Theory of Multiple Intelligences Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theory of Multiple Intelligences - Research Paper Example Such test scores would then be inferred against a predetermined rating which is supported through statistical techniques. The statistical techniques relate the responses issued by the subjects of different ages. The relating of the scores across ages and across various tests is based on the notion that intelligence is constant and does not change age experience or training (Gardner, 2006). In other words, intelligence is an inborn characteristic of individuals. Gardner pluralized the traditional intelligence concept leading to a new definition and educational approaches. Intelligence becomes the ability to process a specific kind of information. This ability originates within the humans psychological and biological make up (Gardner, 2006). These intelligences consist an ability to solve problems of create products that are a result of one’s cultural and community settings. Gardner came up with eight intelligences, which are linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelli gence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and naturalist intelligence. Musical intelligence involves sensitivity to music. It is evident through sensitivity to tones, sounds, rhythms and other musical components. According to Gardner (2006), people who have this intelligence have the ability to compose music, sing and play musical instruments. They have a good pitch and sometimes an absolute pitch. Bodily- kinesthetic intelligences involve the capacity to use one’s entire body or parts of the body to handle challenges. One uses mental ability to coordinate body parts/movement to solve problems (Smith, 2008). Logical-mathematical intelligence comprises of the ability to perform logical analysis of problems, conduct mathematical calculations and examine phenomenon scientifically. The individual can reason deductively, detect patterns and thinking logically. It is often associated w ith mathematical reasoning (Smith, 2008). Linguistic intelligence is characterized by sensitivity to language, both spoken and written. It concerns the ability to acquire or learn languages, and us a language to achieve certain goals (Smith, 2008). This includes ability to use a language as a means for remembering information, and ability to express oneself poetically or rhetorically using a language. Examples of people with these skills include lawyers, poets, speakers and writers among others. Spatial intelligence, on the other hand, comprises the capacity to identify and utilize patterns of open space and confided areas. Interpersonal intelligence is people oriented intelligence, which is consists ability to understand other people’s desires, motivations and intentions. It facilitates coexistence of people. As Smith (2008) Notes, salespeople, counselors, political and religious leaders, and teachers thrive on strong interpersonal intelligence. Intrapersonal intelligence is made up of the ability for self awareness. It involves understanding oneself and appreciating personal feelings, motivations and fears. It also entails developing a working model of ourselves and ability to use such models for self regulation purposes (Smith, 2008). Finally, naturalistic intelligence

Behavior and personality development Essay Example for Free

Behavior and personality development Essay A person’s behavior and attitude at any point of time is the resultant effect of all factors acting on the individual. The factors, each contribute in its own way and at varying levels, having a positive effect, a negative effect, a soothening effect or even a precipitating effect. The individual then reacts as a consequence of all combined effects. There are several parameters involved in the development of behavioral patterns including cognitive-social, biological, emotions, gender, person-situation, culture, ethnicity etc. These factors effect differently, for each individual since the level of perception and understanding is varied. It should be noted here that there may be several other factors too that influence behavior patterns, that have not yet been recognized. The cognition-social perception of an individual plays an important role in the building up of the individual’s personality. Although there is a debate of whether cognition gives rise to emotions or emotions give rise to cognition, the resultant reaction has wide social perceptions. The term ‘cognition’ in emotion elicitation includes all simple sensory information processing to very complex processing. The emotion cognition interaction is the study on the integrative aspects of research in emotion, cognition and the interaction between the two. The complex association between emotion and cognition is analyzed using knowledge and methods from the separate fields of research. Emotions are not always associated with facial expressions. Face recognition and object recognition are performed through different functions by different areas within the brain. Several disorders like alexia, prosopagnosia and visual agnosia develop when recognition process is impaired. Social cognition attempts to relate personal-social development with intellectual development. The process of cognitive development occurs through four universal stages of infancy; toddler and early childhood; elementary and early adolescence; and, adolescence and adulthood. The development in each stage is associated with an increased level of thinking. Cognition is an important aspect of behavior development. An individual perceives a situation based on his cognitive inputs and responds appropriately. Thus feelings of sadness, happiness, anger, guilt etc. , are produced as a result of cognition. As for me, I don’t tolerate anyone talking to me in a high pitch or commanding tone. In such cases, I deliberately don’t cooperate, even if the speaker wants to help or oblige me. Gender too plays an important role in social developments. Women have been traditionally expected to perform their domestic family roles as obedient wives and daughters. They were mainly more perceived to be sexual objects in a male dominated society, with primary interests in homemaking and caring, till the end of the century. This indifference in sociology can be mainly attributed to men’s identity as the dominant social player associated with force of character while women are associated with their weaknesses and passive role. The relationship between crime and gender has been immense throughout the long period of offence observation. Men and women have differing offence rates and offence patterns, both as offenders and as victims. The opportunities and capabilities of men and women for crime are different, which is reflected in their crime pattern. The sex of offenders has always been recorded throughout the history of criminal record keeping. Lady police officers and corrections officers are also needed to tune in, to fit into the gendered criminal justice system, although their lives are very different from that of women offenders or victims. Women were allowed to take up positions of police patrol officers and corrections officers only in the 1970s. This too was achieved through several legislative changes and civil rights movements. While positions have been opened for women in the male dominated fields like policing and corrections, women are faced with challenges as to what are appropriate or not appropriate women activities, given their traditional attitude on such activities. The social role of women had been had been largely restricted, although the situation has changed considerably. However gender based perception, attitude and reaction to situations persist. I am particularly careful in my dealings with women, because I find it difficult to convince them compared to men, although they don’t argue or threaten like men. It has been established by biocriminology that heredity and body organ dysfunctions can induce an inclination in social interaction. Modern researches indicate that chromosomal abnormalities, hormonal and brain chemical imbalances, diet, drugs and alcohol are factors that contribute to aggressive and criminal behavior. The hormone ‘testosterone’ in men has been identified as the main cause of aggression and crime committed by most men. Several case studies indicate that certain foods or food constituents induce neuropsychological disorders in the form of allergic or pharmacologic reactions which may even lead to chemical imbalances in the brain, resulting in behavioral disorders. Adoption and twin studies too indicate that genetic influences play a major role in development of criminal behavior. Molecular genetic investigations and epidemiological studies suggest that criminal activity may be genetically linked to mental abnormality. Prenatal disturbances or altered normal fetal development due to maternal smoking in pregnancy period is linked to violent offsprings. Reading deficits are sometimes developed in impulsive aggressive people, which could be attributed to their early school experiences. Here, impulsive and aggressive acts are caused due to inability in discriminating visual information during social situations. Biology is an important determinant of behavior and social response. Although I don’t perceive any behavior type as due to any specific food pattern, I do believe that group behavior or specific instincts of groups has to do with their biological response. Cultural differences and its influence on behavior have been extensively studied by behavioral scientists mainly during the 1940s and the 1960s. Cross-cultural psychology is very important in understanding the psychological framework of inter personal behavior. Interpersonal behavior is a vital aspect of human daily activity and is greatly influenced by culture. In recent times, this relationship between culture and individual behavior is more explored through empirical studies rather than historical or philosophical enquiries. Findings of such studies indicate that culture moulds and defines individual attitude as much as it determines our values, our ways of thinking and our social relationships. Culture is in fact a major criteria in the determination of human behavior. Culture together with the physical environment represent one of the two important external factors that mould human behavior. These factors in combination with internal influential factors of biological and psychological aspects constitute the main determinants of human behavior. Culture is inhibited by both internal and external representations. External representation of culture is seen in institutions of education, politics, religion and economy while it is internally represented through values, worldviews, beliefs etc. All these forces act simultaneously on an individual at any given point of time. Perhaps most of the conflict and confrontation in today’s world may be attributed to cultural differences. Clash of cultures and adherence to rigid cultural beliefs, keeps up tension between communities. A mutual respect and understanding of each others culture and values is essential for the upliftment of any society. I find it difficult to live a normal life where cultural tolerance is not practiced. I personally feel that culture intolerance is a sign of undeveloped cultures. The individual at any point of time is also subject to a given situation. It is this simultaneous interaction of the person and the situation, which ultimately derives the behavior. Therefore, behavior can be described as a person-situation interaction, which is under continuous adjustment. Normal or abnormal behavior is a continuous response to the person-situation forces. The attitude and behavior of mankind is influenced by several factors, which cannot be predicted or explained using any particular theory. These include cognition, biological, behaviorist, cognitive-social, existential-humanistic, person-situation, and gender, cultural and ethnicity. It must also be understood that similar factors cannot influence everyone to the same level. A combination of several such factors may perhaps explain a particular behavior pattern. Although the role of the parameters in the development of the behavior pattern is known, we cannot conclude that all factors contributing to the same have been identified, nor the level of contribution of each factor. Newer research needs to be done on the subject, to determine further influences, given the fact that technology and lifestyle are constantly evolving.

Starbucks :: essays research papers

Starbucks is a corporation that offers specialty coffees, coffee beans, cold blended beverages, pastries, coffee related products and machines, and tea. Starbucks opened its first location in 1971 in Seattle. By the year 2000, Starbucks had over 3300 locations, and it is still growing. SWOT STRENGTHS:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2000 marked 5th consecutive year of sales increase.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low long-term debt to equity ratio of 0.01, company has good financial standing.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1993, Opens second roasting plant in Kent, Washington in order to maintain on-time production and delivery, then in 1995 opened state of the art roasting facility in York, Pennsylvania.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Howard Schultz joins corporation in 1982, is a visionary leader who made Starbucks the famous coffee bar that it is today. In 2000, Schultz assumed role of chairman and chief global strategist. WEAKNESSES:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low presence in third largest coffee market, Japan and Asia.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Limited (currently increasing) channels of distribution. OPPORTUNITIES:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Schultz sees opportunity to make coffee/espresso bar available to everyone: (i.e.: new channels of distribution) o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1990 – Horizon Air Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1991 – First licensed airport location o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1992 – Nordstrom Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1993 – Barnes & Noble relationship o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1994 - Starwood Hotel Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1995 – United Airlines Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1997 – Canadian Airlines Account o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1998 – Grocery store coffee bars due to agreement with Kraft Foods. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2000 – Host Marriott International Agreement  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Global Opportunities: o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Opens locations in several countries.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other types of drinks, including cold coffee beverages, blended drinks, fruit drink, and tea. THREATS  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Small coffee shops in New York are trying to compete with Starbucks on the basis of customer loyalty.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Protesting against Starbucks for using milk with artificial bovine growth hormone. GOST GOALS  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Open 1,200 new locations in 2001, 900 in the United States.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Open new store in Vienna by end of 2001.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Open 10-15 new stores in Zurich within the next 12-18 months.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Distribution of new Bottled Frappuccino Coffee Drinks, from affiliation with PepsiCo, to entire USA by September 2001.

