Polite and gracious Essay Example for Free

Polite and gracious Essay For the first time in my life things seemed to be looking on the bright side and then, just like usual, it was torn away from me by a selfish, ignorant Mr.Birling. I had been doing well at the works, had only recently been promoted as the leading officer, a head of a group of girls. I was in charge of them and got to know them well, there was Betty, Martha, Lucy, Agatha, Emma, Vicky and quite a few others. Marthas the nicest. Shes an orphan, like me so I guess. Well, during the short holiday in the summer, we got talking about our wages and how most of us were barely scraping by on the measly 22 6pence we got. I mean we were only just surviving and its no good just being able to survive, we wanted to live! Other people do so why cant we! So seeing as we shouldnt be treated as cheap labour, but people we decided to go to Mr.Birling himself and ask for 15 shillings instead. But as he is mean and penny pinching he refused blankly. Said he wouldnt even consider it! After that it only gets worse. Stupid as we were we went on strike hoping that that would show him but of course how could we manage having just been on holiday. We were all even more broke then usual, so the strike having failed miserably we had no choice but to go back to the works.  But No! It wasnt as simple as that, life never is. Of course he wouldnt accept us ringleaders back and came down himself and told us to clear out! I had a lot to say to that Mr.Birling but he wouldnt even listen to a word of it! Sent us packing right on the spot. If only he would have listened to me, Id have told him a thing or two! God, there is so many thoughts and questions running round my head! There is so much I want to say to people, but no one will listen. There are so many others just like me out there, who struggle and suffer simply because of the conditions they work in and the measly wages they receive but no one dares do anything about it. Why shouldnt we try for higher wages? Its unjust that we should be sacked just for having a little more spirit than the others!  But who am I kidding? Im just lower class, cheap labour, scum. Im meant to just accept that thats the way it is. Dont try and go against it, dont ask questions, dont do any thing but just take whats given you. Maybe it is Gods will for me to end up like this, just like it was for my parents. Im angry and frightened and dont know what to do. I have looked for almost 2 months for some kind of work but it is scarce and hard to get, Im living in lodgings which I cannot do for much longer, I have no money saved, not one penny, no family, few friends, no home to go back to, Im lonely and scared, stuck in a rut, unable to climb any where higher or better. No one to turn to for support or comfort apart from the lord some may say. But when out of the many times I have begged him to help me had he answered my prayers? Never. Enough of this miserable complaining. When has it done anybody any good? I guess Eva Smith is better than this (or I shall try to be). Just because some mean selfish man made me lose and job, that I hardly enjoyed any way, doesnt mean I have to throw everything away and stop living! I will try! Tomorrow I will continue looking for a job although if I shall succeed I do not know, but it is better than sitting here counting the pennies in the dark. I have never been so happy! Last week at last, my dream came true! No more cold nights, no more hungry bellies, no worrying if Ill make it till tomorrow, I am at last safe! I have eventually found a respectable, fairly well paid, secure job at one of the best, and most expensive shops around. Milwards! Every body goes there. No, not only every normal body but every rich, prosperous noble body! Its a wonderful stroke of luck, I really couldnt of asked for a better job! Its lovely working there, Im treated like a normal human being for once. Its an amazing change from the factory where I would be surrounded by loud machinery drilling into my head, people moaning and sweating, horrible smells, shouts and cries, no escaping from it. But now its completely different. Everywhere I look I see beautiful, clothes hanging rail by rail and whereas before the most I could do was longingly stare into shop windows I can now actually hold these gorgeous dresses and if Im lucky, try them on! I may even start saving up for one even though it would take a long, long time. Lovely people talk to me there and theyre ever so polite and gracious. They no longer look at me as if Im some piece of dirt but almost as if Im one of them. I feel like Ive entered a different world, a world with out suffering and pain. I see this as a good fresh start for a new life, a new road now lies ahead of me. This job is a lot better pay (I now get 95 shillings a week!) so I can now start looking to try and rent a place out for my self but the first thing I will do is go a buy my self a nice juicy steak with some of this weeks wages. Its been so long since Ive had a proper, tasty meal, I can feel my mouth watering just thinking about it. Well enough about food. I have been thinking recently that its about time I tried to find my self a husband. I look around me and everywhere I see are happy couples arm in arm. I know my parent would have wanted me to find a nice young man and now Im working in respectable job I can hopefully find one who isnt too badly well off and quickly settle down happily. I can see myself, in a few years time, married to a works manager of some sort. Hed be tall and dark and have beautiful blue eyes. Hed be ever so loving and caring to me and would never treat me badly. Wed have two lovely children, a girl and a boy, and we would live in the biggest, most beautiful rose covered, marigold house, along pixmore lane.

