Battle Royal - Ralph Ellison Research Paper - 1209 Words

Battle of a Black Man Ralph Ellison made it clear that Invisible Man was not based on his own experiences. In an interview, he stated, â€Å"Let me say right now that my book is not an autobiographical work.† However, it is clear that his culture and the time period of his upbringing affected his writing. This is particularly seen in his descriptions of the treatment of blacks, the African American society, and the revelation of the narrator. Like the characters in â€Å"Battle Royal†, African Americans have to fight each other in real life because whites leave them so little (Brent 2). The white society sees itself as superior; therefore, it does not provide for African Americans. Blacks are then forced to compete within themselves in life. To†¦show more content†¦The treatment of blacks is frightening. The white society really believes that blacks deserve no better. In his article â€Å"Imagery in the ‘Battle Royal’ Chapter of Ralph Ellison†™s Invisible Man,† Norman German states, â€Å"the animal imagery graphically highlights Ellison’s theme that when one sex or race treats another as an object or animal, both become dehumanized or bestial† (1). Ellison stated, â€Å"Much of the rhetorical and political energy of white society went toward proving to itself that we were not human† (German 2). The white men in â€Å"Battle Royal† not only treat the young black men as animals, or objects, but also the stripper. Therefore, they become animals themselves. Ellison once said, â€Å"Our social mobility was strictly, and violently, limited† (German 2). The black society is portrayed in a special way in â€Å"Battle Royal.† The boxing ring of the Battle symbolizes the confinement of blacks in their society (German 2). The whites are always superior, and the blacks are constantly held back and left fighting. â€Å"The story’s title, ‘Battle Royal,’ suggests that the incidents described in the narrative are just one battle in the ongoing racial war† (Brent 2). There is constant controversy between whites and blacks, so far as it is described as a war. In the grandfather’s speech, he describes it as a war, and he states that he wants the narrator to â€Å"keep up the good fight.† He then explains how the narrator should do so; he orders him â€Å"Live with your head in the lion’sShow MoreRelatedProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 PagesSTUDIES, SECOND EDITION - PROJECT MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES, SECOND EDITION HAROLD KERZNER, Ph.D. Division of Business Administration Baldwin-Wallace College Berea, Ohio John Wiley Sons, Inc. This book is printed on acid-free paper. @ Copyright O 2006 by John Wiley Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted

Is Modern Day Media Deceitful Essay - 1046 Words

Modern day media is deceitful in a number of ways - stories about politicians can be easily fabricated, exaggerations about celebrities are all too common, and more often than not news reports are negative, fear-inducing stories. Perhaps the most deceiving of all is the sexual content that appears far too frequently. Sexual content in the media includes but is not limited to kissing, nudity, provocative clothing, sexual innuendos, suggestive language and of course any portrayal of the act of sexual intercourse itself. It is often shown to have no consequences, which can undoubtedly be misleading. Sexual content in the media - including television, movies, magazines, music, video games, advertisements - is detrimental to society and†¦show more content†¦Although video games may be more easily monitored by parents, in circumstances where that is not possible, being exposed to this type of sexualization is particularly damaging to the mindsets of children. Young girls can likel y be influenced by this kind of sexualization, feeling that they must dress or act in similar ways to these video game characters in order to impress, seduce or pursue a partner. Similarly, young heterosexual boys are likely to look to these fictional women as future comparisons for when they go out into the dating world. According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, â€Å"most children aged 11 to 13 and some children aged 8 to 10 understood the sexual content, even the jokes and innuendoes about sex.† Obviously, children as young as eight years old should in no way be already able to understand the kinds of sexual jokes and innuendos that grown adults partake in telling and sharing. An eight-year-old that is not exposed to sexual content in the media is probably more likely to be concerned with more important things such as their education, family life, and just playing on the playground even. Aside from encouraging premarital sexual activity and negatively shaping their ideals, sexual content leads young women to think teenage pregnancy is acceptable and has no consequences. Specifically, â€Å"...a recent study revealed that early exposure to sexual content doubled the risk of teen pregnancy.