1

Brooks, Chad. Customer Satisfaction Still On

1970s Levels.Business News Daily, 2013.
The article draws attention to the problem of
relationships between American companies
and their customers; in particular, the author
refers to the issues of clients not being
completely satisfied by customer support
services of these companies. The article is
rather expository than analytical or descriptive,
and mostly uses data from external sources
and research, which show that the level of
customers satisfaction with the mentioned
services today remains rather lowon the
levels of the 1970s. The article, however,
does not seem to have any significant
background, which could be, for example, a
rapid decline of brands popularity, or the
mass bankruptcy of companies; at least
nothing like that is mentioned in the text.
Particularly, the author appeals to the recent
research conducted by Arizona State
University, which shows that companies
expenditures on creating various customer-
care programs do not usually pay off, since
the rates of consumers satisfaction from these
programs are not higher in comparison to the
rates demonstrated in 1976. According to Mr.
Brooks citing Scott Broetzmann, president and
CEO of Customer Care Measurement and
Consulting, clients usually feel frustrated about
a large number of automated responses and a
necessity to contact a company four times on
average to solve their problem.
According to the data collected by the author,
clients who are displeased with how their
complaints have been processed spread
information about their problematic situation
with a company to approximately 28 people
they know, compared to 10-16 people whom
satisfied (or at least pacified) clients shared
their conundrum with. It turns out that it is
better not to spend money on developing
customer support services rather than to
provide it in low quality. Clients whose
complaints had been satisfied tend to become
more loyal to a brand, whereas dissatisfied
clients become even less loyal than if they
have never complained.
This should be considered by modern
companies: in 2013, up to 18 percent of
customers addressed support services with
complaints, compared to 1976 (32 percent).
Half of these clients got nothing as result of
their complaints. At the same time, simple
apologies make clients happier even if a
company was not able to satisfy their clients
queries.
The article by Mr. Brooks possesses interest
first of all for business people who run their
own companies and want to make sure that
their operations are established on a high
level. In particular, the data introduced in the
article may facilitate better understanding of
customers behavior, expectations, and
requests, and thus make a great favor both for
enterprises and their clients. Stated succinctly,
the article is a statistical extract, which does
not seem to be connected to recent events in
the American economyat least there is no
background mentioned in the article.
However, what is remarkable about this article
is the language in which it has been written.
Mr. Brooks managed to present insipid
statistical data in an easy-to-read manner,
diluting the material with quotations from
insiders, and explaining complicated terms
simply. In other words, the authors
professionalism makes the article unique
among simple news stories.


2.
Felons Should Not Be Allowed to Vote. At
Issue: Are American Elections Fair? Stuart A.
Kallen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006.
The article Felons Should Not Be Allowed to
Vote argues that former felons should not
have their voting rights restored once they
regain their freedom. The author believes that
felons need to be deprived of their voting
rights for life as a symbolic price they have to
pay for violating certain social and legal
norms. The article is structured in an unusual
and, in my opinion, effective manner. It first
presents the arguments of those supporting
the idea of re-enfranchising felons, and then
provides the authors reasons not to agree
with the idea.
The first part of the article mainly focuses on
the idea that the question of whether or not to
renew ones right to vote is strictly political: if
felons cannot vote, then voting is no longer
representative. In states like Florida,
numerous districts with high crime rates would
have practically lost their voting power since
so many of its citizens have been
disenfranchised. Such districts are likely to be
populated by a particular ethnic or racial group
that has higher crime rates, and therefore, this
group would no longer be able to vote for the
candidate they would otherwise have
supported. Depriving felons of the right to vote
for a lifetime basically means that we would no
longer have a fair representation of voters of
different ethnic groups. This, on the other
hand, may directly affect which candidate
ultimately gets elected, and later on, what kind
of executive decisions might be taken in favor
of, or against, certain groups of voters.
However, the author of the article disagrees
with the opinion presented by arguing that
there are many other victimized and deprived
groups that deserve more attention in
advocating their rights than ex-felons. The
author claims that if a certain person went on
to disobey the law and the social values
society generally accepts, he deserves never
to have the right to vote restored since he is
not that conscious a citizen in the first place.
The author calls this denial of felons franchise
for life a debt they have to pay back to
society for harming one, or more, of its
members.
I believe the topic being discussed is arguable,
and just like how people cannot agree on
whether or not the death penalty should be
completely abolished, people are likely to
disagree about the re-enfranchisement of
felons as well. I believe what is important here
is to stress that not all people who have ever
been convicted of a crime should be treated in
the same manner. I think we all will agree that
murder, bank robbery, rape and blackmail are
crimes of different categories. In the same
way, we do not sentence all felons to the
same punishment, we should not talk about all
felons as if they are the same. I strongly
believe that people deserve forgiveness, at
least most of them do. While some will argue
that the right to vote is not quite that important
in life, I think it can actually be a significant
symbol of trust. If we trust someone enough to
participate in the life of community, we will
likely empower that person to justify our trust
with their future behavior. At least, I hope it is
true for most cases.
I would disagree with the author of the article
in that I believe that with the exception of
felons who committed particularly serious or
violent crimes, the majority of those who
regain freedom also need to regain the ability
to make responsible choices with the rest of
the community, and that includes having the
right to vote. Otherwise, if we keep reminding
ex-felons of their former mistakes, they will
never feel like they belong in the community
and will forever remain deviants in the eyes of
the society, and behave likewise too.




3.
Article Info:
The Living Conditions of U.S.-Born Children
of Mexican Immigrants in Unmarried
Families by Y. C. Padilla, M. D. Radey, R. A.
Hummer and E. Kim. Published in Hispanic
Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2006; 28; 331.
Abstract
In the United States of America, there are
various hardships faced by immigrants
children. These hardships may vary
depending on the origin of the immigrants. The
current paper is aimed at analyzing an
article, The Living Conditions of U.S.-Born
Children of Mexican Immigrants in Unmarried
Families,published in Hispanic J ournal of
Behavioral Sciences. The studies presented
in the article demonstrate that the children of
immigrants of Mexican origin are prone to high
risks of a socioeconomic nature within US
society. The paper concentrates on the
children of immigrants of Mexican origin, and
more specifically, those that live in unmarried
families. Mexican immigrants, in most cases,
have considerably lower levels of employment,
or are even unemployed, as well as their
education level is minimal.
Background
Using information from child well-being studies
and fragile families, the author of the article
argues that the children of Mexican parents
are at a higher risk of various hardships. Their
maternal health profile, as well as the poor
socioeconomic set up in which they live will
adversely affect the growth of these children
(Brandon, 2002). Apart from the characteristic
social problems facing immigrants, such as a
language barrier, cultural differences, and
unfamiliarity with societal norms, single
parents are exposed to other problems. These
issues relate to the well-being of their children,
and the mode of bringing them up in an
already unfriendly environment, for their
parents. This exposes children to multiple
disadvantages when compared to children of a
single parent who born in the US. The article
states that children brought up in a single-
parent set up are exposed to poverty.
According to DeVanas-Walt, Proctor & Mills,
(2004), the following analysis depicts the
situation on the ground. When compared to
married families, close to 30 percent of
children in a single parent setting were below
the poverty level, whereas a meager five
percent from married households were below
this poverty level (Schmidley, 2001).
Critique
The key points addressed in the article are the
problems facing the children of single parents
of Mexican origin. However, the key concerns
such as the accessibility of health benefits for
these children and their families are not well
addressed. One suggestion is that policies
developed to impact the health of immigrants
must be followed since it influences the well-
being of the entire family. Appropriate
recommendations must be developed keeping
in mind the interests of the immigrants, as well
as the government.
Theoretical Value of the Article
The theoretical value of the article is the
attention it draws to various issues affecting
the children of single mothers that are native
to Mexico. Unlike the recommendations, by
health practitioners, Mexican mothers rarely
seek prenatal care before the end of the first
trimester in their pregnancy. However, it is
fascinating to note that this does not affect the
birth weight of the children. In reality, most of
these children are born with a normal weight,
compared to the rest of the American
population. The risks that these children face
in their developing stages are because of the
poor socioeconomic status of their parents.
From these findings, it is clear that this status
is what should be addressed to minimize the
risks to which these children are exposed
(Gershoff, Aber & Raver, 2003).
Another point raised in the article, is the fear
that exists in their parents, concerning claims
for benefits like the rest of the American
population. This fear is because of the
demand either for a proof of citizenship, or in
their case, valid evidence of alien status. The
fear of deportation and the adverse
consequences to their relatives prevents them
from applying for benefits from the
government, regardless of their status. This
scenario portrays the societal approach and
behavior to government regulations (Lessard
& Ku, 2003). The parents would rather miss
federal benefits and risk the well-being of their
children than disappoint their family members
through deportation and other severe
consequences (Guendelman, 2000).
The reading is related to behavioral theories in
that it tries to break down the information
concerning the challenges faced by these
children into small understandable bits of
information. To reinforce this information,
statistical evidence has been provided to
support the statements made throughout the
article. To authenticate the declarations made
in the article, observations are included to
develop a comprehensive model of the
research findings. Behavioral concepts that
tend to the mental health of the disadvantaged
children in US society are incorporated in the
article, where motivating operations are
suggested to change the situation, minimizing
the risks to which these children are prone
(Sherraden & Barrera, 2006).
An Evaluation of the Reading
The entire article is written with the interests of
the immigrants future behavior in mind. It
addresses various factors that increase the
risk of American born children, of Mexican
immigrant parents who are not married,
compared to those belonging to American
born mothers. It identifies the leading reason
for this concern, as the inaccessibility of health
benefits to immigrants and their children,
through either intimidation or regulations
(Camarota, 2001). The article also suggests
that policy development, affecting the health
and development of immigrants should be
addressed, since it affects the health of both
American born and foreign born children in
these families (Reardon-Anderson, Capps &
Fix, 2002). However, the article fails to
develop concrete recommendations on the
way forward concerning various issues. For
social work practitioners, human behavior, in
relation to their formative years, is critical.
Mexican immigrant children are prone to
socioeconomic challenges that are not of their
own creation. The article suggests that this
predicament cannot be altered to improve the
future development of these children, which is
misleading. The social environment plays a
role in the development of a being. However, it
should not be used as a basis for justifying an
individuals wellbeing (Dinan, 2005). The
Horneys attachment theory supports the
findings in the article. The attachment theory
explains that for the normal development of a
child, there has to be a close relationship
between at least one caregiver and the child.
The caregiver can be the childs parent or
otherwise. The fact that children, born to
single parents, can only build a relationship
with one parent, is real. In the context of
Mexican immigrant mothers, they are not
available for this support in the normal social
and emotional development of children. These
immigrant mothers mostly work in non-
professional occupations that are time
demanding, and leave their children alone.
More than 50 % are in service occupations,
and close to 30 % are in labor occupations.
This leaves the children without a caregiver to
develop a close relationship with, to facilitate
normal development.


4.
Housley, Sharon. Impact of Technology on
Politics. FeedForAll, 2012.
The continued growth of technology has had a
significant impact on the political ratings that
candidates achieve. The article Impact of
Technology on Politics attempts to analyze
how these two spheres of modern life,
technology and politics, interrelate and what
are the outcomes of this interrelationship.
Political candidates use technology in many
ways. Different communication channels
provided by the Internet have the power to
influence the growth of different individuals.
The likes of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube
are powerful communication media platforms
that can easily raise the ratings of political
candidates. Housley claims that whether we
acknowledge it or not, technology is a deciding
factor in most political races. Through
technology, politicians are able to access
funds, gain political pundits and spend less on
campaigning and pushing their candidacy.
One of the ways in which technology
influences politics is the financial side. Raising
funds to use for campaigning is an important
factor for all political candidates. It comes with
the need to create a vertical response to the
whole country or target region. This is a major
hurdle experienced by political candidates.
The Internet aided Howard Dean to get
donations that he required to gain access to a
large part of the campaign region. By
broadcasting through technological marketing,
candidates get suitable donors to support
different aspects of their campaign. Publicity
on the Internet is a cheap method as they do
not have to re-publish unlike what is provided
by the print media. This is placed in various
commonly accessed links (Housley, Par. 1).
The Internet enables politicians to use
podcasting. The Internet offers podcasting,
making everyone a journalist. Through
podcasting, the politicians are able to portray a
journalistic stature, thereby ensuring that the
information is considered credible. Self-
proclamation of politicians through pundits is
easily spread through messages. It is,
however, difficult for politicians to guarantee
the integrity of the information posted. The
Internet can be accessed by anyone and
podcasts can be posted by anyone. The
integrity of information is therefore difficult to
preserve, hence, many potential candidates
may have to establish a verifiable connection
with various achievements. All in all, gaining
political publicity through podcasts is a
common but expensive method to use,
Housley admits. However, it is logical to
assume that when correctly utilized, this is an
extremely powerful political tool that pays off
completely.
According to Housley, the impact of
technology is great on a given generation. The
young, educated and affluent will relate to
technological innovations. A proper
presentation will gain ratings for candidates.
Using the most recent technology will surely
attract the youth. The older generation may
not impact the raising of presidential bids,
especially if they are done through social
media. The older generation barely uses the
Internet. The younger generation relates easily
to these media plaforms. This differentiation is
used by politicians to gain advantage in their
political bids. Politicians use technology to
raise their bids among the youth, while
traditional methods are used for the older
generation.
Another way to look at the matter is in relation
to thinking about the Internet as a tool for free
advertisement. It is no secret that presidential
bids are the most expensive, as they are run
to cover the whole region. On the other hand,
political videos easily generate online rating
gains, and such political Internet
advertisement will always reach the target
audience if launched properly. Individuals
perform the needed publicity as each person
shares the video, and so on. The extra
generated videos are not paid for, while on
social networks even the original posting is
free.
It is clear that gaining political publicity through
the use of technology has become easier,
especially since technological devices are so
accessible and widespread at the same time.
The article analyzed is prudent in arranging
technological tools into separate groups that
work as effective means of communicating
between a political figure and the target
audience. However, with the use of the
Internet, any political figure can become
recognizable within just a few minutes. In only
a few hours, public opinion on a particular
political figure is already formed within one of
the social groups of voters. Not just the good,
but also a bad reputation can be formed in a
blink of an eye using modern technology. It
often happens that the bad gossip actually
spreads much faster. With the huge impact
that technology has on society and public
opinion in particular, it is crucial to be cautious
in the use of information about any political
figure, or you risk making a positive
advertisement into a negative advertisement
with just one click.