Kraft Foods Essay Example for Free

Kraft Foods Essay Kraft Foods is an extremely well recognized brand that provides a vast array of food and beverage products with the ultimate goal â€Å"to become North America’s best food and beverage company† (Kraft, 2014). Critical analysis of Kraft Foods mission, vision and values statements revealed some necessary changes to enhance organizational success. Kraft Foods will become the top in their industry by continuing to develop and sell products tailored to their consumers needs/demands. Assisting consumers to make healthy life choices is part of their dedication to stakeholders. Through incentives and rewards employees will remain dedicated, motivated and have pride in Kraft Foods products thereby increasing financial growth. Kraft Foods understands that contributing to the community is essential for lasting success. Actively protecting natural resources will leave a huge footprint and legacy for Kraft Foods.  Kraft Foods mission statement is very generic and broad in nature. By narrowing and focusing this goal they will guarantee their future success. The vision and values statements are well written and invoke memories and emotions from their stakeholders thereby drawing them to Kraft Foods. Introduction Since its establishment in 1903 Kraft Foods has become a well respected household name (Kraft Foods, 2014). Over the last century Kraft Foods has bought out many of their competitors and expanded their line of products, keeping them as one of the top food and beverage companies in the nation (Kraft Foods). In order to remain successful and accomplish their mission  it is imperative their business statements accurately reflect their vision and values. In this paper the author will discuss the mission, vision and values of Kraft Foods and how these powerful statements contribute to their overall success in the industry. Mission Statement Analysis Every organization should present a powerful clearly articulated statement as to why their organization exists (McNamara, 2009). This statement should convey to outside stakeholders the benefits of conducting business together to increase chances of financial success. Kraft Food’s mission statement reads â€Å"our aim is to be North America’s best food and beverage company† (Kraft Foods, 2014). Kraft Food’s mission statement is very simple, generic and lacks sufficient depth, especially given the size of the Kraft Foods organization. Mission statements should include strong powerful words that articulate and enunciate an organization, resulting in a memorable impression that remains on the forethought of all the stakeholders (Ramjee, n.d.). A mission statement is short term future goals and it is therefore imperative that organizations readdress their mission statements from time to time (Rector, 2010). With all the health phenomenon concerns in North America it is pivotal Kraft Foods continue to reevaluate their mission and re-strategize as needed to remain on the top of their industry and draw new clientele to their organization. The ability to use different marketing strategies, seize different opportunities will draw new stakeholders to Kraft Foods thereby ensuring mission success and financial growth. Vision Statement Analysis An efficient and effective vision statement is a powerful tool that paints a vivid picture while describing how an organization is going to accomplish their mission (McNamara, 2009). This one statement can convey power, confidence and inspire stakeholders (Change Factory, 2014). A vision statement takes into consideration an organizations market, customers, strengths and weaknesses in order to enhance themselves (Change Factory). Kraft Foods vision statement reads â€Å"we’ll get there by continuing to offer products consumers love, creating a performance-based culture that motivates  and excites employees and becomes the best investment in the industry† (Kraft Foods, 2014). With this simple sentence Kraft Foods inspires, motivates and invokes memories from their stakeholders. Painting a vivid picture for stakeholders invokes emotions from past experiences. These memorable impressions stay with stakeholders and they are therefore more likely to support Kraft Foods. This influential statement also describes the most cherished values, services and vision of the future thereby allowing stakeholders to determine if their personal values meet up with that of Kraft Foods future and if investment in this organization is beneficial (Crea, n.d.). Another aspect of vision statements is the ability to state realistic outcomes (Millard, 2010). Realistic outcomes are imperative as they motivate employees and help them focus on something bigger than themselves (Millard). Meeting these goals, â€Å"offering products consumers love† enhances dedications, motivation and pride, which will further enhance Kraft Foods success (Kraft Foods, 2014). The vision statement for Kraft Foods is well articulated, creates a vision of the future company, invokes emotions and draws stakeholders to the organization. Values Statement Analysis In addition to mission and vision statements a values statement will enhance an organizations chance of future success. A values statement is the core of an organization and what values they cherish (Edmunds, 2014). It defines how employees will behave and how actions and behaviors will be evaluated (Edmunds). A values statement reveals how an organization values not only their customers, but suppliers, shareholders and stakeholders (Edmunds). At Kraft Foods their values statement reads to â€Å"make a difference in communities, protect greatest resources – land, air, water, people, educate and motivate to make healthful choices, food safety and quality, and workplace safety† (Kraft Foods, 2014). It is essential a values statement identify and address the organizational values in a clear concise manner so every stakeholder knows and understands what will be tolerated within the organization. The clear writing of Kraft Foods vision statement allows people to contribute to something bigger then themselves. An added benefit of a values statement is rewards and recognitions are structured around this  statement