Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Travel, Tourism, Lodging, Food & Beverage, Content and Application Essay Example for Free

Travel, Tourism, Lodging, Food Beverage, Content and Application Essay Abstract In this very competitive world of business like in hotel and restaurant, it is not only about customer service is important but more importantly it is about safety and design of the hotel is very important.   Rehabilitation that not only gives security for its guest and even rehabilitation of guestrooms would give added enticement for guest to come to the hotel.   This is also the main aim of this paper, which is to provide the different factors that should be done in order to achieve effective rehabilitation and maintenance in the hotel. Introduction In this continuous effect if globalization, many businesses are not only continuous to rely heavily on research on how they can perform quality service and also on how they can effectively manage human resources in the organization.   But, for hotel and restaurant business, it is more than just superior quality service or satisfying its manpower that needs to the main priorities.   Since hotels and restaurants are there to entice guest, most especially foreign guests, their safety and comfort is another aspect of the business that cannot be compromised. Safety, not only with regards to terrorist attack but safety with regards to maintenance and rehabilitation of the building itself is the one that needs to be done.   For superior comfort and satisfaction among its guest, design is another aspect that guest would always feel to come back to the hotel and restaurant that has created more than just satisfaction for them, but it is more of total relaxation and peace whenever they visit and these are the main focus of this paper.   This paper also provides some relevant information that would really help hotels or restaurant to achieve these very important aspects of this type of business. Main Thesis Rehabilitation is truly one of the most important aspects of ensuring guest that safety is also a priority in every hotel business in order to achieve superior quality service.   This has also become a common practice and a shared responsibility of the housekeeping, maintenance, and engineering department of all hotels.   Housekeeping because with excellent housekeeping, it can help guest to be organized since the hotel is also organized, effective advice on where and when to use facilities and other hotel service will be observed.   Maintenance is also another aspect for this paper because it also a vital department for assuring quality in the hotel, this department does all the fixing that need to be perform in the hotel before it becomes worst if not attended properly. One excellent example for maintenance is electrical maintenance within the hotel, possible leak problems also.   These are just some of the problems that may arise if maintenance department will not be pro-actively anticipating these problems.   Lastly, engineering department within the hotel is also another team that will be vital for the success of rehabilitation; engineering team will be used to formulate a more of long-term plan for the hotel in order to achieve longer and stable security and assurance for safety within the hotel.   One good example here is when they implement control system for disaster and safety devices that will be used for emergency situations. III. Related Topics In the actual rehabilitation of the facilities in the hotel, there are many roles that need to be involved.   Not only roles or duties are involved but also additional cost is also involved. Facility Systems Facility systems are one of the major aspects of rehabilitation that is always a concern within the hotel.   It involves the following facilities: (1) safety and security, (2) water and wastewater, electrical, (3) heating, ventilating and air conditioning, (4) lighting, (5) laundry, (6) food service equipment, lastly, (7) building structure, finishes and site system.   These are the different facility system that has to be the main focus for rehabilitation and maintenance.   Starting from safety and security, alarm signals are just one of the most common facilities involved in security.   This sometimes creates peace of mind for most of the guest since it makes them feel that the hotel can always be ready for any disaster. This also directs guests to directions and paths for safety in case disaster happens, an example guide here is the fire exit and fire extinguishers, and these are just two common examples.   For water and wastewater systems, it involves how waster is properly managed within the hotel.   This is one of the most important facility systems within the hotel that can create big dissatisfaction among its guests, because waster can affect health and it can cause other problems like environment as well.   Waster control like proper garbage collection and disposal are just some of the common priorities in this area.   But, more importantly is water; water system should also be maintained at all times since it is the source for cleanliness within the hotel.    Maintaining it like always checking the water holes and reserves, most especially for disaster situation is importantly be monitored and checked round the clock.   The third is electrical system, this is no question that has to be maintained as well since most buildings like hotels, electrical related disasters are always the issue for fire in the buildings. Some of the common priorities in order to minimize if not totally eliminate this problem is that it needs to check the smoke and fire detectors, also includes here is the safety guidelines for safe electrical tips within the hotel.   Guest should always be well educated for every situation that would occur that relates to electrical issues within the hotel, because this not only would create problem for the guests but also for the owners most especially.   The fourth facility that needs to be well maintained and rehabilitated is lighting, lighting creates better ambiance for the hotel which creates a relaxing mood for the guests. Lighting focuses more on the design of the hotel rather than for security and safety of the guests.   For the fifth and sixth facility systems, laundry and food service equipment, starting with the laundry, these are very important for long stay guests, laundry services and facilities are essential most especially in terms of drying services for laundries. There are laundry services that have no driers available and this can create dissatisfaction for the guests.   The sixth facility services of food equipments, many facilities that falls in this category are common facilities within the hotel, food equipments are sometimes in common areas where these equipments must also be checked if it is enough for its guests, like for example doe micro wave ovens are enough for the guests. Or will there be any facility that would give guest the chance to cook in their own room in case they want it.   