Value Alignment - Free Essay Example

Running head: VALUE ALIGNMENT Value Alignment Denise Allen, Lavinia Wright, Katrece Wade University of Phoenix Intregrated Business Topics BUS/475 Rod Ramadan Jun 28, 2010 Value Alignment The values of Hewitt Associates derive from the organization’s mission which is â€Å"making the world a better place to work. Hewitt’s values consist of four points which are people, excellence, collaboration and integrity. The first point people derives from Hewitt’s will to treat employee’s, clients, customers, business associates and providers with the highest respect. During my time at Hewitt I have noticed the high respect one is shown amongst my peers. In a diverse setting in which a professional level of respect may not be expected. The value of people has continued to resonate with me in and outside of my work setting. The organization quest for excellence is shown through it dependability to bring resolutions to clients that exhibit eminence, trustworthiness , and improvement. The employee’s attains excellence in the course of personal initiative and constant progress of skills and comprehension, along with strong support from the organization. Excellence is something that I have always personally strived for. The will to be the best and provide the best of my ability made me a perfect employee for Hewitt Associates; however it is the idea of innovation that the organization instills that wills me to become better. Collaboration brings forth Hewitt’s personal ability to cater to clients and their associates with high quality service. Working collectively, Hewitt believes it can influence individual thoughts and contributions to bring forth greater outcomes, assisting clients, associates, the companies firms, business associates, and the companies suppliers. Collaborating with other is a skill that I have gained from Hewitt. Before Hewitt I believed that you should be the best you and above and beyond the rest. I have learned It is possible to be better than everyone and it is impossible to be better than everyone collectively. I once considered myself a skilled individual I now consider myself a skilled teammate. Hewitt has gathered integrity through its great effort to make the correct decisions, despite of the state of affairs. The employee’s at Hewitt associates are to pride themselves in signifying ethical conduct, truthfulness, and veracity in all facets of the organization. Integrity in one’s self is very important to the point where it should exude from his or hers persona. I believe that integrity is the responsibility of those who want to be the best and I want to be the best. Hewitt Associates values have not changed since the origin as they are etched in marble at the company’s headquarters. At Hewitt, working collectively with clients as important as the goals set to be accomplished. The actual plans and values of UPS organizations actions plans and action s are as required to satisfy the customer and the internal stakeholders as well as the entire organization. The plans and goals of the company stated are to become a satisfied employer having a great rewards and opportunity to recognize achievement of its employee’s and outside stakeholders. The degree of alignment is measured with a positive action plan put forth to accomplish the most out going tasks of the company. Knowing that the analyzing degree of alignment of the stated values has been enforced in the company in a most honest and integrity way is the company best way of establishing the best policies to suit the company’s value system. The most important issues is being able to tackle the most hectic issues at hand and solving the problem becoming apart of the solution and not the problem, knowing that the problem is always making the culture of the company values a great environment to work is the main action or action plan a company can have. The integr ity of the company is always the main seeker in the company and second most important value is the honesty of the organizations action plan put forward. The persistence of the company’s mission statement is another value that is greatly looked upon and the reflection of the companies policies being enforced in the greatest possible way ever. This plan is the plan I and other employees look at when entering the company knowing that the employee as well as the internal and external stakeholders are always valued with integrity and honesty. The alignment of my values are having the most respect and integrity of the company and keeping the satisfaction of the company between the most valued customers and having the internal and external stakeholders happy at all times. Having the proper action plan put forward is the greatest aspect of any company or business. The reflected values are greatly looked upon as a reward system and a commitment to leadership of the business and the values that any company may have. The positive aspect of the UPS company or business is the having the open door policy and being able to relate to the employee as well as the customer. The other is the leadership and the commitment to make every action plan and values a looked upon asset for the company and knowing it is being enforced in the most enhanced way. The plans and values of Wal-Mart are built upon honesty, respect, fairness and integrity. Wal-Mart mission is to enhance and integrate the supplier diversity programs into all of the procurement practices and to be an advocate for minority and women owned business. Wal-mart hints and tips will provide the people with inspiration to develop the success of people explanatory paragraph which will prove to be suitable for associates, customers and employees. The conclusion is having great integrity and honesty having a well planned plan action plan and positive actions put forward working for the integrity of the people w hich are the internal and external stakeholders of the company. The educational background of learning and knowing that any company has a primary and secondary SWOTT analysis conducted is a well effective strategic plan and an efficient and effective value that are valued within the company aspects. Knowing the company core values and behaviors are put into place to make the company a better place and environment to work in is a plus for any business.