Branding Essay Example for Free

Branding Essay Case Study 1: Transaction pricing in a recessionary economy Our client is an FMCG major that sells its products across many large and small retailers. The client is facing pressure from one such large retailer to cut prices across brands and categories. The client is therefore losing money on several products. Our client would like to use analytics to bring in some science into the pricing decision. Our analysis should help the client decide what pricing strategies should be applied to each product. How would you approach this analysis? The data available is weekly price and volume data for all client brands at the retailer for a period of 2 years. Case Study 2: Managing extreme seasonality Our brand is a high end lifestyle brand, famous globally. They however, face an issue of seasonal sales, with over 60% of their sales coming in the holiday period. They would like to understand how best to ensure sales in non seasonal periods as well and make the sales curve more even. Data available includes volume and values sales and usage and attitude studies. Case Study 3: NPD (own label) at a supermarket chain A leading supermarket chain wants to expand its limited portfolio of RTE food products. Transaction data for the past 1 year is available. How would you go about understanding the type of products to be introduced? What is the launch strategy for the products chosen? Case Study 4: Acquisition vs New product development A food major in the market with no chips brand in its portfolio. A decision has been made at the board level to either acquire an existing brand or launch a new one in this space. You are in charge of implementing this. 1. How will you take the decision on acquisition vs. new product development? Which metrics would you evaluate, what analysis would you perform what data would you require? 2. If you decide to acquire a brand, how would you choose among the existing brands? What info do you require on each brand to make this call? a. Any intangible factors that would influence your valuation of existing brands? In case you decide to launch a new brand, how would you go about it? How would you decide the desired new brand characteristics and the associated marketing mix? Case Study 5: Analyzing brand performance A chips brand has recently been launched, but its performance has not been too good. The large promotional investments put in have not yielded lasting returns. You are told to investigate what’s wrong with the brand. 1. What data would you request to complete your investigation in this case? 2. Can you talk about your analysis roadmap in this scenario? What possible corrective actions would you suggest (you are free to make relevant assumptions on the diagnosis)? Case Study 6: Heritage brand with stagnating growth A very old chips brand (kind of like a heritage brand) is faced with stagnating growth. It continues to perform reasonably well on key equity parameters, and there is no decline compared to previous years. 1. How do you read the situation? What data would you require to make an accurate diagnosis of the issue? What are the potential corrective actions you would suggest? How would you decide between the various options?