Lastly, is building structure, does the building is well maintained yearly, does the structure is string enough to sustain the number of floors with the total number of guest and what if the number exceeds this numbers. Or what if there will be disaster like earthquake, will the building can sustain that unexpected disaster, does the building has been checked regularly on how its structure can sustain disaster.   This is very important because it does not only create a worry-free for customers or guests but also a concern for business if in case the owners would really focus on not just satisfying their customers with their design but most of all safety of everyone. Facility Design The design for hotels establishments is also another priority for maintenance and rehabilitation.   Design is always a recipe for competition among hotels, it also one major aspect on how it can entice more guests depending on how relaxing and how inviting the design of interiors it maybe.   One of the major designs driven part of the hotel is the lobby or the guest rooms.   This is where quest considered as king and queen of the hotel.   This can create an environment of high respect for its guests.   Maintaining this part of the hotel is considered a mandatory action that needs to be done all the time.   From the superior design of lightings, interiors, furniture and even up to the uniform that is worn by hotel personnel are all part of the design that would attract more and more guests to visit the hotel. In the design priority within the hotel, there are three most common design factors that always need to prioritize in the hotel: lodging planning and design, food service planning and design, and lastly, other renovation design.   Lodging planning design is again part of this is the guest room, reception or lobby design area, where this section should always be well attractive to the guests.   Again, most of the time it is not only the design itself that is being focus here but part of it are also the people who are working within this special section of the hotel.   Usually, only the most charming, intelligent and articulate persons of the hotel works in this section, which not only to educate guests about the security, safety as well as how they can enjoy other facilities are explained.    Lodging planning design also involves the way the rooms are designed which primarily focus on how they can effectively welcome guests with the design and well presented gifts and service that guests can always feel respected.   For food planning design, this is more of how personalized service is given for guests, like the usual breakfast in bed or if the guests are in the buffet area, a design for presentation of food where the guests will be able to be given freedom of choosing what ever food he or she wants.   A design that would not always make the guest feel bored, even a smile from the waitress and a warm offering of additional coffee or with additional towel even before the end of meal are an important gestures that need to be carries out and will always be part of the design of the food planning of the hotel. For other renovation design, there are also other parts of the hotel that are usually in need of design improvements or maintenance.   This includes facade of the hotel or even the design of facilities of the hotels like swimming pools and saunas.   This could also add value to the service that the hotel provide from its guest, most especially if the hotel always tried its best to be more personalized as possible, that would give additional appreciation from the guests.   (Stipanuk, D, 2006, pp. 89-201). Involvement in Safety Organization through Training and Seminars It is also important for hotels to be able to really measure the success and achievement they have when it comes to safety or design is to be involved in known and respected organizations.   Like in the case of safety OSHA Us Department of Labor (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), this organization is one of the well respected institution when it comes to safety and health administration in all types of organization.   For hotels, it is important that they are well monitored and followed the best guidelines of this organization in order not only use the company investment effectively but also would give its owners most especially their customers the assurance that they are compliance to real safety and health procedures that are presented by such well respected institution like OSHA. As lone good example in this paper is where there was a recent partnership or alliance between the workers of the US Virgin Islands Hotel and Tourism Association and the US labor Department’s OSHA.   This alliance will promote safety and health trainings for hotels and hospitality workers of the Island.   This alliance will focus on three aspects: fire protection, hazard communication and the use of personal protective equipment.   This training not only gives the worker more confidence as to how they would react and act on certain situation pro-actively, most especially in situations that are unexpected. The training will also give the workers enough information on hoe they will identify the hazardous information that they might encounter on the job and how they can respond and act on it.   OSAH will also provide best practices and processes on the safety and health administration that can be applied in the hotel which is mandatory for all hotel businesses.   This was also considered a big investment not only for future business benefit but also knowledge gain for all the workers in the hotel business around the island.   With this initiative, the workers will be more confident in performing their jobs and also can increase quality service for its customers in the island.   (Fitzgerald, T, 2007). Infusing New Ideas In the side of design, there are both innovative and economical ideas that can be perform in the hotel business.   This also could help minimize or if effectively implemented could eliminate disaster in the hotels.   Like the infusion of better lighting systems and designs within the hotel.   One of the most well respected organization in the United States that focuses on inventing and finding new innovative ideas when it comes to lighting is the American Lighting Association.   These organizations are formed to assist home owners or hotel business owners on how they can design a lighting system that not only costly but also can provide an enticing design for guests.    Sometimes it is really important for hotel owners not only to seek designs that are presented by internal hotel experts but also can come from experts that are purely specialized into a specific subject, like in this case lightings.   The American lighting Association has a group of experts in lighting that are experienced with expertise in imagination.   