Thursday, October 31, 2019

Product and Place Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Product and Place - Term Paper Example The products of our business are designed to take advantage of the bargaining power of customers. Many buyers feel that they should bargain in the market. Inclusion of wraps in the product menu is an objective of our business that aims at creating bargaining environment for the consumers. Our business intends to provide varied products for the consumers in order to create threat to substitute products in the market. Another product objective of our business is to create an avenue for potential entrant into the market. Products such as wraps would create a great potentiality for the business to enter into the market. Our business has identified the needs of various customers; this would have provided vital information in designing the product objectives. Our business products aim at providing variety of choices to the consumers. Our products will serve consumers who are jogging or walking along the streets. Our business presents five categories of products, which the customers can cho ose. The products would benefit the customers because our business intends to offer high quality products. For example, a customer who orders for the stir-fry may decide to take rice with veggies or noodles with sauces. On the other hand, a customer may be willing to buy grilled chicken with Sundried tomato, spinach and regular tortilla wraps. Our product menu has healthy products that it intends to roll to the market. The product features aim at meeting varied demands of the market. Another feature for the products is their ability to be carried away by the customers. Some customers prefer take away, our business has developed products to suit these demands. Provision of products that suit the demands of the customers would help in marketing the business. The approach of our business into the market is to create an opportunity that would lead to high market share. Customer needs is a factor that contributes to the product strategy and objectives of the business. Penetrating market strategy aims at utilizing the business products to attract and retain customers. For our business to penetrate the market, it has to come up with a packaging system that would lure customers. Our business intends to adopt a packaging system that would make the products of the business stand out in the market. The package should break the convection in the market. Our business would develop unique shape for its products in order to draw the attention of the customers. Elegant packets lure the attention of many buyers. Products like fruit salad require unique packaging that would lure the interest of the customers. Another packaging factor that the business wishes to address is the feel good factor. The attractiveness of the package indicates an offer of the same quality. The need to offer quality package would make the business penetrate the market. Our business wishes to use the above choices to achieve it positioning objective. Strategic packaging, product objective and services o ffered by the business aim at winning greater market share. The success of the above factors would lead to the success of our business. Place is another important factor in the marketing mix. Delivering of business products to the customers at the right time has an influence on the success and market share of our business (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel 47). The distribution channel that the business

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

On the brink of war Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

On the brink of war - Coursework Example Charter†. Another example of logos was the statistics which showed the sum of money spent by the administration. Byrd thought it was dismal, because â€Å"this administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion†. Furthermore, in this speech we can observe a few examples of ethos, when the Senator made references to authorities. â€Å"The distinguished Senator from Illinois, Mr. Durbin, and I have been talking about that†. However, the most numerous are the examples of pathos, to my mind. â€Å"There will be children, little boys and girls dying if this war goes forward in Iraq. And American men and women will die, too†, â€Å"but on whom will we depend when these men and women are gone to foreign lands to fight a war if a war faces us here at home, a different kind of war† and others. The whole speech was based on the Toulmin method of argumentation. There was a clear split between sides. The Senator neither gave neutral statements, nor analyzed the opposing side. On the contrary, all his claims were highly judgmental, focused on strengthening his viewpoint. Byrd underpinned his thoughts by data, warrants and backing. The idea of entering a new war was ominous for him. â€Å"We may have massive military might†¦ but remember we have had massive military might before. How many millions of men marched to the drums of war only 60 years ago? Thirteen million American men under

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Racial Or Nationality Subcultures

