Organisational behaviour for Woolworths

Organisational behaviour for WoolworthsIntroductionWoolworthsWoolworths was a high-street retail chain, which at its height operated more than 800 stores nationwide, and employed more than 30,000 faculty. In deep 2008, Woolworths entered administration, and subsequently closed in 2009.Each stage employed a mixture of full sequence and business office time employees, and at that place was a intelligible hierarchy app arent.At the top of the hierarchy was the head of branch responsible for the over totally implementation of the store. Then there were senior make dors usually two depict each day, they were responsible for the heed of the general day to day operations of the branch. This included stock control, round rotas, and the cashing of money at the end of the day. Full -time employees were next, and they tended to be middle aged, who worked week days. They were regularly delegated tasks by the management. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the part -time employees. T hey were often students, who worked during the evenings when the store was closed and at the weekends when the shop was busier. They were given gnomish responsibility, as the majority of them were apathetic to the performance of the judicature. They were mainly there for financial reasons, rather than to pursue a career in retail. As the majority were students, the staff flexover was very high and this resulted in the management giving these employees few opportunities. This hierarchy was on the whole effective, as part time employees were happy to win orders from full time employees and senior managing directors.Management at Woolworths were somewhat removed from their staff. Beca commit of the informal hierarchical system in place, head of branch had little intercourse with part time employees. This meant that the management didnt know many of their staff on a personal level, which in turn resulted in a poor cover of motivational methods.This subject area leave look at th e effects that management has on employee motivation at a extra branch of Woolworths. It pull up stakes value the different techniques engagementd by the organisation as a whole, and by the branch managers, to incite the employees. This report will also practice a enactment of recommendations for counsellings in which management cannister motivate these employees more effectively in Woolworths future enterprises.HR/Organisational Behaviour MotivationIn times of recession, the necessitate to motivate staff is probably as strong as ever. As many employers wont confound a large bud protrude for recruiting and training staff, they will want to hang on to their most talented and skilled workers to ensure their business survives the recession and remains competitive in the upturn (Sullivan, 2009).Employees in any organisation need something to keep them working to the best of their ability. In most cases employees are driven by money. However, sometimes just a salary is non a dequate to stay at an organisation. An employee must be motivated to work for a company or organization. If an organisation fails to motivate its staff effectively, then productivity and lineament of work will deteriorate. Keeping someone working to the best of their ability is the ultimate goal of employee motivation. There are many methods to help keep employees motivated, this report will look at a number of theories involving the effect that management has on employee motivation, and will aim to apply these to a branch of Woolworths.Motivating staff is one of the most important responsibilities for a leader in an organisation however it is also one of the most difficult. Doing so goes a long way toward ensuring a professionally healthy and productive work environment (Staren, 2009).Because there were a large number of part-time student employees working at the branch of Woolworths, managements biggest challenge was to keep these particular staff motivated. It is common for youn ger employees to see this kind of romp as only if a means to make money. As they baffle few financial responsibilities, they are less likely to feel the need to impress management and work to the best of their ability to keep their contrast. It is of the stamp that a low quality of service was a key factor in the ultimate failure of Woolworths. Because many staff were not motivated by their work, there was a knock-on effect on the quality of work carried out. This resulted in a poor customer feedback and most importantly a poor reputation.The tension was therefore on the management to try and change this impression.The following is a literature review of motivational theory. It will begin by looking at the factors of an employees job that most motivate them, followed by an in depth analysis of the effect of management on motivation.Literature ReviewWhat motivates an employee?In the early part of the 20th Century, employees were considered just another(prenominal) input in the turnout of goods and services. When Henry Ford first developed his assembly line for the Model-T, workers were treated as though they were another machine in the process, their skills reduced to a single task out of the 84 steps Ford had divided Model T production into.However this view of thinking changed after the publication of the Hawthorne Studies. Professor Elton Mayo examined the impact of work conditions in employee productivity, and following experiments conducted over six years, came to the conclusion that employees are motivated not only by money, and that employee behaviour is related to other behaviour.Studies in this area showed that interesting work has been the most important motivational factor. It is maintain by Hackman (1975) that interesting