Philosophy of the Italian American Mafia

Philosophy of the Italian American Mafia The Italian mafia came to power in America in the 1920s from Sicily, Italy (Staff). It became known as organized crime (also known as the Mob) and became centered in New York City, divided among five major crime families, which included nineteen additional family units around the country (Jrank). The five major families were the Bonnano, Columbo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families who were organized through the efforts of Salvatore Charles (Lucky) Luciano. (Jrank). This was the beginning of the very powerful counterculture American crime syndicate. A counterculture is a subcultural practice, which is consciously intended to challenge the values of the larger society, rejecting the major values, norms, and practices of the larger society, and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns (Thomas). From a sociological perspective, which is a look beyond commonly held beliefs to the hidden meanings behind human actions, Lucky Lucianas special contribution to the success of the mafia depended on his running the show like a legitimate business, based on profit and loss capitalism as a board of directors would be run by a CEO (Thomas 4). One major difference, however, was that Luciano, as the CEO, conducted business as an absolute dictator who saw no limitations on taking down oppositional viewpoints through violence. It was like an inner government within the larger society that had factions within (like political parties, in this case opposing families) that conducted wars against each other. Sociological Imagination as defined by C. Wright Mills is the ability to see the connection between the larger world and your personal life. It is also the capacity to range from the most impersonal and remote [topics] to the most intimate features of the human self-and to see the relations between the two (Thomas 5). Luciano started out his career in a legitimate business as a clerk for a hat company around 1914. But by 1916, he was dealing with drugs and had his major run-in with the law, which earned him six months at a reformatory for that crime (Editors). From that time on, Luciano got involved with other questionable businesses such as bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, loan sharking (charging very high interest rates), drug distribution as a natural extension of bootlegging, and labor racketeering (Jrank, 2/5). All of these enterprises had certain small levels of legitimacy but always ended up tinged with major levels of criminality, illegal operations, and various deviant l egal practices. Luciano and his fellow colleagues saw no conflicts in carrying out these controversial businesses with an iron hand and with few moral and ethical considerations. Ethnocentrism is defined by W. LaVerne Thomas as the tendency to view ones own culture and group as superior. In addition, it is the belief that the characteristics of ones group or society are right and good, helping to build group unity. (Thomas, 35). This kind of situation was a very dominant characteristic of the American mafia organization in its heyday. It was initiated from Sicilian culture in Italy, and nearly all the bosses and godfathers who led the family organizations had roots in Italian culture that came from Sicily. The New York mafia was dominated by New Yorks five major families previously mentioned, along with other more minor Italian families with names like Profaci, Gagliano, Mangano, Marazano, and Masseria. (Bio, 2/4). The only way to move up in the organization of the New York mafia was to be geographically located in the New York City area and be of Italian (preferably Sicilian) heritage. There were major exceptions to the Italian rule, however, most notably Lu cky Lucianos most trusted and important Jewish friends and allies from his youth-Meyer Lansky and Benjamin Bugsy Siegel. (Bio, 1/4). Nevertheless, neither of those two non-Italians was ever able to climb to the very top of the leadership of the mafia organization or lead one of the major or minor Sicilian crime families. There were also other ethnic communities that competed with the American Italian mafia-primarily the Irish, Russians, and Polish organizations. Thomas defines Cultural relativism as an attitude in which there is a belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the standards of another culture. In other words, it is the attempt to understand cultural practices from the points of view of the members of the society being studied, (Thomas, 36), In the case of the American mafia that was based on Sicilian origins; this means that ethics and morality came from a culture that is male-dominant, sexist, and machismo. There was always a defined code: It was a mixture of ethics, friendship, family, property, and lifestyle intermixed with violence, corruption, trust, faith, and a certain sense of honor. (Gambetta). The family always came first with a strong sense of loyalty. It was run as a real true government, but a clandestine one that was better obeyed and even better understood. (Reppetto) I cannot say that I agree with the basic philosophy of the Italian American mafia as described in this paper as an example of a good countercultural philosophy. Although they seem to have an organized structure that imitates the structure of our overall American government and society working within a capitalistic for-profit basis, what it is definitely missing at its core is a reasonable moral and ethical code based on democratic principles. They are totalitarian in nature, prone to violence against the poor and less powerful, and definitely ethnocentric, sexist, and out primarily for their own good. They do not care for the needs of the common man, only themselves. This is how they basically keep themselves in control and have power over everyone else. This is how they try to be above the common laws and liberties of the land. Their very existence flies in the face of the US Constitution. Even after Lucky Luciano was in prison at the tail end of his career, he tried to offer the US help in the war effort during World War II by using his criminal connections in Italy to advance the Allies cause. (Bio) This effort, of course, was rejected by the US government, but it certainly showed how Lucianos ethics and moral base was constantly challenged and off base. Even later than that, after Lucky Luciano was deported to Italy, never to return to the US legally, he traveled to Cuba where he was also later deported back to Italy because of criminal activity, where he remained under surveillance and not allowed to leave Naples. He was still involved with drug trafficking at that time until his death at a Naples Airport in January of 1962. Ironically, he was on his way to meet with a film and television producer who was going to make a movie about his life as an infamous hero/villain of the 20th century. In my opinion, Lucky Luciano is certainly more than a footnote of history, but he and the mafia are definitely not proud examples of a morally acceptable counterculture lifestyle. Works Cited Editors, Biography.com. The biography.com website. 15 June 2015. 9 march 2017. Gambetta, D. The Sicilian Mafia. 1993. Harvard University Press. Jrank, law. law.jrank.org. 2015. 10 march 2017. Reppetto, T. American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power. Kindle. Staff, history.com. history.com. 2009. 9 march 2017. Thomas, W. LaVerne. Cultural Diversity. Holt, Rinehart, Winston. Holt Sociology The study of Human Relationships. Austin: A Harcourt Education Company , 2003. 39.

