The Josephine Baker Story Essay - 1142 Words

Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine Carson in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 3, 1906 to washerwoman, Carrie McDonald, and vaudeville drummer, Eddie Carson. Josephines father abandoned them shortly after her birth and her mother married a kind but perpetually unemployed man named Arthur Martin. Their family came to include a son and two more daughters. Josephine grew up cleaning houses and babysitting for wealthy white families until she got a job waitressing at The Old Chauffeurs Club when she was 13-years-old. While working there she met a man named Willie Wells whom she had a short marriage with. Josephine never depended on a man for financial support and she never hesitated to leave when a relationship hit its breaking point.†¦show more content†¦Josephine battled two other women for the title of the most photographed woman in the world, and by 1927 she earned more than any entertainer in Europe. She starred in two movies in the early 1930s and moved her family from St. Louis to Les Milandes, her estate in Castelnaud-Fayrac, France. A 1936 return to the United States to star in the Ziegfield Follies proved disastrous, despit e the fact that she was a major celebrity in Europe. American audiences rejected the idea of a black woman with so much sophistication and power. Newspaper reviews were equally cruel (The New York Times called her a quot;Negro wenchquot;), and Josephine returned to Europe heartbroken. She served France during World War II in many ways. She performed for the troops, and was an honorable correspondent for the French Resistance (undercover work included smuggling secret messages written on her music sheetsin invisible ink) and a sub-lieutenant in the Womens Auxiliary Air Force. She was awarded the Medal of the Resistance and awarded into the Legion of Honor by the French government for hard work and dedication. Josephine visited the United States again during the 50s and 60s with renewed vigor to fight racism. When New Yorks popular Stork Club refused her service she engaged a head-on media battle with pro-segregation columnist Walter Winchell. The NAACP named May 20 Josephine Baker Da y in honor of her efforts. During this time she began adopting children, forming aShow MoreRelatedEssay about Josephine Baker2425 Words   |  10 PagesJosephine Baker While Jim Crow laws were reeking havoc on the lives of African Americans in the South, a massed exodus of Southern musicians, particularly from New Orleans, spread the seeds of Jazz as far north as New York City. A new genre of music produced fissures in the walls of racial discrimination thought to be impenetrable. Musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, King Oliver and Fletcher Henderson performed to the first desegregated audiences. Duke Ellington starredRead MoreJackie Robinson : African American Civil Rights Activist1181 Words   |  5 PagesIncorporated. 2004. Print. Sweat is a short story by writer and folklorist, Zora Neale Hurston. It first published in 1926. The story revolves around a washerwoman and her unemployed, insecure husband. Zora’s role in society shapes the story. The plot holds a strong political statement relating back to racial and gender inequality. Josephine Baker. â€Å"Speech at the March on Washington†. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Washington D.C. 28 Aug. 1963. Josephine Baker, French singer and exotic dancerRead MoreThe Women s Rights Movement1711 Words   |  7 Pagesof America’s Suffragists by Jean Baker and Century of Struggle: The woman’s Rights Movement in the United States by Eleanor Flexner both cover the issues and the struggle that lead to giving women their right to vote. The two books both discussed the issues but they did not convey the message the same way. While one book captivated one’s emotion and changed the views of many, the other book just gave fact. Sisters: The lives of America’s Suffragists by Jean Baker showcase the lives of five women;Read MoreThe New Negro Of The Harlem Renaissance879 Words   |  4 Pagesthe late 1880’s. An â€Å"Afro-American†, Charles W. Chesnutt, was noticed for his â€Å"post-Civil War southern literature and a singular voice among turn-of-the-century realists who treated the color line in American life† (Andrews). After writing short stories and poems, he was an idol and a symbol to many writers during the Harlem Renaissance, according to Andrews. He was a major influence to the writers because Chesnutt â€Å"[revealed] the harsh world of prejudice and social indifference in the late nineteenthRead MoreWorld War II : A Time Of Heroes2462 Words   |  10 Pagesspy work was so commonly used and effective that governments felt that it was such a â€Å"major issue† (Keep) that they had to issue propaganda to warn their soldiers about these women. While being beautiful was prerogative, it didn t provide a cover story for the women to conceal themselves with. One of the best covers that a woman could have was the protection of a job in the entertainment business. Female performers from before the war started, could use their peacetime jobs in order to secretly helpRead MoreRacial Prejudice By Langston Hughes990 Words   |  4 Pagescollege years, he had many odd jobs that included assistant cook, launderer, busboy, and seaman on voyages to Europe and Africa. He travelled to and from Europe until 1938. Along these journeys is when Hughes started to write poems, long and short stories, plays, non-fiction, and autobiography (â€Å"Langston Hughes† Contemporary Black). Upon writing, Hughes wrote â€Å"The Weary Blues†, a poem that sounds like street talk and music. It won an award, and had captured Carl Van Vechten’s attention; he publishedRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance, A Social, Cultural, And Artistic Movement1298 Words   |  6 Pagesnovels but her most famous being Their Eyes Were Watching God, a coming of age story set in Florida. Wallace Thurman was also a novelist during the Renaissance. He is best known for his novel The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life (1929). The novel exposed discrimination occurred even among the black community, with the lighter skin being preferred. Jean Toomer was another black author who wrote plays, short stories, and poems to capture the spirit of this time. These poets and novelists helpedRead MoreJudith Walzer Leavitts Typhoid Mary Essay1345 Words   |  6 Pageswas one of the first known typhoid carriers. The story recounts Marys life in the early 1900s and social and public health issu es going on at that point in time. The book tells Marys story and what others thought of her through seven overlapping perspectives, which are that of medicine, public policy makers, her lawyers, social expectations about her, her representation in the media, her own perspective, and the frequent retellings of her story. Each perspective helps explain the whole pictureRead MoreThe Art Of The Folk1699 Words   |  7 Pagestale of the blues is the tale of dark culture going to a place where they become open about the truth of the American culture. It is the stories of the women of the blues whose early records indicated an enormous market for African-American social creation. It is the account of the social present discovering motivation in the social past. Folktales are stories that are passed on by word of mouth, and was often told over many centuries. Each folktale that was told to a younger generation most commonlyRead MoreBlack Newspapers And The Holocaust1608 Words   |  7 Pagesnewspapers. Were they on the front page or were they tucked away on the 10th page? Were they given ample amounts of space to tell the full story or were they only given two paragraphs? These questions can help me understand how prioritized news of the Holocaust was in the black newspapers. Another driving question I had was how did the newspapers approach each story. Did they approach it as a simple news piece only displaying the facts or did they dedicate space to give their opinions on the matter

