Flannery OConnor Essay - 988 Words

Flannery O’ Connor’s method of writing is extraordinary with the right amount of religion. She writes in a way in which the reader can easily comprehend. Nonetheless, let us first discuss her short story â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† in this particular piece of writing O’ Connor gives us a sense of irony and suspense throughout the reading. One can easily recall when the family was passing by the beautiful scenery of Georgia and the grandma had made a racist remark of a Negro child standing in front of a door. â€Å"Little niggers in the country don’t have things like we do. If I could paint, I’d paint that picture,† she said. It is completely ironic for the fact that, she claims herself to be a â€Å"good Christian† yet she is quite discriminatory,†¦show more content†¦One of her favorite sayings is that, â€Å"Nothing is perfect† and the most important one, â€Å"other people have their opinions too.† She gives us a sense of security and kindness extremely rare to find nowadays. Mrs. Freeman meaning â€Å"free man† in a sense fits her personality quite well, â€Å"She’s got to be into everything.† In addition to irony, the title â€Å"Good Country People† is rather humorous since Mrs. Hopewell thinks of the Bible sales as a young man with a kind heart and obviously, this is not the case. He is manipulative, cruel, and a liar who destroyed the feelings of a woman. O’Connor’s â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge† by far, is my favorite one from the previous short stories for the reason that, there was a sense of darkness lying within the story. Julian is a troublesome character and his own thoughts are drowning him. As the author states, â€Å"Julian was withdrawing into the inner compartment of his mind where he spent most of his time. This was a kind of mental bubble in which he established himself when he could not bear to be a part of what was going on around him. From it he could see out and judge but in it he was safe from any kind of penetration from without. It was the only place where he felt free of the general idiocy of his fellows.† (1020) Clearly, Julian is losing himself and feels out of place as if he does not belong there. One can assume that Julian suffers from depression since he sees no purpose in life, â€Å"he hadn’t even entered the realShow MoreRelated Flannery Oconnor1301 Words   |  6 Pageson how the world was dealing with the changes. Flannery O’Connor, a prominent Catholic writer from the South, was one of the many who examined society and shared their philosophies. O’Connor shocked her twentieth century readers with the haunting style and piercing questions in her short stories and novels, which were centered on a combination of her life experiences, her deep Catholic faith, and the literature of the time. Mary Flannery O’Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1925 into one ofRead MoreFlannery OConnor 1111 Words   |  5 PagesFlannery O’Connor When writing a piece of literature the content is often influenced from the background of the person who is writing. The author, whether consciously or subconsciously, adds in personal experiences or beliefs into their pieces. Flannery O’Connor is a good example of this trend. Her short stories illustrate the hardships, beliefs, and society at the time she lived and was writing. It is most blatantly demonstrated in her collection of short stories entitled, A Good Man Is HardRead MoreFlannery O’Connor Essay1158 Words   |  5 PagesFlannery O’Connor was fond of saying, â€Å"When in Rome, do as you done in Milledgeville.† O’Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia, but spent the bulk of her life in Milledgeville, and it is her Southern heritage that influenced her and made her writing extremely distinctive in the history that is American literature. As a Roman Catholic in the Protestant-majority South, she was often confronted with the differences be tween the surroundings and herself, a theme that often comes up in her writing. O’ConnorRead More Flannery OConnor Essay1299 Words   |  6 PagesFlannery OConnor Flannery O’Connor and the Relationship Between Two of Her Stories Flannery O’Connor was born Mary Flannery O’Connor on March 25, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia, as the only child to Edward F. O’Connor, Jr., and Regina (Cline) O’Connor. Later in 1941, Flannery O’Connor’s father dies of lupus while O’Connor is in Milledgeville, Ga. After her father’s death, O’Connor rarely speaks of him and continues to be active in school projects such as drawing, reading, writingRead More Flannery O’Connor Essay1267 Words   |  6 PagesFlannery O’Connor Mary Flannery O’Connor was born in 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. She was an only child, and her parents were deeply religious Roman Catholics. She was educated at the Women’s College of Georgia and the State University of Iowa. While she was at college, she wrote short stories which were published. During this time her father died of lupus, a blood disease that would eventually claim her life as well. After she was diagnosed, she moved to Milledgville, Georgia, for treatment ofRead MoreThe Humor of Flannery OConnor1852 Words   |  8 Pagesresult of a sequence of events and the expected result. Flannery OConnors works are masterpieces in the art of literary irony, the laughable and ridiculous. The incongruous situations, ridiculous characters, and feelings of superiority that OConnor creates make up her shocking and extremely effective, if not disturbing, humor. I say disturbing because OConnors humor, along with humor in general, most often contains the tragic. OConnor h as been quoted as saying, The comic and the terribleRead MoreRevelation by Flannery OConnor Essay1426 Words   |  6 PagesRevelation [Name of Student] [Name of Institute] Revelation Introduction Revelation  is a  short story  by  Flannery OConnor. It was published in 1965 in her short story collection  Everything That Rises Must Converge. OConnor finished the collection during her final battle with  lupus. She died in 1964, just before her final book was published. A devout  Roman Catholic, OConnor often used religious themes in her work. All my stories are about the action of grace on a character whoRead MoreFlannery OConnor: A Brief Biography842 Words   |  3 Pageswriter to worry is to take over Gods business.