HR challenges in managing a network of high-class cafes in the United Dissertation

HR challenges in managing a network of high-class cafes in the United Kingdom - Dissertation Example It is evident from the study that unlike any other business type, in its essence hospitality business is largely dominated by human resources (HR) over any other aspect of the business. In other words, people, working in a hospitality organisation, create success of their organisation by their actions and decision. Provision of quality service is the main goal of any hospitality organisation, as service is the main product that organisations sell. At the same time, hospitality concerns service that is not mechanical, but rather human-made, hence HR Management is a definitive factor in delivering quality. In general, hospitality service is created, maintained and supplied by humans at all stages of operation, and the right HR policy is a definitive factor in this industry. All stages are equally important and provide equal contribution towards delivering quality service and hence profit. However, the degree of importance of HR is significantly higher outside the profit objectives â₠¬â€œ a right HR policy makes a business favourable to work in if we look at this from employee perspective; and also to be a customer if we consider this from consumer’s perspective. This is why HR aspect in hospitality appears as one of the most significant investments that often get overlooked or underestimated. Another significant issue in this dissertation will concern quality control. It is unclear at first glance what defines quality and the dissertation will thus analyse the crucial factors defining quality specifically for our type of business. Providing for the right interpretation and understanding of quality will be an essential component for an appropriate assessment of an HR policy. One of the most significant challenges this dissertation is going to analyse is the motivation of employees within cafe business. It is apparent that majority of hospitality industry employees consider their workplace as a temporary solution to earn money or receive some experience in non-home country. Clearly a fraction of people working in this sector are looking to develop themselves as professionals and consider working in a cafe as a worthy professional career. Motivation is the most significant challenge for most employers in this sector, and it happens that high percentages of people are getting withdrawn for being below the required work standard. High staff turnover in cafe industry is also the major concern for most business owners and there are a number of reasons for this. According to Mehta (2005), â€Å"once employed, a fifty percent chance exists that any given employee will leave their job within a year†. The first reason was mentioned above as the minimised potential dedication to work from employees. Secondly, according to Directgov website, over 70% of current workforce in the restaurant and hospitality sector is foreign citizens attracted by a high living wage of ?7.85 per hour in London. Their term of stay at one workplace is often li mited by their visa term, or other immigration obstacles, as well as the desire to experience different jobs during

Murdering McKinley Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Murdering McKinley - Essay Example He came to bring reforms, reforms that could effectively change the culture and system of American society. 2 After McKinley, it was Theodore Roosevelt who was the next candidate to be appointed as a president and change the nation. Roosevelt represented the Republican Party and backed the philosophy of limited governance. Roosevelt was not in favor of the current regulation and advocated the reform in it to bring decisive change in the country. He endorsed policies, which would not limit the power of the State and also the power of Congress as a National governing body. He followed socialist thinking man who kept a slight different opinion than the typical bureaucrats of the country.3 Rauchway introduced Roosevelt as a next progressive leader. A man who keeps a liberal and progressive mindset to cut the William McKinley’s ideology. 4 Roosevelt backed the idea of democracy by giving rights to the women immigrants of the country. During his presidency, Roosevelt reform policies inspired his time of governance. His policies backed and supported the women and the poor who were suppressed before his time of governance. Moreover, Roosevelt’s concern was to bring economic, social, and cultural reform, and these were the radical changes, which Rauchway was talking about.5 Roosevelt identified several key problems in the American society and one of the major issues was anarchism. According to his thought it was an â€Å"evil† standing in American society. Roosevelt, being a Republican, identified the second problem in the labor sect. He worked to help labor unions, and went decisively against the workforce discrimination. It was due to corruption within the capitalist industrial order, and current political regime that caused this problem to exist. Moreover, Roosevelt called for banking reform as he identified this as a major problem in the commercial

Oceans Act of 2000 Essay Example for Free

