Cultural Diversity in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace - Essay Example Issues of diversity have gained prominence and they have been forecast to become very important in the future; this is because of the increase in diversity in different demographics across many countries. Many organizations have realized the importance diversity, they are considering different options that will make such workplaces to be all-inclusive, and this is because diversity can bring positive results in terms of productivity and competition. Effective management of people encompass implies proper management of diversity and correct valuation of the same. Understanding the concept of diversity People in a group can choose to identify and categorize themselves using factors, which seem similar or different to them, and thus the term diversity becomes a very subjective intonation. Mazur (2010) defines diversity to be those features, which differentiate one category of people from another, and these features are based on two different dimensions, which are identified as either pr imary or secondary. Primary dimensions of diversity implies those that people identify with and include primal influences such as disability, gender, race, sexual orientation, age or ethnicity. These primal influences have been found to have a lot of influence on the different categories in not only the workplace but to the whole society. Secondary dimensions on the other hand, are not very discernible and the influence they exert in the workplace is variable, and only relevant to the extent of personal identity. They may include such factors such as family status, educational background, geographic location, work experience, role in the organization, style of work, religion, income, style of communication and first language (Mazur, 2010). The latter dimension has been found to have a lot of impact in an individual’s self-esteem and personal definition and realization. The concept of diversity is not limited to these examples above; it manifests itself differently to a given environment. Arredondo (2004) includes language, culture and social class to the first dimension, the primary dimension while he adds healthcare beliefs and leisure benefits to the secondary proportions. Other writers have further added the third category of dimension to the first two dimensions, the tertiary dimension (Bolton, 2007). This has frequently been identified as the central feature of an individual’s identity and it is at the base of the surface. It is the most important, because if it is uncovered it can propel both the individual and the organizations to higher echelons. Understanding cultural diversity in the workplace Cultural diversity in the workplace is the situation where people with diverse behaviors and worldviews come as one in the workplace. The depiction of people, in one social system who are a distinct group with diverse associations of cultural importance aptly summarizes the definition of cultural diversity. Empirical studies and analysis on cultur al diversity in the workplaces with emphasis on the value of such diversity have revealed that effectiveness is always realized. Consequently, empirical studies that have focused their research on such issues as social identity and other self-categorization concepts have revealed that

