Internal Business Processes Perspective Wal

To improve the response time to customer request and speed up times transactions. The company is adapting to internet shopping and has set up a separate subsidiary to handle the internet purchases. This is in addition to the company policy of having more than one register open at a counter so that payments by customers are handled faster.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internal Business Processes Perspective Wal-Mart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reduced transaction time is targeted at increasing the efficiency of the company business operations as indicated in its vision of achieving excellent operational efficiency. The company will rely on the customers’ value for efficient service that will drive them to the Wal-Mart store rather than individual online supply stores. The company has to ensure that its inventory management and shipment of goods purchased online are synced and backed up to provide a robust system that builds customer’s trust. To this end, the company is includes an order tracking feature and a gift return option (Knowledge@Wharton, 2000). To enhance its internal control department to be able to control the company’s growth imperative so that they company suffers less from problem associated with its big size. The company can measure its success in controlling the company growth through an audit on its return on investment. Investments that make business sense and increase Wal-Mart’s overall aim of operational efficiency impact positively on the internal business processes of the company. These investments are impact on the organizational aspect of the business eliminating losses of time or equipment. For example, technological investments leverage on the overall business strategy of being just in time, like the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to track inventory from suppliers to consumers that eliminated any blockages alon g the supply-chain management system. The placement of RFID tags on inventory also reduces the tendency of employees to steal from the company because the technology improves and speeds up tracking (Malhotra, 2005).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Abolish all excesses, through reduction, recycling and reuse of all supplies that moves into the company’s stores, by 2025. To achieve this objective Wal-Mart intends to reduce the level of packaging within its store supply chain by five per cent by 2013. The company is developing sustainable packaging solutions in conjunction with its suppliers. In addition, the company has implemented a strategy that persuades customers to buy reusable bags for shopping. The objective has targets customer satisfaction in a green conscious environment and aims at increasing the overall efficiency of the companies operation, which reduces co sts in the long term that would otherwise be attributed to waste management. Reusable bags will assist the company to cut its plastic bag excesses by a third by 2013. The company is incorporating various environmental sustainability efforts such as making dog beds out of tattered plastic bottles. The company runs fifteen supply trucks on biofuel out of the grease collected from its chicken roasters. In addition, the company seeks to test four new types of fuel-efficient trucks. Other notable actions include the installation of solar power system on its Mexico store and adoption of a new sustainable design of its stores that incorporate recycled chimneys and use of soya beans instead of plastics to create floors (Environmental Leader, 2009). The objective on reducing waste adds to the financial objective of cutting expenses because it saves on costs on the excess purchases. Recycling also lowers costs for purchase of new material and saves the company of legal requirements on sustain ability. Increasing the company’s presence on the internet and making the online shopping system robust builds customer satisfaction and results to word of mouth advertising that is a boon to the profitability of the company as it increases overall purchases.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internal Business Processes Perspective Wal-Mart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Environmental Leader. (2009, April 20). Wal-Mart Wants to Eliminate All Packaging Waste by 2025. Retrieved from https://www.environmentalleader.com/ Knowledge@Wharton. (2000). Walmart.com Round Two: Jeanne Jackson Does Some Remodeling. Retrieved from Knowledge@Wharton: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/walmart-com-round-two-jeanne-jackson-does-some-remodeling/ Malhotra, Y. (2005). Integrating knowledge management technologies in organizational business processes: getting real time enterprises to deliver real business performance. Journal of Knowledge Management, 9(1), 7-28. Objective Measure Target Action To improve the response time to customer request and speed up times transactions. The company will rely on the customers’ value for efficient service that will drive them to the Wal-Mart store rather than individual online supply stores. The company is adapting to internet shopping and has set up a separate subsidiary to handle the internet purchases. This is in addition to the company policy of having more than one register open at a counter so that payments by customers are handled faster. Increasing the efficiency of the company business operations as indicated in its vision of achieving excellent operational efficiency. Â  The company has to ensure that its inventory management and shipment of goods purchased online are synced and backed up to provide a robust system that builds customer’s trust. Inclusion of an order tracking feature and a gift return option. Â  To e nhance its internal control department to be able to control the company’s growth imperative so that they company suffers less from problem associated with its big size. Â  The company can measure its success in controlling the company growth through an audit on its return on investment. Investments that make business sense and increase Wal-Mart’s overall aim of operational efficiency impact positively on the internal business processes of the company. Â  These investments are impact on the organizational aspect of the business eliminating losses of time or equipment. Â  Use of technological