Journalist vs. Writer Which Profession Is Better

Very often journalistic and writing careers are tightly intertwined – after all, both employ roughly the same set of skills and competencies. Still, the differences are striking, and the ways in which these competencies are employed vary considerably. Which doesn’t, of course, mean that a person cannot be a first-rate writer and an excellent journalist at the same time. Actually, which of these two professions is better is just an inaccurate question as these are simply two different professions. For some people one of them offers exactly the opportunities they need, but for others they would be completely undesirable. What’s the Difference between Writers and Journalists The difference is at the same time subtle and glaring, it all depends on the angle you look at it. On the one hand, both vocations demand from their practitioners absolute command of language and ability to express their thoughts and ideas on a much higher level than one expects from an average man. On the other hand, they deal with different problems and tackle them in different ways. While a writer generally works on large-scale projects which take a long time to complete (no matter whether he is a fiction or non-fiction writer) and is less concerned with current events, a journalist thrives on them. The job of a journalist is to keep pace with everyday events; he is supposed to be in touch with the ever-changing situation in the field he generally deals with, understand the way things work right now. Generally the journalist’s activity means constant focus on several small projects, and it has a far tighter schedule. For example, a writer works on a book; although he probably has to do it on everyday basis and gradually studies a large amount of sources, his timetable is more flexible within these boundaries. He is supposed to complete it by a certain date and as long as he does it he is alright. A journalist, on the contrary, works constantly, delivering the results in small installments, be it a column in a newspaper, articles in a journal or something else. There are larger projects as well, but they are less prominent. Writing and Journalism: Interconnections Nevertheless, the boundaries between journalists and writers are a bit blurry. However, it is more common for journalists to try themselves out as writers, not the other way around. We hear about journalists publishing a book after years in their line of work all the time, but already established writers rarely go in for writing articles. It, however, doesn’t mean that the position of a writer is a higher one – it probably deals more with the characteristic features of these two vocations. It is not all that hard for a well-known journalist to find somebody willing to publish his book – and after the book is published nobody can force him to continue if the experience turns out to be unpleasant. But for a writer becoming a journalist as well means a long-time commitment – and it is hard thing to do for some people.

