Starbucks the experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Starbucks the experience - Essay Example Basically, employees who are also committed to the organizational goals improve the overall quality of the workforce. Several research studies prove that a high level of customer’s satisfaction could eventually lead to a high customer loyalty. (Entel et al., 2007; Jones & Sasser, 1995) In line with this matter, the constantly increasing Starbucks revenue is a positive sign that shows how well the company is serving its customers. The market share of the company can be very much affected when a customer fails to receive a prompt service from the company. Starbucks HRM approach in providing at a total of five classes workshop training prior to serving the customers is essential in ensuring the delivery of a good quality customer service. (UW Business School, 2003) Considering that not all customers are after low price coffee, the company needs to strive hard in order to retain the loyal of its prospective customers. price they have to pay. (Jiang, 2004) To achieve a good ‘after-delivery satisfaction’, it is a challenge for the company to maintain its reliability at all times. ‘Reliability’ is often linked with aspects such as delivery time – whether each cup of coffee will be delivered as promised, and the consistency of customer service including the order tracking, on-time delivery, customer support and quality of product and services that meets the customer’s expectation. (Smith et al., 2000) The company also extend employee benefits such as medical, dental, vision and short-term disability insurance, paid vacation and holidays, mental health or chemical dependency benefits, employee assistance program, career counselling, product discounts, 401(k) savings plan, and a stock option plan. (UW Business School, 2003) According to Schultz, it is difficult for employees to feel financially and spiritually attached with their jobs without these employement benefits. (Wyss, 2006; MSNBC, 2005) He added that the stock option plan could

Robinson Crusoe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Robinson Crusoe - Essay Example Daniel Defoe had done a good job to bring Robinson to the wilderness of deserted island by a shipwreck, which was essential for the rebuilding of his own future. It was the only event which was a turning point in the life of Robinson Crusoe. It was the ending of his otherwise prolonged journey. The moments he spent there were teaching him new lessons. Slowly he recognized the environs, the features, the objects which were offered to him. In his own words, â€Å"the total nature itself fetch him essentials for his life†. The fear of solitude surrounded him there. This led to the construction of his shelter. It was necessary for him to become self sufficient in every matters like food, drink, animal husbandry, and plantations. When he noticed the miraculous growth of the corns he realized that these are the results of fate ,"for it was the work of Providence as to me, that should order or appoint, that the ten or twelve grains of corn should remain unspoiled, as if it had been d ropped down from Heaven" ( Defoe, 79). Man has such a particular nature to develop special qualities for the improvement in a totally alien surroundings. Defoe filled his hero with the power and strength. For this he uses his own religious believes also. It is Crusoe’s Christianity that helps him to attain richness both spiritually and financially. In that way he became a real colonizer. Thus Defoe represents the island as a symbol of the outside world. All the time Crusoe was trying to recreate his past life. There was surely a conflict arises in the mind of Crusoe, a conflict that of a civilized man and unsophisticated circumstances. Every actions of the hero were that of a civilized man. He learnt to meet all the necessities from the neighboring materials itself. The materials and the nature itself generated ideas in the mind of the hero. These ideas can be treated as intuitions or insights the primitive man was

Revealing a Characters True Nature During a Moment of Crisis Essay

In literature, there are many examples of people who are placed in â€Å"fantastic† situations, which served to reveal much about themselves, as Dostoevsky suggests. There are also many instances in which people break down and do something completely uncharacteristic in these same situations, as a result of extreme suffering. One such example, is Gretchen, from Goethe's Faust. She was an ingà ©nue and thus revealed her true character at a crucial point in her life. She was not a murderer, yet she murdered. When all her misdeeds began to drive her mad, she became the most lucid in her discernment of good and evil. â€Å"Her last remarks saved her, as she cried out to God in repentance, she was forgiven. Receiving a spiritual awakening, though out of her mind with grief, she still recognized the devil. She sensed evil in Faust and finally realized that there was no love between them† (RoseDeClementi 3.2). Gretchen's deeds were just as despicable as his, but there was a difference; in her moment of truth, she repented and was redeemed. Faust knew that he was condemned to spend eternity in hell. In this instance, I believe that Dostoevsky was correct because Gretchen was portrayed as a victim of manipulation. Another example in literature of someone who revealed her true character, in crisis, was Antigone, from a story of the same name. â€Å"In the story of Antigone, (who was the daughter of Oedipus), more tragedy awaited her. Taking a stand for what she believed to be an injustice and offense against her god, she buried her dead brother which violated the law, thereby sentencing her to her own death; she was to be placed in a tomb alive and left for dead† (Rose-DeClementi 1.2). Her strong beliefs shaped her character which dictated her ac... ...his into consideration, I behaved responsibly. Even when I began to lose my composure with the hospital workers, who refused to take my friend in right away, my true character was revealed. Generally, crisis situations have a tendency to bring out the worst in me, as with most people. This disputes Dostoevsky's theory, which holds that the true nature of a person will be revealed during moments of crisis. My account, as well as the examples taken from literature, prove that Dostoevsky's theory, although valid, is not indisputable. Works Cited Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 1.1. 4 Sept. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 1.2. 10 Sept. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 3.2. 20 Oct. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 4.1. 25 Oct. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 4.2. 6 Nov. 2010.

