Non-discrimination Policies in School Settings

Research Paper

Fatima Awn

Professor Price

WGST 405

University of Michigan Dearborn

Non-Discrimination Policies in School Settings

The policy I found that inspired me to research “Non-discrimination Policies” was the Non-discrimination policy for Atlanta Public Schools. The Atlanta Public Schools Non-discrimination Policy was surprisingly very short, and basically one sentenced. It basically says “we will not discriminate against anyone” but with a little more detail as to who everyone is. They also did not state anything to do with pregnancy as well. There are some women in high school that do get pregnant and in this statement it doesn’t include them in non-discrimination. Also the parents of the students were not mentioned and this made me think about how public policies effect families. Well in public schools, or schools for young children, their families are very much involved. I feel that the policy should have something to include about not discriminating against families that are in any situation to be discriminated against or for being responsible for anything with their children based on their parents. For example, if a child has two gay parents, the policy does state that they will not discriminate against any sexual orientation, but what about the children of that couple? I believe it should have a statement regarding them as well. I really want to also focus on young children in the LGBT community, and how even though LGBT is mentioned in the policy, this community is still faced with terrible discrimination and that is why these statements need more detail and conclusions. Their statement is missing a lot and not looking over many points that need to be looked over. This policy is for families with children at such a young age to basically adults and should talk in more detail about that range. So that being said, I wanted to find out about children that are put in a higher chance of being discriminated against, such as the LGBT community, in public schools and how they are treated, what they go through and what is done about it. Most, if not all, schools do carry a non discrimination policy yet from the research I gathered, many children are facing bullying and judgment.

For the last 30 years, schools were a platform for all types of people to express and participate in our “cultural wars”. The division between conservatives, liberals and progressives is nothing that is hidden, we see it every day, not only in our schools. But where this division happens, debates also happen, specifically about issues that contrast with each party, such as, sex education, the LGBT community, gender identification, and so forth. (Griffen, Ouellett) In earlier times, Homosexuality was treated as a disease but now we know it is not. Being part of the LGBTQ community is not something people wake up and decide, it is who they are, just as you are you. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality off of its list of mental disorders yet they are still treated as mentally different or abnormal, even at younger ages. (Griffen, Ouellett) They not only face discrimination from their peers, but also from their elders and strangers. The youth that are part of the LGBT community face verbal, and sometimes physical, abuse, harassment and rejection from their community.

“A 2005 survey of 3450 students ages 13-18 in the United States by The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network found: 33 percent of the respondents report that students in their school are frequently harassed for their sexual orientation, 52 percent hear students make homophobic remarks regularly, 36 percent reported bullying or name calling based on sexual orientation as a serious problem and lastly, 90 percent of the LGBT teens have been verbally or physically harassed or assaulted during the past year because of their perceived appearance, gender, sexuality orientation, expression, ethnicity, disability or religion.” (Meyer, Strader)

Not only are children who are part of the LGBT community facing this problems, but children whose parents are part of that community are facing similar issues. The bulling they face may not be from others not liking them, but simply others having homophobia and taking it out on the child.

“Nearly half (47%) indicated that they they heard negative comments from peers about their parents, or from school staff (28%). Nearly a quarter (23%) reported being mistreated by the parents of other students because they had an LGBT parent. 22% indicated that they had been discouraged from talking about their family status at school by a teacher, principal, or other staff person. Smaller numbers reported being physically harassed or assaulted at school for having an LGBT parent (12%), or because of their own actual or perceived sexual identity (11%).” (Edkins, Peter, Taylor)

These statistics are not only shocking, but they are what real people like you and me face all while there are rules against it written down. These non-discrimination policies are looked over so quickly because it is such a norm, and has been a norm, to not accept the LGBT community, or anyone that is “different” in that case. Since there are so many different types of people, with different types of views, these policies should have more detail about how non-discrimination should happen and how every type of person should act. These views should be addressed, without crossing lines. In 1998, Tierney and Dilley identified issues that LGB people face in education since the 1990’s. This study is a little earlier in time, but I feel that it still applies and needs to be looked over. Their literature focused on K-12 schools as a site of harassment and violence done towards LGB students. This research called for policy changes, intervention and legal responsibilities that schools have for providing a safe environment for the LGBT community. “Their philosophy was that LBG students, teachers and families are members of every school and community and they are entitled to basic civil rights of respect and fair treatment. (Griffen, Ouellett) By 2002, ten states had put in action for laws or policies that ban discrimination or harassment that is based on sexual orientation or gender identity. ((Griffen, Ouellett) Even with policies and movements done throughout these early years, there is still harassment and discrimination happening and these policies are too broad to put anything in action. Without being more specific, people that are apposed to the idea of LGBT have nothing to fear from discrimination. I mean, if you tell a child don’t touch the hot stove without a them knowing the consequence, they will still touch the hot stove.

A big part of children feeling uncomfortable going to school is not only knowing peers will be mean, but not getting the acceptance they deserve from their teachers. The policies that are given to schools to follow should be followed first by the faculty. It is their job to make sure the students are their most comfortable and their safest. Even though heterosexual peer support to the LGBT students is most import for promoting a positive school experience, having teaching who care about them and what they are going through was a very close second. (Meyer, Strader) The students that are part of the LGBT community know that was they are going through is not okay, and when they see that an elder that is teaching them is not caring of what is happening, it is self demeaning and really hurts that person. To think that even someone that is supposedly teaching me what I need to know in life, is not participating and how I am supposed to feel in life is really strong. “The average GPA of sexual minority students who could not identify any supportive faculty was 2.8. The average GPA of participants who could identify supportive faculty was 3.1 and those students were more than twice as likely to plan to attend college.” (Meyer, Strader) With the confidence that the support brings to them, better grades follow and a better future to plan for after that. In some cases, schools have a tendency of policing gender, usually from their own beliefs at home. Since this is some of the cases, I believe that the non-discrimination policies are missing specifics such as stating to not speak about your personal beliefs if it includes discrimination. A huge problem with that, and especially with some “old school” conservative teachers, is the Christian Right. They are strongly opposed of the LGBT community and try to get support for their movement through fear, anger and disgust towards gay people. (Russo) These people don’t understand that being part of the LGBT is not a choice and isn’t something that can just be changed, its not like choosing what you want for dinner and I feel that should also be stated in the policy. It should say that being part of the LGBT is who they are and should be respected no matter what opposing views you have. Along with what I stated in the previous paragraph, discrimination slides past these policies such as bullying and religious conflicts because the policies lack protection. Not only will it affect their school work, it will affect their mental health and may even cause suicidal thoughts. “Several research studies suggest that sexual minority youth are 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than those of their heterosexual counterparts. Gay and lesbian youth suicides make up 30% of the 5,000 completed youth suicides annually.” (Russo)

