Should we eat meat Essay Example

Should we eat meat Essay The moral argument of animal rights has been discussed for decades. There are many types of cruelty to animals, including vivisection and animal testing, eating meat, hunting and farming. Campaigners risk their lives to protect animals, but some people are totally opposed to the idea of rights for them. Although more than 25% of the British population does not think eating meat is safe or healthy, only 4. 5% actually avoid it. The arguments for vegetarianism include cruelty, health matters and taste. But there are almost as many good arguments against it for the same type of reasons. What is vegetarianism? The dictionary definition is someone who does not eat meat. However, millions of people would claim that they are vegetarians or veggies but still eat poultry, seafood and use animal based or tested products. Tere are a handful (4%) of vegetarians that do abide by all the rules. These are generally called vegans, and do not use any animals related products. This includes leather, milk and obviously meat. Avoiding meat is a lot harder than one may think. Many types of pasta, for instance, contain egg, which is from a chicken. All dairy produce derives from animal milk; meaning they cannot, or will not, eat yoghurt, cheese or butter. We will write a custom essay sample on Should we eat meat specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Should we eat meat specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Should we eat meat specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer But doesnt this just inconvenience themselves as well as others? Apparently not. Most people become vegetarian because they believe it is wrong to slaughter animals. The Vegetarian Society. This is a true point, most people believe it is not at all acceptable to kill an animal for food. But they believe it is right to slaughter an animal to find a cure for disease, or to kill an animal for its skin. What I am trying to say is, if you are going to not eat meat for one reason then you might as well at least think of another reason. Animals used in laboratories are worse kept than any farm animal, so why do they believe this is right? Because it is not directly affecting the people. They see meat in shops, and think of the animals being slaughtered. But when they see a cured person walk out of a hospital, or they find their headache has stopped after taking aspirin, they do not see a mouse with growths on its legs dead in a bin. I am trying to say that there is no point in just not eating meat, this is not going to help stop cruelty to animals. In fact, vegetarians alone are not doing any good at all. As Carla Lane, a writer and animal welfare campaigner, said,Its no good crying out against the [calf export] trade if you are going to have milk. She is a vegetarian. Many communities live on meat. The Massai tribe of Africa is a good example of this, as in drought seasons they thrive on every part of the cow. After milking, the cow is slaughtered, then the tribe eat the meat and use the milk and blood together as a beverage. The bones are used to build structures and houses. They seem to find nothing wrong with this; the word barbaric does not enter their minds as this is their only means of food, especially if the crops are not growing well. The cow is considered sacred in these parts of Africa, but still eaten. 2% of the British population eat meat more than five times a week, according to a 1998 poll. This means that although some people will refuse to eat meat, the traditional approach to Meat and two veg is still kept up in most households. In the same poll, 86% of people still have the custom Sunday dinner with chicken, lamb or beef. If vegetarian campaigners were to have their own way and stop the world from eating meat, not only would many people starve, but a considerable amount of workers would go out of business: Butchers shops are found on many a high street. This traditional method of buying meat is preferred by lots of people who believe that the best cuts of meat available are from an independent business. This is probably true, as many supermarkets have now branched out and include meat counters. The meat is generally mass produced from abattoirs, and each piece is not always taken so much care over to ensure the best quality. If all the butchers shops and counters were closed down, every single worker and skilled slaughterer would be out of a job. Abattoirs are huge warehouses that slaughter and treat meat before it is sent to a butcher. Even smaller abattoirs have at least 24 workers each. Farmers are the other large group of people that would lose jobs or even businesses. Many make their livings from selling eggs, milk, cheese and skins from their livestock, and selling the actual animals at markets and fairs. The stoppage of meat eating might even put some EHOs out of a job if they didnt have enough food complaints about meat and animal products. The promotion of vegetarianism in the media is more than expected after research. There are over 200 national organisations which campaign for animal rights, and numerous international groups. These are publicised by the media and supported by a number of celebrities. Celebrities with strong opinions cleverly make use of the fact that the press hang on to every word they say. Vegetarian celebrities make the most of their fame and try to convert others by preaching about their ideas. This is, in a way, negative as many meat eating parents may have children who look up to these personalities and want to be like them. Paul, Linda and Stella McCartney, Mark Owen and Tony Blackburn are all popular vegetarian icons. Their faces are plastered all over the front of every vegetarian magazine in the country. I cannot see how this helps the animals but they get paid a lot. An amusing aspect was included in resources sent to me from The Vegetarian Society, stressing the point in a child-friendly leaflet that the Teletubbies were vegetarian. It brings to mind four coloured creatures dancing and singing, Tubby-Tofu. They must have been desperate for names if they included fictional characters from an early morning infantile television show. It is basically becoming fashionable to not eat meat. There are no popstars or TV personalities that are actively working against vegetarians. Every single resource that I have been sent from vegetarian societies and organisations has been promoting vegetarianism in a good light. After numerous searches through post and internet, I have found that there is not one group actively working AGAINST vegetarianism. If there is then they have not promoted themselves very well because I havent found them. It seems that there are so many arguments against the consuming of meat that nobody has the heart to argue for it. I, Katherine E Mann, have decided to try and prove these people wrong. I have come to a conclusion that for every opinion in the world, there must be one against it, no matter how wrong or politically incorrect it may be. The arguments for vegetarianism are interesting, as many leaflets offer practical help for vegetarian dieting instead of trying to convince people how right they are. The BSE scare has put more people than ever off eating meat. It isnt just beef that some people have been avoiding, its other meats as well. They call this, A precaution. Why? I ask. There had been traces of BSE in very few lambs, but thats no reason to stop eating meat altogether. I found many quotes whilst studying this topic, both for and against vegetarianism. There were over 40% more quotes urging me to stop eating meat though. One particular point against vegetarianism that was put over was: I am at a loss to see how vegetarians would maintain their food supplies without the millions of tons of shit produced by the overwintering of beasts. Alan Owen. Mr Owen is a part time farmer, so he knows what he is talking about. It is a good point, that if we do stop breeding so many animals for meat, there will not be so much manure to nurture the crops which the vegetarians would eat. So, by not breeding the animals, we are stunting the growth of millions of plants which vegetarians would in turn want to eat. But what does a vegetarian have to offer to contradict this? We can keep the animals, but just not breed them for food. But then, surely, wouldnt the world be over populated with animals? Britain itself is very crowded, it would make it ten times worse to keep every animal we bred. We would have to find somewhere to put them all. But you find somewhere to put all the people, says the vegetarian. We dont though, not all of them. If she were to go homeless now, I suggest, wouldnt she prefer to have a house built for her by the council instead of having to live on the streets because there were animals on all the land they could possibly build on? The vegetarian goes quiet. I have found that this point wins the argument for this particular part of the discussion. Another argument is that it takes half as much land to grow crops for vegetarians than it does to keep animals. Two points contradict this: Firstly, where would all the animals be kept whilst still alive and not being bred? Secondly, once all the land was used for growing crops for vegetarians, there wouldnt be enough of it. Especially if everyone in the world stopped eating meat, there would be more than 150% of the land in use if possible. But this isnt possible. Following the discussion with The Vegetarian (she isnt meant to sound like an alien), I have decided to examine meat eaters opinions of vegetarians, and vegetarians opinions of meat eaters. Vegetarians generally dont see eye to eye with meat eaters on this topic. They do have more arguments, the word moral being frequently used. But are they necessarily right? Obviously, the meat eaters say No, and the vegetarians say, Yes. Vegetarians often see people that eat meat as people that would gladly kill an animal, have no conscience, dislike animals apart from for food, and barbaric. However, only very few meat eaters are actually like this. I have never met one. They do not generally like the idea of killing an animal, they do care about it and most usually like animals. But the vegetarians say that if they do care, why do they eat meat? Well it tastes good, humans have been eating it for millenniums, it is widely available, it is a healthy part of a staple diet But a meat eaters opinion of a vegetarian is usually one of two things. Firstly, a very thin person who does not eat any meat at all and every meal time consists of a carrot. Secondly, a person who will only eat the vegetarian option if they decide not to like the normal option. They will eat some meat, and eat meat if its the only thing available. Hypocrites? But they are not necessarily hypocrites, they just have opinions. If they chose not to eat meat, why shouldnt they? People chose to wear different clothes and worship different gods. This is OK for most people, they understand it. But when meat eaters start to dislike it is when the vegetarians call them cannibals, or barbarians. If it inconveniences people organising buffets or meals, then that is where it can get annoying. How would you like it if nobody had mentioned to you that a guest to your party was vegetarian and you were having a pure meat barbecue? Fortunately, many people ask if their guests have special dietary requirements nowadays. But still, why should we cook special foods for them? If most people are eating one thing, why cant they just go with the flow and join in? They can go back to vegetarianism the next day. If a family of four had bought a box of four lamb chops and one person was vegetarian, what would happen? I commented on this to someone, who kindly put it into practice. The vegetarian wouldnt eat the meat, but there was still a chop left. This chop couldnt be eaten by the other people because they had their own, so it was just thrown away. If it was going to be thrown out, they could have eaten it anyway. No difference made. The vegetarian claimed it was against her rights. Is the vegetarian option more healthy than meat? Most research shows, yes it is healthier. This is where the vegetarians point and laugh, and the meat eaters kick themselves. Meat is a valuable source of protein. But, a vegetarian diet can reduce levels of cholesterol, plus keep up levels of protein and iron. A point put across in a Viva! Leaflet was that vegetarians were no more likely to suffer anaemia than meat eaters. So? We wouldnt expect them to. The page also stated that zinc levels are normal in vegetarians. Nobody would even dream of thinking otherwise if they had any idea of becoming a vegetarian, or they shouldnt bother. It is a scientific fact that vegetarians are half as likely to suffer from cancer, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and strokes. There is no argument against this. The same leaflet also pointed out that 95% of all food poisoning comes from animal and meat products. According to Pauline Kirby, an EHO from Sutton Council, the figures most probably arent that high. Many of the cases are actually from animal products like eggs, but all are because the people preparing the food dont work hygienically enough. If people could be bothered to cook their foods properly then there would be no cases of food poisoning from meat products. Saying this though, the world as a whole is getting lazier when it comes to food. The vast range of ready cooked meals in supermarkets is a good example of this. Many people just do not have the time to cook themselves a meal every night, and meat needs slightly more preparation than other foods as it is very high risk. People say that vegetarians find it easier to cook using no meat. I can verify that this is not always true, after extensive research. I have watched a vegan prepare tofu and cannot see how this is simpler than meat. Tofu is, admittedly, a lower risk food than any meat, but when treated and cooked properly with no extra effort meat is perfectly fine. Tofu. Most people have heard of it, but how many know what it is? After a brief questionnaire around my classmates at school, 9 out of 46 people knew what it actually was. Most people knew that it was a vegetarian alternative to some foods, but 6 of the 9 people that knew were actually vegetarians themselves. I have found that tofu was invented in Japan and quickly spread to the rest of the world. It is vegetable protein, and hardly contains any fat at all. The good point about meat is that it looks reasonable even when its not dressed up or with anything. Most people love the look and smell of freshly cooked meat and it is universally recognised. Tofu, on the other hand, needs lots of preparation for it to appeal. Apparently the taste on its own is disgusting, but there are numerous books and websites of recipes for tofu. It can be fried, stewed, marinated, anything the consumer wants. When I asked for an opinion from a strict vegetarian on what tofu looked like, it was compared to, A soggy sponge. Would you like to eat something that looked like a soggy sponge for your dinner? This description says it all. I have taken the liberty of including a picture of some tofu (pictures are surprisingly hard to come by) and a picture of a sponge to illustrate my point: From all these points and views, reasons and arguments put together, I have concluded that there are so many arguments for and against vegetarianism that most people find it easy to choose a side. Most people choose to be for it, but still eat meat. Personally, I like eating meat and am not considering stopping for the sake of the Teletubbies, hysterical animal rights activists and cute little furry creatures with hearts and feelings. I find the fact that vegetarians lecture people about eating meat when most of them have been cruel in another way to someone or something else dull and rambling. Humans have been eating meat for thousands of years why stop now? It would only break traditions. I know we dont need to eat meat anymore because of all the alternatives, but then again we dont need to buy designer clothes when car boot sales sell old ones. But we do. Why dont we eat cats or dogs? It would be an interesting concept. As for changes my opinions as a result of this project, it has only made my feelings stronger towards meat eating. Whilst petting my cat I am now going to eat a steak.

