Pink-Collar Ghetto for Women

Pink-Collar Ghetto for Women The term â€Å"pink-collar ghetto† means that many women are stuck in certain jobs, mostly low-paying jobs, and usually because of their sex. â€Å"Ghetto† is used figuratively to evoke an area where people are marginalized, often for economic and social reasons. â€Å"Pink-collar† denotes jobs historically held only by women (maid, secretary, waitress, etc.)   The Pink-Collar Ghetto   The Women’s Liberation Movement brought about many changes for the acceptance of women in the workplace throughout the 1970s. However, sociologists still observed a pink-collar workforce, and women still did not earn as much as men overall. The term pink-collar ghetto reflected this discrepancy and revealed one of the major ways women were at a disadvantage in society.   Pink-Collar vs. Blue-Collar Jobs Sociologists and feminist theorists who wrote about the pink-collar workforce observed that pink-collar jobs often required less education and paid less than white-collar office jobs, but also paid less than blue-collar jobs typically held by men. The blue-collar jobs (construction, mining, manufacturing, etc.) required less formal education than white-collar jobs, but the men who held blue-collar jobs were often unionized and tended to receive better pay than the women stuck in the pink-collar ghetto. The Feminization of Poverty The phrase was used in a 1983 work by Karin Stallard, Barbara Ehrenreich and Holly Sklar called Poverty in the American Dream: Women and Children First. The authors analyzed the feminization of poverty and the fact that the increased number of women in the workforce were largely working the same jobs as they had since the previous century.

