsG. Brian Davis  is a landlord, personal finance writer, and co-founder of  SparkRental.com, which provides free video courses and rental investing tools for landlords. He spends most of the year overseas, splitting his time between Abu Dhabi, Europe, and his hometown of Baltimore.Sam blogs about personal finance and financial independence at How To FIRE. She uses her Bachelors in Finance and MBA degree to help others get control of their finances through budgeting, saving, investing, and side hustles. For more information, visit her @HowToFIRE.Kenny Rose is the founder CEO of Semfia, a franchise brokerage to provide education and guidance on investing locally through semi-absentee franchise ownership. Rose founded Semfia after working in finance at Merrill Lynch and also spending time in the franchise industry. He realized that people want to hold a franchise business as an investment and not a full-time job, but they can’t get past that pe sky F-word. A graduate of San Diego State Universitys Top 10 Financial Services program, he has appeared on ABC, in the Amazon Best Seller More Than Just French Fries, and has been a featured speaker for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Centers of America, and SCORE. Follow him @InvestLocally.

The Ethanol Subsidy and How Biofuel Tax Incentives Work

The primary ethanol subsidy offered by the federal government is a tax incentive called the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2004. It took effect in 2005. The ethanol subsidy, which is commonly referred to as the blenders credit, offers ethanol blenders registered with the Internal Revenue Service a tax credit of 45 cents for every gallon of pure ethanol they blend with gasoline. That particular ethanol subsidy cost taxpayers $5.7 billion in foregone revenues in 2011, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan congressional watchdog agency. Debate Over the Ethanol Subsidy Supporters of the federal ethanol subsidy argue that it encourages production and use of the biofuel and thereby reduces the amount of foreign oil needed to produce gasoline, a step toward energy independence. But critics argue that ethanol burns far less efficiently than gasoline, driving up fuel consumption and that it increases demand for corn for fuel and artificially boosts the cost of farm commodities and retail prices of food. They also say such an incentive is unnecessary because legislation enacted in 2007 requires oil companies to produce 36 billion gallons of biofuels such as ethanol by 2022. While born of good intentions, federal subsidies for ethanol have failed to achieve their intended goals of energy independence, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma and leading critic of the ethanol subsidy, said in 2011. The effort to Kill the Ethanol Subsidy Coburn led an effort to repeal the ethanol subsidy in June of 2011, saying it was a waste of taxpayer money - he said the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit cost $30.5 billion from 2005 through 2011 - because consumption remained only a small part of the countrys fuel use. His effort to repeal the ethanol subsidy failed in the Senate by a vote of 59 to 40. While Im disappointed my amendment did not pass, taxpayers should remember that when I offered an amendment to defund the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska in 2005 we lost that vote 82 to 15, Coburn said in a statement. Over time, however, the will of the people prevailed and Congress was forced to scale back this wasteful and corrupting practice. Today, the earmark favor factory is mostly closed. Only the tax division remains open. Im confident this debate, and many more ahead, will expose the tax code for what it is - an abomination that favors the well-connected over working families and small businesses. History of the Ethanol Subsidy The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit ethanol subsidy became law on Oct. 22, 2004, when President George W. Bush signed the American Jobs Creation Act into law. Included in that piece of legislation was the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit. The initial bill gave ethanol blenders a tax credit of 51 cents for every gallon of ethanol they mixed with gasoline. Congress reduced the tax incentive by 6 cents per gallon as part of the 2008 Farm Bill. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, gasoline refiners and marketers are required to pay the full rate of tax, which is 18.4 cents per gallon on the total gasoline-ethanol mixture but can claim the 45 cents per gallon tax credit or refund for each gallon of ethanol used in the mixture. The ethanol subsidy benefits multibillion-dollar integrated oil companies such as BP, Exxon, and Chevron. The First Ethanol Subsidy The Energy Policy Act of 1978 was the first federal legislative ethanol subsidy. It allowed for a 40-cent tax exemption per gallon of ethanol, according to Purdue University.The Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 increased the tax exemption to 50 cents per gallon of ethanol.The 1990 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act extended the ethanol subsidy to 2000 but decreased the amount to 54 cents a gallon.The 1998 Transportation Efficiency Act of the 21st Century extended the ethanol subsidy through 2007 but reduced it to 51 cents per gallon by 2005.Bushs signature on the Jobs Creation Act changed the way the modern ethanol subsidy worked. Instead, it offered a straight tax credit to producers, the legislation allowed for the blenders credit. President Trump Protects the Ethanol Subsidy During his 2016 campaign, President Donald Trump came out as one of the ethanol subsidy’s strongest supporters. Speaking in Iowa, where corn is king, on January 21, 2016, he said, â€Å"The EPA should ensure that biofuel . . . blend levels match the statutory level set by Congress,† adding that he was â€Å"was â€Å"there with you [farmers] 100 percent† on continuing federal subsidy for ethanol. â€Å"You’re going to get a really fair shake from me.