Customer Service Excellence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Customer Service Excellence - Essay Example More specifically, organizational culture is an established set of mutual mental conventions that guide understanding and action in organizations by outlining appropriate behaviour for various circumstances (Ravasi & Schultz, 2006). From organizational values advance organizational norms, procedures, or expectations that recommend appropriate manners of behaviour by employees in specific situations and govern the behaviour of organizational members towards each other. Strong culture is said to occur where staff respond to stimulus because of their placement with the organizational values. In such surroundings, strong cultures aid firms function like well-oiled machines, voyaging along with outstanding performance and perhaps minor modification of prevailing procedures here and there. Equally, there is weak culture where there is slightarrangement with organizational values and control must be implemented through extensive measures as well as a culture of bureaucracy. Research indicat es that organizations that nurture strong cultures have clear ideals and values that give employees a motive to embrace the culture. A ‘strong’ culture may be particularlyadvantageous to firms operating in the service sector because members of these establishments are responsible for carrying out the service and for evaluations significantcomponents make about firms. Research specifies that organizations may develop the following benefits from sustaining strong as well as dynamic cultures: Better supporting the company towards attaining its mission, vision and goals High employee enthusiasm and devotion Elevated team cohesiveness amongst the company’s various units and departments Encouragingreliability and inspiringmanagement and control within the company Influencing employee behaviour at work, empowering the organization to be more resourceful (Hofstede, 1980) Businesses are gradually adopting customer-focused business processes to increase competitive advanta ge. Especially predominant in industries where product offerings and price do not provide adequate differentiation, this new focus compromises numerous assistances. Customer involvement is the battleground, and a business can't triumph with a culture that doesn't truly clasp the concept. Culture can neither be simply forced on a business nor fashioned by flicking a switch. However, there are a few key steps can assistance put a business on the path towards a customer-focused philosophy. To shape your business around customers, an organization should aim to comprehend them, and create a regular discussion. If a business arms itself with the gears to better comprehend your customers, you will be better able to perform in their best benefits. A business’s employees possess great understanding in their customer base and how todelight them. Tap this knowledge base to better appreciate employee views. It is important not to limit this outreach to customer-facing employees only. A c ustomer-focused culture is not just about giving better customer service at the front desk; it is about permeating all the actions as a business with a sagacity of how the customer is influenced by those actions (or absence of them).Corporate culture is a long-term deliberation, and representing that you're truly investing in change will help to drive additional change and involve your employees in the process (Schein, 1985). Customer feedback is not always applauded by employees, so it

Kingship In Anglo saxon Britain Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Kingship In Anglo saxon Britain - Term Paper Example The kingdoms stood alone for several centuries during which there occurred Christianization of the citizens. Before the 10th century, these kingdoms were rivals as their respective leaders wanted to gain control over other kingdoms. However, it was the threats of possible Viking as well as Danish settlers’ invasion of the island of Britain that saw the unification of the seven kingdoms into one known as England under the hegemony of Wessex between the ninth and tenth centuries. With the unification and the formation of the new kingdom, an English medieval kingship that is still in use to date came into being. This kingship started with Alfred of Wessex and his succession line gave the English state substance2. The kingship acted as the institution, which had the maintenance of social order as its ultimate responsibility. A medieval king, one needed to adopt delicate approaches that aimed to pay attention closely to the sensibilities of the locals in order to attain success. As such, different rulers of England employed codes that have differences and similarities at the same time. These codes have gone a long way in defining the modes of leadership, the direction it takes, as well as the codes and laws o f the generations of administration that followed them. Alfred’s succession was unexpected with him having four older brothers, which meant that he was fifth in line of succession. However, with the deaths of all the older brothers, Alfred took the throne aged 21 at a time when the kingdom of Wessex was in conflict with the Danes and the Vikings as in all kingdoms in the British island at the time. However, his greatest battle was with the Danes with whom he delved into guerilla tactics and finally defeated them. He also resorted to dialogue when he realized that he could not remove the Danes from the island, with a few intermarriages occurring and even resulting in the conversion of the Danish king into

Organizations Essay Example for Free

