Mario’s family Essay

Mario’s family happens to be in the lower bracket of society. As Mario got home one night, Gloria, his wife, asked for money, which they needed to feed their daughter. Mario told her that he doesn’t have money. Gloria didn’t believe him, and asked him to tell the truth. Mario told his wife the truth – he was fired from his job. The reason is because of an apple. He stole an apple for his daughter because he thought that she would like it – this part shows his love for his daughter. He left with Pablo, his old crime buddy, even if Gloria pleaded very hard for him not to go with the man. Another summary of The World Is An Apple When Mario got home. Gloria saw Mario and she was asking for some money to feed there children to Mario. Mario said that he have no money because he did something. Gloria didn’t believe on what Mario said and said to tell the truth. When Mario answered it, Gloria was shocked on what she heard because Mario lost his job. Gloria asked Mario if how he lost his job and Mario answered it and Gloria was shocked again because Mario said that he lost his job because of an apple. Gloria said that how can he loose his job by just taking one not a dozen not a crate but one apple and Mario answered that he just saw it rolling and he found himself putting it in his bag because Tita would love to have it, and Mario told Gloria that there’s no need to worry because he found a new job. Suddenly Pablo was there ruining the whole conversation and asked them if how is there daughter doing and he’ll loan a few pesos to help there daughter and Gloria said that no thank you because Mario stopped depending on Pablo. Pablo said that Mario’s new job was with Pablo and when Gloria heard it he told Mario that it’s a bad doing and risky. But Mario didn’t listen and walks away with Pablo and told Gloria not to worry because he will come back early morning and don’t wait for him. Gloria cries and shouting Mario, while Tita was crying also because he heard the conversation.

Turkle and Gopnik

Connecting points for Turkle and Gopnik â€Å"What changed? That James story helps supply the key. It was trains and telegrams. The railroad ended isolation, and packed the metropolis with people whose work was defined by a complicated network of social obligations. â€Å" (Gopnik 157). | â€Å"She confined that she would trade in her boyfriend ‘for a sophisticated Japanese robot’ if the robot would produce what she called â€Å"caring environment†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ I would be happy to produce the illusion that there is somebody really with me†¦ A responsive robot even exhibited scripted behavior, seemed better to her than he demanding boyfriend† (Turkle 269). In both passages the authors discuss how technology can be very convenient for us. Gopnik discusses how trains and telegrams make it easier for people to get where they need to and communicate. However, trains brought over crowding to the cities and telegrams created a sense of separation because now peop le did not have to actually go and see each other. Turkle also talks about the convenience that comes with technology. When she was talking to a female that said that she would not mind a robot boyfriend because it would help her not to be lonely but unlike a real one it she would not have to tend to their demands. The real question, I saw was not â€Å"Why this friend? † but, â€Å"Why this fiction? † Why as Olivia had seen so clearly, are grownups in New York so busy, and so obsessed with the language of busyness that it dominants their conversation? †¦ grabbing lunch instead of sitting down and exchanging intimacies†( Gopnik 156). | â€Å"Do you care that the turtle is alive?†¦ A ten year old girl told me that she would prefer a robot turtle because aliveness comes with aesthetic inconvenience†¦ â€Å"For what the turtles do, you didn’t have to have live ones. †(Turkle 265-266) |Both authors have made assumptions for their essays based on youth’s point of view . Gopnik uses his daughter’s imaginary friend to show how things are in the busy life of a New York. Technology has made New Yorkers so busy that they rather â€Å"talk to the person later† instead of sitting down and having actual conversation. Turkle also uses children to explain her point. At the zoo with children she explains how they said that they rather see a mechanical turtle because actual interaction with a turtle is not needed if the fake one can do the same thing.Both of these are examples of how technology is now seen as equal to physical bonding. â€Å"Busyness is felt so intently here because we are both crowded and overloaded. We exit the apartment into a still dense nineteenth century grid of street corners and restaurants of people full of people, and come to a twentieth-century grid of faxes and emails and overwhelming incompleteness† (Gopnik 158) | â€Å"We build a following on Facebook or Myspace and wo nder to what degree our followers are friends†¦ But for most people it begins when one creates a profile on social- networking site or builds a persona or avatar for a game or virtual world. (Turkle 273). | Both authors in these quotes talk about how, how technology has begun today to follow you everywhere and becomes more important to you than anything else. And how we create online networks we become encompassed and like our emails they become our lives. We become overwhelmed because we feel like we must respond to them and we must check our twitter followers.