They are tag to developed not economical design but also beautiful to the eyes. This is very essential in the success of the hotel because it does not only help the business in minimizing the cost but more importantly can be an option for design improvements and rehabilitation process in the hotel which is the main subject of this study.   (What does it mean when a store is a member of the American Lighting Association, n.d.). Conclusion In this study, it only shows that for hotel any hotel business, maintenance and rehabilitation is not just making sure that customer will be satisfied but also would help its owners and employees to know the right processes that needs to be perform in the hotel businesses.   Processes like in terms of facilities and design, facilities that would make the business performs based on the effective guidelines that is advised and mandated by respected organizations like the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.   This can help boost the business not only will favor the employees but most especially their customers as well, since they can always make sure that the service being rendered are in accordance with the policies. In this study, it also showed that design is not just for beautification that needs to be done in the hotel, but it can also create economical ideas that can also comes from not just from the internal experts of the hotel but also from reliable organizations like American Lighting Association, which not only provides expertise for beautification through lighting but also gives convenience for owners as well since cost will be less.   Trainings are also encourage to be perform of hotel businesses since there are some cases that learning the processes within is not enough, most especially as time goes on, new implementation needs to be followed in order to be sure that processes are still applicable. References Fitzgerald, T. New Alliances will Promote Safety and Health Training for Hotel and Hospitality Workers in the US Virgin Island’s Hotel Tourism Association Joins with the US Labor Department’s OSHA. US Department of Labor – Occupational Safety Health Administration. 20 February 2007, http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASESp_id=13781, Retrieved 13 July 2008. Stipanuk, D. (2006). Hospitality Facilities Management and Design 3e. US: Educational Institute of the American Hotel. What does it mean when a store is a member of the American Lighting Association. American Lighting Association. N.d, http://www.americanlightingassoc.com/home.php, Retrieved 13 July 2008.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Social Media and Employment Issues

Social Media and Employment Issues SOCIAL MEDIA TRANSPARENCY AND EMPLOYMENT Introduction One can apply the old saying, never judge a book by its cover to many applications in life, but today’s environment of instant social media updates provides personal transparency never experienced before. Social medias arrival on the scene has completely changed the way we interact as a society and technologies such as portable devices and wireless connectivity allows us to communicate faster and to a more massive crowd than we ever thought possible. Social media is the most significant difference in personal or business transparency and has merged into an indistinguishable haze of likes, links, and posts, making transparency an everyday issue. Complete strangers can now view someone’s daily activities without the context of knowing them personally. These strangers can easily be potential employers seeking employees to fill vacant positions. That is precisely what is occurring today; employers are examining beyond applicants resumes to make the best hiring decision by r eviewing prospective employees social media sites to learn more about their applicants and employees.  Alternatively, employers are experiencing legal issues with their new social media tool, and the courts are just beginning to unravel them. Correctly used, social media can be a powerful means of candidate identification, selection, and retention. However, employers must have comprehensive and compliant social media policies that are not overly broad, and which address privacy, lawful access, accuracy, equal protection, and conduct of employment practices. An analysis of the social media transparency regarding employment reveals an employers review of applicants and employees social media sites can be a valuable tool but must do such in a manner consistent with legal hiring and separation practices. This article is designed to review essential aspects employers should consider when using social media to make hiring or termination decisions for their company. Argument There has been an explosive growth in the use of social media over the past decade and has allowed a vast part of the worlds population instant, quick, and convenient communication to a broad network of people. According to Statista.com, known as the portal for statistics, Facebook had 100 million monthly active users in 2008, and that number has skyrocketed to 2.07 billion monthly active users as of the third quarter of 2017. LinkedIn has over 467 million members worldwide, and it is one of the most popular social networks regarding active users (Statista.com, 2017). These top growing websites allow their users to share lots of information about themselves and can give potential employers data in just a few clicks that would be impossible to know about someone decades ago. Social media has forged a path into our culture that has brought us all closer, but it has also opened many questions about the issues of modern expression and privacy. Getting at the center of this network involves untangling multiple layers of complex statutes, case law, and agency guidance in a way that balances the pillars of freedom of speech and the at-will employment doctrine. For edification, the employment-at-will doctrine states employees without a written employment contract and an indefinite term of employment, the employer can terminate the employee for good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all (Ballam, 2000). Although a perfect application of the law on societys new technologies like social media is complicated, there are many considerations employers must make based on privacy, accuracy, and lawful access during the hiring, employment, and termination periods. Moreover, employers need to understand there is a potential negative impact with the use of social media when recruiting employees, and conversely, the termination of employees based on decisions issued by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Last, employers must relate legal guidelines to their company’s use of social media policies. The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights explains our rights as Americans very clearly: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.† The Bill of Rights, 2017 Strict libertarians or constitutionalists may notice, the words right to privacy are absent from the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Under the First Amendment, there is no right to privacy, but there are certain privacy protections afforded to every citizen. Pawel Laidler, author of Basic Cases in U.S. Constitutional Law: Rights and Liberties, references Griswold v. Connecticut and suggests, Specific guarantees of the Bill of Rights have penumbras of privacy extending to specific areas and situations (Laidler, 2009, p. 102). The courts have started to make their decision on what is the reasonable expectation of privacy for applicants or employees, but employers and the public at large are still making their own conclusions. Most social media websites include privacy settings and controls to allow users to reduce exposure to those whom they wish to exclude from seeing their social media information. However, specific information such as their name, profile picture, and networks is typically always publicly available, and social media sites often provide notice to users that they do not guarantee the privacy of the information (Facebook, 2016). LinkedIns privacy policy includes wording for users about their inability to ultimately secure any information submitted to their website, nor can they guarantee users information will not be accessed or disclosed by physical or electronic methods (LinkedIn, 2017). Despite these numerous warnings about privacy disclosure, users should expect a certain level of privacy when they correctly use the privacy controls. When social media was still in its infancy, employers would ask applicants or employees for their social media login information to allow the employer direct access. This practice quickly died as social media websites, legislators, and privacy rights activists alike actively discouraged the practice (Dame, 2014). Today, most states have passed laws preventing employers from requesting social media login credentials. For example, Vermont State Law (H.B. 462) prohibits an employer from requiring or requesting that an employee or applicant disclose personal social media account information (NCLS.org, 2018, para. 26). Overall, the only reasonable access employers should have to an applicant or employees social media is what they allow them to access via privacy controls. A social media user who selects open public access to their accounts or invites or accepts potential employers to friend or connect allow an additional level of access and substantially reduces the expectation of privacy with an employer or organization. Naturally, employers can take criminal actions such as hacking or using anothers authorized login credentials to gain access to personal social media pages fraudulently, but the courts would not view these tactics favorably if it were a part of a more significant case. Beyond the concern of personal privacy, employers must also ensure the information found on a private social networking site is accurate, and it is the correct person who applied for the position or the employee who works for the company. Employers must ensure the James Smith Facebook profile they find is the same James Smith who applied for the job and not one of the other 38,312 James Smiths in the United States (Chen, 2015). Employers must also consider whether the person portrayed on the social media site established the account himself or herself or if someone else created the page without their knowledge or permission. Employers can outsource an applicant or employees social media information review to a third party Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) to help overcome some of the challenges listed above. The Consumer Fair Trade Commission (FTC) outlines particular information regarding the search of a persons character or reputation on a social media site. The FTCs stance is that when companies use a CRA to conduct a background check on an applicant or employees social media sites, that it complies with applicable provisions of the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection (FTC.gov, 2016). Additionally, Tony Rodriguez and Jessica Lyon from the FTC explain companies must be vigilant because a CRA may comply with all expressed provisions of the bureau and still violate other laws, such as equal employment opportunity violations (Rodriguez & Lyon, 2013). With the understanding of privacy and accuracy, employers have two significant concerns when deciding to use social media for recruitment. The first concern is the influence social media has on candidate sourcing and statistics and the second is the limitations of viewing candidate or employee information on a social media site. It is essential to understand that for the first time in the Pew Research Centers surveys history, the results in 2017 showed 55% of Americans ages 50 or older use social media sites for everyday tasks such as getting news updates. This increase in usage is a 10% spike over 2016 allows employers to see and contact a more substantial part of the population, but there is still a disconnect between race and between gender demographics use of social media (Shearer & Gottfried, 2017). The Pew Research Center shows employment social media websites such as LinkedIn have equal shares of whites (29%) and blacks (28%), but only 18% of Hispanics use the network. Gender has improved over the years, but there is still a gap of almost 10%. A staggering 72% of women in the United States use some sort social media contrasted with 66% of men. The most dramatic difference between demographics is in education. Only 59% of people with a high school education or less use social media, but 78% of college graduates use at least one social media website (Pew, 2017). Recognizing the disparities with using social media to decide employment is critical because the gaps could potentially fuel cases of discrimination even when the employers had no subjective intent to discriminate.  In addition to traditional avenues of attracting and finding diverse applicant pools, employers should use a variety of sourcing strategies across multiple social media outlets to avoid the potential statistical traps and pitfalls. The limitations of viewing candidate information on social media sites is also essential to consider when deciding hiring or during employment.  A social recruiting survey by Jobvite, a recruiting platform for the social web, reports from their survey of recruiters that 92% of U.S. companies are using social networking sites for hiring purposes (Jobvite 2012).  Employers should be forewarned and take reasonable steps to ascertain accurate information and to be aware a picture can be worth a thousand words, but it can paint an inaccurate picture. An employer using social media as a primary tool may be left with skewed data and a false narrative.  Knowing this and the above information, employers must understand that making decisions from viewing social media posts can unintentionally make those decisions appear demographic based rather than merit-based.  Unfortunately, these perceptions, true or false, may be enough to flag a particular hiring practice that could end in a cost ly course of litigation. Knowing the two primary concerns of using social media for employment decisions is essential, but so are the possible legal implications of using these methods.  Communication at work and home has transformed dramatically over the years, but the legal theories behind established employment policies have not changed.  Todays challenge is to apply traditional laws to todays instant, casual, broadcast style of social media communication and activities.  For many years, courts were not concerned with how many likes an employees Facebook work-related comment received.  Moreover, the courts did not have to consider the average employee might have the ability to convey their opinions to an average of 634 people with one click of a button on Twitter (Leonardi, 2017).  Social media transparency can easily create situations where employers terminate employees because of posts or comments employers find on their social media pages. Employers must look carefully to both an employees conduct as well as their company policies in determining whether circumstances legally warrant termination.  The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is a long-standing government agency that is inexplicably involved ensuring the correct implementation of the law to social media caused terminations (NLRB.gov, n.d.). Employers need to be aware of protected activity on social media before taking any adverse action against employees who post on a social media website.  For example, the federal whistleblower protection law provides legal remedies for employees or job applicants who face retaliation for making protected disclosures of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, or substantial and specific danger to public safety or health (OPM.gov, n.d. para. 2).  Outside of protected reporting, using social media for collective dialog and shared concerns about essential terms and conditions of employment are also protected activities (NLRB.gov, n.d.). An employee, however, otherwise engaged in a protected activity, can lose that protection by abusive conduct (Stewart, 2017).  Michael Greens journal article titled, Protecting Unhappy Worker Outbursts from Discriminatory Treatment, does a great job of explaining the method used for determining if the employees conduct is enough to cause them to lose protection.  Green (2017) explains, the NLRBs Atlantic Steel doctrine to assess the inappropriateness of an employees angry outburst by first analyzing four factors before deciding the employees actions warrant discipline (para. 5).  The four factors include where the discussion occurred, the subject matter of the discussion, the nature of the employees outburst, and whether the outburst was, in any way, provoked by the employers unfair labor practice.  Green does caveat the Atlantic Steel doctrine does have its limits.  Employees who engage in threatening behavior or conduct acts exceeding what a reasonable employer should tol erate can lose their protections under the law (Green, 2017).  Social media compounds these issues because its reach has far more impact than the typical breakroom outbursts and is immediately heard by everyone on ones feed. Recommendations A business’ decision to use social media as a tool among many when choosing employees is a good idea.  The best way to properly use social media for hiring, employment, and termination is to set clear company policy and guidance.  A companys social media policies will not protect employers if they are overly broad or restricts employees constitutional rights.  When limiting an employees right to communicate on social media (or otherwise), the terms and conditions regulating their comments to being professional or appropriate need to be clearly defined in the policy. Employers should specify in their policies about what constitutes appropriate manners in which employees are allowed to discuss subjects to include criticism of labor policies, treatment of employees, and terms and conditions of employment.  (SHRM.org, 2016).  Employers should specifically articulate their definition of actions that constitute insubordinate actions, inappropriate conversation, or other disrespectful conduct.  Additionally, the policy should include their plan of disciplinary action when employees engage in such actions.  Companies should carefully draft their social media policies to avoid broad or ambiguous terms.  A court can easily deem policies unlawful if employees reasonably believe the policy prohibits constitution freedoms. Conclusion All employers should take their time when deciding to terminate current employees employment due to their conduct or comments in general, but especially when considering social media websites.  This article reviewed relevant aspects employers should consider when using social media as part of the hiring or termination process.  Protected activity and overly broad social media policies can create liabilities for employers and employers who recruit and select employees through social media sites should carefully monitor their processes and outcomes for disparate impacts. Employers should take care when using information gained from social media and establish a process by which applicants, candidates, and employee have an opportunity to dispute potentially inaccurate information published online.  Adhering to statutory, regulatory, and agency guidance allows employers to use social media anywhere along the employment timeline to maximize information about applicants and current em ployees while protecting them from the potential social media use pitfalls. References Ballam, D. A. (2000). Employment-At-Will: The Impending Death of a Doctrine. American Business Law Journal, 37(4), 653-687. doi:10.1111/j.1744-1714.2000.tb00281.x Background Checks. (2016, November). Retrieved January 28, 2018, from https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0157-background-checks Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2007, December 17). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Retrieved January 21, 2018, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x/full Chen, S. A. (2015, February 07). Calling James Smith! 10 Most Common First and Surname Combinations. Retrieved January 16, 2018, from https://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/calling-james-smith-10-most-common-first-and-surname-combinations/ Dame, J. (2014, January 10). Will employers still ask for Facebook passwords in 2014? Retrieved January 15, 2018, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/01/10/facebook-passwords-employers/4327739/ Facebook Data Policy. (2016, September 29). Retrieved January 15, 2018, from https://www.facebook.com/full_data_use_policy Green, M. Z. (2017, February 13). Protecting Unhappy Worker Outbursts from Discriminatory Treatment. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://worklaw.jotwell.com/protecting-unhappy-worker-outbursts-from-discriminatory-treatment/ Jobvite. (2014). Social Recruiting Survey.  Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/ uploads/ 2014/10/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting_Survey2014.pdf Laidler, P. (2009). Basic Cases in U.S. Constitutional Law: Rights and Liberties. Krakà ³w: Jagiellonian University Press. Leonardi, P. M. (2017). The Social Media Revolution: Sharing and Learning in the Age of Leaky Knowledge. Information and Organization, 27(1), 47-59. doi:10.1016/j.infoandorg.2017.01.004 LinkedIn Privacy Policy. (2017, June 7). Retrieved January 15, 2018, from https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy Managing and Leveraging Workplace Use of Social Media. (2016, January 19). Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingsocialmedia.aspx National Conference of State Legislatures. (2018, January 2). Access to Social Media Usernames and Passwords. Retrieved January 16, 2018, from http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/employer-access-to-social-media-passwords-2013.aspx NLRB.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2018, from https://www.nlrb.gov/ Our Inspector General Whistleblower Protection Information. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2018, from https://www.opm.gov/our-inspector-general/whistleblower-protection-information/ Pew Research Center. Social Media Fact Sheet. (2017, January 12). Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/social-media/ Rodriguez, T., & Lyon, J. (2013, January 10). Background Screening Reports and the FCRA: Just Saying Youre Not a Consumer Reporting Agency Isnt Enough. Retrieved January 16, 2018, from https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/business-blog/2013/01/background-screening-reports-fcra-just-saying-youre-not Shearer, E., & Gottfried, J. (2017, September 07). News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://www.journalism.org/2017/09/07/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2017/ Statista.com. Number of Facebook Users Worldwide 2008-2017. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2018, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/ Stewart, D. R. (2017). Social Media and the Law: A Guidebook for Communication Students and Professionals. New York, NY: Routledge. The Bill of Rights: A Transcription. (2017, June 26). Retrieved January 15, 2018, from https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript#toc-amendment-i

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Greed in The Rocking Horse Winner :: Rocking Horse Winner

Greed in The Rocking Horse Winner  Ã‚     People need money to live, and enough to buy the basic goods one needs to survive, but everybody wants more money. More money means an easier life. The more money one has, the more money one wants, as is shown in the story, "The Rocking Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence. At the beginning of this story the family did not have enough money to support their opulent lifestyle. Mr. Lawrence illustrates their situation like this: "Although they lived in style they felt always an anxiety in the house. There was never enough money." (p. 159) The family scrambles to pay the bills at the end of the month. An unspoken phrase "Whispered" throughout the house, "There must be more money! There must be more money!" (p.160) the whispering said. Even though the family had money, they wanted, they needed, more. Paul, the child, knew that his family wanted money, and he knew that he was lucky, betting on the horses. Paul became partners with the gardener. He picked the horse, and the gardener placed the bet. Paul had started out with five shillings but his winnings kept adding up. When he had made 10,000 pounds he decided to give his mother 1000 pounds a year for five years. He wanted his winnings to be a secret so a lawyer handled the money. Paul saw the envelope from the lawyer and asked his mother if she had received anything good in the mail. She said "Quite moderately nice" (p. 168) in a cold voice. She liked getting the money, but she wasn't happy. She wanted more. The same day, she had a meeting with the lawyer who was handling the money. Paul's mother demanded the full sum. She received the money and spent it all. The author informs the reader, "There were certain new furnishings, and Paul had a tutor... There were flowers in the winter, and a blossoming of the luxury that Paul's mother had been used to." (p. 169) The money ran out and the voices in the house screamed, "Oh-h-h, there must be more money.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

The World Needs a Little Courtesy Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Es

The World Needs a Little Courtesy Doesn't anyone show common courtesy anymore? When I was younger, I never knew what my parents meant when I heard them ask that question. I thought people were polite. I never had any problems with rude people. Now that I am older, and actually experience people outside of school, I understand what my parents meant. What happened to people saying "Excuse me" when they want to walk past you? Don't people know what it means when someone says this to them? When I say "Excuse me" to someone the individual stares at me as if I just spoke a foreign language or said something insulting. Then the individual still doesn't move. I don't know how many times I have been standing somewhere, and instead of someone saying "Excuse me" to get by, he or she just shoves past. How was I to know the person was standing behind me? I guess I should have used the eyes in the back of my head. I have also seen grown men push past pregnant women, elderly couples, and even handicapped people as if they weren't even there. When my boyfriend was on crutches and we went shopping, people would run into him with their carts. He had to stop and get out of their way and they would act as if it was an inconvenience to them that he was on crutches. I look out for pregnant women, the elderly, people on crutches or in wheelchairs, someone with his or her arms full, and people with children. I move out of their way. Am I just more aware of my surroundings than other people? What happened to holding doors open for other people? I don't mean for just women, the elderly, or the handicapped. (I am a twenty-five-year-old female,... ...ould be because parents do not have the support of the teachers and schools. Teachers are a big part of a child's life, but they are not allowed to correct a child's behavior because they could be reprimanded for doing so. If we do not teach our children to respect their elders, to help others, and to say please and thank you, then eventually common courtesy and politeness will be lost. Did you ever realize how a reaction you get from a stranger, or even someone you know, could affect the mood of your day? Or how polite or rude that person was? Did you ever feel a little happier after doing something nice for someone? For most of us, our days are filled with stress. Being courteous to someone or smiling or saying "Thank you" might just change both of your moods. Try it sometime. It might just change your whole day. Thank you!

Male Homosexual Roles Among the Isthmus Zapotec of Southern Mexico Essa

Male Homosexual Roles Amog the Isthmus Zapotec of Southern Mexico Carlos and Javier are two men living in the city of Juchit∠«n, Mexico. They work at a small hotel just off the z-calo, the main town square. Sometimes they converge with other men outside the hotel to watch people as they walk past in the z-calo. As nearly anywhere in Mexico, the men comment and nudge each other when an attractive woman passes, but Carlos and Javier remain silent throughout the exchange. It is not until an attractive young man walks by that they speak up. ÃÆ' £ÃƒÆ'Uy, que guapo!ÃÆ' ¤ Carlos exclaims: ÃÆ' £Ah, how handsome!ÃÆ' ¤ÃƒÆ'Ã…   Carlos and Javier are muxeÃÆ' ¢, the effeminate male homosexuals of Isthmus Zapotec culture. Male homosexuality and transvestism is present in many if not most Native American societies to at least some degree, notably the DinZh, Lakota, Tohono OÃÆ' ¢odham, and so on. In pre-Hispanic Mexico, homosexuals were common and respected in most area cultures. With the advent of the Spaniards, however, homosexuals and transvestites were pushed further and further to the margins of society, branded as deviants and persecuted under the influence of a rampant machismo. Only in a few places did homosexuality survive as a common and respected practice. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca state at the very south of Mexico, home to the Zapotec people, is one of these places. I was privileged to spend July and August of 2000 living among the Zapotec in the city of Juchit∠«n. I was intrigued by the position of homosexuals in this culture, and following are some of my efforts to understand them. MuxeÃÆ' ¢ is the Zapotec word for effeminate male homosexuals, though the origins of the word remain in debate. Probably the word derives from the Span... ...to peoples like the Zapotec as we try to determine how to respond. North Americans have much to learn from a society that extends to homosexuals an acknowledged and respected role. [1]Bennholdt-Thomsen, p. 280 [2]The word mayate is a Mexican Spanish term for a Coleoptera beetles. [3]Bennholdt-Thomsen, p. 304 [4] CAAN, p. 40 [5]Bennholdt-Thomsen, p. 293-294 References: Bennholdt-Thomsen, et al.Juchit∠«n, la ciudad de las mujeres. Oaxaca, Mexico: Instituto OaxaqueÃÆ' ºo de las Culturas.ÃÆ'Ã…   1997. Canadian Aboriginal Aids Network, Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS, and Health Canada. Hands Across the World: An Indigenous Peoples Forum. Final Report, July 17, 1999 AIDS Impact Conference. Ottawa: Blue Moon Consulting.ÃÆ'Ã…   1999. ChiÃÆ' ºas, Beverly L. The Isthmus Zapotecs: WomenÃÆ' ¢s Roles in Cultural Context. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1973.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Journal of the Plague Year and Frankenstein

The Plague and Frankenstein The quest for knowledge is eternal and almost never-ending. People devote their lives to studying and advancing their knowledge, but their advancement is always held in check by society and the people who studied before them. Several novels have been written which explore the effect knowledge and its limitations can have on society. This paper will focus on Defoe’s Journal of the Plague Year, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Even though these two novels were written about 100 years apart, they still exemplify many aspects as to why knowledge has limitations. While Defoe’s Journal centers on how to prevent and cure the plague, with a heavy emphasis on religion, Shelley’s Frankenstein has little to no religious affiliation, and focuses on how science and knowledge can potentially lead to evil and misfortune. The plague was a severe and devastating disease which affected Europe multiple times throughout history; each time killing every person who came down with the disease. People are fortunate enough today to have a cure for this disease, but during the 1700s, there was no cure and very little knowledge about proper medical practices. Defoe mentions how signs were posted throughout London, claiming of people who knew of a cure or treatment for the plague, however some of these treatments â€Å"prepared their bodies for the plague, instead of preserving them against it. †1 Thieves and pick-pockets robbed and cheated poor people out of their money with scams, sometimes even poisoning their victims with tonics or â€Å"physicks† that could include such poisons as Mercury in them. These scammers were all throughout the city, appealing to the desires and abundance of the poor. There was no regulation of such business practices and advertisements made ridiculous claims of free help, only to deceive the poor once they got there, forcing them to pay for what may (or may not) help them. These practices were quite cruel and unjust, but people were so scared for their lives that they were willing to do anything which would allow them to live. Not every person in the city fell victim to these scams. Many people once they heard news that the plague had reached London decided to flee and head to some far off town where they might be able to avoid catching the disease. This plight from the city was not only a rational decision, but a religious one as well. Much debate between people in London was sparked about the religious justification for staying in the city, and trusting in God to protect them where they were, or to leave London and â€Å"trust God with [their] safety and health†. 3 For the main character in this novel, H. F. struggles with this decision because he can leave London and live with his relatives, and risk losing all of his possessions, but he ultimately decides to stay, viewing his decision as remaining faithful to God. Upon informing his brother of this decision, he learns that the person, who he was going to entrust with his property during his leave, became ill with the plague, only enforcing H. F. ’s feelings that he made the correct decision to stay in God’s faith. 4 Once the plague hit London with full force, the city was forced to find a new way in which to contain this disease. Instead of looking to the filth with which people lived in, and regarding that it could be carried by animals such as rats, the town determined that each house was to be inspected by doctors, and if the plague should be found within a home, the inhabitants would be locked inside the house, only to come out if they died or the disease had passed. Each home which the plague was found in had a red cross painted on the door, marking it for all to see, and a Watchman was assigned to make sure nobody went in or out of the house, and to run errands for the family if need be. This cruel idea caused many families to parish in their own homes, while others tried to escape by either sneaking out or attacking/threatening the watchmen. In the book Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley, the underlying theme is how knowledge and power can lead to misery and destruction. In the book, Victor Frankenstein goes off to college and becomes obsessed with several different types of philoso phy and science. He becomes absorbed in â€Å"the secret of life† and he ultimately tries to recreate it. He is successful and brings life to a monster so hideous that even he cannot bear to be around. Frankenstein tries to desert the monster which he created, but he is never fully able to, as the monster follows and spies on Frankenstein and kills part of his family. Frankenstein is appalled that his creation could have begun to cause such horror and pain to people around him, but is worried that if he tells anyone about the monster which he has created, then he himself will look like a madman. The monster himself is eager for affection from humans, but everywhere he goes, he is shunned and forced away from the town due to people being in fear of him. The monster spends much time watching the actions of a family of peasants, where from his hiding place he is able to learn how to speak French as well as read. After some time he ultimately decides that they are a very compassionate family and that he should reveal himself to them, upon doing this, they are disgusted and chase him away. The monster vows to get revenge on Frankenstein and first begins by killing his little brother whom he stumbles across in the forest in Geneva. He then plants the child’s necklace on a friend of Victor’s, to make her appear as the murderer. She is tried for the crime and hung for it. The monster realizes that his only chance for happiness lies within Frankenstein creating him a female companion. He persuades Frankenstein to create him a female saying that he will leave mankind alone forever and go live in some distant land if he has a companion to go with him. 7 As Frankenstein has begun work on his second monster in Scotland, he is reminded of how crazy he became when creating his first monster, and upon catching a glimpse of his monster watching him through the window, Frankenstein freaks out, and destroys the second body which he is creating. The monster upon seeing this is enraged and promises to kill the rest of Frankenstein’s friends and family. This promise holds true, for Frankenstein loses his best friend that night, his wife on his wedding night, and his father. Rather than heed to the monster’s wishes and create a wife for him, Frankenstein was overcome with the guilt of the deaths of his monsters first two victims. He worries that in creating another, he will be creating a duo of evil that will wreak havoc upon the human race. For it was his fault in the first place which let his imagination get a hold of himself and he wanted to create life for himself. This intense lust for knowledge which Frankenstein has ultimately leads to his demise. He becomes mad in his quest and ends up destroying everyone dear to him as well as himself in the end. Both The Journal of the Plague Year and Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus have heavy themes about knowledge. Defoe’s Journal specifically focuses on how disease was treated and what the methods were to try to cure it. The Journal also has a heavy religious force in it as well. The people in the story as well as the main characters, look towards Bible versus and quotes for guidance in their decision making. This is not the same as in Frankenstein where the main character becomes god-like himself with his creation of life. This major difference is most likely due to the fact that the novels were written about 100 years apart from each other and people’s views how religion affected their daily lives had greatly changed. There is very little mentioned in Frankenstein about religion at all. In each novel, there is excess knowledge than what people have the capacity for; therefore in The Journal, London makes the harsh decision to lock people in their own homes in order to prevent the spread of the plague; while in Frankenstein, his ever persistent quest for knowledge winds up killing him and those dearest to him. The novels are almost a warning as to what effect knowledge can have on society and suggest, that as Socrates said, â€Å"the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. †

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Patterns of Evolution

Patterns of Evolution Humans alter our environment to suit our needs rather than adapt to our environment based on environmental stressors. Due to this fact, we are unlikely to be affected by the pressures of natural selection. We will not likely be affected by further evolution. In convergent evolution, unrelated species living in the similar environments become more and more alike in appearance as they adapt to the same kind of environment. Dolphins and sharks are examples of convergent evolution. Although they are from different vertebrate groups, they live in similar environment. They have evolved similar characteristics like their body shape, coloration, location of back fins, and shape of tail. Divergent evolution is the process of two or more related species becoming more and more dissimilar. Adaptive radiation is an example of divergent evolution. Horses are an example of divergent evolution. Over time as they adapted to different environments, the species diverged and evolved into mules and zebras. Honeycreeper birds are examples of adaptive radiation. Species of birds evolved, seemingly from a single familial species, on a group of islands. Co-evolution is the evolution of one species influencing the evolution of another species. Predators and their prey sometimes co-evolve. Cheetahs and Thompson’s gazelles are examples of co-evolution. As a result of co-evolution, Cheetahs have evolved into the world`s fastest mammal and the gazelle is just slightly slower. As predators evolve, prey evolves and vice versa. Divergent evolution could have an impact on humans in the future. Although we are all different in appearances and characteristics right now, we could diverge in the future. Climates are different all over the world and as human move to and habitat in these environments, the body could adapt to the different atmosphere. This will cause humans to diverge in appearance. Head shape could change, skin and eye color as well. References Pruitt, N. L. , & Underwood, L. S. (2006). Bioinquiry: Making connections in biology (3rd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.