Effective Communication in Organizations Essay

Communication is the primary manner in which we humans interact or cooperate. From an organizational perspective, communication serves as the foundation for planning and organizing, stimulating motivation, shifting individual’s attitudes and in socialization. Regardless of the industry, communication is one of the most relevant factors to consider in regard to the success of an organization. There are many different types of communication and methods in which they are utilized within an organization or group. Within a standard company, communication can take the form of internal, external, formal and informal, upward and downward, lateral and diagonal, small group and nonverbal (Rawes, 2013). In this report, the pertinence of effective communication within an organization will be discussed along with the different types of communication, both verbal and non-verbal. I will cover how effective communication and leadership correlate, as well as the possible pitfalls of operating within an organizational environment where effective communication is deficient. What are some real-world examples that pertain to the different modes of communication? How can communication or the lack thereof, effect the success of an organization? What are the differences in particular forms of communication compared to the other? The Importance of Effective Communication Effective communication is extremely important to the success of an organization. Studies have shown that communication correlates positively with many organizational outputs, such as organizational commitment, performance, organizational citizenship behaviors, and overall job satisfaction (Husain, 2013). In contrast, the failure of communication may lead to detested results like stress, job  dissatisfaction, low trust, the decrease in organizational commitment, severance intention, and absence (Zhang & Agarwal, 2009). Present day technologies and organizations have transformed communications access which can create difficulty when attempting to master the concept of communication within an organization. It is safe to state; however, that when all areas of an organization or group communicate effectively, the overall workflow, productivity and in some cases, the moral of the group or organization are greatly improved. For effective communications, there must be a correlation of thinking between the sender and receiver of a message that is being communicated. Regardless of the type of communication, whether verbal or non-verbal, communication must remain consistent. Communication can be defined as the exchange of information, thought and emotion between individuals of groups, in other words, communication plays a fundamental role in balancing individual and organizational objectives (BOYACI, 1996, p. 3-5). Internal Communication Internal communication is that which occurs inside of the workplace. This type of communication can be achieved via any medium, such as email, phone, fax, face to face, website, etc. For example, some organizations have websites that are used to communicate with â€Å"customers† outside of the organization via the internet; however, the same organization may have an intranet that is used within the organization and can only be seen by employees on that particular network, internally. The intranet website at my particular organization, for example, communicates all sorts of information pertaining to the organization and its employees, from birthdays to information regarding benefits enrollment, employee self- service, and more. The practice of internal communication has evolved over time since its implementation in the 1800’s, due to the importance of the survival and success of organizations. The motive of internal communication is creating a dialogue with employees and giving them the opportunity to have an impact on the business through the sharing of ideas and involvement (Takenouchi, 2011) Organizations in the 21st Century have begun to recognize the importance of employee engagement and the contribution employees make toward the success of the organization. There is research that has proven that keeping employees informed and provided with a voice leads to higher levels  of employee engagement. Yearly, within the organization I work for, there are surveys taken by employees. These surveys allow employees to voice their concerns, likes or dislikes about the organization. Today there are many techniques and technologies used to communicate within an organization. Some of those techniques are as follows: †¢One-on-one meetings †¢Staff/team meetings †¢Emails †¢Voice mails †¢Video broadcasts †¢Intranets †¢Audio files †¢Staff-to-staff newsletters †¢Corporate newsletters †¢Annual Reports †¢Quarterly Reports A large number of studies by both professional management groups and professional communications bodies consistently find that ‘communicating with employees’ is a useful and powerful way of engendering greater ‘engagement’ – the propensity of the employee to want to come to work and want to contribute to the success of the company (Hopkins, 2006). External Communication Talking to a customer, sending an email to a potential client or making a phone call to vendors or someone outside of the company you work for is an example of communicating externally or external communication. Although it is challenging to gauge the effectiveness of all the strategies, tactics and tools that are part of today’s external communication options, organizations have a need to continuously adjust to a communication environment that is constantly changing (Newswire, 2011). Traditionally, the method of external communication was print, which is still common, but of course modern technology has changed all of that. Obviously, the internet has become a resource much more frequently utilized in reaching new customers. As with intranet websites are used by organizations to reach members of an organization internally, so are many organizations also utilizing websites  to inform people and/or communities outside of the organization about upcoming products and services. The external form of communication is indeed an effective way to reach outside of an organization but considering how the impression of the organization is judged by the public, it is vital that those driving the external communication procedures be aware of the image and/or message being conveyed. Consider a message sent via email. I happen to communicate often with patients through my place of employment regarding their medical records, lab results and other information we provide externally via a website we maintain called Health eLink. There are times when patients get information misconstrued and respond in an irate manner due to being uninformed. There is practically an art to responding to someone whom is irate, because communications verbally or even through email can sometimes be misconstrued as well. The mission of an organization is to be considered at all times; not the personal feelings of the individual doing the external communicating. This approach correlates to the s uccess of the organization and the patient experience, in this particular situation. Formal and Informal Communication There are distinct differences between formal and informal forms of communication. Simply put, formal communication is any correspondence that pertains to or promotes the organizations objective. It can also be defined as the degree to which information about a job is transmitted by an organization to its member and among the members of an organization (Kandlousi & Abdollahi, 2010). It is formal communication within an organization that relates to productivity, job satisfaction, costs, reduction of conflict, trust reinforcement and overall satisfaction. Informal communication is the exact opposite. Informal communication topics do not pertain to work and are harmless, in most cases. The conversations that employees may have at lunch or after a meeting about things that have nothing to do with work are informal and take place at various times throughout the day. Although informal communication is not related to work or the organization, it can very well have an effect on the success of a group or environment within the organization. Considering the serious problems that may arise due to rumors, gossip and/or crude jokes, it is important to keep the topics of informal communication into perspective when  in an organizational environment. Upward and Downward Communication Upward and downward communication refers to the flow of communication at different levels within an organization. Upward communication flows up to the higher levels of the organization. An example of this would be an employee report back to his or her supervisor whom reports back to their manager who reports to the director and so forth. Subordinates of an organization may use upward communication to convey problems or provide feedback to their superiors. Downward communication flows down. When we consider the superior in a chain of command, the colonel in the military for example, speaking with a subordinate, such as a sergeant, we are recognizing downward communication. Downward communication is necessary in order for subordinates to know and understand what is expected of them from management. Important elements in information flow are factors that affect the level of downward communication, such as the relationship between superior and subordinate (Anderson & Level, 1980). Lateral and Diagonal Lateral and diagonal communication is straight forward as well. Lateral communication in an organization is the communication that takes place between employees on the same level. The communication one may have with a coworker in regard to job objectives would be an example of such a flow of communication. Diagonal communication is much like downward communication, but at an angle. A manager from a different department of an organization may request information from a lower level subordinate in the same organization, this would be an example of diagonal communication. It is any interaction 2 or more hierarchical levels apart or one hierarchical level apart but to an organizational member outside the individual’s direct chain of command. (Wilson, 1992) Small Group Communication Two trends have revolutionized the workplace: the increased use of work teams and computers. Organizations are becoming increasingly team based, and work that was once accomplished by individuals is now delegated to teams (Goldstein, 1995). In an organization with many employees, small groups can often give individuals a sense of belonging; however, communication within  these groups must be effective in order for the group to be successful at accomplishing job objectives. Small group communication is pretty self-explanatory; it is the communication that takes place within the small group. Its function is to group together and utilize different skill sets, job objectives, knowledge and expertise for the purpose of nurturing creativity and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of operations within an organization. Individuals within a group whom are unable to communicate effectively, will not be able to share ideas, brainstorm, or discuss direction or project solutions without running into problems. A group with lack of communication skills with likely fail, or have difficulty reaching its goal or completing the objective. Non-verbal Communication Non-verbal communication is a type of communication that is just as important as the other types that have been considered thus far. It has often been stated that it is not just what you say, but how you say it as well. This is never more obvious in informal communication, when gestures and movements are more prevalent. Non-verbal communication takes posture, eye movement, body language and even your appearance into account when exchanging communication. Gestures such as eye contact, expressions or attire and personal space can be powerful non-verbal cues. In my place of business, we have the freedom of wearing casual clothing. Some years back, after my military service, I started getting tattooed and some of those were placed on my neck and forearm. Knowing that this tends to communicate different things to different people, I choose to wear a shirt and tie to work, in an effort to escape whatever may be negatively communicated with the exposure of tattoos on my neck and arms. They do not necessarily show anything offense, but they are there, and not necessarily presentable for a professional environment. The same thing can be said for attire, when considering wearing a t-shirt with a particular logo, an individual should be concerned with what that logo may communicate to the individual perceiving it. Lack of Communication in Organizations The lack of communication in a group or organization can be extremely detrimental for that group or organization. From the highest peak of upward communication downward, laterally, diagonally, in groups, verbal,  non-verbal, formal or informal, effective communication is paramount when considering an organizations culture. In Organizational Behavior, discussions have been held regarding the differences individuals offer that have an effect on the communication techniques we use on a daily basis. Often times we are not even thinking about instances where something is being communicated, whether it’s a shrug of the shoulders or complete silence when verbal affirmation and/or awareness is expected. Poor communication can have an effect on the â€Å"bottom-line† within an organization, relevant to time and money, which prevents goals and objectives from being reached. A lot of employment applications will have good interpersonal skills listed as one of the job requirements and employers expect these skills to show on the job. We as employees or subordinates often times expect upper management to have great communication skills, as we communicate back and forth, receiving tasks and objectives. It is possible that overtime, adequate communications have broken down and need â€Å"maintenance†. There are a lot of objectives that are ongoing in day to day business and it is important that the lines of communication remain â€Å"free flowing†. It is also possible that an organization or group is full of good communicators, but the objectives are just not being communicated effectively. Some of the symptoms of poor communication are as follows: * Conflicting Goals and Objectives * Negative Attitudes * Measurable Financial Loss * Low Morale and Lack of Enthusiasm Leaderships Role in Communication As I stated previously in my article review â€Å"Leadership in Organizations†, Leadership in an organization is very important in the achievement of organizational goals. It is a practice by which management may direct, monitor, and impact the behavior and work of others towards accomplishing these goals. Effective communication should pulse in all directions through an organization like a heartbeat. But it doesn’t just happen. Nor is it solely the responsibility of communication functions. To achieve this level of permeation, responsibility for the communication process must rest with management at all levels across the organization (Facey, 2013). Effective communication utilizes skill sets such as nonverbal communication, listening, stress management, understanding and more. Being an effective communicator is a learned skill set that will adjust over time. Within an organization, communicating successfully is a collective effort on the part of the individuals within the organization. Communicating effectively in all types or forms of communication will benefit the individual, the group and the organization steering toward success. Works Cited Anderson, J., & Level, D. A. (1980). The impact of certain types of downward communication on job performance. The Journal of Business Communication, 17(4), 51. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/195700094?accountid=27313 Boyaci, C., (1996), â€Å"Turistik Ä °Ã…Ÿletmelerde HaberleÅŸme Teknikleri†, Akdeniz ÃÅ"niveritesi BasÄ ±mevi, Antalya. Facey, J., (2013) Effective Communication: Skills that make leaders stand out from the crowd. Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Retrieved August 17th, 2013 from http://www.ceoforum.com.au/article-detail.cfm?cid=6128&t=/JoAnne-Facey-Mercer-Human-Resource-Consulting/Effective-communication-skills-that-make-leaders-stand-out-from-the-crowd Goldstein, I. L., Guzzo, R. A., Salas, E., & , (1995). Team effectiveness and decision-making in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hopkins, L., (2006). What is internal communication? Better Communication Results. Retrieved August 14th, 2013 from http://www.leehopkins.net/ Husain, Z., (2013). Effective communication brings successful organizational change. Paper presented at the, 3(2) 43-50. Retrieved frm http://search.proquest.com/docview/1330861392 Internal and external communication insights: Effective approaches for reaching clients and co-workers. (2011, Nov 03). PR Newswire. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/901880619?accountid=27313 Kandlousi, N. S. A. E., Ali, A. J., & Abdollahi, A. (2010). Organizational citizenship behavior in concern of communication satisfaction: The role of the formal and informal communication. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(10), 51-61. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/821297357?accountid=27313 Rawes, E., (2013). Types of Communication in the Workplace. eHow Contributor. Retrieved August 14th, 2013 from http://www.ehow.com/info_7742528_types-communication-workplace.html#ixzz2c9CfHrc3 Takenouchi, S. (2011). The evolution of the internal communications practice and its importance to the survival of organizations. (Order No. 1497025, University of Southern California). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses., 92. Retrieved August 14th, 2013 from http://search.proquest.com/doc view/ Wilson, D. O. (1992). Diagonal communication links within organizations. The Journal of Business Communication, 29(2), 129. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/195713934?accountid=27313 Zhang, H., & N. C. Agarwal (2009). The mediating roles of organizational justice on the Relationships between HR practices and workplace outcomes: An investigation in China. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(3), 676-693.

