Understanding Islam

Introduction The literal meaning of Islam is peace. Because of many current world events, Islam is a highly controversial and sensitive issue that has many misconceptions that need to be more fully addressed and understood. It is true that the events of 9/11 have separated the history of American relations with the Muslim world into before and after phases, negatively affecting the patterns of assimilation of immigrant Muslims into American culture and society (Simmons, 2008). This essay will begin to give factual details regarding the Islam faith, compare Islam with other Abrahamic religions and discuss common misconceptions and current events that have changed the way the world looks at Muslims and the Islam faith. Body It will be useful to begin with attempting to scratch the surface and try to understand the teachings of Islam. Islam is a monotheistic religion based on revelations received by the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. These revelations were recorded in the faith’s text, the Qur’an. The Islam faith has â€Å"Six Articles of Beliefs†. People of the Muslim faith must have great conviction in these most important six areas. They are: 1. Belief in God. 2. Belief in the Angels. 3. Belief in the Prophets and Messengers. 4. Belief in the Sacred Texts. 5. Belief in Life After Death. 6. Belief in the Divine Decree (Abdulsalam, 2006). The believers worship God directly without the intercession of priests or clergy. They also have five duties that are given as rules to follow. Those are the Five Pillars of Islam; Belief, Worship, Fasting, Almsgiving and Pilgrimage (Grupper, Prentice, & Roughton, 2000). The country with the most Muslims is Indonesia, with 120 million. In addition there are millions more in parts of Eastern and Western Europe and in the Americas. The Islam religion claims nearly 1 billion followers in countries throughout the world. Islam is also the youngest among major world religions but is still one of the largest (Ridenour, 2001). Islam belongs in a group of three religions called the â€Å"Abrahamic† religions. Those three religions are Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They are three sister religions that are monotheistic and that claim the prophet Abraham as their common forefather. To compare Islam and Christianity, in relation to God, Muslims believe there is no God but Allah; Christians believe that God is revealed in scripture as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons who are coeternally God (Ridenour, 2001). This sometimes causes Jews and Muslims to criticize the Christians as polytheistic. In all three religions, there is an ethical orientation. All three religions speak of a choice between good and evil, which is depended upon obedience or disobedience to God (Unkown, 2007). The three also have a linear concept of history with creation as the beginning and that God works through history. The believers of Islam are called Muslims which means â€Å"one who lives his life according to God’s will† (Langley, 1993). It would seem that this particular people and religion would be a people of peace, sincerity and love. Since 9/11, the world of the faithful in Muslim societies has been in turmoil because the living Islam, dominated by its traditional interpreters, the learned ulema, has not been able to guide the community at the most critical period of its existence (Sachedina, 2010). This current critical period of Islam existence has created many misconceptions. Only if it is assumed that the goal of Islam is to establish peace without resorting to aggression can one claim that that militant Islamists have hijacked their religion (van der Krogt, 2010). Islam is practiced all over the world and the way it is practiced is different in different locations. Islam does claim to be brotherhoods of â€Å"one religion†, but the Islam practiced in Indonesia is very different than the Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, which is also different from that in Kazakhstan, or Iran, or Morocco. In researching for this essay, the author found many different â€Å"types† of Islamic groups all over the world. There are over 73 sub-sects that have emerged within Islam today (Venkatraman, 2007). Some peaceful and some more aggressive. A group called Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami (The Party of Islamic Liberation) began working in Central Asia in the mid-1990s and has developed a committed following inside Uzbekistan, and to a lesser extent in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Estimates of its strength vary widely, but a rough figure is probably 15-20,000 throughout Central Asia. Its influence should not be exaggerated – it has little public support in a region where there is limited appetite for political Islam – but it has become by far the largest radical Islamist movement in the area (Unkown, Radical Islam in Central Asia: Responding to Hizb ut-Tahrir, 2003). The common misconceptions regarding Muslims did not begin with the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but that seems to be the current event that hits closest to home. Islamic terrorism is a movement in which the violence caused by terrorism is derived from and used to preserve extreme interpretations of the Quran in an Islamic community. Participants of this movement call for an unquestioned devotion and blind obedience or a Quaranic tenet has been broken. A few of the Islamic terrorist groups are Al-jihad, AlQaeda (Afganistan), Hamas (Palestine), Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Kashmir), and the Lashkar e-Toiba (Kashmir) (Venkatraman, 2007). The 9/11 terrorist attacks were performed by AlQaeda under the direction of Osama bin Laden, the founder of AlQaeda. The death of Osama bin Laden has also certainly not stopped Islamic violence, but according to the president of the Muslim Public Affairs Counsel, Salam Al-Marayati, the death of Osama bin Laden â€Å"represents the beginning of the end of a dark era in U. S. -Muslim relations. † He goes on to say that â€Å"hopefully this ushers a new era of hope and democracy in dealing with the grievances of Muslim people throughout the world without resorting to political violence. † (Lozano, 2011). The media and these current world events are a definite misconception of all Muslim people. To gratuitously insult law-abiding Muslims by conflating them with terrorists is not only wrong, it is dangerous to U. S. national security (Stern, 2011). An article written in the New York Times in October of 2010, spoke about local New York Islamics having open houses to