Cardon Carpet Mills Case

Cardon Carpet Mills Issues and constraints The issue, which Cardon Carpet is facing, stems from the lack of expansion throughout the United States, specifically limiting their contract sales portion of its business only to the southeastern portion of the United States. Cardon Carpet Mills has several action options: 1. Expand its market share in contract sales segment throughout the US. Employ ten sales representatives to seek potential institutions and businesses throughout all of the US. Compensate these personnel based on commission, that is, the amount of clients they contract to the business. . Sell its products of Contract sale to institutions and businesses especially ones located in the metropolitan areas their wholesalers reside in. 3. Present a contract that specifies a referral of at least five institutions by each of their wholesalers and in turn Cardon would compromise in regards to the â€Å"Margin Sharing† proposal. Organization Assessment Cardon Carpet Mills, I nc. is a privately held manufacturer of a full line of medium-to-high-priced carpet primarily for the residential segment.The company markets its products under the Masterton and Chesterton brand names. Robert Meadows is the president and Suzanne Goldman is his special assistant. Refer to Exhibit 3. Market and Industry Assessment Wholesale and retail distribution in the U. S. carpet and rug industry has gone through a lot of instabilities since the 1980’s. Shaw Industries, a manufacturer, the carpet and rug industry leader opened its own retail stores but suffered losing many of their buying groups. Shaw eventually sold its retail stores and returned to their prior channel.The Market has experienced an increase in dollar sales, however this is offset by limited profitability for manufacturers. Refer to Exhibit 2. Customer Assessment Cardon Carpet’s direct customers include: institutions and businesses and wholesalers. Cardon’s indirect customers include: Retaile rs and consumers. Action Assessment The industry shows a lot of instability in this industry, but more importantly highlights the sensitiveness of retailers and wholesalers to a manufacturer’s decisions. Refer to Exhibit 4.Shaw industries’ experience proves that Cardon should maintain their wholesalers and capitalize on their long-term relationships by seeking their expertise in targeting business and institutions. Refer to Exhibit 1. Recommendation/Action Selection and Plan Cardon must Compromise with the wholesalers in order to expand its Contract sales segment and increase market share. The agreement would guarantee at least five new clients in each of the seven wholesaler locations. In return, the wholesalers would receive a price reduction and have incentive to help Cardon Mills become sustainable.This presents a mutually acceptable solution that looks to fill a huge part of the market, which Cardon has yet to capitalize on. Implementation Plan Set up a meeting wi th a leading official at each wholesaler site and Send a Cardon executive to each of the seven locations. Specify in the contract/agreement that the referrals have to actually become contracted customers of Cardon. Indicate that these institutions can be the wholesaler’s accounting firm, corporate locations etc.

Case Studies for Management

While examples of guaranteed payment exist, the length ND size of the payments is considered uncommon. In 2005, the CEO received his guaranteed bonus while the amount of money allotted to the non-salaried employee bonus program decreased by 50 percent. Questions: 1 . How does expected performance relate to the current business outlook? 2. What are the results that need to be achieved In the short and long term? 3. Is senior management prepared to support and communicate this program or issue? 4. Are compensation committee members/board of director members familiar with similar programs or issues? . Has the compensation committee/board of directors reviewed animal compensation programs or Issues In the past? ENRON CORP. In the late sass and into 2001, Enron Corp.. Provided its executives with compensation packages that included equity stakes in business units. Although many companies use equity In rewards programs, the amounts provided to Enron executives were unusually large (greater than 5 percent) and not tied to long-term performance because executives were allowed to convert their equity into either than $310 million by converting equity stakes into cash.In addition to the equity stakes, Enron rewarded two executives large cash bonuses of $54 million and $42 million. The chairman/chief executive of a subsidiary allegedly received a 20-percent stake in his unit, thus becoming a minority owner. He eventually converted his stake into more than $20 million in cash before leaving the company. The executive's stake, however, was not listed on any company's proxy filings, despite the fact that the stake diluted the value of the shareholders' investments. 1 . Are there particular communities/social or political activists that will react to this plan? 2.To what extent do you want to match or differ from market pay practices? 3. Do you know what financial constraints may affect program design? 4. Has your accounting division reviewed this program design from an accou nting treatment perspective? 5. What are the results that need to be achieved in the short and long term? Case #28 KGB HOME The CEO of KGB Home departed in 2006 after an internal investigation revealed that he had backdated his own stock options. The company's internal investigation indicated that the CEO and head of HER had probably altered the dates of stock option grants between 1998 and 2005.As a result of the backdating, the company indicated a need to restate more than three years of financial results and incur an additional compensation expense of more than $41 million. Despite the scandal and ongoing investigation at the time of his departure, the terms of the Coo's employment agreement provided him with the ability to collect as much as $175 million in severance, pension and stock. Because of the backdated options scandal, the company adopted a new policy that all stock option grants and the terms of the grants be approved by the compensation committee.The company also appo inted a nonconsecutive chairman of the board, a chief compliance officer, and did not grant any stock options to executives in 2006. 