Oceans Act of 2000 Essay From sea to shining sea, America has always been a country dependant on its coastal waters. We use the oceans and the abundant resources found in them for everything from physical exercise, food, and medicines, to a place to dump our garbage, dispose of toxic chemicals, and to travel to far off destinations. The oceans provide much for us, and without them, life on Earth would not be sustainable. The oceans are a vital resource for humankind, and sadly, we have put them in immediate danger. The majority of the population of the United States lives in coastal regions. Due to this, marine-related industries, such as fishing and shipping, play a significant role in our nation’s economy. Unfortunately, the fishing business in the United States has dwindled. Overfishing has caused the collapse of New England’s cod, flounder, and haddock fisheries. The Gulf of Mexico has what is known as a â€Å"dead zone†, (Report of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation S. 2327) which was likely caused by pollution from the Mississippi River. Pollution is another issue altogether†¦ Runoff from our farmlands and cities flows down our rivers into the Gulf of Mexico and contaminates the coastal areas of our southern states. Oil spills threaten our marine wildlife. Harmful algal blooms have taken over many underwater habitats. Overabundances of sediment and nitrogen from farms and factories upstream suffocate the water ecosystems of our lands. Without strict guidelines and stream-lined regulations set up to properly control our pollution problem, humans will, ultimately, destroy the oceans. The need for urgent action to protect our oceans and waterways has never been greater. Although people have attempted to investigate and lay down the groundwork for improving the condition of our oceans in the past, their attempts have not been enough. In 1966, Congress passed the Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act (Report of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation S. 2327), which was designed to lay out national objectives and programs regarding the oceans. Leading the commission was Dr. Julius A. Stratton, former president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With Dr.  Stratton leading the way, along with advisors from congress including Senator Norris Cotton and Senator Warren Magnuson, the 1966 Act was a huge step forward for the country’s oceanic preservation efforts, yet for the next thirty years, it would be one of the only steps forward. The United States urgently needed to increase public awareness of the importance of the oceans to our nation. With that in mind, 1998 was declared the â€Å"International Year of the Ocean†. Spreading knowledge of the threats our oceans faced made it clear to Congress that we needed to take a second look at our ocean policies. On August 7, 2000, President Bill Clinton released a statement upon signing the Oceans Act of 2000. In it, he stated that â€Å"the legislation would establish a Commission on Ocean Policy, to make recommendations to the President and to Congress for a coordinated and comprehensive national ocean policy. † (Statement on Signing the Oceans Act of 2000) The Oceans Act itself was the law requiring the formation of a sixteen member commission, whose job was to research the issues regarding our coasts and waters and to present a detailed report on their findings, and any recommendations to solve the issues, to the President. In September 2004, the Commission introduced their final report, â€Å"An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century†, and invited public comment on their findings. The report consisted of 212 recommendations for ocean policy. Members of the Alaska Oceans Program, American Littoral Society, Gulf Restoration Network, Natural Resources Defense Council, North Carolina Coastal Federation, People for Puget Sound, Sierra Club, and The Ocean Conservancy submitted their comments on the report. Public Comment on Final Report: An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century: Pre-Publication Copy) Although there were a few changes that these groups did not agree with, the majority of the information provided in the report was met with vast approval, especially the call for the implementation of a National Ocean Council, to consolidate the numerous agencies involved in the welfare of our waterways. Since the publishing of â€Å"An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century†, President Bush called for a 13. percent increase in National Science Foundation funding for ocean sciences. (A Sea Change in National Ocean Policy? by Matt Villano) However, much of the funding promised to support the National Ocean Council has been delayed and pushed back, making it very difficult to move forward with the recommendations of the Ocean Commission. In February 2008, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, comprised of former members from the Pew Oceans Commission and the National Ocean Commission, a ssessed the nation’s progress in ocean policy throughout 2007. The grade they presented was a â€Å"C†. Funding seems to be the largest issue our nation is facing in terms of moving forward more quickly with the recommendations from the Commission, yet, as Andy Solow, director of the WHOI Marine Policy Center says, â€Å"If enough people get involved politically and on a grass-roots level, we can make significant progress in some of these areas without it. (A Sea Change in National Ocean Policy? by Matt Villano) The future of our oceans, as well as our planet, is still up in the air. Unless our priorities change, and funding is found to implement the changes needed to improve the status of our oceans, we may find ourselves on the verge of extinction.