investments that leverage on the overall business strategy of being just in time, like the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to track inventory from suppliers to consumers that eliminated any blockages along the supply-chain management system. The placement of RFID tags on inventory also reduces the tendency of employees to steal from the company because the tech nology improves and speeds up tracking. Â  Abolish all excesses, through reduction, recycling and reuse of all supplies that moves into the company’s stores, by 2025. Leader, 2009). Â  To achieve this objective Wal-Mart intends to reduce the level of packaging within its store supply chain by five per cent by 2013. The company is developing sustainable packaging solutions in conjunction with its suppliers. In addition, the company has implemented a strategy that persuades customers to buy reusable bags for shopping. Â  The objective has targets customer satisfaction in a green conscious environment and aims at increasing the overall efficiency of the companies operation, which reduces costs in the long term that would otherwise be attributed to waste management. Â  Reusable bags will assist the company to cut its plastic bag excesses by a third by 2013. The company is incorporating various environmental sustainability efforts such as making dog beds out of tattered plas tic bottles. The company runs fifteen supply trucks on biofuel out of the grease collected from its chicken roasters. In addition, the company seeks to test four new types of fuel-efficient trucks. The installation of solar power system on its Mexico store and adoption of a new sustainable design of its stores that incorporate recycled chimneys and use of soya beans instead of plastics to create floors. Relationships to other objectives The objective on reducing waste adds to the financial objective of cutting expenses because it saves on costs on the excess purchases. Recycling also lowers costs for purchase of new material and saves the company of legal requirements on sustainability. Increasing the company’s presence on the internet and making the online shopping system robust builds customer satisfaction and results to word of mouth advertising that is a boon to the profitability of the company as it increases overall purchases. This essay on Internal Business Processes Perspective Wal-Mart was written and submitted by user Changel1ng to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Daddy’s Little Girl

Daddy’s Little Girl Mary Higgins Clark is a well-known author of top-selling suspense novels. Although she started out only writing in a magazine, she has now written well over a dozen novels. In addition, many of those novels have been made into movies. Because of her accomplishments, Mary Higgins Clark was awarded â€Å"The Woman of Achievement† award by the Federation of Women’s Clubs, among many other outstanding honors and awards. Daddy’s Little Girl is one of many suspenseful novels by Mary Higgins Clark. Clark’s writing style in this mystery is important because it keeps the reader interested in what is going on; in such a way that you don’t want to put the book down because you are eager to see what is going to happen. While illustrating the theme of justice and injustice, she leads you down a path where you think you have figured out the mystery, then there’s a twist and you must continue reading to find the outcome. Another aspect of the author’s writing style is the use of description. While using many details to describe scenes and characters to give the reader a better view, Clark doesn’t use so much detail that the reader becomes bored with the reading. She definitely has a way of keeping the reader interested in what they are reading. The story takes place in Oldham-on-the-Hudson, which is a small town that is located in Westchester County, New York. This small town setting is important to the story because the reader is able to relate to this type of setting. Because of this, the setting has an impact on the mood in the novel. In this small town, as well as small towns in reality, people are treated differently based on who they are and their wealth, which is a major part of the story. The main character in the novel is Ellie Cavanaugh, who is now thirty years old. When Ellie was seven years old, her fifteen year old sister, Andrea, was murdered. Since the story is ... Free Essays on Daddy’s Little Girl Free Essays on Daddy’s Little Girl Daddy’s Little Girl Mary Higgins Clark is a well-known author of top-selling suspense novels. Although she started out only writing in a magazine, she has now written well over a dozen novels. In addition, many of those novels have been made into movies. Because of her accomplishments, Mary Higgins Clark was awarded â€Å"The Woman of Achievement† award by the Federation of Women’s Clubs, among many other outstanding honors and awards. Daddy’s Little Girl is one of many suspenseful novels by Mary Higgins Clark. Clark’s writing style in this mystery is important because it keeps the reader interested in what is going on; in such a way that you don’t want to put the book down because you are eager to see what is going to happen. While illustrating the theme of justice and injustice, she leads you down a path where you think you have figured out the mystery, then there’s a twist and you must continue reading to find the outcome. Another aspect of the author’s writing style is the use of description. While using many details to describe scenes and characters to give the reader a better view, Clark doesn’t use so much detail that the reader becomes bored with the reading. She definitely has a way of keeping the reader interested in what they are reading. The story takes place in Oldham-on-the-Hudson, which is a small town that is located in Westchester County, New York. This small town setting is important to the story because the reader is able to relate to this type of setting. Because of this, the setting has an impact on the mood in the novel. In this small town, as well as small towns in reality, people are treated differently based on who they are and their wealth, which is a major part of the story. The main character in the novel is Ellie Cavanaugh, who is now thirty years old. When Ellie was seven years old, her fifteen year old sister, Andrea, was murdered. Since the story is ...