In the United States, discrimination is illegal yet is still done every day, everywhere. With the basic policies we have in place, I am not surprised they are looked over so easily.

“Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was enacted to prohibit gender discrimination against participants in education programs. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, on May 24, 1999, that schools could be held liable for violating Title IX federal civil rights law for willingly ignoring sexual harassment of one student by another”. (Russo)

I think that our policies should state these laws, and let the people attending their schools and working at their schools know and study it. I, personally, did not know that it was put into the federal law and would not have known if I did not research it. School administrators know this, so why doesn’t their policy state it? All the policy says is “Do not discriminate” when it should say “Do not discriminate because it is against the law”. Now, I know there are laws about everything and they are still not followed, but I feel that if that were added to the policies they will be taken a little more seriously, not only at schools, but starting in the home and being taught before going into the public.

Schools not only need to make laws more noticeable, but they also need to really focus on making their schools a place that practices social justice. By doing so, the schools will better the atmosphere and push towards a safer environment for the LGBT community. When you approach the issues I have been researching, you will also face intersectional issues and the problems brought on by heterosexism. (Griffen, Ouellett) “A social justice perspective on research incorporates alternative methodologies that are sensitive to privileging and othering in the research process as well as in the educational setting in which we conduct our research. By incorporating this perspective, the research experience not only can provide information about schools but also serve as a catalyst for social change in schools. (Griffen, Ouellett) If the policy were to speak on issues of intersectional, such as race, income levels, ethnicity and include sexual orientation I feel it would be easier to follow along and easier for the policy to be followed because those are other topics that we know are discriminated against. Being part of the LGBT is one thing, but being poor, of color and part of the LGBT is something else and should be stated as well. Intersecionality is something that needs to be recognized so discrimination can be helped to be avoided, especially in places outside of our home and in the most public areas, such as schools.

Work Cited

PLEASE FIX MY CITATIONS INTO APA

Peter, T., Taylor, C., & Edkins, T. (2016).

Are the kids all right? the impact of school climate among students with LGBT parents. Canadian Journal of Education, 39(1), 1-25. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.wizard.umd.umich.edu/docview/1781322914?accountid=14578

Meyer, E. J., & Stader, D. (2009)

Queer youth and the culture wars: from classroom to courtroom in Australia, Canada and the United States. Journal of LGBT Youth, 6(2/3), 135-154.

Russo, R. G. (2006).

The extent of public education nondiscrimination policy protections for lesbians,    

gay, bisexual, and transgender students. Sage Publications: 41, (115-150)

Griffin, P.,Ouellett, M. (2003).

From silence to safety and beyond: historical trends in addressing lesbian, gay,

bisexual, transgender issues in K-12 Schools.” Equity & Excellence in Education: 36, (106)

You have more bacteria and other microorganisms living in your digestive tract than you have cells in your entire body. We need bacteria.  While previous generations used to think that all bugs and microbes were dangerous, nowadays we know that good bowel function (and life  itself), actually depends upon a healthy balance between the useful and the less useful types of bacteria. These microbes total approximately  100 trillion. They are on the surface of the skin, inside the mouth, nose, and uro-genitary tract, but most live in the large intestine. More than  1,000 different types of species live in your large intestine alone. Amongst all different species, many are helpful, but some could pose a threat  to health if their numbers get out of hand. Some bacterial types like E. coli and C. difficile are opportunistic pathogens. This means that, under  normal conditions, they live alongside other bacteria in the gut. However, once the host's immune system is weakened or after a course of  antibiotics or if there is physical damage to the gut lining, they can get a foothold and multiply rapidly, causing harm to the host. "The main  bacterial inhabitants of the stomach include: Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Lactobacillus, Peptostreptococcus, and types of yeast" (Gut flora,  2017). It's the balance that's important. Friendly bacteria in your gut do the following: Stimulate the production of antibodies in your blood,  increasing your immune system strength and capacity to deal with toxins, allergens, harmful microorganisms and incompletely digested  proteins. They produce nutrients that are essential to your health like Vitamin B12 and Vitamin K. It takes up space and resources in your gut,  which helps to prevent infection by harmful bacteria, fungi, and parasites. They produce natural antibiotics, acids, and hydrogen peroxide,  which also help to protect you against infection by harmful microorganisms, including other bacteria that can cause food poisoning. It also  helps aid in digesting food.           Conditions in the large intestine are mostly anaerobic. This means that there is little oxygen around and as a consequence, most of the  bacterial types are anaerobic; They do not need oxygen as a component in the energy-releasing reactions that occur in the cytoplasm. Instead,  they release the energy locked up in nutrients by means of fermentation reactions. You know that your skin is a barrier that helps to protect  your blood and inner organs against harmful materials in the environment. Your digestive tract is no different. Your mouth, esophagus,  stomach, small intestine, and colon make up one long tube that must act like your skin to protect your blood and inner organs from harmful  materials. For example, "Some genera of bacteria, such as Bacteroides and Clostridium, have been associated with an increase in tumor  growth rate, while other genera, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, are known to prevent tumor formation" (Gut flora, 2017).   