Essay about Womens Rights in the United States - 2288 Words

Even as far back as the United States independence, women did not possess any civil rights. According to Janda, this view is also known as protectionism, the notion that women mush be sheltered from lifes harsh realities. Protectionism carried on throughout the general populations view for many decades until the 1920s when the womens movement started. Women finally received the right to vote in the Nineteenth Amendment. The traditional views of protectionism, however, remained in peoples minds until the 1970s (Janda et al, 2000: 538-539). Around this time, women started to take on other roles outside the typical traditional role of housewife. Women were going to college, obtaining their degrees, and starting their†¦show more content†¦To see what other factors play a role in individuals beliefs is important for a political figure to take in consideration when proposing bills or campaigning for office in order to respond and appeal to their voters. Method and Theory The method of research used to fully understand a societys views on working mothers is simply designed. An analysis of the 1990-91 World Values Survey is possible through the SPSS program. In Citizen Politics, the World Values Surveys are a series of representative national surveys designed to provide an empirical base for the study of social and cultural change among the publics of societies throughout the world (Dalton, 1996: 289). The nations surveyed are the United States, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and East Germany. In order to examine the dilemma of these beliefs, specific variables are chosen and run through the program using the results of the surveys. First, variables referring to women job independence and women and their children were analyzed across nation to understand what nations views on women workers. Then a cross tabulation of the variable KID.JOB (referring to the statement if a preschool child is affected by a working mother) across nation is anal yzed. Then other cross tabulations of KID.JOB to religiosity (PIOUS) and age (AGE) across nation were run through SPSS to prove that these are factors in individuals beliefs toward this issue. These variables used together areShow MoreRelatedEvolution of Womens Rights in the United States1933 Words   |  8 Pagesthat for quite a long period of time, men have generally had more rights than their female counterparts. The denial of equal rights in this case has traditionally revolved around areas like voting, ownership of property, legal identity etc. Today, the various rights women enjoy are as a result of the bitter struggle those who came before them went through so as to secure the same. Thus taking into consideration the numerous rights women enjoy so far in comparison to the situation a century or soRead MoreWomens Rights in the United States in the 1700s1781 Words   |  8 PagesIn the mid to late 1700s, the women of the United States of America had practically no rights. W hen they were married, the men represented the family, and the woman could not do anything without consulting the men. Women were expected to be housewives, to raise their children, and thinking of a job in a factory was a dream that was never thought impossible. But, as years passed, women such as Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Elizabeth Blackwell began to questionRead MoreEssay on The Women770 Words   |  4 Pages The womens suffrage party fought for years on the right to vote. They werent going to stop until they got their right. For instance, Alice Paul organized a parade through Washington D.C. on inauguration day, which supported womens suffrage and also picketed the White House for 18 months. Paul was put in jail for that and started a hunger strike. Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Shanton supported the womens suffrage for fifty years later. Neither of them lived to see the 19th amendment ratifiedRead MoreCEDAW Essay1131 Words   |  5 Pageshuman rights and the internalization of human rights laws into domestic policies and norms. Alongside the development of Human Rights, CEDAW has grown from a weak and largely unenforceable document into a widely-accepted international framework for the protection and advancement of women and women’s rights. Rather than acting as a strict enforcer of hard-law, CEDAW acts more so as a universal set of guidelines to establish a collectively a ccepted set of norms to protect and promote the rights andRead MoreWomen s Rights During The 19th Century1507 Words   |  7 PagesWomen’s Rights In The 19th Century The 19th century was an important period for women especially in Europe and North America. It was a crucial time for demand for change and women were at the forefront of it all. Viewed only as a homemaker, women found it difficult during this time to show society what they were capable of. Limitations on their capabilities created by gender stereotypes called for change. To understand the significance of the 19th century for women, one must consider the conditionsRead MoreEssay on Womens Right to Vote875 Words   |  4 PagesWomens suffrage refers to the right of women to participate in democratic processes through voting on the same basis as men. In the medieval and early modern periods in Europe, the right to vote was typically severely limited for all people by factors such as age, ownership of property, and gender. The development of the modern democratic state has been characterized internationally by the erosion of these various limitations following periods of collective stru ggle. Womens suffrage has been achievedRead MorePaper On Writing And Thinking1425 Words   |  6 Pagesviewed women as second-class citizens because women were expected to stay at home and to look after their children. They also performed the traditional household chores, such as cooking meals and cleaning the house. Women had more limited freedom and rights than male citizens. These men controlled the lives of women by establishing laws and rules that restrict what women can and cannot do in the community. Because women did not receive a good education, they were not allowed to say anything about theRead MoreThe United Nations Conference On Sustainable Development Essay1380 Words   |  6 PagesRecovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. Other efforts of the UN: Protecting the rights of women ïÆ'Ëœ United Nations Conference On Sustainable Development 2012 The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (â€Å"Rio+20†) brought Heads of State and Government to Brazil in 2012, to appraise progress in the implementation of agreements struck since the landmark 1992 United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. At â€Å"Rio+20†, countries renewedRead MoreThe Women s Suffrage Movement1553 Words   |  7 Pagesratified, enforcing that all American women had the right to vote, and were granted the same rights and responsibilities as men in terms of citizenship. Until this time, the only people who were allowed to vote in elections in the United States were male citizens. For over 100 years, women who were apart of the women’s suffrage movement fought for their right to vote, and faced many hardships and discrimination because of it. The American women’s suffrage movement was one of the most important politicalRead MoreElizabeth Cady Stanton And The Influence Of Womens Righ ts924 Words   |  4 Pagesbeginning of the United States, the womens rights movement has been a crucial part of womens lives. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the leading activists of womens rights movement in the nineteenth century. The Worlds Anti-Slavery convention was held in London, England in 1840. Stanton, along with a woman named Lucretia Mott, attended this convention. They both were determined to have a womens rights convention when they returned back to the United States. In 1848, the first womens rights convention

