Are labor unions necessary in the modern workplace?
Today, I would like to consider if labor unions are necessary in the modern workplace.
To this question, I would like to answer "No" in following three reasons.
First, working circumstances are changing and they can change the work if necessary.
Permanent employments used to be dominant in Japanese workplace. Though, it is changing significantly to more flexible style of working. So, if a worker has any complaint about his or her working conditions, he or she could change their work. In this condition, the company may lose distinguished workers unless it changes their policy and thus the company must reconsider its policy.
Second, the needs of workers are diversifying and one union could not unite the demand.
At first, the status of workers was comparatively identical especially in Japan: male with wife to take care of their family. But now days, it is diversifying that all workforce's gender, marital and family condition, age and educational background are diversifying. One might want more wages on the other hand the other might want more flexible working time. Thus it is difficult for union to unite the demand.
And finally, big labor unions seem to be corrupted.
I don't know about small labor unions, but for the big labor unions with long history, the tops of them seem to have some collusive relationship with companies. Sometimes unbelievable conclusions are already settled between the company and labor union and we the member have no space to say anything. I think we should think of other way to claim our needs to companies' managers, other than long lived labor unions.
In conclusion, I would like to say that labor unions are not necessary anymore in the modern workplace because the working circumstances are changing, the needs of workers are diversifying and long-lived big labor unions seems to be corrupted.
(305 words)
To this question, I would like to answer "No" in following three reasons.
First, working circumstances are changing and they can change the work if necessary.
Permanent employments used to be dominant in Japanese workplace. Though, it is changing significantly to more flexible style of working. So, if a worker has any complaint about his or her working conditions, he or she could change their work. In this condition, the company may lose distinguished workers unless it changes their policy and thus the company must reconsider its policy.
Second, the needs of workers are diversifying and one union could not unite the demand.
At first, the status of workers was comparatively identical especially in Japan: male with wife to take care of their family. But now days, it is diversifying that all workforce's gender, marital and family condition, age and educational background are diversifying. One might want more wages on the other hand the other might want more flexible working time. Thus it is difficult for union to unite the demand.
And finally, big labor unions seem to be corrupted.
I don't know about small labor unions, but for the big labor unions with long history, the tops of them seem to have some collusive relationship with companies. Sometimes unbelievable conclusions are already settled between the company and labor union and we the member have no space to say anything. I think we should think of other way to claim our needs to companies' managers, other than long lived labor unions.
In conclusion, I would like to say that labor unions are not necessary anymore in the modern workplace because the working circumstances are changing, the needs of workers are diversifying and long-lived big labor unions seems to be corrupted.
(305 words)
Do young people today have shorter attention spans?
Do young people today have shorter attention spans?
To the question whether young people today have shorter attention spans, I would answer "Yes". For example, they zap TV programs in terms of seconds, or could not bear reading books which need long concentration in the stories. I contemplate this is because of following two reasons.
First, influence of influx of information.
Young people get growth with accompanied by TV. TV stations, who desire to keep audience watching TV, have to keep their program attractive otherwise the audience will zap the cannel to others'. Consequently, TV programs need to sustain the interest of audience's and give the climax at least once in 15 minutes.
Young people used to watch these programs tend to short in attention spans and they might feel boring if there is no new progress within 15 minutes.
Second, education which give quick answers.
At school, students are given education. But at the class, students will be provided all the answers at least by the end of the class period. When they have any questions, teacher will never hesitate to answer, or they can look up the answer in the text book.
These facts make children used to be given every answer in few minutes, and they tend to grow unbearable to the suspension before getting answers.
In conclusion, I say that young people these days have shorter attention spans in their growing circumstances and is not just a phenomenon we should regret.
(230 words)
To the question whether young people today have shorter attention spans, I would answer "Yes". For example, they zap TV programs in terms of seconds, or could not bear reading books which need long concentration in the stories. I contemplate this is because of following two reasons.
First, influence of influx of information.
Young people get growth with accompanied by TV. TV stations, who desire to keep audience watching TV, have to keep their program attractive otherwise the audience will zap the cannel to others'. Consequently, TV programs need to sustain the interest of audience's and give the climax at least once in 15 minutes.
Young people used to watch these programs tend to short in attention spans and they might feel boring if there is no new progress within 15 minutes.
Second, education which give quick answers.
At school, students are given education. But at the class, students will be provided all the answers at least by the end of the class period. When they have any questions, teacher will never hesitate to answer, or they can look up the answer in the text book.
These facts make children used to be given every answer in few minutes, and they tend to grow unbearable to the suspension before getting answers.
In conclusion, I say that young people these days have shorter attention spans in their growing circumstances and is not just a phenomenon we should regret.
(230 words)
The advantages and/or disadvantages of job promotions based on performance instead of seniority.
*Write an essay on the given TOPIC covering three of the POINTS below.
*Structure: three or more paragraphs including an introduction and conclusion.
*Length: around 200 words.
TOPIC
The advantages and/or disadvantages of job promotions based on performance instead of seniority.
POINTS (I used ●s)
●Encouragement
○Vitality
●Creativity and innovation
○Jealousy
●Experience
○Loyalty to the company
The advantages and/or disadvantages of job promotions based on performance instead of seniority.
In Japan, we are now facing severe aging society. Considering Japan’s way to go through the economic competition within economic globalization, job promotions based on performance is essential in following two reasons.
First, it is a key to improve the performance of companies.
As companies are getting their profits from selling their products, to improve the profitability and quality of products are essential to improve the performance of companies. And to improve the profitability, it is important to pay the wages based on performance. In Japan, when permanent employment was common, based on their experiment, usually senior employees’ performance was better than newcomers’, and there was no discrepancy between seniority and performance. But since the employment system is flexing, it is important to evaluate employees not by length of belonging to the company but by their performance.
Second, it could be an encouragement to people to be creative and innovative.
When job promotions are based on performance, employees will shift from conservative attitude, not to make mistakes which might lead them fired, to aggressive attitude to make more outcomes. Even if they failed to make innovation and get fired, they can always challenge in another company with same salary.
Thus, in conclusion, I think Japanese society should shift to promoting employees by performance because it has advantages in improving the performance of companies and encourages people to be creative. (225word 25min)
*Structure: three or more paragraphs including an introduction and conclusion.
*Length: around 200 words.
TOPIC
The advantages and/or disadvantages of job promotions based on performance instead of seniority.
POINTS (I used ●s)
●Encouragement
○Vitality
●Creativity and innovation
○Jealousy
●Experience
○Loyalty to the company
The advantages and/or disadvantages of job promotions based on performance instead of seniority.
In Japan, we are now facing severe aging society. Considering Japan’s way to go through the economic competition within economic globalization, job promotions based on performance is essential in following two reasons.
First, it is a key to improve the performance of companies.
As companies are getting their profits from selling their products, to improve the profitability and quality of products are essential to improve the performance of companies. And to improve the profitability, it is important to pay the wages based on performance. In Japan, when permanent employment was common, based on their experiment, usually senior employees’ performance was better than newcomers’, and there was no discrepancy between seniority and performance. But since the employment system is flexing, it is important to evaluate employees not by length of belonging to the company but by their performance.
Second, it could be an encouragement to people to be creative and innovative.
When job promotions are based on performance, employees will shift from conservative attitude, not to make mistakes which might lead them fired, to aggressive attitude to make more outcomes. Even if they failed to make innovation and get fired, they can always challenge in another company with same salary.
Thus, in conclusion, I think Japanese society should shift to promoting employees by performance because it has advantages in improving the performance of companies and encourages people to be creative. (225word 25min)
The recent popularity in Japan of learning Asian culture
*Write an essay on the given TOPIC covering three of the POINTS below.
*Structure: three or more paragraphs including an introduction and conclusion.
*Length: around 200 words.
TOPIC
The recent popularity in Japan of learning Asian culture
POINTS (I used ●s)
●Neighbors
○Asians in Japna
●Diplomatic relations
○Cultural similarities
○Discrimination
●Economic ties
Every summer, in these few years, when Prime Minister Junici Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine, china criticizes it. North Korea is demanding the food and economic aid, backed with threat of nuclear weapon, and South Korea’s economic growth with IT techniques is a big brow to Japan’s economy. Seeing these situations, it is natural that learning Asian culture, why they are behaving like that, is getting popular in Japan. Add to this, there are two more points which encourage this tendency.
First, Asia has to cooperate to vie with US or EU economy.
To stand against US economy, countries of Europe strengthened their ties by constructing Europe Union. Among this big two economic zones, Asia has to consider strengthening their economic ties among neighbors, or will rose our economic standing point.
Second, we, Japanese, need environmental safety.
