Does islam permite acting in film and theatre Essay - 1

Does islam permite acting in film and theatre - Essay Example Acting is generally forbidden in Islam but is allowed for certain constructive purposes provided certain conditions are followed. The issue of acting being allowed or forbidden in Islam is a topic of great controversy among the scholars and interpreters of Islam. However there is complete consensus among all the various scholars about the type of acting which involves obscenity, interaction between men and women and other evil actions. All the scholars unanimously agree on the prohibition of this type of acting in Islam. There is no dispute among the Islamic scholars as far as this kind of acting is concerned (Al-Munajjid 2009). The prohibition of this type of acting is clear from the saying of Sheikh Abu Bakr Zayed (may Allah preserve him) to the effect that chivalry (behaving properly and decently) happens to be an objective of sharee’ah, plus whatever undermines that makes a person unsuitable for giving statement in court. Islamic teachings stress upon lofty characteristics and prohibit base and low characteristics. And as far as acting is concerned, actors are mostly seen by the viewers as performing ridiculous activities and moving and talking in a ridiculous way. They are yet seen as feigning madness. Thus it is proven beyond doubt that acting is among those things that seriously undermine chivalry. This further leads to the fact that acting is among those things which make a person unsuitable for giving testimony in the court of law. Such a thing cannot be approved of by Sharee’ah in any way. Now let us consider the type of acting about which there exists a controversy among the scholars of Islam. Some forbid it completely while others allow it within certain guidelines of Sharee’ah. This controversial type of acting is one that involves two or more than two persons performing before a group, through actions and dialogue, with a purpose to teach the group about Islamic principles and injunctions, or

Health Care Hall of Fame Museum Proposal Essay Example for Free

Health Care Hall of Fame Museum Proposal Essay Healthcare has existed for centuries. As a society we have gone from primitive treatments like casting spells to revolutionary disease breakthroughs. The United States has held steadfast in the evolution of healthcare delivery causing the delivery of healthcare to increase by magnitude proportions. The 1900’s was a time that changes in healthcare and the delivery of it began to emerge in the United States. Scientists started taking an increase interest in diseases. Cardiology developments have helped with the treatment of heart disease, monitoring and prevention. â€Å"Heart Disease is the number one leading cause of death in America.† (American Heart Association, www.heart.org). Heart disease goes as far back as Egyptian Pharaohs, British monarchs and American Presidents. Unhealthy behaviors causing an increase in the risk factors amongst Americans have greatly affected the health of our society as a whole. Americans lead with sedentary lifestyles and the â€Å"supersize mentality†. Early interventions to reduce the risk factors that cause heart disease are essential. Mental illness has been frowned upon since ancient history. The United States was no different. Some people feel that mental illness is not a physical problem and is just a behavioral or spiritual problem that can be controlled. The mentally ill have been maltreated and put through deplorable, inhumane conditions. Introduction of antipsychotic medication in the 1950’s helped in the recovery and helped those who were mentally ill live in the community. Mental health became a priority and care in institutions and hospitals started to improve. â€Å"The Mental Health Act 1986 (the Act) provides a legislative framework for the care, treatment and protection of people with mental illness for psychiatrists to implement.† (Treatment plans under the Mental Health Act). The National Institute of Mental health has a mission to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses. Better healthcare choices can be made with the use of biotechnology. Biotechnology is not a new science. It goes as far back as 500 B.C. It is beneficial with the development of medication, research on drugs, stem cell research, gene testing and therapy. â€Å"Modern biotechnology provides breakthrough products and technologies to combat debilitating and rare diseases, reduce our environmental footprint, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer, cleaner and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes.† (What is Biotechnology? http://www.bio.org/articles/what-biotechnology). Biotechnology has made major strides in healthcare like the eradication of small pox or gene therapy to help people battle auto immune diseases. Public Health is concerned with disease prevention and wellness promotion for the community as a whole. Epidemics, pand emic and outbreaks make public health an essential part of healthcare. Public health dates back to Biblical times. An example of this is the isolation of a contagious disease like leprosy. Lillian Wald the mother of Public Health Nursing led the crusade of helping provide medical care to the poor in the United States. The increase awareness of health and the healthcare coverage that would be needed led the United States to develop HMOs. HMOs provide medical treatment for patients on a prepaid basis. HMO members pay a fixed monthly fee, more often than not through an employer regardless of how much medical care is needed in a given month. A wide variety of medical services are provided after the fee is paid, from office visits to hospitalization and surgery. There are benefits to having an HMO. â€Å"Preventive and well-care services, such as routine physicals and pediatric care, are provided at no additional cost. Co-payments apply to doctors office visits, prescriptions, hospital admissions, emergency room visits and some other services. You generally do not need to submit claim forms, except in cases when emergency care takes place outside of your coverage area.† Research on diseases, health maintenance, and wellness continues to progress. Public Health continues to be an advocate for hea lth and safety in the community. The United States continues to evolve in healthcare delivery. References American Heart Association, Disease Information. (2000). Retrieved from http://my.americanheart.org/professional/Research/Disease-Information_UCM_459537_Article.jsp Future of Biotechnology in Healthcare, Chapter Nine. (2011, August). Retrieved from http://www.amgenscholars.com/images/uploads/contentImages/biotechnology-future.pdf Institute of Mental Health. About NIMH. (October 6, 2014). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/index.shtml Public health history time line. (2014, September 6). Retrieved from http://www.sphtc.org/resources.html

Psychoanalysis and Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay -- Heart Da

Psychoanalysis and The Heart of Darkness  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In Lacanian psychoanalysis, telling stories is essential to the analysand's (re)cognition of trauma. Julia Kristeva refers to the analysand's narrative as an instance of "'borderline' [neurotic] discourse" which "gives the analyst the impression of something alogical, unstitched, and chaotic" (42). She then explores the pleasure (jouissance) that the analysand experiences in the course of Lacan's talking cure. For the analysand, the pleasure is in the telling: "[T]he analyst is struck by a certain maniacal eroticization of speech, as if the patient were clinging to it, gulping it down, sucking on it, delighting in all the aspects of an oral eroticization and a narcissistic safety belt which this kind of non-communicative, exhibitionistic, and fortifying use of speech entails" (42). This notion of pleasure-in-telling serves both as a point of departure in my reading of Marlow's narrative--his own talking cure--and as a means of interrogating the pleasure-in-reading within the narratological economy of desire. In his Freudian interpretation of the Heart of Darkness, Peter Brooks asserts that "we must ask what motivates Marlow's retellings--of his own and Kurtz's mortal adventures" (239). Brooks concludes that the primary motivation is Marlow's search for some kernel of essential meaning at the core of Kurtz's tale. Reading in a Lacanian register, I argue instead that the search for meaning plays a secondary role to the telling of the tale itself. Indeed, as Slavoj Zizek notes, symptoms have no meaning outside the context of the recreated scene of trauma: "The analysis produces the truth, i.e., the signifying frame which gives to the symptoms their symbolic place and meaning... ...tial meaning of being in the world were revealed and every trauma were laid bare, there would be no questions left to ask and no stories left to tell. By not revealing the heart of darkness--which Lacan would argue can never be revealed--Conrad leaves the necessary space for desire in the narrative. Thus, the narratological economy of desire is maintained.    Works Cited Brooks, Peter. Reading for the Plot: Design and Intention in Narrative. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1984. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Dover, 1990. Kristeva, Julia. "Within the Microcosm of 'The Talking Cure.'" Interpreting Lacan. Eds. Joseph Smith and William Kerrigan. New Haven: Yale UP, 1983. Zizek, Slavoj. "The Truth Arises from Misrecognition." Lacan and the Subject of Language. Eds. Ellie Ragland-Sullivan and Mark Bracher. New York: Routledge, 1991.      

Free Hamlet Essays: Opportunity Missed :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Hamlet’s Excellent Opportunity Missed  Ã‚   Futures are not as malleable as most people would hope.   Hamlet’s hubris is not that of his inability to act but unfortunate circumstances that prevent him from doing the job and getting away alive. The first of which occurred when Hamlet chose not to kill Claudius because Claudius was praying at the time. This was unfortunate timing on Hamlet’s part. Next, Hamlet inadvertently killed Polonius thinking that he is Claudius. Finally, Hamlet does kill the king, but it was already too late. Usually circumstances allow for a hero to overcome all obstacles and defeat the enemy. In Hamlet, the circumstances oppose the hero from his goal. Hamlet encounters a dilemma when an excellent opportunity to avenge his late father offers itself. He finds Claudius knelt down and has the appearance to be praying; however he is not praying. Observing this, he restrains his murderous intentions because he believes Claudius is absolving his sins. Hamlet: A took my father grossly, full of bread, with all his crimes broad blown, /†¦But in our circumstance and course of thought, ‘tis heavy with him, and am I then revenged, to take him in the purging of his soul, When he is fit and seasoned to take passage? No. (III, iii 80-87) Hamlet could have killed the king but the circumstances did not make it feasible. Claudius had killed Hamlet’s father while Old Hamlet was still carrying his sin; thus Hamlet did not want to send the man who had sent his father into purgatory, to heaven. Ghost: Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. †¦/ The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown. (I, v, 25, 38-39) Hamlet is provided with another chance to kill Claudius when Hamlet catches him spying behind the arras. Hamlet thinks he cathcs Claudius in a sinful act of spying so he kills him; however, it is not Claudius behind the arras but Polonius. Hamlet- " How Now? a rat? Dead for ducat, dead! Polonius- "O, I am slain?" Hamlet- "Is it the king?" (Sees Polonius) "I took the for they better." (III, iv, 25-33) Hamlet was again foiled, but this time because the right people were not in the right place. Finally, favorable geometry comes together and Hamlet does kill Claudius; however, at this point his death is imminent.