and those employees who embrace the organizational values are identified and rewarded (Edmunds). This statement tells shareholders how the organization hires and promotes individuals and demonstrates that Kraft Foods external suppliers are in alignment with the organizations values, thus enhancing bonds of trust and respect. Alignment of Goals/Needs with Stakeholders Interests The mission, vision and value statements all work together to define an organization. Additionally these statements need to address the goals and needs of the shareholders and stakeholders thereby insuring future investors. Through their business statements Kraft Foods specifically addressed four stakeholder needs they hope to meet. Kraft Foods addresses consumers by focusing on â€Å"quality, safe food that consumers love† in their vision and values statements (Kraft Foods, 2014). Additionally Kraft Foods values statement discusses their dedication to helping North Americans â€Å"make healthy food choices† (Kraft Foods). Their dedication is also evident by the accumulation of healthy name brands products, such as Back to Nature granola (Kraft Foods). The values statement of Kraft Foods also addresses the organizations dedication to â€Å"making a difference in the community† (Kraft Foods, 2014). Kraft Foods is leaving a positive impression, huge footprints and taking massive strides â€Å"to make the world a better place with every action they take† (Kraft Foods). This is apparent by their dedication to food drives aimed at fighting hunger, providing humanitarian support, building playgrounds, and planting gardens (Kraft Foods). Kraft Foods also addresses their employees, one of the biggest stakeholders, in their business statements. Employees at Kraft Foods are â€Å"treated with respect, provided a safe work environment, and encouraged to do great things† (Kraft Foods, 2014). This organization understands that success is dependent on motivated, driven and dedicated employees that take pride in their work. Additionally, through their business statements Kraft Foods is telling the outside world about their employee commitment thus developing respect from the community, industry and other stakeholders. Kraft Foods understands that in order to be successful a strong cooperate governance must be establish to help balance the needs of shareholders and stakeholders (Kraft Foods, 2014). â€Å"Kraft Foods Board of Directors believe effective corporate governance provides a strong framework to assist them in upholding their fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders and promote long term success of the organization† (Kraft Foods). Improvements of the Company Statements Kraft Foods is one of the largest organizations in North America and it is essential their business statements accurately reflect their dedication and drive to succeed. Although admirable, Kraft Foods mission statement is very generic and lacks the special connection to draw stakeholders to the organization. In comparing McNamara’s list of criteria for a well written mission statement Kraft Foods falls short (2009). This statement is not powerful, not memorable, does not discuss growth and profit sufficiently and does not target specific clientele (McNamara). Additionally their goals are extremely far reaching and unattainable. The mission statement needs to be more focused in order to keep stakeholders motivated and driven for success. The vision statement is well written and invokes emotions and memories from stakeholders while also being descriptive in how they will achieve success. Millard states vision statements should be clear, memorable, realistic and discuss positive outcomes (2010). Kraft Foods addresses each one of these criteria in their vision statement. This powerful statement draws stakeholders to the organization and makes they want to be a part of the success. It is the author’s opinion that Kraft Foods values statement clearly articulates the values Kraft Foods cherishes. This statement motivates people to join the Kraft Foods team and become part of something bigger. Kraft Foods is dedicated to leaving a lasting impression and legacy not only with consumers but the environment and this is clearly communicated in their values statement. Conclusion Developed in 1903 Kraft Foods has become one of North America top brands. Through their mission, vision and values statement Kraft Foods is able to communicate to stakeholders why the organization exists, where they are going in the future, how they will get there and their dedication to the world around them. Although some adjustments can be made to their mission statement, overall these statements are clearly written and draw stakeholders to Kraft Foods by invoking their emotions, memories and values. References Change Factory. (2014). The Components of a Good Vision Statement. Change Factory.Retrieved July 13, 2014 from http://www.changefactory.com.au/our-thinking/articles/thecomponents-of-a-good-vision-statement/ Crea, T. (n.d.). A Good Mission Statement. All About Leadership. Retrieved July 13, 2014 fromhttp://www.all-about-leadership.com/good-mission-statement.html Edmunds, S. (2014, May 6). What is a Value Statement? EHow. Retrieved July 12, 2014 fromhttp://www.ehow.com/about_5063071_value-statement_.html Kraft Foods. (2014). Retrieved July 12, 2014 fromhttp://www.kraftfoodsgroup.com/home/index.aspx McNamara, C. (2009). Developing a Mission Statement. Management Library Online. RetrievedJuly 12, 2014 from http://managementhelp.or/strategicplanning/mission-visiom-vales.htm Millard, S. (2010, December 7). Characteristics of Mission and Vision Statements. University ofHawai’i Hilo. Retrieved July 10, 2014 fromhttp://hilo.hawaii.edu/strategicplan/documents/SPC18_10_Mission_and_Vision .pdf Rector, B. (2010, April 18). Clear, Concise Mission Statements. Memphis Business Journal.Retrieved July 10, 2014 fromhttp://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2010/04/19/smallb2.html Ramjee, P. (n.d.). The Important of Making a Good First Impression in Business. Chron SmallBusiness. Retrieved July 13, 2014 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importancemaking-good-firstimpression-business-23065.html