Critical Self-Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Critical Self-Reflection - Essay Example It entails adopting a rational, reasonable and ethical perspective of viewing different problems and situations. Regular critical thinking is critical because the natural human thinking process exhibits numerous flaws. Therefore, critical thinking serves as a check for eliminating such laws from the thinking process. Critical thinking must rely on powerful intellectual tools, especially the consideration of concepts and principles. Critical thinking has the potential to develop intellectual traits such as intellectual humility, integrity, sense of justice as well as confidence in reason. Notably, there is always a need for an individual to adopt a higher form of thinking because of the human susceptibility to mistakes and bias. This paper will present a self-reflection on different aspects of critical thinking. Evidently, there are numerous benefits of engaging in critical thinking. Some of the roles of critical thinking bring forth invaluable benefits to an individual. Through critical thinking, it is possible for an individual to identify bias and eliminate it successfully. Moreover, critical thinkers have the potential to recognize logical connections that define ideas and concepts. Moreover, critical thinking is significant when identifying inconsistencies in reasoning. Since critical thinking involves an active process of analyzing a problem, considering the potential solutions, and determine the best solutions, it enables the individual to analyze problems systematically (Riddell, 2007). In a world whereby individuals have an evident need to acquire knowledge, critical thinking can help in the identification of relevance and importance of ideas. I have realized that all human beings have certain stringent belief systems, which serve as barriers of critical thinking. I have the convic tion that critical thinking can play a significant role in assessing the believe systems. Without doubt, critical thinking an important aspect in an individual’s life.

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Proposal - Essay Example However, due to the high stress level in the hospital environment where pain and agony abound from the patients, workers are usually left with no choice but to concentrate on their own discipline in providing therapy, care or help for their patients. Add to that, the obligatory meetings set up by management to ensure that things are flowing smoothly, create resistance among the staff, as they are anxious to be questioned about their cases in detail. Such a scenario prevents effective communication to flow within the workers, staff and management of the hospital. This is a cause for concern, as the situation may bring about more problems that can affect the quality of treatment afforded to the patients that has gained recognition for Pinewood Hospital. The clinical director, Dr. Baxter has hired an internal consultant to help improve communication within the hospital. The following are proposed steps the consultant may make to gain a better understanding of the problem and to find appropriate solutions for it. The consultant needs to be immersed in the hospital to get a better perspective of the culture of the organization and the flow of movement and communication. He needs to attend all meetings himself to keep track of the agenda and see if there is overlapping information and investigate how these may be minimized to save time and effort. As a consultant, he is available to anyone who would be in need of his advice regarding concerns about communication, be they rank and file or in the administrative staff. Being so, he would have access to information that may able to help the organization. Another way to gather information is to conduct a survey on communication among all the hospital workers from the management to the professionals to the staff. â€Å"Staff surveys that provide a thorough understanding of staff attitudes and perceptions

Employee Engagement in the Oil & Gas Sector Essay Example for Free

Employee Engagement in the Oil Gas Sector Essay 1. Introduction According to Aon Hewitt (2012), employee engagement refers to the â€Å"state of emotional and intellectual involvement that motivates employees to do their best work through examination of employees’ level of engagement relative to the organisation’s antecedents† (p.5). Scarlett (2010) defines employee engagement as â€Å"the measurable degree of an employee’s positive or negative emotional attachment to their job, colleagues and organisation that profoundly influences their willingness to learn and perform at the workplace†. White (2011) however states that â€Å"employee engagement represents an alignment of maximum job satisfaction with maximum job contribution† (p. 5). Varied statistics show that employee engagement is a pertinent aspect in enhancing an organisation’s productivity. Beddoes (2011) states that engagement levels are stabilising globally with a 58% increase in 2011 as compared to 56% in 2010, with the greatest levels experienced in Asia Pacific and Europe. After the economic crisis, engagement levels lagged but economic indicators show increasing improvement between 2009 and 2010 around the globe (Aon Hewitt, 2012). Minton (n.d.) states that four out of ten employees are not engaged translating into 58% engaged and 42% partially or totally disengaged, with motivational factors, career development opportunities, employee recognition and the organisation’s reputation playing a major contributory factor to the results. This study has developed the following objectives (1) identification of employee engagement levels/models, (2) identification of employee engagement drivers. (3) Identification of effective ways to engage employees, (4) advantages realised by having an engaged work force. 