American Traditions The Reunion Essay - 1435 Words

Abstract This paper examines American traditions, how they are established and preserved. Specifically, I discuss traditional gatherings known as family, class, and school reunions and review ways in which they are augmented by social networks. I remind the reader of the role reunions play in the perpetuation of memories and transference of collective knowledge. It is believed that attendance at family reunions had dwindled in the 90’s but is experiencing resurgence (Baxter, 2005); this is due in part, I believe, to social network sites like Facebook and MySpace. People are reencountering their past and making connections, both old and new. Keywords: traditions, reunion, social networking American Traditions: The Reunion†¦show more content†¦That is in large part what reunions are for, the perpetuation of memories and knowledge. These events happen with certain regularity, some every year, others at longer intervals; a place where birthdays, anniversaries and engagements are celebrated, deaths and other losses mourned, and divorce stands somewhere in the middle. The family reunion has long been a multigenerational—and in my family—multiracial gathering, where time slows down and nothing is hurried. Conversations are not limited, bellies are filled, and fun is had by all! We gather together in one place to share our lives and our stories, we do activities that draw us closer together, and family bonds are strengthened, however; times have changed and it is unfortunate that some of our traditions have changed too. Just one generation back, my mother and many of the other women in my family joi ned the workforce and fumbled the family reunion ball; my generation did not pick it up. I am hopeful that will change. I believe that family reunions are integral to American culture and I would hate to lose that connection. I want my daughter and grandson to have the same opportunities that I had to find their own fold in the quilt of their lives. According to an article in a Kentucky newspaper, there is hope for that, â€Å"†¦the number of family reunions dwindled during the ‘90s, experts say, there is resurgence in their popularity, especially among baby boomers† (Baxter, 2005). It’s timeShow MoreRelatedThe Transatlantic Slave Trade And The United States1012 Words   |  5 PagesMy ancestors, along with many other African Americans living in society today are decedents of African slaves. I can remember as far back as age 5 listening to the elders in my family talk about slavery. The word slavery originated when millions of African men and women wer e forcible taken from their families and the familiar surroundings of their African villages. 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Slavery And The Black Race - 1526 Words

Slavery and the black race in America cannot be separated since slavery is a big part of the history of African Americans from the 18th century to early 20th century. There are many issues to consider about slavery and the lives of the slaves at the period. One of those issues is the role played by women slaves in the societies of the time. Deborah White writes about how women slaves had a different life compared to the other white women and compared to the male slaves. However, it is the statement that White made that suggested that when it came to black women, then it was impossible to separate their race and sex from them that is of much concern. In that, perceptions of a black woman were based on the fact that she was a woman and at†¦show more content†¦What the above acts meant was that the white men saw black women slaves as just women who did not have what their white counterparts had and that they were more of a ‘subspecies’ to the other women. All the b lack women slaves were was just sexual instruments and women who were willing to be taken advantage of with no questions asked. On the same note, in the Antebellum South, Black women slaves were the assurance that slavery will continue since they were made to act as the incubators for future children who would be slaves for the generations that would follow. The Mammy According to White (17), the mammy was the paternalistic ideology given to the black women slaves who were willing enough to serve their masters’ each and every whim. They were grateful for the generosity of their masters and were ready to show their gratitude in any way possible. According to White (22), the Mammy was either very wise or also very stupid in the eyes of the white individuals. But the commanding myth about these women was that they were foolish and their actions at many times led them into comic situations. 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Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility

Question: Discuss about theStrategic Corporate Social Responsibility. Answer: Introduction From time to time organizations are bound to respond to opportunities and threats that arise in the dynamic environment in which they operate. The modern workplace environment has emerged as quite challenging for organizations. There are several pressures to which Modern organizations continue to be exposed to, and on which they must compete. Businesses continue to come up with organizational responses to counter these opportunities and threats. Business pressures are the factors that affect business operations. This essay will focus on some pressures faced by organizations and remedies that businesses have to counter them. Corporate social responsibility. This is organizations responsibility for the impacts of its decisions and actions on the society and the environment. From their operations business are bound to impact on the environment and communities in a number of ways (Crane,2008). Corporate social responsibility has emerged as a factor for organization success or failure. From the increasing levels of community awareness, there has been a growing emphasis on businesses to act responsibly in their dealings, with organizations that are socially responsible becoming a favorite for many consumers. This and various others government legislations have put immense pressures on organizations to act responsibly for them to compete on the same level with their competitors. The stakeholder theory of corporate social responsibility described by Edward freeman is focused on business stakeholders or the individuals who are likely to affect or be affected by business operations. This theory lays emphasis on t he obligations that can be imposed on organizations by these stakeholders, their rights with regard to the actions of an organization as well as their genuine claims on the business. In short, this theory focuses on how these stakeholders can control the operations of an organization (Chandler Werther, 2013). Organizations are therefore being pressured each day to minimize their negative impact and maximize their positive impact on the environment and the community. Strategies. Organizations or managers have at their disposal several strategies that they can put in place to meet the demands of their various stakeholders. Philanthropic responsibility requires organizations to come up with projects that support the welfare of the communities in which they operate (Lee Kotler,2013). Organizations can initiate education support programs such as offering scholarships to the needy members of the society in order to facilitate their education and their ability to transform their communities. Apart from education organizations can also support healthcare programs such as building community-based health centers as well as contributing funds towards other community initiatives. Organizations can also act responsibly by ensuring that their actions have minimal impact on the environment. They can do this by adopting recycling programs to minimize the wastes generated from business operations, the can also ensure that they minimize consumption of resources as much as possible to avoid affect the quality of life lived by the future generations as a result of depletion of natural resources. Organizations can also adapt usage of alternative sources of energy that do avoid depletion of natural resources and the subsequent negative impacts that come with it (Visser Institute for Corporate Culture Affairs,2010). Changing nature of the workforce. The needs of organizations workforce are increasingly becoming diversified. Among the demand that has been brought about by this diversification is the need for employees to be more empowered (Huq, 2010).While traditionally employees were seen as people who were to follow orders from their managers, modern workplace brought immense pressure on organizations to involve employees in decision making and view them as partners instead of subordinates. Employees want to be more involved in decision-making and other operations of the organization and because of this, there has been increasing pressure on organizations to empower their employees.(Wodden, 2009) views the implementation of empowerment strategies by organizations as an attempt to maintain a shared vision, institutional recognition, organizational support, knowledge, and learning. Employee empowerment involves giving employees power, information, reward, and knowledge and asserts that without th ese four there can be a hindrance of employee empowerment. According to Kanters theory of structural empowerment, leaders powers grow based on the leader's ability to share the power through empowerment. He further states that empowerment enables employees to make informed decisions and become more productive hence benefiting not only themselves but also their organization (Pettinger, 2012). Strategies. There are several strategies that organizations can employ to respond to the increasing empowerment demands at the modern workplace Employee training and development is one of the strategies that organizations have to meet these demands. Frequent training opportunities capacitate employees to go about their assigned duties and responsibilities with much ease and without having to consult their managers frequently. Employees require training to be equipped with the required skills for the assigned tasks. Apart from training, authority is also a strategy that can be applied to empower employees. There has been increasing demand for responsibilities followed by Authority from employees as a result of the diversifications at the modern workplace. Organizations/Mangers can ensure that that they give sufficient authority to employees to enable them to make decisions on how well they can complete their assigned tasks instead of concentrating all the authority at the top. Manager s can also make sure that they maintain a personal touch with their employees, encourage and constantly give positive feedback about their performance. This can be an effective strategy to empower them and develop them professionally. As noted by expectancy theory, managers can also build confidence in their employees to make them more productive and improve their job satisfaction (Rainer Cegielski,2011). Conclusion In conclusion, there has been increasing pressure on organizations regarding their interaction with both their internal and external environments. These pressures can contribute to the failure or success of organizations depending on how they are able to handle them. Organizations that are socially responsible have continued to enjoy more fruitful interactions with their stakeholders while the pressure to be socially responsible has continued to increase for those that are not. Changing nature of workforce has also made it necessary for organizations to devise appropriate strategies such as empowerment in order to reduce employee turnover and improve productivity. Reference List Chandler, D. B., Werther, W. B. J. (2013). Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders, Globalization, and Sustainable Value Creation. Crane, A. (2008). The Oxford handbook of corporate social responsibility. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Huq, R. (2010). Employee empowerment: The rhetoric and the reality. Axminster, Devon: Triarchy Press. Johnson, P., Wood, G., Brewster, C., Brookes, M. (2009). The rise of post-bureaucracy: theorists' fancy or organizational praxis?. International Sociology, 24(1), 37-61. Rainer, R. K., Cegielski, C. G. (2011). Introduction to information systems. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley Sons Pettinger, R. (2012). Business studies for dummies. Chichester: Wiley. Lee, N., Kotler, P. (2013). Corporate social responsibility: Doing the most good for your company and your cause. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Visser, W., Institute for Corporate Culture Affairs. (2010). The A to Z of corporate social responsibility. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K: Wiley.