Conceptual Framework Essay

The crossing of genders has been a hurdle that society has stumbled to accept since the beginning of time. Early hypotheses about the so-called cause of homosexuality originated from the psychodynamic perspective that men became gay because of a dysfunctional family system in which they were emotionally enmeshed with their mothers and had a distant relationship with their father. As a result, the thought of changing one’s sex immediately becomes a staple of criticism, despite the psychological effect it could have on the individual. Yet, Imani, a man who lives life as a woman, successfully copes with work, intimate relationships, family and peer relationships, and has developed a positive assessment of self. Imani is a resilient, creative, and resourceful individual, who has overcome societal myths that a transgender cannot function normally in society. Thus, this essay will attempt to outline Imani’s life journey and compare it to Hutchinson’s (2008) common risk and protective factors, while revealing how she copes with personal and professional relationships according to Werner and Smith (2001) ratings of the quality of adult adaptation and what she attributes her success. Six Criteria of Coping Understanding and coping with cultural differences becomes crucial when attempting to come out about gender or sexual identity. Social constructionist perspective suggests that â€Å"sexual orientation unfolds within a context of environmental or social influences† (Morrow & Messinger, 2006, pp. 61). Growing up poverty stricken, Imani learned to cope at an early age. The eldest of six, Imani grew up without a positive male role model and poor, while dealing with sexual desires for the same sex. â€Å"I use to pretend like I was attracted to girls because that was the normal thing, but since I was twelve, I had sexual desires for other boys† (Imani, personal communication, February 6 2009). Therefore, recognizing her gender identity at an early age, but able to cope with the stigmas of society involved Imani’s ability to reconcile competing demands from the dominant society. In addition, feelings for the opposite sex thwarted Imani from forming peer groups at an early stage in her life. â€Å"Many gay men do not accomplish normal development tasks of adolescence, such as forming a peer group†¦therefore, when experiencing some of the emotionality of teenagers as adults in their twenties or older, there is dissonance between chronological age and developmental tasks they may be struggling with† (Mallon, 2008, pp. 150). Normally, this would have had an unfavorable effect, but, it had a favorable effect on Imani’s life. For example, Imani is a leader in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. She mentors young individuals that are dealing with gender identity issues. Imani has also been in a long term intimate relationship for fifteen years; which induces her happiness. â€Å"When I was growing up, being gay was taboo, but, today you can speak out about who you are and feel comfortable, so I’m taking full advantage of every opportunity and helping others who may feel isolated as well† (Imani, personal communication, February 6, 2009). Even in analyzing her relationship with her siblings, Imani is respected and accepted wholeheartedly by her entire family. This could be attributed to two major reasons. Firstly, Imani was a defiant child, but, she also helped rear her brothers and sisters, which established a sense of respect from them early on. She also was defiant and never conformed to the norm when instructed to complete a task. For example, if her mother instructed her to go right, she would go left. Secondly, unlike people in a cohort group born in the eighties, which are more adept to come out sooner rather than later, Imani made her decision to transform at age thirty-eight. â€Å"Coming out is a critical issue in the process of identifying, some people do not go through this process early in life† (Kane-DeMaios & Bullough, 2006, pp. 10). For this reason, when Imani revealed her decision to become a woman, she perhaps displayed a defiant attitude, not to mention that her mother was supportive of her decision, likely instilled strength, support and understanding from her siblings as well. As a result, Imani shares a strong and supportive bond with her brother and sisters. Although Imani has been resilient in gaining acceptance from peers and family, her professional success is equally astonishing. Imani’s was employed with Phillip Morris, Inc, when she decided to transform. However, her employers were not accepting of her identity change, so, they increased her workload and refused to give her a stable schedule. To combat this deliberate injustice, she filed a grievance, several weeks later she was laid off. Werner and Smith (2001) noted that one of the main qualities of adult adaptation is work. â€Å"The individual is employed and†¦ satisfied with work† (pp. 36). â€Å"My former job was horrible at accepting me for who I was, so I decided to make a move and find employment elsewhere; where the people would make me feel comfortable and I would enjoy what I was doing. (Imani, personal communication, February 6, 2009). Imani is now gainfully employed as a supervisor with a prominent Medicaid service provider. Imani states, â€Å"There’s good energy at work. My colleagues respect me to the upmost and I enjoy helping clients. † Clearly, Imani’s ability to get past the ridicule of a former employee and successfully find employment without becoming discouraged about her gender identity is another emphasis of her resiliency. However, Imani contributes her success to having the courage to live as a transgender to education. Enrolling in VCU’s fine art program during the 70’s broadened my mindset about the world around me and myself, which has helped me become who I am today† (Imani, personal communication, February 6, 2009). Without question, academia can enhance an individual’s perception about the world around them, but, â€Å"the concept of accommodation is an important one in understanding the adaptation of transgender people† (American, 2009,  ¶ 3). Consequently, with Imani having the accommodation of a close knit, supportive family and long term partner has definitely added to her success. Therefore, it is should be pointed out that some risk and protective factors are inherent in the nature of resilient people. Risk and Protective Factors Werner and Smith (2001) noted that even in infancy there was something different about the high-risk children who never developed serious problems. They were active, affectionate, good-natured infants, alert and autonomous toddlers. One protective factor associated with Imani’s success was her development of advanced self help skills, which she acquired early in her life course. For instance, Imani learned early to cope with gender identity issues, despite being reared during a time when homosexuality and cross dressing were deemed taboo. In addition, coping with putting her childhood on hold while helping her mother take care of her siblings, Imani developed an identity of a leader. Evidently, this created strength of mind, which more than likely had an influence on the way Imani set out to accomplish goals or agendas. People who are heterosexual in orientation do not have to ponder on how to develop a heterosexual identity. In contrast, transgender people have as their task the â€Å"development of an identity that runs counter to the heterocentric culture in which they are socialized. † They must â€Å"come to terms with having a sexual orientation that is socially ridiculed, and they must formulate a sense of identity as a transgender person† (Morrow & Messinger 2006, pp. 85). Although Imani’s early development of advanced self-help skills has played a pivotal role in her success during her life course, she still faced the risk factor of growing up in poverty. Coincidentally, this did not have a negative effect on her schooling or personal accomplishments. Hutchison (2008) suggest, â€Å"†¦ poverty alone is much less of a risk than extended poverty. Imani’s life serves as a perfect example for this suggestion. For example, Imani did not continue the family trend of living in poverty. Determined to set the pace for the rest f her siblings, she rose above the line of poverty in her early twenties. She graduated from high school and successfully obtained a college degree. One could raise the question, if her role as the older sibling, which induced a sense of responsibility, while trying to understand her identity issues, kept her from being vulnerable to the risk of falling off track, because she was preoccupied with the task of taking care of her brother and sisters, rather than the poverty situation in front of her. Undoubtedly, it is apparent that Imani’s deprivations growing up did not lead to a trajectory of failure. Hutchison (2008) points out that positive impact of historical events can reverse disadvantages in a person’s life trajectories. Therefore, being torn between the role of patriarch and matriarch at an early age, clearly, had a positive effect on Imani’s life. Conclusively, Imani’s life has been filled with many extenuating effects of internal oppression at an early age, which she was able to overcome at a later stage in her life cycle. The major turning point in her life was enrolling in college; which has made her a resilient, creative, and resourceful individual who possess much strength. Yet, born during a time when social reform was at its peak, Imani serves as a perfect example of resiliency, success and normalcy.