PEST and PESTEL Analysis

PEST and PESTEL Analysis The PEST analysis is a tool for assessing the broad environment in which a firm operates and is trying to compete, and the model is probably best-known for providing a virtual alphabet soup of acronyms. PEST is an acronym for Political/Economic/Sociocultural/Technological; other variants include PESTEL (Political/Economic/Sociocultural/Technological/Environmental/Legal), STEP, SLEPT, PELTS, LE-PEST-C (which adds Competitive Forces to the PESTEL model), and SPECTACLES (Social/Political/Economic/Cultural/Technological/Aesthetic/Customer/Legal/Environmental/Sectoral). Apart from different degrees of breadth and the suggestion that some factors can be prioritized in different ways depending on how the acronym is arranged, there is no fundamental difference among these variations. Defining PEST Factors Political: The political environment consists of the laws, regulations, and policies that currently – or in the foreseeable future – affect the company’s operations and objectives. Economic: Economic factors are those of the wider macroeconomic environment (which is to say, practically all of it, one way or another) that affect the company. Inflation and interest rates, equity and commodity market trends, and other indicators such as unemployment or job creation rates all have an impact on the company by determining what stage of the business cycle the company’s particular market is currently in; obviously, if the company is pursuing a strategy that is not supported by its economic environment, that would be a problem. Sociocultural: Cultural characteristics and traditions, the social structure of a population in the company’s market, ethical and moral norms, and other factors such as age, education level, and language are all important factors for the company to understand and respond to appropriately with its products or services. Technological: Technological influences exist on many different levels. The most obvious one is the technology of products, for example, the rapid proliferation of increasingly capable  smartphones and tablets steadily taking market share from ‘traditional’ desktop computers and laptops. Process technology for businesses evolves almost as rapidly  because it is supported by the developing technology underlying consumer products. Managerial technology, the ideas, methods, and processes used to manage businesses competitively, also evolves. The latter is the most likely to be overlooked in an environmental analysis; most firms are fairly competent in identifying the characteristics of their environment, but often do not recognize that the means and methods which they must use to respond effectively to new circumstances need to be updated as well. You may also be interested in: How to Write Critical Analysis Critical Success Factors Analysis Five Forces Analysis How to Understand SWOT Analysis My Assignment Brief Says â€Å"PESTEL† Analysis, so Where’s the EL? Including the Environmental and Legal components of the analysis seems to be current academic fashion; in real-world managerial practice, preferences for more or fewer factors are more or less uniformly distributed – some prefer the longer and more sub-divided format like PESTEL or SPECTACLES, others prefer the shorter version. The pitfall of additional factors is that they are often not distinct enough to warrant separate attention. Environmental concerns, for example, do not exist outside the contexts of social and cultural attitudes towards the environment, political factors that affect the management of the environment, and technological impacts on the environment. Legal issues, such as laws regulating company activities, or laws governing the forming and enforcement of contracts, all derive from political factors, and to some extent, from sociocultural factors; they cannot exist on their own. For the purposes of generating the environmental overview, turning a PEST into a PESTEL or another  variation is not at all difficult. Analyzing the factors, however, becomes more complex the more letters there are in the acronym; careful attention must be paid to how the various factors are related to each other. Common Steps in a PEST Analysis In general, analyzing the factors gathered together in a PEST requires five steps: Step 1. Determine which trends are relevant to the organization.  Past strategies and their outcomes are a good guide to determining which of the factors identified are likely to have an impact on the company in the future; some will be rather obviously relevant or not, but most will require careful study. Once the relevant factors are identified, investigate their behavior over time to identify general trends and patterns that will be continued in the future. Step 2. Identify the interdependencies in the trends.  All of the relevant factors and trends are connected in some way  and either complement or conflict with one another. Using the ‘environment’ example from above, a trend towards stricter environmental laws (a Political factor) would probably be seen to correlate with stronger public attitudes about the environment (a Sociocultural factor) and growth in â€Å"green† products (an Economic and/or Technological factor). Understanding these interdependencies is important to prevent the development of strategic objectives that have unintended consequences. Step 3. Forecast specific issues for the company that the trends will create.  Again, past performance is the best source of evidence for how relevant trends will impact the company. At this point, you should begin to prioritize the trends and the issues that are created from them in order of greatest to least impact on the company and its strategy. Step 4. Develop implications of trends and environmental changes.  The trends and issues should be examined in three contexts: the possible impacts on the industry or sector as a whole; possible impacts on the company’s competitive position; and possible impacts on the position of the company’s direct competitors. Step 5. Conduct a sensitivity analysis.  The particular manner in which this is done depends on the circumstances and priorities of the firm. As a general rule of thumb, if the projected possible negative result of a particular issue is slightly below the ‘worst-case scenario’ result for the related objective, the issue should be considered critical. Advantages Disadvantages of PEST The PEST analysis is a useful precursor to internal analyses  or analyses such as SWOT analysis that combine  internal and external factors. Like the Critical Success Factors analysis, a significant part of the benefits from doing a PEST analysis come from the exercise itself. Key drivers of change in the organization or its market are identified along with their relationships, and this analysis framework provides a sort of â€Å"common language† for managerial decision-making and interaction. On the other hand, PEST does have a number of flaws. The four factors of the basic PEST model are somewhat arbitrary; the assumption that they do significantly affect every business is usually correct, but there is no guarantee of this. And of course, adding more factors to turn PEST into a PESTEL or another  variant comes at the cost of added complexity. The model also makes the assumption that historical behavior and trends predict  the future, which may not always be the case. In addition, determining which trends and factors are relevant to the company and its market is entirely subjective, as is identifying interdependencies among trends to some degree. Various data-management programs can help reduce the uncertainty  but add time and cost to the analysis.  And finally, PEST does not necessarily suggest a course of action; it helps to identify important factors and trends, but not what the organization should do about them.