† (O’Connor). This statement is encouraging to all believers in God, knowing that it is coming from a fellow Catholic like Flannery O’Connor. O’Connor is associated with the Christian Realism movement, which is a logical view developed by a theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, who argued that the Kingdom of God cannot be realized on earth because of the naturally corrupt trends of society (â€Å"Flannery O’Connor†). This movement began in the late 1940’s and alongRead MoreFlannery OConnor and Her Works913 Words   |  4 Pages Flannery O’Connor â€Å"I am a writer because writing is what I do best,† Known for her unique collection of short stories, Flannery O’Connor had a major impact on the writing industry during the 20th century. She is still to this day considered one of the most famous American authors. She very well shows that your life really impacts your writing technique, and tone of writing. She was born March 3rd, 1925. O’Connor was raised by two very Catholic parents in Savanna, Georgia. Her father, Edward FrancisRead MoreEssay about Flannery OConnor774 Words   |  4 Pages Flannery OConnor is a blunt, cruel writer who uses violence to teach theology. OConnors works focus on grace through violent, cruel acts. In her stories its hard to find a happy person or a loving family. Her characters, Mrs. May Greenleaf, the Grandmother A Good Man is Hard to Find, and Hulga Good Country People all make terrible mistakes that result in finding grace through a tragedy. OConnor does not pull punches, but lets her characters suffer the consequences of their actions

Pros And Cons Of Genetic Engineering - 1915 Words

â€Å"Genetic engineering refers to any changes in genetic makeup that result from the direct manipulation of DNA using various technical methods† ( source 1). More simply put, genetic engineering involves cutting, pasting, and/or editing DNA, specifically targeted ones, to produce a valuable effect produce a useful or desirable characteristic in an organism. The results can greatly modify a certain species or even create a new one. The Biotechnology to do such things were only available in the 1970s, making genetic splicing a relatively new compared to other sciences. In 1971 Paul Berg did an experiment essentially jumpstarting human engineering and Gene splicing. He knew that some viruses take over a cancerous state by entering the†¦show more content†¦Circa 10,000 years ago, agriculture was at its beginning stages, swarming to new places. A selection of grass and types of crops with have finally been weeded out to make up the staple of our current diet, or at least what we consider as actually nutritious crops: wheat, rice and maize. Over the centuries breeders at the time have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge on selecting which crop should breed with what to increase its yield. A similar process was done with animals, giving us the type of dogs we have today some fighter dogs and some made for their sense of smell and tracking: E.g. pit bulls were breed in England as bull baiters as entertainment for the lower class, then as dog fighters, finally being selectively bred to be slimmer and more agile, but also to not attack humans for easier handling, later gaining a reputation for their trustworthy nature with humans. After that Charles Darwin created his famed â€Å"Origin of Species† book, helping the scientific world to look at types of breeding more in depth. Bringing the theory of natural selection, the weeding out of bad traits that hinder survival essentially making the whole species stronger with the strong breeding with the strong—desirable traits keep getting passed on and help the species survive. Also, including hybridism, the mixture of two dominant traits, and their distinction between first crosses as well as the fertility of the hybrid after its making etc. andShow MoreRelatedPros And Cons Of Genetic Engineering1676 Words   |  7 Pagesenergy gets passed on throughout each trophic level to how the positive/negative ions in water molecules can effect how they bind to each other/are attracted to one another. While going over the long unit known as genetics, one topic in particular left a mark in my mind: Genetic Engineering/modification. It opened a door to me that allowed me question our everyday life, questions flooded my mind. For example, I pondered things like, How could we use gene modification to create natural pesticidesRead MoreGenetic Engineering Pros And Cons1648 Words   |  7 PagesGENETIC ENGINEERING: PROS: Pros of genetic engineering are the facts that scientists and doctors in our generation could first and foremost discover new diseases and parasites and types of unheard cancers and illnesses before they spread further than they need too. The doctors can therefore invent a cure for this illness before it spreads really far and before anyone else gets sick. With the genetic engineering they can then stop the spreading and cure the diseases before it gets out of hand. ThisRead MorePros And Cons Of Genetic Engineering1662 Words   |  7 PagesGenetic engineering is the process whereby new DNA is added or existing DNA is altered in an organism s genome. This may involve changing one base pair (A-T or C-G) or deleting entire sections of DNA or adding additional copies of a gene. This results in creating new traits that were not previously present in the organism’s genome. This is done to selectively breed desired traits or to create plants with increased resistance to pestic ides and increased tolerance to herbicides. For example insulinRead MoreEssay on The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering831 Words   |  4 Pages Genetic engineering is the growing science of the world and is increasingly under the spotlight over ethical issues. Is biotechnology going to save lives, rather than destroy them? and will the benefits outweigh the risks? The main problem with such questions is that we dont know the answer until we try them out. Like all sciences it is hard to predict outcomes, so far there have been more failures being told than success stories. Genetic engineering is the splitting of DNA out of an organism’sRead MoreThe Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering Essay830 Words   |  4 PagesScientists state