† After Trump took office in January 2017, all seemed well with the ethanol subsidy until early October, when his own EPA administrator Scott Pruitt announced that the agency was considering lowering the EPA-mandated subsidy payment level for ethanol â€Å"slightly† in 2018. The suggestion sent shockwaves through the Corn Belt and its Republican congressional protectors. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley accused Trump of a â€Å"bait and switch,† in reference to his empathic campaign promise. Grassley and Iowa’s other Republican senator, Joni Ernst, threatened to block all of Trump’s future EPA appointments. The governors of most Corn Belt states joined in sending Trump warning him than any cutback in the Renewable Fuel Standard program’s subsidies would be â€Å"highly disruptive, unprecedented and potentially catastrophic.† Faced with the potential loss of influence over some of his strongest congressional backers, Trump quickly told Pruitt to back off any future talk of cutting the ethanol subsidy. On July 5, 2018, Pruitt resigned amid multiple accusations of ethics violations involving his excessive and unauthorized personal use of government funds. He was replace within hours by EPA deputy director Andrew Wheeler, a former lobbyist for the coal industry.

Is Meursault Heroic in Albert Camus The Stranger Essay

Is Meursault Heroic in The Outsider? When Meursault is described to us in the early stages of The Outsider we see that he does not obey societys codes therefore is it fair for us to assess him using societies interpretation of heroic? If we are to judge him by them then we are given ample examples throughout the novel of his having no compassion or even of his thinking of the consequences of his actions, hardly heroic, but the converse is also demonstrated in many places. An example of the former is when Raymond asks Meursault to draft a letter to an Arab prostitute. Meursault knows what will result from his actions but seems unemotional and views the letter as being a†¦show more content†¦His unconventional train of thought and attitude is reflected not only in Meursaults unorthodox observations but also in the way the novel is composed. All of the sentences in the novel are short and in staccato rhythm. There are no connective conjunctions in any of Meursaults speeches, reflecting his simple, existentialist attitude to life. His philosophy is reflected in the way that he describes things; when he describes locations he gives precedence over people to material objects. This is illustrated in his description of the room in the mortuary where his mothers coffin is. He first notices the very bright room then the whitewashed walls and he then goes on to describe the furniture and eventually he reaches the coffin but before thinking about his mother he notices the row of shiny screws. This preoccupation with physical properties is repeated throughout the novel as we are always given a very extensive description of each person Meursault meets before he talks to them. This unconventional attitude is supported throughout the novel and portrays Meursualts difference from the other characters we meet. All of these quirks and eccentricities help us understand Meursaults character and we soon understand his thought process. When he meets the Arab thatShow MoreRelatedMiscommunication Causes Serious Consequences Leading to Alienation and Discrimination Within a Society1202 Words   |  5 PagesHowever, droplets alone, are fragile and vulnerable. In Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis and Albert Camus The Stranger, the significant role of communication is portrayed through two extreme examples. Miscommunication causes serious consequences leading to alienation and discrimination within a society like the lonesome raindrops, aloof and out of the worlds reach. Meursault, the protagonist in The Stranger, encounters a dilemma different than the anti-hero, Gregor Samsa, from The Metamorphosis doesRead MoreThe Stranger By Albert Camus Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesThe Stranger was written by the French author Albert Camus, and was first published in 1942 in its indigenous French. It’s described as being the most widely-read French novel of the twentieth century, and has sold millions of copies in Britain and the United States alone. It’s known by two titles; the other being The Outsider. The backstory to this is very interesting but, more importantly, the subtle difference in meaning between titles suggests certain resultant translative idiosyncrasies whenRead More Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Meursault as Metaphysical Rebel1996 Words   |  8 PagesMeursault as Metaphysical Rebel in The Stranger (The Outsider)  Ã‚     Ã‚   The Stranger by Albert Camus was published in 1942. The setting of the novel is Algiers where Camus spent his youth in poverty. In many ways the main character, Meursault, is a typical Algerian youth. Like them, and like Camus himself, Meursault was in love with the sun and the sea. His life is devoted to appreciating physical sensations. He seems so devoid of emotion. Something in Meursaults character has appealed primarily

