Employment at Will Essay Example for Free

Employment at Will Essay There are several concerns and issues that had been analyzed by the new COO of the organization. Many aspects need to be carefully considered before making sound decisions of any corrective action or termination in effort to avoid legal actions. According to Connell and Castro, issues need to be carefully investigated by exploring relevant witness such as co-workers (Castro Connell, 2009, p.31). This will ensure that situations with misunderstandings are not the issue. However, the conclusion made by the COO should be practical and within reason, not made on impulse or suddenly, and in line with the Employment-at-will doctrine. Although, employees can be dismissed at any time for whatever reason if there aren’t any statutes that would prohibit the act, careful review of the concerns listed below is needed for the betterment of the company and its strategic plans. John posted a rant on his Facebook page in which he criticized the company’s most important customer. Jim sent an email to other salespeople protesting a change in commission schedules and bonuses and suggesting everyone boycott the next sales meeting. Ellen started a blog to protest the CEO’s bonus, noting that no one below director has gotten a raise in two (2) years and portraying her bosses as â€Å"know-nothings† and â€Å"out-of-touch† Bill has been using his company-issued BlackBerry to run his own business on the side. The secretaries in the accounting department decided to dress in black-and-white stripes to protest a memo announcing that the company has installed keylogger software on all company computers. After being disciplined for criticizing a customer in an email (sent from his personal email account on a company computer), Joe threatens to sue the company for invasion of privacy. One of the department supervisors requests your approval to fire his secretary for insubordination. Since the secretary has always received glowing reviews, you call her into your office and determine that she has refused to prepare false expense reports for her boss. Anna’s boss refused to sign her leave request for jury duty and now wants to fire her for being absent without permission. Summarization of Employment-At- Will Doctrine In any kind of employment relationship, employment is a moment to moment employment contract between the employer and the employee. Therefore, the employment- at – will doctrine allows the employer to do whatsoever it feels to the respect of the employee. Putting it differently, the doctrine permits an employer to terminate a worker for any reason good, bad, or without reason as long as the termination is within the legal parameters (Urhuogo, 2010, p.29). In other words, if nothing else applies to the situation at hand such as a specific law of court case that would support the termination (Anti- Discrimination Law), then the employment – at – will doctrine will succeed. However, exceptions at the federal, state, and city level such as specific statutes or laws and common laws (contract and public policy) allowed for modifications to be implemented to the employment-at-will-doctrine in effort to prevent an employer in terminating a worker under the more precise exemption. At the federal level Title VII (Civil Rights Act), which includes race, sex, national origin, and religion are protected. In addition, workers are protected under the Age Discrimination and Employment Act, Americans with Disability Act, and National Labor Relations Act, which protects workers that participate in a union. Most state laws are paralleled to those laws implemented at the federal level. However, some states have expanded their laws to further modify the employment-at-will doctrine for example; some states have included sexual preference as being protected, which is not covered under the federal law. Common law exception, which is applied to all levels is based on precedence and therefore, does not need   o apply. An example would include a judge handing down a verdict in his or her jurisdiction creating an exception to the employment-at-will-doctrine. The decision made by the judge would therefore become a binding on employers, which is independent or separate of the laws or statutes that was created by the legislative body. In conclusion of the employment-at-will doctrine, if the workers termination does not fall within the statutory or common law exception, the employment-at-will doctrine will default. Recommendation and Implementation Firstly, many of the concerns and issues referenced above could have possible been eliminated if a whistleblowing policy had been implemented. Realizing and executing this policy within the workplace, allows for whistleblowers to exhibit a role of importance that could eliminate unethical or illegal behaviors within the workplace before any issues become too difficult to handle. When organizations continue to have employees that display a characteristic of being unethical, they position the organization to be at risk in a negative manner legally, financially, and publically. The fact of the matter is that wrong doing occurs in many organizations, but workers at ALL levels should feel comfortable and confident that their work environment is not one of being hostile. Therefore, including a whistleblowing policy should be safe for the worker in knowing that if or when a matter is reported internally; any corrective action can be quickly executed thereby, causing workers to become more ethical. In addition, ongoing ethics training for workers at ALL levels in effort to enhance a moral environment or climate should be applied so that: Objectives and strategic plans are met and the best way to ensure that they are met Leaders are â€Å"walking the walk and talking the talk† (setting examples for all) Workers will feel as though their communication and responsibility is of value to their place of work. Finally, the assurance of the policy should be an image of the company and therefore, being upheld than just words on a piece of paper. The whistleblower should feel confident and safe that when an investigation is done, it will be conducted in an objective manner and investigated by one that has absolutely no influence on the outcome. This too will give a feeling that confidentiality is of value within the organization to the whistleblower. After careful review of the employee issues and concerns, the following recommendation has been made: Firstly, the real boss in my opinion is the customers and especially the high profitable ones because they are the major source of buying. And if your high profitable consumers decide to take business to your competitors then you basically have fired yourself. Although, John decided to criticize the most important customer, it is best to terminate his position due to the fact that at that moment a competitive disadvantage had been created. Jim and Ellen have some real legitimate grievances that need to be address by the company in effort to determine if other employees have the same concern and if so, developing ways to correct the issue. However, both Jim and Ellen have real concerns in reference to pay and therefore, it should be addressed. I believe that they both need to be coached and maybe even disciplined on the way of handling their concern but, I feel that they are both protected under the retaliation law and public policy. In Bills cases, grounds for termination can be expected assuming he did not get permission first. The use of the company’s cellular in effort to start his business is considered theft. Misusing the company’s resource for personal business causes the business to lose time and money. Im afraid it is perfectly legal for an employer to monitor company computer usage while you are at work, you do not have the right without permission to do your private work on your companys computer. Therefore, the accounting department need to be coached on the expectations of the company but also understand that they are not obligated to continue their employment with the organization if they feel disapprove of the key loggers. I believe that Joe has the right to sue the company due to the fact that it was his personal email that had been reviewed. I believe that if Joe’s criticism had been done on the business email then corrective action must stand. In order for the business to prevent personal email usages, it should be clearly outlined in the employee handbook as well as explaining the extent of computers being monitored. Employers should make sure that workers clearly understand the policy. The information provided by the secretary should be investigated thoroughly. If her claim is true, then she would be protected by the violation of public policy. The secretary cannot be terminated due to the fact that she declined to prepared false expense reports for her boss. However, the boss should and need to be investigated and terminated for his actions to eliminate a hostile work environment. Anna exercised her legal right under public policy law reporting to jury duty. However, Anna’s boss may ask for proof of jury duty and unless the employee handbook state otherwise, the employer does not have to compensate Anna. Termination in this case would be illegal. In Conclusion, understanding the employment-at-will doctrine and carefully executing the parameters of the doctrine can still leave the employer with sense of being uneasy and becoming apprehensive that an employee will attempt to sue. According to Wood and Karau, it is imprtant to respect employees during the process of which the termination is taking place because it will show the employee that their work was appreciated while they were working for the company (Wood Karau, 2008, p. 521). This can help or assist in preventing legal actions when respect is given. According to Urhuogo, Giving employee’s reasons for termination may result in employees to be understanding of the situation (Urhuogo, 2010, p.33). However, in the end, every employers and workers must display a demeanor that is ethical and suitable for the company and themselves.