Business Research For Business

In order to draw the attention of tourists, the tourist market of Australia has been associated this arrangement of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast which is a fruitful opportunity. Quantitative data would be increased in light of investigation of reports considering the recorded number of accommodation properties in Gold Coast furthermore on required improvements and developments of inn properties in the district (Wetcher-Hendricks, 2014). At the end of the day, the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in Australia effect and impulse tourists to appreciate a particular service in an induced period. To execute this examination objectives, inquiries and exploration methodology will be talked about in this business research. All things considered, the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in Australia sway bargains especially at the period of festivities. In addition, Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and its accommodation properties redesign an opportunity to endeavour another service of a checked tourist market of Australia through prohibitive arrangements accommodation properties(Fink, 2012). In this research proposal, the criticalness of Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and accommodation properties on the tour market of Australia will be examined. Consequently, the relationship between the need of visitor and service of tour industry of Australia will be portrayed in this research proposal. The qualitative data would be for the most part increased in light of interviewing the managers of Hilton Surfers Paradise. Furthermore, each and every part related to the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in Australia and tour requirement in Australia will be analysed in this research proposal. In order to examine strategy, Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotel management have been utilized for meeting the exploration objectives would comprise of both gathering interviews furthermore the investigation of secondary data connected with the assessment of reports(Norris, 2016). In this article essentially the unfavorable impact of the climatic change has been highlighted on Queensland and additionally on Gold Coast. However, the journal demonstrates the central difficulties that Gold Coast aspects and the proposals for enhancing the viability of the business in Gold Coast. Besides that, it has likewise been highlighted that the ascent in the ocean level has undermined the ways of life and properties of Queensland. At present, it has been found that the Gold Coast has a larger number of houses than some other part in Queensland. In other words, the specific article centers that the tourism business of Queensland is at danger because of climatic change. Along these lines, more than 3,500 private structures in the Gold Coast are at danger. Nevertheless, it has been noticed that a large portion of the houses in the Gold Coast exists in 100 meter of erodible coastline (Masny, D, 2016). These integrates the records of the management of Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotel and its arrangements and strategy that are identified with the monetary advancement, group arranging, urban outline and real framework ventures. Though, this specific research work has been done on the premise of the narrative research of the secondary materials. In other sense, this includes going by the field to the minor and real wellbeing and/or information hubs with regards to rural and urban. Moreover, the narrative research is supplemented by the spatial analysis. In this article, the specific researcher has settled on one and only essential research procedure and that is analysis of the proper writing audit. In addition, research system accumulates data through specific data collection methods. In order to conduct a powerful research, a researcher may assemble basis data and can examine the gathered data and data to achieve a specific conclusion.    Thus, in this research work, qualitative analysis has been achieved with a specific end goal to analysis the assembled data. In other words, to conduct specific research, the researcher has gathered data from the secondary assets. Moreover, this incorporates the contextual investigation on Gold Coast, books identified with the research subject, sites, past documents and articles. Accordingly, this research study and its discoveries will equally help the researcher in the proposed research work, as the discoveries will accumulate data with respect to the open doors for Gold Coast that will broaden the appearance of the visitors in a productive way. In other words, the specific research work will contemplate alternate urban areas that are principally in view of travel and tourism reliance. Apart from that the discoveries of this research paper will help in viable application for the gathering of Gold Coast City by giving basic audit with respect to the reinforcing of ebb and flow projects and strategies of the Council on learning regions (Australia, 2006). This research study has been performed in view of the survey of the universal visitors who visit Australia. Besides that, this particular journal quarterly concludes the universal guest survey for the month of June 2013. Moreover, this Journal primarily demonstrates the reasons furthermore prescribes a couple ventures by actualizing which the entry of the global visitors in Australia has expanded. In other sense, this will similarly help the researcher to anticipate the pattern of tourism industry or quantities of visitors who will visit Gold Coast in future. In this manner, this specific article comprehends the explanations behind expanded quantities of visitors in Australia (Grand, S. and Jonas, W. 2012). According to the specific article, it has been found that the International Visitor Survey (IVS) speaks to the most comprehensive wellspring of data with respect to the global visitors to the nation Australia. In addition, The IVS tests of 35,000 withdraw transient global voyagers who are matured 18 years and increasingly and who have been going by Australia. On the other hand, these incorporate the Melbourne, Darwin, Brisbane, Perth, Cairns, Adelaide, Sydney and Gold Coast and includes the survey of global visitors and for this an altered example size has been chosen. The survey of the predefined research work has been performed by Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing in the flight sprawls of eight noteworthy global air terminals. On the premise of the survey, quantitative analysis of the gathered data to conduct a successful research. In this article, the specific researcher has settled on one and only research procedure and that is the survey analysis (Mann, T. 2005). Besides that, a research is considered as the viable method just if the technique contains research points and goals, research inquiries and data collection assets. Moreover, this survey methodology additionally helps the researcher to accumulate general perspectives of individuals. In addition, in a compelling research technique, a researcher may accumulate foundation data. In other words, the survey analysis procedure helps the researcher of the research study to accumulate quantitative data. Although, in this specific article, research inquiries are given and can analysis the gathered data to achieve a specific conclusion (Pei, J. 2013). The survey was comprised of 100 inquiries that were bolstered by 'show postcards' so as to guide the members of the survey to react to the answer in some particular zones. On the other hand, the researcher of the specific research work has led a survey. In addition, this survey the researcher has gathered different data and data with respect to the research point and these particular ranges incorporate rehash appearance, common spot of home, gathering visits, demographics, exercises, use, travel gathering, transportation and convenience, motivations behind visit. In terms of hotspots for accomplishing data in regards to Australia can be said that the data and data were gathered by directing a survey and these data were broke down by the researcher quantitatively. Accordingly, this research study and its discoveries will help the researcher in the proposed research work, as the discoveries will assemble data in regards to the main difficulties that Gold Coast faces. It will also suggest the progressions for enhancing the adequacy of the business in Gold Coast (Phillips, P. and Stawarski, C. 2008). According to the article, with the quick development of Gold Coast into a vacationer utilization city of a large portion of a million people and to enhance the way of life, economy and way of the city. In addition, the journal principally demonstrates the open doors for Gold Coast that will broaden the appearance of the visitors in a proficient way. In terms of approaches that emerge from the vision of Gold Coast City Council with respect to a sound city that advantages from learning based urban improvement. In addition, open doors in the advancement of the developing cosmopolitan city as a solid and information city. Although, this additionally analyzes the potential for the advancement of a system comprising of littler hubs with dynamic transport. Besides that, this research work for the most part highlights on bigger wellbeing and learning hubs alongside principle expressways. In this way, it can likewise be said that this research work gives a more coordinated (Svarcas, A. and Ca ss, B. 2008). These integrates the archives of the management preparations and approach that is identified with the economic improvement, group positioning, and constructed location, farming and human wellbeing. Moreover, this specific research work has been done on the premise of the narrative research of the secondary materials. Although this, the narrative research is supplemented by the longitudinal analysis. In this article, the specific researcher has settled on two vital research methodologies analysis of the writing audit and contextual analysis. In addition, research technique is considered as the powerful method just if the methodology contains research points and goals, research inquiries and data collection assets. Afterward, it can be said that research methodology is a general arrangement that helps the researcher to answer the research questions in a precise and orderly way. In addition, it can also be said that in a compelling research system, a researcher may accumulate foundation data and can examine the gathered data and data to achieve a specific conclusion (Gionis, A. 2013). This incorporates books identified with the research theme, sites, past diaries and articles. In this way, in this research work, qualitative analysis has been performed so as to dissect the assembled data. In the specific research concentrate on, the researcher has gathered data from the secondary data. This will also help the researcher to foresee the pattern of tourism industry or quantities of visitors who will visit Gold Coast in future. Thusly, this research study and its discoveries will likewise help the researcher in the proposed research work, as the discoveries will assemble data with respect to the foundations for expanded quantities of visitors in Australia. In addition, the specific article will comprehend the statistical data points and on the premise of these the proposed research should be possible effectively. The significance of executing different research methodologies in view of various angles can likewise be considered as an accommodating component for the researcher to finish the proposed research study. Moreover, the methodology for directing survey furthermore to collect data and data through secondary assets can likewise be better comprehended from the above articles. Additionally, the different methods of data collection will likewise give the researcher distinctive suppositions with a specific end goal to direct the specific proposed research concentrate effectively. However, it can be presumed that each of the three articles gives different data, data, raw numbers will help the researcher to play out the proposed research work. Commonwealth Games, 2016. Gold Coast 2018 I 4 - 15 April 2018. [Online] Available at: https://www.commonwealthgames.com.au/page/39/2018-gold-coast-games [Accessed 27 July 2016]. Fink, A., 2012. How to Conduct Surveys: A Step-by-Step Guide: A Step-by-Step Guide. United Kingdom: SAGE. Norris, G., 2016. Commonwealth Games set to boost tourist strip. [Online] Available at: https://www.couriermail.com.au/business/commonwealth-games-set-to-boost-tourist-strip/news-story/b3c8d65d69bdd34065b16323532f2072 [Accessed 27 July 2016]. Silverman, D., 2015. Interpreting Qualitative Data. United Kingdom : SAGE. Wetcher-Hendricks, D., 2014. Analyzing Quantitative Data: An Introduction for Social Researchers. United Kingdom : John Wiley and Sons. Alshenqeeti, H. (2014). Interviewing as a Data Collection Method: A Critical Review.  ELR, 3(1). Gionis, A. (2013). Data Analysis.  Data Science Journal, 12(0), pp.GRDI13-GRDI18. Masny, D. (2016). Problematizing Qualitative Research: Reading a Data Assemblage With Rhizoanalysis.  Qualitative Inquiry. Australia. (2006). Madrid: World Tourism Organization. Brasch, N. (2005).  The Commonwealth. Port Melbourne, Vic: Heinemann Library. Grand, S. and Jonas, W. (2012).  Mapping design research. Basel: BirkhaÃÅ'ˆuser. Mann, T. (2005).  The Oxford guide to library research. New York: Oxford University Press. Pei, J. (2013).  Advances in Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. Berlin: Springer. Peile, E. (2010). Multi-method research; Multi-source feedback: pauci-impact data.  Education for Primary Care, 21(3), pp.139-140. Phillips, P. and Stawarski, C. (2008).  Data collection. San Francisco: Pfeiffer. Svarcas, A. and Cass, B. (2008).  Tourism Australia. Canberra, A.C.T.: Australian National Audit Office.

Defining Categories and the Tread of Commitment Essay

Defining Categories and the Tread of Commitment - Essay Example I suppose that seeing a list of these pieces of my life is enough to assume certain things that are between the lines of the listed items. For example, being male, white, upper class and having access to our highly successful family business means that I lead a life of privilege, to some extent. Being Christian, specifically Baptist, means that I have a well-shaped sense of morality and a well-developed conscience. Being Republican and having a successful family business means that I am pro-business and believe in the importance of hard work, planning and self-sufficiency. Being young and university educated means that I have dreams and a set of skills to attain them. Being male, in these times, is often confusing. As a Christian male, I am called to leadership in family, church and community. As an ambassador of Christ, I must always set a high example to others. I have a strong responsibility to protect family, church and community, with dedication and integrity, as a soldier of Ch rist. My first loyalty, my first priority, is to God and not to worldly success or social status (Community Christian Alliance Church, nd). On the other hand, as a family businessman, I am expected to work toward increasing success, attract more business and more money, and be dedicated to the goals of our company, while still remembering that my real treasure is Christ and salvation. As a male student, I am expected to relate to other students I meet out in the world, neighbors and people I bump into somehow. I am sometimes presented with temptations and distractions that conflict with Baptist Christian values. I spend a lot of time supporting our family’s international software business, so my priorities are not totally aligned with those of many students I meet. As a 22 year old, I do not always feel confident in my leadership and ability to protect. The information I get from films, newspaper and the news tells me just how complicated the world is, and I wonder how my par ents are sure that the answers they have chosen for our family are the right ones. I have no complaints about those answers. I fit into them comfortably enough and they feel right as I live them. But I have thought, sometimes, about how, if I had been born into a different family, even a family very opposite to my own, I would have different values and maybe a different religion and I would think in a totally different way. Or if I had been adopted, and still had the same genetic material I have now, but was just raised by different people, in a different social class, maybe by Democrats or maybe by a father who works in a factory or perhaps by a single mother, then who would I be? What would I believe? How would I behave? I can give myself a headache, just thinking of all the possibilities! Fortunately I am happy to be who I am. I enjoy my studies and my work. I am interested in keeping up with the political situation in our country and abroad. I find it fascinating to gain glimpse s into other cultures, other ways of doing things. Our software business operates nationally and internationally and handles contracts in the public and government sectors, so I gain a broader exposure to the world around me than some young people my age. It also gives me an opportunity to form opinions which are an

Careers in Finance Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Careers in Finance Project - Essay Example k is issued by a client company, the investment banking company may take financial liability or underwrite the stock, while the investment banker looks for buyers of the shares. They can also manage the client companies’ investments (StateUniversity.com 1). Education requirement is a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). Liberal arts graduates can also be hired and trained to become analysts. However, if these trainees plan to continue in the field, they must purse a graduate degree in business. A number of investments bankers shift from other related fields such as banking, law or finance. For those interested in investment banking, the number of job opportunities basically grows with the economy. The competition is intense among the job applicants who want to work in the investment bank firms; the investment banks are very few. A company may hire less than 25 workers from a field of more than 1000 applicants (StateUniversity.com 1). Investment bankers can earn up to $100,000 annually for the first few years. However, the entry level salary for an individual with a bachelor’s degree was $45,000 yearly in 2005. On the other hand, an individual with an MBA earned $85,000 annually in 2005. The entry level investment bankers usually get huge year-end bonuses amounting to $10,000 or more. Benefits include medical insurances and paid vacations and holidays (StateUniversity.com 1). The main role of a risk analyst is to offer advice about risk based on good practice and technical knowledge. The work involves; assessing and collating risk information on site, collecting photographic evidence and utilizing templates to record assessments, formulating and proofreading detailed reports, and liaising with other professionals such as brokers, inspectors of health, safety and fire officers, client representatives and underwriters (totaljobs.com 1). For a general insurance risk surveying, any HND subject or degree is acceptable. However, chances are high

Create a Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Map for the company (TESCO) Essay - 1