Stereotypes Of The Homeless People - 1092 Words

Stereotypes of the Homeless People become homeless for a number of reasons. These reasons are that create the stereotypes against those who have nothing in life. To judge people by what they do is normal. After all, what better way is there to judge a stranger by his words and his actions. The problem is when the homeless get judged wrongly, they are also treated unfairly. These stereotypes prevent the government and the society from giving the homeless the type of assistance that best suits to them. In order to clarify my thinking of homeless I have read three articles by different authors and they have different cases. These three articles discussed below and provide understanding on how the stereotypes of the homeless could be changed. The individualistic approach to poverty holds that success and failure depends on what a person do with his or her life. The homeless are victims of their own actions and behaviors. They have less in life because they waste their life away with drinking and loitering. The homeless are the type of people who are uneducated, mentally unstable, and do not have ambitions. According to Timmer, at el. (1994), a stereotype of the homeless that hardly takes behaviors that many people view as unproductive. It suggests that there is no one to blame for their life in the streets but themselves. That by not working as they should, they end up with nothing in the streets. People have full control of their life in the future, and the homeless have noShow MoreRelatedThe Stereotypes of Homeless People1574 Words   |  7 Pagesare exposed in their adolescents shapes their mentality affecting how they perceive situations and people. A lot of things become second nature such as to judging a book by it s cover. For instance, when seeing a homeless individual we entitle them to being alcoholics, drug users, dishonest etc. because of previous encounterments with similar individuals. As humans, we all make judgments of people just by their appearance. Not only that but we also judge them because of who they are associate withRead MoreHomelessness : Extreme Poverty And The Urban Housing Crisis913 Words   |  4 Pages2014 the National Alliance to End Homelessness collected that â€Å"578,424 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States (â€Å"Snapshot of Homelessness). Most individuals believe that more individuals are single, but â€Å"216,197 are people in families,† and â€Å"362,163 are individuals,† (â€Å"Snapshot of Homelessness). Homelessness affects everyone, from families to individuals and veterans. In the veterans homeless population there is â€Å"currently over 2.2 million women Veterans in the UnitedRead MoreHomeless People And The United States1648 Words   |  7 Pagesany major U.S. city poses an all too familiar challenge: avoid the gaze of the scores of homeless people begging on the sidewalks. Whi le you might spare some change to a particularly disheveled looking woman, or a couple trying to buy food for their dog, it is customary to keep your head down in fear of interacting with one of the violent, homeless drunks that litter city streets. Conflict between homeless people and the housed population is not a new phenomena in the United States. With one of theRead MoreHomelessness : Homeless People Are Dirty, Uneducated, And Dangerous1584 Words   |  7 PagesMany people throughout the world look at homeless people negatively, and that is some thing they do not deserve. People automatically assume homeless people are dirty, uneducated, and dangerous, but this is not always true. Many homeless people are war veterans and need help to get their life back on track, but they are too scared and hated to seek it. The stereotypes associated with homeless people make many people shy away from helping them and that is one of the reasons why they are really sufferingRead MoreOutside Your World: Analysis of Diversity in Socio-Economic Status1702 Words   |  7 Pagesto pretend to be a homeless person and then go into a public restaurant to have a meal. I chose this project because diversity frequently focuses on immutable characteristics such as race and gender, but so much of diversity is focuses on socio-economic status. In American society, socio-economic status can be a huge predictor of the treatment that people receive, and, clearly, homelessness is an indicator of the lowest socio-economic status possible. In addition, many homeless Americans have underlyingRead MoreStereotypes Of Homeless Are Based On Their Gender And Education Level854 Words   |  4 PagesBased on my survey the stereotypes of homeless are based on their gender and education level. According to Oxford Dictionaries, homeless is a person without a home and therefore typically living on the streets (Oxford Dictionary). People that got surveyed around the mall are between the age range o f 17 to 69. Women tend to have more sympathy, while men are straight forward towards the topic of homeless. Among the ten females that were surveyed, their age range from 20 to 68. Race varies from CaucasianRead MoreI Volunteered At The Pine Street Inn Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesSitting on the concrete of the Dunkin Donuts’, an old man holds a cardboard sign covered in black permanent marker. The sign reads, â€Å"HOMELESS, TRYING TO GET BY. ANYTHING HELPS. THANK YOU GOD BLESS.† He shakes his penniless Styrofoam cup, and in a strained voice he repeats to the passersby, â€Å"Have any spare change?