Problems with the Fashion Industry

There are numerous dilemmas plaguing the modern fashion industry. Advertising in the fashion industry can be blamed for many of society's problems with weight and eating disorders. There are many individuals in the world who do not have the ideal body type and the aggressive advertising campaigns waged by numerous fashion companies, portraying beautiful, skinny models and muscle clad men, create this illusion that this is the perfect body type and everyone should strive to look exactly like this. This puts a great deal of stress on people to try and look this way. These types of advertisements have an enormous impact on the youth at the present as many of them appear in youth magazines.

Another very prominent problem facing the fashion industry is the extreme body forms many of the models are portraying. The vast majority of catwalk models are dangerously skinny and it has been suggested that they even suffer from malnourishment. Members of the youth, upon seeing these outrageously skinny models, may become obsessed with wanting to look like them to the extent to which they develop some eating disorder.

Labor Law

Of course these are just problems on the surface of the fashion industry. Underneath all of this is the issue of sweatshops and child labor. In search of a cheap, exploitable labor base, many multinational fashion companies relocate to the lesser developed countries of the world. In doing so they can hire young children to work for very long hours and at very low wages, especially since many of these children are so desperate. Furthermore, many of the less fortunate countries have no laws in place to protect children from being exploited in this manner at the hands of multinational organizations. As such, the slave-labored children do not have any means through which they can lobby for better wages or better working conditions and, if they wish to continue making the minute amount of money they are at the present, they must simply tolerate the conditions they are subject to.

Problems with the Fashion Industry

Problems with the Fashion Industry

If you need Fashion information or have articles on Fashion, visit our Fashion [http://www.reprint-content.com/Category/Fashion/151] section for more in-depth resources. Free Article Distribution [http://www.reprint-content.com]

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Employment Law in Dubai: The Law On Termination of Employment

Under Dubai Law, which is governed by United Arab Emirates (UAE) labour law, an employer must give an employee a minimum notice period of 30 days before termination of an employment contract. The United Aram Emirates law is inflexible in this respect which means that the law allows no room for negotiation, even when the employer is willing to consent to a shorter time period. Any shorter contractual notice period is unlikely to be enforceable by the employer.

Upon termination of employment, the United Arab Emirates labour law states that an employee must be reimbursed for all entitlements they have not been able to benefit from, such as unutilised leave. If the employee has worked for the company continually for at least a year, and does not participate in the Company's pension scheme, gratuity is owed to them on the termination of their employment. This is payable at a rate of 21 days a year for 1 - 5 years service, and 30 days for over 5 years. This is rightfully theirs as an 'end of service benefit.' UAE law specifically states that on termination of a contract, an employer must return an employee to their country of origin, should the employee fail to find alternative employment within a set time period.

Labor Law

It should be noted that there are no provisions under UAE for redundancy; hence they do not recognise 'redundancy compensation' per se. The UAE does however state, that an employer should provide pay of up to 3 months salary, where they have terminated the employment for a reason other than the employee's performance. Hence, in practice there is a provision for redundancy, just not in those words; yet this issue is still a very contentious one. UAE Labour Law could get complicated but all in all sides with the employees more often than not.

Employment Law in Dubai: The Law On Termination of Employment

Employment Law in Dubai: The Law On Termination of Employment

Yair Cohen is the practice manager at employment law firm in England Bains Cohen LLP.

More on employment law in Dubai go to http://www.BainsCohen.com.

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What is Bias?

So, what is bias? It is defined as, "A predisposition or a preconceived opinion that prevents a person from impartially evaluating facts that have been presented for determination; a prejudice."

Simply put: it is a state of mind when you have already decided on the issue without even knowing the full facts. You may call it prejudice or being partial.

Labor Law

For example, many people will believe more easily in the guilt of the accused if the alleged pickpocket is black. In your mind Spielberg's next film also is likely to be good. So bias could be both in favor and against a person.

What is Bias?

But then, can there be any person who is totally free from any bias? If we go about looking for a person who has no opinion on any issue, we may as well appoint robots to all the Supreme Courts and be done with it. Courts therefore take a very practical view when a question of bias on the part of any adjudicator is raised.

Take the Spielberg example. You start with a notion that a Spielberg film is usually good. You may very well change your opinion half way through the film. Same is about most things. You may start with a notion, but may not necessarily be biased.

But then often we are faced with a problem. How do you decide the question of bias? After all, nobody is ever likely to believe that he was not the most eligible candidate and was done in because of biased attitude of the judges. Ever watched the American Idols?

Courts have, in fact devised a very simple rule. The rule is: if any man of ordinary prudence has reasonable grounds to believe that 'x' will be biased in the matter, then 'x' would be barred from adjudicating that issue.

Take this simple example. You go for a job interview and come to know that one of the candidates is brother-in-law of chairman of the company. How will you assess your chances of success if there is only one vacancy?

Suppose you had complained about irregularities committed by a senior manager to the company's Board. What are your chances of selection for a higher post if the selection is totally in the hands of this one man? But this is not all. Even if one person in the committee is biased, the committee's decision will be treated as infused by biased. This is because, as the courts have held, when people sit together, they are bound to influence each other.

In both the cases, a reasonable man will have more than adequate ground to believe that the selection is not likely to be fair. If an allegation of bias is raised in these cases, it will be sufficient.

Of course, courts prefer that you raise allegation of bias as soon as you become aware of the situation. They frown upon any petition which is submitted as an afterthought after you have been unable to make the selection. Because that means, for example, that the candidate wanted to hold a trump cared in his hands. He would allege bias in case he was not selected. He would not be allowed to do so.

Finally, remember: when a goose is on trial, fox should not be in the jury.

What is Bias?

You are welcome to visit http://departmentalinquiry.com/ to see more articles on disciplinary proceedings.

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Pragmatism Expanded and Explained

Talk about bona fide sophistry, the recent remarks of pundit Peter Wehner, concerning Barack Obama and pragmatism, were extremely confusing and counter-productive to a clear understanding of the topic by his readers. His essay was hardly a paradigm of succinct explanatory rhetoric. It was more designed to make someone really wanting to know the working definition of pragmatism go running about in circles exuding utter frustration. He wrote,

"Barack Obama is being praised for the centrists he is appointing to his Administration. It is said that the Obama team includes "the best and the brightest," individuals driven by empirical evidence rather than political philosophy. They [the American people] don't want ideology, according to Obama. They want action and they want effectiveness. Mr. Obama speaks about his appointments sharing his bent for "pragmatism." Technocrats and Socratic dialogue are in, while conviction politicians and an adherence to political philosophy seem passé."

Labor Law

In an apparent attempt to extol Obama's pragmatic overtures, Wehner apparently knew that his words of advocacy would be futile if his readers understood the real meaning of pragmatism. So, it's not really that amazing that nowhere in his foregoing word salad did Mr. Wehner even attempt to define pragmatism understandably for the reader. Instead, he tossed the word about like a slippery loose football, mentioning 19th Century philosophers John Dewey and Charles Sanders Peirce as though they are currently household names. Perhaps he didn't want his readers to see clearly through a fog of words, but, instead, to be blinded by what they would accept as the renderings of a presumably wise scholar. Webster's dictionary does a much better job of explicating the definition and philosophy of pragmatism in comprehensible terms as "a practical approach to problems and affairs marked by the doctrines that the meaning of conceptions is to be sought in their practical bearings, that the function of thought is to guide actions, and that truth is preeminently to be tested by the practical consequences of belief." Put much more simply, pragmatism, expressed practically, means that any end result ethically justifies the means used to obtain it. Charles S. Peirce and John Dewey were the, supposedly, erudite thinkers who put together the working philosophy of pragmatism in the late 1800s.

Pragmatism Expanded and Explained

The direct opposite of pragmatism is idealism, which stipulates that, in order to go from point 'C' to point 'D', there is a defined course of action that is just and right, and only by adherence to that course will arrival at point 'D' be acceptable. Please understand that there are other more expedient avenues which may be sought to arrive at point 'D,' but, though expedient in obtaining the end result, they are not lawfully acceptable. This was the idealistic essence of John Adams profound 1780 statement, which was enshrined in the Massachusetts Constitution, that the American republic is a "nation of laws, not men."

