Author Archives: xc129563

http://www.luxist.com/2011/03/08/bill-gates-gives-up-worlds-richest-man-status-for-philanthrop

Today, we talked about the Weber’s theory of Status. Weber thinks “status groups are normally communities […] that are determined by a specific, positive or negative, social estimation of honor. (191) I think the most interesting part is that status is not necessary cause of wealth or income but tradition or prestige. The concept of tradition, we can see the example of Charles becomes a prince once he was born in the British royal family, so does Prince William and don’t need to get any particular. That royal family keeps the honor from George V (1865-1936) till present. British royal family worth more than $1 billion; comparing with this, Bill Gates’ wealth is US$ 61 billion (2012), 61 times more. Bill also owns status by his contribution to the society, such as his Philanthropy activities once he got huge succeed. He created the Microsoft Empire by his talent in PC system and pushed PC operation system quickly expanding all over the world by visualizing Dos to the simple windows operation system, which let anyone without any program background easily uses it. And then, his system dominates at all worlds’ PC market share till now. According to above link, he gives Up “World’s Richest Man” Status for Philanthropy. It made me think how we use our wealth and return to our society like what Bill Gates does if we were not born with a gold key (honor). Usually, status seems be stability because of the general tradition attribute. However, Bill’ story gives us another concept of honor. Which one would be more impressed in public, especially for our business college students?

        McDonaldization is described a Phenomenon that speed up characteristics coming to dominate other areas of social life. Today, professor brought an interesting topic if the education McDonaldized. He gave an example that one professor in the 200 student huge classroom and just offered all multiple choices exams by using the contract sheet. We can imagine of how this kind of “McDonaldization” will worse declines the individual education quality and how could we expect them to increase personal value in this way? In this case, the whole education system treats various individuals standardized by grading them certain degree and evaluates them abilities with the same answers outputs.

There is a question popping up in my mind: if someone, just because he comes from the different country, can’t understand the questions very well, how can we objectively and fairly evaluate him? Few years ago, I read an article, named An Indian Father’s Plea (http://tracs.csun.edu/education/eed/holle/561F/Indian%20Father.pdf). In his article, he hopes the teacher doesn’t label his son with “slow learner” just because of the culture difference and language issue and so on. That disadvantage invisibly put his son into a position of slow action/reaction by his teachers. If that young child got education in the McDonaldization education system, he would be left far away behind his peers. As we know, once a label is setting on someone, unfortunately, that will stick him in the whole life. How could we expect that India boy to fully develop his talents in the efficient way and struggle the future competition? As we know, the advantage of American culture is encouraging student’s creative thinking. How could those children innovate something new if they were forcing study and memorizing the standard answers on a quickly running of production line? Besides this, government currently also needs to balance the budget cuts and the specific needs like that wild-wolf under global badly economic circumstance. All of above problem tell us the education system can’t become McDonaldization anyway but what is the best way going on here?

http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/careers.aspx

In Chapter Six, we learned the “Presentation of Self.” In the beginning of the text, the sociologist Erving Goffman expresses a concept of “impression management”, which people tend to present a particular public image of them. This skill usually is used a lot for the job interviewers. If the person can use in the right way, it can help them to stand out among many candidates.  As we know, for most jobs, the interviewers prefer to know the dress code in advantage or dress suits in order to wear properly. It also makes interviewers have confidence on themselves, especially for forming a nice first impression, which works out. Otherwise, we never know that how important the first impression of dressing may affect judgment the interviewees. Sometimes, we’d rather than overdress in the first day of working, too.

In addition, the interviewers may prepare some answers those relatives to some general answers before the interview in order to quickly response properly. For the young cyber generation, youths may google some tips of the job interview online and practices as mock interview, such as how to act/react during the interview, how to answer some particular answers, how to use the body language to speak aloud for ourselves like above links, such as we need see the interviewee when we is answering the questions and show our confidence, etc. During the interview, the interviewee and interviewer can both be roles and switch to the audiences but the interviewer may be the role alone as an actor in the social stage.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20284970/ns/business-future_of_business/t/where-will-jobs-be/

After reading analysis of college graduate Andre, this article also talks about some potential job opportunities for the college students as “Michael Jackson, founder and chairman of Shaping Tomorrow (said), a British research and analysis service focused on the future. A college degree alone won’t be a free pass to employment anymore.” He has the same viewpoint like what our text said. Regarding Andre’s problem, it directly reflects the whole picture of our society. Since ancient human being used to live together and affected with each other. It built up a society. And it decides that if one person wants to approach success and get respect by others, he must adapt the tendency of the society development.

In this article, the author believes that “Hot jobs of the future will focus on health care, science, high-tech,” which Andre is good at high-tech. However, comparing with other competitors, he might not be versatile, such as the bilingual skills. Now, more and more America IT companies move their program development department oversea, such as India or China and involve the international business. In the U.S.A., some positions may open to the leader, such as manager level positions. As a leader of a team, if they could speak over two languages, they will easily deal with multinational issues and fluently communicate with their foreign clients. In addition, high-technology and health care jobs may require some related job experiences. In this situation, those graduates who own leadership skills and have various working experiences may previously stand out. All of above requirement come from changing structure of our society. Even you don’t or might not believe: globalization is a trend among IT or other high-tech filed. Our world becomes smaller and smaller in this way. We are country difference but we are also common in many ways. As a college student like Andre, are you ready to find your positioning globally?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ga2fbim1F0

I introduce this video because that lady on the video also argues if Wal-mart is good for America, which related to the PBS video that we saw in the class. That lady thought Wal-mart is bad because they can pay for their employees insurance, but they don’t do so. They hire the part time employees in order to avoid some benefits, such as health care. Wal-mart leaves that to the government, which the low income people can get the Medicaid or Medicare from the government. Wal-mart, as a highly profitable retailor doesn’t take the social responsibilities, which is bad for society.

In the class, I learned that Wal-mart moves their supplies into China and squashes costs and then lowers their selling price that pushes the local companies into the awkward competitor situation. Those local owners have to lower their price like what Wal-mart does in order to keep their market share. That causes their profits declines. However, that choice made them speed up business dead. Once local businesses dead, the retailors will find more and more resources oversea, some local companies may move a part of their business oversea, which send out some of their high level employees to live and work in the foreign country. That would affect those leaders family directly.

Meanwhile, those blue collars, which have contributed their whole lives for those local companies but when they get old and almost can get their Pension but have to face unemployed or lay off. Some might not to find a new job because of the recession time. Also, most of them don’t have specific skills or strengths that our digit information rich society is looking for. That will also increase the rate of unemployed. Some may still have the abilities but who will pay for the bill of retraining? Probably, the local government should do so. In that situation, Wal-mart brings another social problem to the government, especially when the government is currently struggling with the budget shortage situation.

On the other hand, Wal-Mart’s major target consumers should be the lower or lower middle class, who may those people, which are facing lay off. And I believe that the upper class will never or ever visit Wal-mart because they refer to buy high quality premium products that Wal-mart can’t stand out.

Once consumers lose or decline their buying power and the government faces the double problems that Wal-mart may bring to, I wonder how Wal-mart is good for the America economy booming in this way. If yes, please give me a reason!