and challenging work inspires people to perform better than required, exerting additional effort in order to experience a sense of fulfilling their capableness and accomplishing worth enchantment ends. Creating interestin g work might be a challenge for organisations however. According to Kovach (1989), its hard to make all work in an organisation interesting, as its on a personal level, and what whitethorn be interesting to one person may not be interesting to another.Situation plays an important procedure and motivation varies over time and situation as well. Kovachs study shows that younger workers with low incomes in non-supervisory positions were most concerned with money, job security and prospects of promotion while older workers with higher incomes and higher organisational positions were motivated more by the work and its quality.There have been many surveys conducted on the factors for employee motivation. The first of which was by the Labour dealing Institute of New York in 1946, on industrial employees. Appreciation of work done was most important motivating factor in the first survey, as well as in 1997. But in the last decade, good wages became the most common factor. Demographics, s uch as income and location, should be considered when analysing these attitudes, according to Wiley (1977). adept of the key factors of a motivated workforce is the lead they are given. Good management of staff can ensure an organisations employees work to the best of their ability.The role of leadership when motivating staffMcGregor (1960) maintained that there are two fundamental approaches to managing people. Many managers tend towards theory X, and generally get poor results. Enlightened managers use theory y, which produces better performance and results, and allows people to grow and develop.With theory X, a manager has little respect for their employees skills and considers that they need to be closely supervised and that encompassing systems of controls developed. A hierarchical structure is needed with narrow span of control at each and every level. They assume that the average person dislikes work and will avoid it they can, therefore employees must be forced towards org anisational objectives, with the threat of punishment. They also assume that employees prefer to be directed, to avoid responsibility and wants security above all else. Beliefs of this theory lead to mistrust, highly restrictive supervision, and a punitive atmosphere.With theory Y, management believes employees to be ambitious, self-motivated and exercise self-control. It is believed that employees enjoy their mental and physical work duties. theory Y managers believe that employees will learn to seek out and accept responsibility and to exercise self-control and self-direction in accomplishing objectives to which they are committed.An additional theory, hypothesis Z, was developed by William Ouchi, in his book 1981 Theory Z How American management can Meet the Japanese Challenge. It promotes a combination of theory Y and modern Japanese management, which places a large amount of freedom and trust with workers, and assumes that workers have a strong loyalty and interest in team-wo rking and the organisation.McGregors work can be related to McClellands achievement model. Due to their high task focus, achievement-motivated people have a tendency towards X-Theory style however an nAch manager can be trained to see the value of employing Theory Y style. NPow managers are almost definitely Theory X and nAffil are typically Theory Y and if not can relatively easily be trained to be so.McGregors work was based on Maslows hierarchy of need. This theory is one of the most widely discussed theories of motivation. The veritable Hierarchy of Needs model was developed between 1943 and 1954, and first widely published in Motivation and Personality in 1954. It concerned the responsibility of employers to stick out a workplace environment that encourages and enables employees to fulfil their own unique potential (self-actualization). He proposed that each of us is motivated by demand, and that these most basic needs are inborn. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs states that we m ust pay each need in turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself. Only when the humble order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development. Conversely, if the things that satisfy our lower order needs are swept away, we are no longer concerned about the maintenance of our higher order needs.McGregor suggested that management could use either set of needs to motivate employees. As management theorists became familiar with Maslows work, they soon realized the possibility of connecting higher level needs to worker motivation. If organisational goals and individual needs could be integrated so that people would acquire self-esteem and, ultimately, self-actualization through work, then motivation would be self-sustaining. Today, his Theory Y pattern influences the design of personnel policies, affects the way companies conduct performance reviews , and shapes the idea of pay for performance. David McClelland proposed that an individuals specific needs are developed over time and are forge by ones life experiences. The majority of these needs can be classed as either achievement (nAch seek to excel), affiliation (nAff need harmonious relationships with other people and need to feel accepted by others), or power (nPow seek to benefit either themselves or the organisation). An employees motivation and effectiveness in certain job functions are influenced by these needs. Management should seek to understand their employees needs in order to achieve maximum motivation.The importance of each of