Discipline-Based Art Education Curriculum

Discipline-Based Art Education Curriculum The discipline-based art education program relies on several different curriculum theories. At times, the theories overlap and contradict each other, which is a reason why the DBAE has endured much criticism, as well as praise since its inception. The focus of this paper is to connect the theories to the four disciplines of DBAE by using the readings from EDU-707, Curriculum Theory, and Research. Introduction The aims of the discipline-based art education are to provide art educators with a curriculum that is equal in vigor as the core curriculum subjects. Noddings (2003) would conclude that the DBAE curriculum, which parallels with core subjects, is rationalized through planned objectives and goals. Constructing a school curriculum, or a set of courses, must begin with a purpose or at least knowing the answer to why is this important to teach and learn? Eisner (1967) states, if one is to build curriculum in a rational way, the clarity of premise, end or starting point, would appear paramount (p. 250). In the early 1900s, school curriculum was questioned and mainly because of the changes that were taking place in society. There was a tremendous growth in popular journalism, the rapid advancement of railroads, and the migration of people from a predominately rural base moving into more urban locations (Kliebard, 2004). The industrial revolution was replacing the farm-based way of life and students needed a different type of education to help society in the future. The purpose of education is summed up neatly by Bobbitt who states, [Education is] the function of training every citizen, man or woman, not for knowledge about citizenship, but for proficiency in citizenship (Flinders Thornton, 2004a, p. 11). Additionally, Eisner (2001), DBAE founder and Stanford University Professor of Education and Art, offers, the function of schooling is not to enable students to do better in school. The function of schooling is to enable students to do better in life (p. 369). The DBAE curriculum is shaped by connecting different and at times conflicting beliefs. Few can argue that the main purpose of DBAE is to offer teachers a theoretical framework for learning and teaching the arts (Patchen, 1996). However, the foundations of DBAE have been under constant scrutiny since its inception. The criticism focused around being too prescriptive, eliminating individual creativity, and not representing all cultures. The differing analysis from academic experts is likely because the arts require a novel or creative response. Therefore, developing the particular behaviors needed for students to be successful it is hard to identify (Eisner). Another factor in the construction of the DBAE is how the world viewed art education in the 1960s. During prior decades art was influenced by national and political issues reflecting on post-war thinking. The approach was a belief of independence and democratic personality, which shaped art activities (Freedman, 1987). Therefore, the DBAE creators found a necessity for a disciplined approach. By definition, the term discipline means a field of study, as well as gaining control by enforcing the order. Both descriptions of discipline imply a set of parameters. Setting restrictions on instruction is designed to help teachers uniformly teach art education, which includes a responsibility of providing foundational knowledge. Art teaching in DBAE focuses on four disciplines: art production, art history, art criticism, and art aesthetics. Art Production Art production is students learning skills and techniques to produce personal, original artwork. This change signifies a different model from one of creative self-expression which had controlled art education throughout the previous decades and one in which Greene (1995) would contend that to be yourself is to be in process of creating a self, an identity (p. 20). Greene is certainly an advocate for individualism, creativity, and an awareness of oneself. However, the creators of the DBAE saw creativity through the lens of an essentialist. The orientation of an essentialist classroom should revolve around the teacher. The teacher should also be the model to which students should try to emulate. If the teacher is the focus of an essentialist classroom, Counts (Flinders Thornton, 2004c) believes that they should take the next step and reach for the power and help construct the curriculum. The DBAE founders value the art product by using known exemplary works of art and treat art as a p rocess moving from the outside inward. The founders contend that students view aspects of the exemplary as a process of discovery about responding, understanding, and thus creating. There is a flaw in this methodology because which of the many different societies have excellent pieces of art for students to follow? Kliebard (2004) suggests that what a society values and incorporates it into the curriculum is tough because it cannot take into account the different segments of society and what they feel is worthy of study. The emphasis of DBAE art production is for students to create art physically. The problem for teachers lies with assessing students levels of achievement in their art creation. Eisner (2001) proposes that creating standards and the measures of performance help teachers and school administrators to be accountable. Dweck (2000) offers that there are two different types of goals to assess; one is a performance goal or how well students completed the assignment and the second is a learning goal, which assesses what the student learned while creating. In an ideal setting, educators should strive to evaluate both performance and learning goals. An assessable performance goal in a DBAE classroom is the students demonstration of proper techniques used in the exemplary pieces to create a new work of art. Because art instruction uses exemplary work, teachers can assess the performance of a student who is developing intuition and reasoning behind why a piece is considered exemplary. Assessing a learning goal is more difficult because of individual experiences. Sumara and Davis (1999) suggest learning is an act of (re) cognition, meaning that people who see things for the first time helps them make meaning to what they already know. Conversely, Greene (1995) offers that students have to develop their imagination for learning to take place. Depending on a students previous experiences, an art teacher using the DBAE approach would need to create individualized rubrics to assess learning. Furthermore, a student self-reflection would be of great benefit to the assessment process. Art History Art history is studying the artistic accomplishments based on culture and history. Students educated through DBAE instruction begin with observing exemplars. The choices of exemplars have received the most criticisms because of the lack of representation in different societies, gender, and minorities. The section of curriculum devoted to art history has roots with Perennialism qualities. From a Perennialist perspective the exemplars are mainly chosen from Western European artists; predominately individuals who are white and male. The program