Antifeminism in Medieval Literature Essay

Literature throughout the middle ages was often extremely antifeminist, in large part due to the patriarchal nature of society and the lack of female writers. Women were portrayed as vile temptresses, whose very existence revolved around causing man misery. This style of writing is strongly evidenced in The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight where Geoffrey Chaucer and the Pearl Poet create characters to strongly reinforce the sentiment. These writers used historical and mythological examples, as well as The Lord’s Lady, and Alyson, the Wife of Bath, to portray women’s’ loathsome nature. In The Wife of Bath, the fifth husband of Alyson owns a book filled with examples of women of poor character. Unlike Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, they come from all of history, including Socrates, Sampson, and Hercules along with many others, and how their wives and lovers betrayed them. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the examples of incorrigible women are solely biblical. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain first mentions Eve, the original sinner, who, after being tricked by the serpent, went on to poison Adam’s mind also. She caused man to be cast out of the Garden of Eden, for women to suffer in childbirth, and for man to have to work the ground to produce food (NKJV, Gen. 3). Solomon is next mentioned, the man whom God gifted with riches and great wisdom. Indeed, Solomon did say â€Å"I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets (NKJV, Ecc. 7. 26),† but he also praises the good wife, telling man to live â€Å"joyfully with the wife whom you love (NKJV, Ecc. 9. 9)†. One of the wisest man Who does not know the tale of Sampson and Delilah? Only the betrayal of Judas is better known. Delilah caused Sampson to be imprisoned, and his eyes to be poked out after he foolishly trusted her (NKJV, Judges 16). Lastly, there is Bathsheba, who made a man â€Å"after God’s own heart† to sin. This last example is extremely questionable, as Bathsheba’s minor sin of being indecently exposed cannot be blamed for the terrible actions David committed (NKJV, 2nd Sam. 11). Certainly there are many examples of morally upright women throughout history and in the Bible, but Chaucer and the Pearl Poet do not seek these out, instead choosing to reinforce the antifeminist sentiment popular at the time. Two of the three women mentioned in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight attempt to corrupt the noble Gawain. Morgan Le Fey, after hearing of his renown, sends the Green Knight to attempt to put a blemish on Gawain’s stalwart reputation. Despite being sent with such evil intentions, the Green Knight makes it clear he wished only to test Gawain’s morals, rather than having any malicious intent. The Pearl Poet seems to go out of his way to exonerate the Green Knight, while making Morgan Le Fey and The Lord’s Lady out to be extremely ignoble individuals. The Lords Lady entered Gawain’s chambers every morning, essentially holding him hostage, as it would have been unseemly to be seen undressed in front of a lady. She then began to use his honor and courteousness against him. Honor dictated for a knight to do almost anything a lady asked, and the Lord’s Lady used this fact at every opportunity. She showered Gawain with compliments, fawned over his achievements, and asked him to teach her of love. When he still ever so courteously put off her advances, she scolded him for being cold and stern. She insisted he kiss her, first upon leaving, then upon seeing her, always working to get closer to him. Her persistence after Gawain had made it clear multiple times that he would not be tempted, reveals a severe lack of a conscious. It is not unnatural to be tempted, and many will even act upon a temptation, but the Lords Lady made a great effort to commit adultery. She has no qualms over the sinful nature of her actions, as morning after morning she doggedly pursued Gawain. Women were represented as temptresses, who will only cause men to sin and lower themselves. The Lord’s Lady from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an example used to reinforce the antifeminist sentiment popular during the time. Alyson, the Wife of Bath, makes the actions of the Lord’s Lady seem trivial. She proves herself to be extremely temperamental, manipulating, backwards, selfish, lewd, and all around amoral. Alyson began in the prologue of her tale by quoting examples from the Old Testament of men who had multiple wives as her defense for having had five. She states that God made no mention of the number of husbands a woman should have, so why should men make anything of it? However, later in the text, when others quote scripture, she â€Å"gives not a gnat. † Alyson was willing to use whatever she could to justify her argument, and dismiss the same source when it didn’t suit her. She worked tirelessly to manipulate her husbands for whatever she wanted. She gained all of her three old husbands’ riches, and laughed at how pitifully they struggled to please her. For as she said, â€Å"I have the power during all my life over his own body, and not he†. Her fifth husband was â€Å"a scoundrel† and the only one who was indifferent to her. He stood a chance against her, but only for so long. Eventually she gained dominion over him as well, after her stubbornness outlasted his and he gave her leave to do as she pleased. Indeed, as she states in her tale, a woman’s greatest desire is dominion over her husband. While she desired her husband’s money and power, she desired sex even more. She makes it clear that she will work at her husband and â€Å"not desist† until he is both â€Å"her debtor and her slave†. She will use her â€Å"blessed instrument† to give it to her husband both morning and night, â€Å"as freely as my maker it sent. She made her three old husbands work hard to fulfill â€Å"their debt,† and all her fifth husband had to do was lie with her for her to forget of all the wrong he had done. Her obsession with the act of sex is nothing less than repugnant. As one might expect, she also condones adultery, prostitution, and even sex before marriage. She even goes as far as to compare a woman to a household item, to be tried out. When her husband committed adultery against her, she made â€Å"him fry in his own grease for anger, and for pure jealousy,† however she did the same with the clerk in a field. Once again Alyson reveals inconsistencies in what she believes is right for her and what is right for others. In the story she tells, a young man who rapes a woman is essentially rewarded for the crime, further reinforcing her skewed sense of right and wrong. She clearly believes she is above them, and that the consequences for her own actions should not apply. She proves to be extremely selfish, not bothering to please her husbands after getting their land and their money. Further, she does not even mourn for her fourth husband, because she has already found someone to fuel her desires. All in all Alyson, the Wife of Bath, fulfills the role of the vile temptress to perfection. Chaucer created a character malignant and nearly evil in nature, which should strike fear into any man who might ever want to marry. With the creation of such incorrigible female characters with such noble male counterparts, there can leave little doubt about the stance of Chaucer and The Pearl Poet on antifeminism. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale, as well as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight provide ample amounts of support to the antifeminist stereotype in medieval times.

Power and COntrol in Hawk Roosting

Power and COntrol in Hawk Roosting Comparing Macbeth and Hawk Roosting - Sample Answers (Theme = Power and Ambition)Grade GIn Shakespeare's play a man called Macbeth kills the king to get his power. Ted Hughes's poem 'Hawk Roosting' is about a hawk who thinks he is powerful.Grade FIn Macbeth Shakespeare writes about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth who have a plan to kill the king and take over. "Hail, King thou shalt be." Ted Hughes writes about a hawk and how powerful he is: "My manners are tearing off heads."Grade EShakespeare shows that Lady Macbeth wants to be a powerful character because she wants to kill the king so that Macbeth can become the new king: 'You can putt this night's great business into my dispatch."Ted Hughes also writes about power, but from the point of view of a hawk. We know that the hawk has a high opinion of itself: 'I kill where I please because it is all mine.'The sleepwalking Lady MacbethGrade DThe theme of power/ambition is explored in Macbeth and 'Hawk Roosting.' Shakespeare focuses on Lady Mac beth's relationship with Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth learns about the witches' prophecy that Macbeth will become king, she hatches a plan to make it happen.Ted Hughes also writes about ambition because the hawk in the poem wants to be the best: "Now I hold Creation in my foot." A difference between them is that the hawk is very confident about his own power, but Macbeth is too loyal to the king to be able to reach his ambition.: "We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honoured me of late." Lady Macbeth is more ambitious than her husband.Grade CTed Hughes's poem ' Hawk Roosting' shows the world as seen from a hawk's point of view.

Nursing Philosophy Essay

Nursing Philosophy Essay Nursing Philosophy Essay Doctors without Borders and its Philosophy Sammy Jergens As a nursing student you are expected to make a choice as to what field of nursing you would like to go into. There are many options that a student could look into, working at a hospital, clinic, or even teach. However, maybe an entirely different option should be thought of such as working for a humanitarian organization. There are many organizations to choose from that have a nursing component. One of them has stuck out, maybe because they integrate the four phenomenon of good nursing into their own mission statement. This group is Doctors without Borders also known as MSF for Medecins Sans Frontieres. A not for profit organization that â€Å"provides independent, impartial assistance in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters.† (Doctors without Borders [MSF], 2012) The philosophy of Nursing for Rockford College is divided up into four key concepts. These concepts are nursing, health, person, and environment. Each part is integral in developing an outstanding nurse. The same concepts are found in the charter of Doctors without Borders and will be explored throughout this paper. â€Å"MSF’s work is based on the humanitarian principles of medical ethics and impartiality.† (MSF, 2012) Nursing According to the Rockford College school of Nursing manual, â€Å"Nursing is an art and a science concerned with the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of optimal health.† (Rockford College Nursing department, 2012) Also nursing is described as to having responsibility to society to provide quality health care to all. And to best serve society a nurse should be politically active and practice collaboratively with clients and other health care providers. Doctors without Borders does all of these actions. â€Å"Calls public attention to humanitarian catastrophes and by pointing to the causes of such catastrophes, the organization helps to form bodies of public opinion opposed to violations and abuses of power.† (Nobel Prize 2012) They speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols. As a nurse you are the voice of the client even if the client is a group of people. Health â€Å"Health is dynamic and continuously changing† (Potter & Perry, 2009) Meaning that we cannot count on the knowledge that we have will still be relevant tomorrow. Doctors without borders knows this and has â€Å"continuously tried to upgrade its logistical networks and supply chains. And the organization now utilizes specialized medical kits and equipment that enable its teams to start saving lives immediately after they are deployed.† (MSF, 2012) Also according to Rockford College Nursing Handbook health responds to personal biology, lifestyle, the environment and the health care system. Doctors without border strive to help communities rebuild themselves and in turn rebuild the lives of the people in them. In the world of healthcare everything is connected in one way or another, almost like a balancing act. As a nurse you find the balance for your patient, whether its health promotion or just awareness, and Doctors without borders does the same. Person It is important to realize that not every human is a cookie cutter image of the one before them. â€Å"Each person is a unique, complex, holistic being with biophysical, psychological, spiritual, and socio-cultural dimensions.† (Rockford College Nursing Department, 2012) Doctors without Borders understand this and assess each individual’s situation and come up with a plan that fits each one. However, when they asses their care plans it’s not for one person at a time, but a whole group of people. MSF treats patients with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, sleeping

XiaoDouzi and Huanhuan essays

XiaoDouzi and Huanhuan essays Xiaodouzi, the name of a little dog, means a little bean in Chinese; while Huanhuan, is the name of a big cat, meaning pleasure. They are two sweethearts of my mother-in-law. Since her two sons left for Canada, they have been wiping out her loneliness. Besides the different meaning of their names, they differ in looks, habit and Xiaodouzi, with short snow-white hair, is more like a snowy ball. Four black dots are projected on his face: two acute eyes, one short upward nose and one small projecting mouth. Under his white hair are his short legs. The legs are so short that sometimes they are hard to see. Therefore, when Xiaodouzi moves, he looks more like a white fury ball rolling back and forth on the ground. In contrast to Xiaodouzi, Huanhuan, with long brown hair, looks like a state general. On his face, more angular than Xiaodouzis, there are two round and bright eyes like two emeralds, one long and lofty nose and one narrow triangle-shaped mouth. His legs are longer and stronger than Xiaodouzis. Except for their different looks, Xiaodouzi and Huanhuan are sorted into two polar types: the active and the lazy. Xiaodouzi cant keep still even one minute in daytime. He is also an early bird. Everyday at 4:00 or even earlier he is already shaking his tail and waiting near the door to go out. He always captures each chance of going out. Outside he will catch up to moving cars, walking people and even dancing fallen leaves in the wind. He very likes outdoor activities. Huanhuan, in contrast, stays at home all day. Sleeping may occupy most of his time. He is fanatic about sleeping under the sun in the chair near the window. Only eating and his masters call can tear him from sleeping. In addition, Xizodouzi and Huanhuan enjoy differ ...

Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Topic - Essay Example Also this contemplation may beget money; but it necessarily may consume one’s money and time for its own sake. Contemplations or actions in marginal places like â€Å"blue sky research zone† (Frazier 54), etc may be either fruitful or fruitless. Arguing for the importance of free, unstructured and unscheduled time in producing something great, Frazier says, â€Å"Every purpose-filled activity we pursue in the woods as just fooling around† (Frazier 54). Here, Frazier uses the term, â€Å"fooling around†, to refer to unscheduled and unstructured time of thinking. Indeed, Frazier, with the ‘child’ metaphor in his essay, wants to remind his readers that hobnobbing in the woods teaches a child along the path of his growth to search for something precious in the woods. It necessarily tells the readers that the benefit of thinking in free and unstructured time may beget something valuable for the thinker. In terms of the importance of thinking in fre e and unstructured time, Nicholas Carr’s opinion also concurs with that of Frazier. In order to convince his readers, he portrays two pictures side by side. One is the picture of Nathaniel Hawthorne sitting in the â€Å"green seclusion of Sleepy Hollow and lost himself in contemplation† (Carr 76). ... In contrast to this great writer’s prominence, the city dwellers who remain engaged in their daily scheduled activities pass their lives unnoticed. Referring to some research papers, he further says that a person’s cognitive ability and performance such reasoning, perceiving, memorizing, etc increase significantly by his contemplation in free and unstructured time. People, who spend their time in a secluded park or near natural scenery, enjoy these enhanced mental abilities in contrast to those who live amid the dins and bustles of the busiest street of a city. In this regard, he quotes the researchers, â€Å"simple and brief interactions with nature can produce marked increases in cognitive control† (Carr 77). In fact, Carr tells much about the dangers of not having much free and uncontrolled time in which to think than Frazier does. He warns his readers that the endless and mesmerizing stimulations of the Net as well as of the city can be both â€Å"invigorati ng and inspiring† and â€Å"exhausting and distracting†. (Carr 77) The danger of these mesmerizing stimulations is that â€Å"they can easily†¦overwhelm the quieter mode of thought† (Carr 77). Referring to Antonio Damasio’s research, Carr infers that the free and unstructured time is necessary for the â€Å"quieter mode of thought† which itself leads the thinker to feel humanly qualities such as compassion, love, sympathy and other emotions. Even moral decision requires a man’s contemplation in free time, as Carr quotes, â€Å"For some kinds of thoughts, especially moral decision-making about other people’s social and psychological situations, we need to allow for adequate time and reflection† (Carr

Look under my guidelines file Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Look under my guidelines file - Essay Example Here are five great advertisers’ capturing tricks that will amaze you. First, have you ever wondered why advertisers place the products and objects being promoted on the right hand of the promoting artists? I bet you have never realized this fact. What this achieve is the power to identify with. Majority of people in the world, as so is in every random population, are right-handed. Having the object being promoted, say a new drink, held in the right-hand makes the advertisement easy to identify with for a large portion of the population. It makes the audience feel that they can also comfortably do the same. This is as opposed to having them imagine a drink in their non-predominant hand. Try to imagine a popular drink advertisement with the product in your left hand. It feels awkward, doesn’t it? Buying is all about decision. Whether planned or impulsive, decisions arise from a attraction of the mind. One great trick that elicit decision is emotions. Advertisers bring out the emotional attraction in advertisements through the use of color. Different colors call for different emotions. When it is red, excitement and happiness is expected. When blue, serenity and some level of seriousness is expected. Similarly, when it is green, healthy and freshness are the audience’s expectations. Think of an advertisement for fresh vegetables done in brown. It seems wrong from the start. Advertisers know what you perceive to be right and expected. They will use this to their advantage and you will find yourself buying the product. Advertisers are also known to create simple threats that are rather innocent per se. For instance, a basic product may be labeled ‘must have’. To create the threat aspect, a limited offer of reduced price is imposed. A label like â€Å"For Today Only† will be embedded to ensure instant purchase by all those who see the advertisement. However, have you ever gone back to a store that had a â€Å"For Today Only†

Walker Evans photographs in the book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men Essay

Walker Evans photographs in the book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men - Essay Example Most of Walker’s work were in the 1930s and were even incorporated in some of the documents of the Great Depression. However, these issues did not only concern the 1930s tribulations but also reflected on modern films, literature and traditional visual arts. Although this particular book is presented as documentary and true critics say that the pictures were somewhat posed for technical and aesthetic reasons. This has led to number of controversies over the truth of historical records (Kaja, 2008). Evans pictures are photographic, very direct and even appear to be literal. Perhaps the most remarkable picture in this book is the third, the picture of Mrs Gudger. It shows a woman with a beautifully bony face, thinning black hair, sunken or perhaps bitten-in mouth and sun-narrowed eyes. The face is a single concentrated phrase of suffering; you are bound to have an immediate outgoing impulse toward it, but this is at once hemmed in, at once made careful and respectful, by what the camera does. It is significant that, like all the pictures in the book, this is a portrait; it was "sat for" and "posed" and not only does the pose tell more than could be told by unconsciousness of the camera but the sitter gains in dignity when allowed to defend herself against the lens. The gaze of the woman returning our gaze checks our pity; and it is further checked by the cameras observance of the strands of jetty hair, of the sharp horizontals of eyebrows, eyes and mouth which are repeated in th e three parallel shadows of the clapboard wall behind, and by the cameras light emphasis on the early wrinkles and the puckered forehead, which are delicately repeated in the grain of the wood. And this is true of all of Evans pictures of the Gudger, Woods and Ricketts families. The entire hullaballoo about the photos; the rocking chair being moved, about the time on the clock, about the time the photos, about objects being added or removed is much fuss over

Letter assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Letter - Assignment Example The ability as well as the experience to deal with challenges in the sales management is a key to success of the business (Homburg, Schà ¤fer, and Schneider). I, specifically, thrive on working in a challenging and result-oriented environment. The responsibilities of the position I am applying for would be a new sort of challenge for, and it attracts my attention because of its demand for a person who is very competitive. I assure you that I am the person very competent for this position in the sense of accepting challenges and dealing with them with a calmed mind. I have developed strong sales skills during my career because skills enable one in building a record of continued sales enhancement (Bernan). The attached resume highlights some of my particular accomplishments in the field of marketing and sales management. These accomplishments encourage me and support my interest in a position within your

Common Law - business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Common Law - business - Assignment Example Respondeat superior and quifacit per alium facit per se are the two principles that vicarious liability is based on. According to respondeat superior, a superior is responsible for the acts committed by his subordinates. Quifacit per alium facit per se means that if someone does something through another, then he does it through himself (Giliker, 2010). The rules that the court applies in deciding if the blame for a tortuous act can be shifted from the employee to the employer are: Control Test: Was the employee under the control of the employer when the tortuous act was committed? Control is the key characteristic that the court will consider. The employer must have the control and the ability to exert authority over the employee. That is the employer controls the actions of the employee’s work. He must instruct the employee on what to work on and how to work on. Control, authority and direction are necessary liability conditions (Giliker, 2010). Employment Test: An employer will only be liable to acts of employees and not independent contractor. That is, employees have a ‘contract of service’ while an independent contractor will have a â€Å"contract for service’. Course of employment: Employer is liable only if the tort was committed in the course of the employment. That is the blame can be shifted from the employee to the employer if the tortuous act was authorised by the employer or the authorised act was done in a wrongful way (Smith & Thomas, 2007). 3b. Occupier’s liability act of 1957: This act deals with the liability of the occupier to the lawful visitors. The act treats all visitors as a single entity irrespective of them being invitees, contractors and licensees. It is not applicable to illegal visitors such as trespassers. It imposes duty of care on the occupier. According to the act, an occupier is one who has reasonable control on the premises and must have had the ability to avoid or prevent the danger. Common Duty of Care: An occupier owes a common duty of care to all legal visitors wherein care must be taken by the occupier to ensure that the visitor is safe in using the premises for which he was invited under all reasonable circumstances (Harpwood, 2008). Warnings: Occupiers are not held liable if harm is caused to a visitor if he/she had been warned about the danger. The visitor under all circumstances must be able to avoid the danger based on warnings. But apart from warnings extra care must be taken if the danger is unusual or extreme (Harpwood, 2000). Children and professional exercising their duty: Exceptions are made to children and persons who are exercising a skill or trade. With children, the occupier must ensure that children are safe considering the fact they are less careful than adults. For Example, in Glasgow Corpn v Taylor (1922) a child died after eating poisonous berries from a bush in a public park. The bush was not fenced and hence did not take care in safeguarding c hildren. The occupiers were held responsible (Harpwood, 2000). With persons exercising their duties the occupier can expect the person to be aware of special risks associated with the skill. For example, an electrician repairing an electric socket must be aware of the danger of dealing with electrical equipment and must be careful in dealing with it. Independent Contractors: The occupier cannot be held liable if the danger or harm is caused by the work of an independent contractor

Letter assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Letter - Assignment Example The ability as well as the experience to deal with challenges in the sales management is a key to success of the business (Homburg, Schà ¤fer, and Schneider). I, specifically, thrive on working in a challenging and result-oriented environment. The responsibilities of the position I am applying for would be a new sort of challenge for, and it attracts my attention because of its demand for a person who is very competitive. I assure you that I am the person very competent for this position in the sense of accepting challenges and dealing with them with a calmed mind. I have developed strong sales skills during my career because skills enable one in building a record of continued sales enhancement (Bernan). The attached resume highlights some of my particular accomplishments in the field of marketing and sales management. These accomplishments encourage me and support my interest in a position within your