Argumentative Essay: Women Should Not Be Allowed To Go Topless In Publi

Argumentative Essay: Should Women Be Allowed To Go Topless in Public   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the summer of 1996 Gwen Jacobs enjoyed a topless summer stroll during which she was seen by a local O.P.P officer, was apprehended and subsequently charged with indecent exposure. Gwen Jacobs pleaded not guilty in court and won the right to go topless in Ontario. This incident brought up an excellent question: should women be allowed to go topless on public beaches and in other public areas? The answer is strictly no, women should not be allowed to go topless anywhere outside of their own home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the many reasons why I believe that women should not be allowed to go topless is with respect to the safety of women. Men and boys have, in recent years, been using short, tight, skirts and shirts as an excuse for rape or date rape. Men have said that the girl was wearing a tight shirt and short skirt and it was obvious that she was easy and wanted the attention. This statement leads me to my next point. The average human being upon first contact with a stranger bases his initial impression of that person solely on the person's appearance. This is only natural as the only thing that we know about this stranger is what we see of them the first time we meet. We all are aware of the sayings "Preppy","Jockish","Skater","Sluty" etc. This final saying, â€Å"Sluty† is interpreted by 90 percent of North Americans as a tight skirt and tight tank top which happens to be the usual ensembl... Argumentative Essay: Women Should Not Be Allowed To Go Topless In Publi Argumentative Essay: Should Women Be Allowed To Go Topless in Public   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the summer of 1996 Gwen Jacobs enjoyed a topless summer stroll during which she was seen by a local O.P.P officer, was apprehended and subsequently charged with indecent exposure. Gwen Jacobs pleaded not guilty in court and won the right to go topless in Ontario. This incident brought up an excellent question: should women be allowed to go topless on public beaches and in other public areas? The answer is strictly no, women should not be allowed to go topless anywhere outside of their own home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the many reasons why I believe that women should not be allowed to go topless is with respect to the safety of women. Men and boys have, in recent years, been using short, tight, skirts and shirts as an excuse for rape or date rape. Men have said that the girl was wearing a tight shirt and short skirt and it was obvious that she was easy and wanted the attention. This statement leads me to my next point. The average human being upon first contact with a stranger bases his initial impression of that person solely on the person's appearance. This is only natural as the only thing that we know about this stranger is what we see of them the first time we meet. We all are aware of the sayings "Preppy","Jockish","Skater","Sluty" etc. This final saying, â€Å"Sluty† is interpreted by 90 percent of North Americans as a tight skirt and tight tank top which happens to be the usual ensembl...

