Principles of Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Principles of Management - Research Paper Example The employees stand to obtain a better insight into the functioning of the company, due to this initiative. Furthermore, employees obtain a better understanding of the lacunae in the performance of the company, which in turn could motivate them to seek methods for bettering the situation (Dossenbach 16). Subsequent to the evaluation of corporate performance, the employee’s achievement in realizing individual goals can be scrutinized. This task should be so conducted that the employees are made to review their individual objectives and achievements. At this juncture, the employees should be encouraged to provide suggestions for improving their deficient areas. As such, suggestions for change that emanate from the employee, will be adopted voluntarily, in addition to engendering a sense of well – being and accomplishment (Dossenbach 16). It is essential to realize that human resources management is critically dependent on the motivation of employees. The individual and collective motivation levels of employees have an overbearing and direct influence on the persistence, level and direction of their efforts. This circumstance finds substantial evidence in the fact that the best performers in the corporate sector enjoy a workforce that is highly motivated (Gilley, Gilley and Quatro 129). In fact, the functions of human resources management are based on a thorough comprehension of the theory of employee motivation. As such, any motivational theory is founded on a fundamental understanding of the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards on the motivation levels of employees (Gilley, Gilley and Quatro 129). Extrinsic rewards are basically motivational stimuli that are provided to employees as inducements for indulging in certain activities. Such rewards constitute valued consequences for completing a task in an exemplary manner. On the other hand, intrinsic

Nursing as a Profession Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing as a Profession - Research Paper Example The question of whether nursing constitutes a profession or merely an occupation has been debated frequently but never conclusively answered, owing to the subjective interpretation of word connotations as well as a lack of consensus as to what profession entails. The Random House dictionary defines a profession as â€Å"a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science.† L. Harvey (2004) says that â€Å"A profession is a group of people in a learned occupation, the members of which agree to abide by specified rules of conduct when practicing the profession.† Over the years, several researchers have developed specific criteria regarding professions. This paper will focus on the eight criteria established by Dr. Lucie Kelly in 1981, and examine nursing in relation to those criteria. Kelly's Criteria for Professions 1) The services provided are vital to humanity and the welfare of society. 2) There is a special body of knowledge that is continually enlarged through research. 3) The services involve intellectual activities; individual responsibility (accountability) is a strong feature. 4) Practitioners are educated in institutions of higher learning. 5) Practitioners are relatively independent and control their own policies and activities (autonomy). 6) Practitioners are motivated by service (altruism) and consider their work an important component of their lives. 7) There is a code of ethics to guide the decisions and conduct of practitioners 8) There is an organization (association) that encourage and supports high standards of practice. (Chitty citing Kelly, 2005, p. 171) The first four of Kelly's eight criteria are easily addressed, as there can be no doubt of the vital nature of the services provided by nurses, who are frequently referred to in literature as â€Å"the backbone of the healthcare system.† It also cannot be disputed that there exists a large and continually expanding body of knowledge related to nursing. There is a great deal of personal accountability involved in nursing as well. Each day nurses world-wide make decisions within a professional context which have a significant impact on the lives of their patients, as well as colleagues and even administrators. Nurses are required to undergo profession-specific education, as well as to maintain awareness of current research in the field in order to perform their jobs effectively. Likewise, nursing can easily be demonstrated to meet the seventh and eighth of Kelly's criteria. The Code of Ethics for Nurses is well established, and there are several national organizations devoted to maintaining high standards for nurse accreditation, as well as an International Council of Nurses. Autonomy of nurses might be questioned: Do nurses control their own policies and activities? While it is clear that a nurse must make decisions on a daily basis and act on those decisions, nurses are subjected to policies within the confines of their employing institutions. Though nurses frequently execute the orders of doctors, the manner of execution is usually left to individual nurses. Thus, in the opinion of this researcher nursing meets the fifth of Kelly's criteria. The question of motivation is a thornier one. While many individuals choose to enter nursing for altruistic reasons, it seems unreasonable to expect that all nurses share that particular motivation. Ther e is a shortage of nurses world-wide, no doubt leading to many individuals choose this career path because it will provide a secure and reliable source of income. Nurses trained in an accredited program can always find