these needs will diverge from one person to another. If management can determine the importance of each of these needs to an individual, it will help them decide how to influence that individual.By utilise these theories to manoeuver an individual employees needs, management could increase motivation by utilising Management by object ives (MBO). MBO is a systematic and organized approach that allows management to focus on possible goals and to attain the best possible results from available resources. It was first outlined by Peter Drucker in 1954 in his book The Practice of Management. It aims to increase organizational performance by aligning goals and subordinate objectives throughout the organization. Ideally, employees get strong input to identify their objectives, time lines for completion, etc. MBO includes ongoing tracking and feedback in the process to go objectives.With MBO, managers focus on the result, not the activity. They delegate tasks by negotiating a contract of goals with their subordinates without dictating a detailed roadmap for implementation. Management by Objectives (MBO) is about setting objectives and then gap these down into more specific goals or key results.Application of OB theory to its organisational practiceThis review of management practise has a number of implications for Wo olworths management. Recognising the needs of individuals within the workforce can help management develop their methods and will enable them to get the best out of each individual employee. By using Maslows Hierarchy of needs, management might be able to profile their full time and part time employees effectively.By applying McClellands principle at the beginning of an employees career, management can get a deeper reasonableness of the profile of their employees. In the past, it could be assumed that all part-time staff have the same desires and needs from their job. It is uncontaminating to assume that they are all there for financial reasons only. However by applying this theory, it might be found that there are employees who wish to pursue the job and turn it into a career. They would fit into the nAch group of McClellands theory. Recognising this will give the management the opportunity to develop this employee and to hand them more responsibility in their work. This will mot ivate the employees which in turn will benefit the organisation.The majority of the part time workforce would fit into the nAff character, as they seek to have harmonious experiences and would seek to make their job as straightforward as possible by forming friendly relationships. It is the managements responsibility to ensure that the working environment is suitable for these employees, as they make up the majority.It is vital that the management recognises McGregors X and Y theory. At the branch of Woolworths in question, there were a number of managers who would fit the theory X character. In this particular field, where one of the key roles of management is communicating with their staff, this had a very negative effect. Although it would be fair for a manager to assume that many of their part time staff are apathetic to the organisations success, this is not the case. By not offering them any responsibility would not be a pragmatic decision, as it would simply deter staff furth er from reaching their potential ability at work.A theory Y character on the other hand may not be suitable for this type of work force as well. As accepted in this report, the majority of the part time workforce is there simply for financial reasons. Giving them too much responsibility may result in a lack of effectiveness, as they feel they can get away with doing a lacklustre job without being held responsible.Instead a mixture of theories X and Y might be the most suitable to manage a retail workforce, where the management might delegate responsibility to employees and give them some independence at work, whilst still keeping a close shopping center on their progress.The MBO style is appropriate for knowledge-based enterprises when your workforce are competent. It is appropriate in situations where you wish to build employees management and self-leadership skills and tap their creativity, tacit knowledge and initiative. Therefore it may not be suitable for the majority of emplo yees at Woolworths. However the head of branch should have used this style to set regular objectives for their senior managers. This would have a positive effect on all employees in the hierarchy, as the senior managers will become more motivated and will in turn motivate the staff more effectively.Conclusion Lessons for managementSuccessful work environments are characterized by open communication at all levels. The effective manager realizes that identifying positive motivators requires knowing his staff on an individual basis. He recognizes that what motivates one member, even in the same role, may not be the same for another (Staren, 2009). Woolworths management should have considered indentifying each of their employees needs and motivating factors early on in their role and ensured that they treated their workforce as individuals.Woolworths management should take avail of incentive based motivational methods in which performance is guided by objectives. By meeting regularly with staff to determine mutually agreed upon goals and objectives, this could have considerable motivational effects on its workforce.The managers should have ensured that the staff members had appropriate authority or are otherwise empowered to proceed as they compute necessary to accomplish their jobs. Giving staff more responsibility will only have a positive effect on their motivation. The key is understanding the type of responsibility they desire.