meritoriously excluded other genres and narrowed students ability to think critically by telling them the exemplars were the only necessary or worthy pieces of work to study. Taliaferro Basziles (2008) statement regarding the lack of diversity is powerful as she writes, Cartesian rationality, which à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡attens out the role ones racial history plays in considering a rational line of thought (p. 381). What she is offering is without diver sity and representation of multiple the points of view, the consumer is knowledge is incomplete, and they forced to take the perspective provided. In effect the lack of representation oppresses, even eliminates many cultures and genders from history. bell hooks (Darder, Baltodano, Torres, 2009) reminds us of the importance of hearing each others voices, individual thoughts, and sometimes associating these voices with personal experience makes us more acutely aware of each other (p.138). Unfortunately, the designers of the DBAE rely heavily on the great works specifically within Western European art history, in essence taking the status quo route of it was good for previous generations, so it must be good for the next generation. The Perennialist teacher is supposed to focus on personal development, but it appears that the art history framers of the DBAE approach are interested in developing one point of view, one level of emotion, and providing one genre of great work. Wang (2008) would argue this narrow focus further perpetuates the social hierarchy that exists in a predominantly privileged white society. She would advocate for a teacher to use caution, but to introduce other great works by minorities, females, and other marginalized individuals to provide students with a broader intellect. Additionally, if we look at Freires idea of an educational banking system, the DBAE is in full compliance. Freire (2003) describes the banking concept as education that regards men as adaptable, manageable beings (p.73). The use of exemplars, solely based on one society, provides students with the knowledge they may or may not need or use. The teacher deposits the notion that exemplary x IS a piece of great work and the student accepts and memorizes it and later regurgitates it back to the teacher. There is a complete lack of variety and opinions given toward the exemplars. Freire (2003) believes the students have to work at storing the deposits delivered to them not to d evelop an awareness which may result in transforming the opinion. Certainly, the teacher engages students in a dialogue, but the conversation revolves around what the teacher believes is important and offers no other alternatives. The criticism of the art history strand using the DBAE approach is justified. The lack of women, people of color, and modern artists exemplars gives students a disproportionate view of art history. The heteronormative thinking of art history in DBAE, as Sumara and Davis (1999) remind us, does not broaden a viewers perception or increase their understanding of what makes a piece of work worthy of being an exemplary. Students need to be able to develop various frameworks; this could occur through the study of designated, restricted art examples. Maybe even more than the advancement of multiple lenses, students need the capability to be instinctive regarding artistic choices and develop relations among those choices to help shape his or her reality. Art Criticism The goal of art criticism is to be able to interpret and evaluate for the purpose of understanding and appreciating works of art. To be able to interpret and assess art, students must be able to experience and process the art; additionally, teachers need to place a high level of importance on student perception and decision making. Therefore, art criticism relies on Existentialist and Constructionist theories. An existentialist teacher encourages student responses and desires student self-awareness, and hooks (Darder, Baltodano, Torres, 2009) reflects these traits when she describes her classroom as a place where everyone has a voice and students continually practice self-awareness to reinforce their position on a topic. Baszile (2008) offers that literature suggests reflection is a racially neutral practice. However, she would strongly disagree because of her experiences while attending a predominately White campus for preservice teachers. Her reflection experiences demonstrate a d ismissal of race and background, which left a void in her growth process. As a DBAE teacher, it is imperative that their voice and reflection be neutral to encourage honest and open dialogue between the students. The more students review and discuss art the more they build their knowledge base to think critically about art. Largely based on interest and critical thinking, it is the DBAE teachers responsibility to foster an environment where students can question ideas and have the flexibility ability to develop competencies in areas that interest them. Doll (1993) uses the term recursion to describe developing competence through reflective practices and building upon previous knowledge, in essence, he is suggesting that students are critically thinking. Dewey is an advocate for building on prior learning which involves experiential, hands-on learning. He would appreciate students in a DBAE classroom would have ample opportunities to connect art to other subjects during their experimentation and analysis. Dewey offers that school departmentalizes subjects and nothing could be worse for students as they quickly pass from one subject to the next, often with no conscious isolation. For students t o effectively interpret and analyze art, they have to be able to draw from many experiences. The experiences must repeatedly occur, because the childs present experience is in no way self-explanatory. It is not final, but transitional (Dewey, p. 279). Greene (1995) calls the experiences bringing the unknown to consciousness, which can provide pure enjoyment for students. Students who revel in the learning process are far more likely to find success with Blooms upper levels of critical thinking skills of creating, analyzing, and evaluating art. Art Aesthetics Art aesthetics is defining, making judgments, and exploring the relationships between art and ideology and morality. The existential properties of students working toward finding personal meaning and value in art is a basic foundation of art aesthetics. Students are responsible for determining if the art is beautiful or ugly and if the art is an accurate or poor example of the period it was intended to represent. Doll (1993) proposes that thoughts on thoughts is the way we make meaning. He continues by suggesting for one to have a sense of self they must interact with the environment, with others, and with culture. Addams (Flinders Thornton, 2004b) defines culture as things that are passed through generations and have value and meaning. For a student to appreciate and be able to provide an appropriate aesthetic point of view they have to develop a deep understanding of themselves and their culture. Students who have not developed the skills can often base their opinions on preconcep tions and biases