Teen Pregnancy Essays - Midwifery, Birth Control, Adolescence

Teen Pregnancy Essays - Midwifery, Birth Control, Adolescence Teen Pregnancy Teen Pregnancy & Parenting You sit there tense, your face is turning cherry red, your eyes are fixed on the little white machine, and you feel like the suspense is killing you, two minutes seem like forever. All of the sudden you see a +. Youre 15 and pregnant. What are you going to do now? Jessica Inhoff, a junior at Grant, tells us what she did when she found out she was pregnant with her son last year. She said that she was overly surprised and didnt know what to do. She didnt want to have to be there when her parents found out, so she just left a note on the table and went to work. Luckily for her, her parents were remarkably supportive, and still help her out as much as they can with her son. Her mother watches Kyle every day while she is at school, and will baby-sit one night a week, so Jessica can go out and still be a kid. According to the Oregon Health Division, during 1997 in Multnomah County, 654 girls between the ages of 10 and 17 got pregnant and kept their babies. Between 1974 and 1998 pregnancy for teens between the ages 15 and 19 increased by 200 percent. Also once the babies are born to teen mothers they are more than twice as likely to have a lower birth weight than those born to older mothers, which can cause major health risks. It makes babies more likely to die within the first 2 days of life. All those unwanted pregnancies among teens cost U.S. taxpayers almost 7 billion each year. One question you should ask yourself before you decide to have sex is; Am I ready to be a mother or a father? If you can answer yes to all the questions below, you are ready to go out Saturday night and decide by having sex with them, to tell your boyfriend/girlfriend, Hey honey, I want us to have a baby! 1. Could I handle a baby and a job at the same time? Would I have enough time and energy for both? 2. How would a child interfere with my growth and development? Would I finish school and would I be able to go to college and get the career I want while caring for a child? 3. Can I afford to support a child? Do I know how much it takes to raise a child? 4. Am I willing to give a great part of my life at least 18 years to being responsible for a child? And spend a large portion of my life concerned with my childs well being? 5. Do I like doing things with children? Do I enjoy activities that children can do? Do I like cleaning up childrens messes and do I want to have a child around me 24-7? 6. What do I do when I get angry or upset? Would I take things out on my child if I lost my temper? 7. Could my partner and I give a child a good home? Is our relationship a happy and strong one? Do we want to have to be connected for the reast of our lives, until death do us part? As Leslie Clark, an alumnus from Grant, figured out, having a baby and being in high school is a hard job. She had to skip the last couple months of her senior year to have her baby, which put her behind a year and not able to graduate with her class. She had a hard time raising her son Allyn on her own for the first five years, but luckily after that she and Allyns dad started dating again, and ended up getting married. Seventeen years have now passed, and she is a happily married certified public accountant. Jessica Inhoff is now experiencing the responsibilities of being a teen mother, which she says, are endless. A normal day goes like this for Jessica; she gets up at 6, after being awake half the night (with her sons wake up calls at 12:30 and 3 A.M.), and goes to school. She goes through six rigorous classes and then leaves during seventh period to go home and