Curley’s Wife Free Essays

How does Steinbeck present the character of Curlers wife in Of Mice and Men? Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a poignant tale which tells of a number of disconnected, isolated characters. Curlers wife epitomises the extreme loneliness of the human condition. Although she only makes a significant appearance three times in the novel, she plays an important part both in terms of plot development and in terms of furthering the readers’ understanding of the theme of loneliness and alienation. We will write a custom essay sample on Curley’s Wife or any similar topic only for you Order Now Steinbeck uses a number of techniques to portray Curlers wife and the resulting character is fairly hard to pin down. Although Steinbeck uses a third person omniscient narrator, it is important to acknowledge that we learn of Curlers wife through a male perspective; the author/ narrator is male, as are all of the other ranch dwellers who comment on and Judge Curlers wife, potentially subtly prejudicing the reader. Curlers wife is known throughout the novel as ‘Curlers wife’ and this has a number of effects. Firstly, her lack of personal identity dehumanises her. Every other character, including Crooks, has a name. Curlers wife is consistently identified as her husband’s possession. This is a constant reminder as to the main reason that the anch workers cannot talk to her: they are anxious that Curley could take offence at any male engagement with his wife and that, because he is the boss’s son, they could lose their Jobs as a result. The name she is referred to by the narrator and by the other characters in the novel could be seen as indication of women’s inferior social status in 1930s America. Although in a letter to an actress playing Curlers wife in a stage version of ‘Of Mice and Men’, Steinbeck insists he is sympathetic to the only female character, as readers, we have to work hard to feel sympathy towards her. Through the use of the other characters’ opinions, the reader is given a biased view of Curlers wife before even meeting her. For example, Candy, who is portrayed as a trustworthy, likeable character, tells George that Curleys wife ‘gives Slim the eye’, meaning that she flirts with him, and apparently all the other men on the ranch. He finishes his piece of gossip by concluding that she is ‘a tart’. This view is echoed by other men on the ranch later in the novel, and George also decides after their initial brief meeting that Curlers wife is indeed a tramp’, ‘poison’, Jailbait’ and a ‘rat trap’. All of the men’s insults suggest that Curleys wife is sexually available to anyone. There is a sense of hypocrisy here given that almost all of the men, including Curley, frequent Susy’s place, the local brothel or ‘cathouse’. When Curlers wife first appears in the novel, supposedly looking for Curley (as she always is) in the bunkhouse, the description of her appearance may seem to support Candys opinion of her. Her heavy make-up (full, rouged lips’†¦ fingernails were red’), her overly coiffured hair-style which is mentioned every time she appears in the novel, and her choice of clothes and shoes ‘red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers’) is not only incongruous with the ranch lifestyle, but also could be seen as an attempt to appear seductive. Her body language – ‘leaned back against the door frame so that ner body was thrown torward ‘ – could ce rtainly suggest that sne is physically ottering herself to the men, and her manner of speaking – ‘playfully- could be interpreted as flirtatious. However, it is significant that when she is first introduced, she is referred to as a ‘girl’ which suggests that she is young and naive. Indeed, it is implied in the ovel that she is very young. Whit refers to her as the new kid’ (although subsequently calls her a ‘100100’) and she herself retorts Whatta ya think I am, a kid? In addition, when she tells her story to Lennie, she refers to a recent incident which happened when she was fifteen. The other interesting aspect of her first appearance is that the men are alerted to her presence because the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off. Again, later on, in the barn, Steinbeck uses light in the description of Curleys wife’s dead body. The contrast is that in the first scene she locks off natural light and in the final scene, the light was growing soft’ casting an almost romantic atmosphere in the barn where Curlers wife lies, seemingly at rest. The second point here, is that Curleys wife is always appearing at doorways – of the bunkhouse or in Crooks’ room, but never managing to enter. This may be a metaphor for the fact that she is always an outsider. The only time she enters a male space and seems to make contact is Just before her death. After our first meeting with Curleys wife, it would be easy to agree with the men’s sexist view towards her. Steinbeck ontinues to make it difficult for the reader to sympathise with her in her second scene when she appears at the doorway of Crooks’ quarters. Her mannerism may be seen to be somewhat unpleasant and aggressive, ‘They left all the weak ones here’†¦ ‘An’ what am I doin’ here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs – a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy 01†² sheep – an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else’. However, if we look at her actions, all the time, the only thing she is seeking is human contact. She is extremely lonely and isolated, as she tries to explain to the men: ‘Think I don’t like to alk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time? Several times she indicates that her marriage is not happy, that Curley is self- obsessed and that he is boastful and violent. Between the lines, Steinbeck is portraying a sad, isolated character who is doomed to be unsuccessful when she reaches out to other human beings because of her position on the ranch. In this scene, we also see what might be described as an extremely nasty side to Curlers wife. When the conversation does not go her way – Candy openly insults her she turns on Crooks, using her one element of power as a white woman over a black man: Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny. Although this threat is abhorrent, perhaps it indicates the level of her frustration with her own position. She is at the bottom of the hierarchy of white people, and her only form of control could be to accuse Crooks of some sort of inappropriate behaviour that would lead to his being put to death. The final time we see Curleys wife is the only time she seems to open up and reveal her vulnerability nd her disappointment with the way her life has turned out. Ironically, even as she is confessing all, ‘l ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I oughtn’t to’, her audience, Lennie, is not listening because he is caught up in his own fantasy world. Therefore, although this scene serves to show the poignancy of Curlers wife’s character, it also underlines that at no time in the novel does she succeed in making any human contact. When we learn that ‘her words tumbled out in a passion of communication, as though sne hurried betore ner listener could be taken away, it is as though sne as had her story, her identity, bottled up inside her and she is desperate to share her hopes, dreams and disappointments with anyone who might listen. Her background reveals a sad and lonely childhood full of mistrust. We learn that she has a poor relationship with her mother and that she has enjoyed male attention which has probably been superficial and has led to her believing that she could have had a career in the movies’. Curleys wife’s naivety is emphasised by the way that she behaves around Lennie. She flits between thinking he is ‘nuts’ and encouraging physical contact. She believes that e is ‘Jus’ like a big baby, and although she is aware that he had crushed Curlers hand, shows no caution around him when she offers for him to stroke her hair. This may be because she is so over-excited by the fact that she believes that she has somebodys attention – possibly for the first time since arriving on the ranch – that she does not think beyond the moment. The reader knows that Curlers wife is doomed the minute she says that she likes to stroke her hair because it is soft. There is a poignant irony that it is her offer to Lennie that leads to her death. She is enjoying the attention and perhaps is also lightly motivated by a moment of kindness to let Lennie enjoy the feel of her hair. Ultimately, though, it is her concern with her appearance: You’ll muss it up†¦. You stop it now, you’ll mess it up’ that makes Lennie inadvertently break her neck in a panicked effort to keep her quiet. The image Steinbeck uses to describe the moment of her death dehumanises Curlers wife: ‘her body flopped like a fish’. It is in the final description of her that it seems that we are offered a true account of Curleys wife’s true essence: ‘And the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache or attention were all gone from her face. She was very pretty and simple and her face was sweet and young. ‘ This short passage shows that underneath her hardened exterior she was in essence a decent person, which is what Steinbeck refers to in his letter to the actress. The ‘ache for attention’ had had the opposite of its desired effect, in fact pushing people away rather than attracting them to her. Furthermore, her dream to be a movie star or iconic figure is echoed in the almost Sleeping Beauty-like description of her: ‘Now her rouged cheeks and reddened lips made her seem alive nd sleeping very lightly. The only time Curleys wife is described in a positive manner is in her death, and even this is quickly negated by Candy placing blame on her for ruining their dream: You God damn tramp†¦. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up†¦ You lousy tart’. In conclusion, Steinbeck uses a number of techniques to create Curlers wife. Some readers may feel sympathy for her, others may share the ranch workers’ view of her. For my part, I see her as the epitome of loneliness; her only defence against a sexist environment ironically leads to her further alienation. How to cite Curley’s Wife, Papers

Human Resource Management Roles Essay Sample free essay sample

All companies. organisations. and offices have the demand for a individual or a squad who can efficaciously actuate their staff. and guarantee that all policies are followed and enforced. This section is called the human resources or â€Å"HR† section. Harmonizing to â€Å"Www. enterpriser. com† ( 2013 ) . human resources is defined as – â€Å"The section or support systems responsible for forces sourcing and engaging. applicant trailing. accomplishments development and trailing. benefits disposal and conformity with associated authorities regulations† ( parity. 1 ) . This one section has the duty to non merely the company/ organisation. but to the employee as well- they are expected to maintain path of every recorded needed to maintain a concern running decently. In the wellness attention puting the HR section is responsible for so many more facets than merely the definition given antecedently. This section or individual is responsible for maintaining path of go oning instruction credits for both employees and physicians. doing certain that all labs within the office stay accredited. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resource Management Roles Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page guaranting that the proper safeguards and preparation are accessible and enforced when it comes to federal ordinances such as HIPAA and OSHA. ailments from patients. and working with the upper direction squad to maintain all communicating lines unfastened and information shared as necessary. HR is at that place for the employee every bit good. In the medical field there can be many things that an employee can digest that a â€Å"lay person† may neer encounter- such as decease. disease. utmost unwellness. and calamity. The HR section is at that place to give support and supply avenues to the employee to do certain they get reding and therapy if needed to do certain the employee is mentally alright. Lower degree employees- or employees who are non considered directors. in the medical field are considered to be â€Å"line employees† . and HR staff are considered to be â€Å"staff employees† . The definitions of line and staff employee’s are described by Mejia. Balkin. and Cardy ( 2010 ) . â€Å"line employees are straight involved in bring forthing the company’s good’s. or presenting the services† and staff employee’s as â€Å"those who support the line function† ( p. 3 ) . In the medical field a line individual can be considered a medical helper. nurse. physician. and all front office forces. HR section helps employees understand their benefits. and resources available to themselves and their households. HR can do a difference when there is struggle on the occupation as well- they are considered to be the employee advocator if needed by the employee and the hatchet man for the employer if necessary. To set it lightly the HR squad or HR section has decidedly got their custodies busy. They carry a batch of duty to the people they work with and for. Without and HR section carry throughing their responsibilities right and expeditiously staff may non acquire paid right. federal regulative bureaus could close the office/ company down for failure to mandate with OSHA and HIPAA conformity. and at that place would non be incentive plans in topographic point to lure the staff. HR is at the bosom and psyche of the medical and dental office. and they are needed to decently keep and run an office. organisation. or medical company. Mentions World Wide Web. enterpriser. com. ( 2013 ) . Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. enterpriser. com/encyclopedia/term/82184. html # Mejia. L. . Balkin. D. . A ; Cardy. R. ( 2010 ) . Pull offing Human Resources ( 6th ed. ) . Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

The Importance of respect in the military

Influential Person essays

Influential Person essays Everyone is affected by certain events or individuals. At times a drastic change can occur due to their presence and opinions. Someone might consider the influence one has and how the environment impacts his or her personality. Many people have influenced me during my life. The most influential person Ive come across has been my sister. Ever since I was a little boy I would look up to her. She was always there for me, and has set a positive example, my allowing my talents to grow. Growing up with such a strong role model, I developed many of her enthusiasms. My sister faced many challenges when she first arrived to this country. It was harder for her to become accustomed to a new language and society. She faced all the barriers that were placed in her way. When I arrived from school she would always tell me how much she missed Bolivia and how she wanted to go back. Even though her guidance counselor always gave her a hard time about her lack of academic potential, she strived to prove him and all other doubters wrong. Her actions influenced me to take the next step. This year during the summer I was suppose to attend STEP a program required for all students receiving EOF. I didnt want to come and waste my summer at school, but I saw that it would help me academically. I followed my sisters enthusiasm for learning and I am glad that I attended STEP, because it prepared me for my first semester at college. My sister has been blessed with traits some people would die for. She possesses patience and the willingness to help others. There are people that would not assist others because of their lack of patience. She made a big impact in my life by always being there when I needed her. Whenever I needed help she was there whether it was for homework or for a talk. I remember one day when I was furious about an occurrence in school. When I came home I had a negative response to ...

Rite of Passage from Childhood to Adulthood Assignment

Rite of Passage from Childhood to Adulthood - Assignment Example As the paper stresses  the Americans’ rite of passage from childhood to adulthood varies significantly from that of the Pygmies. Unlike the Americans, the Pygmies’ initiation was associated with children mimicking what adults do. The mimicking was one way of preparing the children for adult roles. After this, both boys and girls were taught about their respective roles in the society. Boys were taught how to hunt whereas girls were educated about herbs and edible fauna. Unlike the Americans, The Pygmies also circumcised their boys as a way of passage from childhood to adulthood. The last stage of transition from childhood to adulthood for the Pygmies is marriageThis study declares that the Pygmies rites of passage are very significant in life. For instance, the mimicking of adults enabled children many things pertaining adult life. The adult behaviors taught young people on how to observe societal norms. The Pygmies also regarded the teachings they taught different ge nders essential since they prepared boys and girls for their future roles in their families. The most respected rite of passage by the Pygmies is circumcision. The Pygmies believed the blood shed through circumcision enhanced blood-brotherhood. In addition to this, they believed that the circumcised men were fully prepared for the caring roles. According to Turnbull, â€Å"circumcised men are mutually obligated to help and care for each other for the rest of their lives.†

