Friday, October 28, 2011

Queue Laws

There are two psychological things that upset people most when waiting in queues. One is any impression of unfairness in the arrangements. The other is the feeling of wasting time. Queuing experts combine mathematics with psychology to focus on these two aspects. Perhaps this is why, in case of immigration clearance of passengers at international airports, it's common to employ several servers to quicken clearance. The crucial question however remains; does the lining up of passengers to form a single combined queue or the option to join any of the queues formed separately before each server solve the problem? At some airports, Heathrow and London, for example, the combined queue snake between long lines of rope. At others (e.g. IGIA, Delhi) arrivals hasten to choose from half a dozen queues the one they deem will move the fastest.


In multiple queues people often stay restive; they perceive other queues as moving faster.

This may sound like paranoia but there's some truth in it. If there are six queues, the mathematical probability of your queue moving the fastest is only one in six. That way a combined queue imparts a better feeling of fairness. At multiple airline check-in queues, some couples are seen employing the strategy of standing in two different queues. In India, service organizations attempt to make greater use of ropes or railings for the integrity of queues, whether combined or multiple. The returns seem to be well worth the extra rupee spent.

Of late, a few researchers have expressed their reservations about quicker clearance through a combined queue. According to them, multiple queues allow people to shift to adjacent queues when held up by someone too slow in front (avoid a queue that has a few young bearded fellows in front; their clearance will sure be slower).

If people with relatively quick requests are allowed to jockey, it makes multiple queues faster. Multiple queues also exercise a psychological effect on servers. Servers feel guilty if their queue grows in length, and so tend to speed up disposal. Regular customers, such as in banks, have again the option to choose a server with greater expertise, rather than just the first server who becomes available.

The turmoil that a person goes through, while standing in a queue, is unmatched. When you see your life going at a glacial speed and then you also come to know that even after hours of patient waiting, you are still not the first in line; all hell wants to break loose. Life is a cruel thing for everyone in the queue and the willingness to get over with it is what gives people the strength to stand in it for hours while the discomfort one is facing is rising with the minute. Typical multiple queues follow the Murphy's Law, "Whatever queue you join, no matter how short it looks, will always take the longest for you to get served" and thus, it is safer to stay put in one's queue rather than go around looking for a quicker way to get to your goal. It is always good to have your wife or mother with you. The pitiful eyes of the bystanders often give their place to you.
 
With technology around, it is very easy to pass time listening to music on your MP3 player or the cell phone, but you are missing some of the heartiest conversations, so please don't be a snob. Enjoy your stay in the queue as long as it lasts, because once it is over, every person goes his or her way.
In 1979 Dr. Kuabakoonam Balasubramanium of the University of Quebec, using a handsome grant, did some pioneering research on Indian queues, the laws and the paradoxes thereof. Bala laws, that he devised on the basis of this extensive research, are capsuled here under for us all to remember and brave the turmoil of standing in the queue;
 
1. The length of the queue is inversely proportion to the time you have to stand in the one.
2. You discover you are in wrong queue only when you reach the counter.
3. You always reach the counter at lunch tome or closing time.
4. When you reach the counter in time the tickets are over.
5. When you do get the tickets they are the wrong ones and therefore;
a) you have to go to the tail end of the queue to get them changed or
b). you have to go to the refund counter where 1 and 2 apply
6. When there are no obstacles, the queue moves quickly and when you buy the right ticket the teller has no change.
7. The teller always has his say.
8. The other queue always moves faster.
9. When you switch to the other queue the original queue gathers momentum.
10. When you are finally the second person in the queue the guy in front of you develops a complicated problem which takes half an hour to sort out.
11. When others jump the queue no one says anything. When you jump the queue hoots and jeers follow.
12. Every one in the queue will want to borrow your pen; when you want a pen no one will have one.
13 You are always caught napping when they open an extra counter.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Commissions And Foreign Students

ST. LOUIS — At the start of an open discussion on the use of agents in international student recruiting, some leaders of the National Association for College Admission Counseling suggested not so subtly that it was important for those at the annual meeting here to remember that the association’s standards evolve.
Scott Anderson, director of outreach for the Common Application and chair of NACAC’s Admission Practices Committee, noted that the association’s ethics code has sometimes been amended to create exceptions, such as those that allow colleges that award athletics scholarships to do so under national norms for such scholarships, but in violation of some NACAC standards (had the exemptions not been added).
Steve Syverson, a former chair of the Admission Practices Committee who is vice president for enrollment at Lawrence University, noted that at one point NACAC members were deeply skeptical of independent counselors (those hired by families, not schools or colleges), but that such counselors are now widely seen as a crucial part of the field and are well-represented at NACAC gatherings.
But despite the message that times change and standards sometimes evolve, most of the speakers here from the rank-and-file of the association advocated that NACAC stick to its current policy barring colleges from using commissions to pay anyone to recruit any students.