Create a Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Map for the company (TESCO) - Essay Example Strategy map has been prepared on the basis of analysis done while preparing the balance scorecard. The strategy map is drawn in order to show how strategic objectives identified through balance scorecard and KPIs will work together in helping Tesco Plc achieve its business objectives. In the final part, on the basis of analysis done in the report, suitable recommendations are given to enable Tesco to improve business performance in a comprehensive manner. For last 20 years, interest in performance measurement and management (PMM) has increased among scholars and companies at an exponential rate (Valmohammadi and Servati, 2011). In such context, Kaplan and Norton (1996) proposed the concept of Balance Scorecard (BSC) in order to formulate a performance management framework, which can measure performance of all important business activities. Haapasalo, Ingalsuo and Lenkkeri (2006) stated that companies use the balance scorecard in order to formulate strategy map, which in turn provides direction to strategic initiatives. It is evident from the theoretical argument that companies use balance scorecard and strategic map as composite unit in order to control performance outcome and shape business strategies. In similar context, balanced scorecard and strategy map can be applied to Tesco in order to understand dimensions of their business strategies. Before going further into the main discussion, the study will discuss business operations of Tesco Plc so as to develop a functional background. Tesco Plc is a renowned British multinational general merchandise and grocery retailer, which has established more than 6000 retail stores across the globe (Tesco Plc, 2014). In UK, Tesco Plc is regarded as the largest retail chain, while worth of the brand is above  £2.6 billion (Tesco Plc, 2014). The company was established in 1919 and is headquartered at Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England (Tesco Plc,

Proctor and Gamble - Strategic Management Essay

Proctor and Gamble - Strategic Management - Essay Example The company operates in six product segments: grooming, beauty, Health care, Home care, Family and Baby care, and Pet care (P&G, 2012a). Beauty and personal care arena are contained within P&G’s grooming, beauty and health business segments and include skin care, oral care, cosmetics, fragrances, hair care, baby care, depilatories and men’s grooming products (Euromonitor, 2010:4). Some of the fundamental brands in beauty and personal care arena include pampers, Olay, Head& Shoulders, Panteen, Mach3, Oral B, Puma, Fusion, Gillete, safeguard, ivory among others (P&G, 2012b). The company’s global Beauty and Personal care market share is 11.7% with the volume growth in net sales in this segment being an average of 4% in 2011 where the beauty segment growth was 3%, the grooming segment at 4% and the Health segment at 5% (P &G Annual Report, 2011: 41-42; Euromonitor, 2010: 4-5). The market share growth for the Beauty and personal care products experienced single digit growth at the rate of 2.8% with the market share growth for the Beauty and Personal Care share for the company based on the main categories of skin care, hair care, men’s grooming, fragrances, and oral care being as shown below in figure 1. Figure1: Value Market Share Source: Euromonitor, 2011 Similar with its peers in the industry, P&G was negatively impacted with the global economic crisis with its key brands being grossly affected and net sales within the industry having fallen during the 2008 – 2009 period. However, with the company’s strategy response in focusing on core businesses and brands, and divesting in its less critical segments, the company has been able to record growth within its various product segments, with the beauty and personal care products taking the lead in growth. In addition, the company has over the past three years focused in building a strong market position in emerging countries such as China, India, Russia, and Brazil (Raval, 2012 : 1; Prior, 2011:201; Reingold, 2011:60). Financial Assessment: The company has bounced back from the 2009 decline in net sales through its post recession strategy of focusing on its core businesses and brands, and its continued investments in the emerging markets. The most impactful strategy though that has increased net sales is the company’s decision to cut down prices. These strategies have proved successful with the company increasing its net sales over the 2010 and 2011 period. Net sales rose by 4.6% in 2011 from 2010 net sales. This strategy though effective in the short term, it may be detrimental to brand equity in the long term. This is clearly noted with the downward trend of the net earnings value since 2009 at the rate of 1% (P &G Annual Report, 2011: 1-2). The revenue versus profit growth trends over the past five year period is as shown in figure 2. The beauty and personal care segments as noted above though have been growing in sales volume especially in the e merging countries (P&G Annual Report, 2011:52; P&G, 2010:5). In fact the company has moved its personal care hub from Ohio to Singapore, in order to strategically place itself in that market (Raval, 2012). Figure2: Net sales and Net Profit growth trend SWOT Analysis: A SWOT analysis of the company’s beauty and personal care segment reveals a stronger and powerful portfolio of products as a key strength. This provides a strong

Implications of Organisational Identification Essay

Implications of Organisational Identification - Essay Example A clear and meaningful strategy supported by the staff is a key component of organization’s functional efficiency and financial success, if the organization is a for-profit business. So, the question managers frequently ask themselves is how to achieve that state of business performance when the company is totally supported by its employees in all of its goals and urges. Devotion, loyalty, hard work, passion and efficiency is what each business wishes to see in its employees. However, it is not always easy to hire or bring up employees that feel themselves as a part of the company. Still, a potential solution exists. The concept of organizational identification is what can help an employer to achieve such a goal. Since organizational identification is a rather important aspect of organizational behaviour, the goal of this paper is to research and analyse various aspect of organizational identification. In particular, the given work will present the concept of organizational id entification in relation to employees’ performance, business communication and corporate social responsibility. Body According to Dutton, Dukerich and Harquail (1994, 240), organizational identification refers to how a person perceives one’s own identity and self-concept in relation to organizational identity. It means that organizational identification is about how an individual sees oneself in the organization, how organizational goals and strategies are aligned with those of the individual. So, it can be said that organizational identification is the degree to which employees associate themselves with the employing organization, as well as what common attributes the organization and the individual have. Belonging to a certain group, such as family, race, sex, company or society, for instance, forms social identity of an individual – that is person’s knowledge and feeling of belonging to some social group (Tajfel 1972, 31). On the other hand, individual s are the ones who help such groups to survive. The positive effect of person’s feeling as a part of some group is in-group favouritism (Bartels 2006, 1). Such favouritism leads to individual’s being cooperative towards other members of the group, singling that group out, and showing corporate citizenship behaviour in an organization. So, in relation to corporate environment, such in-group favouritism is called organizational identification. Mael and Ashforth (1992, 104) define organizational identification as person’s â€Å"perception of oneness with or belongingness to an organization, where the individual defines him or herself in terms of the organization(s) of which he or she is a member† (Mael and Ashforth 1992, 104). The resent studies prove that strong and positive organizational identification has a very positive impact on organizational behaviour and performance. In particular, employees with positive organizational identification show better pe rformance, lower absenteeism, and higher levels of job satisfaction (Riketta and van Dick 2005, 490). For that reason it might be suggested that companies devote more attention to the level and state of their employees’ organizational identification. This will improve individual performance of the people, as well as the performance of the whole organization. A research conducted by Efraty and Wolfe in 1988 tends to

How broadway shows contribute to New York economy Term Paper

How broadway shows contribute to New York economy - Term Paper Example Live musical theatre on Broadway has been a major New York City tourist attraction, since 18th century and it has survived depression, war and major technological changes(Mulder,24). Broadway theatre means a vital New York city industry with box office revenue exceeding millions of dollars in a particular season. During 2000 and 2001, the ticket price of Broadway theatrical shows exceeded the limits and set record prices. The Broadway theatre industry is the single largest tourist attraction in the New York City and nothing could take its place for entertainment. It is evident here that millions of people attend this shows and the collection from these can contribute largely to the economy of the New York City. The main contribution by Broadway to the New York economy directly comes from the expense of the production itself. It has been revealed that the Broadway company’s expense on services, pay roll and running of the shows itself added 1.5 $ Billion to the city’s ec onomy. Moreover the Broadway companies spend millions of dollars on the salaries and other services for the running of the shows. ... Today the population of New York City is more than 8 million, and Broadway entertainment is a key industry which contributes to New York’s economy. It would not be a surprising fact to mention that Broadway theatres are a solace to people in the midst of turmoil and fast life of the city. New Yorkers attend theatre shows and musicals to get away from the stressful life of the city and to indulge in little pleasure. Moreover, the tourist which attends the theatres also spends on hotel stays, dining other activities which add up to the profitability of the city. According to (Healy)â€Å"Preview of the new Broadway revival of â€Å"West Side Story† across New York theaters: drew gross revenues of more than $1 million in each of its first two weeks, this shows that the appetite for plays and musicals is alive and well despite the recession†. Even in recession times the audience and the producers have not given up on theatres which reflect that the contribution to ec onomy is still intact for New York City. It is surprising that no production in Broadway have ceased due to recession or economic downturn. Instead 43 productions got initiated during 2008-2009 seasons even though it was recession times. This was an excellent statistical figure for entertainment sector, especially in the phase of recession. In 2008-2009 seasons, the Broadway industry gave away $9.8 billion to the New York City economy and supported 84,400 jobs. The spending is mainly in three fields: producers spending to run the shows; the theatre owners spending on venue maintenance and renovation; and money spend by non- New York city resident s to attend the Broadway shows. The money that is spending in these areas is circulated with spending on other facilities and finally