Cisco Feasibility Study

Computer shop business is the one of the most demand business here in the Stop. Ion Patters Tagging City, internet cafe's are really in demand because of the fast changing technology that the people embarrassed Just like here in the Philippines. Some have their own laptops and bring it to the malls so they could relax and at the same time prepare their assignments and paper works.The people today are very ND would want to do their Jobs in the beautiful innovative environment that could satisfy their needs and lessen their stress due to busy schedule OBJECTIVES/GOAL -To earn profit. -To satisfy costumers providing best quality services at effective price. -Providing the services at low cost by providing the best quality at affordable price. -To achieve its return of investment and the business giving satisfaction to the owner. VI'. Technical Feasibility vii-l Location b. Floor Plan Star network Star networks are one of the most common computer network topologies.In its implies form, a star network consists of one central switch, hub or computer, which act as a conduit to transmit messages. This consists of a central node, to which all other nodes are connected; this central node provides a common connection point for all nodes through a hub. In star topology, every node (computer workstation or any other peripheral) is connected to a central node called a hub or switch. The switch is the server and the peripherals are the clients Thus, the hub and leaf nodes, and the transmission lines between them, form a graph with the topology of a star.If the central node is passive, the originating node must be able to tolerate the reception of an echo of its own transmission, delayed by the two-way transmission time (I. E. To and from the central node) plus any delay generated in the central node. An active star network has an active central node that usually has the means to prevent echo-related problems. Advantages Better performance: star topology prevents the passing o f data packets through an excessive number of nodes.At most, 3 devices and 2 links are involved in any communication between any two devices. Although this topology places a huge overhead on the central hub, with adequate capacity, the hub very high utilization by one device without affecting others. Isolation of devices: Each device is inherently isolated by the link that connects it to the hub. This makes the isolation of individual devices straightforward and amounts to disconnecting each device from the others. This isolation also prevents any non- centralized failure from affecting the network.Benefits from centralization: As the central hub is the bottleneck, increasing its opacity, or connecting additional devices to it, increases the size of the network very easily. Centralization also allows the inspection of traffic through the network. This facilitates analysis of the traffic and detection of suspicious behavior. Easy to detect faults and to remove parts. No disruptions t o the network when connecting or removing devices. Installation and configuration is easy since every one device only requires a link and one input/output port to connect it to any other device(s).Disadvantages Failure of the central hub renders the network inoperable Communication between nodes must pass through the central hub. Therefore if the central hub is compromised, so is all communication. The hub is the bottleneck for throughput as it is required to retransmit the sum of all transmitted messages from devices.

“They Don’t Care Where You Were Born, Just How.”

â€Å"They don’t care where you were born, just how. † Discuss the importance of genetic makeup in the world of Gattaca. In the world of Gattaca everyday life is based upon ‘perfection. ’ Your career, social status and living conditions are all affected by genetic makeup and whether or not you were genetically altered before you were born. People’s position in society is not determined by their race or gender or social status, but the purity and â€Å"perfection† of their genetic code. When going for a job in the workplace at Gattaca it’s common for the interview itself to simply be a DNA sample rather than having an actual face to face interview with a boss. Gone are the days when workers were picked on their written resumes and personality traits, your resume is now IN your DNA. The contrast between the Gattaca workers and the Gattaca cleaners shows the huge difference in what your genetic code can do to your career. Gattaca is a world where police and security checks are carried out by immediate DNA analysis from blood samples. The constant testing at Gattaca to make sure everyone is ‘genetically fit’ is shown constantly throughout the movie, and the ‘valid’ and ‘in-valid’ labels given to the genetically alerted and the non-genetically altered emphasize just how important the genetic makeup of a person is in Gattaca. The main character, Vincent, sums up well the unfairness of the new genetically classed social system: â€Å"I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determines by social status or the colour of your skin. Now we have discrimination down to a science. †

To Be Or Not To Be... A Knight Essays - Cephalophores, Free Essays

To Be Or Not To Be... A Knight Essays - Cephalophores, Free Essays To Be Or Not To Be... A Knight To Be or Not To Be. A knight To be or not to be a Knight truly is the question presented through this story, which is a tale of Gawains trials and tribulations on his journey to the Green Chapel. First, before acknowledging Gawain as being or not being a knight, one must first know what a knight is. In reference to the Pentangle a knight or Gawain must be: first, he was faultless in his five senses, Nor found ever to fail in his five fingers, And all his fealty was fixed upon the five wounds That Christ got on the cross, as the creed tells; That all his force was founded on the five joys That the high Queen of heaven had in her child. The fifth of the five fives followed by the knight Were beneficence boundless and brotherly love And pure mind and manners, that none might impeach, And compassion most precious-these peerless five Were forged and made fast in him, foremost of men. (Ll. 640-655) This excerpt from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight demonstrates on what a knight should be when looked upon from the Pentangle mode of being a knight. What pertain to the Natural/Real Realm would be the five senses and five fingers. The five senses part is used to gain knowledge of the world and worldly wage. The five fingers are the deeds that are done. What pertain to the Religious, Spiritual, Christian Realm would be the faith in the five wounds of Christ would be Fealty and Force. Fealty is the faithfulness in the five wounds of Christ. Force or the force in battle is inspired by the five joys of Mary. What pertain to the Chivalric Realm are Beneficence, Brotherly Love & Truth, Pure Mind, Manners, and Pite. Beneficence pertains to the generosity that the knight bestows. Brotherly Love & Truth pertains to the fellowship and truth in which the knight bestows. Pure Mind pertains to the chastity that the knight shows through his encounters with women and their temptations. Manners per tains to the courtesy that the knight shows to the people that he comes upon. Pite, or piety, pertains to the compassion that the knight shows when he encounters different situations. (GP) The narrator defines Gawain as being: in good works, as gold unalloyed, devoid of all villainy, with virtues adorned in sight. (Ll. 633-635) This basically states that he was a model of a good guy. He kept himself out of trouble, we know this by reason of the narrator stating that Gawain was the Devoid of all villainy. This statement says that Gawain is lacking in any sort of evil. It seems to be that the Green Knight symbolically represents a villainous being that crashes in on a party to play a medieval Russian Roulette. In doing so causes an upheaval among the Knights of the Round Table. The Green Knight storms in and asks someone to chop his head off. At this part of the story it seems quite questionable as to his reasons for doing so. Gawain responds to the beheading game challenge in a humble, yet heroic sense. After the Green Knight barges into King Arthur's court and criticizes the Knights of the Round Table saying, Where is now your arrogance and your awesome deeds for all cower and quake(l. 87, 91) The Green Knight is now saying that the Knights of the Round Table are cowards. He is calling them out. The only one to accept the challenge is Arthur strictly to show that he is not a coward. Just as Arthur is about to decapitate the Green Knight Gawain speaks up and says, I beseech, before all here, that this melee may be mine. (l. 115-116) Here Gawain is speaking up and telling Arthur that if anyone will do this that it will be him. Gawain shows a great deal of courage in accepting this challenge for the reason that no one else, aside from Arthur, would except the challenge. Gawain finds hospitality and shelter at the castle of Bercilak, unbeknownst to Gawain, the Green Knight. Bercilak made an agreement that whatever I win in the woods I will give you at eve, and all you have earned you must

Henry Ford - Biography

Henry Ford - Biography Who Was Henry Ford? assembly line Dates: July 30, 1863 April 7, 1947 Henry Fords Childhood Ford, the Tinkerer Steam Engines It was during this time that Henry met Clara Bryant. When they married in 1888, Henrys father gave him a large piece of land on which Henry built a small house, a sawmill, and a shop to tinker in. Fords Quadricycle Founding the Ford Motor Company Believing that publicity would encourage people to by cars, Henry started building and driving his own racecars. It was at racetracks that Henry Fords name first became well known. However, the average person didnt need a racecar, they wanted something reliable. While Ford worked on designing a reliable car, investors organized a factory. It was this third attempt at a company to make automobiles, the Ford Motor Company, that succeeded. On July 15, 1903, the Ford Motor Company sold its first car, a Model A, to Dr. E. Pfennig, a dentist, for $850. Ford continually worked to improve the cars design and soon created Models B, C, and F. The Model T Since the Model T quickly became so popular that it was selling faster than Ford could manufacture them, Ford began looking for ways to speed up the manufacturing. In 1913, Ford added a motorized assembly line in the plant. The motorized conveyor belts moved the car to the workers, who would now each add one part to the car as the car passed them. The motorized assembly line significantly cut the time, and thus cost, of manufacturing each car. Ford passed on this savings to the customer. Although the first Model T was sold for $850, the price eventually dropped to under $300. Ford produced the Model T from 1908 until 1927, building 15 million cars. Ford Advocates for His Workers Henry Ford Ford also created a sociological department in the factory that would examine workers lives and try to make it better. Since he believed he knew what was best for his workers, Henry was very much against unions. Anti-Semitism Dearborn Independent The Death of Henry Ford For decades, Henry Ford and his only child, Edsel, worked together at the Ford Motor Company. However, friction between them steadily grew, based nearly entirely on differences of opinion over how the Ford Motor Company should be run. In the end, Edsel died from stomach cancer in 1943, at age 49. In 1938 and again in 1941, Henry Ford suffered strokes. On April 7, 1947, four years after Edsels death, Henry Ford passed away at age 83.

The 10 Most Stressful Jobs

The 10 Most Stressful Jobs work stress- we all have it in some form, no matter what we do. whether it’s deadlines, or colleagues who make things challenging, or not enough resources to perform at a certain level, every job has its down times. however, some jobs are just more stressful than others, especially ones that deal in actual life-or-death scenarios or the public crucible. every year, careercast does a survey to determine the most stressful jobs around. they look at 11  different stress factors, including: deadlines, public attention and pressure, travel, interacting with the public, salary, physical demands, job environment, hazards, risks to others’ safety, and risks to one’s own life and safety.here are the most stressful jobs, according to that survey:enlisted military personnelit may come as no surprise that men and women on duty in active war zones face the most job stress of anyone. enlisted military personnel (even those not serving on the front lines) face a number of phy sical challenges in their career, as well as concerns about their safety and the safety of those around them.firefighterwhen a firefighter responds to a call, it could be a false alarm, or it could be a raging fire with people to be rescued. firefighters need to be prepared for any outcome when they leave on a call. by the very nature of their jobs, they run into very unsafe situations to make sure that the rest of us are safe- a high-pressure situation no matter how you look at it.airline pilotairline pilots are entrusted with the care of not only a plane full of passengers and crew, but also a giant piece of multi-million-dollar equipment. plus they have to do it all on a very strict schedule. the next time you’re delayed in an airport, take some time to reflect that we’re asking pilots to achieve great things under an incredible amount of pressure.police officerlike firefighters, police officers are often the first responders when things go terribly wrong. they†™re tasked with the huge public trust of keeping law and order- a responsibility that can weigh on the everyday life of an officer. they’re often exposed to the worst elements society has to offer, and risk harm on a daily basis.event coordinatoralthough event planning is rarely a life-or-death situation, it can be an incredibly stressful career path. if all of the elements of an event don’t go just right, it’s often the coordinator whose name and reputation are on the line. not only that, he or she is directly accountable to clients and the public.public relations executivelike event coordinators, public relations executives are often very publicly accountable for their actions. olivia pope may make â€Å"handling it† look smooth, but in reality the people who try to manage public information for clients are often up on a very high-profile high wire.senior corporate executivestock prices dropping like it’s hot? company had a very high-profile mi stake or a bad customer experience that went mega-viral? it’s likely the ceo whose reputation and job which are on the line. the combination of business stress plus public accountability is likely what lands high-level corporate executives on this list.tv broadcasterimagine that thousands (or millions!) of people are watching you on television, with every second immortalized in hd. any slip of the tongue could launch a thousand twitter statuses, or worse- land you in youtube infamy.newspaper reportermuch of the time these days, newspaper reporters can’t win. the financial woes of the newspaper industry are legion (how many times a week do we hear that newspapers in general are on the brink of death?), but even reporters worried for their jobs can’t afford to let news quality or misinformation slip.taxi driverif you’re a taxi driver, not only do you welcome dozens of strangers per day into your car and personal space, but now for traditional yellow cab vet erans there is extra competition lurking from rideshare apps like lyft or uber. for many drivers, the stresses of the open road join the risks of interacting with the unknown public.so after knowing what the most stressful jobs are these days, are you brave enough to tackle them?