that the world is constantly moving towards disorder, while the purpose in life is to bring order to the universe. Now genetic engineering is a very old science that has been in play for many years. Scientists have been creating genetically modified organisms and products for years. But we now have the knowledge and technology to do this on a drastic scale the world has never seen. Knowing that genetically modifying something turns it into something god did not create. Do we haveRead MorePros And Cons Of Genetic Engineering1101 Words   |  5 PagesGenetic engineering brings about great and marvelous things, yet it raised many ethical issues. Some encourage research, while others oppose against such a bizarre idea. Their arguments revolve around impacts on the environment, humans, and social values. This paper seeks to give an account of these issues and present a possible moral compromise. Ecological problems may be caused when genetically engineered species are introduced. It may offset the natural balance of a system and may even lead toRead MorePros and Cons of Genetic Engineering Essay1733 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many benefits of genetic engineering, but there are many risks too. Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of genetic material in order to alter the hereditary traits of a cell, organism, or population. Basically, scientists take DNA of one product and put it into another product to get a mixture of traits from both products. It’s like breeding different breeds of dogs to get a certain look or personality. Some people don’t mind what goes into genetically altered foods, while othersRead MoreEssay on The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering1068 Words   |  5 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Genetic engineering is a process in which scientists transfer genes from one species to another totally unrelated species. Usually this is done in order to get one organism to produce proteins, which it would not naturally produce. The genes taken from one species, which code for a particular protein, are put into cells of another species, using a vector. This can result in the cells producing the desired protein. It is used for producing proteins which can be usedRead MorePros and Cons of Genetic Engineering Essay2059 Words   |  9 Pages Genetic Engineering is highly controversial since some people believe that genetic engineering is playing God. As this fact there is opposition to the progression of the field by people who do not see the value in genetic engineering, or they fear what genetic engineering may lead to for us as people. There is a history of discover that belongs to genetic engineering, which has led to numerous products that have emerged which have brought numerous applications to the society of the world. ThoughRead MoreThe Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering Essay608 Words   |  3 PagesThe Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering has been a major topic of discussion ever since Dolly the sleep was cloned. Its raises ethical, moral and religious questions due to the fact it is tampering with the makeup of organisms, and certain religions believe it is not our right to do this. Genetic engineering involves the re-arranging of DNA sequences, artificial horizontal gene transfer and cloning. There has been little progress

Top Art Analysis Essay Samples Reviews!

Top Art Analysis Essay Samples Reviews! When an art school provides the option of submitting a personal statement, it might be tempting for forgo the chance. The painting indicates a huge room and lots of figures scattered throughout the painting. The exhibition, thus, is an important portion of the nation's history and represents part of the American dream. The photo exhibition portrays a vital portion of the American history by depicting a number of the historic figures that are part of the critical era. For instance, one can focus just on the strokes of a portrait. For example, if you've been getting an ordinary mark, you'll be certain of being among the very best students with relatively excellent marks. It's also notable that the focus of the painting isn't wholesomely upon the women figures. The statue is a great and renowned instance of the Renaissance Era as it reflects the political and societal conditions of that moment. The End of Art Analysis Essay Samples There are several different elements to take into consideration when analyzing the type of this painting. Is it the creation itself or is it a blend of elements which create a piece an excellent bit of art. Throughout the film there are a lot of abstract art pieces shown, several of the visuals and aesthetics apply the fundamentals of abstraction, not to mention the subject of the film is abstraction itself. The colour and form appear to be of utmost significance, above the necessity for line. The above is almos t a cliche, but it's indeed vital to being a fantastic vital essay writer. The very best writer is the person who admits to being in a need of assistance. A serial killer is someone who has murdered three or more people over a period of over 1 month, with significant amounts of time between each murder. Therefore, an analytical essay is a bit of writing that supplies an informative observation about the particular topic or idea. Evidently, writing an essay on the subject of marijuana is too general. Selecting a topic can be challenging. To begin writing your assignment you would want to run into an interesting and promising topic. Each individual paragraph should concentrate on a specific component of the thesis. You could also use the introduction to supply the reader a fundamental roadmap so they can understand the way your statement is designed to flow. A thesis statement needs to be argumentative and provide readers with an assurance they will indeed love what they are reading. You ought to be proficient in the topic, have an overall idea about the chosen issue and can get the best arguments to show your thesis. Students lead busy lives and frequently forget about an approaching deadline. They thus need to be keen and identify these patterns and problems. One of the most typical kinds of analysis that college and higher school students perform. It's interesting that numerous students write