Three Perspectives on a Current Issue from the Three Paradigms Being Research Paper

Three Perspectives on a Current Issue from the Three Paradigms Being Covered in Class - Research Paper Example Rent paid by entrepreneurs basically constitutes the land resource, which is used to produce other economic goods and services. Human resource is an active factor of production, which constitutes human labor as a service provision for the production of goods and services that is paid through wages and salaries. Man-made goods that are used for further production of goods and services are referred to as capital goods and include buildings and machinery that are paid as interests. Land, labor, and capital are exploited for production of goods and services in the economy to constitute the national income. Factors of production that can be shifted are capital and labor while land cannot be shifted, since it is a limited factor of production. Labor organizes capital for production although entrepreneurs must maintain an effective ratio of capital goods and labor with a production firm. The decision-making process needs to put into consideration that excess labor per unit of capital and vi ce versa may lead to losses due to inefficiency. Therefore, labor and Capital must be applied in effective ratios for realization of the highest possible economic value (Sagar 50). Organization of Factors of Production Enterprises should be organized by combining labor, land, and capital effectively through a business plan so as to start and run the business. Organization of factors of production does not only constitute planning and running a business, but also absorbing loss for continued production. Enterprise organization as Production process is complex and essential, since there exists small situations in and outside a country that influence organization, thus the necessity of proper planning and operation of an enterprises. Land, as a factor of production, is controlled by land owners, while capital goods are controlled by capitalist and labor as a human resource with respect to occupation skills and salaries. These factors of production are scattered within the economy and t hus the need for organization of these factors of production. Social Institutions The economic interactions of technology, capital goods and social institutions contribute significantly to economic growth through effective production. Social, political, economic and legal institutions in a country affect the economic growth both positively and negatively. Normally, countries seek to redesign their social, political and legal institutions to alter their impact for the improvement of the economy. Institutions that are known to be beneficial in contribution to economic growth should lead to importation of the institutional structures of another country that has benefited from economic growth. Examples of countries that have imported institutional countries include Dubai, which imported London’s commercial law that helps the government in city regulations. However, in many countries, the complete overhaul of institutional structure may not be possible due to political and social disagreements. Political, legal and social institutions go beyond the aspects of basic institutional entities such as the judiciary and parliament.

Foundations of Teams and Teamwork Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Foundations of Teams and Teamwork - Assignment Example This is because the success of a manager heavily relies on the teams that a manager has been able to build in an organization. Team building in an organization is a continuous process and involves the manager being able to deal with the internal dynamics of a team; issues of tasks and selection of the team members and also the management of the external dynamics; proper evaluation of organization’s environment both internal and external in relation to the team development and proper management of relationship amongst the team members. If a manager is able to fully deliver on internal and external dynamics of team building, he or she designs not just a team but an effective team (Thomson, 2008). This way, the effective team is able to properly function and achieve organization’s goals and objectives as stipulated by the mission and the vision statements. There are many factors leaders and in this case managers evaluate to determine if there is need for a team or not. Such factors include organization’s goals and objectives, the nature of the organizational tasks and also the organizational resources; financial and human resources. Organizational goals and objectives are directed by the mission and vision statements (Thomson, 2008). A leader who is focused towards effectively meeting the goals and objectives of a company and at the same time achieving the mission and the vision of the company would need quite effective and functioning teams. The nature of organizational tasks is also vital in deciding whether to have teams or not. Literally, simple tasks do not need teams to undertake them but complex tasks do. Organizational tasks such as market design and market analysis needs effort of more than one individual to adequately cover the entire market population and to adequately deliver. An organization that has no financial a nd human resources is not

Financial Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial Reporting - Essay Example Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 AASB 101 â€Å"Presentation of Financial Statements† 4 AASB 107 â€Å"Statement of Cash flows† 7 AASB 116 â€Å"Property Plant & Equipment† 8 AASB 138 â€Å"Intangible Assets† 9 AASB 136 â€Å"Impairment of Assets† 10 AASB 137 â€Å"Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets† 10 AASB 112 â€Å"Income Taxes† 10 AASB 110 â€Å"Events after the Reporting date† 11 Overall evaluation and objectives of reporting 12 Introduction A fair and comprehensive disclosure of information requires that the entity adheres to certain accounting norms. The financial statements of a company must be prepared in conformance with the relevant accounting standards. There are accounting standards which prescribe the accounting treatment of intangible assets, contingent assets, contingent liabilities, presentation of statements etc. The adoption of these accounting standards in the case of Early Learning Services Limited has been reviewed as to whether the company has prepared its financial reports as per the accounting norms. AASB 101 â€Å"Presentation of Financial Statements† The accounting standards to be applied in Australia with effect from January 1, 2005 include International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issues IFRSs. For reporting periods commencing on or after January 1, 2009 IASB made certain amendments to the IAS 1 ‘Presentation of Financial Statements’. In line with this AASB also made certain amendments to AASB 1 ‘Presentation of Financial Statements’ for enabling IFRS compliance of the reporting entities in Australia. The major changes to this standard as compared to AASB 101 issued in the year 2006 are discussed as under- Making the reporting comprehensive- The revised standard brings in a notion of ‘completeness’ in financial reporting. Previously this standard used the heads ‘balance sheet’ and ‘cash flow statement’ to refer to the two statements. On the other hand the revised standard uses ‘statement of financial position’ and ‘statement of cash flows’ to describe the above statements. As per the new rules an entity has to present comparative information with respect to the previous year. Disclosure relating to changes owners’ equity- Previously AASB 101 required items relating to expenses and income which are not shown as profit or loss to be reported in ‘statement of changes in equity’. The previous standard also required preparation of ‘statement of recognized income and expense’ comprising of profit or loss in the statement of changes in equity, any affects of accounting policy changes and any correction related error. The new amendments require â€Å"owner changes in equity† to be reported separately from â€Å"non-owner change s in equity†. The detail relating to comprehensive income is not permitted to be presented in the â€Å"statement of changes in equity†. The main aim of this is to integrate items with similar characteristics and separate items with varying characteristics to disseminate useful information. Changes relating to â€Å"Other comprehensive income†- As per the revised standard an entity has to make disclosure of income tax relating to each comprehensive income component. This was not required as per previous AASB 101 version. Dividend presentation- As per old AASB 101 the amount of ‘