Thomas Hardy’s View on Time Free Essays

In hardy’s poems time is not constant or limited by a forward direction of time passing nor the vertical view of time. time is a landscape or location upon which we view the different vantage points and aspects of it, and consequently he has given locations the characteristics of time. The journey through locations is constant and forward moving but as in time you can access memories but revisiting them in your mind, or in hardy’s sense, by revisiting the location. We will write a custom essay sample on Thomas Hardy’s View on Time or any similar topic only for you Order Now ou are not locked in time as you are in reality, hardy rewinds time as he chooses and sees what he saw at any period in his life but only when at the location. This comes through in â€Å"after a journey† when hardy revisits a cave and the echo from his previous visit their still remained, as if no time had passed, â€Å"and the cave just under, with a voice still so hollow that it seems to call out to me from forty years ago† Hardy’s subconscious is so active that by revisiting a place, any memories from there reawaken and occupy the scene. In the first stanza of ‘where the picnic was’ we are in hardy’s memory at the early stages of assumedly Emma and hardy’s marriage, when the ‘fire’ was still young and strong in their relationship. Hardy is describing a place they went in the summer time. towards the end of the stanza we are indicated that there has been a change and time is allowed to show what is in front of him then juxtaposition is introduced and we are rapidly in this new, dull and derelict scene but the location has not changed. The time jump shows where hardy really is in his life journey. Reminding him that can although he can see all these different vantage points of a landscape there is always on true outcome the present giving time a personality and the ability to ridicule. This relates to â€Å"after a journey† where   Time is personified â€Å"despite Time’s derision† time is given a character that in a way as if to taunt Hardy for wanting so much to access old layers of time . Emphasising that time has the ultimate power and control and can not be completely defied How to cite Thomas Hardy’s View on Time, Essay examples

Workplace Surveillance

Abstract In the last two decades, employers have used workplace surveillance to monitor their employees. The methodology employed in the study of the perspectives of various stakeholders in the labor industry involved a review of secondary sources of data.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Workplace Surveillance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The labor process theory was used to analyze the stakeholders’ perspectives. The findings indicates that controlling workers’ activities as opposed to ensuring workers’ security is the main objective of workplace surveillance. The labor process theory indicates that workplace surveillance enhances modern management strategies which utilize elements of scientific management (West, 2005, p. 23). Thus workplace surveillance is a matter of control that leads to invasion of privacy. Introduction Workplace surveillance refers to the strategies used by employer s to â€Å"monitor the activities of their employees† (Ariss, 2002, pp. 553-558). It mainly involves observing the working area and employees’ activities or listening to workers in a secretive manner. The observation or monitoring is done with the help of electronic gadgets such as cameras, wiretaps, computers and microphones. Employers mainly use workplace surveillance to promote high productivity, control the use of resources, prevent theft and ensure workers’ safety (Ariss, 2002, pp. 553-558). However, its use often facilitates great control over the labor force. Besides, it leads to violation of workers’ privacy rights if misused. This has led to the debate as to whether workplace surveillance is a tool for ensuring workers’ safety or a tool for control and violation of workers’ privacy rights. This paper supports the premise that workplace surveillance is a control technique and an invasion of privacy. The views of various stakeholders in regard to workplace surveillance will be illuminated and evaluated using the labor process theory.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Methodology The findings of this paper are based on qualitative research on workplace surveillance. The topic was studied through analysis of secondary sources of data. This involved conducting a literature review on the reports of previous research works on the topic. Other sources of secondary data included journals, labor industry reports, newspaper reports and information available on websites of labor unions. The information obtained from these sources was used to evaluate the views of workers concerning workplace surveillance. It was also used to assess the role of workplace surveillance and how it should be implemented based on employers’ perspective, labor unions’ perspective and the role of the state. The main limitation of the methodology is that the sources of information mainly focus on the Australian labor industry and thus may not represent a worldwide view on workplace surveillance. Besides, some of the data obtained on workers’ perspective in regard to workplace surveillance was based on the workers’ personal views. Such views however, might not be representative of the industry. Workplace Surveillance as a Strategy for ensuring Workers’ Safety Employers’ or Management’s Perspective Employers usually rely on electronic surveillance to ensure security of their employees and their buildings (Ariss, 2002, pp. 553-558). They normally use cameras to monitor the activities of their employees and everyone who enters their buildings. The rise in acts of terror in the last decade has forced the employers to monitor activities at their workplaces. This has necessitated the introduction of CCTV systems to observe and report any activities at the workplace that may lea d to security breach.