† They would stop in astonishment, indignation, or forlornness and continue on their business. â€Å"Get a job!† screams someone. Another person tells him, â€Å"May God be with you.† But no oneRead MoreThe Perception of the Homeless1206 Words   |  5 PagesThere are over 3.5 million homeless people in the United States alone (National Student Campaign against Hunger and Homelessness). Within this amount of people there are challenges beyond not having a h ome that the majority of citizens with a home do not face. These include: thinking about appearance, quality and source of food, living space, and source of money. Those mentioned are just a few things that non-homeless people may overlook when thinking about the challenges of homelessness. As a nationRead More Stereotypes about Homelessness in America in Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner669 Words   |  3 PagesStereotypes about Homelessness in America in Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner Lars Eighners short essay, Dumpster Diving, reveals the stereotypes about homelessness in America. In order to confirm these known stereotypes about American culture, Eighner includes autobiographical accounts of the economically inferior class, as well as revealing his elitist rules that governs the life of a homeless person. According to Eighner, homeless people fall into the following categories, can scroungersRead MoreEmpathy Is Defined As, â€Å"The Power Of Understanding And1533 Words   |  7 PagesWant You to Know About Being Homeless in America, she writes, â€Å"I think there is a prevalent assumption in our society that homelessness is caused by an individual’s inability to make the right choices in their life† (Jayda Shuavarnnasri). Those assumptions are causing a daze between what is true and what people think about the homeless. While most homeless people do not choose to be homeless, outsiders often prejudge them as alcoholics, drug abusers, and lazy pe ople in general. This is far from the

Commodity fetishism and globalization of media free essay sample

This tendency still exists today and is worse than ever before in capitalist societies that thrive on a competitive market full of similar products trying to convince consumers f their products superiority by not focusing on the product at all. Commodities are turning into fetishes as big brand names are globalizing their media campaigns in order to appeal to peoples specific cultural identities, beliefs and values all around the world that have nothing to do with the product itself in an attempt to form loyal communities of people who value and identify with their logos more than their product. Karl Marx addressed the issue of commodity fetishism in his book A Critique of Political Economy by saying: A commodity appears at first sight an extremely bvious, trivial ng But ts analysis brings out that it is a very strange thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties. 2 Marx borrows the concept of fetishism in anthropology that refers to the primitive belief that godly powers can permanently exist in inanimate objects3. There has always been social value attached to commodities that serve both a physical and social purpose of the consumer. Marx continues: There it is a definite social relation between men, that assumes, in their eyes, the fantastic form of a relation between things. 4 The wentieth century saw a boom in technological developments, resulting in an enormous growth of mass production. The western economy finally reached its ultimate goal of satisfying the material needs of a growing urban population. To achieve this goal, demand had to grow constantly as well. Hence, starting in the 1920s, corporations gradually shifted their attention and resources from the production of material goods to the production of consumer desires. The need to provoke emotions in order to sell mass-produced products became common wisdom. This is what led to the evolution of brands. Brands were the platforms employed to attach feelings and images to physical commodities. They were the primary means of establishing emotional bonds and loyalty relationships with consumers in a market saturated with goods. 6 By the 1980s new marketin g concepts began to emerge. Marketing experts increasingly recognized that a brand should represent a consistent set of values and ideals, rather then vague emotions and associations. Advertising executives started talking about the need to create a brand identity, brand personality, brand character, brand DNA, brand equity, and most dramatically, brand soul. Consumers incorporate brands into their lives as tools for shaping and expressing their own identities, and perceiving the identities of others. Some brands even serve as objects of cults and rituals, and their followers form brand communities. Apple Macintosh users, for example, regard brand community members who switch brands as betrayers. Consumers start believing that the brand they support is a superior product as compared to its competitors even though its quality may not be at par. For example, Coca-Cola consistently fails in blind taste-tests when pitted against other soda rands, and yet its loyal customers persist in their belief that Coca-Cola tastes the best. In a research paper by SanJoy Ghose titled Taste Tests: Impacts of Consumer Perceptions and Preferences on Brand Positioning Strategies, Diet Pepsi was preferred by 51 per cent of the subjects while Diet Coke was preferred by 44 per cent in a blind taste test. In contrast, a