The Twelve Foundations Of Jewish Belief - 1217 Words

#1 Maimonides is making a thesis in his two works, â€Å"The Thirteen Foundations of Jewish Belief† and The Laws Concerning Mashiach which illustrates what most basic of moral codes those of his fellow Jews should be keeping. â€Å"The Thirteen Foundations of Jewish Belief† is basically the Ten Commandments as published by mainstream Christianity. The title clearly states that there are thirteen foundations that those of the Jewish faith should follow as closely as they can. a few of them are , to believe in God and only God, stay a loyal servant of God. Also, that the Torah, the Jewish Bible, is the word of God. His second work, â€Å"The Laws Concerning Mashiach† Maimonides is trying to speak to a broader demographic, both to those who are Jewish and those who are non ¬believers. By reaching out the nonbelievers, and to those who may have never even heard of Judaism, he is trying to enlighten on the main tenants of Judaism while showing why they make sens e. Hopefully, this ends up recruiting those that read the writings into his religion. His interpretation of the actual doctrines was Maimonides way of redefining the principals and moral cade that Judaism claims to follow. Also, he tries to explain and clarify the consequences of not follow the Word of G-d. He gives tangible examples of who the Messiah will be like, so that the audience can come closer to God, by living like the Messiah that he describes in such details that make him seem real and not unattainable. The writings alsoShow MoreRelatedThe Transformation Of Hebrews During Ancient Jewish900 Words   |  4 PagesThe Transformation of Hebrews during Ancient Jewish Throughout modern history, Judaism has been recognized as one of the most influential religions in Western Civilization. However, to reach the complexity and structure that Judaism has today, the Hebrews had to endure several periods and turning points in history. During the 1500 years after 1200 BCE, â€Å"numerous vast empires rose and fall around and over them (Hebrews)†, as they made their transformation into Jews (Pavlac, 45). During these phasesRead MoreThe Destruction Of The Second Temple1558 Words   |  7 Pagessecond temple in 70CE? Introduction Judaism as one of the oldest religions in the world has been through various historical changes. Started with the practice and belief of ancient Israeli people, through the conquering and changing of different kingdoms and empires, Judaism and Jewish people changed and adapted to maintain their identity, belief and existence. Judaism that we know nowadays is a result of its historical changes, primarily from the Babylonian Exile and the second temple periods. What isRead MoreJewish Culture and Jewish Americans1400 Words   |  6 PagesJewish Culture Paper â€Å"When I was a little girl my family moved to Tallahassee, Florida. We were the only Jewish family in the neighborhood. So as most kids do when they move to a new neighborhood, they tend to try and make new friends. I remember going over to one of my new friend’s house and her mother felt my scalp for horns† Julianne Jacques MCC-Penn Valley Counselor. Jewish Americans learn from a young age about the importance of knowing their history. Knowing the history is for the sakeRead MoreDiscipleship : Discipleship And Discipleship Essay833 Words   |  4 Pagespart of Jewish culture. However, Jesus and his chosen twelve model the most accurate Biblical form of discipleship. The purpose of this paper is to explore the biblical foundation for discipleship, an overview of my discipleship journey to date, and my plan to disciple others going forward. The next section provides the biblical foundations of discipleship, including my own personal definition of biblical discipleship that is supported by the literature. The Biblical Foundations of DiscipleshipRead MoreEssay on Jewish History1631 Words   |  7 PagesJewish History Throughout the history of the world, the Jewish people have been persecuted and oppressed because of their religious beliefs and faith. Many groups of people have made Jews their scapegoat. Jews have suffered from years of intolerance because people have not understood what the religion really means. They do not understand where and why the religion began, nor the customs of its people. For one to understand the great hardships, triumphs, and history of the Jewish people oneRead MoreSimilarities Between Islam And Christianity1619 Words   |  7 PagesBeliefs shape societies, cultures, and people’s way of life. Every single person who has ever lived has had a set of beliefs. Whether these beliefs entail monotheism, polytheism, or atheism, everyone has their own beliefs. Two of the largest groups of people to share beliefs are Christians and Muslims. Today, there are about â€Å"2.2 billion Christians and 1.6 billion Muslims,† accounting for over half of the worldâ€⠄¢s population (The Future of World Religions). Not only are Christians and Muslims theRead MoreEssay Dead Sea Scrolls1336 Words   |  6 Pagesof the Old Testament. The texts of the scrolls are remarkably comparable to documents we already have. This discovery shows the extraordinary accuracy between the two sets of manuscripts. The texts are believed to have been written by a strict Jewish sect called the Essenes. This religious community led by one they called the â€Å"Teacher of Righteousness† lived a demanding routine of self-discipline. Their interpretation of the law was severe, they held fellowship meals to which admission was closelyRead MoreJudaism : The Religious Life Of Israel1590 Words   |  7 PagesJudaism is a way of life that has been observed by the Jewish people for almost 3,300 years, starting when the ancestral Father of Israel, Abraham was chosen by God. Jews deem themselves as descendants of Abraham and Sarah, Rachel and Jacob and Leah, Zilpah and Bilhah, and Isaac and Rebekah. Orthodox Judaism is the strictest commitment to the traditional beliefs and traditions of all the Jewish observances. It originated in response to the Jewish practice introduced by the Reform movement. OrthodoxyRead MoreThe Role of Music in Religion1395 Words   |  6 Pagesits sensuous element and anx ious that the melody never take precedence over the words. These were Platos concerns as well. Augustines beliefs were reiterated by St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-74), held the basis of music to be mathematical; music reflects celestial movement and order (â€Å"music in Christianity†). The earliest music in the Christian church came from Jewish worship music. It is believed that this music lay somewhere between singing and speaking with an understood ritual cadance (â€Å"ChristianRead MoreFreedom Of Religion And Religion Essay962 Words   |  4 Pages Freedom of religion or freedom of belief is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any religion. The freedom to leave or discontinue membership in a religion or religious group—in religious te rms called apostasy—is also a fundamental part of religious freedom, covered

The Jazz Age By Toni Morrison - 1700 Words

The 1920’s in American history seem to be very exciting. It was the height of the Harlem Renaissance, where African American literature, poetry, art and music emerged. You had all this African American talent growing and blasting into the mainstream. Historians refer to this time period as â€Å"The Jazz Age†. When jazz music was introduced to the public at clubs and dance halls it took off! People were either captivated by it, or appalled by it. Jazz was all about movement; it was driven by syncopation and improvisation, and for some it was considered â€Å"the devil’s music.† The novel Jazz by Toni Morrison allows you to wonder down the seductive streets of Harlem where it all began. The book gives a sense of both the scandal of Jazz music and the†¦show more content†¦The beginning as exciting as it may seem, it is just a piece necessary to get you to keep wanting more. With this basic plot put into place or melody in this case a jazz soloist wo uld improvise his music. Almost just as the author seems to improvise in Jazz, constantly reinventing, re-harmonizing, and shifting back and forth through various characters throughout the book. As the narrator of the novel sets up the basic theme, one by one, other characters are introduced, putting their own spin on what has happened, and allowing the reader to relive the experience through their perspective; thus, the variations on the theme. Its clear the novel structure borrows deeply from jazz music. When a jazz player did there solo he/she would interpret the beat differently and play ones own perception of the music. It would seduce people with its sexiness and spur women like Dorcas or make old women clutch their pearls, like Alice. This is the kind of drama where only the Jazz Era can provide the cheating spouses, the willful women, people with knives and guns and illegitimate children. The Jazz music within the novel even depicts the very environment the book takes place . Both the City and the woods of Virginia are described as having their own music and rhythm and the pace of the narrator s storytelling ranges from upbeat and fast to slow and bluesy.