The company culture of Pixar Animation Studios

The company culture of Pixar Animation Studios Introduction The origin of Pixar is traced back to 1984 when John Lasseter the Chief Creative Officer of Disney and Pixar joined the computer graphics division of Lucasfilms. Two years later Steve Jobs bought this unit and renamed it Pixar that went on to produce award winning short films, commercials and documentaries. The Company expanded its creative potentials to make its first computer animated movie, Toy Story in 1995 that marked the beginning of a new era in animation film industry. Pixar re-defined the meaning of success with major triumphs in the form of The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Toy Story 2, and many others to follow. The Company was acquired by Disney in the year 2006, a strategic alliance that expanded the creative potentials of Pixar to further heights. The success of the company has been termed as dramatic and inspirational for other firms in the creative industry segment. The much talked about Pixar culture provides an interesting insight into how an organization can nurture t he creative talents of its employees across different levels. Research issue The research paper explores the different dimensions of the Pixar culture and its open door policy to understand the ways in which the organization has expanded its creative potentials to become one of the most innovative organizations in the industry. The objective of the paper is to analyse the impacts of the people management practices adopted at Pixar in promoting a creative work environment. Theoretical analysis framework Theoretical analysis provides any research work with the necessary facts and evidence that support the research findings and implications. In this section, the paper will focus on analysing the organizational culture of Pixar through two distinctive models the organizational aesthetics model and Handy (1985) or Harrison (1972) Model of culture. The study of these two theoretical dimensions enable a deeper insight and understanding of how the structural design and practices within an organization shapes its workplace environment and employee attitudes. The study and understanding of these two theoretical dimensions have been used to analyse the Pixar culture that promotes creativity through an enabling work culture. Organizational aesthetics model Aesthetics offers a new look into organizations, and a look at alternative ways of expressing and making meanings that deeply influence organizational interactions, behaviours, and understandings (Taylor Hansen, 2005). Aesthetics relate to our senses and contextual experiences that shape our knowledge and beliefs. Organizational activities and strategies are to a wide extent influenced by the social and contextual environment in which they exist. The underlying assumption of the aesthetic approach to the study of organizations is that, although an organization is indeed a social and collective construct, it is not an exclusively cognitive one but derives from the knowledge-creating faculties of all the human senses (Linstead Hopfl, 2000). According to this approach organizations are created through the re-definition and application of knowledge processing skills that are harnessed for productive gains. Since the organizational processes are widely impacted by the individual perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, values and reflections of the workforce that drive operational efficiencies. These are indicators of organizational aesthetics that bind the various elements into a more cohesive structure that helps in the production of goods and services for the larger community. Recent Trend in Organization Aesthetics The significance of such models is underlined by the increasing diversity of the workforce in present business environment and the difficulties faced in integrating the skills of individuals from varied knowledge sectors to develop a single product. Research studies have established that an understanding of the organizational aesthetics can help in improving managerial abilities to lead the team towards a more effective performance. Studies have revealed that the understanding of organizational aesthetics can help managers to identify the parameters of how to analyse and approach any issue. This particular aspect enables the organization to pursue a strategy well defined and supported by an understanding of human values and dimensions that impact work performance. Organization Aesthetics in Pixar Bill Capodagli, the author of Innovate the Pixar Way: Lessons from the Worlds most Creative Corporate Playground in an interview with the Enterpriseleadership.org (2010) stated that Pixar has a set of deeply rooted values that champion excellence, tap innovation, and encourage collaboration. Following this observation, it can be inferred that the organizational practices and strategies adopted by Pixar have been a vital factor in promoting its creative talents. The question that this observation raises is what kind of organizational design and practices Pixar has that promotes such creativity. Organizational structure plays a critical role in nurturing individual talent and providing the employees with the opportunity to deliver their true potentials Edgar Schein in 1985 observed that organizations can be broadly categorised into two types Organization A that adopts an open environment facilitated by free flow of communication and less formal atmosphere; and organization B that supports a closed door structure featured by formal work procedures and low interactivity among employees. Pixar belongs to the Organization A type that exhibits an open culture (Schein, 2004). This kind of organization supports team based work culture. The success formula of Pixar is based on team work, collaboration and free flow of communication between individuals. The high level of interaction and flow of communication within the organization is promoted by its flat organizational structure. The organization is founded on remarkable management practices that discourage hierarchical system of r eporting. The non hierarchical organizational structure promotes responsibilities and motivates the employees to put in their best at work resulting in high performing organizations. However, such work culture demands strong commitment and high level of energy from the employees. The