Equal Employment Opportunity - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 969 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/09/12 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Introduction Equal employment opportunity (EEO) began when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802 in 1941. Executive Order 8802 ensured that every American citizen was guaranteed equal employment opportunities in World War II defense contracts, regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin. Today, the EEO legislation has affected businesses. The topics discussed will be, how the organization, as well as the individual employee, has rights, the effect it has on the customers, how it can improve an organization’s public relations, how it can diversify the workforce, and the effect it has on Human Resources Management of an organization. Organization and Employee Rights A. Equal Pay Act of 1963 â€Å"To prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employers engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce. June 10, 1963 [S. 1409]† (1). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Equal Employment Opportunity" essay for you Create order In other words, employers cannot pay a woman, who performs the same job as a man, less because of her gender. This act is an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act which states that it is illegal to pay workers lower wages strictly on the basis on their sex. B. Civil Rights Act of 1964 â€Å"Prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to enforce the provisions of Title VII† (Bohlander and Snell 101). Discrimination was prohibited in public facilities, in government, and in employment. Segregating races in schools, housing, or hiring became illegal. C. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 â€Å"Prohibits private and public employers from discriminating against people age 40 or older in any area of employment because of age; exceptions are permitted when age is a bona fide occupational qualification† (Bohlander and Snell 101). Organizations are not allowed to discriminate against an older person, but if they cannot meet the demands of the job, the older person can be eliminated from consideration. D. Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 Amended Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964; strengthens EEOC’s enforcement powers and extends coverage of Title VII to government employees, employees in higher education, and other employers and employees† (Bohlander and Snell 101). With this act, employers are further protected from discrimination. Employees are allowed to sue employers to enforce the provisions of the act. Effects on Customers Eq ual employment opportunity affects the customers in various ways. If the employees working are satisfied and happy, the customer will see it when the employees help them. For example, a customer walks into Burger King to get something to eat, but the cashier is unhappy that a coworker is getting paid more than him for doing the same job and having the same time in the workforce, so the cashier takes it out on the customer. The customer will probably never return to the business again. If the employees work in a happy environment, they will provide better services. Improvement of Public Relations By applying EEO to an organization, the public relations will improve. In society, one of the main jobs is to keep good appearances. An organization wants to promote that everything in their company works perfectly and equally. By maintaining good appearances, the organization has a greater probability that other organizations will want to work with them. Also, it will attract the best workers because they will want to work for an organization that is fair. Diversity in the Workforce When referring to diversity in the workforce, the first thing that pops into people’s heads is Affirmative Action. â€Å"Affirmative action† means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection—on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity—affirmative action generates intense controversy† (1). The establishment of affirmative action causes a huge controversy. Yes, affirmat ive action helps out minorities and women because it allows them to get better opportunities without being discriminated against. The problem that arose from affirmative action was reverse discrimination. Reverse discrimination is â€Å"the act of giving preference to members of protected classes to the extent that unprotected individuals believe they are suffering discrimination† (Bohlander and Snell 126). For example, in University of California Regents v Bakke (1978), the Supreme Court of the United States settled a reverse discrimination case, which land marked affirmative action. Allan Bakke, a white male, applied to the university, but was denied admission twice. He stated that he had better scores than some of the people that were admitted because they were minorities. The Court ruled in favor of Bakke. Race can be a factor in an applicant’s evaluation as long as the other factors are considered and there was not a quota system for individuals in different protected classes. Diversity can be a good thing. Having a diverse business helps the organization by allowing input from different point of views, thus allowing growth of the company. It can also teach employees organizational morals and views by letting them coexist with one another. A happy and diverse workplace means better proficiency and efficiency. Effects on Human Resources Management Equal employment opportunity effects human resources management. Human resources management is defined as â€Å"the process of managing human talent to achieve an organization’s objectives† (Bohlander and Snell 4). With EEO legislation, human resources management have to consider all guidelines the laws impose on the organization when hiring or changing their structure. Human resource managers have to be up to date with everything that is going on in reference to their company. That may include new laws domestically and internationally. Conclusion In conclusion, equal employment opportunity has changed what businesses are today. Organizations have to be more careful with how they run their company. Furthermore, they have to consider the rights of employers and employees, the customers, public relations, diversity, and their own human resources managers.

Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail

During the time Martin Luther King Jr. wrote â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† April 16, 1963, while he was in the Birmingham City Jail in Birmingham, Alabama, the world King lived was different form today. A world where blacks and whites where segregated from everything around them. The people of color were treated unequally. The laws during the time was unjustified. The treatment towards the people of color were brutal and very different than the world today. When King wrote the letter, he was in the jail cell because he was arrested for participating in the nonviolent direct-action program march against segregation and he did not have a permit. In Kings letter, he was defending his nonviolent direct-action for segregation to the white clergymen and declaring that the law was unjustified for the people of color. In Kings letter, he uses words and analogies that make him seem like he is talking directly to the white clergy men and that he is talking to them as an equal, respecting the reader and not talking down to them, therefore making his letter seem more positive so the person who received and read his letter seem more interested and opened minded. He starts by explaining that he was not intruding but he was invited to the non-violent march against segregation. King was arrested for being an outsider of the City of Birmingham. He writes to the clergymen saying â€Å"since you have been influenced by the view which argues against â€Å"outsiders coming in†Ã¢â‚¬  (King, 1963). However,Show MoreRelatedMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From A Birmingham Jail1157 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† is directed towards the clergymen, although America is his audience, King had come to Birmingham to address the segregation probl em in the United States. He refuses to stay silent, even though people told him to wait for the change to happen. King is a part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that has many organizations across the South. He felt that he has a right to be in Birmingham because his organizations have connections withRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail934 Words   |  4 PagesIn Martin Luther King Jr.’s , â€Å" Letter from Birmingham Jail†, King responds to the judgments of a group of clergymen , after King s arrest, by writing a letter explaining why the clergymen s judgments were wrong. In his letter, king brings very reasonable and valid points that challenge the judgments of the ministers. The main arguments that king makes would be the reason of his existence in Birmingham, white power structure and its racial injustice, and finally why negotiation has brought up impatienceRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1223 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr.’s, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† emphasizes the need for civil disobedience when faced with unjust laws. This idea contradicts Socrates’ claim made in Crito, that one must follow the law under all circumstances. In this paper, I will argue that Socrates is not a proponent of civil disobedience based on King’s definition of civil disobedience and Socrates’ charges. Moreover, I will argue that both Socrates and King disagree with one another based on the concept of civilRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr s Letter From Birmingham Jail1665 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween these two are most evident in their desire for freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted freedom from segregation and Plato wanted freedom from ignorance. They both wanted justice, and knew that it was immoral to take deny another being justice. For example, Plato has said, â€Å"†¦ Injustice is always an evil and dishonor to him who acts unjustly.† This is similar to what Martin Luther King Jr has also stated in â€Å"Letters from Birmingham Jail†, â€Å"We have a moral responsibility to disobey any law that conflictsRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.s Letter From Birmingham Jail1726 Words   |  7 PagesOver the course of Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963), the author, Martin Luther King Jr., makes extended allusions to multiple philosophers, among them Aquinas and Socrates. His comparison would seem to indicate that he shares an affinity with them. However, the clarity with which he makes his arguments and the dedication to a single premise strikes most strongly of Kant. Just as Kant’s magnum opus, Critique of Pure Reason, attempted to completely upend a previously accepted mode of thought, soRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.s Letter From Birmingham Jail890 Words   |  4 PagesFrom 1882-1968, 4,743 lynchings occurred in the United States (NAACP). African Americans accounted for 72.2% of recorded lynchings, yet close to none of these lynchings were ever brought justice. Racial injustice was a huge issue until the mid-l ate twentieth century, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† was one of the first documents to address the issue. It is one of history’s most important documents regarding racial injustice, as it is considered a classic documentRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.’S Persuasion in â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†1569 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Luther King Jr.’s Persuasion in â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail† After being arrested and