Organizations Essay An organization can be defined as a group of persons or individuals that unite to perform a common task. Each individual within an organization usually has a relatively well-defined job description, so that the group is â€Å"organized† in a way that will ensure that all tasks necessary for the completion of the goal will be covered. Organizational behavior involves applying the behavioral theory of how persons act within groups to the practice of working within organizations. It is the practical application of research done in such disciplines as psychology. The approach taken in organizational behavior is known as â€Å"systems† through which relationships are probed and defined according to the level of organization and the types of individuals that make them up. The human side of organization is directly related to organizational behavior, as it acknowledges the factors such as personality and behavior that may cause different types of managerial strategies to be employed. The personality of the manager may cause him or her to display a certain type of leadership style, while the personalities of employees may make it necessary for the manager to display a different style. Because an organization is made up of humans, it is practically impossible to separate it from the behaviors that are common to humans. Work is an important part of human life. Because people spend so much energy preparing and educating themselves for the jobs they perform, work tends to define the individual. Also, a large portion of any person’s day is spent doing the work from which they derive monetary and other resources. Therefore, work is more than just a means of earning money. It is also a method of channeling one’s creativity and can be the area in which one offers a unique gift to mankind. I, for example, take inventory for a copier company and I enjoy it because it allows the staff of the company to remain organized. My job is also necessary as it allows the managers and owners to have tangible evidence of the company’s health by gauging the speed at which the stock leaves the shelves and goes into the hands of consumers. Finally, it is a fulfilling job because I am able to make sure that customers are satisfied when all the goods they need are there on the shelves. Reference http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadob.html

Typologies Of Tourist Behaviour Tourism Essay

Typologies Of Tourist Behaviour Tourism Essay It is important to have knowledge of peoples travel motivations and its association with destination selection plays a critical role in predicting future travel patterns. Tourist motivation can be defined as the global integrating network of biological and cultural forces which gives value and direction to travel choices, behaviour and experience. (Pearce, Morrison Rutledge, 1998) Some of the motives which determines a tourists travel choices are recreation, pleasure, new experiences, cultural interest, shopping. The adjectives and categorizations of tourists based upon motivations may differ in number, but recurrent themes emerge. For example the need to escape from everyday surroundings for the purpose of relaxation, and discovering new things, places and people are often alluded to. Many have viewed motivation as a major determinant of the tourists behaviour. Theories of motivation is the concept of needs and they are seen as the forces that arouses motivated behaviour and in order to understand human motivation, it is necessary to discover what needs people have and how they can be fulfilled and Maslows hierarchy of needs theory is the best known motivation theories. The push and pull concept is another line of travel motivation, while Plogs allocentrism/psychocentrism model will help explain phenomenal rise and fall of travel destinations. Cohen (1972) in his early studies, draws attention to the fact that all tourists are seeking some element of novelty and strangeness while, at the same time, most also need to retain something familiar. How tourists combine the demands for novelty with familiarity can in turn be used to derive a typology. According to Johns Gyimothy (2002) Cohen distinguished tourist using sociological principles into organised mass tourist, individual mass tourists, explorer and drifter. In this essay, we shall discuss different authors approach for travel motivation and typologies of tourists behaviour and shall critically review and compare these theories and typologies. Travel Motivation According to Crompton (1979), as cited in Bello Etzel (1985), the need for relaxation, exploration, social interaction and enhancement of kinship relationships act as dominant push motives in the vacation decision. Reversely, pull motives are aroused by the destination and include factors like scenic attractions, historical sites. Push factors are thought to establish the desire for travel and pull factors are thought to explain actual destination choice. Seaton (1997) suggests that the push factors include avoidance of work, cultural/social pressures at home. The pull factors include seeking leisure /play, freedom and escape. According to Maslow, there are five needs forming a hierarchy, progressing from the lower to the higher needs. Maslow argued that if the lower needs [physiological {hunger, thirst, rest}, safety {security}, belonging and love {affection, giving and receiving love}] are fulfilled the individual would be motivated by needs of the next level of the hierarchy [esteem {self-esteem and esteem for others}, self-actualisation {personal self-fulfilment}]. Cooper et al (2005) criticises Maslows theory saying that why and how Maslow selected the basic five needs remain unclear, although Page (2003) feels that it has relevance in understanding how human action is understandable and predictable compared to research which argues that human behaviour is essentially irrational and