operating principles of Pixar is based on freedom to communicate with anyone, a work environment that is safe for everyone to offer ideas, and staying close to innovations happening in the academic community (Catmull, 2008). The creative focus of the organization has been on harnessing its human resource potentials to the optimum through the application of aesthetic organizational principles (McElroy Morrow, 2010). This involves providing its employees with a work environment that is most informal with all amenities and luxuries that enable the stimulation of the creative senses of the workforce (Buzalka, 2006). The company adopts a non-hierarchical organization structure that encourages associates to actively participate in the decision making process at all stages. The organization supports employee empowerment in the form of supportive management practices that focuses on employee skills development and promoting participative leadership style. The lack of formal reporting lines and accountability of employees is compensated with mentors who assist the new comers into the organization and guide them through various stages of career progression. The ability of the organization to create and sustain in novation at work is dependent on speed, transparency and accountability (Hamilton, 2005). Organizational design is to a large extent guided by the flow of information across various levels and departments. Entrepreneurs re-engineer business processes to accommodate a flatter form of organization structure that necessitates free flow of information and knowledge to the workforce. Organizational structure plays a pivotal role in determining organizational culture and values, communication lines and the extent of employee involvement in decision making process. The levels of reporting and accountability framework of a company determine the corporate culture and work environment existing within the company. In current business context, entrepreneurs re-engineer business processes to accommodate a flatter organization structure that necessitates free flow of information and knowledge to the workforce. Knowledge and learning culture forms the key to business success in todays competitive industry. Pixar has managed to leverage existing technology tools to create competitive adv antage through enhancing its competencies and skills to adapt to new systems and innovate work processes for launching and creating new ideas. The effectiveness of such work processes is largely impacted by employee skills, competencies and access to relevant information. In the organizational context, knowledge is a tool that helps the organization to achieve strategic goals and objectives. These goals include generating a reputation for technical expertise, translating expertise into new business ideas, gaining new experience in specific areas to achieve cost advantage and optimum use of internal resources. At Pixar the open organization design facilitates interaction between employees that promotes teamwork. Such initiatives contribute to organizational productivity by providing the employees with a suitable physical environment to work in. Pixar presents a fine blending of learning and team work assisted by an open organizational design that enables the company to roll out new ideas and creative products for their target audience. Advantages of Organizational Aesthetics Workplace design and physical office environment plays a significant role in enhancing organizational productivity and performance. Research studies have concluded that improvements in office design and management are not the only consideration for organizational productivity, but they have an important role to play; offices should be considered as a potential asset rather than just a space to house employees (Charles Zweirzchowski, 2004). Organizational aesthetics take into account the need for designing workspaces to meet the work process requirements. Adequate space designing for privacy of work, open office plans to promote teamwork and interaction between co-workers support the organizational goals by providing the employees with the desired workspace. Technology has created new expectations and influenced consumer behavior to include a wide gamut of options and possibilities that can be explored by organizations to launch new trends and range of products. Such business models are supported by increased collaboration and interaction between employees across different departments. The open design office structure supported by Pixar enables the employees to communicate and discuss freely the work issues and details. Discussions and deliberations on work issues are effective in promoting work efficiency and enable the companies to come up with million dollar ideas. The right mix of design and functionality while planning office spaces can have a positive impact on organizational productivity and performance through reduced operational costs in the form of shared resources and effective teamwork. Types of office design The conventional office design and workplace layout have undergone massive transformations over the past few decades. The previous sections have elaborated on the significance of organizational aesthetics in developing creative potentials within the firm and the analysis highlights the impacts that structural design has on employee productivity and performance. Efficient workplace design can positively impact employee motivation levels and satisfaction. Theoretical frameworks in this context have emphasized the significance of workplace design and office layout plans in supporting organizational goals, work processes, innovative culture and business values. Bill Capodagli in an interview with the Credit Union Magazine recently commented that the success behind Pixar lay in its conceptualisation of a corporate playground that enabled its employees to relax and enjoy within the organization. When you go there, you may see people playing football or swimming in an Olympic sized pool. It has created an atmosphere where work is fun working hard and playing hard (Capodagli Credit Union, 2010). Pixar has adopted an open office design that enables its employees to share ideas, conceptualise new designs and initiate new practices for effective results. An analysis of the effectiveness of the office design theories put forward by Duffy (1997) reveals interesting insights into the Pixar