when they are engaging in objective criticism of art. According to hooks (Darder, Baltodano, Torres, 2009), biases shape the way knowledge is given and received. An incorrect belief on a piece of art does not help a student achieve an understanding of a culture or how that culture fits within the world. Furthermore, ideas based on falsehoods often transfer to next generations that further perpetuate the bias and the need for future correction. The preservation of untruths can be dangerous because as Baszile (2008) offers the false self-system works from within and often convinces people that it is normal or fact. In the world of art, DBAE teachers have a responsibility to their students to help them understand falsehoods and how to break the cycle of biases and ignorance. In essence, DBAE teachers are Social Reconstructionists in that they are contributing to reshaping society by providing students with necessary skills to make qualified judgments and finding relationships between the art world and real world. Counts (Flinders Thornton, 2004c) states that if teachers could locate the courage, intelligence, and vision, they could become societal change-makers. At the very least, teachers touch the future each day and have the ability to help students view culture and society in different ways. Counts is adamant about teachers making a stand, making a difference. His statement, If the schools are to be really effective, they must become centers for the building, and not merely for the contemplation (Flinders Thornton, p. 32) should resonate with DBAE teachers. As their students find new relat ionships between art and society, and art and their thinking, they are also building a capacity for intellect and appreciation of different cultures. Freire (2003) saw teaching and learning as a method of examination in which the child conceives and reinvents the world. Furthermore, he stresses education consists in acts of cognition, not transferals of information (p. 79), which is precisely what DBAE art aesthetics strand aims to achieve. Conclusion Viewing discipline-based art education from the perspective of different curriculum theories offers the reader a chance to make connections to what and why the founding writers of the DBAE saw to be important. The origins of the DBAE stem from previous decades of art instruction being a break for regular classroom teachers, and an arts and craft slice of the students educational day. By creating an art curriculum that includes rigorous standards, art education benefits art instructors by focusing their efforts, and more importantly all students because of the critical thinking. While there are still flaws within the DBAE approach, the successes require schools to provide the necessary, valuable time for art instruction and learning in mainstream education. References Baszile, D. T. (2008). The oppressor within: A counterstory of race, repression, and teacher reflection. Urban Rev, 40, 371-385. doi:10.1007/s11256-008-0090-1 Darder, A., Baltodano, M., Torres, R. (2009). 7 Confronting Class in the Classroom. In The critical pedagogy reader bell hooks (2nd ed.). New York and London: Routledge. Dewey, J. (1976). The Middle Works, 1899-1924. In The child and the curriculum. London and Amsterdam: Southern Illinois University Press. Doll, W. E. (1993). A post-modern perspective on curriculum. New York and London: Teachers College, Columbia University. Dweck, C. S. (2000). 3 Achievement Goals: Looking Smart Versus Learning. In Self-theories and goals: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. New York and London: Psychology Press. Eisner, E. W. (1967). Help or hindrance? The School Review, 75(3), 250-260. Eisner, E. W. (2001). What does it mean to say a school is doing well? The Phi Delta Kappan, 82(5), 367-372. Flinders, D. J., Thornton, S. J. (2004a). 1 Scientific Method in Curriculum-Making by Franklin Bobbitt. In The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Flinders, D. J., Thornton, S. J. (2004b). 3 The Public School and the Child Immigrant by Jane Addams. In The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Flinders, D. J., Thornton, S. J. (2004c). 4 Dare the School Build a New Social Order by George S. Counts. In The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Freedman, K. (1987). Art education and changing political agendas: An analysis of curriculum concerns of the 1940s and 1950s. Studies in Art Education, 29(1), 17-29. Freire, P. (2003). 2. In Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th Anniversary ed.). New York and London: Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. Greene, M. (1995). 2 Imagination, Breakthroughs, and the Unexpected. In Releasing the imagination: Essays on education, the arts, and social change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Kliebard, H. M. (2004). 1 Curriculum Ferment in the 1890s. In The struggle for the American curriculum, 1893-1958 (3rd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Noddings, N. (2003). 4 The Aims of Education. In Happiness and education. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Patchen, J. (1996). Overview of discipline based music education. Music Educators Journal, 83(2), 19-27. Sumara, D., Davis, B. (1999). Interrupting heteronormativity: Toward a queer curriculum theory. Curriculum Theory, 29(2), 191-208. Wang, H. (2008). Red eyes: Engaging emotions in multicultural education. Multicultural Perspectives, 10(1), 10-16. doi:10.1080/15210960701869330

MacBeth :: Character Analysis, Classics

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the three witches give Macbeth a false sense of security with their apparitions of truths. Instead, they prove to be harmful for Macbeth who takes too much comfort and confidence in his interpretation of the truths.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first apparition, a floating head warns Macbeth to beware Macduff. The apparition confirms Macbeth’s own fears saying he has already guessed as much. In the second apparition, a bloody child tells Macbeth, â€Å"None a woman born shall harm Macbeth† (4.1, p. 96). Believing everyone is born of woman, Macbeth takes relief in the idea that he will never be harmed. Although, the apparition does provide a truth, but unbeknownst to Macbeth, Macduff was not of â€Å"woman born† rather â€Å"from his mother’s womb / untimely ripped† (5.9 p. 349). Macduff was born through cesarean section after his mother died hence the bloody child in the apparition. In the third apparition, a crowned child holding a tree, tells Macbeth he is safe until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. Again, the apparition deceives Macbeth the way he perceives it thinking Birnam Wood cannot move to Dunsinane Hill. Later, a messenger tells Macbeth the trees of Birnam wood are advancing toward Dunsinane. Malcolm’s soldiers carry the tree branches to Dunsinane making the apparition truthful. The crowned child in the apparition is Malcolm—the future king after Macbeth. Finally in the last apparition, a procession of eight crowned kings walks by, the last one carrying a mirror. Banquo’s ghost walks at the end of the line. The witches vanish before Macbeth could get a meaning behind the apparition.