Portfolio Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Portfolio Management - Essay Example Similarly, agency models, such as those f Barry and Starks (1984), Starks (1987), Cohen and Starks (1988), and Golec (1988,1992) show that a manger's portfolio risk choices will partly depend upon his or her risk-taking preferences because the volatility f a manager's pay is affected by the portfolio's performance. This study's statistical approach accounts for the fact that performance, risk, and fees are interdependent. Mutual fund performance alone is an important and popular finance topic because funds positive risk-adjusted returns has implications for market efficiency. Most early studies, such as Jensen (1968) and Sharpe (1966), report that funds provide inferior performance partly because f management fees and other expenses. Recently, however, Ippolito (1989), Lee and Rahman (1990), Grinblatt and Titman (1989,1992), and Hendricks, Patel, and Zeckhauser (1993) show that mutual funds can generate systematic positive risk-adjusted returns. Although Ippolito's sample f funds earned sufficient risk-adjusted returns to cover fees, Elton, Gruber, Das, and Hlavka (1993) question Ippolito's methods and suggest that funds do not exhibit positive risk-adjusted returns. Whether mutual fund managers produce superior returns is controversial because most studies' funds, sample periods, or performance measures are not comparable. Unlike earlier studies that try to determine if the average risk-adjusted fund performance is positive, this study only requires that a performance measure rank funds appropriately. For example, if longer tenure implies greater human capital which, in turn, generates better performance, then job tenure should be positively related to performance. This positive relationship can be present even if all funds have negative risk-adjusted performance; long-tenured managers will simply have less negative performance. Earlier studies consider relatively long time periods during which some funds change managers, risk, fees or objective, or liquidate. Here, the cross-sectional data and shorter sample period reduce the degree f fund changes and survivorship bias (Brown, Goetzmann, Ibbotson, & Ross, 1992). The paper is organized as follows. Section I discusses the statistical procedure used to account for simultaneity and defines the study's endogenous and exogenous variables. Section II describes the data. Section III presents each structural equation along with the results for each equation. Section IV considers the issues f survivorship bias and performance measurement. Section V summarizes the results that have the most significant implications for investors' choice among mutual funds and their managers. Three-Stage Least Squares Many earlier studies, such as Sharpe (1966), Jensen (1968), Friend and Blume (1970), Ippolito (1989), Grinblatt and Titman (1989,1992), Hendricks, Patel, and Zeckhauser (1993) and Elton et al. (1993), compare mutual funds' risk-adjusted performance, as well as other endogenous variables (risk or fees), but ignore the fact that changes in performance, risk, and fees tend to impact each other contemporaneously. For example, a fund that increases fees will tend to have poorer performance, all else equal. In this case, fees

Madonna of the Meadows and Madonna of the Long Neck Essay

Madonna of the Meadows and Madonna of the Long Neck - Essay Example Raphael’s painting shows the Madonna as a softly rounded woman with soft blonde hair gathered into a soft bun out of the viewer’s angle of vision. She is delicately bent over her son who is depicted as a plump and somewhat strangely proportioned infant just on the verge of walking. He is reaching out for a wooden pole suggestive of a cross held by a slightly older St. John. This entire scene is seen over the backdrop of a very green landscape that stretches far back into the distance with a large lake and mountains visible far into the horizon. Parmigianino’s painting also depicts the Madonna tenderly holding the infant baby Jesus. She is tall and columnar as she looks down on an elongated infant who seems on the verge of falling out of her lap. She perches on a pedestal backed on one side by a rich red velvet curtain while a large grouping of angels gathers around her on this side to look adoringly at the baby. One of these angels is carrying a vase or urn that has a mirrorlike finish to it. It is positioned in such a way that it would throw a reflection back at the baby Jesus and may be the reason the baby was startled as the vase also has an etched cross on its surface. On the other side of the Madonna is a kind of landscape scene that is mostly a cloudscape. The visible sky is full of storm clouds with just a hint of blue on the horizon. There is also a tall Roman style column and the figure of St. Jerome. There are a number of ways that the two paintings are similar. They are both concerned with the relationship between Jesus’ birth and his eventual death as well as the presence of his mother in both of these events.