invite non-Muslims in to attend prayers, discussions and tours of Islamic centers as a way to defuse hostility toward the Muslim population. The idea for the program, â€Å"A Week of Dialogue,† emerged from a summit of Islamic leaders as a response to the furor surrounding a plan to open a Muslim community center and mosque near ground zero (Semple, 2010). Muslims in America and around the world are trying to bring back the truth to the original Islamic meaning of peace. We now must look at how Muslims and non-Muslims communicate and live together in harmony. Historically, in countries where Islam has gained political power, people of all rival religions are either wiped out, or in the interest of â€Å"tolerance† or â€Å"open mindedness†, permitted to exist as second-class citizens. Christians and Jews are looked down upon and may not practice their religion openly or freely without serious consequence. But, Islam in the West is completely different from Islam in Muslim dominated countries. Muslims who live in the Western democratic countries enjoy all the benefits and privileges of freedom and democracy. They have secure civil liberties and may practice their religion freely and openly. The Qur’an specifically states that Islam is a religion of mercy, tolerance and moderation. Moderation being the key to Muslim and non-Muslim communication. It allows Muslims to have a good relationship with non-Muslims, but to a certain limit. One quote from the Qur’an says this: â€Å"Let not the believers (Muslims) take for friends Unbelievers (non-Muslims) rather than believers. And whoever does that has no relation with Allah whatsoever, except by way of precaution that you may guard yourselves from them. † (Surah Ali Imran, V: 28). Conclusion In summation, some of the misconceptions that people around the world have regarding Islam, are backed up by some current and past events. We must first begin to understand the Islamic faith, it’s diversity in people, areas of the world and political stances. This author does not begin to understand the depth of the Islam faith. After researching for this essay, the realization of the diversity of this faith as compared to Christianity or Judaism, is overwhelming. The peaceful people of Islam must not be judged by the terrorists and the acts they commit. We learned that Islam has political side and a religious side as well. The editor of the journal, American Libraries, Leonard Kniffel wrote an editorial about how libraries jumped at the chance to begin educating communities on the Islam faith shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mr. Kniffel states that, â€Å"Knowing that an anti-Muslim backlash was inevitable, they created programs to help the patrons of their libraries understand the teachings of Islam, the history of American policy related to the conflict we now find ourselves in, and what it means to be Muslim in America† (Kniffel, 2002). The Muslim American Society (www. muslimamericansociety. org) has a campaign called â€Å"The Straight Path Initiative†. It’s goals are to equip and focus on Muslims in America ages 15-30. This initiative has a goal to initiate an honest open ialog about radicalization and extremism in Muslim American communities. They are targeting high schools and college campuses to provide programs and activities to involve young Muslim Americans in a proactive way that limits opportunities for radicalization (Unkown, The Straight Path Initiative, 2011). Much like any religion or people group, Islam has a group of terrorists and non-peaceful people amongst them . The misconceptions are actually very real and have information and current events to back them up. It would also be fair to say, that most religions and people groups have those kinds of people. Understanding one another is the most important thing we can do. By educating each other on beliefs, understandings and ways of life, we can only then begin to have peaceful dialog to bring us together. September 11, 2001 became a day for American’s to see the true colors of the terrorist sect of the Islam religion. As this is a day we will never forget, we must begin to heal by understanding and not judging the entire Islam faith for these terrible acts of terrorism. References Abdulsalam, M. (2006, January 30). The Religion of Islam. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from www. islamreligion. com: http://www. islamreligion. com/articles/6/. Grupper, J. , Prentice, P. , & Roughton, R. (2000). Islam: Empire of Faith. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from www. pbs. org: http://www. pbs. org/empires/islam/film. html. Kniffel, L. (2002, January). Getting to know Islam. American Libraries , 48. Langley, M. (1993). World Religions. Oxford: Lion Publishing. Lozano, C. (2011, May 1). Osama bin Laden Dead: End of a dark era in U. S. Muslim relations'. Retrieved June 15, 2011, from L. A. Times: http://latimesblogs. latimes. com/lanow/2011/05/osama-bin-laden-dead-end-dark-era-us- muslim-relations. html. Ridenour, F. (2001). So What's the Difference? Ventura, CA: Regal Books. Sachedina, A. (2010, September). Religion, Order and Peace: A Muslim Perspective. Cross Currents , 332-338. Semple, K. (2010, October 22). At Mosques, Inviting Non-Muslims Inside to Ease Hostility Toward Islam. Retrieved June 15, 2011, from New York Times: http://www. nytimes. com/2010/10/23/nyregion/23mosques. html? ef=reconstruction. Simmons, G. Z. (2008). From Muslims in America to American Muslims. Journal of Islamic Law and Culture , 10 (3), 254-280. Stern, J. (2011, May/June). Muslims in America. The National Interest (113), pp. 38-46. Unkown. (2007, September 16). Abrahamic Religion. Retrieved June 14, 2011, from New World Encyclopedia: http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Abrahamic_religions. References (continued) Unkown. (2003, June 30). Radical Islam in Central Asia: Responding to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Retrieved June 15, 2011, from International Crisis Group: ttp://www. crisisgroup. org/en/regions/asia/central-asia/058-radical-islam-in-central-asia- responding-to-hizb-ut-tahrir. aspx. Unkown. (2011). The Straight Path Initiative. Retrieved June 17, 2011, from Muslim American Society: http://muslimamericansociety. org/main/content/straight-path-initiative. van der Krogt, C. (2010). Jihad without apologetics. Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations , 21 (2), 127-142. Venkatraman, A. (2007). Religious Basis for Islamic Terrorism: The Quran and it's Interpretations. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism , 30 (3), 229-248.