Describing the leadership style of someone you respect Essay

Describing the leadership style of someone you respect - Essay Example Leadership is about how one overlooks personal interest to satisfy the needs of an organization and its workforce. This is exhibited prominently by Bobbi Quick, the former VP of operations at the Member Service centre where I work. Leadership is about what one thinks of themselves and the self-image one presents. Tracy Brian emphasizes this in the assertion â€Å"If you want to be a leader or a better leader, remember that it’s all up to you. It’s in your hands, or, even more important, in your mind† (Tracy 7). Quick has unceasingly demonstrated the ability to lead effortlessly and exemplary. Firstly, there exists an inherent belief to be a great leader that has in point of fact become a reality (Tracy 56). Self-confidence and the desire to lead are integral components that I admire in Quick’s form of leadership. Bobbi Quick’s approach to governance characterizes transactional leadership. A transactional leader is one who organizes people to realize a set objective. To some extent, a transactional and transformational leader presents similar characteristics. Quick’s basis of power is based on the interests of the workforce and their adaptability to the work setting. She has such high energy and really gets individuals excited to work for her while making one feel their contributions to the business really matter. In the main, it is her personality that fuels the remarkable association she has with the workforce. To a great extent, she reminds me of Groucho Marx’ quote, â€Å"Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men -- the other 999 follow women.† It is nearly impossible to such a leader who not only leads but also inspires and influences the workforce. This sentiment is echoed by Alan Murray, who posits that leadership is about adapting to the situation at ha nd and the requirements of the people involved. The influence that Bobbi Quick has in my life is

Writing project Part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Writing project Part 2 - Essay Example It therefore seeks to justify the need through policy formulation, funding through research and development and technical initiatives to realize energy efficiency. Annotated bibliography Patridge, Robert B. Energy Efficiency: Challenges and Trends for Electric Utilities. S.l.: Diane Pub Co, 2003. http://www.asu.edu/title/energy-efficiency-challenges-and-trends-for-electric-utilities/oclc/795292357 Patridge defines energy efficiency as any positive measures taken to reduce energy consumption. He further states that this involves the deliberate substitute of more energy efficient equipments to produce the same amount of energy with less electricity and changing consumer behavior to cut energy use. He is of the view that energy efficiency is achieved through replacing, upgrading or maintaining existing equipment to reduce the amount of energy needs in lighting, heating, cooling, propelling machines and transportation. I am of the opinion that energy efficiency therefore contributes grea ter energy productivity and economic efficiency as opposed to renewable energy alternatives.... The Wall Street Journal, Before Adding Try Reducing by Sari Krieger. 2012. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203771904574179270925771280 The U.S. government continues to offer a lot of subsidies and tax incentives to expand renewable energy instead of committing funds to energy efficiency and subsidize conservation. Susan Krieger a reporter for Dow Jones Clean Technology Insights in New York notes that billions of funds are pledged in support of renewable energy instead of encouraging the use of less energy in industrial production and domestic use. Those in favor of energy conservation argue that we need more subsidies and tax incentives on insulation, light emitting diodes (LED) in building and industrial systems which in the long-run result to less waste of energy in cooling, heating and lighting. Natalie Mims an energy consultant at Rocky Mountain Institute, Snowmans, Colo says that renewable energy often costs more, take longer to recoup on investment compared to energy efficiency measures which tend to receive less subsidies, tax incentives and funding particularly in research and development. From my point of view I think that newer energy conservation technology may be cost effective even with a high initial cost but are also yet to be embraced by the wider public due to unavailable information. The Natural Resources Defense Council. Renewable Energy For America, Harvesting the Benefits of Home-grown Renewable Energy. 2013. http://www.nrdc.org/energy/ According to a recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) of America, developing clean renewable energy sources has not only the potential to add to our power supply but also enhance sustainability and environmental protection.

Legal and Ethical Implications for Classroom Management Essay Example for Free

Legal and Ethical Implications for Classroom Management Essay Today’s classrooms are more dynamic than ever before. Educational needs of students are changing at breakneck speeds, along with the demands being placed on their teachers. There are associated legal and ethical implications that are evolving as rapidly as the technology that is driving a lot of the change. In order to have a chance to meet the needs of students and legal/ethical obligations, educators must have well developed classroom management techniques. These can get tricky quite often and require balancing the increasingly diverse needs of many different people. To be an effective teacher today is extremely difficult for these reasons. This essay will examine some of the current issues that teachers are exposed to in today’s classrooms by summarizing four journal articles and responding to them. The specific issues will be free speech and what it means in a school setting, cell phones in classrooms, bullying (specifically of students with disabilities), and gender specific dress codes. Freedom of Speech The issue addressed in the first article summary is freedom of speech and how it is interpreted in a public school setting in relation to the distribution of religious materials. This is really not a new topic of debate. Current precedents have been set in court cases dating as far back as1969 and the Tinker vs. Desmoines case. In that case, the court decision reads that, in order to prohibit any students’ expression of opinion, the school must provide evidence to support the fact that the actions being suppressed would be significantly disruptive (Essex, 2006). Because it is an issue of ongoing debate there are cases still being heard all over the country. This article is specifically in response to a case in the New York Supreme Court, where a student was prohibited from distributing religious fliers on school property. The question is, why was the student prevented from expressing her opinion in the first place. According to Essex (2006), one of the requirements placed on schools is that they remain viewpoint neutral. This means that if the literature was suppressed because it was religious in nature, the suppression violated her First Amendment rights, even in the school setting. In all court cases, the real message has been that schools are responsible for making sure parents and students are aware that the schools are merely sending messages indiscriminately from religious and non-secular sources and that they are not in support of any of them (Essex, 2006). Really the essence of the article is that sound policies must be in place, well documented, and consistently followed for a school to be able to regulate what a student says or distributes and there must be no endorsement of any particular ideas from any group or student. Cell phones The next topic of discussion is cell phones in classrooms. The article being summarized is entitled The Only Thing We Have to Fear is†¦120 Characters. In this article, Kevin Thomas and Christy McGee (2012) make arguments for the use of cellphones in classrooms in spite of the fact that 69% have banned them. This paper responds to the many reasons for disallowing their use, and then it goes on to highlight some ideas about why cell phones should be used as educational tools. Both sides of the discussion certainly make valid points. If 69% schools have taken students cell phones away, there must be some reasons. Thomas Mcgee (2012) identified and responded to four commonly offered rationales, including misuse for cheating, replacing Standard English with textese, sexting, and cyberbulling. It seems rather obvious that these are negative side effects of the technology, however there are also positive results that can be attributed to the use of cell phones. Today, they are relatively affordable and powerful miniature computers. When used properly, the possibilities for better use of time are astonishing. According to Thomas and McGee (2012), teachers need to be modeling appropriate behavior with their portable electronic devices and taking advantage of the benefits because the technology is not the cause of the problems. The problems being associated with cell phones all existed in some form, long before modern technology. Thomas Diamates (2010) reports that courts have supported schools in their efforts to ban cell phone use as long as the school follow established procedures. Bullying The third topic has to do with bullying, specifically students with disabilities. These students stand out in the classroom, as they are â€Å"different† and so they are subjects of increased abuse from fellow students (Eckes and Gibbs, 2012). Schools and teachers have an obligation to provide students with disabilities a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004). This paper looks at the findings in several court cases to establish what is required of teachers in situations where students with disabilities are being bullied. What this article shows is that there are an increasing number of suits against school where disabled children are being bullied. The interpretation of what is considered an appropriate education, and whether or not the school took proper preventative/disciplinary steps in light of the bullying are the reasons for these suits. The findings of this study provide evidence that the courts will generally side with schools that have taken and documented actions to alleviate the harassment. In Brown vs. Monroe County Board of Education (1999), the Supreme Court ruled that for a school to be liable, it must receive federal funds, it must have been aware of and acted â€Å"deliberately indifferent† to the harassment, and the bullying must have been severe enough to deprive educational opportunity (Eckes and Gibbs, 2012). Basically, schools must make an adequate effort to alleviate the harassment in order to limit their liability, and this has been upheld by the courts in cases like Werth v. Board of Directors (2007), and Biggs v. Board of Education (2002). Dress codes The last article on the list takes a look at how and why public schools can or cannot implement gender based dress codes. Proponents of dress codes list reasons including less distractions, less pressure to dress right, safety, and lower cost to families. Opponents say that dress codes take away students expressive rights, which are already severely limited in school settings. In this particular case, Ceara Sturgis had her picture and name removed from her senior yearbook because she is a lesbian who was more comfortable wearing the school prescribed male outfit. The current question is whether or not this is in violation of her civil liberties. Historically the courts have upheld the rights of schools to implement dress codes with very few exceptions. In Blau v. Fort Thomas Public School District (2005), a father brought suit against the school for violating 1st and 14th amendment rights with their dress code. The court found no violation of rights since â€Å"it is not related to suppression of the content of expression, it furthers a substantial government interest, and it does not burden substantially more speech than is necessary to further that interest† (Dowling-Sender, p. 34, 2005). On the other side of the coin, in United States vs. Virginia (1996), schools were required to show a â€Å"legitimate and important† reason for any gender based restrictions (Smith, 2012). In Ceara’s case, the school is going to have to show that it meets all these criteria, and the outcome has some potentially far reaching consequences. What all this means is that teaching in todays classrooms must be dynamic. Teachers need to be aware of their ever-changing legal and ethical obligations as educators. Decisions must be based on sound judgment and carefully documented observations. Teachers, students, and parents must work together and communicate with each other to create the best possible learning environment for everyone.