The Giver Analysis Essay Sample free essay sample

The chief subject shown in The Giver is the thought that good can non be without immorality. and evil can non be without good. therefore doing making a perfect society impossible. It does non count how astonishing an experience is. unless you have something bad to compare it with you can neer savor the true significance of that minute. The members of Jonas’s community can non appreciate the joys in their lives because they have neer felt unhappiness. Correspondingly. they besides do non experience heartache because they have neer appreciated the true admirations of life. Throughout the novel. Lois Lowry uses multiple literary devices to raise these ideas into the readers mind. When Jonas is chosen to take the function of Receiver of Memories. he starts to larn how life used to be. when love. hurting. hungriness. and felicity existed. After make up ones minding that the community is nonmeaningful. Jonas forfeits himself in the terminal so his friends. household. and others from his community will be able to see life to the fullest. The narrative proves to us that even though we may wish for a perfect universe by extinguishing the bad. we besides take off some of the good. doing the perfect life we strive for impossible to accomplish. Lowry uses imagination to demo how receiving memories is like a sled drive. At first the sled drive starts as highly delicious and enjoyable. but so it easy turns a spot harsher when you realize the snow stacking up on you. When Jonas foremost learns of snow through a sled drive he takes in as a memory. he does non understand why such a fantastic experience would be kept from the community. The Giver says that â€Å"snow made turning nutrient difficult†¦and unpredictable conditions made travel about impossible at times. ( p. 67 ) † . By the terminal of the scene. Jonas accepts the memory more as a load than a gratifying nostalgic memory. To the people of the community snow had made mundane undertakings hard to finish. but when clime control stopped snowfall. the community neer knew of the delicious snowflakes. because. in order to acquire closer to a life of flawlessness. something exciting and particular had to hold been taken off. Their society is all the same. â€Å"f lat and [ a ] chromaticity less shadiness. ( p. 97 ) † . The scene of the controlled community in The Giver explains the struggle between the desire to work out society’s jobs and the demand for single freedoms. In the get downing the regulations. such as being assigned a specific occupation for life or utilizing right linguistic communication. makes sense and seems for the good of the community. As the secret plan progresses the true effects of these regulations are bit by bit identified. As Jonas receives memories. the reader is made cognizant that non merely are picks limited. but besides that the people have non experienced true feelings. enjoyed single differences and can non even see colour! Since the scene is intertwined with the secret plan and subject and is revealed easy. it is non overpowering. By the clip the reader understands the deepness of the control over the community. he is besides cognizant of the effects of that control. Lowry uses symbolism to assist stand for strong feelings with the colour ruddy. When Jonas foremost learns about colourss from the Giver. he is so amazed by it and wants everyone to see. The following twenty-four hours. after given the ability to see rud dy. he sees Fiona. To his surprise. she has beautiful ruddy hair. This is a major significance subsequently on when he is given the ability to love because so those two things goes manus in manus. Love an emotion that is perfectly unknown to Jonas. yet when he experiences it. he decides it is the most astonishing thing of all time because it made him experience â€Å"a small more complete. ( p. 126 ) † . Although colour may look like a harmless pleasance. people have been contending wars over colour for ages and in many topographic points the conflicts are still traveling on. Where there is war. there is the blasphemy known as decease. When loved 1s meet decease. it causes a batch of heartache and unhappiness. in this thought people took away the emotion of love to go emotionally detached to other things. and so the loss would non be so annihilating. When the community besides got rid of colour. they besides disposed of jobs. such favoritism over grounds such as skin colour. A universe is decidedly non perfect with wars. segregation. and sorrowing ; but it is merely every bit flawed without the impressiveness of colour and deep feelings such as love. doing global flawlessness to be impossible. Jonas learns that his community. although it may look perfect at first. it is missing many of the cardinal things that make life particular and worthwhile. When hurting. hatred. and heartache a re taken off. along with them disappear snow. colour. and love. For without immorality. you can non hold good. When negative things are eliminated. something fantastic is sacrificed along with it. doing a perfect life to be impossible to accomplish. Plants Cited Wikipedia subscribers. â€Å"The Giver. † Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. 12 Dec2012. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Giver gt ; . Sparknotes subscribers. â€Å"The Giver. † SparkNotes. 12 Dec 2012. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. sparknotes. com/lit/giver/themes. hypertext markup language gt ; . Shmoop subscribers. â€Å"The Giver. † Shmoop. We Speak Student. 12 Dec 2012. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. shmoop. com/the-giver/literary-devices. hypertext markup language gt ; .

Online Gaming 7cs of Customer Interface Essay Example

Online Gaming 7cs of Customer Interface Essay Online Gaming Part A Online gaming has become a culture in its own, there is an entire industry for online gaming that incorporates itself in the console gaming, gambling and the pc gaming. Almost every game you buy in shopping centres will have an online gaming option whether it is a console game or a pc game. Online entertainment has become a form of human communication and is taking the internet industry by storm. World of war craft has hit the online gaming demographic with huge success and therefore is the best example of this ever growing industry. For my half of the website audit I investigated the online gaming craze as a whole industry and did not limit myself to a specific company or topic, I looked at children’s online gaming sites, manufacturer sites for the online the gaming option on consol game units, aggregate sites for free online games and a manufacturer site for the largest online game, world of war craft. The 7Cs of Customer interface Context In investigating the context of these websites navigation, ecommerce and promotion seemed to be the priority and general purpose of both aggregate and manufacturer websites. The manufacturer websites like, http://www. blizzard. com/ and http://www. xboxworld. com. au/games/xbox-360/show/b where very product based in the aesthetical side of the website, all of the images and themes for these website appealed to the larger demographic that uses this kind of entertainment. The aggregate sites are basically used as portals for the online games and are centred around ease of navigation and feedback on the services available. Content Apart from the popup advertising there was not much video or animation involved in any of the homepages for these websites. We will write a custom essay sample on Online Gaming 7cs of Customer Interface specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Online Gaming 7cs of Customer Interface specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Online Gaming 7cs of Customer Interface specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The home page seemed to be the centre unit for navigation and was essentially made up of still imaging and text. The only website that offered any kind of detailed background on the company was the wiggles website which had an about us option in the navigation toolbar. All of these websites are high stimulating and, depending on the end users, appealing to the consumer. It seems that online gaming websites are highly individual and highly interactive with the consumer and promotes pull advertising as opposed to push promotion. Each website offered a product in a different stage in its product lifecycle, blizzard offered a product well into its commitment stage where as xboxworld. com offered a new and innovative product that has yet to be explored. The wiggles websites is more into the exploration stage of its product lifecycle and therefore promoted easy navigation for easy exploration and as the targeted demographic for this site are children under the age of 10 it needs to be easy to use which they have accommodated for. Community Some of these websites offered user forums for members of the site to voice their opinions on the products and services available. Whereas others offered a rating system that foregrounds the previous users opinions of the services available Customization All of these sites have membership options for frequent visitors to the sites. Being a member allows the user to view in more detail the ratings for games and the popularity of the games available. Communication Mostly forums on the products and five star ratings are the only forms of cross user communicate. Connection Apart from blizzards slow connection time in the opening of the website most of the other sites seemed to be pretty efficient when it came to the riginal opening of the site. The two aggregate sites had navigation points and links to other sites containing the games available which meant a short wait before playing the games as the site had to connect with other websites. Commerce All these sites have membership options. Manufacturer sites offered discounted online purchasing for their products like xboxworld. com offered discount on games and the consols where as to become a member of blizzard you have to register with world of war craft game which cost money to set up your blizzard account. Webqual Evaluation There are four categories to the Webqual website audit; ease of use, usefulness, entertainment and complementary relationship. In applying this style of audit to these websites no individual website stood out conclusively. All seemed to excel in different areas. Shock wave was easy to use in that it was easy to read and navigate through the programs. Xbox world was the most useful as it catered for the consumer looking for info on available products and discounts instead of jumping straight into the online gaming. The wiggles and the blizzard website provided good form of entertainment in that it was innovative and had appropriate visual appeal for the demographic they were designed to attract. And all of them foregrounded the same kind of image the company behind them strives to achieve. Online Marketing Tool Out of the possible e-commerce option available to the users of these sites, the five star rating seemed to be the best form of ecommerce and consumer behavi our evaluation. This option allowed a user to give a game or a service a rating out of five. This allowed for user to administration communication and user to user communication. The administrators of the sites are able to see which services or games are most popular and which are not worth keeping on the site, this is a good way of understanding the consumer behaviour of a site majority target market between online and offline services and products. Online Gaming Part B The five websites that I evaluated were all aggregate sites of the online game known as ‘World of Warcraft’. I chose to do this in order to compare all five aggregate sites which provide similar types of service to assess which of them excels from the rest. The 7Cs of Customer interface Context Context is defined as the look-and-feel of a screen-to-face customer interface. The sites are all designed to focus on the navigational aspects rather than the use of excessive graphics or animations. All five sites feature a nice simple layout with minimal graphics and contrasting colours however thottbot. com is the only site that makes use of a clear white background which creates a sense of calm and draws the eye to the products. The information being provided by all the sites are all nicely categorized and broken down into smaller segments for a more organized presentation. The search tab is one of the most useful tools when gathering information as it enables fast and easy access to information which allakhazam. com, thottbot. com and wowguru. com makes use of. Content Since the primary role of the sites is to provide users with information, the main mediums used were primarily text and images via the offering mix however wowguru. com takes it one step further by adding audio and video aspects to its contents where users can actually view movies that others have posted on the site for additional information purposes. Most of the sites use promotions on their front page to advertise their content on the other hand worldofwar. net takes advantage of the appeal mix creating emotional reactions to promote their site. Thottbot. com is the only site that struggles in this category not because it lacks content but due to the fact that the information it provides is inaccurate or out of date. Community Forums are the most used type of medium for user-to-user, user-to-admin and admin-to-user communications. Most of the sites aside from thottbot. om and worldofwconline. com makes use of forums and breaks them down to simple categories for more convenient communications. Additional features were provided by allakhazam. com where IRC chat was used for instant communication between users and admin. Customization All the sites that has access to forums enables personalization by creating login registrations primarily used so that users can post on forums and also to receive personalized e-mails through the sit e however further personalization are offered by allakhazam. com and worldofwar. et through upgrading of membership which means that users that upgrade their normal membership to premium membership for a small amount of fee have access to more additional features and customization. Communication Hybrid communication makes use of both broadcast which is a one-way information exchange from organization to user and interactive communication which is a two-way communication between the organization and the user. All the sites use this form of communication aside from worldofwconline. com which only uses broadcast communication. The main medium for hybrid communication is via the forums or IRC chat option through allakhazam. com. Connection Load times of the sites are fairly quick depending on the internet connection speed of the users however thottbot. com always loads the fastest due to its simple layout and design which consist mainly of a search tab located in the middle of the page. All the sites have links and affiliates to major online stores and other online gaming sites as well increasing traffic and user base. Commerce Worldofwar. net and allakhazam. om are the only two website where registration, security and credit card approvals are utilized via paypal. This is mainly due to the users wanting to upgrade their regular memberships to premium membership for additional features and more customization. Webqual Evaluation Most of the sites featured a very nicely designed layout with navigational options arranged and categorized neatly having said that the site that excels the most is allakhazam. com d ue to the consistent balance of both text and graphics. On the other hand worldofwconline. om uses too much text with small fonts making it hard to read and understand. Users would find sites that use the search tab to be more convenient to operate and navigate. The most useful site would probably be allakhazam. com as it provides all the relevant information accurately in a secure environment. The response time however varies in all the sites as post in the forums would only be answered when members log in. Wowguru. com dominates the entertainment category as it is the only medium that features audio and video aside from the text and graphics that all the rest of the other sites posses. All the sites have a good complementary relationship as there is good synergy between the internet and the company images. Online marketing tool The online marketing tool that is chosen to evaluate the sites is the forums as it is the best form of ecommerce and consumer behaviour evaluation criteria for these sites. The number of posts and user profile accounts were the main determinants in determining which website was the best. With over 1,358,243 user profile accounts and still growing allakhazam. com clearly dominates this field as the closest rival to it which is worldofwar. et only has 172,873 user profiles. The Comparisons Part C A combined effort SWOT Strengths * Most sites are compatible with a large amount of other websites and software. * Well organized forums and ecommerce options * Visually appealing * A large amount of loyal consumers * A good depth in user customization Weaknesses * Majority of sites lack audio and video capabilities * Differentiation is difficult as a lmost all of the services are available through other companies * Hard to establish steady cash flow * Must keep up with technology and updates. Opportunities Possible target market for services are ever growing * Innovative games and services are easier to promote due to a larger demographic learning to use the internet, innovation in online games is not hard to create awareness for Threats * Increasing of competing companies providing similar services * It is easy for a company to become obsolete in this industry as technology is always advancing. * It is easier for companies to commit reverse engineering on a service or product and provide generic copies. Porters’ Five forces 1 Competition between rival companies is a constant issue for the online gaming industry. It is hard for any one business to get a competitive advantage over their competitors. A lot of companies are even teaming up in order to cope better with the increasing amount of competition. This will always be a negative force on a online gaming site. This force cannot be avoided as competition is evident in ever industry. The best that can be done is to offer competitive prices and incentives for consumers to continue to use the company’s services or products. 2 The threat of new entrants and innovation with both the technology and reativity of the products available will make it increasingly hard even for a well established company to stay on their feet. The online gaming industry is not a safe industry to penetrate and will never be. The best way to avoid this force from effective the possible success of any one company is to use people’s creativity and continue with good e-commerce and market research that way a company can stay on top of possible incoming trends and fads. 3. Reverse engineering is a constant problem in the electronic world and the online gaming industry is no exception. The threat of the competition copying your services or products and offering generic products to consumers that could have created cash flow for the original creators is a constant issue. The best way to deal with this negative force is to use the government and protect your company’s ideas and innovations with copyright. 4. Suppliers are always looking to charge more for their products whereas consumers are always looking to get a cheaper price; it is a loose, loose situation for any one company and can only be tackled by either sacrificing the customer satisfaction or risk loosing your supplier and having to find another. A balance between the two is the most opportune way to handle this dilemma. The rules of supply and demand come into particular focus here. Proper market research and preparation work can help to avoid this issue. 5. As was discussed in the previous issue; consumers are always after a lower price, and ounce again the best way to handle this situation is to conduct decent consumer behaviour research and market research to avoid missing the next big opportunity in the market.