Analysis of “Fight” by Laurel Blossom Essay

Complete opposite attract, just like a magnet. However at times, it may not always work out for the best. In â€Å"Fight† by poet Laurel Blossom, the contrast between the narrator and her lover seems to have affected her decision to either strive through their relationship in order to make it work or opt out. The narrator immediately tells readers â€Å"That is the difference between me and [him]†, helping readers understand from the start that they these lovers have their differences, as do most people in relationships do. However the narrator goes on to list their differences throughout the entire poem. She talks of how he â€Å"pack[s] an umbrella, #30 goo/And a red flannel shirt.† and later discusses their differences in hobbies, weather, natural state of temperature, and material preference when it comes to clothing. However the narrator bluntly states â€Å" That’s not what I do.† as if she’s trying to reinforce the idea and emphasize it so that readers can understand that they are complete opposite of one another. In the third stanza she uses repetition to add stress on â€Å"Florida† which could possibly mean that she’s trying to give readers the feel of her environment and setting of the poem. It’s a reasonable possibility considering the fact that in the next stanza, readers get a list of activities usually done in sunny and pleasant weather which Florida is known for. Once again the compare and contrast pattern is seen again as she critically states â€Å"[He] dig[s] in the garden. I swim in the pool/I like to wear cotton. [He] like[s] to wear wool.† in order to sincerely persuade her lover, since she addresses him directly within it, that they are too different for one another. In the last stanza the narrator finally comes to a conclusion after her rant of contrasting her and her lovers lifestyles. Apparently â€Å"[He] wants[s] to get married. [She] wants to be free†, which shocks readers, especially when the narrator blatantly tells her lover, who originally was the one she was talking to, that even though he doesn’t seem to mind â€Å"that is the difference between you and me†. The way that the narrator formed her poem, makes this line the strongest one and gives readers this feeling that she wants to end  whatever is going on between them. Her constant repetition within the poem that they are completely different and the constant contrasting between lifestyles, adds emphasis to her decision to end what they had since she wants to be â€Å"free†.

