Human Rescource Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Rescource Planning - Essay Example However, Dale Lodge (case organization) is facing challenges regarding deploying the leadership development program for cross functional members while the company is expanding its operation to achieve more business success. In such context, the researcher has been hired as external HR consultant to advise senior management of the company on how to embed leadership development program within organization, to support anticipated growth strategy. In the next section, the study will cover three issues, 1- process for embedding leadership development program for members of management team, 2- proposal of reward strategy that would retain and develop talents at all level and 3- evaluation and measurement of critical success factors associated with the proposal. The company will face two types of problem while deploying leadership development program, problem 1- lack of cross functional capabilities among members of management team and it will create problem for them to perform current and future leadership roles and problem 2- lack of experience in handling change dynamics while deploying leadership program. For example; Oracle Corporation (2012) found that more than 70% of employees in different companies across the globe lack the leadership potential to perform during job responsibility shifting. In the case context, senior management of the company has decided to expand business operation in terms of opening full scale conference and leisure facilities which can offer year long services. In order to implement mentioned growth strategy, company needs to widen job roles of existing members in management team in order to develop leadership capabilities among them. Such cross functional role shift would require development of interpersonal skills instead of developing integrating technical expertise of experienced members in management team. Caligiuri (2006) and McCall and Hollenbeck (2002) also pointed out

The Royal British Legion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Royal British Legion - Essay Example It was this royal charter which gives the Legion the prefix 'Royal' in its title. Till date, the Legion is principally a campaigning organization which promotes the wellbeing and welfare of presently serving and retired members of the British Armed Forces. The first campaign of the Royal British Legion pertained to the campaigning for War Disablement Pension cases for war veterans. At present, campaigns of Royal British Legion which are ongoing include advocating for increased research into psychological conditions of  Gulf War syndrome  and for enhanced compensation for the victims of the war. Other campaigns by the organization include upgrading of War Pensions; the expansion of endowment mortgage payment for British military personnel that are serving outside the country. The key objective of the organization is better provision for support of British military personnel that are facing difficulties in resettling back into civilian life. One of the most successful campaigns of the organization is the one in which the Legion organized a fund-raising drive weeks before  Remembrance Sunday. During the course of this campaign supporters of the war veterans were required to wear artificial  red poppies on clothing. It was announced that the proceeds from the sales of the artificial poppy flowers will be donated to charity. Appeals for Charity The organization can use a number of appeals for raising charity. Two forms of marketing objectives can be relevant to this organization. The first one relates to recruitment of volunteers, the second one relates to collection of charity for the objectives of the organization. To increase inflows of charity funds to the organization, the Royal British Legion can organize a festival to commemorate celebrate war veterans. It is proposed that most parts of this festival should be composed of formal. The event can generate revenue for the organization through sale of the attendance tickets or sale of items related to cele brated wars. These wars can depict civilian life during wartime or based on similar themes. Such an event is likely to generate high attention of the prospective target market because it will enable viewers belonging generations that were born after these historic wars – for instance, the World War II – to benefit from the affirmative engagements of those people who want to relive glorified history of the nation. Another appeal for charity which can be used by The Royal British Legion is the support for foreign troops of United Kingdom who are engaged in military combat. The organization can launch an ‘Honor’ campaign which can call on the citizens of United Kingdom both within country and abroad to honor the  military men protecting country’s interest in foreign lands like Afghanistan (Beamish and Ashford, 2009). The objective of the campaign would be gather public support for the issues recognized by the Legion and to promote interests of milita ry men abroad. The same campaign can be used to create support of the federal government, as well, for the troops and to influence government to create laws which are beneficial for the interest of these men. One aspect of this campaign can be seeking priority treatment for military men in hospitals rather than having them to wait for treatment in national institutions. ‘Online Assistance of Military Men’ can be a campaign which can