Staging of a Tragic Drama :: essays research papers

â€Å"Staging of A Tragic Drama†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Much of our knowledge of Greek theater comes from archaeological studies and historical writings of the time. By the 600s B.C., the Greeks were giving choral performances of dancing and singing at festivals. Tradegies were performed as part of an important yearly religious celebration. Greeks then later staged performances in the Theater of Dionysus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ancient Greek theaters were outdoors, that seated thousands of spectators for annual contests in acting, choral singing, and writing comedy and tradegy. Beyond the circle and facing the audience was the skene, originally used as a dressing area and later as a background for the action. According to Webster, pg. 326. The theater seated about 14,000 people. It consisted of rows of stadiumlike seats that curved about halfway around the orchestra. The stage house, that was facing the audience had three doors. The action may have taken place on a raised platform, or perhaps entirely in the orchestra. A wide central opening, to which were added later two smaller side openings, a rolling platform which can be pushed through the central opening, a roof, and a crane.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Greek tragedy, perhaps because it originally was associated with religious celebrations, was solemn, poetic, and philosophic. Nearly all the surviving tragedies were based on myths. The main character was an admirable, but not perfect, person confronted by a difficult moral choice. According to Webster, pg. 326. Greek tragedies were performed by a few actors, never more than three on stage at one time. The main characters struggle against forces ended in defeat and in most Greek tragedies, his or her death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The actors wore masks to indicate the nature of the characters they played. Men played women’s roles and the same actor appeared in several parts. The acting style was probably far from realistic. The poetic language and the idealized characters suggest that Greek acting was formal. According to Webster, pg. 326. The dancers were men wearing a kind of jersey which held in the padding. Sometimes they danced with women, padded, naked or clothed. Men wear masks, tights, and over the tights any other clothing that suits his part.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Greek tragedies consisted of a series of dramatic episodes separated by choral odes. The episodes were performed by a few actors, never more than three on stage at a time, during the 400s b.c. A chorus danced and sang and chanted the odes to musical accompaniment. According to Webster, pg. 327. The performances was a unique performance to please the god Dionysos. The earliest record of Greek drama dates from about 534 b. Staging of a Tragic Drama :: essays research papers â€Å"Staging of A Tragic Drama†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Much of our knowledge of Greek theater comes from archaeological studies and historical writings of the time. By the 600s B.C., the Greeks were giving choral performances of dancing and singing at festivals. Tradegies were performed as part of an important yearly religious celebration. Greeks then later staged performances in the Theater of Dionysus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ancient Greek theaters were outdoors, that seated thousands of spectators for annual contests in acting, choral singing, and writing comedy and tradegy. Beyond the circle and facing the audience was the skene, originally used as a dressing area and later as a background for the action. According to Webster, pg. 326. The theater seated about 14,000 people. It consisted of rows of stadiumlike seats that curved about halfway around the orchestra. The stage house, that was facing the audience had three doors. The action may have taken place on a raised platform, or perhaps entirely in the orchestra. A wide central opening, to which were added later two smaller side openings, a rolling platform which can be pushed through the central opening, a roof, and a crane.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Greek tragedy, perhaps because it originally was associated with religious celebrations, was solemn, poetic, and philosophic. Nearly all the surviving tragedies were based on myths. The main character was an admirable, but not perfect, person confronted by a difficult moral choice. According to Webster, pg. 326. Greek tragedies were performed by a few actors, never more than three on stage at one time. The main characters struggle against forces ended in defeat and in most Greek tragedies, his or her death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The actors wore masks to indicate the nature of the characters they played. Men played women’s roles and the same actor appeared in several parts. The acting style was probably far from realistic. The poetic language and the idealized characters suggest that Greek acting was formal. According to Webster, pg. 326. The dancers were men wearing a kind of jersey which held in the padding. Sometimes they danced with women, padded, naked or clothed. Men wear masks, tights, and over the tights any other clothing that suits his part.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Greek tragedies consisted of a series of dramatic episodes separated by choral odes. The episodes were performed by a few actors, never more than three on stage at a time, during the 400s b.c. A chorus danced and sang and chanted the odes to musical accompaniment. According to Webster, pg. 327. The performances was a unique performance to please the god Dionysos. The earliest record of Greek drama dates from about 534 b.