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Workplace Surveillance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Cases of physical and sexual harassments have also necessitated close monitoring at the workplace. Due to the sensitivity of offences such as sexual harassment, concrete evidence is usually needed to apprehend the perpetrators. It is against this backdrop that employers install cameras to monitor activities of their employees at the workplace (Stanton and Weiss, 2000, pp. 423-440). Indirect bullying at the workplace especially through the spread of defamatory information or gossiping is another cause of monitoring. In this case, the management monitors the communications of employees to ensure that information that may cause emotional injury to other employees is not circulated. This involves verifying the contents of workers’ emails and tape-recoding conversations in order to incriminate the offe nders (Stanton and Weiss, 2000, pp. 423-440). These forms of surveillance are thus used by the management to ensure safety at the workplace. Employees’ Perspective Safety at the workplace is a major concern to majority of employees at any given workplace. The employees are likely to perform better if they are assured of their safety or security. Research on workplace safety indicates that the security of workers is not only threatened by external aggressors but also fellow employees (Stanton and Weiss, 2000, pp. 423-440). Due to the competition at the workplace, some employees usually embark on unorthodox means to stay a head in the competition. For example, some employees may focus on tarnishing the reputation of their colleagues in order to prevent them from being promoted. Such behaviors involve the spread of malicious information or physical harassment.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In order to prevent such cases of criminal acts, employees normally advocate for monitoring of their behavior at workplaces (Atak and Erturgut, 2010, pp. 1452-1456). Victims of workplace harassment are usually able to defend themselves if they are able to back their claims with the aid of evidences such as camera footage. Research indicates that cases of workplace violence or harassment are less in offices where activities of employees are closely monitored (Atak and Erturgut, 2010, pp. 1452-1456). Despite these benefits, some employees are opposed to workplace surveillance as a safety measure. They consider acts such as verification of the contents of their emails a fundamental invasion of their privacy. Besides, some employees are normally uncomfortable to work under cameras even if they do not have criminal intentions. Role of State and Legislation It is the role of the sate to ensure that employers provide secure work environments to their employees. This has always been achieve d through appropriate legislation that forces employers to guarantee safety of their workers. Failure to ensure security at the workplace is normally considered an act of negligence on the part of the employer (Mishra and Orampton, 2000, pp. 2-10). Injuries resulting from such negligence can result into severe consequences such as law suits or cancelation of licenses. While workplace surveillance is not a government requirement, it has been accepted by labor industry regulators especially if it can guarantee the safety of employees (Mishra and Orampton, 2000, pp. 2-10). The state has the dual responsibility of ensuring that employees are safe at their workplaces as well as protecting their privacy rights. This means that the state laws only recognize safety measures that do not infringe workers’ privacy. Consequently, appropriate legislation has been put in place to guide the process of workplace surveillance. Such guidelines define the situations under which workplace survei llance should be used and how it should be implemented in order to protect workers’ privacy. The labor unions also support the fact that workplace surveillance as a safety measure must be conducted in a manner that does not violate workers’ privacy rights (Mishra and Orampton, 2000, pp. 2-10). Workplace Surveillance as an Inversion of Privacy and Employer Control Management Perspective Contrary to the popular belief, workplace surveillance is not just about security and workers’ safety. Corporations in the modern economy consider workplace surveillance an effective control technique that can facilitate control over the workforce and an increase in productivity (Stanton, 2003, pp. 257-274). It is for this reason that they invest in advanced information and communication technology to support the surveillance. Workplace surveillance as a control tool is used by employers for the following reasons. First, it is used as a strategy for preventing theft