model. Duffy (1997) in his works had proposed four distinct types of office design namely den, club, hive and cell. The matrix given below illustrates the extent to which these four office design types support interaction and autonomy in organizations The work culture at Pixar shows a high degree of team work and interaction between employees. The organization as studied in the previous sections supports a participative decision making process. The daily work of the employees is reviewed by peers and managers for assessing the effectiveness of outcomes (Capodagli, 2010). Hence the work environment at Pixar supports limited autonomy combined with high level of interactivity that is characterized by the Den office design as postulated by Duffy (1997). The effectiveness of such office design is emphasized by its contribution in motivating and inspiring employees towards creativity. Such workplace design according to Van der Voodt (2004) promotes a transparent organizational structure, enables employee empowerment, encourages team work, promotes learning, facilitates free flow of information, allows increased collaboration at work and creates a motivational environment. It can be inferred from the above discussion that organizational design and workplace layout must focus on enabling increased collaborative environment within the departments and hierarchies. Organization Culture and Workplace Environment The previous section highlighted the significance of organizational aesthetics and workplace design in shaping the Pixar work culture. However, the analysis of the success mantra of Pixar cannot be complete without an insight into its organizational culture that is reflected in its workplace environment. Organization culture defines the organizational belief, values and norms shared by the employees. An organization is shaped by the culture that predominates in work environment, employee behaviour and managerial attitude. Pixar adopts an organization culture that defies all traditional theories related to managing and running a business establishment. Conventional management practices focused on bureaucratic controls and centralised decision making system that demarcated distinctive roles for each individuals. The evolving concepts of organizational culture and practices focus more on employee welfare and development plans that inspire the workforce to display proactive behaviour at work. One of the distinctive challenges faced by all organizations today is motivating its employees to achieve higher levels of performance and build a work climate that induces positive attitude to work amongst its employees. Motivation is a key area where the organizational management needs to stand out in order to achieve a high degree of employee creativity skills in solving business problems. Opportunity oriented, reward oriented, freedom to explore and work on their own are some of the factors which contribute to a high degree of motivation which gives solidarity to the company and promotes a good organizational culture. A high degree of employe e motivation ensures that employees work freely and without reservations in achieving their desired goals. They are also given the freedom to work on their own to allow creative ideas and hence innovative practices to grow. This would not be possible in a restricting environment where the employees do not have the room to develop and grow their intrinsic creativity skills. Pixar adopted the innovative and creative approach to expand its market potentials and gain new grounds in an emerging industry. The promoters of the Company ensured that the team based work approach promoted creative talents of its employees and nurtured the potentials of the workforce through an enabling corporate learning environment. This is a new kind of movie studio that not only invents its own technology, much like a whiz-bang Silicon Valley Company, but also comes up with new production methods and organizational innovations that bring unheard of discipline to the crazy business of making movies (Schlender, 2004). Model of culture Different models of organizational culture have been proposed by researchers and academicians. Such models provide the basis for understanding the context in which organizations operate within the existing business environment. One of the models proposed by Roger Harrison (1972) suggested that organizational culture is primarily of four types that include power, role, task/achievement and person/support (Cartwright Cooper, 2000). This model was further researched by Handy to provide four distinctive categories of organization culture. The four categories have been identified as role culture, power culture, person culture, and task culture. The role culture reflects bureaucratic organization that takes into account the procedures and position of employees to define the existing work culture. The power culture is influenced by the control of individuals at the head who run the whole show for the business. The person culture is shaped by the leader-subordinate relationship that accounts for the existing work culture. The task culture is based on impact of individual knowledge and expertise that influences the work culture and environment (Itzen Nerwman, 2005). The organizational culture displayed at Pixar focuses on increased collaboration and team work culture. The creativity at Pixar is fostered daily by an open collaborative atmosphere in which every member of the team is engaged in the process and commited to a common goal in this case, a good entertaining story (Kiedaisch, 2010). The company adopts an integrated approach towards its people development strategies based on group learning initiatives and team work focus. One of the mechanisms adopted by organizations today is the reinforcement of team work that provides the individuals with the autonomy and freedom to act according to the need of the hour. Teams at Pixar are an integral part of operational processes and the organization relies extensively on teams to perform strategic functions. The team learning process is not only innovative and inspiring to the members but it also helps the organization devise new strategies and creative ideas that can work wonders for the business. Hence it can be concluded that Pixar displays task culture where individual expertise and skills are integrated with organizational capabilities and resources to produce