Racial Or Nationality Subcultures In any society there are not only cultures, but also a variety of subculture and countercultures that develop within society. Subcultures and countercultures are formed by generalizations, occupation, class, lifestyle, likes, dislikes, etc. [1] Basically subculture is a group of people that belong to larger culture but differentiate from that. In early 1950s, there has been a distinction between an accepted majority style and a subculture as an active minority style. Dick Hebdige criticize that a subculture is subversion to normality. Subcultures have a nature of criticism and can be perceived as negative. Subcultures get together those individuals who feel neglected and allow them to develop a sense of identity. [2] A sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group is term as counterculture .In counterculture a group whose behavior deviates from the societal norm. Although distinct countercultural undercurrents have existed in many societies, here the term refers to a more significant, visible phenomenon that reaches critical mass and persists for a period of time. It is important to distinguish between counterculture, and subculture. [3] Subculture A subculture is a group of individuals that do share some qualities that the majority of society share, but the group has its own values, beliefs, norms, behavior, etc. Subcultures tend to be created when society endures problems or enjoys common privileges. Most individuals within a subculture have common interests and beliefs. Types of subculture   Following are the major types of subculture. Organizational Culture A type of subculture that allows members to have solidarity, community, and social relationships that influence individual behavior. It is the way an organization deals with the environment.   Counterculture It is a type of subculture that completely disregards societys norms and values and creates new ones. They tend to develop when people will not conform to the mainstream.   They have their own beliefs, problems with cultural integration, and have their own material culture. [1] Racial or nationality subcultures These subcultures tend to vary in their values, ambition and beliefs which get reflected in their consumption priorities, spend save patterns, purchase behavior, use of credit, social traditions and customs etc.Nowadays multiracial societies like America comprised of citizens who come from different nationalities or belong to different races. Religious subcultures: Most societies of the world today consist of people subscribing to different religions, which may differ in their beliefs, values and customs. The religious subgroups may follow different custom, have important rites of passage (like birth, marriage and death) performed in different ways and have different festivals. [4] Counter culture vs. Sub culture Counterculture can be defined as a group whose behavior deviates from the societal norm. It is different to the mainstream culture in their politics, norms, social beliefs, and way of dress and social structures. (or) A counter culture is one that reacts against the prevailing culture in place. Example: Throughout the last century examples of counterculture might be the suffragettes, the green movement, polygamists and feminists, punk movement and the infamous hippie counterculture movement of the 1960s, are formed and exist to oppose the dominant culture. All of these counter cultures have specific beliefs and values that cause social change. Counter cultures are large movements that cause social change. Counter cultures are against mainstream culture.[5] Members of a counterculture come together around their desire to reject movements within the larger, dominant culture. While members have this opposition in common, they may not share religious or political affiliations, similar socioeconomic situations, or values. Countercultures can be both negative and positive. They can also become larger when more people are involved and assimilate into the mainstream just as subcultures in general have this potential.[6] Biker Gangs, drug users, career criminals, prisoners, and terrorists have in common that they all have negative perceptions from society and are countercultures. [7] Subculture A sub culture can have its own beliefs, norms and values, but they are generally able to exist within mainstream culture. Their beliefs or manner of being may be different enough to make them stand out, but they are not at odds with society. Subculture is a culture shared and actively participated in by a minority of people within a broader culture. Examples: sub cultures might be Goths, emos, surfies, homies etc. Jews and Tea Party members are both examples of subcultures in the U.S. While the Jewish subculture is based around shared religious values, the Tea Party movement was primarily founded around dissatisfaction with the political status. Sub cultures tend to also share common interests and experience. Sub cultures can exist within mainstream culture.[5] Sub cultures are united by common aesthetics, interests and experience. Subcultures are distinctive segments of the larger culture of a region or society that are marked by shared interests in music or cultural phenomena, membership in a specific ethnic or religious group, or shared socioeconomic status. While some subcultures exist in contradistinction to the societys dominant culture, others exist harmoniously within it. Subcultures incorporate large parts of the broader cultures of which they are part, but in specifics they may differ radically. Subcultures bring together like-minded individuals who feel neglected by societal standards and allow them to develop a sense of identity. Subcultures can be distinctive because of the age, ethnicity, class, location, and/or gender of the members. [6] The qualities that determine a subculture as distinct may be linguistic, aesthetic, religious, political, sexual, geographical or a combination of factors. They certainly play an important role in any individual life and help to explain how each person develops a frame of reference. [7] Everybody has their own perceptions on society, values, and life in general. Values, attitudes, gestures, and sanctions tend to stem from the dominant culture in ones life. Throughout the dominant culture that a person spends his or her time in learning and changing through different experiences many subcultures have developed. Subcultures allow people, who share similar interests to assimilate, socialize, gives them a sense of belonging and fellowship among peers. [8] Similarities Countercultures and subcultures both identify themselves in juxtaposition to the dominant culture of a society. Members usually dress and behave in different ways than average citizens of a society and are usually identifiable by their different appearances. Differences Culture is made up of an amalgamation of subcultures. So, a single subculture is a small segment of the larger culture, which is usually defined by shared socioeconomic status or a common cultural interest. A counterculture, on the other hand, is defined by their opposition to the dominant culture. A member of a counterculture may oppose the prevailing cultures values. Or, it could just oppose certain segments of the culture, or certain subcultures. A subculture is differs slightly from the dominant culture in a society, while a counterculture opposes the culture or subculture itself.