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Essay Example Further, turnaround firms, in order to achieve their objectives do not entirely rely on uninterrupted, fast response time, information technology in order to achieve their objectives. Rather, their future applications play a great role in ensuring that they achieve their strategic objectives. On the other hand, factory firms heavily depend on reliable, -efficient, information technology support. It is only through highly reliable system that such firms can survive the danger of failing. However, although development applications in a factory are important in their own right, they are not entirely responsible for the success and profitability of the organization. Support firms however, do not associate performance with information technology; it has low strategic impact in their operations. Such firms rely on support systems in order to support their operations. Although they could survive for a long time without these applications, they require them to leverage their productivity. Organizations currently operate under high competitive environments. Porter argued that for an organization to survive high levels of competition, it must strategically place itself within these competitive factors (Karagiannopoulos, et al., 2005). In porter’s competitive model, he proposed five factors that would give a firm competitive advantage over other firms operating in the same industry. As porter argued, the five forces bring about industry rivalry of the existing firms. Threat of new entrants according to porter determines the ease with which customers can switch to products offered by competitors (p. 129). All industries have numerous substitute products available, and as such, factors such as price and quality contributes significantly to customers switching their products to their competitors. The ease of customers in finding a product offered by one company at a cheaper price, or higher quality goods increases the threat of

Assignment2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Assignment2 - Essay Example Similarly, bonus banking is introduced as the latest and most powerful weapon of long-term incentives. The first part of this paper will critically scrutinise the merits and demerits of the long-term incentives system in building long-lasting relationships with customers in banking industry. The second part will deal with different issues that a sales manager would face when managing and incentivising an effective team of sales people. I Why a new Incentive system? The weakness and deficiencies of old executive compensation system led to the origin of long-term incentive system. In the old scheme, the executives were compensated regardless their performance even after banks received bailout money. Retaining them in the organization was important as they were the skippers who would lead the day to day activities. The AP review reported that banks’ top executives earned an average of $2.6 million in ‘salary, bonuses and benefits’ (The Washington Times). Majority ban ks feared about the resignation of their top executives if they were paid in accordance with business fluctuations. It is suggested that banks must give more priority to their survival than to their top executives’ retention. ... Scholars have recommended that provision of bonuses as a percentage of bank’s profit would enhance banking operations as it ensured financial flexibility of banks. Melissa Murray, a spokeswoman for Wells Fargo suggested that it was good to adopt â€Å"pay-for-performance† culture where executives are treated on the basis of their performance (Freifeld, 2009). As a response to all critics, long-term incentives system has been established. Long-term incentives Under this system, the total compensation of employees includes base pay, short-term incentives, and long-term incentives. Base pay constitutes the fixed salary given to an employee for the specified job. Similarly, short-term incentives include all types of annual incentives and ordinary commissions those earned by an employee. Coleman and Fortier (2002) opine that unlike the base pay and short-term incentives methods, the long-term incentives aim the â€Å"improvement of overall performance of the organization by linking employees’ long-term rewards to the organization’s long-term results†. It mainly includes stock options, performance units, and restricted stock. Advantages of long-term incentives The appropriate selection of long-term incentive programs assists organisation to meet its long-term objectives. In addition, the introduction of suitable long-term incentives system in banking industries will add value to the shareholders as well as banks’ customers. The major advantages of long-term incentives are described below. 1. Employee participation Berger and Berger (324) suggest that this programme facilitates the banks to share the success with its executives; and it would

