Aramark Global Analysis

Aramark Global Analysis Aramark Global Analysis Aramark Corporation (hereunder Aramark) is an American-owned business, which has so far established its operations in 22 countries all over the world. In its website, Aramark indicates that it offers services in different sectors, which include business and industry, healthcare, sports, entertainment, higher education, and apparel (Aramark, 2014a).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Aramark Global Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Aramark is an international business because it produces and distributes goods and services, not only in its home country, but in other 21 countries spread across Europe, Asia and the American continents.  Azevedo and Bertland (2000) describe an international organization as â€Å"a decentralized federation with distributed resources and delegated responsibilities that allows the foreign operations to answer to the local differences† (p. 3). True t o the foregoing definition, Aramark is a decentralized organization, which has assigned responsibilities to different offices across the 22 countries. Additionally, the company has provided the overseas offices the mandate and resources necessary to cater for local differences. Aramark Ireland has, for example, set cultural theme days as one of the ways of marketing itself in the country. Additionally, Aramark Ireland translates its staff training manuals into languages that the staff members can comprehend. Moreover, the company changes its restaurant menus to reflect diets that serve the medical, therapeutic and religious diets of the consumer market in Ireland (Aramark, 2009). Theories and Concepts of Globalization, Multinational Strategy and International Business Bartelson (2000) has conceptualized globalization as transference, transformation and transcendence. In reference to transference, Bartelson (2000) indicates that globalization has led to a situation where, national, r egional, cultural and other forms of boundaries do not prevent the transfer of goods and services from a unit to diverse countries, regions or cultures. The foregoing is true in Aramark’s case because the company operates in diverse nations, regions and cultures. The transformation concept according to Bartelson (2000) indicates that globalization transforms the systems and units of doing business as they were traditionally understood. Consequently, traditional systems and units that were limited by geography and space can now be replaced by market-oriented structures where competition is crucial. When applied to Aramark, the foregoing concept could be interpreted to mean that rather than worry about competitors in its home country, Aramark should be concerned about competitors in the global front, because, such competitors symbolize a competitive risk. In relation to transcendence, Bartelson (2000) argues that globalization defies the limitations of â€Å"pre-constituted un its or agents† (p. 189).Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Transcendence is arguably a hard concept to grasp, but as Bartelson (2000) explains, it means that the boundaries and limitations that existed in the past have now been wiped away. Instead, the globalised world has networks that are not temporal or spatial. Used in context, the foregoing may be reflected in the real time communication that occurs in between Aramark’s headquarters in the US and its other offices across the world. Multinational strategy Firms that have a multinational strategy have other markets in addition to their domestic market (Lynch, 2011). In Aramark’s case, the other markets are the 21 countries, which it offers its products and services to, in addition to its home country, the US. A multinational strategy has a distinct strategy for all the different markets ta rgeted by the company (Lynch, 2011). The foregoing situation is informed by the fact that customer needs, preferences and demands differ between countries. In Aramark, the multinational strategy is reflected in how services are customized to each country’s consumer market and the prevailing market conditions. International Business Theory Porter’s diamond theory seems more applicable in Aramark’s case compared to other theories. The theory posits that the competitiveness of a nation (or in this case an international company), is affected by four things namely: factor conditions (i.e. the factors that a company can exploit e.g. labor in order to gain competitive advantage of its rivals), demand condition (i.e. the demands by the consumer market, e.g. for excellence); supporting industries (i.e. the cost effectiveness of suppliers); and the structure, strategy and rivalry of a firm (Mahmud, n.d.). Arguably, and although this is a hard thing to determine from t he publicly available information regarding Aramark, the company is favored by all the four demand factors in Porter’s diamond model. The foregoing assertion may not be true in all the 21 countries, but in countries like china, the company’s competitive advantages is attained from a combination of factors which include: its ability to utilize the cheap labor, the high demand for its services, the support industries in the country, and its structure, strategy and an almost absent market rivalry (United States Securities and Exchange Commission, 2012). When, How and Why Aramark Entered Into Foreign Countries Aramark first took the international path in 1968, when it served in the Olympic Games held in Mexico (Aramark, 2014b). By then, the company was known as Automatic Retailers of America (ARA) (Aramark, 2014b). Aramark’s partnership with the Olympic Games organizers propelled it to international operations (Aramark, 2014b).Advertising We will write a cus tom term paper sample on Aramark Global Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The ‘why’ of entering into foreign countries is best explained by the fact that the company saw an expanded market in those countries, and the fact that it had developed internal capacities to move into the foreign market. In 2001, for example, the company entered Ireland and Chile after expanding its service offers to include food services, healthcare, uniform services and conference center services. Arguably, the reasons why Aramark ventured into foreign markets came true; its wide market base is a confirmation that the opportunity that the company had seen in the foreign market, did indeed exist. The Potential, But Unrealized, Advantages of Internationalization to Aramark The world today has 196 countries. Aramark has only established its operations in 22 countries. The foregoing statistics means that there are still more countries that Aramark can find a ready market. Africa is, for example, one continent that Aramark needs to consider. With 55 countries in total and a population of approximately 1.033 billion people, the continent is no doubt a ready market for different consumer items and services. Global Integration and Local Embedding Aramark integrates its activities by ensuring that the same standards of quality are used everywhere (Aramark, 2009). Additionally, the company has benchmarks on issues such as diversity, which all its overseas operations have to abide with. To embed such activities locally, Aramark has given its foreign operations the mandate to change whatever needs to be changed in order to meet customer requirements and expectations. However, and as has been revealed by Aramark (2009) any market-appropriate change that is made in the company has to keep within identified performance and quality standards. Competitive Factors Driving Aramark’s Global Business Development Aramark targets institu tional buyers, who incidentally have weak bargaining powers. The foregoing position can be explained by the reality that Aramark does not have many competitors who can provide similar services, at the same quality, and the same efficiency (Aramark, 2009).Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, institutional buyers buy frequently, in large quantities and would, therefore, face high switching costs. However, Aramark’s suppliers have stronger bargaining power because they deliver the supplies to Aramark in large quantities, and the company would not be in a position to find other suppliers at a short notice. Aramark is arguably faced with the threat of new market entrants. However, since the company has a diverse business portfolio, the threat of new market entrants is more pronounced in some business lines (e.g. in janitorial services) than it is in others (e.g. in energy management services). Another competitive factor which Aramark has to contend with is rivalry in the industry. Luckily for Aramark, its brand works to market its services hence ensuring that although competition is stiff in some of its business lines, its reliability usually attracts a significant market share over less-know service providers (Aramark, 2009). Brand Strategies to Enhanc e Internationalization Aramark went into foreign markets by exporting its own brand name. The company has performed impressively so far and as such, one would argue that its branding strategy was successful. In future, however, the company might consider strategic partnerships with established non-competing firms in new investment destinations. Such partnership would assure the company of a ‘soft landing’ in countries where business cultures are completely different from the US. New Areas for Global/International Expansion As indicated elsewhere in this paper, Africa’s population and its growth rate provides Aramark with a viable potential market. The company may also look into other developed countries in Asia (e.g. Singapore). References Aramark. (2009). Global diversity and inclusion: Our journey. Retrieved from aramark.com/Documents/Diversity-Report.aspx Aramark. (2014a). Services and industries. Retrieved from aramark.com/ServicesandIndustries/. Aramark. (20 14b). History. Retrieved from aramark.com/AboutARAMARK/History/ Azevedo, G., Bertland, H. (2001). From multinational to global companies: Identifying the dimensions of change. Retrieved from guilhermeazevedo.com/public/dimensionsofthechange.pdf Bartelson, J. (2000). Three concepts of globalization. International Sociology, 15(2), 180-195. Lynch, R. (2011). Strategic management (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mahmud, R. (n.d.). The theories of international business. Retrieved from academia.edu/4333675/Theories_of_International_business United States Securities and Exchange Commission. (2010). Form 10-K: Aramark Corporation. Retrieved from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MTE5MzU5fENoaWxkSUQ9LTF8VHlwZT0zt=1

Mamenchisaurus - Facts and Figures

Mamenchisaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Mamenchisaurus (Greek for Mamenxi lizard); pronounced ma-MEN-chih-SORE-us Habitat: Forests and plains of Asia Historical Period: Late Jurassic (160-145 million years ago) Size and Weight: Up to 115 feet long and 50-75 tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Unusually long neck, composed of 19 elongated vertebrate; long, whiplike tail About Mamenchisaurus If it hadnt been named after the province of China where it was discovered, in 1952, Mamenchisaurus might better have been called Neckosaurus. This sauropod (the family of gigantic, herbivorous, elephant-legged dinosaurs that dominated the late Jurassic period) wasnt quite as thickly built as more famous cousins like Apatosaurus or Argentinosaurus, but it possessed the most impressive neck of any dinosaur of its kindover 35 feet long, composed of no less than nineteen huge, elongated vertebrae (the most of any sauropods with the exception of Supersaurus and Sauroposeidon). With such a long neck, you might assume that Mamenchisaurus subsisted on the uppermost leaves of tall trees. However, some paleontologists believe that this dinosaur, and other sauropods like it, was incapable of holding its neck to its full vertical position, and instead swept it back and forth close to the ground, like the hose of a giant vacuum cleaner, as it feasted on low-lying shrubbery. This controversy is closely tied to the warm-blooded/cold-blooded dinosaur debate: its difficult to imagine a cold-blooded Mamenchisaurus having a robust enough metabolism (or a strong enough heart) to enable it to pump blood 35 feet straight up into the air, but a warm-blooded Mamenchisaurus presents its own set of problems (including the prospect that this plant-eater would literally cook itself from the inside out). There are currently seven identified Mamenchisaurus species, some of which may fall by the wayside as more research is conducted on this dinosaur. The type species, M. constructus, which was discovered in China by a highway construction crew, is represented by a 43-foot-long partial skeleton; M. anyuensis was at least 69 feet long; M. hochuanensis, 72 feet long; M. jingyanensis, up to 85 feet long; M. sinocanadorum, up to 115 feet long; and M. youngi, a relatively runty 52 feet long; a seventh species. M. fuxiensis, may not be a Mamenchisaurus at all but a related genus of sauropod (provisionally named Zigongosaurus). Mamenchisaurus was closely related to other long-necked Asian sauropods, including Omeisaurus and Shunosaurus.

Discussion Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Discussion - Coursework Example Older adults with lower education levels are not able to monitor their blood pressure, therefore, medical practitioners should focus in aiding such individuals. These medical practitioners can focus on educating the community on the risks, causes, and treatment plans for the condition. In regard to the setting, resources that are available in this community that can aid in meeting the requirements of the target population include education, group counselling, and community empowerment fairs at senior homes. Dire areas of education in prevention and management of this condition include increasing the nutritional standards and engaging in regular exercise programs. Programs such as farm to school programs and health assessment and screening ought to be implanted in this area (McDonald, Hertz, Unger, & Lustik, 2009). Challenges I anticipate includes illiteracy in the target population, communication barriers as I may use medical terms which the community members may find hard to comprehend, and lack of participation of some community members. Despite these challenges, I aim to achieve my set goal of lowering the rate of hypertension among the elderly in this

Poerty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Poerty - Essay Example Because each speaker conveys a personal narrative of love being the main subject, Donne and Blake necessitate to use elements that are naturally felt and are symbolic of certain human characteristics as reflected by the beauty and brilliance of the shining sun whereas the difference between clod and pebble serves to embody the opposing traits of sincerity and conceitedness. Blake’s three-part â€Å"The Clod and the Pebble† opens with â€Å"Love seeketh not itself to please, / Nor for itself hath any care† which is apparently stated by the â€Å"little Clod of Clay† in some rhythm. The clod is personified as one that sings about a selfless kind of love and knows what true love means for it has been innumerably stepped on in life. As the narrator further confesses the clod to have been â€Å"Trodden with the cattle’s feet†, the clod’s filth and humble situation explicates a virtuous character that is trained to deal with hardships so that the knowledge and deed of love becomes the essence of life. To imagine, the clay merely accepts man’s heavy toil and severe actions that are normally difficult to bear as it allows itself to be utilized as base to hold moving feet, dwellings, and transport of everyday. Thus, the clod proceeds with â€Å"But for another gives it ease, / And builds a heaven in hellà ¢â‚¬â„¢s despair† to signify how it sincerely means for love to function on someone else’s sake in generous terms. This is in huge contrast to the attitude of â€Å"Pebble of the brook† that claims â€Å"Love seeketh only Self to please, / To bind another to its delight† for in its evil selfishness, it sees and cares not about welfare of others whose loss would even matter in the fulfillment of self-love. On the other hand, Donne’s â€Å"The Sun Rising† communicates the meaning and significance of love through a speaker who seemingly dares the sun to put his spirit to test as he expresses â€Å"Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime†. As though the might of his love

The First Generation College Student Scholarship Essay