1 . To what extent is the legal department involved in compensation planning, design, administration and disclosure? 2. Is the legal department comfortable with this design in the current legal/regulatory environment? 3. What is the likely perspective population perceive this program as fair? 5. How and when will you disclose this plan to shareholders? Case #29 WALT DISNEY CO. In 2003, Walt Disney Co. Warehouses filed a lawsuit relating to the $140 million severance package paid to the former the president. Shareholders contended that the directors knowingly or intentionally â€Å"breached their fiduciary duty of due care in approving (the president's) employment agreement,† and failed to consider the terms f the termination ? which was allegedly negotiated exclusively by the CEO. Although the court agreed with shareholders that the CEO had excl usively negotiated the deal and orchestrated the president's hire without input from the board of directors, it found that neither he nor the other directors breached their fiduciary duty.The court did, however, â€Å"criticize the members of the compensation committee for not doing more to inform themselves of the terms of Vita's employment agreement and to become involved in the review and approval process. 1 . What is the process for developing responses and communicating with Warehouses? 2. To what degree does the compensation philosophy align with corporate strategy, culture and organizational resources? 3. What are shareholder expectations about your compensation programs and how do they affect program design? 4. Is senior management prepared to support and communicate this program or issue? . Tools and processes are in place to support compensation committee decision making (e. G. , tally sheets)? Between 2000 and 2002 World CEO Bernard Beers obtained unsecured loans amounti ng to 20 percent of the firm's cash, allegedly at interest rates well below the market rates for large margin loans. Upon leaving the organization, Beers still owed $408 million. World subsequently entered bankruptcy and the share price dropped dramatically. Beers was then unable to pay back the loan by selling his shares, as he had allegedly planned.If the compensation committee had secured the loans, Beers' shares might have been seized in order to sell them to cover the loan when the stock price was still high enough to do so. 1 . Do you have the necessary systems to operational and administer this program? 2. Are there key stakeholders or influences (HER, legal, tax) that need to be part of the program development process? . Is your finance/accounting department prepared to support any special reporting requirements for this program? 4. What is the role of finance/accounting in plan design? . What is the company's position on appropriate level of transparency (disclosing more th an is required, simplification of written communications)? Case #31 Is Raja in needs of Remedial Training? Raja Sahara has been employed for six months in the accounts section of a large manufacturing company in Abridged. You have been his supervisor for the past three months. Recently you have been asked by the management to find out the intrusions of each employee in the Accounts Section and monitor carefully whether they are meeting the standards set by you.A few days back you have completed your formal investigation and with the exception of Raja, all seem to be meeting the targets set by you. Along with numerous errors, Raja's work is characterized by low performance – often he does 20 percent less than the other clerks in the department. As you look into Raja's performance review sheets again, you begin to wonder 1 . As Raja's supervisor can you find out whether the poor performance is due to poor training or to some other cause? . If you find Raja has been inadequately trained, how do you go about introducing a remedial training programmer? . If he has been with the company six months, what kind of remedial programmer would be best? 4. Should you supervise him more closely? Can you do this without making it obvious to him and his co-workers? 5. Should you discuss the situation with Raja? Case #32 SONS AND ARPA COMPANY The Sons and ARPA Company manufactured wooden toys of various kinds; wooden animals, pull toys, and the like. One part of the manufacturing process involved spraying paint on the partially assembled toys. This operation was staffed entirely by women. The toys were cut, sanded and partially assembled in the wood room.Then they were dipped into shellac, following which they were painted. The toys were predominantly two colored; a few were made in more than two colors. Each color required an additional trip through the paint room. For a number of years, production of these toys had been entirely and work. However, to meet the tremendou sly increase in demand, the painting operation had recently been re- engineered so that the eight operators (all women) who did the painting sat in a line by an endless chain of hooks. Those hooks were in continuous motion, past the line of operators and into a long horizontal oven.Each woman sat at her own painting booth so designed as to carry away fumes and to backstop excess paint. The operator would take a toy from the tray beside her, position it in a Gig inside the painting cubicle, spray on the color according to a pattern, then release the toy and hand it to the hook passing by. The rate at which the hooks moved has been calculated by the engineers so that each hook before it passed beyond