The Transition from Analog Television to Digital Television :: Expository Essays Research Papers

The Transition from Analog Television to Digital Television The transition from analog television to digital television is an issue that is becoming more and more prevalent today. In 1996 the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) ruled that until 2006 or when digital television reaches 85 percent of all American households (whichever comes later) broadcasters can keep their analog spectrum free-of-charge. They decided that after that all television broadcasts must be made digital(Leopold). While this seemed like a great plan in 1996, it was later realized that it would take much longer for the transition to be complete due to many factors. The digital evolution began to transpire on November 1, 1998. Since then there have been many other forms of digital technology adopted by our society and digital television quite possibly is next. â€Å"The speedy conversion to digital technology will have profound interest benefits, permitting efficient spectrum use, optimizing the development of new technologies and services to consumers, and fostering diversity and competition(FCC). What are the advantages of Digital Television? Overall there are many advantages to digital television. The point to creating digital television is to receive digitally encoded broadcasts. These digital broadcasts are more picture perfect and have more lifelike sound than analog television. In an analog system the waves are modulated into mechanical form and transmitted through air or over cable. In a digital system sound and images are analyzed first then converted into a stream of numbers. Digitized information is transmitted in this system, not mechanical waves(Johnson). Comparing Resolutions: Analog TV Resolution: 480 interlaced lines, which means that half the screen is refreshed at a time. Digital Television Resolution: 480 progressive-scan lines, which means that the entire screen is refreshed at the same time. Digital signals convert regular signals into strings of ones and zeros, which is much more efficient than analog signals. Broadcasters can maximize their use of channel space because digital signals carry significantly more information than analog signals. Several digital programs and services can be sent in the space occupied by a single analog channel. The result of this is that the consumer is provided with more channel choices(FCC).

