Group items tagged

The name of the website I reviewed is Momsrising.org, and the URL is http://www.momsrising.org/. This is a non-profit organization 501(c)(4), which means contributions are not tax deductible. I was unable to pinpoint authorship to one person. The 'about us' section simply states that this is a group of people (mostly mothers) who have come together to address issues related to motherhood and family. Specifically, the group examines issues such as maternity and paternity leave, open flexible work, toxics, health care, early care and education, fair wages and paid sick time. The organization's ideas stem from a book titled, The Motherhood Manifesto, authored by Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. It just so happens that Rowe-Finkbeiner is also the Executive Director of Momsrising.org. Most of the articles and other stories on their site do not give credit to any author. The only exception would be the Blog page, but even then, it is sometimes just a first name. This organization seems to me to be basically like a PAC, working to change public policies in order to make the workplace more family friendly. The targeted audience would be working mothers and fathers, but it seems there are many more women involved than men. The website addresses many issues that are important regarding work, family, and community. Many workers struggle with finding affordable childcare and this site has a page directly related to promoting early education and childcare for all. They also promote family-friendly policies such as flex-time, job sharing, and telecommuting. I think this website provides some useful information, but I also believe that most of it is biased and subjective. For example, one of the issues they address is healthcare for all. Included is a link to a question and answer session with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. She touts that the

And, here's the rest.... She touts that the new health care reform is designed to put you (us) in charge of our own health, giving us more options, etc. However, no one really knows what is going to happen when this takes effect. There are countless other arguments that support the ideas that people will have less access to care, important medical decisions will be made by some 'board', and the number of qualified doctors will quickly decline. Of course, Momsrising.org only presents the side of the story they want you to believe with regards to the health care reform law. Overall, I would consider the website credible because this group does exist. News articles from around the country support their existence. I noticed they had a "Donate" button that takes you to a page where you can make a monetary donation; however, they don't give a 'breakdown' of where this money goes. For example, what percentage goes to overhead, etc? The site appears to be fairly current, as it should be since it is addressing issues that are being faced today. The copyright date only gives the year 2011, but the "In The News" page contains several links to recent press releases. The site is well designed and consistent in layout. I was unable to find a 'help' screen or a site map.

The Company That Cares website is an effective website that focuses on making companies socially responsible. The website offers three action programs, AIM High, Invisible Differences, and CareDays all stemmed towards developing children for college, helping those with disabilities gain skills to enter the workforce and address other significant issues throughout society. The not-for-profit company is founded by Marci Koblenz, Founder and President, Sandra Cunningham, Founder, Mary Ellen Gornick, Founder. The website also educates employers about the many issues that may be faced by their employees, especially those living in poverty. This website ties into our involvement in MGT 444 in many ways. The website makes employers aware of the many issues that employees face outside of the workplace which can have a direct impact on an employees work life. I feel that websites such as this one make it easier for employers to implement family friendly policies and be more open to the societal issues many employees face. Those companies involved with Companies That Care will more likely handle employees with conflicts between work and home life in more effective ways and the website is funded by companies that care. The companies that help fund this website have definately made a step at understanding the many issues employees face and will be more likely to deal with these issues in a way that will retain workers in the face of some family based conflicts. The Companies That Care's website provides a code of conduct that has ten characteristics. One of the characteristics is to encourage work/life balance and another characteristic is to enable the well-being of individuals and their families through compensation, benefits, policies and practices. Due to these and other of the ten characteristic codes of conduct I think it is clear that Companies That Care encourages family friendly policies in the workplace and more websites such as this should exist.

From Companies that Care: "Center for Companies That Care is a national, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enhancing the well-being of employees and communities by educating and inspiring employers to practice employer engagement and integrate the 10 Characteristics of a Socially Responsible Employer into their daily business practices. Our Community of Caring is making a difference in communities and workplaces nationwide through community-building initiatives and education about how to be a company that cares." The intended audiences of Companies that Care are employers and managers. Companies that Care seeks to resolve many of the work, life, time, community, and family balance issues identified in our studies this semester. They identify the 10 Characteristics of Socially Responsible Employers and also have created an Honor Roll to recognize companies that meet their standards of social responsibility. The website openly identifies the corporate connections of their board members and sponsors. This could lead the organization to be biased towards their sponsor when awarding their Honor Roll recognition, but it could also be an indication that these companies value the advocacy of social responsibility in the corporate world.

I feel that the website is biased towards dealings with companies that care. The corporate connections they hold are what I feel demonstrate support by other companies that value the family friendly policies this website endorses. I feel the website is credible by being able to pull the support of other organizations, seemingly those involved in healthcare are the websites main supporters, but the few supporters they have underline the fact that the organization is having it's effects on businesses who hold similar values. I expect this website to grow and obtain more support as they seem very genuine.