her reach. The operators working in the pain room were on a group bonus plan. Since the operation was new to them, they were, receiving a learning bonus, which decreased by regular amounts each month.The learning bonus was scheduled to vanish in six months, by which time it was expected t hat they would be on their own, that is, able to meet the standard and to earn a group bonus when they exceeded it. By the second month of the training period. Trouble had developed. The employees learned more slowly than had been anticipated, and it began to look as though their production would stabilize complained that they were going by too fast, and that the time study man had set the rates wrong. A few women quit and had to be replaced with new operators, which further aggravated the learning problem.The team spirit that the management had expected to develop automatically through the group bonus was not in evidence except as an expression of what the engineers called â€Å"resistance†. One woman whom the group regarded as its -leader (and the management regarded as the ring-leader) was outspoken by voicing the various complaints of the group before the foreman; the Job was messy one, the hooks moved too fast, the incentive pay was not being correctly calculated, and it was too hot working so close to the drying oven. A consultant who was brought into this picture worked entirely with and through the foreman.After many conversations with him, the foreman felt that the first step should be to get the employees together for a general discussion of the working conditions. He took this step with some hesitation, but he took on his own volition. The first meeting, held immediately after the shift was over at four o'clock in the afternoon was attended by all the eight operators. They voiced the same complaints again: the hook sent by too fast, the Job was too dirty, the room was hot and poorly ventilated. For some reason, it was this last item that they complained of most.The foreman promised to discuss the problem of ventilation and temperature with the engineers, and he scheduled a second meeting to report back to the employees. In the next few days the foreman had several talks with the engineers. They and the superintendent felt that this was really a trumped-up complaint, and that expense of any effective corrective measure would be prohibitively high. The foreman came to the second meeting with some apprehensions. The operators, however, did not seem to be much put out, perhaps because they had a proposal of their own to make.They let that if several large fans were set up so as to circulate the air around their feet, they would be much more comfortable. After some discussion, the foreman agreed that the idea might be tried out. The foreman and the consultant discussed the question of the fans with the superintendent, and three large propeller-type fans were purchased. The fans were brought in. The women were Jubilant. For several days the fans were moved about in various positions until they were placed to the satisfaction of the group.The operators seemed completely satisfied with the results, and the relations between them and the foreman improved visibly. The foreman, after this encouraging episode; decided that further meetings might also be profitable. He asked the operators if they would like to meet and discuss other aspect of the work situation. They were eager to do this. The meeting was held, and the discussion quickly centered on the speed of the hooks. The operators maintained that the time study man had them at an unreasonably fast speed and that they would never be able to reach the goal of filling enough of them to make a bonus.The turning point of the discussion came when the group's leader frankly explained that he point wasn't that they couldn't work fast enough to keep up with the hooks, but they couldn't work at that pace all the day long. The foreman explored the point. The employees were unanimous in their opinion that they could keep up with the belt for short periods if they wanted to. But they didn't want because if they showed they could do this for short periods they would be expected to do it all day long. The faster or slower depending on how we feel†. The foreman ag reed to discuss this with the superintendent and the engineers.The reaction of the engineers to the suggestion was negative. However, after several meetings it was granted that there was some latitude within which variations in the speed of the hooks would not affect the finished product. After considerable argument with the engineers, it was agreed to tryout the operators' idea. With misgiving?, the foreman had a control with a dial marked ‘low, medium, fast' installed at the booth of the group leader; she could now adjust the speed of the belt anywhere between the lower and upper limits that the engineers had set.The operators were delighted and spent many lunch hours deciding how the speed of the belt should be varied from hour to hour throughout he day. Within a week the pattern had settle down to one which the first half-hour of the shift was run on what the operators called a ‘medium' speed (a dial setting slightly above the point marked ‘medium'). The next t wo-and-a-half hours were run at ‘high' speed the half-hour before lunch and half hour after lunch were run at ‘low' speed.The rest of the afternoon was run at ‘high speed' with the exception of the last 45 minutes of the shift, which was run at ‘medium'. In view of the operators' reports of satisfaction and ease in work, it is interesting to note that the constant speed at which ,the engineers has originally set the belt was slightly below medium on the dial of the control that had been given to the women. The average speed at which they were running the belt was on the high side of the dial. Few, if any empty hooks entered the oven, and inspection showed no increase of rejects from the paint room.Production increased, and within 2 weeks (some 2 months before the scheduled ending of the learning bonus) the operators were operating at 30 to 50 per cent above the level that had been expected under the original arrangement. Naturally their earnings were correspo ndingly higher than anticipated. They were collecting their base pay, a considerable piece-rate bonus, and the learning bonus which, it will be remembered, had been set to decrease with time and not as a function of current productivity. The operators were earning more than many skilled workers in other parts of the plant. 