Race Matters Essay

In America, society likes to believe that America is a Color Blind Society. They say they don’t see race, but just Americans. It has been noted that whites who are exposed to images or shows of upper-middle-class blacks, like the Huxtable family in The Cosby Show, the Kyle family in My Wife and Kids or the Banks family in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, believe that blacks have the same socioeconomic opportunities as whites (Gallagher 94). Media is one of the main reasons why people in today’s society might believe that America is a Color Bind Society with television shows, like the ones stated above, and celebrities, like Jay Z and P-Diddy, who are doing very well for themselves. A 1997 Gallup poll found that most whites believe that blacks have â€Å"as good a chance as whites† in the community in finding jobs and a Kaiser Family 1997 Poll found that most whites believe that blacks are doing at least as well or better than whites in income and educational attainme nt (Gallagher 98). However black men, over the age of 25, had a 12.3 percent unemployment rate in 2012 while white men, over the age of 25, had a 6.1 percent unemployment rate in 2012 (Bureau of Labor Statistics: House Hold Data Annual Averages). With that being said, in 2010, the educational attainment of black men was 17.7 percent, slightly lower than the year before, while the educational attainment of white men was 30.8 percent, slightly higher than the year before. Black men are at a disadvantage. They are already deemed as a threat to society, a stereotypical threat that is. With cases like Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis and even as far back as the case of Emmett Till, it is obvious that when a person sees a black man they will associate them with trouble. First it was whistling at a white woman, now it is a hooded sweatshirt or playing loud music in a car (Harris-Perry). â€Å"But always, this one thing has been the same. No presumption of innocence for young black men. No benefit of the doubt. Guilt not determined by what they did or said–but presumed to be inherent in their very being. They need not wield a weapon to pose a threat. Because, if you are a young, black man, who you are is threat enough† (Harris-Perry). This paper will prove how America is not a Color Blind Society through statistics and cases of how race matters, in regards to blacks especially black men. It started as early as how skin got its color. Human skin gets its color  from melanin. The primary function of melanin is to protect the skin from being damaged by the sun. Since humans are not hairy like mammals, the hairlessness exposes humans to radiation hazards, such as ordinary sunburn, but it can even expose humans to skin cancers, including malignant melanoma, which is one of the deadliest diseases (Harris 7). Humans saw race and color as early as 6000 B.C. depending on what side of the equator a person lived on (Harris 9). In Europe, fair-skin was preferred because they tended to grow up and be taller, stronger and healthier than their darker siblings, so in that part of the world white was beautiful, or preferred, because white was healthy. In the equatorial latitudes, however, it was quite the opposite since vitamin D was never in short supply, and rickets and osteomalcia were rare, darker children were preferred because they were usually free from disfiguring and lethal malignancies. In that part of the world, black was beautiful, or preferred, because black was healthy (Harris 9). If society were Color Blind, then color wouldn’t have mattered. A parent wouldn’t choose certain children simply because they happened to be lighter or darker. Natural selection, or survival of the fittest, and cultural selection, when society selects cultural traits that will enhance the survival of a civilization, wouldn’t apply to color, but it would apply to things people can actually obtain or change. A person can’t change their skin color unless they try tanning or bleaching, which holds problems in itself. As a society, race is seen. Blacks are seen as thugs, people of Arabic descent are seen as terrorist, and whites are seen as the workers, or elite. People of Arabic descent who wear traditional clothing might be stared and ridiculed at on a regular day, but imagine if that were to happen on 9/11; many people would either fear them, or be racist towards them. That wouldn’t happen to a white person on the anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. In The Lost Boys of Sudan, a documentary on two Sudanese refugees who leave Africa and come to America so they can start a new and better life, a group of them were asked to stop traveling in packs because store clerks were threatened by them, but in all actuality they travel in packs because they are the ones that are scared. The unknown is scary, and they are in an unfamiliar country. It is common knowledge that during the pre-Civil War era, blacks were kept ignorant but physically strong, especially black men. Blacks were not supposed to read because an educated black would begin to understand that their treatment was wrong, and not just of the norm. An educated black would’ve known that something could be done about their treatment. Many whites slave owners believed that educated blacks could start a riot especially since they were kept physically strong. Race was seen in slavery days, even within the slaves and servants. A white worker was called a servant had to be paid and were in low supply, which is why they turned to slaves who worked for free and in high supply (Zinn 9). They were viewed as property, not humans. They could be auctioned off like a person auctions off his car, these days. Race was seen back in those days, and it is still seen today. A study showed that if a black man pushed a white man, 75 percent saw it as violence were as 6 percent saw it has horsing around or dramatic. In contrast, if a white man pushed a black man 17 percent saw it as violence and 42 percent saw it has horsing around or dramatic. â€Å"America’s nightmare. Young black and didn’t give a fuck† (Menace II Society 1993). This referred to a young black male who was deemed a menace to society. A person would rarely, if ever, use the term menace to society to describe a young white male; they would use a term like â€Å"troubled teen.† Teenagers are known for being reckless and careless, a Color Blind Society would have said America’s nightmare: young and didn’t give a fuck, but since black was added, it shows people that race matters. Black isn’t desirable it is feared. White is desirable, even Hitler tried to make blond haired, blue eyed society. No one has ever successfully tried to make a black only society. Race is a social concept because the idea of race has changed so much over time (Omi & Winant 18). In contemporary British politics the term black was referring to anyone being nonwhite (Omi & Winant 19). But a Jamaican or Latino would be offended being called black because one, they are not black, and two, black is not desirable. It has been noted that black men are frequently stopped and frisked by the police whether they are driving a car or just walking down the street. Black  men, especially those who live in New York, have encountered many impromptu frisking. Although blacks only makeup 23.4 percent of the New York City population, they make up 53 percent of the New York police stops. In Contrast, Whites, Asians and Native Americans make 47.3 percent of the New York City population, but they make up 13.3 percent of the New York police stops. This means a black person is about four times more likely to be pulled over in New York than White, Asian or Native American person, but society wonders why blacks are disproportionally represented in prisons. Even more specifically more black men were stopped by the NYPD in 2011 than there are black men in New York City. Black men only make up 1.9 percent of the New York City Population, but make up 25.6 percent of NYPD stops. Black men are feared that is why police stop them. They stop them because police believe that they are up to no good. The way they dress may be a factor but it is not the reason they are stopped and frisked so frequently because the police have no problem stopping and frisking a well-groomed black man. Since 2003, the NYPD stop and frisks have increased by 600 percent (Mathias 2012). They have even gone as far as stopping and frisking people in their buildings, with their landlord’s permission. It is called â€Å"Operation Clean Halls†, which has been in effect since 1991. It allows police to do â€Å"vertical patrols† that allows them to go into private buildings and do stop-and-frisk searches in hallways. Almost every private building in the B ronx allows Operation Clean Halls, which population coincidentally has 30.1 percent blacks (2010 Census). In the first three months, last year, the NYPD stopped and frisked people 203,500 times. Two men sued the NYPD because they were forced out of their livery cabs and were searched by cops. Both men accused police of racial profiling and unlawful searches. Being able to pull a person out of their cab and search them should be illegal. It is understandable that the police want to minimize crime in their cities, but people still have the right under the Fourth Amendment to not have to undergo any unlawful search and seizures. About 15,000 police stops over the last six years are unconstitutional and lack legal justification and 9 out of 10 of those stopped in 2011 were not even arrested, which in other words means, had little to no reason to be stopped. The police shouldn’t have the right to search a person without probable cause. Race is not probable cause. Actually the â€Å"crime control policies of the Regan and Bush administration in the 1980s, which many academics believe to be partially responsible for the increased use of policing tactics such as racial profiling, have been disastrous for minorities, particularly young Black males. Likewise, young males, especially young Black males in their late teens and early twenties, are disproportionately represented in arrest statistics and thus, as a social group are often the targets of the police. In recent years, however, as racial profiling emerged as a highly visible intersection of racism and policing, the broader problem of racially biased policing has become considerably more important† (Reitzel & Piquero). Racial profiling also proves how America is not a Color Blind Society. Pulling over, unreasonable and unethical stop and frisks, stereotypes etc. are all ways proving America sees race. Those all prove that race and color matter to some, if not most, if not all. The Trayvon Martin case opened a lot of questions on racial profiling that had been ignored before. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old black male who was gunned down by a 28-year-old Hispanic American male on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida. George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin’s murderer, saw Martin come into the neighbor and called the police because he looked suspicious. Martin had on a hoodie and sweatpants, something most kids these days wear especially when it’s a rainy day. Martin was walking to his father’s house who lived in the neighborhood and talking on the phone with his girlfriend holding a bag of skittles and an iced tea because he had just left the store. Although the dispatcher told Zimmerman to wait for the police to get there, Zimmerman took it upon himself to follow Martin. There was a brawl and a gunshot was fired. Martin was pronounced dead at about 7:15 that night. No one canvassed the area to see if anyone knew Martin because they assumed he was trespassing. No one uses Martin’s cell phone to locate his family. Martin’s own father thought he was missing for three days because they said he was a John Doe in the morgue. His body was even tested for drugs and alcohol. Although Zimmerman admitted to murdering Martin, he was only questioned and released and no charges were brought against him, the night of the incident. Zimmerman wasn’t charged with Martin’s murder until April 11, 2012, almost a month and half after the incident. Many people  argued Zimmerman was not arrest because there were ambiguities, but since he admitted to the murder the prosecutor should bring upon those ambiguities during trial. Other argued Zimmerman was not arrested due to the Stand Your Ground Law. The Stand Your Ground Law clearly states, a person is not allowed to use deadly force, unless, â€Å"He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony† (Hutchinson 2012). In that case, the Stand Your Ground Law should’ve protected Martin. Zimmerman chased Martin. Zimmerman had a gun while Martin was unarmed. Therefore, Martin was the victim, but since he was a black man, he was deemed as a threat. America clearly didn’t get the message because close to a year after the death of Trayvon Martin, the death of Jordan Davis arose in Jacksonville, Florida. Jordan Davis was another 17-year-old black male shot to death. Michael Dunn, a 45-year-old white man, murdered him but unlike the Trayvon Martin shooting, there were witnesses. Dunn allegedly told Davis and three other men in the car to turn down their music, but after a few negative words were exchanged between Dunn and Davis, shots were fired. Again, the murderer tried to go for self-defense under the Stand Your Ground Law in Florida. Davis was unarmed, like Martin. Davis was the victim but still he was deemed as a threat. Unlike the Martin case, it only took a month for Dunn to be convicted of first-degree murder, however, Zimmerman is still not convicted and his trial begins June 10, 2013. Even before Jordan Davis and Trayvon Martin, there was Emmett Till. Till was a 14-year-old boy from Chicago who was visiting relatives in Mississippi. On the night of August 24, 1955, Till allegedly approached a white woman in a grocery store. While the stories are unclear of what Till actually did, the husband of the white woman, Roy Bryant, was offended. Bryant thought his wife’s honor was tarnished after being approached by a black boy. A few nights after the incident, Bryant and his half brother, J. W. Milam, kidnapped Till, beat him, shot him, after seeing a picture of a white woman in his wallet, and then threw him into the river. Although Bryant and Milam were charge with murder, an all-male, all-white jury acquitted them. Bryant  and Milam told the truth to an Alabama reporter, William Bradford Hule, since they could not be charged again due to the Fifth Amendment. Emmett Till wasn’t a threat. He didn’t hurt the white woman. His murder was premeditated. He was taken from a relative’s home, beaten and killed, but they couldn’t just stop there. They couldn’t just leave his body there. They took his lifeless body and throw it into the river hoping it would never be discovered, leaving his family wondering. Jordan Davis wasn’t a threat. He was shot in a car for playing loud music. The police found no weapons in the vehicle. Trayvon Martin wasn’t a threat; an armed man chased him down. He tried to fight back which resulted in his death. After his death, no one tried to locate his family but instead left him in the morgue to rot because they assumed he was trespassing in the neighborhood. Proper protocol was not used with the arrest of his murderer. It took over a month for him to be arrested, even after Zimmerman admitted to the murder since there were ambiguities, they let him go after questioning. All those cases would have been handled different if national attention wouldn’t have shinned light on the wrongdoing. It’s not always about putting someone in jail, but fixing the problem. The consequences to not having a Color Blind Society leads to things like racial profiling, racism as a whole, stereotypes, bullying etc. It also leads to minorities not being able to have a fair chance at life. When people hear things like, 5 percent of blacks with a criminal record will get a call back in terms of jobs, while 17 percent of whites with a criminal record will get a call back in terms of jobs and 14 percent of blacks without a criminal record will get a call back in terms of jobs, while 34 percent of whites without a criminal record will get a call back in terms of jobs, in enrages people (Pager 233). However, it also opens the eyes of a lot of people. Race matters when it comes to jobs. It has been noted that if two exact resumes were turned into a job, but the names were different. The person with the â€Å"traditionally white† name would be called back before a person with a â€Å"traditional black† or â€Å"ghetto† name. It also matters when a white man receives three times as many job offers as an equally qualified black who interviewed for the same positions (Gallagher 98). But not only are minorities just not called back for jobs, but Black and Hispanic job applications suffer blatant and easily identifiable discrimination one in every five times they apply for a job (Gallagher 99). In fact, many blacks are overqualified for the jobs they hold (Sterba 124). .Race matters when it comes to the war on drugs. Since 53 percent of juvenile drug offenses are by blacks while 26 percent of juvenile drug offenses are by whites (America’s Racial Report Card 410). However, in terms of the usage of drugs, whites use drugs more than blacks, but since blacks are more likely to be arrested for drugs because they are more likely to be searched, blacks makeup a large percentage of prisons. The purpose for the war on drugs is to stop the usage and distribution of drugs, however, since the police force mainly focuses on black usage and distribution of drugs, the war on drugs will remain a war. Race matters when it comes to getting loans for housing. Since minority applicants are 50 percent more likely to be denied a loan than white applicants of equivalent economic status. More specifically, blacks seeking loans are two to three times more likely to be rejected than whites and blacks were 12 times more likely to be rejected tan whites at the highest level of assets and collateral (Gallagher 98), which is the reason why it is harder for black to remain middle class. Last, but certainly not least, race matters when it comes to education. Although blacks are at a low percentile when it comes to attending college or university, those who actually earn a degree still face racial inequalities. Blacks with a bachelor’s degree earn as much as $15,180 less than their white counterparts and although native-white males make up only 41 percent of the United States population, they comprise 80 percent of all tenured professors, 97 percent of all school superintendents, and 97 percent of all argil positions in Fortune 100 industrial and Fortune 500 service companies (Sterba 123). With those statistics, minorities don’t stand a chance because even when they try to better themselves and get an education or a job, they face discrimination. They face hardships. They face inequality. If race didn’t matter there wouldn’t be a black history month, where people highlight the â€Å"first blacks† to do something, or the blacks who stood for change. If race didn’t matter there wouldn’t be Census specifying gender and race, such as the unemployment rates, dropout rates, poverty rates, or educational attainment rates of blacks, or more specifically, of black men. If race didn’t matter, Trayvon Martin wouldn’t even be dead from the result of George Zimmerman’s gun because Zimmerman wouldn’t have followed him because he would have never looked â€Å"suspicious.† If race didn’t matter, no  one would have cared that Roy Bryant was white and that he killed an innocent black boy, but that a young child was dead in result of the rage of a husband. If race didn’t matter, some statistics wouldn’t even be relevant because most statistics foundatio n is based off of racial inequality. Most importantly, if race didn’t matter, something else would. America is not a Color Blind Society, which has been showed through statistics and the cases of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis and Emmett Till. America notices race more than anything else. America first sees black then sees a black man. A person looks at news reports and it would state the race before anything. People wouldn’t know how to function in a Color Blind Society because race has matter for so long, racism is becoming the norm.