Reference    Brannagan, M. (2017, August 14). What Are the Functions of Intestinal Flora? Retrieved December 11, 2017, from  https://www.livestrong.com/article/521824-what-are-the-functions-of-intestinal-flora/   Gut flora. (2017, December 09). Retrieved December 11, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut_flora

Directions: 150 words            

Your post must be highly organized, thorough and accurate. All posts should include proper grammar and mechanics.       

3.Advance the discussion or extend discussions already taking place. Responses must add new information not previously discussed.       

4.Pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced. Consider new factual information tied with critical thinking. Interesting and current research on the topic.       

5.Do not simply summarize another student's post and agree/disagree. Consider starting out posts with, “A research article I found said, Did you know, 3 things I found interesting were…”

On January 1, 2016, ABC Company adopted the dollar-value LIFO retail inventory method. Inventory transactions at both cost and retail, and cost indexes for 2016 and 2017 are as follows:

 

2016

2017

 

Cost

Retail

Cost

Retail

Beginning inventory

$28,000

$ 40,000

 

 

Net purchases

85,000

108,000

$90,000

$114,000

Freight-in

2,000

 

2,500

 

Net markups

 

10,000

 

8,000

Net markdowns

 

2,000

 

2,200

Net sales to customers

 

100,000

 

104,000

Price Index:

 

 

 

 

 January 1, 2016

 

 

 

1.00

 December 31, 2016

 

 

 

1.06

 December 31, 2017

 

 

 

1.10

Required:

Estimate the 2016 and 2017 ending inventory and cost of goods sold using the dollar-value LIFO retail inventory method.

Experiment “Social Transmission”

 

​Rats are neophobic (i.e. afraid of new experiences) and show a reluctance to eat new things.  Often, rats will only sample a small amount of a novel food, and return later if the first sampling did not make them sick.  This is believed to be an adaptive behavior in the wild where new foods may be poisonous.  However, rats may eat a novel food they encounter if they have other reasons to expect that it is not dangerous to ingest.  For example, in the social transmission of food preference paradigm (STFP) an "observer rat" can learn about the palatability of a food by exposure to a "demonstrator rat" that has previously eaten the food.  It has been shown that the smell of the food on the demonstrator (particularly its breath) signals to the observer rat that the food is safe to eat.  In the following experiment we will investigate this effect by testing whether the observer rat prefers the demonstrated food.

 

Procedure

There are three phases of this experiment: a demonstration phase, an interaction phase and a test phase. Each one is described below.  Demonstrator rats will be at 85% of their free feeding weight.  Observer rats will be provided food and water ad libitum.

 

WEEK 1

 

 

Phase 1: DEMONSTRATION PHASE

Demonstrator rats are exposed to assigned flavor for 10 minutes.  Demonstrator rats will be placed in the open field apparatus with a small, plastic dish of 25 flavored pellets placed in the open field (dish in the same location as in the observer phase).  After 10 minutes, or after all of the pellets are eaten, record how many pellets the demonstrator rat has eaten.  Remove the demonstrator and dish of pellets from the open field.  If less than 5 pellets were eaten, the flavored powder from the pellets should be wiped around the demonstrator’s snout prior to the interaction phase. Wipe down the apparatus.

 

Demonstrator​​Flavor of Food Pellet

Rat #25​                  ​CINNAMON​​

​Rat #26​​       ​ COCOA​​​       ​ 

 ​Rat #27​​        ​CINNAMON

​Rat #28​​        ​COCOA​​       ​

 

Phase 2: INTERACTION PHASE

Both demonstrator and observer rats are placed in the open field apparatus together for 30 minutes.  Begin by placing the rats in opposite corners, with each one facing the walls.

 

Record the following 3 types of interactions:

1. Number of anterior- anterior (head to head) interactions performed by the observer to the demonstrator.

2. Number of anterior-posterior (head to body or hindlimb section) interactions performed by the observer to the demonstrator.

3. Amount of time (in minutes) the observer spends in the same quadrant of the open field as the demonstrator.

 

After 30 minutes, return both the demonstrator (mark on tail) and observer to their home cages.  Wipe down the open field.   Enter data into Excel spreadsheet.

 

AFTER A 5 MINUTE BREAK, REPEAT BOTH THE DEMONSTRATION

PHASE AND INTERACTION PHASE.

 

 

Week 1 Data Collection Sheet

 

 

 

Demonstrator Rat ________

Demonstrator Flavor ___________

Observer Rat ________

 

Demonstrator Phase:

 

​Number of pellets eaten ________

​

Interaction Phase: (record observer performed actions only)

 

​Number of anterior-anterior (head to head) interactions _________

​Number of anterior-posterior (head to body) interactions _________

Amount of time spent in same quadrant _________

 

WEEK 2

 

Phase 1: DEMONSTRATION PHASE

Demonstrator rats are exposed to assigned flavor for 10 minutes.  Demonstrator rats will be placed in the open field apparatus with a small, plastic dish of 25 flavored pellets placed in the open field (dish in the same location as in the observer phase).  After 10 minutes, or after all of the pellets are eaten, record how many pellets the demonstrator rat has eaten.  Remove the demonstrator and dish of pellets from the open field.  If less than 5 pellets were eaten, the flavored powder from the pellets should be wiped around the demonstrator’s snout prior to the interaction phase. Wipe down the apparatus.

 

Demonstrator​​Flavor of Food Pellet

Rat #25​                  ​CINNAMON​​

​Rat #26​​       ​ COCOA​​​       ​ 

 ​Rat #27​​        ​CINNAMON

​Rat #28​​        ​COCOA​​       ​

 

Phase 2: INTERACTION PHASE

Both demonstrator and observer rats are placed in the open field apparatus together for 30 minutes.  Begin by placing the rats in opposite corners, with each one facing the walls.