Discuss the ethical issues in the Monsanto case Essay

Discuss the ethical issues in the Monsanto case - Essay Example Most cases, the company owned up its failures and strived to clean up in its attempt to safeguard its stakeholder interests. In its attempt to balance the stakeholder interests, Monsanto has often disregarded a number of ethical issues mostly in health, environmental and moral issues as the discussion below portrays. The company has a poor reputation owing to the number of scandals arising from the unethical techniques it employs in its operations. The debate around the suitability of genetically modified foods continues to jeopardize the activities of the company and its profitability given the fact that the company prides itself in the sale of such products. Genetically modified foods present a number of advantages to the society. Genetically modified substances mature faster and are resistant to both drought and pests. As such, genetic modification of foods is among the surest ways of enhancing the global food security (Gillam, 2009). Such arguments continue to enhance the profitability of the company since the company presents the answer to some of the world’s greatest concern. Food insecurity in Africa is of a major concern. Through consistent research on genetic modification of agricultural products, the company promises to develop plant and animal species that can help improve food security in the continent. While such beliefs continue to improve investor confidence on the company, Monsanto must continue employing ethical practices in order to safeguard the safety of the substances it develops. The company must address all the major concerns and doubts that people have on the safety and suitability of the genetically modified foods (Fraedrich, Ferrell & Ferrell, 2012). Another equally important ethical concern is environmental degradation. Global warming is a real threat to the safety of the earth. As such, the company must enhance the safety of its operations with the view to protecting the environment from such of the pollutant its produces. In

Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Sustainability - Essay Example The multidimensional perspectives of a business should therefore encompass several environmental and ecological issues and factors. In other words, in any analysis of a business’ performance, the social, cultural, health-related and monetary/financial aspects of its operations must be integrated. Thus, the idea of sustainability surpasses sustained business yields of welfare, resources and profit and touches on social and communal effects (Farley & Daly, 2004). This paper explores the benefits that Janssen UK, a medium-sized leading transnational research-based pharmaceutical company with its headquarters in High Wycombe might enjoy from sustainability, the leadership initiatives by which the company may become a leader in sustainability and how the organisation’s leadership might effect the sustainability change. The Benefits of Sustainability The big question that many people, especially company managers and CEOs ask is whether sustainability really works. In other wo rds, are there real benefits of sustainability? For Janssen UK, the general and simplest response to this question is yes. This answer is supported by the fact that other top-ranking small-, medium- and large-sized organisations in the world are either practicing or introducing sustainability to their operations and practices. In addition, more workers now choose organisations or employers based on their environmental credentials, friendliness and corporate citizenship (Hawken & Lovins, 1999). Nonetheless, owners, CEOs and managers continue to question the costs and financial benefits even as they enjoy the benefits of sustainability. It is however generally supported that businesses that seek to reduce the amount of resources or materials used in the production of the same amount of goods and services or that seek to reduce cases of sick leave while improving staff retention rates definitely enjoy the financial benefits of sustainability (Von Weizsacker, 1998). That sustainability has immense personal and professional benefits is evidenced by the reports of organisations that successfully implement sustainability programs. The benefits of sustainability for Janssen UK may be largely categorised as financial, brand and reputation, human resources and employee engagement and environmental benefits. Under the financial benefits, Janssen UK may enjoy reduced energy and water usage, hence reduced production costs (Daly & Cobb, 1999). In addition, Janssen UK could enjoy reduced paper, waste and associated costs as well as reduced use of production materials. In some cases, the company may receive grants due to its improved sustainability practices. The other likely financial benefit of sustainability to Janssen UK is visibility of business performance as a result of mandatory reporting. As mentioned earlier, businesses that implement sustainability programs have numerous human resources and employee engagement benefits. For Janssen UK, these benefits include but ar e not limited to improved working conditions, increase productivity, improved attraction and retention of labourers, increased staff loyalty and lowered costs associated with improved human resource outcomes (Jackson et al., 2008). The third category of the benefits of sustainability, the brand and reputation benefits include better corporate social responsibility performance, lowered liability and risk management, improved competitiveness and market positioning and increased

BRAND MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

BRAND MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH - Essay Example To be able to become a market leader it is vital to guide or, to a certain extent, control the customers. If the firm, by means of the obsolete portion of marketing theory, merely follows what the customers want, the brand will certainly, in the future, be surpassed in the market. The explanation is that unless there is a zero turnaround time, or the possibility of delivering immediately what is demanded for, the firm will fail to keep up (Nilson 2003). By the time the firm has created, manufactured and delivered what the customers requested for, they possibly have modified their preferences or a competitor may have by then introduced something into the marketplace satisfying the demand. Moreover, it is not possible for a customer to identify what a producer can offer. Merely listening to customers is to abandon the brand to the consumers and the management of the firm—and abandoning accountability is seldom a way to develop a strong brand identity, value, image, and positioni ng. The objective of this essay is to analyse in detail the McDonald’s brand in terms of its identity, value, image, and positioning. The Brand The significance of brand management is simply described by John Stewart, the CEO of Quaker Oats (Armstrong & Kotler 2007). He stated that â€Å"If this business split up I will give you all the bricks mortar and land and I would keep the brands and trademarks, and I would fare better than you† (Armstrong & Kotler 2007, 214). This evidently means that a strong brand can be more priceless than all the assets of a firm which make brand management very crucial. According to De Chernatony (2006), â€Å"a successful brand is an identifiable product, service, person or place, augmented in such a way that the buyer or user perceives relevant, unique, sustainable added values which match their needs most closely† (p. 13). A brand, in addition, can be defined as a system of signs and symbols that engages the customer in an invent ed or symbolic process that provides tangible value to a product or service (Kapferer 2008). The symbol of McDonald’s, which is an arching M, is only an M until every brand message has been sent or received by the potential customer. Herbert Rotfeld (2008) examines further the other abstract advantages and values branding can put in to a product or service. Similarly, Kapferer (2004) claimed that the brand is a mark whose objective is to express the hidden aspects of the product or service which are not readily available to the senses. McDonald’s is considered as one of the most popular brands across the globe. This essay will show how McDonald’s tries to constantly improve its brand by focusing on both its customers’ and brand owner’s perspectives. It also acknowledges the various stages in the branding and marketing process. Branding builds an identity and image for an organisation, product, or service. In particular, the brand image implies how customers distinguish or recognise the company. The mechanism of brand management will only be effective when a company performs and communicates itself in a trustworthy way (Nilson 2003). Techniques of marketing communication, such as advertising and promotions, are used to build brand identity, images, appeal, and methods which provide the brand its particular image (p. 49). This is represented at McDonald’s by its Golden Arches. The McDonald’s Brand McDonald’

What is the purpose of government in the United States Essay

What is the purpose of government in the United States - Essay Example Seeking to explore the purpose of the US government with respect to the roles that it plays in the modern 21st century, the following will argue that there are many roles for the government of the United States. These include the promotion and continuation of democratic governance, economic development, the provision of social services, promoting justice and securing the nation from outside threat. All of the functions are inherent to the purpose of the United States. We now turn to an exploration of the government of the United States of America and its role as the torchbearer of democracy (Almond et al, 101-102). . One of the most important functions of the government of the United States is the promotion of liberal democracy. In a liberal democratic society, power rests with the people. Liberal democracy can be characterized by free and fair elections, universal suffrage and a plural society in which power is transferred through peaceful political means. Accordingly, stability in much of the world is defined as the establishment of both democracy and democratic rules of governance. By giving everyone a voice at the ballot, the argument follows that the political regime which gains power will be perceived as being legitimate and the result will be political stability. Accordingly, the role of the United States government is to ensure that political power is transferred through peaceful means and that political contiguity is maintained through the democratic system. As an entrenched cultural value of the United States, the promotion of liberal democracy is an important task for the government o f the United States. The promotion of economic development is another responsibility for the government of the United States. As a society with a capitalist economic system, the government of the United manages the economic system while understanding the importance of free

Discussion Board 7-1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion Board 7-1 - Essay Example ance in the coverage of child sexual abuse as they are the individuals with capabilities, skills and responsibilities to help survivors and perpetrators get timely justice, care and attention. Assessment makes a vital step in the treatment and support for survivors of child sexual abuse. Completing assessment on child sexual abuse at the onset of mental health counseling as well as continuing to assess throughout the treatment course is generally vital. Child sexual abuse is one of the causes of improper mental health on certain people who have been victims of the abuse. The abuse has made some individuals develop social withdrawal characteristics that have great relation to the emotions. Some survivors of the abuse have also developed (Jackson-Cherry Erford, 2014)Posttraumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) that has greatly compromised their normal human operations (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2014). Assessing for child sexual abuse then provides counselors with clues or hypothesis that might have been responsible for certain abnormal mental orientations. This gives counselors opportunities to create reliable strategies for treatment and recovery process for the victims. Realizing that certain suspected symptoms truly relate to child sexual abuse expounds knowledge about the vice and making future detection

What is the purpose of government in the United States Essay

What is the purpose of government in the United States - Essay Example Seeking to explore the purpose of the US government with respect to the roles that it plays in the modern 21st century, the following will argue that there are many roles for the government of the United States. These include the promotion and continuation of democratic governance, economic development, the provision of social services, promoting justice and securing the nation from outside threat. All of the functions are inherent to the purpose of the United States. We now turn to an exploration of the government of the United States of America and its role as the torchbearer of democracy (Almond et al, 101-102). . One of the most important functions of the government of the United States is the promotion of liberal democracy. In a liberal democratic society, power rests with the people. Liberal democracy can be characterized by free and fair elections, universal suffrage and a plural society in which power is transferred through peaceful political means. Accordingly, stability in much of the world is defined as the establishment of both democracy and democratic rules of governance. By giving everyone a voice at the ballot, the argument follows that the political regime which gains power will be perceived as being legitimate and the result will be political stability. Accordingly, the role of the United States government is to ensure that political power is transferred through peaceful means and that political contiguity is maintained through the democratic system. As an entrenched cultural value of the United States, the promotion of liberal democracy is an important task for the government o f the United States. The promotion of economic development is another responsibility for the government of the United States. As a society with a capitalist economic system, the government of the United manages the economic system while understanding the importance of free

Critical writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Critical writing - Essay Example tion about the negative moves of a government, that owned by the government will present the government in good light in spite of its negative actions. For example, during Hitler’s rule in Germany, newspapers were used to spread propaganda in favor of the government even though the government committed several atrocities. Yet another factor that may lead to different interpretations of similar events is cultural differences. Different cultures interpret different actions or words in different ways. Thus, newspapers owned or controlled by people of different cultures may present different views one and the same event. Students should be wary of bias when relying on newspapers to provide information. They should avoid relying on newspapers that present information in a biased way. Instead, they should rely on newspapers that are objective in their coverage. Critical thinking should be applied to establish whether or not a source is biased. This can be done by evaluating the tone used, the author, their affiliations and what they stand for, and the different points of view presented by the