unpredictable. Cooper et al (2005) also questions the arrangement of the needs. Though Cooper et al (2005) criticises much about Maslows theory, he feels that tourism industry has borrowed a lot from Maslow because he provides a convenient set of containers that can be relatively labelled. Hudman (1980) as cited in Davidson and Maitland (1997) argue that Maslows (1943) hierarchy of needs provides a useful framework for understanding psychological motivational factors in tourism. Thus, for example, although the apparent purpose of a trip may be to visit friends and relatives, the underlying psychological motivation may be a need for belonging and the desire to reunite and reinforce family links. Iso-Ahola (1982) says that tourists will switch roles while on holiday, and that over time different needs will arise. Single motivation may not always act as the determining factor for travel. If within the holiday, the initial needs are satisfied, other motivations might emerge. Indeed, it is congruent with Maslows theories of needs to argue that if initially  there is a primary need for relaxation while on a holiday, the satisfaction of that need will create awareness of other needs such as exploration of place as a means of acquiring a sense of belonging or to enable processes of self-actualisation to take place. Beard and Ragheb (1983) stated four motivational needs as derived from the work of Maslow (1970).These are intellectual component which assesses the extent to which individuals are motivated to engage in leisure activities which involve activities such as learning, exploring, discovering, thought or imagining; the social component which assesses the extent to which individuals engage in leisure activities for social reasons. This component includes two basic needs the need for friendship and interpersonal relationships, while the second is the need for the esteem of others; the competence-mastery component which assesses the extent to which individuals engage in leisure activities in order to achieve, master, challenge and compete. The activities are usually physical in nature; the stimulus-avoidance component of leisure motivation which assesses the drive to escape and get away from over-stimulating life situations. It is the need for some individuals to avoid social contacts, to seek solitude and calm conditions; and for others it is to seek to rest and to unwind themselves. These four motivations form the foundation of their Leisure Motivation Scale which has been replicated in other studies, for example by Sefton and Burton (1987) and Loundsbury and Franz (1990).The original Ragheb and Beard Scale contained high-loaded items such as to use my physical skills and to develop physical skills and abilities. In the scale these are associated with competition and keeping fit. According to Ryan (1997) competency and mastery can also be demonstrated in other ways, including intellectual pursuits. Macintosh(1978) also identified four basic groups of motivations, which owe something to Maslows ideas: physical motivators(health, tension reduction); cultural motivators(art, religions); interpersonal motivators(visit with or to friends and relatives); status or prestige motivators(esteem, personal development). Hudman and Hawkins (1989) listed 10 main ones: health, curiosity, sport (participation), sport (watching), pleasure   believe destinations with a combination of natural resources( such as beaches, mountains, forests, rivers) and man-made facilities (ski-lifts, swimming pools, hiking paths), attract visitors whose principal holiday purpose is physical activity in any form, from simple walking or fishing to bungee-jumping, or even physical inactivity, such as sunbathing and relaxation], visual flight rules, professional and business, self-esteem, and religion. Schmoll (1977) grouped motivations into six combinations: educational and cultural (according to Davidson and Maitland (1997) general sightseeing-appreciating the natural and built environment, particularly when the latter is of historic interest-may be the motivating factor. It is certainly the been there-done that factor which is popular with many overseas visitors who undertake the London-Oxford-Stratford-Chester Lake District-Edinburgh-York-London circuit at the pace which astounds many of the British themselves); relaxation, adventure and pleasure; health and recreation; ethnic and family; social and competitive (including status and prestige). Iso- Aholas theory asserts that personal escape, personal seeking, interpersonal escape and interpersonal seeking motivate tourism. According to Snepenger et al (2006), personal escape meant to overcome bad mood, to have a change in pace from everyday life; interpersonal escape meant to get away from stressful environment, to avoid interaction with others; personal seeking meant to tell others about my experience, to feel good about myself; interpersonal seeking meant to be with people of similar interests, to meet new people. Dann (1981) has identified seven elements of tourist motivations: travel as a response to what is lacking yet desired; destination pull in response to motivational push; motivation as fantasy (engage in behaviour and activities that are culturally unacceptable in their home environment like prostitution and gambling); motivation as classified purpose(VFRs); motivational typologies; motivation and tourist experiences; motivation as auto-definition and meaning (the way in which tourist define their situations and respond to them). P.Pearce (1988) lists five travel motivations which he calls travel career ladder where tourists develop varying motivations of relaxation, stimulation, relationship, self-esteem and development, fulfillment. Page and Connell (2003) feels that it is in essence that tourist