Wk 3 EOC: This Charming Man

This movie has racism and prejudice embedded in every scene. From the very beginning when El Hassan, a man from Iran is looking for a job as he earns his citizenship. He first starts by seeking a job as a maintenance worker in a print shop. He is refused a job solely because of his ethnicity, the print shop is understaffed and even then, he was still rejected. More scenes of racism include, when men are sitting at a bar and talk about inappropriate jokes such as, "when is it okay to spit on a Middle Eastern woman?” and the answer was, “when she’s on fire,” and another man responded that “it was always okay to spit on them.” This comes to show that they are prejudice to the point where they think that they are superior to everyone else and that they should all be treated like garbage.

Although the prejudice isn’t only towards outsiders, it is also towards people within their neighborhoods who are less fortunate and have been singled out as peasants. People may see racism and prejudice as something small, but it affects people in so many ways. It creates hostile work environments, tension between employees and can even create safety hazards. 

Wk 8 EOC: Nine to Five, Workplace Harassment

In the movie 1980's movie Nine to Five, there are so many examples of workplace harassment. We’ll first start off with the boss, who is a narcissistic, sexist man. The company he works for consist of mainly women, so you can imagine how this would play out. He reverts to his female employees as “girls” instead of being professional and calling them by their title. This is a form of sexual harassment within the workplace. He has also proclaimed his love for his assistant, Doralee Rhodes, and not to mention touched her inappropriately and bought her gifts. This is without a doubt, unwanted sexual harassment. Unfortunately, the other employees see what’s going on between them, or I should say how he is treating her, and think that she is having an affair to move up in the business, which is completely false.

Another example of workplace harassment is blackmailing subordinates to do unwanted things. In the movie the boss was blackmailing Mrs. Newstead to work harder and not report to his boss if she wanted to progress in the company. She obviously has earned the position but gave it to another employee who was a man. This is discrimination on the basis of sex, which also goes against the EEOC.

All of these examples show that this company has broken protocol and has become a hostile working environment. This leads to unhappy employees, who will in return not complete their jobs correctly and eventually lead to the failure of a business. Managers need to make their environment safe and beneficial for everyone, not just the top people, that is how a business flourishes. 

Wk 4 EOC: Physical Attractiveness

Believe it or not, physical attractiveness does play an important role in the success of a business. I’m not talking about only hiring top models but the employment of people who look and play the part of a professional. Customers want employees to look like they mean business not as if they had just woken up in time to start work. Now for the interviewing process, it is essential and quite tedious on what you say about appearances. "It is always important to be careful what is said, how things are said, and when things are said throughout the screening process.” This way you don’t offend anyone and potentially lose an employee. Yes, it is okay to inform them of the requirements but do so in a polite manner. Tattoos and scars are okay as long the tattoos are not offensive in any manner. As for scars, these can easily be covered with any makeup or clothing.

A clean physical appearance goes hand in hand with good hygiene. You can’t dress professionally and have bad hygiene, it doesn’t go and you will scare off the customers. They want a clean business that takes care and pride of their employees. This is how a business establishes a brand for themselves. "This message of identity takes many forms, including the way an establishment looks on the outside, its décor, the items it serves on its menu, the prices it charges, and even the appearance of its staff. Brand is the single term owners and managers use to describe an establishment’s distinguishing features.” Creating a brand for a company is one of the best things that you can do, it creates familiarity, a sense of belonging and consistency. “It is important to ensure that all employees meet all applicable health requirements of the job.” 

Wk 10 EOC: My plans for the Future

   I'm going on my third year of my Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Management. At first, I wanted to go straight to work at a French fine dining restaurant here in town after graduation to get more experience. Now, after graduation, I want to travel throughout Europe to work as a stagiaire in different prestigious restaurants to get a feel for what it’s like to prepare authentic, French food. Yes, the culinary industry may be changing with the times, but the raw basics of cooking will always be the same. The same ingredients that set aside French cuisine from others will always be the same ingredients in the future that make it the French cuisine. It’s not only the ingredients that separate the French from others, but also the cooking techniques. These are the qualities that I want to gain from my journey around France, Europe. To be able to gain these qualities and then be able to merge them in with the more modern way of cooking is what I aspire to do; to create my twist of the classic French with the modern. After my travels, I would then want to continue to work in a restaurant to gain more field experience. This way I can learn from different chefs, because not everyone works the same way. The advantage of working under different chefs is exactly that. Picking up their techniques and using them for your own, it’s like earning your armor for battle, the more prepared you are the better you would perform. Once I have gained as much knowledge as possible, I would then run my own restaurant and continue to advance in the culinary industry. These are the plans for my future as a chef.

Wk 8 BOC: 5 plus 5 Soft Skills

   There are many attributes that managers and HR look for in resumes when people apply for jobs. These are critical because its what determines if you get a job or not. These are some of the attributes that I have in my resume.

1. Communication Skills       
    -I am trilingual, being able to speak: Spanish, French and of course English. I am proficient in these languages, therefore I can communicate to others and establish a good trusting relationship.

2. Teamwork

    -Being able to work with others creates trust with everyone and I can efficiently get work done as a team player.

3. Problem Solving

    -Tough situations don't discourage me from trying my best to solve the situations. In fact they encourage me to tackle and solve them.

4. Initiative/ Self Starter
    -As an only child for several years before the next child, I was on my own for quite some time. This gave me the ability to work things out on my own and to start accomplishing things without being told.

5. Adaptability 
    -Having to move across the country at a young age, I was taught to adapt to my new surroundings. As an adult, I have continued to adapt very easily to new environments and succeed in my position.

Wk 1 EOC: My Best and Worst Jobs

My best job was my first and official job in a retail store. Prior to this I have done many volunteer jobs as a babysitter, house sitter and a cook at midnight luncheon with a few recognized chefs in Las Vegas. At this job, my manager works with my school schedule so work never interferes with class. This was a major make it or break it deal for me because school is very important and comes first in life.  Here I am able to exercise my customer service skills as well as put forth some new ideas for the store. As for my worst job, I can’t say that I’ve had one since I’m currently still with my first one. I have been in retail for two years now but I intend to get a job in my chosen career in the culinary industry.  I have yet to complain about my current job.

Wk 1 EOC: My Voice

Food is my passion and I am a Culinary Professional. For as long as I can remember, I have always been in the kitchen helping my mother and grandmother cook and prepare meals. Whenever I’m in the kitchen, it gives me a sense of belonging and a peace of mind. I’ve always liked seeing the faces of family members or those of friend’s whenever I present to them the dish I had prepared. Being able to create something delicious from a handful of ingredients is what drives my initiative. One day, I strive to run my own restaurant. Exact dice cuts, the perfect consistency of a sauce, the colorful array of vegetables, or the crispness of the roasted meat. This is everything I look for when I prepare a dish. There should be a balance of sweet, salty, smooth, crunchy, and spicy or sour depending on the plate you’d like.  Many people think that cooking is an easy task, let me correct them. Cooking is more than just throwing ingredients together and calling it quits. It’s about figuring out which flavors play out well, which textures compliment each other, and creating a visually appealing arrangement. Cooking for me is a way of life.