Strategic Technology Planning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic Technology Planning - Research Paper Example This is after American Express created a custom customer service Facebook page. From the page, cardholders can conveniently ask about services offered and also make their complaints. The research analyzed online platforms used by major and minor companies in handling online marketing. The content conveyed in these platforms was also analyzed to determine whether they had any aspects of marketing or were just general information. According to Grant (2014) internet marketing is a tool that can be used to elevate a company within hours if well used. The world is actively talking online. The results indicated that the social media is the main platform used by companies to carry out online marketing. This paper research also discusses the use of Apps for smartphones, tablets, pads and other telecommunication gadgets. In as much as people are using the internet, attracting them to your platform is very essential. Marketing would only make sense if the target clientele is able to receive your message. The recommendations from this research are that companies need to diversify their online marketing and use other platforms like emails and blogs. Companies also need establish internet marketing departments and adequately fund them in order to facilitate their activities. Marketing is a very dynamic aspect in any business. Every day, new strategies are developed and implemented to ensure companies are active in the competitive market. Companies have been forced to allocate majority of their budget into marketing than any other area. Millions have been invested into marketing. This is necessary for any company that wants to make profits (FK Publications, 2013). According to (Taube, 2014) in 2013, the top 100 biggest advertisers in the US used a staggering $109Billion in marketing. Traditional modes of marketing are slowly being replaced by new and advanced modes. The main driving force behind this is the internet. With internet, one is connected to the

Workplace Stress and Aggression Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Workplace Stress and Aggression - Research Paper Example The overall productivity of the businesses may also come down just because of this negative perception about the work place environment in the company (Tom, 2008). The research shows many lethal examples of such violent incidents in different US institutions. At the top of the list, there is an incident of a US Army Major, who was serving as a psychiatrist, killed 13 people at his place in October 2007. Similarly, another horrible incident took place in 2006, when the corps found a dead body of a student at a research building hanging with the wall. The reason behind her death was the violent behavior of the lab assistant (Tom, 2008). In November 2008, an engineer was fired because of the consistent poor performance; he came after a week to his company and shot 11 people in aggression. In another incident in Mississippi in 2003, a plant worker killed six workers and then shot himself too. These are some of the incidents which are highlighted in the research, otherwise the history of US companies is filled with these horrible violent behaviors and therefore increasing the level of aggression and stress in the company employees (Tom, 2008). The increasing rate of work place violence issues need to be addressed soon other it will create a havoc for the rest of the company employees and thus the company management will have to suffer the losses. For this reason, the company management should be aware of the warning signs or the triggering factors which actually provoke these violent behaviors. In this way, company can take precautionary measures to avoid any such hazardous event or incident to take place (Morris, 2005). If a person is not at all comfortable with his or her colleagues at the work place and used to pass negative comments on them then it means that he has an aggressive behavior towards others. His inappropriate remarks towards other are a symbol that he is not comfortable with them. According to these people, they are

Employee Voice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employee Voice - Essay Example This calls for change in organizations’ strategies to enable the organization to respond to the changes in a timely and flexible manner. To achieve this, an organization needs to gain workforce commitment by enabling them to have a voice on matters that affect them. Employees have, therefore, been empowered through involvement and participation in organization decision making process by the use of direct or indirect voice mechanisms. The paper will discuss the employee voice mechanisms in use today and the outcome of such mechanisms for workers. The employee voice literature began with Hirschman in the 1970s and was further popularised by Freeman and Medoff in the 1980s. Dundon et al (2005) views employee voice as an articulation of individual dissatisfaction, expression of collective organization, contribution to decision making, and mutuality. To articulate dissatisfaction, an individual has only two options according to Hirschman’s exit-voice theory; he can decide to exit or stay and fight from within by voicing his concerns. Hirschman (1970:30) therefore refers to voice as ‘any attempt at all to change rather than escape from an objectionable state of affairs whether through individual or collective petition to management’. ... The role of management is to provide voice mechanisms for workers so as to air their opinions. Freeman and Medoff (1984) built on Hirschman’s theory of exit-voice to emphasize the importance of having a collective voice in organizations especially through trade unions. This form of voice mechanism entails negotiations between employees and employer through the union and has many advantages. The union helps to reduce exits hence retention of qualified staff thus minimising on hiring and training costs. The employment contracts negotiated through collective bargaining also protects the employees’ interests thus enhancing cooperation and job security. The union can also assist the management in introduction of new work practices thus minimising resistance to change (Bennett & Kaufman, 2007). However, unions also can manage to force the organization to increase wages above competitive levels hence a loss to the company. Moreover, most of the workers organized in unions are dissatisfied with their jobs since the union leaders raise their job outcome expectations beyond what is realistic. According to Rose (2007), there is increased decline in unionisation as new sectors emerge hence making unions unrepresentative of employee voice. Many organizations are non-unionized and apply alternative voice mechanisms such as communication, training and development, attitude surveys, financial participation, and quality circles. However, employee voice is driven by various factors. The availability of voice mechanisms in the organization is a key driver of voice as employees can utilise various means to air their grievances but management support is required. For example, the management can put up suggestion boxes to get their opinions and adopt a culture of

