Saturday, January 25, 2020

McDonalds Employee Relations

McDonalds Employee Relations Q.a. What may McDonalds have considered in order to establish their approaches to collective bargaining in both Germany and the UK? To answer the above question we first need to know about basics of collective bargaining where Collective Bargaining is defined as the process of turning disagreements into agreements in an orderly fashion. Collective bargaining is the process followed to establish a mutually agreed set of rules and decisions between unions and employers for matters relating to employment. This is a regulating process dealing with the regulation of management and conditions of employment. Collective bargaining is used as the negotiation process between employees and employers with unions acting as the representatives of employees. The entire process depends on the bargaining powers of the concerned parties. In line with the above definition McDonalds may have considered the approach and settings of collective bargains as an important issue of employee relations. The German setting and approach McDonalds may have considered establishing their approaches to collective bargaining in Germany: The traditional collective approach to Employee Relations (ER) in German companies is deeply rooted in the particular configuration of the German Industrial Relations (IR) system. This is characterized by a high degree of regulation and a dense, encompassing institutional infrastructure that imposes a uniform set of institutional constraints on companies, but at the same time provides incentives for employers to accept institutional constraints. McDonalds, to establish its approaches to collective bargaining this ER and IR framework may have been considered in first instance. In addition, the institutional structure is highly integrated with strong linkages, not only within the IR system, but also to the wider German businesses system. Key elements of the German model, to which the majority of German companies subscribe, are the centrally co-ordinated sector based collective bargaining system and employee representation at domestic level via the works council system equipped with sta tutory participation and consultation rights. Food industry in Germany is not beyond this mechanism where McDonalds considerations regarding collective bargaining approach must have encompassed with statutory participation and employee consultation and codetermination rights. Indeed, German employers have to negotiate a densely structured institutional framework inside and outside the company level. The German approach to collective bargaining is also underwritten by strong labor market legislation and an elaborate welfare system. Despite growing interest in individual bargaining style direct employee involvement mechanisms, their uptake has so far been comparably modest in German companies (Sperling, 1997). Because of the wide ranging rights of information, consultation and co-determination in the German food industry, the use of individual voice mechanisms is relatively unimportant in the German setting where collective bargaining still has the paramount influence. Therefore, in the international context, McDonalds may have considered a propensity to support a collective approach to ER in their international operations by recognizing trade unions, engaging in collective bargaining and establishing strong workplace level employee representation systems. The UK Setting and the UK Approach to Employee Relations In contrast to Germany, the contemporary British system of collective bargaining is characterized by a weak regulatory framework and a thin, fragmented institutional infrastructure, which imposes relatively few barriers and constraints on labour relations practices. The fragmentation of the institutional structure goes hand in hand with weak linkages both within the IR system and in connection to the wider national business system which obviously includes food industry in the UK. Because of the relative permissiveness of the contemporary IR context, the UK seems to be a particularly suitable country for McDonalds, as subsidiary, to explore the country of origin effect in international operations, since home country approaches to ER can be transferred relatively unconstrained by host country institutional arrangements. However, to uncover the existence of possible ownership effects it is necessary to establish the differential space between the home and the host country ER approaches. Contrary to the German experience, no distinct stereotypical UK ER approach can be identified. Traditionally the cornerstone of labor relations was the pluralist workplace industrial relations system, which subsequently collapsed in the 1980s in the wake of the neo-liberal labor market policies under the Thatcher government. These reforms are most important issue to be considered in establishing collective bargaining approaches in the UK which have encouraged employers to dispense with collective labour relations and to individualise ER along the lines of US style HRM by end of the 1990s a collective approach to ER is no longer representative of the economy as a whole, but is increasingly confined to the public sector and a dwindling minority of private sector companies. In the private sector, trade union recognition collapsed throughout the 1980s and 1990s and with it the incidence of workplace level trade union representatives. The institution of collective bargaining dramaticall y declined. By 1998, two-thirds of private sector employees had their pay fixed by management decision without any union involvement. Here, employees are neither represented by collective voice mechanisms, nor do they enjoy a comprehensive individual voice mechanism. In case of establishing McDonalds may have considered those conditions and changing mechanisms to