The First Generation College Student - Scholarship Essay Example As an FGCS, going to college is one of the proudest moments in my life because I know that I have the opportunity to improve the lives of my family members who never had the chance to attend college. Going to and graduating from college also means that I get to realize my dream of starting my own healthcare-related organization. Â  According to Engle (2007), FGCS face a lot of challenges in relation to staying enrolled in, and graduating from college, among them being the inability to reach the required GPA for graduation. As a result of having good grades, with a GPA of 3.5, I have joined the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) so as to increase my chances of getting a scholarship to further advance my studies. Right now, I am an undergraduate student majoring in Science in Health Administration with more concentration on Health Information Systems. With good grades, I am hopeful the NSCS will sponsor me to pursue a master’s degree in Business Administration with a special focus on Health Care Management. Â  Currently, I am working as a Medical Administrative Assistant so that I can gain experience in the field of healthcare management but also so that I can get additional money to support myself. After I am done with my studies, however, I would like to manage the information technology department of a facility that deals with healthcare delivery. By working in such a facility, I will be exposed to all manner of patients and get to learn their problems and discover what kind of help they need. Â  Having the access to patient records while working in the information technology department will give me information regarding the plight of special groups of people in the society. Since my long-term goal is to set up a non-profit organization that caters to the needs of special groups of people in the society, the information gained during my managerial job will be of utmost importance.

Methodology: Impact of Stigma on Offender Employment

Methodology: Impact of Stigma on Offender Employment Design An experimental design will be used in this research. This study will use a mixed design, with disclosed criminal convictions (group 1, 2, or 3) as the between subjects variable, and judgments of job applicant as the within subjects variable. The independent variable in this research will be the disclosure of criminal convictions. The dependant variables will be the attitude towards the job applicant, and the participants political ideology. Procedure 60 participants were collected overall, with 20 participants for each experimental group. These participants were gathered via my personal social media and the universitys SONA system. These participants were all over the age of 18, in order to give consent, but their age and gender was not tested. Once I had established my participants, I collected their email addresses and then emailed them a copy of my participant information sheet, so that they had a few days before the research took place to read over what is expected of them and decide that they definitely wanted to take part. The data was gathered over a three-week period, until all participants had taken part. Before the experiment took place, the participant was presented with a consent form for them to provide informed, written consent to take part in the experiment. They were informed that they could leave at any time if they no longer want to take part in the research. All research took place in a quiet, but public room, such as the labs in P5 and the study rooms in the library. The participants all sat the experiment individually to ensure their decisions were not influenced by others, but also to make availability easier for the participants. They were randomly allocated into 1 of 3 groups using an online generator. In all groups participants were asked to pretend they were employers in a hotel that is looking to hire. The participants were given a job description that listed the duties required and the skills the applicant needed to possess to get the job. They were then given one of 3 CVs, all included the same personal and working information, however, in group 1, no criminal convictions of any kind were included. In group 2 the applicant disclosed a previous minor criminal conviction (a record for possession of a class C drug, an offence that would not lead to incarceration). In group 3 the application disclosed a major criminal conviction which they have been previously incarcerated for (poss ession of a firearm with criminal intent). The participants were then given an 11-point questionnaire that asked them to rate the extent to which which they believe the applicant fit certain requirements of the job description. Next, participants were given the 20-point Ideological Consistency Scale (Pew Research Centre) to measure their political ideologies, to assess whether the participants political ideology effects their likelihood to employ the person. This is based on the hypothesis that liberal minded people are more open minded, and so would be more likely to believe that people can change, and so may be more likely to give someone a second chance. Once the experiment was finished, participants were given a debrief sheet, explaining that the purpose of this research is to see if the participants preconceived stereotypes of ex-offenders effected their perception of the applicants personal and working abilities. Participants were also informed that they can withdraw all their data from the experiment at any point, up until 16/03/2017. Analysis The data was analysed using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). A one-way ANOVA was used to analyse the data gathered from the judgements questionnaire in order to compare the mean attitude towards the applicant and the standard deviation across the 3 groups. The data gathered from the ideology scale was analysed against the data from the judgements questionnaire using a ANCOVA in order to assess the impact of the participants ideology on their likelihood to employ the person. Materials An example job description, a 20-point Ideological Consistency