[6] Literature review Dick Hebdige argued that a subculture is subversion to normality. Subcultures tend to be perceived as negative and have a nature of criticism. [9] According to Hebdige, subcultures are actually an alternative and reconfiguration of the dominant cultures. As his all very brief references to black and West Indian cultures suggest that he considers these cultures to be transplanted dominant cultures within British society. This misrepresentation raises the question of whether ethnic groups or minorities fit into Hebdiges notion of what constitutes either a parent culture or subculture. [10] According to Wolfgang Ferracuti, subculture is a normative system of some group or groups smaller than the whole society .This implies that there are value judgments or a social value system which is apart from and a part of a central value system. But a subculture is only partly different from the larger culture, and cannot be totally different from the culture of which it is a part; otherwise it is what Wolfgang called contra culture. This implies that the subculture has some major values in common with the dominant parent culture. The transmission of sub cultural values involves a learning process that establishes a dynamic lasting linkage between the values and the individuals .But also important to Wolfgangs subculture of violence theory is the notion that people may be born into a subculture. They argue that the black subculture actually values violence and that it is an integral component of the subculture which experiences high rates of homicide. Just as the dominant society punishes those who deviate from its norms, deviance by the comparatively non-violent individual from the norms of the violent subculture is likewise punished, either by being ostracized, or treated with disdain or indifference. Also, the more a person is integrated into this subculture, the more intensely he embraces its prescriptions of behavior, its conduct norms, and integrates them into his personality. The subculture of violence theory might be even more relevant today than it was when it was first published, especially with regard to juvenile crime. It seems to be a common fear that adolescents today are more violent and lacking in empathy than those of only a generation or two ago. Parker (1989) criticisms of the black subculture of violence model are many: First, the use of global indicators describing an entire class of people, southerners or blacks, assumes that these communities are homogeneous in values and lifestyle, an assumption that is clearly false for any group as large as these groups. Second, particularly in the case of blacks, it entails an implicit pejorative indictment of urban minority residents and communities, which is unfair and racist in nature. Finally this approach ignores the role of institutionalized racism itself in producing a link between violence and racial composition. Wolfgangs subculture of violence theory has had its share of critics. Erlanger (1974), Parker (1989), Shihadeh and Steffensmeier (1994), are just a few of the investigators who have failed to find the theory useful in explaining sub cultural violence. Other authors have found that the sub-culture of violence theory is a useful model, particularly when it is used along with other theories Benedict and Baron. Kennedy and Baron call for such an integrative approach, and assert that often, different theories may complement one another. Finally, still other researchers continue to rely upon the model. 11] Scholars differ in the characteristics and specificity they attribute to counterculture. Counterculture might oppose mass culture, or middle-class culture and values. Counterculture is sometimes conceptualized in terms of generational conflict and rejection of older or adult values. It typically involves criticism or rejection of currently powerful institutions, with accompanying hope for a better life or a new society. Countercultures tend to peak, and then go into decline, leaving a lasting impact on mainstream cultural values. Their life cycles include phases of rejection, growth, partial acceptance and absorption into the mainstream. According to Sheila Whiteley, recent developments in sociological theory complicate and problematize theories developed in the 1960s, with digital technology, for example, providing an impetus for new understandings of counterculture. Andy Bennett writes that despite the theoretical arguments that can be raised against the sociological value of counterculture as a meaningful term for categorizing social action, like subculture, the term lives on as a concept in social and cultural theory to become part of a received, mediated memory.[12] Conclusion The term counter-culture is not entirely an adequate way of describing all of the changes that took place for several reasons: some changes were a progression of events throughout the century, other changes were due to scientific discoveries which have always produced new ideas and ways of looking at the world, and many changes can be better described as movements or ideologies.[14] Subcultures allow people, who share similar interests to assimilate, socialize, gives them a sense of belonging and fellowship among peers. Sub cultural studies often involve participant-observation, and may variously emphasize sociological, anthropological, or semiotic analysis in order to address the organization and production of relational, material, and symbolic structures and systems. [15] Suggestion Healthy sub-cultures share leaderships conceptualizations of how tasks should be accomplished; how employees can advance and take on greater responsibility; how employees interact with each other; the ways in which change is accepted and accomplished; and how new knowledge is acquired and perpetuated. Distinct, healthy sub-cultures are organizationally aligned in their understanding of how they must perform to produce successful and acceptable results and outcomes. Leaders actively seeking to influence their organizations culture must consider sub-cultures. The major point here is to make sure that you are integrating and linking your sub-cultures into the broader, intended cultural objectives. Accept and foster productive sub-cultures while consistently communicating how employees must perform in order for the organization to be successful.[13]