Reflection on Global Operation Management Essay Example for Free

Reflection on Global Operation Management Essay Pietra Rivoli who is an associate professor in the Georgetown University, specializes in finance and social issues, and is the author of the book, ‘The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy’. The main reason which instigated Rivoli to write this book, was a speech a student had given at the Georgetown University, the student was severely criticizing globalization, and asking about who made the T-shirts they were wearing. She told some facts about child labor in India and Vietnam, which made everybody, sit up and think, including Rivoli. Rivoli then starts on a journey to find out some interesting facts about the origin of the T-shirt. Her case study starts in Texas at the home of Nelson Reinch, who produces enough cotton for more than 1.3 million T-shirts. Reinch and his colleagues control the whole world market of cotton, through hard work, determination, modern technology and much needed discounts from the government. Reinch was no where in comparison to the poor farmers in India and Africa, who did not have proper funds or government support in marketing their goods. Rivoli’s next stop was China, were she met a young woman Yuang Zhi, who spun the yarn for the fabric and sewed the shirt. This young lady worked for 50 hours a week, and earned nearly $150 per month. This woman’s working conditions were far better than the conditions in which women had to work previously in Manchester and England. This was probably the woman’s first encounter with independence and identity, which came in the form a paycheck, even though it was a small amount.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most important point which was very surprising was that, throughout the world there must be millions of people who manufacture cotton, but the manufacturers from Texas were totally dominating the cotton industry, because of their shrewd manner by which they manage to avoid competition. These manufacturers manage to control the market by avoiding the labor market, which make the other manufacturers unable to compete with them due to no government and political assistance, lack of proper education and money. People who support globalization vow by the free trade of clothes, as it can be used to the advantage of the poorer countries. Rivoli was surprised to find that how recycled clothes from the USA were a rage in Tanzania. Used clothes from America get imported in huge quantities to Tanzania. Tanzania is a small country which was slowly proceeding towards a more liberal capitalist system from the socialist model. People are able to freely take part in the daily auctions of the clothes at the market place, and merchants are also making a mark for themselves in the cutthroat markets as consumers or retailers. Rivoli feels that free trade should be encouraged without any government or political interference in the markets. According to the author, United States is on the top of the market whereas Africa is at the bottom; she feels that USA will have a better chance to make progress economically if they give a reasonable chance of competition to other poorer countries. Tanzania is a proper example of how a free market should work, and these markets are extremely professional, but do not get acknowledged, because of the low capital raised through such markets, which is not significant. Two of the most important principles which need to be followed are that, government and political interference should not be there in any market. Another point is that the subsidy which US government gives the cotton manufacturers is indirectly harming other poorer countries. Rich people are becoming wealthier and the poor are becoming poorer. If the subsidies are reduced, the price of cotton can be increased, which would be beneficial to other poorer markets. Another important point which is a shock is that the clothes that people donate, are not given away freely to poor people, but are sold to middlemen for huge profits, which later land in the streets of   the Tanzania marketplace. Some of the most important principles which can be followed by other industries also are that free market in any trade should be encouraged, and people should have the power to voice their demands, meaning a free democracy should be prevalent to achieve a fruitful society. Government should support free trade in any industry, and should provide the necessary platform in the form of proper education and capital to help the markets grow. Some of the other reasons for the trouble that African industries are facing are the lack of proper authority, which is due to no proper education, corruption and insecurity. The author Rivoli made a very good job of the book, she was successful in exposing the secrets and complications of the cotton trade globally.   Her views on free trade and liberal democracy are very interesting, and should be followed by the authorities of the poorer countries for a better society. On the whole she succeeded in voicing her thoughts and opinions on the recycle market in Tanzania, and hopefully, their government will provide a strong platform for such global trades. References Kris Hundley, What a T-shirt Teaches Series., St Petersburg Times, 4 October 2007, http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/819871301.html?MAC=02bf1feb f29a46475f850792f7bc0fa9did=819871301FMT=FTFMTS=FTdate=author=pu b=printformat=1desc=What+a+T-shirt+teaches+Series%3A+BOOKS. Lauren Dorsey, Lauren Barbieri, Zack Thomas, ‘The Travelers of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, by Pietra Rivoli’, 4 October 2007, http://www-learning.berkeley.edu/cipolat/PDF/ISF100E/Student%20Summaries/Rivoli.pdf.

My Philosophy :: Philosophy Education Teaching Teachers Essays

My Philosophy Everyday we learn, whether we are conscious of it or not. Since primate times to the new generations. Primates taught their kids how to hunt, those kids taught the next generation, and the chain of teaching still exists because we still learn new data, and information every day in our lives. We gain this new information primarily from our parents and teachers. I thank God for all the people who had taught me the things that I know, and helped me to realize that education is a necessity in my life. Education is a necessity in our lives. We need to go to school to become well prepare persons in the future. If I did not have the education I have today, probably I would be working at a Jack in the Box fast food restaurant, or at Wal-Mart. I am not saying that these work places are not dignify, but I would not had the benefits I have, and all the knowledge I have conquer through out the years of education, and experience. Becoming a teacher is one of the greatest experiences in my life. I will confess, teaching was not in my plans, but Gadsden School District gave me the opportunity to become a music teacher. In the district, I found out that becoming an educator is not about money, vacation, or sick leaves. This profession has to do with the satisfaction of seeing your kids accomplish their dreams, and goals. We all have experience these wonderful school satisfactions, through kindergarten, all the way to University. I remember when I f irst wrote my name in a piece of paper, I was all happy because of what I have accomplished. Since then, I have achieved many goals, and dreams. Now, I have realized that I am giving the same educational opportunities to f ind fulfillment to my music students. This fulfillment is visible when I teach them a new rhythm, or a new song. Like myself, my music students walk out of my classroom happy, and proud due to the new knowledge they have accomplish. On the other hand, I could not have achieved these goals and dreams without the help of all my professors. In all the years I have been going to school, many teachers are still in my mind.