Half Caste, by John Agard Essay Example for Free

Half Caste, by John Agard Essay Poetry is used by writers world wide to express them. Many of these poems are very negative and show it in the use, and misuse, of language. Other poems are more positive. Poets often use their work to express difficult situations. Half Caste is a good example of this because it portrays the writer in a negative situation that the writer expresses his opinions about. Unrelated incidents is a similar type of poem with a varying, but overall alike problem. The poem Not my business is a more literal poem. The poem is similar because it shows the poet in a difficult situation but the way the poet expresses himself is completely different. In Half Caste, by John Agard, the difficult situation is one of prejudice. The writer is expressing his dislike of the prejudice he suffers because he is of mixed race or, in his words, half caste. The word half-caste is shown to be the culprit in this poem and the entire poem ridicules the word and those who use it. The writer uses various strategies to achieve this goal. In the first paragraph the writer immediately draws the readers attention with an apology, excuse me, he says. This draws the readers attention because it is a very abrupt way of starting a poem and the reader continues to read to see what he is fact sorry for. Immediately, Agard shows that he was in fact being sarcastic. He uses the ridiculous imagery of a man standing on one leg to show the stupidity of the word half-caste. Agard continues to be ridiculous like this throughout the poem. Agard doesnt confine himself to ridiculous imagery though, he uses imagery of famous western icons to prove his point, yu mean when Picasso mix red an green is a half caste canvas. This is effective because to create a good painting an artist will probably have to mix colours, Agards point is that paintings with mixed colours are any worse so why should he be. He uses similar imagery using British weather and Tchaikovsky to prove the same point. The constant use of such imagery shows the reader the difficult situation rather than describing it, in Half Caste the writer uses it to show why e hates prejudice and by doing so tells the reader the prejudice he suffers. . Not my business also uses imagery, but the imagery is not as subtle and more literal. The poems starts with imagery of brutality beat him soft like clay. The imagery is very violent and suggests constant repetitive beating. The few words say masses; soft like clay suggests broken bones and tenderness. The imagery is very violent and portrays a very violent regime or lifestyle. This instantly shows the difficult situation in which the writer is in. Later in the poem more imagery is used. The constant repetition of savouring mouth and the personification of objects hungry hand and bewildered lawn create imagery of consumption. These constant images of consumption and brutality lets Osundare express his situation fully and more interestingly than if it had been written in prose. John Agard also uses a Jamaican dialect in Half Caste. In the entire poem he uses no punctuation, and spells everything phonetically according to the dialect. This deliberate misuse of the English language is an obvious rebellion to English standards. He writes in English but in a Jamaican dialect showing his problem of being Half Caste. This simple use of dialect says many things about his views on his stereotyping. He is rebelling against people who want him only to act English and people who are prejudiced against him. The use of dialect says that if English people discriminate against him then he will discriminate against the English language. Unrelated Incidents also uses dialect to show a difficult situation, this time the dialect is Scottish and its use is obvious. By using a Scottish dialect the writer instantly shows the difference between him scruff and the BBC accent he is opposed to. The difference in dialect shows the prejudice Leonard claims to suffer. The prejudice is not one of a different culture but one inside Britain. He is saying by using dialect that no one trusts him, or other Glaswegians because of their accent and their home. He says this in the poem as well by saying if a toktaboot thi trooth lik want to yoo scruff yi widny thingk it wuz troo.

How Is Water Scarcity Affecting Algeria Environmental Sciences Essay

How Is Water Scarcity Affecting Algeria Environmental Sciences Essay Nowadays, all over the world one from two people has no access to drinking water and one from two people does not benefit connection to a sewerage system. Blue Gold plays a vital role in global warming and other phenomenon that is increasingly importance and which poses a problem in the management of water resources. Water shortages exacerbated by climate change that affects all continents and over 40% of the world population is already affected by the problem. 1.1 billion People lack access to clean water to meet their daily basis needs. 2.6 billion People lack access to sanitation adequate. The daily drinking water is 2 to 4 litters per person. They valued at approximately 130 litters / day / person in rural areas and 350 litters / day /person in urban areas these needs include all uses related to the activity daily of the person. Algeria is a country in the semi-arid climate and is affected by the shortage. Its great urban population are under pressure, it becomes almost impossible to meet the demand. The constraints imposed by the water problems in Algeria hinder its development. Water resources are increasingly rare while the needs are increasing. Â  In Algerian cities, water is no longer supplied continuously (Bethemont J. 1991). Schedules of distribution of drinking water directly influence the satisfaction of demand water population. Demand is growing more and more time and requires proportional growth in supply, this needs is rarely achieved. While the mobilization of water resources has never stopped growing, but this growth is insufficient and less than demand, resulting in a gap between the amounts requested and the volume delivered through the water. Oran, the second city in Algeria (western of Algeria) has annual rainfall very low, the location and climate has affected the type of crops suitable for region with the advent of independence of Algeria, decisions policies have unbalanced the existing micro-climate. The uprooting of vines and change the countrys agricultural policies have resulted in an exacerbation of the arid climate. Everyone is in fear of days without rain. 1-Brief about Oran Oran is the second largest city of Algeria (from 48 provinces which called wilaya) and one of the largest in the Maghreb. Oran has preserved its identity while soaking up the influence of its successive occupants. It is a port city on the Mediterranean, north-western Algeria, and the chief town of the wilaya of the same name bordering the Gulf of Oran. It is Located 432 km west from the capital Algiers, the municipality had 685 000 inhabitants in 2007, while the town had about 1 235 000, it has a population of approximately 2 million inhabitants. The city is an economic and academic importance Oran has a Mediterranean climate marked by a classic summer drought. During the summer months, rainfall becomes scarce or nonexistent, and the sky is bright and clear. The subtropical anticyclone covers the area from Oran for nearly four months. However the region is well watered during the winter. Low precipitation (294mm rainfall) and frequency (72.9 days per year) are also characteristic of this climate. On the eve of the French colonization, there were only 18 000 inhabitants in Oran and its suburbs. Although during his good times, the city does not seem to have attracted over 30 000 inhabitants, the population of Oran double that figure only 50 years after the French arrived. Less than 70 years after the beginning of colonization, Oran passes 100 000 people to become the fifth French city. In the early twenty-first century, it has become one of the major cities of the Maghreb and approaches regularly by 1 000 000 Intramural people. After the Evian agreements and the independence, Europes population abandoned the city. Half of Oran finds deserted homes left empty are quickly reinvested after independence. 2-Statement of the Issue/Problem The demand for water needed for the promotion of industry and population use keeps increasing. Therefore, this situation caused by a lack of a strategy for water resources management resulted in the loss and waste of water resources. This has become critical as it hinders and blocks the development of the countrys economy. In the city of Oran, water management poses a difficult problem for the authorities. The resources which are available are less than those which are required. The outdated fashion of water conveyance and insufficient storage capacity hinder the correct distribution of water to the consumers. The daily quota per inhabitant remains small in comparison with international norms. The water management is not efficient Oran has in the past three decades an explosion worrying population, because not prepared to handle this influx of population. This situation resulting from two main reasons: Rural depopulation safe. Rural economic exodus Population of the town of Oran from 1980 to 2010 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 527000 604000 647000 675000 706000 765000 852000 RESOURCE: ministry of internal affairs -Algeria This led to an exacerbation of socio-economic (housing, drinking water) and Public Health (access to care). The city of Oran always had a deficit in water resources and the deficit has increased exponentially with the disproportionate increase in the population. The curves of the evolution of Rainfall averages 14 years (1993 = 435.15 mm 2007 mm = 251.2) show the deficit, which is correlated to the temperature rise. Configuration geographic region of Oran (plain) has disrupted its water policy, since it has no reserves of its own. The city has always been dependent on other provinces (Tlemcen, Mostaganem, Chlef) for its needs water. Proportion of distribution of water potable in the city of Oran % RESOURCE: ministry of water resources-Algeria According to the ministry of water resources statistic (2007) there are only 27 percent of inhabitants receive the water potable every day, while 21 percent receive it every two days, and more than 50 percent of inhabitants do not receive water drinking regularly, 24 percent of them receive it each three days and 17 percent receive it each four days, while the others 11 percent cannot access to the water drinking less than 4 days. the water strategy was depending mainly on rainfall, while The quantities needed by the population have continued decline in recent years in Oran, because of the disproportionate between the needs and the demands, the population have increased year after year while the resources have decreased (1993 = 435.15 mm 2007 mm = 251.2) and this causes drought phenomenon which may lead to the lake of water drinking. Resource: ministry of agriculture and irrigation The department of irrigation in Oran consider the needs of the city from drinking water per day around 320 000 cubic meters, while the amount currently produced and directed to distribute is approximately 200 000 cubic meters per day. This critical situation creates the re-emergence of diseases previously under control, such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, viral hepatitis A and E and fever Parasitic diseases are not left behind and make a resurgence worries health services (malaria, schistosomiasis, and leishmaniasis) 2-The local government policy of water potable in Oran: The main objective of the state water policy consists on providing sufficient potable water for the population supply. This objective was undertaken by increasing the water resources and availability. The local authority has put into action a wide programme taking into consideration several tasks, as: 2- 1-Increase rainfall collect capacity (dams construction): Since the local government policy was depending largely on the rainfall, the government has tried to exploit this resource by increasing their capacity of storage by building new dams, such as BENI BAHDEL dam. Its volume is 63 million cubic meters of water. To reach the city of Oran, the services of the hydraulic build some 170 kilometres of pipelines. The work has continued for ten years. The construction of dams will result in a substantial reduction of the impacts, namely landscape change. Construction of a rock fill dam would indeed require the extraction of quarry from the near sites can Produce 4.82 million cubic aggregates for the construction of the dam. 2-2 Implement new way of management: The local government have tried to implement the resolutions; to ease conflicts between the regions in urban and rural water development by adopting agricultural approaches more effective, such as the use of irrigation technology consumes less water, and the development of agricultural production programs saving water. (Such as olive, etc) 2- 3-Depending to other province: to secure the needs of the city from drinking water, the local government follow a policy that aim to achieve their inhabitants need from the potable water by bring it from the neighbour provinces such as Mostaganem, Tlemcen, Chlef etc, these provinces have additional resources of water 2-4- Restore cities water distribution facilities: the local government have tried to restore the network of water distribution; one of the major reasons that cause the water potable deficit is the incompetence of this network which causes sometimes the waste and misuse of water. 2-5 National water Law (revised in 1996 under law No. 96-13). This Code includes several articles related to wastewater discharge, pollution abatement, the Protection and preservation of water bodies and wastewater reuse for agricultural and Industrial purpose 3-The alternative policies: Although the effort that have been made and the actions that have been taken by the local government but the problem is still exist, the inhabitants still find a difficult to access to the water potable, and this may refer to the policies that have been implemented by the government to deal with this problem, however there are others policies could be more effective to solve this issue, this policies could be described as follow: 3-1Seawater Desalination: To overcome the lack of water and cope with ever-growing needs, given the population growth potable water, the local government could think about the desalination of seawater, as an alternative solution to deal with the drinking water problem, it could opt for seawater desalination especially since this solution is not dependent on weather. reverse osmosis units must install for the next years to produce a total capacity of 57.500 m3 per day, this quantity could help to ease the problem by providing a certain pert of the city needs, while the cost of creating a desalination unit is approximately 30 million dollar, comparing with the cost of transferring water from the other province 6000 billion dinner= 1 billion dollar, seem very sheep Seawater desalination could be regarded as a strategic option to secure the population needs of water supply. An ambitious program is actually undertaken to equip other province (the capital Algiers) by seawater desalination plants ranging from 50 000 to 200 000 m3 per day 3-2 Exploit of Ground water: A lot of water experts indicates that ground water resources in Algeria are estimated at 43 trillion cubic meters, 4 000 billion are used each year, more than 5 trillion are located in the north east (Oran in other province). This resources could be exploited and contribute in resolving water problem. Though the consumption of individuals varies between 100 m3 and 5000 m3 per year and that Algeria is ranked among the poorest countries in this context, with less than 700 cubic meters. They state that water resources are abundant in Oran region but not exploited, and that one in six of the world, finds it difficult to have regular or even periodically water to resolve this problem. International reports reveal, in the same context that Algeria suffers from a lack in water, and water experts indicate that the average consumer in the region reached 500 cubic meters per year, warning against the emergence of serious crisis in 15 years. 4- Recommendation: according to the alternative policies that have been mentioned above, and regarding to the resources that are available the recommendation in this issue can be addressed as follow: 1- The Oran local government decision-makers have relied on rainfall as a resource of the drinking water, they must move towards a policy of mobilizing non-conventional water resources. The operation has already been launched across other parts of the country and it achieves the success, and may it will become the solution for the town water crisis, where the lack of clean water is increasingly felt, and the aim of this policy is to double the current daily capacity. 2-All the water experts agree on the need to change the content specific policy of water. The management of water must be transformed todays sustainable management of water and this change in shape implies beyond political expediency, a substantive change. For the policies implemented so far follow the logic of engineering domestication of natural water resources and adapt, often offering for application. However, we cannot also forget that water is a scarce resource in the time and space, which requires taking into account the needs of management, and social and environmental practices of water 3- The local government decision-makers and planners cannot simply ask the technicians to try and mobilize the water as it was practiced and is still far, but they must focus on identifying strategies to shape a more careful management of local resources and at the same time doubling efforts to control population growth. To achieve this; companies, governments and civil society must work hand in hand to reconcile three worlds that have long ignored: Economy, ecology and social. In the long term, there will be no development possible if it is not economically efficient, socially equitable and ecologically tolerable. 4- The local decision-makers should implement new polices that not rely mainly on rainfall, they should address the alternative policies that cost less and more efficient such as seawater desalination, it could be more effective to resolve the crisis of potable water with very less cost comparing to other chooses, establishing a unit of seawater desalination with capability of daily production 60 000 cubic meters does not cost more than 30 million dollar, while transferring water from other province could cost around 1 billion dollar. Conclusion: In Algeria, even when not taking global climatic change into account, water scarcity is an important problem with acuity in many areas of the country. Since the seventies, dryness prevails in an intense and persistent way. The impact on the water resource already appeared through, the reduction in the rivers flow, the low level of filling dams and the global fall of the piezometric level of the principal country aquifers. In the future, the current deficits of the water resources will increase. This will lead to obvious problems of management and strategy to ensure a durable development for the country.