Majestic Wine Plc Uk Marketing Essay

Majestic Wine Plc Uk Marketing Essay Majestic Wine Plc. opened its original wine warehouse in 1980. This Wood Green, North London warehouse merged in 1991 with Wizard Wine, which, at that time belonged to Iceland, the frozen food group, (Sunday Times, 2010, p1). Majestic Wine was listed on the Alternative Investment Market in 1996. In 2009, it acquired Lay Wheeler, a Burgundy and Bordeaux wine specialist (Sunday Times, 2010, p1). The retailing of wines, beers and spirits is its principal business activity (Majestic Group, 2009, p1). This business report analyses the group performance for two financial years, to 29th. March, 2010. It recommend, on basis of appropriate performance ratios, (detailed in Appendices 1 4), that shareholders should buy more shares and augment their investment significantly if the group management shows a more aggressive and focused plan of expansion, accompanied by expansion of stores, the deployment of a more aggressive capital gearing ratio, and sharper operations management. Majestic has grown more than 12 fold from 1985, when it had only 12 shops, to 152 shops n 2010. It aims to expand its shop strength to 250 during the coming decade (Sunday Times, 2010, p1). Its sales are at a 10 year high, post the discarding of its policy of retailing only 12-bottle cases. Off-licences, (establishments selling alcohol for consumption off the premises), could in the 1980s operate only for a few hours every day, and even fewer over weekends. Warehouses circumvented this rule by posturing as wholesalers, thus compelling their customers to buy bulk 12-bottle cases (Goodway, 2010, p1). Steven Lewis, the feisty CEO of the company, tested and subsequently rolled out, from November 2009, a model allowing customers to buy a minimum of six bottles at a time (Goodway, 2010, p1). The policy was instrumental in increasing the number of customers by 54000 to 472000 in the course of a year (LSE, 2010, p1). The objective of this Business Report is to recommend to the shareholders of Majestic Wine PLC on augmentation or reduction of their investment in the company. The profitability ratios of the company reflect a marked improvement in terms of revenues, cost of sales and ROI. Most organisations opt to keep their debt low and cut their debt at the earliest (Jablonsky Barsky, 2001). Whilst such inclinations arise from the need to be conventional and secure in business, excessive eagerness to diminish debt frequently leads to poor utilisation of obtainable debt, higher costs and uneconomical capital gearing (Jablonsky Barsky, 2001, p 7-15). The practically unchanged working capital ratios reflect the maintenance of sub-optimal liquidity levels. The weak acid-test ratio can lead to a difficult situation if the need for liquidity arises on account of contingencies that need to be swiftly addressed. The long-term debts ratios reflect under capitalisation. The low gearing ratio reflects risk adverse tendencies, which can lead to slow growth in future. 2.2. Group Performance The group turnover for the 52 week period ending 29th March, 2010 at  £33.2m was up 15.6 percent, with the profit before tax at  £16.0m rocketing by an incredible 117 percent (LSE, 2010, p1). Appendix 4 summarises the group performance, as reported in the Preliminary Results for 2010. The Group has experienced strong cash generation during 2010, with operational cash-flows of  £21.2m during the year.  This figure is  £5.7m more than the  £15.5m generated during the previous year, and has essentially come about from the improvement in the underlying profit before tax during 2010. The Distribution and Administrative Costs have increased by 15.6 percent during 2009-10 as compared to the previous year. The EBIT (Earnings before finance costs and taxation) rose by 118.3 percent during the same period. The Profit before Taxation (PBT) grew sharply from  £7.4m to  £16.0m during 2009-10 year, registering an increase of 117 percent. The sales to private customers, which make up the mainstay of the business, have shored up well, even though sales to corporate customers has been unsatisfactory. The companys French operations have been hurt by a stronger Euro (Majestic Group, 2009, p1). This contributed to an exceptional non-cash charge of  £5.33m in 2009, which arose from the writing-down of the carrying value of the companys French retailing operations, Wine and Beer World (Majestic Group, 2009, p1). The companys purchase policy of reducing the minimum purchase of 12 bottles to 6 has led to excellent results, even as it needs to be recognised that it may be difficult to replicate this years soaring profits next year, because of challenges in manoeuvring even more supermarket customers through its shop entrances (ODoherty Kuchler, 2010, p1). Majestic is nevertheless working towards seizing mid-market space with a number of value-adding schemes like developing sales to gastropubs, increasing its wine-tasting programmes, and growing its fine wines business (ODoherty Kuchler, 2010, p1). Majestics market share at 3.4% leaves abundant room for growth (ODoherty Kuchler, 2010, p1). With its share trading at 20.3p per share at approximately 14 times its forecast earnings for 2011, higher than the average trading of its peer retailers at an average of 12 to 13p, Majestic, ODoherty