introduction after they've written the whole paper. Literature students read a good deal. Therefore, many students and employees decide to obtain low-cost essay rather than writing it themselves. The works talked about in this essay share obvious similarities. Unique sources could provide different art essay outlines so you must be cautious. There's an endless number of different essay topics which can be analyzed. If you're applying to multiple art schools, it might be tempting to use the identical application or private essay. There are different kinds of essays that I would assume most of you are already acquainted with. This college paper assignment needs to be completed by an expert writer, who's an authority in the area of art and who can supply an accurate analysis of an art work. There are a lot of art essay writing topics to select from. All About Art Analysis Essay Samples Based on this issue, each essay will change dependent on the depth of the thesis. Analysis essays are known to be among the hardest to write. An analysis essay is a sort of persuasive essay. Try to remember that it's not a narrative essay, rather an essay that's aimed toward analyzing the subject. The conclusion plays a critical role in the feeling it ties up the full essay. It will vary dependent on the subject of discussion and the thesis statement that's created. The thesis statement ought to be easy and simple to write about. To end the whole essay, it's essential to make an overall concluding statement.

Social Interactions The Inner Circle - 1203 Words

Everything you have seen, felt, tasted, smelled, and heard had shaped you into who you are right at this moment. Everything you will do and observe will do the same. Even as you are reading this essay you could be exposed to new ideas and concepts which could open your point of view, or shut them tighter, denying what you read. One is defined by their inner circle (family/friends), their community and conditions, and by their enemies and conflicts. The inner circle is the majority of one’s social interactions, especially at a young age, when they are the most impressionable, these social interactions are a quintessential part of forming their identity. Where and how one lives also greatly influences how they develop, it can decide many†¦show more content†¦Grendel says to himself, â€Å"Not that she thinks†¦ ‘Why are we here?’ I used to ask her. ‘Why do we stand this putrid, stinking hole?’ †¦ ‘Don’t ask!’ her wiggling claws implore,† (Gardner 11). Her complete lack of thought and emotion towards Grendel frustrates him, leaving him lost mentally, and forms his believe in mechanism. Since Grendel gets nothing from his mother, he goes to the dragon, who would be considered the friend side of the innercircle. Grendel sees the dragon almost as a mentor in that he comes to him for important advice he needs. Both Grendel and Freud’s theory of the id, ego, and superego show how much one’s family influences their identity. Another identity shaper is one’s community or conditions. This includes their outer circle and environment surrounding them. Plato’s â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave† is a wonderful tool to help explain the idea of one’s conditions and surrounding and how they shape their identity. In this scenario, the prisoners that were placed in infancy can only see shadows of people and objects casted from behind them. As plato said â€Å"To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images,† (Plato 1). These shadows represent one’s point of view in their surroundings, if their conditions or surroundings are hiding a large part of the world, their reality, and therefore their identity will end up drastically different fromShow MoreRelatedThe s Coat Of Arms Are Trust, Empathy, And Social Justice974 Words   |  4 PagesArms are trust, empathy, and social justice, all of which are fundamental values in the field of nursing. These values are symbolized on the shield as two different colored leaning blocks, two overlapping circles, and a world that contains a red cross and three nurses respectively. Trust and empathy are both a component of the nurse-client relationship and they can shine light on a person’s well-being by promoting a warm and safe environment for the clients. Whereas social justice aims to promote one’sRead MoreWorld Englishes : Approaches, Issues, And Resources1596 Words   |  7 Pagesand its social functions of English in the countries, Kachru (1992) describe varieties of World Englishes in terms of three circles: ï  ® In the inner circle, English is the language people most use and is regarded as a mother tongue. ). The countries in the Inner Circle include USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and so on. (p. 234). ï  ® In the outer circle, English is not the first language but is used as one of the official languages by the government. The countries in the Outer circle includeRead MoreWorld Englishes : Approaches, Issues, And Resources1620 Words   |  7 Pagesand its social functions of English in the countries, Kachru (1992) describe varieties of World Englishes in terms of three circles: nï  ® In the Inner Circle, English is the first language and the language people most use. The countries in the Inner Circle include USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and so on nï  ® In the Outer Circle, English is the second language but is used as one of the ï ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼ World Englishes 3 ï ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼official languages by the government. The countries in the Outer circle includeRead MoreThe Role Of Identity In Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man1304 Words   |  6 Pagesoutside in. In the modern world of technology, identity increasingly has become the image of someone created online, put on display for the internet. The era of interconnectivity, technological social interactions, and instant feedback develops an insecure, outward-looking society that forms their social media platforms into â€Å"highlight reels† of their life, posting perfectly filtered and angled masterpieces of their most exciting activities. Rather than try to compare their genuine life with theseRead MoreSymbolic Interaction Theory : The Looking Glass Self And Romantic Relationships1126 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolic Interaction is a sociological perspective that has influenced numerous areas in the sociological field. This perspective relies on the symbolic meaning that societies create and develop through social interaction with others. Symbolic interaction theory has grea tly impacted our world. This theory helps one understand how individuals shape their own reality and create norms. This essay focuses on the symbolic interaction theory through the looking-glass-self and romantic relationships. Read More The Media As A social Problem Essay1731 Words   |  7 PagesThe Media as a Social Problem nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The mass media plays a large role in modern society. Indeed, many have argued that people spend more time in â€Å"mass-mediated† interaction than in actual human interaction. The mass media, then, would seemingly be an excellent position to initiate social change, positively affect social problems, and help combat social ills that are considered normal patterns of behavior. Yet, the mass media has largelyRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility779 Words   |  4 PagesPolytechnic University of the Philippines Sta. Mesa, Manila College of Business Submitted by: Ramizares, Riza Marie M. BSBA HRDM 4-6N Submitted to: Professor Celso D. Torreon Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility * Organizational Culture is the behavior of humans who are part of an organization and the meanings that the people attach to their actions. Culture includes the organization values, visions, norms, working language, systems, symbols, beliefsRead MoreIs Social Media And Technology Really Social?1574 Words   |  7 PagesIs Social Media and Technology Really Social: Dark Sides of Technology Even though technology has linked people together by keeping people in touch with family, friends all the time through different sources, people pay more attention to their technological activities, lack valuable, real-life relationships with people around them, only associate with people who share the same interests, while they denigrate those who oppose their viewpoints and, lastly, people are losing communication skills becauseRead MoreDisadvantages Of Facebook1107 Words   |  5 PagesThis type of communication, is affecting the way of how people speak face-to-face compared to online. With this being said, it has a huge impact on how the world communicates and on how we will interact with one another in the future. Facebook is a social networking site that makes it easy for you to communicate and share with your family and friends online. Most people these days have Facebook and they use it on a daily basis on their electronic devices. When people are using Facebook, they do notRead MoreThe Media as a Social Problem Essay1748 Words   |  7 PagesMedia as a Social Problem The mass media plays a large role in modern society. Indeed, many have argued that people spend more time in mass-mediated interaction than in actual human interaction. The mass media, then, would seemingly be an excellent position to initiate social change, positively affect social problems, and help combat social ills that are considered normal patterns of behavior. Yet, the mass media has largely failed in addressing and helping to solve social problems.

Technology in the 21st Century Free Essays

If you think back 10 or 20 years ago, you may wonder how we ever did some of the things we are able to now. Technology shapes our society in a number of different ways. Before the invention of the internet, there wasn’t email. We will write a custom essay sample on Technology in the 21st Century or any similar topic only for you Order Now Many people in the business world communicate solely with email and without it, they are lost. Have you ever lost your internet connection or networking device? You are literally stuck in a mess and have no idea what to do. Think back the first cell phones that were available, before the days of text messaging and blue tooth. Technology is essential in our society in order to grow and move toward the future. With the rising technology, a lot of issues have been done that have remained to be puzzle to many living in the twenty first century. This has further triggered a debate on the appropriate definition of the term technology. With others criticizing technology, most proponents of technology have suggested that technology refers to the employing the use of a variety of tools and approaches in the finding or deriving at possible solutions to certain problems. Technology has been associated with a variety of negative events that befell mankind and other creatures existing in the universe. However, the benefits have greatly surpassed the negatives associated with technology. Technology has played an immense part towards influencing the lifestyles of the present generation. In a particular, the emergence of internet services has given a great boost to the business industry. With it, We have the ability to shape the world we live in. The inventions we create allow us to transform our environment, explore the stars, connect societies across the world, and even extend our lifespan. The invention of the computer has brought economic and social change to the world. So what does the future of technology hold for our society? The possibilities are literally endless. Some of the key factors the government is working on surrounds information technology. With all the new innovations in technology, some people learn how to corrupt and abuse it. Protecting our individual privacy has become so important due to overwhelming cases of fraud and identity theft. The internet allows us to input personal information online for practically anyone to see. Social networking sites have become so popular that undercover policemen have stepped in to protect eople from rapists, murders, and pedophiles. There are tools and practices that exist to allow individuals control over their personal information, but it is not enough. Web site hacking goes along with individual privacy, but it impacts the future of several businesses. Government leaders are looking for ways to create a safe, secure and reliable computing environment for businesses and individuals. Protecting our children from inappropriate