 

Record the following 3 types of interactions:

1. Number of anterior- anterior (head to head) interactions performed by the observer to the demonstrator.

2. Number of anterior-posterior (head to body or hindlimb section) interactions performed by the observer to the demonstrator.

3. Amount of time (in minutes) the observer spends in the same quadrant of the open field as the demonstrator.

 

After 30 minutes, return the demonstrator (mark on tail) to its home cage and return to the colony room.  Wipe down the open field.  

 

Phase 3: OBSERVER PHASE

Observer rat is exposed to two flavors, cinnamon and cocoa, to determine its food preference. A small dish of 40 cinnamon pellets is placed in the center of one quadrant of the open field, and a small dish of 40 cocoa pellets is placed in the center of the opposite quadrant (see Figure 1). This phase will include four 5-minute trials, with 3-minute intertrial intervals (ITI).  Begin each trial by placing rat in the center of the testing apparatus.  Record the amount of time the observer rat spends in the demonstrator’s flavor quadrant.  Also, record the amount of time the observer rat spends in the other flavor’s quadrant.  

 

During each 3-min ITI, record the number of pellets eaten during the trial, refill the dishes to 40 pellets, and then return the dishes to the same location in the apparatus.   Food preference will be determined by the number of pellets consumed and the amount of time spent in each flavor’s quadrant.  After the 4 trials are complete, return the observer to its home cage.

 

Wipe down the open field.  Enter the data into the Excel spreadsheet.

 

Room lights should be dim (only one of the switches on). Make sure to remain as quiet as possible, as any noise or distracting movement will disturb your experiment. IMPORTANT: Avoid cross-contamination of the cinnamon and cocoa pellets by having a person handle only one flavor.  

 

Some questions to keep in mind:

 

Do observer rats show an increased preference for whichever food was demonstrated to them?

 

If so, do the types of interaction and amount of contact time between demonstrator and observer rats during the demonstration phase correlate to the social transmission of food preference?

 

What is the evidence that the observer rat learned something? What would you expect if they didn’t learn anything?

 

If rats normally have a preference for one flavor before the demonstration, how could this affect the results?

 

If the observer rat were to become ill after ingesting its preferred food during the test phase, what do you think would happen to its food preference if you tested again the next day?

Week 2 Data Collection Sheet

 

Demonstrator Rat ________

Demonstrator Flavor ___________

Observer Rat ________

 

Demonstrator Phase:

 

​Number of pellets eaten ________

​

Interaction Phase: (record observer performed actions only)

 

​Number of anterior-anterior (head to head) interactions _________

​Number of anterior-posterior (head to body) interactions _________

Amount of time spent in same quadrant _________

 

Observer Phase:

 

​

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 4

Number of demonstrator flavor pellets eaten

 

 

 

 

Number of other flavor pellets eaten

 

 

 

 

Time spent in demonstrator flavor quadrant

 

 

 

 

Time spent in other flavor quadrant

• Review this week's Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide.
• Go to the Stahl Online website and examine the case study you were assigned.
• Take the pretest for the case study.
• Review the patient intake documentation, psychiatric history, patient file, medication history, etc. As you progress through each section, formulate a list of questions that you might ask the patient if he or she were in your office.
• Based on the patient’s case history, consider other people in his or her life that you would need to speak to or get feedback from (i.e., family members, teachers, nursing home aides, etc.).
• Consider whether any additional physical exams or diagnostic testing may be necessary for the patient.
• Develop a differential diagnoses for the patient. Refer to the DSM-5 in this week’s Learning Resources for guidance.
• Review the patient’s past and current medications. Refer to Stahl’s Prescriber’s Guide and consider medications you might select for this patient.
• Review the posttest for the case study.

 

By Day 3

Post a response to the following:

1. Provide the case number in the subject line of the Discussion thread.
2. List three questions you might ask the patient if he or she were in your office. Provide a rationale for why you might ask these questions.
3. Identify people in the patient’s life you would need to speak to or get feedback from to further assess the patient’s situation. Include specific questions you might ask these people and why.
4. Explain what physical exams and diagnostic tests would be appropriate for the patient and how the results would be used.
5. List three differential diagnoses for the patient. Identify the one that you think is most likely and explain why.
6. List two pharmacologic agents and their dosing that would be appropriate for the patient’s antidepressant therapy based on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. From a mechanism of action perspective, provide a rationale for why you might choose one agent over the other.
7. For the drug therapy you select, identify any contraindications to use or alterations in dosing that may need to be considered based on the client’s ethnicity. Discuss why the contraindication/alteration you identify exists. That is, what would be problematic with the use of this drug in individuals of other ethnicities?
8. If your assigned case includes “check points” (i.e., follow-up data at week 4, 8, 12, etc.), indicate any therapeutic changes that you might make based on the data provided.
9. Explain “lessons learned” from this case study, including how you might apply this case to your own practice when providing care to patients with similar clinical presentations

The SBRnet is a market research and publications database that lists and provides information on sports organizations, teams, corporate sponsors, sports agents, marketing and event management agencies, and media companies around the world.

 

For this paper use the “Venue Reports” section. Look up your favorite Professional Sport team’s venue and summarize the information provided there from the most recent year regarding the naming rights, ticket prices, luxury suites, clubs seats, financing etc.

 

In addition to that find one other outside source from either local media or elsewhere that also addresses some of the information found in the Venue Report. Compare and contrast any differences that you might have found. 

Paper is to be 2-4 pages long

All references must be in APA style. 

