Personal Career Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Career Analysis - Research Paper Example Sales people visit different places, identifying opportunities from where they can fulfill people’s needs by offering goods and services at a price. The choice of being a sales person was largely influenced by my personality traits; I am a person who is highly conscientious. Conscientious people are known to possess a strong passion for duty, in this case, they are said to be very responsible as well as reliable (Solis 76). This paper provides an analysis of my career and the things that have influenced my career path. In addition, it also gives an analysis of the sales career and opportunities that one is exposed to be joining this career path. Different careers have different academic and non-academic qualifications, however, having academic qualifications plays an important role in any career; this is because, education provides the medium by which people can communicate and exchange ideas. For a career in sales, the first thing that a person needs to have is the interest and willingness to talk and interact freely with people. People that are extroverts make good sales people; this is because they can interact freely with different people without fear, they are outgoing and willing to try out new challenges and ideas in life (Joyce 67). This is because, careers in sales involve meeting different consumers, one has to have the skill of convincing people; he should not be high-tempered. In addition, sales people are patient; they have to keep doing one thing for a number of times before they can influence buyers to make their decisions to purchase goods and services. Other personality traits that are essential for sales people include being adaptable, here, particular sales people are said to be people who understand the meaning of change effectively. They know how to change and do something else in case they do not meet

Organisation and the people Essay Example for Free

Organisation and the people Essay How does Amnesty International persuade the reader to take an active interest in its organisation and the people it helps? You should consider the structure, organisation and layout of material; the content of the article; and the use of language and linguistic devices. I will be studying a double page spread charity advertisement, obtained from a magazine supplement of a Sunday newspaper. Being advertised is Amnesty International: a charity organisation, which is working worldwide for the release of prisoners of conscience, fair trials for political prisoners and an end to torture, extra-judicial executions, disappearances and the death penalty. By publishing the advert in a Sunday supplement, it is insured to have a very wide circulation. Furthermore, people will have leisure time on a Sunday to be able to sit down and read the whole article, which gives them a chance to become active. If it were printed on a weekday, people would not have had the leisure time to be able read the article and become an active member of Amnesty International. Prudently, this advert has been structured in such a way that it guides the emotional response of the reader as they read through the text. The article has been subdivided into four main sections: Sallays story; the story of Mary; Britains view of refugees; and how the reader can become active and help refugees. The separation of the material into clearly defined blocks of text is very effective, in that it aids the ease and speed of access. Also, by implicating the reader in blame, they are increasingly forced to get involved. The first thing you see when you look at the article is the picture of the woman. This picture draws the reader to the article by the various attributes. Immediately, you are drawn by the shock factor: a picture of a woman who has no hands. In addition, this is an extremely powerful picture, as it is visually emotive, which means that it plays on the readers emotions and generates the readers sympathy for the woman. After looking at the picture, you read the quote beside it, which personalises the article by giving Sallay an identity this makes the reader feel closer to Sallay, and maybe as if they even know her. The large caption reads DONT LOOK THE OTHER WAY. This is imperative, as it is a command to the reader not to turn away from people like Sallay. It forces them to read the article and take an interest. In the leading paragraph the shock factor is used again to inform the reader of the shocking statistic that, Every twenty seconds a refugee is created. This shows the reader how big the refugee problem is, causing the reader to want to read on, as they want to know how Amnesty International will help so many people. Towards the end of the paragraph, the first person plural pronoun us is used. This is very inclusive and involves us all, symbolising how it is everyones responsibility to help refugees. This is then emphasised by the final sentence in the paragraph: Yes, all of us. Sallays story starts off with the phrase, Sallay Goba is a grandmother. This personalises her, as one can I identify with her, as a grandmother. This is because weve all got or had grandmother, so by being a grandmother, we know that Sallays just an ordinary woman. It then goes on to tell of how her life was turned upside down, with a graphic description of the horrific events: the murders of her grandchildren, husband, and son-in-law, her attacking, when her hands were brutally severed. The sheer extent of tragedy suffered by Sallay, persuades the reader to take in interest in the people Amnesty International helps, as the reader feels compassion for Sallay. Also, the phrase, It would have been nice to think that if she had managed to reach Britain, we would have helped her, makes us question whether we would have helped her or not, with the impression given that we probably wouldnt have. This is because of the words, It would be nice to think, as they emphasise the fact that she would have probably been rejected by the British government, as the chance of us helping her is quite slim. Furthermore, once again the first person plural pronoun we is used, in order to make us feel that we are responsible to help people like Sallay. In addition, the negative attitude of the West towards