new ideas and product designs. The task culture brings individuals working on specific tasks together to contribute to the completion of a bigger task. The work approach focuses on completing the job at hand successfully and more emphasis is given to a collaborative approach that necessitates the coming together of differently skilled people to accomplish the goal. Hence this kind of work culture promotes an informal work environment where decision making is usually reached through discussions and consensus between the employees. This type of work culture is also characterized by increased interaction and exchange of information between members. Suggested applicable solutions In order for an organization to remain relevant and to compete in pursuit of its mission, management of organizations must pay attention to both ends of the process, generating creative ideas frequently and utilizing its innovation process to realize the potential value of those ideas (McLean, 2005). Organizations operating in a competitive business environment depend on innovation and creativity through the adoption of latest technology tools and applications to drive market advantage in their favour. Management of technology and its judicious application in work processes facilitate the firms to deliver high quality products and superior work performance that is driven by an enabling work culture. Adopting work practices that promote creativity and innovation within firms can be a challenging task since the application of such business models are impacted by the human resource strategies, managerial capabilities and resource availability (Gilmartin, 1999). Studies of such business models in creative organizations have proved the effectiveness of these strategies that promote innovation and a positive work culture within the workforce. An analysis of the competitive industry environment provides a clear picture on the existing market environment and its current trends. The driving economic forces that guide the market movements and emergent technology trends are significant to the analysis of markets and help organizations like Pixar to define appropriate strategies to retain competitive advantage. Futuristic technologies are envisioned to create better and increased utility of existing products and services for improved applications and heightened consumer satisfaction. However, the effective utilisation of such technology trends depends on the creativity of its manpower. Creativity contributes to the generation of new ideas and help companies in distinguishing their products and services from their competitors in the market. Pursuing a creative organization approach must focus on developing the human resource of the organization. Conclusion The analysis of Pixar work culture and organizational aesthetics have highlighted some significant points in context of strengthening the innovative capabilities of a company. While office workspace design and structure play a significant role in influencing a positive work environment the role of organizational culture and strategic practices involving team work, participative leadership approach and employee empowerment in promoting creativity among employees cannot be ignored. The guiding principle behind managerial strategies and focus of the organization has been nurturing relationships and building trust among employees that helps in creating an amiable and creative work environment. If we get that right, the result is a vibrant community where talented people are loyal to one another and their collective work, everyone feels that they part of something extraordinary, and their passion and accomplishments make the community a magnet for talented people coming out of schools or working at other places (Catmull, 2008).

Essay --

Just Another Chalk-line Characters: James Enfield – Detective (age 38) Lee Ames – Detective (age 48) Chris Rollins – Detective (age 26) Nolan Eckhart – Detective (age 40) – Deceased Setting: The scene takes place in an alleyway beside a popular bar named Edward’s. There are a few police officers scattered about closing off the area. (Extras during the stage production.) They would leave the stage until the end of the act when the detectives call the coroner to take away the body. James, Lee and Chris are on the site of a murder. The murder in question is of one of their co-workers and friend Nolan Eckhart. They are standing around the body of Nolan; James is kneeling down actually checking on the body. The alley is empty with the exception of the body and a small pile of garbage from the bar. Act One: Scene One ( James is a man nearing forty. His build is average; he has light skin and dark hair. He is sensible and caring enough for his partners. He’s dismayed that Nolan has been killed. They were close friends in the office. Lee has been around for a while nearing his fifties he has been working on the force for twenty years. He is experienced but tired. Nolan’s death is not easy on him either, though he won’t show it. He’s a larger man than James, with a bit of a round gut and his head is affixed with greying and balding hair. Chris is the youngest of the trio; he is the newest member in their office having been transferred from another precinct. He shows promise to be a great detective, in his first few cases in their precinct he has already impressed the chief and was rewarded a raise to his salary. He is more muscular than the other two and his brown hair is cut professionally short.) James: Damn†¦I still can’t ge... ... Lee, he may not be as useful as he used to be out here in the field, but in the office he still has his purpose. I’m so glad the chief and I share a similar thought process in all this. It’s quite thrilling to be able to practice my forensics skills; just in this case it’s in reverse. (Notices James returning and stops speaking, leaning against the wall as if his speech moments before never occurred.) James: (Returns from off-stage) Coroner’s on his way. The officers will watch over the scene. We’re officially done for the night. Now, let’s get warmed up shall we? Chris: Alright then. I feel it’s going to be quite cold later on, better enjoy it while it lasts. (Both men leave the stage, going inside the bar for drinks. James turns to look at Nolan once last time) James: (sighing ) I still can’t believe Nolan is dead. Chris: Let’s go make you forget about it, huh.