In other words, the hungry penniless idealist will, in order to keep from starving, either work or beg for the needed money, as any other means of obtaining food (by stealing) would certainly be illegal and immoral. The pragmatist, on the other hand, will look at the situation and say that following the prescribed laws would inevitably result in starvation. So expedient thievery, in the pragmatist's mind, would provide an acceptable and ethical means of reaching a solution to the problem. Therefore, steal the food, eat it in secret, and hope that you are not caught and imprisoned for the illicit act; for necessity is the pragmatic mother of invention and the most popular excuse for breaking the law. The pragmatist will invariably say, if law stands in the way of an objective, go around it or break it. That's why you never hear successful politicians declare triumphantly that they are pragmatists, unless those individuals are in positions where, like divine-right kings and queens, the legality of their decisions, orders, and behaviors are never likely questioned for fear of reprisal. Barack Obama is in such a position where flagrant pragmatism will conveniently provide apparent solutions for going from point 'A' to point 'B.' Nonetheless, the laws he deliberately twists, distorts, and ultimately breaks, during the process of getting to the desired end will, in effect, make the end result untenable.

The basic dilemma associated with Obama's declared agenda is that the new President probably knows that he won't be able to solve the nation's economic woes by pragmatically using the same flawed unconstitutional institutions that previous Presidents (from JFK to Dubya) have, likewise, used in passing-off their ineffectual agendas as necessary and proper. By him actually realizing the futility of such inane endeavors, and still attempting to convince the American public of their profitability, Obama will, again, arrogantly epitomize the thoroughly pragmatic President. Already he has, as U.S. President and representative of the American electorate, bowed in obeisance to the King of Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Muslim world, and has publicly declared to millions of Muslims that the United States is not traditionally a Christian nation. Whether the new President is a pragmatic opportunist, or just plain stupid, there is no doubt that, if former President Andrew Jackson were resurrected tomorrow, his first official act would be to land a swift kick into Obama's back-parts. Of course, the White House propaganda ministers have thrown quite a different spin on what happened in London than what "The Washington Times" declared in its scathing editorial, and what the very detailed picture taken of the incident revealed.

If Obama does think that he can succeed with such pragmatic endeavors, he knows much less about the U.S. Constitution and legislative history than I originally thought he did. Anyone who has the ability to read on a ninth-grade level can readily peruse the U.S. Constitution and ultimately conclude that constitutional law has not been followed for quite a spell in this republic, and that pragmatism has been the name of the game without it being called that by previous chief executives. Even FDR, after having the audacity to proclaim his New Deal constitutional (after it was declared unconstitutional three times by the U.S. Supreme Court), didn't have the temerity to call himself a pragmatist. This is because he desperately wanted everyone to believe that he was an idealist, with the lofty goal of preserving the republic with his pragmatic policies, which created a dilemma in espousing non sequiturs.

You see, if organized Christianity were practiced today as pragmatically as is politics, the Beatitudes of Jesus would be practically considered as the height of hypocritical lip service. For wasn't it one of the 20th Century Popes who, on emerging one morning from a sumptuous breakfast and seeing a mendicant kneeling on the porch of St. Peter's Cathedral, ignored the hungry, ill-clothed, foul-smelling woman with his nose in the air and was heard to say, with a cynical smile, "We will always have the poor with us?" This Roman Catholic, Pope Pius XII, was the same Pope who did the Nazis a great favor, in 1944, by pragmatically turning away a shipload of Jewish women and children who were seeking Vatican asylum. Pragmatic thinking usually results in tragically flawed solutions, which actually create greater problems for the future while secreting short-term benefits for a few privileged individuals. It hardly ever serves the greater good.

As another cogent example, the typical military colonel frequently calls in his loyal first sergeant and tells him that a certain thing needs to be done, and gives the senior NCO the order to do it with the admonition, "I don't care how you get it done, just get it done." The sergeant smartly salutes and leaves the colonel's office with a severely pragmatic attitude. Then he lies, cheats, and steals to accomplish the task. When the sergeant later accomplishes the task, but is subsequently accused of lying, cheating, and stealing by those who were victims of his pragmatic methods, he confesses that his commanding officer ordered him to do it any way he could to get it done. Nonetheless, when the commanding officer is approached and questioned about his involvement in the sergeant's activities, he only smiles and says, lying through his teeth, that he told the sergeant to follow the rules to do what he could to accomplish the task, but not to worry if he couldn't get it done. Usually, in the end, when judgment is passed as to illegality of the end results of pragmatic processes, the proverbial sergeants get the blunt end of the stick harshly and punitively across their backs, while the colonels, at the most, merely get their hands slapped in token punishment.

This same thing occurs frequently throughout the Pentagon (military, and paramilitary intelligence agencies) hierarchy, where generals order colonels, and colonels order majors, and majors order captains, who, then, order their dutiful enlisted cadre to pragmatically accomplish unspeakable tasks. "It all flows downhill in the federal government's scheme of things," one court-martialed convicted sergeant said while suffering hard labor at the Ft. Leavenworth military prison.

I'm also pretty certain the same scenario applies to the executive branch hierarchy of appointed public servants, especially to the scandalous incident involving "Scooter" Libby when, Vice-President Dick Cheney told him to "take off the gloves" and sock it to CIA agent Valerie Plame because of Joseph Wilson's criticism of the Bush administration's plot to invade Iraq. Libby, in all probability, took his orders directly from Cheney, and certainly wouldn't have leaked Plame's identity to the media without having been told by his boss to do it. Didn't Libby work for Dick Cheney? Wasn't "Scooter" Libby Cheney's henchman, oh, excuse me. . . assistant, just like J. Gordon Liddy was Nixon's pragmatic henchman during Watergate melee? Libby probably wasn't able to tie his shoes without permission.

In the end, the people who cast their ballots for Barack Obama will have to justify their votes of confidence in his glittering, but amorphous, campaign rhetoric according to the end result of his economic and political pragmatism. American citizens in this day and age are not usually aware of the implementation of despotic laws and policies until their economic life-styles are poignantly disturbed. To paraphrase what actor Morgan Freeman quipped, as a CIA muckety-muck, in the movie "Chain Reaction," " People don't think about what's happening around them. They just want to come home from work, sit in their recliners, eat their microwave dinners, and watch color T.V." George W. Bush's 17 percent approval rating in December 2008 reflected his sore refusal to effectively govern, and the electorate's reaction to a gutted economy coveyed the direct opposite of the meaning conveyed by Freeman's foregoing lines.

As a result, a remarkable number of the voting age population of Americans got up from their recliners and voted. Moreover, during the last three months of the 2008 Presidential Campaign, the cry from the masses was "anyone but someone like Bush." So Obama suddenly came to the forefront as a popularly packaged, but essentially unknown, political entity; and it was clearly evident from the beginning of his candidacy that some very influentially powerful people wanted him to win the Democratic nomination over Hillary, as the strange turn of events in the presidential primaries seemed to indicate. In my opinion, the 2008 Presidential Election provided some very poor choices for the American electorate, and according to a popular biblical scripture, the voters have sown the wind and will reap (Obama's pragmatic) whirlwind.

Pragmatism Expanded and Explained

Norton R. Nowlin took M.A. and B.A. degrees in the social and behavioral sciences from the University of Texas at Tyler, studied law for one full year at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, in San Diego, California, and earned an ABA-approved advanced paralegal certification from Edmonds Community College, in Lynnwood, Washington. Mr. Nowlin as attended LaJolla, California's National University and Malibu's Pepperdine University to attain graduate credits in business management and economics. Mr. Nowlin also attained a Texas State Teaching Certification, in social studies and psychology, from the University of Texas at Tyler. A paralegal, published essayist, poet, and free-lance fiction writer, Mr. Nowlin resides in Northern Virginia with his wife, the renown math tutor, Diane C. Nowlin, and their two very intelligent cats.

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Textile Industry in India

Current Status

The textile industry holds significant status in the India. Textile industry provides one of the most fundamental necessities of the people. It is an independent industry, from the basic requirement of raw materials to the final products, with huge value-addition at every stage of processing.

Labor Law

Today textile sector accounts for nearly 14% of the total industrial output. Indian fabric is in demand with its ethnic, earthly colored and many textures. The textile sector accounts about 30% in the total export. This conveys that it holds potential if one is ready to innovate.

Textile Industry in India

The textile industry is the largest industry in terms of employment economy, expected to generate 12 million new jobs by 2010. It generates massive potential for employment in the sectors from agricultural to industrial. Employment opportunities are created when cotton is cultivated. It does not need any exclusive Government support even at present to go further. Only thing needed is to give some directions to organize people to get enough share of the profit to spearhead development.

Segments

Textile industry is constituted of the following segments

o Readymade Garments

o Cotton Textiles including Handlooms (Millmade / Powerloom/ Handloom)

o Man-made Textiles

o Silk Textiles

o Woollen Textiles

o Handicrafts including Carpets

o Coir

o Jute

The cottage industry with handlooms, with the cheapest of threads, produces average dress material, which costs only about 200 INR featuring fine floral and other patterns. It is not necessary to add any design to it. The women of the house spin the thread, and weave a piece in about a week.