refugees increases the readers level of sympathy, making them feel that if the government is not going to help them, it is up to us. Political buzz words, such as economic migrants and bogus asylum seekers are also used to show the typical British view of refugees, making them seem to be people who only come to England, in order to make some more money. Again, the imperative is used with the word listen, in order to force the reader to read on, so that Sallay being a victim can be stressed again. The paragraph ends with two very powerful rhetorical questions: Do you imagine that she enjoyed being driven from her home, alone, penniless and terrified? Did she ask for her hands to be hacked off? These stress the fact that what the government thinks of refugees is completely wrong, as it outlines the fact that refugees do not intentionally bring hardship and suffering upon themselves and that they honestly need our help. Hence, the reader feels that they have a responsibility to help them. The next section in the article is The Story of Marie, an Ordinary Woman. A second story of an individual refugee is used, in order to emphasise how many different ways different refugees suffer. Also, the second story acts as a comparison to the first story, as it shows what happened even when a refugee who suffered such hardship made it to England. The word ordinary is used to stress the fact that she is just like any of us, so we can relate with her. The first sentence is, Marie was a chemist. This illustrates the fact that she used to be normal, as she used to have a professional career, which most people in this country already do, or aspire to do. In addition, the word was outlines the point that Maries life is no longer what it used to be. As she was a chemist, the reader is told that she is an educated woman, who went to University, thus outlining how many of us can identify with her. This fact also breaks down the stereotype that all refugees are poor and uneducated. When describing her story extremely graphic and horrific language and imagery is used: When they assaulted Marie, her brothers-in-law intervened and were shot dead. Five or six soldiers took it in turns to rape Marie. She lost consciousness. This illustrates the sheer brutality of her experience. This is another example of the shock factor, which not only intensifies the readers compassion for the refugees, but also increases their desire to become an active member of Amnesty International. Furthermore, Marie is shown as a victim of the Home Office, who refused her asylum. This proved the point made earlier in Sallays story: that we wouldnt have helped her even if she had reached Britain, as we did to Marie, despite all her hardship and suffering. This gives the reader a reason for joining Amnesty International. They can make a change and help refugees like Marie gain asylum in this country. The war on refugees section focuses more on refugees in general rather than just on individuals. This is effective, in that it shows the suffering of refugees as a whole. A lot of emotive language, such as people who have lost everything and suffered unimaginable griefs is used, in order to keep the reader interested in becoming active. In addition, a quote from the public is used; Its really tragic, but its nothing to do with us. This shows how people in Great Britain reject refugees, as they feel refugees are not their responsibility. Immediately after the quote comes the phrase, So sorry, but it is. This symbolises how it is our responsibility to help these suffering people. This is then followed by facts, such as, People like Marie have a guaranteed right under the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees to seek refuge in a safe country, if they have a well-founded fear of persecution, which support the fact that refugees should be given asylum in this country. This reassures the reader that if they do join, they are truly fighting for a cause, which is backed up. Rhetorical questions, which are linked to these facts are then used: Was Maries fear well-founded, Should the British Government honour this commitment? This further stresses the points that refugees are the victims and they are justified in seeking asylum. The section ends with the syntactic repetition You decide. This is powerful, in that it is giving the reader a choice of whether it a cause worth fighting for or not. Also the word you stresses that its the readers responsibility. This last section leaves the reader with a strong message, creating a powerful impact. This ultimately persuades the reader to become active in terms of giving money to Amnesty International. A very powerful technique used is that of comparing the reader to the refugees, explaining how neither want hardship or suffering: Nobody wants to be a refugee, People dont want to be homeless any more than you do they dont want to be tortured, murdered or raped any more than you do. Throughout the final section, the pronoun you is used, which outlines that it is aimed directly at the reader, telling them that they are needed to help Amnesty International, explaining how they can join, and describing what they can achieve with their help. Imperatives are used again, in order to encourage the reader to act, such as the phrase, For heavens sake wake up and help them. In addition, emotive language is used again throughout the final section. The article ends with a personal appeal, which seems to be more of a plead for help. This is very personal and acts on both, the readers emotions and the readers wealth, in order to persuade even the reluctant readers to get involved. The subscription coupon is very conveniently placed at the end of the article. This aids the ease and speed of access for the reader, and as a result they will probably become active, as theirs is no hassle involved if it is placed just placed on the page. To conclude, I personally believe that if I had come across this advert in a Sunday supplement, I would have read it and if I had the means to, I would have become involved. I feel that this article is very effective in persuading the reader to take an active interest in Amnesty International, mainly because of the way that it plays on the emotions of the readers, in order to strongly get across the message of the suffering of refugees.

