The Grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor :: Papers

The Grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor The grandmother is the central character in the story "A good man is hard to find," by Flannery O'Connor. The grandmother is a manipulative, deceitful, and self-serving woman who lives in the past. She doesn't value her life as it is, but glorifies what it was like long ago when she saw life through rose-colored glasses. She is pre-scented by O'Connor as being a prim and proper lady dressed in a suit, hat, and white cotton gloves. This woman will do whatever it takes to get what she wants and she doesn't let anyone else's feelings stand in her way. She tries to justify her demands by convincing herself and her family that her way is not only the best way, but the only way. The grandmother is determined to change her family's vacation destination as she tries to manipulate her son into going to Tennessee instead of Florida. The grandmother says that "she couldn't answer to her conscience if she took the children in a direction where there was a convict on the loose." The children, the y tell her "stay at home if you don't want to go." The grandmother then decides that she will have to go along after all, but she is already working on her own agenda. The grandmother is very deceitful, and she manages to sneak the cat in the car with her. She decides that she would like to visit an old plantation and begins her pursuit of convincing Bailey to agree to it. She describes the old house for the children adding mysterious details to pique their curiosity. "There was a secret panel in this house," she states cunningly knowing it is a lie. The grandmother always stretches the truth as much as possible. She not only lies to her family, but to herself as well. The grandmother doesn't live in the present, but in the past. She dresses in a suit to go on vacation. She states, "in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady." She constantly tries to tell everyone what they should or should not do. She informs the children th at they do not have good manners and that "children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else." when she was a child.

Orgnization Behavior

RSM 260 Practice Final Exam Multiple Choice (30 points, 3 points each) 1. What is the first step in the Rational Decision-Making Model? a. developing alternatives b. identifying the problem c. identifying the decision criteria d. weighing the decision criteria e. collecting relevant data 2. Which of the following is not true of charismatic leaders? a. They have a vision and the ability to articulate the vision. b. They have behavior that is unconventional. c. They are willing to take high personal risk. d. They exhibit behaviors that are consistent with their followers’ behaviors. . all of the above are true 3. What sort of groups are defined by the organization’s structure? a. informal b. task c. friendship d. interest e. formal 4. Most people assume that a police officer should behave in a lawful manner, and not show any favoritism to any particular group, and do their best to uphold the law. What term is used for this kind of belief? a. a norm b. a norm identity c. a role expectation d. a role perception e. a norm violation 5. What term is used for the tendency for individuals to spend less effort when working collectively? a. groupthink . the rule of diminishing returns c. social loafing d. groupshift e. clustering 6. Leaders achieve goals, and power is _____. a. defined by leaders’ hopes and aspirations b. usually used by poor leaders c. a means of achieving goals d. a goal in and of itself e. a strong influence on leaders’ goals 7. One reacts to _____ power out of fear of the negative ramifications that might result if one fails to comply. a. legitimate b. coercive c. punitive d. referent e. abusive 8. Which of the following is not an assumption of the rational decision-making model? . The decision maker is constrained by time and costs. b. The decision criteria are constant and the weights assigned to them are stable over time. c. The decision maker can identify all the relevant criteria and can list all the viable alternative s. d. The decision maker is aware of all the possible consequences of each alternative. e. The decision maker is assumed to have complete information regarding the decision situation. 9. The example of labor-management negotiations over wages exemplifies _____ bargaining. a. integrative . reflective c. distributive d. restrictive e. affective 10. Your _____ determines the lowest value acceptable to you for a negotiated agreement. a. BATNA b. margin of error c. bid price d. asking price e. hidden value 5 POINTS: Describe one concept/theory from your OB course that you find most useful/interesting. How does it apply to your work/life? Be sure to include examples and definitions. CASE-related questions Starbucks and the â€Å"Bean Stock† –courtesy of George & Jones, Organizational Behavior, third edition, 2000 Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, bought the company in 1987 and transformed a local Seattle, Washington chain of six coffee stores into a national, publicly owned company with over 25,000 employees and over 1,500 stores. Starbucks’ sales and profit growth have been phenomenal and the company has changed the way that Americans think about coffee. Starbucks’ stores range from coffee carts in crowded city streets to intimate coffee bars to full-sized restaurants that sell espressos and cappuccinos as well as coffee by the pound, coffee-making equipment, and food items. Starbucks was recently ranked in the top 75 global brands in a study conducted by the consulting firm, Interbrand. Throughout Starbucks’ rapid growth, Schultz has emphasized the importance of rewarding employees for contributions they make to Starbucks and ensuring that they have the necessary training to be effective. In 1991, when Starbucks was still a privately owned company, Schultz and other top managers came up with an innovative type of reward to encourage employees to behave in ways that would contribute to Starbucks’ growth and profitability. Starbucks made all employees partners by granting them stock options, which could be turned into stock when the company went public. If the company did well, employees themselves would benefit as their options would be worth more money. Called â€Å"Bean Stock,† the options cause employees to behave in ways to increase their profitability. Employees thought of new ways to lower costs and increase sales, ranging from staying overnight on Saturdays when traveling on business to lower the cost of airfares to finding better ways to communicate with customers. Starbucks went public in 1992 and employees have since been rewarded for their efforts. For example, an employee who earned $20,000 a year in 1991 received options that had a value of $50,000 in 1996. Starbucks continues to give its employees stock options through is Bean Stock plan. Under the plan, employees can cash in their options after keeping them for five years. Starbucks also provides extensive customer service training to employees to ensure that they are knowledgeable and confident on the job and feel capable of making decisions on their own to better serve customers. Store managers teach classes on topics such as coffee history and coffee brewing at home and employees must take a minimum of 24 hours of training. Employees learn how to take orders and prepare various coffees in a company training room rather than on the job (like in most restaurants) so that they can fully absorb what they are learning, without the stress of waiting on real customers, and receive extensive feedback. Customers then constantly receive the excellent service they have come to expect from Starbucks. Short-Answer Questions (5-8 sentences answer 15 POINTS EACH) Be sure to state which questions you are answering, and specifically define any theories/ concepts/traits that you use in your answer! 1. What type of leadership has Schultz demonstrated here? 2. What is the role of Schultz in motivating his employees? What motivation theory is he using? ESSAY QUESTIONS (35 POINTS TOTAL): 1. What are two ways to increase group performance that you have learned about in this half of the semester (after the midterm)? Be sure to describe oth the concepts/theories and give a specific example of each. (5 points) 2. Congratulations—you have just gotten a job offer! But, they have offered you less money than you wanted, and more benefits than you need. Describe your negotiation strategy, telling me about two tactics that you will use, and describe your sources of power in this situation. Also, be sure to mention one thing that could influence your ethical/unethical behavior in this situatio n, and how. (10 points) 3. You have accepted the job and you are now a manager at a product design company. Your boss just told you that need to develop a new consumer product by the end of the year. You’re unsure if you should assemble a group of people to do this, or assign it to an individual—you’ve heard about biases at the group level, as well as benefits about group level decision making. You also know about decision making biases that can happen in individuals, and the benefits of individuals making decisions. Discuss BOTH sides of the issue, detailing each of these things, so that you can then make an informed, rational decision—finally, which do you recommend to your boss? (20 points)

Magnitogorsk Time, Forward - 1022 Words

During the post World War I era, many European countries were rebuilding, and the Soviet Union saw this as a chance to catch up. The Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin’s rule, implemented the five-year plan as strategy for rapid industrialization (Hunt, 846). A great example of Stalin’s five-year plan was the construction of Magnitogorsk, a city based around a massive factory. This construction flawlessly captured Stalin’s goals for progression, efficiency, and conquering nature (back cover). The novel Time, Forward! took place in 1932 and described, in detail, the construction of Magnitogorsk. This novel hinted at the spirit of the times. In the novel, one of the engineers, Margulies, decided to push concrete pouring to its limits. His†¦show more content†¦Crew leaders would create ways to be more effective, so their crew would not be known as the least efficient crew. The leader of the bicycle crew, Ishchenko, and the leader of the tortoise crew, Khanu mov, came up with ways to increase efficiency later in the novel. Ishchenko’s idea of laying planks for faster cement transport, and Khanumov’s idea of automating the addition of water and cement to the mixer both increased the cement production (201, 269). Efficiency was an important factor to the spirit of the times because without it, The Soviet Union’s progress towards industrialization would be hindered. Lastly, the Soviet Union wanted to show its strength by conquering nature. In the novel, an American tourist said he believed nature conquers technique, but the Soviet, Nalbandov, said it would not always be like this. The novel used an airplane as an example, for it could not conquer the speed of sound. The Soviet believed that soon technique would overcome nature, and the plane would exceed the speed of sound (158). This showed the differing opinions on the spirit of the times. It depicted Americans as being more conservative and content with their positi on in the world, and depicted the Soviets as more progressive thinkers. The novel also portrayed that Soviets believed anything could be accomplished, and they would soon create ways to overcome nature’sShow MoreRelatedSoviet Union Demonstrated Stunning Industrial Growth1895 Words   |  8 Pagesproduction and technology. Lenin had fostered a dream of having the entirety of Russia lit up by electricity and modern means of communication in ten years. However, this was not just a dream of an advanced society: Lenin was sure that without this lurch forward to meet and contend with the competition of other countries, they would not last, and this was echoed by Stalin when he came into power; â€Å"We are fifty of a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this lag in ten years. EitherRead MoreStalins Five Year Plans Made Ussr Stronger. Agree or Disagree1212 Words   |  5 Pagesfive-year (1928-32) plan focused solely on advancing heavy industry through pr ojects like Magnitogorsk and advancing the production of coal, steel and timber. It would achieve this through the Gosplan (the State Planning Committee) who were set up in 1921 as a forecasting agency to work out things like output and input figures for industries and their targets. At this time propaganda was used to drive soviet citizens forward and peasants were recruited as workers, this was ineffective as peasants were uneducatedRead MoreRussia After The End Of World War I And The Russian Civil War1154 Words   |  5 Pageswhich increased a need for faster industrialization. Vladimir Lenin, created a plan called the New Economic Policy, which was a plan to help rebuild the Russian economy, focusing more agrigculturally rather than industrially, over a longer period of time. After Lenin died, Joseph Stalin rose to power and created a demand on faster industrialization. In 1928, Joseph Stalin created a plan that would change Russian industrialization for the better. This plan was called the Five Year Plan. The plan focusedRead MoreHow Did Lenin and Stalin Transform He Society and Economy of the Ussr?1405 Words   |  6 PagesReluctantly Lenin agreed to seek international aid and relieve the situation. The only success of the War Communism policy was that it helped Russia win the war by ensuring the soldiers were fed. ‘We will take one step backward in order to take two steps forward’, this is how Lenin justified his New Economic Policy. Growing social discontent culminating in the naval strike at Kronstadt proved to Lenin that if the Communist regime was to survive he would have to get the peasants on his side. He allowed someRead MoreCompare and contrast the economic policies of Lenin and Stalin and evaluate their success.1782 Words   |  8 Pagesstate kept control of the heavy industries. Lenin saw the NEP as a short-term fix which meant a step backwards in the development of communism but one which would restore the economy. Once this had happened, the country could take the two steps forwards to achieve a communist state. The success of the NEP was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the NEP had revived the economy, increased foreign trade and also electrified the country which was seen as a great success. On the other hand the NEPRead Moreâ€Å"Doubt Is the Key to Knowled ge† (Persian Proverb). to What Extent Is This True in Two Areas of Knowledge?1804 Words   |  8 Pagesknowledge† (Persian Proverb). To what extent is this true in two areas of knowledge? As a Persian proverb once said to have progress in knowledge it is necessary to doubt. In other words, when we begin to doubt what we believed was true, we move forward to better knowledge making a further step to Absolute Truth. To what extent is doubt involved into the process of gaining knowledge? What is the function of doubt? To what extent is doubt either an engine or a brake to the progress in different areasRead MoreNucor Competitive Strategy4178 Words   |  17 Pages The industry does well during economic expansion and suffers losses and even bankruptcies during economic downturn. 2.1.3. Sociocultural. The industry became a source of employment, symbolizes American economic power and pride during good times and symbolizes economic decline and source of shame when foreign companies took over market shares5. 2.1.4. Technological. Technology drives major changes in the production process to increase flexibility, efficiencies and allowed automation whichRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagescase can be made for viewing the decades of the global scramble for colonies after 1870 as a predictable culmination of the long nineteenth century, which was ushered in by the industrial and political revolutions of the late 1700s. But at the same time, without serious attention to the processes and misguided policies that led to decades of agrarian and industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political rivalries that generated and were in turn