Friday, January 24, 2020

What Impact does Jasper Jones have on the Reader? Essays -- jasper jone

Jasper Jones is a coming of age novel that the author Craig Silvey has set in 1965, in the small town of Corrigan; thick with secrecy and mistrust. Charlie Bucktin, an innocent boy at the young age of thirteen, has been forced to mature and grow up over a life changing, challenging summer. With a little help from Jasper Jones, Charlie discovers new knowledge about the society and the seemingly perfect town that he is living in, as well as the people that are closest to him. The most important ideas and issues that Craig Silvey portrays in Jasper Jones are: coming of age and identity, injustice and racism. These themes have a great impact on the reader. While discovering and facing these new issues, Charlie and his best friend Jeffrey Lu gain a greater awareness of human nature and how to deal with the challenges that life can throw at you. One of Silvey’s major ideas in Jasper Jones is coming of age and identity; in this case, Charlie has been thrown into adulthood and forced to grow out of his immature, fearful self. During the novel Charlie starts to mature, show bravery and stand up for himself. This turn of events occur because Charlie chooses to help Jasper: â€Å"But I don’t turn back. I stay. I follow Jasper Jones. And I see it. And everything changes. The world breaks and spins and shakes.† (pg. 12). He made a choice between doing what was right and what he thought was fair. He knew Jasper would be immediately blamed for the death of Laura Wishart. The night Laura Wishart was found dead, Charlie changed as a person: he started to see everything in a different light, even his home life. He comes to terms with his mother; he realises that her personal issues are being taken out on him and dominating their family life. Ruth Buc... ... reader. Throughout the book, Charlie unfolds secrets and truths about the world and the society that he lives in; secrets and truths that cause him to grow up and transition into adulthood. He also makes a life changing decision and rebelled against was he thought was the right thing. This reflects his maturity and bravery throughout the journey he travels that summer. Charlie eyes suddenly become open to the injustice that the town of Corrigan demonstrates. He also comes to face the issue of racism; not only shown towards his best friend Jeffrey and the Lu family but to Jasper Jones as well. He realises the town of Corrigan is unwilling to accept outsiders. Charlie not only finds out things that summer about the people that surround him, but he also finds out who he is personally. Works Cited Silvey, C 2009, Jasper Jones, Allen & Unwin, Cross Nest N.S.W.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Case Study: Xerox Essay

