Organizational Behavior Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Essay 1. Does this case prove economic downturns and company layoffs fail to lead to workplace malfeasance? Why or why not? This case proves economic downturns and company layoffs lead to workplace malfeasance. According to dictionary.com malfeasance is the performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law. It is also defined as wrongdoing (used especially of an act in violation of a public trust. According to the case incident â€Å"These companies often produce press releases, which then work their way into the media and presumably generate potential clients for the organizations† (Robbins Judge, 2010, pg. 35). This statement has led me to believe that companies use press releases to make their situation seem worse than it actually is in order to gain clients for their organization. 2. Does the case prove we can learn nothing from the business press? The case proves that we can learn something from the business press however we should not believe everything we read. According to the case, â€Å"MSN Money, under the headline â€Å"Businesses See Rise in Employee Theft,† reported the poll results as follows: â€Å"When asked if they had noticed a recent rise in monetary theft among employees, such as fraudulent transactions or missing cash, 18% said yes, 41% were unsure and the rest said they hadn’t† (Robbins Judge, 2010, pg. 35). However, put a different way 18% agreed that theft was up and 82% either disagreed or weren’t sure. Based on MSN Money’s report it sounds like theft really has increased however if you look at it another way most companies said they haven’t seen an increase or they just haven’t noticed a rise in theft. 3. Does this chapter provide any clues for how you can be an informed consumer of business news on OB issues? In some way’s this chapter provides clues for how you can be an informed consumer of business news on OB issues because it explains how managers stay informed. According to the text, â€Å"All managers, to some degree, collect information from outside organizations and institutions, typically by scanning the news media (including the internet) and talking with other people to learn of changes in the public’s tastes, what competitors may be planning, and the like† (Robbins Judge, 2010, pg. 6). 4. Some companies install surveillance equipment (cameras, computer software) to monitor their employees. Valenti Management, which owns and runs 117 Wendy’s and 17 Chili’s restaurants, has installed fingerprint scanners on all its cash registers. Do you think these measures infringe too much on individual privacy? Can a company take prevention too far? How do you strike a balance between prevention and intrusion? When you become an employee of a company you have in essence agreed to the monitoring that is taking place. Although fingerprint scanners on all cash registers sounds like pretty extreme measure it is a way for the company to be sure that the employee that is supposed to be working the register is actually the one working the register. If the company uses a clock in number such as the four digits of an employee’s social security number another employee could use that number, take money from the register and then the blame would go on the wrong person. I do believe a company can take prevention to far however, I don’t believe Valenti Management has done so in this case. Striking a balance between prevention and intrusion can be very difficult however I do believe it is possible, before a company implements a new prevention measure it should determine whether the measure is absolutely necessary to prevent employee theft.

The Effect of Slavery on the Identity of Cuba Essay examples -- Slaver

The Effect of Slavery on the Identity of Cuba The Caribbean is a diverse region with a unique history. The progress and advancement of each island complied with the European country in control of it at the time. The Caribbean was conquered and colonized soon after Columbus’ discovery in 1492. A similar aspect of the heterogeneous region has been its plantations. The plantations were an important aspect of the cultural history of the Caribbean. Mintz believed that the plantations tied the colonies in the Caribbean to the European country that was colonizing it. He states: "the plantation system was an agricultural design for the production of export commodities for foreign markets- a means for introducing agricultural capitalism to subtropical colonial areas, and for integrating those areas with the expanding European economy"(Mintz 26). The plantations of the Caribbean are also useful tools in learning more about the history of the island who once inhabited the island, as Benitez-Rojo states in his essay, From Plantation to Plantation, "the plantations serve as a telescope for observing the changes and the continuities of the Caribbean galaxy through the lenses of multifold disciplines, namely economics, history, sociology, political science, anthropology, ethnology, demography, as well as through innumerable practices, which range from the commercial to the military, from the religious literary"(Benitez-Rojo 38). The plantations in the Caribbean played a significant role in shaping each colony in the development from colonialism to the modern society. In the other readings in class, we learned that Michelle Cliff (Abeng) despised the plantation systems because the Europeans profited from the sugar plantations, whic... ...combination. The blending of the Spanish guitar and the African drum gives Cuban music its distinctive form, the rumba and son are good examples. Today Cubans are peoples of all different colors. The islands complicated history is evident in its inhabitants. WORKS CITED Beckles, Hilary& Shepard, Verene. Caribbean Slave Society & Economy, New York, 1991. Cliff, Michelle. Abeng. Penguin Group, 1984. Knight, Franklin. The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism. New York, 1990. Paquette, Robert. Sugar is Made with Blood. Middletown, CT, 1988. Perez, Louis. Slaves, Sugar & Colonial Society, Wilmington, Delaware, 1992. Benitez-Rojo, Antonio. The Repeating Island, Duke University, Durham & London, 1992. Mintz, Sidney W. The Caribbean as a Socio-Cultural Area, Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean, Garden City, New Jersey, 1971.

