Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay Example for Free

Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay As the CEO of the Cheesecake Factory Incorporated based in Philadelphia, I would like to touch base on our code of conduct which outlines many different key areas for employees and employers. However, I wanted to stress some particularly significant points to discuss and review, with all members of Cheesecake Factory Incorporated. First off, I would like to touch on part B of section 2 under YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES ‘Compliance with Laws’, particularly, our laws relating to sexual harassment, drug and alcohol abuse, diversity and nondiscrimination. Recently I was made aware of an incident involving an employee related to discrimination. Every employee of the Cheesecake Factory Incorporated, whether it be in our restaurants, Corporate Center, Bakery Production Facility and any other company facility, has the right to come to work every day and be treated fairly, and with respect. Our company will not tolerate any form of discrimination to any employee. An employee which is involved in the ‘harassment’ of another employee will be instantly terminated. To help abide by the rules, regulations, and laws of The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated, my suggestion to all employees is to re-read the most up to date Code of Conduct and Guidelines about our business and re-familiarize yourselves with the significant aspects that outline our day to day activities. Next I am touching base on part H of section 2 under YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES which is ‘Posting Messages Regarding the Company on Internet Message Boards or Chat Rooms. It has come to my attention that employees are currently posting their comments and concerns regarding the company on Facebook and Twitter either from the company’s resources, or on their own time. Quoting this section on social media, â€Å"†¦personal opinions regarding the Company, should be wary of the danger that such opinions may imply inappropriate access to and dissemination of confidential, sensitive or proprietary information. Opinions concerning the Company that are expressed should clearly ind icate that they do not reflect the opinion of the Company, its officers or management.† I understand social media is becoming a dominant force in advertising and expressing opinions, however you must be careful that your opinions do not help in destroying the company’s well known reputation. If you have a concern about the daily activities in your job, the best thing to do is approach management with your concerns and opinions in substitute of posting them on the internet. Our company values its employees and we  encourage everyone’s opinions and suggestions because we are always looking for ways to make this company better. We would like our employees to have a trusting and open communication with management and feel that they can approach management with any type of concern. On a brighter note, I would like to take this opportunity to mention some of our charities which our company has added. We are holding a charity dinner and fundraiser in the upcoming weeks. Tickets will be sold soon and all employees and family are welcome. This dinner’s proceedings will be donated to the Children’s Hospitals of Philadelphia. As you all are aware, our company hosts many charitable events and are involved in the community and we always do our part to be social ly responsible. Your donations will be much appreciated and you will learn more on this event as it becomes near. Also, in addition to our long list of charitable events, our activity committee is adding a special for senior citizens on a weekly basis where we will offer seniors a 20% discount on their lunch or dinner bill. Lastly, in accordance with our successful growth in revenue, we will donate on a quarterly basis, free lunch meals to our local hospital in the city of Philadelphia. Lastly this company could not be what it is, without its employees. You all are the foundation of this company and you all are great people. I would like to continue to have people in this company who have the desire to learn and grow. Have the trust in your management to support your opinions, treat your co-workers with respect and decency, and stay involved in the company activities and help our reputation become stronger and better. References (2002-2014). Charitble Events. Retrieved from http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/charityLanding/charityLanding (2002-2014) Code of Ethics and Code of Business Conduct Retrieved from http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/10/109258/Code_of_ethics.pdf http://investors.thecheesecakefactory.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=109258p=irol-govconduct

Johnny Tremain :: essays research papers

Imagine being back in the colony of Massachusetts before the Revolutionary war. As you walk down the streets of Boston, you meet a young man named Johnny Tremain. After listening to his story, you think of the different ways you could describe him. You could describe him by his looks, by his personality, and by the talents he portrays. His character is so interesting that it's hard to describe his skilled talents, his complex personality, and his adored physical features. As you remember the tale of his hardships and fate, you know that Johnny Tremain will stand in your mind forever. Standing alone on the wharf next to his magnificent house, you see a thin, light haired, light complected young man. There are many ways you can describe the way Johnny Tremain looks. You can tell by the way he stands, so proud, that he is around 15 years old. You can see that he's strong but he's also frightened. As you move your eyes towards what's behind him you notice that his hand is crippled and was probably burned. Your eyes meet his and they're a piercing blue. You are so struck by his looks you can't wait to go talk to him and find out about his personality traits. Johnny Tremain's personality was very fascinating, and it was most intriguing to read about how he changed from a bossy, impatient boy, into a thoughtful, patient gentleman. Even though he was a skilled worker, he was proud, and full of arrogance. But after his terrible tragedy, his rude character died in the birth and death room, and Johnny was reborn as a more patient and caring person. He still won't take pity from anyone, but on the inside he is probably crying out for help. Although he has no one to talk to, he does have special talents that help keep him going strong. Before Johnny burned his hand working on a sugar basin, he was a skilled silversmith. Imagine burning your right hand and losing many of your talents, such as writing or using an ax. After practicing, he painfully learned to use his left hand to use an ax. He also learned to legibly write, but it used to be better before his accident. Now Johnny diligently works for a newspaper called the Boston Observer. He regularly rides his horse, Goblin, and faithfully delivers the newspapers. Delivering notes for the British officers proved to be a profitable part of his routine. As the day ends, you have enjoyed spending time with Johnny.