Kuchler, (2010, p1) feel merits the premium and some more. The companys results are remarkable, considering that the underlying profit growth of 26 percent in 2010 has been achieved after accounting for the reduction of  £5.3m in the carrying value of the French operations (Hemming, 2010, p1). The business is well positioned to capitalise on its core strengths as the economic environment starts improving (Majestic Group, 2009, p1). The companys acquisition of Lay and Wheelers fine wine business in 2009 has contributed  £12.4m to 2010 sales (LSE, 2010, p1). It is to the credit of the group that the total dividend for the year has been raised by 5.1 percent, to 10.3p per share, against last years 9.8p, despite continuing market pressures (LSE, 2010, p1). The Underlying basic earnings per share (EPS) for 2010 at 18.4p were 31.4% higher than the 2009s 14.0p. The underlying diluted EPS for the same period at 18.3p rose 30.7% against the previous years figure of 14.0p. The basic EPS for 2010 at 18.4p was 247.2% more than the 2009s 5.3p. The diluted EPS for 2010 at 18.3p was 245.3% more than the 5.3p achieved in 2009 (LSE, 2010, p1). The average transaction expenditure at  £129 for 2010 is 4 percent lower than 2009, despite a growth of 14.6 percent to 1.7m in transaction numbers (LSE, 2010, p1). The UK like-for-like sales for the 10 week period from 30th.March, 2010 to 7th.June, 2010 rose 7.3 percent (LSE, 2010, p1). The company is expected to improve its sales in future. The retailers professional credentials and good service levels have produced considerable loyalty amongst its patrons, which will be of assistance in the present economic climate. Majestic will also probably not be impacted by the recommended changes to alcohol pricing as its focus is more on the superiority of its offering than on its price (TradingMarkets.com, 2010, p1). It is recommended that shareholders should steadily increase their investments. Larger positions should be taken if the group management shows persistent and aggressive efforts to achieve its growth target of 250 sites within a decade and change its conservative capital gearing. The company however needs to address its short term liquidity in order to be ready for short-term contingencies. 2.3. Mission Statement Majestic Wines progresses its mission of providing wine of high quality backed up with superior customer service through its clearly differentiated retailing model, with its core excellent value straddling the price range, its captivating product offering, and most of all, its compelling and distinguishing customer service proposition (Majestic Group, 2009, p1). The companys commitment to its mission is exemplified by the recognition accorded to it as the High Street Chain of the Year, in 2008, by the International Wine Challenge Awards. The Group was also awarded The Specialist Wine Chain of the Year by Decanter magazine in 2008 (Majestic Group, 2010, p1). The companys strength in customer services emanates from its ability in recruiting and retaining high quality graduate level staff, its continual investment in comprehensive training programmes, (widely accredited as best in the wine industry), and its focus on customer service, product knowledge and management (Majestic Group, 2010, p1). Majestic augments its specialist credentials by focusing on its staff training. New staff members tend to take the course qualifying for the Wine and Spirits Education Trusts (WSET) Advanced Certificate in six months. In fact, several employees train further: 149 staff members presently have, or are qualifying for the WSET Diploma, even as 7 of Majestics personnel received Excellence Awards from WSET in January 2010 (TradingMarkets.com, 2010, p1). Majestic distinguishes itself from its competitors is by cultivating strong customer relationships (TradingMarkets.com, 2010, p1). The company hosts numerous events, like wine tastings, and courses to enhance customer knowledge of wine (TradingMarkets.com, 2010, p1). Such approaches, combined with high service levels, have facilitated the retailer in trading its clientele up the value chain (TradingMarkets.com, 2010, p1). The latest annual results disclose that the average value for a bottle of still wine increased by  £0.21 and sales of bottles more than GBP20 grew by 22.7% in relation to the previous year (TradingMarkets.com, 2010, p1). Majestic aims to enhance its fine wine credentials by putting up fine wine display sections in all its stores in the next two years. Approximately around 50 percent of its present stores have such sections (TradingMarkets.com, 2010, p1). 2.4. Environmental Policies Many companies tend to confuse green concerns relating to their own businesses with elementary cost savings measures. This adversely affects the larger green issues that are related to implementation of green processes, products and technologies across such organisations. Environmental issues the company including the collections, reprocessing and disposal of the recyclable waste material. A pioneering lightweight British-designed bottle has facilitated the UK wine industry in meeting aggressive targets on reduction of its carbon emissions and glass waste (Greenwise, 2010, p1). The 300 grams (g) screw-cap bottle, the first worldwide, weighs 188g less than the average wine bottle and 40g less than the earlier lightest bottle produced in Britain (Greenwise, 2010, p1). It has been designed