†Show MoreRelatedMovie Analysis : Bowling For Columbine 1667 Words   |  7 Pages1†¨Bowling For Columbine Review | Madeline Clarke A compelling documentary about the controversial issues of gun culture, violence, war and the media’s role in promoting fear within communities, Michael Moore’s Bowling For Columbine presents a range of modern day issues within American society. By merging together a variety of different film techniques within news reports, statistics, ironic and tense stunts and interviews, the documentary investigates the incidents leading up to the 1999 Columbine HighRead MoreThe Theory Of The Chair1282 Words   |  6 PagesPlato’s passage represents the average human being in the modern world. Modern society shares much in common with the prisoners, because throughout everyday life there are situations presented that appear as reality, but in fact are illusions. This can be found in modern media, politics and technology. In the modern world there is a constant bombardment of various forms of media. This quote from the Toronto Star, indicates that even if the media tries its best to filter bias in the articles there willRead MoreAdvertising : The Magic System786 Words   |  4 PagesCulture Williams, R. (1980). Advertising: The Magic System. 170-195. Premises 1. While this article focuses on British history, Williams argues that the nature of advertisement has changed from a system to attract â€Å"specific attention† (similar to modern day classifieds) to a system that broadcasts â€Å"commercial information and persuasion† (p. 170, 184) 2. This change in advertising methodology is paralleled to changes in social and economic structures (p. 170, 177-178) 3. Through capitalism, the minorityRead MoreFairy Tales And A Dose Of Reality By Catherine Orenstein1148 Words   |  5 Pagesextravagant carriage? Was it media? All forms of media have a big effect on the general conception; from the printing press and Thomas Jefferson to televised news and Donald Trump. Or did our ever changing society create this facade of happily-ever-after that is sought after so often? In the article Fairy Tales and a Dose of Reality by Catherine Orenstein she utilizes historical references and allusions to modern media and challenges the perception of fairy tales and expose them as media-manipulated, romanticizedRead MoreCommunications and Social Media965 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿COMMUNICATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA Introduction Now that we are in the second decade of the 21st Century, it appears more and more evident that the so-called Digital Revolution is in a second phase. The first phase of the revolution was the rapid increase in digital technology as computers became cheap enough for most consumers to purchase at least one for the home and reliable enough that virtually every type of business incorporated computer systems into their day-to-day business operations. TheRead MoreBig Brother Is Watching, And The Ministry Of Truth967 Words   |  4 Pagescontrolling, deceitful, and corrupt atmosphere described in 1984, many different inventions and innovations show that it could be headed in that direction, or that it already contains concepts of it. The book describes different familiar components such as a predominant ‘Big Brother’ who is always watching, ‘newspeak’, and the Ministry of Truth. These can be closely related to what is seen in society today, with a controlling go vernment, shortened words, and the deceptive nature of the media through differentRead MoreHow Does Goya Design Transcend Into Modern Caricature And Social Critique?1242 Words   |  5 Pagessubjects of his works. Then how does Goya’s methodology transcend into modern caricature and social critique? Before one can talk about his prints, one must understand who Francisco Goya is as an artist. Goya was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker of late 18th and early 19th centuries and throughout his long career was an important commentator and chronicler of his era. Goya produced a great number of works in a variety of media in his lifetime. He did religious subjects in painted frescos andRead MoreMedia s Influence On American Culture1256 Words   |  6 PagesMedia includes broadcasting mediums such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet. The Business Dictionary defines media as, â€Å"communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are disseminated† (â€Å"Media.†). With the right instruments, media has had a very sizable impact on American society and culture. Media has grown immensely popular and has remarkably gained influence that it’s altered the way w eRead More`` American Psychosis `` By Chris Hedges855 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscards the losers â€Å"like Styrofoam boxes that held junk food†. Those ‘excess’ human beings who cannot keep up with the endless quest for notoriety, he contends, end up unemployed, imprisoned, or homeless, because the only worth humans have in the modern world is their ability to make headlines. The final piece of his article is dedicated to fomenting some kind of vengeful revolution against celebrity culture, in which the public purges itself of inconsequential distractions so that they can onceRead MoreCriminal Justice Department Of The Country1377 Words   |  6 Pagesact by the law and maintain order in the community. The media plays a significant role in the functioning of society; it forms the primary source of information regarding the matters in the wider community. It is apparent that most people depend on the media coverage of news and gaining opinions towards critical mat ters concerning the society. Particularly, the issue of gun violence and control has raised controversial debates between the media and law enforcers with different opinions arising from