establish their approaches to collective bargaining efficiently. Factors May have been considered by McDonalds National Legislation: National legislation must have been considered by the McDonalds in establishing their approached towards collective bargaining within the industry both in UK and Germany. In the UK legislation there is no specific preference regarding the mode of employee or industrial relationship for MNEs like McDonalds. So McDonalds is well known as anti-union giant in the UK and their approach towards collective bargaining is strictly negative. In Germany on the other hand, has a highly regulated industrial relations system which, in theory at least, provides considerable constraints on the employee relations practices of MNEs. As a result McDonald had to thing the statutory bindings and regulations constraints regarding approaches to collective bargaining. Codetermination and collective bargaining rights The McDonalds in case of both Germany and UK has considered these rights as a different approach. German workers enjoy a dual system of representation, collective bargaining rights and co-determination rights through the institution of the works council and the supervisory board. Together with codetermination and collective bargaining rights, these legally enforceable and constituted rights appear to provide German employees with significant power resources compared to UK employees. So McDonalds must have considered the issues of the both rights of the employees before establishing their bargaining approach. Size of Franchise: The McDonalds corporation established itself in the UK in 1974, in Germany in 1971. The corporation currently has well over 800 stores in Germany amongst approximately 65% outlets are franchisee where in there are a similar number of stores in the UK with some 20% franchisee with approximately 45,000 employees in each country. In this case being a fast-food market leader in both countries McDonalds have considered the size of franchise. The franchise aspect influence collective bargaining issues through local entity and regulations involvement. So size of franchise is also a factor that may have been considered. Unioin Membership: McDonald also may have considered Union membership. German unions are arguably better organized and have retained a position of relative strength compared to those in the UK. Union membership at McDonalds in Germany and in the German fast-food industry is very small at around 5 per cent. However, these low percentages are still higher than the percentage of union membership at McDonalds and the fast-food industry in the UK. So this issue is an important consideration in establishing Macdonalds collective bargaining approach. The increasingly anti-union climate: The increasingly anti-union climate in the 80s and early 90s has encouraged Macdonalds in the UK to withhold or withdraw union recognition, and discouraged employees from joining unions and posed difficulties for recruitment. In Germany, union membership remains at around 5 per cent at McDonalds. The findings suggest that it is only where a works council has been established where still there is better union practice than the UK. So this consideration may have been involved in planning McDonalds approach towards collective bargaining. Characteristics of Workforce and Nature of the industry: McDonalds have considered both the factors in case of both countries to design its approach towards collective bargaining. Redundancy and employee apathy: Redundancy and employee apathy amongst part-time, temporary, foreign or young workers undoubtedly play an important role in the low or non-existent levels of union membership. So this factor may have been considered in both UK and Germany. Strong corporate culture: Strong corporate cultures are seen as instilling appropriate behaviors and. This is essentially what is argued here with regard to the non-union approach of McDonalds in both the countries. McDonalds Anti-union belief: McDonalds is basically a non-union company and intends to stay that way. About unionization in the UK once McDonalds stated thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. unionization has risen its ugly head over the years, but you know, we feel that we offer a good deal to people, all kinds of ways in which we can communicate, so that if there was a problem they can bring it to management, we feel that we dont need unions. But in Germany McDonalds never been outspoken like in UK about union. Public image Macdonalds has a big public image and brand reputation which may have been considered both in the UK and Germany to establish collective bargaining approaches. Employer Associations Employer associations in Germany are stronger than UK. So the MsDonaldS approach in the UK is different from that of Germany. Q.b. How may McDonalds have considered individual bargaining as an alternative or additional approach in both Germany and the UK? What benefits and/or problems may this have brought in both countries? Individual bargaining: Individual bargaining is the process by which an employer and an employee negotiate an individual contract of employment, regulating the terms and conditions of employment. Individual Bargaining: Advantages The main advantage of individual bargaining is it is a single voice and thus there is no conflict in matters Another advantage of individual bargaining is that it expresses the views and opinions of one person and thus there is no compromising Individual Bargaining: Disadvantages The main disadvantage of individual bargaining is that the manager will not take a lot of notice of just one persons views or opinions and therefore nothing will happen Thus there is not a lot of chance that individual bargaining will have an influence on company decisions and policies. Collective Bargaining: Advantages The main advantage