Friday, October 25, 2019

Othello vs O the Modern Spin Essay -- essays research papers

‘O is a modern spin on Othello that attempts to address issues that are relevant for a contemporary audience. However, ultimately the literary value of Othello is lost in this appropriation† The film ‘O’ directed by Tim Blake Nelson is a recognised contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Othello, which addresses a number of issues that are relevant to a modern day audience compared to that of the past. The director of the film has changed crucial parts of the play which makes the play such a classic, which has essentially ruined the literary value of Othello. This is evident for a number of concepts including, the overt links between the play and film, the power of words and language and Iago and his motives The director of ‘O’ has made errors which causes Othello to lose its literary value. Othello is known as classic artistic play however, the director of the film has caused the play to lose this element. Of course the director has made overt links between the play and the film. The obvious links between the play and the film include the naming of the characters for example naming Othello’s character O and naming Desdemona’s character Desi. When Desi and O first have sexual intercourse they are in a hotel called ‘Willow’ which represents the song sung by Desdemona when she is about to die. The role of women in the play and the film remain the same, the submissive and obedient type. Yet, in today’s society women would be more confident and feministic in their ways. These obvious and almost childlike connections between ‘O’ and Othello does not necessarily mean that ‘O’ is effective appropriation of the play. The beauty of Othello is the power of words and language. The play uses articulate... ...n†/last line, this shows no reasons. Whats the effect? The character Iago – doesn’t fulfol the audience curisoty. The new – give motives (typical hollywood) drugs and dad – brings Iago back to audience’s ‘reality’ of the world and hence destroys any substance to character and movie. Nelson goes so far to completely interpret the character of iago incorrectly, and impress his interpretations on the audience. In the film the director has made the mistake of giving Hugo motives such as the use of steroids and his father saying ‘I love Odin like he is my own son’. This causes Hugo to rage with anger and jealousy and therefore plan his devious revenge. This is the typical Hollywood film that spoon feeds the audience so they know exactly what is going on. In the original Iago is given know reason to act like this towards Othello, the audience is left to interpret

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Human Resource Management and East Midlands Ambulance Essay