Definition and Examples of Prescriptive Grammar

The term prescriptive grammar refers to a set of norms or rules governing how a language should or should not be used rather than describing the ways in which a language is actually used. Contrast with descriptive grammar. Also called  normative grammar and prescriptivism. A person who dictates how people should write or speak is called a prescriptivist or a prescriptive grammarian. According to linguists Ilse Depraetere and Chad Langford, A prescriptive grammar is  one that gives hard and fast rules about what is right (or grammatical) and what is wrong (or ungrammatical), often with advice about what not to say but with little explanation (Advanced English Grammar: A Linguistic Approach, 2012). Observations There has always been a tension between the descriptive and prescriptive functions of grammar. Currently, descriptive grammar is dominant among theorists, but prescriptive grammar is taught in the schools and exercises a range of social effects.(Ann Bodine, Androcentrism in Prescriptive Grammar. The Feminist Critique of Language, ed. D. Cameron. Routledge, 1998)Prescriptive grammarians are judgmental and attempt to change linguistic behavior of a particular sort and in a particular direction. Linguists--or mental grammarians, on the other hand, seek to explain the knowledge of language that guides peoples everyday use of language regardless of their schooling.(Maya Honda and Wayne ONeil, Thinking Linguistically. Blackwell, 2008)The Difference Between Descriptive Grammar and Prescriptive Grammar:The difference between descriptive grammar and  prescriptive grammar is  comparable to the difference between constitutive rules, which determine how something works (such as the rules for the game of chess), and regulatory rules, which control behavior (such as the rules of etiquette). If the former are violated, the thing cannot work, but if the latter are violated, the thing works, but crudely, awkwardly, or rudely.(Laurel J. Brinton and Donna Brinton,  The Linguistic Structure of Modern English. John Benjamins, 2010)The Rise of Prescriptive Grammar in the 18th Century:To many people in the middle decades of the eighteenth century, the language was indeed seriously unwell. It was suffering from a raging disease of uncontrolled usage. . . .There was an urgency surrounding the notion of a standard language, in the eighteenth century. People needed to know who they were talking to. Snap judgments were everything, when it came to social position. And things are not much different today. We make immediate judgments based on how people dress, how they do their hair, decorate their bodies--and how they speak and write. It is the first bit of discourse that counts.The p rescriptive grammarians went out of their way to invent as many rules as possible which might distinguish polite from impolite speech. They didnt find very many--just a few dozen, a tiny number compared with all the thousands of rules of grammar that operate in English. But these rules were propounded with maximum authority and severity, and given plausibility by the claim that they were going to help people to be clear and precise. As a result, generations of schoolchildren would be taught them, and confused by them.(David Crystal, The Fight for English. Oxford University Press, 2006)