Maximising profits and meeting objectives Essay Example for Free

Maximising profits and meeting objectives Essay J D Wetherspoon owns pubs right across the UK. It is now the UKs fastest growing company. They serve good quality food at knockdown prices. They also clear your plates away quickly afterwards and ask if the food was to your satisfaction. Wetherspoons employs approximately 11,200 staff who work either part or full-time. The company believe that there is a direct link between the high performance of their staff and their approach to staff recruitment, training, development, and motivation. Each pub operates with skilled management, who are fully supported by bar and kitchen staff. Their mission statement is to have by far the best CBSM (cleanliness, beer, service, maintenance) standards in the pub world; to be the best company to work for; and, by doing these things to be the most profitable. McDonalds McDonalds have over 1000 restaurants across the United Kingdom. Three quarters of these are run by managers on behalf of the company and the other quarter being run as franchises. McDonalds is the worlds largest franchising company, with seven out ten outlets being a franchise, and being owned and run by independent entrepreneurs. McDonalds sell burgers and chicken with a variety of different desserts and hot and cold drinks, served by friendly and helpful team members. One of McDonalds stated aims is to provide a friendly service in a relaxed, safe, and consistent restaurant environment. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoon uses Maslows hierarchy of needs as the bases of their motivation techniques. Maslows hierarchy of needs gives the managers clear and useful insights into how best they should motivate their staff. J D Wetherspoon aims to provide each individual employee with the skills and knowledge, which will help them to gradually climb the ladder of hierarchy permanently. Maslows pyramid can help Wetherspoons with this. They believe in creating a work force, which is committed and motivated. This workforce should be made up of people who can achieve personal fulfilment via the freedom that they get through their work. Realising that they will not be able to keep all their employees for all of their working life, J D Wetherspoon wants them to grow a sense of loyalty to the company They promote their staff through the different levels of employment status in the business, from bar/kitchen associates, to pub managers, to general managers to help motivate them. They pay each of the employees more than their competitors are paying their staff, so that the all associates (employees) feel motivated and will stay with the company for as long as possible. They believe that once their employees know that they are being paid more than the minimum wage for their work, they will become more motivated. The company bases its pay on reviews of performance of each of the staff; the better the performance the better the pay. The company also provides a bonus scheme for its workers. Each member of staff receives a bonus depending upon the performance of the pub in which they work. To get each member of staff to work to their full potential, the business runs many incentive schemes. One example of this is a monthly draw for examples of excellent customer care. The winner will receive an all expenses paid holiday for two in New York. Along with this, the business offers a share option scheme to each of its employees, enabling them to buy shares in the company at an assured price. The company do this in the belief that it will make the staff have a sense of belonging in company and will want to see the company succeed. McDonalds McDonalds method of motivation involves using rewards, goals, and promotion prospects for their members of staff. Although the company motivates their staff via reward methods, goals and promotion prospects, they use F.W. Taylors Scientific Management motivation theory. McDonalds splits their staff into teams, so that there is a team of people in each of the areas of the restaurant. There are also team members who walk round the restaurant and clear tables of empty food boxes and drinks cartons. Julie Room, a General Manager from a McDonalds restaurant says that McDonalds are continually hiring new members of staff, as their staff members are always leaving. McDonalds have high promotion prospects for their staff, with all the managers who work for the company once being crewmembers, and 80% of the top managers were once crewmembers. The president of McDonalds Ltd, also worked as a crewmember in a restaurant. This gives the current members of staff aspirations for the future. To help each member of staff, the company trains them in the restaurant that they will work in. Each staff member is trained in all 16 areas of the business including grill, buns, dressings, filets, and pies, drive-thru, front counter, and back room. This is all on the job training. This means that the staff can experience job rotation within their work. This leads to job motivation for the staff. Therefore, the team members are more likely to stay with the company for longer. This is very similar to the motivation theory of Douglas McGregor. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoons management is of a democratic style. The management encourages the staff to take part in decision-making through the multi-channel communication system, which the company has in place. Wetherspoons believe that many of the projects that they adopt stem from the ideas put forward by their associates. This is because they are on the front-line of the company. They can see where things need to be improved and changed. These things tend to obvious to the people who are in contact with customers on a day-to-day basis but are not quite so obvious to the managers, higher up in the business who are very rarely seen by the customers. The changes and improvements that the associates would like to see are communicated to their line manager, who refers them to the pub/restaurant manager. Within a few weeks, the good ideas are put into practice to make to the pub/restaurant appear better to the public and possibly to attract more customers. Every fortnight, they hold a big meeting where over 100 employees attend. This includes people like the company chairperson, company directors, and pub managers and some associates from many pubs/restaurants. Here, all the employees can voice their opinions on the companys over all performance and the ways in which they think it can be improved. Everyone who attends, gets to vote whether a certain route for a promotion of an offer the company is participating in, gets the go ahead or not. Many of the people who work for Wetherspoons carry a high level of commitment and many are proud to work for Wetherspoons. The company strongly believes that one of the key factors, which differentiates the