branded taste test resulted in Diet Pepsi being preferred by 23 per cent with Diet Coke being preferred by 65 per cent. 8 Big brands are increasingly targeting peoples emotions and desires by giving their roduct an imaginative image, which contains within it a sense of social power and false superiority. In the hit television series Mad Men, the first episode sheds light on the importance of advertising a products image versus the product itself. The advertising agency helps their client Lucky Strike, a cigarette company with their advertising campaign by telling them we can say whatever we want. They tell the company, to use the slogan Its Toasted to give themselves an edge from their competitors. The clients reply saying but everyone elses tobacco is toasted t hich the advertiser says, No, everyone elses tobacco is poisonous. Lucky Strikes is toasted. 9 This signifies that the brand must make its product seem more appealing than it actually is and in turn, fetishize the brand. As media is now globalized and brands are crossing borders and introducing their products to different cultures, they are targeting customers by making them identify their culture in the product instead of learning about the product itself. In her book No Logo, author Naomi Klein talks about the globalization of commodity fetishism by aying, Usually, reports about this global web of logos and products are couched in the euphoric marketing rhetoric of the global village, an incredible place where tribespeople in remotest rain forests tap away on laptop computers, Sicilian grandmothers conduct E-business, and global teens share, to borrow a phrase from a Levis Web site, a world-wide style culture. Everyone from Coke to McDonalds to Motorola has tailored their marketing strategy around this post-national vision10 Brands that originate in the west take their product to the east but while the product tself does not change at all, the brand changes the way in which the approach consumers in different cultures to have them identify with the brand. Coca-Cola has effectively been using this practice around the world by making people believe that the soda has social value. In Canada they recently released a campaign targeting th e issue of obesity. The narration for the commercial opens with For over a hundred and twenty five years weve been bringing people together. Today wed like people, to come together on something that concerns all of us obesity. 1 1 Instantly onsumers are made to believe that this caffeinated and carbonated beverage has the power to impact a society and bring people together on a pressing issue in North America even though the product is simply meant to quench thirst. Coca-Cola is not solving the problem of obesity; it is simply putting the calorie value of the beverage on the front in at attempt to have people make informed choices. Thus by not having to change their product and simply changing the way it appears in a society, the brand can convince people of its power. Therefore it can be established that the social power lies with the brand and not the product. In an equally recent commercial launched by Coca-Cola in India, they use data available in public domain over the last ten years and show images and list facts of issues of great importance in India such as environmental degradation, childrens education and community ties. The commercial ends with text that reads, While some fght over petty issues, millions share a Coca-Cola everyday. 2 While Coca-Cola plays no role in solving these national issues, it wants people to believe that the brand identifies with their national identity and almost makes it seem as if sharing a Coca-Cola will solve all hese problems by bringing people together, which can be seen as an attempt to control mass though and spreading propaganda. This advertising practice by brands i s being strongly criticized as it plays with peoples emotions and makes people believe that the product is capable of much more than it actually is. Douglas B Holt argues that identity brands compete in myth markets, not in product markets.. He suggests that to achieve an iconic status, the brand should be imbued with myths that play upon cultural tensions. 13 In his famous book The High Price of Materialism, Tim Kasser describes a comprehensive mpirical study on materialistic values, which shows that when personal interactions are based on materialistic values, less empathy and intimacy are present in relationships. Kassers research also demonstrates that materialistic values undermine individuals physical well-being and psychological health. 14 The criticism, however, can be argued as consumers choose to participate in this name game. Commodities have branded themselves simply to fulfill peoples desires of wanting materialistic goods to feel empowered in society. Thus the fact that there is a global emand for fetishized commodities shows that both people and brands are involved in laying emphasis on materialistic importance. Overall, it can be established that commodity fetishism has become such a strong capitalistic force that is being endorsed through globalization of media and in many instances, enabling brands to spread propaganda by controlling mass thought. However, people seek ways to assert social status within societies and need branded commodities as a way to do so. Consumers have the choice to purchase cheaper products by less established brand names and thus have the choice whether or not to give in to commodity fetishism.