Review of a qualitative research article

Review of a qualitative research article This essay is a review of a research article of how Local Authority Social workers make decisions when they are considering referrals of children. The title of the study is Threshold Decisions: How Social Workers Prioritize Referrals of Child Concern by Dendy Platt (2008). I would attempt to critically appraise this Qualitative journal article based on essential elements of the research which include the Title, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Findings and Conclusion. The study examined how social workers make choices on individual cases of children concern referrals, if to carry out a an initial Assessment i.e. Sect 17 of the Children Act 1989 or if to undertake the Child Protection Procedure under the Sect. 47 of the Children Act 1989. The major finding suggests that Social workers prioritize their referrals based on five key areas, Specificity, Severity, risk, parental responsibility and corroboration. It was refreshing to know that data were collected from Social workers and that Parents were also involved. Title It is worth noting that the title adequately prepares the reader as it gives good insight into what the study is about. The title of an article is very important as it exposes the reader to an article. The key words were appropriate and sufficient as they did retrieve the article upon typing the key words in the search engine. (According to Descombe 2008 p.88), a topic needs to be a very much more narrowly defined area of its study. Abstract The major finding in this article suggests that social workers evaluate referrals based on five key factors, specificity, severity, risk, parental responsibility and corroboration. It is worth noting the abstract did prepare a reader for this study. The abstract clearly highlights that the aim of the study is to find out how social workers reach decision when to carry out an initial assessment (Sect 17 of children act 1989) or a core assessment, (Sect 47 of children Act 1989) when considering referrals about child concerns. The abstract clearly stated that the study chose a qualitative approach. According to (Punch 2000 p. 243), qualitative approach is often sensitive to context and process to lived experience and local groundedness, where the researcher tries to get closer to what is being studied. Using qualitative method allows the researcher to find out a lot about the study. He went further to explain thatqualitative research methods are the best way we have of getting the insiders perspective (Ibid) Qualitative method allows the researcher to generate new theoretical ideas. This happens because they are able to observe and speak to the people (person) being studied and allows them to come up with new ideas through out the study. Being bias is one of the limitations of qualitative research method because researchers can write their own view or even opinion on the matter. But as we can see that reaching difficult area is a great advantage to qualitative research method.) Introduction Looking at the introduction, it seems clear that the problem that led to the research was that the interpretation of the developments of the refocusing initiative has contributed to a climate where social workers work often feel pulled and pushed in different directions by political and popular opinion. The introduction touched on relevant government policies and initiatives such as refocusing initiative which was initiated by the government in 1990 and the framework for Assessment of children in need. In my view, the author attempted to appraise the refocusing initiative policy which attempts to refocus social work practice and to initiate any necessary changes. I partly agree with this notion as the study may bring about positive changes in the child protection climate. But also the author needs to acknowledge where he points on that the climate of child protection is one of uncertainty, that social work itself is a profession full of uncertainty. The researcher explained that the implication of the refocusing initiative is the rise in the threshold for acceptance of a child protection referral as it was thought that the cost to family of child protection procedures were not acceptable in the cases where allegations are minor. In my view, the identification of gap of knowledge shows that the problem has significance for social work practice and the research may positively inform practice. Interestingly, the researcher acknowledges and analyses previous work on the child protection field ( what is known) but also points out the knowledge gap as it demonstrates how application of these factors differs between cases of child concern and cases of child protection (What is desired to be known). I would argue that these reasons amount to sufficiently justification of this study. Literature Review Knowledge gap was identified but author did not explain how his work would attempt to close the gap. Author made an effort to critically review the work of others and points out inconsistencies. The purpose of the research is to examine ways social workers in England made decisions at the initial referral stage. It is my believe that since the author decided to collect information form social workers and families suggest that research is from a grounded theory approach. According to Punch (2000 p.163) Grounded theory is best defined as a research strategy whose purpose is to generate theory from data, To be grounded means basically the theory is generated from data. (ibid) My rational for asserting that a grounded theory approach was implemented is that the author made sense of the data through concepts primarily informed by social workers and the discovery of these concepts begins from the interviews with the social workers. (Somekh and Lewin 2006p.49) point out that grounded theory is best described as an integrated theoretical formulation that gives understanding about how organization experience and respond to events that occur. From this definition, it could be argued that grounded theory was the most effective way to approach this study. Researchers do bring perspective to the research, although these perspectives tend to guide the question and influence interpretation, but they dont drive the research. (ibid p.51). However one of the drawbacks from this approach is that research may be influenced by the researchers personal experiences and previous studies which thus disable the research in approaching the study with an open mind. Finding In my view, the researcher study has a strong internal validity, the researcher made a good effort to eliminate the alternative explanations in his findings. The result however cannot be applied beyond the sample. It would be clearly naà ¯ve to believe that the findings reflect how social workers in the UK decision making. Method The Researcher implemented ethical principles. The social workers involved have to be made aware of what they were getting into before deciding to collaborate. I would argue that appropriate procedures were implemented; also the participant understood what the purpose of the research. The researcher effectively anonymised participants identities, which protected participants privacy. The likely outcome the research aim to achieve include possible changes in policy, examine practice issues for social workers carrying out initial assessment, where in the past, it would have been a child abuse investigation ( Sect 47 of the children Act 1989) One of the strengths of case study is that multiple methods and data sources can be used to explore and interrogate case study thereby leading to a good description of a research from the perspective of the participant (Someth and Lewin 2006 p.33). I do admire the fact that the research implemented the case study approach as this gives the reader a very rich description of the study and also gives a reader a good understanding on the issue. Reliability of the finding was promoted by the data collection from two local authorities who have a very different procedures and practice, also All interviews were tape- recorded. According to (Silverman 2006p. 285), working with the audio and video recordings eliminates at one stroke many of the problems that researchers have with the unspecified accuracy of field notes and limited public access to them However the generalization of the research may not be possible. The weakness of case study is that it is not possible to generalize statistically from a small number of cases to a population as a whole (Someth and Lewin 2006 p.34) References Punch, K.F. (2000) Introduction to Social Research Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. London: Sage Publication. Somekh, B. and Lewin, C. (2006) Research Methods in the Social Sciences. Sage Publication: London. Silverman, D. (2006) 2nd Edition. Qualitative Research. Theory, Method and Practice. Sage Publication: London. Denscombe, M. (2008) Ground Rules for Good Research, a 10 guide for social researchers. Open University: Buckingham.