1. Executive summary The purpose of this report is to investigate the human resource management (HRM) problems that the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) is experiencing. One of the issues EMAS is experiencing is paramedics possess a lack of motivation and commitment to the job consequently causing a rise in absence. This is caused by the new budgets cuts enforced on the NHS and is impacting on the paramedic’s working life such as, cancellation of allocated break times. Another problem they are facing is the human resource department has been downsized therefor there is one HR manager and adviser covering 3 counties. This is causing work relations between HR and line managers to break down due to not enough HR staff to support every individual station. It is recommended that HR should allocate time to each station to support managers and employees and directors come to an agreement to give employees their breaks. There is additional web information to support the concepts chosen to analyse the problem. These are www.telegraph.co.uk/article/absenteeism and www.thefreelibaray.com/psycologicalcontacts. 2. Problem identification and analysis The new budget cuts to the National Health Service (NHS) are causing many  changes throughout the organisation; one sector of the organisation being highly effected is the Ambulance service. Throughout the East Midlands Ambulance Service many cost efficient changes are taking place, however they still have to meet the same standards of performance to meet their annual targets so that they will receive the same budget for the service next year if the targets are not met the budget each year will decrease. Major changes to EMAS include: * No allocated break times and lunch times. The directors say paramedics are to have their breaks and lunch aboard the ambulance between jobs ‘’when they get a minute’’ however due to the increase in emergency calls, reports revealed that some paramedics were not having lunch at all throughout a 12 hour shift. This is a breach of not only their written employment contract but their psychological contract as well. * Human resources has been downsized, there were HR managers and advisers for every county over the east midlands. The new change saw one HR manager and one HR adviser covering 3 counties and researched showed that employees felt like they had no one to turn to for advise as there HR department was far too busy for individual employee needs. This is making it very difficult for the HR department to focus on what is demotivating the employees causing absenteeism. Even though there have been many other changes to EMAS these are the priority because the result of these changes has had an immense impact on absence and sick leave, as employees are not satisfied with the new conditions to their job description. The new changes to EMAS are causing a vast chain reaction throughout the organisation mainly because most of the changes are hugely breaching employee’s psychological contract. The terms they were expecting to have when they were first employed by EMAS has now been removed for example if a paramedic were to smoke there breaks they used to get off the ambulance for refreshments etc. have now been removed they are expected to remain on board the ambulance. Such a breach would have a massive impact on their commitment to the job as they would feel that the employer has been disloyal to them and not having care for the job would lead them to take unnecessary time off. The HR department cutbacks have had a big impact to not only employees but their line mangers to. HR are finding it difficult to attain any spare time to meet with the managers to discuss recent  problems/procedures therefore all the contact is being made thought documents and letters leaving the managers confused about dealing with their team. The managers are being put under a great deal of stress as their employee expectations have been disregarded. Managers expect to have the HR department at hand for advice on employee problems and procedure. Not having this is not the job expectation they had when they first started. 3. Recommendations Solutions to these problems are very complex and the most obvious solutions are obstructed by the budget cuts. Yes the HR department need more advisers covering each county but unfortunately that cannot occur, instead propose a new system as to where the HR department travels to each station, maybe 1 district a day, to assist the line managers and provide them with up to date policies and procedures. They could also enlist employee time to discuss and problems they are facing and offer advice. This could help to build the relationships that are currently being strained. Also arranging for back to work interviews and help schemes for absentees could help to make them feel more empowered and feel the organisation really needs them back to work giving the employee a sense of purpose. As for the impractical break times for paramedics, give them a designated time to eat their lunch and have their breaks in a suitable environment, whilst one team is having a break have another standing in but make sure that whether on a break or not they must always make themselves available should they be needed. A breach in written/psychological contracts like this is unacceptable for the organisation to enforce upon the employees. The research carried out by Steers and Rhodes (1978) on absenteeism is what this organisation should follow because the employee’s ability to do the job is becoming complicated by a breach in job expectation, not resting on break creating role stress etc. therefor rescinding the employee’s motivation to work. Studying this research could open up compromises for the managers and their employees. Information The web page studied to back up the concept of absenteeism is www.telegraph.co.uk/article/absenteesim on the 26/11/2012 showed that the main cause for absenteeism was work related stress. This web page has been  selected to back up the concept of absenteeism because work related stress can be through unsatisfied job expectation and losing commitment to the role maybe through breaking of a psychological contract. This information was also backed up by the web page www.ukessays.co.uk 26/11/2012 which proves the information is a reliable source. The second concept chosen in this report is psychological contracts and web page chosen is www.thefreelibrary.com/psycologicalcontracts 26/11/2012. This page studied what would be a breach of a psychological contract. This information came from an article written by Pittensburg State University and has been back up by other sources mentioned in the article therefore is a reliable source. References Pittensburg State University. (2010). Psychological contracts. www.thefreelibrary.com/psychologicalcontracts. Last accessed 26 Nov 2012. Preston, D (2012). Book 2 An introduction to human resource management in business. p9-22. Steers, R. M. and Rhodes, S. R. (1978) ‘Major influences on employee attendance: a process model’ Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 63, No4, pp. 391-407 The Telegraph. (2011). Absenteeism. www.telegraph.co.uk/absenteeism. Last accessed 26 Nov 2012. UK essays. (2003). concepts of absenteeism. www.ukessays.co.uk. Last accessed 26 Nov 2012.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Report On Aspects of Employment Covered by Law Essay