at the workpla ce (Mishra and Orampton, 2000, pp. 2-10). This is a common practice in the retail industry whereby employers install hidden cameras in their stores to monitor the activities of their staffs. The employees who steal goods from the stores are caught by the cameras and the footages are used as evidence against them in law courts. Cases of theft at the workplace are likely to reduce significantly if the workers know that they are likely to be caught. Second, workplace surveillance is used to control the use of the company’s resources. Control over the use of resources such as computers and internet, phones and stationery can lead to significant reduction in operating costs (Saxby, 2000, pp. 17-18). Consequently, employers set rules or guidelines on how and when the company’s resources such as internet can be used. In order to ensure that such guidelines are being followed, they embark on workplace surveillance. For example, internet surveillance has always been used to con trol workers’ ability to use the internet. This involves verifying the content of emails and the WebPages visited to ensure that the internet is being used only for official duties (Saxby, 2000, pp. 17-18). Phones are normally wiretapped to ensure that employees do not use them for their private businesses. Third, workplace surveillance is a tool for monitoring workers’ performance in order to promote high productivity. Employers use management software that monitors employees’ activities such as â€Å"sales, contacts with customers and time taken to complete tasks† (Schmitz, 2005, pp. 727-738). These records are used to generate computer reports that form the basis of employees’ evaluation. Finally, employers use workplace surveillance to protect privileged information or trade secrets. In markets characterized with high competition, businesses withhold information relating to their sales strategies, marketing plans and financial performances. In cases where intellectual property is not protected through appropriate legislation, employers control employees’ access to information relating to product development (Schmitz, 2005, pp. 727-738). In order to achieve these objectives, the employers must use effective workplace surveillance strategies to closely monitor their employees. Software packages are normally used to track employees’ activities whenever they work online to ensure they do not access or distribute privileged information (Schmitz, 2005, pp. 727-738). These trends indicate that workplace surveillance is an effective control tool, which enhances the profitability of the firm at the expense of employees’ privacy. Employees’ Perspective Research on employees’ job satisfaction indicates that majority of them across various industries are opposed to workplace surveillance. This is because many workers consider workplace surveillance a control tool associated with the following demeri ts. First, employees consider â€Å"privacy a guaranteed human right† (Stanton, 2003, pp. 257-274). Consequently, they believe that no one including their employers have the right to deny them this right since it is provided for by the constitution. Employees’ main concern is the fact that employers verify everything without distinguishing between private communication and official communication. Employees’ opposition to acts such as verification of the content of their emails is based on the fact that the emails are their properties and not the employers (Stanton, 2003, pp. 257-274). Consequently, the later has no right to read their emails. This means that workplace surveillance especially through electronic means is an unnecessary invasion of employees’ privacy. Second, intense surveillance at the workplace leads to low motivation among the workers (Blass and Douglas, 2002, pp. 36-52). As machines such as computers assume supervisory roles in the monit oring process, employees become alienated from their jobs. Majority of employees feel that workplace surveillance makes them subjects of machines which they are in-charge of (Blass and Douglas, 2002, pp. 36-52). Performance evaluations based on computer reports are not balanced since they do not take into account other aspects of the employees’ performance such as their relationships with colleagues or their emotional wellbeing. Besides, such reports do not allow the employees to explain their failures. In some cases, workplace surveillance leads to evaluation based on perception rather than facts (Blass and Douglas, 2002, pp. 36-52). For example, information obtained from an employee through wiretaps can be used against them by their colleagues. Thus the evaluations made using such information may lead to biased results. Third, workplace surveillance is a major cause of workplace stress due to the high level of pressure associated with it (Bryart, 2006). As discussed earlier , workplace surveillance is used by employers to ensure high productivity. However, it is sometimes used to set unrealistic job targets which leads to stress. For example, companies that use digital systems to monitor check-in and check-out time are very strict on time management (Bryart, 2006). In such cases, the employees who are not able to keep time can be punished even if they had a genuine reason to be late. Employees have had to work extremely hard to meet the high job targets associated with workplace surveillance. Working under tension thus becomes a common practice at work, thereby increasing cases of stress (Bryart, 2006). Finally, workplace