2. Engagement Model/ Levels Aon Hewitt (2012) define engagement model as â€Å"a model that determines employee engagement levels in the organisation through examining employees’ level of engagement towards the organisation in the relation to the set organisational antecedents† (p.5). This model states that engagement in one’s work or organisation is an individual choice but regularly influenced by group affiliations, developed by the employees, psychological and behavioural capacity regarding the organisation. The management particularly human resource managers should incorporate, encourage and develop the model’s components while relating with the employees. The model incorporates three main components (1) ‘Say component’ that encourages the management and employees to think and speak highly of the organisation and its activities to colleagues, potential employees and clients. (2) ‘Stay component’ that encourages the employees to continually desire to be part of the company through encouraging recognition, appraisal, teamwork and team building activities thus reducing employee turnover and encouraging potential employees and clients (Schneider, White Paul 1998). (3) ‘Strive component’ that encourages growth of an organisational culture that encourages hard work and achievement of success, thus enhancing input of extra effort from employees which in turn enhances commitment and increased productivity. Incorporation of the above model leads to more engaged employees, which lead to increased quality delivery, client satisfaction and sales, which eventually leads to increased efficiency (Organ, Posdako ff Mackenzie 2006). 3. Engagement Drivers Sijts and Crim (2006) define engagement drivers as factors that increase employee engagement in organisation through effective management of engagement levels. These drivers identify potential improvement areas in the organisation pertaining to employee engagement. These drivers are interrelated thus work in unison. Engagement drivers therefore help management identify lacking areas that prohibit employee potential, thus enhancing focus on improvement efforts that enhance productivity through increased employee commitment (Organ, Posdakoff MacKenzie 2006). 3.1 Quality of Work Life Quality of work life refers to creation of a work environment whereby employees’ activities are prioritised through execution of work structure activities that deem the activities less routine thus more rewarding to the employees (Sigy, Efraty, Siegel Lee 2001). It therefore involves creation of a conducive physical environment through availing the required resources necessary for work execution such as proper safety clothing and equipment thus enhancing productivity and engagement. It also involves enhancement of a work-life balance policy, which enables employees to clearly define and separate their work and social lives thus enhancing growth of an all-rounded employee, which enhances engagement leading to increased productivity (Richard Deci 2000). 3.2 Company Practices The organisation’s practices greatly contribute to employee engagement levels. Integration of interactive human resource policies enhances employee involvement in decision making, which in turns motivates them thus enhancing employee engagement (Aon Hewitt 2012). Introduction of effective management performance policies will enhance creation of efficient performance management and appraisal systems, which will recognise employees’ work input thus increasing their engagement leading to increased productivity (Cook, 2008). Extensive brand alignment through increased marketing and advertising will enhance engagement, as employees will view the organisation as a long-term venture as it has demonstrated continuity of operations (Payne 2012). Increasing and developed organisational reputation will enhance engagement, as employees will be more at ease to work in a reputable organisation thus demonstrating its continuity and job security. Development of a diversity culture relating to the organisation’s activities and employment of diverse individuals concerning race or gender, will enhance engagement, as it will eradicate any occurrences or fears of discrimination. According to Hynes (2012), creation of an effective communication system and structure will ensure that any important information pertaining to employees work activities or welfare are timely relayed thus enhancing growth and development of work interrelationships which enhance efficiency and effectiveness of operations. 3.3 Total Rewards Organisations should clearly outline its reward structure, as this will contribute to the engagement or disengagement of employees. Clear definition of employees’ expected pay and benefits package will enhance clear understanding about the pay package thus enhancing engagement (Harter, Schmidt Theodore 2012). The oil and gas sector should also clearly stipulate systems used to determine recognition payments regarding bonus allocation. 3.4 Opportunities To effectively enhance employee engagement, organisations in the oil and gas sector should clearly outline career opportunities available to employees who want to further advance their careers within the organisation regarding promotions and transfers that contribute to career development. Organisations should also outline the available learning and development opportunities within the organisation (Richard Deci 2000). Such opportunities could include sponsorships, study leave and provision of work-study allowances. 3.5 People People involved in the management, operational and end-user aspects of the organisation have a great impact on employees’ engagement. Organisations should therefore enhance creation of a proper work structure and culture that will enhance effective cooperation and communication among management, employees and customers (Aon Hewitt, 2012).This will in turn enhance development of interrelationships, leading to increased efficiency and effectiveness through increased employee engagement. 3.6 Work Activities An organisation’s work structure can contribute to either engagement or disengagement of employees within the organisation. Development of an elaborate and conclusive work structure will enhance clear development of work tasks, work processes, provision of necessary resources, hence providing the employees with a sense of accomplishment through effective and efficient execution of allocated work (Sahoo Mishra 2012). This will therefore lead to increased employee engagement. 