Global citizenship is an idea whose time has finally come Discuss Essay

Global citizenship is an idea whose time has finally come Discuss - Essay Example It also aims at studying the underlying assumptions and ideology behind the two concepts supported by evidences. The Idea of Global Citizenship In recent times the idea of global citizenship in its various forms is fast gaining momentum all around the globe. It is inspiring youngsters to grow into global citizens; it requires them to be morally responsible, intellectually competent and culturally perceptive to diverse cultures. The trend for global citizenship started with social movements like eradication of poverty, labor rights, environmental protection etc. These organizations claim that they work for the welfare of humanity by ensuring social justice and democratic accountability in the world economy. These organizations claim the global citizenship and hence welfare for the humanity (Giddens, 2010). Global corporations also are working for the propagation of concept of global citizenship by projecting socially responsible public image through their corporate social responsibili ty (CSR) activities. The concept of global citizenship has also seeped into the kind of human capital. The graduates of prestigious universities not only study but also work in global organizations different from their country of origin and have contacts literally all over the world. Such human capital also claims to be global citizens. Global citizenship is not a new phenomenon but it dates back to ancient Greece history. It is reflected in the fact that the word â€Å"Cosmopolitan† is a composite of Greek words for â€Å"order†, â€Å"universe† and â€Å"citizen†. In fact the idea of global citizenship is older than the concept of nationalism. This concept of global citizenship can be attributed to the growing public awareness about the global interdependence. However opponents of this theory which constitutes the intellectuals and political agents discard it as an impractical theory. They claim the concept of global citizenship is not possible in the a bsence of international or global governing bodies and global governments. The proponents of national government find global citizenship especially weak in the realm of politics, political science and legal issues where nationalism plays a vital role (Schattle, 2008). On the wake of global platform for digital communication and the interdependency of world the concept of global citizenship may flourish in other ways in educational institutions, global corporations and social organizations for humanity etc. Globalization and Citizenship Globalization and migration is seen as major threat or challenge to identity, belonging, humanitarian laws and human rights. As the world is becoming more global and open, the need for the protection of citizenship is growing. The major threats to citizenship are political threats, immigration or international migration and mobility, the growing trend of intolerance and religious fundamentalism and the endangered environmental and social security. The re is a trend of restructuring of welfare system to match the changes in demographics. The

Types Of TV Watchers Essay Example for Free

Types Of TV Watchers Essay Television has evolved – we are now seeing more of special effects, fantasy elements, hard-core drama in specialized environments like hospitals or public schools compared to the traditional soap opera with assembled set backdrops. In this globalizing world, television has to compete not only in their own countries for market share, but across the globe. Their efforts are not for naught, because it had spawned a generation of TV watchers of all ages. Briefly, a TV watcher is a person who watches TV for any of the following reasons: for information, entertainment, or out of habit. Generally following this guideline, there are three kinds of TV watchers: the information-driven TV watcher, the entertainment-freak, and the TV-phile.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Information-driven TV watchers turn on their television sets to watch the news. At what end of the spectrum, conservative information-driven TV watchers tune in to local news to have an idea of current events, and at other extreme they tune in to CNN and BBC to keep abreast of the latest developments in the political and economic aspects of the world, or to National Geographic and Discovery Channel if they are into Nature than Politics. The key is they watch TV for the sole purpose of acquiring information in the areas that are relevant to their lives. In contrast, the entertainment-freak TV watchers sit in front of their TVs for the sole purpose of accruing pleasure from the activity. These TV watchers want to be entertained – generally they do not want to be bothered with the universal existential questions that have plagued humanity from the beginning of time, they just want to plop down the couch and relax after a day’s work. These are people who watch soaps like Desperate Housewives and House, fantasy-action like Heroes and Lost, and comedies like Ugly Betty. Entertainment-freak TV watchers watch TV for the leisure of it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, TV-philes are people who turn on the TV because it gives them a different sense of comfort. They function well with the sound of TV in the background as they go about their chores, occasionally glancing to keep up with what is being aired. They watch TV even when there is nothing good on, because they do not have anything else to do. They stay up late for the late night movie specials, they know the program schedules by heart, and they can give lectures on the new trends in television programming. These are the people who tune in to MTV 24/7, or to HBO the whole day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of course, this is only a rough guide of TV watchers, and there are hybrids and types in between. An important thing to remember is that a real TV watcher knows when to open the TV and for what purpose.

Moleskine Marketing Analysis

Moleskine Marketing Analysis 1.0 Executive Summary Moleskine was founded in 1997 by a small Milanese publisher that wanted to revive a product that is rich in history and tradition. Based on the case study we are aware that moleskine is trying to bring back a product that soon to be vanished. It is critical and crucial to know that how consumer behavior can help to keep this traditional product alive by understanding characteristics personalities of consumers. Further segmenting them to be able to find out a solution that can assist marketers in planning their marketing mix, communication tools to connect with the modern consumer, also coming up with new strategies and tactics of marketing communication. 1.2 Definition of Personality Personality might be characterized as the internal aspects which impacts a singulars conduct and activities consistent with the social and the physical environment. Attributes contrasts one single person from an alternate singular, no two individual impart the same qualities and are precisely indistinguishable. 1.3 Neo-Freudian Theory In the case of the Neo-Freudian Theory, consumers of Moleskine possess more of the detached personality, as these are the individuals who move far from others. They covet independence, freedom, individualism or opportunity from commitments. This can be seen in Moleskine as well, as it can be seen in the case study. â€Å"Moleskine launched its modern-era range of diaries in 1997, around the time laptop computers and personal telecommunication devices were breaking into the market† (Schiffman, O’Cass, Paladino and Carlson 2014, 621). This shows that moleskine’s consumers still uses analogue or old fashioned products even in times of rising technology as they do not conform to the society and uses whatever which is suitable for them. 1.4 Traits Theory In the case of the traits theory, moleskine’s consumers are those which possesses high scores for extroversion and openness to experience from the big five model as they are creative, will document their likings, personal stories and experiences. They are people who loves to travel and are interested in other cultures and are comfortable to socialize with others. Basically, these are traits which are similar to that of moleskine as they focuses on art, culture and creativity. Furthermore, their products are divided into 3 categories which are travelling, reading and writing which are again similar of their consumers. It is the similarity of the consumer and brand personality which attracts the consumers to buy and use moleskine’s products. 1.5 Personality and Consumer Behavior As noted from above, consumers of moleskine are those who possesses detached personality and in the case of consumer behavior. It is similar to that of the inner-directed consumers, as they depend on their internal values or benchmarks in assessing new items. Inner-directed consumers will buy products that please and perform for them and they are not concerned about what others think of the product that they are using. The consumers deem that moleskine’s notebook satisfies their inner values and performs for them. Similarly, moleskine is a product of old tradition and old fashioned in the modern age of technology where laptops and computers are commonly used. However, the consumers are susceptive to interpersonal influence as well. This is due to the fact that they feel that moleskine’s art, culture and creativity fits their social group. There will definitely be commonality between moleskine’s consumers and other consumers. Contrary to having detached personality, moleskine’s consumers too have other personality traits like being modern which are common to other consumers as well. The consumers are modern even though of the analogue product that they are using, as moleskine uses new media to communicate with their consumers. Such as MSK 2 which is a digital notebook which the consumers can customize and create their own notebook. Moleskine utilizes social media, in the likes of YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, etc. 2.0 VALS program VALS is a program developed by Arnold Mitchell allowing us to better fathom about the segmentations and profile of adults American consumers. There are eight type of adult American consumers segmented by VALS based on their mindsets, using a specific set of psychological traits and key demographics that drive consumer behavior. The eight type of adult American consumers are the innovators, thinkers, believers, achievers, strivers, experiencers, makers and lastly the survivors. There are three primary motivation that drives the eight different types of consumers they are ideas, achievement and self-expression. The concept of primary motivation explains consumer attitudes and anticipates behavior. The resources of the eight type of consumers would also affect the consumer’s behavior, resources refers to a person’s age, income, education, self-confidence, health, eagerness to buy or try and its energy level this psychological, physical, emotional, demographic, socioeconomi c will constrain or enhance a persons expression of his or her primary motivation. 2.1 Roy Morgan’s value segments Roy Morgan’s value segments of Australian consumer has a segmentation of ten different type of consumers group. â€Å"The ten types of consumers are the socially aware, visible achievement, young optimism, real conservatism, look at me, conventional family life, traditional family life, a fairer deal, something better and basic needs†.(Roy Morgan 2014) This two methods shows how age, gender, marital status, income, education, occupation, social class, health and personality influence the consumer behavior. 2.2 Where would Moleskine consumers fit? The moleskine notebook has a long history and tradition it is reputed to have been used by famous artist, thinkers and writers. The notebook was made famous by Bruce Chatwin and he was the one who gave the notebook its name. â€Å"The philosophy of moleskine products are creativity, imaginative and travelling†. (Moleskine 2014) The moleskine product will fit better with the Roy Morgan’s value segmentation under the categories of young optimism and real conservatism. 2.3 Young optimism Young optimism refers to a person seeking to improve their prospects in life and wanted to be respected in society. They are long term thinkers, careers planner, attending university and contemplating about the future. Their mindset tends to be associated with people who want to experience life to their fullest for example vacation, a career, friends, and family. They are innovative and interested in technology. Thus the moleskine products totally fits into the profile of the young optimism who are imaginative as they are constantly thinking of their future, creative as they are innovative and interested in technology and lastly they would love to travel around the to broaden their perspective of life. 2.4 Real conservatism Real conservatism refers to people who are cautious about new things and ideas. They hold very conservative thinking and feel that things are not as good as they used to be. They are willing to pay more for products with quality and are particularly attracted to older, well established brands. Moleskine is a well-established brand as it is the successor to the legendary notebook that has been used by renowned artists and thinkers such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. Thus giving it a sense of class and nostalgia as a diary that retains the old world charm which also could be a trusty and handy travel companion and it fits right into the profile of the real conservatism. 2.5 How could these systems assist marketers? The use of these systems will allow marketers to position or promote their products better. They can use these systems to know which specific segment of consumer that they are targeting, and it will definitely be easier for them to plan the marketing mix (4Ps) strategy with the help of these systems. 3.0 Integrated Marketing Communications Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is define as the coordination and integration of all marketing communication tools, avenues, and sources in a company into a seamless program designed to maximize the impact on customers and stakeholders (Clow and Baack 2012). It is a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communication disciplines – general advertising, direct response, sales promotion, and public relations – and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communication impact (Kitchen and Burgmann 2010). 3.1 Recommendations In order for Moleskine to reach out to consumers who are less I.T savvy and resonate better with international consumers, following are some of the recommendations suggested. Making use of advertising through television, magazines or newspapers will get the message across to audiences whom are less I.T savvy and build a repetitive and consistent approach to increase product awareness. Moleskine can make use of celebrity endorsement for its products to reach out to international consumers. This means using brand ambassadors that are recognizable by global consumers. The firm can participate in inter-national trade fairs or exhibitions to publicize and sell their products. This provides an effective way of meeting many existing and potential consumers from different countries (Doole and Lowe 2008). 3.2 Jenifer Aaker’s Brand Personality Dimensions Jenifer Aaker’s brand personality framework is use to describe a brand profile which includes tangible and intangible traits and correlates to humans’ characteristic. This includes five dimensions (Friend 2012): Sincerity – This dimension portrays as down-to-earth, honest, wholesome or cheerful in consumer minds. Excitement – Daring, spirited, imaginative, and on the cutting edge of technology and performance are the most exciting brands. Competence – This refers to brands with traits such as reliability, intelligence, and success. Sophisticated – A brand that is sophisticated is viewed as charming and fit for the upper classes. Ruggedness – Rugged brands are seen as outdoorsy and tough. The two dimensions that will be suitable for Moleskine are ‘Competence’ and ‘Excitement’. The company had made use of technology such as cloud, social media and iPhone and iPad apps to promote and push their products to the market. These provide consumers the convenience and reliability in terms of data storage on their smart devices. Moreover, by utilizing the various forms of social media will keep Moleskine updated with the latest trends, hence keeping up with the ever changing technology. 4.0 Moleskine’s Segmentation and Marketing Strategies Yes, it is possible for other products to use similar segmentation and marketing strategies to Moleskine. Psychographic segmentation divides buyer into different groups based on 1) Lifestyle 2) Social Class, and 3) Personality Characteristics. Moleskine targets designers, professionals, writers, creative, imaginative people, travelers, and business people. Moleskine keeps in mind both their consumers’ lifestyle and their social classes. From working class to upper class where people need to develop new ideas, travelers who love to pen down their experiences, and business people who need to organize their schedule. Moleskine’s consumers’ personality characteristics are creative, imaginative, passionate, traditional and organized. Moleskine’s products vary from simple to stylish hard and soft cover of diaries and etc. The price setting is high. Placing is exclusive distribution. For promotion, they focus on communicating with consumers through social media a nd interactive websites. Moleskine’s positioning is to open platforms for people to be creative and communicative which contributes to the development of sharing knowledge and culture. Few products that used similar segmentations and marketing strategies as Moleskine are Polaroid cameras and Chanel’s products 4.1 Polaroid Corporation Targets creative people, artist, designers, photographers, and experiencers, people that see Polaroid as a status of lifestyle. Polaroid consumers’ social class are from upper to working class, some people like to instantly capture their current experience and develop the picture on the spot; people use it for their projects or special occasions. Polaroid consumers’ personality characteristics are creative and passionate. Polaroid is an exciting brand for youths. Polaroid communicates with consumers through social media and interactive websites. They have their own Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Twitter accounts that they constant update status, videos, and pictures. They created smartphone apps such as â€Å"Polamatic by Polaroid† where people can take pictures and edit them by applying Polaroid’s authentic frames and extra features. Polaroid Corporation has launched their new retail store called Fotobar, which is available, online as well. It serves a function where people are enabled customize their Polaroid pictures (Melanson, 2013). Polaroid has partnerships with the Andy Warhol Museum and Lady gaga. Polaroid uses global consumer segment as in every country there will be a group of people that meets Polaroid’s targeted market. 4.2 Chanel Founded in the year 1909. Chanel consist of lifestyle and luxury products. Chanel is known to be a sophisticated brand for elegant women. Chanel’s products consist of fashion clothing, fine jewelry, watches, accessories, perfumes, and cosmetics. They place their products in their own boutiques. However, their cosmetics and perfumes can be found in certain specific departmental stores. Pricing is high. Their promotion is through fashion shows, celebrities, events, television, magazines, and exhibitions. Chanel uses modern technology to communicate with their consumers. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, YouTube to update their new products, Videos events, and status. Chanel’s videos constantly films and emphasize on their â€Å"brand heritage† and how it still exist in their products with a fusion of modern. This strategy reinforces the relationship consumer need to have with the product. Chanel has re-designed their website to create a sleek site t hat shows elegance and created a few smartphone apps that features videos and looks of the latest products, fashion news, behind the scene features, and contact information for all boutiques, skin care tips using their brand’s facial products. Chanel’s Coco Shine Lipstick was first launched and sold through the social media platform, Facebook. Users were to â€Å"like† the page and get complimentary shipping when purchasing. It increases awareness on their online store as some consumers are unaware of it, also, by â€Å"liking† the Facebook page will allow consumers to be involved in their future news or product launches. (Zelesny, 2011) Chanel used a male celebrity; Brad Pitt to launched their advertisement on Chanel No.5, Chanel’s female perfume that became the talk on social media. They did it intentionally to increase the popularity of the product (Carr, 2012). Chanel products are lifestyle choices and their product range will fit across in mos t countries and in every country, there is definitely a group of upper class, high-income people that lives a similar luxurious lifestyle allowing global consumer segmentation of products.