Compare and Contrast Huckleberry Finn and to Kill a Mockingbird

9/12/2012 American Studies II Comparing and Contrasting: To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn In the books, The Adventures Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird, the authors demonstrate several themes: the coexistence of good and evil, the importance of moral education, the existence of social inequality, racism and slavery, intellectual and moral education, and the hypocrisy of â€Å"civilized† society.The common themes throughout the two books depict; that although the settings are nearly a century apart, society has not changed as drastically as believed. Racism, a main theme throughout both books reveals itself in many ways. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place during the 1830’s – 1840’s, in Missouri, a slave state. During this time period, slavery was a controversial issue; and amongst the main causes for the civil war. In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck learns to bond with a slave, Jim. Throughout the course of the novel, Ji m and Huck become close friends and he realizes that he cares for him.Huck disregards most common opinions throughout society, he is associated with this slave who is supposedly ‘less than human. ’ Jim, the slave, is an intellectual human being despite the fact that he is treated as a lesser life form. Whereas, in to Kill a Mockingbird, racism is illustrated in depth through a trial in which a negro man is accused of a rape, to which he is thoroughly proved his innocence. Despite the evidence agreeing with the defendant, the racist jury simply convicts the defendant â€Å"guilty†. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930’s, during the Great Depression in Alabama.A former slave state, and a southern state, the town of Maycomb was swarmed with racist and prejudice people. â€Å"The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it – whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash. (Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird p295) We are all born innocent, and then we are exposed to the evils of the world. Progressively, we begin to conform to fit society’s measures. We do good things, and we do bad things. We are only human. Throughout these books, exists a coexistence of good and evil. People may have good intentions for some things, and feel quite differently in others. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the book displays the change Jem and Scout Finch make from their childhood innocence. From the beginning of the novel, the characters develop in many ways; mentally and physically.They have been raised by the ideal moral backbone, their father, Atticus. Despite the fact, they are not alwa ys prepared to see the world’s evils right before their eyes. During the course of the trial, Jem and Scout watch closely anticipating the result and hoping for the best. Yet, when they see the truth and the racism of the town before their eyes, they don’t know how to handle it. Jem has lost faith in humanity, and feels hopeless. Yet, Scout manages to see that people can be both good and bad. In humanity, good and evil coexists. â€Å"When they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things . . Atticus, he was real nice. . . .† His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. â€Å"Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them. † He turned out the light and went into Jem’s room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning. † (Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, p284) As the story progresses, Scout starts to see things in a new way. Her perspective starts to change an d she is able to see people for who they are and who they aren’t. Scout sees human evil, but she also realizes that people aren’t perfect and make mistakes.Scout sees that there is good in people, and that there is also bad in people. Despite the fact that she is a lot younger, she grasps the situation better than her older brother who seems to fall apart at the concept of human evil. The Mockingbird had become something symbolic in the story. The mockingbird represents innocence and portrays itself through several different characters in the story; such as Scout Finch or Boo Radley. Despite their innocence however, they can be injured with their contact with evil. In the story, it’s explained how Boo Radley’s innocence is tainted because of his abusive father.Thus the extended metaphor or symbolism would explain that killing a mockingbird is tainting innocence. When Scout inquires her, Miss Maudie explains, â€Å"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing b ut . . . sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. † This also links the connection of Scout and Jem both having the last name finch, which is another name for a particularly small (and also harmless) bird. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck comes from the lower levels of white society, having a father who is a drunk who disappears constantly.Widow Douglas adopts him and attempts to reform him, although she has difficulties. Huck does not accept the ways of society, and often tells Widow that he would rather go live in hell for a change of scenery. The Widow tries to teach him how to read and tries to make him religious. Although the Widow’s efforts do finally teach Huck how to read, he is still skeptical of the world around him. He does not agree with rules, and feels like he should create his own. Life is an adventure filled with new things and new ways to do them. To the world, Huck is but an infant crawling and learning how to t ake his first own steps.Huck realizes his friendship with Jim has made him content, and that the outside world is harsh. Every time Huck and Jim find themselves on land, they see the world for what it is and it’s cons and tricks. They see the lies that people weave, the hatred, the conflicts. When Huck and Jim are together on the raft, they feel like they escape from the world and its problems. Everything seems to float away and they can enjoy the simple pleasures. They choose to isolate themselves and feel as if they are living an idealistic dream or are a part of a Utopian society.They do not need much to be satisfied, just a few basic needs and to be away from the hypocritical society. â€Å"I hadn’t had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens—there ain’t nothing in the world so good when it’s cooked right—and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time. . . .We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft. †(Huckleberry Finn, page 119)Everything is a learning experience for Huck, who is still youthful and very open minded. He comes to see how people in society interact and what their certain views on things are. He learns of how things can contradict each other or become hypocritical. Huck witnesses lots of lying and schemes, many of them by the duke and the dauphin. However, he also pulls a few white lies of his own. Trying to save Jim and himself, he cons a few people. It’s then that he realizes that telling a lie, dependent upon the situation can actually be a good thing.This demonstrates the thin line between the right and wrong of things and how society uses them. â€Å"But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s goin g to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before. † (Huckleberry Finn, page 190) Huck realizes that although he has come to like Aunt Sally, she is a part of society that he chooses to be left out of. He feels comfort in being a recluse, and does not want to integrate himself in the society he disagrees with. Religion, and the supposedly â€Å"correct morals† that he would be forced upon don’t interest him.He also feels that he could get a better education from his own experience than from what he is being taught and forced. Huck feels ready to accept the challenge of his own life and take his own responsibility. So when Aunt Sally wishes to adopt him, he chooses to hit the road and set off on his own adventures. Throughout the novels, both Huck and Scout have this sense of independence and free thinking to them. Despite their obvious differences in upbringing, they share at the root the same thinking. They believe in independence a nd seeing for themselves what life is like.They do not want to believe in what â€Å"all adults† think is correct and force them to believe. They are both young and innocent and want to determine what is right and wrong in the world by themselves. Scout, is a little more guided with the help of Atticus; however she still makes many decisions by herself on her views of people. She is able to truly open her eyes and see what the world is made of. In conclusion, though Huck takes different approaches on his life and sets off on his own completely new adventures, he isn’t that different from Scout. They both have their own opinions which differ drastically from the rest of the society.