4. Ways to Engage Employees Employee engagement is essential to organisations in the oil and gas sector as it enhances efficiency and effectiveness through increased production. Incorporation of various aspects has been identified as potential ways to increase employee engagement. These aspects include (1) Enhancement of employee career opportunities by creating career path for employees through training them in preparation for their next career role by creation of lateral growth opportunities (Aon Hewitt, 2012). (2) Increasing employee recognition through providing them with feedback regarding their work activities and how to improve on them by providing the necessary reinforcements and also rewarding them for work well done (Cook, 2008). (3) Management should strive to engage the employees more with the organisation through its vision, mission and objectives by explaining to them why the employer is the most desirable by offering a compelling proposition, reward and work experience structure thus enhancing the organisation’s reputation as the most preferred employer (Payne, 2012). (4) Creation of an engaging communication structure through enhancement of corporate communication which will appeal to employees emotional, behavioural, psychological and social aspects thus enhancing commitment to the organisation (Hynes, 2012). (5) Increased management of employee performance as employees will be effectively rewarded for their efforts thus enhancing employee engagement. (6) Provision of favourable pay as it will enhance employee engagement through provision of a pay and benefits package that is relative to their work performance (Zablah et al. 2012). 5. Advantages of having Engaged Employees Employee engagement directly relates and affects employee efficiency and effectiveness in relation to performance. Several advantages are extended to organisations in the oil and gas sector, which have employees who are actively engaged in the organisation and its production activities: * Employees exhibit high levels of performance as they are highly motivated leading to increased production that enhances efficiency and effectiveness. * Development of an interrelating link between employee engagement and profits realised thus leading to increased revenues that enhance organisational growth. * Leads to increased employee retention and loyalty, which enhances business success through efficient and effective production. * Enhances creation of a competitive environment which increases production thus enhancing effectiveness and increased profits. * Enhances team-work that provides new ideas that enhance innovation and creativity thus enhancing creation of new and effective products. * Development of brand ambassadors through employees for the organisations products thus enhancing marketing and advertising activities which enhance profit realisation. 6. Recommendations i. Oil and gas companies should encourage employee engagement through creation of an organisational culture that develops engagement, through increased employers, leaders and stakeholders involvement in the process by enhancing team work and being a part of the process. ii. Increasing focus on drivers that provide the greatest impact in organisational improvement such as increasing opportunities for improvement which leads to increased rate of return due to increased profits. iii. Increased recognition of employee efforts through provision of feedback which in turn motivates them thus increasing productivity. iv. Organisations should continually connect with employees through regular communication of organisation’s strategy, which keeps them focussed on achievement of set organisational objectives. v. Creative creation of employee career growth opportunities by re-navigating employees’ expectations towards growth in areas that will satisfy growing business needs such as lateral movements. vi. Selecting employees during recruitment who show aspects that encourage engagement such as loyalty, diversity and work aggressiveness. 7. Conclusion Employee engagement is a pertinent aspect in management of employees in the oil and gas industry. Clear understanding of the aspect regarding its impact on the organisation and application of the findings can lead to increased employee engagement through increased productivity, which increases the overall profits realised thus enhancing the sector’s growth. This has led to the identification and incorporation of various engagement models/ levels by organisations and they include stay and strive components. It has led to the identification of engagement drivers which enhance understanding of the drivers that contribute to increased employee engagement and how they can be incorporated. Engagement drivers include (1) Quality of work life which incorporates physical work environment and work-life balance. (2) Company practices which incorporate human resource policies, performance management, brand alignment, organisational representatives, diversity and communication. (3) Total rewards which incorporate pay, benefits and recognition. (4) Opportunities drive, which incorporates career opportunities, learning and development. (5) People drive, which incorporates management, employees, colleagues, people-focus and clients. (6) Work activities, which incorporate work tasks, work processes, resources and a sense of accomplishment. The study has also identified ways of enhancing employee engagement which include increasing career opportunities, increased recognition, enhancing organisational reputation, enhancing communication, enhancing performance management, and provision of fair remuneration in relation to one’s contribution. Employee engagement extends various advantages to the organisations, which include increased revenues, increased productivity, quality delivery, decreased turnover, increased employee loyalty and enhanced organisational reputation. Employee engagement is therefore a pertinent aspect in the oil and gas industry and should be considered to ensure that the organisations have increased quality delivery, productivity and revenue generation.