Character Analysis of Romeo

The character analysis of Romeo Rio Mio and Juliet is a story made up of lovers studying two stars who love each other and think that they are willing to sacrifice their lives. Romeo is a very sullen man and his role has grown considerably in the play in various ways. In this article I will focus on the role of Romeo, his intention and ability, and the relationship with other characters in the play. In the dialogue between Benborio and Montague in the first game of the first act, we learned that Romeo was very strange and avoided his friends. Secret. In this sentence, Benvolio explains to L. This article is a literary analysis of the play of Romeo and Juliet. The format is point, proof, and description. The question is, What are the factors and roles that lead to the extinction of Romeo and Juliet? I used Lady and Road Caplet, Juliet Nurse, and Flore Lawrence. There is also a direct reference to the content in the play. This 929 words Shakespeare plays, Romeo and Juliet show a tragic love story to the readers. This is the story of the two young people who fall in love, the people who bind them and the environment. In particular, four characters, Lady and Lord Capulet, Juliet nurse Friar Laurence played an important role in the destruction of the main characters and young lovers Romeo and Juliet. Those personality leads to their desperate behavior and ultimate death through selfishness, betrayal, and authority over young lovers. The literary analysis of similarities between Romeo and Juliet is similar in that there is a common feature between two or more things. Similarities are used to compare similarities. Romeo and Juliet of Shakespearean plays Romeo and Juliet are comparable in their short relationship. They are strangers, but they are gathering through mutual contact. The most obvious similarities between Romeo and Juliet are each other's eternal love.

Organizational Rationalization Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organizational Rationalization - Case Study Example It is evident that many organizations use rationalization procedure to cut down their expenses. When a company, industry, or a system rationalizes, it becomes more efficient, usually by getting rid of excess staff members and types of equipment, which are not essential. This essay analyses the advantages and disadvantages, which Junction Hotel will experience from rationalizing its operations. Main features of a rational organization From a rational organization perspective, organizations are specially designed to obtain a certain goal (Scott p. 29). Some of the expressions used in this rational perspective are words such as efficiency, information, implementation, design, and optimization. Other â€Å"rational† rhetoric includes authority, rules, constraints, jurisdiction, performance, coordination, programs, and directives. The two main features of a rational organization are formalization and goal specificity (Morgan p. 13). Goal specifics- Organizational goals are tentativ ely described as an achievement of desired objectives. However, rational perspective hypotheses that goals guide decision making on how to design the organizational structure. The junction hotel should be goal specific in order to enable the management to come up with a more official organizational chart. Formalization- Formalization degree is the extent that responsibilities depend on specific individual attributes of the person occupying the responsibilities. Formalization tries to regulate and standardize behaviour. Formalization is also an effort to make the relationship structure more explicit and visible (Scott p. 31). Based on the Junction hotel perception, organizational structure should be a tool that can be amended to improve the hotel’s performance. According to Scott, a formalization is an option to the information structure (p. 33). It can separate people’s feelings between employees in work activities. Most early theorists stressed rational perspective an d described organizations as purposeful and deliberate. These rational theories were: Taylor and Scientific Management Taylor and his colleagues emphasized that it was easy to evaluate individual workers’ tasks scientifically in aid of discovering the procedures, which junction hotel should use to maximize the organization’s output under minimum resources and energies. Although Taylor concentrated on people, changes in personal level highly resulted in alterations at the structural level (Scott p. 34). This is highly evident in, Junction hotel, which has much personnel hence some of them do not know their exact responsibilities. This theory has changed management roles since the roles of both workers and managers were under scientific investigation. Taylor’s point of view was an amalgam of social Darwinism, protestant, and a primary view of individual actions founded on economic incentives (Scott p. 35). The junction hotel should apply such theory in order to co me up with significant management of roles for both workers and managers in the hotel. By doing this, the workers will be able to complete their responsibilities at the right time hence attracting more employees. Administrative Theory (Fall) Administrative theory stressed management roles and tried to generate wide management principle that would act as rationalization guidelines of organizational activities (Scott p. 36). Whilst scientific management rationalized from â€Å"bottom up†, administrative theory focused on productivity advancements from â€Å"top down†.  

Labour Law seen examination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Labour Law seen examination - Essay Example Thus, each individual application must be treated on the merits. Fareeda Fareeda may be able to make a claim for direct discrimination given that she surpassed all the requirements that were listed by Allan in their invitation. However, there is no express mention by the Allan’s of any reason that they may have considered to select Lady Monique in Fareeda’s place. The only statement that may allude to any discrimination is their justification of Lady Monique’s associations with ‘the right sort of families and the right sort of children’. From the facts of Mandla v Dowell Lee [1982]1, it follows that Muslims may also form part of a nationality with distinct ethnic origins in order to be classified as a racial group for the purposes of the Race Relations Act 1976. The scope of discrimination was expanded by this Act to people who were treated unfavorably as a result of racial profiling of third parties (Weathersfield Ltd v Sargeant)2.  With the incep tion of the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, religious discrimination took statutory form by protecting people with â€Å"any religion, religious belief or philosophical belief†. ... However individually she may not be able to be compensated for her grievance and her remedy must be based on the validity of the claims of the other applicants. Beverly McLaughlin Beverly also fulfills the requirements of the job offer. Her claim would be based on the assertion that she was discriminated on account of her age which is protected under the Equality Bill 2006. Given that she was more than qualified for the job, the Allan’s belief that Lady Monique would have more connections with the right families and the right children could be more than attributable in Beverly’s favor since she has more experience as a nanny working under an extremely wealthy employer for 20 years. Lady Elizabeth Porter Lady Elizabeth Porter can assert that she was discriminated against on account of her blindness under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, since her disability qualifies as one recognized by s.1 of the 1995 Act (as amended by s.18 of the Act of 2005); â€Å"a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities†. Her credentials are also far superior than that of Lady Monique’s. Moreover, the Allan’s are no longer under the protection of the 1995 regime which exempted employers with less than 20 employees, as the 2005 amendment changes that to include small employers as well. However, in this case, the Allan’s can resort to the defense of ‘justification’ since the child to be taken care of is 2 years old and would require to be tended to much more closely than a blind person can afford. Under the act, this defense may be

ASL Discourse covering Discourse Genre Explanatory and Prosody Research Paper

ASL Discourse covering Discourse Genre Explanatory and Prosody - Research Paper Example The progress of developing sign language in US obligated the materialization of deaf training institutes, which would collect numerous deaf kids collectively for tutoring purposes. The account of ASL started with deaf tutoring. ASL is an acronym of American Sign Language. A minister name Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in 1815, moved out of his home in Hartford to visit Europe. Dr. Mason Cogswell had inquired Gallaudet to examine techniques of schooling for his deaf daughter, Alice Cogswell. Whilst the purpose of Gallaudet visiting England, was struck by an obstacle when executives of the Braidwood Schools, who educated the verbal technique, denied giving out their techniques of tutoring deaf. In London, Gallaudet escorted with Abbe Sicard, administrator of the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris with his two students. Sicard asked Gallaudet to tour the school in Paris. Gallaudet then toured to Paris and cultured with the instructive techniques of the Royal Institution for the Deaf with sign language, a combination of Old French Sign Language and the signs framed by Abbe Sicard. In April 1817, Gallaudet launched the Connecticut Asylum for the teaching and tutoring of Deaf, today known as American School for the Deaf. Deaf learners were educated with French signs and others like Martha’s Vineyard. Therefore, at this institute all the effects amalgamated and turned out to be American Sign Language. 1. ASL Discourse Features ASL discourse features have been acknowledged purposely comparable in linguistics, in view of the fact that Stokoe's have utilized the features 'phoneme' and 'phonology' for all communication channels of ASL. All of linguist persons separated ASL signs into numerous phonemic characteristics known as discourse features. These features are hand contour, palm direction, hand motion, hand position etc. In addition to these discourse features there are others as well for example facial appearance, attitude, posture, and jawing. In early abstrac t techniques, motion was dealt as concurrent or chronological movements of the hand assisted with additional body features. But in numerous fresh techniques, motion is dealt as the pace of the language instead as characteristic. Signs are separated into sections of movement (motion) and hold, every one of which comprises of a group of the additional characteristics of hand profile, course, position, and some non-physical characteristics. In the sign language; distinguishing sign movements (motions) consist of linear, inner, and complex motions. The basic and primary directions of linear movements (motions) are six. These are up, down, in (in the direction of the signer), out (outside the signer), contra-lateral (in the direction of the midpoint or the contrary hand), and ipsi-lateral (away from the direction of the surface of the signing hand). Diagonal motion is identified to be fabricated with these basic directions. Inner movements (motions) contain rotating of the wrist, adaptin g curvilinear of the wrist or fingers, unclosing the hand, enclosing the hand, and squirming the fingers. Complicated movements (motions) incorporates contacting a location, traverse hands or fingers, clutching, inflowing (introducing the hand or fingers flanked by