The Great Gatsby - The American Dream Essay - 767 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The statement made by Marius Bewley’s critical essay â€Å"Scott Fitzgerald: The Apprentice Fiction†, â€Å"Fitzgerald’s ultimate subject is the character of the American Dream in which, in their respective ways, his principle heroes are all trapped.†, can be justified through Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and his short story â€Å"Winter Dreams†. In both pieces of literature, Fitzgerald explores and comments upon Americans and their pursuit of the American Dream through Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green’s pursuit of their â€Å"golden girls†. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Fitzgerald shows that the American Dream is not easily achieved by giving each leading man obstacles in the pursuit of their golden girl. Both Jay†¦show more content†¦For example, Dexter Green, although he has been hurt and abandoned by Judy Jones several times, broke his engagement with another woman as soon as Judy Jones stated she wanted to marry him. Fitzgerald is showing the reader that Americans will do anything, no matter how much they’ve experienced suffering because of it. Through Green, Fitzgerald shows that the American Dream is the most important thing to an American once they’ve decided to achieve it. Furthermore, Gatsby becomes a gangster and lives an empty life with lavish parties. Gatsby does all this because Fitzgerald wants to show how much an American will change their lives to achieve the dream. Gatsby’s suffering of an entire lifetime is just to win Daisy, which shows that an American is able to suffer lifet imes of hardships and low points in hopes of one day having the American Dream. Fitzgerald, through the actions of Gatsby and Green, comments upon the unlimited things that an American in pursuit of the American Dream will do. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Fitzgerald also shows his readers how Americans in pursuit of the American Dream live only for that purpose. For example, Gatsby lives and builds his whole life in pursuit of Daisy. He tries his whole life to relive the past in hopes that oneShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream : The Great Gatsby Essay1568 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Dream: The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story on the surface, but its most commonly understood as a suspicious critic of the American Dream. In the novel Jay Gatsby overcomes his poor past to gain an incredible amount of money and a limited amount of social cache of in the 1920s NYC, only to be rejected by the â€Å"old money† crowd. The focus of my paper would be the pathway towards the American Dream and how it affects the person and others around. The American dreamRead MoreThe Great Gatsby and the American Dream1401 Words   |  6 PagesThe Real American Dream Since its institution, the United States has been revered as the ultimate land of ceaseless opportunity. 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Ethical And Social Responsibilities Of Apple - 1444 Words

In the corporate world, it is easy to think that the ultimate goal is to make profits. However, it is this type of thinking that can ultimately lead to the failure of an organization. When a company simply thinks of profits, it is likely to find itself in trouble with the government, with stockholders, and with the public. In today’s world, more so than ever, it is important for a company to thinking about its ethical and social responsibilities to its employees, its consumers, its shareholders, and to the general public. By focusing on ethical and social responsibilities, a company is likely to be able to gain recognition as a good employer, a good investment, and a good company to purchase products and services from. One company that†¦show more content†¦Next, the â€Å"Mass Suicide† protest at the Foxconn factory in China where workers were deeply upset by the poor working conditions (Moore, 2012). Then, in 2013 there were reports of deaths of workers at the some of the same Chinese factories from fatigue, pneumonia, and other causes (Barboza, 2013). All of these poor conditions by its suppliers and factories overseas contradict the values that are set forth by Apple in their own ethical guidelines. Early in 2012, Apple announced that it would hire an outside agency to investigate the charges of forced overtime and child labor in its Chinese suppliers and factories, including other poor work conditions. While it appears on the surface that Apple was taking swift action in regards to these charges, it is clear that the abuse has been going on for some time and regular audits performed by Apple, or even routine check-ups on its suppliers would have uncovered at least the deplorable working conditions. 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Why People Arent Talking About Cry Freedom Essay Topics

Why People Aren't Talking About Cry Freedom Essay Topics You are going to be able to mock a scenario, and this also usually means using language that means that opposite of what you wish to say. It's a poetic and intriguing title with an assortment of implications. Freedom can be defined starting from various facets, according to distinct cultures, from various points of view and even from various beliefs. Save our handy-dandy shmoop writing and offer critical analysis of the significance of. Freedom is something which is viewed in a variety of ways. It is not absolute, it must be limited. It endows us with the ability to do a lot of incredible things, but at the same time, it gives the opportunity to do some things that really suck. It can mean so many different things to many different people. Journalists, on the flip side, receive lots of really intriguing information, making them more popular and stronger. Experiencing freedom isn't something everyone has. The Good, the Bad and Cry Freedom Essay Topics People have wanted their opinions to be heard by other people and provided that the course of action is peaceful and doesn't encourage violence, it's absolutely legal. If you are fighting to compose a proposal which you are proud of, this is where Edubirdie can provide help. Describe the way the parents and kids relate to one another and what forces in political life make these relationships especially tough. While not everybody has enjoyed these very same freedoms to the identical extent throughout the plan of our national history, they've made fantastic gains that has fostered greater equality for all. The Cry Freedom Essay Topics Pitfall On occasion, death wasn't an alternative for those who were held prisoner for governmental info. Freedom is a rather wide co ncept that may have a different meaning in every situation. Inside my research, someone said that freedom of expression won't ever lead to hostility among people should they respect one another's ideas. The makers of this film achieved this endeavor, with just a little help from Denzel Washington, obviously. In summary, the movie cry for freedom is an outstanding movie. The physician cannot do anything against the authorities and thus they put Biko on a blanket at the ground in the rear of a Land Rover. A good example of this is when the small boy sounds the alarm to warn the folks of the township of the authorities. New Questions About Cry Freedom Essay Topics To start with it's important to ensure that the topic you picked up has the capacity to take your suggestions and opinions forward. Search through lots of topics and gather as much material as possible and then zero down on a single topic. It is very important to realize that you can merely pick a single topic and b egin working on it. As soon as you understand what your topic is you must determine how you wish to take it forward. 1 important part of the idea of freedom has to do with what the states of freedom really are. Following that, you arrive at the conclusion you might not have freedom whatsoever, in the event the freedom is a measure of the length of a leash. As you become older and learn how to drive you're provided a completely new sort of freedom. Only freedom free of guidance will cause an undesirable actions and lead to destruction in the society. On the 1 hand you are inclined to dislike him because of the simple fact he is not against apartheid, but he's however not pleased about it either. Today, folks take for granted what our ancestors worked so tough to provide for all of us. There's no best freedom of speech, there's still much to be desired. For others it may represent a feeling of honor, sacrifice, and memory. Facts, Fiction and Cry Freedom Essay Topics Another way to earn your essay better is to make sure you compose an outline, even supposing it isn't very extensive. While drafting an essay, it is quite important to play safe and be politically accurate. After you believe that you have your subject, you should attempt and develop your thesis so you can make sure you can develop a strong essay on such topic. Whenever you have picked up a topic of your choice, don't attempt to incorporate all of the material which you have into a single essay. Cry Freedom Essay Topics Features When you're writing a definitio n essay, you would like to concentrate on a single meaning for the word. Inside my opinion, they're not. This is hyperbole that exaggerates the simple fact that the man is extremely hungry. In essay format, describe the essence of women and gender inside this text.

Organizational Restructure free essay sample

Within the field of customer service it is just about impossible to deliver satisfactory customer service without first delivering a certain level of job satisfaction to your employees. Wall-Mart is known for having everything known to man on its shelves, but its also known as being one of the country leading employers. In recent years, the company has received media attention and backlash in areas of employee job satisfaction the way stores are being ran.This paper seeks to identify the ways in which the organizational behavior of the company can be revamped, by answering implementing the following questionsdoes managerial control and approach have a positive or negative effect on Wall-Mart employee satisfaction? How does the company manage workforce diversity are those employees treated fairly in position levels and pay rates? How does the companys organizational practices influence employee job satisfaction and what changes can be made to improve employee job satisfaction?With reliable academic sources, I seek to answer these questions and also provide insight into changes that can be made with the companys organizational structure. Introduction To attract the brightest and best employees, the workplace must be aware of and receptive to the overcharging desires of the knowledge worker.. . Jameson Jameson, 2008). Regardless of the field of expertise an organization is a part of, the time attention given to its employees is of the utmost importance.Many times, companies fail and or are known for bad service when the happiness of its employees is suffering greatly. Robbins Judge defines organizational behavior as a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations (Robbins Judge, 2014, p. 1 1). In other words, the behavior of the individuals within an organization, greatly impacts the success of that organization. This includes management styles, communication diversity amongst employees just to name a few.All companies and organizations have some form of organizational behavior and that behavior is reflected through its employees. So what exactly does organizational behavior have to do with a place like Wall- Mart? As stated in my definition above, B is made up of three different components that all fall under the umbrella of the organization. Theres the employee/individual, groups within the workplace, and the structure of the organization. When studying B, it is important to recognize that all three of hose components are necessary for fully understanding organizational behavior.In fact Griffin Morphed (201 2), point out in regards to B, that we can study the individual and his or her actions without considering the organization, but because of the fact the organization influences and most times is influenced by the individual, we cant fully understand the individuals behavior without learning something about the organization! In other words, the behaviors of the individuals within an organization usually Stem from the structure and norms of an organization. B is a field of study that ancestress specifically with situations such as jobs, employment turnover, absenteeism, productivity, and performance to name a few. So in actuality, every organization that is an organization, deals with B on some level. Wall-Mart is a billion dollar company that employs more than a million people across America. With more than 4,700 f acilities across the country, its not surprising to learn of someone you know working for the retail giant (Walter. Com). Although the company has made good effort in turning things around, in recent years Wall-Mart has been in the media numerous times for heir business practices. Being criticized for everything from discrimination, poor employee benefits, and lack of quality pay for employees. All of the criticisms allegations of huge employee disc-satisfaction points to the organizational structure of the company and its leadership. In order to successfully turn all of these negatives into positives, the company must reevaluate the way they interact with treat their employees!In most cases within a group SETI Eng, especially within the workplace, all things start with the head. For example if management implements a certain style or way of owing things, that same style will trickle down to the companys subordinates and they will follow suit. By re-evaluating the leadership managerial styles of the company, and implementing a greater representation of diversity within different positions Of the sto res, Wall-Mart will be able to turn employee satisfaction around greatly reduce the likelihood of employees feeling unappreciated, unmotivated, most importantly underpaid.Employee and Labor Relation Issues Judging from the media coverage of Walter and its employees over the last few years, many of the workers, arent happy with their employer. In recent years the company has been in the media for things such as gender racial discrimination, poor employee wages, and overall poor employee satisfaction. One of the big issues that hit newsstands concerning the company was the Dukes vs.. Walter Stores, Inc. Class action lawsuit.This was a case of one female employee, Betty Dukes, taking a stand on what she felt was unfair treatment and discrimination in regards to pay rates, promotional policies and practices within Walter stores (Wisped, 2014). Although the case was thrown out, the case opened the eyes of many across America concerning the Houghton and feelings of female workers within Walter stores across America. The case triggered a big enough reaction to cause almost 2,000 female employees of Walter to take legal action concerning their pay and lack of promotion within the company because of their gender.Another big media issue that the company had surrounding discrimination was the case of Daryl Nelson, who was denied employment with the company as a truck driver because of his race. Although these two cases were of different sectors of discrimination (race gender), they both fall under the umbrella of coordination, and painted a picture of a corporation who has an issue with respecting the diversity and differences of its