Big Black Good Man

Big Black good Man and Battle Royal I believe Richard Wright's story â€Å"Big Black Good Man† was written in a time when racial prejudice was a major factor in society. In Today’s society we still have racial prejudice, but it is not as strong as back then. The point in which Richard Wright wanted to get by writing this story is that people should â€Å"never judge others by their race†. In the story, Olaf mentioned Jim was not the first black man he serviced, but he started to make drama of Jim’s behaviors in his head. I think Olaf was the type of person who is ignoring that he is a racist but he actually is one.This was the most important point that Richard Wright was trying to make. This story is focusing more on characters. There were two characters, which responded very differently to the black man. Olaf, whom was working in a hotel for guest services, has an average life, average job and also average thinking. Based on the story Olaf is a type of ma n that is happy with his life and lifestyle and respects others the way they are. Although, as soon as it comes to big black man who enters the hotel every thing about him suddenly changes, some unexpected fear surrounds him.However, every day of Jims stays in the hotel Olaf would gain more fears of a big black man. In his mind, Jim is a big, black, loud and violent man that wants to kill him. On the other hand, Lena responded very differently to the black man. Based on the story, Lena was poor and wiling to do anything such as prostituting to earn money, in order to take care of her four children. Even at the arguments she had with Olaf, she mentioned that he is just another man with manly needs â€Å"He’s just a man†¦I handle ‘im. † She was seeing his as an ordinary man who had good money and wants her; of course it was no fear of him to her conflicting than Olaf.She was called to Jim’s room every night and she was willing to continue. I believe she wouldn’t care if he is black or if he is big, all that matters was the reality of Jim as a man who has money to lead her for taking care of her children. They also ended up liking each other, and started dating and at the end of the story Jim was thankful to Olaf as well. Lena stopped prostituting and making love with Jim; she must have seen him as a good man so she was willing to drop her income. On the other hand, when the story ends Olaf realized Jim was not a violent and harsh man he actually is a big black good man.In addition, when it comes to comparing we can compare â€Å"Big Black good Man† by Richard and â€Å"Battle Royal† by Ralph Ellison. The point in which both narrators wanted to make was the fact of differences in race and struggling of being different. â€Å"Battle Royal† is about young African American who is ? struggling to have a place in their society. It was kind of hard for people back then to deal with this situation and it was al so hard for black people to get into white society. It was all about equality and identity, which they did not have, back then.However, this story was written in 1947, black society in the U. S. was struggling to find an identity for itself separate from the unfair force accrued by a white culture. Ellison uses the theme of blindness throughout the story as he describes the relations between the narrator and the characters in the story. The paper describes the story, beginning with a strange type of the death of the narrator's grandfather and the advice he gave him about life and how to behave as a black man. Grandfather’s advice leads the whole story making narrator to fallow his advice and using it trough his life.In the story, young black boy struggle to get ahead in a predominately white society, he wanted to reach this goal in using his grandfathers advice. His grandfather told him to â€Å"live with your head in the lion’s mouth. I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction, let ‘em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open†. I believe his grandfather was trying to tell him to conform to the white people. The whole story shows his struggle and hardships his taking to reach his goal by fallowing grandpa’s advice.At the end of the story he also gives out a successful speech of this advice at his graduation. In conclusion, throughout time racism has been the cause of millions of deaths. In early centires racial prejudice was a major factor in society, now we see less racial prejudice. So many people still struggling because of racist people and some people are hiding their racisom. In both stories authors are trying to tell audiences stop judging people by their look, color and culture, there is absolutely no different between white and black it’s just a color. Human is a human and life goes on with all differences in people. Big Black Good Man â€Å"Big Black Good Man† Racism has existed for as long as humans have walked the earth. â€Å"Big Black Good Man,† by author Richard Wright takes place in 1957 in Copenhagen, Denmark at a cheap hotel on the docks. Olaf Jensen is a 60 year old white night porter who sees all kinds of people come there for a room. When Jim, a 6 1/2 foot tall black sailor who works for American Continental Line, arrives, the dilemma begins. Olaf is frozen by the sight of Jim and wonders whether he should give him a room. But we must read more deeply into the text to know what Olaf is actually feeling.Despite appearances, Olaf is not a racist because he has a multi-cultural background, he is afraid of Jim's size and power, not his skin color, and he feels insecure in Jim's presence. First, Olaf is not a racist because he has a multi-cultural background. In his youth Olaf was a in the services he was a sailor. While in the services over the world traveled all over the world. During his wor ld travels, Olaf has been exposed to a diversity of people from different background, races and cultures.While in navy, Olaf lived side by side with people of color â€Å"In his days, he’d worked and eaten and slept and fought with all kinds of men. † Olaf had been exposed to so much with so many culture. Olaf even lived in the melting pot on the world. â€Å"He lived in New York city for ten years. † For him to live so long in a city with such diversity suggests a open-mindedness to tolerance for different. During his travels, he even had learned 8 languages: â€Å"English, French, German, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Spanish. He took the time to learn these languages so he could better understand the people he was associating with. This makes it hard to believe that he was a racist. 1950’s segregation was still going on at this time, but it didn’t make any difference to Olaf. He actually states â€Å"It was not the hotel did not admit men of color†¦. He took all comers, blacks, yellows, whites, and browns. † Olaf did not discriminate on the basis of skin color. â€Å"to Olaf men were men. † Second, Olaf is not a racist because he is afraid of Jim's size and power, not his skin color.Jim’s sheer size at â€Å" 61/2 feet into the air, almost touching the ceiling. † Would cause any men to be afraid. Olaf constantly emphasize Jim’s enormous physique and power, describe as â€Å"His chest bulged like barrel† and â€Å"his rocklike shoulders hinted mountain ridgesâ€Å" and â€Å"the stomach ballooned like a threatening stone. † Olaf description of Jim gives a great image of Jim as a massive size and intimating features. It is easy to understand Olaf fear of Jim. He afraid so Jim that â€Å"With just one look at Jim’s hands he would have shivers†. Olaf was completely terrified of Jim.Later in the story, Jim walked in to the office and demand Olaf to s tand. Standing inch apart Jim lifted his mammoth hand his around Olaf throat. † Olaf lost control of the reflex of his body and felt a hot stickiness flooding his underwear. Olaf fear made him loss control over his own bodily function. I only could imagine this situation and reacting any different then Olaf. Third, Olaf is not a racist because he feels insecure in Jim's presence. Olaf is a small 5†7† 60 