and developed, through the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), by Quinn Glass and is currently being deployed by key supermarkets like Tesco (Greenwise, 2010, p1). The ground-breaking design is the outcome of a 4 year program known as GlassRite Wine launched by WRAP in 2006 to spot prospects within the wine sector to generate environmental- cum-commercial savings (Greenwise, 2010, p1). WRAP avers that the project currently has accomplished the targets, with which it was launched, of decreasing glass bottle weight by approximately 27,000 tonnes with using lighter weight bottles and increasing recycled glass usage in UK wine-bottle production by 44,295 tonnes per year (Greenwise, 2010, p1). In terms of CO2 savings, the project has further contributed almost 35,000 tonnes per annum (Greenwise, 2010, p1). Nicola Jenkin, in charge of WRAPs drinks category business, stated that huge opportunities are still present in using lighter-weight bottles in the global wine supply chain (Greenwise, 2010). She elaborated that the pioneering 300g wine bottle was presenting considerable potential in UK alone for reducing glass and carbon wastes (Greenwise, 2010, p1). Further, she clarified that use of these bottles for all wine sales within UK itself would produce glass saving of 153,000 tonnes per annum, equivalent to the weight of over 460 jumbo jets resulting in axing CO2 discharges by 119,000 tonnes (Greenwise, 2010, p1). Another major success of the GlassRite project has been in promoting bulk importation wherein the wine is transported in vats instead of being bottled at source (Greenwise, 2010, p1). Consequently, WRAP has confirmed that emissions have been cut by 40 per cent (Greenwise, 2010, p1). Majestic Wine would do well to adopt environmental friendly policies in view of the enormous potential for savings possible in adopting green processes and practices along its entire supply chain. 2.5. Majestic and Major Competitors strengths and weaknesses The retail wine industry is intensely competitive. The Group competes with numerous retailers of varying size in terms of criteria like quality, range, price and service. Failure to compete successfully could adversely impact the financial results. Apart from monitoring performance repeatedly against competitors in these spheres, the Group lessens its exposure by guaranteeing that the trade is differentiated from the competition by the quality, quantity and diversity of merchandise at every location, provision of wine expertise as well as dedicated car parking (Majestic Group, 2009, p1). We differentiate ourselves by the high quality of our customer service and advice, the diversity and quantity of stock available to purchase at each store, our dedicated on-site customer parking, wines to taste every day, the ability to order in-store or via our website and the availability of free delivery throughout mainland UK (Majestic Group, 2009, p2). Constellation Brands along with Fosters Group, owning brands including Lindemans, Hardys and Penfolds and employing thousands of personnel in UK, have charged the Government of demolishing the UK wine business with constant tax rises (Hall, 2010, p1). Both organisations have axed UK jobs and are already shifting investments to other European nations. Last year Fosters cut 10 percent of its UK labour force (Hall, 2010, p1). Peter Jackson, Fosters MD for Europe, Middle-East Africa division, stated that 55 percent of a  £4.32 priced wine bottle, an average UK price-tag, is spent on taxes; approximately  £1.60 is excise duty, 65p is VAT and 11p is the Common Customs Tariff (Hall, 2010, p1). Research conducted for The Sunday Telegraph reveals that, whilst the price of a wine bottle has risen by 25pc since Labour Government ascended to power in 1997, its duty has increased by 53.3 percent (Hall, 2010, p1). Earlier in the month EJ Gallo Winery, makers of wines including Turning Leaf and Carlo Rossi, stated that it will continue curtailing its UK range in 2010, because high levels of promotions and the brutal tax regime make it tough to do business (Hall, 2010, p1). Cheap alcohol traded by supermarkets has struck off-licence chains very hard. Wine Rack and First Quench owned Threshers collapsed last year benefiting Majestic (Sunday Times, 2010, p1). Majestic steer clear of challenging supermarkets on price but instead claims to provide more products and better service. Majestics share price has risen 38% in the past year to 272.5p, valuing it at  £167m (Sunday Times, 2010, p1). The UK is recognized worldwide as a sophisticated wine market and it is surprising that it short-changes sophisticated wine consumers the aspect of procuring fine wine by the single bottle (Sunday Times, 2010, p1). The number of high-quality wine shops has dropped sharply due to competition from supermarkets, which sell over 70% of wine in Britain, and high rents as well as the current growth in online wine sales (Sunday Times, 2010, p1). However, the finest places in UK to procure expensive wine are within London, where departmental stores like Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum Mason proffer fancy bottles at a price (Robinson, 2010, p1). The 2009-20 financial year results further highlight that specialists can be successful when faced with severe competition from supermarkets if they can offer outstanding levels of quality, service and range (TradingMarkets.com, 2010, p1).