The Process of Adoption and the Need for Change Essay -- Exploratory E

"I am a 31 yr. old adoptee, I was adopted at birth it was prearranged prior to my birth, my sister who is 3 yrs younger also a prearranged adoption at birth...actually we were picked up by our adopted parents around six to nine weeks but my understanding is I was never with my birth mother I was either in the hospital or at the agency until they came to get us" ("Open Adoption"). Adoption is the process by which people take a child who was not born to them and raise them as a member of their family (Fanshel). Adoption is sometimes used as an easy way to get out of a pregnancy or raising a child. It is a very emotional process that people sometimes spend their whole lives trying to figure more information about the event. Other times it can be used to help the parents who would love to have kids, but are not able. In many cases, this does happen, but doesn't the adoption process need to be a little more difficult? When putting up a child for adoption, there is paper work and money issues and same with adopting a child. Money and paperwork should not be the reason why we have so many children in foster homes, and so many parents who aren't approved to adopt. When putting a child up for adoption, the parent must go through extensive requirement checks that prove to the adoption agencies that the mother can not handle the baby and need to look into adoption ("Wha t is Adoption?"). When adopting a baby, the parents need to be approved, but why are there charges for wanting to take in a kid that would otherwise be forced to live in a foster home? In simpler terms, the process of adoption should be reversed, putting up a baby for adoption and adopting a child. Adoption is a very scary process that many people at all ages might g... ...he World Book Encyclopedia. 1986. Volume 1 Gloria Hochman and Anna Huston "Open Adoption."1993. Adopt. 18 Mar. 2004<http://wwwadopting. org/open1.html>. "Open Adoption". Adoption Forums.com. 8 Apr. 2004 <http://forums.adoption.com/t95498.html>. Pertman, Adam. Adoption Nation. United States-Basic Books, 2000. Stone, Helen. "Foster Parent." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1986. Volume 7 "What is adoption?" Adoption Services. 8 Apr. 2004 <http://wwangelfire.com/mb2/niicca/home/ adoption_services.html>. "What is adoption?". Adoption Story.. 18 Mar. 2004 <http://www.5rocks.com/Adopting/thestory01_what.htm>. "What is adoption?" Family Help Tree.com. 8 Apr. 2004 <http://www.familyhelptree.com/pages/family/family-adoption.htm>. "What is going on with China?" Rainbow Kids.com. 8 Apr. 2004 <http://www.rainbowkids.com/china1196.html>.

Media Portrayal of Blacks in an Ever-Changing Society

They are ingrained In our minds In some form or another, and many times are subconscious. Tolerance is the 21st century answer to this issue, UT that was not always the case, even In the media, an establishment Intended to entertain the public as a whole. This paper will discuss the following question: why is priming still used to stereotype black culture In American media when we live in a time where egalitarian norms have made it unfavorable to appear prejudiced? In essence.I want to understand why the media still portrays blacks to fit their historical stereotypes, even though we live In a colliding nation. It is an important question because this stereotyping contradicts the values and beliefs of the majority of American citizens and the way we want to advance as an open-minded society. History of Stereotyping To begin answering this question, we must first look at the history of how black stereotypes were used in the media, beginning with entertainment.Nineteenth and early twent ieth century plays featured black characters, played by white actors, and usually took the part of a few major stereotypes: the caretaker, or black woman who took care of household chores of whites, the Incompetent buffoon who had difficulty assimilating in a white society because of his stupidity, and the aggressive and sordidly black who disrupted the peaceful white society (Dixon). More often than not, these stereotypes fit the culture of the south rather than the north, simply because of geographic and economic factors.Even In literature. Blacks were portrayed as dimwitted, lazy creatures that lacked morals and standards (Wilson). One of the most famous ways blacks were portrayed in the media In the nineteenth and twentieth century was the application of black makeup to white actors, who acted as one of the aforementioned roles in performances. â€Å"Blackjack† as It was allied, was used up to World War l, when black actors began taking the stage, although limited to the roles they could play (Blatant). Up until the sass's, blacks were still heavily stereotyped in the media.This early priming set the stage for new mediums to depict these stereotypes, mainly in television and advertising. Blacks in Advertising We are now able to look at how priming was and still is used in television advertising, beginning in the offs when television became a mass medium. Although we sometimes do not realize it, stereotypical advertisements are quite prevalent in days media. Take one look at Aunt Jimmie. The Infamous maple syrup lady. She clearly represents the â€Å"mamma† stereotype; a polite, calm, down home southern maid who merrily lives to serve others.The marketers goal Is to prime us to Imagine a 1 OFFS sweet tempered mother Teller serving us Dreariest when we think AT pancakes Ana maple syrup. Quaker Oats is not the only conglomerate that is priming us with stereotypes through advertisements. Before the