A detailed assignment examining Leadership style management

A detailed assignment examining Leadership style management Leadership is the behavior of an individual when he/she is directing the activities of a group towards a shared goal. A leader is seen as someone who sets the paths in an effort to influence people to adhere to those paths. Leadership is an action and not just a position. It can be shown via different people in various situations. A person is not born to be a leader but cultured through the upbringing and environment. A leaders personal characteristics are also vital for the developments and motivations of the organizations. True leaders such as the teachers who illustrated that leadership is an action (teaching and leading the students) and not a position. Touching the lives and affecting the outcome of many different expectations, a teacher is the epitome of a leader. A leader has his or her own style of motivating the people in the organizations. A leader must find the best skills in order to provide directions, motivations and purposes. Effective leaders are flexible. Organizational Leadership Model The effective leadership influence is not the same for everyone. It depends on their ranks in the organization and abilities which are required in leaders. The three basic leadership roles identified: initiation, speech, and management. 1. Initiation Initiation refers to planned decision making on policy formulation or structural change. These vital decisions are the determinants of the organizations culture and mission. 2. Speech Strategic decisions and methods designed for implementation within the establishment. It includes adjusting or adding on to the present structure towards new policy demands. 3. Management Management is putting into practice the policies and measures that are available to maintain the operations of the organization efficiently. These three kinds of Leadership are naturally executed at diverse ranks in the company with different abilities and skills. The top level management would initiate new policies that involve a change in the businesss structure or understanding the companys mission. An understanding of the entire organization, culture, mission, vision and how it correlates with the external parties is mandatory for these top level individuals. They represent the organization and what the business stands for. Understanding the policy decisions and practicing them to the existing organization via utterance or speech is usually made by the intermediate-level managers. They must uphold a two-way point of reference by taking orders from the above management and adapting them for the lower groups of people in the organization. Type of Leadership Process Typical Organizational Level Cognitive (Knowledge) Affective (Emotion) Initiation: Change, creation and elimination of structure Top echelons System perspective Charisma Speech: supplementing and piecing out of structure Intermediate levels: pivotal roles Subsystem perspective: two-way orientation Integration of primary and secondary relations: human relation skills Management: use of existing structure Lower levels Technical knowledge and understanding of system of rules Concern with equity in use of rewards and sanctions EXHIBIT 16.1 Three Leadership Patterns, Their Location in the Organization, and Their Skill Requirements The companys policies and procedures will be administered by the Lower-level supervisors. These personnel must possess both the technical knowledge and a clear perception of the organizations rules in order to be successful. They have to continually deal with issues such as equity, rewards and punishments in leading others. Therefore, leadership plays a crucial role in an organization because the it has direct impact on the effectiveness of the organizations. Leadership is when a person manipulates others to perform a task at their own will which they would not normally do. Leadership is a vital process to an organization and it can be deliberated on three different stages; i.e. the individual, group and organization. Analysis at the individual stage: the leadership studies have paid attention on the successful leader personalities. Behaviors of both formal and informal leaders are focused at the group level. The effectiveness of an organization is decided by the relations between the leader, follower and circumstances. The studies have caused an emergence of different theories of leadership, namely situational and contingency. In Search for Leadership The requirements in selecting and training efficient leaders were emphasized during the World War I and the quarter century between World War l and World War II; numerous studies were made to examine the personal characteristics of good leaders. These studies are usually referred as characteristic studies since the primary goal was to classify the traits and personal characteristics of successful leaders. The diverse methods used to study these leadership traits could possibly be the reason in the irregularities of the results. The manner of studies was not consistent in identifying the leaders. A majority of the studies was in comparing efficient with inefficient leaders or leaders with non-leaders. Some were identified by external observers, others selected by the group by way of recommendation or voting, nominated by observers such as teachers while some were chosen because they are already in leadership positions. The studies conducted were in conflict as to the way they deliberated on the traits. Some traits were measured by mental tests; others relied on viewers to spot the traits they have seen while some depended on the persons to report their own personality traits. The trait studies were quite unsatisfactory as a whole especially since they had hoped to develop an accurate measure of leadership effectiveness. The spotlight on the leadership research moved because of the flimsy results, to contingency studies which investigated more than just traits of a leader. Numerous traits formed an important divergence in leadership effectiveness and they interrelated with other conditional variables to stimulate the effectiveness of the leader. Physical Behaviors Physical attributes including height, weight, health and appearance are also examined in the studies. It was concluded that there is a relationship between the above features and leadership. Apparently leaders have the tendency to be taller, heavier, better fitness, greater physique, higher energy output and more attractive in appearance. However, these types of results were not always reliable and consistent. The results neither are too weak in general and not consistent to be effective in selecting leaders nor are they helpful for training functions since not much can be made to alter most of these physical traits. Intellect It was generally agreed that leaders are more intellectual than non-leaders and the relationship was shown in the various studies. The relationship could probably begin from the reality that leadership functions depend mostly on success in problem solving. Leadership roles such as initiation, speech and management necessitate great mental ability. In general, it is safe to assume that leaders seems to be more intelligent than non-leaders but the relationships are small. Many other variables other than intellect inspire leadership effectiveness. It was also suggested that leaders should not be too intelligent than the group because associates who are notably brilliant than others are rarely chosen as leaders since the other members tend to snub them. Individuals with high IQs are inclined to have different sets of vocabulary, networks and aspirations that would create communication and inter-relations problems. Leaders do extremely well generally at school/college/university and score better grades. It is important for effective leadership to know how to do things. Thus general and practical knowledge are essential for leaders to make better decisions. Characteristic Traits Only a partial of the characteristic traits seem to be related to leadership and most are not especially convincing. It was suggested that the average leader is more used to social displays, greater initiative, persistent, knows how to get things done, self-confident, are more cooperative and adaptable, and possesses excellent communication skills. Leaders were found to be more emotionally mature than non-leaders in the personality integration or emotional adjustment. It can be concluded that personal characteristics are related to leadership. Effective leadership does not depend on a mixture of personality traits only because situational variables are also important since they always decide whether a character was associated with effective leadership either positively or negatively. Therefore, it can deduced that effective leadership depends on the leaders characteristics, his subordinates and the nature of the task at hand. Many leadership styles were based on studies of leaders behaviors. The finest researches on the styles of leadership are made together at the same time; i.e. The Ohio State University and the University of Michigan. Researchers acknowledged two leader behaviors that were similar although the investigations were conducted separately. As a result, a two dimensional aspects of leadership have been to used to form the Managerial Grid. Authoritarian, Democratic, and Laissez-faire Leadership Due to the diverse political systems in the US and Germany before World War II inspired studies of leadership which evaluated three leadership styles: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez faire. In the democratic leadership style, decisions were made by vote of majority; equal participation encouraged; criticism and punishment minimal. In the autocratic leader, the leader made all the decisions and others must follow the set procedures strictly. In the laissez-faire leader, there was minimal actual leadership and others were permitted to work and play as usual without proper directives. Initiating Structure and Consideration The two leadership factors were initiating structure and consideration which include leadership behaviors in organizing and defining the tasks to be performed and goal achievements. A leader who assigns people to do specific jobs, expected workers to follow set routines and meet deadlines. The consideration factor is showing friendship, mutual trust, warmth and concern for subordinates. Production-Centered and Employee-Centered Leader Behaviors Production centered behaviors were akin to initiating structure in which leaders would establish targets, gave directives, checked on operations and planned the group Employees work. Centered behaviors were similar to the considerations dimension in which the leader would develop a caring personal relationship with the subordinates and encouraged a two-way communication with them. The relationship between production-centered and employee centered behaviors are found to be independent scopes of leadership. A leader with strong production orientation does not mean that he is disinterested in the employees. Managerial Grid Robert Blake and Jane Mouton had created a framework which combines a concern for task accomplishment and a concern for people called the Managerial Grid. They both assumed that concern for production and concern for people would produce the most effective leadership style. There are leaders primarily more concerned with accomplishing the production and task not concerned about people. This person wants the job done and schedule followed at all costs. There is also individual who is not concerned whether the group produces anything but concerned more about the personal needs and interests of the team members. Ideally, leaders should be concerned about meeting schedules in order to get the work done and simultaneously are concerned about the team members interest and feelings too. The Managerial Grid is popular among managers. It is extensively used by organisations as part of their training program to assess leadership style. However, the effectiveness of the Managerial Grid is not consistently supported. The factors which are considered in determining leadership styles interact in complicated ways which resulted in various leadership styles. SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP In assessing leadership effectiveness, there are many factors that must be combined. Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard developed a situational leadership model which considers three variables: (1) guidance and direction provided by the leaders (task behavior) (2)emotional support given by the leader (relationship behavior) (3) the maturity level exhibited in performing the task As a result, four potential leadership styles have been created using a combination of the above factors : S1: Telling Give instructions and supervise performance closely. Suited for followers who are unwilling but of low maturity. S2: Selling Decide and provide opportunity for explanation. Appropriate for followers who are not able but willing. S3: Participating Sharing ideas in making decisions. Suited for followers who are able but not willing. S4: Delegating Responsibility handed over for decisions and performance. Appropriate for groups who are able and willing. Contingency Theory of Leadership Fiedler studied the interaction of leadership style and situation. He identified and developed ways to measure leadership orientation of the leader and situational factors which influence leadership. Leader Orientation Two types of leaders were identified, i.e. relationship-oriented or task-oriented. Leaders who are relationship-oriented tend to look at others as coworkers and look upon interpersonal relations as a requirement towards accomplishing the task. However, for task-oriented leaders, they react strongly against people whom they could not get along with in performing a task. Situational favorableness (1) relationships between leader and member can be good or bad; (2) the task is relatively well planned or not; and (3) the leaders authority is relatively strong or weak. The task structure becomes the second most important situational variable as evaluated by judges who examined four aspects of the task structure. Clarity: whether requirements of the tasks are stated clearly, Multiplicity: which the problems encounter can be solved. Verifiability: which the correctness of the decisions can be ascertained. Specificity: which there are generally more solutions involved in performing the task. Group effectiveness Relationship-oriented leaders perform excellently well in situations where concern for the team members is apparently necessary in order to motivate them to perform well. People naturally prefer leaders who care about them and their welfare. However, task-oriented leaders are clearly more effective in impossible situations. Path-Goal Model Directive leadership: subordinates are told what to be expected. Specific