Resolving Internal And External Conflicts - 1496 Words

Having the skills to resolve internal and external conflicts effectively is one of the biggest challenges faced by organizations in today’s business world. In most cases, mediators are needed to attain success in conflict issues. They are vital to success as they act as they act as neutral parties to analyze a conflict by listening to both parties and coming up with a solution. The mediator is completely impartial (neutral) person(s) who probably doesn’t know either party, but will act as a middle person that listens to both sides of the situation from the two and see if any middle ground opportunities for some kind of arrangement, acceptable to both sides, which will in part or fully help to resolve the situation. By so doing, a mediator functions as an intermediary. A mediator talks to parties in separate rooms and never allows shouting or interruption from disputants facing each other. In fact, it is needless allowing disputants to be in the same room at all. The rol e of the mediator is to â€Å"shuttle† or go between the parties. However, this paper will describe a work-related conflict experience where a mediator was used to resolve the conflict, define the role of a mediator, explain the types of data a mediator may choose to gather and analyze when conducting a session to reduce or eliminate the conflict, assess how the information is utilized in a mediation plan by providing a detailed example of each. Definition of the Mediator A mediator is one that handlesShow MoreRelatedResolving Internal And External Conflicts1482 Words   |  6 PagesHaving the skills to resolve internal and external conflicts effectively is one of the biggest challenges faced by organizations in today’s business world. In most cases, to attain success in conflict issues, mediators are needed. They are vital to success as they act as they act as neutral parties to analyze a conflict by listening to both parties and coming up with a solution. The mediator is completely impartial (neutral) person(s) who probably does not know either party, but will act as a middleRead MoreResolving Internal And External Conflicts1496 Words   |  6 Pages Having the skills to resolve internal and external conflicts effectively is one of the biggest challenges faced by organizations in today’s business world. In most cases, mediators are needed to attain success in conflict issues. They are vital to success a s they act as they act as neutral parties to analyze a conflict by listening to both parties and coming up with a solution. The mediator is completely impartial (neutral) person(s) who probably doesn’t know either party, but will act as aRead MoreStudy Questions for Disguises by Jean Fong Kwok Essay599 Words   |  3 Pageslike before. She lives with a different perspective than the other people on the train, and leads by example. Q: Why do you think this story is titled â€Å"Disguises†? A: The word â€Å"disguises† is significant because it can describe Mrs. Chen’s external and internal situation. A disguise is used to hide or cover something up. In this case, Mrs. Chen tries to hide from the present world by reliving the past. She is physically in a place where everything is foreign, from the language to the treatment ofRead MoreAuditors And The International Financial Reporting Standards1703 Words   |  7 Pagesdispute, the companies and the auditor should consider alternative dispute resolving mechanisms which are faster, less expensive and less adversarial than traditional litigation. Reason for Conflict: Audited financial statements may be a source of dispute between the auditor and management. The process of audit resolution would entail negotiating them. Knapp (1985, p. 202) proposes the way that auditors approach these conflicts play a big role on the auditors independence and the content of the resultsRead MoreLeadership Application For Leadership Applications987 Words   |  4 Pages In order to become more effective at leadership applications, people must learn how to more effectively communicate, listen, and embrace a variety of diverse perspectives. Positively influencing both internal and external variables on personal and professional levels require the attainment of individual and self-awareness. Having gained a relatively broad-based awareness for many diverse perspectives, all of which are very much applicable towards enhancing efficiency, effectiveness, and overallRead MoreASEAN Essay900 Words   |  4 Pagesprosperity with its neighbors. And beginning in the early 1970s, a number of external powers have established special links with the Association. ASEAN is fully aware of the need to be embedded in the broader regional, if not global context, particularly in the economic area (Hwee, Y. 2013). ASEAN’s external linkages were strengthened during the second ASEAN Summit in 1977, which led to meetings with leaders of three important external partners – Australia (1974), New Zealand (1975) and Japan (1976). FromRead MoreIntroduction. Conflict Is Inevitable, Be It In The Workplace1175 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Conflict is inevitable, be it in the workplace or outside the work place. The reason is that people are from diverse backgrounds and thus have different ideas and opinions. In the workplace, employees are expected to work together towards achieving the company’s goals. The management needs to find ways to resolve conflicts that may arise so as to ensure that there is increased production. Conflict management is important and it entails being able to identify and handle conflicts in a mannerRead MoreThe Summaries Four Types Of Temperaments788 Words   |  4 Pagesevaluating a change, an artisan can assist in implanting a needed change in a timely fashion. The idealist avoids conflict and confrontation because it upsets them. They put up barriers between people. They also have the tendency to focus on what might be rather than what is. This would cause a conflict to my guardian personality. Guardian leaders deal with confrontation by systematically resolving the problem and focusing on the here and now rather than what might be. An idealist act in good conscious asRead MoreMalaysia s Approach On Resolving The South China Sea1212 Words   |  5 Pages Malaysia’s Approach on Resolving the South China Sea (SCS) Disputes CDR Mohamad Hasli bin Abu Hassan RMN Defense Language Institute English Language Center During his keynote address at the opening of the 30th Asia-Pacific roundtable, the Malaysian Prime Minister said, â€Å"We will continue to rely on diplomacy and dialogue to peacefully resolve difference and disputes. We will do so in accordance with and in adherence to the norms, customs, and principles of international law (Cheng,Read MoreCase Study : Course Work Of Project Management1573 Words   |  7 Pagesand Rachel. They are hiring an external company for Planning and Designing the plan. Below is the overview of the process: 1.1 Planning In this Project, Planning needs to be accurate to fulfill the timeframe. Following is the Project steps plan: Plan from 01/01/2015 to 31/03/2015 Tasks Start Date End Date Days Final The message to launch to customers 1/1/2015 6/1/2015 4 Meetings with external company for discussing requirements 1/1/2015 9/1/2015 6 External Company work Sprint-1 12/1/2015

Explain what sources of finance are available for small to...

Explain what sources of finance are available for small to medium sized companies and explain why they sometimes face difficulties in raising finance 1. Introduction The SME (Small and medium enterprise) sector is one of the crucial important contributor to economic growth in terms of Gross Domestic Product(GDP) and job creation worldwide(IFC,2010). According to OECD(2006), SMEs had created more than sixty percent of the job opportunities for OECD countries. That situation for developing counties are even more obvious. There is no doubt that the development of SMEs is closely linked to national economy. The growth of SME sector, however, presents a stalled tendency, even recession situation, owing to the deficiency of accessing to†¦show more content†¦It includes trade credit, public debt, bank financing as well as nonbank financial institution debt. Unlike equity financing which would dilutes the owners equity, and consequently, may partly deprives the owner of control of the firm. (Abdulsaleh Worthington, 2013). Debt financing would be a proper approach for SMEs owners to maintain full proprietorship as well as management(Abdulsaleh Worthington, 2013). 2.3.1 Trade credit According to Garcà ­a-Teruel Martà ­nez-Solano (2010), trade credit is a paying agreement which made by seller and buyer, that allow the buyer to,in a specified period, make a deferred payment after the good or services having been provided. In this way, small firms would have a relatively short-time to arrange its cash flow and eventually overcoming shortage of cash or funds. Moreover, trade credit would be a substitution when other financing techniques unavailable. That is to say, small and medium firms will gain their opportunity of survival. 2.3.2 Non-bank financial institution debt Non-bank financial institution’s(NBFI) role of lending is similar as bank financing to a certain extent, their biggest differences are the mode of borrowing audition and the length of the loan terms. Generally speaking, the loans of NBFIs are longer than the duration of the commercialShow MoreRelatedExplain what sources of finance are available for small to medium sized companies and explain why they sometimes face difficulties in raising finance2495 Words   |  10 Pagesfinancing sources for SMEs 4 1.1 Different stages in raising finance 4 1.2 Venture Capital: a light of hope for the SMEs 5 1.3 Leasing and Factoring: special survival skills 7 2 Difficulties for SMEs in raising finance 8 2.1 Biggest trouble: lack of credit records 8 2.2 Capital constraints 9 2.3 Other barriers 10 3 Conclusion 10 Reference 11 Explain what sources of finance are available for small to medium sized companies and explain why they sometimes face difficultiesRead MoreChapter 134543 Words   |  19 Pagesmarkets D. Language E. Country specific technical standards 2. In the United States, what percent of firms export, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration? A. Nearly 98 percent B. About 23 percent C. Less than 2 percent D. A little under 50 percent E. Over 50 percent 3. Large firms generally tend to be ______________ about seeking opportunities for profitable exporting, whereas medium-sized and small firms are ____________. A. passive; aggressive B. reactive; proactive C. discouraged;Read MoreExport Guide Essay12240 Words   |  49 PagesCHAPTER 7 7.1 When exporting indirectly, is it better to use a merchant or an agent in the export marketing channel? Explain. When exporting indirectly, whether it is better to use a merchant or an agent when exporting depends on the objectives and needs of the exporter. A merchant takes title to the goods and assumes most of the risk. In return for this, the merchant consumes a greater share of the return, receiving a greater share of the producer’s profit margin. This can be justified for a producerRead MoreEffect of Internal Controls on Financial Performance11978 Words   |  48 Pagescharacteristics (Gartner et al., 1989) have to be taken into account. In line with the above, there have been challenging debates all over the world on the role played by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) towards economic development. Therefore, a vast literature on the growth and performance of SMEs has been developed over the years. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have had a privileged treatment in the development literature, particularly over the last two decades. Hardly any arguments are put forwardRead MoreThe Risk Management Function Of A General Insurer9457 Words   |  38 Pagesdistributed its products directly to customers, but it is now considering distributing its products via insurance brokers or even purchasing an insurance broker. Question As part of the strategic planning process, you have been asked by the Board to: †¢ Explain the contribution that risk management can make to an effective strategic planning process. †¢ Analyse the risks for this insurer if it decides to distribute its products via insurance brokers; and the risks for this insurer of owning an insuranceRead MoreThesis on Empower Women Through Micro Credit Programmes18140 Words   |  73 Pagescountries. As Noeleen Heyzer of UNIFEM reveals in the above statement, there is clearly an important role for microfinance to play in the ‘empowerment’ of women. However, there remains much debate over exactly what this role should look like, as well as over exactly what is meant by the concept of ‘women’s empowerment.’ Much of the debate centers on the perceived tradeoffs between women’s empowerment efforts and organizational financial sustainability. Many microfinance institutionsRead MoreThe Accounting Profession and Nat39077 Words   |  157 PagesAccountants in the Attainment of Banking Sector Consolidation Objectives in Nigeria; The Use of Ratios in Financial Analysis and Prediction of Financial Crisis; The Relationship and Problems of Auditors in a Joint Audit Exercise: A Survey of Ten Audit Companies in Nigeria; Accountants Role in Investing in Stocks and Shares in the Capital Market; The Undisclosed Facts on Exempted Value Added Tax (VAT) Items in Nigeria: A Survey of Northern and Southern Zones; and Entrepreneurship and Africa s Quest forRead MoreAcca P7 Notes24991 Words   |  100 PagesENVIRONMENT EXAM QUESTIONS ââ€" Define â€Å"Money Laundering†, and explain the auditor’s responsibilities. ââ€" Comment on the need for ethical guidance for accountants on money laundering. (Pilot Paper Q5 ) ââ€" Explain the auditor’s responsibilities relating to the laws and regulations that apply to a client’s business. INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS Regulatory framework In each country, regulation comes from a number of sources. Since this is largely arevision area from F8, and is not examinedRead MoreIct and Ebusiness Retail Industry88499 Words   |  354 Pagesmanufacturing, construction, financial and service sectors. All results are available on the internet and can be accessed or ordered via the Europa server or directly at the SeBW website (www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/ict/policy/watch/index.htm, www.ebusiness-watch.org). This document is a final report of a Sector Impact Study, focusing on electronic business in the retail industry. The study describes how companies use ICT for conducting business, and, above all, assesses implications thereofRead MoreCase Study for Management Accounting36912 Words   |  148 PagesCASES FROM MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING PRACTICES Table of Contents Case 1: Case 2: Bal Seal Engineering Robin Cooper Bill’s Custom Planters William Stammerjohan Deborah Seifert Dublin Shirt Company Peter Clarke in assoc. with in assoc. with Paul Juras Wayne Bremser ECN.W William Lawler Endesa Gary M. Cunningham Scott Ericksen Francisco J. Lopez Lubian Antonio Pareja Kincaid Manufacturing Jon Yarusso Ram Ramanan Osram.NA John Shank Lawrence Carr William Lawler Pleasant Run Children’s Home Brooke E. Smith