Reptiles :: essays research papers

Reptiles are vertebrate, or backboned animals constituting the class Reptilia and are characterized by a combination of features, none of which alone could separate all reptiles from all other animals.The characteristics of reptiles are numerous, therefore can not be explained in great detail in this report. In no special order, the characteristics of reptiles are: cold-bloodedness; the presence of lungs; direct development, without larval forms as in amphibians; a dry skin with scales but not feathers or hair; an amniote egg; internal fertilization; a three or four-chambered heart; two aortic arches (blood vessels) carrying blood from the heart to the body, unlike mammals and birds that only have one; a metanephric kidney; twelve pairs of cranial nerves; and skeletal features such as limbs with usually five clawed fingers or toes, at least two spinal bones associated with the pelvis, a single ball-and-socket connection at the head-neck joint instead of two, as in advanced amphibian s and mammals, and an incomplete or complete partition along the roof of the mouth, separating the food and air passageways so that breathing can continue while food is being chewed. These and other traditional defining characteristics of reptiles have been subjected to considerable modification in recent times. The extinct flying reptiles, called pterosaurs or pterodactyls, are now thought to have been warm-blooded and covered with hair. Also, the dinosaurs are also now considered by many authorities to have been warm-blooded. The earliest known bird, archaeopteryx, is now regarded by many to have been a small dinosaur, despite its covering of feathers The extinct ancestors of the mammals, the therapsids, or mammallike reptiles, are also believed to have been warm-blooded and haired. Proposals have been made to reclassify the pterosaurs, dinosaurs, and certain other groups out of the class Reptilia into one or more classes of their own. The class Reptilia is divided into 6 to 12 subclasses by different authorities. This includes living and extinct species. In addition, a number of these subclasses are completely extinct. The subclasses contain about 24 orders, but only 4 of these are still represented by living animals.Of the living orders of reptiles, two arose earlier than the age of reptiles, when dinosaurs were dominant. Tuataras, of the order Rhynchocephalia, are found only on New Zealand islands, whereas the equally ancient turtles, order Chelonia, occur nearly worldwide. The order Crocodilia emerged along with the dinosaurs. Snakes and lizards, order Squamata, are today the most numerous reptile species.

Fighting the Big-Box stores :: essays research papers

Introduction The Just family has operated our hardware store in this community for three generations. Our store has supported all of our family members very well in all of our years in business. We have recently been informed that Home Depot is planning on opening a new store in our community. The following is our plan of action to stay in business and continue to serve our community. Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Currently Home Depot is planning on opening a new store in our community. We foresee this posing a huge financial threat to our business. Being a small locally owned hardware store, we are not able to obtain huge volume discounts like the big box stores. Currently our hours of operation are significantly shorter than Home Depot. Home Depot is a nationally renowned name brand store, which in itself will be a significant hurdle to overcome. Home Depot has a huge advertising budget, which includes NASCAR sponsorships and national television advertisements. The paramount concern for us is the competition they will impose relative to our customer base. Current Situation Seymour currently has one other hardware store located in the heart of the city in addition to ours. Both of our businesses have the same hours of operation, which are Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm and 8am until noon on Saturday. Our store has seven employees currently. Four are very knowledgeable individuals with a total of 120 years of experience between them. Two other members work part-time throughout the week stocking shelves and cleaning, while the last employee does the paperwork and ordering for the store. A huge percentage of our customers look to us for advice on how to repair their problems. They value our expertise in plumbing, electrical, paint, and personalized customer service. We believe we have an advantage in this area. Currently, we don’t offer any other services except waiting on the customers, answering questions, and on a limited basis, filling small orders from a limited supply base. Possible Causes of the Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We believe that Home Depot’s purchasing power could be the biggest issue facing us. They are a multi-billion dollar industry dispersing products nationwide. The result is providing lower cost product to the customer, while at the same time offering convenient one-stop shopping. Alternative Approaches After doing some sole-searching and conducting some poles within the community, we have come up with some ideas that might help us overcome the competition with Home Depot.