Country Report on the Philippines

Country Report on the Philippines The Philippines is an amazing country. Many tourists go there to see the many beautiful views. We decided to do the Philippines as our country because two-thirds of the group is filipino. The Philippines is an interesting country to research because there are many things we dont know about it. An interesting fact about this country is that the Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to gain independence after World War II, in 1946. In filipino, the Philippines is called Republika ng Pilipinas. Although, in English it is just the Philippines. It was named after the King Philip II of Spain, in honor of him. The Philippines is located on the continent of Asia. It borders the country of Malaysia. The area of the Philippines is 115,831 miles squared, but the area of the United States is 3.797 million miles squared. The Philippines compared to the United States is that it is 3,681 less miles. The Philippines produced 11 percent of the worlds nickel in 2010. The countrys rich natural resources also include major copper deposits, chromium, gold, and silver;minerals made up 8 percent of merchandise exports in 2011. One popular foods that they eat in the philippines is Adobo. Adobo is a meat, seafood, and vegetable dish. Another common dish in the philippines is Afritada, Afritada is a meat dish cooked in tomato sauce. Lechon is also a common dish in the philippines. Lechon is a dish that is made by roasting  a pig over charcoal. However, the most popular food thats eaten in the philippines is rice. Majority of the people in the philippines love rice. The relationships with family that filipinos have with each other is what makes them connect. The American culture is different from the filipino culture in a few ways. For example, in the American culture, the children are expected to be independent with a little help of their parents. However, in the filipino culture, the parents expect the children to follow their directions step by step and how they say it. Another difference between the two cultures is the amount of privacy they each get. What I mean by this is, in the filipino culture, all of the family is close by and could possibly live together. However, in the American culture, the families are spread out and dont all live in one house. Finally, another difference between the two cultures is the equality. In the American culture, it is known to be said that everyone has equal rights. Also, when greeting it is acceptable to call someone sir or maam. Nonetheless, in the filipino culture, the elderly is treated better/before e veryone else, and everyone is greeted with a handshake, a smile, and some friendly words such as Hi, how are you? or Hi, hows your day so far? One thing that someone researching or learning about the philippines would be about King Philip II of Spain. This would be the most important thing to know because he was the first one to make it to the philippines and, because the philippines was named after him. Since the Philippines was named after King Philip II of Spain, the island country has been under Spanish rule for centuries. To go more in depth, he ruled the Philippines for over 300 years in total. Today, it is the largest Roman Catholic country in Asia. The Philippines is an interesting country to learn about with amazing views to see as you are there. After reading this, you will learn that the Philippines is a very different country from other countries. There are many different and interesting cultures you may learn about. Once you actually experience the Filipino culture, you will see a whole different world. There are many interesting facts about the Philippines, but the most interesting one is that the Filipino flag is the only flag in the world that you can determine whether or not they are at peace or at war. You can tell at how the flag is flown. If the flag is flown with the blue on top they are at peace, but when the flag is flown with the red on top you can tell they are at war.

Immanuel Kants Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals Essays

Immanuel Kant's Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals In his publication, Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant supplies his readers with a thesis that claims morality can be derived from the principle of the categorical imperative. The strongest argument to support his thesis is the difference between actions in accordance with duty and actions in accordance from duty. To setup his thesis, Kant first draws a distinction between empirical and â€Å"a priori† concepts. Empirical concepts are ideas we reach from our experiences in the world. On the other hand and in contrast, â€Å"a priori† concepts are ideas we reach as an end point of reasoning prior to or apart from any experience of how things occur in the world. Kant then claims that moral actions are supposed done for the reason of morality alone. This train of thought leads to the conclusion that an understanding of morality must be based on â€Å"a priori† concepts of reason. Truly moral ideas are then universally valid if and only if they are based on â€Å"a priori† concepts. From this idea of â€Å"a priori† concepts, Kant begins his thesis with the notion that the only thing in the world that is a qualified good is the â€Å"good will†, even if its efforts bring about a not necessarily good result. A â€Å"good will† is good because of the willing that is involved. Two main implications arise with this idea of the â€Å"good will†. The first implication is moral actions cannot have impure motivations. There are many impure motivations but Kant tends to focus mainly on the motives of the pursuit of happiness and self-preservation. Second, moral actions cannot be based on the speculations of the probable results. This action is not good in itself but good because it brought about a more desirable outcome. Thus, Kant arrives at the conclusion that for an action to be considered to have genuine moral worth its motive must be that of dutifulness to moral law. In Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant lays out three propositions about duty. The first is the will is a morally good action if it is done in accordance from duty, as opposed to an action done in accordance with duty. The second proposition is that actions are judged by the "maxim" or principle that was the motivation behind the action. If someone undertakes an action with the only motivation being that of a sense of duty, they are followin... ...viously that you will be more probable to engage and look to engage in more actions that will give you this appeal and instant gratification. This is not an ideal situation because placing a slight neglect to a duty or obligation that you might not find appeal in defeats the purpose of completing all of the obligations set for us to go through with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kant’s thesis has strength in the fact that the universal law seems closely related to the golden rule, which is do on to others as you would have others do on to you. With a statement as such it is awfully arduous to not perform a moral action. The weakness still lies in the fact Kant takes little to no consideration to humans’ natural emotions and feelings. Leading a moral life does not have to be a melancholy life, one in which you are bound to an endless amount of duties that you can seek no joy in. Whether or not Kant intended to make morality seem like torture, it appears it comes off in this manner. Kant’s overall view of morality appears near flawless. If there was a manner in which he could have incorporated a leeway for some emotions, I feel his thesis is in actuality how each individual should lead his or her life.

My Dream Computer :: essays research papers

My Dream Computer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After perusing the isles amongst isles of desktop computers at CompUSA I found myself drawn to the Sony desktops. SONY is a high quality brand name and has shown me throughout the years that anything and everything they create seems to be a winner. Eventually I decided to get one that was practical in size and powerful enough to handle the most strenuous projects. I ended up decide ding on the Sony VAIO RA834G Minitower. The components in this PC were more than I needed for a price I just couldn’t resist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This particular computer also intrigued me because of its processor. The processor is a common one, an Intel Pentium 4. I like that Sony decided to stick with Intel, since they are an American brand. The exact processor they used is the Intel Pentium 4 3.6Ghz 560J with HT Technology. The Hyper threading technology is very helpful and I’m glad they decided to use it because it really makes multi-tasking even with complex software faster and more efficient and significantly cuts down on the lag. The 3.6 Gigahertz processor is very very fast and can handle even the most multifaceted functions. The bus speed is also very impressive coming out with a total of 800 solid Megahertz’s. This is an extremely fast bus speed considering it only has one successor the 1066 Mhz speed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The motherboard chipset also is made by Intel. It is a well put together chipset that runs very well with the ram chosen for this computer. Sony chose the Intel 915P Express Chipset which runs the PC3200 DDR SDRAM at an harmonious 400 Mhz. I was also very excited that they chose the Double Data Ram as oppose to the normal SDRAM. The computer comes with a 1GB stick of ram, however, I am going to add another stick of Kingston 1Gb ram to max out the ram capacity at 2 gigabytes. And since it’s DDR its going to be running like it has 4GB’s of SDRAM.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The hard drive is a very hefty one with almost 400 gigabytes of space. However after researching the PC closer I learned that it actually contains two 160GB drives configured with RAID 0. The two drives both run at 7,200 RPM’s which is also pretty good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I also picked this computer because it has a long list of card slots that would work perfectly with any type of media I might need to use.

