International Real Estate Investments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

International Real Estate Investments - Essay Example The city would have to buy this land from the private investor, for which it would pay a premium, and then build homes on this land and sell or rent them for less than market value. This would not be a smart business practice for a city and it would lead to an outcry from citizens when taxpayers’ money was spent on something that most taxpayers were not even benefiting from. Also, other social programs would have to suffer because of this practice, which would also hurt city planners and the city in general. There are bigger needs in many cities than affordable housing since people will find a way to pay for housing before they will do other things. In addition, most major cities have run out of room within the city and the residents have now begun retreating to the suburbs. The problem with this is that low-income housing units are not welcome in these regions. The people that have moved out of the city have moved there to get rid of the stereotypical problems that occur with low-income inhabitants and, therefore, affordable housing units would not be welcomed in this region. An example of this is James Vacca â€Å"making sure that developers do not evade the new restrictions. He said he recently noticed someone building a three-family house, something not allowed under the new rules. He complained to the buildings department about it, and about subsequent adjustments until the builder agreed to construct a one family house with two parking spaces instead†1 Gotham Gazette. 21 October 2005. The amount of private property ownership, combined with the escalating price of real estate, has made it very difficult to provide affordable housing for the population in or around any major city. London, in particular, is having a major affordable housing crisis because of its booming economy and drastic population growth so it needs to look at the examples that are provided by other cities.

John Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men Coursework Essay Example for Free

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Coursework Essay Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck set in California near Soledad in the 1930s on two men called George and Lennie who travel together from ranch to ranch trying to make their life like the American Dream what Lennie shares with George. During this time there was a depression in America, which meant unemployment and Racism was high so men had to go to different ranches. Racism and bad employment at this time in the United States was called The Great Depression. After The Great Depression, World War 2 had started and John Steinbeck decided to write the book Of Mice and Men what was influenced also by a poet called Robert Burns who was Scottish and also had released a book in the past. Later Of Mice And Men was published in 1937. The American Dream in the U.S.A is thought to be for any American to go through hard work and courage to achieve the goal of their life leading them to success. Lennie and Georges Dream was to own a farm house with lots of chickens and rabbits. The American Depression what had been the harshest depression ever what was from 1929 leading to 1939. This Depression started in North America what went on to Europe and other areas of the world. Although it was started in the united states because of the fast economic growth, it lead the whole world to a disaster. This was originally started because of over production in agriculture what lead to rising debt with farmers. The ranch where Lennie and George end up working for was near Soledad, which is south east of Salinas, Weed was nearby. Soledad what meant lonely was an ideal setting to the story for people who could translate Soledad into English. All of the ranchers with them are lonely with no family and never have anything to look forward to just their daily routines and also just thinking of The American Dream. After the ranchers do their routines the only kind of entertainment what they do is play cards. The ranchers belong to no one what everyone knows Guys like us, that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world . . . They got no family. This also adds to the fact that the ranchers are missing out from a lot in their lifes as they have no family or friends to share their fun with and they have no life only sadness. Ranchers dont seem happy as they never have any fun entertaining things to look forward to like normal people so they just carry on with their lives in loneliness and misery. George Milton who is a small and intelligent man with sharp feutures. He is Lennies carer as he always has to take care of him and be beside him through everything as he is, his only friend. After Georges aunty died he had to look after Lennie as he was the only one he could talk to, but got fed up as Lennie talked like a child. Even though George leads Lennie out of problems what he gets him self into accidentally he loves him a lot but doesnt like to show it. Lennie Small is large and has a shapeless face. He drags his feet when he walks, and lets his arms hang. He has a childs brain as he doesnt really remember anything and looks up to Lennie as he leads him in the right way and always helps him in bad situations. Lennie in the story gets compared to an animal more than a human as he is a really big man who is mentally retarded Dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. George and Lennie relation differs from the other ranchers as they travel together where ever they go and are not lonely as the other ranchers as they have got each other. Crooks is an old black man, he is called this because he has a crooked back he is the stable worker, with a personality just like Candys. Crooks doesnt like company like candy and also wants to live for George and Lennies dream. He has a small place where he lives by himself because of his color as he can not stay in the bunk-house. Lennie gets along with crooks more than anyone else as their resemblances are the same. Crooks is one individual who spends most of his time reading and is a fairly clever person, he lives in a small space, with no one with him. He is segregated because of his color. Crooks said, long as you wont get out and leave me alone. He is not allowed in the bunk-house to play cards as the other ranchers say he stinks, but he tells Lennie You all stink to me Candy is an old man with one arm who works as a swamper. Candy had an old dog but agreed to kill it as the entire ranch workers were complaining that it smelt we cant sleep with him stinkin around in here. Candy is very attached to his dog which he had since it was a pup, and was the only thing he could really talk to. When he hears about George and Lennies dream of getting their own place, he asks them to take him with them and offers them his savings to help. He offers his money to them as he doesnt have any other family to share his savings with. Candy becomes very happy, as he thinks he will not be lonely again, but these dreams are broken in the end. Curley the bosses son who was a welt weight boxer. He is short and wanted to prove that he wasnt a laboring man. He acts as he is superior to anyone else in the ranch. He goes around like he is the boss but no one dares to go up to him as he is a strong boxer. Curley is quite a violent man and in the story he ends up getting in to a fight because he thought that Lennie was laughing at him No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. Curleys wife who is always left lonely and no-one respects her, Curley never pays attention to her She is forced to flirt with other ranchers to get attention however, she does not get it as everyone knows Curley will be furious if he finds out and any one who will try it with Curleys wife will get into very big trouble with the boss. She is one of the loneliest people in the story as everyone neglects her and never pays attention to her so she is forgotten out from everyone else. Even though she dresses up like a tart she doesnt achieve anything wit the other ranchers. Even when she tells Curley I never get to talk to nobody, I get awful lonely she still gets neglected. The people who are most lonely in the story are Candy, Crook and Curleys wife. Candy is lonely because, he has no family or friends. His only friend was his dog who he could talk to. Ive had his since he was a pup. This shows that the main people who are lonely are really different from normal people as they never have anything to look out for. George and Lennies relation is very strong unique friendship as none of the other ranchers travel with anyone else or share experiences traveling together or either copeing with life together. They are good friends because they share the same dream of owning a farm. George wanted to be his own boss. Lennie wanted, to pet animals all day long and they both believed that it will come true and even when George has doubts he encourages Lennie. They both know how important they are to each other and Lennie likes it when George tells him that I got you and you got me. They both look out for each other as they depend on one and other, they havent got no one else like friend or family Ranchers are loneliest guys in the world they got no family. In the end George has to kill Lennie to save him from being killed by the other ranchers what would have been twice as bad seeing a close friend die. The American Dream was something what George and Lennie truly believed in. Without the dream no one would have nothing to look forward to but George and Lennie were well in way of thinking about their future. This was their main objective through out the story of owning a big farm together even crooks and candy got involved in with the dream John Steinbeck wanted each characters individual self to have some thing to look forward to in their up and coming life. To the end of the story Lennie goes to the place where George told him to go if he got into any trouble near by the river. Then Lennie began to think and imagined a rabbit who told him that George would get rid of him because, he is sick of him. And when George comes to the place where he had told Lennie to wait Lennie asks that if he would leave him and George replies back no. Then Lennie decides to leave but George says no and reminds him of the Dream they had planned of them two owning a farm with Furry rabbits and lots of land. But then George tells Lennie to look across the river and Shoots him with the gun to the back of his head. Slim guesses what had happened and reassures George that it had to be done in the end for the best. This was very important for George to do as he can live a life where he doesnt have to look out for some-one else rather than him self. But also George will become really lonely without Lennie besides him and also their Dream of being together in a big farm had been destroyed. But now George can settle down and think about how he is going to go on with the rest of his life and what job to do without him keeping to move. The thing that has died with Lennie is everything that George and Lennie had. George had done everything for Lennie and could take no more. He had protected him so much an always encouraged him to the max. George killed Lennie as a good friend to save him from harsh misery. The theme of loneliness in this book is important If the characters in the book werent lonely then they wouldnt have done the things that they did and so there wouldnt have been the same. Curleys wife and Lennie die because of loneliness which causes George to be even more lonely. If Curleys wife hadnt been lonely she wouldnt have started the conversation with Lennie which caused her death.

Anthrax :: essays research papers fc

ANTHRAX   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most important responsibilities a Secretary of Defense has is to make sure the United States’ military members are protected as much as possible from any type of harm. Since the cease-fire of the Gulf War, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have discovered that anthrax has become the number one biological threat to our troops. With finding this information, the Secretary of Defense, William S. Cohen, has decided to ensure that each military member is protected from anthrax with its vaccine. Senior military leaders are accepting nothing less than total acceptance for the anthrax vaccine. The reason is that military members have been refusing to take the vaccine due to unsubstantiated reports popping up on various Internet sites. These sites have been claiming that the anthrax vaccine is â€Å"experimental† and will cause harm if taken. However, the senior military leaders also have been doing what they can to properly educate their members about the anthrax vaccine. Anything less than total acceptance of the anthrax vaccine is not permissible. ALIFF-SANCHEZ 2 Anthrax is an infectious disease which is caused by the spore forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax can be deadly if the symptoms haven’t been caught in time for treatment. Anthrax infection can occur in three forms: cutaneous (skin), inhalation, and gastrointestinal. B.Anthracis spores can live in the soil for many years and humans can be infected with anthrax by handling animal products from infected animals or by inhaling anthrax spores from contaminated animal products. Eating uncooked meat from infected animals can also spread anthrax. Anthrax can also be spread by biological warfare. Any country that has biological warfare capability can use anthrax on its warheads to spread anthrax (FAQs1). Since the threat of anthrax has been discovered, the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended that all members of the military receive mandatory vaccinations against this disease. However, the first set of immunizations will go to troops scheduled to go to the Middle East and Korea (Cohen 1). Force protection should not be optional. Moreover, it would be totally incomprehensible to send a soldier on the front lines without ALIFF-SANCHEZ 3 a helmet; it would make even less sense to send a soldier out into a biologically unfriendly environment without being immunized against it (Cohen 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The fear of anthrax vaccine has been unfounded. Unfortunately, the anthrax vaccine has been getting unreasonable criticism in some circles. In particular, a few people have posted incorrect information on Internet sites and distributed it through e-mail campaigns.