Personnel management and human resource management

Personnel management and human resource management Topic â€Å"Personnel Management Human Resource Management the same wine, only different bottle†. Explain clearly, what is meant by the term human resource management, noting the differences and similarities to personnel management. Argue in favor of one approach to managing employees. Introduction In this document we plan to assess how human resource management is different from personnel management, why companies switched from personnel management system to the well known human resource management system, how is HR Management different from Personnel management, and why we chose the HR approach to employees. Human Resource Management Definition There are many definitions of what human resource management is, many people think that there is no difference between the old personnel management practices and the new human resource practices expect the new â€Å"label†, one definition that we think reflects the human resource management of today is : â€Å"Human Resource Management is a distinctive approach to employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable workforce, using an integrated array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques.† Background All organisations, from small firms to giant corporations, from service companies to hi-tech organisations, engage in human resource management activities. They needs to utilise their resources effectively in order to achieve their objectives and targets. Human Resource Management is an issue of vital concern to all managers, and is the most important resource which employs all other resources to produce the desired outcome of the organisation. Thus the effective deploying of employees is a key element that adds to the competitive advantage of the firm (Molander, 1989). However, as globalisation and growing economic interdependence among nations emerged, along with rapid socio-economic changes and intensifying of the competition between organisations, the management of people increasingly became a critical issue for businesses. Therefore Personnel Management has to ensure that personnel policies and practices are geared to the objectives and strategy of the organisation in order to cope with the turbulent environment and respond to the new business needs and the external threats from the competitors. Consequently, this resulted in perpetual development and change of personnel management. In this respect the language of Human Resource Management has emerged to translate a new term for the management of employees in this active and changing world. However, the literature demonstrates a debate about the ambiguity of differentiating personnel from human resource management. Hendry (1995:55) states that: â€Å"Human Resource Management has gained rapid and widespread acceptance as a new term for managing employment. It remains, however; an ambiguous concept. People question whether it is any different from the traditional personnel management, nor it is clear what it consists in practice†. Some scholars however argue that HRM is an evolution of the process of personnel management (PM) and not a new theory of management employees, for example according to Torrington and Hall (1993:3): â€Å" personnel management is experiencing the biggest change in its history. Many commentators believed that the arrival of human resource management was to be the greatest change in emphasis, but that was no more than re-thinking the process inside the organisation..†. Similarly Guest (1987) also supports this notion by saying that label has changed whilst the content continues to be the same. On the other hand, other writers attempt to make a distinction between HRM and PM. Hendry and Pettigrew (1990:25) state that â€Å"HRM is then a perspective on personnel management, not personnel management itself†. Additionally, they argue that the strategic character of HRM is distinctive. Underpinning this distinction, Legge (1995) identifies three features differentiating HRM from PM where the former is concerned with managerial staff and promotes integrated line management activities, with more focus on senior management being involved in the management of culture. The developing countries are characterised by weak economic, legal and political institutions that lead to corruption, insecurity, conflict and lack of competitiveness in labour, technology and skills. The introduction of trade liberalisation and increased international competition in such conditions can have serious consequences for the infant industries in the developing countries (Stiglitz, 2000). However it is generally claimed that opening to the global markets increases the flow of foreign direct investment into the developing countries, allows them to catch up with the latest technology without need for considerable investment or research, bring capital into the country, build expertise, induce innovation, and thus contribute to the general economic growth. Francois and Schuknecht (2000) provide some empirical evidence that openness to global markets leads to GDP growth. These findings are of course challenged by others. The Term â€Å"Human Resource† comes from 2 different fields, in political economy and economics it is known as labor and it is one of the four factors of production for any establishment. Nowadays â€Å"human resource† is one of the most important departments in any organization, compared to the old days where human resource was seen as a marginal department, where improvement and strategic planning wasnt needed. The Human Resource System started back in the 19th, where two important movements occurred that changed the way companies and industries would treat their workforce, the first two companies in the 19th to do so were Cadbury and Bournville that recognized the importance of looking after their employees, and their families by offering them benefits or services that would help them in their daily work. After the second world war, major companies in the USA that just emerged in the market, started hiring personnel from the military and thus where able to apply new, selections, training, leadership and management development. The role of Human Resource Management shifted throughout the middle of the 20th century, when critics started saying that two different HR systems where created, the â€Å"soft† and â€Å"hard† systems, where the soft HR system focused on areas such as leadership, cohesion, and loyalty which was seen as an important role in the organization, and the â€Å"hard† side which was the old system of the human resource where organizations still viewed human resource as a marginal department that didnt need improvement and strategic planning, and that employees would be used as commodities. Purpose and Role The purpose and role of human resource management is to maximize the return on investment of the organization from the human capital and to minimize its financial risk, Human resource seeks to achieve the organizations goals and objective by hiring skilled and qualified individuals and by aligning the capabilities of the current workforce, the human resource department must support and respect the workforce and take into account legal and ethical practices. Key Functions The key functions of human resource are to set strategic planning and develop policies and systems to be implemented in a whole range of areas in the organization, such as the following: Recruitment and Selection Organizational design and development Performance, conduct and behavior management Industrial and employee relations Management of workforce personnel data Compensation, rewards and benefits management Training and development Trends and Influences In order for the Human Resource function to know the business environment in which the organization operates, it needs to take into calculation three major trends. Demographics The characteristics of a workforce or population such as gender, age or social status need to taken into consideration, the result of this trend may have an effect on the organization and its policies toward the workforce/employees, such as pension offerings, insurance packages and so on. Diversity The diversity within a workforce or population might also affect the organization and its policies, by diversity we mean race, gender, sexual orientation and so on. As an example