Reflecting realities of United States in the late 19th century

Introduction In the late 19th century, many immigrants flooded into American cities, in search of green pastures. While others run from civil war, some were in search of wealth and the start of a new life.[1] The population figure grew rapidly in urban cities as a result of the immigrants.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reflecting realities of United States in the late 19th century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Many immigrants were rendered homeless and urban crime increased as a result of poverty and an increase of slums. This was the shocking revelation among the immigrants who had come in search of a better life. This paper seeks to study how Horatio Alger, in his book Ragged Dick that reflects the realities of urban life, economic security and social mobility in the late 19th century. Urban life Most people found the city remarkable due to the high capacity buildings and the American cities had expanded t hough haphazardly. The leaders then began to call for some order and organization of the cities to provide a plan for the congesting cities.[2] As both the buildings and parks were increased, the numbers of slums were also increasing. Housing was one of the greatest challenges faced by the new city dwellers. Most of the immigrants had come with no money and could not afford housing in the city or in the suburbs. The tenements later became popular and turned to slum dwellings due to the overpopulation and poor conditions of living.[3] As more immigrants kept streaming in the tenements became more over populated, since the building capacity was not expanded. Transportation also was a challenge in urban areas due to the increase of population. The cities had not been prepared to harbor such large populations and now that the new population was city dwellers, the people had to struggle for the limited number of transportation. The increase in urban population was one challenge that auth orities were not well equipped to handle. Over population caused adequate access to public services such as Medicare and good housing. As a result, problems like outbreak of diseases kept recurring, and it was uncontrollable due to the poor living conditions most of the people lived in. Crime was also on the increase with high rates of unemployment and the desperation to survive. Gangs were formed in metropolitans were crime was common as a means to make ends meet. The schools around also lacked capacity to take in the immigrant’s children and the government felt pressure to respond to the situation.[4] Social mobility During the civil war, there was a lot of immigration with many immigrants coming from abroad. Some of the immigrants came from Latin America, Canada, Europe, China and Japan, with Europe carrying the greatest numbers.[5] Most of the Europeans who migrated to America came in with some education and enough money to support them.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Germans and Scandinavians arrived through major ports of the Atlantic coast. However, the rest of the immigrants came in with lack of both capital and a good education. Some of the immigrants coming in hardly spoke English and with lack of proper education they worked in unskilled jobs.[6] The influx of foreigners into America led to the founding of immigration restriction league that vetted all immigrants coming in through the various ports. The government responded and set screening mechanisms among the immigrants. The officials would screen immigrants based on literacy levels, and other standards such as health status and native background.[7] Congress at that time barred the Chinese from entry and tagged them as undesirable candidates. Other candidates denied access was the paupers, mentally challenged and ex-convicts from other states.[8] The government imposed tax charge to ever y person admitted to limit the number of immigrants into the state. This was to regulate the number of immigrants to ensure that the public resources were not exhausted.[9] Adjusting in the city life however, was not simple. The various ethnicities formed ethnic groups to help each other in the transition process.[10] The communities lived close to each other forming ethnic ghettos, forming close ties with their ethnic countries. The communities kept their cultures as they also adopted the new cultures. Industrialization however, led to assimilation of the different ethnic groups, this was a time industries were developing in the cities and most immigrants were hired to work in these industries.[11] The Europeans for example felt superior because they were more skilled than most of the ethnic groups like the Irish immigrants.[12] Despite the various differences the immigrants shared the same experiences of living in urban areas and facing the same experience of urban life. The nativ es however, encouraged assimilation the more in the various settings.[13] Schools for example, taught in English and insisted that all classes should be conducted in English. Employers in both private and public institution also looked for English-speaking employees, and this forced most immigrants to learn English to secure jobs in the various companies.[14] The stores sold only American products and this forced the immigrants to adapt to using American products. They also were assimilated in the American way of worship; most religious leaders were Native Americans and practiced their native religion.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reflecting realities of United States in the late 19th century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Economic security Economic security was an issue of concern among individuals who had just immigrated to America.[15] Most people were looking forward to accumulating enough wealth and cr eate opportunities for their fellow colleagues back at home[16] .The well-to-do credited their wealth to the hard work they had put and they took advantage of their early arrival to form monopolies in the capital industry. These businessmen rooted out competition in the market place and put controls to ensure that they still got their profit returns. Alger’s ragged Dick captured how the immigrants had to face desirable hardships just to make it in the city. The tycoons who owned industries paid the immigrants poorly and made them work under poor conditions and for longer hours.[17] The tycoons took advantage of the high unemployment rates and the immigrant’s lack of formal education. The tycoons posed a threat to society because even though they paid the laborers, they ran the economy. The businessmen overcharged for goods and service and the people had no choice but to pay for them, as the economy was heavily run by a monopoly.[18] Most immigrants had escaped poverty and oppression from their native land only to find themselves in the same circumstances. In the turn of the century new immigrants began streaming in and most of them from Europe. The immigrants had the privilege of some form of education and after undergoing poor working conditions and low wages the immigrants attempted to fight back. The immigrants began forming small crafted unions but they brought little success. However the immigrants were undeterred and they tried to form a nation labor organization.[19] The steel and ironworkers formed a strong association, and were able to establish the first successful strike. The laborers demanded better pay and an improvement in working conditions in the industries. This alleviated to some point the living and working conditions of the laborers, who were also able to afford the cost of living in urban areas.[20] With the great recession after the civil war the increase in wages hardly counted and many laborers later lost their jobs with n o compensation. This was not what many immigrants had bargained for; most of the laborers had immigrated with the hope of making money and returning home. Despite the labor unions and increase of wages the immigrants felt the need to acquire a more secure source of income to sustain the expensive urban lifestyle.[21] Conclusion After the civil war many immigrants moved to American urban cities in search of greener pastures. Most were running away from poverty and harsh conditions back in their native countries. However, on arrival the immigrants faced great challenges unforeseen to them and a lot of them were frustrated.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Having to face unemployment, poor working conditions, keeping in tenements and racial segregation was in the least of their expectations. While some gave up along the way other became prosperous and assimilated to the urban life they envisioned. Bibliography Brinkley, Alan. The unfinished nation: the concise history of the American people. New York, McGrawHill, 2009. 453 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009.204 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009.204 Alger,Horatio. Ragged Dick. New York: W. W. Norton Co., 2008.28 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009.205 . Alger,Horatio. Ragged Dick. New York: W. W. Norton Co., 2008. 34 . Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 207 Brinkley, Alan . The unfinished nation: the concise history of the American people. New York, Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.458 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009, 207 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.436 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 207 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.454 Brinkley, Alan. The unfinished nation: the concise history of the American people. (New York, Mc-Graw Hill, 2009) 458 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009. 458 Alger,Horatio. Ragged Dick. New York: W. W. Norton Co., 2008. 34 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.448 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 211 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.437 Alger,Horatio. Ragged Dick. New York: W. W. Norton Co., 2008.47 Brinkley, Alan. The unfinished nation: the concise history of the American people. (New York, Mc-Graw Hill, 2009) 445 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.449 This essay on Reflecting realities of United States in the late 19th century was written and submitted by user Armani Coffey to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Altering Public Space in Ugly Ways essays