The Importance of Successful Communication Essay -- Communication Proc

The importance in being able to effectively communicate with others is essential in our everyday lives. Although everyone participates in some process of communication, not everyone knows how to communicate well. Communication is a process involving the encoding and decoding of messages being sent and received by a source and receiver, respectively. Messages are sent through various channels, such as face-to-face interaction, electronic mail, text messages, and telephone. Depending upon the channel used to communicate a message, it may allow for the communication to be transactional or unilateral. All of this occurs within a certain context, and it may also include noise factors, such as cultural differences or physical distractions, that may disrupt the effectiveness of the message being communicated. The more knowledgeable one is of the multiple factors involved in the communication process, the better the chances of effective and efficient communication. In Organizational Behavior, John Schermerhorn et al believes that â€Å"it is useful to think of communication as a process of sending and receiving messages with attached meanings† (190). Mission Hospital is where I work, vast amounts of messages are sent and received daily, and depending on its availability, certain channels will be utilized. Due to the high volume of different messages, there is always the chance that some messages will be successful while others are not. An example of an unsuccessful message, where ...

Collecting Cartoon Models

Collecting cartoon models One of my favorite hobby I enjoy is collecting cartoon models. Collecting cartoon models is an important thing in my life. I like plastic model and come in pieces, I have to put them together. Plastic model is easier to save, this is why I don’t like glass models. I know model is in my primary school. If I like a cartoon I will collect a model of it. I have spent a long time collecting models. I started to collect models when I was 12 years-old. Near my primary school there is a model shop, where you can see many types of models. The owner has more than 3000 models in the shop because he likes models too.He is my friend now. My first model was bought in this shop. I bought a small size, it’s not expensive, but that is my favorite one. Every models I will spend a lot of times to search it, which standing is my favorite, which size is the best one. If I want buy a model, maybe I will prepare a long time. For example, I love Doraemon, he look like a blue cat, but no ears, because a mouse ate his ears, he is a robot. He has a younger sister, and he has many friends, the best one name’s Da Xiong, is Doraemon’s owner, he is very timid boy, but Doraemon always help him.I have more than hundred models about this cartoon, I have Da Xiong, Jing Xiang, Pang Hu, Xiao Fu, and Doraemon’s younger sister Dorami. My mother knows this hobby when I am 14 years-old, because I told her I want bought a display case, so I have a very big display case, it’s a glass one. The case has 7 shelves, it is tall than me, I think it can put 6 person like me in my display case, it is very big. I put my models in the display case, it must be very carefully. Because if you not carefully the models maybe will break or change their standing.Collecting models is fun thing to do, it is interesting for me. I like to assembly them by myself. It makes me happy and calm, the reason is because I need pay attention when I do it. When you a ssembling models and at the same time you try to do another thing, your models maybe can’t do like you want, you will have error, and make your models break. I have more than a thousand models, the biggest one is tall 115cm, like a person; the middle size needs more time to assembly them, because the middle size is easier than other ize to assembly it, they are the most complex; and the smallest size, you can put them on desk or car dashboard. I can change models color or standing, some models you can paint them by yourself, when you buy the models, in the packing box maybe they give you tools to paint. I like paint my models, but I am not a good painter. Collecting cartoon models is a fun hobby for me, I really enjoy it, it’s not easy for a beginner. If you just a beginner, maybe you don’t know how to deal some part, which part put together and use which color. That is a big problem.But when you start to assembly models, I am sure you will love it, because you accomplish a model by yourself, it can give you a chance to help you build your confidence, maybe you will say, â€Å"Look! I am the winner, I can complete it by myself! † If you want buy a model you like, you need search for them in many model stores, because at that time, model isn’t very popular in China, you need ask other and find the model stores, maybe the shop is in some small road, you may spend a lot of time searching for models and the way, if you want to have as many models as me. But it’s still fun for me after all these years. [pic] Collecting Cartoon Models Collecting cartoon models One of my favorite hobby I enjoy is collecting cartoon