It is an established fact that small and irregular apparel production can be profitable by providing affordable casual wear and leisure garments varieties.

Now, one may ask, where from the economy and the large profit comes in if the lowest end of the chain does not get paid with minimum per day labour charge. It is an irony of course. What people at the upper stratum of the chain do is, to apply this fabric into a design with some imagination and earn in millions. The straight 6 yards simple saree, drape in with a blouse with embroideries and bead work, then it becomes a designer¡¦s ensemble. For an average person, it can be a slant cut while giving it a shape, which can double the profit. Maybe, the 30 % credit that the industry is taking for its contribution to Indian economy as good as 60 % this way. Though it is an industry, it has to innovate to prosper. It has all the ingredients to go ahead.

Current Scenario

Textile exports are targeted to reach billion by 2010, billion of which will go to the US. Other markets include UAE, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Canada, Bangladesh and Japan. The name of these countries with their background can give thousands of insights to a thinking mind. The slant cut that will be producing a readymade garment will sell at a price of 600 Indian rupees, making the value addition to be profitable by 300 %.

Currently, because of the lifting up of the import restrictions of the multi-fibre arrangement (MFA) since 1st January, 2005 under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, the market has become competitive; on closer look however, it sounds an opportunity because better material will be possible with the traditional inputs so far available with the Indian market.

At present, the textile industry is undergoing a substantial re-orientation towards other then clothing segments of textile sector, which is commonly called as technical textiles. It is moving vertically with an average growing rate of nearly two times of textiles for clothing applications and now account for more than half of the total textile output. The processes in making technical textiles require costly machinery and skilled workers.

The application that comes under technical textiles are filtration, bed sheets and abrasive materials, healthcare upholstery and furniture, blood-absorbing materials and thermal protection, adhesive tape, seatbelts, and other specialized application and products.

Strengths

. India enjoys benefit of having plentiful resources of raw materials. It is one of the largest producers of cotton yarn around the globe, and also there are good resources of fibres like polyester, silk, viscose etc...

. There is wide range of cotton fibre available, and has a rapidly developing synthetic fibre industry.

. India has great competitiveness in spinning sector and has presence in almost all processes of the value chain.

. Availability of highly trained manpower in both, management and technical. The country has a huge advantage due to lower wage rates. Because of low labor rates the manufacturing cost in textile automatically comes down to very reasonable rates.

. The installed capacity of spindles in India contributes for 24% share of the world, and it is one of the biggest exporters of yarns in the global market. Having modern functions and favorable fiscal policies, it accounts about 25% of the world trade in cotton yarn.

. The apparel industry is largest foreign exchange earning sector, contributing 12% of the country's total exports.

. The garment industry is very diverse in size, manufacturing facility, type of apparel produced, quantity and quality of output, cost, requirement for fabric etc. It comprises suppliers of ready-made garments for both, domestic or export markets.

Weakness

Massive Fragmentation:

A major loop-hole in Indian textile industry is its huge fragmentation in industry structure, which is led by small scale companies. Despite the government policies, which made this deformation, have been gradually removed now, but their impact will be seen for some time more. Since most of the companies are small in size, the examples of industry leadership are very few, which can be inspirational model for the rest of the industry.

The industry veterans portrays the present productivity of factories at half to as low as one-third of levels, which might be attained. In many cases, smaller companies do not have the fiscal resources to enhance technology or invest in the high-end engineering of processes. The skilled labor is cheap in absolute terms; however, most of this benefit is lost by small companies.

The uneven supply base also leads barriers in attaining integration between the links in supply chain. This issue creates uncontrollable, unreliable and inconsistent performance.

Political and Government Diversity:
The reservation of production for very small companies that was imposed with an intention to help out small scale companies across the country, led substantial fragmentation that distorted the competitiveness of industry. However, most of the sectors now have been de-reserved, and major entrepreneurs and corporate are putting-in huge amount of money in establishing big facilities or in expansion of their existing plants.

Secondly, the foreign investment was kept out of textile and apparel production. Now, the Government has gradually eliminated these restrictions, by bringing down import duties on capital equipment, offering foreign investors to set up manufacturing facilities in India. In recent years, India has provided a global manufacturing platform to other multi-national companies that manufactures other than textile products; it can certainly provide a base for textiles and apparel companies.

Despite some motivating step taken by the government, other problems still sustains like various taxes and excise imbalances due to diversification into 35 states and Union Territories. However, an outline of VAT is being implemented in place of all other tax diversifications, which will clear these imbalances once it is imposed fully.

Labour Laws:
In India, labour laws are still found to be relatively unfavorable to the trades, with companies having not more than ideal model to follow a 'hire and fire' policy. Even the companies have often broken their business down into small units to avoid any trouble created by labour unionization.

In past few years, there has been movement gradually towards reforming labour laws, and it is anticipated that this movement will uphold the environment more favorable.
Distant Geographic Location:
There are some high-level disadvantages for India due to its geographic location. For the foreign companies, it has a global logistics disadvantage due the shipping cost is higher and also takes much more time comparing to some other manufacturing countries like Mexico, Turkey, China etc. The inbound freight traffic has been also low, which affects cost of shipping - though, movement of containers are not at reasonable costs.

Lack of trade memberships:
India is serious lacking in trade pact memberships, which leads to restricted access to the other major markets. This issue made others to impose quota and duty, which put scissors on the sourcing quantities from India.

Opportunities

It is anticipated that India's textile industry is likely to do much better. Since the consumption of domestic fibre is low, the growth in domestic consumption in tandem is anticipated with GDP of 6 to 8 % and this would support the growth of the local textile market at about 6 to 7 % a year.

India can also grab opportunities in the export market. The industry has the potential of attaining bn export earnings by the year 2010. The regulatory polices is helping out to enhance infrastructures of apparel parks, Specialized textile parks, EPZs and EOUs.

The Government support has ensured fast consumption of clothing as well as of fibre. A single rate will now be prevalent throughout the country.

The Indian manufacturers and suppliers are improving design skills, which include different fabrics according to different markets. Indian fashion industry and fashion designers are marking their name at international platform. Indian silk industry that is known for its fine and exclusive brocades, is also adding massive strength to the textile industry.

The industry is being modernized via an exclusive scheme, which has set aside bn for investment in improvisation of machinery. International brands, such as Levis, Wal-Mart, JC Penny, Gap, Marks & Spencer and other industry giants are sourcing more and more fabrics and garments from India. Alone Wal-Mart had purchased products worth 0mn last year and plans to increase buying up to bn in the coming year. The clothing giant from Europe, GAP is also sourcing from India.

Anticipation
As a result of various initiatives taken by the government, there has been new investment of Rs.50,000 crore in the textile industry in the last five years. Nine textile majors invested Rs.2,600 crore and plan to invest another Rs.6,400 crore. Further, India's cotton production increased by 57% over the last five years; and 3 million additional spindles and 30,000 shuttle-less looms were installed.

Forecast till 2010 for textiles by the government along with the industry and Export Promotion Councils is to attain double the GDP, and the export is likely attain bn. The industry is anticipated to generate 12mn new jobs in various sectors.

How to uphold textile Industry

Weak infrastructure may be a hindrance which can be overcome with better network and with the willingness to share profit by loyalty bottom up and patronization from above downwards.

. By putting more retail outlets,

. With better value added products,

. By taking the lowest end of the chain into confidence and building their capability to innovate more and more.

. By upholding the market knowledge at every level that happens at higher-end that lifts the chain.

. By building on the expertise for technical textiles that include bed sheets; filtration and abrasive materials; furniture and healthcare upholstery; thermal protection and blood-absorbing materials; seatbelts; adhesive tape, etc which need skilled workers who are not easy to find in an Indian market.

. By keeping a regular research and development department with regards to the industry

. By building up the peripheral market with regular update of new accessories.