Altering Public Space in Ugly Ways essays In his essay Black Men and Public Space, Brent Staples attempts to introduce people to something most all are guilty of, but pay little attention to. Using accounts from his own and others experiences, Staples essay portrays the racist tendency of people to assume black men are potentially violent and dangerous. Staples discovery of this comes during a late-night encounter. A young white female, whom Staples labels my first victim (197), was walking down the street in front of Staples and was not comfortable with the space he provided for her. After a couple of glances back and changes in her pace, she soon began running and disappeared down a side street. Of course, Staples had no intention of robbing or in any way harming this woman. He was just taking a walk, just as she was. Nevertheless, this was a fairly well to do neighborhood. Apparently, this woman figured that if a black man did find himself in this part of town, he was most likely up to something. Not wanting any trouble, she decided to get out of harms way. In another illustration, Staples describes an instance in which he was delivering a story to the editor of a magazine for which he was writing, and was mistaken for a burglar. While racing to his editors desk in order to meet his deadline, the office manager and an ad hoc posse (199) of security personnel began to chase him through the building. I had no way of proving who I was, Staples writes. I could only move briskly toward the company of someone who knew me. (106) While writing for a Chicago paper, Staples walked into a jewelry store in another well-off part of town, and encountered another situation where his skin color came into play. The woman behind the counter disappeared and returned with an angry Doberman. Understanding that the woman did not quite value him as a possible sale, ...

Compare and contrast the civil rights movement with the harlem Essay

Compare and contrast the civil rights movement with the harlem rennaisance, - Essay Example ly-built suburb of Harlem.† Most of these people were educated, nonetheless, to their white neighbors they were just †Negroes.† At this time Harlem was still a predominantly white neighborhood. You guessed it, yes, the whites left Harlem making it vacant for more blacks to occupy. Blacks in the south, especially the educated ones, realized that they were not really freed; what was given to them was a pseudo-emancipation. Accepting this plight, most of them immigrated to the northern cities, mostly Harlem. And, Harlem became the most populated black city in America, and the most populated city in the north. ..steady deterioration of the races social and political position in America.... Although in the half century following emancipation a number of blacks successfully accumulated property and acquired an education, most remained poorly educated and mired in rural poverty. Even those who had achieved some material success saw these accomplishments threatened by the growth of segregation and racial violence. Supreme Court reinterpretations of the fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments left blacks defenseless against the segregationist enactments of southern legislatures (6). Black writers from all over the country began writing about their oppression. By the middle of the 1920s they had began to meet in Harlem, and was known as the new black literary movement. This movement later become the Harlem Renaissance. Chief promoters of this movement were James Walden Johnson, Alan Locke, and Charles Johnson. Fortunately for these writers, owners of white magazines and newspapers were ready to publish their work. Their cry for justice was not only within the realm of writing, but in music and acting (Wintz, 64). Between the 1950s and 1960s Georgia gave birth to a new movement, the most successful and the most publicized event in the history of modern America. The civil rights movement, unlike the Harlem Renaissance, this was very organized; its goals

The Africaness of Ancient Egyptian Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Africaness of Ancient Egyptian Art - Essay Example Egypt and the African civilizations surrounding came into closer contact largely through political domination and trade. Egypt built some of its strongest ties with Nubia, located in what is now Southern Egypt and Northern Sudan. Nubia was home to one of the earliest black civilizations, dating back to 3100 b.c. It was also rich in gold, ebony and ivory and would contribute greatly to Egyptian wealth. Egypt's relations with Nubia from 1950 b.c to 1100 b.c. have been noted as being one largely of domination. During this time period Nubia adopted many aspects of Egyptian culture, such as the hieroglyphic writing system and the worship of Egyptian gods, although in many respects they adapted them to their own practices and rituals. In recent years the discovery near Thebes of a tomb dating back to 1575 b.c has led to renewed interest on the nature of relations between the two nations. The finding consists of 22 lines of hieroglyphics, which describe the invasion of the Sudanese Kingdom of Kush in Egypt. Mamdouh El-Damadi, the director general of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo emphasized the importance of the inscription in understanding Kushite ambitions in Egypt (El-Ahram, p. 10). Some eight hundred years later the Kushites would be called upon to save Thebes from Northern invasion, an alliance that would result in the rule of Egypt and Nubia of Kushite kings. While historians have often portrayed Egypt's relationship with the African continent as that of dominator and dominated an examination of Egyptian artwork shows us that, indeed, it is far more complex. Ancient Egyptian artwork was dominated by a strict set of rules, or a code, if you like. This code was called Frontalism and its most noticeable features were the human figure shown rigid with its head and legs turned to the side, but with its eyes and body forward facing. Despite the severity of the figure's stance their facial features are described as serene. Another aspect of Ancient Egyptian art is its continuity over a three thousand year old time span. Lisa Kremen notes that one of the most noticeable aspects of Egyptian culture was its "ability to preserve the past and prevail with relatively little change" (www.bergen.org). As far back as early life in the Sahara we can see influences that would later be present in Egyptian Art. The Tassili cave paintings provide us with information about early life in the Sahara, before the desert began to dry and populations moved towards the Nile. Abimbola Asojo claims, "contemporary historians have stressed the influences of Saharan art and engravings on Ancient Egyptian art. Some of these scholars believe Ancient Egyptian art borrowed heavily from Sahara art which preceded and ran parallel to the Egyptian form (p. 129)." Many of the figures in the paintings show aspects of Frontalism, with the figures rigid in posture and the heads and legs in profile (see image 1). Of additional interest is the similarity between the depiction of human figures at Tassili and those of the Amarna period (see image 2). Differentiating from previous periods in Ancient Egyptian art Amarna art "resides in the physical appearance of Akhenaton, his wife and his daughters. Their elongate craniums, drooping features, long necks, pot bellies, large hips and

Employment Essay Example for Free

Employment Essay The Organization that we selected as our topic of discussion in our Project Paper is the Wal-Mart Corporation. Sam Walton is the founder of Wal-Mart. He opened his first store called Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas in July of 1962. Their corporate office is currently located in Bentonville, Arkansas. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. incorporated its stores on October 31, 1969. In 1972, they started selling stock on the New York Stock exchange. Although, though the company has had controversial operational business practices they have grown to be the largest Retail Corporations in the world. In 1997, Wal-Mart was able to become the largest private employer in the United States. In that same year, their annual sales totaled over $105 billion. In 2010, Wal-Mart has over 2. 1 million employees worldwide. There 2010 fiscal year sales exceeded $400 billion dollars (Wal-Mart About Us, 2010). I have been a loyal customer of Wal-Mart for years. Therefore, I was shocked when I found out about some of Wal-Marts questionable unofficial policies through talks with friends and family members who worked for them in the past and some who currently employed by them. My mother in law worked for them from 2006 thru 2008. She was required to work 8-hour shifts without a lunch break on a regular basis. One of my cousins was required to clock out because he was about to be in overtime and continue to work to keep labor cost down. I decided to Google Wal-Mart, to see if other people experienced the same injustice. I was stunned to see some of the practices of this company I loyally supported. According to an article released by the Associated Press on 12/24/08 called Wal-Mart to Pay Workers Up to $640 Million it will pay as much as $640 million to settle 63 lawsuits over wage-and-hour violations, ending years of dispute. Wal-Mart faced 76 similar class action lawsuits in courts across the country as of March 31, 2008. These violations range from having employees clock out and continue to work without pay, denying them with lunch breaks that they are entitled to by law, non-payment for overtime worked. They have also had issues with discrimination against women, resulting, from denying them promotions and paying them less then their male counterpart even though they held the same position, and in some cases, women had seniority over the men (Associated 2008). It is widely known that Wal-Mart pays its associates below the average retail wages. In 2008, the average full time Associate (34 hours per week) earns $10. 84 hourly for an annual income of $19,165. That is $2,000 below the Federal Poverty Line for a family of four. In 2007, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott earned $29. 7 million in total compensation, or 1,551 times the annual income of the average full time Wal-Mart Associate. Consequently, large portions of their employees qualify to receive Government Assistance to support their families. They are well aware that they pay their fulltime employees below the poverty level. In fact, Wal-Mart actually encourages their employees to take advantage of the Government Assistant Programs (Wake Up Wal-Mart, 2008). Wal-Mart does not offer its associates affordable healthcare insurance benefits. According to Wal-Mart employees, when they complained about high the cost of the insurance and lack of coverage it offers their managers would simply suggest that they try to qualify for Medicaid or Medicare. According to Wal-Mart Facts. om, If an average full-time Wal-Mart employee chooses the least expensive family coverage plan, they would have to spend over 20% of their income before the health insurance provided any reimbursement. An average full time Wal-Mart Associate faces a serious family health issue. They have to pay the entire out-of-pocket maximum for the least expensive health plan, which adds up to pay 53% of their income (Wake Up Wal-Mart, 2008). I am just a customer of Wal-Mart. I am an accountant, so I budget my money pretty well and I love a good bargain. However, when I look at this organization and their business practices all I see is greed. Therefore, as a customer I have to question my whether or not to continue to support this business if they persist on behaving in such an manner that is clearly unfair to its employees. This is not a struggling organization. It brings in sales exceeding $100 billion annually. Wal-Mart has the resources to make their employees NEEDS a priority. I would like to believe that they are sincerely willing to make the necessary changes. Wal-Mart’s management behaves immorally towards its employees. They do not value their employees’ needs, rights, or the labor laws that the US put into lace to protect them. Wal-Mart’s low price on everyday household products is what sets them apart from other discount retailers. Their employees help make it possible for them to dominate their competitors in the discount retail market and maintain their competitive advantage. It is essential for employees to feel that the company that employs them provides an ethical organizational culture in order for them to feel a sense of job security and to be motivated to be productive for the company. What is Organizational Culture? What type of OC does Wal-Mart reflect?  What effect does their OC have on employee job satisfaction, morale, and performance? What can management do to improve their employee relations? According to our text Organizational Behavior, 11th Edition, a company’s organizational culture is a shared set of beliefs and values within an organization. The culture is the behaviors that employees feel they are required to fit in order to meet the expectations of their organization (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, Uhl-Bien, 2010, p. 12). On of the OCI’s that the Human Synergistic Study addresses the Aggressive/Defensive Culture. The cultural norms are built upon a value structure whereby management puts its own interests before those of its key constituents—its customers, employees, suppliers, and even stockholders. Members place priority on doing what is best for themselves over the long-term best interests of their organization. Previous organizational successes (due to prior leadership, technological patents, or good business strategies) fuel the arrogance and short-term orientation of management and allow Aggressive/Defensive organizations to continue to appear effective—at least for a while. However, as shown by John Kotter and James Heskett’s study of 207 organizations (and consistent with research based on the OCI), this type of value structure prevents organizations from effectively adapting to changes in their environments and ultimately has a negative impact on their financial performance (Human Synergistic 2006). Your business strategies shift; your organization’s values should not. Organizational values guide employee actions and influence business practices. They help provide meaning for employees searching for an emotional connection to work each day. Also known as ground rules or operating principles, at their best values are actionable guidelines, not to be confused with abstract beliefs that are merely â€Å"held† or posted on a plaque (Organizational Values, 2008). † In an Aggressive/Defensive Culture, management tends to have very little value for people. There focus is on setting goals and meeting them by any means necessary. They are very competitive and want to devour the competition. Some of the characteristics of this type of culture are oppositional, competitive, motivated by power, and perfection. Managers may oppose things indirectly, stubborn, always has to be right, avoids admitting mistakes, resists suggestions made by others, and have a strong need to win or dominate. Their members do not feel any sense of job security. Employees typically believe that they have to go with the follow in an effort to avoid the label â€Å"troublemaker† in order to keep their job. They fears managements’ retaliation and often feel as though they are in a hostile work environment (Human Synergistic 2006). Staff turnover is near 20-year highs for many companies. Two research firms, Walker Information and Hudson Institute, recently joined forces to conduct a nationwide employee loyalty study. Their results confirmed that staff loyalty is in short supply. Only 24 percent of employees consider themselves truly loyal, committed to their organization and its goals, and planning to stay at least two years. Thirty-three percent of employees were high risk, not committed and not planning to stay. Thirty-nine percent were classified as trapped. They plan to stay, but are not committed to their employer. Among those who felt they worked for an ethical organization, 55 percent were truly loyal. For those who did not feel they worked for an ethical organization, the loyalty figure was 9 percent (Lowenstein 2006). Creating a culture within the organization that nurtures loyalty, commitment, advocacy and productivity from the moment the new hire walks through the door and throughout the lifecycle of the employee will go a long way to sustaining customer loyalty behavior. The good news is that employees, particularly those in customer service, seek trust and trustworthiness; and they desire to be active contributors to that effort (Lowenstein 2006). The benefits for business of adopting ethical human resource management practices and viewing employees as human capital to be developed and to provide a unique advantage in the marketplace can be utilized as part of a corporate social responsibility strategy. Effective corporate social responsibility requires that along with minimizing harm to the environment, a company needs to be aware of the social impacts of its operations and ensure that they are not harming human stakeholders (Tracey Lloyd 2009). The importance of health insurance as an employee benefit is also illustrated by the fact that more than one quarter of Americans report that they or an immediate family member have encountered job lock, passed up a job opportunity, stayed at a job they would otherwise have quit, or had not retired solely because they needed to keep the health insurance coverage they were receiving. According to another survey, employees are moderately satisfied with their benefits, with 39% of full-time workers reporting this, which is a rise from 32% in 2003 (Reddick 2009). Employers who hope to retain solid, hard-working employees should be prepared to offer basic employee benefits. In addition to salary, good benefits provide important resources that not only help build a positive working relationship between employer and employee but also promote good work habits and financial practices (Thompson 2010). Wal-Mart problem is their leadership style. It reflects many of the characteristics of an Aggressive/Defensive Culture. Its issues stem from them putting their interest before the needs of their members. It does not value its employees as of Human Capital. Employees are just another resource used to achieve the organizational objectives. Wal-Mart leaders invest a lot into making decisions and strategies that will get the best prices for their customers and keep their competitive advantages. Nevertheless, they are not investing enough time and effort in training managers on how to treat their human capital. As a result, managers are presented with problems that they have no been trained for and they avoid the issue or make bad decisions. I find it hard to believe an organization as large and successful as Wal-Mart can make these types of mistakes and they go unrecognized or resolved for so long. Several people had to have been complaining about the errors before having to go before a judge. Considering the validation of the errors during the trial investigation, it is safe to say that if Wal-Mart had done its due diligence prior to trial they would have resolved this pay issue. There is no reason a company of Wal-Mart’s size and resources could not have identified and addressed the discrepancy prior to it escalating to a court issue. Which raises the question of, was this done intentionally or their employees concerns or grievances are not a priority to them. This type of mmoral behavior ultimately leads to employees distrusting the company, resulting in a low morale, lack of motivation, and high turnover. Every company has a distinct set of characteristics that drives the decisions, practices, policies, procedures, and organizational goals, which in turn affects the organizations’ atmosphere. The biggest influences are going to come from the visions and standards that the Senior Leaders of the company. Wal-Mart’s employees do not feel any emotional connection or sense of value from their organization, which leads to a lack of job satisfaction, loyalty, and commitment. Of course, this is going to show up in how employees treat customers. All Wal-Mart has to offer is low prices, there is very little customer service. For example, I pulled up to customerservicescoreboard. com and some one posted this comment. â€Å"Wal-Mart has the worst customer service, worse yet, they ignore any inquiry and advertise that they value it I really have to commit to not shopping there any more lines are long, cashiers are slow and dont even help put bags in carts. Their greeters wont get carts and roll their eyes, the bathrooms are a mess, the shelves are empty, I hope they get what they deserve ower customer count and lower profits today I tried once more and wasnt disappointed, no carts, very long lines and best yet customer service said there was no manager on duty and there were not customer complaint forms go figure. mad at Wal-Mart 4/1/10 2:21PM â€Å". In order to change this Wal-Mart has to consider ways to attract and retain productive employees (Customer 2009). Another issue is the lack on emphasis on teamwork. Employees concerns and suggestions have no validity. They are not included in any part of the goal setting or decision making process on the individual store retail level. The â€Å"my way or no way† management attitude does not work. There has to be some compromise. SOLUTIONS Wal-Mart has to change their leadership style. The CEO and other major Leaderships need to take a more active role in establishing acceptable managerial behavioral procedures and rules to direct the organization. Instead of reacting to all of the bad press concerning their employee relations they need to take a more active approach to dealing with all of the stigmas attached to the company. For example, they can start by sending out a corporate communication-notifying managers and employees that the company is about to undergo so major changes to and are about to invest in an organization overhaul that will put just as much value in taking care of the associates that make their sales possible and they put into their valued customers. Wal-Mart can continue to ride the cloud of success with no regards to the long-term ramifications of lack of change, but these are the cost of avoidance. Change will be forced upon them one of two ways. The lawsuits will continue to come and the courts will make to settlements high enough that Wal-Mart will feel the financial sting of their unethical behavior. Secondly, they will start to see a significant decrease in their sales because of the poor customer services rendered by their distrusting, low morale, and unmotivated associates. Considering how large Wal-Mart’s organization is this change would be a major project they could consider doing it in-house, but I suggest they hire an outside consulting firm that to oversee the project in order to get some fresh ideas and strategies. Of course, they would be collaborating with Wal-Marts project team in order to what the deliverables are to complete the project. Wal-Mart Leaders need to ensure total participation by giving the project team the financial and staff resources needed to complete the project. The first step would be to perform a training needs analysis and determine where the practice and policy breakdowns are occurring. Then address the issue, by establishing a new uniform policy, updating the employee handbook, training managers and employees on the new policies, and finally enforcing it. This project will take about a year to prepared, reviewed, and implemented. Prioritization will be according to the most critical needs, such as proper employee pay protocol, anti- discrimination policy training, and team building programs. For example, have a workplace diversity class set up to teach managers how to cultivate diversity and to prevent discrimination. Require that managers have a complete training class annually. Address and investigate all allegations of discrimination immediately. Written documentation is required for discrimination allegation, investigation, and resolution steps that taken. The only way to ensure that employees feel a since of organizational justice is to uphold the companies policies on the matter. Consequently, immediate punishment is required if an employee found guilty of the allegation. Send out corporate communication, notifying employees of the companies’ commitment to improve employee relations. Send the communication via email and display it in high traffic areas. Express managements desire to include employees in some of the decisions that directly affect them by establishing an Employee Involvement Team to be apart of the project. That will help Management and employees address employee concerns and grievances, such as a fair and competitive wages and health insurance package. Allowing employees to be apart of the decision making process will help management get feedback on the best ways to go about achieving up coming goals, while building team commitment, loyalty, and moral. There will be annual policies will be reviews and revision if necessary. Managers and employees will complete skill assessment tests annually. There will be skill-training classes set up to teach managers how to promote effective communication and leadership abilities. Issue training results to department heads and certificates of completion to participants. Finally, collect feedback from the managers and employees to evaluate, results and feelings on the process improvements. Leave a comment section to get their feelings on the companies’ efforts to improve employee relations. Identify remaining problems and work with the In-house Project Team and the Employee Involvement Team to improve them.

Service Quality Analysis of Mental Care Employees

Service Quality Analysis of Mental Care Employees The gap between professionals and client was one of the central elements of our study. The perceptual gap between providers and clients is often studied in order to measure and analyses service quality (Brown Swartz, 1989; Klose Finkle, 1995; Luk Layton, 2002; Peiro et.al. 2005; Zeithaml et.al. 1990). Our findings that clients are tend to overestimate service quality is different from the findings by Peirà ³ and colleagues (2005), which have shown that employees are tend to overestimate service quality they are offering in a context of hotels and restaurants. Here we can suggest that service quality gaps characteristics (overestimation vs underestimation) much depends on type of service provided by the organizations. According to this comparison we assume that professionals working with PIDs have more vulnerable ethical issues in service, in other words empathy can be on higher position which itself can affect the way the service is provided by the professionals to the benefit of the client’s demands. People who are in charge to help and assist persons with intellectual disabilities with nearly every level of need, including physical, counseling, and education can be already considered as stress related. And ethical issues are deep rooted in the professional role (Raines, 2000). Employees facing ethical dilemmas in service often have mental conflict offering service as they are trained, or offering the service as clients (relatives) are asking, or demanding: what is good (virtue) or what is duty (right)? (Aroskar et.al., 1997). Our results confirm this divergence showing that there is less congruence in service quality evaluation from the clients and employees. Overestimation from clients’ represents that service is provided the way they prefer, which itself is connected to professionals’ decision – to adjust service to clients’ needs and demands. On other hand in case of professionals overestimation of service quality we have decreased clients’ satisfaction which, continuing the same logic is result of that they have different approach to the kind of service PIDs need. In this case when employees prefer to conduct service they consider is right contradicts to the service evaluated by clients, finally it leads to client underestimation and causes low level of satisfaction. These findings are similar to the study results by Emari and colleagues (2011) which tested that causal relationship is significant between perceived quality of service and client satisfaction. According to our study overestimation from employees not only connected to low client satisfaction but also decreased quality of life of users. Results reported that higher is the evaluation of service from professionals lower is the quality of life of persons with intellectual disabilities. In other words when employees perceive that service provided by them is good, relatives think that this service decreases quality of life of PIDs. Here we have to recall that these organizations are designed to care the QoL of individuals with intellectual disabilities (Martinez-Tur, Peiro, Moliner, Potocnik, 2010). And these organizations are important source of QoL for people with intellectual disabilities (Moliner, Gracia, Lorente, Martinez-Tur, 2013). Situation is quite complex, when service quality is perceived differently by clients and employees. Non-congruence and different views between them about service quality impacts organizational facets and goals; if we have satisfied clients we have emotionally exhausted professionals, and on the other hand we have lower client satisfaction and lower quality of life of PIDs. Here moderation roles are important to dilute these relationships. The moderators tested in our study have less to contribute to weaken the above mentioned relationships. Moreover, high supervisor trust can be related to increasing sense of responsibility from employees; similar to study findings conducted with social workers which reported that emotional exhaustion is significantly related to good performance (Wright Cropanzano, 1998). According to our study justice perceived by relatives has no influence on the relationship between service quality gap effects on their satisfaction. Despite of the fact that organizational justice doesn’t revealed moderation effect on gap impacts, it has direct effect on client satisfaction; results reported that they are significantly related. Also quality of service perceived by PIDs doesn’t have moder ation role on relationship of service quality gap and their quality of life. Our study shows that at Mental Care organizations employees are tend to underestimate the service quality they offer. Additionally, when employees’ overestimation is higher for service quality, clients are less satisfied with the organization. In line with previous studies (Brown and Swartz, 1989; Klose and Finkle, 1995, Peiro, Martinez-Tur, Ramos 2005), a shared vision between employees and customers is required. If the delivery of services is overestimated from professionals, the client satisfaction and their service evaluations suffer. If the service is overestimated from clients we have employees’ emotional exhaustion. Although gaps between employee and clients’ perceptions involve different alternatives (overestimation, congruence and underestimation), the predominant situation in our study involves employee underestimation. A principal theoretical contribution of this study is the incorporation of service relational benefits to gap analyses, in order to cl arify their role in predicting employees’ well-being, client satisfaction and quality of life of PIDs. The data also presented interesting observation that high supervisor trust may have undesirable impact on employees’ mental health. The findings presented above indicate that the distinction between clients and employees’ gaps is an important theoretical issue. Considering the integral role that work plays in the well-being of people s (e.g., Kahn Byosiere, 1992) and peoples well-being plays the important role for organization, e.g. turnover (Wright Cropanzano, 1998), managers must be prepared to address and utilize interventions related to the type of service is provided by their employees. Organizations must focus more attention to bring in agreement perceptions of high quality service. Also it is important to increase the organizational experience of listening to clients and do monitoring of how far are disagreement in service quality evaluation. Also there is a need for effective and continuous training programs for the employees who work at centers of intellectual disabilities to learn how to cope with emotionally demanding communications with clients. In addition, supervisors should be trained to learn how to provide assistance for front-line employees to reduce emotional exhaustion. With particular focus on potential barriers organ izations can overcome the problems related to divergence in perceptions and related to it issues. The findings have several implications for future research related to the limitations of this study. Given that the samples in this study were restricted to mental care service centers, these type organizations are different from ordinary service organizations since this is a case when service users are less able to assess and evaluate service quality; and it is evaluated by their relatives (non-direct users of service). According to this argument the findings can’t be generalized and the present hypotheses need to be replicated in other service organizations. Also Future effort in this direction could contribute to a better understanding of service gap differences in terms of functional and relational dimensions, and how far differently they impact on organizations, clients, and employees. Also it’s important to continue research in direction of factors which can moderate the service quality gap effects. One of the suggestions can be quality of life of persons with disabilities can moderate gap impact on clients’ satisfaction. Improving the life of PIDs can affect clients’ satisfaction level despite of the incongruence on service quality perceptions. Also we have to have in mind that in presented study service quality, organizational justice and quality of life all were evaluated from clients; we can consider that this is one of the limitations of the study. Future studies would be beneficial to collect data from multiple sources to minimize the potential threats. Supervisor trust role in emotional exhaustion also needs further investigation from different perspective; according to research conducted by Moliner1, Martà ­nez-Tur, Peirà ³, Ramos and Cropanzano (2013) lowest levels of burnout of employees were observed in situations of perceived ove r-benefitted reciprocity in their relations with supervisors; also study conducted with hotel employees found that perceived organizational support can significantly impact on employees’ emotions (Karatepe, 2011). Having in mind that organizations and employees differ in the degree and the way to which they are perceive shared systems, structures and rules affecting their behavior (Greenwood Hinings, 1996; Peirà ³ Martà ­nez-Tur, 2008) we assume that future research can benefit to investigate the role of supervisor trust perceived by the employees. Also there is suggestion about time: since the service is no single time activity and it is continuous in time, service quality evaluation can be repeated over time, the impact of service quality gaps on organization facets could be followed at different temporal moments. Presented study described service quality gaps and problems derived from them, evaluated by professionals and clients of Mental Care Centers. Study showed the disagreement in service quality perception among clients and employees. Employees’ experienced emotional exhaustion in situations of overestimation of service quality form employees. Service quality overestimation form employees occurred harmful for organizational satisfaction and also decreased the level of quality of life of PIDs. The findings in this study suggest some theoretical and organizational implications, as well as suggestion for future researches. Endless improvement in ethics is anticipated to be an integral and routine part of the job of everyone in mental care area. The results of our research can be also used to improve structural aspects of mental care service organizations.

Restorative Justice Essay

Introduction: The two thing that most victims of a crime have in common is that they want to know who committed the crime and why. In addition many victims may desire to meet and confront the offender to get some closure or justice. In some cases this is made possible via restorative justice process. This process is all about bringing the victim and the offender together. Restorative justice process: Restorative justice process is a process where the victim of a crime and the criminal are brought together to share their thoughts and feeling. The purpose of this is to help each side understand the pain that was caused by the crime. The three main processes most often identified with restorative justice is Restorative Circles, Restorative Conferencing and Victim-offender mediation. Restorative Circles is a facilitated community meetings attended by offenders, victims, their friends and families, interested members of the community, and (usually) representatives of the justice system. The facilitator is a community member (called a â€Å"keeper†) whose role is primarily to keep the process orderly and periodically to summarize for the benefit of the circle. Conferencing brings the victim and offender to a face-to-face meeting to discuss the crime and its impact. This brings support people for both the victim and offender in the discussions. A criminal justice representative may be present in the conference. A trained facilitator, who does not have a role in the substantive discussions leads  and guides the Participants. Victim Offender Mediation brings victims and offenders together with a trained facilitator to discuss the crime and develop an agreement for how to make things right. This process focuses on creating a safe, comfortable environment in which restorative dialogue can take place. Effects of the crime: The effects of this crime were far reaching. Obviously it affected Mildred in several ways. She lost her valuables and now she is afraid to stay at home. In addition it also effected Mildred’s daughter, Betty. Betty now had to provide a place for her to stay for a while and now she was worried about her safety. This crime also had an effect on the communities’ sense of security as well as the offenders family. Differences between restorative justice process and contemporary criminal justice: Restorative justice is a process where all members volunteer to participate, which in return ensure buy in from all parties. This is essential in ensuring rehabilitation of the offender and closure for the victim. In addition the penalty for the offense is less severe therefore it give the offender a chance to make amends and get back on track. No conviction charges are applied. The contemporary criminal justice process is formal and requires a judge, lawyers and a possible jury. This process is all about proving guilt and holding offenders accountable. It may not be the most effective way to give closure to the victim or rehabilitating the offender. Restorative justice process benefits: David was given a second chance to make amends for his offense with him receiving a conviction . He was given an opportunity to see how his action affected the victim and other s around her, In return he was able to get back onto the right path. Mildred was given closure and she received some of her property back and she gained confidence in her community. The community gained confidence in their overall security. Conclusion: At the end of the day the restorative justice process is more productive and effective as long as all side are willing participants. Buy in on a solution to a problem is always more effective then forcing the solution via conviction. References www.rjcity.org (copyright 2007 Prison Fellowship International).

Full Day Kindergarten Essay

Full day kindergarten should be mandatory and of no extra cost for all of the elementary schools. This will boost the children’s academic achievement. The children that are exposed to full day kindergarten will learn more in literacy and mathematics than those in half-day kindergarten. The students that are in a full day program get to spend more time on their math, writing, and reading activities. The full day students also get the advantage of being able to participate in gym, art, and music classes. The half-day students do not get to experience gym, art, or music class. I have seen results first hand because I chose to put my son in a full day kindergarten versus the half-day. I chose to bring my son to a school that is located in Fridley so that he could receive the benefits of the full day kindergarten. The half-day program that Blaine offers has a very undesirable schedule for parents who work. The half-day schedule for Blaine elementary school is full days Mondays, Wednesdays, and every other Friday. I think that the earlier the educational intervention begins the higher the impact and the more likely the effects will be retained. Other than the health of a child, I think that nothing should be more important than their education. Giving children the opportunity to be in a full day kindergarten program gives them opportunities that the half-day students do not receive. One of the opportunities is being able to spend more time on reading, writing, and math. The teachers also have more time to sit one on one with each student one or in small groups and work on these skills. They also have a different theme for each month that they focus on. Some examples of the themes are the solar system, U. S.presidents, maps, and the celebrations around the world. Children also absorb things more easily when they are younger. Being a mother of a full day kindergarten student, I see the results of the extra reading, writing, and math that the teacher does with him. My son is one of the youngest in his class and he is reading at a first grade level. As for his writing, he attempt to write big words using phonics. For example, I came home one day a few months ago and he had written on his dry erase board â€Å"I see a red ladebug†. He also brought home a worksheet that he had written about his favorite fruits. On this worksheet, he had written â€Å"watrmlon†. As far as his math goes, he is always measuring things in the house with a kid’s yard ruler. The themes that they work on each month give the students the ability to know what is going on in the world around them. My son came home from school one day and told me that there was a planet that was not considered a planet anymore. I did not know this and I was in complete awe. According to Debra Ackerman, â€Å"Children in full day kindergarten programs score higher on their achievement test than those in half-day programs. Full-day kindergarten advocates suggest that a longer school day provides educational support that ensures a productive beginning school experience and increases the chances of future school success. In both full-day and half-day programs, kindergartners spend most of their class time working on reading, language arts, and math activities, but the total number of minutes teachers devote to specific subjects differs. For example, 80 percent of full day but only about 50 percent of half-day programs devote more than 30 minutes each day to mathematics instruction. Sixty-eight percent of full day but only 37 percent of half-day classrooms dedicate at least 60 minutes to reading instruction each day. Perhaps most striking, 79 percent of full-day teachers read aloud to their students every day, compared to 62 percent of half-day teachers. Reading aloud is a critical activity in helping to develop children’s reading skills. Additional research shows children’s literacy learning is enhanced in full-day programs, as the full-day schedule provides a more intensive, ongoing, enriched language and literacy experience for the young child. † (Ackerman) Children in full day kindergarten programs score higher on their achievement test than those in half-day programs. I asked my son’s kindergarten teacher, Ms. Janssen, what the average for reading was for her class. Ms. Janssen stated that the majority of her students are already in the first grade reading level as of the end of the second trimester. As said by the Indiana Association of Public School Super Intendants, â€Å"Full day kindergarten programs are associated with greater reading achievement gains during the kindergarten year than half day programs†. (Plucker, 6) The students are graded on their writing and math abilities as well. According to the Kalamazoo Public Schools reports, â€Å"The group of kindergartners advanced in 2010 to first grade at Kalamazoo Public School, where 60 percent tested at or above the 50th percentile in reading on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills last April. That’s a 7-point increase compared to Kalamazoo Public School first-graders tested in April 2009, Rice said. On the Iowa Test Basic Skills math test, 52 percent of first-graders tested at or above the 50th percentile last spring, a 12-point jump over spring 2009. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills are administered in schools nationwide and is a norm-referenced test, which means scores are based on how students perform compared to other test-takers. The Kalamazoo Public School results show that 60 percent of Kalamazoo students are in the top half of first-graders nationwide in reading and 52 percent are in the top half in math. † (Mack) Children who are in full day kindergarten have better social and behavioral effects than those who are in half-day kindergarten. When children are in school for the full day they have more time to get to know the other students. They get more time to interact together socially and they are learning while they are interacting. The students also get to go to specialists and they go with their classmates. Some of the specialists that Hayes Elementary offers are music, art, Spanish, and gym. Going to the specialist is something that the full day kindergarteners get to do and the half-day kindergarteners do not get to do. These students also get to spend more time with the teacher. This means that they will be less hesitant to approach their teacher. According to Clark, â€Å"Some researchers have examined social and behavioral effects. According to researchers, a clear relationship emerged between the kindergarten schedule and children’s behavior. Teachers rated children in all-day kindergarten programs higher on 9 of the 14 dimensions; there were no significant differences on the other 5 dimensions. Other researchers who have studied social and behavioral outcomes found that children in all-day kindergarten programs were engaged in more child-to-child interactions and they made significantly greater progress in learning social skills†. (Clark) In the kindergarten classrooms of Hayes Elementary, the students get into groups called centers. During this center time, the teacher takes a group of five students to a table to do independent reading and the rest of the students go to a center. The centers are groups of three or four students and the students get to interact socially while doing something educational. Some examples of the centers are writing center, listening center, leapster center, and art center. The writing center is where the students can write freely. The listening center is where the students put on headphones, listen to directions, and write down what they hear. The leapster center is where the students get to play a handheld learning game that integrates math, reading, and spelling in the games. Finally, the art center is where the students get to draw and color what they want. When the time is up the students clean up as groups. A full day of learning offers many social and emotional benefits to kindergarteners. As stated by NEA, â€Å"They have more time to focus and reflect on activities, and they have more time to transition between activities. When children are taught by qualified teachers, using age-appropriate curricula in small classes they can take full advantage of the additional learning time—social, emotional, and intellectual— that a full day allows. Further, research finds that children adjust well to the full-day format. † (NEA) The full day kindergarten teachers plan and use the extra time in class well. The time in class is spent differently in both the full day kindergarten and the half-day kindergarten. According to the research that the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, â€Å"The research provides evidence that time in full day kindergarten programs is different both quantitatively and qualitatively from how time is used in half day programs† (Plucker, ii). Full day kindergarten offers benefits to teachers. Teachers prefer the full day program to the half-day program. If there is a child that is struggling with something, the teacher has the ability to find time to help that student. There is also more time to finish activities. According to Ms. Janssen, â€Å"With the full day program I am able to get through four reading groups versus two reading groups in one day. With the full day program we are able to go more in depth on our unit that we focus on in class. † (Janssen) According to the NEA, â€Å"Switching to full-day kindergarten gave teachers more time to plan the curriculum, incorporate a greater number of thematic units into the school year, and offer more in-depth coverage of each unit. † (NEA) In the half-day programs there is less time for multiple activities. According to Dr. Martinez, â€Å"Many kindergarten teachers favor full day kindergarten because they find it difficult to balance cognitive activities and affective social activities in the short kindergarten day. † (Martinez, 2) Teachers also prefer full day kindergarten because there is more instructional time than that of a half-day kindergarten program. As stated by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, â€Å" Across all of the schools in the Indiana sample, the proportion of instructional time is similar across program types, resulting in much greater instructional time in full day programs, representing approximately 40-50% more instruction in full day programs than half-day programs†. (Plucker, ii) Teachers also have the benefit of getting to know the students and their parents better. According to Dr. Martinez, â€Å"Teachers state that they have a chance to know children and parents better, to do more individualization of instruction, and to expand the curriculum horizontally. † (Dr. Martinez) There are so many benefits for the children. A very important benefit is that the full day kindergarteners have the opportunity to an easier transition into the first grade because they are already used to the full day schedule. The time that the students get to spend with the teacher is a great benefit as well. The extra time that is spent with the teacher is as much beneficial for the teacher as it is for the students. According to the research from Dr. Martinez, â€Å"Teachers thought children developed closer relationships and were more relaxed in the full-day program and felt more a part of the school. Teachers indicated they were able to give more individual attention to students and that children had more time to develop both academic and socialization skills. Teachers noted they could work more on the continuing development of each child and felt children showed more advancement. Teachers indicated they felt closer to the children and that they got to know both child and family better. Some indicated in the full day they felt more flexible, were more relaxed and spontaneous, and felt better prepared to meet with parents. † (Dr. Martinez, 6) The time that the students get to spend on activities is another great benefit. According to NEA, â€Å"in a study evaluating teachers’ views on full-day kindergarten, teachers reported a number of benefits for themselves as well as children and parents. Participating in full day eased the transition to first grade, helping children adapt to the demand of a six-hour day. Having more time available in the school day offered more flexibility and more time to do activities during free choice times. Having more time actually made the kindergarten program less stressful and frustrating for children because they had time to fully develop an interest in activities. Participating in  the full-day schedule allows more appropriate academic challenges for children at all developmental levels. Children with developmental delays or those at risk for school problems benefited from having more time to complete projects and more time for needed socialization with peers and teachers. † (NEA) Full day kindergarten offers more benefits to the students that are at risk and children that come from educational and economical disadvantaged homes. If the full day kindergarten programs cost money, as most do, they cost around 3000 dollars per child for the year. The 3000 dollars is charged to the parents of the child. The children that come from the educationally and economically disadvantaged homes would not be able to attend because of the cost. These children are the ones that benefit from the program the most. According to the Indiana Superintendents, â€Å"Students at or below the poverty level enrolled in full day kindergarten scored statistically significantly higher in math and reading than their half day counterparts. Poor children enrolled in full day kindergarten programs tested statistically significantly above half day pupils on reading, spatial, and verbal skills, naming colors and letters, and identifying numerals. †(Plucker, 6) Parents prefer full day kindergarten as well. I as a mother prefer the full day kindergarten program to the half-day program. One of the advantages is that I do not have to figure out childcare and who would bring my son to the childcare. Trying to figure out childcare and school between my job schedule would be undesirable. As said by Dr. Martinez, â€Å"Full-day kindergarten saves parents day-care problems, while providing children a comprehensive, developmentally-appropriate program. Parents said that children often feel more stress when they have to go from a school situation to a day-care environment, where different rules and philosophies apply. Therefore, parents favor a full-day program, which reduces the number of transitions kindergartners experience in a typical day. † (Dr. Martinez) Full day kindergarten also takes a huge cost out of many parents’ monthly budget including mine. Even though some people would be against this and say, â€Å"Why would I have to pay for your childcare? † I would say that many parents including myself pay taxes too. Their parents wanted them to have the best education that they could have gotten. Most importantly, I know that my son and many other children are getting the best out of their day while they are in school. They are having fun while they are learning. My son enjoys being in school. If he had a choice, he would go on Saturdays and Sundays. Children attending full day kindergarten spend the day learning instead of watching television or playing video games. Full-day kindergarten provides parents with better support for their children. According to NEA, â€Å"For parents who work outside the home, full-day kindergarten means that children do not have to be shuffled between home, school, and childcare. For all parents, there is more continuity and less disruption in the child’s day and more time for focused and independent learning. One study of parent attitudes found that after the second year of a full-day kindergarten program, 100 percent of full-day parents, and 72 percent of half-day parents noted that, if given the opportunity again, they would have chosen full-day kindergarten for their child†. (NEA) In conclusion, having full day kindergarten should be mandatory. There are many benefits of the full day kindergarten program. The benefits are not limited to the students. Teachers and parents also get great benefits out of the full day program. According to MaryBeth, â€Å"Research has shown that it is important to begin learning early in life. School systems that have implemented the academically based full day kindergarten are finding it to be successful. † (Calvin) If I had to choose again if a child of mine was going to go to full day or half-day kindergarten, I would not even have to think twice. A child’s education should be one of the most important things to think about. These children will be the future and they need a great education to get there. * Works Cited Calvin, MaryBeth. Expectations for Kindergarten in 2010. 3 February 2010. 3 March 2011. Clark, Patricia. Recent Research on All Day Kindergarten. 2004. 4 March 2011. Debra J Ackerman, W. S. Making the Most of Kindergarten. March 2005. 4 March 2011. Janssen.