black civil rights movement, it was commonplace in the south to call an older black man â€Å"uncle† as a sign of disrespect Weatherperson). Uncle Ben's rice products feature a grinning elderly black man with a suit and a bow tie. Uncle Ben represents the stereotypical post-civil War well dressed subservient attendant who catered to the every wish of his white overseer.In this instance, the advertisers of Uncle Ben's Rice Bowls prime the public to believe we are being served by Uncle Ben because the meal is quick easy to make. Based on stereotypes we have learned throughout our lives, this image and label strengthens our predispositions, and makes us think of the black elderly servant that Uncle Ben is meant to be. It is not Just fictional characters illustrated as logos that prime us to think of black stereotypes when exposed to advertising.Frito-Lay, Storage, and even MAT are among dozens of corporations that prime its audiences to assume black stereotypes with their messages. Argued as one of the funniest commercials in the 2010 Superpower, the infamous Traitors commercial was perceived by many people as stereotyping blacks and black culture. In the commercial, a black man walks into his date's house, where an attractive black woman answers the door, saying that she will e ready soon. She introduces him to her young child, who is playing video games.When his date turns and walks into the next room, the man obviously stares at the woman's buttocks in admiration, and picks up a Traitor from the boys bowl. Upon seeing both of these actions, the little boy slaps the man across the face, and says, â€Å"Keep your hands off my mama, and keep your hands off my Traitors. † This commercial portrays a few age old stereotypes of blacks, and some fairly new black American stereotypes. First, the stereotype of the highly sexually aggressive black ale comes into play when the black man clearly checks out the black woman's behind.Although this stereotype is common among young male adults of all races in A merican culture, it reinforces the overlapping historical stereotype of the sexually aggressive black man. In addition, this ad depicts the relatively new stereotype of the single black female mother. In 2000, the percentage of black single mothers reached 62 percent (Raspberry). In lower class black families, the percentage is even higher. Another stereotype that exists in this commercial is the defiant, insubordinate black hill. With increased exposure to ghetto customs due to pop culture, black children have been stereotyped as being disobedient and unruly.Especially now that ghetto culture is being glorified in pop culture, black children could potentially feel the need to fit this â€Å"positive† stereotype and act in accordance to what is expected of them in this society. This stereotype is especially detrimental to young black males because that culture places a negative connotation on academic success, and at such a crucial point in one's life, it can be unfavorable f or these adolescents to accept this reconciled notion of unruliness and petty criminal activity.Priming in the Music Industry It is quite clear to anyone who watches MAT or follows the hip-hop scene that the major themes presented in the songwriting and music videos are the following: making money, having sexual (and sometimes violent) relations with women, doing drugs, Ana Delve Involved In criminal actively Rap music, wanly was primarily created in the Bronx by blacks and Latino, â€Å"became the cry of ghetto pain and ultimately their great hope for a way out. † Evidently, MAT focuses on the hip-hop genre to be the rug of its music videos and television shows.Because hip-hop is undisputed governed largely by black rappers who weave tales of the difficulty of ghetto life, gaining money through drug/gang related activities, and sexually exploiting women, MAT is priming its audiences of millions of teens to associate hip-hop and the ghetto life with black people. It is necess ary to skew slightly off topic but stay relevant to my original question by making the bold assertion that MAT plays a large part in maintaining and promoting the racial differences between blacks and the rest of the American community that eave existed for centuries.In the article Predicting Cognitive and Behavioral Effects of Gangs Rap, it is stated that â€Å"a number of prominent African American leaders, the National Black Women's Political Caucus, and eminent African American scholars have been highly vocal in their outrage over the music (industry), labeling it as racially popularizing and, ultimately self destructive† (Hansen). Teens are the single most suggestible age group, and are inclined to emulate popular icons based not only on their accomplishments in their certain field, but also their apparent inference, which the majority of teens tend to lack based on social norms and biological changes.There has been a history of arrests in the hip-hop world among the mos t prominent artists in the genre, including Ill Wayne and Outpace Shaker (Martinez). Both were sentenced for involvement in criminal activity. These celebrities should not be emulated for their involvement in crime, but since their entire image is based around this lifestyle, it makes teens think delinquency is acceptable or even admired.This long standing stereotype of the black criminal is only being reinforced y MAT and the hip-hop genre, which promotes criminal activity and the mistreatment of women, as well as primes the public to perceive lower class blacks as involved in crime. Ultimately, commercials prime us to subconsciously digest racial stereotypes, and