Assignment crateria

Research Paper 1: Assessment criteria Weighting: Length/Limit 15% Maximum of 1,000 words ASSESSMENT 1 This is an individual assignment. Each week, based on the hour of e-learning activity that has been prescribed, you are required actively to engage with the material by writing a short discussion of how the material that was prescribed relates to the topic(s) of this subject and how it relates to your own personal experience. You create a blog each week where you provide evidence that you have engaged in this way with the prescribed e-learning activity. In the blog, you mention any extra material relevant to the activity that you have researched on the net. These blogs are assessed in the following way: 1. Blogs are spot checked by your lecturer. 2. By the end of Week 6, students choose their best two blogs and submit them as an assignment (due Friday Week 6). Each blog should be in two sections: Section 1 lists the key ideas you have extracted from the prescribed e-learning activity. In Section 2 you apply those ideas to your own experience, to an organisation you know and to the topic(s) of this subject. The written report of your two best blogs has a 1,000 word limit and must be in the form of a research report (with table of contents, executive summary, main body, conclusion and references).

Elearning Activity. Week 1 – 3

HI6005 Discussion Board – Week1

In your blog, you should address the following two sections:

(1) Section 1: list the key ideas you have extracted from the prescribed e-learning activity.

(2) Section 2: apply those ideas to your own experience, to an organisation you know and to the topic(s) of this subject.

Visit the following URLs, and use 'Questions to consider' to guide your thinking.

Activity 1: Ford and Taylorism

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PdmNbqtDdI

Questions to consider:

1. Would workers in Australia, America or Europe accept the Taylorism in this form today?

2. Consider the design of scripts for use in Call Centres, can you see Taylorism in that?  Explain.

3. This ‘clip’ is showing history from 100 years ago.  Some would say that ‘the world has moved on’ and these ideas are out of date.  However, could there be parts of the world today for which these ideas might be just what they need? Explain.

Discussion Board

HI6005 Discussion Board – Week 2
In your blog, you should address the following two sections:

(1) Section 1: list the key ideas you have extracted from the prescribed e-learning activity.

(2) Section 2: apply those ideas to your own experience, to an organisation you know and to the topic(s) of this subject.

Visit the following URLs, and use 'Questions to consider' to guide your thinking.

Activity 1: Thomas Friedman on Globalisation; 3 Eras of Globalisation; World is flat

URL: h ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp4znWHvsjU

Questions to consider:

1.  What would be some of the key drawbacks or risks of living in the flat world of Globalisation 3.0 as Friedman describes it?

2.  Do you agree with Friedman’s iron rule of the flat world? Explain.

3.  Is the level of globalisation uniform across the world? Explain.

Activity 2: Pankaj Ghemawat on Globalisation

URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/pankaj_ghemawat_actually_the_world_isn_t_flat.html

Questions to consider:

1.   Has your view on globalisation changed after listening to Professor Ghemawat? Explain.

2.  Consider where you have seen the fears that people have about globalisation. Do you think these fears may subside with some data points that may suggest otherwise?

Activity 3: Online tool to explore different countries' 5 dimensions by Hofstede

URL: http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html

Questions to consider:

1. How does the Australian culture compare to other world cultures (eg. Your home country or other countries that you have visited)?

2. Do you agree with the survey results for the Australian culture? Why or why not?

Activity 4: 'The myth of national culture' – Counter argument to Hofstede’s work by Professor Brendan McSweeney at Royal Holloway, University of London

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_l84Dj2eXY

Questions to consider:

1. Do you agree with Professor McSweeney’s view on national cultures? Why or why not? After viewing the survey result done by Hofstede on your home country, who do you think offers a more compelling argument on national cultures? Can a single culture be used to determine the actions of entire population?

Activity 5: 'Riding the waves of culture’ – Talk given by Fons Trompenaars at TEDxAmsterdam

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmyfjKjcbm0

Questions to consider:

1. Consider your experience with cultural conflict or culture shock. What were the different viewpoints that you had to reconcile? And how did you overcome the differences?

2. What would be the benefits of connecting different viewpoints as Trompenaar suggests?

Activity 6: ‘Building a cross-cultural web design for a wider audience’ (Christian Arno in Design on 22nd Jun 2010) 
URL: http://www.onextrapixel.com/2010/06/22/building-a-cross-cultural-web-design-for-a-wider-audience/

Questions to consider:

1. Can the concept of High and Low Context cultures be applied to other areas of business? – marketing and advertising, PR, customer and supplier relationship management, etc.

Discussion Board

HI6005 Discussion Board – Week 3
In your blog, you should address the following two sections:

1)      Section 1: list the key ideas you have extracted from the prescribed e-learning activity.

2)      Section 2: apply those ideas to your own experience, to an organisation you know and to the topic(s) of this subject.

Visit the following URLs, and use 'Questions to consider' to guide your thinking.

Activity 1: Corporate culture and strategy

URL: ‘Culture clash: When corporate culture fights strategy, it can cost you’  http://knowledge.wpcarey.asu.edu/article.cfm?aid=31

Questions to consider:

Can you think of any examples where you experienced various culture types (Market, Clan, Adhocracy and Hierarchy culture) as a consumer to, or employee of, an organisation?

If so, what is your evaluation of the aligment between its corporate culture and strategy?

Activity 2: Definition of culture

URL: What is Organizational Culture? And Why Should We Care? http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/05/what-is-organizational-culture/

Questions to consider:

Why do you think people’s definition of culture may vary?

Which definition of culture do you agree with most and why?

Activity 3: Corporate culture instilled in HRM practices and customer satisfaction

URLs:

(1) ‘Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit–And You Should Too’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQLTQAv5JQA

(2) ‘Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh talks about building a culture-based company’  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdKZapHZL4c

Question to consider:

What does building a culture-based company entail?

Activity 4: Toyota’s corporate culture and the problem of spreading its culture

URL: ‘MIT's Steven Spear Discusses Toyota's Corporate Culture’ (Interview on Bloomberg TV) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCaKFPjfG7s

Question to consider:

How would you describe Toyota's culture using the seven dimensions of organisational culture and/ or the Cultural Web?