company from its rivals, is the high quality of customer service/care that is achieved, from employing a number of committed employees. McDonalds McDonalds management style is more autocratic. This is because the members of staff are told which part of the restaurant they will be working in and they are told what they have to do. However, some of the approaches that McDonalds use can be seen in McGregors Theory Y. This is people centred and the managers are more democratic. The managers give the teams responsibility for each of the sections, awarding them appropriately, as they meet and exceed targets. They also believe that their staff want to work and are not lazy. However, the members of staff at McDonalds can also come under McGregors Theory X. This is because the teams have to be controlled and monitored. They have to be told what to do and are often watched to make sure that they are performing correctly. They are often seen to slack and to be lazy. Thus, they need some motivation to inspire them to work. It is only the managers that get a say in what the company does. The employees, which are seen everyday, unlike the managers, do not get any input into company and the decisions it makes what so ever. Therefore, the team members feel undervalued. This can then result in the management team lacking in motivation to motivate their staff. J D Wetherspoon Wetherspoons business culture is one orientated around their associates at the lower levels. This is because these people see the areas that can improved. The managers rely on these people to report any problems and successes. Wetherspoons encourages their staff to challenge existing ideas and practices to continually improve the company. The changes that are raised are adjusted little by little rather than in one big change. Many of these changes are suggested by the employees, who base them upon their experience whilst at work. However, these sorts of things can only occur in an open culture. Nothing is disclosed within Wetherspoons approach and is based upon the understanding and the belief in some of the key ideas of human motivation. Their approach to the way things are done resembles Charles Handys Role Culture. This is because of the structure that the company takes; this is much like a pyramid with the chairperson at the top and the associates at the bottom, very rarely speaking to one another (see below). McDonalds McDonalds business culture is orientated around the tasks that the staff have to carry out. This is because without these people the company could not function efficiently. These people also see the day-to-day running of the business, the taking of the money, serving of the food etc. The approach that the company takes resembles Charles Handys Task Culture. This is because of the company structure. The Task Culture is represented by a matrix, which looks like a grid (see right). The company splits its employees into project teams. Within these teams, they have to solve problems, which may arise. In addition, everyone can cross boundaries within the business. This means that they can work in other departments as well as the one they are employed in e.g. some one working on the front counter, could work in the kitchens. This culture also uses individual talents in each area i.e. people on the front counter need to use people skills, need to have good communication skills and confidence, whereas on the other hand, the people who cook the burgers need to be good at time keeping, cooking the burgers, and keeping up with the demands. J D Wetherspoon The company is committed to providing the highest standards of training and development to all employees. They aim to encourage, motivate, and support all the employees to achieve the companys mission statement and to fulfil the personal ambitions. There are different programmes, which the company use to train and develop. Generally, when people start working for the business they start as bar/kitchen associates. They start with the training for this job, as they progress in the business, they receive development training. This is for team leaders, shift managers, kitchen managers and pub managers. Each of the positions have their own set of training programmes. For example, for someone to train as a shift manager, they have to go through twelve types of training; induction, food hygiene, health and safety, kitchen training, customer management, personnel policies and procedures, people skills, interview skills, and stock management. They also have to do a National Licensees Certificate. Whereas to train as a bar/kitchen associate, they have to do food hygiene, health and safety, and kitchen training. J D Wetherspoons develop their staff. They do this because the staff that already work for the company know the way the business works. Also, training staff that already work for Wetherspoons, to higher positions in the company can mean that the costs of recruiting and training new staff will be reduced. It also helps to ensure staff loyalty and can reduce many future uncertainties in the company. This can then, in addition ensure that the company will not run out of skilled people; i.e. a bar/kitchen associate who has been promoted to a shift manager can always help out in the kitchen because they would have had the correct training to be able to work in the kitchens. Therefore, they have the skills and the company has not lost them. Training existing staff can help gain a competitive advantage. This means the company can gain more customers and more customer loyalty. In theory, and in many cases, in reality, this can help to motivate the managers, which in turn will help them to train their staff better, and can motivate them too. The companys training and development programme is a combination of on and off the job training courses. The companys training centres round career development. McDonalds McDonalds hire their staff on a three weeks probationary period. The company have the right to end employment of at any time during these three weeks. It is only after these three weeks, and if their performance has been acceptable, that the member of staff becomes part of the team. It is said that the company takes six months to train a full-timer and 11 months to train a part-timer. This is because of the sixteen areas in which everyone has to be trained on. These include the grill, buns, dressings, filets, and pies, drive-thru, front counter, and back room. They also have a buddy system. This is where a new employee to the company is paired with someone else who has been with the company for a while and have experience. This person will be one of the training squad and will look after the new team member for their probationary period. Eventually the trainer will decide whether or not the new team member is capable of carrying out the work in the area. When this has been decided the staff member would have received a gold star (this system existed in 1999, it no longer exists). The company thought that the teams found this system of rewarding good work, motivational. McDonalds, like J D Wetherspoons like to develop their staff. In the article by Susan Curtis, it says that there is a set hierarchy of jobs for crew members to work their way up: (1) Crew member (2) Five star crew member (3) Training squad member (4) Hourly-paid floor manager (5) Salaried floor manager (second assistant manager) (6) First assistant manager (7) Store manager (8) General manager (only in larger stores). They develop their staff for the same reasons that J D Wetherspoons do. They do it to save money and to give staff more opportunities within the business. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoons encourage their staff to work in teams. This is because team working means that there is a more efficient and effective production team. It is also believed that working as a team, can satisfy the social needs of people. Many managers delegate power among the people who work underneath them. This is in the belief that delegation meets the employees ego and self-actualisation needs from the motivation theory of Maslow. In addition, working as part of a team means that people can job rotate, to give them a bit of variety. This means that they can be more motivated towards their job, knowing that there is a possibility of job rotation within their teams, even if it is cooking a different part of a meal. Wetherspoons encourages this because they want their staff to achieve as much as possible in their work. They also want their members of staff to have a sense of belongingness to the company. Wetherspoons recognise that the feeling of belongingness is an employee need and therefore they set out to meet it. McDonalds McDonalds also encourage their staff to work in teams. This is because they, like J D Wetherspoons, have a more efficient and effective work force this way. McDonalds staff are encouraged to work as teams so that all the work is covered and completed, whether it is morning at breakfast, mid-day at lunchtime or in the evening at tea time. This also helps to satisfy the staff at McDonalds and helps to maximise the involvement of the staff. The teams are usually functional. Also within the teams, the staff can swap jobs with someone else and change department that they work in. Team working means that the staff can become multi-skilled. This makes it easier to do someone elses job. They can also meet shared objectives, i.e. serve each customer within a minute. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoons is a pub/restaurant. They sell both drinks and food. This means that they need enough stock to supply their customers. The company have to ensure that each of their pubs has enough beer barrels in their cellar and enough wines and spirits to last them at least a week. The company will have at least a delivery of beer every few days or so as the beer will go off very quickly once the barrel has been opened. The company always has just enough stock to cater for all their customers, whether they be eating or drinking. They bring many different types of beers to their customers throughout the year via beer festivals. Wetherspoons work along side Cask Marque (a quality standard for real beer) and CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale). This means that the company brings in new beers and rotates them throughout the year to offer their customers some variety. They also offer many spirits and wines as well. All these alcoholic beverages are kept in stock with strict quality standards, upheld inside the pub. This is to make sure that the customers can enjoy their drinks. This applies to the beers especially. The company offer fifty plus different meals per day, they therefore need to make sure that they have enough ingredients for these meals. They need to make sure that the stock they have does not go out of date to quickly either. They have many meals on their menu, which contain meat (beef, pork, chicken, and lamb) and fish. To keep this from going off they need to put the meats and fish in a chiller. They have to order enough of each ingredient for each of the meals on their menu, as if they are to sell many of the same meal. They do this for both the beverages and food so that they never run out of stock. If they were to run out of stock then there is a possibility of losing customers and future customers. The method of stock control that they use, in my opinion is Just in Case. This is because they can never be sure how much of each meal option they need to make and they never know how much of a particular beer or spirit they are going to sell, so they need enough stock just in case some one buys a meal or a drink. McDonalds McDonalds, on the other hand, operates in a different way. They stock up on all their burgers, salads, deserts, and fries although they use J.I.T. The restaurants are always very busy during the day. Therefore the company gets through many burgers, and fries each day. They have to rely upon their suppliers to deliver in time for rush hours i.e. lunch time as they know they will need more stock. They estimate their level of sales for each item on the menu using previous figures, doing this they can predict how much they need to order. To use J.I.T. McDonalds need to know exactly what they need. They need pretty good knowledge of their customers requirements. They also need to have excellent relationships with their suppliers, and need to have accurate understandings of production requirements. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoon have to assure quality in both food and the drink. They ensure this by buying the highest quality ingredients for their meals from their suppliers. To guarantee this, they make sure that they build strong relationships with the suppliers. They also have a food guru, who works closely with the food team. Once a month he reviews the companys menu and the ingredients which they use, and he gives his personal seal of approval if he believes they are at the highest standard that people would expect from J D Wetherspoons. To ensure that the beer they sell is to the highest standards, they employ beer tasters. These people test the beers on four areas; appearance, aroma, taste and aftertaste. These are usually marked out of 10, so each beer can get a maximum of 40 marks. All of the beers which the company supply must meet their tasting standards, before any orders can be placed. Whilst in stock, there are strict quality standards in place which are maintained within the free house, to ensure that customers enjoy the beer at its best. This process also applies to the wines and spirits. As with the beers, the wines and spirits have to meet the companys high standards. The wines and spirits are also tested for appearance, aroma, taste and aftertaste and again