Jack the Ripper Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Jack the Ripper - Term Paper Example One can see that psychological analysis can unveil the secrets behind the criminal mentality of Jack the Ripper and his cruel deeds. During his time period, people were totally frightened about him because his cruel deeds were unpredictable. Almost all his victims were prostitutes in the suburban areas of London. The reports that appeared in the newspapers added fuel to the general assumption of Jack the Ripper’s serial killing. When more and more prostitutes were murdered by the criminal, people became more and more suspicious about the power of law enforcement to entrap Jack the Ripper. Now a days, Jack the Ripper is considered as a psychopath with criminal mentality and immense intelligence to veil his identity. For instance, daily reporting of murders did not hinder the criminal from committing more and more murders. As pointed out, his victims were prostitutes who are considered as the members of the lowest strata of the society. This forces the people to believe that the reason behind committing murders is related to hatred towards prostitution and immoral activities. From a different angle of view, Jack the Ripper chose prostitutes as his victims because they can be easily approachable without and suspicion. During Jack the Ripper’s time, people thought that most of the crimes against women were committed by him. This false assumption created chaos among the public and helped other criminals to commit more crimes and vest the responsibility upon Jack the Ripper. During Jack the Ripper’s time, forensic science and criminal investigation were strictly limited to the sphere of catching the criminal red handed. So, one can easily identify that Jack the Ripper’s cunningness, the mythical persona vested upon him, unwanted importance given to him by the media and the lack of evidence to unveil his identity limited the scope of the investigators to entrap him. When mythical stories veil the evidences, psychological analysis can unveil Jack the Ripper’s identity because it is the most powerful tool that can help the investigators. First of all, the researcher needs to identify the motive behind the murders committed by Jack the Ripper. Then, the researcher needs to collect all evidence and analyze the same based on the crimes committed during the crimes committed. Besides, the researcher needs to consider the time period of Jack the Ripper, place where he carried his crimes, and way how he carried his crimes. Thesis statement: Psychological analysis to unveil the secrets behind Jack the Ripper’s crimes (special references to the crime’s conducted by Jack the Ripper). Psychological Analysis: I. Jack the Ripper: General opinion during his time period Towards the end of the 19th century (say, in the year 1888), England was undergoing rapid social and political change. Robin Odell states that Jack the Ripper’s â€Å"First murder occurred in 1888† (66). The role of the press as an im portant tool for social change was transforming the social atmosphere of London. During this time, the serial killing in the suburbs of London (East End of London) created much chaos among the people. Gradually, more and more news papers began to report news about serial murders committed by Jack the Ripper. This unneeded focus upon a serial killer attracted the general attention

3-1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

3-1 - Essay Example As listed by Jackson-Cherry and Erford (2014), the common symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorders and Acute Stress Disorder include palpitations, nausea, headaches, muscle tension, fatigue and increased consumption of alcohol and use of other mood altering substances. Other symptoms are reduced concentration, anxiety, impatience, forgetfulness, rumination, preoccupation, irritability, anger, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, detachment, dissociation and depression. The listed symptoms are actually the diagnostic criteria for the conditions. The difference that separates ASD from PTSD attributes to time when either occurs. As elaborated by Jackson-Cherry and Erford (2014), diagnosis of ASD is possible if the related symptoms occur within a month of traumatic experience. Diagnosis of PTSD is possible if traumatic condition or experience occurred one month earlier before manifestation of the symptoms. In addition, PTSD is chronic if the symptoms persist for over three month s. With reference to the above analysis, Maryam’s situation relates to Acute Stress Disorder (ASD). This is due to the fact and understanding that Maryam began displaying traumatic symptoms such as anxiety, sleeplessness, nausea and increased use of alcohol and related substances before the setting in of the actual trauma. The real trauma occurred later and manifested through inability to drive car, concentrate in class and regrets for making a terrible mistake that almost led to loss of life of her passengers. Furthermore, trauma evidenced through occurrence and expression of suicidal thoughts to deal with perceived stupidity and inferiority that led to

Legal Considerations in the Business Environment Essay Example for Free