imprisoned in Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote one of his most famous works to the people of Birmingham, titled â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail on April 16, 1963. This piece speaks of the evils of the segregation laws and how the blacks had been treated unfairly in Birmingham, in an attempt to get the white people to support the desegregation of Birmingham. He had been imprisoned because of hisRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay1266 Words   |  6 PagesPower Analysis: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail A statement from eight white clergymen from Alabama prompted Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail†. This statement criticized Kings actions of non-violent protests against racial segregation and the injustice of unequal civil rights in America (Carpenter elt al.). The eight clergymen considered Birmingham to be â€Å"their† town and King was disrupting the â€Å"Law and Order and Common Sense† established in coping with racialRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr s Letter From Birmingham Jail986 Words   |  4 Pages and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail are two important pieces of history. In Lincoln’s speech he speaks about the dangers of slavery in the United States and warned everybody that people who disrespected American laws could destroy the United States. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, and argued that people have a mora l responsibility to break unjust laws. Based on these facts, Martin Luther King Jr does notRead MoreAnalysis of Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail962 Words   |  4 Pagesintangible, it is still necessary. Some forms of inspiration come as passionate love while others appeal as injustice. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail was a response to A Call for Unity by eight white clergymen. His inspiration for writing the letter was the clergymens unjust proposals and the letter allowed him to present his rebuttal. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively crafted his counter argument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen, and then using logos

BP Crisis Communication Free Essays

A crisis was exactly what British Petroleum (referred to as ‘BP throughout the paper) went through in 2010. It was particularly important to communicate the right way taking all considerations into account. We were wondering how the specific crisis went so wrong and if the use of specific communication strategy was beneficial or not. We will write a custom essay sample on BP Crisis Communication or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hence, the communication strategies used to overcome the crisis can be used by many other companies in the future as guidelines of how to do and, maybe more important, how not to. Also, the intervention from the American government, the pressure from the local community and how the media was used, is extremely important in the BP case. This paper intends to show how BP communicated and reacted throughout the crisis. It will discuss the challenges BP had and it will especially focus on how BP actually reacted to the crisis and how they perhaps should have reacted differently, including the use of communication theories. Finally, the paper will outline the consequences of the crisis on both organization and communication strategy. On April 20, 2010, the Departed Horizon oil-drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the deaths of 11 rig workers, but public attention quickly shifted from their deaths to the following environmental and economic damages – the incident was described as the worst maritime oil spill accident in history, as the accident released over 18 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Three months passed before BP substantially stopped the leak, all the while the crisis was evilly covered by all news media in the United States as well as internationally. As a result of this, the BP oil spill case serves an excellent example of analysis of BSP crisis communication. L The total cost of BP to indemnify the clean up of the environment and funds to affected workers has reached almost two billion dollars. 2 2 www. Guardian. Co. UK/business/2012/July/31 /BP-departed-horizon-costs Page 4 of 28 Incorporated in 1909 in England , BP has become one of the world’s largest multinational companies operating in more than 80 countries 4, leading in oil and as industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution, extracting and producing renewable energy. The company provides their customers with energy for heating and lighting, fuel for transportation and energy for retail services and petrochemical products. BP employs approximately 80,000 employees, and sales and other operating revenues add up to $375,517 million in 20116 . Finally BP is also a conglomerate owning several brands such as: ORAL, ARC, Castro, amp and The Wild Bean Cafe ©. Having settled â€Å"BP and the Departed Horizon Crisis† as the case, which this paper ill centre around, the problem statement is as follows: To which extent has BP successfully communicated during the Departed Horizon Crisis? In order to examine the problem statement the paper will attempt to address the following issues: I) Characterize how BP communicated during the crisis. It) Analyses the effects of BSP communicative strategies. Iii) Discuss and evaluate whether or not BP has been successful in dealing with the crisis seen from a communicative perspective. In