Challenges Faced by Managers in Practicing Organisational Behaviour

FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATION MEI / 2012 BBGO4103 ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR MATRICULATION NO: 800201085406001 IDENTITY CARD NO. : 800201085406 TELEPHONE NO. : 0127252294 E-MAIL : [email  protected] com LEARNING CENTRE: BANGI LEARNING CENTRE Content Page 1. Introduction and Description of the Selected Organisation2 2. Description of Roles of Managers Based on Mintzberg’s (1973) Model5 3. Challenges Faced By Managers in Practicing Organisational Behaviour12 4. Recommendations On How Managers Can Better Handle The Identified Challenges. 16 5. Summary24 6. Reference 27 7. Bibliography30Introduction and Description of the Selected Organisation Manager, a term that is so ubiquitous that its definition is commonly assumed. But the need to seek a definition rises proportionally to the drive to increase the productivity and efficiency of business in an ever changing marketplace. Armed with the tools yielded by the science of organizational behaviour, a working definition of this common term can be rendered as well as an answer to, â€Å"What do managers do? † This paper will distinguish the managerial roles practice base on the work of Henry Mintzberg and analyses managerial challenges faced by managers.As a sample of case study I have chosen AirAsia Berhad as, one of the most leading airline companies in Malaysia. The company corporate data are as follows: Corporate Data Company Name:AirAsia Berhad Year Founded:1993 Year Incorporated:2001 Registered Office:AirAsia Berhad (Company No. 284669-W) 25-5, Block H, Jalan PJU 1/37 Dataran Prima, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Contact: (603) – 78809318 (T) / (603) – 78806318(F) Head office:LCC Terminal, Jalan KLIA S3 Southern Support Zone, KLIA 64000 Sepang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, MalaysiaContact: (603) – 86604333 (T) / (603) – 87751100 (F) Website : www. airasia. com Stock Exchange Listing:Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad (Listed since 22 November 2004) (Stock code: 5099) Type of business:Transportation > Airline/Aviation (Provision of air transportation services). Company Overview AirAsia needs no introduction in ASEAN, where it is the leading Malaysian-based low-cost airline. AirAsia is Asia's largest low-fare, no-frills airline and a pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia, connecting people and places across 132 routes, 40 of which are offered by no other airline.Its main hub is the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). In 2010, the Group, which includes affiliates AirAsia Thailand and AirAsia Indonesia, reinforced its leadership position with two remarkable milestones: flying its 100 millionth guest and breaking the RM1 billion profit barriers. Voted by over 18. 8 million airline passengers from 100 different nationalities, the World Airline Awardsâ„ ¢ are the most prestigious quality recognition of front-line product and service standards for the world airline industry.With 200 airlines featured, the awards measure customer satisfaction levels across 38 different items of airline front-line product and service, AirAsia won the Skytrax World's best low-cost airline award in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. It has the world's lowest operating costs at USD 0. 035/seat-kilometre in 2010. It is also the first airline in the region to implement fully ticketless air travel. Company Vision To be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity and high fares. Company Mission To be the best company to work for whereby employees are treated as part of a big family * Create a globally recognized ASEAN brand * To attain the lowest cost so that everyone can fly with AirAsia * Maintain the highest quality product, embracing technology to reduce cost and enhance service levels Type of Employees and Size According to the latest annual report (2011), AirAsia employees have reached about 5,137 staff at the year-end of 2011. This employment includes various levels of position which are Board of Directors, Senior Management, Manager, Head, Executive, and Non-Executive.Exhibit 1: Supporting data for employee size retrieved from the Air Asia Annual Report 2011 Description of Roles of Managers Based on Mintzberg’s (1973) Model An appropriate starting point to explore the duties of a manager lies within the function of the management position. The origins of a functional description of management can be found in the works of Henry Fayol. Fayol, originally an engineer that turned to management in late-nineteenth century, he set the foundation for management theory by outlining five primary functions of the manager; planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling.To fully understand the activities of the manager, it is necessary to delve beyond function to determine how it is expressed. For this, the work of Henry Mintzberg can be applied to illuminate how a manager performs these functions. In The Nature of Managerial Work (1973), Mintzberg proposed that a manager will utilize a combination of ten different roles to achieve their objectives. These roles can be grouped into three broader categories – informational, interpersonal and decisional. Exhibit 2: Mintzberg Managerial Roles Model and Relations Towards Information Handling. Interpersonal rolesInterpersonal roles arise directly from a manager’s formal authority and status, and shape relationships with people within and beyond the organisation. The interpersonal group links together the other groups by establishing and maintaining a framework and environment, both externally and internally, that dictates where and how that information is conveyed and to which objectives is it meant to fulfil. There are three types of interpersonal roles – figurehead, leader and liaison. A manager usually maintains a network of relationships, both inside and outside the organisation.Dealing with people, formally and informally, up and down the hierarchy and sideways within it, is thus a major element of the manager’s role. A manager is often most visible when performing these interpersonal roles. In the figurehead role the managers are the symbol, representing the unit in legal and ceremonial duties such as greeting a visitor, sign legal documents, presenting retirement gifts or receiving a quality award. For example, the AirAsia Berhad Group Chief Executive Officer, Tan Sri Dr.Tony Fernandes responsible in signing the company legal documents such as statement by directors for auditing purposes, receives â€Å"Value Airline of the Year† awards from ATW Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards on behalf of AirAsia Berhad and spokesperson for press interviews by the Starbiz, The Star newspaper on Friday, June 15, 2012 with the headlines â€Å"Tony Fernandes speaks to StarBiz on AirAsia's future plans†. The evidence of these responsibilities is as follows: Exhibit 3: Signing Legal Documents – retrieved from Airasia Berhad Annual Report 2011Exhibit 4: The Group CEO on behalf of AirAsia receives Awards â€Å"Value Airline of the Year† The leader role defines the manager’s relationship with other people (not just subordinates), including motivating, communicating and developing their skills and confidence. As leaders, managers have to consider the needs of an organisation and those of the individuals they manage and work with. The leadership roles practice by the Group CEO meets the Mintzberg values as some commented: â€Å"(At AirAsia) there’s no such thing as a male of female pilot. Only good or great pilots. It’s thanks to people like Tan Sri Dr.Tony Fernandes who advocate equal rights. † Nadira Ramli, AirAsia Woman Pilot. â€Å"I ask him what is it that makes this company so different, so successful, and so passionate about everything it does, creati ng a culture that shows on the faces of every single person in the company. He says, â€Å"Our corporate culture is it. It’s what makes us. † So what is this corporate culture that changes lives and makes this company one of the most successful airlines in the world? It asks the question, â€Å"Hierarchy, what hierarchy? † Tony is a leader and a manager, but he is one of the team also.So his office is smack at the heart of the company, with no walls and no doors. Everyone sees him and he sees everyone. He is Tony to everyone and he is in his polo shirt and with his famous baseball cap. His only vice is that he gets a special parking slot right next to the door of his building, for his two-door white Peugeot. † Fadi Ghandour, Chairman of Wamda and Founder and CEO of Aramex. The liaison role focuses on contacts with people outside the immediate unit. Managers maintain a network in which they trade information and favours for mutual benefit with clients, gove rnment officials, customers and suppliers.For some managers, particularly chief executives and sales managers, the liaison role takes a high proportion of their time and energy. From my observations, this role also has been practice in this company. For example, its Commercial Public Relations Executive, Ms Linda Foo Yan Yan, one of her job responsibilities is as liaison and point of contact with respective airports organizations, tourism bureaus and internal departments in order to gain support in promotion and marketing activities. Informational rolesManagers must collect, disseminate and transmit information and these activities have three corresponding informational roles: monitor, disseminator and spokesperson. In monitoring what goes on in the organisation, a manager will seek and receive information about both internal and external events and transmit it to others. This process of transmission is the dissemination role, passing on information. A manager has to give informatio n concerning the organisation to staff and to outsiders, taking on the role of spokesperson to both the general public and those in positions of authority.Managers need not collect or disseminate every item themselves, but must retain authority and integrity by ensuring the information they handle is correct. In AirAsia Berhad, this responsibility is hold by Head of Communications, Ms Sherliza Zaharudin. The position is actually similar as company spokesperson and representative. The company image and presentation lies on her hands as she responsible in producing press releases, answering interviews and other corporate affairs. For example, one of her job is writing a press release.First, she must monitor and look up what is goes on in the company by obtaining the true source of the information or verified data from the immediate superior or resources. Then, before she disseminates the information, she needs to analyse and interprets and write up a report in the form of press releas e. Then, the press release will be submitted to media and press as an official document of announcement to be announced to the public. As a spokesperson, she also has to be alert at the company product and updates as she needs to promote and lobbying the entities. 4. 3. 