International Business, Economic Integration Essay Example for Free

International Business, Economic Integration Essay To begin with, the term economic integration can be defined as a procedure in which nations work together with one other in order to trim down or get rid of obstructions to the worldwide flow of goods, individual or resources (Dalimov, 2008) . The continuing paragraphs bring to light the advantages and disadvantages of economic integration. There exist a number of advantages associated with economic integration one of them is trade creation. By means of trade creation the members nations possess broader choice of products and provisions which were not earlier obtainable, can get hold of products and services at comparatively lesser price subsequent to trade barriers because of reduced tariffs or elimination of tariffs, motivate additional trade among associate nations as the steadiness of capital used up from low-priced products and services, could be brought to play so as to purchase extra goods and provisions. Apart from this, the other advantages include the fact that a group of countries could hold considerably better political authority as compared to every country would possess independently. Moreover, this amalgamation is perceived as a vital stratagem in order to deal with the upshots of disagreements and political unsteadiness that might influence the area. It is also considered to be a very constructive implement to deal with the economic and social challenges related to globalization. Further, as economic integration motivates trade emancipation and result in marketplace growth, extra savings into the nation and larger dissemination of know-how generates additional job prospects for individual to shift from one nation to other with the purpose to search employment or to get superior salary (Alesina et. al. , 1997). Moving ahead, one of the disadvantages associated with economic integration include trade diversion. Due to trade barriers, trade gets shifted from a non-associate nation to an associate nation in spite of the incompetence in price. For instance, a nation would have to bring to a halt trade along with less price produce located in a non-associate nation and deal with a producer located in an associate nation which include a superior price. In addition to this, other disadvantages encompass the fact that it could also augment trade barriers in opposition to non-affiliate nations. Furthermore, it needs associate nations to go without some extent of power with respect to chief procedures such as trade, financial and economic guidelines. Moreover, the greater the degree of incorporation, the higher the level of authorities that requires to be sacrificed chiefly in the situation of a political league economic amalgamation that calls for countries to sacrifice a large amount of independence. Small companies typically have difficulty competing against large multinationals when their governments take part in regional trade blocs. What could governments do to help their small companies compete after the formation of such blocs? Primarily, at the time when a country’s government commits to taking part in a local trade bloc, there prevail a number of concerns that could grab hold of a number of small organizations off guard. A few of these concerns vary from incremented competition, shortfall of workers, and the incapability to acquire superior quality goods that were conventionally obtainable from non associate countries. Moreover, the function of the government entities in supporting organizations with such situation is considered to be rather complicated. The purpose of taking part in the provincial trade bloc is to augment trade that is by and large the flourishing upshot for the entire country. One of the advantages of such trade blocs is the lessening of government participation in trade. However, for government entities to offer help to its organizations could be a bit duplicitous for the bloc contract in case if it hinders trade in any manner with rest of the bloc affiliates. In the happening that an organization’s proceeds are in danger through the introduction of products from a non- bloc associate, tariffs or import taxes could be made compulsory in order to bring down the level of competition. This will require to be synchronized with associate countries so as to make sure permanence. In addition to this, other means by which the government can assist is by trimming down the amount of imported products through quotas. Moreover, this will still permit a fraction of the products into the nation at the same time guaranteeing that organizations inside the nation or bloc could still try to win. The most useful method that the government entities can carry out for its small organizations that strive hard subsequent to the initiation of a trade bloc is to make sure that each and every short term finance matters are handled by establishing help provisions and most significantly, ensuring that edifying facilities inside the nation go along nation’s effectiveness by shoring up formulated plans and bringing about fresh plans in order to handle inadequacies as and when they occur. Moving ahead, a government requires keeping an eye on the way how contribution inside a trade bloc has influenced organizations insides its limitations, the minimum extent of government contribution may prove to be most appropriate. Further, the trade blocs are incessantly being modified by initiating trade with other nations with passing time. Lastly, several negotiations that a nation adopts in the short period so as to attempt to assist circumstances inside its limitations can have enduring impacts on nations which might desire to contribute inside the bloc in the upcoming times.