this paper a broad spectrum of empirical data has been used. However, most of the empirical data has been found through articles in different newspapers – the use f different newspapers and their viewpoints has given us very diversified inputs throughout the paper. But this does not exclude a use of quantitative data which, amongst other things, have been used to illuminate the several attempts of BP to use CARS-strategies, and underline the immense loss of fiscal funds the crisis has caused. The rather specific choices of qualitative data have been used to shed light on the different views of the crisis – and the several statements pointing toward similar conclusions have helped to support the points made and clarify a rather eventful crisis. In addition, the conclusions deducted throughout the paper have been supported by theories worked with in classes and the additional http://www. BP. Com/liveliness/BP_internet/global/Stating/global_assets/ downloads/F/ OFF_2007_2011 _full_book. PDF 4 http://www. BP. Com/liveliness/BP_internet/global/Stating/global_assets/ downloads/l/BP_20-F_2009. PDF 5 http://www. BP. Com/Congregationalists. Do? Category=3contentld=2006926 6 http://www. BP. Com/Congregationalists. Do? Category=3contentld=2006926 page 5 of 28 theories which proved to be necessary or helpful. In the beginning of the work with he case study of BSP crisis response, a pretty sufficient understanding of the crisis as a whole was in place, we assumed, but as the paper progressed and different theories were applied our understanding of BP and the relationship to their stakeholders grew. The quantitative data used also comes from BSP own publications as well as articles from different international online newspapers. Of course, the reader must have in mind that BSP own figures, occasionally, might have been used to strengthen their image and not only inform the reader. When examining and analyzing the Deep Water Horizon oil spill crisis, this paper is et out to delimit the case by answering our initial problem statement. To narrow our focus down to the relevant aspects in the case we have decided to delimit our analysis to the main stakeholders, including: (I) the American government; (it) the local society; and (iii) the media. This has been done not only due to the formal constraints of the paper, but also in order to go into depth with these stakeholders, who we reckon to be, of major importance to this crisis within the given delimitation’s of this paper. In order to answer this paper we find it necessary to make a common definition of a crisis. Extensive studies have been carried out on crisis communications over the past two decades. A brief review of literature on this subject reveals that there are several definitions of organizational crisis, depending on theorists’ different viewpoints on what constitutes a crisis. Herman claimed that to reach the level of a crisis, the event must contain three negative attributes: surprise, threat, and short response time. Surprise means that the organization did not prepare for the magnitude of the crisis. Threat means that the event poses a threat to the organization’s financial security, customers, surrounding environment etc. Short response time refers to the urgent need of preventive action in order to stop an intensification of the crisis. 7 For the purpose of this paper the following deduction of a definition off crisis is found useful: Hermann, C. F. , 1963. Some consequences of crisis which limit the viability of organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 8, p. 61-82. Page 6 of 28 W. Timothy Combs utilizes the interconnectivity of these three attributes to make his definition of a crisis: â€Å"A crisis can be defined as an event that is an unpredictable, major threat that can have a negative effect on the organization, industry, or takeovers if handled improperly. â€Å"8 Furthermore, according to the very same book, organizations frequently find themselves in situations that can be identified as crisis. There are no exceptions; â€Å"We must accept that no organization is immune from a crisis anywhere in the world even if that organization is vigilant and actively seeks to prevent crises. † (Combs Holiday, 2010: p. 7). This reality urges the need for preparation and readiness to respond – what is called crisis management. The major difference between handling an issue and an actual crisis is that an issue turns into crisis when it goes from the company domain into the public domain; a situation, which sometimes is inevitable no matter how compe tent the management is. 9 10 The term ‘a crisis within a crisis’, or a so-called ‘double-crisis’, as coined by Danish professors Finn Freedmen and Winning Johannes, refers to a situation where a company experiences a communication crisis that overshadows the initial crisis. 1 A crisis within a crisis naturally has negative implications for a company since it emphasizes weaknesses in the company’s internal structure and/or interactions with stakeholders. The term is relevant to apply to this particular case because its give an accurate description of the consequences of BSP communicative strategy. The agenda setting theory distinguishes between two levels of agenda setting in the media. The first level deals with the significance of an organization where an organization receives more media attention then other related organizations. The second level relates to associations or topics that the public associates with a particular organization. 