3 Decisional rolesMintzberg argues that making decisions is the most crucial part of any managerial activity. He identifies four roles which are based on different types of decisions; namely, entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator. As entrepreneurs, managers make decisions about changing what is happening in an organisation. They may have to initiate change and take an active part in deciding exactly what is done – they are proactive. The board of directors of AirAsia Berhad have made many decisions towards being a proactive such as initiate new projects, spot opportunities and identify areas of business development.For example, in October 31, 2003, AirAsia announces the setting u p of a new hub in Senai, Johor Bahru, with direct flights to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Langkawi and Penang. The full listing of their successful entrepreneurships decision making can be seen in the company annual report 2011, page 5 in the 10 years of achievement section. However, it is very different from their role as disturbance handlers, which requires them to make decisions arising from events that are beyond their control and which are unpredictable.The ability to react to events as well as to plan activities is an important aspect of management. Unfortunately, AirAsia Berhad has been tested in facing such disturbance. It was a first incident that happens to Malaysian aircraft that is most unbearable situation to handle and overcome. The incident was when an AirAsia Airbus A320-216 passenger jets, registered 9M-AHH, sustained substantial damage in a runway excursion accident at Kuching Airport (KCH), Malaysia. Exhibit 5: Cranes are used to remove the plane off the runway Tuesday The airplane operated on flight AK5218 from Kuala Lumpur Subang International Airport (KUL) to Kuching Airport (KCH). The flight landed on Kuching's runway 25 in heavy rain around but skidded to the right and went off the side of the runway. It came to rest in the grass with the nose gear dug in or collapsed. At the moment of the incident, there were 123 guests on board the flight. Four guests were sent for observation as a precautionary measure and were released shortly after. All other guests are safe and have been attended to accordingly.The resource allocation role of a manager is central to much organisational analysis. A manager has to make decisions about the allocation of money, equipment, people, time and other resources. In so doing a manager is actually scheduling time, programming work and authorising actions. This role without a doubt, have been comply by managers in AirAsia Berhad, especially by the Board of Directors as mentioned in the Statement on Corporate Governan ce, Annual Report 2011 under the Roles and Responsibilities of the Board.The negotiation role is important as a manager has to negotiate with others and in the process be able to make decisions about the commitment of organisational resources. Mintzberg found that managers don’t perform equally – or with equal frequency – all the roles he described. There may be a dominant role that will vary from job to job, and from time to time. It is important to note that many non-managers in organisations seem to have these sorts of interpersonal, informational and decisional roles. In contrast, the ituations managers deal with differ in the degree of routine, the size and scope and complexity of the activities in which they are involved, and the responsibilities associated with these activities. Challenges Faced By Managers in Practicing Organisational Behaviour The world is changing and as is the case with companies. Companies are no longer steadfast on the theory of rec ruiting workforce from the same geography for their work to be done. At the end of the day, the businesses especially the ones which have an unconventional business model believe in the work being done, it does not matter who does it.In such a scenario, recruitment of workforce has become a global activity with at least 25-30% of a company's workforce being made up of employees recruited offshore. It is quite natural for companies to boast of employees from a cross section of cultural backgrounds. With that comes the challenge of managing and practicing Organizational Behaviour in such companies Challenge of Globalisation One major challenge facing managers in the early 21st century arises from what many commentators have identified as an increasingly international or global business environment.The following factors are frequently cited as potential explanatory factors underlying this trend: i. Communication – improvements in international communication facilities leading to an increased consciousness of differences in workplace attitudes and behaviour in other societies; ii. International competitive pressure – for example, the emergence of newly industrialised and/or free-market nations (the Far East region and former communist bloc countries are often viewed as examples of this phenomenon); iii.The spread of production methods and other business processes across nations and regions; international business activity, for example: overseas franchising or licensing agreements; outsourcing of business units to other countries (call centres provide a topical example); direct foreign investment and the activities of multinational corporations which, by definition, operate outside national boundaries. In broad terms, globalisation refers to organisations integrating, operating and competing in a worldwide economy. The organisations’ activities are more independent across the world rather than confined nationally.Globalisation will also impact on the nature of social responsibilities and business ethics. With globalisation, strategy and structure are inextricably linked. As organisations, and especially large business organisations, adopt a more global perspective this will have a significant effect on the broader context of management and organisational behaviour. Challenge of Workforce Diversity Workplace diversity exists when companies hire employees from various backgrounds and experiences. Many companies see workplace diversity as an investment toward building a better business.Although workplace diversity provides many benefits, it also poses many challenges to employees and managers. To reap the benefits of workplace diversity, employees and managers must understand the challenges and know how to effectively deal with them. Taking full advantage of the benefits of diversity in the workplace is not without its challenges. Some of those challenges are: i. Communication – Perceptual, cultural and language barri ers need to be overcome for diversity programs to succeed. Ineffective communication of key objectives results in confusion, lack of teamwork, and low morale. i. Resistance to change – There are always employees who will refuse to accept the fact that the social and cultural makeup of their workplace is changing. The â€Å"we've always done it this way† mentality silences new ideas and inhibits progress. iii. Implementation of diversity in the workplace policies – This can be the overriding challenge to all diversity advocates. Armed with the results of employee assessments and research data, they must build and implement a customized strategy to maximize the effects of diversity in the workplace for their particular organization. v. Successful Management of Diversity in the Workplace – Diversity training alone is not sufficient for the organization's diversity management plan. A strategy must be created and implemented to create a culture of diversity th at permeates every department and function of the organization. Challenge of Technology Change The major advances in technology that have emerged over the last several decades have had an impact on virtually every aspect of modern life, and the hospitality industry has also been affected by these changes.While keyboards and microchips are probably among the last things guests want to think about as they dip into a creme brulee or lounge in a penthouse suite, hospitality industry insiders know that modern technology plays a big part in keeping things on track behind the scenes, from the back-of-the-house order management systems that help chefs keep their plates straight to the reservation systems that ensure that a soft bed will be waiting for a weary traveller at the end of a long day on the road. Just like all types of technology, the technology that helps power the hospitality industry is constantly evolving.A brief stroll through the product exhibition hall at any industry confe rence will reveal just a slice of the hundreds of new styles of software, systems, gadgets, programs, and equipment that are released in the hospitality market each year. Sooner or later, it’s likely one organization will be faced with a challenge that can strike fear into the heart of even the most intrepid of managers: implementing new technology in the workplace. Whether it’s a POS program for the cafe or a reservation system for the bed and breakfast, the prospect of managing technology change can be daunting.Challenge of Downsizing/Layoff Many companies are under intense economic pressure. Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers and downsizing are increasingly common as today’s companies try to grow, compete and survive. Downsizing presents new challenges and demands for everyone in the organization, from the CEO to the telephone receptionist. For managers, the challenge is even greater. Not only do managers have to cope with their own fears and frustrations, t hey have to support others who are emotionally distraught, even while remaining positive and productive.There’s no doubt about it—it’s a tough time to be in business. Whether one owns the company, hold a position in senior management or work in human resources, there is a lot of pressure on him/her to ensure that the organization makes it through the recession with the fewest battle scars possible. Laying people off is easily one of the hardest roles that a manager faces, but it is almost inevitable that at some point in the career one will need to do it. Although it may sound odd, laying people off and retaining people actually go hand in hand.How to conduct layoffs and how to deal with those who remain will directly impact the bottom line. Mishandle either of those two things and will be facing productivity and morale problems. Challenge of Managerial Ethics Ethics is difficult to define in a precise way. In a general sense, ethics is the code of moral princip les and values that governs the behaviours of a person or group with respect to what is right or wrong. Ethics sets standards as to what is good or bad in conduct and decision making. An ethical issue is present in a situation when the actions of a person or organization may harm or benefit others.Yet ethical issues can sometimes be exceedingly complex. People in organizations may hold widely divergent views about the most ethically appropriate or inappropriate actions related to a situation. Managers often face situations in which it is difficult to determine what is right. In addition, they might be torn between their misgivings and their sense of duty to their bosses and the organization. Sometimes, managers want to take a stand but don’t have the backbone to go against others, bring unfavourable attention to them, or risk their jobs.Recommendations On How Managers Can Better Handle The Identified Challenges. There are new leadership and management challenges for the 21st Century, to be met against the backdrop of financial uncertainty, technological change and global economic downturn. The world we live and work in is vastly different from that we inhabited just a few decades ago and our approach to leadership and management must adapt to it. Here are the recommendations on how managers can better handle the identified challenges previously discussed: Managing Globalisation i. A cross-cultural approach to managementOne rationale for taking a cross-cultural approach to management lies in the potential benefits to be gained in performance terms. In addition to practically based benefits in considering our own ‘home’ culture, there has been a long tradition of looking to other cultures for examples of ‘successful’ practice which could be transplanted into work organisations in different societies. Different models may be dominant at different times. ii. Managing people from different cultures a. Recognise the variations in wor kplace attitudes and behaviour between individuals and groups in different cultural contexts. b.In examining the centrally important topic of motivation managers must develop organizational systems that are flexible enough to take into account the meaning of work and the relative value of rewards within the range of cultures where they operate. iii. Managing Workforce Diversity Recommended steps in managing workforce diversity in organizations are: a. Assessment of diversity in the workplace – Top companies make assessing and evaluating their diversity process an integral part of their management system. A customizable employee satisfaction survey can accomplish this assessment for the company efficiently and conveniently.It can help the management team determine which challenges and obstacles to diversity are present in the workplace and which policies need to be added or eliminated. Reassessment can then determine the success of diversity in the workplace plan implementatio n. b. Development of diversity in the workplace plan – Choosing a survey provider that provides comprehensive reporting is a key decision. That report will be the beginning structure of the diversity in the workplace plan. The plan must be comprehensive, attainable and measurable. An organization must decide what changes need to be made and a timeline for that change to be attained. . Implementation of diversity in the workplace plan – The personal commitment of executive and managerial teams is a must. Leaders and managers within organizations must incorporate diversity policies into every aspect of the organization's function and purpose. Attitudes toward diversity originate at the top and filter downward. Management cooperation and participation is required to create a culture conducive to the success of the organization's plan. iv. Recommended diversity in the workplace