. By integrating the disorganized sectors into one segment that is functionally independent of each other's unwanted stranglehold

. By putting affiliated efforts into the sector

. By creating a state owned cargo-shipping mechanism : with rationalizing fiscal duties; upgrading technology through the Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (TUFS);

. By setting up of Apparel Parks

. By clearing off bottlenecks in the form of regulatory practices

. By replacing the indirect taxes with a single nationwide VAT

. With liberalization of contract norms for textile and garments units

. By controlling export of raw materials

. By curtailing the drawback claims falsely boosted invoice value of exports

. By effectively installing a price discovery mechanism to track market trend to take effective measures before hand a slump

How to promote textile exports

For promotion of exports the measures which should be taken up are

. Up gradation of textiles sector

. Policy level decision to achieve export target

. Woven segment of readymade garment sector and knitwear have been de-reserved

. Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme to be pursued till next five years

. Liberalization of FDI Policy with up to 100 per cent foreign equity participation

. Import of capital goods at 5% concession rate of duty with appropriate export obligation under

Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme and clearly laid out EXIM policy

. Advance Licensing Scheme with standard input-output norms

. Prescribed Duty Exemption Pass Book (DEPB) Scheme credit rates

. Duty Drawback Scheme wherein the exporters are allowed refund of the excise and import duty loss on raw materials

. Construction of Apparel International Mart by Apparel Export Promotion Council to provide a world class facility to the apparel exporters to exhibit products and built international reputation

. Setting up of quality checking laboratories

. Apparel Park for Exports Scheme to invite international production units along with in-house production floors.

Textile Industry in India

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Employment for Felons - Tax Benefits of Hiring Felons

For some time now, the Federal Government has offered tax benefits as an incentive for employers to hire people with felony convictions. Employment is essential for ex-felons to return to society. Jobs help with their rehabilitation and create opportunities for them to start a new life.

A number of laws exist to protect ex-felons from discrimination and stigma. However, they cannot ensure ex-felons are hired. Consequently, the Federal Government has created financial incentives to make the employment of ex-felons more commonplace. Such measures are necessary in persuading employers to give ex-felons a chance in their industries. One of these steps is the provision of tax benefits for hiring felons.

Labor Law

This approach has proven quite effective in many instances. As a result, more and more companies are opening their doors to ex-felons. Though these incentives alone will not erase the mistrust and wariness the general public has for ex-felons, tax benefits will surely help ex-felons get the second chance they need.

Employment for Felons - Tax Benefits of Hiring Felons

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a program offered by the Federal Government to give employers tax benefits for hiring ex-felons. The employer or company can enjoy the tax credits if certain requisites are met. These standards are useful in encouraging the employment of ex-felons who are the most economically disadvantaged. The following are some requisites to qualify the employer or company for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program:

1. The ex-felon should be hired no more than one year after his release from jail, or a year after the conviction.

2. The ex-felon employee should belong to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Lower Living Standard and have an income of 70% or less on an annual basis the month the felon employee is hired.

What does the employer receive when he qualifies for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit?

1. The employer will receive a maximum tax credit of ,400 for every adult ex-felon the employer hires.

2. Since there may be risks of theft, fraud, dishonesty or other undesirable behavior on the part of the ex-felon, the employee qualifies for a ,000 to ,000 bond from the government. This will minimize the hazards involved and ensure the safety of the employer's business.

Understandably, many employers refuse to hire ex-felons due to mistrust. But employers need to realize that ex-felons are being watched and are under probation after their release. This combined with the insurance bonds stabilizes the risks involved considerably. If employing an ex-felon does not work out, you can always find someone else. So why not try to hire an ex-felon?

Employing ex-felons not only benefits employers with tax benefits, but could also benefit them with the loyalty of someone who has possibly lost all hope of finding a decent job. Good deeds are often reciprocated with loyalty and hard work. Hire an ex-felon and you will not only enjoy the tax benefits for hiring felons, but you'll also benefit from good and loyal service. Hire ex-felons and you'll surely get these advantages and the tax benefits!

Employment for Felons - Tax Benefits of Hiring Felons

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Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia - What's the Difference?

The ancient Egyptians and the Mesopotamians shared many traits, but differed as well, despite emerging around the same years. The Egyptians, a religiously optimistic people, set up a bureaucratic government that eventually reflected their social system. In Mesopotamia, where life was not viewed as optimistically, the more diverse social system led to a decentralized political system. Evidence shows, however, that both societies trusted in an afterlife, established a unique writing structure and excelled significantly in the arts and sciences.

Mesopotamia, unfortunately, did not have a seasonal flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which would force them to create an organized agricultural system. This would explain their negative view of the afterlife and the general mood of the gods. Egypt, nevertheless, stood along the fertile soils of the Nile River valley, which provided a familiarized flooding. This allowed the Egyptians to see the universe as orderly and beneficial. So sacred this afterlife that they believed in preserving the body at death for the journey to the afterlife by the process of mummification. The Mesopotamians, fearing to disappoint the gods, believed that their purpose was to serve the gods and thus religion played a more important role in government. Priests, for example, were much more prominent than in Egypt. No matter the situation, both civilizations thrived in agriculture.

Labor Law

Both communities had a social system broken down into three groups. King Hammurabi's law declared these three groups: the free landowning, containing royalty, priests, and officials; the dependent farmers and artisans; and the slave class, who were usually prisoners of war. Temple leaders were considered royalty and controlled large estates along with the Lugal (king). While male dominance existed, women did have rights in Mesopotamia. They could own land and business and could trade, but child rearing was preferred. Women eventually lost social standing from the spread of agriculture and the rise of the middle class. Social class in Egypt was less pronounced: consisting of the king and his officials; the lower level officials, priests, farmers, and professionals; and the peasants at the bottom. The peasant class executed much of the agricultural labor, since slavery was limited. Obesity, as in many ancient civilizations, was a sign of wealth and status. Female subordination to man is apparent in Egypt as well. Women yet had slightly more rights. This included owning property, inheritance and the ability to will property to whomever.

Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia - What's the Difference?

A king of some sort ultimately ruled both Egypt and Mesopotamia. Egyptians were governed by a bureaucracy, where the pharaoh was the supreme ruler, followed by his appointed officials. The officials were chosen by merit, rather than by heritage as in Mesopotamia. The pharaoh was viewed as god on earth, granted with the responsibility to ensure welfare and prosperity. The palace was in control of long distance commerce as well as collecting taxes to put towards construction and the army. Priests, on the other hand, did not play a big role in politics as in Mesopotamia. The two centers of power in Mesopotamia were the temple and the palace of the king. The temple and the palace were usually the center and surrounded by agricultural lands, known as a city state. These city-states developed independently and traded among themselves. The theocratic king was called the Lugal and was responsible for property rights, defense, and the law. Slightly different from Egypt, the Lugal was only the representative or mediator of the gods.

Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia based their economies on agriculture. This tedious labor demanded for more productive ways to work, hopefully through technological advancements. Both societies used the process of irrigation through canals and dikes. Stone tools were the most commonly used along with some bronze. Egypt skillfully utilized simple machines such as levers and pulleys to build the magnificent monuments. Mesopotamians facilitated pottery making with the creation of the potter's wheel. The most considerable innovation was the distinctive writing structures of the two civilizations. The Mesopotamians preferred the method of cuneiform- by creating wedge shaped symbols with reeds. Fortunately for the discovery of the Rosetta stone, we can interpret the multitude of hieroglyphs of the Ancient Egyptians.

Despite being isolated, both civilizations managed to abide by the basic structure of human nature and apply the indicators of a civilization. From this came the specific qualities that make up the classes of Mesopotamians and ancient Egyptians.

Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia - What's the Difference?

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Max Weber's Typology of Forms of Authority - Traditional, Rational-Legal, and Charismatic

In pre-modern and modern societies, there has been a hierarchy of command of which everyone must adhere to. In order for this system to operate, there must be someone in charge or otherwise known as authority. According to Weber, authority is power accepted as legitimate by those subjected to it. Weber outlines three forms of authority in modern societies: traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal. These forms of authority are ideal pure types that are rarely "pure" in real life.

Rational-legal authority is belief in the legality of patterns of standard rules and the right of those elevated to authority under such rules to issue commands. Authority is held by legally established impersonal orders and extends to people only by virtue of offices they hold. The power of government officials is determined by the offices to which they are appointed or elected because of their individual qualifications. As long as individuals hold these offices, they have a certain amount of power, but once they leave office, their rational-legal authority is lost

Labor Law

There are various ways that rational-legal authority could develop. Systems of laws and regulation develop in many societies and there are many different principles of legality that could occur. With the development of a rational-legal system, there is likely to be a political system which becomes rationalized in a similar way. Associated with political systems are constitutions, written documents, and established offices, regularized modes of representation, regular elections and political procedures. These are developed in opposition to earlier systems such as monarchies or other traditional forms, where there are no well developed set of rules.

Max Weber's Typology of Forms of Authority - Traditional, Rational-Legal, and Charismatic

As political systems develop in a rational manner, authority takes on a legal form. Those who govern either have or appear to have a legitimate legal right to do so. Those who are subordinate within this system accept the legality of the rulers, believing in the right of those who have legitimate rights to exercise power. Those with the power then exercise power based on this right of legitimacy.