Discovering Alcott :: Louisa May Alcott Writers Essays

Discovering Alcott When I was a child, I spent all my free time reading. I loved the Nancy Drew series of mysteries and even read a few Hardy Boys. I also read every other book available in our house, especially the children’s book I read to my younger brothers and sisters. Each of them had a favorite book. Those books were read over and over at bedtime or to entertain them while my mother was busy. As I grew older, the responsibility of reading to the other children passed to my younger sister, Cathy. I looked forward to summer vacations because that meant more time to read books that I chose. There was no library in our small town but my mother had lots of books. I also had a two friends, girls who were the only child in their families, and they had all the latest books, ones my family could not afford. I had the privilege of borrowing books from them. When I was eleven years old, I discovered Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I was a child who noticed details so the author’s name immediately intrigued me. Louisa was my grandmother’s name. I could not remember this grandmother but she was my mother's mother and May is my mother’s middle name, so I felt this had some significance. I was sure that Louisa May Alcott had written something especially intended for me. I did not underestimate how important she would be to me. In addition to our regular household chores of cleaning, babysitting, bed making and helping with cooking, washing and ironing, my older sister, Marian, and I were old enough now to help with canning and freezing fruits and vegetables. We were aware that this must be done in order to feed the family through the winter. We felt our mother’s worry about being able to provide for us so endured the hot, muggy kitchen when we, or at least I, would much rather have been curled up in a quiet corner with a book. I was intrigued from the first page of Little Women because it was about four girls and they were talking about being poor. I could feel and understand their worries. Not only that, one of them reminded the others that they were lucky, they had each other, something my own mother often told us we should appreciate. As the story continued I could not help comparing them to my own family. Discovering Alcott :: Louisa May Alcott Writers Essays Discovering Alcott When I was a child, I spent all my free time reading. I loved the Nancy Drew series of mysteries and even read a few Hardy Boys. I also read every other book available in our house, especially the children’s book I read to my younger brothers and sisters. Each of them had a favorite book. Those books were read over and over at bedtime or to entertain them while my mother was busy. As I grew older, the responsibility of reading to the other children passed to my younger sister, Cathy. I looked forward to summer vacations because that meant more time to read books that I chose. There was no library in our small town but my mother had lots of books. I also had a two friends, girls who were the only child in their families, and they had all the latest books, ones my family could not afford. I had the privilege of borrowing books from them. When I was eleven years old, I discovered Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I was a child who noticed details so the author’s name immediately intrigued me. Louisa was my grandmother’s name. I could not remember this grandmother but she was my mother's mother and May is my mother’s middle name, so I felt this had some significance. I was sure that Louisa May Alcott had written something especially intended for me. I did not underestimate how important she would be to me. In addition to our regular household chores of cleaning, babysitting, bed making and helping with cooking, washing and ironing, my older sister, Marian, and I were old enough now to help with canning and freezing fruits and vegetables. We were aware that this must be done in order to feed the family through the winter. We felt our mother’s worry about being able to provide for us so endured the hot, muggy kitchen when we, or at least I, would much rather have been curled up in a quiet corner with a book. I was intrigued from the first page of Little Women because it was about four girls and they were talking about being poor. I could feel and understand their worries. Not only that, one of them reminded the others that they were lucky, they had each other, something my own mother often told us we should appreciate. As the story continued I could not help comparing them to my own family. Discovering Alcott :: Louisa May Alcott Writers Essays Discovering Alcott When I was a child, I spent all my free time reading. I loved the Nancy Drew series of mysteries and even read a few Hardy Boys. I also read every other book available in our house, especially the children’s book I read to my younger brothers and sisters. Each of them had a favorite book. Those books were read over and over at bedtime or to entertain them while my mother was busy. As I grew older, the responsibility of reading to the other children passed to my younger sister, Cathy. I looked forward to summer vacations because that meant more time to read books that I chose. There was no library in our small town but my mother had lots of books. I also had a two friends, girls who were the only child in their families, and they had all the latest books, ones my family could not afford. I had the privilege of borrowing books from them. When I was eleven years old, I discovered Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I was a child who noticed details so the author’s name immediately intrigued me. Louisa was my grandmother’s name. I could not remember this grandmother but she was my mother's mother and May is my mother’s middle name, so I felt this had some significance. I was sure that Louisa May Alcott had written something especially intended for me. I did not underestimate how important she would be to me. In addition to our regular household chores of cleaning, babysitting, bed making and helping with cooking, washing and ironing, my older sister, Marian, and I were old enough now to help with canning and freezing fruits and vegetables. We were aware that this must be done in order to feed the family through the winter. We felt our mother’s worry about being able to provide for us so endured the hot, muggy kitchen when we, or at least I, would much rather have been curled up in a quiet corner with a book. I was intrigued from the first page of Little Women because it was about four girls and they were talking about being poor. I could feel and understand their worries. Not only that, one of them reminded the others that they were lucky, they had each other, something my own mother often told us we should appreciate. As the story continued I could not help comparing them to my own family.