The Amazing Color-coded Campus :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

The Amazing Color-coded Campus At a glance ours had seemed the perfect school, with its large remodeled buildings, looming green trees and a campus filling a whole city block. Everyone wanted to go there, just so that they could cut class and escape to the real world. For me, leaving a private school where everyone looked and acted the same for a school known for having the largest and most diverse student body in the United States was nothing less than a dream come true. On my first day, though, I realized why my parents had originally yanked me out of public school. I had rejoined all those same kids who six years before had been stapling their ears, whispering talk of sexual things I'd never heard of, and literally gluing themselves to their seats after being told to do so figuratively. In a way I was glad, having spent six years at a school whose students' only quirks were random temper tantrums and acting out scenes from the latest novel they'd finished. The school had fences protecting us from the outside world, and how it might make us feel about ourselves. I had learned to disappear in that crowd, to appear as one of them when I felt like an outsider. I would listen to their stories of shoplifting, knowing their allowances covered anything their hearts desired, and lie about my own shoplifting experiences. I couldn't help but think that there was more beyond those gates, things that mattered and things that were real. The sky seemed to hang dangerously low above my head that day, the clouds so thick and gray it was if the universe ended at their edges. I had survived a week of high school, but still walked around campus feeling anxious, as if everyone could see I was shaking inside. My eyes scanned the people pouring from the buildings, desperately wanting to find my best friend. Through the undulating sea of students, which lightened and darkened every couple of feet, I finally spotted Kay doing her best to be invisible. The path to where we ate curved through "The Slopes," where black and Latino football players hung out, and "The Bricks," which held mainly white seniors. Ashamed of our nervousness to walk through "The Slopes," we looked only at each other and talked in hurried tones.

The Life Of Li Cunxin Drama Essay

Li Cunxin, is one of the best male concert dance terpsichoreans in the universe. He has shown great bravery, aspiration and finding throughout his full life. He excelled in the gruelling concert dance preparation at the Beijing Dance Academy, made his manner to be one of the Prime Minister terpsichoreans with the Houston Ballet for 16 old ages before traveling on to another calling as a stockbroker and today, he resides in Australia while going around the universe as a motivational talker. Li was born into a really hapless household in 1961 in Qingdao in China which was so a communist state led by Mao. He lived in a really little town with 20 of his relations. His household struggled to remain alive, populating close to starvation daily, but because of the household ‘s love for each other and their finding to populate, they try really difficult to last each twenty-four hours. Li ‘s childhood is filled with love and fondness from his household. It was ever in Li ‘s head that he wanted to be able to make something to assist his household. He knew that concert dance would be his household ‘s best chance to get away the acrimonious poorness in his rural place in China. Sure plenty, he was chosen to go a ballet terpsichorean. Li so began his journey in going one of the best terpsichoreans in the universe. His household is ever at that place to back up him on every determination he made, giving him full support, love and encouragement. At the age of 11, Li began his preparation at the Beijing Dance Academy from 5:30 am to 9 autopsy for 6 yearss a hebdomad. No affair how much he suffered during the preparation, he ne'er Tee 2 idea of giving up. He realised that dance is his passion and it motivated him to give his 100 % attempt in dancing. Li would wake up at 5 in the forenoon when everyone is still kiping and skip up and down the steps to construct the strength of his leg every bit good as his staying power. At dark he would pattern his bends by the candle flame. Equally much as he wanted to populate a better life, he had ne'er forgotten about his household that he left behind. Li ‘s finding has steered him onto the way of success that helped him interrupt free from his Communist fatherland. After 7 old ages of rough preparation at the Beijing Dance Academy, Li had become a ego disciplined and a pupil with great finding. He received a aureate chance to analyze dance in America through a student exchange plan under Mao ‘s government. He was subsequently offered a contract as a soloist with the Houston Ballet and danced for the company for 16 old ages. He was regarded as one of the best terpsichoreans in the universe. In three international concert dance competitions, he won silver and a bronze decoration at three international concert dance competitions and he performed with some of the best concert dance companies in the universe. Here are some quotation marks and rules that Li stands house on which have led to his success in dance. â€Å" Dance is the ultimate combination of subject and freedom. Discipline is the foundation to go wholly free and originative. If you ‘re free without a foundation so you could travel off the tracks. † His ego finding, dedication and the willingness to work hard and ever act positively to accomplish his end is his attack to success and to dance. In the official site of Li Cunxin, here are the testimonies that document his influence on the development of dance. Harmonizing to Australian Friendly Societies Association ( AFSA ) , â€Å" Without a uncertainty one of the most powerful and invigorating presentations I have seen † . The AFSA are highly impressed by Li ‘s impact, manner, personable nature and overall attitude. What makes me believe that Li is impressive is in the sense of his manner and Tee 3 motion in dance which are strong and defined which is beyond ethereal with his emotional conveyance. His dances are one of the dances that are difficult to bury. I believe that his attack to dance is one of committedness and focal point. From his attitude and behavior, it can actuate us as terpsichoreans to maintain in head that we can make it every bit long as we stay determined. Li ‘s movie, Mao ‘s Last Dancer, is an astonishing true narrative based on the extraordinary tract he had to travel through to go a celebrated terpsichorean. Li ‘s success is non merely as a terpsichorean, he succeeded in illuming for the true human ideal. The movie Mao ‘s last terpsichorean explores the battle for two freedoms: personal pick and artistic look. On the surface, this true narrative concerns the battle between the eastern and western political orientations. While some people view his picks as heroic, others see him as a treasonist to his fatherland. In my point of position, Li left his household behind in Beijing to U.S and began to non merely see the universe for the first clip, but besides found his passion in dance. Traveling even deeper, viewing audiences will see his battle for originative freedom – the ability to state, make, and dance what he feels as an creative person. This is how he has made an influence in dance. I believe that it is true ; he gives every terpsichorean mental motive and hope to accomplish a end by reminding us non to blow every individual minute of our dancing journey. Other than that, Li likes to take on challenges. He requested to come in the America International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, the equivalent of the Olympics for concert dance terpsichoreans and he achieved a Ag decoration. â€Å" I wanted to acquire a sense of how my dance stood up to international criterions. † ( Li, 292 ) . Li ever had a positive attitude towards dance. He had to invariably face and get the better of his diffidence and insecurities ; even when he was locked up in the Chinese Consulate in Houston for 21 hours, which is one of the most celebrated and controversial desertion in the U.S history. The FBI and besides the so Vice Tee 4 president George W.Bush was called in ensuing in a tenseness with the Chinese Consulate. The universe waited for 21 hours to see what destiny has for Li. Li walked out after 21 hours into the streets of Texas and ne'er looked back of all time since. These are what people admire about him the most. We have to happen our ain way in dance ; our ain manner by dancing from our bosom and psyche. Presents, the difficult work and dedication towards dance that Li has are seldom seen. We can truly see that Li ‘s narrative is a true fairy tale about a male child who had a dream to go the best concert dance terpsichorean in the universe. His position on dance preparation is one of finding and difficult work because it provided a way for him to interrupt free of communist China and take him around the universe as a professional terpsichorean. To turn out the cogency of the narrative above, here are the significant groundss on his personal ideas about his life in China. When Li was in America, he told himself that he was â€Å" the fish and China is the pool. † From this metaphor we can see how Li felt approximately China as a fish can non be anyplace else other than its pool so like the fish, Li thought he would non be able to populate out of China. From what we can see from his life experience, the attack that Li took towards dance is full of finding, bravery, subject and the passion to be one of the best terpsichoreans in the universe. His sheer subject and the demand for him to raise his household out of poorness drove him to accomplish beyond his bound. Work Cited Elias, Debbie Lynn. â€Å" Mao ‘s Last Dancer. † 20 August 2010. Tonight at the Movies. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //tonightatthemovies.com/indexhold/ ? p=3097 & gt ; . FAQs, Career. â€Å" Li Cunxin – Dancer, Stockbroker and Author of Mao ‘s Last Dancer. † 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.careerfaqs.com.au/celebrity/663/Li-Cunxin-Dancer-Stockbroker-Author & gt ; . â€Å" Determination and Defection. † TripAtlas.com. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //tripatlas.com/Li_Cunxin & gt ; . Li, Cunxin. â€Å" Mao ‘s Last Dancer. † Offical Site of Li Cunxin. N.p. , 2005. Web. 23 Aug 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.licunxin.com/index.htm & gt ; . Li, Cunxin. Mao ‘s Last Dancer. Australia: Sheena Dewan, 2003.