motivation is an ever changing process and we move up the ladder as we progress through the various life-cycle changes. In Pearces model, the motivations listed can be divided into two categories. The needs may be self-centered or directed at others. Thus, for example, relaxation may be a solo exercise where the holiday-maker seeks a quiet restful time alone for bodily reconstitution, or it can be relaxation in the company of others, springing from the need for external excitement and desire for novelty. Stimulation can be self-directed which springs from the concern for own safety, or it can be directed toward others arising out of the concern for others safety. Relationship can be self-directed which means giving love and affection and maintaining relationships, or it can be directed at others which means receiving affection, to be with group membership. Self-esteem and development maybe self-directed like development of skills, special interests, competence and mastery, or it may be directed at others like prestige, glamour of traveling. Fulfillment is totally self-directed as it fulfils individual dreams, understands oneself more and experience inner peace and harmony. There are some criticisms against Pearces travel motivations by Seaton (1997). For example, Pearce argues that stimulation may be understood along a dimension of risk and safety of self or others. However, it might be argued that there is a real and distinctive difference between these two motivations. To actualize a concern about the safety of others might mean placing oneself at physical  risk  in an attempt to help those who are in danger. The willingness to do this, it can be argued, is a characteristic of those who are certain in their own psychological maturity. Pearce Lee (2005) opines that in the Travel Career Ladder framework, the term career suggests that many people systematically move through a series of stage or have predictable travel motivational patterns. Some may predominantly ascend the TCL whereas others may remain at a particular level, depending upon contingency and other limitations like health and financial considerations. Typologies of Tourist Behaviour Cohen (1972), in his early studies, draws attention to the fact that all tourists are seeking some element of novelty and strangeness while, at the same time, most also need to retain something familiar. How tourists combine the demands for novelty with familiarity can in turn be used to derive a typology. Cohen (1972) the sociologist, identified four types of tourists: The organizational Mass tourist who buys tourists packages or all inclusive tours in order to visit classical mass tourism destinations, where everything is predetermined before hand and has a low degree of participation and involvement in the travel search for information. There is no sense of adventure or exploration. He/she belongs to an institutionalized type of tourism where the contact with the organizers of tourism industry is a constant. The individual mass tourist is similar to the organizational mass tourist, however this one is flexibility on his/her decisions and want to participate more in the process. The tourist strongly depends on the tourism industry but want to try some new things out of the closed and predetermined packages. The explorer is more adventurous, he wants to find his/her own experience participating actively in this decision choice. He arrange most of the elements of the travel by himself/herself, however sometimes he/she has to turn to a travel agency or tourism professionals to get some comfort or security amenities. The drifter looks for intensive experiences and he want to feel immerse in local communities. He/she completely abandon his relations with the institutions of tourism systems planning everything by him. He practiced a non institutionalized type of tourism. With this classification of tourists Cohen established an interesting link between the need of living unique experiences and the need of the perception of security. The more secure a tourist wants to feel, the more he will trust on tourism specialist and thus he will live less unique experiences (more standardized). Stanley Plog (1974 cited Plog 1991) developed a similar psychociological model designed to explain what type of people prefer what type of destination according to its psychographics characteristics. To the author, tourist population could be divided into a continuum of personalities distributed along the Gauss curve; from psychocentrics, individual travelers whom look for the unexplored, in one extreme to allocentrics, mass tourism tourists, in the other. After Cohen and Plog, researchers such us Dalen (1989), Smith (1989) or Urry (2002) for instances; they have attempted to create new categories of tourists based on their subject of research. It has to be pointed out that all the models proposed until now they are just descriptive and not relevant to the general tourism demand. They are just focused in one area of study and not in the bigger dimension where the tourist is immerse. In addition, they also fail in the same thing: they do not take into account the factors which determine the different types of tourists (Sharpley, 1999). These factors might be grouped into demographic and socioeconomic factors such us age, life cycle, gender and income; and structural social factors such as the existence of non tourists and capitalist tourism (Sharpley, 1999). Every person goes trough different stages in life, and depending on the age, familiar circumstances or income tourist will change from one typology to another. Moreover, in these classifications it is not always the tourist who can decide what tourist is going to be, but it is the society who is going to classify you (Swarbrooke and Horner, 2007).

