Perfect Pizzeria Essay Example for Free

Perfect Pizzeria Essay Perfect Pizzeria Restaurants is a chain of 125 pizza establishments around the country with headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. There are three locations in Bloomington, Indiana however they have financial and employee problems particularly at the location near the Indiana University campus. Each location has one manager and two shift leaders. The employees are mostly college students, with a few high school students performing the less challenging jobs. Nearly all of the employees, with the exception of some managers, are employed part-time and most earned only the minimum wage or slightly above. To address the financial problems, the Perfect Pizzeria manager’s compensation plan was changed to now being based on food and beverage costs and profit targets. If the percentage of food unsold or damaged is very low, the manager gets a bonus. If the percentage is high, the manager does not receive a bonus; rather he or she receives only his or her normal salary. Their compensation is also reflected in the restaurant’s profit figures which also must reach a certain level for the manager to receive a bonus. Thus the managers knew the criteria being used for their evaluation and therefore where to focus their efforts. These profit and loss figures often fluctuate. Knowing the manager cannot be in the store 24 hours a day, some employees make up for their low paychecks by helping themselves to the food. When a friend comes in to order a pizza, extra ingredients are put on the friend’s pizza. An occasional slice or two of pizza by the 18 to 20 employees throughout the day/evening at the break table also raises the percentage figure. An occasional bucket of sauce may be spilled or a pizza accidentally burned. Sometimes the wrong size of pizza may be made. In the event of an employee mistake or a burned pizza by the oven person, the expense is supposed to come from the individual employee. Because of peer pressure, the night manager seldom writes up a bill for the erring employee. Instead the establishment takes the loss and the error goes unnoticed until the end of the month when the inventory is taken. That’s when the manager finds out if the food loss percentage is high and if there will be a bonus. (Next page) Over time these loss figures increased. To address these problems at the Bloomington location, the manager took retaliatory measures. Previously, each employee was entitled to a free pizza slice, salad, and all the soft drinks he or she could drink for every 4 hours of work. Management decided to raise this figure to 6 hours of work before any free food. Since the employees had received this â€Å"free food after 4-hours† benefit for a long time they frequently ignored the rule and took advantage of the situation whenever the manager was not in the building. Therefore, the Perfect Pizzeria manager decided to create an assistant manager position which could more closely supervise the shift leaders. Each shift leader was now responsible for a team of 3 4 employees who were given specific responsibilities for a particular job such as counter, delivery, food preparation, etc. Employee apathy grew within the pizzeria. There seemed to be a further separation between the store manager and his workers, who were once a closely knit group. The manager made no attempt to alleviate the problem, because he felt it would iron itself out. The employees who were dissatisfied would quit or they would be content to put up with the new regulations. As it turned out, there were many employee resignations. The manager had no problem in filling the vacancies with new workers, but the loss of experienced personnel was costly to the business. It didn’t take long for the new employees to become influenced by the more experienced employees and the unsold/damaged food percentage remained high. Then the manager took a bolder step. He eliminated all the benefits that the employees had – no free pizzas, salads, or drinks. The manager tried still another approach to alleviate the rising unsold/damaged food percentage problem and maintain his bonus. He placed a notice on the bulletin board, stating that: if the percentage remained at a high level, a lie detector test would be given to all employees. All those found guilty of taking or intentionally wasting food or drinks would be immediately terminated. This did not have the desired effect on the employees, because they knew if they were all subjected to the test, all would be found guilty and the manager would have to dismiss all of them. This would leave him in a worse situation than ever. As the manager sat in his office listening to his beloved Cub’s baseball game, he analyzed the month’s profit/loss statements and knew things were not going to be good. What he did not expect was that the percentage was actually increasing from previous months. Another problem developed at the Bloomington campus location when Jennifer, a recently hired night shift counter clerk filed a complaint with the regional manager. She stated in her complaint that she was always required to work the late shift and Bill the night manager was becoming a bit â€Å"too friendly†. In fact her complaint stated, the only way she could get off from work earlier than other employees was if she would agree to meet Bill on their nights off at Hoosier’s, a popular college student club down the street from Perfect Pizzeria. Additionally, there was a formal complaint from a group of male employees that only the attractive female workers were being promoted to assistant managers or shift leaders even though the men had worked at the restaurant longer than most of the promoted women. The case assignment questions follow†¦ PERFECT PIZZERIA – CASE QUESTIONS (Please type your responses by listing the question number/letter and then your answers to the questions.) 1. List two different managerial functions/activities the manager has performed. Then give specific examples or evidence from the case that explains these two management functions the manager has performed. 4. points) 2a. Which of the managerial skills was the manager best at? Explain. 2b. Which of the managerial skills did the manager need to improve? Explain. (4 points) 3. List and/or give examples of four (4) different forces or factors from Perfect Pizzerias’ external environment. Then give a specific example of how each of these could have an impact on Perfect Pizzeria. Please be specific.(4 pts.) 4a. The case mentions that some employees put extra ingredients on their friends’ pizza or take a nibble or two of pizza during their shift. Please discuss whether you feel this is ethical and your reasons why you feel this way. (2 pts.) 4b. What actions could an organization take to prevent these potential ethical violations from happening based on the concepts in the textbook? Explain by applying these ideas to this case situation. (4 pts.) 5. Review the organizational approaches to managing diversity from Chapter 6. Then discuss or give an example of how you would apply two of these concepts to address the complaints of the male employees regarding the unfair promotions? Be specific. (4 points) 6. Give an example from the case of a poor management action and discuss two (2) specific ways you would correct the situation if you were the manager. (3 points)