surveillance is used by employers to gain access to intellectual property illegally(Bryart, 2006). This particularly happens in cases whereby new recruits use their own computers at work. Thus when their employers monitor the use of their employees’ computers, they are likely to gain access and use the employee’s private information without being noticed. These trends indicate that employees perceive workplace surveillance to be a control mechanism meant to benefit their employers at their expense. Role of State and Legislation The state is charged with the responsibility of protecting the interest of both the employers and the employees. This means that the state through labor laws regulates the relationship and interactions between the employers and their employees (Halpern, Reville and Grunewald, 2008, pp. 175-180). Workplace surveillance being a form of interaction that determines the relationship between employers and their workers is thus regulated by the government (Halpern, Reville and Grunewald, 2008, pp. 175-180). Regulating workplace surveillance has been necessitated by the fact that all stakeholders including the government and the general public should benefit from the exercise. The behavior or activities of employees not only affect their employers and colleagues but also the governm ent and the public or customers, hence the need for control over their behavior. As a neutral party, the government through the labor laws expects workplace surveillance to be conducted according to the guidelines which include but not limited to the following. First, it should be done in a manner that complies with human rights (Halpern, Reville and Grunewald, 2008, pp. 175-180). This means that the process of workplace surveillance must not override the basic human rights provided for by the constitution. This requirement limits the level of privacy invasion that employers can engage in. for example, they can not install cameras in washrooms or engage in unnecessary recording of conversations at the workplace (Electronic Frontiers Australia, 2005). Second, workplace surveillance must take into account the interest of both the organization and the public. For example, it should be done in order to prevent employees from committing crime at the workplace or promoting disorder (Elect ronic Frontiers Australia, 2005). The crimes that can be prevented through workplace surveillance include drug abuse, tax evasion and watching pornographic materials. Third, workplace surveillance should be used to ensure public safety and health. The management should use it to ensure that workers’ activities do not result into production of goods that are not fit for consumption. In order to achieve these objectives, the government expects the employers to conduct an impact assessment before embarking on workplace surveillance. The assessment should enable the employers to highlight the purpose and expected benefits of the surveillance (Halpern, Reville and Grunewald, 2008, pp. 175-180). It should also enable the employers to indentify the negative effects of the surveillance. If a particular form of workplace surveillance is associated with adverse effects on the employees, the employers are expected to explore alternative ways of monitoring their staffs. The employers are expected to understand the employees’ privacy rights and be ready to accept liability in the event that such privacy rights are violated. These trends thus define the best practice that should be observed by employers in regard to workplace surveillance. They indicate that the government as a regulator of the labor industry remains neutral on the issue of workplace surveillance. However, the government provides guidelines to ensure that workplace surveillance is beneficial to all parties. Labor Union’s Perspective As representatives of the employees, labor unions believe that they must be involved in the process of implementing workplace surveillance. The unions are interested in the implementation process in order to ensure that the rights of their clients’, employees, are not being violated (Effey, Glass and Behly, 2000, pp. 167-177). Consequently, most labor unions are involved in the bargaining process that determines how workplace surveillance should be im planted, the expected benefits and the punishments that should be used in response to the accusations based on evidence emanating from workplace surveillance. As stakeholders, labor unions believe that they have a right to access the information obtained from employees through surveillance. For example, they can use information recoded in cameras to prepare defense for their accused clients. According to labor unions, best practice in workplace surveillance should include the following. First, the employers must realize that surveillance at the workplace involves invasion of workers’ privacy. Thus it must be done in a legal and careful manner. This is based on the fact that â€Å"employees have a legitimate expectation to keep their privacy at the workplace† (Effey, Glass and Behly, 2000, pp. 167-177). Second, the employers must clearly state the purpose of the surveillance and the monitoring activities associated with it should be warranted by real benefits. This mean s that unions are opposed to surveillance if it is of no value to all stakeholders. Third, the reasons for conducting the surveillance must be communicated to the workers. Fourth, the employers should clearly specify the degree to which workers should use resources at the workplace (Effey, Glass and Behly, 2000, pp. 167-177). This will help in avoiding ambiguity when determining whether an employee violated the company’s rules as reported by the surveillance system. Finally, the unions believe that they have a right to contest in a court of law, any accusations made on their clients based on evidence provided by the surveillance system. These trends indicate that labor unions only support workplace surveillance when it is associated with real benefits to all parties and it is done in a manner that does not infringe the privacy rights of the employees. Theoretical Framework: Labor Process Theory This is a Marxist theory which describes the organization of work in the modern or capitalist society (West, 2005, p. 21). The theory explains the workers’ bargaining power in the capitalist labor market. According to this theory, the pursuit of strategies associated with capitalism culminates in deskilling of the workers and routine work. The rationale for deskilling the workforce is to reduce the costs of production and facilitate high output (West, 2005, p. 26). The capitalists focus on deskilling the workforce since such a labor-force is cheap and can be controlled easily. This theory explains the process of workplace surveillance as follows. Organization of work in the modern workplaces is based on elements of scientific management. Such elements include setting targets for employees, specifying what the employees are expected to do and how it should be done (Morden, 2004, p. 41). The main task is broken down into small units which are executed by different workers on a routine basis. Thus in order to realize the objectives of the production process, the activities of each worker must be monitored to ensure that they meet their job targets. According to the labor process theory, this forms the basis of workplace surveillance. Since the modern labor force is highly skilled, the workers might not be easily controlled even if they are alienated from the production process. Consequently, employers in the modern or capitalist economy focus on the use of technology to control workers (Morden, 2004, p. 47). This explains the use of technologies such as internet surveillance and desktop surveillance to monitor the employees. According to labor process theory, evaluation of workers’ performance is heavily reliant on the intelligence obtained from workplace surveillance (Morden, 2004, p. 49). Workplace surveillance enhances high productivity since it forms the basis for rewarding workers who meet the expectations of the employers as well as punishing those who do not meet such expectations (Griffin, 2006, p. 67). The labor process theory is against this kind of control due to its negative effects on the workers. As discussed above, monitoring at the workplace leads to stress, alienation, low motivation and job dissatisfaction. This means that intense workplace surveillance finally leads to low productivity instead of high productivity (Griffin, 2006, p. 67). In regard to the debate on the purpose of workplace surveillance, the labor process theory indicates that it is meant to facilitate control which leads to invasion of workers’ privacy. Maintaining safety is just one of the many functions of workplace surveillance rather than its core objective. Despite its demerits, employers continue to implement workplace surveillance due to the benefits accruing from the control it facilitates. This leads to the conclusion that workplace surveillance is a mechanism of control over employees and can lead to infringement of employees’ privacy rights. Recommendations According to the labor process theory, wo rkplace surveillance can lead to infringement of workers’ privacy rights as well as lowering production as discussed above. In order to maximize the benefits of workplace surveillance, the following recommendations can be considered. First, the company should develop a clear surveillance policy. The policy should be accompanied by controls that ensure protection of employees’ privacy rights. Second, the employers should focus on reducing the negative effects such as stress and alienation which are caused by workplace surveillance (Griffin, 2006, p. 70). Finally, employers should encourage responsible autonomy instead of intense surveillance. This will help in boosting workers’ morale. Conclusion Workplace surveillance is a strategy used by employers to monitor the activities of their employees (Griffin, 2006, p. 56). It is used to ensure workers’ safety, prevent theft at the workplace, control the use of resources and encourage high productivity. However, it is also associated with demerits which include low motivation, stress and alienation of workers (Stanton, 2003, pp. 257-274). The analysis of the perspectives of various stakeholders indicates that the primary objective of workplace surveillance is to control the activities of employees at the workplace. However, this control normally leads to the invasion of workers’ privacy. According to the labor process theory, the use of elements of scientific management in the capitalist society necessitates control over employees. This is best achieved through workplace surveillance. This justifies the premise that workplace surveillance is a matter of control that can lead to invasion of privacy if misused. References Ariss, S. 2002. Computer monitoring: benefits and pitfalls facing management. Information and Management. 39(7), pp. 553-558. 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