organizations of today might notice that the majority of the workforce is made up of â€Å"baby-boomers† or older employees, so the focus of their benefits and policies might also change. Skills and qualifications As todays organizations and industries go from a manual to a more managerial focus, so does the need of organizations to hire highly skilled graduates, in a tight market, meaning that there arent many employees or workforce, organizations and companies might compete for employees by offering them different benefits or rewards. Structure Human resource development is the main structure of this function, where employees are viewed by organizations as assets rather than commodities, where developing the workforce will benefit greatly the organization, and allows its workforce for individual development, where the employee, organization and nation will benefit from this. â€Å"Human resources primary focus is in the growth and employee developmentit emphasizes developing individual potential and skills†. (Elwood, Olton and Trott 1996) Ethical Management This new Human resource practices and function is seen today as a more ethical approach to employee management, where the organization is trying to grow its employees skills and knowledge, rather than using its workforce as commodities, that can be replaced anytime. Differences and Similarities to Personnel Management There have been many debates about whether Personnel Management and Human Resource management is the same thing, just with a different name, but after some research into this matter people came up with some differences between the two functions. Human resource management is focused more on long-term planning, where organizations develop and train their employees for the future benefit of the company, where Personnel management is focused on the short-term planning where employees are treated just as commodities and arent given any or slim training in their respective field, In the planning process human resource management focuses on a proactive and integrated strategic planning, where the department plans for the future of employees and its organization, where personnel management has a more reactive and marginal approach to planning, meaning that organizations that plan to use personnel management see this department as a marginal, not so important and doesnt accord any strategic planning to it. The psychological contract of human resources is focused on commitment, where employees will become committed to their work, throw development of skills or career, thus increasing productivity within the organization, in the other hand, personnel management focuses on compliance, where employees are seen as commodities and are required to do their job and tasks as they are given by the manager without room for personal development. The employee relation in this two workforce management systems are totally different, in human resource management the relation between the employer and the employees is seen as one of the most important in the organization, where employees are the asset of the company, there is high trust between the employer and the employees and they are treated in a unitarist and individual way; where in personnel management, employee relation is focused on a pluralist and collective system, where the organization or personnel management has low trust toward his employees, treating them in a collective perspective. The structure and system of the two functions are different too, where human resources structure is more organic, where teamwork is the focus for the workforce, meaning that the organization takes into consideration the needs of their employees, where the main focus for the organization is the workforce and not the product or service, where in personnel management the spotlights are on the product or service and the its structure is more Bureaucratic, meaning the needs and wants of employees are not taken into consideration by the organization, with pre-defined roles for each employee, and its system is centralized, compared to the human resources individual system and its flexible roles offered to their employees. These two functions are evaluated in different ways too, where in human resource management evaluation is done throw maximum utilization, where organization try to maximize their employee potential rather than cost minimization like in personnel management. Our Point of View For those who recognize a difference between personnel management and human resources, the difference can be described as philosophical. Personnel management is more administrative in nature, dealing with payroll, complying with employment law, and handling related tasks. Human resources, on the other hand, are responsible for managing a workforce as one of the primary resources that contributes to the success of an organization. Our point of view regarding which of these two approaches to employee management is better, is that human resource management is better in the long-run, where personnel management would have an advantage in the short-term and in some industries like manufacturing where people posses no or low skills and knowledge; after reading both meaning and seeing their differences and similarities in their practices we can say that human resources has a more ethical approach to employees and that productivity and performance can be increased throw this function rather than by using personnel management. We chose human resource management because more and more employee are looking for a workplace where their work and family can be related, where he feels needed and where the organization will help him develop his skills and knowledge, throw training and coaching. To some people it might sound like there is no difference between the two functions, as it was said â€Å"the same wine, only different bottle†, but we dont agree with this statement since it can be seen clearly that its a â€Å"new wine, in the same bottle† where the â€Å"wine† defines how the function is structured and what it focuses on and the â€Å"bottle† meaning the organizations goals and objective, as we can see from many big companies like McDonalds or Burger King, human resource management is the way to go. Personnel management can be simply explained as â€Å"Play by rules†. There would be some pre-determined laws, rules and regulations which are supposed to be followed by the workers. If not followed reprimands and punishments would follow. This type of management is best suited for manufacturing industries where the employee education level is low and they are in need of personnel to manage them. On the other hand, human resource management is a type of management where the employees are considered as one of the assets of the company. They are not just considered as means of producing something but they are considered as the key role in the organizations operation. More importance is given to the people than to the rules and regulations here. This set up works well in service based industries where creativity, customer service, knowledge, ideas are employed. When a difference between personnel management and human resources is recognized, human resources are described as much broader in scope than personnel management. Human resources is said to incorporate and develop personnel management tasks, while seeking to create and develop teams of workers for the benefit of the organization. A primary goal of human resources is to enable employees to work to a maximum level of efficiency. Personnel management is often considered an independent function of an organization. Human resource management, on the other hand, tends to be an integral part of overall company function. Personnel management is typically the sole responsibility of an organizations personnel department. With human resources, all of an organizations managers are often involved in some manner, and a chief goal may be to have managers of various departments develop the skills necessary to handle personnel-related tasks. References Cornelius, N. (2001). Human Resource Management. Cornwall: Thomson Learning. G.N, M. (2006). Human Resource Development. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Raffle, J. (2004). Advances in Developing Human Resources Vol 6. Boston: HR Learning. SHRM. (2008, August 23). Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from SHRM: http://www.shrm.org