of collective bargaining is that the manager will not take a great deal of time in deciding on what action to take on an individual level. The employees have greater influence in the final decision the manager will take. There is also a chance of the employees getting what they demand. Collective Bargaining: Disadvantages The main disadvantage of collective bargaining is that it is seen as depriving the individual worker of their individual liberty and voice. The major changes in the industrial relations in UK i.e. a shift away from collective bargaining towards individual argaining were in the favour of McDonalds own strategy. The turn down in the union membership in both UK and Germany also helps McDonalds to practice the individual bargaining in their organization. Benefits: Improvement in the relationship of management and workers within the organization as it is evident from the statement of John cooke McDonalds US Labour relations chief as: We feel that we offer a good deal to people, all kinds of ways in which we can communicate, so that if there was a problem they can bring it to management. As employees are generally unaware of their rights they can take advantage of the situation to save their costs. As example is given cleaning of uniforms. And also regarding pay, performance related pay, probation and notice for redundancy, paid leave. Individual workers can never be a threat for McDonalds where there may have a chance in the existence of trade union. Disadvantages: Loss of public image in Germany that subsequently decrease their sale growth in German market. Large compensation need to provide for violating employees rights in different work place. Q. c. How may the approach to collective bargaining in Germany and the UK influence employee relations for McDonalds internationally? McDonalds opposition to trade unions is now well-documented; however, the extent to which it can operate without unions or can avoid or undermine collective bargaining with unions and/or statutory works councils varies considerably in different countries and over time. Consequently the ability of national unions and their GUFs to improve pay levels and conditions of work has been limited, variable and by no means static. This is nicely illustrated by McDonalds operations in New Zealand where the corporation responded pragmatically to changes in government and labour legislation, excluding unions from and then returning to collective bargaining ahead of law reforms aimed at strengthening unions in 2000, but continued to keep unions out of its restaurants wherever possible. Attempts to regulate McDonalds employment conditions are therefore an ongoing struggle in which without pro-union labour law, unions have little chance of organising workers and even less chance of establishing collective agreements. This may come as no surprise in countries such as the and Ireland where unions have had either no success or short-lived successes in gaining union recognition only to be denied before collective agreements can be established or enforced. However, even unions located in countries with more stringent labour legislation (e.g. Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Norway) have had varying success in achieving some improvements in employee representation, pay and conditions of work and even where improvements have been achieved they are often under threat. Union attempts to increase the number of union-backed works councils and establish a company-level works council (Gesamtbetriebsrat) have completely failed, resulting from a number of sophisticated union-busting practices. Furthermore, despite some success in persuading McDonalds to accept collective bargaining in Germany in the late 1980s, McDonalds withdrew from collective bargaining in 2002 and has threatened to deal exclusively with a yellow union. In Denmark, where average union membership is much higher than Germany and labour law is equally stringent, McDonalds only agreed to bargain collectively after a year of conflict and boycotts involving other Danish unions and support from Finnish and Swedish unions in the late 1980s. McDonalds has tried to roll-back the basic terms of such agreements ever since. Nevertheless, in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, McDonalds workers do enjoy better conditions of work and higher pay than in other European countries and the USA itself. However, even in those countries it is very difficult to establish union representatives in the outlets, something which experience shows is essential if such collective agreements are to be properly enforced in. Despite these difficulties European unions have undoubtedly had some success in bringing McDonalds to the bargaining table, especially where sector-level bargaining is in effect compulsory and where labour law is more stringent and supportive of union rights and collective bargaining. Q.d. What additional or alternative methods could support good employee relations for McDonalds? Consider the role an HR function could take? The HRM approach to employee relations can be described in terms of several prescriptions that McDonalds can use for good employee relationship. An HRM model for employee relations focuses on a drive for commitment meaning that the focus of the organization should be to win the trust, motivation and commitment to the organization, participating in its development opportunities. Emphasis is on mutuality, meaning that employees share common goals, the vision and mission of the organization. Communication within the organization follows an established set of procedures that are agreed formally or informally and may include briefings, meetings with representatives, etc. HRM emphasizes the shift from collective bargaining to individual contracts. Employee involvement in McDonalds may be fostered and a number of techniques