Questionnair on customer satisfaction of bank Essay

To make a questionnaire first of all we need to understand management problem of SBI Bank. For that we need to know Why Customers are dissatisfied? Research Question: Now we need to understand where the problem is. Is it that Service Provided by SBI bank is not up to the mark or Staff member are not efficient and effective in their work or communication and after care services are not efficient or product offer by bank is not up to the mark. These are four areas in which management problem needs to be identiefied.This is known as Research Question. Investigative Question : Now we have identified problem area so now we need to examine different aspects of particular problem area its is known as investigative question. Eg. Service Provided by SBI is helpful? Service is being provided timely? In Second area of Problem of staff member, we need to Examine that information provided by staff member is easy to understand Staff member are Help full In third problem area of after care service, we need to examine whether account is Keep up to date or not? Queries are attended promptly Measurement Question: Now we need to convert investigative question in to normal layman language so that person can Understand and can answer properly. Myself Khushbu Desai. I am T.Y.B.B.A Finance student. I am doing study in B.R.C.M College of Business Administration. I have prepared a Questionnaire for Business Research Project Against Study of Customer Satisfaction for Customers of State Bank of India (SBI), Parle Point Branch. Please help me to do survey by rating the service that you currently receive from SBI Bank 5 = Excellent 4 = Good 3 = Average 2 = Poor 1 = Very Poor (Tick the boxes where appropriate) Â  

Martin Luther King in campaigning in the North Essay

In 1966 Martin Luther King decided to focus on dealing with the problems in the North particularly Chicago. The problems that he encountered here were very different to those that he had had so much success with in the South. Dealing with the economic and social segregation that he faced here proved difficult for several reasons. The problems facing blacks in the North, stemmed from a variety of different areas including education, employment, housing etc. Although King was able to identify the problems being faced in these areas, particularly housing, he still largely relayed on the same tactics that he and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) had used in the South. However, the mayor of Chicago (Daley) would avoid making a hostile response such as that of ‘Bull’ Connor in Birmingham. The authorities here were more subtle to avoid gaining the attention of the media e.g. the police would avoid using brutality and Daley even blamed violence for social decay*. This prevented the movement from gaining as much publicity and support as in previous years. King also tried to come to some sort of agreement with Daley regarding housing. However, Daley was reluctant to do so fearing the loss of votes of the white working class. Actions such as this added to the anger that blacks in Chicago felt towards the white authorities and increased their unwillingness to co-operate. Both Mayor Daley’s refusal to help and King’s disorganisation when planning the Chicago campaign played an important role in its failure. Chicago suffered more from problems in racial division than other cities in the North, and so perhaps it was not a good starting point for the campaign here. Locals would sometimes blame blacks for inciting race riots and these divisions were illustrated by the marches organised by the SCLC in 1966, which ended in violence from mobs. * * In Chicago most blacks lived in ghettoes to the south of the city. Therefore it appears reasonable that these people often found it difficult to relate to Martin Luther King and his middle class background. The SCLC had never had much grass roots support unlike other organisations, such as the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNNC). Although in the South this had  still allowed them to have success, in Chicago most blacks were working class and looking for improvements in housing, less poverty and some overall change brought about by an end to de facto segregation. However, in the South the need for change had been more political- an end to de jure segregation. Given these differences, many northern blacks felt that King’s non-violent philosophy did not represent their views. It would be difficult to change these attitudes – here, perhaps as a result of poverty, the amount of gang warfare and crime was much higher than in the South. Change would undoubtedly take time- more than the few months that the SCLC had planned for the campaign to last. There were quite clear social divisions between black communities in the South and North. One of the most important examples of this is that the churches in the North were not as successful at organising their community as churches in the South had been. This was partly due to a lack of co-operation, and partly due to the fact that the Christian faith was much stronger in the South. It was at this point that many blacks were beginning to join alternative ‘black power’ groups. Overall it appears that King underestimated the differences between the North and the South and the divisions that were evident amongst the black community. He was unfamiliar with the attitudes of those in the North and did not make an accurate assessment of the situation. As a result of this the tactics employed by the SCLC were not as successful as originally hoped. * http://www.revision-notes.co.uk/revision/59.html ** http://www.reportingcivilrights.org/