The Persistence of Stereotyping-.com

Question: Discuss howstereotypes regarding Indigenous Australians circulate in a particular public space or institutional site and consider how suchrepresentations reproduce inequality. Answer: Introduction: Even though the Indigenous and Aboriginal people of Australia share a rich contribution in the development of complicated history of Australia, it can be seen that the existence of certain prejudices and stereotypes cannot be ignored. While the judicial structure of Australia advocates equal treatment of aboriginal and non-aboriginal citizens; if certain evidences are taken into consideration, it can be observed that underlying inequality is persistent (Sharifian, 2014). Hence, in this specific assignment, the unequal treatment of the aboriginal and indigenous Australians by the legal structure will be explained by focusing on the role of stereotypes that enhances the generation of inequality faced by the aboriginals. Analysis: It can be considered as a long running view that racial discrimination in the judicial system is prevalent. It has been a popular topic of discussion that the indigenous individuals are subjected to unfair sentence due to the underlying racism and prejudiced stereotypes held by the members of judicial systems (Bennett, 2014). The inference has been derived on the basis of the research which was conducted by the University of Technology in Sydney (Hollinsworth, 2016). On the basis of the interview of judicial officers and lawyers in New South Wales and Victoria, it was observed that the officers and the judicial members are driven by certain stereotypes that direct their decisions. It is considered that the individuals belonging from the indigenous communities are more likely to get engaged in offences like drug dealing and other regressive activities (Gibbons, 2014). Hence, irrespective of the fact that the legal framework of the Australian judiciary stating equal treatment, the biasness in the decisions of the judges and their attitudes towards the indigenous community is different from that of the non-indigenous people, who are considered to be more civilized and cultured. It can be said that one of the major reasons behind the existing stereotype is the cultural differences prevalent. By taking evidences into consideration, it can be seen that the important positions in the legal systems are generally held by individuals coming from the non aboriginal communities (Rudin, 2016). One of the major reasons behind the same can considered to be the lack of appropriate educational opportunities for the communities. While certain rate of literacy is required to hold high ranks in the legislative systems, it can be seen that the percentage of the aboriginal adults considered to be functionally illiterate is as high as 45-60% (Bielefeld, 2014). Hence, the lack of deeper understanding of the cultures prevalent in the aboriginal and indigenous communities is one of the major contributors towards the stereotypical conceptions of the officials and decision makers in the judicial sector (Short, 2016). The issues in the community are not appropriately understood by the judges and prosecutors that work against the aboriginals. Due to the stereotypes regarding their upbringings, they remain a neglected part of the society, leading to increasing amount of alienation from their side (Hollinsworth, 2016). Hence, it can be said that the gap among the decision of judicial structure regarding the indigenous and non-indigenous remain stagnant. On the basis of the records of Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, it can be seen that despite being only 3% of the total population of Australia, the prison population of the indigenous communities comprise almost a quarter of the total prison population (Rudin, 2016). It can be assumed that the unfair treatment and sentence of the individuals is one of the major reasons behind this stark contrast. Hence, it can be said that the stereotypes prevalent regarding the Indigenous and Aboriginal communities are one of the major reasons behind the discrimination in the judicial systems in Australia. Conclusion: The evidences reflect that the stereotypes relating to the indigenous people contribute towards the inequality in legal systems. In order to ensure that the same is kept in check, an in-depth knowledge regarding the cultures as such can be helpful. Thus, the existing gaps can be properly tackled. Reference List: Bennett, B., 2014. How do light-skinned Aboriginal Australians experience racism?: Implications for social work.AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples,10(2), pp.180-192. Bielefeld, S., 2014. Compulsory income management and Indigenous Australians: Delivering social justice or furthering colonial domination?.Browser Download This Paper. Gibbons, J., 2014.Language and the Law. Routledge. Hollinsworth, D., 2016. Unsettling Australian settler supremacy: combating resistance in university Aboriginal studies.Race ethnicity and education,19(2), pp.412-432. Rudin, J., 2016. Aboriginal peoples and the criminal justice system. Sharifian, F., 2014. Conceptual metaphor in intercultural communication between speakers of Aboriginal English and Australian English.Metaphor and intercultural communication, pp.117-129. Short, D., 2016.Reconciliation and colonial power: Indigenous rights in Australia. Routledge.