12 One of the important aspects when dealing with the media is the agenda, which stakeholders often associate to organizations. The agenda setting theory is related to this assumption and therefore is significant to apply when analyzing BSP media relations. Combs, T. W. Holiday, S. J. 2010. The Handbook of Crisis Communications. Wiley- Blackwell, p. 18. Benches, Claus. Guest Lecturer, Global Media Relations Manager at Damon. Gave a lecture on crisis communication on Tuesday the 20th of November. 10 Benches, Claus. Guest Lecturer, Global Media Relations Manager at Damon. Gave a lecture on crisis communication on Tuesday the 20th of November. From his PDF on Crisis Communication. 11 http://pure. AU. Dc/portal-cab-student/files/10106/ Crisis_communication_-_Not_Just_peanuts. PDF 12 Cornelius, Jeep. 2011. Corporate Communication – A Guide to Theory and Practice. Page 146. 9 page 7 of 28 An important element for an organization, according to protect its own reputation, is the communication with stakeholders. As a company might have many different stakeholders it is important to have a tool to categories them. Once the stakeholders are categorized the organization will be able to decide, how and how much it should communicate with this stakeholder. In general when describing stakeholders this paper is using Edward Freeman’s definition of a stakeholder: A stakeholder is any group or individual who can affect or is affected but the achievement of the organization’s purpose and objectives†. 3 In order to categories stakeholders this assignment will use the ‘Stakeholder salience model’. The superiority of this model is that while being extremely simple to use it is also extremely precise when in its finding of how much effort the organization should use when communicating with each category of stakeholder, and even more important; how the company should communicate with its various stakeholders. The model is based on â€Å"salience†, defined as the visibility of the stakeholder to the organization using three parameters; (a) the power of the stakeholder group, (b) the legitimacy of the claim laid upon the organization, and (c) the urgency of how important the claim is according to the need of an immediate action. The purpose of the model is to define how salient a stakeholder group is. The model is based on seven different types of stakeholder groups; (1) Dormant stakeholders are the ones with dominant power and the ability to affect other groups of stakeholders. They are not able to legitimate their claims, and power will only be dormant but have an influence anyway. Mostly, this would be wealthy stakeholders. (2) Discretionary stakeholders are stakeholders with a high degree of legitimacy but without the necessary power to influence the organization. (3) Demand stakeholders are the ones with urgent claims but without power and the necessary legitimacy to enforce them. (4) Dominant stakeholders are the group of stakeholders representing both legitimacy and power. These are stakeholders having great influence on the organization, e. G. Owners and big investors. (5) Dangerous stakeholders are people with both urgent and claims on power. In addition, these will often attempt to use unfair† means. (6) Dependent stakeholders are those who rely on others to get their claims carried out – mostly because of the lack of power. Finally, (7) Definitive stakeholders can be identified as the ones having both legitimacy and urgency as well as power. These are the most powerful stakeholders and it is strictly Cornelius, Jeep. 011. Corporate Communication – A Guide to Theory and Practice. Page 42. Page 8 of 28 necessary for the organization to keep close communication with these. Normally, it would be definitive stakeholders who can also be classified as the shareholders. Once the stakeholders are categorized, the firm can now decide on strategy of communication. When researching strategies of communication, this paper has used the basic framework of communicative strategy given to us in â€Å"Corporate Communication – A Guide to Theory and Practice†14 . The framework generally provides three different strategies. This framework is chosen because of its simplicity when it comes to numbers of strategies and complexity when it comes to ways of communicating within each strategy, hence the framework provide an extremely useful tool when analyzing and discussing what mind of communication BP has conducted, how it worked, why the strategy did not work and why it might have worked better: Informal strategy is a strategy of simple informing about something through; newsletters, press releases etc. This strategy is hence based on the idea that objective information about the organization should be passed on to the relevant stakeholders. Persuasive strategy uses tools such as advertising and meetings/discussions with stakeholders. The general aim of this strategy is to change the stakeholders’ image into a more favorable one or to create particular understanding with the organization’s decisions. The strategy will not create change in the organization, but rather aims to create change in the stakeholders’ perception of the organization and its decisions. Dialogue strategy aims to create a mutual understanding and/or mutual decisions between stakeholders and the organization. Timothy Combs divides a crisis into four different types with two different aspects. The four types are; faux pas, terrorism, accidents and transgressions. In addition, a crisis in this matrix can be of either internal or external, and intentional or unintentional characteristics. 1 5 How to cite BP Crisis Communication, Papers