Scale (Pew Research Centre) to measure their political ideologies. The questions of the ideological scale are split into 10 conservative position questions and 10 liberal positions questions. Individual questions are scored as +1 for a conservative response, -1 for a liberal response and 0 for an unsure response. Scores on the full-scale range from -10 (liberal response to all questions) to +10 (conservative response to all questions). An 11-point questionnaire to measure participants judgements of the job applicant. Each question on this scale receives a score out of 10, which is the number the participants indicate on the Likert scale. Question 1 is not scored, the answer of yes or no is simply to compare the participants initial judgement of the applicant. The overall score for this scale will be out of 100. Participants The participants were all over the age of 18 to give informed consent, and of any gender. A lot of participants were students, which made the participant selection process easier, but students were not necessary. Participants were not required to have any specific characteristics in order to take part in the study.ÂÂ   They were selected via social media and the universitys SONA system. While I did not foresee many potential risks to participants, it is possible that they may have become distressed, embarrassed, or fatigued while taking part in this experiment. To deal with these potential risks, participants were informed that they can stop the experiment at any moment and leave, or they can continue later if they would like. The participants were also informed that they could go and talk to someone at student support if they need to, and would be provided with links to online help, such as the SANE organisation, if requested. No deception was involved in this research. The full aims of the experiment were not disclosed to the participants, for example, they were not informed that it is their willingness to employ the applicants with criminal convictions that is being analysed, but the basic facts of the experiment were not lied about. All research took place in daylight hours, in a safe, public space. Participants were informed that they could withdraw from the experiment at any point. The participant information sheet, the debrief sheet, and myself before the experiment took place explained that participants can withdraw from the experiment at any time, during the experiment, they just needed to explain that they do not wish to continue anymore. My email address was included on the participant information sheet and the debrief sheet, so if participants wanted to withdraw from the research after the experiment has taken place, then they could send an email and then be withdrawn. Participants consent forms were coded, and these codes were placed on their questionnaires and data, in order to ensure that all data is completely anonymised. The consent forms were then locked away to ensure that I was the only person who could view the identity of the participants. Any data that included anything that could lead to a participant being recognised was removed. All physical data was kept inside a locked draw that only I have the key to, to ensure that nobody can access it, and all electronic data was encrypted with a password that only I know, so it cant be accessed. All data will remain this way until after dissertation marks are received, at which point the physical data will be shredded and the electronic data will be electronically shredded. Discussion Previous research by Maruna King, (2004) suggests that the success of ex-offenders re-entry into society is dictated by the attitudes of the community around them. Within this research, only 41% of participants in the ex-offender group stated that they would employ the candidate, compared to 81% in the control group. Because of this, it could be proposed that the main difficultly ex-offenders face upon re-entry into non-institutionalised society is battling preconceived stereotypes that society places upon them. In the criminal record group, 57% of participants said that they would employ the candidate, which, while being a significant increase when compared to the ex-offender group, still suggests a strong prejudice towards those who have had issues with the criminal justice system. This is a concern, because, while neither offence in the two conviction groups suggest that the candidate would have trouble dealing with customers and staff, both groups showed a significantly lower me an score in every question presented to participants. The findings from this research are consistent with previous research that suggests society does stereotype ex-offenders, which may lead to stigmatisation in terms of employment desirability. For example, when asked how suitable do you think the candidate would be at maintain high professionalism with customers and staff? participants in the control group exerted a mean response of 8.4, however, when asked the same question, participants in the group were the candidate revealed a previous incarceration had a mean response of only 4.4, potentially signifying that the participants believed by having been to prison, it would be unlikely that the candidate would be proficient. This supports Fehn (2004)s theory that ex-offenders are normally stereotyped as being educationally illiterate and socially inadequate, and are therefore unable to act in a professional manner within a workplace. However, Goffman (1987) emphasised that while a status may be stigmatising in one social context, it can also be worn as a badge of honour in another, and those who can relate to the stigma are likely to serve as sympathetic others. In the context of this