Conspicuous Consumption and Veblen

How far is Thorstein Veblen’s theory, that the main function of dress is the display of wealth, still valid? Thorstein Veblen was a sociologist and economist who came up with the term ‘conspicuous consumption. ’ He was the author of the book ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class’ published in 1899 which spoke about the working class in America. During that time the working class was visibly aspiring to the ‘leisure class. ’ The Leisure class was known to be the emerging ruling class of that time, as they would consume and constantly engage in a public display of their status. The following essay is going to explore Veblen’s theory in relation to the display of wealth through dress. I aim to show the relevance of Veblen’s concept today whilst taking into thought the changes in class, consumption and consumerism. Veblen provided a few main ideologies in which he examines the notion of ‘dress’ as an â€Å"expression of pecuniary culture† Veblen (1994:15) He stated that the idea of ‘conspicuous waste’ proved the wearer had the freedom to purchase anything they liked without so much as any economical obstacles. Currently, ‘fast fashion’ feeds the desire to overcome need, and clothes are replaced before they are worn out. The seasonality of today’s fashion is the epitome of conspicuous waste as new trends come out every season which encourages one to throw out items that have gone ‘out of fashion. ’ Trends are changing faster than ever before (Fig 1). (Tesseras : 2010) states; â€Å"textile waste at council tips now accounts for 30 per cent, compared to just seven per cent five years ago. † The thrill of watching each season’s runway shows, to the pressure of ‘joining in’ and following the trends, (Fig 2) fast fashion promotes mass production and waste. Fig 1 Fig 2 Another principle of Veblen’s, is that of ‘conspicuous leisure’ which he defined as a non-productive use of time. Examples of conspicuous leisure include taking long ’unnecessary’ vacations to exotic places which are fully motivated by a social factor (Fig 3). †Time is consumed non-productively (1) from a sense of unworthiness of productive work, and (2) as an evidence f pecuniary ability to afford a life of idleness† (Veblen 1934 : 43) These are time-consuming activities that suggest an indifference to such mundane concerns as working for a living. (Fig 4) â€Å"The leisure rendered by the wife in such cases is, of course, not a simple manifestation of idleness or indolence. It almost invariably occurs disguised under some form of work or household duties or social amenities, which prove on analysis to serve little or no ulterior end beyond showing that she does not and need not occupy herself with anything that is gainful or that is of substantial use. (Veblen 1934: 69) Figure 3 Figure 4 â€Å"Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability†¦ No class of society, not even the most abjectly poor, forgoes all customary conspicuous consumption. †Ã‚   Veblen (1994 :  Chapter 4) In Veblen’s time during the late 19th century (Fig 5) and early 1900’s (Fig 6) woman’s wear was made to look as far apart from any work-wear as possible. Corsets, delicate fabrics and high heels all were worn to prove that they are entirely restricted from any laborious work and would make manual work very difficult. Affluent women crippled themselves in order to put on a convincing display of idleness, and as he put it made them â€Å"permanently and obviously unfit for work. † Veblen (1994: Chapter 7) The tight corsets and luxurious fabrics proved that they could afford to wear impractical clothing which was expensive to clean all for the sole purpose to acquire a certain level of status amongst the public. These consumers could easily fall into the ‘Nouveau Riche’ category which was an emerging class in the 19th century. Style would therefore play a key role in separating the wearer from the working class. â€Å"In addition to showing the wearer can afford to consume freely and uneconomically it can also be shown, in the same stroke, that he or she, is not under the necessity or earning of a livelihood, the evidence of social worth is enhanced to a considerable degree. Our dress, therefore, should not only be expensive, but it should also make plain to all observers that the wearer is not engaged in any kind of productive labour† (Veblen: 1994:105) Fig 5 Fig 6 Veblen’s most well-known principle related to his term ‘conspicuous consumption’ which describes the unnecessary purchase of services and goods which are bought for the sole focus of displaying and advertising wealth. This is done in the endeavour to maintain or attain a certain level of social status. Such goods are now collectively known as ‘Veblen goods’ which is a group of commodities. The fact that these goods are placed at such high prices is the very thing that makes them attractive to conspicuous consumers. Conspicuous consumption was certainly not limited to the western countries, in China, for example, girls in affluent families would have their feet broken and tightly bound so that they grew to have tiny â€Å"lotus† feet. These were thought to be very fashionable since the women who had them were unable to survive without the help of servants. This was a sign of wealth taken to the extreme (fig 7 Figure 7 Mass advertising was kick-started by the Americans when Paris could no longer be relied on for the latest fashions due to ban in exports in the early 1950’s. The Americans capitalised on this ban and created a new form of ‘American Fashion. ’ It was now the Americans’ turn to show the world what’s what. American images swamped the media. By the 1950’s the media had However, Elvis Presley, James Dean and Marlon Brando (Fig 8) now were coming onto the scene and headed the iconic ‘all-American’ rebellious look this decade brought about. Subcultures started to form, rebels and gangs adopted denim as a means of revolt against the want to fit the ‘mould’ the media portrayed. The Teddy Boys is a perfect example of such a subculture. The Teddy boys were largely working class men who wore clothes that had resemblances to that of the Edwardian era and would dress up for the evening. This look was strongly associated with American Rock and Roll and this look made it ok for people to start caring again for what they looked like since World War II in Britain. The look compromised of dark shades of ‘drape jackets’, waistcoats, high-waisted tight-fitting trousers exposing the wearer’s socks and velvet collars. In direct contrast to this, the upper and middle class â€Å"white collar† workers, were choosing to dress own during their leisure time, casting off the constraints of the suit they had worn to all week, resulting in a complete reversal of Veblen's â€Å"conspicuous leisure† theory, where the working classes are also rejecting the notion that just because they are involved in productive labour it does not mean they cannot dress socially above their class status. Figure 8 During t he 1970’s the Hippy movement began and as the hippies were mostly from wealthy backgrounds and middle to upper class families this was clearly yet another rebellion against Veblen’s theory. The 1980’s was the decade of ‘money loving’ and is often referred to as an excessive time of conspicuous consumption. The mentality in the 80’s was all about big money and spending (Fig 9). The economy had boomed, greed was good, women entered the boardroom with full force and it was all about power dressing. The yuppies were born due to conspicuous consumption and shopping malls began to sprout up everywhere. Figure 9 Today, there are still many examples of ‘conspicuous consumption’ and the studies on general modern consumption are so intricate, that almost all walks of life are targeted with today’s mass media. Adverts and billboards are everywhere telling the public what’s ‘cool’ and what’s not. Brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Moet ; Chandon sell a lifestyle. Moet ; Chandon (Fig 10) advert states ‘Be Fabulous’ and shows two beautiful well-dressed women climbing out of an expensive car with a bottle of champagne in one woman’s hand. An advertisement like this is basically trying to show the public what status could be achieved by purchasing a bottle of Moet ; Chandon. The term ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ comes to mind, as studies show that many consumers purchase goods just to ‘show off’ and maintain a certain status amongst their friends. Figure 10 Veblen goods aren’t just restricted to clothes as the purchase of certain magazines, purely for the status they offer. Being seen reading a magazine like Robb Report or Conde Nast’s traveller may give the impression that one can afford what is featured in the magazine. Veblen also spoke about the way dress can prove many things. The wearer can give an impression that they can spend without much thought on the price. Veblen goods are still very much around, such as designer handbags, expensive wines and thousand-dollar watches. The luxury watch is an ultimate example of a Veblen good as the consumer really buys into the allure of a higher status. Companies like Rolex, TAG Heur and Omega have all used celebrities such as Roger Federer, Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Craig in his bond suit. Even though its purpose is very practical and can help with everyday decision making. These watches are aimed a business men with a high salary who identify or would like to identify with the sports stars and actors wearing these watches at the back of TIME magazine and the like. A Louis Vuitton bag for example just wouldn’t be viewed the same without the high price tag. Today’s fast fashion and mass production also encourages conspicuous consumption. However mass production has changed the outlook on man’s life and has created a singular type of existence which can be viewed as almost humiliating and that the products are what drives man. The trends we see from designers on catwalks are translated as quickly as possible into high street stores. It is not surprising that with the emphasis on keeping up with the latest trends which ties into ‘fitting in with society’ consumption of clothes has reached an all-time high. The quality of clothes however, is less of a feature than the over-all look of the item. In the Victorian times, garments had to be made of the best lace, but with today’s technology, garments can be made to look more expensive than they really are. Keeping up-to trend with accessories such and bags and shoes is still very expensive to do. Designer’s put their signature touches on shoes and bags which make them more lust after. Christian Louboutin’s shoes have the signature red sole, Louis Vuitton may feature an LV and a Mulberry bag could carry their characteristic tree on the logo (Fig 10). To be seen with any of these items offers a instantaneous status that comes with it. The recession did not bring about any less ostentatious designer bags from luxury fashion houses during the recession. Joseph Nunes, a marketing professor at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business recently stated in the  Journal of Consumer Psychology (2011) â€Å"A good chunk of America loves using products to signal their status. If the recession didn't hit them, their need for status outweighed their need to follow social norms. † Figure 11 Most high fashion haute couture designers have yet to cater for a poorer crowd, and still target people with a higher income. The current obsession with what celebrities are wearing can also dictate what a large group of the public choose to wear. This is where Veblen’s theory is still very much in place. Victoria Beckham, Alexa Chung (Fig 12) and Kate Moss (Fig 13) are all very much followed by what they wear. By buying into the current ‘celebrity craze’ where being seen with a Birkin bag can greatly increase ones chances of a higher social status, one is also buying into conspicuous consumption. Magazines devote much of their features to ‘Who’s wearing what. ’ Most celebrities still choose to wear designer labels, thus making the public lust after these individual items, and save up for them just to be part of ‘the craze. This feeds into the label-hungry shopper where Burberry’s checked pattern and Gucci’s brown, red and green stripe offers a satisfaction worth shopping for. Fig 12 Fig 13 Charity shopping has presented a new outlook on inconspicuous consumption and the consumer no longer needs to spend a lot of money to look fashionable and be part of the ‘in crowd. ’ Five years ago the thought of purchasing second hand goods would be flinched at. Fashionably vintage items can be found and are lusted after in charity shops. Now you don’t have to spend money to look good which Veblen surely did not foresee. Even the media has gotten involved and magazines feature articles on how to be a ‘smart charity-shopper’, how to recycle your own clothing and the art of buying ‘classic’ pieces which will last forever. A few notable factors have changed since Veblen’s time which presents a new outlook on conspicuous consumption. In the late 1800’s when looking at the display of wealth through clothes, one would look at the wearer’s fabric quality to determine their status. Good handmade lace and beautiful tailoring was a status of wealth. Now hints that determine wealth have become less subtle with the ntroduction of labels that indicate the garment’s worth. Logo’s like Ralph Lauren’s man playing polo on a horse (Fig 14) , Lactose’s crocodile, Burberry’s knight on a horse and Hermes horse drawn carriage. Many of these logo’s feature a horse, and this might be because of their age and may hint to a previous era o r because of the fact that the ownership of a horse is a luxury in itself and is very expensive to maintain. There is much thought that goes into labels and there is always a message and reason behind them. Nike’s logo for example features a tick which means it is ‘correct. Subliminal messages such as these, feature everywhere today and there’s no doubt that Veblen would have never anticipated this. â€Å"This antagonism offers an explanation that the restless change in fashion which neither the canon of expensiveness nor that of beauty alone can account for. † (Veblen: 1994:108) Figure 14 Veblen’s theory in the modern day can be seen as somewhat of a sweeping statement and is not entirely applicable to the present day. Veblen relied on the concept that only if you were of the nouveau class would you take part in looking fashionable, thus ignoring the middle class completely. The internet, television and magazines (Fig 15) have brought fashion to a significantly larger audience where not only rich people partake in frivolous buying. Figure 15 I believe Veblen’s theory is still applicable today in some instances. However, with the introduction of mass production and the changing attitudes in class as that of which I have mentioned. Wealth is still very much shown through dress, from the use of logos and labels which hint on how much the wearer has spent on their clothes. However today with so many fake products and good imitations of these well-known labels it may be impossible to know how much the individual spent on their garment. One thing remains the same however, the item was bought for the primary purpose of being ‘seen’ and acknowledged by others, fake or not. Designers pay celebrities to endorse their products or ‘be seen’ wearing them which indicates that Veblen’s theory has stood the test of time, it is still very much the taste of the wealthy that has an impact on fashion and dictates what sells and what doesn’t. Veblen wrote that the lower classes would imitate the dress of the leisure class which as shown, is still applicable to today. Mass consumption and mass production are amongst the features that have changed since Veblen’s time. Throughout the decades since Veblen’s time there has not been as much of an emphasis on individuality and self expression through clothes as there is now, and this is where Veblen’s theory slightly loses its relevance. The movement to express oneself without considering wealth as much in a liberal society. Other factors have started to replace the display of wealth such as, religion, age, music taste and gender. This is obvious because of the large amount of subcultures found today. I have shown how Veblen’s ideologies have lost and increased in relevance through the decades. Veblen was able to show how consumption can also be a symbol of social structure and that conspicuous consumption is relational and not functional and is a conscious display of affluence and status through the consumption of these garments. Bibliography Info Books * Malcolm Barnard (1996). Fashion as Communication. First ed. London: Routledge Publishers. (p59-64) * Thorstein Veblen (2005). Conspicuous Consumption. London: Penguin Books. p. 42-62) * Tim Delany & Tim Madigan (2009). The Sociology of Sports. North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc. Websites * Tricia Ellis-Christensen. (2010). What is conspicuous consumption? .Available: http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-conspicuous-consumption. htm. Last accessed 6th Dec 2010. * Dr. Paurav Shukla. (2010). Middle-aged consumers & luxury consumption. Available: http:/ /www. evancarmichael. com/Management/1066/Middleaged-consumers–luxury-consumption. html. Last accessed 5th March 2011 * Ben Steverman. (2011). Conspicuous Consumption Is Back. Available: http://www. businessweek. om/investor/content/jan2011/pi20110127_382340. htm. Last accessed 7th March 2011 * Lexic. (2011). Literary usage of Conspicuous consumption. Available: http://www. lexic. us/definition-of/conspicuous_consumption. Last accessed 9th March 2011. Quotes * Thorstein Veblen (1994). The Theory of The Leisure Class. New York: Dover Publications. (p. 256) * Lucy Tesseras, 2010. Fast fashion: a throw away trend? {blog} 12 July, http://www. supplychainstandard. com Available at: {Accessed at: 2nd March 2011} Joseph Nunes quoted by Ben Steverman (2011). Conspicuous Consumption Is Back. Available: http://www. businessweek. com/investor/content/jan2011/pi20110127_382340. htm. Last accessed 7th March 2011. Images: (Fig 1&2) Image . (2008). Shop the Spring Trends. Available: http:/ /fashiontribes. typepad. com/fashion/2008/02/shop-the-spring. html. Last accessed 8th March 2011. (Fig3) Couple on Yacht. (2010). Image. Available: http://www. corbisimages. com/Enlargement/42-18292911. html. Last accessed 9th March 2011 (Fig 4) John William Godward. (1900). Conspicuous Leisure. Available: http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/File:Godward_Idleness_1900. jpg. Last accessed 8th March 2011. (Fig 5) Truly Victorian , (2010),  1899 Fashion Plate  [ONLINE]. Available at:  http://trulyvictorian. com/history/1890. html[Accessed 06 December 10]. (Fig 6) Chanarambie Victorian , (1905),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Very Latest† back in the days of 1905  [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www. rootsweb. ancestry. com/~usgenweb/mn/murray/history/098-099. htm  [Accessed 06 December 10]. (Fig 7) Daniel Schwen. (2010). Footbinding. Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File:Foot_binding_shoes_1. jpg. Last accessed 8th March 2011. Fig 8) Columbia Pictures/Courtesy of Getty Images, (1953),à ‚  Marlon Brando  [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www. stylelist. com/2010/05/25/joes-jeans-marlon-brando/  [Accessed 08 December 10]. (Fig 9) image. toutlecine. com, (1988),  Working Girl  [ONLINE]. Available at:  http://www. ellecanada. com/fashion/lights-camera-fashion/a/28965/4  [Accessed 08 December 10]. (Fig 10): Brandsizzle, (2006),  Moet & Chandon  [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www. brandsizzle. com/blog/2006/12/sexy_advertisin. html  [Accessed 08 December 10]. (Fig 11): Geek Handbags, (2009),  Mulberry Bag  [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www. eekhandbags. com/mulberry/mulberry-does-an-interestingly-classic-daria-hobo-bag  [Accessed 09 December 10]. (Fig 12): HOTELFASHIONLAND. COM, (2010),  Alexa Chung  [ONLINE]. Available at:http://lexposure. net/style/spotlight/people-and-parties/londons-top-10-it-girls  [Accessed 10 December 10]. (Fig 13) Kate Moss. (2008). Image. Available: http://www. handbagfairy. co. uk/blog/fashion/a-decade-in-fashion/. Las t accessed 9th March 2011. (Fig 14) Ralph Lauren Logo . (2010)  Image. Available: http://flockedwallpaper. co. uk/Stockist/index. php? main_page=index&cPath=1604_770_464_440. Last accessed 2nd March 2011.