content is another popular topic among several businesses and government agencies. While the personal computer and the internet have revolutionized education, they have also opened the doors for exploration by curious children. Technology has allowed countries across the world to connect and interact without having to fly thousands of miles to communicate with each other. Governments and industries are able to communicate and work together towards the future. This allows successful countries to communicate with other countries who lack essential resources and help them find ways to combat their challenges. Digital information can be sent with the click of a button. Software, books, music and video files can be easily distributed to anyone, anywhere. For users, this is beneficial because for no cost, they can share videos of their new baby being born to their family who lives across the country. Of course, the government has had to step in to protect property rights of individuals to ensure that nothing is being digitally stolen. We should look at technology at the gateway to the future. The possibilities of what we can create are endless. Even as we have challenges with technology, we are still able to see amazing things come from it. Technology plays a critical role in our society. Creating technology that is secure and trustworthy is the future. Several companies are working together to achieve this goal and to help our society move forward. Technologies arise to satisfy our wants and needs, this is how society and technology shape the future for one another. As individuals, we are in control of the future. We should dream big and start finding ways to make our dreams into reality. How to cite Technology in the 21st Century, Essay examples

Case study of shrm free essay sample

Introduction Part 1: the analysis of corporate strategy and HR strategy at Wal-Mart. We will write a custom essay sample on Case study of shrm or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Part 2: The analysis of HR policies at Walmart and its integration with Corporate Strategy. Part 3: the role of the HR manager in this company? Part 4: some advices to improve the employment practices at Walmart. Conclusion Introduction: Michael E. Porter (1980) in his famous book said there are three basic competitive strategies for a company, which are overall cost leadership; differentiation and focus strategy. Companies use these competitive strategies to achieve competitive advantage. In this case, Walmart Company is obviously taking the cost leadership strategy, that is to say, it aims to become the low-cost leader in the retail industry. Walmart maintains its competitive advantage through its satellite-based distribution system, and by keeping store location costs to a minimum by placing stores on low-cost land outside small to medium-sized towns, no matter in the US or in its abroad affiliations. Part 1: the analysis of corporate strategy and HR strategy at Wal-Mart. From this case material we could also see that Walmart purchased massive quantities of items from its suppliers to form scale economy, and with the efficient stock control system helping make its operating costs lower than those of its competitors. It also imported many goods from China, â€Å"the world factory† for its low cost. So in a word the company-level strategy of Walmart is low cost and low cost, with little differentiation strategy. Managers engage in three levels of strategic planning (Gary Dessler, 2005): the corporate-level strategy; the business-level strategy and the function-level strategy. The functional strategy should serve the overall company strategy so the corporate strategy could be implemented more effectively and efficiently. As for Walmart, its corporate-level strategy and business-level strategy, as we analyzed above, is the low cost leadership. Then we’ll focus on its functional strategy, especially its HR strategy. Besides the above factors, Walmart builds its low cost leader on employment policies that help it to achieve extraordinarily low employment costs. Through low-cost HR activities, Walmart tried to maintain its predominate competitive advantage. Part 2: The analysis of HR policies at Walmart and its integration with Corporate Strategy. The basic premise that underlying SHRM is that organizations adopting a particular strategy require HR practices that are different from those required by organizations adopting alternative strategies (JacksonSchuler, 1995). Generally, there are three SHRM theoretical models in the study of this discipline: the universalistic best practices, the contingency perspective of â€Å"best fit† and the resource-based configuration perspective. Here I would not deliberate on all these three models to examine the HR practices at Walmart, but just choose the contingency perspective of â€Å"best fit†. With this view, the individual HR practices will be selected based on the contingency of the specific context of a company. Like the Walmart has different corporate strategy with those retailers with differentiation strategy, which actually cultivates the primary contingency factor in the SHRM literature. What’s more, we should be reminded that the individual HR practices will interact with firm strategy to result in organizational performance, and just for this interaction effects make the â€Å"universal best practices† may not apply so well in a specific company. In the above part we have put great emphasis in identifying and analyzing the primary contingency factor of Walmart’s corporate strategy, so in the following part we’ll examine the â€Å"fitness† of HR practices in Walmart with this theoretical model, which is obviously also the integration process of HR practices with the contingency variables to some extent. As there are the HR policies and activities (such as how the company recruits, selects, and trains and rewards employees) that comprise the HR system itself, here we could illustrate the integration just by the sequence of the HR activities. From the recruitment Walmart has tried its best to reduce the cost considering so big number of its employees. For example, the New York Times (January 2004) reported on an internal Walmart audit which found â€Å"extensive violations of child-labor laws and state regulations requiring time for breaks and