Passivity: A Way of Life. :: Essays Papers

Passivity: A Way of Life. The life of the main character – Rukmani was filled with hardships. Happy times were a rarity, and everyday life was full of work from sunrise to sunset. Yet despite all the work, her family was in utter poverty. Nevertheless Rukmani was always optimistic, and accepted her life the way it was. Kenny, on the other hand, never understood why they accept their poverty and always tried to get them to rise up. It is Indian ideology and the belief in karma with reincarnation that led Rukmani and many other Indian people to a passive life. This passivity is seen throughout the book. However especially in the few instances after major disasters and crises this way of life stands out. At first, Rukmani couldn’t have children after her first daughter. Kenny cured her, and then she bore five sons. Afterwards, she met Kenny and proudly said â€Å"You are my benefactor†¦have I not five sons to prove it?†(p. 36) Kenny answered, â€Å"Am I to blame for your excesses?† This was a half- sarcastic remark. However, only half – sarcastic. Ok, you need sons to work in the field, two sons can manage if Nathan managed alone. You can barely provide for a few people, but the family consists of eight. Yet everything is just fine. Another instance is when the terrible storm hit the village and destroyed the rice paddy. When the storm finished, Rukmani just said that it will grow back and so did Nathan. At the time of the terrible drought the crop was destroyed, and even after cutting a deal of paying half the rent, selling clothes, and a few other things they didn’t have enough money to pay the half, Nathan wanted to sell the seed and a lot of other stuff. Rukmani pleaded with him â€Å"Let us only try,†¦ Let us keep our hope for the next harvest.†(p. 80) Again there is the optimism. Finally, she even confirms this passivity herself. When Kenny showed her the plans for the hospital, and the started to talk about the costs, Rukmani couldn’t understand why people gave so much money to help. Kenny said, â€Å"Because they have means, do no the sick die in the streets because there is no hospital for them? Are not your children born in gutters? Etc.† â€Å"You must cry out if you want help.

Robert Frosts After Apple-Picking Essay -- Robert Frost Apple Picki

Robert Frost's "After Apple-Picking" In the poem â€Å"After Apple-Picking†, Robert Frost has cleverly disguised many symbols and allusions to enhance the meaning of the poem. One must understand the parallel to understand the central theme of the poem. The apple mentioned in the poem could be connected to the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden. It essentially is the beginning of everything earthly and heavenly, therefore repelling death. To understand the complete meaning of Frost’s poem one needs to be aware that for something to be dead, it must have once had life. Life and death are common themes in poetry, but this poem focuses on what is in between, life’s missed experiences and the regret that the speaker is left with. Regret is defined as â€Å"a feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different† (www.dictionary.com). While there is no doubt that the speaker in this poem has had a very productive and worthwhile life, one gets the impression that there is still an empty feeling in his life, of which he can do nothing about. In lines 3-6, he reflectively states, â€Å"And there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill beside it, and there may be two or three apples I didn’t pick upon some bough†. Here, it is necessary to expand that idea the idea of the apples as a metaphor for life, and say that they also represent missed life experiences. As the speaker looks back on his life, he sees unfinished tasks, and thus he feels regret. It is important to note though, that he accepts the fact that he can do nothing about these unfinished tasks, and he is ready to move to a new and final stage in his life as he acknowledges that he â€Å"is don e with apple-picking now† (6). The reason for the reflection is evident when the speaker says, â€Å"I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight I got from looking through a pane of glass I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough and held against the world of hoary grass† (9-10). From this it seems as though the speaker has caught a glimpse of his reflection in the drinking trough and has noticed that the reflection was or gray with age. It appears as though the speaker does not merely see himself in the water’s reflection though; he also visualizes past visions and memories from his life. Further on in the poem, the speaker says, â€Å"There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch, Cherish in han... ... or perhaps even to the â€Å"cellar† (a metaphor for Hell). By the end of