solutions include: a. Ward off change resistance with inclusion. Involve every employee possible in formulating and executing diversity initiatives in the workplace. b. Foster an attitude of openness in the organization. – Encourage employees to express their ideas and opinions and attribute a sense of equal value to all. c. Promote diversity in leadership positions. – This practice provides visibility and realizes the benefits of diversity in the workplace. d. Utilize diversity training. – Use it as a tool to shape the diversity policy. e. Launch a customizable employee satisfaction survey that provides comprehensive reporting. Use the results to build and implement successful diversity in the workplace policies. Managing Technology Change Here are some recommendations on managing the technology change in an organisation: i. Provide as Much Advance Warning as Possible. Human beings are naturally resistant to change, but change that is sudden and unexpected is often most difficult to accept. As soon as one is certain that technology change is in his/her or ganization’s future, announce the news to the staff. This will give them more time to adapt mentally to the prospect of a future change.If possible, begin training sessions that introduce the basic concepts of the new technology well before the actual date of implementation. ii. Recruit A Group of Staff Facilitators. Call on a few ambitious, interested, or tech-savvy employees to act as project leaders for the technology change. They can sit in on the planning and implementation meetings and convey new developments to the other employees in their departments. Also, having a few key â€Å"cheerleaders† who are in favour of the project from the start can help bolster the staff’s morale during the challenge of implementation. iii.Begin System Training in a Low-Pressure Environment. The hospitality industry is famously fast-paced, so booting up a new POS system right before the dinner rush is probably not the best way to boost the team’s confidence in the new technology. If possible, set up the new equipment in a back room for several weeks of training before the full-scale implementation. Remind the staff of the old adage that the only â€Å"stupid† question is the one that remains unasked. iv. Have a Plan B†¦and Maybe Even a Plan C. Remind the self that a few snags and roadblocks are likely to arise during the first few weeks of using new technology.Make sure that one has developed one or more contingency plans that the team can rely on if the new system becomes inoperable. v. Training Shouldn’t Stop after the New Equipment is up and Running. Don’t disband the technology committee after the new system has been installed successfully. Instead, plan on meeting every month or every quarter to discuss issues, concerns, or suggestions for future upgrades. One can task one or more of the staff with the responsibility of keeping up with new products from the manufacturer and new developments in the field.With the ra pid pace of technological change that’s occurring within the hospitality industry today, it’s probably more helpful to think of technology implementation as an on-going process, rather than a one-time project that ends with installation. Although the prospect of change is always unsettling, one can significantly increase the chances that the organization’s shift to a new technology will go smoothly by sticking to these simple strategies. Managing Downsizing/Layoff Here are some suggestions on how one should handle downsizing/layoff: i. Plan layoffs carefully.If one find himself in a position where he need to let people go, don’t act indiscriminately. Take the time to ensure that the layoff plan and the business plan are in sync. Look at the current projects—particularly those that are critical to the business—and don’t forget to plan for the future. Make sure that one has a clear idea of the projects that will get underway once the cr isis is over. The last thing one want is to suddenly realize that a mission-critical project is in jeopardy because of letting the wrong people go and now don’t have the talent and resources to proceed. ii.Be prepared. One will make things easier both for oneself and the people he is laying off if one is well prepared. If one need to, write a script and practice it in front of a mirror until one can do it without sounding forced. Make a list of questions that might be asked and have answers ready. Be confident and get to the point—don’t make small talk. Keep in mind that much of what is said in a layoff meeting will not be retained, so have resources available for affected employees, such as information on benefits, separation terms, and important contacts and other written information.Also, make sure one have fully planned the necessary post-layoff logistics. Will employees be allowed to say goodbye to colleagues? Will they be permitted some time to gather thei r belongings? Will you offer to pack up their things and have the boxes delivered to their home address? iii. Know the law. One thing one really don’t need—in a recession or at any time—is a costly court battle, so make sure one know the responsibilities as an employer. The law stipulates that employees must get either some notice prior to dismissal or be compensated instead, although the particulars vary depending on the province or territory.There are also certain rules that apply when lying off groups of individuals, but again, the laws are different depending on the province. Speak to a lawyer or contact the provincial labour board to make sure that one are meeting the obligations in accordance with the law. iv. Treat people with dignity and respect. It is human nature to shy away from uncomfortable situations, but as a manager one don’t have that luxury. Distancing yourself because you feel bad won’t make anyone feel better. Remember, this is not one fault, and avoiding people will not minimize feelings of guilt or hurt. In fact, it will make them worse.Be kind and compassionate. Losing one job can be a humiliating experience, so give people the respect they need. However, the recession will end eventually, but what one should do between now and then could have a direct impact on whether your business thrives—or nosedives. When the recession is finally over and business starts to return to normal, make sure that one and one’s employees are ready. Managing Ethical Decision Making Most ethical dilemmas involve a conflict between the needs of the part and the whole – the individual versus the organization or the organization versus society as a whole.Sometimes ethical decisions entail a conflict between two groups. Managers faced with these kinds of tough ethical choices often benefit from a normative strategy—one based on norms and values—to guide their decision making. Normative ethics u ses several approaches to describe values for guiding ethical decision making. Four of these approaches that are relevant to managers are the utilitarian approach, individualism approach, moral-rights approach, and justice approach. i. Utilitarian approachUnder this approach, a decision maker is expected to consider the effect of each decision alternative on all parties and select the one that optimizes the benefits for the greatest number of people. In organizations, because actual computations can be complex, simplifying them is considered appropriate. ii. Individualism Approach The individualism approach contends that acts are moral when they promote the individual’s best long-term interests. Individual self-direction is paramount, and external forces that restrict self-direction should be severely limited.Individuals calculate the best long-term advantage to themselves as a measure of a decision’s goodness. The action that is intended to produce a greater ratio of good too bad for the individual compared with other alternatives is the right one to perform. Individualism is believed to lead to honesty and integrity because that works best in the long run. Lying and cheating for immediate self-interest just causes business associates to lie and cheat in return. Thus, individualism ultimately leads to behaviour toward others that fits standards of behaviour people want toward themselves. iii. Moral-Rights ApproachThe moral-rights approach asserts that human beings have fundamental rights and liberties that cannot be taken away by an individual’s decision. Thus, an ethically correct decision is one that best maintains the rights of those affected by it. iv. Justice Approach The justice approach holds that moral decisions must be based on standards of equity, fairness, and impartiality. Three types of justice are of concern to managers which are: a. Distributive justice requires that different treatment of people not be based on arbitrary c haracteristics. Individuals who are similar in ways relevant to a decision should be treated similarly.Thus, men and women should not receive different salaries if they are performing the same job. However, people who differ in a substantive way, such as job skills or job responsibility, can be treated differently in proportion to the differences in skills or responsibility among them. This difference should have a clear relationship to organizational goals and tasks. b. Procedural justice requires that rules be administered fairly. Rules should be clearly stated and consistently and impartially enforced. c. Compensatory justice argues that individuals should be compensated for the cost of their injuries by the party responsible.Moreover, individuals should not be held responsible for matters over which they have no control. Summary Henry Mintzberg concluded that managers perform 10 different roles or behaviours. He classified them into three sets. One set is concerned with interper sonal relationships (figurehead, leader, and liaison). The second set is related to the transfer of information (monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson). The third set deals with decision making (entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator). This chart summarizes a manager’s ten Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles: Category| Role| Activity|Informational| Monitor| Seek and acquire work-related information| | Disseminator| Communicate/ disseminate information to others within the organization| | Spokesperson| Communicate/transmit information to outsiders| Interpersonal| Figurehead| Perform social and legal duties, act as symbolic leader| | Leader| Direct and motivate subordinates, select and train employees| | Liaison| Establish and maintain contacts within and outside the organization| Decisional| Entrepreneur| Identify new ideas and initiate improvement projects| | Disturbance Handler| Deals with disputes or problems and takes corrective action| | R esource Allocator| Decide where to apply resources| | Negotiator| Defends business interests| Building an internationally competent workforce whose members know the business and are flexible and open-minded can take years. Multinational organizations can no longer rely on just a few managers with multicultural experience or a few experts on a particular country to succeed. In short, all employees must have some minimal level of international expertise and be able to recognize cultural differences that may affect daily business communications and working relationships.As a result of the increasingly global business environment, many companies are building teams that cross-national borders and/or include members from different countries of origin. Although many of these teams are designed to pool resources and increase operational efficiencies, the cultural diversity of team members may create a longer learning curve for establishing effective processes than culturally homogeneous gro ups. This chart summarizes a manager’s challenges and recommendations in managing the challenges: Challenges| Description| Recommendation| Challenge of Globalisation| Organisations integrating, operating and competing in a worldwide economy| i. A cross-cultural approach to management ii.Managing people from different cultures| Challenge of Workforce Diversity| Leading a diverse work force| i. Ward off change resistance with inclusion ii. Foster an attitude of openness in the organization iii. Promote diversity in leadership positions iv. Utilize diversity training v. Launch a customizable employee satisfaction survey that provides comprehensive reporting| Challenge of Technology Change| Advancing and implementing technological innovation in the workspace| i. Provide as Much Advance Warning as Possible. ii. Recruit A Group of Staff Facilitators. iii. Begin System Training in a Low-Pressure Environment. iv. Have a Plan B†¦and Maybe Even a Plan C. v.