Many here said the issue represents a crucial choice.
“This goes to the heart of the tension we’ve been experiencing for many years, which is what is the nature of what we do” in admissions, said Philip A. Ballinger, assistant vice president for enrollment and admissions at the University of Washington. The tension, he said, is a divide between viewing admissions as “connected to the educational mission” of academe and viewing admissions as “essentially sales.”
With a few exceptions, many endorsed that view — and suggested that it was wrong to work with international agents who are paid on commission. But many also said that they saw an increasing number of colleges ignoring the NACAC standard and signing up to use international agents. And some who defended the use of such agents said that in fact many of them are providing ethical and essential services to colleges and students — and that ethical issues are raised by not dealing with agents.
Use Grows
Until recently, the use of agents paid on commission to recruit international students was considered taboo by most American colleges. But in the last two years, that reluctance has weakened as major companies that have helped British and Australian universities attract foreign students have started promoting themselves in the United States. This has happened at the same time as many colleges in the U.S. have decided that attracting more foreign students is a key goal — in no small part because many of the most coveted foreign students pay full freight to enroll.
The relevant portion of NACAC’s Statement of Principles of Good Practice doesn’t even use the word agents or refer to international students. It simply states that all NACAC members “agree that they will not offer or accept any reward or remuneration from a secondary school, college, university, agency or organization for placement or recruitment of students.” When it comes to domestic students, federal law bars such commission-based pay. But that law doesn’t extend abroad, which is why colleges that use agents aren’t violating the law, even if they are violating NACAC’s ethics code.
Many here said that NACAC’s lack of distinction between foreign and domestic recruiting was laudable. “If it’s wrong here, why is it OK overseas? International students are not here for your benefit,” said one counselor. There were repeated references to agents reducing foreign students to “bounty” or viewing them as “cash cows” or “commodities.”
There was anger at the idea that NACAC could respond to the growing number of colleges ignoring its standard by changing its rules. One member gave an impassioned speech in which he said: “It is wrong to pay a commission. If you are a member of NACAC and doing it, you should resign. It’s that simple…. You are acting unethically if you don’t adhere to the practices.”
Many of the strongest statements against the use of commission-paid agents came from independent counselors, who noted that because their fees (paid by students’ families) are based on time or service provided, and not a commission paid by the college, they have no incentive to encourage a student to consider any one college over another. That disappears in a commission-based system, they said.
Mark Sklarow, executive director of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, said that “when someone in China or Latvia knows that they are going to get paid for sending a kid to one of these five or six colleges” that are paying his or her commissions, “and in fact that Number Six will pay twice what College Four will pay, there is no question that when your meal depends on that commission, the best interest of the kid has been left behind.”
Laura M. Oliveira, vice president of enrollment at Salve Regina University, went so far as to question why companies that use agents are allowed in the exhibit hall at the meeting, as they are. If the “business model is based on commission-based recruiting,” she said it was wrong for NACAC to welcome the companies. “NACAC has to look at its own practices.”
Mark Shay, U.S. regional director for IDP, one of the leading companies with global networks of agents, had the unenviable task of being the only identifiable representative of agents in the room. He argued repeatedly that critics of commission-based agents inflate the significance of the commission when paying for performance is common in the admissions world (and is not controversial if commissions aren’t involved).

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Employment Law In London

When it Comes to Employment Law, Always Use the Experts

We all go through life hoping we will never need the services of employment law solicitors, but its not always possible. The sad fact is that many people become the victim of injustice when at work, so its good to know that employment law solicitors are on hand should we ever need their assistance.

While there could be many reasons to engage an expert in employment law, redundancy is one of the most upsetting. Losing a job is a traumatic experience, but if the redundancy process isnt followed correctly, there could be the potential to make a claim for compensation. Anyone in this situation needs the protection of UK employment law. Solicitors in London and across the UK can provide help and guidance for all.
Help with Employment Law in London and all over the UK

If youre worried about the financial impact of hiring a specialist in employment law, no win no fee arrangements will set your mind at rest. Those who are suffering at work, or who have endured the loss of their job completely, will often be concerned about the cost of engaging specialists in employment law. London solicitors, as well as those in other parts of the UK, will work hard to gain the maximum possible compensation award for their clients.

It goes without saying that employment law doesnt just apply to job losses. Discrimination is a highly emotive subject, and one that is all too common, unfortunately. Employment law solicitors are increasingly engaged in cases involving discrimination against employees because of their age, gender, disability or a number of other factors.
Employment law covers a multitude of areas

Clients often call on their employment law solicitors for other issues, such as the interpretation of the wording of contracts, for example. If you feel you need help and guidance on any matter involving employment law, the first thing you need to do is make a phone call to a competent firm of employment law solicitors. Advice and assistance is not far away, so theres no need to worry about tolerating any injustice in the workplace.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Law Student Jobs - Tips on Finding Work as a Law Student

Have you decided about the field you want to choose for your career? This is one of the most important periods of a person's life. Lots of people are unable to decide the right kind of career for themselves. It is a crucial period and if you make a mistake it can really take a toll on your career.

You must always choose field which interests you. You must always remember that unless you love your work you will not get complete job satisfaction. Without a perfect job satisfaction you can never grow in your career.

One of the most popular fields these days is the legal field. Lots of people are choosing this field because they think they are fit for this. If you are young and energetic and love challenges and excitement then this is the field for you.

But before you look for the law jobs you need to pass the law school examination.

If you can do well in the law school you will get the law school jobs which can help you a lot in shaping your career.

If you are a law student then you have a lot of entry level law jobs waiting for you. But you must always remember that it is very much important to perform well in all your law school examinations.

There are different kinds of jobs available for the law students. Law clerk jobs are one of the jobs that can be suitable for the students. You must always remember that as a student you need to learn about this profession as much as you can.

The more you learn in the initial stages the more you will be benefitted in your career. In the beginning the job might seem to be a bit tough but as you start doing it everyday you will get used to it.

If you are looking for tips to find law student jobs then first of all you need to make sure that you perform certain extracurricular activities along with your studies. You must always go to the library regular to read books on law.

Other than this, you must also attend seminars and extra classes to get a better knowledge about this career field. It is also important to develop you communication skills because as a lawyer or even as a legal assistant you will have to communicate with lots of people.

This is the reason why it is important to grow the people skills. Computer literacy is also important these days. If you choose the law student jobs then you might have to deal with a lot of documents and typing. You might also have to answer emails as well as phone calls.

The entry level law jobs create a ground for the law students. They can utilize these jobs as a ladder to go up in their career. So before you start looking for the legal jobs make sure you are awarded good marks in your bar exam and graduation school.