Position Paper on Family: Definition and Role
Over the past several decades, Americans’ living arrangements have changed dramatically. In the 1960s, 3 in 4 children lived in a traditional family (i.e. heterosexual parents in their first marriage). Today, less than half of children do so. Despite changes in living arrangements, society still expects family as a social institution to provide financial and emotional support for members, bear/adopt children and socialize them to function effectively in the broader society, respect external authority and maintain authority/control within the family unit. You are to write a 3 page double spaced paper that
1.
Argues persuasively for or against society broadening the definition of family to include nontraditional groups. Personal opinion alone is not sufficient. Back up your position (The Definition of Family Should Remain Limited by Christensen) with reliable statistics, expert opinion, or other quality evidence, citing at least two different sources (use APA style).
1.
Critically evaluates the ability of unmarried heterosexual partners, unmarried or married homosexual partners, reproductive technology users, single parents (never married or divorced), and voluntary childless couples to do each of these tasks as compared with a traditional family structure. Explicitly discuss the strengths and challenges each group faces in successfully completing each task. Support your evaluation with at least two quotes from assigned readings and one quote from a reputable outside source (3 or more quotes in this part of your paper). Be sure to discuss all nontraditional groups listed.
3.
Proposes a definition of family that you think society should adopt. Give explicit justification for why your definition should be widely used. What are the key advantages and expected outcomes of use of your definition? Would your definition align with or challenge current law related to family (e.g. employee benefits, inheritance rules, etc.)? Evaluate the usefulness of your definition for such activities as census enumeration, research, eligibility for public assistance.
Scoresheet for Position Paper on Family: Definition and Role
0 or 1
2
3
4
5
6
not done,
needs much
below
average
above
outstanding
poorly done
improvement
average
average
Evaluation
Components
Comments
1
2
3
4
5
6
Clear stand taken for or against society broadening the definition of family to include EACH nontraditional group. Stand well supported by research evidence. 2 quotes included and used appropriately.
1
2
3
4
5
6
(times 2)
Critically evaluated the ability of EACH group - heterosexual partners, married or unmarried homosexual partners, reproductive technology users, single parents, voluntary childless - to successfully complete ALL tasks that society expects family as a social institution to complete as compared with a traditional family structure. Evaluation correctly and convincingly drew on c.
Position Paper on Family Definition and RoleOver the past seve.docx
1. Position Paper on Family: Definition and Role
Over the past several decades, Americans’ living arrangements
have changed dramatically. In the 1960s, 3 in 4 children lived
in a traditional family (i.e. heterosexual parents in their first
marriage). Today, less than half of children do so. Despite
changes in living arrangements, society still expects family as a
social institution to provide financial and emotional support for
members, bear/adopt children and socialize them to function
effectively in the broader society, respect external authority and
maintain authority/control within the family unit. You are to
write a 3 page double spaced paper that
1.
Argues persuasively for or against society broadening the
definition of family to include nontraditional groups. Personal
opinion alone is not sufficient. Back up your position (The
Definition of Family Should Remain Limited by Christensen)
with reliable statistics, expert opinion, or other quality
evidence, citing at least two different sources (use APA style).
1.
Critically evaluates the ability of unmarried heterosexual
partners, unmarried or married homosexual partners,
reproductive technology users, single parents (never married or
divorced), and voluntary childless couples to do each of these
tasks as compared with a traditional family structure. Explicitly
discuss the strengths and challenges each group faces in
successfully completing each task. Support your evaluation with
at least two quotes from assigned readings and one quote from a
reputable outside source (3 or more quotes in this part of your
paper). Be sure to discuss all nontraditional groups listed.
3.
Proposes a definition of family that you think society should
adopt. Give explicit justification for why your definition
2. should be widely used. What are the key advantages and
expected outcomes of use of your definition? Would your
definition align with or challenge current law related to family
(e.g. employee benefits, inheritance rules, etc.)? Evaluate the
usefulness of your definition for such activities as census
enumeration, research, eligibility for public assistance.
