A New Work Ethic

Describe how typical the attitudes that Sheehy reports appear to be in work environments you have experienced. They seem to be very typical in some of the work environments I have been in. I recall some years ago when I took on the fast-food world for about 14 days, a lot of the employees there were young and immature. Many company’s like McDonalds and Burger King employee these high school and college students who have not matured enough to fully understand the true value of work. For that reason, many of these companies are subject to much revenue loss due to fraud and theft within the work place. I’m sure that they account for that when they draw out their business plans and write out their policies and procedures to ensure mangers look out for employees with those traits. Explain the implications of the work ethic Sheehy describes for the future of American business. If I read the case right it seems as if he is saying that tomorrow’s leaders of America are ones that feel that you must claw your way to the top. They show characteristics of someone who would step on anyone or do anything to get what they want. It shows implications of a lot of ill will being performed in the future and how the structure of business competition may be a bit more competitive in the future. Explain whether it is more reasonable to expect workers, especially in a capitalist society, to be more devoted to their jobs, more concerned with quality and customer service, than Sheehy’s coworkers were. Yes, it is reasonable to expect more from workers that have been out there longer in respectable work environments. They have educated themselves enough to know when to show certain parts of their personality and have conquered their childish endeavors. Such individuals have formed a discipline within and know that the true way to the top of their careers is by showing true talent and knowing the fundamentals of your job. These things are just not learned over not and usually high school and college freshmen students are just beginning their journey down the literary path and have not learned these fundamentals yet. Explain the reasoning behind employee theft. I don’t think there is a true reasoning behind employee theft. Yet, if I had to pull one from the case reading I would say that it is the fact that the employees are young and naive. They lack discipline and respect and take for granted their jobs and the value of the job they do. The case seems to demonstrate how many fast food establishments have low moral within their employee body and lack good strong ethnic value training. I think if the employees should be trained to know what good ethics is. Also, they should be shown how to perform good moral ethics in their everyday work environment. Then, if it was actually implicated and enforced it would change the way many of the fast food employee staff viewed their positions and their overall attitudes toward their jobs would change. Explain ways the culture of our capitalists society encourages attitudes like those Sheehy describes. The capitalists’ society encourages attitudes like those by making it seem like it is a doggie dog world in the land of business. Every time you open a newspaper or turn on the television you hear how some accountant stole billions and trillions of dollars from some company. Stories of investment fraud and millionaires stepping on someone to get their lead in the market flood the airwaves on different Medias all over the world. Of course, after all that I would assume that the message that would be received by young, inspiring entrepreneurs is get in and get yours no matter how. This is what we are being told to do to only look out for number one. It is not until you actually get into the game and start dealing with the real action that you truly understand that what the media display and always real or remotely accurate. You have Politian’s that get up in front of the people and promise all the things to them. Saying that the can change things and offering things that they know they may not be able to achieve just to get a vote. These types of actions send the message that it is ok to tell a lie to get what you want in the business world and that the rules are only there to be broken. In conclusion, the culture of our capitalists’ society encourages attitudes like those Sheehy describes in its everyday actions and advertisements’, through Government leaders actions right down to the State leaders actions. What these officials and many like them do is seen and heard around the world and many follow in their footsteps in hopes that they would be smart enough to do it better and acquire all those luxuries without doing the work, just like the last man did.