Training and Development Program

Question: Discuss about the Training and Development Program. Answer: Introduction Training and Development Training and development is one of the most important core functions under human resource management. Training and development aims at making the workforce of a business organisation more competitive by planning and implementing programs that can help them in learning new skills and techniques, which can bring about an improvement in their job related skills or help them in bringing about an overall development in their knowledge and careers. Contemporary business organisations are giving a lot of importance to training and development programs because they are now operating in a very complex and competitive business environment where human resources can play a vital role in achieving market competencies and helping business organisations in surviving the market competition in the longer run. There are two factors that can create a need for training and development of employees. These factors are changes in the market or the industry and for the general development of the organisatio n (Training and Development - Meaning, its Need and Importance, n.d.). Company Background Toyota motor corporation, also known as Toyota, is an automotive company that is headquartered in Japan. Toyota became the ninth largest country in the world in terms of revenue in 2016 and is the second largest car manufacturer brand in the world. The company manufactures more than 10 million vehicles per year and has an approximate workforce of 3,38,875 employees. The company has established itself in very tough times by performing very well and showing exceptional product design and development. Toyota operates in a sector that is highly complex, competitive and vulnerable to a number of global environmental factors. The company also has a large workforce, which makes it important for the company to keep on arranging for training and development programs that can help in increasing their competencies and assist them in serving their customers in a better way. One of the subsidiaries of the company has been experiencing a lot of complaints with respect to the quality of customer care services that the employees have been offering to the clients who visit Toyota service centres to get their vehicles services. Therefore, the company has decided to conduct a training need assessment in that particular subsidiary and analyse if the reason for the lack of performance is due to lack of a training or development program. Needs Assessment Analysis Need assessment analysis is a process that a human resource management undertakes to determine the training needs that will help the employees and the organisation in achieving their personal as well as collective goals (Training Needs Assessment Survey, n.d.). In other words, a need assessment analysis helps organisations in identifying the gaps that exist between their present position and the position where they want to be in the future. A training needs assessment helps business organisations in identifying the competence level, skills and knowledge of employees and compare it with the market trends or the position where the organisation wants its employees to be. Assessment of training needs should be executed as a continuous process i.e. at the time of hiring, at the time of performance reviews, during career development or succession planning or during the implementation of change. Some techniques or sources that can be used to conduct a training need assessment are listed below: Needs assessment questionnaire Employee interviews Employee opinions Exit interviews Employee complaints Customer survey feedbacks Performance measurement systems Observations Assessment centres Employment skill test Focus group (Training Needs Assessment Survey, n.d.) The situation that the Toyota Motor Corporation is facing in the global market is tough and can have a huge impact on the market reputation of the company because it is important for the employees working in service sector to be competitive and satisfy the needs of the clients. For conducting a training need assessment at the Toyota Motor Corporation, the following methods can be used: Customer survey feedback as the company is operating in manufacturing and service sector, it is important that it takes regular feedback from its customers who visit the retail outlets for getting their vehicles services because customers are highly attached to their vehicles and want a higher value for their money. Taking feedback from the customers will allow the company to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the services that the staff has offered to them. The company can take regular feedback from the customers who have recently availed their services and also from the ones who are returning customers or have visited the outlets in the past. The company can ask the clients some important questions, such as: how were you welcomed at the service centre? Did you book an appointment before coming? Was your paper work ready before your arrival? Was the staff cooperative? Were you given estimates before the commencement of the service? Was your vehicle ready within the time period mentioned by the staff member? Do you have any grievances related with the behaviour of the staff? Do you think the staff was efficient in testing and servicing your vehicle? Did the staff provide you instructions and information regarding the next services of you vehicle? Would you like to appraise a specific staff member that put in extra efforts to make your vehicle better? etc. Such questions can greatly help the management in gathering important information about the performance of the employees from the clients perspective and identifying the areas where the employees lack competencies so that they can be trained or developed in the areas identified. Employee interviews another efficient way of analysing the training needs of the employees is by conducting interview sessions where experts can ask job and skill related questions from the employees and analyse their responses to identify the training needs. To analyse the training needs effectively, the staff as well as their seniors should be interviewed in an controlled environment. The questions that they can be asked during the interview process are: Do you think that you are competent enough for the industry? Do you think you possess the skills or technicalities that are required to carry out your job duties properly? Do you think that you lack certain competencies or skills? Do you think that a training or development program is required for the staff? If yes, then what specific skills or areas should be targeted? Are there any skills or competencies that could make the entire workforce more competitive and improve their performance? Performance measurement systems