Baldwin and the Nation of Islam Essay examples -- James Baldwin

Baldwin and the Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam impacted many African American people during its time. This Black Muslim nation not only requested, but demanded and required basic teachings which included racial separation, white devilry, and the coming Armageddon. None of these basic teachings supported James Baldwin’s perceptions. It was Baldwin’s view of pitying the white man for their lack of not being able to see through the color line and to embrace differences that whites and blacks held together to create a better, inexorable, and supreme nation. The Nation of Islam felt no pity for the whites or, as they would call them, devils. Neither would the Muslims embrace their differences from other races, but actually want to keep them divided. Although Baldwin is not confident as to where or to whom he belongs to, Baldwin is certain that a black nation separated from all other races will only separate blacks from the future of a better nation and keep them from further developing as a community. Born in Georgia, the leader of the Nation of Islam was a man named Elijah Muhammad. He has often been portrayed as a saint by his peers, but during World War II, Elijah Muhammad expressed support for Japan, on the basis of its being a nonwhite country, and was jailed for sedition. On August 24, 1946 Muhammad was released from prison in Milan, Michigan. According to the journal named The Black Scholar by Claude Clegg, Muhammad’s time at Milan had done more for him than ever before and after his release, Muhammad had unquestionably become â€Å"the premier martyr of the Muslims† (Clegg 49). From his speeches on the radio and in newspapers, Muhammad was also thought of by many people as a fierce man, one of thes... ...munity can arise. Baldwin believes that our own separate houses are burning and asks himself: â€Å"do I really want to be integrated into a burning house?† (Baldwin 340). It has since been time that we all move into the anticipating house down the street, and together we can help make its future grow into a bigger and brighter one. Works Cited Kihss, Peter. â€Å"In Return for Years of Slavery, Four or Five States.† New York Times 23 Apr 1961: 1. Baldwin, James. â€Å"Notes of a Native Son.† 1955 James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84. Kihss, Peter. â€Å"Negro Extremist Groups Step Up Nationalist Drive.† New York Times 1 March 1961: 2. Clegg, Claude Andrew. â€Å"Rebuilding the Nation: The Life and Work of Elijah Muhammad.† 1996 The Black Scholar. Vol. 26 Issue  ¾, 49-59. Baldwin and the Nation of Islam Essay examples -- James Baldwin Baldwin and the Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam impacted many African American people during its time. This Black Muslim nation not only requested, but demanded and required basic teachings which included racial separation, white devilry, and the coming Armageddon. None of these basic teachings supported James Baldwin’s perceptions. It was Baldwin’s view of pitying the white man for their lack of not being able to see through the color line and to embrace differences that whites and blacks held together to create a better, inexorable, and supreme nation. The Nation of Islam felt no pity for the whites or, as they would call them, devils. Neither would the Muslims embrace their differences from other races, but actually want to keep them divided. Although Baldwin is not confident as to where or to whom he belongs to, Baldwin is certain that a black nation separated from all other races will only separate blacks from the future of a better nation and keep them from further developing as a community. Born in Georgia, the leader of the Nation of Islam was a man named Elijah Muhammad. He has often been portrayed as a saint by his peers, but during World War II, Elijah Muhammad expressed support for Japan, on the basis of its being a nonwhite country, and was jailed for sedition. On August 24, 1946 Muhammad was released from prison in Milan, Michigan. According to the journal named The Black Scholar by Claude Clegg, Muhammad’s time at Milan had done more for him than ever before and after his release, Muhammad had unquestionably become â€Å"the premier martyr of the Muslims† (Clegg 49). From his speeches on the radio and in newspapers, Muhammad was also thought of by many people as a fierce man, one of thes... ...munity can arise. Baldwin believes that our own separate houses are burning and asks himself: â€Å"do I really want to be integrated into a burning house?† (Baldwin 340). It has since been time that we all move into the anticipating house down the street, and together we can help make its future grow into a bigger and brighter one. Works Cited Kihss, Peter. â€Å"In Return for Years of Slavery, Four or Five States.† New York Times 23 Apr 1961: 1. Baldwin, James. â€Å"Notes of a Native Son.† 1955 James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84. Kihss, Peter. â€Å"Negro Extremist Groups Step Up Nationalist Drive.† New York Times 1 March 1961: 2. Clegg, Claude Andrew. â€Å"Rebuilding the Nation: The Life and Work of Elijah Muhammad.† 1996 The Black Scholar. Vol. 26 Issue  ¾, 49-59.