Dwight D Eisenhower :: essays research papers

Dwight D Eisenhower was our thirty-fourth president, serving from 1953 to 1961. He was born in Texas in 1890, and brought up in Abilene, Kansas. He was very good in sports in High school and recieved an appointment to West Point. He was stationed in Texas as second lieutenant where he met Mamie Geneva Doud, whom he married in 1916. He excelled at many staff assignments and served under the guidance of many great generals. After Pearl Harbor he was called to Washington for a war plans assignment. He commanded the allied forces landing in North Africa in November 1942. On D-Day, 1944, he was the supreme commander of the troops invading France. After the war he became President of Columbia University. In 1951 he took supreme command over the new NATO forces. Republican emmissaries to his headquarters near Paris persuaded him to run for President. On June 4, 1952 he announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for Presidency. He was soon nominated at the Republican convent ion and elected on November 4, 1952. He was able to use the catchy slogan â€Å"I Like Ike† to help him win. He was able to serve two terms as President of the United States from January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961. He saw the end of the Korean War, and promoted â€Å"Atoms for Peace† and dealt with several crisis in Lebanon, Suez, Berlin, and Hungary in Foreign affairs. He helped make Alaska and Hawaii become states. Throughout his presidency he was very concerned with civil rights issues and the interstate highway system in domestic affairs. Between his two terms he suffered a heart attack in September 1955 in Denver, Colorado. He left the hospital after seven weeks and was reelected for his second term in November. President Eisenhower was very concerned with promoting peace and equality. He began with the desegregation of schools, of which he had to send troops into Little Rock, Arkansas to assure the compliance with the Federal courts decision. He also ordered th e complete desegregation of the armed forces. He wrote â€Å" There must be no second class citizens in this country.† A program that eisenhower was quite proud of was his â€Å"Atoms for Peace† program which was the loan of American uranium to â€Å"have not† nations for peaceful purposes.