years old Caucasian man. Although he wasn’t poor he wasn’t rich, either a lifetime of working, he was still only a night potter.In comparison, Jim who has money, youth and power. He envied Jim â€Å" the easy manner in which it moved with such a creeping powerful motion† He felt that Jim presence command attention and respect. Having this enormous men in his presence frightened and insulted Olaf. â€Å"He believed that this man had come here expressly to remind him how puny, how tiny, and how weak he was. † Olaf offers to take Jim‘s bag, but Jim replies â€Å"That‘s too heavy for you, big boy: I‘ll take it† Olaf feel that this man makes him inferior and less of a man. As a result, Olaf â€Å"Seethed against himself for his involuntary weakness†.He was angry for allowing this men to make him feel weak. Unable to stand up to Jim, he feels â€Å"Him self beaten†, stating â€Å"He thinks am nothing. † Olaf felt so belittle by this man specially after what happen with Jim in his office when due to true fear he wet him self he was so embarrassed that he couldn’t even tell his wife â€Å" he wept†¦. He went home and lied to his wife, he had an upset stomach. † Olaf was so embrace about what had happen he lied. Olaf was so insecure of him self after meeting Jim. This essay has made it clear that Olaf is not a racist but just a very afraid men.A men that aloud his fear cloud his judgments. Even thou he was afraid he never aloud him self to act upon his fears. T his story is a great example of how important close reading is. If you just focus on the vocabulary without putting any thought to what you read you could believe he is a racist. But once you look into the text and take into count the complete picture. An after only after you have read and reread is that the truth come to light. This story show us a great example of not judging a book by it cover. Even thou Jim was huge and scary he was one of the nice people.

Fast Foods Essay

  Obesity among kids in the United States is on the rise. Many studies have shown the correlation between obesity and the fast food. The statistics show that in the United States almost six out of every ten people eat fast foods. The habit of eating fast foods is not a recent development. History has it that the practices could date as early as 512BC (think quest). During this period, some Egyptian restaurants offered a single dish of wild fowl, cereal, and onions. Ever since that, time restaurants have completely and progressively changed. Today there are thousands of restaurants all over the world. Most the fast foods sold always have some characteristics in common, in whichever part of the world the restaurant is located. It has been established that in most adults eat more fast foods because of the increasing working hours and not finding time for home cooked meal (Morgan, 2004). The other reason is that there are so many tasty choices for one to choose from. Furthermore, it does not take long to get the fast foods when one is in a hurry. Making it quite convenient for students and kids. Many American kids love fast foods like the specially created â€Å"combo† meals that are sold by the many restaurants specifically for them. The meals are always colorfully boxed and sometimes toys included for attracting the kids. Many kids seem to love the idea of going out with their friend and parents because they know that in process they get to buy the foods and snacks. Children would nag and insist on going out and have various kinds of of fast foods rather than having the homemade food. This is not surprising for they are easily lured by the attractive advertisement of fast foods oblivious of the dangers associated with them (Buzzle articles). The nutrition content of most fast foods is a worrying thing. Most of them have proven to be very unhealthy for kids and results in the increasing incidences of obesity among the them. These foods are sold cheaply something that consistently tempts the consumers to them.   It is a known fact that most of the fast foods are usually high in fat, cholesterol and sodium. Eating of these fast foods over along period of time lead to many health problems like the high blood pressure , heart diseases and obesity. Research data Various researches have been done to determine the extent to which fast foods are contributing to obesity not only in children but also in the entire human community. For example, a study by the USDA’s agricultural research service on some 90000US citizens established that over a quarter of adults in age group above 20 years eat fast foods daily. These foods are highly sugary; contain fats, carbohydrates and too many proteins (food navigator, 2004). Furthermore, research by a team lead by Mendoza aimed specifically at the content of the kid’s fast food. They targeted the meals served at some ten well-known regional restaurants situated in Houston. In their studies, the team found that only three percent of the food offered at these eating-places met the seven key standards set by the national school lunch program for meals intended for children in the kindergarten and through third grade. The meals which were referred to as the â€Å"best choice† were only made up of deli-style sandwich,-turkey, ham, roast beef or tuna-combined with a fruit, such as apple slices or raisins (ARS, 2009). Other meals include plain hamburger, fruit s, and low fat milk as well as a beverage. The meals that failed to meet the school lunch guidelines had more than 65 percent of fat. Furthermore, 75 per cent of the meals had too, little calcium, 82 percent had too little iron and 85 percent too little vitamin. Also according to Mendoza, the energy density of the fast foods not meeting the school lunch standards was 2.3 calories per gram compared to only 1.5 calories recommended by the standards. These findings though obtained from Houston alone qualify well to represent the reality nationally. According to the researchers, Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States. In addition, 10 of the restaurants there are among the 13 of the nation’s regional national fast food chains, which sell kid’s fast food (ARS, 2009). Most of these researches were spurred by the increasing levels in the number of obesity case among children. In fact, it has been established that more than 16 percent of children in the United States were overweight. In addition, there was a doubling in the estimated incidences of overweight among children and triple in the rate among adolescents. There was also the concern of by the pediatricians and other health care professionals that found the child obesity trend quite alarming and its potential death consequences. These findings related to the number of meals eaten away from homes. The rate of meals eaten away from home has grown from 20 percent in the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1970s to more than 30 percent presently. In a Further survey by the department of agriculture food surveys of Americans, 25 percent of us children aged between four and eight would on a typical day take fast food (ARS, 2009) The effects The main consequence of this fast food has been the increase in the number of overweight children. These yummy tasty and low costs happy foods are the attributes. One big challenge associated with this fast food is that it is becoming socially accepted (Milos, 2010). Many purple would decide to overcome guilt by giving themselves a treat by going to consume these food. There are commercials all over urging people to get latest desserts and other food. This has made it look superficially right but that is not the case.   