Women in the IT Sector

Women in the IT Sector The underrepresentation of women in IT is a research section that has received much attention in recent years. Extant research has examined several factors that contribute to and/or increase the widening gender gap. Information technology abbreviated as (I.T) according to Information Technology association of America can be described as the study, development, implementation, support or management of computer based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware (Answer co-oporation, 2012). From the above, it can be deduced that Information technology deals with information handing out and knowledge management processing. In the early 60s and 70s, places like banks and hospitals knew about information technology, and understood then as the procedure used to store information. However, in recent times I.T has now become a familiar name. It is an Industry that uses computers, software programs and communication materials to retrieve, store transmit and secure data. Developing and developed countries rely on I.T to ensure rapid progress. Businesses and organizations also rely on the field for maximum output. Over the years, people have effectively adopted and embraced information technology in all sectors and works of life, and it contributes a significant quota to the development of the economy of most countries. Furthermore, it is quite remarkable to note that the foundation and practise of Information technology around the world is a contribution of both the male and female counterparts, and this is quite evident in most developed countries such as the United Kingdom, The United states of America and China. It is quite the opposite in seemingly developing and under-developed countries as statistics which would be presented in the latter of this report shows that women are significantly under-represented across the field. I have carefully carried out a search of literature on participation of women in the industry; also I have examined the women who had made their mark in Information technology. Moreover, the research points to the fact that womens participation in I.T has drastically dropped over the years across the field, despite efforts to attract and keep them in the field. This information presented is a rigorous social science review which would give the reader in-depth background knowledge of where Women participation in the industry started and provides accurate statistics across the United Kingdom, Europe and Africa gotten during the research on this subject. INTRODUCTION Information Technology is rapidly changing the world; it has significantly changed the way we do, the way we communicate with people all over the world. I.T has also advanced the teaching system used in all learning and teaching institutions as well as the way we protect ourselves. People are better informed, and the method of disseminating quality information across the world has improved. The gradually transforming of the IT industry into a household name has been an labour of both male and the female gender who have worked relentlessly to the acceptance of the field; particularly in high developed countries who support the practise of information technology in all fields of life. However, inequality between women and men has persisted in hiring and retention of women at all levels of information technology (I.T), this accounts from the few number of girls who have had an understanding of computer modules in schools, to the low percentage of women/ females who take up any IT course as an undergraduate level and more visibly the lack of female in excellent organisational and academic positions. What seem to have been a common ground and industry for both gender has now become a seemingly mans world due to the low participation of women in this sector. Gender indifferences in IT careers seem to be affecting the competitiveness of companies globally. It posited that given the current labour shortage in the IT industry, it has become more critical than ever to reduce sources of leakage in the IT career paths of women. Figures so far indicate that the proportion of women in IT has dropped from 40 percent of the IT workforce in 1986 to about 29 percent at the end of 1999 and is still dropping (Andrea Kvasny, 2004). This report presented, suggests that stronger representation by women in technical roles would help to resolve troubling human capital deficit, and will refine and extend the scope of technological applications, products, standards and practices; which will improve the society. It also shows the continuing under-representation of women in the Information technology sector. This report consists of figures and graphs. It will also discuss the contributions of women from 1842 when we had the first female programmer. It also shows the steady decline in female participation and activities over the years. AIMS OF THE REPORT Tell a valid account about the current situation of women participation in the industry. Provide a comprehensive summary of the key barriers to womens participation in technology. Provide promising practices and for addressing these barriers. Suggest ways to evaluate and improve working conditions for women in technology. HISTORY AND CONTRIBUTION An extensive research done on this subject, it is quite obvious that women have been of high repute in this field; it is publicized in an article by Anita Borg: Women participation in Information technology can be traced back to 1842; when the first woman programmer Ada Lovelace who studied mathematics at her young age designed a document that elaborated on her idea that the analytic machine an plan by Charles Babbage, might be used to compose complex music, to produce graphics, and would be used for both practical and scientific use. These notes contained a specification for the