Activity 5:Cultural web and its use in practice (call centre)

URL: ‘Using cultural models for changing corporate culture’

http://www.changefactory.com.au/articles/change-management/using-cultural-models-for-changing-corporate-culture/

Questions to consider:

Do you agree with the author’s view on the effectiveness of cultural web model in changing corporate culture (compared to other models of corporate culture) as presented in the article? Why or why not?

What would be the benefits of using typology type instead?

Subject: MacDonald’s Franchising Opportunity in New York

The United States is the land of opportunity especially in the fast food industry and janitorial services. After a thorough analysis of the prospects of staring a successful Franchise in U.S, I have come to conclude that starting a Franchise with MacDonalds will assure you of business success. The fast foods industry has a high competition but the market base is big, and you will need to exploit the untapped potential by providing better, quality and fast services. You will expect competition from such parallel franchise companies as Blimpie, Subway, Jollibee Foods, and Starbucks among others.

Recommended Requirements for a Successful Business Franchise

i. Ensure that all legal business requirements are met to ensure that the business is a success

ii. Conduct a market survey for the best business location for the Franchise

iii. Conduct a financial survey that will project a budget estimate that will help you start the franchise

iv. Analyze the best Franchise company to buy franchise membership

Conclusion

Based on the vast requirements needed to set up the business, I have conducted a market survey, financial requirements, and legal obligations that will enable you to set up the Franchise. By following the conducted survey results, I believe you will be able to decide on the best course to take and the most viable Franchise to buy, as well as starting a business that will make the profit.

Executive Summary

Franchising has become the new business trend in the United States especially for businesspeople who want to expand their operations. It is much cheaper to join a franchise than to start a new business from scratch. McDonald's is a fast-food chain corporation in the United States and one of the largest in the World. The company has created a fantastic brand that many Americans have come to associate with. It has more than 30,000 restaurants, and fast food retails selling in over 100 countries globally. McDonald's Menu is friendly, and the company has a huge customer base because customers get value for their money. Her estimated brand value is worth $97.7 billion forming a 10.8% market share as at 2016.

Introduction

McDonalds Corporation has been a dominating force in the U.S market for decades, with her franchise expanding to over 100 countries globally. She operates as a food chain that offers quality brand to traders at a quality price and market protection. She offers modern diversified foodstuffs such as McNuggets, French fries, Chicken Maharaja, and Iced tea among other does of diversified fast foods that cater to all customer wants. The brand that McDonalds has created over the years has helped many Franchise buyers thrive within a short period. Between 2014 and 2016, McDonald recorded a job growth +14.9% for chefs and head cooks, +5.2% for bartenders (Fuller, 2017). However, she has recorded a 10.8% growth in overall global expansion for her franchise food chains. She offers relatively low prices in the buying of her franchise and massive market support regarding research and expansion details ensuring that her clients get the best business setup to meet the high demand for her products. Moreover, McDonald's operations are well tested, and that is why she has managed to dominate a fair section of the food-sector market (Lombardo, 2015). A recent survey has shown that despite the high competition from rival franchise lines, McDonald's is still making massive profits through her brand and provision of quality and customer friendly prices.

Goals/Objectives

The business starting process will look at implementing the following goals and objectives; First of all, it will look into accomplishing the aspect of purchasing McDonald's brand and franchise in its operations. Based on the market survey conducted, New York will form the best business location for the business due to the friendly business taxation laws and huge market base for fast foods. The use McDonald's brand will help the company cover a huge market base. The second objective is to join the franchise with least costs and maximum benefits in the operation of its franchise lines.

The third objective will be to cover a significant market base that is unexploited in New York and ensure the stability of the business. Fourthly, a thorough analysis of the financial and legal requirements for the business when purchasing McDonald Franchise will be made to ensure that the business complies with all requirements (Rodrigues, Nikhil & Jacob, 2016). Understanding of legal requirements for franchise operation is important as it will help the business avoid legal suits that can be avoided. The final objective is to make a thorough analysis of MacDonald's to ensure that it is the best company forming franchise business relations as well as understanding the pros and cons of joining the franchise business (Webber, 2013).

Pros of Franchising

Some of the advantages that Franchising will fetch your business include tremendous market research benefits. The company does market research for its Franchise partners, and in this case, the best location for setting up the Franchise in New York will be determined at the expense of the company. Secondly, the initial capital to join the franchise is small compared to setting up a new fast-food company. Thirdly, the brand created by the company over the last seven decades will help the business in expanding quickly and customers associating with it well. Moreover, you will be able to enjoy the technology provided by the franchising company for free since you are a member.

In this franchise, you will be able to get better marketing tips, training, and market research benefits that will help you understand the way franchise are run and the secrets that the franchising company employs in retaining its customers and acquiring more from a global locus. The other benefit is that McDonald's will allow the business to receive lower inventory prices compared to other retailers who do not franchise with the company due to higher bargaining power that franchise groups fetch (Webber, 2013). Joining the Franchise will also lead to advertisement benefits which will enable more customers to associate with the business leading to more profits; the risk of starting own business is thus mitigated.

Cons of Franchising

The startup costs for franchising can be high as buying the brand name will require high financial capability. The other disadvantage is that you will be required to pay royalty payments on an annual basis to the Franchise Company to cover for partial expenses in advertising and operational research done by the franchising company (Beere, R. (2017). There will be little, or no flexibility in the type of products to be sold as McDonald's will expect you to sell their established and branded fast foods and other products. Overreliance on the franchise to provide market may lead to business collapse (Webber, 2013).

Action Plans

The first step will be to meet and fulfill all the legal conditions that set up a Franchise or any other business in New York requires. In this case, New York offers a stable business environment and location of the MacDonald’s Franchise there will be a great plan (Lombardo, 2015). The State offers friendly tax benefits for the starting of a business to reduce the burden on businesses. The population in the city is huge, and most people live and work in urban centers forming the perfect market platform to sell McDonald’s foodstuffs (Fuller, 2017). The implementation of the business plan will be easy as most people can relate to the Franchiser.