models. Collecting cartoon models is an important thing in my life. I like plastic model and come in pieces, I have to put them together. Plastic model is easier to save, this is why I don’t like glass models. I know model is in my primary school. If I like a cartoon I will collect a model of it. I have spent a long time collecting models. I started to collect models when I was 12 years-old. Near my primary school there is a model shop, where you can see many types of models. The owner has more than 3000 models in the shop because he likes models too.He is my friend now. My first model was bought in this shop. I bought a small size, it’s not expensive, but that is my favorite one. Every models I will spend a lot of times to search it, which standing is my favorite, which size is the best one. If I want buy a model, maybe I will prepare a long time. For example, I love Doraemon, he look like a blue cat, but no ears, because a mouse ate his ears, he is a robot. He has a younger sister, and he has many friends, the best one name’s Da Xiong, is Doraemon’s owner, he is very timid boy, but Doraemon always help him.I have more than hundred models about this cartoon, I have Da Xiong, Jing Xiang, Pang Hu, Xiao Fu, and Doraemon’s younger sister Dorami. My mother knows this hobby when I am 14 years-old, because I told her I want bought a display case, so I have a very big display case, it’s a glass one. The case has 7 shelves, it is tall than me, I think it can put 6 person like me in my display case, it is very big. I put my models in the display case, it must be very carefully. Because if you not carefully the models maybe will break or change their standing.Collecting models is fun thing to do, it is interesting for me. I like to assembly them by myself. It makes me happy and calm, the reason is because I need pay attention when I do it. When you a ssembling models and at the same time you try to do another thing, your models maybe can’t do like you want, you will have error, and make your models break. I have more than a thousand models, the biggest one is tall 115cm, like a person; the middle size needs more time to assembly them, because the middle size is easier than other ize to assembly it, they are the most complex; and the smallest size, you can put them on desk or car dashboard. I can change models color or standing, some models you can paint them by yourself, when you buy the models, in the packing box maybe they give you tools to paint. I like paint my models, but I am not a good painter. Collecting cartoon models is a fun hobby for me, I really enjoy it, it’s not easy for a beginner. If you just a beginner, maybe you don’t know how to deal some part, which part put together and use which color. That is a big problem.But when you start to assembly models, I am sure you will love it, because you accomplish a model by yourself, it can give you a chance to help you build your confidence, maybe you will say, â€Å"Look! I am the winner, I can complete it by myself! † If you want buy a model you like, you need search for them in many model stores, because at that time, model isn’t very popular in China, you need ask other and find the model stores, maybe the shop is in some small road, you may spend a lot of time searching for models and the way, if you want to have as many models as me. But it’s still fun for me after all these years. [pic]

The Root of Our Nation’s Struggle with Racism by Sarah Jaquez Professor Ramos Blog

The Root of Our Nation’s Struggle with Racism by Sarah Jaquez In The Souls of Black Folk, written by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1903, the very first chapter â€Å"Of Our Spiritual Strivings† Du Bois elaborates on the difficulties of being a Black- American during a time of extreme turmoil and confusion. This plight was caused by the newly announced emancipation of slaves throughout the United States. Which caused leading African American men, such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, to seek answers to questions like: how do African Americans integrate into a caucasian dominated society? Both W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington strove to fight the cultural conflict of prejudice and racial inequality that are still prevalent in today’s society. Booker T. Washington had a much more passive views towards the cultural conflicts at hand than W.E.B. Du Bois had years later.   As expressed in a speech called the Atlanta Compromise, Washington believed that it was of vital importance for Black men to be respected in the workforce and have the same economical power as white men. This would   allow their basic rights, such as voting, to come later on. Shortly after his speech Booker T. Washington received praise from many respected individuals; however, that praise was short lived. After the dust of this victory settled and Booker T. Washington’s message could be fully understood it received much criticism, especially from W.E.B. Du Bois. Many of Washington’s critics, including Du Bois, believed that Washington’s approach to racial equality in a post slavery world was far too passive for the hateful and violent world that surrounded them. Du Bois wanted his natural rights protected as it states in the consti tution that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nothing in this statement mentions race; therefore, to Du Bois, Black men should not be excluded from these unalienable rights. W.E.B. Du Bois seemed to see being Black as a much bigger burden than Booker T. Washington. In fact, Du Bois coined the well known term â€Å"double-consciousness† which is defined in the Stanford Encyclopedia as â€Å"those whose identity is divided into several facets.