Icon: Martha Stewart Martha Stewart has risen to national prominence as the ultimate host, media star and designer. She crafted a unique brand and built it into a multibillion-dollar business empire. She was charged, convicted and served prison time for insider trading, becoming one of the most famous felons of her generation. Stewart then rebuilt her prominent status after this fall from grace and retained her leadership role in the public company she founded. Her resilience has been an inspiration to millions of adoring fans across all demographics. Stewart did not just break the glass ceiling, she shattered it. Evolving from model to culinary superstar, to publishing mogul, she has redefined what is possible for women to achieve. She has done it all and true to her brand, she has made it look easy and effortless along the way. As described by …show more content…
An excellent example of this is when she purchases the rights to her brands and restructures them into a new super company “Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia “. Omni, meaning “all” is a fitting designation. This reinforces the idea that if she isn’t satisfied, she strategically plots a new course, never looking back. Stewart is rumored to be a controlling, overbearing and callous boss. I have a strong sense that if she were a man in the same position the reaction would happen differently. A man behaving in a similar manner would be met with praise for his passion and drive. If she is acting like a boss, it’s because she’s a boss. That’s how you get to icon status. By being unapologetically yourself, without concern for pleasing others. We should celebrate women for their boldness. For daring to dare. The ability to keep moving forward is often overlooked and should be rejoiced whenever possible. And should it be true, that Stewart is indeed what she is rumored to be, then so be it. I guess that’s the price you pay to be an
In relation to leadership and women, historically women who wanted to seek leadership roles were often seen projecting the traditional masculine model of leadership. This model means to be rational, unemotional and analytic. It also, means in order to succeed traditionally women needed to look and act like a man to be taken seriously in leadership positions. Women in the past often dressed up in suits and ties and anything feminine was seen as an internal “weakness”. To be a leader in power meant to exude confidence in masculinity and shy away from anything remotely girly. As opposed, to the feminine model which casts power as focused on connection and harmony instead of power over something, someone. This power can be skilled through collective gain or physical attractiveness (Kruse 22).
Joyce Stewart is seventy two year old, white female that lives in the small town of Candor New York. She has spent the majority of her life taking care of other people, including her eight children; now six due to tragic circumstances. She also was a house wife trying to survive being a mother to her children while her husband was away in the Navy. She now is a widow; her second husband passed away about ten years ago. She grew up on a farm with a low socio economic status; she overcame circumstances that she was dealt by working her entire life and eventually living a more financially stable life. Joyce is not rich by any means, but is able to live comfortably. She owns her own house that she and
As technology has developed over the years, society has become extremely reliant and addicted to the media. According to A.C. Nielsen Co., a global information and measurement firm, the average American youth watches twenty eight hours of television per week. Within a sixty-five year timeframe an individual will have spent a total of nine years watching TV (Herr). Both of these sects contribute millions of jobs providing individuals with ample opportunities, a gateway to success. It certainly provided the break for one African American woman to attain a status she could have only dreamt of as a child growing up in an unstable, emotionally debilitating, and unpromising environment. Oprah Winfrey is arguably one of the most influential women in modern times. She sprang up from seemingly nowhere becoming a media mogul, named most influential and wealthiest woman numerous years in a row by both Forbes and The Time. Oprah was brought to fame for her critically acclaimed talk show, which swiftly boosted her from rags to riches, and over the years resulted in her crowning as the “Queen of Talk.” Oprah Gail Winfrey, named the first African American female billionaire, was nominated for an academy award in her performance in The Color Purple, and through hard work and persistence forged her way into a position as CEO of her own television network and production company. Her self-entitled talk show, which would become the highest rated of its kind, served as a pioneer for many TV shows that emerged in the late 1980’s following the premiered of her show on daytime television. “I’m Oprah Winfrey, and welcome to the very first national Oprah Winfrey Show!” she exclaimed as the studio audience cheered enthusiastically (Brown). However, what pe...
The free enterprise system allows individuals to make their own economic decisions without government restriction.Oprah Winfrey is just one entrepreneur who would have not been made successful without this system. This woman is a self-made billionaire with respect to her pursuance in acting, producing, television hosting, and as chairman of Harpo Inc. Many charities have been impacted from the donations of Winfrey and her actions. As a once poor and African American she is living proof that free enterprise allows anyone to become successful.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia was impacted by two legal troubles. The first one was related to Martha Stewart herself. She was charged with insider trading in 2003. This led to bad publicity and prohibited her from a leadership position for several years. The second legal trouble was because of a bridge of agreement that MSLO signed with Macy’s.
Susan is shopping in a supermarket. She passes through the fresh fruit section, slips on a squashed banana and breaks her hip. Does she have a legal claim against the supermarket?
For over 60 years, Wonder Woman has filled the pages of her magazine with adventures ranging from battling Nazis, to declawing human-like Cheetahs. Her exploits thrilled and inspired many young girls, including Gloria Steinem. Through all of this, she has had to pilot her invisible jet through territories that her male counterparts have never had to. She is constantly pulled in two directions; her stories must be entertaining and non threatening to the male status quo, while simultaneously furthering her as the original symbol of 'Girl Power.' She is praised for being an icon of strength to women everywhere, but chastised for wearing a skimpy costume and tying men up, as if she were no more than a male fantasy. No comic book character has had to endure as much scrutiny as Wonder Woman. That's because Wonder Woman represents an entire gender, at a time of important social flux. Although she was created by a man to influence a male audience, Wonder Woman has evolved into an important symbol of the feminist movement.
My research opened my eyes to the struggle of women in the job market. The differences range from how we speak, what we wear, to where our priorities exist in business. One of the first books I came across was Managing Like a Man by Judy Wajcman. The title alone highlights the severe psychological separation of men and women in the workplace. Everyone faces difficulty at some point or another in a working environment. Unfortunately for women, workplace issues can range from not getting along, not keeping the job, or simply not getting the job. ‘Bust through the glass ceiling’ is a term coined in regards to women and the seemingly impossible climb up the ladder of success. Multiple books and studies about women seeking leadership roles give the theory a legitimate hype. The female gender has to fight for their role in the workplace, even when they have more education, more experience, and a newly found focus on equality for women. Extended research is still being done because the issue has not been completely eradicated; even now in the 2000’s.
Oprah Winfrey is an inspiration to many all around the world. She did not have a very good home life up until the age of 14. She was abused as a child and did not see her mother very often because she was a housemaid who was gone almost every day all day. Vernon Winfrey, Oprah’s father, was a big service in her life when it came to keeping her in a nonviolent manner. Oprah also had her career going for her when she became Miss Black Tennessee at age 17. When Oprah became Miss Black Tennessee she was offered a radio broadcasting job and a full scholarship to Tennessee. Oprah had quite a few talk shows yet she made the most money off her own show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and now has her individual network called The Oprah Winfrey Network. Oprah Winfrey’s influential style greatly impacted those who came after her in the entertainment industry.
In order to understand McDonald's structure and culture and why they continue to be the world's largest restaurant chain we conducted a SWOT analysis that allowed us to consider every dimension involved in the business level and corporate level strategies.
McDonald's Corporation is the largest fast-food operator in the World and was originally formed in 1955 after Ray Kroc pitched the idea of opening up several restaurants based on the original owned by Dick and Mac McDonald. McDonald's went public in 1965 and introduced its flagship product, the Big Mac, in 1968. Today, McDonald's operates more than 30,000 restaurants in over 100 countries and have one of the world's most widely known brand names. McDonald's sales hit $57 billion company-wide and over $25 billion in the United States in 2006 (S&P).
...rules of conduct’ that spelled success for men. Now a second wave of women is making its way into top management, not by adopting the style and habits that have proved successful for men but by drawing on the skills and attitudes they developed from their shared experience as women.” Let it be known that this gradual process of more and more women exercising their own freedoms have led to the independent women that lead America today.
For the workers who were not one of her favorites, they were expected to work harder to not get criticized. Even if they did a great job, they were not rewarded any recognition for a job well done. However, for those who were the favorites, they could get away with doing substantially less. These employees were allowed to do a poor job. This favoritism did not earn my supervisor any respect from me. I basically saw her as a teenager in high school wanting to be the leader of the cool clique.
The Devil Wears Prada movie showcases an autocratic leadership style in Miranda Priestly, the Editor of the fictitious Runway magazine. The movie begins with the hopeful and naive graduate student interviewing for a much coveted position as Miranda Priestley’s 2nd Assistant. This highly regarded position was within a fast paced and competitive organization and unfortunately, before our main character, Andrea, could be selected for the job she needed to run the obstacle course of the self-serving and somewhat indifferent leadership style of the 1st Assistant, Emily. In this plot, there are a multitude of leadership styles and characteristics that are identifiable throughout the movie displayed both by Miranda and her second assistant
Women make up over 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, yet only 14 percent of executive officer positions within companies are filled by women. Within the Fortune 500 CEOs, only 21 of them are women. The United States prides itself on equality and justice, but the majority of the population is not adequately represented in leadership roles. It is time for the entire country to reevaluate its internal gender biases. Women are taking strides to overcome the centuries-old tradition of men being the breadwinners and women taking care of the family and having low-demanding jobs. Biases do not just come from men, as it is proven that women are just as biased against themselves. Society puts more pressure on men to be successful while not expecting as much from women. Men typically attribute their successes to themselves, while women underestimate themselves and attribute their successes to luck or hard work. This lack of self-confidence can be traced back to years of women constantly doubting themselves (Sandberg). Women need to follow Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s advice written in her book “Lean In”: “But feeling confident—or pretending that you feel confident—is necessary to reach for opportunities. It’s cliché, but opportunities are rarely offered; they’re seized” (Sandberg 34). Willing women have to overcome societal traditions and sit at the table. To do this they have to either get into leadership positions to then break down barriers or break down barriers to get into those coveted leadership positions. These barriers are deeply-rooted into almost every culture worldwide. Sexism and discrimination are constant issues for women in the workplace and not enough is being done to address the...