meals. † The cheap price of children labors and minors make it earn more cost competitive advantage over other companies. Walmart also faced a barrage of lawsuits alleging that the company discriminates against workers with disabilities, for the recruitment of these guys means providing more facilities for them and the lost of efficiency to some extent. From training perspective, Walmart refers to its employees as â€Å"associates†, and encourages managers to think of themselves as â€Å"servant leaders†, that is, to encourage them to serve others while staying focused on achieving results in line with the organization’s values and integrity. An organization’s strategy necessitates behavioral requirement for success, and the use of HR practices in the organization can reward and control employee behavior, therefore the organization should implement HR practices that encourage the employee behaviors that are consistent with the organization’s strategy (Delery, John E; Doty, D Harold, 1996). Through this training and encouragement, Walmart tried to adjust the employee behaviors and competencies to what the company’s strategy requires, that is to low down cost more. This logic also is embodied in its â€Å"lock-in† of its night time shift in various stores. Through this enforced policy, Walmart tried to prevent â€Å"shrinkage† behavior of its employees, to eliminate unauthorized cigarette breaks or quick trips home. From the performance management perspective, Walmart made very high demanding standards and job designs. The New York Times reported Walmart had extensive violations of state regulations requiring time for breaks and meals. And there are so many instances of minors working too late, during school hours, or for too many hours in a day, for the performance appraising just force them to do so. In the Career management, Walmart also goes great lengths to reduce cost, there are many cases that women sued Walmart for its discriminated policy against women by systematically denying them promotions and paying them less than men. Women are pushed into â€Å"female† departments and are demoted if they complain about unequal treatment just for more cost reduction against its competitors. From the compensation management perspective, Walmart has also showed very aggressive HR policies and activities to fit the â€Å"low-cost† strategy. Walmart imported $15 billion worth of goods from china, not only for the strategic consideration of supplier chain economy, but also Walmart has some factories in china, whose products are branded with Walmart name. With this method, Walmart pays much less to Chinese labors in this â€Å"world-factory† and earn some advantages, so we could just see how the Walmart corporate strategy is just intensely integrated with its HR policy. In 2002, operating costs for Walmart were just 16. 6 percent of total sales, compared to a 20. 7 average for the retail industry as a whole, which supported greatly the overall strategy. Walmart workers in California earn on average 31 percent less than workers employed in large retail as a whole. Actually, with other operating and inventory costs set by higher level management, store managers must turn to wages to increase profits, and Walmart expects the labor costs to be cut by two-tenths of a percentage point each year. So these aggressive HR polices, are just the most â€Å"fittest†. From the employee benefit and safety perspective, Walmart’s HR policies are also well aligned with the corporate-level strategy. At Walmart, workers eligible for benefits such as health insurance must pay over the odds for them. In 1999, employees paid 36 percent of the costs. In 2001, the employee burden rose to 42 percent. While in the US, large-firm employees pay on average 16 percent of the premium for health insurance. Unionized supermarket workers typically pay nothing. Walmart was frequently accused of not providing employees with affordable access to health care, but the top managers and HR managers know their focus was just to try their most to implement the â€Å"low-cost† strategy. Finally, from the labor relations perspective, Walmart couldn’t have done better to show us how the contingency model of â€Å"best fitness† works. Sam Walton sought to bring great value through aggressive discounting to customers, to implement its low-cost strategy. Because unionized supermarket workers typically pay nothing, Walmart has strong anti-union policy. Allegations of firing workers sympathetic to labor organizations have been made, all new employees are shown a propaganda video tape which said joining a union would have bad implication for them, and the employees should never sign a union card. In the UK it was reported in the Guardian that Walmart is facing the prospect of a bruising legal battle with the GMB trade union in a row over collective bargaining rights, for the union would not accepting Walmart withdrew a 10% pay offer to more than 700 workers after they rejected a new package of terms and conditions, which included giving up rights to collective pay bargaining. Here there may be some doubt why Walmart has recently allowed unionization in their stores in China, where unionization is mandatory. But actually this mandatory rule is made a long time before Walmart walk into china, so why Walmart give up its persistence in not having a some unions, and its former reason to China government is that it did not have any unions in its global working. So how do we see Walmart’s compromise if that constitutes a â€Å"compromise†? It has been argued that doing business in China is particularly difficult because of the higher relative importance of personal relationships (guanxi), as opposed to the specification and enforcement of contracts in the West (Davies et al, 1995). Walmart China has tried every effort to develop good relationships with China government and other influence groups. So Walmart made this exception of have unionizations is just in accordance with its corporate strategy and HR strategy. If it ignores the Chinese government’s firm rule, its cost would just outweigh what it would save by organizing no unions in its labor relations management. And also it forgets not its basic corporate and HR strategy, for in china Walmart provides little power for workers and the unions are controlled by the state. So from this we