† This is a broader and more current definition of the term as it is still a relevant topic today. Du Bois’ definition of double-consciousness was primarily confined to describing Black Americans. He states his own experiences of his self proclaimed â€Å"twoness† as â€Å"a sense of looking at oneself through the eyes of others.† He sees being a Black and an American as â€Å"two unreconciled strivings,† or two different identities that can never be united peacefully. Double consciousness is caused by the separation of races in America, especially after the emancipation proclamation. In the eyes of society, especially at the time, the color of an African American’s ski n would forever represent the hardships they faced pre-civil war and the shame of those who inflicted those everlasting wounds. This causes racialized oppression and disapproval of being Black in a white dominated society. In modern America, this twoness is still prevalent today. In 2013, Barack Obama gave a speech in response to the Trayvon Martin verdict. He mentions that what happened to Trayvon could have easily happened to any Black man, including himself. Obama then notes that â€Å"in the African American community at least, there’s a lot of pain around what happened here, I think it’s important to recognize that the African American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn’t go away.† Obama shares that all Black men, including himself, experience the effects of double consciousness whether it be being followed in the grocery store or hearing cars be locked as they pass by. In this same speech, Obama recognizes that there   Ã¢â‚¬Å"is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws.† In comparing this speech with W.E.B. Du Bois The Souls of Black Folk, it easy to see that they are both figh ting for the same dream. That dream is to be respected as an equal in the eyes of the law and the United States political system. Although it may not have been simply natural rights that Obama is looking for, he was still striving for fairness on how the law is applied to Black men. For W.E.B. Du Bois’ 100th birthday Martin Luther King Jr gave a speech called â€Å"Honoring Du Bois.† In this speech King mentions the â€Å"twisted logic [that] if a Black man was inferior he was not oppressed,† because where a Black man stood in society was reasonable given his intellect. This is a common justification for the treatment of African Americans throughout the United States. This â€Å"twisted logic† justified acts of violence towards African Americans and reinforced the passage of Jim Crow laws among many other disgraceful acts. It can be said that the same justifications are made today. In the same speech for Trayvon given by President Barack Obama he states, â€Å"we need to spend some time in thinking about how do we bolster and reinforce our African American boys†¦ There are a lot of kids out there who need help who are getting a lot of negative reinforcement.† It seems likely that this negative reinforcement is due to the p rior twisted logic. These boys need to be bolsted due to generations of mistreatment and denial by the government and its people. Du Bois states, â€Å"he would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world,† telling his African American readers that the hardships they faced are lesson for the world. The sentiment also suggest that if African Americans can   just be accepted by the white community it would be beneficial for the nation as a whole. While addressing the Trayvon Martin verdict Obama asks us to have conversations in homes, churches, workplaces and if we can ask ourselves or eachother, â€Å"Am I judging people as much as I can, based on not the color of their skin, but the content of their character?† because this stems the true root of our nation’s struggle with prejudice and racial inequality. Work Cited Du Bois, W. E. B. The Souls of Black Folk. Chicago: A.C. McClurg Co.; [Cambridge]: University Press John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A., 1903; Bartleby.com, 1999. King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968. Honoring Dr. Du BoisW. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Libraries Obama, Barack. â€Å"Remarks by the President on Trayvon Martin.† National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/19/remarks-president-trayvon-m artin. Pittman, John P. â€Å"Double Consciousness.† Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 21 Mar. 2016, plato.stanford.edu/entries/double-consciousness/. Washington, Booker T. â€Å"Atlanta Compromise† Cotton States and International Exposition, 18 September 1895, Atlanta, Georgia.