performance measurement systems are given a lot of importance in human resource management because they are not just helpful in improving the workforce performance but also plays a great role in analysing the lacking competencies in the workforce. As a result, almost all top companies in the world have their own customised performance measurement systems that help them in analysing the training needs of the workforce. If Toyota Motor Corporation already has a performance measurement system in place, it will become easier for the company to assess the training needs of the employees. Through its performance measurement system, the management will already have some information about the training needs of the employees and the management can use this information to shape the other methods of conducting a training need assessment. For example, a performance measurement system hints that the employees lack competitiveness when it comes to providing accurate estimations and costs of services to the clients or fail to deliver the vehicle within the mentioned period of time. Thus, using this information, the management can shape its employee interviews and can also include questions regarding the same in the customer feedback forms and can design training and development programs to target some specific skills and technicalities (Rossett, 1987). Potential Issues in needs Assessments It is imperative for business organisations to be accurate when conducting a training needs assessment because an inefficient training needs assessment plan can identify wrong training or development needs and ultimately result into a wastage of a lot of important resources of the company. It has been observed that only 6% of the expenditure in training actually results in transfer of the learned skills and technicalities back to job. To avoid such conditions, it is important that the human resource management staff of business organisations possess the business acumen and have experience in performing training needs assessment (Iglicki, 2012). Some potential issues on training needs assessment are discussed below: First of all, using a customer feedback method can be a complicated way to identify the training needs of the workforce. Using a customer feedback questionnaire might not help the company in gathering the information that it desires as some of the customers might not provide a feedback for the survey at all. Further, the answers to the customer surveys can be biased and it might also be difficult for the company to understand the responses of the customers and come to a strong conclusion. Secondly, higher dependency on employee interviews can also increase the chances of inefficiencies because the process is time consuming. Organising employee interviews is a difficult job and the employees might not be honest in replying to the questions designed for the interview. For example, most of the employees will not be ready to accept that they lack certain skills of competencies that prevents them from performing better. Further, it is also possible that the interviewer is not able to get the desired information out from the employees and the purpose of the process might be defeated altogether (Wicaksana, 2014). Finally, another issue that arises in the assessment of training needs is whether there is actually a need to plan and implement a training or development program for the skills that have been found to be missing in the workforce or not. The management can obviously not afford to plan and implement training or development programs that are not required because it will cause wastage of a lot of important resources, which otherwise might have been used somewhere else. Failure of Training needs Assessment Training and development programs are important from the perspective of the employees as well as from the employers perspective. Toyota Motor Corporation must ensure that it is able to assess the right training needs to achieve higher competencies and better outcomes on the overall. The failure of assessing the right training needs can result into the training of wrong people at the wrong time and for the wrong skills. This will not only result into wastage of time and resources but will also hinder the progress of the organisation and make it difficult for the company to achieve its objectives. Further, it is also important for the company to identify whether the training program will be compatible with the work schedules of the employees because if it is incompatible then it would make the subsidiaries lose their productivity and efficiency due to shortage of staff (Deborah, 2011). Thus, assessing the right training needs if very important for the company at present as a wrong asse ssment might in the present situation might be the end to the business of the company. Conclusion Training and development of employees is very important for the employees as well as for the employers. Training and development of employees not only helps the employers in achieving a highly competitive, motivated and engaged workforce but also helps the employees in increasing their competencies, becoming better performers at work and developing better career prospects for them in the future. To achieve such advantages, it is important for the company to assess the right training needs and identify those skills that are missing in its workforce so that it can help its workforce in learning those skills and can ensure that the employees are able to contribute more towards the achievement of organisational goals and objectives. References Training and Development - Meaning, its Need and Importance. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from www.managementstudyguide.com: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/training-and-development.htm Koshal. (2015, January 1). Difference Between Five (5) Star Hotel and Seven (7) Star Hotel. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from www.differencebetween.com: https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-five-5-star-hotel-and-seven-7star-hotel/ Training Needs Assessment Survey. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from www.hr-survey.com: https://www.hr-survey.com/TrainingNeeds.htm Rossett, A. (1987). Training Needs Assessment. (J. W. Arwardy, Ed.) Educational Technology Publications. Iglicki, D. (2012, February 23). Hurdles To Accurate Assessment Of Training Needs Within Organizations. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from evolllution.com: https://evolllution.com/opinions/hurdles-to-accurate-assessment-of-training-needs-within-organizations/ Wicaksana, S. (2014, April 10). Training Need Assessment. Deborah. (2011, May 9). Why a training needs assessment is important . Retrieved April 25, 2017, from laurelandassociates.com: https://laurelandassociates.com/tip-374-why-a-training-needs-assessment-is-important/