research, it could be suggested that some participants in the criminal record and ex-offender groups would in fact be more likely to give higher ratings to the candidate because they can sympathise with the situation. Goffman (1963) acknowledges that those with personal familiarity to ex-offenders and individuals who have criminal records are more likely to see past the stereotypes surrounding them, and therefore reduce the stigmatising attitudes towards this group. Furthermore, Braithwaite (1989) notes that reintegration is more likely to be successful when ex-offenders are viewed as members of the in-group that have made mistakes, rather than dangerous, incurably criminal individuals. Although the results from the coefficient analysis of variance where inconclusive, it is evident that the ideology of the participants did have an impact on the participants total score. Table 3 shows the comparison of the mean total score for those who were reported as consistently conservative compared to consistently liberal. For the control group, the difference in mean total score is not noteworthy, however, in both the criminal record group, and the ex-offender group, the mean total score is significantly lower for those who were consistently conservative than those who were consistently liberal, suggesting that those with consistently liberal core political values were more likely to remove the stigma surrounding the applicant, and instead simply assess how suitable the candidate was for the job at hand. Unnever and Cullen (2007) suggest that people with conservative core values hold more disciplinary attitudes towards those who violate the law, and are more opposed to the rei ntegration of ex-offenders into society. Chiricos, Welch, Gertz (2004) found that those with conservative core political values are more likely to uphold the stigmatisation of ex-offenders and criminals, primarily due to the belief that criminals are unlikely to ever be fully rehabilitated, and so will always be criminal.ÂÂ   However, because those with liberal core values are more likely to blame society for crime (Welch, 2007), it is proposed that they will be more compassionate when dealing with ex-offenders and individuals with criminal records. This theory is maintained by Demski McGlynn (1999) who found that those who identified with liberal values were more willing than others to rent an apartment near a halfway house for recent parolees. Chiricos et al., (2007) demonstrates how an individuals confidence in the criminal justice system can lead to stigmatisation. They suggest that those who trust the legitimacy of the criminal justice system should therefore place conviction in the justice systems evaluation of a persons guilt and moral character. This leads to stigmatisation because imprisonment is one of the most severe forms of punishment available in the UK, and so is seen as a thorough basis for condemnation. Therefore, it can be proposed that those who trust the justice system would be unlikely to have confidence in employment abilities of an ex-offender, or even someone with a criminal record, because it is probable that they believe that people who have served time must have the lowest form of moral character. However, perceptions of over leniency in terms of treatment of offenders may also lead to increased stigmatisation. The ideology consistency scale given to participants in my research contained four quest ions about the government, and those who chose the negative responses were classified as conservative. Unnever, Cullen, Fisher (2007) found that white people, conservatives, and victims of crime are more likely to challenge the police and courts for being too lenient on criminals. These groups of people often believe that most criminals have not paid penance for their crimes, and so deserve stigmatisation upon release, particularly within the employment sector, as they believe criminals should not be given employment over law abiding citizens (Messner, Baumer, Rosenfeld, 2006). Due to the continuously increasing numbers of imprisonment rates, the support of sometimes violent stigmatisation of ex-offenders, and the rising rates of recidivism, is its more important than ever to combat the stigmatisation of ex-offenders, particularly in the employment sector. Ward Brown (2004) established that offenders who experienced meaningful relationships with prison staff were more likely to experience effective reintroduction into society. Similarly, Dowden Andrews (2004) discovered a correlation between recidivism and interpersonal relationships between offenders and staff. While In no way does correlation equal causation, it is evident that contact with individuals from noninstitutionalised society while incarcerated can benefit offenders upon release. This concept is supported by Wagner, Tropp Pettigrew (2009), who demonstrated that contact between opposing groups is a powerful and effective way of reducing prejudice. However, my results indicated that participant s did not feel it was appropriate for an ex-offender, even somebody who is highly qualified for the job at hand, to be around both staff and customers, suggesting that they may not have had previous experience with somebody who has been to prison. A drawback to this research is that participants were never asked whether they had experienced contact with an ex-offender, doing so may have led to a greater understanding as to why the participants stigmatised the candidate in the criminal record and ex-offender groups. However, the impact of contact with ex-offenders may have led to increased stigmatisation, depending on whether the experience was positive or negative. For example, Wikstrom Loeber (2000) explains