Cultural Issues of Human Resource Management

International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 45 Carrying Cultural Baggage: the contribution of socio-cultural anthropology to cross-cultural coaching Barbara St Claire-Ostwald, CINCRA International Coaching & Training Consultancy, UK Email Contact: [email  protected] com Abstract This study examines the cultural awareness of professionals working in organisations.Given the multicultural nature of today’s workforce, it is becoming increasingly important for companies and coaches alike to take into account how cross-cultural differences may affect daily working practices. The study draws on a review of current research into cultural dimensions and looks at the complex relationship between personality and culture – our ‘cultural baggage’. In order to explore the opinions and cultural awareness of participants, a questionnaire was developed.The purpose of the questionnaire was to identify themes and orientatio ns to cross-cultural issues in terms not only of communality but also of paradoxes. The results highlighted a high level of recognition of cultural dilemmas and a perceived need and willingness to address and reconcile them. However, the diversity of opinions about the potential benefits of specific methods of addressing cultural dilemmas suggested considerable uncertainly about dealing with cross cultural issues.Key Words: Cross-cultural, cultural baggage, cultural dimensions, coaching, mentoring, socio-cultural anthropology Introduction The aim of this paper is to report on the results of a study designed to explore the emerging discipline of cross-cultural coaching (Rosinski 2003) and to establish the levels of awareness about, and attitudes to cross-cultural issues; the patterns and/or relationships between awareness, attitudes and cultural dimensions among businesses and business consultants, coaches, mentors and coaching/mentoring organisations.I began this study from the pers pective that while there has been some research into mentoring and coaching, there appeared to be little that focussed specifically on cross-cultural influences. In my review of the available literature, it became increasingly clear that the integration of a cultural perspective into coaching was very much at the ‘pioneering’ stage. The main aims of this study were to try and establish levels of awareness bout, and attitudes to cross-cultural issues; and to study the patterns and/or relationships between awareness, attitudes and the cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede and Trompenaars and HampdenTurner among businesses and business consultants, and coaching organisations. Cross-cultural coaching addresses the way in which cultural differences affect the daily lives of people, and raises awareness of cultural differences and the effect they can have on the process of managing others and doing business in general.In today’s global economy organisations underst and that to sustain successful and resilient businesses and to keep their competitive edge, they must develop employees who understand their global business, and employ people with global skills. Rosinski (2003) and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997) have developed pioneering work in cross-cultural competencies and coaching methods. At a fundamental level, their International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 46 work has been based on the works of socio-cultural anthropologists Hofstede (1980) and Schwartz (1994).Their contribution in overcoming cultural miscommunication, tension and conflict, including the perils of stereotyping and ‘mono-culturalism’, has helped to formulate and explore the hypothesis of this study. Cultural baggage: a by-product of cultural systems Socio-anthropological thinking is based on the premise that all humans are born with the same basic physical characteristics, but depending on where they g row up, each individual is exposed to different climates, foods, languages, religious beliefs etc.Therefore, ‘are we really self-made or did our parents, teachers, families and friends have a hand in it? ’ (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1997, p. 54). Thus, one could argue that the socioanthropological perspective on culture takes a holistic view, describing culture as a pattern of learned and shared behaviours of people and/or groups consisting of belief systems and languages; and of social relationships be they personal, organisational, or institutional. (Hall, 1963; Hall and Hall, 1987; Hofstede, 1980; Kondo, 1990; Levi-Strauss, 1966; Schwartz, 1994).Therefore, at a fundamental level, it could be argued that culture is a representation of a complete way of life of a people who share the same attitudes, values and practices. Csikszentmihalyi (1997, p. 7) makes the distinction of ‘identity’ by using snowflakes as a metaphor: â€Å"They look identical as they fall, but taking a closer look, we soon discover that they are not identical†. Hence, he argues, rather than seeing identity as a single unitary self, perhaps cultural identity should be viewed as being multi-faceted, i. e. cknowledging that people have a number of selves or identities depending on context and setting. For example, the biggest barrier individuals and/or employees encounter is not necessarily that they come from different parts of the world, or that they speak a different language or even occupy a different physical space, it is the baggage they carry in their own cultural suitcases which needs to be explored. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner maintain that what people expect depends on where they come from, and the meanings they give to what they have or are experiencing.They argue that â€Å"expectations occur on many different levels, from concrete, explicit level to implicit and subconscious ones† (1997, p. 21). Furthermore, they describe culture a s consisting of various layers: †¦The outer layers are the products and artefacts that symbolise the deeper, more basic values and assumptions about life. The different layers are not independent from one another, but are complementary [†¦]. The shared meanings that are the core of the culture are man-made; are incorporated into people within a culture yet transcend the people in culture. (1997, p. 7) Cross-cultural dilemmas Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner argue that â€Å"Every culture distinguishes itself from others by the specific solutions it chooses to certain problems which reveal themselves as dilemmas† (p. 8); to this end, they have incorporated best management theories into their own analysis of the task of managing across cultures. These theories were realized by using a participant questionnaire profiler, which was based on their Seven Dimensions of Culture model and by incorporating Trompenaars and Woolliams framework for managing change across cultures. Similarly, Rosinski points out the dangers of our assumptions and beliefs systems when working with coachees from varying origins and backgrounds. He argues that by providing a framework for integrating coaching and cultural perspectives, i. e. examining numerous International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 47 cultural orientations, styles and approaches to coaching, the development of a cross-cultural mindset will be facilitated.For example, he writes: Our identity could be viewed as this personal and dynamic synthesis of multiple cultures. Our behaviour will typically vary depending on the group we happen to be associated with [. †¦]. The fact that our behaviours depend in part on the particular cultural context further justifies the need for coaches to integrate the cultural perspective into their practice. In some cases the obstacle to someone’s progress may be cultural rather than psychological, thus calling for a di fferent coaching dialogue. p. 1) Furthermore, he maintains that cultural awareness is more than just realizing another culture is different from our own; it is also about learning to value that other culture. He argues that culture is behind our behaviour, and often without our realization. It can influence how close we stand, how loud we speak, how we deal with conflict and as a result, by failing to understand how culture impacts our needs and preferences, culture can often lead us to misinterpret behaviour.Methodology As the research was exploratory, I focussed the design on two main aspects: the initial review of literature which drew on a broad array of coaching and socio-anthropological theories and studies, and the less extensive, but nevertheless in-depth cross-cultural coaching work of Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997), and Rosinski (2003). In turn, this provided the basis for the primary research, which took the form of a questionnaire which was sent to a small expert survey sample to identify cross-cultural themes and patterns.To ensure that survey participants had some recognizable expertise on the subject under investigation, I adopted the model in (Fig. 1) below. On the one hand, I was attempting to quantify levels of awareness of cross-cultural issues, as well as to explore the accompanying opinions, beliefs and assumptions, and how they relate to the dimensions of culture. I was also trying to make sure that the survey respondents would have an interest in this particular area of study. Fig. Survey Sample and Questionnaire Model Corporate/Business Consultants Awareness Opinions Coaching Organisations The survey sample was not only limited in size, but also in terms of the geographical make-up of the participants, who were mostly from the U. K. with the rest from continental Europe. By International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 48 extension it would be difficult to generalise from the resul ts, however, this was not the intention of the study.While gender could also be a factor which might influence attitudes and responses, the exploratory nature of the study precluded it from being a controlled variable at this point, although this issue could form the basis for further research. The purpose of the initial questionnaire was to elicit the opinions of the survey participants in order to identify themes and orientations to cross-cultural issues, in terms of communality as well as potential paradoxes.It was also intended to see how these opinions and orientations fitted with responses to questions about the various cultural dimensions identified and developed by Hofstede and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner. The questionnaire was therefore divided into two parts. The first section addressed the opinions about attitudes, values and behaviours pertaining to culture in general, cultural dilemmas and, to crosscultural coaching and training specifically.I also decided to use a n umber of similar questions to check for inconsistencies in responses, which might indicate either a paradox in terms of opinions, possibly a conflict between a ‘norm’ and a given individual’s personal view, or could reflect a lack of appreciation for, or indeed indifference to, a given issue. The second section of the questionnaire was constructed on the basis of Hofstede’s and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s cultural dimensions, and sought to elicit culture-specific values, beliefs and assumptions which could influence cross-cultural interaction within a professional environment.Results, discussions and recommendations In analyzing the responses to the questionnaire, it was evident that there was a high level of recognition of the importance of cross-cultural issues, and the need to address and reconcile them. However it was very difficult to define or quantify levels of cultural awareness, which was to some extent unsurprising given the complexit y of the issues involved. But as I outlined in the methodology, a major objective was also to explore the quality of awareness and understanding of cultural dilemmas and dimensions.In this respect, the first section of the questionnaire (on attitudes to culture and potential cross-cultural training solutions) was very instructive in terms of perceptions about the relationship between culture and personality. In my opinion, the most notable contrast was that there was considerably greater agreement that culture shapes the personality and a lot more uncertainty about how the individual shapes culture. This impression was further reinforced by the general agreement that managers from different cultures do not necessarily find it easy to adapt their behaviour to fit the different needs of another culture.From a coaching perspective, it suggests some attention needs to be paid to how an individual perceives and relates to his/her culture. For example, there is a clear difference between seeing culture as providing a framework for social interaction, which is constantly evolving, and on the other hand perceiving culture as providing a set of social constraints. In either case, there may be some elements of our culture, which at an individual level are considered to be important in our everyday lives, while there are others which may be difficult to accept, which could be sources of tension with other members of our culture.Given that such perceptions may be operating partly at a subconscious level, this may not be easy to establish. But they appear to me to be a significant element in the process of gaining a better understanding of our cultural baggage, i. e. in how we synthesize the myriad of cultural groupings to which we are exposed on a daily basis. There was greater diversity of opinion about the benefits of specific cross-cultural training solutions, and when, where and how they might be applied.The initial conclusion that can be drawn is this shows that the process of integrating the cross-cultural domain into both business and coaching practice is still at an early stage of development. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 49 As far as improving the general awareness and understanding of the benefits of cross-cultural training, three sets of responses in the first section seem to me to define some of the issues that need to be addressed.Firstly the fact that half of the respondents believed that cultural issues within organisations are dealt with only if they relate to behavioural issues is indicative of a certain level of resistance to dealing with these issues, which may be due to an appreciation of the complexity of such issues. On the other hand, if cultural issues in some organisations are only addressed when there is a behavioural conflict, then this will tend to cast them in a negative light.Hence it does lead to the conclusion that some organisations are not sufficientl y aware that ignoring and playing down cultural differences, as well as evaluating them negatively, is a major contributor to miscommunication, misunderstanding and conflict. Secondly, while coaches largely agreed that business managers recognise that diversity training should now include cross-cultural training for employees sent on global assignments, the business organisation responses were much divided.This leads me to conclude that some businesses are either unaware, or possibly not persuaded of the benefits of this specific approach. Nevertheless this set of responses, and the fact that none of the respondents disagreed that incorporating the dilemmas deriving from the differences in cultural dimensions help organisations to integrate their cultural orientations suggests that the key area of uncertainty among businesses and coaches is the method and/or models of integrating cultural dilemmas.The point that this suggests to me is, that before any attempt is made to develop the skills necessary to negotiate the differences between cultures, a greater awareness of how we negotiate difference in our own culture is required. This is to say we need to be more consciously and self-critically aware of the assumptions that underlie our habitual responses and modes of interaction, in other words our cultural baggage. In principal this is already the main focus of traditional coaching and mentoring.But I believe considerably more research needs to be conducted into how these methods and skills can be developed to take account of and integrate cross-cultural issues and dilemmas. From national to cross-cultural perspectives Cross-cultural research has largely focused on national differences because it is much easier to establish a person’s nationality, than to identify him/her as belonging to another type of cultural grouping, be that regional, professional, political, economic or social.The most frequently cited reason is that a given individual will be a mem ber of numerous forms of socalled sub-cultures or higher level cultures (e. g. European), which in effect rules them out as unique independent variables. But I believe that without exercising some control for the effect of these ‘other’ cultural variables, it is difficult to be sure that attributing a given behaviour, belief, value or attitude expressed by an individual to national cultural influences is theoretically or empirically valid.For example, even at a national level, there has to be particular care to acknowledge the difference between ethnically diverse nations such as Canada or Malaysia; ethnically and/or religiously divided nations such as Belgium or the former Yugoslavia, or relatively homogeneous nations such as Japan or Korea, let alone very complex national cultures such as China or India. In essence, this does nothing more than acknowledge that socio-cultural anthropology is the study of the dilemmas and problems of differences and similarities not onl y between, but also within societies.In the specific context of this study, one of the most interesting aspects of the responses to the second section of the questionnaire on cultural dimensions was the differences in opinions both within and between coaches and business organisations. My original intention in including a section on cultural dimensions was to explore the relationship between these responses and those on the first section of the questionnaire. But the differences of opinions between the two sets of respondents on ‘universalism vs. particularism’ and ‘individualism vs. ommunitarianism’ (Fig. 6) suggested to me that I had to consider whether these opinions in some way reflected values that were influenced by the differing needs and requirements of the corporate and coaching environments. I cannot conclude whether this was the key influence International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 50 on thes e responses. However I do think this emphasizes that it is tenuous to assume that the responses to such value dimensions questionnaires can be ascribed largely to national culture.I also believe that the way that corporate and professional culture influences our habits and values requires a great deal more in-depth research. For example, it might be interesting to establish whether there are differences in the responses to a cultural dimensions questionnaire between professional groups, e. g. doctors, police officers, computer programmers, sports professionals, etc. , and how these compare to national differences. However, it also has to be acknowledged that the difficulty of drawing any definite conclusions about key influences is clearly a limitation to the use of questionnaires in general.This does suggest it would have been preferable to be able to expand and explore the data that was generated by the questionnaires via follow-up interviews. But, as discussed in the methodology, this would have required a lot more time and resources than were available to me in this study. Nevertheless analyzing the results in relation to the problem of ignoring and playing down the importance of cultural differences also suggested that the questionnaire design needed refinement.Specifically, I was unable to deduce or make any assumptions about what level of importance each respondent attached to each of the dimensions. A system of ranking the various value dimensions is not a new concept or methodology, in that it is very similar to the two ‘basic bipolar’ dimensions of ‘openness to change vs. conservation’ and ‘selfenhancement vs. self transcendence’ that are incorporated as higher dimensions in the Schwartz Value Inventory (Fig. 4).But more importantly I think that more research into developing a system of ranking the value dimensions would not only help to identify those value dimensions, which may be ignored, downplayed or even n egatively evaluated, but also provide a potentially very useful tool for integrating the cross-cultural dimension into traditional coaching and mentoring practices. Conclusion From this specific perspective, a focus on quantifying how national cultures differ along the various value dimensions that have been identified does run some risk of contributing to the formation of cultural stereotypes, which have little or no predictive value.This is why greater emphasis needs to be placed on understanding our own ‘cultural baggage’ from a coaching perspective, particularly on the dynamic processes of the way in which our own culture has, and is evolving. The building blocks of improving cultural awareness and developing cross-cultural skills therefore have much in common with the key skills associated with building rapport as a coach or mentor. For the coach or business organisation, it is therefore about understanding the processes involved with the different ways in which we negotiate social interaction, and the elements of the various models of culture.These range from the apparently simple distinction between the visible and invisible level of values (Fig. 1) to the complexity of Schwartz’s ‘Theoretical model of relations among motivational value types and two basic bipolar value dimensions’ (Fig. 4). It is about raising our awareness of what is subconscious and invisible up to a conscious and visible level; and from there we can develop the skills necessary to negotiate ways of interacting with others whose values, attitudes and habits, or indeed in contexts are unfamiliar to us.I believe that if this is to be achieved, coaching and cross-cultural research needs to transcend the limitations of a focus on national culture. It needs to acknowledge that cultural identity should be viewed as being multi-faceted, and that people have a number of selves or identities depending on context and setting. The work of Schwartz, Hofstede and Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner has provided very valuable insight into the cultural dimensions, which help to identify the way in which values differ between national cultures.However, they would also be the first to acknowledge that International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 51 national cultures are in a constant state of change, and this in turn dictates the need to evolve their questionnaires, re-analyze the accompanying databases of results, and amend and redefine their models accordingly. But perhaps the key aspect for further research is to develop methods that place a greater emphasis on the processes though which culture changes.In other words how human actions and practices change, and new meanings evolve in response to changes to social contexts. By this I mean for example: the impact of increased migration (whether voluntary, or in response to political or economic factors), or the proliferation of new forms of communicati on like the internet, not only on working environments, but on the myriad ways in which we organize our social lives. The point being that this should help to move research and practice from a focus on more abstract concepts such as values, to the ways in which culture is produced and negotiated.Consequently, as Rosinski (2003, p. xviii) said, ‘intercultural professionals will be better equipped to fulfil their commitment to extend people’s worldviews, bridge cultural gaps, and enable successful work across cultures’. References Clutterbuck, D. 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(2000), The Mentor’s Guide – Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Zeus, P. & Skiffington, S. 2002), The Coaching at Work Toolkit – A Complete Guide to Techniques and Practices, Australia: McGraw-Hill Barbara StClaire-Ostwald is an international coach and freelance consultant who specialises in cross-cultural awareness and developing successful and effective communication skills for global managers and teams. Barbara grew up in the United Kingdom as a Polish/British dual national. Prior to setting up her coaching practice CINCRA, she lived and worked in the UK, Continental Europe and North Africa for over 30 years; working for multinationals in the private, public and not for profit sectors.Barbara is a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and until recently, Chair of the EMCC European Conference Committee. She is also a member of the British Psychological Society, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, British Sociological Association and the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR). She is tri-lingual (Polish, English, French) and she is able to converse in Dutch, German, Czech and Slovak.