The various ingredients of these foods have distinct health effects. Some people argue that we are in an era of junk food. The children have been driven away from the green leafy vegetable and only relish these fast foods. The effects that come out are irreversibly harmful. The excess sugar in these fast foods and the sodas laed to diabetes in the children’s body. They may develop the type 2 diabetes that is more prominent with the grand parents and parents (my child health   Ã‚  Ã‚  ). In this case, the body fails to produce adequate insulin that controls the sugar levels and the body metabolism. In addition, the fats and saturated fats lead to high levels of cholesterol in the blood. The cholesterol is associated with many heart complications. Such heart problems can lead to increase in major heart diseases. Furthermore, the fats can ale to a condition known as dyslipidemia, which occurs when the LDL levels and triglycerides are abnormally high (Buzzle). These can put the children in a very precarious situation of coronary heart diseases. Some of these fast foods contain excess sodium that is a big contributor of high blood pressure. Increase in the blood pressure can lead to rupture and cracks in the blood vessel walls. The human body uses lipoproteins in repair of these walls converting it into substance that contains cholesterols hence lead to increase in the cholesterol levels ( Eric, 2005). As children, indulge more and more in this fast food, their bodies become deficient of vitamins and iron. This is because most of these foods do not contain such nutrients. They therefore become anemic. This makes them lethargic and get tired so easily. This is because their diets always almost become completely deficient of green vegetables and fresh fruits causing great deficiency of both macro and micro nutrient supplements in their bodies (my child health). The result of this is reduced immunity making the children to become highly susceptible to various diseases and ailments. The body also becomes deficient of calcium that makes their teeth to be very weak, nails and bones brittle. The various preservatives used in these foods may also be carcinogenic. Remedy to fast foods problems It is important to note that there is no such a thing as bad food. Any food can fit into a healthy meal plan. The fast food chains should therefore revamp their menus to respond to the customer’s comments. These has been observed in some restaurants for   example there are those that do not serve food with trans fat, but instead have more fruits and vegetables . According to the CYWH Staff, the following tips can be helpful in setting up a healthy diet. It is advisable to choose boiled foods over fried ones likes the grilled chicken sandwich instead of fried chicken or chicken nuggets. Secondly, one should     choose soups hat are not cream based. This means that if the names of these soups include something like â€Å"creamy tomato soup† or any of that kind, then they should be avoided. The foods should have low –fat salad instead of full–fat salad kind. One should choose low fat milk, or diet sodas instead of regular sodas, fruits drinks, milkshakes, or whole milk.   If you can access fruits and vegetables, they should be added to the meal. For example, have lettuce and tomato on sandwiches or burgers. When one orders for foods like pizza its good to add veggies instead of meat , as well as getting thin crust instead of deep fish. Conclusion Since many researches have clearly established that restaurants selling fast foods have great contribution into the effects of these foods like the obesity, there should be a regulation into their activities. A study by the NBER established that the proximity of these restaurants s to work places and learning institutions have had a big impact into these. For example for pregnant women, having such a restaurant within 0.10 miles increases the probability of gaining 20 kilos during their pregnancy( NBER). As for children, having the restaurants within proximity of 0.25 to 0.50 miles had the same implications. It follows that such restaurants should be away from children. Policies should be laid in place to restrict the availability of fast food in residential areas and schools. References Eric S, Fast Food Nation, Harper Perennial, (2005). Morgan S, (2004), Super Size Me, Movie Reviews Agricultural research service, kid’s fat food and obesity. Accessed on August 2, 2010   Ã‚   from http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct09/kids1009.htm Buzzle, Fast Foods and the Child Obesity. Accessed on August 2, 2010 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.buzzle.com/articles/fast-food-and-child-obesity.html Milos P. (2010), Are fast food and obesity, accessed on august from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-Fast-Food-and-Obesity-Related?&id=357337 Think quest, Welcome to the Real Truth about Fast Foods and Nutrition, Accessed On  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   August 2, 2010 from http://library.thinkquest.org/4485/ My child health, Effects of Fast foods on children, Accessed on August 3, 2010 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.mychildhealth.net/effects-of-fast-food-on-children.html NBER, the national bureau of economic research, Accessed on August 3, 2010 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.nber.org/aginghealth/2009no1/w14721.html

Elements of Marketing Essay

There are several views and definition of marketing. The most widely accepted definition is that of the American Marketing Association, the professional organization for marketing practitioners and educators, which defines marketing as â€Å"the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives† Elements of Marketing Marketing Research Marketing is by definition a process of planning and executing to meet consumer needs. It understands what are actual consumer wants and needs. Marketing research is the process in which collection of data by systematically helps to identify consumer’s needs. The Four Ps The heart of marketing strategy is the development of a response to market palace. Marketing by definition explains the concept of execution, pricing, promotion and right placement of goods, ideas and services. To respond to customers, a good organization develop product according to willingness of its purchaser, identify appropriate place for availability and finally and promote its product to create familiarity in its customers mind. Product, Price, Place and promotions are four Ps of marketing which are use many organizations to define its marketing strategy. Product: Product represents goods, services, or ideas offered by a firm. Price: Price focuses on what customers are willing to pay for services. What price actually suits to consumer to buy goods? A company provides good or services and a customer willing to exchange dollars to satisfy its needs. Place: Place represents the way or specific area in which company will distribute its goods or provide services to its customers. This decision company takes after careful and effective marketing research. Promotion: The final P represents promotion. Historically it is renowned with advertisement which is mean marketing. Promotions activities involve creating awareness in consumers mind to understand how they can meet their needs. Second approach is to define STP’s STP (segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) Segmentation: It is Process of dividing the market according to similarities that exist among the various subgroups within the market. The similarities may be common characteristics or common needs and desires. One of the main reasons for using market segmentation is to help companies to better understand the needs of a specific customer base. Mass marketing assumes that all customers are the same and will respond to the same advertising. By looking at ways in which potential customer groups are different from each other, the marketing message can be better targeted to the needs and wants of those people. Market segmentation strategies that meet these criteria can cover wide range of consumer characteristics. Subsets may be defined by basic demographics like age, race, or gender, for example. Other qualities, like educational background or income can also be used, as can location. Some of the potentially most powerful variables by which to segment a market are behavioral ones, including social class, lifestyle, and interests.