The Sociology of Social Inequality

The Sociology of Social Inequality Social inequality results from a society organized by hierarchies of class, race, and gender that broker access to resources and rights in ways that make their distribution unequal. It can manifest in a variety of ways, like income and wealth inequality, unequal access to education and cultural resources, and differential treatment by the police and judicial system, among others. Social inequality goes hand in hand with social stratification. Overview Social inequality is characterized by the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society. It contains structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distributions of goods, wealth, opportunities, rewards, and punishments. Racism, for example, is understood to be a phenomenon whereby access to rights and resources is unfairly distributed across racial lines. In the context of the U.S., people of color typically experience racism, which benefits white people by conferring on them white privilege, which allows them greater access to rights and resources than other Americans. There are two main ways to measure social inequality: inequality of conditions, and inequality of opportunities. Inequality of conditions refers to the unequal distribution of income, wealth, and material goods. Housing, for example, is inequality of conditions with the homeless and those living in housing projects sitting at the bottom of the hierarchy while those living in multi-million dollar mansions sit at the top. Another example is at the level of whole communities, where some are poor, unstable, and plagued by violence, while others are invested in by business and government so that they thrive and provide safe, secure, and happy conditions for their inhabitants. Inequality of opportunities refers to the unequal distribution of life chances across individuals. This is reflected in measures such as level of education, health status, and treatment by the criminal justice system. For example, studies have shown that college and university professors are more likely to ignore emails from women and people of color than they are to ignore those from white men, which privileges the educational outcomes of white men by channeling a biased amount of mentoring and educational resources to them. Discrimination of an individual, community, and institutional levels is a major part of the process of reproducing social inequalities of race, class, gender, and sexuality. For example, women are systematically paid less than men for doing the same work, and sociologists have conclusively demonstrated that racism is built into the very foundation of our society, and is present in all of our social institutions. Two Main Theories of Social Inequality There are two main views of social inequality within sociology. One view aligns with the functionalist theory, and the other aligns with conflict theory. Functionalist theorists believe that inequality is inevitable and desirable and plays an important function in society. Important positions in society require more training and thus should receive more rewards. Social inequality and social stratification, according to this view, lead to a meritocracy based on ability.Conflict theorists, on the other hand, view inequality as resulting from groups with power dominating less powerful groups. They believe that social inequality prevents and hinders societal progress as those in power repress the powerless people to maintain the status quo. In todays world, this work of domination is achieved primarily through the power of ideology, our thoughts, values, beliefs, worldviews, norms, and expectations, through a process known as cultural hegemony. How Sociologists Study Social Inequality Sociologically, we can study social inequality as a social problem that encompasses three dimensions: structural conditions, ideological supports, and social reforms. Structural conditions include things that can be objectively measured and that contribute to social inequality. Sociologists study how things like educational attainment, wealth, poverty, occupations, and power lead to social inequality between individuals and groups of people. Ideological supports include ideas and assumptions that support the social inequality present in a society. Sociologists examine how things such as formals laws, public policies, and dominant values  both lead to social inequality, and help sustain it. For example, consider this discussion of the role that words and the ideas attached to them play in this process. Social reforms are things such as organized resistance, protest groups, and social movements. Sociologists study how these social reforms help shape or change social inequality that exists in a society, as well as their origins,  impact, and long-term effects. Today, social media plays a large role in social reform campaigns and was harnessed in 2014 by British actress Emma Watson, on behalf of the UN, to launch a campaign for gender equality called #HeForShe.