Instructions
Compose a descriptive essay containing at least 750 words. Your goal is to write an interesting,
thoughtful, clear, concise, error-free, and organized essay. The sentence structure, vocabulary,
mechanics and grammar of the essay should reflect the abilities of a college-level writer.
Compose a descriptive essay, remember to focus the essay around a dominant impression, and include only those details that support the dominant impression. You should utilize vivid sensory language and varied structure to engage your reader, supported by intentional organization of your writing. Your essay should feature a clear introduction and conclusion, coherent and unified body paragraphs
that begin with clearly worded topic sentences, and transitions both within and between paragraphs.
You should not consult additional sources for this assignment, since it focuses on your own experiences, thoughts and opinions.
The essay should be based on the following essay proposal using the 2nd topic for the essay which is “a reoccurring problem in the work place”( I have a boss who holds others accountable but not himself) :
This essay will employ a descriptive style of writing. A descriptive approach will make it possible to cover the topic contents with unspecific time elements, as would be necessary in the narrative style. Both the hazards of taking children out to eat and the reoccurring problem in the workplace entail a timeless phenomenon that can happen at any time. Moreover, the findings discovered in any of the two topics will not be in chronological order as requisite in a narrative essay. There will also be neither a narrative plot nor characters that advance the story; only the subjects of the topic will be referred to. There will be, however, reference to the first person when explaining personal experiences that advance the topics.
The Hazards of Taking Children Out to Eat
Parents in contemporary times have a tendency to take their children out to eat at restaurants, diners, fast foods and other eateries. The main motivations behind this are change in times and perceptions as well as demanding jobs that leave insufficient time for home cooking. Changing times might influence people into thinking that eating out is fashionable, less time wasting and a show of class and financial power. Demanding jobs, on the other hand, has both couples working so many hours that they have not enough time to prepare a meal for themselves and their children. The resultant is that they eat out or purchase food from fast foods for fast and instant gratification. However, this tendency has numerous hazards. Food poisoning, allergies to some foods, unbalanced diets, chronic diseases, and ill table manners are some of the hazards that may arise from taking children out to eat.
Children that consistently eat out may suffer from food poisoning. This may be caused by viruses and bacteria such as Escherichia Coli and Yersinia. These pathogens release toxins that cause food poisoning. When eating out at restaurants is compared to eating at home, it is evident that hygienic conditions are better at home implying that foodborne diseases are harder to contract at home. Food poisoning, in addition to health repercussions, may influence a child’s concentration at school. This adds to the hazards of taking children out to eat. Similarly, children may develop allergic reactions to some of the foods eaten in restaurants. This may be difficult to identify and treat as parents have little control over the preparation and serving of the food. Like food poisoning, allergies affect both the health and education of children.
Eating out at restaurants and diners may also have the adverse effect of an unbalanced diet for the child. People choose restaurants due to that eatery’s excellent cooking of some dish. It may then develop into a habit eating that dish every time parents take children out to eat. This may contribute to an unbalanced diet as compared to eating at home where parents have the liberty and ability to alternate dishes and provide a balanced diet for their kids. Moreover, bad diets may also lead to the contraction of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. From first-hand experience, foods from restaurants and fast foods have excessive fat and sugars, which contribute to the diseases mentioned herewith.
I also believe that perpetual eating in eateries may make a child reliant on these food sources as he/she grows up. The child may acquire this behavior from parents despite apparent health hazards involved in this doing. This advances the likelihood of contracting foodborne diseases, allergic reactions, and chronic diseases during the child’s lifetime. These hazards are easily avoidable when parents are inclined towards healthy eating at home.
A Reoccurring Problem in The Workplace
Numerous problems in the workplace derail an organization’s efforts to achieve set targets. Challenges in an organization may range from external sources such as competition and unfavorable government policies to internal problems such as with the human resource or management. An organization may solve each of the problems efficiently enough, but a challenge relating to the leadership/management is much more difficult to handle. This is because leaders are responsible for making decisions crucial for the continual performance of the firm. I have noticed a reoccurring problem at my place of work: my boss holds employees accountable but exempts himself from any responsibility.
Effective leaders are characterized by an ability to take calculated risks, set realistic goals and galvanize the workforce into collectively working towards the attainment of set goals. More importantly, however, a leader should take responsibility when his/her strategies are unsuccessful. It is only after accepting accountability that corrective measures can be employed. Such a leader is motivational to his employees since they feel valued and covered for. Morale, job satisfaction and cohesion in the workplace are enhanced by good leadership thus directly contributing to organizational success. I have witnessed this being exemplified by visionary leaders such as the late Steve Jobs of Apple Inc., Fredrick Smith of FedEx and Meg Whitman of Hewlett Packard (HP).
With reference to unity and cohesion in the workplace, all employees, regardless of rank, should be responsible for the organization’s performance. During successful times, it is evident that every stakeholder in the firm is pleased with their efforts. For instance, there is increased compensation for employees. It is therefore unfair that when the firm goes through a rough patch, the boss shifts all the accountability to his/her subordinates.
This reoccurring problem at my workplace is a telltale sign of ineffective leadership. My boss happily takes credit for excellent work by employees but abandons us when mistakes happen. The morale in my place of work has dropped to an all-time low. Reduced motivation has been evidenced by a consistent run of bad performance which the boss keeps blaming on the employees. The turnover rate has increased in the past year as colleagues seek better opportunities and recognition in other institutions. Apparently, the leadership style employed by my boss is contributing to the degeneration of the workplace.
Questions
1. There has been an increased tendency for Americans and their families to eat out at restaurants, diners and related eateries. Which social and economic factors have led to the development of this trend?
2. Eating out at eateries has numerous repercussions as compared to eating home-cooked food. What is the relationship between taking children out to eat and academic performance?
3. Explain the effects of foodborne diseases on the health of children and their development into maturity.
4. In addition to accountability, which positive leadership traits do you expect your leader/manager to portray?
5. Management of the human resource is among the duties of a leader in the internal environment of a firm. Which aspects of the external environment should a leader also manage?
6. Reoccurring leadership problems at the workplace lead to reduced morale among employees. Explain the various ways in which management can raise employee motivation.
Also please use the following feedback about the initial topic proposal as a guide: These are interesting topics that you can use well for the essay. However, the descriptive style reads as secondary to an informative style. This is fine, but I would encourage you to find ways to “amp up” the level of description and/or introduce a narrative quality to what you’re writing. I think doing this will better meet the challenge of the assignment and better engage your readers. Providing narrative examples that demonstrate the hazards of taking children out to eat, for example, would provide opportunity not only to increase the descriptive quality of your writing but also introduce a narrative aspect.
Free Sample Research Paper
Accountability in the Workplace
Successful organizations are characterized by a well-organized, harmonious and responsible workplace. Employees within the organization need to exhibit excellent interpersonal skills, ranging from the bosses to the subordinates. The management has a particularly crucial role to play in ensuring success in a firm by being an exemplar for his/her subordinates. Harmonious working occasionally leads to positive achievements. However, an organization may go through a rough patch performance-wise despite the best efforts from its workforce. In such cases, it is important that the management appreciate the situation and keep the morale high at work. In cases where failure is due to the unacceptable actions of a particular employee, then it is essential that the responsible parties take accountability. This also applies when failure is due to a manager’s erroneous decision making. In my workplace, this is not the case. My boss holds others accountable apart from himself.
I feel that my boss’ lack of accountability will be detrimental to the performance of the organization as a whole since it is a sign of flaws in the management, which is arguably the most crucial department in the workplace. My boss’ apparent reluctance to take responsibility for his failures is likely to decrease the motivation of the subordinates who work under him. At a personal level, I have been feeling demotivated that my efforts could be criticized should they lead to failure.I feel insecure that my boss does not have my back; and that I am solely responsible for the results of my exertions. For instance, he complained about the intensity of a case study that he assigned to me three days late. He was unappreciative of my ability to beat the deadline and unassuming of his lateness while delegating duties.I feel that this problem could escalate as time passes since it seems to occur occasionally.
A culture of accountability and responsibility is extremely important in the workplace. This is because the level of competition in industries has necessitated that workers in every organization work collaboratively as interdependent teams. This ensures that the production and provision of goods and services are efficient and timely, which directly translates to the success of a business entity. Teamwork, however, requires that each member of the team is responsible, diligent and accountable in case of failure. The largest threat to accountability is that workers are afraid of being regarded as failures or barriers to the success of the group. However, this should not be the case as teams are knit together by accountability and the belief that each member of the team is capable of producing. When members of a team have faith in each other, they can then handle each mishap collectively and unresentful of the role a particular individual played in it.
The importance of accountability at work is especially highlighted when managers and leaders fail to assume responsibility for their failures. This is because, as discussed before, bosses play the most significant role in organizations. Leaders are responsible for taking calculated risks, setting realistic goals and galvanizing employees into working collectively towards the achievement of preset goals. Moreover, managers are responsible for planning, controlling and staffing; all of which are sensitive aspects of management. These qualities set brilliant leaders such as Meg Whitman of HP and the late Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. from unsuccessful ones. In most cases, employees follow the directives of their managers. Managers, on the other hand, require their subordinates to follow their instructions to the letter. It is hence requisite for bosses to assume responsibility for failure should their plans, strategies and directives not be as successful as expected.
For instance, I recently worked 15 hours a day to fulfill my boss’s directive that I complete a one-week case study in four days. I obviously expected that my boss would be appreciative that I beat the deadline and saved the day. I was disappointed that he found my report as comprehensive and intensive as he had expected of a one-week report.Despite the fact that I felt challenged that I could have done a better job despite the time constraint, his lack of consideration of all factors at play lowered my morale greatly. To compound matters, my boss has also been demonstrating these flaws when handling my workmates. This has led to a relatively lower morale in the organization and increased the potential for a higher turnover rate due to low job satisfaction.How then, can a manager hold subordinates accountable without demotivating them with the negativity of micromanagement?
Increasing Accountability Without Jeopardizing Morale
Leaders in the workplace have a role to play in ensuring that both individuals and teams that work under them are accountable for their work but are still motivated. One way that a manager can do this is by setting clear expectations. Bosses should ensure that each employee or team is aware of the quality and quantity of output expected at the end of a certain assignment. The time required allocated to complete the exercise should also be clear from the start. This lets the subordinates or teams have personal and group accountability. In such a case, workers cannot feel demotivated when held responsible for their output.
Bosses should also seek to discuss accountability openly with their subordinates. This enables the development of an accountability culture in the organization by eliminating the idea of it being a taboo. Every member of the organization will then be comfortable with the concept of being responsible for their actions. Managers should also take the initiative and inform their subordinates of their willingness to be accountable for their actions as well. This increases the feeling of unity between employees and their bosses. When everyone is aware of the firm’s culture of accountability, it is likely that their morale will not be lowered when employees are questioned about their output.
Another way in which bosses can increase their subordinates’ accountability is by providing them with the required resources for their assignments. These resources can be in the form of information, finances or even time. By doing this, a boss ensures that an employee can perform with minimal fuss about a particular issue. Equally important is the need to come up with a plan or schedule that is appropriate and workable for all parties. This increases the accountability of the subordinates.
Conclusively, it is evident that accountability is an important aspect in every workplace. Managers have a crucial role in ensuring that their subordinates are accountable for their output. There is also a requisite balance between ensuring accountability in the workplace and maintaining high morale among workers as the two are crucial in ensuring organizational success. This applies to my organization, where my boss occasionally holds other people accountable and not himself. If my boss could follow the steps recommended in this study, then he can ensure the success of our organization and reduce potential turnover rate by improving the motivation of the employees and our job satisfaction.