Ghost in Hamlet

The Role of the Ghost in Hamlet by William Shakespeare The role of the ghost in Hamlet is twofold: firstly it is to create   interest; secondly it is to further the narrative of the play. Shakespeare recognized that he needed to create interest in the   audience from the very first scene of the play. The play opens with a conversation between Officers of the Watch who   patrol the Battlements of Elsinore castle. Their talk is of a  ghost   who has appeared before twice previously: † What, has this thing appeared again tonight? † Immediately this arouses the audience's curiosity.What is the nature   of ‘this thing' that has appeared? Horatio, who has not seen the ghost, voices the scepticism that some   of the audience may have been feeling: † Tush, Tush, 'twill not appear†. Suspense is therefore created in the minds of the audience i. e. will   the ghost actually appear; does the ghost exist? The character of Horatio is contrasted with th at of Barnardo,   Francisco and Marcellus. Barnardo, Francisco and Marcellus are believers in the ghost, whereas   Horatio, who is highly educated, unlike Barnardo, Francisco and   Marcellus, questions the ghost existence.When the ghost finally appears in line 40, cutting short Barnardo's   line, it is a moment of high drama resulting from the tension that has   been created. The appearance of the ghost has a  huge impact  on both the characters   and the audience (who together with Horatio see the ghost for the   first time). Horatio, sceptic, expresses his fear and amazement in the   first line he speaks since seeing the ghost: â€Å"aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. It harrows me with fear and wonder†. The audience would have been filled with similar emotions on seeing   the ghost, and would have realised that the appearance of the ghost   signifies that something is wrong.Elizabethans believed that only   people who died without the chance of confessing their sins w alked the   earth as troubled spirits. Horatio questions the ghost, which   disappears mysteriously without speaking. When the ghost fails to   speak, it adds to the tension of the scene and the apprehension of the   characters. The ghost makes a second appearance in Act 1 Scene 1 after Horatio has   talked about preparations for war with Norway. This sets up the idea   in the minds of the audience that the ghost may have something to do   with the on going war, but, again the ghost does not speak, and so the   audience is left with unanswered questions.This sense of mystery   sustains interest and builds suspense in the preparation for scene 2. At this point the nature of the ghost is ambiguous. Is it a good   ghost, it appears in the form of Old  Hamlet, or is it an â€Å"erring   spirit†? It disappeared when the cock crowed i. e. at first light. The audience   would have known that light represent goodness, and dark represents   evil. Horatio co mments: â€Å"And then it started like a guilty thing†. The audience would have been left wondering why the word ‘guilty' had   been applied to the ghost. Is the ghost to be trusted, or not?The   only thing person who can decide is Hamlet: â€Å"Let us impart what we have seen tonight unto young Hamletaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. † In the next scene Horatio tells Hamlet after some prevarication, that   he has seen his fathers ghost. Hamlet is thoroughly depressed because   his mother Gertrude, has re-married very quickly. To make matters   worse, she has married Claudius, Old Hamlets brother, whom young   Hamlet mis-trusts. This is a man â€Å"With one auspicious and one dropping eye† Which an Elizabethan audience, would have recognized as the sign of a   hypocrite.Horatio describes the ghost to Hamlet, emphasising that the ghost   appears to look like Old Hamlet: â€Å"aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. A figure like your father armed exactly, cap-a-pe† And is dressed in armour. Hamlet wants to know everything about the   ghost, where it appeared, whether it spoke etc, and through his short,   excited questions which he utters in quick succession, reinforces the   mystery and ambiguity of the ghost, thus building the audiences   anticipation of the second appearance of the spirit. The scene closes with Hamlet arranging to take the watch on the   battlements that night, in order to meet with the ghost.He asks the   others to keep quiet about the appearance of the ghost. The ghost appears to Hamlet in Act1, Scene 4. Immediately, the   ambiguous nature of the ghost is addressed. Hamlet himself says, â€Å"Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damned† , Meaning is the ghost to be trusted, or is it some evil creature come   to destroy? The ghost refuses to speak in front of the others, but beckons Hamlet   away to speak with him alone. Marcellus and Horatio are suspicious of   the ghost intentions: Marcellus. â€Å"But do not go with it† Horatio. â€Å"No, by no means†.Eventually, almost fighting off his companions with a sword, Hamlet   follows the ghost and they are alone. In scene 5, the role of the ghost moves from creating interest and   suspense, to the function of moving on the narrative and plot line. Hamlet is not naturally a man of action, and, although suspicious of   his Uncle Claudius, would not have tried to find out more about the   circumstances surrounding his father's death. It is the appearance of   the ghost that forces Hamlet to take action, and therefore moves on   the action of the play. The ghost begins by telling that he is in purgatory. Doomed for a certain term to walk the night† Hamlet must have felt puzzled and, at the same time, full of wonder   and despair at the terrible situation his father is in. When his   father finally reveals that he was murdered, Hamlet is overwhelmed. To   make matters worse, the ghost then asks Hamlet to re venge his murder. Ghost. â€Å"If ever thou didst ever thy dear father loveaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. † Hamlet. â€Å"O God! † Ghost. â€Å"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder†. Like Hamlet, at this point, the audience would want to know more. The questions that have been posed in Scene 1 are finally about to be   answered.When the ghost reveals that he was murdered by Claudius,   Hamlet reacts with: â€Å"O my prophetic soul! My uncle? † Hamlet had suspected from the beginning that his uncle was the   complete opposite of Old Hamlet in appearance, personality and action. Now his worse fears have been confirmed. His mother has married a   murderer! Before the ghost leaves, Hamlet swears to revenge his   murder. To make matters worse, the ghost describes the horrific nature of his   death, by poison and the fact that he died without having confessed   his sins: â€Å"With all my imperfections on my head†.This is in sharp contrast with the gl ib statement made by Claudius to   Hamlet concerning the death of his father: â€Å"aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. All that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity† Finally, at the end of the scene Hamlet rejoins the others and   confirms that the ghost is not evil but, â€Å"It is an honest ghostaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. † He makes his friends swear to keep the existence of the ghost a   secret. The cries of the unseen ghost â€Å"SWEAR, SWEAR† whom Hamlet calls   â€Å"old mole†, reinforce Hamlet's insistence in secrecy. Interestingly,   only Hamlet can hear the ghost.Is Hamlet ‘really' going mad? The final appearance of the ghost follows the pivotal scene. Up to   this point there has been little action-taking place. Instead the play   consists of building up characters, making motives and giving the   audience information. After this the action increases dramatically in   pace. Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius, but fails because   h e believes that Claudius is praying. If he had known that Claudius   cannot pray: â€Å"My words fly up my thoughts remain below, Words without thought never to heaven go†Presumably, Hamlet would have killed Claudius and the play would be   over. It is possible that Hamlet used the situation as an excuse for   the deed he was afraid to do. Therefore, when Hamlet confronts Gertrude he is full of frustration   and anguish at his inability to act. In this scene, Hamlet almost   loses his self-control and perhaps is truly â€Å"mad†. Having killed   Polonius, it is only the entrance of the ghost that prevents Hamlet   from harming his mother. This time, the ghost appears, not in armour, but â€Å"aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. In his habit as he liv'd† In other words, dressed in every-day clothes.The ghost has changed;   no longer the warrior king seeking revenge for his murder, the ghost   is more insubstantial a quieter, gentler ghost perhaps because it is   ne arer to oblivion. This ties in with the ghost's speech back in Act 1   Scene 5 when he says: â€Å"I am thy fathers spirit, Doomed for a certain term to walk the night† This time only, Hamlet can see the ghost, which begs the question, is   the ghost really there, or is Hamlet quite mad? The role of the ghost in this scene is primarily to remind Hamlet of   his promise. â€Å"Do not forgetaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. â€Å"However, the ghost also serves as a reproof to Hamlet, exhorting him   to be gentle with Gertrude. † Oh step between her and her fighting soul: Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works† Having delivered its message, the ghost simply slips away. In this   scene, in contrast to earlier scenes in which the ghost appears, there   is no knocking from underneath the stage, the ghost merely â€Å"steals   away†. From this moment, the play gathers pace as Claudius attempt to have   Hamlet killed, Ophelia's commits suicide in her madness, and the final   scene of the play ends in a blood bath.From the very first dramatic appearance of the ghost the whole plot is   set in motion towards inexorable scene of murder and mayhem at the end   of the play. Hamet appears to regain his sanity; we as an audience wonder was he   ever mad and if so was his madness incurred by the ghost. In conclusion it could be stated the ambiguity of the ghost is never   resolved. This is questioned again because as a result of the ghost,   the majority of the characters die. Therefore despite Hamlets thoughts   of the ghost, in the end the audience wonder is the ghost and its   intentions really, true and good or actually bad and evil