How does Harold's article on The Sopranos either complicate or further Essay

How does Harold's article on The Sopranos either complicate or further the arguments put forth in Garrett's text about TV Anti-Heroes and what they represent in our society - Essay Example This argument has been furthered by â€Å"A Man Never Never Land†, this is because the article postulated that the heroes of today have colossal psychological flaw; this is because they have a self-serving lies. They are normally filled with self-pity, venality, sloth, and lust. They are regarded to be self-deceiving and morally blind. Additionally, they are deemed obnoxious, unfaithful, and brash. This is supplements the argument of Garrett which that â€Å"We live in Post-World War II era†. According to Tony Soprano, the issue of morality was white and black; it was compared to Nazis vs. us. The Nazis were rated as bad people. However, in the war of today, the wrangles and conflict are ambiguous, including using torture. â€Å"A moral Never Never Land: Identifying with Tony Soprano† argued that people now have to employ morally unacceptable mechanism of fighting terrorists and the moral ambiguity is engraved in the upcoming anti-hero. Harold further explains that to add to the heroes that were heavily flawed, there are pressure from the prison system, big business, bureaucracy, and the structure of power that is full of bribe in conforming to forces that are not good. Rather they have rebelled against themselves, even if using the trickery a nd dishonesty could be portrayed as heroic. â€Å"A moral Never Never Land: Identifying with Tony Soprano† further argues that there is confidence crisis in the democratic leaders and processes that created a surrounding of nihilistic, disaffected, and cynical hero. This turning point during the Morally Deformed Hero Regime, happened with â€Å"A moral Never Never Land: Identifying with Tony Soprano†, when millions of people loved him. The ruthless sociopath and businessperson became close that the moral boundaries blurred in the regime of the hyper-competitive Darwinism. In the docket, both Nazis and Us failed in effecting the change in

The 7 wanders of the world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The 7 wanders of the world - Essay Example â€Å"[The list] was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic sight-seers and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim† (â€Å"Seven Wonders†, 2006). The seven wonders of the ancient world are listed as the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse at Alexandria. Of these, only the Great Pyramid still exists today (Krystek, 2003). â€Å"For their builders, the Seven Wonders were a celebration of religion, mythology, art, power, and science. For us, they reflect the ability of humans to change the surrounding landscape by building massive yet beautiful structures† (Ashmawy, 2000). While almost none of these structures can be visited today, a closer look what is known about them can inspire some of the same wonder and fascination experienced by those who saw them first-hand. The Great Pyramid at Giza, the only one of the seven great wonders still standing, demonstrates an amazing attention to precision, even by today’s standards and with modern equipment. According to Andrew Bayuk (2005), the base of the pyramid is level to less than an inch and the sides measure almost equal lengths, with fluctuations at less than 1.75 inches. While it seems general knowledge that the average weight of the blocks is approximately 2.5 tons, Bayuk provides more precise detail. â€Å"Many blocks are indeed smaller than this, the blocks toward the top decrease in size. Some of the casing stones at the base are very large, weighing as much as 15 tons. The heaviest blocks are the granite blocks used to roof the king’s chambers and the weight relieving chambers above the king’s chamber. These are estimated to weigh from 50 to 80 tons† (Bayuk, 2005). While it has been widely believed that the

Galileo's Interventionist Notion of Cause Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Galileo's Interventionist Notion of Cause - Essay Example In Galileo's Interventionist Notion of "Cause", Steffen Ducheyne has deliberated on Galileo's development of a "new notion of causality" (p.443), which was primarily based on interventionist school. Steffen used respective studies and analyses from past and current researchers and presented his point of view after contrasting it from pro and con views, thus, highlighted his own point of view in an oblique way. Steffan said that Galileo believed that in order to find a causal link, one should be able to manipulate changes and the resultant changes should be reflected as effects of original changes. Thus, if A causes B and changes in A also affect B, causal relationship is established. Galileo, like a seeker, was looking for the hidden and accidental causes of effects. He was more interested in the "root" than in the "how" of a cause.Analysts have been divided by the question of whether Galileo really presented causal inquiries in his explanations of nature's phenomena as causal explan ations are more easily found in Galileo's earlier works than later ones. An analysis by Ernan supported Galileo by reinterpreting this absence of "cause" in Galileo's later works as an increasing focus on kinematics, which was a precursor of dynamics, since only after properties of motion were described fully, can the respective causal explanations follow. Peter Machammer, however, believed that Galileo's unconcern for causes was reflected by the fact that he was not concerned with extrinsic causes but with "formal and final causes, and sometimes material causes" (Ducheyne, p.446). Galileo in his earliest work De Motu explicitly stated his quest not to seek for apparent causes of observable facts. Galileo's usage of causal language may be analogous to Aristotelian reflection of causes as laid down in Aristotle's Posterior Analysis, and typified by a procedure involving analysis and deduction from observed effect to possible cause and reverse composition from cause to the effect. According to Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Galileo had achieved a remarkable feat of breaking away from traditional stereotyped Aristotelian concepts to scientific concepts that were used as a basis of "new sciences" and the foundation stone of new philosophy. (Peter Machamer, Encyclopedia of Philosophy). It is how Galileo used causal explanation, Steffan believed, would help unravel Galileo's reasoning thread and allow the novel features, the interventionist element, in Galileo's causal explanations to come through. True causes, according to Galileo, should be closest or most efficacious in producing the effects. If an effect is not produced then the concerned element is not the true cause. Discussion Julian Reiss in Causal Instrumental Variables and Interventions argued against taking causal inferences on the basis of causal claims as reliable if these were based on instrumental variables. He said that taking a set of assumptions to fulfill an instrument analogous to James Woodward's intervention and causal inference might be permissible. However, he argued that for the relationship to hold, the set of assumptions might have to be very strong (Julian Reiss, Causal Instrumental Variables and Interventions). Galileo on the other hand is shown to be quite eager to proclaim his universal causality theory for all true causes. Galileo's explanations seem to have improved over his predecessors (Aristotle), however in hindsight specific lacunas or flaws can now be identified. However it goes to Galileo's credit to have improved thinking from set compartmentalized way into what he believed to better and truer explanation. Galileo believed that the phenomenon of tides was the principle proof that the Earth moved. He set out to prove his theory by postulating that an appropriate model could largely reproduce the effect of the tides, whereas other causes (of the tides) that were promulgated at that time could not produce the desired effect. Galileo can be credited with laying seeds of scientific analysis and being able to study

Michelangelos Pieta and Caravaggios Entombment of Christ Term Paper

Michelangelos Pieta and Caravaggios Entombment of Christ - Term Paper Example It is also noticeable that the lifeless arm of Marat was similarly depicted like the lifeless arm of the dead Christ carved by Michelangelo (Gardner, Kleiner, Mamiya 649) as well as the one painted by Caravaggio (De Pascale, J. Paul Getty Museum 37) thus the viewers can instantly observe the resemblance of the three artworks. The resemblance of David’s painting to the two earlier artworks may evidently show that he relied on the ability of viewers to link the Death of Marat to the Pieta and the Entombment of Christ to understand that the depicted characters died for a noble purpose and that is Christ for a religious cause while Marat for a political cause. The Founding Fathers of the United States chose and promoted the Neoclassicism as the national architectural style of the United Sates because Neoclassicism conveyed the political ideals of the Founding Fathers that is the Athenian democracy (Palmer 107, 108). This architectural style symbolized the end of colonialism in the United States and American democracy (Hopkins 90) at the beginning of the 19th century. An example of the Neoclassical architecture style is the Massachusetts State House. Fig. 1. G.E. Kidder Smith, Photograph of Massachusetts State House. Source Book of American Architecture: 500 Notable Buildings from the 10th Century to the Present. By G.E. Kidder Smith. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000. 133.

Diverse Workforce Essay Example for Free

Diverse Workforce Essay Diversity means variety of something such as opinion, color, or style. It means discrepancy between two objects being compared. When workforce is combined, then it means different kind of workers working in the same company or industry. The differences or discrepancy can be laid in terms of age, sex, education, styles, race and others. Diverse workforce can be seen when a company has workers that have different roles, characters, profession, department, culture, color, race, and other criteria. In an automobile company, there are engineers, accountants, sales representatives, mechanics and other kind of personnel. This kind of setting shows how diverse workforce is being implemented by a company. For this paper, the objective is to explore and analyze the value of diversity of workforce. Specifically, the paper will determine the value of diversity in a restaurant and bar setting. The paper will try to justify if diverse workforce will be advantageous in the said industry. Diverse Workforce There are many companies that implement diverse workforce. One of these companies is McDonalds. McDonalds is the worlds community restaurant. According to the management of the company, they are proud of their long-standing commitment to a workforce that is diverse. They believe that development and maintenance of diverse workforce will lead to the strengthening of the McDonalds system. Moreover, the company emphasize that diversity at McDonalds includes the understanding, recognizing and valuing the differences that make each person unique. In diverse workforce, the company will able to foster innovation and creativity to better meet the needs of our diverse staff and guest base. The said workers settings will lead to sustain a competitive advantage, thus there must be a continuance to improve the productivity of our workforce by creating an inclusive environment where all staff members contribute fully and stay committed to serving and expanding the communities. Companies thought that in diverse workforce, every worker are having the chance to learn one another (Friedman, 2008). Diverse workforce environment will encourages inclusion, as it adds value to the given company or organization. The value is evident in every aspect of the organization: new ideas and perspectives, motivation, buy-in, retention and new sources of talent. Diverse workforce environment recognizes the value of a business environment that embraces individual differences, including those among our guests, employees, business partners and all others in the communities in which it operates, and is committed in creating and maintaining such an environment. This commitment is based upon the recognition and belief that diversity is critical to our ability to excel in an increasingly diverse and dynamic marketplace But what are the reasons why companies and industries tend to implement diverse workforce? It is evident that almost companies employee workers that have the same classification, meaning if a company is automobile manufacturing in nature, then it will employee more mechanical engineers because they are the one who are more specialize in this kind of industry. From the given statement, we can state that companies that does not implement diverse workforce has specific workers or they are specialize in their given profession while those who are not have general workforce (Chatman, 1998). People live in an age of knowledge, and firms that succeed are those that are best able to harness the collective knowledge of their employees. The collective knowledge of any group is enhanced by including people with different experiences and backgrounds. The knowledge of a homogeneous group consisting of, say, 100 white males with similar backgrounds remind one of the remarks often made about someone’s so-called vast experience (Chatman, 1998). Diverse Workforce Advantages (Detailed) For this part of the paper, detailed analysis will be done to explore the advantages of diverse workforce in a restaurant or bar business setting. When you care for a diverse population, a multicultural workforce can only strengthen costumer care quality. When someone wants to put up a restaurant or bar, that person must consider that his or her costumer consist of different people from different countries. This is an important factor as it widens the possible costumer of the said business. Thus, the products and services offered must be able to cater all possible costumers. For this, the kitchen part of a bar will hold big responsibility in achieving this goal. The kitchen must consist of workers with different duties and responsibilities. Every worker in the kitchen must have a specialization, meaning that there will be cooks, dishwashers, waiter and other roles. The cooks must have a wide range of expertise, meaning that they will not concentrate only in one menu, but must consider the variety of costumers to be able to serve what the costumer wants. The cooks must be from different countries because it combines the individual knowledge and experience to make up a better cook group. It is important to consider that individuals with different backgrounds, different ideas, and different life experiences will strengthen the team they belong. Because the proposed restaurant and bar must cater all walks of life, then there is a need of diverse workforce. This is because every idea of the workers will somehow create an opportunity to share their opinions to have higher quality food and services. The setting of the tables and chairs is one issue to be settled. The formation of tables and chairs must attract possible costumers to increase profit. But to have a better presentation of the chairs and tables, every personnel must have an opinion on to what is the best presentation of the chairs and tables (Tsui et al, 1992). Every worker will have different style and preference in connection with the arrangement of chairs and tables. With this, the owner must integrate all the opinions and will come up with a good formation (Stata, 1989). Politeness in the workplace must be expected and is imposed externally by any organization wishing to remain competitive. It is important to consider that there is a variation in culture of the workers thus they will have different traits and qualities when working. But there is higher level of success that emerges from harnessing the power of mutual respect and cross-cultural understanding. Mutual respect must spring from the internal structures of each individual. For this to truly capture the culture of the organization this must cascade down from the senior leadership to every level of the organization enhancing creativity, productivity and an emotionally safe environment (Wong, 2008). Another way where the advantage of using diverse workforce is seen is Conclusion After analyzing diverse workforce in a restaurant and bar business setting, the paper suggest that indeed diverse workforce has the reputation for integrity, quality and innovation and this will depends on the ability to transform the diverse experiences, perspectives and ideas of the employees into outstanding and high quality food serving catering services. As a concluding statement, two heads are better than one. The said statement can be applied in the main topic as it discusses the advantages of using diverse workforce over a homogenous workforce setting. It’s like a spider that has eight hand but all these hands work together to achieve something. Working in a diverse workforce environment makes bigger and challenges everyones business world. Gender, race, generational issues and other layers cause all to take a brand new look at personal prejudices and narrow-mindedness. At the same time, each new layer provides another wonderful opportunity to seek to understand before seeking to be understood. References: Friedman, H. H. (2008). Workplace Diversity: The Key to Survival Growth. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York Chatman, J. A. , J. T. Polzer, S. G. Barsade, and M. A. Neale (1998). â€Å"Being Different Yet Feeling Similar: The Influence of Demographic Composition and Organizational Culture on Work Processes and Outcomes. † Administrative Science Quarterly, vol.43, 749-780. Stata, R. (1989). Organizational Learning The Key to Management Innovation, Sloan Management Review, Spring, 63-74. Tsui, A S. , T. D. Egan, and C. A. O’Reilly III (1992). â€Å"Being Different: Relational Demography and Organizational Attachment. † Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 37, 549 – 579. Wong, H. A. (2008). Best practices in Diversity strategies and initiatives. National Diversity Conference, H Z Wong Associates Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Impact of Employee Retention Essay Example for Free

Impact of Employee Retention Essay Griffeth Hom (2001) have argued that employee turnover is assuming crisis proportions for many employers who struggle to retain people in the tightest labour market. Griffeth Hom (2001, Pg 1) 52% of companies report that their turnover is increasing and quit rates are running high of 1.1% a month.† Turnover can be a real problem in many organisations. Companies spend a great deal of time and money recruiting and training employees and the cost of replacing staff members lost through turnover are great. The monetary cost of replacing one employee is generally estimated to range from 50 percent to 200 percent of the annual salary for the position, and may even be higher in very specialized fields. Furthermore, poor employee retention can have a negative impact on workplace productivity, job satisfaction, and also on the overall morale of the organisation. It is proven that a high turnover percentage can cost employers a great deal of financial distress. Depending on the size of the company, to many employers it can make the difference in staying or going out of business. Phillips (2003,Pg 4) noted that, â€Å"of late employee retention has captured the attention of the business, financial, and executive community as a critically important strategic issue that can have a dramatic effect on productivity and profits.† Cascio, 2000 and Johnson,1995 cited in Griffeth Hom, Retaining Valued Employees (2001), are of the opinion that, human resources professionals and researchers project that the cost of one turnover incidence ranges from between 93% to 200% of a leavers salary, depending on his or her skill and level of job responsibility. Labour turnover has a negative impact on the organizations. Although every manager and team member is aware of problems associated with high turnover, a review of its foremost consequences puts employee retention in the appropriate perspective. Patricia (2002, pg 4, 5) noted that â€Å"employee turnover has a serious impact on organisations. Firstly high financial costs, which is both in terms of direct and indirect costs and the performance of companies has been inhibited in many ways by high turnover rates. Sometimes the costs alone causes turnover to become a critical strategic issue. Secondly, in terms of survival as an issue, where in a tight labour market in which the company depends on having employees with critical skills, recruiting and retaining the appropriate talent can determine the success or failure of the organisation. Thirdly in terms of productivity loses and workflow interruptions , where an employee who quits abruptly not only leaves a productivity gap but also causes problems for others on the same team and within the same flow of work. Fourthly in terms of loss of know-how especially with regards to knowledge industry, where a departing employee may have the critical knowledge and skills needed for working with specific software. This can be a negative impact at least in the short run. Fifthly, turnover can have a serious impact on the image of the organisations.† Patricia (2002) also noted that some of the other impacts of turnover on organisations may be with regards to loss of business opportunities, administrative problems, disruption of social and communication networks, and job satisfaction of remaining employees. Patricia (2002) noted that it is important to remember that turnover can have a negative impact on the individual, particularly if an employee is leaving because of problems that could have been prevented. Furthermore, Patricia (2002) noted that a voluntary turnover because of problems that could have been avoided creates a variety of consequences such as loss of employee benefits or job seniority, financial difficulties, loss of social network, relocation costs, wasted efforts and uncompleted projects, and even more in terms of career problems. Branham (2005) noted that employees quit because of the disengagement process and deliberation process. Branham (2005) also noted that there are 7 reasons as to why employees leave organisations. They are as follows: 1. The job or the workplace was not expected. 2. The mismatch between job and person. 3. Very little coaching and feedback. 4. Few growth and advancement opportunities. 5. Feeling devalued and unrecognised. 6. Stress from overwork and work-life imbalance. 7. Loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders. There is no set level of employee turnover that determines at what point turnover starts to have a negative impact on an organisations performance. Everything depends on the type of labour markets in which you compete. Where it is relatively easy to find and train new employees quickly and at relatively little cost (that is where the labour market is loose), it is possible to sustain high quality levels of service provision despite having a high turnover rate. By contrast, where skills are relatively scarce, where recruitment is costly or where it takes several weeks to fill a vacancy, turnover is likely to be problematic for the organisation. This is especially true of situations in which you are losing staff to direct competitors or where customers have developed relationships with individual employees. Some employee turnover positively benefits organisations. This happens when a poor performer is replaced by a more productive employee, and can happen when a senior retirement allows the promotion or acquisition of welcome fresh blood. The more valuable the employees in question the more damaging the resignation, particularly when they move on to work for competitors. Moderate levels of staff turnover can also help to reduce staff costs in organisations where business levels are unpredictable month on month. When business is slack it is straightforward to hold off filling recently created vacancies for some weeks. Staw (1980 cited in Griffeth and Hom (2002), argues that turnover is not always bad. For instance, vacating employees or employees who quit can increase promotional opportunities for other employees or can infuse new ideas and technologies when new employees replace those who left. Dalton, Krackhardt and Porter (1981cited in Griffeth and Hom (2002), are of the opinion that certain kinds of jobs exits or quits among marginal perfor mers are even desirable. Abelson Bay singer (1994, cited in Griffeth and Hom (2002) that a certain quit rate might be tolerated as a cost of doing business in a particular industry. Stephen Taylor (2002, Pg 15) noted that for many HR specialists, rising staff turnover is seen as being an important organisational problem. It follows that improving retention rates should be high on the management agenda, and it is proper for resources to be devoted to achieving this aim. However a certain amount of turnover is actively welcomed by many managers. â€Å"Nonetheless, Griffeth Hom (2001) have noticed that organisational-level research and corporate studies report that high exit rates generally worsen organisational effectiveness. Though there are diverse opinions from various authors, and taking the above argument into consideration, it is clear that employees play a fundamental role in the success of any organisation and therefore by retaining talented or rather key employees is a very important task that the managers should undertake. Phillips Connell (2002) noted that, some organisations do a superb job of managing retention, whereas others fail miserably. The issues are not always externally driven but often lie within the organisation.

British Petroleum: Unethical Issues

British Petroleum: Unethical Issues Referring few frequently use terms in business ethics as in, this report stressing on business ethics. Based on Crane and Matten in definition of business ethics, it is the study of business situation, activities, and decisions where issues of right and wrong are addressed. In a normal context, a situation cannot be considered unethical if it is not violating the law but a situation can be equivocal when conflict happened among ethical values. Importance of Business Ethics Ethical practices in business are important because businesss power and influence is greater than before. (Crane and Matten, 2010) Based on Laczniak and Murphy (1993, p. 5), consumer will have more impression on businesses that practice ethical practices in business. Based recent research of Belak and Rozman (2012), company that practices ethics will have better image and reputation. Then, it brings long term interest. Ethical practices help business to meet stakeholders expectations more effectively while stakeholders demand going more complicated and hard to achieve. (Crane and Matten, 2010) Based on the research of Holme (2008) on business ethics, he listed out few advantages of business in being ethical. He linked up the relationship between employee satisfactions levels with financial result of company. Higher satisfaction level of employee results in better financial result. Further, a company that practices ethics in business gains trust from suppliers. He further explained that a company practicing with ethical culture will influence employee to support on the company. It will influence employee to react with strong motivation and performance which is crucial to gain customer approval. Company Background British Petroleum, British  international  oil  and  gas companies headquartered London, UK. Based on CNNs Global 500 ranking of world corporations (Refer appendix B), BP ranked 4th largest company in the world and 3rd largest energy company. (Fortune, 2012) Nature of Business BP seeks to provide energy sustainably with its upstream and midstream active in 30 countries. BP works on finding, developing, and moving resources then produce and marketing the products. (Refer appendix C) Whilst providing energy and daily use products, BP investing on alternative resources, the sustainable energy with low carbon especially bio-fuels, solar and wind energy. Industrial Practices in Ethics As an international oil and gas company, decision made by the company often involve many parties and might brings serious consequences. There are ethics issues bothering BP in past few years, the human right and environmental issues. Based on BPs sustainability review of 2011, the company emphasize in enhancing safety and risk management in order to gain back trust from the previous accident in Gulf of Mexico. BP also continue working with safer drilling, avoiding environment pollution and restoring the environment resulting by deepwater horizon oil-spill. One of the industrial practices by BP in ethics is to treat people fairly and strictly eliminate child labour and forced labour. Bribery and corruption is prohibited in BP and the company seeks to not obey law. (BP Code of Conduct, 2011) BP invested in cleaner and greener energy helps preserving environment for future. Besides, BP  communicates with local community groups to avoid and minimize impact on their life. BP also helps in creating jobs. They use local suppliers and support community development. Ethical Dilemmas BPs stakeholders are the local communities, customers, employees, shareholders and analysts, governments and regulators, industry and non-government organizations. (Stakeholder engagement, 2012) In this case, stakeholder analysis is used to find out the interests of stakeholders affected by environment pollution caused by BP. How the environment pollution has impacted BP stakeholders will discuss later. Local Communities Based on an article of George in 2003, he emphasized the importance of taking interests of local communities while making decision. Supporting on local communities brings advantage of getting support from them in terms of supporting companys activities, as well as attracting and retaining good employees. Out of so many of the ethical issues, environment pollution is the issues that BP often encountered with. For example the Columbian pollution on farmland, Texas City chemical leak, and the recently deepwater horizon oil spill. The blowout of deepwater horizon rig in April 2010 has been commented as the worst oil-spill in history of US (BBC, 2010). The accident has killed 11 crew members on the rig and the rig sank two days after the explosion. The sank rig leak gallons and gallons of crude oil into sea and the leaking of oil from the exploded Macondo well polluted Gulf of Mexico and other 5 nearest gulfs, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, causing environment pollution. The incident became the biggest issue faced by BP. Environment pollution that mostly faced by BP is the pollution caused by oil-spill. The pollution has caused damage on wildlife and eco-system of the impacted area. Wildlife like birds, sea turtles, dolphins, and also sperm whales were badly impacted because of oil-spill. There are health problems faced by these animals. Just to name a few, airways and immune system damaged because of oil-spill. Then, birds drown because of oil on their fur making them failed to fly. Dolphins found death because of the toxins released into the air. Marine mammals like dolphins need to go up surface and breathe. (Environmentalgraffiti, n.d.) Gulf Coast is rich with seafood like  fish, crab, oysters and shrimp, especially oyster and shrimp that are highly concentrated in the gulfs, contributing to production of seafood in US. The pollution affected the seafood industry badly. The 23% out of $2.4billions on production of Louisiana seafood has been shut down after the oil-spill. (Environmentalgraffiti, n.d.) Till date, there are still impacts on seafood found in affected coast even though oil has been cleared. Based on article of Jamail in (Aljazeera, 2012), they found fishes, shrimps and other seafood with abnormal growth. For example, eyeless fish and shrimp believe as a result of toxics released by oil. Tourism bears the brunt of the environment pollution. Based on a report of Oxford Economics (n,d), tourism plays key drivers in Gulf regions economy. Referring to the chart below, oil spill has greatest impact on tourism revenue during year 2010 after the Deepwater Horizon Oil-spill. Bourgeois, the owner of Bourgeois Fishing Charters told The Times-Picayune (2010) that his business was down after the oil-spill in Gulf of Mexico. The visit to fishing charters decreased about 20 percent after the case, booking declined and increase in cancellation rate of trips. Besides, fishing industry has been directly impacted by the pollution, causing increase of unemployment rate. The lives of people in affected gulfs were threatened because they were unable to collect fish. William, as reported by Juhasz (2012) article in The Nation, has lost his income because of shrimp he used to catch were affected because of the oil-spill. Air pollution caused by the explosion of rig also brings impact on the health of local communities. Nicole told The Nation that there is smell of oil for the entire month after explosion and it made her daughters asthma worst. Not only that, Elizabeth, 9, Nicoles daughter also suffers from rashes, allergies, inflamed sinuses, sore throat and an upset stomach. Another example of how environment pollution impact on BPs local communities is the oil-spill of Columbia pipeline caused by corrosion of pipeline. It is a project with Columbia national oil company and 4 others multinational company. The oil leaking from corroded pipeline transferring crude oil polluted farmland. Water was poisoned, lead to death of livestock and crops were failed to grow. (Taylor, 2011) Shareholders To be straightforward, shareholder as one of companys stakeholders to provided fund. (Harvard Business Review, 2012)  Shareholder seeks profit and return on investment rather than growth of business. The environment pollution of BP has brings impact on its shareholders. Especially the blow-out and oil-spill of deepwater horizon rig in Gulf of Mexico, BP faced numbers of court cases, claims and payout for cleaning up oil. BP has accepted to pay a total of $4.5bn fine to solve all the 14 criminal charges. (Goldenberg and Rushe, 2012) Besides, BP has paid a total of $23billions on claim and cleans up. Based on the report of BP on cash dividend payout in history, there is no dividend payout in year 2010 after the accident in Gulf of Mexico. Share price drop drastically from a constant increasing yearly. The dividend increased at 3rd quarter of year 2011 but it is still very much lower than the dividend paid before the accident on Gulf of Mexico. (BP, n.d) How BP dealt with dilemmas Dilemmas have to be solved by company to sustain in business. How BP did to solve the dilemma will be discuss and apply to ethical theory. Responding to the main cause of accident in Gulf of Mexico, BP has designed its programme on enhancing safety and risk management to avoid repeating of accident like Deepwater Horizon Oil-spill. Local Communities First, BP has takes responses to helps in different dilemma caused by the accident. It includes helps in monitoring health and safety of people involved in cleaning up oil, puts effort on cleaning up both offshore and on shore, rescuing and rehabilitation of wildlife, containing the leak and compensate the people and communities affected. (BP, 2011) Few examples on how BP responses to the dilemma, BP hired local commercial fisherman and vessel owner to help in clean-up. The clean-up of affected area need large amount of manpower and BP has decided to seek help from the local, with their local knowledge. Then, BP deployed new shoreline cleaning technologies. To stop the oil leaking from the damaged well, BP used dispersant to helps in stopping oil-spilling. (BP, 2011) To resolve the damage made to local ecosystem, BP has invested on monitoring wildlife, emergency restoration projects, early restoration projects and also National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Projects. BP works on minimizing and tracking for the impact on wildlife. For example, bird observational survey and live dolphin health assessments. Emergency respond also took by BP. For example, eggs of Kemps Ridley sea turtle has been collected and protected, release after hatchlings. (BP, 2011) Furthermore, BP supports on monitoring and testing programmes of seafood. This including testing on dispersants to boost people confident on the quality of seafood. As an overall till 2011, BP has invested $33.5 million to test and monitor the seafood, and $ 48.5 million to help in promoting seafood. (BP, 2011) With the affect on tourism industry because of the accident, tourism campaigns has launch to attract people visit to Gulf Coast. Event like seafood festivals and fishing tournaments has been launched and supported by BP in terms of funding. There is another advertising campaign launch by BP designed in promoting tourism. BP contributes in community development of the affected area. The company support on various type of jobs training, and education. (BP, 2011) Shareholders Ethical Theory (Utilitarianism) Utilitarianism, as defined by Bentham and Mill, the action is morally right if it results in the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people affected by the action. The theory also known as greatest happiness principle (Crane and Matten, 2010) Organizations best practices and values Alyeska Pipeline Service Company

Development of a Character :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Development of a Character This past summer, I attended Interlochen Arts Camp as a Shakespeare Theatre Production Major. Wishing to further hone the knowledge I had gained during my previous summer at IAC, I auditioned for Advanced Acting Studio, and was accepted. During the eight week session, one primary focus of the class was on the different "energies" used in acting for the creation and development of a character. Our introduction to these energies seemed simple - we went outside, and were told to walk in any direction at our normal speed and rhythm, using the shade of a large tree as a boundary. Then, as we were walking, Cindy, one of our three directors explained, "There are six different major types of energy used in acting - percussive, vibratory, suspended, swing, collapsed, and sustained. These energies not only apply to acting, but to life in general." As we walked, she described them, saying that some would feel very natural to us, while others might feel alien, even frightening. In turn, the twelve of us transformed our entire beings to mimic these descriptions: Percussive. . . . Kate was naturally percussive. Her movements came like bursts of energy, lots of short little fuses that were being burnt at intervals with no apparent rhythm. Even the way she spoke was joyfully random and unexpected. Instead of just standing up when she was called on, she would leap from her chair. The next energy we explored was vibratory. Vibratory is similar to percussive, but where as percussive is made up of seemingly random spurts of energy, vibratory is a constant flow of repetitive, rhythmic beats. Jeff was vibratory. His feet would tap the ground while his fingers drummed on the arms of his chair and his upper body swayed back and forth to this constant drum-roll. Before I met Michael, I would have associated suspended with an upper class snob. Suspended people can have an air of being taller than the rest of us, chins tilted up wards, eyes gazing down at the people below, their entire being having the sense of being pulled upward. Yet Michael was suspended without being imperious or haughty. He simply had very good posture, and an air of confidence that is so crucial in a performer. He was a dancer, and gave the impression of floating across the ground as he walked.

Controlling Chemical and Biological Weapons Essay -- Exploratory Essay

Controlling Chemical and Biological Weapons History and Introduction Chemical and biological weapons (CBWs) have been used over the ages as an effective means of warfare. The earliest incident of biological weapons (BWs) occurred in the third century B.C., when the Carthaginian leader Hannibal filled up pots with venomous snakes and threw them onto enemy ships. (Cirincione, 48) Since then, biological weapons have been used very infrequently. This is mainly due to enormous cost required to create and handle BW's (many of the groups who have attempted to create such weapons have ended up infecting themselves more often then their intended targets). (Henderson, 25) In contrast, chemical weapons have been used fairly frequently in warfare. The earliest example of chemical weapons comes from the Trojan War when the Greeks "mixed sulfur and pitch resin to engulf enemy troops in toxic fumes." (Cirincione, 51) More recently the Germans and the Allies of World War I utilized the capabilities of chlorine gas in order to asphyxiate their enemies.(Slotten, 478) T hese weapons are thought to have been employed more frequently because they are more "humane" than biological or traditional weapons of war. Explains Capt. Alfred T Mahan of the U.S. Army after the Germans deployed chlorine gas during WWI, "the use of gases might make war more humane, instead of dying an agonizing death from horrible wounds, soldiers might be incapacitated by gas and then be humanely carted off to prisoner of war camps where they could quickly recuperate with no ill effects."(Slotten, 478) Though Mahan's rationale may be a little naà ¯ve, one can see why after the war there were many advocates for chemical weapons. Since their application in WWI by both the... ... the intelligence of the authorities in developed nations, who in turn can put political pressure on the nations building CBWs. Intelligence is the key. The more we know, the easier it is to stop terrorist groups and nations from using these weapons of mass destruction. Sources: Cirincione, Joseph, with Jon B. Wolfsthal and Miriam Rajkumar, "Deadly Arsenals: Tracking Weapons of Mass Destruction." The Brooking Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 2002. Henderson, Harry, "Global Terrorism: The Complete Reference Guide." Checkmark Boook, 2001. New York, N.Y. Moodie, Michael."Agents of Death." Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, Spring 2000. v15 i1 p6. Slotten, Hugh R. "Humane Chemistry or Scientific Barbarism? American Responses to World War I Poison Gas, 1915-1930." The Journal of American History, Volume 77, Issue 2. September, 1990. p. 476-498.

Ma Joad as Leader in The Grapes of Wrath :: Grapes Wrath essays

In a crisis, a person's true colors emerge. The weak are separated from the strong and the leaders are separated from the followers. In John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family, forced from their home in Oklahoma, head to California in search of work and prosperity only to find poverty and despair. As a result of a crisis, Ma Joad emerges as a controlled, forceful, and selfless authority figure for the family. Ma Joad exhibits exelent self-control during the sufferings and frustrations of the Joad's journey. Ma knows that she is the backbone of the family, and that they will survive only if she remains calm. Ma keeps her self-control when Ruthie tells some children about Tom's secret. The family becomes nervous and enraged over the situation, but Ma restores order by handling the situation in a calm and collected manner. If Ma were to ever show fear, the family would most likely collapse. For, "Old Tom and the children could not know hurt or fear unless she acknowledged hurt or fear." Thus, if Ma acts as if everything is all right, then the family will assume everything is all right. Most members of the family openly express their doubts or fears. Ma may be just as frightened as the rest of the family, but she always maintains a front for the rest of the family. When Ma had fears, "She had practiced denying them in herself." This extraordinary self-control helps to keep the Joad unit together and alive. Ma, like all leaders, must be forceful for things to work in her favor. Numerous situations occur in which Ma must be forceful or relinquish her role as the head of the family. Her forceful leadership occurs once when the family, without Ma's consent, agrees to leave Tom and Casey behind to fix the Wilson's car. Ma feels this will break up the family and uses a jack handle to prove her point. It is at this point Ma replaces Pa as the official head of the family. Ma's forceful leadership also surfaces when she threatens a police officer with a frying pan and when she decides for the family to leave the government camp. In both situations Ma must use force to achieve her objectives; in both situations, she emerges victorious. Eventually, Pa becomes angered because of his loss of power to a woman and says in frustration, "Seems like times is changed.

Death and What Next? Essay

A living human can only be one hundred percent sure of one thing, that is that there is life on Earth. Although there is believed to be an afterlife some people may think that the idea of an afterlife has been made up to make people feel easier about death. In a way I believe that this is both true and false. I think that often an afterlife is spoken about to comfort the emotions of people but I do believe that there is an afterlife in heaven. The one, most definite thing is that you will die. Some people believe that the person you are during your life determines whether you will go to heaven or hell and this is decided by a supreme power. Suggestions say that the ‘Afterlife’ gives justice for what has happened in a person’s earthly life. Most religions believe that something happens to us after we die, for Christians our destination after death is Heaven or Hell whereas in the Old Testament of Judaism, Jews believed in a place called ‘Sheol’ meaning ‘Pit or ‘Grave’ The basic principles of life after death for the Christian Faith is that if you have had a ‘Good’ life on earth then you will enter heaven but if you have had a ‘Bad’ life on earth then you will surely go too hell. But what about Salvation? Salvation is the confession of sins even at the very last moment. This would mean that as long as a Christian confessed his sins too God and was truly sorry for his actions then they would be allowed into Heaven regardless of their life on earth, thus inferring that everyone has the chance to enter heaven, if such a place exists, as long as they are able to confess their sins. It is often said that â€Å"Heaven is only for those who believe in Jesus Christ and who have received Salvation† I personally do not believe that heaven is only for those who believe in Jesus Christ because in today’s society, the church does not play as large a part as it has previously. People today have their own opinions, views and choices whereas is past years it has always been a custom to ‘Belong’ to a church. Most Christians, who believe in Jesus Christ and have received salvation, will in theory enter heaven. St Paul – â€Å"I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love; neither death nor life, neither angels not heavenly rulers†¦neither the world above nor the world below†¦ through Jesus Christ our Lord. I also don’t believe that God would ever refuse an honest, hard-working person into heaven based on the fact that they did not believe in him during their life on Earth. After all, they will be proved wrong when they enter heaven anyway. â€Å"Do not let your hearts be troubles, believe in God and also in me.† A Christian funeral is usually a burial or a cremation, the dead body is often taken by the undertaker where it is embalmed and then laid in a wooden coffin. The coffin is then transported to the church or crematorium in a Hurst which is a large car which is usually Black in colour. Before the body is buried or cremated a service is held to celebrate the life of the deceased. â€Å"We have entrusted or brother/sister to God’s merciful keeping and now we commit his/her body to the ground (or be burned). Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, who died was buried and rose again for. To him be glory for ever and ever†¦. Amen† This is the final statement made by the minister at the ceremony before the body of the deceased person is finally laid to rest. Some people may argue that there is Life after Death and others may argue that there is no life after death. None of this can possibly be proven true to people on earth. The only way we found out is to proceed through our life to the end where we shall find out. Personally I like to think that when I die it is not the end and I will go to ‘another’ place.