As located next to China, Japan receives severe effect of China’s environmental destruction. Air pollution will drift to Japan, land erosion causes “Yellow Sand” and China’s huge emission of CO2 causes climate change. To protect our country, we have to strengthen diplomatic relations between China and Japan, and thus, for its base, we have to learn each other.
In conclusion, resent popularity in Japan of learning Asian Culture is because we, Japanese, need to protect ourselves in economic and environmental issues. (217 words, 24 minutes)
*Structure: three or more paragraphs including an introduction and conclusion.
*Length: around 200 words.
TOPIC
The recent popularity in Japan of learning Asian culture
POINTS (I used ●s)
●Neighbors
○Asians in Japna
●Diplomatic relations
○Cultural similarities
○Discrimination
●Economic ties
Every summer, in these few years, when Prime Minister Junici Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine, china criticizes it. North Korea is demanding the food and economic aid, backed with threat of nuclear weapon, and South Korea’s economic growth with IT techniques is a big brow to Japan’s economy. Seeing these situations, it is natural that learning Asian culture, why they are behaving like that, is getting popular in Japan. Add to this, there are two more points which encourage this tendency.
First, Asia has to cooperate to vie with US or EU economy.
To stand against US economy, countries of Europe strengthened their ties by constructing Europe Union. Among this big two economic zones, Asia has to consider strengthening their economic ties among neighbors, or will rose our economic standing point.
Second, we, Japanese, need environmental safety.
As located next to China, Japan receives severe effect of China’s environmental destruction. Air pollution will drift to Japan, land erosion causes “Yellow Sand” and China’s huge emission of CO2 causes climate change. To protect our country, we have to strengthen diplomatic relations between China and Japan, and thus, for its base, we have to learn each other.
In conclusion, resent popularity in Japan of learning Asian Culture is because we, Japanese, need to protect ourselves in economic and environmental issues. (217 words, 24 minutes)
Changes in Japanese women's attitudes toward their careers.
Changes in Japanese women's attitudes toward their careers.
○Discrimination
-Independence
-Liberation
-Gender-related jobs
○economic causes
○Women's education
To Japanese girls, the most desired future used to be "to be a bride". At that time, working women retire according to marriage considered to be quite a favorable situation. But now a days, situation is changing and women's attitudes toward their careers are increasing in following three reasons.
First: bad economic situation.
On the centrally to Japan's high-growing economic era, Japan is now in a long recession. This causes the firing of employees, not only women but men. It means that if the husband was the only person who earns the money, the family could get in deep trouble.
Thus women are more eager to work these days regarding economic causes.
Second: more than 10 years have passed since the implementation of gender equal law.
The law banned the discrimination between gender upon hiring and promoting, and many women are working in the positions, which are considered to be men's posts.
This enables to promote women's profession, which could encourage other women to follow.
Third: changing education scene.
After the gender equal law, schools have also changed.
For example, household techniques like cooking, washing and sewing used to be the subjects for girls, on the other hand, electrical techniques and wood crafts used to be the subjects for boys. But now a days, those subjects became selectable depends on individual favors, which are widening the minds of people.
In conclusion, I would like to say that Japanese women's attitudes toward their career are increasing because of severe economic situation, change in the society and change of women's educations according to implementation of gender equal law. (20 min, 263 words)
○Discrimination
-Independence
-Liberation
-Gender-related jobs
○economic causes
○Women's education
To Japanese girls, the most desired future used to be "to be a bride". At that time, working women retire according to marriage considered to be quite a favorable situation. But now a days, situation is changing and women's attitudes toward their careers are increasing in following three reasons.
First: bad economic situation.
On the centrally to Japan's high-growing economic era, Japan is now in a long recession. This causes the firing of employees, not only women but men. It means that if the husband was the only person who earns the money, the family could get in deep trouble.
Thus women are more eager to work these days regarding economic causes.
Second: more than 10 years have passed since the implementation of gender equal law.
The law banned the discrimination between gender upon hiring and promoting, and many women are working in the positions, which are considered to be men's posts.
This enables to promote women's profession, which could encourage other women to follow.
Third: changing education scene.
After the gender equal law, schools have also changed.
For example, household techniques like cooking, washing and sewing used to be the subjects for girls, on the other hand, electrical techniques and wood crafts used to be the subjects for boys. But now a days, those subjects became selectable depends on individual favors, which are widening the minds of people.
In conclusion, I would like to say that Japanese women's attitudes toward their career are increasing because of severe economic situation, change in the society and change of women's educations according to implementation of gender equal law. (20 min, 263 words)