and approaches are followed to support their involvement. Total quality management aims at continuous improvement of quality. Another initiative for McDonalds is flexible working arrangements and focus on the life-work balance through harmonization of conditions for all employees. Finally the support of employee communities of practice and team spirit are of high priority. Employee relations describe as in-terms employee communication, employee involvement, employee rights and employee discipline. Armstrong has identified the elements of employee relations as follows may have been considered in designing the employee relationship: Formal and informal policies and practices of the organisation. The development, negotiation and application of formal systems, rules and procedures for collective bargaining, handling disputes and regulating employment. Policies and practices for employee communications . Informal and formal process regulating the interactions between managers and employees. Policies of the government, management and trade unions. A number of parties including state, management, organisations, trade unions, employees, etc. The legal framework. Institutions (e.g. ACAS) and the employment tribunals. The bargaining structures, recognition and procedural agreements enabling the formal system to operate. Employee relations processes Figure Reconciliation of interests between employers and employees According to the Industrial Relations Services there are four approaches to employee relations that can contribute in better relationship between McDonalds and its employees are: Adversarial meaning that employees are expected to follow the targets identified by the Organization. Traditional meaning that employees react on management proposals and directives. Partnership meaning that employees are involved in assisting the organisation and consensus is reached in decision making related to policies. Power sharing employees are involved also in daily management apart from policy making. Employee relations policies act to disseminate its preferred approach with respect to the relationship it wants to have with its employees and the empowerment of employees for certain activities. Employee relation policies cover several areas McDonalds may have used in improving employee relations including: Trade union recognition meaning decisions with respect to the recognition or derecognition of certain unions and preferences of the unions the organisation prefers to deal with. Collective bargaining meaning the identification of those areas that should be covered from such a negotiation. Employee relations procedures meaning procedures such as redundancy, grievance handling and disciplinary actions. Participation and involvement meaning the extent to which the organization shares power and control with its employees. Partnership meaning the extent to which a partnership with employees is desirable. The employment relationship meaning the extent to which employment terms and conditions are controlled by collective agreements or individual contracts. Harmonization meaning the harmonization of terms and conditions of employment arrangements. Working arrangements meaning the extent to which unions are involved in the determination of working arrangements. Employee involvement is central to employee relations as Bratton and Gold discuss. Employee involvement can be described in terms of the form of involvement (whether it is formal or informal), the level of involvement in the organizational hierarchy and the degree of involvement. Across these three employee involvement dimensions several types of involvement can be rated from the lower ones in terms of empowerment, involvement and organizational level to the higher ones. Through wide range of employee involvement McDonalds can start good employee relations process which never been in this organization. The following situations are ranked in an ascending order in terms of all three dimensions of employee involvement McDonalds should take into consideration: Communication -> Financial Involvement -> Problem solving groups -> Quality circles -> Cross functional teams -> Self directed teams -> Collective bargaining -> Worker directors -> Works councils. Employee involvement in McDonalds can be described as an involvement-commitment cycle, a communication cycle that builds an internal culture encouraging initiative, learning and creativity. The cycle consists of the following stages: Managers perceive the need for involving employees in decision making Introduce new forms, employee involvement and open communication mechanisms Greater autonomy and input into decision making Increased employee job satisfaction, motivation and commitment Improved individual and organisational performance. Q.e. Conclude by taking the key elements of your observations in steps a-d regarding McDonalds approach to employee relations in order to make a short recommendation for similar countries or organisations with regard to developing and/or improving their employee relations Findings recommendations: The process of collective bargaining is to settles down any conflicts regarding the conditions of employment such as wages, working hours and conditions, overtime payments, holidays, vacations, benefits, insurance benefits etc. and management regulations. In most areas, McDonalds German employees appear to enjoy better conditions than their UK counterpart. This is particularly so with regard to holiday entitlement but again this is still lower than for most German firms. The recent UK pay increase has brought pay levels close to those in Germany. In Germany the NGG are satisfied that by and large they have been able to improve pay and conditions for most employees, however, there remain two main problems. The above discussion suggests that there is an obvious need to scrutinise the