Problem in Diastereoselectivity

Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to determine the stereochemical outcome of a reaction. A second chiral center is being formed in this experiment and two diastereomeric compounds are created. Table of Reagents: Safety Precautions or Hazards: †¢Do not place pipettes in paper trash. Must be thrown away in the broken glass container †¢Take caution when adding HCl. †¢CO2 evolution may be vigorous so be sure to vent funnel. †¢Never directly heat ethanol over hot plate, use water bath. †¢Conc. H2SO4 is highly corrosive Equations for all Reactions: Mechanism(s):Experimental Procedure: Part A: 1. Add a magnetic stir bar, 2g of benzoin, and 20 ml of absolute ethanol in a 125ml Erlenmeyer flask. 2. While stirring, (do not turn on the heater) carefully add 0. 4 g (10. 6 mmol) of sodium borohydride portion-wise to the mixture over 5 minutes. After the addition is complete, stir the mixture for another 15 minutes at room temperature. A white precipitate will for m. 3. Cool the flask in an ice-water bath and decompose the excess sodium borohydride by first adding 30 mL of water followed by the careful and dropwise addition of 2 mL of 3M HCl.The HCl addition should be done quite slowly, no more than about 3 drops per minute (maybe 10-15 minutes total time). The mixture may foam uncontrollably if the acid is added too quickly. If the foam reaches the 100 mL mark on the flask, stop adding HCl until the foaming subsides. 4. When the HCl addition is complete, add another 10 mL of water and stir the mixture for 15 minutes. 5. Collect the white precipitate by suction filtration. Wash the product diol with water on the suction funnel (about 150 mL) and allow the product to air dry on a filter paper. Safely store the product in your drawer until next week. . The filtrate should be placed in the aqueous acidic waste container. It contains water, B(OH)3, HCl, and ethanol. 7. Then, record the mp when the sample is completely dry (mp ~136-137 ? C). Disca rd filtrate in the organic waste container. 8. Record the IR spectrum and compare it to the spectrum of the starting benzoin, noting the absence of the carbonyl-stretching band. Your product should be completely dry before going on next week to the next reaction. Part B: 1. Dissolve 1 g (4. 67 mmol) of the diol in 15 mL of anhydrous reagent grade acetone in a 50 mL round bottomed flask fitted with a stir bar. . Add 2 mL of acetone dimethyl acetal (2,2-dimethoxypropane). Immediately stopper the flask and cool it in an ice bath. 3. Remove the stopper and add 12 drops of concentrated sulfuric acid. (Caution: conc. H2SO4 is highly corrosive). 4. Carefully replace the stopper and continue to stir the cooled flask for 20 minutes. 5. Then, transfer the cold reaction mixture to a separatory funnel. Rinse the reaction flask with two 25 mL portions of diethyl ether and add the rinses to the separatory funnel. Carefully add 30 mL of Na2CO3 solution to the separatory funnel.Swirl the funnel gen tly before inserting its stopper. (Caution: CO2 evolution may be vigorous. ) Insert the stopper and immediately invert the funnel and vent it by opening the stopcock. With the stopcock open, swirl the funnel again to complete the neutralization of the acid and evolution of CO2. Close the stopcock. Position the funnel upright and remove the stopper. 6. Drain off the lower aqueous layer and extract the remaining organic layer with two-30 mL portions of water and then one 30 mL portion of saturated sodium chloride solution. 7.Transfer the organic layer to an Erlenmeyer flask and dry the solution over Na2SO4. DECANT the dry solution into a round-bottomed flask and evaporate the solvent on a rotary evaporator (rotovap). Your TA will explain to you how the rotovap works. 8. The aqueous layer should be placed in the aqueous basic waste container. 9. Scrape your crystalline product out of the round-bottomed flask. Dry. If your crystals are sticky, your TA will assist you by washing with ice -cold pentane. Record the mp and IR of your product. Be sure to calculate a yield for steps 1 and 2 and an overall yield.Results and Observations: I noticed that it was very hard to get the solid substance out of the erlinmeyer flask without rinsing several times. I do not believe this gave me abnormal results or is a cause for skewed yield. In part A I got a melting point of 122*C and collected 1. 427g of product. In part B I got . 4857g of product. My melting point was 49*C and there was no IR taken because the machine was down. Product Data: The product in part A is officially called erythro-1,2-diphenyl-1,2-ethanediol. It has a melting point of ~136*C. It has the chemical formula of C14H14O2 and molecular mass of 214. 64 g/mol. The product in part be is officially called meso-2,2-dimethyl-4,5-diphenyl-1,3-dioxolane. The melting point for this is ~57*C and has a molecular weight of 254. 329 g/mol. Its chemical formula is C17H18O2 . Discussion of Results: My yield was decent but b ecause of the lower than normal melting points I’ve determined that my product is not as pure as I’d like it to be. Also, I am without an IR spectrum of my product in part B so I cannot analyze my own chemicals stereochemistry. Percent yield and mp: MP part A: 122*C MP part B: 49*C % yield A: % yield B: % yield Overall: