Hr department at marks and spencer hq

Hr department at marks and spencer hq It has been a busy start for Tanith Dodge, who only took up her new position running the HR department at Marks and Spencer HQ a year ago. Thelast 12 months or so havewitnessed the announcement of 1,200 job losses, 27 store closures and a hefty slump in profits. But despite the recent turbulence, Dodge has lived up to her name, and been swift to deal with the issues affecting the organisation, quickly cementing herself into the M S family. But then, this is not surprising for a woman of Dodges pedigree. Her list of credentials includes a graduate traineeship at British Aerospace, an employee relations consultant at Prudential and a five year stint as HRD at WH Smith. And while HR is herbackground, it is in leadership development that Dodgeis carvinga name for herself. Indeed, her passion for transforming people in the organisation has been effectively channelled into her latest venture: Lead to Succeed which is being heralded as the companys flagship development programme and is considered to be a key component in its future people strategy. We are doing quite a bit of work on how senior leaders take reorgani sation through a period of change, and making understanding how to lead change and make change happen a part of their toolkit is absolutely key. Launched last year, the programme targets the development of the 300 most senior MS employees, and is designed to identify and train the next generation of leaders. â€Å"Lead to Succeed is designed around our business strategy going forwards; what we need to deliver over the next couple of years,† says Dodge. â€Å"We have taken a lot of the research that was done around the core attributes of leader head, hearts and guts and that underpins the programme. But then weve looked at what is it that MS really needs in terms of its leadership attributes going forwards, so our core values around trust, value service, quality and innovation.† Dodge has ensured that the programme is both robust and practical by looking at potential leaders as individuals rather than simply names on a list. This is then underpinned by coaching and business simulation which is designed around some of the challenges MS experiences as an organisation: â€Å"We ask things like: are you leveraging your own strengths as a leader, how do you then galvanise your team, how do you take the leadership and create that coalition across the organisation and as leaders how do you influence shareholder value? So it is very practical,† she adds. And for Dodge, a focus on practice rather than theory is particularly pertinent at the moment, mainly as many of the senior staff have never before experienced any kind of economic turbulence. â€Å"It is unprecedented,† she says. â€Å"The ways of doing things in the past are not necessarily the ways that will make you successful going forward. We are doing quite a bit of work on how senior leaders take reorganisation through a period of change, and making understanding how to lead change and make change happen a part of their toolkit is absolutely key.† Reflecting this, Marks Spencer devotes significant time and resources to developing its leaders and nurturing its talent. â€Å"Continuing to invest in your talent for now is absolutely key,† Dodge emphasises. â€Å"Organisations that stop that investment risk cutting the Achilles heel. You have to keep these people and do it in ways that arent ridiculously expensive.† To this end, Dodge has developed a thorough, robust succession process which has done away with annual reviews and instead focuses ongoing conversations which enables her and her team to look at individuals capabilities against specific indicators which demarcate them as ‘high potential. Continuing to invest in your talent for now is absolutely key. Organisations that stop that investment risk cutting the Achilles heel. â€Å"We do it at all levels from our senior people through to store managers, who have got the potential to develop into another role going forward. We also look at what roles are critical for us going forward and whether we have got enough pipeline of talent coming through for those critical jobs.† In addition, she runs the annual staff survey ‘Your Say which gives employees the opportunity to voice their views on a range of issues including training and development. Early reports suggest that the programme is a huge success, with the company witnessing significant change in the way that people behave as a result of the training, and the way that they challenge problems within the organisation. Dodge believes that the success of such schemes are very much dependent on those that facilitate them: not only does it show employees how their leaders behave but it sets a precedent so when they themselves reach the higher echelons of the organisation, they too can lead by example. â€Å"It is very much about you as an individual leader, your impact on your style with your team and then your impact on your style with your organisation, she concludes. So it builds on the whole ‘Your MSmessage yourself, your team, your organisation.† Today ethical leadership is more important than ever. The world is more transparent and connected than it has ever been. The actions and philosophies of organisations are scrutinised by the media and the general public as never before. This coincides with massively increased awareness and interest among people everywhere in corporate responsibility and the many related concepts, such as Fair Trade, sustainability, social and community responsibility (see the ethical leadership and ethical organisations page). The modern leader needs to understand and aspire to leading people and achieving greatness in all these areas. Here is (was..) an Excellent 30 minute BBC Radio 4 Discussion about Modern Leadership (first broadcast 2 Sept 2006, part of the Sound Advice series). Its mere existence is evidence of changed attitudes to leadership. Such a programme would not have warranted BBC airtime a generation ago due to lack of audience interest. Today there is huge awareness of, and interest in, more modern leadership methods. The radio discussion highlighted the need for effective modern leaders to have emotional strength and sensitivity, far beyond traditional ideas of more limited autocratic leadership styles. Im sorry (if still) this linked item is unavailable from the BBC website, especially if the recording is lost forever in the BBCs archives. If you know a suitably influential executive at the Beeb who can liberate it please contact me. Incidentally as a quick case-study, the BBC illustrates an important aspect of leadership, namely philosophy. Philosophy (you could call it fundamental purpose) is the foundation on which to build strategy, management, operational activities, and pretty well everything else that happens in an organization. Whatever the size of the organization, operational activities need to be reconcilable with a single congruent (fitting, harmonious) philosophy. Executives, managers, staff, customers, suppliers, stakeholders, etc., need solid philosophical principles (another term would be a frame of reference) on which to base their expectations, decisions and actions. In a vast complex organization like the BBC, leadership will be very challenging at the best of times due to reasons of size, diversity, political and public interest, etc. Having a conflicting philosophy dramatically increases these difficulties for everyone, not least the leader, because the frame of reference is confusing. For leadership to work well, people (employees and interested outsiders) must be able to connect their expectations, aims and activities to a basic purpose or philosophy of the organization. This foundational philosophy should provide vital reference points for employees decisions and actions an increasingly significant factor in modern empowered organizations. Seeing a clear philosophy and purpose is also essential for staff, customers and outsiders in assessing crucial organizational characteristics such as integrity, ethics, fairness, quality and performance. A clear philosophy is vital to the psychological contract whether stated or unstated (almost always unstated) on which people (employees, customers or observers) tend to judge their relationships and transactions. The BBC is an example (its not the only one) of an organization which has a confusing organizational philosophy. At times it is inherently conflicting. For example: Who are its owners? Who are its customers? What are its priorities and obligations? Are its commercial operations a means to an end, or an end in themselves? Is its main aim to provide commercial mainstream entertainment, or non-commercial education and information? Is it a public service, or is it a commercial provider? Will it one day be privatised in part or whole? If so will this threaten me or benefit me? As an employee am I sharing in something, or being exploited? As a customer (if the description is apt) am I also an owner? Or am I funding somebody elses gravy train? What are the organizations obligations to the state and to government? Given such uncertainties, not only is there a very unclear basic philosophy and purpose, but also, its very difficult to achieve consistency for leadership messages to staff and customers. Also, how can staff and customers align their efforts and expectations with such confusing aims and principles? The BBC is just an example. There are many organizations, large and small, with conflicting and confusing fundamental aims. The lesson is that philosophy or underpinning purpose is the foundation on which leadership (for strategy, management, motivation, everything) is built. If the foundation is not solid and viable, and is not totally congruent with what follows, then everything built onto it is prone to wobble, and at times can fall over completely. Get the philosophy right solid and in harmony with the activities and the foundation is strong. This of course gives rise to the question of what to do if you find yourself leading a team or organization which lacks clarity of fundamental philosophy and purpose, and here lies an inescapable difference between managing and leading: As a leader your responsibility extends beyond leading the people. True leadership also includes as far as your situation allows the responsibility to protect or refine fundamental purpose and philosophy. See also the notes and processes for incorporating fundamental philosophy within strategic business development and marketing. allegiance and leadership Different leaders have different ideas about leadership. For example, see below Jack Welchs perspective, which even though quite modern compared to many leaders, is nevertheless based on quite traditional leadership principles. First here is a deeper more philosophical view of effective modern leadership which addresses the foundations of effective leadership, rather than the styles and methods built on top, which are explained later. A British government initiative surfaced in March 2008, which suggested that young people should swear an oath of allegiance to Queen and Country, seemingly as a means of improving national loyalty, identity, and allegiance. While packaged as a suggestion to address disaffection among young people, the idea was essentially concerned with leadership or more precisely a failing leadership. The idea was rightly and unanimously dismissed by all sensible commentators as foolhardy nonsense, but it does provide a wonderful perspective by which to examine and illustrate the actual important principles of leadership: Always, when leaders say that the people are not following, its the leaders who are lost, not the people. Leaders get lost because of isolation, delusion, arrogance, plain stupidity, etc., but above all because they become obsessed with imposing their authority, instead of truly leading. Incidentally, leading is helping people achieve a shared vision, not telling people what to do. It is not possible for a leader to understand and lead people when the leaders head is high in the clouds or stuck firmly up his backside. That is to say loyalty to leadership relies on the leader having a connection with and understanding of peoples needs and wishes and possibilities. Solutions to leadership challenges do not lie in the leaders needs and wishes. Leadership solutions lie in the needs and wishes of the followers. The suggestion that loyalty and a following can be built by simply asking or forcing people to be loyal is not any basis for effective leadership. Prior to expecting anyone to follow, a leader first needs to demonstrate a vision and values worthy of a following. A given type of leadership inevitably attracts the same type of followers. Put another way, a leadership cannot behave in any way that it asks its people not to. In other words, for people to embrace and follow modern compassionate, honest, ethical, peaceful, and fair principles, they must see these qualities demonstrated by their leadership. People are a lot cleverer than most leaders think. People have a much keener sense of truth than most leaders think. People quickly lose faith in a leader who behaves as if points 10 and 11 do not exist. People generally have the answers which elude the leaders they just have better things to do than help the leader to lead like getting on with their own lives. A leadership which screws up in a big way should come clean and admit their errors. People will generally forgive mistakes but they do not tolerate being treated like idiots by leaders. And on the question of mistakes, a mistake is an opportunity to be better, and to show remorse and a lesson learned. This is how civilisation progresses. A leader should be brave enough to talk when lesser people want to fight. Anyone can resort to threats and aggression. Being aggressive is not leading. It might have been a couple of thousand years ago, but its not now. The nature of humankind and civilisation is to become more civilised. Leaders should enable not obstruct this process. traditional leadership tips jack welch style.. Jack Welch, respected business leader and writer is quoted as proposing these fundamental leadership principles (notably these principles are expanded in his 2001 book Jack: Straight From The Gut): There is only one way the straight way. It sets the tone of the organisation. Be open to the best of what everyone, everywhere, has to offer; transfer learning across your organisation. Get the right people in the right jobs it is more important than developing a strategy. An informal atmosphere is a competitive advantage. Make sure everybody counts and everybody knows they count. Legitimate self-confidence is a winner the true test of self-confidence is the courage to be open. Business has to be fun celebrations energise and organisation. Never underestimate the other guy. Understand where real value is added and put your best people there. Know when to meddle and when to let go this is pure instinct. As a leader, your main priority is to get the job done, whatever the job is. Leaders make things happen by: knowing your objectives and having a plan how to achieve them building a team committed to achieving the objectives helping each team member to give their best efforts As a leader you must know yourself. Know your own strengths and weaknesses, so that you can build the best team around you. However always remember the philosophical platform this ethical platform is not a technique or a process its the foundation on which all the techniques and methodologies are based. Plan carefully, with your people where appropriate, how you will achieve your aims. You may have to redefine or develop your own new aims and priorities. Leadership can be daunting for many people simply because no-one else is issuing the aims leadership often means you have to create your own from a blank sheet of paper. Set and agree clear standards. Keep the right balance between doing yourself and managing others to do. Build teams. Ensure you look after people and that communications and relationships are good. Select good people and help them to develop. Develop people via training and experience, particularly by agreeing objectives and responsibilities that will interest and stretch them, and always support people while they strive to improve and take on extra tasks. Follow the rules about delegation closely this process is crucial. Ensure that your managers are applying the same principles. Good leadership principles must cascade down through the whole organisation. This means that if you are leading a large organisation you must check that the processes for managing, communicating and developing people are in place and working properly. Communication is critical. Listen, consult, involve, explain why as well as what needs to be done. Some leaders lead by example and are very hands on; others are more distanced and let their people do it. Whatever your example is paramount the way you work and conduct yourself will be the most you can possibly expect from your people. If you set low standards you are to blame for low standards in your people. Praise loudly, blame softly. (Catherine the Great). Follow this maxim. If you seek one singlemost important behaviour that will rapidly earn you respect and trust among your people, this is it: Always give your people the credit for your achievements and successes. Never take the credit yourself even if its all down to you, which would be unlikely anyway. You must however take the blame and accept responsibility for any failings or mistakes that your people make. Never never never publicly blame another person for a failing. Their failing is your responsibility true leadership offers is no hiding place for a true leader. Take time to listen to and really understand people. Walk the job. Ask and learn about what people do and think, and how they think improvements can be made. Accentuate the positive. Express things in terms of what should be done, not what should not be done. If you accentuate the negative, people are more likely to veer towards it. Like the mother who left her five-year-old for a minute unsupervised in the kitchen, saying as she left the room, dont you go putting those beans up your nose Have faith in people to do great things given space and air and time, everyone can achieve more than they hope for. Provide people with relevant interesting opportunities, with proper measures and rewards and they will more than repay your faith. Take difficult decisions bravely, and be truthful and sensitive when you implement them. Constantly seek to learn from the people around you they will teach you more about yourself than anything else. They will also tell you 90% of what you need to know to achieve your business goals. Embrace change, but not for changes sake. Begin to plan your own succession as soon as you take up your new post, and in this regard, ensure that the only promises you ever make are those that you can guarantee to deliver. Here are some processes and tips for training and developing leadership. leadership behaviours and development of leadership style and skills Leadership skills are based on leadership behaviour. Skills alone do not make leaders style and behaviour do. If you are interested in leadership training and development start with leadership behaviour. The growing awareness and demand for idealist principles in leadership are increasing the emphasis (in terms of leadership characteristics) on business ethics, corporate responsibility, emotional maturity, personal integrity, and what is popularly now known as the triple bottom line (abbreviated to TBL or 3BL, representing profit, people, planet). For many people (staff, customers, suppliers, investors, commentators, visionaries, etc) these are becoming the most significant areas of attitude/behaviour/appreciation required in modern business and organisational leaders. 3BL (triple bottom line profit, people, planet) also provides an excellent multi-dimensional framework for explaining, developing and assessing leadership potential and capability, and also links strongly with psychology aspects if for instance psychometrics (personality testing) features in leadership selection and development methods: each of us is more naturally inclined to one or the other (profit, people, planet) by virtue of our personality, which can be referenced to Jung, Myers Briggs, etc. Much debate persists as to the validity of triple bottom line accounting, since standards and measures are some way from being clearly defined and agreed, but this does not reduce the relevance of the concept, nor the growing public awareness of it, which effectively and continuously re-shapes markets and therefore corporate behaviour. Accordingly leaders need to understand and respond to such huge attitudinal trends, whether they can be reliably accounted for or not at the moment. Adaptability and vision as might be demonstrated via project development scenarios or tasks especially involving modern communications and knowledge technologies are also critical for certain leadership roles, and provide unlimited scope for leadership development processes, methods and activities. Cultural diversity is another topical and very relevant area requiring leadership involvement, if not mastery. Large organisations particularly must recognise that the market-place, in terms of staff, customers and suppliers, is truly global now, and leaders must be able to function and appreciate and adapt to all aspects of cultural diversification. A leaders who fails to relate culturally well and widely and openly inevitably condemns the entire organisation to adopt the same narrow focus and bias exhibited by the leader. Bear in mind that different leadership jobs (and chairman) require different types of leaders Churchill was fine for war but not good for peacetime re-building. Theres a big difference between short-term return on investment versus long-term change. Each warrants a different type of leadership style, and actually very few leaders are able to adapt from one to the other. (Again see the personality styles section: short-term results and profit require strong Jungian thinking orientation, or frontal left brain dominance; whereas long-term vision and change require intuition orientation, or frontal right brain dominance). If its not clear already, leadership is without doubt mostly about behaviour, especially towards others. People who strive for these things generally come to be regarded and respected as a leader by their people: Integrity the most important requirement; without it everything else is for nothing. Having an effective appreciation and approach towards corporate responsibility, (Triple Bottom Line, Fair Trade, etc), so that the need to make profit is balanced with wider social and environmental responsibilities. Being very grown-up never getting emotionally negative with people no shouting or ranting, even if you feel very upset or angry. Leading by example always be seen to be working harder and more determinedly than anyone else. Helping alongside your people when they need it. Fairness treating everyone equally and on merit. Being firm and clear in dealing with bad or unethical behaviour. Listening to and really understanding people, and show them that you understand (this doesnt mean you have to agree with everyone understanding is different to agreeing). Always taking the responsibility and blame for your peoples mistakes. Always giving your people the credit for your successes. Never self-promoting. Backing-up and supporting your people. Being decisive even if the decision is to delegate or do nothing if appropriate but be seen to be making fair and balanced decisions. Asking for peoples views, but remain neutral and objective. Being honest but sensitive in the way that you give bad news or criticism. Always doing what you say you will do keeping your promises. Working hard to become expert at what you do technically, and at understanding your peoples technical abilities and challenges. Encouraging your people to grow, to learn and to take on as much as they want to, at a pace they can handle. Always accentuating the positive (say do it like this, not dont do it like that). Smiling and encouraging others to be happy and enjoy themselves. Relaxing breaking down the barriers and the leadership awe and giving your people and yourself time to get to know and respect each other. Taking notes and keeping good records. Planning and prioritising. Managing your time well and helping others to do so too. Involving your people in your thinking and especially in managing change. Reading good books, and taking advice from good people, to help develop your own understanding of yourself, and particularly of other peoples weaknesses (some of the best books for leadership are not about business at all they are about people who triumph over adversity). Achieve the company tasks and objectives, while maintaining your integrity, the trust of your people, are a balancing the corporate aims with the needs of the world beyond. great leadership quotes and inspirational quotes Some of these quotes are available as free motivational posters. People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads and the boss drives. (Theodore Roosevelt) The marksman hitteth the target partly by pulling, partly by letting go. The boatsman reacheth the landing partly by pulling, partly by letting go. (Egyptian proverb) No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself. (William Penn) It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. (President Harry S Truman) I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow. (Woodrow Wilson) What should it profit a man if he would gain the whole world yet lose his soul. (The Holy Bible, Mark 8:36) A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline. (Harvey Mackay) Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple, learn how to look after them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. (John Steinbeck) I keep six honest serving-men, They taught me all I knew; Their names are What and Why and When, And How and Where and Who. (Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902.) A dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant may see farther than the giant himself. (Didacus Stella, circa AD60 and, as a matter of interest, abridged on the edge of an English  £2 coin) Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. (Samuel Johnson 1709-84) The most important thing in life is not to capitalise on your successes any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your mistakes. (William Bolitho, from Twelve against the Gods) Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be, For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud: Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody but unbowed . . . . . It matters not how strait the gait, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. (WE Henley, 1849-1903, from Invictus) Everybody can get angry thats easy. But getting angry at the right person, with the right intensity, at the right time, for the right reason and in the right way thats hard. (Aristotle) Management means helping people to get the best out of themselves, not organising things. (Lauren Appley) Its not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with the sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause and who, at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. (Theodore Roosevelt.) Behind an able man there are always other able men. (Chinese Proverb.) I praise loudly. I blame softly. (Catherine the Great, 1729-1796.) Experto Credite. (Trust one who has proved it. Virgil, 2,000 years ago.) more great leadership and inspirational quotes see also the free motivational posters for leadership quotes leadership development exercises and games The are various games and exercises on the f

Debut Albums and Pure Adrenaline Rush

Keagan Neveling 14/09/2011 Grade 10PEnglish Essay Pure adrenaline rush! Pure energy! It was now or never! This was the opportunity I had been waiting for! It was time for action. It was a cold day. The wind was blowing, the trees swaying from side to side. It was time for me to conquer my fears. Although I did not know it, I was about to begin an adventure that would push my companions and I to our limits. The day had just begun. My alarm clock was ringing and the birds were chirping. It seemed like it was going to be a fantastic day.The sun was out; there was not a breath of wind. I fled from my bed so I would not miss a moment of the beautiful day Mother Nature had been kind enough to share. I devoured my breakfast like it was my last and turned on the television. It was a magnificent day but little did I know that on this day I would take part in an event that would push me to my limits. And that’s when I noticed the branches of the trees starting to sway rhythm with the wi nd. I thought to myself, surely this cannot be. In an instant there were clouds on the horizon. I did not believe my eyes.The weather had changed instantaneously changed. It was now a cold, miserable and windy day. Then I saw her standing in the distance. She told me she was going to take me to a place of adventure, somewhere where I could overcome my fears and attempt something that only few had dared. She took me to this place. It was not scary, not intimidating. In fact it was extremely inviting. There were people eating foods at the gorgeous restaurants. While admiring this concrete jungle known as the Moses Madibha Stadium I realised I was no longer afraid. I was wrong.I was going to be going to be going face to face with my greatest fear. I was going to be jumping off this jungle. Papers were signed, my harness firmly secured around my waist. It was time to begin my voyage. The only thing that would be keeping me apart from the ground was an ordinary rope. I convinced myself I was ready. The voyage to the top of the jungle had begun. It was no longer unintimidating. The gigantic white structure surrounded me. It was as if I was on a pathway to happiness. After what seemed like an eternity I had arrived at my destination.It was my time to shine. The spotlight was firmly placed on me. Pure adrenaline rush! Pure energy! It was now or never! This was the opportunity I had been waiting for! It was time for action. Then it happened. I jumped. I felt my stomach disappear my toes went numb, the wind was rushing through. I then opened my eyes. To my delight it was all over. My heart was pounding, my blood gushing through my veins. There I was dangling in mid-air. I had conquered my fear. I felt like I was in a scene in a movie. All I could think was that it had been an amazing day. Word count: 511

Comparative Analysis of Two Films Essay

Stereotyping can be defined as sweeping generalizations about affiliates of a certain gender, nationality, religion, race, or other group. Social stereotyping has been a worldwide issue for many years. More specifically, stereotypical assertions, based on both gender and race, have been a common theme throughout many 20th and 21st century films. Both Crash, directed by Paul Haggis in 2004, and Girlfight directed by Karyn Kusama in 2000, address the issue of stereotyping in their own unique way. Girlfight does this by placing a female in the spotlight of a sport that is predominantly dominated by males, whereas, Crash confronts our problem with racial stereotypes and racism, and the need to counter them, by focusing on the â€Å"crash† humans experience by encountering people that they actually are already linked to. Throughout the film Girlfight, the crowd may have been against Diana, but her determination allowed her to fight off skeptics outside the ring and her opponents in the ring. Crash is a movie that brings out bigotry and racial stereotypes. While one story revolves around a gender debate, the other approaches the argument from the aspect of race and ultimately both combat the greater social issue of stereotyping. The film Girlfight depicts the struggle of Diana Guzman, a high school girl, and how she overcomes gender barriers to dominate the boxing arena. Her mother passed away when she was young, and she lives with her father and younger brother, Tiny. They reside in the projects of New York City, a tougher area where the ability to defend yourself is basically a prerequisite. Her father forces Tiny to train at the local gym to become better suited to defend himself and that is where Diana is introduced to the sport of boxing. Setting is a key aspect of the film and director Karyn Kusama’s choice of realistic venues for each and every scene help create a documentary-like atmosphere. One scene that illustrates this quality is when Diana and Adrian learn that they will both be fighting each other in the final bout. The scene takes place inside the manager of the ring’s office; a small but well organized office. The camera pans from character to character as they discuss Diana’s next fight and the viewer is placed in the back corner of the office space. A key detail to be noticed is that the door is open and one can see that boxers are still training in the background. This gives the audience the idea that what they are viewing is very real, almost like a documentary, and Kusama’s film work adds to that with a picture that is both grainy and misty. The scene is also full of dialogue, which is a common attribute of any documentary. It seems as if the scene would have occurred even if the camera had not been rolling film. The realistic aspect correlates back to the underlying premise of the movie, gender stereotyping. At the time, female boxers were a rarity and Diana was an exception not only because of her gender but also because of her skill. The boxers at this gym are all male except for Diana who happens to be the main character in the film. This creates an immediate gender barrier the second that Diana steps in the gym merely because she isn’t of the norm. The film Crash attempts to tackle the issue of racial stereotyping though the stories of several characters who all turn out to be connected in some way, shape, or form. Anthony and Peter are partners in crime who hijack cars for a chop shop. Anthony believes that society is unfairly biased against blacks, and at one point in the film he justifies his actions by claiming he would never hurt another black person. Rick Cabot, district attorney of Los Angeles, and his wife Jean are two other main characters throughout the film. One scene that reinforces the use of stereotyping is when Anthony and Peter stroll a Los Angeles shopping strip. As they walk along, Anthony explains to Peter how whites are so quick to judge blacks at night. The dialogue throughout the scene is especially important because Anthony quickly changes from complaining about racial tendencies around him to hiding behind a handgun as both he and his friend hijacks a car. The audience sides with Anthony, as he begins his rant, but out of the blue, the two men pull a gun on an innocent couple and the audience is left in shock. Anthony states, â€Å"You couldn’t find a whiter, safer or better-lit part of this city right now, but yet this white woman sees two black guys who look like UCLA students strolling down the sidewalk, and her reaction is blind fear† (Crash). This statement draws light on the fact that we as humans tend to jump to conclusions often too quickly. Anthony and Peter had done nothing out of the ordinary but the town happened to be predominantly dominated by whites and that set off a red flag in Jean’s mind. Anthony flips the subject based on the fact that they are the only blacks in the area and asks Peter, â€Å"Why aren’t we scared? † Peter responds, â€Å"Cause we got guns? † and both men proceed to pull out their weapons and hijack the Cabot’s vehicle (Crash). This scene is greatly enhanced by the use of sound. As both of the couples stroll down the boulevard, one can hear a peaceful Christmas carol in the background, but as the men approach the Cabots, the music increases in volume and changes to a more upbeat, edgy track. The film does this in order to create tension between both sets of characters; it changes the norm and keeps the audience anxious. To reinforce this, the sound increases once more as Anthony and Peter peel out of the street with the stolen car creating a definitive point in the scene. By transitioning from calm to chaos, Haggis demonstrates how a simple misinterpretation, a stereotype, could pay dividends in the long run. Jean Cabot had suspected something was not right as soon as she locked eyes with Anthony. The fact that Anthony gave a rather thought-provoking talk on racial tendencies shows that stereotyping does not go unnoticed. An act as simple as interlocking arms with your husband as you pass two young, African American teenagers may seem like an act of safety to you but to the teenagers it is offensive. This also proves that this is not a one-sided debate. Both parties are involved and equally held responsible for their criticisms. In â€Å"Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meaning of Gender,† Aaron H. Devor discusses the distinction between gender and sexuality. Gender is typically based on anatomical differences between men and women, but does not necessarily match with them. In Diana’s case, she is a female yet she demonstrates masculine tendencies through her animosity and fury in the boxing arena. According to Devor, Diana fails to follow â€Å"the natural role† of her sexuality (Devor 160). Devor states, â€Å"persons who perform the activities considered appropriate for another gender will be expected to perform them poorly† (Devor 159). He point is valid because there are always cases when a male or a female may not fit the norm and fight off a society that is so fixated on masculinity versus femininity. This statement connects with the film Girlfight, in which Diana Guzman distinguishes herself by becoming a boxer, a sport dominated by males. Devor states that even if the athlete does succeed, it is a â€Å"reward with ridicule or scorn for