Sexual discrimination Essay Example for Free

Sexual discrimination Essay Sexual discrimination still happens in the workplace even if it has been outlawed many years ago through the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2002). While a firm may not be expressly vocal about it, certain cultures prevail that snobs sexual diversity. Conley and OBarr put it that the pension funds and other financial services industries are among those that are generally intolerant to gays or lesbians. This is the dilemma facing George Campbell, an executive at financial advisory firm Kirkham McDowell Securities. George has to make a decision concerning one of its employees decision to bring his partner to a major company social event. Adam Lawson, a 29-year old associate at Kirkham, has been with the firm for two years. During this period, Adam has proven his mettle by bringing in lucrative businesses for the company, a fact that is to be acknowledged in Kirkhams silver anniversary banquet. Adam is gay and has been living with a lawyer for five years. He told George that he intends to bring Robert to the banquet. George is fearful of how the firms clients would react to the action and how it would impact the business reputation and its bottom line. Problem Identification In this situation, Georges main problem lies with how certain groups of people would react to homosexuality. First, senior management may not approve of Adam announcing to the entire assembly that he is gay. Being traditional, these people may think that being gay is unacceptable and this could hurt Adams career. Second, the companys clients include those that are also conservative and traditional, and Adams bringing of his partner to the banquet could cause them to bring their business to another firm. Third, George is worried that Adams coming out would negatively impact Kirkhams reputation in the industry. Georges fears are well founded. He knows the corporate culture as he has been with the company for many years. Even in other industries, openly supporting gay and lesbians could harm customer relationship. As example, McDonalds partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has been met with criticisms from traditional sectors (The Traditional Values Coalition, 2008). This is the kind of issue that George wants to avoid. Supporting Facts, Assumptions and Analysis Workplace diversity is becoming the trend in many industries (McInnes, 2000). Even a conservative one such as the banking sector recognizes the benefits and advantages of encouraging and nurturing a diverse workforce. Bank of America has a very good diversity program in place that serves the company well. This is a fact that George Campbell should face with alacrity. This is an opportunity for the firm to be a catalyst of change in an industry that is discriminating to people because of their sexuality. By allowing Adam to bring Robert to the banquet, it would give Kirkham a reputation of being a fair employee. Treating its employees fairly translates to the company being fair in its other dealings, certainly a plus factor with any client. As Woods has said, choosing the ethical way would prove beneficial to the company in the long run. While George assumes the worst, he should not discount his own reaction to Adams disclosure. He did not find it repulsive to be working with a gay person. Taking this as an example, it is highly probable that their clients and the senior management would also have the open-mindedness to accept the fact and respect Adams private issues. Being a responsible manager, Georges consideration of all issues is called for. He is weighing the issue from all angles. But as Adam puts it, the matter wont be an issue if no one would make it so. Adams talking with George about it implies that he trusts the manager to be a fair and open-minded person. It also implies that Adam knows his worth as an employee and wants to be recognized and valued for his work and not because of his private life. Best Possible Solution The obvious solution to this problem is for George to support Adams decision. It would affirm Adams trust in him and lift the worry from the associates shoulders. It is high time for Kirkham to adapt to the changing dynamics in the workplace. Losey asserts that the best managers would take this action. Adam is a valuable asset to the company and Kirkham should not let his sexual orientation get in the way. Besides, Adams five-year partner is a respectable lawyer who could probably send clients their way. Also, if Adam wont be allowed to bring Robert, he would feel the discrimination deeply and this could result to his resignation from the company. Since Adam had come to Kirkham at 27, it is likely that he left his previous employer because of sexual discrimination. If this will be the ending, Adam could move to another company and bring with him his clients. Feasibility of Solution George is definitely taking a risk by openly supporting Adams sexuality. There are two probable results to the solution. The first one would make Georges fears come true. The firms most conservative clients would frown at the change and bring their business elsewhere. However, other firms could also be shifting their paradigms to embrace diversity, forcing the conservative clients to adapt. The second result would allay Georges fears. The clients would not mind dealing with a company that chooses to be legally and ethically correct. Should this happen, Kirkham would be bringing change not only to its offices but to other companies as well. Between the two, the second is more likely to happen as managers and companies understand the need to empower the workforce. One way of doing this is to encourage diversity in whatever form. The traditional and conservative clients may not be a hundred percent sold to the idea but it would be willing to tolerate a firm that produces good results.