Four Dead in Ohio :: essays papers

"Four Dead in Ohio" On Thursday, April 30, 1970, President Richard Nixon told the American people that we were sending troops into Cambodia. This upset many Americans because Nixon was brought into office due to his promise to end the war. In his first year of presidency it looked like the end of the war was near, but with this announcement the end of the war was not evident. This pro-war decision by Nixon upset many people and led to riots all over the country. How could the President make the decision to continue war when he promised to end it? Among the riots caused by Nixon’s decision were revolts at many universities, such as Kent State. Young students were upset because they were the ones being drafted and the sooner the war ended the less chance they had of seeing war. On Friday, May 1,1970 anti-war rallies began to take place at Kent State University. Students gathered and burned a copy of the constitution. Also many riots broke out in downtown Kent. The extent of the damage done in Kent was estimated at fifteen thousand dollars. Upon learning about these problems the mayor, Leroy Satrom, called a state of emergency and contacted Governor James Rhodes for assistance. On May second, the ROTC building at Kent State was burnt down during a protest. The next step was calling in the National Gaurd as ordered by the Governor. The national guard helped on campus by seeing that the new eleven o’clock p.m. curfew was followed by all students. This caused more anger among the students, and added more peopl e to the rebellion that would otherwise not have become involved. On May 4th 1970, when rallies surfaced again in the commons area, tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. The conflict between students and the National Guard had begun to expand, and the cursing and rock throwing were increasing the tension in the air. The Guard ordered the students to retreat and as the crowds began to break up, it appeared the Guard was also retreating. Then shots were heard. The Guard for reasons unknown had to turn back and open fire at a crowd of students. Within thirteen seconds, four students were dead and nine wounded. One student who was killed was Allison Krause, who had been the only one of the four killed that was actually involved in the demonstrations.

Describe Gender Roles at Work and in the Home Essay

Males and females have always had different gender roles and these roles have an impact on the workplace and home. However there are also some disadvantages for both of them. This essay will describe gender roles at work and in the home with reference to Japan. Firstly, many women are distressed by the balance between home and work. They face â€Å"role overload† ,which means trying to merge the roles of worker and mother or wife. When both spouses work outside, women tend to do the â€Å"lion’s share† of the housework. For example, an Australian research showed that working women do roughly 70 hours of housework while working husbands only do approximately 31 hours. In Japan many women work fulltime share the housework with their spouse. However there are still some women who work both at home and at the work place and still experience â€Å"role overload. † Secondly, many men also experience challenges with gender roles. While they are less likely to suffer from prejudice, there are more disadvantages than advantages. For example, many men tend to experience stress from the pressure to make money, the situation employment, and social expectations. In Japan, many men experience these problems as well as the responsibility to earn a good salary. However the current financial crisis makes difficult for them to keep their position and workplace. Thirdly, a lot of women are confronted with inequality at work. Nowadays their rights have become much better than in the past and therefore gender equality is guarded in many places by laws. As a result, most women can get higher salaries than before. However inequality at work still remains and even though men and women have the same qualifications or skills, women still earn lower salaries and have lower status. For example, many of their jobs are inferior to men’s jobs and they do not have opportunities to get higher positions because of the â€Å"glass ceiling. † In Japan, women’s rights have improved and many can get higher positions, like cabinet ministers in the Japanese government. However for some women this problem still continues. In conclusion, many workplace rights have become much better than in the past and many women can get good salaries and positions. However both spouses still experience â€Å"role overload† and pressure to earn money. When these problems are dealt with, people’s lives will improve in the future.