Three projects selection Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Three projects selection - Term Paper Example The first example will focus on a project that needs the application of computer engineering and information technology. It will need the use of wireless transmission. Ideas that are available for the project include the following: The project is a about getting an iOS device talk to a Bluetooth low energy shield. Requirements include an iphone, an Adriano, BLE, 4 or 5 LEDs, some wire, a momentary push switch and photo shield or bead board. The hard ware connection and arrangement will be quite simple. 4 LEDs will be connected to some pins of the PMW on the Arduino. Another LED will be used for indication of connectivity to iPhone, as well as a push button, which will trigger action on the iPhone (instructables, 2014). Pin 8 and 9 should be left alone since the BLE shield makes use of them to perform. Positive terminals from the LEDs will go to pin 3, pin 5, pin 6, and pin 10. Negative terminals will head to some common ground. To minimize cost, no use of resistors. They have been substituted by the type of LEDs. One LED on the prototype shield is connected to the pin number 4 on the Arduino is used to show connectivity on the handset, as well as one of those toggle switches connected to the pin number seven ( instructables, 2014). The speaker now will be fixed in a plastic structure at the side which represents the plane. This is the pain reliever for individuals who feel like it is painful to carry around bike helmets. This idea came up as a result of seeing most people who biked without helmets since they are bulk. Then if this idea can be worked upon successfully, then lives will be saved. The helmet will reduce a common helmet height by 50%. It gets to solve the problem to of helmet storage at a time when it is not in use. The idea is to come up with something very light and that can fold to be stored easily in a backpack or any bag. Its structure will be made of an expanded polypropylene high density with impact absorption

Plastic Industry Essay Example for Free

Plastic Industry Essay Yes Plastic Industries Inc should enter the home market because this market is new and untapped. Also it is 5 times higher than their current market. However a thorough Market Research needs to conducted before entering the home market which will be a reality check to  its profitability. When entering the home market first of all the Company should try to create positive attitude on the general public over the  visibility of the product since  it is observed in the home  market that the general public image  of plastic pipes is  that they are  easily breakable and would not  last as long as conventional pipe. Hence in order to solve this specific challenge the company should perform image building work through convincing the middle man. One of the best ways to win the market is through convincing the middle man to take and display the product in the eye caching location on the retail shop. As a result of this the plastics industries Inc. Can create positive attitude regarding the product. Also the advantage that Plastics Inc. Can highlight to the public is the fact that the price of plastic pipe is less than the metal one, hence the company can get acceptance in the home market through providing product at a lower price through penetration pricing strategy. The company can also set a low initial price in order to penetrate the market quickly to attract a large number of buyers and win a large market share. Thus looking at the various positive sides for Plastics Inc. It should definitely try to enter the home market.

Alejandro Flores Essay Example for Free

Alejandro Flores Essay Write a 2 – 3 page paper that addresses the following: 1. How do Senor Flores, Senora Flores and Dr. Jean view this situation from totally different perspectives? 2. Why might Senora Flores have chosen to consult an espiritista rather than call the clinic when Alejandro was not getting better? 3. Which of the normative cultural values described in the Lecture might apply to Alejandro’s case? Please explain. The Puerto Rican culture has many beliefs involving individual roles within the family. Many believe that the male(s) of the family should work to provide the basic needs of the household: paying rent, bills, paying for groceries, automotive repair, and the like. Similarly, the female(s) of the house should be the primary house keeper and care giver. Familismo holds a large part in the Puerto Rican culture, and the advice of the elder family members is taken very seriously. Religion also plays an integral role in Puerto Rican culture, and some believe illness is the result of sin, punishment, or spiritual discomfort. These beliefs tie together to create culturally diverse situations regarding patients health care, and must be taken into consideration when discussing treatment plans. Senor Flores views this situation from the machismo perspective. His view is to he should be working to provide the means for his family to survive. By taking time off of work to attend Alejandro’s medical appointments, he feels that he is neglecting his cultural responsibility of working hard to meet the needs of his family as a whole. Additionally, he does not believe that the modern treatment has a positive effect on Alejandro’s condition, and he portrays that he would rather allow his mother-in-law to play a more active role in Alejandro’s care. He feels as though every time he is at the appointments, the clinical staff is ostracizing him and attacking him for smoking. Senora Flores is upset about Alejandro’s health condition, and appears to be reaching out for help in different directions. She does not want to give Alejandro all of the medicine he is prescribed, and is taking her mother’s advice by seeking the help of an espiritista. When she arrived to the appointment late, she was greeted poorly because of the tardiness, and doesn’t understand why the clinic staff is rude with her. Many Puerto Ricans believe that tardiness is accepted, even common, and that having a relaxed attitude regarding time is reasonable practice. Additionally, she is frustrated with the language barr ier that presents itself during the appointments. The clinic is providing her so much information, and she feels belittled by the staff when she may not comprehend all of the information they are providing her. She is concerned that Alejandro will be chastised due to the perception that he is weak and unhealthy. She is worried that nothing she can do will better his condition and prayers are not helping. Dr. Jean is concerned with Alejandro’s progress due to the misuse or absence of medications and the lack of Senor Flores’ interest in tobacco cessation for the sake of his child’s health. She desires to help the family, and has given her personal phone number to be accommodating, but instead Senora Flores confided in a housekeeper instead of the doctor. The family’s tardiness is an issue for Dr Jean, but this doesn’t bother her as much as not showing up for the appointment at all. Senora Flores may have consulted with the espiritista due to the lack of confidence in the medication Alejandro is prescribed. This combined with the clinical staff’s attitude toward her, and the cultural belief that illness can be caused by spiritual discomforts, could lead to Senora Flores’ visit to the spiritual healer. Espiritistas use prayers to attempt to rid the patient of spirits causing the disease. Also, Senora Flores’ mother suggested the espiritista visit, and the words and advice of the elder is highly respected in the Puerto Rican culture. All of the normative cultural values present themselves in this module, but the one that applies the most in my opinion is Fatalismo. In the study, the family seems that the fate of Alejandro’s illness is predetermined and nothing they have done or will do to ease h is symptoms will work effectively. 2010 Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics and Children’s Mercy Family Health Partners Cross Cultural Resource Guide pgs. 28-29 Retrieved on April 15, 2012 From: http://www.fhp.org/fhpdocs/CrossCulturalResourceGuide.pdf ELL Assessment for Linguistic Differences guide for Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved on April 17, 2012 From: http://www.ldldproject.net/cultures/puertorico/differences/nonverbal.html