Energy Deregulation :: essays research papers

As we have witnessed the rolling blackouts and emergency alerts throughout many parts of our state of California within the past 12 months, there is a question waiting to be answered. Why do we have an energy crisis when there are other states that are doing just fine? Before we come to any hasty conclusion, let us ask ourselves what happened to the energy policy during the mid 90s? During that period the electric utilities went from being highly regulated to being deregulated following the trend in successful deregulation of many industries such as airline and telecommunication industries. The concept that deregulation will bring more competitive prices and better services to the public, undermined the negative potentials of the free market system. Deregulation bill must be abolished because it brings higher electricity prices, lower reliabilities of electricity, and also it threatens to drag down our economy along with it. First, we have seen a nation-wide increase in both wholesale and retail electricity prices. In California as an example, the wholesale prices increased seven times last year compared to 1999 (Kahn and Lynch 13). The average residential electric bill almost doubled from $40 to $80 in San Diego when the SDG & E’s retail price freeze ended in June 2000.1 According to Washington Governor Gray Locke, â€Å"the whole energy prices have gone up from ten to twenty times the prices of a year ago (1). In New York, more specifically in New York City and parts of Westchester County which are one of the first areas in the country to deregulate retail prices entirely, the retail rates have increased almost 30% (Eisenberg 47). This is bad when you consider that ones that are going to be most hurt from these unreasonably high electricity prices will be the individuals and families that are in the low-income bracket. Second, the reliability of electricity was compromised throughout many parts of our state, affecting both residential and business sectors. On June 14, 2000, about 100,000 customers were blacked out in San Francisco Bay Area (Kahn and Lynch 9-10). According to Lorenco Goncalves, the CEO of California steel industries, â€Å"We were interrupted 14 times this month [January] compared to not once from 1987 to 1998. So many other industries depend on what we send them†¦If they can’t depend on my products, they will [buy them] elsewhere† (Wood and Sherer). These uncertain interruptions are causing a lot of damage in our economy.

H Entering Australia

Executive Summary Table of Contents Introduction – Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) was first established in 1947 and have since expanded internationally and currently operate in 34 countries (H&M, 2009). As H&M continues to expand every year, the following report has chosen Australia as the new market, where analysis has been conducted to provide H&M with recommendations of which market entry method they should adopt and the threats and issues they must overcome to be able to succeed. 1. 0 – Country Analysis – Australia For the purpose of this report H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) has chosen Australia as the foreign country in which they wish to enter and introduce their products. Australia is the largest island, however, is also the smallest continent in the world which is situated below South East Asia (Department of Immigration and Citizenship, 2009). Being the sixth largest nation on earth it also consists of six states and two territories with the lowest population density per square metre (REFERENCE). As it is practically impossible for H&M to enter the whole Australian market simultaneously, H&M has, therefore, chosen Melbourne as the first Australian state they wish to enter. There are many reasons for choosing Australia and Melbourne in particular including: †¢Melbourne is the second largest capital city in Australia with a population of 3,634,200 (REFERENCE). †¢Melbourne is renowned as the fashion capital of Australia, where the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) is one of the largest and most popular consumer fashion events in Australia (City of Melbourne, 2009). This may then make it easier for H&M to launch their products and also obtain brand awareness, as Melbournians are relatively ‘fashion conscious’. †¢New business opportunity, since 2006 there has been a 15% growth in the segment where young female consumers are demanding for low priced yet high quality and fashionable apparel (Euromonitor, 2009). †¢Australia has a similar country profile as previous countries H&M has successfully entered and launched its product. Hence, H&M appears to have prior knowledge and experience in expanding internationally into a Western country. 1. 