Scoresheet for Position Paper on Family: Definition and Role
0 or 1
2
3
4
5
6
not done,
needs much
below
average
above
outstanding
poorly done
improvement
average
average
Evaluation
Components
Comments
1
2
3
3. 4
5
6
Clear stand taken for or against society broadening the
definition of family to include EACH nontraditional group.
Stand well supported by research evidence. 2 quotes included
and used appropriately.
1
2
3
4
5
6
(times 2)
Critically evaluated the ability of EACH group - heterosexual
partners, married or unmarried homosexual partners,
reproductive technology users, single parents, voluntary
childless - to successfully complete ALL tasks that society
expects family as a social institution to complete as compared
with a traditional family structure. Evaluation correctly and
convincingly drew on class discussions and readings. 3 or more
quotes used appropriately.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Proposed and justified a definition of family that society should
adopt. Discussed advantages and effects of using proposed
definition. Evaluated usefulness of definition for such activities
as census enumeration, research, eligibility for public
assistance.
4. 1
2
3
4
5
6
Quality of writing, including grammar, spelling, thesis
statement, flow of ideas presented, absence of awkward,
unclear, or poorly written statements, correct citations in text
and reference.
TOTAL POINTS (out of 30)
Read your paper and put a ( mark in the box when you’re sure
you’ve written something about if and how well the group at the
top of the column can do the specific task listed on a given row.
Unmarried heterosexual couples
Married or unmarried
Homosexual couples
Single parents
Users of reproductive technology
Voluntary childless couples
Provide financial support
Provide emotional support
5. Bear/adopt children
Socialize children
Teach children appropriate respect for authority
Maintain control in family
No
Sorta, not good yet
Yes
Used quotes from two different authors to support evaluation
6. Clearly stated that society should or should not broaden
definition
Backed up opinion with two additional quotes
Proposed a definition of family that society should adopt
Evaluated usefulness of my definition for census, research, etc.
Correctly cited quotes in text and in bibliography
Kept within page limits
4
Running Head: Mod Pizza Company
Mod Pizza Company
Name
Course Title
7. Instructor
Institution
Data
Table of Contents
Introduction
MOD Products
MOD Internal Analysis
MOD SWOT Analysis
MOD Human Resources
Analysis…………………………………………………………….
MOD
Operations……………………………………………………………
…………………….
MOD Marketing
MOD Strategic
Analysis………………………………………………………………
……
MOD Mission
Statement……………………………………………………………
….
Conclusion
…………………………………………………………………………
……
8. Introduction
The company that I am going to examine is the Mod Company.
The acronym MOD stands for Made on Demand. Mod Fat Pizza
Limited Company was first started in 2008 by the Scott and
Avenson in Seattle, Washington. The company has almost 200
branches in the United States and it has been growing at
alarming rate (Garnick, 2016). The company mission is to
instill a positive change to the people of the community and this
has been achieved by the employee’s individuality and
teamwork that provides an opportunity for the company growth
and development and also has decreased the employee’s
turnover consequently the consumers (Hynum, 2013).
The Company Products
The company provides the customers with artisan styled pizzas
that normally cooked at 8000 in a Pizza Oven. The company
offers a variety of pizzas that range from pizza salad, seasonal
among others. The immediate competitor of pizza is the pielogy,
the blazing pizza, and the project pie. The company has unique
décor and a customer friendly layout that attracts the customers.
The company also offers drinks such as milkshakes, wine, beer
among others. The attractive environment and offering variety
of products that suit the customer's tastes and preference have
increased the customers in the company and the employees are
challenged to become more innovative to attract more customers
every day.
The company internal analysis
The company has been performing well since it has continued to
secure funds for investment since 2014 where it got $ 15 million
which was meant for the private investment and this value has
continued to increase each year (Tice, 2014). Also, in the
subsequent year, the country has investment funding of 40
million dollars which has enhanced its growth and expansion.
The company main investor is the private equity fund. It raises
about 33M dollars capital equity in the 2017 financial year and
9. had a 40M dollars credit facility from the Keybanc capital
Markets and Suntrust Robinson companies. The total equity
raised by the company is the $ 185m and this will aid in
growing the company and this ensures that the company
continues to be the fast-leading casual pizza area. The company
spent $ 364 thousand as a donation for children suffering from
hunger in the year 2017 (Gonzalez, 2014).
Mod Swot analysis
Strengths
The restaurant is known to offer tasty and high-quality services
and it also provides décor and friendly layout that makes it fun
to have a eat in the restaurant. It also has a good pricing
structure such as the fair and relatively low-priced menu
compared to other restaurants. The restaurant also offers special
promotions to attract customers and it captures the taste of
many customers by offering a variety of pizzas and also cooking
as the customer demands to ensure that all the customer's
demand is met efficiently. The company has tried to minimize
queueing by offering online services where customers can place
their orders and this has made work easier, faster and efficient
for both customers and employees. (Yuasa, Mark. , 2012)
Weakness
The company is facing stiff competition since the close
competitor of pizza is the pielogy, the blazepizza, and the
project pie (Caley, 2013) .
Opportunities
The company has raised the private equity funds for investment
and ensuring that there are expansion and growth of the
restaurant. The company is offering the delivery services as
well as the takeout is a way of trying to meet more customers
which is a potential opportunity. More to that selling of
products such as the salad dressings, baked products among
others is an opportunity and would increase the total sales. The
company should also take advantage of the market trends and
the cultural forces to determine the external factors affecting
the company and try to work on a line with them. More
10. importantly, the customer patterns and behavior are very crucial
to observe so that employees can meet the expectations and
needs of the customers (Konopasek, 2014).
Threats
The company is experiencing competition from the nearby
business. Also, the newly opened restaurant is becoming a
threat. Also, there has been an increase in the prices of food due
to the economic downturn which has caused an increase in the
cost of production and this has made the company increase an
extra cost to their menus which has caused a decline in the
number of customers consequently the net profit (Garnick,
2016).
MOD Human Resource Analysis
The company has a passionate executive team who are highly
experienced and have an impact on the MOD pizza production.
The employees are goal-oriented and they always work to
ensure continuity of Mod Culture lasts and their dedication have
brought a lot of social change. The restaurant has one thousand
and seven employees who come from different geographical
areas that they always combine their knowledge and attend
training which helps them to be more knowledgeable and
innovative and this has improved the quality of the products as
well as meeting the customer's needs and expectations. The
company motivates its employees by giving them off days,
increasing their remunerations and other benefits.
MOD Operations
The founder of the company who is Scot and wife Ally is the
CEOs and the Protector of the company respectively. The
company operations are, managed by the executive team, the
board and advisory team and other employees. These employees
work as a team and explore for more ideas to have an innovate
restaurant as well as creating the people culture where all
individuals can thrive. The company operations also ensure that
the employees are confident in their work and have the targeted
goals that they are to achieve. The company has received
11. several awards in the course of its operations among them being
the Community Impact Award received in 2015 because of
creating job opportunities. They have also been awarded the
Feat Reach Stars Award for being the best employer. In 2015
they received another award for being the best place to work in
retail. This is a sign that the company operations have been
managed well and that’s is why it has continued to grow and
expand at a higher rate. The company is situated in areas such
as the Texas, California, Arizona, Texas, Oregon, Colorado
among others (Inglis, 2016).
Mod Marketing structure
The company has 200 places where it sells its products also, it
has a franchise that helps market its products. The company has
online platforms where they can communicate with the
customers who are not within their geographical area this
creates room for them to market their products. The company
also markets itself by offering donations to the needy,
promotions, offering aftersales services such as packaging
among others. They have also charity squad where they offer
donations to the local non-profit organization which attracts
more customers (Bernhardt, 2017).
Mod strategic analysis
Mod has been engaging in strategic planning in all its
operations and this is has helped in dealing with many
challenges that are faced by most of the restaurant such as the
inexperience, poor customers services, mismanagement of funds
and finances and poor geographical location. The strategic plan
for the company has helped in getting clarity of the performance
of the business as well as knowing how resources are utilized.
The company has Franchise Restaurant and the Franchisees
always expect the strategic planning information, ideas, tools
among others from the franchisor (Webb, 2017). The company
also try as much as possible to ensure that all employees have
the company mission, vision, values and the culture of the
company. The company also ensures that all the franchisees
have SWOT analysis that can help them identify their weakness
12. and threats and try to convert them into strengths and
opportunities respectively. The Company together with its
franchisees are expected to adhere to the customers’
expectations, economic health, procedures, and protocols to
avoid being in conflict with legal authorities (Lin, 2016).
MOD mission statement
Mod is the best pizza experience, pioneering fast and casual
services to its customers. The name MOD means a lot such as
made on demand, treating the employees and this can be
referred to as MOD squad. The company always put people first
and this has impacted positively on their lives and the
community at large. Also, the company aims at improving all
individuals including those in specials needs and this is because
the company code of conducts provides a room for accepting,
developing and giving equal opportunities to all (Hynum R. ,
2013).
Conclusion
It's no doubt that the Mod Company is headed by a super
management who are always dedicated, goal oriented and ready
to serve people of the community. Not only does the company
gain from the public but also give back to it. This is evidenced
where we see a lot of the people getting job opportunities from
the company and this has increased the gross domestic period,
reduced the poverty rate as well as improving the standard of
living of people, the company also provides a donation to the
need which is showing generosity especially to the needy
children. It's worth noting that the management has also
worked on reducing the employee’s turnover by providing them
with better remunerations and the benefits which always
motivates them. The management of the company is worth being
congratulated as they have improved the company and lead to
its enormous growth (Fajardo, 2014).
13. References
Hynum, Rick. (2013). "Fast-casual pioneer James Markham
blazes a bold new trail into pizza's future". Pizza Magazine.
Tice, Carol. (2014). "Rising Crust: Why VCs Bet $15M On
Seattle's MOD Pizza". FORBES.
Gonzalez, Angel. (2014). "MOD Pizza raising $15M in
expansion effort". Seattle Times
Oches, Sam. (2013). "Pizza's Arms Race". QSR Magazine
Inglis, H., & Sheehan, J. (2016). Lunch and Learn: Business
Information Resources. TALL Q., 36, 22.
Yuasa, Mark. (2012). "MOD's pizzas are fast, tasty and
inexpensive". Seattle Times.
Caley, Nora. (2013). "Breakout Brands: MOD Pizza". Nation's
Restaurant News.
Garnick, Coral. (2016). "Mod Pizza brings in another $32M,
plans to double store count". Puget Sound Business Journal
Garnick, Coral. (2016). "Mod Pizza continues its rapid rise,
makes international debut". Puget Sound Business Journal
Hynum, Rick. (2013). "Fast-casual pioneer James Markham
blazes a bold new trail into pizza's future". Pizza Magazine.
Lin, X. (2016). Strategy Analysis of a Boutique and Lifestyle
Hotel: A SWOT Analysis (Doctoral dissertation, California
State Polytechnic University, Pomona).
Bernhardt, S. M. (2017). Strategy Analysis and Business Plan
for Red Barn Farm (Doctoral dissertation, The College of St.
Scholastica).
Webb, C., Knutson, C., & Gamble, T. (2017). First Watch
Franchise Expansion Proposal.
Michael Konopasek (2014) “MOD Pizza’s Recipe for Success
Gives Felons Second Chance,”
Katrina Fajardo (2014),) “Executive Summary,” Pizza
Restaurants – US (Mintel, p. 2,