1 .From the angle of Job enrichment, which core Job dimension or Job characteristic was most influenced by new system of group regulated speed? Evaluate the reported success of the case against the principles of Job Enrichment. 2. Comment on the method of payment to the operators. How good do you think such a system is? 3-4. Would you consider the initial discontent of the operators as a grievance? Why or why not? 5. How would you characterize the involvement of the operators after the introduction of group-regulated speed? OLD ORDER CHANGED? Modern Industries Limited (MIL) in Bangor is an automobile ancillary industry.The company started manufacturing automotive components over two decades ago in a small way and has grown steadily over the years, employing over 4,000 persons at present with the turnover exceeding RSI. 100 scores. Its products are selling well and earning a sizeable amount of profits. The company is controlled and managed by an industrialist family. Known for their shrewdness and business acumen. They are among the first generation industrialists who started their industrial ventures in a modest way, during the early phase of industrialization in the country and along with the growth of automotive industry, MIL also grew up.The present Chairman, Mr.. Surest Shah had been with the company right from its inception; He started his career as an engineer trainee, rose to the position of the Managing Director and in 1983 became the company's Chairman. As a result, he is acquainted with every minute detail and also with every employee who has been in the company for long. He continues to keep in close touch with them and is easily accessible to all of them, overruling hierarchy. A high premium is placed on their loyalty and their long services are valued.The Chairman of the company firmly believes that each one of them has contributed significantly towards the growth of the company. In the light of the fact that the company maintained a â€Å"strong utilitarian culture† all along, the contribution of each and every employee had to be substantial and they were rewarded accordingly. At the same time, there were many instances, where the services were terminated due to inadequate performance. Mr.. Kandahar Taker owned MIL as a training instructor, over two decades ago. Prior to that, he served as an instructor at an Industrial Training Institute.He had himself obtained the craft instructors' certificate from IT'. He was 35 years old and his main task was to recruit young persons as trainees, either under the Apprentices Act or as company trainees and then train them as craftsmen. Most of these trainees we re absorbed to meet the growing needs of the company, and Mr.. Shah used to personally involve himself in the process of recruitment and training of craftsmen. Mr.. Taker was directly reporting to Mr.. Shah, despite the vast gap in the hierarchy. Mr.. Taker was promoted to the rank of training Superintendent in 1980, though there was not much change in his Job content.The growing phase of the company was practically over by that time, and the Apprentice training became a mere statutory activity. The company did not have the vacancies to absorb the trained apprentices, and therefore, Me. Became a subsidiary activity and was not given much importance. The winds of change were blowing through MIL also. Mr.. Nail Shah, the son of the founder industrialist took over as the Managing Director of MIL in 1983, whereas Mr.. Rammers Shah continued to be the Chairman of the company. The young MD was full of new ideas.He wanted to revivalist the company from all aspects and diversify into high t echnology areas. He wanted to modernize the present plant and change the management style from the traditional direct control approach to a systems controlled approach. A modern computer was bought and computerizing was introduced. The company had to face many problems while introducing these changes. One of the major hurdles was the problem of a number of senior employees, who were not adequately qualified or developed, but had grown into senior positions. Earlier the touchstone was loyalty and hard work rather than impotence.In the light of this situation, new competent professionals had to be hired to introduce the changes. MIL was well-known for its aggressive personnel policies. Anyone who Joined the company had to struggle hard for his survival as the company was ruthless in sacking those who were not meeting the requirements. It was particularly so in case of the new appointees, which in turn necessitated them to be ruthless in their work The older employees felt threatened a nd resented the changes and the consequent pressures. Therefore, they collectively approached the Chairman and requested him to intervene and safeguard their interests.The Chairman, who was not himself happy with all the changes, issued instructions to the MD, to the effect that no old employee be dislocated. The new MD had no other option but to comply with the order. The MD was interested in trying out the HARD approaches to train all the employees, particularly employees who were turning out to be deadwood's. He hired Mr.. Kumar in 1984 as a Training Manager. Mr.. Kumar was basically an engineer but had considerable experience with a multinational company in the field of HARD, particularly in Training and Management Development. He reorganized the training set up by inducting two Assistant Managers.Mr.. Taker was next to the Assistant Managers in the hierarchy ‘and reported to Mr.. Kumar directly and continued to manage the affairs related to apprenticeship training. Until Mr.. Kumar came along, Mr.. Taker had enjoyed the position of the head of the training division, though there was no other training activity apart from apprenticeship training. He was operating independently and was reporting directly to the MD. He continued to do so even after the organization have grown in proportion. Mr.. Taker felt demoted in the new set up. Fie lost his position and individuality in the organization, and his pride was seriously hurt.He was not prepared to accept Mr.. Kumar as his boss . And he started behaving in an irrational manner. He resented the vast gap created between him and the top man in the new structure. Mr.. Kumar tolerated him with the hope that Mr.. Taker would reconcile himself to the changes, in time. Unfortunately, he continued to behave in the same way and there was no improvement even after one year. When Mr.. Kumar tried to counsel him, Mr.. Taker demanded to be promoted to the level of Assistant Manager, as he happened to be the senior mos t people in the department. Kumar promised to look into his demand.On a careful analysis of the personal docket of Mr.. Taker and all the previous the Job that he was doing. Leave alone being entitled for further promotion, Mr.. Taker was not even fit for his present position. The company did not have a formal performance appraisal system. Its products were selling well, the profitability was good and accordingly all the employees were rewarded well. Promotions and extra increments were given arbitrarily based on the personal likes and dislikes of the top man, rather than on any objective analysis of performance or potential of an individual.No formal manpower planning or organizational planning existed. No efforts were made to forecast implications of such a system in future. On the whole, the company did not have any formal projection for the future. The company followed the practice of giving long service . Certificates and awards to all those who had completed 20 years of servic e in the company. Mr.. Taker had got his certificate only recently. There were several employees belonging to Mr.. Thacker's category. All of them united and met both formally and informally to discuss their strategies and demands. They used to put up their grievances to the management collectively.They had established a very strong rapport with the Chairman, Mr.. Shah. Mr.. Kumar presented all the facts to Mr.. Taker to convince him that his promotion was not possible. As the latter was not used to the kind of logic presented by Mr.. Kumar, he dismissed all his arguments as sophisticated Jargon, irrelevant to the context of his company. He was particularly bitter about the fact that his promotion was turned down whereas there were several people with similar background who have got their promotions. Therefore, there was further deterioration in his behavior. He started ignoring the directions of Mr..Kumar and worked as per his own whims and fancies, behaving arrogantly. He even wen t to the extent of challenging Mr.. Kumar that he could neither promote him nor demote him in the prevailing situation. So long as he was protected by the Chairman of the company, there was nothing for him to worry about and his Job was practically secure. Mr.. Kumar optimistically hoped that Mr.. Taker could overcome his frustration and anger over a period of time. Unfortunately, even after another six months there was no sign of any progress. In fact, the situation deteriorated further with Mr..Taker becoming more confident in his belief that' Mr.. Kumar was powerless to deal with him. He turned out to be a drag in the department, purposely creating problems for Mr.. Kumar. In MIL the annual increments and general raises were given as a policy to every employee who is termed as. The â€Å"Kanata raise† Mr.. Taker was quite sure that he would get his Kanata raise and reconciled himself to that. Mr.. Kumar tried to stop this raise but could not do so. There were several bulli es belonging to Mr.. Thacker's category in the organization and one of the tasks of the Training Manager was to handle such people.Though he had organized a few training workshops in the behavioral areas, it had not brought about the required attitudinal changes. Right under his nose he had a person whose behavior he was not able to amend. Mr.. Kumar realized that the desired changes were not possible, so long as the â€Å"flat security† was there. Due to a change in the governmental policy, there were several new competitors to MIL and the MD felt there was a strong need and urgency to bring in changes in the organization, to make it more dynamic and competitive. It was no longer possible to carry on the organizational dead woods. Mr.. Kumar was under great pressure to look

Apologetics Essay

1. What are some ways the Christian gospel is perceived in our culture? To many individuals, the Christian gospel is seen as selective and intolerant. Although we are all free to accept the gift of salvation through Christ, He tells us in John 14:6 that He is â€Å"the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.† To many, this will seem intolerant and almost haughty. How can a God who wants nothing more than to have a relationship with us say that there is only one way to do so? 2. What are some specific moral reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? Many individuals who will reject the Christian gospel do so for moral reasons such as their sexual preferences (gay, bi, or straight), their marital status, or the apparent intolerant moral code found in the Word of God. People believe that you have to give up everything that is worldly to follow Christ, and that Christians think they are more righteous than others. The fact is, you will have to give up living in sin, and you will have to give up treasures of the world, but the heavenly treasures that you gain will outshine any possession that you will have on this earth. 3. What are some specific emotional reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? One specific emotional reason that people will reject the Christian gospel is that they cannot grasp the concept of God’s unconditional love. God loves each and every one of us, even the worst sinner, and tells us in His Word. People will say things like â€Å"God would not let me be poor, or God would not have let me be abused like I was.† Even though we are all loved by God, and He wants us to have a relationship with Him and be happy and well, even the most devout Christian has to go through trials and tribulations. 4. What are some specific intellectual reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? For most Christians, believing in God is â€Å"faith-based,† and that there is no room for science and fact in Christianity. Many non-Christians will say that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of fairy tales for those who are easily enchanted and to make the people who read them feel good. The intellectual non-believer’s insistence that the Bible has no basis in fact  is one reason that they will reject the message, even though there is historical proof to show that Christ lived, died, and was resurrected, as well as that many other Biblical places and people existed at one point in time, even if they do not anymore. 5. What can Christians do to address these objections and better communicate the Christian gospel? As Christians, when we approach someone and begin to talk about our faith, it may seem like they are a little frightened, or maybe just upset and unwilling to take a leap of faith. They maybe feel like we have come on too strong, even though we know that we are just eager to talk about our faith. It is important for Christians to learn that we need to be patient with others but also diligent as we share the gospel of Christ.

Dormitory rooms Essay

As students move on in their lives after high school to college, many think that their lives will become paradise. With many house rules abandoned and without a curfew, students get the first taste of adulthood. Many think everything will be easy; however, from the dining halls to having no money students learn that being an adult is harder than parents display. Campus life shows students what they perceive is very different than the reality of life. In my opinion, living on campus in a dorm, supplies a student the full experience of the college life. When I imagined living in a dorm room, I imagined a very small room and hardly having any space to walk around. However, the rooms are actually quite big. There is plenty of room to walk around and even play some crazy, goofy games with a roommate. I thought the most exciting part of living on campus was going to be able to meet new people and live in a new environment. Because I am so far from home, my biggest hope was having a roommate who was easy to get along with and could have fun, and I definitely got that. The bathroom situation, I thought, was going to be the worst part of living on campus. However, in reality, it is not as bad as I had thought. As a student-athlete living in a dorm where the entire floor houses athletes, the bathroom has a maximum of five people using the facilities at a time. This works because of each athlete on a different schedule. In actuality, living on campus is very exciting and there should be no worry considering the problem with space, meeting new people, or the bathroom being very full to the point of not being able to use it. As an athlete living on campus at Western Nebraska Community College the athlete receives a dorm family. A dorm family is a family around town that â€Å"adopts† the student for the two years while attending the school. The family opens up their hearts and lets the athlete come into the family. The family attends sports events that the athlete plays and supports the athlete. I have a dorm family, and I love them. When I first thought of having a family that would open up their home and family to me I thought it was going to be awkward. However, having a family in town that has opened up their home and hearts has been great. It helped me know that there are people here in town who are willing to help and support me. Additionally, living in the dorms and living on their own, without parents, helps students find many new found freedoms that they did not have before. With living in the dormitories many students stay out late on all nights of the week, because they had a curfew at home and now they do not. The first week of school I stayed out late when I could. However, this staying out late situation did not last long, because I had been slammed with homework and after I was done with my homework all I wanted to do was sleep. With these newfound freedoms I learned very quickly how I was going to manage my time and make sure I got my sleep. When first living on campus I learned how easy I had it while living under my parents’ roof and the responsibilities that I didn’t have that I have now. When thinking that I was moving out of my parents’ house I thought it was going to be great. The freedoms I would have were going to be tremendous compared to what I had back home. However, when thinking of the freedoms I never thought of the responsibilities that I was going to have. When at home, laundry was done and living on campus causes me to do my own laundry and pay a dollar fifty for it. At home I always had someone harping on me to do my homework, make my bed, and clean my room, but on campus there is no one around to do that except myself. I had to learn to manage my time wisely and make sure I stayed up in my schoolwork. As a new freshman in college, like myself, sees his or her schedule and thinks, â€Å"man this is going to be a tough year. † This was my reaction when I saw mine at least. As a new student at any school I thought classes were going to be hard, one, because I didn’t know anyone; two, because I want to accomplish a difficult degree; three, because I didn’t know how I was going to manage the homework load and basketball at the same time. Although, when I got to the campus and started the school year I found out that staying caught up with school really was not as hard as many people make college seem. College classes are a lot like high school classes, just a lot more homework. Once I figured out how I could manage my time with basketball, study time, and have somewhat of a social life, my days became easier. Furthermore, expecting high quality food when entering into a college is putting a lot of confidence into the cooks that have to cook for hundreds of people everyday, three times a day. As a freshmen student entering into the college experience, I expected the food to be very good. I understood that the cooks had to cook for many people each day, but I expected that the food was going to have a lot of taste. When I first came to the campus and had my first meal the food was very good. The food on campus did not necessarily get any worse; it had gotten old. When I say old, I do not mean spoiled or rotten, I mean boring. The food all ends up tasting the same each and everyday. By the third week of living and eating on campus at the dining hall I began to realize how much I loved my mother’s home cooked meals. Lastly, money is a big problem for many college students. When I thought I was going to save all my graduation money for college, I thought that I was going to have a lot of money, but as reality turns out I have no money. Living on campus and living on my own made me realize the things I need to buy and the things I just want. The difference between what I needed and what I wanted was crucial for me to determine what I should spend my money on and what I should not. As a student-athlete I go to my parents a lot for money still, because I do have not time for a job considering homework, school, and practice time. In conclusion, campus life shows students that what they perceive is very different than the reality of life. Students living on campus have to share a dorm room with someone, the room is big, and there is not a lot of girls in the bathroom at once. Athletes have a dorm family who â€Å"adopts† them and welcomes them into their home. Students have a lot of freedom and can stay out late, but might have a lot of homework so it would be smart to not stay out. Many students also have a schedule with classes that may seem tough, but if they manage their time they will be just fine. The food is not high quality food, and it gets old. Students living on campus begin to miss the home cooked meals. Finally the money problem, I thought I was going to have a lot of money but turns out, I do not have a lot of money, I will buy what I need and not what I want.

The Growth of Media Corporations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Growth of Media Corporations - Essay Example It perceived homogenisation on account of cultural hegemony. The global growth of mass media corporations based in highly developed capitalist countries and chiefly in the United States gave rise to the annihilation of local cultures and their surrogate by a single, uniform set of cultural forms fastened to consumer capitalism and American political domination (McChesney, 2004). Europe occupied an indefinite middle position in this literature. European media were observed as part of the dominant Western cultural sway on developing countries; simultaneously, the early cultural royalist literature also raised the matter of U.S. influence over European culture. American indoctrination still governs many media corporations, in some industries- for example films- possibly as much now as ever earlier. Furthermore, in terms of the types of media practices and media structures that are coming into sight and the direction of change in the association of media to other social institutions, it is coherent to say that homogenisation is to a considerable degree a junction of world media toward forms that originally evolved in the U.S. The U.S. was once just alone among developed countries in its system of marketable broadcasting; now marketable broadcasting is turned into a standard. One of the main objectives of economic globalisation is that everywhere on earth should be relatively like every other situate. Whether it's the US, Europe, or far-flung places like Asia, Africa, or South America, all nations are inescapable to expand the same way. The progression of homogenisation commenced with the periphery of a usually exceptional culture; and for a while the core may be apt to get more distrustful against the external influence. The young and the other trivial groups and the core by more conventional constituents of the community typically take the periphery. And consequently, the homogenisation process as stimulated and enlarged by the global and worldwide transportation and links will very probable is a conflict locally as well as globally. The process of homogenisation has already begun remarkably with the most meaningful figures of culture. The same area monopoly fast chow, the same pictures and melody, the identical jeans, shoes, and cars, the same urban backdrops, the matching personal, enriching, and sacred values and so onwards are being speedily homogenised to look identical throughout the world. As for culture, the notion itself grows to be increasingly diffusive. For example, what is monetary, what is political, and what is civilizing will be complicated to discriminate. Cultural eccentricity of the public and the associated series of mores of the many communities of the world will give way to the swift homogenising process (Chang, 2003). The immediate global interactions and the mass intercontinental activities are undoubtedly the aggressive media of such homogenisation. If you've journeyed a lot, you've perceived that this is wildly happening already. Such a mock-up serves the advertising and efficiency requ irements of the gigantic global corporations that the structure is devised to gain. Whether civilizing, political, or natural, assortment is a direct menace to the effectiveness targets of universal

Themes And Ideologies In The American Society Case Study - 1

Themes And Ideologies In The American Society - Case Study Example In Hollywood, the outlaw hero’s view of civilization is portrayed as a life in marriage with a woman. A woman helps a man to settle down and attain calmness in his life. Only those women that allow their husbands to proceed with their self-determined and adventurous lives are deemed as female outlaw heroes. In terms of characterization, the outlaw hero is seen to be against societal standards and in preference of defining justice at the individual level and not by the society’s collective law. Contrary to this, the official hero is more modernized, civilized, and quaint. In his description, Robert Ray points out that the official hero may be portrayed as a lawyer, teacher, farmer, politician, or family man. In this case, the official hero represents collective action as part of the American belief and the legal processes that replace individual definitions of right or wrong. As such, this is the kind of hero that each parent wants their children to grow up to be one who embraces law in solving life’s injustices. This paper review the description made by Robert Ray concerning how Hollywood portrays the competing values of the official hero and the outlaw hero. The outlaw hero is depicted as childish and having the tendency of tantrums, whims, and emotional decisions that have been derived from the cult of childhood among Americans(Ray, 1985). Ray reviews Fielder’s observation of how American literature tends to uphold the view that an individual that falls short of adulthood is guaranteed innocence and insight. American literature offered privileges to children, and they were not confined by societal rules. Such a notion set in motion the outlawed actions as related to daily affairs. According to Fielder, the developed childhood image has created a new approach to adult life outside the law, yet permissible in society.

Melting Pot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Melting Pot - Essay Example Ideally, these immigrants would bring the best of themselves, blend those talents, gifts and skills, and become Americans, sharing the unified hopes and greater goals of this country. The idea of the United States as an immense cultural â€Å"melting pot,† at one time, seemed realistic, however today many opinions of whether that metaphor is appropriate have changed. Is America a cultural melting pot or is it now a modern myth that is no longer applicable? Discussion It was a Jewish immigrant from England that originally coined the term the â€Å"melting pot.† It was the title of play he had written that focused on the belief,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦that all immigrants can be transformed into Americans, a new alloy forged in a crucible of democracy, freedom and civic responsibility.†(Booth 1) There is no doubt that in the early 1900s that this was the general mentality of many of the immigrants that came to this country. Many wanted nothing more than to be Americans, and we re willing to do whatever was necessary to legitimately earn that title. At this point in history, being an American was a title that mattered and was desired and respected. However, the mindset of, many immigrants and multi-ethnic Americans, today is not quite as endearing or geared to American ideals as a whole, as they once were. Many scholars have pointed out that there is lessening of common â€Å"dreams.† What Americans want is no longer a unified ideal. Some researchers have said that the attitude of native-born Americans has, also, changed. Once very tolerate and encouraging of immigration are now much more, territorial and, often, suspicious of immigrants that come to this country. The world has changed and it is, often, said that the United States is no longer a â€Å"melting pot,† but is more like a â€Å"salad bowl.†(Millet) Meaning that instead of becoming the culmination of many things into one thing, they are all independent parts that remain so, but contribute to the greater whole. However, there is a danger that this consistent insistence on segregating, embracing differences over similarities, could lead to a salad with unpleasantly divergent ingredients. Today people who find their ancestry in multiple cultures are not eager to let go of those roots. This is not necessarily a negative thing. We all have a right to acknowledge our ancestry. On many levels the modern society cannot deny any individuals that right to honor or celebrate relevant and important aspects of their culture. However, there are some immigrants who come to this country, in this modern age, who have no interest in being part of America at all, or of becoming American; they simply seek the benefits and freedoms that are available by being here. They have no intention of positively contributing to this country. It these people that can negatively taint the perspective of Americans born and raised in this country. Studies done in the late 90’s ver ified that most young people when asked to identify their ethnicity would choose a hyphenated answer; African-American, Asian-American, and the like. Very few of those surveyed were comfortable with answering simply answering, just, â€Å"American.†(Booth 1) It is this need to separate on some cultural level that negates completely the ideology that the United States can be considered a melting pot of cultures. When in truth much of the attitudes of current American citizens are not a unified one. Political ideologies are heavily differing. Social differences, and a number of cultural and