0Product Analysis – Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) was founded by Erling Persson in Vasteras, Sweden, in 1947. It was initially known as Hennes, which is the Swedish word for â€Å"hers†, as the company only sold women clothing. Persson purchased Mauritz Widforss a small sporting apparel company and since then formed Hennes and Mauritz (REFERENCE). The company now operates in 34 countries including Germany, France, Hong Kong, USA and the UK. H&M continues to expand internationally where they expanded into the Japanese market in 2008 and will further expand into Russia and Lebanon by the end of 2009 and Israel and South Korea in 2010 (H&M, 2009). The core concept of H&M is to provide fashionable products at the lowest price possible, to compete with expensive department stores. H&M has 6 main product lines which include: †¢Women – diverse range of apparel spanning from basic sportswear to corporate and party garments. †¢Men – includes tailored garments such as jackets to fashionable apparel that reflect the latest trends. †¢Children – is divided into three categories – babies, children and H&M Young which is aimed at children up to the age of 14. Divided – targeted at teenagers and young adult, which offers fashion with a young look with creative designs that reflect those of the latest trends. †¢&denim Jeans – provides both traditional five-pocket jeans to the trendiest cuts. †¢Accessories – H&M also produces its own footwear, handbags, jewellery and even cosmetics. It should also be noted that H&M does not own manufacture any products, instead they re ly on over 700 independent suppliers primarily in Asia and Europe which enables them to select the best supplier (H&M, 2008). 3. 0 – Market Segments With the diverse range of product lines, it appears that H&M has the ability to target different market segments simultaneously, this is reasonably difficult to achieve. Therefore, for the purpose of this report, two specific market segments have been selected and profiled to provide an overview of which segments H&M should specially target when launching in Melbourne. 3. 1 – Profile One – Women's outwear segment The foremost market segment that H should target would be the women's outerwear segment which includes all garments from tops to blouses to jackets (REFERENCE). Main reason being, this market segment is reasonably profitable with a Retail Value of over $3000 million (Refer to figure XX), where women have traditionally been the dominate consumer in the clothing and footwear industry (REFERENCE). However, there appears to be a new social trend where men are becoming more fashion-minded and are also looking for cheaper options (REFERENCE). In recent times, there has been a change in preference for young women, where they do not only demand for high quality yet fashionable products, it must also be low priced (REFERENCE). H&M should then be able to target this segment, as the company's core concept coincides with this new trend. Where H's women's clothing are designed for women of all ages who are fashion minded, where its product line includes â€Å"everything from modern basics to tailored classics, sportswear, maternity clothes and cutting-edge fashion. † (H, 2008, pg. 17). However, for the purpose of this report and to make it easier to target, the primary segment will be young women aged 18 to 24, while the secondary segment will be women aged 25 to 40. . 2 – Profile Two – Childrenswear The second market that H should consider targeting once the women’s outerwear market has been successfully targeted would be Childrenswear in Australia, as figure XX illustrates the steady increase in the market share of childrenswear in Australia (REFERENCE). There are many reasons to the growth of the childrenwears market share; this may be because Australians are choosing to have few er children (REFERENCE). In addition, household isposable incomes have increased providing, the key buyer generally mothers, will be more willing to purchase good quality childrenwears at a low price. Therefore, H intensive range of children clothing which caters from infants to children aged up to 14, should be able to target the childrenwears market in Australia. Where the concepts for the children’s clothing are made to be fashionable, practical and hard-wearing (H, 2009). 4. 0 – Culture – Home Country, Foreign Country and Company Culture Each and every country, city and company will have its own distinct culture. There are many definitions of culture where Fletcher and Brown, 2009 has defined culture as â€Å"†¦prescriptive of behaviour that are acceptable to people in a specific community†¦learned†¦people are born into a culture†¦dynamic because†¦our behaviour influences the culture and culture is subjective† (Fletcher and Brown, 2009, pg. 76). It is crucial for H to have understandings of the culture of the home country, foreign country and also the company’s culture. Main reason being, cultural differences play an important role in launching and establishing H as competent competitor in the Australian market. . 1 – Swedish Culture The Swedish culture is typically perceived as egalitarian, simple and open to international influences (REFERENCE). This may be caused due to the predominance of the Social Democratic Party where it promotes the culture of equality, pluralism and individual freedom (REFERENCE). As the Swedish culture is relatively sim ilar to the Scandinavian, it can be assumed as a low context cultural country in contrast to Australia. Low context culture can be classified as â€Å"†¦ messages are mostly explicit and the words covey most of the meaning in the communication†¦ (Fletcher and Brown, 2009, pg. 88). Meaning in Sweden people mainly communicates through words and do not place emphasis on non-verbal cues. Therefore, this culture may affect business negotiations between Sweden and Australians, due to the differences in cultural context, where Australians rely more on body language and facial expressions (REFERENCE). In regards to the fashion culture, Sweden is greatly influenced by European fashion, where there is a strong ‘dressed up’ working man’s culture (REFERENCE). 