if they dont meet Wetherspoons standards then they are not sold in any of the pubs/restaurants. They also train their staff to a high standard of work to ensure the quality of customer service. They do this by training their staff in customer management and in people skills. McDonalds Serving more than 2.5 million customers each day makes quality a consistent goal. They work with leading suppliers across the UK from potato farmers in Lincolnshire and Norfolk to dairies in the South and Midlands to bring customers the tasty products that customers expect from McDonalds. McDonalds attempt to certify quality from crop to counter. Therefore they require the highest standards and specifications, not just for product ingredients; every detail of production, transport, delivery, preparation and service is carefully monitored. A focus on quality pervades every aspect of the business. Their standards top the food industry, and they continue to work with government and health officials to investigate improvements to their foods. Both companies have their different approaches to maximising profits and to meet its objectives. The way in which each company goes about it is effective to them. Both companies are, although in the same area of trade, are completely different. They operate in different ways, have different kinds of people working for them and generally have different clientele. The people who work for McDonalds are generally those who can work in the conditions that are found in a McDonalds restaurant. They tend to be able to deal with pressure a little easier then those working at Wetherspoons and vice versa. These people have a different kind of objective to aim towards, that is appropriate to the different companies. Again the approach each company uses helps to achieve these very well and can sometimes help them to exceed them. The companies approaches, however, both lead to them maximising their profits. This is because of the efficiency and effectiveness of the staff in both companies.

Utilitarian Perspective of Illegal Immigration

Utilitarian Perspective of Illegal Immigration Discuss the issue of illegal immigration from a (rule) utilitarian perspective. Consider whose happiness or welfare is affected by the fact of illegal immigration. Illegal immigration affects the happiness and welfare of the illegal immigrants themselves. In addition, the welfare of the United States government is also affected by illegal immigration. The government is affected both economically and politically. The people of the United States are also affected by the fact of illegal immigration. For instance, the welfare and happiness of the workers, entrepreneurs, and politicians are affected by illegal immigration. Finally, the home country is affected by illegal immigration. By losing a portion of its population, the home country is affected in relation to its welfare. How are those who are affected by illegal immigration actually or potentially affected (i.e., are they actually or potentially benefitted or harmed?)? The United States generally accepts immigrants that are the most accomplished in their fields. However, these people are less likely to emigrate from their home country because they are already successful. On the other hand, there are people who wish to immigrate into the United States to better their status, whether it is financially, educationally, or culturally. These types of immigrants are often denied and thus they resort to illegal immigration. The United States consists of two types of illegal immigrants: there are those who enter the country illegally and there are those that enter legally, but overstay illegally. Although both types of immigrants are illegal people still continue to immigrate into the United States. This is due to the fact that illegal immigration potentially benefits the illegal immigrants. As aforementioned the people that do immigrate illegally into the United States are doing so to better their status. These immigrants are usually poor and undereducated. Thus, moving into the United States gives them an opportunity for better employment. Although they acquire low wage jobs in the United States, these immigrants are most likely leaving even lower wage jobs within their home country. From a utilitarian perspective it would be best for illegal immigrants to move into the United States because they would reap the most benefits from the United States. Also affected by illegal immigration is the United States Government, both economically and politically. Economically, the United States government could potentially be harmed, but also it could potentially benefit from illegal immigration. On the surface it appears that the United States is harmed economically by illegal immigrants due to all the costs they incur and the money they do not pay to the government. However, illegal immigrants actually play a significant role in the economy and potentially benefits said economy. Most people dissent illegal immigration because they believe that illegal immigrants take jobs away from American citizens by presenting themselves as cheap labor and illegal immigrants affect the education and welfare system negatively. In contrast, the cheap labor that enters the market actually manages to fuel the economy. Cheap labor creates more jobs and requires less money, therefore it would be in the best interest of the United States and its citizens to have cheap labor. It can be even argued that these cheap labor jobs that illegal immigrants are supposedly stealing from Americans may not even be filled without the immigrants. Therefore, from the utilitarian aspect it would be unreasonable to deny illegal immigrants into the United States when they manage to stimulate the economy. Most of the illegal immigrants that enter the United States do not come to live off the welfare programs available to American citizens. Conversely, they enter to work hard and increase their standard of living. In addition, the children and elderly immigrants that enter the United States actually benefit the economy positively. Although, they do not directly affect the economy, they have affect because of their need for welfare and education services. Thus, the economy would be stimulated because the welfare and education needs would create more jobs and stimulate the economy. Furthermore, the children could work to become model citizens that stimulate the economy. Politically, the United States government is potentially harmed. The politicians that wish to be reelected, for instance, could lose votes if they support updating immigration laws due to the increase in illegal immigrants. Additionally, illegal immigration has a way of undermining national security. These illegal immigrants are essentially under the radar, thus people that harmful to the country could learn to be under the radar in a similar manner. Thus, better immigration control