Rational-legal authority may be challenged by those who are subordinate but this challenge is unlikely to result in changes in the nature of the system very quickly. According to Weber, such power struggles could be based on ethnicity, nationalism, not classism, and are mostly political struggles.

Weber's examination of legitimate authority led him to define an ideal-type bureaucracy. An ideal-type is a rationally and systematically constructed pure type of action, which can rarely taken place in reality and used as a measuring tool to determine the similarity between actual social institutions and defined ones. The ideal-type bureaucracy Weber developed incorporated hierarchy, impersonality, written rules of conduct, promotion based on achievement, specialized division of labor, and efficiency. Information flows up the chain of command and directives flow down, according to Weber's model. Impersonal rules explicitly define duties, responsibilities, operating procedures, and rules of conduct.

Individual offices are highly specialized, and appointments are made one the basis of qualifications rather than ascribed status. Working together, these characteristics are designed to promote the collective goals of the organization. This ideal-type bureaucracy was intended to promote economic growth and prosperity. Many of its concepts are echoed in today's capitalist and political systems.

Traditional authority is authority in which the legitimacy of the authority figure is based around custom. Legitimacy and power to control is handed down from the past and this power can be exercised in quite dictatorial ways. This is the type of authority in which the traditional rights of a powerful and dominant individual or group are accepted, or at least not challenged, by subordinate individuals. These could be religious, sacred, or spiritual forms, a well established and slowly changing culture, or tribal, family, or clan type structures.

The dominant individual could be a priest, clan leader, family head, or some other patriarchal figure, or dominant elite might govern. In many cases, traditional authority is supported by myths or connection to the sacred, social artifacts such as a cross or flag, and by structures and institutions which perpetuate this authority. Historically, traditional authority has been the most common form among governments. An example of this is the kings and queens in the English monarchy system, which must belong to certain families in order to obtain their positions.

Traditional authority often dominated pre-modern societies. It is based on the belief in the sanctity of tradition, of "the eternal yesterday." Because of the shift in human motivation, it is often difficult for modern individuals to conceive of the hold that tradition had in pre-modern societies.

According to Weber, traditional authority is a means by which inequality is created and preserved. If no one challenges the authority of the traditional leader or group, the leader is likely to remain dominant. Also, for him, traditional authority blocks the development of rational-legal forms of authority, a viewpoint he was particularly partial to.

Charismatic authority exists when the control of others is based on an individual's personal characteristics, such as extraordinary ethical, heroic, or religious virtuosity. Charismatic leaders are obeyed because people feel a strong emotional bond to them. Hitler, Gandhi, Napoleon, and Julius Caesar were all charismatic leaders. Whether such powers actually exist is irrelevant; the fact that followers believe that such powers exist is what is important.

Weber considers charisma to be a driving and creative force which surges through traditional authority and established rules. The sole basis of charismatic authority is the recognition or acceptance of the claims of the leader by the followers. Charismatic authority can be revolutionary in nature, challenging traditional authority and sometimes rational-legal. This type of authority could easily degenerate into traditional authority in which the power is exercised by those who surround the charismatic leader.

Charismatic authority is the antithesis of routine activities and represents the desire for disruption and change of the prevailing social order. It is a necessary part of the dialectic between the human need for structure and the equally human need for variation and innovation in society. Charismatic authority is different from rational or traditional authority in that it develops not from established orders or traditions, but rather from the special trust the charismatic leader induces in his followers, the peculiar powers he exhibits, and the unique qualities he possesses. According to Weber, it is difficult for charismatic leaders to maintain their authority because followers must continue to legitimize this authority. There is a need for the charismatic leader to constantly exhibit leadership performance to his followers to reinforce the legitimacy of his authority.

The basis of Weber's distinction between power and authority is that power is the ability to impose one's will on another, regardless of the other's wishes, and despite any resistance he may offer. Power is therefore relational; it requires one person to dominate, and the other to submit. This assumes that one person will acquiesce, co-operate with or consent to the domination of the other, and this cannot be true of all relationships. The act of issuing a command does not presuppose obedience. Weber argues that an individual can exercise power in three ways: through direct physical power, by reward and punishment and by the influence of opinion. The exercise of power is more likely to be indirect and coercive: a combination of rewarding and punishing through the use of argument, debate and rhetoric.

Authority, by comparison, is a quality that enhances power, rather than being itself a form of power. The word "authority" comes from the verb "to authorize"; therefore an individual's power must be authorized by the group in order for it to be legitimate. An individual is considered an authority because of his technical expertise, combined with his ability to communicate effectively with the group. The individual in authority is the one who is primary in the group, controlling certain aspects of what the other group members do and say, and perhaps even what and how they think.

Max Weber's Typology of Forms of Authority - Traditional, Rational-Legal, and Charismatic

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Jewish Food Facts

Jewish food facts are something that some of us are very conscious of and some of us have very little idea. Obviously if you are a member of the Jewish community you are going to be well aware of the traditions and beliefs regarding the diet. If, however, you are not then you may have a sketchy idea of some of the facts but are perhaps unclear regarding the details.

Practising members of the Jewish religion will only eat meat which is kosher. This means that the animal will have be slaughtered by a ritual slaughterer. The meat must be drained of all blood before it can be eaten. To achieve this, it will be hung when it is slaughtered to drain much of the blood and then soaked in water before being sprinkled with salt and left to drain further. Jewish food facts state that meat and dairy can never be combined and you will sometimes find that orthodox Jews will go to the extent of having separate sides of their kitchen for meat and for dairy. Keeping two preparation areas and even separate utensils is the only way to ensure that this ruling is strictly adhered to. No dairy products will ever be used in meat or poultry dishes.

Labor Law

There are some animal products which are forbidden in the Jewish culture and one of the better know Jewish food facts is their strict banning of pork and shellfish from their diet. These are considered unclean and their meat must never be eaten, nor must any food which is a product from these animals. There are many rulings which state which is a clean animal and which is unclean. According to Leviticus and Deuteronomy, clean animals include 'all quadrupeds that chew the cud and also divide the hoof'. They also mention individually the camel, rock-badger, hare and swine as being unclean. These are, however, not the only stipulations.

Jewish Food Facts

The rulings regarding the Jewish food facts are very detailed and also include the length of time that an infant may be suckled by its mother. In the Jewish Encyclopaedia it is possible to look at a very detailed listing of what is and what is not allowed. It is fascinating reading and includes some details regarding insects and fish, for example, which make the Jewish diet seem very complicated. It does give some reasoning behind the rulings and it is very interesting and far too complex to be able to cover in a short article.

Some of the other Jewish food facts which are more commonly known are those regarding unleavened bread. This is traditionally eaten during Passover and represents the bread that did not have time to rise when the Jewish people were leaving Egypt for the Promised Land. There are many similar rulings regarding Jewish food, all of which have come about from traditional beliefs, commandments and observation of laws. The actual foods eaten will vary from country to country but the fundamental laws will remain the same and are given tremendous respect and reverence by the Jewish community.

Jewish Food Facts

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Labor Unions vs Management - Economic Weapons

Throughout this essay, I will describe the economic weapons available to employers and unions during negotiations. For each, I will explain how the weapon is designed to exert pressure on the other party and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Bear in mind, I will be concentrating on private sector employees covered by the NLRA. I will try to make distinctions that would apply to public sector and non-NLRA covered workers as I go along.
Employers' economic weapons consist of lockout; plant closings, and other forms of economic pressure.

Although lockout is a primary economic weapon utilized by employers; it is rarely used. According to a class handout, an employer may lock out its employees in order to bring economic pressure on a union. For example, an employer may lockout offensively, i.e., to put economic pressure on the union to accede to its bargaining demands. In other words, a theater could lockout unionized workers in a preemptive maneuver during a slow season to outmaneuver the possibility of the union striking during its busiest season to exert its pressure on the theater. Thus, the theater hopes to resolve the labor issue, to their advantage, before the busy season (e.g. Christmas season).
Lockout is consisted of other components, besides the generalized aspect described in the preceding paragraph, such as: replacements; pre-impasse lockouts, and partial lockouts. An employer can hire temporary replacements during a lockout but it is not allowed to hire permanent replacements. Pre-impasse lockouts are lockouts implemented before an impasse (a deadlock in negotiations).

Labor Law

On the other hand,
partial lockouts arise from the act of an employer which, although allowing employees to work normal hours of work, withdraws the provision of other contractual obligations such as the opportunity to work overtime or the payment of penal rates.are lockouts rendered in a partial manner (www2.stats.govt.nz).