4. 2 – Australian Culture It is relatively difficult to identify and analyse Australian culture, in comparisons to other countries, as Australia is newly formed country and is a predominantly multicultural society where it consists of different races and ethnic groups (Live in Victoria, 2009). However, there are gradual changes to social trends which may become part of the Australian culture (REFERENCE). Similar to Sweden, Australia also has a low cultural context, yet in contrast, Australians appear to place more emphasis on non-verbal cues. Relating this to the Australian clothing culture, Australians generally dress in business attire during business hours. Though outside of working hours, Australians tend to choose clothing that is comfortable such as track suit pants and a loose fitted t-shirt, in comparison to a pair of jeans and jacket (Department of Immigration and Citizenship). This is an important factor; H must take into consideration, as this will directly affect the products and marketing strategies used to target the market segments. For instance, as Australia appears to have a ‘laidback’ culture, it would probably suit the market more if H was able to launch products that suited the Australian culture and preferences. . 3 – H Culture Company culture can be defined as â€Å"a system of values and beliefs shared by people in an organisation – the company’s collective identity and meaning† (Fletcher and Brown, 2009, pg. 334). As stated on the official H website, the company believes its employees, teamwork, working at a face past and constantly improving (H, 2009). This suggests that H a ppears to have a relatively open, carefree and energetic company culture, where it strongly promotes open communication between managers and their employees (H, 2009). In addition, H is a firm believer of non-discrimination where all qualified applicants are given equal opportunities regardless of any characteristics including, race, religion, sexual orientation, sex, age marital status or disability. The company culture of H should not cause any implications when entering the Australian market. However, it may cause implications when international marketing strategies does not coincide with the company’s culture, as strategies are designed to accommodate the company’s culture and not vice versa (REFERENCE). 5. – Economic Factor The Australian economy has recently experienced a market downturn where economic factors such as consumer confidence and disposable income will have a direct and indirect impact on the market entry and success of H in the Australian market. ?Gross Domestic Production (GDP) The GDP for Australia has been relatively flat in 2009, where there is no significant growth, however, there is an anticipated growt h of 0. 5% in 2010 and with the recession ceasing there should be gradual growth of 3. 25% in 2011 (ANZ, 2009). ?Interest Rates In recent times, the interest rate has continued to drop, where in 2009, the nominal interest rate had dropped by 3% (Refer to Figure 2. 0 in Appendix). As interest rates are low Australians are discouraged from depositing money in the banks as it does not generate interest. ?Household Income From figure XX and XX the equivalised disposable household income for Australians appears to have gradually increased. For instance in 1995-96 there were 11% of total income categorised as being low income, however, in 2007-08, this had decreased to 10. 1%. While there has been a significant increase of high income earners, from 37. % in 1994-95 and 40. 5% in 2007-08 (ABS, 2009). Overall, the Australian economy appears to be reasonably attractive as both GDP and equivalent disposable household income have increased, which suggests that consumers have more money and are more likely to spend and purchase consumer goods which include clothing and footwear. Therefore, H should take advantage of this consumer confidence and enter the Australian market rapidly as consumer currently have the ability to purchase more consumer goods that are not considered to be a necessity. 6. 0 – Competitors Analysis Even though the clothing and footwear industry in Australia is viewed to be an attractive market to enter, there does appear to have intense competition (REFERENCE – competitive). Referring to figure XX, there is no dominant market leader in the Australian market; however, there are a number of brands who have gained substantial brand share, such as Just Jeans (1. 9%) and Jays Jays (2%) respectively (REFERENCE). All brands operating in the clothing and footwear industry could be considered as H competitor, however, Just Jeans and Jay Jays are the two most similar brands compared to H. Where they have also identified the demand for fashionable yet low priced products, therefore, all three companies have similar product offerings and also customer profiles. Hence, to successfully enter and establish H in the Australian market, it would be essential to have sound knowledge of competitors and develop core competencies such as designs that are exclusion and is able to differentiate H from other similar brands (REFERENCE). 7. 0 – Social Trends – Sizes Overall, both Australian men and women’s body weight has gradually increased in recent times. However, as the primary segment for H are young women aged between 18 to 24, only the body weight of women will be discussed. From previous surveys conducted there appears to be a steady increase of the average weight of women from 62. 