that in disadvantaged communities with high imprisonment rates, an individual may develop more lenient views of ex-offenders, because in areas like this, incarceration is not an abstract concept, but something that is experienced frequently. Living in these communities means that an individual is less likely to stigmatise ex-offenders, and so it is probable that ex-offenders would not experience negative employment desirability. However, because communities like this are usually disadvantaged and poverty stricken, findin g employment, even as a law-abiding citizen, may be increasingly difficult (Wikstrom Tafel, 2003). Though the theory that contact with ex-offenders may significantly reduce stigmatising behaviour, a major disadvantage of this is that many members of the public may avoid any possible interactions with ex-offenders. My results indicated that participants feel that customers would feel uncomfortable being around somebody who has been to prison. Crisp Turner (2009) developed imagined contact, produced to be an extension of the classical contact paradigm, in order to show valuable aspects of contact with offenders, but without provoking anxious emotions within participants. This may be useful in helping decrease the stigma surrounding ex-offenders, because imaging contact may enable society to disregard fear, which may lead to increased contact, and potentially understanding the individuals behind the stereotype, which could then decrease the negative employment desirability surrounding ex-offenders. Unnever Cullen (2009) suggested that a further way to reduce the stigmatisation of e x-offenders is to demonstrate empathy towards them. Johnson et al., (2009) discovered that when participants were encouraged to feel empathy they recommended less severe punishments to a hypothetical defendant, and were more likely to examine and empathise with reasoning behind criminal acts. Because of this, it could be proposed that if the public were able to understand why offenders committed criminal acts, particularly those from poor and disadvantaged neighbourhoods, they may be more likely to be empathetic, and therefore disregard the stigmatism of the violent and incurable criminal, which may lead to more employers being willing to hire ex-offenders. Obviously, not everyone feels like the stigma towards those who have been incarcerated should be reduced. As highlighted earlier, many believe that using stigma as a general criminality deterrent is effective at preventing further crime. Undoubtedly, this may be the case for some communities. However, for people living in high crime areas, usually poor, disadvantaged, and essentially forgotten by the government, crime is only ever increasing. It is in areas like this that offending, and then subsequently reoffending is highest, meaning that a large minority of people at some point will have been to prison, or at least will have a criminal record. It has been acknowledged numerous times that employment is one of the best ways to decrease reoffending rates, but generally, society holds such a negative view of ex-offenders that employment is rare. Perhaps, if the stigma against individuals who have committed crimes is reduced, finding employment as an ex-offender may be easier, and so r eintegration could be more successful. In hindsight, even my using the term ex-offender could be seen as pre-conceived stigmatisation. Classing someone as an ex-offender creates a disastrous cycle where in which the individual being referred to is unable to move on from their past transgressions, which could be detrimental to rehabilitation. Also, it is unclear at which point a person progresses from offender to ex-offender. The majority of the literature I reviewed when researching this topic refers to individuals who have previously been incarcerated as offenders, without identifying whether these people did in fact reoffend, and if not, why they are still being referred to as an offender. It is issues like this that represent the ever-present stigma ex-offenders face; while they may have served their sentence, and been successfully rehabilitated back into society, they will always be associated with the word offender and whatever negative connotations and stigma that brings with it. A limitation of this research is that the sample size of 60 is incredibly small compared to the population of the UK. The small sample size may have contributed to the non-significant relationship between ideology and stigmatisation of ex-offenders. An issue with small samples is that they do not usually have the ability to represent the larger population, and therefore are not generalizable. However, gaining a sample size of even 60 was difficult in the time allotted for data collection, and so future research should attempt to replicate the findings, but with a larger sample size, in order to test for accuracy. A further limitation is that I did not ask for reasoning behind answers, and so, although it is evident that stigmatisation did occur, I cannot provide the specific reasons why participants stigmatised the candidate in the criminal record and ex-offender groups. This limits findings to understanding the influence of stigmatisation on ex-offenders employment desirability, and does not allow investigation into how reducing stigmatisation effects employment. The purpose of this research was to establish whether the stigmatisation of ex-offenders effects their ability to gain employment, and whether peoples political ideology has an impact on their attitudes towards ex-offenders. Overall, this research has found that preconceived stigmatisation did effect the participants attitude towards the applicant with a criminal record, and the applicant who had previously been incarcerated. Within this research there was a significant decrease in the mean scores for each individual question asked about the applicant, and the overall judgement of the applicant in the criminal record and ex-offender group, when compared to the control group, representing stigmatisation towards individuals who hold criminal records, and those who are ex-offenders. This study also analysed whether the participants political ideologies effected their attitudes towards the applicant with the criminal record and the ex-offender applicant, and while the analysis of covaria nce was not significant, the data showed that in both the criminal record group, and the ex-offender group, the mean total score is significantly lower for those who were consistently conservative than those who were consistently liberal, suggesting that those with consistently liberal core political values were more likely to remove the stigma surrounding the applicant, and instead simply assess how suitable the candidate was for the job at hand. It is evident from both this research, and all the previous research conducted beforehand, that stigmatisation is detrimental to ex-offenders trying to find employment. To rectify this, it could be suggested that future employers allow ex-offenders and individuals holding criminal records a watershed period, where in which they do not have to disclose their previous convictions until a set period of time has passed after employment. It should be stressed that this is only suggested for minor offences, in order to give employers and other staff members a period of time to get to know the individual before knowing of their previous offence. Hopefully, this could mean, as suggested by Hirschfield Piquero (2010), that people in the individuals working environment would be able to witness first hand that not all ex-offenders conform to the abstract stereotype unwillingly placed upon then, and so may be more likely to employ ex-offenders and disregard stigma, when compared to employers wh o have had no contact with anybody that has been incarcerated.

Euripides was accused by his contempories of being a woman hater. Why E

Euripides was accused by his contempories of being a woman hater. Why do you think this was so, and how justified do you think the accusation was? Question -------- Euripides was accused by his contempories of being a woman hater. Why do you think this was so, and how justified do you think the accusation was? In your answer you should consider not only how Euripides portrays his female characters, but also the sentiments expressed in the plays and the contempory view of women. Answer ------ Euripides definitely had an opinion on woman that was not shared by many other play writes. Whether it is hatred or not, women play a major role in a Euripian play. Their role in society of that time was a great contrast to that of the men. Compared to today, women were miles apart from men; they were not even considered citizens of their region. This is obvious in the chorus where in the Electra, Medea and Hippolytus there is a chorus of women. This was unheard of in the time when the plays were written. A chorus is typically made up of wise men of Athens, therefore making it up of women would in that age, be very controversial. In Medea the chorus side with her and Medea makes the chorus swear to silence. Therefore she can confide in them without having to put a face on. The image put across here is that the woman team up against the man. The chorus being women, side with the feminist Medea. "I heard her sobbing and wailing," the chorus talk about the true Medea that is hidden under her facade. The same is true in the Electra. The chorus is made up of country-women of Mycenae, who also side with Electra. When Electra moans about not having a gown or riches to go out and enjoy herself, the chorus offer a way out. "Borrow from me a lovely gown, closely woven, and a gold necklace." The women are on her side, they try to persuade her to be like all the other women and go out partying. Electra wants none of this and aims to gain more self-pity by forcing herself to stay at home, doing all the work. Euripides writes her to be an attention seeking noble woman, who has married the peasant to make a statement. Not the most likeable of characters. In the Hippolytus, there are two choruses. One made up of huntsmen who follow Hippolytus and the other of women from Trozen. They support what they represent. This shows a contrast ... ...My boy, the oath you gave me, you'll never break that?" The Nurse whines to Hippolytus hoping to get her own way. "Oh, I clasp your knees and beg you," The Nurse's stubbornness to try and please ends up leading to Phaedra dying without honour. Euripides begins his plays often with erratic women, ie Electra, Medea and Phaedra. They have serious issues and seek vengeance, with the exception of Phaedra who is the cause of a vengeful attack; Theseus killing his son, Hippolytus. There are never any heroic women or women that we feel sympathy for. The only woman who is in the slightest way victimised is Clytemnestra. Electra murders her in revenge for killing her father Agamemnon. This is made obvious in the play and Clytemnestra's bad relationship with her daughter Electra does not show her in a good light. We feel sympathy for the self-inflicted widow, when she describes what she has gone through. "Then her father cut her soft white throat-My Iphigenia." Out of all of Euripides' female characters, she contains the most sentiment and emotion. In summary, apart from Clytemnestra, the lady characters are mad psychopathic women, with hidden depths, morals and loyalties.