many times we do not realize it simply because of our inherent and ingrained beliefs about certain cultures.These specific cases reveal how priming is still used to stereotype black culture in advertisements even though we live in a time where egalitarian norms have made it unfavorable to appear prejudiced. The Power of I mplicit Racial Messages The crux of my question lies within the theory of implicit racial appeals. How is it that the media can influence the public through racial messages in a society where the norm is to reject any form of racial segregation? According to A Theory of Racial Appeals, whites will accept implicit racial messages if two circumstances are presented.They want to appear to be completely color blind and not reveal their inherent prejudices to society, but they also wish to remain above blacks as a culture in society. While these circumstances can be argued to be true or false on an individual level, they remain true as a whole for the white population in America. Many people also feel that it is unacceptable to think of oneself as a racist, which contradicts their wish to keep blacks down in society. Implicit racial messaging mainly occurs in politics, where the Job of politicians is to code words and phrases in order to Innocence.In one Instance, In a 1 House Tate auto Violent creme Control, Republicans argued against a piece of legislation granting money for a midnight basketball program meant to offer inner city youths recreational activities. Republicans mockingly argued that â€Å"hugs for thugs† was not necessary for these youths. Democrats ended up charging the Republicans as being racist, and using coded language in the bill an implicit racial message, designed to influence the decision in their favor (Hurwitz).The Power of Explicit Racial Messages Just as implicit racial messages influence by using encoded language to reveal the underlying racial implication, explicit racial messages need not use code words or phrases to veil its fundamental inference. Essentially, the point of an explicit racial usage is to make a clear statement that points out an obvious claim that would be considered racist among the majority of the population. One way explicit racial messaging is used in the media is through comedy shows such as Family Guy and South Park.In one episode of Family Guy, a black man and a white man are in a bowling alley, and the black man mentions how he â€Å"feels a strange satisfaction when the black ball knocks over the self righteous white pins. † The white man responds that it is not the white pins' fault for being self righteous because the black ball is in their neighborhood uninvited. The black man then responds that the black ball has done nothing wrong, to which the white man responds that if the black ball is innocent it has nothing to fear.This type of comedy is considered an explicit racial message, about how a group of whites are stereotypically uncomfortable and unwelcoming to a black person who enters into the vicinity. In addition, it demonstrates how whites believe that blacks are always up to no good. This type of messaging is considered detrimental in a serious tone, yet only considered crass or crude when presented in a comedic light. This type of message indeed primes the audien ce to consider stereotypes when observing the media presented.The Importance of Our Cultural Backgrounds While it is clear that priming is used in the media to influence the public perception, many believe that these subtle influences are wrong. Many people believe that cultural priming shows racial differences in a negative light, and that the media should make sure that race or culture does not come into play when advertising. However, different cultures make life more colorful, and our differences should be celebrated, not shunned. One's cultural heritage is something to be proud f, not hidden or masked.In the case of the Aunt Jimmie maple syrup, a black person should not be offended that a black mother like figure is the logo of a company. History is history, and even if the company came out and explicitly stated that the intention of this logo is to represent a motherly figure that was commonplace in the American south during the nineteenth century, why should anyone be mad? Th at is like saying that a pizzeria is prejudiced for having a ceramic statue of a man with a moustache and an olive complexion holding a pizza outside the restaurant.People would be celebrating their culture heritage and their cultural history, not trying to pretend the bad or embarrassing parts did not occur. While many people argue that equality is what our founding fathers based our declaration of independence on, it can be argued that our society has become too sensitive when it comes to race and culture. The media has been attacked numerous times for not being â€Å"sensitive† enough toward certain groups. It Is now commonplace to read In ten news Tanat a reporter was fired for saying â€Å"lynching,† or a politically incorrect term is being banned from television and print.Conclusion Ultimately, there is not one answer to explain why priming is still used to stereotype black culture in American media when we live in a time where egalitarian norms have made it unfa vorable to appear prejudiced. However, if we forget these stereotypes or any other cultural stereotype due to the increasingly exaggerated sensitivity and politically correctness we as Americans seem to have adopted, we will lose a part of history that has had great significance in who we are today, how we live and how far we have come as a society in accepting or rejecting certain customs.