Labor Unions vs Management - Economic Weapons

Both pre-impasse lockouts and partial lockouts are legal as long as they are not
in support of a bad faith bargaining position; to discourage union activity; to aid ULPs, and etc. If not, they would be unlawful and would be disadvantageous to the employer.
Like lockouts, an employer may use a plant closing as an economic tool to exert pressure on a union. A plant closing can be divided into three major parts: a complete closing; a partial closing, and a runaway shop. The advantage of a complete closing is that an employer may completely cease its operations, even if it is motivated exclusively and admittedly by anti-union animus. However, the employer may be obligated to bargain over the effects of the closure.
A partial closing (as the name implies) is legal unless it can be proven that the employer intended to "chill" unionization. If not, remedies would be applied to reopen the plant or other remedies may be provided.
As for a runaway shop, it is defined as when the employer transfers the work from one plant to another existing plant or opens a new plant to replace the closed one. It also applies within a plant, where work is transferred from one department or group of workers to another. The same is true if the work is subcontracted out to an "alter ego" employer. The advantage and the disadvantage of a runaway shop is that although the NLRB considered the transfer of work to be inherently destructive (disadvantage) of employee rights, that theory was later rejected (advantage) in the absence of a specific contractual prohibition. In other words, an employer can claim that economic necessity dictated that he/she applies the runaway shop to avoid an unduly burdensome economic situation.
Other forms of economic pressure include corporate campaign; publicity, and political pressure. These forms of economic pressure are advantageous as long as they toe the line of the law. For example, an employer shouldn't undermine the NLRA during its corporate campaign and publicity, and it shouldn't break the law when applying political pressure (stay away from bribing officials).
To counter employers' inherent (as owner/management) upper hand in negotiations and his/her economic weapons, unions employ economic weapons such as strikes and picket lines. Strikes can be divided into economic strikes; ULP strikes; secondary strikes, and unprotected strikes.
First, economic strikes are a strike usually used to coerce an employer to agree to a raise, for example. The disadvantage of an economic raise is that striking workers can be permanently replaced after 12 months on strike. For the preceding reason, ULP strikes are used, for the most part, since the employer cannot legally replace strikers with permanent replacements after a year of striking. Regardless, ULP strikers have to avoid to striking against a third party to influence their negotiations because a secondary strike is illegal - an unprotected strike.
Other unprotected strikes that a ULP striker has to avoid are failure to provide 8(d), (g) notice; disloyalty or violence; striking for an illegal object; partial or intermittent strikes; slowdowns, and sit ins. Let's begin with the 8(d), (g) notice; it's a notice that has to be provided during a certain time frame to avoid a strike or picketing from gaining an unprotected status. Likewise, a striker defaming an employer without a logical connection to the strike or perpetrating violence are unprotected. For example, a striker cannot say an employer's product is of a low quality without implying its low quality is caused by inexperienced/untrained temporary replacements thus jeopardizing safety.
Similarly, strikers cannot strike to compel an employer to agree to an illegal or permissive subject of bargaining otherwise known as striking for an illegal object. Unlike partial lockouts, partial or intermittent strikes are not protected. In the same vein, slowdowns and sit ins are not protected, too. The employer reserved the right to discharge unprotected strikers.
Besides strikes, unions use picketing as a tactic, also. For example, a union may picket an employer to gain recognition. However, a union has to be careful not to create the intent or effect of preventing individuals employed by other entities from ceasing to provide services to the picketed employer. For example, they will be considered unprotected if they preclude the making or picking up of deliveries by third parties. Thus, the employer can have the picketing union removed, or severely restricted, or sanctioned in other ways. However, if the delivery employees (not employed by the employer) refuse to cross the picket line (hence 'crossing picket lines at other employers') in support of the picketers is a different story. The NLRB and the Courts would weigh the relative interests of the employer in replacing the employee and the interest of the employee in honoring a picket line.
As I mentioned in the introductory paragraph, there are exceptions to the rule in regard to the employment of economic weapons by both employers and unions. For example, there are different rules for unions representing public employees (e.g., NYPD unions cannot legally strike) and private employees (e.g., nurses and doctors are legally hindered from striking, too), respectively. In addition, secondary boycotts are legal and protected for agricultural workers as per the Act regulating agricultural unions while secondary boycotts like secondary strikes by NLRA covered workers are unprotected.
In conclusion, I described the economic weapons available to employers and unions during negotiations. For each, I explained how the weapon is designed to exert pressure on the other party and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Although I concentrated on private sector employees covered by the NLRA, I endeavored to make distinctions that would apply to public sector and non-NLRA covered workers throughout the essay.
Labor Unions vs Management - Economic Weapons
Karl A. Mitchell

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Time Management - The Benefits of Multitasking

One thing at a time and that done best - this is one of the oldest pieces of advice handed down from generation to generation. This would be ideal if life politely waited for us to finish one task before sending another our way, or if we had few tasks to complete in an abundant amount of time. Unfortunately, life is not ideal.

Have you ever been in a moving vehicle when it made a sudden start or stop? Or, how about getting on or off a moving vehicle? In either case, your body takes a little time to get used to the sudden change of momentum. Without the time to get used to the sudden change in momentum, or without something to hold on to when such sudden changes occur, you will lose your balance and fall over. This is a demonstration of Newton's First Law of Motion - "Every body at rest or in uniform rectilinear motion remains at rest or in uniform rectilinear motion unless acted on by an external force". This law is otherwise known as the law of Inertia.

Labor Law

The mind is not very different. It works by associations. The term "train of thought" is very accurate - it follows a track, most often a track it has followed through before, and moves with a high momentum. Switching the mind from one track of thought to another requires slowing down this train and moving to the other track. When the train of thought gets forcibly switched by an abrupt interruption, it even gets derailed. The more disparate the thoughts (and trains) are, the greater the effort it takes to switch from thought to thought. If switching thoughts take so much effort, how about switching tasks that take thought?

Time Management - The Benefits of Multitasking

Switching from task to task or thought to thought is referred to as "context switching". The brain "normally" operates by following associations within a context. It either follows existing links or creates new ones. It operates at a very high speed: By the time one gets to recognize a particular association, the brain scans ahead several thousand more. It sets up a queue of associations to be "followed" next in sequence. Context switching breaks these associations. The brain is forced to discard the queue of associations and to rescan for new ones. It also takes some time to come up to speed to scan thousands of associations ahead.

Consider a computerized photograph-printing machine in one of the 1-hour photo shops. These machines have a finite setup time. They are normally set for a certain size of print, and all the jobs that require that size are scheduled for that run. Other sizes are handled similarly. This makes the operation very efficient. If, on the other hand, the jobs were scheduled in the order in which they were accepted, the machine would potentially have to be reset after every job. Given the setup time, the operation would become very inefficient.

Similarly, context switching causes multiple setup times and is very inefficient on the mind. The cost of multi-tasking, especially with regard to tasks that require conscious thought, is inefficiency.

Adam Smith (The Wealth of Nations, 1776) recognized the "saving of time which is commonly lost in passing from one species of work to another". This is the biggest benefit of avoiding multi-tasking. "Passing from one task to another" is "context-switching". Adam Smith recognized as long ago as 1776 that time is "commonly lost" in context switching. "Division of labor" reduces context switching and, consequently, the time lost due to context switching

In short, context switching is bad. It is efficient to do one thing at a time and take it to completion before moving to another task.

Sometimes, you have to juggle more than one task at the same time. Life is not polite. It does not stand politely by and wait for you to finish the task at hand before throwing the next task at you. Certain situations may demand immediate attention. People who wear "multiple hats" and have several responsibilities need to multitask. What do you do under such conditions?

While it is recognized that context switching and multitasking introduce a certain element of inefficiency, it is also necessary under certain conditions. We rarely, if ever, have the luxury of focusing totally on one task for its entire duration. We constantly get interrupted, and, depending on the nature of the interruption, our priorities may change.

Do you think about everything that you do or do you sometimes operate on autopilot?

Do you remember how you were taught to tie your shoelaces? You may have had to focus on the steps until you were able to do it without thinking about it.

Do you think about walking? Can you walk and chew gum at the same time?

My point is that with sufficient practice, some mechanical tasks can be delegated to the automatic section of the mind at which time you can put your mind to work on something else. You can, for example, plan your Power Point presentation (or something thought consuming) while tying your shoelaces (or something equally trivial).

There are some tasks which inherently require us to do multiple things simultaneously. For example, a person playing a musical instrument may be doing three or four things at the same time. It has been observed that musicians can multitask very well.

Human beings do multitask naturally. When a mechanical task is done over and over again, it is no longer handled by the thinking part of the brain, the gray matter or cerebrum. It moves into the automatic part of the brain, the white matter or cerebellum. Automatic tasks, when sufficiently practiced, may be combined with other automatic tasks or at most one task requiring thinking.

It takes practice to move any action from the thinking area to the motor area of the brain. It takes more practice to combine actions. Only automatic actions can be multitasked. If you expect to take any specific action over and over again, practice it so that you do not have to think about it. For example, musicians, martial artists and sports personages constantly practice their actions to be able to execute them flawlessly.

The ability to multitask will help us cope with interruptions and changing priorities. In addition, multitasking, if practiced well, will greatly improve our throughput.

The benefits of multitasking include:

1. The ability to switch between tasks when one is charged with multiple responsibilities,

2. Greater throughput while handling mechanical (automatic, thought-free) tasks.

Multitasking can improve productivity and throughput. However, not all tasks may be combined with other tasks.

We all do a certain amount of multitasking anyway. For instance, you may scan the newspaper while drinking your morning coffee, or listen to the radio while driving in to work. It is as easy as walking and chewing gum at the same time! Most of these tasks are mechanical. While multitasking in this manner, the brain is actively monitoring only one task, or at most one task. The other tasks run in the back of the mind.

Time Management - The Benefits of Multitasking

Prakash Rao is a time management coach with a very unique approach: Control time within tasks as much as you control which tasks you perform. This approach allows Prakash's clients to be effective, efficient and error-free in management of their tasks and their lives. For more information about Prakash's techniques please visit http://www.domorewithlesstime.com To avail Prakash's coaching services, contact him at prakash@vksassociates.com.

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Don't Fall Victim To A Health Insurance Scam - 10 "Red Flags" You Should Look For

In today's fast paced world, business owners don't often have the time to thoroughly check out the companies they rely on to provide goods and services. In many cases, a determination of product/service quality can be made at the time goods are delivered or services are rendered. If goods or services do not meet expectations, there is often an immediate remedy available. For example, poor quality goods can be shipped back to the supplier and/or payment for services can be withheld until services are satisfactorily rendered.

Unfortunately, business owners do not always purchase items that are tangible items, in the sense that they can immediately determine the quality of the goods and/or services at the time of purchase. One example of such a purchase is health insurance. Since health insurance is not usually used immediately after purchase, the quality of care or the legitimacy of the policy may not even come into play until the business owner, or a family member, actually needs to have medical treatment. This is one of the primary reasons that many companies, often appearing legitimate, can get away with selling bogus health insurance coverage to unsuspecting business owners.

Labor Law

In most cases, fraudulent health insurance policies are sold to business owners by telemarketers or "agents" through bogus Associations and Unions. In that, the buyer must join a professional and/or trade association or become a union member to qualify for health insurance. In fact, in a study published by the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) in 2004, the GAO found that association schemes ranked at the top of the marketing methods followed by bogus health insurers. According to the report, "Employers and Individuals Are Vulnerable to Unauthorized or Bogus Entities Selling Coverage, between 2000 and 2002, the U.S. Department of Labor and state insurance regulators identified 144 unauthorized entities selling health insurance unlawfully. These entities defrauded 15,000 employers and more than 200,000 policyholders out of 2 million."

Don't Fall Victim To A Health Insurance Scam - 10 "Red Flags" You Should Look For

However, it is important to mention that many individual and group health insurance products are endorsed by reputable Associations, such as the ARRP and the American Bar Association and, many reputable Unions, such as the AFLCIO and the Teamsters. These organizations have long been recognized for bringing a common class of professionals or citizens together for other purposes that have very little to do with health insurance. Membership commonly includes a wide range of other benefits in addition to discounted health insurance. Typically, the organizations have a governing organization, a constitution and bylaws, a set of officers, voting rights, regular membership meetings and a professional code of conduct.

Unfortunately, most individuals do not find out that they were making hefty monthly payments or premiums to fraudulent Associations or Unions until they have a severe condition that requires medical treatment. Usually, it isn't until after they receive treatment that they receive notice from their medical provider that the claim that was submitted to the insurance company was denied and that all the medical charges that were incurred are now their responsibility.

Often, the scheme starts when business owners are contacted by telephone or approached by someone who claims to represent a certain, official sounding, Association or Union. The business owner is then informed that if s/he becomes a member of the Association or joins the Union, s/he could qualify for a low cost group or individual health insurance plan. Typically the Association or Union is promoted to represent self-employed individuals and small business owners. The low cost health insurance is usually presented as one of the many "perks" that the business owner can qualify for, in addition to many other "member" benefits, like discounts on other services, such as dental, eyeglasses, office supplies, hotels, rental cars, etc.

In many instances, these bogus companies involve licensed health insurance agents to sell their fraudulent health insurance products. Sometimes the "agents" know the products are fraudulent, other times, the "agent" also falls prey to the scheme. Often, the schemes prey upon consumers who have been previously declined insurance coverage or suffer from a pre-existing condition. Since these consumers have very limited options to purchase private health insurance coverage, the benefits of an Association or Union membership that offers health insurance coverage for a "membership fee" or "union due" is enticing. To the unsuspecting consumer that has a pre-existing medical condition or is paying high premiums for coverage, the "membership fee" or "union due" is a small price to pay for what they believe will be a quality health plan that provides "guaranteed" coverage with no "pre-existing condition exclusions" and no "waiting periods."

In many circumstances, the print materials that are left with the consumer are very well designed, however, the majority of the time, the language in the "health plan brochure," if there is one, is very unclear. The literature may name the entity that is authorized to act as the health plan administrator of the plan, but neglect to name the actual insurance company that is providing the health insurance coverage. Unfortunately, it is often difficult for the consumer to separate the illegitimate companies selling official sounding health plans from the legitimate ones. Typically fraudulent health plans have many commonalities.

Here are 10 "Red Flags" that may indicate health insurance fraud:

1. The "agent" is not a licensed insurance agent but an "enrollment" or "membership" coordinator.

2. The term "discount plan" is written in the product literature, but the term health plan, health insurance or policy is frequently used by the plan promoter. Discount plans often provide nothing more than a discount for medical services, such as prescription medications, eyeglasses, dental, etc. These plans are not designed to offer major medical health insurance coverage.

3. The official sounding "Association or Union" is one that you have never heard of before.

4. The plan is referred to as an ERISA plan. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) is a federal law that allows employers to set up employee benefit plans for employees and their dependents. ERISA plans are not subject to state regulation and are not regulated by the state insurance commissioner. ERISA plans are normally not sold as health insurance, but are instead, established by employers, unions or groups acting on behalf of employers. Therefore, unsuspecting buyers believe these plans actually offer health insurance coverage, when if fact, they do not.

5. The buyer is told that the "membership fee or union dues" includes the health insurance premium, but there is no mention of the word "premium" in any of the plan literature.

6. The plan offers "guaranteed" insurance coverage with no exclusions for "pre-existing conditions" and no "waiting periods."

7. The plan is significantly cheaper in price than other health insurance plans.

8. The term "reinsured" is used in regards to the plan. Reinsurance is something insurance companies buy to protect themselves against their own risks. It is insurance for insurance companies. Licensed insurers rarely have their agents mention any of their reinsurance arrangements during a sales presentation.

9. If the Association or Union is comprised of members from all walks of life and/or requires its members to state that they belong to a certain trade, class or group of professionals that they have no affiliation with, for example, the Association or Union is said to be comprised of "Food and Beverage" workers, but "Florists" and "Machinists" are allowed to enroll as members.

10. If the Association or Union is said to have a special arrangement with a health insurance company, a plan administrator or another third party that has designed the plan using a legal "loophole" that allows members to purchase health insurance at a discounted rate or to purchase a individual or group health insurance policy.

So how can you protect yourself from falling victim to a fraudulent insurance scam? Make sure you contact your state's department of Insurance to determine if the health insurance company and the third-party administrator are licensed to do business in your state and make sure that the "agent" selling the plan is a "licensed health insurance agent." Additionally, make sure that the health insurance company has been approved to sell the particular policy that is being offered. Since it may be difficult to tell if fraud is involved, always put off buying your insurance policy until you have had the opportunity to perform your own due diligence.

©2007 Small Business Insurance Services, Inc. http://www.smallbusinessinsuranceservices.com

Don't Fall Victim To A Health Insurance Scam - 10 "Red Flags" You Should Look For

C. Steven Tucker, is the President of Small Business Insurance Services, Inc. and has been a Licensed Mult-State Insurance Broker serving the small business and self-employed market for over a decade. Mr. Tucker believes an informed insurance consumer makes the best health insurance purchasing decisions. Mr. Tucker has written several articles that focus on small business health insurance, which can be read on a number of web sites. Mr. Tucker's blog can be read at http://www.smallbusinessinsuranceservices.vox.com. If you have general questions regarding health insurance, or you are in the market to purchase a health insurance plan, you can contact Mr. Tucker through his web site at http://www.smallbusinessinsuranceservices.com, via Email at smallbusinssvcs@aol.com or by plone, toll-free at 1-866-SBIS123 (724-7123)

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Centralizing Financial Operations

THE NEW ECONOMY IS PROMPTING SOME COMPANIES TO MODIFY GLOBAL OPERATIONS

Surviving downturns and crises means many North American businesses are continuing to face new challenges. Layoffs, spiraling stock prices, and an underlying need to look for alternative ways to cut costs are key issues ruling many boardrooms these days. Management personnel in businesses of all sizes are scrambling to find new money-saving ventures, and, for some, the answer lies in centralizing their financial operations and systems processing.

Labor Law

The American business community is composed of large, medium, and small businesses, but to date, mainly the large ones have taken advantage of centralizing their financial operations. The primary reason is the exorbitant expense that has been traditionally required. But thanks to the Internet and to modern technology; switching to a centralized processing system has become much more attractive, and businesses of all sizes can reap the financial rewards.

Centralizing Financial Operations

Some small and medium-sized businesses have overseas operations, which makes them particularly well suited to centralized processing. When implemented properly, this financial management option can help these companies further establish competitive advantage all over the world.

NEW POSSIBILITIES

Much of the business community has already discovered the huge benefits inherent in centralization, as witnessed through recent trends in centralizing call centers and back-office functions. Significant savings have been realized as a result of these moves, and businesses have been able to offer investors a better bottom line.

Today, leaders of small and medium-sized businesses are taking that concept one step further by centralizing their companies' financial operations and systems processing.
Centralizing financial operations and systems processing allows businesses to create virtual shared service centers where they can process all financial data in one database through one server or multiple servers that use the Internet.

One example is Accelio Corporation. Accelio, based in Ottawa, Canada, has about 600 employees and eight million users around the world. It provides sophisticated online e-process software applications and frameworks to automate business processes. Centralizing financial systems and processes gave the company the flexibility to work with multiple currencies and streamline financial management. The vendor it chose had a global presence and provided scalability so the system could grow as the company grew.

Accelio CFO Jeff McMullen says the experience made him a firm believer in shared services -- especially those that operate in several different languages. "It used to be very painful when it wasn't automated," he says. "Now it has transformed the whole process of multinational consolidation."

GLOBAL ADVANTAGES

Centralization, or shared services, enables businesses to implement a standard or uniform off-the-shelf software package that can be used by all of their site locations. It creates a standard global chart of accounts, implements standard global processes, and offers centrally controlled procurement, as well as shared services.

So how does this affect your business? First, it translates into significant cost reductions.
There's the immediate elimination of up-front costs, such as duplication in hardware, software, and valuable IT resources. There's also less of a need for individual specialists trained in the complex rules and regulations of various country tax laws. One individual can now run five or six different site operations from one location.

Another key advantage is the added degree of control available to the user. Because the entire database is in one central location, the user has access to any site's data. He or she can study it in "granular" form to find specific details, such as salary expenditures in the Germany office for the month of July.

More control in data manipulation also translates into the added ability to generate detailed management reports in mere seconds. Worldwide closing can be reduced from as many as 25 working days to five.

This increased detail and faster turnaround of reports also comes with a range of other streamlining efficiencies, such as:

* Less IT maintenance needed in global offices,

* Lower back-office costs,

* Reduced administrative costs, and

* Lower front-office costs.

Plus, because of the increased use of the Internet, businesses can relocate their financial operations anywhere in the world to capitalize on the best real estate option.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

One of the major hurdles for companies that take the lead on business strategies, such as centralized financial operations and systems processing, is the "trial and error' factor. The market hasn't yet differentiated between the good and the bad solutions that are available.

If your company is interested in pursuing new efficiencies through the centralization of its financial operations, here are a few points to keep in mind when selecting a supplier.

First, because of the multinational nature of your business, be sure to look for a supplier that offers multi-currency and multi-lingual capabilities. You need to be able to accommodate all of your company's different site locations -- no matter where they are.

Part and parcel of this is the need for all of your site locations to have local IT support so that if the system runs into difficulties, help is only a local call away. Today's businesses can't afford the downtime involved in waiting for a supplier to fly halfway across the world to meet their needs.

Price is certainly another factor, and an important one at that. Review all of the up-front costs, and be sure to check for any hidden costs (such as flying the supplier halfway around the world).

Another thing to keep in mind is reliability Look for a supplier that has history in your industry and, preferably, someone who can "put their money where their mouth is" by demonstrating their own "buy-in" to the concept of centralized financial operations. An added benefit of going with such a supplier is that they'll be familiar with all the details of the process and can provide valuable insight along the way.

METLIFE'S EXPERIENCE

MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET), is a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to individual and group customers. The MetLife companies serve approximately nine million households in the U.S. and 70,000 companies and institutions with 33 million employees and members.

MetLife also has international insurance operations in 12 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, and Uruguay. Each office has local statutory and U.S. GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) reporting requirements.

Although MetLife recently committed to an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system on a corporate level, it also took into account that the system would prove too costly and unnecessary to implement throughout its foreign operations. After much investigation, the decision was made to go with SunSystems for the international operations. One issue was its capability of interfacing with ERPs.

"It was supported by a global organization, had strong alliances around the world, and the company certainly understood the marketplace," says Michael Douglas, financial director of International Operations for MetLife.

Douglas took charge of the centralized processing implementation by establishing first Brazil and then Indonesia as Centers of Excellence. Brazil was among the more forward thinking of the international offices in terms of its IT ideas, and Indonesia had established itself with its financial accounting capabilities. (At the time, most of the international offices were working with Excel spreadsheets or homegrown systems for reporting.)

One year later, Douglas had all 12 international offices running off three centralized service providers located in Singapore, the Netherlands, and Brazil.

Any software updates or minor tweaking that needs to be done can now be implemented throughout the company's operations via the three servers rather than all 12 offices as in the past. "Most international companies buy licenses and install them locally," Douglas says. "But the way we've done it means that the licenses can be used 24 hours a day. When the people in Indonesia are gone for the day, the people in Mexico can take advantage of those unused licenses."

By the same token, the move to centralized processing has fostered greater communication among the international operations. So, for example, when the people in the U.S. are unavailable to provide assistance, the regional offices now feel comfortable calling one of the other offices. "Centralized processing has helped create 'intra' relationships," Douglas says. "The people in Indonesia now interact with the people in Korea."

To further increase cost efficiencies and streamline financial operations, MetLife's international subsidiaries were set up as local databases within a virtual shared server or centralized processing environment.

"We really wanted to promote ownership of the local ledgers," Douglas explains, "but we needed to keep things in a controlled environment so we could drill down and get access to the information."

To help promote local ownership and to foster trust between the international operations and the U.S., MetLife installed local databases that could be accessed by the corporate office only upon local "release." The model does, however, allow for live access and offers a built-in alarm function that monitors any significant changes in account activity and balances.
"We also created duplicate databases at the local level so that everybody could work in their own statutory operating environment in local currency," Douglas notes. "When they need to report to us, they simply switch the base currency to U.S. dollars. That way, there's no effect from the local currency fluctuations in measuring their results."

MetLife realized other benefits as well. According to Douglas, the local GAAP support makes it "much easier" to create an audit trail to see adjustments. The common usage of accounts has also proven extremely beneficial. Now, if the U.S. needs particular information, a simple telephone call, e-mail, or online drill-down can actually identify the accounting codes of the information being sought.

"The common usage of accounts is extremely important when measuring cost cutting," Douglas adds. "For example, you can be sure that salaries and salary-related expense mean the same thing globally. And it gives you the ability to track nonledger accounts like headcounts and space."

Taking advantage of reduced labor costs is yet another benefit of centralized processing, and one that can easily be realized by having functions such as report writing done in places like Indonesia or India instead of the U.S. But perhaps one of the most significant benefits inherent in moving to this new model is best described by MetLife's real-life example of closings. "Two years ago, it took us close to 30 days to close a month," Douglas explains. "Today, we can do it in three days. Centralized processing has proven to be a very beneficial offshore tool, one that certainly adds value on both a global and regional basis."

Centralizing Financial Operations

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