THE MERIT CORPORATION 1

In The Merits of Meritocracy, by David Brooks, Brooks discusses the lives of middle-class children growing up in America. He opens up with an anecdote about his daughter, to lead into one of his main points: middle-class children have busy and protected childhood, filled with many opportunities supervised by adults (193). For instance, his daughter has four different helmets for biking, pogo sticking, skateboarding, and playing baseball (193). She is a prime example of how the middle-class is presented with opportunities and busy lives; because of this, Brooks claims the general middle-class parent fears their child is too spoiled by abundance, and will never have to commit to one thing (194). Another large fear Brooks states they have, is

In order to evaluate my role within the group it is important to identify what makes a group. A group must

Every member of the group has ownership over work being completed, therefore feeling empowered to then take ownership through their personal and social lives (Ratts, Anthony & Santos 2001).

In IKEA, the Unsolicited Proposal came from many directions. Firstly, in 1952 the boycott by Swedish retailers to IKEA, obliged to IKEA to seek new sources of furniture. Second, the Swedish furniture market demand fall by the early 1970s. Third, IKEA had identified as we said before two big markets to

To Hayes the failure of meritocracy comes from its focus on equality of opportunity over equality of outcome. Thus, as inequality escalated, the meritocracy ended up becoming so entrenched and isolated that it is no longer even much of a meritocracy. Hayes cites his elite NYC alma mater, Hunter College High School, as a prime example. The only admissions requirement is passing its entrance exam, yet the percentage students from minority and low income backgrounds has been steadily declining due to the expensive test taking prep courses that more affluent students can afford. Meanwhile the increasingly wealthy “meritocratic elites” isolate themselves from the rest of us in the 99% by living and traveling privately – in gated communities, exclusive clubs and resorts, corporate jets, etc., blaming the masses rather than themselves for societal woes.

In Rivethead, Ben Hamper recalls life as an assembly worker for General Motors. As he exposes the faults of the American industrial system, he also gives the reader a glimpse into the constraining reality of blue collar life. After resisting his familial ties to GM, Hamper gives into the enticing prospects of a stable job. As Hamper explains the ins and outs of the assembly line, Rensis Likert 's organizational theory is ever-present. I argue that when Likert 's prescriptive theory is actually applied, these "systems" fit less into boxes and more into a spectrum. Although an argument for human resources organizations, Likert 's ideas can be used to examine how GM fits not only into the exploitive, authoritative System I but also the benevolent, authoritative System II. First, I will give an overview of Likert 's System IV, and then apply those systems to Ben Hamper 's Rivethead to support my argument.

“A progressive success story.” Mallaby offers a few words from Jason Furman of New York University in description of the company so many know as

The myth of meritocracy has been proven true in multiply sources. Studies have hypothesized this before when relating to upward mobility. Upward mobility in the last forty years has been more and more unlikely for years and years now. Factors like race, socioeconomic status, household makeup, and economic conditions of this country play a big role. I will go more indepth about this study by showing more facts in the following paragraphs.

The 1900s were full of many events that were induced by discrimination. For the greater part of the 20th century, America was not a meritocracy. The definition of meritocracy is when someone is treated based on how hard they have worked. Many people of color did not live in a world with meritocracy. Mexicans saw meritocracy as an unrealistic view. The dominant race usually treated other races as inferior, based off the color of skin. For this reason, many minorities suffered from discrimination and injustices. Many Americans violated the Fourteenth Amendment which gives citizens the right of not getting deprived of privileges. Two scenarios, the Lemon Grove Incident and the Mendez case point to a pattern of institutionalized discrimination

o “Burr set up and chaired a “Structure Group”, comprised of six top managers, to decide major policies, including how to reestablish communications in a company outgrowing its original structure.” (p.12)

My first business is Tesco the biggest retail company in Britain. My second business is McDonald’s one of the largest franchise fast food outlets in the world.

Perhaps Mr. Thomas should have studied and evaluated what pursuing a standard line of furniture in addition to maintaining the custom line of furniture would

Merit Consulting, Inc. is an executive search firm that is located in St. Augustine, Florida. They are serving the northeast Florida and beyond. Merit Consulting, Inc. was initially established in 2000 to serve the needs of the domestic and international marketplace. They take the time to understand the needs and desires of active and passive, employed and unemployed

IKEA provides vast variety of home products from furniture, bed, tables, chairs, to home decoration, and kitchen accessories. At the heart of the IKEA strategy was its product range which founder of the company Ingvar Kampard called “Our Identity”(Bartlett, Nanda 1996). IKEA is recognized world-wide for its innovative approach toward business and stylish designs. The company has used innovation for cost leadership. “Almost all IKEA products are designed for flat packaging, which reduces shipping costs, minimizes transport damage,

Ikea, the world’s largest home furniture retailing company, was founded by Ingvar Kamprad. He built his business empire through developing a distinct corporate culture. The Ikean