powers of MNEs and it raises questions about the adequacy of labour legislation. Conditions of work and employment appear to be increasingly threatened, regardless of particular institutional arrangements. Weak or ambiguous legislation and continuing employer demands for flexibility, decentralisation and deregulation may increasingly allow MNEs to choose employee relations policies with interference from external labour market institutions. This may be too pessimistic, clearly more comparative work is needed in the area and it will need to concentrate on the common themes or tensions in all countries and examine how they are affecting the choices of micro-level actors and institutional arrangements in different societies. Individual bargaining can be used as both of alternative to collective or in parallel. But my recommendation for Macdonalds to use individual bargaining as an alternative approach specially in Europe and American territory whereas in Australia and New Zealand it could be used in addition. Due to decline in collective bargaining in all over the world it is now strongly recommended that McDonalds should prepare to adapt with a change in the bargaining structure which is becoming more decentralised in Sweden, Australia, the former West Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States, although in somewhat different degrees and ways from country to country. We have also come to understand that bargaining structure both influences and is influenced by the distribution of bargaining power. Yet, data that allow clear tests of the effects of changes in bargaining structure on bargaining outcomes generally have not been available. The difficulty of assessing the effects of bargaining structure arises in part from the fact that there is no simple measure of the degree of bargaining structure centralisation, because the location of collective bargaining often differs depending on the subject of bargaining. In many countries, wages are negotiated in company or sectoral agreements, and work rules are set at a lower level, often in plant agreements. Furthermore, worker participation in decision making often occurs at still another bargaining level, or through informal mechanisms (works councils or shop floor discussions, for example) rather than through collective bargaining agreements. McDonalds is now a biggest brand in the food industry world-wide. So it has its own responsibility to look into public image and good employee relations which are widely correlated. So McDonalds should keep very efficient employee relation practice through an efficient Human Resource Strategy and functioning properly on HR roles. Web Resorce: www.rdi.couk http://www.wales.ac.uk/en/account/login.aspx References: Royle,T (1999) The reluctant bargainers? McDonalds, unions and pay determination in Germany and the UK, Industrial Relations Journal,30(2), p135-150 A, Arthur and et al. (2001),Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, 12thedition, McGraw-Hill Irwin ACCA, 2005-2006, Paper 3.5 Strategic Business Planning and Development, 5th Edition, June 2005, for exams in December 2006 and June 2006 Study Text, BPP Professional Education BBC.com (2003). Court dismisses McDonalds obesity case. BBC. 22 January http://www.bbc.com/issues_06/030807EC.html. (Accessed: 2 November 2007). Bized.co.uk.(2006). McDonalds Company Facts. Bized.co.uk. [Online]. Available at: www.bized.co.uk/compfact/mcdonalds/mcindex.htm. Botterill, J. and Kline, S. (2007). Re-branding: the McDonalds Strategy. Emerald management First. Brassington F., (2005). Essentials of Marketing (Vol. 2). USA, St. James Press. CNNMoney.com (2007). Fortune 500 index. CNN.com. [Online]. money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2007/index.html. Data Monitor. (2007) McDonalds Corporation Profile Reference Code:067DBDCC-E9DC-4CAC-80AD-164A6748F392 [Athens], http:/ www.datamonitor.com, Eisenberg, D. (2002). Can McDonalds ShapeUp? . Times.com. 25 September. http:/ www.time.com/time/business/ article/0,8599,354778,00.html Erlichman, J. (1994). Leaflet A Threatto McDonalds. The Guardian.29 June. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1299121,00.html. External and Internal Factors Affecting McDonalds- Management Theory. External and Internal Factors Affecting McDonalds Management Theory Paper Forrest, W. (2006). McDonalds Applies SRM Strategy to Global Technology. Reed Business information. 7 September. http:/ www.purchasing.com/article/CA6368285.html. Goggoi P.. (2006). Why McDonalds Isnt Free of Trans Fat Business Week Online 00077135 [EBCSCO], http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2HYPERLINK http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2hid=117sid=17122dbb-79eb-4b1f- [emailprotected]HYPERLINK http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2hid=117sid=17122dbb-79eb-4b1f- [emailprotected]hid=117HYPERLINK http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2hid=117sid=17122dbb-79eb-4b1f- [emailprotected]HYPERLINK http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2hid=117sid=17122dbb-79eb-4b1f- [emailprotected]sid=17122dbb-79eb-4b1f- b879-472028dbb304%40sessionmgr109 HealthActive (2007) Active After-school Communities http://www.healthyactive.gov.au/internet/healthyactive/publishing.nsf/Content/active_after_school_communities.pdf/$File/active_after_school_communities.pdf Henry Assael, 1998, Consumer Behavior and marketing action, 6th Ed., South-Western College Publishing IASO International Association for the study of Obesity. (2007). Making schools and young people responsible: a critical analysis of Irelands obesity strategy. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365- 2524.2008.00763.x#Education,%20schools%20and%20obesity, Jagger, S. (2007). As Americans tighten their belts, fast-food operators let it all hangout. In The Times, 21 July 2007, 62.