Ch 1 H.W Consumer Behavior

Q1:describe the interrelationship between consumer behavior and the marketing concept. A1: marketing concept determine the needs and wants of specific target markets and Deliver satisfaction better than competition. consumer behavior includes all the decisions a consumer makes when spending their time and money. The what, why, when, where, and how of consumer purchases are examined in consumer behavior. It is not just individuals, but households, families, and groups that influence the decisions we make. ————————— Q2: describe the interrelationships between consumer research, market segmentation and targeting, and the development of the marketing mix for a manufacturer of HDTV sets. A2: consumer research The process and tools used to study consumer behavior. Market segmentation : Process of dividing the market into subsets of consumers with common needs or characteristics Market targeting : The selection of one or more of the segments identified to pursue.The development of the marketing mix for a manufacturer of HDTV consist the product the features ,designs and the price including discounts and the place (distribution of the product ) and promotion ( the advertising) —————————- Q3: select any one of the company web sites and product specific site pairs listed in table 1. 1 that interests you . then systematically examine each of the two sites in terms of how you as a consumer respond differently to the two sites A3:We're not going to work publicity for this company, but we want to highlight how the company deals with customers and most importantly its olicy in respect for the customer and if we see the slogan â€Å"the customer is always right† appears to us every time we press a button to complete the purchase. —————————- Q4: Discuss The Interrelationships Among Cus tomer Expectation And Satisfaction, perceive Value And Customer Retention. Why Is A Customer Relation Essential? A4 :The goal of all marketers is to build and maintain successful relationships with their consumers. This occurs by offering a product which has benefits that the consumer values.In addition, they see the value of those benefits as exceeding the cost of the product – the cost in terms of money, time, and opportunity costs. If a product delivers value, the company is likely to have a high level of customer satisfaction. They will trust the marketer and continue to purchase the product. In addition, they will tell others about the product and speak highly of it when asked or when reviewing the product online. A company with strong customer relationships will be able to achieve a high level of customer retention – their customers will not defect to the competitor or stop using their product.They will retain these customer over time and will be more profitable due to these valuable loyal customers. —————————- Q5: Discuss the role of the social and behavioral sciences in developing the consumer decision-making model. A5: The input stage includes sources of information to the consumer – how they learn and are influenced by the marketer and their environment. The process stage ties to the decision-making process the consumer undergoes when considering a purchase.It moves from the inputs to the psychological factors involved in recognizing a need, searching for information, and evaluating alternatives. The output stage involves the actual purchase and the post-purchase evaluation. —————————- Q6:Apply each of the two models depicted in Table 1. 3 (i. e. , traditional marketing and value and retention marketing) to the marketing of cellular phone services. You may want to incorporate into your answer your own and your peers experiences in selecting cellular communication providers. A6:VALUE- AND RETENTION-FOCUSED MARKETING| THE TRADITIONAL MARKETING CONCEPT| Use technology that enables customers to customize what you make. | Make only what you can sell instead of trying to sell what you make. | Focus on the product’s perceived value, as well as the need that it satisfies. | Do not focus on the product; focus on the need that it satisfies. | Utilize an understanding of customer needs to develop offerings that customers perceive as more valuable than competitors’ offerings. | Market products and services that match customers’ needs better than competitors’ offerings. Research the levels of profit associated with various consumer needs and characteristics. | Research consumer needs and characteristics. | Understand consumer behavior in relation to the company’s product. | Understand the purchase behavior process and the influences on consumer behavior. | Make each customer transaction part of an ongoing relationship with the customer. | Realize that each customer transaction is a discrete sale. | Use hybrid segmentation that combines the traditional segmentation bases with data on the customer’s purchase levels and patterns of use of the company’s products. Segment the market based on customers’ geographic, demographic, psychological, sociocultural, lifestyle, and product-usage related characteristics. | Invest in technologies that enable you to send one-to-one promotional messages via digital channels. | Target large groups of customers that share common characteristics with messages transmitted through mass media. | Use interactive communications in which messages to customers are tailored according to their responses to previous communications. | Use one-way promotions whose effectiveness is measured through sales data or marketing surveys. Create customer tiers based on both volume and consumption patterns. | Cre ate loyalty programs based on the volume purchased. | Make it very unattractive for your customers to switch to a competitor and encourage them to purchase ‘better’ – in a manner that will raise the company’s profitability levels. | Encourage customers to stay with the company and buy more. | Base your marketing budget on the ‘lifetime value’ of typical customers in each of the targeted segments compared with the resources needed to acquire them as customers. Determine marketing budgets on the basis of the numbers of customers you are trying to reach. | Conduct customer satisfaction surveys that include a component that studies the customer’s word-of-mouth about the company, and use the results immediately to enhance customer relationships. | Conduct customer satisfaction surveys and present the results to management. | Create customer intimacy and bonds with completely satisfied, ‘delighted’ customers. | Create customer tr ust and loyalty to the company and high levels of customer satisfaction. |