According to the Franchising laws, disclosure document in New York, the Franchisor must provide details about key employees, management experience, bankruptcy and litigation history, other investments and purchases before fourteen days are over. A contract will have to be signed between the franchisor and the franchisee about the terms of sales being entered into (Rodrigues, Nikhil & Jacob, 2016). Other legal factors include business requirements in New York whereby the products being sold must be of healthy standards, and the business must be legitimate. In this case, MacDonalds will be liable for the legal requirements of the New York government and the setting up of the franchise.

On the other hand, a comprehensive business budget for purchasing the franchise, setting up the stock, annual royalties and estimated profits will be done to determine the viability of purchasing the franchise based on the estimated profits. The other plan is to determine the current market share that McDonald's is enjoying and the ability to increase annual sales for the business franchise using projected financial analysis from McDonald's.

Fig. 1.1 Comparison of McDonald’s Market share (Beere, 2017).

McDonald’s main competitors include Starbucks restaurant, Yumi Brands, Autogrill, KFC Corporation, and Whitebread PLC among others which may not be listed above, as at 016. McDonald's leads her competitors regarding market share marking a 94.32B market cap. This is because she has the lowest price-to-earnings ratio leading to more customer base preferring her quality and affordable products (Webber, 2013). The huge brand name has also contributed positively to her success.

Conclusion

Considering that the pros of starting a franchise surpass the disadvantages, joining McDonald's franchise will be a viable business plan. It will mitigate the risks of starting a personal business and the aspects of meeting massive legal requirements. McDonald's is a famous company with renowned brands of fast foods which will make the starting of the business at New York much more successful. New York has a large market range with much potential for a business with McDonald’s brand to thrive. The business will be able to enjoy free low advertisement costs, using the franchisor’s brand, and free market research.

References

Beere, R. (2017). The Role of Franchising on Industry Evolution: Assessing the Emergence of Franchising and its Impact on Structural Change.

Fuller, S. (2017, July 26). The Advantages of Mcdonald's Franchise. Retrieved from https://careertrend.com/list-6800794-advantages-mcdonald-s-franchise.html

Lombardo, C. (2015, July 31). Disadvantages and Advantages of Owning a Franchise | Samsung Galaxy Blog. Retrieved from https://thenextgalaxy.com/disadvantages-and-advantages-of-owning-a-franchise/

Rodrigues, J., Nikhil, S., & Jacob, S. (2016). Promotional Strategies of McDonalds and Market Effects. Journal of Management Research and Analysis, 3(1), 53. doi:10.5958/2394-2770.2016.00007.7

Webber, A. R. (2013). The Pros and Cons of Franchising. An Introduction to Franchising, 30-49. doi:10.1007/978-1-137-29610-8_3

Webber, A. R. (2013). Legal and Financial Matters. An Introduction to Franchising, 159-188. doi:10.1007/978-1-137-29610-8_9

Memo

To: All Family Members

From: Jing Zhou

Date: November 26, 2017

Subject: McDonald’s Franchising Opportunity in New York

The United States is the land of opportunity especially in the fast food industry and janitorial services. After a thorough analysis of the prospects of staring a successful Franchise in U.S, I have come to conclude that starting a Franchise with MacDonalds will assure you of business success. The fast foods industry has a high competition but the market base is big, and you will need to exploit the untapped potential by providing better, quality and fast services. You will expect competition from such same franchise companies as Blimpie, Subway, Jollibee Foods, and Starbucks among others.

Recommended Requirements for a Successful Business Franchise

i. Ensure that all legal business requirements are met to ensure that the business is a success

ii. Conduct a market survey for the best business location for the Franchise

iii. Conduct a financial survey that will project a budget estimate that will help you start the franchise

iv. Analyze the best Franchise company to buy franchise membership

Conclusion

Based on the vast requirements needed to set up the business, I have conducted a market survey, financial requirements, and legal obligations that will enable you to set up the Franchise. By following the conducted survey results, I believe you will be able to decide on the best course to take and the most viable Franchise to buy, as well as starting a business that will make the profit.

Executive Summary

Franchising has become the new business trend in the United States especially for businesspeople who want to expand their operations. It is much cheaper to join a franchise than to start a new business from scratch. For join a franchise, you only need to pay the franchise fee; you don’t need to do anything after it. They will have their workers come to your city and to remodel the store you want to use as their chain corporation. McDonald's is a fast-food chain corporation in the United States and one of the largest in the World. The company has created a fantastic brand that many Americans have come to associate with. It has more than 30,000 restaurants, and fast food retails selling in over 100 countries all over the world. McDonald's Menu is friendly, and the company has a huge customer base because customers get value for their money. McDonalds estimated brand value is worth $97.7 billion forming a 10.8% market share as at 2016.

 

What is cultural health capital? Which populations are least likely to have cultural health capital? How does low cultural health capital affect doctor-patient relationships?

Assignment crateria

Research Paper 1: Assessment criteria Weighting: Length/Limit 15% Maximum of 1,000 words ASSESSMENT 1 This is an individual assignment. Each week, based on the hour of e-learning activity that has been prescribed, you are required actively to engage with the material by writing a short discussion of how the material that was prescribed relates to the topic(s) of this subject and how it relates to your own personal experience. You create a blog each week where you provide evidence that you have engaged in this way with the prescribed e-learning activity. In the blog, you mention any extra material relevant to the activity that you have researched on the net. These blogs are assessed in the following way: 1. Blogs are spot checked by your lecturer. 2. By the end of Week 6, students choose their best two blogs and submit them as an assignment (due Friday Week 6). Each blog should be in two sections: Section 1 lists the key ideas you have extracted from the prescribed e-learning activity. In Section 2 you apply those ideas to your own experience, to an organisation you know and to the topic(s) of this subject. The written report of your two best blogs has a 1,000 word limit and must be in the form of a research report (with table of contents, executive summary, main body, conclusion and references).