Analysis Of Death Of A Salesman - 900 Words

Critical Essay In Arthur Millers â€Å"Death of a salesman† we encounter an on-going feud between salesman Willy Loman and his son Biff Loman. In Willy’s eyes the key to gaining success in life is to be well liked, attractive and having a great personality, he is convinced if you have all these traits it guarantees you success and that you could outrun those with qualifications in terms of being employed. Willy bestows this theory of his onto his sons Biff and Happy during their teenage years. During Biffs High School years he attains the captain position for the school’s football team which gave Willy another reason to believe that he and his son were on track to achieving the American Dream. Willy is more than convinced at this point that they are both heading down the same path: to be known, to achieve success and to be liked. When Biff fails his maths exam during his senior year in high school he loses all hope, furthermore he discovers Willys involvement with another woman after he decided to pay Willy a surprise visit. This heavily influences their relationship they had as Biff realises the ugly truth and felt betrayed by his father. Willy has soaring expectations of Biff, however Biff fails to meet his father expectations, and hides his failures from Willy in order to keep him happy. Even after Biff flunks maths, Willy still believes Biff can â€Å"make it†. He doesn’t believe this because Biff is his son, but rather because Biff is a handsome young man, with a greatShow MoreRelatedDeath Of A Salesman Analysis914 Words   |  4 PagesLies of a Salesman (Movie Analysis of Death of a Salesman produced by Robert F. Colesberry) To be dysfunctional is to not operate accordly to normal in a negative way. Death of a Salesman produced by Robert F. Colesberry is a movie based on a play Death of a salesman written by Arthur Miller. The Loman family in the movie is a dysfunctional family, which is clearly show in many scenes,The mother and the father Willy and Linda Lowman. Willy a salesman in the field for over 30 years. The have kidsRead MoreDeath of a Salesman Analysis675 Words   |  3 PagesNovember 10, 2012 English P5 Death of a Salesman Essay Like Father Like Son In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, Miller reveals what happens when a dream, especially the American dream, dies, as seen through the life of Willy Loman, a pathetic, self-deluded salesman. The play follows the family through painful conflicts, significant issues such as national values, and the price of blind fate while working toward the ‘American Dream’. 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One piece of American literature that substantiates the fact that the American Dream can not be gotten is Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman which describes the tragedy of the average person in America. A number of other writers also draw the inability to capture the American Dream. John Steinbeck demonstrates in his highly acclaimed novel The Grapes of Wrath how hard economic timesRead MoreAnalysis of the Ending of De ath of a Salesman1261 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of the Ending of Death of a Salesman The play Death of a Salesman shows the final demise of Willy Loman, a sixty- year-old salesman in the America of the 1940s, who has deluded himself all his life about being a big success in the business world. It also portrays his wife Linda, who plays along nicely with his lies and tells him what he wants to hear, out of compassion. 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