guide, standards and work schedules are provided to ensure that task are performed as expected. Supportive leadership: subordinates are treated equally and show concern for their needs and well-being; develop pleasant interpersonal relationships among the group members. Achievement-oriented leadership: challenging goals are set and subordinates are expected to perform at their highest level, improvement in performance always. Participative leadership: subordinates are consulted on suggestions and ideas in making decisions. Situational factors Situational factors characteristics of the followers and environmental factors which affect leadership style. Significant characteristics of the followers which have been identified as determinants of leadership style are: (1). Followers with internal locus of control believe that they are rewarded for their own effort. Meanwhile, followers with external locus of control believe that external forces have a control on their rewards. (2). Authoritarianism: an individuals willingness to accept the influence of others. (3). Abilities: The followers ability and experience influence a leader whether they are able to work with an achievement oriented leader or a supportive leader who are patient enough to provide encouragement and instruction. The path-goal model recognises three environmental factors which effect leadership styles: the nature of the task to be performed, the existing organisations authority system the organisational norms and dynamics The above factors may influence the effectiveness of different leadership styles in a many ways. Normative Decision-Making Model of Leadership Based on the contingency theory of leadership, this leadership model does not assume any leadership style as appropriate for all situations. Leaders must develop a range of leadership styles and take on the most appropriate style depending on the situation. Leaders are required to know in which circumstances they need to consult others and vice versa. Even though the leader may be the chairman of the group, he is just one of the group members and does not try to influence the group to adopt a particular solution. Criteria for selecting a leadership style. Two criteria used for assessing the efficiency of a leadership style are quality and acceptance. The quality of the decisions made refers to the accurateness of the actions taken and the extent which some objectives are achieved. The quality of decisions depends on accurate and relevant information Conferring with other group members often provides additional information. Diagnostic decision rules. In order to save time and minimize costs, some managers choose the lead autocratically. If the aim was to further the subordinates personal development, the participative style is selected. In some strategies, the manager decides alone. At times, the manager decides on his own after earlier consultations with his subordinates. Comparing the leadership models. All situational leadership models emphasize on the effect of external factors on a particular leadership style. Different leadership styles suggest styles that are determined by various situational factors. The models focus on different methods, which are situational factors and criteria for selecting the best style: task-oriented versus relationship-oriented. The normative decision-making model ascertains three leadership styles, namely autocratic, consultative, and participative. In each model, situational factors which influence the effectiveness of leadership are somewhat different. A significant reason being that normative decision- making model equates leadership with making decisions and looks at only this leadership function. The models also use different criteria for evaluating leadership effectiveness. DETERMINANTS OF LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS Although identifying what makes an effective leader seems like a simple task, however, individuals who are in leadership positions are often faced with a dilemma on deciding which leadership pattern to practice. Choosing a Leadership Style Choosing the most appropriate leadership style to adopt depends largely on the context of the organisation. A successful leader must be capable of assessing the situational forces in the organisation and respond accordingly to the needs. The forces include the organisation culture, business goals as well as the organisations strategic plans. Effective leaders must understand themselves, the group, company and social environment. Strategies for Improving Leadership One of the main variable to improve leadership relates largely to the organisations reward system. Leaders should not overlook his capacity to reward his followers accordingly since followers will respond otherwise. For instance, the managers of high- performing groups generally are compensated according to their achievements. Considerate leaders manage to create satisfaction among their performing subordinates while at the same time, changes in the behavior of the leaders could be caused by the performance of the subordinates. Constraints on leader behavior. Leaders have limited opportunities to influence others. Leadership effectiveness is inhibited by a variety of factors. For example, the managerial decisions are planned ahead because of the law, structure, technological specifications and the absence of alternatives. Many other organisational factors can impose limitations on the leaders capability to either communicate with or to reinforce the behavior of the subordinates. For example, organisational policies, nature of task, skills and abilities of available resources and other external factors may impede the capacities of organisational leaders. External factors. In terms of external factors, leaders are constrained by factors that they have no control on such as state and federal laws. Other external factors include the world economy and global issues. Irrespective of their leadership style, leaders with unskilled resources will face great challenges in leading. The availability of skilled followers is subjected to the external labor market. Organizational policies. The organization may limit a leaders effectiveness by hampering the amount of communication between leaders and followers. The existing company policies may also pose restrictions on the ability of leaders to reward or punish followers. Group factors. Leaders may find it hard to penetrate or influence group members who are highly unified. This will create difficulty for leaders to demonstrate his true capabilities in performing tasks for the organisation. Individual skills and abilities. The leaders own skills and abilities may act as constraints since leaders can only possess so much expertise, energy, and power. Some situations may simply require greater skills and abilities than the leader may possibly hope to possess. Substitutes for leadership. While some situations constrain leaders other situations make leadership unnecessary. These variables are referred to as substitute variables because they substitute for leadership either by making the leaders behavior unnecessary or by neutralizing the leaders ability to influence subordinates. Leadership is an extremely important function. It has an enormous influence on the value of groups and organizations. The complexity of the situation, however, may prevent us from knowing in advance which will be the most effective leadership behaviors. SUMMARY 1. Leadership refers to increasing influence which occur when an individual manipulates others to do tasks voluntarily which they would not do otherwise. The basic leadership roles include initiation of policy and structure, speech, and management. A need for leadership within organizations stems from the incompleteness of the organization design and the dynamic nature of the internal and external environments. 2. The studies of leadership were mainly studies on traits that tried to identify the characteristics of effective leaders. The studies focused mainly on physical traits, intellect and characteristic. The results were usually weak and inconsistent although some personal characteristics were always related to leadership. Most studies concluded that the characteristics of the subordinate and the nature of the task were as important as the characteristics of the leader in determining success. 3. Another approach to studying leadership set on leader behaviors; i.e. how leaders actually behave. One of the studies compared three leadership styles: authoritarian, democratic and laissez-faire. Although democratic leadership produced the greatest satisfaction, autocratic leadership had the highest levels of productivity. 4. Research conducted simultaneously at two universities identified two similar leadership behaviors. At The Ohio State University the researchers labeled these two leader behaviors initiating structure and consideration. At the University of Michigan the same two factors were labeled production-centered and employee-centered leader behaviors. These two leader behaviors appear to identify leadership functions essential to the effectiveness of a group. The two Factors have been used to form a matrix called the Managerial Grid which places a concern for production on one side of the grid and concern for people on the other. The research evidence does not support this conclusion consistently. 5. The unsuccessful research to identify leadership traits or universally superior leader behaviors caused an emergence of development of four situational theories of leadership. The theories suggest that the most effective leadership style depends upon situational variables particularly the characteristics of the group and the nature of the task. 6. A situational leadership model that matched different combinations of task behavior and relationship behavior with the maturity of the followers. As the followers increase, the appropriate leadership style is telling, selling, participating, and finally for highly mature followers, delegating. 7. The most appropriate leadership style was determined by assessing three situational variables: whether the relationships between the leader and the members were good or poor, the task was structured or unstructured, and the power position of the leader was strong or weak. When these three situational variables created an extremely favorable or extremely unfavorable situation, the most effective leadership style was a task-oriented leader. However, where there were intermediate levels of favorableness, a leader with a high concern for interpersonal relationships was more effective in these situations. 8. The path goal model theory is derived from expectancy theory. It suggests that effective leaders must clarify the target paths and increase its attractiveness for followers. Four distinct leadership styles are proposed in the model: directive, supportive achievement-oriented and participative leadership styles. The style most appropriate depends upon two types of situational factors: the characteristics of the follower and characteristics of the environment. Three of the most important follower characteristics include the locus of control, authoritarianism, and personal abilities. The three environmental factors include the nature of the task, the formal authority system within the organization, and the group norms and dynamics. 9. The three leadership styles include autocratic decision making, consultative decision making, and group decision making. The decision titles determining which style is most appropriate include such questions as whether the leader has adequate information to make the decision alone, whether the subordinates will accept the goals of the organization, whether subordinates will accept the decision if they do not participate in making it, and whether the decision will produce a controversial solution. 10. The influence of the group upon the leader should not be overlooked. The relationship between the leader and the group implies a reciprocal influence. Groups have the capacity to influence the behavior of their leaders by responding selectively to specific leader behaviors. The influence of a leader can also be constrained by several external factors, such as organizational policies, group norms, and individual skills and abilities. Other variables have been found to neutralize or substitute for the influence of a leader, such as the skills and abilities of followers and the nature of the task itself. POSITIONING ON LEADERSHIP CRISIS There are many leadership theories. Arthur G. Jago (1982) had proposed a framework that organizes leadership theories based on each theorys focus and approach. Focus refers to whether the leadership is seen as a set of traits or actions. There is a universal formula of traits or behavior for an effective leader. However, effective leadership also depends on specific situations. The kinds of behaviors that leaders can actually perform in a group. The two leader behaviors that have been consistently observed including task-related activities, called initiating structure or production-centered activities, and interpersonal relations activities, sometimes called consideration or employee-centered activities. The incremental influence that one individual exerts upon another and that causes the second person to change his or her behavior voluntarily. Three leadership roles include origination of the structure by top-level managers, interpolation or adapting the structure by middle-level managers and administration or implementation of the policies and procedures by lower-level supervisors. I concur with A. Ange on the presence of leadership crisis but I also foresee the resolutions taken and are still being taken to resolve the problem. Many organizations are spending money in sending their employees to be groomed and trained for future growth of the company whereby they are exposed to different methods of management and how to be great leaders. Leaders are born to leaders but in some circumstances, situations and environments also play a huge role in creating a leader. Leaders come and go and new ones are always on the threshold to take over the empty space. The qualities of the leaders and their leadership styles vary but they are vital in the development and motivation processes of the organizations. There is a crisis in good leadership but it is not at a critical point. Big organizations would have everything in place for the future growth of the company and would have in line the replacements for all aspects of the management. Even is small to medium sized organizations have planned their management line-ups for the future. The ongoing programs and trainings that are conducted by organizations to produce capable leaders and groom them further showed that companies are aware of the could be crisis and had taken steps to overcome the situation. Yes, there is a crisis but the severity of the crisis is not huge enough to cause panics throughout the organizations.