Legal Considerations in the Business Environment Essay While there are many legal factors to consider as XYZ Construction (XYZ) transforms from a private to a publicly owned company and expands operations globally, this paper will focus on the employment and labor laws, along with legal considerations that influence company operations. It is important to keep in mind that XYZ uses a mix of manning methodologies throughout the company; a full time staff as the core of the company, while maximizing the use of contracted labor in the execution of projects. Employment Law Employment law is a broad category of law that encompasses all areas regarding employee/employer relationships except for the negotiation process and collective bargaining, which is covered by the narrower focused category of labor law. Employment laws consist of thousands of federal and state statutes, regulations, and judicial decisions that are designed to govern the rights and duties of employers and workers. The US Department of Labor (USDOL) reports that there are 180 federal laws alone managed by 28 different agencies within the department. (United States Department of Labor [USDOL], 2014) Employment laws are focused on providing a safe and fair work place for employees and employers, alike, and have their origins in the constitution. They were founded based on public outcry against oppressive practices during the industrial revolution. The first laws founded in the 1920s were focused on fair wages, compensation for injuries, a standard work week, and on eliminating child labor. In the 1960s and 70s, statutes focused on anti-discrimination and unsafe work environments. Current issues involve employee health care, equal pay for men and women and the current debate on raising the federal minimum wage. There were also several issues addressed by the US Supreme Court of great importance to employment law including workplace discrimination and retaliation (Brill et al, 2013). The predominance of employment law disputes fall into two categories: wage and hour violations and discrimination in the workplace. Federal law provides for baseline rules regarding wage and hour standards, to include a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and 40 hours as the standard work week. Many states have passed laws that establish a higher minimum wage, which is within their constitutional right. In these situations, XYZ is compelled to pay the higher minimum wage of that state. There is an emerging effort across the United States to raise the federal minimum wage to $9.50 per hour. In some  cases, this will place the federal wage higher than some states, meaning XYZ would have to pay the federal wage as it would trump the state legislation. It is prudent for XYZ to negotiate appropriate compensation on multiyear contracts as this new legislation works through the process. The standard work week, on the other hand, is prevalent across the United States and any worker that exceeds this threshold is entitled to overtime pay compensation. These rules exist to control the work environment for employees and mandates that time and a half be paid on every hour exceeding 40 within a given work week. The law also stipulates that XYZ will maintain basic payroll records and post notices to the workers regarding changes in the work environment. As XYZ experiences delays within projects, the pressure to push the work crews to make up these delays grows. While working overtime to meet customer requirements and project timelines are acceptable, supervisors must ensure adherence to the various employment laws; not doing so could lead to unfair labor practice disputes and costly legal battles (Brill et al, 2013). Another area that is a basis of employment law disputes is discrimination in the workplace. Prohibiting discrimination based on ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, age, or disability was established with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and refined with subsequent legislation throughout the years. The Supreme Court handed down two significant decisions in 2013 that clarify evidentiary standards for discrimination claims, both are viewed as beneficial to the employer. First, the courts ruled that retaliation with discrimination as a motivating factor was not sufficient. The plaintiff must prove that discrimination was the basis for the retaliation, making the burden of proof much greater (Brill et al, 2013). Second, the courts clarified the definition of a supervisor under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. They ruled that the title of â€Å"supervisor† is limited to those who have authority to take a tangible employment action, meaning â€Å"a significant change in employment status, such as hiring, firing, failing to promote, reassignment with significantly different responsibilities, or a decision causing a significant change in benefits.