Q 1: How would Xerox define Diversity? How has the definition changed over the years? A 1: Diversity means more than race and gender. Diversity means creating an environment where all employees can grow to their fullest potential. The first chairman of Xerox, Johnson C. Wilson had the commitment to diversify. Chairman Wilson took proactive steps to create a more diverse workplace in response to race riots in the 1960s. He called for increased hiring of African Americans in order to achieve equality among its workplace. Throughout the 1970s Xerox established an internal affirmative action office and began to hire significant number of minority employees. Xerox placed an emphasis on the advancement of minorities and females in the 1980s. It was during that Barry Rand, an African American, was named the first minority president of a division. In the 1990s sexual orientation was included in the company’s Equal Opportunity policy. Xerox has 50% of its workforce made up by women and minorities. Of that 50%, 48.2% are Xerox’s senior executives. In 2007, Ursula Burns was named the first African American female president of Xerox Corporation. The definition of diversity was changed by Anne M. Mulcahy. She said Diversity was the key to success. Diversity breeds creativity. Companies ruled by a hierarchy of imagination, and filled with people of all ages, races, and backgrounds challenge each other’s underlying assumptions, freeing everybody from convention and orthodoxy. In summary: According to Xerox, diversity is more than just race/gender/numbers. It is about inclusion! By including people of all ages, races, and backgrounds,  Xerox can create a place where employees can grow to their fullest potential with their different ways of thinking, perceiving, and creating innovative solutions. They believe diversity=innovation=success. Over the years you can Xerox maintain their strong focus on diversity. In the 60’s they hired African Americans to improve equality in the workplace. In the 80’s they continued hiring minorities AND women, and in the 90’s hired many of different sexual orientations. Q2: What are the seven reasons why Xerox should be motivated to diversify their workforce? Illustrate how Xerox shows it values its workplace diversity. A: 1.Diversity means different ways of thinking, perceiving, and innovating. Innovation is the reason they are at the top of their industry. 2. Diversity creates productive people. Hiring people of different minorities and backgrounds improves equality and enhances individuality and increases productivity. 3. Diversity is highly respectable. In today’s day and age, America has become very diverse. And to diversify one’s company along with the country will result in respect. Xerox has been named one of the Top 10 companies by Fortune, Forbes, Working Mother, Latino Style, and Enable magazines. 4. Diversity spurs creativity. To enjoy work, feel included, express individuality, and use owns different outlook enhances creativity among employees. 5. Diversity instills commitment. Xerox values diversity from entry-level positions up to the highest seat in the house. With a female African-American as the president encourages employees that anyone can do it and commitment is powerful. 6. Diversity serves as an inspiration for other companies. Diversity for Xerox is inspirational. Their logic and beliefs for diversity truly benefits them and their employees and it is evident through their success and ranking. Diversity in the workplace represents the real world: a place of different religions and beliefs but they all have the same skills, high work ethic, and devotion. 7. Diversity has been working and going strong. Because of success with diversity, Xerox should continue focusing on it. They have a 100% rating on Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index and its Best Places to Work survey. Illustration is a chart: This chart demonstrates diversity in the Xerox company. 3. Xerox defies the leaking pipeline phenomenon. The leaking pipeline is something that explains that women don’t have enough senior positions in the workforce, and then leave before they have the opportunity to receive them. Xerox defies this because they, from the beginning, have been committed to the idea that whoever is right for the job, regardless of background, gender, or sexual orientation, will get the job. This commitment not only enables women to reach those higher positions, but also gives them the motivation to keep working hard and not abandon the business out of fear the company might not promote women. 4. No one can argue that Xerox has not taken major strides towards diversity within their corporation. After all, Xerox made history when Ursula Burns succeeded Anne Mulcahy as its chief executive officer (CEO) in July of 2009. This transfer of power marked the first time ever that a female CEO of a Fortune 500 company was succeeded by another female. As historic as this female to female hand-off was, what made it even more remarkable was that fact that Ursula Burns is also an African-American. With this in mind, one may naturally ask, â€Å"How do women and minorities within the upper management of other Fortune 500 companies compare to Xerox?†. In order to answer this question with authority, our group sought out many reliable sources such as established magazines, think tanks, and websites devoted entirely to the task of tracking, analyzing, and encouraging the idea of diversifying our corporate world. Moreover, since our case and its’ questions were published in 2012, we found it best to compare the other companies to Xerox as they stood in 2012 as well. Lastly, our group also assumed that â€Å"the highest levels of each organization† refers to the corporations’ CEOs and their board of directors. According to the Huffington Post, in 2012 only eighteen (or 3.6 percent) of the five hundred chief executive officers comprised of the Fortune 500 corporations were women1. Of these eighteen eighteen women, only one other was of a minority status – Indra K. Nooyi of Pepsico. Mrs. Nooyi is of Asian/Pacific descent, more specifically, Indian. Hence, with this data we can gather that in 2012 the number of minority women CEOs in the Fortune 500  was a mere two. Comprised of these two were one African-American, one Asian-American, and zero Hispanics. In total, less than one half of one percent of the Fortune 500 CEOs in 2012 were held by minority women. This startling statistic proves that women and minorities are extremely under-represented in the Fortune 500 CEO class. With women occupying eighteen percent of the CEOs positions of 2012’s Fortune 500, the remaining eighty-two percent of positions were occupied by men. Minority men fared better than their female counterparts, but not by much. With a little bit of algebra and data obtained from The Center for American Progress2, one can calculate eight men of Asian descent (1.6 percent), six men of Hispanic descent (1.2 percent), and three African-American men (0.6 percent) held the titles of CEOs within the Fortune 500 of 2012. The four hundred sixty-five (93 percent) residual positions were all held by Non-Hispanic white males. When we expanded our search to include all of the board members for each each of these companies we were greeted with slightly better news. According to Missing Pieces: Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards the report published in 2012 by the Alliance for Board Diversity (ABD), women and minorities combined accounted for 13.3 percent3 of all of the Fortune 500’s board members in 2012. The ABD ranked Xerox as the 35th most diverse board that year. Xerox cares about diversity and it shows. There are many things that other corporations can do to increase diversity in their workplace. For example, human resources personnel can host recruitment events in ethnically diverse areas, such as inner cities. Placing ads in cultural papers, leaving fliers at different churches, and participating in a job fairs may also lead to finding more diverse candidates to apply for and fill their needed positions. With a more diverse staff, more companies can expect an influx of ideas, new talents and perspectives, and increased returns on investments.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