Script The Dolls That Nobody Wanted

AUDIO Japanese Doll: Oh! Boxing Doll: What’s the matter? Japanese Doll: I’m awake! Boxing Doll: Of course, you’re awake! It’s midnight! Japanese Doll: Midnight! Boxing Doll: All dolls wake up at midnight! Japanese Doll: Do they? Boxing Doll: Everybody knows that! Japanese Doll: Will†¦ will they wake up, too? Boxing Doll: Look. They are dolls aren’t they? And it is midnight, isn’t it? And I told you before – all dolls wake up at midnight! Japanese Doll: Oh! Thank you. VISUAL Boxing Doll moves a little, stretches, yawns, flexes his muscles began to shadowbox. Suddenly Not understanding Loud, slow, clear, trying to be patient with her Frightened Looking at the others Losing his patience Japanese Doll nods in fright Japanese Doll continues to nod Pause, she is all the more frightened because the Boxing Doll talked loud at her. Timidly Boxing Doll: I’m Sorry! Japanese Doll: Sorry? Boxing Doll: For hollering. You wouldn’t know because you’re new. Japanese Doll: I was only made today. Boxing Doll: You’re pretty! Japanese Doll: Am I, Am I really pretty? Boxing Doll: I think you’re beautiful! Maybe somebody will buy you. Japanese Doll: Oh! Boxing Doll: I don’t see why somebody didn’t buy you today. The shop was full; everybody wanted dolls. Why didn’t somebody buy you? Japanese Doll: Is it good to be bought? Boxing Doll: Yes! Japanese Doll: Why? Boxing Doll: It’s the best thing that could ever happen to a doll ? to be bought, to be brought home; to be owned by somebody, to be loved. Japanese Doll: How do you know? Boxing Doll: Never mind. I know. Japanese Doll: Did somebody buy you? Boxing Doll: Yes. Japanese Doll: Then why are you here in the toy shop? Boxing Doll: They†¦. they brought me back. Japanese Doll: Oh! Please don’t cry! Boxing Doll: I’m not crying! Boxing dolls never cry! Japanese Doll: Who bought you? Boxing Doll: A man†¦a real big man. He was always laughing. He came into the shop,right through that door and he looked at the baby dolls, and said â€Å"No! † Then looked at the soldier dolls and said â€Å"Maybe† Then he looked at me and said â€Å"Yes, sir! This is the one! † and he picked me right up! Japanese Doll: Did he like you? Boxing Doll: He put me on the counter and he said to the toymaker, â€Å"I like this one. Does he box? † Japanese Doll: Do you box? Japanese Dolls smiles and is not afraid anymore. Walking around her Happy Sober judgment. This is too much for Japanese Doll. She looks down blushes. Wondering Curious With emotion Wondering Brushing away his tears, because a boxing doll should never cry Guessing This is the worst shame for any doll Touched. She puts her hand on his shoulder. Boxing doll is crying Ashamed, angry Remembering his days of glory Proud Breathless with excitement Boxing Doll: Sure, I box! The toymaker wound me up, and I worked out, right there on the counter! And when he saw me working out, the big man laughed and slapped his knee and said, â€Å"That’s exactly what I want! I’ll take five of those! I want a boxing stable for my little boy. † Japanese Doll: A stable? Boxing Doll: That’s what you call when a man owns many boxers. Japanese Doll: Oh! Boxing Doll: So he took me home! Japanese Doll: Right then? Boxing Doll: Right then! He said to the toymaker: â€Å"You can send the other four, but I’ll carry this one! † And he brought me to his office! Japanese Doll: Ooooh! Boxing Doll: I worked out for all the men. They stood me on the floor and I worked out. Japanese Doll: Did they like you? Boxing Doll: Everybody liked me! And that night he took me home, and he showed me to his wife, at night, after the little boy was in bed. I was a secret! Japanese Doll: Why secret? Boxing Doll: I was a Christmas present! Japanese Doll: Oh! Boxing Doll: Then they put me in a big drawer, with many other beautiful presents, but I was the only doll! Japanese Doll: How nice! Boxing Doll: At night I would talk to the necklace, and to the fountain pen, and to the eggbeater. Japanese Doll: An eggbeater! Boxing Doll: It was a beautiful silver eggbeater. Japanese Doll: Oh! But how did you get back here? Boxing Doll: Oh. . . that!. . . Yeah. . . The other boxing dolls arrived. The four of them. Japanese Doll: And what happened? Boxing Doll: Well, one night the big man took me out of the drawer. He said: â€Å"Come on, champ. † That’s what he call me, champ. He said: â€Å"Come on, champ. We have some sparring partners for you. † So he set me up against another boxing doll, and that other boxing doll Pitying her for her ignorance Humbly Proud Excited Happy for his triumph Modesty. Shadowboxing Pause Lost in memories Defending his fellow presents Boxing Doll is smiling with the memories Brought back to earth Proud hit me, and I fell down! Japanese Doll: No! Boxing Doll: Yes! I fell down. So the big man stood me up again, and said: â€Å"Come on, champ. Go get him. † This time I tried real hard, but the other boxing doll hit me only once, and I fell down again! Japanese Doll: No! Boxing Doll: Yes! He tried me against all the other four, and each one knocked me down immediately. When the other four boxed with each other, they stayed up, but if any of them boxed with me, I fell down. Japanese Doll: Did you get hurt? Boxing Doll: My paint was scratched†¦ Well, the big man picked me up and said to his wife: â€Å"Marge†¦ that was her name ? Marge†¦ He said: â€Å" Marge, you better take this one back and exchange it. There’s something wrong with its equilibrium. † Japanese Doll: Equi†¦ equi†¦. Boxing Doll: E – qui – lib – ri – um. That means balance. Japanese Doll: Oh! Boxing Doll: So they put me back in the drawer. And that night, at midnight, when we all woke up, the other boxing dolls told me that they were very sorry. Japanese Doll: They shouldn’t have knocked you down! Boxing Doll: No. It wasn’t their fault. A boxing doll has to box†¦ It was my fault! I couldn’t stand up†¦ I’m defective. Japanese Doll: You’re not! Boxing Doll: Yes, I am. I’m defective†¦So I crept out of the drawer and went to bed of the little boy ? the one who was supposed to get me ? and the painting angels where there. Japanese Doll: The Painting angels? Boxing Doll: The angels who paint the lines on your face at night†¦ nd the painting angels told me that the little boy was dreaming of me! Japanese Doll: How old was the little boy? Boxing Doll: Three†¦with black curls on his forehead†¦He never saw me, except in that dream†¦So I kissed him goodbye†¦and I went back to the drawer †¦ and â⠂¬ ¦. And†¦. And here I am. Horrified Slowly He chokes a little Japanese Doll: Couldn’t†¦couldn’t the toymaker fix you? Boxing Doll: He never tried†¦ I’m the doll that nobody wanted. Japanese Doll: I like you! . . I†¦ I think you’re a very nice doll. Boxing Doll: Thanks†¦ I†¦ I hope somebody buys you. Japanese Doll: You think they might? Boxing Doll: Sure. . . ou’re very pretty. Somebody will buy you. . . Japanese Doll: Oh! Boxing Doll: What’s the matter? Japanese Doll: My left arm! Boxing Doll: What’s the matter with your left arm? Japanese Doll: I don’t have one! French Soldier: Viola! Merci beaucoup! Dou pain s’il vous plait. Chevrolet coupe. What goes on here? Boxing Doll: She doesn’t have any left arm! Siamese Virgin: The poor, poor thing! Chinese Maiden: Never mind. You are very beautiful. Even with only one arm. You are very beautiful. Japanese Doll: But nobody will ever buy me , with only one arm! Muslim Warrior: Maybe the toymaker could sell you at half price! Japanese Doll: Half price! Igorot Dancer: Couldn’t the toymaker give her another arm? Boxing Doll: He won’t. He never does. French Soldier: He makes no effort to repair us. Mias non! No effort! Japanese Doll: If he made the rest of me so beautiful, could he not give me just one more arm? Siamese Virgin: I do not know why this is so. But he does not repair us. French Soldier: Like my leg. My stiff leg. A leg with no joint! Could he not put a joint? Yes! But does he put a joint? No!†¦. Bah!†¦ Who wants a soldier with a stiff leg! Siamese Virgin: At least your defect is hidden. French Soldier: Yes, at least it is hidden. It’s not so bad. Wanting to console him With the mother instinct Suddenly Startled And sure enough, she has no left arm! All the other dolls begin to wake just now, and they wake up faster because both Japanese doll and boxing doll are very excited over this new discovery. She kisses the Japanese doll In tears Bursting into tears In tears She is very calm and quiet. There is no resentment in her. Fierce, angry. He marches around. His right leg is rigid. Quietly Ashamed Japanese Doll: Where are your hands? Siamese Virgin: Did you notice only now? Chinese Maiden: She has no hands. Siamese Virgin: It does not matter. French Soldier: It does! It does matter! The toy maker is unjust! He has been unjust to all of us! Japanese Doll: To all? Boxing Doll: We are all defective. Siamese Virgin: We are the dolls that nobody wanted. French Soldier: She has no hands, but she has very sweet disposition. She is the kindest of all the dolls! Chinese Maiden: That is true. Igorot Dancer: Do not feel badly, because you have one arm. I am a dancing doll. All my sisters are dancing dolls. But I cannot dance†¦. My sisters are most graceful†¦ All of them were bought†¦. But look at me†¦. No one wants a dancing doll that cannot dance. Muslim Warrior: I’ll kill him! I’ll kill the toymaker! Igorot Dancer: He only says that. He can’t kill anybody. Muslim Warrior: Yes†¦ That is my defect†¦ I cannot draw my kris†¦ All my brothers could. They could draw, and brandish their blades above their heads, and fight! But I†¦. I am a Muslim warrior, whose hands stops right here. Igorot Dancer: It is better that way. Muslim Warrior: You are a dancer who cannot dance, and I am a warrior who cannot fight. Both of us are doomed to stay in this shop forever. Chinese Maiden: It is a beautiful shop. Japanese Doll: I don’t see anything wrong with you? Chinese Maiden: That is because I am sitting down. Japanese Doll: What is he trying to say? Boxing Doll: The Chinese maiden ? she has no feet. Chinese Maiden: It is nothing. Japanese Doll: What is the matter with him? Boxing Doll: He can’t talk. Japanese Doll: Should he be able to talk? I’m sorry. What is he trying to say? Suddenly, to the Siamese Virgin Quietly Defending the Siamese Virgin To the Japanese doll She moves and her motions are stiff, jerky awkward Savage Gently Sadly He tries to draw his kris, and the hand comes to a sudden stop six inches from the scabbard Gently Dejected Walking around the Chinese maiden The American Indian makes signs, slaps his moccasined feet and makes an negative gesture with his hand. With a gentle gesture of the hands Pointing to the American Indian The American Indian makes eloquent signs, telling her many things. She is embarrassed Turns to the boxing doll Boxing Doll: That his brothers ? all of them ? could talk. Not only talk, but whoop and holler. That is why they were all bought, because they had such a splendid wharl whoop. But this one—he is a silent redskin. Nobody wants him. Chinese Maiden: He is very good. Japanese Doll: We all have defects. Boxing Doll: Yes. Japanese Doll: We are the dolls that nobody wanted. Boxing Doll: Yes. French Soldier: It is the fault of the toymaker! Muslim Warrior: He didn’t have to make us all defective! Boxing Doll: He didn’t have to make me so that I always fall down! French Soldier: Why am I cripple? Because he wanted me to be a cripple? Boxing Doll: Right! French Soldier: The toymaker is wicked and evil! Boxing Doll: Right! Muslim