Hrm Overnight Tour 2011 Free Essays

PROJECT PROPOSAL I. PROJECT TITLE:â€Å"HRM Overnight Tour 2011† II. PROJECT PROPONENT:BSHRM 4-1 III. We will write a custom essay sample on Hrm Overnight Tour 2011 or any similar topic only for you Order Now PROJECT RATIONALE: The HRM Educational Tour 2011 is open to all HRM and non-HRM students of Sumulong College of Arts and Sciences. It is an experience which will afford students the opportunity to be familiarized with hotel operations, attend seminars, appreciate nature’s beauty and build friendship amongst each other. By attending this tour, student will be able to better understand what’s behind their chosen career/course and experience learning outside the four corners of the room. IV. PROJECT OBJECTIVES: Short-Term Objectives . To introduce the HRM students in learning outside the four corners of the room. 2. To introduce students to the different divisions of the hotel involving administrative and operation functions. 3. To assist students in determining their areas of interest with the wide array of career choices when working for the hotel or the hospitality industry in general. 4. To give the students the opportunity to attend seminars and experience hands-on a ctivity. 5. To give the students a chance to appreciate nature’s beauty. 6. To let the students have fun, bond and at the same time build friendship among each other. Long-Term Objectives 1. To help market the school internally and externally. a) Internally – the said educational tour can help market the school, especially to HRM student, because it will leave a lasting impression into the students mind. It will definitely leave an impression that our school doesn’t only offer quality education but also give the students the opportunity to experience learning outside the four corners of the room. b) Externally – because of the lasting impression left into the existing students’ minds, by words of mouth, the students themselves will serve as effective marketing tool. . To contribute to the school’s vision of producing graduates who can compete in industrial and technological skills. V. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The HRM Educational Tour 2011 is a two-day experience that provides a program consisting of hotel familiarization tour, introduction of the divisions of a hotel, seminar facilitated by departmental trainers of t he hotel, trainings, actual demos, student participation, overnight accommodation at a hotel, environmental appreciation and lastly, recreation. The first stop of the tour is Subic International Hotel where the students will be familiarized with the hotel and trained in the administrative and operational function of the hotel. The training will be facilitated by Departmental Trainers of the hotel who are certified by the Subic International Hotel’s Human Resources Department ensuring that quality training is delivered. The training will include powerpoint presentations, actual demos and student participation. At the end of the training, students will be toured at the back and front areas of the hotel. All the participants will also experience having all their meal, from breakfast to dinner, at the hotel and are free to use the hotel’s swimming pool, mini gym and sauna. The next day, second stop will be at the Subic Ocean Adventure where participant are entitled to a â€Å"Mariners’ Package† where they could enjoy a guided park tour, watch the Dolphin and Sea Lion’s show, visit the Ocean Discovery Aquarium, photo opportunity with the SBMA mascot and lastly, entrance to the Adventure Beach for lunch and a refreshing afternoon swim. After the two days of skill and knowledge enhancing programs, warm accommodating, good food, nature appreciation and recreation at its best, students will definitely say that studying at Sumulong College of Arts and Sciences is the best. VI. PROJECT DURATION: October 1 to October 2, 2011 HRM Overnight Tour 2011 General Schedule of Activities: October 1, 2011 DAY 1 TimeActivity 5:00 – 6:00AM:Registration and Boarding 6:00 – 10:00AM:Trip to Subic International Hotel 10:00 – 10:00 PM:Hotel Tour Training/ Seminar Lunch Accommodation Swimming/Gym/Sauna Dinner 10:00 PM OnwardsSleeping time October 2, 2011 DAY 2 TimeActivity 6:00 – 7:00 AM:Breakfast at Subic International Hotel 7:00 – 8:00 AM:Hotel Check-out 8:00 – 8:30 AM:Trip to Subic Ocean Adventure Theme Park 8:30 – 12:00 NN:Guided park tour and DSL Show 12:00 – 1:30 PM:Lunch at Adventure Beach 1:30 – 4:30 PM:Enjoyment of the Beach 4:30 – 7:30 PM:Trip back to Antipolo (SCAS) (end of tour) VII. TARGET BENEFICIARIES Target beneficiaries of HRM Educational Tour 2011 includes: HRM students, interested students from other programs and HRM faculty members. We are also inviting old HRM students and even SCAS graduates to join the said tour. We are expecting, at least, fifty (50) participants excluding the *faculty members and non-HRM students/ **outsider/ graduates. *HRM faculty members’ are subject to a twenty percent (20%) discount if the expected numbers of participants are not met. *HRM faculty members’ are free of all charges if the expected numbers of participants are met. **Companion or invited company by students are considered outsider. VIII. PROPOSED BUDGET (for 50 participants) Expenses BudgetPer person charge Transportation P 25,000. 00P 500. 00 / pax Insurance Toll and Parking Subic International Hotel P 127,000. 00P 2,540. 00 / pax Hotel tour Seminars/Training Accommodation Meals (4) -Lunch -Dinner -Breakfast -Lunch Ocean Adventure *Other expenses P 5,000. 00P 100. 00 / pax Tarpaulins Waiver forms Contract signing Paperwork SCAS Certificate *Contingency Fund P 23,000. 00P 460. 00 / pax TOTAL = **P 180,000. 00 **P 3,600. 00 / pax **all income and expenses are subject for auditing. all the excess of the fund will be divided into two (2), half will go to the HRM Society fund while the other half will proceed to the treasury of SCAS or as instructed by the SCAS Accounting Department. IX. MONITORING AND EVALUATION The HRM Educational Tour 2011 will be supervised by the officers of the BSHRM 4-1 Events Committee especially the HRM Department Head, HRM Faculty Members, Event Chairman, Events Finance Officer, Events Marketing Officer and Events Program Logistic s Officer. They will make sure that the flow of the activity/program will be safe and properly executed. They will also observe the participation of all the participants in the said tour/event. Also, all the participants and their parent/guardian are required to sign a waiver form declaring that the academe and its management will not be held liable for any untoward incident while the participant is engaged in the said tour. Nonikko Dizon Mendoza President, SCAS HRM Society Chairman, Events Committee CC: President Executive Vice President Dean for Academic Affairs Office of Student Affairs Department Head, HRM Accounting Department How to cite Hrm Overnight Tour 2011, Papers

Gender roles in Society free essay sample

Each society has binary oppositions as in masculine and feminine roles and the established values have little to do with nature and everything to do with culture. Moreover, the ideals and distinctions of masculine and feminine activities and behaviors are reinforced and redefined through powerful social norms of any particular period. In Medieval and early Modern Europe societies, gender roles were clearly defined by the strong prevailing social structure of the period and were constantly changing because of historical circumstances. For example, in the Greek ancient city of Sparta, masculinity as an ideal was strictly associated with the characteristics of being physically powerful, loyal warriors while femininity was related to marriage and procreation. In the High Middle Ages, France’s social structure deemed that a noble masculine role could include becoming either a member of the church or a knight whereas a noble female’s role primarily focused on learning a diffe rent set of domestic skills. By the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, social norms began to associate masculinity with professional skills and education while women were limited in these domains based upon their gender. With this framework in mind, this essay will examine and analyze gender roles beginning with Medieval Sparta through the early Modern Europe period and how masculine and feminine roles were continually being redefined because of historical circumstances. Masculinity as an ideal in the Greek ancient city of Sparta was exclusively based upon boys growing up to be strong, obedient, and loyal warriors because Sparta was a warrior society. In the film documentary entitled The Spartans, Narrator Bettany Hughes explains how the boys of Sparta reached these lofty goals. She states that when boys reached the age of seven, they began agoge—a term meaning a type of military training—that the city-state controlled. The agoge taught boys survival and fieldcraft skills as a means to protect the city-state from invasions. Moreover, once a male turned twelve, the men in charge of the training regiment enforced the practice of pederasty (homosexual) because the most important masculine trait for men to possess was the ability to show steadfast loyalty to one’s military unit. This type of male custom had to be performed because the city-state believed this was the only way to ensure warriors formed a complete and unbreakable bond with each other and united the city-state. At the age of twenty, Hughes states that males received their rite of passage to warrior status and he  now has acquired the privilege of going to the common mess and sharing a syssitia, a common meal, with the other seasoned warriors. While masculinity was associated with physical strength and loyalty, the ideals of femininity in Spartan society focused on taking care of the household duties while also spending countless hours perfecting their bodies and oratory skills through vigorous drills and training. Accordingly, Hushes asserts that Spartan women boasted about how they were as physically fit as their male counterparts and flaunted their oratory skills when out in the public area. Additionally, Hughes states that after marriage a woman’s gender role consisted of giving birth to as many healthy males as possible—the next generation of strong, fit warriors. However, married woman did not have permission to live with her husband until his active military service ended at age of thirty. Moreover, Hughes claims that a woman’s role in Sparta was not restricted to only procreation. Femininity was associated with economic power because women controlled all of the household finances while their husbands were away preparing for war. The gender roles in ancient city of Sparta were strictly defined because being a male meant that he must learn male dominant traits in order to become a stout warrior whereas femininity solely focused on the need for procreation. During the High Middle Ages, although France was considered a warrior society, the path to adulthood for noble boys was dissimilar to that of Spartan boys. In Constance Bouchard text entitled Strong of Body, Brave and Noble, she explains that once a boy reached between the ages of six to eight, he too spent the rest of his childhood not at home while learning masculine traits (148). However, different from Spartan society where the city-state enforced only one option, a boy’s parents had two masculine positions to choose from. One choice was to have their son become a member of the clergy. If his parents selected an ecclesiastical life, the boy would begin his religious training around the same time as a modern boy would start elementary school (Bouchard 148). Parents also had to decide whether they wanted their son to grow up to become a monk or be a member of the secular clergy. For the first option, the parents would send him to a monastery and â€Å"boys given to monasteries were called â€Å"oblates,† from the Latin word meaning that ‘which is offered.† Thus the oblation itself was expected to a positive effect on the parents’ hoped-for-salvation† (148- 149). Alternatively, if parents decided on the aboy being a member of the secular clergy, then they would send him to a house of canons (Bouchard 148- 149). Once the boy reached his teen years, he was then given a chance to make his own final decision regarding his lifelong commitment to the church, but rarely did a boy growing up in a church setting choose to leave for a secular life (Bouchard 148). The other masculine noble role in France was to become milite—a term meaning knight (Bouchard 11). A boy’s training would normally rake place at his father’s lord’s castle and a count might assemble the sons from several castellans of his reign for training in hope of assuring lifelong loyalty from the boys (Bouchard 77). Military traits of medieval France, comparable to Spartan customs, consisted of continually improving a male’s battle skills during tournaments to ensure readiness because the warrior skills boys acquired would later be used in wartime when they reached manhood (Bouchard 78). Moreover, Bouchard states that obtaining war fighting skills was a key component of masculinity: â€Å"in the twelfth century, all nobles would have agreed that their warrior training and skill in arms were important to their status. They gloried in their courage, loyalty, and raw strength† (109). By the end of the twelfth century, incorporating the art chivalry expanded the definition of noble masculinity in France. Unlike Spartan men who were only judged on the bravery and strength, chivalry or â€Å"courtesy† was also expected from a courtly knight. The chivalry virtues included: being a humble Christian, showing politeness toward women, having gentle and refined speech, and possessing skills in dancing, singing and hunting (Bouchard 110). Bouchard explains the ideals of chivalry as: â€Å"Whatever its other attributes, late twelfth-and thirteenth-century chivalry was a conglomerate of ideas and ideals that glorified and ennobled welfare† (109). Being a noble male in France in the High Middle Ages required obtaining warrior the same warrior attributes of that of Spartan as well as the art of chivalry in order to adhere to noble social norms of the era. Noble feminine ideals in medieval France were similar to Spartan society regarding procreation, but noble feminine identity also included learning and executing a new set of domestic skills. Consequently, noble girls had to be educated in castle management from the very moment they were old enough to follow their mothers to the kitchen, to the treasury, and to the grain sto re bins because when a noble girl did marry, which was at an age a lot younger than her male  counterpart, she might suddenly become the lady of the castle (Bouchard 98). Additionally, Bouchard’s text assets: â€Å"The most specifically feminine skill was needlework. The distaff, used to spin wool into thread, had long a symbol for women, and the fine ladies in the romances routinely spent their time on sewing and embroidery† (75). Furthermore, if noble girl received a courtly education, her feminine traits would also include the ability to sing and possibly even play a musical instrument. Nevertheless, Bouchard stresses, â€Å"household management skills were doubtless the most important part of a noble girl’s training† (75). Clearly, in medieval France the hegemonic role of noble women as the loving and devoted homemakers was the norm. By the sixteenth century, a male’s role no longer focused on obtaining warrior attributes; instead, masculinity was equated with utilizing his intelligence while femininity still focused on fertility and motherhood. During the early modern witch-hunts, many Germans feared that the practice of witchcraft was destroying the social fabric of any given community. Lyndal Roper’s text entitled Witch Craze, provides evidence that male interrogators relied on their rhetorical skills as a means to restore social order. For example, a male interrogator had to have extensive knowledge of the types of probing questions to ask the accused witch and when to stop the questioning process to ensure a guilty plea was forth coming from the accused witch. Roper writes: â€Å"In many of the interrogations it is apparent that the techniques of questioning and of torture were designed to bring the accused witch to a crisis, when she would finally admit at least to an element of guilt† (48). Therefore, the interrogation process did not rely on the Spartan masculine ideal of ‘might makes right,’ but rather required a man’s ability to use his intellect and rhetorical skills in order to save the village from the witch harms. Femininity, on the other hand, was equated with fertility and motherhood. As a result, women were not allowed to learn professional skills, such as being a guild, an interrogator, a doctor or any other profession. Moreover, the role of a woman from a Protestant viewpoint of the era furthers this point: â€Å"A woman’s destiny was to become a wife and bare children, enduring the subjection to her husband which God had ordained. In giving birth, she was pleasing God, whose divine plan it was that women should have children† (Roper138). Consequently, according to Roper: â€Å"Such as vision of female destiny did not  leave much room for women who, for whatever reason, did not marry or have children† (138). When natural philosophy made headway in eighteenth century, the belief in the occult began to wane, and the masculine role of the middle and upper classes moved more resolutely into the intellectual sphere. In The Mind has No Sex Londa Schiebinger states, â€Å"noblemen in England and France perceived that education was necessary to prepare young gentlemen to wield power in the state†(13). Therefore, masculinity was associated with knowledge because membership into academics was men only. Moreover, obtaining a formal education was a means of social mobility. The study of science was also part of the masculine culture because according to Schiebinger’s text: â€Å"The revolution in European life and manners brought to triumph of the notion of sexual complementarily, a theory which taught that men and women are not physical and moral equals but complementarily opposites† (216-217). As a result of this theory accepted by male European society, the study of science became a male only domain. Schiebinger expends on this masculine ideal: â€Å"By embedding the theory of sexual difference on the theory of separate spheres, complementarians cemented the association of masculinity with science. In the eighteenth century, these were also prescribed characteristics of man† (237). Women, on the other hand, were not permitted in the professional and educational spheres based upon their gender, and the majority of the male society expected them to adhere to their proper station as mothers and nurtures. Schiebinger explains why women were barred from receiving a formal education, â€Å"insofar as academics were rooted in universities, the exclusion of women is easily explained: women were unlikely candidates for admission to institutions deriving their membership largely from universities, which since their founding had generally proscribed women (20). Additionally, according to Schiebinger’s text many of the era believed that if women were allowed to participate in the study of science, they would then be neglecting their prescribed role of being mothers and nurtures. Schiebinger’s text states that Louis de Lesclache held this type of opinion, and he concluded that, â€Å"women should not be taught natural philosophy, but rather moral philosophy, with lessons in prudence, temperance and justice; they should search only for that knowledge which ‘establishes order in the homes, serves their children, and increases their fear and love in God†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (218). Clearly, de Lesclache believed  that a women’s role in European society of this period was that she was to appear weak, chaste while solely focusing on her â€Å"womanly† duties of being a loving and caring housewife. Furthermore, if women did study science covertly, their findings were not allowed to be published because women’s writings were excluded. The reason behind the matter was that they did not fit because they were not members of the academies, not part of the canon, and not respected as standard works. Moreover, because they were not allowed to attend universities, women could not read or write in Latin which was the official language for written observations. The end result is that women were limited in the intellectual sphere because they were just that—women. The history of Medieval Sparta through the early Modern Europe period demonstrate the key binary oppositions of each society that served each one have never been perpetual. Moreover, each society had distinct sets of standards for the roles of feminine and masculine traits and had gender- specific expectations that men and women had to adhere to in order to fit into societal norms. On the other hand, while male gender roles were constantly being redefined because of historical circumstances, a women’s role continued to focus on the same attributes of procreation and domestic obligations. Consequently, gender roles in Medieval and early Modern Europe societies favored men, to a certain extent, because masculine roles had more opportunity for change and advancement whereas a woman’s identity in society remained the status quo.