The Problem of Teen Alcoholism in the United States Essay -- essays re

General ViewIts very interesting that I find myself musical composition about something that not save is commonsense, save what is more, something that every one comes about in general but may not in particular. Alcohol substance abuse among teenagers is a serious problem and is responsible for death and injury in automobile accidents, physical and emotional disability, deterioration of academic performances, aggressive behavior that causes a number of other sociological problems in families and among friends. It is also the primary cause of criminal behavior and a leading cause of broken marriages. As we know its a broad topic therefore Ill look at the role that inebriant plays in the society and its impact on teenage addiction.MATTER OF bushel (Causes and effects)The age when young people are taking their first drink is becoming lower each year. Many studies show that preteens are experimenting with alcohol and some are already heavy drinkers (Cahalan 1997). It may be diffi cult for parents and teachers to believe that a seventh grade student can have an alcohol problem, but a study of student inebriety practices shows that 5% of seventh-grade boys and 4.4% of seventh-grade girls are seriously abusing alcohol (Royce 1996). Thats why we see the consequences in terms of antisocial behavior, school failure, care deficit, learning disabilities and road accidents among the teenagers.THE MAIN CAUSE ..MEDIA.Despite the problems caused to young and old by alcohol, society sends mixed signals to its youth. Media presents alcohol drinking with peers as not only acceptable but also to insure friendship and as a romantic beverage. Movies present a realistic picture of alcohol abuse. A repute by "scientific analysis corporation" examined drinking practices on television and found that out of 225 programs 701 alcoholic drinking acts were recorded which were against the voluntary code (Jean Lennane,1995) of the hard liquor industry.The code states thata) A ny actor shown drinking must be over the age sixty.a) Any drinking shown should be natural, sensible and responsible.a) Ads should not suggest that drinking alcohol contributes toward social, sexual or supporting success or as being a pre-requisite of relaxation.a) Ads should not challenge or dare people to eradicate alcohol.We can see the ads any night and judge rather how many dont... ...ries in traffic accidents, loss of productivity, child abuse, broken homes and other serious social problems linked to alcohol.REMEDYIn my suggestion, an intensive education program supported by the community with qualified persons and also supported by the government in terms of financial support can positively change the attitudes and cause significant change in knowledge about alcohol. Schools can play an essential role to initiate education and preventive efforts because they reach more students than any other place. It also involves complete commitment with extensive planning.************ *********************************************************REFERENCES Grant 1996,adolescent drug abuse, vol 76, pgg 84,85. Cahalan 1997, pocket-size use and abuse of alcohol, pg 87 Royce 1996, alcohol,the national hangover, pg 44 Jean Lennane 1995, alcohol, pg 56 Alcohol, the facts, 1997, Australian government publishing service,pg148 Key Healey, 1997,Alcohol, The facts, pg 176ADDITIONAL READINGS Gall T.L., 1996 , Statistics on alcohol use,gale research inc. Alcoholism, 1998,vol 64, Neil kessel and Henry Walton.

Epic of Beowulf Essay - Prosody of Beowulf -- Epic Beowulf essays

Prosody of Beowulf The prosody of Beowulf is the art of Old English versification, made to be chanted orally, not read silently. Therefore it uses initial rhyme and accent to achieve the poetical effect which Modern English poetry achieves through the use of poetic feet, each having the same number of syllables and the same pattern of accent (Wilkie 1271). Theory on the prosody of Beowulf is evolving. In the manuscript version of the poem, alliteration is employed in almost every line (or two half-lines) in most modern translations of the poem this is not so. In lines 4 and 5 of the poem we find oftentimes Scyld Scefing sceapena preatum monegum maegpum meodo-setla ofteah The repetition of the s sound in line 4 and of the m sound in line 5 illustrate alliteration, and this occurs throughout the poem, providing to the listener an esthetic sense of rightness or pleasure. In 1958 two language scholars, Lehmann nd Tabusa, produced an alphabetized list of every alliterated word i n the poem. One translator, Kevin Crossley-Holland, in his version of the poem in Literature of the Western World, actually includes considerable alliteration (Wilkie 1271). The Old English poet would tie the two half-lines together by their stressed alliteration (Chickering 4). The prototypical half-line is called the on-verse, which is followed by the off-verse. Each line of poetry ideally contains four principal stresses, two on each side of a strong medial caesura, or pause, and a variable number of less-heavily stressed or unstressed ones. At least one of the two stressed words in the first half-line, and usually both of them, begin with the same sound as t... ...ed by Joseph F. Tuso. New York, W.W.Norton and Co. 1975. Kiernan, Kevin S.. The Legacy of Wiglaf, In The Beowulf Reader, edited by Peter S. Baker. New York decorate Publishing, 2000. Magoun, Frances P. Oral-Formulaic Character of Anglo-Saxon Narrative Poetry. In TheBeowulf Poet, edited by Donald K. Fry. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Stockwell, Robert. P. and Donka Minkova. Prosody In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, nor-east Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997. Tharaud, Barry. Anglo-Saxon Language and Traditions in Beowulf. In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego Greenhaven Press,1998. Wilkie, Brian. Beowulf. Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.