Warrior: Let us destroy him! Boxing Doll: Right! Siamese Virgin: How can you destroy him? We were nothing. He made us. Should we not be grateful for our hands and eyes? Hands are wonderful. Igorot Dancer: All things are wonderful. Boxing Doll: I am a boxer who can never win. Igorot Dancer: Even defeat is wonderful. French Soldier: Women! Bah! Siamese Virgin: He made us out of his mind. He never went to Siam. He never saw out temples there. He never saw a Siamese Virgin. He read of us in books, and he dreamed. He dreamed of me, and made me, and loved me. Should I not be grateful? French Soldier: Loved you? When he gave you no hands? Siamese Virgin: I do not know why I have no hands. But there is a reason. I am sure there is a reason. French Soldier: Your sisters had hands! Siamese Virgin: Ah, yes! My sisters! They were beautiful!. . . do you remember the first night we were made? Do you remember how we danced? French Soldier: I remember. Boxing Doll: I remember. Muslim Warrior: I remember. Defending the American Indian. The Indian kneels beside her and she puts her hand to his forehead. The American Indian makes signs Quietly, to the French Soldier. The male dolls are crestfallen. They are helpless and know it. Fiercely Puzzled, a little confident Dreaming Japanese Doll: I was not here. I was not yet made. What was it like? Siamese Virgin: Well. . . you see. . . n Siam the music is a little different. The music is like this. . . Japanese Doll: Beautiful! French Soldier: The very night that they were made, my brothers were made, too! How brave! How gallant! How noble! Ah, if you would have seen them! Japanese Doll: Were they like you? French Soldier: Like me? Cripples? Not they! They were quick, and strong, and discipline! Do you remember how they march ed around the shop? Igorot Dancer: I remember! Chinese Maiden: I remember! Japanese Doll: I wasn’t here. French Soldier: Well. . . with drums. They used drums, see?. . . and everything was in cadence. . . with the rifles. . with the long bayonets. . . the drums beat, the trumpets blared, and then the soldiers came. . . Japanese Doll: Bravo! Were they all bought, your brothers? French Soldier: All but me. Siamese Virgin: The man who bought them – he did not know the soldier dolls as we know them. Franz was the best of all! French Soldier: You are very kind. Siamese Virgin: But Lani – she is a real dancing doll! You should have seen her sisters when they were new! It is wonderful how the toymaker made them! So graceful! You would think they were real! Japanese Doll: That was the first Filipino dance I have ever seen! Igorot Dancer: I do not know if we are Filipinos. She continues to explain, with gestures, and lo, she describe it so vividly that we know longer hear her voice, we really hear the music! And when she describe the dance, you could swear the Siamese dancer were there in the toy shop, dancing! They could not be, of course, but the dolls have powerful imagination, and when she finishes, it certainly seems as if we had seen a dance. Contemptuous of himself It seems as if there are soldiers in the shop At the end of description claps To the Siamese Virgin He kisses her hand To the Japanese doll Pointing to the Igorot Dancer Tom-tom, and by the golly, there are Igorot dancer! They are real! Well, I guess anything can happen in a toy shop on Christmas eve. Claps when they are gone Muslim Warrior: Of course, you are Filipinos. You were here first! You were here – your people ? even before my people. . . And my people – we came at the dawn of history! Japanese Doll: Who are your people? Muslim Warrior: The Muslims! My brothers. . . My people. . . Igorot Dancer: Our people! Muslim Warrior: Yes. . . North and South. . . different dress, different food, different dances, different tongues, but. . . Igorot Dancer: One heart. Muslim Warrior: Yes, one heart. Japanese Doll: Did your brothers dance? Boxing Doll: Well, not exactly dance. We . . . we worked out. Japanese Doll: You always say that. Worked out. What is â€Å"worked out†? Boxing Doll: Well. .we . . . we just. . . work out. I mean . . . we well, skip rope, and then we punch the light bag. The rope skipping is for footwork. The light bag is to make your eyes quick, and to give you timing. Then calisthenics, and weight pulling, and the heavy bag, and then sparring. Japanese Doll: I do not understand a single word. Boxing Doll: Look. . . I will explain. Roadwork. Let’s start with roadwork. . . Japanese Doll: Ah! I see! Boxing Doll: Whew, what a workout! Japanese Doll: Workout? Boxing Doll: Oh, no! No! That means another thing. I mean. . . Is that so? Oho! Oho! Is that so? Japanese Doll: Don’t fight! Boxing Doll: He says his brothers could lick my brothers any day in the week. And twice on Sunday! He says his brothers could beat my brothers six times a week and twice on Sunday. Chinese Maiden: He comes from San Beda. Boxing Doll: I’d like to see your brothers. I’d just like to see ‘em. Proudly. And there they are! They look fierce and can certainly swing a kris. They don’t have any trouble getting them out of the scabbards. To the Boxing doll Desperate. Boxers are working out in the toy shop. At end Mopping brow Suddenly American Indians signs to the Boxing Doll. The American Indians signs again. Boxing Doll looks tough. The American Indians signs. Boxing Doll is enraged. Happy The American Indian claps his hands, and. . Japenese Doll: How wild! How blood-thirsty! Is he wild? Chinese Maiden: He is very gentle. Japanese Doll: What does he say? Chinese Maiden: He says you ought to see my sisters. He says my sisters are very lovely. Japanese Doll: What does he say? What is he saying? Boxing Doll: He says that of all the Chinese dolls that the toymaker made, the loveliest is Lau Ying. Japanese Doll: The loveliest is Lau Ying. Who is Lau Ying? Chinese Maiden: Even though I cannot walk? Japanese Doll: I can translate that! He says that you are by far the loveliest, even though you cannot walk. Chinese Maiden: You should have seen my sisters. Japanese Doll: Did. . . Did I have any sisters? Boxing Doll: You did! Japanese Doll: Many? Boxing Doll: Many. Japanese Doll: Where are they? Boxing Doll: They were all bought. Japanese Doll: All bought, except me. Boxing Doll: The toymaker made you last, just today, after all the others were sold. Japanese Doll: He must have made me in a hurry, to have forgotten my arm. there they are! In fact, you hear them long before you see them because they come howling and whooping into the shop, complete with tomahawks and almost scalp the Boxing Doll but the silent Indian stop them. When they are gone. To the Chinese Maiden pointing to the silent Indian. Putting her hand on the Indians arm. The American Indian signs eagerly. To the Chinese Maiden. The American Indian signs again eagerly. She flushes with happiness. The American Indian signs again earnestly and she hangs her head silently. The Chinese Maiden shakes her head and will not talk. Her eyes are on the ground. The American Indian signs again earnestly. Japanese Doll looks at the Boxing Doll. Carefully Pauses while she thinks about this. Suddenly. Boxing Doll points to the Chinese Maiden. The American Indian nods contentedly. Looks up at him. The American Indians signs to her. Happy. The Chinese Maiden looks at her. Shakes her head sadly The sisters come gracefully; they are all lovely but Lau Ying is the loveliest of them all. When they are gone Hangs her head in shame Siamese Virgin: The toymaker is never in a hurry. Japanese Doll: Then why did he forget? Siamese Virgin: The toymaker never forgets. Japanese Doll: You mean. . . you mean he left my arm off deliberately? Boxing Doll: Yes. French Soldier: He made us all defective, deliberately. Japanese Doll: How cruel! Siamese Virgin: There must be a reason. French Soldier: The reason is that he is a mean and a wicked toymaker! Siamese Virgin: Don’t say that! Japanese Doll: But my sisters – my beautiful sisters – they all had arms? Siamese Virgin: Yes, they all had arms. Boxing Doll: Why? Japanese Doll: Why what? Boxing Doll: Why do I fall down? French Soldier: Why is my leg stiff? Igorot Dancer: Why am I so awkward? Muslim Warrior: Why does my hand stop, right here? Siamese Virgin: It is not because the toymaker is defective. He could have made us perfect, if he wanted to. Japanese Doll: But he didn’t want to. Boxing Doll: Why? First Painting Angel: Why, what? Second Painting Angel: Yes, why, what? Boxing Doll: Why did the toymaker make us all defective? Japanese Doll: Who are they? Siamese Virgin: They are the Painting Angels. Japanese Doll: Painting Angels? Siamese Virgin: Yes. At night they go around while people are asleep and paint the thought lines into all their faces. First Painting Angels: It’s wonderful work! You know where we just were? Looks from one doll to the other. They hang their heads. Tries not to cry Tries to defend the toymaker. Consoles her, the Japanese girls come softly into the toy shop, and maybe. . . maybe. . . these are the prettiest of all. They have fans, of course, and parasols, and this helps them to look beautiful. When the Japanese dolls are gone, all are silent, all thinking the same thing. Tries to draw his kris for a thousandth time, and angry Loud, clear, strong, voicing the silent rebellion of all of them. Two little angels pop in the toy shop. They carry paint and brushes. Boxing Doll: Where? Second Painting Angels: At the toymaker’s! First Painting Angels: We were painting the thought lines I his face. On Christmas Eve the thoughts of everyone are beautiful, but the toymaker’s thoughts – they were the prettiest of all! Boxing Doll: What was he thinking of? Second Painting Doll: He was thinking of you. Boxing Doll: Us? First Painting Angel: Yes, all of you. He was thinking of the dolls that nobody wanted. Boxing Doll: What was he thinking about us? French Soldier: Was he sorry because of the money he lost when nobody bought us? First Painting Angel: No. Muslim Warrior: Was he gloating over our misery? Was he happy because we are sick? Second Painting Angel: Oh, no! Japanese Doll: Angel, what was he thinking? First Painting Angel: Well, he always thinks of all the dolls he has made. He loves every one. Boxing Doll: Loves! Ha! First Painting Angel: Yes. He loves every one. But he cannot keep any, because he is such a good toymaker that all his dolls are beautiful and so people buy them. As soon as he makes a doll, someone falls in love with it and buys it. He wants to keep his favorite dolls, but he cannot, because he is a toymaker and he has to sell whatever people want to buy. Boxing Doll: What has that to do with us? First Painting Angel: I’m getting to it. Everytime the toymaker sells a doll we have to paint a little sad line into his face, because he loves each doll so much. But tonight – tonight he was thinking of you, and all the lines are smiling lines. Japanese Doll: Why, angel? Boxing Doll: Why? French Soldier: Why? Siamese Virgin: Angel, please tell us why? First Painting Angel: You are the dolls that he loves most†¦He always loved you best Grimly Cheerfully Casually Snorting in contempt Fierce Quietly in earnest even before he made you, even when you existed only in his mind. And he knew, from his long experience with toys, that if he made you perfect you would go away from him. So he made your leg stiff, soldier. And he left off your hands my little virgin. And he made you so you could not win. And he made you so you could not win. He made you so you would always lose, and would be