the poem, both the speaker and the reader have come to a general acceptance regarding the speaker’s looming death. It therefore comes as a bit of a shock when the speaker says, â€Å"Were he not gone, the woodchuck could say whether it’s like his long sleep, as I describe its coming on, or just some human sleep†. The metaphorical meaning of sleep in this poem has been previously established, however, a new definition surfaces as a result of this statement. Frost has just written of two different types of sleep—is it possible that he is talking about two different states of death? In searching for the significance of this statement, it is necessary to return to the apple and its representation of both life and death. The reader, as well as the speaker, is not sure if he is really dying or whether he has simply ceased feeling and experiencing life, thus causing the feelings of regret. It is interesting, though purely speculative, to note that i n the year that Frost wrote this poem, he would be turning forty years old. One must wonder whether Frost was looking back on his own life thus far with some sort of regret. Robert Frost's "After Apple-Picking" Essay -- Robert Frost Apple Picki Robert Frost's "After Apple-Picking" In the poem â€Å"After Apple-Picking†, Robert Frost has cleverly disguised many symbols and allusions to enhance the meaning of the poem. One must understand the parallel to understand the central theme of the poem. The apple mentioned in the poem could be connected to the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden. It essentially is the beginning of everything earthly and heavenly, therefore repelling death. To understand the complete meaning of Frost’s poem one needs to be aware that for something to be dead, it must have once had life. Life and death are common themes in poetry, but this poem focuses on what is in between, life’s missed experiences and the regret that the speaker is left with. Regret is defined as â€Å"a feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different† (www.dictionary.com). While there is no doubt that the speaker in this poem has had a very productive and worthwhile life, one gets the impression that there is still an empty feeling in his life, of which he can do nothing about. In lines 3-6, he reflectively states, â€Å"And there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill beside it, and there may be two or three apples I didn’t pick upon some bough†. Here, it is necessary to expand that idea the idea of the apples as a metaphor for life, and say that they also represent missed life experiences. As the speaker looks back on his life, he sees unfinished tasks, and thus he feels regret. It is important to note though, that he accepts the fact that he can do nothing about these unfinished tasks, and he is ready to move to a new and final stage in his life as he acknowledges that he â€Å"is don e with apple-picking now† (6). The reason for the reflection is evident when the speaker says, â€Å"I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight I got from looking through a pane of glass I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough and held against the world of hoary grass† (9-10). From this it seems as though the speaker has caught a glimpse of his reflection in the drinking trough and has noticed that the reflection was or gray with age. It appears as though the speaker does not merely see himself in the water’s reflection though; he also visualizes past visions and memories from his life. Further on in the poem, the speaker says, â€Å"There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch, Cherish in han... ... or perhaps even to the â€Å"cellar† (a metaphor for Hell). By the end of the poem, both the speaker and the reader have come to a general acceptance regarding the speaker’s looming death. It therefore comes as a bit of a shock when the speaker says, â€Å"Were he not gone, the woodchuck could say whether it’s like his long sleep, as I describe its coming on, or just some human sleep†. The metaphorical meaning of sleep in this poem has been previously established, however, a new definition surfaces as a result of this statement. Frost has just written of two different types of sleep—is it possible that he is talking about two different states of death? In searching for the significance of this statement, it is necessary to return to the apple and its representation of both life and death. The reader, as well as the speaker, is not sure if he is really dying or whether he has simply ceased feeling and experiencing life, thus causing the feelings of regret. It is interesting, though purely speculative, to note that i n the year that Frost wrote this poem, he would be turning forty years old. One must wonder whether Frost was looking back on his own life thus far with some sort of regret.