Understand Partnership Working in Services for Children and Young People L 2

Working in partnership with others is very important for children and young people; it will help them to have consistent routines, which is very essential it provides them with a sense of security and structure to their day. All adults who work with children and young people have a duty to get on very well with each other to demonstrate a positive attitude at work setting and to develop good professional relationships and also be a good role model to the children and young people they are caring for, this will help determine the type of care the child needs; temperament, likes, dislikes, health, interest and behaviour. Successful relationships between colleagues will allow them to pull together to create a warm, friendly welcoming atmosphere and maintain a safe environment for the children and young people and also to build a plan fix for individual this will help to avoid any unnecessary conflicts or misunderstanding between them. Parents/carers must always be involved in their children’s daily learning development and willing to work with the child care workers as part of the team, so good relationship and good communication skills between the two parties will have a huge effect on the child’s development, and it will make it easier for both to approach one another for any feedback and concerns for the child which is important to have this information and be aware of any sudden change in the child to act fast, to resolve any problems he/she may have, after all parents/carers and practioners are all aiming at the same goal, that is the health and well being of the children and young people and to make sure that they have the opportunities to get the most out of life. Feedbacks between the two happens either face to face when the parents/carers drop off their children or at the pick up time, but sometimes through informal meetings to discuss their child’s progress and needs, and suggest ways in which parents/carers can stimulate their child’s learning and development at home. The importance of these meetings is to have a clear picture and full understanding of the child in addition to organize activities that will encourage the child’s physical, emotional, intellectual, and social growth. It is the practioners duty to help children explore individual interests, build self-esteem, develop talents and independence and learn how to get along with others. In some cases unfortunately are not straight forward, where outside professional agencies may get involved in the child’s life where there may be issues like for xample, speech difficulties, in this case the child will be referred to speech therapy where he/she be seen by a specialist who will provide sessions on one to one basis, to help the child to improve their speech. For children who are affected by behaviour or emotional difficulties, psychologist will be involved in their learning development. Social services may be involved too if there are any concerns or sign of child abuse, it is their duty to investigate any alleged incident and to assess the risk to the child and their need for protection. Social workers will often work closely with the child and the family to provide them with supports, but if the child is highly at risk of abuse, then the police will be contacted and involved too. Other outside agencies who may be involved are physio, they provide exercises to help children who having problems with their muscular or breathing problems. SENCO is responsible for supporting children with special education needs to reduce the underachievement gap and enable all children to reach their full potential. Children who are facing problems with visual or hearing impairment are referred to sensory impairment team who will offer the best advice to the parents/carers on how to help the child and also how to use equipment effectively. The effective partnership working together is to share information about the child, their interests, routines and working to resolve issues such behaviour, sleep routine etc†¦ That is why it is vital to have good working partnership with parents/carers or guardians, they seem to know their child better than anybody else when it comes to the child’s interests, needs and strengths. Many parents/carers are very supportive and have a very good knowledge on how to help their child, especially where the child has medical or physical disability. When there is poor or lack of communication between the two parties, lot of unnecessary conflicts and misunderstanding will appear causing barriers to partnership which may have a strong effects on the child’s learning development. Sometimes there are various reasons for barriers to partnership working; one of them could be simply language barrier, culture, attitude and social economical background. There are also many reasons can cause barriers between practioners and the child, it can be anything that prevents the child from participating fully because he/she was not given a chance to try certain activities, which make him feel excluded from the group. Some adults have a belief that disabled children are incapable, or to be pitied or feared. Barriers can be environmental too where the premises are inaccessible due to steps or poor lighting or other difficulties that occur within the environment such as the use of complex language; or it could be a lack of discriminatory policies or procedures. In order to promote inclusion, practioners must be aware of features that may cause a barrier to participation. Good communication between partners is central to working with children and young people and parents/carers; it helps build trusts and understanding the perspective of others. It also encourages them to seek advice and uses services; it is key to establishing and maintaining relationships. It is important for practioners to use clear language to communicate with all children, young people, and parents/carers and all partners including people who find communication difficult to overcome any conflicts and misunderstandings, it is best to summarise situations in the appropriate way for the individual, taking account factors such as background, age and personality. Having a clear communication between partners will make it easier to collect and gain information on the children and understand their needs which will help providing the right activities for individual and maintain a safe learning environment for the children and young people whom they are working with, and again it becomes much easier to communicate about issues and resolve problems that inevitably arise. Listening is the heart of clear communication, when people feel listened to and have their feelings accepted, they feel relief and move on to problem solving but when they do not feel understood or they feel judged or are interrupted, their annoyance or upset increases. Policies vary depending on type of work and the business, but there are quite a few policies that every work place should have like A Code of Conduct sets standards of ethical conduct and work place behaviour. Policies in workplace is a statement of principle and practice dealing with ongoing management and administration of the organisation, they act as a guiding frame of reference for how the organisation deals with everything from its day-to day operational problems or how to respond to requirements to comply with legislation, regulation and codes of practice. Policies explain how to perform tasks and duties, it is a procedure specifying who in the organisation is responsible for particular tasks and activities, or how they should be carry out their duties, these should be reasonable and clearly understood. Confidentiality is one of the things that is included in child care policy, it is very vital to be kept private unless otherwise. This confidential information is private and personal; it includes: *Address *Contact number *Birth date *Emergency contact information *Records of any medical history including immunisations *Contact information of the next kin *Details of the child’s GP & dentist *Nutritional restrictions *progress reports that has been gathered by observation *Referrals details *slips/forms of any injury occurring at the program *family changes All these information must be treated confidential in all child care programs and must not be shared outside the programs between friends and families of practioners; it is against the confidentiality policy and can have serious consequences. It can upset lot of people. Trust may be lost causing damage to working relationships and also leads to disciplinary action by superior, not to mention the bad affect on the care worker’s professional reputation. Sensitive information should made available to practitioners only on a need-to-know basis. That means that different practitioners in the same setting will not necessarily have access to the same information. Therefore should not discuss confidential matters with colleagues unless it is appropriate and can be done privately. Sometimes confidential information needs to be discussed with parents/carers, this should be done privately as well. All this confidential information must be stored securely and handed with care. Never leave sensitive paperwork or files where people who do not need to know will have access to them. If a setting stores records on computer, they must be registered on the Data Protection Register. There are rules about what information can be recorded and how information should be kept. Referrals take place for different reasons such as having concerns about the safety, welfare and/ or well being of children etc†¦ Referrals of children in need should whenever possible, be accompanied by a statement of consent from the child or young person and parents/carers. Children and young people who are suffering significant harm will have social services involved in their cases, or maybe even the police depending how serious the harm is. Some children who having difficulty in communication will be referred to speech therapy, who will arrange one to one sessions once a week with parents/carers permission, the child will be assessed by specialist to help them recognize the cause of speech delay or problem, and what kind of methods and activities will be useful for individual to be able to respond to the treatment he/she be receiving. Other children may have different issues like behaviour, or emotional difficulties, in this case they will be seen by psychologist and again same procedure will be needed. Physio will deal with children and young people who have muscular or emotional problems. Physio will use exercise for this matters.

International Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR II (1089) Individual Paper Review By Diana Kovacheva ID 0752805 I. Abstract This paper has the purpose to review the seven articles and parts of books stated in class and evaluate them with the help of 3 criteria. Firstly, the three chosen criteria are going to be defined. Then a brief summary of each article or book chapter is going to be made followed by an evaluation according to the mentioned criteria. . II. The Criteria * CurrencyThis criteria is supposed to define if the information in the article is current, not only by stating when it was published, but also by analyzing if this is from importance for the purpose/outcome of the article. This criterion might be very important when evaluating factual information, because new findings constantly emerge. However, for some type of information, currency is not an issue. * Objectivity This criterion is supposed to check if the information presented is mostly based o f facts or it just expresses personal opinion.Important for the evaluation is to examine whether the claims are logical and credible and if there is evidence for that. * Relevance for practitioners Here it is important to evaluate if the information given in the article could be of use for the audience it is meant for. For this paper, under â€Å"audience† is meant people who deal with the issue of international human resource management and organizational behavior. III. Global Managers: no longer men aloneThe article of Nancy Adler explores the changing role of women in management position and traces the evolution of the perceptions of the female role and that of diversity in the context of successful global management. The introduction to the topic stresses on the fact that the traditional judgment for one’s skills and abilities based on gender is increasing the opportunity costs for the companies. Due to the global intensified competition, it is becoming more and mo re crucial for a company’s success to recognize a potential talent regardless of its gender.This has led to an increasing number of female representatives to be found in top leading position. Following this trend, questions about the difference in the management style of both genders have arisen. Furthermore, no consensus has been reached on the issue if male and female managers act differently or they are just perceived to do so. For the better understanding of this issue, a table with a set of six questions – three behavior- vs. hree perceptual-based, two descriptive vs. four evaluating, was presented. In it individual assumptions showed different dimensions of â€Å"difference†, some people stating just that both type of managers are similar or different, and others evaluating the difference as inferior or superior. It was criticized the fact, that most of the assumptions are based on perceptions and not on real observations, due to the fact that still not so many women are to be found in higher positions.After further reclassification of the questions, four approaches were presented about increasing the number of women in global management positions: 1) Identifying with men’s approaches to managing internationally : Here management by men is conceived to be superior to that by women and women try adopt their manner of managing; 2) Denying difference : this approach assumes that there are no differences, there is only one way to manage and both male and female managers are treated identically; 3) Identifying with women’s approaches to managing internationally : here the difference between the two gender is agreed upon, but also the women’s superiority in managing because of the typical characteristics of the female gender and their increasing importance in doing business globally; 4) Creating synergy : this approach stresses on the contribution and synergies of the combined management styles ‘ The article also presents the evolution of organizational culture and classifies it into 5 stages: 1) Homogenous culture: in this first stage it is mainly the historical-conditioned dominance of men in leading roles.This is possible only when no internal or external pressure is present and diversity is irrelevant; 2) Single-culture dominance: identifying with men – since the 60s, equality on the two genders was promoted which led to an increased number of women in domestic and low-level position; 3) Denial of differences: the stress here is not on the gender, but on excellent performers. However, the identical treatment of women like men led to many women in top positions resigning because of the unsatisfactory conditions; 4) Accepting differences: companies recognized and appreciated the different between the genders and the importance of tolerating women’s approach for market segments dominated by women; 5) Leveraging differences: the increased global competition since the beginning of the 20th century has led to the recognition of the importance of diversity and diversity-based learning and innovation.As a conclusion, the evolution of the role women has played over time was briefly summarized again, stressing on the shift from quantitative to qualitative measures. The authors mentions that still only few companies have reached the last level and recommends a more open discussion about the importance of diversity. * Currency : the article was published in 2002 and most of the sources are from the 90s; furthermore, the last trends discussed has started with the beginning of the century and so, are still current; * Objectivity: the statements made are mostly based on research on a global level and a logical relationship between the arguments and the stages presented in obvious * Relevance for practitioners: the topic is of high relevance and importance for practitioner.The issue presented in the article in increasingly discussed globally and represents a crucial part in the modern understanding of management. IV. Creating Values with Diverse Teams in Global Management The central issue in this article is how to create value with global diverse teams and the obstacles that arise using such teams. There teams are believed to have a lot of potential and be able to create significant comparative advantage. However, in practice this is usually not the case because of misunderstandings and lack of interaction between the various cultures. On the other hand, exactly the cultural differences are believed to create value due to the multi-sided approach and innovative solutions they can generate.According to the article, global teams were divided into three performance categories: * The destroyers: those team usually underperform because of mutual mistrust and lack of collaboration * The equalizers: by suppressing the differences, these teams are just performing on average in order for the business to keep going * The creators: here the potential of a global teams is fully taken advantage of and cost and time are saved while coming up with new and innovative products at the same time As stated in the article, the success of the creators? team was due to the use of the three principles of mapping, bridging and integrating (MBI). * Mapping to understand the differences: i. e. understanding the reasons that lead to the different approach of the team members. This principle includes the following steps: define the territory (identification of the crucial differences), draw the map ( assessment of members` characteristics), assess the terrain ( using the map generated in the previous step in order to identify future potential dynamics), develop cartographers ( mapping alone is not enough for high performance, incorporating the knowledge is what makes difference). Bridging to Communicate Across Differences: here of great importance in the well-functioning communication within the team, the latest define in the article as â€Å"send ing and receiving meaning as it was intended†. Three steps are included in this principle : prepare the ground ( â€Å"motivation to communication†¦ and confidence to overcome any differences† are considered to be crucial, keyword here is also self-management), decenter : build to the other shore ( adapting one? s behavior and thinking to the other’s one, without judgment), recenter: span the bridge ( in contrast to the previous step, here essential is the building of a new basis of interaction after the differences are already known). Integrating to Leverage Differences: the final principle in order to manage diversity consist of the following steps: managing participation for basic leverage with the help of tools and techniques that can facilitate the interaction and include all the members, resolving disagreement ( also hidden ones) to increase leverage and building on ideas for optional leverage, where everybody should be given the chance to take part an d to express their ideas. In conclusion, the article states that the MBI principles are just a prescription, and not a guarantee of success. Furthermore, a separate approach for each team should be applied since each team and its potential is unique.Last but not least, the article concludes with the statement that global teams hide great potential, but it takes time and effort in order for it to be exploited. However, global teams belong inevitable to the future and so, the sooner managers try to use differences and not to avoid them, the better their companies will be performing * Currency: The topic is quite current nowadays. It has been discussed for a large degree in the recent years and it is also going to be a leading issue in the years to come. Also, due to the high degree of unsatisfactory performance of such teams, the topic is going to be further analyzed till some form of advance has been found. Objectivity: The arguments presented are following a certain, easily-traceabl e scheme, with logical relationships and empirical supported information. The logical transition from one stage to another is solidly explained. * Relevance for practitioners: this is highly important topics for practitioners. Because of the effects of increasing globalization and the more free movement of people on a global level, work in diverse teams has become a major issue for managers. Especially the fact, that in such teams a huge potential is hidden, makes the article very attractive for this audience. V. Understanding cultures and implicit leadership theories across the globe : an Introduction to the project GLOBE The article of House et al. ntroduces and gives a more detailed description of the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) research program as well as the motives that hide behind the idea. The aim of the survey is to identify how and to what extend could cultural-specific attributes have an influence on effective leadership. The need f or a deeper understanding of the influence of culture on management and leadership styles has arisen for various reasons. Apart from its practical relevance, nowadays it is also highly important to know in what way one should conduct business in a different cultural environment. In addition to that, factors, not taken into consideration in the existing theories ( e. g. eligion, ethnic background) could play a key role in identifying new relationships. Literature on this issue shows an established connection between culture and leadership styles. However, different points of view also exist. According to the article, some believe that historical background inevitably has an impact on the degree of cooperation and commitment. On the other hand, some aspects of leadership are thought to be universal in practice. The GLOBE research consists of several phases and different methods are being used in order to study the relationship between societal and organizational culture, as well as or ganizational leadership.Its team is represented by the Principal Investigator (who is author of the article), Co-Principal Investigators and Country Co-Investigators (CCIs), who have a specific knowledge of the examined cultures and are able to interpret the results in a proper way and context. As stated in the article, the main goal behind the idea for the GLOBE project was to develop an empirically-tested theory which examines the impact of different cultural variables on effective leadership. Of course, this was achieved with the help of numerous sub-questions, which studied different aspects of the acceptance of leader behavior. The following phases were used in the research: Phase 1 – development of research instruments (societal and organizational measures of culture) ; * Phase 2 – assessment of nine relevant dimensions and testing the hypotheses made; additional measures of ethnic, social, political and economic background were also included; * Phase 3 – impact and effectiveness of leadership styles, culture-specific and organization-specific aspects; long-term effects on the organization; In order to conduct the research, unanimous definitions of the examined factors were needed. A consensus was reached about the definition of â€Å"an organizational leadership† and â€Å"a leader†. However, it was not so easy to give a definition for â€Å"culture†. As House et al. states in the article, the chosen variables were â€Å"indicators of shared modal values of collectivist† (House et al, 2002, p. 5) The studied nice dimensions were: Uncertainty Avoidance, Power Distance, Societal and In-Group Collectivism, Gender Egalitarianism, Assertiveness ( reflecting the Hofstede dimensions), Future Orientation ( Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck ), PerformanceOrientations ( Mcclelland ) and Human Orientation ( Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck ) . The empirical research identified six of those nine dimensions that could be generalized for d ifferent cultures. The results were not presented in the article with further details but a reference to another article of the same author was made. The integrated theory in the areas of leadership, values/belief, implicit motivation and organizational form and effectiveness that hides behind the GlOBE model is based on various propositions about the relationships between cultural values, leaders’ actions, organizational and societal culture, strategic organizational contingencies and leader’s effectiveness and his acceptance by others. Currency: The GLOBE project began in the mid-90s and so, the data analyzed has been collected also towards that time, which makes them considerably current. Furthermore, the topic is of great relevance and this would remain so also in the future. Many current studies are also based on the GLOBE project, which means that the information and data it provides are considered to be up-to-date. * Objectivity: The research has been conducted in several phases, also with the usage of different methods, which means that the results presented could be considered for highly reliable. Also, the logical connection between the arguments and the main points discussed are easy to follow and well-grounded. * Relevance for practitioners: Leadership is also one of the main issues of the new century.Due to the fact that business is conducted worldwide and one and the same company is expanding to new and foreign markets, the problem of effective leadership has been worrying many managers. This is why this article provide an important and relevant information for managers and leaders. VI. Cultural Acumen for the Global Manager: Lessons from Project GLOBE The article by Javidan & House focuses on cultural similarities and a difference among many of the countries examined in the GLOBE project, discusses the results and explains their implications for global managers. Globalization itself in considered to be bringing many opportunities, but with respect to cultures, it also brings many challenges.As stated in the article: â€Å"Being global is not just about where you do business. It is also about how you do it. † ( Javidan & House, 2001, p. 292). As an introduction to the topic, the authors mention the drivers and results of globalization and their impact on international business. Nowadays different cultures come more and more often in contact with each other and business is becoming more global than ever. The main drivers for that are considered to be the increasing trade between nations, internet, foreign direct investments and various mergers and acquisitions. As a result of that, collision of different cultures in the business life has become something common.From this, however, could not be concluded that cultural differences diminish. Quite the opposite, major problems and misunderstandings arise from the lack of awareness for the various cultural values and practices. This is why the importance of a competent global leader is becoming crucial. His role was even rated the most important factor for business success in a survey of Fortune 500. An expert in international business is required to accustom and take into consideration differences as well as to consider the ideas and opinion of the partners he is doing business with. Because of the mentioned above, the authors stress the importance of the GLOBE project as a guide for managers in international business.With the help of the nine dimensions (already mentioned in the previous article as well), the derived results could be used for better understanding of cultural similarities and differences. In the articles the nine dimensions are briefly explained and the results of cultural practices are shortly presented: * Assertiveness – explained as the extent to which a self-confident and assertive behavior is tolerated. Here high score the U. S. , Austria and Spain; low – Sweden, New Zealand respectively, the last be ing thought to prefer cooperation over competition. * Future Orientation – the inclination for planning and investing in the future. As highly future-oriented appear Singapore, Switzerland and the Netherlands.On the contrary, Russia, Argentina and Italy are characterized with shorter planning horizon * Gender Differentiation – the emphasize on garner role differences; As paying less importance on gender appear Hungary, Poland and Denmark. , where more women could be found on higher positions. On the other hand, in South Korea, Egypt and China men enjoy higher social status. * Uncertainty Avoidance – in Sweden and Germany more attention is paid to orderliness and structure, whereas in Russia, Greece and Venezuela people are more tolerant towards uncertainty. * Power Distance – here high rank Russia, Thailand and Spain, where superiors are granted greater power and obedience. In countries like Denmark and the Netherlands, however, there is less differentiat ion in the hierarchical structure. Institutional emphasis on collectivism versus individualism – individual performance counts more in countries like Greece, Italy and Argentina. Cooperation and collective good is more important in Sweden, South Korea and Japan, where because of historical reasons people tend to help and rely on each other for their â€Å"survival†. * In-group collectivism- in Iran, India and China belonging to a group is of great importance. In contract, in Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand people do not feel obliged to the others belonging to their groups. * Performance Orientation – in Singapore, Hong Kong and the U. S. results show a high interest in development and training.In countries like Russia, Italy and Argentina people pay more attention to loyalty and tradition than performance and competition * Humane orientation – in Malaysia, Ireland and the Philippines support of each other is highly valued, whereas in Germany, France and S ingapore people are more interested in power and material gains. As the authors point out, the results of the GLOBE project provide information managers can rely on when confronted with cross-cultural communication. Because of the high sensitivity of each culture, for successful negotiations it is crucial to be aware of some cultural differences in the other country, concerning direct language and punctuality, contract horizon, hierarchy etc. As a further advantage of the project, the author point out the high reliability that the findings provide. All in all, the GLOBE provides guidance and help for the global managers and enhances their cultural acumen. Currency: As already mentioned by the evaluation of the previous article, the information that the GLOBE project provides and the possible areas of its implication are a topical relevance and high interest. Furthermore, the problem discussed in the article in a global problem at the moment and will probably be in the next decades. * Objectivity: Data for the research has been gathered in several phases, also with the usage of different methods, which means that the results presented could be considered for highly reliable. Arguments are logically connected and relationships between the results of the project and the problem discussed are supported. Relevance for practitioners: Since globalization brings so many opportunities and doing business abroad always includes minimum a collision of two different cultures, the impact of culture on the business and negotiation process has been of high relevance for practitioners Because the article provides important information in this matter, it could be used as a guide with real-life related tips. VII. Culture: the neglected concept The book chapter â€Å"Culture: the neglected concept† has as main issue the prediction of behavioral differences across cultures. At the beginning the role of culture is discussed as a tool for cross-cultural comparison, as well as the different aspects that culture, social system and society imply. However, no clear conclusion was reach at on how to differentiate cultures.Furthermore, the author mentions also that there is a huge diversity within major nations (e. g. Japan, UK, the Netherlands) and also that there are many conflicts within nations. As next, with the help of key studies, the author tries to develop a conceptual framework which would help to identify variables with which cultures could be differentiated. Different studies using economic development factors, or ecological and sociopolitical indicators were discussed, but in both cases there were criticism and inconsistent findings. A positive contribution was considered the work of Hofstede in his book â€Å"Culture’s consequences†. He has analyzed a large scale data bank and on this basis has developed a model how to compare countries.He has classified them into four dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualis m-collectivism and masculinity- femininity. Of course, that model is considered to be just one possibility in finding differences among on a country level. Hofstede’s study was criticized on various basis, but still the data used covers a substantial global sample. Furthermore, conformity is identified in the definition of culture by Hofstede and Rohner. However, it has been pointed out that the core values of Hofstede are applicable to national cultures and not individuals, and as still, they are average results. The Chinese Culture Connection pointed out the necessity to discount cultural bias from the results Hofstede came with.The results of their research overlapped to a great extend with those of Hofstede (three out of four factors). In addition to that, another variable was also proposed which led later on to the supplement of a fifth dimension. Another study by Schwarz was reviewing earlier history and defined three needs as essential: biological needs, social coordin ation needs, and the survival and welfare needs. This study was more analyzing the meaning different people put into values and it focused more on individuals rather than countries. However, the results were seen as a more detailed version than those of Hofstede. Furthermore, Trompenaars examined value dilemmas across nations.He proposed seven dimensions, some of them very close to the ones of Hofstede plus conservatism-egalitarian commitment and loyal involvement – utilitarian involvement. In the last part of the chapter a step-wise approach towards identifying a useful conceptual framework was adopted. Firstly, a search for universal aspects of social behavior, mainly used by social anthropologists and psychologist, has been discussed. In this place universals are further divided into simple, variform and functional ones, the first two mainly used by ‘etic’ analysis of human behavior and the third one- in ‘emic’ analysis. The last one (emic analysi s) is considered for the most reliable method for making generalizations on a local level.In this first step also the four elementary forms of social relations by Fiske are mentioned : ‘communal sharing’ , ’authority ranking’ (these two similar to two of the Hofstede’s dimensions) , ‘equality matching’ ( i. e. parties relate on the basis of equal contribution) and ‘market pricing’ (i. e. people use their comparative advantages over the others). The second step mentioned is the dilemma about the cultural causation of human behavior. A problematic point here is to determine if the research question is to be examined at the individual- or at the culture- level (the so called levels of analysis). The article proposed several different approached by different researchers. Furthermore, Smith and Schwartz (1997) proposed the following dimensions: autonomy vs. embeddedness and equality vs. ierarchy, which resemble again some of the Hofstede’s dimensions (namely individualism-collectivism and power distance), but using the updated results from some more recent studies. Then the authors introduce a further division of collectivism according to the context it is meant: in a hierarchical or egalitarian one. According to Parsons and Shils there is also another pair of concept: universalism and particularism. The first is describing the equal distribution of justice and the second – the subjective desire to associate with somebody. The final part of the chapter comes back to the major issue if values of people serve as a sufficient orientation point when cultures are being compared. Behavior is also mentioned to play an important role in this matter.Different studies are offering different approaches and assumptions concerning those variables and it is also presumed that this is a potential future field of further research. * Currency: Concerning this criterion, this chapter might be classified as a b it old. A reason for that is not only the publication year (1998), but also because many of the studies and data used for it are already dating to even earlier. As it is quite well-known, the new century brought with itself many new directions for the futures and the impact of globalization on culture-related issues changes every now and then. * Objectivity: In this chapter various authors and research results are mentioned, however with the criticism that some of the researches conducted do not based on a solid and reliable data.The different concepts are relationships between concepts and studies are explained, but due to the large number of studies and various explanations, the comprehensiveness sometimes goes lost and this might lead to losing the logic of the argument. * Relevance for practitioners: the approach in this chapter is more theoretical relevant than practical. Many studies are discussed, which are based on different approaches and research fields. However, less prac tical applicability in real business life has been detected. VIII. Theoretical Basis: Intercultural Communication and Cooperation The article of Thomas begins with a discussion about culture and its meaning.He compares it with a ‘system of orientation’ that creates a sense of belonging among the members of the same culture due to its specific features. Moreover, based on the usage of the same symbols and meanings, people can identify that they belong to the same group. However, in the socialization process it often happens that we are confronted with an unfamiliar behavior. Here a crucial point is what orientation signals to use when two persons from different cultures are in a conflict situation. A good example of the different approaches of Germans and Americans is given – the first handing more customer-oriented and the second caring more about technical perfection.Those examples lead to the conclusion that some general cultural standards exists that can expla in why different cultures act differently and the same situation. Furthermore, domain-specific cultural standards also exist, which are bound to a specific context. Lastly, another study indicates also the existence cultural-specific behavior patterns. The main use of cultural standards in that they provide a helping hand for orientating and explain why the partner behaves unfamiliar. The knowledge of other culture standards can be very important by interpersonal negotiating and cooperating. In addition to national culture, the concept of corporate culture also exists and it is highly influenced by the first one.In an organization, many factors, such as the industry the company in operating in and other job-related factors have an impact on the behavior of its members/employees and thus they can also form a â€Å"common language† and values. It is suggested that corporate culture can be analyzed on the basis a three-level-model suggested by Schein. Those are: material and imm aterial artefacts (easy to identify, but not to interpret their impact), values, norm and rules of behaviour (great influence) and basic assumption (vastly accepted values that help attain corporate goals). Thus, due to the daily interaction people in a corporation create their own subjective reality, based on the common values and social norms.So, as stated in the article, corporate culture is influenced by and influences national culture on the one side, and on the other, there are also subcultures formed within the corporate one. As a further point in the article the effects of internalization are discussed. Because of this phenomenon, the international atmosphere that is more often to find in many work places, cause that many different national cultures collide in an organization. Here an importance should also be paid to the industry the company is operating. The author mentions both the advantages and challenges of internalization and mentions that the inability to identify wi th the newly formed corporate culture can has a serious negative impact on the newly formed company.This is why the issue of the transition from the old to a new system has become a central concern for the leaders of such international corporations. The last part deals with cultural overlap, more precisely, the situation when two people with different cultures (values and understandings too) are supposed to work together. This difference can either improve the work together or threaten it. In the article four type of behavioural ruler are presented: either the own culture is considered for superior and the other party has to adapt or vice versa. The third option would be the one, where the two parties are too different in order to cooperate in any case.The best option, however, is when significant elements of the two cultures and combined and integrated into a new one. A Challenge in those rules is to gain more understanding about the cause-effect relationship of each other’s behaviour and also to have a deeper understanding about the own way of thinking and judgement and the reasons defining the way of perception of the other. New opportunities could be recognized and exploited only if a person is open for and interested in the different culture, and not taking right away the unfamiliar behaviour for one of lower rang. Obviously, none of the too extreme options (convergence or divergence) are good for the interaction.As stated in the article, differences should be recognized and acknowledged, and a gradual modification of the own, and adaptation to the other’s culture should follow. The next question that arises is: to what extend should that happen? As a conclusion it is said, that interculturality is only possible is one of the partners has a dominant role. However, he should also be able to understand and accept the other’s behaviour, be tolerant and respect it. This characteristic can be best developed by specialized trainings and int ercultural coaching. * Currency: The book from with this chapter comes was published only in 2010, which is an obvious sign of its currency. Furthermore, the issue discussed in it is becoming more and more important with the ever increasing trend towards internalization. Objectivity: The chapter includes different theories, but no own empirical research. Many situations are given as an example for the stated arguments and those sound quite convincing. Also for the issue discussed, probably observation of behavior in cultural overlap should also be more appropriate. * Relevance for practitioners: The topic is quite important for managers doing business abroad. Even if they are not aware of the fact, that cultural overlap can cause huge problems in negotiations or work together, the topic should be seriously taken by them. The main argument behind that is the fact that the majority of foreign ventures are not successful mainly due to misunderstandings between the parties. IX.The A, B, Cs of Acculturation This chapter is a review of both theory and empirical research concerning acculturation. The term of acculturation is defined here as â€Å"changes that occur as a result of continuous first-hand contact between individuals of different cultures† (Ward, 2001). Furthermore, it can be divided on the basis of various dimensions. In this chapter the focus falls on sojourners, immigrants and refugees on the one hand, and social identification, culture learning and stress and coping theoretical approaches, on the other. The first of the theoretical approaches – social identification- concerns the perception of oneself and others.This can be measured on two levels- on individual (focuses on how acculturation is defined and measured) or on group-level (interaction between a member and a foreigner of a community). Culture learning, on the other hand, blames for the cross cultural problems the ‘foreign’ parties and suggests that they should adap t to the culture-specific variables. The third approach defines the process of adapting as a series of stress-provoking situations, followed by attempts to cope with them. In a reversed order, those approaches constitute the three components of acculturation- affective, behavioral and cognitive, the so called A, B, Cs of acculturation.The question how to define adaptation has been mentioned as an important point. Many indices resulting from numerous researches have been proposed, each offering different approach and models. However, as common variables in all mentioned measures appear the psychological well-being/satisfaction and the effective relationships with representatives of the new culture. Furthermore, the author proposes two major categories for intercultural adaptation – psychological adjustment and sociocultural adaptation – that provide a good but still scarce overview. A model that combines the three theoretical approaches and the two aspects of cross-cult ural adaptation is further introduced and described in details.On the cognitive side (social identification), three models are mentioned for fundamental changes of cultural identity: assimilation of the foreign culture, a middle position between assimilation and separatism (bicultural identity) and the perception of the host and home cultures as independent. The following findings were presented: younger immigrants tend to be more easily acculturated; men get accustomed quicker than women and second generation immigrants are more opened to adapt. In addition to that, demographic, educational and socioeconomic factor also have an impact on acculturation. However, a recommendation for further theory development has been because of the insufficiency and inconsistency of the existing ones. The next approach – cultural learning- focused on behavioral changes in connection with cultural interaction in order to gain useful skills to adapt.Social skills and social interaction has bee n mentioned as crucial. However, many barriers, may threaten the successful intercultural communication. For example, nonverbal forms, such as gestures, silence or facial expression, that have different meaning across cultures, may lead to even an insult without any purpose. These obstacles can be over masters with the help of cultural trainings, participation and intercultural friendships. Sociocultural adaptation could be facilitate with more culture-specific knowledge, it follows a learning curve and it is easier for sedentary groups. Of greatest importance for the last theoretical approach is the prediction of psychological adjustment.For the stress-and-coping approach cultural contact and change are crucial because they lead to the search of a response. Here also a recommendation for further research in the area has been made. In the conclusion the author mentions that concerning acculturation, the field of research is vast. The combination of theory and conducted research cont ributes to the better understanding of the issue, but it is still not universal. Cultural differences could easily be translated into assimilation discouragement and psychological and sociocultural problems. Even if great development in the area of acculturation has been witnessed, for the future more comprehensive and larger scale studies would be warmly welcomed. Currency: The chapter has been published in the beginning of the century, thus also marking the beginning of the century where borders have less and less meaning. The topic is also one that is highly discussed and many future researches will be directed towards the issue of acculturation. * Objectivity: The chapter represents a mix of various theories and empirical studies, the results of various relevant to the topic studies has been presented and so, this criteria could be considered as fully fulfilled. * Relevance for practitioners : No doubt the problem of acculturation and the impact on a global level is of high rele vance for practitioners.Especially since borders has lost their meaning, nowadays people are moving all around the world, and consequently, are directly faced with the problem. References: Adler, N. : Global managers: no longer men alone. In : The international Journal of Human Resource Management, 2002, Vol. 13(5) (pp. 746-761) Distefano,J. , Maznevski, M. : Creating Values with Diverse Teams in Global Management. 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