could further understand how Walmart would adjust its HR policies and activities to fit its corporate strategy contingency. Part 3: the role of the HR manager in this company? So in the above part we have assessed how various human resource practices and systems of Walmart â€Å"fit† the organization’s competitive corporate strategy. Then what the role of HR managers in this company, who are HR professionals with strategic and other skills required to build a strategy-oriented HR system. As managers in one of the functional departments of Walmart, they have tried their best to â€Å"fit† the corporate strategy to low down cost. They made some rules and policies, for example, they implement anti-union policy in its stores to reduce extra-costs from union workers; they help implement â€Å"lock-in† policies; they tried to resist disability people for the efficiency loss; they discriminate women by giving them much fewer money and opportunities to be promoted, and actually the male workers in Walmart also got much lower salary compared with industry average level. Walmart HR managers also tried to adjust the employee behaviors and competencies to what the company’s strategy requires through the actions and policies of the firm’s strategy-supporting HR system, and some of which we have listed. So in the above paragraph, we have analyzed the role of HR mangers in Walmart using the â€Å"best fit† model, in the next we would attempt to analyze their role from two other models. Huselid’s (1995) work reflects what has come to be known as the â€Å"universalistic† or â€Å"best practice† approach to SHRM, which assumes that there are certain â€Å"best† HRM practices that will contribute to increased financial performance, regardless of the strategic goals of the firm. In this case, for example, Walmart HR managers refers to its employees as â€Å"associates†, and encourages managers to think of themselves as â€Å"servant leaders†, that is, to encourage them to serve others while staying focused on achieving results in line with the organization’s values and integrity. All such kinds of HR policies just are universal best practices adopted by HR department in all good companies. No matter Walmart adopted low-cost strategy or differentiation strategy, these policies and practices would bring no extra cost, but would motivate employees to contribute more to the corporate, and even help to form even good corporate culture, to reduce much more lawsuits and form good relationships with the community and government. And then there is also a call for a configurational approach to SHRM, and this theoretical model argues that there are specific â€Å"ideal types† of HRM systems that provide both horizontal and vertical fit of HRM practices to organizational structure and strategic goals. More specifically, there are certain, specific systems of HRM practices that result in the highest internal consistency and complementarity (horizontal fit), as well as congruence with organizational goals (vertical fit). In the part 2, we have seen how Walmart HR managers have coordinated a systematic type of HRM policies to complement each other, to be congruent with organizational goals (Gerald R. Ferris, 1999). Part 4: some advices to improve the employment practices at Walmart. Actually from the above analysis of the role of HR managers, we knew from different theoretical SHRM models, there are still many things for HR managers to improve. The resource-based view focuses on firm resources that can be sources of competitive advantage within the industry. Three basic types of resources can provide this competitive advantage (Barney, 1991). Human capital resources include such things as the skills, judgment, and intelligence of the firm’s employees. So from the case material we just most information concerning how Walmart exploited its workers by various HR policies to low down the cost to the minimum level, which would certainly reduce the loyalty and dedication of those human resource in the company. And besides referring to its employees as â€Å"associates†, and encourages managers to think of themselves as â€Å"servant leaders†, there seems little training and other activities taken to develop its valuable human resources, while human capital and learning could be a core source of sustainable competitive advantage (Nile Jeffrey, 2004). As for the specific training and develop methods and forms, it would depend upon the specific and proper time, place and the right store. But what’s worth mention is the HR managers should pay more dynamic and long-term attention when it calculates the future benefits of such HR practices. As for the present employment practices, even with the â€Å"contingency model of best fit†, there may still many opportunities for improvement. It’s really hard to be measure whether Walmart’s aggressive actions to bring cost down really get its strategy in the long term. The workers are complaining its discrimination and low compensation policies, and they bring many charges against Walmart in the world. The government and other communities are just turning more and more sensitive to Walmart’s way of aggressive acting, all these bring big damage, or even bigger cost, to Walmart’s reputation and may very well affect its ability of long-term profitability. It imported so much goods from China, and it even possess some sweat shops in less developed countries to produce products with Walmart brand, which cultivate many problems such as business ethics, followed by the opposition of its consumers, the final source of profit. So it seems Walmart HR professional would harvest more by seeing the long-term potential cost, and with more advanced management tools. Conclusion: So from all those above content we know the human resource management is of strategic importance to Walmart, which is also the definition of SHRM. So the top managers besides the HR executive should pay more attention to the everyday employment management, after all, the issues that are related with employment are what they must face everyday. So they should play more positive roles in training and using their human resources, and maybe cultivating better organization culture, all of which may prove more cost-saving, and correspondingly help realize Sam Walton’s simple philosophy of â€Å"bringing more value to customers†.