Friday, January 17, 2020

My Antonia Imagery Essay

Willa Cather, an American author, achieved much recognition on her frontier works. She earned much acknowledgement in her work of My Antonia. Raised on a primitive farm in Nebraska, Cather uses her experiences of the landscape to transform the senses of her readers. Cather demonstrates her ability to capture the feeling of the prairie at the end of the â€Å"Hired Girls. † (â€Å"Presently we saw†¦ somewhere on the prairie. † Page 146-147) Not only is this scene an important image of the moment, but the representation of this plow amongst the setting sun as well. The image of the plow in front of the sinking sun is very prominent throughout the book. Though the plow could simply represent a plow or the sun just a sun, Cather puts much more depth into it. She creates a mental picture that appeals to the readers senses. Cather emphasizes the â€Å"gold-washed sky† and â€Å"horizontal light. † She creates vivaciousness into the mind. The warmth that the sun gives off made Jim feel joy and the love for his country. Cather includes how the setting sun embellishes a red hue around the plow. Red makes Jim feel the passion and affection he has for Antonia and the land he grew up on. It reminds him of the fire and life he had as a kid and remembers the love of life itself. The plow as a silhouette against the setting sun shows its enormity and massiveness. The plow casts a shadow along the fields, creating the impression of a much larger plow than in reality. The plow has changes not only Antonia’s life, but the fields as well. It transforms the ground, from something hard and tough, to fertile soil used for farming to create something new and beautiful. If the plow was not placed in front of the sun, the plow would still look smaller and irrelevant. As the sun continues to set, the shadows diminish. Although the symbolism of the plow is significant, it pales in comparison to the endless fields. The plow settles â€Å"back to its own littleness. † It is no match to the beauty of Mother Nature. Towards the beginning of the book, Cather includes Virgil’s quote, â€Å"Optima dies†¦ prima fugit,† which translates to â€Å"the best days are the first to flee. It represents a reoccurring theme in the book. The sun rises and falls each day, and this moment with Antonia stood out to Jim most of all. As they both grow older and move in their separate ways. Aware of the approaching end, Jim leaves for college shortly afterwards. The setting of the sun at night means a new day will dawn soon, and a new chapter of Jim and Antonia’s life must begin. Antonia leaves her life on the fields behind to move onto a life of a â€Å"Hired Girl. † Cather transforms this spectacular novel into a Bildungsroman. Antonia and Jim develop from children to young adults. She continuously reminds the readers of the American Dream, which is also referenced to by the plow. From the outside, the plow and sun- or the American Dream, looks beautiful in combination. But when the sun sets, all that is left behind is a regular plow that still requires hard work and dedication. Shortly before the end of Jim’s statement, Cather includes â€Å"heroic in size, a picture writing on the sun,† Heroic stands for the plow, something bigger than itself. When put into use, the plow is a quintessential element for farming, but when not, it takes up space and could get in the way. Irrelevant and unnoticed. The hard work that Willa Cather put into My Antonia did not go unrecognized. She portrayed her talent to capture the reader into the book. The simple words she uses helps to constrain the actual complexity she can not express. The symbolism ties into the story to make clear to the reader of the American Dream and all the other reoccurring themes throughout the story.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Human Nature in Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay

Lord of the Flies is an extraordinarily well-written novel that teaches one how to live life. When asked about the philosophy of the book, the author, William Golding, replied, The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectful. This completely exemplifies the theme of the novel. Lord of the Flies truly shows that it is not the government that determines survival, it is the sheer human nature in all of us that proves whether a society can function. A persons personality will always trump another persons because of difference†¦show more content†¦Jack was one whose personality caused the civilization to come tumbling down. When we first discover the boys on the island and get a mere glimpse of their personalities, it is quite apparent that Jack is going to be one wh o is power-hungry. He already has a group of followers, the choirboys, of whom he has the utmost power over. He has a very controlling personality that cannot be subsided by the obstacles that are shown in the novel. Jack suffers from wanting to be the best. When he is not chosen as the chief and supreme ruler in the very beginning, it is proven that he will find a way to claw up to the top and take the spot that in his opinion is his right. Jack has quite a reckless personality, and will risk all to be standing alone at the top as king or leader. Jack is also guilty of envy, which goes hand in hand with power. He is envious of everything that Ralph has. Ralph is the chief, and has much common sense. Jack senses this and is jealous of the fact that Ralph can command attention and a following that easily. I also believe, when reflecting back, that Jack is in a sense jealous of Piggy, without being aware of it. Piggy is the complete intellect on the island. While Jack is q uite smart, he certainly is not as gifted as Piggy. Piggy can interpret any situation and be the lone voice of knowledge of the masses. Jack not only gets jealousShow MoreRelatedThe Nature of Humans in Lord of the Flies by William Golding651 Words   |  3 PagesThe nature of human: are humans born good or evil? These two opposing views on human nature are two topics that Rousseau and Golding have both touched upon. While Golding believes that humans are born inherently evil, Rousseau believes the opposite: that humans are inherently good. Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies as a response of the novel, The Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne because he believed that it was far-fetched. 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Before creating this novel, William had experience in the navy where he learned of the nature of mankind. The introduction of the book portrays a plane crash where a large group of boys are stranded on an island. Here they grow in character and human instincts such as leadership, brutality, and survival are displayedRead MoreLord of the Flies: World War IIs Impact Essay1064 Words   |  5 PagesLord of the Flies: World War II’s Impact Lord of the Flies by William Golding was influenced strongly by his experiences as a naval officer during World War II. Golding’s wartime service gave him a darker and more realistic look on life, and contributed to the novel’s imagery. As Golding described, World War II woke him up from his falsified beliefs about human nature by showing him the true human condition (â€Å"Lord of the Flies,† Novels 175). Lord of the Flies, as Golding explained, is â€Å"an attemptRead MoreThe Prominence of Evil in Lord of the Flies, by William Golding799 Words   |  3 Pagesor bad; malicious. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, exemplifies how everyone in society is more evil than good and how it can get the best of all. The book actively traces the problems of society back to human nature and savagery that lies within the human race. Golding shows how the lacking parental control no rules, is the downfall of their humanity in as much as they lose the characteristics soc iety and civilization gives them. Golding’s argument is that human nature can be very brutalRead MoreLord Of The Flies Pig Head Analysis1023 Words   |  5 Pages2017 The Symbolic Meaning of the Lord of the Flies â€Å"We are civilized people, which means that we are all savages at heart but observing a few amenities of civilized behaviour.† Tennessee Williams, a prize winning playwright once stated about civilized humans. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding this quote depicts what the book is trying to point out and display to us. The quote ties in with the pig head on a stick, otherwise known as the Lord of the Flies. The pig head was killed barbaricallyRead More Struggle Between Good and Evil in William Goldings Lord of the Flies1186 Words   |  5 PagesGood and Evil in William Goldings Lord of the Flies   Ã‚  Ã‚   Evil is not an external force controlled by the devil, but rather the potential for evil resides within each person. Man has the potential to exhibit great kindness or to rape and pillage. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding deals with this evil that exists in the heart of man. With his mastery of such literary tool as structure, syntax, diction, point of view and presentation of character, Golding allows the reader

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Impact Of Corporate Social Responsibility On A Companys...

To what extent is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) beneficial to a company’s performance? Sub-prompt: Evaluate how CSR can be beneficial to company’s financial performance. 1. Introduction Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become more influential when making company’s decisions. 53% of the SP, an index based on market capitalizations of 500 U.S. companies, has published CSR reports in 2012 as compared to 19% in 2011. An approach, suggested by Business for Social Responsibility, considers CSR as attaining commercial success through respecting people, community and the natural environment. McWilliams Siegel (2011) added that CSR are actions that far beyond the company’s interests and the minimum requirement by the law.†¦show more content†¦Section three comments the limitations of empirical findings and CSR. 2. Impacts on Financial Performance 2.1 Cost Companies committed to CSR are expected to reduce operating costs. One of the key areas in CSR practices is paying attention to environmental issues such as energy saving and avoidance of excessive use of inputs. The promotion of resource efficiency including using less energy and water lower the utility costs. Nonetheless, a reduction in the use of packaging materials helps to reduce production cost. Brand equity has been viewed as the most crucial intangible assets of the company. Cornell and Shapiro (1987) suggested that the firms are able to establish reputation capital if they adopt CSR measures. Customers are more willing to spend on products that are produced by companies with good brand images. An adverse example has illustrated the importance of brand image with the scandal of Primark, a well-known fast fashion clothing chains. The clothing retailer is found to break its code of conducts and employ illegal workers in poor working conditions. When BBC revealed the dishonored behavior, it cost Primark millions of dollars in information and advertising campaigns to restore consumer loyalty. It implies that a socially responsible firm that follows CSR practices can have less risk of negative rare events and thus avoid unnecessary cost. 2.2 Revenue A numerous empirical findings have revealed a positive correlation between