as well as naturalization is needed. Illegal immigration affects the citizens of the United States. Pertaining to the low income workers that the illegal immigrants take jobs from, illegal immigration potentially harms them. These citizens have to compete with illegal immigrants who are willing to work for a lower wage. Even though these citizens are losing their source of income, society as a whole could benefit because illegal immigrants are able to provide a service at a lower cost which in turn allows consumers to have more money to allocate elsewhere. Human production would actually increase. Similar to the consumers, businesses and entrepreneurs in the United States could also benefit. Moreover, illegal immigration also affects the citizens of the United States because it is thought to be harmful towards the overall culture of the United States, however, American culture is founded on its diversity. It is an eclectic source of people and thus, illegal immigration actually further enriches the diversity of the Unit ed States. Finally, illegal immigration potentially benefits and harms the home country of the illegal immigrants. For instance, the home countries of illegal immigrants are getting rid of a portion of their population that is poor and undereducated. This could then benefit the home country. At the same time the country is losing a portion of their working class which is harmful to their economy. What is the best utilitarian ethical solution to the â€Å"problem† of illegal immigration? The best utilitarian ethical solution to the â€Å"problem† of illegal immigration involves the United States creating change in its current immigration policies. The current policies are discriminatory and infringe utilitarian standards. Updated immigration policies will need to a society with the most benefits for both the current and future citizens. To change policies there are a few key things that must be taken into account. Firstly, the process for immigrants to acquire citizenship should be more reasonable. In is more beneficial to accept immigrants into the United States than the opposite because they provide benefits for both the United States (from an economic standpoint) and themselves (by increasing their standard of living). Although the benefits will not be seen immediately, in the long run they are more useful. For instance, the children of illegal immigrants could become legal upstanding and contributing citizens through the education they acquire in the United States. Secondly, the United States should consider bestowing citizenship onto immigrants who enter from education purposes. One of the main contributors of illegal immigration is people that enter the country legally and then overstay illegally. Rather than force these newly educated members of society, the United States should grant them easier methods to become citizens. It is especially illogical from utilitarian perspective to educate immigrants with American resources and then send them back to their home countries because these immigrants could better society and benefit themselves from the opportunities the Unites States presents. Thirdly, the United States should update the method in which they retain information on illegal immigrants. Currently, the collection and use of information is weak. For instance, there is no penalty for illegal immigrants that cross borders multiple times because of the lack of documentation. If the United States handled this better, they could have stronger border control as well as stronger national security. Finally, the United States should look into methods of integrating immigrants. Simply entering the United States will not suffice for immigrants; they will need to successfully participate in society to create a better society. Ultimately, a combination of the solutions mentioned above could create a society in which most of the players could benefit. For example, the economy and the status of the immigrants improve. Although certain blue collar workers may possible lose their jobs, the overall benefits updating immigration policies outweigh the negatives of the workers losing their jobs. The greatest good for the greatest number can be achieved if illegal immigration is seen in a different light because there is certainly a usefulness to these immigrants.

Melvilles Moby Dick: Defining Violence in Literature :: Moby Dick Essays

Melville's Moby Dick: Defining Violence in Literature Two stories were recently told to me, independently of one another, and although I was struck by each, it was a third story that emerged from the collision of the first two that most challenged me. The first story is about the violence of literature: "That's my current definition of literature: a cataclysmic event, one that disrupts what we think we so-settle-edly-know..." (Dalke). The second story is a definition of violence that I heard used in the context of a conversation about racism. "Violence is the denial of humanity." Although the implication seemed to be that humanity is denied to the victim of violence, I also suggest that violence diminishes the humanity of the perpetrator. Looming at the point where these two stories encounter each other is a pair of screaming questions. 1) What does it mean to deny humanity? And 2) How can this definition of violence be reconciled with the assertion that literature/storytelling is violent when storytelling is a fabulously human phenomenon? Initially, I was compelled by Dalke's definition of literature as cataclysmic and violent, partly because my immediate reaction was to disagree. Is not literature a tool that we use to cling together and to ever more profound meaning? Must literature deconstruct in order to recreate and expand? In concert with this skepticism is another story about literature which maintains that the actual number of stories is very few. All stories can be reduced to, at most, a dozen types or formulas within which storytellers maneuver creatively in order to extract new things from the old patterns. Violence suggests that something is being destroyed or detracted (I will turn to the specific target of humanity in a moment), so if literature is violent, must we conceive of these variations on a formula as somehow depleting the underlying structure? Alternatively, violence suggests that literature is a process of cannibalizing old formulas in the creation of new. This version creates the space for an infinite number of story types. So, is literature violence or clinging? Or are these two things ultimately the same? The story of violence as the denial of humanity is where I begin to search for an answer. The elemental gesture of humanity is the desire to transcend itself, to know the universe, to grasp the absolute truth. But, this clinging to meaning, to greater meaning, is destructive because it implies something incomplete about humans and sets us up for failure.

Essay --

When walking through a grocery store, one can easily forget that at one time, all the food in the store was local. At one time, people would bake their own bread, churn their own butter, and slaughter their own chicken; if they did not do it on their own, they bought these main food items from suppliers of small, local businesses. However, grocery stores are now stocked with pre-sliced bread, packaged butter, and portioned chicken. One can even see that American supermarkets do not have seasons. â€Å"Now there are tomatoes all year round, grown halfway around the world, picked when it was green, and ripened with ethylene gas. Although it looks like a tomato, it's kind of a notional tomato. I mean, it's the idea of a tomato† (Polland, Michael). Tomatoes, as well as other food, have come a long way-–from home grown to industry grown. While food production has evolved considerably over time, it is believed that this dramatic change has caused governments to subsidize farm s, a rapid development in biotechnology leading to an advance in genetic manipulation, and a shift in food questioning what is better, local or organic? Thousands of years ago, people either gathered and collected their food from the wild environment or hunted large and small animals. The process of hunting and gathering was sufficient enough for smaller groups of people found within a suitable environment, but when the population began to grow, people were pushed into areas that made food hard to come by, so they searched for nutritional sources that they could depend on. It is believed that the practice of agriculture first came into existence in the Fertile Crescent region in the Middle East about ten or eleven thousands years B.C.E. The area was home to many consuma... ... could ask Whole Foods' CEO, John Mackey, to help answer his question. According to Cloud, â€Å"He told me that when he can't get locally grown organics--and even he can't reliably get them--he decides on the basis of taste. "I would probably purchase a local nonorganic tomato before I would purchase an organic one that was shipped from California," he said. He called the two tomatoes "an environmental wash," since the California one had petroleum miles on it while the nonorganic one was grown with pesticides. "But the local tomato from outside Austin will be fresher, will just taste better," he said† (Cloud, John). When walking through that grocery store, do not forget that at one time that food use to be local. If we can choose the right food, even if that means searching for healthier, fresher, local food, we can make a difference in our current food issues.

A Modest Proposal For Making Driving More Entertaining, While Creating

A Modest Proposal For Making Driving More Entertaining, While Creating The Same Risks For Everyone On The Road It was suggested to me that we â€Å"†¦kill all [the] dumbasses [who choose to drink and drive],† but I felt this too harsh (Holzbach). Why not let them kill themselves? The nation, as a whole, would be more pleasant, happier and more carefree. It is a melancholy object to those who often frequent the bars in this great country to see those who do not currently share in their fortunate state of being. They are usually alone, observing those around them with great envy, holding the car keys, but worst of all, sober. It is the inopportune being who is unluckily chosen to be the designated driver for the evening. It is always an enjoyable experience to spend hour upon hour pounding back the drinks in a bar. Why limit the fun? Why choose someone to be a designated driver and make his or her night miserable? Why not take the fun onto the road? I think that it is agreed by all parties that the prodigious number of sober drivers in our neighborhoods, city streets, and country roads is at present deplorable to the state of our great nation. Currently, a whopping ninety-eight percent of Americans of driving age feel threatened by those who drive under the influence of alcohol, which means that only two percent of Americans are able to fully relax and enjoy themselves while on the road, and with the growing awareness, this number could be on the rise (MADD Online: General Statistics 1). What a travesty! All drivers, and passengers alike, should be put at the same risk for danger, be it damage, injury, or death. But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for those driving the cars: it is of a much ... ...ed American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. 18 September 2002 . Brown, Meg. Personal interview. 18 September 2002. Holzbach, Wyatt. E-mail interview. 18 September 2002. Licensed Drivers – Our Nation’s Highways – 2000. 26 April 2002. U.S. Department of Transportation. 18 September 2002 MADD Online: General Statistics. MADD Online. 18 September 2002 . MADD Online: Government Survey Shows Troubling News On Drunk Driving, Underage Drinking. 5 September 2002. MADD Online. 15 September 2002 . Reed, Kim. E-mail interview. 18 September 2002. Santo, Beth. E-mail interview. 18 September 2002.