Famous Speech and Critical Thinking

This paper critically analyzes John F Kennedy's inaugural address and Apple's diversity statement. It examines the structure and context of the speech and statement and compares their differences.

Running head: FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author note:

1FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Analysis of John F Kennedy’s 1961 speech..............................................................................2
Analysis of statement by the company-Apple annual report.....................................................4
Structural comparison of speech and statement.........................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

2FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
Introduction
The aim of this paper to focus is to critically analyze the speech of JF Kennedy during
his inaugural address as a President and the video statement made by Apple in 2017 on the
themes of inclusiveness and diversity. Employing the learning outcome from critical business
thinking, this paper examines the structure of the speech and video statement and
contextualizes the contents of the speech and the company statement. Then the paper shifts to
analyzing the difference between the structures of the video statement by Apple and JF
Kennedy’s speech and engages in a critical comparison.
Analysis of John F Kennedy’s 1961 speech
John F Kennedy delivered an inaugural address in Washington on January 20, 1961.
When he took the oath to the office, he was the 35th President (Goetsch and Davis 2014). JF
Kennedy delivered a speech characterized with rhetorics and lofty promises to uplift America
from the then misery. Kennedy emphasized about human agency, the power of man to change
the course of destiny and usher in transformations in their situations. Kennedy emphasized
that Americans should not forget the contributions of the previous generations and therefore,
it is the responsibility of the present generation to carry forward the legacy of their forefather.
The new generation of Americans should not forget the trials and tribulations induced by war
and the glorious heritage that they are predecessors (Cottrell 2017). His speech was beaming
with optimism and he emphasized on the vision of American towards its competitors, towards
the friends and towards the spiritual and the cultural allies. JF Kennedy was resolute in his
commitment to bring an end to mass slavery across the world and the plight of poverty. JF
Kenndy’s speech was important considering the changing socio-political conditions in
America, he appealed to the sentiments of the people to break the shackles of misery and

3FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
poverty all across the world. JF Kennedy’s speech is important in the context there were
many new countries that wanted to assert independence from the colonial powers and
therefore, Kennedy’s exhortation that they wish to be an ally of America is quite appropriate
(Martínez 2016). Kennedy’s contention on making America s superpower emphasized on
America’s vision of becoming a superpower in the unipolar world. America sought to emerge
as the superpower and establish itself as the most powerful nation all over the world. His
exhortation on the capability of United Nations as the last hope for seeking justice and appeal
for peace brought out USA’s alliance with United Nations. Kennedy dreamt of an America
that would emerge as the bastion of justice and become a beacon of hope for the teeming
million populations all over the world (Collis and Hussey 2013). Kennedy spoke about the
dominance of modern weapons and this highlighted the growing threat from the biological
wars of weapon, nuclear war and destruction caused by modern war. Kennedy spoke the role
of Russia and the imperative for Russia to come together and be part of important decision-
making rather than fighting a lone battle. The audience of John F Kennedy who came to
listen to his speech went far beyond the people (Martin 2015). His speech appealed to a wider
global audience. As can be inferred from the contents, tone and the layout of his speech that
he insinuated on the cold war. The speech was arranged in a manner to embolden the
different nations of the world and inspire the citizens of the world to not to lose hope and
hold onto their courage (Rabe 2014). The most interesting part of the speech articulated by
Kennedy and felt by other citizens is that “And so my fellow Americans: ask not what your
country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country.” His speech is important in the
context of his victory by a small margin. His inaugural address was successful in reaching to
a wider audience and people who ahs heard his speech applauded him (Newcomb,
Alyssa, What Apple Is Doing About Lack Of Diversity In The Workplace 2018). His speech

4FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
made a connection with people and elementary school children wrote to him a letter of
appreciation.
Analysis of statement by the company-Apple annual report
Apple’s famous inclusion and diversity video harps on the concept of diversity as
open and the emphasized on the imperative to embrace new culture. This video begins with
women garbed in her hijab and articulating about the need to embrace. The notion of
inclusiveness and diversity that has taken the world by storm (Bryman and Bell 2015). It has
become important to foster new values. It shows the company’s endeavors to incorporate
inclusiveness and promote the values of diversity. This video and the themes featured in the
video have become a become an important topic in the Silicon Valley (Paul and Elder 2013).
The video presents Apple’s policy that open is not just a word but emphasizes on the
importance of inclusiveness. The video talks about the need to embrace people who are
disabled, able-bodied, from different races, cultures, personalities, ideologies and differences
(Ru-Chu 2013). The speech focuses that humanity is not singular but it is diverse and lingers
on the issue of pluralism. In Apple, 29 per cent of the leaders are women (Hair et al. 2015). It
was further reported that 39 per cent of the employees are women and are below the age of
30. It was reported that the female representation in Apple is on a steady rise. There has been
an increase in the number of women since the survey conducted in 2014. The company
acknowledged that it is dependent on the spectacular contributions of the women leaders in
and employees in the company. Many women in the company are under the age of 30
(Zikmund, Babin, Carr and Griffin 2013). About 39 per cent of the women in the company
are women. The Vice-President of Apple Kim was of the opinion that she was thrilled to be a
part of Apple and her stint as a woman leader. The company has shown commitment towards
the cause of diversity. During the period of July 2016 to July 2017, more than half of the
employees who were recruited into Apple belong to historically underrepresented group that

5FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
includes women, black, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Native American.
The new people hired or recruited have been claimed to be more diverse compared to the
present employees. Apple has been touted to be a multigeneral company with employees
ranging between the age group of 18 to 85. The HR team in Apple is aware that the people
whoa re being recruited today will reflect the culture of the company tomorrow. Apple is a
global company with more than 130000 employees. Since 2014 there has been a high
induction of female employees in the company and it has recruited 37, 000 women on a
global basis. The new agenda in Apple is a diverse and welcoming community ushers with it
a new and healthy work culture. Apple has established Diversity Network Associations
(DNAs). The brand believes that a welcoming community would be helpful for the diverse
communities to experience the world of Apple. The diversity and inclusiveness is posited to
be useful for the future of Apple. Apple has achieved pay equity in almost all the countries. It
has created opportunities for women to earn at par with men and made an attempt to
eliminate their marginalization. Apple have also shown its commitment towards people with
sexually diverse background, this includes the rights of the LGBTQ Equality and Human
Rights Campaign (HRC). In 2017, Apple have dedicated a part of its proceeds for the Pride
Edition Apple Watch Band, the Trevor Project and the ILGA. Apple is of the belief that that
most powerful; technology should be at the disposal of everyone that should include the
individual with different disabilities (Borchorst and Siim, 2016)This creates opportunities for
everyone to work. Apple is of the belief that a more diverse future can be possible by
emphasizing on the aspect of education. Apple has been the partner of National Center for
Women & Technology & Information Technology that is committed towards the cause of
women empowerment and participation of women within its network. This initiative by
Apple has made an appeal to a section of audience who believes in the cause of
empowerment, equality and diversity. These are the millenials. However, the rhetoric of

6FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
Apple might not be compatible for sections of critics who may feel that corporate are trying
to exploit the sentiments of popular sentiments of people for their own benefits. There has
been a trend to incorporate the values of equality, women empowerment and diversity and the
corporate enter[rises and in this case, Apple have understood that using such rhetorics would
enhance their brand value and take them to a wider audience. This can also be related to
Apple’s history of being exclusionary and discriminatory. According to a report published on
August 12, 2014, Apple was accused of its lack of diversity. The diversity report published
by Apple found that that the most likely person to occupy the top paying and prestigious
position would be a male and white (Kernbach, Seppler and Bresciani 2015). The then CEO
of Apple Tim Cook was not contended with the current position of Apple and felt that Apple
needs to adopt more inclusive policies. Cook further opined that Apple has shown
commitment in improving the experiences of the employees and striving towards greater
diversity
Structural comparison of speech and statement
In case of the JF inaugural address it was found that the speech proceeded in a
coherent manner with pauses sometimes to allow the audience to feel the impact of the
speech. The speech has been written and articulated in a manner such that it appeals to the
sentiments of the audience. As witnessed above, the speech was well received and even
connected with the children. In case of Apple’s statement on inclusiveness and diversity,
youtube has been used. The use of video in a digital era is an appropriate decision. Apple has
strongly emphasized on the themes of equality, diversity and inclusiveness by creating a
video of its employees who are considered as assets of the company. Kennedy’s speech was
made in the context of cold war, potential threat from nuclear weapon and the emphasis of a
powerful America that is premised on the foundations of ethical values. In Kennedy’s speech

7FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
there are loft promises and emotional exhortations strewn throughout the speech. In case of
Apple the employment of real life people instead of models to cut across the issue of diversity
and inclusiveness in a good step. The video persuades to embrace ideologies, emphasizes on
the plurality of humanity and celebration of differences. Towards the end, the video is shown
with women leaders from the company who have made important contributions. The
structure of the Apple statement would appeal to the millenials as the key words of open,
embrace, difference; plurality and inclusiveness have become essential in the contemporary
time. The speech proceeded in a manner so that it would appeal to the sentiments of the
audience and through images, there was an attempt to establish the stand of the company
against the rising criticism it has faced over the years. The portrayal of women employees
towards the end of the is an attempt of Apple to entrench its view and silence its challengers.
Conclusion
This paper was concerned with the inaugural address of John F Kennedy and the
video statement made by Apple towards its stand on equality, diversity, difference and
inclusiveness. It was found that the speech by John F Kennedy was well received by a wider
audience including children. The speech was organized in a manner that it could linger on
different themes that was considered appropriate for the then American context. America was
dealing with the complexities of civil war, cold war, threats from other nations, emphasis on
making America a strong nation and other relevant issues of the time. On the other hand,
Apple’s statement focused on the issues infesting the present generation as well as the
accusations made against Apple about its lack of diversity. It was found that Apple’s video
statement was less effective compared to JF Kennedy’s inaugural address. The themes and
organization of the speech was appropriate and made a connection with the audience.

8FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
References
Borchorst, A. and Siim, B., 2016. The multicultural challenge to the Danish Welfare state:
Tensions between gender equality and diversity. In Changing Relations of Welfare (pp. 147-
168). Routledge.
Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015. Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA.
Collis, J. and Hussey, R., 2013. Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and
postgraduate students. Palgrave macmillan.
Cottrell, S., 2017. Critical thinking skills. Macmillan Education.
Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
Hair Jr, J.F., Wolfinbarger, M., Money, A.H., Samouel, P. and Page, M.J., 2015. Essentials of
business research methods. Routledge.
Jackson, S.L., 2015. Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach. Cengage
Learning.
Kernbach, S., Eppler, M.J. and Bresciani, S., 2015. The use of visualization in the
communication of business strategies: An experimental evaluation. International Journal of
Business Communication, 52(2), pp.164-187.
Martin, J., 2015. Situating speech: A rhetorical approach to political strategy. Political
Studies, 63(1), pp.25-42.
Martínez Palacios, J., 2016. Equality and diversity in democracy: how can we democratize
inclusively?. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 35(5/6), pp.350-
363.

9FAMOUS SPEECH AND CRITICAL THINKING
Newcomb, Alyssa, What Apple Is Doing About Lack Of Diversity In The Workplace(2018)
ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/apple-lack-diversity-workplace/story?
id=24950798
Paul, R. and Elder, L., 2013. Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional
and personal life. Pearson Education.
Rabe, S.G., 2014. The most dangerous area in the world: John F. Kennedy confronts
communist revolution in Latin America. UNC Press Books.
Ru-Chu, S.H.I.H., 2013. Effect of using Facebook to assist English for business
communication course instruction. Tojet: the Turkish online journal of educational
technology, 12(1).
Zikmund, W.G., Babin, B.J., Carr, J.C. and Griffin, M., 2013. Business research methods.
Cengage Learning.