Mother Jones :: essays research papers

Mary Harris Jones Mary Harris was born on May 1, 1830. She was born near Cork, Ireland. Her father got into some political trouble and had to move the family to Canada when she was eight years old. After high school Mary decided she wanted to be a schoolteacher and later moved to Tennessee in 1861. That is when she met George Jones and they got married. He was an Iron Molder like her father. In 1868, Marry Harris Jones’ lost her entire family to yellow fever. She was 37 years old and it killed her four children and her husband. It had swept Memphis where they lived. After this happened to her, Mary moved to Chicago to become a seamstress. Before she could get her little shop going a fire burnt down her business and her house with all of her belongings in 1871. Mary was having an awful time but managed to keep on trying. She finally got a job working with people who wanted to get decent wages and have their working environment improved. She also tried to stop child labor. Her work involved making speeches, recruiting members and organizing soup kitchens and women's auxiliary groups during strikes. Mary Jones later became an official for the United Mine Worker’s Union. She was in her sixties at this time and everyone knew her as Mother Jones. She was also known as a hell raiser and called the Most Dangerous Women in the World. The establishment types she battled had less flattering things to say about her. On the floor of the House of Representatives she was branded a ''notorious and troublesome woman.† Mary became a member of the Industrial Workers World. This is also known as the Wobblies. Mary Jones traveled the country helping workers to form themselves into unions. In 1908 Jones played a leading role in the mine strike in Paint Creek, West Virginia. During the strike, men employed by the mine-owners machine-gunned the strikers and their families. Mary was accused of being involved in this act and when one of the guards was murdered she was thrown in jail with a twenty-year sentence.