movie review Essays (1000 words) - English-language Films, Films

With his latest offering, "Finding Forrester ", director Gus Van Sant redeems himself for his completely unnecessary color photocopy of "Psycho" from 1998. " Finding Forrester ", which details the bond that develops between two writers, an aged Pulitzer Prize-winner and a teenage boy from the Bronx, shares many similarities with Van Sant's mainstream calling card from 1997, Good Will Hunting". With an elderly mentor who has lost faith in both himself and the world, a pupil who prefers to hide than use his boundless unrealized potential, and a symbiotic relationship in which both student and teacher learn life lessons through their shared experience, some have nicknamed the film "Good Will Forrester". Despite the overt similarities, "Finding Forrester" is still an absorbing and inspirational drama, thanks to its well-written script and potent performances. In fact, "Finding Forrester" just might give "Gladiator", "Erin Brockovich", "Requiem for a Dream", and "Traffic" some strong comp etition for the title of 'Best Film of 2000'. Bronx high school student Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown, in his feature film debut) is a bit of an enigma. His grades are mediocre, but a recent standardized test demonstrates that he is well beyond the abilities of his peers, making him an easy shoo-in for top-notch colleges. But instead of scholarly pursuits, he prefers to devote his efforts in two areas, basketball and writing. As a gifted basketball player, he earns the acceptance and respect of his peers on the court, who otherwise discourage any public displays of advanced mental aptitude. In his notebooks, which he has never shown anyone, Jamal writes for himself, jotting down thoughts and short pieces whenever he gets a chance. Jamal's life takes an unexpected turn when he accepts a dare to retrieve a 'souvenir' from the apartment of an elderly recluse whose window faces the school. Though Jamal is able to slip into the apartment, he is caught red-handed and during the panicked escape, he leaves behind his schoolbag containing his journals. A few days later, Jamal has his schoolbag returned to him, but he finds that the tenant has not only read his journals, but has written feedback on the pages. It seems that the recluse is none other than once-celebrated author William Forrester , who wrote his 'Great Twentieth Century Novel' "Avalon Landing", and was never heard from again for five decades. Pretty soon, Jamal is making regular trips to Forrester's apartment to seek help in developing his writing skills. And so begins an unlikely relationship between the two passionate writers, where Jamal will receive instruction from the Pulitzer Prize-winner, so long as he does not reveal Forrester's identity, ask any 'personal questions', or ask 'why there was only one book'. Meanwhile, Jamal's test scores have caught the attention of several prestigious schools, and he is offered a full scholarship to finish high school at Mailor-Callow, a top-tier prep school. Unfortunately, Jamal finds the adjustment difficult, as it seems that nobody wants him there. The Mailor-Callow basketball team seems to have some hostility towards the new superstar athlete in their midst, while Robert Crawford, Jamal's English professor, has serious doubts about the academic abilities of his newest student, thinking Jamal to be another slacker on an athletic scholarship. Fortunately, Jamal finds one ally in his new surroundings, a kind and comely fellow student named Claire, who also happens to be the daughter of the head of the school's board of directors. The relationship between Jamal and Forrester is the centerpiece of the film, and the shared learning they experience in each other's company is what drives the emotional beats of the story. On the one hand, Jamal is an extremely intelligent boy who needs direction and focus, which Forrester provides by helping Jamal realize his true potential. On the other hand, Forrester is a man who has long given up on the world and his ability to write, preferring to live out his days within the confines of his apartment. Through his relationship with Jamal, Forrester is able to rediscover his passion for the written word, and the simple pleasures of the outside world that he has denied himself for so long. Not surprisingly, the most engaging aspects of "Finding Forrester" are the interactions between these two protagonists. Together,

technology transfer to senegal essays

technology transfer to senegal essays Senegal, the former capital of French West Africa, is located on the westernmost point of Africa. This country is considered to be one of the worlds least developed countries due to a low gross domestic product (GDP) and a high population growth. Senegal is ruled under a republic with a strong presidency, weak legislature, reasonably independent judiciary and multiple political parties. The main political party, the Socialist party, promotes a moderate form of socialism based on traditional African concepts, but increasingly has sought to encourage private enterprise. The economy in Senegal is mainly agricultural. The principal source of income, for about 60% of Senegals population, is from agricultural products. Senegals population growth was 2.7% and GDP per capita was $532 in 1999. Also, the country has currently accumulated an external debt of approximately $3.1 billion. For Senegal to maintain its stability and move towards democracy, it must be able to sustain economic growth. While economic growth has been positive the past three years it is not yet strong enough... to have a substantial impact on per capita incomes. The country must find different and efficient ways of creating additional employment and high er incomes to boost the stagnant economy. A current problem that Senegal faces is a fuelwood crisis. Fuelwood and charcoal fulfill 57% of Senegals energy need. They are the main source of heating and cooking in homes. About 40% of their income goes towards purchasing fuelwood. A high demand for these natural resources creates environmental problems such as deforestation and erosion. When sources of fuelwood are low, the people resort to burning dried animal dung and crop residues. These resources, which should be used as fertilizer, are being misused. When this occurs, the land becomes degraded and cropland productivity is reduce ...

Euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Euthanasia - Essay Example Of course, in relieving the pain, the victim has to pay the ultimate price. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the person’s life is eventually lost, many people across the world are presently advocating for the legalization of the so called â€Å"mercy killing†. Their argument is based solely on the fact that killing is the only way of relieving people from unbearable pain. However, legalizing euthanasia has the potential of causing grave consequences to the society. First, it can lead to a very high rate of death by euthanasia, a situation that may likely be unacceptable by a large proportion of the society. Basically there are three reasons why euthanasia must not be legalized in our society. These reasons are: ethical, religious and practical (Goel, 2008). Ethics is the most important reason why euthanasia must not be legalized. Many analysts are of the opinion that legalizing euthanasia will properly make people believe that killing a sick patient is normal and thus a right thing to do (Aramesh & Shadi, 2007). According the argument, even the introduction of a voluntary euthanasia can not the change the mentality as voluntary euthanasia itself is the very first step toward adoption of involuntary euthanasia, which of course is a great blow to individual right to life. Right from creation, life is seen as an inalienable right of every human. Thus, it will be very wrong and unethical for doctors to end the life of some people whom they describe as being unworthy to live. Euthanasia is naturally against the professional ethics of the medical doctors, who are specifically trained to prevent patients from dying or becoming seriously ill. Thus, ending patients’ lives, whom ordinarily they are supposed to protect, can never be an option. Moreover, killing patients absolutely contradict the famous Hippocratic Oath. This oath, which has been in

Sandy Hook Evacuation plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sandy Hook Evacuation plans - Essay Example Rousseau later hid most of the students into the bathroom before the shooter arrived in the classroom. Altimari, Mahony & Lender (2013) explained that Diane Day, the school therapist together with teachers and students withdrew to the gymnasium and locked the door. Most teachers while in hidden safety places protected the students and dialed 911 for help. Some teachers communicated through cell phones on the appropriate measures to evacuate students from the school. The school bus driver together with some students ran to a nearby home for protection. The entire neighborhood after hearing the shootings in the school decided to offer help to the children. Some neighbors with cars drove into the school and rescued some students to safer areas outside the school (Altimari, Mahony, & Lender, 2013). Rick Throne, a custodian in the school, rescued six first-grade students to a nearby gas station before calling the police for help. The Newton police on arrival at the scene evacuated the survivors room by room. Altimari, Mahony & Lender (2013) demonstrated that the police escorted groups of teacher and students from the hiding places away from the school. Danbury Hospital ambulance arrived at the scene and evacuated the wounded patients to the hospital for treatment. Altimari, D., Mahony, H.E., & Lender, J. (March 13, 2013). Newtown shootings: Adam Lanza Researched Mass Murderers, Sources Say. Hartford Courant. Retrieved from

Southwest Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Southwest Airlines - Case Study Example The most impressive thing about SA is its low-cost offerings for all of its routes in the market. In spite of its low cost, its services were excellent and flights were on schedule. When its rivals assumed that SA will soon be out of business, the airline not only survived but also prospered and could multiply its fleets from three planes in 1971 to over 500 planes in 2010. It is the only career in the US to make consistent profits since 1973 due to its low operating cost and customer oriented services. Q. What grade would you give Southwest management for the job it has done in crafting the company’s strategy? What is it that you like or dislike about the strategy? Does Southwest have a winning strategy? Certainly, the company deserves a top grade for its winning strategies that include customer satisfaction and keeping operational costs as low as possible. No airline can offer such a low-fare on all its routes unless it knows how to reduce its operational cost without affecting customer services. It is commendable that almost 74 percent of SAs revenues are earned through bookings at its website saving a lot on booking agents (408). The company employed strategic thinking from the very beginning. For example, using Houston Hobby Airport instead of Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1972 was a strategic choice and its passenger traffic outlived the rival airlines almost immediately. It requires business acumen to cut fares from $26 to $13 in a single stroke in 1973 on its San Antonio-Dallas flights to ascertain that not a single seat goes unoccupied ever (395). When Kelleher, the CEO of SA stepped down in 2001, the company was firmly established earning revenues of $5.6 billion and over 30,000 employees on its payroll. Since its inception, the company continues to prosper and it is not a small feat that in these

Developing management skills by David A Whetten Circumstances

Developing management skills by David A Whetten Circumstances Sitting at a corner table bathed in sunshine, I was enjoying reading the textbook Developing Management Skills written by David A. Whetten Kim S. Cameron. The cafe pub was not so busy at noontime. Unconscious distraction to the conversation at the adjacent table immersed me deeply in self-reflection. That was a conversation between a superior and his three subordinates, an usual coffee talk as I offered to my subordinates countless times in the past years, but now, an unusual talk as I concepted not a talk scene but a show of many vivid strategies and skills in practice. Easily and also unconsciously in my mind, things underlying the talk-show surfaced, coaching, counseling, motivation, reciprocity, reasoning, gaining power and influence, managing conflict, etc. Its amazing suddenly I felt. Why? There are something very different happened in me I know. Such feelings recalled me a piece of story from Chuang Tzu-Cook Ting Slicing Up An Oxen. Highly praised by Lord Wenhui for his superb performance, the Master butcher mentioned that, when he first began cutting up oxen, he could see nothing but the whole ox, but after three years, he no longer saw a whole ox. Now, reviewing my past six years working experience as well as management practice, on the basis of the systematic learning of the theories of management organizational behavior, I can see no whole images from my prospective, but more clearly the underlying driving forces of fragments formulated the whole story. In 2004, after graduated from the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, I became a wilder job hunter among millions of undergraduate in the HR market. Clearly I remembered that on the date of October 10, 2004, I stepped into this company named Teamhead Marine Surveyors Co., Ltd, and then stuck to the company (never think about jump-out) until taking the Bimba education here. Like watching a baby grow up day by day, during these six years, I have gone through her expansion from a group with 3 members only to a medium-sized survey company with over 20 staffs in the head office and three branch offices in Dalian, Shanghai and Huangpu, her development from the inception to the No.1 independent marine survey company in Tianjin Port, her metamorphosis from a merely self-employed to a normal company with her management system approved and certified by DNV ISO9000. Concurrently with the growing of our company, I have also experienced a remarkable period of my career life, promoting through the rank of an assistant and surveyor to the Deputy Manager of this team. In retrospect the beginning of my career, considering my lacking of maritime background, and also for attaining a better understanding about marine survey, I gave up all my Sundays and holidays for studying marine books and going through hundreds of veteran surveyors survey reports. From the second month of my join-in, I can manage my job as an assistant without making many mistakes. And as a reward for my quick integration to the marine survey society, my boss recognized and contracted me as a formal employee from the third month. In the following days, when there short of hands, I took another role as a rare female surveyor who burst into a mans field, examing the quality of steel tubes, bars and slabs in rural mills, participating in cargo dimension survey (climbing up and down for t he figures in the quayside yards), and fighting with stevedores for dunnage and cargo securing during stuffing operation to containers. I am not a genius. But in those processes, my spirit of perseverance, outstanding abilities, industrious efforts and continuously emerging ideas on improvements in work finally won me the trust of my boss, the respect of my colleagues and the approval of our clients. In 2007, I was promoted to the position of Deputy Manager of this company, with full responsibility for routine survey organization and supervision. However, a person with strong working abilities doesnt mean that he or she can perform management very well. In my understanding, management consists of only two parts, managing business and, managing men. I am good at managing business (narrow meaning), but really awkward at managing humans, those employees younger or older than me, those colleague graduates, Captains or Chief Mates with years of marine experience, and even those under-educated foremen or stevedores from ports. What confronted with me was a real harsh dilemma situation. On the one hand, I want to implement strictly the survey regulations on procedures and standards and ultimately to improve our service standard to clients; however on the another, the really challengeable complex employee composition for me a green-hand manager to cope with. Very soon all my disadvantage as of lacking experience in management exposed. Earthquake is a nightmare. Almost at the same time when the 2008 Earthquake happened, our company experienced our own Earthquake, which triggered by the intensification of accumulated contradictions and divergences to conflicts between I (as a manager) and majority subordinates. Deeply involved in the battle, I faced with a situation wholly out of my control. Then for solving the conflict, our boss stood out and, had to think about making a very difficult decision, actually focusing on whether to retain my position and let those dissenters go or otherwise. My boss choose the FORE option, though bearing a clear mind on foreseeable hardships the company would suffer immediately, from the extensive turnover. The only chance I appreciated throughout my life it would be. Valuing the chance and appreciating my bosss trust and efforts on cultivating me to be a good manager, I started to reflect on my doings of the past years and, try to implement improvements incrementally. Since then, simultaneously with my progress and gradual maturity in management, all atmospheres in our company renewed. Following my leadership, all my subordinates unitize harmoniously and contribute their best efforts to provide international recognized highest standard of service to our clients. Though unavoidably being impacted by the Global Economy Recession, our company still runs steadily with zero layoff and zero clients loss. With the guidance of theories I learnt from the Managing Organizational Behavior class, and marking our companys Earthquake as a watershed, hereinafter I would like to progress and deepen the refection on my personal management development. From Self-boast to Self-diagnosis To be honest, before attending this class, I am very boasted of past performance (exactly management performance after the company earthquake) and even self-definite to be already a good manager, being right person doing right things and in right ways, though most often being humble and modest in appearance. However, after finishing the first on-line Diagnostic Survey-Personal Assessment of Management Skills (PAMS), as well as comparing the result with the reports from the PAMS Associates (two previous assistants invited for the survey) and with those of a national norm group, I blushed actually at the first glimpse of the ratings that far behind my expectations. Score Categories Your Maximum Norm Group Norm Group Scores Points Comparison Mean Self-assessment 405 510 Second Quartile (395-424) 394.6 Associate I 413 510 Second Quartile (395-421) 394.6 Associate 2 447 510 Top Quartile (422 or above) 394.6 Skill Area Your Rater1 Rater2 Norm Score Score Score Group Developing Self Awareness 26 24 28 24 Managing Stress 28 29 31 26 #Solving Problems Creatively 62 58 59 53 *Communicating Supportively 39 44 50 41 Gaining Power and Influence 38 40 40 38 *Motivating Others 41 42 43 42 Managing Conflict 44 45 49 44 Empowering and Delegating 44 45 52 43 *Building Effective Teams and Teamwork 46 48 53 47 Leading Positive Change 37 38 42 37 Comparing my score against the maximum possible (510), I am in the second quartile only, not as outstanding as I thought should be in the top quartile and, there exists a WIDE gap between my rating to the maximum. Compared to a norm group of approximately 5,000 business school students, majority of my skills rate just NORMAL, even with skills for Communicating Supportively, Motivating Others and Building Effective rated BELOW the average performance. And, comparison between self-assessment and Associates version exposes obviously the difference on rating my skill for Solving Problems Creatively. In general, the most impressive, and also valuable lessons from the starting class are that, my realization of the fact that I am NOT AS EXCELLENT AS I thought to be; so be REALISTIC and MODEST; do careful diagnosis on my management practice as to identify skill strengths and weaknesses for further self-improvement and perfection. And, for carrying out the diagnosis as well as therapy work effectively, I tailored myself a reflection method and named it Match Patch. Match refers to basing on my past experience, match my behavior with what I have learnt from this class, to analysis definitely my behavior, its nature, causes as well as outcomes. And stepping further, apply the guidelines of strategies and skills to plan and implement a Patch necessary, filling the gaps identified out, and to enhance a successful career in management. Diagnosis and Reflection on Personal Skills Developing Self-Awareness Diagnostic Surveys for Scale Self-Awareness PRE Self-Awareness Scores Category My score Maximum Score Norm Group Comparison Norm Group Mean Total Score 53 66 I am in the second quartile 52.20 Skill Set Score Norm Group Mean Self-disclosure and openness to feedback from others 25 23.54 Awareness of own values, cognitive style, change orientation, and interpersonal orientation 28 28.67 Relying on seeking feedback information about my behaviors and sharing beliefs and feelings is really an effective way for me to pursue self-improvement. Admittedly, before the Earthquake, I am a quite self-centered person. I concepted management simply in the model of Give order Follow order, and seldom did I think about getting feedback about my behavior from my subordinates, let alone to create any chance to seek such feedbacks from them. At that time, I can see only their disadvantages and pin them with kinds of label such as lazy, tardy, low IQ, dishonest, passive, petty, thickheaded, etc., and from my inner heart, never prepared with real respect to those people I work with. The only channel I could get feedback on my behavior in the company was from my boss. And, I have a strong preference tendency to communicate with elder persons in both the work and life circumstance, or persons who perform better than me in scopes I am not good at but concerned with. From those people, I can accept even negative feedback willingly. However, habitually I would resist negative feedback from the younger and or the persons who I am not valued or appreciated very much. Different people have different prospective to feedback to you. Later after the Earthquake, in practice I realized that if I can seek feedback information from more people, I will have more mentors. And actually until that time, did I realize that I possess a great advantage-complexity of employee composition which I should value. There are not only young specialty students and undergraduate students, but also Captains, Chief Officers, Chief Engineers with years of sailing experience, Experts at maritime field, and even under-educated foremen and stevedores from ports. It is their continuous sincere feedbacks that expedite my improvements on work. Emotional Intelligence Assessment Total Overall Score: 85.00 Quartile Ranking: Second Quartile (71-85) Key Dimension: Emotional Awareness Points (1) When I get really upset, I. . . a. Analyze why I am so disturbed. a. 10 b. Blow up and let off steam. b. 0 c. Hide it and remain calm. c. 0 (5) On important issues I usually. . . a. Make up my own mind and ignore others opinions. a. 5 b. Weigh both sides, and discuss it with others before making a decision. b. 10 c. Listen to my friends or colleagues and make the same decision they do. c. 0 (9) In a situation when I have an important obligation and need to leave work early, but my colleagues ask me to stay to meet a deadline, I would probably . . . a. Cancel my obligation and stay to complete the deadline. a. 0 b. Exaggerate a bit by telling my colleagues that I have an emergency that I cant miss. b. 0 c. Require some kind of compensation for missing the obligation. c. 10 Key Dimension: Emotional Control (Balance) Points (2) In a situation where a colleague takes credit in public for my work and my ideas, I would probably. . . a. Let it slide and do nothing to avoid a confrontation. a. 0 b. Later in private indicate that I would appreciate being given credit for my work and ideas. b. 5 c. Thank the person in public for referencing my work and ideas and then elaborate on my contributions. c. 10 (6) When someone that I do not particularly like becomes romantically attracted to me, I usually. . . a. Tell that person directly that I am not interested. a. 10 b. Respond by being friendly but cool or aloof. b. 5 c. Ignore the person and try to avoid him or her. c. 0 (10) In a situation in which another person becomes very angry and begins yelling at me, I . . . a. Get angry in return. I dont take that from anyone. a. 0 b. Walk away. I doesnt do any good to argue. b. 0 c. Listen first, and then try to discuss the issue. c. 10 Key Dimension: Emotional Diagnosis (Empathy) Points (3) When I approach another person and try to strike up a conversation but the other person doesnt respond, I. . . a. Try to cheer up the person by sharing a funny story. a. 5 b. Ask the person if he or she wants to talk about whats on his or her mind. b. 10 c. Leave the person alone and find someone else to talk to. c. 0 (7) When I am in the company of two people who have diametrically opposing points of view about an issue (for example, politics, abortion, war) and are arguing about it, I. . . a. Find something upon which they can both agree and emphasize it. a. 10 b. Encourage the verbal battle. b. 5 c. Suggest that they stop arguing and calm down. c. 0 (11) When I encounter someone who has just experienced a major loss or tragedy, I . . . a. Really dont know what to do or say. a. 0 b. Tell the person I feel very sorry and try to provide support. b. 10 c. Share a time when I experienced a similar loss or tragedy. c. 0 Key Dimension: Emotional Response Points (4) When I enter a social group I usually. . . a. Remain quiet and wait for people to talk to me. a. 0 b. Try to find something complimentary I can tell to someone. b. 10 c. Find ways to be the life of the party or the source of energy and fun. c. 0 (8) When I am playing a sport and the game comes down to my last second performance, I. . . a. Get very nervous and hope that I dont choke. a. 0 b. See this as an opportunity to shine. b. 5 c. Stay focused and give it my best effort. c. 10 (12) When someone makes a racist joke or tells a crude story about a member of the opposite sex in mixed company, I usually . . . a. Point out that this is inappropriate and not acceptable, and then change the subject. a. 10 b. Ignore it so I dont cause a scene. b. 0 c. Get really upset and tell the person just what I think of what he or she said. c. 5 The overall score of my emotional intelligence assessment here proves only an important fact that, ones emotional intelligence CAN be enhanced. Previously as a stiff manager who knows only giving orders, I am rather autocratic and seldom think about listening first others opinions before making decisions. What I expected from them were their complete obedience and performance to my standards. However, if viewed from present prospect, all mentioned behaviors exposed nothing but my lack of confidence as well as the fear of lose control in management due to experience deficiency. On this point, later I changed my way of decision making on some important issues. With more team members participated in the decision making process, the risks of decision mistake or failure as well as members resistance on implementation were greatly lessened. Besides, it is true that in life I am aware of my emotion status and changes, especially demonstrating emotional control because my emotions would directly influenced my team members mood for work. And, I also try to sense others emotions through observing and capturing tiny signals such as their tone, gestures or facial expressions, and then give proper response appropriately. However, as shown in the survey, still I am not confident enough to handle the situation on the spot, especially when facing the public as well as recognize and attribute my own contributions. Besides, when presented in unfamiliar social group activities, though I aware of the emotional climate of the group, my behavior is passive and inappropriate. Cognitive Style Score Name my score (Mean) 5925 Young Mngrs 2215 Young Mngrs MBA Stdts Mean/Std Dev Mean/Std Dev Knowing Style 4.25 3.89/.65 4.06/.96 Planning Style 4.14 3.78/.77 3.81/1.16 Creating Style 3.71 4.01/.60 4.16/.80 As shown in the report, my cognitive style is very typical of knowing style and planning style, which proves my great preference on facts and data, as well as structure, preparation and planning as of basis for information interpretation and decision-making. Meanwhile, my score is low on Creating Style exposed my less creativity and, intolerance on uncertainty, novelty and ambiguity. Interpreting the Defining Issues Test Story Statement Chosen By Importance/Stage The Escaped Prisoner Every time someone escapes punishment for a crime, doesnt that just encourage more crime? (Stage 4) Would it be fiar to prisoners who have to serve out their full sentences if Mr. Thompson is let off? (Stage 4) Wouldnt we be better off without prisons and the oppression of our legal systems? (Antiauthority) Wouldnt it be a citizens duty to report an escaped criminal, regardless of the circumstances? (Stage 4) The Doctors Dilemma Can society allow suicide or mercy killing and still protect the lives of individuals who want to live? (Stage 5) Can society afford to let people end their lives whenever they desire? (Stage 4) What values has the doctor set for himself in his own personal code of behavior? (Stage 5) Should the doctor have sympathy for the womans suffering, or should he care more about what society might think? (Stage 3) The Newspaper Would the students start protesting even more if the principal stopped the newspaper? (Stage 2) If the principal stopped the newspaper, would he be preventing full discussion of important problems? (Stage 5) What effect would stopping the paper have on the students education in critical thinking and judgment? (Stage 5) Is Rami using the newspaper to stir up hatred and discontent? (Stage 3) On the case of Escaped Prisoner, most of the statement I chosen were in Stage 4, which indicates that I am in the conformity level of maturity. My moral reasoning is based on conforming to laws and authority. Whether or not Mr. Thompson did something benefit the society, he violated the law is undeniable and, punishment should not be counteracted. Regarding the Doctors Dilemma, most of the statement I chosen were in Stage 5, which indicates that I am in the principled level of maturity. Judgments are made on the basis of a set of principles or core values that have been developed from my experience, not on the basis of whether or not the action is violated the law. Sympathetic for the suffered people, I support mercy killing to relieve them from pain if they truly desire. For the Newspaper case, most of the statement I chosen were in Stage 5 again, which indicates that I am a principled individual and based my judgment on my own internal principles. Stopping the paper may not be an appropriate way to minimize the negative effective as well as to avoid unexpected side-effects. The Learning Style Style Score Concrete Experience 18 Reflective Observation 33 Abstract Conceptualization 33 Active Experimentation 36 According to the survey result, my learning style is flexible and diversified, with similar strength in reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation, whereas less tendency to concrete experience. As I am weak in concrete experience learning style, I should apply and strength the skills by means of creative thinking, trial and error, personal feedback, or a study partner who are strong in learning styles where I am not, to experience fully the learning cycle as well as to deal more effectively a broader range of challenges and situations. Tolerance of Ambiguity Score Categories Your Maximum Compared to Norm Group Scores Points Possible Range 44-48 Total Tolerance to Ambiguity 63 112 Over Average Range of 44-48 Subscore My score Novelty 21 Complexity 31 Insolubility 11 My decision making preference actually proves my intolerance score to ambiguity to be reasonable. In practice, especially for the company business, I am habitual to make decisions on a basis of at least 70~80% predictable probability of success, otherwise I would hesitate to or feel uncomfortable to make any decisions. And, being somewhat intolerance to ambiguity, I am less adaptive behaviorally and non-flexible to cope with ambiguous or unstructured situations resulted from information-overloaded and or rapidly changeable circumstances. Hence, I should now focus on some ways to improve my tolerance for ambiguity and my cognitive complexity. Managing Personal Stress Diagnostic Surveys for Managing Stress PRE Stress Management Scores Score Categories My scores Maximum Points Possible Norm Group Mean Total Stress Management 49 60 44.69 Skill Area My score Norm Group Mean Eliminating Stressors 21 18.26 Developing Resiliency 19 18.18 Short Term Coping 9 8.25 This survey shows that there are still more promotion spaces for me to improve my competence to cope with stressful or time-pressured situations, though I have already make some progresses on stresses management. Now I keep close track of my time, set and check task priorities in due course. And also understood how to organize others to accomplish common goals, as well as to avoid upward delegations. However, as you know, the shipping industry is special and, it seems that we could never expect a stop of its engine and anchor-drop. Vessels call and departure at any time of a day. So just as our catch phrase goes, Plans go no faster than Changes. (à ¨Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ²Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‹Å"à ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «), except for prioritizing some routine work or contracted service appointments, I seldom prepare myself to-do lists because I have no idea whats waiting for me before I stepped into the office door. Resiliency is the most under-developed skill for me to cope with long lasting stresses. Always in the excuse of busying and or being exhausted, seldom did I take exercise for body building and fitness, as well as participate in some social activities with friends to share feelings or seek any reliefs. No less than 90% my times and energies were occupied with work or at least thinking about business. Whats the worse, suffering from insomnia, I stood in the line of sub-health group. Definitely, my life lost balance at that time. Time Management Scores Overall Time Management Score 97.00 Your Quartile Ranking Second Quartile Norm Group Mean 95 As per survey instruction, as I am scored only 97, it is very necessary for me to consider improving time management skills. However, I disagree with it to some extent. On the first hand, I have very good sense of timing and understood how to utilize it more efficiently. For avoiding any delays, tardiness and expediting my work, my watch is set exactly 10 minutes faster than the standard time. I also prioritize the tasks according to their importance and urgency, and frequently check and make adjustment if necessary. On the other hand, I think here it is also a depend-on situation just as I mentioned-above. For me, as I was working in the shipping industry and vessels call and departure at any time, except for prioritizing some routine work or contracted service appointments, we can plan nothing in advance because the time is not in the hands of ours but in the tomorrow. The only thing we can do is to make ourselves well prepared for meeting any disruptive business occurred. But here, I do agree with idea that I should leave myself some time at least, to do plan, meditation, exercise, etc, so as to seek personal relief from stresses, otherwise, before any vessels calling at port, our engines stop first. Type A Personality Inventory Scores Behavioral Tendency My score Competitiveness 13.00 Life Imbalance 16.00 Hostility/Anger 8.00 Impatience/Urgency 7.00 TOTAL TYPE A 44.00 Quartile Ranking Third Quartile Before taking this assessment, I have never thought myself as a competitive person. From my prospective of view, I think it is a positive attitude to pursue better performance than others, or setup a higher benchmark for self-improvement. Then here again exposed the problem of imbalanced life in my past six years. Because of the great enthusiasm and interest in the job, I put all my efforts and energy to make the company better and I enjoyed fully in the process. However, being too obsessed in one thing just leads to ignorance of all other important things in life. I took work as life but in fact life is not work only. And, the imbalanced life sourced not only from being over engaged in one thing and lack of time, but also from very narrow scope of personal interests outside of work. Diagnosis and Reflection on INTERPersonal Skills Building Relationships by Communicating Supportively Diagnostic Surveys for Supportive Communication PRE Communicating Supportively Scores Score Category Your Score Maximum Points Possible Norm Group Comparison Mean Comparison Total Communication 93.00 120 Second Quartile (92-98) 92.05 Skill Area My score Group Mean Coaching/Counseling 16.00 13.88 Effective Negative Feedback 30.00 27.13 Communicating Supportively 47.00 51.04 Learnt from my past experiences, supportive communication is one of the key determinants of effective management. After the company Earthquake, this is the first thing I focused on to improve my interpersonal relationships, to stand up from the place where I fall. In the aspect of coaching, I began with setting complete and detailed standards covering each kind of our survey business. And in our self-developed MIS system, all those standards set were then well integrated into the Employee Performance Evaluation Section, which would automatically affect the scale/grade of employees working allowance as well as their year-end bonus on a case-by-case basis. Driven by such kind of economic force, team members actively study the work regulations and procedure guidelines to meet the standards, and also initially seek coaching chance to acquire more advice and information for better performance. We also scheduled some periodic training programs to them. Being open and make my support available, I gradually won their respect and trust in the company. Regarding to the Eight Attributes of Supportive Communication, my performance before the company Earthquake actually disobeyed most of the rules, especially when I giving negative feedback. When a guy failed to finish a task up to the standard, I always started our talk in this way, You made same mistake again. I have told you this matter many many times. You just one ear in and one ear out. Do have any hearing disorders or understanding problems? Why this happened again. Now, as our client asked me why, you tell me why Yes, I did act in this way, frequently in the first few years before Earthquake. Thinking in others shoes now, if I faced with a manager communicate in such manner, how could I expect building/enhancement of positive relationship between the two communicating parties? My first reaction to the unfavorable occurrence was not solving the problem but finding out who is to

Why People Use Natural Bridges Park :: Study Ecology Environment

Why People Use Natural Bridges Park Perhaps it was being born to two hippy children but I find myself making excuses to trek over Highway 17 just to spend hours of my time taking in all the wonders of nature the town holds. One place that I have found that holds so many of the wonders is Natural Bridges State Park. From the trails, the natural bridges and tide pools, down to the monarch sanctuary, the park holds a plethora of nature's precious delights. The trails that wind through this park are breathtaking in many ways. Natural Bridges sits on 65 acres of coastal land in Santa Cruz, California. As the trails wind, the untouched beauty of wetlands and meadows are exposed within the park's interior. Many coastal birds and other creatures find sanctuary from the harsh surrounding environments while giving visual pleasure to bird watchers and natural scientists of the like. The trails are gracefully laid out around the land in order to maintain the harmony between human beings and nature. Moore Creek runs peacefully through the wetlands and under the trails as it makes it course to the sea. Taking these trails is one of the best ways to catch all the hidden secrets that exist inside the park. Once you make it down to the ocean, a spectacular natural bridge greets you as it wades in the waves below. As the tide flows out, amazing sea stars, sand dollars, and other shore dwellers become visible in the remarkable tide pools. This is one of the main ways children can learn about plants and animals hands on. If timing is right and you look out at the ocean you might catch migrating whales or seals playing with each other while searching for a meal. There is no end to the mystical creatures that pass through the parks perimeters. Another wonder of nature that I find most enchanting is the monarch butterfly. These migrating butterflies fly to this Natural Preserve, the only one in California, to take shelter from the harsh winter. They nestle in the eucalyptus trees in huge clusters to stay warm. They usually arrive in October and are off again in March. The park knows how important it is to protect these butterflies and they have constructed a beautiful viewing area that allows you to get an intimate view without damaging their habitat.

Age Doesnt Matter

AGE DOESN’T MATTER I feel that teenage criminals should not be considered not guilty by reason of adolescence. Just because someone is under the age of 18 doesn’t give them the right to break the law. In my opinion teens should know the difference between right and wrong, therefore should be charged for their crimes just as any other person would be. Although in our adolescent years our brains aren’t fully developed and we tend to make poor and irrational decisions; teens should know if their actions are right or wrong.For example if a kid steals a shirt and get caught they should get into trouble. Since it’s a severe crime, I don’t think they should go to jail for it, but their must be some form of punishment. I feel that teen’s must be punished for the severity of the crime they committed, not by the age at which they commit it. For intense, murder. Murder is unacceptable no matter who you are or what age you are. No human has the right to take another humans life.Whether you 17 or 47 murder is murder. Sure their may be different thought processes going on in the 17 and 47 year olds brains as to why they chose to murder, but that shouldn’t matter. The main thing is that they chose to act that way, they chose to kill, and they should receive the same punishment. The punishment itself should depend on the severity of the crime not on the age of the person committing it. Say a teen kills a woman at the mall and is in court being sentenced.The jury needs to think about the crime itself and not feel sympathy for the boy just because he’s young and will have to spend the rest of his life in jail. If that old woman that got killed was someone they knew then they would have absolutely no second thought about sending the kid away for life. The problem is that the court system is too lenient on teen’s. A murderer should be sentenced as a murderer and a shoplifter a shoplifter, a teen should not get any kind of special treatment.In conclusion I completely think that a teen should not be considered not guilty by reason of adolescence. Teen’s know the difference between right and wrong and should choose to stay out of trouble. If they choose to commit a crime, then they deserve the full punishment that comes along with it. They shouldn’t receive any type of special treatment whatsoever. They are responsible for their actions and need to live with the consequences just as any other person would.

Conflicts and Communication Essay

Communication is a very key role in any type of relationship whether it be business, personal or intimate. When we enter into any type of relationship one needs to have the skills to communicate effectively and make sure that the complete message gets portrayed to the receiver. When one does not communicate effectively, the result causes interpersonal conflict. In the movie â€Å"Hitch† it involves two individuals, Will Smith and Eva Mendes, who meet and begin to enter into the beginning stages of a relationship. There is certainly an attraction, both physically and due to a common interest in things. Through hesitation and Mendes declining Smith numerous times, she finally agrees to go out with him and it turns out that they seem to be quite compatible. Through their friendship they begin to develop an intimate relationship with one another. Through this whole process Mendes has been very open and honest about things that are important to her and things that are private to her as well. It seems that Smith is doing the same thing, however it turns out that he is withholding very important information that should be shared with her. The main interpersonal conflict in this movie would be due to Smith not communicating to Mendes that he is the â€Å"Date Doctor†. Mendes has a major issue with this because she had a very good friend who was dumped and she placed the blame on Smith for this situation When she finds out what his true profession is, she become irate and storms off and refuses to speak to him or listen him. This instance caused an instant dissolution of their relationship. There was an issue, but instead of communicating it out loud or discussing it, quite the opposite happened. In our text, Sole states that, â€Å"Resentments, suspicions and other problems occur when people do not communicate or behave in ways that are consistent with the relationship the other person things has been established, and people tend to pay the most attention and to respond forcefully when the communication does not match their expectations† (Sole, 2011). Towards the end of the movie, they finally are able to communicate to each other on the same level and they work things out. In my opinion, all tension could have been resolved and the relationship could have been restored from the get-go if Smith and Mendes would have truly communicated and would have been completely honest and transparent about their lives and the things that they do and that they are involved in. Obviously, it is easier said than done. Another thing that should have been avoided would be assuming things that are really not true. â€Å"The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place† (George Bernard Shaw). This quote really sums up the main point and resolution to problems and issues with intrapersonal communication. Never be so blinded by the things that you are hiding from individuals you are developing relationships with and never assume that they understand things you, as the speaker, have not completely portrayed.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd - Questions

'The Invention of Wings' by Sue Monk Kidd - Questions The Invention of Wings is Sue Monk Kidds third novel. Her first, The Secret Life of Bees, was a book club favorite that gave groups a chance to discuss race issues in the South in the 1960s. In The Invention of Wings, Kidd returns to issues of race and a Southern setting, this time tackling slavery in the early nineteenth century. Kidds novel is fiction, but historical fiction where one of the main characters is based on a true historical figure Sarah Grimke. These questions seek to get at the heart of the novel and help book clubs discuss the many facets of The Invention of Wings. Spoiler Warning: These questions contain details from throughout the novel, including the end. Finish the book before reading on. The novel is presented as a story about two characters, Sarah and Handful. Do you think their relationship with each other is central to how they developed? Or was the chance to read two perspectives more important than the actual relationship?This is also a novel about family relationships and history, particularly as seen through the women in the story. Discuss Sarahs relationship with her mother and sisters and Handfuls with her mother and sister. In what ways did these other women define who Sarah and Handful became?Charlottes story quilt is her greatest treasure. Why do you think that is? How does the ability to tell ones own story shape ones identity?Sarahs familys story relies on slavery. Why was it necessary for Sarah to leave all the things dear to her mother and family Charleston society, beautiful ornamentation, reputation and even place in order to live with her personal convictions? What was the hardest for her to break with?Religion is important throughout the novel, and Kidd gives readers the chance to see many sides of the early nineteenth century church: the white high church in the South, which defended slavery; the black church in the South with its liberation theology; and the Quaker church, with its progressive ideas about women and slaves along with its denial of beautiful clothes and celebrations. Slavery is one of the keys to understanding the complex history of the church in America. Discuss how the novel brings that to light? What did the book make you think about the role of the church? Were you surprised to learn that even among abolitionists the idea of racial equality was radical?Were you surprised by the reactions in the North to the Grimke sisters speaking tour? Were you aware of how strongly women were limited?Even the Grimkes allies suggested they hold back on their feminist views because they thought it would hurt the cause of abolition. Indeed, it did split the movement. Do you think this compromise was justified? Did you think the sisters were justified in not making it?Were you surprised to hear about any of the punishments that were common for slaves, such as the Work House or the one legged punishment? Were any other parts of the history of slavery new to you, such as the information about Denmark Vessey and the planned revolt? Did this novel give you any new perspectives on slavery?If you have read Sue Monk Kidds previous novels, how did this one compare? Rate The Invention of Wings on a scale of 1 to 5. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd was published in January 2014It was chosen for Oprahs Book Club before publicationPublisher: Viking Adult384 pages

Significance of Imperialism in the period before 1914 Essay

Significance of Imperialism in the period before 1914 - Essay Example lism refers to the subjugation of states and societies of the Africa, Pacific, and Asia by European great powers during the 19th and the 20th century (Wait, 2003). Many of the Westerners believed that Europe had to civilize their brothers beyond the seas. It was as a moral obligation to civilize the uncivilized. Therefore, the Missionaries ended up supporting colonization believing that European control would be helpful in spreading Christianity to the colonies (Rosenthal & RodicÃŒ , 2015). The spread of Christianity had both positively and negatively influence on the world. On a positive note, the spread of Christianity opened up the rest of the colonies and enabled the advancement of formal education and the civilization of the regions. Christianity ultimately led to the development and growth of the colonies. On a wider scope, the spread of Christianity also contributed to an end to the slave trade in the Pacific Ocean (Rosenthal & RodicÃŒ , 2015). On the other hand, the spread of Christianity impacted negatively as it was one of the key sources of first World War. The imperialist nations scrambled and grabbed colonies in the name of spreading the â€Å"Good News’ and Evangelism contributing to tensions amongst them. The result of such tensed relationship led to the formation of blocks that fueled the occurrence of World War I (Rosenthal & RodicÃŒ , 2015). The expansion course traced back to the Iberian voyage of the discovery of the fifteenth century. By 1900, the British had a colony on 400 million subjects as well as the quarter of the globe. The French had a possession of six million square miles and fifty-two million people. Germany had acquired six million square miles and had fifteen million people under its authority (Bönker, 2012). The primary aim for the scramble was for economic advancement, which ultimately led to capitalism. Powerful European nations acquired colonies that had abundant resources. Minerals such as gold and other

Confronting Gender Inequality in Botswana Essay

Confronting Gender Inequality in Botswana - Essay Example Many of the government’s Western-influenced programs have addressed, but failed to root out, ancient customs that continue to challenge the country’s attempts to achieve equality. Customary inequality: Gender disparity among married women Botswana’s legal system operates in an awkward and impractical two-track paradigm, with cultural laws and customs existing alongside the nation’s common law. The conflict inherent in this system allows traditional gender inequality to exist in spite of anti-discriminatory laws passed by the government in recent years, written expressly to establish a gender-neutral social system. Botswana’s traditional law remains â€Å"particularly prejudicial to women’s rights, perpetuating unequal power relations between men and women and strengthening stereotypes on (Name) 2 the role of women† (Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee, BOCONGO, 2009). The Domestic Violence Act was passed in 2008 but unequal power rela tions persist between men and women. This law criminalized acts of violence against women, but the fundamental conflict between tribal/customary and common law has frustrated efforts to legislate equality between the sexes. In Botswana, even today, â€Å"under customary law and common rural practices men are perceived to have the right to ‘chastise’ their wives† (Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee, BOCONGO, 2009). At present, the law sets 18 as the minimum marriage age. But traditional practice honors no such age limit and considers women of all ages to be minors, extending no individual financial or property rights. Worse, married women who experience physical violence of some form have very few practical rights. A 2009 United Nations report indicated that three of every five women in Botswana have experienced some kind of domestic violence. The minimum punishment for rape is 10 years in prison, but marital rape is not a criminal offense. There is no provision in the law requiring victims to be tested for rape and, as of 2010, there was only one domestic violence shelter in operation (Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee, 2009). In a 2010 statement to the 45th session of the Convention of the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Botswana Ambassador Boometswe Mokgothu reported that the country recognizes the importance of addressing the problem at its source. To that end, the government has embarked on a â€Å"sensitization† campaign aimed at the guardians of the country’s tribal customs, the Ntlo ya Dikgosi. â€Å"Sensitization of the Dikgosi is very important (Name) 3 to solicit their support, especially that some of the discriminatory and harmful practices that impact negatively on women and development are found in this area† (Mokgothu, 5). Addressing the problem at the tribal level stands out as a remarkably enlightened and progressive tactic aimed at effecting change at the source. It is essentia l that the government continue to establish long-term working partnerships with tribal leaders if true gender equality is to be maintained. Young, pregnant and uneducated: Seeking educational equality for pregnant teens In Botswana, pregnancy is one of the main reasons young women drop out of school.  

Economic Portfolio - Development economics Essay

Economic Portfolio - Development economics - Essay Example rris, director of the Microcredit Summit Campaign, reports in The State of the Microcredit Summit Campaign Report 2006 that in the autumn of 2006, 3,133 microfinance institutions served 113 million families during the previous year. While that is a laudable accomplishment, more than 500 million families that would almost certainly benefit from microcredit remain impoverished, and at least another 300 million more might benefit from it. According to our best calculations, we estimate that only one out of every eight people who could benefit from microcredit currently has access to it. As a weapon to fight poverty, microcredit is as vital as education, health, human rights, and good government and yet, as Richard Weingarten, executive secretary of the UN Capital Development Fund, says, â€Å"The demand for microfinance services remains largely unmet, especially in Africa.† Less than 1% of World Bank funding goes to microcredit. So, why does microcredit work so well in developing countries? The reason is the economies of developing countries are different from those of developed countries, often operating on a microscale, compared to the economies of the developed world. What may at first appear to tourists as a flea market when visiting a developing country is in fact the community’s version of a mega-mall where all exchanges of goods are in cash. In place of massproduced name-brands, the market sells homegrown produce, household goods in small quantities, such as single bars of soap or a few squares of toilet paper, and clothing – much of it locally produced – plus a limited assortment of small luxuries that only a few shoppers can afford. Many of the vendors work from dawn to dusk for incomes that, without a little credit, often do not meet their families’ basic needs. Every financial transaction has to be completed in cash, there are no banks or alternative sources for loans and no other access to financial services. A savings account is cash under the

Global Issues and Institutions Essay Example for Free

Global Issues and Institutions Essay Christian Nazis killed millions of Jews in the twentieth century. Maybe it just happens so that the terrorists are all considered Islamists nowadays, as U. S. foreign policy is focused on fighting Islamic extremism. The United States has also been playing an important role in the Middle East conflict. So far it has not been able to decide upon the side it takes, even though it appears to many that the U. S. sides with the Jews rather than the Arabs in the Holy Land. Then again, regardless of U. S. foreign policy, the fact remains that most major international conflicts in the twentieth and twenty first century have revolved around differences in religion. It is a paradox, though, that religion is essentially practiced for peace. Universal Education Many attempts have been made to understand the sociological basis of terrorism. According to a new study on the causes of terrorism, ordinary people can be easily â€Å"influenced into violence (â€Å"New Research Into Causes Of Terrorism Reveals People Turn To Suicide Bombing To Preserve Identity,† 2007). † Interactions with comrades who provide â€Å"an emotional haven† in addition to a â€Å"clear focus for turbulent energies† may very well serve as a cause of suicide bombing (â€Å"New Research Into Causes†). In order to root out this cause of suicide bombing, the new study suggests that it is essential for a group that believes in suicide bombing to have interactions with people who do not consider violence as a way to achieve immortality or the kingdom of God (â€Å"New Research Into Causes†). The best method of interaction is, no doubt, education of the diversity of cultures and experience of the people of the world. The United Nations and other organizations that are not related to specific nations must be imparting an education of universal values to the people who may otherwise turn into suicide bombers. After all, illiteracy may turn into a serious illness. In fact, all problems around the world seem to have been caused by it. Although the United Nations repeatedly speaks of universal education, it remains an unaccomplished goal. International Law The Internet and globalization make it necessary to strengthen international laws and empower the International Court of Justice. Rights of foreigners are not always respected. Let us consider the example of environmental problems to understand this issue of global importance. The Ramsar Convention is one of the treaties to help improve the environment. But, such conventions are not meant to be regulatory bodies that could compel contracting parties to follow their guidelines under the rule of law. If the contracting parties fail to fulfill their contract obligations, there are no punitive measures taken by the Ramsar Convention, although the terms of the Convention are said to â€Å"constitute a solemn treaty,† and are therefore considered â€Å"binding in international law (The Ramsar Convention, 2007). † What is truly needed is to make such conventions binding in international law. At present, no contracting party can be compelled to follow the guidelines of any such convention. By empowering the International Court of Justice to undertake the task, it may indeed become possible to develop a new convention on climate change for both the developed and developing countries. What is more, like the ‘no child left behind’ law, the new convention should aim to include every single country on the face of the earth. References New Research Into Causes Of Terrorism Reveals People Turn To Suicide Bombing To Preserve Identity. (2007, May 12). Medical News Today. Retrieved Nov 27, 2008, from http://www. medicalnewstoday. com/articles/70717. php. The Ramsar Convention. (2007). Retrieved Nov 27, 2008, from http://www. ramsar. org/index_about_ramsar. htm.