Humility in Lifeand Business

Humility is the one characteristic human trait that is the most elusive, as it cannot be obtained through effort, work, or education. The reason it is so difficult to obtain is because the more you aspire for it, the more it will go away from you. Have you ever heard a person state, â€Å"I have finally become a humble person! † The statement alone is a signal that humility has not been gained. It is something which has to be inculcated from the very beginning in one’s life. For this to happen, it follows that the right family values play a very important role. Humility is a trait that lets a person be grounded, no matter what the situation is. It’s considered a virtue in many religious and philosophical traditions. Humility is multi-dimensional and includes self-understanding and awareness and openness. Humility stops the ego or arrogance from creeping in to our minds and it is a great team building asset and vital in a business. In business there are people who work for you, you pay them wages for them to deliver the amount of work entrusted to them, to achieve their KRA’s so as to say. But by no means does that give the employer the right to treat them in a non-humane manner. Respecting the human resource today, the people who work for you whether it be a manufacturing facility or a services concern, is imperative. The respect will come as an offshoot of humility, in the belief that not only ones leadership but also the people who work for you are the two wheels which draw your chariot of success. Leaders, who want to inspire followership, need to demonstrate not simply their accomplishments but their character. Take pride in what you have done, but use it as a platform to bring people together to do greater things, e. g. increase sales and improve quality. Use your leadership for something other than self-aggrandizement. We must understand that as humans, it is natural for us to have our faults and to realise the things which we do well and ones which we do not. This is the first step to self realisation and the stepping stone to humility. In a way it helps you to think beyond yourselves and see the larger picture. Hence, it is considered an important characteristic, one to be believed and practised. C. K. Prahalad, the renowned management guru said â€Å"Leadership is about self-awareness, recognizing your failings, and developing modesty, humility, and humanity. † It is essential to acknowledge what others do. Few have said it better than legendary Alabama coach, Paul â€Å"Bear† Bryant. â€Å"If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That's all it takes to get people to win football games for you. Practice that attitude always, especially when things are not going well, and your team will rally together because they want you to succeed. In short, humility breeds humility. It is the same in business and in life. Success plays a critical role when it comes to humility in Life. In the journey of life, achievement of success- expected or unexpected can boost anybody's ego and put them in a spot of complace ncy. Furthermore milestones of success are keenly anticipated. Subsequent successes are hugely welcomed but at that point of time, the occurrence of any possible failure can really demoralize the person. In the case of the humble ones, the wings of airs are rarely obtained. Even in times of adversity the humble ones stay put. Humility can bring more success in the long run. The lesson remains that it always pays to be more grateful than to be more proud. It is human to want more in life, to be ambitious and to go to lengths to achieve your goals. But in this process we often choose the path of ruthlessness and become shrewd. This path has provided success more often than not to most people who have resorted to using it, which in turn gives us the return present of PRIDE. We loose the art of humility that was one of the first lessons taught to us as children, and as the saying goes ‘Pride comes before a fall. ’ Each one of us is a blend of our personal and professional lives and as I see myself part woman and part businesswoman, I have realized the importance of humility in everyday life. Sometimes I learnt it the hard way, but it was a lesson well learnt. I have realized that in family situations and at my work place whenever I was faced with a difficult situation and I choose to be angry or arrogant, I was not able to achieve the desired results. People respond better to love and compassion as compared to criticism. I learnt that when I changed my attitude in situations in which I otherwise used to be angry or proud to one where I was humble, I got better results! We have to try not to let our achievements in life get to our heads. I met with a time in my life when everything was falling apart my work, my health and my personal life and I had nothing but my attitude to blame for it. I considered my small achievements as big, people were doing much more work than I was and keeping silent about it. Their humility was giving them the necessary cover and capacity to do better while I was collapsing under the weight of my attitude. But only when you reach your lowest point can you rise back up. I hit an all time low, met with an accident, and was laid up in bed for 9 months. This forced rest gave me the opportunity to ponder over my life. Life taught me the best lesson I have learnt the hardest way. I was left at the mercy of others, I could not walk or move without help. This helplessness broke my pride to bits. In these 9 months in bed, I realized that my attitude of pride has given me nothing but anger and failure. When I got back onto my feet, I slowly started to change my ways. As they say ‘charity begins at home’ I started by changing my attitude towards my family and friends. I became more forgiving and adopted an Attitude of Gratitude towards daily things. Seeing my changed attitude my family changed their attitude towards me. Difficult situations became easier and life started to seem easy. As I saw a change in family situations I realized how this could change troubled situations at work as well. I started by being more soft spoken and humble towards people at work – my employees and my clients of course. Even when I saw a difficult situation I did not act on impulse and on success I was not proud. I tried to look at every achievement as a stepping stone towards more and kept my calm. The frequency of my achievements grew considerably and I was able to think better with a sound mind. This new found clarity gave me immense satisfaction and peace of mind. I was happier, more loved and respected among family and co-workers and since then I have tried to make it my way of life.