his, forever. Japanese Doll: You mean. . . he wants us. . for himself? Second Painting Angel: You are the ones whom the toymaker loves. First Painting Angel: There was no other way to keep you. Siamese Virgin: I knew there was a reason! Second Painting Angel: You see, the toymaker always thinks of all his toys. He never forgets a single one! Tonight, while he was sleeping, they were dancing through his head, all of them, the Siamese Temple Girls, and the brave French Soldiers. . . Second Painting Angel: They are always in his mind, even when he should be sleeping – the Igorot Dancing Girls and the Muslim Warriors. . . He never forgets them, no matter how far apart they are, even if they are on the opposites sides of the earth – the American Indians and the lovely Chinese Maidens. . . He never forgets you, sweet little Japanese Doll, even though you have only one arm. . . and he never forgets you, Boxing Doll, even though you never win. . First Painting Angel: But you. . . the defective ones. . . you are the ones he wants for himself. Of all the toys that the toymaker has made, he loves you the best. Second Painting Angel: That’s why you’re defective, soldier. Sighing deeply Across the shop, the soldiers and the maidens dance, just as they danced across the mind o f the toymaker. Together they dance Together they dance. They claim the American Indians came originally from China, over the Bering Sea, and when you see them dance together you think maybe this is true. . . The Japanese Dolls and the boxers, all mixed up, are in the mind of the toymaker. Putting her hand on the shoulder of the French Soldier. Suddenly, the clock strikes, all stop, frozen, listening. One – two – three- four – five – six! Boxing Doll: Six o’clock! Muslim Warrior: Here comes the toymaker! Toymaker: Poor little Chinese Doll! You feel rejected. When all the other dolls were bought, and you were left – it was like a slap in the face. . . like a slap in the face. . . Roman Soldier: Answerest thou the highest priest so? The Man: If I had done evil, give me testimony of the evil. But if well, why strikest thou me? Toymaker: My warrior. . . my warrior who cannot fight. . . he other dolls were taken and you were left here. You were rejected. Others were chosen, instead of you. . . that is painful. I know. . . Crowd: Barabas! Barabas! Give us Barabas! Pilate: But what shall I do with him? Crowd: Crucify him! Crucify him! Pilate: Shall I crucify your king? Crowd: We have no king but Caesar! Barabas! Free Barabas! Away wit h this man! Crucify him! We have n king but Caesar! At the door, loud, strong, clear. The dolls hurry back to the position they were in when we first saw them, in the blue moonlight. The two angel steal softly away. The toymaker opens his door and comes in. He is a white haired, gentle old man, and we can see his face the lines that the painting angels have painted – the sad lines and the smiling lines. He goes from doll to doll, looking at each one. He stops to look at the Chinese Doll. Music: Chinese theme Gently Outside of the shop, somewhere beyond the street, we see a man standing with his hands bound, and two Roman Soldiers standing beside him. Harshly. The soldier turns and slaps the man across the face. We hear the slap, loud and clear. Slowly, the man disappears and we see the street again. The toymaker goes to the French Soldier. (Music: The French man’s theme) Then he goes to the Igorot Dancer. (Music: Igorot theme) He also moves to the Muslim Warrior (Music: Muslim theme) Gently Somewhere outside the shop, and beyond the street, we see a white balcony. A man is standing on the balcony, with his hands bound behind him. Pilate, the governor, is bending over the white rail. Pilate washes his hands. The crowd shouts A Lone Harsh Voice: Barabas! Toymaker: My Boxing Doll. . . you are always falling down. . . you lost in public. . . you were shamed and humiliated. . . you fell, not dance, but many times. . . that is painful. I remember. The Man: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do! Boxing Doll: Lord, remember me! French Soldier: Remember me! Muslim Warrior: Remember me! The Man: This day. . . this day thou shalt be with me. . . in paradise! Triumphantly. Slowly the balcony fades, and we see the street again. The toymaker goes to the Siamese Virgin and looks at her, his head to one side. (Music: The Siamese Theme) Toymaker goes to the American Indian and looks at him with love. (Music: Indian Theme) He goes to the Japanese Doll (Music: Japanese theme) Finally, he goes the Boxing Doll. Outside the shop, and beyond the street, we see the man carrying his cross. He is flanked by two soldiers and two workmen, who have hammers and nails. . . The man falls. The crowd roars. The two soldiers lift the man to his feet. They strip off his clothing. One of the soldiers carries the clothing away triumphantly. The other soldier forces the man down on the cross. The workmen nail him to it. We hear the sound of the hammers. Nailing is finished. . . The cross is elevated. The man hangs there while the soldiers roll dice for the robe, and the workmen sit at the foot of the cross. Suddenly wheeling toward the cross. Suddenly turning toward the cross. Turning toward the cross. The American Indian makes a painful, inarticulate sound which means Remember me. The girl dolls turn slowly to the cross and lift up their arms in supplication. On the cross Slowly, the cross fades and we see the street again. The dolls turn toward the door of the toymaker. He is standing there, with his arms outstretched. The dolls turn to their original position. Slowly the toymaker comes down the steps and goes to the Boxing Doll and the Japanese Doll. He stands between them, looking from one to the other. Then he puts his hand, gently, on the shoulder of the Boxing Doll. Music-up full to finish.

Employee Motivation Research Paper Example

Employee Motivation Research Paper Example Employee Motivation Paper Employee Motivation Paper The Future of Business: The Essentials By Lawrence J. Gitman, Carl McDaniel Employee motivation: principles and practices motivation: principles and practices Philip C. Grant 0 Reviews Vantage Press, 1984 160 pages How McDonald’s tracks morale at the front line A successful engagement effort should result in happier customers Mark Blundell Mark Blundell started work in McDonald’s in 1985 and has gained experience working at all levels in the retail arm of the business. He has recently become head of HR Operations within the organization. Like most retail organizations, McDonald’s is well aware that a drop in engagement at the front line is likely to have an impact on customer service. So the company has a number of initiatives in place to motivate employees and build loyalty. Here, Mark Blundell describes the approach used to monitor the impact of its engagement efforts. Following my presentation at Melcrum’s Annual Employee Engagement conference in London in May 2007, I was asked many questions about the way we measure the impact of the recent employee engagement initiatives at McDonald’s. In broad terms, we use three categories of measurement: employee surveys, third-party review and operational outcomes. Employee surveys The McDonald’s â€Å"Your Viewpoint† survey is a long-term tracking study of employee opinion. It’s been conducted on a global scale for many years with ORC International, who provide an independent assessment of the results in every country in which we operate. A UK participation rate of 83 percent in 2006 demonstrates that it’s something everyone in the business takes very seriously. The data is analyzed and cut to mirror the structure of our organization in terms of job â€Å"families† (e. g. , hourly-paid restaurant staff, restaurant management, office staff, etc. ) and geographically, from national level right down to the level of the individual restaurant. The survey consists of 50 statements which cover five recognized drivers of commitment. Employees respond to these statements with a simple â€Å"agree†, â€Å"neutral† or â€Å"disagree†. In 2006 the results from our UK hourly-paid employees were as follows: Development and personal growth: 85 percent agree. Resources to get the job done: 82 percent agree. Values and leadership behaviors: 84 percent agree. Competitive pay and benefits: 77 percent agree. Respect and recognition: 80 percent agree. Although these results aren’t perfect they are, I think, better than many people assume McDonald’s would achieve. Third-party review We also regularly open our doors to tho se who would like to undertake a serious, objective study of our business and in recent years have welcomed Investors in People, the Work Foundation and the Great Places to Work Institute among others. Last year we gave Professor Adrian Furnham of University College London unrestricted access to our managers and crew to study the impact of working at McDonald’s on our employees. Regarding employee engagement he concluded the following: â€Å"Overall, McDonald’s staff felt good about themselves, experienced strong job satisfaction and had exceptionally high engagement levels. Indeed, nearly every staff member interviewed could be counted as engaged, whereas the typical figure is substantially lower. † Operational outcomes The McDonald’s business model is a simple People-Profit chain: engaged people delivering quality products and great service in a clean environment create loyal customers. Customer loyalty, in turn, drives sales and profitability. If we’re succeeding in engaging our employees we should be seeing a measurable impact in our mystery-shopper surveys. These assess quality, service and cleanliness in our restaurants – results of which are fed into a â€Å"People Scorecard†, which details annual performance data for the last five years, alongside quarterly data and targets for the current year. In addition, the People Scorecard presents snapshot data of staff perceptions and, as an inverse measure of customer satisfaction, information about complaints we’ve received. This data can also be analyzed by every manager in our business to clearly see how employee engagement influences our overall performance. Data that makes a difference By knowing which managers are creating a great place for their employees to work, we’re able to celebrate and reward individual excellence. And by knowing which restaurants are achieving the best mystery shopper results we can reward the whole team too. On the other hand, where performance isn’t what it should be, the depth of the data means that we can focus on the areas of a particular store that need support without condemning everything that’s happening there. So, any intervention we make can be positive, supportive and evidence-based rather than being critical, demoralizing and subjectively judgmental. Again, McDonald’s isn’t perfect, but we believe that by gathering and analyzing engagement data from a range of sources, we’re able to pinpoint exactly where our imperfections can be found. This article is from Strategic Communication Management June/July 2007 By Lauren Young updated 1/6/2009 11:40:15 AM ET Share Print Font: + - Inside the McDonalds off Interstate 270 in suburban St. Louis, manager Sadie Travis is hustling. Amid the beeping and buzzing of fry timers, Travis at any given moment is voiding orders at the register, handing out cups for drinks, wiping trays, or stuffing toys into Happy Meal boxes. If only the fast-food titan could get more people like her to run its 6,700 company-owned restaurants. While an average McDonalds grosses $2. 