† (Brill et al, 2013, p.4). Having the authority to direct daily work was not sufficient to link the supervisor to the company in regard to damages or actions tied to a law suit or dispute. However, the company is still liable for discriminatory actions of non-supervisory employees,  especially if it was notified and failed to take action to stop the behavior. This is significant considering that the majority of XYZ’s work force is contracted labor. As such it is imperative that XYZ maintain viable and proactive policies focused on preventing workplace discrimination and include a review of these policies prior to initiating any employment agreement. Labor Law Conducting business in a union environment provides for another layer of complexity to company operations. XYZ’s leadership must be aware of and understand the basics of labor law and the collective agreements negotiated with the unions representing the workforce. Failure to operate within the parameters of the agreement will result in an unfair labor practice dispute, which affects the profit margins of the shareholders. Labor law, also governed by federal law, state law and judicial decisions, provides statutes that mediate the relationship between workers, employers, unions, and the government with the goal of equalizing the bargaining power between employers and employee (Legal Information Institute [LII], 2014). Collective labor laws focus on the rights of employees to unionize, collectively bargain, arbitrate, and strike, while individual labor law focuses on employment contracts between employers and employees (Caraway, 2009). Collective bargaining consists of negotiations between an employer and a group of employees, typically represented by a union, to determine the conditions of employment and results in a collective agreement. The main body of law governing collective bargaining is the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which was passed in 1935 (â€Å"Executive Concepts†, 2011). It explicitly grants employees the right to collectively bargain and join trade unions. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is the entity that hears disputes between employers and employees that falls under the purview of the NLRA. The General Council, established by the NLRA, independently investigates and prosecutes cases against violators of the act before the NLRB (LII, 2014). Another aspect of labor law is the act of arbitration, a method of dispute resolution, which is commonly used as an alternative to litigation. A third party arbiter is designated and has binding decision authority for the dispute. While the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) is not applicable to employment contracts, the Uniform Arbitration Act of 1956 was  adopted by 49 states making arbitration enforceable under state and federal law (LII, 2014). There were two key decisions rendered by the Supreme Court that impact labor law, specifically arbitration clauses and class action waivers in contracts (Brill et al, 2013). The Court held that the FAA directive to arbitrate and the arbitration clauses written into employment contracts take precedence over federal requirements to prosecute disputes through the courts. Additionally, this decision strengthens the ability to enforce class waivers written into contracts. While this appears detrimental to employers, the Court balanced this decision with language further defining the rules surrounding class waivers. The court ruled that a class dispute (one brought by more than one plaintiff) can be settled if the primary plaintiff reaches settlement (Brill et al, 2013). In essence, if an XYZ employee files a dispute that is then applied to a class of employees, but a settlement is reached with the initial plaintiff, then the class action is terminated. Effectively, the Supreme Court ruling strengthens the company’s position in regard to employment contracts and protects the company from overzealous claims. As such, arbitration agreements written into XYZ employment contracts should be carefully worded in order to take full advantage of the Court’s decision. Laws specific to the construction industry Several Department of Labor agencies administer programs that are specifically related to the construction industry. Specifically, the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), the Wage and Hour Division, and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance all have specified areas of emphasis that regulate XYZ’s primary line of business. OSHA administers all the occupational safety and health standards for the industry. Given the risk to employees across XYZ’s work sites, OSHA regulations are critical to maintain and pose a significant element of cost to the company. While it is prudent to conduct cost-benefit analysis on enacting safety and health policies, sacrificing employee welfare for the bottom line is a dangerous endeavor and can result in unfair labor practices or criminal charges in the extreme. As XYZ competes and wins government construction contracts, there are several statutes that dictate certain conditions for doing business with the federal government that are administered by the USDOL Wage and Hour  Division and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance. The Davis-Bacon Act requires that companies pay the prevailing wages and benefits of the region. Wage rates and other labor standards for employees are set by the McNamara-O-Hara Service Contract Act. The Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act requires materials and supply contractors to pay minimum wages and meet other labor standards. Executive Order 11246 requires equal employment opportunity by all construction contractor firms. Lastly, the Copeland Act’s anti-kickback section precludes any persuasion of an employee to sacrifice any part of their required compensation (USDOL, 2014). These dictated standards all affect the cost of projects and, if not accounted for in the bid and estimation process, will detrimentally impact the profit margins of the company as federal construction contracts are executed. Legal Considerations As XYZ begins the global expansion, it is important to realize that US labor laws are not binding in other countries in regard to foreign workers; the host country laws are in play (â€Å"Executive Concepts†, 2011, p.938). However, Congress expressly extended three US labor laws to expatriates working abroad for US firms. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and Title VII all extend extraterritorially (Nie, 2012). While XYZ’s staff is well versed in US employment and labor law, foreign labor law is country dependent and it is prudent to conduct targeted research on the specific country’s legal environment considered for expansion. The International Labor Organization (ILO) has drafted 182 conventions and 190 recommendations in their effort to standardize labor practices globally. Enforcement of these efforts is a country responsibility, and as such, there are still large gaps in adoption and application of the various standards (â€Å"Executive Concepts†, 2011). While it is enticing to reduce expenses by sacrificing some of the more costly US labor law practices while abroad, this practice could damage the company’s sterling reputation negatively affecting all future business ventures. As countries in Asia make the transition to democratic states, the door has been opened for improvements in collective and individual labor law, resulting in the creation of unions and the strengthening of workers’ rights. However, unions in developing counties depend upon government  support and, as such, are politically focused keeping the gap between internationally acceptable collective labor practices and reality relatively large (Caraway, 2009). Across Asia, individual labor rights are in a better position. There is a direct correlation between the wealth of a country and the enforced rights of its workers (Caraway, 2009). The most notable impact of this situation is the prevailing wage in each country and the impact on XYZ’s financial position on projects. Using the field support offices at the forward locations to gather this information is crucial to accurate project estimation and contract bidding. As the company transitions from privately owned to publicly held, there are considerations to keep in mind. First, corporate governance will adjust to account for a larger base of stockholders. There is risk that the focus of the company will also shift to a more stockholder centric view, discounting the requirements of the stakeholders (the employees) (Ecchia et al, 2012). This has the potential to lead to the creation of unfair labor practices as priority shifts from maintaining collective agreements to maintaining larger profit margins for the stockholders. Second, shareholders with large equities could pressure the company to offload portions of the workforce or reduce the employee’s benefits in order to improve profitability (Ecchia et al, 2012). As the union leadership monitors corporate business practices, this could lead to a revolt in the workforce and create an environment ripe for a strike thereby shutting down operations until resolved. Any financial gains made by the reduction would be lost to stagnated operations, and as such should be managed carefully. Conclusion Conducting business in the 21st Century is comparable to traversing the proverbial minefield. Legal missteps can cause insurmountable fines and legal fees as a company struggles to maintain good business practices. Understanding employment and labor law is paramount to maintaining a strong and viable company through transformation and expansion that produces profits for its shareholders. References Banks, K. (2011). Trade, Labor and International Governance: An Inquiry into the Potential Effectiveness of the New International Labor Law. Berkeley Journal Of Employment Labor Law, 32(1), 45-142. Business Source Complete, Accession Number: 67233021 Barnum, Darold T. (1971) From Private to Public Relations in Urban Transit. Industrial Labor Relations Review. 25(1), 95-115. Business Source Complete, Accession Number: 4459252. Brill, Edward A., Fant, Laura M., and Baddish, Noa M. (2013) U.S. Supreme Court Wrap-Up: Hot Topics in Labor and Employment Law. Employee Relations Law Journal. 39(3), 3-8. Business Source Complete, Accession Numbe:r 91640070 Caraway, Tara L. (2009). Labor Rights in East Asia: Progress or Regress?. Journal of East Asian Studies, 9(2), 153-186. ProQuest Research Library, Accession Number: 43381256 Ecchia, Giulio, Gelter, Martin, and Pasotti, Piero. (2012) Corporate Governance, Corporate and Employment Law, and the Costs of Expropriation. Review of Law Economics. 8(2), 457-486. DOI: 10.1515/1555-5879.1357 Katten, Betsy. (2013) U.S. Supreme Court to Address Labor and Employment Matters in 2013-2014 Term. Employee Relations Law Journal. 39(3), 48-51. Business Source Complete, Accession Number: 91640075 Legal Information Institute. Cornell University Law School. Retrieved from: http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/employment Nie, Carrie. (2012). Extraterritorial Application of U.S. Employment Laws: Clearing the Murky Conflicting Foreign Laws Defense. International Lawyer, 46(4), 1027-1043, OmniFile, Accession Number: 90233860 Northcentral University (2011). SKS 7000-Executive Concepts in Business Strategy. Custom edition. Retrieved from: http://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/ United States Department of Labor. (2014) Retrieved from: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/lawsprog.htm