Irony in Tobias Wolffs Hunters in the Snow and Diane...

Irony in Tobias Wolff’s â€Å"Hunters in the Snow† and Alice Munro’s â€Å"How I Met My Husband† Irony expresses and often underlines the contrast between two opposite concepts creating an indirect, more sophisticated method of communication. Irony is as efficient in a literary work, as the reader can perceive it. Therefore, often times the reader must carefully analyze the material, reading it repeatedly if necessary, in order to fully understand the author’s message and intent. Tobias Wolff and Alice Munro employ irony in their short stories in attempt to surprise the readers, giving them an opportunity for discovery. In Wolff’s â€Å"Hunters in the Snow†, irony acts as a tragicomedy agent, but its role is mainly to reveal the true nature of†¦show more content†¦The main character seems to be Tub, an overweight man with an eating disorder, since he was presented first and also in most detail. Even though Tub is being overly cautious with his rifle by taking the bolt out before he enters the truck, which is not a common practice among hunter s, he later shoots Kenny in a blink of an eye. The author mentions that Tub â€Å"shot from the waist† (91), which means that this was an instinctive reflex in self-defense. The other two characters are Kenny, the prankster of the group and Frank, the intellectual of the group, who seems like the leader of the group in the beginning of the story. Both Kenny and Tub look up to Frank and show him what seems to be undeserved respect. As we find out later on he is clearly unworthy of the respect initially given to him. The irony of the situation is that Frank becomes quickly a subordinate of Tubs will. After Tub stands up to Frank and confronts him physically about the constant bullying, Frank instantly loses face and starts trying to please Tub in any way possible, completely ignoring the wounded Kenny. From being the leader of the group he becomes this puppy, doing everything he can to gain Tub’s approval, as his initial friendship to Kenny seems to have evaporated or never have truly existed. This

The Rise Of Team Management - 1724 Words

Team management arose in Japan and Israel, after the development in North America, it broke through the limitation of culture and spread worldwide. Management team is defined as the work of 2 to 20 members of groups, whose work tasks associated with each other’s and jointly responsible for the results of team work (Demaetto, 1997). The rise of team management can not only improve the employees’ satisfaction, promote the transformation and creativity, control and constraint members behavior effectively (Levati, 1975), but also has great significance in preventing negative effects after the increase of organization scale. Compared to the traditional work groups linked to the organizational structure, â€Å"team† in modern enterprises are more†¦show more content†¦The turnover of top managers of a company is very important and may provide for the conflicting results on the effects of the outsider succession (Karaevli, 2007). However, in real life, because there is always a variety of difficulties need to be solved in people’s relationship, it is hard to find a perfect team. Then, the problem is how can we minimize the differences and gaps, give full play to each team member s personal advantages, and maximize the advantages of the whole team? First of all, in the initial phase of building the team, manager should have efficient, reasonable planning. Many of management tools can be used to simplify the team construction work. By understanding of employees in depth, managers can define their team members’ advantages and disadvantages, the likelihood of work and style to deal with problems, the difference of basic values, etc.; Through these analysis to obtain between team members in the formation of a common faith and a consistent view of team purpose and to establish the team running rules and mechanisms. Evaluating the comprehensive ability of the team by analyzing the team environment, then find out the gap between present comprehensive ability and requirement of accomplishing the goal, and make it clear how teams play advantage, avoid threat and improve the ability to meet the challenges. It is important to make each team member understand team