blurring the gender dividing line† (Devor 159). The film Girlfight somewhat argues this statement because Diana was cheered as she finished her final bout against Adrian. Adrian was obviously the favored fighter, mainly due the act that he was a male, yet Diana pulled off the victory. The fact is that gender is socially and culturally determined; it is not biologically determined. At the time, boxing gurus failed to give credit to Diana by being an underdog and decided to instead critique and stereotype her based on her sex. Today more and more women have become boxers but there are still those that frown upon their presence in the ring. Even though people have become more tolerant, there are still some who are not willing to except things out of the norm, which is why society has not gained the balance it needs and social stereotyping exists. Gender stereotyping is a very serious issue in today’s society, but another dilemma just as grim is that of racial stereotyping. Larry Aubry’s Los Angeles Sentinel article titled, â€Å"Undoing Racism in American Cities,† argues how racism is still very much with us and is still a barrier to the realization of the American dream in the nation’s cities and towns. His main point is that in order to â€Å"undo racism† one must â€Å"move from being a part of the problem to becoming a part of the solution† (Aubry, par. 3). Throughout the film Crash, the main characters are given various opportunities to combat racism but instead act on poor judgment by stereotyping. The fact is that stereotyping never leads to a proper outcome. A proper outcome may not be what either party had intended but most of the time an ethical outcome is best. In Anthony’s case, he fumed on how whites were racist yet he became part of the problem by doing exactly what Jean Cabot had foreseen him execute. Anthony stereotyped against himself and further worsened the problem. According to Aubry, â€Å"there is a consensus that everyone is part of the problem in many different ways† (Aubry, par. ). Most people place the blame on others when in fact they escalate the argument. Stereotyping has set societies back time and time again and until society is guided by the fairness of its ideas, its politics, and its culture and not by the fairness of one another’s skin or gender, progress cannot be made. Girlfight attacks the issue from the gender side while Crash from the racial side. Stereotyping is vague in nature but both films key in on these issues through their storyline and cinematic techniques. Girlfight did this through a realistic portrayal of the life of a young female boxer and her struggles. Crash decided to create a segmented story in which characters interact through their abuse of stereotyping. If Anthony and Peter had decided not to go through with the car hijacking, both them and the Cabots would have been closer to the realization that they were in fact, out of line. In Diana’s case, the public is against her, even her father is against her, yet she knows she can fend off the skeptics. Social stereotyping is pervasive and without both parties grasping that fact, both racist and gender stereotyping will continue to exist.

Average Salary Grades for Veterinarians - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 296 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/09/14 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Median salary for small animal exclusive veterinarians who do not own their practice ranges from US$70,000 to US$91,000. According to the Society Of Practising Veterinary Surgeon, the average starting salary for an associate veterinarian in the United States is US $ 70,000 and in UK is between ? 30,380 and? 39,500. In certain cases, this package may include a salary of ? 18,000 ? 20,000,a car and accommodation. Salary levels can vary according to further training,specialization and whether you are planning working as a practice partner. With further training and experience can cause a raise in the salary of ? 20,000 ? 35,000. Senior vets can earn around ? 48,000 depending on the size of their practice. Owning a practice, a general practice veterinarian can earn a median income starting from US$100,000 to US$250,000 depending on years of experience, gender, location, competition in that area and type of practice owned. Two key factors contribute to veterinary profession income especially in the United States — ownership status and years of experience. The average salary of a male owner is $158,910, while the average salary of a female owner is $115,768, or 27 percent less. Male associates are earning $115,672 compared to female associates who bring in $83,106, or 19. 1 to 25 percent less. Veterinary Specialists earn much more than general veterinarians. Starting salary for a Veterinary Specialist is $150,000 and salary range for Veterinary Specialist varies from US $150,000 to US $350,000, depending upon the type of specialty and years of experience. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Average Salary Grades for Veterinarians" essay for you Create order The mean salary for new graduates in 2008 was US$48,328, but this included nearly 40% going on to advanced study programs. Vets in the UK do tend to make less than those in the US with average new graduate wages starting at an average of ? 25000. Vets in India on an average earn from INR 240,000 to INR 840,000 per annum. Vets in Pakistan have an annnual salary of 500,000to 1000,000 rupees.