Diversity And Equality In Workplace Commerce Essay

Diversity And Equality In Workplace Commerce Essay According to the Yearbook of Statistics Singapore 2012, the main ethnic group in Singapore consisting of Singapore Residents and Permanent Residents are Chinese, Malays, Indians and Others. Figure Statistics for Ethnic Groups in Singapore (June 2011) Under Part IV, Act 12 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, stated that 12.-(1) All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law. (2) Except as expressly authorised by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens of Singapore on the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law or in the appointment to any office or employment under a public authority or in the administration of any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment. Diversity and equality in workplace are important to maintain a safe and comfortable working environment for all. Diversity Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (Esty, et al., 1995). Each individual person comes with the visible and non-visible differences and through respecting the dissimilarities would make each of them feel valued for their efforts which is valuable not only for the individual but for the organization. Equality Equality can be described as breaking down barriers, eliminating discrimination and ensuring equal opportunity and access for all groups both in employment, and to goods and services; the basis of which is supported and protected by legislation. Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN General Assembly states that All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Some other definitions of Equality are: Equality is simply a quest for sameness in all aspects of social life. (Dunleavy, 1989) Equally talented people have an equal chance of attaining them fair equality of opportunity' (Sachs, 2011) However, due to the face that there is no correct or one specific definition of equality, there are many limitations to the policies being implemented. Equality can cover over a broad area such as gender rights, age, race, culture, religion, beliefs and etc. Importance Importance of Diversity Diversity in the workplace can reduce lawsuits and increase marketing opportunities, recruitment, creativity, and business image (Esty, et al., 1995) However, when an organization focuses only on results and ignoring the importance of having a diverse team, communication and trust can break down, resulting in lower performance. Importance of Equality It is important to have equality policies enforce in workplace to ensure that all employees have the same rights as each other regardless of any differences in gender, age, religion, language and disability. Equality will also create a more favorable environment by promoting a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as they are given equal opportunities to improve themselves. Limitations Limitations towards diversity policies According to (Mayhew, Demand Media), the challenges related to receptiveness to training and prioritizing hiring decisions based on diversity can transform those challenges into disadvantages. Negative behaviors and attitudes can be barriers to organizational diversity because they can damage working relationships and bring down morale and work productivity (Esty, et al., 1995). Workplace diversity creates opportunities for organizations to get a wider perspective on business situations and to improve global reach, but it does often create some negative impacts in the company (Kokemuller, Demand Media). Common negative impacts arise are: Unresolved Conflict Staff that comes from different cultural and backgrounds have dissimilar perspectives and opinions in handling issues or concerns that emerges. An incapability to observe where the other person is arriving from can forbid effective resolution of conflicts. When employees feel that they cannot reach to an agreement in conflict, the tendency to give up and simply let ill feelings fester can create a pessimistic behaviour. Poor Communication If an organization has employees from different backgrounds with different languages, communication can prove to be difficult. However, a number of filters can forbid meaningful and clear communication between staff and employees. It is vital that organizations educate employees on cultural differences in the attempt to encourage them to freely converse their diverse viewpoints on things as opposed to generating conflict. Turnover A considerable bottom line result of poor management of diversity is the case of high turnover as they are displeased with the working environment. The replacing of employees lost to feelings of discontent is expensive as the organization has to pay to hire and teach replacements. Businesses will risks losing top talents to rivals unless the organization makes available a safe and inspiring culture where employees from diverse backgrounds are treated fairly. Limitations towards equality differences Although having equality among employees, the organization may still find it difficult to establish a perfect equality workplace for all. There are limitations in having equal opportunities due to internal and external factors. Poor Implementation Lack of awareness of the laws being executed can lead to poor implementation by organization and the managers. Poor implementation can also be attributed to the presences of deeply ingrained negative attitudes and gender stereotypes, which cannot be uprooted through legislation alone. (Spehar, 2011) Limited implementation can happen due to the development of bureaucratic responses that focus only to comply with the duty rather than removing the inequality in question. Lack of support Managing equality in the Organization cannot be carried out by the Organization and managers alone. In addition, with the lack of support from the Government, weak equal treatment bodies, shortcomings in judiciary together with the lack of support from the Organization itself, where there are no consensus, no single position being defended or attacked; it is difficult for equality policies to be carried out. Lack of clarity The lack of clarity can lead to confusion among the employee. If the Organization does not successfully and clearly communicate their equality policies or the definitions of equality, and without the proper identification of what kind of equality is desirable, equality of whom all of humanity or members of particular political society it can bring the whole equality agenda into disrepute. The lack of general agreement of equality can cause employee to be uninterested in equality within their communities. Religion and Beliefs Many religion and beliefs exist in an Organization for e.g. Christianity, Buddhist, Jewish, Communism, Marxism, and Socialism. Although some may understand religion in a more communal and cultural way, there are others that are not particularly agreeable to the idea of equality. Some religion might be hostile to equality on grounds of sex and sexual orientations, believing that men should enjoy headship over women, homosexuality is sinful. (Vickers, 2011) This can be problematic as well. Discrimination or disadvantage can be experienced regardless of individual beliefs, because of group identity18. (Vickers, 2011) Different values in equality S. Temkin (2011) stated that many argue for equality and in so doing think of themselves as opposing non-egalitarianism because they favour significant redistribution from the better- to worst off. The reasons they have for favouring such redistribution vary markedly, and may have nothing to do with a concern for equality itself. Managers can get confused with the meaning of equality and therefore think that the action they carry out will be beneficial to the employees where in actual fact, they might be doing the wrong thing. Lack of proper training The types of training method taught will affect the way managers react in situations. They might be unaware of the complexity of the issue and are uncertain on how to deal with it as they may not be trained using a variety of situations. Population Size The size of the population affected by the policy of equality matters due to the fact that more parties involve means more attention needs to be given to each individual. A complete equality is difficult to attain in a society that is marked by diversity is that people in such a society come attached to groups. This can result in difficulty to maintain both individual equality and group equality. (Kukathas, 2002) Lack of positive messages from senior level within the authority Even if the Organization has a policy on equality, it would be deem useless if there is no positive influence from the senior management with positive commitment to equality in practice. Culture of Organization Different Organization has different cultures. These cultures will affect how equality is being implemented internally. Is the Organization culture a heavily masculine workplace culture or feminine collaboration culture? This can have an effect on some managers that are genuinely interested in becoming more equal with the other groups in society, but are hampered by its very nature of cultural structure. Presence of Diversity Diversity presents a serious problem for equality. The existence of diversity is not only inescapable, but also reflective of the fact that people pursue the good life collectively but in different ways, not all of which value equality in the same way, or at all. If diversity is to be accepted, then equality must be abandoned as the situation might become too complex. (Kukathas, 2002) Obstacles Obstacles resulting from diversity policies For policies to be effectual in promoting the acceptance of workforce diversity by the company it is required to understand the obstacles to its implementation for diversity. CESS (2003) suggests that, with the other forms of investment into new human resource policies, there will be two groups of implementations to workforce diversity policies: Internal obstacles they are distinct to individual organizations and developed from attitudinal, institutional, cultural, and historic elements within individual enterprises. In spite of this, many groups of organizations may face the same types of obstacles. Its been identified that there are some internal obstacles which have the possibility to prevent the implementations of diversity policies within individual organizations Awareness among managers there may be some who lacks the knowledge of the business advantages of a diversity workforce and the implementation to make changes to be effective. Attitudes within some organizations there may have negative behaviors towards the emergence of a diverse workforce in the midst of significant groups of staff or managers. This may reflect on a wider resistance to all major changes in the context of HR processes and policies. Additionally, there may be already well-established work cultures that create indirect discrimination and which employees are unwilling to change. Economics there may be apparent economic reasons that affects why some businesses are unwilling to invest in the establishment of a diversity workforce. On the other hand, furthermore disadvantage of investing in diversity programs is that intangibles are significantly more difficult to manage than tangible assets. Thus, these obstacles make it difficult to measure benefits and therefore to undertake traditional investment evaluation processes. Resources some organizations lacks the key resources necessary to implement changes required to emerge a diversity workforce. Such resources include monetary cash, management time, managerial experiences, external advices, and the leadership and competence of senior managers. External obstacles these are developed from regional or national factors, such as the institutional networks, attitudes/culture, and regulatory components. They affect large groups of organizations in similar ways. The implementation of diversity workforce policies by organizations may serve complications to accomplish because of wider and broad attitudinal and cultural factors in certain countries or regions. Potential causes include national cultures that concentrate on the incorporation of ethnic groups rather than on the acceptance of multi-culturalism. 3.2 Obstacles resulting from diversity policies (Maybe can put in point form like Ben and add a few more points?) There are a few obstacles leading from the implementation of equality policies. Firstly, the Organization may feel obligated to hire someone of different race and gender even though their skills or talent may not be ideal for the Organization. This is to ensure an equal number of individuals from each race or ethnicity. Secondly, due to the fact that there are many equality laws or policies being passed, employees might feel that the Government or Organization is trying to intrude in their working lives to ensure workplace equality. What is to be done? Diversity An application to provide support to the process of implementation of diversity management in organizations is by adopting the diversity management setup (diversityatwork.net). It provides support in two main ways: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ It details a 5 phase procedure on how to implement a diversity management program in the organization; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ the setup support for each of the action to carry out during the implementation of a diversity management program in the organization. It is best to regard the development of diversity management policy in the organization as an assignment or project. It is vital to establish support for the project, analyze the requirements and opportunities, developing own solutions and then implement the project as it progresses. The setup provides the organization with a set of methods, information and skills which have been created to simplify the process of a diversity management implementation. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 1 Given the lack of awareness of diversity management, it is fundamental that the diversity management project is inserted into the mainstream of the organizational activities as smooth as possible. Additionally, setting up the procedure should include using the best practices from project management skills. These approaches are demonstrated in the four activities of this phase Campaigning support and determining potential stakeholders, examine the degree of the problem, establishing diversity management structures and attaining agreement on taking place with the process. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 2 This phase is essential to the diversity management project as it establishes the current practices and the problems and opportunities in the organization for managing diversity. The success of this phase depends on factors, which most important of these is the participation of employees. To ensure participation, they need to be well briefed about the project and its actions, the reason that it is being undertaken and how will they stand to benefit from it. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 3 In this phase, solutions are being generated to tackle problems and opportunities known in the previous phase. The objectives of this phase is to evaluate the problems and needs that has been identified and to use creative skills to suggest a set of solutions which are then prioritized and established into a diversity management plan. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 4 This phase manages issues that are related to implementing diversity management activities in the organization. With the diversity management program plan developed in the previous phase, the team is required to decide which activities to be financed and to start developing during the initial year of the implementation program. It should be clear what the aims and objectives are and how to meet them, who is going to do what, when and how. Encouraging employees for participation and to deal with possible resistance during implementation must also be put into consideration. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 5 The activities undertaken during this phase the monitoring and evaluation of the diversity management project provides the foundation for assessing the overall value of the project and for making necessary recommendations for changes in the future. Monitoring the phases would allow the user to moderate how well the activities worked in that phase, while results from the evaluation exercise are helpful in providing feedbacks to employees and management on the difficulties and successes faced in the project. Alternative Approaches Another approach towards implementation of diversity management is the transformative approach (Cockburn, 1991) which is required to challenge organisational structures, therefore enabling diverse perspectives to influence organisational activity (Bendick et al., 2001). This will resemble an effective and learning approach where both the differentiation and integration of individuals is acknowledged (Thomas and Ely, 1996), thus identifying value in bringing differences together to generate continuous development. However, diversity literature puts slight emphasis on the distinction between legislative knowledge and the knowledge of putting legislations into practice. Briefly, knowledge that is easily quantifiable and can be stored is regularly termed as hard knowledge and the knowledge which is less quantifiable and cannot be easily stored is referred as soft knowledge (Hildreth and Kimble, 2002). One of the possibilities highlighted as being a method through which the diverse perspectives and soft knowledge in the workforce can be coupled is by the use of informal staff networking, which generates interactions and provides the organisation with a mechanism within which to generate improvements as well as new initiatives and ideas (Kandola, 2004). CASE STUDY NTUC FairPrice Food and Service How FairPrice have been successful in implementing diversity and equality policies in workplace. CASE STUDY 1: NTUC FAIRPRICE (Food and Service) From a single supermarket in Toa Payoh, FairPrice has grown to become one of Singapores leading retailers, with more than 100 supermarkets, 7000 employees and 2.8 million customers per week. FairPrice also operate in 6 different store formats (FairPrice Supermarkets, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, FairPrice Xpress, Cheers and FairPrice Online), a Fresh Food Distribution Centre and a centralised warehousing and distribution company, Global Logistics of Singapore Pte Ltd. Beyond Singapore, FairPrice has also recently entered into a joint venture to open a hypermarket chain in Vietnam. Workplace Equality A number of commitments shape a Great Workplace agenda. Looking into one of the commitment where FairPrice promotes workplace equality: Promoting an open communications culture to support a tolerant workplace free from discrimination with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disabilities, age, marital status and social background As one of the leading supermarkets in Singapore, FairPrice wants to be the Best Place to Shop and the Best Place to Work. This commitment stated shows that FairPrice values workplace equality and wants their staff to be aware that they will not allow any discrimination. And by doing so, they can achieve a harmonious working environment. FairPrice believes that if they work in a desirable environment, their employees will be motivated and inspired, leading them to deliver professionalism and teamwork when working, and most importantly creating a customer focus team. With the commitments kept in mind, FairPrice proved themselves by achieving the most number of awards at the National Excellent Service Award (EXSA)  [1]  for 3 years straight (2009-2011). This can only be possible when FairPrice creates an excellent working environment and treating each employee equally. This will inspire more employees to aim for the best when they work. Workplace Diversity FairPrice believe that their stores should reflect the communities they serve, and that included the people who work there. The diversity policy that FairPrice enforced in their workplace strives their employee to work hard. The management looks into recruitment, language training and flexible working practices in particular, to ensure that all employees have the same opportunity to succeed with us regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disabilities, age, marital status or social background. Shown in the diagrams below are ways in which FairPrice manage diversity in their company: FairPrice hires staff from all four major ethnic groups from Singapore and kept a balance of full-timers and part-timer in their company. Moreover, 90% of the workforce consist of Singaporeans, leaving10% opportunity open to foreign workers and the company also emphasizes on gender equality. Active Aging project Of particular note is FairPrice effort in recruiting seniors aged 60 and above as Customer Relations Officers (CROs) at some of the stores in conjunction of its newly launched Active Aging Project. By launching this project, FairPrice aims to promote a more active lifestyle for those aged over 60. These CROs main role is to assist customers with their needs or enquiries, or simply chat with the customers to gather feedback and suggestions. Seah Kian Peng, chief executive of FairPrice, believes that seniors have very good skills, and by staying active they are able to use their time meaningfully and added that older workers are ideal employees because they offer stability and experience. This project that FairPrice launched, shows that they are willing to accept employee regardless of age and promotes diversity and equal working opportunities for everyone. CASE STUDY anf Retail Abercrombie Fitch failure to manage diversity well within the organization. Case Study 2: Abercrombie Fitch (Retail Industry) Abercrombie Fitch, an American clothing retailer which focuses on casual wear targets mainly consumers aged 18-22 has more than 700 stores in the States and has been expanding its market internationally. The management team responsible for the implementation of the diversity policy to ensure that equal treatments are being addressed in the organization only focus on employing a diverse workforce but pay little attention when coming to the application of the diversity policy. Below are 2 examples of Abercrombie Fitch incapability of diversity management. Example 1 In 2009, Riam Dean, a 22 year old who was born without a left forearm sued Abercrombie Fitch for disability discrimination after being told not work on the shop floor unless she took off the cardigan as she was breaking the firms look policy. Being excluded from her main job role which requires her to be on the shop floor due to her disability simply shows discrimination from the company towards Riam. The tribunal has found in Riams favour on Abercrombie and Fitch harassment and failure to make reasonable adjustments towards her. Riam won the disability claim of  £8,013 against the company for loss of earnings and wrongful dismissal. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/woman-with-prosthetic-arm-forced-to-work-out-of-sight-in-storeroom-1718041.html Example 2 In a 2004 lawsuit  Gonzà ¡lez v. Abercrombie Fitch, the company was accused of discriminating against African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and women by preferentially offering floor sales positions and store management positions to the whites and men. Abercrombie Fitch agreed to the settlement of the class case suit which not only requires the company to pay up to $40 million and also to set up a range of policies and actions required to promote diversity among its workforce and to prevent discrimination based on race, gender, nationality or physical disability. Below are some of the initiatives that Abercrombie Fitch have to comply to promote diversity within the company; Abercrombie marketing materials will reflect diversity by including members of minority racial and ethnic groups. Advertising of available positions in publications targeting minorities of both genders. Benchmarks for hiring and promotion of women, Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans. These benchmarks are goals, rather than quotas, and Abercrombie will be required to report on its progress toward these goals at regular intervals. A new Office and Vice President of Diversity, responsible for reporting to the CEO on Abercrombies progress toward fair employment practices. Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Training for all employees with hiring authority http://www.afjustice.com/index.htm Abercrombie Fitchs legal cases of discrimination had resulted in unfair treatment in the workplace and requirement process. The cases dictate that people with same qualification do not get the job at Abercrombie Fitch because of their physical outlooks, race or gender and this may hinder the companys competitive advantage over its competitors as talents of the diverse population are not being utilised due to the lack of enforcement on diversity management. However, since the start of the initiative, Abercrombie Fitch has made significant focus on diversity and inclusion; Diversity and inclusion are key to our organizations success. We are determined to have a diverse culture, throughout our organization, that benefits from the perspective of each individual. As of April 30th, 2010, vase improvement in the diversity of the in-store staff can be seen; The in-store workforce, as a whole is 50.22% people of color, The in-store models are 48.44% people of color, The in-store managers-in-training are 41.04% people of color. http://sg.abercrombie.com/anf/careers/diversity.html People in general has very broad range of differences in their needs and an interest that needs to be managed well hence treating everyone the same way may not work to avoid the conflict. Therefore it is important that the management not only needs to be aware of what diversity is about but also managing diversity and equality well in an organization in order help to tackle the issue on the fair treatments and discrimination at work place. Lastly, organizations that are able to manage the workforce diversity well will have a competitive edge as they are able to maximize the potential of the team through their diverse talent and background. As stated by Terence Swee, the chief executive of Muvee Technologies; You need to be made of the world to sell to the world. Terence Swee, Chief executive officer of Muvee Technologies (Singapore-based Software Company) : http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/Pages/WDM.aspx (DONT KNOW IF THIS PART IS RELEVANT, IF ITS NOT JUST REMOVE K THANKS) (: What can be done by companies to ensure that diversity and equality is not only being preach but also practice at the workplace? Management needs to put in place necessary channels to enable employees to raise any concerns regarding unfair treatments or discrimination so that necessary actions towards unfair treatment can be rectify. Support from management to implement the right practices. Reduce workplace tension that arises from the different demographics of employees by not limiting benefits to any one particular group. Ensure that management role has a clear understanding on what managing diversity is about in order to promote equality in the workplace. Diversity and equality must be lodged in the heart of any organization serious about implementing the policy. As Ng and Burke (2005) states that the best educated and most able are attracted to an environment that embodies diversity and equality. Therefore, company should implement and follow-thru the diversity and equality policies in order to ensure that equal opportunity exists for everyone. Diversity and equality training and education play an important role in avoiding potential failure of diversity initiatives, Wentling (2004). REFERENCING Anderson and Metcalfe. (2005). Managing diversity: linking theory and practice to business performance. Available: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/research/managing-diversity-business-performance.aspx Last accessed 7th Aug 2012. Badici, Emil. (2011). Standards of Equality and Humes View of Geometry. Pacific Philosophy Quarterly . 92 (1), p448-467. Bendick, M. Jr, Egan, M.L. and Lofhjelm, S.M. (2001), Workforce diversity training: from anti-discrimination compliance to organizational development, Human Resource Planning, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 10-25. Centre for Strategy Evaluation Services . (2003). Methods and Indicators to Measure the CostEffectiveness of Diversity Policies in Enterprises. Available: http://edz.bib.uni-mannheim.de/daten/edz-ath/gdem/03/cbfullrep_en.pdf Last accessed 8 Aug 2012. Cockburn, C. (1991), In the Way of Women: Mens Resistance to Sexual Equality in Organizations, Macmillan, London. Dunleavy, Patrick. (1989). The Concept of Equality in Policy Analysis. Journal of Theoretical Politics. 1 (2), p213-248. Hildreth, P.M. and Kimble, C. (2002), The duality of knowledge, Information Research, Vol. 8 No. 1, paper No. 142, available at: http://InformationR.net/ir/8-1/paper142.html (accessed 28 May 2010) Lawsuit  Gonzà ¡lez v. Abercrombie Fitch (2004) http://www.afjustice.com/index.htm Kandola, B. (2004), Skills development: the missing link in increasing diversity in leadership, Industrial Commercial Training, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 143-7. Kukathas, Chandran. (2002). Equality and diversity. Politics, Philosophy and Economics. 1 (2), p185-212. Ng, E.S.W. and Burke, R.J. (2005), Person-organization fit and the war for talent: does diversity management make a difference?, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 16 No. 7, pp. 1195-211. Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Cambridge: The Belknap Press Riam Dean (2009) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/woman-with-prosthetic-arm-forced-to-work-out-of-sight-in-storeroom-1718041.html S. Temkin, Larry. (2001). Inequality: A Complex, Individualistic, and Comparative Notion. Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy. 13 (11), p327-353. Sabrina Zolkifi. (2011). NTUC FairPrice Keeps Older Workers Active. Available: http://www.marketing- interactive.com/news/24824. Last accessed 15th Sept 2012. Singapore Government. (1965). CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE. Available: http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/search/display/v