6kg in 1989-90 to 67. 7kg in 2004-05 (ABS, 2009). From figure XX there also appears to be considerable increase in the Body Mass Index (BMI), where there are less women classified as being normal weight, while there are more women who are overweight and obese. As a result of this increase in body weight, the dress size as also increased from size 12 to size 14. Hence, to accommodate to this increase in weight, most clothing brands have now introduced larger sizes for instance, Portmans now has size 16 as part of their standard dress size (REFERENCE). Therefore, to ensure that H is able to compete with other competitors it would be essential for them to manufacture products that are the suitable size for Australian women. 8. 0 – Conclusion In conclusion, this report has thoroughly analysed a variety of factors to identify the attributes and threats of the Australian market in relation to the launch of H. Taken as a whole Australia appears to be an attractive market which consists of a stable economy and high consumer confidence. Where H is able to use these attributes to help them better penetrate and expand in the Australian market. In contrast, many threats were also identified including cultural differences, changes in social trends and also intense competition. It is absolutely essential for H to gain thorough understanding of the threats and furthermore the business and social environment of the Australian market. Main reason being, H will then be able to develop specific marketing strategies to address and overcome these issues to successfully enter and become a market leader of the women’s outerwear segment in the Australian clothing and footwear industry. 9. 0 – Recommendations. From previous analysis Australia and the city of Melbourne in particular appears to be a possible market for H to enter and expand into. Therefore, the following recommendations are written in correspondent to the threats and issues identified in the conclusion and throughout the report. †¢Market Entry Option – Direct Exporting It is suggested that H adopts a direct exporting method to enter the Australian market. Direct exporting can be identified as â€Å"†¦ the firm itself contacts the buyers overseas and either sells direct to the end-user† (Fletcher and Brown, 2009, pg. 290). Mainly because this is the market entry option H are experienced in using and is also one of the most commonly used method. As it is relatively simple to operate and provides the company with more control over the operation of the business. †¢Adapting to Australian fashion culture – Style and Size For H to succeed and be able to obtain market share, the company must adapt to the Australian fashion culture and the physical body size of Australians. Therefore, H is recommended to use product development strategies where they manufactured products that suit the Australian market. †¢Suitable store location – Chadstone Shopping Centre Finding a suitable store location also plays an important role to the launch of H in Melbourne. Therefore, Chadstone Shopping Centre is suggested as a suitable store location for the first H store to be established. Main reason being, the shopping centre is well-known and has a solid customer base, which makes obtaining brand awareness easier.

Moliere s Tartuffe By William Moliere - 1574 Words

The Enlightenment ushered in the idea that reason should be exercised in thinking instead of passion. Moliere’s â€Å"Tartuffe† was written to challenge the dominant political and religious views of its time. The Catholic church viewed Moliere’s â€Å"Tartuffe† as a threat to their faith and banned the play from being performed in public. Moliere became one of the great Enlightenment thinkers because of his willingness to speak out against the large corrupt institutions that many people did not have the courage to question. Marcel Gutwirth states, â€Å"Who is Tartuffe? Who is the wretch come barefoot into the home of a man of some wealth and note who, in the teeth of almost universal detestation, establishes a grip upon that household so tenacious that the intervention of the sovereign is needed to shake him loose and send him packing? The play, as had been remarked, refuses to make up its mind. The â€Å"rubicund glutton† of the second act or the â€Å"sinister jail bird† of the fifth, the religious hypocrite or the professional confidence man, the professed nobleman the provinces or the penniless impostor make for a range that takes in some mutually exclusive possibilities. Two things stand out: he does lay claim to a very special relation to heaven; and, though far less overtly, sex exercises an equally strong claim on his person. A third fact, which we shall take up first, is his successful occupation of that well-nigh impregnable fastness, the interior of an affluent French househo ld- theShow MoreRelatedWilliam Moliere s Tartuffe As A Threat Of Reason1138 Words   |  5 Pagesthat Moliere addresses in Tartuffe as he establishes his characters. In satire characters are usually very one dimensional and unchanging. They are simply there to represent an idea. Therefore, rather than using character development, Moliere uses character establishment to shape his story and theme. This is most notably seen in the last two scenes of act one in Tartuffe as he establishes the characters of Orgon, Cleante and Tartuffe. In the establishment of these three characters Moliere forms