first computer program. This note can be described as an algorithm encoded for processing by a machine. She also suggested that the machine that could manipulate symbols in accordance with rules and that numbers could represent entities other than quantities characterize the underlying change from calculation to computation. Years after she wrote her article, her ideas were implemented in developing the firs t computer, which over the years has transformed to the desktop and laptops. With her contribution in helping to analyze Babbages invention, she is referred to the analyst of Charles Babbages analytical engine and the first computer programmer. (Borg, 2002) Furthermore, between the1970 to 1980, Dr Adele Goldberg who has a PhD in Information science combined with Alan Kay in developing the object- oriented programming language Smalltalk-80. This programming language was then used to model the windows, icons, menus and pointers interface at Xerox PARC which is a method for todays graphical user interfaces. With this contribution, she is accredited the co-founder of the Smalltalk-80 programming language. (Borg, 2002) Anita Borg a computer scientist also played a vital role in introducing women into the field of computer technologies by developing Systers in 1987. It was an electronic mailing list exclusively for women in the information technology. It also provided a framework that helped women who were in the field develop themselves, share and solve challenges they faced in their respective organizations/ workplace. In 1997, she later established the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology which aimed at encouraging young women to go into the technology industry. Having put all her energy into trying to encourage women into the technology industry, she is highly regarded as the cause of introduction of women to the field and a mentor of young women in the career. (Borg, 2002) STATISTICS Although, science and engineering disciplines such as Mathematics had existed over the years and dominated by men, Computer science can as well be traced far back to 1960 when it started up as a recognized academic discipline. Quite a handful of women had taken up careers in information technology. The report shows that the percentage of women in the field increased to its highest by 36%; 1985 to 1991, but it slowly drops to 25% between 1991 down till 2008; this suggest that there has been a significant difference in the position occupied by women in the industry compared to their male counterparts. Fig 1.0 a chart showing the degradation of women in the industry Image available at: http://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/legacy/pdf/NCWIT_TheFacts_rev2010.pdf) Despite the increasing number of computing jobs, interest in these majors and careers has steadily declined over the past decade. Statistics show that more males have attained bachelor degrees and employed in the industry. However, female students who are enrolling in computer science and graduating with computer science degrees in the industry is steadily diminishing with only a few holding top positions in organizations. Mary Lou Roberts suggests that if the current trends continue, by 2018 the industry will only be able to fill half with its available jobs with more male candidates holding bachelor degrees in computing and information sciences (Roberts, 2007). Fig2.0 Graph showing the difference between men and women taking up a level in I.T Image available at: http://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/legacy/pdf/NCWIT_TheFacts_rev2010.pdf) Furthermore, the data in this study clearly indicate women are not well represented in the sector that constitutes the growth mechanism of most highly developed and developing countries. Consequently, the Anita Borg foundation relentlessly tries to encourage more young women to take up a career in the industry as well as provide more to make it an fair industry for both the male and female sexes FACTORS AFFECTING WOMEN IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY An article by J.Cohoon and W. Aspray, argues Information technology/ computing remains a heavily male dominated area even after twenty-five years of extensive efforts to promote female participation (Joanne William, 2012). Most popular discussion and research focuses on the increasing numbers of women as users of information technology with a strong emphasis on their use of the Internet and World Wide Web; several efforts have been geared to attract more women into the industry, so as to reduce the dominance of the male sexes who have taken up more careers in the industry. However, as reported by Cheris Kramarae, these efforts have not brought up the expected result, and specific factors are attributed to be responsible for the gender inequality and large disparity in the industry. ( Cheris, 2003) This section of the report reveals the factors that have been responsible for slow reduction of women representation in the industry. These factors would be discussed in the following sub-headings: LABOUR LAWS AND REGULATION In some of the middle-eastern and north- African countries, such as Jordan and Sudan. The labour laws and regulations which were originally meant to protect women have turned around to have adverse effects on womens participation and contribution to the industry and the willingness of employers to hire females into the industry. Some of the laws and regulations are listed below: Law: Regulation 55 of the Jordan law states that family allowances should not be paid to female employees for her Children if the father is still alive or not retired except in a situation of permanent disabilities Impact: there is unequal treatment of women in the area as well as her dependants and this gives women the notion that women are secondary breadwinners of the family. (Danna, et al., 2010) Law: 1996 Labour Code (Article 69) states that the Ministry of Labour can determine the industries and Job prohibited to women. Impact: this limits the womens freedom of choice of courses to study at the university as well as the careers to take up in the university. It fails to protect women and thus, exposes women to Jobs that may be quite risky. (Danna, et al., 2010) Workplace-PLACE ISOLATION In some workplaces and offices, Women who are chief executives in offices are often separated from other female workers who are under the ladder and require appropriate mentorship or sponsorship, and this affects their retention and advancement. In The Athena Factor, one-third of women in private-sector SET jobs said they felt extremely isolated at work. In the same study, 40 percent of technical women reported lacking role models while nearly half reported lacking mentors, and 84 percent reported lacking sponsors or someone who would help make their accomplishments evident throughout the organization. This particularly leads to feelings of isolation, and these feelings become more pronounced as women move up the corporate or academic ranking (Gibson, 2012). Furthermore, in some I.T industries as well, the job roles of the women are different from that of the male counterparts. This has negative effects on women as they often have no male counterparts to share ideas and problems with; either relating to their career challenges or matters outside the work place experience, hence, forcing them to either quit their job roles or change their direction of career away from the technology industry. Also, Women are left out of board meetings and taking key decision in most organizations as they sometimes are considered as un-important and their ideas or contributions would not count towards the development of the organization. They are left to their offices and only informed about the new policies, Fig3.0 Graph showing the effect of the work-place isolation factor on women. Image available at: http://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/legacy/pdf/NCWIT_TheFacts_rev2010.pdf) STEREOTYPING Over the years, women have cultivated fears and anxieties in taking up a career in the technology industry as they often consider it as a highly technical field and complex academic subject. Furthermore, they have developed the notion that Engineering, sciences and technology is a mans field. This therefore has reduced their sense of competence and trust. This can and most times negatively affect performance, confidence, and risk-taking behaviour. Stereotype has been a serious threat, and this majorly has made employers, supervisors, or co-workers incorrectly assume that these behaviours or lack of confidence are the result of personal characteristics of the employees themselves. These senses of un-importance and anxiety have undoubtedly ensured that these employees are not able to live up to their full potential and in most cases make them to leave the office for sense of inferiority. GLASS-CLIFF EFFECT This situation occurs when they seem to be promoted too early or put in charge of tasks they do not yet have the expertise or the ability to carry out. This often happens as supervisors, managers, or organization leaders try to meet diversity requirements. Meeting these requirements in this way, however, unconsciously sets these employees up to fail and is detrimental to the long-term interest of the company, to the employees own interest, and to future efforts for hiring and retaining diverse employees. When these female practitioners fail in the various tasks they have been assigned, it sets them up and gradually reduces their confidence and self-worth, causing them to either resign or choose another career. These factors mentioned are responsible for the decline and reluctance of young women to take up a career in I.T. It has also discouraged those with a degree in computing from taking up a career among the various opportunities in the field. WAYS TO ENCOURAGE WOMEN IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY A growing body of evidence demonstrates the importance of gender balance in leadership including improvements in organizational performance and corporate governance. Hence, there is the need to establish practices that would attract more women into the industry and increase the overall output from the Technology sector of the economy. This section gives in details specific practices which would increase womens participation in the industry and further enhance the output of the few who are still practicing. These practices are listed in the sub-headings below: Establishing Fair and Clear Promotion Criteria It is necessary to note that the basis on which men and women are judged as successful should be made even during promotion. Both men and women strongly value teamwork and realize that collaboration is essential for success. Providing an balanced working environment and opportunity is critical to retaining women in the industry. This is because in most organizations and industries, the males are quickly promoted to managerial and supervisory positions while the women kept at their primary roles take a longer time before they get promoted to managerial positions. When there is an open framework for promotion for both genders, women would give more efforts into their jobs, and this apparently would bring out the best in them. Introducing effective mentoring Mentoring is a vital practice can help female employees develop the skills and confidence they need to take on more senior roles and give their full potentials at their various place of work. It is not about the mentor teaching a specific skill; it is about creating a reflective learning environment through conversations between mentors and mentees. This would allow the younger staffs gain the confidence and the ideas they need to explore issues and develop solutions. Seeing someone like themselves in a position they pursue, will improve their workplace experience and give them Job satisfaction. Improve workplace culture Another practice most organizations and industries have not paid care to is that of providing a good working condition for the female employees. This can be achieved by providing an on-site child support to carter for nursing mothers, giving them more allowances and defining a good salary payment plan. Furthermore, providing gender specific training in leadership skills for women in the organization would provide tangible benefits. It gives a clear message to them that the industry views them as leaders and is making an investment in them, boosting their confidence and morale. Organizations which practice excellent workplace culture appeal to, and benefit, men and women, employees and manager. CONCLUSION It is quite distinct from this report that Women are relevant and to the industry. Records show that they have contributed immensely to the introduction of information technology and computing in this present age. This information document Ada Lovelace designed an algorithm used to design the first computer and have transformed to the various systems we have today. Furthermore, in 1893, Henrietta Swan Leavitt joined the Harvard computers, a group of women engaged in the making of astronomical data at Harvard. She was instrumental in discovery of the Cepheid variable stars, which are evidence for the expansion of the universe. Hence, it would be a tremendous step if these practices mentioned above implemented as this would boost the overall output from the field and send a message to the young women taking up a degree in universities that a lot awaits them in the field. It would also give them a sense of belonging and support coming into the industry. Bibliography Andrea, T. Kvasny, L., 2004. Recruitment is Never Enough. Retention of Women and Minorities in the IT workplace, 22-24 April. Answer co-oporation, 2012. What is Information Technology. [Online] Available at: http://wiki.answers.com/What_is_information technology [Accessed 24 November 2012]. Borg, A., 2002. Women in Computer Science. [Online] Available at: http://cssu-bg.org/WomenInCS/anita_borg.php [Accessed 04 December 2012]. Danna, p., Ghoshesh, H., Darawazeh, N. Sabaggah, A., 2010. Factors affecting Women participation in the Private Sector. [Online] Available at: http://www.almanar.jo/AlManarWeb/ [Accessed 03 December 2012]. Gibson, R., 2012. Factors affecting online mentoring acceptances by women professionals. [Online] Available at: http://udini.proquest.com/view/factors-affecting-online-mentoring-goid:304819169/ [Accessed 02 December 2012]. Joanne, C. William, A., 2012. Women and Information Technology. [Online] Available at: http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/women-and-information-technology [Accessed 25 November 2012]. Roberts, M. L., 2007. Why the Number of Women in IT Is Decreasing. [Online] Available at: http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh011507-story02.html [Accessed 04 December 2012].

The Taming of the Shrew Essay -- Shakespeare Plays Papers

The Taming of the Shrew In taking on the task of directing The Taming of the Shrew, Gregory Doran followed in a long line of directors that were faced with the challenge of how to mount one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The main issue of the play is how to deal with the brutal treatment of Katharine by Petruchio. It is male domination of the female through violence and starvation that eventual breaks Kate's will and tames her. The interpretive gesture reserved to the director is to decide how completely Kate becomes obedient to Petruchio and if she actually falls in love with him. There is also the general attempt to soften the harshness of the text through performance, using irony to soften the painful action taking place on the stage. Past productions have found varying ways of dealing with these issues to make the play digestible to modern audiences. Great liberty is usually taken with the text in order to justify the misogynistic overtones of the play. One major way of dealing with the issues of the play is done through the inclusion or exclusion of the induction. The play opens with the drunkard Sly being tricked to believe he is royalty, and the entirety of The Taming of the Shrew is a performance for his benefit. Its inclusion thus serves as a framing device that can distance the audience from the difficult parts of the show, as the audience is made conscious of the fact that they are only watching a performance. To exclude the induction makes the action on stage more real, it is not possible to disregard the story as mere theatrics. An example of the application of the induction is the John Barton production in 1960, with Peter O'Toole as Petruchio. The cut scenes featuring commentary from Sly from The Tamin g of a ... ...o. It is clear that Doran didn't see the production about a battle of the sexes, but instead as a love story between two people who have difficulty relating to all others around them. Both Kate and Petruchio are reconceived as insecure people who are only very strong willed in order to hide their fears of their inadequacies. Doran found motivation for the actions of the play that were based on text to create a unique view of the characters. Holderness, Graham. Shakespeare in Performance: The Taming of the Shrew. Manchester University Press. Manchester. 1989. Holland, Peter. English Shakespeare: Shakespeare on the English stage in the 1990s. Cambridge University Press. United Kingdom. 1997. Spencer, Charles. Funny, touching - and shrewd. London Telegraph. April 2003. Thompson, Ann. The Taming of the Shrew. Cambridge University Press. United Kingdom. 2003.

Companies for Social Responsibility Essay

Whether made in business, politics, science, or sports, most decisions are judged as either right or wrong, ethical or unethical. Regardless of what an individual believes about a particular action, if society judges it to be unethical or wrong, whether correctly or not, that judgment directly affects the organization’s ability to achieve its business goals. For this reason alone, it is important to understand business ethics and recognize ethical issues. Ð «ocial responsibility, an organization’s obligation to maximize its positive impact on stakeholders and to minimize its negative impact. Philosophers increased their involvement, applying ethical theory and philosophical analysis to structure the discipline of business ethics. Companies became more concerned Bowie contends that when a business also cares about the well-being of stakeholders, it earns trust and cooperation that ultimately reduce costs and increase productivity.24 Much evidence shows that social responsibility, including business ethics, is associated with increased profits The opportunity that employees have for unethical behavior in an organization can be eliminated through formal codes, policies, and rules that are adequately enforced by management. For example, financial companies Company Q is a small local grocery store chain located in a major metropolitan area. They have recently closed a couple of stores in higher-crime-rate areas of the city, reportedly because these two stores were consistently losing money. After years of requests from customers, all of their stores have started offering a very limited amount of health-conscience and organic products—all of which were high margin items. When asked by the area’s food bank for donation of day-old products, management declined deciding instead to throw the food away, citing worries over lost revenues due to possible fraud and stealing by employees who might say they are donating the food. Company Q is a small local grocery store chain. Unfortunately company Q is having a hard time with the idea of social responsibity, which in turn is hurting their business. Let’s first look at the definition of corporate social responsibility. This is a term that means a company big or small tries to maximize its positive impact on, investors, customers and on the community. Now let’s look at why Company Q is low on the evaluate scale of social responsibility. Company Q has three areas that could use some improvements, in the regards to social responsibility. The first one is the donation of the day old products to the community food banks. The community will look bad on the company for just throwing the day-old products out. And there is a way of placing rules and regulations on the employees so the company is not losing profits and having to deal with fraud. The second one is that the company has taken years to respond to their customers asking for health conscience and organic products. And then after finally getting some health option the store only offers limited amounts. Because the company took a long time to respond to their customers need. The consumer thinks that the company really does not care too much on what they need or think. The third one is losing their two stores in a high-crime area that was reportedly losing money. Having two abandoned store does not give the company a good look, it shows stockholders that the company cannot flourish and survive. And also the company’s reputation with their consumers starts to go down, and less people will go to their stores. By seeing just these three areas of company Q’s ethics it is clear that the company is not seeing the big picture on being social responsibly. The company is on the low end of leaving a positive impact on its customers, investor and their community. The company is not responding to the consumers’ needs and wants, in a timely manner and when they do, it is a low end response. The consumer will go somewhere else, and in turn the company will lose money. The community will see that the company does not even try to help to make the area a better place to live. Then what happen are the leaders of the community talk with the people around them about the company and more consumer stop shopping at their stores. If the company help with some charities in the area that the stores are in might get a little bit better and the crime would go down. And finally not looking in to the reasons or trying to find solution on the stores that were having troubles. Evaluate Company Q’s current attitude toward social responsibility. 1. Recommend three areas that could be improved regarding the company’s attitude toward social responsibility. TABLE 2–2 Fortune’s Best and Worst Companies for Social Responsibility Best Companies Worst Companies 1.International Paper 2.United Parcel Service 3.Starbucks 4.Fortune Brands 5.Walt Disney 6.McDonald’s 7.Medco Health Solutions 8.Herman Miller 9.Weyerhaeuser 10.Union Pacific 1.Constellation Brands 2.WellCare Health Plans 3.Sears Holding* 3.Dana* 5.Federal-Mogul 6.Beazer Homes USA* 6.S&C Holdco 3 (Swift & Co.)* 8.Dollar General 9.Brown-Forman 10.Delphi There are four levels of social responsibility—economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic—and they can be viewed as steps (see Figure 2–3).34 At the most basic level, companies have an economic responsibility to be profitable so that they can provide a return on investment to their owners and investors, create jobs for the community, and contribute goods and services to the economy. Of course, businesses are also expected to obey all laws and regulations. Business ethics, as previously defined, comprises principles and standards that guide behavior in the world of business. Finally, philanthropic responsibility refers to activities that are not required of businesses but promote human welfare or goodwill. Ethics, then, is one dimension of social responsibility. Reputation is one of an organization’s greatest intangible assets with tangible value. The value of a positive reputation is difficult to quantify, but it is very important. A single negative incident can influence perceptions of a corporation’s image and reputation instantly and for years afterwards. Corporate reputation, image, and brands are more important than ever and are among the most critical aspects of sustaining relationships with constituents including investors, customers, financial analysts, media, and government watchdogs. It takes companies decades to build a great corporate governance. Accountability refers to how closely workplace decisions are aligned with a firm’s stated strategic direction and its compliance with ethical and legal considerations. Oversight provides a system of checks and balances that limit employees’ and managers’ opportunities to deviate from policies and strategies and that prevent unethical and illegal activities. Control is the process of auditing and improving organizational decisions and actions. The stakeholder model of corporate governance adopts a broader view of the purpose of business. Although a company has a responsibility for economic success and viability to satisfy its stockholders, it also must answer to other stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, government regulators, communities, and special interest groups with which it interacts. Due to limited resources, companies must determine which of their stakeholders are primary. Once the primary groups have been identified, managers must then implement the appropriate corporate governance mechanisms to promote the development of long-term relationships.47 This approach entails creating governance systems that consider stakeholder welfare in tandem with corporate needs and interests. The opportunity that employees have for unethical behavior in an organization can be eliminated through formal codes, policies, and rules that are adequately enforced by management. For example, financial companies Thesis Paper Outline Format I. Introduction: In this section, give the reader an idea of why your paper will be important and/or interesting, what you will be arguing, and make the organization of the paper clear to the reader. a. Explanation of purpose and background information (optional): Explain why this topic needs to be written about (may require some background on the topic) b. Thesis statement: A basic statement of your position; your answer to your research question c. Expanded thesis statement: A brief listing of the major points that you will make in your paper, in the order in which you will make them II. Arguments: Each of your main arguments can either argue a point that supports your position, or argue against something you believe is wrong. This is a lengthy paper, so ideally you will have more than three arguments to make. You should make as many as you can. Organize your arguments to flow from one to the next or, ideally, to put your strongest arguments first and last. d. Argument 1 i. Supporting evidence (author, pg. or para. #) ii. More supporting evidence! (author, pg. or para. #) iii. Even more supporting evidence!! (author, pg. or para. #) e. Argument 2 iv. Supporting evidence (author, pg. or para. #) v. More supporting evidence! (author, pg. or para. #) vi. Even more supporting evidence!! (author, pg. or para. #) f. Argument 3 vii. Supporting evidence (author, pg. or para. #) viii. More supporting evidence! (author, pg. or para. #) ix. Even more supporting evidence!! (author, pg. or para. #) III. Conclusion: This section of your paper should summarize and look to the future. g. Acknowledge the opposing side of the argument h. Re-emphasize your own argument by summarizing the main points that you made i. Draw final conclusions about the strength of your position Fictional Outline for a Thesis with Parenthetical Citation in MLA Format I. Introduction a. Background i. The number of flavors of ice cream produced by major companies has quadrupled over the past decade (â€Å"Consumer Choice† 25). ii. People debate which flavor is the best. b. Thesis: High-quality vanilla ice cream remains the best ice cream flavor on the market. c. Expanded thesis: People will continue to enjoy vanilla ice cream more than any other flavor for its simplicity, versatility, and its cultural significance. II. Argument d. Vanilla ice cream is the best because it is simple, yet never boring. iii. Vanilla ice cream can be made with only four ingredients (Breyers 6). iv. In her new book Rachel Ray argues, â€Å"The flavor of vanilla is a simple, yet classic one that goes well with any meal!!!† (43). v. Despite the simplicity of vanilla ice cream, it comes in many different varieties, such as French Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, and other delicious variations (â€Å"Edy’s Ice Cream† par. 6). e. Vanilla ice cream is better than any other flavor because it is versatile. vi. Vanilla can be eaten plain, but also goes well with many different toppings. vii. Vanilla is the most popular base flavor for Blizzards at Dairy Queen (McBurty 56). viii. Vanilla is easily made into a milkshake as well as eaten plain, which is not the case with a flavor like cookie dough (dangerous when sucked through a straw!) (McKay 73). f. Vanilla ice cream has significance in American culture. ix. Chef Julia Child has written, â€Å"Vanilla ice cream is one food that bridges generations. I share it with my children and grandchildren each summer† (16). x. Classic American movies like Back to the Future and Anne of Green Gables have prominently featured vanilla ice cream (â€Å"Ice Cream in the Movies† par. 8). xi. American presidents have served vanilla ice cream at the White House for over 200 years (Clinton 8). xii. Research has found that more Americans prefer vanilla ice cream than any other flavor (â€Å"Gallup Poll† par. 3). III. Conclusion g. Although chocolate is a close second, vanilla reigns supreme. h. Nothing can beat vanilla ice cream’s simplicity, versatility, and cultural significance. i. In the future, others will attempt to beat it. j. Try as they might, no manufacturer can come up with a way to top classic vanilla.