Writing Genres essays

Writing Genres essays Fiction is usually thought of as prose, while poetry is given a separate classification. Essays are a form of prose usually differing from fiction in that the essay is considered a real document and not a tale. The distinction among these three forms is not always that clear, and often the genres are deliberately blurred. For that matter, critics often find elements of one type or writing echoed in another. A writer such as Thomas Wolfe, for instance, is often cited for the poetic nature of his prose. Steinbeck wrote what are called the intercalary chapters in The Grapes of Wrath in the form of essays on topics related to the larger fictional portion of the novel. Some poetry reads more like prose than what is thought of as poetry until the reader analyzes the interior tensions of the words selected and how they fit into the whole. In much modern fiction, the three elements may be used in various ways in the same work in order to achieve some purpose or to illustrate some conc ept more fully. How these three can be fit together can be seen with reference to the poetry of She Tries Her Tongue: Her Silence Softly Breaks by M. Nourbese Philip and the more prose work Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson. The way the different genres are mixed depends on how they are mixed. Poetry and prose can be differentiated strictly in terms of the way language is used in each, but there are also distinctions to be made in terms of subject matter and the treatment of subject matter. When critics say prose is poetic, they often mean the choice and use of language, but they may also mean the way certain subjects are treated. Similarly, the essay form may be adapted to either poetry or prose when the writer adopts the sort of personal account style that infuses so many essays today, an approach that can make fiction seem more real and that can tie together a book of poems that otherwise might be treated only as individual works. These t...

buy custom Transformations in the USA essay

buy custom Transformations in the USA essay For a long time, the issue of gender discrimination, class and race have been rampant in the United States. As indicated in the book Ragged Dick, written by Haratio Alger, the immigrants, majority of whom were from Africa, Europe and Asia communities were categorized by the dominant white race as minorities. The main aim of this paper is to compare the issues that are covered by Alger with other sources, both primary and secondary, with the basic aim of understanding life in the U.S. during as well as after the Civil War. Alger offers three distinct theories that help the reader understand the inequality that existed in the United States. This includes cultural deficiency, bias theory, and structural theory. The cultural deficiencies define the minority groups as inferior and having inappropriate ways of thinking, reasoning, and acting. It is notable that transformation that occurred in the U.S. resulted to industrialization and growth in commerce, although there were no any profound changes that took place until urbanization. For instance, Ragged Dick was involved into a shoe shining business that he highly considered his professional business, a factor that indicates the hard life faced by many immigrants, especially those from Canada, Latin America, Japan, Europe, and China. Most of the population in the inner cities was represented by immigrant, majority of who were living in deplorable conditions simply known as immigrant ghettos. Tales were also told in local languages, thus maintaining a close connection between the immigrants with the communities that they left in their home countries. There was the second-generation of immigrants, who demanded for equal rights, especially in the work places, a factor that significantly reduced discrimination in many places. Due to urbanization and industrialization, the immigrants were faced with various disturbing issues, such as frequency of great fires, diseases, plague, and overcrowding of the working class neighborhoods. Violence was also rampant leading to the establishment of larger and more professional police force. As explained by Alger, there were class divisions, which influenced growing interests in leisure. In conclusion one can see that, immigration resulted to overcrowding, corruption, among other vices, which have affected the U.S. society up to date. Transformations in the USA Alger discusses the issues of race, class, and gender in his book Ragged Dick. In the history of the United States, race, class and gender discrimination have been rampant during the past centuries. The migrants who were mainly the minority groups were categorized by the dominant white race representatives as minorities. This explains the transformations that have occurred in the history of the USA; thus, it is important to compare the issues covered by Alger and other primary and secondary sources in order to understand life in the United States during and after the Civil War. Alger brings up the issues of race, class, gender in his art and life. He provides readers with different ways to understand gender, racial, and class discrimination against then African immigrants in the US. There are many ways of understanding these inequalities because many people have different views on these topics. The USA is a state of many immigrants, groups, as well as cultures in its populations, and has experienced various problems considering the dominant minority relationships that have made the society increasingly diverse. Alger provides an understanding of the three important popular theories including cultural deficiency, bias theory, and structural theory. In this essay, I will explain the similarities of the issues covered by Alger in the Ragged Dick and various materials that describe different theories on class, racial, and gender discrimination. Cultural deficiencies have been used to define the minority groups as inferior and having inappropriate ways of thinking, reasoning, and acting. By this, I refer to the immigrants who are the minority in the US. These minority groups feel and act as if they are discriminated against. The ideas of discrimination are imparted to the younger generation because the minority group teaches these ideas to their children through their actions and words. In the 19th century, society typically associated race with ethnic identity and skin color as well as national identity. During the 19th century, the emergence of different races in the US made Italians to be seen as a different race then the Irish, for example; however, both were different from the Germans and the English. In Ragged Dick, Frank Whitneys father tells Dick to Remember that your future position depends mainly upon yourself, and that it will be high or low as you choose to make it1.Yet, the path to economic security and social mobility in the United States in the 19th century was seldom simple as seen from these statements and provided in the writings of Alger. Transformations that occurred in the United States of America occurred in several ways and led to industrialization and growth of commerce. However, there were no profound changes until the urbanization. US started as an agrarian economy, but advanced into an urban nation in the late 19th century. During the Civil War, the urban population increased at a high rate. Death and infant mortality rates grew in number while fertility rate decreased. However, urbanization was accelerated by immigration. During the 19th century, American citizens moved from areas with declining agricultural productivity to the cities of the East and Midwest. Most migrants were of African origin and were escaping poverty, conflicts, debt, and discrimination that they faced in the rural south. Discrimination was evident in the work places, particularly in the factories, since the black-skinned were only qualified to do unskilled labor as cooks or domestic servants. For example, Ragged Dick was involved into a shoe shining business that he considered his professional business2. Many African Americans were involved in hard labor as well as unskilled labor. The immigrants were also staying in absolute poverty, as explained by Ragged Dick that General Washington provided his pants and coats to him because he did not have any of his own. This also contributed to gender inequality in the work places because most of the unskilled labor was work undertaken by women. Foreign immigrants who migrated in large numbers influenced urban population; for instance, some of the immigrants were from Canada, Latin America, China, and Japan. The greatest number of new comers arrived from Europe. In the earlier years, some of the immigrants from Europe brought wealth with them. The ones who appeared later lacked capital to buy land and headed west. In addition, before the Civil War, Irish immigrants settled in the industrial areas where most of them got absorbed into unskilled labor3 Most of the population in the inner cities was represented by immigrants. This led to racism due to the diversity of the populace. Thus, by 1890, no single race dominated in the US. Most immigrants were rural people greatly affected by culture shock. Some of them managed to recover from culture shock by forming close-knit ethnic groupings within the inner cities and the neighborhood, commonly referred to as immigrant ghettos. These ethnic grouping offered new comers vital information from newspapers and theatres in native languages. There were also tales told in their local languages. This led to the emergence of community organizations where the immigrants maintained close ties with their native nations. They maintained close connections with the communities that they left in their home countries; some even returned within a very short term. On the other hand, other immigrants even assisted their communities to migrate to the US. Thus, the cultural cohesiveness helped to ease the pa in of separation from the immigrants native countries. This enabled them to adapt to the American economic life. The migrations that transformed the American society formed part of great global movement that influenced the entire world4. The major impact was provided by population growth and industrialization. The ethnic neighborhoods and the immigrant groups reinforced the cultural values that were well suited to economic development. However, discrimination by the whites made it difficult for some immigrants to advance. Among those affected are immigrants who had valuable skills as well as capital5. The immigrants who occupied the inner cities came to dominate due to assimilation and exclusion. Most of these occupants were young people who shared the experience of living in the inner cities. Hence, most of the immigrants with foreign-born ethnic ties were involved in a competition against the desire for assimilation. Second-geeneration immigrants decided to come with new ways of socialization; for instance, women demanded for their rights as a way of preventing forced marriages or gender discrimination in the workplace. The natives also influenced assimilation by requiring English to be included in the curriculum in public schools, and employers demanded that workers use English at the workplace. Church leaders were usually native born Americans or more assimilated immigrants who encouraged the new comers to adopt American lifestyle. Other reforms were made to conform to the norms of the new country. Consequently, many immigrants maintained their ethnic cultures and led to the creation of distinctive communities. There were restrictions that led to the screening of immigrants through standards like literacy tests; however, these restrictions kept away only a small number of aliens because the immigrants provided cheap and plentiful labor to the rapidly growing economy that accelerated the industrial development of the US5. Class system was very rampant because wealthy citizens were the principal force behind the creation of great art museum and other social and recreation facilities such as parks. As the material and social aspirations of the wealthy grew, they required the public life and demanded the city to provide them with amenities that would match their expectations. Due to urbanization and industrialization, the immigrants were faced with various disturbing facts including the frequency of great fires, diseases, plague, and overcrowding of the working class neighborhoods. The immigrants were exposed to improper disposal of human and industrial waste, air pollution. Above all, urban po verty, crime, and violence accelerated with little success due to the involvement of middle-class people who believed that a lot of assistance would contribute to dependency. They grew particularly alarmed over the increasing number of children in the inner cities that attracted a lot of attention among the reformers. However, the attention never lasted for long. Poverty and overcrowding led into crime and violence. The native-born Americans believed that immigrants committed crimes because of the violence proclivities among their populations. This led to the creation of larger and more professional police force. The immigrants could only seek protection from the political machine that owed its existence to the power vacuum that the growth of the cities created for the political voting power. Class divisions influenced the growing interest in leisure where members of the middle class spent a lot of time. Leisure life bridged the differences of class, race, and gender. For instance, saloons and certain sporting events were male activities6. According to Alger, Ragged Dick, like other immigrants, could socialize in gambling houses that were overcrowded by young boys who misused their hard earnings. At these meetings, the juveniles would take refreshments at two cents a glass. Shopping and attending the tearooms were associated with women. This is in contrast to the cafeteria attended by the immigrants. Alger explains that the tearoom that Ragged Dick attended was a small apartment with a few plain tables without tablecloths; the class of clients who attended it was not very familiar. The meals provided were substandard. On the other hand, popular forms of entertainment developed in the cities whereby many ethnic communities maintained their own style. The Media opened few entertainments to the black performers due to racial discrimination. In addition, performers of both races tailored their acts to prevailing white prejudices in a manner that ridiculed the blac ks. Discrimination was also prevalent in the schooling system. Even though compulsory school attendance laws existed, the rural school lagged behind the urban schools. In the South, most immigrants had no access to the public schools, but for the whites opportunities for schooling expanded drastically. In addition, during the post-Civil War era, there were important educational opportunities open for women, they were less for men and denied to black women7. In conclusion, immigration led to the development of cities characterized by corruption, filth, overcrowding, and diseases. The city governments were dominated by political machines and ruled by party bosses that were the major source of inefficiencies as well as corruption. These cities brought together races, ethnic groups, and class systems. Hence, the immigrants were greatly affected by racial, class and gender discrimination8. Buy custom Transformations in the USA essay