Ebay Case Study Essay

1. Describe EBay’s culture using the six characteristics describes in the prescribed text book according to the Corporate culture Index. Organisation Culture can be defined as a system of shared beliefs and behaviours such as; the language they use in the organisation, values systems, feelings and attitudes among each other and the interaction and norms of the members in the organisation. This determines how the company, employees and management interact and proceed with business transactions. An organisation’s culture develops mostly over time (Luthans, 2005). This set of beliefs is build within an organisation to create a sense of relation to employees and sometimes also consumers, it can be said that corporate culture is symbolic and identifies the organization as self. Corporate/organisational culture helps the organisation to achieve goals in their own way. A set of 20 cultural factors was developed by Henry Miglione, termed â€Å"Corporate culture index† (Brown and Harvey, 2006) The corporate culture index was developed to measure an organisations culture. These cultural factors include the following characteristics: Member Identity: Can be defined as the extent to which an employee indentifies with of within the organisation, taking into consideration their job and field of profession. Team Emphasis: The degree to with employees is able to work together as a team rather than  focusing on individual responsibilities, tasks and activities. People Focus: This involves the extend to which employees are empowered within the organisation. Autonomy: This involves the degree of independent and coordinated operation of the different departments within an organisation. Control: How rules, regulations and direct supervision is used to control employee behaviour that leads to better performance, and to what extent. Risk Tolerance: The motivation and encouragement employees receive from the organisation to be more aggressive, innovative, challenging and risk seeking to improve performance and development within the organisation. Describing EBay’s corporate culture trough using the 6 characteristics mentioned above. Member Identity: The working environment is casual and informal. Employees know what is expected from them and what they need to do. They stay focused on their goals. With the casual and informal atmosphere employees are able to identify with the organisation easier as they feel at home. In the case study the organisational vision and mission is outlined ant this would make it easier for the employees to identify with the organisation if they know what their working towards or standing for. They feel comfortable in their working environment and this leads to a better sense of identifying with their working environment/organisation. Team Emphasis: Employees work every day, they understand that a daily contribution is necessary to reach the organisations goals, they even ‘shop talk’ in the tearoom. People Focus: EBay empower staff by making them brand executives that makes them brand orientated. Employees have freedom within the office to do their work in a casual and comfortable environment to enhance performance. Autonomy: The department or brand executive is responsible for the specific happenings in the department. Every department operates in a coordinated manner to assure threat every purchase is handled with the upmost importance. Whitman  is all about bottom line approach and performance. Control: Employees know what’s expected from them, the informal culture gives the employees a sense of comfort that can lead to better performance, although the approach is still corporate it stays comfortable. There is no stick control. Employees are left to do their jobs without direct supervision. Employees have a drive to do their jobs as expected from them. The departments do not depend on one another so they know they are responsible for the completion of their responsibilities or tasks. Risk Tolerance: No risks were mentioned but referring to the case study and the departments employees will have a sense of competitiveness within the organisation against the different departments. EBay developed a target of internet users that they wanted to reach by the end of 2005. Their goals are innovative and reachable. 2. Briefly explain the socialisation process. Socialisation is the process where a new employee within the organisation learns and develops the skills, social knowledge, behaviour, norms and values that’s acceptable in the organisation. This usually follows after the introduction or training phase after an employee has been appointed, it can also be called learning the ropes. During socialisation an employee becomes aware of what is important in the organisation, what the organisation stands for and how things are being done. (Luthans, 2005) The socialisation process explained: New employee expectations New employees that join the organisation need to become aware of all the organisational norms, values and procedures of operation within the organisation. During this phase they need to be able to recognise it. This phase is easier handled when the new employee receives a mentor to help him/her through this process. (Brown and Harvey, 2006) The more the new employee adapts and learns the new culture the more comfortable they feel. Encounter organisational culture A new employee needs to learn their work group, and establish a relationship between the different members of group or team they work in. The new employee should understand and identify the way of functioning among the team members this includes the norms and values that’s used in the group. During this phase the new employee will develop positive relationships among colleges as well as support networks within the team or group. (Luthans, 2005) Adjustment to cultural norms The employee needs to accept the organisations culture and adapt to it. Responses to socialism can be identified into three different groups; they can reject the values and norms of the organisation and become rebellious, the new employee can accept only a few of the values and norms and make peace with the rest in time or the new employee can accept all the values and norms of the organisation and fully adapt and adjust to the organisational culture, that will lead to a comfortable employment and working atmosphere for the new employee. Result When an organisations culture is developed in such a positive way the employees will improve production and performance. The organisations climate and culture are set in place to develop a mission and vision in the organisation. Employees should be allowed to adapt to the norms of adapt it as a whole for the advantage of the organisation. (Brown and Harvey, 2006) 3. Bibliography Brown, D.R. and Harvey, D. (2006) An Experiential Approach to Organisational Development. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. Luthans, F. (2005) Organisational Culture, Socialisation and mentoring. In: Luthans, F. Organisational behaviour. 10th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill Irwin, pp. 30-55.