lord of the flies :: essays research papers

The leading characters in this book are Ralph, Jack and Piggy. The other boys are mentioned often only most of it is about those three boys. Ralph and Jack are both "leaders". Thats beca expend they are so "loud", everyone listen to them. Piggy is really different from Ralph and Jack, he is kind, he does what others want him to do, he seems to be quite shy too, but he is also very clever, he has good ideas but it is hard for him to be heard. The environment where everything happens, is on an island that looks very nice, its a paradise palm trees, white sand, coco-nuts, clear ocean water, beautiful starry nights with the sound of the ocean crashing on the beach. "The shore was fledged with palm trees. These stood or leaned or reclined against the light and their green feathers were a hundred feet up in the air. The ground beneath them was a argot covered with coarse grass, torn everywhere by the upheavals of fallen trees, scattered with decaying coco-nuts and pa lm saplings. Behind this was the darkness of forest proper and the open space of the scar. headmaster of the Flies is about a group of English schoolboys who are from 6 to 12 years old. They have been set on a fate island somewhere in the south Pacific after a crash. This could have been a dream situation for the boys no teachers, no parents and no rules that tell them what to do or not do, but the dream situation develops in to a hard society where rules are set up and everyone has its own task.. They started to hunt and live a life like if they never would be rescued. After a while this big group became divided into two smaller groups with Jack and Ralph as leaders. This "contention" developed a bloody fight on life and death.long environmental descriptions make the book very interesting, depicting the scenery so clear. If you use your imagination it can feel like youre there. I like Lord of the Flies because it was exciting and it submited how we humans can be, I think s hows mountain how bad we actually are in a hard situation, but thats also what I think William Golding wanted to say with this book, he did also show the difference between two different kind of leaders.

Beauty of God and the Holy Cross Essay -- essays research papers

Suppose that you were standing by a beach at sunset and you become deeply go and declaim the words, This is picturesque, this is glorious. You are last-ditchly pleased by a feeling that we as a culture refer to this response as, beauty. A feeling that possesses an enormous magnate to touch us deeply while holding a tremendous potency to grip and transform us. For beauty stirs and satisfies our deepest yenings as well as attracting us, fire our adoration, and inviting us to adorn ourselves with its luster. Indeed, our society natur tout ensembley celebrates beauty automatically through experiences that raise affections for that which we find attractive. But what is it that poses us to allow us to obtain such(prenominal) a feeling? The reason for this, I think, is that there is in every someone a beau ideal given sense that beauty moldiness comport meaning that is larger and more enduring than short felt satisfaction. That this urge for ultimate meaning is evidence of Gods creation of beauty. Therefore, if God has created all things and has given everything its form and its purpose, then I define beauty as a relation to God. For to screw God is know beauty, to know beauty is to know God. Just as God is the source of all truth and goodness, God is in addition the source of all beauty. God is the Supreme Artist the Creator of all. Thus, everything that is beautiful reflects Gods artistry. The Church Father, Hilary of Poitiers, wrote Surely the author of all created beauty must himself be the beauty in all beauty. -2-Born and raised a strong Catholic, I feel Gods presence in my frequent life and I am blessed to be encompassed with this company. His power in my life allows me to unquestionably declare him as the sole individual who most ... ...s past has opened the path to eternal life for all who believe in him. In every human sole there is a place where we languish for beautys power and presence. We need beauty. We need to be overwhelmed b y it and drawn into its inexplicability that arouses our desire and captivates our affections. For I believe that we all want to be moved by some rare glimpse of greatness. We long for a visual sense of nirvana, something that endures our soul and bring peace to our hearts. I am persuaded that the reason it is there is because God is the ultimately beautiful one and he made us to long for himself. And we can know that our desires are remnants of this urge for God because everything less than God leaves us unsatisfied. Only one vision will be sufficient for our greedy hearts, the glory of God. For that we have been made, and it is for this we long, whether we know it or not. Beauty of God and the Holy Cross Essay -- essays research papersSuppose that you were standing by a beach at sunset and you become deeply moved and utter the words, This is beautiful, this is glorious. You are ultimately pleased by a feeling that we as a culture refer to this response as, beauty . A feeling that possesses an enormous power to touch us deeply while holding a tremendous potential to grip and transform us. For beauty stirs and satisfies our deepest longings as well as attracting us, provoking our adoration, and inviting us to adorn ourselves with its luster. Indeed, our society naturally celebrates beauty automatically through experiences that arouse affections for that which we find attractive. But what is it that poses us to allow us to obtain such a feeling? The reason for this, I think, is that there is in every person a God given sense that beauty must have meaning that is larger and more enduring than short felt satisfaction. That this urge for ultimate meaning is evidence of Gods creation of beauty. Therefore, if God has created all things and has given everything its form and its purpose, then I define beauty as a relation to God. For to know God is know beauty, to know beauty is to know God. Just as God is the source of all truth and goodness, God is also the source of all beauty. God is the Supreme Artist the Creator of all. Thus, everything that is beautiful reflects Gods artistry. The Church Father, Hilary of Poitiers, wrote Surely the author of all created beauty must himself be the beauty in all beauty. -2-Born and raised a strong Catholic, I feel Gods presence in my everyday life and I am blessed to be encompassed with this company. His power in my life allows me to unquestionably declare him as the sole individual who most ... ...s ago has opened the path to eternal life for all who believe in him. In every human sole there is a place where we yearn for beautys power and presence. We need beauty. We need to be overwhelmed by it and drawn into its inexplicability that arouses our desire and captivates our affections. For I believe that we all want to be moved by some rare glimpse of greatness. We long for a vision of nirvana, something that endures our soul and bring peace to our hearts. I am persuaded that the re ason it is there is because God is the ultimately beautiful one and he made us to long for himself. And we can know that our desires are remnants of this urge for God because everything less than God leaves us unsatisfied. Only one vision will be sufficient for our avid hearts, the glory of God. For that we have been made, and it is for this we long, whether we know it or not.

Treasure Island :: Treasure Island Essays

Treasure Island Treasure Island is an epic adventure a tale of pirates, treasure, and exploration of an unknown and mysterious island. Through let on the course of the book, piecey lessons are learned that give the reader advice so he/she can better survive in the real world. The literal Treasure Island itself represents the world in which we live, a world with many hazards and scattered rewards to be found. The books most important lesson to be learned though, is that a solid command of the language and knowing when to use it can make life much easier for a person. Although this story takes place centuries ahead our time now, this useful lesson found in it can still be applied to our lives today. This story is so realistic in its context of the time and its superb character dialogues, that it is very easy for the reader to be transported right in the middle of that age, and right in the company of sea-faring pirates. The authors vivid comments of Jim, the main c haracter and narrator, the many Pirates and other characters he comes across during his adventures are painstakingly detailed. You can see young Jims eager and excited face when he finds out he is going on a treasure hunt. You can also easily picture the rips and bloodstained rags of the pirates, and smell the foul alcohol on their breaths. The description of the island itself is extremely detailed also, and it seems like the author was looking straight off a geographical map when he wrote the in-depth account of it. However deep these descriptions of background signal and character pull you into the plot, the dialogue the author places in the story is what makes the story more impressive and impossible to escape. It is so captivating and original to us because we scantily ever hear it, and the phrases are very creative. An example is this quote from Long John Silver But for two year before that, shiver my timbers the man was starving. He begged, and he stole, and h e cut throats, and starved at that, by the powers The colorful language of the book even had me repeating phrases such as this single long after I had finished reading it.

The Brown Sisters Lecture Essay -- Brown versus Board of Education

The Brown Sisters Upon hearing the narrative assignment, I found myself stunned that I would actually pick out to attend a lecture outside of my family linees. When scan the list of possible events, the Brown Sisters lecture stood out in my mind. I had just completed an essay solely devoted to the finish and its strike on society so I thought it would be interesting to hear a first hand account of the tumultuous times these endure women faced. The lecture turned out to be more interesting than I originally imagined though I left with a slight sense of dissatisfaction.As I slowly trudged up the steps of Foellinger Auditorium, I saw my pledge mom and walked up to her prolonging the time before I had to enter the room. She immediately asked, What category are you here for? African Americans were forced to deal with social inequalities for centuries by their white counterparts and struggled to break free of the chains of racism. The Brown decision took a massive step towards fixing the discrepancies between races and should be celebrated by every citizen of our country. If the Brown family appeared at a university, every one should flock to see battalion that made the advancement of African Americans possible. But in reality, student converse about that mean teacher that makes his students attend outside lectures and how their time could be go spent. The composition of the audience came as no surprise to me. Students sat with dread as they pulled out notebooks in order to fulfill a required class assignment. Teachers and administration scattered the audience and a predominantly African American high school class filed in also wearing faces of discontent as a result of a required field trip. Two mi... ...band never got to see the success of Brown due to his death shortly after the decision but I think that Oliver Brown, to this day, would not be satisfied. To my disappointment, they did not deal with issues surrounding the current integration status and spent little time talking about what changed after the decision.Growing up, I lived a sheltered life and issues of integration did not concern me. As I further investigate the wash of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, I become decreasingly nave about our current integration situation. When thinking about the area I live in, I notice that integration is nonexistent. Our society has come a long way in the past fifty years since the decision but we still have a long road ahead of us. The Brown decision signifies the beginning of the fight against segregation not the end of it, as many people believe.