A Jury of Her Peers, by Susan Glaspell :: A Jury of Her Peers Essays

Glaspell spent more than forty years working as a journalist, fiction writer, playwright and promoter of various artistic. She is a woman who lived in a male dominated society. She is the author of a short story titled A Jury of Her Peers. She was inspired to write this story when she investigated in the homicide of John Hossack, a prosperous county warren who had been killed in his sleep(1).Such experience in Glaspell’s life stimulated inspiration. The fact that she was the first reporter on scene, explains that she must have found everything still in place, that makes an incredible impression. She feels what Margaret (who is Minnie Wright in the story) had gone through, that is, she has sympathy for her. What will she say about Margaret? Will she portray Margaret as the criminal or the woman who’s life has been taken away? In the short story Minnie Wright was the victim. Based on evidence at the crime scene, it is clear that Minnie has killed her husband; however, the women have several reasons for finding her â€Å"not guilty† of the murder of John Wright. First, When Martha and Mrs. Peters arrive at the scene of the crime, they see that it is a very lonely place off the road. The house is in a hollow, with lone-some looking trees around it(1).Mr. Hale thinks that having a phone to communicate with rest of the world in such place will reduce loneliness although Mr. Wright does not want communication(2). Minnie lives a miserable life in this place. Martha cannot believe that this is what Minnie foster has turned into. She describes her rocker, and says: â€Å" that rocker don’t look in the least like Minnie foster. The Minnie foster of twenty years before†(3). The rocker is a very old rocker with a faded color and few parts of it are missing. Also, Mrs. Hale thinks it is a torture for Minnie to wrestle with the stove year after year because that stove is in a very poor condition(8). These are some few examples that show how miserable Minnie is in such a lonely place.