African American Essay Essay

My name is Michelle Williams-Agwagu and my ethnicity group is African American. African Americans came here by forced immigration. They were not invited here to America, and they certainly did not come here by choice. They were forced and taken on ships that brought them to America just to become slaves to the white people. Upon arrival to America, African Americans were treated poorly. Many of them were torn apart from their family members and some were infants that had no knowledge of whom they were as they became older. The group faced many challenges such as prejudice, segregation, and racism. A set of codes were implemented that all African Americans had to adhere to, or they would be punished by either getting beat by their master or possibly killed. African Americans were not allowed to have any education; therefore, no one was allowed to learn to read or write. The slave owners made sure of that and if any slave did learn to read or write, he or she would be punished by their owner. They were separated from the other people because of the color of their skin and was not allowed to eat, play, drink or have any interaction with the masters or the master’s family members unless it was to do household chores as their servant. They did not have many opinions when it came to making decisions. Unfortunately, African Americans were affected by dual labor market and red lining. In the early stages of African American emancipation, not many of them had education or access to quality higher education. Even if they had this education, they were forced into the lower labor market and regardless of the quality of their education they would start in much lower positions than that of their white counterparts. African Americans were affected by this because they were not given any meaningful jobs with any type of significant pay structure and benefits. The jobs were more short-term than long-term. Red lining is a reality in African American communities across the United States. Red lining is a practice which discriminates against Blacks of all economic sectors when they apply for home and business loans and consumer credit. Blacks, more than any other racial or ethnic group (with the possible exception of Native Americans), receive less credit. Through all the bad treatment that African Americans received from â€Å"white† Americans, they (AA) still participated in reverse discrimination. Reverse discrimination is still a problem here in the United States because it is racism; and racism is racism, no matter how we try to spin it. â€Å"Society classes an African American discriminating against a Caucasian as â€Å"reverse† discrimination because for most of American history, it was the African Americans who were persecuted for something that they could not control – their ethnicity. † (Libra, n. d. ) African Americans have also been affected by the glass ceilings form of discrimination, and that is still an ongoing problem also. â€Å"The â€Å"glass ceiling† refers to the barriers that often confront Ethnic Americans and women in trying to reach the upper ladders of corporate America. African Americans do not earn the same pay for comparable positions† (The Glass Ceiling for African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans, 2008. ) as that of their white counterparts in the same job. Environmental justice issues have plagued African Americans in the past and continue to do so today. In the past century, factories emitting toxic fumes and hazardous waste were positioned near large African American sections of major cities as well as small towns inhabited by mostly African Americans. Today, in areas of Louisiana along the Mississippi River known as â€Å"Cancer Alley†, petroleum and chemical manufacturing plans spew fumes and release carcinogenic chemicals near the water supplies of African Americans. There has long been controversy over this modern issue however no other ethnic or racial group has the desire to have these companies relocate factories near their living areas. African Americans have participated in affirmative action since the very beginning, in fact, affirmative action was implemented in the United States largely for the benefit of this group. Affirmative action makes a valiant attempt to make up for past and current discrimination against a certain group and makes jobs and opportunities that members of this group would not have access to ordinarily. Some African Americans agree with Affirmative Action, while some others disagree with it because they perceive it to be a handout and not being able to get jobs or opportunities on one’s own merit. We, as African Americans have and still face many forms of discrimination. Will it ever end, I do not think so. There have been attempts to close the gap and bring us into that circle of equality but I do not see that ever happening in its entirety, all though we know that all men are â€Å"supposedly† created equal. I culturally identify more with African Americans because it is who I am. However, it is evident that racism with any prefix is a problem in America † it is a problem in the entire world, and I hope people will start accepting people as people rather than accepting that they must hate people because of the color of their skin. Reference Page Libra, Themis. (n. d. ). Is reverse discrimination a problem in the United States?. Helium The Glass Ceiling for African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans (2008). Ethnic Majority.