employees.Another major concern of Walter employees that has also made its way into media outlets is poor pay wages. Many of the companys employees feel that they are greatly underpaid for their work and dedication to their jobs and this affects their job satisfaction all across the board. According to an article on Malabar. Org written by Scott Hotchpotch, the average hourly wage of Walter employees is under $10 an hour, putting the average Walter worker in the à ©tagà ¨re of living under the poverty level. In the past few years employees have openly shown their dissatisfaction for their wage levels by going on strike some even simply walking off of the job during high peak shopping times, to take a stand against being paid so low. All of these examples, the cases of discrimination dissatisfaction of pay rates, paint a picture of what employee engagement is really like within Walter stores. Employee engagement is defined as, an individuals involvement with, satisfaction with, and enthusiasm for the work he or she does (Robbins Judge, 2013). Even if pop leadership within Walter felt as though they were successfully engaging their employees, the level of job dissatisfaction would show that the type and level of engagement, isnt effective at all. As Hotchpotch states, The first key factor that shapes the working culture at Wall-Mart is the store manager (Hitcher, 2013). The store manager of any retail chain is the liaison between the big wigs at corporate headquarters and the front-li ne staff that are everyday employees.In order for Walter to address the issues that the everyday employees have grievances with, the store managers must take on n approach of communication that allows them to actively seek out employee opinions and suggestions for change. The thing to recognize with employee engagement is that the satisfaction level of the employee can and will affect the involvement level for the employee as well. For example if a woman working for Walter feels that no matter what she does shell never be promoted or given a raise, the amount of effort and involvement she puts into her job will more than likely suffer.So, with that in mind, Walter leadership its store managers must make an effort to not only involve their female workers more but also create n atmosphere that welcomes female workers for the future and one that shows respect and appreciation for the current female employees. I think that doing this will allow Walters job satisfaction level to go up for female employees, and higher job satisfaction always means higher customer satisfaction.Infamous, Homoeopath, Mortality, and Seed (2014) argued that satisfied employees feel more commitment to their organization and its customers, thus put forth more effort to be succes sful as an employee, and improve the quality of the organizations customer service. This concept of improving employee engagement wouldnt only work for the female workers that feel discriminated against, but also any employee that feel like the company doesnt take their needs and desires as employees into consideration.Management Styles throughout Stores As Robbins and Judges (2014) states, organizations need strong leadership and strong management for optimal effectiveness (Robbins and Judger 2014, p. 368). Walter is no different within this concept. In order for the company to be successful in business and business relationships with employees, they must exercise strong leadership and management. In an article written by Nelson Liechtenstein (2011 Walter is showcased as an organization that has an authoritarian culture of management leadership, and this is what has led to the many causes of employee dissatisfaction over the years.Liechtenstein states, The underlying issue, which the Supreme Court has now ratified, is Wall-Mares authoritarian style, by which executives pressure store- level management to squeeze more and more from millions of clerks, stockers and lower-tier managers (Liechtenstein, 2011 In other words, the style of management throughout Walter stores promotes employees at all bevels working as much and as hard as they possibly can at no matter the cost or risks!What this means to me is that, Walter has a certain set of rules and policies and those are the laws of the land-?the company leaves no room for employee input on ways to implement change and or problem solving. This is a problem because regardless of your line of work or profession-?times always change! The sort of products that Sam Walton originally sold in his stores, arent necessarily the same now today, thus the customer pool isnt the same! That also means, that the sorts of people working behind the counter arent the same either.In order to have continued success, the leadership of the organization must change and adjust with the times. But it is important to note that leadership and management are not one in the same. Robbins and Judge (2013) defines a manager as an individual who achieves goals through other people (Robbins and Judge, 201 3, p. 5) But they define a leader as someone with, the ability to influence a group toward the achievement Of a vision or set Of goals (Robbins and Judge, 201 3, p. 368). In other words, a manager or management is just an administrative title, whereas leadership is the administration. The goal of the leader/leadership is what the goal of the manger/management becomes. Although these two arent the same thing within Walter they mirror each other rather well. As Liechtenstein points out in his article, the management and leadership within Walter is based on a culture that the company created from the begin inning and has just sort of always been the foundation of who they are.The article points out how when the company started in the sass and ass that it was the culture of the company to hire men as the managers and leaders and have their wives as the clerks and store workers; sort of like a community thing (Liechtenstein, 201 1). From then until now, thats sort of the way the company has evolved, but its also what has brought them to a point of female workers feeling discriminated against.Liechtenstein argues that there are thousands of current female Walter employees