John Steinbeck of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck called his novel about migratory farmhands during The Great Depression. The title Of Mice and Men is Steinbeck alluding to Robert Burns’ poem â€Å"To a Mouse â€Å". Burn states â€Å"the best laid plains of mice and mean oft go awry â€Å". Therefore there are many reasons why this quote can relate to the relationship of George and Lennie and also others of this book. Here are my three main reasons why this quote is the main idea of the story and why Steinbeck’s message is true about the real world. First of all, the simplest reason is that George and Lennie’s best laid plans went awry. Lennie and George want to work on the ranch in the hopes of making enough money to buy their own farm, where they can be independent and in charge of their own destiny and rabbits. With the certainty of payment, it seems the pair will get what they’ve hoped for all along. While this is something we can call the plan stage, it has a bit of a twist, hinted at by the way George tells Lennie and us as the reader of their dream. The story of the little farm, with the rabbits and vegetable patch and so on, is less like a plan and more like a fairy tale. The dream-like unreal quality of their dream doesn’t assure well for the hope that it will ever come true. Lennie and George learn that Candy would like to live on the farm, too; he can even offer three hundred dollars toward its purchase which is his life support money. Everyone is very excited at the possibility of the dream actually coming true. With the entrance of Candy’s money into the story, it seems like the dream could come true after all. Candy has three hundred dollars to contribute, and George even knows the couple he’d buy the land from. As Lennie smiles to himself about the possibility of the ranch, Curley is on the prowl for his wife and a fight. He thinks Lennie is laughing at him or wants to fight him and begins to punch the big guy. Lennie is horrified and does nothing until George urges him to fight back. Lennie promptly reduces Curley to a crying little man with a mangled hand. Slim makes sure Lennie and George are protected from getting in trouble, but it’s clear that working on the ranch will be a lot more complicated from now on. Lennie accidentally kills his own puppy, and then accidentally kills Curley’s wife. If Curley was waiting for Lennie to slip-up, he needs to wait no longer. Though Lennie doesn’t at all mean to kill Curley’s wife, this act pretty much decides his fate. Any promise of safety or happiness he had on the dream farm is over. Now we’re certain Lennie will have to pay for what he’s done, one way or another. George realizes that if Lennie is to go with any dignity or comfort, it’s up to George to take his friend out himself. Although this means the literal destruction of Lennie, in killing his friend, George gives Lennie the happiest ending he could have. George has to face the sarcastic loneliness of the open road. George describes to Candy the life he’ll have without Lennie: it’s a future made of whorehouses and pool halls – places where lonely men stay lonely. Worse than just losing a friend by accident, George’s act seems to kill any last hope that the loneliness of the open road could ever be beaten. Without Lennie, George has nothing that makes him different from the other sad wanderers. He’s lost his best friend, and along with losing Lennie, George has also lost his dreams. The plan become very awry obviously. Secondly, Steinbeck's characters are often powerless, due to intellectual, economic, and social circumstances. Lennie possesses the greatest physical strength of any character, which therefore establishes a sense of respect as he is employed as a ranch hand. However, his intellectual handicap undercuts this and results in his powerlessness. Economic powerlessness is established as many of the ranch hands are victims of the Great Depression. As George, Candy and Crooks are positive, action- oriented characters, they wish to purchase a homestead, but because of the Depression, they are unable to generate enough money. Lennie is the only one who is basically unable to take care of him, but the other characters would do this in the improved circumstances they seek. Since they can not do so, the real danger of Lennie's mental handicap comes to the fore. Lastly, Most of all Steinbeck clearly believes The American Dream cannot always be considered as happiness, love, peace, etc. This is his message to the true real world. In my opinion Steinbeck is saying that sometimes the things you plan don’t succeed and what you think is truly your life longing it turns out to be your worst nightmare or not the real destiny of your life. It’s the thinking man, who can look backwards and forwards, that suffers the most from the awful things he’s done. The last verse is a nice way to think of Lennie and George’s respective fate. Whatever happens to Lennie is done, but George is left to spend the rest of his future thinking of his past deeds. OF Mice and Men Essay By:

Professional Communication Definition and Issues

Professional Communication Definition and Issues The term professional communication refers to the various forms of speaking, listening, writing, and responding carried out both in and beyond the workplace, whether in person or electronically. From meetings and presentations to memos and emails to marketing materials and annual reports, in business communication, its essential to take a professional, formal, civil tone to make the best impression on your audience, whether its members be your colleagues, supervisors, or customers. Author Anne Eisenberg illustrates it this way:  What is good professional communication? It is writing or speaking that is accurate, complete, and understandable to its audience- that tells the truth about the data directly and clearly. Doing this takes research, analysis of the audience, and the mastering of the three interrelated elements of organization, language, and design and illustration. (Writing Well for the Technical Professions. Harper Row, 1989) Even if youre comfortable with your coworkers, you should still take the extra time to make your emails among them professional, correct, and clear. Becoming too lazy or informal in them (with grammar, punctuation, and spelling, for example) can reflect poorly on you if a message would happen to be forwarded to higher levels of the company or to human resources. Always keep them cordial, and reread for potential misunderstandings before you hit send. Social Media Reflects on Your Brand With a bevy of social media avenues representing your (and your companys) public face, its critical that the communications presented there represent you well.   Author  Matt Krumrie elaborates:  For professionals, their brand shows through on their LinkedIn photo and profile. It shows through with your e-mail signature. It shows on Twitter by what you tweet and through your profile description. Any form of professional communication, whether it’s intended to or not, reflects your personal brand. If you attend a networking event, how you present yourself is how people perceive you and your brand. (Can a Personal Brand Coach Help My Career?  Star Tribune  [Minneapolis], May 19, 2014) Remember that whats sent in an email or posted on the Internet is very tough to completely delete, and if its been saved by someone (such as in a forward or retweet), its possible it wont ever completely go away. Have others review what you plan to post, not only for typos and factual errors but for potential cultural  insensitivity. Even be careful of what you post on your personal sites and pages, as they can come back to haunt you professionally, especially if you deal with the public or customers in your job- or someday will want a job that does.   Intercultural Communication One issue in todays global, interconnected economy is the potential for miscommunication when dealing with people of other cultures if employees are not sensitive to the norms of people that they have to interact with- and a company doesnt have to be dealing with people across the globe for this to apply. Even people from across the United States have different ways of communicating. Someone from the South or Midwest might find the bluntness of a New Yorker off-putting, for example. Intercultural communication is communication between and among individuals and groups across national and ethnic boundaries, notes authors  Jennifer Waldeck, Patricia Kearney, and Tim Plax. It can also come up in rural vs. urban or generational divides. They continue: Intercultural communication can become especially problematic for business communicators when they begin to believe that the way people in their dominant culture communicate is the only or best way, or when they fail to learn and appreciate the cultural norms of people they do business with. (Business and Professional Communication in a Digital Age. Wadsworth, 2013) Fortunately, companies have a wealth of resources available to them under the umbrella of sensitivity training. Working with a diverse set of colleagues can help everyone understand others perspectives. Tap into your colleagues to learn their points of view and prevent gaffes in your communications before they happen.