The Long Depression During The Colonization Of Africa

At the end of the 19th century, European powers were struggling to control the vast continent of Africa. Primarily England, France, Germany, and Portugal were vying for the continent . Sub-Saharan Africa was one of the last parts of the world that had little to no colonial influence by Europeans. To Europeans, the African continent had untapped potential . During the colonization of Africa, Christian missions followed and proceeded to proselytize the African people. The partnership between colonist and missionaries had a negative effect on the evangelization of Africa. From 1873 through 1879, the world was in an economic recession, called the Long Depression. Europeans were desperately trying to find a way to get out of the economic recession. Europeans saw Africa as an uncharted territory that could have hugely positive effects on their economic struggles. One of the problems that lead to the Long Depression was the large deficit in trade among European nations . Africa was an area that Europeans thought they could use to easily counteract this imbalance. They thought this because there was little competition for the resources available, so the European powers could have unhindered trade with the indigenous peoples. Europeans also wanted access to the plentiful raw materials that were available in Africa, that were not as readily available in Europe. Some raw materials that the industrial Europe had grown dependent on were copper, cotton, palm oil, rubber, diamonds andShow MoreRelatedProblems with the European Union1600 Words   |  6 Pageschang ed the voting rights, so immigration and religious issues could be address sooner than later. In hopes to end sporadic revolts by nationalist and identify what needs to happen to save Europe’s economy and freedom between states. Question 2: During the 18th century imperialism played a significant role with the shift of gender roles, foreign and domestic experiences. Charles Darwin’s novel â€Å"The Descent of Man† lead â€Å"white men† to believe evolution was meant for their progress solely as theyRead MoreScramble Africa And The Aftermath Essay2328 Words   |  10 PagesScrambling Africa and the Aftermath. One common phenomenon between many nations of the world is the colony. The United States, Canada, South Korea, Niger, India, Kenya, Australia, and the Republic of South Africa and more shared the pros and cons of colonial systems. They are all former colonies to the extent that India, Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are members of the Commonwealth, they are former colonies of the United Kingdom and they all continue to concede the nominalRead MoreNegative Effects Of Colonialism1253 Words   |  6 PagesThe Effects of Colonialism â€Å"During the phase of colonial settlement, European countries sent settlers to inhabit and control large areas of land. They took complete control of new areas by force and imposed European laws. These settlers often excluded indigenous inhabitants from their society or killed many of them in violent wars or through disease† (Stewart 1). Colonialism is a conceptual idea that has forever damaged our first-world society. Tribes and nations from every crevice of the earth haveRead MoreWhy Is It That Europe Colonized Africa and Asia2901 Words   |  12 PagesReasons why Europe Colonized Asia and Africa and not the Other Way Round Student’s Name: Institutional affiliation: Colonization is the governing influence, control or acquiring partial or full political control past another country, occupying it with foreign settlers and manipulating it economically. It also is when a group or society of people migrates from one area to another but keep their original homeland language and culture. Colonialism is establishment and preservationRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay1203 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Depression both can be related, in this instance, to how down their people were because of what happened. Chinua Achebe said it best, â€Å"I would be quite satisfied if my novels...did no more than teach my readers of their past...was not a long night of savagery from which the first European acting on God’s behalf delivered them†(qtd. in â€Å"Morning Yet† 45). In the 19th century, Europeans aspiration for colonization brought about the era known as the Scramble for Africa. During this timeRead MoreEffects Of Imperialism On The Indian Economy1449 Words   |  6 Pagesamong the highest countries globally in consumer confidence, this comes after the International Monetary Fund estimated an economic growth of up to 7% annually for the next decade in India. But this hasn t always been the case, in fact, it wasn t so long ago that India was simply another colonized nation around the world, not to mention it s usually rare to see this kind of economic growth in such a small period of time. The Effects of globalization, with an emphasis on open trade networks, and theRead MoreThe Creation Of The British Colonial Empire1475 Words   |  6 Pagesthe British Empire. An important aspect about the British is how the imperialism marked the international system in many countries. The First Empire was during 1583 to 1783 and the Second Empire was during 1783 to 1815. This research assignment will approach mainly on what occurred during the 1 9th century, identified as the Imperial Century. During this century, Britain dominated every field where there is human activity. Some of the reasons behind the establishment of the Empire were mostly economicRead MoreCCOT And CC Essay1549 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿UNIT 1 /2 – 8000 bce – 600 bce, 600 bce – 600 ce Africa Compare and contrast life in foraging societies with life in agricultural societies after the Agricultural Revolution Identify two key changes in early African history that resulted in a new period in the history of the region The Middle East Analyze the political changes in the Middle East from the Agricultural Revolution to 600 c.e. Compare and contrast the basic features of TWO of the following religious systems prior to 600 c.e. PolytheismRead MoreAmerican Political Thought - Benito Cereno Analysis2127 Words   |  9 PagesCaptain Amasa Delano was unknowingly dealing with a ship overtaken by slaves. Herman Melville makes a connection to the underlying problems that faced slavery, which can be compared and contrasted to the ideologies of Lincoln and other prominent people during the time of the Civil War era. Lincoln makes clear through his rhetoric that he does not view blacks and whites as being equal. In Lincoln’s fourth debate with Stephen Douglas in Charleston, Illinois he expresses his view that whites and blacksRead MoreWriting the History of the World Essay examples736 Words   |  3 PagesWriting the History of the World To write a history of the world, one must begin at a point when the world is shifting from the remnants of old empires into the modern or at least the pre modern world as we know it. During the 15th century, we begin to see a change; Europe climbs out of the Middle Ages, tosses off its religious shackles and starts evolving. The Europeans set sail and we start to see well-documented evidence of other cultures and religions. The Americans