who would love to take promotional roles within management at Walter, but even if those opportunities were presented, Walter makes it impossible for many of them to take that post, because its ruthless management style trustees the job itself as one that most women, and e specially those with young children or a relative to care for, would find difficult to accept (Liechtenstein, 2011 Changing the Organizational Structure am a firm believer that any change that needs to be implemented, starts with the head (leader). For example if parents want their children to embrace a healthier diet, then they themselves have to first lead by example and eat fruit as a snack instead of sugary sweet fruit snacks! Whatever the leader does should trickle down and cause change with and for those below them in rank. One thing hat Walter could do to change the management style throughout stores is recognize and embrace the need for change! Since their management style is based on remnants of the past, they must recognize that what once was, no longer exists!This means that the culture of the company needs to change! Feel that the best way to do that is for leadership to effectively communicate the vision of the company to its management so that the company can move forward as a whole on the same fresh page! As Mattock states, when leaders effectively common iGATE their vision, they gain the trust of their followers and heir followers in turn experience greater satisfaction (Mattock, 2007, p. 67). It is clear that W alter needs to improve their employee satisfaction this is one way to do it.Another thing that should be done is implementing training for leaders and managers within the stores. This can be done by offering leadership programs within the company but also by supporting employees going back to school to learn of leadership and or gaining management credentials. By training the leaders for improvement and advancement, Walter would open a door for employees of all races and genders to be exposed to the possibilities of advancing and being successful within the company. That leads me to my next suggestion for the company-?once that door is opened, it also increases the possibility of diversity throughout management within the company. Implementing diversity is probably one of the most important steps the company needs to take in increasing job satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Our Walter, a group created by a group of current and former Walter employees, to ensure that every Associate, regardless of his or her age, race or sex, is respected at Walter (Aubrey 201 3, p. ). Thats what the employees seek-?to be respected at whatever level they work for the company! So making diversity a top priority will ensure that this is done! So how can diversity be implemented throughout the company? Teamwork! Store managers should make a sound effort in implementing teams to get certain job tasks done, but the key is to make sure those teams are made up of people from different genders, backgrounds and age groups-?the diversity factor!Doing this will allow e mployees to see the importance of their own contribution to the company goal, but also the importance their co-workers introductions. We all have different skill levels and levels of knowledge, but as Grant and Klein(1 997) states, that when working together with people from different backgrounds and ethnicities, it is imperative to keep in mind that every person comes to the table with a different set of values, ideas and motivations (Grant and Klein, 1997). All of these differences are what make up the endless possibilities for success!And then finally, what I feel could be done to improve employee satisfaction as well as business practices throughout the company is-?instead of having n authoritarian culture/leadership style, the company should adopt an employee-oriented leadership style. An employee-oriented leader is one who emphasizes interpersonal relationships with their employees and take a personal interest in those employees needs (Robins and Judge, 201 3, p. 371 feel that this would be the best leadership style to utilize because it also accepts individual differences of employees, which once again, leaves room for diversity within the company.As stated earlier, leadership is about being able to influence a group toward a common goal, so with this sort of adhering style, the task at hand for management would be to know and understand their team so that they would be able to effectively utilize the knowledge and skill of their workers to accomplish the goal of the company. In Other words, in order to carry out the overall goal Of Walter as a business, the management must know and understand its employees, and that can be done with an employee-oriented leadership style.Also, having this sort of leadership style could have an impact on motivating employees to w ork harder as well as overall job satisfaction! Effects of Implementing Change In April of 2005, the united Food and Commercial Workers Union founded Wake of Walter, a campaign founded to make the world aware of the business practices of the retail giant. The organization claimed that Walter was offering its employees substandard wages and health care benefits, and has called on the retailer to improve both (wisped. Rug, retrieved May 24, 2014). The group name was later changed to Making Change at Walter since then, slowly but surely, change is exactly whats been happening. I thought that this name change was interesting in a self-fulfilling prophecy sense. What I mean by that is, if Walter were to wake up and realize the importance of communicating company goals with the employees, and implement better diversity throughout frontline and management level positions within the stores, then they would see positive change at Walter!This is just an example of how important it is for the company to not only implement change, but listen to the front line employees while doing so. If Walter were to change their culture and leadership style, their employee satisfaction would be greatly increased and that would in turn increase their customer satisfaction. This is what it all boils down