Free Essays on Them Metamorphosis And The Death Of Ivan Ilyich

Parallel Themes in Metamorphosis and The Death of Ivan Ilyich Several themes occur in both Franz Kafka’s, Metmorphosis and Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, however the way in which these themes are presented and the meanings associated with them vary in each work. Isolation, materialism, and self discovery are ideas found in both pieces of literature. Both works have a constant theme of isolation. In Kafka’s work Gregor is transformed into an insect. His entire family and employer immediately reject him. His father locks him in his room; his mother faints at the mere sight of him. None of them worry about how Gregor is feeling in regards to his transformation. Their worry is more about who will provide for them now, since in the past Gregor had been the sole source of income for the family. To add to his feelings of loneliness, Gregor, being an insect is incapable of communicating with them. Rather, he must stand by in silence; powerless to speak, complain, or protest anything. The idea of isolation presents itself differently in Tolstoy’s story. The isolation that Ivan experiences comes from the fact that whenever Ivan encounters a situation that does not promote his pleasant existence, he alienates himself from it. â€Å"In his work itself, especially in his examinations, he very soon acquired a method of eliminating all considerations irrelevant to the legal aspect of the case, and reducing even the most complicated case to a form in which it would be presented on paper only in its externals, completely excluding his personal opinion of the matter, while above all observing every prescribed formality† (1191) Ivan was masterful at taking the most complicated of matters and reducing them to simple forms on paper. This ability was reflected in the way he dealt with potentially emotional and personal situations with apathy and objectivity, reflects in all aspects of his life. As aforementioned, Ivan deals with... Free Essays on Them Metamorphosis And The Death Of Ivan Ilyich Free Essays on Them Metamorphosis And The Death Of Ivan Ilyich Parallel Themes in Metamorphosis and The Death of Ivan Ilyich Several themes occur in both Franz Kafka’s, Metmorphosis and Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, however the way in which these themes are presented and the meanings associated with them vary in each work. Isolation, materialism, and self discovery are ideas found in both pieces of literature. Both works have a constant theme of isolation. In Kafka’s work Gregor is transformed into an insect. His entire family and employer immediately reject him. His father locks him in his room; his mother faints at the mere sight of him. None of them worry about how Gregor is feeling in regards to his transformation. Their worry is more about who will provide for them now, since in the past Gregor had been the sole source of income for the family. To add to his feelings of loneliness, Gregor, being an insect is incapable of communicating with them. Rather, he must stand by in silence; powerless to speak, complain, or protest anything. The idea of isolation presents itself differently in Tolstoy’s story. The isolation that Ivan experiences comes from the fact that whenever Ivan encounters a situation that does not promote his pleasant existence, he alienates himself from it. â€Å"In his work itself, especially in his examinations, he very soon acquired a method of eliminating all considerations irrelevant to the legal aspect of the case, and reducing even the most complicated case to a form in which it would be presented on paper only in its externals, completely excluding his personal opinion of the matter, while above all observing every prescribed formality† (1191) Ivan was masterful at taking the most complicated of matters and reducing them to simple forms on paper. This ability was reflected in the way he dealt with potentially emotional and personal situations with apathy and objectivity, reflects in all aspects of his life. As aforementioned, Ivan deals with...

Lighting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lighting - Essay Example The use of the low key light in the film also enhances the meeting of the director’s objectives which are to create suspense and fear in the audience. The use of the low key light contributed to the creation and advancement of the theme â€Å"horror† by setting the tone and mood as well as creating a treacherous relationship with mysteries through the created dull shades and shadows. Horror movies such as â€Å"The Mummy† rely on unnatural light to create suspense. The low key lighting system contributed significantly to the meeting of the objectives of the film. Watching â€Å"The Mummy† film lit with very bright light would have changed completely the mood of the film(Brooker, 2006). In conclusion, â€Å"the style of lighting helps in determining what type of movie is being presented† (Salamoff,2012, p.11). As a result of this, the choice of low key light in filming the film â€Å"The Mummy† contributed significantly towards creation of suspense as intended by the

Personal Challenge Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Challenge Experience - Essay Example I was only ten years old in a family of two children when it was evident that their relationship had turned into a sour grape and was beyond repair. At the time, I could hardly tell what was happening with between as I was asked out of the room every time their conversations took a turn. Although I was young, the memories I have are illustrative of a happy family that we were before all went south. Our parents were efficient providers and we never lacked in any way. I remember walks in the park on Sunday afternoons, as my father pushed my sister on the stroller, an indication of a happy model family. At the age of ten, one does not have an abiding opinion on with regard to family relations, and this seemed to be rubbed in my face by the fact that my parents did not consider telling me what was happening. All that happened was arguments followed by the diminishing presence of my father. It was years later that I understood the full effect of divorce and wish that the system protected me better to avoid the hurt I went through. A shared parenting plan was implemented, but I spent most of my time with mother due to my tender age until she filed and was granted sole custody. It is for this reason that I lacked a father figure to help me deal with my teenage issues and did not know anyone to turn to for the problems I had. As a result, I kept to myself and avoided all confrontation however necessary they should be. I grew dejected and weary by the day, pulling away from society as my emotions raged within me. I was angry that my parents placed a burden on me to choose who I interacted with among them. I was not ready for the sudden change of lifestyle and I resulted to hating them for the choices they made. Violent outbursts initiated by the existence of happy families existed around me became norm since I failed to understand how this came to be. I lost friend following tantrums and to make matters worse, boys picked on me, calling names and teasing me at every opp ortunity. Feelings of rejection, loneliness, and dejection characterised the period following my parents’ divorce. My grades flopped and not a week passed with a visit to the principal’s office. I recall cutting classes, hiding in empty halls and wishing that the nightmare would end. Ignorance seemed to have saved me from the harm I craved as revenge over society. I remember contemplating the death of all smiling faces around me and I all that lacked was the means to implement. Great emotional turmoil ruled my social life and sought refuge in activities that I deemed to relief my condition. Great emotional turmoil ruled my social life and sought refuge in activities that I deemed to relief my condition, which saw locked doors to avoid mother. In my view, my parents showed no compassion in their decision to part ways and thus she had no right to ‘pretend’ she cared. However, she extended her concerns to my school where after a full report on my performance and behaviour, it was recommended that I attend counselling sessions. Following sessions with the school’s counsellor and a contracted therapist, all evidence pointed to back to the divorce. I had trouble coping with the effects of the separation, which explains my behaviour. The healing process proved long, but effective although I held nothing except remorse for the events