The Mighty Wedge of Class :: essays research papers fc

Mighty Wedge of Class by Todd Erkel Class is a curious, almost elusive thing. It makes rare appearances now and then in talk of the economy and such or in more heated academic debates, but rarely in private. It seems American pretty much avoid the subject at every opportunity by attempting to deny that these class divisions between people exist. But the stark reality is that class structures in America create the very nature of society, setting the hierarchical framework on which every American maintains an identity. This identity is often easily defined by economic standing or material wealth. But it can’t be that easy. As R. Todd Erkel seems to imply in his essay, "The Mighty Wedge of Class," which explores his working-class background, "class" is largely a construction of environment, while money factors little. But does it? Careful analysis of his essay shows that, although the cultural environment of a class, particularly the influence of parents and education, are important factors in d etermining one’s class, it is clear that money essentially determines and ultimately defines one’s class status in American society. Although Erkel presents evidence that the culture into which one is raised influences one’s future class status, he clearly suggests that it is essentially the possession of money that constructs this culture. His experience of growing up in a working class environment made him familiar with the general environment of the working class culture, particularly the behavior of those around him, especially his parents. However, this common behavior among the working class is largely shaped, if not determined, by common financial status. It is his parents’ status of low wealth in society that causes this behavior. He notes that, "the message received by children whose parents have battled with the world and come away feeling defeated is that they are better off not even trying." Erkel’s parents are one of many who try to make it financially in this "land of opportunity," but fail to achieve great wealth, fail to land the jobs that could elevate thei r status to one of high economic standing; thus, they are "willing to settle." Implied by his parents’ example is that the inability to find success financially in life shapes the common lifestyle of the working class and way of approaching life, particularly behavior. This behavior, the appearance of low wealth, creates and perpetuates the culture of the working class. Erkel was naturally influenced by this and learned to imitate this appearance. The Mighty Wedge of Class :: essays research papers fc Mighty Wedge of Class by Todd Erkel Class is a curious, almost elusive thing. It makes rare appearances now and then in talk of the economy and such or in more heated academic debates, but rarely in private. It seems American pretty much avoid the subject at every opportunity by attempting to deny that these class divisions between people exist. But the stark reality is that class structures in America create the very nature of society, setting the hierarchical framework on which every American maintains an identity. This identity is often easily defined by economic standing or material wealth. But it can’t be that easy. As R. Todd Erkel seems to imply in his essay, "The Mighty Wedge of Class," which explores his working-class background, "class" is largely a construction of environment, while money factors little. But does it? Careful analysis of his essay shows that, although the cultural environment of a class, particularly the influence of parents and education, are important factors in d etermining one’s class, it is clear that money essentially determines and ultimately defines one’s class status in American society. Although Erkel presents evidence that the culture into which one is raised influences one’s future class status, he clearly suggests that it is essentially the possession of money that constructs this culture. His experience of growing up in a working class environment made him familiar with the general environment of the working class culture, particularly the behavior of those around him, especially his parents. However, this common behavior among the working class is largely shaped, if not determined, by common financial status. It is his parents’ status of low wealth in society that causes this behavior. He notes that, "the message received by children whose parents have battled with the world and come away feeling defeated is that they are better off not even trying." Erkel’s parents are one of many who try to make it financially in this "land of opportunity," but fail to achieve great wealth, fail to land the jobs that could elevate thei r status to one of high economic standing; thus, they are "willing to settle." Implied by his parents’ example is that the inability to find success financially in life shapes the common lifestyle of the working class and way of approaching life, particularly behavior. This behavior, the appearance of low wealth, creates and perpetuates the culture of the working class. Erkel was naturally influenced by this and learned to imitate this appearance.

The two peaces of poetry I have studied by Seamus Heaney include Essay

The two peaces of poetry I have studied by Seamus Heaney include Follower and The Early Purges. Heaney's poems both relate back to his younger, adolescent life. In the poem 'Early purges', he describes young kittens being drowned on the farm. His maturity is shown when he says with perception, "And now, when shrill pups are prodded to drown, I just shrug, ' Bloody pups' ". But we are shown that he is still careless now, as well in a casual way by saying "I just shrug". He is also unsympathetic, and justifies his actions like Dan. He is now older, looking back and changed. The language used by Heaney also expresses the fact that little was thought of these so-called nuisances. He says they are 'slung' and Dan Taggart describes them as 'scraggy wee shits'. This shows how unsympathetic he was and how the kittens needn't be cared about. Seamus Heaney also tries to describe the habitual drowning of small kittens. Again, he tries to use language to appeal more and give us a better personal picture of events. For instance, when describing the kittens, just after their death, he quite brightly says, 'Like wet gloves they bobbed and shone till he sluiced them out on the dunghill, glossy and dead'. Glossy and dead are two contrasting words - 'glossy' is a healthy appearance, but its only because the water drowned the kittens, where the word 'death' comes in. Heaney goes on to say 'watching the three sogged remains turn mealy and crisp as old summer dung'. This is very imagery language, and maybe quite disturbing, although I think it adds more atmosphere to the poem, because summer is supposed to be happy and fresh, whereas dung isn't. And 'turn mealy and crisp', which gives the impression that he tried to pr... ...side with Heaney. The arguments put up by Dan Taggart, such as "Sure isn't it better for them now?" are seen to be realistic later on in the poem when Heaney says, "It makes sense". The images which he uses, however, encourage us to sympathise with him, such as "Suddenly frightened, for days I sadly hung round the yard" where we picture a small boy frightened at the power of adults over the poor helpless animals. This poem again, like "Follower" shows that life in the country can be very difficult, especially if you have to kill small animals, but if you work hard, then the farm will run better. Both poems have main themes, and they are very similar to eachother. It is all about the hard work involved in running a farm, the relationship between the father and son, and the expectation that profession and skills will be carried on throughout the family.

Native Americans and Alcohol Essay -- Native American History

Northern Native Americans were faced with many great hardships with the arrival of the Europeans, Spanish and the French. American Indians had thrived on American soil for thousands of years with great prosperity. Living among each other in a local economy and communities The Native Americans created a civilization that was harmonious with the land and spiritual world that surrounded them. They were able to sustain their survival from the living plants and animals that lived among them in this over abundant country and all of it's rich resources. Many different tribes thrived on this land by adapting well with the elements around them. They were able to use the one living animal that co-existed with their people and made sure that a good kill was worth the effort and danger that encountered it. The Native Americans were able to use every part of the animal killed from the hide to the hoofs in an effort of survival and to counter balance the spiritual world that engulfed their heritage. The natives would give back to the world that gave unto them. With an unfortelling future the Native Americans were not prepared for what storm was about to come ashore. Europeans would soon arrive and bring the Natives demise in more ways then one(Jones-Saumty). In 1492 Christopher Columbus was said to be the first arrival on American soil from the East. Columbus would bring many new and different commodities unseen by the Natives of this world. Europeans and the Spanish brought many commodities for their own survival in this new territory, such as plants and even animals. According to Calloway some of the food items brought from England and Spain were rice, wheat, barley,... ....1 ( 1998 )166-167 George and Barbara Perkins, â€Å" The American Tradition in Literature ,† ( Boston ) Mcgraw Hill, 2009 Robert s. Young, Jennie R. Joe. â€Å" Some Thoughts About Epidemiology of Alcohol and Drug Use Among American Indian Population†. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse. Vol. 8 Iss 3:(2009) 223 â€Å"What Prevents American Indians from Seeking Treatment for Alcohol Issues?† Web. 23 May 2015. Www.Goodtherapy.com/ Mancall, Peter C. "Men, women, and alcohol in Indian villages in the Great Lakes region in the early republic." Journal of the Early Republic. Indianapolis: Fall 1995. Vol. 15, Iss. 3; p. 425 William Laurence Saunders "The Colonial Records of North Carolina", Volume 5 1887. Web. 23 May 2015. https://books.google.com/ Craig Andrew, Robert B. Edgarton. "Drunken Comportment: A Social Explanation". Eliot Werner Publications. 2003