2 million a year, seasoned managers who motivate employees and keep customers coming back can add more than $200,000 to that total. Restaurant managers are in the most important position in our company, says Richard Floersch, McDonalds chief human resources officer. Yet despite generous salaries - up to $62,000 plus bonus and company car, say insiders - turnover is a constant concern in an industry that typically sees 43 percent of its staff leave each year. To stanch the bleeding of valuable talent, McDonalds in 2004 began offering a rich retirement savings perk. Employees who put 5 percent of their salary in the company 401(k) receive a company match of as much as 11 percent, turbocharging their savings right off the bat. To make sure employees take advantage of the program, McDonalds has made enrollment automatic. And to ease the pain of automatically deferring 1 percent of pay, the company gave managers a one-time, 1 percent salary increase. But persuading prized employees that the benefit is reason enough to stay with McDonalds for the long term is an ongoing challenge. Skepticism about investing runs especially high among African Americans, who make up 15 percent of the companys manager pool. Research shows that blacks, in the aggregate, are reluctant to save. According to a 2008 study by Ariel Investments and Charles Schwab, blacks save an average of $169 a month for retirement, while comparable whites (in terms of household income) contribute about $249 a month. Race and ethnicity trump gender - and even salary - in the factors that predict whether a person will save for retirement. Preparing for the future Why dont blacks save more? The reasons are complex, but the underlying theme is cultural. African Americans are distrustful of the financial system because it has excluded them for generations, says Andres Tapia, chief diversity officer at Hewitt Associates, the benefits-consulting giant. Hewitts research shows that African Americans consistently put home ownership and college ahead of retirement goals. Owning a home and educating children become a huge priority, explains Tapia, if you are the first person in your family to do it. Preparing for the future can also be controversial in the black community. If your mama lives with you - and others in your extended community are struggling to get by - putting aside money that you cant touch for the next 15 to 20 years feels selfish and inappropriate, Tapia says. Indeed, for many blacks, retirement is more a dream than a priority. The Ariel-Schwab survey found that African Americans under the age of 50 are nearly twice as likely as comparable whites to say they want to retire by 60, but they are half as likely to cite retirement as their most important savings goal. Adding to the skepticism, the great market meltdown of 2008 showed that even the most carefully crafted retirement plans can be ruined by forces beyond a persons control. This is a big setback that will affect all people, says Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel, the largest African American-run money manager. In our community, which has had less exposure to the market, people are especially nervous about investing. Such reticence has made McDonalds efforts to sell its perk to employees all the more difficult. Generous inducements to save Few employers offer 401(k) plans as lavish as the one at McDonalds. In fact, many companies have been cutting back on their matching contributions in recent months as the recession deepens. McDonalds corporate matc h is especially extravagant at lower levels of saving: employees who put just 1 percent of their salary in the plan get $3 for every $1 they invest. Most companies wont even match a contribution until an employee puts in at least 3 percent. ) McDonalds then makes a dollar-for-dollar match on the next 4 percent. After that theres a potential profit-sharing match of up to 4 percent. All told, workers who save 5 percent of their pay can see the total swell to 16 percent. But corporate 401(k) plans arent an if-you-build-it-they-will-come kind of benefit. Companies can send out pamphlets, but the burden of persuading employees that the plans are orthwhile ultimately falls on people like Kenny Sanders, who heads human resources for the Heartland region of McDonalds, overseeing 76 company-owned stores. Like Travis, Sanders, 44, started working at McDonalds in St. Louis when he was a teenager. Over the past 28 years he has risen through the ranks beyond store manager to corporate management. McDonalds crew members dont sit in front of computers all day, leaving little opportunity to check 401(k) balances or make tweaks to asset allocation plans at work. So Sanders spends much of his time out in the field talking to employees about their financial future. My goal is to get people to understand that this is more than a job. You can put away a nice nest egg for you and your family, depending on how long you stay at this company, Sanders says. Looking beyond paycheck to paycheck Sanders main goal is to keep people like Travis, who oversees one of the St. Louis areas most profitable McDonalds restaurants, interested in saving. Everything Travis knows about building a nest egg she learned at McDonalds - most of it gleaned during the four years since the retirement program began. Before t hat, I didnt realize that putting money in the bank and saving for retirement is not the same thing, she says. Its a real eye-opener to learn that McDonalds will match what you put in, Travis says. It helps relieve a lot of stress. Sanders was the first person Travis turned to for investment advice when she looked at her September retirement account statement and saw that her balance was down almost $11,000 for the year. Sanders recalls assuring her. You lose a little here, and then you gain a little there. Saving for the future has been a luxury that Travis, 47, could not afford until recently. For most of her life the divorced mother of two was just making ends meet, she says. Travis had her son, Lamar, at 20. Her daughter, Latisha, came along when she was 29. Buying a home, paying for braces, helping her elderly parents with living expenses - all those things derailed her plans to save for the future. I know you have to have a security blanket, but I was living paycheck to paycheck when I had my first baby, Travis says. Thats why Travis connects so well with Ebony Henderson, a second assistant manager at the same McDonalds, who gave birth to a boy named Jeremiyah in August and has a toddler son named Quian Jr. We each had babies young, Travis says. But Im not about collecting money from the state. Im a person who wants to make money and keep stability. Thats how Ebony seems to me. When Henderson, 26, joined McDonalds at age 15 to earn money for school supplies and clothes, she never thought it would be a serious career path. Today she eyes the golden rung of store manag er and plans to start the interview process this month. Im doing good now, but I want to be where Sadies at in the future, says Henderson, whose tinted hair matches her red cable-knit sweater. I dont want to be working all my life with nothing to show for it. Despite the market downturn, Travis says she remains on track for retirement. Shes confident shell be able to leave the work force in 10 to 15 years with a $200,000 nest egg. I dont want to shoot for a million, she says. I dont want to be greedy. Others arent so sure about the future. Since the stock market began to unravel last fall, Sanders says, more than 100 employees have asked him for investment guidance, often brandishing their retirement account statements. Im not an adviser, so I cant really tell them what to do, Sanders says. He looks over statements to make sure employees are well diversified and usually recommends the financial advisory services McDonalds offers to employees. But I always say that staying the course is the right thing for me, he says. Amid the market turmoil, its more important than ever for Sanders to reach out to workers. After all, he says, Whats good for employees is good for McDonal ds.

How to Write a Definition Essay on the Biocultural Approach to the Climate Change

How to Write a Definition Essay on the Biocultural Approach to the Climate Change If you are tasked with writing a definition essay on the biocultural approach to the climate change, your goal is to use the aforementioned topic and its contents in support of a unique definition of one word of your choosing (don’t forget to look at the suggested topics on the biocultural approach to the climate change). The word can be an abstract, broadly sweeping concept which you define based on the writings or book you have studied in class. For example: you might want to define â€Å"sustainability†. This word is one which you are likely to come across in your readings multiple times, but is something tangentially related to the topic of climate change. When studying the climate change and its impact, you might reflect upon sustainable options for improvement in different biocultural areas, or how people can incorporate sustainable growth which mitigates the negative impact of climate change. But with that, your goal is to focus your entire essay on defining that single word in a unique fashion. The Pre-Writing Phase When defining your word, you should: 1) Think creatively, think about all possible explanations or definitions of the word. Reflect upon how you saw it used in your reading, or how multiple authors have used it in their publications. 2) Review different authors who have covered that topic so as to glean a better, more comprehensive idea or understanding about the word (you can also check out our facts on the biocultural approach to the climate change to have a better grasp on the definition). 3) Reflect upon what it means to you personally. Remember that your goal here is not to present a dictionary definition of the word but rather, to create your own definition supported by evidence. For example: if you have selected â€Å"sustainability†, take a moment to reflect upon what that means to you. Does sustainability mean that an action or set of actions can be repeated by many people across a village, and therefore has to be something simple and teachable? Does sustainability mean something that mitigates negative impacts wrought on certain environments, such as crop rotation to bring back into the soil elements which were taken out during the last harvest? Does sustainability mean something that coincides with Mother Nature as she has been since before mankind, and therefore translate directly into farming or dietary practices that coincide with the natural cycles of the Earth? The Writing Phase Once you have reflected and done your research, it is time to sit down and draft your outline. The outline can take any form you choose. You might consider a bullet point list with short phrases to guide your writing or a Roman numeral list that has comprehensive sentences, topics, and transitions. Figure out what organizational method works best for you and use this as a time to play around with the organization of your piece until you find what best suits your subject matter. Once that is done, you just have to write out the draft based on your outline. The Post-Writing Phase With the draft ready, it is time to edit the content, organization, and flow. This is a big picture type of review which should be followed by a red-pen style proofread for sentence level errors.