Steven Holl – Ideas on Architecture

Steven Hold: Thoughts and Ideas on Architecture As I sit and listen to the rainfall, I can't help but wonder about the changing of seasons. Winter to spring, Spring to summer, summer to fall, fall back to winter. While each droplet of rain must have Journeyed long and far before it descended upon me, now it's Just a pool of droplets. The best part about spring is the rain showers. Without the spring rain we would have no summer flowers, no gardens, not leaves or grass. Spring marks the direction of a new change. One with more life, a new beginning of sorts.A precedent for the following months; a metamorphosis from en season to the next. Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclites found fascination with change in its most simple form. He believed that all is flux, and nothing stays still. But what if he was wrong†¦? If flux could be stopped what would happen? I could walk out into this storm and not be wet, for the droplets of rain are still and the clouds stationary. In the moment, I f ind tranquility in the storm. Peacefulness rests among the stillness of earth. Not a splash of water made, not a scour in the trees, not even a whistle to the wind.I think to myself, ‘The serenity of nature is unlike anything else in this world. All of a sudden, CLASH!! Lightning strikes followed by a violent boom of thunder. A nearby tree creaks like an old door opening as it falls to the ground; unexpectedly I became drenched by the rainfall. I sought shelter under a roof, but it seemed as if the world was at ease. Almost as if earth made a treaty with itself to remain motionless for the rest of time. Nevertheless, it wasn't because if nothing changed then storms wouldn't occur, seasons couldn't transpire, and life would be lifeless.This earth we live on is one of a kind and distinct from anything else. Earth speaks for itself and Heraclites states this excellently, â€Å"Not l, but the world says it all: All is one. And yet everything comes in season. † In comparison to the precedent of spring to the rest of the seasons, a person's early life can shape the following years in their life. Steven Holly's career was foreshadowed by his earliest years when he and his brother built a 3-story tree house and also an underground clubhouse. This was not only outlined in his childhood, but also in his years of education.While growing up in Beaverton, Washington, he developed the desire to make things, sculpt, draw, and build. After high school, Hold went to study architecture at the University of Washington. His Junior year he left the states and engulfed himself in the great city of Rome, moving from Beaverton, a shipyard city with little architectural density, to Rome, the pinnacle of architectural history. 5 While in Rome, the Vietnam War was taking place so, Hold, instead of developing his thoughts and ideas on architecture, wrote a conscientious objection on philosophical rather religious grounds.After receiving a reply, he was dismissed due to †Å"physical deformity' and never had an actual physical examination. Hold obsessed over his objection because he didn't want them to falsify his opposition, and consequently left Rome with no projects. Upon returning to Washington, he had difficulties finding a firm to hire him. After a year at a small firm outside of Seattle, Hold left to go to San Francisco, where he formed a union with William Stout and Bill Zimmerman; they called themselves â€Å"Opus 411 . † Together they entered competitions and wrote declarations of architecture, but all ended too soon, for Hold was broke and needed a job.In search of a Job and possible graduate school, Hold was accepted at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, and on top of that hired at Louis Khan's office in Philadelphia. He made the decision to take the Job and decline the schools. Confusion descended once Hold received word of Khan's death. He declined acceptance to graduate schools for a Job that was no longer possible. Fortunately in 197 6, Hold was offered to study, tuition free, at the Architectural Association in London by a man named Alvin Boyar. 5 For that reason, Hold made another life-changing decision and packed his bags to go to London.During that time he traveled to every possible building to experience them first hand and to sketch hem. Living as a vagabond in the streets of London, by some meaner, Hold managed to find a client from Paris. His new client was upset with his noisy and crowded vacation home so Hold made large pencil drawings of a new retreat house offset from the shore. In one of the drawings he sketched a man on a boat headed to his refuge home, his back to the home and face to the shore. Hold comments, â€Å"The character in the rowboat illustrates the way that all of us must work. He cannot see where he is going, only where he has been.Progress is tempered by a sense of mystery, of doubt. â€Å"5 A couple years later, Hold made more elaborate pencil drawings of a project for the South B ronx called Gymnasium-Bridge. This project won a Progressive Architecture Award in 1978. Upset by the way his work was presented in Progressive Architecture, he called his colleague Bill Stout, who had opened a bookstore back in San Francisco to make a publication of manifestos and single projects. This was the inception of what would be known as â€Å"Pamphlet Architecture. † Hold set specific guidelines for him and his colleagues to follow for this publication.This was an avian-garden idea at the mime and gave new and unusual ways of looking at architecture. These anthologies feature groundbreaking works by forward thinkers of today's most well-known architects, including Steven Hold, Living Timidity, Lubbers Woods, and Gaza Had. 6/7 Holly's excerpts from Pamphlet Architecture are very much concerned with typology and morphology, that is, a study based on classification and also a study on building forms. â€Å"Pamphlet Architecture #5 The Alphabetical City' speaks on the nature of urban buildings during the first half of the 20th century.Hold inscribes, â€Å"†¦ The notorious portions of cities that evolved on gridiron plans – certain letter-like buildings recurred. The â€Å"L†, or the â€Å"l† type depend on their adjoining structures for meaning. They become â€Å"dead letters† when left stranded as free- standing buildings. â€Å"6 You can see here Hold had been analyzing buildings and then classifying certain buildings by the letter in the alphabet they resembled. The forms of these buildings from the generation before him caused him to questions the idea of architecture from that time.Holly's current language of architecture wasn't uncovered until he came across the arks of French philosopher Maurice Merle-Pointy in 1984. 1 This was a time when Hold radically changed his methods for making and understanding architecture. Subsequent to the discovery of Merle-Pointy, Hold brought light to the idea of deriving p rojects from concepts outside of architecture. Over the years, he harnessed this method and played with it as a departure for his work. From there on out, Hold became preoccupied with the idea of experience.Merle-Pointy expresses, â€Å"We know not through our intellect but through our experience. â€Å"3 The phenomenology that Merle-Pointy writes about is what Hold achieves in his architecture. While most architects work outside-in, Hold takes an opposite stance and works inside-out because he affirms that, â€Å"space is the incredible media of architecture. â€Å"8 It is an extraordinary responsibility to be an architect because the buildings we make are for people to use. Hold understands this and attempts to make people perceive space differently, to make something visible that they normally wouldn't.A work of his that exemplifies this is the Chapel of SST. Igniting in Seattle, Washington. In this project, Hold starts with the concept, ‘Seven Bottles of Light in a Sto ne Box. ‘ Each of the openings for light allow the sunlight to reflect off colored walls in a way that causes a conversion to colored-light. You can imagine being in the space that funnels colors at you making light ever more noticeable. This making of architecture relates building, site, and situation with body, space, time, light, and movement. 4 Holly's buildings really execute the interaction between architecture and phenomenology.It doesn't come as a surprise that Holly's major preoccupation is the phenomena of light. We live in a world that we know through vision, which can only be possible with the help of light. The dynamic of light defines several of Holly's works including: Writing With Light House, Porosity House, Sun Slice House, Kinsman Museum of Contemporary Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Addition, Chapel of SST. Igniting, Museum of the City, and NYU School of Philosophy. 2 However, these projects epitomize his thoughts on light, all of his works constitute and deal with light.Specifically in Writing with Light House, Hold inscribes light in such a way that celebrates light and, its counterpart, shadow. Strips of white light coat the interior in accord with the time of day and season. Shadows then become the strokes on the reface causing an ornament of pattern. This strategy shapes light that really gives it meaning and insight. It's not only the approach on light that makes his architecture original, but also his ability to take familiar ideas and transform them into something new. It wasn't until the ass's when Hold started consistently getting things built.Part of the struggle in his career was becoming famous. This can be challenging because of cruel criticisms or lack of attention towards your work. For Hold, it wasn't until after his Pace Collection Showroom in New York, that he received a world-known status. He was given a huge amount of critical attention in New York, Europe, and Asia for his new and fresh take on modernism. It to ok a couple decades but he now has work in Italy, Germany, France, Japan, Finland, Switzerland, Norway, The Netherlands, Denmark, and China.Holly's originality that is known throughout the world is, in part, due to his way of thinking and developing ideas. It is not necessarily theories of architecture that shaped this, but phenomenology and science that have shaped his beliefs and ideas. Ideas are very important to Hold and this is where he derives his inspiration. He is fearless when it comes to addressing the world at large for inspiration in his projects. Many shy away because of the criticisms one will face for fear of comparison to larger ideas, nevertheless Hold is audacious.Audacity is exactly what Hold advocates. He encourages students to question everything and this is one reason he, himself, has become such a success. 8 One part of being an architect is that you must be able to fluently articulate your personal thoughts and ideas, rather than simply following the ideas of someone else. It then becomes a push for what you think should happen. Holly's character is tested when working with clients because he must be uncompromising and demanding if he wants to pursue the realization of his concepts. His self-assurance comes from the knowledge of himself.He has never had any doubts on who he is and what he wants to accomplish, and this has lead to his triumph. Even though he must be adamant and resolute, he has sought criticism from respected colleagues and peers of his designs over the years. 2 Hold discusses their commentary and evaluation with them after overcoming his incredulity. This is a testament of his respect for other people's opinions and ideas. It also reveals his wisdom in seeking out honest and tough critiques. This may be the reason he is able to keep his knife so sharp.Without the help of others, he would become dull, thereby making his architecture banal. This essay ends with a glimpse of the way Steven Hold sees architecture for the 21 st Century. Hold was born in 1947. He lived in latter half of the 20th Century; he saw and helped change the way architecture is defined today. He truly sees how architecture has been grounded by the physical aspects of having limited resources in the past, to the increasing technological ways in which we can now build. The constructive ramification into modern life and new ways of seeing are vital traits he believes today's architects must have.Hold elaborates, â€Å"Any architect caught up with the current speed of globalization of today's architecture realizes that this is an unprecedented time in the history of architecture: requiring an unprecedented philosophical commitment. † He continues, â€Å"†¦ The challenge of extremely diverse lands, cultures, and climates and their urban conditions set unparalleled obligations for architecture today†¦ A theory reversing specific to universal – a black swan theory – suggests an aim for larger, more comple x building types.A twenty-first century position that strives to airframe the inherited dualism of the last century's suffixes might spark a new paradigm shift toward a new focus on architecture's potential to shape experience, interrelating body, brain and world. â€Å"3 A new generation will emerge after the passing of Steven Hold, one inspired by the books and buildings he bequeathed to humanity. For now, Hold will continue to be a leading architect in the world. It's a great field to be apart of with myriad possibilities, and it is my hope to one day be given the chance to make a richer environment and Join the field of architecture.

Seattle University Admissions Acceptance Rate and More

With an acceptance rate of 74 percent in 2016, Seattle University is a moderately selective university. In general, successful applicants will have both grades and standardized test scores that are above average. Those interested in applying will need to submit an application that includes high school transcripts, scores from the SAT or the ACT, and two letters of recommendation. To schedule a visit to the campus, which is encouraged for any interested students, contact the admissions office. Admissions Data (2016) Seattle University Acceptance Rate: 74  percentGPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Seattle UniversityTest Scores: 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 540 / 640SAT Math: 530 / 650SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanSAT comparison for Catholic collegesTop Washington colleges SAT comparisonACT Composite: 25 / 30ACT English: 24  / 31ACT Math: 24  / 28What these ACT numbers meanACT comparison for Catholic collegesTop Washington colleges ACT comparison Seattle University Description Located on a 48-acre campus in Seattles Capitol Hill neighborhood, Seattle University is a private Jesuit university that offers 61 undergraduate and 31 graduate programs. Students come from all 50 states and 76 other countries. The university ranks highly among universities in the West. Classes tend to be small with an average size of 19, and the university has a healthy 12  to 1  student / faculty ratio. The university has an interesting 15-course core curriculum that culminates in students applying their education to contemporary social problems. In athletics, Seattle University recently moved from Division II to Division I NCAA competition, where they compete in the  Western Athletic Conference. Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 7,487  (4,657 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 39  percent male / 61 percent female96 percent full-time Costs (2016 -17) Tuition and Fees: $41,265Books: $1,500 (why so much?)Room and Board: $11,499Other Expenses: $4,170Total Cost: $58,434 Seattle University Financial Aid (2015 -16) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 96  percentPercentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 95 percentLoans: 59  percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $20,484Loans: $7,357 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors:  Accounting, Criminal Justice, Finance, Humanities, Marketing, Nursing, Political Science, Psychology Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 87  percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 64 percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 75  percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs: Mens Sports:  Swimming, Tennis, Golf, Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, Track and FieldWomens Sports:  Rowing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Basketball, Volleyball If You Like Seattle University, You May Also Like These Schools: University of Washington: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphGonzaga University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCentral Washington University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNew York University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphOregon State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphStanford University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of San Diego: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphWillamette University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphLewis Clark College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphLoyola Marymount University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Oregon: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphSanta Clara University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics