Irish Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Irish Women - Essay Example According to Carvajal (2004, pg. 1), "But tigresses multitask. They hunt and also raise cubs. And so Ireland, which has one of the highest birthrates in Europe, is becoming a place where demographic trends are forcing companies to experiment with flexible working arrangements, ones that allow female employees to accommodate bosses and babies and lifestyles. The result is often a complete cafeteria of choices, from job-sharing and telecommuting to on-site child care and company-sponsored summer camps." The equal treatment of men and women in the workforce seems to be a problem throughout the globe. Traditionally, statistics show that men are paid more and hold higher, more prestigious positions than women do. However, competing more effectively with men also involves other aspects of fair treatment. One of these aspects is job flexibility, such as the ability to work at home. In a recent survey, "The early results surprised the company. A huge amount of the men preferred a flexible form of working at home. And when we surveyed the workers, we found that a large proportion of people used the extra time they gained to be with their families or to do more volunteer work" (Carvajal, 2004). It has also been noted that men fear losing opportunities such as promotions when they choose to work at home, but that women tend to prefer the flexibility so much that they are not so concerned with that aspect (Carvajal, 2004). According to Carvajal (2004, pg. 1), "A major challenge will be to avoid a twin track in which men are in the fast lane involving continuous and often excessive hours in full-time employment, partly from home, and women are in the slow lane working reduced hours," wrote Ellen Drew of Trinity College's Centre for Gender and Women's Studies, in a study of Irish company work-life policies. Otherwise, she says, flexible work may become the preserve of "mothers of young children" - and something to be avoided by other ambitious employees." Family-Friendly Work Practices In times past, Irish mothers could turn to the grandparents of their children for fully reliable baby-sitting services while they attended work. However, times have changed. Now, many of those grandparents are also entering the workforce, leaving a heavy need for family-friendly work practices. "Some companies have taken notice. Intel Ireland, a unit of the big computer-chip maker, has adopted many strategies, beginning with gifts of Intel baby hampers to employees who are new parents. IBM in Ireland offers "mobile-working" from remote locations and is about to introduce job-sharing" (Carvajal, 2004, pg. 1). Disadvantages and advantages in this arena apply to the companies, too. High job turnover due to a lack of programs to balance family and work life can cost a company big bucks in training, hiring, and other expenses. "So three years ago, Eircom started studying the issue of balancing work and personal life. A varied program emerged last year that offered telecommuting, day-care support, sabbaticals, job-sharing and special leave for domestic purposes. Both men and women tried out the choices" (Carvajal, 2004, pg. 1). Staying at Home In Ireland, the number of telecommuting positions was up 44 percent in 2004 from 36 percent in 2002. The number

A Guide to United Arab Emirates Legal System Essay

A Guide to United Arab Emirates Legal System - Essay Example The UAE Legal System The legal system of the United Arab Emirates is founded upon the Constitution as approved by the Federal National Council in 1996. The Constitution replaced the provisional documents which had been periodically renewed since the UAE was established in 1971 (Info-Prod Research, 1999). The Constitution functions as the basic law of the land, specifying the purpose of the establishment of the federation, its components and objectives, and the public rights, responsibilities, and freedoms protected in the federation. It also establishes the structure of the federal government, provides for armed and security forces, and defines the legislative, executive, and international jurisdictions that govern the relationship between the federation and the member emirates (Tarbuck & Lester, 2009; Khedr & Alnuaimi, 2010). There are five federal institutions constitutionally provided for. These are the Federal Supreme Council (FSC – executive), the President of the Union a nd the Vice-President, the Council of Ministers of the Union, the Federal National Council (FNC – legislative), and the Judiciary of the Union. ... The legislative body, the Federal National Council, is a unicameral body comprised of 40 members, 20 of whom are elected by 7,000 notables who represent different tribes and social groups, and the remaining 20 are appointed by the rulers of the Emirates upon their discretion. Abu Dhabi and Dubai appoint eight members each, Sharjah and Ra’s al Khaymah six each, and four members each for Ajman, Umm al Oaywayn, and Al Fujayrah. Foundations of UAE Law The core principles of UAE law are drawn from Sharia, the fundamental Islamic law. However, most of the legislation enacted in the country are a combination of Islamic and European civil law concepts. The blend is not that far-fetched, since both of these systems are influenced by the Egyptian legal code that was established in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. There is apparently a strong leaning on the French legal concepts in the UAE as is shared in the European countries, in comparison to the distinctly different UK common l aw (Khedr & Alnuaimi, 2010). Federal Commercial Company Law – Forms of Business Entities Prior to 1984, there was no federal commercial company law, thus each Emirate formulated their own practices and procedures governing the establishment of business organizations within its own jurisdiction. The need was felt for a codified commercial legislation to address the concerns of international business in the country; this led to the promulgation of the Federal Commercial Company Law No. 8 of 1984, which was fully implemented by early 1993. This Law specifies that it is a requirement that UAE nations own at least 51 per cent of all public and private shareholding companies, as well