Choosing the Best Words Denotations and Connotations

The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter. Its the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.(Mark Twain) Careful writers choose words both for what they mean (that is, their dictionary meanings  or denotations) and for what they suggest (their emotional associations or  connotations). For instance, the adjectives slim, scrawny, and svelte  all have related denotative meanings (thin, lets say) but different connotative meanings. And if were trying to pay someone a compliment, we better get the connotation right. Heres another example. The following words and phrases all refer to a young person, but their connotations may be quite different depending, in part, on the context in which they appear: youngster, child, kid, little one, small fry, squirt, brat, urchin, juvenile, minor. Some of these words tend to carry favorable connotations (little one), others unfavorable connotations (brat), and still others fairly neutral connotations (child). But referring to an adult as a child can be insulting, while calling a young person a brat lets our readers know at once how we feel about the rotten kid. Working with the five passages below will help make you more aware of the importance of choosing words carefully for what they imply or suggest as well as for what they mean according to the dictionary. Instructions Each of the five short passages below (in italics) is fairly objective and colorless. Your job is to write two new versions of each passage: first, using words with positive connotations to show the subject in an attractive light; second, using words with negative connotations to describe the same subject in a less favorable way. The guidelines following each passage should help you focus your revisions. A.  Bill cooked dinner for Katie. He prepared some meat and vegetables and a special dessert.(1) Describe the meal that Bill prepared, making it sound appetizing by using words with favorable connotations.(2) Describe the meal again, this time using words with negative connotations to make it sound quite unappealing. B. The person did not weigh very much. The person had brown hair and a small nose. The person wore informal clothing.(1) Identify and describe this particularly attractive person.(2) Identify and describe this particularly unattractive person. C. Douglas was careful with his money. He kept his money in a safe place. He bought only the necessities of life. He never borrowed or lent money.(1) Choose words that show how impressed you are by Douglass sense of thrift.(2) Choose words that make fun of Douglas or pass scorn on him for being such a tightwad.D.  There were many people at the dance. There was loud music. People were drinking. People were dancing. People were holding each other.(1) Through your descriptions, show how this dance was an enjoyable experience.(2)  Through your descriptions, show how this dance was an extremely unpleasant experience.   E. After sundown, the park was empty, dark, and quiet.(1) Describe the  park as a peaceful place.(2) Describe the park as a frightening place. For additional practice in descriptive writing, see  Composing Descriptive Paragraphs and Essays: Writing Guidelines, Topic Ideas, Exercises, and Readings. ​