to-? job satisfaction. Robbins and Judge (2013) defines job satisfaction as a positive feeling about a job, resulting from an evaluation of its cha racteristics (p. 74). When an employee has a high level of job satisfaction with their employer, they have a more positive outlook on the company as a whole. This means that the employees level of involvement within their position is greatly influenced by how satisfied they are with their job. When this is the case, employees are more likely to be more productive and proactive in getting the task at hand done every time. According to Robbins ND Judge (2013), several studies have proven that when employees are happy, they are more likely to be productive within their roles (p. 4). So in Walters case, a female employee who is highly satisfied with working at Walter and knows that there is a sure chance for advancement in her role based on her knowledge and skill and not on her gender, is more likely to go that extra mile to ensure that the customers every need is met. Thats a win- win situation for Walter-?why? Because not only are they satisfying a customer, but they are also satisfying an employee, creat ing a level of loyalty from both! ConclusionRegardless of the type Of service being Offered by an organ action, it is always important for that organization to first consider its employees before it can successfully consider its customers. Over the years Walter has grown into an entity that is known for having everything a customer could possibly need or want, but it seems as though they have failed in that aspect for their own employees. This failure on their behalf has caused many employee and labor relation issues, buying them plenty of slots in media outlets across the globe.With such a large roster of employees across the world, Walter easily found homeless having to answer questions of discrimination of both race and gender, and have had to step up to the plate in owning up to its wrong in those situations costing the company millions of dollars. So for the future, the company needs to go back to the drawing board to construct a different culture of leadership. By implementing a leadership style that focuses on its employees, Walter will be able to not only improve their employee satisfaction, but they will also increase overall customer satisfaction.Implementing an employee-oriented leadership style ill also he lp the organization foster an atmosphere of diversity by allowing management to build business relationships with employees of different ages, sex, and race groups. Once the door of diversity gets opened, the organization and the public should start to see more individuals of color and females in roles of management and within higher paying positions. At the present time, the current managerial approach that Walter has seems to have a negative effect on the companys overall employee satisfaction!Although the company employees millions of people across the world, that amen diversity isnt present within their management leadership roles again causing job satisfaction to suffer. But, as stated above, by reevaluating the leadership and managerial styles of the company, and implementing a greater representation of diversity within different positions of its stores, Walter will be able to turn employee satisfaction around greatly, and reduce the likelihood of employees feeling unappreciated, unmotivated, and most importantly underpaid.

What Caused The Great Depression Essay Example For Students

What Caused The Great Depression Essay Though most Americans are aware of the Great Depression of 1929, whichmay well be the most serious problem facing our free enterprise economicsystem, few know of the many Americans who lost their homes, life savingsand jobs. Americans faced vast problems during the eleven years ofdepressions span. The paper primarily focuses on what life was like forfarmers during the time of the Depression. By the 1930s, thirteen millionworkers lost their jobs, which is 25 percent of all workers. The blacks andunskilled workers were always the first to be fired. Farmers had no money andwerent capable of paying their mortgages. Americans traveled throughout thecountry looking for a place to work to support themselves and their family. Farmers plight during the Great Depression and drought. When the rains failed tocome, the grass began to disappear. As the farmers watched their plants turnbrown and the dirt slowly turn to dust they began to fear what was to come. Inthe water-cut gullies the earth dusted down in dry little streams. We will write a custom essay on What Caused The Great Depression specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now As the sharpsun struck day after day, the leaves of the young corn became less stiff anderect; then it was June and the sun shone more fiercely. The brown lines on thecorn leaves widened and moved in on the central ribs. The weeds frayed and edgedback toward their roots. The air was thin and the sky more pale; and every daythe earth paled. The farmers were terrified that the government feed loanswouldnt be available to keep the livestock from dying. In many cases, the RedCross was making allowances for feed to keep live livestock. The small farmersof fruit trees and vegetable plants depended on others who ran canneries tobottle and can their produce. The people they depended upon were the same peoplethat hired scientists to experiment on the fruits and vegetables to come up withbetter tasting and yielding produce. Thus the small farmers were dependent onthese same rich landowners for almost everything. They couldnt harvest theirproduce on their own so they sold it to the rich landowners and thus made verylittle money on their produce. The farmers found themselves in debt caused bythe purchase of land, tools, animals and other items bought on credit. The GreatDepression was the end result of World War I. It affected the rich and pooralike, factory workers and farmers, bankers and stockbrokers. In short, itaffected everyone; no one was left untouched. But of all the people hurt,farmers were the worst off. The Great Depression is known to be the worsteconomic disaster in U. S. history.