Is There Nowhere Else Where We Can Meet

?This short story, by Nadine Gordimer, overall, speaks on the deep-seethed racial tension that influenced the individuals in this story. In essence it is about a presumably white woman being mugged by an equally presumable black male (Gordimer is from South Africa and frequently wrote about racial tension). The tension in this story is so saturating that it even manages to conquer the language, imagery, and actions of the two people involved. The first paragraph reads, â€Å"It was a cool grey morning and the air was like smoke.In that reversal of the elements that sometimes takes place, the grey, soft, muffled sky moved like the sea on a silent day. † In the very first sentence it is established that there is a smoggy, perhaps suffocating quality in the air. Smoke is a hazardous, cancer causing gas that is also an agent of concealment; these attributes can also apply to the effects of apartheid. Like cancer, racial tension spread rampantly through South Africa and concealed a person’s character by his skin color. Even in the morning the â€Å"air was like smoke† as if to almost say, no matter how early you wake up racial tension is prevalent.In the very next sentence, it is stated that a reversal of elements has taken place which foreshadows a reversal of sorts in the later part of the story in which the woman becomes a victim. As she walks by the man her concentration is directed towards the scent of pine needles that were formerly held in her hand. A thudding is heard and the man appears unexpectedly panting in her face. This sequence of events inspires another theme in the story—fear. A fear of the unknown is evident early in the story, if only subtly, and evolves into an overwhelming sense of dread.As the woman first notices the red-capped figure in the distance, she inexplicably switches her â€Å"bag and parcel from one arm to the other†. This is a common defense mechanism for women fearing a mugging from a perceived so urce or to simply add a sense of security. Later, as she nears the figure on the path, she grabs â€Å"a little sheath of pine needles†¦and as she walked she ran them against her thumb. † An innocuous action that seems to hold her attention until the visage of the man steals it away.After passing the now weary, raggedy man, she realizes that the pine needles were no longer in her hand (she doesn’t know when this happened which would lead to the conclusion that she was transfixed on the man when the needles were dropped). The woman then decides to sniff her hand in order to remember what the needles smelled like in order to compare them to a similar scent from her childhood. The pine needles, which leave a residue on her fingers, leaves the woman with a need to wash them for, â€Å"Unless her hands were quite clean, she could not lose consciousness of them, they obtruded upon her.†By being keen on washing her hands, she would no longer be wary of the figure in which she passed and therefore relinquish her caution. This sets up the next scene as just when the woman decides to let her mind linger on her hands, the man makes his move. â€Å"†¦and then he was there in front of her, so startling, so utterly unexpected, panting right into her face. He stood dead still and she stood dead still. Every vestige of control, of sense, of thought, went out of her as a room plunges into dark at the failure of power and she found herself whimpering like an idiot or a child. Animal sounds came out of her throat.She gibbered. For a moment it was Fear itself that had her by the arms, the legs, the throat; not fear of the man, of any single menace he might present, but Fear, absolute, abstract. If the earth had opened up in fire at her feet, if a wild beast had opened its terrible mouth to receive her, she could not have been reduced to less than she was now. † It is expressly stated that she did not fear the man, so why does Fear present its elf only when he bounds to her? Such terror is realized when preconceived notions of class barriers are shattered unexpectedly and what’s to come next remains a mystery.The language changes to reflect the horror that the woman experiences in this moment. She does not simply stand still but dead still, a simile is used to express the fleeting feelings of control, and animal (inhuman) sounds are produced from her throat. Fear also becomes personified by being made a proper noun and entangling her in its grip. Throughout the story the man is made to seem opposite of the woman. As the woman in the story is traveling along a path, she spots a figure (a â€Å"native†) with a red cap.Upon reaching the man, by following the path, it is expressed that his trouser leg is torn off, revealing â€Å"the peculiarly dead, powdery black of cold† (the effects of the weather on his cracked skin); his eyes are also red and he smells of sweat. When the confrontation occurs, his dep iction of something different from her becomes more pronounced. His foot is stated to be â€Å"†¦cracked from exposure until it looked like broken wood†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , his face is sullen, voice is deep and hoarse, and he has a pink injury on his skin. Such a distinct contrast with the woman is made to emphasize the cause of the tension.After the woman escapes, she desperately runs from the scene in order to get back on the road. The language that follows gives a sense of one escaping a foreign world, â€Å"And she was out. She was on the road†¦. She could hear a faint hum, as of life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her once encompassing fear has now eased slightly and the cause seems to be her flight from the velds and brush. The setting of where the â€Å"native† resided and where the woman wants to go are also contrasts that make-up the difference between the two and only add to the foreignness of the encounter.The last two paragraphs of the story are most interesting in that afte r the tussle, the woman decides, after some deliberation, that she would not tell anyone of what just happened. â€Å"Why did I fight, she thought suddenly. What did I fight for? Why didn't I give him the money and let him go? † Perhaps she felt pity for the man? He was obviously poor and tired with severe exposure to the elements â€Å"His red eyes, and the smell and those cracks in his feet, fissures, erosion.†Perhaps her story would appear shady to the people she told, â€Å"She thought of the woman coming to the door, of the explanations, of the woman’s face, and the police. † It is evident from her previous behavior that a mugging was in the realm of possibility, and from the man’s appearance it was also evident that such an action was not beneath him. The woman doesn't tell anyone of her encounter because of the social difference between the two. At the end of the day, the woman can most likely replenish her lost items but, from the descripti on of the man, his survival could have been at stake if he didn't acquire assets or funds.The is described walking down the road, â€Å"like an invalid†, because she was robbed and such an occurrence leaves a hollow feeling but she realizes that she must move on, signified by her picking the â€Å"blackjacks from her stockings. † â€Å"Is There Nowhere Else Where We Can Meet? † is a unique title, firstly in its use of ‘nowhere’ instead of ‘anywhere’ and secondly, that the meeting between the two characters in the story is an undesirable one because of the racial tension in South Africa. Had these two people met in a different country things might have been different.

The Rules

* We should follow the rules so that we can maintain peace and organization within our society, economy, and even our country. Without rules no one would be able to work together. * Two different kinds of people can be heard to utter that question, â€Å"Why have rules? † One of them does not believe in rules; the other believes in rules and adds a few more words to the question, â€Å"Why have rules, if you are not going to enforce them? † I would like to examine both sides of this argument.Many people say that if we had no rules, there would be total anarchy and chaos. Some say that if there were no law against murder or theft, normal good people would murder and steal. I agree that there would be more murder and theft. But, I cannot imagine that normal people would murder and steal. Wouldn't you be repelled by murder and theft? Wouldn't there be implied constraints (implied laws, if you will) against murder and theft? Wouldn't the Golden Rule apply, even if it weren' t given to us in the Bible? Aren't there always implied rules? Sixty-nine percent of students who obey the rules say that the rules are there for guidance and protection, with 20 percent feeling that the rules are there to scare them into obedience. * We follow rules because they are necessary to coordinate individual actions in a social setting. Some rules are self-enforcing, i. e. , it is in each individual's interest to obey them. For example, once more than 50% of car operators drive on the right side of the road in a particular area, more and more drivers will notice that adapting to this rule reduces their risks of accident, and the rule will become more and more accepted.A driver who decides to break the rule will risk incurring a high cost. * A related reason why we follow rules is that we don't know the consequences of particular decisions: rules are, as Hayek says, â€Å"a device for coping with our constitutional ignorance. † * In certain instances, we follow rules because we want to guard against particular decisions that may, on the spur of the moment, bring satisfaction, but have long term consequences we wish to avoid. You may use a loud, or repeating, alarm-clock, or put it out of reach, because you know hat you may be tempted to stay in bed when the time comes. * Rules are indispensable, but there must be ways to challenge them by trying new ones. Much of the art of social, and personal, life is about knowing which rules to follow and which rules to disobey. * Most of the time we put people into one category or the other. You either accept the rules and play by them or you’re a rebel who likes to break the rules. * A third variety that we often forget about is the rule questioner.And the rule questioner is in a better position to learn and succeed than the pure rule followers and rule breakers. * Why you shouldn’t follow all the rules * The rule followers believe that rules are in place for a reason and that we should foll ow them all. Groups of smart people created laws and company procedures and social norms and school policies so we should accept them and follow them. * Blindly following the rules doesn’t require you to think much. You accept rules the way they are even if they don’t seem to make sense. The problem is that circumstances and environments and people and societies change. We learn better methods. Technology changes our procedures. Rules become outdated. * If you blindly follow all the rules, you don’t account for these changes. * Why you shouldn’t break all the rules * While some of us like to believe we’re rule breakers, most of us realize that we need rules to have a functioning society. (That is, unless you’re an anarchist. ) * Rule breakers really aren’t that different from rule followers.Instead of blindly following the rules, they blindly break the rules. * Why? * Maybe you think you know better. * Maybe you like the feeling of re bellion. * Maybe you want to be different. * Maybe you think the rules are absurd. * The underlying problem with both rule breakers and rule followers is that they don’t use their brains to think about whether they should follow or break the rules. * Question the rules * Instead of following all the rules or breaking all the rules, we should become rule questioners. * Do the rules make sense?If so, then follow them†¦if not, think about about how you might be able to change them. * Most people believe that if you don’t question the rules, you’ll get farther in life, but success awaits those who are willing to break the right rules. * Painting inside the lines * I’m definitely a rule follower. * I was reminded of my tendency to follow the rules last weekend when I attending a Paint By Wine Class with some friends. A local art shop provides paint, a blank canvas and an artist to teach you to create a painting while you sip wine and chat with friends. Ev eryone is supposed to follow the instructor’s guidance to create the same painting. I didn’t really like the colors in the painting, but I followed each of the artist’s instructions and recreated something that looked exactly like her painting. She complimented me on how straight my lines were. * It wasn’t until I looked around, that I noticed that other people weren’t following the rules (gasp! ). Some of my friends used different colors. Others put their flowers in different locations. Others were going even more rogue and painting roses instead of daisies. I blindly followed the rules without even thinking about how I could put my own touch on the painting. I didn’t even like what I was creating, but I found myself proud that I had followed the directions so closely (although certainly not perfectly). * What was I left with at the end of the night? Besides a fun time hanging out with my friends, I had an exact replica of a painting I didn ’t really like. (Yes, the featured image in this post is my â€Å"work of art†. ) * Use your brain to question the rules Whether you’re more of a rule breaker or a rule follower, we can all improve by questioning the rules before following or breaking them. * I’m not suggesting that you pick only the rules you feel like following. Please don’t drink and drive because you think the rule doesn’t make sense. Don’t steal from the grocery store to feel like a rebel. * But do use your brain to ask reasonable questions. *   Rules are important because without rules there would be chaos. Everyone would be doing whatever they want and no one would agree and bad things would happen.   Rules are important because it lets society know what is expected of them. If you break the rules there are consequences and you are aware of that as well. Rules keep us in order. * We should follow the rules so that we can maintain peace and organization with in our society, economy, and even our country. Without rules no one would be able to work together. * Rules are needed to stop anarchy and to provide order. People need to be accountable for their actions so rules are needed. Without rules, no one would own up to any responsibility and things would never get accomplished. *