Britain has a deficit crisis, from which the only escape route, is economic growth. Growth needs to be encouraged in every way possible.   I’m now working in Health and Social Care, it’s my first job here in the UK.I find that here in Great Britain has loads of legislation designed to ensure that discrimination on certain grounds is unlawful, and also protect workers like me. This report will cover pieces of aspects of employment covered by legislation relevant to this area, outlining why legislation relating to employment exists and the list of sources of information and advice about employment responsibilities and rights: The Equality Act 2010 The Equality Act 2010 consolidates the previous nine pieces of equality legislation based on protected characteristics to create, for the first time in Great Britain, unified equality legislation. The nine protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Among other things, the Act simplifies or clarifies the definitions of direct discrimination (including association and perception), indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation and extends positive equality duties to public authorities which must have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different groups. The definition of disability under the law has changed such that a person who ahs a â€Å"physical or mental impairment that has long-term adverse effect on their ability don’t have to show that their impa irment affects a particular capacity. The definition of gender reassignment has also been change-stating that this apply to â€Å" a person who is proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone process to change their sex†. Sex Discrimination Act 1975 The Sexual Discrimination Act of 1975 was introduced to protect individuals from discrimination on the grounds of gender. Sexual Discrimination can take many forms. It is essential to understand that sexual discrimination is judged to be unwanted attention by the victim of the behaviour, not the perpetrator. Discrimination was set out in two forms: Direct Discrimination- simply stated that one person is treated less favourably than another based on gender. Indirect Discrimination –on the other is quit complex, this takes place if a requirement or condition is imposed, which has nothing to with gender but in practices. The Sex Discrimination Act also made it unlawful; to discriminate on the ground of marital status. Equal Pay Act 1970/1975 It simply states that Men and Women should receive equal pay for work of equal value. Human Rights Act 1998 The Human Right Act 1998 was introduced by Parliament and came into force in October 200. There are different article in this Act. Theses include: Article 2- everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law. Article 3- no one shall be subjected to degrading treatment. Article 5- everyone has the right to liberty and security of a person. Article 8-eeryone has the right to respect for his private and family life and his correspondence. Article 9- everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Article 12- men and women of marriageable age have the right to marry and found a family. Article 14- the enjoyment of these rights and freedoms set forth in this Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground. Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Establishes the rights of all people arrested by the police. Detainees have the right to legal advice and right to notify person who is likely interested in their welfaire. Civil Partnership Act 2004 This establishes the right of same sex couples to enter into a civil partnership. This is not marriage but is a relationship of equivalent seriousness and commitment. Health and Safety Health and safety is important to every work that we do. The legislation of health and safety is generally covered by statutory regulations. These legislations are: Health and Safety at Work Act 19 74 Employers have a duty to ensure the health and safety at work for all employees, provide and maintain equipment and system in safe condition and provide information, training and supervision relating to health and safety at work. Managers have the duty to maintain a safe working environment for all staff, ensuring that staffs follow policies, procedures and instructions. Give well information about hazard and safe working to new members of staff and also to report or record any accidents. Employees have duty to follow rules and regulation at work, ensure that they use materials in recommended procedures and not misuses anything provided for health ,safety and welfare. Food Safety Act 1990 This applies wherever food is supplied other than within a family situation. This Act is a wide ranging piece of legislation which strengthened and updated existing laws relevant to food and safety. Holidays Annual leave entitlements should be agreed when an employee starts work, details of holidays and holiday pay should be found in the employee’s written statement or contract of employment. Most workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks paid holiday per year (this is known as statutory entitlement). Part time worker are entitled to the same amount of holiday (pro rota) as full time colleagues. Employers can set the times when workers can take their leave – for example a Christmas shut down. If employment ends workers have the right to be paid for any leave due but not taken. There is no legal right to paid public holidays Equal pay Employers must give men and women equal treatment in the terms and conditions of their employment contract if they are employed to do: ‘like work’ – work that is the same or broadly similar  work rated as equivalent under a job evaluation study Work found to be of equal value in terms of effort, skill or decision making. Employees are also entitled to know how their pay is made up. For example, if there is a bonus system, everyone should know how to earn bonuses and how they are calculated. National Minimum Wage Most workers in the UK over school leaving age are entitled to be paid at least the NMW. The NMW rates are reviewed each year by the Low Pay commission. Most workers will be entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW). Normally the NMW rate changes in October each year. There are no exemptions according to the size of business. HM Revenue & Customs can take employers to court for not paying the NMW. II. Outlining why legislation relating to employment exist: Legislation relating to employment exists to stop exploitation of workers by their employers mainly to protect the rights of their employee’s and to make sure that they have everything they need such as: * Minimum wage * Safety standards * Holiday entitlement * Maternity leave * Redundancy payments * Discrimination laws * Maximum working hours * Age requirement All employees need to have all good things that protect them from unscrupulous bosses. III. Sources of information and advice about employment and rights: * Contract- All employees have an employment contract with their employer. A contract is an agreement that sets out an employee’s: employment conditions rights responsibilities duties These are called the ‘terms’ of the contract. * Handbook- An employee handbook, sometimes also known as an employee manual or staff handbook, is a book given to employees by an employer. Usually, the employee handbook contains information about company policies and procedures. * Policy documents – is a deliberate system of principles to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent, and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by the Board of or senior governance body within an organization whereas procedures or protocols would be developed and adopted by senior executive officers. * Terms and conditions -Terms and conditions of employment are the elements of a contract which help to define the relation between an employer  and an employee * Job description – A broad, general, and written statement of a specific job, based on the findings of a job analysis. It generally includes duties, purpose, responsibilities, scope, and working conditions of a job along with the job’s title, and the name or designation of the person to whom the employee reports. Job description usually forms the basis of job specification.