 

 

Elearning Activity. Week 1 – 3

HI6005 Discussion Board – Week1

In your blog, you should address the following two sections:

(1) Section 1: list the key ideas you have extracted from the prescribed e-learning activity.

(2) Section 2: apply those ideas to your own experience, to an organisation you know and to the topic(s) of this subject.

Visit the following URLs, and use 'Questions to consider' to guide your thinking.

Activity 1: Ford and Taylorism

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PdmNbqtDdI

Questions to consider:

1. Would workers in Australia, America or Europe accept the Taylorism in this form today?

2. Consider the design of scripts for use in Call Centres, can you see Taylorism in that?  Explain.

3. This ‘clip’ is showing history from 100 years ago.  Some would say that ‘the world has moved on’ and these ideas are out of date.  However, could there be parts of the world today for which these ideas might be just what they need? Explain.

 

• Discussion Board

HI6005 Discussion Board – Week 2

In your blog, you should address the following two sections:

(1) Section 1: list the key ideas you have extracted from the prescribed e-learning activity.

(2) Section 2: apply those ideas to your own experience, to an organisation you know and to the topic(s) of this subject.

 

Visit the following URLs, and use 'Questions to consider' to guide your thinking.

 

Activity 1: Thomas Friedman on Globalisation; 3 Eras of Globalisation; World is flat

URL: h ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp4znWHvsjU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM2BguxRSyY

Questions to consider:

1.  What would be some of the key drawbacks or risks of living in the flat world of Globalisation 3.0 as Friedman describes it?

2.  Do you agree with Friedman’s iron rule of the flat world? Explain.

3.  Is the level of globalisation uniform across the world? Explain.

 

Activity 2: Pankaj Ghemawat on Globalisation

URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/pankaj_ghemawat_actually_the_world_isn_t_flat.html

Questions to consider:

1.   Has your view on globalisation changed after listening to Professor Ghemawat? Explain.

2.  Consider where you have seen the fears that people have about globalisation. Do you think these fears may subside with some data points that may suggest otherwise?

 

Activity 3: Online tool to explore different countries' 5 dimensions by Hofstede

URL: http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html

Questions to consider:

1. How does the Australian culture compare to other world cultures (eg. Your home country or other countries that you have visited)?

2. Do you agree with the survey results for the Australian culture? Why or why not?

 

Activity 4: 'The myth of national culture' – Counter argument to Hofstede’s work by Professor Brendan McSweeney at Royal Holloway, University of London

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_l84Dj2eXY

Questions to consider:

1. Do you agree with Professor McSweeney’s view on national cultures? Why or why not? After viewing the survey result done by Hofstede on your home country, who do you think offers a more compelling argument on national cultures? Can a single culture be used to determine the actions of entire population?

 

Activity 5: 'Riding the waves of culture’ – Talk given by Fons Trompenaars at TEDxAmsterdam

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmyfjKjcbm0

Questions to consider:

1. Consider your experience with cultural conflict or culture shock. What were the different viewpoints that you had to reconcile? And how did you overcome the differences?

2. What would be the benefits of connecting different viewpoints as Trompenaar suggests?

 

Activity 6: ‘Building a cross-cultural web design for a wider audience’ (Christian Arno in Design on 22nd Jun 2010) 

URL: http://www.onextrapixel.com/2010/06/22/building-a-cross-cultural-web-design-for-a-wider-audience/

Questions to consider:

1. Can the concept of High and Low Context cultures be applied to other areas of business? – marketing and advertising, PR, customer and supplier relationship management, etc.

 

• Discussion Board

HI6005 Discussion Board – Week 3

In your blog, you should address the following two sections:

1)      Section 1: list the key ideas you have extracted from the prescribed e-learning activity.

2)      Section 2: apply those ideas to your own experience, to an organisation you know and to the topic(s) of this subject.

Visit the following URLs, and use 'Questions to consider' to guide your thinking.

Activity 1: Corporate culture and strategy

URL: ‘Culture clash: When corporate culture fights strategy, it can cost you’  http://knowledge.wpcarey.asu.edu/article.cfm?aid=31

Questions to consider:

• • Can you think of any examples where you experienced various culture types (Market, Clan, Adhocracy and Hierarchy culture) as a consumer to, or employee of, an organisation?

  • If so, what is your evaluation of the aligment between its corporate culture and strategy?

 

Activity 2: Definition of culture

URL: What is Organizational Culture? And Why Should We Care? http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/05/what-is-organizational-culture/

Questions to consider:

• • Why do you think people’s definition of culture may vary?

  • Which definition of culture do you agree with most and why?

 

Activity 3: Corporate culture instilled in HRM practices and customer satisfaction

URLs:

(1) ‘Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit–And You Should Too’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQLTQAv5JQA

(2) ‘Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh talks about building a culture-based company’  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdKZapHZL4c

Question to consider:

• • What does building a culture-based company entail?

 

Activity 4: Toyota’s corporate culture and the problem of spreading its culture

URL: ‘MIT's Steven Spear Discusses Toyota's Corporate Culture’ (Interview on Bloomberg TV) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCaKFPjfG7s

Question to consider:

• • How would you describe Toyota's culture using the seven dimensions of organisational culture and/ or the Cultural Web?

 

Activity 5:Cultural web and its use in practice (call centre)

URL: ‘Using cultural models for changing corporate culture’

http://www.changefactory.com.au/articles/change-management/using-cultural-models-for-changing-corporate-culture/

Questions to consider:

• • Do you agree with the author’s view on the effectiveness of cultural web model in changing corporate culture (compared to other models of corporate culture) as presented in the article? Why or why not?

  • What would be the benefits of using typology type instead?