Republic of the Philippines

Province of Cavite
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Indang, Cavite
 (046) 415-0021  (046) 415-0012
E-mail: cvsu@asia.com

A MOVIE REVIEW

ERIN BROCKOVICH

Jade Clarisse G. Ambion

MBA 3rd Year

Ms. Tania Marie Melo

Professor, Philosophy of Business
1. What effect do dress and demeanor have on a person’s ability to perform well on the job.
What qualifies someone to do a job? Does society have any particular responsibility to single
women raising a family?
Professionalism is defined as an individual's conduct at work. This includes ethical codes which
guide the organization itself and its employees with regards to activities, productivity, core
values and reputation. To comply with the ethical codes of an organization, one should have a
positive outlook on what to wear and how to behave towards others. Both of which can have a
significant impact on the performance of the employees. Actually, it could be measured through
the perception of a person and the comfortability of the clothes that they are wearing. If one is
comfortable with a formal wear because he believes that it is suited for him and that it can boost
his confidence in doing his duty, then it is a clear sign to have a direct effect on his performance,
as well as to the person who just wants to wear any casual clothes to work where he can
maximize his movements in working. Moreover, a person’s behavior towards others is another
key to effectiveness and efficiency to perform a task or job. If one would show a great
camaraderie towards his co-employees, then he could avoid conflicts resulting to working in
tranquil, as well as finishing the job efficiently and without something to be bothered about.
In the movie Erin Brockovich, Erin, the main character, though does not have any background
with the law but in greatly need of a job to sustain the needs of her children, still pursued her
career in Ed Masry’s law firm. Despite her unfortunate situation, she is smart and very straight
forward with what she believes in, and those, I think, helped her with her job. But, what
qualifies any person to do a job? First, is the person’s will and passion to pursue the job. Even
without any knowledge, if a person is genuinely, enthusiastically passionate about a specific job,
that passion is a highly valuable characteristic. This ensures burning midnight oil, when
necessary, to master new skills and get the job done right. And for any company, having
employee with this qualification is more than gold. Second, I guess, is the ability to adapt
quickly with the job’s demands. The best way to demonstrate this is being up-to-date on all the
latest and greatest skills needed to finish the tasks. Lastly, having the real skills. Everyone has
his own talents and skills which are very remarkable and unique such as writing and
communication skills which can be used in speaking and preaching in front of a lot of people
confidently. These may be simple to someone but I believe that these could be a great asset to a
company.
For a single parent like Erin, earning for a living is really a struggle specially having three
children under her custody. In today’s market situation, where there is a constant hike on the
inflation rate, it is actually hard for one’s income to cover up all the expenses until the following
pay day. The government can take an action about this to help solo parents in raising their
families, like giving them discounts and other privileges that could somehow aid them in taking
care of their families, providing them ID indicating their statuses. These things could actually a
great leap to them.
2. In the film, PG&E in San Francisco makes decisions affecting company operations in
Hinkley, California, more than 300 miles away. Speculate upon the size and nature of huge
companies. How many levels of management do you suppose there are? Who deals with the
money? Who deals with the customers?Who deals with the local, state, and federal
regulations? How might the organization of such a company breed a lack of concern for
people-both employees of the company and customers?

3. Notice how preconceived notions based upon appearance and behavior affect the
characters’ attitudes and actions toward one another. Is this interpretation valid? How have
you seen prejudices and preconceived ideas about people influence behavior?